Global News

UK doubles coal imports to head off winter energy crisis

…imports almost double as Ukraine war turns natural gas into a no-go zone …more than 560,000tonnes of coal came into British ports last month Rising gas prices resulting from the war in Ukraine have forced the UK to nearly double its coal imports in the fight to keep the lights on through the Winter. The increasing use of coal-generated power…

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Ghana Eurobonds steady as country proposes debt restructure

By Ekow Dontoh and Moses Mozart Dzawu Haircut may be up to 30%, deputy finance minister Kumah saysReorganization needed to make debt sustainable for IMF loan Ghana will ask holders of its international bonds to accept losses of as much as 30% on the principal and forgo some interest payments as it hammers out a debt-sustainability plan to qualify for…

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African leaders agree on ‘immediate ceasefire’ in eastern DRC

African leaders have declared a cessation of hostilities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo starting Friday, according to a joint statement released after talks in the Angolan capital Luanda, with the aim of ending fighting between Congolese troops and M23 rebels. An agreement was reached for an “immediate ceasefire” in the DRC at 6pm (17:00 GMT) on Friday, Angolan…

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Ukraine war: Merkel says she lacked power to influence Putin

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her policy towards Russia prior to the February invasion of Ukraine, saying she had run out of power to influence Vladimir Putin. She said she had tried to convene European talks with the Russian president and French President Emmanuel Macron in the summer of 2021. “But I didn’t have the power to get…

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African Unity Road linking Algiers to Lagos nears completion

It’s a road that will link six African nations, improving transport and delivering high-speed internet across the continent. And at In Guezzam, on the border between Algeria and Niger, the last section of what’s been called the African Unity Road is nearing completion. Conceived over 50 years ago, the Trans-Saharan Highway runs almost 5,000 kilometres from Algiers to Lagos in…

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Confronting Iran protests, regime uses brute force but secretly appeals to moderates

Purges of rivals and reformists from the government have narrowed officials’ options for a response As antigovernment protests swept across Iran last month, its top leaders made a secret appeal to two of the Islamic Republic’s founding families, the moderate Rafsanjani and Khomeini clans that hard-liners had pushed out of power, said people familiar with the talks. Iran’s national-security chief,…

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US Supreme Court paves path to obtain Trump’s tax returns

The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the imminent handover of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns to a congressional committee after a three-year legal fight. The court, without comment, rejected Trump’s plea for an order that would have prevented the US Department of the Treasury from giving six years of tax returns for Trump and…

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King Charles hosts South Africa’s Ramaphosa for first state visit

King Charles has hosted his first state visit since becoming British monarch, welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace. Charles, 74, rolled out the traditional pomp and ceremony on Tuesday for the first time as head of state, as Britain seeks to bolster its relations with its biggest trading partner in Africa. Ramaphosa and his wife were officially…

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Thousands strike for wage increases in South Africa

Thousands of public sector workers in South Africa have embarked on a nationwide strike demanding better wages. Tuesday’s “National Day of Action” comes after wage negotiations between trade unions and the government collapsed; the government offered a 3 percent pay hike, but unions are demanding 10 percent amid rising inflation. The dispute between the government and its employees piles pressure…

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China’s Xi attempts to claim diplomatic victory in battle for global influence after summit whirlwind

Xi Jinping may have rejected US President Joe Biden’s description of the 21st century as a battle between democracies and autocracies, but as the G20 and APEC summits showed, the Chinese leader remains intent on pushing back at American influence overseas. Still basking in the afterglow of a Communist Party Congress that last month saw him consolidate and extend his grip on power at home, the strongman leader…

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