Author: Solomon Alaka

African Continental Brief: Business, Climate & Energy, Tech & Deals, Geopolitics & Policy, Security & Human Rights — 05 Dec 2025

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BUSINESS & MACRO Ghana Secures $20m UK‑Backed Loan to Boost MSMEs Ghana’s First National Bank (FNBG) has secured a US$20 million loan from British International Investment to expand credit access for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. The facility is expected to support long‑term lending and working‑capital financing, offering a lifeline to businesses seeking to recover […]

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Tánaiste Holds Call with UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Trade and EU‑UK Relations

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Dublin — 5 December 2025 — Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris spoke by phone on Friday with the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, with both sides discussing key issues shaping the Ireland–UK relationship ahead of a pivotal year for European and regional cooperation. According to the Department of Finance, the conversation […]

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Europe faces worst wildfire year on record as fire seasons grow longer and more destructive

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The 2024 forest fires report from the Commission’s Joint Research Centre confirms a longer and more intense fire season.  Major fires have increased every year since 2017, and the 2024 data confirm the upward trend. The 2024 fire season ended with a total burnt area of 383,317 hectares. While this is lower than the 500,000 […]

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Illinois Men Face Additional Charges for Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy | Office of Public Affairs

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Two Illinois brothers were indicted yesterday in a superseding indictment on charges related to a scheme to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and private health care insurers and for participating in a money laundering conspiracy with the fraud proceeds.    “These defendants are charged with a brazen scheme to steal nearly $300 million from vital health care […]

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UN and partners back new measures to help millions move from vulnerability to opportunity

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Over three days, ministers, development partners and international agencies met to explore how LDCs can “graduate” successfully – meaning they have reached levels of income, education and resilience that lift them out of the UN’s most vulnerable grouping – and, crucially, stay out. The meeting focused on the Doha Programme of Action (DPOA), which aims […]

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UN sounds alarm as landmine deaths rise amid funding cuts

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Speaking on the sidelines of a key international meeting in support of landmine action taking place at UN Geneva, experts in the field explained how shrinking resources in Afghanistan and Nigeria have exposed civilians to unexploded ordnance. They stressed that mine action programmes, often viewed as long-term recovery initiatives, are in fact emergency humanitarian interventions […]

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Arab region pushed to limits by climate extremes as 2024 smashes heat records

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The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) first State of the Climate in the Arab Region report paints a stark picture of a region under constant pressure from rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather. The UN agency noted that “a number of countries [in the Arab region] reported temperatures of above 50°C (122°F) last year, while average […]

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EASA publishes new Revision of Easy Access Rules for Information Security

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published Revision from December 2025 of the Easy Access Rules for Information Security (EAR for IS). This new Revision incorporates the following regulatory material: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2293 on requirements applicable to organisations subject to a declaration, and correcting accordingly the existing regulatory framework; Commission Delegated […]

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Edinburgh Airport Halts All Flights After Major IT Failure

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Edinburgh — 5 December 2025 — Edinburgh Airport suspended all flights on Friday morning after a significant IT failure affected its air traffic control provider, forcing a full ground stop and causing widespread disruption for passengers Yahoo News Australia. The shutdown began at around 08:30 local time, with the airport confirming that no arrivals or […]

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Irish UN Peacekeepers Come Under Fire in Southern Lebanon, All Troops Safe

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4th of December 2025: Irish Defence Forces personnel serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came under small‑arms fire on Thursday evening during a routine patrol, the Defence Forces confirmed. The incident occurred at approximately 18:30 local time, when a patrol from the 127 Infantry Battalion was targeted while operating near UN […]

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