North Korea displays apparent progress in construction of nuclear-powered submarine
ShareSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday displayed apparent progress in the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, with state media photos showing a largely completed hull, as leader Kim Jong Un condemned rival South Korea’s push to acquire the technology. Follow onIt was not immediately clear how close North Korea is to completing the vessel. A nuclear-powered submarine is Kim’s next major military goalA nuclear-powered submarine was one item on a long wish list of sophisticated weaponry that Kim announced during a major political conference in 2021 to cope with what he called growing U.S.-led military threats. But there have been questions about whether North Korea, a heavily sanctioned and impoverished country, could get resources and technology to build nuclear-powered submarines. While some analysts suspect North Korea may have sought a reactor from Russia, possibly from a retired Russian submarine, Moon said it’s more likely that North Korea designed its own reactor, while possibly receiving some technological assistance from Russia.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 18:03 UTC
Morocco Refines Social Support Program with Data-Driven Targeting System – The North Africa Post
Morocco is advancing its direct social support system through enhanced data analytics and precision targeting, moving beyond category-based assistance toward household-specific assessments as authorities secure long-term funding for one of the nation’s largest social protection initiatives. Government officials detailed the program’s evolution in November parliamentary responses, outlining how the National Agency for Social Support implements targeting mechanisms launched in late 2023. The initiative forms the second phase of broader social protection reforms established under framework legislation. Approximately 60% of the population not receiving family allowance schemes may qualify for assistance based on household circumstances. Authorities replaced category-based targeting, formerly linked to RAMED medical assistance eligibility, with unified databases combining the National Population Register and Unified Social Register.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 17:32 UTC
Afrochella, Ghana’s year-end meeting point with African diasporas
Launched in 2017, it was conceived as a space connecting contemporary African cultures with African diasporas, particularly those based in Europe and North America. From the outset, Afrochella was designed as a multi-disciplinary festival bringing together music, visual arts, food culture and creative entrepreneurship. Its stated ambition was to provide a platform for modern African cultural expressions while encouraging economic and cultural exchanges between the continent and its diasporas. Alongside performances, Afrochella has gradually expanded to include content related to entrepreneurship, creative technologies and emerging African brands. The name change was intended to broaden the project beyond a single festival format, positioning it as a wider cultural platform capable of operating in other African and international cities.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 12:47 UTC
Breaking News, Nigeria, South Africa & Tanzania News
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Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 10:52 UTC
Traffic in Suez Canal Increases as Major Shipping Companies Return
The vessel, which has a capacity of 23,000 TEUs, is 400 metres long and 62 metres wide, with a net tonnage of 231,000 tons. Major shipping lines have begun returning to the Suez Canal, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairperson Osama Rabie said recently, as the waterway recorded the transit of one of the world’s largest container ships for the first time in two years. The transit of the LNG-powered CMA CGM Jacques Saade from the north, travelling from Morocco to Malaysia, signals the “full return” of the French shipping group’s vessels to the canal. The vessel, which has a capacity of 23,000 TEUs, is 400 metres long and 62 metres wide, with a net tonnage of 231,000 tons. The vessel is 318 metres long with a total tonnage of 82,000 tons.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 08:55 UTC
Mastercard and Fuelin Partner to Digitise Fleet Payments Across MENA
Mastercard has entered a strategic partnership with Fuelin, an Egypt-based fleet-tech innovator, to digitise fuel payment management for businesses across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The collaboration aims to transition the mobility sector away from cash and voucher-based processes towards seamless, data-driven digital transactions. Through this initiative, Fuelin will issue virtual and physical commercial cards that operate on Mastercard’s open-loop ecosystem. This integration allows fleet operators to authorise, cap, and monitor transactions in real-time, leveraging advanced security features such as tokenisation and contactless payments. By shifting to controlled digital payments, the partnership addresses key pain points in the sector, including fraud and financial leakage.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 08:44 UTC
Two Sahrawi Prisoners Document Abuses in Moroccan Occupation Prison – AL24 News
Two imprisoned Sahrawi students Salah Eddine Essabar and Ibrahim Babit sent two letters to the international community, in which they documented the grave violations they are subjected to inside “Ait Meloul 2” prison, near Agadir, Morocco, demanding immediate release for all Sahrawi civilian prisoners in Moroccan prisons. The Moroccan occupation authorities issued on December 17 unjust sentences against these two students, condemning them to 8 months of effective imprisonment, and a heavy fine on fabricated charges, after their defense of Sahrawi peoples’ right to self-determination. In his letter, Salah Eddine Essabar reported that he is being held in a cramped cell, subjected to systematic repression, describing the mistreatment of Sahrawi prisoners as institutionalized policy. He underlined that the occupation practices against the detainees “various forms of discriminatory treatment, whether from the jailers or from the rest of the prisoners who are incited against them, not to mention the restriction of visits, the deprivation of communication, the deliberate medical neglect and psychological warfare and pressure to retract their firm positions.” He emphasized that “the prison administration has turned into an executive tool in the hands of security agencies, implementing their instructions and translating them into daily punitive measures,” adding that his imprisonment and that of his colleague “is not an isolated incident, but rather a link in a long chain of targeting that began last year inside the university through fabricated malicious complaints.”For his part, Ibrahim Babit revealed in his letter that the occupation adopts a “systematic targeting approach” inside the prison, considering Sahrawi students as voices that must be subdued by any means, and not as detainees, which is evident in the “racist treatment, dire living conditions, and deprivation of the slightest rights.” He also emphasized that “Sahrawi people’s firm commitment to their right to freedom and independence can neither be shaken by harshness of cold cells, nor defeated by vengeful sentences.”
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 08:40 UTC
Ivory Coast starts Africa Cup title defense with a win as proud dad Zidane sees Algeria beat Sudan :: WRALSportsFan.com
— RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Ivory Coast got its Africa Cup of Nations title defense off to a winning start and France great Zinedine Zidane watched his goalkeeper son’s safe hands as Algeria also started its campaign with a victory Wednesday. Algeria wasted little time Wednesday with Mahrez sweeping in the opener in the second minute after unselfish play from Hicham Boudaoui to set him up. Sudan had to play all its qualification games away from home because of the near 1,000-day old civil war ravaging the country. The Elephants’ captain, Franck Kessie, headed the ball back and Diallo struck it inside the far corner shortly after the break. Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time and Tapsoba headed the winner three minutes after that.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 05:50 UTC
Deputies clear scene at Arrowhead Blvd, N Tamiami Trl. in North Fort Myers
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Source:The North Africa Journal
December 25, 2025 03:43 UTC
Saudi SENAAT announces $92.9 million steel structure contract to Algeria
Saudi Arabia-based SENAAT has announced that its structural steel supplier subsidiary Zamil Structural Steel Co., operating in Egypt, has secured a SAR 348.65 million ($92.9 million) contract from Elegancia Steel W.L.L., a Qatar-based steel service provider. Under the agreement, Zamil Structural Steel will be responsible for the design, manufacture, and supply of steel structures, as well as cladding works using insulating panels for the first phase of the Baladna farming project in Algeria, set to be one of the largest integrated agricultural projects in the world. According to SENAAT, the contract reflects the group’s continued expansion across regional and international markets, with Zamil Structural Steel increasingly participating in large-scale industrial and agricultural projects beyond its domestic base.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 24, 2025 23:15 UTC
Algeria's parliament approves law declaring France's colonisation a crime
Algerian law declares France's colonisation a crimeFrance returned the remains of 24 Algerian resistance fighters in 2020France's colonisation of Algeria between 1830 and 1962 was marked by mass killings, large-scale deportations and ended in a bloody war of independence. Algeria says the war killed 1.5 million people, while French historians put the death toll much lower. Algeria's parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France's colonisation of the North African state a crime, and demanding an apology and reparations. France's President Emmanuel Macron has previously acknowledged the colonisation of Algeria was a "crime against humanity" but has not offered an apology. In 2020, France returned the remains of 24 Algerian fighters who were killed resisting French colonial forces in the 19th Century.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 24, 2025 20:55 UTC
Libya's army chief killed in air crash in Turkey
Libya's army chief killed in air crash in TurkeyThe Tripoli-bound jet had issued an emergency landing request before contact was lost. The Libyan army chief has been killed in an air crash in Turkey, Libya's prime minister has said. The prime minister called it a "great loss" for the nation, saying Libya had "lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication". Gen Haddad and his team had been in Turkey for talks aimed at further strengthening military and security co-operation between the two countries. Libya's rival Government of National Stability (GNS) in the east of the country is run by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 24, 2025 20:25 UTC
Export Diversification Reshapes Corn Growth, Softens Soybean Declines
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — U.S. corn and soybean export patterns in 2025 show how market diversification can either drive growth or reduce damage when demand shifts. Analysis from Purdue University finds that corn exports are expanding despite weakness among traditional buyers, while soybean exports declined but avoided a sharper collapse because sales were spread across more destinations. USDA export data through October show soybean shipments trailing 2024 levels, with total exports projected near 44.5 million metric tons, down about 13 percent year over year. Corn exports tell a different story. Even with reduced purchases from Mexico, Japan, and Colombia, total U.S. corn exports are projected to be near 78 million metric tons, up roughly 8 percent from 2024.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 24, 2025 20:24 UTC
Libya: Tripoli Military Chief & Four Other Army Top Brass Killed in Plane Crash in Turkey – The North Africa Post
Army chief of Libya’s Tripoli government and four other senior military officials were killed Tuesday in a plane crash after take-off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara. The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries. According to Libyan authorities, the plane, a Falcon 50 type business jet, experienced a technical malfunction. Shortly after taking off from Ankara’s Esenboga airport, the plane requested an emergency landing near Haymana after an electrical deficiency. Turkish air traffic controllers then lost contact with the plane while it was on its emergency landing descent.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 24, 2025 19:28 UTC
Algerian Regime in Full Panic Mode After Departure of U.S. Ambassador – The North Africa Post
Ambassador of the United States to Algeria Elizabeth Aubin has been removed by the Trump administration, leaving the Algerian regime in utter dismay though the move is part of a broad shake-up of the U.S. State Department and diplomatic corps. Ambassador Elizabeth was appointed by Democrat President Joe Biden in 2021. She was supposed to be replaced in 2024 by Joshua Harris, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for North African Affairs and a key figure in U.S. diplomacy with extensive knowledge of the Sahara issue. In August 2025, Mr. Joshua was appointed Chargé d’Affaires in Baghdad, while Elizabeth Aubin continued to serve as ambassador to Algeria until her removal. A senior State Department official said: “An ambassador is a personal representative of the President, and it is the President’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda.”Mrs. Elizabeth had worked hard on US-Algerian rapprochement, but her recall is seen as a failure of US engagement with Algerian military junta which has rejected the proposed U.S. 60-day peace deal to normalize relations with Rabat and refused to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2797 recognizing the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 24, 2025 19:28 UTC