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 Missing Centurion Siblings Found Dead in Hennops River The bodies of two siblings who were reported missing in Centurion have been found in the Hennops River. Galaletsang Mokone (23) and his sister, Gontse Lee Matjila (21), were last seen in the early hours of Sunday, 21 December 2025, after visiting friends in Centurion on Saturday night. A large-scale search was launched involving several emergency and law-enforcement agencies. On Tuesday, 23 December 2025, search teams discovered their Hyundai i30 submerged in the Hennops River, and the vehicle was recovered. Police later confirmed that the bodies of the two siblings were found in the river. According to police, the siblings lost contact with their family in the early hours of Sunday morning. Their mother last spoke to Gontse during a video call at around 03:00. Investigations suggest that the pair may have left Centurion at about 05:00, travelling back to their home in Ninapark, Pretoria North. Tracker information placed their...

 Pope Leo XIV calls for global truce on Christmas Day Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called for a global truce on Christmas Day, expressing “great sadness” that “apparently Russia rejected a request” for one. “I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace — at least on the feast of the birth of our Saviour,” Leo told reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly rejected calls for a ceasefire saying it would only give a military advantage to Ukraine. “Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce,” the pope said. Referring to conflicts in general, Leo said: “I hope they will listen and there will be 24 hours of peace in the whole world,” he added. Ukraine on Tuesday pulled out troops from a town in the east of the country after fierce battles with Russian forces as relentless strikes by Moscow killed three civilians and ...

 Libya's top military chief, four other passengers die in aircraft crash by The head of Libya's armed forces and four other passengers died on Tuesday when their business jet crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara, officials in Türkiye's capital and Tripoli said. The wreckage of their Falcon 50 aircraft was located by Turkish security personnel in the Haymana district near Ankara, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said on his Facebook page: "It is with deep sadness and great sorrow that we learnt of the death of the Libyan army's chief of general staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad." Al-Haddad earlier Tuesday held talks in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, and was returning to Tripoli. An investigation launched Yerlikaya said on X that al-Haddad's jet took off from Ankara's Esenboga airport at 1710 GMT, and "contact was lost" 42 minutes later. Th...

 Guinea-Bissau military frees opposition politicians held since coup Guinea-Bissau's military said it has released six members of the political opposition who had been detained since a coup last month. The six people freed were close associates of Domingos Simoes Pereira, head of the PAIGC party that led the country to independence in 1974. Pereira has been in custody since the coup. The releases are a "sign of good faith and a compromise for the return to constitutional normality and respect for international rights", the High Military Command, the military's governing body, said in a statement, AFP reported. The army seized power on November 26 after ousting outgoing president Umaro Sissoco Embalo in the wake of a presidential vote. One-year transition The military then suspended the electoral process and announced it was taking control of the West African country for a period of one year. Another opposition candidate, Fernando Dias, took refuge in Nigeria's emb...

 Belgium joins South Africa's genocide case against Israel Belgium on Tuesday joined South Africa in a case brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, AFP reported. The UN's highest court, based in The Hague, said in a statement that Brussels had filed a declaration of intervention. Several countries including Brazil, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Spain and Türkiye have already joined the case. In December 2023, South Africa brought a case to the United Nations' highest court in The Hague, stating that Israel's deadly attacks on Gaza breached the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. ICJ censures Israel In rulings in January, March and May 2024, the ICJ told Israel to do everything possible to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, including by providing urgently needed humanitarian aid to prevent famine. These orders are legally binding, but the court has no concrete mean...

 Ethiopia, US sign $1.6 B health care cooperation framework Ethiopia and the US have signed a $1.6 billion health cooperation framework to support the country’s health care system from 2026 to 2030, according to a Health Ministry statement, Anadolu Agency reported. The agreement will continue support for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs, as well as maternal and child health services and pandemic preparedness. The US will provide $1.16 billion, with Ethiopia covering the remainder through its domestic health financing plan. “The five-year cooperation framework will sustain support for priority disease programs and strengthen Ethiopia’s health system, including domestic financing and medicine supply,” the ministry said. The deal comes as humanitarian agencies report serious funding gaps in Ethiopia. UNICEF says millions of women and children remain at risk due to unmet needs for health, nutrition, and disease treatment, including more than 2.4 million malaria cases report...

 Chikun LG Distributes Truckload Of Rice To Residents For Christmas The Chikun Local Government Council, under the leadership of Engr. Salasi Nuhu Musa, has commenced the distribution of one truckload of rice to residents across the local government area as part of activities marking the Christmas festivities. The distribution exercise was officially flagged off on Tuesday at the Narayi Development Area, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna. Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the Executive Chairman of Chikun Local Government, Engr. Salasi Nuhu Musa, said the initiative was aimed at supporting citizens at the grassroots and easing the burden of the festive season on families. The Chairman tasked the distribution committee to ensure fairness, transparency, and justice in the exercise, stressing that the rice must reach the intended beneficiaries across all wards of the local government area. According to him, the intervention reflects his administration’s commitment to inclusive governance and th...