NEWSWIRE

​BENIN, Cotonou -- The rapid collapse of Benin's 7 December coup attempt drew a rare and forceful regional response, placing the small coastal state in the centre of West Africa's widening coup belt while highlighting two distinctive departures from recent regional patterns. The operation, led by Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri and a small faction of soldiers, faltered within hours as loyalist forces—backed by Nigerian air and ground units under an ECOWAS mandate—retook state media, secured the capital, and reasserted control over the security chain of command.

​SENEGAL, Dakar -- A Panama-flagged oil and chemical tanker with documented links to Russia's so-called shadow fleet remained semi-submerged off the coast of Senegal on Monday, following the reported flooding of its engine room late last week. The 2009-built M/V Mersin, listed under Turkish-connected ownership and last departing the Russian export port of Taman, had been anchored outside Dakar for several days before it began taking on water between 27 and 28 November.

GUINEA-BISSAU, Bissau -- The soldiers entered the capital as if stepping into a script already underway. On 26 November, with the electoral commission hours from announcing a presidential result that appeared poised to unseat the incumbent, the military intervened with the calm decisiveness of a caretaker changing locks on a property in dispute. ​

​By Martin Foskett | Newswire | Knelstrom Media

KINSHASA, DRC. As world leaders swapped suits for linen and climate targets in Brazil, President Félix Tshisekedi stood beside a ficus plant and accused unnamed foreign interests of fuelling a war that has displaced millions in his country’s east. “We are not naïve,” he said. “This war was created because of our wealth.”

​DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA. The results are officially in. After several days of tense anticipation, Tanzania's National Electoral Commission has declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of this week's presidential election. This vote has left the country both subdued and shaken.

​By Martin Foskett | Newswire | Knelstrom Media

By Martin Foskett | Newswire | Knelstrom Media

​BEIJING, CHINA: Toilet paper in some Chinese public restrooms now comes with a price tag: either watch an advertisement or pay half a yuan. This scheme has left users laughing, groaning, and queuing in equal measure.

​By Martin Foskett | Newswire | Knelstrom Media

​By Martin Foskett | Newswire | Knelstrom Media

​OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO — 29 August 2025. Burkina Faso has taken a decisive step in its campaign to assert state control over its mineral wealth, formally seeking a 35 per cent stake in the Kiaka gold mine, one of the country's most significant new mining projects. The move has sent signals well beyond Ouagadougou, triggering a trading halt for its Australian operator and unsettling an industry that has long been accustomed to distant oversight and offshore profits.