While you were sleeping, global agencies reported the following events overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. Nineteen thousand residents of Southern California received evacuation orders on Wednesday following the eruption of the uncontrolled Hughes Fire near Castaic,

The Alliance of the Sahel States' (AES) proposal to adopt biometric passports for member nations including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger may go into effect by the end of the month. ・The Sahel States' Alliance plans to adopt biometric passports for member nations including Mali,

The exit of military-led Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) is seen to hurt

The withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – who have formed their own Alliance of Sahel States – from West African bloc Ecowas is set to take effect on 29 January, with security experts and

They said their departure was immediate, but under the bloc's rules, their withdrawal takes effect a year after the announcement.

The Austrian foreign ministry says a female citizen has been taken by unknown assailants in the military-ran West African country, Niger. It confirmed the incident to AFP and said they were aware of the "possible kidnapping of an Austrian woman" in Agadez which is 900 km (559 miles) from the capital Niamey.

The World Bank has approved a $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to help Mali

A group known as Muryar Talaka Awareness Initiative has commended the federal government over its diplomatic efforts in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Mali's military government is holding gold seized from Barrick Gold's Loulo-Gounkoto mine site at state-owned Banque Malienne de Solidarite (BMS), two sources said, as the miner pursues plans to suspend its operations in the country.

An Austrian woman was kidnapped in the desert town of Agadez in central Niger on Saturday, two Nigerien security sources said. One of the sources said the woman was bundled into a 4x4 by unknown assailants in the Fada district of Agadez,

says employee Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger seek bigger revenues BAMAKO/DAKAR Jan 13 (Reuters) - Mali's government has begun enforcing a provisional order to seize gold stock at Barrick Gold's Loulo-Gounkoto site, the Canadian miner said in a note to Malian ...