CAPE TOWN, Nov. 8 — The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has officially announced the appointment of South Africa as the interim chair of the regional bloc.

According to a communique issued by SADC after its virtual extraordinary summit convened by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, the summit acknowledged Madagascar’s decision to relinquish its role as the SADC chair, following recent political developments that have impacted its capacity to discharge the responsibilities of the position.

“In accordance with Articles 9A(2)(b) and 10(4) of the SADC Treaty, the Incoming Chairperson (Deputy Chairperson) shall assume interim leadership should the sitting Chair be unable to fulfill their duties.

In this regard, the Republic of South Africa was appointed as Interim Chair of SADC until August 2026,” said the communique.

“The SADC Secretariat will engage Member States, in line with the principle of rotation, to identify a new Incoming Chairperson (Deputy Chairperson) by Nov. 30, 2025,” it added.

In his address at the summit, Ramaphosa called for solidarity and decisive action to deal with the challenges facing the region.

“Indeed, the challenges confronting our region are profound, but they are not terminal. Our collective sense of regional solidarity at this time is our strongest currency,” said Ramaphosa.

“Solidarity at this moment demands courage to act decisively in defense of age-long regional gains.” (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that no U.S. officials will attend G20 summit scheduled to be held in South Africa late this month.

Trump again claimed on his Truth Social platform that Afrikaners, a minority in South Africa, “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”

The South African government has repeatedly dismissed the White House allegations throughout the year. “I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!”, Trump added.

The president had earlier announced that he would not attend the summit in South Africa. Tensions between Washington and Pretoria occurred shortly after Trump returned to office in late January.

Trump signed an executive order to freeze U.S. aid to South Africa in February, accusing the Expropriation Act, a land reform law South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed in January, of “discriminating” against the country’s white people.

In response, the South African government pushed back against the White House’s accusations, saying the executive order of freezing aid “lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa‘s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”

In February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that he would boycott the G20 summit in Johannesburg because of “bad things” happening in the country, while criticizing the summit for focusing on “solidarity, equality, & sustainability.”

In March, Washington expelled then South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, further straining the bilateral relations. The expulsion followed an earlier address by the South African ambassador, in which he criticized Trump.

In May, Trump confronted visiting South African President Ramaphosa at the White House with conspiracy theories on “white genocide” in South Africa, which Ramaphosa firmly denied.

At the time, Ramaphosa, who had arrived in Washington to improve trade terms and ease bilateral tensions, rejected Trump’s assertions during their meeting.

The South African president refuted the notion that white South Africans are fleeing the country due to racist policies, noting that the majority of crime victims in his country are Black. (Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Nov. 8 — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its air force killed two militants in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

According to the statement, the two were members of the Lebanese Resistance Brigades, a paramilitary group affiliated with Hezbollah.

They were targeted while traveling in a car in the village of Chebaa in southeastern Lebanon, the IDF said. The Israeli army claimed that they were involved in smuggling weapons used by Hezbollah, and their activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.

A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024. Still, the Israeli army continues to conduct occasional strikes in Lebanon, saying its operations were against Hezbollah “threats,” while maintaining forces at five main positions along the Lebanese border.

Earlier in the week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the recent spate of attacks, describing them as “heinous political crime.”

The Lebanese army also condemned the Israeli attacks as “a continuation of the enemy’s destructive approach aimed at undermining Lebanon’s stability, expanding devastation in the south, and prolonging the war to maintain the threat against the Lebanese people.” (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Nov. 7 — NATO continues to play an active role in the militarization of the Arctic, creating new barriers to international cooperation in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted by TASS as saying on Friday.

Speaking at a regular briefing, Zakharova warned that Moscow would respond comprehensively to threats and challenges to its national security, stressing that “the strategic importance of the Arctic is growing every day.”

Zakharova noted that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO has further exacerbated tensions in the region. “NATO is actively using the territory of Arctic member states to increase the size of coalition forces and the intensity of combat training activities,” she said.

She revealed that “civil transport infrastructure is being adapted for military purposes, additional reconnaissance assets are being deployed, and more than 300 billion U.S. dollars have been allocated for these purposes by 2034.”

She added that NATO has held about 10 large-scale exercises in the Arctic this year, including annual nuclear deterrence drills in October, some of which took place near Russia’s borders.

“The importance of the Arctic for the Russian Federation can hardly be overstated,” she said, emphasizing that Russia “has never threatened anyone in the Arctic region” and remains committed to international law and to resolving all emerging issues through political and diplomatic means. (Xinhua)

HARARE, Nov. 7 — Zimbabwe’s economy is expected to maintain strong momentum in 2026, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said.

In a statement issued on Thursday at the conclusion of an IMF staff mission to Zimbabwe, the agency said Zimbabwe’s economic rebound has been stronger than expected, supported by a recovery in agriculture, solid mining performance, and easing inflation amid exchange rate stability.

“Zimbabwe’s economic recovery in 2025 is stronger than previously anticipated, given the rebound in agriculture and solid performances in mining, while inflation has continued to significantly ease, supported by a stable foreign exchange rate.

The economy is expected to maintain strong momentum in 2026,” the IMF said. It added that discussions with Zimbabwe’s monetary authorities focused on enhancing fiscal discipline in the 2026 budget framework to avoid the accumulation of expenditure arrears.

According to the statement, the IMF recommended the adoption of credible revenue projections supported by concrete policy and administrative tax measures for 2026, and strengthening expenditure management to enhance fiscal resilience and management of fiscal risks and pressures.

The IMF said it stands ready to resume discussions with Zimbabwe on the requested Staff Monitored Program, based on progress towards addressing key policy issues, including aligning the 2026 budget with the objective of sustaining macroeconomic stability.

The IMF staff team visited Zimbabwe from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5 as part of its regular engagement with Zimbabwean authorities and other stakeholders.

In September, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube raised the country’s growth projection to 6.6 percent this year, up from the initial forecast of 6 percent due to higher tobacco output and surging global gold prices. (Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 7  — A Chinese envoy on Thursday regretted the U.S. push for a vote by the Security Council on a draft resolution over sanctions against the Syrian interim leader, arguing that the draft resolution adjusting sanctions related to Syria fails to address the legitimate concerns of the parties concerned.

The Security Council on Thursday voted to adopt Resolution 2799 to remove Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim interior minister Anas Khattab from the Islamic State and al-Qaida sanctions list.

China abstained from the voting. In an explanation of the vote, Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said that on adjusting the Security Council’s sanctions related to Syria, China’s position has been “loud and clear from the very beginning.”

“We are of the view that the Security Council should take into full account the counter-terrorism and security situation in Syria, the complex potential impact that may be brought by the adjustments, and the long-term interests and actual needs of Syria, to properly address the legitimate concerns of all parties and make prudent decisions based on careful study,” Fu said.

Regrettably, the draft failed to embody the above principles and spirit, he said, adding that “China therefore had to abstain from the voting.”

Noting that China had actively participated in Security Council consultations on the draft, Fu said that together with some members, China expressed legitimate concerns, particularly with regard to foreign terrorist fighters in Syria, and put forward many constructive amendment proposals.

However, the United States, as the sponsor, did not fully heed the views of all members and forced the council to take action even when there were huge differences among council members, in an attempt to serve its own political agenda.

China expresses its regret, Fu said. At present, Syria is undergoing a political transition and is faced with a fragile security situation and the arduous task of counterterrorism.

Numerous foreign terrorist fighters have exploited this situation to their advantage, seriously threatening the peace and security of Syria, the region and beyond, said Fu.

“Fighting against terrorism is the basis for Syria’s national reconstruction. Any action taken by the Council on Syria should take into full account the counter-terrorism situation and should contribute to the achievement of the Council’s objectives on counter-terrorism.

Any support and assistance provided to Syria should not undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the Council’s sanctions regime,” Fu said.

The resolution just adopted reaffirms the council’s counter-terrorism requirements and makes it clear that Syria should fulfill its commitments in this regard, take decisive measures to prevent terrorist acts, and address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, including East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) members in Syria, Fu said, adding that the Syrian transitional government should fulfill its counter-terrorism obligations, take practical measures to make substantive progress, and win the trust of the international community.

At present, more than 160 entities and over 430 individuals are still on the Islamic State and al-Qaida sanctions list, and restrictive measures such as travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes are still in effect.

All countries are obligated to strictly implement the Security Council’s sanctions resolutions, and prevent all designated entities and individuals, including the ETIM, from obtaining funds, weapons and any other types of support, directly or indirectly, from outside and posing a threat to the security of other countries, Fu said. (Xinhua)