Vilpa Films, the production company established my Mexican producer, filmmaker and author Alejandro Vilpa, will launch its new streaming platform, Vilpa Max, on January 31st 20206. The platform will seek to provide short filmmakers from around the world an opportunity to present their work to a global audience. Some of films set to be featured at launch include Oscar-winning short The Mozart of Pickpockets from writer/director Philippe Pollet-Villard, the Oscar-nominated The Red Suitcase from director Cyrus Neshvad, and Palme d’Or winning All the Crows in the World from writer/director Yi Tang. Vilpa commented: “At Vilpa Films and Vilpa Max, our mission is to champion extraordinary cinema while creating a bridge for emerging filmmakers to enter the international distribution landscape.We curate and produce work that stands alongside Oscar-winning and Cannes-acclaimed films, offering audiences a catalogue defined by vision, craft, and cultural impact. At the same time, we empower new voices by giving them opportunities to gain international visibility and positioning as they continue building their careers.”

The best time to plant hollies is in early spring, after the last hard freeze (if applicable) but before the heat of summer sets in. One male can effectively pollinate about 10 female plants growing within 50 feet (15 meters), sometimes more. American Holly (Ilex opaca)Native along the entire East Coast and west to Missouri and Texas, this slow-growing, pyramidical holly can reach 25-60 feet (8-18 meters) tall at maturity. Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata)Unlike the other species on this list, verticillata is a deciduous, not evergreen, plant that loses its foliage in autumn. English or common holly (Ilex aquifolium)Native to Europe, West Asia and North Africa, English holly is spreading into wild areas and choking out native vegetation from Vancouver to the Pacific Northwest and into California.

ASHEBORO, N.C. (WECT) — C’sar, the North Carolina Zoo’s longest-tenured resident and the oldest African bull elephant in the United States, died Dec. 19 at 51 years old. The elephant died peacefully under the care of zoo experts who had been monitoring his health as age-related conditions progressed, according to zoo officials. C’sar arrived at the North Carolina Zoo on July 25, 1978, at around four years old after being orphaned in Kenya. “C’sar was a living piece of history and a beloved member of our Zoo community,” said Diane Villa, interim director of the North Carolina Zoo. His presence supported the zoo’s conservation efforts in west Africa, including satellite tracking collars, anti-poaching initiatives and community-based conservation strategies.

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The North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) invites the global seafood community to submit nominations for the NASF Sustainability Award, to be presented at NASF 2026 in Bergen, Norway. Through this award, The North Atlantic Seafood Forum seeks to recognize outstanding sustainability achievements, highlight innovative and transferable solutions, promote science-based and holistic approaches, and inspire progress across the entire seafood value chain. "Sustainability has been on the North Atlantic Seafood Forums' agenda for many years, and by launching the NASF Sustainability Award, we aim to further strengthen the focus on this and reward by recognizing leadership, innovation, and commitment to responsible practices across the seafood value chain. Nominations and award criteriaNominations are welcomed for projects, initiatives, companies, organizations or individuals operating, at least in part, within the North Atlantic region. The nominated initiative must demonstrate clear relevance to the North Atlantic region and address sustainability in a comprehensive way, encompassing environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

The Algerian regime has suffered another humiliating diplomatic setback after Moscow excluded again Polisario from the Russia-Africa cooperation forum held over the weekend in Cairo. By excluding the separatist group from such an international event, Russia confirms its unwavering position that participation in its forums is open only to sovereign States recognized by the United Nations. The move dealt a hard blow to the Algerian military junta and deepened their international isolation. The Sahara is handled exclusively by the United Nations. But Algeria, the main party to the Sahara issue, refuses so far to comply, challenging the international community and threatening regional stability.

More than 107,000 Sudanese civilians have been displaced from El-Fasher and surrounding villages in North Darfur amid worsening insecurity, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Sunday, December 21. About 72% of those displaced remained within North Darfur, mainly in the northern and western parts of the State, while around 19% moved to other states, including Central Darfur, Northern State and White Nile State. The organisation warned that continued insecurity and movement restrictions could further reshape displacement routes as the situation evolves. Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls four of the five Darfur states, with only parts of North Darfur still under army control. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced millions across the country.

Tanzanian biotech startup NovFeed has been named winner of this year’s Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) competition, banking US$300,000 in prize money. Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) is the Jack Ma Foundation’s flagship philanthropic initiative in Africa. At that event, after pitching to judges and a live audience, Novfeed emerged the winner, securing US$300,000 in cash. The startup is a biotechnology company dedicated to creating sustainable, high-performance solutions for aquaculture and agriculture. nuVoteQ specialises in providing Electronic Research Record (ERR) solutions for clinical research.

Jean-Marie Donat: First and foremost, it is important to put the photographs presented in the exhibition Ne M’oublie Pas into context. These photographs come from the archives of Studio Rex, a small photo studio in Marseille located in the Belsunce district, wedged between the old port and the Saint Charles train station. DA: Tell me about the story behind Ne M’oublie Pas – how did the story emerge, and what drew you to it? Ne M’oublie Pas does not tell the story of Studio Rex: by presenting this archive, I am showing a history of immigration told by the protagonists themselves. The Studio Rex archives provide an implicit reading of Maghreb and sub-Saharan immigration in the 1960s to 1990s.

Namibia has officially launched its National Energy Compact, marking its formal entry into Mission 300, a continental initiative aimed at expanding electricity access across sub-Saharan Africa, officials announced on Thursday, 18 December. Mr Amutse said Namibia currently generates about 40 per cent of its electricity needs, with the remaining 60 per cent imported from neighbouring countries, underscoring the urgency of improving energy self-sufficiency. He noted that the compact, developed through consultations that began in January at the Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania, aligns energy access with national development priorities. Under the Sixth National Development Plan, Namibia aims to connect 200,000 households, while longer-term targets include achieving 80 per cent electricity self-sufficiency and 70 per cent renewable energy penetration under the National Integrated Resource Plan. Although the strategy prioritises solar and wind, the minister said nuclear energy could also be considered, citing the country’s substantial uranium resources as part of a broader conversation on long-term decarbonisation, affordability and reliability.

Atlantic Lithium Ltd. said it remains confident that its mining lease for the Ewoyaa lithium project will be ratified, following revisions to fiscal terms that now align the project more closely with Ghana’s current mining laws. The Africa-focused developer, Atlantic Lithium Limited, said a changed mining lease for Ewoyaa has been formally submitted to the Parliament of Ghana and referred to a select committee, restarting the ratification process required before mining can begin. Ewoyaa, which Atlantic Lithium hopes will become Ghana’s first lithium mine, is the company’s flagship asset. Atlantic Lithium expects the select committee to review the revised lease in the new year before making a recommendation on whether it should be ratified. In the update, the company said it “remains confident that ratification of the Mining Lease will be forthcoming in accordance with due parliamentary process”.

Burhan met with Sisi in Cairo on 18 December, days after talks with Bin Salman and other Saudi officials. United States President Donald Trump’s Africa envoy Massad Boulos was also in Riyadh at the same time and met with Saudi officials, though he is not believed to have held talks with Burhan. Bin Salman says that Trump agreed to his request to intervene in the Sudanese civil war during their meeting in the Oval Office in November. The SAF’s longstanding position has been to refuse direct talks with the RSF . Unlike the RSF, it has so far also refused to support a US-drafted ceasefire plan presented in October (Dispatches, 10/11/25, Burhan under pressure after Hemeti backs US ceasefire plan).

#Startups Morocco Taps 500 Global and Flat6Labs to Build 800 Digital Champions by 2028 This initiative is a cornerstone of the Digital Morocco 2030 national strategy, aiming to transform the country into a premier regional hub for digital innovation. In a major move for the North African tech landscape, Morocco has officially launched the “Startup Venture Building” (Startup VB) program. This initiative is a cornerstone of the Digital Morocco 2030 national strategy, aiming to transform the country into a premier regional hub for digital innovation. These include local leaders CEED Maroc and Technopark, alongside four international giants: 500 Global (USA), Flat6Labs (Egypt), Open Startup International, and Renew Capital. By addressing the entire lifecycle of a startup, Morocco is positioning itself to produce a new generation of “digital champions” capable of driving significant economic growth and job creation.

Chad rarely appears among Africa’s largest or fastest-growing markets, yet it continues to attract sustained attention from investors, development partners, and foreign governments. Africa Risk Control (ARC) has released “Chad 2026: Top Ten Due Diligence & Risk Advisories Decision-Makers Need,” a new country risk report focused on how these structural realities translate into practical operating risk. The report frames Chad not as a volume market, but as a high-consequence environment where mistakes are costly and preparation is decisive. As Chad approaches the 2026 operating horizon, its relevance is increasingly defined by risk exposure rather than commercial scale. The full Chad 2026 report is now available for investors, NGOs, and operators seeking clarity before committing resources or expanding exposure.

Africa-wide campaign celebrates the joy of going ‘home-home’ – with KFCWhat can you get away with at home, that you could never dream of doing when you get back “home-home”, over the festive season? An insightful pan-African KFC campaign celebrates exactly this fascinating part of life across the continent – the parallel lives that young people live at “home” in the city, and “home-home”, where they come from. The KFC Home-Home campaign shows that while there are certain parts of ourselves that we might not want to bring “home-home”, the one thing that everyone agrees on is the finger-lickin’ good taste of KFC. The KFC Home-Home campaign was devised by KFC along with lead agency Ogilvy. But we also made the point that KFC flies wherever you are – at home, or home-home.”The KFC Home-Home campaign rolled out across Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Gabon and Mauritius, and runs into early January.