SOUTH AFRICA: A bus crash in Limpopo province today has left at least four people dead and 31 injured, authorities have said.

The bus was traveling from the Gauteng province in South Africa to Zimbabwe when it lost control and swerved into a ditch on the N1 highway close to the border with Zimbabwe, according to the provincial minister for transport, Violet Mathye.

PERU: Congress elected legislator Jose María Balcazar as the country’s eighth president in a decade on Wednesday, replacing another interim leader who had been ousted the previous day over corruption allegations.

Mr Balcazar, a former judge representing the left-wing Peru Libre party, will govern for five months before handing over power to the winner of fresh elections on April 12.

NIGER: The government has secured around $91 million (£66m) in funding from the International Monetary Fund as the national economy continues to grow at a healthy 6.7 per cent, it was reported today.

The funding includes support for climate resilience and sustainable development.

Niger’s strategic importance as a major uranium producer ensures ongoing financial engagement from international stakeholders.

VENEZUELA: The top United States military commander for Latin America General Francis Donovan and Pentagon official Joseph Humire visited Venezuela on Wednesday for talks in Caracas on drug trafficking, terrorism and migration. 

In the first US military visit to Venezuela since Washington launched its unprovoked attack on January 3, which killed 100 people and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro along with first lady Cilia Flores, the delegation met interim President Delcy Rodriguez, defence minister Vladimir Padrino and interior minister Diosdado Cabello.