ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Monday said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement is one of Africa's milestone trade policy that would serve as an imputes towards transforming Africa's future development.

"The AfCFTA is one of the milestone trade policy developments in Africa which is expected to change the way Africa does trade and catalyze transformation in a way trade policy has not done before," the ECA said in a statement on Monday.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian emergency officials say the confirmed death toll from the collapse of a section of an apartment building has risen to seven, and 37 residents of the building are still missing.

Rescue crews on Tuesday temporarily halted their search through the rubble in the city of Magnitogorsk while workers tried to remove or stabilize sections of the building in danger of collapse.

The collapse in the 10-story building before dawn on Monday followed an explosion believed to have been triggered by a natural gas leak.

MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/. Foreign companies that provide electronic services in the B2B segment are required to register for taxation and independently pay the VAT in Russia starting from January 1, 2019. Starting today, the relevant changes to the Tax Code have entered into force.

New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP-led government Monday over the Rs 41,167-crore loss suffered by banks during the past year, saying the money given to "best friends" could have been used for running the MGNREGA for one full year, waiving farm loans in three states and opening 40 new AIIMS in the country.

"In the guise of 'chowkidaar', they do the work of thieves. Rs 41,167 crore given in the name of best friends.

New Delhi, Dec 31; PTI: The Congress and other opposition parties on Monday demanded in the Rajya Sabha that the triple talaq bill be sent to a select committee for further scrutiny, even as the government accused them of doing politics on the issue.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the bill is very crucial and requires further scrutiny and claimed that more than half of the members belonging to several parties have demanded that the bill be sent to a select committee.

Nashik (Maha), Dec 31 (PTI) The Nashik sessions court in Maharashtra Monday acquitted late Abdul Karim Telgi and seven others in a 2004 multi-crore fake stamp paper case in absence of "solid evidence" against them.

Telgi, who was convicted in several cases in connection with the scam and sentenced to imprisonment of 30 years in total, died in Bengaluru in October last year while serving his jail term.

Charges against Telgi, believed to be the kingpin of the scam that was spread over several states, were abated after his death.

Chhindwara (MP), Dec 31 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath Monday said he wanted to see cows in shelters and not on the state's streets.

He told officials during a review meeting here Monday that he wished to see cow shelters being built in each district of the state.

"I do not want to see gau matas (cows) on the roads, Instead, I want to see them in cow sheds (shelters)," he said during a review meeting of officials here.

Nath is a nine-time Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara and was sworn in as CM on December 17.

Lucknow, Dec 31 (PTI) Virtually putting the Congress-led governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on notice, the BSP supremo Mayawati Monday said she might have to "reconsider" her party's outside support to them if cases against "innocent" persons framed in Bharat Bandh on April 2 were not withdrawn.

KHARTOUM, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday issued a decree to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the recent protests in Sudan, official SUNA news agency reported.

According to the decree, the committee will be chaired by Sudan's Justice Minister Mohamed Ahmed Salim, the report said.

Since Dec. 19, various areas in Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, have witnessed popular protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.

New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) Congress President Rahul Gandhi has approved the appointment of 10 new national spokespersons of AICC, some of whom were earlier media panelists.

Among the new national spokespersons are Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain, Pawan Khera, Jaiveer Shergill, Ragini Nayak, Gourav Vallabh and Rajiv Tyagi.

Uttar Pradesh leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Sunil Ahire, Hina Kaware (MLA) and Sravan Dasoju have also been appointed new spokespersons of the party.

01 Jan 2019; DW:The NASA spacecraft that studied Pluto will zip past an icy rock in the outer solar system. Scientists hope Ultima Thule will help them understand how planets were formed.A NASA spacecraft buzzed by an icy space rock in the distant reaches of the solar system on Tuesday on a mission to gather clues about how planets were formed.

New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) The Delhi government on Monday ordered the concerned district magistrate to take over a private shelter home for girls in Dwarka where the inmates were allegedly abused by its staff.

The abuse came to light after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) conducted an inspection at the shelter home and some girls complained that the female staff put chilli powder in their private parts as punishment. The girls also claimed that they were also forced to have chilli powder.