December 11, 2025 12:58 PM

US House committee approves Africa trade bill, no mention of South Africa exclusion for now

A U.S. House committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would renew for another three years Washington's preferential trade programme for Africa, and there was no immediate mention of excluding South Africa as the U.S. trade envoy had said was possible. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a law first enacted in 2000 to provide duty-free access to the U.S. market for eligible Sub-Saharan countries and products, expired in September and hundreds of thousands of African jobs are estima...

December 11, 2025 12:39 PM

US House backs massive defense policy bill, Senate next

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a massive defense policy bill on Wednesday authorizing a record $901 billion in annual military spending, paving the way for the must-pass measure to become law for a 65th straight year. The tally was 312-112 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, sending it for consideration by the U.S. Senate, which is expected to pass it next week. The $901 billion in defense spending is $8 billion more than President Donald Trump's request earl...