Covid-19: Uganda eases curbs as admissions fall

  KAMPALA, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday ordered an easing of a six-week Covid lockdown following a dramatic reduction in serious cases of the disease.    Infections had soared during a second wave driven by the highly transmissable Delta variant but since the lockdown, the…

ICC drops charges against former Ivory Coast first Lady Simone Gbagbo

Ivory Coast’s former first lady Simone Gbagbo ABIDJAN, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Criminal Court has dropped its arrest warrant for Ivory Coast’s former first lady Simone Gbagbo over post-election violence that killed thousands in 2010-2011, according to a decision made public Thursday.Since 2012, she faced four counts of…

Blast hits bus carrying soccer team in Somalia’s Kismayo, 5 dead: Police

A car bomb blast near the southern Somali coastal town of Kismayo has killed at least five people. KISMAYO (Somalia), July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An explosive planted on a bus carrying soccer players in Somalia’s port city of Kismayo killed at least five players, a police officer said. “We have…

EU adopts legal framework for Lebanon sanctions: Statement

Lebanese flag flutters at the site of last year’s Beirut port blast PARIS, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union said it had adopted a legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese individuals and entities after a year of crisis that has left Lebanon facing financial collapse, hyperinflation and food and…

Guatemalans protest for second day to demand president resigns

GUATEMALA CITY, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Anti-government protesters blocked intersections across Guatemala for the second day in a row as calls intensified for President Alejandro Giammattei and the attorney general to step down after the ousting of a top anti-corruption official. Demonstrators blocked access to the Chixoy bridge in western Guatemala…

US issues more Cuba sanctions as Pres Biden prepares to meet Cuban American leaders

WASHINGTON, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States imposed sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its leaders in response to the Havana government’s crackdown on protesters as President Joe Biden prepared to meet Cuban American leaders at the White House. The US Treasury Department said the sanctions were a…

US wildfires: California wildfire flares but within line crews have built

PARADISE (California, US), July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — California’s largest wildfire so far this year was flaring up Friday but it was because the flames were chewing through unburned islands of vegetation within a perimeter that firefighters have built, authorities said. The Dixie Fire covered 974 square kilometres in the mountains of…

First evacuation flight brings 221 Afghans to US

WASHINGTON, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, including scores of children and babies in arms, to new lives in the United States on Friday, and President Joe Biden said he was proud to welcome them home.…

Covid-19: Africa’s cases surpass 6.63 mln – Africa CDC

ADDIS ABABA, July 31 (NNN-Xinhua) — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 6,635,522 as of Friday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stands…

Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels issue fresh demands as ceasefire calls grow

The rebels rejected a unilateral ceasefire offered by Addis Ababa MEKELLE (Tigray, Ethiopia), July 31 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels issued a new list of demands which the group said must be met before engaging in ceasefire talks with the government.In a statement, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front called for…