Son of ousted Gabon president charged with treason, corruption as Commonwealth suspend Gabon membership

Bongo Valentin was arrested shortly after last month’s coup LIBREVILLE, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The state prosecutor in Gabon says the eldest son of the ousted president, Ali Bongo, and several of his political allies have been charged with high treason and corruption.Noureddin Bongo Valentin, who’s 31, was arrested shortly…

South Africa continues to advocate for dialogue

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (NNN-SANEWS) — President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the international community to do everything within its means to enable meaningful dialogue between warring parties, while refraining from actions that fuel the conflict.  The President was delivering a statement to the 78th Session of the United Nations General…

Germany to host Ukraine reconstruction talks next year

BERLIN, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Germany will host an international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine next year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said following a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York. The June 11, 2024 talks will take place in Berlin, added the chancellery in a statement. London hosted…

UNESCO puts Rwanda genocide memorials on World Heritage list

PARIS, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four memorials to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of more than 800,000 people, mainly Tutsi, were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the UN cultural body said. The sites at Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero commemorating the mass killings were “just inscribed on the UNESCO…

Peru’s President: Government’s priority is to address citizen insecurity

NEW YORK (U.S.), Sept 21 (NNN-ANDINA) — Pres Dina Boluarte affirmed that the Government’s priority is to address the issue of citizen insecurity, and that this is evidenced in the state of emergency declared in two districts of the Peruvian capital and other jurisdictions in the rest of the country. In…

Air pollution from wildfires hits world’s poorest hardest: study

  PARIS, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — People in poorer countries are disproportionately suffering from air pollution spewed from the increasing scourge of fires in forests and fields around the world, according to new research published Wednesday. Landscape fires include blazes in forests, shrub, grass, pastures and agricultural lands, whether planned or uncontrolled such as…

US Pres Biden meets Central Asian leaders at UN to boost ties

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden stressed the “territorial integrity” of Central Asia after meeting regional leaders, adding that he may soon visit one of the nations in what Moscow views as its backyard. “This is a historic moment,” Biden told the leaders of the so-called…

Mexico cargo trains halted after migrant deaths, injuries

 MEXICO CITY, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico’s biggest rail operator said that it had halted 60 freight trains after a surge in the number of US-bound migrants traveling on them led to deaths and injuries. Ferromex said it had taken the measure due to a “notable increase” in migrant flows…

Charles III welcomed in France for first visit as king

PARIS, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — King Charles III began his first state visit to France as monarch, a rescheduled trip aimed at showing the fundamentals of the cross-Channel alliance remain strong despite a litany of political tensions after Brexit. The trip was initially planned for March and was supposed to…

Updates Libyan floods: Hundreds protest against Libyan authorities in flood-ravaged Derna

People who survived the deadly floods protest outside the Sahaba Mosque in Derna DERNA (Libya), Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Protests have erupted in the eastern Libyan city of Derna with locals demanding the removal of those in power, a week after torrential rain caused two dams to collapse, sweeping whole neighborhoods into…