Covid-19 inquiry told Brexit hit UK’s pandemic preparations

  LONDON, June 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK government’s focus on Brexit seriously hampered pandemic planning, an inquiry examining the country’s handing of the Covid-19 health emergency was told on Tuesday.   Hugo Keith, lead lawyer to the Covid-19 inquiry which is holding its first public session, said the country’s…

UN calls for halt to Libya migrant detention, expulsion

TRIPOLI, June 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations called on Libya to treat migrants and asylum seekers with dignity, highlighting concerns over their treatment including arbitrary detention and mass expulsion. War-torn Libya is regularly criticised for its handling of migrants, with rights groups alleging horrific treatment by smuggling gangs and…

Three dead, thousands displaced following Cuba storms

HAVANA, June 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three people have died and thousands have been evacuated after heavy rains pummeled eastern and central Cuba in recent days, authorities said. Heavy rains that started Thursday had subsided by Monday evening, but recovery operations were still underway in several eastern provinces, including Holguin, Camaguey,…

Mali’s sole passenger train resumes service after a 5-year hiatus

Passengers arrive at the train door in Kayes, Mali BAMAKO, June 12 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Mali’s passenger train service, linking the capital Bamako with the west of the country, resumed commercial operations after a five-year break. The Governor of Kayes, Colonel Moussa Soumare, overjoyed residents and numerous passengers witnessed the inaugural…

Ethiopia government criticizes WFP, USAID food aid suspension

ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Ethiopia has criticised the suspension of food aid to the country by the United States and the UN World Food Program (WFP).  Government spokesman Legesse Tulu, called the decision “political” saying the suspension “punishes millions of people”. More than 15% of the country’s population depends…

Tanzania, Kenya resolve border crisis

DAR ES SALAAM, June 12 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA and Kenya have made an agreement on all maize and other goods trucks that were held up in Namanga and Holili Border Posts to be granted entry into Kenya. A late Saturday evening meeting between Investment, Industry, and Trade Minister Ashatu Kijaji…

Neighbour dispute: 11-year-old British girl shot dead, father left fighting for his life, in France; Dutch neighbour detained

RENNES (France), June 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An 11-year-old British girl was shot dead and her father seriously wounded when their Dutch neighbour in northwestern France opened fire, according to authorities. The family was in the garden of their home in the village of Saint-Herbot near Quimper in Brittany on Saturday…

US gun violence: Mass shooting at Maryland home leaves 3 dead, several injured

ANNAPOLIS (Maryland, US), June 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A mass shooting at a private residence in an otherwise quiet neighborhood in Annapolis, Maryland, on Sunday left at least three people dead and three others injured. Annapolis police Chief Ed Jackson said the shooting took place in the 1000 block of Paddington Place in the state’s…

US gun violence: 6 injured in nightclub shooting in Texas

HOUSTON, June 12 (NNN-XINHUA) — Six people were injured with one of them in critical condition in a shooting at a nightclub early on Sunday in Houston, the largest city of U.S. state Texas, while suspects remained at large, authorities said. “We had six victims here in a shooting. Apparently…

9 al-Shabaab militants killed in southern Somalia

MOGADISHU, June 12 (NNN-XINHUA) — The Somali National Army on Sunday killed 19 al-Shabaab militants during an operation in the lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia, officials said. Somali National News Agency quoting army officials said the operation was jointly conducted by Somali troops and their international partners, culminating in…