Botswana probes death of 56 elephants

GABORONE, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Botswana is investigating the mysterious death of 56 elephants in the last two months. Authorities have ruled out poaching, as all carcasses were found intact. The country’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism says 12 elephants were found dead last week in villages in…

Indicted Rwandan genocide suspect Kabuga appears before French court

PARIS, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga, indicted in his absence on charges of bankrolling ethnic militias that massacred some 800,000 people in 1994, was brought before a French court on Wednesday. In his first appearance in public in more than two decades, the octogenarian was brought…

Covid-19: UN chief praises Africa’s ‘swift’ response

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN Secretary General António Guterres has praised Africa’s “swift” response to the coronavirus pandemic, with reported cases much lower than initially feared. He said in a statement, “Most [African countries] have moved rapidly to deepen regional coordination, deploy health…

Covid-19: “World-beating” UK contact tracing will be in place by June 1, PM Johnson says

LONDON, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the UK would have in place a “world-beating” system to test and trace people who may have been exposed to coronavirus. He said 24,000 out of 25,000 contact tracers had already been recruited, referring to teams of people who identify…

US hits top Iranian officials for human rights abuses

WASHINGTON, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US government imposed sanctions on an Iranian government minister and senior law enforcement and military officials over human rights abuses.“The Iranian regime violently suppresses dissent of the Iranian people, including peaceful protests, through physical and psychological abuse,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a…

Ex-Mexican president’s son commits suicide

MEXICO CITY, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A son of Mexico’s former president Luis Echeverria Alvarez, who governed in the 1970s with an iron fist, has killed himself, authorities said.Alvaro Echeverria Zuno, 71, died on Tuesday morning at his home in the state of Morelos, south of Mexico City, the local…

Covid-19: WHO reports most cases in a day as cases near five million

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus GENEVA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization expressed concern about the rising number of new coronavirus cases in poor countries, even as many rich nations have begun emerging from lockdown. The global health body said 106,000 new cases of infections of the novel coronavirus had…

Covid-19: All 50 US states move toward reopening

WASHINGTON, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — As the country’s death toll surpasses 92,000, all 50 US states have partially reopened after a two-month shutdown. On Wednesday, Connecticut became the final state to lift restrictions when it gave the green light to shops and restaurants under certain conditions. But wide discrepancies remain…

Voting begins in Burundi elections; results expected on May 25

Seven candidates are seeking to replace President Pierre Nkurunzinza BUJUMBURA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Polling stations in Burundi opened at 06:00 local time (04:00GMT) Wednesday with around five million voters expected to participate in the elections.Voters will be electing their president, members of parliament and communal council members.Polling stations will…

More than 200 killed in South Sudan inter-communal violence

JUBA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 200 people were killed and at least 300 others wounded in inter-communal clashes last weekend in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, according to local leaders. Local officials say armed youth suspected of being from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area carried out attacks in four…