Zimbabwe ‘slowly approaching man-made starvation’: UN expert

Drought conditions in Zimbabwe have meant that farmers have not been able to grow enough food HARARE, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A UN official has painted a bleak picture of the availability of food in Zimbabwe.“The people of Zimbabwe are slowly getting to a point of suffering a man-made starvation,”…

DR Congo: Armed men killed Ebola workers in restive region

Ebola health workers in Congo KINSHASA, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three health workers fighting to curb the spread of the Ebola virus in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been killed and four others critically injured after an attack by armed groups in the restive Ituri…

US Pres Trump signs law backing Hong Kong protesters

A pro-democracy protester holds up a US flag during a gathering  WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that supports pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.The Human Rights and Democracy Act mandates an annual review, to check if Hong Kong has enough autonomy…

Hungary charges captain over deadly boat collision on Danube

BUDAPEST, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hungarian prosecutors charged a cruise ship captain over the deadly collision on the Danube River in Budapest earlier this year.The Ukrainian captain was at the helm of the Viking Sigyn cruise liner when it crashed into a sightseeing boat in May.Twenty-seven of the 35 people…

250,000 people affected by Djibouti flash floods – UN, govt

DJIBOUTI, Nov 29 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Flash flooding has hit the small but strategic East African nation of Djibouti, where the government and United Nations say the equivalent of two years’ rain fell in a single day.A joint statement says up to a quarter-million people have been affected in recent days…

Ex-PMs of Guinea-Bissau in presidential runoff slated for Dec 29, Pres Vaz eliminated after coming in distant fourth

Domingos Simoes Pereira (Left) and Umaro Cissoko Embalo to contest presidential run-off BISSAU, Nov 29 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Two former Guinea-Bissau prime ministers advanced to a presidential run-off vote, the electoral commission said, with incumbent Jose Mario Vaz finishing a distant fourth after a tenure marked by infighting and corruption scandals.Domingos…

47 Nigerian men plead not guilty to homosexuality charge

LAGOS, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Forty-seven Nigerian men pleaded innocent to a charge of public displays of affection with members of the same sex, an offence that carries a 10-year jail term.Homosexuality is outlawed in many socially conservative African societies where some religious groups brand it a corrupting Western import.The…

US state department warns against travel to Burkina Faso

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US State Department has urged Americans not to travel to Burkina Faso, which has been fighting an Islamist militant revolt since 2015.Burkina Faso is now at the highest level of threat to travellers “because of terrorism, crime and kidnappings,” said an updated travel advisory.“The…

Uganda deports 32 Rwandans for illegal entry

KAMPALA, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thirty-two Rwandans who were arrested in west Uganda, in an operation against people accused of illegally entering the country, have been deported.This comes after 24 Ugandans working in Rwanda were also expelled over the weekend, according to local leaders in Kisoro district.The expulsions come amid…

Zambia court sentences two men to 15 years for gay sex

LUSAKA, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A high court in Zambia has sentenced two men to 15 years in jail after they were caught having sex in 2017.Zambia is a conservative country and same-sex relationships are frowned upon and homosexual acts are illegal.The court heard that Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba…