DR Congo students strike in Burundi over arrests of fellow undergraduates

The students in Bujumbura have been rounded up and put on police trucks BUJUMBURA, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of Congolese students at universities in Burundi are boycotting classes after the arrest of fellow undergraduates from the Democratic Republic of Congo.More than 90 students from DR Congo have been arrested…

French parliament to mull law to cut consumer waste

PARIS, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France’s parliament will from Tuesday debate legislation seeking to move the country closer to its ambition of a low-waste future, forcing electronics firms to use second-hand materials and cutting down on plastic refuse. France, with its population of nearly 70 million, is a voracious consumer…

UK braced for key court ruling on parliament suspension

LONDON, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s Supreme Court will rule on Tuesday whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted unlawfully in suspending parliament, in a seismic case that could have profound implications for Brexit and the country’s constitutional foundations. If the verdict goes against Johnson, it could see parliament rapidly reassemble…

16 Latin American countries and US activate regional defence treaty against Venezuela

NEW YORK, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Countries in the Americas voted to activate a regional defense treaty against Venezuela, responding to a request by the United States, which is seeking to topple president Nicolas Maduro. The United States earlier this month invoked the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, known by…

Mexico apologizes to victim of 1970s ‘Dirty War’

MEXICO CITY, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico made an official, public apology to a former member of a Marxist guerrilla group who was tortured by the army during the country’s so-called “Dirty War” in the 1970s. Martha Alicia Camacho and her late husband, Jose Manuel Alapizco, were detained by the…

Haiti: Senator opens fire outside parliament, wounds photographer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Haitian senator trying to disperse protesters opened fire with a pistol outside parliament on Monday, a photojournalist who was wounded in the shooting said. Senator Jean-Marie Ralph Fethiere, a member of Haiti’s ruling party, said he acted in self-defense after opposition protesters burst into…

Amazon fires: Brazil arrests 63, levies $8.7 million in fines

BRASILIA, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s defense minister said 63 people were arrested and issued fines amounting to $8.7 million after the military was sent to fight raging fires in the Amazon rainforest. The announcement came as President Jair Bolsonaro arrived in New York to attend the UN General Assembly,…

Zimbabwe: Capital city shuts main water plant, shortages loom

HARARE, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe’s capital shut its main water works citing shortages of foreign currency to import treatment chemicals, the deputy mayor said, potentially leaving the city dry and raising the risk of water borne diseases like cholera. Last year, the southern African nation suffered its worst cholera…

Algeria: Top figures go on military trial for alleged plot

Said Bouteflika: Brother of deposed Algerian leader goes on trial ALGIERS, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Algeria’s one-time kingmaker and intelligence chief went on trial on Monday along with his successor and a brother of the ousted president for “conspiring against the army”, state radio reported. Mohamed Mediene, Bachir Tertag and…

Somali president signs anti-corruption law

MOGADISHU, Sept 224 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed signed an anti-graft bill into law, a long-awaited piece of legislation in the world’s most corrupt nation. The president, better known by his nickname Farmajo, came into office in 2017 vowing to combat the scourge which permeates evert aspect of…