Tunisian election gives few clues to shape of next government

A man casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections, in Tunis, on Oct 6 TUNIS, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisia faced political deadlock after Sunday’s election delivered a fragmented parliament and no obvious path to forming a government that must urgently address chronic economic and fiscal problems.…

Zimbabwe doctors defy government ultimatum to end strike

HARARE, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Striking Zimbabwean doctors defied a government ultimatum to return to work, after rejecting a 60% pay rise offer they say is not enough to keep up with soaring prices of basic goods. The southern African nation’s economy is grappling with its worst crisis in a…

Ethiopia to give telecoms licences to two firms

President Sahle-Work Zewde ADDIS ABABA, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia’s President Sahle-work Zewde has given much-awaited details of moves to liberalise the telecoms industry, saying two private firms would be given licenses to operate in the sector before the end of July 2020.State owned-Ethio Telecom currently has a monopoly, being…

US blacklists 28 Chinese entities over abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Commerce Department announced it is blacklisting 28 Chinese entities that it says are implicated inrights violations and abuses targeting Uighurs and other mostly Muslimminorities in the Xinjiang region. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the move, which bars the named entities from purchasing…

UN rights chief urges Australia to overhaul detention policies

SYDNEY, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN’s top rights official urgedAustralia to reform its criminal and refugee detention systems on Tuesday,just days after the country’s prime minister took a veiled swipe at theinternational body. Speaking in Sydney, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner MichelleBachelet said she had been “shocked” to learn…

US judge orders Pres Trump to hand over eight years of tax returns

NEW YORK, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A judge has ordered US President Donald Trump to hand over eight years of his tax returns to New York investigators. The judge rejected arguments by the president’s lawyers that Trump enjoyed total immunity while in office. The ruling helps an investigation into hush money…

US Pres Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Turkish economy if Turkey goes over limit over Syria border

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) —President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkey goes “off limits” after his surprise decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria. In a series of angry tweets, Trump defended the move that could open the way for Turkey to launch an attack on…

Italy: 13 women drown as migrant boat capsizes off Lampedusa

Survivors were taken ashore at Lampedusa after their ordeal ROME, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) —At least 13 women, some of them pregnant, drowned when a boat crowded with migrants capsized in the Mediterranean moments before they were due to be rescued. Italian officials said at least a dozen other people are still missing.…

Hong Kong journalist hit by petrol bomb recovering in hospital

Flames are seen on the journalist after he was hit with a petrol bomb during a protest HONG KONG, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A journalist working with Hong Kong’s public broadcaster was recovering in hospital on Monday after he was hit by a petrol bomb during weekend protests in the…

DR Congo: Two nuns from Burundi killed by fallen antenna in Uvira

The collapsed antenna is owned by Orange UVIRA (DR Congo), Oct 8 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Two nuns from Burundi were killed in the collapse of a communication installation pole owned by Orange in Uvira, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report from the French mobile phone operator.“Five…