Displaced by DR Congo violence, survivors’ testimonies highlight brutality of armed militia: UN

GENEVA, Aug 17 (NNN-UNNS) — Two months since hundreds of thousands of people fled violence in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians warned that armed militia continue to make their safe return impossible.  Briefing journalists in Geneva, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Spokesperson Babar Baloch, said that staff…

Children’s lives in Mediterranean Sea must take priority over politics, says UNICEF

Two teenage brothers from Gambia who travelled across the Mediterranean Sea without their parents walk along a beach in Italy GENEVA, Aug 17 (NNN-UNNS) — The fate of 130 children on board two rescue ships in the Mediterranean Sea should not be put at risk by political point-scoring, the UN…

Humanitarian assistance to be scaled-up for millions of Venezuelans in need: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 17 (NNN-UNNS) –The United Nations humanitarian wing launched a new Response Plan (HRP), that aims to help around 2.6 million people in Venezuela through to the end of the year, almost half of whom are youth. Noting that the plan “only represents a limited number of all people in…

Seamen kidnapped off Cameroon’s coast – IMB

YAOUNDE, Aug 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nine Chinese and eight Ukrainian seamen were abducted Thursday when two merchant vessels came under attack in Cameroonian waters in the Gulf of Guinea, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said. Noel Choong, who heads the Malaysian-based watchdog agency, said the 17 seamen were seized from…

Nigerian government ordered by British court to pay $9bn to private gas firm

 LONDON, Aug 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) —A British judge has ordered the Nigerian government to pay $9bn in assets to a small private company. The firm, P&ID, had reached a deal with the Nigerian government in 2010 to build a natural gas plant – but the deal fell through two years later. P&ID…

Malta migrants: Sole survivor describes 11 days in dinghy

Mohammed Adam Oga is being treated at Malta’s Mater Dei hospital for dehydration  VALETTA, Aug 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) —“There were 15 of us on the boat and I am the only one alive,” says Mohammed Adam Oga from his hospital bed in Malta. The migrants had each paid a smuggler $700 to make…

DR Congo: First two Ebola cases confirmed in South Kivu – officials

Two Ebola cases have been confirmed in Congo’s South Kivu region KINSHASA, Aug 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A woman and her child were the first two cases confirmed with Ebola in Congo’s South Kivu region this week, opening a new front in the fight against the outbreak. Health officials said that…

Zimbabwe police beat protesters as opposition denounces ‘fascist’ government

HARARE,Aug 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe police fired tear gas and beat scores of opposition supporters gathered in central Harare on Friday, as authorities moved to enforce a ban on an anti-government protest that the country’s high court had upheld. More than a hundred Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters clashed…

Hungary seeks Facebook guarantees on user info protection

BUDAPEST, Aug 17 (NNN-XINHUA) —Hungary is demanding guarantees from Facebook that it will not pass on the conversations of its Hungarian users to third parties, according to the National Authority for Data Protection and Information Freedom (NAIH). “Hungary will seek written guarantees from Facebook that the transcripts of Hungarian users’ conversations will not be…

UN denounces increasing attacks on civilian airports in Western Libya

TRIPOLI, Aug 17 (NNN-XINHUA) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) denounced increasing attacks on civilian airports in western Libya. “The UNSMIL deplores the ever-increasing and systemic attacks on airports in western Libya, including Zuwara and Mitiga. These attacks have endangered the lives of thousands of civilian travelers, including UN staff and humanitarian…