Update: US Senate sets vote to override Trump’s vetoes on weapons sale to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Senate will vote within days on whether to override President Donald Trump’s vetoes of legislation to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. McConnell said the Senate would hold the vote before…

Puerto Rico governor resigns after weeks of mass protests

SAN JUAN, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said he would resign after almost two weeks of protests calling for him to step down over a scandal involving offensive chat messages and government corruption that rocked the bankrupt island. “I announce that I will be resigning from the governor’s post…

Zimbabwe Central Bank eases forex rules for fuel, chrome miners

HARARE, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe’s Central Bank said oil firms, chrome miners, embassies and international organisations could conduct local transactions in foreign currencies, as the country battles an acute dollar crunch and soaring inflation.Last month, Zimbabwe banned the use of foreign currencies in domestic transactions after it made its…

Nigeria: 8 construction workers confirmed dead after being trapped underground

ABUJA, July 25 (NNN-XINHUA) — Eight workers at a local construction site in southern Nigeria died after they were trapped in an underground water safety tank and became unconscious, local police said. The incident occurred on Monday at a village in Igboeze North local government area of the southern state…

US restricts entry of ‘anti-democratic Nigerians’

WASHINGTON, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has imposed visa restrictions on those Nigerians it says are “responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process”. In a statement, the State Department says the measures will also apply to those who have organised election-related violence.It is unclear what criteria the US…

Stena Bulk says spoke to seized tanker’s crew, all are safe and well

STOCKHOLM, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — All 23 crew on a British-flagged tanker seized last week by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz are safe and well, the vessel’s Swedish operator Stena Bulk said after speaking to them. Iran said on Saturday it had seized the Stena Impero because it had…

Nigeria: Pres Buhari submits list of cabinet nominees to Senate, five months after re-elected

ABUJA, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has finally submitted his list of cabinet nominees to the upper house of parliament, the Senate. The submission on Tuesday comes almost two months after Buhari began his second term, and some five months after he was re-elected. Parliament is due…

DR Congo: ADF rebels kill 12 in Ebola area

GOMA (DR Congo), July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rebels killed 12 people in two attacks in an area of east Congo that is struggling to contain an Ebola epidemic, local authorities said. Suspected rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) simultaneously attacked the towns of Eringeti and Oicha on Monday in…

Kenyan president replaces finance minister after graft charges

NAIROBI, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kenya’s president has replaced the country’s finance minister who was charged with fraud over his handling of multimillion-dollar contracts for the construction of two dams in the country’s west. It is the first time a finance minister in East Africa’s economic hub, which is plagued by widespread…

Uganda: Pop star Bobi Wine to run against Pres Yoweri Museveni in 2021 elections

Bobi Wine KAMPALA, July 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ugandan pop star and opposition MP Bobi Wine has officially announced that he will run for president in the 2021 election. The 37-year-old will challenge President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for 33 years. The singer calls himself the “ghetto president”,…