South Africa pledges to cooperate with UN court in arrest of genocide suspect

PRETORIA, July 23 (NNN-GNA) — The South African government pledged to cooperate with the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in the arrest of genocide suspects.This came after IRMCT chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz accused South Africa of failing to cooperate in the arrest of a fugitive sought over…

Brazilian government will not censor deforestation data: spokesperson

BRASILIA, July 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Brazilian government said that President Jair Bolsonaro does not intend to stop the publication of Brazil’s deforestation figures. Bolsonaro does not want to shut public access to the figures gathered by the National Institute of Space Research (Inpe), said government spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros.…

All of Chile’s mass transit buses to be electric by 2050

SANTIAGO, July 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — By 2050, Chile expects to convert 100 percent of its mass transit bus fleet into electric vehicles, the country’s Ministry of Energy said on Monday. The idea is to improve “people’s quality of life” and at the same time promote “technological innovation and development of…

Haitian president names new PM after Lapin resigns

PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — Haitian President Jovenel Moise named Fritz William Michel as the new prime minister, after Jean Michel Lapin announced his resignation on Monday. “Following the resignation of Mr. Lapin, I chose, in consultation with the leaders of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, citizen Fritz…

Congo health minister resigns over government handling of Ebola

GOMA (DR Congo), July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Congo’s health minister, Oly Ilunga, resigned in protest at the presidency’s announcement last week that it was stripping his team of control over the response to the Ebola outbreak. Ilunga has overseen the nearly year-long response to Democratic Republic of Congo’s latest Ebola…

Caracas, other parts of Venezuela hit by power cut

CARACAS, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Caracas and other parts of crisis-wracked Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on Monday. The lights went out in most of Caracas at 4.41pm while people in other parts of the country took to social media to report the power had gone out…

Brazil cocaine seizures up more than 90% in first half of 2019

BRASILIA, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil seized 25.3 tons of cocaine bound for Europe and Africa in the first half of 2019, up more than 90 per cent on the same period last year, officials said. Nearly half of the drugs were found at Santos port in southern Brazil, not…

Zimbabwe Vice President in China for treatment of unknown illness

HARARE, July 23 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has been flown to China for medical treatment, a presidential spokesman said but gave no details of the health problems that have kept Chiwenga away from work for more than two months.The 62-year-old former general led a coup against Robert…

Massive protests in Puerto Rico to oust governor

Monday’s protest the largest in the territory’s history SAN JUAN, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Puerto Rico to demand the resignation of the island’s embattled governor, Ricardo Rosselló.It comes a day after Rosselló said he would not step down over…

Nigeria: 4 killed as security forces clash with Shiite protesters

Members of the group are demanding the release of their leader and his wife from detention ABUJA, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least four people were killed in the capital following clashes between security forces and members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, according to the group.Demonstrators again took…