Mecca-bound Muslims stranded in Liberia

MONROVIA, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some 320 Liberian Muslims heading to the annual pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, have been stranded at the main airport in the capital, Monrovia, for three days because of travel problems.The faithful are worried that if they do not reach Mecca before Monday, they will…

Somalia: President Mohamed renounces his US citizenship

Pres Mohamed Abdullahi ‘Farmajo’ Mohamed MOGADISHU, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed has officially renounced his US citizenship, a statement from his office says. Although Somalia’s constitution allows for dual citizenship, he decided to surrender his US passport after becoming president in February 2017, it said.…

Netherlands ban on burqas and niqabs takes effect

AMSTERDAM, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Netherlands has banned face-covering clothing, such as a burqa or niqab, in public buildings and on transport, as a contentious law on the garment worn by some Muslim women came into force.Between 100 and 400 women are estimated to wear a burqa or niqab…

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar trolls Pres Trump with Ghana visit

Ilhan Omar and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Ghana SAINT PAUL (Minnesota, US), Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Somali-born US congresswoman Ilhan Omar has trolled President Donald Trump with pictures from her recent trip to Ghana.President Trump caused much uproar last month when he urged a handful of Democratic Congresswomen to…

Cocaine worth €1bn seized in Germany’s largest haul

Customs officials in Germany have announced the country’s largest ever cocaine haul HAMBURG, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Over four tonnes of the drug were being transported from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Antwerp, Belgium, when they were intercepted by authorities during a routine check two weeks ago.The shipment, listed as soya beans,…

Ghana/Spain to hold tourism expo abroad

ACCRA, Aug 3 (NNN-GNA) — For the first time in many years, Ghana and Spain will hold a tourism and hospitality expo in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain to explore trade facilitation between the two countries. The forum, aimed at bringing stakeholders in the tourism sector, will start…

DR Congo: Gold miner who died of Ebola contaminated several, says official

A health worker checks the temperature of a man as part of the Ebola screening process in Goma KINSHASA, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are racing to contain the Ebola virus after an infected man with a large family contaminated several people…

US Pres Trump, British PM Johnson talk 5G and trade ahead of G7: White House

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump and Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, have discussed trade and the growing struggle for control of emerging 5G technology, the White House said Friday. In the call made Thursday, Trump and Johnson discussed “areas of further cooperation, especially relating to trade,…

US, Russia rip up Cold War-era INF missile treaty

BANGKOK, Aug 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and Russia ripped up a Cold War-era missile pact on Friday in a move that raised the spectre of an arms race between the global superpowers. The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty limited the use of medium-range missiles, both conventional and…

Ecuador cracks down on illegal mining to transform economy

QUITO, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — In a desolate area of Ecuador’s northern Andes, dozens of electricity generators are cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape as armed security forces keep watch. Nearby, sacks of earth and rock have been piled up next to a sign reading:“confiscated gold material.” A month…