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…

US dismisses Iran’s announcement that it captured CIA spies

WASHINGTON, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed Iran’s announcement it had captured 17 spies working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and sentenced some to death. Iran made the announcement in state media, saying the alleged spies had been arrested in the 12 months to…

Zimbabwe increases fuel prices again, but pumps remain dry

HARARE, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe hiked fuel prices on Monday for the second time in a week but most pumps remained dry, with no end in sight to shortages that are helping drive inflation rapidly higher and which have led to protests about the cost of living. The Zimbabwe…

Kenyan finance minister arrested on graft charges

NAIROBI, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kenyan Finance Minister Henry Rotich was arrested on suspicion of corruption related to the construction of two dams. Charges against Rotich, announced on Monday, stem from a police investigation into the misuse of funds in a dam project overseen by the Italian construction company CMC…