Portugal announces new reconstruction fund for Mozambique

LISBON, July 5 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Portugal has announced a new reconstruction fund for the most affected areas in Mozambique hit by Cyclones Idai and Kenneth.Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa expressed solidarity with victims of the two tropical cyclones after he met Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi.‘‘I express once more Portugal’s solidarity…

Russia: Pres Putin signs law suspending INF disarmament treaty

MOSCOW, July 5 (NNN-Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law suspending the country’s participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with the United States. The law, published on Russia’s legal information website, became effective immediately. The Russian State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, passed…

Daesh claims responsibility for suicide bomb blast in Tunisia

TUNIS, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Daesh has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb blast in the Tunisian capital earlier this week, the militant group’s Amaq news agency said on Thursday. A wanted militant wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in Tunis on Tuesday after being surrounded by police, the…

Morocco’s Q2 economic growth slows to 2.4%, planning agency says

RABAT, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Morocco’s economic growth slowed to 2.6% in the second quarter from 2.8% in the first quarter, the country’s planning agency said, citing a drop in agricultural activity. Agricultural output, which represents some 15% of Morocco’s gross domestic product, fell 2.7% in the second quarter after…

Kenya: Presidential aide Itumbi arrested over letter alleging Deputy Pres Ruto assassination plot

NAIROBI, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Secretary for Digital in the communications department at the office of the Kenyan President, Dennis Itumbi was arrested on Wednesday, local media reported. Itumbi, who operates from the office of the Deputy President, William Ruto, is suspected of having played a role in authoring…

UN says Libyan guards reportedly shot at migrants fleeing air strikes

GENEVA/TRIPOLI, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations said it had information that Libyan guards shot at refugees and migrants trying to flee from air strikes that killed at least 53 people, including six children, in a migrant detention centre. A report from the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian…

Kenya: Tanzanian and Kenyans get long sentences for Garissa University attack

NAIROBI, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A court in Kenya has sentenced a militant to life in prison for his role in the 2015 Garissa University College attack, which left 148 people dead. Two other militants were jailed for 41 years each. The three had earlier been found guilty of conspiracy to…

Italy: Stromboli: One dead as volcano erupts in Stromboli Island

ROM, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A volcano has erupted on the Italian island of Stromboli, killing one person and sending frightened tourists fleeing. The victim is a male hiker who was hit by a falling stone, while other people were injured. The navy has been deployed for a possible mass…

US ‘hell-bent’ on hostility despite talks, North Korea says at UN

UNITED NATIONS, July 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — North Korea has accused the US of being “hell-bent on hostile acts”, despite a recent agreement between the two countries to resume nuclear talks. Pyongyang’s delegation to the United Nations said that the US was “obsessed with sanctions”. It also accused Washington of attempting…

Smoking Kills 17 Australians Every Day: Study

CANBERRA, July 5 (NNN-XINHUA) —Smoking is killing 17 Australians every day through preventable heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions, a study has found. The most in-depth study of its kind by a team from Australian National University (ANU) found that smokers have triple the risk of dying from cardiovascular risk and double the risk…