DR Congo ex-rebels head home from Uganda

M23 ended their insurgency in 2013 KAMPALA, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Uganda’s government has repatriated 70 Congolese ex-rebels and their families, the Foreign Ministry said.It adds that the ex-rebels had volunteered to return home five years after they were defeated.They had all been members of a rebel group called M23.Ugandan…

Ethiopia moves to boost ease of doing business

Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed ADDIS ABABA, Feb 27 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Ethiopia continues to work towards improving ease of doing business in the country as part of wider economic reforms of the Abiy Ahmed led government. The move according to the Prime Minister’s office is to help create a conducive…

South Africa: Election Commission welcomes proclamation of elections

PRETORIA, Feb 27 (NNN-SANEWS) — South Africa’s Electoral Commission (IEC) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proclamation of the 2019 National and Provincial Elections, due to take place on May 8. The proclamation triggers the official election timetable which the Electoral Commission will discuss with the National Party Liaison Committee before…

Brazil’s CAOA in talks to buy Ford factory: source

SAO PAULO, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian automaker CAOA, which produces vehicles with Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co and China’s Chery Automobile Co, is in talks to buy a Ford Motor Co plant in the country that is slated to close by 2019, according to a source with direct knowledge of…

Argentina’s chief rabbi injured in attack at home

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentina’s chief rabbi was beaten and seriously injured by assailants who broke into his home, in an attack condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of an anti-Semitic wave. Jorge Knoblovits, the president of the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Aid Association, said seven men were…

UN hosts Cyprus leaders in push for peace

NICOSIA, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations on Tuesday hosted an informal meeting between the leaders of divided Cyprus, aimed at reviving stalled peace talks. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met for the first time in nearly four months at a UN compound in…

Sudan: Pres Bashir bans protests in new emergency measures

KHARTOUM, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir banned unlicensed public gatherings and gave sweeping new powers to police in a series of emergency decrees to counter the most sustained anti-government street unrest of his 30-year rule. The decrees came amid fresh protests in various parts of the capital…

Botswana offers cash-strapped Zimbabwe $600 million of loans: report

HARARE, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Botswana has offered to lend Zimbabwe $600 million to support its diamond industry and local private firms, a state-owned newspaper reported on Tuesday, amid a severe dollar crunch in the southern African nation. There are few signs the flow of foreign currency is improving in…

Gunmen kill nine street cleaners outside Mogadishu -police

MOGADISHU, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Suspected al Shabaab militants shot and killed nine street cleaners in a village near Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, police said. Gunmen on Tuesday opened fire on four women and five men from refugee camps in Hawabdi, 19 km north west of Mogadishu in the state of…

Angola: Rain destroys 815 houses in Malanje

MALANJE (Angola), Feb 27 (NNN-ANGOP) — At least 815 houses have been destroyed following the heavy rains that hit Angola’s northern Malanje province over the last days. Nine of the 14 municipalities were affected by the flood, which also left 4,890 people homeless, according the Second Commander of the Fire…