World News

Italian Ambassador’s death in Congo may not be what it seemed

At around 10:00 a.m. on Feb. 22, seven men, some armed, stepped onto a road in eastern Congo and forced two cars belonging to the United Nations World Food Programme…

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Reports of dead children washed up on Libya beach

Images of dead children and women washed up on a beach in Libya have been shared by a Spanish charity. The NGO Proactiva Open Arms received some of the photos…

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Trial sought in Italy of Egyptians charged over Regeni murder

Italian prosecutors asked a judge on Thursday to have four senior members of Egypt's security services sent for trial over their suspected role in the disappearance and murder of student…

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Congo volcano leaves death and smoking wreckage, but major city spared

A volcanic eruption in eastern Congo left a smoking trail of destruction half a mile wide on Sunday that buried hundreds of houses and left residents searching for missing loved ones, before…

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Photo Story – Egyptian aid to Gaza

Trucks carrying Egyptian aid after arriving at Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza Strip, southern Gaza Strip, 23 May 2021 (issued 24 May 2021). More than 120 Egyptian aid trucks…

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Ship owner says Suez Canal was at fault over Ever Given grounding- lawyer

The owner of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March says the canal authority was at fault over its grounding as it disputes the vessel's detention and…

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Volcano erupts in eastern Congo, thousands flee Goma

Lava from a volcanic eruption reached the airport of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's main city of Goma on Saturday, as thousands evacuated the city. Goma residents, recalling Mount Nyiragongo's…

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South Africa to push for military action against Mozambique insurgents

South Africa will press for urgent military action by regional body SADC to quell an Islamist insurgency in Mozambique threatening to destabilize neighbouring countries, the foreign minister said. It will…

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Spain hopes for swift end to spat with Morocco as more migrants sent back

Morocco’s ambassador to Madrid warned that if Spain allows the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement to leave Spain without informing Rabat it will worsen the diplomatic crisis between…

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Nigeria’s investigates reports of Boko Haram leader’s death, Nigerian army chief dies in plane crash

Nigeria's military is investigating reports that the leader of militant Islamist group Boko Haram may have been killed or seriously injured following clashes with rival jihadists, an army spokesman said.…

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Tunisia central bank governor warns of ‘Venezuelan scenario’

Tunisia's central bank governor said on Friday there was no alternative to the country agreeing a program with the International Monetary Fund, warning that central bank financing of the budget…

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Spain accuses Morocco of ‘blackmail’ over Ceuta migrant surge

Spain’s defence minister accused Morocco of “blackmail” over its passivity in the face of a surge in migrant arrivals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta earlier this week. The rush…

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U.S. Tripoli visit shows increased Libya focus after fighting

The United States on Tuesday sent its highest-level official to Libya since 2014 in what it called a signal of Washington's increased focus on efforts to resolve the country's crisis.…

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Beyond Migration – Western Sahara leader’s treatment in Spain angers Morocco

Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front which wants independence for Western Sahara, is receiving medical treatment in Spain, angering Morocco which annexed the former Spanish colony decades ago. Here…

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Photo Story – 5,000 illegal Moroccans have entered Ceuta

Hundreds of young Moroccans wait to cross the border with Spain in the town of Castillejos, also known as Fnideq, Morocco, 17 May 2021. The Spanish Government Delegation in Ceuta…

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Over 1 million people face hunger in southern Madagascar

Several years of drought and other factors have left millions in southern Madagascar hungry, the World Food Programme (WFP) and other agencies, report. The food agency says the lack of…

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At least 57 migrants drown in shipwreck off Tunisia

At least 57 migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunis as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy and 33 were rescued, humanitarian organisation Tunisian Red Crescent…

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Egypt keen for tourism recovery by year-end as visitor numbers rise

Egypt is optimistic about welcoming more visitors this year with numbers increasing steadily since January to around half a million tourists a month, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany told…

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VIDEO: Over 2,700 migrants illegally enter Spain’s Ceuta enclave

Over 2,700 Moroccan citizens on Monday illegally entered Spain's northern Africa enclave of Ceuta, several Spanish outlets reported citing information from the Spanish government's delegation in Ceuta. Among the 2,700 migrants, there were around…

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U.S. will grant Tunisia $500 million in aid

The United States will grant Tunisia $500 million in aid to finance infrastructure and other projects and talks are also advanced on a loan guarantee, Tunisian finance minister Ali Kooli…

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Ethiopia postpones June 5 parliamentary elections

. Ethiopia has postponed parliamentary elections due on June 5, the country's electoral body said, adding it did not foresee a delay of more than three weeks. The Horn of…

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Algeria to reopen air, land borders on June 1

Algeria will reopen air and land borders on June 1, but strict measures will be imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the presidency announced. Only five flights a…

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Tunisia’s economy shrank 3% in the first quarter of 2021

Tunisia's gross domestic product shrank 3% in the first quarter of 2021 from a year ago, the State Statistics Institute said on Saturday, showing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic…

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UK sanctions Libyan al-Kaniyat militia and its leaders

Britain imposed sanctions against Libya’s Kaniyat militia, saying those who breached international law in Libya would have to face consequences. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Kaniyat militia had…

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At least 17 drown in shipwreck off Tunis

At least 17 African migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunis as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, the Tunisian Red Crescent said on Thursday. The Tunisian…

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Egypt receives 1.7 mln AstraZeneca vaccine doses through COVAX

Egypt has received a batch of more than 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX initiative, the health ministry said on Thursday. Egypt received its first COVAX…

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Uganda army to join Congo in offensive against Islamist rebels

The Ugandan and Congo armies are setting up an operations centre in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo for a joint offensive against Islamist rebels who have killed hundreds…

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Ivory Coast Prime Minister Patrick Achi admitted to hospital in France

Ivory Coast Prime Minister Patrick Achi, 65, has been admitted to hospital in Paris for medical tests, two sources close to him said. Achi, a close confidant of President Alassane…

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As tobacco declines, Malawi must switch to cannabis – president

Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera warned on Wednesday that his country's leading foreign exchange earner, tobacco, was in terminal decline and he urged a switch to high-growth crops like cannabis, which was legalised…

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Insurer of ship that blocked Suez Canal says reduced claim still high

CAIRO, May 10 (Reuters) - UK Club, an insurer of the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March, said on Monday a reduced compensation claim made by the…

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Algeria to impose restrictions on street protests

Algeria will bar any protests that do not have prior approval, it said, a move apparently aimed at the weekly mass demonstrations that ousted a veteran president in 2019 but…

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Ethiopian Orthodox Church head says genocide is taking place in Tigray

The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church has said that atrocities amounting to genocide are being committed in Tigray, in his first comments on the conflict in the region that broke…

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Libya’s first female foreign minister pressed to quit

Libya’s first female foreign minister has come under pressure to resign and been subjected to personal abuse seven weeks into the job, after she called for Turkish troops and mercenaries…

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Chad military claims victory over rebels in the north

Chad's military claimed victory in its weeks-long battle with northern rebels that led to the death of President Idriss Deby on the battlefield. However, the rebel group Front for Change…

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UPDATED: Libya presidency denies armed groups raided Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli

A senior official at Libya's new Presidency Council denied on Saturday that groups who entered a hotel where the body meets had been armed or used force, playing down an…

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WHO warns of new Covid wave in Africa

The World Health Organization on Thursday warned of a new wave of Covid-19 infections in Africa due to delayed vaccine supplies, a slow rollout and new variants. The African bureau…

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Tunisia announces one-week COVID-19 lockdown from Sunday

Tunisia will impose a COVID-19 lockdown for one week from Sunday, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said on Friday, ahead of next week’s Eid al-Fitr holiday when families and friends traditionally…

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Egypt and Turkey seek to overhaul tense ties with frank talks on Libya

Egypt and Turkey on Thursday held talks on the conflict in Libya, where they back competing factions,on Syria and the security situation in the eastern Mediterranean, in a push to…

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UPDATED: Italian trawler machine-gunned off the Libyan coast heading back to Sicily

The Italian fishing boat "Aliseo" on Friday sailed towards Mazara del Vallo in Sicily, with seven crewmen, after it’s commander Giuseppe Giacalone was wounded by gunshots fired yesterday by a…

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UPDATED: Turkey says mercenaries should leave Libya, but it has military pact with government

Turkey and Germany agree that all foreign mercenaries in Libya need to leave the country, but Ankara has a bilateral agreement with the Libyan government for its troops to be…

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Egypt to close stores, restaurants early for 2 weeks to curb COVID-19

The closing hours of Egyptian stores, malls and restaurants will be brought forward to 9pm (1900 GMT) to help contain the coronavirus for two weeks from Thursday, straddling the last…

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Shell tells Tunisia it will leave the country next year

Royal Dutch Shell has informed Tunisian authorities it will hand back upstream concessions and leave the country next year as it turns its focus to renewable energy, Rania Marzouki a…

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Merkel: Turkey’s withdrawal of troops from Libya would be ‘important signal’

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that the withdrawal of foreign troops from Libya would be an "important signal" as both leaders vowed…

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Tunisia to propose wage, subsidy cuts in IMF talks

Tunisia will cut its public sector wage bill and replace subsidies with direct support for the needy, according to a government reform proposal written to support talks with the International…

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Vaccine hesitancy slows Africa’s COVID-19 inoculation drive

NAIROBI (Reuters) - When Edith Serem received her COVID-19 vaccination last month at a hospital in Nairobi where she works as a doctor, nurses jokingly warned she might start speaking…

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Congo declares end of Ebola outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday declared the end of an Ebola outbreak that infected 12 people in the eastern province of North Kivu and killed six of them.…

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50 migrants reported dead in a shipwreck off Libyan coast

Fifty migrants, including some Egyptians, died off the coast of Libya following the sinking of the boat on which they were traveling. This was reported by the Libyan Red Crescent,…

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Nigeria bans travellers from India, Brazil, Turkey over COVID-19 fears

Nigeria will ban travellers coming from India, Brazil and Turkey because of concerns about the rampant spread of coronavirus in those countries, a presidential committee announced. "Non-Nigerian passport holders and…

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South African Airways exits administration after 17 months

South Africa's struggling national airline South African Airways (SAA) exited a local form of bankruptcy protection called business rescue after roughly 17 months. SAA was placed under administration in December…

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Namibia facing red locust outbreak

Namibia is struggling to contain a third wave of an African migratory red locust outbreak, which has now destroyed 719,000 hectares of grazing land and 1,207 hectares of crop fields…

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Tunisia to seek $4 billion IMF loan

Tunisia will seek a $4 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund in talks starting next week, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi told Reuters, saying politicians faced a "last opportunity"…

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Somalia’s lower house of parliament votes to cancel presidential term extension

MOGADISHU, May 1 (Reuters) - Somalia's lower house of parliament voted unanimously on Saturday to cancel a divisive two-year presidential term extension it approved last month, a move that might…

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Polish scientists discover ancient Egyptian pregnant ‘mummy’

WARSAW, April 30 (Reuters) - An ancient Egyptian mummy once believed to be the remains of a male priest is actually the embalmed body of a woman in the third…

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Libyan oil minister seeks budget approval to hit 1.5 mln bpd target

Libya’s oil production target of 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2021 depends on parliament approving the national budget quickly, Oil Minister Mohamed Oun told Reuters.…

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Chadian army battles rebels in northern town

Chad’s army battled with rebels near the town of Nokou, about 20 km (12 miles) from where former president Idriss Deby was fatally wounded 10 days ago, rebels and the…

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Parents of Nigeria kidnap victims plead for government help

When Linda Peter last spoke to her daughter, the brief phone call left her relieved the teenager was alive but distraught because she could not pay any ransom demanded. Peter's…

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236 persons, including 114 minors rescued off Libya

Libya Observer - Italian security sources said Ocean Viking Rescue Vessel of SOS Mediterranee NGO had rescued 236 immigrants in international waters off Libya's coast. The NGO said on Twitter…

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