Africa

Influential Libyan interior minister suspended amid protests

The head of Libya’s internationally recognised government suspended his powerful interior minister from his duties on Friday, saying his handling of street protests and a violent crackdown against them would…

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Libya’s Tripoli government imposes COVID-19 curfew after protests escalate

Libya's Tripoli-based government has announced a 24-hour curfew to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus as it struggles to contain protests over deteriorating living conditions and corruption. The curfew,…

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Tanker to load 30,000 tonnes of condensate from Libya’s Brega port

The Valle di Siviglia tanker arrived at Libya's Brega port on Monday to load 30,000 tonnes of condensate to allow for continued gas production for local power plants, the National…

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Tunisia’s incoming PM plans restructuring of economic ministries

Tunisia’s premier-designate plans to gather the ministries of finance, investment and state property into a single department to be led by economist Ali Kooli under plans to revamp government and…

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Morocco rejects normalizing ties with Israel

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani on Sunday rejected any normalization of relations with Israel. “We refuse any normalisation with the Zionist entity because this emboldens it to go…

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East Libyan forces dismiss ceasefire push by rivals

The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) dismissed a ceasefire announcement by authorities in the capital, Tripoli, as a marketing stunt, saying rival forces were mobilising around front lines in the…

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Protesters dispersed by gunfire in Libya’s capital Tripoli

Armed men fired in the air to disperse several hundred protesters demonstrating over living conditions and against the government in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Sunday, a Reuters witness said.…

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Malta supports Libya ceasefire agreement

Malta's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo expressed Malta’s full support for the two declarations by the Government of National Accord and the House of Representatives in Tobruk to…

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Gulf Arab states welcome truce announcement in Libya

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has welcomed a ceasefire announcement in Libya, the UAE news agency WAM reported on Saturday. GCC Secretary General Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf called on…

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Mali’s coup leaders meet mediators seeking return to civilian rule

A key meeting on Saturday between Mali's coup leaders and mediators from West Africa's regional bloc seeking a return to civilian rule ended after just 20 minutes. Tuesday's overthrow of…

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Pandemic starts to surge in conflict-hit Libya

As coronavirus cases surge in Libya, medics and officials working with a health system wrecked by years of division and war are warning that the pandemic could be slipping out…

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Greece to ratify sea accord with Egypt on Aug. 26

Greece plans to ratify an accord on maritime boundaries with Egypt next week, its government said on Thursday, referring to a deal which has angered Turkey and highlighted overlapping claims…

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UPDATED: Libya’s Tripoli-based government declares ceasefire

Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), which is internationally recognised but controls only the western part of the country, announced a ceasefire on Friday, a statement from its leadership…

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Peru, Morocco to test China Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 3 trial

Authorities in Peru and Morocco have approved Phase 3 clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the company said late on Thursday on…

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Nigeria to bar flights from countries that block Nigerians

Nigeria will blocks flights from countries that do not allow Nigerian flights to land due to coronavirus restrictions, Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said. “The principle of reciprocity will be applied,”…

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Morocco may reimpose full lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge

Morocco could return to a complete coronavirus lockdown as cases continue to spike, Moroccan King Mohammed VI said on Thursday, warning of severe economic repercussions. The warning came as a…

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Photo Story: Egyptian restaurant adapts to the ‘new normal’

A waiter puts a plate of food inside a robot which serves the food to the diners at Kimbo Restaurant and Cafe in Cairo, Egypt. Countries around the world are…

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UN joins global condemnation of military takeover in Mali

The United Nations has joined global condemnation of the military takeover in Mali, which saw President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta forced to resign. The UN's Security Council echoed similar calls by…

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Egypt says from September travellers must show coronavirus test results

Egypt will require all visitors to the country to present Polymerase Chain Reaction test results for the new coronavirus on arrival from Sept. 1, the prime minister said in a…

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Occupancy rates in Egypt’s major Red Sea resorts 20-40%

Hotel occupancy rates in the key Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are 30-40% and 20-25% respectively, two tourism industry officials told Reuters. The coronavirus pandemic has…

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Mali soldiers promise civilian transition after president’s ouster

Soldiers who staged a military coup in Mali leading to the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his government said on Wednesday they plan to form a civilian transitional…

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East Libya to allow export of stored oil port products to ease power crisis

Authorities in eastern Libya will allow limited exports from blockaded oil ports to free up storage space and enable the production of fuel for power stations, an oil facilities guard…

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Mali’s President Keita resigns after military mutiny

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has resigned and dissolved parliament, hours after mutinying soldiers detained him and top officials from his government. “I want no blood to be spilled to…

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President and PM detained after Mali coup

UPDATE : 2000h A leader of the mutiny said both Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse had been detained by soldiers. "We can tell you that the…

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Photo Story – Wreckage damage in Mauritius

An aerial view of a salvage vessel behind the two parts of the MV Wakashio, a Japanese owned Panama-flagged bulk carrier after it split in two following running aground off…

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Libya, Turkey and Qatar sign military cooperation deal

The Libyan Deputy Defense Minister Salah Al-Namroush has agreed with the Turkish and Qatari Defense Minister; Hulusi Akar and Khaled Al Attiyah respectively, to sign tripartite deal for military cooperation…

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Egypt’s unemployment rate rose to 9.6%

Egypt's unemployment rate rose to 9.6% in the second quarter of 2020 compared with 7.5% a year earlier, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the statistics agency CAPMAS said on Monday.…

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Tunisian economy shrank by 21.6%

Tunisia's tourism-dependent economy shrank 21.6 % in the second quarter of 2020, compared to the same period last year, due to the coronavirus crisis, the state statistics institute said on…

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Africa begins continent-wide study of COVID-19 antibodies

An Africa-wide study of antibodies to the coronavirus has begun, while evidence from a smaller study indicates that many more people have been infected than official numbers show, the Africa…

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Japan to send team to Mauritius to assist in oil spill

Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Saturday Tokyo planned to send a team of officials from the ministry and other specialists to Mauritius to assess the damage from an…

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Libya sovereign fund to ask UN for freedom to invest billions

Libya's sovereign wealth fund head plans to ask the United Nations to allow it to invest billions of dollars sitting idle in its accounts, after missing out on some $4.1…

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Germany and Russia share common position to solve Libya’s issue

Moscow and Berlin confirmed the existence of several common interests and approaches between both capitals regarding the nature of the political solution in Libya. This came during a joint press…

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Most oil on damaged ship off Mauritius removed

Most of the fuel left on a Japanese bulk carrier that has leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil off the Mauritius coast has been pumped off, ship owner Nagashiki…

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Angola’s beleaguered dos Santos steps down from Unitel

Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos will leave her job in the administration of telecoms operator Unitel amid ongoing tensions between board members, Portugal's news agency Lusa reported on Tuesday. "After…

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Sea life around Mauritius dying as Japanese ship oil spill spreads

Mauritian volunteers fished dead eels from oily waters as they tried to clean up damage to the Indian Ocean island's most pristine beaches after a Japanese bulk carrier leaked an…

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Starvation looms for Morocco’s horses as tourism collapses

The prospect of starvation looms for carriage horses and other animals normally used in Morocco’s tourist mecca, since visitors have vanished during the coronavirus pandemic. The Society for the Protection…

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Libya’s Mitiga Airport resumes flights

Flights have been resumed from Tripoli's Mitiga Airport after over four months of suspension due to anti-Coronavirus measures and after the massive damage done to the airport during Khalifa Haftar's…

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Mauritius PM warns damaged ship leaking oil could split

A ship that ran aground off Mauritius leaking tonnes of oil into the ocean is cracking, the prime minister said, threatening an even greater ecological and economic disaster for the…

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Gunmen kill six French aid workers, their driver and guide in Niger

Gunmen on motorcycles killed six French aid workers, a Nigerien guide and a driver in a wildlife park in Niger on Sunday, officials said. The group was attacked in a…

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Grounded Mauritius ship operator apologises for oil leak

The operator of a Japanese bulk carrier which ran aground off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean apologised on Sunday for a major oil spill which officials and environmentalists say is…

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Libya’s National Oil Corp warns of dangers at oil ports

The chairman of Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) warned against the risk of a disaster at the country's oil ports due to a growing military presence with storage tanks held…

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Algeria eases coronavirus restrictions, including travel curbs and curfew

Algeria said on Saturday it will further ease its coronavirus lockdown, including shortening an overnight curfew, lifting some travel curbs and allowing large mosques to reopen. The North African country…

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Mauritius declares state of environmental emergency following oil spill

Mauritius has declared a "state of environmental emergency" and asked France for help after an oil spill from a Japanese-owned ship near vulnerable waters.  The island of Mauritius declared an…

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Nigerian airports to remain closed to international travel

Nigeria will reopen for international air travel in a matter of weeks, the aviation minister said, without giving a specific date for the resumption after months of closure due to…

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Turkey criticizes Germany for enforcing Libya arms embargo

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday criticized Germany's participation in a European Union mission supervising an international weapon's embargo on Libya. Cavusoglu was in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, for…

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4.9-magnitude earthquake shakes Algeria

A 4.9-magnitude earthquake was registered 3 km NNE of Sidi Mérouane, Algeria, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km. So far there have been…

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Egypt and Greece sign agreement on exclusive economic zone

Egypt and Greece signed an agreement on Thursday designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean between the two countries, an area containing promising oil and gas reserves, Egyptian…

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Africa’s cases of COVID-19 top 1 million

Africa’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 have surpassed 1 million, a Reuters tally showed, as the disease began to spread rapidly through a continent whose relative isolation has so far spared…

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Libya’s Al-Sarraj meets Maltese and Turkish Foreign Ministers

The Head of the Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj met Thursday in Tripoli the Turkish and Maltese Foreign Ministers; Mevlut Cavusoglu and Evarist Bartolo, discussing latest developments in Libya and ways…

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Gambia shuts borders, airspace as COVID-19 cases increase

Gambian President Adama Barrow declared a state of emergency, shutting his country’s borders and airspace amid a rise in coronavirus cases. COVID-19 cases in Gambia have surged over 60% in…

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Libya-Malta commercial flights on agenda of Maltese Civil Aviation delegation visit to Libya

A delegation of the Maltese Civil Aviation arrived at Mitiga International Airport on Tuesday to assess the airport's readiness to operate scheduled commercial flights between Libya and Malta, according to…

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The U.S. warns against foreign military involvement in Libya

The United States condemned all foreign military involvement in Libya, including the use of mercenaries and private military contractors, and said Libyans themselves must rebuild a unified country. U.S. President…

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Algeria suspects actions to destabilise the country

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday ordered an investigation of what the government called planned actions to destabilise the country after a lack of bank liquidity, huge forest fires and…

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Didier Drogba submits candidature for Ivory Coast FA’s presidency

Didier Drogba drew a large crowd on Saturday eager to watch him submit his candidacy before the deadline for next month’s Ivory Coast Football Federation elections. The 42-year-old former African…

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55 migrants, one smuggler arrested in Zliten, Libya

Security forces in Zliten have raided a warehouse and arrested 55 migrants and one Libyan human smuggler who were arranging for an illegal journey to EU shores, Libya Observer reports.…

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The number of COVID-19 infections in Libya has risen to 3,621

The number of COVID-19 infections in Libya has risen to 3,621, with 2,929 active cases. The National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded 183 new cases on Friday. NCDC also…

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Egypt reports lowest coronavirus daily figure since May 3

Egypt reported 321 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, the health ministry said, the lowest figure since May 3. In total, 94,078 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Egypt, of which…

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