Africa (except North Africa)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS economic summit in Johannesburg next month, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement Wednesday.

The decision means South Africa will not face the dilemma of whether it should carry out an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Russian leader.

YAOUNDE, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gunmen killed 10 people and injured two others at a busy junction in the city of Bamenda in Cameroon’s troubled northwest, the regional governor said on Monday.

A witness said the attackers arrived in vehicles late on Sunday, ordered people onto the floor with accusations of failing to back local separatists, and opened fire as some obeyed while others ran.

ABUJA, July 17 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — The Sorghum Farmers Association of Nigeria (SOFAN), has commended President Bola Tinubu for declaring state of emergency on food security.

The President of the association, Alhaji Lawal Gada, made the commendation when he addressed newsmen in Abuja.

According to Gada, the action of the president could not have come at a better time than now when the world is facing myriad of challenges militating the food supply chains in the world, Nigeria inclusive.

KIGALI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda is set to open its first diplomatic mission in Budapest, Hungary, "very soon" as part of the country's plans to strengthen cooperation with the European country, President Paul Kagame has said.

"Rwanda intends to open a diplomatic presence in Budapest, Hungary, very soon as job creation for our countries and fostering an enabling environment for business are key priorities," Kagame told a press conference Sunday alongside his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

SANDTON (South Africa), July 16 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa says his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin will attend the BRICS summit in person, despite an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.

Following the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Putin, there have been suggestions that the event could happen virtually.

But, according to Kyiv Post, Ramaphosa assured at a meeting of the BRICS Business Council in Sandton on Thursday that the summit will be held live, rather than online.

LUANDA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Angolan government has eliminated the requirement of presenting a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test result for travellers entering or leaving the country, starting from Saturday, according to a presidential decree.

The decree noted that face masks must be worn in healthcare facilities and similar services, while their use in other public areas is optional.

It is emphasized in the decree that departure from Angola may be subject to health surveillance requirements established by the destination country.

MOGADISHU, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the latest attack on a health facility in a disputed city in Somalia's Somaliland region, where dozens of people were killed and injured, including healthcare workers and patients.

The WHO said that Tuesday's fighting in Las Anod also resulted in the destruction of two ambulances.

NAIROBI, July 12 (Reuters) - Stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police in Kenyan cities on Wednesday and two were shot dead, officers on the scene said, in a second round of protests in less than a week against a raft of tax hikes.

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and several other towns, according to Reuters reporters and footage aired on Kenyan television stations.

NAIROBI, July 11 (NNN-KBC) — Kenyan President William Ruto will Tuesday host visiting Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi at State House, Nairobi.

The meeting will be Ruto’s first official engagement since jetting back into the country Monday evening from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he attended IGAD Quartet Heads of State and Government meeting that focussed on the Sudan conflict.

Raisi is on a three-day visit to Africa which includes Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

JOHANNESBURG, July 10 (Reuters) - Residents of South Africa's biggest city Johannesburg were stunned by the first snowfall in over a decade on Monday, with some children seeing snow for the first time.

While parts of South Africa regularly receive snowfall over the southern hemisphere winter months around June to August, Johannesburg last saw snow in August 2012.

After getting her picture taken on Nelson Mandela Square in the financial district, Jennifer Banda told Reuters that she was pregnant the last time it snowed.