Africa (except North Africa)

ACCRA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party on Sunday announced new national officers at the Accra Sports Stadium in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, to lead the party into the 2024 general election.

The new officers elected during the party's annual delegates conference include Stephen Ayensu Ntim as the new national chairman and Justin Frimpong Kodua as the new general secretary.

The new executive will steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.

LUSAKA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Saturday launched an early warning platform aimed at preventing conflicts and promoting peace on the continent.

The Inter-Regional Knowledge Exchange on Early Warning and Conflict Prevention (I-RECKE) will play a crucial role in preventing conflicts on the continent and will also be tasked to detect and communicate threats to peace, AU Deputy Chairperson Monique Nsanzabaganwa said during the launch of the platform on the sidelines of the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council.

LUSAKA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) opened in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, Thursday with the host country calling on African countries to enhance agricultural production in order to tackle food insecurity.

The meeting, comprising foreign affairs ministers from member states, is being held under the theme "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerating Human Capital, Social and Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms." It runs from July 14 to 16.

NAIROBI, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health and the UN children's fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday commenced deployment of ready-to-use therapeutic food to four drought-stricken counties to help avert severe malnutrition among children.

The consignment of highly nutritious food commodities valued at 30 million shillings (253,915 U.S. dollars) is part of joint efforts to mitigate the adverse impact of the current drought cycle on children's health and nutritional security, UNICEF said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

LAGOS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Friday's boat capsize in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, rose to 15 as more bodies were recovered, authorities said.

Recovery operation were still ongoing, Ibrahim Farinloye, zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency in the southwestern region, said in a statement on Sunday.

HARARE, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Opposite the U.S. embassy northwest of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare sits an anti-sanctions camp marking 1,200 days of protest.

On July 4, the organizer of the camp -- Broad Alliance Against Sanctions (BAAS), organized a demonstration outside the U.S. embassy compound while the Americans were observing their Independence Day.

"We're demonstrating against the Americans for celebrating their Independence Day while we are suffering because of their sanctions," said protestor Jesca Vhiyai, a BAAS member and mother of five.

LAGOS, Jul 10 (NNN-NAN) – At least two people were killed, when a boat carrying 16 people capsized in Lagos, on Friday afternoon, Nigerian authorities announced yesterday.

At the time of the accident, the boat was travelling along a waterway in the Ojo area of Lagos, when “the tide of the water drifted the boat to a stationary barge, which caused it to overturn,” said Ibrahim Farinloye, the zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in the south-western region, in a statement.

NAIROBI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Kenyan government Saturday launched the Health Emergency Hub to enhance response to health emergencies in Africa.

A statement from the WHO released in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital said the hub will lay the foundation for a robust response to health emergencies including disease outbreaks unfolding in the continent.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A mass shooting at a tavern in Johannesburg’s Soweto township has killed 14 people and left three others in critical condition, according to police.

Police say they are investigating reports that a group of men arrived in a minibus taxi and opened fire on some of the patrons at the bar late Saturday night. Police were on Sunday morning removing bodies of the deceased and investigating what had led to the mass shooting.

The three critically injured and one other person wounded have been taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

MAPUTO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique's health ministry launched Wednesday the country's third round of the vaccination campaign against polio targeted at children under 5 years of age in the country.

According to the Minister of Health Armindo Tiago who spoke at the launch of the campaign in Maputo, the exercise will take place from Thursday to Sunday.