Africa (except North Africa)

NAIROBI, Jan 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kenya has suspended all inbound and transit passenger flights from the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) to retaliate against a move by Dubai to ban all passenger flights from Kenya last year.

The suspension took effect on Jan 10, for an initial period of seven days.

“Inbound and transit passenger flights from UAE are suspended for a period of seven days. We are doing this to reciprocate a ban on Kenyan passenger flights to UAE,” Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said.

KAMPALA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Seven people died after a lorry they were travelling in lost control and overturned in the northern Uganda district of Lira on Monday.

According to the Police, the incident happened on Monday night as vendors were returning from a market outside Lira City.

Patrick Jimmy Okema, the police spokesperson for Aswa River region, told Xinhua by telephone on Tuesday that the injured were rushed to Lira Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.

NAIROBI, Jan 9 (NNN-KBC) — Operations across the country’s airports could be grounded in the next one week after salary talks between the management of Kenya Airports Authority and Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) collapsed.

Following the move, the union has issued a one-week ultimatum to the KAA management to effect the 13 per cent salary increment agreement or they will call for major industrial action.

This came as details emerged that the workers from Kenya Airports Authority had not received a salary increment since 2016.

MOGADISHU, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army (SNA) said on Monday that its elite forces killed 25 Shabab militants and wounded several others in intense fighting on Sunday in the southern Lower Shabelle region.

Abdullahi Nageye, SNA commander of Gorgor (The Eagles) unit, told Somalia's official news agency SONNA that the army acted on intelligence that the militants were regrouping in an area between Tawakal and Barire locations to attack military bases.

HARARE, Jan 9 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — At least 11 Zimbabweans who attempted to cross the crocodile-infested Limpopo River into South Africa are feared dead after a boat transporting them capsized, while three others were swept away in different incidents.

Beitbridge Police District Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo saidt only one body had been recovered so far.

“So far a body has been recovered, but yet to be identified,” he said.

He added that two more bodies were located in the river, on the South African side.

OLD FANGAK, South Sudan (AP) — Nyayiar Kuol cradled her severely malnourished 1-year-old daughter as they traveled for 16 hours on a crowded barge to the nearest hospital to their home in rural South Sudan. For months she had been feeding her four children just once a day, unable to cultivate because of disastrous flooding and without enough food assistance from the government or aid groups. She worries her daughter might die.

“I don’t want to think about what could happen,” she said.

MOMBASA, Jan 7 (NNN-KBC) – Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, yesterday met here, with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who was invited to visit the country.

Kenyatta asked Wang to convey his cordial greetings to President Xi Jinping. Kenyatta said, the Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to Kenya, demonstrates the strong relationship between them.

LAMU, Kenya, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police said Friday it has launched investigations into the killing of the four security officers after being ambushed by the bandits in the coastal Lamu region.

National Police Service Spokesperson Bruno Shioso said a team of security officers are also pursuing bandits who ambushed a security vehicle that was on patrol along Lamu-Garsen road at around 9:00 a.m. on Friday.

"Police officers who were onboard responded swiftly and managed to repulse the bandits, unfortunately there were casualties," Shioso said in a brief statement.

MOGADISHU, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's regional forces in Galmudug State killed 17 al-Shabab militants who attempted to attack a local town early Friday, security officials said.

The security officials told the state-owned Somali National Television that the terrorists were killed after they attempted to capture Baxdo town in central Somalia.

"The regional forces of Somalia's Galmudug State have repulsed an attack by al-Shabab on Baxdo town, killing 17 terrorists in the early hours of Friday," the television station reported.

CAPE TOWN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- South African Parliament said the fire at its precinct that flared up again on Monday afternoon has been contained.

Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo told Xinhua over the phone on Tuesday that the fire at the parliament, which initially broke out early Sunday, was "contained" and currently "there is no fire" at the parliament. But he added it is difficult to say whether the fire has been extinguished as firefighters continue to search the grounds.