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page 19 UGANDA Army enters S/Sudan to evacuate citizens A heavily-armed Ugandan military convoy crossed into South Sudan on Thursday to evacuate citizens trapped by recent fighting in the capital Juba, an AFP reporter at the border said. The convoy of around 50 trucks escorted by machine gun-mounted armoured vehicles crossed the border at Nimule […]

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UGANDA

Army enters S/Sudan to evacuate citizens

A heavily-armed Ugandan military convoy crossed into South Sudan on Thursday to evacuate citizens trapped by recent fighting in the capital Juba, an AFP reporter at the border said.

The convoy of around 50 trucks escorted by machine gun-mounted armoured vehicles crossed the border at Nimule to rescue Ugandans in the capital 200 kilometres (120 miles) to the north, and open up a secure corridor for fleeing civilians who have been attacked by bandits and renegade soldiers.

“We plan to go to Juba to extract 3,000 Ugandans stranded by fighting, but that number may grow as we will evacuate anyone who wants to leave of any nationality,” said army chief Brigadier Leopold Kyanda. “There may even be some South Sudanese who want to leave.”

“Juba is totally peaceful and calm now and we do not expect any problems. The problems could be on the road where there are some few thugs. The first responsibility of any UPDF soldier is to protect himself and we are confident in this,” Kyanda said.

SYRIA

Assad: Russia never asked me to leave office

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said Russia has never talked to him about leaving power.

“They never said a single word regarding this,” Mr Assad told NBC News, referring to conversations with President Vladimir Putin and officials.

He said “only the Syrian people” would decide “when to come and when to go”.

The US, which accuses Syria’s leader of responsibility for atrocities, says he must go as part of a political transition to end the conflict there.

Russia has given the Syrian government strong diplomatic and military backing in its fight against rebels, but Mr Putin has said only a political solution can resolve the conflict.

Mr Assad’s comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepared to fly to Moscow for fresh talks about Syria.

The Syrian leader said he was not concerned about the possibility of Washington and Moscow agreeing a deal that would involve him stepping down.

“Because their politics, I mean, the Russian politics, is not based on making deals. It’s based on values,” Mr Assad said.

CAMEROON

Govt abuses human rights in fight against Boko Haram

Amnesty International has accused authorities in Cameroon of committing numerous human rights abuses in their crackdown on militant group Boko Haram, including the killing of dozens of civilians, torture, and arbitrary mass arrests.

The human rights group said officials have detained more than 1,000 people in “horrific conditions,” resulting in an average of eight deaths each month from malnutrition, disease and torture in Maroua Prison in the Far North region of the country.

Cameroonian officials criticized the report upon its release Thursday. Military spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck said the country’s troops are well trained to do their jobs and do not abuse the rights of anyone.

UK

May shakes up British government to prepare for Brexit

New Prime Minister Theresa May showed a ruthless streak on Thursday in building a cabinet to lead Britain’s exit from the European Union, while her finance minister said he would do whatever was necessary to restore confidence in the economy.

A day after replacing David Cameron, May moved to impose her authority by axing a handful of prominent ministers including Justice Secretary Michael Gove, a leading ‘Brexit’ campaigner who had staged his own bid for prime minister.

Her most contentious appointment is Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who compared the EU’s aims to those of Hitler and Napoleon during the campaign leading up to Britain’s vote last month to quit the 28-nation bloc.

The surprise choice drew a withering response from French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who described the former London mayor as a liar.

Three weeks after the referendum, May’s new government faces the formidably complex task of extricating Britain from the EU – itself reeling from the shock of Brexit – while trying to protect the economy from feared disruption to confidence, trade and investment.

UNITED STATES

US sentences Chinese hacker for stealing military information

A Chinese businessman who pleaded guilty to hacking sensitive military information has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison in the US.

Su Bin admitted collaborating with hackers in the Chinese military to steal data from US defence companies between 2008 and 2014.

He was arrested in Canada in 2014 and extradited to the US.

The Chinese government has repeatedly denied any involvement in hacking foreign companies or governments.

In addition to the 46-month prison sentence, the Los Angeles court also ordered Su to pay a $10,000 (£7,600) fine.

“Su Bin’s sentence is a just punishment for his admitted role in a conspiracy with hackers from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force to illegally access and steal sensitive US military information,” assistant attorney general John Carlin said in a statement.

ZIMBABWE

Pastor Evan Mawarire calls for more protests

A Zimbabwean pastor who was detained after organising a nationwide strike last week has called on people to keep protesting.

Evan Mawarire said people should stay at home as part of a campaign against corruption, economic mismanagement and unemployment.

He said the campaign was serious about wanting change.

Mr Mawarire was freed on Wednesday when a court in Harare dismissed a legal case against him.

His lawyers successfully argued that the charge of subversion had been added at the last minute, denying him a fair trial.

The pastor has been at the heart of a social media campaign denouncing the government’s management of the economy.

He said the #ThisFlag movement’s goal was to “get as many citizens as possible involved in nation-building”.

IVORY COAST

Two soldiers arrested for suspected links to al Qaeda

Two soldiers have been arrested in Ivory Coast accused of failing to denounce suspected members of an al Qaeda cell that killed 19 people in a March attack on a beach resort town, military officials said on Thursday.

Authorities in Ivory Coast and neighbouring Mali have arrested a number of suspects since the attack.

Ivory Coast’s military prosecutor Colonel Ange Kessi said the soldiers were not accused of participating directly in the Grand Bassam plot.

“The two soldiers knew certain members of the unit that attacked the beach in Grand Bassam and did not signal that to their hierarchy, which is a serious offense under the military code of justice,” he said. They are due to stand trial at the end of August, Kessi added.

FRANCE

Govt to end state of emergency

France will not extend the state of emergency imposed after last year’s Islamist militant attacks in Paris in November beyond 26 July, President Francois Hollande has announced.

The president said in his traditional Bastille Day interview that it would not make sense for the emergency to be extended indefinitely.

That would mean the rule of law “no longer applied”, Mr Hollande said.

France has twice extended the state of emergency since it was first imposed.

The last extension was granted to cover the Euro 2016 soccer tournament and the end of the Tour de France cycling race.

The state of emergency was enforced after 13 November, when 130 people died in co-ordinated gun and bomb attacks on a concert hall, restaurants and the Stade de France, where an international football match was taking place.

Earlier in the year, in January, an attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the siege of a Jewish supermarket in Paris had resulted in the deaths of 17 people.

KENYA

Suspected Islamist recruiter kills four at police station

A suspected recruiter for the Somali militant group al Shabaab shot dead at least four Kenyan policemen in the station where he was being held on Thursday after he snatched a weapon from a guard, police said.

He was later killed by an elite squad, which specializes in hostage situations, after holding other prisoners hostage as police surrounded Kapenguria police station in west Kenya, officials said. The squad was flown in from Nairobi.

“The siege has finally ended,” John Musiambu, the regional government coordinator, told reporters at the scene.

He said all the inmates in the police cell at the station were safe while one officer of the special squad was wounded.

The man was suspected of links to terrorism, police chief Joseph Boinnet said, without being more specific. The number of casualties was not clear, officials said.

S/AFRICA

Eight killed in orphanage blaze

Six children and two adults were killed in a fire in an orphanage in South Africa on Thursday, rescue officials said.

Emergency service officials said the fire broke out at the Lakehaven Children’s Home in the coastal city of Durban, killing six children aged between eight and 10, a 19-year-old and an older adult.

Four people were hospitalized with serious or lesser injuries while 10 others escaped unharmed.

“Paramedics received a call just after 2 o’clock this morning to respond to the scene and formed part of the emergency services team that included fire fighters as well as the police,” said KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services’ spokesman Robert McKenzie.

KUWAIT

Govt sets minimum wage for domestic workers

Kuwait has become the first Gulf Arab country to set a minimum wage for its hundreds of thousands of domestic servants.

A notice published on the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry’s website on Thursday listed the minimum salary as 60 Kuwaiti dinars ($198) a month.

Kuwait is the first country in the Gulf to regulate the work conditions of domestic staff through legislation and rights groups have urged others to follow suit to tackle widespread abuses.

The decree, which sets out measures to implement a landmark law adopted by parliament last year, also requires employers to pay overtime for any extra hours worked.

It grants maids the right to a weekly day off, 30 days of annual paid leave, a 12-hour working day with rest, and an end-of-service benefit of one month a year at the end of contract.