Republic of the Congo
FILE - In this Friday March 19, 2021 file photo, a supporter of President Denis Sassou N'Guesso holds his photo during the last rally of the presidential campaign in Brazzaville, Congo. Republic of Congo pressed ahead Sunday March 21, 2021 with an election in which President Denis Sassou N'Guesso is widely expected to extend his 36 years in power, while the leading opposition candidate was flown to France after suffering COVID-19 complications. (AP Photo/Zed Lebon, File)
Republic of Congo President Sassou N'Guesso declared winner

By Louis Okamba Mar. 23, 2021 01:09 PM EDT

A man votes in the presidential elections at a polling stating in Brazzaville, Congo, Sunday March 21, 2021. Opposition candidate Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, running against President Denis Sassou N'Guesso, died shortly after landing in Paris where he was flown to get treatment for Covid-19. (AP Photo/Zed Lebon)
Republic of Congo candidate Kolelas dies of COVID-19

By Louis Okamba Mar. 22, 2021 05:21 AM EDT

A spokesman confirms Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, Republic of Congo opposition candidate with COVID-19, has died.

Mar. 22, 2021 05:16 AM EDT
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — A spokesman confirms Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, Republic of Congo opposition candidate with COVID-19, has died. ...

Supporters of President Denis Sassou N'Guesso cheer during the last rally of the presidential campaign in Brazzaville, Congo, Friday March 19, 2021. After 36 years in power, Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou N’Guesso appears poised to extend his tenure as one of Africa's longest-serving leaders in the elections to be held Sunday amid opposition complaints of interference with their campaigns. (AP Photo/Zed Lebon)
Republic of Congo polls open; candidate sick with COVID-19

By Louis Okamba Mar. 21, 2021 04:25 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2021, file photo, Clarendon Alternative Elementary School second grader Haruki Ishiyama works on his computer as students and parents attend distance learning Zoom classes at Midtown Terrace Playground in San Francisco. San Francisco Unified School District officials said in a statement that they reached the arrangement with the teachers union to "return as many students as possible in focal groups to nearly a full school day, 5 days a week," the Chronicle reported, Friday, March 5. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
The Latest: Arkansas Gov: end of mask mandate at month's end

By The Associated Press Mar. 21, 2021 03:03 AM EDT

FILE - In this Friday March 19, 2021 file photo, supporters of opposition presidential candidate Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas cheer during their party's last rally of the presidential campaign in Brazzaville, Congo. Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, the leading opposition presidential candidate in Republic of Congo, was receiving oxygen at a private hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, a family member said. The announcement late Saturday March 20, 2021 comes on the eve of the presidential election. (AP Photo/Christ Kimvidi, File)
Republic of Congo candidate hospitalized with COVID-19

By Louis Okamba Mar. 20, 2021 04:36 PM EDT

Relative: Republic of Congo opposition candidate Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas hospitalized with COVID-19 on eve of election

Mar. 20, 2021 04:26 PM EDT
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — Relative: Republic of Congo opposition candidate Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas hospitalized with COVID-19 on eve of election....

Accountant Tercio Galdino and wife Alicea, dressed in their astronaut costumes, pose for a photo backdropped by Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, March 20, 2021. The Galdinos have come up with a unique way for protecting themselves and drawing awareness around COVID-19 protective measures – by dressing as astronauts. The pair first began to traverse the iconic beaches fully suited in mid 2020 at the height of the first wave of the pandemic in Brazil, now as cases surge once again they are taking their ‘astronaut walks’ back to the promenades. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
The Latest: UNLV now plans in-person spring graduation

By The Associated Press Mar. 20, 2021 06:52 AM EDT

WHO warns new Ebola outbreak in Congo faces funding gap

By Louis Okamba Jul. 21, 2020 11:02 AM EDT
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo (AP) — The World Health Organization said Tuesday it is facing a “serious funding gap” to battle the new outbreak of Ebola in...

In this photo taken Friday, April 10, 2020, Martine Milonde, a Congolese community mobilizer who works with the aid group World Vision in Beni, eastern Congo, which became the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, engages the public about coronavirus prevention. Congo has been battling an Ebola outbreak that has killed thousands of people for more than 18 months, and now it must also face a new scourge: the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Al-hadji Kudra Maliro)
Congo, weary from Ebola, must also battle the coronavirus

By Carley Petesch And Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro Apr. 11, 2020 03:09 AM EDT