Briefly

CUBA

New sanctions by Washington decried

Cuba denounced on Tuesday the latest United States sanctions on five state-owned entities and a member of the extended family of former president Raul Castro, saying the measures aim to further harm the economy. "The US government, led by its dishonest and mendacious Secretary of State (Marco Rubio), continues to take steps to tighten the noose around Cuba's economy," Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said, referring to the sanctions Washington announced earlier in the day. These sanctions came as Cuba "has proven to be stronger, more capable, and more effective than he expected in the face of the ruthless aggression and collective punishment against the people and their living conditions", he said.

PERU

Keiko Fujimori edges closer to presidency

Right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori moved closer to Peru's presidency on Tuesday as she gained an insurmountable lead in the vote count by the National Office of Electoral Processes. Fujimori, a four-time presidential hopeful and the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, now has 50.11 percent of the votes, putting her ahead of leftist rival Roberto Sanchez by 43,386 votes. There remain only 40,213 potential votes to be counted, according to the electoral office. The electoral authority has yet to officially declare a winner and plans to do so in mid-July.

FRANCE

Health officials confirm nation's 1st Ebola case

France announced on Wednesday its first confirmed case of Ebola identified in its territory, a doctor back from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is at the center of a major outbreak. The Health Ministry "confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory", it said. The doctor was isolated on arrival in France, even before the disease was identified, it added.

GERMANY

Trains running after communication outage

Germany's railway was running largely as normal on Wednesday after a late-night communication system outage left trains and travelers stranded around the country. Trains were halted abruptly across Germany late on Tuesday and service resumed gradually about two hours later, after midnight. Long lines formed at information desks as travelers tried to figure out how to reach their destination and where to spend the night. The main railway operator said it was offering taxi and hotel vouchers and, where possible, putting trains in place for would-be travelers to sit in while they waited. But passengers complained of a lack of information.

XINHUA-AGENCIES