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Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo returns to the country after 10 years in exile, following an acquittal from the International Criminal Court. He had been on trial for violence in the country following his refusal to concede in the 2010 elections.

President Joe Biden spoke about voting rights, vaccines and gun violence before signing a bill into law making Juneteenth a national holiday.

DNA will be used to slow the decline of species from bacteria to blue whales as part of a new project launched on June 17. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and NatureMetrics is sending sample kits to parts of the world most threatened by climate change and overdevelopment, including the Amazon, the Niger Delta, and the Ganges rivers.

The man known as Zambia's founding father has died at the age of 97. Kenneth Kaunda was one of the last of a dying generation of liberation leaders who saw their countries through a triumphant and turbulent period in African history. Kaunda rose to power during Africa's heady post-independence period, when dozens of former European colonies gained their freedom.

As the United States and NATO pull their troops out of Afghanistan, civilian casualties have increased, especially among women and children. With the outlook bleak, experts are considering options to try to prevent catastrophe in the war-stricken country.

As Africa finds itself in the midst of a third wave, the vaccine roll-out is picking-up speed.

Belgium and Luxembourg have begun sharing aircraft in response to NATO's long drive towards better interoperability. The two countries are jointly responsible for the acquisition, management, operation and support of the fleet, which for now, stands at just one plane – an Airbus A400M – but the aim is for this model to replace all of the old fleets.

The man known as Zambia's founding father has died at the age of 97. Kenneth Kaunda rose to power during Africa's heady post-independence period, when dozens of former European colonies gained their freedom. VOA's Anita Powell reports from Johannesburg on the death of this African giant.

One of the world's largest diamonds has been unearthed in Botswana, the country's government has announced. The 1,098-carat stone, believed to be the third largest "gem-quality" diamond ever found, was discovered earlier this month at the Jwaneng mine, around 75 miles from the country's capital, Gaborone.

The U.S. is devoting $3.2 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, announced the investment as part of a new “antiviral program for pandemics.” (June 17)

Zolani Matebese, CEO at Sendoff. joins CNBC Africa for more.