Africa 54 - July 5, 2 Top Stories: The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has authorized the use of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. This latest vaccine approval is based on the "safety, quality and efficacy data" submitted to the regulator between March 22nd and June 22nd, according to the regulatory authority. It will be used for people between the ages of 18 and 59. Each person should wait for 14 to 28 days between the two doses. A proposed law is aiming to prevent South Africans from obtaining firearm licenses for self-defense. While gun critics say limiting access to guns is proving successful in reducing the death toll, some gun proponents argue that taking firearms out of some hands -- specifically, women’s hands -- will deepen what South Africa’s president is calling a “second pandemic,” of gender-based violence. Former South African President Jacob Zuma lashed out on Sunday at the judges who this week gave him a 15-month jail term for running from a corruption inquiry -- comparing them to the white minority apartheid rulers he once fought. Zuma spoke at his home in Nklandla, in a rural part of Kwazulu Natal province, where hundreds of his supporters, some of them armed, gathered to prevent his arrest. Thousands demonstrators flooded the streets of Burkina Faso's capital on Saturday to call for a tougher government response to a wave of jihadist attacks that has destabilized the West African country in recent years. The Suez Canal Authority says it has reached an agreement to settle a financial dispute with the owners of a hulking container ship that blocked the crucial waterway for nearly a week earlier this year. Fourteen bases that had been run jointly by the United Nations and the African Union in Sudan’s Darfur region for 13 years are now under Sudan’s control and to be used by local populations. Pope Francis is recovering nicely from Sunday's planned intestinal surgery. The Vatican says he his alert and breathing without assistance and he is expected to stay in the hospital for seven days. The 84-year-old pontiff was hospitalized for the first time since his election in 2013. As U.S. President Joe Biden continues to pursue the withdrawal of nearly all U.S. forces from Afghanistan after almost 20 years, the U.S. commander in the country and others say they are worried about Taliban advances. Hackers suspected of being behind a massive ransomware attack are making a demand of $70 million in crypto currency in exchange for unlocking all the affected systems. The demand appeared Sunday on a dark web site used by the Russia-linked REvil gang. In California, Los Angeles County public health officials have advised mask wearing in indoor public spaces to deal with rising COVID-19 cases involving the delta variant. Several countries have imposed travel restrictions on travelers from Britain amid rising cases of the delta variant of the coronavirus. Scientists say the delta mutation is more infectious and now makes up around 95 percent of new cases in Britain. Life in New York City is slowly returning to normal after the coronavirus pandemic hit the city hard more than 15 months ago. But certain changes caused by the pandemic are here to stay — at least for a while. Flags of Valor is a company that makes wooden American flags and provides employment for U.S. combat veterans. The company also raises money to support veteran assistance organizations