Half of Peru’s Andes glacier ice has melted: government

LIMA, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Peruvian Andes’ mountaintop ice, which represents most of the world’s tropical glaciers, has lost more than half of its area due to climate change, the Ministry of Environment said Thursday. To wit, the glaciers have receded by 1,348 square kilometers since 1962, according to…

China reports no unusual pathogens in respiratory illness surge: WHO

GENEVA, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China says no unusual or new pathogens have been detected in the upsurge in child respiratory illnesses in the north, the WHO said after pressing Beijing for detailed information. Since mid-October 2023, the World Health Organization has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems showing…

Poland extends border controls with Slovakia to curb migrants influx

Polish soldiers guard along a temporary checkpoint at the Slovakia-Poland border WARSAW, Nov 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — Poland has announced an 11-day extension of temporary border controls with Slovakia, as outlined in a new regulation by the Polish Interior Ministry that took effect on Thursday. The controls include checks of “mini-vans,…

Senegal opens UN Regional Headquarters near Dakar

DAKAR, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Senegalese President Macky Sall on Thursday inaugurated a United Nations regional headquarters near the capital Dakar to house all UN operations in the country. The United Nations House sits on a 13-hectare site in the new town of Diamniadio, some 30 kilometres from Dakar, and…

Moroccan navy rescues 76 illegal immigrants

RABAT, Nov 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — The Moroccan navy on Thursday intercepted and rescued 76 illegal immigrants on board an inflatable boat off the Atlantic coast, the official news agency MAP reported. A Moroccan navy unit on Thursday intercepted the boat near the Laayoune port while heading toward Spain’s Canary Islands,…

Daniel Noboa sworn in as president of Ecuador

Newly sworn-in President Daniel Noboa waves from a balcony of the Carondelet presidential palace in Quito QUITO, Nov 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — Daniel Noboa was sworn in as president of Ecuador Thursday, pledging to move the country forward, reduce poverty and tackle crime during his brief 18-month term in office. “I…

DR Congo vows to punish soldiers with links to rebel group

DRC soldiers KINSHASA, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it will punish any soldiers in contact with a largely Hutu rebel group linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.The army said anyone – regardless of rank – who broke the ban on dealing with…

Hunger kills 50 people in Ethiopia amid drought – Officials

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 50 people have died in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray and Amhara regions due to drought-induced hunger, officials said.According to Tigray’s Disaster Risk Management office, 46 displaced people died after having already left their homes because of drought.The deaths occurred in a town called…

Clashes kill 75 near Sudan-South Sudan border – UN

JUBA, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 75 people have died in the past two weeks due to violence between rival communities in the disputed area of Abyei on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, the UN’s representative in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom said.He called on the government to…

Mali signs Russia deal to build gold refinery

Many Malians are involved in artisanal gold mining BAMAKO, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mali’s military government has signed an agreement with Russia that includes a gold refinery project in the Malian capital Bamako.The deal involves building the refinery to process 200 tonnes of gold annually.It is valid for four years…