Brazil relaunches program to provide low-income families with housing

BRASILIA, Feb 15 (NNN-XINHUA) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva presided over the handover of 684 residences to low-income households in the northeastern city of Santo Amaro, marking the relaunch of a housing program called “My House, My Life.” First launched in 2009 during his second term as…

German union calls Friday strike at seven airports

 FRANKFURT (Germany), Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Workers at seven German airports, including the busy hubs of Frankfurt and Munich, will stage a one-day strike on Friday to push their demand for higher wages, the Verdi trade union said. The walkout is expected to cause delays and cancellations for tens of…

UK, US guilty of ‘crimes against humanity’ over Chagos Islands: HRW

LONDON, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain and the United States are guilty of crimes against humanity in the forced displacement of indigenous people from the Chagos Islands, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday. In a new 106-report, the US-based rights group added that the UK’s “racial persecution, and continued…

Chad: Mass trial of over 400 rebels opens over assassination of ex-President Idriss Déby

Idriss Deby Itno, late President of the Republic of Chad N’DJAMENA, Feb 15 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The trial of hundreds of alleged rebels accused of assassinating former Chadian president Idriss Déby Itno has got underway in a special court located at a prison outside the capital, N’Djaména. It is the latest…

Equatorial Guinea confirms first-ever Marburg virus outbreak

MALABO, Feb 15 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease after positive tests, following the deaths of at least nine people in the country’s western Kie Ntem province. Health Minister Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba said a “health alert” had been declared in the Kie-Ntem province…

Peru unrest: Authorities confident to reopen Machu Picchu this week

LIMA, Feb 15 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Peruvian authorities plan to reopen the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu on Wednesday (Feb 15) after it was closed for weeks as a precaution amid growing violence nationwide following the Dec 7 impeachment of Pedro Castillo Terrones and the ensuing demonstrations demanding the resignation of…

Major power outage hits Cuba

HAVANA, Feb 15 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed on social media that the power outage that left half the island without electricity on Monday was due to “a fire in a sugar cane plantation,” it was reported. A “failure” in high voltage lines left the center…

Canada stops funding sensitive research with hostile foreign actors

MONTREAL, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canada will stop funding research projects on sensitive topics if any of the researchers involved are connected with defense or security entities of hostile foreign states, the governmentannounced Tuesday. “Canada’s advanced research ecosystem is at the forefront of global discovery, but it can also be…

US gun violence: Pres Biden demands Congress act on gun violence after latest mass shooting

  WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden called on Congress to act against America’s epidemic of gun violence, one day after a new massacre on a Michigan university campus killed three people andinjured five. As the leader of a nation plagued by daily shootings, Biden said he…

Tanzania: No children employment in mines, PM orders

No children employment in mines, PM orders DAR ES SALAAM, Feb 15 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has directed District Commissioners (DCs) in areas with mining activities to strengthen protection of children from acts of violence. He also demanded the DCs to ensure the children are enrolled in…