Uganda declares end of Ebola outbreak

Ugandan Red Cross workers in Mubende, the epicentre of the outbreak KAMPALA, Jan 12 (NNN-GNA) — Ugandan authorities have officially declared the end of a recent Ebola outbreak after 42 consecutive days with no new cases.A formal declaration was made during a televised ceremony held in the central Mubende district,…

South Africa: Additional Covid-19 booster doses to be open for all adults

PRETORIA, Jan 12 (NNN-SANEWS) — South Africa’s Department of Health will begin to make additional COVID-19 vaccination booster doses available to all adults, following the detection of the more transmissible XBB.1.5 sub-variant of the Omicron variant in the country. The department’s Dr Lesley Bamford explained that currently, adults over the…

Brazil: Brasilia ups security over new protest threat

BRASILIA, Jan 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Security was boosted in Brasilia as backers of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro vowed fresh protests just days after riots that shocked the Brazilian capital. Demonstrations called for several cities on Wednesday evening were slow to get started, however, with officers in anti-riot gear and helicopter backup left…

UK, Japan sign major defence deal allowing troop deployments

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak  LONDON, Jan 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The British and Japanese prime ministers signed what Downing Street called a “hugely significant” new defence deal allowing UK troops to deploy in Japan as the pair met in London on Wednesday. Rishi Sunak and Fumio Kishida signed the…

‘No evidence’ of cyberattack ‘at this point’ in US air travel stoppage: White House

WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — There is no sign of a cyberattack “at this point” in the computer problem that triggered US authorities to pause all domestic air travel departures Wednesday, the White House said, adding that President Joe Biden has been briefed. “The president has been briefed by the…

Fresh cyclone hits California after historic storms kill at least 17

LOS ANGELES, Jan 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A major cyclone hit the US state of California Wednesday with up to seven inches (18 centimetres) of rain, the National Weather Service said, after tens of thousands of people were placed under evacuation orders due to a barrage of storms that killed at…

Russia to send spacecraft to ISS to bring home crew of damaged capsule

    MOSCOW, Jan  12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia said that it will send an empty spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) next month to bring home three astronauts whose planned return vehicle was damaged by a strike from a tiny meteorite.       The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, made the announcement after examining the flight…

US border plan risks undermining basic human rights: UN

GENEVA, Jan 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN rights chief warned that a new US border enforcement plan risks undermining the basic foundations of international human rights and refugee law. “The right to seek asylum is a human right, no matter a person’s origin, immigration status, nor how they arrived at an international border,”…

UN chief welcomes Sudan’s launch of final phase of political transition

Antonio Guterres UN Secretary General UNITED NATIONS, Jan 11 (NNN-NEWVISION) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the launch of the final phase in the political process toward restoring a civilian-led transition in Sudan, said his spokesman. This step builds on the progress achieved on the signing of the Political Framework…

Over a thousand immigrants are intercepted off the Libyan coast

TRIPOLI, Jan 11 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Over a thousand undocumented migrants were returned to Libya in the first seven days of this year after being intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe, a UN agency reported.     The International Organization for Migration (IOM) specified in a statement that…