Covid-19: South Africa prepares hospitals as cases surge

Scientists in South Africa and other countries are racing to establish whether Omicron is contagious PRETORIA, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said hospitals are preparing for more admissions as the country entered a fourth COVID-19 wave driven by the Omicron coronavirus strain.“As the country heads into the fourth…

French climber handed Mont Blanc gems after 2013 find; the treasure believed from a 1966 Air India aircrash

The metal box is believed to be from one of two Air India planes which crashed into Mont Blanc CHAMONIX (France), Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A climber who stumbled upon a treasure trove of emeralds, rubies and sapphires that had been buried for decades on France’s Mont Blanc has now…

Ukraine’s Zelensky visits frontline amid Russian invasion fears

KIEV, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the country’s eastern frontline on Monday, as fears in Kiev mount that Russia is preparing to invade its south-western neighbour.    Ex-Soviet Ukraine has been fighting pro-Russia separatists in its eastern Lugansk and Donetsk regions since 2014, shortly after Moscow…

President Barrow wins second term in Gambia election

  BANJUL, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Adama Barrow comfortably won a second term in The Gambia’s presidential election, with thousands of his supporters celebrating in the streets of Banjul, although his opponents disputed the results announced late Sunday.   Barrow, whose assumption of the presidency five years ago ended more…

EU condemns ‘politically motivated’ Suu Kyi detention

  BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union condemned the Myanmar ruling junta’s jailing of ousted leader Aug San Suu Kyi as “politically motivated” and a “blatant violation of human rights”.   In a statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on behalf of the 27 member states, the EU said…

Covid-19 disruptions caused surge in malaria deaths: WHO

  GENEVA, Dec 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pandemic-related disruptions caused tens of thousands more malaria deaths in 2020, the World Health Organization said, but added that urgent action had averted a far worse scenario.    In a fresh report, the UN health agency found that Covid-19 had reversed progress against the mosquito-borne disease,…

Vote count starts in The Gambia presidential election

People wait in line before the opening of a voting station at a market in the Manjai Kunda neighbourhood in Banjul BANJUL, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Polls have closed in The Gambia after citizens cast their vote for president in a tightly fought race seen as a test of democratic…

Hundreds of Ivory Coast women march against rape

Demonstrators protest against violence against women and girls, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast ABIDJAN, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of women in Ivory Coast took to the streets of Abidjan on Saturday to protest a surge of violence against women, in a country where 800 women reported rapes in 2020. The…

Total solar eclipse plunges Antarctica into darkness

Picture released by the Chilean Air Force showing a total solar eclipse from Union Glacier in Antarctica SANTIAGO, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A total solar eclipse plunged Antarctica from summer into darkness early Saturday in a rare astronomical spectacle witnessed by a handful of scientists and thrill-seekers — and countless…

Ethiopia closes schools to boost civil war effort

The fighting has destroyed many schools, the government says  ADDIS ABABA, Dec 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopian authorities have closed all secondary schools so pupils can harvest crops for those on the frontline of the civil war, state-affiliated media says. The closure will last for one week, according to the education…