Covid-19: Portugal reports no deaths in past day, first time since August 2020

Portugal began easing its lockdown in March LISBON, April 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Portugal reported no coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours for the first time in nearly nine months as the country emerges from a two-month lockdown, the health authority said. The country has reported a total of 16,965…

More than 27,000 displaced in Colombia violence in 2021

People take part in a rally against violence BOGOTA, April 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 27,000 people were displaced during the first quarter of 2021 due to a surge of violence in lawless areas of Colombia, the human rights ombudsman said. People have either fled or been chased from their land…

Somali opposition fighters cordon off parts of tense capital

MOGADISHU, April 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Heavily-armed Somali opposition fighters held positions in parts of Mogadishu, a day after clashes with government troops erupted over the president’s bid to extend his mandate, in the country’s worst political violence in years. Fighters used mounds of earth to barricade roads, while armed men…

Scores of Boko Haram militants killed by Nigerian troops: army spokesman

LAGOS, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — Scores of Boko Haram militants were killed as Nigerian troops repelled multi-directional attacks targeted at them in the country’s northeastern state of Borno, said a spokesman for the army. The army spokesperson Mohammed Yerima said in a statement posted on social media platform that troops…

Fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara region displaces at least 330,000: UN

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — Intercommunal fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara region — adjacent to restive Tigray — has displaced at least 330,000 people, UN humanitarians said. “The security situation in the Amhara region remains tense and volatile due to intercommunal clashes that have resulted in massive population displacement,” the…

US population tops 331 million, slowest growth since 1930s

WASHINGTON, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United States has a population topping 331 million, marking the country’s slowest growth rate since the 1930s and the second slowest ever, the US Census Bureau announced on Monday. In total, the US population rose to 331,449,281 in 2020, up by 7.4 percent compared…

Covid-19: EU brings AstraZeneca to court over vaccine supply shortfall

President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen| BRUSSELS, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — The European Union (EU) has brought pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to court over its failure to respect the commitment to deliver COVID-19 vaccine doses to its member states, said a European Commission spokesperson. The EU’s executive arm…

Spanish minister receives red-stained-knife death threat

Spain’s Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto MADRID, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — Spanish Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Reyes Maroto said that she had been sent a letter containing a knife covered in red stains. Maroto received the knife just days after Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, former Deputy Prime Minister Pablo…

Covid-19: US Pres Biden, Indian PM Modi have phone conversation on tackling pandemic

US President Joe Biden (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi WASHINGTON, April 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — US President Joe Biden promised to support India hit hard by COVID-19 in a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House said. Biden pledged “America’s steadfast support for the people…

Chad army appoints presidential election runner-up as prime minister

Pahimi Padacke N’DJAMENA, April 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chad’s military junta named former prime minister Albert Pahimi Padacke, who was runner-up in the Sahel country’s April 11 presidential election, as interim premier.Pahimi Padacke was the last prime minister under president Idriss Deby Itno, whose shock death in battle against northern rebels…