Tunisian journalists protest appointment of state news agency boss

Dozens of the journalists gathered infront of the news agency TUNIS, April 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Journalists at Tunisia’s state news agency protest the appointment of a new chief executive.The protesting media professionals say the appointment of Kamel Ben Younes is an attempt at undermining editorial independence.Dozens of the journalists gathered…

‘Total mourning’ in Niger as 20 pre-school children perish in fire

Burned chairs, tables and other objects in the school NIAMEY, April 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Citizens in Niger are mourning 20 pre-school children aged between three and five – trapped in the flames of a horrific fire at a school on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Niamey.The young victims perished…

Covid-19: Vaccination delays top risk for global economy – IMF official

WASHINGTON, April 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Delays in Covid-19 vaccinations are the top risk facing the global economy, and getting people in poor countries inoculated should be a top priority, the IMF’s chief economist said. “The fact that there is this big gap in access to vaccinations is a big problem,”…

Peru’s presidential elections: Pedro Castillo and Keiko Fujimori likely candidates for runoff

LIMA, April 14 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Ultra-leftist candidate Pedro Castillo of the Peru Libre party and perennial conservative contender Keiko Fujimori looked poised to advance to the runoff after Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) had counted 93.479% of the votes. Although these results are still preliminary, Castillo was visibly…

Full lockdown in four Colombian cities going through third wave of covid-19

BOGOTA, April 14 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The Colombian government imposed a full-scale lockdown on the cities of Bogota, Medellin, Barranquilla and Santa Marta as new covid-19 infections push Intensive Care Units to their limit, it was reported. President Iván Duque announced on his daily TV show that the new restrictions are…

UN Sec-Gen Guterres endorses millionaire’s tax to help fight covid-19

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres agreed with several world leaders on the convenience to tax the wealthiest, so that States have more resources to support the vulnerable population which has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. “A paradigm shift is needed to align the…

20 children killed in Niger school fire

NIAMEY, April 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some 20 children died Tuesday after several classrooms caught fire at a school in Niger’s capital Niamey, the fire service said. “Twenty-one classrooms in straw huts caught fire. Around 20 children were trapped in the blaze,” fire service commander Sidi Mohamed said on public television.…

Covid-19: Number of cases across globe up by over 567,000 in past day – WHO

GENEVA, April 14 (NNN-TASS) — More than 567,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection were registered worldwide in the past day, with the overall number of such cases exceeding 136.29 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin. As of April 13, as many as 136,291,128…

Austrian health minister quits over COVID-19 crisis ‘overwork’

Rudolf Anschober became health minister early last year VIENNA, April 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Austria’s health minister announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he was overworked and exhausted managing the coronavirus crisis. “I’ve decided to resign from my job,” Rudolf Anschober, who has faced death threats over the government’s anti-virus measures,…

Covid-19: South Africa suspends Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout after US pause

PRETORIA, April 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa has suspended the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, its health minister said, after US federal health agencies recommended pausing its use because of rare cases of blood clots. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the pause there was expected to be a matter…