UN chief deeply concerned about clashes in West Darfur; attacked on UN mission in Mali

MINUSMA peacekeepers on patrol in northern Mali UNITED NATIONS, Jan 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern over the clashes in West Darfur of Sudan over the weekend, which resulted in scores of deaths and injuries. He said that “escalating inter-communal violence has resulted in…

Record number of Portuguese takes part in early voting for presidential election: official

People wearing face masks queue to cast early votes for the Portuguese presidential elections outside the University in Lisbon LISBON, Jan 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Almost 250,000 voters Sunday took part in the early vote for Portugal’s presidential election scheduled to be held next weekend, according to the Ministry of Internal…

Algeria’s crude output tumbled in 2020: ministry

ALGIERS, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Algeria’s oil revenues collapsed in 2020, according to energy ministry figures released Sunday, exacerbating an economic crisis in the North African country which is heavily dependent on crude income. “The overall volume of hydrocarbon exports reached 82.2 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2020, for…

Guatemalan forces clash with migrant caravan, Biden team seeks to halt exodus

US-bound Honduran migrants clash with Guatemalan soldiers in Vado Hondo, Guatemala VADO HONDO (Guatemala), Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Guatemalan security forces used sticks and tear gas to beat back a large migrant caravan bound for the United States, just days before the advent of a new US administration, which urged travelers…

Update: Four die as dry cargo ship sinks in Black Sea off Turkey

ANKARA, Jan 18 (NNN-TASS) — At least four crewmembers of the bulk carrier that sank on Sunday in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast have died, the local authorities reported. “The vessel sank because of the bad weather conditions. Four people died. Six crewmembers have been saved. The search…

Covid-19: Global vaccine campaign gains pace as Brazil starts jabs

Brazilian nurse Monica Calazans receives the vaccine against COVID-19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil PARIS, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The global Covid-19 vaccination drive gained pace as Brazil gave its first injections and India pushed on with its massive campaign, while European authorities sought to allay concerns about delays in supplies.…

Covid-19: Number of cases across globe up by over 683,000 in 24-hour – WHO

GENEVA, Jan 18 (NNN-TASS) — More than 683,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection were registered worldwide in the past 24 hours, with the overall number of such cases exceeding 93.19 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin. As of Jan 17, as many as…

Covid-19: UK records another 38,598 cases

LONDON, Jan 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — Another 38,598 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, the lowest daily increase since the start of the year, according to official figures. The daily figure, down from 41,346 reported on Saturday, brought the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,395,959,…

Death toll from Indonesia earthquake rises to 73

At least 743 people were injured by Friday’s quake JAKARTA, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll from a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Indonesia’s West Sulawesi province on Friday rose to 73 as more bodies were retrieved from the rubble of toppled houses, the national disaster mitigation agency said.Spokesman Raditya…

At least two dead after Russian freighter sinks in the Black Sea

Five survivors have also been rescued ANKARA, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two bodies have been found after a Russian freighter sunk in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast early on Sunday, reported the Turkish news agency Anadolu, citing regional Governor Sinan Guner.Five survivors have also been rescued. The ship…