US freezes giant UAE jet package, Saudi arms for review

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) – US President Joe Biden’s administration has temporarily frozen for review a massive package of F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates and arms to Saudi Arabia, officials said. The nearly week-old administration has already signaled it plans to end support for the Saudi-led, UAE-backed offensive…

Covid-19: Too early to ease curbs in Europe, says WHO

COPENHAGEN, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization’sEuropean branch said it is too early to ease virus restrictionsin Europe despite a drop in new cases in most countries. Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said 30 of the WHOEuropean region’s 53 countries had “seen a significant decrease…

Covid-19: Botswana to vaccinate all citizens, says president

GABORONE, Jan 29 (NNN-Xinhua) – Botswana plans to vaccinate every citizen in the nation against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic once available, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said. “The country’s real and long term solution in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is to vaccinate the whole population (of Botswana) against the deadly disease,”…

Covid-19: WHO team ends quarantine, starts Wuhan probe under global glare

WUHAN (China), Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) left quarantine in Wuhan on Thursday (Jan 28) to begin a heavily scrutinised probe into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group started a two-week quarantine on arrival on Jan 14 in the central…

Covid-19: Record 18,000 daily toll worldwide

Relatives of a Covid-19 victim pray over a coffin at the General Cemetery in the central city of Huanuco, 370 kilometers northeast of Lima PARIS, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 18,000 people worldwide died of coronavirus over the past 24 hours, a new grim record amid the battle to…

UN calls for unification of Libyan electoral authorities

Stephanie Turco Williams, Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya TRIPOLI, Jan 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called for the unification of the country’s electoral authorities for the municipal council elections. UNSMIL in a statement…

US racism: San Francisco to remove Lincoln, Washington and other slave-tainted names from 44 schools

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are no longer in favor in San Francisco, where the school board has voted to change the name of 44 schools it says bear the monikers of people associated with racism, slavery or colonization. The move, which has…

Covid-19: Brazil’s response worst, New Zealand’s best – study

SYDNEY, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s handling of the coronaviruspandemic has been ranked the world’s worst, while New Zealand topped the class, according to research published by a leading Australian think tank on Thursday. Sydney’s Lowy Institute assessed almost 100 countries on six criteria,including confirmed cases, deaths and testing metrics.…

US Pres Biden polls higher in first week than Trump at any time

WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden has a higher approval rating after one week in office than Donald Trump did in his entire presidency, a new poll found Wednesday. A Monmouth University poll showed 54 percent of Americans approving ofBiden’s performance and 30 percent disapproving. Trump spent…

Covid-19: Barbados to impose a two-week lockdown starting Feb 3

BRIDGETOWN, Jan 28 (NNN-TELESUR) — Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that the country will enter “a period of national pause” as part of new restrictions to curb the spread of the Nobel coronavirus.  The lockdown will begin on Feb3 until Feb 17 to allow health personnel to conduct COVID-19…