Covid-19: Portugal identifies first case of South African variant

A healthcare worker provides oxygen to a patient at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in South Africa LISBON, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first case of the South African coronavirus variant was identified in Portugal on Friday as the country struggles to contain a crippling surge in cases partially blamed…

Covid-19: Pres Biden warns of ‘600,000 dead’ in the US as Britain says its new strain could be more ‘deadly’

WASHINGTON/LONDON, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden said “well over 600,000” Americans could die of the coronavirus as he stepped up federal aid in the world’s worst-hit country. “The virus is surging. We’re at 400,000 dead, expected to reach well over600,000,” Biden told a news conference, giving his…

Covid-19: Mexicans queue for hours for oxygen for sick relatives

MEXICO CITY, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With hospitals in the Mexicancapital overwhelmed by soaring coronavirus infections, relatives are queuing for hours to buy oxygen for the growing number of people fighting the virus at home. Eduardo Martinez was waiting in line in a street in Mexico City on Fridayto fill…

Covid-19: Hungary first in EU to approve Russian vaccine

Hungarian soldiers have been helping deliver the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine  BUDAPEST, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hungary has become the first country in the European Union to give preliminary approval to the Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff confirmed both the Russian jab and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been…

Africa conflicts: Sahel violence displaces two million internally – UN says

Violence in Niger and Burkina Faso has forced more than 21,000 people to flee their homes BAMAKO, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — For the first time, more than two million people have been displaced in the Sahel within the borders of their countries, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported.The Sahel,…

Covid-19: Africa records higher deaths in second wave of coronavirus – WHO

A total of 21 African nations have so far recorded death rate at 2.5 percent ADDIS ABABA, Jan 23 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Africa has recorded nearly 82,000 deaths due to the coronavirus in its second wave, the World Health Organization said, higher than when the first wave of the virus hit…

Libya welcomes Biden’s lifting of Muslim travel ban

President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to overturn the so-called Muslim ban on ‘day one’ of his administration TRIPOLI, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Libyan House of Representatives welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to lift the travel ban on Libyan citizens and allowing them to enter the United States, a…

Africa cheers as US returns to the World Health Organization

US President Joe Biden ADDIS ABABA, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — African countries say the US return to the World Health Organization is crucial for the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and other future infections.On Wednesday, newly inaugurated President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders among them halting…

Tunisia protest: President Kais Saied denies accusing Jews of provocating unrest

Tunisian President Kais Saied TUNIS, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisian president Kais Saied has denied claims that he made anti-Semitic remarks this week while trying to calm a group of young protesters after days of unrest — denouncing the “propagation of false information,” and saying it amounted to “calumny.”The public…

Covid-19: Vaccinations halted for 24 hours in Brazilian city of Manaus

BRASILIA, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Brazilian city of Manaus has halted its vaccination drive against the novel Coronavirus for at least 24 hours due to a shortfall in doses given to the local authorities.“Due to the small number of vaccine doses that the government of Amazonas state has passed on 40,072…