Mexico welcomes Pres Biden halt to border wall construction

MEXICO CITY, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico on Wednesday hailed US President Joe Biden’s order to halt construction of Donald Trump’s wall along the US-Mexican border, as well as his other immigration-linked reforms. “Mexico welcomes the end of the construction of the wall, the immigration initiative in favor of DACA…

US Pres Biden’s first foreign leader call will be to Canada’s Trudeau: White House

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden’s first call to a foreign leader will be to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “His first foreign leader call will be on Friday with Prime Minister Trudeau,” Psaki told reporters at her first White House…

Covid-19: US deaths exceed WWII military toll – tracker

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of US Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday surpassed the country’s toll of military fatalities in World War II, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University. As of the evening, the tracker showed that 405,400 people have died from the disease caused by…

French Pres Macron rules out official apology for colonial abuses in Algeria

French President Emmanuel Macron PARIS, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out issuing an official apology for colonial abuses in Algeria, his office said. There will be “no repentance nor apologies” for the occupation of Algeria or the bloody eight-year war that ended French rule, Macron’s…

Covid-19: ‘Sustained boom’ in cases straining hospitals in Americas – WHO

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization warned that hospital resources in parts of North and South America are being severely stretched by climbing Coronavirus infection numbers.“Throughout our region, especially in North and South America, many hospitals are operating at or very close to capacity,” said Clarissa Etienne, director of…

Covid-19: African countries to start vaccine pre-orders

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) has begun its Covid-19 vaccines pre-order programme for all African Union member states.The pre-order, being done on behalf of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), will be facilitated by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) which…

Tunisia arrests 632 individuals following looting, vandalism

The arrest was made by the Tunisian security units TUNIS, Jan 21 (NNN-TAP) — Tunisian security units arrested 632 individuals, following acts of vandalism and theft that occurred in the last few nights in many provinces of the country.“The security units are doing everything they can to deal with acts…

Madagascar’s southern region threatened by food crisis: UN

Southern Madagascar is suffering from the worst drought in a decade  ANTANANARIVO, Jan 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One in three people in the southeast of Madagascar now suffer from severe food insecurity, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said.Southern Madagascar is suffering from the worst drought…

Tanzania mulls creation of wildlife sanctuaries on Lake Nyasa’s Islands

DAR ES SALAAM, Jan 21 (NNN-GNA) — Tanzania’s three state-run conservation authorities are planning to create wildlife sanctuaries on Lake Nyasa’s two major islands to make them tourist destinations, an official said.Afrikanus Challe, a wildlife official for Ruvuma region, said plans to introduce sanctuaries for wild animals on the two…

Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia’s cut-off camps face dire need: UN Refugee Agency

Children playing in a street of Adi Harush refugee camp ADDIS ABABA, Jan 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it had found Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia in desperate need of supplies and services after the Tigray conflict had forced humanitarian workers to withdraw from the region. A statement from…