Over 450 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast in a week; 12 died, 67 missing: IOM

TRIPOLI, Jan 26 (NNN-Xinhua) — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that more than 450 illegal migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast in the past week. “In the period of 19 to 25 January 2021, 452 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya,”…

Update: Cyclone Eloise kills 6, displaces 8,300 in Mozambique – UN

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 26 (NNN-Xinhua) — Tropical Cyclone Eloise has left at least six people dead, 12 injured and has affected more than 176,000 people in Central Mozambique, UN humanitarians said in its preliminary reports. Eloise made landfall on Saturday, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to the Beira City area,…

China overtakes US as largest recipient of foreign direct investment: UN

China’s gross domestic product grew 2.3 per cent in 2020 UNITED NATIONS, Jan 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China has overtaken the United States as the largest recipient of foreign direct investment, which rose by 4 per cent to reach 163 billion dollars in 2020, according to a UN report.By contrast, that…

Two Ugandan drug traffickers arrested in India with drugs worth Shs2billion

Two Ugandan drug traffickers arrested at India’s Indira Gandhi International airport NEW DELHI/KAMPALA, Jan 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two Ugandan nationals have been arrested and 9.8kg of heroin worth Shs2 billions seized at an Indian airport.The two Ugandans were arrested at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Sunday, according to www.tribuneindia.com.According…

At least nine killed near Somalia-Kenya border as tensions rise

Three Somali army soldiers were also killed MOGADISHU, Jan 26 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Heavy fighting at a Somali town near the Kenyan border has killed at least nine people, according to Somali sources, as tensions between the East African neighbours increase.The fighting started late on Sunday and continued into the early…

Covid-19: Coronavirus deaths in South Africa put coffin-makers under pressure

Coffin-makers have been working double shifts to make up for the shortfall PRETORIA, Jan 26 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — South Africa is the most affected country by the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent, with 1.3 million confirmed cases and just over 40,000 deaths, according to the latest data from the country’s Health Department.A toll…

Covid-19: Mexico’s coronavirus death toll passes 150,000

MEXICO CITY, Jan 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico’s coronavirus death toll has surpassed 150,000, the government said, days after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced he had Covid-19. The health ministry reported 659 more deaths in its daily update, taking the total to 150,273, behind only the United States, Brazil and…

Covid-19: Moderna says vaccine effective against UK, South Africa variants

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US biotechnology firm Moderna said lab studies showed its Covid-19 vaccine remains effective against variants of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa. But the positive news was tempered by the finding that there was a sixfold reduction in the level…

Estonia gets first female prime minister

TALLINN, Jan 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pro-business europhile Kaja Kallas is to be Estonia’s first female prime minister after parliament on Monday voted in her new coalition. Kallas, a 43-year-old former MEP and leader of the Reform Party, is the daughter of the Baltic state’s former prime minister Siim Kallas. She…

Covid-19: World lost equivalent of 255 mn jobs in 2020, says UN

GENEVA, Jan 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The coronavirus pandemic took a huge toll on global jobs last year, the United Nations said, with the equivalent of more than a quarter of a billion lost. In a fresh study, the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) found that a full 8.8 percent of…