Second wave of locust invasion to hit East Africa in two months: Kenya’s Agri Ministry

NAIROBI, Feb 17 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — East African countries should brace themselves for a second round of invasion by the desert locusts in the next one to two months, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture has warned. The swarms of locusts, which have spread to seven East African countries, have been laying eggs…

Somalia dismisses Amnesty report, denies gagging media

MOGADISHU, Feb 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Federal Government of Somalia has dismissed an Amnesty International report highlighting increased cases of journalists getting harassed and killed while on duty in the country. The report, “We live in perpetual fear: Violations and abuses of freedom of expression in Somalia”, was released in…

Burundi: Over 6,000 bodies found in mass graves

A Burundian worker extracts the skull of an unidentified person from a mass grave in the Bukirasazi hill in Karusi Province BUJUMBURA, Feb 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Burundi’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has found more than 6,000 bodies in six mass graves in Karusi Province, the largest finding since the government…

Nigerian immigrants to Canada tripled since 2015

OTTAWA, Feb 17 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — For the fifth year in a row, more Nigerians emigrated to Canada than the year before as data published by the Canadian government shows the number of Nigerians issued permanent resident permits has tripled since 2015. It is a growth rate that outstrips some of…

Deaths from dengue fever in Paraguay spike to 16 under strained health system

ASUNCION, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Paraguay health officials said that deaths from dengue fever increased to 16 in the South American country’s worst outbreak of the disease in the last decade, severely straining its health system. There are also 89 deaths under review to determine if they were caused by…

Mexico women protest after gruesome killing of Ingrid Escamilla

Demonstrators throwing paint at the door of the National Palace during the protest. MEXICO CITY, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dozens of activists flocked to Mexico’s presidential palace on Friday to protest against violence against women, chanting “not one murder more” and splashing one of its large, ornate doors with blood-red…

Libyans fatigued by worsening crisis – Red Cross chief

GENEVA/TRIPOLI, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Paul Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), warns that the situation in Libya could lead to many civilians fleeing their country, if things continue to escalate. On Thursday, fighting continued in Libya’s capital Tripoli, a day after the UN Security…

Venezuela’s PDVSA steps up fuel shipments to Cuba as shortages bite

MEXICO CITY/HAVANA, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela’s state energy firm PDVSA has been shipping more oil this month to close ally Cuba, as tighter U.S. sanctions have worsened fuel shortages on the Caribbean island. Six vessels, most of them owned by PDVSA’s maritime arm, have exported an average of 173,000…

US renews pressure on China to join nuclear talks

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States renewed pressure on China to join nuclear arms control talks with Washington and Moscow, seeking to overcome Beijing’s long-standing opposition to entering such a dialogue. “China has long said it will never enter into an arms race and does not seek numeric…

US bans Sri Lanka army chief over war crimes

A UN report says General Shavendra Silva played a major role in orchestrating atrocities against Tamil Tiger rebels WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States said it would refuse entry to Sri Lanka’s army chief over what it called credible evidence of human rights violations in the 2009 finale to…