Algeria, Sierra Leone committed to strengthening int’l peace initiatives

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune welcomes Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio in Algiers ALGIERS, Jan 4 (NNN-XINHUA) — Algeria and Sierra Leone affirmed on Wednesday their commitment to closely collaborate in upholding international peace and security in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. In a joint press conference…

Sweden sees coldest weather in 25 years

STOCKHOLM, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sweden on Wednesday recorded its coldest January night in 25 years, with a reading of minus 43.6 degrees Celsius in the far north as a cold snap hit the Nordics. “To put that into perspective, that is the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999,” Mattias Lind, meteorologist…

Cuba lowers infant mortality rate to 7.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023

HAVANA, Jan 4 (NNN-ACN) — Cuba’s infant mortality rate will drop to 7.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023, with the westernmost province, Pinar del Rio, having the lowest rate of 3.1 per 1,000 live births. This result favors the multisectoral work in function of the mother-child binomial, from primary…

Morocco seizes 1.4 tonnes of cocaine concealed as bananas

The bust comes just a day after another seizure of drugs in the country RABAT, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in Morocco have seized 1.488 tonnes (3,280lb) of cocaine in a joint operation with Spanish security forces.The cocaine was found concealed in banana boxes inside a shipping container that was…

Egypt ‘stands by Somalia’ amid row with Ethiopia

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reaches out to Egyptian and Qatar leaders CAIRO, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has pledged support for Somalia amid a row with Ethiopia over a sea access deal with Somaliland.Ethiopia on Monday signed a deal to utilise one of the seaports…

US gun violence: New Jersey imam fatally shot outside mosque as shooter remains at large

Police respond to a shooting outside Masjid Muhammad Mosque in Newark, New Jersey NEWARK (New Jersey, US), Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A New Jersey imam was shot and killed on Wednesday outside a mosque in the state’s largest city, authorities said as officers worked to identify and arrest the shooter. The cleric,…

Sierra Leone ex-president charged with treason over attempted coup

Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma  FREETOWN, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma has been charged with four counts of treason in connection with an attempted coup. He was in court in the capital as the charges were read to him. He has previously…

Militants kill 15 in Nigeria New Year attacks: residents

KANO (Nigeria), Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Militants have killed at least 15 people in New Year’s Day attacks on two villages near the town of Chibok in northeast Nigeria’s Borno State, residents said on Wednesday. The fighters in trucks fitted with machine guns and on motorcycles stormed into Gatamarwa and Tsiha villages…

Ukraine, Russia swap POWs in first deal in months

KYIV, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia and Ukraine said that they had exchanged hundreds of captive soldiers, the first such prisoner of war exchange in months. The two warring sides had carried out several rounds of exchanges during Moscow’s 22-month long invasion, but the process had stalled in the latter…

Doctors in England start longest strike in NHS history

Junior doctors started a six-day walkout, in a major escalation of their long-running pay dispute with the British government LONDON, Jan 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday began their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). Junior doctors — those below…