United States wants withdrawal of all foreign troops from Libya

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States, which is scheduled to participate in this weekend’s Libya peace conference in Germany is expected to call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the war-ravaged nation and a resumption of the UN-backed peace process.The US State Department said Secretary of…

Cheetah smuggling out of Ethiopia ‘fuelled by exotic pets demand’ by Arabs

Cheetahs are trafficked from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf states ADDIS ABABA, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A growing demand for exotic pets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is fuelling the smuggling of cheetahs in Ethiopia, a top Ethiopian wildlife official said.Every month, at least four cheetahs were…

Five die in Burkina Faso explosion

At least two others were wounded in the attack in Soum province OUAGADOUGOU, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Security officials in Burkina Faso say five soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device in the north of the country.At least two others were wounded in the attack in Soum…

Kenya looks to secure border as Al-Shabaab launches deadly attacks

NAIROBI, Jan 18 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — Kenya has endured a grim start to the new year as extremist group al-Shabaab launched attacks against a school, a police post and a military base shared by US forces.Observers are debating whether the surge of violence signals renewed strength by the terror group or…

Internet outage hits West, Central, southern Africa as major cable falters

ACCRA, Jan 18 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Countries across the coast of West, Central and southern Africa are suffering an internet outage that started on Thursday. The situation remains unstable as at Friday (Jan 17).Reports indicate that mobile phone access is also partly impacted by the outage which was triggered by a…

Record 45 million people need urgent food aid in southern Africa: UN

Low growth, rising population, drought and floods have combined to worsen food insecurity in the region JOHANNESBURG, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An unprecedented 45 million people in southern Africa are in urgent need of food aid due to drought, flooding and economic hardship, the UN said. “This hunger crisis is…

Qatar further eases restrictions on migrant workers’ exit

A worker inside the Lusail stadium which is under construction for the upcoming 2022 Fifa soccer World Cup DUBAI, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — QATAR said it had scrapped restrictions on leaving the country for nearly all migrant workers as part of reforms answering accusations of exploitation especially in the run-up to…

French unions block ports as pension strikes lose steam

People march in Paris, the 43rd day of nationwide multi-sector protests and strikes against the government pensions reform PARIS, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French trade unions blocked ports and disrupted power production, searching for a way to force President Emmanuel Macron to ditch a planned pension overhaul as the impact…

Bolivia: Exiled ex-pres Morales retracts vow to create armed civilian militia

LA PAZ, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Exiled former Bolivian president Evo Morales backtracked from a vow to create armed civilian militias similar to notorious ‘colectivos’ in Venezuela, were he to be allowed back to his homeland. Morales caused outrage with his comments last weekend, with interim President Jeanine Anez saying…

Fiji opens evacuation centres as Cyclone Tino hits

 Damage from cyclone Tino to Oinafa Jetty on the Fijian island of Rotuma SUVA, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fiji opened evacuation centres and warned of “destructive force winds” Friday as a cyclone bore down on the Pacific island nation for the second time in three weeks. Two people were missing…