AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Large-scale adoption of hybrid rice that has proved effective in withstanding climatic stresses, as well as pests and diseases, is paramount in order to tackle Africa’s hunger and malnutrition crisis, scientists said Friday. Emmanuel Okogbenin, for programme development and commercialisation at African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), noted …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | High-ranking U.S. officials are heading to Africa, hot on the heels of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit held last month for the first time in eight years. Following U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s trip to the continent earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield …

The emerging debt-for-nature swaps may put African countries on track to meet their environmental conservation goals while managing ballooning public debts. Praia, Cape Verde | BIRD AGENCY | Portugal recently struck a deal to swap Cape Verde’s debts for environmental investments in a fund established by the West African country. …

Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | South Sudan, the World Bank, and two UN agencies on Saturday kicked off a COVID-19 vaccine campaign following the arrival of 3.9 million vaccine doses into the country. Yolanda Awel Deng, Minister of Health of South Sudan said vaccination coverage remains low in the country and …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said Saturday it has conducted a successful vasectomy on a three-year-old vulnerable lion at its veterinary laboratory in the capital, Nairobi, to control the breeding of the majestic carnivore while in a captive facility. The lion is being nurtured and rehabilitated at …

Luanda, Angola | Xinhua | Angolan President Joao Lourenco said Friday that Angola would continue to invest in the country’s telecommunication sector with more satellites and infrastructures to ensure that the sector helps develop the country. The Angolan president made the statement after inaugurating the Satellite Control and Mission Center located in …

Harare, Zimbabwe | Xinhua | Zimbabwe will roll out the second phase of the measles vaccination campaign in the most affected districts, starting next Monday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Friday. The campaign will run from Jan. 30 to Feb. 10 targeting children aged five years to below 15 …

How holes in an Ebola ‘firewall’ built over the last 20 years are being plugged SPECIAL FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE |  On Jan.11, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s Minister of Health, declared Uganda free from the Ebola Virus Disease after a 113-day battle across nine districts. The event at the Mayor’s Gardens …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The Ethiopian government on Friday disclosed that preparations have been finalized to resume public land transport services into the country’s conflict-affected northernmost Tigray region. The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics said instructions have been sent to public transport associations to start land transport from Addis …

United Nations, USA | Xinhua | Attacks by the M23 Movement rebels and an explosion wounding 18 civilians leave a tense situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a UN spokesman said on Thursday. The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, reported a tense situation following …