Tag: AFRICA

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Gates Foundation announces $7mn for Covid genome research

Gates Foundation announces $7mn for Covid genome research

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced to provide $7 million to conduct genomic research in eight low and middle income countries, including India…reports Asian Lite News

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced to provide $7 million to conduct genomic research in eight low and middle income countries, including India. Other countries are South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Brazil.

Gates Foundation announces $7mn for Covid genome research

The commitment, made at the 17th Grand Challenges Annual Meeting held between November 8 and 11, is part of the foundation’s newly launched Global Immunology and Immune Sequencing for Epidemic Response (GIISER) programme. GIISER works to ensure scientists have the capacity to rapidly detect if new SARS-CoV-2 variants in their communities show signs of evading immune response.

GIISER will operate as a decentralised network of autonomous and geographically distinct hubs that are able to connect local pathogen sequencing data and clinical epidemiology with local immunological understanding and tools.

Initial focus areas will include data science, such as mathematical modeling to inform national malaria control programmes, digital health services for pregnant women, and innovations to close gaps identified by current programmes for eliminating neglected tropical diseases.

The Foundation also committed an initial $50 million towards a new 10-year programme to support science and innovation in low- and middle-income countries. It is also awarded to science leadership fellowships to 14 African scientists.

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“We need the ideas and leadership of the people who are closest to the global health challenges we’re working to address,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The programme “represents our commitment to advance innovation and equity while strengthening local partners in a sustainable way”, she added.

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-Top News China

Indian rice regains grip in Africa as China weakens

Since 2020, China’s rice exports have remained almost static while its imports have surged which led to Indian exporters regaining the lost ground….writes Mahua Venkatesh

As Indias overall rice exports increased by a handsome 80 per cent in 2020, it has once again become the largest supplier of the staple grain to Africa amid concerns over food security owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. Over 65 per cent of Africas total rice needs is being met by India.

While prior to the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic, China had increased exports of rice to Africa and had overtaken India in several African markets, Beijing has not managed to sustain the export quantum due to heavy floods in the country that dented production.

Chinese State agency COFCO, in fact, was aggressively looking to acquire new markets in Africa “to liquidate old stocks of 3-4 million tonnes.”

Though the entry of cheaper Chinese rice into the African markets created some problems for Indian exporters, sources said that the move was to do away with old stocks.

Since 2020, China’s rice exports have remained almost static while its imports have surged which led to Indian exporters regaining the lost ground.

“India is the key supplier of non Basmati rice in Africa, which is a price sensitive market. Our pricing is suited not just for Africa but also other countries,” Vinod Kaul, executive director, All India Rice Exporters’ Association told India Narrative. Guinea, Cote D Ivoire, Somalia are among the countries that import primarily from India.

According to Africa Business Pages, the continent accounts for 20-30 per cent of the total global imports. The rapid growth of Africa in the international rice trade business is due to its high consumption of rice as a food source in Sub-Saharan Africa, it said.

Africa’s dependence on India for rice supplies could even increase in the coming years, especially as supplies from other rice exporting countries such as Thailand and Vietnam had been impacted significantly.

A report published in July by Business Wire said that the coronavirus outbreak has caused serious implications on the production and trade of several commodities in the global market, particularly in Africa. The World Bank noted that Covid-19 impacts have led to severe and widespread increases in global food insecurity, affecting vulnerable households in almost every country, with impacts expected to continue through 2021 and into 2022.

“In such cases, price plays a key role and the price for Indian rice continues to be lower than other markets,” Kaul said.

Demand for rice is growing at more than 6 per cent per year � faster than for any other food staple in sub-Saharan Africa, because of population growth, urbanization and changes in consumer preferences, Africa Rice Center, an agricultural research center said.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ: Africa’s Covid-19 cases near 8.53mn

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Africa News World

Somalian security arrests 12 al-Shabab terrorists

Somalian security arrests 12 al-Shabab terrorists

Somalian security forces have arrested 12 al-Shabab terrorists during an operation in Baidoa town, the administrative capital of the South West State…reports Asian Lite News

Commander of Intelligence and Security Agency for Southwest State Mohamud Mohamed Hassan told Somalia’s official news agency, SONNA, that their forces managed to destroy the terrorist network during the operation.

Somalian security arrests 12 al-Shabab terrorists

“We arrested 12 al-Shabab militants in an operation aimed at ensuring the security of Baidoa town in Bay region. We are committed to safeguarding our people and candidates during the federal parliamentary elections,” Xinhua news agency quoted Hassab as saying further saying to SONNA.

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He added that the militants were trying to create fear and threat in Baidoa town before they were arrested by the forces.

Al-Shabab militants did not comment on the latest security operation in the region but this crackdown comes ahead of parliamentary election in Southwest State.

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Africa News Arab News World

Sanctions imposed on Malian transitional authorities

Sanctions imposed on Malian transitional authorities

ECOWAS further urged the African Union, the European Union, the UN, and the bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and enforce these sanctions…reports Asian Lite News

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on the Malian transitional authorities in response to their claim of inability to meet the transition deadline of February 2022 for holding elections.

A communique, issued after the Third Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on the political situations in Mali and Guinea, said the sanctions include a travel ban and a freeze on financial assets, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sanctions imposed on Malian transitional authorities

“ECOWAS decides to impose sanctions with immediate effect against individuals and groups who have been identified, including the entire members of the transition authorities, their families, and the other transition institutions,” added the communique read by Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, president of the ECOWAS Commission.

The communique further instructed the ECOWAS Commission President “to consider and propose additional sanctions at its next ordinary session in December, should the situation persist”.

ECOWAS further urged the African Union, the European Union, the UN, and the bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and enforce these sanctions.

“The ECOWAS authority condemns the expulsion of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative to Mali in this critical context and calls on the transitional authorities to uphold the spirit of dialogue and collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission to ensure a successful transition,” it added.

ECOWAS suspended Mali’s membership following an impasse within the transitional government in May.

After staging a coup in May, Colonel Assimi Goita was officially sworn in as the West African nation’s Transitional President in June.

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Appointed Transitional Vice President after the mutiny in 2020 which forced the resignation of then President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Goita was proclaimed on May 28 as the Transitional President following the resignation of Bah N’Daw from the post.

N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were forced to resign from their positions after being detained for several days following the coup.

The trigger for the coup was the military’s anger over a cabinet reshuffle that saw two senior officers stripped of their positions.

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Africa News COVID-19 World

Africa’s Covid-19 cases near 8.53mn

Africa's Covid-19 cases near 8.53mn

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 8,527,394 cases, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said…reports Asian Lite News

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), added that the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 219,418. Some 7,937,016 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far, Xinhua news agency reported.

Africa’s Covid-19 cases near 8.53mn

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the CDC.

South Africa has recorded the most Covid-19 cases in Africa with nearly three million cases, while the northern African country of Morocco reported 947,307 as of Sunday afternoon.

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In terms of the caseloads, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the continent, while central Africa is the least affected region in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.

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Africa News World

SPECIAL: Commonwealth Supports COP26

SPECIAL: Commonwealth Supports COP26

The initiative was supported by the Prime Ministers of Fiji and Antigua and Barbuda, who joined the discussions along with ministers from Zambia, Namibia and Uganda…reports Asian Lite News

Leaders from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific have expressed their strong support for a proposed ‘Living Lands Charter’ that will spur cooperation among 54 nations to manage land use sustainably, protect the natural world and fight climate change.

During a high-level event this week at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland reiterated a “call to action for living lands”, integrating the targets of the three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification, which arose from the historic 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

SPECIAL: Commonwealth Supports COP26

She said: “The proposed Commonwealth Living Lands Charter seeks to catalyse the global political momentum for enhancing climate action, building resilience, reducing biodiversity loss, and arresting land degradation.”

Focus areas to be explored within the charter include climate resilient agriculture, soil and water conservation and management, sustainable green cover and biodiversity, and the active engagement of indigenous people.

The initiative was supported by the Prime Ministers of Fiji and Antigua and Barbuda, who joined the discussions along with ministers from Zambia, Namibia and Uganda.

HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PRESIDENT, ZAMBIA: “Zambia is a proud member of the Commonwealth and we are delighted to associate ourselves with this important call. For us, the conservation of biodiversity, which constitutes our natural capital is critical to ensure we achieve our aspirations of ensuring a green economy and socio-economic development.”

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, stated: “I commend the Secretary-General for the Living Lands initiative in which she and the Commonwealth are playing their part in ensuring that we protect our biodiversity and protect human civilisation.

“There is a need to accelerate implementation of the various initiatives so that we can contain global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. To do otherwise would be to fail small island states.”

Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama, said: “We need not forsake prosperity to preserve our natural world. We can be excellent environmental stewards while we improve the standards of living for our people.

“The Rio Conventions reflect the commitment of all countries to preserve the global environment. Let’s meet that commitment now, with the courage to act.”

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Executive Director of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Ibrahim Thiaw, and Deputy Executive Director of the UN Convention on Biodiversity, David Cooper, also supported the Commonwealth’s Call for Action on Living lands, emphasising the need for collaboration and an integrated approach to achieve the targets set by the three Rio conventions.

To date, consultations on the proposed Living Lands Charter have been undertaken with 23 countries to garner support for initiative, alongside engagements at the regional level and with development partners.

These will continue with a view to receiving universal endorsement at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2022.

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News World World News

Sierra Leonean President condolences over fuel tanker explosion

Sierra Leonean President, Julius Maada Bio has expressed his condolences over a fuel tanker explosion in the capital Freetown that claimed more than 100 lives…reports Asian Lite News

“Deeply disturbed by the tragic fires and the horrendous loss of life around the Wellington PMB area. My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result,” said Bio on Saturday.

The President pledged the government will “do everything to support affected families.”

Sierra Leonean President condolences over fuel tanker explosion

Earlier on Saturday, police and hospital sources revealed that over 100 people have been killed in the fuel tanker explosion in Freetown. The tragedy happened late Friday after the fuel tanker collided with a truck in the eastern part of the city and caused fuel leakage.

Eyewitnesses said residents within the community came out desperately to fetch the leaking fuel when the explosion occurred and caused heavy casualties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sinneh Kamara, a senior official at the Sierra Leone Connaught Hospital Mortuary Department, told Xinhua earlier that they have received 95 bodies in the early hours of Saturday and they feared the casualty figures are set to increase because of the critical conditions of those currently admitted at hospitals across Freetown.

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Eyewitnesses said some other dead bodies have been taken by their relatives for burial.

Meanwhile, Bio canceled his trip to the Extraordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States Authority of Heads of State and government, which is set to be held in Ghana on Sunday.

Police said further investigations into the accident are still underway.

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Antonio condemns attack injuring 10 peacekeepers in CAR

Antonio condemns attack injuring 10 peacekeepers in CAR

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned the attack by members of the presidential guard of the Central African Republic (CAR) which wounded 10 peacekeepers…reports Asian Lite News

Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the UN Chief “emphasizes that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in investigating and promptly holding accountable the perpetrators of this unacceptable attack,” Xinhua news agency reported.

“The Secretary General wishes a speedy and full recovery to the wounded peacekeepers and civilians, and reiterates his gratitude to the people and the Egypt government for their contribution to peace and stability in the Central African Republic. The Secretary General also expresses his deep condolences to the bereaved family of the Central African civilian who was killed during the incident,” it said.

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“The Secretary General reaffirms the solidarity and continued support of the UN to the Central African Republic,” it added.

The presidential guard shot at peacekeepers of the mission, known as MINUSCA, in Bangui on Monday. The police officers from Egypt landed at Bangui’s airport earlier on Thursday. They are part of the periodic rotation and deployment of troops in the country.

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Africa News News World

UN condemns attack by members of presidential guard

UN condemns attack by members of presidential guard

The United Nations (UN) mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) strongly condemns an attack by members of the presidential guard which wounded 10 peacekeepers…reports Asian Lite News

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the attack on members of an Egyptian police peacekeeping unit “appears to be a deliberate and unjustifiable attack” on the blue helmets, Xinhua news agency reported.

A civilian died in a related accident, Haq added.

UN condemns attack by members of presidential guard

The mission, known as MINUSCA, reported the peacekeepers were shot and wounded, including two seriously, by members of the presidential guard in the capital of Bangui on Monday, he said. The Egyptian police officers landed at Bangui’s airport earlier in the day. They are part of the periodic rotation and deployment of troops in the country.

“They were on their way to their base when they suffered heavy fire from members of the presidential guard,” he said.

“The mission said in a statement that the police officers were fired at without any warning or response. They were unarmed.”

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Attempting to flee the attack, about 120 metres from the presidential residence, the bus carrying the Egyptian police unit hit a woman, who died, the spokesman said.

“A MINUSCA delegation later met the victim’s family to offer condolences. They also condemned this tragic accident.”

“The leadership of our UN peacekeeping mission and members of the Central African government immediately initiated a dialogue for the opening of the necessary investigations into this incident, and to ensure accountability in accordance with the obligations under the agreement between the United Nations and the CAR government,” Haq said

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Ethiopian capital starts 2-day weapons registration drive

Ethiopian capital starts 2-day weapons registration drive

Authorities in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa announced the launch of a two-day weapons registration drive…reports Asian Lite News

“Any resident of Addis Ababa starting from today (Tuesday) has to register weapons it has in its hands in a two days period to the nearest police stations regardless whether the weapon was registered in prior times or not,” Xinhua news agency quoted Chief of Addis Ababa city Peace and Security Administration Bureau Kenea Yadeta as saying.

Ethiopian capital starts 2-day weapons registration drive

“All residents have to be organised in blocks and neighbourhoods to protect their home area’s peace and security in coordination with the security forces,” Yadeta was quoted as saying by state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency.

The Addis Ababa security chief also announced abrupt security checks will be conducted across various parts of Ethiopia’s capital and warned individuals to stop disseminating fake information on social media platforms.

“Irreversible measures will be taken on entities that work to create gaps and suspicions between the government and the people,” Yadeta said.

The heightened security measures in Ethiopia’s capital come amid reports of intensifying clashes between federal government allied forces and forces allied with the Tigray People’s Liberation Army (TPLF) in northern Ethiopia.

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The TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force backed by allied forces have been engaged in a one-year-long conflict that has reportedly left tens of thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives, the lower house of Parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation.

Amid intensifying conflict in the northern parts of the East African country, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday called on all able Ethiopians to participate in the ongoing fighting against the rebel group.