Africa

Nestle to pay cocoa growers to keep children in school

ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - Nestle will start paying cocoa farmers cash if they send their children to school rather than out to tend crops as part of a push to purchase…

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VIDEO: Cup of Nations – At least six killed in Cameroon stadium stampede, says state broadcaster

At least six fans died in a stampede at the Yaounde Olembe Stadium in Cameroon on Monday before the host nation's round of 16 game in the African Cup of…

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African scientists say ‘mild omicron’ could end pandemic

African scientists are optimistic that the variant could mark the end of the pandemic and the beginning of an endemic. South African virologist Wolfgang Preiser told DW that the behavior…

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Africa CDC says severe lockdowns no longer tool to contain COVID-19

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Africa's top public health official said on Thursday that he was encouraged by the way that South Africa had handled its latest COVID-19 wave driven…

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Malaria deaths rise by 69,000 in 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions, says WHO

Healthcare disruptions linked to the coronavirus pandemic helped malaria kill 69,000 more people in 2020 than the previous year, but a worst-case scenario was averted, the World Health Organization said on Monday.…

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‘Extreme’ vaccine discrimination risks leaving Africa behind – report

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Africa has little chance of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic unless 70% of its population is vaccinated by end-2022, yet "extreme vaccine discrimination" is leaving the…

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India set to resume overseas flights, tightens screening for new COVID-19 variant

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - India said on Friday it will resume international passenger flights from mid-December with COVID-19 linked curbs for "at risk" countries, and ordered tightened screening…

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UPDATED: EU executive wants travel suspension from countries with new COVID variant

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Friday that EU countries suspend travel links with countries in which the new variant of the coronavirus called B.1.1.529, has…

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UPDATED: Israeli PM warns of state of emergency due to new coronavirus variant

JERUSALEM, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met health experts on Friday to discuss how best to respond to a new variant of the coronavirus that has…

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UPDATED: Alarm for new COVID-19 variant spreading in South Africa, Vaccines may be less effective against it

Belgium is analysing two samples of COVID-19 to establish if they are the new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, a leading local virologist said on Friday. Marc Van…

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As COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to continent increase, logistics hampers inoculation drives-Africa CDC

NAIROBI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - As deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa finally pick up, many nations are struggling with the logistics of accelerating their inoculation campaigns, the head of…

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U.S. President Biden to hold meeting with leaders from Africa in 2022 -White House

U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a meeting with leaders from Africa in 2022 which would focus on building global partnerships and alliances, the White House said in a statement.…

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COVID-19 pandemic could lead to HIV surge in West & Central Africa, says UNAIDS chief

West and Central Africa could see a rise in HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths in a few years due to disruptions in health services because of the coronavirus pandemic, the…

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BioNTech eyes construction start for African mRNA vaccine factory in mid-2022

BioNTech on Tuesday signed an agreement with the Rwandan government and Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal on the construction of a first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa starting…

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Moderna plans mRNA vaccine factory in Africa

Moderna plans to invest about $500 million to build a factory in Africa to make up to 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines each year, including its COVID-19 shot, as…

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WHO backs rollout of malaria vaccine for African children

NAIROBI/DAKAR, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday the only approved vaccine against malaria should be widely given to African children, potentially marking a major…

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Africa lags on COVID-19 vaccination, healthcare workers at risk – WHO, nurses say

Only 15 of Africa's 54 nations have fully vaccinated 10% of their populations against COVID-19 and many frontline health workers remain at risk, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International…

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WHO-backed vaccine hub for Africa to copy Moderna COVID-19 shot

Efforts to develop an African base for COVID-19 vaccine production will focus on trying to replicate Moderna's shot, but a lack of progress in talks with the U.S. company mean…

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Less than 3.5 % of Africans vaccinated against COVID

Less than 3.5% of Africans are vaccinated against COVID-19, far short of its official target of 60%, John Nkengasong, director of Africa's Centers for Disease Control, said. World Health Organization…

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Why Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco: and implications for the future

The breakup of diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco in August is the product of a long history of tension. The two nations have never had long periods of friendship,…

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Give vaccines to Africa and ditch unproven third shot, AU says

Rich nations would do better to send vaccines to Africa to help fight the global COVID-19 pandemic rather than hoarding them for third-dose booster shots that scientific evidence does not…

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Africa’s COVID-19 third wave stabilises as vaccine levels rise – WHO

A third wave of COVID-19 infections in Africa has stabilised and the continent’s slow vaccination drive has picked up pace, the World Health Organisation said . Some 248,000 new cases…

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Ebola, other outbreaks, atop COVID-19, risk straining West Africa health systems -WHO

The World Health Organisation warned that on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, West Africa is facing new outbreaks of the viral haemorrhagic fevers Marburg and Ebola, risking huge strains on…

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Emergency vaccine summit needed to help Africa, says UK’s ex-PM Brown

U.S., British and Italian leaders must hold an emergency summit before the U.N. General Assembly to end vaccine inequality and send more shots to Africa and other low-income nations, former…

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Social media houseplant craze blamed for devastating succulent poaching across Africa

A houseplant craze on social media and Asian collectors are driving a devastating wave of illegal succulent poaching across Africa, threatening rare plant species with extinction in the wild. Botanists…

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WHO says COVID-19 related deaths in Africa reach record peak

Coronavirus related deaths in Africa reached record peak in the week that ended on Aug. 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Over 6,400 deaths were recorded, a 2% rise…

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Biden revives Trump’s Africa business initiative; eyes future digital project

The Biden administration on Tuesday will announce a new push to expand business ties between U.S. companies and Africa, with a focus on building needed digital, health and physical infrastructure on the continent,…

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WHO says COVID-19 deaths surge 43% week-on-week in Africa

Africa recorded a 43% jump in COVID-19 deaths last week as infections and hospital admissions have risen and countries face shortages of oxygen and intensive-care beds, the World Health Organization…

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COVAX aims to deliver 520 mln vaccine doses to Africa this year

The global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX aims to deliver 520 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa this year, its managing director said, with supplies ramping up from September after delays…

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African coronavirus cases surge

The United States will begin shipping the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has donated to Africa from this weekend, a special envoy of the African Union said, as the…

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Italy calls for African task force to tackle Islamic State threat

ROME, June 28 (Reuters) - Alarmed by the spread of Islamic State across Africa, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday he wanted to set up an international…

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Africa CDC says continent not winning against ‘brutal’ COVID-19 pandemic

Africa is not winning its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as a third virus wave sweeps the continent and countries struggle to access enough vaccines for their populations, Africa CDC…

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U.N. agency says 41 million on verge of famine

Some 41 million people worldwide are at at imminent risk of famine, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, saying soaring prices for basic foods were compounding…

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Africa COVID trajectory is ‘very concerning’, WHO official says

The trend of COVID-19 cases in Africa is very concerning, a senior World Health Organization official said on Friday. Absolute numbers do not make Africa look in bad shape, said…

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COVID-19 cases surge in Africa, less than 0.8% of people fully vaccinated

COVID-19 cases rose by over 20% week-on-week in nearly two dozen African countries and progress on vaccinating Africans is proceeding slowly, with just 0.79% of people on the continent fully…

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Recession and violence among COVID side effects in Africa, report finds

Much of Africa may have been spared the death toll that COVID-19 brought to other regions, but it now faces recession, growing violence and higher unempoyment because of the pandemic,…

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WHO warns of new Covid wave in Africa

The World Health Organization on Thursday warned of a new wave of Covid-19 infections in Africa due to delayed vaccine supplies, a slow rollout and new variants. The African bureau…

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Vaccine hesitancy slows Africa’s COVID-19 inoculation drive

NAIROBI (Reuters) - When Edith Serem received her COVID-19 vaccination last month at a hospital in Nairobi where she works as a doctor, nurses jokingly warned she might start speaking…

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Chad leader Deby, key Western ally, killed in battle

N'DJAMENA, April 20 (Reuters) - Chad's President Idriss Deby, who ruled his country for more than 30 years and was an important Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants…

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Covid third wave may overrun Africa’s healthcare, warns WHO

Rising cases of coronavirus in Africa threaten to overrun fragile healthcare systems and test the continent’s much-touted resilience to the disease, according to the World Health Organization’s regional office for…

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African economies likely to rebound 3.4% this year

African economies are expected to grow by an average of 3.4% this year, the African Development Bank said, as the continent recovers from its worst contraction in half a century.…

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Africans cheer rollout of COVAX vaccinations

ABUJA/NAIROBI (Reuters) - Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda started inoculating frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable citizens against COVID-19 on Friday as Africa, the world's poorest continent and home to 1.3 billion…

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World Bank readies COVID-19 vaccine funds for around 30 African countries

The World Bank is preparing emergency financing to help about 30 African countries access COVID-19 vaccines, the global lender told Reuters, as the continent scrambles to secure doses and start…

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West must help vaccinate Africa’s healthworkers now, says Macron

PARIS (Reuters) - Europe and the United States should without delay send enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa to inoculate the continent's healthcare workers or risk losing influence to Russia…

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Africa COVID-19 deaths near 100,000 after second wave

Africa's total reported death toll from COVID-19 was approaching 100,000 on Thursday, a fraction of those reported on other continents but rising fast as a second wave of infections overwhelms…

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African Covid deaths skyrocket as official toll nears 100,000

Deaths from Covid-19 in Africa have risen by 40 per cent in the past month, pushing the official death toll to near 100,000 as the pandemic escalates dramatically on a…

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Africa to get 90 million vaccine doses in February

Nearly 90 million Covid-19 vaccine doses will be sent to Africa throughout this month, through the international Covax initiative. The WHO said that about 320,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been…

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World Bank to invest $5 bln in 11 African countries

The World Bank on Monday said it would invest over $5 billion over the next five years to help restore degraded landscapes, improve agriculture productivity, and promote livelihoods in 11…

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Africa foresees 60% of people vaccinated against COVID in 2-3 years

Africa aims to have 60% of its population vaccinated against COVID-19 within the next two to three years, the African Union's disease control group said on Thursday. The continent of…

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Coronavirus cases in Africa surpass the 2 million mark

Total coronavirus cases in Africa surpassed the 2 million mark on Wednesday despite the slow addition of reported infections compared to other regions around the world. With over 2,012,000 cases,…

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Africans amused but alarmed by U.S. election’s aftermath

For plenty of Africans, President Donald Trump’s actions in the aftermath of the U.S. election have been a cause for dark humour, but others have reacted with dismay or disbelief.…

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Islamic group frees 1,300 fighters from jail in DRC

Armed men freed more than 1,300 prisoners from a jail in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a coordinated attack on Tuesday, the town's mayor said, blaming an Islamist militant…

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Access to food grossly unequal as coronavirus adds to challenges

A new report by the World Food Programme, known as the Cost of a Plate of Food 2020, has once again exposed the inequality around the world of accessing the…

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Kidnappings by pirates up 40% in Gulf of Guinea

Kidnappings rose by 40% in the Gulf of Guinea in the first nine months of this year, and the region off West Africa’s coast now accounts for 95% of global…

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Sub-Saharan Africa to contract 3.3% this year, World Bank says

The coronavirus crisis is expected to drive a 3.3% contraction in sub-Saharan African economies in 2020 and could push 40 million people into extreme poverty, the World Bank said on…

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Millions of African children rely on TV education during pandemic

Five-year-old Kenyan student Miguel Munene sits between his parents, holding their hands as he watches cartoon characters teaching him to pronounce “fish”. The television has replaced Munene’s teachers and classmates…

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WHO endorses protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatment for coronavirus

The World Health Organization has endorsed a protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatments for the coronavirus and other epidemics. Covid-19 has raised the issue of using traditional…

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