Month: October 2021

(Xinhua)08:30, November 27, 2020

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — The Ethiopian government on Thursday disclosed that it has embarked on the final phase of the military operation against the insurgent Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters in Ethiopias northern region.

The urgent call was made by the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, in a statement issued on Thursday, as he emphasized that the 72-hour period granted to the criminal TPLF clique to surrender peacefully is now over and our law enforcement campaign has reached its final stage.

The last peaceful gate which had remained open for the TPLF clique to walk through have now been firmly closed as a result of TPLFs contempt for the people of Ethiopia, Ahmed emphasized.

He revealed that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) have now been directed to conclude the third and final phase of our rule of law operations. In this final phase, great care will be given to protect innocent civilians from harm.

Noting that within the past 72-hours ultimatum, thousands of Tigray Special Forces and militia members have surrendered to the National Defense Force, Ahmed said, many young people in Tigray, realizing the TPLFs evil intentions, have also refrained from engaging in TPLFs destructive ambitions.

Although this may have been a decision taken in the last hours, it is nevertheless a responsible decision that is expected of citizens, Ahmed said, as he emphasized that when the federal government issued the 72-hour surrender time, it had two objectives.

According to the Ethiopian premier, the 72-hours ultimatum was made to demonstrate that the intention of the military operations is to enforce the rule of law per the laws of the land.

If the criminal TPLF chose to peacefully surrender, the campaign would have been finalized with the least amount of damage, Ahmed said, adding that we have provided the opportunity for peaceful surrender on numerous occasions in the past weeks.

The second goal of the 72-hours ultimatum was to provide protection for those that finally understand the criminality of the TPLF clique and distance themselves for the group, it was noted.

All efforts will be made to ensure that the city of Mekelle, which was built through the hard work of our people, will not be severely damaged, Ahmed affirmed.

All precautions will be taken to ensure that heritage sites, places of worship, public facilities, development institutions and residential areas will not be targets, he added.

The Ethiopian Defense Forces are reportedly surrounding Mekelle city, capital of the Tigray regional state, where senior TPLF leaders are believed to be stationed.

The Ethiopian government as well as political analysis have been recently calling on TPLF fighters to disarm themselves and avoid clashes with defense forces in order to protect the safety of civilians.

We call on the people of Mekelle and its surroundings to disarm, stay at home and stay away from military targets, and take all necessary precautions, Ahmed said on Thursday.

We also call on the people of Mekelle to do their part in reducing damages to be sustained because of a handful of criminal TPLF elements, by exposing and handing over the criminal clique over to law enforcement agents, he added.

The Ethiopian government has been blaming the TPLF, which was one of the four coalition fronts of Ethiopias former ruling party the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), for masterminding various treasonous acts across different parts of the country with an overarching goal of destabilizing the country.

Since the early hours of Nov. 4, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF, which rules over Ethiopias northernmost Tigray regional state.

The federal governments operation followed the TPLFs attack on the Northern command base of the Ethiopian Defense Force, a division stationed in the region for over two decades and based in Mekelle city, capital of Tigray region.

(Xinhua)09:02, November 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Nearly 90,000 COVID-19 patients are in hospitals across the United States as of Thursday, the Thanksgiving day, reaching a new all-time high for the 16th consecutive day, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Wednesdays death toll climbed to 2,284 cases, the highest since May 7, also the 7th highest daily death total to data.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted that the number of newly reported COVID-19 deaths will likely increase over the next 4 weeks, with 10,600 to 21,400 new deaths likely to be reported in the week ending Dec. 19.

CDCs national ensemble predicted that a total of 294,000 to 321,000 COVID-19 deaths will be reported by Dec. 19.

The third wave of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities has continued, as cases increased at twice the rate of the nations total cases, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

States across the United States reported a 50 percent increase in new long-term care cases, 46,153 new COVID-19 cases this week alone.

Long-term care facilities recorded about 3,000 new deaths in one week, a marker last passed in early June. Nearly half of these deaths occurred in the Midwest, according to the tracking project.

While the Midwest remains the epicenter of long-term care facility outbreaks, accounting for 39 percent of new cases, the crisis stretches beyond the Midwest.

As COVID-19 continued to sweep the country, each region reported their largest increase of long-term care cases in the past four months, according to the tracking project.

With winter approaching and case numbers higher than ever before, existing safety measures will not adequately protect this vulnerable population, said a report of the project.

Public health officials have urged Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving only with members of the same household, or at least gather outdoors, to avoid further virus spread.

The CDC issued a new guidance last Friday urging Americans to stay home and not travel for Thanksgiving.

Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year, said the guidance.

The United States has recorded more than 12.86 million cases with over 263,200 related deaths as of Thursday afternoon, according to the real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

(Xinhua)09:14, November 27, 2020

NAIROBI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — African countries should establish robust infrastructure and invest in manpower to facilitate deployment of COVID-19 vaccine in the continent, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional director for Africa said that seamless distribution of the vaccine is key to contain the virus amid surging infections in the continent.

The largest immunization drive in Africas history is right around the corner, and African governments must urgently ramp up readiness, Moeti said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Planning and preparation will make or break this unprecedented endeavour, and we need active leadership and engagement from the highest levels of government with solid, comprehensive national coordination plans and systems in place, she added.

A survey conducted by WHO indicated that many African countries are not adequately prepared to carry out immunization against COVID-19 amid personnel and logistical hiccups.

The survey found that the continent has an average score of 33 percent readiness for a COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, which is below the desired benchmark of 80 percent.

All the 47 countries in the WHO African region have received its Vaccine Readiness Assessment Tool that is intended for use by ministries of health.

The tool provides a roadmap for countries to plan for COVID-19 vaccine introduction and covers ten critical areas including planning and coordination, resources and planning, vaccine regulations, logistics, community engagement, safety and surveillance.

Developing a safe and effective vaccine is just the first step in a successful rollout, said Moeti.

If communities are not on board and convinced that a vaccine will protect their health, we will make little headway. It is critical that countries reach out to communities and hear their concerns and give them a voice in the process, she added.

She said that WHO and partners have already released guidelines that African governments can use to enhance smooth administration of COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable groups like the elderly and terminally ill.

According to a WHO analysis of African countries readiness data, 49 percent have identified the priority populations for vaccination and have plans in place to reach them while 44 percent have coordination structures in place.

Likewise, only 24 percent of the countries have adequate plans for resources and funding, 17 percent have data collection and monitoring tools ready and just 12 percent have plans to communicate with communities and build trust, boost demand for immunization.

(Xinhua)14:39, November 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) — The number of jobless claims in the United States exceeded economists expectations for the week ended Nov. 21, as the jobs market continues to sustain pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic and relevant social-distancing rules.

Claims totaled 778,000 for the week ended Nov. 21, more than the 733,000 expectation from economists surveyed by Dow Jones and up from 742,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

Continuing claims for those collecting benefits for at least two weeks maintained their decline, falling by 299,000 to 6.07 million.

The worse-than-expected jobless claims came amid resurging COVID-19 pandemic, when the national healthcare system continues to be strained from the flooding infected patients. Conditions seem to be heading even worse with the Thanksgiving gatherings probably sending the spreading speed to a higher level as people travel across the country for family gatherings and celebrations.

The United States has, by Thursday afternoon, recorded more than 12.86 million cases and over 263,200 deaths, both the highest in the world, according to the real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

(Xinhua)14:39, November 27, 2020

BERLIN, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) — Germany reported 22,806 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 1,006,394, the Robert Koch Institute said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the country increased by 426 to 15,586, it added.

To cope with rising COVID-19 infection rates, the federal and state governments decided on Wednesday to extend a partial lockdown until Dec. 20.

Private meetings with friends and families are also limited to five people from two households.

An exception will be made during the Christmas holidays, when gatherings with relatives or friends should be limited to 10 people.