U.S., Canada and Africa

[New Zimbabwe] President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been advised to stop wasting resources on international public relations firms to promote his administration's battered image as Joe Biden, the newly elected of America, will not lift sanctions against Zimbabwe.

[Radio Dabanga] Khartoum -- A high-ranking delegation from United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) led by its deputy commander Andrew Young arrived in Sudan yesterday for a two-day visit.

[Nyasa Times] The Joe Biden administration has welcomed the reappointment of Atuweni Juwayeyi Agbermodji as the director general of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) - one of Malawi's most important public institutions.

[The Conversation Africa] Editor's note: President Joe Biden inherits from Donald Trump a United States that was simultaneously isolated from the rest of the world and openly hostile toward parts of it. Biden - an internationally minded leader who has longstanding relationships with world leaders - has already begun to rejoin treaties and alliances abandoned by Trump.

[Nation] A Kiambu court on Wednesday heard how a project manager embezzled millions of shillings donated by an American organisation

[CFR] Nolan Quinn contributed to this post.

[Lesotho Times] FOR decades, Lesotho has benefitted from various forms of development assistance from the United States (US) government.

[Daily Trust] President Joe Biden on Wednesday lifted the travel restriction the Trump administration had placed on countries including Nigeria, Sudan, Eritrea, Tanzania, among others.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, has confirmed the arrival of Mansur Mohamed Surur, a Kenyan ivory trafficking suspect extradited on Monday.

[Shabelle] Airstrikes targeting terrorists in Somalia have continued at a rapid pace since troops were relocated from the country earlier this month.

[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- The Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Refuge Place International, Dr. Mosoka P. Fallah, has expressed excitement over the latest decision by the Government of the United States of America (USA) to repeal the anti-abortion rule on aid and join COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (Covax) vaccine scheme.

[New Dawn] President George M. Weah, received the credentials of U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Michael A. McCarthy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[Egypt Online] Egyptian Ambassador in Ottawa Ahmed Abu Zeid on

[Monitor] The Majority leader of the U.S House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer has joined the growing list of U.S congressmen and activists to condemn the continued use of Uganda police and the army in partisan politics.

[SAnews.gov.za] President Cyril Ramaphosa says poor countries desperately need COVID-19 vaccines as much as other nations that have already started vaccinating their citizens.

[DOJ] Indictment Alleges Conspiracy to Smuggle at Least 190 Kilograms of Rhinoceros Horns and at Least 10 Tons of Elephant Ivory Valued at More Than $7 Million

[Nation] Infamous ivory, rhinoceros horn poacher and drug trafficker Abubakar Mansur Mohammed Surur alias Mansour was extradited from Kenya to New York over the weekend, coming just months after he was arrested at Moi International airport.

[The Herald] A 17-year-old Zimbabwean student has been nominated for a US virtual reality (VR) Beta program that aims to support high school students with a proficiency in science subjects and are interested in pursuing a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

[ANGOP] Luanda -- President João Lourenço addressed last Monday, with the US ambassador, Nina Fite, issues relating to the cooperation between the two countries, during an audience granted to the North American diplomat.

[White House] The Federal Government must act swiftly and aggressively to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).  The national emergency caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States continues to pose a grave threat to our health and security.  As of January 20, 2021, the United States had experienced more than 24 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 400,000 COVID-19 deaths.  It is the policy of my Administration to implement science-based public health measures, across all area

[New Times] The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Vincent Biruta, has said that Rwanda is ready to strengthen ties with the administration of the new President of the United States, Joe Biden.

[allAfrica] Cape Town -- United States President Joe Biden is set to ban most non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in South Africa from entering the country, in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19, a senior U.S. public health official has told the Reuters news agency.

[The Sentry] Washington, DC -- Experts Recommend Banks Maintain Blocks on Gertler-Linked Assets and Transactions

[Brookings] Editor's Note: Below is a Viewpoint from Chapter 6 of the Foresight Africa 2021 report, which explores top priorities for the region in the coming year. This year's issue focuses on strategies for Africa to confront the twin health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic and emerge stronger than ever. Read the full chapter on good governance.

[Nation] News reports early this week that the Trump administration had made a hurried 'dump' of African illegal migrants and other asylum seekers in Nairobi just days before his term came to an end were hardly surprising.

[CFR] Among the Trump administration's many eleventh hour decisions that will require quick review by President Biden's team was the choice to withdraw nearly all U.S. military personnel from Somalia. The move left some deeply concerned that the absence of U.S. training and advice would leave Somali security forces unable to counter terrorist organizations at a time when the future of the African peacekeeping force, AMISOM, remains uncertain.

[Nation] African countries say the US' return to the World Health Organization will be crucial to the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and other future infections.

[DW] US President Joe Biden's decision to lift the ban on travel to the US by citizens of majority-Muslim countries has already won praise in Africa. But governments aren't expecting miracles from the new administration.

[Thomson Reuters Foundation] The new president will revoke a policy which prevents foreign groups providing abortion services or counselling from receiving U.S. funding

[allAfrica] Washington, DC -- The direction that President Joe Biden will give to the U.S.-Africa relationship will be highly scrutinized as he brings America's diplomacy back to the global stage. Democracy and the economy are the two fundamental areas of cooperation that he can use to rebuild ties.