Covid-19: UK removes all 11 African countries from red list as Omicron had spread widely

LONDON, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The government has said that all 11 countries will be removed from the UK’s travel red list from 4am on Wednesday. Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are on the list. The red list was reintroduced in late…

Covid-19: US crosses 800,000 deaths

     WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, crossed 800,000 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed.      The figure is greater than the entire population of several states, including North Dakota and Alaska.      Around…

UN blamed Taliban for at least 72 extrajudicial killings

   GENEVA, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN has said there are “credible allegations” of more than 100 extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August, with most blamed on the country’s new rulers.    UN deputy rights chief Nada Al-Nashif said she was deeply alarmed by…

South African court orders ex-president Zuma back to jail

  JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A South African court ordered former president Jacob Zuma to return to prison, invalidating the medical parole he was granted in September.    The decision to place Zuma on medical parole is “declared unlawful and set aside”, read the ruling by High Court Judge Elias Matojane.…

Tunisia opposition condemns extension of parliament freeze

   TUNIS, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied slammed his decision to extend a months-long suspension of parliament, accusing him of dealing another blow to the country’s nascent democracy.    Saied had on Monday vowed to press on with reforms to Tunisia’s political system, months after…

Latest: Haiti gas truck explosion deaths rises to 62

  CAP-HAITIEN (Haiti), Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A massive gas truck explosion killed at least 62 people in Haiti on Tuesday, after bystanders swarmed the vehicle to collect spilled fuel — a precious commodity in a nation plaguedby acute shortages.   The blast in Haiti’s second city of Cap-Haitien is…

13 killed in boat accident in western DR Congo

KINSHASA, Dec 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — Thirteen people have been killed and 17 others were rescued following a shipwreck overnight from Saturday to Sunday on the Congo River near the Ibali village, Mai-Ndombe province, in the Western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to Crispin Ipondo Bonda, provincial minister in…

Culture day on Beijing Winter Olympics held in New York

People participate in a flash mob on Jan 20, 2020 during the “Chinese Lantern, Highlight 2022” Cultural Day for the Beijing Winter Olympics in New York NEW YORK, Dec 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — A Winter Olympics-themed Day was celebrated at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden in New York on…

Update: Four dead, five missing in Sicily apartment collapse; 2 women rescued alive

  ROME, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four people were killed and five were missing after an explosion caused a four-storey apartment building to collapse on the Italian island of Sicily, authorities said Sunday.    Two women were recovered alive from the building in the town of Ravanusa after the collapse…

Serbia: Thousands block roads to protest lithium mine project

Environmental activists block the E-75 highway to protest against Rio Tinto’s plans to open a lithium mine, in Belgrade BELGRADE, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Environmental protesters have blocked roads in Serbia for a third consecutive weekend to oppose plans for lithium mining, despite a bid by the country’s populist government…