International court to sentence killer of Lebanon’s Hariri

LEIDSCHENDAM (Netherlands), Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A UN-backed tribunal will on Friday sentence a Hezbollah member convicted of the 2005assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafic Hariri, with prosecutorsdemanding a life term. Salim Ayyash, 57, was found guilty in absentia of murder on Aug 18 bythe Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon…

EU plans more sanctions against Turkey

BRUSSELS, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — EU leaders decided on Friday to draw up a list of Turkish targets for sanctions in response to Ankara’s prospectingfor gas in Greek and Cypriot waters. “The council adopted sanctions in the face of Turkey’s ‘unilateral actionsand provocations’,” French minister for European affairs Clement Beaunetweeted,…

Covid-19: African countries to get vaccines in early 2021

A platform called the COVAX facility has been developed with 186 countries on board ABUJA (Nigeria), Dec 11 (NNN-GNA) — African countries will have access to the COVID-19 vaccines from the end of January through the first quarter of 2021, said a special envoy of the African Union (AU).Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the AU…

UN Chief condemns violence in DRC amid political crisis

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (NNN-GNA) — UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres condemned the violent incidents in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), amid an evolving political crisis, said his spokesman.The violence took place over the past two days as the ruling coalition in the DRC…

Cameroon withdraws troops from opposition leader’s residence

Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto being driven away YAOUNDE, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Government troops have lifted a blockade on the residence of Cameroon opposition figure Maurice Kamto, an official of his Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) party said.Barrister Emmanuel Simh, vice president of MRC and Kamto’s lawyer, said law enforcement…

Ghana election: NPP gains 137 seats, NDC 136 in Parliament – Electoral Commission

Parliament House of Ghana ACCRA, Dec 11 (NNN-GNA) — The Electoral Commission has announced the certified Parliamentary results of the 2020 election across 275 constituencies.According to a statement issued by the EC on Thursday, the ruling New Patriotic Party has won 137 seats in Parliament while the National Democratic Congress has won 136 seats.One independent candidate has…

Covid-19: Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

OTTAWA, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, days after Britain became the first country to greenlight and roll it out. “The authorization marks a critical milestone in our efforts to bring Covid-19 under control,” the government’s chief medical advisor Supriya Sharma told a news conference. “The…

Covid-19: US defense chief, top generals to get vaccine next week

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Secretary of Defense Chris Miller and his top generals will be vaccinated for Covid-19 by next week after the expected approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Pentagon officials said. Miller, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley and Vice Chairman General John…

Saudi prince asks US court to dismiss ‘assassination’ lawsuit

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has asked a US federal court to throw out a lawsuit which accused him of trying to have an ex-intelligence official assassinated. Prince Mohammed’s lawyer told the federal court in Washington that Saad Aljabri’s suit filed in August…

Turkish Pres Erdogan in Azerbaijan to hail ‘glorious’ Karabakh victory

BAKU, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Azerbaijan Thursday to join nationwide celebrations marking his close ally’s decisive military victory against Armenia in their conflict for control of disputed territory. Azerbaijan’s army paraded military hardware and weapons seized from Armenia during the six-week war through…