Covid-19: Italy’s interior minister tests positive; two other ministers in self-isolation

Italy’s Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese ROME, Dec 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Italy’s Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday, the government said. Lamorgese submitted to a routine test in the morning and learned the results while attending a meeting of government ministers in the afternoon, said…

Update: Boycott-tainted poll win gives Pres Maduro total control in Venezuela

CARACAS, Dec 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Nicolas Maduro hailed a “new dawn” in Venezuela as he celebrated his now total grip on power following a predictable triumph in polls boycotted by the opposition and slammed as a farce by international powers. Victory for Maduro’s ruling Socialist Party in Sunday’s legislative…

Covid-19: UK starts Tuesday mass vaccination programme

LONDON, Dec 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain on Tuesday hailed a turning point in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as it begins the biggest vaccination programme in the country’s history with a new COVID-19 vaccine jab. The first patients in line on what has been dubbed “V-Day” – the over-80s, care…

The Pacific Alliance will hold its virtual presidential summit in Chile, next week

SANTIAGO, Dec 8 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The 15th Presidential Summit of the Pacific Alliance, a bloc made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, will be held on Dec 11 in Santiago de Chile, albeit via videoconference due to Covid-19. During the meeting, the president of Chile, Sebastian Piñera, will pass…

Venezuela rejects European double standards on elections

CARACAS, Dec 8 (NNN-TELESUR) — Just a day after the parliamentary elections were held in Venezuela, several European countries and their right-wing representatives have failed to recognize the triumph of the governing coalition that won most seats in the National Assembly in the country’s most expected elections in several years.…

New Interior Minister sworn in Peru

LIMA, Dec 8 (NNN-ANDINA) — The President of the Republic Francisco Sagasti Hochhausler on Monday night administered the oath of office to Jose Elice Navarro, who has become Minister of Interior. Elice Navarro is a lawyer graduated from the National University of San Marcos. He is an expert on Constitutional…

Covid-19: Millions of Californians locked down, as countries globally gears for mass vaccination

LOS ANGELES, Dec 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An overwhelming majority of California’s residents went into lockdown Monday, putting 33 million people under stay-at-home orders as the United States battles record Covid deaths. The lockdown in America’s most populous state forced most offices to close and banned gatherings among different households, while…

Nigeria announces plan to lift over 5 mln farmers out of extreme poverty

People walk past closed street stalls and shops in Lagos during a government-imposed lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19 LAGOS, Dec 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — Nigeria plans to lift at least five million smallholder farmers out of extreme poverty with support to increase their productivity, said a top agriculture official.…

Voting ends in Ghana’s general election

Electoral officials count ballots after the voting ended at a polling station in Accra ACCRA, Dec 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — Voting ended on Monday in 38,622 polling stations within the 16 regions across Ghana. The voting process generally went peacefully except for two persons sustaining gunshot wounds after a shooting incident…

Covid-19: Africa’s confirmed cases pass 2.26 mln – Africa CDC

Locals wear face masks as a preventive measure against coronavirus, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania ADDIS ABABA, Dec 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent has reached 2,261,589, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The continental disease control and…