Covid-19: Canada announces new aid package for developing nations, UN agencies

OTTAWA, Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canada announced a Can$458 million aid package to help developing countries fight the coronavirus pandemic. Of that amount, Can$230 million will go to the UN children’s agency UNICEF to buy approximately three million treatments based on new therapeutic antibodies, once clinical trials are complete and…

Solar eclipse plunges southern Chile, Argentina into darkness

PUCON (Chile), Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of people turned their heads to the sky to watch a solar eclipse that lasted around two minutes on Monday as southern Chile and Argentina were plunged into darkness. Heavy rain had threatened to prevent star gazers in Chile from seeing the eclipse…

Azerbaijan, Armenia begin swapping Karabakh prisoners

BAKU, Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Azerbaijan and Armenia announced the start of a prisoner exchange, more than a month after a peace deal was signed ending weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Returns had already begun on Monday, Baku’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing…

Covid-19: Germany pressuring EU to speed up vaccine approval

BERLIN, Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Germany is pressuring EU authorities to speed up the approval of a coronavirus vaccine as it battles a surge in infections and Britain and the US begin mass inoculations, reports said. Angela Merkel’s office and Germany’s health ministry want the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to…

Moscow condemns US sanctions on Turkey over Russian missile purchases

MOSCOW, Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned US sanctions against Turkey over the purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defence missiles as “illegitimate”. “This is, of course, another manifestation of an arrogant attitude towards international law, a manifestation of illegitimate, unilateral coercive measures that the United States…

Mexico calls for cooperation between LatAm, EU in response to COVID-19

MEXICO CITY, Dec 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — Mexico, the president pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), called for cooperation between the region and the European Union (EU) to mitigate economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard, speaking on…

Almost 2 bln people depend on health care facilities without basic water services: WHO, UNICEF

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — Around 1.8 billion people are at heightened risk of COVID-19 and other diseases because they use or work in health care facilities without basic water services, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. The report – Global progress…

Technical meeting on critical Libyan economic reforms held in Geneva

Technical meeting on critical reforms of the Libyan economy kicks off in Geneva TRIPOLI, Dec 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — Acting Special Representatives of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Stephanie Williams, held a technical meeting on critical reforms of the Libyan economy in Geneva, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)…

Update: Biden says Trump ‘refused to respect the will of the people’

WILMINGTON (Delaware, US), Dec 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President-elect Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump with his strongest criticism since the election, saying the Republican had defied the constitution and the “will of the people” in not accepting the results. “It’s a position so extreme we’ve never seen it before. A…

South African Airways prepares to relaunch in 2021

PRETORIA, Dec 15 (NNN-SANEWS) — The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has announced an interim six-member South African Airways (SAA) board as the airline prepares to relaunch in 2021.In a statement, the department said Geoff Qhena will chair the board. The six are expected to restore proper governance and oversight…