Covid-19: Peru suspends clinical trials of Chinese vaccine

LIMA, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Peru has temporarily suspended clinicaltrials of a Covid vaccine made by Chinese drug giant Sinopharm afterdetecting neurological problems in one of its test volunteers. The National Institute of Health said Friday that it had decided tointerrupt the trial after a volunteer had difficulty moving their…

Covid-19: Canada, US border to stay closed until Jan 21

OTTAWA, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The longest international border in theworld, between Canada and the United States, will remain closed until Jan21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcedFriday. “Canada and the United States agreed today to keep our shared border closed until Jan 21,” Trudeau told…

Liberia senate election: Opposition candidates lead in early results

MONROVIA, Dec 12 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Provisional results from LIberia’s Special Senatorial elections have put four candidates from the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) in an early significant lead. The results are seen as a big blow to President George Weah’s ruling party the Congress for Democratic Change. The Elections Commission…

ICC prosecutor seeks full war crimes probe into Nigerian conflict

THE HAGUE, Dec 12 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court prosecutor said she had enough evidence to open a full probe into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Nigeria. The announcement comes after almost a decade of preliminary investigations into the violence in northeastern…

Ethiopia unrest: Army says 1,000 captured senior military officers freed

ADDIS ABABA, Dec 12 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — Ethiopia said that its joint forces have freed more than 1,000 senior military officers and soldiers who had been held hostage for weeks by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Major-General Mohammed Tessema, Director-General of the National Defence Force Indoctrination, said among those freed…

Cuba to increase minimum salary fivefold

A worker in Havana holds up 1 Cuban Peso (top) and 1 Cuban convertible peso (bottom) HAVANA, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cuba will increase its minimum wage fivefold as part of reforms due to come into effect on Jan 1 as it unifies its two official currencies, the official gazette…

Covid-19: Mexico regulator approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

MEXICO CITY, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico’s health regulator granted emergency authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said. “Mexico is the fourth country whose health regulatory agency, Cofepris, has granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,” he told a news conference. In fact, US,…

Update: US issues emergency approval to Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine; Pres Trump says vaccination within 24 hours

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Food and Drug Adminstration on Friday granted the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine an emergency use authorization, paving the way for its imminent rollout across the country. “I am authorizing the emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID?19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19,” Denise Hinton, the…

Eight countries, including US, denounce ‘appalling’ human rights in North Korea

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eight countries, including the United States, on Friday denounced North Korea’s human rights record after a closed-doors videoconference at the UN Security Council organized by Germany. “The situation of human rights in the DPRK is appalling and gets worse by the day,” the eight…

Helicopter crashes into field in Texas, 2 killed

COLORADO CITY (Texas, US), Dec 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two men were killed when a helicopter crashed in a field in West Texas, authorities said. Mitchell County Sheriff Patrick Toombs said Friday night that the helicopter crashed Thursday about 13 kilometres southwest of Colorado City, which is about 250 miles west…