US election: Pres Trump fires top election security official who rejected fraud claims

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pres Donald Trump fired thegovernment’s top election security official, who had rejected the president’sunsubstantiated claims of “massive” fraud in the vote he lost to Joe Biden. Trump announced on Twitter the termination “effective immediately” of Chris Krebs, who leads the agency that jointly declared “the…

US hero of Bosnia war named to the Pentagon

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US former fighter pilot whose plane was shot down over Bosnia in 1995 and who survived six days without being captured was appointed to a senior Department of Defense position, the Pentagon said. Scott O’Grady, 55, was named to be an Assistant Secretary of…

Pres Trump administration in rush to sell oil rights in Alaska nature refuge

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The administration of US President Donald Trump is rushing to sell rights to companies to drill for oil and gas in Alaska’s nature reserve before he leaves office.The Interior Department posted a “call for nominations,” to be published on Tuesday, allowing oil and gas firms…

Covid-19: Denmark extends deadline for mink cull bonus

There are more than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark COPENHAGEN, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Danish government extended a national deadline for a special culling bonus to mink breeders by three days to speed up the ongoing mink cull.The deadline was extended until midnight Thursday, it said.“The mink breeders have…

Denmark orders cull of 25,000 chickens after avian flu found

COPENHAGEN, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Danish authorities said that they were to cull about 25,000 chickens in western Denmark after a bird flu outbreak was discovered.The H5N8 strain of the virus was detected at a farm near Randers in central Jutland, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said, citing results…

Barbados removes Nelson statue in break with colonial past

British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson BRIDGETOWN, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Barbados removed the statue of British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson from the capital Bridgetown’s main square, two months after announcing plans to replace Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and move on from its colonial past.The bronze statue…

UK PM Johnson under fire over Scottish parliament criticism

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson LONDON, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Scottish independence campaigners have seized on comments by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he said the creation of a devolved parliament in Edinburgh had been “a disaster”.Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon, who is First Minister in the…

Several killed, others hurt in suicide bombing in Somalia

The suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near a police academy MOGADISHU, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least five people were killed in Mogadishu after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near a police academy, according to a Somali Police official.Spokesperson Sadiq Adan Ali said eight other people were…

Covid-19: Pres Ramaphosa wants vaccine research centre in South Africa

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa PRETORIA, Nov 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stresses that the coronavirus pandemic “demonstrates the need to accelerate the establishment of the BRICS vaccine research and development centre” in his country, during the online summit of BRICS countries chaired by Russia.“The current experience…

Ethiopia resists mediation in Tigray conflict

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ADDIS ABABA, Nov 18 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The Ethiopian government said it had not asked any country to mediate in a conflict in its northern region as the federal air force bombed the Tigrayan capital Mekelle, according to diplomatic and military sources.Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni had…