European parliament declares ‘climate emergency’

STRASBOURG (France), Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Parliament voted on Thursday to declare a “climate and environment emergency” in a symbolic gesture just ahead of the latest UN global crisis summit. The legislature, sitting in Strasbourg, backed the motion by a comfortable 429 to 225 majority, increasing pressure on…

Albania earthquake death toll hits 40: defence ministry

TIRANA, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll from the most powerfulearthquake to strike Albania in decades rose to 40 on Thursday, after 10 more bodies were pulled from the rubble, the defence ministry said. “Ten more victims were found during the night, bringing the number of dead to 40,”…

Iraq PM sacks new commander after 25 killed in crackdown: state TV

BAGHDAD, Nov 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel AbdelMahdi sacked the military commander he had dispatched earlier inthe day to “restore order” to a protest-hit southern city after a crackdownthere killed 25 protesters. Abdel Mahdi, who is also the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces,had ordered military chiefs to deploy…

Production resumes at strife-hit Libya oilfield

TRIPOLI, Nov 29 (NNN0-AGENCIES) — Libya’s National Oil Company said production had resumed at a key field in the southwest a day after it was interrupted by fighting there. “Following the cessation of military activity at the (Al-Feel) oilfield, production has resumed,” the NOC said in a statement on its…

Bangladesh-Turkey hold home minister level meeting in Ankara

DHAKA, Nov 29 (NNN-BSS) — A home-minister level meeting between Bangladesh and Turkey was held at the conference room of the Turkish Home Ministry in Ankara. Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal led a 20-member Bangladeshi delegation while Turkish Home Minister Suleyman Soylu led his country’s side, said an official…

Riyadh will always stay beside Dhaka on Rohingya issue, Saudi CGS tells PM

DHAKA, Nov 29 (NNN-BSS) — Visiting Chief of General Staff (CGS) of Saudi Armed Forces General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al- Ruwaili highly appreciated the role of Bangladesh in Rohingya issue and said Riyadh will always stay beside Dhaka on this issue. He said this during a courtesy call on Prime…

WHO, UNICEF evacuate 76 staff from Ebola teams in Congo due to insecurity

GENEVA, Nov 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) evacuated dozens of their staff working on the Ebola epidemic from the town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the worsening security situation.Rebels believed to belong to the Allied Democratic…

Floods kill at least 39 in Congolese capital Kinshasa

KINSHASA, Nov 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 39 people died in flooding on Tuesday in Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of Democratic Republic of Congo, following torrential rains overnight, authorities said.The heavy rain caused landslides near the University of Kinshasa, they said.At least three houses had fallen into a ravine and…

Nigerian prison chief arrested after $1m scam

Hope Olusegun Aroke is serving a 24-year prison sentence ABUJA, Nov 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The head of a maximum-security jail and a prison doctor have been arrested in Nigeria, following allegations that they enabled a prisoner to conduct internet scams. Hope Olusegun Aroke carried out a million-dollar fraud while serving…

South Africa: Eskom will continue to be owned by government – Pres Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa LIMPOPO (South Africa), Nov 27 (NNN-SANEWS) — President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that the South African government’s attempts to reconfigure and split Eskom into three divisions is not aimed at privatising the embattled power utility.  These measures, he said, are rather aimed at stabilising the utility and…