US Pres Trump blasts French counter-part Macron ‘brain dead’ comments as ‘nasty’

LONDON, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump has accused his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron of being “nasty” for saying Nato was “brain dead”. Trump is in London for a summit marking the Western military alliance’s 70th anniversary. Trump said Nato served a great purpose, and Macron’s remarks had…

‘Internet fraud academy’ busted in Nigeria: anti-corruption agency

ABUJA, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency says it has arrested 23 people undergoing training in internet fraud scams in a remote village in the south of the country.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says the suspects – aged between 19 and 35 – were being trained on…

Anger, hope and pleas for action at UN climate meet

MADRID, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Confronted with a climate crisis threatening civilisation itself, humanity must choose between hope and surrender, UN chief Antonio Guterres told the opening plenary of a UN climate conference. “One is the path of surrender, where we have sleep-walked past the point of no return, jeopardising…

Sudan: 16 killed as fire hits factory – doctors

KHARTOUM, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A fire triggered by an explosion torethrough a factory in the Sudanese capital on Tuesday, killing 16 people andinjuring dozens, doctors and witnesses said. Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky after the blaze broke outat a tile manufacturing unit in an industrial…

Colombia faces another week of anti-government protests

BOGOTA, Dec 3 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Colombia is currently facing another week of anti-government protests as a reflection of social unrest and rejection of policies implemented by the Executive. Since the massive national strike of Nov 21, mobilizations, rallies, pot-banging protests and other actions take place in the main cities…

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera has lowest approval rating ever

SANTIAGO, Dec 3 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Many Chileans are wondering just how much further Chilean President Sebastian Piñera’s popularity can fall, after polls revealed the lowest approval ratings for a president since the country’s return to democracy. The Pulso Ciudadano poll, conducted by consulting firm Criteria Research, and that undertaken…

Cameroonian government rules out postponing general elections

YAOUNDE, Dec 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Cameroonian government ruled out the possibility of postponing general elections scheduled for February 2020, a government spokesperson said. “The government condemns all maneuvers that amount to blackmail and one-upmanship, and denounces the various foreign attempts to interfere, which are in violation of our laws,…

Nigeria: No date yet to re-open land borders – Pres Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari DAURA (Nigeria), Dec 3 (NNN-NAN) — President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria’s domestic fuel consumption has dropped by more than 30 per cent, following the closure of land borders.Buhari, who said this at his country home in Daura, while receiving a delegation of Katsina State Elders Forum, also…

US court acquitted main defendant in Mozambique fraud case

Mozambique is reportedly one of the most indebted countries in the world NEW YORK, Dec 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US court acquitted the main defendant in a bribery case that plunged Mozambique into its worst-ever financial crisis following a trial in which he implicated the country’s president. The New York…

British rail union starts month-long strike over dispute about closing train doors

 Striking workers outside Waterloo station on Monday LONDON, Dec 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Union members on one of Britain’s busiest railway networks walked out on Monday, on the first day of a planned 27-day strike that could affect hundreds of thousands of commuters. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) stopped work…