Czech shooting: Gunman kills six at hospital in Ostrava

Patients and staff evacuated from the hospital by the emergency services OSTRAVA (Czech Republic), Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A gunman has killed six people in a hospital waiting room in the Czech city of Ostrava before shooting himself in the head, police say.Armed police found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted…

Russian court sentences 11 for Saint Petersburg bombing that killed 15

ST PETERSBURG (Russia), Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced 11 people to terms including life in prison after finding them guilty of a deadly bomb attack on the Saint Petersburg metro in 2017.Abror Azimov, a 29-year-old from Kyrgyzstan, was sentenced by a military court in Russia’s…

Algerian court jails two ex-prime ministers for wasting public funds

Ahmed Ouyahia (right) and Abdelmalek Sellal (left) ALGIERS, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Algerian court has convicted two former Algerian prime ministers and other senior officials in a corruption case.Ahmed Ouyahia was sentenced to 15 years and Abdelmalek Sellal to 12 years in prison on charges of squandering public funds…

Nigeria: Boko Haram releases new video, kills soldiers, policeman

Boko Haram ABUJA, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Boko Haram has released a video showing the execution of two Nigerian soldiers and a policeman, posted online by the Daesh group propaganda agency, Amaq.The video, dated Sunday, was made by a branch of Boko Haram that has sworn allegiance to Daesh known…

EU gives 250 camels as gift to Mauritania military to counter jihadists

NOUAKCHOTT, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The EU has given Mauritania 250 camels as part of its efforts to combat the threat of jihadists and boost border security in the Sahel country, according to the Sahara Media news agency.The arrival of the animals in the town of Achemim in an eastern…

Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan to try to resolve dam dispute in Jan 13 Washington meeting -statement

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan plan to meet in Washington on Jan 13 to try to finalize an agreement to resolve their dispute over a massive dam project on the Nile River in Ethiopia, according to a joint statement issued by the…

African governments struggle to turn around loss-making airlines

Kenya Airways planes NAIROBI, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Governments from Kenya to South Africa are struggling to turn around loss-making state-owned airlines through restructuring or by bringing on board private partners.Ethiopian Airlines has bucked the trend, providing a model that others hope to emulate.Following is a summary of the financial…

African countries borrowing like it’s the 1990s – IMF

Kristalina Georgieva WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Record commodity prices and low global interest rates have encouraged African countries to borrow as they did in the 1990s, but now some are struggling to pay up as their revenue slows along with economic growth. The debt of governments as a percentage…

Dec 12 elections: UK PM Johnson pockets reporter’s phone in hospital row

LONDON, Dec 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of grabbing a journalist’s phone and putting it into his pocket to avoid looking at an image of a boy sleeping on a hospital floor. An ITV television reporter attempted to show Johnson the picture — of a…

Pres Putin says Russia has every reason to appeal against sports ban

PARIS, Dec 11 (NNN-XINHUA) — Russian President Vladimir Putin saidthe ruling by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to ban Russiafrom international sporting events for four years violates the Olympiccharter and Russia has every reason to go to court. “The fact that the (WADA’s) decision applies collectively to all Russianathletes proves…