Gambians vote in first presidential election since Jammeh era

BANJUL, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gambians head to the polls Saturday to select their next president, in a highly anticipated vote seen as a test of the country’s democratic transition. President Adama Barrow faces five other candidates as he seeks re-election in what is expected to be a close race. Political veteran Ousainou…

UN chief urges Sudan to respect freedom of the press

   UNITED NATIONS, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged authorities in Sudan to respect freedom of expression and the press, calling the coup-stricken country hostile to journalists in a report submitted Friday to the Security Council.    Hundreds of political activists, journalists, protesters and bystanders watching…

Covid-19: Mexico reports first Omicron case

MEXICO CITY, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico announced its first case of the coronavirus Omicron variant, in a traveller from South Africa, but the government said it was not considering border closures as a counter-measure. The variant was detected in a 51-year-old from South Africa with mild symptoms, under-secretary of…

Terrorist attack claims at least 30 lives in central Mali

BAMAKO, Dec 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — A terrorist attack at Songho Gare, a small town between Sevare and Bandiagara in central Mali, claimed dozens of lives, a local official and witnesses said. According to the witnesses, the terrorists attacked a bus heading to the Bandiagara fair. “The vehicle was set on…

Covid-19: October deadliest month of pandemic in Russia with 75,000 deaths

 MOSCOW, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s federal statistics agency Rosstat said that nearly 75,000 people died of coronavirus in the country in October, making it the deadliest month of the entire pandemic.   The agency reported that total deaths since Russia recorded its first case stood at more than 520,000,…

US school shooter’s parents charged with manslaughter, wanted by police

 WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The parents of a 15-year-old who shot dead four students at a US high school with a gun bought by his father were preparing Friday to turn themselves in to authorities after being charged with involuntary manslaughter, their lawyers said.   The whereabouts of James…

Covid-19: Europe surpasses 75 million cases amid spread of Omicron

PARIS, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday as the region braces for the new Omicron variant at a time when hospitals in some countries are already strained by the current surge. More than 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of the new…

Record drug money bust in Panama: US$10 million in cash

Record drug money bust in Panama: US$10 million in cash PANAMA CITY, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Panamanian authorities have seized a record haul of drug money – more than US$10 million in cash – in a crackdown on gangs linked to neighboring Colombia’s embattled Gulf Clan. It took investigators more…

Covid-19: Tunisia confirms 1st case of Omicron variant infection

TUNIS, Dec 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — A 23-year-old man from a sub-Saharan African country has been confirmed as Tunisia’s first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the country’s Health Minister Ali Mrabet said. The man landed at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport from Istanbul, Turkey, Mrabet said in a statement carried on…

Armed attacks force over 11,500 Nigerians to flee to Niger in November: UNHCR

LAGOS, Dec 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said repeated attacks in northwest Nigeria forced over 11,500 Nigerians to flee across the border into neighboring Niger in November, resulting in humanitarian crisis. Armed groups, locally called “bandits”, have repeatedly attacked villages in…