French police clear 600 Tibetan migrants from camp outside Paris

Tibetan asylum seekers gather by a portrait of the Dalai Lama at a makeshift camp in Saint-Germain-en-Laye forest in Acheres PARIS, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French authorities said that they removed some 600 asylum-seekers from Tibet from a camp on the edge of a forest outside Paris, which had grown…

Brazil approves sale of medical cannabis in pharmacies

SAO PAULO, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s health watchdog approved the sale of cannabis-based products for medical use in pharmacies to people with a prescription. The regulation, which takes effect in the coming months, also allows for the manufacture of such products in a laboratory, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency…

French engineer assassinated in Colombian capital

BOGOTA, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An engineer working for French aerospace and defence company Thales has been shot dead in the Colombian capital Bogota in an apparent targeted assassination, officials said. The 45-year-old victim was shot late Monday as he left a restaurant with a French colleague in the city’s…

China gifts El Salvador stadium, library after Taiwan switch

BEIJING, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China has agreed to pay for a new national stadium and library in El Salvador as part of an infrastructure package promised to the country after it switched allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing. President Xi Jinping met with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Tuesday (Dec 4)…

NATO unity on the line as feuding leaders meet

LONDON, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — NATO leaders will attempt to make a convincing show of unity on Wednesday when they meet to conclude a summit already overshadowed by bitter rows about the future of the alliance. Last year, the Western allies’ get-together was derailed by US President Donald Trump’s demand…

Journalist murder probe: EU parliamentary mission head says Malta PM should stand aside now

VALLETTA, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The head of a European Parliament delegation, dispatched to Malta to review the rule of law on the island following a scandal over the murder of a journalist, said Prime Minister Joseph Muscat should step aside immediately. Muscat has defended his handling of the investigation…

Namibia to redouble efforts to reduce inequalities and fight corruption: president

WINDHOEK, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Namibia’s newly re-elected President Hage Geingob has said his country is going to redouble efforts to reduce inequalities and fight corruption. Geingob was addressing the nation and thanking them for voting for him to lead for a second term. “A new chapter has been opened…

African economic conference calls on policymakers to curb red-tape

SHARM EL SHEIKH (Egypt), Dec 4 (NNN-XINHUA) — The African Economic Conference (AEC-2019) called on African policymakers to take bold steps to tackle red-tape and high startup costs in order to create decent and well-paying jobs for the continent’s youth. The call was made by African experts and policymakers attending…

World Bank says Tanzania’s GDP to grow faster in 2020

World bank says Tanzania’s GDP forecast to grow 5.8% in 2020 from 5.6% in 2019 DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) –Tanzania’s economy will grow 5.8% in 2020 compared with an estimated 5.6% this year, and growth will rise to 6.1% in 2021, the World Bank said. The World Bank’s…

UN deploys troops to central South Sudan to quell violence

JUBA , Dec 4 (NNN-XINHUA) — The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said it has deployed peacekeepers to deter violence between rival communities in the northern Lakes region, central South Sudan. UNMISS said it temporarily re-deployed 75 Nepalese troops from Rumbek to Maper, where some 79 people…