Joe Biden was confirmed as the next US president on Monday as the Electoral College formalized his victory over Trump, all but closing the door on the incumbent’s efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election. As Biden appealed to Americans to “turn the page” on the divisive contest, electors met across all US … Read more
Electoral college Former U.S. First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, on Monday renewed her call for the abolition of the country’s Electoral College. She made the call in a tweet shortly after voting as an elector alongside her husband and former President Bill Clinton in New York. “I believe we should abolish the … Read more
A new variant of the Coronavirus disease has been found growing faster in some parts of England. Health Secretary, Matt Hancock said at least 60 different local authorities had recorded Coronavirus infections caused by the new variant. He said the World Health Organization had been notified and UK scientists were doing detailed studies. He said … Read more
Cyberattack Hackers have been targeting the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments and other government agencies, according to media reports on Sunday. National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot told dpa “the U.S. government is aware of these reports and we are taking all necessary steps to identify and address potential issues related to this situation.” The … Read more
Trump Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he was not scheduled to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus (COVID-19), after a media report indicated he could receive a jab as early as Monday. Earlier in the day Bloomberg reported Trump could be vaccinated “as soon as Monday,” and other top White House officials … Read more
Berenice Jaramillo-Hernandez is facing murder charges after, investigators revealed that she fatally stabbed her 5- and 6-year-old children before turning the knife on herself. The 26-year-old faces two counts each of felony murder, malice murder and aggravated assault in the Friday killings, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said, calling the incident “heatbreaking.” Authorities announced Saturday … Read more
The US public will start receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine from Monday after it was authorised for emergency use. The first three million doses of the vaccine would be shipped “across all states” this weekend, said General Gustave Perna, who is overseeing distribution. BBC reports that the vaccine offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 … Read more
Zambia, Registration Zambia’s electoral body on Saturday announced the extension of a voter registration exercise to capture more voters. The voter registration exercise ahead of 2021 general elections had commenced on Nov. 9 and closed on Dec, Eko hot blog gathered. Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano said the commission had … Read more
Recoveries The number of COVID-19 recoveries in the African continent has reached 2,010,127, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday. The continental disease control and prevention agency said in a statement that the number of overall COVID-19 cases in the continent stands at 2,343,128 as of Saturday afternoon, Eko … Read more
The EuroMillions lottery, on Friday, announced that a record jackpot of €200 million ($242 million) was in France by a ticket holder who has 120 days to claim the prize. According to AFP, the win is the biggest ever scooped by a player of the EuroMillions lottery with the previous record standing at 190 million … Read more
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has called for the commencement of a formal investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Nigeria. This follows a decade-long investigation into violence in the Northeast involving Boko Haram insurgents. According to the BBC, Bensouda said the vast majority of crimes were by … Read more
An international court on Friday sentenced a fugitive Hezbollah member to life imprisonment for the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri and 21 other people. Salim Ayyash, 57, was found guilty in absentia of murder and terrorism on August 18 by the Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon over the suicide bombing that … Read more
Celebration Burkina Faso celebrates its 60 years of independence on Friday on the theme: “National cohesion and patriotic commitment for a sustainable development of Burkina Faso in a context of insecurity and Covid-19”. “This is a collective challenge for a Burkina Faso resolutely turned towards the sacred union of its daughters and sons, to face … Read more
Experts advising the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recommended emergency approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The decision is coming on the heel of a 23-member panel meeting to determine whether the drug’s benefits outweigh the risks. BBC reports that the Pfizer vaccine has already been approved for the public in the UK, … Read more
The wealthiest man in Brazil, banking magnate Joseph Safra, has died of natural causes at the age of 82, his bank has announced. AFP reports that Safra had an estimated fortune of $23.2 billion and is ranked 63rd on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s wealthiest people. Born in 1938 to a Lebanese Jewish family … Read more
COVID-19, Rights UN Secretary-General António Guterres has cautioned against using the guise of enforcing COVID-19 protocols to violate the rights of people. The UN chief, in his message to mark Human Rights Day observed on Thursday, called for human rights to be put “front and centre” of COVID-19 response and recovery globally in order to … Read more
United States President-Elect, Joe Biden’s son, Hunter has said his tax affairs are under investigation. According to the BBC, the investigation is being conducted by federal prosecutors in Delaware. Hunter Biden said he took the case “very seriously” but was confident an “objective review” would show he had handled his affairs “legally and appropriately”. The … Read more
Vaccine The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has authorised a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine for general use, saying that phase-3 trials showed that it was 86 per cent effective. The vaccine, developed by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, was approved only for emergency use in the UAE in September to protect frontline workers, Ekohotblog gathered. The UAE’s … Read more
British public health officials, on Wednesday, warned that people with a history of significant allergic reactions should not have the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for now. AFP reports that this is coming after two members of the National Health Service who were among the first to receive the vaccine on Tuesday suffered allergic reactions and needed treatment. … Read more
United States President-Elect, Joe Biden has set a goal of 100 million Covid vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, BBC reports. He said his first months in office would not end the outbreak but gave few details on rollout strategy and promised to change the course of COVID-19. Introducing his health team for … Read more