UN chief Guterres eyes reforms to peacekeeping operations

UNITED NATIONS, July 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a “serious, broad-based reflection” on reforming the global body’s peacekeeping operations, highlighting persistent “limitations” to their success. Presenting his most recent policy brief, entitled the “New Agenda for Peace,” Guterres praised the work of UN peacekeeping missions as…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: US sanctions more than 120 Russian, Kyrgyz firms

WASHINGTON, July 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States placed more than 120 companies from Russia as well as several Kyrgyzstan firms on its sanctions blacklist for what it said were their contributions to Russia’s war on Ukraine. The sanctions aimed at further choking off Russia’s access to critical raw and…

Greece facing hottest July weekend in 50 years, expert warns

  ATHENS, July 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece is facing its hottest July weekend in 50 years, a top meteorologist warned Friday as the country wilts under a prolonged heatwave set to last well into next week.   Government ministries have advised people to work from home where possible and not…

Russia: Pres Putin launches major Arctic liquified natural gas project

 MOSCOW, July 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched the first part of Arctic LNG 2, a massive liquified natural gas (LNG) project at Murmansk, in the Arctic. Arctic LNG 2 is one of Russia’s key projects in its drive to open a northern maritime route linking…

Brazil’s 2022/23 harvest is expected to reach 317.5 million tons with a planted area of 78.2 million hectares

BRASILIA, July 18 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Brazil is expected to harvest a record 317.5 million tons of grains in the 2022-23 agriculture cycle, which is 44.9 million tons (16.5%) more than the previous year, according to the 10th Grain Harvest Survey by Conab, the country’s food supply and statistics agency. The…

Spain feels like an ‘oven’ as third heatwave grips country

MADRID, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The third official heatwave of the summer has begun in Spain, with a heat alarm declared by the national weather service AEMET in effect in 12 of the country’s 17 autonomous communities, German news agency (dpa) quoted local media reports. The result was deserted streets…

IMF approves Ksh 136B loan for Kenya

WASHINGTON, July 18 (NNN-KBC) — Kenya will receive an immediate disbursement to the tune of Ksh 58.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to meet its budgetary expenses. This follows the conclusion of the fifth review of the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the…

New York City names its first Latino police commissioner

New Police Commissioner Edward Caban waves to attendees NEW YORK, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has appointed acting police chief Edward Caban as the first Hispanic police commissioner in the city’s 178-year history. Caban, who joined the department as a young patrol officer in 1991 and rose…

Strong quake hits Argentina and Chile; no casualties or material damages were reported

BUENOS AIRES/SANTIAGO, July 8 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentina’s National Institute of Seismic Prevention (Inpres) Monday reported an earthquake at 00:05 local time, at a depth of 214 kilometers, with its epicenter 240 kilometers west of the city of Neuquén, and 14 kilometers south of the small town of Loncopué. The United…

Electronic ‘noses’ help sniff out forest fires in Germany

EBERSWALDE (Germany), July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sensors that can sniff out a wildfire minutes after it starts are being trialled in Brandenburg, the German region most hit by forest fires. In the heart of Eberswalde forest northeast of Berlin, Juergen Mueller coaxed flames out of a fire pit using highly…