Ghana footballer Atsu found dead in Turkiye quake rubble

HATAY (Turkiye), Feb 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Former Ghana international Christian Atsu was found dead on Saturday under the rubble of his home, almost two weeks after a devastating earthquake in Turkiye. Atsu, 31, was caught up in a 7.8-magnitude quake that rocked Turkiye and Syria on Feb 6, killing more…

US-China tension: Blinken, China’s top diplomat in ‘direct, candid talks’ amid balloon spat

 MUNICH (Germany), Feb 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China not to repeat its “irresponsible act” of sending a spy balloon into American airspace, as he held rare talks late Saturday with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. The highly anticipated meeting of the two senior officials…

Brazil: Rio holds first all-out carnival since Covid

 RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With a swirl of glitter, sequins and samba, Rio de Janeiro will kick off its famed carnival parades Sunday, the climax of the festival’s first full-on edition since Covid-19 and Brazil’s bitterly divisive elections. The world’s biggest carnival, which officially opened Friday, will…

Africa faces brunt of climate change, deep inequalities, food crisis: UN chief

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said multiple inter-linked challenges are confronting the world with Africa facing major challenges. “I recently addressed the UN General Assembly on the multiple, inter-linked challenges confronting our world – greater than any in our lifetimes,” Guterres said…

Cuba: 11 of 15 provinces suffer power outage

HAVANA, Feb 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — A power failure left 11 of Cuba’s 15 provinces without power on Saturday, a national electricity generator said in a statement. The power outage affected areas from the province of Matanzas, about 100 km east of Havana, to Guantanamo in Cuba’s far east. “An operating…

Comorian president takes over rotating chair of AU

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — Comorian President Azali Assoumani on Saturday took over the rotating African Union (AU) chairmanship at the opening of the 36th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly. Assoumani replaces the outgoing chairman, also Senegalese President Macky Sall. In his acceptance speech, the Comorian president emphasized…

Dutch government expels Russian diplomats for alleged espionage

THE HAGUE, Feb 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — The Dutch government announced on Saturday the expulsion of a number of Russian diplomats for alleged espionage. The Netherlands will not allow more diplomats to work at the Russian Embassy in the Hague than the number of diplomats who work at the Dutch Embassy…

Peru: Decrease registered in mpox cases

LIMA, Feb 19 (NNN-ANDINA) — The National Center for Epidemiology, Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) of the Health Ministry (Minsa) reported that a progressive decrease in the number of confirmed mpox (monkeypox) cases have been registered in Peru so far this year, presenting the same trend as other countries worldwide. The highest number of cases…

Peru unrest: Early elections should be first issue on agenda in next legislature – Pres Boluarte

CALLAO (Peru), Feb 19 (NNN-ANDINA) — Pres Dina Boluarte said she expects Congress to put the advancement of elections as the first topic on the next legislature’s agenda —once Parliament had not approved the proposal and instead submitted it to the Constitution Commission. She lamented that Parliament on its last…

Russia ‘expected’ to launch rescue ship to ISS on Feb 24: official

MOSCOW, Feb  19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s space agency said it was planning to send a rescue ship on Feb 24 to bring home three astronauts whose return vehicle was damaged by a tiny meteoroid. “The launch is expected on Feb 24,” a spokesman for the Roscosmos space agency said.   Last Monday, the space…