Heat and cold records broken in just five days in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentina broke records for heat and cold within a short window of just five days this week, with temperatures plummeting a jaw-dropping 30 degrees Celsius as a heatwave gave way to historic snowfalls. A cold front from Patagonia caused temperatures in Buenos Aires to…

Suspended Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso push for return to AU in spite of coups

African Union leaders in a meeting ADDIS ABABA, Feb 18 (NNN-GNA) — Suspended countries Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso are lobbying to be re-admitted to the African Union, more than a year after coups plagued the West African region.In a series of meetings in Addis Ababa, the countries’ foreign ministers…

Belarus hits back after Poland closes border checkpoint

MINSK, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Belarus said it was limiting access for Polish trucks on its territory and announced the expulsion of a liaison officer following Warsaw’s decision to close a border crossing. The foreign ministry in Minsk summoned Poland’s charge d’affaires to condemn Warsaw’s decision to close one of…

Suriname: Clashes at rising living cost protests; National Assembly suffer destruction

PARAMARIBO, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of people protested in Suriname against rising living costs, clashing with security forces in the capital Paramaribo and looting shops in the city center, the government said in a statement. The government reports that the National Assembly had been “forcibly entered, causing destruction,” though…

US gun violence: Six dead in Mississippi shooting rampage, suspect detained

JACKSON (Mississippi, US), Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Six people were killed Friday in a shooting rampage in a rural area of the southern US state of Mississippi, local media reported. Police said a man who is now in custody shot a person at a store in the small town of…

Brazil’s minimum wage to rise from May, president says

BRASILIA, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the minimum monthly wage will increase from the current 1,302 reais to 1,320 reais (251 U.S. dollars) starting May. Lula said his administration would set a new rule for the minimum salary taking into account inflation compensation…

Peru unrest: Congress approves indictment of ex-president Castillo

LIMA, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — Peru’s Congress on Friday approved the constitutional complaint against former president Pedro Castillo and two former ministers for the alleged crimes of criminal organization, influence peddling and collusion. After more than four hours of debate, Congress decided to approve the final report with 59 votes…

UNHCR says over 60,000 Somalis flee to Ethiopia amid clashes

Somali refugees who fled recent clashes in Lasscanood, Somaliland area, shelter in the open at the Qoriley site in the Somali region of Ethiopia MOGADISHU, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — More than 60,000 Somalis, mainly women and children, have fled to Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past few weeks following clashes…

Over 33 million children vaccinated against wild poliovirus in southern Africa: WHO

BRAZZAVILLE, Feb 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — A year since Malawi confirmed its first case of wild poliovirus type 1 in 30 years, more than 33 million children across five southern African countries have been vaccinated against the virus, with over 80 million vaccine doses administered over the past year, said the…

Tunisia foils 191 illegal immigration attempts since beginning of 2023

TUNIS, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — Tunisian coast guards have foiled a total of 191 illegal immigration attempts since the beginning of 2023, according to a statement released by the country’s Interior Ministry. “As part of the fight against maritime crime and the protection of human lives, around 5,216 people were…