UK: First pictures of King Charles banknotes revealed

 LONDON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The new look of banknotes featuring the image of King Charles has been unveiled by the Bank of England. The portrait will be the only change to existing designs of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes and will start to enter circulation from mid-2024. New notes…

EU nations agree gas price cap to shield consumers

BRUSSELS, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — European Union nations have agreed to cap soaring wholesale gas prices to protect consumers across the bloc. From Feb 15, prices will be limited if they breach 180 euros per megawatt hour for three days running. It follows weeks of wrangling in which Germany and…

US drug seizure: Enough fentanyl to kill every single American seized in 2022

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US federal drug agents say they seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says they intercepted 379m potentially deadly fentanyl doses, which is just two milligrams. The DEA described the highly addictive substance, which is 50 times more powerful…

Sudan police tear-gas pro-democracy protests

KHARTOUM, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sudanese security forces in the capital have fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse thousands of people protesting against military rule. The demonstrators marched towards the presidential palace but were chased away by police. They dismissed a deal signed recently between the military and civilians,…

Irmgard Furchner: Typist guilty of complicity in 10,500 murders – the first woman to be tried for Nazi crimes during WW11

The court ordered that pictures of Irmgard Furchner from the trial should be blurred  BERLIN, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A former secretary who worked for the commander of a Nazi concentration camp has been convicted of complicity in the murders of more than 10,500 people. Irmgard Furchner, 97, was taken…

Attacks on electoral body’s offices pose challenge to general elections: Nigerian official

ABUJA, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) — Persistent attacks on the electoral body’s offices might have an adverse effect on the forthcoming general elections in the country, a Nigerian official said. If attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) across the country were unabated till January 2023, the electoral body…

Peru declares Mexican Ambassador as persona non grata

LIMA, Dec 21 (NNN-ANDINA) — The Government of Peru on Tuesday decided to declare the Mexican  Ambassador, Pablo Monroy Conesa, persona non grata, who has been given a period of 72 hours to leave the national territory. This decision is based on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which establishes the…

Peru: Congress approves bringing elections forward to April 2024

LIMA, Dec 21 (NNN-ANDINA) — Peru Parliament on Tuesday approved the substitute text —presented by Constitution and Regulations Commission Chairman Hernando Guerra Garcia— which proposes bringing the general elections forward to April 2024. The constitutional reform bill establishes that the President of the Republic, currently in office, shall call for general elections, which will…

UN boss believes Ukraine-Russia war ‘will go on’

 UNITED NATIONS, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was pessimistic that Russia’s war in Ukraine would end soon but he hoped it would be over by the end of next year. “I am not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace talks in the immediate future,”…

US Pres Biden talks security, economy, cartel fight with Ecuador president

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden met with his Ecuadoran counterpart Guillermo Lasso at the White House where they discussed security and economic cooperation between Washington and Quito, which is calling for cost-sharing in the fight against drug-trafficking. Lasso arrived with a list of priorities including help for…