UK nurses begin unprecedented walkout

LONDON, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UK nurses begin an unprecedented strike as a “last resort” in their fight for better wages and working conditions, despite warnings it could put patients at risk. Up to 100,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are holding…

WHO eyes end to Covid, Mpox emergency in 2023

GENEVA, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization said it hoped that Covid-19 would no longer be a public health emergency in 2023, as it urged China to share information that could pinpoint how the pandemic started. As the third anniversary of the original outbreak rolls around, the WHO said…

UN rights chief denounces crackdown in Nicaragua

GENEVA, Dec  16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nicaragua is systematically working to stifle dissent, the UN’s rights chief warned, pointing to swelling numbers of arbitrary detentions, thousands of NGOs shut down and “muzzling ofthe media”. Volker Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council the country was beset by an intensifying “climate…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: 14 mn tonnes of grain exported from Ukraine – UN

 GENEVA, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 14 million tonnes of grain have been exported from Ukraine under the Black Sea deal with Russia and eased global food prices, the United Nations said. Rebeca Grynspan, head of the UN’s trade and development agency UNCTAD which helped broker the Black Sea…

EU wants to ‘reconnect’ with Southeast Asia amid Ukraine war

BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES — EU leaders meet their counterparts from Southeast Asia for a summit in Brussels on Wednesday, looking to bolster ties in the face of the war in Ukraine and challenges from China. Europe is keen to boost trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which…

Sudan inks $6b UAE deal for new Red Sea port

KHARTOUM, Dec 14 (NNN-NEWVISION) — Sudan signed Tuesday an initial $6b (sh22 trillion) deal led by United Arab Emirates’ AD Ports Group and Invictus Investment to build a vast new Red Sea port and economic zone. “The massive project, which is estimated to cost around $6b, will give a strong…

Aid staves off Somalia famine, for now: UN

GENEVA, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Humanitarian aid and support from local communities have helped avert a dreaded famine declaration in Somalia this year, but the situation remains “catastrophic,” the UN said. The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said the latest assessment found that, technically, Somalia was not yet in the grip…

US-Africa Summit: DR Congo leader blames climate change for devastating floods

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the United States on Tuesday in blaming climate change for major floods that have claimed around 100 lives in the capital Kinshasa. “The DRC is under pressure but unfortunately it’s not sufficiently heard or supported,” President Felix…

President-elect Lula accuses outgoing president Bolsonaro of inciting violence in Brazil

BRASÍLIA, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused incumbent Jair Bolsonaro Tuesday of inciting violence, a day after pro-Bolsonaro protesters torched vehicles, clashed with police and tried to invade their headquarters. Monday’s violence rocked the capital, Brasilia, hours after Brazil’s top electoral court officially certified Lula…

Hawaii volcano goes quiet after spectacular display

KAILUA KONA (Hawaii, US), Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The world’s largest volcano, which has offered a spectacular weeks-long show in its first eruption for almost four decades, has gone quiet, scientists in Hawaii said. At the height of the flare-up, Mauna Loa spewed fountains of lava 200 feet (60 meters) into…