Ancient Mayan maize god sculpture found in Mexico

A stuccoed head representing the Young Maize God dating back 1,300 years, was discovered in the Mayan ruins of the Palenque archaeological complex MEXICO CITY, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Archaeologists have uncovered a roughly 1,300-year-old sculpture representing the head of a Mayan maize god in ruins in southeastern Mexico, the…

Tunisia president sacks 57 judges, accused of corruption, protecting terrorists

TUNIS, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisian President Kais Saied has sacked 57 judges, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists. In a television address, he said he had given the judiciary multiple opportunities and warnings to “purify” itself. Among the sackings announced in the government’s official gazette was Youssef Bouzaker,…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: African Union head to speak to Pres Putin Friday in Russia

DAKAR, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, will meet with President Vladimir Putin in the southwestern Russian city of Sochi on Friday. The visit is aimed at “freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilisers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries”,…

Attack on UN convoy in Mali kills Jordan peacekeeper, injures 3

UNITED NATIONS, June 2 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack on a UN mission logistics convoy in Mali on Wednesday that killed one Jordan peacekeeper and injured three others. “The secretary-general strongly condemns this attack and sends his deepest condolences to the family of the peacekeeper…

132 African asylum-seekers evacuated from Libya to Rwanda: UN refugee agency

TRIPOLI, June 2 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that it evacuated 132 vulnerable asylum-seekers from Libya to Rwanda. “UNHCR evacuated a group of 132 vulnerable asylum seekers, including young children and babies, out of Libya to safety in Rwanda,” UNHCR Libya tweeted. The asylum-seekers,…

Former Miss France charged over ex-Gabon president’s US$750K gift

Sonia Rolland PARIS, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A former Miss France, Sonia Rolland has been indicted in a corruption enquiry involving former Gabonese president Omar Bongo.The French portal, Le Parisien, reports that Sonia is being held over the case of the “ill-gotten gains” of the Gabonese presidency.Rolland is a Rwandan-French…

Nigerian government bans movement, sale of bush meat amid rising Monkeypox cases

Some bush meat on display for sale ABUJA, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Nigerian government has prohibited hunters and dealers of “bush meat” from the practice forthwith to avoid any possibility of “spillover” of Monkeypox in Nigeria.The Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), made this known through the…

WHO aims to contain monkeypox outbreak by minimizing human transmission

Logo of World Health Organization GENEVA, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — It is not clear yet whether the spread of monkeypox can be contained completely, the World Health Organization said, adding that its goal was to contain the outbreak by stopping human-to-human transmission to the maximum extent possible. “Tools to manage…

Surging gang violence in Haiti’s capital leaves nearly 200 dead in one month

Demonstrators protest against surging violence in Port-au-Prince earlier this month PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Surging gang violence in Haiti’s capital has left nearly 200 people dead and thousands displaced in the last month alone, according to a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report.Heavily armed…

Europe becoming a cocaine-trafficking hub, says Europol

The major means of movement is via the shipping industry THE HAGUE, June 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Europe is becoming a hub in the cocaine trade, according to an analysis by the European policing agency Europol.More cocaine is being shipped to Europe from South America and is also being transported onwards,…