UN: Election of new ILO chief wide open

GENEVA, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Labour Organization will pick its next chief Friday, with the possibility it could place a woman or an African at the helm for the first time. Five candidates are in the running to succeed British trade unionist Guy Ryder, who will step down…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russian space chief says cooperation with Europe now impossible

MOSCOW, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s space director said that Europe had wrecked cooperation by imposing sanctions against his agency, and rockets that were meant to launch European satellites would now be used for Russian companies or countries friendly to Moscow. Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, said in a Chinese television interview…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: “Neutral” Switzerland freezes Russian assets worth $6.2 billion

ZURICH, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Switzerland has frozen the equivalent of 5.75 billion Swiss francs ($6.2 billion) in Russian assets since the invasion of Ukraine, a senior economy ministry official said.   The sum, amounting to 5.6 billion euros, includes funds and assets such as property in tourist regions of Switzerland,…

Pres Biden hails drop in US unemployment claims to half-century low

WASHINGTON, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden cheered government data released Thursday that showed unemployment benefit filings dropping to levels not seen in more than 50 years, calling it evidence his economic policies were working.    The Labor Department reported 187,000 new claims for jobless aid were made last…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: UN General Assembly demands Russia end Ukraine war

  UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted by an overwhelming majority a new non-binding resolution that demands an “immediate” halt to Russia’s war in Ukraine.   At UN headquarters in New York, 140 countries voted in favor, 38 abstained and five voted against the…

Ethiopia government declares unilateral truce to allow aid into Tigray

People hold candles and Ethiopian flags in Addis Ababa during a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict ADDIS ABABA, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia’s government declared an immediate, unilateral truce in its conflict with rebellious Tigrayan forces to allow aid into the northern province, although it was…

Violence to spur more migration from Mexico, Central America: Red Cross

Asylum-seeking migrants in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico MEXICO CITY, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Waves of migration through Mexico and Central America, and people who go missing will increase in 2022 due to high levels of violence in the region, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. “In many countries, violence…

Afghanistan: US, allies call on Taliban to reopen girls’ schools

School girls hold Taliban flags during a ceremony to mark the start of the academic year at a primary school in Kandahar WASHINGTON, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and other Western countries condemned the Taliban’s decision to shut girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan just hours after reopening them, and urged…

US imposes sanctions targeting North Korea’s missile program

WASHINGTON, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has imposed sanctions on two Russian companies and a North Korean entity for transferring sensitive items to North Korea’s missile program, the State Department said. It named the Russian entities as the Ardis Group of Companies LLC (Ardis Group) and PFK Profpodshipnik…

886 civilians killed, wounded or kidnapped in Mali: UN

BAMAKO, March 25 (NNN-Xinhua) — At least 886 civilians were killed, injured or missing in Mali in the second half of last year, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said in a note published on Thursday. Of the victims, 40 are children and 65 are women,…