Somalia extends election deadline to next month

MOGADISHU, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Somalia extended its deadline to finish voting for the lower house of parliament, the latest in a series of election delays that risk starving the country of budget funds.    The fragile Horn of Africa nation has struggled to hold elections, with polls delayed by…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: NATO deploys response force for first time

 BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance was deploying its rapid response force for the first time ever to bolster defences in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.    “It is still a fluid situation. What we have seen is that the Ukrainian forces are…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: IMF, World Bank chiefs warn of global impacts from Ukraine war

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The leaders of the World Bank and IMF signaled they were ready to help Ukraine, while warning that Russia’s invasion will have repercussions for the global economic recovery.   IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she was “deeply concerned” about the fighting’s impact on the…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: UN civil aviation council ‘condemns’ Russian violation of Ukraine airspace

MONTREAL, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN’s civil aviation body condemned the “violation” of Ukraine’s territory and airspace after Russia invaded. The 36 states on the International Civil Aviation Organization Council (ICAO) “condemned the violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a United Nations Member State, including its airspace,”…

Rwanda on course to wean itself off poultry imports

KIGALI, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Rwandan government has sustained its halts on the importation of poultry products, especially chicks, as it looks to prevent the spread of bird flu in the country.Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) said that the country was now concentrating on bolstering the…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: German police want to stop pro-Russia right-wing extremists fighting in Ukraine

German police officers BERLIN, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — German federal police are working to prevent right-wing extremists from travelling to join the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a government document.Security agencies suspect that the vast majority of German radicals are allied with Russia, the government in Berlin said in a request…

Nigeria awaits first ‘electronic’ polls as Pres Buhari signs new law

President Muhammadu Buhari signing the Electoral Amendment Bill into law ABUJA, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 into law.The signing ceremony took place inside the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.Africa’s most populous nation votes in keenly awaited presidential polls in…

Kenya: Girl jailed for 2017 school dormitory fire that killed 10 of her peers

The fire was the most deadly of school fires started by students NAIROBI, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An 18-year-old Kenyan girl has been jailed five years for starting a school dormitory fire that killed ten of her schoolmates in Kenya.The girl committed the offence when she was 14 years old…

Covid-19: Sweden right not to lockdown – report

  STOCKHOLM, Feb 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sweden made the right decision not to impose a lockdown early on in the Covid pandemic, but should have introduced more measures earlier, a government-appointed commission said.   The Scandinavian country made headlines early on in the pandemic by not introducing a lockdown, instead…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: US Pres Biden joins emergency NATO session on Russia’s Ukraine invasion

WASHINGTON, Feb  26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden joined an emergency NATO summit to strengthen the frantic Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and fears for the security of Europe. The US president, who has spent weeks trying to lead a united trans-Atlantic response to Russia’s aggression against its…