Russia-Ukraine crisis: Blinken cancels meeting with Lavrov

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had cancelled a planned meeting with Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov later this week, as Russia had started an invasion of Ukraine.   “Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its…

Russia-Ukraine crisis: US sanctions cut Russia off from Western financing

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US sanctions against Russia announced Tuesday include steps to starve the country of financing, although they did not go as far as some observers had expected.    Washington’s announcement came after the European Union unveiled its own sanctions in a coordinated Western effort to pressure…

Netherlands: Hostage drama at Amsterdam Apple store ends, gunman overpowered

THE HAGUE, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man with a firearm who held several people hostage in an Apple store in central Amsterdam late Tuesday was overpowered after a siege lasting several hours, police said, adding that thelast of the hostages had been freed.    Police had deployed several special…

US, France at UN denounce Russian mercenaries in Central African Republic

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France and the United States at the UN Security Council denounced paramilitaries from Russian private security firm Wagner accused of civilian killings in the Central African Republic, a charge Russia denies.    “In Aigbando, in mid-January, more than a dozen civilians were killed. The…

18 civilians feared killed near Niger’s border with Mali

NIAMEY, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eighteen civilians have been killed in two suspected jihadist attacks in the west of Niger near the Sahel nation’s border with Mali, the government said.    The attack happened on Sunday when unidentified “armed bandits” on motorbikes attacked a truck travelling between villages in the…

Ecuador to pardon 5,000 prisoners to tackle overcrowding

QUITO, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso announced some 5,000 prisoners would be pardoned to reduce overcrowding in the country’s prisons, which were hit with riots that left more than 320 inmates dead in 2021.   “I hope that at least 5,000 people deprived of their freedom will…

Covid-19: Over 12.5 mln children in US infected

A girl prepares to do paper-cutting of Chinese characters at the Children’s Museum of Houston in Houston, Texas WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — Over 12.5 million children in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to a new report by the American…

Pres Buhari begs Western nations to return Nigeria’s looted artefacts

President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari ABUJA, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has appealed to nations, institutions and bodies, both private and public, to return Nigeria’s looted artefacts in their possession.In a statement, Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu said the president made the appeal in the aftermath of…

UN: ‘Race against time’ as Madagascar braces for 4th tropical cyclone in a month

The damage of the Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in the east coast of Madagascar ANTANANARIVO, Feb 23 (NNN-UNNS) — The island nation of Madagascar is shoring up for its fourth tropical cyclone in a month, UN aid agencies warned, as they outlined plans to help the authorities assist the most vulnerable.  While…

Covid-19: New Uganda law to impose fines on those who refuse coronavirus vaccine

Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni KAMPALA, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Uganda plans to impose fines on people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who fail to pay could be sent to prison under an amendment of a public health law currently being reviewed in Parliament.Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng told…