Russia, US, Ukraine to square off at UN Security Council

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield UNITED NATIONS, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in…

Covid-19: Truckers cause chaos in Ottawa after second day of protests

Dozens of truckers arrived in Ottawa over the weekend as part of a so-called “freedom convoy” OTTAWA, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Protesters against a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border have brought Canada’s capital city to a standstill for a second day. Thousands of demonstrators joined the so-called Freedom…

DR Congo issues death sentences for murder of UN experts

Zaida Catalan  KINSHASA, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dozens of militia members have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for their involvement in the murder of two UN experts. Swedish-Chilean Zaida Catalan and American Michael Sharp were abducted and killed in the Kasai region in 2017. They…

Post-Brexit crisis: UK vows ‘Brexit Freedoms Bill’ to scrap EU laws

  LONDON, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCES) — The UK government will introduce new legislation allowing it to change or scrap retained European Union laws, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday to mark two years since Brexit.   The new “Brexit Freedoms Bill” will make it easier to amend or remove what…

Ecuador monitoring oil leak threatening river in Amazon

 QUITO, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador said it was monitoring the progress of an operation to clean up an oil leak in the Amazon jungle that threatens to pollute a river.    Heavy rains caused a mudslide at Piedra Fina in the eastern Napo province on Friday.    A rock…

Update: Portugal’s Socialists re-elected with majority

 LISBON, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Portugal’s ruling Socialists unexpectedly won an outright majority to govern solo after snap elections on Sunday that also saw the far right make huge gains. The results pave the way for a stronger government under Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the country tries to boost…

Six family members murdered in violent Mexican state

  SILAO (Mexico), Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Six members of a family were murdered in a rural community in Mexico’s Guanajuato state, one of the most violent in the country, local authorities said.   Four men and two women aged between 24 and 73 were found in a building with…

Russia: Military drill moved further from Irish shore

Russian ships take part in exercises in the Baltic Sea in October 2021  DUBLIN, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Russian military exercise has been moved further from the Irish coast, after pressure from politicians and fishermen. It has been moved outside of the Republic’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The ‘live-fire’…

Pres Biden demands Taliban free last US hostage in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden called on the Taliban to “immediately release” the man believed to be its last American hostage, withholding any hope of recognizing the militants’ rule in Afghanistan until he is free.    The announcement came on the eve of the two-year anniversary of…

French army says nearly 60 ‘terrorists’ killed in Burkina Faso

  PARIS, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nearly 60 “terrorists” have been killed in Burkina Faso by local forces assisted by French forces deployed in the country, France’s military said, as a bloody insurgency rages.    “On four occasions between Jan 16 and Jan 23, 2022, groups of terrorists were located, identified…