US Justice Department vows to investigate surging cases of anti-Asian violence

People take part in a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, California WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — Senior officials of the US Justice Department said that the recent surge in violence and hate incidents against Asian Americans in the country is unacceptable, vowing to investigate those cases and…

Update: School children abducted in Nigeria’s Niger state released, governor says

A hall at the Government Science College in Kagara, Niger state MAIDUGURI (Nigeria), Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gunmen in Nigeria on Saturday released 42 people, including 27 students, who were kidnapped from a boarding school last week in the north-central state of Niger, the state’s governor said. Their release comes…

EU declares Venezuela ambassador persona non grata and expels her

BRUSSELS, Feb 27 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The European Union has declared Venezuela’s ambassador in Brussels as a “persona non grata” in a tit-for-tat diplomatic move. A EU statement said member states had agreed that Venezuela’s ambassador would no longer be welcome as an envoy to the bloc. The decision to render…

Argentine health minister tests positive for COVID-19

Argentinian Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti BUENOS AIRES, Feb 27 (NNN-Xinhua) — Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti said she had tested positive for COVID-19 and entered quarantine. “I want to tell you that I did a swab as part of the procedure required to enter Congress on March 1, and…

Greek police tear-gas metro station during protest

Riot police use tear gas against protesters at a subway entrance in Athens on Friday ATHENS, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in Athens fired tear gas into a metro station entrance as they scuffled with demonstrators defending a far-left hitman, near death after a long hunger strike in prison. The police…

Covid-19: Nigeria expects first 4 million vaccine doses from COVAX next week -WHO

GENEVA, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria is expecting its first 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines next week from the global COVAX vaccine programme for poor and middle-income countries, the head of the World Health Organization mission in Nigeria said. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO representative in Nigeria, told a briefing…

Covid-19: Health workers protest controversial law in Bolivia despite pandemic

LA PAZ, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Health workers in Bolivia have taken to the streets against a controversial law in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and an ongoing doctors’ strike.As Bolivian newspaper La Razon reported, they were supported by the National Committee for the Defence of Democracy (Conade) in…

Suspected head of Daesh in Germany handed lengthy prison term

A man who calls himself Abu Walaa, alleged leader of Daesh in Germany, greets his lawyer Thomas Koll through a pane of glass at the Higher Regional Court in Celle, Germany HANOVER (Germany), Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Abu Walaa, an Iraqi preacher accused of being the head of Daesh in…

Update: US says Saudi prince approved Khashoggi murder but spares him sanctions

 Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (L) and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States for thefirst time publicly accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ofapproving the gruesome murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi,unveiling a raft of punitive measures but stopping short of targeting…

US: 3 killed in plane crash in state of Georgia

Debris lies along Memorial Park Drive in Gainesville after a single-engine plane crashed in the area, authorities said GAINESVILLE (Georgia, US), Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A single-engine plane bound for Florida crashed after takeoff Friday evening from an airport in northeast Georgia, killing the three people aboard, authorities said. The Cessna 182 crashed around…