UN renews Libyan mission amid ceasefire efforts

Libya has many armed militias who nominally back two centres of political power in the east and west UNITED NATIONS, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of the support mission in Libya (Unsmil) by a year in an effort to assist the country’s severely…

France and Germany agree to block Facebook’s Libra

PARIS, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France and Germany have agreed to block Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency, the French finance ministry said on Friday.In a joint statement, the two governments affirmed that “no private entity can claim monetary power, which is inherent to the sovereignty of nations”.French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire…

Nigeria has world’s ‘most missing in conflict’ – ICRC

Hundreds of thousands of people have had to flee their villages amid attacks by Boko Haram GENEVA, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria has the highest number of registered missing people because of conflict in the world, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says.There are nearly 22,000 people registered…

Update: At least 11 dead in Rio hospital blaze

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 11 people, many of them elderly, were killed when a fire swept through a hospital in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro as staff and desperate visitors battled to rescue patients from smoke-filled wards. Hospital authorities said the blaze late…

Venezuela ‘ready’ to defend itself after US invokes defence pact: foreign minister

GENEVA, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela is “ready” to defend itself, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Friday, after Washington invoked a regional defence pact that might justify such a move. “We are ready to protect ourselves, we are ready to react,” Arreaza told a news conference after meeting in Geneva…

U.S. imposes sanctions on North Korean hacking groups blamed for global attacks

WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The U.S. Treasury on Friday announced sanctions on three North Korean hacking groups it said were involved in the “WannaCry” ransomware attacks and hacking of international banks and customer accounts. It named the groups as Lazarus Group, Bluenoroff, and Andariel and said they were controlled…

Hurricane Dorian forces Bahamas to find new schools for 10,000 displaced students

Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas: 10-year-old Torres talks to UNICEF’s Regional Emergency Specialist Hanoch NASSAU, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bahamaian education officials are scrambling to find classroom space for up to 10,000 students displaced by Hurricane Dorian after the Category 5 storm ravaged two of the archipelago’s northern islands, destroying…

ECOWAS to discuss terrorism in Burkina Faso

 G5 Sahel Joint Force patch OUAGADOUGOU, Sept 14 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will be holding an Extraordinary Meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on Saturday, to deliberate on the growing threats of terrorism in the region. The summit has been described as a turning point…

Sudan prime minister visits South Sudan to back new peace roadmap with rebels

JUBA, Sept 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sudan’s new Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok flew to South Sudan on a two-day visit to cement a new plan for peace talks with many of the rebel groups fighting against the government, brokered by Sudan’s southern neighbour. Hamdok, a former U.N. diplomat, took office three…

South Africa: Murder rate increases by 1.4%, parliament told

PRETORIA, Sept 14 (NNN-SANEWS) — Major General Norman Sekhukhune says 21,022 people were murdered during the 12 months ending March 2019. Sekhukhune said this when the Police Ministry appeared before the Portfolio Committee to present the annual Crime Statistics for the 2018/19 financial year. Briefing members of Parliament, he said…