Car bomb outside Somali hotel kills at least 11

MOGADISHU, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A car bomb exploded near a hotel and restaurants in Mogadishu on Thursday, killing at least 11 people in a busy area targeted in the past by Islamist militants, rescue services said. The afternoon explosion sent smoke billowing into the sky and destroyed two restaurants…

Red Cross and EU strengthen emergency response in Mozambique; IMF to consider emergency financial aid

GENEVA, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Red Cross and European Union teams have since Monday reinforced medical support and emergency response to cyclone Idai affected people, according to the two organizations. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has announced the arrival of an…

Storm-slammed Mozambique must rebuild for ‘tomorrow’s climate’: UN

GENEVA, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The destruction wrought by Cyclone Idai in southern Africa this month shows weather warnings must spur action and infrastructure has to be built with climate risks in mind if people are to be kept safe on a warming planet, researchers and officials said. The death…

Mozambique to start cholera vaccinations next week after cyclone

BEIRA, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mozambique will start a cholera vaccination campaign next week in areas ravaged by Cyclone Idai, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said, after five confirmed cases were detected. Thousands of people were trapped for more than a week in submerged villages without access to clean water…

North Korea’s Madrid Embassy intruder contacted FBI, Spanish judge says

Police were alerted after a woman jumped from an embassy window and screamed for help MADRID, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) –The leader of 10 intruders who raided North Korea’s embassy in Madrid last month contacted the FBI days later, a Spanish high court judge says. Adrian Hong Chang, a Mexican citizen…

Envoy Reiterates UN Principles On Syrian Refugee Return Amid Lebanon Pressure

UNITED NATIONS, March 29 (NNN-XINHUA) — A United Nations (UN) envoy reiterated the UN principles of “safe, voluntary, and dignified return” for the Syrian refugees sheltering in Lebanon. “There is a national consensus, even political consensus among major political parties, (in Lebanon) in favor of return of Syrian refugees back home,” UN Special Coordinator for…

US, South Korea presidents to meet in Washington in April: Seoul

SEOUL, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump will host his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in next month, Seoul said Friday, after the latest summit between Washington and Pyongyang ended in deadlock. Moon has long backed a policy of engagement with nuclear-armed, sanctions-hit Pyongyang and was instrumental in brokering…

US, Chinese negotiators resume ‘productive’ trade talks

BEIJING, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Top negotiators from China and theUnited States began a fresh round of trade talks in Beijing on Friday tosettle a bruising dispute that has threatened to blight the global economy. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary StevenMnuchin were greeted by Vice Premier Liu…

Germany adds six months to Saudi arms export ban: government

BERLIN, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel’scoalition government extended by six months an embargo on weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, instituted last October in response to the murder ofSaudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The ban has faced opposition from within the German government and the EU, but has the…

US urges transparent probe on strike that killed Yemen children

7 WASHINGTON, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States urgedSaudi-led forces to conduct a transparent probe after eight people includingfive children were killed in a strike near a hospital in Yemen. Charity Save the Children reported the death toll at the hospital itsupports in Saada province, saying a missile hit…