Dozens dead in Islamist attack in Burkina Faso: HRW

OUAGADOUGOU, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) – An offensive by militants in northern Burkina Faso has left dozens of civilians dead and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, Human Rights Watch said Friday. “Atrocities by armed groups in Burkina Faso’s northern Sahel region and by security forces during counterterrorism operations…

US Sec of State Pompeo, in Israel, calls Hezbollah risk to Middle East stability

JERUSALEM, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Hezbollah as a risk to Middle East stability and conferred with Israel about the heavily armed, Iranian-backed Lebanese group ahead of a trip to Beirut. Pompeo, who has been on a regional tour to promote the Trump administration’s hard…

India: 11 dead, 50 rescued after building collapse

NEW DELHI, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eleven people were confirmed dead on Thursday three days after a building under construction in southern India caved in, officials said. Building collapses are frequent in India. Many firms use cheap materials and bribe officials to evade regulations, while on-site safety is lax. About 400 rescuers have…

UN welcomes Bangladesh’s Rohingya relocation plan

DHAKA, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A senior UN official has welcomed Bangladesh’s plan to move Rohingya refugees out of the country’s congested camps, but said any move to transfer some 100,000 of them to a flood-prone island should be voluntary. Volker Turk, an assistant high commissioner at the UN’s refugee…

Vietnam protests to China over South China Sea boat sinking

HANOI, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Vietnam has lodged an official protest with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the disputed South China Sea, Vietnam said. Vietnam and China have for years long been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich stretch of waters, called the…

Mystics, selfie-seekers celebrate spring at Mexico pyramids

SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACÁN (Mexico), March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of people dressed in white flocked to Mexico’s ancient pyramids Thursday, seeking to soak up the rays of the spring equinox sun in body and spirit. The equinox held special significance for many of Mexico’s pre-Columbian peoples, who built their architecture…

US announces first new North Korea sanctions since failed summit

WASHINGTON, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States sanctioned two Chinese shipping companies it says helped North Korea evade US and international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme, the first such steps since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s summit collapsed last month. The US Treasury Department also…

New Zealand prays, falls silent, a week after mosque massacres

CHRISTCHURCH (New Zealand), March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The Muslim call to prayer rang out across New Zealand on Friday followed by two minutes of silence nationwide to mark a week since a white supremacist gunned down 50 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch. As the call was…

Chinese president arrives in Italy, set to sign Belt and Road deal

ROME, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Rome on Thursday at the start of a three-day visit during which he will sign an accord drawing Italy into his giant “Belt and Road” infrastructure plan, despite US opposition. Italy, seeking new export deals to boost its stalled…

Haiti president names acting prime minister

PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise has named a new acting prime minister, Jean-Michel Lapin, after lawmakers voted to censure his predecessor’s six month old government. Lapin, the culture and communications minister, was charged with running Haiti’s day-to-day affairs pending the formation of a new government. The…