Ecuador: 3 killed, 2 injured in coastal Guayas province armed attack

QUITO, April 16 (NNN-XINHUA) — Three people, including two police officers, were killed and two other officers were injured in an armed attack Monday on the road to Samborondon, a town in the coastal province of Guayas in southwest Ecuador, the country’s Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said. According to the…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Attacks on Zaporozhye nuclear power plant raise risks for nuclear safety – IAEA chief

UNITED NATIONS, April 16 (NNN-TASS) — Recent attacks on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant are violating one of the principles that were agreed to reduce risks for the plant’s safety, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said at a UN Security Council meeting. “Over the past 10 days…

South Africa: President Ramaphosa to visit Uganda, South Sudan to discuss regional security

PRETORIA, April 16 (NNN-SANEWS) — President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to undertake a Working Visit to the Republic of Uganda to meet with President Yoweri Museveni. In a statement, the Presidency said the two leaders are expected to discuss security in that region of Africa “including the situation in the…

South Africa presidential elections: Play your part to consolidate democracy – Pres Ramaphosa

PRETORIA, April 16 (NNN-SANEWS) — President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on citizens, political parties and civil society to work together to ensure that this year’s election is a “success in our ongoing journey of democratic consolidation”. The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter. The 2024 National and…

UN urges Venezuela, Guyana to avoid escalating tensions in oil dispute

UNITED NATIONS, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN Security Council urged Venezuela and Guyana to avoid escalating tensions over an oil-rich region that they both claim. The dispute over Essequibo — which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and has been administered by Guyana for more than a century…

Peru: Gov’t takes action to protect relatives of murdered native leaders

LIMA, April 16 (NNN-ANDINA) — Pres Dina Boluarte told the leaders of the Alto Tamaya-Saweto native community, in the Ucayali region, that her government will address their needs for protection, development, and procurement of justice in the face of the murder —in 2014— of four of their leaders, who defended…

Drought-hit Panama Canal to ease traffic restrictions

PANAMA CITY, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of ships allowed through the drought-hit Panama Canal each day will be increased thanks to signs of an improvement in water levels, authorities said. The interoceanic channel is a key transit point for international cargo, but low water levels blamed on climate…

Colombia: Journalist investigating corruption shot dead

BOGOTÁ, April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Colombian journalist investigating corruption was killed over the weekend in a city near the border with Venezuela, officials said. The reporter, 54-year-old Jaime Vasquez, was shot in Cucuta in front of about a dozen witnesses, according to security videos released by local media. Prosecutors…

Greece/France: Paris 2024 Games flame to be lit in ancient Olympia

OLYMPIA (Greece), April 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The sacred flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics is to be lit Tuesday in ancient Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Games, for an epic torch relay stretching from the Acropolis to the South Pacific. Hundreds of dignitaries and spectators are expected to attend the…

Russia’s Siberia braces for devastating flood peak

MOSCOW, April 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia warned Monday that icy waters would likely rise in flood-hit central regions of the country, as authorities announced new evacuations and rushed to contain damage caused by the deluge. Western Sibera and the Urals regions, as well as Russia’s neighbour Kazakhstan, have suffered devastating…