37th AU summit begins in Addis Ababa with focus on education, development

The African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ADDIS ABABA, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — The 37th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of the Heads of State and Government opened on Saturday, with a call to increase efforts to improve the state of education in Africa and…

UN tribunal to close Rwanda office after concluding genocide trials

KIGALI, Feb 18 (NNN-XINHUA) — The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) will close its field office in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, on Aug 31 after completing genocide trials, an official has said. The tribunal’s registrar, Abubacarr Tambadou, made this announcement in a statement on Friday following his visit to…

Cuba: International Book Fair in Havana, a decolonizing event

HAVANA, Feb 18 (NNN-ACN) — The 32nd Havana International Book Fair (FILH) stands as a decolonizing event in Cuba’s cultural panorama, said Juan Rodriguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute (ICL by its Spanish acronym), in Havana.Before Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist…

AU Summit: Leaders rush to stem East DR Congo violence

Flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ADDIS ABABA, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Leaders from the Great Lakes Region are attempting to stem the latest violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), taking advantage of the African Union Summit in Ethiopia this weekend.Coming on the backdrop of troubling…

US President Joe Biden to host Kenyan President Ruto at White House

President Joe Biden, President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto at a past meeting WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kenyan President William Ruto is scheduled to be in Washington, US, on May 23 on an official State visit where he will be hosted by President Joe Biden.According to White…

US gun violence: 4 men killed in shooting at neighborhood car wash in Birmingham, Alabama

BIRMINGHAM (Alabama, US), Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US police are investigating a quadruple homicide in Birmingham, Alabama. On Friday afternoon, officers were dispatched to a report of multiple shots fired and found four victims lying unresponsive on the ground near an open lot, the Birmingham Police Department said in a news release. All…

Peru: United States returns two religious paintings as three mummies repatriated from Vatican declared Cultural Heritage of Peru

LIMA, Feb 18 (NNN-ANDINA) — The U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has returned two religious paintings belonging to Peru’s cultural heritage to its Consul General in New York, Ambassador Marita Landaveri, during a ceremony held at the Peruvian diplomatic mission’s venue in the North American metropolis. Both artworks were made on canvas using the oil…

Peru: Exports grew in 2023 for third consecutive year

LIMA, Feb 18 (NNN-ANDINA) — Peru’s traditional and non-traditional exports accumulated their third consecutive growth year in 2023, driven by higher shipments and by prices, respectively, the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) reported. “Sales abroad of traditional products reached a total of US$48.6 billion in 2023, which implied a 1.8% rise compared to…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukraine troops leave embattled eastern town of Avdiivka

KYIV, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukraine says its troops have withdrawn from Avdiivka – a key eastern town besieged by Russian forces for months. The decision was taken in order to save the soldiers’ lives, said President Volodymyr Zelensky. Almost all of Avdiivka’s pre-war population of more than 30,000 people have…

Tens of thousands at pro-Palestinian march in London

 LONDON, Feb 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tens of thousands of people took part in a Saturday pro-Palestinian march in central London. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march is calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. Saturday’s march was the first protest to go near the Israeli embassy in west…