‘STRENGTHENED INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION’ NEEDED FOR SAFE, REGULAR MIGRATION: UN CHIEF

Thu 17 February 2022: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called on member states to better handle migration and protect migrants. In a briefing to the General Assembly on his report on the Global Compact for Migration, Guterres highlighted four priorities. The first priority is to promote inclusive societies and include migrants in COVID-19 response […]

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FRENCH-LED ALLIED TROOPS ANNOUNCE MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MALI

Thu 17 February 2022: After nearly ten years of fighting armed insurgency in Mali, France and its European allies have declared that they will begin evacuating soldiers. The ruling military government’s “multiple obstructions” meant that the conditions to operate in Mali were no longer in place, according to a declaration signed by France and its […]

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RUSSIA’S CLAIM OF PULLING OUT MILITARY IS FALSE, US SAYS

Thu 17 February 2022: A senior Biden administration official on Wednesday told reporters that the United States believes Russia’s claim it was withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine is “false.” “So yesterday, the Russian government said it was withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine. They received a lot of attention for that claim, […]

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SEVERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO DROP MOST COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS AS INFECTIONS FALL

Thu 17 February 2022: Germany will relax COVID-19 regulations now that a wave of infections caused by the Omicron coronavirus strain appears to have passed, according to Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz said Germany was ready to look forward to COVID-19 with more confidence after a meeting with the chiefs of the federal states earlier on […]

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US AND IRANIAN OFFICIALS SUGGEST NUCLEAR TALKS NEARING CONCLUSION

Thu 17 February 2022: Iranian negotiator says deal is ‘closer than ever’ as US State Department stresses that days ahead will be ‘decisive’. Talks in Vienna to revive the Iranian nuclear deal are nearing their conclusion, Iranian and US officials have suggested, raising hopes the agreement may soon be restored. Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, said […]

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PRINCE ANDREW SETTLES SEX ABUSE LAWSUIT WITH ACCUSER VIRGINIA GIUFFRE

Wed 16 February 2022: According to a court filing, Prince Andrew of Britain and his accuser Virginia Giuffre have resolved a lawsuit alleging that he sexually assaulted her as a teenager when she was being sexually trafficked by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. On behalf of both parties, Giuffre’s lawyers urged a US federal court […]

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BIONTECH UNVEILS PLANS FOR CONTAINER VACCINE FACTORIES IN AFRICA

Wed 16 February 2022: BioNTech, a German vaccine company that collaborated with Pfizer to produce the first globally authorized COVID-19 vaccine, announced plans to build manufacturing facilities in Africa on Wednesday, which will increase the supply of much-needed medications on the continent. The modular design, which was unveiled at a ceremony in Marburg, Germany, consists […]

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YEMENI GOV’T ARMY ADVANCE INTO HOUTHI STRONGHOLD SADAA

Wed 16 February 2022: Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Wednesday announced military gains in the country’s northern province of Saada, the main stronghold of the Houthi militia. According to a brief press statement released by the state-run Saba news agency, the Yemeni army forces succeeded in recapturing a number of key sites […]

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COLONEL DAMIBA SWORN IN AS BURKINA FASO’S NEW PRESIDENT

Wed 16 February 2022: Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was sworn in as the new president of Burkina Faso on Wednesday in a televised ceremony. Damiba, head of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, took his oath in front of the Constitutional Council to “preserve, respect, uphold and defend the Constitution, the fundamental act and […]

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‘RIGHT-TO-DIE’: ITALY CONSTITUTIONAL COURT BLOCKS EUTHANASIA REFERENDUM

Wed 16 February 2022: On Tuesday, the Italian Constitutional Court denied a request for a vote on the right to die, despite the fact that the initiative’s supporters had gathered more than a million signatures. Right-to-die advocates in Italy have been attempting to force a vote on the controversial topic in the mostly Catholic country, […]

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