Raul Castro announces retirement as head of Communist Party of Cuba

Castro on Friday announced he is retiring as the head of the party HAVANA, April 17 (NNN-Xinhua) — First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) Raul Castro on Friday announced he is retiring as the head of the party. “As for me, my task…

US asks Brazil for ‘immediate’ action on Amazon

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States welcomed Brazil’s renewed promise to end illegal deforestation but urged immediate action to protect the Amazon, a major factor in global climate change. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, a longtime scourge of environmentalists, in a letter to President Joe…

Covid-19: Global death toll nears 3 million as India cases surge

PARIS, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The global coronavirus death toll was expected to reach three million on Saturday, as the race for immunisation continues and countries like India grapple with rising infections and new lockdowns. The virus that surfaced in late 2019 in central China and the ensuing pandemic has…

US, Japan show united front on China in Pres Biden’s first summit

WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and Japan vowed to stand firm together against an assertive China and to step up cooperation on climate change and next-generation technology as President Joe Biden made his first summit a show of alliance unity. Waiting nearly three months for his first…

CIA planned to assassinate Raul Castro in 1960: declassified documents

WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The CIA made its first known attempt to assassinate a leader of the Cuban revolution in 1960, offering $10,000 to a pilot flying Raul Castro from Prague to Havana to arrange an “accident,” according to declassified documents published Friday. Pilot Jose Raul Martinez, who had…

Covid-19: Canadian province of Ontario strengthens, prolongs lockdown

OTTAWA, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, has extended its lockdown and implemented stricter measures to fight Covid, closing domestic borders and barring unnecessary travel, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. The province of 14 million people registered 4,812 new cases — a record high — and 25…

US shooting: 8 killed in US city of Indianapolis; gunman commit suicide

WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least eight people were killed in a shooting in the US city of Indianapolis by a gunman who is believed to have then killed himself, police said. The victims were all found at a Fedex facility near the international airport where the shooting took…

Pres Biden calls for US, Russia ‘to deescalate’ soon after announcing new sanctions against Russia

WASHINGTON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden said after announcing new sanctions against Russia that for both countries “now is the time to deescalate.” Biden described the sanctions, which are aimed at the Russian economy and dozens of individuals, as a “measured and proportionate” response to Moscow’s hostile actions…

Covid-19: Covax seeks $2 bn donations to cover vaccines; $400m raised so far

GENEVA, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Covax scheme launched a push for an extra $2 billion in donations, saying it needed the money in advance to reserve Covid-19 vaccine doses. The Covax facility ensures the 92 poorest participating economies can access coronavirus jabs, with the cost covered by donors. The…

UK summons Russian ambassador over ‘malign activity’

LONDON, April 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to express what it said was the country’s “deep concern at a pattern of malign activity”. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that included “cyber intrusions, interference in democratic processes, and the build-up of military forces…
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