Author: Kmaupdates

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is looking at options to expand sanctions to impose on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and will have more to say about it in the coming days, White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said on Wednesday. © ASSOCIATED PRESS President Joe Biden speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Speaking at the daily White House briefing, Bedingfield said President Joe Biden is continuing to look at options to expand sanctions and will have more information in coming days. Biden has imposed a…

Kenya’s top court will on Thursday rule on constitutional changes proposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his allies ahead of crucial elections in August. The reforms — popularly known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) — aim to expand the executive and would be the biggest change to Kenya’s political system since the introduction of a new constitution in 2010. © Simon MAINA A seven-judge bench at the Supreme Court will weigh the legality of contested constitutional reforms A seven-judge bench at the Supreme Court will weigh the legality of the wide-ranging proposals following their rejection last year by the High Court and…

© Provided by Associated Press Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announces that the state is switching to an endemic phase of handling COVID-19 during news conference on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri. Parson declared that “the COVID-19 crisis is over” in Missouri. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday declared “the COVID-19 crisis is over,” announcing that the state will soon begin handling the coronavirus like influenza and other ongoing diseases that occasionally flare up. Parson said the state will officially start treating the coronavirus as an…

© AFP Many M23 former fighters went to live in camps in Uganda after a peace deal © Monusco The UN has refused to be drawn into the blame game as investigations into the crash continueRebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have denied shooting down a UN helicopter, killing eight peacekeepers on-board. DR Congo’s army had blamed M23 rebels for the crash in which six Pakistanis, a Russian and a Serbian died. It went down in North Kivu province where there has been fierce clashes between M23 fighters and the army. The rebels, who had been driven out of DR…

© Ezequiel BECERRA Costa Rica’s Carlos Martinez (left) tackles the USA’s Antonee Robinson during Wednesday’s qualifier in San Jose The United States and Mexico booked their tickets to the World Cup finals in Qatar on Wednesday after securing the results needed to claim the last two automatic qualifying places from the CONCACAF region. The USA were beaten 2-0 by Costa Rica in San Jose to finish third in the standings while Mexico eased past El Salvador 2-0 in Mexico City to finish second overall. Costa Rica finished qualifying in fourth place and will face New Zealand in a playoff for a World…

© Provided by The Guardian Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images Manchester United will return to Australia for two matches to be played in front of expected bumper crowds at the MCG on the Premier League club’s first overseas pre-season tour since 2019. Related: Van Gaal warns Ten Hag against joining ‘commercial club’ Manchester United The Victorian government on Thursday confirmed the matches in Melbourne against four-time A-League Men champions Melbourne Victory on 15 July and fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace four days later. United, who are expected to have a new manager in place by July, last visited Australia three years ago,…

© Provided by Associated Press – Sports United States’ Deandre Yedlin, right, and Costa Rica’s Jewison Bennette battle for the ball during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in San Jose, Costa Rica, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — The United States men are returning to the World Cup after the trauma of missing the 2018 tournament, clinching a berth for this year’s championship in Qatar on Wednesday despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on the final night of qualifying. Juan Pablo Vargas got behind Walker Zimmerman and…

© Reuters/DYLAN MARTINEZ International Friendly – England v Ivory Coast (Reuters) – Qatar World Cup chief executive Nasser Al-Khater has called for a meeting with Gareth Southgate after the England manager said he is unhappy some fans will not feel safe travelling to the event due to concerns over human rights issues in the country. © Reuters/IBRAHEEM AL OMARI Nasser Al Khater CEO, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC speaks during an interview with the media in Doha Homosexuality is illegal in the Gulf state and there is also unease over women’s rights, while a report by Amnesty International found that thousands…

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing arguably the biggest challenge of his political career, as the opposition seeks to remove him from office in a vote of no confidence. The country’s lawmakers will convene on Thursday to begin debating the motion as Mr Khan’s future appears to be hanging by a thread. In recent days there has been a flurry of activity – and what some argue were tactics straight out of Machiavelli’s playbook – which resulted in several Khan allies deserting his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, tilting the scales firmly in the opposition’s favour. © Reuters Mr Khan held…

© Reuters/Goran Tomasevic FILE PHOTO: Women carry their belongings outside town of Kaabong in Karamoja region By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda’s military has killed 309 people in an eight-month-old operation against cattle rustling in a northeast region rich in minerals including gold, limestone and potentially oil, the armed forces said. The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), the east African country’s military, said the deaths resulted from a push to quell violence by cattle rustlers in Karamoja region since last July. “The UPDF, working with other sister security agencies … will continue working together to completely pacify Karamoja and end…