March 4, 2022

*) Fire at Ukraine nuclear plant 'extinguished', Kiev blames Russia The fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been extinguished, Ukrainian emergency services said, after Kiev blamed Russian military shelling for the blaze. Ukraine's emergency services said it was able to put out the fire after the Russian military eventually allowed rescuers to access the site. There are no victims," the emergency services said in a statement on Facebook. *) 'Not our war': Gulf countries resist Western pressure to raise oil output Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sent energy prices surging, but the oil-rich Gulf monarchies have so far resisted Western pressure to raise output, prioritising their own strategic and economic interests. The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude topped $115, the highest since 2008, as the war and sanctions against Moscow stoked fears about global supplies. Russia is the world's second-biggest crude exporter after Saudi Arabia, which is close to Western governments but also to Moscow. *) Hundreds of gunmen killed in Nigeria At least 200 gunmen have been killed in the past three days in Nigeria's central-northern state of Niger during a security operation to clear armed gangs from the area. The Niger regional commissioner in charge of internal security, Emmanuel Umar, said that some leaders of the armed gangs, known locally as bandits, were among those killed. The operation was led by the army and volunteers from local vigilante groups and community leaders. *) UN says Canada must amend law stripping rights of Indigenous descendants UN committee on women's rights urged Canada to address discrimination in a law that has effectively stripped tens of thousands of descendants of Indigenous women of their identities and rights. UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women called on Ottawa to amend Indian Act "to provide registration to all matrilineal descendants on an equal basis." The legislation has been the primary law used to administer Canada's