World News Roundup: Yellen, at former slave port, sees path of renewal for Africa and U.S; Ukraine adviser tells allies 'think faster' on military support and more

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that Wagner, which has been supporting Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine and claiming credit for battlefield advances, would be designated a significant Transnational Criminal Organization. Nigeria sets date for first census in 17 years Nigeria will start its first national census in 17 years at the end of March, as authorities in Africa's most populous country seek updated data on the exact population and the size of different ethnic groups, an official said late on Friday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Yellen, at former slave port, sees path of renewal for Africa and U.S

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Saturday spoke of the "unspeakable cruelty" and enduring consequences of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but said she was heartened by signs of progress and renewal in both the United States and Africa. Yellen visited the House of Slaves, a fort built in the late 18th century on Goree Island off the coast of Senegal as a transit point for human beings before they were forcibly transported across the Atlantic, as she continued a three-country visit to Africa.

Ukraine adviser tells allies 'think faster' on military support

A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Kyiv's allies on Saturday to "think faster" about stepping up their military support, a day after they failed to agree on sending battle tanks coveted by Kyiv. "You'll help Ukraine with the necessary weapons anyway and realize that there is no other option to end the war except the defeat of Russia," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Chris Hipkins set to replace Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand prime minister

Chris Hipkins, who played a significant role in New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister after emerging on Saturday as the only candidate to lead the ruling Labour Party. Hipkins, 44, is expected to be confirmed as leader at a meeting of Labour's 64 lawmakers, or Caucus, on Sunday, succeeding Ardern, who made a surprise announcement on Thursday that she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country and would step down.

Russia's Wagner chief writes to White House over new U.S. sanctions

The head of the Russian private military contractor Wagner published on Saturday a short letter to the White House asking what crime his company was accused of, after Washington announced new sanctions on the group. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that Wagner, which has been supporting Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine and claiming credit for battlefield advances, would be designated a significant Transnational Criminal Organization.

Nigeria sets date for first census in 17 years

Nigeria will start its first national census in 17 years at the end of March, as authorities in Africa's most populous country seek updated data on the exact population and the size of different ethnic groups, an official said late on Friday. Nigeria's estimated population is more than 200 million and the United Nations expects that to double by 2050. That would make Nigeria the world's third most populous country, overtaking the United States.

Palestinian killed by Israeli in West Bank, Palestinians say

A Palestinian man was killed by an Israeli on Saturday in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said, and the Israeli military said the Palestinian had earlier tried to stab Jewish residents. CCTV footage released by the Israeli military showed an individual running through the entrance gate of the Jewish Sde Efraim farm and being shot by an Israeli as he tries to advance further.

In Mexico, a reporter published a story. The next day he was dead

Just after sunset on Thursday, February 10th, two men in a white Dodge Ram pickup pulled up in front of Heber Lopez Vasquez's small radio studio in southern Mexico. One man got out, walked inside and shot the 42-year-old journalist dead. Lopez's 12-year-old son Oscar, the only person with him, hid, Lopez's brother told Reuters. Lopez was one of 13 Mexican journalists killed in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based rights group. It was the deadliest year on record for journalists in Mexico, now the most dangerous country for reporters in the world outside the war in Ukraine, where CPJ says 15 reporters were killed last year.

Over 50 injured in Peru as protests cause 'nationwide chaos'

Dozens of Peruvians were injured after tensions flared again on Friday night as police clashed with protesters in anti-government demonstrations that are spreading across the country. In the capital Lima, police officers used tear gas to repel demonstrators throwing glass bottles and stones, as fires burned in the streets, local TV footage showed.

China says COVID outbreak has infected 80% of population

The possibility of a big COVID-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said on Saturday. The mass movement of people during the ongoing Lunar New Year holiday period may spread the pandemic, boosting infections in some areas, but a second COVID wave is unlikely in the near term, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the Weibo social media platform.

Canada says Cameroon warring parties agree to enter peace process

The government of Cameroon and some separatist factions in the English-speaking regions of the country have agreed to enter into a process aimed at resolving a conflict that has killed over 6,000 people, Canada's foreign ministry said. "Canada welcomes the agreement by the parties to enter a process to reach a comprehensive, peaceful and political resolution of the conflict," foreign minister Mélanie Joly, said in a statement on Friday.

(With inputs from agencies.)