South Africa pulls out red carpet for BRICS

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 22 (NNN-SANEWS) — South Africa will put its best foot forward at the upcoming 15th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit to be held in Johannesburg. With a few hours to go before the start of the three-day summit that will get underway Tuesday (Aug…

Min Chavez highlights relationship between US and Peru in fight against drugs

LIMA, Aug 22 (NNN-ANDINA) — Defense Ministry Jorge Chavez affirmed that the agreement reached between Peru and the United States on air interception will strengthen the fight against drugs. “I think that resuming the relations between the United States and Peru on the issue of the fight against drugs has been…

Peru: Finance Ministry approves over US$1 billion for preventive measures against El Niño

LIMA, Aug 22 (NNN-ANDINA) — Economy and Finance Minister Alex Contreras announced that his ministry has approved measures worth more than S/3.8 billion (about US$1.023 billion) for prevention works in the face of the arrival of El Niño Phenomenon, which is characterized by heavy rains and floods. The announcement was…

Anti-corruption campaigner wins Guatemala presidential election

Bernardo Arévalo celebrates the election result in Guatemala City GUATEMALA CITY, Aug 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Central America’s democratic downswing has received a powerful correction after the centrist anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo was elected president of Guatemala – a result almost inconceivable just a few weeks ago. Alongside El Salvador and Nicaragua, Guatemala…

Ecuador election heads to run-off vote, with González to face surprise second-place Noboa

QUITO, Aug 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Leftist lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, 45, was leading in a first-round presidential election in Ecuador on Sunday, but looked headed for a run-off after grabbing only 33 percent of the votes, official data showed. In an unexpected performance, the right-wing candidate Daniel Noboa, 35, was coming…

Russia’s space agency head vows to continue Moon race

MOSCOW, Aug  22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The chief of the Russian space agency Roscosmos advocated for Russia to stay in the lunar race, a day after announcing its mission had crashed.       “In no case should the lunar program be interrupted, that would be the worst decision,” Yuri Borisov said in…

Four climbers die on Mexico’s tallest mountain

 MEXICO CITY, Aug 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four Mexicans fell and died while climbing the country’s highest mountain, officials said. They were scaling the 5,600 meter volcano called Pico de Orizaba, in south-central Mexico. An operation to recover the bodies is underway, the Puebla state’s civil protection department said on Facebook.…

Tropical Storm Hilary bears down on California as earthquake hit southern town

  LOS ANGELES, Aug 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Heavy rains lashed California as Tropical Storm Hilary raced in from Mexico, bringing warnings of potentially life-threatening flooding in the typically arid southwestern United States. With people already on edge, nature struck in another scary way: a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit near the…

Western Canada wildfires force tens of thousands to flee

  KELOWNA (Canada), Aug 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fires ravaging western Canada gained more ground as two blazes merged and residents continued to evacuate. Rapidly evolving wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna, British Columbia. The situation in the popular boating and hiking destination…

Death toll from Hawaii wildfires up to 114 as search for victims continues

LAHAINA (Hawaii, US), Aug 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — The death toll from the Maui wildfires in the US state of Hawaii reached 114 on Friday while more than 60 percent of the disaster area has been searched, authorities said. The Maui Police Department confirmed in an update that the total number…