Argentine Economy Minister and IMF Director hold meeting in Washington DC

WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentine Economy Minister Martín Guzmán met in Washington DC with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to further discuss renegotiations of the country’s US $ 45 billion debt. The South American official also held an encounter with David Lipton, a top adviser to US…

Israel, UAE ministers in US as Pres Biden seeks to expand normalisation

US Vice President Kamala Harris meets Israeli’s foreign affair minister Yair Lapid at the White House WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The top diplomats from Israel and the United Arab Emirates are set to hold three-way talks in Washington Wednesday as President Joe Biden’s administration embraces and looks to expand…

Hundreds of residents evacuated amid volcanic eruption in Spain

MADRID, Oct 13 (NNN-Xinhua) — Between 700 to 800 people in Spain have been evacuated as a result of the ongoing volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma, local emergency services said. The new wave of evacuations came after the approximately 6,000 people who were evacuated in the early…

US wildfire: Fast-moving blaze in southern California triggers evacuation orders, road closures

LOS ANGELES, Oct 13 (NNN-Xinhua) — A fast-moving wildfire in southern California expanded to over 54.23 square km with 5 percent containment by Tuesday, triggering evacuation orders and the closure of a major highway, according to Inciweb, an interstate incident information system. The Alisal Fire started Monday afternoon near the…

UN rights report warns of North Korea ‘starvation risk’

SEOUL, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — North Korea’s most vulnerable are “at risk of starvation” with the economy worsening due to a self-imposed coronavirus blockade, and UN sanctions imposed over the country’s nuclear programmes should be eased, a UN human rights expert said. The impoverished nation has been behind a rigid…

UPDATE Iraq Election: Nationalist cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr claims victory

 BAGHDAD, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has claimed victory for his nationalist Saeroun movement in Iraq’s election. Sadr, who wants to end US and Iranian influence over Iraq’s internal affairs, promised to form a government free from foreign interference. Partial results showed Saeroun winning 73 of…

Covid-19: Australian economy to “bounce back” as lockdowns end – Treasurer

CANBERRA, Oct 13 (NNN-XINHUA) — Recent coronavirus lockdowns have cost the Australian economy billions of dollars as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections, said Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. He told a press conference that he expects Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to fall by three…

ADB announces climate financing $100b for member countries

   MANILA, Oct 13 (NNN-BSS) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced its elevated ambition of delivering climate financing of $100 billion to its developing member countries (DMCs) by 2030.    “The battle against climate change will be won or lost in Asia and the Pacific,” said ADB President Masatsugu…

Several killed, nearly 2m affected, as China’s Shanxi deluged

Rescue workers drain off flood waters after heavy rainfall in the area of Jiexiu in the city of Jinzhong in China’s northern Shanxi province BEIJING, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 15 people have been reported killed, and three others remain missing after continuous and heavy downpours triggered flooding in…

Covid-19: FM Lavrov slams allegation Russian spies stole AstraZeneca formula

Just 33 percent in Russia are fully vaccinated MOSCOW, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Claims in the British press that Russian spies stole the blueprint for the British-made Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are unfounded, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.An Oct 10 article in The Sun newspaper, a popular daily tabloid, recently alleged…