Mexican ex-mayor among those charged in massive Miami meth haul: US

MIAMI, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has charged a Mexicanex-mayor and five others for trafficking the largest shipment of meth seizedin Miami history, officials said. Adalberto Comparan, who was formerly mayor of Aguililla in Michoacan and alleged leader of Mexico’s United Cartels, and five other individuals face drug…

Covid-19 overwhelms ICUs in Syrian capital

DAMASCUS, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Inside the emergency room of a hospital of the Syrian capital, an elderly woman with Covid-19 waited for a bed at an intensive care unit packed with coronavirus patients. Sitting on a wheelchair barely an arms-length from another patient, thewoman in her seventies tilted her…

Covid-19: France to ban outdoor drinking under new restrictions

PARIS, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Alcoholic drinks will be prohibited inFrench parks and other outdoor public spaces as part of the new limitednationwide lockdown to stem the Covid-19 crisis, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced. Addressing the National Assembly, Castex also said authorities would bequick to disperse groups of more than…

Scores of UK bound migrants rescued off northern France

LILLE (France), April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Over 150 migrants including 10children and a pregnant woman were rescued off the coast of northern France, local maritime authorities said. The 159 migrants aboard eight boats, some suffering from hypothermia, were returned to Dunkirk and Boulogne, they said. Since late 2018, the number…

Venezuelan journalists, activists freed by military: NGO

CARACAS, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two journalists and two activistsmissing for more than 24 hours after an encounter with the Venezuelanmilitary in a conflict zone have been freed, an NGO said. Venezuelan journalists Luis Gonzalo Perez and Rafael Hernandez, who work for the Colombian NTN24 TV channel, and two activists…

Covid-19: China vaccine maker Sinovac says doubles production capacity

BEIJING, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac said a third production line for its Covid-19 vaccine has been putinto use, doubling its annual capacity of the jabs to two billion doses. Its CoronaVac is one of four domestic vaccines given conditional approvalby Chinese authorities, which helps rush emergency…

Russian FM says Russia-China ties continue to be strengthened

MOSCOW, April 2 (NNN-XINHUA) — Russia-China relations have beenqualitatively strengthened and continue to be further cemented, RussianForeign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Bilateral ties are built on a clear-cut and objective foundation ofoverlapping interests, Lavrov told the Great Game talk show on Russian TV. The “strategic interaction and multifaceted partnership” between…

Covid-19: EU squabbles over 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccine

BRUSSELS, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — EU nations fell out over howto divide up 10 million extra doses of coronavirus vaccine with Austria,Slovenia and the Czech Republic refusing to help five struggling countries. A deal was agreed late in the day to distribute nearly three million dosesto “those most in need”,…

World powers, Iran to discuss US return to nuclear deal

BRUSSELS, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — World powers and Iran will meet byvideoconference Friday to discuss the possible return of the United States tothe Iran nuclear deal, in a development welcomed by Washington. Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom andIran — the countries still party to the agreement…

Former president of Ivory Coast free after ICC confirms acquittal

Former president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo THE HAGUE, April 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — After a trial lasting roughly a decade, the former president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, is a free man, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed in a ruling.Gbagbo was acquitted of all charges in 2019 – even…