Multiple deaths in Haiti prison break, including jail director

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Multiple people were killedin Haiti, including the director of a prison in the suburbs ofcapital Port-au-Prince, after several inmates escaped, police said. “Division inspector Paul Hector Joseph, who is in charge of the civilprison of Croix des Bouquets, was killed in the prison,” Gary Desrosiers,…

Covid-19: Novel coronavirus strains continue to spread worldwide, WHO says

GENEVA, Feb 24 (NNN-TASS) — A more contagious coronavirus strain VOC 202012/01 that was initially detected in the UK, has been reported in seven more countries over the past week, bringing the total to 101. The 501Y.V2 strain, first detected in South Africa, has spread to 41 countries, and the…

Mohamed Bazoum declared Niger’s President after winning runoff

NIAMEY, Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mohamed Bazoum, the candidate from the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, was declared the winner of the Feb 21 presidential runoff election in Niger, the authorities confirmed on Tuesday. In the runoff on Sunday, Bazoum won 55.75 percent of votes while former president Mahamane…

Covid-19: Uruguay starts inoculation campaign March 1 with Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines – Pres Luis Lacalle Pou

MONTEVIDEO, Feb 24 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Uruguay will be receiving the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines Thursday evening and the official inoculation campaign will begin on Monday March 1. Over the weekend those in charge of vaccination will be the first to receive the shots, according to president Luis Lacalle Pou.…

Halal chicken dispute blocks Brazil/Indonesia free trade talks

BRASILIA, Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil should only begin free trade talks with Indonesia if it adopts recommendations made by a World Trade Organization panel in 2017 after a dispute over halal chicken, Brazil’s meat lobby ABPA said in a letter sent to three government ministries. “We don’t oppose a…

Green hydrogen hub planned in northeast Brazil

BRASILIA, Feb 24 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — A US$ 5.4bn green hydrogen hub has been planned in Ceará, northeast Brazil, and most probably the first-of-its-kind in Latin America. Set to be located at the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP), 60km from Fortaleza, the hub will be built by Australia’s Enegix Energy.…

Two Mali soldiers killed in ambush; 7 injured

BAMAKO, Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two soldiers were killed and seven others injured in an ambush in a central region regularly hit by jihadist attacks. Around 0200 pm local time (0200 GMT) Tuesday, the troops were ambushed en route between Konna and Sevare by an armed terrorist group, according to…

Last statue of dictator Franco removed in ‘historic day’ for Spain

MELILLA (Spain), Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The last statue of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was removed on Tuesday from the city gates of Melilla, a Spanish enclave and autonomous city on the northwest African coast. Without much fanfare, a group of workmen operated a mechanical digger and heavy drills…

UN urges Colombia to fulfill peace deal, stem violence

Colombia’s President Ivan Duque BOGOTA, Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombia’s government must improve its protection of human rights activists and civilians, be more present in remote, poor areas, and fully implement a peace deal with FARC rebels to curb violence, the United Nations’ human rights body said. The murders of…

Ecuadorean indigenous protesters demand presidential vote recount

QUITO, Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of Ecuadorean indigenous protesters arrived in the capital Quito to demand a recount of the Feb 7 presidential election after official results showed indigenous activist Yaku Perez did not advance to the runoff vote. Perez, 51, has been walking through the Andean nation to…