Bolivia: 8 candidates register to contest May 3 presidential election

Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales LA PAZ, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bolivia’s 2020 presidential election will be contested by eight candidates who registered by a Monday deadline to compete in the re-run of a fraught October ballot that sparked protests and led to the downfall of long-term leftist leader Evo…

One dead, 81 injured in Mexico after truck ferrying migrants overturns

MEXICO CITY, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One person died and 81 others were injured on Tuesday when a truck crammed with Central American migrants flipped over in Southern Mexico on a highway that leads to the United States, according to officials in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was not…

Chile: Soccer fans set fire to seats amid protests

SANTIAGO, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chilean football fans set fire to seats, pelted police with missiles and vented their anger towards President Sebastian Pinera during a Copa Libertadores match at the National Stadium amid continuing social unrest in the country. The match between Universidad de Chile and Brazil’s Internacional, the…

Update: Malawians celebrate after presidential vote result annulled

Opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera celebrated the court ruling with his supporters LILONGWE, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Malawi opposition supporters celebrated overnight after a landmark court ruling that declared incumbent President Peter Mutharika was “not duly elected” in a disputed 2019 vote. The country’s constitutional court on Monday ordered a fresh…

UK defends tough new plans for terror convicts after two knives attacks

LONDON, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The British government defended proposals to extend prison sentences of convicted terrorists after two knife rampages in London.Justice Secretary Robert Buckland promised “emergency legislation” to end the automatic release of terror offenders half-way through their sentences.That followed attacks by two men on early release on Sunday…

Second Mexican butterfly conservationist found dead

MEXICO CITY, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A second Mexican conservationist active in protecting monarch butterflies has been found dead within days of each other, authorities said. The body of Raul Hernandez Romero was found on Saturday in the central-western state of Michoacan, where Homero Gomez Gonzalez was found at the…

Russia sends FM Lavrov to Venezuela to ‘counteract’ US sanctions

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov MOSCOW, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Venezuela on Friday in a show of support for President Nicolas Maduro, who Washington wants out of power. Russia has helped Maduro weather a political crisis as the United States has targeted Caracas with…

Canadian jet forced back to airport after passenger falsely claims he has coronavirus

OTTAWA, Feb 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Canadian man on a flight from Toronto to Jamaica falsely announced to passengers that he had the coronavirus, forcing the plane to return to the airport where he was arrested. The incident occurred on Monday during a WestJet Airlines flight from Toronto to Montego…

Brazil’s Carnival expected to inject 1.9 bln USD into economy

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 5 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil’s upcoming Carnival celebrations are projected to inject about 8 billion reals (around 1.88 billion U.S. dollars) into the economy, the country’s National Confederation of Commerce, Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) said. The figure represents a 1 percent increase over the 2019 Carnival…

Libyan daily oil production drops below 200,000 barrels amid closure of oil ports

TRIPOLI, Feb 5 (NNN-Xinhua) — The state-owned Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that the country’s daily production of crude oil has dropped from more than 1.2 million barrels to fewer than 200,000 as a result of the closure of oil fields and ports. “The NOC confirms a drop in…