Car bomb hits Turkish contractors, police in town outside Somali capital: police

Paramedics at the Madina hospital assist an unidentified man injured in an explosion in Afgoye MOGADISHU, Jan 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A car bomb targeting a group of Turkish contractors exploded on Saturday in Afgoye, northwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said. There was no immediate word on any fatalities.…

Libya oil exports blocked, raising stakes for Berlin peace summit

TRIPOLI/BERLIN, Jan 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Forces loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar blocked oil exports from the war-ravaged country’s main ports Saturday, raising the stakes on the eve of an international summit aimed at bringing peace to the North African nation. The move to cripple the country’s main income…

Mexico considering a lottery to get rid of the “extravagant” presidential jet: US$ 30 a ticket

MEXICO CITY, Jan 18 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Mexico is considering a lottery to get rid of the nation’s presidential jet, after a year of failed attempts to sell the aircraft. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said this week that Mexico is flying back the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has been stored…

South Sudan talks fail to end impasse over state boundaries

JUBA, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The latest round of peace talks between South Sudan’s two rival leaders has failed to strike a deal on the vital issue of internal boundaries, mediators said. Critics have accused President Salva Kiir of reorganising state boundaries to shore up his power and the issue…

Central Chile on alert for forest fires

SANTIAGO, Jan 18 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — At least three communes in central Bio Bio region are now on red alert due to forest fires that have already destroyed five homes and more than 600 hectares. The fires, started on Thursday, have affected the Cabrero, Nacimiento and Santa Juana communes, where…

Thousands of Irish teachers to strike on eve of election

DUBLIN, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some 19,000 Irish teachers will go on strike on Feb 4, potentially shutting schools just days before a national election in a bid to seek commitments to end a two-tier pay scale in the sector. In a Feb 8 contest that pre-campaign polls suggest is too tight…

UK adds entire Hezbollah movement to terror blacklist

Hezbollah fighters LONDON, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s finance ministry said it had added Lebanon’s entire Hezbollah movement to its list of terrorist groups subject to asset freezing. The ministry previously only targeted the Shiite organisation’s military wing but has now listed the whole group after the government designated it…

Canada says black boxes from Iran crash should be sent to France

Most of the victims were Iranian and Canadian citizens OTTAWA, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Iran to send the flight and cockpit data recorders from a crashed jet to France for analysis and said the first remains of victims should soon arrive back in Canada.…

Update: Mexico offers 4,000 jobs to new migrant caravan

MEXICO CITY, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador offered 4,000 jobs to migrants in a new caravan currently crossing Central America toward the United States. “We have more than 4,000 jobs along our southern border, and also migrant shelters. There is work in our country,” he…

US: Avalanche kills 1 person in ski resort in Northern California

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — A skier was killed and another severely injured in an early morning avalanche at a Lake Tahoe ski resort in Northern California, police said. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office in North Auburn, California, confirmed that 34-year-old Cole Comstock from Blairsden, a census-designated place in…