Climate talks in Spain to open as ‘point of no return’ looms

MADRID, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Political leaders and climate diplomats are to meet in Madrid for two weeks of talks amid a growing sense of crisis.According to UN Secretary General António Guterres, “the point of no return is no longer over the horizon”.Meanwhile, Save the Children says that climate shocks…

Ex-Chad PM arrested on fraud allegations

N’DJAMENA, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Chadian minister, who served as the country’s premier from 2013-16 was arrested on Sunday over fraud allegations, a police spokesman said. Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet was detained following a complaint from the stateinspectorate general for fraud, the spokesman said. Currently secretary-general of the presidency, his…

Russia cements role as gas ‘kingpin’ with three new pipelines

MOSCOW, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian President Vladimir Putin andChinese leader Xi Jinping launch Monday a gas pipeline that is the first ofthree ambitious projects intended to cement Moscow’s role as top gasexporter. Putin and Xi are to inaugurate by video link-up the “Power of Siberia”pipeline, sending Siberian gas to…

Peru receives 834 cultural artifacts repatriated from six countries

LIMA, Dec 2 (NNN-ANDINA) — Peruvian Ministers Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Foreign Affairs) and Francesco Petrozzi (Culture) presided over a handover ceremony of cultural objects repatriated from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, United States, and Guatemala. In total, 834 artifacts returned to Peru as part of the Foreign Cultural Policy Plan. According to Meza-Cuadra, the return…

Peru, world’s leading culinary destination for eighth consecutive year

MUSCAT (Oman), Dec 2 (NNN-ANDINA) — The World Travel Awards (WTA), known as the Oscars of the travel industry, have named Peru as the World’s Leading Culinary Destination for the 8th consecutive year. The announcement was made during the WTA Grand Final Gala Ceremony at the landmark Royal Opera House in Muscat (Oman),…

Police say no evidence suspect in Hague stabbing had terrorist motive

Police officers work near the site of a stabbing on a shopping street in The Hague AMSTERDAM, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dutch police said there was no evidence that a man arrested on suspicion of stabbing three people in the Hague had a terrorist motive. Three teenagers were hurt in…

Three French flood rescuers killed in helicopter crash as flood waters killed two

PARIS, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three emergency workers were killed in a helicopter crash near Marseille while on a rescue mission in flood-hit southern France, the interior ministry said. Their EC145 helicopter lost radio and radar contact while on a rescue and reconnaissance flight in the Var region Sunday night.…

US Pres Trump off to London for NATO summit, under pressure to steer clear of British election

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump leaves on Monday for a NATO summit in London and he is under pressure from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resist the temptation to wade into the British election campaign coming up later in December. As a presidential candidate in 2016…

Ukrainian lawmaker’s son killed in attack in Kiev

Vyacheslav Sobolev with his wife Inna. The three-year-old was the youngest of Sobolev’s five children KIEV, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Unknown gunmen opened fire at the car of a local lawmaker in the centre of Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Sunday, killing his three-year old son, a police source said. Vyacheslav…

Malta PM to resign amid journalist murder probe protests

VALLETTA, Dec 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, under fire over his handling of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, said he would step down after his replacement is chosen in January. Muscat declined to make a link with Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder, saying in a televised…