US: 2 children dead, 1 missing after floods in Arizona

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (NNN-Xinhua) — Two of three missing children were found dead Saturday in the U.S. state of Arizona after floodwater swept away a vehicle they were in, and a search is ongoing, U.S. media reported. The vehicle carrying seven children and two adults was swept into a flooded…

Uruguayan president-elect calls for “national unity”

MONTEVIDEO, Dec 1 (NNN-Xinhua) — Uruguay’s President-elect Luis Lacalle Pou on Saturday called for “national unity,” saying that during his presidency beginning March 1, he will not seek “to change one half of the country for another.” In the first speech after his confirmed narrow win in the presidential runoff…

At least 14 dead in Mexico gunfight

MEXICO CITY, Dec 1 (NNN-Xinhua) — Four police officers and 10 suspected gunmen of the Cartel of the Northeast were killed in an hour-long gunbattle in Mexico’s northern state of Coahuila, authorities said Saturday. Miguel Angel Riquelme Solis, governor of Coahuila state, said six more policemen were injured in the…

Suriname president gets 20 years in jail for murder

Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse PARAMARIBO, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse has been sentenced to 20 years in prison over the execution of 15 political opponents in 1982.Bouterse, 74, is currently on an official visit in China and will have two weeks to appeal against the conviction.He was…

Third occupant of Spain ‘narco-sub’ arrested: Police

MADRID, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The third occupant of a submarine seized off the Spanish coast carrying three tonnes of cocaine worth 100 million euros (US$110 million) was arrested on Nov 29, police said. Police intercepted the 20-metre submarine – thought to be the first of its kind captured in…

Mexico moves toward legal abortion, but women still face jail

A protest calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in Mexico City MEXICO CITY, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Martha Mendez and Susana Duenas were both teenagers when they committed their “crime”: suffering a miscarriage. Accused of having an abortion – which is illegal in all but two states in Mexico –…

US actor DiCaprio denies Pres Bolsonaro accusation of link to Amazon fires

SAO PAULO, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — American actor Leonardo DiCaprio on Saturday denied a claim by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that he had helped fund groups allegedly linked to fires in the Amazon rain forest. “While worthy of support,” the 45-year-old DiCaprio said in a statement on his Instagram account,…

Albania quake toll hits 50 as search for survivors ends

TIRANA, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll from a powerful Albanian earthquake rose to 50 as the search for survivors was called off, Prime Minister Edi Rama said. The 6.4 magnitude quake that hit the Balkan country before dawn on Tuesday was the most deadly and destructive in decades,…

140 illegal immigrants deported from Libya to Chad, Sudan

TRIPOLI, Dec 1 (NNN-XINHUA) — An immigration reception center inthe southern Libyan city of Kurfa on Thursday announced the deportation of 140 illegal immigrants to their home countries. “140 illegal immigrants of the center have been deported to Chad andSudan,” the center said in a statement. The illegal immigrants have…

Six European countries join barter system for Iran trade

PARIS, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Paris, London and Berlin on Saturdaywelcomed six new European countries to the INSTEX barter mechanism, which is designed to circumvent US sanctions against trade with Iran by avoiding use of the dollar. “As founding shareholders of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges(INSTEX), France, Germany…