Two hurt in shooting near French mosque, suspected gunman held: police

PARIS, Oct 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two people were injured when shots were fired near a mosque in Bayonne in southwest France, police said, adding the suspected gunman has been arrested. The man, reportedly a former election candidate for Marine Le Pen’s far-Right National Rally, was arrested near his home after…

Anti-Daesh coalition to meet in Washington Nov 14: US

WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 30 nations fighting the Daesh group will gather in Washington on Nov 14 in a French-initiated meeting as the United States pulls troops from Syria, a US official said. Ministers from nations in the coalition against the extremists will “look at the next…

Thousands rally in Catalan counter-protest marching for Spanish unity

BARCELONA, Oct 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tens of thousands of people marched on Sunday (Oct 27) for Spanish unity, staging a counter-rally in Barcelona a day after 350,000 Catalan separatists held a protest over the jailing of nine regional leaders. Around 80,000 people, according to a police estimate, marched down Barcelona’s…

Romania, Hungary recruit in Asia to fill labour shortage

BUCHAREST, Oct 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sporting yellow safety helmets, about 30 men are busy at work on a construction site south of Bucharest, exchanging a few words in Vietnamese. Faced with a growing labour shortage which threatens their economies, Romania and Hungary are courting Asian workers, going against Hungarian nationalist…

Gunmen abduct, kill inhabitants in northern Burkina Faso

OUAGADOUGOU, Oct 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — Unidentified gunmen abducted and shot dead many villagers on Saturday in Pobe Mengao, northern Soum province of Burkina Faso, witnesses told Xinhua on Sunday. “Armed individuals stormed into the village and abducted inhabitants. It led to panic,” said a local elected representative in Djibo, capital…

UN, partners seek 90 million USD to help victims of failed rains in Zambia

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations and its partners are seeking nearly 90 million U.S. dollars to provide immediate humanitarian assistance and early recovery support to 2.3 million victims of a poor rainfall season in south Zambia, a UN release said. According to the release, the failed…

Presidential helicopter crash kills 6 in Colombia

BOGOTA, Oct 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — A helicopter, which was part of the presidential fleet, crashed in a countryside in central Colombia’s Cundinamarca department, killing all the six crew members, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) said on Sunday. “The Colombian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of the six crew members…

Update: British PM Johnson pushes for poll as EU prepares Brexit delay

LONDON, Oct 28 (NNN-BSS/AFP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson willmake a fresh push on Monday for an early election as EU leaders prepare toback yet another Brexit delay, just days before the departure deadline. Johnson was forced to abandon his promise to leave the European Union onOct 31, after…

Colombia elects first woman mayor of Bogota

BOGOTA, Oct 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Claudia Lopez, a symbol of the fightagainst corruption in Colombia, on Sunday became the first woman to beelected mayor of the capital Bogota. The 49-year-old center-left candidate, who is openly gay, won the localelection with 35.2 percent of the vote ahead of liberal Carlos Fernando…

Two dead as hundreds of police, supporters march in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 28 (AFP) – Two people were killed as severalhundred police and their supporters demonstrated in Haiti’s capital forbetter law enforcement salaries on Sunday, police said, while anti-government marchers also took to the streets. The first victim was shot during a protest demanding that President JovenelMoise step down. The…