Curfew lifted in Ecuador after deal between gov’t, protesters

QUITO, Oct 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — The curfew on Ecuador’s capital Quito was lifted on Monday after an agreement reached between the government and indigenous leaders on Sunday put an end to more than 10 days of turbulent protests. The Defense Ministry said residents were free to move about again, and…

Spain reactivates arrest warrant for former Catalan leader Puigdemont

MADRID, Oct 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — Judge Pablo Llanera, examining magistrate in the trial of 12 Catalan politicians over events related to the Oct 1, 2017, independence referendum, on Monday reactivated the European arrest warrant for former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont. The Spanish Supreme Court has confirmed that Llarena had issued…

Libya’s UN-backed government condemns deadly airstrike in Tripoli

TRIPOLI, Oct 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — Libya’s UN-backed government late Monday condemned an airstrike that hit a house in the capital Tripoli and killed three children. “The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord condemns in the strongest terms the airstrike that was carried out this morning (Monday) on al-Fernaj…

EU approves sanctions framework for Nicaragua

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union adopted a sanctions framework for Nicaragua over human rights abuses and repression in the Central American country under President Daniel Ortega. The move, validated in a meeting of EU foreign ministers, does not immediately enact punishment on Nicaragua but allows targeted travel bans…

French female jihadist gang sentenced to up to 30 years in jail

PARIS, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A French court sentenced five members of an all-female jihadist cell to between five and 30 years in prison over a failed bid to detonate a car bomb outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. The case is the first to involve a group of women attempting…

British pedophile who abused up to 200 children, mostly from Malaysia, found dead in prison

Richard Huckle LONDON, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man described as one of Britain’s worst pedophiles has been found dead in jail.Richard Huckle, 33, who claimed to have abused almost 200 Malaysian children, died at Full Sutton prison in Yorkshire, England on Sunday, the UK’s Ministry of Justice confirmed in…

Nigerian state enlists hunters in Boko Haram fight

MAIDUGURI (Nigeria), Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of Nigerian hunters, armed with charmed amulets and intimate knowledge of harsh terrain, are preparing an offensive against the Boko Haram extremists who have ravaged the northeast for a decade, calling it “high time” they help soldiers end the deadly insurgency. Nigeria’s government…

UK: Queen Elizabeth delivers Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit agenda

Queen Elizabeth II LONDON, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on Monday gave a speech to reopen Parliament, outlining her government’s plans for the year ahead. Seated on a golden throne, the monarch read a list of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans for Brexit, as well as…

Several killed in Guinea protests against constitution change

CONAKRY, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least five people have been killed in Guinea during demonstrations called to oppose a possible change to the constitution that could allow President Alpha Conde to run for a third term. Police opened fire in clashes with demonstrators in the capital, Conakry as protests in the city of…

Nigerian police rescue 67 from ‘inhuman’ conditions at Islamic ‘school’, second rescue in a month

Pictured are some of the rescued captives ABUJA, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in northern Nigeria rescued nearly 70 men and boys from a second purported Islamic school where they were shackled and subjected to “inhuman and degrading treatments.”The raid in Katsina came less than a month after about 300…