Turkey arrests 17 on suspected Daesh links

Turkish security services raid the house of a suspected terrorist  ANKARA, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish police arrested 17 foreigners on Thursday suspected of ties to the Daesh group, state news agency Anadolu reported. The 17, whose nationalities were not given, were arrested in Ankara and taken for interrogation by counter-terrorism…

UN assembly condemns US embargo on Cuba, for 28th time

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN General Assembly condemned the nearly 60-year-old US embargo on Cuba on Thursday for the 28th year in a row, calling for an end to it by a vote of 187 to three. Only Israel and Brazil voted with the US against the…

Mexico: Families hold first funerals for Mormon massacre victims

RANCHO LA MORA (Mexico), Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Relatives began holding funerals for the nine Mormon women and children murdered in northern Mexico, still reeling from pain and anger three days after the massacre. Long convoys of cars carrying the victims’ extended families from other parts of Mexico and the…

Chile president announces tougher public order laws

SANTIAGO, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera announced a series of measures to tighten public order in the wake of three weeks of anti-government protests that have left 20 people dead. The legislative package, aimed at curbing violent demonstrations and looting, includes measures that would ban protesters from…

Ukraine foes to pull back troops ahead of Russia summit

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Vuhlehirsk, Donetsk  BOGDANIVKA (Ukraine), Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukraine’s army and Russian-backed separatists are set Friday to complete the last phase of a troop pullback in the war-torn east in a key step towards a high-stakes summit with Russia. The…

‘Uncharted territory’ as bushfires rage across Australia’s east

A large bushfire in the Wollemi National Park near Lithgow, west of Sydney SYDNEY, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dozens of bushfires raged out of control across eastern Australia on Friday, blocking escape routes for residents and shuttering the main highway linking major cities on the country’s Pacific coast.  More than…

Vietnam to repatriate 39 nationals found dead in UK truck

People light candles to pray for the 39 people found dead in the back of a truck near London, in front of Hanoi Cathedral in Hanoi, Vietnam. LONDON, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Vietnam said it was working to repatriate 39 bodies now identified as Vietnamese nationals found in a truck near…

Fire breaks out aboard tanker in Singapore waters off Pedra Branca: MPA

SINGAPORE, Nov 8 (NNN-CNA) — A fire broke out aboard a Panama-flagged tanker in Singapore waters on Thursday, causing the crew members to be evacuated, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a statement. MPA said it was informed at 1.10pm that a fire had broken out…

Three killed, 20 injured in Iran earthquake: state television

TEHRAN, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An earthquake in northwestern Iran onFriday killed three people and injured 20, according to the first officialreports on state television. The shallow 5.9-magnitude quake struck about 120 kilometressoutheast of the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province, in the earlyhours of the morning, the Iranian…

China calls Hong Kong protesters ‘mobsters’ after stabbing of pro-Beijing lawmaker

BEIJING, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China has slammed radical protesters inHong Kong as “mobsters” using violence to influence upcoming local elections, after a pro-Beijing lawmaker was injured in a stabbing. The international finance hub has been shaken by five months of huge andincreasingly violent protests calling for greater democratic freedoms…