Thousands of Chileans strike as protest death toll hits 18

SANTIAGO, Oct 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of Chileans flooded the streets of Santiago and other cities in a general strike on Wednesday, upping the pressure on beleaguered President Sebastien Pinera after days of social unrest that left 18 dead. Students, professors and state workers walked off the job at the…

US Pres Trump lifts Turkey sanctions, quits ‘blood-stained’ Syria

Russian forces armored vehicles patrol the Syrian border in Kobani WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump ended sanctions against Turkey on Wednesday, drawing a line under American involvement in “blood-stained” Syria, as Turkish and Russian troops seized territory previously held by US troops and their beleaguered Kurdish allies.…

Botswana awaits results in cliffhanger election

About 931,000 of the country’s 2.2 million people are registered to vote in the parliamentary and local elections GABORONE, Oct 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Botswana voted on Wednesday in a cliffhanger election set to test the decades-long dominance of the ruling party and challenge the country’s image of stability. The southern…

Ethiopia: Protests spread after stand-off at prominent activist’s home; one reported killed

Women supporters show the Oromo protest gesture outside Jawar Mohammed’s house ADDIS ABABA, Oct 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police fired gunshots and teargas as thousands protested in Ethiopia on Wednesday over the treatment of a prominent activist, accused of formenting unrest. More than a thousand supporters gathered in Addis Ababa outside…

Namibian government turns down 136 mln USD bailout request from Air Namibia

WINDHOEK, Oct 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — The Namibian government has rejected a 2 billion Namibian dollars (about 136 million U.S. dollars) bailout request from Air Namibia, a senior government official said. The flagship Namibian airline will not get the requested financial bailout it requested as it is not sustainable and comes short of the quest to…

Horror in Britain as 39 suspected migrants found dead in truck; nine found alive in separate truck

LONDON, Oct 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain launched a major murder investigation after 39 dead bodies were found Wednesday in a refrigerated truck, once again putting the spotlight on the shadowy people trafficking business. The corpses were found in a truck container at an industrial park in Grays, east of London.…

Namibia: Give us five more years – Pres Geingob appeals to voters

WINDHOEK, Oct 23 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — Swapo presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election President Hage Geingob asked for a fixed term of five more years. This he said is for the party to complete the programmes already started. Geingob made the request at a fully packed Kuisebmond Soccer Stadium at…

PM Abiy says Ethiopia ready to hold elections in 2020

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ADDIS ABABA, Oct 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia will face problems if it delays its general election beyond the scheduled date of May next year, the prime minister said. “Democracy needs exercise. If we say we cannot hold elections now, it will bring a lot of…

Botswana votes in first real challenge to ruling party

People are voting in Botswana’s elections, with the opposition hoping to unseat the ruling BDP GABORONE, Oct 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Botswana holds an election on Wednesday that will present the first genuine challenge to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in its five decades of dominance over southern Africa’s wealthiest…

Bolivian government seeks election audit, vows to respect result

Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Diego Pary LA PAZ, Oct 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The government of Bolivian President Evo Morales has asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to conduct an audit of a binding vote count after preliminary results of Sunday’s presidential election that showed Morales’ winning outright sparked concerns about…