Bolivia votes on Sunday, but Morales 13-year in office seems to have lost its magic

LA PAZ, Oct 19 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Bolivia’s Evo Morales will seek a controversial fourth term as president on Sunday when voters head to the polls in what is expected to be a tight race for the once-popular left-wing leader. Morales is already the longest-serving president in Bolivian history, having been…

Sudan, rebel groups agree on roadmap for peace talks

JUBA/KHARTOUM, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sudan and a major rebel group agreed to a roadmap that will allow suspended peace talks to resume, giving new impetus to efforts by the government to end multiple conflicts around the country, the two sides said. The government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North…

US ground troops will not enforce Syria safe zone – defense secretary

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that no U.S. troops will take part in enforcing the so-called safe zone in northern Syria and the United States “is continuing our deliberate withdrawal from northeastern Syria.” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier on…

Spanish minister warns protesters face up to six years in prison

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska MADRID, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spain’s acting interior minister said on Friday violent protesters in Catalonia could face up to six years in prison under Spanish law. Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters there were clashes taking place around Barcelona’s police headquarters late Friday involving around 400…

Honduran president hobbled after being implicated in brother’s bribery conviction

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez TEGUCIGALPA, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez emerged battered from the trial and conviction of his brother on Friday after the U.S. Justice Department concluded that the evidence showed narco-traffickers had bribed the president and his party. A U.S. jury on Friday…

Chile president declares state of emergency after violent protests

SANTIAGO, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chile’s president declared a state ofemergency in Santiago Friday night and gave the military responsibility forsecurity after a day of violent protests over increases in the price of metrotickets. “I have declared a state of emergency and, to that end, I have appointedMajor General Javier…

US opens door to talks to resolve Airbus tariff dispute with EU

US and European Union flags at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hours after the United States imposed tariffs on a record US$7.5-billion worth of European Union goods on Friday in a dispute over Airbus, there were signs the combatants might be ready to negotiate a…

Spain: Violence escalates in Barcelona after half a million separatists protest

Protesters throw a Spanish flag into the flames. BARCELONA. Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Violent clashes escalated in Barcelona late on Friday, as radical Catalan separatists hurled rocks and fireworks at police, who responded with teargas and rubber bullets, turning the city centre into a chaotic battleground. The deterioration came on the…

US-Mexico border: One year on, migrant caravan leaves unexpected legacy

Migrants, part of a caravan traveling to the US, walk along the road to Huixtla, near Tapachula, Mexico MEXICO CITY, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a…

US astronauts embark on the first all-female spacewalk

WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history on Friday when they stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) on the first all-female spacewalk. The much-anticipated milestone for NASA was achieved during a relatively routine mission to swap faulty batteries on the station’s exterior. Koch…