Turkey says Cyprus abandoned ‘ghost town’ to be opened

The crumbling hotels and houses of Varosha ISTANBUL, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu confirmed that Turkey plans to re-open the fenced-off town of Varosha, and preparations were already underway. Three days after his visit to Varosha, accompanied by his Turkish Cypriot ‘counterpart’ Kudret Ozersay, Cavusoglu told…

Update: Israel must have freedom to act against Iran, Netanyahu says in Russia

SOCHI (Russia), Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel must be allowed to act freely against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Sochi, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss security coordination in Syria. The two leaders have met more than a dozen times in…

Argentine lawmakers approve emergency food bill

Protesters along the Avenue Nueve de Julio in Buenos Aires BUENOS AIRES, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentine lawmakers on Thursday unanimously approved a draft emergency food law to free up resources for social programmes amid a worsening economic crisis. “We are facing a problem of hunger, malnutrition and a sharp…

Peru court cuts jail time for opposition leader Keiko Fujimori

LIMA, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Peru’s Supreme Court on Thursday halved the pre-trial detention of Keiko Fujimori, paving the way for the opposition leader to leave jail in April of next year. Fujimori, 44, was ordered held for 36 months last October in a corruption case linked to Brazilian construction…

US finds North Korean readiness for talks ‘encouraging’

WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States said it was encouraged by North Korea’s stated willingness to resume negotiations but criticised its latest firing of projectiles as counter-productive. “It was an encouraging sign that they would like to return to negotiations and that’s something we welcome,” State Department spokeswoman…

Opportunities abound for Singapore-Philippines collaboration: Pres Halimah Yacob

MANILA, Sept 13 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore and the Philippines can collaborate in many areas, Singapore President Halimah Yacob said as she concluded on Thursday a five-day state visit to the Philippines, during which she met Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila and headed to his home city of Davao in Mindanao. Halimah said…

Liberia: Chiefs call for action over economic crimes

President George Weah MONROVIA, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 300 chiefs representing Liberia’s rural and traditional bloc have called on the president to set up a war and economic crimes court as part of measures to fight impunity that has impeded the growth of Africa’s oldest independent republic.The representative…

US should avoid ‘warmongers’, says Iran on John Bolton’s firing

TEHRAN, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States should distance itself from “warmongers” after hardline national security adviser John Bolton was dismissed, Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani said. Bolton was one of the strongest advocates of the ongoing US “maximum pressure” policy towards the Islamic Republic.“Americans have to realise that warmongering…

World Bank endorses Somalia’s steady economic recovery

WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The World Bank has backed Somalia’s economy to grow above expectations for the next three-to-five years, if the country can sustain its current economic reform momentum.The Horn of Africa country has been in turmoil since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew President Siad Barre and then…

Indonesia forest fires surge, stoking global warming fears

File photo. JAKARTA, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of blazes in Indonesia’s rainforests has jumped sharply, satellite data showed Thursday, spreading smog across Southeast Asia and adding to concerns about the impact of increasing wildfire outbreaks worldwide on global warming.Illegal blazes to clear land for agricultural plantations have been…