Chile’s drought killing thousands of farm animals

Cows seen on farmland left arid by a lack of rainwater in Colina, north of Santiago, Chile SANTIAGO, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Farmers are counting the cost of one of the driest austral winters in six decades, which has destroyed crops and left tens of thousands of farm animals dead…

US Pres Trump suspends entry of immigrants who cannot pay for healthcare

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation suspending entry of immigrants who will not be covered by health insurance within 30 days of entering the United States or do not have the means to pay for their healthcare costs themselves. The proclamation, issued by the…

Haitian protesters clash with police in new push for president’s ouster

PORT-AU-PRINCE, OCT 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Haitian opposition leaders led a large and mostly peaceful march in the capital on Friday as they called for the resignation of President Jovenel Moise, whom they blame for a deep economic and political crisis in the troubled Caribbean country. Although some violence flared between…

Spanish police saved from sea by smugglers they were chasing

Picture released by the Spanish Guardia Civil shows a speedboat surrounded by bundles of drugs in the sea, after a police high-speed chase with drug-smugglers, off the coast of Mijas, Malaga, southern Spain MADRID, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three Spanish police officers who were thrown into the sea when their…

Update: Ecuador unions call off anti-austerity protests after 370 arrests in two days

QUITO, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador’s transport unions called off protests against the scrapping of fuel subsidies by President Lenin Moreno after two days of unrest that halted transport nationwide and resulted in almost 370 arrests. From the highland capital Quito to the coastal city of Guayaquil, many bus and…

US measles cases exceed 1,200 but elimination status maintained

NEW YORK, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 1,200 people have been sickened with measles this year, the highest number since 1992, US health authorities said, though the infectious childhood disease officially remains “eliminated” after the worst-hit region contained its outbreak. New York health officials declared the end of the…

Greek PM: EU states must do more to share burden of hosting refugees

ATHENS, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) –The Greek prime minister has called for sanctions to be imposed on EU member states that refuse to share the burden of hosting refugees, as the country struggles to handle burgeoning numbers of asylum seekers. Amid mounting tensions over the dramatic increase in men, women and…

South Africa, Nigeria mend relations and agree trade deals

PRETORIA, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa and Nigeria signed 30 trade and cooperation agreements, weeks after a wave of violence against Nigerian nationals in Johannesburg and Pretoria had strained relations between Africa’s top two economies. In September, mobs armed with makeshift weapons attacked businesses and homes owned by foreigners,…

Russian Prime Minister Medvedev slams US for Cuba embargo during Havana trip

HAVANA, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev lambasted the Trump administration for trying to create a “toxic atmosphere” around Cuba, during a two-day trip to the island demonstrating Russia’s support for its Communist government. The former Soviet Union was Cuba’s main backer for decades and Moscow has sought to renew its commercial,…

‘War wing’ fights for survival in Kosovo poll

PRISTINA, Oct 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The former guerilla commanders who have dominated Kosovo since its independence will fight for political survival in elections on Sunday, with opposition parties threatening to boot them from power. The poll is the fourth since tiny Kosovo formally broke away from Serbiain 2008. Kosovo’s leading…