US to send 200 troops, Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States announced the deployment of 200 troops as well as Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia to help the country’s defense in the wake of last month’s attacks on oil installations blamed on Iran. The Defense Department said the deployment would involve one battery…

Five years on, 43 missing students still haunt Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Exactly five years after 43 students disappeared without a trace in Mexico, the government said it willre-investigate the case as a crime by “agents of the state,” offering a rewardfor new information. The night of Sept 26, 2014, a group of students in Guerrero…

India faces first court challenges to e-cigarette ban

The Indian government says the e-cigarette ban is essential to protect people NEW DELHI, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — India’s ban on electronic cigarettes has been challenged in a court in the eastern city of Kolkata, marking the start of the first legal battle against the anti-vaping decision. The Indian government…

Indonesian student dies in protests against major changes to laws

JAKARTA, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Indonesian student died Thursday as thousands hit the streets nationwide in a wave of opposition to a major overhaul of the country’s criminal code and a bid to weaken its anti-corruption agency, police said. The death appeared to mark the first fatality in days of street…

WHO welcomes Taliban decision to lift ban on health workers

KABUL, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organisation welcomed a Taliban decision to lift a months-long ban on health workers operating in insurgent-controlled parts of Afghanistan. Taliban officials had in April barred the WHO and the International Committee of the Red Cross, accusing the groups of “suspicious activities”. The…

Indonesia quake death toll rises to 23: Official

JAKARTA, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll from a powerful earthquake that rocked Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands has risen to 23, the disaster agency said, as more than 15,000 people were evacuated to shelters. Terrified residents ran into the streets as buildings fell in around them with the 6.5-magnitude tremor…

US vaping-related deaths rise to 12, illnesses climb to 805

WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — U.S. health officials reported 805 confirmed and probable cases and 12 deaths so far from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, with the outbreak showing no signs of easing. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 530 cases and seven…

US bars Cuba’s Raul Castro and family

NEW YORK, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States announced travel sanctions against Cuba’s Raul Castro and his family, accusing the former president of violations of human rights. In his continued role as first secretary of the ruling Communist Party, “Raul Castro oversees a system that arbitrarily detains thousands of…

Saudi Arabia opens to tourists with investment appeal and no abaya rule

RIYADH, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Saudi Arabia threw open its doors to foreign tourists, launching a new visa regime for 49 countries and appealing to foreign companies to invest in a sector it hopes will contribute 10 per cent of gross domestic product by 2030. The ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, relatively…

US accuses Syria again of using chemical weapons, vows action

NEW YORK, Sept 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States vowed a response on Thursday as it said it had confirmed another chemical weapons attack by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in May. The Assad regime used chlorine on May 19 in Latakia province as part of its deadly offensive to…