Zoo trade in African baby elephants banned internationally

 GENEVA, Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) —A near-total ban on taking baby African elephants from the wild and selling them to zoos has been approved at a meeting in Geneva. Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) decided to tighten the rules after days of debate. The European Union decided to back…

Berlin Chechen shooting: Russian assassination suspected

BERLIN, Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) —A Chechen exile shot dead in a Berlin park had fought against Russian troops and may have been assassinated by a Russian agent. German police arrested a 49-year-old Russian man soon after the shooting on Friday, and found the suspected pistol and bike used in the attack. The victim was…

Mexican gov’t settles dispute with private gas pipeline firms

MEXICO CITY, Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Mexican government has resolved its dispute with private companies over what it considered to be abusive contracts for natural gas pipelines, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. The agreement avoided a lawsuit in international courts stemming from existing pipeline construction and operation contracts, and will save the government…

Brazil Defends Agribusiness Expansion Amid Global Pressure On Amazon Fires

SAO PAULO (Brazil), Aug 29 (NNN-XINHUA) — Brazil will keep developing its agribusiness sector with lower usage of water and land to maintain production sustainability, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias said. “Brazil is a powerhouse in food production, but also a power in environmental protection. We make everything we produce…

Sudan to name cabinet as tough challenges loom

KHARTOUM, Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sudan is to announce the members of a new cabinet faced with a mountain of challenges after months of unrest, including rebuilding the economy and ending internal conflicts. Newly-appointed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok will name his key picks from nominees put forward by the Forces…

Archeologists find remains of 227 sacrificed children in Peru

LIMA, Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Archeologists in Peru say the 227 bodies they have unearthed from a site used by the pre-Columbian Chimu culture is the biggest-ever discovery of sacrificed children. Archeologists have been digging since last year at the huge sacrificial site in Huanchaco, a beachside tourist town north…

Amazon fires a ‘tipping point’: forestry group chief

YOKOHAMA (Japan), Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The fires tearing through the Amazon represent a “tipping point” for the health of the rainforest, the head of a top global forestry management body said, urging the world to do more to save the trees. The situation in the Amazon is “very urgent,”…

25 killed as attackers ignite fire in Mexico bar

MEXICO CITY, Aug 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 25 people werekilled and 11 badly wounded when gunmen burst into a strip club in eastern Mexico, doused it with gasoline and ignited a raging fire, officials said. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned Tuesday night’s “shameful” attack in the city of…

Nigeria FG to build 4m houses by 2023 – Minister

FG to build 4m houses by 2023 – MinisterHouses project ABUJA, Aug 25 (NNN-NAN) — The Nigerian Federal Government promised to address housing deficit by delivering one million houses per year to close the 17 million shortfall by the year 2033. The Minister of State, Works and Housing, Abubakar Aliyu,…

FROM THE FIELD: Argentina preserving pristine forests

An Argentinian yacare caiman, in Misiones, in north-east Argentina. BUENOS AIRES, Aug 25 (NNN-UNNS) — Thousands of species of animals and plants which are indigenous to a vast forest in Argentina could be saved thanks to a partnership between the United Nations and the South American country.  The Paranaense Forest…