French drug smuggler’s death sentence commuted in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) –: A French drug smuggler’s death sentence has been commuted by an Indonesian court to 19 years in prison, his lawyer Denny Nur Indra said. The ruling comes less than three months after Felix Dorfin, 35, was handed a capital sentence following his arrest last year…

World will lose brake on nuclear war with end of INF treaty: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned by rising tensions between nuclear-armed states, warning “the world will lose an invaluable brake on nuclear war” with the expiration of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) on Friday. “This will likely heighten, not reduce, the threat posed by…

Syria agrees to Idlib truce if buffer zone implemented

DAMASCUS, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Syrian government has agreed to a truce in the war-torn northwestern region of Idlib on condition a Turkish-Russian buffer-zone deal is implemented, state news agency SANA reported. The announcement, which follows weeks of heavy bombardment in the region of some three million residents, came…

US: Dallas man who went to Syria to join Daesh indicted in Texas

WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A 23-year-old Texas man has been indicted for providing support to a terror organisation after travelling to Syria to join the Daesh group, the US Justice Department said. Omer Kuzu, a US citizen born in Dallas, Texas, was indicted by a federal jury in that…

Brazil: Pres Bolsonaro appoints military men to investigate dictatorship abuses

BRASILIA, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro appointed two members of the armed forces to a commission investigating deaths and disappearances during the brutal 1964-81 military dictatorship. Bolsonaro is an unapologetic admirer of the dictatorship, under which he served as an artillery officer, and has caused outrage by…

US Pres Trump says he is considering a blockade or quarantine on Venezuela

WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Donald Trump said he is considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela, as the United States steps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power. Asked by a reporter whether he was considering such a measure given the amount of involvement by China…

Italy: Fresh African migrant stand-off with Interior Minister Salvini

ROME, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A charity rescue ship run by German NGO Sea-Eye was blocked outside Italian territorial waters on Thursday with 40 migrants on board, after Italy’s interior minister banned it from entering. The migrants on the Alan Kurdi ship, rescued on Wednesday off Libya, hail from West…

Hamza bin Laden’s death no big blow to Al-Qaeda: US experts

WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The reported death of Osama bin Laden’s son and heir to the Al-Qaeda mantle is unlikely to do much damage to the militant group’s resurgence, US terror experts said. While Hamza bin Laden was being groomed as a leader of the group his father founded and led…

Singapore scientists discover new cancer drug that could be alternative to chemotherapy

SINGAPORE, Aug 2 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore scientists have discovered a new antibody drug that could potentially be used as an alternative for chemotherapy in treating cancer. In a scientific advisory issued on Thursday, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR) Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) announced the findings of a…

Free trade agreement between Singapore and Britain in the works: Vivian Balakrishnan

BANGKOK, Aug 2 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore is working with Britain on a trade deal that will port the provisions of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) to the United Kingdom, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. This is regardless of whether Britain proceeds to leave the EU on Oct 31, with or without a deal,…