Dozens of migrants still stuck on vessel in Italy port

ROME, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Italian coastguard vessel stranded in the Mediterranean with more than 130 migrants aboard has been allowed to dock in the Sicilian port of Augusta but the government refused to let them disembark until a deal is struck with the EU. “The Gregoretti berthed in the…

Storms claim three lives in Italy

ROME, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Freak storms and flash flooding following last week’s heatwave in Italy claimed three lives this weekend, including a young woman caught up in a mini-tornado near Rome’s Fiumicino airport. The 26-year-old woman was driving home at around 2 am Sunday when the mini-tornado lifted her…

Brazil police probe tribal leader’s killing, village invasion

BRASILIA, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dozens of gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in the Brazilian Amazon where a local leader was stabbed to death and have taken over a village after the community fled in fear, local politicians and indigenous leaders said. The authorities said police were…

Puerto Rico: New twist in leadership crisis

SAN JUAN, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A political crisis over leadership in the US Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico took another turn Sunday when the designated successor to embattled governor Ricardo Rossello said she didn’t want the job. Secretary of State Wanda Vazquez, Rossello’s number two, was set under the…

Mexico, Honduras agree to create 20,000 jobs and stem migration

VERACRUZ (Mexico), July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A scheme to create 20,000 jobs in Honduras has been agreed between the country’s president and Mexico’s leader in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants toward the United States. Mexico, which is a stepping stone to the US for many from Central…

Pres Maduro says missing FARC leaders are ‘welcome in Venezuela’

CARACAS, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said two former FARC commanders from neighbouring Colombia whose whereabouts are unknown were “welcome in Venezuela,” a statement likely to fuel criticism that he is providing a safe haven for armed groups. Speaking alongside Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at the closing…

DR Congo: Gunmen kidnap 2 workers at Banro gold mine – Army

GOMA (DR Congo), July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gunmen kidnapped a South African and one Zimbabwean worker at Banro’s gold mine in the east Congolese province of Maniema on Sunday, an army spokesman said. Dieudonne Kasereka, army spokesman for South Kivu province, gave no further details. The Canadian mining firm’s interests…

Brazil police say one arrested in US$29 million gold robbery case

SAO PAULO, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian police said they arrested one person and are seeking an arrest warrant for another in connection with the theft of a gold shipment at São Paulo’s international airport on July 25. The authorities did not name any of the suspects in the theft, which…

Libya buries bodies of 46 migrants after deadly shipwreck

TAJURA (Libya), July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Libyan authorities buried the bodies of 46 migrants Sunday after they were plucked from the sea following one of deadliest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean so far this year. Rescue workers said they had recovered the bodies of 62 migrants from waters off Libya after the overloaded boat went down…

Update: 4 dead in California shooting, including suspected gunman

LOS ANGELES, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four people have died at a California food festival shooting, including a suspected gunman, police chief Scott Smithee told a news conference. Fifteen more were injured, including some who suffered gunshot wounds, although the number of those shot was not immediately clear. Police and…