Poverty in Argentina on the rise, Catholic University research shows

BUENOS AIRES, July 16 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Poverty in Argentina reached “35 per cent” so far this year, according to Argentine Catholic University (UCA), it was reported last week. “There are several reasons [for that],” explained Eduardo Donza, a researcher with the UCA’s Observatory of Social Debt in a radio interview.…

Chinese-built trains help renew Cuba’s obsolete railways

HAVANA, July 16 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — For the first time since the 1970s, Cuba has new trains rolling on the island after the first train made up entirely of Chinese cars left Havana Friday on a 14-hour, 835-km journey to Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city on the island. The local…

Mercosur expected to announce dropping of roaming charges in Santa Fe

SANTA FE (ARGENTINA), July 16 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are expected to announce Wednesday the elimination of the roaming service charge when travelling to any of the Mercosur countries, it was reported. Wednesday’s summit in the Argentine city of Santa Fe will be the…

Ethiopia premier’s aide named to lead restive Amhara region

ADDIS ABABA, July 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia’s Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) named the security adviser to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as head of the restive Amhara region after his predecessor was killed in a violent attempt to seize power there. Dozens were killed in fighting during the foiled coup by…

Guatemalan court halts ‘safe third country’ designation for asylum seekers

GUATEMALA CITY, July 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Guatemala’s Constitutional Court has blocked President Jimmy Morales from immediately declaring the poor Central American nation a safe third country for asylum-seekers, amid growing pushback to U.S. pressure that it absorb large numbers of migrants. The provisional decision came late on Sunday, hours after…

India: 50 trapped after building collapses in Mumbai

MUMBAI, July 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 40 people are feared to be trapped under debris as a four-storey building collapsed in Mumbai’s crowded neighbourhod of Dongri Tuesday morning. The National Disaster Response Force, fire tenders and ambulances have been rushed to the Tandel street, Abdul Hamid Durga, in Dongri,…

UN refugee agency calls for closure of immigrant detention centers in Libya

TRIPOLI, July 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) called for closure of detention centers of illegal immigrants in Libya. “We continue to call for the closure of all detention centers in Libya. 200 people were brought to Tajoura detention center,” the UNHCR tweeted. Earlier in…

Brazilian mining giant signs agreement to pay for losses in dam collapse case

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazilian mining giant Vale signed an agreement with a local labor court to pay compensation to the families of the victims in a dam collapse in January, which caused the deaths of about 250 people. The company agreed to pay 700,000 reals (186,666…

Hunger rising in LatAm, Caribbean: FAO

SANTIAGO, July 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Hunger is on the rise in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting 42.5 million people in 2018, or 6.5 percent of the total population, a UN agency said. In Latin America and the Caribbean, rates of the undernourishment have increased in recent years, said the…

Vice president Mourao says no restrictions on Huawei in Brazil

BRASILIA, July 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China’s Huawei will not be restricted in Brazil where plans are under way to launch a 5G network, the country’s vice president said, defying US pressure to shun the firm. Huawei, a leader in next-generation 5G wireless technology, is barred from developing 5G networks in…