Vietnam culls 2 million pigs, urges whole nation to fight swine fever

HANOI, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Vietnam said on Friday it has culled 2 million pigs in a bid to curb an outbreak of deadly African swine fever and called on the entire nation to join the fight against the rapidly spreading disease. The virus had spread to 48 of the…

Alleged ringleader admits hiker killings at Morocco trial

SALE (Morocco), May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The alleged leader of a militant cell accused of killing two Scandinavian hikers in Morocco admitted to the murders in court on Thursday, saying they were carried out in the name of the Daesh group. Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian…

Haitian opposition senators ransack meeting room

PORT-AU-PRINCE, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four opposition senators trashed their meeting room in Port-au-Prince early on Thursday to prevent, for a third time, the ratification of Prime Minister Jean-Michel Lapin’s agenda, further crippling the fledgling government. The lawmakers’ four large red velvet-tufted chairs were strewn across the parliament’s yard, partially…

Hungary: PM Orban pledges thorough probe into fatal boat accident

BUDAPEST, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he had asked for a thorough investigation into a boat accident on the Danube River in central Budapest that killed at least seven South Korean tourists two days ago. “One is shaken by this … an accident happened where…

Singapore’s PM Lee and China’s Defence Minister reaffirm bilateral ties

SINGAPORE, May 31 (NNN-CNA) — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and China’s Minister of National Defence Wei Fenghe discussed aspects of defence cooperation between Singapore and China when they met at the Istana on Thursday. At the meeting, Gen Wei and Lee “exchanged views on regional security and underscored the…

Singapore, US reaffirm bilateral defence relations, agree to renew MOU

SINGAPORE, May 31 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore and the United States have agreed to renew a defence Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), as the two countries reaffirmed their bilateral defence ties on Friday. Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen hosted Acting US Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan to breakfast on the sidelines…

Syrian Military ‘Burning Farmland In Rebel-Held North’

Civil defence workers say incendiary weapons have been fired repeatedly at fields  DAMASCUS, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Satellite images show large areas of farmland in opposition-held north-west Syria have been burnt as part of what activists allege is a campaign by the government to destroy vital food crops. Civil defence workers say incendiary…

Hungary Boat Crash: Captain Of Vessel Involved In Collision Arrested

BUDAPEST, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The captain of a vessel that collided with a tour boat on the Danube river in Budapest, resulting in at least seven deaths, has been arrested, police say. The 64-year-old Ukrainian national was held as a suspect over reckless misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to…

Philippines Sends Tonnes Of Rubbish Back To Canada

Containers of Canadian waste were fumigated prior to shipping  MANILA, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Philippines has sent tonnes of rubbish back to Canada, after a weeks-long diplomatic spat that saw President Rodrigo Duterte threaten to “sail to Canada and dump their garbage there”. The Philippines says the rubbish was…

Indonesia: Military, Komnas HAM investigate Asmat shooting

PAPUA, May 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The Papua Military Command, the National Police and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) have launched an investigation into the deaths of four in an alleged shooting by military personnel during an election dispute-turned-riot in Asmat regency, Papua. Papua Military Command spokesman Col. Muhammad Aidi said the team…