Brazil: Two killed as buildings collapse in rain-soaked Rio de Janeiro area

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least two people were killed Friday when two buildings collapsed in a hillside neighborhood west of Rio de Janeiro, a region hard hit by heavy rain and flash floods in the past days, firefighters said. The contiguous four-story buildings were located in the…

Brazil: Pres Bolsonaro says rainforest reserve should be opened to mining

BRASILIA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the country could open a vast reserve in the Amazon rainforest to mining. The National Reserve of Copper and Associates (Renca) occupies roughly 46,100 sq km that is thought to be rich in gold, copper, iron ore and other minerals.…

US CDC says ground beef possible source of E.coli outbreak

ATLANTA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said preliminary information suggested ground beef could be responsible for a recent E.coli outbreak that has spread across six states. No common supplier, distributor, or brand of ground beef has been identified yet and the CDC said the…

FAA meets with US airlines, pilot unions on Boeing 737 MAX

WASHINGTON, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Federal Aviation Administration met for three hours on Friday with representatives from the three major U.S. airlines that fly now grounded Boeing 737 MAX airplanes and their pilots’ unions to discuss two fatal crashes and the path forward. More than 300 Boeing 737 MAX…

US to help improve commercial traffic on border: Mexican minister

MERIDA (Mexico), April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that US officials have pledged to help improve the flow of commercial traffic across the two neighbours’ shared border, a move that should ease recent bottlenecks harming industrial trade. A slowdown along the US-Mexico border began late last month…

350 Central American migrants force their way into Mexico as new caravan arrives

MEXICO CITY, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A group of 350 Central American migrants forced their way into Mexico Friday, authorities said, as a new caravan of around 2,500 people arrived. Mexico’s National Migration Institute said some members of the caravan had a “hostile attitude” and had attacked local police in the…

Algeria: With Bouteflika gone, protesters demand more change

ALGIERS, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding the departure of Algeria’s ruling elite rallied in the North African nation’s capital on Friday and police reported nearly 200 arrests after clashes that left more than 80 officers injured. Police in anti-riot gear fired tear gas to disperse…

DR Congo: Ebola death toll passes 750 – WHO

GENEVA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 750 people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, ahead of a key review on the severity of the epidemic. WHO’s latest toll for the outbreak declared in eastern DRC last August came…

East Libyan warplanes hit Tripoli government positions

TRIPOLI, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rebel eastern Libyan forces bogged down in street battles in a push to seize the capital Tripoli deployed warplanes on Friday to hit several government positions, as more civilians fled fighting. More than 1,000 people gathered in central Tripoli to demand that Khalifa Haftar stop…

Colombia receives $31.5 mn to address Venezuela refugee crisis: World Bank

WASHINGTON, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombia will receive a US$31.5 million grant to help deal with the flood of refugees from neighboring Venezuela, the World Bank said. Colombia has received about a third of 3.7 million refugees who have fled the worsening crisis in Venezuela in recent years – the…