Algeria: Ailing Pres Bouteflika announces new government

ALGIERS, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Protest-hit Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has named a new government headed by recently appointed Noureddine Bedoui, a statement from the presidency said. State television reported that armed forces chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, who has called for Bouteflika to step down, remained as deputy defence minister.…

S. Korea starts search for war remains, separate from North

SEOUL, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Korea’s military is separately searching for Korean War remains at the heavily armed inter-Korean border after North Korea ignored its calls to carry out a previously planned joint search. Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Monday that South Korean soldiers will remove mines and proceed with excavation…

Update: Kim suspect pleads guilty to lower charge

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Latest on the trial of a Vietnamese woman in the killing of estranged North Korean scion Kim Jong Nam. A lawyer for Doan Thi Huong says she is pleading guilty to a reduce charge in Kim Jong Nam’s killing and is asking for leniency.…

Venezuela: Pres Maduro announces 30-day rationing plan for power

CARACAS, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced a 30-day plan to ration electricity as nationwide power cuts continue to inflict misery on millions of people. Maduro said on national television that the plan will help deal with the outages that have also cut off water supply…

Malaysia: Prosecutors offer lower charge for lone Kim suspect

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Malaysian prosecutors have offered to reduce a murder charge against the Vietnamese woman who is the only suspect in custody for the killing of the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader. Prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad told the Shah Alam court Monday he received instruction from…

Strong 6.2 quake off Ecuador: USGS

WASHINGTON, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast of Ecuador early Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and there was no tsunami warning. The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers, in the…

Israel reopens Gaza crossings closed for days after rocket strike

JERUSALEM, April 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel reopened its crossings with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Sunday after having kept them closed for nearly a week following a rare long-distance rocket strike from the Palestinian enclave, an official said. The Erez crossing for people and the Kerem Shalom crossing for goods…

Guatemala: 15 Police Officers Arrested for Working as Hitmen, Drug Dealers

GUATEMALA CITY, March 30 (NNN-TELESUR) — A series of arrests last week brought down 15 members of a criminal group made up of local police officers working as drug dealers and hitmen in Guatemala. Leaders of the “Los Patrones” network Miguel Antonio Solan Solis and Sonia Haydee Lainez Aguilar de Salan,…

Paraguay Gov’t Proposes to Buy Campesinos Agricultural Debts

ASUNCION, March 30 (NNN-TELESUR) — Representatives of Paraguay’s three branches of government, Indigenous people, and Campesinos established a dialogue table Wednesday in which Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Denis Lichi said the government would take on agricultural debts in response to one of the core demands of the protests. The other demands include…

India eyes world’s largest lithium deposits in Bolivia

LA PAZ, March 30 (NNN-EFE) — India on Friday expressed its interest in investing in the lithium industry of Bolivia, home to a vast number of untapped mines of the mineral that is used to produce rechargeable batteries for portable electronics and electric vehicles. Indian President Ram nath Kovind, who…