South American countries create Prosur in Chile

SANTIAGO, March 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — South American countries launched the Forum for the Progress of South America (Prosur), a new regional bloc which seeks the “integration and strengthening of the region.” Presidents and representatives from Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Paraguay and Guyana signed a joint declaration to create…

Kenyan tycoon arrested with heroin worth over 15,000 USD

MOMBASA (Kenya), March 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — A Kenyan tycoon was arrested with heroin worth 1.5 million shillings (about 15,000 U.S. dollars) here on Friday. The drugs were seized from the car of Abdulmajid Mselem Timami by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. The suspect, who owns a fleet of…

South Africa: Ruling party ANC pledges to counter corruption as inquiry continues

CAPE TOWN, March 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The African National Congress (ANC) is determined to get rid of corruption that has eroded its public support, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said. The ANC needs to redress whatever has gone wrong, said Ramaphosa, who is also president of the ANC. He acknowledged…

Second roundtable on Western Sahara ends in Switzerland

GENEVA, March 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — A two-day roundtable on Western Sahara ended here Friday with the parties involved saying in a joint statement that they welcomed the intention to meet again in the same format. The delegations “agreed to continue discussions in order to identify elements of convergence,” Horst Kohler,…

Over 25,000 Moroccan underage girls get married in 2018: minister

RABAT, March 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — A total of 25,514 girls under the legal age of 18 got married in 2018, Mohamed Aujjar, Morrocan minister of justice, said. Speaking at a national meeting on the underage marriage, Aujjar revealed that marriage contracts involving minors reached nine percent of the total marriage…

US Pres Trump meets Caribbean leaders on regional issues

WASHINGTON, March 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump has met with several leaders of the Caribbean region to discuss regional issues at his Mar-a-Lago resort in the state of Florida, the White House said. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1109186928623144960 In a statement, the White House said that Trump on the same day met…

US imposes new sanctions on Iran over weapons programmes

WASHINGTON, March 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States said it was imposing sanctions on 14 people and 17 entities connected to Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), a body it said had played a central role in Iran’s past nuclear weapons effort. Among those designated for sanctions was…

In Zimbabwe, grief and hunger stalk storm victims

CHIMANIMANI (Zimbabwe), March 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eunica Simango sits with downcast eyes as she waits at a relief centre in Chimanimani. A week ago, everything she owned, including a poultry run where she kept chickens, was swept away by a mudslide when Cyclone Idai, after lashing Mozambique, turned its wrath…

Suspected senior Daesh leader held in Hungary: Prosecutor

BUDAPEST, March 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hungarian police on Friday arrested a Syrian man suspected of being a high-ranking Daesh leader who organised suicide attacks and executions, following a European cross-border investigation. The man was arrested in a detention centre in eastern Hungary, Budapest chief prosecutor Tibor Ibolya told the M1…

Update: Hundreds of thousands of Algerians rally against Bouteflika

ALGIERS, March 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of thousands of Algerians rallied on Friday to demand the immediate resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is fighting for his political survival in the face of unrelenting protests and the desertion of long-time allies. Protesters carrying the national flag packed central Algiers. Bouteflika,…