Turkey probing Utrecht attack: Pres Erdogan

ISTANBUL, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Turkish intelligence services areinvestigating the gun attack in the Netherlands to determine whether it was a terror attack or a possible family dispute, President Recep Tayyip Erdogansaid. Dutch police arrested a Turkish-born suspect over the attack on a tram inthe city of Utrecht that left…

Peru: Detained opposition leader Keiko Fujimori to remain silent, refuses to talk with prosecutor

LIMA, March 19 (NNN-ANDINA) — Former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori said she would remain silent and would not make any statements to Prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez. Perez arrived at the women’s prison in Lima to interrogate her, within the framework of the case involving alleged illegal contributions made by Odebrecht to…

Peru: Former President Toledo arrested in U.S. for being drunk

REDWOOD CITY (California), March 19 (NNN-ANDINA) — Peru’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on Monday confirmed that ex-President Alejandro Toledo was arrested in San Mateo County —south of San Francisco— for being drunk at a local restaurant. Once informed of the arrest, the Peruvian Consulate in San Francisco contacted authorities at Maguire Correctional…

At least 89 dead in Zimbabwe as Cyclone Idai leaves trail of destruction

HARARE, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 89 people have died in Zimbabwe after Cyclone Idai tore across the eastern and southern parts of the country, a government official said, creating a humanitarian crisis in a nation grappling with economic woes and a drought. The scale of destruction is only…

Uganda food aid halted over poisoning fears; one feared dead

Laboratory tests are to confirm whether the ‘super cereal’ gave people food poisoning KAMPALA, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A fortified porridge given to refugees and malnourished Ugandans has been removed from distribution over fears it may have killed an elderly woman. Nearly 200 other people were also hospitalised after the…

South Africa president stranded aboard public train

PRETORIA, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa had a taste of public service glitch as a metro train he boarded on Monday morning failed to take off on time. The exact reason for the over two-hour delay was not immediately clear but it forced the president to…

Brazil’s Pres Bolsonaro, wooing Trump, opens base to US rockets

WASHINGTON, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, signed a deal Monday to open a base to US satellite launches as he appealed for warm relations with Donald Trump on a visit to Washington. The outspoken conservative, who will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday, has…

Facebook scrubs 1.5mn Christchurch attack videos but criticism goes viral

CHRISTCHURCH (New Zealand), March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Facebook says it removed a staggering 1.5 million videos showing harrowing viral footage of the Christchurch mosque rampage but criticism of social media giants for failing to block images of the “real-time terror attack” is also spreading fast. As the alleged gunman callously…

Russia: Pres Putin signs laws against ‘disrespecting’ authorities, fake news

MOSCOW, March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed controversial legislation that allows courts to fine and briefly jail people for showing disrespect for authorities and block media for publishing “fake news.” Putin signed off on the legislation against the advice of human rights activists, who warned…

NZ premier Ardern says mosque gunman will face ‘full force of law’

CHRISTCHURCH (New Zealand), March 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, vowing never to utter the name of the Australian gunman charged with the terror attack that killed 50 people, promised grieving New Zealanders Tuesday he will face the “full force of the law”. “He will face the full force…