China, U.S. make important progress in trade talks, paving way for further consultations

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (NNN-Xinhua) — Negotiators from China and the United States have made important progress in the latest round of high-level talks to resolve their economic and trade frictions, laying foundation for further consultations, according to the visiting Chinese delegation. The delegation, headed by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He,…

Colombia’s navy recovers bodies of 12 drowned African migrants

BOGOTA, Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombia’s navy has recovered the bodies of 12 African migrants, including seven children, who died in a shipwreck in the Caribbean, the country’s migration agency said. The shipwreck took place early on Sunday, the source said, and its cause is unknown. The migrants were traveling…

ICC orders conditional release of Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo

THE HAGUE, Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered the conditional release of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo after he was cleared of charges of crimes against humanity last month. Judges agreed on Friday to release the 73-year-old former strongman and his aide Charles Ble…

Chile escape: Fugitive ex-guerrilla Patricio Ortiz Montenegro returns to Santiago after 23 years

SANTIAGO, Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Chilean former left-wing militant, renowned for a daring prison escape in 1996, has returned to his country after 23 years in exile. Patricio Ortiz Montenegro fought against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and in 1991 was jailed for 10 years for killing a policeman.…

Ghana: Small scale miners yet to resume operations, miners target 3-month to fully return

ACCRA, Feb 2 (NNN-GNA) — Several weeks after the lifting of the ban on small scale mining, productive activities of the small scale mining sector are yet to fully take off.This is according to the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Mining (GNASSM).In an interview with Goldstreet Business, the Director…

South Africa: President Ramaphosa named 2018 Newsmaker of the Year

PRETORIA,  Feb 2 (NNN-SANEWS) — South Africa’s National Press Club has named President Cyril Ramaphosa as the 2018 Newsmaker of the Year. This annual award, hosted by the National Press Club since 1980, awards a newsmaker in a calendar year based on the amount of media coverage received as well…

South Africa: Shamila Batohi, new NPA boss takes aim at corruption

PRETORIA, Feb 2 (NNN-SANEWS) — National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi has taken a firm stance against corruption in South Africa, saying it is now time for justice to win the fight against the scourge.  “Justice must win,” said the NDPP boss who was appointed to the top…

Indonesia recaptures French drug suspect after jailbreak

MATARAM (Indonesia), Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A French drug suspect on the run since escaping from an Indonesian jail nearly two weeks ago has been recaptured, police said on Saturday. Felix Dorfin — who faces the death penalty if convicted — was foundhiding in a forest in North Lombok on…

United Nations: ‘Indigenous Languages Are Part of Our Identities’, says Bolivian Pres Evo Morales

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 2 (NNN-TELESUR) — Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke at the U.N. General Assembly for the opening ceremony of the International Year of Indigenous Languages on Friday, warning about the accelerated destruction such languages are suffering. “The loss of a language means the loss of a worldview; a decline and…

South Africa’s Largest Union NUMSA Mobilizes Against Electricity Price Hike

PRETORIA, Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) –The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the largest single trade union in the country, has demanded the Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s) be set aside on the grounds that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) authorized the agreements without proper public consultation.…