US expels 21 Saudi military cadets after gun attack

The bodies of the sailors were transferred to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware  WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Twenty-one members of the Saudi military are being expelled from the US after a cadet carried out a mass shooting at a air base last month. The servicemen are not accused of aiding the…

US presses Sudan for reparations to terror victims

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States warned Sudan that payment of reparations for victims of terrorism is a priority for Washington as it considers removing Khartoum from a US blacklist. The number three official at the State Department, David Hale, met in Washington with Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma…

Bolivia arrests ex-minister under Morales for corruption: prosecutor

LA PAZ, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bolivia arrested a powerful ex-minister under former president Evo Morales on suspicion of corruption, prosecutors said. The detainee is Carlos Romero, the former interior minister who was close to Morales, who resigned in November amid protests over a disputed election and fled the country.…

Brazil: Deforestation in Amazon up 85 percent in 2019

Amazon forest BRASILIA, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil soared 85 percent in 2019, compared with the previous year, official data showed.The 9,166 square kilometers cleared was the highest number in at least five years, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research.In 2018,…

US: Schoolchildren treated for skin irritation after plane dumps fuel over school in emergency landing

A Delta Airlines flight reportedly had to return to the airport shortly after takeoff LOS ANGELES, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US passenger plane has dumped fuel over a school playground as it made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport.At least 17 children and several adults are being…

Terror attack: Kenyan teachers threaten to flee after school attack

The aftermath of the attack shows a building destroyed NAAIROBI, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A teachers’ union in Kenya has threatened to evacuate teachers out of an area where three teachers were killed in a terrorist attack on Monday morning if the government does not improve security.The deadly attack happened…

Egyptian-American hunger striker dies in Egypt prison: US

Moustafa Kassem WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has confirmed the death of an Egyptian-American, Moustafa Kassem, who had been imprisoned for alleged involvement in anti-government protests after President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi came to power in Egypt in 2013. The US State Department said Kassem’s death in custody…

Piracy: Sailor kidnappings surge 50% off West Africa

Reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships worldwide fell in 2019 KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia), Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of sailors kidnapped off West Africa surged by more than 50 percent last year, a maritime watchdog said, urging greater international cooperation to reduce piracy.The abductions took place…

Sudan government forces quell armed protest by security agents

Members of the Rapid Support Forces are seen near the area where gunmen opened fire KHARTOUM, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sudanese government forces have managed to retake all intelligence buildings in the capital Khartoum held by security agents in revolt. The armed ex-security agents linked to Sudan’s toppled ruler Omar…

Libyan rivals Sarraj and Haftar leave Moscow without signing ceasefire deal

Sarraj and Haftar didn’t meet directly. MOSCOW, Jan 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Libya’s rival leaders have left Moscow without reaching agreement on a ceasefire deal proposed by Russia and Turkey in an effort to bring an end to the country’s long-running civil war.Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-recognised government in…