UN split over ban on Taliban officials’ travel

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Members of the United Nations Security Council remained divided Monday over whether to exempt some of Afghanistan’s Taliban officials from a travel ban, diplomatic sources said. Under a 2011 Security Council resolution, 135 Taliban leaders are subject to a sanctions regime that includes asset…

After ‘doomsday’ floods, Sudanese fear worse to come

MAKAYLAB (Sudan), Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — In the Sudanese village of Makaylab, Mohamed Tigani picked through the pile of rubble that was once his mud-brick home, after torrential rains sparked heavy floods that swept it away. “It was like doomsday,” said Tigani, 53, from Makaylab in Sudan’s River Nile state,…

Already shrunk by half, Swiss glaciers melting faster: Study

GENEVA, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A new study has found that Switzerland’s 1,400 glaciers lost half their total volume since the early 1930s, and researchers say the ice retreat is accelerating at a time of growing concerns about climate change. ETH Zurich, a respected federal polytechnic university, and the Swiss…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: US rejects Ukraine demand of blanket visa ban on Russians

WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States rebuffed Ukraine’s demand for a blanket visa ban on Russians, saying Washington would not want to close off pathways to refuge for Russia’s dissidents and others who are vulnerable to human rights abuses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had first urged the visa…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukraine’s capital bans Independence Day festivities, fearing Russian attack

Kyiv authorities have banned public events related to Ukraine’s independence anniversary from Monday until Thursday KYIV, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ukraine’s capital Kyiv banned public celebrations this week commemorating independence from Soviet rule, citing a heightened threat of Russian attack in a war the United Nations said has killed nearly…

Monkeypox: Britain, Spain to pilot using smaller doses of vaccine to boost supply

LONDON, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain is following the United States and Europe in making the most of limited supply of the monkeypox vaccine by administering smaller doses of the shot, health officials said. Three National Health Service sites are set to begin a pilot testing of the so-called fractional…

Thousands protest in Haiti over crime and inflation

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of Haitians joined rallies around the Caribbean country to protest rampant crime and soaring consumer prices as its central bank reported that inflation had hit a 10-year high. Protesters set up burning barricades in some areas including the capital of Port-au-Prince, some of whom…

Severe drought in Europe is ‘worsening’: EU experts

BRUSSELS, Aug 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A severe drought hitting swathes of Europe is “worsening” and, while rain is helping some regions, accompanying thunderstorms are causing their own damage, EU researchers said in a report. The latest monthly analysis by the European Union’s Global Drought Observatory (GDO) highlighted the risk of ongoing…

Covid-19: Paraguayans skipping booster doses of vaccine

ASUNCION, Aug 22 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Paraguayan health authorities have expressed their concern over a slowdown in vaccination against COVID-19, with very few booster doses applied. According to official data, 47% of the population still lacked the first doses since the start of the campaign in March 2021, while 53% were…

Peru tops list of food insecure countries in the region: UN FAO

LIMA, Aug 22 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Peru has been singled out as the country with the highest rates in South America of people living under food insecurity, it was reported. A study from the United Nations Office for Food and Agriculture (FAO) showed over half of Peru’s population was facing a…