UN to end travel ban exemptions for Taliban officials

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations is set to end travel ban exemptions for 13 Taliban officials, pending any deal by Security Council members on a possible extension, diplomats said. Under a 2011 UN Security Council resolution, 135 Taliban officials are subject to sanctions that include asset…

Canada OKs Pfizer COVID-19 booster for kids 5-11, sees monkeypox cases slow

ONTARIO, Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) –Canada’s health ministry said it had authorised the use of Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for children five to 11 years old at least six months after receiving their initial two doses. The authorisation for a booster shot was granted after a thorough,…

Daesh militant gets life in US prison over killing of American hostages

ALEXANDRIA (Virginia, US), Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US federal judge sentenced a member of a Daesh cell known as “The Beatles” to life in prison for involvement in a hostage-taking plot that led to the killings of American journalists and aid workers in Syria. Families and friends of the…

One dead in Sweden shopping mall shooting

MALMO, Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man wounded in a shooting in a shopping centre in Sweden Friday has died, police said, as a woman hurt in the same attack remained in hospital. “The man has succumbed to his injuries,” police said in a statement, adding that the woman was receiving medical…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia has no moral right to sit at G20, says Britain

Russian president Putin will attend G20 summit in Indonesia LONDON, Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia has no moral right to sit at the Group of 20 nations while it presses on with its invasion of Ukraine, a spokesperson for Britain’s foreign ministry said. “Russia has no moral right to sit…

Update: Mexico arrests ex-top prosecutor over disappearance of 43 students

Jesus Murillo Karam MEXICO CITY, Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico on Friday arrested a former attorney general who led a controversial investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in 2014 – one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies. Jesus Murillo Karam is the highest-ranking official detained so far in…

Mexico: Truth commission faults military over 43 missing students

 MEXICO CITY, Aug 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A truth commission investigating one of Mexico’s worst human rights tragedies said that military personnel bore responsibility, either directly or through negligence, in the disappearance of 43 students in 2014. “Their actions, omissions or participation allowed the disappearance and execution of the students, as…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Putin, Macron call for IAEA inspection of Ukraine nuclear plant

  MOSCOW, Aug  20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron called for independent inspections at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the Kremlin said Friday.  Putin “stressed that the systematic shelling by the Ukrainian military of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant creates the danger of a large-scale…

Brazil auctions second-busiest airport to Spain’s Aena

Spanish airport operator Aena won the concession to run Brazil’s second-busiest airport, Sao Paulo-Congonhas SAO PAULO, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spanish airport operator Aena won the concession to run Brazil’s second-busiest airport, Sao Paulo-Congonhas, and 10 others at an auction Thursday that raised a total initial investment of $530 million.…

EU welcomes Turkiye’s decision to restore diplomatic ties with Israel

BRUSSELS, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union welcomes Turkiye’ decision to appoint an ambassador to Israel and restore full diplomatic relations with the country after a four-year rupture, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said. “I welcome the announcement between Turkiye and Israel to restore full diplomatic…