South Sudan: ‘Urgent collective efforts’ needed in most dangerous humanitarian situation – UN

JUBA, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — On the eve of World Humanitarian Day, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, called for joint action to address the aid crisis in the country and end attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers. “It takes a village to raise a child. In the same way,…

UK: Strikes to bring London’s transport network to a halt

LONDON, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — London’s transport network will grind to a halt on Friday as tube and bus workers strike over pay and conditions, the latest in a summer of labour market disputes as double-digit inflation eats into wages. Severe disruption was expected on all London Underground lines, London…

US home sales fall for sixth straight month in July

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Existing home sales fell sharply in July, declining throughout the United States and in every price category amid high borrowing costs, according to industry data. The sixth consecutive monthly decline came as home prices continued to rise albeit at a slightly slower pace, according to…

Brazil presidential election: Lula keeps big lead over Bolsonaro in new poll

 SAO PAULO, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A new poll ahead of Brazil’s presidential election in October shows former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintaining a significant lead over Jair Bolsonaro, but the incumbent is gaining ground. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed by the Datafolha consulting firm said they intended…

Drought blamed for dozens of cow poisoning deaths in Italy

SOMMARIVA DEL BOSCO (Italy), Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Italian farm became an open-air morgue earlier this month after around 50 cows were poisoned by young sorghum plants, an accident experts blame on drought. The Piedmontese cattle on the farm in Sommariva del Bosco, near Turin in northwest Italy, died…

Cases of monkeypox soar in Peru

LIMA, Aug 19 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Peru has the highest monkeypox infection rate per million inhabitants and it also ranks third in the world behind the United States and Canada, the latest Oxford University global monkeypox surveillance study showed. The South American country’s Health Ministry announced that since the first case…

Uruguayan Health Minister says monkeypox stable

MONTEVIDEO, Aug 19 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Uruguay’s Health Minister Daniel Salinas said the monkeypox outbreak in his country was “stable” after 50 suspected cases have been ruled out. “One imported case was detected and a second one that is linked to the first one, and practically 50 cases have been ruled…

Hague trial set for Rwanda genocide accused Felicien Kabuga

THE HAGUE, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Felicien Kabuga, an alleged financier of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, will go on trial in The Hague on Sept 29 facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, a UN judge announced Thursday. Once one of Rwanda’s richest men, Kabuga allegedly helped set…

Ethiopia accuses Tigray rebels of refusing to talk peace

ADDIS ABABA, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Ethiopian government accused Tigrayan rebels of lacking any interest in peace talks to try to end the devastating 21-month war in the north of the country. Both Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have in recent weeks…

Covid-19: WHO experts back second booster for most at risk

A worker wearing a protective suit looks through a fogged-up partition as they administer a Covid-19 test at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing GENEVA, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization’s vaccine advisers recommended that people most at risk from Covid-19 should be offered a second booster dose…