Spanish fires: 10 passengers injured fleeing train in Bejís

 VALENCIA (Spain), Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ten passengers were hurt, three seriously, when they tried to escape a train that became caught up in a sweeping wildfire north-west of Valencia in eastern Spain. The fire near Bejís has been whipped up by fierce winds, leaving several firefighters running for their…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: UN chief Guterres to meet Zelensky, Erdogan in Lviv

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet the leaders of Ukraine and Turkiye in Lviv on Thursday, following a deal reached last month that allowed the resumption of grain exports after Russia’s invasion blocked essential global supplies. The meeting also comes a day after the…

Update: Morocco bus crash leaves 23 dead, scores injured

RABAT, Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A bus crash east of Morocco’s economic capital Casablanca on Wednesday left 23 people dead, a health official said, marking one of the deadliest such accidents in recent years. The bus overturned on a bend of a motorway in Khouribga province in the morning, local…

Russian spacewalk cut short due to issue with suit

WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A spacewalk by two Russians on Wednesday was ended abruptly due to a problem with the battery in cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev’s suit, though at no point was he in any danger, the US and Russian space agencies said. “Oleg, you must return to the airlock…

Monkeypox cases top 35,000 as 15,000 Covid-19 deaths reported in a week, says WHO

GENEVA, Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Monkeypox infections continue to rise globally, with more than 35,000 cases across 92 countries and territories, and 12 deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday. “Almost 7,500 cases were reported last week, a 20 per cent increase over the previous…

Tanzania offers internet on Africa’s tallest mountain

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tanzania’s state telecommunications firm has installed high-speed internet connectivity on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, through a national broadband project. Information Minister Nape Nnauye launched the internet project on Tuesday saying tourists would soon be able to communicate worldwide from…

Kenya polls: International community urges peaceful resolution of dispute

NAIROBI, Aug 18 (NNN-KBC) — Kenya has received global recognition for maintaining peace and calm during the electioneering period. In a joint statement following the announcement of the results of the Presidential election, the embassies and high commissions of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and The…

Quick response urged as heavy rains batter central Sudan

KHARTOUM, Aug 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Sudanese officials on Wednesday called for immediate assistance after heavy rains and floods inundated several villages in central Sudan’s Gezira State. Al-Tahir Hajar, who led a delegation of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council to inspect the floods-hit Al-Managil locality, stressed the urgent need to provide housing,…

Covid-19: Brazil lifts mandatory mask use in airports, on flights

BRASILIA, Aug 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil’s National Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) on Wednesday lifted the mandatory use of face masks in Brazilian airports and on flights, due to the current COVID-19 epidemiological situation. However, Anvisa said it continues to recommend the use of face masks and social distancing as they…

Ecuadoran police arrest suspect for involvement in deadly explosion

QUITO, Aug 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Ecuadoran police on Wednesday captured a suspect for involvement in the deadly explosion that rocked the southwestern port city of Guayaquil on Sunday. The police arrested a man who admitted to involvement in the terrorist attack, Ecuadoran Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo tweeted. Five people were…