EU working on joint purchase of monkeypox vaccines

BRUSSELS, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The EU is working on centralising purchases of vaccines and treatments for monkeypox, with details to be agreed in the “coming days,” the European Commission said on Thursday. The push, through the commission’s Health Emergency and Preparedness Authority (HERA), comes as the EU’s disease agency…

Russia-Ukraine conflict: WHO assembly slams Russian attacks on Ukraine health facilities

GENEVA, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — WHO member states strongly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine and attacks on healthcare facilities in a resolution overwhelmingly adopted on Thursday, further isolating Moscow on the international stage. The resolution was carried by 88 votes to 12 at the World Health Organization’s annual assembly, while…

Texas police face scrutiny over ‘late’ massacre response

UVALDE (Texas, US), May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Texas police faced angry questions over why it took an hour to neutralize the gunman who murdered 19 small children and two teachers in Uvalde, as video emerged of desperate parents begging officers to storm the school. In one jolty, nearly seven minute…

US State Department approves sale of helicopters to Egypt in $2.6 bln deal

US soldiers disembark from a Chinook helicopter in the southern town of Qalat WASHINGTON, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US State Department said that it had approved the sale of more than 20 heavy-lift helicopters to Egypt. According to the statement released by the Pentagon, the deal is estimated to…

Spain’s monkeypox case tally rises to 84, Health Ministry says

Spain, England and Portugal are the countries with the most cases in the recent outbreak of monkeypox MADRID, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spanish health authorities reported 25 new cases of monkeypox on Thursday, bringing the total tally of infections in one of the main hot spots of the recent outbreak…

Kenya, UK pledge further cooperation in the health sector

LONDON, May 27 (NNN-KBC) — Kenya and the United Kingdom have committed to finalising the implementation of an agreement on the collaboration of the health workforce as they seek to enhance bilateral knowledge exchange and capacity improvement. A meeting held in London on Thursday between Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe…

Covid-19: Pfizer offers to sell medicines at cost to poorest countries

DAVOS (Switzerland), May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said it would sell its patented drugs on a not-for-profit basis to the world’s poorest countries, as part of a new initiative announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “The time is now to begin closing this gap” between…

US confirms 9 monkeypox cases in 7 states

WASHINGTON, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States said it had identified nine monkeypox cases in seven states, some in individuals who did not have a recent history of international travel. As of Wednesday, the nine cases were confirmed in Massachusetts, Florida, Utah, Washington, California, Virginia and New York, the…

Moldova places former President Dodon under house arrest

Moldova’s former President Igor Dodon, detained on corruption charges CHISINAU, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Moldovan court placed former president and pro-Russian opposition leader Igor Dodon under house arrest for 30 days to allow prosecutors to investigate allegations of corruption and treason. The Ciocana district court in Chisinau, the capital,…

China, Russia veto US push for more UN sanctions on North Korea

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China and Russia vetoed a US-led push to impose more United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches, publicly splitting the UN Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006. The remaining 13 council members all voted in…