Lithuanian doctors find kilo of screws and nails in man’s stomach

Doctors in Lithuania spent three hours removing metallic objects from a man’s stomach VILNIUS, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Doctors in Lithuania said they had removed over a kilogram of nails and screws from the stomach of a man who started swallowing metallic objects after quitting alcohol.   The man, who was…

Disappointed Haitians, hopeful Venezuelans caught up at Chile border

ARICA (Chile), Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — In a coastal desert on Chile’s border with Peru, a night patrol runs into two different groups of migrants making their way across Latin America: Haitians returning to Chile after failing to enter the United States, and Venezuelans begging to be allowed in.   The…

Covid-19: Brazil top court upholds vaccine pass for tourist hotspot Rio

 RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld a requirement that all who access Rio de Janeiro’s tourist spots starting Friday must have a Covid-19 vaccine certificate.   The mandate also applies for access to other public spaces such as cinemas, theaters, gyms, museums, sports stadiums and…

Russia doubles electricity exports to China to help ease power crunch

People walk past electricity pylons in Shenyang, Liaoning province MOSCOW, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s electricity exports monopoly Inter RAO said on Friday that it would double its October supplies to China after a request from the world’s No.2 economy as it grapples with power cuts. China is scrambling to…

Mexico’s president seeks to undo market reforms with electricity bill

MEXICO CITY, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico has sent a proposed electricity reform to Congress seeking to boost the role of the state power utility, marking another effort by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to roll back the last government’s liberalisation of the energy market. The bill, which also calls…

Covid-19: Nigeria gets US$400 million in World Bank financing

WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria got approval on Friday for US$400 million in World Bank financing to procure and deploy COVID-19 vaccinations, the bank said in a statement. The World Bank board of directors signed off on the financing, provided via the International Development Association, which it said would…

Spain: New lava flow spews from Canaries volcano

ILE DE LA PALMA (Spain), Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A new flow of highly liquid lava emerged from the volcano erupting in Spain’s Canary islands Friday, authorities said, as a huge magma shelf continues to build on the Atlantic ocean. The fresh outpouring of molten rock began around 2:30am (0130…

Covid-19: French average of new cases drops below 5,000 for first time since mid-July

PARIS, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The French seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases dropped below 5,000 again for the first time since July 13, health ministry data released on Friday showed. The ministry reported 4,935 news cases on Friday, taking the total to 7.02 million and the seven-day moving average, which…

Covid-19: Cuba aims to fully inoculate 90% of residents by December

HAVANA, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cuba is speeding up its COVID-19 vaccination program as it aims to fully inoculate 90 per cent of its population against the coronavirus by December, an ambitious goal that has yet to be reached by even wealthier nations. The health ministry reported on Thursday that…

Covid-19: White House pushes US airlines to mandate vaccines for staff by Dec 8

WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The White House is pressing major US airlines to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees by Dec 8 – the deadline for federal contractors to do so – and is showing no signs of pushing back the date. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeffrey Zients spoke to…