Covid-19: FDA OKs booster shot for people 65 and older, or at high-risk

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized booster shots of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 65 and older or at high-risk. “After considering the totality of the available scientific evidence and the deliberations of our advisory committee of independent, external experts, the FDA…

Algeria closes airspace to Moroccan planes

ALGIERS, Sept 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Algerian presidency said the country has closed its airspace to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft amid an escalating diplomatic row, the official APS news agency reported. The decision was made after Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune chaired a meeting of the High Security Council…

42 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast: UN refugee agency

TRIPOLI, Sept 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that they have rescued 42 illegal migrants off Libya’s western coast, including women and children. The UN agency tweeted, “42 asylum-seekers and migrants were returned to Tripoli last night, among them 4 children and 8 women,…

Brazilian president in isolation after contact with COVID-19-positive aide

BRASILIA, Sept 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will remain in isolation for the next five days due to contact with Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga, who was tested positive for COVID-19. The president’s special communications secretary Andre de Sousa Costa said that all members of the Brazilian delegation that…

La Palma volcano eruption could last 24-84 days: expert estimate

People with their vehicles wait to enter a temporary shelter on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain MADRID, Sept 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands is expected to last between 24 and…

Biden, Macron hold phone call over submarine deal rift

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (NNN-Xinhua) — US President Joe Biden held a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday in an attempt to defuse a diplomatic rift caused by a controversial submarine deal with Australia. The White House said in a joint statement between the two countries that…

Assassination attempt on close aide to Ukrainian president fails

Serhiy Shefir, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s close aide KIEV, Sept 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The car of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s close aide Serhiy Shefir was shot at just outside Kiev on Wednesday, in an apparent assassination attempt, according to the country’s police.While the driver of the car was injured in…

Northern Hemisphere summer wildfires emit record amount of CO2

Heatwaves, drought conditions, and reduced soil moisture amplified by global warming PARIS, Sept 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Wildfires in Siberia, North America, and around the Mediterranean caused record levels of planet-warming CO2 emissions this summer, the EU’s Earth monitoring service says.Globally, forests going up in flames emitted more than 2.5 billion…

EU to step up cooperation with Colombia in peace process

EU and Colombia intensify their cooperation after signing of a peace treaty NEW YORK, Sept 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Some five years after the signing of a peace treaty in Colombia, the EU, and the South American country have agreed to intensify their cooperation.One focus is the ongoing peace process. A…

Namibia’s parliament debates reconciliation agreement with Germany

Germany wants to offer 1.1 billion euros for Namibia in seeking forgiveness WINDHOEK, Sept 23 (NNN-GNA) — Namibia’s parliamentary debate on the agreement on the reappraisal of the German colonial period, which is ready to be signed, resumed Wednesday afternoon.Parliamentary Speaker David Nahongandja said that he hoped a vote could…