UN refugee agency presses Poland to help migrants on Belarus border

WARSAW, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN refugee agency UNHCR and rights groups urged Poland to offer medical and legal support and shelter to migrants camping on the border with Belarus, a day after Warsaw said it would build a fence to prevent migrants crossing. Poland and fellow EU states Lithuania and…

Russian army patrol rebel enclave in Syria to avert offensive, sources say

AMMAN, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian forces moved into an opposition enclave in the Syrian city of Deraa on Tuesday to try to avert an army assault on a stronghold that has defied state authority since it was retaken three years ago, witnesses, residents, and army sources said. Their entry…

Covid-19: Israel to begin booster jabs for over 30s; third shots show signs of taming Delta

JERUSALEM, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel lowered the age threshold to receive a third coronavirus booster dose to anyone aged 30 and above, as it continues to battle surging infections. Israel is among a handful of nations that have decided to administer a third vaccine dose, a policy criticised by the…

Covid-19: Britain reports 174 COVID deaths, highest since March 12; Italy see new surge

Members of the public watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony, which is taking place for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, at Buckingham Palace, London LONDON, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain recorded 174 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, the highest since March 12, and another 30,838 new…

Desperate Nigerians sell homes and land to free kidnapped children

Abubakar Adam and wife, parents of seven children kidnapped at Salihu Tanko Islamic school by bandits TEGINA (Nigeria), Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — After armed men snatched seven of Abubakar Adam’s 11 children in northwestern Nigeria, he sold his car and a parcel of land and cleaned out his savings to…

WHO says it only has medical supplies in Afghanistan for a week

GENEVA, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization (WHO) only has enough supplies in Afghanistan to last for a week after deliveries of medical equipment from abroad were blocked by restrictions at Kabul airport, a senior regional WHO official said. The UN agency was also concerned the current upheaval in Afghanistan could…

Covid-19: Brunei reports first deaths in more than a year

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Brunei), Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brunei reported two coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, the first fatalities from COVID-19 in the Southeast Asian nation in more than a year as it battles a fresh outbreak. An 85-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both Bruneians, died after contracting lung infections…

Covid-19: US could control pandemic by spring 2022 if more people get shots, says top scientist Fauci

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States could get COVID-19 under control by early next year if vaccinations ramp up, Dr Anthony Fauci said, one day after Pfizer won fuller FDA approval for its shot, with more potential approvals coming in the weeks ahead. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease…

Covid-19: India approves further trials for first homegrown mRNA shot

BENGALURU (India), Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — India has approved further clinical trials for its first homegrown mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, the government said, after the shot was found to be safe and effective in an early-stage study. Gennova is among a few pharmaceutical firms worldwide, including Moderna…

US Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip from Singapore to Vietnam delayed over ‘anomalous health incident’ in Hanoi

US Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two at Singapore’s Paya Lebar Air Base, on her way to depart for Vietnam on the second leg of her Southeast Asia trip ​ HANOI, Aug 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Vice President Kamala Harris pushed ahead with a trip to…