Jordan’s king urges int’l efforts to achieve lasting peace over Palestinian issue

Jordan’s King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein AMMAN, Aug 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — King Abdullah II of Jordan underlined the necessity to step up international efforts to achieve just and comprehensive peace that would enable the Palestinians to establish their independent state. During a Sunday meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas…

Haiti hospitals struggle to treat thousands injured in quake

Injured patients rest at a hospital in Les Cayes LES CAYES (Haiti), Aug 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hunched on benches, curled up in chairs or even lying the floor, those injured in the powerful earthquake that wreaked havoc on Haiti on Saturday crowded an overburdened hospital near the epicenter. The emergency…

Canadian PM announce federal election on Sept 20

OTTAWA, Aug 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday called an early election for Sept 20, saying he needed a new mandate to ensure voters approved of his Liberal government’s plan to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Trudeau, also Canadian Liberal Party leader, made the announcement after…

Covid-19: US daily cases could exceed 200,000 in coming weeks, warns NIH director

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — US COVID-19 cases could break 200,000 a day as the latest surge of the virus driven by the Delta variant is “going very steeply upward with no signs of having peaked out,” said National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins. “I will be surprised if…

Covid-19: Canada’s cases surpass 1.45 mln

A staff member replaces a new face mask as required at the entrance of the Aviva Center during the 2021 National Bank Open in Toronto OTTAWA, Aug 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — Canada’s new COVID-19 cases continue rising, bringing the cumulative total to 1,451,211 cases, including 26,700 deaths, as of Sunday afternoon,…

Update: Death toll from 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti rises to 1,297

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Aug 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — The death toll from the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday rose to 1,297, the country’s civil protection agency reported. A breakdown of the fatalities in terms of departments shows that 1,054 people were killed in Sud, 122 in Nippes, 119 in Grand’Anse, and…

Italy wildfires: 75 per cent more forest fires compared to last year

ROME, Aug 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of forest and vegetation fires in Italy so far this summer is about 75 per cent higher than last year, according to the fire service.Between June 15 and Aug 15, there were 52,584 incidents, the fire brigade announced on Sunday. Last year, there…

Fires in Greece under control, but danger of fire remains high

A burnt forest in Agia Anna village on Evia island, north of Athens ATHENS, Aug 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) –The fire brigade counted 53 new forest fires in Greece from Saturday to Sunday. However, no fires were reported to be completely out of control by Sunday noon, meaning the situation has eased…

Flames continue to spread in forest fire disaster in Russia

MOSCOW, Aug 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The forest fire catastrophe in Russia is spreading ominously: On Sunday, the Federal Agency for the Protection of the Forests reported almost 252 fires on a total area of 4.4 million hectares.This is again more than the day before. According to the report, more than…

At least 59 killed in floods in Turkey

Damaged buildings lined the river banks in Bozkurt, Turkey ISTANBUL, Aug 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll in floods in northern Turkey has risen to 59 and many people were still missing, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in Kastamonu.Heavy rains in recent days have led to the worst flooding in…