US aircrash: Six dead in Alaska sightseeing plane crash

 JUNEAU (Alaska, US), Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — All six people on board a sightseeing plane were killed Thursday when the craft crashed in southeast Alaska, the United States coast guard said. Rescue services in the northernmost US state responded to an emergency beacon around 11:20 am 13 kilometers northeast of…

Covid-19: US plans to require vaccine for foreign travellers

Most international travel has been halted by the restrictions  WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US will eventually require almost all foreign visitors to be fully vaccinated, a White House official has said. The unnamed official told several news agencies that the Biden administration had tasked inter-agency groups with creating…

MV Asphalt Princess: Suspected hijackers leave ship off UAE

The MV Asphalt Princess was reportedly boarded by up to nine armed men  DUBAI, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Men who boarded and seized a ship in the Gulf of Oman have left the vessel and all those remaining on board are safe, officials say. A UK maritime security agency said…

Migrant channel crossings: 281 people reach the UK

Border Force officials intercepted seven boats on Tuesday LONDON, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Small boats carrying 281 people were intercepted trying to cross the Channel on Tuesday. Border Force officials stopped seven boats, while French authorities intercepted one crossing carrying a further 20 migrants. So far this year more than 9,700…

Lalibela: Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels take Unesco World Heritage town

The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are a Unesco world heritage site  LALIBELA (Ethiopia), Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rebels from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have taken control of the town of Lalibela, a Unesco world heritage site in neighbouring Amhara region. Lalibela, home to 13th Century churches hewn from rock, is…

US urges Iran’s new president Ebrahim Raisi to resume nuclear talks

Ebrahim Raisi was sworn into office on Thursday  WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US has called on Iran’s new president to return to talks on reviving a historic nuclear deal. The window for diplomacy would not remain open forever, a spokesman for the US state department warned. Tensions between…

US to allow visitors from Hong Kong to stay for 18 months

WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of Hong Kong residents are to be offered a temporary “safe haven” in the US, President Joe Biden says. Biden said that because Hong Kong’s freedoms were being violated by China, the US would allow visitors to stay for a period of 18 months. Thousands…

Indonesia, US hold largest joint military drills

Major General Heri Wiranto (left) meeting with US Captain David Moats JAKARTA, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of military personnel from Indonesia and the United States are participating in joint drills for two weeks described as the largest ever between the two countries. The exercises, focused on island defence, are…

US wildfires: California urges people to flee communities in Dixie fire path

 SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Officials in northern California warned residents of two communities in the path of the raging Dixie fire to evacuate immediately as high winds whipped the flames onwards. Authorities issued the alerts to residents still in the communities of Greenville and Chester, as winds of…

At least 10 suspected illegal migrants dead in road Texas crash near Mexico border

 HOUSTON, Aug 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 10 people were killed in a Texas road accident involving a truck that authorities suspect was transporting some 30 undocumented migrants, US media said. “Troopers are investigating a major crash” near Falfurrias, a few miles from the Mexican border, the Texas Department of…