Covid-19: US announces USD 41 million additional assistance to India

 WASHINGTON, June 29 (NNN-PTI) — The US has announced an additional USD 41 million assistance to help India respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen the country’s preparedness for the future health emergencies, taking the total aid to more than USD 200 million.      In April and May, India…

Somalia’s Puntland Region executes 21 Al-Shabaab fighters

the Somali government has been fighting al-Shabaab for more than a decade  GAROWE, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Twenty-one men have been executed in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland after they were convicted of being members of the militant group al-Shabaab. They were sentenced by a military court in Galkayo and…

Covid-19: Vietnam’s economy speeds up in second quarter as demand revives

Barricade tape separates stores and vegetable vendors in Ho Chi Minh City HANOI, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Vietnam’s economic growth accelerated in the second quarter, despite the country’s worst Covid outbreak yet, as global demand regains momentum. Gross domestic product rose 6.61% in the second quarter compared to a year…

North Korea: Citizens ‘worried’ by Kim Jong-Un weight loss

North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un PYONGYANG, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — North Korea has aired unprecedented television footage of one of its citizens expressing concern for leader Kim Jong-un’s sudden weight loss. The Supreme Leader’s health is usually off-limits in a country where his image is firmly controlled by state media.…

Israeli Minister’s Landmark Visit To UAE Signals Deepening Ties

The UAE was the first Gulf state to normalise relations with Israel  ABU DHABI, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — When Israel’s Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, steps onto United Arab Emirates soil on Tuesday it will be a landmark moment for his country and the Arab world. Lapid will become the first…

Covid-19: IMF approves $1 billion, 3-year loan for Uganda

 WASHINGTON, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The IMF board on Monday approved a $1 billion, three-year loan for Uganda to help the African nation recover from the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The new aid provides $258 million immediately to help the government cover spending, and comes on top…

Iran says it has drone that can travel 7,000 km

 TEHRAN, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iran has drones capable of flying 7,000 kilometres, the commander of its Revolutionary Guard force said. “We have drones which can fly 7,000 kilometres, without a pilot, and land back at the same spot or anywhere else,” General Hossein Salami said in a speech broadcast…

Court orders Samoa parliament to sit to end vote impasse

 APIA (Samoa), June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Samoa’s Supreme Court ordered parliament to sit within seven days, effectively setting a deadline to end a power struggle that has gripped the Pacific island nation for months.   In the latest legal twist arising from Samoa’s disputed April 9 general election, the court…

Covid-19: Guam launches vacation-and-vax tourism drive

  HAGATNA (Guam), June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Pacific territory of Guam will offer visitors a Covid-19 vaccination with their tropical holiday, in a bid to restart its struggling tourism industry. Dubbed ‘Air V&V’ — vacation and vaccination — the programme is primarily aimed at US expatriates in the…

Sudan’s transition faces hurdle of merging paramilitary into army

  KHARTOUM, June 28, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Integrating a powerful paramilitary force into the army has emerged as the latest stumbling block in Sudan’s transition to civilian rule following three decades under ousted strongmanOmar al-Bashir.   A civilian-military administration has led Sudan since August 2019 under a power-sharing deal that…