Covid-19: Venezuela receives first shipment of Cuban vaccine

CARACAS, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela received its first shipment of doses of Cuba’s Abdala coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the South American country’s vice president said, while slamming wealthy countries for “sabotaging” the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme. Authorities did not specify how many doses had arrived from Cuba, but did say that Venezuela had signed…

Covid-19: ‘Brutal’ third wave hits Africa as vaccination slows

JOHANNESBURG, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Africa is facing a vicious coronavirus resurgence, with unprecedented hospital admissions and fatalities pushing health facilities to the brink as the continent falls far behind in the global vaccination drive. With just under 5.3 million reported cases and around 139,000 deaths among its nearly 1.3…

Update1: Three dead, dozens injured as rare tornado razes Czech homes

PRAGUE, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least three people died and dozens were injured after a rare tornado razed houses to the ground in the Czech Republic’s southeast, rescuers said on Friday. “Unfortunately we could not help three patients,” local emergency service spokeswoman Hedvika Kropackova said. She said 63 injured…

Covid-19: UK to ditch all legal restrictions on July 19, minister says

LONDON, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — All legal coronavirus restrictions, including requirements to wear face masks, are set to be ditched on July 19, a Cabinet minister said.Environment Secretary George Eustice said he was looking forward to ditching his mask as soon as there was not a “legal compulsion” to wear…

Central African Republic appoints new government in bid for unity

BANGUI, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The president of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera, has appointed a new government for his second term in office, two weeks after the resignation of former prime minister Firmin Ngrebada.Representatives of several opposition parties are part of this “integrative” government, which is aimed…

Nigeria: Pres Buhari heads to London for medical exam on Friday

ABUJA, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari travel to London on Friday for scheduled medical follow-up. Femi Adesina, special media and advertising adviser to President Buhari, said this in a statement. Adesina said the president is expected to return to the country in the second week of next…

ECOWAS Court affirms March 15 ruling on Saab extradition case, orders Cape Verde to stop processes

Alex Saab ABUJA, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The ECOWAS Court on Wednesday has dismissed two motions brought before it by the Cape Verdean government over the release of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab.The Cape Verdean government, after the ECOWAS Court had ruled, ordering them to release the businessman, filed for a…

17 soldiers dead when helicopter crashes in Kenya: Police

NAIROBI, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A police official in Kenya says 17 soldiers have died when the helicopter they were travelling in for a training exercise crashed Thursday in the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi. Six people with severe injuries were rescued from the scene in Ole-Tepesi in Kajiado county,…

Brazil judge annuls all of Moro’s cases against ex-president Lula

BRASÍLIA, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A magistrate on Brazil’s Supreme Court annulled two more cases against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that had been brought by former judge Sergio Moro, who had previously been deemed by the same court to have been “biased” in convicting and jailing the…

EU leaders reject push for Putin summit

BRUSSELS, June 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — European Union leaders have rejected a push from Germany and France to restart meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “It was not possible to agree today that we should meet immediately at the top level,” Merkel said after talks between…