Russia: 9 parachutists killed after plane crash-lands in Kemerovo region

MOSCOW, June 19 (NNN-Xinhua) — Nine people were killed after a plane made an emergency landing in Russia’s Kemerovo Oblast in southwestern Siberia, according to media reports on Saturday. “According to my information, two crew members and seven paratroopers were killed, that is, a total of nine people,” TASS news…

CoviD-19: Latest global developments

PARIS, June 19, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Here are some of the latest developments in thecoronavirus crisis. The pandemic has killed at least 3,844,390 people worldwide since the virusfirst emerged in December 2019, according to a compilation of officialdata. The US is the worst-affected country with 600,934 deaths, followed byBrazil with…

Covid-19: Uganda toughens virus restrictions as cases surge

KAMPALA, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Uganda President Yoweri Museveni announced additional restrictions to curb Covid-19, including suspending inland travel, as infections hit record levels in the East Africancountry. Under the new measures, both public and private transport were banned butinternational borders will remain opened for tourists and freight cargo. The…

Covid-19: Moscow cases soar to record as mayor blames Delta variant

MOSCOW, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — New coronavirus infections hit a pandemic high in Moscow, tripling in just weeks due to the Delta variant and forcing Russia’s capital to close its Euro fan zone and extend other curbs. A total of 9,056 new cases were recorded in the megapolis of 12…

United Nations calls for halt of weapons to Myanmar

T UNITED NATIONS, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations General Assembly called for a stop to the flow of arms to Myanmar and urged the military to respect November election results and release political detainees, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The General Assembly adopted a resolution with the…

Mexico City mayor to construction firms: Pay up for collapsed metro line

 © MEXICO CITY, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said that she would like the firms that built the metro railway that collapsed and killed 26 people last month to help pay for its reconstruction, though she did not specify how much money was at stake. Preliminary…

Merkel and Macron urge EU coordination on reopening borders

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel BERLIN, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called on European Union countries to coordinate their COVID-19 border reopening policies and guard against new variants of the virus. Macron said EU countries must be…

Covid-19: US President warns of Delta variant threat, urges public to get vaccinations

President Biden spoke about the nation’s COVID-19 response and the vaccination program in the State Dining Room of the White House WASHINGTON, 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urged Americans to get COVID-19 shots, as the country looks likely to miss the White House’s goals…

Covid-19: Delta variant, first identified in India, becoming globally dominant, WHO official says

GENEVA, June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Delta variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India, is becoming the globally dominant variant, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist said. Soumya Swaminathan also voiced disappointment in the failure of CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate in a trial to meet the WHO’s efficacy…

US: Two executions halted over lack of firing squad

Freddie Owens (L) and Brad Sigmon (R) were due to be executed this month COLUMBIA (South Carolina, US), June 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A high court in the US state of South Carolina has blocked two executions until the inmates are given the choice of death by electrocution or firing squad.…