Update: Taliban, Afghan forces clash as US hands over base

U.S. troops and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers raise Afghanistan’s national flag during a handover ceremony at Camp Antonik in Helmand province KABUL, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban has left more than 100 insurgents dead in the past 24 hours, the defence ministry said…

Covid-19: ‘Hospitals are full’ as Argentina cases hit 3 million

Covid-19 patients rest at the Dr. Norberto Raul Piacentini hospital, in Lomas de Zamora, Argentina BUENOS AIRES, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentina coronavirus cases hit 3 million on Sunday, as medical workers said hospitals were full to capacity despite toughened government measures to bring down the spread of infections. The…

Covid-19: Britain to send 1,000 more ventilators to India

Ventilators from the UK arriving in Delhi, which is under lockdown LONDON, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain will send another 1,000 ventilators to India, the government said, stepping up its support as India’s healthcare system struggles to cope with a huge surge in cases of COVID-19. India has reported more than…

Covid-19: Singapore, Malaysia to begin cross-border travel scheme for death-related, critically ill emergency visits from May 17

SINGAPORE, May 3 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia and Singapore agreed on the procedures and entry requirements for Death and Critically Ill Emergency Visits ((DCEV) between the two countries, amid stricter border measures. The arrangement will be implemented from May 17 onwards. This is according to a joint statement by Malaysian Foreign…

Singapore Airlines raises S$2 billion from airplane sale-and-leaseback deals

Airlines like Singapore Air have had to ground thousands of planes SINGAPORE, May 3 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore Airlines Ltd said on Monday it had raised about S$2 billion through sale-and-leaseback deals for 11 of its planes to help bolster liquidity as it grapples with the pandemic-related plunge in travel. The…

Controlled bushfire cloaks Sydney in hazardous smoke

SYDNEY, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sydney was enveloped in a thick bank of hazardous bushfire smoke Monday, forcing authorities in Australia’s largest city to scale back controlled forest burning nearby. Ferries were cancelled and the city’s five million residents were told to stay indoors if necessary, as air pollution levels…

Covid-19: Israeli army clear of cases for 1st time since pandemic outbreak

JERUSALEM, May 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the number of active COVID-19 cases among soldiers has dropped to zero. This is the first time that there have been no active coronavirus cases in the Israeli army since the first case was detected in the country.…

UN Alliance of Civilizations chief condemns killing of religious figure in eastern DRC

UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — The high representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Miguel Moratinos, on Sunday strongly condemned the brutal killing of a religious figure in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Sheikh Ali Amin Uthman, the representative of the Islamic community of Beni, was…

16 soldiers killed in attack in west Niger: official

NIAMEY, May 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — Sixteen soldiers of the National Guard of Niger were killed and six others wounded in an attack in Tilia, west Niger, an official said on Sunday evening. “We have just gone through a painful time. Captain Maman Nameywa of the National Guard of Niger, with…

17 killed in traffic accident in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, May 3 (NNN-Xinhua) — Seventeen people were killed and 14 others injured after a truck hit a minibus in central Ivory Coast on Sunday afternoon, a security source said. Emergency services had to remove the bodies from the wrecks and evacuate the wounded to medical centers, Ivory Coast’s military…