Presidents Putin, Lukashenko discuss Ryanair incident in Sochi

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi SOCHI (Russia), May 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi where the leaders discussed the aftermath of the Ryanair incident, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin agreed with…

US Senate Republicans block legislation on Jan 6 Capitol riot commission

WASHINGTON, May 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — US Senate Republicans blocked legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate the deadly Jan 6 Capitol riot. Senators voted 54-35 on the House-passed bill, falling short of 60 votes needed to get it over an initial hurdle. Six Republican senators joined Democrats voting to…

Nigerian rescuers find dozens of bodies after boat tragedy; 150 missing feared drowned

People were pulling bodies out of the water in Ngaski, Nigeria, after the boat disaster NGASKI (Nigeria), May 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigerian rescue workers pulled more than three dozen bodies from the water after an overcrowded riverboat sank leaving more than 150 people missing and feared drowned.Survivors and officials said…

Covid-19: Africa needs 20m second AstraZeneca jabs in six weeks – WHO

WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti BRAZZAVILLE, May 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Africa needs at least 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine within six weeks if those who have had their first shot are to get the second in time, WHO said.“Africa needs vaccines now,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti,…

Covid-19: 32 DR Congo parliamentarians died of the virus

The announcement comes as the authorities fear the third wave of coronavirus cases. KINSHASA, May 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thirty-two members of parliament in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or about 5% of the total, have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, the vice president of the National…

Covid-19: UK approves single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine

LONDON, May 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain approved the use of the single shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced Friday. “This is a further boost to the UK’s hugely successful vaccination programme, which has already saved over 13,000 lives, and means that…

Covid-19: Pandemic won’t be over until 70% are vaccinated – WHO

COPENHAGEN, May 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization’s director for Europe warned that the Covid-19 pandemic won’t be over until at least 70 percent of people are vaccinated. “The pandemic will be over once we reach 70 percent minimum coverage in vaccination,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said, deploring…

Covid-19: Germany to vaccinate children over 12 from June 7

BERLIN, May 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Germany will start offering coronavirus jabs to children over the age of 12 from June 7, Chancellor Angela Merkel said. But she stressed that vaccination would not be compulsory and would have no bearing on whether children can attend school or go on holiday. The…

Russia ready to supply military equipment to Gabon

MOSCOW, May 28 (NNN-SPUTNIK) — Russia is ready to supply military equipment to Gabon, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. “We are ready to supply military products in the interests of increasing the defense capability of Gabon,” Lavrov said after a meeting with his Gabonese counterpart, Pacome Moubelet Boubeya. The Gabonese…

UN commemorates its fallen peacekeepers

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday laid a wreath to honor more than 4,000 UN peacekeepers who lost their lives since 1948, and presided over a virtual ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjold Medal was awarded posthumously to 129…