California declares statewide emergency to fight wildfires

Transmission towers and power lines near Winterhaven, Calif., on Tuesday LOS ANGELES, Aug 19 (NNN-Xinhua) — California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency to mobilize resources to fight wildfires burning across the state. Newsom noted in a proclamation that there are currently hundreds of fires actively burning during these…

Cyprus, Greece decide on joint action to address Turkish activities at EU meetings

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias (L) and Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides NICOSIA, Aug 19 (NNN-Xinhua) — Cyprus and Greece have agreed on joint action at the upcoming EU meetings to deal with Turkish activities in the eastern Mediterranean, which they consider to encroach on their rights, foreign ministers of…

Covid-19: Kazakhstan resumes flights with seven countries

Passengers check in at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Nur-Sultan NUR-SULTAN, Aug 19 (NNN-Xinhua) — Kazakhstan has begun resuming flights to the United Arab Emirates, Belarus and Germany, among other nations, local media reported. According to Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, a plane from the country’s capital to the German city…

Belarus unrest: President Lukashenko accuses opposition of staging coup

As far as the protesters outside the prison are concerned, President Lukashenko got 0% of the vote  MINSK, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has accused the opposition of trying to stage a coup, amid widespread anger over a disputed election. Speaking as opposition leaders formed a…

UN praises municipal elections in Libya’s Ghat

TRIPOLI, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) welcomed the “determination” of the citizens of the city of Ghat, located some 1,400 km southwest of the capital Tripoli, to participate in the city’s municipal elections. “I commend the tremendous efforts exerted by the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE)…

Twin strong quakes strike off Indonesia

JAKARTA, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two large and shallow earthquakes struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island early Wednesday, the US Geological Survey reported, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Frightened residents fled their homes when the twin offshore quakes rocked…

US presidential election: Joe Biden formally nominated as Democratic candidate to challenge Pres Trump

MILWAUKEE (Wisconsin, US), Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US Democrats on Tuesday nominated Joe Biden as their 2020 presidential candidate, formally designating the Washington veteran as the party’s challenger to incumbent President Donald Trump in the November election. In an unprecedented roll call vote that took place entirely online due to…

Covid-19: Brazil approves final tests of J&J virus vaccine

BRASILIA, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian health regulators said they had approved Johnson & Johnson’s experimental vaccine against the new coronavirus for the final stage of clinical trials, the fourth vaccine to receive widespread testing in the hard-hit country. The US pharmaceutical company’s subsidiary Janssen will test the vaccine on…

Covid-19: Vaccine should be mandatory in Australia – PM

SYDNEY, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Australia should make any coronavirusvaccine compulsory for its 25 million citizens bar medical exemptions, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, wading into a heated ethical debate. After reaching a deal for the country to manufacture a “promising” vaccinebeing developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, Morrison…

Ecuador says Chinese fishing trawlers turned off tracking system near Galapagos

QUITO, Aug 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador reported that nearly half ofthe Chinese fishing boats that roam the Galapagos Islands have turned offtheir tracking systems, making it impossible to locate them. The Ecuadorian Navy detected 149 ships that had turned off theirtransponders, a device that allows authorities to know where they…