Covid-19: Brazil passes 20,000 deaths after record 24-hour toll – official

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The novel coronavirus death toll in Brazil surpassed 20,000 on Thursday, after a record number of fatalities in a 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health said. The country is the epicenter of the outbreak in Latin America, and its highest one-day toll of…

Update: Cyclone kills at least 82 in India, Bangladesh, causes widespread flooding

KOLKATA/DHAKA, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The most powerful cyclone to strike eastern India and Bangladesh in over a decade killed at least 82 people, officials said, as rescue teams scoured devastated coastal villages, hampered by torn down power lines and flooding over large tracts of land. Mass evacuations organised by…

US: Shooter killed near Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi in ‘terrorism-related’ incident, officials say

HOUSTON (Texas), May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An armed person who wounded a sailor at a US Navy air base in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Thursday was killed by security officers, officials said.  The shooter tried to speed through a gate at the base in a vehicle, but security personnel put up a…

Covid-19: Lagos doctors end strike after curfew harassment complaint remedied

A view of a crowded street with human and vehicular traffic in Mafoluku district in Lagos LAGOS, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria’s largest medical union ordered its members in the commercial capital Lagos to go back to work, ending a strike over alleged police harassment of doctors as they travelled…

Amphan: Cyclone wreaks deadly havoc in India and Bangladesh

 NEW DELHI/DHAKA, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cyclone Amphan has made landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people as it lashed coastal areas with ferocious wind and rain. Trees were uprooted and homes toppled in both countries, including in the Indian city of Kolkata in West Bengal.…

Venezuela’s military to escort Iranian tankers bringing petrol

Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino  CARACAS, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The Venezuelan military will escort Iranian tankers delivering much-needed petrol to the country to prevent any attempt by the US to stop them. Five vessels are on the high seas and are due to arrive in the coming days. Venezuela’s defence minister…

Covid-19: Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov ‘flown to Moscow Hospital’ after infection

Chechnya Pres Ramzan Kadyrov MOSCOW, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been taken to hospital with suspected coronavirus, Russian media report. He was flown to Moscow on Wednesday for treatment after developing flu-like symptoms, said Interfax news agency quoting a source. “He’s in hospital in Moscow,” another…

Update: China’s top political meetings open with minute’s silence for virus victims

BEIJING, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China’s annual high-level political meetings opened with a minute’s silence for the victims of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed over 4,600 lives in the country since emerging late last year. Delayed by two months because of the outbreak, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference…

Covid-19: Infections top 5 million worldwide

PARIS, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Global infections from the novelcoronavirus passed five million as the pandemic played outunevenly across the planet, with China eager to declare a victory,Europe tentatively emerging from its shell and deaths still rising inhotspots in Latin America. The grim milestone comes after known cases of COVID-19…

China proposes law cracking down on Hong Kong opposition activity

Such a move has long been under consideration but was hastened by months of anti-government protests BEIJING, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China’s parliament will consider legislation that could limit opposition activity in Hong Kong, a spokesperson said, appearing to confirm speculation that China will sidestep the territory’s own legislative body…