UN chief to host Afghanistan aid meeting in Geneva on Sept 13: spokesman

 UNITED NATIONS, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will travel to Geneva to convene a high-level conference on aid for Afghanistan on Sept 13, his spokesman said. The country, now under the control of the Taliban after 20 years of war, is facing a “looming humanitarian…

Covid-19: Cuba starts vaccinating children in order to re-open schools amid Covid surge

 HAVANA, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cuban authorities on Friday launched a national campaign to vaccinate children aged two to 18 against Covid-19, a condition set by the Communist government in order to reopen schools for in-person instruction amid a spike in infections. Children aged 12 and older will be the…

Covid-19: Canada sees urgent need to get more young people vaccinated

OTTAWA, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — New modeling shows an “urgent need” to get more young adults in Canada vaccinated as the country fights a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Delta variant, the public health agency said. At the current rate of vaccination, new COVID-19 cases could surge…

Covid-19: More Florida school districts revolt against governor’s mask ban as cases surge

TAVARES (Florida, US), Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — In a scene replayed across the United States, angry parents and activists streamed into a meeting of the Florida’s Lake County school board on Thursday where it considered whether to mandate mask-wearing for students and staff due to COVID. Some opponents of the…

US sanctions 4 Iranians over alleged plot to kidnap NY-based journalist

WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has sanctioned four Iranian intelligence operatives behind a failed plot to kidnap a US journalist and human rights activist, the US Treasury Department said. The sanctions come after US prosecutors in July charged the four with plotting to kidnap the New York-based journalist who was…

Amazon fires surge anew in Brazil as cleared forest burns

BRASILIA, Sept 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thick smoke billowed above Brazil’s Amazon jungle as fire tore through butchered rainforest and discarded trees littered the scorched earth like dead matchsticks, burnt and black. Vast burned and clear cut areas could be seen, as the arc of deforestation advanced deeper into the jungle…

Sec-Gen Guterres thanks member states for keeping UN operations in Afghanistan going

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked several member states for helping keep UN operations in Afghanistan going as the country is facing a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis. “I can tell you that the secretary-general is indeed very grateful for the generosity of member states,…

Venezuelan gov’t, opposition talks show sovereignty, independence: electoral council

CARACAS, Sept 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — Ongoing talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition group are an expression of the country’s sovereignty and independence, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) said as negotiations resumed in Mexico. “Dialogue, political understanding, peace, diversity and pluralism define these negotiations,” the CNE said in a…

Covid-19: Africa’s cases surpass 7.84 mln – Africa CDC

ADDIS ABABA, Sept 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 7,844,232 as of Friday afternoon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic across…

Covid-19: US cases reach new daily high – CDC

WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — The current seven-day moving average of daily new cases in the United States was over 150,000, up 4.9 percent from the previous week, according to the latest weekly report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The current seven-day moving average was…