US floods: Pres Biden declares ‘major disaster’ in Tennessee

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in the southern US state of Tennessee and approved federal funding after devastating floods over the weekend left at least 21 dead, the White House said in a statement said Tuesday. Tennessee was hit Saturday by what…

America’s tallest man dies at age 38

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The tallest man in America — he stood 7 feet 8 inches (2.35 meters) — has died of a heart problem at the age of 38, his mother said on Facebook. Ukrainian-born Igor Vovkovinskiy had a condition called pituitary gigantism that caused excessive secretion of…

Climate change made Europe floods more likely, intense: study

PARIS, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Climate change made the deadly floods that devastated parts of Germany and Belgium last month up to nine times more likely, according to an international study published Tuesday. At least 190 people lost their lives in severe floods that pummelled western Germany in mid-July, and…

Tunisian president extends suspension of parliament

TUNIS, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended the suspension of parliament until further notice, the presidency said in a statement, a month after freezing it in a move that opponents decried as a coup. He also extended an order lifting immunity for the country’s lawmakers. Saied…

Covid-19: South Africa teen pregnancies surge during pandemic

PRETORIA, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Coronavirus lockdown measures in South Africa have limited young girls’ access to contraception and abortion, resulting in a surge in teenage pregnancies, Save the Children said. The number of children born to teen mothers in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, has increased by at…

Covid-19: New York City mandates vaccine for public school teachers, staff

NEW YORK, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — : New York City will require public school teachers and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, part of a push to get more residents vaccinated and slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The city’s health department…

Covid-19: Greek scientists advise booster shots for vulnerable

ATHENS, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece’s top medical advisers said vulnerable groups with underlying diseases should get COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, in a bid to curb a rise in Delta variant infections. The booster shot with mRNA vaccines, if approved by the government, will be available in the first week…

Poland to build Belarus border fence against migrants

Poland and its EU neighbours have reported an influx of migrants from Belarus in recent weeks WARSAW, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Poland announced plans for a barbed-wire fence along its border with Belarus following an influx of migrants which countries in the region called a “hybrid attack” on the EU. Defence…

Brazil indigenous protesters camp on Bolsonaro’s doorstep

BRASILIA, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With feather headdresses, grass skirts and body paint, hundreds of indigenous demonstrators camped out in Brasilia to protest President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies and an initiative that could take away their ancestral lands. Pounding wooden tent poles into the ground, the protesters set up the “Fight for…

Kabul airport problems blocking medical supplies for Afghans: WHO

Civilian volunteers sort donations for evacuees from Afghanistan at Ramstein Air Base, Germany GENEVA, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 500 tonnes of medical supplies including surgical equipment and severe malnutrition kits due to be delivered to Afghanistan this week are stuck because of Kabul airport restrictions, the World Health…