News in Brief

Date: 28 May 2021 - 21:53

News ID: ۹۰۷۰۶

KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - A boat ferrying about 200 people capsized in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kebbi but the number of casualties remains unclear, a state spokesman said. The wooden boat capsized near Wara, a town on the shores of Kainji Lake, part of the Niger River, said Yahaya Sarki, a spokesman the governor of Kebbi. It had about 200 passengers on board, coming from the neighboring Nigerian state of Niger. “Bodies are still being recovered. We can’t ascertain the number for now,” Sarki said. One survivor, Buhari Abubakar, said about 40 people have been rescued so far, though many of the other passengers, mostly women and children, are still missing.

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PARIS (Dispatches) - A policewoman has reportedly been stabbed several times in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, France, leaving her with serious injuries. Officers are hunting the suspect, who is thought to be on foot, after his car was found in the town. Police sources told BFMTV the attack occurred around 10am (8am GMT) on Friday morning in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, in Loire-Atlantique. The assailant had reportedly entered the town’s police station before attacking a policewoman, stabbing her several times. The officer was injured in the lower limbs, according to reports, and is seriously injured. She has been taken to hospital.

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LONDON (Dispatches) - A 44-year-old BBC radio presenter died last week after experiencing blood clots following her AstraZeneca jab, her family said. Lisa Shaw, who worked for BBC Newcastle, passed away on Friday at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, The Independent reported. The mother-of-one’s death was announced on Sunday, leading to scores of tributes from her colleagues and listeners. Rik Martin, who worked with her, described her as “a trusted colleague, a brilliant presenter, a wonderful friend, and a loving wife and mum”.

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GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO), facing pressure from donors, said an independent investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in Democratic Republic of Congo against WHO aid workers should issue findings by the end of August. Reuters reported last October that more than 50 women had accused aid workers from the WHO and leading charities of sexual exploitation and abuses during the Ebola outbreak. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at its annual ministerial session that some states were frustrated by the pace of the inquiry. The allegations “undermine trust in WHO and threaten the critical work we are doing”, he said on Friday.

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BAKU (Dispatches) - Azerbaijan said that one of its soldiers was wounded after Armenian forces opened fire along the shared border, accusations that Armenia denied. Friday’s claim marks the latest in a series of incidents between the two ex-Soviet rivals, Al-Jazeera reported. In a statement, the Azeri Defense Ministry said Armenian forces had fired from several directions at its positions in Nakhchivan, an Azeri enclave separated from the remainder of Azerbaijan by Armenian territory.