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As Africa finds itself in the midst of a third wave, the vaccine roll-out is picking-up speed.

Belgium and Luxembourg have begun sharing aircraft in response to NATO's long drive towards better interoperability. The two countries are jointly responsible for the acquisition, management, operation and support of the fleet, which for now, stands at just one plane – an Airbus A400M – but the aim is for this model to replace all of the old fleets.

The man known as Zambia's founding father has died at the age of 97. Kenneth Kaunda rose to power during Africa's heady post-independence period, when dozens of former European colonies gained their freedom. VOA's Anita Powell reports from Johannesburg on the death of this African giant.

One of the world's largest diamonds has been unearthed in Botswana, the country's government has announced. The 1,098-carat stone, believed to be the third largest "gem-quality" diamond ever found, was discovered earlier this month at the Jwaneng mine, around 75 miles from the country's capital, Gaborone.

The U.S. is devoting $3.2 billion to advance development of antiviral pills for COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, announced the investment as part of a new “antiviral program for pandemics.” (June 17)

Zolani Matebese, CEO at Sendoff. joins CNBC Africa for more.

A false video circulating online has claimed to show a Euronews reporter speaking to citizens ahead of the Iran presidential election. The fake clip appears to show a woman calling on people not to vote in the election and boycott the ballots. Copies of the video, entitled "Tehran people respond to Euronews reporter", have been viewed more than 4,500 times on Twitter.

Sindhupalchok (Nepal) (AFP) – Army rescuers are deployed to a flooded area in Nepal after a river burst during heavy monsoon rains. Officials said a landslide caused by the monsoon deluge blocked a river, which then burst and sent a flood of water downstream late Tuesday, inundating a settlement in Sindhupalchowk district near the capital Kathmandu.

South Sudan is seeking to ramp up oil output and build refining capacity in an enduring effort to revive the country's economy. Economic Analyst, Akol Dok joins CNBC Africa for more.

CNN's Jessica Schneider and Jeffrey Toobin explain the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to rule Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it froze the contract of a Catholic foster care agency that refused to work with same-sex couples as potential foster parents.

Iranian voters are heading to the polls amidst of one of the country's harshest economic crises, made worse by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It's about politics. It's about corruption. It's about lack of economic opportunity. It's about high inflation.

Hong Kong police have raided the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper's office and arrested five directors on June 17 under the national security law, the newspaper said. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.