Covid-19: Greece imposes restrictions for its second largest city

ATHENS, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece will impose a nighttime curfew and ban music at bars, cafes and restaurants in Thessaloniki, its second biggest city, following an increase in COVID-19 cases, the government said. Infections have stabilised across the country but cases have surged in northern Greece. The civil protection…

Covid-19: Somalia opens first public oxygen plant to help treat coronavirus amid severe shortage

Workers install the public oxygen plant amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at the Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Somalia’s first public oxygen plant opened on Thursday, in a ray of hope for a country where a lifesaving treatment for the coronavirus has been largely unavailable…

Ecuador seeks to identify remains of 116 inmates killed in prison riot

GUAYAQUIL (Ecuador), Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ecuador sought to identify the remains of the 116 inmates killed during a riot at one of its largest prisons earlier this week, the latest bout of violence authorities have linked to gangs vying for control of drug trafficking routes. Dozens of relatives of…

Afghan girls’ soccer squad find new home in Portugal

The captain of Afghanistan’s national women football team Farkhunda Muhtaj (C) poses for a portrait with teammates at the Belem Tower in Lisbon, Portugal LISBON, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Leaving her homeland Afghanistan was painful, says 15-year-old Sarah. But now safely in Portugal, she hopes to pursue her dream of…

Covid-19: US administers nearly 392 million doses of vaccines – CDC

WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States has administered 391,992,662 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning and distributed 473,954,085 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 391,152,574 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms…

US Senate defeats bid to curtail benefits for Afghan refugees

An Afghan boy pumps up his arms as he and other refugees board a bus taking them to a processing center upon their arrival at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US Senate narrowly defeated Republican-backed legislation on Thursday that would have curtailed assistance for…

Canada marks first national holiday for indigenous reconciliation

Nanook Gordon, from Inuvik, dances while wearing grass dance regalia during Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, honouring the lost children and survivors of Indigenous residential schools, their families and communities, in Toronto OTTAWA, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canada on Thursday held its the first National Day for…

South Africa: Ex-Health Minister Zweli Mkhize implicated in Covid-19 Digital Vibes scandal

Dr Zweli Mkhize stepped down in August  PRETORIA, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A former South African health minister has been implicated in a corruption scandal involving the awarding of a Covid-19 communication contract. A probe by the country’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) found Dr Zweli Mkhize guilty of “a distinct…

Anger as France slashes visas for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia

France admits the decision to cut visas to the three nations is “drastic” and “unprecedented”  PARIS, Oct 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Algeria and Morocco have reacted with anger to France’s decision to slash the number of visas for their citizens. France announced on Tuesday it would halve the number of visas…

Ethiopia to expel seven senior UN staff for ‘meddling’: Foreign Ministry

  ADDIS ABABA, Oct 1 (BBB-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia said it would expel seven senior UN officials for “meddling” in its affairs, ratcheting up worries over the humanitarian response in the war-torn and famine-threatened Tigray region.        UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by the decision, expressed full confidence…