US stabbings: New York police step up subway patrols after fatal incidents

NEW YORK, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A total of 500 more police officers will be deployed immediately to patrol New York City’s transit system both on ground and underground following four stabbing incidents within 24 hours, said New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea. The separate incidents happened from…

Covid-19: Brazil registers 5th consecutive day of over 1,000 deaths

BRASILIA, Feb 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — Brazil registered 1,043 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 238,532, the Ministry of Health said. It has been the fifth consecutive day that more than 1,000 daily deaths from the disease have been reported. The ministry…

Covid-19: Greek PM calls on skeptical citizens to get vaccinated

ATHENS, Feb 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on citizens who remain skeptical about COVID-19 vaccines to get vaccinated. He made the call at a time when 500,000 vaccinations have been carried out across the country. “We are fully focused on the commitment we have made to…

Covid-19: Germany tightens borders to keep variants at bay

KIEFERSFELDEN (Germany), Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Germany on Sunday implemented more measures to keep coronavirus variants at bay, banning travel from Czech border regions and Austria’s Tyrol after a troubling surge in contagious mutations. A thousand police officers have been mobilised to ensure strict bordercontrols and state-owned rail company Deutsche…

Clashes at Cyprus protest over official graft, virus measures

Cypriot police said eight people arrested during the protest NICOSIA, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cypriot police used water cannon and tear gas in rare clashes with protesters as hundreds demonstrated on Saturday against government corruption and coronavirus restrictions. Protesters had gathered at a park in central Nicosia where they were…

Covid-19: Nigeria sets up mobile courts, fines and jails rule breakers

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ABUJA, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria is getting tough on coronavirus rule breakers by fining and sentencing individuals to jail in a new outdoor mobile court in the capital Abuja — steps away from the Supreme Court and National Assembly.It comes after President Muhammad Buhari signed…

Conflict-ridden Central African Republic to hold runoff parliamentary elections in March

President Touadera said that the second round was set for March 14 BANGUI, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Central African Republic (CAR) will hold next month the second round of voting for legislative elections in some constituencies, as well as a first-round where a December ballot was disrupted amid a…

Covid-19: France reports 21,231 new cases over 24 hours

PARIS, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France reported 21,231 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, slightly up from 20,701 on Friday.The number of people in France who have died from COVID-19 infections rose by 199 to 81,647 – the seventh-highest death toll globally – versus 320 on Friday.There were 10,037 new patients hospitalised with the…

Ebola: Guinea sees first deaths since 2016

CONAKRY, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four people have died of Ebola in Guinea in the first resurgence of the disease in five years, the country’s health minister said. Remy Lamah said officials were “really concerned” about the deaths, thefirst since a 2013-2016 epidemic — which began in Guinea — left…

Algerian president returns from Germany after post-Covid surgery

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ALGIERS, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune returned home Friday after a one-month stay in Germany for surgery following post-Covid-19 complications in his foot, state television said. “The President of the Republic, Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, returned…