UK rolls out hotel quarantine for ‘high risk’ country returnees

LONDON, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK government will on Monday introduce mandatory hotel quarantine rules for arrivals from dozens of countries deemed “high risk” for coronavirus variants, as it tries to stop new strains spreading. The new policy requires all UK citizens and permanent residents enteringEngland from 33 countries…

Nigerian diplomat set to be first woman to lead World Trade Organization

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala poses outside a Nigerian diplomatic residence in Chambesy, near Geneva GENEVA, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala looks set to be confirmed on Monday as the first woman and first African leader of the beleaguered World Trade Organization (WTO), a near-paralysed institution desperately needing a kick-start. The…

Spain: Separatists headed for Catalan election majority, preliminary results show

Regional election in Catalonia BARCELONA (Spain), Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) –: Separatist parties were on track on Sunday to jointly win enough seats to strengthen their majority in Catalonia’s regional parliament, according to preliminary results with over 80 per cent of the votes counted. But the Socialists, the ruling party in Spain’s national…

Covid-19: French hospitals to move into crisis mode over possible surge of cases

PARIS, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The French Health Ministry has asked regional health agencies and hospitals to go into “crisis organisation” from Feb 18 to prepare for a possible surge in coronavirus cases due to highly contagious variants. The move, which would echo measures taken in March and November 2020…

Covid-19: Chile calls on citizens to take care of health despite vaccination campaign

Coronavirus cases and deaths continue to increase in Latin American countries, the Pan American Health Organization said SANTIAGO, Feb 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris said that despite the success of the vaccination program, through which 1.8 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine against…

US Pres Biden calls for “commonsense gun law reforms” on 3rd anniversary of Parkland school shooting

ByDaniel Uria (0) Feb 14: Third anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US President Joe Biden called on Congress to enact “commonsense gun law reforms” on Sunday, the third anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman…

Covid-19: North Macedonia receives first batch of Pfizer vaccines, courtesy of Serbia

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev SKOPJE, Feb 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from manufacturer Pfizer arrived in North Macedonia from Serbia on Sunday, Media Information Agency (MIA) reported. According to MIA, the first batch of 4,680 out of 8,000 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses was handed…

Ebola: Sierra Leone activates emergency response following cases in Guinea

FREETOWN, Feb 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — The government of Sierra Leone activated its Health Emergency Response System to level two following seven confirmed Ebola cases in neighboring Guinea. The country’s Health Ministry said in a statement that it has all the structures in place that was established during the 2014/15 Ebola…

Covid-19: UK PM under rising pressure to lift all restrictions by end of April

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) walks past members of the public waiting to receive their vaccine as he visits a COVID-19 vaccination center, the Al-Hikmah Vaccination Center in Batley, England LONDON, Feb 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to lift all COVID-19 lockdowns…

Russia’s FM Lavrov holds talks with US climate envoy Kerry

MOSCOW, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed climate change with US envoy John Kerry and the two agreed to cooperate further within the Arctic Council, the Russian foreign ministry said. “During the conversation, questions were raised about the implementation of the Paris climate accord,” the ministry…