Five Covid-19 patients die in Romania hospital fire

BUCHAREST, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A fire broke out early on Friday in Romania’s main hospital for COVID-19 patients, killing five of them in the second such incident in three months. Emergency responders found three dead patients at the Matei Bals hospital in the capital Bucharest, and could not resuscitate…

Cyclone Eloise death toll rises to 21 – UN

MAPUTO, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 21 people were killed and hundreds of thousands affected by a super-storm that made landfall in Mozambique last week, causing heavy flooding across swathes of southern Africa, the United Nations said. Tropical cyclone Eloise hit central Mozambique on Saturday, packing winds of up…

Tunisian presidential aide sick upon opening suspicious envelope addressed to president

TUNIS, Jan 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Tunisian Presidency confirmed that the head of the presidential cabinet was sick after opening a suspicious envelope addressed to Tunisian President Kais Saied. The envelope, without the name of its sender, was received and opened by the director of the presidential cabinet, Nadia Akacha,…

Covid-19: WHO says 20 percent of Africans to be vaccinated by end of year

Africa has recorded 3.4 million cases of COVID-19 and 87,000 deaths ADDIS ABABA, Jan 29 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The World Health Organization said at least 20 percent of the African continent can expect to be immunised against coronavirus by the end of the yearOnly a handful of Africans have been vaccinated…

Covid-19: Portugal curbs travel, extends lockdown in face of world’s worst surge

LISBON, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Portugal extended a nationwide lockdown until mid-February and announced curbs on international travel, as Prime Minister Antonio Costa accepted blame for the world’s worst coronavirus surge, with hospitals on the verge of being overrun. With a population of 10 million, Portugal reported a record 303 COVID-19…

Covid-19: First known US cases of potent South African variant found in South Carolina

A colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (blue) heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (yellow) WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A potent coronavirus variant originating in South Africa and possibly resistant to current vaccines and antibody treatments has been detected for the first time in the United States…

Covid-19: UK bans direct flights from UAE, shutting world’s busiest international route

Due to border closures caused by Covid-19, Dubai to London was the world’s busiest international route in January LONDON: Britain is banning direct passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates from Friday, shutting down the world’s busiest international airline route from Dubai to London. Britain said it was…

Covid-19: 1,000 Cuban, Haitian migrants stranded in Colombia

BOGOTA, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The closing of Panama’s border due toCovid-19 has stranded a thousand migrants — most from Haiti and Cuba — in Colombia, as they had planned to sneak across on their way to the UnitedStates, officials said. Now in makeshift tents on the beach of Necocli,…

US: Taliban have ‘not met their commitments’ in Afghan peace deal

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Taliban are not meeting thepromises they made in the peace agreement with the United States, including reducing violence and cutting ties with Al-Qaeda, the Pentagon said. “We are still involved in trying to get a negotiated settlement. TheTaliban have not met their commitments,” said…

Covid-19: WHO virus experts poised to start Wuhan fieldwork

WUHAN (China), Jan 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Experts from the World Health Organization met Chinese officials Friday ahead of their first site visits in Wuhan for a coronavirus origins probe which will take in a food market presumed to be “ground zero” of the pandemic. The fieldwork was set to begin…