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…

Ebola: Guinea health chief calls outbreak ‘epidemic’, 7 cases confirmed

CONAKRY, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The head of Guinea’s health agency said that the country was in the midst of an Ebola “epidemic situation”with seven cases confirmed in the West African nation, including threedeaths. “Very early Sunday morning, the Conakry laboratory confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus,” Sakoba Keita…

Somalia: Gunmen kill three women on way to work in Somali capital

MOGADISHU, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least three women killed and two others wounded in Mogadishu’s Daynile district after they were attacked by unknown gunmen. The murder took place in the early hours of the morning while the women were riding a TUK-TUK on their way to the workplace. Reports…

Kosovo votes in election that could complicate dialogue with Serbia

PRISTINA, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kosovars began voting on Sunday in a parliamentary election that an anti-establishment party is expected to win, further complicating Western efforts to resolve a decades-long territorial dispute with Serbia. Opinion polls predict the Vetevendosje party will win 45% to 55% of the vote among ethnic…

Sailors kidnapped off Nigeria return to Turkey, describe death threats and forest captivity

The MV Mozart container ship ISTANBUL, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Fifteen Turkish sailors kidnapped by pirates last month in the Gulf of Guinea arrived back in Turkey on Sunday and the ship’s captain described how they faced death threats and were held in a forest during their three-week ordeal. The…

Evacuation under way at Russian coal mine after collapse

MOSCOW, Feb 14 (NNN-TASS) – A total of 98 workers are being evacuatedafter a cave-in in a coalmine in Russia’s Siberian coal-rich region ofKuzbass, the press service of the Russian emergencies ministry told TASS onSunday. Rescuers were alerted about the incident at about 3:10 local time on Sunday(23:10 Moscow time…

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…