US wildfires: Thousands of firefighters battle West Coast blazes amid ‘overwhelming’ ruin

Trees are seen fire damaged during the aftermath of fires in Clackamas County, near Molalla MOLALLA (Oregon, US), Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With resources stretched to the limit, weary crews fought from the air and on the ground against deadly wildfires sweeping the western United States, with a US senator saying parts…

Covid-19: One in 7 reported infections is among health workers – WHO

GENEVA, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One in seven cases of COVID-19 reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) is a health worker and in some countries that figure rises to one in three, the agency said. The WHO called for frontline medical workers to be provided with protective equipment to…

WHO Europe warns of ‘alarming’ COVID-19 transmission rates

Some European countries like France and Spain have seen a quick increase in cases. COPENHAGEN, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Coronavirus infections topped 30 million around the globe on Thursday as the World Health Organization warned of “alarming rates of transmission” across Europe and cautioned against shortening quarantine periods. The WHO’s regional…

UK exempts Singapore, Thailand travellers to England from COVID-19 self-isolation

People arriving from Singapore and Thailand in England and Scotland will not need to quarantine from Saturday morning LONDON, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Singapore and Thailand have been added to England’s COVID-19 travel corridor list, the United Kingdom government said.  From Saturday 4am UK time, travellers from these countries will no longer have to self-isolate for two…

Covid-19: BA boss says there is no need to fire and rehire staff

LONDON, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — There is no need for British Airways to lay off cabin crew and then rehire them on inferior terms, boss Alex Cruz has said. Unions and MPs had accused the airline of following a “fire and rehire” policy, which saw some employees facing pay cuts…

Oil exploration: Turkey says conditions conducive for launching talks with Greece

ANKARA, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkey believes conditions are conducive to restart talks with fellow NATO member Greece after Ankara’s Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel left contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said. Turkey and Greece have been locked in a bitter dispute over conflicting…

Botswana opts to make land owners of wives with new law

Mokgweetsi Masisi being sworn in as the elected President of Botswana GABORONE, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A wife in Botswana can now own land alongside her husband, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said in a boost for women that rights groups called long overdue. Prior to his amendment, the 2015 Land Policy…

Ethiopia brings some migrants home as concern over Saudi camps grows

ADDIS ABABA, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia will repatriate nearly 2,000 migrants from Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks, a government minister said, amid growing international concern over conditions in migrant detention camps. Ethiopia is estimated to have tens of thousands of workers in Saudi Arabia and is under pressure…

Convoy ambush in eastern Congo kills one aid worker

GOMA (DRCongo), Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A worker with the British charity World Vision has been killed in an ambush on a humanitarian convoy in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congolese victim was killed in an attack on Wednesday in Lubero, North Kivu province, that left another worker seriously…

Covid-19: WHO says outbreak in Africa may have passed its peak, but warn against complacency

Passengers boarding a bus in Lagos being given hand sanitiser ADDIS ABABA, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization (WHO) said the Covid-19 outbreak in Africa may have passed its peak, but warns governments not to be complacent as countries relax their restrictions. The number of new daily confirmed…