Twelve heads of cattle died on the spot while two others sustained injuries when a bus hit them in western Zambia, the Police said on Monday.

The accident happened along the main road connecting two towns in the province, according to police spokesperson, Esther Mwaata-Katongo.

Mwaata-Katongo said, in a release, that the accident happened when the driver of the bus hit the animals, which were crossing the road.

The accident resulted in the bus having two broken headlamp lenses, broken grill, a depressed bumper and a crack on the windscreen, she added. (Xinhua/NAN)

Tunisian head of government Hichem Mechichi on Monday decided to remove five ministers from their duties, said the government in a statement.

“Pending the completion of the cabinet reshuffle procedures, according to which the new ministers obtained the confidence of the parliament, the head of government decided to dismiss minister of justice, minister of industry, energy and mines, minister of youth, sports and professional integration, minister of state property and real estate affairs, and minister of agriculture, water resources and fishing from their posts,” reads the statement.

The prime minister instructed other members of the government to act as interim heads of these ministries, in addition to their initial missions.

“Mechichi remains open to all solutions to ensure the completion of the ministerial reshuffle procedures so that ministers can carry out their duties within the framework of the constitution,” it added.

The Tunisian parliament granted its confidence to 11 new ministers proposed by Prime Minister Mechichi on Jan. 27, two days after President Kais Saied declared during the meeting of the National Security Council that one of the proposed ministers was implicated in a corruption case and three others were suspected of conflict of interest.

Citing the reasons, Saied said he “will not allow some of the new ministers to take their oath of office.” (Xinhua/NAN)

Turkey will begin COVID-19 vaccination for teachers next week, Turkish Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Monday.

Selcuk made this known at the opening ceremony of a school in the southern province of Igdir, as the second semester started with in-person classes in village primary schools across the country.

He said “the first dose of vaccination for teachers will begin in the last week of February.”

He added that the Ministry of Education had submitted lists of teachers to the health ministry, and their names are now being registered in the vaccination appointment system.

So far, more than 4.1 million Turks have been vaccinated since the start of the mass vaccination programme on Jan. 14 with China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines, according to data from Turkey’s Health Ministry. (Xinhua/NAN)

By Fabian Ekeruche

The British Government has announced its approval for more foreign investments in Lagos state, as plans got underway for the take-off of the first British standard waste to energy plant in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by Kunle Adeshina, Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, in Lagos.

The statement said that the Deputy British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr Ben Llewellyn Jones, gave the official nod at the Igando refuse dumpsite, after a guided tour of facilities of West African ENRG, alongside state officials led by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello.

“Though some people think about Nigeria and investments and look the other way, we say ‘look this way’. We will help you and it is a real opportunity here as it is being demonstrated today, and opportunities to grow beyond even what is being achieved now, which is so fantastic.

“It is absolutely outstanding what is being achieved, using British technology, finance and real great Nigerian drive and expertise, to create something special that is really going to grow and grow”, the British envoy said.

The statement quoted Jones as saying that the issues of  climate change, challenge of pollution, drainage and of plastics getting into the drains, were being solved by the West African ENRG  waste conversion facility, which is so impressive.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, while welcoming the team, said the quest of West African ENRG to move from waste to wealth to establishing the first waste to energy facility, speaks volume about the conducive business atmosphere in Lagos.

Bello, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Environmental Services, Mrs Belinda Odeneye, and LAWMA MD, Ibrahim Odumboni, said that West African ENRG came to Lagos in 2014, had its waste conversion plant unveiled by Gov. Fashola in 2015, with a commitment to set up a waste to energy plant.

“There were some intervals of difficulties, that we have now successfully overcome. Now, we have been able to restore all that they started with. They have also improved on a lot of things.

“You must have observed during the inspection today a lot of conversion processes from waste to plastics, rubber, cans and bottles” the statement quoted Bello as saying.

The Commissioner said from the brief and visual clips of the proposed waste to energy project presented by West African ENRG, it was clear that if the organisation was provided with the right support, it would make further progress in waste conversion.

“Lagos has always been a Mecca for investments. What we just need to do is to make sure that infrastructural developments are accelerated and substantial progress is being made in that regard. We have the roads, water and other facilities ready”, Bello said.

The CEO of West African ENRG, Paul O’Callaghan, disclosed that his organisation planned to invest between $125 to $150 million dollars to build a 25 megawatts waste to energy facility, that would process 2.5 tonnes of waste daily.

“At the moment, it takes 3 to 4 hours in the dry season to tip waste at the open landfill site, to the wet season that takes as much as 24 hours, depending on the weather.

” We are committing to under 30 mins and aiming for 15 minutes turn around time,” O’Callaghan said.

According to O’Callaghan, the new project meant the PSP would move from houses to the waste to energy facility and within 15 minutes would be back on the streets collecting wastes, thus creating a better economy for the PSP and a quicker and cleaner Lagos state.

He expressed readiness to convert Olusosun dumpsite to a  waste to energy facility that would be built to British standards in terms of emission control if closed down, adding that it would take approximately 20 months to complete after groundbreaking.

The Managing Director of LAWMA, Ibrahim Odumboni, who was part of the team, expressed confidence with what he had seen, saying that there was capacity to cope  with the level of recyclables, that would be generated from the society, while sorting from source.

“For me, this is an encouragement for us to give them an enabling environment to do something similar around here, and other parts of Lagos, so that we can bring development and prosperity to a circular economy within the state.

“We want to have the first waste to energy plant in Lagos, before the end of the year. So, following today’s visit, we are in discussion to be able to give them a letter of intent, with the possibility of signing an MOU as soon as possible, to commence a step towards waste to energy for Lagos state”, the LAWMA MD said. (NAN)

Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced a 20-day extension of precautionary measures against COVID-19, according to local media.

The measures include a ban on gatherings, entertainment and events, as well as the closure of cinemas and dining services at restaurants and cafes, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an Interior Ministry source.

The extension is effective from 10 p.m. local time on Sunday, as part of efforts to curb a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The restrictions introduced 10 days ago will be under continuous evaluation and could be extended again, the ministry source said.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia suspended entry to the kingdom from 20 countries, except for Saudi citizens, diplomats and medical practitioners and their families. (Xinhua/NAN)

Liberia has put health agencies on alert in the wake of an Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Guinea, President George Weah announced on  Sunday.

“The President’s instruction is intended to ensure Liberia acts proactively to avoid any epidemic situation, the kind the country witnessed in 2014,’’ a press release read.

This came a day after Guinean Health Minister Remy Lamah said that four people had died from the hemorrhagic fever in the town of Gouecke, close to Liberia’s northeastern border.

The Liberian president assured the public that no case of Ebola had been found in the country and that his government was doing everything to protect the people from the virus.

Ebola can spread when people come into contact with infected blood and other body fluids.

The disease is often fatal when left untreated.

Liberia saw the world’s longest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in 2014.

More than 4,800 people died over the span of a year, with 300 to 400 new cases reported every week at the height of the epidemic. (Sputnik/NAN)

Four regions in Italy were placed under stricter restrictions from Sunday due to a rise in the number of Coronavirus infections.

The region, include Tuscany, Liguria, Abruzzia and Trentino have been designated so-called orange zones by the Health Ministry, meaning that bars and restaurants have to close and locals cannot leave the area surrounding their homes except in emergencies.

The restrictions will be in place for 15 days initially, the ministry said.

Most parts of the country are currently considered yellow zones, meaning that the restrictions have been eased.

However, the entire country is still under a night-time curfew beginning at 10 pm (2100 GMT).

Italian authorities have recorded a total of 2.7 million coronavirus cases over the past year, with some 13,500 new cases being detected over the past 24 hours. (dpa/NAN)

The Turkish military on Sunday said that it had discovered the bodies of 13 of its citizens.

The 13 bodies were found in an operation against the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraq, where it is headquartered in the remote Qandil mountain range.

According to the army, the 13 Turks, whose bodies were discovered in a cave, had been kidnapped in an incident that was not made public due to its sensitive nature.

“I wish we had been able to bring our citizens out of there safely,” Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.

Twelve of the 13 people were found to have been killed by gunshots on the head, while the 13th had a gunshot wound on the shoulder, he added.

Two members of the PKK, who were apprehended by Turkish forces, said that the 13 had been executed shortly before the start of a Turkish military operation in the region.

The PKK has not released a statement about the incident.

The PKK is designated a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Tens of thousands have died in the decades-old conflict between the PKK and Turkey.

After a peace process collapsed in 2015, ending a two-year ceasefire, the government said it would not return to talks with the group.

Since then, Turkey has regularly targeted the PKK in the predominantly Kurdish south-east and attacked the group’s positions in northern Iraq. (dpa/NAN)

New Zealand is imposing first lockdown restrictions since October on the city of Auckland, its most populous city for three days after three COVID-19 community cases were reported.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday.

The three cases, confirmed earlier in the day by the health ministry, were from the same household in South Auckland.

All the patients are currently in quarantine.

“As of 11:59 p.m. Sunday Feb. 14, Auckland will move to (Alert) Level 3 for a period of three days until midnight on Wednesday.

“The rest of New Zealand will move to Level 2 for the same period of time,” Ardern told reporters, adding that the decision will be reviewed on a 24-hour basis.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the country has confirmed a total of 2,330 cases, including 2,258 recoveries and 25 fatalities.

There are currently 47 active cases in New Zealand. (Sputnik/NAN)

More than eight million people in India have received vaccines against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) since the start of the mass vaccination campaign.

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday.

According to the ministry, a total of 8,263,858 Indians have been vaccinated, with 296,211 of them receiving the shots over the past 24 hours.

On Jan. 16, India started its vaccination campaign, using the domestically-manufactured Covieshield vaccine, developed jointly by UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the Oxford University, and homegrown Covaxin.

The first wave of vaccinations, intended for health care and essential workers, is expected to cover some 30 million people.

The second wave, inoculating people over the age of 50, may cover some 270 million.

India is in second place in the world in the number of people infected with the coronavirus.

The country has confirmed over 10.6 million COVID-19 cases, with 155,642 deaths, according to the latest data from the health ministry. (Sputnik/NAN)