Cameroon's Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute announced Thursday the intensification of vaccinations and strengthening of the response at the territorial borders during an evaluation meeting in the capital, Yaounde. 

"The Minister of Public Health indicated the genomic surveillance put in place has detected that, out of 745 samples of positive cases analyzed, 43 English Alpha variant cases, 17 South African Beta variant cases and 14 Indian Delta variant cases are circulating in our country," according to Health Minister Manaouda Malachie, as quoted on national television following a meeting on the national response strategy.

Cameroonian authorities have decided to strengthen the country's fight against the pandemic as well as vigilance at the borders and intensification of vaccinations.

According to figures Ngute presented, out of more than 25 million inhabitants, Cameroon has recorded 82,512 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic.

"Of these cases, 80,929 have been cured, representing a 98.1% cure rate. In the last two months, Cameroon has gone from 1,310 deaths to 1,341 deaths, an additional 31 deaths," the same source said.

The Delta variant "could be 60% more contagious than the other variants. Greater contagiousness means more cases, more hospitalizations, and a greater risk of overwhelming health systems. Some evidence also suggests that the Delta variant is linked to more severe and longer-lasting cases," according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO noted the third wave of COVID-19 on the African continent, while the Cameroonian Health Ministry is banking on vaccination as a "shield" against the wave.​​​​​​​

Six people were killed in a “serious firearms incident” in southwestern UK late Thursday, according to security sources. 

The victims, including two women, two men and the suspected assailant, died at the scene in the Keyham area of Plymouth city, according to the Devon and Cornwall Police.

Another woman received treatment at the scene for gunshot wounds but died later at a hospital.

The assailant was shot dead by the police. The attack was reportedly not linked to terrorism.

“The incident in Plymouth is shocking, and my thoughts are with those affected,” British Interior Minister Priti Patel said on Twitter.

Patel urged everyone to remain calm, follow police orders and allow emergency services to continue with their jobs./aa

Japan is mulling to conduct research on developing “sustainable food sources” on the moon, local media reported.

The federal government along with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will join hands with private food and tech companies and start-ups for the joint study likely to begin In March next year.

Sources told Kyodo News Agency that the research would be spearheaded by Space Foodsphere, a Tokyo-based space food research group comprised of dozens of entities, seasoning maker Ajinomoto Co., system integrator NTT Data Corp. and technology start-ups such as bio-venture Euglena Co.

The Japanese government will fund the program.

The basic research is designed to meet the demand for a supply of food on the moon for long-term lunar missions involving a large number of crew members, the news agency said, adding it is an attempt to encourage the private sector to enter the space business.

The project is expected to begin initial research at a local space exploration facility in Japan before moving to a location “similar to the lunar environment, such as Antarctica.”

“Their study aims to help develop technologies to operate a plant factory for indoor crop yields on the Moon where the temperatures are below minus 100 C and there is a lack of water and air necessary for growing crops. The study will also include how to maintain healthy mental and physical conditions in a confined space for long periods of time,” the news agency said./aa

“These technologies, if developed, are also expected to solve issues of farming under desertification and climate change on earth,” it added.

A major earthquake hit the Philippines during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, according to the US Geological Survey.

It reported that an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.1 hit the archipelago country around 01:46 a.m. Philippines time Thursday (1746 GMT Wednesday).

The epicenter of the earthquake is said to be around Pondaguitan. There was no sign of any damage when this report was filed.

High-magnitude earthquake has triggered tsunami threat within 186 miles of the epicenter, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center./aa

A new wave of floods due to heavy rains hit Turkey’s northern Black Sea provinces Wednesday, leaving one person dead,13 people injured and an elderly woman missing, according to authorities.

One person died in a landslide caused by flooding in Catalzeytin district in Kastamonu province, according to a statement by the Catalzeytin municipality.

In Ulus district of Bartin province, one of the hardest-hit areas, Arife Unal, 85, went missing after her house was destroyed. Teams from the Gendarmerie, Coast Guard and Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) along with residents are continuing the search.

Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli also confirmed that one person was missing after floods and landslides hit Kumluca district.

Floods also damaged homes and businesses while sweeping away vehicles in Bartin.

Thirteen people were also injured when their vehicles overturned due to a collapsed bridge. They were taken to nearby hospitals.

The disaster agency said there were power outages in a dozen villages in Ulus district.

A public hospital in Ayancik district in Sinop province was also evacuated, according to AFAD.

Meanwhile, 19 people who were stranded in their homes due to heavy rains in Ayancik were rescued by two helicopters, the Coast Guard Command said in a statement.

The evacuation of stranded residents is continuing in Avdullu village, where around 70 people are waiting, it said.

The Turkish National Defense Ministry also said military helicopters are in the region to evacuate residents to safe areas and hospitals.

The Interior Ministry warned residents of Kastamonu, Bartin and Sinop not to leave safe zones and to refrain from using roads near floods.

Officials in Sinop said heavy rains will continue Wednesday and Thursday and warned residents of possible floods and landslides.

Kastamonu and Karabuk provinces were also affected by the floods, with water damaging buildings, vehicles and agricultural fields

Meanwhile, in Yusufeli district of Artvin province, two separate groups were stranded on a road when a landslide blocked their way.

The first group consisted of 11 people and the second comprised 10. They asked for help from the local gendarmerie using their mobile phones and were rescued after two hours.

In Fatsa district of Ordu province, five people who were stranded at a fish farm due to flooding were rescued.

Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum toured the flood area in Ulus district in Bartin late Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference in the district, Kurum said work to evaluate the cost of the damage in Bartin is underway following the floods. Three buildings were found to be derelict, while three others are heavily damaged.

“Hopefully, we will reach missing Arife Unal as soon as possible and will take steps to heal the wounds of our citizens,” he said.

The damage to the Bartin-Karabuk highway will be repaired and opened to transportation at the latest on Thursday morning, he added.

As many as 300 people were evacuated to safe areas and 15 others were housed in a dormitory as a precaution in Ulus district, AFAD said in a statement late Wednesday.

Treatment of eight out of 13 people who were injured due to the collapsed bridge continues, it said.

There were power outages in a total of 31 villages across Bartin province, it added.

The evacuation of disaster victims continues also in Cide district of Kastamonu province and Ayvancik district of Sinop province, the disaster agency said.

The Kastamonu-Azdavay highway was closed to transportation and there were power outages in 168 villages across the city, it said.

Sinop Turkeli-Ayancık road was opened to transportation while nearly 100 village roads in Ayancik district were closed, it added.

The Turkish Red Crescent has started distributing food and hot meals in the flood-hit areas.

A total of 53 people trapped in Kastamonu and Sinop provinces due to floods were rescued by three helicopters and land crews of the Turkish Coast Guard Command, the command said in a statement./aa

Terror attacks have claimed the lives of more than 420 civilians and forced tens of thousands more to flee their homes in western Niger since January this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.

The rights group said in a report that it documented nine attacks between January and July in the western Tillaberi and Tahoua regions, located near the Mali and Burkina Faso borders.

HRW spoke to witnesses who said the “attackers summarily executed civilians in their homes, after forcing them off public transport, at wells, and funerals; and while they farmed or watered their animals.”

“Among those killed were village chiefs, imams, people with disabilities, and numerous children, some executed after being ripped from their parents’ arms,” the report said.

According to HRW findings, western Niger has seen a deadly surge in attacks by terror groups allied to Daesh/ISIS and, to a lesser extent, al-Qaeda.

From 2015 to 2019, terrorist groups attacked Niger’s security forces and civilians mostly in the southeastern parts of the country, the report said.

Since 2019, the terror groups, mainly the Nigeria-based Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, have started mounting assaults in western Niger, it added.

The rights group called on Niger’s authorities to “take urgent steps to stop the upsurge in killings of civilians.”

“They should establish early warning networks, reduce the army’s response times to threatened villages, and create committees composed of civilians, security forces, and civil society groups to identify and respond to urgent protection needs,” read the HRW report./aa

The Russian Investigative Committee on Wednesday filed a new charge against Alexey Navalny, an opposition figure.

In a statement on its official website, the committee said Navalny and his associates pushed citizens to take part in demonstrations, knowing in advance about the “illegal nature” of the activities.

"Navalny was aware that administrative responsibility was provided for participation in uncoordinated rallies but continued persuading people to do it anyway," the committee said.

Such activities are punishable by up to three years in prison under the Russian Criminal Code.

Navalny was imprisoned for a parole violation in February. He was convicted in 2014 of fraud and embezzlement and was on six-year probation, requiring to report to police twice a month.

In 2020, after his alleged poisoning with a nerve agent, the condition to appear before the police were put on hold for the duration of his treatment in Germany.

According to the FSIN, after Navalny's treatment was over, he did not show up for more than three months and did not notify authorities about his whereabouts. He did not even provide any objective reasoning for his non-appearance, it said.

Upon his return to Russia on Jan. 17, Navalny was arrested at the airport, and his suspended sentence was replaced with a 2.5-year full custodial sentence.

The EU has imposed sanctions on four Russian high-ranking officials over Navalny’s arbitrary arrest, prosecution, and sentencing under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime./aa