Nigeria on Sunday issued a COVID-19 pandemic red alert in major cities, including the capital Abuja, urging people to take extreme care amid rising infections in the virus's third wave.

Boss Mustapha, a government secretary, said in a statement that Abuja, the commercial hub Lagos, and five other states could be affected by the third wave of coronavirus, especially its Delta variant.

“These steps are critical as we begin to see worrisome early signs of increasing cases in Nigeria," he said.

He explained that the red alert was issued to raise public awareness of the pandemic and encourage people to take responsibility.

He warned state governments and religious leaders to be on the alert for the virus's potential spread during this week’s Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.

People in Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, and Abuja have been warned to be extra cautious and take steps to avoid infection, the statement said.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Sunday announced 123 new cases of coronavirus, putting the total confirmed cases at 169,329. It urged people to take responsibility, wear face masks in public spaces, and wash hands with soap regularly./aa

Thirteen people were killed Sunday in a fuel tanker explosion in western Kenya, in an apparent accident, officials confirmed.

According to Moreso Chacha, chief of police in Gem, Siaya County, the deaths occurred when locals rushed to the scene of an accident involving a milk truck and a fuel tanker and started siphoning gas from the tanker, as the police had not arrived at the scene yet.

“The tanker blew up as the residents started siphoning fuel from the tanker,” Chacha told reporters at the scene after firefighters contained the blaze.

“The injured have been rushed to Gem Hospital,” he added.

A spark from one compartment of the tanker made caused the explosion, he explained.

Elisha Odhiambo, a member of parliament for Gem, also told reporters that some 31 injured people were rushed to the hospital.

In 2016 a fuel tanker exploded on the busy Nairobi-Naivasha highway, killing over 40 people.

There have been past cases where Kenyans who rushed to siphon fuel from tankers were involved in accidents, some fatal/aa.

A Greek island known for lively nightlife went silent on Sunday, with music banned in bars and restaurants after the government announced new restrictions to fight surging COVID-19 infections.

Mykonos, a popular Aegean tourist destination, was placed on a curfew until July 26 after infections quadrupled in a week’s time, reaching 418 cases on Friday from 65 just nine days earlier.

The curfew will cover 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. – formerly busy hours for the tourist-friendly island – with exceptions only for work and serious health reasons.

Music at entertainment venues was also banned until 6 a.m. on Monday when new virus data will be evaluated.

According to local media, hotel and restaurant owners are shocked and worried about the move, fearing bookings might be canceled.

Greece relies heavily on tourism, which accounts for 20% of its GDP, and after last year’s devastating year for the tourism industry, it was hoping for a much better performance this summer./aa

The world's major oil producers Sunday agreed on their much-expected production policy as of August after dissolving previous meetings due to insistence of United Arab Emirates (UAE) on updating its output baseline.

The 23-members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, held the 19th Ministerial Meeting via videoconference.

The group increased the output by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) from August to December. The group also extended its production cut agreement from April 2022 to December 2022.

The OPEC+ ministers also agreed to rise the production baselines of the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Russia starting from May 2022.

In line with the new agreement, the UAE’s baseline will be increased from 3.168 million to 3.5 million, Iraq’s from 4.653 to 4.803 million, and Saudi Arabia and Russia's from 11 million to 11.5 million.

Sunday’s 400,000 bpd output rise was actually in line with an OPEC+ decision last year when the group agreed to cut output about 10 million bpd to deal with a pandemic-induced downturn in demand. The curbs have been gradually eased since then and currently stand at roughly 5.8 million bpd.

The group’s ministerial meeting on July 1 was postponed twice and finally called off without setting a new date due to major disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

However, the UAE had only approved the production rise and extension of the deal on the condition that its production baseline was increased from around 3.2 bpd, a level which had been determined in another deal signed in October 2018.

The next OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting will be held on Sep. 1./aa

Turkey’s presidential spokesman on Sunday expressed disappointment with a recent European court ruling greenlighting discrimination based on headscarves, calling it disrespect for Muslim women's religious freedom.

“The decision by the European Court of Justice on the headscarf in the workplace is another blow to the rights of Muslim women with headscarves and will play right into the hands of those warmongers against Islam in Europe,” said Ibrahim Kalin on Twitter.

“Does the concept of religious freedom now exclude Muslims?” he asked.

Omer Celik, the spokesperson for Turkey’s Justice and Development (AK) Party, also blasted the ruling on Twitter, saying it violates religious freedom and will encourage xenophobic and Islamophobic circles that feed prejudice against Muslims in Europe.

The court’s “restrictive comments on fundamental rights and freedoms will lead to a regression from democratic values. It is also incompatible with the system of rights and freedoms,” he said.

Celik added the decision is a blow to the fight against racism and Islamophobia.

The European Court of Justice on Thursday ruled on two cases brought by Muslim women in Germany who were suspended from their jobs for wearing headscarves.

It ruled that companies in member states can ban employees from wearing headscarves if they "need to present a neutral image to customers."/aa

BERLIN (AA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday toured flood-ravaged areas in western and southwestern Germany, expressing her deep shock and sadness over the widespread destruction of the catastrophe.

Speaking to reporters in the southwestern town of Schuld, a visibly emotional Merkel said: "I came here today to make it clear that we on the federal (government) side get a real picture of the surreal, ghostly situation. It's frightening, I almost want to say that the German language hardly knows any words for the devastation that has been wrought."

"We see the force with which nature can act. Nevertheless, the people are full of hope, full of will," added Merkel, who vowed to provide quick financial aid for people affected by the disastrous flood.

Search-and-rescue missions are continuing in the flood-hit areas, as at least 157 people were killed so far and hundreds are still missing, authorities said on Sunday.

Germany's worst floods in more than 200 years triggered by midweek heavy rains, flash floods, and mudslides caused widespread devastation in various towns and villages in the western regions bordering Belgium and France.

On Saturday, heavy rains hit the eastern state of Saxony and the Upper Bavaria region, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents. At least one person was killed in the flooded area, local media reported.

German public television network ARD has also kicked off a donation campaign to raise money for the victims of the historic floods./aa

The EU on Sunday called for calm in occupied East Jerusalem amid tension over plans by “Israeli” settler groups to storm the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

"(Israeli) authorities, religious and community leaders from all sides should act urgently to calm down this explosive situation," the Office of the EU Representative said in a statement.

The statement called for avoiding acts of incitement and respecting the status quo in Jerusalem.

More than 1,201 Israeli settlers broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Sunday through its “Israeli”-controlled Al-Mughrabi Gate, southwest of the mosque, according to the Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem.

This came as “Israeli” settler groups have called on supporters to force their way into flashpoint site in large numbers on Sunday to mark what they call the “destruction of the temple” in ancient times.

The so-called Sovereignty Movement in Israel is also preparing to organize a march for settlers around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem on the same day.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

“Israel” occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-“Israeli” war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community./agencies

The Turkish Navy rescued at least 80 irregular migrants off the coast of Libya, the National Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The Turkish frigate TCG Gediz was on patrol off the coast of the North African nation when it learned that a boat carrying irregular migrants was drifting towards the Tunisian coast, said a ministry statement.

A helicopter from the frigate took off after determining that the boat was within the search-and-rescue responsibility area for the island nation of Malta, it said, adding that the TCG Gediz rescued 80 irregular migrants in a coordinated operation with Maltese authorities./aa

More than 150 people were killed and over 650 injured in flooding in western Germany, officials said on Sunday.

At least 110 people lost their lives in the hard-hit Ahrweiler district of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, the Koblenz Police Department said in a statement. It also reported 670 injuries due to floods.

In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia, officials confirmed 45 deaths.

Germany's worst floods in more than 200 years triggered by midweek heavy rains caused widespread devastation in various towns and villages in the western regions bordering Belgium and France.

On Saturday, heavy rains hit the eastern state of Saxony and the Upper Bavaria region, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents. At least one person was killed in the flooded area, local media reported.

Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the flood-hit region of Rhineland-Palatinate today, as her coalition government is working on a financial aid package to help flood victims.

Germany’s public television ARD has also launched a donation campaign to raise money for the victims./aa

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has announced an additional US contribution of $135.8 million to support its operations.

“The signing of the US-UNRWA Framework and additional support demonstrates we once again have an ongoing partner in the United States that understands the need to provide critical assistance to some of the region’s most vulnerable refugees,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

Lazzarini said the additional contribution will help UNRWA to address its main health, relief and education programmes, its emergency appeals and humanitarian challenges in its fields of operations in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In April, the US administration announced a contribution of $150 million to UNRWA's life-saving programmes, and in May it also provided UNRWA with $33 million following the “Israeli” 11-day offensive on Gaza.

UNRWA provides its services to about 5.3 million Palestinian refugees.

Established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly, UNRWA mission is to help Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight./agencies