17 September 2021  Skopje – Fortunately, no armed conflicts erupted when the country was gaining its independence. In my opinion, efforts for peaceful resolution of complex issues were crucial in that period, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told an event titled “Road to Independence” held at the government on Friday on the occasion of the country’s 30^th independence anniversary. Skopje – I’m not evading responsibility and I’m not running away from questions. I’ve been always available to answer questions, but the healthcare system is complex and it has to be managed, Health Minister Venko Filipche said Friday. Skopje – Health Minister Venko Filipche said a new Covid-19 measure is to be introduced as of October, whereby citizens will be required to present proof of full immunization, with two vaccine doses. According to Filipche, no other restrictions are being mulled for the time being. Skopje — As of today, 767,652 citizens have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose in the country and 667,739 citizens have received two, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday. On Thursday, 22,581 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 nationwide. Of them, 3,407 received their first vaccine dose. Skopje — Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani in City Park had a walking meeting with Japanese Ambassador to North Macedonia Hironori Sawada to discuss possibilities for environmental protection projects with Japan within Japan’s Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative. Skopje — In a public letter to Education Minister Mila Carovska, the Teachers’ Plenum has asked the Ministry of Education and Science to shorten in-person classes from 45 to 30 minutes because, according to their letter, teachers have had great difficulty holding indoor classes while following protocols issued by the Commission for Infectious Diseases. Skopje — “The Media and News Agencies in the Post-Covid Age” is the discussion topic of the 29th General Assembly of the Association of the Balkan News Agencies – Southeast Europe (ABNA–SE) taking place in Prishtina, Kosovo, on Sept. 16–19. Organized by the KosovaPress news agency, the conference has gathered representatives of 12 Balkan countries’ news agencies, including the director of the Media Information Agency (MIA), Dragan Antonovski, with his deputy, Halit Ajdini. Pristina – The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) urges the other Balkan news agencies to set up a Balkan News Room as a shared space for news from the region. The proposal was made by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the 29th General Assembly of the Association of the Balkan News Agencies – Southeast Europe (ABNA-SE) which is underway in the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, and hosted by the KOSOVAPRESS. Paris — Seventy percent of people in France have now been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, with 73.9 percent of the population having received their first dose, the French health authorities announced in Paris on Friday. Tel Aviv — About 11 percent of Israeli children who have recovered from the coronavirus (Covid-19) suffer from persistent symptoms, known as Long Covid, an Israeli Health Ministry study shows. Tel Aviv – To ease the situation for hospitals, the Israeli army’s medical squad sent staff out this week to care for Covid-19 patients in their homes.