3 January 2022 Skopje – North Macedonia registered 242 new COVID-19 infections after 3,561 tests were conducted in labs across the country in the past 24 hours. In the same period, 6 deaths and 247 recoveries were reported, the Ministry of Health said on Monday. Skopje – The Agreement on cooperation in veterinary medicine, food safety and phytosanitary policy, signed as part of the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative, has come into effect. In line with the agreement, customs procedures have been simplified which has facilitated the transport of food. Skopje – The annual gala opera concert marking the Vasilica (Old New Year) holiday, titled Viva l’Opera!, will be held on January 12-13 at the National Opera and Ballet (NOB) in Skopje, starting from 8 pm. Sofia – Republic of North Macedonia’s accession to the European Union is a Bulgarian national interest, a path on which the next step is start of talks with Skopje. The opening of negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia should be an important objective for the Bulgarian diplomacy, said Minister of Innovation and Growth Daniel Lorer, MIA reports from Sofia. Podgorica – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday has called on Western Balkan leaders to demonstrate commitment to reforms and reconciliation. Prague – In the Czech Republic, more than 3,000 civil servants have signed a letter of protest against plans to make vaccination against Covid-19 obligatory for their professions. Paris – The five permanent members of the UN Security Council said on Monday that they aim to continue their joint efforts to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. New York – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its emergency use authorization of a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to include young people from the age of 12 and up. Ankara – Inflation in Turkey is increasingly out of control, with the inflation rate jumping above the 30-per-cent mark in December to 36.08 per cent year-on-year, the highest level in about two decades, the Turkish Statistical Office said in Ankara on Monday. Tel Aviv – Israel is reopening to tourists, allowing those who are considered to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country as of January 9, the Health Ministry said on Monday.