DR Congo: Army returns to strategic east Congo town after rebel withdrawal

Congolese civilians walk after returning to their homes following displacement during clashes UVIRA (DR Congo), Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Congolese soldiers and combatants from a pro-government militia have re-entered the eastern town of Uvira, residents said on Monday, just over a month after it fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in…

Nigeria kidnappings: Dozens abducted in church attacks; church leader says more than 160 seized

KADUNA (Nigeria), Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Armed bandits abducted dozens of worshippers from two churches in Nigeria’s Kaduna state, police said on Monday, while a senior church leader put the number of those missing at more than 160.Kaduna state police said gunmen armed with “sophisticated weapons” attacked an ECWA church…

Central African Republic court validates Pres Touadera’s re-election

President of the CAR Faustin-Archange Touadera casts his votes BANJUI, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Central African Republic’s Constitutional Court on Monday validated President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s victory in a disputed Dec 28 presidential election that handed him a third term.Even before provisional results were announced on Jan 5, Touadera’s opponents…

US gun violence: Indiana judge and wife injured in shooting at their home

LAFAYETTE (Indiana, US), Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Indiana judge and his wife were injured in a shooting at their home over the weekend, with a search underway for the suspected gunman, officials said. Tippecanoe County Judge Steven Meyer and his wife, Kimberly Meyer, were shot in their home on…

US gun violence: Man killed, 3 bystanders hurt in shooting at iconic New Orleans restaurant

Police work the scene of a shooting in New Orleans NEW ORLEANS, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A man was killed, and three bystanders were wounded, in a shooting in the foyer of an iconic New Orleans restaurant, authorities said, and the gunman remains at large. The shooting occurred just after…

US: Heavy snow strands drivers in 100-vehicle crash

Part of a severe multi-car pileup leading Michigan State Police to shut down an interstate south of Grand Rapids in Ottawa County, Michigan WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Law enforcement officials said that they were working to clear roads after a 100-vehicle crash occurred on snow-blanketed roads in the northern…

Pres Sheinbaum reassures Mexico after US military movements spark concern

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum MEXICO CITY, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum quelled concerns about two recent movements of the US military in the vicinity of Mexico that have the country on edge since the attack on Venezuela. On Friday, the US Federal Aviation Administration urged US aircraft…

EU confirms emergency summit on Thursday over Trump Greenland threats

BRUSSELS, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — EU leaders will meet Thursday evening for an emergency summit on threats by US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on countries opposed to his push to take Greenland, a spokeswoman said Monday. The crisis talks in Brussels come as the 27-nation bloc weighs potential…

South Africa: 13 schoolchildren killed in minibus-truck collision in Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A minibus carrying students to school collided with a truck south of Johannesburg on Monday, killing 13 pupils, South African police said. It was the latest in a string of deadly crashes in a country whose modern road network is undermined by rampant speeding, reckless…

Update: Death toll from high-speed train collision in Spain rises to 39: Report

MADRID, Jan 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) –: The death toll from Sunday’s (Jan 18) collision between a derailing ⁠high-speed train and a second oncoming train in southern Spain has risen to 39, with 152 people injured, state broadcaster RTVE reported on Monday, citing police sources.  Spain’s interior ministry earlier said at least…