Heavy snowfall paralyses Greece

People play with snow in central Athens, during heavy snowfall ATHENS, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A blanket of heavy snow covered Greece on Monday, from the Acropolis hill over Athens to the islands in the south, bringing transport and Covid-19 vaccinations to a halt and forcing schools to close. Train…

US:Puerto Rico statue of Spanish explorer toppled before king’s visit

A downed statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, in the Plaza San Jose, in central San Juan, Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was toppled early Monday in Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan, just hours before a visit to…

German woman charged in court over joining IS in Syria as teenager

BERLIN, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A German woman who travelled to Syria as a 15-year-old to join the Daesh group goes on trial on Tuesday accused of aiding and abetting crimes against humanity. Leonora Messing, now aged 21, is in the dock in the eastern German city of Halle on…

Covid-19: IMF approves $455 mn loan for Congo Republic

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The IMF board on Monday approved a three-year, $455 million loan for the Republic of Congo to help undergird the small African nation’s economic recovery. The global crisis-lender will provide $90 million immediately under the Extended Credit Facility to help the oil-dependent country deal with…

US woman finds $3m lottery ticket in junk email folder

LANSING (Michigan, US), Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A US woman discovered she had won $3m from the lottery after checking her spam folder for an unrelated email. Laura Spears, 55, had purchased a Mega Millions ticket online from the state lottery after she saw the jackpot climbing into the hundreds…

Germany shooting: One student dead, three injured in gun attack at Heidelberg University; gunman killed himself

Police officers examine a weapon near the crime scene at Heidelberg University  BERLIN, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A lone gunman has killed one student and seriously injured three others inside a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in the south-west of Germany, before shooting himself dead. He was an 18-year-old German…

Almost 900 evacuated from Machu Picchu area as rains slam Peru

 LIMA, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Almost 900 people were evacuated from the tourist town serving Machu Picchu, the Inca jewel of Peru’s travel industry, amid rains and floods that left one person missing and several homes destroyed, the tourism ministry said. “So far, in coordination with the Inka Rail and…

Update: Eight dead in Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon stadium crush

YAOUNDE, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eight people were killed and many more injured in a crush outside a Cameroonian football stadium Monday ahead of an Africa Cup of Nations match.      Crowds attempted to enter through a southern entrace at Olembe stadium in the capital Yaounde to watch the host…

US ‘prepared to meet directly’ and ‘urgently’ with Iran

 WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States is prepared to hold direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program, the State Department reaffirmed Monday, after Tehran said it would consider such an option.    “We are prepared to meet directly,” a State Department spokesperson said.    “We have long held the…

Covid-19: Tests to end for arrivals into England, says PM Boris

 LONDON, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK government is set to drop compulsory coronavirus tests for those arriving in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, as he continues to lift curbs amid declining infections.    The government currently requires British and other citizens arriving into England from most countries to take…