US: Texas police in synagogue hostage standoff

COLLEYVILLE (Texas, US), Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hostage negotiators were locked in a tense standoff Saturday at a Texas synagogue where a man apparently demanding the release of a convicted terrorist had taken several captives, police and media said.    Over eight hours into the crisis, police in Colleyville, Texas…

Covid-19: Thousands protest in Vienna against mandatory vaccination

People protested against government plans to introduce mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for all next month VIENNA, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of people took to the streets of Austria’s capital on Saturday to protest against government plans to introduce mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all next month. “The government must go!” crowds…

US: Woman killed after being pushed in front of train in New York City

NEW YORK, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A woman was pushed to her death in front of a subway train at the Times Square station on Saturday, police said, a little more than a week after the mayor and governor announced plans to boost subway policing and outreach to homeless people…

Former Haiti senator arrested in Jamaica over president’s assassination

The Late President Jovenel Moise KINGSTON, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A former Haitian lawmaker who is a suspect in the assassination of the country’s president has been arrested in Jamaica, Jamaican authorities said on Saturday. Ex-senator Jean Joel Joseph, wanted in the July 7, 2021 killing of president Jovenel Moise, was arrested…

Covid-19: ‘Wine time Fridays’ leave British PM with new hangover

LONDON, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson witnessed weekly drinking sessions by his staff throughout the pandemic, according to a report Saturday that stoked fresh calls from his own party for the embattled leader to quit. Conservative MPs, many of whom were spending the weekend back in…

Ethiopia-Tigray crisis: Aid operations to Tigray ‘about to grind to a halt’, warns WFP

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Aid and food distribution operations in northern Ethiopia are about “to grind to a halt” amid ongoing fighting, bloodshed and a lack of funding that is making humanitarian access impossible, the UN World Food Programme, WFP, said. Escalating clashes in Tigray have meant that no WFP aid…

Libyan Presidency Council stresses commitment to supporting elections

TRIPOLI, Jan 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Deputy President of the Presidency Council of Libya, Abdullah Allafi, on Saturday stressed the council’s support for holding the presidential elections in the country. Allafi made the remarks during a meeting with the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh, said a…

Czech president opposes abuse of Olympic idea for political aims

PRAGUE, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Czech President Milos Zeman has spoken out against a boycott of the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics. “I am fundamentally against the misuse of the Olympic idea for political purposes,” Zeman said in a statement on the Prague Castle website. According to him, there is now…

Covid-19: Infections inside US immigration detention centers surge by 520 pct in 2022

A moment of silence for American lives lost to Covid-19 recently held at the Capitol in Washington NEW YORK, Jan 16 (NNN-Xinhua) — The number of coronavirus infections among immigrants detained at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers has surged by 520 percent since the start of 2022.…

Canadian foreign minister to visit Ukraine, vows to deter Russian aggression

Melanie Joly, Canadian Foreign Minister OTTAWA, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit Kyiv next week to reaffirm support for Ukrainian sovereignty and reinforce efforts to deter “aggressive actions” by Russia, Ottawa said on Saturday.Moscow has stationed more than 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine…