Russia: Five killed in bus crash in Ryazan region

    MOSCOW, Jan 2 (NNN-TASS) — Five people were killed and another 21 suffered injuries in a bus crash in Russia’s Ryazan region, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.     “According to updated information, 21 people suffered injuries in the accident,” the statement reads.     A doctor at the…

Fire at South African parliament in Cape Town

   CAPE TOWN, Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A major fire broke out in the South African parliament building in Cape Town on Sunday.    Firefighters were present at the building as large flames and a huge column of smoke were seen at around 0530 GMT.    “The roof has caught…

Tunisia launches national consultation on reforms

President Kais Saied TUNIS, Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) –Tunisia has launched a wide-ranging national consultation process that will help in drafting a new constitution, the North African country’s technology ministry said. Part of a reform package pushed by President Kais Saied, who is seeking to bolster his authority, the exercise called on…

Mali proposes five-year election delay to West African bloc

Colonel Assimi Goita staged a second coup in May 2021 when he pushed aside the interim president that had taken over after President Boubacar Ibrahim Keita’s removal in August 2020, and took the job himself BAMAKO, Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mali’s interim authorities have proposed to its West African neighbours…

Nicaragua hands over Taiwanese Embassy to Chinese authorities

MANAGUA, Jan 2 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Nicaragua’s Government has seized former Taiwan’s Embassy in Managua and handed it over to China, which maintains the Asian island is nothing but a rogue province. The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China. Before…

US Pres Biden congratulates Chilean president-elect and both leaders agree on an agenda of issues to discuss

SANTIAGO, Jan 2 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — United States president Joe Biden contacted Chilean president-elect Gabriel Boric to congratulate him on his electoral victory on Dec 21 and to talk about future collaboration and cooperation between the two countries. Boric, who is spending Christmas and New Year with his family in Punta…

Covid-19: Europe tops 100 million cases

 PARIS, Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Europe has recorded over 100 million coronavirus cases, more than a third of all infections worldwide, since the start of the pandemic.   The continent has once again become the pandemic’s epicentre in recent months, and is battling an upsurge of cases spurred on by…

US: Three people missing in Colorado wildfire

 SUPERIOR (Colorado, US), Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three people are missing after a wildfire tore through several Colorado towns, quickly destroying nearly 1,000 homes as part of the latest in a string of US natural disasters.    “We’re very fortunate that we don’t have a list of 100 missing. But…

Team Canada CEO “worried” if Beijing Winter Olympics can go ahead as planned

Workers attach signage near Big Air Shougang, a competition venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, at Shougang Park OTTAWA, Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With just over a month until the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said he is increasingly concerned if…

US airport chaos as more than 2,600 flights cancelled due to covid-19, bad weather

Passengers wait in line to check in for their flight at the Dulles International Airport WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Air travel continued to be severely disrupted in the United States, with bad weather in parts of the country adding to the impact of a massive spike in Covid-19 infections…