US finally charges Indonesian jihadist and two Malaysians held at Guantanamo

WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US military prosecutors filed formal charges against an Indonesian Islamic extremist and two Malaysians in the 2002 Bali bombings and 2003 Jakarta attack, the Pentagon said. The charges were filed nearly 18 years after the three were captured in Thailand and after each has spent…

86 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast: IOM

TRIPOLI, Jan 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – The International Organization forMigration (IOM) said that 86 illegal migrants have been rescuedoff Libyan coast on Thursday. “Today 86 migrants, including 7 women and 19 children, were returned toLibya by the coast guard,” the IOM tweeted. “IOM staff onsite provided emergency support including medicalassistance,” it…

Covid-19: Brazil awaiting 2 million vaccine doses from India

BRASILIA, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — : The Brazilian government said that a shipment of 2 million doses of the British AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine was finally set to arrive in the country from India. The delivery on Friday would be a much-needed boost to Brazil’s vaccination program. “The 2 million doses of AstraZeneca should…

Colombia: FARC party to change blood-soaked name

MEDELLIN (Colombia), Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombia’s FARC party said that it would change its name to move away from the acronym thatidentified the Marxist rebel force for decades. On the heels of a 2016 peace accord, the Revolutionary Armed Forces ofColombia transitioned to a political party called the Common…

Covid-19: Pres Biden orders masks, travel clampdown in new war on Covid

WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Joe Biden tightened mask wearing rules and ordered quarantine for people flying intothe United States, as he got to work on tackling the coronavirus pandemic on his first full day in power. Signing 10 executive orders in the White House, Biden told the nation…

Covid-19: EU leaders ‘discourage’ travel, eye tougher border rules

BRUSSELS, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) – EU leaders “stronglydiscouraged” Europeans from non-essential travel and warned tougherrestrictions on trips could come within days if efforts to curb thecoronavirus fell short. EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel issued the warning aftera four-hour summit by video link with the heads of…

Covid-19: Spain’s daily cases hit all-time high

A medical staff member administers a PCR test to a nursing home worker in Durango, Spain MADRID, Jan 22 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Spanish Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed another 44,357 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic. The one-day spike…

Libya starts submission of candidates for unified executive authority: UN

Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya Stephanie Williams TRIPOLI, Jan 22 (NNN-Xinhua) — Candidates for Libya’s unified executive authority can be submitted in a one-week period starting Thursday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced. “Following the decision of the Libyan Political…

UN General Assembly adopts resolution to safeguard religious sites

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a new resolution that aims to combat sectarian hate and protect holy sites by encouraging greater tolerance for all religious beliefs. The resolution, titled Promoting a Culture of Peace and Tolerance to Safeguard Religious Sites, was presented during…

Medical helicopter crash in South Africa leaves 5 dead

A Netcare helicopter crashed in the Natal Midlands on Thursday, killing all onboard JOHANNESBURG, Jan 22 (NNN-Xinhua) — A Netcare 911 helicopter crashed in Bergville in the province of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) on Thursday, killing five people on board, the company’s Managing Director Craig Grindell said. “We are profoundly saddened, and…