Brazil: Pres Lula vetoes entire leniency bill for Jan 8 rioters

BRASILIA, Jan 9 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — On the third anniversary of the Jan 8 attempted coup d’état, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva vetoed the entire Bill 2,162 approved by both Houses of Congress, providing for the reduction of sentences of the over 800 people convicted for their involvement…

Venezuela releases political prisoners in first major gesture since Maduro’s capture

CARACAS, Jan 9 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Venezuela has begun releasing a “significant number” of political prisoners, including Venezuelan citizens and foreign nationals, in what authorities described as a unilateral gesture to help consolidate peace and peaceful coexistence in the country. The announcement comes less than a week after former president Nicolás…

Ecuador: 3 killed in armed attack at Mocoli Golf Club sports court

QUITO, Jan 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — Three people were killed in an armed attack late Wednesday inside a private residential complex on Mocoli Island in Ecuador’s coastal province of Guayas, Interior Minister John Reimberg said. Local media reported that the gunmen violently entered the Mocoli Golf Club sports court after breaching…

Venezuelan parliament approves tribute for US attack victims as Brazil, Mexico condemn attack

CARACAS, Jan 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — Venezuela’s National Assembly on Thursday approved a resolution honoring about 100 people killed during last weekend’s U.S. military attack. Ruling-party lawmaker Blanca Eekhout, who introduced the measure, called the victims “patriots” and said the tribute seeks to preserve their memory. The plan includes building a…

Honduran lawmaker injured by explosive device in congress

TEGUCIGALPA, Jan 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — Honduran lawmaker Gladis Aurora Lopez was wounded Thursday after an explosive device was hurled at a group of people in a rear area of the National Congress building, police said. The device detonated minutes before a congressional session was set to begin. Lopez had been…

Senegal will not need debt restructuring, prime minister says

DAKAR, Jan 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the debt-ridden country would not need to implement a restructuring plan despite a difficult repayment schedule.The West African nation is grappling with debts that the International Monetary Fund said hit 132% of GDP at the end of 2024 after…

UN experts condemn US aggression against Venezuela

GENEVA, Jan 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — United Nations experts* strongly condemned the large-scale military action carried out by the United States against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the bombardment of Caracas and other cities and the forcible abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. “These actions represent a grave, manifest…

US: Protesters, law enforcers clash after immigration agent kills woman

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Protesters clashed with law enforcement in Minneapolis Thursday after the fatal shooting of a US woman further deepened the divide over President Donald Trump’s deployment of federal forces to crackdown on illegal immigration. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot in the head on Wednesday as…

Storm cuts electricity to 380,000 France households: power company

RENNES (France), Jan 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Around 380,000 households in France were without power on Friday morning as Storm Goretti swept through northern Europe with fierce winds. The vast majority of the affected households were in the northern Normandy region, the Enedis power provider said in a statement, with residents…

Rare red “danger to life” warning issued as Storm Goretti approaches Britain, France

LONDON, Jan 9 (NNN-XINHUA) — Storm Goretti has reached the UK, bringing with it strong winds. As the storm reached the UK on Thursday evening, the Met Office said winds as strong as 98mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly. The national weather forecaster said…