Indian farmers hold mass rally Farmers shout slogans during a mass rally in Lucknow, India, on Monday. Flushed with victory after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi caved into demands for agricultural reform laws to be repealed, farmers held a mass rally yesterday to demand minimum support prices be extended to all produce, not just rice and wheat.Xinhua 5 dead after SUV speeds into Christmas parade A joyous scene of marching bands and children dancing in Santa hats and waving pompoms turned deadly in an instant, as an SUV sped through barricades and into a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, the United States, killing at least five people and injuring more than 40 others. One video showed a woman screaming, “Oh my God!” repeatedly as a group of young dancers was struck ON Sunday. A father talked of going “from one crumpled body to the other” in search of his daughter. Members of a “Dancing Grannies” club were among those hit. A “person of interest” was in custody, Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said, but he gave no details about the person or any possible motive. . Sudan military reinstates deposed PM Sudan’s deposed prime minister signed a deal with the military on Sunday that will see him reinstated, almost a month after a military coup put him under house arrest. A key pro-democracy group that has mobilized dozens of protests had dismissed the deal as “a form of betrayal.” The deal, announced in a ceremony broadcast live on Sudan state TV, envisages an independent technocratic Cabinet to be led by Abdalla Hamdok until elections can be held. It remains unclear how much power the government would hold. It would still remain under military oversight. It also remains unclear whether any political parties or pro-democracy groups have signed off on the agreement. Austria goes into nationwide lockdown Austria went into a nationwide lockdown on early Monday in a desperate effort to contain spiraling coronavirus infections. The lockdown in the Alpine nation comes as average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and some hospitals have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity. The lockdown will last at least 10 days but could extend to 20, officials said. People will be able to leave their homes only for specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising. Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg also announced last week that Austria will introduce a vaccine mandate as of February 1. The government has said that people who do not adhere to the mandate will face fines. Rittenhouse ruled not guilty of reckless homicide After more than three days of deliberation, a jury in Kenosha County in southeast corner of U.S. state of Wisconsin ruled Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of reckless homicide on Friday. Rittenhouse has been arrested on murder charges in August 2020 after he fatally shot two men and injured a third during violent demonstrations over the shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American, by a white police officer. Ever since the jury began to deliberate on Rittenhouse’s case, the police in Kenosha have been on standby for any protest or violence that may erupt. Special police unit for protection of tourists Tanzania’s Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi on Friday launched a special police unit for protecting tourists visiting the Islands. Eugene Emmanuel, the assistant commissioner of police, said the newly launched special police unit comprised of 150 officers. Speaking after the launch of the police unit, President Mwinyi said the new special police unit was intended to guarantee protection and security of visitors in the Zanzibar archipelago. “Police officials assigned to the new unit should work professionally and earn trust from the visitors and make Zanzibar a peaceful destination,” said Mwinyi.(SD-Agencies) | 