16 militants killed in E. Afghanistan

A total of 16 militants have been confirmed dead as Afghan forces stormed Taliban hideouts in Khogiani and Shirzad districts of the eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday, said a statement of the provincial government released here Friday.
Dutch parliament backs coronavirus curfew
The Dutch parliament approved Prime Minister Mark Rutte's plan for a coronavirus curfew, with the government saying it will begin on Saturday.
Medical helicopter crash in S. Africa leaves 5 dead
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.
Bond movie 'No Time To Die' delayed again by pandemic
Much-delayed James Bond movie "No Time To Die" was postponed again due to the pandemic Thursday, with studio MGM confirming 007's next mission will not take place until October.
EU to keep internal borders open but curb travel
European Union leaders have agreed to keep borders open despite the spread of new variants of the coronavirus. But they also confirmed that non-essential travel within the bloc should strongly be discouraged.
8 die in blast in India's Karnataka state 
At least eight people died and several others were injured in a blast in India's southern state of Karnataka late on Thursday night, local media reported on Friday.
Amazon offers to help with Covid-19 vaccine effort

21 January