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Coronavirus: Austrian parliament approves mandatory vaccination order

Coronavirus: Austrian parliament approves mandatory vaccination order

The law, which is due to come into effect on 1 February, would make Austria the first European country to introduce a mandatory jab.

From mid-March the law will see adults unvaccinated against Covid-19 subjected to fines of up to €3,600 (£2,994).

So far, 72% of Austrians have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

The bill must now pass the upper house and be signed into law by President Alexander Van der Bellen, steps largely expected to be formalities.

The vaccine order is expected to remain in force until January 2024, with the government investing €1.4bn in measures designed to encourage unvaccinated people to come forward for the jab.

Addressing lawmakers on Thursday afternoon, Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein called the measure a “big, and, for the first time, also lasting step” in Austria’s fight against the pandemic.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters ahead of the vote that vaccines were “an opportunity for our society to achieve lasting and continuous freedom, because the virus cannot restrict us any further”.

A majority of MPs, including those from Mr Nehammer’s governing centre-right coalition and the three main opposition parties, backed the bill, by 137 votes to 33.

The far-right Freedom Party, which has courted the votes of Austria’s substantial anti-vaccine minority, has taken a stand against the bill.

Its leader, Herbert Kickl, said the mandate “paves the way to totalitarianism in Austria” and vowed he would continue to refuse vaccination in defiance of the new law.

Since authorities announced they intended to introduce the mandate in November the capital, Vienna, has seen regular protests, with some numbering over 40,000 people.

The demonstrations have attracted a coalition of anti-vaccine campaigners and far-right extremists, and authorities have warned that they have been radicalising in recent weeks, with new “protective zones” declared around healthcare facilities and vaccination centres to protect workers.

Similar vaccine mandates are being introduced in several other countries, including in Greece, where jabs are now obligatory for everyone aged 60.

In neighbouring Germany, the new government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said it will introduce a vaccination bill in the Bundestag in March.

Austria’s move comes as some European countries begin to tenuously loosen restrictions introduced to tackle the highly infectious Omicron variant.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the end of mandatory face coverings in public places and Covid passports on 26 January.

Mr Johnson also suggested that the government intended to end the legal requirement for people who tested positive for Covid to self-isolate – and replace it with advice and guidance at the end of March.

The Irish government also looks set to end a raft of coronavirus restrictions introduced over the Christmas period, including rules mandating the closure of hospitality settings by 20:00.

And in the Netherlands 30 mayors, including Femke Halsema in Amsterdam, have urged Prime Minister Mark Rutte to curb tough restrictions amid a fall in hospitalisations and deaths.

 

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Police arrest herbalist, step-brother over murder of 22yr old yahoo boy in Delta

Police detectives from Agbor Area Command have arrested a twenty year old herbalist, Amechi Okwuokenye and his elder step-brother over the alleged abduction and murder of a suspected internet fraudster, Friday Liberty, aged 22 years in his shrine at Owa-Alidima in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.

The herbalist was arrested at his shrine on 23rd October 2025. He and his suspected accomplice are currently in police custody.

The Police also recovered the corpse of the deceased from the suspect’s shrine and deposited same in the mortuary.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe confirmed the report in a statement sent to newsmen in Warri.

The statement said, “It was a case of the hunter becoming the hunted, when on the 30th of September 2025, Mr Friday Liberty, aged 22 years old, visited his herbalist, whom he had known for some time now, but this time, he never returned. The family, who initially didn’t know what had happened to their brother, started looking for him.”

“The girlfriend of the deceased then informed the family that she heard a conversation about the said Friday liberty and a certain herbalist, and advised that they should reach out to the said herbalist.

“The family contacted the herbalist, who denied seeing him but promised to do some spiritual incantations so their brother could return alive.

“Having spent money on the herbalist, and the result was not forthcoming, they then reported the matter at the Agbor Area command via a petition on 14th October 2025.

“And this decision proved to be the turning point in the case as the area command detectives embarked on an intelligence-led investigation.

“During the course of the investigation, the detectives uncovered the last person whom Friday Liberty contacted, and found out it was the same herbalist who denied knowing his whereabouts.

Surveillance was laid around his shrine at Owa-Alidima in Ika North East LGA, for days, until he was arrested on 23rd October 2025, in his shrine while hiding inside a refrigerator.

“Upon his arrest of the herbalist Amechi Okwuokenye, aged 20 years, confessed that both he and his brother Smart Okwuokenye, aged 26years, kidnapped the victim liberty Friday and the motorcycle rider identified as Isioma Ugbeje, who carried him to the shrine.

“They further stated that Friday Liberty has been his long-time customer who frequently visits him to hypnotise clients so they could give him money easily( in his words, ‘to tie clients ‘).

“The herbalist said his elder brother approached him that he needed money and advised him to lure any of his clients so they could kidnap him and ask for ransom, and the unlucky person they could lure was Liberty Friday.

“They kidnapped him and the Okada Rider and demanded a ransom of N10,000,000. When they noticed that the plan was not working, they murdered him and the motorcycle rider and dumped their bodies in a soak away pit by the shrine.”

SP Edafe stated that the suspects are in custody, and the remains of the victims have been evacuated and deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.”

He added that, “The commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda assures the public that the command will ensure that justice is served in this case.”

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Lagos police arrest Chinese national over Ikeja CCTV shop explosion

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a Chinese national in connection with the recent improvised explosive device (IED) blast that rocked a CCTV camera shop on Kodesho Street, Ikeja.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, picked up the suspect, identified as Joe Gu, around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, at his residence, No. A11, Bila Vista, Banana Island, Ikoyi.

According to the sources, the arrest followed ongoing discreet investigations into the explosion, after the complainant named the Chinese businessman as a possible mastermind of the attack.

Preliminary findings indicated that the suspect and the complainant had a prior business relationship that deteriorated in 2013 after a disagreement.

“It was further gathered that during the fallout, the suspect allegedly threatened to disrupt the complainant’s business operations,” the source revealed.

The police confirmed that the suspect is currently in custody as investigations continue to establish his role and possible motive.

The command assured that updates on the case would be made public as soon as new information emerges, reaffirming its commitment to uncovering the truth behind the explosion.

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Tompolo denies issuing 21-Day ultimatum to FG over Kanu release

High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has disowned a social media publication claiming he gave the Federal Government 21 days to release Nnamdi Kanu.

In a statement signed by his Media Consultant, Paul Bebenimibo, Tompolo said he has nothing to do with the matter and described the publication as false and mischievous, alleging it was the handiwork of his enemies determined to discredit him over his ongoing fight against illegal crude oil activities in the Niger Delta region.

The statement further reaffirmed Tompolo’s loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his support for the President’s renewed hope agenda. It added that Tompolo remains committed to the total eradication of illegal oil activities and stands firmly behind President Tinubu’s administration and second-term ambition.

“The Federal Government and the general public should disregard the said publication in its entirety. High Chief Government Ekpemupolo has nothing to do with the issue of Nnamdi Kanu and remains focused on his duties in protecting the nation’s oil assets.”

The statement concludes by urging Nigerians to ignore fake news aimed at causing division or mischief within the Niger Delta region

THN reported that the self-proclaimed leader of the proscribed separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, was unable to begin his defence on Friday in his ongoing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Kanu told the court he could not proceed because he had not been given access to the case file, which he said is necessary for him to adequately prepare his defence.

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