Briefly

UNITED STATES

Five years' prison for Capitol riot role

A Michigan man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in the Capitol attack by a mob that disrupted Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. Chief Judge Beryl Howell also sentenced Anthony Robert Williams, 47, to three years of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine, according to a Justice Department news release.

INDIA

20 dead and many injured in heavy rains

More than 20 people died and many were injured in rain-related incidents in various parts of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh amid heavy downpour over the past few days, local media reported on Saturday. The dead included more than 10 people who died in the state capital Lucknow after a wall collapsed on them on Thursday night amid incessant rains. Continuous rains during the past 36 hours in many parts of Uttar Pradesh have thrown normal life out of gear, as people are forced to leave their houses and stay in temporary relief camps.

VENEZUELA

Ministry rejects White House's drugs label

Venezuela "strongly" rejected a recent White House memorandum that listed it as one of the countries involved in drug production or trafficking, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. The memorandum issued on Thursday accuses more than 20 countries of being "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries". The ministry condemned the United States government for trying "to be the policeman of the international arena".

Xinhua - Agencies