Boko Haram militants attack army base in Niger; several soldiers injured

Boko Haram targeted south-eastern Niger for the past five years NIAMEY, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Boko Haram militants have stormed an army base in south-eastern Niger on Sunday, injuring a number of soldiers.This is the first such incident in weeks.Local media reported that heavily armed militants arrived in vehicles and…

Covid-19: Germany announces economic measures to stall ‘corona-crisis’

BERLIN, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Germany announced measures to boost its sputtering economy in the face of the fast-spreading coronavirus on Monday, while also calling for the cancellation of large events. As the number of cases in Germany pushed beyond 900, Health Minister Jens Spahn said gatherings of more than…

Brazil, US sign agreement to develop defence technology

MIAMI, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian and US governments signed an agreement for development of defence projects that may give the South American country access to financing. The agreement allows partnerships in development of defence technology by private companies, that may use public financing from both countries. Companies may request financing…

France bans gatherings of 1,000 over COVID-19, two more MPs infected

A sign reads “No more masks, no more hydroalcoholic gel” on the doors of a pharmacy in Creil, in northern France PARIS, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of COVID-19, the health minister said, while the number…

COVID-19: People ignoring self-isolation rules in Moscow could face prison

MOSCOW, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Moscow city authorities threatened prison terms of up to five years for people failing to self-isolate in their homes for two weeks after visiting countries hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. The city government had announced a “high alert regime” and imposed extra measures on…

Avalanches kill six in Austria: Police

 Six people were killed in Austria in avalanches on Sunday VIENNA, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Avalanches killed six people in Austria on Sunday in two separate incidents, police said. At least five people were swept away Sunday morning by a large avalanche on a mountain in Upper Austria, part of…

Fire destroys most voting machines in Venezuela’s main elections warehouse

National Electoral Council (CNE) President Tibisay Lucena CARACAS, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela’s elections council said that a fire over the weekend destroyed most of the voting machines stored in its main warehouse in the capital, Caracas, potentially complicating parliamentary elections scheduled for this year. Nearly 50,000 voting machines and…

Ethiopians mourn Boeing Max crash victims a year on from disaster

The ceremony took place nearly a year after the March 10 crash that led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX worldwide  TULU FARA (Ethiopia), March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds gathered on Sunday at the site where Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed last March, killing all 157 on board,…

Bulgaria confirms first four cases of COVID-19: Health officials

Deaths and new cases of the novel coronavirus continued to rise across Europe SOFIA, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bulgaria on Sunday reported its first four confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Two men from the northern city of Pleven and two women from the city of Gabrovo in central Bulgaria tested…

Trial of men accused in downing of MH17 to begin in Amsterdam

A cross near the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 plane outside Hrabove AMSTERDAM, March 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first hearing in the trial of four fugitive suspects in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 is set to start here today, more than five years after the plane…