Pakistan struggles to combat devastating locust plague: UN

KARACHI, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pakistan’s farmers are struggling to combat the worst locust plague in nearly three decades as insect swarms decimate entire harvests in the country’s agricultural heartlands and send food prices soaring. Heavy rains and cyclones sparked “unprecedented” breeding and the explosive growth of locust populations on…

‘This is not a drill’: WHO urges world to take covid-19 more seriously

GENEVA, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — World health officials have warned that countries are not taking the coronavirus crisis seriously enough, as outbreaks surged across Europe and in the United States where medical workers sounded warnings over a “disturbing” lack of hospital preparedness. Global markets tumbled again over concerns about the…

Syrian Pres Assad says Turkish counterpart Erdogan blackmailing Europe with refugees

49 DAMASCUS, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of blackmailing Europe by opening its borders to fleeing refugees. “Turkey has started to send a second wave of refugees as a form of blackmail to Europe,” Assad said in an interview with…

Children among nine dead in Gaza market blaze: ministry

GAZA CITY, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nine Palestinians including several children were killed after a fire broke out in a bakery in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian authorities said, without specifying the cause. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave, said 85 people were…

Ivory Coast’s Ouattara says he won’t run for re-election

The Ivorian president told lawmakers it was time to hand over power to a new generation ABIDJAN, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said he would not stand for re-election in October, ending speculation about his political future ahead of a highly-anticipated vote. Ouattara had previously said he would run if…

High-level business conference in Ivory Coast cancelled as Africa’s coronavirus concerns mount

ABIDJAN, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A high-level business conference due to take place in Ivory Coast next week has been postponed, signalling heightened concern over the spread of coronavirus in Africa, which has registered relatively few cases. But as infections spread across Asia, Europe and the United States and led…

African airlines face $40 mln hit in 2020 from coronavirus

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 plane at the Bole International Airport in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa ADDIS ABABA, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Coronavirus disruption could cost African airlines $40 million in revenue this year, a global industry body said, a potentially devastating hit to often struggling airlines counting on lucrative…

Togo court confirms President Gnassingbe’s landslide electoral victory

President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe LOME, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has won re-election with 71% of the vote, final results from the constitutional court showed, extending his 15-year-old rule and a family dynasty that began when his father took power in a 1967 coup. Despite widespread…

South Africa confirms first case of coronavirus

PRETORIA, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa on Thursday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, affecting a citizen who had passed through the main airport showing no symptoms on his way back from a trip to Italy. President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that the virus would hurt travel and tourism, and…

Turkey claims migrant killed in Greek border clash

A group of men carried the man in a blanket away from the border and Turkey said he died later in hospital  ANKARA/ATHENS, March 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Turkish officials have said a man was fatally wounded when Greek security forces opened fire as migrants gathered at the border. Greece immediately issued a…