Ethiopia: 29 injured in ‘bomb attack’ at pro-Abiy rally

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ADDIS ABABA, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A bomb attack on a rally in support of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed injured nearly 30 people, a police official said, in the latest sign of instability ahead of elections in August. The incident occurred in the town…

Togo’s president ‘tells rivals to accept defeat’

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé LOME, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé has told his rivals to accept preliminary election results showing he has won by a landslide. Provisional results by the electoral commission showed that Gnassingbé – in power since 2005 – had received 72% of the vote,…

Libyan premier denounces Haftar as “war criminal” at UN

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj  GENEVA/BENGHAZI, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj denounced the shelling of civilian areas and airports in his country, labelling renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar a “war criminal” in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council. “Children have lost their right to…

Coronavirus: Iran denies cover-up as death toll rises to 12

At least 61 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Iran  TEHRAN, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Iran’s deputy health minister has denied a claim of a cover-up over the new coronavirus disease, as the number of confirmed deaths there rose to 12. A parliamentarian for Qom, the city at the centre of…

Lesotho: PM Thomas Thabane seeks immunity over murder of ex-wife

Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his wife Maesaiah appeared in court together on Monday  MASERU, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Lawyers for Lesotho’s prime minister have told a court that he cannot be charged over the murder of his estranged wife because his position makes him immune from prosecution. PM Thomas Thabane’s then-wife,…

Germany: 30 injured when car drives into carnival crowd in Volkmarsen

Volkmarsen (Germany), Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thirty people, a third of them children, were injured when a car drives into a crowd at a carnival parade in the western German town of Volkmarsen. A 29-year-old German citizen was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide. Officials said a motive was currently unclear.…

Praise, cheering crowds for US Pres Trump in India love fest

AHMEDABAD (India), Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Emerging in a stadium to the appropriate strains of the Village People’s “Macho Man” as 100,000 people cheered on, US President Donald Trump looked like he was at a campaign rally in America’s Midwest. But the US leader was thousands of miles away, sweltering…

Coronavirus: Latest developments worldwide

PARIS, Feb 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Infections jump sharply outside China.Italy locks down several cities. Stocks tumble on world markets. Here are the latest developments in the new coronavirus crisis. – 2,592 dead in China – Mainland China’s official death toll hits 2,592, with more than 77,000people now reported infected. For…

Update: 2 dead after protesting Haiti police exchange fire with troops

MEXICO CITY, Feb 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — Haitian police demanding better pay and working conditions exchanged fire with armed soldiers in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, on Sunday, killing at least two people and injuring more others, local media reported. The army’s high command said in a statement that a group…

Eastern Libya forces say 16 Turkish soldiers killed in fighting

BENGHAZI (Libya), Feb 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Forces loyal to Libyan eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said they had killed 16 Turkish soldiers in recent weeks, a day after Turkey acknowledged it had lost several “martyrs” in combat in the north African country. Khalid al-Mahjoub, a spokesman for Haftar’s self-styled Libya National Army…