Said Bouteflika: Brother Of deposed Algerian leader sentenced to 15 years

Said Bouteflika was a key figure among Algeria’s leadership ALGIERS, Sept 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The brother of Algeria’s deposed former president has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring against the state and undermining the military. Said Bouteflika was widely seen as the real power behind the presidency after…

Algeria: 8 babies killed in hospital fire, 11 infants rescued

ALGIERS, Sept 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Eight infants have died after a fire swept through the maternity unit of a hospital in eastern Algeria. Authorities told media they rescued 11 infants, over 100 women and 28 staff on Tuesday morning in the city of El-Oued. Dozens of fire engines were deployed…

Thomas Cook collapse: German Airline Condor seeks financial help

BERLIN, Sept 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Germany is considering issuing financial aid to the Condor airline after Thomas Cook declared bankruptcy. Thomas Cook, which has a 49% share in the airline, collapsed on Monday. Condor has applied for a bridging loan from the federal government and is awaiting a response, with German media reporting the…

Venezuela: Two soldiers sentenced to six years over officer’s death

CARACAS, Sept 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two Venezuelan soldiers were given six years in prison over the death in custody of a navy officer accused of plotting to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro, said his lawyer. Lieutenant Ascanio Tarascio and Sergeant Estiben Zarate were tried in a civil court in Caracas, where…

Cameroon: Anglophone region on tenterhooks ahead of peace talks

BUEA (Cameroon), Sept 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The mood in English-speaking Cameroon is a mix of anxiety, resignation and fatigue as the clock ticks. On Sept 30, the government will start hosting a national “dialogue” on the future of the anglophone territories, where separatist violence and a government crackdown have cost…

UK MPs return after bombshell court ruling

Members of Parliament gathered for the resumption of the House of Commons LONDON, Sept 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British MPs return to parliament on Wednesday following a momentous Supreme Court ruling that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament was unlawful. The judgement has dented Johnson’s authority, prompting calls for…

Somalia: Al-Shabaab attack kills 20 soldiers

Al-shabaab militants MOGADISHU, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 20 Somali government soldiers were killed and 18 others were wounded when al-Shabaab raided a military base south of Mogadishu. Military sources said militants detonated a suicide car bomb at the El-Salin military base followed by an infantry attack in the…

Criminal charges against Brazil’s mining giant Vale and German safety firm: Federal Police proposes

BRASILIA, Sept 24 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Brazilian federal police have proposed criminal charges against mining giant Vale and German safety firm Tüv Süd and 13 of their employees over January’s deadly dam collapse, reports say. Police reportedly say both firms used falsified documents that said the Feijão dam was stable. At…

Britain promises 30 million pounds for medicine, clean water in Venezuela

Newly appointed Britain’s Secretary of State for International Development Alok Sharma NEW YORK, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain will provide up to 30 million pounds ($37.30 million) of funding to help aid organisations in Venezuela provide medicine and clean water, the government said. The OPEC nation’s once-prosperous economy has collapsed…

Gabon to be first African nation paid to fight deforestation

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gabon will become the first African country paid with international funds to preserve its forests in an effort to fight climate change, the United Nations said.  Norway will provide Gabon, which is almost 90 percent covered by forest, with $150 million (136 million euros)…