ECOWAS parliament calls for reversal of Nigeria’s borders closure

ABUJA, Sept 20 (NNN-XINHUA) — The recent closure of the Nigerian borders with West African neighbours might hamper the implementation of the free trade movement within the sub-region of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional bloc’s parliament has said.Whilst seeking a reversal of the decision by…

Malaysia, Indonesia shut thousands of schools as haze worsens

KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of schools have been ordered closed across Malaysia and Indonesia on Thursday, affecting at least 1.7 million students, officials said, as toxic haze from rampant forest fires sent air quality plummeting.Nearly 2,500 schools were ordered to suspend classes in Malaysia — including nearly…

Congo president’s $19m seized in San Marino after ‘spending more than $2m on watches and crocodile shoes’

President of the Republic of Congo- Brazzaville, Denis Sassous Nguesso SAN MARINO, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — One of Africa’s longest-serving presidents has been accused of laundering €19million (about 20 million dollars), using shell accounts in Europe.The republic of San Marino, a small country landlocked by Italy, launched an investigation into…

Update: Day of mourning declared after Liberia fire

MONROVIA, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Liberia’s President George Weah has declared Thursday a national day of mourning following a deadly fire at a boarding school in the country.The fire on Wednesday left at least 27 people dead, many of them children.“This is an extremely difficult moment, not only for the…

Nigerian Army denies claims Maiduguri is under attack

ABUJA, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES0 — The Nigerian Army has denied reports that Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, is under attack. In a statement , the Army says Maiduguri at the moment is peaceful and calm. The statement stated that information circulating on social media revealed that some mischievous elements are…

US drone strike kills 30 pine nut farm workers in Afghanistan

People attend the funeral of victims of a US drone strike in Khogyani district KABUL, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A U.S. drone strike intended to hit Daesh hideout in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians resting after a day’s labour in the fields, officials said. The attack on Wednesday night…

Germany faces test of green credentials with new climate plan

Merkel’s coalition finalises German landmark climate plan BERLIN, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The German government prepared for all-night talks on a new climate policy that will determine whether Berlin is serious about engineering a paradigm shift in Europe’s largest economy or simply wants to make a token show of going…

EU wary of Brexit crash landing at high-stakes October summit

Finnish PM Antti Rinne (left), British PM Boris Johnson (centre) and French President Emmanuel Macron (right) BRUSSELS, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain finally put some documents on the table to break an impasse in its Brexit talks with the EU, but the bloc is worried that London is banking too…

Zimbabwe doctors say receiving death threats over strike

Health workers hold a candlelight vigil to protest the disappearance of Peter Magombeyi, the leader of their union, in Harare HARARE, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Striking doctors in Zimbabwe marched to parliament on Thursday to protest the disappearance of their union leader and press the government to increase their pay…

Tanzania tells WHO it has no Ebola cases – statement

GENEVA/DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tanzania has formally told the World Health Organization (WHO) that it has no cases of Ebola after a woman died there earlier this month from an unknown illness following Ebola-like symptoms, the organisation said. “This followed earlier rumours of the death of one…