One police officer hurt, seven militants killed in Cairo: Government

CAIRO, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) —  An Egyptian police officer was wounded and seven suspected militants were killed on Thursday in a firefight and raid in the capital Cairo, the interior ministry said. Militants “opened fire” on security forces at a checkpoint on the southern part of the city’s ring road,…

Three Indonesian soldiers killed in fresh Papua violence

JAKARTA, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Three Indonesian soldiers were killed in a gun battle with armed separatist rebels in restive Papua province, where over a dozen construction workers were massacred last year, the military said. The soldiers had just arrived in Yigi village in Nduga district on Thursday morning to…

Pakistan escalates militant crackdown after Kashmir attacks

ISLAMABAD, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pakistan has detained more than 100 suspected militants, the country’s interior ministry said, amid an ongoing crackdown on extremist groups prompted by weeks of high tension with neighbouring India. Members of two Pakistani militant groups accused of attacks on Indian soil were targeted in the operation,…

Sudanese protesters defy emergency measures to rally in Khartoum

KHARTOUM, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of protesters hit the streets in several neighbourhoods of Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Thursday and security forces rounded up a number of demonstrators calling on President Omar al-Bashir to step down. It was the latest in a series of protests against Bashir and his…

Over 8 million Ethiopians need food aid due to violence, drought

ADDIS ABABA, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than eight million people need food aid in Ethiopia, a five per cent rise from last year, due to a surge in violence that has triggered mass displacement as well as the lingering effects of past droughts, officials said. The crisis has prompted an…

Motorcycling: Qatar to host MotoGP until at least 2031

DOHA, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Qatar will continue to host a round of the MotoGP world championship until at least 2031 after agreeing a five-year extension to a contract that already ran to 2026, organisers said. The Gulf state hosts the opening round of the 2019 championship at the Losail…

Iraqi leader says Islamic State foreign fighters may face death penalty

BAGHDAD, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iraqi President Barham Salih said foreign Daesh fighters tried in Iraq could be handed death sentences, according to an interview published by Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National on Friday. The Daesh fighters “will be tried in accordance to Iraqi law and may be sentenced to…

Syria rejects OPCW report on ‘toxic chemical’ used in attack

DAMASCUS, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Syria’s foreign ministry said it “categorically rejects” the finding of the global chemical weapons agency that a “toxic chemical” was used in an attack last April on a Syrian rebel-held town. Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Friday…

Court frees Salvador women convicted for abortions

LOPANGO (El Salvador), March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three women serving 30-year sentences for falling foul of El Salvador’s severe anti-abortion laws walked free from prison on Thursday after the Central American country’s Supreme Court ordered their release. Alba Lorena Rodriguez, Maria del Transito Orellana and Cinthia Marcela Rodriguez emerged from…

US says Zimbabwe failed to make needed political, economic changes

WASHINGTON, March 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The government of Zimbabwe under President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to bring about political and economic changes needed to improve the country’s reputation, the State Department said. The comments relate to President Donald Trump’s decision this week to extend by one year US sanctions that target…