HGE NEWS

Nigeria is expanding military cooperation with Benin and Niger to ward off jihadist groups from the Sahel trying to enter its northwest. A new tri-border military sector is being created to secure the Nigeria-Benin-Niger border, Nigeria’s defense minister said on Thursday. The plan is a "work in progress," Christopher Musa said, without giving a definite timeline. He also said he plans to visit Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in the coming months, all governed by military rulers

Uganda has launched the first phase of a large-scale evacuation of its citizens from South Africa, bringing home 273 nationals amid rising anti-illegal immigration protests and xenophobic violence. More charter flights are planned as hundreds more Ugandans seek voluntary repatriation. A total of 273 Ugandan nationals arrived at Entebbe International Airport aboard a special Uganda Airlines charter flight in the early hours of Friday, marking the first phase of the government'

The move comes after the US seized two tankers transporting Venezuelan oil this month. At an emergency UN meeting requested by Caracas, China and Russia accused the US of "bullying" the South American country. Lawmakers in Venezuela on Tuesday passed a bill that criminalizes a range of activities that could hinder trade and commerce in the South American country, such as the seizure of oil tankers. Anyone who promotes, requests, supports, finances or participates in "acts of

Flood warnings issued for parts of the NT and QLD as monsoon trough brings heavy rain More wet weather is set to lash parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland in the lead up to the new year, with some areas set to cop more than 300mm in the coming days. A monsoon trough is making its way across the north of Australia, causing the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to issue several flood watch warnings. For the NT, flood watch warnings have been issued for the Waterhouse and pa

'10 year ago today the floods changed everything in a moment' "It was absolutely devastating. This dirty, nasty flood water submerged 6,000 homes and businesses along the valley." Adrian Horton's memories of the flooding which hit parts of West Yorkshire during Christmas 2015 as Storm Eva battered the region remain clear 10 years on. The storm hit Adrian's home town of Hebden Bridge, in the Calder Valley, as people were still celebrating Christmas. It brought with it more th

A 27-year-old man found dead in an apartment in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward on Monday is believed to have been in a relationship with a woman who died in an apparent murder-suicide three days earlier, according to investigative sources. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the death of Shintaro Nakakubo, a company employee, who was living in the apartment leased under the name of Yuka Nomura, 36. Nomura and her three sons — who were ages 9, 11 and 16 — were found uncon

China has set a world record in maglev technology by accelerating a ton-level test vehicle to 700 kilometers per hour (km/h) in just two seconds, China Media Group reported. A research team from the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) achieved the record speed on a 400-meter magnetic levitation test track. The superconducting electric maglev test vehicle also completed a safe stop. The test marks the fastest speed ever recorded on a platform of its kind worldwide

Three people killed in Moscow car explosion, Russian authorities say Two police officers have been killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian investigators said on Wednesday. Their deaths come just two days after a car bomb killed a top general in the same area of the Russia capital. A third person also died in Wednesday’s explosion. A spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee said the two traffic police officers were approaching a “suspicious individual” when the exp

Government data has been stolen in a hack though officials believe the risk to individuals is "low", Trade Minister Chris Bryant has said. That data is understood to have been on systems operated on the Home Office's behalf by the Foreign Office, whose staff detected the incident. It is understood a Chinese affiliated group is suspected of being behind the attack. The UK government has not named who it thinks is responsible, with a spokesperson saying it has been "working to

French 'Doctor Death' who poisoned patients jailed for life A former anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, 12 of them fatally. Frédéric Péchier, 53, was convicted Friday at the end of a four-month trial in the eastern city of Besançon. In one of France's biggest ever medical malpractice cases, Péchier was found to have introduced chemicals like potassium chloride or adrenaline into the infusion bags of patients. His youngest victim, a