NIGER SAYS SOLDIERS, CIVILIANS KILLED IN ARMED ATTACK ON NIAMEY AIRPORT. (PHOTO).

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 Niger says soldiers, civilians killed in armed attack on Niamey airport An attack by armed men on an airport in Niger’s capital has killed 11 soldiers and two civilians, according to the country’s defence ministry, five months after a major assault. Twenty-two armed attackers were also killed in the assault and about 20 suspects were apprehended, the ministry added in a press statement read out on national television on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported. Soldiers in Niamey fought suspected rebels around the Diori Hamani International Airport and a military airbase on Thursday, sources told Al Jazeera earlier in the day. A source said gunmen affiliated with an armed group attacked at approximately 6:00am (05:00 GMT) local time. One airport employee who lives near the airport told Al Jazeera he heard heavy exchanges of gunfire and saw a large military deployment as he drove towards work and decided to turn back for safety. A second local source living close to the airport also reported ...

CHINA 'APPRECIATES' AFRICAN COUNTRIES REVOKING TAIWAN LEADER'S FLIGHT PERMITS. (PHOTO).


 China 'appreciates' African countries revoking Taiwan leader's flight permits


China said on Wednesday it had "high appreciation" for African countries after several revoked overflight permits, curtailing a planned trip by Taiwan's leader to Eswatini, the island's only diplomatic ally on the continent.


China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory and opposes the self-governed island's participation in international organisations and its exchanges with other countries.


Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te was due to visit Eswatini from Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession and his 58th birthday.


But some countries — including Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar — unexpectedly revoked Lai's overflight permits after "intense pressure" and economic coercion from China, a Taiwanese official said, AFP reported.


"Relevant countries maintained support for the one-China principle, completely in line with... the basic norms of international relations, China expresses high appreciation," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement.


"No one can stop the historical trend of China's eventual reunification," the statement issued in response to the revoked permits said.


Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is among Taiwan's 12 remaining allies that still recognise its claim to statehood, after Beijing convinced others to sever diplomatic relations with Taipei.


An Eswatini government spokesperson told AFP it "regrets" Lai was not visiting, but stressed the setback "does not change the status of our longstanding bilateral relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan)".

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