US state of Georgia delays primary election over virus fears
AFP, Washington
Georgia has become the second US state to delay its presidential primary election over fears of the novel coronavirus.
The southern state had been scheduled to hold its vote on March 24, but has pushed it back nearly two months, as authorities across the country grapple with whether or not to postpone their states’ primary elections.
Western couple seized in Burkina Faso two years ago found in Mali
AFP, Bamako
A Canadian woman and her Italian partner kidnapped in Burkina Faso in 2018 have been found in good health in the northwest of Mali after fleeing their captors and were set to be repatriated, diplomatic and UN sources said on Saturday.
Tedith Blais and Luca Tacchetto, both in their thirties, managed to escape near the northern city of Kidal on Friday and were taken to the local base of the UN mission in Mali, known by its French acronym MINUSMA.
UN agency says some 300 migrants intercepted
off Libya coast
AP, Cairo
Libya’s coast guard intercepted over 300 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast and returned them to the capital, Tripoli, the U.N. migration agency said. The International Organization for Migration tweeted that most of the 301 migrants, who were on three boats and intercepted Saturday, were taken to detention centers in Libya. It said that some managed to escape at the disembarkation point, as the boats were brought back to shore.
Canadian, Italian freed in Mali 15 months after abduction
AP, Dakar
A Canadian woman and an Italian man who had been kidnapped in December 2018 in Burkina Faso have been released in good health, according to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in neighboring Mali.
Quebec resident Edith Blais and Italian Luca Tacchetto had been travelling by car in the southwest of Burkina Faso when all communication with their families abruptly ended on Dec. 15, 2018.
Burkina Faso’s security situation had been deteriorating in the year before their abduction and has gotten increasingly worse in the past year. Al-Qaida and Islamic State-linked groups are active in Burkina Faso.
