Maiduguri — Islamist militants killed at least 14 Nigerian soldiers and injured several others during two separate attacks on army bases in northeastern Borno state on Tuesday night, security sources said, as insurgents intensify attacks on the military.
Suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters attacked the Nigerian Army’s base in Ngoshe town, Gwoza district, killing at least nine troops and a local imam, three army sources said late on Wednesday.
The attackers, who forced the troops to retreat from their base, seized guns and ammunition before abducting an unknown number of women, said the sources, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
At the same time, militants also attacked another military base in Pulka, further north in Gwoza district, killing five soldiers, including a commanding officer, two other sources with knowledge of the attack said. Reuters
Morgan Stanley expects ECB to hold rates
Washington — Morgan Stanley on Thursday became the latest Wall Street brokerage to forecast that the European Central Bank will keep interest rates steady through 2026, citing potential inflation risks due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The Wall Street brokerage had previously forecst two ECB rate cuts in June and September, but now expects the central bank to deliver those reductions in 2027 instead. Last month, BofA Global Research removed its forecast for rate cuts in 2026.
Global financial markets have been reeling as the US- Iran war has stoked fears of an oil supply shock, elevated inflation and an uncertain economic outlook. Reuters
Reform UK lands more donations than Labour Party
London — Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party secured a second big donation from crypto investor Christopher Harborne in the fourth quarter of last year, helping it to raise more money than its rivals during that period.
Reform raised £5.5m in the fourth quarter of last year, helped by a £3m donation from Harborne, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday.
This came after he gave the party £9m in the previous quarter, the biggest single donation to a British political party by a living donor.
The donations mean Reform received more in donations in the last quarter than the governing Labour Party, which took in about £2m and the opposition Conservative Party’s £2.4m, excluding public funds. Reuters
Macron’s nuclear speech ‘not due to US concerns’
Paris — French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech on nuclear deterrence did not stem from concern about the US’s commitment as an ally, as Washington is totally committed to Nato, chief Mark Rutte said.
“This has nothing to do with any worry about ... the US,” Rutte said in an interview. “And then to the more general point, I’m absolutely convinced (the) US is completely committed to Nato.” Reuters
Tesla misses out on UK’s new-car sales growth
London — Tesla’s UK sales dropped 37% in February from a year earlier, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed on Thursday, as the automaker stayed under pressure from booming demand for EVs from Chinese competitors such as BYD.
Tesla’s sales declined to 2,422 vehicles during the month from 3,852 units a year earlier, the data showed.
Overall, total new-car sales in the UK rose 7.2% to 90,100 units, marking the best February since 2004, the data showed, helped by recovering private retail sales. Reuters
Germany backs Spain in US trade embargo standoff
Berlin — German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday that Spain can rely on solidarity from the EU and Germany when it comes to the threat of new US trade barriers.
“We will not allow ourselves to be divided; we stand firmly together,” said Wadephul at a press conference with his Moldovan counterpart, Mihai Popsoi.
US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a full US trade embargo on Spain on Tuesday after the European and Nato ally said it would not let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran. Reuters
CAR leader thanks Russia for security backing
Moscow — Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadera thanked Russia on Thursday for its security backing.
Touadera told President Vladimir Putin at talks in the Kremlin that Russia’s security presence had made possible the election in December that returned him to office for a new seven-year term.
Russia’s growing security role in parts of Africa is viewed with concern by the West and has come at the expense of France and the US. Russia’s Africa Corps, a paramilitary force that succeeded the former Wagner mercenary group, is active in several countries, including Mali, Equatorial Guinea and CAR.
Touadera also thanked Putin for donating Russian grain and fuel. Reuters
