Zamfara Abduction: Air, ground troops to be deployed to the forest – Police

Several domestic flights headed for St. Petersburg had been turned back to their destinations. News outlets reported that it was because an unidentified object had been spotted in the sky.

Nigeria declares Bola Tinubu the new president-elect, but the opposition say the election was rigged. In Italy, there's sadness and anger over the deaths of dozens of migrants in a shipwreck. French football federation president Noël Le Graët resigns, but announces he'll be filing a lawsuit for defamation against the French sports minister.

France's Macron promises $53 mln to new global forest protection scheme.

An explosion on a Nigerian oil pipeline owned by Shell killed at least 12 people on Friday (March 3), authorities at the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.

The European Union says it will soon deliver aid to people in need in the Democratic Republic of Congo's conflict-stricken North Kivu province.

Police arrested 35 people after they destroyed construction equipment at a training facility referred to as "Cop City." Environmental and anti-police protesters have attacked the site several times.

In a study of over 30 countries, the rights group found that the use of rubber bullets and other projectiles by security forces on protesters has led to injuries and even death.

Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan confronted police outside his home in Lahore. Authorities have tried to arrest Khan, who has been entangled in a string of legal cases.

Some 400 police officers have taken part in raids against suspected people smugglers in eastern Germany.

A review into Britain's largest police force has found "institutional racism, sexism and homophobia" and has called for "radical reform."

We look at the press reaction to the French government pushing through Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reform, narrowly surviving a vote of no-confidence. In other news: In the UK, a new report has found that the Metropolitan Police is racist, sexist and homophobic.

Beijing and several other provinces are being affected by thick, dense sandstorms that are severely affecting visibility. Deforestation has escalated already rampant air pollution in the Chinese capital.