Flavio Cotti, Former Swiss President , dies of coronavirus.

 Former Swiss president Flavio Cotti, who also served as the country's foreign and interior minister, has died at the age of 81 reportedly from coronavirus.

"It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Flavio Cotti," current Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Twitter.

"His political spirit will always be present in the foreign ministry," he added. 

According to the regional daily in Switzerland's Italian-speaking Ticino region, which was the first to report Cotti's death, he died Wednesday afternoon in a Locarno hospital "following complications due to the coronavirus".

Source: AFP

Kastina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, Says Authorities know where the kidnapped Nigerian schoolboys are Located.

 The location of 337 students who were unaccounted for after gunmen attacked a school in northwestern Nigeria on Friday, is now known by government authorities, according to state governor Aminu Bello Masari. Talks are ongoing to secure their release and the children are safe, he told CNN's Becky Anderson on Wednesday.

Masari did not dismiss the voice note entirely but cautioned that "more concrete evidence" was needed before it could be confirmed that Boko Haram was involved.

The kidnappers have not made a direct demand yet, but a child of a teacher who was among the kidnapped contacted his father. He only complained about the air force flying overhead and mentioned they may need money.

When asked if he would pay a ransom, Masari said it's not "the policy of our government" to do so. "We'll find other ways of securing the lives and the freedom of the children," he added. The kidnapping is outside Boko Haram's usual area of activity. Their operations have generally focused in the northeast of the country, though security analysts believe that their reach has shifted after a security crackdown in that region.

Source: CNN

Brexit:UK pets will need certificate to enter EU

British pet owners will need a new document to enter the European Union with their animals after the Brexit transition period ends on 1 January next year, the government said on Wednesday.

British pets required only a passport while their country was part of the EU. Only vets officially allowed to inspect animals for export can issue the certificates. 

The same rule will apply for taking animals from England, Scotland and Wales to Northern Ireland. But the UK government said its approach to enforcing the rule in Northern Ireland would recognise "these changes will take time to adjust to", without specifying whether there would be a grace period.