1 hour ago Some of the West African nations who asked to leave the Economic Community of West African States after recent military takeovers are reportedly taking steps to reengage with the regional bloc within the six-month window set last December. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, revealed this on Wednesday in… 1 hour ago From her balcony overlooking one of the world’s most stunning sea views, Santorini resident Chantal Metakides insisted she would not join the scores fleeing the earthquakes shaking the popular Greek tourist island. “I’m not afraid at all,” said the…
Author: Osas Monday
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13 mins ago Senator representing Delta North senatorial district, Mr. Ned Nwoko, has said Delta State, Governor Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, would not be welcomed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking to reporters after he was warmly received by the Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led national working committee (NWC) at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja… 18 mins ago The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that the implementation of a four per cent charge on the Free On-Board (FOB) value of imports is essential to driving the effective operation of the Service. The Comptroller General of…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s reimposition of a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran will end in “failure” as it did during his first term. “I believe that maximum pressure is a failed experiment and trying it again will turn into another failure,” Araghchi told reporters following a cabinet meeting, adding that Tehran was not pursuing nuclear weapons. During his first term that ended in 2021, Trump pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, withdrawing the United States from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, and reimposing biting…
Palestinian militant group Hamas lashed out Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries, seemingly whether they want to leave or not. Trump made his announcement to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks. In a proposal that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave “unbelievable” by removing unexploded bombs and…
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected on Wednesday to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament, winning some breathing space after less than two months in office but by no means ensuring his long-term future. Bayrou, a veteran centrist named by President Emmanuel Macron in December to end months of political crisis, on Monday used a controversial constitutional article to ram his cost-cutting budget through parliament without a vote. But the use of this mechanism, article 49.3, allows the opposition to put forward a no-confidence motion and the bid to topple the government was duly proposed by the hard-left…
Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices on the advice of security agencies, a top official said Wednesday, citing privacy and malware risks posed by China’s breakout AI program. The DeepSeek chatbot, developed by a China-based startup, has astounded industry insiders and upended financial markets since it was released last month. But a growing list of countries, including South Korea, Italy and France, have voiced concerns about the application’s security and data practices. Australia upped the ante overnight by banning DeepSeek from all government devices, one of the toughest moves against the Chinese chatbot yet. “This is an…
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was not in a hurry to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, despite expectations that they would hold talks after announcing tit-for-tat tariffs in a growing trade conflict. Beijing said it was imposing levies on imports of US energy, vehicles and equipment in a return salvo minutes after Trump’s threatened tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect Tuesday. A day prior, Trump suspended duties on Mexico and Canada for a month after both countries vowed to step up measures to counter flows of the drug fentanyl and the crossing of undocumented…
A gunman attacked an Israeli military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, fatally wounding two soldiers before troops shot him dead, the army said. The shooting took place in the morning at a military post in Tayasir in the northern part of the West Bank, the military said in a statement. “A terrorist fired at the soldiers at a military post in Tayasir,” it said, adding the troops killed the gunman during a shootout. One of the two slain soldiers was identified by the military as Sergeant Major Ofer Yung. The name of the other soldier was…
Myanmar’s embattled junta has banned anyone eligible for military conscription from leaving the country without permission, as it seeks to shore up its forces fighting rebel groups opposed to its rule. The junta has lost control of swathes of the country to ethnic minority armed groups and other opposition forces in the civil war triggered by its coup d’etat four years ago. A long-dormant conscription law was enforced last year as the army reeled from a string of battlefield defeats to ethnic armed groups and civilian “People’s Defence Forces” seeking to oust it from power. A bylaw passed late…
Ecuadorans cast their ballots Sunday in an election that will help decide how the country tackles a surge in cartel-linked violence — a high-stakes choice at home, with repercussions for drug flows worldwide. Incumbent Daniel Noboa — at 37 years old, one of the world’s youngest presidents — is asking Ecuador’s almost 18 million population for reelection, after a brief but bloody first term in office. His nation is at the center of a turf war between rival international cartels and mafias vying for lucrative trafficking routes from the clandestine coca plantations of Colombia and Peru to nightclubs in…