Six Americans detained in Venezuela were released Friday and returned to the United States with President Donald Trump’s special envoy, following his meeting with President Nicolas Maduro who called for a “new beginning” in ties with Washington. “We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens. They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him,” Richard Grenell, an outspoken Trump ally who serves in a broad role as envoy for special missions, posted on X. The six men, who were not identified, were photographed smiling on a plane alongside Grenell. “Just been informed that…
Author: Osas Monday
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A medical jet with six Mexican nationals onboard crashed into a busy Philadelphia neighborhood Friday, authorities said, marking another US aviation disaster after a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided midair in Washington earlier this week. Video footage appeared to show the twin-engine plane descending at a sharp angle towards a residential area, sparking a huge fireball upon impact and showering wreckage over homes and vehicles. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft was a Learjet 55 — an American-French business jet — that had taken off shortly before from Northeast Philadelphia Airport bound for Branson, Missouri.…
US President Donald Trump is set to unveil fresh tariffs Saturday on major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, threatening upheaval across supply chains from energy to autos and raising inflation concerns. Trump has promised to impose 25 percent tariffs on immediate neighbors Canada and Mexico, pointing to their failure to stop illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl across US borders. He also vowed a 10 percent rate on imports from China, the world’s second biggest economy, charging that it had a role in producing the drug. The United States runs “big deficits” with all three countries too…
Afghanistan’s Taliban government took over management of Kabul’s famed Serena hotel on Saturday, a hotel statement said, a luxury property targeted by Taliban attacks during their insurgency. The Kabul Serena Hotel was run for nearly 20 years by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development in the Afghan capital and was popular with business travellers and foreign guests. “Kabul Serena Hotel shall be closing its operations effective February 01, 2025,” a statement from Serena on Friday night said. Hotel operations are now handled by the Hotel State Owned Corporation (HSOC), the statement added. “Since opening in 2005, Kabul Serena…
India’s finance minister unveiled broad income tax cuts on Saturday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government looks to bolster consumption and perk up a slowing economy. The world’s most populous country is forecast to expand at its slowest pace since the Covid pandemic in the current fiscal year, after growing at more than eight percent last year. Consumers have been burdened by high food inflation and weak wage growth, two factors impacting urban consumption. “The new structure will substantially reduce the taxes of the middle class and leave more money in their hands, boosting household consumption, savings and investment,”…
Gunmen in Syria have shot dead 10 people in a “massacre” in a village home to members of ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority, a war monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday’s attack killed “10 citizens in Arzah village in the northern Hama countryside, which is inhabited by citizens of the Alawite sect”. The Britain-based monitor, which has a large network of sources on the ground in Syria, said gunmen “rapped on the doors of houses in the village and shot at people using handguns equipped with silencers” before fleeing. Observatory chief Rami…
2 days ago Nollywood stars Toyin Abraham, Iyabo Ojo, and Muyiwa Ademola have announced the release dates for their latest films, ‘Iyalode’, ‘Labake Olododo’, and ‘Ori, respectively. The filmmakers revealed that ‘Iyalode’ will hit cinemas on June 6, 2025, ‘Labake Olododo’ is set for March 28, 2025, while ‘Ori’ will be released on May 1, 2024. The trio… 2 days ago Nigerian film distribution and production company, FilmOne Entertainment, has unveiled a lineup of Nollywood and Hollywood movies set to hit cinemas in early 2025. The announcement was made at the FilmOne Exhibitors Showcase in Lagos on Wednesday under the…
The Nigeria Country Director of the Bill Gates Foundation, Uche Amaonwu, has highlighted the urgent need for stronger partnerships to sustain development efforts in Nigeria amid global uncertainties. Speaking at the Goalkeepers Nigeria event in Abuja yesterday, he emphasised that while the foundation’s funding model provides some resilience, the shifting global landscape cannot be ignored. “It’s been a tough year. But here’s the thing about development: we’re always going to face cycles of challenge, and we need to stay focused on our common goal,” Amaonwu said. He expressed concern over the potential loss of the world’s largest development funder,…
FBI agents who participated in the investigations that led to now-abandoned criminal charges against President Donald Trump are expected to be fired in a sweeping purge of the top US law enforcement organization, US media reported Friday. Dozens of FBI agents involved in the probe of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 and some supervisors are also “being evaluated for possible removal,” CNN said, quoting people briefed on the matter. The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the plan, said “officials are working to identify potentially hundreds (of FBI agents) for possible termination.” The…
President Donald Trump will implement tariffs Saturday on the three largest US trading partners — Canada, Mexico and China — the White House said, sparking alarm for global trade. Trump has reiterated his plans for 25 per cent tariffs on neighbours Canada and Mexico, saying they have failed to crack down on illegal migrants crossing the US border and the flow of fentanyl. He also threatened a 10 per cent duty for Chinese goods on the same day, similarly over the drug. “The February 1st deadline that President Trump put into place at a statement several weeks ago continues,”…