Benin Attempted Coup: Soldiers Announces President Talon’s Removal From Office
Military personnel in Benin on Sunday announced that they had ousted President Patrice Talon, although his entourage said he was safe and the army was regaining control. Soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic”. The announcement...
Trump Disappointed With Zelensky’s Attitude Towards Peace Proposal
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he felt “a little bit disappointed” with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for not engaging with a plan to end the war with Russia. “So we’ve been speaking to President Putin and we’ve been speaking to Ukrainian leaders — including Zelensky, President Zelensky — and I have to say that I’m a little bit...
China Executes Former Firm Executive Over Alleged $156m Bribes
China executed a former executive of a top state-controlled asset management firm for corruption on Tuesday, state media reported. Bai Tianhui, the ex-general manager of China Huarong International Holdings (CHIH), was found guilty of accepting more than $156 million while offering favourable treatment in the acquisition and financing of projects between 2014 and 2018, state broadcaster CCTV said. CHIH is a...
Coups: ECOWAS Declares State of Emergency Across West Africa Region
The Economic Community of West African States has declared a state of emergency across the region following a surge in coups, attempted coups and escalating insecurity. ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Touray, announced the decision on Tuesday at the 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council in Abuja. According to him, West Africa now faces an “average high-risk” security rating, citing...
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia Sign Defence Pact To Strengthen Military Cooperation
The Federal Government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen defence and military cooperation between the two nations. The agreement, according to a statement by Special Assistant on media to the Minister of State, Defence, Ahmed Dan Wudil, will cover strategic collaboration across security, military training, intelligence sharing, defence production, and...
Nigeria, Sahel States Differ Over Alleged Airspace Violations
Conflicting accounts yesterday trailed the detention of a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, C-130 plane and 11 soldiers onboard in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The Hercules aircraft and its occupants were detained by the Burkinabe government on Monday, with the crew, having been accused of entering the country’s airspace without clearance. While NAF claimed its crew landed the aircraft in Burkina Faso...
Ukraine Faces Shortage Of Military Assistance, As Europe Struggles To Close US Deficit
Military aid for Ukraine plummeted in the second half of 2025 as falling European contributions failed to make up for the halt in US support, data from the Kiel Institute showed Wednesday. As US President Donald Trump wound down US contributions at the beginning of the year, Europe stepped up with record pledges of almost 20 billion euros ($23 billion)...
Rwanda Faults DR Congo, Burundi Of Deliberately Violating Ceasefire After Peace Deal
Rwanda accused the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi Wednesday of deliberately violating a ceasefire in eastern DRC, days after the signing of a peace agreement in Washington. Rwandan-backed M23 fighters entered the strategic city of Uvira, near the Burundian border late Tuesday, as it became the latest major settlement to fall in the mineral-rich region that has been plagued...
Venezuela: Machado To Miss Nobel Peace Prize Award
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who lives in hiding, will not attend Wednesday’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the award will be accepted by her daughter, organisers said. Machado has only been seen once in public since going underground in August last year amidst a tense showdown with President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela’s attorney general has said the 58-year-old would...
Donald Trump Ends Birthright Citizenship For Wealthy Immigrant
US President Donald Trump has argued that the principle of birthright citizenship was introduced to protect the children of enslaved people, and not, as he claimed, for “wealthy foreigners” traveling to the country to give birth. In an interview with Politico, Trump defended the executive order he signed on his first day back in the White House in January 2025, which...
