Colombian Guerrilla Conflict Claims 80 Lives, Displaces Thousands
Over 80 people, including civilians, have been killed in a new wave of guerrilla violence in Colombia amid a stalled peace process, and 11,000 people have been displaced in just four days, officials said Sunday. As residents fled for their lives, the army deployed some 5,000 troops to the cocaine-growing Catatumbo region at the center of a fast-escalating territorial war. The...
Schengen Visa Denials Hit 89,000 For Nigerians In Two Years
The PUNCH has obtained data indicating that nearly half of Nigerians who applied for visas to enter the Schengen Area of Europe during the previous two years were turned down. Out of 192,741 visa applications from Nigerians in 2022 and 2023, 89,344 were turned down, translating to a rejection rate of 46.35 percent. Official data from the European Commission and the...
Trump’s Intervention Allows TikTok To Resume Operations Amid Federal Ban
TikTok resumed operations in the United States on Sunday after President-elect Donald J. Trump revealed plans to issue an executive order delaying the enforcement of a federal ban on the social media platform. This sudden reversal came shortly after major app stores had removed TikTok, effectively restricting access for U.S. users. In a post on X, TikTok announced, “In agreement with...
WHO: $10 Billion Needed To Rebuild Gaza’s Crippled Healthcare System
Amidst reports that Israel's security cabinet has approved a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the World Health Organization has stated that the ceasefire in Gaza could increase aid deliveries to 600 trucks per day. The body also said more than $10 billion is required to restore Gaza’s shattered healthcare system. A WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, expressed...
Brazil Announces Nigeria’s Entry Into BRICS Partnership
Brazil has officially confirmed Nigeria’s admission as a partner country in the BRICS alliance. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement in a statement issued on Friday. With this new development, Nigeria becomes the ninth partner country of BRICS, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. The statement from Brazil reads: “The Brazilian government welcomes Nigeria’s decision...
Israel Greenlights Gaza Ceasefire Aggrement
Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Israel's cabinet voted on Saturday to approve a ceasefire and hostage release agreement for Gaza, putting an end to days of speculation about whether the truce would take effect this weekend. The ceasefire, set to begin Sunday, would halt fighting and bombardment in Gaza’s deadliest-ever war. It would also enable the release of hostages held in...
Embassy Closure Sparks Job Crisis For Nigerians In Lebanon
Nigerians living in Lebanon are facing job losses as a result of the Federal Government's extended delay in renewing passports, which follows the closure of the Nigerian embassy in the country, Saturday PUNCH has learned. In September 2024, large-scale cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in Lebanon, resulting in over 1,000 deaths and 6,352 injuries in less than two...
Nigerian Man, 50, Dies In South African Police Custody
A 50-year-old Nigerian man, Jeremiah Okoye, has died in police custody in Limpopo, South Africa. Okoye, who had lived in the country for 22 years, resided at 71 Magazyn Street, Polokwane, Limpopo Province, before his death. The news was confirmed on Friday by Frank Onyekwelu, President of the Nigerian Citizens Association, South Africa (NICASA), who condemned the incident. Onyekwelu expressed...
US Supreme Court Upholds Law On TikTok Ban
On Friday, the US Supreme Court affirmed a law that would prohibit TikTok in the US, potentially depriving 170 million US users of the video-sharing app on January 19. In a major defeat for TikTok, the court ruled that the law does not violate free speech rights and that the US government had demonstrated legitimate national security concerns about a...
EU Votes €510m In Humanitarian Aid For Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria, sub-Saharan African nations will receive €510 million of the €1.9 billion first humanitarian aid package announced by the EU for 2025. The European Commission revealed the allocation in a statement on Thursday, noting that “these funds are set to be channelled across West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, North-West Nigeria, Central Africa, the Great Lakes...
