Pope Francis Worried About Recurring Abductions In Nigeria
Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, has expressed worries over the frequent abductions in Nigeria, describing them as “concerning”. He said this in a post via X (Twitter) on Sunday, noting that he was praying and hoping that efforts would be made to contain these incidents. He wrote: “The increasingly frequent kidnappings in Nigeria are extremely concerning. “I express my closeness in prayer to...
US Airman Sets Himself Ablaze In Front Of Israeli Embassy In Washington
An active member of the US Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington on Sunday, officials said, as media reported he was protesting the war in Gaza. Emergency responders rushed to the scene just before 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) in response to a “call for person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy,” according to a...
Ukraine War: Dozens Of Russian Troops Die In Air Strike
At least 60 Russian troops have been killed after a training area in occupied eastern Ukraine was hit by two missiles, reports say. Sources familiar with the situation told the BBC that troops had gathered at the site in Donetsk region for the arrival of a senior commander. Video footage of the incident appeared to show large numbers of dead. A Russian...
China Condemns US Veto Of Call For Immediate Ceasefire At UN
China has sharply criticized the US for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Beijing said the move sent the "wrong message" and effectively gave a "green light to the continued slaughter". The White House said the Algerian-proposed resolution would "jeopardize" talks to end the war. The US has proposed its own temporary ceasefire resolution, which also warned...
Kansas City Shooting: One Dead, 21 Injured Near Super Bowl Parade
One person has died and 21 people were wounded in a shooting in Missouri at the end of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade. Officials said they treated eight victims who were in immediately life-threatening condition and seven others who had suffered injuries that could prove life-threatening. Nine children were among the wounded - all are expected to recover. Police...
Man Sentenced To Death Over Killing Of Prominent Filmmaker In Iran
An Iranian court has sentenced a man to death over the killing of renowned filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife months ago at their home near Tehran, the judiciary said Monday. Mehrjui, an 83-year-old director associated with the Iranian new wave of cinema, was stabbed to death along with his wife Vahideh Mohammadifar in October at their home in Karaj,...
India’s Conflicts Generated By Demolition Of Mosque, Religious School Claims 5 Lives
Five people were killed in India and dozens more injured after religious clashes sparked by the destruction of a madrassa, officials said Friday, the latest in a spate of demolitions targeting Islamic structures. Hindu nationalist groups have been emboldened in their campaign against Muslim religious structures since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office a decade ago. Authorities in the northern state...
ECOWAS Ministers Convene To Discuss Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger
The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are meeting to discuss the announced withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic from the regional body. The meeting at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja is also to consider the political situation in Senegal where the President postponed the presidential poll, leading to massive protests. According to ECOWAS...
Senegal Disables Internet Over Political Crisis
Access to mobile internet was cut in Dakar on Monday, AFP journalists saw, as Senegal grapples with a political crisis after President Macky Sall announced a postponement of this month’s election. Many users in the capital said they had been unable to access mobile data on their phones since the morning. Senegal’s parliament is due shortly to begin debating a proposal to postpone...
Meta Founder, Mark Zuckerberg Tenders Apologies To US Families Over Social Media Harms In Contentious Senate Hearing
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to families who say their children had been harmed by social media, during a fiery hearing in the US Senate. Mr Zuckerberg - who runs Instagram and Facebook - turned to them and said "no-one should go through" what they had. He and the bosses of TikTok, Snap, X and Discord were questioned for almost...
