Russia said Saturday it would not attend a possible second Ukraine peace summit in November, despite Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky signalling that this time he would invite Moscow’s representatives. Moscow rejected the idea ahead of Zelensky’s travels to the United States, where he is due to present his peace proposals to Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. “The summit will have the same aim: to promote the unviable ‘Zelensky formula’ as the only basis for resolving the conflict, get support for it from the world majority and with that present Russia with an ultimatum on capitulation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
Israel’s civil defence agency on Sunday ordered all schools in the country’s north closed following rocket fire by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and intensifying cross-border violence. The military’s Home Front Command said schools and other educational institutions and activities would not be permitted in the north until at least Monday at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT). Meanwhile, the death toll from an Israeli air strike that targeted Hezbollah military commanders in Beirut’s southern suburbs this week has risen to 45, Lebanon’s health ministry said Sunday. “The number of dead has risen to 45 people,” a ministry statement said, updating an…
The Ekiti State government has intensified efforts to fight gender-based violence (GBV), by rallying support from local stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders, local government authorities, civil society, and the public. Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Friday during the closing ceremony of a two-day workshop on gender-based violence, Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Monisade Afuye, expressed concern over the rising cases of rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation, and other forms of violence. The workshop was organized by the Office of the Ekiti State First Lady, in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government Affairs. Afuye emphasized the urgent need…
Kamala Harris on Saturday challenged Donald Trump to another debate in the lead-up to the US presidential election, but the Republican snubbed the offer, saying it was “too late.” Earlier in the day, Harris’s campaign said she had accepted an invitation from broadcaster CNN to participate in a debate on October 23. It would have been their second debate, after a September 10 encounter she was widely considered to have won. “The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots,” her campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in…
Former Kano State governor and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has reiterated the party’s commitment to strengthening its state chapters ahead of the 2027 general elections. Kwankwaso made this declaration during a visit to the NNPP Osun State secretariat in Osogbo, emphasizing that the party would not take a back seat in the nation’s political landscape. A statement released by the Osun NNPP Chairman, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, on Friday, confirmed that Kwankwaso, represented by a three-man committee consisting of Dr. Rahila Aliyu Mukhtar, Dr. Muhammad S. Khalil, and Alhaji Abdusalam Abdulateef, addressed party leaders…
The UK Home Office has announced an initiative aimed at strengthening protections for victims of domestic abuse through the introduction of Raneem’s Law. This new law is set to tackle violence against women and girls, with a commitment to halve such cases over the next decade. Unveiled on Friday, September 20, the measures will embed domestic abuse specialists in emergency call centres, ensuring that victims receive immediate and prioritized responses. The initiative is named in memory of Raneem Oudeh, who was tragically murdered by her ex-husband in 2018 despite multiple warnings to the police. Her case, which involved over 13…
The Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on Friday, convicted and sentenced a businessman, Bernard Nzenwa, to four years and 11 months imprisonment over issuance of false documents. In a statement obtained from EFCC’s official X handle on Friday, Nzenwa, alongside his company, Omega Maritime and Energy Ltd, were arraigned on December 7, 2022 by the Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge bordering on issuance of false documents. The count read: “Bernard Okechukwu Nzenwa, Omega Maritine and Energy Limited, and Dr. Oluchi Nzenwa, (now at large), sometime on the 9th March,…
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali, his spokesman said. “The secretary-general strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali, on Sept. 17,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN chief, in a statement. The statement said Guterres extended his sincere condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the transitional government and the people of Mali. He also wished for a speedy recovery to those injured, including one UN guard unit member. The UN chief called on the Malian transitional government to ensure that those responsible…
Ukraine on Friday restricted the use of Telegram for its government, military and security officials, citing “threats” to national security on the app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov. “The National Security and Defence Council decided to restrict the use of Telegram in government agencies, military formations and critical infrastructure facilities,” the council said in a statement on Facebook, saying it was a “matter of national security.” AFP
The development of artificial intelligence should not be guided by market forces alone, United Nations experts cautioned on Thursday, calling for the creation of tools for global cooperation. But they held back from suggesting the creation of a muscular worldwide governing body to oversee the rollout and evolution of technology, the proliferation of which has raised fears around biases, misuse, and dependence. The panel of around 40 experts from the fields of technology, law, and data protection was established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October. Their report, published days before the start of a high-profile “Summit of the Future,”…
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and the United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Richard Mills have declared their commitment to press freedom in Nigeria and Africa. They made this known when Mills and his team paid a courtesy visit to Idris on Wednesday in Abuja. “I am here today to have a very good conversation about many things we are doing together. “We have trade relations and our cooperation is very strong. We want to make sure we fulfill them.“We also know that the minister is doing a good job to ensure press freedom in this…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT), has intercepted a consignment of cannabis indica valued at N265 million in Lagos. The drugs, weighing 51.25 kilograms, were seized in collaboration with the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in September. In a statement on Thursday, the Customs Area Controller, Joy Edeldouk, confirmed the seizure while handing over the illicit drugs to NDLEA officers at the KLT command in Apapa, Lagos. Edeldouk highlighted that the interception violates the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, Section 55 sub-sections 1C and 1F, adding that the act demonstrated the command’s ongoing…