Russia said on Saturday it had seized another village in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s troops are continuing to advance. The defence ministry said Russian forces “have liberated the village of Kalynove” in the Donetsk region, which lies around 25 kilometres (16 miles) southeast of the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, held by Kyiv’s forces. Russian troops have been advancing on Pokrovsk for months and Ukraine has ordered the mandatory evacuation of children from the city. Moscow has claimed to have captured a string of villages in the area, even as it struggles to fight off a major Ukrainian counter-attack into…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
The Edo State Government has announced an indefinite postponement of resumption of all schools in the state over the hike in fuel price. The government announced this in a memo by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Ojo Akin-Longe, in Benin on Saturday. The permanent secretary said the resumption, scheduled for Sept. 9, was postponed until further notice./ 1:07 “The Edo State Government hereby announces the postponement of the resumption of all public and private schools in Edo State, originally scheduled for Monday, 9th September 2024, until further notice. “An official statement from the government has directed that…
Transport authorities in London have introduced a new public bus service linking two areas of the capital with large Jewish populations, as anti-Semitic incidents hit record levels. London mayor Sadiq Khan said he had been struck by the fear felt by Jews who told him they had received abuse when changing buses to travel between the two areas. The new service, which began this week, provides a direct link between Golders Green and Stamford Hill, removing the need for passengers to change buses. The new service was welcomed by Jewish groups. “In a period where our community is encountering unprecedented…
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, her office said, as he presses allies for more weapons in his country’s fight against Russia. The pair met in Cernobbio, northern Italy, on the margins of the European House-Ambrosetti forum, where Zelensky spoke on Friday and Meloni was due to speak on Saturday. Italy has strongly supported Ukraine and has sent weapons to help it defend itself against Russian forces, while insisting that these must only be used on Ukrainian soil. Before heading to Italy, Zelensky had on Friday pressed his case to allies meeting at the…
Nigeria and China have signed a $3.3 billion agreement to construct the Brass Industrial Park and Methanol Complex, marking a significant step in their bilateral economic cooperation. The deal was finalized during the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the inaugural China-Nigeria Economic Cooperation and Trade Conference. The project is expected to significantly boost Nigeria’s industrial output, create thousands of jobs, and stimulate economic growth, positioning the country as a regional hub in the energy and manufacturing sectors. The agreement also aligns with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda under President Bola Tinubu, focusing on enhancing domestic production capabilities through international partnerships.…
At least 17 children died after a fire ripped through their primary school dormitory overnight in central Kenya, police said Friday. The blaze in Nyeri county’s Hillside Endarasha Academy broke out at around midnight, police said, engulfing rooms where the children were sleeping. The primary school caters to some 800 pupils, aged between roughly five and 12. “There are 17 fatalities from this incident and there are also others who were taken to hospital with serious injuries,” national police spokesperson Resila Onyango told AFP. “The bodies recovered at the scene were burnt beyond recognition,” she said. Police said the average…
Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, offered to plead guilty in his tax evasion trial on Thursday, as jury selection was about to get underway in a case that has been an embarrassment and a distraction for the US president. The 54-year-old is accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes over the past decade, splurging the money instead on luxury living, sex workers, and a drug habit. A trial had been expected to re-hash sordid details of a life that the defendant and his family—including the president—have long acknowledged had gone off the rails. But on Thursday morning, as US…
The U.S. Department of State announced a series of actions on September 4, 2024, aimed at countering Russian influence and interference. In coordination with the Department of the Treasury and other federal agencies, these efforts are designed to hinder covert Kremlin-backed activities that target U.S. democratic processes. One of the key actions includes the introduction of a new visa restriction policy. This policy specifically targets individuals who, acting on behalf of Kremlin-supported media organizations, use those platforms as cover to engage in covert influence operations. These individuals are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, efforts to manipulate U.S.…
The United States announced on Thursday that it had secured the release of 135 political prisoners from Nicaragua, marking the latest mass transfer by President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government. The White House stated that the prisoners included members of faith organisations, students, and others deemed by Ortega and his team as a “threat to their authoritarian rule.” The former prisoners have been sent to neighbouring Guatemala, where reformist President Bernardo Arevalo has worked closely with Washington on key migration issues. They will have the opportunity to seek relocation to the United States, according to the White House. “No one…
Cities in southern China suspended schools and cancelled some flights on Thursday, as tropical storm Yagi strengthened into a super typhoon and barreled straight for the holiday island province of Hainan. Yagi triggered floods and landslides on the main Philippine island of Luzon this week, leaving at least 13 dead, according to official figures. The tropical storm intensified into a super typhoon as it tracked west across the South China Sea, China’s Xinhua news agency said, packing winds of up to 209 kilometres (130 miles) per hour as it headed for Hainan. “Hainan upgraded its emergency response…
United States Vice President, Kamala Harris, on Wednesday, implored Americans to bring a halt to the “epidemic of gun violence” plaguing the United States, after a mass shooting at a Georgia high school left four people dead. The Democratic presidential candidate, speaking at a rally in New Hampshire, also reiterated her call for an assault-weapons ban — a position widely opposed by Republicans — and support for the further tightening of US gun safety laws. “This is just a senseless tragedy, on top of so many senseless tragedies,” Harris said of the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia,…
Turkey has become the first NATO member to formally apply for membership in the BRICS group of emerging market nations, which is led by Russia and China. This move highlights Ankara’s growing frustration with the West, particularly over stalled EU membership negotiations that began in 2005, and the US’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Despite its membership in the US-dominated NATO alliance, Turkey has not joined Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has positioned himself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, playing a key role in negotiations over grain…