Lebanon’s lawmakers elected on Thursday army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacancy of the position, in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis. Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday, arrived inside parliament to swear his oath to general applause, wearing a dark suit and bright blue tie instead…
The Kremlin announced Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to meeting with incoming US President Donald Trump, following Trump’s assertion that plans for a meeting were underway. “The president has repeatedly stated his openness to contact with international leaders, including the US president, including Donald Trump,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Trump,…
The United States and Nigeria have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to repatriate $53 million in funds linked to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. The agreement was formalized in Abuja, marking another milestone in efforts to recover stolen assets. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN),…
By Abubakar Yunusa The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) has called on Ghana’s President John Mahama to step in and mediate the impending exit of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In a statement released Thursday, WADEMOS congratulated Mahama on his recent electoral victory and described…
Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello has vowed to ensure justice for a rescued Nigerian woman who was trafficked to Iraq in 2023, Miss Odunayo Eniola Isaac. The DG has directed officers of the counselling and rehabilitation department of the agency to immediately commence…
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), said no fewer than 5,601 people were killed in gang violence in Haiti in 2024, appealing for greater efforts by the authorities and the international community to address the root causes. These deaths represent an increase of over 1,000 in the total killings for 2023, according to figures verified…
A German couple on Tuesday confessed to killing a Ukrainian refugee and her mother in March 2024 in order to steal her baby. On the first day of the trial at Mannheim District Court, the two defendants admitted to killing the 27-year-old Ukrainian and her 51-year-old mother. “I regret everything I have done,” the man…
The U.S. said that it has eased some restrictions on Syria’s government to allow for humanitarian aid. The U.S. Treasury had issued a sanctions exemption for six months to “support the Syrian people as they build a more hopeful, secure, and peaceful future,’’ it said in a statement. In December, Syria’s new de facto leader,…
Singapore recorded 129 cases of murder, attempted murder, robbery, rioting, and serious harm involving knives as of November 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Tuesday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling announced that the list of regulated weapons will be expanded to include flick knives and knuckledusters in the first half of…
The chief of South Korea’s anti-corruption investigative agency on Tuesday apologised for the failure last week to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition. Oh Dong-woon, head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), said in a parliamentary session of the legislation and judiciary committee that he sincerely…
