Over 200 Students and Educators Kidnapped in Nigeria’s Latest Incident

Mass School Abduction in Niger State, Nigeria 227 pupils and teachers were kidnapped from St. Mary’s School in Niger State. This follows the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State. The attacks exemplify ongoing security challenges in Nigeria. Details of the Niger State Incident The recent abduction involved 215 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution. Attackers stormed the premises early on Friday morning. The school is located near a major road and operates alongside a…

Africa’s First G-20 Summit Kicks Off With Ambitious Plans

G-20 Summit in South Africa: Bridging Global Inequality The first-ever Group of 20 summit in Africa has commenced in South Africa with leaders gathering to address global challenges. The summit is marked by the absence of the United States, highlighting diplomatic tensions. The summit is held in Soweto, South Africa, a place with historical significance. Key agenda includes climate change, debt relief, and global inequality. The absence of the U.S. may influence the outcomes of the summit. South Africa’s…

G-20 Leaders Approve Key Declaration at Summit in South Africa

Historic G-20 Summit in South Africa Moves Forward Without U.S. The G-20 summit in South Africa made an unprecedented move by adopting its declaration without the United States, which boycotted the event over diplomatic tensions. This break in protocol signals a significant step for the summit hosted in Africa for the first time. The declaration was adopted at the start of the summit, a departure from standard procedure. South Africa positioned this as a victory amid U.S. absence. Key focuses include climate…

Somali forces free More than 30 hostages in surgical raids on Al-Shabaab strongholds

AFGOYE, Somalia — The Somali National Army rescued more than 30 civilians from Al-Shabaab detention sites during a targeted operation in Lower Shabelle, the Ministry of Defence said, marking one of the most significant hostage recoveries in recent months. The raid unfolded in Buula Madiina, a rural area in Afgoye district, where hostages were being held in makeshift camps, ministry officials said. Among those freed were at least two women. Somali forces killed three Al-Shabaab operatives guarding the compound and…

Somali shop owner killed by South African gunmen in Philippi, police say

A Somali businessman was shot dead inside his shop in Philippi, Cape Town, on Friday night, underscoring a rise in violent attacks targeting Somali traders in South Africa. The victim was identified by local sources as Mahmoud Abdi Osman. Osman was killed when armed assailants entered his store and opened fire, according to people familiar with the incident. Philippi is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous areas for Somali business owners, who have been repeatedly targeted in robberies and shootings. South African…

Lesotho Chief Justice Halts Appointments to Electoral Commission

Chief Justice Sakoane Sakoane has ordered a halt to the recruitment of new commissioners for Lesotho's electoral commission after a high court application challenged the constitutionality of the process. The applicants, who moved to the High Court, raised concerns about what they described as a "peculiar manner" in which an employment consulting firm was procured to assist the commission, and cited other unspecified irregularities that they say have marred the selection exercise. After hearing arguments from the parties,…

Trump Calls Meeting With Mamdani ‘Very Productive,’ Notes Progress

President Donald Trump said Thursday he had a "very productive meeting" with New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after the two met in the Oval Office to discuss cost-of-living pressures and public safety in the nation’s largest city. The session, requested by Mamdani, came amid earlier public sparring between the two leaders. Trump had threatened to withhold federal funding for New York and used inflammatory language to describe the 34-year-old former state lawmaker — calling him a "radical left lunatic," a communist…

Somalia’s opposition denounces alleged displacement, killings, and arrests in Mogadishu

Mogadishu opposition condemns alleged looting, forced displacement in Yaqshiid, cites killing and detentions MOGADISHU — The Somali Salvation Forum, a major opposition bloc, on Saturday condemned what it described as a wave of abuses in parts of Mogadishu, accusing security agencies of looting, forced displacement and other violations, particularly in the Yaqshiid district. In a statement, the Forum expressed condolences over the killing of Abdullahi Abdi Raage, a young resident of the Buulo-Geesaale neighborhood. According…

Nigeria Disputes U.S. Lawmaker’s Assertions About Captured Girls’ Beliefs

Kebbi Officials Dispute Claims of Religious Context in Schoolgirls' Abduction Local officials in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kebbi are vehemently contesting statements made by U.S. lawmaker Miley Moore regarding the recent abductions of schoolgirls in the region. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Moore claimed that the attack occurred in a "Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria," calling for prayers for the twenty-five schoolgirls kidnapped in this incident. He also urged the Nigerian government to take more…

South Africa’s Tobacco Legislation Falters Amid Rapid Rise in Youth Vaping

SOUTH AFRICA — South Africa faces what health researchers call a “vaping crisis” among adolescents while a long-promised overhaul of the country’s tobacco laws sits largely dormant. The draft Tobacco Bill published in 2018 — designed to extend smoke-free public spaces, introduce plain packaging and ban point-of-sale displays for both cigarettes and electronic cigarettes — has yet to clear the long road from proposal to law, leaving regulators and public-health advocates alarmed as youth nicotine use climbs. A 2024 study of…

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