Nigeria Declares a Nationwide State of Security Emergency

Nigeria Declares Security Emergency Amid Rising Kidnappings Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has declared a sweeping security emergency in response to a recent surge in large-scale abductions across the country. The government is taking significant measures to combat the crisis. Deployment of additional security forces to affected areas Immediate recruitment of more military and police personnel Focus on improving security in schools and vulnerable regions National Response to Abductions The recent abductions…

Nestlé Faces Backlash Over Sugar ‘Double Standards’ in African Baby Nutrition

Nestlé Denies Claims of High Sugar Content in African Baby Foods Nestlé has firmly denied allegations that its baby food products sold across Africa contain higher levels of added sugar compared to those marketed in Europe. This response comes in light of a report indicating that over 90% of its Cerelac baby food products available in 20 African nations reportedly contain added sugars, often exceeding levels found in similar products sold in Europe. Despite the availability of sugar-free versions in European markets, the…

U.S. Special Forces, Puntland State hit ISIS hideout in Somalia’s Balade Valley

US Special Forces and Puntland State counterterrorism units on Wednesday carried out a coordinated raid on an ISIS hideout in Somalia’s Balade Valley, unleashing hours of gunfire and precision drone strikes that killed a senior commander and several militants, according to security sources. The joint operation inserted dozens of US troops by MH-60 helicopters and used MQ-9 Reaper drones to hit targets across the Habarbakuuje and Mareero areas of the valley, where intelligence indicated a fortified base was housing 10 to 15…

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Ends Operations, Concludes Emergency Relief Mission

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.- and Israeli-backed private organisation that took over large-scale aid distribution in Gaza this year, announced it is ending its mission after delivering more than 187 million free meals, the group said in a statement Thursday. GHF said the operation marked the “successful completion of its emergency mission in Gaza,” and that it has been in talks with other international humanitarian organisations and the Civil-Military Coordination Centre — a task force created by the U.S.…

Uganda halts admission of Somali, Eritrean, Ethiopian refugees amid aid funding cuts

Kampala, Uganda — Uganda has halted the granting of refugee status to asylum seekers from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, citing an absence of active armed conflict in those countries and a steep decline in donor support that officials say is straining the country’s capacity to assist new arrivals. Hilary Onek, Uganda’s minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, said he has instructed officials to stop processing new claims from citizens of the three countries. The move comes even as Uganda continues to…

Enhanced Safety Protocols Following Nigeria’s School Kidnappings

Ever-increasing security challenges in Nigeria, such as the mass school abductions of hundreds of students and staff in Kebbi and Niger states, have sparked national outrage and urgent calls for action. These tragic incidents have not only highlighted the vulnerabilities of educational institutions but also raised pressing questions about the government's ability to protect its citizens. The Kebbi civil society coalition condemned the abductions as direct attacks on education, a fundamental right for all children. Their…

Mutharika Warns Malawi Is Unprepared for Planting Season Amid Crisis

Malawi is unprepared for the upcoming planting season, with limited fertilizer stocks and the procurement of other farming inputs “dangerously” behind schedule, President Peter Mutharika told an International Monetary Fund delegation on Thursday. Mutharika made the rare public admission as he laid out a string of economic pressures that he said have constrained the government’s ability to mount an adequate agricultural response: a foreign‑exchange shortage, unstable fuel supplies and rising debt repayments. He said those…

Former UK prime minister David Cameron opens up about past prostate cancer diagnosis

David Cameron reveals prostate cancer diagnosis and urges targeted screening Former British prime minister David Cameron said he was successfully treated for prostate cancer and used his platform this week to press for a targeted screening programme for the disease, the most common cancer in men in the U.K. Cameron told The Times he was prompted by his wife, Samantha, to get tested after the couple heard Soho House founder Nick Jones speak about his own cancer experience on the radio. Cameron said the sequence of…

Memo reveals Trump administration orders review of Biden-era refugee admissions

Trump administration orders sweeping re-review of Biden-era refugee admissions, freezes green-card processing WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has ordered a comprehensive review and re-interview of refugees admitted to the United States under former President Joe Biden, an unprecedented step that could reopen cases for roughly 233,000 people and halt their path to permanent residence, according to an internal government memo seen by Reuters. The memo, dated Nov. 21 and signed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services…

Video: Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii sends rivers of molten lava

US Geological Survey cameras captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater during an eruption over the weekend, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Monday, and warned another lava-fountaining episode is likely. The activity was observed from fixed monitoring cameras inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, in a section of the park that remains closed to the public. Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024. Video released by the…