Pope expresses concern over rising cases of kidnappings in Nigeria

Head of the Catholic church, Pope Francis, on Sunday, expressed concern over the rising kidnappings in Nigeria, noting that the development as “extremely concerning”. The Pontiff, who expressed the concern in a statement via his X account, prayed that efforts by the Nigerian authorities to contain the menace yield fruit “as much as possible.” According to the Pontiff, “The increasingly frequent kidnappings in Nigeria are extremely concerning. I express my closeness in prayer to the Nigerian people, hoping that efforts will be made to contain the spread of these incidents…

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Rising Insecurity: “May God free Nigeria from these horrors” — Pope Francis prays 

Pope Francis has said a prayer for Nigeria over the worsening insecurity in Plateau State. Recall that on Christmas Eve, over 150 persons were killed in attacks by gunmen on communities in Ɓokkos and Barkin-Ladi LGAs of the north-central State. The attacks, which snowballed into Christmas Day, left houses razed and properties looted across some 17 communities. Reacting to the incidents in a tweet on New Year’s Eve, Pope Francis asked global citizens to join him in prayers “for the victims of the severe violence”.  “May God free Nigeria from…

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“2023, a year of violence, suffering, poverty, climate catastrophes” — UN Secretary-General, Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, expressed deep concern over the significant suffering, violence, and climate-related catastrophes experienced globally throughout 2023. In his New Year’s 2024 message Guterres highlighted 2023 as the hottest year on record, stating, “Humanity is in pain. Our planet is in peril. People are getting crushed by growing poverty and hunger. Wars are growing in number and ferocity. And trust is in short supply”. Guterres said that assigning blame or resorting to violence will not yield progress. He urged humanity to unite across differences…

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Angola quits OPEC effective immediately 

In a stunning development, Angola has announced its decision to leave the organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), effective immediately. The country’s oil Minister, Diamantino Azevedo, in a televised address, declared that OPEC membership was no longer serving Angola’s best interests, but declined to elaborate further, Reuters reported. This unexpected move throws a wrench into the oil cartel’s plans and sends shockwaves through global markets. Angola, a member of OPEC since 2007, cited dissatisfaction with the organization’s policies as the driving force behind its departure. Oil prices plunged on…

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Niger Rep. coup leaders agree to transition terms

Niger’s ruling military has agreed to terms and conditions of a transition back to civilian rule, and will present the plan to a regional bloc, the chief diplomat from mediator Togo announced on Thursday. Speaking on Niger’s national television, Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said he had reached an agreement “on the content and timing of the transition” with Niger’s junta-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine and foreign minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare. “We are ready to present the plan… to the mediating heads of state and the ECOWAS Commission,”…

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Financial Extravagance: Namibian President begs angry citizens

Namibian President, Hage Geingob, is begging the country’s citizens angry over his children being on the list of delegates to the COP28 climate summit.  Geingob’s plea came after Namibians discovered that his four children joined the government’s delegation to the summit in Dubai.  The four children, Kayla Elago, Nino Kalondo, Dangos Geingos, and Nangula Geingob, were among the six of Mr Geingob’s family members listed as part of Namibia’s delegation in the COP28 summit. Reacting in a terse statement on Monday, Geingob said his children paid for their expenses themselves,…

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US to press for extending Gaza truce – White House 

The United States (US) will continue to press for extending a truce in Gaza, the White House said yesterday, as intense fighting erupted once again in the Israel-Hamas war. A White House National Security Council spokesperson said, “We continue to work with Israel, Egypt, and Qatar on efforts to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza”. Under the truce which lasted a week, Hamas militants released 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. More humanitarian aid was also delivered to war-devastated Gaza. However, the prospects of re-establishing a truce…

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“I’m disappointed in myself” -Biden apologises over war on Gaza

President Joe Biden, of the United States, has apologised to some prominent Muslim-American leaders over his public questioning of the Palestinian death number reported by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. According to the New York Post, Biden was in the gathering of five Muslim-American leaders the day after his October 25 comments about reported Gaza deaths roiled the Islamic community, vowing to “do better.” In the meeting, which was initially billed for 30 minutes but lasted more than an hour, Biden heard the leaders describe individuals they knew who…

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Coup attempt in Sierra Leone, US reacts

An attempted coup in the capital city of Sierra Leone was thwarted in the early hours of yesterday, resulting in heavy gunfire and widespread chaos. The military arsenal base was breached and looted, and a fierce exchange of gunfire ensued between the coup plotters and government forces. Confirming the incident, President Julius Maada Bio, in a release declared a nationwide curfew as the military continues to search for the perpetrators. Another statement by the Minister of Information and Civic Education of Sierra Leone, Chernor Bah, said some unidentified individuals carried…

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EU halts advertising on X over ‘hate speech’

The European Union (EU)’s executive arm says it had informed its services to stop advertising on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, (formerly Twitter), after a surge in disinformation and hate speech. The Commission spokesman, Johannes Bahrke, who stated this yesterday, said: “We have seen an alarming increase in disinformation and hate speech on several social media platforms in recent weeks and X is certainly quite effected,” European. “We have therefore advised services to refrain from advertising, at this stage, on the concerned social media platforms, where we have concerns…

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