Author: David Great

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to become the first Western leader to meet both Israel’s premier and the Palestinian president on Tuesday, more than two weeks into the brutal Gaza conflict that has claimed thousands of lives. As Israel battles Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas after suffering the worst attack in its 75-year history, Macron visited to express solidarity but also to stress the need to protect Gaza’s civilian population in the withering bombing campaign. Hamas in its October 7 attack on southern Israel killed more than 1,400 people and took over 200 hostages, Israeli officials say. Retaliatory air and…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has authorised the establishment of a Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, disclosed this while briefing State House media shortly after the FEC meeting on Monday at the Presidential Villa Abuja. She stated that the trust fund will allow the Federal Government to respond quickly to humanitarian emergencies in the country. According to her, the federal government hopes to contribute at least $5 billion to the trust fund each year. Tinubu applauds Nigeria’s $11bn P&ID legal battle victory in UK court According to Edu, the…

The United States warned Monday that any Gaza ceasefire by Israel would benefit Hamas, as the European Union considers a call for a humanitarian pause. A ceasefire would “give Hamas the ability to rest, to refit and to get ready to continue launching terrorist attacks against Israel,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “You can understand perfectly clearly why that’s an intolerable situation for Israel, as it would be an intolerable situation for any country that has suffered such a brutal terrorist attack and continues to see the terrorist threat right on its border,” he said. Israel hammers Gaza…

Bandits in large numbers have stormed Danmusa town, the seat of Katsina State’s Danmusa Local Government Area, killing nine civilians. According to a resident of the town who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the gunmen stormed the town at 8 p.m. on Sunday and operated for hours, murdering nine people, including a police officer. He claimed the bandits also kidnapped an unknown number of individuals and injured several more. He went on to say that the intruders went home to steal things. “As I speak to you, there are security agents shooting guns.” That’s what he stated. Another town…

The Kenyan shilling sank to a new all-time low of 150 to the dollar on Monday, adding to the woes of people already battered by high inflation and a raft of new taxes. The shilling has been in decline for several years and plunged by almost 24 percent over the past year, under pressure from high debt levels and depleted government revenues. According to Central Bank of Kenya data, the dollar was selling at just over 150 shillings, although some commercial banks and foreign exchange bureaux have been trading it at that level or higher in recent weeks. Ken Gichinga,…

Nigeria finance minister Wale Edun on Monday claimed that the country is expecting $10 billion in foreign currency inflows in the next few weeks to ease liquidity in a foreign exchange market. Nigeria has faced chronic dollar shortages after foreign investors exited local assets during a period of low oil prices. Investors are yet to return and the Central Bank of Nigeria has not settled outstanding demand for dollars from foreign investors seeking to repatriate funds or airlines seeking to send money from ticket sales abroad. As a result of the shortages, some businesses and individuals have turned to the…

Denmark Deputy Prime Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Monday he was retiring from politics, just months after he returned from a six-month leave due to stress and overwork. His resignation will also mean he steps down as leader of the liberal Venstre party, which is part of Denmark’s ruling coalition party. “The short version: I am quitting Danish politics completely and permanently today,” Ellemann-Jensen, who is also economy minister, told a press conference. Venstre has seen opinion poll numbers drop since it entered a coalition government led by Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen. Ellemann-Jensen said that his personality overshadowed the party’s results…

The Supreme Court has claimed that there are contradictory letters from Chicago State University (CSU) on President Bola Tinubu’s certificate. Justice John Okoro, chairman of the seven-member panel hearing the suit of Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), filed against President Bola Tinubu’s victory, stated this on Monday. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the February poll, but his opponents challenged him in court. The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the pleas of Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, but they went…

The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on the appeal filed by Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election. After all parties had presented their arguments, a seven-member Supreme Court panel chaired by Justice Inyang Okoro scheduled the matter for judgement. Obi and the Labour Party, represented by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, petitioned the court to uphold their appeal and reverse the decision of the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC), which dismissed their plea. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Bola Tinubu, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), on…

The Supreme Court has reserved judgement in Atiku Abubakar’s and the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) appeal against the Presidential Election Petition Court’s (PEPC) September 6 decision, which validated President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2016 presidential election. After counsel for the parties adopted their briefs of argument and made final comments, a seven-member panel of the court chaired by Justice John Okoro made the announcement. The court also heard arguments from counsel to parties on the appellants’ application to supply new evidence. LIVE UPDATE: Supreme Court seven-member panel hears Atiku, Obi appeals against Tinubu’s victory Chris Uche (SAN), counsel for…