Author: Opalim Lifted

Russia pledged at the United Nations on Monday to continue giving “comprehensive assistance” to Mali, where roughly 1,000 militants from Wagner’s mercenary organisation are assisting the West African state’s junta in fighting an Islamist insurgency. Following the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in an aircraft crash last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Wagner fighters to take an oath of allegiance to the Russian state. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador, stated that bilateral cooperation between Russia and Mali, as well as the military junta’s “sovereign choice” of international security allies, “keep our former Western partners awake at night.”…

A local official and a civil society activist reported on Monday that at least 14 people were killed in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri on Sunday when militia attacked parishioners worshipping in a church. Djugu territory administrator Ruphin Mapela and civil society activist Dieudonne Lossa said the attack was carried out by the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), one of numerous militias operating in the conflict-torn east. “The victims were praying to the Lord, but unfortunately, militiamen identified as CODECO opened fire on them,” Lossa explained. According to both, nine civilians, four attackers, and a soldier…

Britain’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) went down for many hours on Monday due to a technical fault, causing extensive disruption to planes in UK airspace that it predicted would last for some time even after the situation was resolved. Previously, the air traffic control agency had to restrict aircraft movement when its automatic processing of flight plans failed, forcing them to be processed manually and causing flight delays and cancellations. “It was repaired earlier this afternoon.” However, it will take some time for flights to resume regular operations, and we will continue to work with airlines and airports to…

The national signals intelligence agency disclosed that organized cybercrime will pose a danger to Canada’s national security and economic success during the next two years. Research by the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) disclosed that Russia and Iran are cybercrime safe havens where criminals may operate against Western targets. Ransomware attacks against key infrastructure, such as hospitals and pipelines, might be extremely rewarding. According to the report, cybercriminals continue to demonstrate resilience and the capacity to adapt their business models. “Organised cybercrime will very likely pose a threat to Canada’s national security and economic prosperity over the next two years,” CSE,…

South Africa and United States observers expressed worry over last week’s presidential and legislative elections in Zimbabwe and appealed for peace after the opposition termed the poll a fraud. The elections commission pronounced incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, the winner late Saturday, although the outcome has been hotly questioned by experts. Mnangagwa’s primary rival, Nelson Chamisa of the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change party, said on Sunday that he expected the international community to exert pressure on the electoral process. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that his nation has “taken note of the preliminary pronouncements by… the African Union…

Hundreds of Greek firefighters were battling a massive inferno on Monday that had killed at least 20 people in the previous 10 days and was Europe’s worst wildfire this summer as record-breaking heatwaves sparked blazes throughout the continent. The fire, which started near Alexandroupolis, has burned uncontrollably in northeastern Greece’s Evros area, fueled by gale-force winds and scorching temperatures. Except for one, all of the victims murdered thus far were illegal migrants sheltering in the jungle. “It is the definition of what we call a megafire,” government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said during a routine press conference. According to the European…

As the harsh economic conditions continue to bite, the average Nigerian, who could not bear the brunt in Bayelsa State, has looked for other means of survival by looting food items and other palliatives in a government-borrowed warehouse in Yenagoa. Bags of rice and garri, as well as cartons of noodles and bottled water, were stated to be among the relief commodities contributed by concerned Nigerians following the state’s flood crisis in 2022. The event started at 7:30 p.m., as several people stormed the warehouse located along the Isaac Boro Motorway with pick-up vans and private automobiles to transfer the…

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the ban on abayas in France. French conservatives on Monday hailed the government’s decision to prohibit pupils from wearing abayas, the loose-fitting, full-length gowns used by certain Muslim women, at state-run schools, but the measure sparked criticism and some mocking. Since 19th-century regulations abolished any traditional Catholic influence on public education, France has struggled to adapt norms to meet the needs of a rising Muslim population. The severe style of secularism known as “laicite” is a touchy subject that frequently sparks controversy. “Our schools are constantly put to the test, and in recent months,…

The House of Representatives (Reps) has vowed to abolish waivers in recruitment exercises in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the government. The lawmakers described the waiver as an abuse of recruitment processes, with alleged nepotism and favouritism taking centre stage. Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on Job Racketeering and Mismanagement of IPPIS, said this when the Provost, National Post-Graduate Medical College (NPGMC), appeared before the committee in Abuja on Monday. He said that MDAs had abused the waiver policy, adding that any MDA that grants waivers in its recruitment exercise is not doing the country any good.…

President Bola Tinubu has barred federal government officials with no direct participation at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from travelling with Nigeria’s delegation in efforts to cut the cost of governance. Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to President Tinubu, said this on Monday in a statement. As part of a broader effort to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to freeze the processing of visas for all government officials seeking to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly without proof of direct participation in the…