Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Public anxiety over a possible United States invasion of Nigeria under a renewed Donald Trump presidency reflects wider uncertainty about global politics rather than any imminent military reality. While Trump’s rhetoric and foreign policy instincts often generate unease, particularly outside the Western world, the fear of a direct U.S. invasion of Nigeria does not withstand serious scrutiny when examined against current affairs, strategic interests, and historical precedent. At present, Nigeria and the United States maintain a complex but cooperative relationship. The two countries are linked through diplomatic engagement, trade, counterterrorism efforts, and development partnerships. Despite moments of tension—particularly around security,…

German leftwing militants have claimed responsibility for an arson attack that caused a major power cut in Berlin, leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity and heating during freezing weather. The fire broke out early on Saturday on a bridge over the Teltow canal in the south-west of the city. Stromnetz Berlin, the grid operator, said up to 35,000 households and 1,900 businesses could remain without power until 8 January. Several high-voltage cables were damaged near the Lichterfelde heat and power station. State security authorities have opened an investigation into the blaze. A group calling itself Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group)…

Canadian officials and public health experts have warned that US health and science institutions can no longer be relied upon for accurate information, particularly on vaccines, amid concerns that misinformation from the Trump administration could undermine confidence in healthcare in Canada. Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist and professor at McMaster University in Ontario, said misleading claims from the US risk spilling over the border and influencing Canadian attitudes. “I can’t imagine a world in which this misinformation doesn’t creep into Canadians’ consciousness and lead to doubt,” she said. The warnings follow moves by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr,…

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, according to its neighbours, just hours before South Korea’s president was due to leave for talks in China expected to focus on Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the launches were detected at about 7.50am local time from the North’s capital region. The missiles travelled roughly 900km (560 miles), the military said. South Korean and US authorities are analysing details of the launches, while maintaining what the joint chiefs described as a “full readiness posture”. Seoul said it was also sharing information closely with Japan.…

BYD’s battery electric vehicle sales rose by 28% over the year, despite weaker sales in December.

Israel’s foreign ministry has accused New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, of stoking antisemitism after he revoked a series of executive orders signed by his predecessor, Eric Adams. In a post on X, the ministry said Mamdani was pouring “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire” by scrapping the city’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and lifting restrictions related to boycotts of Israel. “On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face,” the ministry said, describing the moves as a failure of leadership. Mamdani overturned an Adams-era order that formally adopted the…

Zohran Mamdani pledged to “reinvent” New York City on his first day as mayor, promising a “new era” for the largest city in the United States and an ambitious opening to his term. The 34-year-old democratic socialist, until recently a little-known state assemblyman, becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of south Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. He is also the first mayor to be sworn in on the Qur’an. Speaking to supporters, Mamdani said moments of change were rare, and rarer still when driven by the people themselves. He rejected advice to temper…

George Clooney has criticised Donald Trump after the US president attacked France for granting the Hollywood actor and his family French citizenship. Clooney, 64, his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and their two children became French citizens earlier this month, having lived for several years at a property in southern France. The Oscar-winning actor has praised France’s strict privacy laws, saying they have shielded his family from media intrusion. He has also spoken about his desire to raise his children away from Hollywood. Trump reacted on his Truth Social platform, welcoming Clooney’s departure from the United States. The president, whose administration…

Donald Trump has said he takes more aspirin than his doctors recommend but insists his “health is perfect”, according to an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The 79-year-old president said the daily dose causes him to bruise easily and that doctors have advised him to reduce it. He said he has ignored that advice because he has taken aspirin for 25 years. “I’m a little superstitious,” Trump told the paper. He said aspirin helped thin his blood and dismissed medical concerns. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart,” he said. “Does that make sense?” Like his predecessor,…

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City shortly after midnight in a private ceremony held at the disused Old City Hall subway station, marking the start of a day of celebrations that will include a public swearing-in and a block party outside City Hall. The 34-year-old was sworn into office by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, in the presence of close family members, including his wife, Rama Duwaji, his mother, the film-maker Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of African studies at Columbia University. “This is truly the honour and the privilege…