Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

In a symbolic step toward resetting strained ties with the Vatican, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday to open a new chapter in U.S.-Vatican relations, centred around shared efforts to resolve global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. The high-level meeting marks the first formal encounter between the Trump administration and the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, whose peacemaking priorities appear to align with President Donald Trump’s recent diplomatic agenda. The meeting follows the sudden death of Pope Francis last month, one day after a…

In a series of dramatic drug enforcement operations across the country, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 82 year old woman, her daughter, a convicted 80 year old trafficker, and a polytechnic student, while intercepting drugs worth over N3.2 billion at major seaports. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed the arrests and seizures in a statement released on Sunday, May 18, 2025, highlighting what he described as a “multi-generational drug trafficking operation.” On Saturday, May 17, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 82 year old Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday in Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village, Abia State, where…

Russia launched its largest drone assault on Ukraine since the war began in 2022, killing a 28 year old woman and wounding at least three others, including a four year old child, in the Kyiv region. The overnight attack on Sunday involved a staggering 273 drones, primarily targeting Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk. The unprecedented strike came just one day before a scheduled phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, and two days after the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2022. While the scale of the attack appeared more symbolic than strategically destructive,…

European calls to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet of unflagged oil tankers surged this weekend, just ahead of a pivotal EU foreign ministers meeting set for Monday. The meeting is expected to impose sanctions on 180 additional vessels, bringing the EU’s total to 350 ships,  a decisive move in the ongoing economic pressure campaign against the Kremlin. The shadow fleet, believed to consist of 500 to 700 ageing, poorly insured tankers, is accused of circumventing G7 sanctions imposed in 2022. These ships, many sailing under flags of convenience, are estimated to carry around 85% of Russia’s oil exports, funding…

A sophisticated hacking group known as Scattered Spider is actively facilitating cyber-attacks on major retailers in the UK and US, cybersecurity experts from Google have revealed. The group, made up of English-speaking hackers largely based in the UK, US, and Canada, has been linked to recent data breaches at top UK retailers including Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, and Harrods. According to Charles Carmakal, Chief Technology Officer at Google’s Mandiant cybersecurity division, the group has shifted its focus across the Atlantic, with US retail companies now squarely in its crosshairs. “They tend to focus on a particular industry sector and…

A Russian drone strike on an evacuation minibus in northeastern Ukraine has killed nine civilians, most of them elderly women, sparking renewed outrage and a call for tougher international sanctions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The attack occurred early Saturday morning in Bilopillya, a town in the Sumy region near the Russian border, which has endured repeated bombardment in recent weeks. Local authorities say the bus was clearly marked and in the process of evacuating civilians when it was struck by at least one Lancet drone, a type of loitering munition used by Russian forces. “This was a deliberate killing…

A sweeping and deadly weather system tore across the Midwest on Friday, leaving a trail of destruction and heartbreak in its wake. At least 21 people have been confirmed dead across multiple states, with Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois bearing the brunt of the devastation. In southeastern Kentucky, a catastrophic tornado caused what authorities are calling a mass casualty event, killing nine people in Laurel County alone. According to Governor Andy Beshear, the overall death toll in the state has climbed to 14, with that number expected to rise as search efforts continue. “Kentucky, we’re starting today with the tough news…

At least 146 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours in Gaza, marking one of the deadliest escalations in the war since ceasefire talks collapsed in March. The intensified Israeli bombardment comes amid a near-total blockade on humanitarian aid, sparking international outrage and fears of a looming famine. According to Palestinian health officials, more than 300 people have died since Thursday due to Israeli airstrikes. The director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, Dr. Marwan al-Sultan, described the situation as “catastrophic,” reporting dozens of victims still trapped under the rubble. “Since midnight, we have received 58 martyrs,”…

André Ventura, the leader of Portugal’s far-right Chega party, has been hospitalised for the second time in two days after collapsing during a campaign rally.

At least 80 people have been killed in the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling across Gaza, as ceasefire negotiations stall and U.S. President Donald Trump draws global condemnation for suggesting the U.S. “take” Gaza and transform it into a “freedom zone.” Speaking during his Middle East tour in Qatar, Trump reiterated a controversial proposal he first outlined in February, an American-led redevelopment of Gaza as a luxury business and leisure destination. Critics have slammed the idea as a thinly veiled call for the displacement of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. “I have concepts for Gaza that I think…