Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Hollywood legend, Denzel Washington said that he doesn’t consider himself a “Hollywood actor” during his March 23 appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning.” “What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor?” Washington asked during the interview. “Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a ‘Mt. Vernon actor.’ I don’t know what ‘Hollywood’ means.” Denzel Washington at August Wilson’s posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in January 2025. Getty Images “Somebody who’s famous on film? A film actor, great success on film?” the New York native continued. Washington described himself as “a stage actor who does film; it’s not the other way around.”…

The Hamas-run health ministry has announced that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. That number – 50,021 – equates to about 2.1% of the 2.3 million pre-war population of the territory, or around 1 in 46 people. A total of 113,274 others had been injured in the same period, the health ministry said. Figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) have been widely used throughout the war and are seen as reliable by the United Nations (UN) and international institutions. But Israel has consistently disputed data published by Gaza’s authorities. International journalists,…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for a snap election amid a festering trade war and annexation threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney, who was elected by the Liberal Party earlier this month to replace Justin Trudeau following his resignation, called the election for April 28, saying he needs a strong mandate to deal with tariffs issued by the Trump administration and the threat they pose to Canada’s economy. The election was originally set for Oct. 20. “We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to…

Seven suspected victims to be trafficked to Baghdad, Iraq have been rescued by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) during a raid at a popular hotel in Zamaru, near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The operatives also arrested the hotel manager. The raid was prompted by credible intelligence from stakeholders who had observed unusual activity, including the movement of young girls and suspicious individuals within the hotel, raising concerns about potential human trafficking. Saddened by the growing trend, Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, lamented the role of certain service providers in…

Pope Francis appeared at the window of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, offering a blessing for the first time since being admitted on February 14. The 88-year-old pontiff was discharged shortly afterwards, and doctors advised that he would need at least two months of rest at the Vatican, BBC reports. Dr. Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope, revealed that during the past five weeks, Pope Francis experienced “two very critical episodes” where his “life was in danger.” Dr. Alfieri clarified that the Pope was never intubated and remained alert and oriented throughout his hospital stay.…

Russian authorities said on Sunday that its air defence units destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones that targeted Russia’s southwestern regions and killed one person in Rostov. In a message on Telegram, the Russian defence ministry said that 21 of the drones were downed overnight over the Rostov region in Russia’s south, adding that another 20 were downed over the Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea. The ministry said the rest of the drones were downed over the Voronezh, Volgograd, Kursk and Saratov regions, as well as over Crimea. The acting governor of the Rostov region that borders Ukraine, Yuri Slyusar, said…

The Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has accused the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi of scheming to remove him from his stool. The Oluwo, in a now viral video, said he influenced Oba Ogunwusi’s emergence as the Ooni when he was contesting the stool in 2015, expressing regrets that the Ooni had been orchestrating his removal for no known reason Oba Akanbi also alleged that Oba Adeyeye was behind his suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas a few years back. However, the Ife monarch has dismissed Oluwo’s allegation, adding that he would not react to it as…

The security cabinet of Israel on Sunday approved a plan to separate 13 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from their neighbouring communities. Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, in a post on X, said the settlements would ultimately be recognised as independent, which follows the approval of tens of thousands of housing units across the West Bank. Smotrich said in the ststement, “We continue to lead a revolution of normalisation and regulation in the settlements. Instead of hiding and apologising – we raise the flag, build and settle. This is another important step on the path to actual sovereignty…

44 civilians have been killed in a terrorist attack on Fambita village in the Tillabéri region of Niger Republic, the government authorities have confirmed. The government attributed the assault to militants of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). A counter-insurgency expert focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Saturday. According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the attack occurred on Friday while Muslim worshippers were observing prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. The assailants, heavily armed, surrounded the mosque before launching their assault. “These…

Pope Francis will be discharged from the hospital on Sunday — five weeks after he was admitted for treatment for double pneumonia, the doctors treating the pontiff announced Saturday. He will return to the Vatican, but doctors said he will need at least two months of rest and rehabilitation after leaving Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The 88-year-old pontiff has been battling double pneumonia in both lungs after he was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis that made it difficult for him to speak. He has remained out of public view since then. His doctors held…