Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Kurdish-led forces in Syria have announced their withdrawal from a major detention camp in the country’s north-east that houses tens of thousands of people linked to Islamic State, as Syrian government forces continue a rapid advance across the region. The future of al-Hawl camp has become a major concern for neighbouring states and the wider international community. The camp holds families of suspected IS fighters, including some of the group’s most hardline foreign women, and has long been described by security officials as a breeding ground for extremism. A smaller number of female detainees, including Shamima Begum, are held at…

Israeli crews have begun demolishing the Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees and fired teargas at a UN vocational school in the occupied West Bank. Bulldozers moved into the East Jerusalem compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) in the early hours of Tuesday. At the same time, Israeli forces fired teargas at a Unrwa vocational training centre in Qalandia, north of Jerusalem. Israel accuses Unrwa of collaborating with Hamas, an allegation the agency denies. Last year, Israel banned Unrwa from operating on territory it defines as Israeli. The demolition marks the latest…

Chinese tourism to Japan almost halved in December as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo deepened over the security of Taiwan. Japan’s transport ministry said arrivals from mainland China fell by about 45 per cent compared with the same month a year earlier, dropping to roughly 330,000 visitors. The decline came despite Japan continuing to attract record numbers of overseas travellers. A total of 42.7 million foreign visitors arrived last year, comfortably surpassing the previous high of nearly 37 million set in 2024. The fall in Chinese arrivals gathered pace towards the end of last year after Japan’s prime…

A global shortage of nearly one million midwives is leaving pregnant women without essential care, increasing the risk of preventable harm, including the deaths of mothers and babies, according to new research. The study found that almost half of the global shortfall is in Africa, where nine in 10 women live in countries with too few midwives to meet demand. Anna af Ugglas, chief executive of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and a co-author of the research, warned that overstretched health systems are struggling to cope. “Nearly one million missing midwives means health systems are stretched beyond capacity,” she…

At least 21 people were killed and 75 others hospitalised after two trains collided in southern Spain on Sunday evening, in what the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, described as “a night of deep pain” for the country. A high-speed Iryo train travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near the town of Adamuz and crossed on to the opposite track, where it struck an oncoming Renfe service, Spain’s rail infrastructure body Adif said. The second train was also derailed and plunged down an embankment. The crash occurred about 10 minutes after the Iryo train left Málaga at 6.40pm local time, according…

Senior European diplomats are preparing for emergency talks after Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries over their support for Greenland. The move has triggered sharp reactions across the continent, with leaders warning that the dispute risks damaging transatlantic relations and destabilising Nato. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, described the proposed tariffs as a “mistake”, while the Dutch foreign minister, David van Weel, accused the US president of using “blackmail” against allies. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to press the European Union to activate its anti-coercion instrument if Washington follows through on the tariffs, according to…

Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition have rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, accusing the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of failing to annex the territory and establish new Israeli settlements. The criticism followed the White House’s announcement of a new international framework for Gaza, including a so-called “board of peace” and an executive body involving foreign leaders. The inclusion of Turkey and Qatar, both outspoken critics of Israel’s war in Gaza, has angered hardline figures within Netanyahu’s government. Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, described Netanyahu’s approach as a fundamental failure. Writing on X, he said the…

A man accused of aiming a laser at the presidential helicopter Marine One while it was carrying Donald Trump has been acquitted by a jury in Washington DC after less than an hour of deliberations. Jacob Winkler, 33, was found not guilty on Tuesday following a trial that concluded with jurors reaching a verdict in about 35 minutes. He had faced a felony charge that carried a potential prison sentence of up to five years. The case marked another setback for Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News presenter appointed by Trump as US attorney for the District of Columbia, whose…

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has accused Morocco’s local organising committee of undermining Senegal’s preparations for Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against the hosts. In a statement released on social media, the FSF complained of inadequate security on arrival in Rabat, unsuitable accommodation, confusion over tra insufficient allocation of tickets for Senegal supporters. Senegal reached the final after defeating Egypt in Wednesday’s semi-final in Tangier. The squad travelled to Rabat on the Al-Boraq high-speed train, a journey of about 75 minutes. On arrival at the station, players and staff were surrounded by fans seeking photographs and videos. Footage shared…

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his artificial intelligence company, alleging that its Grok chatbot generated sexually explicit images of her, including images in which she appeared to be underage. Ashley St Clair has filed a lawsuit in the New York state supreme court against xAI, the company behind Grok, which operates on Musk’s social media platform, X. She claims the tool continued to generate explicit images of her despite promises that such content would be restricted. St Clair is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that dozens of sexually explicit and degrading deepfake images…