Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Brazilian authorities have suspended one of the most significant agreements safeguarding the Amazon rainforest, the soy moratorium, raising fears of renewed destruction on a vast scale. The move, which conservation groups described as a devastating setback, comes less than three months before Brazil hosts the Cop30 climate summit in Belém. The decision could open an area the size of Portugal to clearance for farming, prompting warnings that the country risks undermining its own climate commitments. The moratorium, introduced in 2006, was a voluntary pact between farmers, traders, environmentalists and multinational food companies including Cargill and McDonald’s. Under the agreement, soybeans…

The World Health Organisation has warned that corporal punishment poses a serious global public health threat, harming children’s physical and mental wellbeing and increasing the risk of later criminal behaviour. A new WHO report found that children exposed to corporal punishment were 24% less likely to be developmentally on track compared with those who were not. The study examined data from 49 low and middle income countries. Corporal punishment, defined as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light”, affects an estimated 1.2 billion children worldwide each year.…

Frank Caprio, the retired Rhode Island municipal judge who became an online sensation for his compassionate approach on the television series Caught in Providence, has died aged 88. His family confirmed on his official social media accounts that he “passed away peacefully” following “a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.” Caprio presided over Providence municipal court for nearly four decades, retiring in 2023. His courtroom became the setting for Caught in Providence, a reality series that won international attention for its sympathetic handling of minor offences. Clips from the programme, often showing Caprio’s humour and kindness, have been viewed…

North Korea has constructed a secret military base close to its frontier with China that may house its latest long-range ballistic missiles, according to new research by a US thinktank.

France has launched an investigation into the death of a man whose violent mistreatment was regularly streamed live on the video platform Kick.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced that major technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and TikTok, deactivated more than 13.5 million accounts in 2024 in line with Nigeria’s Code of Practice for online safety. The disclosure came following the submission of the 2024 compliance reports under the Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms and Internet Intermediaries, a regulatory framework jointly issued by NITDA, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) The Code requires large platforms to register in Nigeria, comply with local laws, pay relevant taxes and adopt measures to protect users…

Online forums debated whether criticising recent US military actions abroad, or sharing satirical posts about politicians, could fall within the new criteria.

Dozens of Microsoft employees staged an occupation at the company’s east campus in Redmond, Washington, protesting against what they claim is the use of its technology by the Israeli military in Gaza and the surveillance of Palestinians.

Moscow has insisted it must be part of any international discussions on Ukraine’s security, as the Kremlin continues to stall on Donald Trump’s effort to arrange a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Jordan on Wednesday, dismissed European diplomacy as “aggressive escalation” and “a clumsy effort to sway Trump”. He argued that talks on security guarantees without Russia were “a road to nowhere”, and repeated Moscow’s proposal for China to act as a guarantor, alongside Russia. Moscow as Beijing ally The idea, first raised in Turkey in 2022, is unlikely to be…

European leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington after Donald Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin failed to deliver a ceasefire. While Trump struck an upbeat tone, his European counterparts were more cautious. By Monday evening, the talks had produced no concrete commitments on security guarantees or progress towards a peace agreement. Here are some key points worthy of being acknowledged and noticed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest trip to Washington highlighted both the limits and contradictions of current diplomacy on Ukraine. Donald Trump signalled an ambition to bring Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy to the same table, hinting at bilateral and then…