Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

For months, Israeli officials have spoken of Palestinians leaving Gaza in large numbers. Now, discussions have emerged over a potential destination: South Sudan, one of Africa’s poorest and most conflict-stricken states. According to officials and individuals briefed on the matter, Israel has held talks with South Sudan about receiving refugees from Gaza. The move forms part of a wider Israeli strategy of promoting large-scale emigration from the enclave, devastated by nearly two years of war with Hamas. Critics warn that permanently displacing Gazans would amount to ethnic cleansing and a war crime. They note that some Israeli leaders have openly…

SwatchSwiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and withdrawn an advertisement featuring a model making a gesture widely condemned as racist, following a backlash on Chinese social media. The campaign showed an Asian male model pulling at the corners of his eyes, a gesture that internet users described as a racist caricature. The image quickly drew criticism on Weibo, with many calling for a boycott of Swatch and its associated brands, including Blancpain, Longines and Tissot. In a statement posted on Instagram and Weibo on Saturday, the company acknowledged the controversy and confirmed it had removed the material globally. “We sincerely apologise…

Twenty Unites States and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department over new immigration enforcement conditions tied to federal grants intended for crime victims. The legal action, lodged in federal court in Rhode Island on Monday, challenges a rule introduced under the Trump administration that makes funding contingent on compliance with federal immigration law. The case centres on the Office for Victims of Crime, a Justice Department division established 42 years ago, which distributes more than $1 billion annually to all 50 states. The funds support compensation schemes and services such as crisis counselling centres,…

Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-MaritMarius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been charged with 32 offences, including four counts of rape, prosecutors have confirmed. The 27-year-old, whose stepfather is Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s future king, is expected to face trial early next year. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face a prison sentence of up to ten years. The indictment, made public on Monday, accuses Høiby of raping four women between 2018 and November 2024. Prosecutors allege that the assaults took place after consensual intercourse, while the women…

The United States has announced that visa applicants will be required to submit details of all social media accounts they have used over the past five years. In a notice issued by the U.S. Mission, the directive applies to those completing the DS-160 form, the standard application for non-immigrant visas. Applicants must provide usernames or handles for every platform they have used during that period. “Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form,” the mission stated. What US says…

Donald Trump has piled pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the eve of high-level talks in Washington, declaring the Ukrainian president could end the war with Russia “almost immediately” if he chose to. Writing on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, the US president ruled out any prospect of Ukraine joining Nato or reclaiming Crimea as part of future negotiations with Moscow. Crimea, he said, had been lost under Barack Obama “12 years ago, without a shot being fired”. The remarks, made hours before Trump is due to host leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU and Nato…

The UK’s first transgender judge has launched a human rights case in Strasbourg after being excluded from a supreme court ruling that redefined the legal meaning of sex. Victoria McCloud, a retired judge now working as a litigation strategist at W-Legal, is seeking a rehearing of the case, which culminated in the supreme court ruling in April that the term “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 does not include transgender women, even if they hold a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). She argues the court breached her right to a fair trial by refusing to hear evidence from her or any…

Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday evening in one of the largest rallies in Israel since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, demanding both an end to the conflict and the release of hostages. The protest, which organisers said drew around 500,000 people, followed a day of nationwide strikes and demonstrations intended to pressure the government into halting its military campaign. Hostage Square, a plaza that has become the focal point for public anger, was packed with protesters chanting, “Bring them all home! Stop the war!” The Hostage and Missing Families…

The former head of Israel’s military intelligence has been recorded saying that 50 Palestinians should be killed for every Israeli who died during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, adding that it “does not matter now if they are children”. In recordings broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12, Aharon Haliva described the death toll in Gaza, which he put at more than 50,000, as “necessary” and a “message to future generations” of Palestinians. “They need a Nakba every now and then to feel the price,” Haliva said, referring to the mass displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians in 1948 following the creation…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will today begin the deportation of 42 Chinese and Philippine nationals convicted of cyber terrorism and Ponzi scheme offences. The group, the first batch out of 192 convicts, is scheduled to leave Nigeria on Sunday afternoon. They were among 759 suspects arrested during a major raid on Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, on 10 December 2024. According to the NIS, further batches will be repatriated on Monday and Tuesday, completing the deportation process. All the convicts have since been handed over to the Immigration Service for removal to their home countries. The syndicate had…