Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

A suicide bombing carried out by the Islamic State (IS) at a church in Damascus has left 22 people dead and at least 63 wounded, according to Syrian state media. The attack, which took place on Sunday night, marks the first major IS operation and suicide bombing in Syria since the ousting of former president Bashar al-Assad in December. The assailant, identified as an IS affiliate, entered the Greek Orthodox Saint Elias Church in the capital’s old Christian quarter during evening prayers. After opening fire on worshippers, he detonated an explosive vest inside the sanctuary, the Syrian interior ministry reported.…

The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has echoed claims by Donald Trump that a covert American military operation has “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, even as the Pentagon admitted it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage. Speaking at his first Pentagon press briefing since taking office, Hegseth praised Operation Midnight Hammer, a large-scale strike that reportedly targeted Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites, Natanz, Fordow, and Esfahan, in a coordinated bombing campaign. “It was an incredible and overwhelming success,” Hegseth declared, dressed in a navy suit with a US flag pocket square. “Thanks to President Trump’s bold…

Vice-President JD Vance has drawn widespread criticism after referring to California Senator Alex Padilla by the name of a convicted terrorist, prompting accusations of pettiness and racial provocation from Democrats and observers nationwide. The controversy stems from a press event on Friday during Vance’s visit to Los Angeles, where he was questioned about the Trump administration’s aggressive response to recent anti-ICE protests. In a remark widely condemned as deliberate and inflammatory, Vance referred to the senator as “Jose Padilla”  invoking the name of a U.S. citizen convicted in 2007 of plotting to detonate a radioactive bomb for al-Qaida. “I was…

While Brazil contends with the trial of a former president over an attempted coup and the current leader’s worst popularity ratings in years, another, seemingly unrelated subject has gripped public attention: reborn dolls. These hyper-realistic baby dolls, often handmade and costing up to £2,500, have dominated headlines, social media, soap operas, and even legislative agendas in recent weeks. Around 30 bills concerning reborn dolls have been introduced across various levels of government. Some proposals seek to ban the dolls from receiving public healthcare services or prevent collectors from claiming priority in public queues. The phenomenon has provoked widespread mockery online.…

Pope Leo XIV has declared there must be no tolerance within the Catholic Church for any form of abuse, whether sexual, spiritual, or an abuse of authority, as he calls for transparent processes and a robust culture of prevention across the global Church. In his first public statement on the long-running clergy sex abuse crisis, the newly elected pontiff addressed a message to Peruvian journalist Paola Ugaz, whose investigative work helped expose one of Latin America’s most notorious Catholic scandals. The message, read aloud on Friday evening during a stage performance in Lima based on Ugaz’s reporting, centred on the…

Six people have died and two others remain missing after a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe on Saturday afternoon, local authorities have confirmed. The incident occurred near DL Bliss State Park when a 27 foot vessel was reportedly struck by a large swell, causing it to overturn. The U.S. Coast Guard and emergency services responded swiftly to distress calls, but were met with tragic scenes on arrival. According to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDSO), six fatalities have been confirmed. Two survivors were rescued from the water and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, while a further two…

In Brazil, at least eight people have died and several others have been injured after a hot-air balloon carrying over 20 passengers caught fire mid-air and crashed in the southern state of Santa Catarina on Saturday morning.

Pakistan has announced plans to recommend U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in de-escalating a recent armed conflict between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan. The announcement, made Saturday, praised the U.S president for his “strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship,” with Pakistani officials crediting his diplomatic intervention for halting a four-day exchange of hostilities earlier this year. A government statement called the ceasefire a “testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker.” While heads of state and governments are eligible to nominate individuals for the Nobel Peace Prize, there has been no immediate reaction from…

Two Nigerian communities, Bille and Ogale, are set to take oil giant Shell and its Nigerian-based subsidiary, now known as Renaissance Africa Energy Company, to trial in the UK High Court in 2027 over long-standing oil pollution claims.

A record number of children were subjected to violence in armed conflict zones in 2024, according to a harrowing new report by the United Nations. The annual Children and Armed Conflict report, presented to the UN Security Council, revealed a 25% rise in grave violations against children, with 22,495 affected by killings, injuries, recruitment, or the denial of humanitarian aid. The total number of verified violations, including some committed in earlier years but only confirmed in 2024, reached a staggering 41,370, the highest since the UN began documenting such incidents in 1996. “This must serve as a wake-up call. We…