Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Smoking on beaches and in public parks across France has been officially banned from Sunday, under sweeping new rules designed to shield children from the dangers of passive smoking. The legislation, which also applies to bus shelters and areas within 10 metres of schools, libraries, and swimming pools, was published in the official government gazette on Saturday and came into immediate effect, one day ahead of schedule. The move is part of a broader national effort to create a “tobacco-free generation” by 2032. The timing of the ban, rolled out just one week before France’s school holidays begin, is no…

The US Senate, controlled by the Republican Party, has advanced President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending bill in a key procedural vote, increasing the likelihood of its passage in the coming days. The 940-page “megabill”, dubbed by Trump as his “big, beautiful bill”, aims to extend the 2017 tax cuts, lower other taxes, and significantly boost funding for border security, immigration enforcement, and the military. It cleared its first hurdle late on Saturday with a narrow 51-49 vote, following hours of tense negotiations and internal party discord. Two Republican senators, Thom Tillis and Rand Paul, broke ranks and voted…

Iran could be capable of producing enriched uranium again within months, despite recent strikes on its nuclear facilities by the United States and Israel, according to the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that although the damage inflicted was significant, Iran’s nuclear capabilities had not been entirely dismantled. “They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,” Grossi stated in remarks released…

Environmental campaigners, immigrant rights advocates, and a Native American tribe have condemned the construction of a controversial outdoor migrant detention facility deep within the Florida Everglades, branded by state officials as “Alligator Alcatraz”. Crews began work this week to prepare the remote site, located at a largely abandoned training airfield, for what has been described by critics as a “cruel spectacle” designed to house undocumented migrants in harsh, inhumane conditions. The facility is being built to support the Trump administration’s newly intensified immigration crackdown, which aims to detain and incarcerate up to 3,000 undocumented migrants per day. Set to open…

The United Nations has warned that armed groups in Colombia are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook to recruit children into their ranks. According to a new report by the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia, 474 cases of recruitment or use of children under 18 were verified between 2022 and 2024, with a sharp increase reported in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Of 118 reported cases this year, 51 have already been verified by UN investigators. The report raises the alarm over a growing trend of digital coercion, with armed groups using platforms…

Republican and Democratic senators have offered sharply conflicting views on President Donald Trump’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, following a delayed and contentious behind-closed-doors intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing, held on Thursday, was originally scheduled for Tuesday but postponed by the White House amid accusations of leaks, fueling Democratic outrage and accusations of obstruction. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer labelled the delay “outrageous”, accusing the administration of withholding crucial information from Congress. “Senators deserve full transparency, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening,” he said. Senators briefed by top security…

Japan has executed a man known as the “Twitter killer” for the brutal murders of nine people he met online, marking the country’s first use of the death penalty in two years. Takahiro Shiraishi, 33, was hanged on Friday after being convicted of murdering and dismembering nine individuals, mostly young women, whom he lured via Twitter, now known as X, in 2017. Shiraishi admitted to the killings, having approached vulnerable users on the platform who had expressed suicidal thoughts. He offered to help them die, before bringing them to his apartment near Tokyo, where he killed and mutilated them. The…

The United States and China have reached an agreement to expedite shipments of rare earth minerals into America, in what appears to be a significant step towards easing the long-running trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Speaking on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the deal had been signed the previous day, although he provided few details. He also hinted at a forthcoming agreement that would “open up” trade relations with India. China confirmed the details of the agreement on Friday and reiterated its commitment to approving export permits for controlled items. The breakthrough follows trade talks held…

Kenyans across the country are preparing for nationwide marches today to mark the first anniversary of the historic storming of parliament, honouring those killed and disappeared during last year’s anti-government protests. While the planned events are being organised as peaceful demonstrations, there are growing fears that the day may descend into violence. The protests of June 2024, sparked by a controversial finance bill proposing tax increases, claimed the lives of at least 60 people. Many others went missing or were later confirmed dead, fuelling a deeper national reckoning with state brutality and government accountability. Although the demonstrations began peacefully, they…

An initial classified assessment by the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has found that recent strikes ordered by President Donald Trump on Iran’s nuclear facilities did not destroy two key sites and are likely to have delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions by only a few months. The preliminary findings, shared by two individuals familiar with the report, suggest that Iran’s nuclear programme remains largely intact, despite Trump’s public declaration that the enrichment sites were “completely obliterated.” According to the DIA report, based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command, critical infrastructure, including centrifuges, could be operational again within…