India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following intense U.S.-led diplomatic intervention, ending days of cross-border missile strikes and escalating military conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations. The ceasefire was announced Saturday afternoon by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, declaring the deal a success of “Common Sense and Great Intelligence” after 48 hours of backchannel diplomacy spearheaded by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and…

Lagos, May 10, 2025 — The Nigerian naira appreciated by 0.23% against the U.S. dollar today, reflecting subtle shifts in forex demand and the effects of recent monetary policies. According to official data, the exchange rate improved from ₦1610.76/$1 on May 9 to ₦1607.11/$1 on May 10. The modest gain, though small, highlights the continued volatility and pressure in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market. Analysts attribute the movement to fluctuating demand,…

The Brazilian government has officially declined a request from the U.S. State Department to classify two of the country’s most notorious criminal gangs, Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), as terrorist organizations, according to Brazil’s National Secretary of Public Security, Mario Sarrubo. The request was made during a high-level meeting between U.S. and Brazilian officials on Tuesday in Brasília, where American delegates raised concerns over the transnational…

The Nigerian naira recorded a marginal depreciation of 0.19% against the US dollar today, May 9, 2025, compared to the previous trading session. According to official data, the exchange rate moved from ₦1607.72 on May 8 to ₦1610.76 per $1. This slight loss reflects shifting dynamics in forex demand, ongoing supply constraints, and current monetary policies enacted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).  Daily Naira Market Rates (May 9,…

Food aid for one million refugees in Uganda has been cut off entirely this week, as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) grapples with a deepening funding crisis. The abrupt halt has triggered widespread fear of starvation, instability, and forced repatriation across Africa’s largest refugee-hosting nation. The WFP sounded the alarm weeks ago, urgently appealing for $50 million to continue supporting refugees escaping war and violence in the Democratic…

President Donald Trump abruptly fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, on Thursday, marking the latest in a string of high-profile dismissals by the administration and prompting immediate backlash from lawmakers and library advocates across the country. In an email obtained by NBC News, Trent Morse, deputy director of presidential personnel, delivered the news to Hayden on behalf of the president: “Your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated…

The Pentagon has issued a new directive ordering the removal of up to 1,000 openly transgender service members from the military, following the Supreme Court’s greenlight for the Trump administration’s controversial ban to take effect while legal challenges continue. The directive, released Thursday, gives all remaining transgender personnel 30 days to self-identify before being subject to medical record reviews and potential discharge. This marks the most aggressive enforcement yet of…

In a new diplomatic push to end the grinding war, Ukraine and top officials from the United States, France, Britain, and Germany have discussed ways to pressure Russia into accepting a 30-day ceasefire. The talks, held online, focused on a U.S.-backed proposal that Ukraine has signaled willingness to implement immediately. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, revealed details of the conversation on Thursday, saying the parties…

In a historic development, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States has been chosen as the new pope. This marks the first time an American has ascended to the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. The 69-year-old has adopted the papal name Pope Leo XIV. A plume of white smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, signalling to the world that the conclave of…

After two days rounds of ballots, white smoke finally rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Thursday evening, confirming the election of a new head of the Roman Catholic Church and signalling the end of a closely guarded conclave involving 133 cardinal electors. A jubilant crowd erupted into cheers in St Peter’s Square as the smoke changed from black to white and bells began to toll. The age-old sign that…

Organised criminal gangs wield such power over prisons across England and Wales that they are corrupting staff, fuelling violence, and enforcing drug debts behind bars, according to prisons minister James Timpson, who says the scale of the problem is so severe it “keeps me awake at night”. In a candid interview with The Guardian, Timpson revealed that a “beefed up” counter-corruption unit had prosecuted 37 prison staff members last year…

Taiwan’s newly inaugurated president, Lai Ching-te, has drawn a bold historical parallel between his island nation and the European democracies that stood on the brink of war with Nazi Germany in the 1930s, warning of the growing threat posed by modern authoritarian regimes. In a striking speech delivered to foreign dignitaries gathered in Taipei to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe, a first-of-its-kind official observance by…