Author: Faith Daniel
The Scott Bessent announced that the United States is likely to implement a 15% global tariff this week. This follows conflicting statements from former Donald Trump about the rate after the Supreme Court struck down last year’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The new tariff aims to replace the previous sweeping import taxes and rebalance trade, support domestic manufacturing, and reduce US debt. Initially, the White House applied a 10% tariff using Section 122, which allows the president to impose duties of up to 15% for 150 days under certain conditions. The administration also plans to use Section 301 and Section 232…
The UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has contacted Meta Platforms after reports that outsourced workers were able to view sensitive footage from the company’s AI-powered smart glasses. The glasses, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban, allow users to record videos and interact with AI hands-free. According to Swedish newspapers Svenska Dagbladet and Goteborgs-Posten, workers at a Nairobi-based subcontractor, Sama, sometimes viewed intimate content, including users in private situations such as bathrooms or bedrooms. Meta stated these reviews were meant to improve the device experience and that content is filtered to protect privacy, though the safeguards occasionally fail. The ICO…
The UK government has announced it will stop issuing study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and will also halt skilled work visas for Afghans, citing widespread visa abuse. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said many individuals from these countries were applying for asylum after arriving in the UK on a study visa, with asylum claims from these students increasing sharply between 2021 and 2025. Official figures show that 95% of Afghan students who arrived on study visas applied for asylum, while claims from Myanmar students increased sixteen-fold, and those from Cameroon and Sudan more than quadrupled. The…
Nigeria’s medical authorities have provisionally suspended the director of a private hospital and two other doctors following the death of the 21-month-old son of author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Nkanu Adichie-Esege, one of twins, died on 7 January after complications arose during preparatory medical procedures at Euracare Hospital in Lagos. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria investigation panel found a prima facie case of medical negligence against Euracare and Atlantis Hospital regarding the child’s care. Pending the outcomes of a disciplinary tribunal, the three doctors have been suspended from practising medicine. Dr Munir Bature, publicity secretary for the Nigeria Medical…
Nigeria has suspended all Christian pilgrimages to Israel and the occupied West Bank with immediate effect, citing growing security risks linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. The decision was announced by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, which oversees the coordination of Christian pilgrimages from the country. In a statement, the commission said the move was necessary to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of Nigerian pilgrims as tensions continue to rise across the region. The suspension applies to both state-organised pilgrimages and trips arranged by private tour operators, and will remain in place until authorities believe conditions have…
Belgian authorities have detained three people suspected of involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Cameroon’s long-running separatist conflict, federal prosecutors have said. The suspects are believed to be senior figures within the Ambazonia Defence Forces, an armed group fighting for the independence of Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions in the predominantly French-speaking country. Prosecutors allege that the suspects helped co-ordinate the rebellion from Belgium, including raising funds for weapons and issuing instructions for attacks carried out in Cameroon. “Money is reportedly being raised for the armed struggle and for the purchase of arms and ammunition, and instructions…
South African drugmaker Aspen Pharmacare says it expects double-digit profit growth for the full 2026 financial year, even after reporting a sharp decline in earnings during the first half, driven largely by once-off restructuring costs. The company reported a 21% drop in normalised headline earnings for the six months ended December 31, with earnings per share falling to 574.8 cents. Normalised EBITDA declined 13% to about 5 billion rand, reflecting the financial impact of restructuring loss-making manufacturing operations in France and South Africa. Aspen said it incurred a one-off restructuring charge of 695 million rand as it works to streamline…
Sudan has, for the first time, accused Ethiopia of playing a direct role in its civil war, alleging that attack drones were launched from Ethiopian territory into Sudan during strikes carried out in February and March. In a statement released late on Monday, Sudan’s foreign ministry said the alleged drone operations mark a serious escalation in the nearly three-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a war that has already become one of the deadliest in the world and has displaced millions. According to the ministry, the drone launches constitute “a blatant violation of Sudanese…
Divisions within the Anglican Church are deepening as conservative clergy move to appoint a rival global leader just weeks before the installation of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. Clerics from the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), a conservative Anglican movement, have gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, to choose their own “first among equals” in open opposition to Sarah Mullally, who was confirmed in January as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. Her formal installation is scheduled for later this month in England. Mullally’s appointment marks a historic moment for the Anglican Communion, which comprises nearly 95 million worshippers worldwide. But it…
The United States has imposed sanctions on Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior Rwandan military commanders, accusing them of fuelling the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). The US Treasury Department said Rwanda’s army had undermined a US-brokered peace agreement by training, arming and fighting alongside the M23 rebel movement. The deal, signed in December by Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was intended to end years of fighting in the mineral-rich region. Rwanda has strongly denied the accusations, saying the sanctions unfairly target one side and “misrepresent the reality and…
