The Duke of Sussex has said he is “taking a leap of faith” in stepping back from being a senior royal, saying “there really was no other option”. Speaking at an event on Sunday evening, Prince Harry said he and Meghan had hoped to continue serving the Queen, but without public funding. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t…
FOREIGN
Three men stabbed to death in London
Three men have died in a stabbing in east London. Police said they were called at about 19:40 GMT on Sunday to reports of a disturbance in Elmstead Road in Seven Kings, Ilford. The BBC reports that the three men, aged in their 20s or 30s, were found by emergency services with apparent stab injuries,…
Trump gives details of killing of Soleimani, ISIS leader Baghdadi
President Donald Trump has narrated minute-by-minute details of the US strike that killed Iran’s top military commander, Qassem Soleimani. Trump spoke at a GOP fundraising dinner held inside the gilded ballroom on his Mar-a-Lago property Friday evening, CNN reports. In his speech, Trump said Soleimani was “saying bad things about our country. How much of…
Pentagon says 11 US soldiers were hurt in Iran’s missile strikes
The US military acknowledged Thursday that 11 soldiers were wounded in an Iranian missile strike on a US base in Iraq, despite previously saying that there had been no injuries. “While no US service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from…
Khamenei calls Trump coward who will betray Iranians
Iran’s supreme leader said US President Donald Trump is a “clown” who only pretends to support the Iranian people, as he addressed Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time since 2012. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Trump will “push a poisonous dagger” into the nation’s back. He said the outpouring of grief at the funeral…
ECA, Zimbabwe sign agreement ahead of sustainable dev’t forum
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Zimbabwe government on Wednesday signed an agreement in preparation for the forthcoming Sixth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) which Harare is hosting in Victoria Falls from 24-27 February, 2020. Mr. Oliver Chinganya, Director of the African Centre for Statistics, signed on behalf of the ECA,…
UNGA President emphasizes need for diplomacy on Ukraine plane downing in Iran
Muhammad-Bande, UNGA president lists 2020 priority goals The Nigerian-born President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has rolled out plans for 2020 with peace and security, eradication of poverty , zero hunger and climate action as main areas of focus. Muhammad-Bande, who disclosed this while briefing states on Monday, said the…
Niger sacks military chiefs after deadly jihadist attack
Niger replaced two top military brass on Monday, four days after a jihadist assault on an army base left 89 dead in the biggest single loss in the country’s history. The new armed forces chief of staff is General Salifou Modi, who replaces General Ahmed Mohamed, the government said in a statement read on national…
Terrorists attack Niger, 69 soldiers killed
Scores of Nigerien soldiers have been killed by a terrorist gang at a military base in Chinagodrar. The attack happened on 9 January near the border with Mali. Eighty nine soldiers were killed by the terror group, worse than another attack on a military outpost in December 2019, in which 71 soldiers were killed by…
Queen Elizabeth II calls family meeting on Meghan, Harry’s next steps
Queen Elizabeth II has called a family meeting to discuss Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex’s announcement this past week that they plan to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family.” The meeting is scheduled for Monday and will be held at the queen’s Sandringham estate about 100 miles north of…