Special US Operation Forces Rescue American Citizen Held Hostage in Nigeria by Jessy Samuel

Special US Operation Forces Rescue American Citizen Held Hostage in Nigeria by Jessy Samuel

US special operations forces on Saturday rescued an American citizen taken hostage by armed men earlier this week in Niger and held in northern Nigeria, the Pentagon said.

“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men. This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.

“We appreciate the support of our international partners in conducting this operation. The United States will continue to protect our people and our interests anywhere in the world.”

The mission, which was several hours long, was conducted by the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 who were flown to the region by Air Force special operations, a US official with knowledge of the operation told CNN.

The US forces who conducted the mission killed six of the seven captors, the official said. The US believes the captors have no known affiliation with any terror groups operating in the region, and were more likely bandits seeking money.

The State Department confirmed earlier this week that a US citizen had been abducted in Niger.

Local media outlets reported that the US citizen was a male missionary. CNN has not been able to confirm the citizen’s identity.

The governor of the local region where the abduction took place was quoted in various local media and by French media reporting from Niger as saying that six men on motorbikes armed with AK-47s came to the man’s property in the village of Massalata, close to the border with Nigeria.

The governor, Abdourahamane Moussa, told these media outlets that after demanding money, the men took the American citizen with them in the direction of the Nigerian border.

The State Department spokesman said that “when a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we share information with families however we can.”

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US citizen would be reunited with his family.

“Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our military, the support of our intelligence professionals, and our diplomatic efforts, the hostage will be reunited with his family,” Pompeo said in a statement. “We will never abandon any American taken hostage.”

President Donald Trump on Saturday thanked the special operations forces for rescuing the American citizen and said more details about the mission would be shared in “a very short period of time.”

“I want to thank the Special Forces. We had a tremendous event happen and really these are incredible people that do this,” Trump told reporters as he departed for a day of campaign travel.

Source: CNN

Actor Sean Connery Dies at 90 by Jessy Samuel

Actor Sean Connery Dies at 90 by Jessy Samuel

Sir Sean Connery has died at the age of 90, his family has said.

The Scottish actor was best known for his portrayal of James Bond, being the first to bring the role to the big screen and appearing in seven of the spy thrillers.

Sir Sean died peacefully in his sleep, while in the Bahamas, having been “unwell for some time”, his son said.

His acting career spanned decades and he won an Oscar in 1988 for his role as an Irish cop in The Untouchables.

Sir Sean’s other films included The Hunt for Red October, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Rock.

Jason Connery said his father “had many of his family who could be in the Bahamas around him” when he died overnight.

He said: “We are all working at understanding this huge event as it only happened so recently, even though my dad has been unwell for some time.

“A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor.”

Sir Sean was largely regarded as being the best actor to have played 007 in the long-running franchise, often being named as such in polls.

He was knighted by the Queen at Holyrood Palace in 2000. In August, he celebrated his 90th birthday.

He was a long-time supporter of Scottish independence, saying in interviews in the run-up to the 2014 referendum that he might return from his Bahamas home to live in Scotland if it voted to break away from the rest of the UK.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I was heartbroken to learn this morning of the passing of Sir Sean Connery. Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons.”

Source: BBC News

Covid-19: PM Considering England Lockdown Next Week by Raphael Bichene

Covid-19: PM Considering England Lockdown Next Week by Raphael Bichene

The prime minister is considering a month-long lockdown across England in the hope that measures could be eased before Christmas.

A new “stay at home” order could be announced on Monday, with schools, colleges and universities exempt.

Documents seen by the BBC suggest the UK is on course for a much higher death toll than during the first wave unless further restrictions are introduced.

Deaths could reach more than 4,000 a day, one of the models suggests.

This figure is based on no policies being brought in to slow the spread of the disease, but most of the models peak at about 2,000 a day.

At the height of the pandemic during the spring, deaths in the UK reached more than 1,000 a day.

Infection rates are currently soaring across much of Europe, prompting new forms of lockdown in Belgium, France and Germany .

And a separate document circulating in government – based on NHS England modelling from 28 October – warns that the NHS would be unable to accept any more patients by Christmas, even if the Nightingale hospitals are used and non-urgent procedures cancelled.

The document warns that south-west England and the Midlands will be the first to run out of capacity, potentially within a fortnight.

A government source said that the country is at a “crunch point”.

No final decisions have yet been taken, and not all cabinet members have yet been consulted on the next steps.

But it seems that Mr Johnson is likely to take the national action that he swore he would do everything to avoid.

Source: BBC

Femi Adesina Sheds Light on Meeting Between Former Heads of State and President Buhari by Raphael B

Femi Adesina Sheds Light on Meeting Between Former Heads of State and President Buhari by Raphael B

Presidential aide, Femi Adesina has shed light on the meeting between Nigeria’s former heads of state and President Muhammadu Buhari.

Adesina who spoke on Friday, said the #EndSARS protests and other national issues were discussed during the parley.

“Lives had been lost in scores, countless public and private properties burnt, there was murder and mayhem everywhere,” Adesina explained in a post on his website captioned “Inside PMB’s Parley With Former Heads of State.”

“So, it was needful that all former leaders of the country meet to put heads together, and fashion pragmatic ways forward.”

He applauded the former leaders for turning out for their motherland, saying their cumulative experience came handy especially as the country tried to restore law and order.

“All that weight of experience was available at the meeting on that day, for the country to draw from, in restoring peace and cohesion after about two angry weeks,” he added.

According to Adesina, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon who gave the opening speech agreed that the #EndSARS protests which began peacefully, was later hijacked by some “organized miscreants.”

“Drawing from experiences in 1967, before the Nigerian Civil War, Gen Gowon gave some recipes for the government to consider,” the presidential aide quoted Gowon as saying.

He said President Buhari who spoke next, gave details of how the protests began, and efforts made by the government to address the demands of the demonstrators.

Buhari, he said, “did not mince words that what started as [a] legitimate protest by youths, was hijacked and misdirected by enemies of the country.”

He described former President Obasanjo as Frank but affable . According to him no tension was discerned and he ” lauded the Nigerian leader for his speech the previous night.”

On the job and economic situation in the country, he said the interventions being made were good, but not far-reaching enough for a population of 200 million people,” Adesina who was sworn-in as special adviser on media and publicity to Buhari on August 31, 2015, said, referencing Obasanjo.

On his part, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) who expressed sadness at the turn of events in Africa’s most populous nation, extended his condolences to those who lost loved ones and properties.

IBB expressed worry at the quality of intelligence available to Nigerian security agencies, and commended “the government for the efforts so far, to end the protests.”

Chief Ernest Shonekan, who according to Adesina was brief in his speech ,called for proactiveness to curb similar developments in the future, stressing that such meetings should hold often to proffer solutions to national issues.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar who was present at the meeting also harped on the need for better intelligence on the part of security agencies and espressed believe that there is a need for more collaboration with the international body.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, raised some fundamental questions though he hailed President Buhari for his speech.

The former Bayelsa State Governor said posers like “what led to the crisis?” would help the country in forestalling future occurrences, and admitted that the root cause of the crisis had been with Nigeria.

The protest that necessitated the meeting started when young Nigerians took to the streets, demanding the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) accused of many atrocities over the past few years.

France Attack: Attacker Recently Arrived From Tunis by Francisca Ogar

France Attack: Attacker Recently Arrived From Tunis by Francisca Ogar

The Tunisian man who killed three people in a French church only recently arrived in Europe, officials say.

The suspect, 21, had an Italian Red Cross document, issued after he arrived by a migrant boat to Italy’s Lampedusa island last month. He was shot by police and is in a critical condition.

One of the victims of Thursday’s knife attack at the Notre-Dame basilica in Nice was “virtually beheaded”.

President Emmanuel Macron said it was an “Islamist terrorist attack”.

Mr Macron said the number of soldiers being deployed to protect public places – such as churches and schools – would rise from 3,000 to 7,000. Anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation, and France has raised its national security alert to the highest level.

Thursday’s stabbings in the southern French city have echoes of another attack earlier this month near a school north-west of Paris. Samuel Paty, a teacher, was beheaded days after showing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to some of his pupils.

That murder has heightened tensions in France. Mr Macron’s defence of the right to publish the cartoons and the government’s attempts to crack down on radical Islam have angered Turkey and other Muslim-majority countries.

The suspect in the Nice attack was heard repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) before being shot by police.

A Koran, two telephones and a 30cm (12-inch) knife were found on the attacker, said French chief anti-terrorist prosecutor Jean-François Ricard.

“We also found a bag left by the attacker. Next to this bag were two knives that were not used in the attack,” he added.

Police sources named the attacker as Brahim Aouissaoui.

The suspect is in a critical condition in hospital, Mr Ricard said.

Speaking after visiting Nice, Mr Macron said: “If we are attacked once again it is for the values which are ours: freedom, for the possibility on our soil to believe freely and not to give in to any spirit of terror.

“I say it with great clarity once again today: we won’t surrender anything.

“Two other attacks took place on Thursday, one in France and one in Saudi Arabia.

A man was shot dead in Montfavet near the southern French city of Avignon after threatening police with a handgun.

A guard was attacked outside the French consulate in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. A suspect was arrested and the guard taken to hospital.

Source: BBC

Corbyn Suspended over Labour Anti-semitism Attack by Jessy Samuel

Corbyn Suspended over Labour Anti-semitism Attack by Jessy Samuel

Labour has suspended former leader Jeremy Corbyn after an inquiry found the party was “responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination” during his time in charge.

The UK’s human rights watchdog identified “serious failings” in dealing with anti-Jewish racism.

And the watchdog said Mr Corbyn’s office had “politically interfered” in the complaints process.

Mr Corbyn insisted he did everything [he] could” to tackle the issue.

Source: BBC

UN Official Expresses Concern Over Growing Tension Caused by Mohammed Cartoons by Francisca Ogar

UN Official Expresses Concern Over Growing Tension Caused by Mohammed Cartoons by Francisca Ogar

The head of a UN anti-extremism body expressed “deep concern” Wednesday about growing tensions over satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, urging “mutual respect” between people of different faiths and political views.

The statement by Miguel Angel Moratinos — who heads the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations — follows growing anger in the Muslim world over France’s response to the beheading of a teacher who had shown his pupils the images as part of a class on free speech.

President Emmanuel Macron has vigorously defended the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed on free speech grounds, sparking angry protests across swathes of the Muslim world and campaigns to boycott French products.

The UN High Representative “is following with deep concern the growing tensions and instances of intolerance triggered by the publication of the satirical caricatures depicting Prophet Mohammed,” according to the statement.

“The inflammatory caricatures have also provoked acts of violence against innocent civilians who were attacked for their sheer religion, belief or ethnicity,” Moratinos said in the statement, without explicitly referring to Macron’s defense of the images.

“Insulting religions and sacred religious symbols provoke hatred and violent extremism leading to polarization and fragmentation of the society,” he warned.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Emerges WTO DG by Raphael Bichene

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Emerges WTO DG by Raphael Bichene

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s ex-finance minister and nominee for the office of the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, has broken the records by becoming the first African to emerge winner of the highly competitive race.

The former minister According to TheCable, polled 104 votes from 164 member countries to defeat her South Korea’s trade minister opponent, at the final stage of the race.

Details soon….

Police Declare War on IPOB Members in Rivers State by Raphael Bichene

Police Declare War on IPOB Members in Rivers State by Raphael Bichene

The Rivers State Police Command has declared war against members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

The state command has moved to arrest and prosecute supporters of the group in the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, in a meeting with DPOs/HODs of the Tactical Units in the Command on Thursday, gave the heads of the units marching order to within the next 48hrs deploy both Intelligence and Patrols across the Command to ensure that the items looted by hoodlums were recovered and perpetrators arrested with immediate effect.

The Public Relations Officer of the state command, SP. Nnamdi Omoni, who disclosed the position of the Police Commissioner in statement, said Mukan further tasked members of IPOB to leave the state of face arrest and prosecution.

Omoni said: “The CP. Joseph Mukan has declared total war against the miscreants who attacked and looted Police Stations in Oyigbo LGA

The CP further warned members of the proscribed Indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to relocate from the State as machineries have been put in place to fish them out and deal with them as a Terrorist group.

Again the CP for the umpteenth time wishes to reiterate emphatically that Rivers State is not an IPOB State and will deal decisively with any group that carries out activities under that guise or any guise whatsoever.”

“IPOB has been outlawed by both the Federal and State Governments and to that extent is non-existent anywhere else, including Rivers State. Hence Parents and Guardians should warn their Children/Wards to be law-abiding or else bear the full weight of the law.”

He, however, tasked the public to increase their security consciousness and report any suspicious character or the whereabouts of any of the looted property to the nearest Police Station.

Source:Vanguard

President Buhari Bids Bangladesh High Commissioner Farewell,Calls for Stronger Ties by Francisca Oga

President Buhari Bids Bangladesh High Commissioner Farewell,Calls for Stronger Ties by Francisca Oga

Nigerian President Mr. Muhammadu Buhari bade farewell to High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nigeria on 27 October, 2020 on a digital platform. During the audience, the

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Bangladesh high Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Md. Shameem Ahsan, for the achievements made during his tenure and felicitated with him for his next Ambassadorial assignment. The President pointedly mentioned the on-going cooperation in the fields of agriculture and defence while expressing satisfaction with the growing relationship between the two 0countries.

On his part, the outgoing High Commissioner sincerely thanked the Nigerian government for the generous support and cooperation he received during his tenure. Mr. Ahsan  expressed deep satisfaction that there had been notable developments in bilateral relations namely, unveiling of a Commemorative Stamp, released by the NIPOST (Nigerian Postal Service) to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh and Nigeria, signing of an MoU between the Foreign (Permanent) Secretaries of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries on Bilateral Consultations and MoU between two national Chambers (FBCCI and NACCIMA), among others.

While stressing the need for the utilization of untapped huge potentials to expand bilateral trade and economic relations, Mr. Ahsan mentioned that two-way trade between the two countries increased from US$ 11.27 million (FY2018-19) to US$ 144.75 million (FY2019-20). The High Commissioner expressed satisfaction that over 60 team-members from Bangladesh visited Nigeria for various events during 2018 and 2019. He sincerely thanked Nigeria for its constructive role on the issue of forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals at the UN, OIC and other forums. The High Commissioner drew the attention of the Nigerian President about opening of a resident Mission in Dhaka. Finally, the Bangladesh High Commissioner extended an invitation to the Nigerian President to visit Bangladesh on behalf of the Honorable President and Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh