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Assad, Family Arrive Russia after Ouster, Granted Asylum
Syria’s ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his family are in Moscow, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies, hours after he fled the country as Islamist-led rebels entered Damascus. The announcement comes as Russia, a key Assad ally, called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council on the fast-changing situation on the ground…
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Country Where Goat’s Hair is Gold Mine
By Titilayo Kupoliyi Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. With a population of 3.17 million people and more than 80 million livestock animals, Mongolia is the world’s second-largest producer of cashmere wool. Surprisingly, despite the country’s sparse population, Mongolia Produces 50 percent of…
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Ukraine Claims Repelling Russia’s Border Incursion Bid
Ukraine says it has repelled a Russian armoured attack in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, after Moscow’s forces launched an incursion across the border and sought to break through defensive lines. Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Russian reconnaissance groups had tried to penetrate the border, adding that “not a single metre has been lost”. “Russia…
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Moscow Attack Update: Causalities Rise to 133, Arrests
Victims of an attack by gunmen at a concert hall on the fringes of Moscow, are at least 115 with 100 more injured, according to Russian security services. Attackers clad in camouflage gear took part in the attack, in the north-western suburb of Krasnogorsk, BBC-verified video shows. Four men directly involved were among 11 arrested…
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Gunmen Leave Deaths, Horrors Behind at Crocus City Hall in Moscow
Gunmen have attacked a concert hall on the fringes of Moscow, killing at least 60 people and wounding 100 more, Russian security services say. At least four attackers clad in camouflage gear took part in the attack, in the north-west suburb of Krasnogorsk, BBC-verified video shows. Crocus City Hall was about to host a rock…
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Alexei Navalny: Biden Slams Over 500 New Sanctions on Russia
The United States has announced more than 500 new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the death in custody of the opposition figure Alexei Navalny. The sanctions will target individuals connected to Navalny’s imprisonment and Russia’s war machine, President Joe Biden said. Export restrictions will be imposed on nearly 100 firms or…
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Global Outcries Trail Death of Alexei Navalny in Russian Prison
Protests and vigils have been held near Russian embassies in many countries following the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian jail More than 100 street protesters were detained in Russian cities, reports say, as people were warned not to rally The 47-year-old outspoken critic of President Putin had been in a Russian jail since…
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Prison Service Declares Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Dead
Russia’s most significant opposition leader for the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has died in prison inside the Arctic Circle, the prison service said. Seen as President Vladimir Putin’s most vociferous critic, Navalny was serving a 19-year jail term for offences widely considered politically motivated. He was moved to an Arctic penal colony, considered one of…
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Blast Hits Gas Export Terminal in Russia
An explosion has occurred at a gas export terminal near the city of St Petersburg in Russia, officials say. The blast caused a large fire, the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency said. It said the fire had been contained, and there were no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is not known, but…
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Russia Accidentally Bombs Own Village
Russia said it had accidentally bombed a village in its southern Voronezh region near Ukraine on Tuesday but stressed there were no casualties. The accident occurred the same day as Russia hit Ukraine with a large-scale missile attack. It is not the first such incident during Moscow’s almost two-year-long Ukraine offensive. “On January 2, 2024,…
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Christmas might remain a mere ritual if… – Bishop Badejo
By Kayode Oguntona Until the crisis of hunger, bloodshed, injustice and prevailing sufferings around the world today are properly addressed, the Christmas celebration may continue to be a mere ritual. The Bishop, the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, the Most Reverend Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo who stated this in his Christmas message in Oyo Town noted that…
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Moscow Says Genetic Analysis Shows Prigozhin among Crash Deaths
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been confirmed dead after genetic analysis of bodies found in Wednesday’s plane crash, Russian officials say. The Investigative Committee (SK) said the identities of all 10 victims had been established and corresponded to those on the flight’s passenger list. Prigozhin’s private jet came down north-west of Moscow on 25 August,…
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Russia’s Tanker Suffers Another Hit Near Crimea
A Russian tanker with 11 crew members has been hit in a Ukrainian attack in the Black Sea, Russian officials say. They said the vessel’s engine room was damaged in the overnight strike in the Kerch Strait. No-one was hurt. Ukraine has not publicly commented. But a Ukrainian security service source told the BBC a…
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Russia not Opposed to Peace Talks, Putin Tells African Leaders
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he does not reject the idea of peace talks on Ukraine. Speaking after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg, he said African and Chinese initiatives could serve as a basis for finding peace. President Putin also said it was hard to implement a ceasefire when the Ukrainian army was…
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Shettima in Rome for Russia Summits
Vice President, Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at two major international summits in Rome, Italy, and St Petersburg, Russia. Shettima, who left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 3 pm Sunday, will join other global leaders for the first Stocktaking Moment Summit, with the theme, “Transforming Food Systems…
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Ukraine : Explosion Forces Over 2,000 Residents out of Crimea Depot
More than 2,000 residents are being evacuated from four villages in Russian-occupied Crimea after a fire that triggered hours of explosions at a nearby ammunition depot. Russian-installed officials also shut a stretch of the motorway that crosses the southern half of the peninsula. They did not explain the cause of the fire at a military…
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Russia Air strike Kills 9 in Syria
The UN has expressed deep concern about an escalation of hostilities in north-western Syria after at least 11 people were reportedly killed in Russian air strikes on rebel held Idlib province. Nine were killed when warplanes dropped bombs next to a market outside Jisr al-Shughour on Sunday, rescuers said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…
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Mali Calls for Speedy Exit of UN Peacekeeping Force
Mali’s foreign minister has called on the UN to withdraw its peacekeeping force from his country “without delay”. Abdoulaye Diop accused the force, Minusma, of having “become a part of the problem in fuelling intercommunal tensions”. He was addressing the UN Security Council. Minusma has more than 13,000 troops. Its decade-old mission has failed to…
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Ukraine Launches Attacks on Russian Forces
Ukraine’s military has launched attacks on occupying Russian forces in the key southern Zaporizhzhia region, Russian officials and military bloggers say. Reports say Ukrainian troops – backed by tanks, artillery and drones – are trying to advance south of the town of Orikhiv for the second night running. A senior Ukrainian defence official said the…
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We ‘thwarted’ another Major Ukrainian Attack- Russia
Russia’s military says it has thwarted another major offensive by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk, destroying military equipment and inflicting huge personnel losses on the enemy. A defence ministry statement early hour on Tuesday said Russian forces had repelled Ukraine’s second major offensive in two days, destroying, among other military equipment, eight main battle Leopard tanks supplied to…
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Ukraine War: Mothers Evacuate Children From Russia
A 15-year-old Sasha Kraynyuk has studied the photograph handed to him by Ukrainian investigators, as he recognised the boy dressed in Russian military uniform immediately. The teenager sitting at a school desk has the Z-mark of Russia’s war emblazoned on his right sleeve, coloured in the red, white and blue of the Russian flag. But…
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Pro-EU Mass Rally in Moldova Amid Tensions with Russia
A huge pro-EU rally has taken place in Moldova’s capital Chisinau, organised by the country’s President Maia Sandu. An estimated 75,000 people turned out to support Moldova’s push to join the European Union. Her pro-Western government has accused Russia of stoking tensions by supporting Moldova’s pro-Russian opposition Sor party. Moscow denies meddling in the country’s…
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Russia Conducts Pre-Dawn Attack On Ukraine
Russia has launched a series of missile and artillery attacks on Ukraine, the second pre-dawn attack in three days. One person died in the Kherson region and 25 people – including three children – were injured in Dnipropetrovsk. Ukraine’s armed forces said 15 of 18 missiles fired were intercepted by the country’s air defence. One…
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Four killed in Fresh Russia attack on Ukraine
At least four persons have been killed in a fresh Russian attack on several Ukrainian cities. Upper floors of two student dormitories were hit early on Wednesday in a drone strike in the city of Rzhyshchiv, on the outskirts of the capital. A rescue service said an 11-year-old was among the wounded. Separately, officials in…
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Drone Collision: US Alleges Russia of Reckless Behaviour
The US has accused Russia of reckless behaviour after an American surveillance drone crashed into the Black Sea following an encounter with Russian fighter jets. The US says the drone was on a routine mission in international airspace when two Russian jets tried to intercept it. The incident highlights the increasing risk of direct confrontation…
