Oriontimes

At least 46 people were killed in Sudan when a military aircraft crashed into a residential area in Khartoum, the capital, officials said yesterday.  The wreck was one of the deadliest plane crashes in the country’s recent history, and it has added to the devastation of nearly three years of civil war. The cause of the crash was not identified. The Sudanese military said that the plane was carrying civilians and military personnel, and that it had crashed Tuesday evening while taking off from an air base. The base is crucial to the military’s plans to retake the city.

In a cabinet meeting this week, President Trump spoke starkly about the E.U. The bloc, he said, “was formed in order to screw the U.S.” Then he said he was preparing to hit Europe with 25 percent tariffs. Trump and his loyalists increasingly appear to consider America’s traditional allies in Europe as adversaries not just on trade, but on nearly everything, European officials and analysts say. But it is unclear where that falls on a spectrum from indifference to open hostility, especially as Trump moves to align himself away from NATO and toward Russia. U.S. and Russian officials will meet to discuss restoring embassy staff in each other’s countries, Russia’s foreign minister said. European leaders are scrambling to assess and mitigate the damage. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain hopes to persuade Trump not to abandon Ukraine when they meet at the White House today. But President Emmanuel Macron of France made little traction on his own trip, and Friedrich Merz, likely to be Germ...

 .....check local government screening schedule Osun Amotekun Corps has announced its screening exercise for intending applicants, scheduled to take place from Monday, 3rd March 2025, to Wednesday, 5th March 2025, at the Amotekun Headquarters Powerline Area along Ikirun Road, Osogbo, Osun State. As part of the Osun Amotekun Corps recruitment process, a mandatory physical fitness exercise has been scheduled for Friday 7th March and Saturday, 8th March 2025. Selected applicants who successfully passed the first stage of screening will be required to participate in a 1km race to assess their physical fitness for the second stage of screening. Attire for the Physical fitness, White short nickers and White round neck with white snickers. Applicants are required to bring their documents and credentials to the Amotekun Headquarters, Powerline Area, along Ikirun Road, Osogbo. The necessary documents include: - Local Government Identification Certificate  - National Identification Numb...

The victim, narrating her ordeal as scammer develops new method, using Parrot Media to threaten vulnerable people. How it started;  The scammer; Is this Mrs Komolafe Omolola from Osun State? We don’t want to make any mistake in our report/publication. Thanks for your time.   "We are only doing this for confirmation for the information sent to us. We have a mail with us with series of your pictures but the only decent one is the one I sent to you to confirm if truly is you or not. And we usually do this for reference purpose and for any further legal act.   The publication will be made to the public ma and you will see everything by then. It’s not my duty to explain the content or the context of the mail.   This is to call the attention of the public and the security agencies in Nigeria to be aware of new tactic some bag eggs are using to destroy the country's image and make their victims suffer. Also, it's advisable that this number (...

Ukraine has agreed to turn over the revenue from some of its mineral resources to the U.S., an American and a Ukrainian official said yesterday, in a deal that followed an intense pressure campaign from President Trump. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, Ukraine would receive from the U.S. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine previously rejected at least one other draft agreement because it lacked specific U.S. security guarantees and because Trump was requesting mineral rights worth $500 billion. Some of the more onerous conditions have since been removed. A U.S. official said a final translated draft of the agreement was sent to Ukraine yesterday; this would first be signed by the U.S. Treasury secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart, before being signed by Trump and Zelensky in Washington. The draft agreement said Ukraine would contribute half of its revenues from the future monetization of natural resources to a fund. The U.S. would own the maximum financial ...

Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, said yesterday that Britain would significantly raise its military spending by 2027. The announcement was meant to send a signal about burden-sharing to President Trump before the leaders’ meeting at the White House tomorrow. The change would amount to an increase of 13.4 billion pounds ($17 billion) in military spending per year. It would be paid for by scaling back on overseas development aid. Starmer said he regretted the cuts, but he presented them as a temporary measure in a challenging new security environment. Recent statements from Trump about Ukraine have reinforced fears that the U.S. is retreating from its decades-long commitment to Europe’s defense. And NATO’s secretary general recently called on members to spend “considerably more” than 3 percent of economic output on defense.

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s presumptive next chancellor, could be weak from the start. He didn’t win all that much of the vote on Sunday, and many Germans seem unenthused about him personally. Yet Merz has a chance to be the most globally influential German chancellor since the heyday of his longtime rival Angela Merkel, given President Trump’s threats to abandon Europe militarily and circumvent it in peace negotiations with Russia. For Germans, one big question remains: whether Merz can deliver the sort of dramatic changes on the economy and immigration that voters say they crave. .

Governor Ademola Adeleke has proven to be a crisis manager with an eye on public peace and prosperity, hence the sustenance of peace across the state despite the evil plot of anarchists within the opposition. Making this assertion was the Spokesperson to the state governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed who described as ‘libelous and defamatory” allegation of importing thugs leveled against top functionaries of the administration by children of anarchy as “a baseless concoction without any iota of truth” “From the beginning of the face off, the state Governor, being a security expert and a criminologist, had deployed his skills of conflict resolution to sustain peace even with the worst of provocations. The mapping of the entire state revealed that the opposition APC was mainly interested in burning the state down and destroying the elected political structures. Mr Governor smartly denied the APC the fuel for its arsonistic plan. “The outcome is the peace we are enjoying today in Osun st...

President Trump met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, at the White House yesterday, three years to the day after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The leaders diverged significantly over the war’s causes, each side’s role in the conflict and its possible resolution. Trump told reporters that the fighting could be over “within weeks” and suggested he might visit Moscow as soon as this spring. He refused to call President Vladimir Putin of Russia a dictator, while Macron stated flatly that “Russia is the aggressor.” At the U.N., the U.S. opposed a European effort to condemn Russia and call for its immediate withdrawal from Ukraine. The Trump administration introduced its own resolution, which softened the language and called only for an end to the war, essentially siding with Moscow over longtime allies. Putin said U.S. companies could do lucrative deals in Russia and even help mine rare earths in Russian-occupied Ukraine, amplifying the Kremlin’s mes...

Israel said that it was expanding operations against armed Palestinian groups in the occupied West Bank, deploying tanks in the territory’s north for the first time in two decades. Defense Minister Israel Katz said tens of thousands of Palestinian residents displaced by Israeli military actions in several West Bank cities would not be allowed to return to their homes. The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it considered Katz’s statements and Israel’s actions to be “a dangerous escalation.” The tank deployment came after bombs exploded on three buses in Tel Aviv last week. The police said the devices resembled ones made in the West Bank. No one was killed or injured in the blasts. Cease-fire: Israel delayed the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners after Hamas freed six hostages on Saturday. Each side has accused the other of violating their truce.

The Governor's Forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the All Progressive Congress (APC) not to turn Osun into the ‘wild wild west', calling for rule of law and counseling against resorting to self-help. Speaking on behalf of the forum at Osogbo was the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde in the presence of the PDP Governors Forum chairman, Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi state. The two Governors had attended the swearing in ceremony of the newly elected council chairmen in solidarity with Governor Ademola Adeleke. The Forum reminded all those fomenting trouble in Osun state to remember history and learn from it, warning that Osun should not be plunged into crisis over a matter that can be resolved by the judiciary. While urging the APC to leave Osun state alone, Governor Makinde said anybody that has grouse should seek judicial redress instead of resorting to self help. According to the Oyo state governor, the PDP and its Governors are only interested in de...

In exchange for peace or Ukraine's admission to NATO, Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to "immediately" resign as president. The Ukrainian president stated during a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday: "I am prepared to resign from my position if peace is achieved for Ukraine.If that condition is there, I can swap it for NATO right now. Russia has said on numerous occasions that Ukraine's accession to NATO is unacceptable and has blamed the invasion almost three years ago on the alliance's growth in eastern Europe. During a visit to Brussels last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also stated that negotiations would not include NATO membership.

Osun state government had yesterday stated that it acknowledged the security advice from the Nigerian Police Force but regret to announce that the advice is rejected on the ground of rule of law and aversion to police partisanship. In a statement released by the Mallam Olawale Rasheed read; The state government under His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke has reviewed the advice and has come to the conclusion that the proposal from the force headquarters was biased, partisan and in contravention of democratic tenets. The pretence of the service to be serving public good while actually promoting illegality of the APC reinforces our rejection of a Greek gift. From the beginning of this face off, the police has breached best practices by its open support for the All Progressive Congress, a party that is pushing for illegality through a non- existing court order. The whole world knows how the police actively aided the APC to enforce a reinstatement order that was never issued by any ...

Germans will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next chancellor. The man favored to clinch the election is Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats. Polling second is the far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which has been linked to neo-Nazis and to plots to overthrow the state, according to NYT. Merz has been considered a potentially better match for President Trump than the current Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, not least for his reputation for bluntness at a moment when Europe’s security environment is rapidly changing. Germany is in a crisis of stagnant growth and declining competitiveness. Its famed industries, like auto manufacturing, are slumping. Voters are frustrated and appear likely to evict the current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, over it. The second big issue is immigration. Germany has welcomed millions of refugees over the last decade. They have adapted relatively well, but their presence has unsettled many native-born Germans. The di...

Governor Ademola Adeleke has affirmed that local government election scheduled for tomorrow is holding unfailingly under the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Oriontimes reports. The Governor made the assertion this morning while receiving a delegation of civil society coalition who are in the state to monitor the local government elections. According to the Governor, Osun voters are prepared to exercise their voting rights on Saturday even as he expressed satisfaction with the level of preparation by the electoral body. “I welcome you all to Osun state. Our people are prepared for elections tomorrow. They yearn to have their choices as chairmen and councillors. “OSSIEC has also done marvelous preparatory job according to reports at my disposal. Several political parties are participating and I believe there will be a level playing ground for all to test their popularity with the masses”, the Governor told the visiting activists. On controversy over the el...

Hamas handed over yesterday what it said were the remains of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Among them were Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, the militant group said. Early this morning, however, the Israeli military said that genetic testing had revealed that the body that was purported to be Shiri Bibas’s was not, and that it, in fact, wasn’t that of any hostage. This was a “violation of the utmost severity” of the ongoing cease-fire, a military spokesperson said. The claim has thrown the truce’s next steps into doubt, even as Hamas is expected tomorrow to free the last six living hostages covered in the first phase of the cease-fire, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners. ‘Abhorrent and cruel’: In the handover, four coffins were placed on a stage in front of a cartoonish picture of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as triumphant music played. A poster threatened that if Israel resumed the war, more hostages woul...

Governor Ademola Adeleke has ordered restriction of vehicular movement from 5am to 5pm on Saturday 22nd February 2022 across Osun state. The directive of the State Governor was sequel to the statewide local government elections that are scheduled to be held tomorrow across the state. Governor Adeleke who reiterated his commitment to peace and security said the movement restriction is necessary to prevent importation of hoodlums into the state amidst local elections. He therefore directed security agencies to enforce the restriction and only allow voters and accredited media and civil society organizations for the continued peace and security of Osun state.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has tasked politicians to abide by the rule of law even as he urged voters to peacefully exercise their rights at the Saturday local government elections. In a statewide broadcast today from Osogbo, the State Governor declared that peace has returned to the state after recent face-off which was a result of the illegal forceful takeover of Osun State local government secretariats by the court-sacked APC chairmen and Councilors, declaring that “Osun State is back to normalcy as one of the most peaceful states in the federation”. The governor who consoled the families and friends of those who lost their lives and those who sustained injuries in the illegal take-over of the local government secretariats by the court-sacked APC chairmen and councilors said “the unfortunate incident reminds us that abiding by the rule of law remains the best path for a peaceful Osun State. “I particularly appreciate and commend our people for complying with my d...

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President Trump yesterday called Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator” who had taken money from the U.S. to go to war with Russia. In a social media post littered with falsehoods, Trump didn’t mention President Vladimir Putin, or that Russia had seized some Ukrainian territory in 2014 before its full-scale invasion in 2022. Trump also suggested that the future security of Ukraine would not be an American problem. “This War is far more important to Europe than it is to us,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation.” The feud began after White House and Kremlin officials in Saudi Arabia began peace talks that excluded Ukraine. After that meeting on Tuesday, Trump suggested that Ukraine had started the war. Afterward, Zelensky said Trump had been “caught in a web of disinformation.” E.U.: Leaders met yesterday for a second emergency meeting seeking to recalibrate relations with the U.S. as Trump moved closer to Russia.

Envoys from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, and again in Cairo next month, to start fleshing out a postwar plan for Gaza, NYT leanrt. According to their vision, Arab countries would help fund and oversee the reconstruction of the enclave while keeping residents in place and preserving the possibility of a Palestinian state. But the hindrances to these ideas are as old as the ideas themselves — Israeli leaders oppose postwar plans that would pave the way to Palestinian sovereignty, and Arab leaders will support only a framework that at least nominally forges a path toward Palestinian statehood. Egypt is likely to propose a committee of Palestinian technocrats and community leaders, all unaffiliated with Hamas, who could run Gaza after the war, according to two Arab diplomats and two Western officials.

In the fray of illegal occupation of local governments in Osun state, Governor Ademola Adeleke today met top British diplomats and indicted the Inspector of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun of executing and imposing illegality on local councils in the state. “It is unfortunate and a disservice to democracy that the Inspector General of Police is colluding with the APC to enforce a non-existing court order. This is a serious threat to democracy in Nigeria”, the Governor told the British diplomats led by the Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Jonny Baxter. Governor Adeleke who reaffirmed his readiness for peace, free and fair elections on Saturday said Osun, a peaceful state, faces combined assault of security forces who rather than protect rule of law are busy aiding and abetting violations of the democratic process. “You are in my state at a critical juncture in our political life. We face existential threat to our democratic life from those who should protect democracy. We have made the ...

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president, was charged with overseeing a vast scheme to hold on to power after he lost the 2022 election. A total of 34 people, including Bolsonaro, were indicted over crimes against democracy. The charges essentially accepted recommendations from Brazil’s federal police in November. The case will now go before Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will analyze the charges and decide whether to order Bolsonaro’s arrest and have him face trial.

China struck back yesterday against President Trump’s 10 percent tariffs on all Chinese products with tariffs of its own on U.S. coal and gas, as well as restrictions on exports of some minerals. The measures will take effect on Monday, according to the Chinese government, meaning there is still time for negotiations. The White House press secretary said a call between Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, would happen soon. China’s tariffs would cover about $20 billion of U.S. exports, compared with Trump’s tariffs on more than $450 billion of Chinese goods, economists estimated. The Chinese authorities also started an antitrust investigation into Google.

At least 10 people were killed and a number of others were injured yesterday in a shooting at a center for adult education in Orebro, Sweden, the authorities said. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was among the dead. “We have seen a brutal act of violence,” Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said in a televised address. “This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.” Shootings are rare in Swedish schools, but the country has been dealing with a steady surge in gun violence.