Oriontimes

Israel announced yesterday that it was immediately halting the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, trying to force Hamas to accept an extension of the cease-fire. The move is likely to cause further hardship for roughly two million Gazans. It also puts the fate of the remaining Israeli hostages in uncharted territory. Hours before the announcement, Israel proposed extending the cease-fire by seven weeks, during which Hamas would release half of the living hostages, as well as the remains of half of the deceased ones. Hamas said no, referring to Israel’s halting of aid as “cheap blackmail,” but said it was still willing to negotiate the second stage of the deal. Hamas is unlikely to accept a new offer without further negotiations, said Aaron David Miller, an analyst. Israel’s proposal, he said, would allow “Israelis to get hostages back without making reciprocal commitments.”

Eighteen European leaders yesterday, met in London to mend Ukraine’s fractured relationship with the U.S., with Britain and France assembling a “coalition of the willing” to develop a plan for ending the war with Russia. The leaders also pledged to bolster support for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, said “a number” of other nations had indicated that they would join with Britain and France in deploying troops to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow. He also announced plans to let Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds in British export financing to buy more than 5,000 air defense missiles. The gathering took on more urgency after Zelensky’s heated meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, which raised fears that the U.S. would try to force Ukraine to make a peace deal on terms favorable to Russia. Neither Europe nor Ukraine currently has seats at the table in a potential Trump-brokered deal, and Tr...

During interview, author Monica Buchanan shared her powerful journey of healing from childhood emotional abuse and neglect. With a PhD in psychology, along with a master’s degree in Women’s Studies, Monica spent her career counselling, coaching, and providing psychotherapy. Now semi-retired, she continues her passion for helping others by developing strength-based community resources for marginalized and underserved communities. Writing has always been an outlet for her, but turning personal experiences into a memoir was a deeply emotional and transformative process. She opens up about revisiting painful memories, the challenges of sharing such intimate parts of her life, and the healing that followed. We also discuss the importance of self-belief, mindfulness, and her advice for others looking to tell their own stories. My healing process started in my adolescence years after moving away to another city to attend college. I met a psychologist at the nearby university who helped me. M...

The Osun Amotekun Corps has successfully apprehended two suspects involved in separate criminal activities, including vehicle theft and burglary, leading to their conviction and sentencing. The first suspect, Sikiru Raheem, a 30-year-old male, was arrested for the theft of a Ford Jeep worth N7,000,000 (Seven Million Naira). The vehicle, belonging to one Olukokun Morayo, was stolen from the Oke-Onitea area of Osogbo. Following a thorough investigation, Sikiru Raheem confessed to stealing the vehicle with the intent to sell it for N1.5 million. He also admitted that this was not his first offense of such nature. The second suspect, Azeez Afeez, aged 20, was arrested on February 23, 2025, for committing burglary. Azeez stole several items from a residence, including a standing fan, a torchlight, TV cables, solar radio, a bag of bulbs, wires, MP3 player, and two mobile phones—an MPs and an Itel A33. The total value of the stolen items was estimated at N420,000, with the properties belongin...

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...