NEWS

China has carried out the execution of 11 individuals linked to cyber scam centres operating in Myanmar, including figures authorities described as key members of the criminal network, according to reports from state media. The executed individuals were identified as members of the Ming family crime syndicate and were convicted of several serious offences, including intentional homicide, large-scale fraud and running illegal gambling operations. State broadcaster China Central Television reported that the group played a central role in cross-border online and telecommunications scam activities. Cyber scam networks worth billions of dollars have grown rapidly across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has noted that ...

A twin-propeller aircraft carrying 15 people, including a Colombian lawmaker, Diogenes Quintero, crashed in a mountainous region near the Venezuelan border. According to AFP, the aircraft departed from the border city of Cúcuta and lost contact with air traffic control shortly before it was scheduled to land in the nearby town of Ocaña at about 5:00 p.m. GMT on January 28. “There are no survivors,” an official of the aviation authority told AFP. The plane was carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.  The government deployed the Colombian Air Force to locate the aircraft and recover the bodies. Local parliamentarian Wilmer Carrillo expressed concern over the incident, saying, “We have received with concern the information about the air accident in which my colleague, Diogenes Quinter...

A London bus driver who chased down and restrained a thief after a passenger was robbed has been dismissed from his job, despite police finding that his actions were lawful and proportionate. Mark Hehir was driving the 206 bus between Wembley and Maida Vale in June 2024 when a man boarded the vehicle, snatched a necklace from a female passenger and fled. Acting instinctively, Hehir left the bus and pursued the suspect, successfully recovering the necklace and returning it to the victim. However, because the driver left the bus unattended with the engine running while he chased the suspect, Metroline, the company he had worked for for two years, initiated disciplinary proceedings, accusing him of bringing the company into disrepute. According to tribunal evidence, the suspect later...

The Rwandan government is claiming it is owed £100m by the UK over payments due under an asylum agreement cancelled by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Rwanda has filed an international arbitration case, arguing the UK has breached the terms of the deal to send some asylum seekers to the east African nation. Under the deal, which was signed by the previous Conservative government, the UK agreed to make payments to Rwanda to host asylum seekers who had arrived illegally in Britain. In a statement, Rwanda’s government said it had decided to pursue claims in arbitration after facing the UK’s “intransigence on these issues”. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The previous government’s Rwanda policy wasted vast sums of taxpayer time and money. “We will robustly defend ou...

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, says his administration is steadily building a new Edo State anchored on effective governance, large-scale infrastructure development and economic growth. Governor Okpebholo made the statement on Thursday while speaking to journalists after inspecting several ongoing road and drainage projects across the Edo South Senatorial District. He expressed satisfaction with the quality and speed of work on the projects, particularly those along Sapele Road and its adjoining corridors, noting that the visible changes reflect his government’s commitment to transforming the state’s development landscape. “We inspected many projects today and work is progressing steadily. I am particularly impressed with what we have seen so far, especially along S...

US President Donald Trump has instructed his team to significantly expand the details of his public schedule, a move aimed at countering growing scrutiny over his energy levels and workload as he approaches 80. In recent months, vague entries such as signing ceremonies, policy discussions and meetings with industry executives, many of them held behind closed doors, have increasingly appeared on the daily schedule released to the media each night. According to sources familiar with the decision, the changes were deliberate and personally directed by Trump. Despite frequent public appearances, some lasting several hours, Trump had grown irritated by reports suggesting his days were lighter than during his first term. Analyses of his official schedule had fueled speculation about his he...

A covert intelligence operation led by the Army Headquarters in collaboration with the State Security Service (SSS) reportedly foiled an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and neutralise key political leaders. According to a report by Premium Times, senior government sources revealed that the plot began to unravel in late September 2025 when a serving military officer, who had direct knowledge of the plan, alerted the then Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede. The officer reportedly feared being implicated in treason if he failed to disclose the information. Around the same period, the SSS independently obtained intelligence suggesting that some serving military personnel were planning actions aimed at destabilising the government an...

The Senate has set up a seven-member ad hoc committee to collate and harmonise lawmakers’ contributions on the proposed amendment of the Electoral Act, as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections. The decision was reached after a three-hour closed-door executive session on Thursday, during which senators further examined the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill currently before the National Assembly. Announcing the outcome, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the committee was established to streamline senators’ views and resolve outstanding issues surrounding the proposed amendments. He explained that the panel is tasked with consolidating and refining lawmakers’ opinions on the bill. According to Akpabio, the committee ...

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of several senior and junior police officers to higher ranks across the Nigeria Police Force. According to a statement issued on Thursday by PSC spokesperson, Torty Kalu, Assistant Inspector-General of Police Funsho Adegboye has been elevated to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police. The Commission also approved the promotion of Commissioners of Police Danjuma Aboki and Dansabo Idi to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police. Kalu explained that the promotions followed a rigorous, merit-based process, which included written examinations and oral interviews conducted by the Commission. The approvals were made during the PSC’s third plenary meeting, chaired by retired Deputy Inspector-General of Poli...

The Economic Community of West African States has placed regional security at the centre of its agenda as it works toward achieving five per cent economic growth across West Africa, according to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray. Speaking in Abuja at a meeting with development partners on Thursday, Touray, while presenting highlights of the ECOWAS 2025 annual report, said security challenges continued to affect parts of the region, prompting intensified engagement by the bloc. “If we look at the various sectors and areas of our activities, we will see that in the area of peace and security, our preoccupation remains with growing insecurity that some areas of the region continue to suffer from. “Therefore, peace and security remain at the heart of our mandate,” he...