NEWS

French lawmakers on Wednesday, Jan. 28, unanimously approved a bill seeking to end the notion of "marital duty" following criticism from women's rights groups that it undermines s£xual consent and enables marital r@pe. The text – backed by more than 120 MPs in the lower house National Assembly – clarifies in the civil code that cohabitation does not create any obligation for spouses to have sexual relations. The cross-party bill will now have to go through the Senate upper chamber for approval. The French civil code lists four duties attached to marriage – fidelity, support, assistance and cohabitation – but it does not mention s£xual obligation.  However, older court rulings sometimes interpreted cohabitation as implying a "share...

As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouq Aliyu, has argued that demographic considerations—particularly in northern Nigeria—make a Muslim–Muslim presidential ticket the most viable option for the ruling party.Aliyu made the remarks on Friday while appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show, noting that electoral outcomes are often shaped by numbers and strategic calculations rather than emotions.He stressed that decisions regarding the party’s presidential ticket lie solely with the APC and its candidate, adding that individual preferences must align with the party’s broader interests.“I stand with my party because these decisions belong to the party and the candidate,” Aliyu said. “If, in the w...

A Federal High Court in Ibadan has set aside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention held in the Oyo State capital on November 15, 2025, ruling that the exercise was invalid.In its judgment, the court also restrained members of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.Delivering the ruling on Friday, the court held that the Caretaker Committee headed by Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu remains the only legitimate leadership of the PDP until a properly conducted national convention is held.The verdict represents a major twist in the prolonged internal crisis within the opposition party, which has been embroiled in months of legal disputes and political struggles over contr...

South Africa’s major cinema chains have withdrawn a documentary on US First Lady Melania Trump just days before its scheduled release, with the local distributor citing “the current climate” as the reason.The documentary, titled Melania, was absent from the listings of Nu Metro and Ster Kinekor cinemas on Thursday, January 29, a day ahead of its planned international release on January 30. Local media reports indicated that the South African distributor, Filmfinity, had abruptly dropped the film.According to the distributor’s head of marketing, Thobashan Govindarajulu, the decision was taken due to the prevailing climate in the country, although no further clarification was provided. Attempts to obtain additional details from the company were unsuccessful.Nu Metro later confirm...

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...