In a groundbreaking move, Lagos Free Zone, the first privately owned zone in Nigeria, is poised to attract increased foreign direct investments from the United States.

This surge is attributed to the zone’s exceptional infrastructure and a plethora of incentives, including its integration with the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

The United States Consul General, William Stevens, leading a delegation from the United States Consulate General, expressed this optimism following a comprehensive tour of companies and facilities within the Lagos Free Zone.

Stevens lauded the impressive and outstanding business relationship between Tolaram and US companies.

According to him, through the opportunities at the Lagos Free Zone, investors from the United States of America have deepened penetration in the Nigerian market by introducing world-class goods and services to Nigerians.

He noted that the influx of investments from US companies would not only fortify the economic ties between Nigeria and the USA but also underscored the unique incentives offered by the Lagos Free Zone for US companies looking to establish a robust presence in the Nigerian market.

“It is amazing to see the partnership between Tolaram and US companies and the opportunities therein. We are constantly looking at how we can attract more American companies to this market both in terms of investment and trade,” he said.

Dinesh Rathi, the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Free Zone, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the Zone remains the preferred investment destination, showcasing world-class infrastructure and enticing incentives for potential investors.

During the delegation’s tour of companies within the Zone, Dinesh highlighted that LFZ provides the optimal environment for conducting business, having effectivelyaddressed regulatory permit challenges and infrastructural hurdles.

He underscored the Zone’s role in redefining the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria, offering incentives and infrastructure that foster a conducive economic climate, thereby promoting trade and investment.

The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, NVMA, has condemned the killing of two elephant calves in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.

The association also noted that it has received with deep pain, reports of killings of two booted eagles which migrated from Europe but met their sad ends in Kebbi and Sokoto states.

The association made these declarations via a statement signed by its President, Dr. Moses Arokoyo.

Arokoyo in the statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday described the killing of the two elephants on 17th December 2023 as unfortunate.

He also decried the killing of the two eagles.

He said, “The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association condemns totally and in all ramifications, the brutal killing of two (2) young defenceless elephant calves at Kala Balge LGA of Borno State on December 17, 2023.

“This inhumane act depicts the premeditated and willful termination of a harmless and defenceless creature’s life, it also infringes on the animal’s right to live, which is our duty to protect as Veterinarians.

“In the same vein, we have also received with deep pain, reports of killings of two booted eagles which migrated from Europe but met their sad ends in Kebbi and Sokoto States, Nigeria.

“We wish to inform our colleagues and the entire veterinary community that the Nigerian National Park Service is already being engaged on the issue and in line with further investigations, the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association will work in collaboration with the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to get a sustainable solution to the continued Animal brutality as this is becoming of increasing concern.

“It is also worthy to note that this act may not be unconnected to lack of awareness and sensitivity about the significance of wildlife conservation and options of non-lethal methods of self preservation to mitigate threats from these endangered wildlife species.”

A 26-year-old Nigerian Master’s student at Dundee University, Scotland, Somtochukwu Okwuoha, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for making terrorist threats against staff and students of the school.

According to a BBC report, Okwuoha, an international energy studies student, would also be deported after a Peth Sheriff Court found him guilty of the charge.

Witnesses revealed how the student had claimed to have a military background and was capable of making bombs and unleashing a deadly virus on the city.

Okwuoha, who arrived in the United Kingdom in 2021, also stated that he had enlisted the terror group, ISIS, to help bomb the university and told staff of his plan to target the city in a chemical attack.

Sheriff William Wood said, “Your presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good, and I make a recommendation for your deportation in due course.

“You were abusive towards her and tried to have her removed from her university course,” after he had threatened a fellow female student who refused his advances.

“The university decided to suspend you from your course and you turned your attention towards staff. You threatened mass murder, terrorism, said you would plant bombs and use biological weapons,” the charge read.

Okwuoha, a prisoner at Perth, was found guilty of threatening to murder staff at the university and committing terrorist crimes between December 2021 and June 2022.

He was found guilty of threatening to commit mass murder, using biological weapons, revealing staff details to international authorities and claiming to have planted bombs.

He was also found guilty of threatening to behead police officers and detonate bombs he had planted at Dundee University.

The Czech Republic is holding a day of national mourning for those killed in Thursday’s mass shooting at a Prague university.

Flags on official buildings are being flown at half-mast and a minute’s silence will be observed at midday.

Fourteen people were shot dead at the Faculty of Arts building of Charles University in the capital by a student who then killed himself.

Police are working to uncover the motive behind the attack.

It is one of the deadliest assaults by a lone gunman in Europe this century.

Those killed in Thursday’s attack included Lenka Hlavkova, head of the Institute of Musicology at the university.

Other victims were named as translator and Finnish literature expert Jan Dlask and student Lucie Spindlerova.

The shooting began at around 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the Faculty of Arts building off Jan Palach Square in the centre of the Czech capital.

The gunman opened fire in the corridors and classrooms of the building, before shooting himself as security forces closed in on him, police say.

US tourist Hannah Mallicoat told the BBC that she and her family had been on Jan Palach Square during the attack.

“A crowd of people were crossing the street when the first shot hit. I thought it was something like a firecracker or a car backfire until I heard the second shot and people started running,” she said.

“I saw a bullet hit the ground on the other side of the square about 30ft [9m] away before ducking into a store. The whole area was blocked off and dozens of police cars and ambulances were going towards the university.

“In a statement, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the country had been shocked by this “horrendous act”.

“It is hard to find the words to express condemnation on the one hand and, on the other, the pain and sorrow that our entire society is feeling in these days before Christmas.

“The gunman is thought to have killed his father at a separate location. He is also suspected in the killing of a young man and his two-month-old daughter who were found dead in a forest on the outskirts of Prague on 15 December.

Founded in 1347, Charles University is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest such institutions in Europe.

More than 700 Airbus Atlantic staff are believed to have fallen ill following the company’s Christmas dinner, health authorities in France have said.

Workers from the aerospace group’s site in western France were left suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea, according to the ARS health agency.

It is unclear what was on the menu at the festive feast turned nightmare before Christmas.

Airbus did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

Airbus Atlantic is a subsidiary of the world’s largest aircraft maker, Airbus, and employs 15,000 people in five countries.

ARS did not provide details about exactly what food might have made people ill at the dinner, which took place last week, but it did say earlier on Friday that diners showed “clinical signs of vomiting or diarrhoea”.

An investigation was being launched to find the source of the mass food poisoning, the organisation told the AFP news agency.

The wider Airbus group employs 134,000 people and provides products and services in the aircraft, helicopter, defence, space and security industries.

In a separate incident in France earlier this year, a number of people fell ill and a Greek national died, after contracting the rare food-borne illness botulism at a restaurant in Bordeaux.

US President Joe Biden has announced pardons for certain federal marijuana convictions and clemency for 11 people imprisoned for non-violent drug crimes.

The executive order covers those convicted under the federal law of simple possession, attempted simple possession or use of marijuana.

It also applies to certain offences on federal lands.

Mr Biden said in a statement: “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.”

“It’s time that we right these wrongs.”Mr Biden’s more lenient approach marks a turnaround for the politician who as a senator wrote a 1994 crime bill that is widely blamed for mass incarceration, disproportionately of black people, for drug offences.

The White House said thousands of people would be eligible for the pardons. They must submit applications to the justice department.

The Democratic president’s action expands on an executive order from last year, when his administration pardoned thousands of people who were convicted under federal law of possessing small amounts of marijuana.

Twenty-four states and Washington DC have decriminalised or legalised marijuana use in some or all circumstances. But it remains illegal at the federal level.

Earlier this year, the Health and Human Services Administration recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.

Mr Biden’s order does not cover individuals who have been convicted of state-level crimes, but he urged governors to take similar action.

Sarah Gersten, executive director and general counsel for the Last Prisoner Project, called the executive order “largely symbolic”.

“As the president has acknowledged, the vast majority of people convicted of cannabis are at the state level,” Ms Gersten said.

She added that while “the number of people who have federal offences are very low, a pardon at the federal level doesn’t effectuate the kind of record clearance we want to see”.

The order also did not cover other marijuana-related offences that carry prison time.It would not pardon, for example, Stephanie Shepard, the director of advocacy for the Last Prisoners Project.

She was imprisoned for conspiracy to distribute marijuana several years ago. The sentence continues to affect her life, and she noted that individuals with criminal records may struggle to find housing or jobs because a conviction will appear on a background check.

“I really wish he [Mr Biden] would just sit down and talk to someone who has an incarcerated parent, that has grown up without their parent because they’re incarcerated, but at the same time can now walk down the street and see multiple dispensaries selling the same plant that their parents did,” she said.

The executive order, in Ms Shepard’s view, was “just not enough”.

One of the pendants of singer, Mayorkun, which was stolen in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, on Tuesday, has been recovered.

The singer had gone to the state to perform at the 2023 Calabar Carnival, on the invitation of the state government.

Taking to social media after his performance, Mayorkun claimed that his jewelry worth millions of naira were stolen.

Condemning the act, he threatened never to visit the state again, as he described the incident as a ‘’nightmare”.

On Wednesday, one of the jewelry was found and he took to his social media page to pledge a N5 million reward for anyone who returns the second one.

Giving an update on the incident on Thursday evening, singer Iyanya announced that the second jewelry has been returned.

Sharing the clip of how it was recovered, Iyanya wrote, “Thank you Calabar people for doing what’s right. @iammayorkun second pendant has been found.

“This morning we got a call that it was returned to @HitFMCalabar and was received by Mr Duke Emmanuel who later transferred the pendant to Hon. Effiong Ekpenyong MNIPR, FCAI, Special Adviser Events Management, Governor’s Office, Calabar. We remain a peaceful and hospitable state.”

Adijat Gbadamosi’s title defence against Ugandan boxer, Salimat Tibesigwa, and other bouts initially set to feature on ‘The Lion Heart and the Champion Homecoming’ event on December 22 has been postponed.

The fight night hosted by Monarch Event and Promotions at the International Conference Center in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria will now hold on February 17, 2024.

Gbadamosi, speaking on the postponement said that she was not happy about the postponement as she had already cut her weight for the bout but she maintained her determination.

“When I started training for this fight, I noticed that I added more to my weight, I was 60kg and my weight is 54kg so I had to cut 6kg down. I struggled to cut down and when I heard that the fight had been postponed, I felt bad because it was not easy for me to return to 54kg.

“It’s nothing bad though, we have to continue training. I will rest now and come back to train in the first week of January. Nothing has changed, I still have the same determination,” the 21-year-old said.

Gbadamosi had shown enthusiasm for the scheduled bout last Friday, expressing her eagerness to defend her title and affirm her prowess in the ring saying, “Winning it once can be a fluke, but winning it twice proves you are the best. I am excited to go again. I know I am going to defend my title, it is very sure for me that I am going to lift it back after the fight.”

In June 2023, Gbadamosi delivered a knockout victory over Zimbabwean Patience Mastara to claim the ABU title and become the first Nigerian woman to hold the belt. The two-time Africa Youth Champion holds an undefeated record of eight victories and five knockouts.

As Gbadamosi looks ahead to the rescheduled bout in 2024, the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics silver medallist looks keen to secure another knockout and deliver a statement to make potential opponents in her division.

India’s top wrestler, Sakshi Malik, has quit the sport in protest over her federation’s new president.

Sanjay Singh was elected the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday after a landslide victory.

Mr Singh is reportedly a close aide of WFI’s former chief, Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexually harassing female wrestlers.

Mr Singh denies the allegations.

Wrestlers had held massive protests against his alleged misconduct.

In January, they paused protests as Mr Singh lost administrative powers, pending a government investigation.

In April, they resumed protests because the government didn’t reveal the panel’s findings.

The agitation had made headlines globally, especially after the police detained the wrestlers when they tried to march to India’s new parliament building.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had condemned the way the wrestlers were treated and called for an impartial inquiry into their complaints.

In June, the police charged Mr Singh with stalking, harassment and intimidation as well as making “sexually coloured remarks” but he was granted bail by a court.

The wrestlers had also asked India’s sports minister to prevent people associated with Mr Singh from participating in WFI’s presidential election, which was delayed for several months.

After the results were announced on Thursday, Ms Malik, who won the 58kg freestyle bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, expressed her frustration in a press conference.

“We slept for 40 days on the road.. if Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling,” she told the media, breaking down in tears.

She also said that the wrestlers had demanded that a woman be made president as that would prevent female wrestlers from being harassed.

“But there was no participation of women [in the elections],” she said.

“Not a single woman was given a position.

“Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who also participated in the protests, condemned the election results and said that the “future of wrestling is dark”.

“To whom shall we convey our grief… we are still fighting while training,” she added.

Mr Singh has not commented on Ms Malik’s decision.

An Oklahoma judge has exonerated a man who was in prison for almost half a century for a 1974 murder, the longest wrongful sentence to be served in the US.

Glynn Simmons, 70, was freed in July when a judge ordered a new trial.

But a county district attorney said on Monday there was not enough evidence to warrant one.

In an order on Tuesday, Oklahoma County District Judge Amy Palumbo declared Mr Simmons innocent.

“This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the offence for which Mr Simmons was convicted, sentenced and imprisoned… was not committed by Mr Simmons,” she said in a ruling.

“It’s a lesson in resilience and tenacity,” Mr Simmons told reporters after the decision, according to the Associated Press.

“Don’t let nobody tell you that it can’t happen, because it really can.”Convicted man freed after witness found to be blind.

Mr Simmons had served 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison for the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers during a liquor store robbery in an Oklahoma City suburb. That makes him the longest-serving inmate to be cleared, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

Mr Simmons was 22 years old when he and a co-defendant, Don Roberts, were convicted and sentenced to death in 1975.

The punishments were later reduced to life in prison because of US Supreme Court rulings on the death penalty.

Mr Simmons had said he was in his home state of Louisiana at the time of the murder.

A district court vacated his sentence in July after finding that prosecutors had not turned over all evidence to defence lawyers, including that a witness had identified other suspects.

Mr Simmons and Mr Roberts were convicted in part because of testimony from a teenager who had been shot in the back of the head. The teenager pointed to several other men during police line-ups.

Mr Roberts was released on parole in 2008.Wrongfully convicted people who serve time in Oklahoma are eligible for up to $175,000 (£138,000) in compensation.

Mr Simmons is currently battling liver cancer, according to his GoFundMe, which has raised thousands of dollars to help support his living costs and chemotherapy.

The London High Court has frozen the assets worth $734 million of 50-year-old Isabel dos Santos, once Africa’s richest woman, following her loss in a lengthy legal dispute.

Ms Dos Santos was in a legal fight with Angolan telecoms company Unitel International Holdings (UIH), which sought damages of $733 million (£580 million) due to financial decisions made by her during her time as a director of the company in 2012 and 2013.

Reports suggest that Isabel dos Santos, who is the daughter of a former president, facilitated loans to finance UIH’s acquisition of shares in various telecom companies while working as a director at Unitel.

Ms Dos Santos denied these allegations and suggested that the court case is a political campaign against her by the Angolan government.

She claimed that the loans were approved in good faith by Unitel’s board and shareholders.

She said the freezing order must be viewed in the light of political feuding in Angola, arising from her efforts to root out corruption during her time running the country’s state oil company.

According to court documents, Unitel is ultimately in the effective control of the Angolan State following changes to its ownership and management in 2020.

However, the High Court granted a freezing order in favour of Unitel on 20 December, as per a report by the BBC.

During a court hearing, according to the BBC, it was also disclosed that Ms Dos Santos, once considered Africa’s wealthiest woman with an estimated fortune of $2 billion, holds assets that include property in the UK worth up to £33.5 million ($42 million) and property worth $95 million in Monaco and Dubai.

While the judge has yet to decide the terms of the order, he warned Ms Dos Santos that her case seems like a clear example of a worldwide freezing order that exceeds the immediate jurisdiction of the High Court.

At least 118 people have lost their lives while hundreds sustained injuries in an earthquake that rocked some remote villages in northwest China.

Rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed homes on Tuesday after China’s deadliest earthquake in years.

Officials in impoverished Gansu province said the shallow tremor just before midnight had caused the deaths of at least 105 and injured almost 400 as of Tuesday morning.

A further 13 died, 182 were injured and 20 were missing in Haidong in neighbouring Qinghai province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The quake damaged thousands of homes, many of them dilapidated brick structures and sent residents running into the freezing streets for safety.

“I was almost scared to death. Look at how my hands and legs are shaking,” said a woman of about 30 in a video posted to a social media account associated with the state-run People’s Daily newspaper.

“As soon as I ran out of the house, the earth on the mountain gave way, thudding on the roof,” she said as she sat swaddled in a blanket outside, cradling a baby.

Footage from CCTV showed family possessions strewn among masonry from a house that caved in during the shaking.

An AFP team in Haidong saw vehicles ferrying supplies and workers repairing road barriers.

The quake was China’s deadliest since 2014 when more than 600 people died in southwestern Yunnan province.

China’s western hinterland carries the scars of frequent seismic activity, and a huge quake in Sichuan province in 2008 left more than 87,000 people dead or missing, including 5,335 schoolchildren.

The US Geological Survey said Monday night’s magnitude-5.9 quake struck at a shallow depth at 11:59 pm local time (1559 GMT) with an epicentre around 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Gansu’s provincial capital, Lanzhou.

China’s state news agency Xinhua reported the magnitude as 6.2 and said the shaking was felt as far away as the major city of Xi’an, about 570 kilometres away.

Dozens of smaller aftershocks followed, and officials warned that tremors with a magnitude of more than 5.0 were possible in the next few days.

On Tuesday morning, a quake measured at magnitude 5.2 by USGS was detected further northwest in the Xinjiang region.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” as search and rescue work got underway early Tuesday.

Temperatures are below freezing in the high-altitude area, and rescuers should be on guard for secondary disasters, he said, according to CCTV.

Provincial officials said at a press conference on Tuesday morning that nearly 5,000 homes had been damaged by the quake in Gansu.

State media reported that power and water supplies were disrupted in villages around the epicentre, but some electricity was later restored.

Footage from one of the worst-hit places on CCTV showed residents warming themselves by a fire while emergency services set up tents.

CCTV said more than 1,400 firefighters and rescue personnel had been sent to the disaster zone, while another 1,600 remained “on standby”.

The broadcaster and Xinhua said supplies including 2,500 tents, 20,000 coats and 5,000 rollaway beds had been sent to Gansu while drinking water, blankets, stoves and instant noodles were also being dispatched to the disaster area.

CCTV added that the central government had preliminarily diverted 200 million yuan ($28 million) in relief funding to “guarantee the security of people’s lives and property, and minimise the impact of losses from the disaster”.

Footage showed emergency vehicles driving along snow-lined highways towards the scene with their lights flashing.

Rescue workers in overalls were pictured shoulder-to-shoulder in the trucks, while other images showed them lining up in ranks to receive instructions.

Other clips showed emergency personnel going through the debris by torchlight, unfolding orange stretchers for the casualties.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated in Gansu, officials said.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in China. In August, a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern part of the country, injuring 23 people and collapsing dozens of buildings.

In September 2022, a 6.6-magnitude quake hit Sichuan province leaving almost 100 dead.

And in 2010, a 6.9-magnitude quake in Qinghai left 3,000 people dead or missing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday offered his “deep” condolences over the quake to his Chinese counterpart Xi.

“In Russia, we share the pain of those who lost their loved ones in the disaster and hope for a speedy recovery for all those injured,” said Putin in a letter, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

At least eight people were killed and 84 injured after a blast at an oil terminal in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, early on Monday, a senior police officer said, adding that the blaze was being contained.

The explosion at the West African nation’s main oil terminal rocked the Kaloum administrative district in downtown Conakry, blowing out the windows of several nearby homes and forcing hundreds to flee, according to a Reuters witness.

A huge fire and billowing black smoke were seen from miles away as firefighters rushed to the area, while several tanker trucks left the depot, escorted by soldiers and police.

Guinea is not an oil producer and has no oil refining capacity. It imports refined products, which are mostly stored in the Kaloum terminal and distributed via trucks across the country.

The extent of the damage to the terminal is unclear for now.The country has a small oil depot at the port in Kamsar, north of Conakry, which mining firms mostly use.

Later on Monday, a thick column of smoke and some flames were still visible after firefighters brought the fire under control.

The origin of the fire was unknown, the government said in a statement, adding that an investigation will be launched to establish the cause and determine who might be responsible.

“The government expresses its deep concern about this event, the scale and consequences of which could have a direct impact on the population,” the statement said.

It urged people to stay at home and said the schools would be closed on Monday.

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Monday for talks expected to focus on Israel’s eventual end to the high-intensity war in Gaza and its transition to a more limited, focused conflict, officials say.

For Mr Austin, the trip is a delicate balancing act. He has steadfastly supported Israel’s right to defend itself following Palestinian militant group Hamas’ surprise October 7 attacks.

However, he has also become increasingly vocal about the plight of civilians in Gaza as Israeli strikes drive up casualties.

In a speech earlier this month, Mr Austin went as far as calling civilians the “centre of gravity” in Israel’s war with Hamas, Gaza’s ruling Palestinian Islamist movement, and warned about the risks of their radicalisation.

A senior U.S. defence official told reporters travelling with Mr Austin that he was expected to discuss Israel’s plans to transition to the next phase of the war in his talks with senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

“What you see in terms of the high-intensity ground operations plus air strikes today is not going to go on forever. It’s one phase of a campaign,” said the U.S. defence secretary.

“We have an interest in supporting the Israelis in planning for what a transition looks like when they make the decision that major ground operations should end and they’re ready to transition.”

Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Programme at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said both the U.S. and Israel seemed to agree on an eventual transition to the next campaign phase.

But Washington wants that to happen sooner, perhaps in a few weeks, while Israel feels it needs more time, according to him.

“So they are in basic agreement about the way ahead and the need to eventually transition to a more targeted approach, but there are differences regarding the timeline,” he said.

When U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan visited Israel last week, Mr Netanyahu told him Israel would fight “until absolute victory.”

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the war would “last more than several months.”

With fierce ground fighting having expanded this month across the length of the Gaza Strip and aid organisations warning of a humanitarian catastrophe, Mr Biden said last week that Israel risked losing international support because of “indiscriminate” air strikes killing Palestinian civilians.

The defence official added that Mr Austin, a retired four-star general, oversaw U.S. forces in the Middle East and even led U.S. forces in Iraq while in uniform, giving him perspective on battlefield transitions in military campaigns that could aid discussions with Israeli officials.

Mr Austin, the official said, had familiarity with how to undertake military actions “on the other side of the high-intensity conflict to ensure that the military reconstitution of Hamas, in this case, is not viable or feasible.”

In a sign of the President Joe Biden administration’s intense focus on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Mr Austin will be accompanied in Israel by the chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles ‘C.Q.’ Brown.

Messrs Austin and Brown are also grappling with regional fallout from the war, with Iran-aligned groups carrying out waves of attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria and Yemen’s Houthi movement striking vessels in the Red Sea in support of Hamas.

The Iranian-backed Houthis said over the weekend they had attacked the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat with a swarm of drones.

The U.S. Central Command said the destroyer Carney on Saturday shot down 14 Houthi drones over the Red Sea.

Britain also said one of its warships had shot down a suspected attack drone targeting merchant shipping.

Israeli forces launched fresh attacks throughout the night across the Gaza Strip, residents said on Monday, as the United Nations Security Council looked set to vote on a demand that Israel and Hamas allow aid access to the Palestinian enclave.

One Israeli strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Sunday killed 90 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson told Reuters.

Another missile attack on a house belonging to the Shehab family killed 24 people, Hamas Aqsa radio said.

A medic said dozens of people had been killed or wounded in the Shehab family home and nearby buildings.

“We believe the number of dead people under the rubble is huge but there is no way to remove the rubble and recover them because of the intensity of Israeli fire,” he said by telephone on Sunday.

In Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, medics said 12 Palestinians had been killed and dozens wounded, while in Rafah in the south, an Israeli air strike on a house left at least four people dead.

People rushed to the building to rescue those trapped under the rubble.The sound of the explosion was “as powerful as an earthquake,” Mahmoud Jarbou, who lives nearby, told Reuters.

The Israeli government said it operated against militant targets and that it takes extraordinary measures to avoid hitting civilians.

An Israeli tank shell hit the maternity building inside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, killing a 13-year-old girl named Dina Abu Mehsen, according to Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra.

Al-Qidra said that Abu Mehsen had previously lost her father, mother, two of her siblings, and one of her legs during the shelling of a house in the Al-Amal neighbourhood in Khan Younis a few weeks ago.

Pope Francis on Sunday again suggested Israel was using “terrorism” tactics in Gaza, deploring the reported killing by the Israeli military of two Christian women who had taken refuge in a church complex.

At his weekly blessing, Francis referred to a statement about an incident on Saturday by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic authority in the Holy Land.

Around 19,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, since October 7, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and captured 240 hostages in their surprise raid.

The Israeli military released the names of four more soldiers who had died in combat in Gaza, bringing to 126 the number of soldiers killed in the strip since Israel launched a ground invasion in late October.

Israel’s war on Hamas has razed large parts of Gaza and displaced the majority of its 2.3 million residents, many now living in makeshift shelters without clean water and food and fighting diseases.

Human Rights Watch said on Monday that Israel was using starvation as a weapon by deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food, fuel and razing agricultural areas.

“For over two months, Israel has been depriving Gaza’s population of food and water … reflecting an intent to starve civilians as a method of warfare,” Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

The Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza opened for aid trucks on Sunday for the first time since the outbreak of war, officials said, in a move to double the amount of food and medicine reaching Gazans.

The United Nations Security Council could vote as early as Monday on a proposal to demand that Israel and Hamas allow aid access to the Gaza Strip – via land, sea, and air routes – and set up UN monitoring of the humanitarian assistance delivered.

Diplomats said the fate of the draft Security Council resolution hinges on final negotiations between Israel’s ally and council veto power, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, which has drafted the text.

“The UAE knows exactly what can pass and what cannot — it is up to them if they want to get this done,” said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hopes for another ceasefire and hostage releases had been raised on Saturday when a source said Israel’s spy chief had spoken on Friday with the prime minister of Qatar, which has previously mediated hostage releases in return for a week-long ceasefire and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners.

Two security sources from Egypt – another mediator – said on Sunday Israel and Hamas were both open to a renewed ceasefire and hostage release, though disagreements remained on how it would be implemented.

“We are open to any efforts aimed at ending the Israeli aggression. This is the ground for any discussion,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said when asked for comment on the Egyptian statement.

But Israeli authorities said they were determined to fight on to eliminate Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2006 and is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

A church in Kenya has survived for the last decade by operating discreetly. It does not publicise its services in this very religious country because it welcomes gay worshippers.

“The first time I entered the church I cried,” John, a pastor initially ordained in a mainstream church, told the BBC. He left his parish because church leaders told him his sexuality was sinful and that he needed to remain celibate.

“I never imagined in my life as a priest, I would be in a space where I would say three words that people think are conflicting. That I am black, I am gay, I am a priest.

“He found out about the church, where he now preaches, on social media – though most find their way there via word of mouth. Like all those interviewed at the church, his name has been changed to protect this identity.

Its members are very guarded too about sharing details of their gatherings – those wishing to join are carefully vetted before being invited in, to make sure it is not a trap or someone malicious.

The understanding with all congregants is that security and safety are paramount.

Gay sex is illegal in Kenya, a socially conservative society, though this year the Supreme Court overturned a ban on gay and lesbian organisations being able to register as non-governmental organisations.

When I join a service on a warm and breezy Sunday, music drifts from the room of a nondescript building. People begin trooping in and it fills with 30 or so people.

“We are about to begin. Shall we close our eyes and meditate,” says Pauline, a minister in a long black robe and crimson red scarf. The whole room hushes.

Pauline is an openly non-binary lesbian, who uses “they” and “them” as personal pronouns, and is one of the church’s founders. Initially it was just a few friends coming together to offer each other support.

“When you are removed from a space [church], there is an urge to know if anyone else has been excommunicated,” says Pauline, who was not excommunicated but never felt accepted at mainstream churches.

“We wanted to meet other queer Christians who affirm themselves.”

A feeling of alienation had dominated Pauline’s life, especially since their father died of HIV/Aids when they were 12.

“After my dad died, people started treating us differently. They thought we all had HIV. My mum would be served in different cups and plates and we stopped being allowed into some spaces. Church was one of the places we couldn’t visit because people believed my mum was ‘dirty’,” says Pauline.

Such ostracisation became a pattern, with every church seeming to question some aspect of Pauline’s life – whether it be how they dressed or why they chose not to be perceived as being in a conventional relationship.

So Pauline and their friends started meeting on Sundays to watch sermons on YouTube while reaching out to other LGBT Kenyans as well.

It was at the time that anti-gay rhetoric was growing in East Africa. Neighbouring Uganda was beginning to debate introducing a draconian new anti-homosexuality law – that has since been further tightened.

Little did they imagine that, 10 years on, their little gathering would have grown to include more than 200 members.

Most of them have felt obliged to leave their previous places of worship.

For Regina, it followed a dramatic confrontation with a fellow volunteer – part of a team that organised events at her church.The team gave her an ultimatum when the volunteer found out that she had a girlfriend: her or them.

“It felt like betrayal. I had mentored some of them and now, I couldn’t be a part of them any more. Here were people who couldn’t extend grace for people to be different,” she says.

Regina chose her girlfriend. A decade later, yearning to reconnect with her Christian faith and a community, her journey led her to the queer-affirming church.

“There was a time I felt like I had no access to God. All I’d ever heard was that I was a sinner. If prayer is a way of talking to God, how then could I pray? Coming back into a community of faith has allowed me to let go of past hurt,” she says.

Yet it is not always easy for the congregation, which has faced numerous attacks – for instance when a landlord or those in the surrounding community are not happy with the fact they accept LGBT worshippers.

They have been locked out of premises despite paying rent, their compound ransacked, members attacked and police have asked for bribes to offer them “protection”, or threatened to beat and arrest them.

They have changed locations nine times in their 10 years of existence, partly to keep their location a secret.

Arguably, however, one of the hardest hoops to jump through has been helping members reconnect with their faith and a liturgy that they feel has sought to exclude them.

The church, for instance, has its own version of the Apostles’ Creed, which is recited by the congregation during a service, usually starting with the words: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” It goes on to detail the tenets of their faith.

“We all loved the normal creed, but there were things that were missing,” says Pauline.

“Women are not recognised and as queer children, we also had to put ourselves in the creed. We see God the father as well as the mother. It affirms everyone.

“The first line of their creed reads: “We believe in one God, our creator, the source of our being as queer and beloved children.”

The church’s schedule is also flexible, as some worshippers are not open about their sexuality to family and friends, so attend mainstream churches before joining its service later.

“When we started out, everybody was insecure and silent about their traumas,” says Pauline.This inspired “Chat and Chew”, a discussion forum that allows worshippers to unburden themselves about navigating life as LGBT Kenyans.

“After the service, many people would seek out the pastors to vent about relationships, rejection by families, homelessness and so many other challenges people face as a result of being queer. So we started ‘Chat and Chew’ to share, cry, hug, motivate each other and heal.

“But with life in Kenya becoming more openly homophobic, Pauline says some members have considered going back into the closet for their safety – though most want the church to keep going.

“When we started, we didn’t think that this space would become so important. But we cannot give up, we have to think of a way forward.

“I want this space to be open to everyone and find a balance where we all respect each other despite our beliefs and traditions.”

The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has formally suspended the Republic of Niger from all sub-regional bodies until constitutional order is restored in the country.

This is contained in a statement by the regional organization, following the decisions taken at the summit of heads of state and government held on Sunday in Abuja.

The statement said, “Until the 64th ordinary session held on Dec. 10, 2023, the Conference of Heads of State and Government considered the situation in Niger as a coup attempt and continued to consider Mohamed Bazoum the President of the Republic of Niger, Head of State.”

“Due to this position, Niger was not suspended from ECOWAS’ decision-making bodies and members of Bazoum’s government were authorized to represent Niger in ECOWAS’ statutory meetings.”

The Dec. 10 summit acknowledged that Mohamed Bazoum’s government had effectively been ousted by a military coup.

The statement added, “Accordingly, beginning from Dec. 10, 2023, Niger is suspended from all decision-making bodies of ECOWAS, until constitutional order is restored in the country.”

The ECOWAS leaders’ meeting in Abuja on Sunday asked the military junta of Niger, which came to power in a coup on July 26, to free the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum in exchange for the lifting of the sanctions imposed on the country.

The proposal was, however, rejected by the leader of the junta, Omar Abdourahmane Tchiani, who reiterated that Bazoum would not be released.

A Chinese former bank manager has been jailed for life over one of the country’s biggest corruption cases.

Xu Guojun, the head of a Bank of China branch in Southern China from 1993 to 2001, was convicted of embezzling 2.3 billion yuan ($325m; £255m).

The case is the latest development in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption programme that is focussed on the country’s $60tn financial industry.

Many banking officials and executives have been caught up in the crackdown.

According to statements from the court, Xu and two other former Bank of China employees took advantage of loopholes in the lender’s fund management system to obtain false loans.

Xu’s two accomplices were previously sentenced to 12 and 13 years in prison. More than 2 billion yuan of the stolen money has now been recovered, according to local media reports.

Xu, who fled to the US in 2001 but was forcibly repatriated two years ago, has said he would not appeal the conviction.

He has also been deprived of political rights for life with all his assets being confiscated.

Other high profile financial executives from Chinese state-owned banks have also been fined, jailed, or are currently under investigation.

President Xi has said that Beijing needs to crack down on the “hedonistic” lifestyles of bankers.

In October, a former chairman of the Bank of China was arrested over suspicion of bribery and giving illegal loans.

Liu Liange, chairman of the state-owned bank from 2019 to 2023, had resigned from his position in March this year.

Former chairman of China Life Insurance Wang Bin was sentenced to life in prison without parole for bribery in September.

The push to weed out corruption in the country’s financial industry appears to be ramping up, with officials in April warning that the crackdown was far from over.