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Africa & World

Africa & World

UK crime minister’s purse stolen at police conference after anti-theft speech

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The UK’s Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson, was a victim of theft when her purse was stolen during a policing conference, the BBC reports on Thursday.

The minister was said to be speaking at the Police Superintendents’ Association conference on Tuesday about the growing problems of antisocial behaviour, theft and shoplifting when her purse was stolen.

The Mirror UK reports that the theft occurred at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, where the conference was held.

The Home Office has confirmed that the minister was a victim of theft, and Warwickshire Police have launched an investigation into the incident, according to The Mirror.

A 56-year-old man from Coventry has also been arrested on suspicion of burglary and released on bail in connection to the incident, Warwickshire Police said.

A spokesman from Warwickshire Police stated, “We’re investigating a report of the theft of a purse at a hotel on the B4115 in Kenilworth. The theft occurred some time between 11.00-13.15 on Tuesday.

“Enquiries are ongoing. A 56-year-old man from Coventry has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.”

The Home Office has stated that no security risks were identified in connection with the theft.

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Africa & World

Shock! As Chinese Communist Party Govt move to rewrite the Bible, ‘Brainwash Christians’

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

In a shocking video widely circulated on YouTube, attempt has begun with the rewriting of the Bible by Chinese Communist Party Government, a move aimed at changing the original narrative of incidences in the Bible and portrayal of Jesus Christ.

The communist party of China wants to rewrite the Bible and force their version on Chinese Christians.
One of the changes in this new version turns Jesus Christ into a murderer.

According to report, Chinese govt persecution of Christians has led to more church growth, with China having as many as 130 million Christians in their underground church.

This has caused the communist party of China to now target the Bible itself with what it calls an “An update with Socialist values”.

The new Bible remove passages that don’t agree with communist beliefs. This is intended to confuse Chinese people and prevent them from becoming Christians.

One example of their revision in a high school textbook is John 8: 7-11 the story about the woman caught in adultery. “Jesus said to the angry crowd who were about to cast a stone on the woman who had sinned, Jesus said to the crowd, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

“When the words came to their ears, they stopped moving forward. When everyone went out, Jesus stones the woman himself and said, I am also a sinner”.

The communist party is against Christian and the Bible because they see it as a tool that will take control away from them. Hence they force millions of Children to renounce their faith in public and delete all authentic Bibles from their app stores.

However, the Christians in China are resolute in their faith in Christ. According to one pastor of the underground Church in China, “the communist party have chosen an enemy(Jesus Christ) that can never be imprisoned, but they are doomed to lose”.

The second is a report that Chinese Communist Party authorities in Henan province “forced Protestant churches to replace the Ten Commandments with Xi Jinping quotes,” changing the first commandment from, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” (Exodus 20:3, KJV) to, “Resolutely guard against the infiltration of Western ideology.”

Two Christian pastors at the Congressional meeting testified on persecution in China, noting that many Chinese pastors and Christians are undeterred. International Christian Concern (ICC) recently published a report describing the growth of the underground church in Iran, where government repression seems to cause the church to grow rather than stifle it. As the early church father Tertullian wrote, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

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Africa & World

World’s oldest person who lived for 117 years is dead

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The world’s oldest living person, Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in the United States and lived through two world wars, has died at the age of 117, her family said Tuesday.

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family wrote on her account on social network X.

“We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness,” they said.

Branyas, who had lived for the last two decades in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the town of Olot in northeastern Spain, had warned in a post on Tuesday that she felt “weak”.

“The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy,” she added in the account which is run by her family.

Guinness World Records had officially acknowledged Branyas’s status as the world’s oldest person in January 2023 following the death of French nun Lucile Randon aged 118.

In the wake of Branyas’s death, the oldest living person in the world is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908 and is 116 years old, according to the US Gerontology Research Group.

Branyas, who lived through the 1918 flu, World War I and World War II and Spain’s civil war, got Covid-19 in 2020 just weeks after ringing in her 113th birthday and was confined to her room at the home but made a full recovery.

Her youngest daughter, Rosa Moret, once attributed her mother’s longevity to “genetics”.

“She has never gone to the hospital, she has never broken any bones, she is fine, she has no pain,” Moret told regional Catalan television in 2023.

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Africa & World

BREAKING: Harris picks Walz as running mate

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The US Vice President, Kamala Harris, announced Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate on Tuesday.

This is as the VP prepares to take on Republican Donald Trump in November’s US election.

US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris delivers remarks before departing George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on August 1, 2024, as she returns to Washington, DC.

Walz brings a rural Midwestern perspective to the Democrat’s campaign while also having notched liberal policy goals such as cannabis legalisation and increasing worker protections.

Details later …

AFP

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Africa & World

Major Russia-US prisoner swap, including Evan Gershkovich, could be underway

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A prisoner swap involving as many as 30 people held by Russia, possibly including jailed Jewish-American journalist Evan Gershkovich and Jewish dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, could be underway.

If it comes to pass, the exchange would be the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the United States since the end of the Cold War. Signs of an approaching prisoner swap have been reported by independent Russian media as well as international press.

Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal arrested in March 2023 on allegations of espionage, was sentenced in July to 16 years in a maximum security prison. He, his employer, and the United States government vehemently deny the charges.

Security experts have long considered a prisoner swap to be the best bet for returning Gershkovich to the United States. Senior officials at the Kremlin have said that talks over a swap that would include his release are underway.

Since he was arrested more than a year ago, Gershkovich’s cause has been taken up by Jewish organizations and activists. In an echo of the Cold War-era movement to free Soviet Jewry, activists have turned to Jewish holiday rituals to raise awareness of his imprisonment, leaving an empty seat for him at the Passover seder, and sending him greeting cards ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.

It could involve between 20 and 30 political prisoners, according to a story published on Wednesday in the independent newsletter the Kozlov Paper that was reprinted in the Moscow Times.

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Africa & World

Breaking: Biden drops out, Biden endorses Harris for White House after quitting race

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

Joe Biden has announced he is standing down as the Democrat’s nominee for the upcoming US election.

In a statement shared on X, the president said “it is in the best interest of my party” to stand down and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term”.

Mr Biden has faced increasing calls in recent weeks to stand down over concerns around his age, health, and ability to run the country

Democrat committee chair promises ‘transparent and orderly’ process

The Democratic National Committee chair has promised a “transparent and orderly process” in selecting its next candidate, following Joe Biden’s decision to step down. 

Jamie Harrison said the Democrats will share more about “next steps and a path forward” shortly.

“The work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear,” he added. 

“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.

“This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party. 

“Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”

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Africa & World

JUST IN: Trump picks US senator JD Vance as running mate

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Republican candidate Donald Trump has selected Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate in the 2024 US elections.

The former president made the announcement on the social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday evening.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote

More details later…

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Africa & World

Tension as hundreds of Al Qaeda, Boko Haram terrorists escape from Niger Republic Prison

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The escape has raised concerns about the ability of Niger’s military to contain jihadist threats in the region, particularly as they are already stretched thin protecting the junta that seized power in last year’s coup and responding to attacks in the west.

A curfew has been imposed in the restive Tillaberi region of Niger Republic after a mass prison break at the high-security Koutoukale prison, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of the capital, Niamey.

The incident occurred on Thursday, according to the interior ministry. This is not the first attempted jailbreak at the facility, with two previous attempts in 2016 and 2019 being thwarted.

The escape has raised concerns about the ability of Niger’s military to contain jihadist threats in the region, particularly as they are already stretched thin protecting the junta that seized power in last year’s coup and responding to attacks in the west.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad area, disclosed that the prison, located near the capital city of Niamey, was the scene of a violent mutiny that overwhelmed guards and allowed inmates to escape with weapons and vehicles.

Citing eyewitnesses, gunshots and explosions were heard inside the prison around midday, prompting a quick response from security forces. However, the inmates had already gained control of the prison, breaking through armoured gates, barbed wire, and trenches.

Meanwhile, the ministry did not specify in its statement how many prisoners managed to escape in the latest jailbreak.

Interior Minister has issued a radio message to all governors, confirming the escape and urging village chiefs and religious leaders to report any suspicious individuals.

A curfew has been declared in the Tillabéri region, and the entire River Niger region is on high alert. The curfew restricts all movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and motor vehicles.

According to Reuters, the prison’s inmates include detainees from the West African country’s conflict with armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State and suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

Niger and its neighbours – Mali and Burkina Faso, all under military rule, have been battling to contain increasing jihadist attacks.

On Monday, at least 14 soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded in an attack by suspected jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda in the Tillaberi region.

The troops were ambushed between the villages of Ila Fari and Djangore with 24 soldiers still reported missing.

The three military-led countries have all expelled French soldiers who were there helping to fight jihadist groups and turned towards Russia for military assistance.

Thousands have been killed in the insurgencies and more than three million displaced, fuelling a deep humanitarian crisis.

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Africa & World

Tiktoker sentenced to 6 years imprisonment for insulting President

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A court in Uganda has sentenced Edward Awebwa, 24, a tiktoker to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a TikTok video.

The charges included hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against the first family, as reported by BBC.

Awebwa had shared content alleging a rise in taxes under President Museveni’s administration.

Despite pleading guilty and asking for forgiveness, the presiding magistrate, Stella Maris Amabilis, noted Awebwa’s lack of remorse and the vulgar nature of his language.

She emphasized the need for a punitive measure that would teach him to respect the president and his family.

“The accused deserves a punishment which will enable him to learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady, and the first son,” said Magistrate Amabilis.

Awebwa received a six-year sentence for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently.

This case has drawn attention from rights groups, who frequently criticize Ugandan authorities for human rights violations and curbing freedom of expression.

In a similar case, award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged in 2022 with “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks about the president and his son on Twitter.

Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after a month in jail, claiming he was tortured.

Activist and writer Stella Nyanzi, who is also in exile, faced imprisonment after publishing a critical poem about President Museveni.

President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, signed a law against hate speech in 2022, which rights groups argue is designed to suppress online freedom of speech.

While the constitutional court later ruled a section of the law penalizing “offensive communication” unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under the broader law still under challenge.

Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka argued that the president and his family should expect criticism from the public.

“Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticizing them at every point,” Aboneka told the BBC Newsday program.

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Africa & World

India’s Modi makes first Russia visit since Ukraine invasion

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Moscow for a two-day visit, his first since Russia sent troops into Ukraine – an action that has complicated the relationship between the longtime partners and pushed Russia closer to India’s rival, China.

Modi was set to have dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, followed by talks at the Kremlin on Tuesday.

“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues,” said Modi in a statement.

“We seek to play a supportive role for a peaceful and stable region.

Modi last travelled to Russia in 2019, when he attended a forum in the far eastern port of Vladivostok and met with Putin. The leaders also saw each other in September 2022 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, held in Uzbekistan.

Moscow remains a key supplier of cut-price oil and weapons to India, especially following sanctions on Russia imposed by the United States and its allies that came in response to the Russia-Ukraine war and that shut most Western markets off to Russian exports. According to analysts, India now gets more than 40 percent of its oil imports from Russia.

But the Kremlin’s isolation from the West and blooming friendship with Beijing have impacted Moscow’s time-honoured partnership with New Delhi.

Western powers have in recent years also cultivated ties with India as a bulwark against China and its growing influence in the Asia-Pacific, while pressuring it to distance itself from Russia.

Modi last visited Russia in 2019 and hosted Putin in New Delhi two years later, weeks before Russia began its offensive against Ukraine in February 2022. However, the partnership between Moscow and New Delhi has become fraught as Russia has moved closer to China.

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