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 Mali’s Tuareg rebels say Russian fighters must withdraw from country Mali’s Tuareg rebels, involved in a continuing uprising, including the assassination of the country’s defence minister, have said they want to drive the military government’s Russian backers out of the country, Al Jazeera reported. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), told the AFP news agency during a visit to Paris to meet French security and defence officials that his movement’s “objective” was for Russia’s Africa Corps to “withdraw permanently” from the country. Russian fighters backed the military government of President Assimi Goita, as it came under coordinated attack from an alliance of Tuareg separatists, Fulani and Arab rebels, and al-Qaeda-linked fighters, who entered the capital Bamako and made gains across several northern and central cities, including Kidal and Sevare. “We have no particular problem with Russia, nor with any other country. Our problem is ...

 South Sudan president fires foreign, trade ministers in latest government changes South Sudan's President Salva Kiir fired his foreign and trade ministers and ‌senior security officials, a decree on Wednesday said, the latest in a series of government changes, Reuters reported. The ​South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation announced ⁠late on Wednesday that ​Kiir had relieved Semeya Kumba of ​his post as foreign minister, and had sacked Atong Kuol Manyang as ​trade minister. No explanation was ​given for the firings, in which Kiir ‌also ⁠removed Mawien Mawien Ariik as director general of the Internal Security Bureau of the National ​Security ​Service, appointing ⁠Akec Tong Aleu as his successor. Analysts say ​Kiir regularly makes changes to ​ranks ⁠in the military and government to maintain control as he ⁠contends ​with armed conflict and ​speculation about his eventual succession.

 VICE PRESIDENT SHETTIMA CALLS FOR PEACEFUL POLITICAL ACTIVITIES IN APC Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Political actors within the Progressives movement not to Pull Down the Roof as political activities heighten which comes with a familiar fever of democracy. In a Statement personally signed by the Vice President, he calls for decorum across levels and officials, saying consultations have begun and aspirants are making calls, elders are receiving visitors, supporters courting delegates, and the marketplace of ambition is alive once more. He describes the season as a  proof that democracy still breathes with evidence that power is still something to be negotiated, contested, persuaded, and earned.  Vice President Shettima notes that it is a normal practice as every season of politics comes with its temptations to make mistake, disagreement for betrayal, competition for enmity, preference for exclusion, and media interpretation for truth. As members of one pol...

 APPEAL COURT ORDERS FORMER EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR GODWIN OMOBAYO TO FACE CONTEMPT CHARGES  The Court of Appeal Abuja Division, has ordered a former deputy governor of Edo State, Godwins Omobayo, to face the contempt proceedings filed against him for not obeying a valid order of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Another former deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu and the state assembly after  obtaining a Federal High Court judgement to have Omobayo removed, had initiated the contempt proceedings for Omobayo's refusal to vacate office. The three man panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Okon Abang ruled that Omobayo was wrong to have remained in office, after the trial court removed him.  The court dismissed Omobayo's appeal, and directed him to prepare for his contempt suit.

 Reform Is Not a Windfall; Subsidy removal does not generate a stock of cash  By Tanimu Yakubu    Introduction: The Illusion of Windfall   Nigeria’s contemporary fiscal discourse has been captured by a convenient but fundamentally flawed proposition: that the removal of subsidy—particularly petrol subsidy—yields an immediate fiscal windfall.   This claim is not merely inaccurate; it is analytically indefensible. Subsidy removal does not create liquidity. It eliminates a distortion. It corrects a mispricing. It improves the trajectory of public finance. But it does not, in itself, generate a stock of cash available for discretionary expenditure. To suggest otherwise is to confuse accounting relief with fiscal capacity.   More fundamentally, the subsidy debate in Nigeria has been improperly framed. It is often presented as a narrow question of petrol pricing. In reality, Nigeria has operated a multi-layered subsidy regime across three critical domains: f...

 LAGOS UNVEILS DIGITAL EMERGENCY SYSTEM TO CUT RESPONSE TIME The Lagos State Government has unveiled the Lagos Emergency Responder Management System (LERMS), a technology-driven platform designed to enhance coordination among emergency agencies and significantly reduce response time across the state. Speaking at the launch held at the Folarin Coker Staff Clinic Conference Hall, Alausa, Ikeja, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Gbenga Oyerinde, described LERMS as a “transformative digital platform” that would revolutionise emergency management in Lagos. He said the initiative was part of efforts to build a safer, smarter and more responsive megacity, noting that the complexities of urban living required a shift from fragmented approaches to an integrated system. “LERMS brings together multiple layers of emergency response into a single, unified ecosystem, ensuring seamless coordination among first responders,” he said. According to him, the platfor...