Text Of The Speech By President Tinubu At The State Banquet In His Honour At Windsor Castle

Text Of The Speech By President Tinubu At The State Banquet In His Honour At Windsor Castle

President Tinubu: It is a profound honour to stand before you today, representing the people of Nigeria as we reaffirm the enduring bonds of friendship, history, and shared purpose that have united our two nations for several centuries. Allow me first to express my sincere appreciation to Your Majesty and to Her Majesty, The Queen for the warmth and generosity extended to me, my wife, Oluremi, and the Nigerian delegation. As the first Nigerian leader to speak here at Windsor Castle, which has served the British Crown for nearly a millennium, is particularly historic. Windsor has stood as a symbol...

Venezuela’s Acting President Names New Defense Chief To Replace Longtime Maduro Loyalist

Venezuela’s Acting President Names New Defense Chief To Replace Longtime Maduro Loyalist

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a major Cabinet shake-up Wednesday with the appointment of a new defense minister to replace Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, who had been a cornerstone of the military’s long-standing support for former President Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez announced the transition on her Telegram channel, saying the appointment of Gen. Gustavo González López to the role was effective immediately. She also thanked Padrino López for his “loyalty to the Homeland” and expressed confidence in his future roles. The announcement comes more than 10 weeks after Rodríguez became acting head of state following the Jan. 3 U.S. military...

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul To Remain In Power Following Parliament Vote

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul To Remain In Power Following Parliament Vote

Thailand’s incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul won a vote in Parliament on Thursday to remain in office, according to an official tally. The leader of the Bhumjaithai Party garnered 293 votes, exceeding the required majority of the 498 members who attended the session in the House of Representatives. Anutin is expected to take office a few days after obtaining a formal appointment from King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the new cabinet is expected to be appointed in the following weeks. Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party won 191 seats in February’s general election, according to official results, and has since built a coalition with...

Saudi Arabia Says A Drone Hits SAMREF Refinery In Port City Of Yanbu On Red Sea

Saudi Arabia Says A Drone Hits SAMREF Refinery In Port City Of Yanbu On Red Sea

Saudi Arabia said a drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea on Thursday. The Saudi Defense Ministry said damage assessment was underway, without elaborating. The strike comes after drones hit two oil refineries in Kuwait. Overnight, Iranian attacks also hit natural gas sites in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, spiking global prices. Iran is retaliating over an Israeli strike Wednesday on its South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Qatar. —AP

Rapper Mystikal Pleads Guilty To Third-Degree Rape In Louisiana

Rapper Mystikal Pleads Guilty To Third-Degree Rape In Louisiana

The rapper Mystikal, who received multiple Grammy nominations in the early 2000s, pleaded guilty Tuesday to raping a woman at his Louisiana home nearly four years ago, according to court records. The 55-year-old performer, whose given name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in an Ascension Parish courtroom, records show. Tyler’s attorney didn’t immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment. Tyler faces up to 25 years in jail without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15. The rapper has been held without bond at the Ascension...

Pakistan And Afghanistan Announce Temporary Pause In Fighting, 2 Days After Deadly Kabul Strike

Pakistan And Afghanistan Announce Temporary Pause In Fighting, 2 Days After Deadly Kabul Strike

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday declared a temporary pause in escalating fighting, two days after Kabul blamed Islamabad for a deadly airstrike in the Afghan capital that it said killed hundreds of people at a drug rehabilitation hospital. Both said they were suspending fighting before the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. The three countries have been trying to mediate a cessation of hostilities since Afghanistan and Pakistan renewed cross-border fighting in February, and had also been involved in helping broker a...

Joe Kent’s Resignation Over Iran War Reignites Antisemitism Fears And Debate Over Israeli Influence

Joe Kent’s Resignation Over Iran War Reignites Antisemitism Fears And Debate Over Israeli Influence

It was no surprise when Joe Kent showed up on Tucker Carlson’s podcast a day after quitting his counterterrorism job in President Donald Trump’s administration. Here was a top official who resigned to protest the war with Iran turning to right-wing media’s leading critic of the conflict. “The Israelis drove the decision to take this action,” Kent said in Wednesday’s interview. But before long, the conversation moved in a different direction as Kent nodded to conspiracy theories that pro-Israel forces were behind the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “I’m saying there are unanswered questions,” Kent said. The conversation encapsulated...