Belarus freed 52 political prisoners on Thursday, as the United States announced it was lifting some sanctions on the isolated country’s national airline. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has been repeatedly slapped with Western sanctions both for its crackdown on human rights and allowing Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and hundreds of people, including dissidents, opposition figures and journalists, are behind bars. But for more than a year, Lukashenko has sought to mend ties with the...

When I speak, let it be clear: this is not an attack on any tribe. I stand firmly with the aboriginal peoples of every land—whether in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, or Africa—against the dangerous ambitions of immigrants who attempt to seize lands, rewrite history, or establish political dominance in territories that are not theirs. It is the height of madness—if not outright stupidity—for any man to enter another people’s territory, declare it “no man’s land,” and then crown himself with a title such as “Obi of Lagos.” Such arrogance is not just an insult, it is an overreach and...

The Lagos State Government has declared it unlawful for any health facility to train or employ auxiliary nurses, warning that hospitals found engaging in the practice risk outright closure . Permanent Secretary of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Dr. Abiola Idowu, issued the warning on Thursday during a sensitisation campaign and town hall meeting held in Alimosho Local Council. Represented by the agency’s Director of Research and Statistics, Dr. Olorunfemi Olonire, Idowu explained that the ban was introduced because the activities of auxiliary nurses have caused more harm than good to the healthcare system. She stressed that...

A zookeeper in Thailand was mauled to death by a group of lions, prompting officials to investigate the zoo’s possession of wild animals and safety rules. The fatal attack Wednesday, which visitors recorded, occurred at Safari World, a popular private zoo in Bangkok that regularly offers lion-feeding shows. Witnesses said at least three lions dragged the zookeeper to the ground and attacked him after he stepped out of his work vehicle in violation of safety regulations, according to the state-run Thai News Agency. The victim, who was in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the hospital after his colleagues managed to pull him away from the lions,...

 Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced on Thursday to 27 years and three months in prison hours after being convicted of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election, dealing a powerful rebuke to one of the world’s most prominent far-right populist leaders. The conviction ruling by a panel of five justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court, who also agreed on the sentence, made the 70-year-old Bolsonaro the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted for attacking democracy, and drew disapproval from the Trump administration. “This criminal case is almost a meeting between Brazil and its past, its present...