₦airaland Forum

Gunmen on motorbikes have shot dead 22 people, most of them attending a baptism ceremony, in an attack on a village in western Niger, reports say.

A resident told the French news agency AFP that 15 people were killed at the ceremony in Tillabéri region, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, before moving elsewhere and killing seven others.

"While people celebrated a baptism ceremony, gunmen opened fire, sowing death and terror," local civil rights activist Maikoul Zodi said on social media.

Niger's military government has struggled to contain jihadist violence in the region, carried out by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

The AFP news agency also cited local media outlet Elmaestro TV as reporting a "gruesome death toll of 22 innocent people cowardly killed without reason or justification".

Niger's authorities have confirmed there was an attack in the area but have not given any casualty figures.

Last week, Human Rights Watch said jihadist groups had increased attacks in the country since March, summarily killing over 127 villagers and Muslim worshippers.

Dozens of homes have been looted and burned over the same period, it said.

The group blamed authorities for not adequately responding to warnings of attacks and ignoring calls for help by villagers.

Last Wednesday, 14 Nigerien soldiers were killed in an ambush in the Tillabéri region, a figure that the army announced in its weekly bulletin on Saturday.

The army said one of its units was deployed following reports of a cattle theft by armed men, but the operation turned out to be "an ambush".

It is often difficult to independently verify the real numbers of casualties in such attacks due to access restrictions and the fear of reprisals among witnesses and local media.

On Tuesday, Mr Zodi questioned why civilians were still being exposed to such insecurity, and urged the government to prioritise the safety and dignity of citizens.

"It is time for concrete answers, strengthen state presence in vulnerable areas, and show that every Nigerien life matters," he posted on Facebook.

Niger has been under military control since 2023 when Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani deposed the country's elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.

Its neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali, battling the same jihadist insurgency, are also ruled by military leaders but have similarly struggled to contain the problem.

The three have expelled French and US forces that were previously heavily involved in the fight against jihadists that operate across the Sahel region.

Besides scaling back their ties with the West, they have since formed an alliance to fight the jihadist threat, turning to Russia and Turkey for their security needs.

However, the violence has continued.

Countries With The Most Universities

1. 🇮🇳 India - 5,349
2. 🇮🇩 Indonesia - 3,277
3. 🇺🇸 U.S. - 3,180
4. 🇨🇳 China - 2,495
5. 🇧🇷 Brazil - 1,264
6. 🇲🇽 Mexico - 1,139
7. 🇷🇺 Russia - 1,010
8. 🇯🇵 Japan - 992
9. 🇫🇷 France - 625
10. 🇩🇪 Germany - 461
11. 🇮🇷 Iran - 440
12. 🇵🇱 Poland - 408
13. 🇰🇷 S. Korea - 401
14. 🇨🇦 Canada - 383
15. 🇵🇭 Philippines - 366
16. 🇵🇰 Pakistan - 359
17. 🇲🇾 Malaysia - 351
18. 🇬🇧 U.K. - 337
19. 🇺🇦 Ukraine - 300
20. 🇨🇴 Colombia - 299
21. 🇮🇹 Italy - 289
22. 🇳🇬 Nigeria - 278
23. 🇪🇸 Spain - 276
24. 🇹🇳 Tunisia - 236
25. 🇹🇷 Turkey - 209

Note: Estimated number as of July 2023

Source: Statista

IrantiOlorun:
Governor Bago is talking too much recently and needs to watch what he says.

The North Korean government is increasingly imposing death penalty, including for people caught watching and sharing foreign films and TV dramas, according to a major UN report.

According to the BBC, the report revealed that the dictatorship, which remains largely cut off from the world, is also forcing more citizens into labour while further restricting freedoms.

The UN Human Rights Office found that over the past decade, the North Korean state had tightened control over “all aspects of citizens’ lives”. It concluded: “No other population is under such restrictions in today’s world,” adding that surveillance had become “more pervasive”, aided by advances in technology.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that if the situation continued, North Koreans “will be subjected to more of the suffering, brutal repression and fear that they have endured for so long”.

Based on more than 300 interviews with people who escaped from North Korea in the past 10 years, the report revealed that the death penalty is being used more frequently.

Since 2015, at least six new laws have been introduced allowing capital punishment, including for watching and sharing foreign media content.

Escapees told UN researchers that since 2020, more executions had taken place for distributing foreign content, with firing squads carrying out public killings to instill fear.

Kang Gyuri, who escaped in 2023, told the BBC that three of her friends were executed for possessing South Korean content.

She recalled attending the trial of a 23-year-old friend who was sentenced to death. “He was tried along with drug criminals. These crimes are treated the same now,” she said.

When Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011, many North Koreans had hoped life would improve. But the report said living conditions and human rights had “degraded” after Kim abandoned diplomacy with the West in 2019 and focused on expanding his nuclear weapons programme.

Almost all escapees said they lacked food, with three meals a day described as a “luxury”. During the Covid pandemic, many reported severe shortages and deaths from hunger.

At the same time, the government cracked down on informal marketplaces and tightened border controls, ordering troops to shoot those attempting to flee.

“In the early days of Kim Jong Un, we had some hope, but that hope did not last long,” one woman, who escaped in 2018 at age 17, testified.

“The government gradually blocked people from making a living independently, and the very act of living became a daily torment.”

The UN report said the government had exercised “near total control over people, leaving them unable to make their own decisions” over the past 10 years. It also highlighted growing use of forced labour, with people from poor families recruited into “shock brigades” for dangerous tasks such as mining and construction. Orphans and street children have also been pressed into such work, according to the findings.

The latest report follows a 2014 UN inquiry which found North Korea was committing crimes against humanity. It confirmed that at least four political prison camps remain in operation, while torture, abuse, and deaths from malnutrition persist in prisons. Some escapees reported “a slight decrease in violence by guards”, though overall conditions remain dire.

The UN has called for the situation to be referred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but this would require approval from the UN Security Council, where China and Russia have blocked past sanctions efforts.

Public anger over a sharp rise in fuel prices in Angola triggered three days of violence, some of which was directed at the country’s large Chinese community. The violence destroyed shops, closed factories and caused thousands of Chinese residents to flee the country.

Based on reports, the rioting grew out of protests over the Angolan government’s decision to reduce subsidies on gasoline. The rioting preceded the government’s action in August to shut down 25 illegal Chinese cryptocurrency mining operations and expel 60 Chinese nationals involved in it.

Cryptocurrency mining is banned in Angola because of the burden it places on the country’s electrical grid. In the mining people use special computer hardware to solve complex mathematical puzzles that validate and record transactions on a blockchain in exchange for cryptocurrency rewards. The Chinese nationals arrested as part of the crackdown were given 24 hours to leave the country.

Recent video shared by BBC Zimbabwe and other news channels shows dozens of Chinese nationals flooding into Luanda’s international airport, many pushing wheeled bags. In the video, a man can be heard speaking to departing Chinese outside the airport in Portuguese and telling them in English “bye-bye.”

Angola is home to about 300,000 Chinese citizens, one of the largest Chinese communities on the continent. Chinese citizens own factories and mines in the country. They also play a large role in Angola’s construction industry and in its retail markets. Nearly 100 Chinese-owned shops in Luanda were vandalized when violence erupted in late July.

The sudden outburst of violence against Angola’s Chinese residents reflects a growing resentment toward the Chinese, whom many Angolans see as exploiting them and the country as a whole, according to analysts.

In 2024, Angolan authorities shut down two Chinese factories for breaking local laws. A metals processing facility was operating without a license and polluted a local river. A plastics factory was accused of keeping its 113 Angolan employees locked in and living in unsanitary conditions. Angolan artisanal fishermen also complain that Chinese trawlers are devastating the fish stocks they rely on for their livelihood.

Angola’s Chinese-fueled economic growth over the past two decades has led to corruption and sharp socioeconomic disparities across the country, with the upper 20% of society benefiting the most from deals with China and the lowest 20% seeing little of that largesse.

Angola has been Africa’s biggest beneficiary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has provided the country with $68.6 billion in loans for crucial infrastructure between 2000 and 2021, according to AidData, a project that tracks Chinese Belt and Road investments around the world.

Among other things, Chinese loans built the new Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport that opened in 2024. The new facility can serve 15 million passengers and 600,000 tons of cargo a year. It is the largest Chinese-financed airport outside China, according to AidData.

Angola agreed to repay its debt to China with oil exports. In recent years, however, because China has shifted its oil imports away from Africa and toward Russia and the Middle East, Angola has struggled to repay the billions of dollars it still owes.

Adding to Angolans’ resentments against China was the fact that, as in other African countries, much of the work on Angola’s Belt and Road projects was done by Chinese companies and Chinese workers. Angolans who were hired typically worked as manual laborers.

In some cases, the finished Chinese projects suffered setbacks. In 2010, for example, the $8 billion Chinese-built Luanda General Hospital was forced to close shortly after opening when cracks in the building raised the possibility that it might collapse. It reopened two years later after extensive repairs.

“Chinese investments did not fulfill the expectations of improving Angola’s technological capacity and infrastructure,” analyst Sumie Yoshikawa wrote earlier this year for the Eurasian Review. “In addition, many of the roads, houses, and buildings constructed by Chinese companies were of remarkably low quality.”

The German football team Borussia Dortmund is starting “an internal process” against its devout Christian player Felix Nmecha for having expressed sympathy on his social media accounts to Charlie Kirk’s family and writing that celebrating someone’s murder is “truly evil.”

His 2 stories on Instagram read:


“May the Lord be with the Kirk family with special grace during this time. Jesus is the true way to peace and love.”

“Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Celebrating the murder of a double father, a husband, and a man who peacefully stood for his convictions and values is truly evil and shows how much we need Christ. May God have mercy and open our eyes and hearts, in Jesus’ name.”

The responsible figures at Borussia Dortmund, including CEO Aki Watzke, are set to represent the German Football Association (DFB) at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA.

German conservatives are calling for Donald Trump not to let them into the country if they continue to persecute Felix Nmecha for writing condolences to the family of a fellow Christian who was murdered for his political and Christian beliefs.

FreeStuffsNG:
The military’s list also includes a soldier killed by friendly fire in the West Bank, a soldier killed due to malfunctioning ammunition on the Lebanon border, two soldiers killed in a tank accident in northern Israel, and a number of other deadly incidents amid the war that were not directly related to the fighting.

The rehab department’s budget stands at NIS 8.3 billion ($2.5 billion), NIS 4.1 billion of which is dedicated to treating those with mental health conditions, the ministry said.


Eedi. Smh.

Reminds me of the lyrics in that musical masterpiece by Asa; Jailer.

Commentor:
They never said so.

Stop pulling outrageous ideas out of your backside.

Commentor:
O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao”
The message on the third unfired bullet is particularly interesting. The song “Bella Ciao” is an Italian anti-Nazi and anti-fascist folk song from the 1940s.

However, it’s also a popular song among “Groypers,” a group of far-right extremists aligned most popularly with 27-year-old white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes. This group has historically criticized Kirk from the right, and in what they called “Groyper Wars,” Fuentes would criticize Kirk and instruct his followers on how to troll Kirk’s events.

obembet:
Actually Nigeria are better than all this South and North America in terms of police

aswani:
Oga Farooq, what was he meant to say to potential investors?

I am sure the ones he was speaking to know full well that there is nowhere on earth that is corruption free, even the US that Farooq is in.

The large scale, free for all corruption of PDP governments that spawned the likes of Dino and Deziani is thankfully gone.

A sheriff has ordered that a self-styled "African tribe" should be removed from privately-owned land in the Scottish Borders.

The three members of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Kubala have been camping in woodland near Jedburgh for several weeks.

They said they were reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors 400 years ago - but the local council said they were breaking the law.

The eviction order, which takes effect immediately, was issued by Sheriff Peter Paterson after the group ignored a previous instruction to leave their encampment by 17:00 on Monday.

None of the group's members were present at Jedburgh Sheriff Court and they did not have legal representation.

The "tribe" has been at the site for several months.

Ghanaian Kofi Offeh, 36, and Jean Gasho, 42, who is originally from Zimbabwe, first arrived in the Jedburgh area in the spring.

Describing themselves as King Atehehe and Queen Nandi, they set up camp on a hillside above the town in the Scottish Borders.

They were joined by "handmaiden" Kaura Taylor, from Texas, who calls herself Asnat.

The group claimed ancestral rights to land and insisted that the Kingdom of Kubala had been born.

Scottish Borders Council initially evicted the trio from the hillside site above Jedburgh in July.

But rather than leave the area, they moved about a mile further out of town to a woodland next to an industrial estate.

The camp is located near Jedburgh in the south of Scotland.

The land's owners, David and Mary Palmer, successfully applied to the courts for the tribe to be evicted.

However, Scottish Borders Council said they had failed to comply with an order to leave the land by 17:00 on Monday.

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton said the group were breaking the law by taking up residence on someone else's land.

He said the landowner had been left with "no option" but to seek an order from the sheriff.

Mr Hamilton, deputy leader of the council, said it was disappointing - but not surprising - that the group had ignored the ultimatum to leave the site.

"They have rebuffed every opportunity to engage with us," he said.

"We can help them, but we won't sit back and let them break the law."

Kofi Offeh spoke to the media at the campsite after the court hearing
He added that comments on social media by the group, which has made allegations of prejudice against the community, had upset a lot of people in the area.

The "tribe" has a growing online presence, with more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and Facebook, and has received worldwide media attention.

Speaking to the media at the campsite following the order, Mr Offeh said the group were "not afraid" of the warrant for their eviction.

"The creator of the heavens and the Earth is the one with us," he said.

"And we are not afraid of whatever the court - the so-called court - has granted."


Asked if the group planned to move elsewhere, the self-proclaimed king said: "If the creator of the heavens and the earth wants us to move from this land, he shall find us a place to go."

DeDonniesHomes:
When people think of old universities, names like Oxford or Harvard usually come to mind. But here’s the surprise: the oldest university in the world isn’t in Europe or America — it’s in Africa.

In the year 859 AD, a visionary woman named Fatima al-Fihri founded the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco. She wasn’t just wealthy; she was passionate about education and faith. Using her inheritance, she built a place where scholars could gather, learn, and exchange ideas. What started as a modest religious school quickly grew into a powerhouse of knowledge.

The University of al-Qarawiyyin taught subjects far beyond theology. Students studied mathematics, astronomy, medicine, grammar, music, and philosophy. For centuries, it attracted learners and thinkers from across Africa, the Middle East, and even Europe. Records show that European scholars traveled there for knowledge, which later helped shape the European Renaissance.

The institution is still standing today, more than 1,100 years old, making it officially recognized by UNESCO and the Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest continuously operating university. And yes, it was founded by an African Muslim woman — a fact that often gets buried in global history.

So the next time someone mentions Oxford (founded in 1096) or Bologna in Italy (1088), remember this truth: the very roots of the modern university system began in Africa, Morocco, with al-Qarawiyyin.

It’s proof that Africa has always been a birthplace of knowledge.

N5.6tn debt: Energy crisis looms as gas firms cut supply

Nigeria faces the threat of nationwide blackouts as gas companies reduce their supply to power plants due to an outstanding N5.6 trillion debt owed to power generation companies.

The development has raised concerns about the stability of the national grid and the country’s ability to sustain its electricity supply.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Dr Joy Ogaji, confirmed the development in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday. She warned that the situation, if not urgently addressed, could push Nigeria deeper into darkness.

This warning came shortly after another national grid collapse threw the entire country into blackout earlier in the week. Although partial restoration has since brought back about 4,000 megawatts, many plants are still operating below capacity.

Ogaji explained that while GenCos remain committed to supporting the country, the liquidity crisis in the sector has spiralled out of control. She disclosed that from January to August 2025 alone, an additional N1.6tn debt had accumulated, bringing the total outstanding to N5.6tn.

She recalled that President Bola Tinubu had met with the GenCos on July 25 to discuss an estimated N4 trillion debt owed to them, covering legacy debts and unpaid invoices. At the meeting, Tinubu appealed for patience while the government completed the verification and validation of the claims. He also approved, in principle, a N4tn bond programme to address the liquidity gap in the sector.

“Almost two months after that meeting, there has been no follow-up engagement with the GenCos on how these debts will be settled,” Ogaji lamented.

She explained that about 60 per cent of GenCos’ revenues go to gas producers, meaning that the debt burden directly undermines gas supply. With suppliers already reducing deliveries, she warned, the electricity market could soon grind to a halt.

Ogaji stressed that despite the patriotic commitment of operators to keep the lights on, factors outside their control make it nearly impossible to sustain generation. She listed gas supply, maintenance of machines, procurement of spare parts, and obligations to other creditors as key challenges.

“Gas suppliers have already started reducing supply. There are critical maintenance works on our machines, spares to purchase, and other creditors who are no longer willing to wait for payments. They now prioritise those who pay them promptly,” she stated.

According to her, the prevailing market structure is incompatible with Nigeria’s growth ambitions. “No substantial private sector investment will flow into this sector unless urgent reforms are implemented. Only the Federal Government, in collaboration with NBET and NERC, can unlock these challenges,” she said.

The APGC boss revealed that GenCos’ monthly invoices average N270bn, but only about N70bn is paid, leaving N200bn outstanding every month. She faulted the 2025 federal budget, which earmarked N900bn for the power sector without cash backing, calling it grossly inadequate.

She also expressed concerns over the Federal Government’s plan to issue promissory notes to settle the debts. According to her, the details of such instruments remain unclear, raising apprehension among investors.

“Promissory notes and bond proposals go to the root of our contractual agreements in the market. We must understand the terms, conditions, and risks before committing,” she said.

Ogaji highlighted the risks of such instruments, including interest rate exposure, foreign exchange volatility, credit risk, and liquidity risk. She noted that promissory notes cannot be repurchased in the open market, which creates refinancing risks at maturity.

“GenCos will not make concessions that undermine our obligations to other creditors. Any breach of contractual terms by the government has a ripple effect on our finances and relationships with bankers and other partners,” she warned.

Ogaji urged the Federal Government, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Debt Management Office, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc to urgently engage GenCos on viable solutions. She questioned whether the proposed promissory notes would be exclusive to GenCos or open to other government contractors, which could dilute the chances of settlement for power producers.

“GenCos remain patriotic investors, but patriotism alone cannot run power plants. Without urgent action, Nigeria risks another round of prolonged blackouts,” she said.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, were unsuccessful, as his spokesman, Bolaji Tunji, did not respond to calls or messages.

Meanwhile, the Transmission Company of Nigeria confirmed some recovery on the national grid, with power generation climbing to nearly 4,000 megawatts by Thursday. However, several power plants are yet to resume full output, underscoring the fragility of the system.

Industry stakeholders say that unless the Federal Government swiftly addresses the liquidity crisis and debt overhang, Nigeria’s electricity sector may face deeper collapse, with dire consequences for homes, businesses, and the overall economy.

Dennisochampa:
What kind of justice??
The type where people take laws into their hands??
The type where those who do not agree with Islamic principles are seen as infidels who deserve death??
The type of justice where they don't drink alcohol but accept the vat that comes from alcohol??
What kind of justice exactly??

I know there are good Muslims too but the bad ones have made us scared of all of them as a whole

The Special Adviser on Tax Policy to the Chairman of the Tax Reforms Committee, Mr Mathew Osanekwu, has revealed that Nigeria has successfully collected over N600bn in Value Added Tax from global digital service providers such as Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix.

He explained that amendments to the VAT Act had empowered the Federal Inland Revenue Service to bring non-resident companies offering services in Nigeria into the tax net. “These are not Nigerian entities, but they are now paying VAT under Section 10 of the VAT Act. They are registered in Nigeria and are also appointed as agents of collection,” Osanekwu stated during a workshop for media practitioners in Abuja on Wednesday.

He stressed that the move aligns with global best practices and ensures Nigeria benefits from taxes on services consumed locally but delivered by foreign companies.

Also at the event, the Federal Government clarified that President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing fiscal and tax reforms have not introduced any new taxes, contrary to widespread speculation.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Professor Taiwo Oyedele, explained that the reforms were designed to ease the tax burden on low- and middle-income earners while ensuring equity and fairness.

According to him, many of the levies being debated in the public space, including the controversial five per cent fuel surcharge, are not new but provisions in long-standing laws predating the current administration.

“It’s not a new tax. Some said the tax is being proposed. The tax is not being proposed. Some believe this president has introduced tax after tax, and I challenge them to point to one newly introduced tax,” Oyedele said.

He reminded participants that in July 2023, barely two months after assuming office, President Tinubu signed four executive orders suspending taxes that had been hurriedly introduced during the final days of the previous administration. These included excise duties on plastic items and vehicle importation.

“Many of us are not even aware because this president did not allow those taxes to take effect. They were suspended and eventually removed,” Oyedele added. He further clarified that the much-debated Cybersecurity Levy was enacted years ago, stressing that Tinubu’s administration did not originate it.

The tax reforms, which take effect in January 2026, are part of efforts to overhaul Nigeria’s weak tax system, broaden the revenue base, and improve compliance. Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio currently stands at about 10.8 per cent, one of the lowest globally and far below the African average of 16 per cent and the global benchmark of 30 per cent.

Oyedele emphasised that the reforms aim to consolidate multiple taxes, remove overlapping charges, and tie levies to transparent, project-linked spending. He stressed that the framework is progressive, protecting vulnerable groups while fairly taxing higher earners.

Under the reforms, personal income tax thresholds have been adjusted to ensure that Nigerians earning less than ₦800,000 annually will pay no tax on that amount. Similarly, small businesses earning under ₦100m per year will enjoy a 0 per cent corporate tax rate.

“This reform is the most progressive Nigeria has ever seen. It eliminates taxes on the poor, reduces the burden on the middle class, and targets higher-income earners fairly,” Oyedele noted.

He also painted a sobering picture of Nigeria’s economic state as of May 2023, describing it as “on the verge of collapse.”

According to him, the country’s foreign reserves were heavily encumbered by unpaid forward contracts and subsidy-induced debt by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). With barely 200,000 barrels of free crude available due to pre-sales, Nigeria’s fiscal system was “running on fumes.”

He argued that continuing to finance fuel subsidies with borrowed money secured against future crude production would have led to a total shutdown of fuel imports, similar to the crisis in Sri Lanka.

“People may ask whether life is better now than it was two years ago. The right question is: would life have been better today if those reforms hadn’t happened?” Oyedele asked.

Former President Barack Obama led a chorus of national leaders condemning the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday.

In a poignant statement posted on X, Obama wrote, “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”

The killing of Kirk, a 31-year-old firebrand and founder of Turning Point USA, occurred around noon MDT during a Q&A session at a rally attended by approximately 500 students.

According to Deseret News reporter Emma Pitts, who witnessed the attack, a single gunshot struck Kirk in the neck, causing him to collapse instantly: “A fountain of blood came out of his neck. His body went limp and then his eyes closed.”

UVU, Utah’s largest public university with over 46,000 students, was immediately placed on lockdown, with SWAT teams and federal authorities launching a manhunt for the unidentified suspect.

Kirk’s death, occurring as he addressed a question about mass shootings, has sent shockwaves through the nation, intensifying concerns about political violence following incidents like the 2024 attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

Trump mourned Kirk on Truth Social, calling him “The Great, and even Legendary,” and crediting his influence on American youth through his top-ranked podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show. Other leaders, including Vice President JD Vance, Senators Chuck Grassley and Ted Cruz, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, echoed Obama’s condemnation, with Newsom describing the act as “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”

The assassination has laid bare the nation’s deep divisions, with X posts reflecting a spectrum of grief, anger, and, in some cases, chilling approval.

User @KerrDepression noted, “American reactions online to the Charlie Kirk shooting are surprising. People who dislike him seem overwhelmingly happy,” highlighting Kirk’s polarizing legacy as a vocal critic of progressive policies.

Despite his divisive rhetoric, Kirk’s work galvanized conservative youth, making his loss a significant blow to the movement.

As UVU remains under lockdown and investigators search for the suspect, the motive behind the attack remains unclear.

The incident has reignited calls for unity and action to curb political extremism, with Obama’s words resonating as a plea for civility.

Kaliningrad:
Utah Speaker Mike Schultz confirms Charlie Kirk has died.

Utah Valley University spokesperson says suspect is not in custody. Person taken into custody after Charlie Kirk shooting was not actually the shooter.

The US currently subsidizes the fossil-fuel industry to the tune of nearly $31bn per year, according to a new analysis.

That figure, calculated by the environmental campaign group Oil Change International, has more than doubled since 2017. And it is likely a vast understatement, due to the difficulty of quantifying the financial gains from some government supports, and to a lack of transparency and reliable data from government sources, the group says.

These handouts pose a massive barrier to decarbonization, says the new report, which experts have long warned is urgently necessary to avert the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

“These subsidies allow for new production that would not otherwise occur,” said Collin Rees, US program manager at Oil Change International and the primary author of the new analysis. “They also, to an enormous extent, go to lining the pockets of shareholders and investors and fossil fuel executives.”

For the analysis, Oil Change International totaled up tax breaks, lower rates to acquire land and other resources, direct appropriations, and other financial support from the US and government-funded groups, using the definition of fossil fuel subsidies established by the World Trade Organization.

All told, US subsidies allow the sector to receive stunning 30,000% returns on investments, the authors found.

The Guardian has contacted the American Petroleum Institute, the nation’s fossil-fuel lobbying group, for comment.

Among the biggest subsidies the US offers oil companies, the report found, is a federal tax rule allowing corporations to credit taxes and royalties they pay to foreign governments on overseas income against their domestic tax bills, to avoid being taxed twice.

Another major support measure is a tax credit for capturing carbon, which is often framed as a climate solution but is primarily used to extract hard-to-reach reserves in a practice known as enhanced oil recovery.

Amid pressure from campaigners and United Nations climate experts, at least 53 countries reformed their fossil-fuel subsidies between 2015 and 2020, according to the Swiss research group Global Subsidies Initiative.

In 2021, Joe Biden also vowed to begin eliminating subsidies for planet-heating energy sources.

“Unlike previous administrations, I don’t think the federal government should give handouts to big oil,” Biden said following his inauguration in 2021.

Yet the US is moving in the wrong direction on the issue, the new report found: Trump’s signature tax-and-spend bill, which the president signed in July, is poised to hand fossil-fuel companies an additional $4bn per year across the next decade, the analysis found.

Among the biggest supports for the oil industry in the megabill are expanded credits for carbon capture and a lowering of already sub-market royalty rates for coal, oil and gas production on public lands. Those enhanced supports could end up being even more valuable to the oil industry in later years, Rees says.

Another provision in the bill, for which oil companies lobbied, can allow those companies to avoid the corporate minimum tax which Biden established during his presidency.

Redirecting all US fossil-fuel subsidies to social programs could vastly improve life for ordinary Americans, the report says, for instance by providing 3 million families with Snap benefits annually, helping 54 million households install solar panels within a decade, or sending 3 million children to Head Start early learning programs.

Though US government supports for fossil fuels are esoteric and complex, they have massive implications for the nation’s relationship with polluting energy companies, said Rees.

“We’re dealing with technical legislative language and components of the tax code, but despite that, I think it’s important to understand that subsidies are political statements,” he said. “They are political choices about what we’re choosing to support as a country.”

BOMADI— The army officer abducted in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, Major Josiah, has been rescued by villagers from the deep forest of Tuomo community.

The officer was reportedly kidnapped on Sunday night by armed youths, who stormed his lodge, ransacked it, and whisked him away to the creeks of Burutu Local Government Area.

Community sources said he was later found in the forest where the kidnappers abandoned their vehicle. According to accounts, palm-wine tappers and lumberers discovered him tied inside a canoe with gunshot wounds on his leg and hand.

He was first taken to a nearby camp for safety before being conveyed by canoe to the community. The community subsequently alerted the military Joint Task Force (JTF), which moved him to safety.

Efforts to reach the military command in Bomadi were unsuccessful, but a source confirmed that Major Josiah has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.