Nigerian manufacturer Codix Bio Ltd plans to make millions of HIV and Malaria test kits at its new plant outside Lagos for the local and regional market to help fill gaps in the wake of cutbacks at U.S. donor agency USAID, a company executive said.

The United States, the world's largest humanitarian aid donor, has cutfunding for foreign assistance, half of which is

delivered via USAID.

The U.S. support to Nigeria, which reached $740 million in 2024 based on USAID data, is focused on preventing malaria and curbing HIV as well as delivering vaccines to local health centres across the country.

It is not yet clear how Nigeria will be affected by the cuts. The federal government has said it will raise funds to continue some of the programmes that donors supported.

Codix Bio general manager Olanrewaju Balaja said the company will roll out kits later this month from its plant in partnership with the South Korean pharmaceutical producer SD Biosensor and support from the World Health Organization.

The plant has an initial capacity to produce 147 million kits annually, but this can be expanded to over 160 million.

"From the statistics of what is supplied (by USAID and PEPFAR) for a specific programme year, and looking at what we have currently in capacity for Nigeria, we have enough capacity to meet the demand," Balaja told Reuters.

He said if the company scaled up operations, "we can go to West and Sub-Saharan Africa, including other African countries."

Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria globally, according to WHO, with nearly 27% of the global burden. The country also has the world's fourth highest burden of HIV, according to UNAIDS.

"The focus was for us to be able to play in the field of supply of rapid diagnostic test kits for donor agencies, which particularly USAID was at the forefront," Balaja added.

Reuters

After a prolonged standoff, the United Kingdom has granted Nigeria’s Air Peace approval to operate direct flights to London’s Heathrow Airport, ending months of diplomatic tension and aviation policy disputes.

The announcement was made by Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, who said the airline would commence daily direct flights between Abuja and Heathrow beginning October 26, 2025. The approval marks a major milestone for the Nigerian carrier, which had previously been restricted to operating flights to London Gatwick since launching UK services in March 2024.

The UK’s refusal to grant Heathrow access had stirred significant controversy. Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had openly criticized the British authorities for what he described as unfair treatment under the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA). He argued that while UK airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic enjoy full access to Nigeria’s main airports in Lagos and Abuja, Air Peace was being denied reciprocal rights to the UK’s primary aviation gateway.

In a strongly worded letter, Keyamo threatened to restrict British carriers from Nigerian airports if the situation was not addressed. The UK government, in response, cited late submission of slot requests by Air Peace as the reason for the initial denials, stating that by the time the airline applied, Heathrow’s slot allocation for both Summer and Winter 2024/2025 seasons had already closed.

Despite the diplomatic back-and-forth, the impasse has now been resolved. Onyema expressed gratitude to both the British authorities and Minister Keyamo for their roles in securing the new flight route.

“The British authorities have granted Air Peace access to Heathrow. We are grateful to them and to Minister Keyamo for his unwavering support,” Onyema told journalists. “From October 26, we’ll begin daily flights from Abuja to Heathrow.”

The development is seen as a major boost for Nigeria’s aviation sector and a step toward ensuring equal treatment for African carriers in global air travel.

Bandits have killed at least 20 farmers, three other residents, and a community watch corps operative, popularly called C’watch in Katsina State.

The separate incidents took place in Kankara Local Government Area, one of the frontline LGAs in the state.

A resident of the community who pleaded anonymity told our reporter that, “about six days ago, bandits attacked farmers in Yargoje, Kwakware, Danmarke, Gidan Dawa and some from Burdugau.

“They killed about 20 farmers, kidnapped some and rustled the animals with which they tilled their farms,” he said.

Another source told Daily Trust that on Monday, bandits also launched an attack on Marmara village, also in Kankara local government where they engaged a team of the community watch corps together with members of civilian JTF, killing a C’watch member and injuring two members of civilian JTF outside the village.

“They had also penetrated Marmara village where they killed three residents,” the source said.

Daily Trust also gathered that on the same Monday, at night, the bandits visited some communities east of Kwakware village where an unidentified number of residents were kidnapped and animals rustled.

A resident of Kankara, who preferred not to be named, said the recent incessant attacks in the local government might not be unconnected with the recent peace deals reached in some neighbouring LGAs.

“So long as there will be a peace agreement in one place and not in all other affected areas, there is every tendency that the bandits will strike where they are not in peace with,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Katsina Police Command said it has succeeded in foiling a kidnap attempt at Mazare village, Sabuwa LGA, Katsina, rescuing four victims, including three females and a baby girl.

A statement issued by the command’s spokesman, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said on June 18, at about 9pm, a report of a suspected attack and kidnapping attempt on the village by a group of suspected bandits was received at the Sabuwa Division, stating that the assailants shot and injured two persons.

The victims were Sa’idu Isa, 37, and Sa’idu Wa’alam, 61, all of the same address, while three females and a baby were kidnapped.

“Upon receipt of the report, the DPO mobilised and led a team of police operatives to the scene, where a gun battle ensued, leading to the successful rescue of all four kidnapped victims unharmed as the assailants fled the scene due to superior firepower.

“The injured victims were immediately rushed to the hospital for medical attention, where they are receiving and responding to treatment,” Aliyu said.

Daily Trust

Iranian missile strikes Israel’s ‘crown jewel of science’

For years, Israel has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists, hoping to choke progress on Iran’s nuclear program by striking at the brains behind it.

Now, with Iran and Israel in an open-ended direct conflict, scientists in Israel have found themselves in the crosshairs after an Iranian missile struck a premier research institute known for its work in life sciences and physics, among other fields.

While no one was killed in the strike on the Weizmann Institute of Science early Sunday, it caused heavy damage to multiple labs on campus, snuffing out years of scientific research and sending a chilling message to Israeli scientists that they and their expertise are now targets in the escalating conflict with Iran.

“It’s a moral victory” for Iran, said Oren Schuldiner, a professor in the department of molecular cell biology and the department of molecular neuroscience whose lab was obliterated in the strike. “They managed to harm the crown jewel of science in Israel.”

Iranian scientists were a prime target in a long shadow war

During years of a shadow war between Israel and Iran that preceded the current conflict, Israel repeatedly targeted Iranian nuclear scientists with the aim of setting back Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel continued that tactic with its initial blow against Iran days ago, killing multiple nuclear scientists, along with top generals, as well as striking nuclear facilities and ballistic missile infrastructure.

For its part, Iran has been accused of targeting at least one Weizmann scientist before. Last year, Israeli authorities said they busted an Iranian spy ring that devised a plot to follow and assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist who worked and lived at the institute.

Citing an indictment, Israeli media said the suspects, Palestinians from east Jerusalem, gathered information about the scientist and photographed the exterior of the Weizmann Institute but were arrested before they could proceed.

With Iran’s intelligence penetration into Israel far less successful than Israel’s, those plots have not been seen through, making this week’s strike on Weizmann that much more jarring.

“The Weizmann Institute has been in Iran’s sights,” said Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert and senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank. He stressed that he did not know for certain whether Iran intended to strike the institute but believed it did.

While it is a multidisciplinary research institute, Weizmann, like other Israeli universities, has ties to Israel’s defense establishment, including collaborations with industry leaders like Elbit Systems, which is why it may have been targeted.

But Guzansky said the institute primarily symbolizes “Israeli scientific progress” and the strike against it shows Iran’s thinking: “You harm our scientists, so we are also harming (your) scientific cadre.”

Damage to the institute and labs ‘literally decimated’

Weizmann, founded in 1934 and later renamed after Israel’s first president, ranks among the world’s top research institutes. Its scientists and researchers publish hundreds of studies each year. One Nobel laureate in chemistry and three Turing Award laureates have been associated with the institute, which built the first computer in Israel in 1954.

Two buildings were hit in the strike, including one housing life sciences labs and a second that was empty and under construction but meant for chemistry study, according to the institute. Dozens of other buildings were damaged.

The campus has been closed since the strike, although media were allowed to visit Thursday. Large piles of rock, twisted metal and other debris were strewn on campus. There were shattered windows, collapsed ceiling panels and charred walls.

A photo shared on X by one professor showed flames rising near a heavily damaged structure with debris scattered on the ground nearby.

“Several buildings were hit quite hard, meaning that some labs were literally decimated, really leaving nothing,” said Sarel Fleishman, a professor of biochemics who said he has visited the site since the strike.

Life’s work of many researchers is gone

Many of those labs focus on the life sciences, whose projects are especially sensitive to physical damage, Fleishman said. The labs were studying areas like tissue generation, developmental biology or cancer, with much of their work now halted or severely set back by the damage.

“This was the life’s work of many people,” he said, noting that years’ or even decades’ worth of research was destroyed.

For Schuldiner, the damage means the lab he has worked at for 16 years “is entirely gone. No trace. There is nothing to save.”

In that once gleaming lab, he kept thousands of genetically modified flies used for research into the development of the human nervous system, which helped provide insights into autism and schizophrenia, he said.

The lab housed equipment like sophisticated microscopes. Researchers from Israel and abroad joined hands in the study effort.

“All of our studies have stopped,” he said, estimating it would take years to rebuild and get the science work back on track. “It’s very significant damage to the science that we can create and to the contribution we can make to the world.”

** Trump says he’ll decide whether US will directly attack Iran within 2 weeks

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, as the two sides attacked one another for a seventh day.

Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. His statement was read out by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Earlier in the day, Israel’s defense minister threatened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Iranian missiles crashed into a major hospital in southern Israel and hit residential buildings near Tel Aviv, wounding at least 240 people. Israel’s military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

As rescuers wheeled patients out of the smoldering hospital, Israeli warplanes launched their latest attack on Iran’s nuclear program.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would “do what’s best for America.” Speaking from the rubble and shattered glass around the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, he added: “I can tell you that they’re already helping a lot.”

A new diplomatic initiative appeared to be underway as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepared to travel Friday to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Britain’s foreign secretary said he met at the White House with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, to discuss the potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.

“A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,” Britain’s David Lammy said in a social media post after Thursday’s meeting.

The open conflict between Israel and Iran erupted last Friday with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generalsand nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.

Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel’s multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.

Many hospitals have transferred patients underground

Israel’s Home Front Command asserted that one of the Iranian ballistic missiles fired Thursday morning had been rigged with fragmenting cluster munitions. Rather than a conventional warhead, a cluster munition warhead carries dozens of submunitions that can explode on impact, showering small bomblets around a large area and posing major safety risks on the ground. The Israeli military did not say where that missile had been fired.

At least 80 patients and medical workers were wounded in the strike on Soroka Medical Center. The vast majority were lightly wounded, as much of the hospital building had been evacuated in recent days.

Iranian officials insisted they had not sought to strike the hospital and claimed the attack hit a facility belonging to the Israeli military’s elite technological unit, called C4i. The website for the Gav-Yam Negev advanced technologies park, some 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the hospital, said C4i had a branch campus in the area.

The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, acknowledged that there was no specific intelligence that Iran had planned to target the hospital.

Many hospitals in Israel, including Soroka, had activated emergency plans in the past week. They converted parking garages to wards and transferred vulnerable patients underground. Israel also has a fortified, subterranean blood bank that kicked into action after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Doctors at Soroka said the Iranian missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing an explosion that could be heard from a safe room. The strike inflicted the greatest damage on an old surgery building and affected key infrastructure, including gas, water and air-conditioning systems, the medical center said.

The hospital, which provides services to around 1 million residents, had been caring for 700 patients at the time. After the strike, the hospital closed to all patients except for life-threatening cases.

Iran rejects calls to surrender or end its nuclear program

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Israel is widely believed to be the only country with a nuclear weapons program in the Middle East but has never acknowledged the existence of its arsenal.

The Israeli air campaign has targeted Iran’s enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran, a nuclear site in Isfahan and what the army assesses to be most of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. The destruction of those launchers has contributed to the steady decline in Iranian attacks since the start of the conflict.

Israeli airstrikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. The Israeli military had warned the public to flee the area around Rasht’s Industrial City, southwest of the city’s downtown. But with Iran’s internet shut off to the outside world, it’s unclear just how many people could see the message.

On Thursday, anti-aircraft artillery was audible across Tehran, and witnesses in the central city of Isfahan reported seeing anti-aircraft fire after nightfall.

Trump’s announcement of a decision in the next two weeks opened up diplomatic options, with the apparent hope Iran would make concessions after suffering major military losses.

But at least publicly, Iran has struck a hard line.

Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender and warned that any U.S. military involvement would cause “irreparable damage to them.”

Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Thursday criticized Trump for using military pressure to gain an advantage in nuclear negotiations. The latest indirect talks between Iran and the U.S., set for last Sunday, were cancelled.

“The delusional American president knows that he cannot impose peace on us by imposing war and threatening us,” he said.

Iran agreed to redesign Arak to address nuclear concerns

Israel’s military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak heavy water reactor, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Tehran, to prevent it from being used to produce plutonium.

Iranian state TV said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” around the Arak site, which it said had been evacuated ahead of the strike.

Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that potentially can be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon.

Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to alleviate proliferation concerns. That work was never completed.

The reactor became a point of contention after Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. Ali Akbar Salehi, a high-ranking nuclear official in Iran, said in 2019 that Tehran bought extra parts to replace a portion of the reactor that it had poured concrete into under the deal.

Israel said strikes were carried out “in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that due to restrictions imposed by Iran on inspectors, the U.N. nuclear watchdog has lost “continuity of knowledge” about Iran’s heavy water production — meaning it could not absolutely verify Tehran’s production and stockpile.

AP

As death toll rises, Gazans make life-risking journeys to seek food

Like thousands of other Palestinians in Gaza, Hind Al-Nawajha takes a dangerous, miles-long journey every day to try to get some food for her family, hoping she makes it back alive.

Accompanied by her sister, Mazouza, the mother-of-four had to duck down and hide behind a pile of rubble on the side of the road as gunshots echoed nearby.

"You either come back carrying (food) for your children and they will be happy, or you come back in a shroud, or you go back upset (without food) and your children will cry," said Nawajha, 38, a resident of Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza.

"This is life, we are being slaughtered, we can't do it anymore."

In the past two days, dozens of Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli fire as they tried to get food from aid trucks brought into the enclave by the United Nations and international relief agencies, Gaza medics said.

On Thursday, medics said at least 51 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes, including 12 people who tried to approach a site operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip, the latest in near-daily reports of killings of people seeking food.

The Israeli military said there were several attempts by "suspects" to approach forces in the area of Netzarim in the central Gaza Strip, in a manner that endangered them. It said forces fired warning shots to prevent suspects from approaching them, and it was currently unaware of injuries in the incident.

In an email, GHF criticized Gazan health officials, accusing them of regularly releasing inaccurate information. GHF said that Palestinians do not access the nearby GHF site via the Netzarim corridor. It did not address questions about whether GHF was aware that such an incident had occurred.

Thirty-nine people were killed, meanwhile, in separate Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said. One of those strikes killed at least 19 people, including women and children, in a tent in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, they added.

Another strike killed at least 14 people and damaged several houses in Jabalia, in the north of the enclave, medics said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on those attacks.

In recent days, the Israeli military said its forces had opened fire and fired warning shots to disperse people who approached areas where troops were operating, posing a threat. It said it was reviewing reports of casualties among civilians.

SLEEPING BY THE ROAD

Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new U.S.- and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces.

The Gaza health ministry said hundreds of Palestinians have been killedtrying to reach GHF sites since late May.

The United Nations rejects the GHF delivery system as inadequate, dangerous and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. Israel says it is needed to prevent Hamas fighters from diverting aid, which Hamas denies.

On Wednesday, the GHF said in a statement it had distributed 3 million meals across three of its aid sites without an incident.

The Gaza war was triggered when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while displacing almost the entire population of more than 2 million and causing a hunger crisis.

The Norwegian Refugee Council warned on Thursday that more than 1 million people were without adequate shelter, saying equipment such as tents and tarpaulins had been blocked by Israel from entering since March 1.

Nawajha returned empty-handed on Wednesday from her journey to find food, flopping down exhausted on the dusty ground outside the tent in Gaza City, where she has been displaced and sheltering with her family.

She and her sister have been camping by the road for the past 20 days. They say they try to force their way into the distribution site where trucks carrying aid arrive, but are often outmuscled by men, who sometimes fight over sacks of flour coming off U.N. trucks.

"(When) there is no food, as you can see, children start crying and getting angry," said Nawajha. "When we are for three, four kilometres or more on our legs... Oh my... our feet are bruised and our shoes are torn off."

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin reveals pitfalls of potential meeting with Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he could meet with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to conduct peace talks between the two countries, but expressed doubt regarding Zelensky’s authority to sign a treaty.

Zelensky has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin, claiming that he alone can resolve key bilateral issues, including territorial disputes.

Speaking late Wednesday with international media at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Russian president reiterated Moscow’s concerns about Zelensky’s legitimacy.

”If the Ukrainian state entrusts someone to negotiate on its behalf, suit yourself, let it be Zelensky,” Putin said. “The question is, who will sign the document?”

Zelensky’s presidential term expired last year, and no successor has been elected due to martial law. Zelensky insists that he has the right to remain in office, even though the Ukrainian Constitution calls for the transfer of presidential powers to the speaker of the parliament.

”Propagandistically, one can say anything about the legitimacy of the current authorities, but we care about legal aspects and not propaganda when dealing with serious issues,” Putin said.

He added that since Ukrainian officials are appointed by the president, Zelensky’s questionable legitimacy calls into question the authority of those serving under him.

We don’t care who conducts negotiations, even if it is the head of the regime. I am even willing to meet with him for some final phase, where we won’t be spending endless amounts of time divvying things but would just put a stop to it all.

”But the signature must come from legitimate authorities,” Putin stressed. “Otherwise, whoever comes after him will toss it to the dumpster. That’s not a way to conduct serious business.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Zelenskiy appoints new commander of Ukraine's land forces

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of Ukraine's land forces, replacing a commander who resigned over a Russian strike on a training area.

Shapovalov, whose appointment was announced in a presidential decree, had previously acted as a liaison at a NATO coordination centre in Germany. Before that, he had served as commander of the forces of the Operational Command South.

Zelenskiy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said Shapovalov's experience in working with NATO would be put to good use in introducing changes in Ukraine's forces.

"All this useful experience of this coordination and all the real combat experience of our soldiers must be applied now within Ukraine's land forces," he said.

"Changes are needed and this is an imperative."

Shapovalov takes over as head of land forces from Mykhailo Drapatyi, who tendered his resignation this month after a deadly Russian strike on a training camp in southeastern Ukraine.

Zelenskiy reassigned Drapatyi to the post of commander of the joint forces as part of a military shakeup.

RT/Reuters

On paper, it looked like a mismatch. Iran is not only one of the oldest and most established places in the Persian Gulf but also at least 75 times the size of Israel, with a population nine to ten times larger. Size for size, it’s a modern-day David and Goliath match-up, with ancient history squarely on Iran’s side.

At the height of its reign, especially under Cyrus the Great (545-525 BC), the Persian Empire, modern-day Iran, extended as far as Egypt, and its military might was unassailable. In more contemporary times, Iran defended itself against the aggression of Saddam Hussein during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War.

Sudden tide

Yet, since June 12, when Israel struck Iran’s nuclear site and killed at least 14 atomic scientists and 16 top military officers, Iran’s response has been something of a damp squib. A leaked intelligence report by the White House suggests that, but for President Donald Trump’s intervention, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, might have been killed in the recent Israeli strike.

In response, a barrage of Iranian missiles was fired on Tel Aviv and Haifa, with civilian casualties. This has been perhaps the most significant dent on Israel’s defence system in the last five decades. However, the response has been far below the notion of Iran as a nation of warriors and the potential nemesis of its precocious neighbour, especially after the fall of Syria’s Hafez al-Assad.

Things got so bad for Tehran that, at one point, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even claimed that Israel was “in full control of the Iranian skies,” a claim that Tehran could not deny.

What happened?

How did mighty Iran lose its military footing so calamitously, so quickly? The weakening of Iran’s military strength is not as sudden as it appears.

It is the result of years of isolation and economic sanctions, driven mainly by three suspicions: One, that the Shia variety of Islam (and its allied franchises) subscribed to by Iran’s ruling elite is the mainstay of radical and extremist terror groups; two, that it is the main sponsor of at least two radical Islamic groups and arch-enemies of Israel – Hamas (in the Gaza) and Hezbollah (in Lebanon); and three, that its nuclear enrichment programme is not for peace, but for war.

All three points are interlinked, and by 2015, the lack of progress on the third one was the beginning of economic sanctions by the US, Britain and France, amongst others, targeting and undermining Iran’s receipts from oil sales and weakening its economy.

But Iran remained a major military force despite the sanctions. It cultivated closer ties with China and Russia, made desperate attempts to diversify its economy and used fronts to sell its oil.

Burden of history

All this time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to strike. He pressured the US to tighten the screw on Tehran and maybe back a pre-emptive Israeli strike, but his repeated claim that Iran was only “months, years, or even weeks” from the final stages of getting the bomb, fell on a sceptical, if not indifferent, Democratic White House.

After the debacle in Iraq, where the US lost over 900 troops and spent over $2 trillion based on faulty intelligence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, no Democratic president, whether Barack Obama or Joe Biden, had the appetite for another full-scale war in the Persian Gulf without a convincing reason.

Then, two things changed that changed the dynamics of power and politics in the Persian Gulf. Hamas, long regarded as Iran’s proxy, attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 Israelis and abducting 250. This act of terror not only transformed moderate elements in Israeli politics, but it also further hardened extremists like Netanyahu, who vowed to crush Hamas and Hezbollah and make Iran pay a heavy price.

Trump factor

When Donald Trump was elected president, one year after the Israeli-Hamas war broke out, the US president’s brand of tweet-and-deal-making diplomacy, not to mention his close ties with Netanyahu, meant that Iran was on very thin ice. The stalemate in negotiations between Iran and the nuclear inspectors, including the expulsion of the veteran IAEA officials, further raised suspicions about Iran’s claims that its nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes.

Yet some argued that Tehran’s reluctance to cooperate and its rigmarole were merely bargaining chips to ease sanctions and repair its moribund economy, that it was still a long way from the bomb.

Even though the Wall Street Journal reported recently that US intelligence still doubts Netanyahu’s claims of a smoking gun over Iran’s nuclear enrichment, Tehran appears to have exhausted its card, and the days of the old regime may be numbered.

Pre-emptive or not?

With President Trump mulling direct US involvement in the war, I asked a source in the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Monday if this was a pre-emptive strike, a move that the Nigerian government had condemned in a statement during the week.

“It is not a pre-emptive strike,” the source replied. “It is a targeted military operation to remove a concrete threat after the pre-established period of negotiations has elapsed. The objectives have been set: the nuclear programme and the ballistic capabilities.”

What has changed

Here is how Israel systematically weakened and significantly degraded Iran’s military capacity, especially in the last two years, forcing the mullahs in Tehran to shelter behind the veil in what may prove to be a decisive new phase in the war in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

One, Iran’s regional allies – Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Bashar Hafez al-Assad in Syria – have either been neutralised, rooted out or forced to flee. The pager attack by Israel on Hezbollah members and affiliates in Lebanon and Syria last September was particularly devastating. At least 13 members of the group were killed, while Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was injured, revealing a major breach in Hezbollah’s security, causing panic in high places in Iran.

Although the Houthis have occasionally threatened security in the region, they have also been significantly contained or dispersed, making Iran even more isolated and vulnerable.

Two, apart from the losses in the ranks of its proxies, Israel has also carried out precise strikes on Iran’s military leadership, assassinating ranking members of Iran’s military, including the Chief of the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, who is only a heartbeat from the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The country’s air defence system has been degraded, and even though it has managed to fire hundreds of missiles toward Israel, their potency and impact have been largely limited.

Three, the economic sanctions have limited Tehran’s ability to modernise its military, while support from its main ally, Russia, has been curtailed by Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, leaving Tehran largely on its own.

Unlikely mediators

It’s an irony that, in its moment of travail, Iran is now looking to Qatar and Egypt, two countries that it has long despised, for mediation with Israel and the US. Netanyahu still has to answer for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and hopefully, that should keep him on a tight leash in his next conquest.

After centuries of military, cultural and geopolitical conquests, is the sun finally about to set on the “Gunpowder Empire?” Or is there still one magic spell left under the mullahs’ turban?

** Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book, Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Few things make your heart race quite like spotting a snake slithering nearby. Whether you live near the woods, in a quiet suburb, or even on a farm, snakes don’t really care about your ZIP code.

If they find shelter, food, or water in or around your home, they’ll move right in. The worst part? You might not even realize they’re there—until it’s too late. But don’t panic just yet. Snakes usually give off subtle signs before they make a full-blown appearance. If you pay attention, you might just spot the red flags early. So here are a few warning signs that could mean a snake is lurking near your house.

Shed snake skin

Let’s start with the most obvious clue: shed skin.

Snakes regularly shed their skin as they grow. If you spot a papery, translucent snake skin in your garden, attic, garage, or near water pipes, it means one thing—a snake has been there recently. The skin often looks like a crumpled plastic sleeve and is usually found near rocks, woodpiles, or in dark corners where they hide. It’s nature’s version of a calling card.

Slither tracks in dust or mud

If you’ve got a dusty garage floor, muddy garden beds, or sandy pathways around the house, look closely.

Slither marks or wave-like trails can indicate that a snake has recently passed through. These tracks usually look like a side-to-side "S" pattern. Not all animals leave prints—some leave glides.

Strange pet behavior

Your pets often know before you do. Dogs might start barking or growling at a particular spot in the yard or home, while cats may appear overly curious or hissy around certain areas. If your pet is fixated on a dark corner, bush, or under the porch and won't leave it alone, take the hint.

They could be detecting movement or scent that’s invisible to you.

Sudden decline in rodents or frogs

If your backyard used to have lots of mice, rats, frogs, or lizards—and suddenly you’re seeing none—that might not be good news. Snakes are natural predators. They’ll hang around as long as the food supply is strong. And if the prey has mysteriously disappeared, there’s a good chance the predator is still nearby, full and hiding.

Unusual droppings

Snake droppings are rare to spot, but they’re very distinct. They’re dark and mushy with a white tip (that’s the uric acid snakes excrete). You might find these in garages, sheds, or corners of your yard. Unlike dog or cat poop, they don’t usually have a regular shape. If you're seeing strange droppings and it’s clearly not from your pet, keep your eyes peeled.

Hissing or rustling sounds

Snakes are quiet—until they’re not. Some species hiss or make a low growling sound when threatened. More commonly, you might hear rustling in dry leaves, bushes, or ceilings, especially at dawn or dusk when snakes tend to be more active.

If you hear something that sounds like dry leaves shifting but there’s no wind—investigate, carefully.

Snake holes or burrows

Snakes don’t always dig their own holes, but they’ll gladly move into abandoned rodent tunnels, termite holes, or compost piles. These snake “doorways” are usually found near foundations, under sheds, or in overgrown parts of your yard. If you spot a small, round, smooth-edged hole in the soil, don’t go poking around with your fingers.

Nesting materials in strange places

This one’s especially important if you have firewood stacks, hay bales, or piles of unused building materials. Snakes love hiding in warm, undisturbed places. If you start to notice nesting material—shredded paper, dry leaves, or straw—in tight spaces you haven’t touched in a while, be cautious. Even though snakes don’t build nests like birds, they’ll hide in places where other animals have nested before.

Water sources around the house

Do you have bird baths, koi ponds, leaky hoses, or rainwater collectors? These are not just hydration stations for birds and bugs—they’re snake magnets.

Especially in hot climates or during dry seasons, snakes will travel in search of water. If your backyard is their version of an oasis, you might be welcoming more than just butterflies.

You've seen one—there might be more

This seems obvious, but people often underestimate it. If you’ve seen even one snake, especially a juvenile, there might be more. Some snake species lay dozens of eggs at once. Others give birth to live young. A single snake sighting could mean you’re near a nesting site, and that’s not something to ignore.

So, what should you do if you notice these signs?

First, don’t panic. Not all snakes are dangerous, and many are actually helpful—keeping rats, pests, and insects in check. But if you suspect a venomous snake or just don’t want any uninvited reptiles around, here’s what you can do:

• Seal up cracks and holes around your home’s foundation.
• Trim bushes, grass, and shrubs regularly. Tall vegetation is a snake’s playground.
• Keep firewood and building materials off the ground and away from walls.
• Avoid leaving pet food outside, which could attract rodents and, in turn, snakes.
• If you spot a snake, don’t try to handle it yourself—call animal control or a licensed snake removal expert.

Stay alert, not afraid

Snakes aren’t out to get you. They’re usually just looking for food, water, or shelter—and your cozy backyard might be checking all their boxes. The good news? They often leave behind signs that they’ve moved in. So a little precaution goes a long way. remember not to panic if you find signs, instead call an animal control centre or an expert.

By learning to spot the clues early, you can prevent a close encounter and keep your home and family safe—without freaking out or reaching for a shovel.

Stay alert, stay calm, and when in doubt, call in the pros.

Times of India

In a significant move to stem the tide of Nigeria’s massive crude oil theft and opacity in the petroleum sector, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has unveiled new guidelines aimed at tightening control over the country’s crude oil and petroleum product exports.

Announced on Wednesday, the new regime—formally known as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Advance Cargo Declaration Regulation 2024—seeks to establish a comprehensive framework for real-time declaration, verification, and tracking of every shipment of crude oil and related products leaving Nigerian shores.

The NUPRC said the measure is designed to ensure that only certified, accurately measured, and government-sanctioned cargoes are exported—an attempt to seal the leakages that have cost Nigeria billions of dollars in stolen and undeclared oil over the years.

Under the new system, exporters must now secure an export permit, vessel clearance, and a Unique Identification Number (UIN) through a dedicated online portal operated by the Commission. All export documents, including the Bill of Lading, Certificate of Origin, and cargo manifest, must reference this UIN to ensure traceability throughout the export chain.

“The guidelines will help monitor and account for crude oil movement, prevent under-declaration at terminals, and strengthen revenue collection,” said NUPRC Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe. He added that the reforms are in line with the Commission’s mandate under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to curb revenue loss, maximise government income, and enforce full regulatory oversight.

The declaration portal will integrate with other government export systems, allowing for real-time tracking, documentation within 24 hours of cargo loading, and end-to-end transparency. The Commission also retains the right to reject any export applications with incomplete or falsified information and impose fines or sanctions on violators.

This regulatory overhaul comes against the backdrop of persistent reports of industrial-scale oil theft, often involving a network of colluding insiders, security operatives, and international actors. Nigeria has, for decades, suffered from crude oil losses estimated at hundreds of thousands of barrels per day, undermining national revenue, weakening the naira, and deepening public distrust in the management of its most vital resource.

By introducing these digital verification and control measures, the NUPRC appears to be acknowledging that the old manual, loosely monitored export system enabled widespread looting and under-reporting. Whether these reforms can overcome entrenched interests and bring about true accountability remains to be seen, but the Commission insists this is a “significant step toward a more transparent, efficient and integrity-driven oil export regime in Nigeria.”

As Nigeria grapples with alarming hunger and poverty levels highlighted by the World Bank and other international institutions, a new report has exposed the staggering rise in food prices since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 — underscoring the worsening plight of millions of Nigerians.

The report, released on Wednesday by Connected Development (CODE), revealed that the prices of key staples such as beans, rice, yam, maize, and garri have more than doubled in the past two years. Sourced from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data, the 2024 Annual Report titled “The Year of Active Citizen” paints a bleak picture of soaring inflation, vanishing food affordability, and mounting hardship.

According to the report, the price of white beans — a vital protein source for poor households — has skyrocketed by 272.84%, rising from ₦622 to ₦2,319 per derica between May 2023 and May 2025. Local rice, another dietary staple, rose by 139.94%, from ₦1,387 to ₦3,328 per derica. Yam prices have jumped by 204.5%, now selling at ₦1,151 per tuber, up from ₦378. White maize grain increased by 192.7%, from ₦318 to ₦930.79, while garri climbed by 130.54%, from ₦2,129 to ₦4,908.

These hikes come amid a broader economic crisis marked by currency freefall, fuel subsidy removal, and the ripple effects of global supply shocks — all of which have pushed more Nigerians below the poverty line. Recent World Bank assessments warned that more than 104 million Nigerians are at risk of food insecurity, with child malnutrition on the rise and household consumption collapsing under the weight of inflation.

What was once a daily meal for the average family is fast becoming unaffordable, even for the working class. Beans and garri, once considered “foods of the poor,” are now luxury items in many homes. In some regions, families have been forced to cut meals to one per day, or resort to nutritionally inferior substitutes.

CODE’s report highlights not just the collapse of purchasing power, but also the erosion of dignity in daily survival. “We tracked market prices to provide evidence-based data on the cost of living. The numbers speak for themselves — Nigerians are facing a full-blown food crisis,” the report noted.

While government officials tout reforms and long-term economic strategies, the statistics reveal a population sinking deeper into poverty with little immediate relief. For many Nigerians, the problem is no longer about economic growth projections — it’s about eating today.

As hunger tightens its grip across the country, the report underscores a critical warning: unless urgent and targeted interventions are made — including food security policies, price stabilization efforts, and direct support to vulnerable households — the human cost of Nigeria’s economic transition may prove catastrophic.