NIAMEY, Niger: Ten people were killed along with two suicide bombers in a coordinated attack late Tuesday by Boko Haram extremists on a town in eastern Niger, the local mayor said.
“Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen then attacked civilians,” the mayor of the town of N’Guigmi, Abba Kaya Issa, told AFP on Wednesday.
“We have a provisional toll of 10 dead plus the two suicide bombers,” along with “seven or eight” wounded, he said, blaming “Boko Haram elements” for the assault.
“One of the suicide bombers blew herself up in the courtyard of a policeman’s home, which is located inside the police barracks, and the second triggered her explosives belt between the town hall, the police barracks and the prefecture,” he said, referring to the office of the state representative.
A local resident said several houses had been burned and wounded children in the police camp had been taken to the local hospital.
Another inhabitant said “armed Boko Haram” attacked the district of Dileram, “killing civilians and torching homes.”
N’Guigmi lies in the north of the Diffa region, near Lake Chad, which has borne the brunt of cross-border infiltration by the Nigerian-based extremists.
Eight people were killed last Thursday in the village of Karidi and 14 died in four attacks on Saturday. Fourteen soldiers have been killed since February 16.
The army says it killed “more than 200 terrorists” in the region at the end of last year, as well as 33 others on March 12.
An estimated 27,000 people have been killed and two million displaced since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in northeastern Nigeria 2009, a campaign that has spilled over to Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
Boko Haram attacks in eastern Niger leave 10 dead: mayor
Boko Haram attacks in eastern Niger leave 10 dead: mayor
- A resident said the explosion burned houses nearby and injured children
- Since the appearance of Boko Haram, they have killed 27,000 people
US building support in UN for Houthi ship inspections: Envoy
- Existing UN mission has limited powers to inspect ships for weapons deliveries
- Tim Lenderking: Washington also considering re-designating Yemeni militia as terrorist group
London: The US is building international support for a UN campaign to disrupt supplies heading for the Houthi militia in Yemen, Washington’s special envoy to the country has said.
Tim Lenderking added that the US is also considering re-designating the militia as a terrorist group.
Last week, he visited the UN Verification and Inspection Mission for Yemen, based in Djibouti on the opposite side of the Red Sea.
The mission’s focus is to inspect ships arriving in Houthi-controlled ports, to intercept weapons deliveries.
Though the UN Security Council has imposed an arms embargo, UNVIM, established in 2016, has limited means to interdict ships.
Lenderking said he is researching ways to make the mission more effective at preventing Houthi access to foreign weaponry.
The Houthis have said their Red Sea campaign is a stand of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The campaign will come to an end if a ceasefire is reached between Israel and Hamas, Houthi leaders have said.
“UNVIM is not equipped or given the mandate to do interdictions. We are working with partners to look at a change to the mandate,” Lenderking said.
“We all have to plug the holes, and that requires a different mindset and different sort of focus than simply escorting ships.”
The number of commercial ships transiting the Red Sea has halved in the past year due to the Houthi campaign. The US and UK militaries have staged a series of attacks on the militia’s positions in Yemen.
As a result, Houthi leaders are “much more careful how they are moving around,” said Lenderking. “They have altered their communications in light of the walkie talkie attacks on Hezbollah.”
Philippines launches national halal office to boost global market presence
- New office will be a central coordinating body for nationwide halal development efforts
- It will also lead ‘Halal-Friendly Philippines’ campaign to attract non-Muslims
MANILA: The Philippine government launched on Tuesday the National Halal Industry and Development Office to coordinate the country’s efforts to become a top player in the global halal market by next year.
The predominantly Catholic Philippines — where Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the almost 120 million population — has been working to tap into the global halal market, which is estimated to be worth more than $7 trillion.
The Department of Trade and Industry is establishing NHIDO “to propel the Philippines to the forefront of the global halal industry by 2025,” it said in a statement.
“This strategic move aligns with the country’s goal to boost the domestic halal market and expand the export potential of Filipino products and services.”
In the Philippines, efforts are underway to double the number of its halal-certified products and services, raise 230 billion pesos ($3.9 billion) in investments and generate around 120,000 jobs by 2028.
Manila has also been promoting its domestic halal industry at international exhibitions, including in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, where the strength of the Filipino halal market — its agricultural products, such as coconut oil, baked goods and wellness items — were showcased.
With the establishment of the NHIDO, the office will act as a central coordinating body for all halal development efforts in the Philippines, said Dimnatang M. Radia, DTI’s halal industry and trade office program manager.
It will also lead the nationwide “Halal-Friendly Philippines” campaign, which is aimed at raising awareness of the economic potential of halal products and also attracting non-Muslims.
“The establishment of NHIDO marks a turning point for the Philippine halal industry,” Radia said.
“It will serve as a unifying force to transform our goals into reality, unlocking opportunities for businesses, creating jobs, and elevating the Philippines as a halal-friendly destination globally.”
Bomb kills chief of Russian nuclear protection forces in Moscow — media
- Russian media said Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov had been killed on Ryazansky Prospekt
- TASS state news agency said two killed in explosion on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt
MOSCOW: A bomb killed a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces and another man in Moscow on Tuesday, the RT state media group said on Tuesday, citing an unidentified law enforcement source.
Russian media said that Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who is chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, had been killed on Ryazansky Prospekt.
Russian news Telegram channels also reported that Kirillov had been killed but there was no official confirmation of the killing.
TASS state news agency said two people were killed in an explosion on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt.
A criminal investigation was opened in connection with the death of two men on Ryazansky Prospekt, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported, citing Moscow investigators.
Ryazansky Prospekt is a road that starts some 7 km (4.35 miles) southeast of the Kremlin.
Investigators and forensic experts were working at the scene together with employees of other emergency services, TASS agency reported.
South Korean president’s defense team denies insurrection charges: Yonhap
SEOUL: South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol did not commit insurrection but will cooperate with the investigation into his martial law declaration, his defense team said Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
“While we do not consider the insurrection charges to be legally valid, we will comply with the investigation,” his lawyers said, according to Yonhap.
Bomb kills chief of Russian nuclear protection forces in Moscow, media reports say
MOSCOW: A bomb killed a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces and another man in Moscow on Tuesday, the RT state media group said on Tuesday, citing an unidentified law enforcement source.
Russian media said the that Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who is chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, had been killed on Ryazansky Prospekt.
Russian news Telegram channels also reported that Kirillov had been killed but there was no official confirmation of the killing.
TASS state news agency said two people were killed in an explosion on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt.
A criminal investigation was opened in connection with the death of two men on Ryazansky Prospekt, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported, citing Moscow investigators.
Ryazansky Prospekt is a road that starts some 7 km (4.35 miles) southeast of the Kremlin.
Investigators and forensic experts were working at the scene together with employees of other emergency services, TASS agency reported.
