Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, has decided to increase efforts to rescue 24 schoolgirls who were kidnapped by armed men earlier this week. He has already scheduled a trip to South Africa.
In response to the girls’ abduction and a separate church attack in which two gunmen killed two people, the president’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Wednesday that Tinubu had suspended his resignation.
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The two-day summit of the world’s leading rich and developing countries was scheduled to begin on Saturday, but Tinubu had been scheduled to leave on Wednesday.
President Tinubu “suspensed his departure” from the G20 summit, according to Onanuga, frustrated by security breaches in Kebbi State and the bandits’ attack on Tuesday against worshippers at Christ the Apostolic Church in Eruku.
When and if Tinubu would travel to Johannesburg for the weekend summit was not immediately known.
ongoing search for missing girls
Late on Sunday night, an unidentified armed man abducted the schoolgirls from a secondary school in Maga, Kebbi State.
Before abducting the students, the attackers exchanged gunfire with police.
According to authorities, one of the girls managed to escape, but the vice principal of the school was killed. No one immediately took the girls’ kidnappers to court, and neither party’s motives were known.
Authorities claim that the gunmen are mostly former herders who have resisted farming communities because of resource conflicts.
Armed men killed two people on Tuesday in a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria as part of a live-streamed online service.
Donald Trump’s supporters claim that Christians are being attacked in Nigeria by using the violence to bolster their claim.
Trump has threatened to “guns-a-blazing” in Nigeria over what right-wing US lawmakers claim is a “Christian genocide.”
In light of rumors of a potential US-backed plan that would heavily favor Moscow’s demands and narrative, European leaders are adamant that any attempt to end Russia’s conflict in Ukraine will need the support of both the EU and Ukraine.
EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas told reporters when she arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday that the country has always backed “long-lasting and just peace, and we welcome any efforts to achieve that.”
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She continued, “Once a plan is successful, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board.”
According to Kallas, other top diplomats from Germany, Spain, and Poland, with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski claiming that any potential agreement that would require consultation from Europe is “at stake.”
He said, “I hope the aggressor is the one who has restrictions on its ability to defend itself,” not the victim.
However, Russia appeared to be against entering into negotiations, repeating on Thursday that there are no ongoing discussions with Washington regarding a deal with Ukraine and that such a deal would need to address the root causes of the conflict.
According to Reuters news agency, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, declined to comment on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the details of the rumored peace plan for Ukraine.
There have been numerous accusations and instances of the Kremlin conducting shadow war, testing the EU and the UK’s resolve with violent cyberattacks and drone intrusions, and European nations have grown increasingly concerned about the war’s potential spilling into their borders.
After a Russian spy ship that has spent weeks scurrying across British waters directed lasers at British pilots sent to monitor the vessel, the UK on Wednesday warned it is ready to use “military options” if necessary.
Three children were among the at least 26 people killed in the Ukrainian city of Ternopil on Wednesday as a deadly wave of Russian attacks killed.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 22 people were still missing as of Thursday morning, and more than 230 first responders were working in search and rescue.
The president remarked, “The Russians have murdered innocent, peaceful people who were merely sleeping in their homes.”
On Thursday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko expresses her surprise visit to Ukraine to US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, saying that the visit would give the senior military officers accompanying the secretary an opportunity to assess the state of the country and experience the effects of Russian aggression first-hand.
Unnamed officials who were quoted in news reports on Wednesday claimed that the US proposal was developed after consultation with Russian officials and closely aligned with Russia’s strategy for ending the war.
The 28-point plan was discussed with US envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this week in Miami, Florida, with Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.
The rest of the eastern Donbass region, which is coveted by Russia because of its strategic location, fierce fighting, and its industrial history, would need to be given up, including the area that is under Kyiv’s control. According to several outlets, the proposal would also call for military spending cuts in Ukraine.
Since Russia’s invasion of 2022, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has made it clear that potential peace talks should not sideline Ukraine, a point that many members of the EU’s leadership agree with. Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a dramatic meeting in February.
Before that contentious meeting, Zelenskyy said, “We simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us.”
Since then, he has repeatedly pointed out red lines, including ceasing its territory, that neither the Ukrainian government nor its constitution would permit.
Some European leaders have expressed less enthusiasm for the project. In a seemingly contradictory reference to an ongoing corruption investigation involving an alleged $100 million energy kickback scheme, Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said the EU should stop sending money to Ukraine.
As anticorruption authorities said they had detained five people over an alleged plot to control procurement at nuclear agency Energoatom, the resignations of Ukraine’s Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk came out last week.
She wants to send another 100 billion dollars to Ukraine instead of stopping the payments and demanding immediate financial approval from the corrupt Ukrainian government. That is insane, Szijjarto claimed.
Victor Orban, Hungary’s right-wing populist leader who views Russian President Vladimir Putin as an ally, has recently received a “financial shield” and an exemption from Trump’s sanctions on Russian energy to protect its economy.
Recently, the tourist boats that typically navigate Kenya’s famous Lake Naivasha have taken on a new function: rescuing people from flood-stricken homes.
Residents of the modest Kihoto district are shocked by this year’s unprecedented scale despite the lake’s water level having increased by more than a decade due to repeated flooding.
Residents Rose Alero and Rose Alero both expressed disappointment that this has never occurred before.
The Rift Valley lake has reportedly widened 1.5 kilometers (about 1 mile) of its inland elevation.
Alero, a 51-year-old grandmother, observed that many neighbors had fallen ill and that “people are suffering.”
Toilets are overflowing throughout the district, while water in her home reaches waist height.
People are “stuck,” meaning they have nowhere to go.
The destruction is extensive: police stations are submerged in floating vegetation, churches are destroyed, and hundreds of homes are completely submerged.
Children jumped on improvised rafts to evacuate a school during a sudden water surge.
According to Joyce Cheche, the county’s director of disaster risk management, rising waters have displaced 7, 000 people, which also threaten wildlife and economic activity.
Cheche claimed that the county has implemented health measures and provided transportation assistance, but no financial compensation has yet been given.
Workers in the crucial flower export industry avoid work because they fear cholera and landslides.
She also emphasized the danger of interacting with the lake’s numerous hippos.
Cheche admitted, “We didn’t anticipate it.”
Acacia trunks that were once lush are now submerged in waters that advance about 1 meter (3. 3 feet) each day at the lake’s edge.
Other Rift Valley lakes are affected by this phenomenon, which has caused thousands of people’s displacement.
Numerous studies primarily attribute this to climate change-driven increases in rainfall.
However, Kenyan geologist John Lagat, regional manager of the state-owned Geothermal Development Corporation, points to the lakes’ location along a significant geological fault as the primary cause.
Before shifting tectonic plates, which had reduced the lake’s diameter by only 1 km (0,6 miles) by 1921, English settlers arrived in the late 19th century.
Lagat noted that increased rainfall and land degradation from population growth also play a “substantial” role in flooding as underground outflows became increasingly sealed by tectonic movements, trapping water.
Alero, who lives in a flood-scarred home, expressed her concern for the upcoming rainy season.
With 42 teams now qualified for the 48-team competition, the preparations for FIFA World Cup 2026 are about to come to an end.
During this November international break, some of the best players in the game, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, were also selected.
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After finishing third in a four-team group in Jamaica on Tuesday, the tiny Caribbean island nation of Curacao will enter the 2026 World Cup as the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the marquee event in men’s football.
Panama and Haiti, who both signed for the region’s Cup spots on Tuesday, will join Curacao.
Scotland’s wild 4-2 victory over Denmark marks their first World Cup qualification since 1998.
Teams competing in the UEFA playoffs and the Intercontinental will fill the remaining six spots.
The upcoming edition of the world’s biggest football tournament is examined by Al Jazeera Sport.
On November 18, 2025, Jamaica’s national stadium’s players and supporters celebrate qualification following a goalless draw with Jamaica at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.
The FIFA World Cup in 2026 will take place when and where?
The tournament is taking place in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The first match will take place on June 11 in Mexico City, and the second match will take place on July 19 in New Jersey, US.
The 39-day event is the longest in its history because of the tournament’s expansion, which saw 32 teams and 48 teams.
When will the FIFA World Cup 2026 teams be known?
The final chance for teams from all over the world to advance to the next year’s competition will be FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs. Less than three months before the World Cup begins, the route’s final destination will be on March 31, 2026.
Most of the remaining confederations will have finished their continental qualification processes much earlier than that since the European qualification process is in effect until March.
The FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs are what?
FIFA offers two final spots to the best-placed team from each of the six continental routes that have not already qualified once the respective confederations have finished their qualification process.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will take place when?
The draw will take place on December 5, 2025, despite not having a full list of competitors until the end of March 2026.
The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC will host the drawing. While addressing the audience at the White House’s Oval Office, US President Donald Trump confirmed the location while addressing vice president JD Vance and FIFA spokesman Gianni Infantino. He did not exclude having the draw’s own oversight.
What format will the FIFA World Cup 2026 have?
The World Cup will now have 12 four-team teams in addition to the expansion to 48 teams. In contrast to previous editions, that will result in a round 32 knockout round.
Since 1994, when only 24 teams competed, the tournament has grown by a whopping doubling in size.
Trump’s FIFA World Cup 2026 games may be changed.
Trump has stated that he will relocate the games from any cities he deems to be unsafe and has been very open and consistent with how games are staged here.
Trump reacted when asked about moving games on September 26 by saying, “Well, that’s an interesting question, but we’re going to make sure they’re safe. Radical left lunatics who don’t understand what they’re doing run Seattle and San Francisco.
How will the hosts handle the 2026 FIFA World Cup game staging?
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey/New York (joint host region), Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle will be the 11 cities where the US will play games.
Between Toronto and Vancouver, Canada will host 13 games overall. Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey will also host 13 games, all of which will be played there.
Where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup final take place?
The final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, in the US.
Who are the defending champions of the FIFA World Cup?
In the Qatar 2022 final, Argentina defeated France in the final round of the FIFA World Cup.
Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2, with the score at 3-3 after extra time.
Will FIFA World Cup 2026 games be affected by the weather?
The US hosted the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and the heat and the accompanying thunderstorms proved to be a major issue.
Inglewood and Vancouver have fixed roofs, while three stadiums in Arlington, Atlanta, and Houston have retractable roofs that are anticipated to be closed as a result of the summer heat.
Which teams have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Following the most recent round of qualifying matches, a list of the six regions’ confirmed contenders is provided:
hosts: USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Asia includes Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.
Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Algeria
Europe includes Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Croatia, Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland.
Which teams are still eligible to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
In Mexico, the playoffs will feature six teams in March, according to the Intercontinental playoffs.
Jamaica and Suriname, who hail from the Caribbean and Central America, Iraq from Asia, Bolivia from South America, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and New Caledonia from Oceania, will qualify as two teams.
16 teams will compete in UEFA’s playoff competition, Europe, which will take place in March. They will need to win their two first-place matches to qualify.
Elham Abu Hajjaj’s mother held her and prayed over her Gaza City home, which was the last thing Elham remembers.
According to Abu Hajjaj, she discovered herself in a hospital with a machine on her stomach and “whole body trembling” when she awoke.
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She said, “My body was completely burned when I touched it.” I asked the doctor where my father and mother were when he spoke to me. He didn’t respond to my question.
Both her parents were killed in the Israeli attack in Gaza City’s al-Saffaweh neighborhood, leaving Abu Hajjaj, who is nine years old, with third-degree burns.
Elham Abu Hajjaj, nine, woke up in a hospital with her body “all burned.” [Screen grab/Al Jazeera]
She is not the only victim of Israel’s heinous conflict in Gaza. According to an estimate made in September by the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 42, 000 people, or about 2 percent of Gaza’s population, have experienced “life-changing” injuries. One-third of them are children, or so.
Major burns are among the most prevalent injuries the WHO has documented involving more than 3, 350 people. The organization continued, “Children are clearly disproportionately affected.” Children, the majority of whom were under five years old, were among the 70% of those who had burn surgery in Gaza, and many of them were victims of bomb blasts.
As I scroll through photos of her neck, arm, and leg with significant scarring, Abu Hajjaj said, “Oh God, look at these wounds, they are very bad wounds,” I say to myself when I look in the mirror. “I have wounds on both my hand and here,” he said.
She still struggled to comprehend the passing of her parents. She kept telling herself that they must be alive even when her grandfather said they were waiting for her in paradise.
She said, “I finally realized they were not when my grandfather moved me to live with him.” When I realized that my parents and mother had passed away, I began crying.
[Screen grab/Al Jazeera] Abu Hajjaj enters the family home where she lives with her surviving relatives.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported in April that more than 39, 000 children in Gaza have lost one or both of their parents, with about 17, 000 of those who have lost their parents since Israel started its occupation in Gaza in October 2023.
Abu Hajjaj currently resides with her grandparents and other survivors’ relatives, including her brother.
She claimed that when she realized her brother was still alive, she felt “some joy” inside the family home, which was encircled by rubble from the neighborhood.
My grandmother, my aunt, and my grandfather were also there. They are by my side, she said. I was moved by my brother’s passing, but I also felt sad for my parents and my mother.
Abu Hajjaj claims she was relieved to learn that her brother was still alive.
The young girl has since switched to drawing to express her grief over the deaths of her parents and her childhood home.
She said, “It helps me forget everything that happened.” The house that was destroyed was the last drawing I did, according to the artist.
However, she chose not to leave her final state.
According to Abu Hajjaj, “I rebuilt it in the picture and planted a swing and a tree.” Because my father had planted a tree, I drew the tree.
[Screen grab/Al Jazeera] Abu Hajjaj and her brother are squatting in the ruins of Gaza.
Villages in East Java are now covered in ash and mud as a result of a volcano eruption. After Mount Semeru erupted on Wednesday, residents are having trouble clearing their homes and streets. It is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and is located near the Pacific Ring of Fire.
