Trump threatens military action in Nigeria over killing of Christians
US President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to send the military into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if Africa’s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists.In an explosive post, the Republican leader — who had campaigned unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize — said on social media he asked the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack, one day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat in Nigeria.”Nigeria is embroiled in numerous conflicts that experts say have killed both Christians and Muslims without distinction.”If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump said.”I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” he added, warning the Nigerian government that they “BETTER MOVE FAST!”Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, shared Trump’s post and wrote on social media: “Yes sir.””The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Hegseth said.Trump posted on Friday, without evidence, that “thousands of Christians are being killed (and) Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”Conservative politicians have fueled the accusations. In March, US congressman Chris Smith called for Nigeria to be listed by the State Department as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) — a move announced by Trump on Friday over what he called an “existential threat” to the African nation’s Christian population.And in early October, US Senator Ted Cruz and House Republican Riley Moore accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to the “mass murder” of Christians.- ‘Tolerance’ -Claims of Christian persecution have also been pushed by some in Nigeria, where ethnic, religious and regional divisions have flared with deadly consequences in the past and still shape the country’s modern politics.Some US officials argue Christians in Nigeria are facing a “genocide” — a claim that Abuja denies.”The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on social media Saturday after Trump made his CPC announcement.”Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu added.Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south.The country is consumed by security issues. Its northeastern region is at the epicenter of a Boko Haram jihadist insurgency, which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009, according to the United Nations.In central Nigeria, majority-Muslim herders have repeatedly clashed with majority-Christian farmers. The conflict is frequently portrayed as inter-religious but generally stems from competition over land access.
Trump threatens military action in Nigeria over killing of ChristiansSun, 02 Nov 2025 04:12:37 GMT
US President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to send the military into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if Africa’s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists.In an explosive post, the Republican leader — who had campaigned unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize — said on social media he …
Argentine: une Marche des fiertés contre les politiques de Milei
Des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont participé samedi à Buenos Aires à la 34e Marche des fiertés, marquée par des slogans critiquant le gouvernement du président ultralibéral Javier Milei, qui vient de remporter les législatives de mi-mandat. La mobilisation, organisée par des organisations de défense des droits humains et des collectifs LGBTQ, s’est déroulée sous …
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India’s cloud seeding trials ‘costly spectacle’
India’s efforts to combat air pollution by using cloud seeding in its sprawling capital New Delhi appear to have fallen flat, with scientists and activists questioning the effectiveness of the move.Cloud seeding involves spraying particles such as silver iodide and salt into clouds from aircraft to trigger rain, that can wash pollutants from the air.Delhi authorities, working with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, began trials last week using a Cessna aircraft over parts of the city.But officials said the first trials produced very little rainfall because of thin cloud cover.”This will never ever do the job, it’s an illusion,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental campaigner in Delhi. “Only when we clean up sources of air pollution can we control it.”The government has spent around $364,000 on the trials, according to local media reports.Each winter, thick smog chokes Delhi and its 30 million residents. Cold air traps emissions from farm fires, factories and vehicles.Despite various interventions — such as vehicle restrictions, smog sucking towers, and mist-spraying trucks — the air quality ranks among the worst for a capital in the world.A day after the latest trial, levels of cancer-causing PM2.5 particles hit 323, more than 20 times the daily limits set by the World Health Organization. It will likely worsen further through the season.A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health last year estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.There are also questions about the long-term impact of the chemicals sprayed themselves.While the US Environmental Protection Agency notes “limited” studies suggest silver iodide does not pose an environmental or health risk, it acknowledges the impact of more widespread use is “not known”.- ‘Research process’ -Environmental activists say even if cloud seeding produces rain, the benefits are short-lived.Climate scientist Daniele Visioni at Cornell University said it was unclear how efficient it was in heavy polluted conditions.”It can’t create rain where there is no moisture in the air, but it just ‘forces’ some of the water to condense in one location rather than another,” he told AFP.”There is only one thing that can sensibly reduce pollution: avoiding the burning of fossil fuels.”Virendra Sachdeva, from Delhi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said it was too early to dismiss the cloud seeding experiment as a “scientific failure”.”It is a part of the research process, and success is not always achieved in the first attempt,” he told reporters.However, two atmospheric scientists at IIT Delhi called the cloud seeding plan “another gimmick”.”It is a textbook case of science misapplied and ethics ignored,” Shahzad Gani and Krishna Achutarao wrote in The Hindu newspaper.Mohan George, from the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, said artificial rain was not the answer.”The levels of pollution will come back almost immediately as rain stops,” the scientist told AFP.When it does work, it will increase precipitation in one area — while potentially decreasing it for another.- ‘Costly spectacle’ -Cloud seeding, first developed in the 1940s, has been used in various countries to induce rain, clear fog, and reduce drought, but with mixed results.China used it during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in an attempt to control the weather.Gani and Achutarao said Delhi’s pollution causes — unchecked emissions and seasonal crop burning — are well known.So too are the solutions — cleaner fuel, better waste management and stricter enforcement of rules.”Instead of reinforcing these priorities, parts of the scientific ecosystem — researchers, advisors, and institutions — are lending credibility to a costly spectacle that will do little to address the sources of the crisis,” they said.
Obama campaigns with US Democrats ahead of key state elections
Former US president Barack Obama hit the campaign trail Saturday for fellow Democrats ahead of closely-watched state elections, laying into Donald Trump over his “shambolic” policies and warning of the dangers facing American democracy.Obama, who remains a powerful figure in today’s Democratic Party, took the stage to robust applause in Virginia and then New Jersey to stump for two candidates in gubernatorial elections seen as critical bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.The 64-year-old quickly noted how Americans frustrated with rising inflation, energy costs and home prices were “willing to take a chance” on a national candidate like Donald Trump who promised relief from such challenges. But nine months into Trump’s second term, “has any of that gotten better?” Obama asked in Norfolk, Virginia as the crowd responded: “No.””Is the economy working better for you? Because it sure has gotten better for Trump and his family,” he said.”For ordinary families, costs haven’t gone down, they’ve gone up — thanks to this shambolic tariff policy,” Obama added, refering to the import duties Trump has imposed on various nations.Four states hold off-year elections on November 4, including New York, where a dramatic mayoral race will determine who runs the country’s most populous city.Until this weekend, Obama had played a relatively subdued role in the campaigning.On Saturday he stumped for two female gubernatorial hopefuls: former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, and current US House Democrat Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey.Spanberger holds a roughly nine point lead over her Republican rival, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, while Sherrill is locked in a tighter race against businessman Jack Ciattarelli, according to poll averages.”New Jersey, it’s time to point America in a better direction,” Obama said in Newark.While Obama described himself as the “hope-and-change guy,” he stressed there was cause for deep concern.”We don’t need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy — they’re here,” he said.Obama also slammed congressional Republicans, whom he said “refuse to buck the president even when they know he is out of line.”And he expressed worry about a US Supreme Court that is showing “no willingness to check this administration’s excesses.”