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Russia-Ukraine War: 15 Latest Developments As Nigeria, Ghana Evacuate Citizens

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More than 660,000 people have fled Ukraine while around one million people are internally displaced, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Of the 660,000, at least 2, 090 are Nigerians, according to Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Wednesday.

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Nigeria also announced that some of its stranded citizens following the Russian invasion would arrive in the country on Thursday via Max Air.

Seventeen of the 500 Ghanaian students expected to be evacuated from Ukraine arrived home on Tuesday.

Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said about 5,600 Nigerian students are in Ukraine and maybe a total of 8,000 Nigerian citizens in the country.

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Here are the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine:

– Kharkiv fighting –
Russian paratroopers land in Ukraine’s second city amid heavy fighting. Ukrainian officials say a hospital has been attacked and the barracks of a flight school is on fire after an air strike.

“There are practically no areas left in Kharkiv where an artillery shell has not yet hit,” says Interior Minister official Anton Gerashchenko.

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– Biden brands Putin ‘dictator’ –

US President Joe Biden brands Vladimir Putin a “dictator” in his annual State of the Union address as he bans Russian aircraft from US airspace with Moscow facing economic and diplomatic isolation.

READ ALSO: Ukraine: Abramovich May Sell Chelsea, Three Bidders Ready -Report

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– Cities pummelled –
Russia steps up its bombing campaign and missile strikes, hitting Kyiv’s main television tower, two residential buildings in a town west of the city and the city of Bila Tserkva to the south of the capital.

– Kherson: Russia inside city –
Russian forces push into the besieged Black Sea city of Kherson in the south. Its port and railway station are now in Russian hands, its mayor says.

– Mariupol without power –
Russian attacks leave Mariupol, another Black Sea port further to the west without electricity.

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– Civilians flee –
More than 677,000 people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the UN’s refugee agency says, with the number rising rapidly.

– UN court to hold war hearings –
The UN’s International Court of Justice says it will hold public hearings on March 7 and 8 over Ukraine’s allegations of “genocide” by Russia as the General Assembly votes on whether to order Russia to withdraw its troops.

– Independent media blocked –
Russia blocks an independent television channel and a liberal radio station, tightening a virtual media blackout on news of the war.

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– Companies exit Russia –
A string of Western companies announce they are freezing or scaling back business with Russia, including Apple, three of the world’s largest shipping companies and energy firms Eni, ExxonMobil and Boeing.

– Race for cash –
Russians race to withdraw cash after the introduction of capital controls and as the ruble hovers around record lows against the dollar.

READ ALSO: Five Killed In Russian Strike On Kyiv TV Tower

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-Nord Stream 2 goes under –
Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 goes insolvent after Germany halts the gas pipeline following Moscow’s invasion. The European subsidiary of Russia’s Sberbank also prepares to enter insolvency.

– Oil price soars –Oil prices soar past $110 a barrel, despite the International Energy Agency members agreeing to release 60 million barrels from stockpiles.

– World Bank aid –
The World Bank prepares a $3-billion aid package for Ukraine, including at least $350 million in immediate funds.

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PUNCH.

 

 

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Leader Of UK Christian Group Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Women

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Chris Brain, 68, the leader of a UK Christian group once backed by the Church of England, has been convicted of sexually abusing nine women in his congregation.

A jury delivered the final verdicts on Thursday.

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‎Brain led the Nine O’Clock Service, an evangelical movement in Sheffield during the 1980s and 1990s. The group was known for its nightclub-style worship, held at 9 p.m. on Sundays, which included live music and drew large crowds of young people.

‎Prosecutors said Brain used his authority to control members of the congregation, isolating them from family and friends, and used his position to commit sexual assaults. He also maintained a group of young women known as the “lycra nuns” who assisted him, his wife, and his daughter at home, prosecutor Tim Clark told the court.

READ ALSO:UK Bans Sanex Advert For Calling Black Skin ‘Problematic’, White Skin ‘Superior’

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‎The leader of the UK Christian group was charged with 36 counts of indecent assault and one count of rape involving 13 women between 1981 and 1995. He denied the charges, claiming any sexual contact was consensual.

‎Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, he was convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women. He was acquitted of 15 other charges, while the jury could not reach a verdict on four additional indecent assault charges and the rape allegation. The Crown Prosecution Service said it would “carefully consider” whether to seek a retrial.

‎The Nine O’Clock Service had received approval from the Church of England. In 1990, the Archbishop of Canterbury-elect George Carey met with Brain to discuss his methods, and his ordination was expedited. Prosecutors said the group even spent heavily to purchase the costume worn by Robert De Niro in the 1986 film The Mission for his ceremony.

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READ ALSO:Russia Returns Bodies Of 1,000 Ukrainian Soldiers

‎Brain resigned shortly before a BBC documentary aired in 1995, accusing him of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Carey later said he was “crushed and let down” when the allegations became public.

‎In court, Brain admitted to receiving massages from congregation members that sometimes became sexual but denied manipulating or controlling them.

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‎Bishop of Sheffield Pete Wilcox said in a statement: “What happened was an appalling abuse of power and leadership that should never have occurred. Where concerns were raised in the past and were not acted upon properly, that was a failing of the Church. For those institutional failures, I offer an unreserved apology.”

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Russia Claims More Ukraine Land As Hopes For Summit Fade

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Russia on Saturday said its forces had taken two villages in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, increasing the military pressure as world leaders struggle to broker an end to the conflict.

South Africa added its voice to those calling for a summit between Ukraine and Russia.

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Russian forces are slowly advancing in the embattled eastern region of Donetsk, grinding closer to Kyiv’s key defensive line in costly metre-for-metre battles.

Moscow’s defence ministry said on Telegram that its forces had captured the villages of Sredneye and Kleban-Byk.

The taking of Kleban-Byk would mark a further advance towards Kostiantynivka — a key fortified town on the road to Kramatorsk, where a major Ukrainian logistics base is located.

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READ ALSO:Top Russian General Seriously Wounded In Ukraine – Officials

On Friday, Russia said its troops had captured three villages in the Donetsk region it claimed to have annexed in September 2022.

On Saturday, Ukrainian military officials said its forces had stopped a Russian advance and recaptured the village of Zeleny Gai in the Donetsk region in a post to Telegram.

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In July, Russia claimed the capture of the village, on the border with Dnipropetrovsk, adding that it was an important stronghold used by Ukraine to protect the area.

– Ramaphosa backs summit –
The latest Russian advances come as hopes dim for a summit between Russian and Ukrainian presidents — a solution championed by US President Donald Trump as part of his efforts to end the conflict.

READ ALSO:Russian Politicians Mock European Leaders After White House, Ukraine Talks

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday added his voice to calls for a Russia-Ukraine summit during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Ramaphosa stressed the urgency of holding bilateral and trilateral meetings between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine and the United States as key to signal a firm commitment to ending the war,” said a statement from his office.

Ramaphosa, who currently chairs the G20, also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, the statement added. He will speak with other European leaders in the coming weeks.

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Ramaphosa spoke on Monday with Vladimir Putin, whom he described in October at the BRICS summit as a “dear ally” and a “valued friend”.

READ ALSO:Ex-Chadian PM Masra Jailed For Hate Speech, Xenophobia

However, for the first time since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, South Africa earlier this year backed a UN resolution declaring that Russia had launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Zelensky said he had told Ramaphosa he was ready for any kind of meeting with Putin.

However, we see that Moscow is once again trying to drag everything out even further,” he said on X.

He called on the Global South to send “relevant signals and (push) Russia toward peace”.

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On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “no meeting” was planned as Trump’s mediation efforts appeared to stall, while Zelensky accused Russia of trying to prolong the offensive.

AFP

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US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers

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The United States government has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign truck drivers, citing job security concerns and safety risks for American citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on Thursday, saying it takes immediate effect.

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According to him, the rising number of foreign truck drivers on U.S. highways is both threatening lives and reducing opportunities for American truckers.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: US Visa Restrictions On ECOWAS Countries Threaten Regional Prosperity — FG

Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

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“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio said.

The move comes under President Donald Trump’s renewed clampdown on immigration since returning to office in January 2025.

READ ALSO:US Visa Adjudication Sparks Concerns Over Diplomatic Relations

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As part of new measures, travellers from countries with high visa overstay rates or weak travel databases will be required to pay a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 before obtaining certain categories of visas.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria also directed all visa applicants to disclose their social media handles from the past five years, warning that failure to comply could result in denial of applications and possible ineligibility for future visas.

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