Foreign News
Gunmen kill nearly 200 people in Nigeria’s Kwara and Katsina states
Gunmen have killed nearly 200 people in western and northern Nigeria, officials and residents said, as survivors buried the dead and security forces hunted the attackers.
In western Kwara State, gunmen stormed the community of Woro on Tuesday evening, killing at least 170 people, according to a local lawmaker, while in northern Katsina State, at least 21 people were shot dead by attackers who moved from house to house, residents said.
The killings in Kwara marked the deadliest attack recorded in the region in recent months.
They come amid a complex security crisis in Nigeria, with violent groups linked to Boko Haram and the ISIL (ISIS) group in the northeast, alongside a surge in kidnappings for ransom by gunmen across the northwest and north-central regions over recent months.
No group has claimed responsibility for the assault in Kwara.
Saidu Baba Ahmed, the lawmaker for the area, told the Reuters news agency that the gunmen rounded up residents, bound their hands behind their backs and executed them.
Villagers fled into the surrounding bushland during the attack, while the attackers went on to torch homes and shops, he said.
“As I’m speaking to you now, I’m in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and combing the surrounding areas for more,” Ahmed said.
Several people were still missing on Wednesday morning, he said.
Police said “scores were killed”, without giving an exact figure.
Kwara police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said that the police and military have been mobilised to the area for a search-and-rescue operation.
Footage from Woro on local television shows bodies lying in blood on the ground, some with their hands tied, as well as burning houses.
Amnesty International said in a statement that the gunmen killed more than 170 people, razed homes and looted shops.
“The security lapses that enabled these attacks are unacceptable,” the rights group said, adding that the gunmen had been sending “warning” letters to the villagers for more than five months.
In Kwara, the Nigerian military recently carried out operations against what it called “terrorist elements”, while authorities also imposed curfews in some parts and closed schools for several weeks.
Kwara State Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq described the attack as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to ongoing military operations against armed groups in the state.
The military said last month that it had launched “sustained coordinated offensive operations against terrorist elements” and achieved notable successes. According to local media, the military killed at least 150 fighters in the operation.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from the Nigerian capital Abuja, said residents of Woro believe the attack was by groups linked to Boko Haram.
“We understand these gunmen stormed the village at 6pm local time on Tuesday [17:00 GMT] and circled these communities and started firing at random, killing – initially, the numbers we got were around 40.” he said.
“Then, as the day wore on, the number increased from 40 to 70. And now we are hearing that at least 170 people have been killed. It’s not clear how many people have been abducted yet,” he said.
Idris added that such killings take place in Nigeria “whenever there is increased military activity in areas where these armed groups are strong – either bandits, or Boko Haram or ISIL”.
In Katsina, meanwhile, residents and police said gunmen killed at least 21 people, moving from house to house to shoot their victims.
The attack broke a six-month peace pact between the community and the armed gang.
It also highlighted the dilemma faced by residents in Nigeria’s remote north, where some have sought peace with armed gangs that terrorise them. Residents typically pool money and food, which they give to bandits so they are not attacked.
Kabir Adamu, a security analyst at the Abuja-based Beacon Security and Intelligence Consulting, said the response from the Nigerian security forces has been insufficient to contain armed groups across the region.
“In simple terms, [the attacks] say more is required,” he told Al Jazeera.
“The operations have been effective in killing some of the bandit commanders. We also know some of their leaders have been arrested, and they are currently being prosecuted. But the law enforcement component that would dominate the environment and prevent this group from moving around and operating is missing,” he said.
Nigeria is also under pressure to restore security since United States President Donald Trump accused it last year of failing to protect Christians. Authorities, however, denied there is systematic persecution of Christians, while independent experts say Nigeria’s security crises claim the lives of both Christians and Muslims, often without distinction.
Nigeria’s government, meanwhile, has stepped up cooperation with Washington to improve security.
In late December, US forces struck what they described as “terrorist” targets in Nigeria, and on Tuesday, the American military said it sent a small team of officers to the country to assist in the response to the security crisis.
[Aljazeera]
Foreign News
USA midfielder sues doctors after on-pitch cardiac arrest
United States women’s national team player Savannah DeMelo is suing a hospital and two doctors after she suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch last year.
Midfielder DeMelo, who has seven senior caps for the USA, has filed a lawsuit against University of Louisville Health (UofL Health) for negligence.
The 28-year-old, who plays for Racing Louisville, collapsed in the first half of a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) match on 14 September 2025.
According to documents seen by BBC Sport, the case was filed on Tuesday morning with Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky, where her club is based – a year and a day after her on-field collapse.
DeMelo’s filing claims UofL Health and two doctors, Dr Sarabjeet Suri and Dr Jennifer Daily, “failed to act as a reasonably prudent and competent medical practice, and such negligence was a substantial factor in causing DeMelo to suffer severe physical injuries, including, but not limited to, her cardiac arrest”.
Dr Daily, according to her online UofL biography, is Racing Louisville’s chief medical officer. The lawsuit states DeMelo was under the care of Dr Daily from January 2024 to July 2026.
It states that in March 2025, Dr Daily referred DeMelo to Dr Suri for “evaluation and treatment” after she had been complaining of chest pain, dizziness and shortness of air; Dr Suri obtained a history, performed a physical examination and ordered diagnostic tests.
Nearly six months later, DeMelo suffered the cardiac arrest.
“She was subsequently diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia [an abnormal heart rhythm],” the suit states.
DeMelo, who has spent her entire professional career with Racing Louisville, has not played since her collapse.
In a post to her instagram page on Tuesday, De Melo – who was picked in the USA squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and started their first two games – marked the anniversary of the incident.
“A year ago today, while playing soccer, I collapsed due to an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia, that caused me to go into cardiac arrest,” she wrote.
“I respect and appreciate the privacy everyone has met me with while going through everything I have this year. I’ll never be able to fully put into words how emotionally hard this year has been. There has been a lot of uncertainty and emotions intertwined with it all.”
[BBC]
Foreign News
Death toll from Philippines ferry fire rises to 76, with more still missing
The Philippine Coast Guard says it has recovered 41 bodies from the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire this week, bringing the total death toll to 76.
More than 130 people were on board the MV June Aster when the blaze erupted on Wednesday as it neared its destination at the tourist hotspot of Coron, after departing from Manila.
The coast guard said on Saturday the number of survivors remained 43, with many receiving treatment in hospital, but 13 people remain unaccounted for.
Recovery of bodies had been hampered due to toxic fumes and lingering heat, which meant authorities were unable to board until Friday.
Geronimo Tuvilla, an official for the Philippine Coast Guard, said the priority was identifying victims and determining the cause of the blaze.
Kristine Ablana, a tourism official in Coron, said relatives were being asked to help identify family members through personal items and DNA testing.
“Once someone is able to verify that this photo or these belongings are indeed those of their relative, they will be asked to provide a DNA sample,” she said.
Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the fire began in a cargo hold before spreading.
She said survivors had described hearing a loud explosion, “the appearance of smoke and then fire. It spread very quickly”. She added that those who had made it off the ship did not have time to put on lifejackets.
A survivor who was hauled to safety on a rescue boat told the BBC he had heard frantic cries onboard when the fire erupted, and was trampled by panicked people as he tried to escape.
The ferry, built in 2002, held valid safety certificates and passed an enforcement inspection in March, but investigators are looking into potential manifest discrepancies, cargo loading integrity, and crew emergency response protocols, the Palawan Daily reported.
The vessel was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members.
Atienza Interisland Ferries, the vessel’s operator, has pledged full co-operation with the inquiry.
[BBC]
Foreign News
Princess Diana’s ‘revenge dress’ goes up for auction on 9th December
A dress worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after a documentary was televised in which the then-Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage is going up for auction.
Her dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 in a custom-made black silk evening dress by designer Christina Stambolian became an iconic pop-culture moment.
The media dubbed her outfit the “revenge dress”.
Auction house Sotheby’s expects the dress to sell for up to £220,000 ($300,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.
A press release from Sotheby’s said it is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities.
Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said in a statement that Princess Diana “understood instinctively” that fashion can be a language in its own right.
“On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made, during one of the most scrutinised and emotionally charged episodes of her life,” Halimi said.
“She walked into a moment in which so much of her story was being told for her and, through what she chose to wear, reclaimed the narrative for herself.”

According to Sotheby’s, Anna Harvey, her stylist at the time, said Diana “wanted to look a million dollars”.
The princess made a last-minute wardrobe change for the fundraising dinner and chose the strapless evening dress by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian – which she accessorised with a royal jewel, a black clutch and black heels.
The vintage Jaguar XJ40 car that Diana arrived in at the event was sold at auction earlier this year for £66,250.
The revenge dress is expected to fetch a considerably higher price.
If it does, it will not be the first time an item from the princess’s wardrobe has sold for a significant sum.
Princess Diana’s sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby’s in New York in 2023.
[BBC]
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