BREAKING NEWS: NIGER MILITARY NEUTRALIZES FULANI BANDITS NEAR BORDER, CAPTURES KEY FIGURE ISMAILI GARGA DIALLO In a major security breakthrough, the Niger Republic military has successfully neutralized several suspected Fulani bandits and terrorists at the nation’s border region with Nigeria. The operation, which took place yesterday day, left many of the assailants wounded and a number of them captured, including a notorious figure identified as Ismaili Garga Diallo. This decisive military action comes amid intensified efforts by General Abdourahamane Tchiani's administration to clamp down on terrorism and cross-border criminal activities. According to reports, the General had earlier issued warnings in the Fulani language—three times—to dissuade the armed group from further violence, but the warnings were ignored. Observers say this latest operation demonstrates the government’s firm stance on restoring peace and stability in the region, with General Tchiani showing zero tolerance for acts of terrorism. Authorities are yet to release an official statement on the operation, but the development has been welcomed as a positive step towards enhanced security in the region.

PRESS RELEASE FG Hosts Workshop on Gender Mainstreaming and GBV Success Stories Dissemination under TRIMING Project. The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, in collaboration with the World Bank and other critical stakeholders, convened a Gender Mainstreaming and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Success Stories Dissemination Workshop under the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) Project, with the theme: “From Tradition to Transformation, Led by Women”, today in Kano. The Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, in his keynote address emphasized that the TRIMING Project was designed to enhance irrigation systems and promote integrated water resource management, with gender and social safeguards as core components. According to Prof. Utsev, the project has transformed women, youth, and vulnerable groups from being marginalized to becoming vital contributors in agriculture and water governance. He highlighted the achievements of the project, including the development of GBV Action Plans across all schemes for risk mitigation and survivor support, women’s leadership in Water Users Associations (WUAs), enhancing inclusive decision-making, and the economic empowerment of women through active roles in irrigation management. Prof. Utsev added that the extensive capacity-building on gender sensitivity and GBV prevention, the strengthening of local capacitie, including youth champions and gender desk officers, cultural norm shifts through media, dialogues, and storytelling in local languages, as well as alignment with global best practices and World Bank environmental and social standards, are additional achievements of the project. The Minister thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the World Bank, and the Project Monitoring Unit for their support in driving TRIMING’s success. He urged the replication of its gender and GBV initiatives in other projects and emphasized that achieving a gender-equitable, GBV-free society requires ongoing commitment and collaboration. Engr. Hauwa Sadique Mohammed, Deputy Director Irrigation, delivering the welcome address on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, emphasized the workshop as a key milestone in advancing inclusivity, equity, and safety, particularly for women, girls, and vulnerable groups in the TRIMING Project. The Permanent Secretary highlighted that from inception, the project prioritized gender equality, GBV prevention, and social inclusion, with gender mainstreaming embedded across all stages to ensure equal opportunities and safe spaces. Delivering a comprehensive overview of the project, the Project Coordinator, Engr. Ipinlaye Olaiya, emphasized the central role of gender mainstreaming across all components of the TRIMING Project, noting that the deliberate integration of gender perspectives was not only strategic but essential to the long-term sustainability and impact of the interventions. Goodwill messages were delivered by the Managing Director of Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, Engr. Rabiu Suleiman Yusuf, representative of the academia,Prof. Restituta Igube from the University of Abuja, and Commissioners from the Gombe State Ministry of Women Affairs, Asmau Mohammed Iganus as well as the representative of Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, Children, and the Disabled. They all emphasized the significance of inclusivity, sustainability, and community ownership in gender-responsive water and agricultural development. A key moment of the workshop was the presentation of badges to Women Leaders of Water Users Associations (WUAs) of Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, Jigawa, Kano, Gombe and Zamfara States. Signed Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan Director Information and PR 25/06/2026

#Iran Fires First #Hypersonic Missiles At Israel. TEHRAN – Iran said on June 18 it has fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the archfoes, hours after US President Donald Trump demanded the Islamic republic’s “unconditional surrender”. In response to Mr Trump’s ultimatum, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a post on X: “The battle begins.” “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,” he said. Mr Trump insists Washington has played no part in ally Israel’s bombing campaign, but also warned Iran his patience is wearing thin as the conflict enters a sixth day. Israeli warplanes targeted the Iranian capital before dawn on June 18 after the military issued a warning on social media for civilians in an area known as District 18 to evacuate. Iranian state media reported explosions ricocheting in the Piroozi, Sabalan and Sayyad areas of Tehran. Israel’s military said it struck an Iranian centrifuge production facility and multiple weapons manufacturing sites. Iranian news websites said Israel was also attacking a university linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in eastern Iran and the Khojir ballistic missile facility near Tehran. In retaliation, Iran told residents of Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack, with the Revolutionary Guards claiming its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were “repeatedly shaking the shelters” in the commercial hub. “The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles” was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept. Iran also sent a “swarm of drones” towards Israel, where the army said it intercepted two over the Dead Sea area. World powers have scrambled for an offramp, hoping to prevent the conflict from spiralling into a region-engulfing war. In separate phone calls with his Iranian counterpart and US envoy Steve Witkoff late on June 17, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged a diplomatic solution. Back in Washington on June 17, Mr Trump demanded the Islamic republic’s “unconditional surrender”. He also boasted that the US could easily assassinate Iran’s supreme leader. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘supreme leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He met with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict, ending after an hour and 20 minutes with no immediate public statement. While he has repeatedly vowed to avoid wading into the “forever wars” of the Middle East, Mr Trump ordered the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the region along with a number of US military aircraft. US officials stressed he has not yet made a decision about any intervention. Evacuations Despite international alarm, neither side has backed off from the long-range blitz that began on June 18, when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Israel claims its attacks have killed senior Iranian commander Major-General Ali Shadmani, as well as his predecessor, Major-General Gholam Ali Rashid. Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens. More than 700 foreigners living in Iran have crossed into neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia since Israel launched its campaign, according to government figures. Among those evacuated were citizens of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with others from Germany, Spain, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, the US, the United Arab Emirates, China and Vietnam, a government source said. China evacuated its first batch of Chinese citizens from Iran on June 17 via a land route into Turkmenistan. The US said it was closing its embassy in Jerusalem until June 20 amid the growing conflict, but there was no announcement about helping Americans leave the “crisis area”. The first in a wave of special flights carrying Israelis stranded abroad landed in Tel Aviv early on June 18. Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights on June 13, leaving about 150,000 travelers with no way to return. Fearing violence, many residents of Tehran have fled.