Good morning! In today’s trending news stories;
1. U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a warning to China, stating that the United States will defend the Philippines in the event of an attack in the disputed South China Sea. This warning follows recent incidents involving collisions between Filipino and Chinese vessels in these contested waters.
2. Russia has conducted a military exercise to practice its capability to launch a “massive” nuclear strike in response to an enemy’s nuclear attack. The Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, reported this exercise to President Vladimir Putin. Additionally, Russia’s parliament has supported the withdrawal of Moscow’s ratification of a global treaty that prohibits physical testing of nuclear warheads. Meanwhile, the Russian government has been using prisoners as a source of manpower in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s chef” was given permission to recruit prisoners from jails by promising them freedom and expunging their convictions after six months of service in Ukraine if they survived.
3. The Supreme Court is set to announce its judgment today, October 26, 2023, regarding cases involving the Labour Party, presidential candidate Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Bola Tinubu. The appeals were filed by the PDP and LP candidate, contesting the ruling made by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on September 6, which upheld Bola Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election.
4. Fidelity Bank has blocked banking processes to be made with online banking apps including OPay, Palmpay, Kuda, and Moniepoint, as their lax KYC processes have been leading to increased rate of fraud cases among customers in the past months
5. In the world of sports, there is a possibility that Everton could face a 12-point deduction in the Premier League if they are found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher responded to the news by suggesting that such a penalty for Everton might imply that Manchester City, who have faced more than 100 financial breach charges over 14 seasons, could face even more severe consequences.
6. The son of popular Living Faith Church founder, Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, has stepped down from his role as the national youth pastor of the Youth Alive Fellowship (YAF), the youth arm of the church, to start his ministry. However, Pastor David Oyedepo is yet to issue a public statement regarding his leave.
7. Award-winning singer Rema has contradicted the claims linking him to being a member of the Illuminati after a post he made with a bat emoji. He emphatically stated that his hard work paved the way for his success, claiming Jesus is King.
