Foreign

Geneva, June 1, 2024 – The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted a drop in global unemployment rate from 5.0 percent in 2023 to 4.9 percent in 2024. The new projection indicates that global unemployment will fall modestly this year even as inequalities in labour markets persist, with women in low-income countries particularly affected, according to a new ILO report. In the report, World Employment and Social Outlook: May 2024 Update, ILO said it had revised the earlier 5.2 percent unemployment rate for 2024 to 4.9 percent.  However, the downward …

Abuja, May 21, 2024 – The United States says the late Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, had a “lot of blood on his hands.” The White House disclosed this on Monday in a condolence message after Raisi’s death. Raisi and some officials were involved in a helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan province. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Raisi was responsible for “atrocious” rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies, including Hamas. Addressing reporters, Kirby said: “This was a man who had a lot of blood on …

Dubai, May 20, 2024 – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday. The charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions. “President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in …

Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), May 19, 2024 – An Israeli airstrike killed 20 people in central Gaza, mostly women and children, and fighting raged across the north on Sunday as Israel’s leaders aired divisions over who should govern Gaza after the war, now in the eighth month. Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from his own War Cabinet, with his main political rival,Benny Gantz, threatening to leave the government if a plan is not formulated by June 8 that includes an international administration for postwar Gaza. U.S. national security adviser Jake …

Abuja, May 18, 2024 – Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, has felicitated with the newly-elected Executive Council of the African Public Relations Association (APRA). They were elected at the 35th APRA Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from May 13 to May 18, 2024. The Minister, also a Fellow of APRA, acknowledged the significance of the election for the advancement of public relations practice across Africa. He said that while it was a pivotal moment for APRA, the collective expertise, …