عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

In Nigeria, Prince Harry Speaks of 'Brave Souls' Losing Lives in Conflict

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
TT
TT

In Nigeria, Prince Harry Speaks of 'Brave Souls' Losing Lives in Conflict

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose on the day they attend a volleyball match played with wounded army veterans, at the Nigerian army officers' mess in Abuja, Nigeria May 11, 2024. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Prince Harry spoke in Nigeria on Saturday of the tragic loss of the "brave souls" in the country's military who had lost their lives in conflicts, and said he felt "goosebumps" after seeing plans for a new center to rehabilitate injured troops, Reuters reported.
Nigerian forces are fighting militants in the northeast of the country and armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest.
Harry, the 39-year-old Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan arrived in Africa's most populous nation on Friday in a trip linked to the Invictus Games, an international sporting event that the Duke of Sussex started a decade ago for troops injured in action.
Nigeria first participated in the Games in 2023.
At a reception for military families in Abuja, Harry said he had on Friday met 50 wounded soldiers during a trip to northern Kaduna and could see that the injuries were defining their lives, but there were some who had smiles on their faces.
"What this proved to me, what this reminds me of, is the power of seeing what is possible post injury," said Harry, adding that "seeing the plans for the new Invictus Centre gives me goosebumps."
Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the United States with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working as a member of the royal family in 2020. He served as a military helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.
Abike Dabiri Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, brought wide smiles and claps from Meghan when she exclaimed: "Princess Meghan is a Nigerian."
She was referring to a podcast in which Meghan said she had Nigerian heritage.
Harry earlier played in a volleyball match as an animated Meghan clapped every point for both teams and broadly smiled and cheered when Harry's first point was notched up.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Florida Airport to be Renamed after US President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
TT
TT

Florida Airport to be Renamed after US President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump gets ready to exit the stage after speaking at a rally at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Ga., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

An airport in Florida will soon be renamed after US President Donald Trump, after a bill proposing the change was approved by the state's legislature on Thursday.

Trump, a real estate mogul who has plastered his name on buildings around the world, has sought to leave his mark on the country in an unprecedented image and building campaign.

Florida's Republican-led legislature approved a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport as the "President Donald J. Trump International Airport," state records show. Governor Ron DeSantis, once a Trump opponent, is expected to sign the measure into law.

The airport in Palm Beach, a town known for its sandy beaches and luxurious estates, is just minutes away from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

The airport renaming will also require the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration, AFP reported.

It would then become the latest institution to be renamed after Trump.

The president's handpicked board of the Kennedy Center, an arts complex and memorial to late president John F. Kennedy in Washington, voted in December to rename itself the "Trump-Kennedy Center."

Trump has also sought to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles International Airport after himself, according to US media reports, although those efforts were rebuffed.

The Treasury Department has also confirmed reports that drafts have been drawn up for a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump's image, even though there are laws against displaying the image of a sitting or living president on money.

World

Venezuela: Amnesty Law Excludes those who Promoted Military Action

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
TT
TT

Venezuela: Amnesty Law Excludes those who Promoted Military Action

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, center, presides over a session debating an amnesty bill in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Crisitian Hernandez)

Venezuela's parliament unanimously approved an amnesty law on Thursday that could free political prisoners, almost two months after President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces.

“The law on democratic coexistence has been approved. It has been forwarded to acting president Delcy Rodriguez for announcement,” said National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, before parliament.

Acting president Delcy Rodriguez signed the legislation after it was handed to her by Jorge Rodrigez, her brother.

The passage of the law led to the end of a hunger strike by relatives of political prisoners.

Ten women have participated in a hunger strike outside the Zona 7 police facility in the capital Caracas last Saturday, setting up camps outside the prison and demanding the release of their relatives, according to AFP.

Because they experienced health problems, nine of them stopped the protest on Wednesday evening. Only one woman continued until Thursday, ending “136 hours,” or more than five days, of strike.

But the amnesty law excludes those who have been prosecuted or convicted of promoting military action against the country – which could include opposition leaders like Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has been accused by the ruling party of calling for international intervention like the one that ousted Maduro.

Article 9 of the bill lists those excluded from amnesty as “persons who are being prosecuted or may be convicted for promoting, instigating, soliciting, invoking, favoring, facilitating, financing or participating in armed actions or the use of force against the people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” of Venezuela “by foreign states, corporations or individuals.”

World

Türkiye’s Approval of Peace Roadmap is Important Step, PKK Source Says

A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)
A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)
TT
TT

Türkiye’s Approval of Peace Roadmap is Important Step, PKK Source Says

A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)
A Turkish parliamentary commission’s approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source said Thursday. (AFP/File)

A Turkish parliamentary commission's approval of a report setting out a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) group is an important step and the beginning of a fundamental change in Turkish policy, a PKK source told Reuters on Thursday.

The commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve the report, advancing a peace process designed to end decades of conflict.

"The vote is considered an achievement and an important ‌step toward consolidating democracy ‌in Türkiye," said the PKK source.

The PKK - designated a ‌terrorist ⁠organization by Türkiye, ⁠the United States and the European Union - halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to disband and end its armed struggle.

The parliamentary vote shifts the peace process to the legislative theatre, as President Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye’s leader of more than two decades, bids to end a conflict focused in mainly Kurdish southeast Türkiye.

The insurgency began in 1984 and has killed more than 40,000 people, sowing deep discord at home and ⁠spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria.

IMPORTANT ISSUES OUTSTANDING

The PKK ‌source said there were foundations for resolving ‌the Kurdish issue, but there was a lack of clarity on the issue in the report.

"There also ‌remain other important issues, such as initiating constitutional amendments, especially in aspects related to ‌the Kurdish language as well as amendments to the anti-terrorism law," the source said.

Another issue was legislation concerning the return of PKK militants to Türkiye and their integration into society, the source said.

A key element of Wednesday's report recommended strengthening mechanisms to ensure compliance with decisions by the ‌European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court.

Among key ECHR decisions related to Türkiye are rulings that the rights of ⁠jailed former pro-Kurdish ⁠party leader Selahattin Demirtas had been violated and that he should be released immediately.

Ankara's final appeal against that was rejected in November.

SIGN OF INTENT

Demirtas' lawyer Mahsuni Karaman told Reuters the report's comments on the ECHR were important as a sign of intent.

"We hope this will be reflected in judicial practice—that is our wish and expectation,” Karaman said.

Demirtas was detained in November 2016 on terrorism-related charges, which he denies. In May 2024, a court convicted him in connection with deadly 2014 protests and sentenced him to more than 40 years in prison.

Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli, a key Erdogan ally whose call in 2024 triggered the current PKK peace process, said in November that it "would be beneficial" to release Demirtas from prison.

The opposition pro-Kurdish DEM Party — the successor party of Demirtas' HDP — remains parliament's third-largest bloc and has cooperated closely with the parliamentary commission.