Data from the National Universities Commission revealed that no fewer than 19 federal, state and private universities were approved for operations between January and December 2022. A breakdown of the 19 approved universities shows that only one federal university, King David Umahi University of Medical Sciences, in Uburu, Ebonyi State, was approved in 2022. Further analysis revealed that a total of six state universities were approved in 2022. Lagos University of Education, Ijanikin; Lagos University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu; Shehu Shagari University of Education, Sokoto; Enugu State University of Medicine and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Eno; and Emmanuel Alayande University of…

Black people in the UK are "living in fear" due to structural, institutional and systemic racism, according to a United Nations working group. The experts, who spent 10 days travelling across the UK, warned that people of African descent continue to encounter racial discrimination and erosion of their fundamental rights. It also highlighted "trauma" felt by people who are suffering racial discrimination, particularly in the criminal justice system. Dominique Day, a human rights expert for the group, said: "What we found overwhelmingly was a culture of fear, a culture of denial, where the conversation about racism usually involves gaslighting and…

A group of pro-Russian activists in Germany donated funds to a Russian army division fighting in Ukraine, and the money was used to purchase walkie-talkie radios, headphones and telephones, according to an officer in the division and messages from the group's organisers seen by Reuters. The couple at the centre of the group, Elena Kolbasnikova and Max Schlund, handed the 500 euros ($540) to the officer in person late last year. Their messages show they knew the money paid for telecommunications equipment – despite European Union sanctions which restrict the supply of such gear to Russia's military. A Jan. 3…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Biden says no F-16s for Ukraine as Russia claims gains The United States will not provide the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has sought in its fight against Russia, President Joe Biden said on Monday, as Russian forces claimed a series of incremental gains in the country's east. Ukraine planned to push for Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the F-16 after securing supplies of main battle tanks last week, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister said on Friday. A Ukrainian air force spokesman said it would take its pilots about half a year to train on such…