The Niger Republic says it has foiled an attempted military takeover early hours of Wednesday at the Presidential Palace in Niamey, President Mahamadou Issoufou said. The President-elect Mohamed Bazoum is scheduled to be sworn in on Friday, marking the first transfer of power between two democratically elected presidents in the country. President Issoufou disclosed that the attack was carried out by some suspects who had planned to use aerial means to seize power."The aim of these individuals, driven by an unknown motivation, was to overthrow democratically elected institutions," he said.

Samia Suluhu Hassan has been sworn-in today as the first female president in the history of Tanzania. According to the BBC, the former Vice President, and now President was sworn in by Ibrahim Juma, the Chief justice of the Tanzanian Federation in Dar-es-Salam, the capital city of Tanzania.

Tanzania's President John Magufuli has died at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, after days of speculation that he was ill with Covid-19.

United States’ President Joe Biden plans to withdraw the remaining U.S troops from Afghanistan by Sept 11, 2021, ending the 20 years presence of American forces in the Middle Eastern country since the 9/11 attack by al Qaeda. According to Reuters, U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and U.S Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin are expected to brief NATO allies on Wednesday in Brussels, while the president may also make a public announcement on the decision. Also, a senior Biden administration official said “The president has judged that a conditions-based approach, which has been the approach of the past two decades, is a recipe in staying in Afghanistan forever.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has on Monday said only people immunized against COVID-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round Umrah pilgrimage from the Beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan. The country’s Hajj and Umrah ministry stated this in a statement explaining that there are three categories of people considered to be “immunised”, those who have been administered with the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, people who have received a single dose of the vaccine at least 14 days prior and people who have recovered from the infection.

An Indonesian Roman Catholic Cathedral in the eastern City of Makassar was rocked by an explosion on Sunday, causing a ruckus during the Palm Sunday mass. Though no Churchgoers were killed, 14 were injured and treated at the Makassar hospital.
The explosion occurred around the gate of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral. Shortly before the bombing, two people on a motorcycle were stopped by security personnel, who suspected they were targeting the church around the end of the Palm Sunday mass.

The United States President, Joe Biden has directed the American Embassy in Nigerian and other countries of the World to push for re-introduction of the homosexual legislation in their respective country. Biden gave this directive through a press statement on the memorandum for advancing the Human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and intersex persons across the globe.

U.S. President Joe Biden will visit the State Department on Thursday and deliver his first foreign policy speech as president. Biden has had an intense interest in U.S. foreign policy since he became a ranking member on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in the late 1990s.

President Joe Biden’s administration plans to reimpose travel restrictions on non-citizens who have recently been in Britain, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, and much of Europe, a White House official disclosed. According to the official, the development is following the new COVID-19 variants established in the United States.

Pope Francis made a rare Sunday outing from Vatican grounds to celebrate a mass on “divine mercy” with prisoners, refugees, and health workers. The mass was held in a church just off St Peter’s Square, in front of a reduced congregation of about 80 people, in line with coronavirus restrictions. Among them, there were inmates of two Roman prisons and one youth detention center; refugees from Syria, Nigeria, and Egypt; and nursing staff from a nearby hospital. In his homily, the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics stressed the importance for Christians of serving others.

President Muhammadu Buhari while still in London United Kingdom (UK) has condoled with the family of Queen Elizabeth II over the demise of her husband, Prince Philip.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and husband of Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 99. His death was announced via a statement shared early Friday to the official website of the Royal Family. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the statement from Buckingham Palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”