Akintunde Oluwatobiloba

The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria has called for the creation of an international tribunal to try thousands of suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group. One official, Abdul Karim Omar, told the BBC they were struggling to cope with the thousands who emerged from the last IS enclave of Baghuz, in the east. Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the village last week. About 1,000 foreign fighters are among the thousands held by Kurds in camps. US President Donald Trump hailed the capture of Baghuz last week, although he said the US would "remain vigilant" as the group remains a threat. At its height, IS controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) across Syria and Iraq. While it no longer holds this territory, US officials believe IS may have 15,000 to 20,000 armed adherents active in the region, many of them in sleeper cells, and that it will return to its insurgent roots while attempting to rebuild. What did the Kurds s...

Petra Kvitova: Man who stabbed tennis star jailed for eight years.   The man who stabbed tennis champion Petra Kvitova in her home in the Czech Republic has been sentenced to eight years in jail, local media report . Radim Zondra, 33, went to her house in December 2016 saying he needed to inspect the boiler. He then grabbed Kvitova from behind and held a knife to her throat. She suffered severe wounds to her left hand in the struggle to free herself. Appearing at a regional court in Brno, Zondra denied all charges against him. Last month Kvitova delivered graphic testimony via video link, telling the court that there was "blood all over the place". She added that she had offered him money to leave, eventually giving him 10,000 Czech crowns (£341; $440). The court has ordered him to pay this back. Judge Dagmar Bordovska said in her judgment Kvitova's testimony was credible, while witnesses who testified on behalf of Zondra were unreliable, CTK news ag...

Thailand election: Pro-military political party takes lead.   A pro-military political party in Thailand has taken an unexpected lead in the country's first election since the army took power five years ago. With more than 90% of ballots counted, the Palang Pracha Rath Party has gained 7.6m of the popular vote - half a million more than Pheu Thai. Pheu Thai is linked to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, whose loyalists have won every election since 2001. Official preliminary results, which may differ, are due later on Monday. The electoral commission has said full official results will be issued on 9 May. More than 50 million people were eligible to vote, but turnout was reportedly low for Thailand at just 65%. There are growing complaints about irregularities and reports suggest the electoral commission may issue a correction to its figures later on. However it is looking likely that the Palang Pracha Rath Party (PPRP) will be in a position to form a government...

Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to update ministers on her Brexit strategy when she chairs a meeting of her cabinet this morning.  It comes after a weekend of speculation about her leadership and claims of a plot to oust her - something senior ministers have denied. There have been suggestions that naming a date for her departure as PM could boost support for her Brexit deal. But Downing Street has refused to be drawn on Mrs May's future. The Sun newspaper has used its front page to urge Mrs May to set a date for her resignation to win over reluctant Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party in order to bolster the chances of her withdrawal agreement passing in a third vote. Her deal has been overwhelmingly rejected in the Commons twice, and it remains unclear whether she will bring it back a third time this week after she wrote to MPs saying she would only do so if there was "sufficient support". Conservative MP Nigel Evans told BBC Radio 4'...

 Seven people have been injured after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house in central Israel, police say.  The rocket came down at 05:20 local time (03:20 GMT) on Monday in an area north of the city of Tel Aviv. This is the furthest a Palestinian rocket has reached in Israel since the 2014 conflict with militants in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is cutting short a trip to the US over the incident, has vowed to respond with force. So far no-one has said they carried out the attack. A week and a half ago, two rockets were fired towards Tel Aviv and nobody was hurt. The Israeli military responded with dozens of air strikes across Gaza, which injured four people. The Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, and Israeli military officials later said those rockets had been launched "by mistake" The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the rocket hit a house in the community of Mishmeret, about 20km (12 miles) north-east of Tel Aviv, ...

The naked populist: Thierry Baudet stuns the Netherland. A former academic with a love of classical allusions and naked poolside Instagram photos, Thierry Baudet has stunned the Dutch political world with his victory in provincial elections.   The latest in a line of flamboyant Dutch populists, 36-year-old Baudet and his Forum for Democracy party have been on the scene for less than two years. He has used good looks and social media to soften the edges of a strong anti-immigration, anti-EU and climate change-sceptic message that echoes other right-wingers across Europe. But he also has a history of controversial utterances and alliances that have led critics to describe him as the telegenic European face of a Donald Trump-style alt-right politics. Baudet, who has a law doctorate, typically showed off his learning in his victory speech on Wednesday, declaring that the "owl of Minerva has descended", referring to the Roman god of wisdom. Howe...

Italy was in shock Thursday after the dramatic rescue of 51 children taken hostage by their school bus driver who torched the vehicle in protest at Mediterranean migrant deaths.   The Italian driver of Senegalese origin on Wednesday hijacked the bus as it was taking the 12-13 year-olds from a gym to school in Crema, east of Milan. Armed with two petrol canisters and a cigarette lighter, Ousseynou Sy threatened the youngsters, took their telephones and told the adults to tie them up with electric cable. The 40-minute ordeal, during which the bus also slammed into a car, was brought to an end when police managed to smash windows open and get those onboard out just as the driver set fire to the vehicle. A dozen children and two adults were taken to hospital for smoke and fume inhalation, "It's crazy, absurd, it's unacceptable. Someone has to pay, and dearly," said Filippo Razzini, the father of a pupil at the school in the small town of Cre...

One of Hip-hop's most iconic album has been selected for preservation by the US Library of Congress. Jay- Z 's sixth studio album, The Blueprint , a hip-hop classic released in 2001 joins the illustrious batch of recordings added to the Library's National Recording Registry.    Every year the library selects choice recordings that are deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” to be archived. The Blueprint will be joining other classics such as John Coltrane ’s ''A Love Supreme'' and Radiohead ’s 1997 album ''OK Computer'', Run-DMC ’s ''Raising Hell'' as announced by the National Recording Registry on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.   The Blueprint, a critical and commercial success that parades hits like 'Song Cry,' 'Izzo [H.O.V.A]  has been certified double platinum and is ranked as one of best hip-hop's album of all time. In the official press release, the Librar...

The Canadian government has budgeted the sum of $902 million, over a period of five years, to arrest the surge of migrants who illegally cross into the country from the United States of America. Nigerians make up a sizeable majority of thousands of people who have illegally crossed into Canada from the U.S. to file refugee claims since January 2017. In the annual budget that was presented by Canada's Finance Minister, Bill Morneau , to the House of Commons on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, $902 million (C$1.18 billion) will be spent over five years, beginning in the 2019-20 fiscal year, on border security and modernisation, and for the asylum system.   "To ensure that our asylum system is fair and effective - supporting Canada's reputation as a country that is welcoming as well as governed by the rule of law - we will invest in a comprehensive Border Enforcement Strategy, to better detect and intercept people who cross into Canada irregularly and those that...

The rock-star is set to release a new single inspired by the rise to fame of Greek NBA star of Nigerian descent, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Burna Boy has a new song coming and it is titled '34.' If there was anything like scoring a home run in the music circles, then Burna Boy brought it home in 2018 with smashing singles and stand out performances on global stages. And in 2019, there seems to be no relenting for the singer who kicked things off with the visuals to his collaboration with Zlatan , 'Killin Dem' and caused a 'font' controversy following the announcement that he will be performing at the Coachella festival later in the year. Then he released his first single for 2019, in Dangote, a 'hustler's anthem' that captures the unending desire for success through the lens of Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote and now he seems set to mirror yet another glorious career to tell his story on his next single. Giannis Ante...