What's Going On- A News Recap
Written by Victor, one of our current world events writers, and edited by Willow, one of our editors!
What makes history are events and the world has always been pregnant with ambivalent events that stir the human race to a fragile point. With reels of these events are standing points upon which the histories of mankind would be written by historians, and further going, they would be learned in school and may stand as antecedents and myth, while others would be hidden in the carpet of the world forever. And please, understand that those which are hidden under the carpet of the world are still events that could have shaken the world but practically couldn't because those that mold the news can't report all.
From parts of the continent, events are unfolding but Incognito Press can't cover all but sure some events concern every human living on earth - those are the ones that concern us appropriately.
Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard
First was the biggest hit last week: a Virginia jury found on Wednesday that Johnny Depp was defamed by Amber Heard in a 2018 op-ed in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse", without naming Mr. Depp.
The seven jurors mostly rejected Ms. Heard's counterclaim, awarding her $2m in damages for a single count of her suit - an amount eclipsed by the more than $10m awarded to her ex-husband.
The verdict surprised some legal experts, especially as it followed Mr. Depp's loss in a similar case in the UK nearly two years ago.
Tradegy Strikes Coal Mine in Colombia
Nine coal miners died and six remain trapped underground after an explosion in a coal mine in Colombia, the National Mining Agency (ANM) said.
The explosion near the northern town of El Zulia on Monday was caused by a build-up of gas which caused a fire and the collapse of a tunnel, trapping the miners, officials said.
The surviving miners have been trapped underground for six days.
Families have been waiting desperately for news as rescue efforts continue.
Rescue work was initially hampered by the build-up of gas as well as heavy rains, but some 70 rescuers are now working against the clock to find the remaining miners, AFP reports.
Gun Attack at Catholic Church in Nigeria
Gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Ondo state, Nigeria, during mass on Sunday, killing several people, local media reported.
A doctor at a hospital in Owo, a town in the state in Nigeria’s south-west, told Reuters: “Several worshippers were brought in dead.”
Local media said gunmen had fired at worshippers and detonated explosives at the church.
Funmilayo Ibukun Odunlami, a police spokesperson for Ondo state, said: “There was an incident today at the St. Francis Catholic church in Owo,” and police would issue a statement soon.
Africa’s most populous country has witnessed attacks and kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs, mostly in its northwest. Such attacks are rare in south-western Nigeria.
The Governor of Ondo State Rotimi Akeredolu said that the massacre was an act of evil and would do everything in his power to make sure that the gunmen are captured.
Controversey From Indian Offificals' Comments Against Prophet Muhammad
India has been forced to try to placate its partners in the Islamic world after growing anger over controversial comments made by two senior officials of the country's ruling party about the Prophet Muhammad.
Nupur Sharma, who was a spokesperson of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), remarked in a televised debate last month, while Naveen Jindal, who was media head of the party's Delhi unit, had posted a tweet on the issue. The comments - especially Ms. Sharma's - angered the country's minority Muslim community, leading to sporadic protests in some states. The BBC is not repeating Ms. Sharma's remarks as they are offensive.
The two leaders have issued public apologies and the party has suspended Ms. Sharma and expelled Mr. Jindal.
"The BJP strongly denounces insults of any religious personalities of any religion. The BJP is also against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion. The BJP does not promote such people or philosophy," it said in a statement.
Critics say Ms. Sharma and Mr. Jindal's comments reflect the deep religious polarization that the country has been witnessing over the past few years. Hate speech and attacks against Muslims have risen sharply since the BJP came to power in 2014.
Experts also add that the BJP's response may not be enough after what looked like the country's internal matter took an international turn - Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran called Indian ambassadors to register their protest on Sunday. Saudi Arabia also condemned the remarks on Monday.
Qatar said it expected a public apology from India.
"Allowing such Islamophobic remarks to continue without punishment, constitutes a grave danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further prejudice and marginalization, which will create a cycle of violence and hate," Qatar's ministry of foreign affairs said.
Saudi Arabia also used some strong words in its statement. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the statements made by the spokeswoman of the BJP," it said.
India's ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, said the remarks from some "fringe elements" did not represent the views of the Indian government. Senior BJP leaders and other diplomats have also condemned the controversial statement.
The 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Pakistan have also criticised India. But Delhi criticised both, as it usually does, saying their comments were "unwarranted and narrow-minded".
Analysts say that the top leadership of the party and the government may have to make public statements on the issue. Not doing so, they say, runs the risk of damaging India's ties with the Arab world and Iran.
An Honest Update: The Ukraine-Russian War
The Ukraine war continues and doesn't look like ending after more than a hundred days of bombings and shelling with casualties arising from every corner. Kyiv didn't feel like a city bracing itself for an onslaught of 150,000 Russian soldiers in January.
"It's all a bluff" and "we're at war already" were the most common responses when people were asked whether they were worried about what seemed to be unthinkable at the time.
Of course, within five weeks that all changed. Some in the West predicted Kyiv would fall within 72 hours.
Over 100 days the city has gone from stubborn normality, to complete darkness, and is now emerging into some sort of calm. It's still far from what it was before the war, but it's nevertheless a picture of defiance.
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This piece was written by one of our current world events writers, Victor. Reach them at @okechukwu6590, on Instagram!
This piece was edited by one of our editors, Willow. Reach them at @oldmanheart, on Instagram!
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