22/05/2026

FRIDAY | MAY 22, 2026

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ABUJA: anti-drug agency said it had dismantled a methamphetamine syndicate in the largest seizure of its kind in the country, seizing drugs and chemicals worth about US$363 million (RM1.4 billion) and arresting 10 suspects, including three Mexicans. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said late on Wednesday that coordinated raids on a farm in Ogun state and linked properties in Lagos state, southwest Nigeria, uncovered an industrial-scale clandestine laboratory and yielded 2.4 tonnes of methamphetamine and chemical materials. NDLEA chief Mohamed Buba Marwa said the operation, carried out over 48 hours after months of intelligence work, exposed a network importing foreign “technical expertise” to produce drugs locally. Seven suspects, including three Mexicans described as meth “cooks”, were arrested at the farm used as a lab in Ogun state’s Abidagba forest, while the alleged mastermind, Anochili Innocent, a Nigerian, was detained at his Lagos residence. Follow-up operations brought total arrests to 10, the agency said. The agency said the scale of the haul, equivalent to millions of street doses, highlighted a shift by drug cartels towards setting up production bases in Nigeria. The crackdown underscores Nigeria’s growing role as both a transit and manufacturing hub in the global illegal drugs trade. Illegal trade has been growing in Nigeria and West Africa, where porous borders allow cartels to expand logistics networks and links to Latin American trafficking groups. Marwa said the agency will step up raids on local and transnational networks. – Reuters Nigeria busts meth cartel Nigeria’s

TEL AVIV: Gaza flotilla activists who were detained by Israel and later pinned to the ground to the taunts of Israel’s far-right police minister have been released from prison and will be deported to Turkiye, officials said. The activists were arrested at a port in southern Israel after the Israeli navy intercepted their flotilla in international waters. Their treatment by police officers under Itamar Ben-Gvir’s direction drew an international outcry and a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ben-Gvir and at least one other minister in Netanyahu’s government, transport chief Miri Regev, posted campaign-style videos of themselves visiting the port and lambasting the protesters, attention grabbing antics ahead of potential early elections in Israel. Flotilla organisers say they aim to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance, something aid bodies say is still in short supply despite a ceasefire in place since October 2025 that includes guarantees of increased aid. The flotilla departed from southern Turkiye this week before being intercepted on Wednesday. Past flotillas were also intercepted by Israel, with participants later deported. In a statement, Israeli rights group Adalah said the estimated 430 activists had been released from prison in southern Israel and would be deported via the Ramon airport near Eilat on the Red Sea. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country was conducting special flights that would bring its citizens as well as third country participants to Turkiye. Those on board the flotilla included citizens of Spain, South Korea and Ireland. “We will continue to uphold the rights of our citizens and fulfil our humanitarian responsibility towards civilians in Gaza,” Fidan said. Ben-Gvir’s video showed officers forcing an activist to the ground after she chants “Free, free Palestine”. The video also shows dozens of detained activists kneeling in rows WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration threatened to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations if the Palestinian ambassador refuses to end his candidacy for the vice presidency of the UN General Assembly, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. In a cable dated Wednesday, US diplomats in its embassy in Jerusalem are instructed to deliver the message that Palestinian ambassador to the DUBAI: Iran said yesterday it was reviewing Washington’s latest position on ending the war after President Donald Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to “get the right answers” from Tehran but warned of renewed attacks if it did not agree to a deal. “We have received US views and are reviewing them,” Nour News agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.

A Mexican protester demanding the release of detained flotilla activists outside the Israeli embassy in Mexico City on Wednesday. – REUTERSPIC Gaza flotilla activists to be deported o International outcry over treatment

Portugal and the Netherlands to summon top Israeli diplomats in their countries. Canada and Spain are among countries that have imposed sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, citing allegations that they incited violence against Palestinians. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that whatever one thinks of the flotilla, “our compatriots who are participating in it must be treated with respect and released as quickly as possible.” – Reuters under Headquarters Agreement,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Due to visa record confidentiality, we have no comment on department actions with respect to specific cases.” Mansour had already withdrawn his candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly as a result of US lobbying in February, the cable said, but added that if elected to the lower-profile vice-presidency, he could still get to preside over General Assembly sessions. – Reuters the UN Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.” Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned against renewed attacks. “If

video as he walks by the activists while carrying a large Israeli flag. Posting her own video at Ashdod port, transport chief Miri Regev, a member of Netanyahu’s political party, said: “This is what should be done to supporters of terror who came to break the siege on Gaza.” Netanyahu, who leads the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, said Ben-Gvir’s conduct was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”. The detention and taunting of the activists led France, Canada, Spain, Among the talking points provided in the cable to US diplomats, the State Department’s September 2025 decision to waive visa sanctions for Palestinian officials assigned to the Palestinian UN mission in New York was noted. “It would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options,” the cable said. The Palestinian mission at UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “We take seriously our obligations Trump is also under pressure at home ahead of midterm elections in November, with his approval rating dropping close to its lowest level since he returned to the White House on the surge in fuel prices. “Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said,“It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.”

with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, in what appears to be an outdoor Israeli port facility. In the background, soldiers armed with long guns can be seen patrolling the area from aboard a military vessel. “Look at them now. See how they look now, not heroes and not anything,” Ben-Gvir says in the

Drop UN post bid, Palestinian envoy told

UN general assembly bid “fuels tensions”, risks to undermine Trump’s Gaza peace plan and would therefore face consequences from Washington if it went ahead. “To be clear, we will hold the PA responsible if the Palestinian delegation does not withdraw its VPGA candidacy,” the cable, marked sensitive but unclassified, said, referring to the Palestinian Authority which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank. Riyad Mansour’s

Mansour had earlier withdrawn candidacy for the presidency. – REUTERSPIC

Tehran reviewing latest US response Pakistan, which hosted peace talks last month and is acting as the conduit for messages between the two sides, continues to mediate between Tehran and Washington, he said, with several rounds of communication having taken place.

aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” it said in a statement. Iran submitted its latest offer to the US this week. Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms Trump previously rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops. – Reuters

Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire came into force, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring oil prices have raised concern over inflation and the impact on the global economy.