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Manila girls rule softball world series

Team Manila-Philippines reclaimed the 2026 PONY International World Series 18-Under Girls Softball championship with an emphatic 8-1 victory over Texas Pride Elite Team in the title game at McAllen Softball Complex in Texas.

Representing the Asia-Pacific region, the Filipino squad capped an impressive tournament run by defeating the host region’s champion to regain the prestigious international crown before a packed crowd.

The victory marked another milestone for the Big City Softbelles, who previously captured back-to-back PONY World Series titles in 2023 and 2024 in McAllen. The team was also recognized as a Major Awardee during the 2023 Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards (PSA).

This year’s tournament featured top youth softball teams from across the United States, including host Texas, as well as international entries from Mexico, Guatemala, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.

‘We are very proud of the team’s accomplishments, which is why we continue to support the advancement of these world-class youth athletes who come from poor families in the provinces with the promise of free college education from reputable universities in Manila,’ Team Manila Softball president and Manila Councilor Rafael ‘Che’ Borromeo said.

Borromeo said the team’s latest success has also drawn the attention of US collegiate programs.

Up for US recruitment

According to Borromeo, Texas AandM University and Texas Lutheran University have expressed interest in recruiting star pitcher Edralyn Borrico of Smokey Mountain, Tondo, who led the Philippines in the championship game. Other players reportedly being considered include Mary Antoinette Sicapore, Angelica Jean Latriz, Claire Olarte and Rhea Manalo.

Team Manila-Philippines is backed by Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko’ Moreno Domagoso, International Container Terminal Services Inc., San Miguel Corporation and the Philippine Sports Commission.

The program has enjoyed sustained international success over the past decade. Team Manila was named the PSA Athletes of the Year in 2012 after winning the country’s first softball world championship at the Girls Big League Softball World Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It also earned PSA recognition in 2017 and 2018 after winning consecutive PONY World Series championships in Hemet, California.

Deadly sick Awa Bamiji appeals to Tinubu for overseas medical treatment

Prominent pro-democracy and June 12 activist, Comrade Awa Bamiji, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu for urgent financial assistance and overseas medical treatment to address his deteriorating health.

Bamiji, who has been battling the aftermath of a stroke since November 12, 2024, made the plea in a letter dated July 15, 2026, from his residence in the Jinarere area off Iyana Church in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Recounting his nearly two-year medical journey, the activist expressed gratitude to Almighty God for preserving his life and acknowledged the remarkable care received at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

However, he noted that his recovery remains incomplete, leaving him in dire need of advanced specialised care.

According to him, he still requires intensive physiotherapy, speech therapy, and continuous medication, which have proven extremely costly.

He disclosed that he has yet to regain his normal speech, cannot walk long distances without difficulty, and continues to suffer from severe tremors that impair his ability to write or use electronic devices.

Reflecting on the financial burden of managing the ailment, Bamiji expressed deep appreciation to kind-hearted Nigerians, leaders, and friends who previously rallied to his support, exhausting donations on medical bills, accommodation, and daily living expenses.

Among those who previously extended financial lifelines to the ailing activist are Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, who donated two million naira, and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd.), who contributed one million naira.

Other prominent donors include former Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, elder statesmen Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, and Chief Henry Oladele Ajomale, alongside retired Brigadier Tayo Koleoso, Dr Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, Chief Wale Oshun, and several other patriots.

Bamiji also revealed that he had to sell his personal Audi vehicle for one million naira to sustain his treatment.

Despite these interventions, Bamiji stated that the funds have been largely depleted, leaving him grappling with significant financial hardship and living in rented accommodation.

The Ibadan-based activist expressed hope that President Tinubu’s compassionate leadership would grant favourable consideration to his plea for specialised medical care abroad to achieve full recovery.

Oldest war hero dies in Pangasinan

Valentin Untalan, the oldest World War II hero in Pangasinan and arguably one of the oldest Filipinos in the country, died on Thursday at the advanced age of 109.

Details about the death of Untalan, a resident of Barangay Doyong, had not been made public, but he had been wheelchair-bound, and his health had been failing for years.

He was able to attend for the very last time the annual Pangasinan Veterans Day celebration on January 9, where he shared stories about his war experiences and urged the young generation to love their country.

Frequently attends Lingayen Gulf memorials

Untalan also frequently attended the memorials for the Lingayen Gulf Landing when American General Douglas MacArthur returned to liberate the country from the occupying forces of the Imperial Japanese Army towards the end of the war in the Pacific in 1945.

In 2023, Untalan said he retains vivid memories of how he survived in the jungle during the war.

Untalan joined the Philippine Scouts and was inducted into the United States Army Forces in the Far East on Feb. 26, 1941, with the rank of private first class.

A videotape interview shown during a veterans event shows him recalling that he was assigned to the ‘L’ Company of the 57th Infantry at the outbreak of World War II in the country, which began when Japanese planes bombarded Camp John Hay in Baguio City on December 8, 1941.

His unit cared for the wounded soldiers of the 11th Infantry and nearby Allied units defending the Pangasinan D-2 line.

They also provided medical care to wounded and sick sOldiers during the Battle of Bataan and engaged Japanese forces in the ‘Battle of the Pockets.’

Surviving in the jungle

‘I searched for guavas and papayas in the jungle. I could not climb the papaya, but I cut it down with my machete, and I ate as many as I could. When the sun was setting, I filled my haversack with papaya, and then I looked for a place to sleep. I saw a foxhole, and I went inside,’ Untalan had said in a halting, raspy voice.

He also recalled how he was assigned to command a platoon, and became a platoon leader and officer, with the rank of major, during the war.

‘You know that long bridge in Carmen (Rosales, Pangasinan)? There were guns over there,’ he said. ‘Sometimes, for 24 hours, you stay in the water until you are relieved by someone. Sometimes they have no replacement for you, and you cannot quit without a replacement,’ Untalan said.

In a social media post, a family member paid tribute to Untalan: ‘Though our hearts are filled with sorrow, they are also filled with gratitude-for 109 wonderful years of your life and for every precious moment we shared with you. You may have left this world, but your love will never leave us. Sleep peacefully, our beloved Laki (Grandfather) Valentin Untalan Sr. Until the day we meet again, you will always be our greatest blessing. ‘

How China’s oil stockpile saved Kenya from fuel crisis

When war escalated across the Middle East, threatening passage through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes, and placing the Persian Gulf’s 21 million barrels per day of export infrastructure under genuine military threat, every energy economist reached for the 1973 and 1979 playbooks. Forecasts were grim: recession, rationing and stagflation.

For Kenya, the stakes were immediate. We import every litre of petrol, diesel and jet fuel we consume, most of it transiting the very corridors under fire.

A sustained supply shortfall exceeding three million barrels per day should have translated into pump-price shocks severe enough to destabilise transport, food prices and the shilling.

The catastrophe never arrived. Pump prices spiked, freight costs ballooned and tanker insurance premiums went parabolic but the cascading economic collapse the models predicted was, at the aggregate level, contained. The reason sits, largely unacknowledged in Western financial commentary, in Beijing.

China has spent two decades quietly building what analysts now estimate is the world’s largest strategic petroleum reserve, a government-controlled stockpile of crude oil held for emergencies.

Total strategic and commercial inventory capacity is believed to exceed 1.2 billion barrels. Beijing does not publish official volumes, but estimates from the International Energy Agency, S and P Global Commodity Insights and satellite-tracking firm Kpler triangulate around 900 to 980 million barrels at peak.

When Middle East supply risk crystallised, China did what it has done historically in moments of external price pressure: it drew down its reserve, and aggressively.

Satellite imagery of floating storage, monitored tanker movements and refinery run-rate data all pointed to Beijing substituting domestic reserve releases for spot-market purchases – buying on the open international market – at precisely the moment that market was most vulnerable to a demand surge.

By feeding its refineries from its own stockpile rather than competing for cargoes, China removed the single largest marginal buyer from a supply-constrained market. The market’s biggest customer quietly left the auction room, and everyone else – Kenya included – got to bid at lower prices than the models predicted.

The reserve drawdown alone does not explain the full buffer. The second, arguably more consequential factor is structural and permanent: Chinese oil demand has decoupled from Chinese economic growth in a way that Opec, Western majors and most emerging-market governments have been dangerously slow to internalise.

China sold more than 11 million new-energy vehicles in 2024, roughly 40 percent of all passenger cars sold locally, and by mid-2026 that share of monthly sales has held above 50 percent.

Every electric vehicle displacing a petrol car removes roughly 1.5 litres of daily fuel demand from the market. China’s high-speed rail network, at over 45,000 kilometres, exceeds the rest of the world combined and has structurally collapsed jet fuel and diesel demand on intercity corridors.

Provincial energy-intensity targets, enforced through party accountability systems, have pushed industrial users to cut consumption faster than external forecasters keep predicting. And China redirected purchasing toward discounted, sanctioned Russian crude – barrels that were never competing for the Persian Gulf molecules the rest of the world needed.

The International Energy Agency’s projection that Chinese oil demand peaks before 2030 is no longer a fringe view. It is increasingly the central case.

It matters to be honest about one thing: China did not draw down its reserve to help the global economy. It acted in service of its own price stability, industrial continuity and consumer affordability during a period of fragile domestic confidence.

That a self-interested decision made in Zhongnanhai determined whether a small business owner in Nairobi, a logistics operator in Lagos or a farming cooperative in Lusaka survived a fuel-cost spike is a remarkable illustration of how interconnected energy systems have become – and how little control import-dependent economies currently exercise over their own exposure.

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Zambia all heavily dependent on imported refined products got a lucky reprieve.

The word to underline is lucky. Beijing will eventually need to replenish its reserve, and when it returns to the market as an aggressive buyer, the price impact will land hardest on nations that lack either indigenous reserves or foreign-currency buffers.

Several implications follow for leaders in oil-dependent economies. The first is that the buffer cannot be assumed next time. China’s drawdown was a one-time shock absorber, not a standing guarantee, and the next supply disruption may land very differently.

The second is the case for investing in demand-side intelligence now. The countries and companies best positioned in the next crisis will be those with real-time visibility into consumption patterns, fleet behaviour and fuel flows – through fuel management technology, fleet efficiency programmes and consumption data. Data is the new strategic reserve.

Third, the energy transition should be accelerated, at each economy’s own pace, but accelerated. The structural demand destruction China has engineered through electrification and rail is a preview of what every major economy will eventually experience. Getting ahead of that curve is a competitive advantage; being caught behind it is an existential risk.

Finally, supply chain geography needs rethinking. The Red Sea disruptions exposed the fragility of single-corridor crude and refined product flows. Diversifying supply routes, storage locations and supplier relationships is not bureaucratic prudence. It is balance-sheet protection.

The world did not suffer the oil crisis the Middle East conflict threatened to deliver. We should be honest about why and more honest still about the fact that the conditions that prevented it are changing fast.

The leaders who understand that dynamic and build their institutions accordingly, will be the ones still standing when the next crisis tests the system.

The Rise of Smartious Homeschool Global

In the dynamic landscape of global education, certain institutions emerge not just as providers of learning, but as pioneers reshaping how we perceive and access quality schooling. Smartious Homeschool Global stands as a testament to this evolution – a remarkable journey that began in the heart of East Africa and has since expanded its reach across continents.

This article traces the rise of Smartious, from its foundational vision through its strategic growth to its present-day commitment to delivering elite, personalised education to a global student body. The story of Smartious Homeschool Global is rooted in the personal observations of its founder, Alfred Ouko, a dedicated Mathematics and Physics teacher. In 2018, while still an undergraduate at the University of Nairobi, Alfred recognised a significant gap in the educational system.

He watched capable students fall behind in classrooms that couldn’t move at their pace – held back by rigid structures, location constraints, or scheduling conflicts.

What began as one-on-one home visits in Nairobi’s Parklands neighbourhood quickly evolved into a more structured approach. Alfred’s model focused on building genuine subject confidence rather than mere exam memorisation.

As demand grew, he recruited subject specialists, insisting every teacher hold a degree in their field – a standard that laid the groundwork for Smartious’s reputation for academic rigour.

Scaling the Vision: The Edtech Transformation

As the tutoring base grew through Alfred’s undergraduate years, Smartious recognised the potential of technology to widen access to quality education. The institution built its own Learning Management System – the virtual backbone that today enables live interactive sessions, recorded lesson libraries for flexible review, and adaptive tools like the Mshauri AI tutor, available to students 24/7.

This technological leap let Smartious significantly expand its curriculum offerings. Beyond its original tutoring focus, the school began delivering full programmes for internationally recognised qualifications: Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and the American High School Curriculum with Advanced Placement. Crucially, it also integrated the Kenya Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), serving both local and diaspora Kenyan families.

Global Expansion: Crossing Borders and Continents

Smartious’s growth trajectory soon transcended national borders. Its flexible, high-quality offering resonated with Kenyan and African diaspora families in the UAE, UK, USA, and Canada – families seeking curriculum continuity for their children through international relocations. This organic demand fuelled rapid global expansion, establishing Smartious as a genuinely international player.

Today, Smartious serves families across more than a dozen countries on five continents, with a strong presence in high-visibility hubs – from Nairobi (Kenya) and Dubai (UAE) to Johannesburg (South Africa), Seoul (South Korea), and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). This widespread footprint reflects Smartious’s ability to deliver consistent educational standards globally.

Smartious at a Glance

A few verifiable figures from the school’s own reporting help put its growth into perspective:

The story of Smartious Homeschool Global is rooted in the personal observations of its founder, Alfred Ouko, a dedicated Mathematics and Physics teacher. In 2018, while still an undergraduate at the University of Nairobi, Alfred recognised a significant gap in the educational system.

He watched capable students fall behind in classrooms that couldn’t move at their pace – held back by rigid structures, location constraints, or scheduling conflicts.

What began as one-on-one home visits in Nairobi’s Parklands neighbourhood quickly evolved into a more structured approach. Alfred’s model focused on building genuine subject confidence rather than mere exam memorisation.

As demand grew, he recruited subject specialists, insisting every teacher hold a degree in their field – a standard that laid the groundwork for Smartious’s reputation for academic rigour.

Scaling the Vision: The Edtech Transformation

As the tutoring base grew through Alfred’s undergraduate years, Smartious recognised the potential of technology to widen access to quality education. The institution built its own Learning Management System – the virtual backbone that today enables live interactive sessions, recorded lesson libraries for flexible review, and adaptive tools like the Mshauri AI tutor, available to students 24/7.

This technological leap let Smartious significantly expand its curriculum offerings. Beyond its original tutoring focus, the school began delivering full programmes for internationally recognised qualifications: Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and the American High School Curriculum with Advanced Placement. Crucially, it also integrated the Kenya Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), serving both local and diaspora Kenyan families.

Global Expansion: Crossing Borders and Continents

Smartious’s growth trajectory soon transcended national borders. Its flexible, high-quality offering resonated with Kenyan and African diaspora families in the UAE, UK, USA, and Canada – families seeking curriculum continuity for their children through international relocations. This organic demand fuelled rapid global expansion, establishing Smartious as a genuinely international player.

Today, Smartious serves families across more than a dozen countries on five continents, with a strong presence in high-visibility hubs – from Nairobi (Kenya) and Dubai (UAE) to Johannesburg (South Africa), Seoul (South Korea), and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). This widespread footprint reflects Smartious’s ability to deliver consistent educational standards globally.

Smartious at a Glance

A few verifiable figures from the school’s own reporting help put its growth into perspective:

What happens after you contact Olymptrade support? A look behind the scenes

You rarely think about customer support until you need it. A simple request can be resolved in moments, while others take longer because more information is needed. Either way, people usually want the same thing: they want to know what is happening.

To mark Customer Support Day, Olymptrade spoke with members of its customer support team about what happens after a user reaches out for assistance. Their experiences offer a closer look at how human expertise, technology and clear communication work together to assist Olymptrade’s more than 100 million registered users across 130 countries.

This global community represents a highly diverse audience, ranging from experienced traders to complete beginners. Some users come from highly digitalized markets, while others live in regions where digital adoption is still developing.

Because each group comes with different expectations and levels of familiarity with financial products, maintaining standardized, clear processes and transparent communication is just as vital as resolving inquiries themselves.

How does Olymptrade support keep users informed?

During the interviews with members of the support team, one message came through clearly. For users, good support means timely updates, clear explanations and practical guidance on what comes next.

One member of the customer support team highlighted how this works in practice. The team’s main focus is ensuring users always know where their request stands. Whether it’s a quick question or a more detailed inquiry, specialists guide users through the next steps and clearly communicate if any additional information is needed.

Another team member noticed something similar. “What they really want is reassurance that we are actively working on their case and doing everything we can to help.”

Even when an inquiry takes time to resolve, the team’s primary goal is to ensure users understand what is happening, where their request stands, and what to expect next.

Specialists look at transaction details, clarify steps, and keep communication completely transparent to maintain trust and confidence. What users are looking for is reassurance that a real professional is actively working on their case and doing everything possible to help.

As another specialist explained: “We keep the user informed about the status of the case, make the process transparent and provide the user with realistic expectations so that their trust and confidence is maintained.”

Those interviews offered a simple reminder: good customer support is measured not only by how fast someone replies, but also by whether people understand what is happening while their request is being handled.

Olymptrade continues to heavily invest in expanding and improving this area of its operations. This progress stands out in markets where the traditional industry standard is often limited to overloaded phone lines available only Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.

By delivering 24/7 localized support, these operational efforts have earned external recognition, including the Excellence in Customer Support Middle East 2026 award from International Business Magazine.

Why AI and real human support work better together

When serving a large global user base, technology is necessary to keep up with incoming requests.

Olymptrade uses automated chat systems as the first point of contact to answer common questions and direct traffic efficiently. If a user simply needs help finding a platform feature or understanding a standard process, automated support delivers the answer instantly.

However, automation is built for routine tasks. When an inquiry requires additional context or extra information, human specialists step in to provide personalized guidance and coordinate with internal departments.

This layered system ensures that technology handles speed at scale, while human professionals focus their time on cases that need a personalized touch.

How do support conversations improve the platform?

Some questions come up more often than others.

When different users ask about the same feature or need help with the same step, those conversations begin to reveal patterns.

The support team pays close attention to those patterns and shares them with the teams responsible for the platform.

The result is not always a major update. Sometimes it is clearer wording, and sometimes it is a simpler screen or a more intuitive user flow.

Changes like these rarely begin in a meeting room. In some cases, they begin with a question from a user.

That is another role of customer support. Every conversation offers a chance to make the platform a little accessible for the next person.

What do Olymptrade support reviews reveal?

Search results can tell you only so much.

To understand the full context, it helps to look at how the support process works in practice.

The Customer Support Day interviews offered that kind of perspective.

They showed that customer support is built around more than quick replies. Helping users understand what’s happening, explaining the next step, and making communication clear all came up repeatedly during the conversations.

The interviews also showed where AI fits into the picture. Routine questions can often be handled straight away, while requests that need more context are passed to real human support.

Another point stood out.

Those interactions do not disappear once a case has been closed. Questions that appear again and again help highlight areas where instructions, navigation, or the overall user experience can become easier for everyone.

That is the picture these conversations leave behind. They are less about individual cases and more about how the support system works every day.

Most as asked questions

How quickly does Olymptrade respond to support requests?

Olymptrade reports an average first response time of under 20 seconds, with an overall average response and resolution update window kept under 50 seconds.

Is support available globally?

Yes. Olymptrade provides around-the-clock, 24/7 support across 130 countries. To ensure clear and transparent communication, assistance is fully localized and provided in 14 languages, including English, Arabic, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, and Spanish.

Does user feedback actually change the platform?

Olymptrade does not treat support interactions as isolated tickets. Recurring queries or navigation patterns are systematically categorized and escalated to product development teams to streamline layouts, clarify wording, and improve user interface elements.

What do Olymptrade support reviews usually talk about?

Many Olymptrade support reviews focus on response time, accessibility, and clarity of communication. Users exploring these evaluations typically want to verify how fast the team responds, who handles their inquiries, and whether the process remains transparent during more detailed reviews.

Conclusion

Millions of questions reach Olymptrade every year. Some take only a few moments to answer. Others need more time, more context, or input from different teams.

Behind each one is the same goal: helping users understand what is happening and what comes next.

That is what the Customer Support Day interviews revealed. It is also the core idea behind Olymptrade’s “Care that counts” initiative: meaningful service is measured not only by finding answers, but also by keeping people updated throughout the process.

Panitchaphon keeps Thai hopes alive

Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul kept the Thai hopes alive in Changzhou after the 21-year-old rising star booked his berth in the last 16 of the US$2 million BWF China Open on Wednesday.

Panitchaphon is the only Thai player left in the men’s singles event after Kunlavut Vitidsarn suffered a shock early exit on Wednesday in the season’s final Super 1000 tournament.

Panitchaphon edged Koki Watanabe of Japan in two tough games, 21-19, 21-19, to advance to the last 16 after 43 minutes. Awaiting the Thai star in the last 16 on Thursday is home favourite and world No.1 Shi Yuqi of China.

Shi came through his first round match when his Singaporean opponent Jason Teh retired with an injury during the second game on Tuesday.

Meanwhile world No.2 Kunlavut suffered a shock loss in his opening match against the 30th-ranked Rasmus Gemke of Denmark, 21-13, 8-21, 21-19 in 71 minutes.

The loss continues a poor spell for the Thai star, who lost to Yushi Tanaka — another opponent he should have beaten — in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open last week. Kunlavut won his only title this year at the season-opening Malaysia Open back in January.

The Thai contingent suffered more blows as both Supanida Katethong and Pornpawee Chochuwong crashed out in the opening round of the women’s singles event.

Supanida tamely lost to Akane Yamaguchi 21-13, 21-1 — her 10th consecutive loss against the Japanese — while Pornpawee, the eighth seed, retired during her first round match against Huang Yu-hsun of Taiwan.

Women’s singles player Pitchamon Opatniputh and mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran were scheduled to play their first round matches later on Wednesday.

Also on Thursday, Ratchanok Intanon and Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who both needed three games to overcome their first round opponents on Tuesday, will play Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam and sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia respectively.

Mixed doubles pair Pakkapon Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai will take on sixth seeds Tom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France while women’s doubles players Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard will play either Kim Hye-Jeong/Kong Hee-Yong of South Korea or Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari of Indonesia.

I never owned a house in eight years as Osun governor – Aregbesola

National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Rauf Aregbesola, has claimed that he governed Osun State for eight years without owning a personal house.

Aregbesola made the claim while addressing his supporters in a video that circulated online on Thursday.

The former governor said he lived in a friend’s house throughout his two terms in office.

‘I’m the first governor in Nigeria to govern a state for eight years without owning a house of my own,’ he said.

‘I stayed in my friend’s house for eight years as governor in my fatherland. Whoever says what I’m saying is not true should come out and show me the house I own.’

Aregbesola governed Osun State from 2010 to 2018 before serving as Minister of Interior under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Navy hands rescued trafficking victims to NAPTIP

The Nigerian Navy has transferred two victims rescued from suspected human trafficking activities to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, reaffirming its determination to combat organised crime across the country’s maritime domain.

The victims were handed over to NAPTIP’s Lagos Zonal Command in Ikeja after they were intercepted during an intelligence-led operation carried out by the Forward Operating Base, Badagry.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the victims were rescued on July 17 before being formally transferred to the anti-trafficking agency on July 19.

The statement said, ‘The Nigerian Navy has reaffirmed its commitment to combating human trafficking and other transnational organised crimes with the successful handover of two rescued human trafficking victims to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

‘The handover, conducted by Forward Operating Base (FOB) BADAGRY on 19 July 2026 at the Agency’s Lagos Zonal Command in Ikeja, followed the victims’ rescue during a targeted anti-human trafficking operation on 17 July 2026.’

According to the Navy, the victims were first taken to the Western Naval Command Maritime Crime Investigation Desk, where officials completed all required documentation and biometric registration before they were transferred to NAPTIP.

It stated, ‘In line with the Harmonised Standard Operating Procedures (HSOP) for the handling of victims of trafficking, the rescued individuals were first taken to the Western Naval Command Maritime Crime Investigation Desk, where they underwent comprehensive documentation, biometric capture, and other necessary administrative procedures before being formally transferred to NAPTIP for rehabilitation, protection, and further investigation.’

The Navy described the exercise as another demonstration of its resolve to protect vulnerable persons while working closely with other security and law enforcement agencies to dismantle trafficking networks.

It added, ‘The successful rescue and seamless handover underscore the Nigerian Navy’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime and territorial corridors from transnational organised crime while ensuring the protection and dignity of vulnerable persons.

‘It also reflects the Service’s continued collaboration with relevant government agencies in dismantling human trafficking networks and strengthening Nigeria’s national security architecture.’

The statement concluded by stressing that the Navy would sustain intelligence-led operations and deepen cooperation with relevant agencies to prevent human trafficking and other organised crimes.

‘The Nigerian Navy remains resolute in sustaining intelligence-driven operations and inter-agency cooperation aimed at preventing human trafficking, disrupting criminal syndicates, and promoting a safe and secure maritime environment in support of national security objectives.’

Iran threatens to cut off electricity in region

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi confirmed in a message carried by Tasnim news agency on Wednesday that if the country comes under attack once again, the region’s energy sector will be targeted, with electricity to be cut off, AzerNEWS reports.

“If our bridges and power plants are attacked, the power outage of the allies and hosts of the child killers is certain,” he underlined.

Meanwhile, IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebbi addressed shipping companies in a separate statement, telling them that “the mined southern route of the Strait of Hormuz is the path to the destruction of [their] capital.”

He further called on them not to “fall for the deception” of Washington.