O yo State Governor and Alliance People's Movement presidential aspirant, Seyi Makinde, has asked President Bola Tinubu to make public the template used in determining petrol prices. Makinde said transparency would help Nigerians understand how pump prices are fixed and contribute to policy discussions, according to News Digest . He made the demand on Saturday in Yola at the APM North-East town hall meeting ahead of the 2027 elections. His comment comes as NNPC Limited extended its petrol discount from October 1 to October 31 across its retail outlets. The company said the move was to ease the impact of high global crude prices linked to the Middle East crisis, but clarified it was not a return of subsidy and does not apply outside its stations. At the meeting, Makinde faulted the Tinubu administration's handling of the economy, CNG initiative, naira-for-crude policy and insecurity, calling for more inclusive governance. He promised that if elected in 2027, he would form a tran...

P ope Leo XIV will undergo surgery in the coming days after doctors found an early-stage nodule on his lung during a routine check-up. The 71-year-old made the announcement himself on Sunday during his Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square, according to BBC News, saying his medical team advised surgery because the nodule is small, well-localised and was caught early. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the procedure will take place at Rome's Gemelli Hospital in the first days of next week, with about a week of recovery expected. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Israeli President Isaac Herzog have all wished him a speedy recovery. The first American pontiff, born Robert Francis Provost, succeeded Pope Francis in 2025. The Vatican confirmed his November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru will still go ahead.

P ope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty, hours after the Vatican described a US plan to livestream an execution as "unacceptable." In a post on X on Saturday to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the pontiff wrote from his @Pontifex account: "The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person." His message came two days after the US Defense Department said it would broadcast live the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad at Fort Hood on December 3. Hasan was convicted of the 2009 shooting at the base that killed 13 people and wounded 32. President Donald Trump said Saturday he will make the final decision on the broadcast. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Vatican News: "It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle, even if the person is guilty." He said the practice is incompatible with human dignity and ...