A United States congressional committee will hold a hearing this week to review Nigeria's record on protecting Christians and tackling violence in the Middle Belt.

The hearing

The House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee will hold the session on Thursday, 12 November 2026, according to a notice from the office of its chairman, Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, issued on Monday. The hearing is titled 'One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria's Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt'.

What will be discussed

The hearing will examine religious violence by extremist groups, including Boko Haram, and how effectively the Nigerian government has responded to attacks on vulnerable communities. It will also consider what measures the United States could press for to make sure perpetrators are held accountable and to prevent future attacks on Christians and non-radical Muslims. The first panel will hear from two senior State Department officials, Frank Garcia, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Riley Barnes, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, followed by outside experts.

Background

The title refers to developments around a year ago, when the US designated Nigeria a 'Country of Particular Concern' over religious freedom. The Nigerian government has rejected claims of a targeted genocide against Christians, saying insecurity affects people of all faiths, and has pointed to military operations against armed groups. Attacks have continued in states such as Plateau and Benue, including a deadly attack in Barkin Ladi at the weekend.

Articles of impeachment have been introduced in the US House of Representatives against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

What happened

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky brought the resolution on Monday, 9 November 2026, as Congress returned for a 'lame-duck' session after the midterm elections. Massie accused Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanours and abuse of power, alleging that he violated the War Powers Resolution by carrying out military operations against Iran and other countries without a declaration of war or specific authorisation from Congress.

Background

The United States has been in a conflict with Iran since late February, with US forces carrying out strikes on Iranian targets as recently as last week. President Donald Trump has insisted the US is not at war, but has acknowledged that the conflict contributed to his party's heavy losses in the midterms, partly by pushing up petrol prices.

What happens next

Impeachment would require a majority vote in the House, followed by a trial in the Senate.

British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

The sentence

Brand, 51, was sentenced on Monday, 9 November 2026, after a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others, in offences dating back to 2004. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand had maintained his innocence, saying all his encounters were consensual.

The judge's remarks

Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand had shown a casual and arrogant disregard for women's right to say no, and placed the crimes in the context of his rise to fame about 20 years ago, when he was widely seen as clever, funny and charismatic.

Background

Brand became famous in the 2000s as a stand-up comedian, television and radio presenter and Hollywood actor, and was known for his outrageous on-air behaviour and his public battles with drug and alcohol addiction. The allegations against him first emerged in a joint media investigation in 2023, after which he was charged by British police. In recent years he had reinvented himself as an online commentator with a large following.

The Ghanaian community in the United States has been thrown into mourning again following the disturbing discovery of the body of 24-year-old Joseph Owusu, a talented church musician who lived in the Bronx, New York.

Found in a bag on the sidewalk

Owusu's body was discovered inside a large black bag left near a trash can on a sidewalk in Brooklyn on 30 October 2026.

CCTV footage shows two unidentified people taking the bag out of a white car, leaving it by the roadside and driving away.

Who was Joseph Owusu?

The young man was the organist at the Ghana United Methodist Church in the Bronx. He was also studying computer science and worked as a caregiver for people living with disabilities.

A family demands answers

His devastated family is demanding justice as investigators work to establish how he died and who abandoned his body. Ghana's embassy in the United States has confirmed his death, and the Ghanaian government has called on US authorities to ensure those responsible are found and brought to justice.

Two young lives in days

The tragedy came just a day after another young Ghanaian, 15-year-old Javits Frimpong, was shot dead while walking to school in the Bronx.

Two young Ghanaians, two heartbreaking deaths in New York within days. Both families are now waiting for answers.

Over to you

What is happening to these young African lives in America, and what more should be done to protect them?