RulesIt might be helpful to believe in absolutes when you’re first writing fiction. I’ve taught creative writing for 35 years, longer than I’ve been publishing books, but I believe in modes of thinking, not rules. At heart, as both fiction writer and teacher, I’m an aphorist and a metaphorist. Real writers write every day – that’s what the director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop told us at our first-day picnic. If the author and characters know a secret and only the reader is left in the dark, that’s a needless mystery.

Suspected political thugs on Friday night invaded a popular hotel in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a live television interview being conducted by Arise TV on the political situation in the state. Sources said the assailants were specifically searching for Dr. Nwibubasa and the Arise TV cameraman. An Arise TV cameraman, identified simply as Promise, said several broadcast equipment were stolen during the incident. “I had just filed a report from an earlier assignment and immediately started the live interview when two men stormed the place and disrupted the programme,” he said. Confirming the incident, Dr. Nwibubasa said he was safe and credited the timely intervention of the police for preventing further escalation.

Nigeria’s spending on medical tourism recorded a significant decline to 96.2% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to the latest data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria covering January to June of both years. The report obtained by our correspondent on Saturday showed that in the first six months of 2024, medical tourism spending stood at $2.38m, driven largely by a sharp outlay in January. A comparison of both periods shows a sharp contraction of $2.29m, representing a 96.2 per cent decrease in medical tourism spending year-on-year between the first halves of 2024 and 2025. The sustained decline suggests a major shift in outbound medical travel patterns, potentially reflecting tighter foreign exchange conditions, increased domestic healthcare utilisation, or policy and economic pressures limiting overseas medical spending. Overall, medical tourism spending declined by $2.29m, falling from $2.38m in the first half of 2024 to just $0.09m in the corresponding period of 2025, highlighting a pronounced slowdown in Nigerians’ overseas healthcare expenditure.

A former Governor of Enugu State, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, has denied apologising to former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, in any form or shape. This was after reports (not by The Guardian) surfaced that the former Enugu governor apologised to Obi over previous comments. In a statement in Abuja by his media office, Senator Nnamani described the reports as fabricated, untrue, and having no single iota of truth, but are mere misinformation. At no time, in any forum—public or private—did Senator Chimaroke Nnamani make such an apology or utter the words being attributed to him. “Senator Nnamani does not engage in political revisionism, nor does he apologise for exercising his right to free expression within the bounds of democratic discourse.

Gunmen attacked a village in Plateau State’s Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, killing seven people and injuring several others on Friday night. Eyewitnesses told PUNCH Online in Jos on Saturday that the incident occurred in Bong village, Doemak District, where the assailants launched a house-to-house attack, targeting women, children and the elderly. Residents described the attackers as heavily armed, while survivors reported that the victims were mostly those who could not escape in time. The attack on Friday is the latest in a series of killings carried out by gunmen in Plateau villages in recent times. Gunmen had, on Christmas Eve, attacked the Bum community in Jos South Local Government Area and killed seven persons as well.

Tunisia, led by their 1998 World Cup player Sami Trabelsi, are yet to display the form that enabled them to qualify with relative ease for this summer’s World Cup. Photograph: ReutersSouth Africa v Cameroon, Sun 7pmHugo Broos, the South Africa coach, led Cameroon to their last Afcon triumph, in Gabon in 2017, so the Belgian is acutely aware of what his team will be up against. “We must learn to have concentration,” Broos said after Bafana-Bafana’s unconvincing 3-2 win over Zimbabwe in their final group match. “This is going to be a big game, a fantastic game for our country,” Rohr told the Guardian. It took a near defeat against Gabon, in their final group game, to shake his players out of complacency.

Dining in the House of Lords canteen just after Labour came to power, one Labour adviser found themselves sitting opposite two Tory peers. In particular, the pair were fuming about the forthcoming abolition of hereditary peers. “Each time it is more or less the same people,” one Labour peer said. Every stage of the bill to abolish hereditary peers Lords has resulted in considerable disruption in the Lords, as well as demands in private meetings for compensation for removed peers. But the Tories will lose 44 hereditary peers at the end of the session in May.

2026 Tata Punch Facelift Teased Ahead Of January 13 Launch | V3CarsTata Motors have released the first teaser for the upcoming Tata Punch 2026. 2026 Tata Punch Facelift Exterior Design UpdatesThe teaser video shows the Punch 2026 with a redesigned grille with horizontal slats, sleeker LED DRLs, and newly shaped LED headlamps inspired by the Punch EV. 2026 Tata Punch Facelift Interior And Feature UpdatesAlthough Tata Motors are yet to reveal the interior of the Punch facelift, previous spy shots have given us a glimpse of what we could expect in terms of upgrades. 2026 Tata Punch Expected PowertrainWe expect the Tata Punch 2026 to retain the current set of powertrain options, which include a 1.2L normal petrol engine with the choice of a 5-speed manual and 5-speed automated manual transmission and a 1.2L CNG bi-fuel option with the 5-speed manual. Tata Punch 2026 Launch, Bookings And Delivery TimelineSo far, Tata have confirmed the Punch facelift will make its debut on January 13.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced it will resume its total and indefinite comprehensive strike from January 12, 2026, following the Federal Government’s failure to implement agreed welfare demands. “NEC resolved to resume TICS 2.0 tagged ‘No Implementation, No Going Back’ with effect from 12th January 2026 by 12:00 am,” the statement read. The association also announced a series of protests to accompany the strike. “NEC has also directed centre-based protests from 12 to 16th January, 2026,” the statement said, adding that regional protests would follow before a national protest organised by the National Officers Committee. As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had not issued an official response.

Tata Motors has officially confirmed the launch date of the Tata Punch Facelift, marking the first major update for the compact SUV since its debut. The refreshed Punch is scheduled to arrive in India on January 13, with teasers already revealing select exterior and interior changes. Positioned in the highly competitive sub-compact SUV segment, the Tata Punch facelift is expected to focus on design updates, feature additions as well as technology upgrades, while retaining its existing powertrain options. With the Punch being one of Tata Motors’ key volume drivers, this update is aimed at keeping the model relevant amid increasing competition.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large scale strike” on the South American country. There was no confirmation from Venezuela’s government of the fate of the leftist Maduro, in power since 2013. His government accused the United States of an “extremely serious military aggression” which follows a months-long campaign of increasing military and economic pressure by Trump. The defense ministry accused the United States of targeting residential areas and announced a “massive deployment” of its military resources. He also said the United States had hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.

It upends international norms, ignores sovereign territorial rights, and potentially creates an anarchic situation inside Venezuela itself. But this is the world we now live in – the world according to Donald Trump. Trump claims to be acting to prevent illegal narcotics flowing into the US via Venezuela and to halt an alleged influx of “criminal” migrants. If a power vacuum develops, public order could collapse, sparking civil war or a possible military coup. And bizarrely, even while posing as a disinterested peacemaker and non-interventionist, Trump simultaneously wages war on the world.

Imo State Governor and Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, has said that governors of the region have agreed to support President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election. According to him, the visit was primarily to extend New Year greetings to Governor Otti and acknowledge his efforts in governance. Responding to questions about the political implications of his visit, Uzodinma noted that interactions between elected officials naturally attract political interpretations. “President Tinubu has implemented policies that are yielding results, and that is why leaders in the South-East have resolved to support him,” Uzodinma said. Otti thanked Uzodinma for the visit and prayed for continued peace and development in Imo State and the South-East.

The Nigeria Police Force has summoned the Divisional Police Officer of the GRA Police Station, Asaba, Delta State, following allegations of extortion and intimidation involving a Nigerian man who attempted to save a dying stranger. Acting on the advice of a medical doctor he contacted, Wojuola said he rushed the unconscious man to a hospital. However, upon reporting the case at the GRA Police Station, he alleged that police officers accused him of murder and took his statement under caution. “I was taken to incident the case at GRA Police station in Asaba. My people, join me to thank God.”Reacting to the allegations, the Police Complaint Response Unit (CRU) confirmed that the DPO has been summoned.

Anthony Joshua is helped out of his Lexus SUV following a crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday. British-Nigerian former World Boxing Champion Anthony Joshua narrowly avoided death in a Monday car crash after he swapped from the front to the back seat of a Lexus SUV, a revelation made Friday by his driver’s lawyer. When the journey started in Lagos, Anthony was sitting in the front, but my dad asked him to sit behind because he was blocking his view. “The driver of the Lexus SUV in connection with the Anthony Joshua accident case is currently in custody. Meanwhile, the Lagos and Ogun state governments on Wednesday announced the discharge of Anthony Joshua from the hospital following the tragic road accident.