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Boris Johnson Tells UN That Cop26 Must Be ‘Turning Point For Humanity’
Boris Johnson tells UN that Cop26 must be ‘turning point for humanity’
Cop26 must be a “turning point for humanity” in just 40 days’ time, Boris Johnson has urged in a call to arms to fellow global leaders ahead of the climate summit in Glasgow.
Addressing the UN general assembly in New York on Wednesday evening, Johnson warned it was time for humanity to “grow up”.
“It is time for us to listen to the warnings of the scientists – and look at Covid, if you want an example of gloomy scientists being proved right – and to understand who we are and what we are doing.”
“The world – this precious blue sphere with its eggshell crust and wisp of an atmosphere – is not some indestructible toy, some bouncy plastic romper room against which we can hurl ourselves to our heart’s content,” he added.
He compared humanity to an impetuous 16-year-old “just old enough to get ourselves into serious trouble”.
“We have come to that fateful age when we know roughly how to drive and we know how to unlock the drinks cabinet and to engage in all sorts of activity that is not only potentially embarrassing but also terminal,” he said.
“We believe that someone else will clear up the mess we make, because that is what someone else has always done,” he said. “We trash our habitats again and again with the inductive reasoning that we have got away with it so far, and therefore we will get away with it again.
“My friends, the adolescence of humanity is coming to an end,” Johnson, said, adding: “We must come together in a collective coming of age.”
Johnson also claimed the Muppets character Kermit the Frog was wrong when he sang: “It’s not easy being green.” He also offered a lengthy explanation of the Greek word deinos.
“Sophocles is often quoted as saying that there are many terrifying things in the world, but none is more terrifying than man,” he said. “But what Sophocles actually said was that man is deinos and that means not just scary but awesome – and he was right.
“We are awesome in our power to change things and awesome in our power to save ourselves, and in the next 40 days we must choose what kind of awesome we are going to be.”
He highlighted technological developments that have made green energy cheaper and more accessible, and warned that unless action is taken urgently, “we will have made this beautiful planet effectively uninhabitable – not just for us but for many other species.”
The prime minister has been buoyed up by progress on climate during the three-day trip, including President Joe Biden’s commitment to double climate financing to $11.2bn – and China’s promise to halt the funding of coal-fired power stations overseas.
With just weeks to go until the summit, the UK is urging more countries to come forward with climate financing, to help meet the $100bn target set more than a decade ago.
Cop26 chair Alok Sharma has also been in New York holding bilateral meetings with a string of countries, urging them to come forward both with cash, and more ambitious climate reduction targets, in the next few weeks.
Biden has confirmed that he will attend the summit in person – but it is unclear whether president Xi Jinping will do so.
En route to the US, the prime minister suggested he believed there was only a six in ten chance of the $100bn target being reached, but the odds appear to have shortened significantly after the US announcement.
Johnson said it was critical that the outcome of Cop26 kept within reach the target of restraining global heating to within 1.5 degrees.
“We are not talking about stopping the rise in temperatures – it is alas too late for that – but to restrain that growth to 1.5 degrees. And that means we need to pledge collectively to achieve carbon neutrality – net zero – by the middle of the century. And that will be an amazing moment if we can do it,” he said.
At the start of his visit to the US, Johnson conceded that he had changed his mind on the climate crisis in recent years, because “the facts change and people change their minds”.
He told reporters that he had looked deeply into the science while mayor of London.
As recently as 2015, Johnson claimed “global leaders were driven by a primitive fear that the present ambient warm weather is somehow caused by humanity; and that fear – as far as I understand the science – is equally without foundation”.
He also wrote an article in 2013 suggesting the government should consider preparing for a mini-ice age caused by solar activity, drawing on a discredited theory by the climate denier Piers Corbyn – brother of the former Labour leader.
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NAFDAC seals Abuja supermarket over sale and distribution of banned, unregistered, and counterfeit products

The National Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has sealed up a supermarket located in Maitama, Abuja, for the sale and distribution of banned, unregistered, and counterfeit regulated products.
A statement from the agency says the supermarket also obstructed NAFDAC officers during the enforcement of regulatory actions.
During an initial visit, NAFDAC stated that its inspectors discovered several banned and unregistered items.
“Despite being invited to the Agency for further investigation, the supermarket’s management refused to comply.
“This prompted a follow-up operation by an enforcement team, during which the team also faced obstruction.”the statement read
The agency added that items seized from the premises include unregistered pet food, banned imported soaps, and counterfeit or re-bagged rice, among others.
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Lagos sales manager remanded, accused of stealing N32.2m from boss

A 25-year-old sales manager, Olatunbosun Olarewaju, has been remanded in Ikoyi Prison after being accused of masterminding a shocking N32.2 million theft from his employer, just months after securing the job.
The police at Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island, said Olarewaju allegedly abused the trust of his boss, Mr Victor Ibe, by selling goods worth N32.2 million and diverting the proceeds into multiple personal accounts before disappearing.
According to police investigators, the lid was blown off the alleged scheme when Ibe conducted an audit and discovered a massive shortfall in stock value.
Acting swiftly, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, launched an intelligence-driven manhunt that led to Olarewaju’s arrest at a hideout in Lagos.
Following the investigation led by Sergeant Abraham Friday, Olarewaju was arraigned before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
Prosecuting counsel, Inspector Ishola Samuel, told the court that the offences took place between August 2024 and April 14, 2025, at 23 Princess Street, Lagos Island.
He said Olarewaju, entrusted with managing and selling his employer’s goods, instead chose to divert millions of naira into his private coffers.
The offences, Samuel said, contravened Sections 411 and 287(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Olarewaju, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Presiding Magistrate A.A. Paul granted him bail in the sum of N1 million, with two sureties in like sum, but ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre until he meets the conditions.
The case has been adjourned until May 27, 2025, for further mention.
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Military kills over 100 terrorists, rescue 21 hostages — DHQ

The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has announced major successes in its ongoing counter-terrorism and anti-oil theft operations across Nigeria, with over 100 terrorists killed, 100 suspects arrested, and 21 kidnapped victims rescued between April 17 and 25, 2025.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, disclosed the achievements in a statement on Friday.
Kangye noted that coordinated offensives across the North East, North West, North Central, South South, and South East regions yielded substantial results.
“In the North East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai launched aggressive offensives leading to the surrender of ISWAP/JAS elements and the elimination of dozens of terrorists,” Kangye said.
In the North West, troops under Operation Fagge Yamma neutralized several insurgents, arrested suspects, and rescued victims in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina States.
In the North Central zone, Operations Safe Haven and Whirl Stroke also recorded significant success. Between April 18–22, troops acting on credible intelligence arrested over 37 criminal suspects in Plateau and Kaduna States.
In the South East, troops under Operation Udoka carried out successful raids in Imo, Enugu, Anambra, and Ebonyi States, killing terrorists, arresting suspects, and recovering arms and explosives. Notably, four kidnapped victims were rescued during these missions.
In the South South, troops of Operation Delta Safe targeted illegal refining sites and oil theft networks, destroying equipment and seizing crude oil and petroleum products worth over ₦94 million.
“Between April 18 and 22, troops made contact with terrorists in several communities, seizing weapons, mobile phones, motorcycles, and IEDs,” Kangye added
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