Trump threatens Nigeria with potential military action

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria as he intensified his allegations that the government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country.

The president also warned he “will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria.”

“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump posted on social media. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”

The warning came after Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, earlier on Saturday pushed back on Trump announcing a day earlier that he was designating the West African country “a country of particular concern” for allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.

In a social media statement Saturday, Tinubu said the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality.

Prime minister says he told Ontario’s premier not to run anti-tariff ad

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he told Ontario’s premier not to run an anti-tariff advertisement that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to end trade talks with Canada.

Carney also confirmed that he apologized to the president during a dinner at the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit because Trump was “offended.”

Ontario’s television advertisement that aired in the U.S. criticizes Trump’s tariffs by citing a speech from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

The ad upset Trump, who ended trade talks with Canada and said he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10%.

When asked Saturday what Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s response was to being asked not to run the ad, Carney said, “Well, you saw what came of it. It’s not something I would have done.”

Trump to host al-Sharaa in first-ever visit by a Syrian president

President Donald Trump will host Ahmad al-Sharaa for talks, a first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House, an administration official said Saturday.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the engagement, yet to be announced formally, said the meeting is expected to take place Nov. 10.

Trump met with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May in what was the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years. Syria continues to struggle to emerge from decades of international isolation. Al-Sharaa once had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.

Nine dead, dozens injured in crowd surge at temple

A crowd surge at a popular Hindu temple in southern India left at least nine people dead and dozens injured, local authorities said Saturday.

The incident occurred at the Swamy Venkateswara Temple in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh state where hundreds of devotees had gathered to mark one of Hinduism’s sacred days, Ekadashi, senior police officer K.V. Maheswra Reddy told The Associated Press. On this day, the devotees fast and offer prayers to Lord Vishnu, a key Hindu deity.

— Denver Post wire services