Thousands of people in north-west Pakistan on Tuesday blocked a highway by placing the coffins of four children who were killed by a suspected drone strike.

The protests in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan region began earlier on Monday after a family home was hit, local resident Mohamed Jamal Dawar said.

It is not clear who was behind the incident.

Local activist Zahid Wazir said the drone was operated by the Pakistani military.

He said the home was likely mistaken as a hideout used by Islamist militants.

Pakistani intelligence officials said the explosives were fired by a quadcopter that was being operated by the Taliban militants to target a nearby military post, but that it missed the target.

An independent verification was not possible as the region is inaccessible to outsiders.

Activists of a local rights group, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, which is against the militarisation of the region by both the military and the Pakistani Taliban, vowed to continue the protest.

“We will continue to demand justice for our kids,” Wazir said.

The Pakistani military and Islamist militants have been fighting each other in the region for more than two decades.

More than 80,000 Pakistanis, an overwhelming majority of civilians, have lost their lives in years of violence. (dpa/NAN)

The Society of Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria (SOLONg) has advised Nigerians to embrace healthy preventive lifestyle habits to prevent the root causes of chronic and lifestyle-related diseases.

The President of SOLONg, Dr Moyosore Makinde, gave the advice in an interview in commemoration of the “Global Lifestyle Medicine Week” on Tuesday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the Global Lifestyle Medicine Week, taking place from May 18 to May 24, 2025, has the theme “Celebrating Healthy Habits: Inspire Change with D.

Makinde, also an International Board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician, said the week was dedicated to raising awareness about the transformative power of lifestyle medicine in improving health outcomes and reducing the burden of chronic diseases worldwide.

According to her, lifestyle medicine empowers people to live healthier, happier and longer lives.

She explained that the D.R.E.A.M.S. acronym highlighted the six key pillars of lifestyle medicine that guide individuals toward healthier lives namely: Predominantly plant-based Diets, positive Relationships or social connections, Exercise, Avoidance of toxic substances, Mental wellness and stress management, and restorative Sleep.

She said that these pillars had been proven by scientific research to not only manage and prevent chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, diabetes, dementia and Alzheimer’s but also to promote a more sustainable and harmonious relationship with ourselves and with our planet.

Makinde added that it contributed to planetary health and the stability of our ecosystem.

“SOLONg is proud to announce its participation in Global Lifestyle Medicine Week, taking place from May 18 to May 24, 2025.

“Scientific studies, including numerous randomised clinical trials and longitudinal studies, have consistently shown the remarkable benefits of lifestyle interventions in reducing the incidence of chronic conditions.

“Additionally, these healthy habits play a pivotal role in strengthening resilience against infectious diseases.

“The ongoing impact of several pandemics has underscored the importance of adopting healthy behaviours, as poor lifestyle choices have been associated with worse disease severity and slower recovery times,” she said.

Contributing, the General Secretary of   SOLONg, Dr Chika Anozie, said that Global Lifestyle Medicine Week aimed to foster a community of like-minded individuals and healthcare professionals committed to lifestyle medicine.

Anozie, also a Family Physician, said that SOLONg would organise various activities to mark the week, including a  Webinars and educational workshops on lifestyle medicine topics.

She added that there would be courtesy visits and community outreach programmes promoting healthy habits, as well as social media campaigns sharing lifestyle medicine tips and resources.

“As we observe Global Lifestyle Medicine Week, it is clear that the need for Lifestyle Medicine is greater than ever.

“This is a clarion call for the government to create policies that promote healthy lifestyle practices while restricting behaviours that contribute to disease.

“We urge medical institutions to prioritise the accreditation of Lifestyle Medicine programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

“It is equally important that health professionals receive the proper training to effectively communicate these life-saving messages to the public.

“The Society encourages individuals to embrace the principles of healthy living, which are not only lifechanging but also long-lasting,” she said.(NAN)

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana’s death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana’s death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.

Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Correction officials.

IDOC said in a statement that the process started shortly after midnight and Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m.

Ritchie’s last meal was from the Olive Garden and he expressed love, support and peace for his friends and family, according to the statement.

Under state law, he was allowed five witnesses at his execution, which included his attorney Steve Schutte, who told reporters he had a limited view of the process.

“I couldn’t see his face. He was lying flat by that time,” Schutte said. “He sat up, twitched, laid back down.”

The process was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case, exhausting all of Ritchie’s legal options to fight the death sentence.

Dozens of people, both anti-death penalty advocates and supporters of Toney, stood outside the prison until early Tuesday.

Indiana resumed executions in December after a year’s long hiatus due to a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide.

Prison officials provided photos of the execution chamber before Joseph Corcoran’s execution, showing a space that looks like an operating room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting and an adjacent viewing room.

They’ve since offered few other details.

Among the 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bars media witnesses.

The other, Wyoming, has conducted one execution in the last half-century.

The Associated Press and other media organisations filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access, but a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction last week that would have allowed journalists to witness Ritchie’s execution and future ones.

The judge found that barring the news media doesn’t violate the First Amendment nor does it single out the news media for unequal treatment.

The execution in Indiana is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year.

Ritchie’s execution and two others in Texas and Tennessee will be carried out this week.

Ritchie was 20 when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis.

He then fired at Toney during a foot chase, killing him.

At the time Ritchie was on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction.

Toney, 31, had worked at the Beech Grove Police Department for two years.

The married father of two was the first officer of the small department to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty. (AP/NAN)