Chelsea Manning Image: US Army (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use

Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, will be released on the 17th of May after serving six years in prison for leaking documents to Wikileaks in 2010.

By Alicia Neal – Chelsea Manning Support Network, Public Domain.

Manning, a former US army private, was originally scheduled to be released in 2045, but President Barack Obama has called for a commutation of her sentence.

President Obama has granted commutation to 209 sentences and pardons to 64 inmates as part of his final acts as President.

Wikileaks have previously stated that if Manning would receive clemency, their founder Julian Assange would agree to be extradited to the US.

Assange has not commented on the possibility of extradition, but tweeted about the release and expressed his gratitude.

Air strike on Refugee camp in Nigeria

A Nigerian fighter jet has mistakenly attacked a refugee camp in Rann, Nigeria.

According to MSF (Doctors without borders) at least 50 people have been killed and 120 wounded.

Both the MSF and the Red Cross were there when the attack occurred and they report that both aid workers and refugees are among the victims.

1/3 We report with sadness that among the casualties of today’s airstrikes in Rann 6 #Nigeria #RedCross @nrcs_ng were killed & 13 wounded.

— ICRC Africa (@ICRC_Africa) January 17, 2017

Nigeria’s air force has conceded that the attack was a mistake.

The fighter jet was meant to attack Boko Haram fighters in the area.

Death toll from botched #Nigeria air strike soars to 70, as agencies warn more could die without urgent help @AFP https://t.co/2UpM5UdVff

— AFP Africa (@AFPAfrica) January 18, 2017

State of emergency in the Gambia

President Yahya Jammeh has declared a 90-day state of emergency in The Gambia.

The declaration occurs as the Gambian Parliament has been deciding whether to extend the presidents’s term of power.

President Jammeh was expected to step down on Thursday as he lost the latest election.

But he is refusing to hand over power to the President-elect Adama Barrow.

Tourists have been evacuated from the country as regional leaders have threatened to use military force to remove Jammeh from office.

Gambia President Jammeh declares state of emergency, just days before due to step down, citing foreign interference https://t.co/PSCXR5WZrT pic.twitter.com/Kn5R5h47HG

— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 18, 2017

Moth named after Donald Trump

As part of a tradition of naming new creatures after the president, the first animal to be named after the president-elect Donald Trump is a moth.

The tiny moth can be distinguished by its ‘golden flake hairstyle’ and has therefore received the fitting name Neopalpa donaldtrumpi.

Researcher Vazrick Nazari, who was responsible for naming the creature, says that he hopes it will inspire Trump to prioritise ecological issues.

The moth originates from Mexico.

BBC News – Moth with ‘golden flake hairstyle’ named after Donald Trump https://t.co/h60E8w7OJp

— Vazrick Nazari (@vazrick) January 18, 2017