THE Spokesperson for the Department of State Services (DSS), Peter Afunanya, has described as “legal”, the re-arrest of suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on July 25, 2023, after Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos granted the embattled apex bank chief bail. In a piece on Monday, Afunanya said contrary to “attacks” against the DSS, the secret police obeys court orders. Afunanya also said that the DSS obtained a detention Order from a Magistrate Court for Emefiele to continue to be in the custody of the secret police. “The Service had…
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THE coup leaders in Niger Republic has named Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, who currently serves as the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Country Manager for Chad as transitional Prime Minister. The country’s new prime minister formerly served as economy and finance minister. A spokesman for the military junta led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani made the announcement on television late Monday. Zeine, 58, served as finance minister under Mamadou Tandja, who led the country from 1999 to 2010 after its return to civilian rule. Zeine, who previously served at AFDB country manager in Ivory Coast and Gabon, is expected to lead consultations…
THE second-highest US diplomat said Monday she had met with Niger’s military leaders but made no immediate headway in reversing a coup. Victoria Nuland, the acting deputy secretary of state, said she met for more than two hours with Niger’s senior military leaders in the capital Niamey. “These conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult,” Nuland told reporters by telephone as she prepared to fly out of Niamey. “This was a first conversation in which the United States was offering its good offices if there is a desire on the part of the people who are responsible for…
SUPER Falcons’ striker, Desire Oparanozie, has apologised for her inability to convert her penalty during penalty shootout in the round of 16 World Cup match against England on Monday. he Nigerian team eventually lost to England 4-2 on penalties after playing 0-0 in 120 minutes. Sharing a picture of herself in tears on her Instagram account, Oparanozie apologised to Nigerians. She wrote, “Sad day! Very disappointing to have lost through penalties, and even more disappointing not to have converted mine. And for this I deeply apologise..” England got off to a terrible start in the penalty shootout when Georgia Stanway…
TOTTENHAM have rejected Bayern Munich’s latest offer of about $135m for striker Harry Kane. Bayern had hoped to agree a deal for the England skipper but it is understood the two sides remain apart in their valuation of the 30-year-old. The Bundesliga champions had suggested if their bid for Kane was unsuccessful on this occasion they would move on to other transfer targets. However, with over three weeks of the transfer window left, it remains to be seen whether that is the case. Kane, who has scored 280 goals in 435 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions, skippered Spurs in…
UKRAINE’s security service says a woman has been arrested over a Russian plot to kill President Volodymyr Zelensky. The service said she had tried to find out the itinerary ahead of his visit to flood-hit Mykolaiv in June. Ukraine regularly accuses local residents who support Russia of passing information to help Moscow’s military. Mr Zelensky confirmed he had been informed about the arrest saying the head of the SBU had updated him about the “fight against traitors”. Russia has not commented on the arrest. Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, said in a statement that the woman was arrested “red-handed” when…
ZOOM, the video communications company whose name became synonymous with remote work during the pandemic, has ordered staff back to the office. The firm said it believed a “structured hybrid approach” was most effective and people living within 50 miles (80km) of an office should work in person at least twice a week. It is the latest push by a major firm to row back flexible working policies. Amazon and Disney are among the firms that have reduced remote work days. Surveys suggest that workers are still holding onto the ability to work from home to some degree. About 12%…
SIXTEEN migrants have died in shipwrecks off the coasts of Tunisia and Western Sahara, officials said Monday, as North Africa faces a spike in Europe-bound sea crossings. Much of the North African coast has become a major gateway for irregular migrants and asylum seekers primarily from other parts of the continent, attempting perilous voyages in often rickety boats in the hopes of a better life. At least 11 migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia’s second city of Sfax, said local court spokesman Faouzi Masmoudi, revising an earlier toll of four fatalities. Another 44 are missing while…
SENEGAL’s jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who has been on hunger strike in prison to protest against his criminal charges, has been admitted to hospital, his party and local sources say.The leader of the now-dissolved Pastef party was detained last week and charged with calling for insurrection, conspiracy against the state among other crimes. He began his hunger strike soon after. On Sunday evening, his party sent a press statement saying that he had been admitted for emergency care. It said it was holding the authorities responsible for his condition. “Prior to his imprisonment, he was in good health and…
ENGLAND put in a strong performance to finish off the Women’s World Cup group stage and have good momentum going into their last-16 tie with Nigeria – but they cannot be complacent. That was the message from manager Sarina Wiegman, who does not want her side to suffer an early exit and follow in the footsteps of top-ranked nations the USA, Germany, Canada and Brazil. Nigeria, 11-time African champions, are ranked 36 places lower than England and have never gone further than the quarter-final stage at the Women’s World Cup. Meanwhile England won Euro 2022 last summer and are favourites…
KYLIAN Mbappe will not train with the Paris St-Germain first-team squad when they step up preparations on Monday for the start of the Ligue 1 season. Mbappe has been in a contract stand-off with PSG amid a desire to join Real Madrid. The club’s all-time leading goalscorer is refusing to sign a year’s extension to his contract which ends next summer. PSG therefore want to sell the France forward now and secure a transfer fee rather than let him go for nothing. As a result, Mbappe was left out of PSG’s touring squad for their pre-season trip to Asia. He…
AT least 28 people were killed Sunday when an express train derailed in southern Pakistan, the railway minister said, with an emergency declared at local hospitals struggling to deal with with dozens of injured. Accidents and derailments occur frequently on the country’s antiquated railway system, which has nearly 7,500 kilometres (4,600 miles) of track and carries more than 80 million passengers a year. “This is quite a big accident,” railway minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told reporters. “According to the information so far, 28 passengers have been killed and many are injured.” Rafique said at least 1,000 passengers were aboard the…
AT least two people have died and more than 30 are believed to be missing after two ships carrying migrants sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The two boats reportedly left from the Tunisian port city of Sfax carrying 48 and 42 people, respectively. Italian coastguards said they had recovered the bodies of an Ivory Coast woman and her one-year-old baby. Separately, Tunisian officials said they found the bodies of 10 migrants on a beach near Sfax. The 10 people were found between Friday and Saturday during a windstorm that may have sunken their boat, the official told AFP…
NIGER’s coup leaders have closed the country’s airspace until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from their neighbours. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 is showing that there are currently no aircraft in Niger’s skies. The West African group of countries, Ecowas, had earlier warned it could use force if President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated by 23:00 GMT on Sunday. A junta spokesman says Niger’s armed forces are ready to defend the country. Mr Bazoum was detained on 26 July, and Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, commander of the presidential guard, later proclaimed himself the new leader. The military takeover has…
TWENTY-FOUR people have died in Morocco after the minibus they were travelling in plunged down a ravine in a mountainous area, authorities say. The bus was taking people to market in central Morocco, when it overturned on a bend, local media say. The cause of the accident on the road to the town of Demnate, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, is unknown. It is reported to be one of the country’s deadliest accidents. Morocco has a poor road-safety record. A picture of the aftermath shows a battered vehicle on its side at the bottom of a slope. “All…
ARSENAL gave their hopes of beating Manchester City to the Premier League title a psychological boost as they defeated Pep Guardiola’s side on penalties to win the Community Shield. After a largely forgettable 70 minutes in the season curtain-raiser, Cole Palmer looked to have won it for City when the substitute curled home a stunning strike. But Leandro Trossard equalised in the 101st minute when his shot deflected into the back of the net. That took the game to spot-kicks, where substitute Kevin de Bruyne struck the crossbar before Rodri saw his effort saved and then Fabio Vieira converted to…
AHEAD of the presentation of judgement by the Presidential Election Tribunal in the petitions filed by opposition candidates in the February 25, 2023 election, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PD) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has suffered another legal blow. A Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois County in the United States dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate to get access to President Bola Tinubu’s confidential educational records at Chicago State University. According to the Circuit Court papers made available to this newspaper on Sunday at the weekend, Justice Patrick J.…
PRESSURE mounted Saturday on the leaders of a coup in Niger on the eve of a deadline set by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the military to relinquish control or face possible armed intervention. Former colonial power France, with which the junta broke military ties shortly after taking power on July 26, said it would “firmly” back whatever course of action ECOWAS took after the Sunday deadline expired. “The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the office of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said after she held talks in Paris with…
WHEN Afraa was found in the rubble of a collapsed building in Syria, her umbilical cord was still attached to her mother, who had died just after giving birth. The video of the baby’s rescue from the earthquake in February captivated the world. Since then she has made a remarkable recovery. Today, Afraa is six months old – a typical happy, healthy baby. Her aunt and uncle are raising her along with their seven children in the Syrian town of Jindayris, not far from the Turkish border. “She’s very still young but she reminds me of her dad and her…
FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was arrested at his home in Lahore on Saturday after a court in the capital found him guilty of graft and sentenced him to three years in jail. The former international cricket star has long warned he would be arrested to prevent him from participating in elections that are due to be held before the end of the year. “His dishonesty has been established beyond doubt,” judge Humayun Dilawar wrote in a ruling seen by AFP for a case centred on gifts he received and did not properly declare while he was premier. “He…