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ONE of four remaining fugitives from the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been captured, UN prosecutors say. Fulgence Kayishema was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday, they said. He is expected to face trial in Rwanda. The former police inspector was charged in 2001 over an incident during which more than 2,000 Tutsi men, women and children were killed inside a Catholic church where they had sought refuge. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the genocide. According to the indictment, Fulgence Kayishema directly participated in the planning and execution of a massacre of refugees hiding at the Nyange…

NIGERIAN Small and Large business owners can now advertise with ease, as a Nigerian has deviced an app that can work without smart phones and data. We present to you PlugBay. Hear the motivation behind this and how it works. Engineer Azunna Chukwu, was inspired by the need for accessible and unbiased access to skilled  persons, advertising and funding.  Recognizinf the absence of accurate data on employment in the informal sector and the challenges faced by talented individuals and small businesses. He envisioned PlugBay as a solution to improve access to skills, advertising and funding opportunities worldwide. PlugBay, a groundbreaking…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) says it has uncovered plans by some disgruntled individuals to disrupt activities lined up for May 29 inauguration of new governments in the country. DSS, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Peter Afunaya, on Thursday in Abuja, said the motive of those planning such act is to undermine security agencies’ efforts at ensuring peaceful ceremonies as well as creating panic and fear among members of the public. The secret police, however, called on Nigerians to remain calm and remain law abiding as security agencies are on top of the situation. The statement reads…

THE House of Representatives is calling for a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) aimed at unravelling the discrepancies in the importation and supply of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) commencing from 2015 to date. The House reached the resolution after considering the report of its Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel Consumption. Meanwhile, the committee observed that there was no record indicating that a certain volume of PMS was discharged to a particular retail outlet/fueling station or dispensed, hence the difficulty in ascertaining the actual daily consumption of PMS across the country. The House is charging the…

NIGERIA defeated Italy in an end-to-end encounter at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 on Wednesday, courtesy of Salim Fago Lawal’s diving header and Jude Sunday’s last-gasp finish. The result means the Flying Eagles qualify for the knockout stage on six points while the Azzurri are on three points after two games apiece in Group D. Both sides had chances in the first half, with Tommaso Baldanzi testing the hands of Kingsley Aniagboso. The first goal arrived just after the hour. Half-time substitute Umeh Emmanuel and Gabriele Guarino collided inside the Italian box, but the latter spring straight up…

LAUTARO Martinez scored twice as Champions League finalists Inter Milan came from behind to beat Fiorentina and win their second consecutive Coppa Italia title. Fiorentina opened the scoring at Stadio Olimpico after just three minutes when Nico Gonzales drilled in a cross. Martinez equalised from a tight angle in the 29th minute. The striker got the winner eight minutes later with a volley. Fiorentina face West Ham in the Europa Conference League final on 7 June, while Inter play Manchester City in the Champions League final on 10 June.

THE United States on Wednesday announced the approval of a $285 million sale of a NASAMS air defense system and related equipment to Ukraine as Kyiv seeks to boost protection against Russian strikes. “Ukraine has an urgent need to increase its capabilities to defend against Russian missile strikes and aircraft,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. “Acquiring and effectively deploying this capability will enhance Ukraine’s ability to defend its people and protect critical national infrastructure.” The agency also said the sale will support US foreign policy national security goals by “improving the security of a partner…

FLORIDA Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday filed papers to launch his 2024 presidential campaign, teeing up 18 months of acrimony as he and Donald Trump lock horns in what is expected to be an attritional contest for the Republican nomination. DeSantis was considered a rising Republican star, but has seen his prospects dented by months of relentless attacks from the former president, who has surged into a commanding lead despite being engulfed in criminal investigations. The 44-year-old right-winger filed his documentation with the Federal Election Commission ahead of a livestreamed Twitter chat with the platform’s billionaire owner Elon Musk, when…

CHINA’s embassy in Kenya has denied a Reuters news agency report that hackers from the Asian nation attacked key state agencies in Nairobi, including the presidency, to assess whether the country would service billions of dollars owed to Beijing. Reuters had reported that years-long cyber-attacks started in 2019 when the Chinese started closing credit taps to Kenya as debt strains started showing. But in a statement on Wednesday, the Chinese embassy said the report was “far-fetched and sheer nonsense”. “Hacking is a common threat to all countries and China is also a victim of cyber-attack,” it added. The embassy says…

SEPARATISTS gunmen in Cameroon’s restive north-western region have kidnapped over 30 women and injured an unspecified number of others, officials have said. The women were abducted in Big Babanki, a village near the border with Nigeria, for allegedly protesting against a curfew and taxes imposed on them by the separatists. “Around 30 women were kidnapped by separatists [on Saturday morning] – we have not found them yet,” an army colonel told the AFP news agency. Some local media report that the number of those missing was even higher – up to 50 women. Officials said some women were “severely tortured”…

SINGER Tina Turner, whose soul classics and pop hits like The Best and What’s Love Got to Do With It made her a superstar, has died at the age of 83. Turner had suffered a number of health issues in recent years including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure. She rose to fame alongside husband Ike in the 1960s with songs including Proud Mary and River Deep, Mountain High. She divorced the abusive Ike in 1978, and went on to find even greater success as a solo artist in the 1980s. Dubbed the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tina Turner…

THE Central Bank of Nigeria has revoked the licences of 179 microfinance banks in the country, as well as four primary mortgage banks and three finance companies. This was disclosed in the official gazette of the Federal Government, which was published on the website of the CBN on Tuesday. The gazette said that the licences of the financial institutions were revoked because they “ceased to carry on, in Nigeria, the type of business for which their licences were issued for a continuous period of six months;  failed to fulfil or comply with the conditions subject to which their licences were…

THE Flying Eagles are set to take on Italy in their second game at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a win enough for them to reach the knockout phase of the competition. Nigeria defeated debutants Dominican Republic 2-1 in their first match at the age-grade tournament and go into Wednesday’s clash with Italy knowing victory will see them through to the round of 16 in Argentina. Italy on their part saw off heavyweights Brazil 3-2 to top the Group D standing and a win for either side will confirm their supremacy in the lot. The matchday two encounter…

VALENCIA have been sanctioned with a partial stadium closure for five matches following the racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. Spanish police have detained three people in connection with the abuse directed at the Brazilian at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday. Valencia have also been fined 45,000 euros (£39,000). Valencia’s south stand will be closed and the club has 10 working days to appeal. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) also said Vinicius, 22, will not be suspended after being sent off in the 97th minute of the 1-0 defeat. The RFEF said in a statement that the referee’s decision…

A HUNTER College professor has been fired after threatening a New York Post reporter and a photographer with a machete. The journalists were trying to speak to Shellyne Rodriguez about an incident in which she criticised anti-abortion activists on campus, the Post said. Ms Rodriguez followed them onto the street with the machete, video showed. Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, confirmed she had been “relieved of her duties”. The reporter, Reuven Fenton, along with a photographer, went to Ms Rodriguez’s address in an effort to speak with her after a viral video showed her criticising…

A DEADLY fire at a school dormitory in Guyana appears to have been started by a pupil who was angry her mobile phone had been confiscated, officials say. Twenty people – mostly female students – were killed in the blaze in the South American country in the early hours of Monday. The dorm was reportedly locked and had covered windows which trapped victims. The teenage suspect is currently in hospital with burns, and has reportedly admitted to the arson. Authorities are now taking advice on whether to charge her, according to a government source who spoke to the AFP news…

THE latest ceasefire aimed at ending the devastating conflict in Sudan appears to be largely holding in the capital and two adjacent cities. For the first time in more than five weeks there appears to be relative peace, residents say. But there have been some breaches of the truce in Khartoum, and across the River Nile in Bahri and Omdurman. The military carried out air strikes minutes after the ceasefire came into force on Monday evening. The air strikes, targeting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have since stopped. However, sporadic artillery fire could still be heard in Khartoum, residents…

SOUTH Africa could become a “failed state” but has yet to reach that point, a senior official of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has said. The admission by ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula comes as South Africa experiences power cuts, known as load-shedding, of up to 10 hours a day. “This load-shedding has just made a mess of our country,” he told the BBC’s HARDtalk programme. The power cuts have worsened South Africa’s economic crisis. The country is also battling high levels of corruption, all of which has damaged confidence in the ANC government. “If certain things are not…

FORMER British Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair, has expressed his readiness to support the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed in office. Blair gave the commitment on Tuesday when he visited the president-elect at the Defence House, Abuja. He said the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which he founded, would be a willing partner of the Tinubu administration especially in prioritising its goals and delivery. He said since leaving office as the UK prime minister, he had been working with governments around the world to help them deliver on their mandates. He said Blair Institute have…

THE Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha has said the Federal Government will redouble its commitment to repositioning Local Governments as drivers of grassroot development. The SGF stated this while receiving a report on ‘Strengthening Local Governance: Challenges, Options and Opportunities’ from members of Senior Executive Course 44 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, led by the Monitor General, Assistant Inspector of Police, Aishatu Abubakar Baju. The report was presented to the SGF for inclusion in the transition documents for the incoming administration. SGF Receives NIPSS SEC 44 Report The SGF underscored the…