NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister has warned that a recent US-South Korean deal will lead to a “more serious danger”. Kim Yo-jong said North Korea’s nuclear deterrent “should be brought to further perfection”, state media reported. The US agreed to deploy nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea and involve Seoul in its nuclear planning to counter nuclear threats from the North. In return, South Korea agreed to not develop its own nuclear weapons. The deal – known as the Washington Declaration – was announced this week during President Joe Biden’s talks with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol’s in…
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A FAMILY fleeing Sudan say they are among thousands stuck at the border with Egypt because drivers are demanding $40,000 (£31,810) to hire a bus to travel across. Only people travelling on buses with special permits can cross the border. Crossing on foot is banned. The family of seven, including three children under 10, escaped the fighting in the capital Khartoum two days ago. Fadi Atabani said his family, including an 88-year-old woman, were trapped. “There are thousands of people here. There is no accommodation. People are sleeping in schools or [on] mattresses,” he said, speaking to the BBC from…
AN ATTACK on a military base in eastern Burkina Faso has killed 33 soldiers and wounded 12 others in the latest outburst of violence in the West African country. The besieged soldiers killed at least 40 “terrorists” on Thursday before reinforcements arrived, the army said in a statement. The attack targeted the military detachment in Ougarou in the Est region. Burkina Faso’s armed forces have battled rebels since 2015. More than 10,000 civilians and members of the security forces have died, according to estimates, while at least two million people have fled their homes. One-third of the country lies outside…
THE Federal Government has once again postponed the 2023 Population and Housing Census. A credible source who spoke with this newspaper Saturday said the decision was made yesterday after a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra. The source, who does not want his name in print as he was not authorised to speak with the media, said the postponement was made due to the challenges the commission is facing to seamlessly carry out the exercise. While he did not disclose the challenges to our reporter, the commission had previously suspended…
QATARI banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group have submitted their final bids for Manchester United, BBC Sport has been told. They are the two main parties looking to take control of the club. Club owners, the Glazer family, will now assess their position after the latest bid deadline passed at 22:00 BST on Friday. Both bidders are eager for a resolution to a process that began in November. BBC Sport has been told the offer from Sheikh Jassim is around £5bn and includes one figure that would go direct to the sellers. It…
REAL Madrid’s Luka Modric is an injury doubt for the Copa del Rey final and the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. The midfielder has what Real say is an issue at “the back of his left thigh”. The Spanish club play the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on 6 May before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against City on 9 May. “He had an injury in the game at Girona [on Tuesday] and is out of action,” said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti. Modric was substituted after 63 minutes in the 4-2…
A 13-YEAR-OLD American boy became a hero by managing to safely stop a school bus carrying dozens of kids when the driver lost consciousness. The drama unfolded Wednesday in the northern state of Michigan, when a teenager named Dillon Reeves got up and grabbed the steering when he saw the driver had fainted, and brought the vehicle to a halt in the middle of the road using the hand brake, school district superintendent Robert Livernois said. The bus was carrying nearly 70 students from Lois E. Carter Middle School in the town of Warren when the driver lost consciousness, as…
DUTCH judges on Friday ordered a man suspected of fathering more than 550 children through sperm donations to stop donating, in the latest fertility scandal to shock the Netherlands. The man, identified in Dutch media only as “Jonathan M.”, 41, was dragged to court by a foundation protecting the rights of donor children and the mother of one of the children allegedly fathered from his sperm. Dutch clinical guidelines say a donor should not father more than 25 children in 12 families, but judges said the man had helped produce between 550 and 600 children since he started as a…
A ZIMBABWEAN court on Friday sentenced an opposition politician to four years in prison for inciting public violence over a 2020 protest call he posted on Twitter. Jacob Ngarivhume, leader of small opposition party Transform Zimbabwe, tweeted a call for nationwide anti-government protests over corruption and the country’s catastrophic economic state. He will stay behind bars for three years after the court set aside one year on condition of good behaviour. “A fine or suspended sentence would not deter further offenders, a sentence must be meaningful,” ruled magistrate Florence Chakanyuka. The sentence is seen as setting a precedence for other…
ONE of Sudan’s duelling generals, who leads the paramilitary force fighting the country’s army, has told the BBC he will not negotiate until fighting ends. But Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said his fighters were being “relentlessly” bombed since a three-day truce had been extended. “We don’t want to destroy Sudan,” he said, blaming army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the violence. Gen Burhan has tentatively agreed to face-to-face talks in South Sudan. Thursday night’s extension of an uneasy ceasefire followed intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, as well as the US, UK and UN. Speaking…
THE Federal Government of Nigeria has been called upon to honour Prof Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, the Founder and Chairman Governing Council of Maryam Abacha American University conglomerate, with one of the country’s top national honours in appreciation of his selfless service to humanity. A staff of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mahdi Aliyu Wamakko, made the call on Wednesday, while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after he visited the University, located at Hotoro GRA, Kano state. Wamakko, who is the son of the former governor of Sokoto and Senator representing Sokoto North, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, described…
THE National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency has sealed a Kano-based company for violation of environmental laws. The company, Aspira Nigeria Limited located along Hadejia Road in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state, was sealed by the North West Zonal Director, Mr Mudaishir Raheem, and his team on Friday. “Today, we have come to seal this company for not complying with some relevant environmental laws, such as the disposal of their waste and untreated effluents. “We are expected to manage the environment and not to destroy it. “If we must site a company, we are expected to follow…
PELE, the nickname of the late football legend, has officially become synonymous with “exceptional, incomparable, unique”. The Portuguese-language Michaelis dictionary, one of the most popular in Brazil, added “pelé” as a new adjective to its online edition. The inclusion came after a campaign by the Pelé Foundation to honour the football star gathered more than 125,000 signatures. Pelé died in December aged 82. The only player to have won the World Cup three times, he is widely considered to be the best footballer in history. During his playing career spanning two decades, he scored a record 1,281 goals with Brazilian…
SON Heung-min scored a 79th-minute equaliser to complete a fine Tottenham comeback against Manchester United in Ryan Mason’s first game back as interim boss. United looked to be coasting to a fourth straight Premier League win after goals by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford put them in a commanding position at half-time. Pedro Porro launched the fightback before Bruno Fernandes hit the bar for United when he should have scored. Son equalised from close range after good work by Harry Kane to leave home fans, who had earlier called for chairman Daniel Levy to go, celebrating. The point lifts Spurs…
RUSSIAN air strikes have hit cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, killing at least five people. A woman and a child of three were killed in the city of Dnipro, according to the local mayor. Three people died in Uman after missiles hit residential buildings, officials said. A nine-storey apartment building there was badly damaged. There were also explosions in the cities of Kremenchuk and Poltava, according to the Interfax news agency. In Kyiv, 11 missiles and two attack drones were shot down by the air defence system, officials say. The head of the Kyiv city military administration said…
THE US has announced plans to open new migrant processing centres in Colombia and Guatemala as part of efforts to reduce undocumented immigration. The regional facilities will process thousands of claims a month, with pathways for legal migration expanded. The number of deportations for those ineligible to be in the US will also be doubled or tripled. The US is bracing for a spike in undocumented immigration when Covid-era processing rules end in May. The processing centres will allow successful applicants to enter the US legally and improve their access to assistance such as refugee resettlement processing and family reunification.…
RIVAL factions of Sudan’s military have agreed to renew a three-day ceasefire, shortly before it was due to expire. The extension – for another 72 hours – follows intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, as well as the US, UK and UN. But there are continuing reports of heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum. The previous truce allowed thousands of people to attempt to flee to safety, while dozens of countries have tried to evacuate their citizens. Almost two weeks of fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary group have left hundreds dead. The ceasefire had been expected to…
AN innocent man who was sentenced to death following the 2011 murder of a British tourist has had his conviction overturned at the Kenyan High Court. Ali Kololo was convicted of robbery with violence in 2013, after David Tebbutt was shot dead by suspected pirates. His sentence, later commuted to life imprisonment, has now been quashed. Mr Tebbutt’s wife, Jude – who has supported Mr Kololo’s fight for justice – said she was “overjoyed”. Mr Tebbutt and his wife Jude were staying at a secluded beachside resort on the Kenyan coast in 2011, when they came under attack by pirates.…
THE Embassy of Japan in Nigeria and Sasakawa Africa Association (formerly SG2000) have reiterated their commitment to strengthen joint efforts to help Nigeria transform the agricultural sector. The two institutions made the assurance during a courtesy visit by the Country Director of SAA, Dr Godwin Atser to the Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday. The renewed commitment is aimed at tapping Japanese technologies including information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the improvement of farming systems in Nigeria. While receiving the Country Director, Ambassador Kazuyoshi Matsunaga appreciated the significant role played by SAA in Africa in general, and Nigeria inclusive. The meeting…
OVER 100 shops with goods worth millions of naira have been destroyed in a fire outbreak that razed the Yan-Katato market in Sabo Gari LGA of Kaduna state. Confirming the development, Mohammed Ashiru, chairman of Yan-Katato market, said the incident occurred on Wednesday. Ashiru said the fire, as reported by the security guards, started by sparks from electricity cables that crossed over the market. “The sparks generated fire particles which dropped on ceiling stalls in the market and subsequently led to the inferno,” NAN quoted Ashiru as saying. The chairman said the fire could not be put out by the…