Author: Editor

THE Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Awwal Gambo, has approved appointments of senior officers comprising Rear Admirals and Commodores as part of the routine reorganisation in the service. The Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja. Ayo-Vaughan said the new appointments resulted from the promotion of 128 senior officers in December 2022, mainly 52 rear admirals and 76 commodores. He said the new appointments saw Rear Adm. Garba Abubakar being reappointed as the Nigerian Navy Delegate to the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile,…

FIFA said on Monday it had withdrawn the 2023 under-17 World Cup from Peru “given the inability of the host country to fulfil its commitments to completing the infrastructure required”. The governing body of world football said the 24-team competition would still be staged on the planned dates, November 10-December 2 and it “will now designate a new host in due course”. The biennial competition was due to be held in Peru in 2021 but was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. Brazil won as hosts in 2019. FIFA said in its statement that “despite a very positive working relationship”…

NOVAK Djokovic returned to number one spot in ATP rankings published Monday despite missing US tournaments last month because of his lack of a Covid vaccination. Carlos Alcaraz had taken the top ranking from Djokovic after victory in Indian Wells, but the Spaniard bowed out of the semi-finals of the Miami Open on Friday to allow the Serb back for a record 380th week as No.1. Djokovic has a 380-point lead over Alcaraz, with Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in third, more than 1,000pts behind the leading duo. ATP rankings as of April 3 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7,160 pts (+1) 2.…

THE Chinese balloon that flew over the US earlier this year managed to gather intelligence from military bases for days before it was shot down, US media report. The balloon was able to transmit data to Beijing in real time, NBC News reported, citing US officials. The craft picked up electronic signals rather than taking pictures, according to one official quoted by the network. The White House didn’t confirm the report. But US officials say they managed to limit the balloon’s intelligence-gathering abilities as it floated over the country. On Monday, a defence department spokesperson said that the FBI was…

ABOUT 30 people have been injured – some seriously – after a passenger train derailed in the western Netherlands, officials say. Emergency services say the overnight crash happened after the train transporting about 50 people hit construction equipment near the village of Voorschoten. Earlier reports had said this followed a collision with a freight train. Rescuers and medics are now working on the scene, helping the injured. The crash happened at about 03:25 local time (01:25 GMT) on Tuesday. Pictures from the scene showed overturned carriages, and a plume of smoke rising in the night sky. Several ambulances were seen…

RWANDA’s Paul Kagame retained the chairmanship position. Consolee Uwimana was elected by 1,945 votes – about 93% of the votes cast. Observers say promoting her is the party’s way of giving more power to women and keeping the ethnicity quota balanced in its top leadership. Ms Uwimana is a veteran banker and businesswoman who served as a senator until 2019. Rwanda’s next general elections is scheduled for 2024. President Kagame has been president of the East African nation since 2000. A controversial referendum in 2015 removed a two-term constitutional limit for presidents. On Sunday, Mr Kagame got 99.8% of the…

A KENYAN family on Sunday handed over a passport belonging to South Sudan President Salva Kiir, which got lost in a 1993 plane crash. The travel document along with those belonging to other passengers who were on board the plane that crashed in Kenya’s north-western Baringo County, had been safely kept by the family for 30 years. The family in Sawmill village had also collected President Kiir’s armlets from the scene of the accident. South Sudan Presidential Affairs Minister Barnaba Benjamin led a delegation that received Mr Kiir’s travel documents and armlets at a ceremony attended by villagers. At the…

DONALD Trump left Florida on Monday for New York where he will surrender to criminal charges, taking the United States into uncharted and potentially volatile territory. The 76-year-old Republican, the first American president ever to be criminally indicted, will be formally charged Tuesday over hush money paid to a porn star during the 2016 election campaign. Dozens of people, many waving pro-Trump banners and American flags, lined the route as Trump’s motorcade raced from his Florida mansion to the airport where he boarded his private Boeing 757 emblazoned with his name on the fuselage. Trump was seen waving to the…

KANO State Executive Council has approved the appointment of Oba Dr. Senator Moshood Olalekan Ishola Balogun Aliiwo and Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Vice Chancellor and INEC chairman as Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of the Governing Council of the state owned Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education, Kumbotso, respectively. This followed the receipt of operational license from the National Universities Commission (NUC), which recognized the institution as the 61st state university and 222nd university in the Nigerian university system. The state commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, who announced this after the council’s meeting held at the Council Chambers, Government…

AC Milan hammered runaway Serie A leaders Napoli 4-0 on Sunday in an incredible performance which slammed the brakes on their opponents’ charge to a first league title in over three decades. Rafael Leao outshone Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the battle of the wing wizards with a brilliant brace while Brahim Diaz and Alexis Saelemaekers netted the other goals for the rampant defending champions who move up to third. The biggest win of the Serie A season for Stefano Pioli’s side was also a third league defeat for Napoli, whose huge lead at the top of the table has been cut…

PARIS Saint-Germain suffered a second home defeat in a row Sunday, falling 1-0 to Lyon as they saw their lead at the top of Ligue 1 cut to six points. After losing 2-0 at home to Rennes two weeks ago, it was Lyon’s Bradley Barcola who inflicted the latest loss for PSG at the Parc des Princes. The goal by Barcola — who had come on as replacement for injured Amin Sarr — made up for a missed penalty by Alexandre Lacazette in the first half. It is the Parisians’ fifth Ligue 1 loss this season, all of them in…

FINNISH conservative leader Petteri Orpo has won a nail-biting three-way election race, defeating Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s centre left. “We got the biggest mandate,” said the leader of the National Coalition Party, after a dramatic night in which the result gradually swung away from Ms Marin’s Social Democrats. Mr Orpo secured 20.8% of the vote, ahead of the right-wing populist Finns Party and the centre left. The populists won a record 20.1%. It is a bitter defeat for Ms Marin, who increased her party’s seats and secured 19.9% of the vote. She continues to enjoy high poll ratings and has…

FORMER US president Donald Trump is “gearing up for a battle” ahead of his scheduled court hearing on Tuesday, his lawyer has said. Mr Trump is expected to fly to New York City from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday to face charges related to hush money payments made to a porn star. He then plans to return to Florida following his court hearing, where he will address his supporters. Mr Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, promised that any charges against the former president will be fought vigorously. “He’s someone who’s going to be ready…

BURKINA Faso has expelled journalists from two leading French newspapers, in the latest move against France by Burkina Faso’s military junta. Sophie Douce of Le Monde and Agnès Faivre of Libération arrived in Paris after being given 24 hours to leave. The expulsions follow the publication of a Libération investigation into a video which showed children being executed in military barracks. The authorities described it as manipulation disguised as journalism. The two newspapers condemned the expulsions as a major setback for press freedom in the former French colony. Douce said plain-clothed security officers had visited her house on Saturday and…

SUELLA Braverman has insisted Rwanda is a safe country for migrants, despite evidence that 12 Congolese refugees were shot dead by police there in 2018. When asked on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme about the shootings, the home secretary said she was “not familiar” with the case. The government plans to send some migrants to Rwanda if they arrive in the UK through illegal routes. The High Court has found Rwanda to be safe, Ms Braverman said. But she acknowledged the plans were still facing a legal challenge. She also refused to commit to a date for achieving…

CHELSEA Football Club has announced that Graham Potter has departed the club, saying that the coach has agreed to collaborate with the Club to facilitate a smooth transition. The club in a statement on Sunday also announced that Bruno Saltor will take charge of the team as Interim Head Coach. In his time with the Chelsea, Potter has taken the club to the quarter final of the Champions League, where they will face Real Madrid. “Chelsea would like to thank Graham for all his efforts and contribution and wish him well for the future,” the statement from the club said.…

IN continuation of its onslaught against bandits in the north west zone, Troops of the Nigerian Army have neutralized eleven bandits during a fierce battle in Birnin Local Government Area of Kaduna State. An operational feedback to the Kaduna State Government , said the troops advanced to several identified locations, and cleared bandit camps in Bagoma, Rema, Bugai, Dagara, Sabon Layi, Gagumi, Kakangi, Katakaki and Randagi. According to a statement on Sunday by the Kaduna state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, in the course of the operations, the troops made contact with bandits at Kakangi and…

BRITAIN’s Anthony Joshua said he should have knocked out Jermaine Franklin after the former world heavyweight champion returned to winning ways with a unanimous, if laboured, points-decision victory in London on Saturday. After 12 rounds, Joshua, fighting in front of a home crowd at the 02 Arena, was given the win by 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 on the scorecards of the three judges in this non-title fight. This was the 33-year-old Joshua’s first win since 2020 after successive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk saw the former Olympic champion lose, and then fail to regain his global titles. “It was important to win,”…

BAYERN Munich started Thomas Tuchel’s reign with a resounding win over his old club Borussia Dortmund that took them above their Der Klassiker rivals to the top of the Bundesliga. The first goal was a freak as Dayot Upamecano played a long ball from his own half which goalkeeper Gregor Kobel missed as it rolled into his net. Thomas Muller then scored twice and Kingsley Coman netted a fourth. Emre Can scored a penalty and Donyell Malen added a late second for Dortmund. Those goals flattered the previous league leaders, who never looked in the game. Bayern could have won…

ROBERT Lewandowski scored twice as Barcelona edged closer to a first La Liga title since 2019 with a thumping win at Elche. The Poland striker opened the scoring with a scuffed finish in the 20th minute and Ansu Fati added the second eight minutes into the second half. Gavi teed up Lewandowski to score the third and Ferran Torres extended the lead further in the 70th minute. Barcelona are now 15 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid. Elche were playing their first match under Sebastian Beccacece – their fourth permanent manager of the season – but after a solid first-half…