Author: Editor

SIERRA Leone’s capital, Freetown, and other cities have been plunged into darkness for weeks, due to the non-payment of electricity bills to the power providers. It has severely disrupted daily life, with operations disrupted in major hospitals. Karpowership, the Turkish ship which supplies most of Freetown’s power, has virtually switched off the lights over an unpaid bill of about $48m (£38m), despite repeated assurances by the finance minister to settle the debt. In a statement, Karpowership said it had reduced electricity supply to six megawatts – from 60 megawatts – to only power essential services. CLSG, an Ivorian power supplier,…

MANCHESTER City are closing in on a second consecutive treble, yet Erling Haaland is still facing criticism as Real Madrid visit the Etihad on Wednesday aiming to exact revenge for their Champions League exit last season. The 14-time European champions were humbled 4-0 on their visit to Manchester 11 months ago at the semi-final stage as City went on to win the Champions League for the first time, along with the Premier League and FA Cup. Pep Guardiola’s men are 12 games away from repeating that remarkable feat even without their prolific Norwegian hitting the form he did last season.…

ELEVEN people, including children, have been killed in an Israeli air attack on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza as Israel continues its bombardment of the Palestinian territory. Another seven people were reported killed, including four children, in an Israeli jet attack on a house in the Yabna refugee camp in Rafah. ALjazeera had earlier reported that Gaza’s Civil Defence said “a number” of people had been killed and injured in the attack as they worked to pull the people injured, and the bodies of those killed, from under the rubble. Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera Arabic shared video footage showing Israeli…

THOUSANDS of people in Ukraine were left without power on Tuesday after strong winds and heavy rain damaged electrical infrastructure, authorities said. The overnight storms put further strain on Ukraine’s fragile energy system, already reeling from near continuous Russian bombardment for the past three and a half weeks. “Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said. In the central region of Dnipropetrovsk, the worst affected area, over 15,000 people in 96 towns and villages were cut off, it said. One of the main energy providers, DTEK, said its engineers had…

THE opposition in Togo has denounced a proposed new constitution as a power grab, intended to extend the reign of President Faure Gnassingbé. The reforms would see the West African country move from a presidential to a parliamentary system. But the opposition says they are a ruse to keep Mr Gnassingbé – already in his fourth term – in power. The president’s supporters say the changes would reduce the powers of the head of state by transforming the presidency into a ceremonial role. Human Rights Minister Yawa Djigbodi Tségan says they will “improve democracy in the country”. But the opposition…

MORE than 40 toddlers were taken to hospital in South Africa on Monday after mistaking rat poison for sweets. “Upon medical examination, 17 were admitted for overnight observation, while the remaining 24 were discharged home in a satisfactory condition,” regional health authorities for Gauteng said. Also on Monday, a group of 10 people including eight children were referred to a different hospital in the same province. Health authorities say this is all part of an “alarming” overall rise in food poisoning cases – with a total of 863 such incidents reported since last October. They’re advising parents and guardians to…

THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has re-scheduled the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination into Federal Unity Colleges and the Entrance Examination into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, Niger State. In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Council, Azeez Sani, said the common entrance examination earlier scheduled to hold on April, 20 2024, would now hold on June, 1 2024. “Also, the Entrance Examination for Gifted and Talented Children into Federal Government Academy, Suleja earlier Scheduled to hold on 4th May, 2024 will now hold on 25th May, 2024. “The rescheduling of the two examinations was due to low enrolment…

MIKEL Arteta urged his wounded Arsenal stars to show character and leadership after their Premier League title challenge suffered a hammer blow in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa. Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory at the Emirates Stadium. But instead Arsenal were beaten for the first time in 12 league games as two goals in the last six minutes from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins rocked their title dreams. The second-placed Gunners are two points behind leaders Manchester City with six games left in their bid to be crowned English…

ISRAEL’s war cabinet has met to discuss its response to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack. Israel did not make public whether a decision had been reached. Its allies have strongly condemned Iran’s actions, but urged Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to show restraint. While Iran has signalled it considers the matter closed, the Israeli military’s chief of staff said the attack would not go unanswered. “Look, as we look forward, we weigh our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs to the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Lt Gen Herzi…

FLOODING in Oman has killed at least 16 people, many of them schoolchildren, authorities said following the discovery of the bodies of a child and three adults on Monday. The Gulf sultanate’s official news agency initially reported on Sunday that nine schoolchildren and three other adults had “lost their lives after their vehicles got swept away in gushing wadi waters”. Five individuals were also reported missing in the floods that struck the northeast of the country. The Oman News Agency reported on Monday the bodies of a child and three further individuals and had also been recovered. Violent thunderstorms, heavy…

SEVERAL African countries have called on Israel to show restraint as its war cabinet meets to decide whether to retaliate against an unprecedented Iranian aerial attack on Saturday night. Iran said it carried out the assault in response to an Israeli air strike on its consulate in Damascus on 1 April. The attack killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers. Saturday’s assault on Israel involved more than 300 drones and missiles, the vast majority of which were intercepted, Israel’s military said. Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Somalia have called for restraint to avoid further escalation. South Africa’s Department of International Relations…

A GROUP of civil and human rights groups in Kenya have demanded for an apology from the country’s police chief, after he vowed to take action against striking health workers. Public hospital doctors from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have been striking for just over a month, citing grievances like the non-payment of salary arrears and delays by the government to deploy medical interns. Clinical officers – who are less qualified than doctors but have similar responsibilities – have also walked out. Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome on Sunday accused the health workers of being…

THE Attom Foundation, Nigeria, in collaboration with some football players and celebrities,’ will, through a Charity Champions Cup, provide eyecare services for 10,000 Nigerians. Speaking on Thursday in Lagos during a press conference, the convener of Attom Foundation, Attom Yahaya, explained that the Charity Champions Cup was a blend of sportsmanship and a noble cause, aiming to provide essential eye care services for the elderly in Nigeria. According to him some of the players and celebrities are Jay Jay Okocha, Didier Drogba, Victor Osimhen, Kenneth Omero, Tiwa Salvage, Peter and Paul Okoye, Asisat Oshoala, Mario Balotelli, Wilfred Ndidi, to mention…

ROMA defender Evan Ndicka is in “good spirits” in hospital after collapsing during his side’s Serie A match at Udinese on Sunday. The Serie A game was abandoned after the 24-year-old Ivory Coast player collapsed in the 72nd minute and was taken off on a stretcher. He appeared to be conscious as he left the pitch, with the score 1-1. Roma posted a photo of him in hospital, saying he “feels better” and that his team-mates had visited. The statement added: “He will remain under observation for tests in hospital.” After Ndicka’s collapse, Roma’s medical staff and emergency services were…

AFTER numerous countries condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, Tehran’s foreign ministry summoned the French, British, and German ambassadors “following the irresponsible positions of certain officials of these countries regarding Iran’s response”, a statement said. Late Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps announced that they had launched “dozens of drones and missiles” towards military sites on Israeli territory. “Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus” earlier this month, the Iranian mission to the UN said, dubbing it “legitimate defence”. Israel’s army said it had shot 99 percent of the drones and missiles…

THE White House has warned Israel that the US will not participate in any retaliatory strikes on Iran, senior administration officials have said. Over 300 drones and missiles were fired at Israel overnight, which Iran said was in response to an 1 April strike on its consulate in Syria. Almost all weapons were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets. Officials said Joe Biden urged Israel to consider its response “carefully”. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, a senior administration official said that Mr Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “think very carefully…

SOMALI pirates have released a Bangladesh-flagged vessel and its 23-member crew after a ransom was reportedly paid. The MV Abdullah was carrying coal from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when it was hijacked off Somalia’s coast about a month ago. The pirates alleged that they received $5m (£4m), but there is no independent confirmation of the claim. A spike in hijackings has been reported off Somalia’s coast in recent months. More than a dozen vessels have been targeted since late November. Security experts said a security vacuum had developed off Somalia’s coast after foreign navies patrolling its waters…

DOZENS of Russian military instructors have arrived in Niger as part of a new agreement with the country’s junta, which has cut links with the West. State media reported that they arrived along with a state-of-the-art air defence system. They are expected to install the system and teach Niger’s army how to use it. The West African country is one several in the Sahel region ruled by military authorities to have recently strengthened ties with Russia. A spokesperson for Niger’s military government on Friday said the Russians were in the country to train soldiers. The Russian Defence Ministry’s paramilitary group…

WE had to meet Lisu in secret as she says some people are trying to prevent her from talking to journalists. She was one of the 276 girls abducted from their school in the town of Chibok exactly a decade ago – a kidnapping that shocked the world and sparked a global campaign to #BringBackOurGirls, which included former US First Lady Michelle Obama. More than 180 have either since escaped or been freed, including Lisu, who gave birth to two children while she was a hostage of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, living in a hideout in the Sambisa…

BAYERN Munich and France winger Kingsley Coman is set to miss “several weeks”, including Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal after injuring a leg in a 2-0 win over Cologne, the club announced on Saturday. Coman was helped off the pitch early in the second half on Saturday, needing the assistance of two Bayern staff members as he could not put weight on his leg. “Kingsley Coman will be out of action for several weeks after the forward suffered an injury in his right adductor muscle,” Bayern said in a statement, explaining “this was confirmed by an examination from the…