Author: Editor

ONE pilot has died after two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed in a mid-air collision in central India. The planes were on a routine “operational flying training mission” when the incident happened, the air force said in a statement. Both aircraft had taken off from the Gwailor air base in Madhya Pradesh, about 50km (30m) east of where they came down. The air force has ordered an inquiry to determine the cause of the crash. The crash involved a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 carrying two pilots, and a French-build Mirage 2000, flown by one pilot. Local media reports said wreckage…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has assured that the government will ensure that citizens are unharmed in their businesses and no disruption is caused to the entire supply chain arising from the currency swap due to end shortly. Buhari was reacting to reports of long queues of people waiting for hours to deposit old notes and get new ones, a situation which has triggered public anger and criticism from the opposition. According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu and made available to News Point Nigeria, the President underscored that the currency swap targets people…

SOUTH Africa has signed an agreement to introduce dozens of African cheetahs to India over the next decade. The first batch of 12 cheetahs will be sent next month, the South African environment department said. It plans to send a similar number annually for the next eight to 10 years to help establish a “viable and secure cheetah population”. Asiatic cheetahs became extinct in India in the late 1940s because of excessive hunting and loss of habitat. In 2020 India’s Supreme Court ruled that African cheetahs, a different subspecies, could be brought into the country at a “carefully chosen location”…

US forces have killed an Islamic State leader, Bilal al-Sudani, and 10 of his operatives in northern Somalia, American officials say. He was killed after US special forces raided a remote mountainous cave complex hoping to capture him. “Al-Sudani was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa,” Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said. He also allegedly funded the group’s activities globally, Mr Austin added. Analysts say the fact that US troops were sent under orders of President Joe Bidento kill or capture Sudani, rather than using a less risky drone strike, indicates his significance. Details about the nature…

FOOTAGE of a traffic stop that has seen five ex-Memphis police officers charged with murder shows them kicking and punching a motorist for several minutes as he cries out for his mother. Officers are seen beating Tyre Nichols, 29, in the videos from the 7 January arrest, with no signs of him resisting. US President Joe Biden said he was “deeply pained” by the “horrific” clip. Lawyers for Mr Nichols’ family likened the assault to the 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. Police initially said Mr Nichols had been stopped on suspicion of reckless driving, which has…

SEVEN people have been shot dead at a synagogue in East Jerusalem, the most killed in an attack of this kind for years. At least three more people were injured. The incident happened in the city’s Neve Yaakov neighbourhood at about 20:15 local time (18:15 GMT). Police described the attacker as a “terrorist” and said he had been “neutralised”. Local media identified him as a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem. Speaking at the scene, Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai called it “one of the worst attacks we have encountered in recent years”. Israeli worshippers had gathered for prayers at the…

NEWCASTLE United are close to signing Everton’s Anthony Gordon after the clubs agreed a deal that could eventually be worth £45m. Gordon was back at Everton’s Finch Farm training headquarters on Friday after being absent this week. It now seems certain the formalities of the 21-year-old forward’s move to Tyneside will be completed well before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. The initial fee is understood to be £40m, rising to £45m with add-ons. Midfielder Gordon was a target for Chelsea in the summer, with Everton reportedly demanding £60m, but the Merseyside club have now decided to cash in. The are expected to…

MANGER Pep Guardiola called Nathan Ake an “exceptional guy” after he sent Manchester City into the FA Cup fifth round with the winning goal in a narrow victory over Premier League title rivals Arsenal. The Gunners have established an impressive lead in the league but it was City who shaded a tight contest thanks to Ake’s precise 64th-minute finish after good work from Jack Grealish. Arsenal had chances of their own, especially in the first half when City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, deputising for Ederson, saved well from Takehiro Tomiyasu and new signing Leandro Trossard. There was little to choose between…

LIVERPOOL forward Mohamed Salah is “suffering” from being part of an unsettled front three this season, says manager Jurgen Klopp. The Egypt striker has seven goals in 19 Premier League games this season having scored 23 in 2021-22. He has played in three different front lines in his past three matches. “Of course he is suffering,” said Klopp. “It is specific, offensive play that requires a lot of work and a lot of information.” The front three of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane had become synonymous with Liverpool’s aggressive style of play and brought a Champions League and a…

GOMBE State Governor,  Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has performed the official symbolic presentation of appointment letters to one thousand secondary school teachers, recently recruited by his administration to bolster the manpower needs in the education sector. Recall that in a move to rescue the government-owned schools and provide employment opportunities, Governor Inuwa Yahaya recently granted approval to the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) for the recruitment of 1,000 new teachers. Governor Inuwa, while performing the ceremony at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, described education as the bedrock on which all progress and development rest, observing that any society or nation…

THE Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo has sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke as the duly elected governor of the state. The tribunal in a split document of two to one declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Adeleke and issue the same to former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. The majority judgement which was read by the Chairman, Justice Tertse Kume said Oyetola scored the majority lawful votes of 314,931 against Adeleke’s 219,666. The minority judgement is ongoing. Details later…

MARCELO Bielsa has arrived in London for further talks with Everton’s hierarchy as they search for a successor to Frank Lampard. The 67-year-old former Leeds United manager is a favoured choice of Everton owner Farhad Moshiri. Sean Dyche, who has been out of work since being dismissed by Burnley in April, is the other main contender to take over at Goodison Park. The Toffees hope to have someone in place by the weekend. Bielsa is believed to have reservations about the composition of Everton’s squad and its ability to play his trademark high-tempo style of football, as well as taking…

REAL Madrid beat city rivals Atletico Madrid after extra time to advance to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Atletico took the lead with Alvaro Morata scoring from close range following Nahuel Molina’s low cross. Real were 11 minutes from going out but equalised when Rodrygo beat three players and scored a wonderful goal. Atletico’s Stefan Savic was sent off for two bookable offences, before Karim Benzema put Real ahead in the 104th minute with Vinicius Jr adding a third. Benzema steered a low shot past Jan Oblak after the visitors had failed to deal with Marco Asensio’s low…

PRESIDENT Joe Biden is urging protests in Tennessee to remain peaceful as officials plan to release video of an arrest that led to a motorist’s death. Five Memphis police officers have been fired and are facing murder charges after Tyre Nichols, 29, died three days after a traffic stop on 7 January. Bodycam footage of the encounter is expected to be released on Friday evening local time. Lawyers for the Nichols family said it will show him being severely beaten. “I’m sickened by what I saw,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch said on Thursday after reviewing the footage.…

REBEL police officers rioted in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on Thursday in protest at the killing of more than a dozen colleagues by criminal gangs. The rioting officers blame the government for not taking action. More than 100 demonstrators blocked streets, burned tyres, broke security cameras and damaged vehicles. Local media said several officers broke through the gates of the prime minister’s residence and attempted to enter Haiti’s international airport. The National Union of Haitian Police Officers says 14 men have been killed since the start of the year in various gang attacks on police stations. Seven officers were killed in…

THE governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has been summoned by the Kebbi State House of Assembly to appear tomorrow Friday, January 27th, to defend himself over an alleged misuse of a loan of N18.7bn from the federal government. This was revealed in a letter sent to the governor, dated January 26th, 2023, with reference: KBHA/LEG/01/VOL. XI, titled; ‘RE: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFER OF BRIDGING LOAN FACILITY’, signed by the Acting Clerk of the House, Suleiman Shamaki and exclusively obtained by News Point Nigeria, Thursday. The letter, which was attached with a signed attendance of 20 out of…

LA LIGA says it “strongly condemns acts of hatred and intimidation against Vinicius Jr” after an effigy of the Real Madrid winger was hung from a bridge near the club’s training ground. A banner reading “Madrid hates Real” was attached to the bridge’s railings. Atletico Madrid and Real meet in the Copa del Rey on Thursday and Atletico said the incident was “repugnant”. Brazil international Vinicius Jr, 22, said last month the Spanish league had to act on racists attending games. Before the Madrid derby in September, a minority of Atletico fans sang racist songs aimed at the player as…

ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta says he would “prefer” not to be competing with Pep Guardiola for the Premier League title. The two Spaniards worked together at Manchester City, where Arteta left his role as Guardiola’s assistant to become Arsenal manager in 2019. The Gunners currently top the table, five points above defending champions City with a game in hand as they pursue a first title since 2004 when they went through the league season unbeaten. “It’s a strange feeling,” said Arteta. As part of City’s coaching staff, Arteta won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two EFL Cups.…

A COMPANY owned by Asia’s richest man has hit back at a report which accused the firm of “brazen” stock manipulation and accounting fraud. The Adani Group, founded by Gautam Adani, called the report by a US investment firm “malicious” and “selective misinformation”. The group lost almost $11bn (£8.7bn) of its market value after the research was made public on Wednesday. It is now considering legal action against New York’s Hindenburg Research. Adani Group is one of India’s biggest companies, and has operations in a wide range of industries including commodities trading, airports, utilities and renewable energy. It is led…

NINE Palestinians have been killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank – the deadliest in years – Palestinian officials say. A woman aged 60 was reported among the dead, in the flashpoint town of Jenin. The Israeli military said its troops went in to arrest Islamic Jihad militants planning “major attacks”. The Palestinian presidency accused Israel of a “massacre” in Jenin, which has been the scene of repeated raids in recent months. The incursions are part of what the Israeli military describes as an anti-terrorism offensive that began last April. Heavy gunfire and explosions could be…