US officials have launched an investigation after two planes full of passengers almost collided at a New York airport last week. The close call happened on Friday at John F Kennedy International Airport, between a Boeing 777 headed to the UK and a Boeing 737 headed to the Dominican Republic. One plane was about to take off while the other was crossing the same runway. The collision was averted when an air controller noticed the two. Using an expletive, the air traffic controller attempted to stop the Delta aeroplane as it was preparing to take wing. “Delta 1943, cancel take-off…
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THE Taliban have started using Twitter’s paid-for verification feature, meaning some now have blue ticks on their accounts. Previously, the blue tick indicated “active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest” verified by Twitter, and could not be purchased. But now, users can buy them through the new Twitter Blue service. At least two Taliban officials and four prominent supporters in Afghanistan are currently using the checkmarks. Hedayatullah Hedayat, the head of the Taliban’s department for “access to information”, now has the tick. His account has 187,000 followers and he regularly posts information related to the Taliban administration. He had…
INDUSTRIAL Action looked set to intensify on Monday after Britain’s largest teaching union announced a series of strike days over pay next month in England and Wales. The National Education Union (NEU) said its members voted overwhelmingly to walk out as part of calls for an above-inflation pay rise. The announcement came as public sector workers hold a wave of walkouts for salaries to take into account double-digit inflation. “We believe the government knows there needs to be a correction on teacher pay,” NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said in a live-streamed meeting with members. The union leaders are…
ITALY’s most-wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro has been arrested in Sicily after 30 years on the run. Messina Denaro was reportedly detained in a private clinic in Sicily’s capital, Palermo, where he was receiving treatment for cancer. He is alleged to be a boss of the notorious Cosa Nostra mafia and he was tried and sentenced to life in jail in absentia in 2002 over numerous murders. More than 100 members of the armed forces were involved in his arrest. Italian media reported that Messina Denaro was captured just before 10:00 (09:00 GMT) and taken to a secret location…
A BLAST on Sunday afternoon at a factory in northeastern Liaoning province’s Panshan County has killed five people, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which reported the fire at the facility was under control. An earlier tally put the number of dead and missing at two and 12 respectively, along with 34 injured. Videos and photos published earlier in the day by CCTV showed a cloud of thick smoke and flames rising from the factory, and a group of firefighters in helmets outside the plant. Videos and photos published earlier in the day by CCTV showed a cloud of thick smoke…
NINETEEN people were killed on Monday when a bus and a truck collided in northern Senegal, firefighters said, eight days after a smashup between two buses left 40 dead. Twenty-five people were injured in Monday’s accident, which occurred near Sakal in the Louga region, Papa Ange Michel Diatta, a colonel with the national firefighting service, told AFP. In a tweet, President Macky Sall said, “Another deadly accident on our roads… 19 human lives lost.” The toll “highlights the need to strengthen highway safety measures,” he said. Road accidents are common in Senegal, mainly because of driver error, poor roads and…
FRENCH League leaders, Paris St-Germain suffered a second successive away defeat in Ligue 1 as Rennes claimed a deserved victory. Captain Hamari Traore scored the only goal midway through the second half with a low finish from inside the area after good work by Adrien Truffert. Substitute Kylian Mbappe should have equalised when he raced through on goal but blazed wildly over the bar. The defeat means PSG stay three points clear of second-placed Lens, who beat Auxerre 1-0 on Saturday. It was a deserved victory for Rennes, who created the better chances and were defensively resilient as PSG pushed…
XAVI claimed his first trophy as Barcelona manager after a comfortable victory over rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. The La Liga leaders dominated the match in Saudi Arabia and took the lead when 18-year-old Gavi fired in from Robert Lewandowski’s pass. Lewandowski struck just before half time when he finished from Gavi’s pass. Gavi got another assist in the second half as he set up Pedri, before Karim Benzema struck a late consolation. The Frenchman’s late goal was scant consolation for Real Madrid, who were a distant second best throughout. Indeed, Thibaut Courtois prevented Barcelona from…
A MAN in his 60s has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after traces of uranium were found at Heathrow Airport in December, Scotland Yard said. It comes after counter-terrorism officers searched an address in Cheshire on Saturday. The man was arrested under Section 9 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which covers the making and possession of radioactive devices and materials. He was released on bail until April. Commander Richard Smith, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said that “based on what we currently know”, the incident “still does not appear to be linked to any…
NEPALIS are observing a day of mourning for victims of the country’s worst air disaster for some three decades. At least 68 people died when a flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed and caught fire on Sunday morning. Mobile phone footage showed the Yeti Airlines flight rolling sharply as it approached the airport. It is unclear what caused the crash, but Nepal has a tragic history of fatal airline accidents. A search and rescue operation that involved hundreds of Nepalese soldiers was suspended overnight due to darkness but is due to resume on Monday morning. Earlier,…
Tottenham 0 vs Arsenal 2 ARSENAL extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to a formidable eight points with an outstanding performance and win in the north London derby at Tottenham. The Gunners took full advantage of Manchester City’s loss at Manchester United on Saturday with an impressive show of style in the first half and steel after the break to claim a vital three points. Arsenal were helped by a blunder from hapless Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris when he fumbled Bukayo Saka’s cross into his own net after 14 minutes, but it was no more than…
CHELSEA have beaten Arsenal to the signing of Ukraine forward Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth up to £89m. The 22-year-old has agreed an eight-and-a-half-year deal for 70m euros (£62m), plus a further 30m euros (£27m) in bonuses. “I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea,” said Mudryk. Arsenal chased Mudryk for months, but the striker who scored seven goals in 12 league appearances for Shakhtar this season choosed the Blues instead. “This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career,” he said.…
A DIVISION Police Officer (DPO), SP Nwapi Larrycarr, who was recently abducted in the Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State, has regained his freedom, family sources said. He was reportedly abducted on Thursday at a Hotel in Pankshin three days after he resumed duty as the DPO. It is not known how much the kidnappers were paid in ransom to get the DPO released. A family member, who does not want his name in print, told The Nation that the Police officer has regained freedom and reunited with his family. But Plateau Police Command said he was rescued and…
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the weekend busted another Tramadol cartel in Lagos with the seizure of millions of opioids pills and bottles worth over Five Billion Naira (N5billion) from their warehouse in Amuwo Odofin area of the state and arrest of two of the kingpins. This is even as anti-narcotics officers of the Agency also uncovered and dismantled a clandestine skuchies laboratory in a remote part of Sagamu, Ogun state where several equipment and various quantities of illicit substances used to mass produce the dangerous new psychoactive substance were recovered on Saturday 14th January…
RUSSIA launched fresh waves of missile attacks across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least 20 people in a strike on an apartment block in the eastern city of Dnipro. A number of other cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, were also hit. Much of Ukraine is now under an emergency blackout after missiles hit power infrastructure in several cities. Earlier, the UK said it would send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help the country’s defence. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Challengers, the British army’s main battle tank, would help Kyiv’s forces “push Russian troops back”. Russia responded…
EVERYBODY on board was killed as a plane carrying 72 crashed near an airport in central Nepal. The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed on landing before catching fire. Videos posted on social media show an aircraft flying low over a populated area before banking sharply. At least 68 people are confirmed to have died, officials said. Several critically injured survivors were taken to hospital, unconfirmed reports said. Local resident Deeveta Kal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plunge from the sky shortly after 11:00am local…
AL AHLY could face European champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals of Fifa’s Club World Cup – but must first overcome opponents from Oceania and North America. The Egyptian giants, ten-time champions of Africa, have been drawn against New Zealanders Auckland City in the only first round tie. Should they win that match they will take on Seattle Sounders from the USA in round two, with the victors then meeting Real Madrid in the last four. The tournament is being held in Morocco and, with reigning African champions Wydad Casablanca also doubling up as the host nation’s representative, Al Ahly…
EIGHT Ghanaian high school students who were expelled for insulting President Nana Akufo-Addo in a viral video have been allowed to resume classes, according to the education ministry. In a statement, the ministry said President Akufo-Addo had intervened in reversing the expulsion of the Chiana Senior High School students. The Ghana Education Service (GES) “was directed to consider an alternative disciplinary action instead of dismissal”, a statement by the ministry’s spokesperson said. The students had initially been suspended before being expelled on Thursday by GES.
THOUSANDS of Tunisians have demonstrated against President Kais Saied as the country faces a deepening political and economic crisis. A crowd gathered in the capital Tunis to demand the end of his government. Tunisians who supported Mr Saied since he came to power in 2021 have grown increasingly frustrated with the state of the economy. The protests come 12 years to the day since former dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced into exile. Tunisia’s uprising is often held up as the sole success of the Arab Spring revolts across the region – but it has not led to stability,…
MEXICO has brought into force one of the world’s strictest anti-tobacco laws by enacting a total ban on smoking in public places. The step, which was first approved in 2021, also includes a ban on tobacco advertising. Several other Latin American countries have also passed legislation to create smoke-free public spaces. However, Mexico’s legislation is considered to be the most robust and wide-ranging in the Americas. It amounts to one of the most stringent anti-smoking laws in the world. Mexico’s existing 2008 law – which created smoke-free spaces in bars, restaurants and workplaces – is now extended to an outright…