Author: Akintayo Adams

Nine people, including a child, were killed in Lebanon after handheld pagers, used by Hezbollah members for communication, exploded across various regions, according to Lebanon’s health minister. These blasts injured around 2,800 others, including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. Hezbollah, an armed group backed by Iran, confirmed the death of eight of its fighters and blamed Israel for what they described as “criminal aggression.” The explosions, which occurred simultaneously in Beirut and other areas, happened amidst ongoing conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border, linked to the broader Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah vowed retaliation against Israel, though the Israeli military has not commented on…

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has announced that President Bola Tinubu has assented to the bill establishing the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. Ribadu made the disclosure during a workshop on gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Nigeria and West Africa, held on Tuesday in Abuja. Represented by Amb. Ibrahim Babani, Director of External Affairs at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ribadu emphasized that the President’s approval marks a significant step toward combating the illegal spread of arms. The bill now…

The Lagos State Government (LASG) said the earlier announced increase in boarding fees for its model colleges is needed to enhance student welfare. In a statement, Ganiu Lawal, Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, explained that the previous fee of ₦35,000, which has been in place since 2021, is no longer feasible for the 2024/2025 session. The new fee, set at ₦100,000 per term, will take effect from the current academic session, which began on September 15, 2024. Lawal emphasized that the boarding fees cover essential costs such as feeding, janitorial services, and…

Petroleum marketers in Nigeria are expressing concerns over the uncertainty surrounding the pricing of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Dangote Refinery, following the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) release of petrol prices across the country on Monday. They are demanding clarity from the Dangote Refinery on the exact price at which it sells petrol to the NNPCL to ensure transparency. The President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, and the President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Maigandi, emphasized the need for disclosure of the refinery’s pricing structure. This…

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all governed by military juntas, are set to launch new biometric passports in the coming days as part of their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). These countries, which formed the Alliance of Sahel States after a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, had announced plans to leave Ecowas in January 2023. The new passports aim to harmonize travel documents among the alliance members. However, it remains uncertain how this will impact visa-free travel for their citizens within Ecowas, where they previously held a 15-nation regional passport. Malian junta leader…

Japan has reached a new milestone in its demographic shift, with the number of centenarians surpassing 95,000, according to government data released on Tuesday. As of September 1, there are 95,119 people aged 100 or older, 90% of whom are women. This marks a year-on-year increase of 2,980, with 83,958 women and 11,161 men now in the centenarian category. This trend is part of a broader demographic challenge as Japan’s population continues to age and shrink. Separate data revealed that those aged 65 and older now make up a record 36.25 million people, accounting for 29.3% of the total population.…

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced a global ban on several Russian state media networks, including Rossiya Segodnya and RT, citing their involvement in deceptive influence operations. This decision marks an escalation of Meta’s stance towards Russian state media, as it had previously restricted their advertising and content reach on its platforms. The ban comes amid growing concerns about Russian state media’s role in influencing Western politics, with Meta accusing these outlets of foreign interference. The move follows similar actions by the EU, UK, and Ukraine, which blocked certain Russian media following the outbreak of…

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) announced that 110 million Nigerians have been enrolled in the National Identification Numbers (NIN) database. Speaking at the 6th National Identity Day celebration in Abuja, NIMC Director General, Mrs. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, emphasized ongoing efforts to increase enrollment. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, highlighted the importance of data protection given the growing number of Nigerians captured by NIMC. National Identity Day, celebrated annually on September 16, was established in 2020 to promote enrollment in the national identity database. Get instant and latest news updates via Our WhatsApp Community or Google News online channel.

Former U.S. President and the Republican Party Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, alongside his sons and entrepreneurs, launched a cryptocurrency platform called World Liberty Financial late Monday. The platform offers digital “tokens” that allow users to vote on decisions, although details remain scarce. The project aims to utilize decentralized finance (DeFi), which enables transactions without intermediaries like banks, and will primarily use stablecoins backed by traditional currencies. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., hailed the platform as a financial revolution, while project leaders Zachary Folkman and Chase Herro emphasized its goal to make cryptocurrency accessible to the masses. Despite Trump’s previous criticism…

The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries has urged Nigerians to exercise caution when reacting to viral testimony videos, claiming that bloggers have edited them to distort the messages. Church spokesperson, Pastor Chidi Louis, explained that these manipulated clips misrepresent testimonies, such as an elderly woman’s dream of subduing armed robbers, which was wrongly portrayed as a real-life event. He noted that only fragments of the testimonies were shared, distorting the full message and leading to misunderstanding. The church has released the full, unedited videos to clarify the testimonies and condemned the malicious actions of bloggers. Other religious leaders have supported…