Year
Djibouti president set to extend 22-year rule
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh is expected to extend his two-decade rule of the tiny Horn of Africa nation as the country heads to the polls Friday. Guelleh, 73, is facing political newcomer Zakaria Ismail Farah, his only rival after traditional opposition parties decided to boycott the election. A businessman specialised in the importation of cleaning products, Farah, 56, is seen by observers as unlikely to pose a significant challenge to the strongman who has been in power for 22 years. Djibouti is a largely desert country strategically situated on one of the world’s busiest trade routes and at the crossroads between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, a short distance from war-torn Yemen. Under Guelleh, the country has exploited this geographical advantage, investing heavily in ...
Nasarawa first lady restates commitment to fight violence against women
Nasarawa State First Lady, Hajiya Silifat Abdullahi Sule, has reaffirmed her resolve to fight all forms of violence against women. Silifat Sule, stated this while playing host to a delegation from Adogi who were in her office on Tuesday, on a thank you visitfor sponsoring the medical treatment of an infant, Ruqayya, who was raped last year. Recal that on May 27, 2020, a three-month-old baby, Ruqayya from Adogi, Lafia local government area of Nasarawa state was brutally raped by a 27 year old serial rapist, Ahmadu Yaro. Yaro had since been nabbed by Personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Nasarawa state command. Wife of the governor, who was overjoyed seeing Ruqayya looking healthy and playful after several surgical procedures at Jos University Teaching Hospital (J...
Nollywood actor grateful after family escapes death
A Nigerian actor, Junior Pope Odonwodo, a.k.a Jnr Pope, has expressed gratitude to God for sparing his life and that of his family members after a fire incident destroyed his house. The actor, who said he was so thankful to God for saving his entire family, took to his Instagram handle to show appreciation to God. He said his house went up in flames while the family was sleeping but God intervened, adding that he was safe and no one sustained any injury. ‘‘Join Me In Thanking God Ooooooooo. My house almost went up in flames while my family slept. But GodIntervened. My hands are clean Oooooooooooo, (Akam di Ocha). God Is The Greatest (final full stop). My family and I are safe,” he wrote. In 2006, the actor joined the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) and started attending movie auditions...
Report: US says ex-Egypt premier had diplomatic immunity from lawsuit
The Biden administration has said a lawsuit seeking to hold former Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi accountable for alleged involvement in torture against an Egyptian-American activist should be thrown out because he held diplomatic immunity, the Washington Post reported on Monday. In a submission to the US District Court in Washington, DC, shared by the Post, lawyers for the US Justice Department said “El Beblawi held diplomatic status at the time when the suit was commenced” and the court should dismiss “claims falling with the scope of his immunity”. El-Beblawi had served as Egypt’s representative to the International Monetary Fund, but quit and left the US in late October, the Post reported. The department said in its court filing that it was not making any judgements on the me...
UN: 40 people killed in ethnic clashes in West Darfur
At least 40 people have been killed in Sudan’s West Darfur region after three days of ethnic clashes that have prompted the government to declare a state of emergency, the United Nations announced Monday. The clashes in El Geneina, which is close to the border with Chad, also left at least 58 people wounded. Fighting among members of the Arabi Rizeigat and Masalit tribes in El Geneina began after armed men shot two people and wounded two others in the Masalit tribe, according to the U.N. While authorities have yet to determine the cause of the shootings, gunfire exchanges between the two tribes continued into Monday, claiming at least 40 residents. Residents told Agence France-Presse they heard fresh gunfire accompanied by loud explosions at dawn Monday as the violence spread to the suburb...
Thomas Tuchel: I had exceptional relationships at PSG
Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, has said he had no grudge against former club Paris Saint-Germain. Tuchel was infamously sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve last year before being replaced by Mauricio Pochettino. But he told Canal+: “PSG was an incredible experience. It’s a big club with some of the best players in the world. Having a relationship with players like that in Paris, and managing personalities, it was a big challenge and I had an exceptional relationship with all the staff.” “It was always a pleasure to arrive at the training center, there are many moments that I will not forget.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautif...
NBA urges judiciary workers to shelve strike
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday urged judiciary workers under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to shelve their plan to begin a nationwide strike on Tuesday. The association in a statement signed by its President, Olumide Akpata, said although it believes in the battle for financial autonomy of the judiciary being waged by the workers, the timing of the planned strike would spell doom for the country considering the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in the last one year. Akpata stated, “However, as commendable and laudable as the proposed strike action may be, the NBA is concerned about its timing and the potentially devastating consequences it would pose for justice administration in the country, particularly coming on the heels of prolonged...
Juan Mata set for Manchester United contract extension
Getty Images Spanish international Juan Mata looks set to be offered a shock contract extension at Manchester United. The 32-year old has seen his first team role steadily reduced under boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the former Chelsea star only making four Premier League starts in 2020/21. However, Solskjaer is keen to retain his experience at Old Trafford and the club will enter into talks over a new deal this summer. According to reports from the Daily Star, Mata’s current contract ends in July, but United will activate their rolling option to extend it by a further 12 months ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. Solskjaer is unlikely to offer anything more than an additional year to the ex Valencia schemer with Mata rumoured to be open to staying in England for another season. He has been li...
CPN president: Digital technologies efficient in sustaining social, economic development
The President and Chairman of the Council of Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria), Professor Charles Uwadia, has disclosed that digital technologies have proven to be efficient in sustaining social and economic developments. According to him, during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies played an indispensable role in sustaining social and economic activities. He said though challenges and risks also emerged in the course of embracing various digital innovations but its applicability were proven to be efficient. Uwadia, who spoke at a virtual press conference, to unveil activities lined up for the forthcoming 2020 IT Professionals’ Assembly, with the theme, “Harnessing Digital Technologies for Social and Economic Recovery”, said the assembly which is the 15th edit...
Jordan arrests ex-top aide, royal family member in crackdown
Jordanian security forces have arrested a former adviser to King Abdullah and others on “security related” grounds, the Petra state news agency said. Bassem Awadallah, a long-time confidant of the king who later became minister of finance, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a former royal envoy, were detained along with other unnamed figures, Petra said. It gave no further details and said an investigation was under way. اعتقال الشريف حسن بن زيد وباسم عوض الله وآخرين لأسباب أمنيةhttps://t.co/3SzKcWHzln#بترا — Jordan News Agency (@Petranews) April 3, 2021 Arrests of top officials close to royal family members are rare in Jordan. Awadallah, who was a driving force behind economic reforms before he resigned as chief of the royal court in 2008, has long faced stiff resistance from an old guard and an...
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan launch new Nile dam talks in DRC
A new round of African Union-mediated talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan has begun aimed at resolving a years-long dispute over a massive dam built by Addis Ababa on the Blue Nile, a main tributary of the Nile river. The three-day talks that kicked off on Saturday are taking place in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the current chair of the AU. Foreign and irrigation ministers of the three nations were attending the talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), along with AU experts, according to Ethiopia’s Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele. A Sudanese diplomat was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that the experts from the three countries and the AU met on Saturday, ahead of ministers who would meet on Sunday and Monday. He s...
Namibian president caught in new fishing corruption allegations
Informante The president of Namibia has been implicated in new allegations of corruption involving the country’s lucrative fishing industry by an investigation released by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and The Namibian newspaper. According to a lawyer who allegedly arranged the deal, President Hage Geingob instructed his close associates to embezzle millions of dollars from a state-run fishing enterprise in order to bribe electors at the 2017 congress of the ruling SWAPO (South West Africa People’s Organization) party, reports the new investigation released on Friday. The lawyer, who is not named by the OCCRP, claims that Hage Geingob – elected as President of Namibia in 2014 and re-elected in 2019 – allegedly asked James Hatuikulipi, then chairman of the sta...
