Benin prosecutors said Wednesday that three prominent men including a presidential guard commander have been arrested on suspicion of planning a “coup d’etat” in the small West African nation. The other two accused of attempting a putsch are a former sports minister and a businessman close to President Patrice Talon. Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, said the alleged coup was planned to take place on Friday. “It appears the Republican Guard commander in charge of the president’s security was engaged by the minister Oswald Homeky and Olivier Boko in order to…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi pledged to support Iran in safeguarding its security against “external forces” in a meeting with the country’s new president in New York, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Wednesday. Wang met President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, Beijing said, as Israel launched more strikes against Tehran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. The top diplomat promised China would “always be a trustworthy partner”. “China will continue to support Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, and national dignity,” Wang said on Tuesday, according to a foreign ministry statement. Beijing also opposed “external…
China said it test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, firing it into the Pacific Ocean in a rare trial run that flexed its military might. Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development in recent years, with the Pentagon last October warning China was developing its arsenal more quickly than the United States had anticipated. China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030, it said. On Wednesday, the Chinese military’s “Rocket Force launched an ICBM… carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific…
A bus swerved into a river in southern Ethiopia on Wednesday, killing at least 28 people and seriously injuring 19 others, local authorities said. The incident happened in Wolaita, which lies about 400 kilometres (around 250 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa. “So far, 28 people have died in the accident and 19 others have been seriously injured,” local authorities said on Facebook. There was little additional information, including the total number of passengers on board, but the authorities said search operations were continuing. Photos shared online showed that the roof, brutally deformed by the impact, had been ripped…
Joe Biden gave a somber farewell address to the United Nations on Tuesday, using his own decision to drop out of the US presidential election to warn of the dangers of autocrats around the globe refusing to quit. “My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power,” Biden said to applause in his final speech at the UN General Assembly in New York. The 81-year-old exhorted world leaders to stand up for democracy in the face of spiraling turmoil and conflict, urging support for Ukraine and pushing for peace in the…
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has disclosed that Nigeria loses approximately 2,300 children under five and 145 women of childbearing age every day, primarily due to preventable diseases and complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. This alarming statistic was presented by Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director of the NPHCDA, during a two-day engagement meeting focused on vaccination, maternal, and child health. The event, held in Abuja and organized by the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, aims to mobilize religious leaders from northern Nigeria to address these critical health challenges. Dr. Aina emphasized that most of these…
Turkey on Monday warned that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon threatened to push the Middle East deeper into “chaos”. Israeli airstrikes killed 356 people, including 24 children, in Lebanon on Monday, the Lebanese health minister said, in the deadliest cross-border escalation since war erupted in Gaza on October 7. “Israel’s attacks on Lebanon mark a new phase in its efforts to drag the entire region into chaos,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, after Israeli raids on strongholds of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in southern and eastern Lebanon. An outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive in response to the attack…
Tanzania’s main opposition party leaders Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu were released on bail late on Monday, their party said on X, after they were detained ahead of blocked protests in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. The Chadema party confirmed on its X account that both men had been granted bail, but said that Mbowe had “decided to remain at the police station until all other members and supporters arrested during (the) protest are granted bail”. AFP
The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) has issued a stern warning to cut off the power supply in Etche Local Government Area, Rivers State, following a violent attack on one of its members, Gboro Benjamin. The association has called for immediate action, threatening a shutdown if the attackers are not apprehended. Benjamin, an Occupational Health and Safety Officer with the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED), was brutally assaulted by residents while conducting an official meter check in Umuebule IV, Etche. The incident occurred during an inspection aimed at preventing meter bypasses in the area, particularly…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has emerged as the winner of the Edo State governorship election. The results were announced by the Returning Officer, Prof. Faruk Kuta, at the collation center in Benin City on Sunday. Okpebholo garnered 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 247,274 votes. Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata finished third with 22,763 votes. Prof. Kuta, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, declared, “Okpebholo, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.” Edo State, traditionally divided…
A gas leak explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran has killed at least 30 people, with more than 20 others reported missing, state media reported on Sunday. “The death toll in the Tabas mine accident has risen to 30,” the official IRNA news agency stated, revising an earlier figure of 19. Javad Ghenaat, governor of South Khorasan province, where the mine is situated, told state television that rescue teams were working to retrieve 22 trapped workers. According to IRNA, “17 others were injured” in the explosion, which occurred around 9:00 pm (1730 GMT) on Saturday when 69 workers…
Nigerian actress, Ini Edo, has announced that she is engaged and set to have a fairytale wedding. Edo made this known in a post via her Instagram handle, @iniedo, on Sunday. She wrote: “That bright Sunday morning six months ago, while on vacation, we crossed paths, and our lives never remained the same. “Exactly three months later you asked me to be with you forever. How did I get so lucky? “They say, ‘your flaws are perfect for the heart that is meant to love you’ I now believe this wholeheartedly. “1 of 3 done. My fairytale wedding is almost…