Five more police officers allegedly placed bets on the timing of the UK general election, a force spokesperson said Tuesday, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak withdrew support from two Conservative candidates over the escalating scandal. The row has overshadowed the closing stretch of the election campaign as Sunak struggles to close his party’s 21-point average poll deficit to Keir Starmer’s Labour opposition before the July 4 vote. London’s Metropolitan Police said the Gambling Commission had informed it that five additional officers and a member of Sunak’s protection team were believed to have gambled on the election date. The protection officer…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
Five people were shot dead and 31 wounded on Tuesday during protests in Kenya over proposed tax hikes, an NGO said. “At least five people have been shot dead while treating the injured. Thirty-one people have been injured,” the Kenya Medical Association said in a statement. According to reports, Kenyan police shot dead one protester near parliament Tuesday, a rights group said, with AFP journalists seeing three people lying motionless on the ground as crowds opposed to proposed tax hikes breached barricades to enter the parliamentary complex where a fire erupted. The mainly Gen-Z-led rallies, which began last week, have…
The Sokoto State House of Assembly has advanced the Sokoto Emirate Council Amendment Bill, passing it through the first and second readings. If enacted, this bill will curtail the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, by stripping him of the power to appoint kingmakers and district heads without government approval. This legislative move follows recent concerns raised by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, expressed alarm over an alleged plan by Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, to depose the Sultan. Prof. Akintola emphasized the Sultan’s dual role as both a traditional…
The Debt Management Office says the rise in Nigeria’s public debt stock from N97.34 trillion in December 2023 to N121.67 trillion in March is partly due to exchange rate fluctuations. The Director-General of DMO, Patience Oniha, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja. She was clarifying misconceptions about the recently released update of the country’s total debt profile. She said that the securitisation of N4.90 trillion as part of the securitisation of the N7.3 trillion Ways and Means Advances approved by the National Assembly was also responsible for the N24.33 trillion increase…
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been released from London’s Belmarsh High Security Prison after more than five years of detention. Assange, known for his role in publishing classified documents, including sensitive U.S. State Department cables, boarded a private jet and landed in Bangkok, Thailand, en route to the Northern Mariana Islands. Assange’s release follows a deal with U.S. prosecutors, under which he is expected to plead guilty to a single felony count, avoiding further prison time. This deal is a recent development in his long legal battle stemming from charges related to his collaboration with Chelsea Manning, who…
The Oyo State Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin, is poised to suspend 11 lawmakers accused of disloyalty and defying directives from both the House leadership and Governor Seyi Makinde. The lawmakers facing suspension are Olorunpoto Oluwafemi Cephas (Oyo East/Oyo West), Olufunke Comforter (Ibadan North I), Abiodun Babalola (Ibadan Northeast I), Waheed Akintayo (Oluyole), Bisi Oluranti Micheal (Ogbomoso North), Ibraheem Shittu (Saki West), Abdulazeez Musbau (Kajola), Jimoh Lukman (Oorelope), Ayinde Waliu (Irepo/Olorunsogo), Olajide Operinde (Afijio), and Dauda Olalere (Ibadan North West). Most of these lawmakers are first-timers in the Assembly and have been branded as rebels by their…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a change in his stance regarding the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, expressing interest in a “partial deal” that would secure the release of some hostages while allowing Israel to continue its military operations in Gaza. This new position diverges from the previously agreed-upon three-phase proposal that sought the release of all remaining 120 hostages and aimed for sustainable peace in the region. Netanyahu’s remarks, made during an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, directly contradict statements from Biden administration officials who had indicated Netanyahu’s support for the full proposal. The proposal had been publicly endorsed by…
European regulators have declared that Apple is in breach of the new tech rules established by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The primary contention is that Apple is preventing app developers from steering customers toward alternative purchasing options outside the App Store. Under the DMA, developers should have the freedom to inform customers of cheaper purchasing alternatives and direct them towards these offers. The European Commission has highlighted that Apple’s current business terms restrict developers from freely communicating and sharing information about these alternatives within their apps. Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, emphasized the importance of…
In what promises to be a high-stakes showdown, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off in their first debate ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Both candidates bring significant vulnerabilities and opportunities to the stage, with each needing to navigate their challenges carefully to win over a national audience. At 81 years old, Biden faces scrutiny over his physical and mental capabilities. Despite his strong State of the Union address earlier this year, the debate format poses a different challenge. Biden must project energy and strength to counteract the narrative pushed by Trump and his allies…
The United States Agency for International Development said it has awarded $26.6m in co-investment grants to 33 companies in Nigeria through its global hunger and food security initiative. The Director of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Power, USAID, Michelle Corzine, announced this at a partnership meeting on Monday in Abuja. Corzine said the grants were given through partnerships with the USAID-funded West Africa Trade and Investment Trade Hub Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment activity. The event, titled “Collaborating for Enhanced Food Security in Nigeria,” aimed to showcase the impact of public-private partnerships on Nigeria’s food security and economic growth. “Through…
Gunmen on Sunday attacked synagogues and churches in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing a priest, six police officers, and a member of the national guard, security officials said. The attacks took place in Dagestan’s largest city of Makhachkala and in the coastal city of Derbent, where gunfights were ongoing. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal probes over “acts of terror”, while the hunt for the gunmen was ongoing. Witnesses could hear shooting near a church in Makhachkala while shootouts were continuing in Derbent, the TASS state news agency reported. Dagestan’s interior ministry said it had killed…
Senegal said Monday it had implemented voluntary Covid-19 screening tests and reimposed the wearing of masks at Dakar’s international airport for returning pilgrims fearing the virus was linked to the deaths of some Mecca pilgrims. Dakar suspects that a number of the some 1,300 deaths — according to a Saudi tally — are down to a respiratory syndrome ailment such as Covid-19, Health Minister Ibrahima Sy said on Sunday. “Initially, we thought it was related to heatwaves because the temperature was excessively high, but we realised that there is a respiratory syndrome with the cases of death,” Sy said…