Author: TheScrutinyNG

A landmine exploded under a Nigerian military vehicle killing seven soldiers in a northeastern area where Islamic State-affiliated jihadists are active, anti-jihadist militia said Friday. The soldiers were heading for Kukawa early Thursday when their vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device, two militia sources said. “All the seven soldiers in the van died in the explosion at Bawarti village,” anti-jihadist militia leader Babakura Kolo said. The incident was confirmed by another militia official, Ibrahim Liman. Both sources blamed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the dominant jihadist faction in the Lake Chad area. Nigerian forces have been locked in…

US presidential candidate Donald Trump falsely accused election rival Kamala Harris of being an anti-Semite who plans to allow the murder of newborn babies, in a speech meant to rally religious supporters Friday that quickly went off the rails. The vice president, who is married to a Jewish man, has gained ground on Trump in polling since she replaced Joe Biden on the top of the Democratic ticket just days ago. Former Republican president Trump dedicated much of his address at a religious convention in southern Florida to assailing Harris’s record as a senator and as Biden’s number two, but…

By Temitope Ajayi On Thursday in Abuja, Minister of Finance Mr Wale Edun addressed a press conference and gave a mid-year report on the economy. The Minister told the press what President Tinubu’s administration had done in the last year to address some of the structural imbalances in the economy, working with the fiscal and monetary authorities. The Minister, who will now address a quarterly media briefing on the state of the economy, highlighted that the economy grew faster in the first quarter of 2024 than in the first quarter of 2023. According to him, economic activity in the first…

The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has said the lawmakers will reduce the current hardship and hunger in the country. Agbese said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Friday. NAN reports that Agbese spoke following doubts expressed by some Nigerians as to the truth of the 50 per cent cut in their salaries. Members of the House of Representatives during plenary had raised a motion of urgent public importance, where the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, called for a 50 per cent cut in their salaries. Moreover, Agbese said “Hardships…

The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has described the death of Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General, Mr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, as shocking. The former governor of Anambra expressed his sadness over the demise of the Ohanaeze president on his X handle on Friday. Obi said he was a bridge builder who would be remembered for so many positives. “I am greatly disheartened by the death of an elder statesman and President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. “The devastating reports of his death have left all who knew him heartbroken. “He was not just a father…

A Hamas leader in the West Bank died in Israeli custody, Palestinian authorities and the militant group said Friday. Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara, 63, died after being moved from a prison in southern Israel to a hospital, according to a joint statement by the Palestinian Authority’s prisoners affairs body and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club watchdog. “We mourn the passing of the leader and prisoner Sheikh Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara and hold the occupation responsible for his assassination through deliberate medical neglect,” Hamas said in a statement. Abu Ara was arrested in October while suffering severe health problems, the Palestinian body…

Journalists at some of Australia’s largest newspapers launched a rare five-day strike Friday, downing tools ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony due to a rancorous pay dispute. The strike hit the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Australian Financial Review, in one of the most significant acts of industrial defiance to hit Australia’s troubled news sector in years. It is estimated hundreds of journalists employed under the umbrella of Nine Entertainment have deserted newsrooms in major cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Several sports writers sent to Paris for the Olympics will also strike, despite parent company Nine paying US$200…

Britain’s new Labour government launched its flagship green energy infrastructure plan on Tuesday, announcing a multi-billion-pound partnership with the business arm of the royal family to develop offshore wind farms. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is establishing a publicly owned body called Great British Energy to spearhead funding in domestic renewable energy projects as the UK weans itself off fossil fuels. “There is a massive prize within our reach, and make no mistake the race is on to get there,” Starmer said of his pledge to ensure Britain’s energy “independence”. His government has allocated £8.3 billion ($10 billion) of public money…

French security authorities have thwarted a plot against the Paris Olympics, the country’s interior minister said Wednesday, two days before the official start of the Summer Games. France has been on high alert over the past few weeks as preparations to host the 2024 Olympics hit the final stretch. The Games officially kick off with a lavish and high-security opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday. The Games’ organisers face security challenges, including cyberattack concerns, amid high international tensions because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. There are also elaborate disinformation campaigns orchestrated out…

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Omoba Tunde Ajibulu has cautioned Nigerians against the danger in protests, saying it can be hijacked by undemocratic elements. Speaking in an interview with TheScrutinyNG, Ajibulu, a member of the 2023 APC presidential campaign council said rather than protests, there should be dialogue between the federal government and Nigerians. He also commended President Bola Tinubu for appealing to Nigerians to shelve the strike and give him more time to address their grievances. “On my part, i do not support the protest..Even though the people have a God-given right to protest, however…