Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

The pilot and sole survivor of a plane crash in Nepal’s capital was recovering in hospital after a miraculous escape from an accident that killed 18 others, aviation officials said Thursday. Nepal has a woeful track record on aviation safety and the Himalayan republic has seen a spate of deadly light plane and helicopter crashes over the decades. A Bombardier CRJ 200 plane operated by Saurya Airlines crashed at Kathmandu airport on Wednesday just as it was beginning its 20-minute flight to the tourism hub Pokhara for a maintenance review. Gyanendra Bhul of the Civil Aviation Authority told AFP that…

French rapper Naps must face trial for rape, an investigating magistrate has ruled, after allegedly assaulting a woman in her sleep in 2021. The rapper from the Mediterranean city Marseille, whose best-known track “La kiffance” has racked up over 186 million views on YouTube, contests all of the charges “as firmly as possible”, his lawyer Nabil Boudi told AFP on Wednesday. Boudi added that he had appealed the order for a trial in Paris, which prosecutors said was filed on May 15. A young woman filed a criminal complaint in October 2021 against Naps, saying she and friends shared a…

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Thursday to crush anybody who tries to divide Russian society as he hailed the effectiveness and unwavering loyalty of his country’s powerful law enforcement agencies. Putin has escalated a decades-long crackdown on civil society, independent media and opposition amid his military offensive in Ukraine, with dissent and criticism of the Kremlin outlawed and punishable by years-long prison sentences. “Those who try to intimidate people, to split our society, to play on religious or national feelings will never succeed,” Putin said in a video message posted by the Kremlin. “Inevitable and just retribution awaits them,” he…

Nigeria’s Super Falcons are set to face Brazil in their opening match of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament on Thursday. The game is scheduled for 6 pm local time at the Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France. This highly anticipated clash is expected to be a test of skill and strategy as the Super Falcons take on one of the tournament’s strong contenders. With intense preparation behind them, the Nigerian team is determined to start their Olympic campaign on a high note. The match will be officiated by referee Yu-Jeong Kim, with Mi-Suk Park and Joanna Kate Charaktis serving as…

President Bola Tinubu declared yesterday that the ravaging insecurity in the country was being perpetrated by a “well-organised ‘’ non-state actors. He said only concerted efforts from law enforcement agencies were required to tackle the menace and called for an end to the inter-agency rivalry among the country’s law enforcement agencies. Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bossun Tijani, spoke at the commissioning of the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre in Abuja. His words: “The security situation in the country is a complex blend of threats posed by well-organized non-state…

The Federal Government has announced a slash in allowances of foreign scholars currently stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among others, by 12.7 per cent due to economic hardship in the country. The students in a swift reaction, lamented the debilitating impact the slash in allowances would have on the welfare of foreign lands. The government’s decision to slash the scholars’ allowances was contained in a memo signed by the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Ndajiwo H.A., on behalf of the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman. The students are studying under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement, BEA,…

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has urged the government and Nigerians to discountenance purported looming protest by tanker drivers, saying nothing of such is being planned by genuine members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, nationwide. According to the Union, those claiming that tanker drivers are planning protest are not genuine members of PTD or NUPENG, but working for economic saboteurs hiding under faceless tankers drivers. Recall that one Mr. Olaitan Idris, has alleged of a looming mass protest by PTD members over the recent election that produced Augustine Egbon as the National Chairman of…

Argentina coach Javier Mascherano described the events that marred his team’s 2-1 defeat by Morocco in the opening game of the men’s Olympic football tournament on Wednesday as a “disgrace” and “a circus”. Two-time gold medallists Argentina thought they had salvaged a 2-2 draw in the Group B match in Saint-Etienne when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time. But crowd trouble ensued and the players were taken off the pitch before Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg had blown for full time. For some time the outcome of the match was completely unclear, with the official IOC website…

Governors from the 36 states of the federation are currently convening in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, they are meeting at the NGF secretariat in the FCT. Some of the governors have already started to arrive at the meeting venue. Those already present at the venue are Governors Lawal Dauda (Zamfara), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Alex Otti (Abia). This is as the governors of Enugu, Peter Mbah and Borno States, Babagana Zulum, sent their deputies to represent them. The agenda of the meeting is currently not made…

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has expressed the commitment the state government to achieve the upgrade of Ibadan Airport in 18 months, stating that the state has resources to drive the project. The governor who said this on Wednesday at the Hijrah 1446 luncheon organised by the state government held at the Presidential Lodge, Secretariat in Ibadan, added that he will announce a committee that will steer the vision to turn the facility to an international standard before the end of the week. Makinde who assured that before the end of his tenure, Hajj pilgrims would be airlifted from…