Author: Amina Mohammed

Bangladesh’s top-ranked chess grandmaster Ziaur Rahman died Friday at the age of 50 after suffering a stroke and collapsing on his board in the middle of a national championship match, an official said. Bangladesh Chess Federation general secretary Shahab Uddin Shamim told AFP that Ziaur collapsed during his 12th round match of the championship against fellow grandmaster Enamul Hossain before he was declared dead at a hospital in the capital Dhaka. “Players and officials present in the hall room took him to the hospital quickly after he collapsed. Upon reaching there, doctors said he had already died,” Shamim said. Enamul…

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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has declared Monday, July 8, 2024 as public holiday to commemorate the new Islamic year, Hijrah 1446. A statement issued by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr Rasheed Aderibigbe which was published on the Ministry of Information bulletin on Friday, stated that the holiday is to allow Muslims in the state celebrate the new Islamic year. The Statement added that Governor Ademola Adeleke would preside over a special parade/March session as part of the activities to celebrate the new year. While wishing Muslims a happy celebration, the governor charged them to use the period to…

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Sophia Momodu, the mother of musician David Adeleke’s (alias Davido’s) child, has told the Lagos State High Court sitting in Yaba that he should not be granted custody of their daughter. “The applicant is not fit to be granted custody of our daughter because he is not available and does not possess the ability to dutifully care for her,” she stated in a counter-affidavit she filed in opposition to Davido’s suit seeking custody. Contrary to Davido’s claim that he had consistently fulfilled his financial obligations towards his daughter, Ms. Momodu said the child was almost ejected from school because the…

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Sir Keir Starmer has addressed the nation for the first time as Prime Minister, assuring that his government will serve the people. Sir Keir entered Downing Street amidst a crowd of cheering Labour supporters waving Union, Welsh, and Scottish flags. He began his address by acknowledging his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, commending him for his achievement as the first British Asian Prime Minister and recognizing the “extra effort” required for such a milestone. “The country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and the return of politics to public service,” Sir Keir declared. He spoke about the public’s disengagement with…

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Britain’s head of state King Charles III officially appointed Labour leader Keir Starmer as prime minister on Friday during an audience at Buckingham Palace. A photograph released by the palace showed the monarch shaking hands with Starmer, whose party won a landslide election victory. The king earlier accepted the resignation of Conservative leader Rishi Sunak. “The King received in audience The Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer MP today and requested him to form a new Administration,” a palace statement read. “Sir Keir accepted His Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the…

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Kylian Mbappe said Thursday it would be “an honour” to play against his boyhood hero Cristiano Ronaldo when France and Portugal meet in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in Hamburg on Friday. “It is an honour. Everyone knows about my admiration for Cristiano,” France captain Mbappe, 25, told reporters on the eve of the game. Growing up, Mbappe famously decorated his bedroom wall with pictures of Ronaldo and was introduced to the Portuguese superstar at Real Madrid’s training ground when the Spanish club tried to sign him as a young teenager. “I have got to know him over time. We…

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Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has congratulated Keir Starmer and the Labour Party in the United Kingdom (UK) for their landslide victory in Thursday’s election. The former Anambra state governor who had earlier declared his support for the UK Labour Party, called for increased collaboration between the UK and Nigeria. He wrote on X: ”I sincerely congratulate Keir Starmer, and the Labour Party UK on the landslide victory they recorded in Thursday’s election. ”May the victory translate to a better and new chapter for all the UK residents as you remain committed to your electoral…

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights, PNCF, of 10 private jet operators. The operators, including Azikel Dredging Nigeria Ltd, Bli-Aviation Safety Services, Ferry Aviation Developments Ltd, Matrix Energy Ltd, Marrietta Management Services Ltd, Worldwide Skypaths Services, Mattini Airline Services Ltd, Aero Lead Ltd, Sky Bird Air Ltd and Ezuma Jets Ltd, were said to have violated regulations prohibiting the use of aircraft for commercial purposes. Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Mr Michael Achimugu, said in a statement that the agency had directed all PNCF holders to undergo a mandatory re-evaluation…

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Emiliano Martinez saved two penalties to spare Lionel Messi’s blushes as Argentina advanced to the Copa America semi-final. Argentina, once again, had goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to thank as they beat Ecuador 4-2 on penalties in their Copa America 2024 quarter-final on Friday morning. After not conceding a goal during the group stages, Argentina were put under defensive pressure early as Ecuador had two efforts in the 15th minute. Lionel Scaloni’s side grew into the contest, however, and they opened the scoring after 35 minutes. A corner from Lionel Messi was flicked on by Alexis Mac Allister with Lisandro Martinez on…

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The Naira yesterday depreciated in the parallel market to N1,535 per dollar from N1,520 per dollar on Wednesday. Similarly, the Naira depreciated to N1,520.24 per dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM. Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for NAFEM fell to N1,520.24 per dollar from N1,512.61 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating N7.63 depreciation for the naira. The volume of dollars traded (turnover) in the market rose by 51 percent to $173.51 million from $114.91 million traded on Wednesday. Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NAFEM rates widened to N14.76 per dollar from…

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