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Cape Town fire ‘contained’ as firefighters battle windy conditions
A blaze advanced along South Africa’s iconic Table Mountain toward central Cape Town on Monday after ravaging university buildings, while firefighters battled strong winds in their efforts to control it and officials evacuated residential areas. The fire broke out Sunday morning in the foothills of the mountain and spread to the University of Cape Town (UCT), destroying buildings and part of a library housing a unique collection of African archives, while causing students to flee. The blaze had been largely contained on Monday, but firefighters were still battling to control it. Cape Town mayor Dan Plato said efforts were currently focused on the mountain above the Vredehoek suburb, with residents being evacuated “as a precautionary measure”. “Strong winds are placing pressure on firefight...
Guinea receives purchase of 300,000 Sinovac coronavirus vaccines
Guinea received on Sunday a shipment of 300,000 Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines purchased from China and is also set to receive a donation of 200,000 Sinopharm shots, Guinean Foreign Minister Ibrahima Khalil Kaba said. Kaba gave no further details on the Sinopharm donation. Guinea is reporting 93 new coronavirus infections on average each day, 59% of the peak in March. There have been 21,460 infections and 138 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. The West African country has administered at least 109,296 doses of COVID vaccines so far, according to government data compiled by Reuters. Assuming every person needs two doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 0.4% of the country’s population. The World Health Organization will decide late this month or i...
US: Chad rebels heading towards capital from north
The United States said rebel fighters in Chad appeared to be moving towards the capital N’Djamena and ordered non-essential staff to leave, warning of possible violence. A spokesman for the rebel Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) said its fighters had “liberated” the province of Kanem, some 220 km (136 miles) from the capital N’Djamena, but the government denied this. “The authors of these false statements are not even on the ground, but somewhere in Europe,” the government said in a message posted to Facebook. A day earlier the British government urged its citizens to leave Chad because of information that two rebel convoys on the move, one near the town of Faya, some 770 km (478 miles) northeast of N’Djamena, and another by the town of Mao, the provincial capital of Kanem. On S...
George Weah wants Liberia to host AFCON
Reuters Liberian President and football legend George Weah has stated that the West African country should host the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in the future. Weah, who has served as Liberia’s president since January 2018 and was FIFA’s World Player of the Year (now known as the Ballon d’Or) in 1995, revealed this ambition while speaking at the official commissioning ceremony of the Samuel K Doe Sports Complex practice pitch earlier this week. The 54-year-old believes that if Liberia can build new venues, hosting the AFCON is a realistic proposition. “Everywhere they’re hosting African Cup, the only reason we can’t host it they will tell you we don’t have so many fields, we don’t have the facilities but I can assure you, we will continue to advocate and make sure the facilities are bu...
Teen stabs man to death over phone in Adamawa
A teenager stabbed to death his 21-year-old friend said to have stolen his N55,000 mobile phone, police in Adamawa said. The 18-year-old Abdulkarrm was arrested after he stabbed Ayuba Hassan in Mubi. Abdulkarim told journalists that he and two other friends had gone home to bed after a failed attempt to steal jerrycans of petrol from a filling station in Mubi. He said he realised his mobile phone was missing when he woke up at night, and his two friends told him only Ayuba visited the house while he was asleep. When he confronted Ayuba the next day, argument ensued and soon the situation degenerated into a heated argument. Then the duo accompanied by two of their friends agreed to go to the riverside and fight. Abdulkarim further stated that on their way to the riverside, Ayuba threw a sto...
Group advocates palliative for terrorism, banditry victims
A group under the auspices of Initiative for Conciliation and Right Protection has advocated for palliative for victims of terrorism and banditry to cushion the effect of the ugly trend. This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Mable Bremah, Godwin Ekoja and Halima Bukar, Assistant Secretary, PRO and Deputy Organising Secretary respectively in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday. It observed that victims of terrorism, banditry and oppressed deserved better treatment to enable such victims resettle and gradually recover from their trauma. The statement urged Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation to collectively join hands toward ending the insecurity bedevilling the country to pave way for a better Nigeria. It observed that Nigerians were living in an unpreced...
Zinedine Zidane: I don’t think I’m a disaster of a coach
Zinedine Zidane has responded to more questions of his future at Real Madrid by pointing out that he is not “a disaster of a coach”, but is also unable to speculate on how long he will be sticking around at Santiago Bernabeu. The Frenchman has secured two titles in La Liga and three Champions League crowns across two spells as Blancos boss, and remains in the hunt for more glory down both of those avenues this season. Questions have, however, been asked of whether he will remain in his current post through to the end of his current contract in 2022, with calls for change at various intervals being added to a pot that also includes links to Serie A giants Juventus. Asked at a pre-match conference about those who continue to suggest that his success is down to good fortune, the World Cup win...
Eight killed in mass shooting at Indianapolis FedEx facility
At least eight people were dead after a shooting at the FedEx Ground Plainfield Operations Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana, late on Thursday, according to police. The gunman reportedly took his own life after firing indiscriminately. Eight of those who were shot died on the scene, while some others were hospitalised with injuries, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) spokesperson Genae Cook. She told reporters that the motive for the killing was unclear, and that IMPD would work with the Indiana State Police to investigate the shooting. IMPD homicide detectives responded to the scene and began their investigation. A FedEx statement indicated that staff members were among the victims. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of our team members following th...
Gunmen kill six, injure many in Plateau village
Fresh attack on Thursday night claimed six lives as gunmen opened fire on some villagers at Wereng village, Riyom local government area of Plateau State, killing six and injuring three villagers. The attack occurred at the time villagers returned from their day’s businesses and were preparing to retire for the night when sporadic gunshots jolted them Before the incident, there were rumours being circulated that the villagers may be attacked any moment but it was unclear if security agencies acted on the information. Wereng has consistently been under attack in over a decade now and all appeals for the dastardly act to end have been rebuffed by the attackers. Although Operation Safe Haven on peace mission in the State did not confirm the incident at the time of this report because the spoke...
Court restrains ALGON faction, others from interfering in association’s affairs
An Abuja Federal High Court has restrained the chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Alabi Akolade David-led faction of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) from parading its as the leaders of the association. The court also ordered the faction from taking all further action, steps, proceedings and assembly, relating to the conduct of of ALGON’s General Assembly slated for March 24, 2021, or any other day during the pendency of the suit. Other parties restrained by the court order include the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami, Inspector General of Police and one Mrs Binta Abdullahi Bello from interfering in the affairs of ALGON. The order followed the adoption of a motion ex-parte deposed to by Mohammed Inulin Abubakar on b...
EFCC hands over recovered N67.5 million to victim in Enugu
YouTube The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has restituted the sum of N67,523,000 to one Mr. Emmanuel Onyekachukwu Onah, a trader based in Onitsha, Anambra State. EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said Onah’s ordeal started sometime in 2019 when he transferred the sum of N75,760,540.00 to the duo of Tega Esinone and Obiajulu Umeagukwu for onward transmission to his business partner, Crecedor Industrial Co. Ltd in Hong Kong. The suspects converted the money to their own use. After efforts to recover his money from the suspects failed, Onah petitioned the EFCC. The commission in the course of investigating the scam, initiated a non-conviction based forfeiture process which culminated in a December 1, 2020 ruling by Justice I.N Buba of the Federal High Court, Enugu, orderin...
Governor Wike: Nobody can undermine Rivers in quest for Nigeria’s presidency
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that anybody jostling to be president of Nigeria would also need to secure votes in Rivers to combine with either Kano or Lagos to emerge victorious. Wike said such pivotal position establishes the importance of Rivers State in the political scheme of the country, stating that nobody would be allowed to undermine it. He made the assertion at the grand finale of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Election Campaign that held at Ulakwo in Etche Local Government Area, yesterday. The governor said: “I keep telling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that no state has given more votes to the party than Rivers. “And it is only in Rivers, in the whole of South-South, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t get 25 per cent votes...