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Ethiopia urges Tigray rebels to join ceasefire, hostilities persist
Ethiopia’s government urged Tigrayan rebels to join a unilateral ceasefire in their conflict on Thursday as aid agencies struggled to reach hundreds of thousands of people facing famine. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former rulers of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, said on Monday it was back in control of the regional capital Mekelle after nearly eight months of fighting. The government declared a unilateral ceasefire but the TPLF dismissed it as a joke. Hostilities persisted on Thursday and pressure built internationally for all sides to pull back. “Operations are under way … and the number of prisoners of war is increasing by the minute,” TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda told Reuters by satellite phone, with light artillery fire crackling in the background. “We are closing in on...
Ethiopia says army can re-enter seized Tigray capital Mekelle in weeks
The Ethiopian army could re-enter the seized Tigray regional capital of Mekelle within weeks if needed, a spokesman for a government task force said on Wednesday, adding that government-allied Eritrean forces had withdrawn from the region. It was the first public statement by a federal government official since Mekelle was taken by Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces this week in a major turn of events after eight months of conflict in which thousands of people have been killed. read more People in Mekelle, where communications were down on Wednesday, said on Monday incoming Tigrayan fighters had been greeted with cheers. There were similar scenes in the northern town of Shire on Wednesday, where Eritrean forces had pulled out and Tigrayan forces had entered, residents said. Peo...
Iran bans cryptocurrency mining for four months
Iran is temporarily banning cryptocurrency mining after some of the country’s major cities experienced repeated blackouts. President Hassan Rouhani said that the ban would last until September 22nd. The country has experienced summer blackouts in years past, and while the current round of outages is mostly being blamed on a drought that’s affecting the country’s ability to generate hydroelectric power, it seems that the Iranian government is eager to cut down on any aggravating factors. Power-hungry cryptocurrency mining operations, for instance. According to the BBC, Iran operates a program where Bitcoin miners must register with with the government, pay extra for electricity, and sell their coins to the central bank. President Rouhani stated that the legal mining operations in the countr...
TRCN: Nigerian teachers becoming more competitive globally
Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), says Nigerian teachers are currently becoming more competitive globally. Ajiboye, disclosed this at the end of the opening of a one-day training workshop for Education Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (ECAN) on Friday in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. He noted that the narrative about the proficiency of Nigerian teachers had begun to change due to innovations being introduced to keep them at par with their counterparts globally. He said that unlike before those Nigerian teachers had to undergo a certain level of training abroad before being offered appointments, but now they were being offered jobs straight up. According to him, this is because the Federal Government is focusing more atte...
Senator Okorocha meets VP Osinbajo over feud with Governor Uzodinma
Rochas Foundation The former Governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Wednesday took the feud between him and Governor Hope Uzodinma to the Presidency. Senator Okorocha after meeting behind closed doors with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo told State House correspondents that he would not want an escalation of the conflict arising from the government’s sealing of some of his property in Owerri, the Imo State capital, insisting that he wants peace to reign in the state. The proponent of ‘Iberiberism’ doctrine also said that becoming governor was a sacrifice for him. According to him, “The whole thing to me sounds like a movie, a joke, a dream that does not reflect any practical reality, but I am a father, I’m a leader of that state an...
Northern elders restate total support for President Buhari, APC
Northern elders have restated their unflinching support to President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC-led federal administration in the country. They have also appealed to Nigerians to be patient and believe in the Buhari government, saying the president was taking steps to addressing the current challenges especially insecurity confronting Nigeria. This came as they berated stakeholders in the region over what they described as their long silence in the face of unbearable criminal acts by herdsmen across the country thereby denting the image of the region. The elders under the umbrella of Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development, in a statement on Saturday, however, commended renowned Islamic Scholar and preacher, Sheik Abubakar Gumi for taking bold st...
Alibaba: Coronavirus is real, not a scam
Stand-up comedian Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as “Alibaba”, has urged Nigerians to be cautious and keep safe, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is real. Alibaba said that having just survived the deadly virus Nigerians should desist from describing the COVID-19 pandemic as a scam. The comedian thanked Govenir Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Prof Akin Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health, and other caregivers who worked tirelessly to keep him alive at the Yaba Isolation Centre where he was quarantined. ‘COVID-19 is real. Don’t let anyone tell you it is a scam. I just came out of isolation, several people died, while I was there. Some of my close friends know and they were very supportive. ‘I thank the Lagos State governor, the Commissioner of Health, Managing Director of the COVID...
