Month
South Africans gather in support of Jacob Zuma — a day before jail deadline
Hundreds of supporters gathered in a show of solidarity for former South African president Jacob Zuma outside his Nkandla homestead Saturday, as the deadline looms for him to hand himself over. In an unprecedented ruling, Zuma was on Tuesday told by the constitutional court to hand himself over by Sunday to start a 15-month jail term for contempt of court. Supporters, mainly members of the African National Congress’s Umkhonto Wesizwe military wing, have for weeks camped outside Zuma’s home in KwaZula-Natal province in solidarity with the former leader. Donning traditional leopard skins and ostrich feathers – wielding spears, shields and clubs known as “knobkerries,” men known as “amaButho,” or Zulu regiments marched in the streets of Nkandla, singing praise songs about Zuma. Bare-breasted ...
African leaders mourn Zambia’s founding president Kenneth Kaunda
African leaders and diplomats on Friday joined Zambia in mourning its founding president and liberation hero Kenneth Kaunda, who died last month aged 97 after a bout of pneumonia. “KK”, as he was affectionately known, ruled over Zambia from 1964, when the southern African nation won its independence from Britain, until losing an election in 1991. He died on June 17 in a military hospital in Lusaka. Kaunda’s casket draped in the green, orange, black and red national flag was driven into the main arena of the Lusaka show ground on a gun carriage by an army jeep. His son, Panji, wept, as did Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Other mourners waved white handkerchiefs, one of the most prominent idiosyncrasies of Kaunda, who after leaving office became a committed activist against HIV/AIDS. Althou...
Coronavirus figures mount in Tokyo ahead of Olympics
The July 23 commencement date for the summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, is under increasing threats from a steady rise in daily cases of the coronavirus in the city. The recent spike has also triggered fears of a possible fifth wave of infections, which will not be ideal for the Games. Coming this close to the opening of the Games, there are palpable concerns raised for many athletes who will be contesting for honours in the Asian city and their crew members who will be with them all the way. On Monday alone, Tokyo reported 317 infections, a figure that represents an increase of 81 from the same account of the week before. The increment marks the ninth week-on-week, consecutive same-day rise in infection rates in a row even with the availability of vaccines. There has also been evidence to ...
Lagos traders send SOS to police, governor over planned market raid
Traders, shop owners and stakeholders operating under the aegis of Balogun Business Association (BBA) in Lagos have raised the alarm over a rumoured threat to raid their market by thugs loyal to a former chairman of the association. The aggrieved traders who addressed reporters yesterday at the Association Secretariat at the popular Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Badagry Expressway, Ojo, alleged that credible intelligence at their disposal indicates that the planned invasion of their peaceful market would take place between Sunday, June 27 and Wednesday, July 28. Warning of imminent bloodshed of innocent traders should the alleged invasion happen, the Principal Stakeholders, recalling that similar attacks by the same person in the years 2005 and 2007 had led to the loss of lives, ...
Petrol smuggling: Nigerian government using device to track trucks, smugglers
The Federal Government says it has facilitated the use of a tracking device to track every truck loading petroleum product from any of its depots as part of efforts to nip smuggling in the bud and arrest culprits. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, said this at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to gauge the achievements recorded in the oil and gas sector in the last two years. Sylva noted that a lot had been achieved in the industry but that the activities of smugglers had continued to overshadow the successes especially as it concerned fuel subsidy and the quantity of petroleum products consumed in the country. “This is one big question that we try to answer ourselves because when we look at the number of load-outs from our depots every day...
Governor Sule: Nasarawa won’t borrow to pay minimum wage
The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, yesterday told striking workers in the state that the state government would not borrow to pay them the N30,000 minimum wage in order not to burden the state economy. The Organised Labour in the state on June 15, 2021 began an indefinite strike over partial implementation of N30, 000 minimum wage and other welfare-related issues. But the state government during a press conference at the end of an emergency expanded executive council meeting in the Government House, Lafia, maintained that government shall on no account borrow to pay salaries. These were resolutions taken at the Emergency State Executive Council meeting as read by Chairman of the Nasarawa State Civil Service Commission, Alhaji Musa Dangana. Dangana said: “In view of its negative i...
Senator Nwaoboshi dumps PDP for APC, meets President Buhari
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has quit the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress. He was welcomed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja. Sen. Nwaoboshi, represents Delta North District, Delta State. He was presented to President Buhari and National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) at the State House by Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege. The Deputy Senate President said Senator Nwaoboshi’s decision to join the APC clearly shows that the effort of the CECPC was yielding fruit. The Senator was warmly welcomed by party members. Nwaoboshi was suspended for a month by the PDP a few days ago, accused of anti-party activities. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what...
Euro 2020: Angelo Ogbonna frustrated by Italy snub
West Ham United defender, Angelo Ogbonna, has admitted frustration missing Italy’s Euros squad. Ogbonna feels his form with the Irons was enough to earn him a place in coach Roberto Mancini’s selection. The former Juventus defender told Sky Italia: “For me it was a positive year, our goal was salvation and we managed to grab the Europa League. “I was saddened by the lack of a call-up, I can’t hide it, but I’m very happy with the path of our national team, the approach to the matches is totally different than in other years. In my case, I think there was little meritocracy but the coach will have had his reasons for making such choices. “But it is my analysis, it is not a criticism of the coach. But after such a year…” Asked if he was penalised for not playing in Italy, Ogbonna added: “I do...
Tokyo Olympics: Nigeria relay teams should go for broke at Lagos meet – AFN official
The chairman of the Lagos State Athletics Association, Solomon Alao, has charged the Nigeria Relay teams to go all out and get the required qualification standard for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Alao, the member of the newly constituted Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) board, said the athletes have what it takes to qualify and should give it their all on Thursday at the Lagos Open Athletics Meet billed for the Teslim Balogun Stadium. “They should all go out and get the needed times because we are all looking forward to them getting the time for the Olympics,” the Lagos State Athletics boss told journalists. “I want to appreciate the Lagos State Government led by his Excellency, Babajide Sanwoolu, for supporting the AFN in hosting the countries in Nigeria for the relays. “The most im...
Gianluigi Buffon: Why I turned down Champions League for Parma
Gianluigi Buffon has said he rejected ‘two opportunities to even win the Champions League’ so that he could help Parma come back into Serie A and hasn’t lost hope of a spot at the 2022 World Cup. The 43-year-old shot-stopper signed the two-year contract and will be presented to the media this evening after leaving Juventus for the club where his career first started as a teenager. “I have many memories, above all the motivation and hope is to write a few more important pages in the history books of this club, and I know I can do it,” Buffon told Sky Sport Italia. “That is the main reason I returned here, along with the other 999 reasons! I felt such strong emotions, as an emotional reaction is the only way to keep delivering at this level at my age. “I knew Parma would give me something th...
No Uefa hammer for gay supporting German skipper
The German FA has said it will not be punished by UEFA for the rainbow-coloured captain’s armband Germany skipper Manuel Neuer has worn during Euro 2020 in solidarity with gay pride this month. The German Football Association (DFB) said it has received a letter from European football’s governing body stating that a review of the matter has been stopped. “The armband has been assessed as a team symbol for diversity and thus for a ‘good cause’”, the DFB said on Twitter. Normally, the captains of each team at the European Championship are obliged to wear a standard armband issued by UEFA. Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out as gay after retiring in 2013 and is now head of sport at VfB Stuttgart, was unimpressed that UEFA were even looking into the armband matter. “Come...
South Africa gems that sparked rush are quartz not diamonds
The South African government says that stones found in a village last month are not diamonds but quartz. A cattle herder first uncovered the stones in KwaZulu-Natal province. It prompted thousands to rush to KwaHlathi village, more than 300km (186 miles) south-east of Johannesburg. But after conducting tests, officials have said the stones are quartz crystals, which are far less valuable. After feldspar, quartz is the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust. “The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds,” a local government statement reportedly said. The rush occurred in one of South Africa’s poorest regions. The country – which already suffers from high levels of economic inequality – has seen a surge in joblessness amid the ongoing ...
