Saturday
Kaduna in total blackout as workers begin strike
Kaduna State on Sunday was thrown into total blackout ahead of the five-day warning strike directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress to commence from midnight of Sunday in the state. The total blackout followed a warning by the National Union of Electricity Employees, an affiliate of the NLC, directing its workers to join the strike action in Kaduna beginning on Midnight Sunday. But the state government said it won’t bow to the intimidation of the NLC over its planned ‘rightsizing’ of the state workforce. While speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, the Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Malam Jafaru Sani, said it uncovered a plot by the NLC to recruit hoodlums from other states of the federation to cause mayhem under the pretext of embarking on strike. Sani, therefore,...
Zinedine Zidane denies reports that he is leaving Real Madrid
Speaking to Movistar after Real Madrid beat Athletic Club 1-0, Zinedine Zidane denied reports suggesting that he is leaving the club at the end of the season. “How can I tell my players that I’m leaving the club at this stage of the season? We’re playing for our lives in this league and I’m going to say I’m leaving? You can say anything you want to say. I will never say that to my players. How can I say that. At the end of the season, we will see what will happen. We can’t constantly talk about my future.” Fernando Burgos of Onda Cero claims that Zidane has already told the Real Madrid squad that he won’t be at the club next season. Last Saturday, the day before the league match against Sevilla, Zidane reportedly told his players that he would not continue as Real Madrid manager, despite h...
Myanmar anti-coup fighters retreat from town as U.S. makes appeal
Fighters of a local militia opposed to Myanmar’s junta have pulled back from the northwestern town of Mindat after days of assault by combat troops backed by artillery, a member of the group said on Sunday. The United States and Britain called on the army to avoid civilian casualties and a shadow National Unity Government formed by loyalists of Myanmar’s detained elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, appealed for international help. A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls for comment. The fighting in the hill town of Mindat, about 100 km (60 miles) from the Indian border in Chin state, is some of the heaviest since the coup plunged Myanmar into chaos with daily protests, strikes and the emergence of new local militias. “To avoid confrontation, we retreated out of concern over damage to ...
Bodies of coronavirus victims among those dumped in India’s Ganges – document
Bodies of COVID-19 victims have been found dumped in some Indian rivers, a state government said in a letter seen by Reuters, the first official acknowledgement of an alarming practice it said may stem from poverty and fear of the disease in villages. Images of corpses drifting down the Ganges river, which Hindus consider holy, have shocked a nation reeling under the world’s worst surge in infections. Although media have linked the recent increase in the numbers of such bodies to the pandemic, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, home to 240 million people, has until now not publicly revealed the cause of the deaths. “The administration has information that bodies of those who have succumbed to COVID-19 or any other disease are being thrown into rivers instead of being disposed of as per p...
Paul Pogba: N’Golo Kante star is a ‘smart kid’ and a ‘cunning’ player
N’Golo Kante “cheats a lot”, according to Paul Pogba, who has described the Chelsea star as a “smart kid” and a “cunning” player. Kante has established himself as one of the top midfielders in Europe since joining Leicester City from Caen in 2015, helping the Foxes win the Premier League title before also going on to lift the trophy with Chelsea. The 30-year-old has a World Cup winners’ medal to his name too, having been part of the triumphant 2018 France squad alongside Pogba, who has now revealed that his compatriot will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means bending the rules. The Manchester United talisman told beIN Sports of his international colleague: “He cheats a lot. A lot. At card games, board games. Honestly, I’m telling the truth. He cheats. “He says he doesn’t cheat, bu...
U.S. envoy wants pope to attend climate conference, sway debate
Pope Francis has the moral authority to sway public opinion over global warming and might attend the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland, U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry said on Saturday. COP26 is being held in Glasgow in November and could accelerate measures by the world’s biggest polluters to tackle climate change, a challenge which activists, scientists and world leaders say could ultimately endanger the planet. “I think that his voice will be a very important voice leading up to and through the Glasgow conference, which I believe he intends to attend,” Kerry told the official Vatican News outlet after meeting the pope. There was no immediate confirmation of this from the Vatican. “Because he is above politics and outside of the hurly-burly...
Myanmar army battles anti-coup rebels as armed resistance grows
Myanmar’s army battled local militia fighters in the northwestern town of Mindat on Saturday, residents said, to try to quell a rebellion that has sprung up to oppose the junta which seized power in the Southeast Asian country in February. The fighting is some of the heaviest since the coup and underlines the growing chaos as the junta struggles to impose order in the face of daily protests, strikes and sabotage attacks after it overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “We are running for our lives,” one resident told Reuters from Mindat, a hill town just over 100 km (60 miles) from the border with India. “There are around 20,000 people trapped in town, most of them are kids, old people,” the resident added. “My friend’s three nieces were hit by shrapnel. They are not even teens.” The ju...
Andre Gray: Watford bench thought Isaac Success was tired before wonder goal
Andre Gray admitted that the Watford bench thought Isaac Success was looking ‘jaded’ before he netted a stunning goal in the 2-0 win over Swansea City at the Vicarage Road on Saturday. Success scored his first goal in 30 months as Watford ended their season on a high with the impressive win. “We were saying on the bench how knackered he was,” Gray told Hive Live after the game. “He hasn’t played much this season and then you’ve seen after he scored the energy that he’s come into! It’s quite normal when you score, you get a bit of an adrenaline rush, but it’s an absolutely great finish.” Gray was delighted to get a goal for himself in the game too, taking his personal tally to five for the season. “I love scoring goals, I always enjoy it,” he said. “Every time I play, I’m always trying to g...
Ebonyi governor: I believe in united Nigeria, not secession
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi on Saturday declared his belief in a united Nigeria and condemned calls for secession by some groups in the country. Umahi said this in Abakaliki during the conclusion of the 8-day prayer and fasting session organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ebonyi Chapter, over the security situation in the state. The governor said he believed in a country where oneness, freedom, equity, justice, fairness among other virtues prevailed. “I do not believe in second-class citizenship where a section of the country is being seen to be superior to others. “We are all created by God and no one should talk of disintegrating the country,” he said. He admitted that most of the secessionist groups’ agitations were genuine, noting that they could however be addressed...
Rivers governor: We can’t succumb to secessionist agenda
The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, has declared that his state will not be cowed into secessionist agenda. This is just as Wike condemned the killings of seven police officers in the state. The governor in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, after an emergency meeting of the Security Council at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Saturday called for calm in the state. Wike, who presided over the meeting, condemned the attacks by the unidentified armed assailants on some police formations. He reiterated that no amount of intimidation or cruel resort to barbaric attacks will make the State succumb to the secessionist agenda of those who are bent on plunging Nigeria into another unwarranted crisis. However, Wike, on behalf of the Government of Rivers ...
Minister: Diaspora voting to start soon
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, has assured Nigerians abroad that Diaspora voting may be realised soon. He said Nigerians abroad are part of the county and as such should be allowed to exercise their franchise. The minister disclosed that the Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Assembly were currently working to make this materialise. Dada spoke during the Diaspora Quarterly lecture series of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission which was monitored online by our correspondent on Saturday. The minister expressed the hope that participating in elections by Nigerians in Diaspora would soon be a reality as done in other climes. He said, “NIDCOM is working closely with relevant committees of the National Assembly and relevant stakeholders, particu...
Christian Pulisic dismisses Chelsea exit rumours
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has dismissed rumours he could quit Stamford Bridge this summer. The United States international has found himself in and out of the side under Thomas Tuchel and admitted he was “very frustrated” not to start against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg earlier this month, giving rise to speculation he could seek a move this summer. However, Pulisic says he isn’t going anywhere and is “up for the challenge” of proving himself in west London. When asked whether he saw his long-term future at Chelsea, Pulisic told ESPN: “Yeah, I’m obviously happy here. It has been an incredible two years. “People have always doubted and said: ‘Oh, he’s not playing, does he want to go here, does he want to go there?’ I’m always up for a challenge, I love c...