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Iran says 60% enrichment meant to show nuclear prowess, is reversible
Iran began enriching uranium to 60% purity in order to show its technical capacity after a sabotage attack at a nuclear plant, and the move is quickly reversible if the United States lifts sanctions, the Iranian government said on Tuesday. Talks in Vienna aimed at bringing the United States and Iran back to full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal have been further complicated by an explosion at Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. Iran has responded by saying it is enriching uranium to 60%fissile purity, a big step towards weapons-grade from the 20% ithad previously achieved. The 2015 pact between Iran and world powers had capped the level of enrichment purity at 3.67% – suitable for generating civilian nuclear energy. Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon. “The start of 60% ...
PDP wins all seats in Rivers council election
File Photo In line with expectation and trends in other parts of the country, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers has been declared the winner of all the chairpersons and councillorship seats contested for in the State local government election held on Saturday. The announcement that the PDP won all the seats contested for in the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers was made by the State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, in Port Harcourt on Sunday. However, one of the parties that participated in the election, the Social Democratic Party, SDP has described the poll as a ‘sham’ while calling for the resignation of Chairman of RSIEC, Justice George Omereji [rtd]. The party also called for cancellation of all the results of the election. The SDP councillorship candidate ...
CDQ: NDLEA found no drug in my house, beat me up
Popular Nigerian rapper, Sodiq Yusuf, aka CDQ, has dared the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDEA) to show the world the Indian hemp found in his place. He said he had CCTV footage of the visit, unknown to the raiders. Newsmen had earlier reported that the rapper was picked up following an intelligence report that there were hard drugs in his house. However, speaking with newsmen on Saturday, the rapper stated that Indian hemp wasn’t found on him, saying that he had CCTV footage to back up his claim. He said, “Men of the NDLEA came to my house yesterday evening (Wednesday). They threatened me with a pistol to my chest and beat me black and blue in my own apartment. They said they got information that I deal in drugs. They searched everywhere and turned my house upside down. All they ...
PDP zonal congress: We’re out to put our best forward – Oyo governor
Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that the South-West Zonal Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holding in Osogbo, Osun State, is an opportunity for the geo-political zone to put its best people forward. The governor, who was speaking at the venue of the zonal congress, said that the future will be brighter for the party if it gets things right at the congress. Addressing the Press just before the commencement of the congress, inside the WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo, Osun State, the governor said that the South-West Zonal Congress has implications for the PDP at the national level, stating that the congress will help put the best people in place, who would in turn help the party at the national level. A statement by the Special Assistant (Print Media) to Governor Makinde,...
Reports: Governments ‘gender blind’ to coronavirus’ ‘greater impact’ on women
Governments are putting women and girls at greater risk of the health and socio-economic impacts posed by the coronavirus pandemic, two global studies released Wednesday show. They called on leaders to prioritise gender equity in their response to the health crisis. Two studies, one from a global research partnership led by the Global Health 50/50 Project in London and another by the Center for Global Development (CGD) in Washington, were released Wednesday to coincide with World Health Day that highlight major failings by national governments to consider sex or gender in their COVID-19 policies. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, several studies have pointed to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women. Many women have shouldered a heftier burden taking on more unpa...
Nigerian Army begins show of force in Imo
File Photo The Nigerian Army on Thursday began show of force in Imo State. Our correspondent gathered that the military exercise was an offshoot of Monday attacks on Owerri Correctional Center and the Imo State Police Command headquarters. The attackers, who operated between 1am and 3am also attacked a military base at Ukwuorji on Owerri-Onitsha expressway, burnt a soldier in a car and razed four military operational vehicles. The military exercise was intended to burst the moral of security agents and to restore the confidence of the people in the security agents, a source told newsmen. The source said, “The operation show of force is a military exercise targeted at restoring the confidence of the people in the security agencies. It is also a way of raising the morale of the operatives af...
Daniel Sturridge on the verge of MLS move
Daniel Sturridge could be set to move to the MLS, according to the Daily Mirror. Sturridge has been without a club since being released from Trabzonspor back in March 2020. The striker had just received a four-month ban and a £150,000 fine after a breach of betting rules. It’s been a difficult few years for the Englishman, who was once one of the Premier League’s deadliest strikers. In his first season-and-a-half at Liverpool, he scored 31 league goals in just 43 appearances, finishing as runner up in the 2013/14 Golden Boot race behind strike partner Luis Suarez. However, he suffered numerous injury problems which severely limited his game time over the next few years. Suarez’s departure and the replacement of manager Brendan Rodgers with Jurgen Klopp also impacted his form, and he found ...
Suez Canal Authority says stranded ship partially refloated
The stranded container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week was almost fully re-floated on Monday and has restarted its engines, a shipping source with knowledge of the matter said, raising hopes the busy waterway will soon be reopened. The 400-metre (430-yard) long Ever Given has been straightened in the canal and will undergo initial inspections before being moved, two sources said. Video posted on social media appeared to show the ship’s stern had swung around, opening space in the canal. Other footage, which could not be immediately verified by Reuters, included cheering and ships’ horns sounding in celebration. Ship-tracking service VesselFinder has changed the ship’s status to under way on its website. The Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a southern section of...
Former Roma boss, online fan clash over Mo Salah sale
Four years after Mohammed Salah was sold to Liverpool for £35m a die-hard Roma fan has hauled pebbles at the decision describing it as undue emphasis on money over quality. Former Roma president James Pallotta locked horn with a fan who from all indication was ready to throw blows should the need arise. Salah has starred for Liverpool ever since leaving Roma in 2017 for £35m. The unamed fan took Pallotta online , suggesting it was all about money, claiming Roma only cared about Financial Fair Play regulations. He posted to social media: “Replacing Salah with [Patrik] Schick is confirmation of the inability of a company that constantly sells the best players. “You’re not good enough at turning omelettes, trust me.” Pallotta replied: “You still show ignorance by ignoring fact that Salah want...
Oyo rolls out coronavirus vaccination programme
The Oyo State Government on Wednesday joined other states across Nigeria to rollout the COVID-19 vaccination exercise. The state flagged off the exercise in Ibadan with the first consignment of 127,740 doses it received from the Federal Government. Gov. Seyi Makinde was inoculated with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at exactly 12.20 p.m. During the flag-off, Makinde said that the state had made decision on a sterility test of the vaccine as precautionary measure to ascertain its safety and efficacy. “I have very low tolerance for physical pain, but when duty calls you have to do what you have to do. “I am getting vaccinated today as a show of leadership and to let the people know that they have to be protected. “I ordered for sterility tests because when I asked questions about the origin of t...
Super Eagles invitee wants to prove there are quality NPFL players
Abia warriors defender Adekunle Adeleke has revealed his aim in the Nigeria national team squad is to prove there are quality players in the Nigeria Professional Football League. The defender is one of the three home-based players invited for the Super Eagles’ 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month. The three-time African champions will take on the Republic of Benin on March 27 before slugging it out against Lesotho three days later in Lagos. Adeleke has set himself a target of representing the home-based players well in the national team in order to open doors of opportunities for them. “Definitely we are going to give a good account of ourselves and try to do our best to show that there are good and quality players in the league,” Adeleke told Brila FM. The defender is optimist...
Kim Jong Un: North Korea facing its ‘worst-ever situation’
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is facing its “worst-ever situation” and called on “grassroots” members of the ruling Workers’ Party to be more proactive and responsible in carrying out the country’s new five-year economic plan. The comments, reported by state media on Wednesday, came as experts warn Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea’s coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on its sanctions-battered economy. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during an opening speech at a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s cell secretaries on Tuesday. “Improving the people’s living standards … even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the ...