Heavy Rain, Floods Kill 10, Injure 11 In Afghanistan

By

-

July 8, 2022

Heavy rainfall and floods have killed at least 10 people in Afghanistan and injured 11 in the country’s eastern Nuristan and Ghani provinces. and Parwan in north of the country.

The United Nations said on Friday Unseasonal rains and flooding have killed at least 10 people – including two children – in Afghanistan’s northern and eastern provinces.

The deluge also wounded 11 people, with the most casualties and damage reported in eastern Nangarhar, Nuristan and Ghani provinces and Parwan in north of the country, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Heavy rainfall on July 5 and July 6 caused severe damage to over 280 homes, as well as other critical infrastructure across nine provinces, including four bridges and eight kilometers (about five miles) of a road.

This will be the second time that the eastern region has experienced flash floods in less than a month, with 19 people killed and 131 people injured in heavy rains that occurred over two days in June, the statement said.

As a result of heavy rains, floods and landslides, in Nuristan province, the road from Kunar to the center of Nuristan has been blocked for traffic, the country’s public works ministry said.

The ministry is using heavy machinery to reopen the road.

Israel Concludes Final Deal With US On Visa Waiver Scheme

By

Zoe Maven

-

July 8, 2022

0

Israeli and US authorities have concluded the final deal required for Israel to participate in Washington’s visa waiver scheme.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s interior minister, was present as the country’s public security minister, Omer Bar-Lev and US deputy ambassador Jonathan Shrier signed the deal.

The arrangement will permit Israel and the US to check fingerprints belonging to each other’s citizens up to 1,000 times each year and ask for details about those with serious criminal histories.

The Israeli parliament, or Knesset, must now finalize the deal by approving it in three separate readings, or voting on a bill bringing it into law.

Bar-Lev called the deal “strategically important for Israel, adding that agreement will organize mechanism to strengthen the cooperation between Israel and the US in everything to do with the war against crime and terror.

Israel’s inclusion in the visa waiver scheme comes despite concerns raised by progressive American lawmakers, including Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The members of the US Congress pointed to Israel’s “discriminatory entry regime” in a letter obtained by the Jewish Insider news website.

The letter said the State Department’s own information “contains ample documentation” of this.

The current government of Israel’s discriminatory policies place the country well outside the requirements incumbent on all countries to join the Visa Waiver Program, which include, among other things, having ‘reciprocal privileges to citizens and nationals of the United States.

NNL: Bendel Insurance Move Seven Points Clear On The Log

By

Emenike Agu

-

July 8, 2022

0

Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin on Wednesday moved seven points clear at the top of Group B1 of the Nigeria National League (NNL) after beating Gateway United of Abeokuta 4-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in a rescheduled Match-day 18 game.

Insurance took charge of the game early as they were awarded a penalty in the 5th minute. However the penalty was saved by the goalkeeper with Sodje Stephen converting a rebound to give the host the early lead.

More pressure from Insurance led to an own goal by Gateway in the 30th minute with Saraki slotting in from close range the third goal in the 34th minute.

The first half ended with Insurance having three goals advantage.

Echeter Deputy got the fourth goal for Bendel Insurance in the 78th minute from outside the 22m box.

Speaking with reporters after the victory, Edo State Acting Governor, Philip Shaibu expressed joy over the win. “ We have opened a gap on top of the table that can take us to NPFL. I am happy that all the efforts we have been putting in are yielding results. Technically, we are there (in NPFL) already and that is what Edo people have been waiting for.

“Bendel Insurance actually do no belong to NNL, and we are happy we are going to join our mates (in terms of football) like Rangers and Kano Pillars. I am so excited and happy with this development,” concluded the acting governor.

On future plans when Bendel Insurance eventually qualify to play in the NPFL, Shaibu noted that “our players are good and good enough for the NPFL. Our target is to be the factory that produce players for the country. And you can see today, four of our Bendel Insurance feeder team players featured in this match.”

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Former Prime Minister, Dies After Being Shot

By

Zoe Maven

-

July 8, 2022

0

Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was pronounced dead at 5:03 pm local time on Friday at Nara Medical University Hospital, following a shock shooting incident that occurred as Abe was delivering a speech during a political campaign.

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died in hospital on Friday, the facility treating him confirmed, hours after being shot at a political campaign event in an attack condemned as “absolutely unforgivable”.

The assassination of the country’s best-known politician comes despite Japan’s strict gun laws and with campaigning under way ahead of upper house elections on Sunday.

Earlier Prime Minister Fumio Kishida abandoned the campaign trail and flew to Tokyo by helicopter where he addressed reporters in a voice that wavered with emotion.

The attack came before noon in the country’s western region of Nara, where Abe, 67, had been delivering a stump speech with security present, but spectators able to approach him easily.

Footage broadcast by NHK showed him standing on a stage when a man dressed in a grey shirt and brown trousers begins approaching from behind, before drawing something from a bag and firing.

As spectators and reporters ducked, a man was shown being tackled to the ground by security. He was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Local media identified the man as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, citing police sources, with several media outlets describing him as a former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the country’s navy.

Dos Santos, Angola’s former president, dies at 79

By

Zoe Maven

-

July 8, 2022

0

Angolan presidency says Angola’s former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled Africa’s second biggest oil producer for nearly four decades, has died aged 79.

The announcement said dos Santos, who ruled Angola for almost 40 years from 1979, was “a statesman of great historical scale who governed … the Angolan nation through very difficult times.”

Dos Santos had mostly lived in Barcelona since stepping down in 2017 and he reportedly had been undergoing treatment there for health problems.

Angola’s current head of state, Joao Lourenco, announced five days of national mourning starting Friday, when the country’s flag will fly at half-staff and public events are canceled.

One of Africa’s longest serving leaders, dos Santos came to power four years after Angola gained independence from Portugal and became enmeshed in the Cold War as a proxy battlefield. His rule was marked by a brutal civil war lasting nearly three decades against US-backed UNITA rebels and a subsequent oil-fuelled boom.

His political journey spanned single-party Marxist rule in post-colonial years and a democratic system of government adopted in 2008. He voluntarily stepped down when his health began failing.

In public, dos Santos was unassuming and even appeared shy at times. But he was a shrewd operator behind the scenes.

He kept a tight grip on the 17th-century presidential palace in Luanda, the southern African country’s Atlantic capital, by distributing Angola’s wealth between his army generals and political rivals to ensure their loyalty.

The Angolan strongman frequently described himself as an accidental president, taking the reins after Angola’s first leader, Agostinho Neto, died during cancer surgery in 1979.

FCT Minister Seeks Media Support To Protect Public Facilities

By

Olasunbo Okoromi

-

July 8, 2022

0

The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has called on the media to support efforts by the Federal Capital Territory Administration to protect public facilities in the territory.

The Minister made the call when he received the management team of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), led by the Managing Director, Buki Ponle on a courtesy visit to the Minister in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.

Malam Bello expressed the hope that the agency would use its far reach to propagate the Administration’s policies and programmes, especially in the fight against the vandalization of facilities like manhole covers, streetlights fittings, rail tracks as well as the preservation of parks and gardens in the territory.

The Minister stressed the importance of the manholes in the protection of critical national telecommunication infrastructure amongst others and assured his guests that the FCTA was willing to partner with the media to ensure that the public are properly sensitized on the need to own and protect the city.

He said, apart from the remodeling of the manhole covers using concrete and composite materials, the FCTA has strengthened enforcement as part of measures to curtain theft of the manhole covers while disclosing that rehabilitation work was ongoing on traffic lights to equip them with monitoring cameras to improve seamless traffic flow and make motoring pleasurable in the FCT.

The Minister solicited the support of the media in naming and shaming those who violate traffic laws and those caught vandalizing facilities, adding that the Administration would continue to arrest, prosecute and conduct psychiatric tests on the attested.

While commending the News Agency for its concern for the city and passion for its greenery, the Minister stated the determination of the FCTA to retain 40 percent of green area, as designated in the Abuja Masterplan, in line with the dream of Abuja’s founding fathers.

National Sports Festival: Delta Unveils 2022 Mascot, Logo

By

Emenike Agu

-

July 8, 2022

0

Delta State last night at the Government House in Asaba unveiled the official Mascot and logo of the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) scheduled to hold between November 2and 15, 2022.

Host Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa led in attendance other top sporting personalities including the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, NOC President, Eng. Habul Gumel, Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Sherriff Oborevwori, former Delta State Commissioner Chief Solomon Ogba as well as members of the state’s executive and other top government officials.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Chief Patrick Ukah who also doubles as the Secretary to the State Government, noted that unveiling of both the mascot and logo of Delta 2022, shows the readiness of the state towards hosting a successful event in November.

Tagged ‘Uniting Nigeria, inspiring a new generation’, Ukah said Delta 2022 would go down in history as the best organised and economic viable with the array of sponsors that have already aligned with the event.

Sports Minister Dare eulogised Governor Okowa for his total support for sport over the years, adding ‘Nigeria is finished should Delta State be taken out of her sporting equation.’

Dare said Delta has done so well for Nigerian sport over the years and hopefully the state would be ready to host the next edition of what he called Nigeria’s Mini- Olympics.

Okowa, said the state is happy to bring home the sporting extravaganza it has dominated over the years.

” Of course, we want competitors but we are sure of winning even here at home. We are going to put in our best, and at the end, we would show that truly, ‘Delta no dey Carry Last.

Commonwealth Games: Nigeria Will Do Well in Birmingham – NOC

By

Emenike Agu

-

July 8, 2022

0

Nigeria’s team to the forthcoming Commonwealth Games scheduled to hold from July 28 to August 8, 2022, in Birmingham, United Kingdom have prospects of returning home with medals, so declares the body that should know.

President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Ahmed Gumel, dropped this hint in Lagos while interacting with sports journalists during the 2022 Olympic Day Celebration held at the National Stadium Surulere Lagos.

According to him, all necessary preparations that will ensure victory for Nigerian athletes at the Games have been concluded.

These include travelling documents for their trip to the United Kingdom and that of accompanying officials.

Besides the Commonwealth Games, Gumel also revealed that Nigeria will also be featuring at the Islamic Games holding from August 9to 18 in Konya, Turkey.

With everything already set and perfected in terms of logistics by the Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee Mr. Olabanji Oladapo,

“what is now left is for the athletes to go there and make the country proud,” he further noted. ‘I’m indeed optimistic that Nigeria will put up an excellent performance at both Games”, Gumel concluded.

FCT Minister Gives Clarity On Parks Policy Enforcement

By

Olasunbo Okoromi

-

July 8, 2022

0

The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Bello, has explained why the administration is enforcing the policy on parks operation in the nation’s capital.

The Minister gave this clarification when the management of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) led by its Managing Director, Mr Buki Ponle, paid a courtesy call on him on Thursday in Abuja.

Malam Bello noted that his administration decided to revert to the policy in order to ensure the attainment of 40 per cent threshold of green areas in the city.

He further disclosed that, ” The whole concept of the park policy is to make sure that these green areas within Abuja as a city and to some extent parts of the territory are left green to be able to meet the 40 per cent threshold of green areas.

The Minister who explained that the abuse on green areas had affected the ecosystem, added that government realised sometimes in the mid 2000 that it was simply impossible to maintain all the green areas.

This, he said, informed the concession of green areas to private operators to develop as parks

” A park in the real sense of a park like we see in other countries is neat, clean with sidewalks, with areas for playground for children and areas of relaxation,” he said.

The minister stated that almost 95 per cent of those who took parks under concession.

The minister revealed that the administration was getting positive feedback from residents, adding that they were appreciative for the enforcement of the policy.

Earlier, the Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle had expressed the readiness of the agency to partner with the FCT administration on advocacy to educate residents to be conscious about their surroundings.

Ponle said it was the responsibility of every citizen to protect what the government had put in place.

Ponle also commended the minister for his achievements in the area of infrastructure development and provision of other basic social amenities.

He further disclosed that, ” The whole concept of the park policy is to make sure that these green areas within Abuja as a city and to some extent parts of the territory are left green to be able to meet the 40 per cent threshold of green areas.

The Minister who explained that the abuse on green areas had affected the ecosystem, added that government realized sometimes in the mid 2000 that it was simply impossible to maintain all the green areas.

This, he said, informed the concession of green areas to private operators to develop as parks

” A park in the real sense of a park like we see in other countries is neat, clean with sidewalks, with areas for playground for children and areas of relaxation,” he said.

The minister stated that almost 95 per cent of those who took parks under concession.

The minister revealed that the administration was getting positive feedback from residents, adding that they were appreciative for the enforcement of the policy.

Earlier, the Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle had expressed the readiness of the agency to partner with the FCT administration on advocacy to educate residents to be conscious about their surroundings.

Ponle said it was the responsibility of every citizen to protect what the government had put in place.

Ponle also commended the minister for his achievements in the area of infrastructure development and provision of other basic social amenities.

Rangers Will Not Derail Aribo’s Premier League Dream – Van Bronckhorst

By

Emenike Agu

-

July 8, 2022

0

Giovanni van Bronckhorst insists Rangers could not stand in the way of Joe Aribo’s desire to play in the English Premier League with Southampton.

Aribo is expected to leave Rangers in the coming weeks, with a potential £10million agreement for the star midfielder.

That was the amount inserted into the Nigerian international’s clause when he was signed from Charlton Athletic for a knockdown fee in 2019, with Van Bronckhorst hailing the 25-year-old’s ‘fantastic’ contribution to the Ibrox side since then.

However, while entering the final 12 months of his Rangers contract, Aribo had interest from Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest and made it clear he wants to return to England.

“Of course I talked with Joe about his future last season,” manager Van Bronckhorst told Sky Sports from Rangers’ pre-season base in Portugal.

“But he has been playing for three years for Rangers and it’s the natural way for players’ careers. Of course Joe wants to develop himself further and see where his level is.

“Playing in the Premier League, there won’t come any stronger leagues than that in the world.

“Joe was a very important player for us. He has been really good for this club for the last years.

“His development was really good but, at the moment, he has the ambition to play in the Premier League.

“So that’s his ambition and that is probably what is going to happen in the near future.

“It’s what you want as a club, to get talented players into the club and develop them as really good players.

“And eventually the player has their own ambitions. But I think what he has done for this club has been fantastic.”