424,460 Passengers Travelled Via Rail System In First Quarter 2021

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June 26, 2021

The rail transportation data for Q1 2021 reflected that a total of 424,460 passengers travelled via the rail system in Q1 2021 as against 647,055 passengers recorded in Q1 2020 and 134,817 in Q4 2020 representing a -34.40% decline YoY and +214.84% growth QoQ respectively.

Similarly, a total of 10,511 tons of volume of goods/cargo travelled via the rail system in Q1 2021 as against 18,484 recorded in Q1 2020 and 35,736 in Q4 2020 representing -43.13% decline YoY and -70.59% decline QoQ respectively.

Revenue generated from passengers in Q1 2021 was put at N892,467,526 as against N398,999,290 in Q4 2020. Similarly, revenue generated from goods/cargo in Q1 2021 was put at N26,195,160 as against N82,572,300 in Q4 2020.

Tennis – Ostapenko Wins Eastbourne Title As She Defeats Kontaveit

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko warmed up for Wimbledon by winning an all-Baltic battle against Anett Kontaveit to claim the Eastbourne title on Saturday, crowning an impressive week with a 6-3 6-3 victory at Devonshire Park.

The 2017 French Open champion has struggled in recent years to match that form but the Latvian’s fourth career title will send her to the All England Club full of confidence.

“I’m really happy with the way I played the whole week,” Ostapenko told reporters. “There were some close matches, but I was fighting until the last moment.

“I played really well, and I think the semi-final and final I played really on a high level.”

Estonian Kontaveit had won their two previous meetings but Ostapenko powered to victory in little over an hour.

“I think it’s just the beginning,” 24-year-old wildcard Ostapenko said. “If I keep playing the way I played this tournament, I think I can be back in the top 10 and play well.

“I just have to keep that in my mind and work even harder.”

Motor Racing – Verstappen Sets Up Another Duel With Hamilton

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Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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Red Bull’s Formula One world championship leader Max Verstappen took pole position for his team’s home Styrian Grand Prix on Saturday and set up another duel with title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Seven times world champion Hamilton qualified third at Austria’s Red Bull Ring but will join Verstappen on the front row because Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas, second fastest, collected a three-place grid penalty in Friday practice.

Verstappen leads Hamilton by 12 points after seven rounds, with three wins each, and Sunday’s race promises to be another thrilling battle between the championship’s two outstanding drivers.

The pole, with a lap 0.194 quicker than Bottas’s best, was Verstappen’s second in a row after France last weekend, and third of the season. It was also Red Bull’s first at the Spielberg circuit.

“I’m sure again tomorrow it will be very tight,” said the Dutch driver after posting a fastest time of one minute 03.841 seconds with his first run of the final session. His second lap was slower, but still quicker than anyone else.

“Hopefully again it will be as interesting as in France,” added Verstappen, who won at Le Castellet after overtaking Hamilton on the penultimate lap as part of a bold two-stop strategy.

Hamilton said he had done all he could but his second run had not been one of his best efforts and he made mistakes on the final run.

“Nonetheless it’s still on the front row after the penalty,” said the Briton. “I did everything I could and we go into the race tomorrow for a fight.

“They’ve generally had a quarter of a second on us all weekend. We’ve managed to eke closer in qualifying but in race trim yesterday they were 0.25 ahead of us most of the time,” he added of Red Bull’s speed.

“It will be interesting to see whether or not we can manage it. I don’t think we have raw pace to overtake them, that’s for sure, but we might just be able to keep up. Maybe tomorrow we’ll be surprised, maybe it rains.”

Iran Says Nuclear Deal Salvageable

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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Iran said on Saturday it believes a reinstatement of its 2015 nuclear deal with major world powers is possible but warned that Tehran “will not negotiate forever”.

“Out of a steadfast commitment to salvage a deal that the US tried to torpedo, Iran has been the most active party in Vienna, proposing most drafts,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Twitter, referring to talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal.

Iran and the United States have been holding indirect talks on reviving the 2015 agreement between Tehran and six powers that imposed restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

Then U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the agreement in 2018, but President Joe Biden has been seeking to revive it. Officials on all sides have said there are major issues to resolve before the deal can be reinstated.

“Still believe a deal is possible, if the US decides to abandon Trump’s failed legacy. Iran will not negotiate forever,” Khatibzadeh tweeted.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog on Friday demanded an immediate reply from Iran on whether it would extend a monitoring agreement that expired overnight. An Iranian envoy responded that Tehran was under no obligation to provide an answer.

APC Committee Suspends Godswill Akpabio Over Poor Leadership

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Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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The All Progressives Congress Presidential Support Committee has suspended its National Coordinator, Senator Godswill Akpabio over what it describes as poor leadership.

The committee is an umbrella body of President Buhari support groups.

It had a mandate to galvanise support for President Buhari’s re-election in 2019.

Addressing journalists after a meeting of the group’s National Executive Committee in Abuja on Saturday, spokesperson Kailani Muhamad said the group decided to suspend Senator Akpabio because he abandoned the organisation after his ministerial appointment.

Senator Akpabio, a former Akwa Ibom state Governor, is the current Minister of Niger-Delta

He was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2019.

Army Chief Embarks On Familiarisation Tour In North East

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Farouk Yahaya on Saturday said the army is committed to ending the insurgency in the North-East.

The army chief made the comment while on an operation visit to frontline troops of Sector 2, Joint Taskforce of the Nigeria Army ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ in Damaturu, Yobe State.

Major-General Yahaya said ending the insurgency will allow the army move on to other things.

The North-East insurgency has rolled on for over a decade, spearheaded by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and now ISWAP.

“We want to conclude this operation in the North-East,” Major-General Yahaya said, “so that we can do other things; and that is the drive now.”

After inspecting the Quarter Guard in his honour, the Chief of Army Staff was received by the Commander of the Sector 2, Brigadier-General Adamu Nura, alongside other senior officers of the command.

Addressing the troops, the Chief of Army Staff said the purpose of his visit was to familiarise himself with the challenges faced by the troops and ensure those challenges are tackled.

He pledged to work with other military branches, host communities, and sister agencies to restore peace in the region.

“We have been recording some modest success in all areas and we intend to sustain that drive,” he said.

Major-General Yahaya was last at the command on the entourage of the immediate past late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru on March 14.

Colombian President’s Helicopter Struck By Bullets

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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A helicopter carrying Colombia’s President Ivan Duque and others was struck by multiple bullets in an attack on Friday, he said in a video message. Libby Hogan reports.

A helicopter carrying Colombia’s President Ivan Duque and others was struck by multiple bullets in an attack on Friday, he said in a video message.

The incident took place while the president’s helicopter was flying through Colombia’s Catatumbo region.

No one was injured in the incident, a spokesman for the presidency said.

“What’s clear is that this is a cowardly attack where bullet holes can be seen in the presidential aircraft,” Duque said.

The troubled Catatumbo region, on Colombia’s border with Venezuela, is home to extensive coca crops, the main ingredient of cocaine.

It is where guerrillas of the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) operate, former FARC fighters who reject a 2016 peace deal with the government, along with armed criminal groups involved in drug trafficking.

Security personnel have been given clear instructions to find those behind the attack on the helicopter, the president added.

Korea Fashion Market Kicks Off, Offers 90% Discount On Clothes

By

Angel Gimalo

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June 26, 2021

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The ‘Korea Fashion Market’ kicked off on Friday, offering clothes at discounts of up to 90%.

South Korean retailers are offering big bargains right now as part of a nationwide retail event aimed at reviving the economy.

Discount on lots of items, from clothes to furniture.

“Taking part in this event are 14 department stores, four online platforms and 241 brands selling products at affordable prices.”

It’s attracting customers for South Korean retail giants like Shinsegae, Hyundai, Lotte and other online sellers.

“With more vaccinated people coming out to shop for the summer, retail businesses see this as a great opportunity to sell more of their products.”

“Because it’s so hot, I came out to look for some light and cool clothes. I think I’ll get some because it’s so cheap here.”

This is the third edition of the Korea Fashion Market and it’ll be held until July 1st.

In the meantime, South Korea on Thursday kicked off another, bigger nationwide retail campaign dubbed the “Korea Donghaeng Sale” which will run until July 11th.

The Korean word ‘Donghaeng’ means to go along together.

And with thousands of retailers taking part across the country, from conglomerates to local stores, it certainly lives up to its name.

There are big discounts on home appliances, cars, furniture, food and more.

Private School In Northern Nigeria To Accept Fees In Cryptocurrencies

By

Precious Obazee

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June 26, 2021

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A private secondary school in the northern Nigeria city of Kano has adopted cryptocurrency as a means of payment for school fees.

There has been controversy over the use of cryptocurrencies in the West African nation, as in February the country’s banks were banned from dealing in them.

But the proprietor of the school, Sabi’u Musa Haruna, told journalists that the school had decided to collect school fees using cryptocurrencies because of their growing acceptance around the world.

The Proprietor said this while addressing journalists in Kano, stating that the school management took the decision after consulting parents and guardians.

He said paying school fees with digital money was not compulsory.

He further explained that the decision was aimed at easing the strain of payment of school fees for parents, citing that countries like El Salvador and Tanzania had expanded payment options for cryptocurrency users.

He did not give specifics as to which tokens the school will accept for payment.

Glasgow Knife Attack: Asylum Campaigners Mark Anniversary

By

Precious Obazee

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June 26, 2021

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Asylum campaigners have marked the first anniversary of a knife attack at a Glasgow hotel which left six people injured, including a police officer.

Attacker Badreddin Abadlla Adam, aged 28, from Sudan, was shot dead by police in the incident at the Park Inn.

Campaign group Refugees For Justice called for an inquiry into the decision to house asylum seekers in the hotel.

It said the tragedy was a “direct result of the problematic UK asylum support and accommodation system.

The Home Office said it was necessary to use the Park Inn as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers during the Covid fiasco.

Refugees For Justice gathered in the city’s George Square where they laid flowers, lit candles and read poems.

Concerns had previously been raised over living conditions. Migrant charity Positive Action in Housing said that many people claimed to have no windows or fresh air in rooms.

Glasgow City Council is the only local authority in the country to take in asylum seekers through the UK government’s dispersal scheme.

Earlier this month, UK media reported that there were still 200 asylum seekers living in hotels across the city.

Council leader Susan Aitken said a ban on accepting new asylum seekers would continue while the asylum-housing scheme was run “on the cheap” by the housing firm Mears Group, which runs a reported £1 billion a year refugee housing contract for the UK government.