News at its Zenith
News at its Zenith
By Akinsuroju Olubunmi Kidnappers demand N50 million ransom for Benue LG chairman and victims Abductors of the caretaker Benue LG chairman of Ukum Local Government Area in Benue State, Rev. Gideon Haanongon, who was kidnapped on his way to a funeral, have reached out to the family, demanding a N50 million ransom. The chairman, […]
By Akinsuroju Olubunmi Security summit: Tinubu holds crucial meeting with chiefs amid kidnapping surge President Bola Tinubu is presently engaged in a closed-door session with key security figures at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, addressing the escalating wave of kidnappings across the nation. Tinubu, who left the Transcorp Hilton where he attended a book launch around […]
By Akinsuroju Olubunmi Buhari reaffirms allegiance to Tinubu and APC leadership Former President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated his unwavering support for the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the book launch event titled “Working with Buhari” and “Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy – 2015 – 2023 (Vols 1-5).” Authored […]
European Union. Image: punchng.com Counterfeit goods cost Europe €16 billion. According to a report released on Tuesday by the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office, counterfeit goods—mostly clothing—cost the European economy 16 billion euros annually and cause the loss of roughly 200,000 jobs. Based on statistics from 2018 to 2021, the agency’s results demonstrate that counterfeit goods have the greatest negative impact on the apparel industry, costing 12 billion euros ($13.1 billion) a year, or 5.2% of total sales. One billion euros are lost on toys, while three billion euros are lost on counterfeit cosmetics. However, the EUIPO issued a warning, stating that “Counterfeiting, like any illegal activity, cannot be accurately measured.” Its conclusions were based on the quantity of goods confiscated by law enforcement and the proportion of Europeans who acknowledged purchasing fake goods in each member state of the EU. According to a June 2023 research, one-third of Europeans […]
Nigeria’s economy is being negatively impacted by the closing of the Niger border. The economy of the states that border Nigeria has suffered significant harm as a result of the ongoing closure of the land border between Nigeria and the Republic of Niger, according to Senator Adamu Aliero, the senator for Kebbi Central. Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, which our correspondent watched, Kebbi State governor Aliero, who has served two terms, stated that the Economic Community of West African States directive’s border shutdown was needless and need to be reviewed. He added that federal MPs from the northern states that were impacted had gotten together and demanded that the federal government immediately open the border to commercial traffic. “The ones suffering are our people who resided in the communities that shared a border with Niger. Over a thousand trucks carrying goods from other nations are returning to the country through the border, which is blocked by the ECOWAS sanction. “Even our agreement with the country on the dredging of the dam supplying our electricity has been breached when the government decided to cut off the light supply to the Niger Republic,” the statement reads. Former minister Aliero said that the majority of other nations disregarded the ECOWAS-mandated sanctions against the Niger Republic. He clarified that, contrary to expectations, the majority of the sanctions—particularly the border closure and the nation’s electrical supply cutoff—only negatively impacted common people, not the military regime. Following the overthrow of the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, by rebel elite soldiers on July 26, ECOWAS imposed severe sanctions on Niger. In an attempt to reestablish democracy, the 15-member West African group ECOWAS threatened to use force and outlawed trade with Niger.
Nigeria Police logo. Image: punchng.com Police screen 136,177 applicants for the position of constable. Since the recruitment process began on January 8, 136,177 applicants have been screened for the role of constable, according to the Police Service Commission. Ikechukwu Ani, the PSC’s public relations officer, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that 108,768 of the vetted applicants’ details had already been submitted. Ani blamed network issues for the hold-up in uploading the final details. 416,270 young Nigerians who want to join the Nigeria Police Force are being screened as part of the Police Recruitment Board’s ongoing recruitment process. “The candidates are presently going through a series of tests, including medical and credential checks, as well as an aptitude test and other phases. “The commission has upgraded and automated the procedures, ensuring real-time uploading of […]
Pictures provided by Kurdish media network Rudaw TV show the aftermath near a site where missiles hit. Image: RUDAW TV Attacks on Iraq, the US Condemns Iran. Iran’s missile attacks near the northern Iraqi city of Irbil have drawn criticism from the US, which described them as “a reckless and imprecise set of strikes”. The Revolutionary Guards of Iran claimed to have used ballistic missiles to destroy what they believed to be an Israeli “spy headquarters” in northern Iraq. The incident on Monday left four people dead and six wounded, according to the Kurdistan Security Council of Iraq. Declaring the strikes to be an affront to its sovereignty, Iraq condemned them. The strikes coincide with escalating regional tensions following the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7. The violence has begun to spread, with Iranian-allied militias already active in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. According to preliminary indications, this was a careless and imprecise set of strikes, but we will continue to examine the situation,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council. She declared, “The United States supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq,” stressing that neither US people nor US infrastructure were attacked. Previously, the Revolutionary Guards of Iran declared that “ballistic missiles destroyed one of the main Mossad espionage headquarters in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.” It was “in response to the recent atrocities of the Zionist regime,” according to a statement. Iran has attacked Kurdistan in Iraq in the past, saying the territory is utilised by Israeli spies and Iranian separatist organisations. Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani denounced the attack on Irbil as a “crime against the Kurdish people” in a statement released from his office. According to the Kurdistan Democratic Party, prominent businessman Peshraw Dizayee was one of the four civilians slain. The positions of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria were reportedly hit by the Revolutionary Guards as well. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported that “at least four missiles that came from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea” fell in Aleppo and its area, where explosions were heard. The force said that it was in reprisal for the suicide attack that occurred this month on gatherings commemorating the anniversary of the US assassination of Iranian spymaster Qasem Soleimani. At least 84 people were murdered and numerous others were injured in an attack in Kerman, southern Iran.
Junior Culture Minister Vittorio Sgarbi is also a renowned art critic, historian and TV personality. Image: GETTY IMAGES Italian cultural minister probed. A junior culture minister from Italy has been charged with having and displaying a pilfered 17th-century picture, a charge he refutes. Vittorio Sgarbi, a well-known art critic, is the target of the most recent accusations made against an Italian government official. After displaying the picture at a 2021 show, Mr. Sgarbi has been placed under investigation for the possible laundering of stolen goods. In 2013, “The Capture of Saint Peter” was said to have been taken. Once on exhibit in a castle in Piedmont, northern Italy, is this picture by Rutilio Manetti, a disciple of the Baroque master Caravaggio. In addition, Mr. Sgarbi—a well-known TV personality with a history of profanity and slander convictions—is charged with tampering with the artwork by adding a candle to the […]
The Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva has more than 9,000 artefacts of Japanese and Chinese culture. Image: BBC Two British Brothers “should be banned from Switzerland.” The prosecution has demanded a five-year ban from Switzerland for two British brothers due to their involvement in the theft of famous Chinese Ming Dynasty relics […]
Image: GETTY IMAGES US-owned container ship gets struck by a Houthi missile The US claims that ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen have struck a cargo ship owned by the US. The United States military headquarters for the Middle East (Centcom) stated that the ship Gibraltar Eagle reported “no injuries or significant damage”. The ship, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, is still travelling through the Gulf of Aden backed by Iran. Since November, Houthis have begun assaulting ships in opposition to Israel’s conflict with Hamas. Shipping business Eagle Bulk Shipping claimed the bulk cargo was carrying steel products and was around 160km (100 miles) offshore in the Gulf of Aden when it was hit. The ship was reported to have “suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area” . Hours earlier Centcom stated that another missile, […]
