Author: David Great

More than 40 people were feared dead when a tanker truck exploded after crashing in central Liberia, the country’s chief medical officer told local media on Wednesday. The tanker carrying gasoline crashed and tipped into a ditch along a road in Totota, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the capital Monrovia. Dr Francis Kateh told local broadcaster Super Bongese TV it was difficult to determine the number of victims because some had been reduced to ashes but he estimated that more than 40 people were killed in the incident. “We have our team going from home to home to check…

Arsenal are eyeing Bayern Munich central defender Matthijs de Ligt but a move for the Dutch 24-year-old is unlikely in January. (Athletic – subscription required) De Ligt has been sidelined by injury and would be missing for some time, according to the German club. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club are open to bolstering his squad in January “because we want to be stronger”. (Guardian) Newcastle United are confident they can agree a deal to sign England midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City but face competition from Juventus, Everton and Crystal Palace for the 28-year-old. (Telegraph – subscription required) The Glazer family will have to pay Sir…

Everton manager Sean Dyche labelled the handball laws a farce after his side conceded a crucial second-half penalty in their 3-1 Premier League defeat by Manchester City on Wednesday. Everton were level at 1-1 with the champions just past the hour mark when Amadou Onana lunged to try and block a shot by City’s Nathan Ake. The ball struck Onana’s arm from point-blank range and referee John Brooks pointed to the spot after being instructed by his assistant on the touchline. VAR opted not to reverse the decision and Julian Alvarez tucked away the penalty to make it 2-1 before…

Noni Madueke scored a late penalty as Chelsea struggled to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, but momentum is still sorely lacking for Mauricio Pochettino’s team. An 89th-minute penalty earned and converted by substitute Madueke unleashed a wave of relief around the stadium where fans have endured a hugely disappointing 2023. Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise had punished Chelsea at the end of the first half when he took advantage of lax marking to equalise, cancelling out winger Mykhailo Mudryk’s simple finish from a cross by defender Malo Gusto in the 13th minute. The win was the third…

The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Wednesday ordered British American Tobacco (BAT) to pay $110 million fine following allegations of market dominance abuse and infringement of public health regulations. The regulatory agency said the maker of Lucky Strike and Dunhill cigarettes had also penalised retailers for providing equal platforms for its competitors’ products. The tobacco company did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment. The BAT fine is the highest levied so far by Nigeria’s competition commission. FCCPC chief executive Babatunde Irukera told Reuters that the fine is a “consent order”, which is equivalent to a…

The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft on Wednesday, accusing them of using millions of the newspaper’s articles without permission to help train artificial intelligence technologies. The Times said it is the first major US media organization to sue OpenAI and Microsoft, which created ChatGPT and other AI platforms, over copyright issues. “Defendants seek to free-ride on The Times’s massive investment in its journalism by using it to build substitutive products without permission or payment,” according to the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. OpenAI announces Sam Altman to return as CEO New York Times is not seeking a…

Nigerian mother-of-three Grace Godwin was preparing food on Christmas Eve when her husband burst into the kitchen and ordered her and the children to run and take cover in the bush after herders were spotted in a nearby village. Soon they heard gunfire, starting an hours-long attack by suspected nomadic herders who rampaged through 15 villages in central Plateau state on Sunday, killing at least 140 people with guns and machetes, officials, police and residents said. It was the bloodiest violence since 2018 when more than 200 people were killed in Nigeria’s central region where clashes between herders and farmers…

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood scored a superb hat-trick against his former club Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Tuesday to give his struggling side a much-needed 3-1 victory in the Premier League. Forest’s first win under new coach Nuno Espirito Santo lifted them to 16th in the table on 17 points, five above the relegation zone, while Newcastle’s fourth defeat in their last five league games left them seventh on 29 points. It was another dull, disjointed performance from a Magpies side who had only conceded four goals at home this season, only to allow a striker deemed…

By Etim Etim In words and actions, Gov. Siminalayi Fubara has shown that he is a good student of history and power dynamics. He has surprised and outsmarted his enemies and impressed his admirers with the manner he’s dealt with the political crisis in his state. So far, the governor has manoeuvred deftly through Nyesom Wike’s threats, combustive anger and the subtle intimidations of the Presidency. I think we need to pay attention to Mr. Fubara’s strategy in the context of Nigeria’s politics of avarice, corruption and application of power to serve selfish interests. Fubara, we recall, was the state’s…

Nigerians have taken to social media to appraise the good work of the Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo for his outstanding performances since his appointment. President Bola Tinubu appointed ministers in August, and many of them have swung into action but Tunji-Ojo stands out due to his impactful achievements such as clearance of passport backlogs, clearance of NIN backlog modifications, prison decongestion, e-gate in one of the international airports, etc. On X, formerly Twitter, Eniola tweeted, “Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo came to national politics underrated but with the little time spent as the Minister of Interior, he has proved that some…