Author: Opalim Lifted

Nigeria failed to meet the United States government’s minimum fiscal transparency requirements in 2025. The finding was contained in the 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report released by the US Department of State on Thursday. According to the report, Nigeria is not making any significant progress towards addressing the deficiencies identified during the review period. The report assessed Nigeria and 138 other governments, as well as the Palestinian Authority, for the period January 1 to December 31, 2025. It classified Nigeria among 67 governments that did not meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements. The report also placed the country among governments that…

Air India will introduce mandatory substance testing for all its pilots from Thursday, going beyond existing regulatory requirements following a serious mid-air incident involving one of its aircraft. The airline said the tests will screen for substances and medications prohibited under aviation regulations. They will be conducted alongside training sessions at Air India’s Gurugram academy, after flights at briefing centres and offices, or at locations designated by pilots’ home bases. Pilots at Air India Express will also be subject to the expanded testing programme. Under existing rules, airlines are required to randomly test at least 10% of their flight crew…

Meta has removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts it suspected belonged to Australians under 16 since the country introduced its world-first social media age ban in December. The company said it deactivated 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts between the ban’s introduction on December 10 and June. The figures represent a sharp increase from the 504,000 accounts Meta reported removing by January. The action comes as Australia’s internet regulator considers legal enforcement against social media platforms accused of failing to take adequate steps to comply with the under-16 restriction. Meta said it was committed to complying with…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Chinwendu Fidelia Ohanebo over an alleged N42,345,000 fraud in Lagos. The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC arraigned Ohanebo before Justice M.A. Lawal of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. In a Thursday statement by the EFCC, she faces a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretences and stealing by conversion. According to the EFCC, Ohanebo allegedly obtained the money from Musa Muhammed Jidda in 2025 for the supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). The first count alleges that Ohanebo obtained…

A 32-year-old woman has been rescued after spending 36 hours trapped beneath rubble following a powerful earthquake that struck western Colombia. Daniela Largo was pulled from a collapsed building in the city of Pereira after a 10-hour rescue operation involving firefighters, police and emergency teams from Bogotá. Rescuers reached Largo after digging a tunnel beneath four large concrete slabs that had trapped her. Her mother told AFP that a local resident first heard Largo calling for help from underneath the rubble. Emergency workers then used a small camera to locate her. The rescue operation proved challenging because four heavy concrete…

The Football Association of Ireland [FAI] has officially withdrawn support for under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino, while the Irish Football Association has confirmed it is backing UEFA’s stance. On Monday, European football’s governing body Uefa signed an open letter along with Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, accusing Infantino of breaking trust “through deception”. It follows an attempt by Infantino to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial operations to a private investment company – since abandoned – which has left his bid for a fourth term at top of world football in a perilous state. Last week, the Welsh FA…

Xavi Hernandez has been appointed as the Netherlands’ head coach on a contract through the 2030 World ‌Cup, the Dutch football federation said on Wednesday. The 46-year-old Spaniard replaces Ronald Koeman and takes charge of a national team for the first time. Xavi ⁠has been out of coaching since leaving Barcelona in 2024, where he spent three seasons in charge. Koeman returned for a second spell in 2023, having previously managed the Netherlands from 2018 to 2020. He led the team to the Euro 2024 semi-finals ‌and ⁠to the round of 32 at this year’s World Cup, where they were…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited President Bola Tinubu to the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi scheduled for September 12 to 13. Abhishek Singh, Indian high commissioner to Nigeria, confirmed the invitation to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja. “President of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has been invited to the BRICS Summit, which is going to take place in New Delhi in a few weeks from now, and we are very hopeful that the honourable president of Nigeria will be leading a high-powered delegation for the BRICS Summit very soon,” Singh said. “Why do we feel that…

A Police Inspector has been killed in a suspected armed herders’ attack on a joint police and military checkpoint in Uzer community, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State. The incident reportedly occurred when the attackers stormed the security checkpoint, prompting troops of Sector 1, Operation Whirl Stroke, stationed in Ayilamo, alongside mobile policemen, to respond. A local source said the attackers fled into nearby bushes after sighting the advancing security personnel. The source said the troops subsequently launched a follow-up operation to track the fleeing assailants and restore normalcy in the area. “During the operation, the troops reportedly recovered…

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced a forensic investigation into the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lotus Bank and Hackerbella Ltd over alleged violations of data protection laws. Babatunde Bamigboye, the commission’s head of legal, enforcement and regulations, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Bamigboye said the investigation followed public complaints alleging that students’ personal data were used to open bank accounts without a lawful basis. He said Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the NDPC, had directed the investigation team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances surrounding the collection, use and disclosure of…