Author: Opalim Lifted

The presence of police officers was recorded at the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, as both the embattled National Secretary of the party, Samuel Anyawu and Ude Okoye, whom the Court of Appeal declared as the authentic National Secretary of the party are set to resume work today.  Both Anyawu and Okoye are laying claim to the office of the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party. Already, there is a minimal presence of police personnel at the PDP HQ, along with some supporters of both Anyawu and Okoye. The ongoing rustle started after Anyway…

Thailand’s cabinet has approved a draft law that would legalise gambling and casinos, a move aimed at boosting tourism, jobs and investment, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Monday. Under the government’s plan, the law, which will be sent to parliament for deliberation, would see gambling take place in large-scale entertainment complexes. Casinos and most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand but soccer betting and underground gaming activities and lotteries are rife, with vast sums of money changing hands. Only some gambling is permitted, such as state-controlled horse races and on an official lottery. Neighbours, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines,…

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) says refusal to assist a police officer under attack could result in a fine of N100,000 and a prison term of up to three months. Muyiwa Adejobi, the force spokesperson, said anyone who fails to assist an officer in distress is committing an offence. Adejobi stated on X, “Section 98 Police Act 2020: A person who assaults, obstructs or resists a police officer in the discharge of his duty, or aids or incites any other person to assault, obstruct or resist an officer or other person aiding or assisting the police officer in the discharge…

Ghana President John Mahama has reduced the country’s ministries from 30 to 23 in a bid to cut government spending. Mahama’s decision – an executive order – to trim the number of government ministries was contained in a gazette dated January 9 – two days after he took office. The West African country would no longer have the ministries of information, sanitation and water resources, national security, railway development, parliamentary affairs, public enterprises, and chieftaincy and religious affairs. The scrapped ministries were in place under Nana Akufo-Addo, immediate-past president of Ghana. The order established the ministries of finance, health, interior,…

Croatia’s populist President Zoran Milanovic was re-elected in a landslide, defeating his conservative rival in Sunday’s run-off, official results showed. Milanovic took more than 74 percent of the vote and Dragan Primorac, backed by the centre-right HDZ party that governs Croatia, almost 26 percent, with nearly all the votes counted. It was the highest score achieved by a presidential candidate since the former Yugoslav republic’s independence in 1991. While the role of the president is largely ceremonial in Croatia, Milanovic’s wide victory is the latest setback for the HDZ and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic — Milanovic’s political arch-rival — after…

Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning penalty as a 10-man Manchester United, Man United beat Arsenal in a thrilling encounter to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup. Man United had to play with 10 men for nearly an hour after Diogo Dalot was shown a second yellow card, having mistimed a tackle on Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino. Man United took the lead through an excellent Bruno Fernandes goal in the 52nd minute, after Alejandro Garnacho took advantage of a Gabriel slip and crossed for Fernandes to curl the ball into the top corner. Dalot was sent off in the…

Tottenham turned beating National League Tamworth into a monumental task and came close to abject humiliation before reaching the FA Cup fourth round after extra time. Ange Postecoglou’s side were mind-numbingly poor in normal time at the Lamb Ground, then required a scrambled own goal from Tamworth’s Nathan Tshikuna to break the deadlock after 101 minutes. Substitute Dejan Kulusevski added a superb strike, and then Brennan Johnson curled in a third after Postecoglou was forced to introduce his biggest attacking weaponry to break down Tamworth. The home side, 96 places below Tottenham in the fifth tier of football’s pyramid, performed…

US President-elect Donald Trump accused California officials on Sunday of incompetence over their handling of deadly wildfires raging around Los Angeles. “The fires are still raging in LA The incompetent pols (politicians) have no idea how to put them out,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he wrote. The speed and intensity of the blazes ravaging Los Angeles have tested its firefighting infrastructure and given rise to questions and criticism about the state’s preparedness. Hydrants…

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake rattled a region of southwest Mexico on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The tremor was centered eight kilometers (five miles) from Coalcoman de Vazquez Pallares, a municipality of around 20,000 people which is about 600 kilometers west of the capital Mexcio City. The quake struck at a depth of 86.2 kilometers. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on social media platform X that the national emergency services had reported “there are no new developments and are initiating review protocols” in Coalcoman. Mexico lies on five tectonic…

Davido, the award-winning Nigerian singer, is set to release ‘5ive’, his highly anticipated fifth studio album, in March. The release date was confirmed via the pre-save link the singer shared on his social media pages. ‘5ive’ is scheduled to be released on March 14. The announcement comes after the releases of ‘Awuke‘ featuring YG Marley and ‘Funds‘, two tracks from the upcoming body of work, in 2024. In December, the 32-year-old Afrobeats star revealed that his upcoming album is “my story, my truth and my growth”. “My people. The journey continues in 2025 with my new album ‘5IVE’. This is…