Author: Opalim Lifted

About 600 women, children and older people have reportedly been abducted after gunmen attacked worshippers at a mosque in Niger State, north-central Nigeria. An armed group released a video on Sunday showing large groups of people seated in a forested area surrounded by armed men. Several children could be heard crying in the background. Residents said the people shown in the footage were among those abducted during attacks on several communities in the area. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, while police and Niger State authorities did not respond to requests for comment. The video emerged…

A passenger was treated for injuries after a laptop caught fire aboard an American Airlines flight travelling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. American Airlines Flight 2398, operated by an Airbus A321, was approaching Dallas when smoke was reported from a passenger’s device. The pilot alerted air traffic control to a “cabin fire in the back of the airplane”, while flight attendants worked to extinguish and contain the fire. According to audio obtained by CBS News, the pilot said around four or five passengers may have been burned by the laptop. The device was eventually contained,…

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecast cloudy weather, thunderstorms and rainfall across several parts of Nigeria on Monday, August 24, 2026. According to NiMet’s daily weather outlook, northern states are expected to experience patches of cloud in the morning, followed by thunderstorms and moderate rainfall in the afternoon and evening. In the North-Central region, cloudy conditions are expected in the morning, with isolated thunderstorms and moderate rainfall forecast across most parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Niger and Plateau states later in the day. Southern states are also expected to experience cloudy skies in the…

A magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck parts of Japan, including Tokyo, Ibaraki, Saitama and Chiba, early Sunday, injuring several people and disrupting train services across the region. The earthquake struck at around 2am, with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) recording its epicentre in southern Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of 68 kilometres. The agency warned residents to remain alert for further strong earthquakes over the following week, particularly during the first two to three days. It said tremors could reach lower 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, a level at which people are typically frightened and may need to hold onto something,…

Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has died after battling stage-four cancer. His daughter, Kira Hassan, confirmed his death in an emotional Instagram Live video on Sunday, saying, “My daddy is dead. I can’t believe it.” The development was also announced by popular entertainment TV platform Emiralty Africa, which posted, “Ogogo is dead!!! “We feel sad to announce the death of star filmmaker, Alhaji Taiwo Hassan Ogogo.” Ogogo’s death came only hours after Kira had spoken publicly about the challenges surrounding her father’s illness and accused some individuals of attempting to profit from the family’s…

Brighton kicked off their new Premier League campaign in emphatic fashion by thrashing Europa League winners Aston Villa 4-0 at Amex Stadium. It only took the Seagulls eight minutes to take the lead as Maxim de Cuyper forced an own goal out of Victor Lindelof before the Belgian added his name to the scoresheet 10 minutes later with an easy finish to make it 2-0. Villa crumbled as Jack Hinshelwood then struck two goals in as many minutes to put Brighton 4-0 up, before the visitors were reduced to 10 men following a red card for Joao Gomes, who lasted…

A landslide at a landfill in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, has killed 30 people after heavy overnight rains caused a massive mound of waste to collapse onto nearby tents and makeshift homes. The disaster occurred at about 2am (0200 GMT) on Sunday in the Gbessia commune, according to a government statement. Six people were seriously injured, while another 16 sustained minor injuries. Rescue workers used excavators and other equipment to clear the debris, with witnesses saying the landslide was large enough to bury an apartment building alongside more precarious dwellings. One woman, Cire Diallo, told reporters at the scene that all…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to disclose whether the Commission has exercised its statutory power to prescribe limits on political contributions under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026. SERAP also urged INEC to publish the applicable limits and widely communicate them to political parties, candidates, donors and the Nigerian public. The organisation made the demand in a Freedom of Information request dated August 22, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. SERAP urged INEC to disclose the systems, personnel and procedures…

Iran has dismissed the threat of fresh US sanctions as an act of desperation, insisting that new measures will fail to force Tehran into submission. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made the remarks on Sunday after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to impose what he described as “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran. Bessent is expected to address the issue at a press conference on Monday at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). Iran’s economy is already under severe pressure from international sanctions, while its infrastructure has suffered repeated attacks. Thousands of people have also been killed in airstrikes…

Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has criticised the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, arguing that the removal of fuel subsidy has increased government revenue while worsening hardship for Nigerians. Duke said the ongoing exchanges between the Tinubu administration and opposition parties showed that the President was unwilling to review or reverse what he described as key “anti-people policies” of his administration. His comments come as political parties and presidential candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 election, with economic policies and the impact of the Federal Government’s reforms…