Author: Opalim Lifted

Russia has renewed its warning to diplomats and foreign nationals in Kyiv to leave the Ukrainian capital, threatening further “massive” strikes. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued the warning on Saturday as Moscow continued its campaign of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. In a statement, the ministry said it had previously urged foreign nationals and diplomats in Kyiv to leave the city and avoid travelling to Ukraine. It said some people had ignored the warnings and were “knowingly exposing themselves to mortal danger”. “The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will continue to deliver massive retaliatory strikes,” the ministry warned.…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and injured flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar to light a flame at Israel’s Independence Day national ceremony next May. Netanyahu made the announcement during a telephone conversation with Machchhar, who is recovering in hospital in the United Arab Emirates after an alleged attack inside the cockpit of a flydubai aircraft. The role of lighting the flame is usually reserved for Israeli citizens. “You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you are a hero of the entire world,” Netanyahu told…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Attorney General has said the co-pilot of a flydubai flight bound for Israel attempted to carry out a “terrorist act” by attacking the captain with an emergency axe. The UAE state news agency WAM reported on Saturday that Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi disclosed the findings from the initial investigation into Wednesday’s incident. According to Al Shamsi, the co-pilot attacked the captain inside the cockpit and attempted to take control of the aircraft. “The co-pilot had attempted to carry out a terrorist act” and had “attacked the captain in the cockpit with the emergency…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced investigations into the safety of disposable sanitary pads following concerns over potentially harmful chemicals in some products. The agency also said it had begun assessing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in selected sanitary pads with valid marketing authorisation. The development follows growing concerns over findings from a 2024 study on VOCs in sanitary pads sold in Nigeria. The study, conducted by researchers from the Nigerian Defence Academy and published in the Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, analysed 65 sanitary pad samples and detected 20 VOCs. NAFDAC…

Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, has alleged that policies under President Bola Tinubu’s administration contributed to the death of his mother. Amaechi made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today aired on Friday. He said the rising cost of medicines under the Tinubu administration made it increasingly difficult for his family to afford the drugs needed to care for his mother before her death. According to him, the economic situation has also made healthcare unaffordable for many Nigerians. “Because policies are killing people. I’ve lost my mother,” he said.…

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to ease the rising cost of living, saying Nigerians are struggling with expensive transport, food and other basic necessities. Atiku, speaking on Friday through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, said President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address did not sufficiently reflect the economic pressures facing ordinary Nigerians. According to him, high petrol prices continue to drive up transport fares and the cost of food and other essentials, with the impact felt from filling…

Argentina’s government has announced a new citizenship-by-investment programme offering foreigners a pathway to citizenship if they invest at least $350,000 in the country. The programme, announced by President Javier Milei’s government on Friday, is aimed at attracting foreign capital as Argentina seeks to strengthen its economy and financial position. According to the government, applicants can obtain citizenship through one of two investment options. The first is a non-refundable contribution of $350,000 to the National Treasury. The second involves subscribing to an $800,000 government bond created specifically for the programme. Spouses and children of successful applicants will also be eligible for…

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has recounted his experience with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the end of his tenure as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying the commission eventually cleared him of any wrongdoing in an investigation involving the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Plc. Soludo spoke on Friday during the commissioning of the EFCC Awka Zonal Directorate Complex, which will serve Anambra and Imo states. The governor said he was invited for questioning after his name was mentioned in connection with an EFCC investigation into the activities of the Mint, where…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had justified the confidence reposed in it, citing its convictions, asset recoveries and other achievements in the fight against corruption. The President spoke in Awka, Anambra State, at the commissioning of the EFCC’s new Zonal Directorate, as the anti-graft agency moved to deepen its presence in the South-East and place greater emphasis on preventing corruption. Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Tinubu said the EFCC’s work was consistent with his administration’s drive to reform the economy and promote good governance. “Supporting the…

Global life expectancy has almost returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, but recovery in the number of years people live in good health remains slower, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. According to the WHO’s latest Global Health Estimates, global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, compared with 73.4 years in 2019 before the pandemic. Life expectancy fell sharply during the Covid-19 crisis, reaching 71.5 years in 2021. “Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health,” said Alain Labrique, head of the WHO’s data department. “The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived…