Author: Alade Adisa

Pope Francis has opted to be buried in a wooden casket when he is laid to rest – amending a centuries-old tradition of a decorated send off as he works to simplify papal customs. The 87-year-old pontiff – who turns 88 next month – enacted a new set of liturgical rites aimed at modernizing the Catholic Church that scraps lengthy, garish funeral practices his predecessors observed upon their deaths, Reuters reported. When he dies, Francis will now be immediately placed in a single wooden casket lined with zinc, rather than the three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead and oak.…

An Italian village is offering villas for $1 to Americans who were distressed and looking to flee the country after Donald Trump’s decisive 2024 presidential election win. The village of Ollolai, located in central Sardinia, is offering real estate for as little as $1.06 in a pitch to woo Americans who fancy the ex-pat lifestyle in the wake of the Nov. 5 election results, according to a new statement from Commune di Ollolai. “Are you worned (sic) out by global politics?” a website for the town wrote in a new advert. “Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing…

Finnish-Nigerian separatist leader, Simon Ekpa, and four other individuals have been arrested in Finland on charges related to terrorism. According to Finnish media reports, Ekpa, who has declared himself the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile, was remanded by the district court of Päijät-Häme. He is reportedly under investigation for public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent. In a statement released on Thursday, Finland’s Central Criminal Police confirmed the arrest of five suspects in connection with terrorist activities. The arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on individuals accused of inciting violence and engaging in acts…

…After a three-month hiatus In its ongoing efforts to ramp up oil production and enhance its refining capacity, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has started buying crude oil from the United States again The latest purchase comes after the firm has stopped purchasing crude from foreign countries, focusing instead on domestic supply. According to Bloomberg on Wednesday, the cargo conveying two million barrels of WTI Midland crude from Chevron Corp is due to be delivered to the refinery next month. The latest development may be an indication that the naira-for-crude initiative by the Federal Government may have stalled or that the…

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (NAU) in Anambra State, Professor Bernard Odoh, whose appointment was nullified by the Federal Ministry of Education on November 1, has reacted to his sack. Reacting to his removal from office, Odoh argued on Wednesday that the ministry has no power to sack him as vice-chancellor of the university. NAU, a federal university in the South-eastern state, is popularly known as UNIZIK. Odoh, had emerged as the seventh substantive vice-chancellor of the university on 29 October but his appointment, recruitment processes and academic profile later became subjects of controversies which…

A gun duel between local security operatives and policemen in Anambra State on Wednesday has left two persons dead and some others injured, NEW DAILY PRIME has learnt. It was gathered that that the exchange, which lasted several minutes happened at the Izuchukwu Junction, Nnobi/Nnewi Road. According to some eyewitnesses in the area, a vehicle also caught fire when bullets hit the fuel tank during the incident, creating more pandemonium in the area. A source said, “The incident happened last night (Wednesday). We just saw security operatives engaging oen another in a gun battle and during the incident, two passers-by…

A confrontation between a soldier and police officers in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital on Wednesday has left one person dead and three others injured. According to reports, the incident occurred in Ugwuachara village, Ebonyi Local Government Area, when the policemen attempted to search a soldier on a motorcycle during a stop-and-search operation. The report said a scuffle broke out as the soldier allegedly tried to disarm one of the officers and during the altercation, a firearm discharged, fatally striking a bystanding labourer. Confirming the incident, Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, stated, “The soldier was trying to disarm…

New Manchester United boss, Ruben Amorim, has revealed his reason for joining the top Premier League club.Amorim, who left his Portuguese top-flight side, Sporting CP, to move to Old Trafford, claimed he felt a connection with the Red Devils, which pushed him to join the club. The 39-year-old former Portugal international added that Manchester United’s history also drove him, and he wanted to ensure they were back to their best. He told United’s official website that it was important for him to connect with the people at the club. “First of all, I think I felt a connection with the…

The Russian domestic intelligence service, the FSB, has reportedly arrested a German citizen in Kaliningrad on Wednesday for allegedly planning acts of sabotage. Upon entering the Russian Baltic Sea exclave from Poland, 50 grams of liquid explosives were allegedly seized in his car, which he had driven from his home in Hamburg. According to the Russian news agency, the FSB alleged that the man had received orders from a Ukrainian man who also lives in Hamburg to carry out some sort of attack. Russian authorities also suspect the German man of having carried out an explosives attack on a gas…

A charity organization on Wednesday organized a mass wedding ceremony for about 240 grooms and brides in western Afghanistan’s Herat province. Mawlawi Abdul Sadiqi, head of the organization said each newlywed couple was gifted household appliances, including carpet, blanket, and kitchen tools valued at 100,000 afghani (about 1,460 U.S. dollars). Young people may have to wait for years to have their wedding ceremonies due to unemployment, the economic crisis, the high cost of lavish dowries and expensive gifts in the poverty-stricken country.Earlier, a mass wedding event was held in northern Sari Pul province, where 100 couples got married. The Afghan…