Author: Agency Reporter

Gunmen have killed three soldiers, who were guarding an oil pipeline in Benin, a military source said Tuesday, in the latest attack in the West African country where jihadist violence is rising.”Four soldiers were also wounded and are receiving emergency care” after the incident Monday in the northeastern city of Malanville, the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to discuss it.The troops were part of Operation Mirador, launched in 2022 to secure Benin’s borders amid a surge of jihadist violence in West Africa, the officer said.Malanville sits on Benin’s border with Niger, which…

Namibia was headed for its first woman president with two-thirds of the votes from last week’s election counted by early Tuesday, giving the governing party candidate a strong lead in a vote the main opposition has already rejected as a sham.Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah from the SWAPO party that has led the mineral-rich country since independence 34 years ago had just over 54 percent of votes, according to an electoral commission tally of nearly 66 percent of votes.The leader of the main opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), Panduleni Itula, was well behind with just over 28 percent of votes,…

The Federal Capital Territory has successfully placed 61,384 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) on treatment.Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCT Administration, stated this in Abuja on Monday, at a press conference to commemorate the 2024 World AIDS Day.Fasawe said that the day, with the theme, “Take the Right Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV Among Children”, calls for renewed focus on addressing pediatric HIV and safeguarding the rights of everyone affected by the disease.She described the World AIDS Day, commemorated every Dec. 1 as a day to unite efforts, increase awareness, support those living with…

The Nigeria Sex Workers Association (NSWA) has appealed to authorities of law enforcement agencies to protect its members nationwide from harassment and abuse.NSWA made the appeal in a statement by its National Coordinator, Amaka Enemo, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.Enemo said that recent reports indicate a disturbing rise in physical assaults, harassment and extortion of sex workers by both clients and law enforcement officials.She urged law enforcement agencies to recognise the humanity of sex workers and protect them from violence and abuse.Enemo said that sex workers were not criminals, but individuals with rights, who deserved the…

Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, on Monday, said the federal government did not intend to withdraw the controversial tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly.Speaking at a town hall meeting on “Tax Reform Bills: Charting the Way Forward”, which was hosted by a national television, Oyedele said the committee was rather ready to repeat engagements with stakeholders.There had been growing calls by some northern politicians that the bills be withdrawn to allow for further engagements following the controversies they had generated since their introduction.However, Oyedele explained that contrary to speculations, there…

Workers at Volkswagen factories across Germany have begun strikes after the manufacturer threatened to close plants amid falling demand and a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles.Workers on their morning shifts went on strike for two hours, while those on the evening shift plan to leave work early in protest at the carmaker’s demands, which include a 10% wage cut.At Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg, which employs 70,000 people, a two-hour strike means several hundred cars cannot be built, union sources said.In addition to Wolfsburg and Hanover, which employs a further 14,000 staff, plants affected include Zwickau, VW’s EV-only plant, where…

On November 26, the old Port Harcourt refinery commenced crude oil processing and also began the loading of petroleum products for trucks after years of being moribund.The NNPC said the petroleum products loaded from the refinery’s gantry were premium motor spirit (PMS), also called petrol; automotive gas oil (AGO), otherwise called diesel, and kerosene.The NNPC also disclosed that the refinery began daily production of straight-run petrol (naphtha), which is blended into 1.4 million litres of petrol.The national oil firm said the refinery incorporates crack C5, a blending component from Indorama Petrochemicals — its sister company — to produce “gasoline that…

Baba Yusuf, CEO of Global Investment and Trade Company, has shared critical insights on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proposed tax reforms, emphasising the need for strategic implementation and stakeholder engagement.Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Sunday, about the reform bill, Yusuf cautioned against partial implementation of the reforms, stressing that selective adoption of measures would render the reforms ineffective.“We are very good with bringing up policies but the implementation is always the problem. The fiscal policy and tax reform will only be successful if it goes pari passu with critical suucess factors.“We hope this policy will not be one that when…

More than 50 people are feared dead after clashes between fans and a stampede at a football match in southeast Guinea, according to the government.Videos shared online, which have not been verified by Sky News, show several children spotted among the people on the ground, while images show fans scrambling over walls.Guinea’s government has said around 56 people have been killed and more injured after violence broke out over a contested goal.Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah said the government “deplores the incidents that marred the football match”.”During the stampede, victims were recorded,” he added, without confirming the number of deaths.A…

Figures show 170 under-18s have been killed in the West Bank and more than 1,400 have been injured in a crackdown since the 7 October attacks, according to DCI Palestine and Save the Children. The Israel Defence Forces say Palestinian children often participate in violence.In a West Bank clinic, the father of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy showed us where the bullet shot by an Israeli soldier entered his son’s neck and where it left his small body through his spine.Kareem Sharaab had been outside his home when the Israeli military entered his village in the occupied West Bank.He’d been sent…