Author: Alade Adisa

Succour appears on the horizon for the imprisoned leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, as South Africa’s Constitutional Court, on February 18, 2025, issued two orders that open the door for him to submit fresh applications challenging his imprisonment. These applications are expected to receive urgent consideration. According to a statement from Okah’s legal team released on Saturday, the February 18 orders followed a decision by South Africa’s Judicial Conduct Committee on February 12, which approved a judicial inquiry into Okah’s allegations of sabotage against former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Okah sought…

The Trump administration sent emails to U.S. federal government employees on Saturday evening telling them to detail their work accomplishments from the previous week by Monday night or risk losing their jobs. The emails came shortly after Elon Musk, the billionaire head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) posted on the social media site X that not responding to the email request would be viewed as a resignation. “All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a…

Manchester United staged a late comeback before being saved by VAR as they avoided plunging deeper into crisis with a dramatic draw at Everton. Everton’s resurgence under returning manager David Moyes – once of United – was poised to continue as the hosts exerted total domination in the first 45 minutes to establish a deserved two-goal lead at Goodison Park. They exposed every United flaw in that opening half, Beto turning in his fifth goal under Moyes in the 19th minute after a goalmouth scramble before Abdoulaye Doucoure headed them two ahead. The second Everton goal was a desperate moment…

The candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the local government election in Osun State have been declared winners of the 30 LGAs and 323 wards. Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC), Hashim Abioye announced the result after the exercise on Saturday. He said, “It was conducted in compliance with constitutional provisions and extant laws, regulations and guidelines. The election was conducted to fill the existing vacancies in the 332 wards and 30 local government areas in Osun State. “The election was contested by 18 political parties and results have been submitted to the commission. The…

….Wins CPAC straw poll with overwhelming majority United States Vice President JD Vance was the overwhelming choice of Grand Old Party (GOP) activists to be the 2028 Republican presidential nominee, according to the annual straw poll of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). In results released Saturday afternoon, Vance was the choice of 61% of CPAC attendees. Former Trump counselor and conservative activist, Steve Bannon came in a distant second with 12%, while Florida Gov. and one-time Trump rival, Ron DeSantis came in third with 7% support. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and incoming UN ambassador Elise Stefanik both had…

Pope Francis is in a critical condition after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican has said. Francis, 88, who has been hospitalised for a week with a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed a condition associated with anemia, the Vatican said in an update today. ‘The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved,’ the statement said. Earlier, doctors said Francis was battling pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection…

Two leading broadcasters in Nigeria, Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Channels Television, have issued apologies to the Department of State Services (DSS) over their coverage of the recent events at the Lagos State House of Assembly. On Monday, February 17, 2025, AIT broadcast a news item reporting the presence of DSS operatives at the Lagos State House of Assembly. However, the station has since acknowledged that aspects of the report may have been incomplete and could have misrepresented the agency’s presence. In an official statement, AIT stated, “AIT News wishes to apologise to the Department of State Services (DSS) for…

·The Trump administration’s efforts to normalize relations with Russia are causing concern in China, which has a strategic partnership with Russia. ·China fears that a U.S.-Russia rapprochement could diminish Moscow’s dependence on Beijing and potentially weaken their alliance. ·Washington aims to disrupt Russia’s ties with China, Iran, and North Korea as part of its strategy to manage long-term competition with China. The quick pace of U.S. diplomacy around ending the war in Ukraine and steps by Washington to normalize relations with Moscow have sparked fears in Kyiv and European capitals about being sidelined and saddled with a peace deal that…

A federal judge on Friday paved the way for the Trump administration to move forward with plans to remove thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) workers from their jobs. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied a request from labor groups to issue a preliminary injunction after the Trump administration said thousands of USAID employees would be placed on administrative leave and ordered agency personnel abroad to return to the U.S. within 30 days. “Weighing plaintiffs’ assertions on these questions against the government’s is like comparing apples to oranges. Where one side claims that USAID’s operations are essential to…

The Federal Government has reduced the proposed hike in telecommunications tariffs from 50 percent to 35 following relentless pressure from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Sources said this decision came after a meeting between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) officials, government representatives, and labour leaders at the National Security Adviser (NSA’s) office on Friday, February 21, 2025. According to those in the know, the meeting, which lasted for about three hours, saw NLC officials strongly opposing the tariff increase, and after persistent demands, the government and the NCC agreed to lower the proposed hike by 15%. An official announcement confirming…