Russian athletes will remain banned from international competitions after the IAAF upheld the country’s suspension into 2019. Athletics’ governing body banned Russia in November 2015 because of evidence of state-sponsored doping. The ban will remain in place until samples and…
First Soyuz rocket launches since failure (BBC)
Three astronauts have blasted off on the first manned Soyuz rocket launch since a dramatic failure in October. Astronauts from Russia, the US and Canada left from Kazakhstan on a mission bound for the International Space Station at 17:30 (11:30…
Sea clash staged by Ukraine, says Putin (BBC)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine’s leader, Petro Poroshenko, of trying to boost his ratings ahead of 2019 elections with a naval confrontation off Crimea. Russian FSB border guards opened fire on two Ukrainian gunboats and a tug before…
‘Faulty sensor’ led to Soyuz rocket failure (BBC)
A Russian Soyuz rocket capsule was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after launch last month because of a faulty sensor, investigators say. Russian officials believe the component was damaged during assembly. They warned that two other Soyuz rockets…
Russian goalkeeper Akinfeev retires from international football (Guardian)
CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, Russia’s World Cup team captain, announced Monday he was retiring from international football after playing 111 times for his country. Akinfeev, 32, said after 15 years with the national side he had decided to give…
Na wa o! 15-year-old boy saw-off own head from body after losing a computer game (DailyTrust)
A 15-year-old Russian boy has allegedly killed himself in a disturbing manner after losing a computer game. It’s believed 15-year-old Pavel Mateev inflicted wounds on himself with a chainsaw. Mateev is reported to have been addicted to the computer game…
Russia loses its largest weapons buyer (Uawire)
India, which has been the largest buyer of Russian weapons in the world market, suspended existing contracts payments to Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport and refused to sign the new ones, including the purchase of fighters and S-400 missile systems. The…
Star Lager beer excites customers with cash, prizes worth N400m
Star Lager beer launched one of its biggest promo tagged Star United We Shine Millionaires Promo; one of the biggest ever giveaway by Nigerian Breweries aimed at rewarding its loyal customers with cash and prizes worth over 400 million Naira.…
Nigerian development tragedy: the affliction of image deficit and the way out -Magnus Onyibe
Our dear country seems doomed to remain mired in negative publicity. That is even as headlines heralding horrific events like gruesome murders of civilians by herdsmen , suicide bombings by religious insurgents like Boko Haram and mind-boggling sums of public…
75 stranded World Cup fans absconded in Russia, says Foreign Affairs ministry (Guardian)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says 75 out of 230 stranded Nigerian Football fans absconded in Russia after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The ministry’s spokesperson, Dr. Tope Elias-Fatile, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja that…