Vehicles burnt, motorists feared dead in Abuja tanker explosion (Channels)
Some vehicles were razed on Wednesday when a petrol-laden tanker exploded on Karu Bridge, along the Abuja-Nyanya-Keffi Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), resulting in a massive fire.
The fire destroyed at least 30 vehicles and prompted a significant emergency response. Some motorists were also feared dead in the fire.
The explosion occurred when the tanker, carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), lost control and crashed on the bridge, leading to a fire that rapidly spread to nearby vehicles. Read more
Rivers sparks emergency in NASS (Sun)
Wild echoes of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State reverberated through the two chambers of the National Assembly yesterday. While it stirred rowdiness in the green chamber, members of the red chamber were forced to beat a hasty retreat to restrategise ahead of today’s debate.
The state has been in turmoil for over one year following political political muscle-flexing between Governor Sim Fubara and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The conflict polarised the House of Assembly with 27 of the lawmakers loyal to the former governor and three to the governor. However, Fubara recognised the three lawmakers loyal to him, saying the other 27 had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Read more
Emergency rule in Rivers: FG, Govs disagree (Vanguard)
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said yesterday the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, played no role in the political crisis in River State which resulted in President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on Tuesday.
He also said the federal allocations of River State, withheld amid the crisis, would be released to the sole administrator appointed to take charge of affairs of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas, retd, by President Tinubu, if he requests for it.
The AGF equally said the President’s declaration of a state of emergency was timely and meant to avert an implosion in the state, alleging that the suspended governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, teleguided militants to blow up pipelines in the state. Read more
Ibas vows to restore law, order in Rivers (Guardian)
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas
Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, the Administrator of Rivers, says he will work together with all stakeholders to maintain law and order in the state.
Ibas said this while addressing State House Correspondents after his swearing-in by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Mr Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, and other aides of the President witnessed the short inauguration ceremony at the State House. Read more
Rivers emergency rule: FG deploys 10,000 troops against vandals as opposition, NLC protest (Punch)
The Federal Government has deployed 10,000 Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel to curb further attacks on oil pipelines against the backdrop of the blasts at oil installations in Rivers State between Sunday and Tuesday.
The NSCDC spokesperson, Afolabi Babawale, confirmed the deployment of anti-vandal operatives to The PUNCH on Wednesday, stating that the operatives were tasked with protecting critical infrastructure and preventing pipeline vandalism, particularly in the Niger Delta.
“The NSCDC hereby warns against destruction and vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure across the Niger Delta as over 10,000 operatives have been deployed to collaborate with other security agencies to provide adequate peace and security of lives and property,” Babawale said. Read more
El-Rufai to Tinubu: You’ve no justification for suspending Fubara, others (Tribune)
Former Kaduna State governor and chieftain of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Nasir El-Rufai, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider his decision to suspend elected officials in his emergency rule declaration in Rivers State.
Tribune Online reports that the President, during a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, declared a state of emergency in Rivers over a protracted political crisis while also suspending the governor, Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy; and members of the state assembly.
El-Rufai, in a statement released via his personal X account on Wednesday, said the action was wrong, adding that the justifications summoned by the Tinubu-led government in their defence fell flat. Read more
Fuel price may rise as Naira-for-crude deal stalls (DailyTrust)
Barring any last-minute intervention by the federal government, fuel price may rise as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Wednesday announced suspension of sales of products in Naira.
Although the suspension is temporary, according to the management of the 650,000-barrel per day refinery, it was aimed at matching its “sales proceeds with crude oil purchase” obligations.
President Bola Tinubu had directed the sale of crude oil to Dangote in Naira as part of measures to reduce the price of petrol. Read more
Over 90% of Nigerian lands unregistered, says Housing minister (Nation)
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has said over 90 per cent of land in Nigeria remains unregistered.
He said this has resulted in over 300 billion dollars loss due to longstanding land registration challenges.
Dangiwa said this at the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP), a national workshop organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Abuja. Read more
Jonathan Majors reportedly marries Megan Good amidst new controversy (HNHH)
Jonathan Majors and Megan Good were allegedly wed in a private ceremony, but the latter’s legal issues persist.
Jonathan Majors has had one of the most unpredictable and controversial careers of any actor over the past few years. He went from being a burgeoning superstar, and center of the Marvel universe, to being found guilty of assault and harassment. Jonathan Majors has attempted to rehabilitate his image, and his relationship with Megan Good has gone a long way in helping. The couple has become the very image of domestic bliss. And now, they’ve reportedly tied the knot. Read more
Thousands of South Africans express interest in US resettlement plan (AfricaNews)
Nearly 70,000 South Africans have shown interest in relocating to the United States following Washington’s initiative to resettle members of the country’s Afrikaner community, according to a business group.
The South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA (Saccusa) reported that its website was inundated with registrations from individuals seeking more details about the program.
In a February executive order, President Donald Trump stated that Afrikaners—descendants of predominantly Dutch settlers from the 17th Century—qualified for refugee status as they were “victims of unjust racial discrimination.” Read more
Kuwait strips tens of thousands of citizens of nationality (Semafor)
More than 40,000 Kuwaitis have been stripped of their nationality over the past six months — a purge that has accelerated since Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al Sabah dissolved the country’s parliament in May.
The government says the process targets those who have obtained the nationality illegally, but human rights groups say political opponents are affected, and that the country, once a democratic example in the region, is moving toward autocracy.
Kuwait’s economy contracted in each of the past two years, and reducing the number of citizens means fewer people will benefit from the “generous advantages offered by the Kuwaiti welfare state,” an expert told France24. Read more
Malaysia green-lights new MH370 search in Indian Ocean (BBC)
The Malaysian cabinet has approved a fresh search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, more than a decade after the aircraft vanished.
The search will cover a 15,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean, under a “no find, no fee” agreement with the exploration firm Ocean Infinity.
The company will receive $70m (£56m) if the wreckage is found, transport minister Loke Siew Fook announced. Read more
Video of Kamala Harris warning about a 2nd Trump presidency is going viral (HuffPost)
During her bid for the White House in 2024, former US Vice President Kamala Harris warned of the perils of a second Donald Trump presidency, and her words are ringing true for many in hindsight.
A video posted to TikTok in late February shows a montage of Harris speaking about how Trump’s plans would reverse progress in the US, hike up prices and lead to the elimination of the Department of Education — as laid out in Project 2025.
In a clip from an October 2024 interview with CBS Evening News host Norah O’Donnell that was posted to TikTok in February, O’Donnell tells Harris that Trump denied his connection to Project 2025. Read more
Scientists have major breakthrough after Google AI solves 10-year problem in 2 days (Unilad)
A new AI tool from Google solves a 10-year scientific problem in just two days.
Researchers at Imperial College London were testing out Alphabet’s new tool. They feed it a short prompt about how certain superbugs develop resistance to antibiotics – a subject that had puzzled scientists for years. Within moments, the ‘co-scientist’ generated several possible answers, one of which the team instantly recognised to be correct.
“This effectively meant that the algorithm was able to look at the available evidence, analyse the possibilities, ask questions, design experiments and propose the very same hypothesis that we arrived at through years of painstaking scientific research, but in a fraction of the time,” said Professor José Penadés, from Imperial’s Department of Infectious Disease. Read more
2026 World Cup qualifiers: Ekong boasts of Kigali victory (Sun)
The Super Eagles have expressed confidence they will record their first victory in Rwanda Friday to revive their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup.
The three-time African champions are yet to achieve victory over Rwanda in that country, going back to 20 years ago, when a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying match ended 1-1 at the Amahoro Stadium.
In 2011, a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Stade Regional de Nyamirambo, in the outskirts of Kigali, ended scoreless. Read more
Joshua may get WBO title chance (Punch)
Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua could be in line for a shot at the WBO title, as Oleksandr Usyk is expected to relinquish the belt to pursue a unification bout with IBF champion Daniel Dubois.
The WBO has ordered Usyk to defend his title against mandatory challenger Joseph Parker, but the Ukrainian heavyweight champion is reportedly prioritising a fight with Dubois instead.
“The WBO is planning to hold a fight between Usyk and Parker, but it will not happen. The Ukrainian is aiming for a fight with Dubois, they will play for three titles,” boxing expert Spencer Oliver said. Read more
Nick Kyrgios was “pretty close to crying” after first win since 2022 (Tennis)
As Mackenzie McDonald’s last forehand sailed long on Wednesday afternoon, Nick Kyrgios turned to his team and pointed to his temple, then closed his eyes and appeared to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist had just closed out an emotional 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against the American, scoring his first match win in almost three years at the Miami Open presented by Itau amid a long battle with injuries and undergoing surgery for his troublesome right wrist.
“It was pretty heavy for me, personally,” Kyrgios admitted in a post-match interview. “Just the day-by-day process to even be able to hit a tennis ball again was insane. I spoke to my team after Indian Wells, and I was like, I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for. Read more
Mak Whitham makes NWSL history with senior debut at just 14 years old (Fourfourtwo)
Young forward Mak Whitham is only just entering her teenage years, but is already knocking on the door of Gotham FC’s senior side (Image credit: Getty Images)
Gotham FC forward Mak Whitham made history over the weekend when she became the youngest-ever player to appear in a senior National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) game.
The young forward was just 14 years and 8 months old when she replaced Esther Gonzalez in the third minute of stoppage time in Gotham’s game against Seattle Reign.
But Whitham is no stranger to breaking records – only last year she became the youngest player to sign with an NWSL team, signing a four-year contract while still 13 years old. Read more
Edinburgh to stage start of Tour de France in 2027 (BBC)
The men’s and women’s Tour de France will both begin in Britain in 2027, with Edinburgh to host the men’s Grand Depart.
Scotland, Wales and England will put on a stage in each of the events, with route details and the Grand Depart for the Tour de France Femmes to be announced in the autumn.The men’s version of the world’s most famous cycling race has been partly staged in Britain four times before, in 1974, 1994, 2007 and 2014. Read more