News & Announcements

In a move that observers have said looked like spiting the United States, Turkey on Sunday urged Kosovo against opening an embassy in Jerusalem, saying doing so would undermine UN resolutions and hurt the Palestinian cause.

“We call on the leadership of Kosovo to abide by these [UN] decisions to refrain from such steps that would undermine the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and may also prevent Kosovo from being recognized by other states in the future,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement cited various UN resolutions stressing that the Palestinian issue can only be solved with an independent, sovereign, and geographically contiguous Palestinian state, with its capital in East Jerusalem, based on the pre-1967 borders.

On Saturday, Kosovar President Hashim Thaci tweeted: “I welcome the announcement of Israeli PM [Benjamin] Netanyahu about the genuine intention to recognize Kosovo and establish diplomatic relations. Kosovo will keep its promise to place its diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.”

Also on Twitter, Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti made the same pledge.

Turkey said it was “disappointing” that the majority-Muslim state is considering such a step, which would “constitute a clear violation of international law.”

Turkey, one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo in 2008, has given wholehearted support for Kosovo’s international recognition, the statement added.

“However, we do not find it right to build this process against international law and especially on the suffering of the Palestinian people, whose lands are under occupation,” the statement added.

Turkey’s response came after Serbian and Kosovar leaders met last week in a US-sponsored dialogue in Washington where they reached a historic milestone – agreeing to normalize economic ties.

Serbia and Kosovo signed separate agreements with the US in which Serbia agreed to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Kosovo and Israel also agreed to normalize relations and establish diplomatic ties.

A boat parade in support of US President Donald Trump crowded Lake Travis in Texas on Saturday, generating waves and choppy waters that led at least four boats to sink and others to crash into rocks, local officials said, adding that no one was hurt.
“That was truly an exceptional number of boats,” said Kristen Dark, public information officer for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies patrol the lake. “Several of the boats did sink.”

Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River that is a popular spot for boating, fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities.
Dark said additional officers had been deployed given expectations that the “Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade” would increase the number of vessels on the water, but that they still received a large number of distress calls.

“When they all started moving at once it generated waves,” Dark said.

The event had been advertised on Facebook, calling for boats of “all shapes and sizes” to participate and for owners to decorate their vessels in “patriotic colors and fly as many Trump flags as she can handle.”

Despite the incidents, no injuries or medical emergencies were reported, said Christa Stedman, a spokeswoman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

The Sierra Leone Teaching Service Commission has come under intense recovery in recent times with an emphasis on manpower a personnel development.
The reason for this transformation, according to Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, the minister in charge of the Ministry of Education, who is also the Chief Innovation Officer of Sierra Leone, is to effectively develop the education sector through heavy investment in the workforce.

Taking to his Twitter handle on Saturday, the youthful minister noted that the emphasis is on investing in teachers and the school leaders as a way to improve education in the country.

He said this is why the ministry is strengthening the Teaching Service Commission through rolling out policies for compressive teachers management.
Sengeh said: “You can’t transform education without investing in the workforce (teachers plus school leaders).
“That is why we have strengthened the Teaching Service Commission; roll out compressive policies for teacher management and continue to advocate with and for our teachers,” he said.

Sierra Leone has made huge step in deepening diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates with a state conference with the officials of the Arab nation 
David Moinina Sengeh, the Minister of Education an Chief Innovation Officer of Sierra Leone, disclosed this through his official twitter handle on Friday.
Sengeh revealed that himself and Ohood Al Roumi, the Minisiter of State for Government Development and the Future, had their first bilateral discussion with their UAE officials all aimed at strengthening existing bilateral relations between the two countries.
He further disclosed that the two countries were looking at exploiting opportunities inherent in technology, imagination and digital governance to further the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Sengeh said: “H.E. @OhoodAlRoumi, Minister of State for Government Development and Future, and I had our first bilateral discussions this week to strengthen existing collaborations between #UAE.
“The strengthening will be done by using technology, imagination and digital governance + future @DSTISierraLeone #MOBSSE_SL,” he twitted.

A new £500 million funding package will support trials of a 20-minute COVID-19 test and efforts to explore the benefits of repeatedly testing people for the virus, the Health Secretary has announced.

According to mylondon.news, the money will go towards launching a new community-wide repeat population testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Existing trails in Southampton and Hampshire, using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test, will also be expanded through the new funding.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Testing is a vital line of defense in combating this pandemic.

“Over the past six months, we have built almost from scratch one of the biggest testing systems in the world.

“We need to use every new innovation at our disposal to expand the use of testing, and build the mass testing capability that can help suppress the virus and enable more of the things that make life worth living.

“We are backing innovative new tests that are fast, accurate, and easier to use will maximize the impact and scale of testing, helping us to get back to a more normal way of life.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said saliva-based testing will be used for the pilot in Salford, which will involve the city council and other local partners.

A select number of residents will be invited for a weekly test, with the pilot performing up to 250 tests a day.

The initial focus will be on high footfall areas of Salford, such as retail areas, public services, transport, and faith spaces.

Its aim is to identify positive coronavirus cases early, including for those with no or minor symptoms, so people can self-isolate.

Results will inform how regular repeat community testing could be scaled up across the country.

In Southampton, the second phase of a no-swab saliva test pilot is due to begin this week.

It will see a weekly testing model trialed with more than 2,100 pupils and staff across four schools.

The work is led by a partnership of the University of Southampton, Southampton City Council, and the NHS.

Meanwhile, in Hampshire the pilot of a rapid 20-minute coronavirus test will be expanded “to further explore the applications of mobile testing in different settings”, the DHSC said.

Funding will also be used to extend the capacity for existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing currently being used in the UK.

Even when Nigerian citizens are still battling with the economic realities imposed by COVID-19 and the country’s poor leadership approach to governance, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, increased the pump price of petrol.

This was done through the regulatory body, the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), which upped the cost of petrol from N125 to N151.56. 

D.O Abalaka of PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), conveyed the latest increment in a circular to depot owners in the country which was obtained by journalists.

The circular reads: “Please be informed that a new product price adjustment has been effected on our payment platform. To this end, the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), fuel), is now one hundred and fifty-one naira, fifty-six kobo (N151.56k) per liter. This takes effect from September 2, 2020.”

Meanwhile, no sooner was the increase announced than marketers of the product started adjusting their pump prices.  

It’s likely that the new pump price, which came a day after another increase in electricity tariff, would draw the civil society groups and the Federal Government into battle lines.

Nigerians are worried that the skyrocketing prices of energy in recent times were needless given the excruciating pains COVID-19 had caused to their standard of living.

Observers had picked holes in the Federal Government’s recent deregulation of the downstream sector, saying it does not align with its role of fixing fuel prices.

The much-anticipated fight between Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev will come up at London’s 02 Arena on December 12. This was disclosed by Eddie Hearn, the Match-room promoted.

Daily Mail quoted the promoter as saying that the bout was initially due to take place in June at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but that the coronavirus pandemic forced the contest to be postponed. However, a new date has now been set. 

“Yes, December 12 at the O2 is the plan for AJ,” Hearn told Boxing Scene.

Meanwhile, Epic Sports promoter, John Wirt, who co-promotes Pulev with Top Rank, added: “We are happy that the fight appears to be back on track and that we have new date and site.

“There is still some tweaking to do on the contract but we are optimistic it should be concluded this week.”

The heavyweight boxing calendar appears to be taking shape as Tyson Fury’s third clash with Deontay Wilder could take place a week later, according to talkSPORT.

The much-anticipated showdown reportedly could be held on December 19, which could pave the way for the Battle of Britain between Joshua and Fury in 2021. 

The financial terms for the two blockbuster fight to unify the heavyweight division has been agreed but both Pulev and Wilder could upset the plan.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk’s team are determined to ensure Joshua obeys WBO rules so that the pair will meet in the ring.

Usyk would be the mandatory challenger to the WBO heavyweight belt held by Joshua, should he beat Dereck Chisora in his upcoming fight. The pair could meet in the ring on October 31.

In its sustained fight against terrorism in Nigeria, the army has disclosed that its personnel in the Operation LAFIYA DOLE has eliminated some fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State, North-East Nigeria.
This was disclosed to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday by Major General John Enenche, the Coordinator of the Defence Media Operations, (CDMO).
He disclosed that troops in the air offensives also destroyed compounds housing ISWAP terrorists at Kaza along with the Gulumba Gana – Kumshe axis of the state.
The defense operations spokesman said the airstrikes were in continuation of the sustained offensive against criminal elements in the North East of the country,
Enenche said: “The airstrike was executed on September 1, 2020, following credible human intelligence reports as well as confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions indicating a resurgence of terrorists’ activities in the settlement.
“The identified locations within the settlement were therefore attacked by fighter jets and helicopter gunships dispatched by the air task force, resulting in the destruction of the structures and the neutralization of some of the ISWAP fighters.”

Paul Rusesabagina, an ex-hotel manager whose heroic actions during the 1994 genocide were depicted in ‘Hotel Rwanda’, was arrested on Monday on terrorism charges.

Rusesabagina, as reported by Premium Times, is famous for sheltering over 1,200 people, when extremists massacred more than 800,000 members of the Tutsi and Hutu tribes in 1994.

He was a Hutu manager of a luxury hotel in Rwanda at the time and his bravery is the real-life inspiration of the 2004 oscar-nominated movie, ‘Hotel Rwanda’.

A Rwandan news site, Newtimes, reported the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), as saying that Rusesabagina has been the subject of an International Arrest Warrant for multiple charges, including terrorism, arson, kidnap and murder.

The newspaper quoted Thierry Murangira, acting RIB Spokesperson, as saying that the crimes were allegedly perpetrated against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians on Rwandan territory, including in Nyabimata, Nyaruguru District in June 2018 and in Nyungwe, Nyamagabe District in December 2018.

“Rusesabagina is a leader – along with Belgium-based former Rwandan Prime Minister FaustinTwagiramungu – of the MRCD Ubumwe-FLN, a militia group based mainly in the east of neighboring DR Congo.

His foundation – Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF) – has been accused of collecting money from well-wishers it uses to fund terrorist activities of FLN, the armed wing of MRCD which is commanded by ‘Gen’ Wilson Irategeka, formerly with FDLR,’’ the paper reported.

The terror group, FLN, which has often attacked Rwanda from Burundi, has also been blamed for kidnapping civilians.

Rusesabagina is a fierce critic of the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame’s government, and has accused them of killing opposition figures and detaining and torturing activists both at home and abroad.

Rusesabagina has been living in Belgium where he sought asylum with his wife and children since 1996.

This was after he survived an assassination attempt in Rwanda.

Heavy flood as a result of rains has killed three persons in Bauchi, North-East Nigeria.The incident, which occurred on Monday, also destroyed up to 200 houses, even as 3,000 hectares of Farmlands were also washed away.
The flood occurred at Adamami Village in Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State during a heavy downpour which lasted for about 14 hours between Sunday evening and Monday afternoon.

The flood, it was learned, completely submerged the whole village, leaving villagers stranded.
Some residents told journalists that they had a terrible experience throughout the duration of the rain, adding that they could not sleep all through the night.They noted that they had to mobilize themselves with a view to rescuing women and children as well as those trapped in collapsed houses in the village. 
One of the villagers, Aminu Bala, who spoke to journalists on Tuesday, seriously lamented the loss of lives and damages done by the 14-hour heavy downpour.

According to Bala, the rain that led to the heavy flood in the village wreaked serious havoc.He said almost 85 percent of the houses in the village, mostly mud buildings, collapsed due to the flood.
He added that many farmlands belonging to the villages were washed away.
“No fewer than 3,000 hectares of farmlands were washed away with the crops on them. 
“Our major occupation here is farming and unfortunately, we have lost most of our farmlands to this flood,” Bala stated.
He decried what he described as the state government’s nonchalant attitude to the plights of people in Adamami and surrounding communities, adding that the people had been experiencing flooding in the area for almost two weeks now.

“All we are appealing for is to have a heavy-duty machine like an excavator to come and dig a way for the water to go through.
“Unfortunately, all the appeals lodged to the appropriate authorities have not been treated and all our cries are to no avail,” he said.
He further appealed to Nigerians to keep the villagers in prayers for divine interventions, adding that kindhearted people should come forward to assist them in whatever ways they can to put an end to the sufferings.
“We are appealing to the general public and well-meaning Nigerians to put our people in prayers and support them in any way they can because we need such now than ever before,” he pleaded.