Passengers were petrified Thursday when smoke erupted in the lavatory of Abuja-bound Azman flight minutes after it was airborne from Lagos, forcing the pilot to return to the airport of departure.
The Azman Flight ZQ 2323 LOS ETD with about 135 passengers and six crew, which took off at about 4:20 pm from the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos returned to base when the smoke spread into the cabin of the aircraft, sending passengers into panic.
Eyewitness account told THISDAY that when the flight took off, a female passenger, about 24 years old, who wore …
A Court of Appeal Court sitting in Owerri on Thursday upheld the election of Owelle Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as senator representing Imo West Senatorial District.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice R.A. Ada, said that the appeals by Senators Osita Izunaso of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Jones Onyereri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Okorocha lacked merit.
Ada however, reaffirmed the judgement of the State and National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal which upheld Okorocha’s election, adding that it was in order.
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Sudan’s protest movement Thursday agreed to form the country’s new parliament only after a peace deal is reached with rebel groups for ending long-running conflicts in three border regions.
The 300-member parliament was to be formed within three months of a power-sharing deal that was signed on August 17 between protest leaders and the generals who had seized power after the April overthrow of longtime president Omar al-Bashir.
Since the signing of the so called “Constitutional Declaration”, the transitional government, led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, has engaged in talks with three rebel groups to reach a peace deal to …
The International Association of Athletics Associations said its decision was based on online research in China, France, South Africa, and the United States and post-event surveys in Belgium, Britain and Switzerland.
It said the aim was to reduce the length of the Diamond League meetings to fit a 90-minute international broadcast window.
There will be 12 disciplines staged at each of the 15 Diamond League meetings with the season beginning in Doha on April 17.
Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, one of the aspirants who took part in the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa has urged electorate to vote for the party in the Nov. 16 election.
Lokpobiri, a former Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, said this on Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit on APC National Chairman, Adam Oshiomhole, in Abuja.
The former Senator, who said that he remained in APC, maintained that he had told his supporters to vote for the party in spite of the fact that he challenged the outcome of primaries in court.…
Russian troops wearing World War II uniforms on Thursday marched across Moscow’s Red Square in memory of the historic 1941 parade when Soviet soldiers went directly to the battlefield to fight the Nazis.
The annual re-enactment featuring some 4,000 troops and T-34 tanks commemorated the legendary November 7, 1941 parade whose participants marched from Red Square to the front line, becoming a symbol of courage and patriotism.
Some 7,000 guests including World War II veterans watched the parade.
“Our duty is to continue to be victorious and build a great country,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at the event.
The …
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it will conduct a simulation exercise on counter-terrorism along Minna-Zungeru Road on Friday.
Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who announced this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the exercise is nicknamed “EXERCISE BABBAN NAUSHI”
“This is to inform the public, especially residents of Pandogari, Zungeru, and Minna areas of Niger State, that the Nigerian Air Force will conduct a simulation exercise on counter-terrorism nicknamed EXERCISE BABBAN NAUSHI along Minna-Zungeru Road on Friday, Nov.8.
“Accordingly, there will be a movement of military aircraft, vehicles, equipment, personnel as …
First imposed on October 19, 1960, in response to Havana’s nationalization of US-owned oil refineries, and extended in 1962, the embargo is an enduring legacy of the Cold War hostilities between the two countries.
It was denounced as “anachronistic” and “inhumane” during two days of debate
President Emmanuel Macron of France has described Nato as “brain dead”, stressing what he sees as waning commitment to the transatlantic alliance by its main guarantor, the US.
Interviewed by the Economist, he cited the US failure to consult Nato before pulling forces out of northern Syria.
He also questioned whether Nato was still committed to collective defence.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a key ally, said she disagreed with Mr Macron’s “drastic words”.
Russia, which sees Nato as a threat to its security, welcomed the French president’s comments as “truthful words”.
Nato, which celebrates 70 years since its founding at …
US launched operations in Bahrain on Thursday to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, following a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran.
The coalition, aimed at warding off the perceived threat to the world’s oil supply, has been in the making since June.
Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the mystery attacks, has put forward its own proposals for boosting Gulf security that pointedly exclude outside powers.
Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in August. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
The United States has accused Iran of preparing “a rapid nuclear breakout” after it began pumping uranium gas into hundreds of centrifuges, another step that violates the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the comments on Thursday, after Iran stepped up activity at its underground Fordow nuclear plant. He warned against Tehran’s “violence and terror” and urged the international community to take immediate action.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed the latest nuclear programme step after 2,000kg (4,400 pounds) of uranium hexafluoride was transferred from the Natanz nuclear facility to
Serbia’s defence ministry was sharply rebuked by human rights activists for promoting books that deny war crimes committed by Serb forces in former Yugoslavia.
This week the ministry promoted a new book titled – Tuzla Gate : a staged tragedy – that denies the fact that on May 25, 1995, Bosnian Serb forces fired an artillery round that hit an area of Tuzla’s city centre known as the “Gate”, killing 71 civilians – mostly young people averaging 23 years of age.
Another 240 people were wounded.
The book, written by Ilija Brankovic, a former general of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People’s
