Author: Maryam Sulaiman

A fire broke out on Thursday at a multi-storey building housing a Polaris Bank branch on Broad Street in Lagos, causing anxiety among local business owners, residents, and onlookers. Footage circulating on social media captured thick plumes of smoke rising from the structure while crowds gathered nearby to watch the situation unfold. First responders, including teams of firefighters, arrived quickly at the scene to battle the flames and stop the fire from reaching neighboring buildings. The precise cause of the fire remains unknown. Addressing the situation on Thursday, Polaris Bank released a statement explaining that the fire originated in the…

Indian IT stocks experienced a sharp sell-off on Friday, plunging by as much as 7% following global consulting giant Accenture’s decision to lower its revenue expectations. The downbeat forecast has reignited worries regarding the broader growth trajectory of the technology sector. The benchmark Nifty IT Index tumbled over 5% as a result. Among the heaviest hit was India’s largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services, which fell more than 5%. Infosys saw its shares drop over 7%, while Tech Mahindra lost more than 4%. The market turbulence was triggered on Thursday when Accenture adjusted its revenue growth guidance for the fiscal…

For a long time, mass school kidnappings in Nigeria only happened in the northern parts of the country. People believed the south-west was safe from this danger. However, a major attack in Oyo State has completely changed that line of thinking. It has been exactly one month since gunmen attacked schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Today, 49 people are still missing. This group includes 39 schoolchildren, seven teachers, and a two-year-old baby. This is the first time a massive school kidnapping has happened in the south-west, showing that these criminal groups are moving into new…

Global oil prices moved downward on Thursday following reports that President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian aimed at ending the Middle East conflict, an event arriving alongside a fresh warning from the International Energy Agency regarding a looming supply surplus. International benchmark Brent crude futures for August delivery fell 2.83% to settle at $77.30 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for July dropped 3.20% to land at $74.33 per barrel. Adding an element of uncertainty to the geopolitical breakthrough, Trump informed reporters that he remains prepared to resume military action against Iran if…

Health officials in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are urgently searching for a six-year-old girl and her mother after armed men raided the hospital where the child was undergoing treatment for Ebola. According to a statement from local health official Dr. Lubambo Maboko Gaston, “very angry” men armed with knives seized the young patient from Wanamahika Hospital in the city of Butembo. While it remains uncertain if the armed men were acquainted with the family, deep-seated fear and suspicion regarding Ebola treatment facilities have been widespread throughout this current outbreak.In an interview with Reuters, Gaston made a direct plea,…

Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has announced that if he wins the 2027 election, his administration will pursue dialogue with bandits and violent groups ready to renounce crime, while deploying full military force against those who persist in violence. Speaking during an interview on BlackBox with Rufai Oseni, the former Anambra State governor outlined a dual-track strategy aimed at restoring security and fostering national unity. He emphasized that building a peaceful nation requires engaging individuals ready for reconciliation, while maintaining a strict stance against unyielding criminals. “In uniting the country, anybody who wants peace, I will talk…

The Federal Government has secured roughly 150 convictions in just the first 48 hours of its accelerated mass terrorism trials, according to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). Fagbemi shared these updates on Tuesday during a briefing with journalists at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where 10 judges are concurrently presiding over the extensive proceedings. The minister revealed that the current phase of the judicial exercise kicked off on Monday, seeing about 160 trials on its opening day alone and resulting in approximately 150 convictions.”Yesterday, we had about 160 trials. I think…

Somaliland has officially opened a new diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, marking six months since Israel became the first global nation to formally recognize the breakaway state’s independence. The establishment of the embassy, located within a technology park in West Jerusalem, coincided with an official state visit to Israel by Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.During their high-level meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted the connection between the two nations, speaking of “a deep spiritual bond between our peoples”. However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from Somalia, which maintains that Somaliland remains an integral part of its sovereign territory. The…

The ongoing Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) risks surpassing the most devastating outbreak on record, which previously claimed over 11,000 lives, according to the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Official government data released on Tuesday indicates that confirmed cases in the DRC have climbed to 837, with the death toll now standing at 196.“If we don’t stop the outbreak very soon, it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC,” Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned during a virtual gathering of African leaders and…

Following a productive meeting with G7 leaders at a summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, US President Donald Trump has called on Russia to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine, pledging his support to end the conflict. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday near the Swiss border, Trump emphasized the human cost of the ongoing war, stating, “I’m gonna do whatever I can.” He noted that too many young men were dying on both sides of the battlefield. “Look, Russia should make a deal,” Trump stated. “I settled eight wars. This was the one I thought was going to be the easiest to…