Uganda on Thursday was hit by a nationwide power outage whose cause is not yet known, the state-run power generation company said. The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) said in a statement that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the power blackout. “We are experiencing a nationwide…

A former Chairman of the Plateau State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Yakubu Chocho, and three others were on Thursday docked before Kasuwa Nama Upper Area Court I, Jos, over alleged criminal conspiracy, mischief and theft. The three other accused persons are: a cleaner, Helen Yakubu, a Guard,…

Nearly 820 million children worldwide lack basic handwashing facilities at school, increasing the risk of coronavirus contagion, United Nations agencies said on Thursday. Two in five schools do not provide children with soap and water, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF. In the poorest…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday inaugurated a mosque, classroom and borehole in Kishi, Oyo State. The Ambassador to Nigeria, Fahad Al-Taffaq, said the UAE recognises the challenges of accessing potable water, especially in rural communities in the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ambassador…

The British government on Thursday announced that it has launched a new COVID-19 test and trace App, with trials taking place in parts of the country. The NHS (National Health Service) Test and Trace App will start its trials from Thursday with residents on the Isle of Wight and NHS…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday said it would deploy no fewer than 20,000 ad-hoc staff for the conduct of the forthcoming Edo governorship election scheduled for September 19. Bolade Eyinla, the Technical Advisor to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said this during a virtual meeting with journalists in…

Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has urged all tiers of government to extend palliatives to the pastoralists community to cushion the effects of Coronavirus pandemic on them. Othman Ngelzarma, the national secretary of the association, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria…

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja pledged to spend more on infrastructure across the country, focusing on finishing projects delivered by local contractors and technology that create jobs for thousands of Nigerians. The president made the pledge at the virtual inauguration of the new headquarters building of the Nigerian…

The Niger State Police Command says 14 persons have been killed by gunmen at Ukuru Village in Mariga Local Government Area of the state. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, an assistant superintendent of police, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Minna, the state capital. Mr Abiodun…

Arsenal forward Mesut Oezil on Thursday said he would see out his contract with the Premier League club which runs through the summer of 2021. Oezil, the Germany World Cup winner who did not play for the club when the season resumed in June after the Coronavirus lockdown, said he…

Some women in Bauchi State access the government's Child Birth Spacing (CBS) services in the night to outsmart their un-cooperating husbands, an official has said. Aisha Abdulkarim, a Child Birth Spacing (CBS) coordinator in the state said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Toro…

The Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Nigeria Info 99.3FM N5 million. The fine, according to the commission, was for providing its platform to be used to promote unverifiable and inciting views that can incite crime, public disorder. A former presidential aspirant, Obadiah Mailafia, had while speaking on the station…

Authorities in southern China said on Thursday that they had found traces of the coronavirus on frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil. The surface of a sample of the imported chicken wings tested positive for the virus, the city of Shenzhen said in a statement on WeChat. The city’s Epidemic…

Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra has approved the suspension of 12 traditional rulers in the state for an initial period of one year with effect from Aug. 11, over alleged misconduct. Greg Obi, the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, who made this known in a statement on…

Argentina and Mexico on Thursday said they would co-produce millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by Britain’s University of Oxford with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for Latin America. According to the Argentinian President, Alberto Fernandez, Argentina and Mexico will be in charge of the Latin American production of…

Bangladesh says it has begun the trial of a former chief justice on money laundering and embezzlement charges, a prosecution lawyer said on Thursday. A Dhaka court ordered the start of the trial of Surendra Kumar Sinha and 10 others after they were indicted in relation to a bank transaction…

New Zealand on Thursday scrambled to trace the source of its first coronavirus outbreak in over three months, reporting 13 new community infections. However, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had sought to eradicate the virus with a hard lockdown. The resurgence of COVID-19 came just weeks before a scheduled general election,…

An artisan, Abdullateef Babatunde, on Thursday told an Ile-Tuntun Customary Court in Ibadan to dissolve his marriage of eight years to estranged wife, Omotayo, because she forced an illegitimate child on him. Mr Babatunde's claim was contained in his counter-argument before Henry Agbaje, the court’s president after his wife had…

The federal government has appealed to the world powers not to be weighed by unsubstantiated arguments to deny the country vital platforms and weapons to fight insecurity. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the appeal on Thursday when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)…

The federal government says it is resuming the rollout of Digital Switch Over (DSO) to revolutionise the broadcast industry, create jobs and take millions of Nigerians out of poverty. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said this on Thursday when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it has targeted 2.1 million children for the 2020 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign in Borno. SMC is designed to prevent and protect children against malaria. The National Consultant Malaria Emergencies in Nigeria, Iniabasi Nglass, disclosed this during the inauguration of the SMC programme…

The Bauchi State Government on Wednesday dissolved the caretaker committees of the 20 local government areas of the state. The News Agency of Nigerian (NAN) reports that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) has scheduled local government elections for September 17 in the state. A statement by the Secretary to…

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) says the Boko Haram terrorist group has introduced the use of child soldiers to resuscitate its declining influence in the Lake Chad Basin. The Chief of Military Public Information for MNJTF, Timothy Antigha, said this in a statement issued from N’Djamena – Chad on…

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, on Wednesday celebrated the International Youth Day with some Nigerian youth in his palace at Ile Ife, Osun. The monarch, who played host to scores of Nigerian youth from all parts of the country under the aegis of the National Youth…

Andrew Dunn, Country Director of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Nigeria, says elephants are almost becoming extinct in Nigeria. Mr Dunn made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Calabar while commemorating the World Elephant Day. The World Elephant Day is an international annual event marked on August 12,…