NEWS

Rohingya crisis: Twelve die as boat capsizes off Bangladesh

At least 12 people have died after a boat packed with Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar capsized near Bangladesh, officials say. Several people are missing after the incident in the Naf river late on Sunday. It is thought up to 100 people - including children - were on board. The victims were trying to cross into neighbouring Bangladesh amid a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Turkey and US suspend most visa services

The Turkish and the US embassies issued virtually identical statements. Turkey and the US have become embroiled in a consular row, mutually suspending most visa services. The Turkish embassy in Washington said it needed to "reassess" the US government's commitment to the security of the mission and personnel. A very similar statement was earlier made by the US embassy in Ankara. This comes after a US consulate worker in Istanbul was held last week on suspicion of links to a cleric blamed for last year's failed coup in Turkey. Washington condemned the move as baseless and damaging to bilateral relations

Catalonia: Spaniards wake up to a week of uncertainty

Catalan leader had pledged to declare independence this week amid deep divisions in Spain and Catalonia over the issue of independence. Spaniards woke up Monday facing a week of political uncertainty, with Catalan President Carles Puigdemont expected to declare independence from Spain within a matter of days. Puigdemont, the leader of Catalonia's secessionist movement, vowed to make the declaration following a divisive and controversial referendum on October 1 that he said was the resounding voice of the people. Madrid maintains that the vote was carried out illegally and the result is invalid. The standoff between Madrid and Barcelona has plunged Spain into its most serious political crisis in four decades, since the country transitioned to democracy.

Ghana: Gas depot blasts kill at least seven in Accra

Frightened residents flee site as huge blasts near busy intersection in northeast Accra cause casualties, official says. At least seven people were killed and scores injured, mostly suffering burns, after two explosions at a natural gas depot in Ghana's capital, fire service spokesman Billy Anaglate said on Sunday. The blasts on Saturday evening sent a giant fireball into the sky above the eastern part of Accra, causing frightened residents to flee their homes in large numbers.

Police said the blasts happened in the Atomic Junction roundabout area of Legon, in northeast Accra, at about 7:30pm (19:30 GMT).

US-backed SDF to launch offensive to retake Raqqa

US-backed rebels tell Al Jazeera they will launch their campaign on Sunday to capture northern Syrian city from ISIL. A fighter from Syrian Democratic Forces sits in a military tank in Raqqa. The final phase in a battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) armed group in the Syrian city of Raqqa will begin on Sunday night, a rebel spokesman has told Al Jazeera.

"We do not know how long it will take, but we don't think that it will be a long battle," Talal Silo, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

North Korean leader promotes sister Kim Yo-jong

Kim Jong-un announces changes at line-up of powerful Workers Party's Politburo as he reaffirms N Korea's nuclear drive. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promoted his younger sister to a senior post in the one-party state, according to state media.

Kim Yo-jong became an alternate member of the party's powerful Politburo, the decision-making body presided over by her brother, the official KCNA news agency said on Sunday. The promotion was announced along with those for dozens of other top officials at a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Saturday in the capital, Pyongyang.

US rejects Nigeria's yam over poor quality

Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture, says the US rejected yam exports from Nigeria because of their poor quality. In June, Nigeria exported yams to China, United Kingdom and US as part of efforts to reduce dependence on oil and increase income from the agricultural sector. Despite laying claim to not less than 60% of the world’s yam production, Nigeria does not rank amongst the world’s highest exporters of the crop.

Ogbeh vowed to investigate both the exporting company and officials of the ministry’s department of quarantine for allowing “such substandard good to leave the shores of the country”.

“Some consignment of yams were exported from Nigeria to the United States and according to reports we have today, they were found to be of poor quality,” he said.

Nigerian senators earn more than Trump, UK Prime Minister—Oyebola

The Initiator and Chairman, Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation, Chief Areoye Oyebola, has decried the non-responsiveness of Nigerian federal lawmakers to the widespread call for the downward review of their “monumental salaries and allowances.”

According to Oyebola, the recent criticism of the federal legislators by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), was just one of many criticisms that had trailed the lawmakers over the years but to which they had turned deaf ears. He noted then that the earnings of the United States of America’s President were far lower than what a Nigerian lawmaker took home.

FG denies injecting monkeypox virus through free medical treatment

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Nigerians should disregard the report which, he alleged, was apparently being   spread by those he described as unscrupulous persons. He said, ‘’The Federal Government has not conducted any free medical service or care in either Bayelsa or Rivers state, as alleged in the fake report being circulated. So that could not have been the cause of the outbreak of monkeypox in both states.

Declare killer herdsmen terrorists, HURIWA tells Buhari

Pro-Democracy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to categorise marauding armed Fulani herdsmen as terrorists. The group expressed confidence that such categorisation would reduce, if not bring to an end, the incessant terror attacks on farming communities by armed Fulani herdsmen.

Nobody died in stadium stampede—Akwa Ibom

The Akwa Ibom State Government on Sunday said nobody died in the stampede at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo during the Nigeria vs Zambia World Cup Qualifier match on Saturday. A statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Charles Udoh, confirmed that people sustained varying degrees of injury in the stampede but maintained that no life was lost.

“There was a rush by spectators who arrived the venue after the match had started, trying to gain entrance into the stadium which led to a few of them sustaining minor injuries.”

“There were nine people injured during the incident and all of them were taken to the hospital for treatment while no life was lost. This much was confirmed by the Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer and the Commissioner for Health.”

Germany, USA, Libya, Others Deport 4,281 Nigerians

No fewer than 4,281 Nigerians were repatriated from various countries in Europe, America and some African countries through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in the first half of 2017. Also, a total of 691,934 travelers left the country through the airport, while another 560,988 arrived the country within the period under review. A document made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday through the Ministry of Interior indicated that the deportees were divided into two groups, namely chartered and regular flights.

According to the document, between January and June 2017, 2,251 Nigerians were deported through chartered flights majorly from Libya and a trickle of European countries.