9mobile has announced free international calls and SMS to Ukraine to enable Nigerians seamlessly remain in touch with their loved ones in that country, amidst the ongoing military invasion. The Director of Product Innovation and Business Development, 9mobile, Kenechukwu Okonkwo, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Lagos. Okonkwo said the offer would enable Nigerians to freely communicate with their families in Ukraine and reassured them of their safety. “Regardless of their existing plans, all 9mobile customers will enjoy zero rate international calls and SMS from Nigeria to Ukraine for the duration of the offer. “Subscribers will be able…
Author: Newsdesk
An airstrike on a maternity hospital in the port city of Mariupol wounded women waiting to give birth and buried children in the rubble as Russian forces intensified their siege of Ukrainian cities. Bombs also fell on two hospitals in another city west of the capital. The World Health Organization said it has confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began two weeks ago. Turkey, meanwhile, was hosting the highest-level talks so far between the two sides on Thursday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian…
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday said Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe also means the country’s withdrawal from all its institutions. Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry said that Russia would not participate “in the transformation by NATO and the EU obediently following them” of the oldest European organisation, the Council of Europe into another platform “about Western superiority and narcissism.” “Naturally, withdrawal from the Council of Europe implies withdrawal from all mechanisms,” Peskov told reporters, commenting on the ministry’s statement. When asked about the conditions under which Russia can return to the Council of Europe, Peskov redirected the…
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Tuesday that about 929 new measles cases have been reported across three regions in Ethiopia, namely Somali, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s (SNNP) regions. In the latest situation update, the office believed that as of March 3, the Doloado and Bokolmayo districts of the Liban zone in the Somali region had registered about 700 new cases and 12 deaths since December 2021. The measles outbreak affected 15 localities, including five refugee camps in the zone, it noted. According to the UN humanitarian office, the regional health…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed March 17 for an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. This is contained in a notice of meeting signed by Gov. Abubakar Bello, the Acting Chairman of the APC CECPC, Sen. Ken Nnamani (South-East) and Mrs Stella Okotete (National Women Leader). Others are Sen. Aba Ali (North-West) and Prof. Tahir Mamman (North-East). The virtual NEC meeting will be held at 11 a.m. The decision to hold the meeting was taken at the 23rd meeting of the APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) on Tuesday. The APC National Convention is slated for March…
The Philippines is prepared to open its facilities to the United States, should the conflict in Ukraine escalate and America was dragged into the crisis, the country’s ambassador to the U.S. said Thursday. Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said President Rodrigo Duterte told him in a recent meeting in Manila to let Washington know that the Philippines would back the U.S. on the Ukraine crisis. “He says if they’re asking for the support of the Philippines, it’s very clear that of course, if push comes to shove. “The Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this…
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) says it will remain fully focused on maintaining a steady flow of energy supplies to consumers. Dr Mohammad Barkindo, OPEC Secretary-General said this on Thursday at the ongoing Nigeria Energy Forum (CERA Week 2022 Agenda) in Houston, Texas. The forum is tagged: “Oil and Gas Investments: The Future of Fossil Fuels Amid the Quest for Decarbonisation”. Barkindo in a Keynote address, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja, said that OPEC would remain focused on energy supplies in spite of Russia-Ukraine crisis and COVID-19 pandemic which had adverse effects on the energy…
China has reported the highest Coronavirus infection figures in two years. Across all of China, 402 local infections were reported on Wednesday, almost twice as many as the day before, the official news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday. There were also 435 asymptomatic infections and 277 cases imported from abroad. Following the first major Coronavirus wave, which originated in Wuhan more than two years ago, China was able to bring the virus under control quickly with strict measures. Since then, the world’s second-largest economy has seen only regional outbreaks. But since the Omicron variant was first discovered in the eastern…
Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai has said that he would contest for the 2023 presidency only if President Muhammadu Buhari insisted he should. El-Ruifai, who spoke on ChannelsTV’s Politics Today on Wednesday, was reacting to speculations that he will be the running mate to the former governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi in next year’s poll. “I’ve said over and over that I’m not a contestant for any office. I’m not aspiring for anything. “If Governor Rotimi Amaechi is interested in running for any office, he has the right to do so. But I’m not running for anything and I’m…
Mike Ozekhome has opined that the Federal High Court could not sack Ebonyi state governor, Dave Umahi and his deputy, Dr Eric Igwe for defecting to another political party different from the one they were elected. Justice Inyang Ekwo had sacked the duo for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The court, in its ruling, held that the votes that produced Umahi and his deputy were obtained under the PDP and could not be transferred to the APC. However, Ezekhome in a statement he personally signed said that appellate courts have had different…