NEWS

The United States (US) has removed Syria from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, ending nearly five decades of the country’s designation as a sponsor of terrorism. The latest development is seen as a major shift in Washington’s relationship with Damascus following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad and the emergence of a new transitional government led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. US Department of the Treasury announced the decision on Monday, August 24, saying Syria would no longer be subject to restrictions imposed under the Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations. “The determination regarding Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism was rescinded,” the Treasury said. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the decision was expected to cre...

The Lagos State Government has announced a temporary traffic diversion plan ahead of the rehabilitation of Oke-Afa Bridge in Isolo Local Government Area. The rehabilitation work, scheduled to begin on Friday, August 28, 2026, is expected to last three weeks and end on Friday, September 18, 2026. The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, explaining that the project would be executed in two phases to minimise disruption to motorists. The first phase will focus on the outbound Isolo-to-Ejigbo section of the bridge and run from August 28 to September 11. The second phase, covering the inbound Ejigbo-to-Isolo section, will take place from September 12 to September 18. ...

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York was arrested on suspicion of engaging in pr0stitut!on in Ohio over the weekend. York pleaded no contest today, August 24, after the state of Ohio amended the one count of engaging in pr0stitut!on to a disorderly conduct charge. The 46-year-old from Youngstown, Ohio, was arrested Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio, and booked into Columbiana County Jail. He was also convicted of “possessing criminal tools” per the outlet. He posted a $5,000 bond and was scheduled to appear for arraignment at the Columbiana County Municipal Court and was discharged from jail, documents show. York’s cell phone was returned to him while $160 was forfeited to the Miami Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. York was ordered to complete an online course. York became th...

The last may not have been heard of the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly, as lawmakers, this Monday, formally impeached the erstwhile Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku. Recall that Agbebaku, who represents Owan West Constituency, had, on Monday, August 17, 2026, resigned his position as the Speaker of the House. Yekini Idaiye, the lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo 1, was then elected in his place as the new Speaker. Following Agbebaku’s resignation as Speaker, the House suspended him indefinitely. The House also removed two other principal officers from their positions. Jonathan Ibhamawu was sacked as the Majority Leader, while Addeh Emankhu Isibor was removed as Deputy Majority Leader. Ibhamawu, representing Esan West Constituency, was replaced by Ojiezele Osezua ...

Russia is suspected of being behind a series of attacks targeting weapons manufacturers and defence companies across Europe, in what officials describe as a wider destabilisation campaign. The alleged operations are believed to be designed to test NATO’s response and disrupt European support for Ukraine while avoiding an incident serious enough to trigger Article 5, NATO’s collective-defence clause. The latest case involves Milrem Robotics, an Estonian drone manufacturer that supplies equipment to Ukraine. A building belonging to the Tallinn-based company was set on fire in Tallinn on August 15. Estonia is investigating whether the fire was deliberate and whether Russia was involved, while Latvia has detained three of its own nationals over the suspected arson. The incident comes ...

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced an online system allowing candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions through the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to verify and upload their O’Level results from home.  Africans& Diaspora The new service, which initially covers results issued by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), is expected to reduce candidates’ dependence on Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres for O’Level result uploads, particularly during periods of high patronage. Under the arrangement, JAMB will electronically verify candidates’ results directly with the relevant examination bodies before the results are uploaded to their profiles. The Board, in a statement by its Acting Directo...

The founder and General Overseer of Rock Word Church and Dominion International, Dr Adamson Aromaegbe, has died. Aromaegbe, a gospel preacher based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, reportedly died on Friday. The circumstances surrounding his death had not been disclosed as of the time of filing this report. The church leadership announced his death in a statement issued on Sunday by Rev Nnamdy Echezona and published on the ministry’s Facebook page. The church described the late preacher as a devoted Christian leader whose ministry had influenced many people. The statement read, “Dr Aromaegbe was a faithful servant of God, visionary leader, teacher, mentor and Kingdom builder whose life and ministry touched countless lives.” The ministry said although members wou...

Members of the Hotel and Personal Service Senior Staff Association have picketed the Abuja Continental Hotel over alleged unfair labour practices, working conditions, issues surrounding the unionisation of its workers. The association, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), commenced the action on Monday with members blocking the entrance of the hotel as part of its protest. Speaking to Channels TV, the union accused the hotel management of failing to address concerns relating to workers freedom of association and what they described as indecent working conditions. According to the unions, efforts to meet with the management of the hotel have been rebuffed. The Union, as of the time of this publications, is attempting to lock the gate of the hotel, ...

A fresh confrontation is brewing between the Lagos State Government and retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, as pensioners have issued an August 31 deadline for the payment of their outstanding pension enhancement and wage award. The retirees, under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme, NUPCPS, said failure by the state government to meet their demand could trigger what they described as the “mother of all protests.” The chairman of the NUPCPS, Lagos State Council, Michael Omisande, disclosed the position of the pensioners after a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Sunkanmi Oyegbola. Omisande said the union had submitted a template to the state government in January 2026 outlining its proposal for implementing th...

US President Donald Trump has claimed that some people died by suicide over the way they were treated by the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, but did not identify the individuals or provide evidence to support the allegation.  Trump made the claim during a full interview with WABC alongside former personal lawyer Michael Cohen on Sunday, August 23. “We had many suicides, people committed suicide over this,” Trump said, before blaming what he described as “vicious people” in the Biden administration. Trump also criticised the administration of former President Barack Obama and turned his attention to former government officials who have since moved into private-sector and media roles. He claimed that some former officials now work at Microsoft, while others a...