NEWS

United States President Donald Trump has urged the Australian government to grant asylum to the Iranian women's team.There have been fears that the team could face persecution if they returned to Iran after they were eliminated on Sunday after losing 2-0 to the Philippines, and were branded 'traitors' by Iranian media after they failed to sing the national anthem before their first match at the Asian Cup in Gold Coast amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.One of the Iranian players was also seen performing the international SOS distress signal from inside the team bus after their defeat.According to reports, she tucked her thumb into her palm and folded her fingers down over it - the recognized sign that someone is pleading for help."Australia is making a terribl...

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Jimoh Olohundare, announced that motorists in the state are now prohibited from covering their vehicle number plates. He also warned against the use of tinted glasses that obscure the front and right side of vehicles as well as the use of unregistered vehicles on Lagos roads. The CP spoke on Monday, March 9, during a press briefing after addressing officers and men of the command on directives issued by the Inspector-General of Police, Disu Olatunji. “It is prohibited for anyone in Lagos to cover their plate number or to use tinted glasses where the front screen and the right screen are tinted and covered. People are also prohibited from using unregistered vehicles,” he said. CP Jimoh explained that the briefing became necessar...

Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian says more than 1,200 people have been killed in the ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel, with most of the victims reported to be civilians. He also said several health facilities across the country have been damaged by the air raids.Speaking to Al Jazeera on Monday, Jafarian said at least 1,255 people have died since the attacks began, including about 200 children and 11 healthcare workers. According to him, the victims ranged in age from eight months to 88 years old.He added that more than 12,000 people have been injured, many suffering from burns and crush-related injuries caused by the bombardment.Jafarian said the strikes have also seriously affected the country’s healthcare system. So far, 29 medical facilities hav...

The Computer-Based Test Centres Proprietors Association of Nigeria has raised the alarm over the N700 Computer-Based Test Centre Registration Service Charge for candidates registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, describing it as “grossly inadequate” amid rising operational costs and logistical challenges.The association’s President, Austin Ohaekelem, spoke to The PUNCH on Monday shortly after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board announced the disbursement of N1.57bn to accredited CBT centres for the 2026 UTME registration exercise.In a bulletin on Monday, JAMB, through its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, said the payment represents the N700 fee collected from candidates on behalf of CBT centres and is remitted weekly alongsid...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday, March 9, that the ongoing war involving Iran could end soon, expressing confidence that the conflict would not last much longer. He made the remarks during a press briefing while addressing the escalating military situation in the Middle East.The conflict began on February 28 when Trump announced the start of what he described as “major combat operations” against Iran. The campaign involved large-scale joint airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel, targeting Iranian military bases, government facilities and strategic infrastructure.Iranian state television later confirmed that the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in Tehran during the first wave of strikes. His death marked a major turning poi...

The Nigerian Navy has foiled a suspected sea robbery attempt and rescued 16 passengers along the Ibaka–Calabar Channel during a swift, coordinated maritime security operation conducted on Sunday, 8 March 2026.Nigerian Culture ShowcaseThe Director of Naval Information, Capt. A.A. Folorunsho said in a statement on Monday that the operation was based on credible intelligence indicating suspicious maritime criminal activity around Buoy 12 along the strategic Ibaka–Calabar maritime corridor.He said that acting on the intelligence, gunboats from the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) IBAKA were immediately vectored to the area to intercept the suspected criminals and deny them freedom of action and restore order within the channel.Folorunsho explained that the n...