INSIDER
Gas tanker explosion kills more than 140 people and injures dozens more in Nigeria
Read full article: Gas tanker explosion kills more than 140 people and injures dozens more in NigeriaMore than 140 people, including children, are dead in Nigeria after an overturned gasoline tanker truck exploded in flames while they tried to scoop up fuel.
CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Wildfires plague U.S. West and Brazil, Yagi rampages in Vietnam
Read full article: CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Wildfires plague U.S. West and Brazil, Yagi rampages in VietnamExtreme weather is again striking multiple places around the world, including wildfires in California, a hurricane that threatens Louisiana, drought and wildfires in the Amazon and flooding in Nigeria.
Africa has almost 4,000 new mpox cases in a week, but the wait for vaccines continues
Read full article: Africa has almost 4,000 new mpox cases in a week, but the wait for vaccines continuesAfrica's public health body is seeing a rapid increase in mpox cases, with almost 4,000 reported on the continent in the last week.
Africa's mpox outbreaks result from neglect and world's inability to stop epidemics, experts say
Read full article: Africa's mpox outbreaks result from neglect and world's inability to stop epidemics, experts sayA leading African scientist says the growing mpox outbreaks in Africa that triggered the World Health Organization’s emergency declaration are largely the result of decades of neglect and the global community’s inability to stop sporadic epidemics among a population with little immunity against the smallpox-related disease.
Cows obstruct Nigeria's capital as climate change and development leave herders with nowhere to go
Read full article: Cows obstruct Nigeria's capital as climate change and development leave herders with nowhere to goAs the population grows and development extends to rural areas where herders live and graze their cattle, they are now forced to move into the city center in search of pasture.
Nigeria women's basketball team denied entry to opening ceremony boat by federation, AP source says
Read full article: Nigeria women's basketball team denied entry to opening ceremony boat by federation, AP source saysThe Nigeria women’s basketball team wasn’t allowed to board the delegation’s boat for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Africa's demand for cooling systems is expanding. But regulating the industry is a struggle
Read full article: Africa's demand for cooling systems is expanding. But regulating the industry is a struggleDue to warmer temperatures and increasing urbanization, the market for cooling systems is expanding in Africa.
The collapse of a school in northern Nigeria leaves 22 students dead, officials say
Read full article: The collapse of a school in northern Nigeria leaves 22 students dead, officials sayPolice say a two-story school collapsed during morning classes in north-central Nigeria, killing 22 students and sending rescuers on a frantic search for more than 100 people trapped in the rubble.
A weakened West Africa bloc asks Senegalese leader to try to convince breakaway states to return
Read full article: A weakened West Africa bloc asks Senegalese leader to try to convince breakaway states to returnWest Africa’s divided regional bloc has asked Senegal’s President Basirou Diomaye Faye to have a dialogue with the three military junta-led member states to try to reunite the region whose stability has been under threat following their decision to leave the group in January.
Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub. The government is cracking down on illegal operations
Read full article: Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub. The government is cracking down on illegal operationsNigeria’s government is cracking down on illegal mining, making dozens of arrests of unlicensed miners since April for allegedly stealing the country’s lithium, a critical mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and power systems.
As countries tighten anti-gay laws, more and more LGBTQ+ migrants seek safety and asylum in Europe
Read full article: As countries tighten anti-gay laws, more and more LGBTQ+ migrants seek safety and asylum in EuropeWhile many of the migrants who reach Europe are escaping war, conflict and poverty, an increasing number are fleeing possible prison terms and death sentences because they are gay.
Gunmen abduct 287 students in the latest school attack in Nigeria’s northwest, headteacher says
Read full article: Gunmen abduct 287 students in the latest school attack in Nigeria’s northwest, headteacher saysA school headteacher in northwestern Nigeria says gunmen who attacked the school abducted 287 students as they were about to start classes.
3 killed and 77 injured in a massive blast caused by explosives in a southern Nigerian city
Read full article: 3 killed and 77 injured in a massive blast caused by explosives in a southern Nigerian cityNigerian authorities say two people have died and 77 others have been injured in a massive blast that rocked more than a dozen buildings in one of the country's largest cities.
IMF and World Bank are urged to boost funding for African nations facing conflict and climate change
Read full article: IMF and World Bank are urged to boost funding for African nations facing conflict and climate changeMost of the population in conflict-affected countries like Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and northern Nigeria depends on climate-vulnerable agriculture.
At UN, African leaders say enough is enough: They must be partnered with, not sidelined
Read full article: At UN, African leaders say enough is enough: They must be partnered with, not sidelinedAt the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, African leaders are relaying a unanimous message, that their continent of more than 1.3 billion people is done being a “victim” of a post-world war order and must be recognized and partnered with as a global power in itself.
Nigerians protest mysterious death of Afrobeat star as police exhumes body for autopsy
Read full article: Nigerians protest mysterious death of Afrobeat star as police exhumes body for autopsyThousands are marching across Nigeria over the mysterious death of an Afrobeat star whose body has been exhumed for an autopsy as authorities investigate the cause of his demise.
Building collapse in Nigeria's capital leaves two people dead while many are feared trapped
Read full article: Building collapse in Nigeria's capital leaves two people dead while many are feared trappedRescue crews are searching for survivors after a building collapse in Nigeria's capital left two people dead while many others are feared trapped.
A Nigerian forest and its animals are under threat. Poachers have become rangers to protect both
Read full article: A Nigerian forest and its animals are under threat. Poachers have become rangers to protect bothOmo Forest Reserve, a tropical rainforest in southern Nigeria, faces threats from excessive logging, uncontrolled farming and poaching.
Niger's junta gains the upper hand over the regional bloc threatening military force, analysts say
Read full article: Niger's junta gains the upper hand over the regional bloc threatening military force, analysts sayOne week after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers in Niger to reinstate the country’s ousted president or face military intervention, the junta has not acquiesced.
England advances at Women's World Cup by edging Nigeria after James red card
Read full article: England advances at Women's World Cup by edging Nigeria after James red cardEngland held firm despite a red card for Lauren James to beat Nigeria on penalty kicks and advance to the quarterfinals at the Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria triggers national response plan for annual deadly floods; 14 states on alert
Read full article: Nigeria triggers national response plan for annual deadly floods; 14 states on alertAuthorities in Nigeria say they have activated a national response plan ahead of what's expected to be another round of deadly floods blamed mainly on climate change and infrastructure problems.
UN talks on a treaty to end global plastic pollution open in Paris
Read full article: UN talks on a treaty to end global plastic pollution open in ParisA United Nations committee is meeting in Paris to work on what is intended to be a landmark treaty to bring an end to global plastic pollution, but there is little agreement on what the outcome should be.
Nigerian airport workers go on strike; travelers stranded
Read full article: Nigerian airport workers go on strike; travelers strandedAviation workers in Nigeria have embarked on a two-day strike, leaving thousands of travelers stranded as airlines canceled or rescheduled flights in the country's major cities.
Nations approve key UN science report on climate change
Read full article: Nations approve key UN science report on climate changeGovernments gave their blessing Sunday to a major new U.N. report on climate change, after approval was held up by a battle between rich and developing countries over emissions targets and financial aid to vulnerable nations.
Burundi officials detect polio outbreak linked to vaccine
Read full article: Burundi officials detect polio outbreak linked to vaccineHealth officials in Burundi have declared an outbreak of polio linked to the vaccine, the first time the paralytic disease has been detected in the east African country for more than three decades.
Police: Illegal refinery blast in Nigeria kills at least 12
Read full article: Police: Illegal refinery blast in Nigeria kills at least 12The Nigeria Police Force says at least 12 people have died in an explosion and fire near an illegal oil refinery site in the country's oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Sub-Saharan Africa is 'new epicenter' of extremism, says UN
Read full article: Sub-Saharan Africa is 'new epicenter' of extremism, says UNA new report by the U.N.’s international development agency says that sub-Saharan Africa is the new global epicenter of violent Islamic extremism and that people are increasingly joining as a result of economic factors and less by religious ones.
Report: Climate change fueling conflict in Lake Chad Basin
Read full article: Report: Climate change fueling conflict in Lake Chad BasinDroughts, flooding and a shrinking Lake Chad caused in part by climate change is fueling conflict and migration in the region and needs to be better addressed, a report said Thursday.
West Africa floods destroy crops, worsening hunger fears
Read full article: West Africa floods destroy crops, worsening hunger fearsWest and Central African countries are battling deadly floods that have upended lives and livelihoods, raising fears of further disruption of food supplies in many areas battling armed conflict.
U.S. Soccer, players formally sign equal pay agreements
Read full article: U.S. Soccer, players formally sign equal pay agreementsRepresentatives for the men’s and women’s U.S. national teams signed their historic collective bargaining agreements with U.S. Soccer, formally closing a long and acrimonious fight over equal pay.
Bubble watch for Detroit Lions on Hard Knocks: 3rd episode focuses on battle for roster spots
Read full article: Bubble watch for Detroit Lions on Hard Knocks: 3rd episode focuses on battle for roster spotsTuesday was part three of HBO’s Hard Knocks series featuring the Detroit Lions, and this week’s episode focused on players on the bubble, which is keeping everyone on their toes, like Kalil Pimpleton.
For clean energy, financial growth, Africa looks to UN talks
Read full article: For clean energy, financial growth, Africa looks to UN talksAccess to more and cleaner energy while continuing to grow economically will be a top priority for African nations in the upcoming United Nations climate conference in November, top officials and climate experts on the continent said.
Developing nations seek to overcome energy, currency crises
Read full article: Developing nations seek to overcome energy, currency crisesBusiness leaders and officials from eight developing nations meeting in Bangladesh say more cooperation is needed among them to overcome dwindling foreign currency reserves, a growing energy crisis and supply chain disruptions.
Nigeria church: 38 killed in attack during Sunday service
Read full article: Nigeria church: 38 killed in attack during Sunday serviceThirty-eight persons have been confirmed dead after the attack on a church in southwestern Nigeria, according to the Catholic church in Ondo state where the incident happened.
No mourners at burial of 50 victims of Nigeria refinery fire
Read full article: No mourners at burial of 50 victims of Nigeria refinery fireDays after more than 100 people died in an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in southeast Nigeria, authorities and gravediggers returned to the site in a forest to bury about 50 unclaimed bodies that were burned beyond recognition.
Henry Ford Health System surgeon starts program to mentor Detroit area youth
Read full article: Henry Ford Health System surgeon starts program to mentor Detroit area youthHenry Ford Health Systems’ Vice Chair of Surgery and System Director of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Ikenna Okereke, immigrated to Detroit from Nigeria in middle school. He moved away but always remembered Detroit as the place that gave his family a chance. Now that Okereke has returned, he wants to provide Detroit area youth with an opportunity too.
South Korea breaks daily virus record for 2nd straight day
Read full article: South Korea breaks daily virus record for 2nd straight daySouth Korea has broken its daily record for coronavirus infections for a second straight day with more than 5,200 new cases, as pressure mounts on a health care system grappling with rising hospitalizations and deaths.
Death toll in Nigeria building collapse rises to 43
Read full article: Death toll in Nigeria building collapse rises to 43A Nigerian Red Cross official says seven more bodies have been recovered from a high-rise apartment building that collapsed while under construction in Lagos, bringing the death toll to 43.
Nigeria building collapse deaths climb to 36, dozens missing
Read full article: Nigeria building collapse deaths climb to 36, dozens missingThe number of bodies recovered from a collapsed high-rise apartment building in Nigeria’s most populous city has risen to 36, an emergency official told The Associated Press.
Death toll rises to 23 in Nigerian building site collapse
Read full article: Death toll rises to 23 in Nigerian building site collapseThe death toll from the collapse of a high-rise apartment building under construction in Nigeria’s most populous city has risen to 23, the Lagos state governor says, as rescue crews continue to seek surviving workers in the rubble.
At least 3 dead after high rise in Nigeria collapses
Read full article: At least 3 dead after high rise in Nigeria collapsesWitnesses and officials say at least three people were killed and dozens more remain missing after the collapse of a 21-story apartment building being built in an upscale area of Nigeria’s largest city.
Nigeria faces one of its worst cholera outbreaks in years
Read full article: Nigeria faces one of its worst cholera outbreaks in yearsNigeria is seeing one of its worst cholera outbreaks in years, with more than 2,300 people dying from suspected cases as Africa’s most populous country struggles to deal with multiple disease outbreaks.
EXPLAINER: Who are the gunmen abducting Nigerian students?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: Who are the gunmen abducting Nigerian students?The recent release of three separate groups of students who had been abducted in northern Nigeria brought joyful reunions and the hope that others still held might soon be freed.
WHO: COVID-19 vaccination triples in Africa but still low
Read full article: WHO: COVID-19 vaccination triples in Africa but still lowThe Africa director of the World Health Organization says the continent was able to triple its COVID-19 vaccination rate over the past week, helped by growing numbers of donations of doses from developed countries.
US women’s basketball set to take on Nigeria in first matchup at Tokyo Olympics
Read full article: US women’s basketball set to take on Nigeria in first matchup at Tokyo OlympicsThe U.S. women’s basketball is set to take on the Nigerian national women’s basketball team in their first preliminary matchup on Tuesday.
AP sources: Ogwumike denied by FIBA to play for Nigeria
Read full article: AP sources: Ogwumike denied by FIBA to play for NigeriaNneka Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams have been notified by FIBA that their petitions to play for Nigeria in the upcoming Olympics were denied because they played for the U.S. for too long, says two people familiar with the situation.
Let’s break down the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team roster for Tokyo
Read full article: Let’s break down the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team roster for TokyoWith the Olympics right around the corner, the final rosters and teams are shaping up, and that includes the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.
Nigeria receives nearly 4 million vaccines from COVAX
Read full article: Nigeria receives nearly 4 million vaccines from COVAXCOVID-19 vaccines are offloaded from a plane at Lagos airport, Tuesday March 2, 2021. Nigeria received vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. With more than 150,000 Nigerians infected with the virus and over 1,800 lives lost, the path to recovery for the people of Nigeria can finally begin,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative. “This is a very significant occasion -- the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines into Nigeria is critical in curbing the pandemic. Nigeria is among 92 countries worldwide that will receive vaccines for free through the COVAX initiative.
Pope prays for liberation of 317 kidnapped Nigerian students
Read full article: Pope prays for liberation of 317 kidnapped Nigerian studentsVATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Sunday decried the kidnapping of 317 students from their boarding school in northwest Nigeria and prayed for the girls' quick release. Police on Friday in Nigeria said gunmen had abducted the students from their boarding school. “I pray for these girls, so that they may return home soon,'' the pope said. A resident of the area said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from interfering with the mass abduction. On Saturday, authorities in Nigeria announced that nearly 40 students, teachers and relatives abducted on Feb. 17 from a school in northern Nigeria have been freed.
Africa CDC: New virus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria
Read full article: Africa CDC: New virus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria“It’s a separate lineage from the U.K. and South Africa,” the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told reporters. He said the Nigeria CDC and the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases would analyze more samples. The new virus variant in South Africa is now the predominant one there, Nkengasong said, as confirmed infections in the country approach 1 million. “We believe this mutation will not have an effect” on the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines to the continent, he said of the South Africa variant. Infections across the continent have risen 10.9% over the past four weeks, the Africa CDC director said, including a 52% increase in Nigeria and 40% increase in South Africa.
The Latest: China tests millions in port over virus cluster
Read full article: The Latest: China tests millions in port over virus cluster(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.
US citizen kidnapped in Niger rescued in military operation
Read full article: US citizen kidnapped in Niger rescued in military operationWASHINGTON – An American citizen kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger this past week has been rescued in a U.S. military operation in neighboring Nigeria, U.S. officials said Saturday. The man was taken from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger early Tuesday morning by armed kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father. “This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” the department said in a statement. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss the operation and spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details .
Amnesty: Credible reports protesters shot dead in Nigeria
Read full article: Amnesty: Credible reports protesters shot dead in NigeriaPeople hold banners as they demonstrate on the street to protest against police brutality, in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday Oct. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)LAGOS – Amnesty International said late Tuesday there was “credible but disturbing evidence” that security forces in the megacity of Lagos had fatally shot protesters who were demonstrating against police brutality despite a new curfew going into effect. The development came just hours after Lagos state Gov. The governor of Lagos state said the new curfew would cover the entire city of some 14 million people and surrounding areas. The announcement came after a police station was burned down in the city and two people were shot dead by police.
Up to 150 million could join extreme poor, World Bank says
Read full article: Up to 150 million could join extreme poor, World Bank saysMiddle income-countries are expected to have 82% of the new extreme poor, including India, Nigeria and Indonesia. Most of the new extreme poor, more than 110 million even by the World Bank's baseline estimate, will be in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Roughly a third of the newly extreme poor are expected to be in sub-Saharan Africa, between 26 million and 40 million. The World Bank estimates between 88 million and 115 million people could slip into extreme poverty this year, with another 23 million to 35 million in 2021. The report "offers no simple answers to these major challenges currently confronting the world, because there are not any,” the World Bank authors write.
Africa now free of wild poliovirus, but polio threat remains
Read full article: Africa now free of wild poliovirus, but polio threat remainsThe announcement by the African Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication comes after no cases have been reported for four years. But sometimes patchy surveillance across the vast continent of 1.3 billion people raises the possibility that scattered cases of the wild poliovirus still remain, undetected. The final push to combat the wild poliovirus focused largely on northern Nigeria, where the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group has carried out a deadly insurgency for more than a decade. Africa's last reported case of the wild poliovirus was in Nigeria in 2016. Cases remain of the so-called vaccine-derived polio virus, which is a rare mutated form of the weakened but live virus contained in the oral polio vaccine.
Uber begins pilot phase of its boat service in Nigeria
Read full article: Uber begins pilot phase of its boat service in NigeriaCNNMoney(CNN) - As part of its expansion plans into Africa, global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies launched a pilot test of their taxi boat service on Friday in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub. To attract customers who want to avoid the city's frequently congested roads, Uber will operate a two-week pilot phase of the boat service in conjunction with the Lagos State Water Authority (LASWA) and local boat operators, Texas Connection Ferries. The launch of the UberBOAT service comes four months after Uber's global head of business development, Brookes Entwistle, said the company was looking to gain more ground on the continent. The service will be available only on weekdays for the next two weeks and will cost 500 naira ($1.30) per trip. "The last couple of years have seen the Lagos State Government commit to building up infrastructure that supports multi-modal transportation, which includes water transport," he said.
Nigerian police arrest three suspects in 'serial killings' of women
Read full article: Nigerian police arrest three suspects in 'serial killings' of womenPORT HARCOURT, Nigeria - Three suspects, linked to a spate of killings targeting women in Nigeria's oil-rich Rivers State have been arrested, police said on Wednesday. She was sleeping when she suddenly woke up and saw the man who brought her to the hotel charging at her,"Omoni said. The killings in Port Harcourt bore all the hallmarks of "cultism," police said. A hotel in the city was shut down on Sunday after police found another women murdered in a similar pattern in one of their rooms. 'Abetting murder'Two hotel managers and two receptionists on duty on the days the women were murdered were also arrested.
Man jumps on plane wing as it prepares for takeoff
Read full article: Man jumps on plane wing as it prepares for takeofffreeimages.com/krzysiuc(CNN) - A man who climbed onto the wing of a plane as it prepared for takeoff at the airport in Nigeria's Lagos city has been arrested, authorities said. He then jumped onto a wing of the plane and tried to access the cabin, the airline said. The incident happened Friday morning at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International airport in Lagos. A video taken by a passenger on the aircraft shows the man moving around the wing of the plane as frightened passengers called on the crew to open the exit doors. The man has been taken into custody and is being questioned, Nigeria's airport authority said in a statement.
Muslim cleric who hid Christians during attacks honored in the US
Read full article: Muslim cleric who hid Christians during attacks honored in the US(CNN) - The US government is honoring an 83-year-old Muslim cleric who hid 262 Christians in his home and mosque during an attack in central Nigeria. Imam Abubakar Abdullahi, along with four religious leaders from Sudan, Iraq, Brazil and Cyprus, were awarded the 2019 the International Religious Freedom Award, which is given to advocates of religious freedom. The cleric refused to give them up when their attackers asked about their whereabouts, International Religious Freedom Ambassador Sam Brownback said at the awards ceremony in Washington on Wednesday. "His actions bear witness to true courage, true selflessness, and true brotherly love," he said. The State Department, organizers of the award, given to advocates of religious freedom, said the Muslim cleric selflessly risked his own life to save members of another religious community who without his intervention would have been killed.