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Footage from the fire shows rooms on the top floor burning while smoke billows out of the roof.
The cause of the fire has not been revealed at the moment.
Feared militant group, Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack launched at the Afrik Hotel, in Somalia which began with a car bomb on Sunday afternoon and killed nine people in the process.
Reports say a car hit the hotel’s front entrance in the capital of Mogadishu and detonated before gunmen stormed the building, according to officials and others at the scene of the incident.
“The blast made the hotel tremble as we sat inside and were talking. We were panicked, confused,” eyewitness Ahmed Nur was quoted by Reuters as saying.
“The operation is over now. Nine people, including four attackers, died and over 10 civilians were injured. There is no electricity,” a police spokesman told reporters from the scene and via Facebook.
The incident came two months after a deadly bomb blast in the capital of Mogadishu claimed the lives of no fewer than seven victims and left 10 others seriously injured.
The incident was confirmed by BBC’s Bella Sheegow who said that the explosion happened in a popular ice-cream parlour and bakery near the airport.
A second round of voting in the inconclusive presidential elections in Niger Republic has been fixed for February 21, after the first round of voting on December 27, 2020, could not produce a clear winner.
In a statement on Sunday,Niger’s Constitutional Court (NCC), confirmed that a second round of the presidential election is to be held as no candidate had obtained an absolute majority of votes in the first round which “led to the annulment, partial or total cancellation claimed by opposition candidates” which was rejected by the Court.
However, the rerun elections will be between former Prime Minister and candidate of the ruling party who was the favorite to win, Mohammed Bazoum and former President Mahamane Ousmane.
In the first election, Bazoum came first with 39.33 percent of the votes while Mahamane came second with 16.99 percent of votes.
“The Court receives the request of the President of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the form, validates and proclaims the final results of the first round of the presidential elections of December 27 2020.
“The court, therefore, declares Mohamed Bazoum and Mahamane Ousmane candidates in the second round of the presidential elections,” the NCC said.
For the second round, Bazoum and Ousmane will have to engage in negotiations with the 28 other candidates who did not make the cut.
Eighteen opposition parties including that of Ousmane, gathered in the coalition Cap 20-21, called the ‘failed candidates’ in the first round to join the candidacy of the former president.Ten other unsuccessful candidates in the first round including former President Salou Djibo have formed a second alliance, the Alliance of Candidates for Change (ACC), offering their support in the second round “to any interested candidate,” in return for power-sharing afterwards.
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to name a new Inspector-General of Police as the incumbent police chief, Mohammed Adamu, is due to take a bow out of service on Monday, multiple sources told Daily Trust on Sunday.
As the president’s action is being awaited, prominent socio-cultural groups and civil society organisations have called on the president to do the right thing and stick to the rule of law in taking his decision.
While the IGP’s days in the police are officially up, on account of attaining 35 years in service, the president has the prerogative to extend his stay.
But informed sources told our reporters last night that the president is unlikely to give Adamu the fiat to stay beyond his statutory service age.
A top source at the Presidency treveals that Adamu is expected to hand over to the most senior police officer, in the event no announcement was made before the end of Monday.
“This is a post that has limit. If a position like that is given to you, the expectation is one leaves at the due date except if there is an instruction to the contrary. Right now there is no such communication,” he said.
Multiple sources told one of our reporters that Adamu’s fate was sealed on Wednesday after the president was briefed on the vacancy in the police top post by Minister of Police Affairs Maigari Dingyadi, at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
It has been gathered that the minister presented a shortlist of Deputy Inspector-Generals (DGIs) and Assistant Inspector-Generals (AIGs) to the president for his consideration.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ehisienmen Osaigvo, did not respond to a request for comments on this story last night. Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, declined comment when contacted by our reporter.
But a credible security source explained that the presidency had directed the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Department of States Security (DSS) to prepare confidential briefings on seven senior police officers on the rank of DIG and AIG.
Course mates of IGP Adamu, serving in various positions in the Police Force, had reportedly vacated their offices as of Sunday night.
Sources in Abuja and other places said the IGP’s mates, including a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), DIG Ibrahim Lamorde, DIG Michael Anthony Ogbizi, and AIG Mohammad Mustafa, have emptied their offices in preparation for quitting the Force on Monday.
Despite these developments, Adamu is said to be still staying foot in his post with some of his promoters calling for a six month extension for him.
Checks Sunday night indicated that Adamu was still occupying the IGP’s official residence in Maitama, Abuja, while he was yet to vacate his office.
A source at the Ministry of Police Affairs told one of our reporters that the presidency would announce a new acting inspector general of police on Monday.
“Everything is concluded, you should just wait for the appointment from the Villa,” the source who asked not to be named for fear of sanctions explained.
BIOCRITICAL INFORMATION ON IGP ADAMU
Mohammed Abubakar Adamu (born 17 September 1961) is a Nigerian police officer who is currently the 20th Inspector General of Police of Nigeria. He was appointed by PresidentMuhammadu Buhari on 15 January 2019 replacing Ibrahim Kpotun Idris (rtd) of Niger State. Mohammed Adamu hails from Lafia, in Nasarawa State.
A gun battle between militant Islamists and Somali security forces at a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, is now over.
At least five people were killed in the attack at the Afrik Hotel, which began with a car bomb on Sunday.
Al-Shabab said it was responsible. The group, which is linked to al-Qaeda, regularly carries out attacks against the government.
At least four attackers also died – according to AFP news agency three were shot and one blew himself up.
A car hit the hotel’s front entrance and detonated before gunmen stormed the building, according to officials and others at the scene.
“The blast made the hotel tremble as we sat inside and were talking. We were panicked, confused,” eyewitness Ahmed Nur was quoted by Reuters as saying.
“The operation is over now. Nine people, including four attackers, died and over 10 civilians were injured. There is no electricity,” a police spokesman told reporters from the scene and via Facebook.
Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said in a statement that among those killed was a former military general, Mohamed Nur Galal.
The militants targeted the Afrik Hotel despite the fact that it is in a heavily guarded area near the city’s main airport, the BBC’s Bella Sheegow reported from Mogadishu.
The hotel is known to be a gathering place for Somali government officials. A local police captain said a number of lawmakers and senior military officials were inside at the time of the attack.
Footage on social media showed large plumes of smoke rising across the city earlier on Sunday.
Our reporter says it was one of the most devastating recent attacks in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab also targeted the beachside Elite hotel last year resulting in a seven-hour battle with police and security in which 17 people were killed.
The violent siege comes just weeks after former US President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of some 700 troops who had been supporting local security forces against militant groups, including al-Shabab.
There are fears the withdrawal could lead to further instability in the country, which is due to hold elections next month.
Meghan Markle has claimed Buckingham Palace made her erase her first names from her and Prince Harry’s son Archie Harrison’s birth certificate.
The Sun reported on Saturday, January 30, that the former American actress, 39, “secretly erased” her first names, Rachel Meghan, from the document in June 2019, nearly one month after Archie’s birth.
She was then referred to as “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.” Prince Harry‘s name was also amended to add the word prince, so it reads, “His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex.”
The adjustment reportedly occurred on June 5 after Harry and Meghan’s son arrived on May 6 of 2019.
A spokesperson for Meghan has now confirmed the change of name but says Meghan did not request her name should be changed on her son’s birth certificate.
The spokesman told the Telegraph: ‘The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex.
‘To see this UK tabloid and their carnival of so-called ‘experts’ chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family ‘snub’ and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive.’
The change triggered speculation, with the Queen’s ex-press secretary Dickie Arbiter saying: ‘Maybe this was an early part of their plan.’
Lady Colin Campbell, who spotted the amendment, said: ‘It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking.’
Meghan and Harry, 36, tied the knot in May 2018 and welcomed Archie one year later. Months after the name change the couple announced their decision to quit the royal family in January 2020 and completed their duties that March.
Foreign residents make up more than 80% of the UAE’s population and have for decades been a mainstay of its economy.
The United Arab Emirates plans to offer citizenship to selected people, the first Gulf nation to do so in a major policy shift designed to give expatriates a bigger stake in the economy and foster growth, Bloomberg reports.
“We adopted law amendments that allow granting the UAE citizenship to investors, specialised talents and professionals including scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, authors and their families. The new directives aim to attract talents that contribute to our development journey,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in a tweet.
“The UAE cabinet, local Emiri courts and executive councils will nominate those eligible for citizenship under clear criteria set for each category. The law allows receivers of the UAE passport to keep their existing citizenship.”
Foreign residents make up more than 80% of the UAE’s population and have for decades been a mainstay of its economy. The UAE comprises seven sheikhdoms, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Oil-rich Gulf states, which for decades jealously guarded privileges for the small number of citizens, have been forced to consider longer residency and limited citizenship for foreigners as they seek to attract investment and diversify from oil.
Last year, the UAE abolished the need for companies to have Emirati shareholders, in a major shake-up of foreign ownership laws to attract investment into an economy reeling from the coronavirus and a decline in oil prices.
Manchester United players have been victims of racial abuses in recent weeks. Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial were victims of racial abuses last week following Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United, which prompted Manchester United to call on social media companies to improve their monitoring of social media abuse.
In similar story, another Manchester United striker, Marcus Rashford, has been targeted by racists online, and his abuse came after he missed goalscoring opportunities in Manchester United’s game against Arsenal on Saturday night, January 30.
Reacting to the abuses, the 24-year-old England international took to Twitter on Saturday night to blast those who have targeted him, saying he will not dignify them by posting their racist comments online.
He wrote; “Humanity and social media at its worst. Yes I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am. No one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here,” he wrote.
“I’m not sharing screenshots. It would be irresponsible to do so and as you can imagine there’s nothing original in them. I have beautiful children of all colours following me and they don’t need to read it. Beautiful colours that should only be celebrated.”
Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also joined in the condemnation of racists online. During a press conference after the match, Ole said;
“It’s just incredible we have these scenes still, this abuse in 2021.
“We’ve been campaigning for a long time now with the Premier League and I think it’s working, but there are still some people that haven’t got it.
Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also joined in the condemnation of racists online. During a press conference after the match, Ole said;
“It’s just incredible we have these scenes still, this abuse in 2021.
“We’ve been campaigning for a long time now with the Premier League and I think it’s working, but there are still some people that haven’t got it.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked Nigerian youths to make it uncomfortable for old leaders to remain in government.
Speaking during a virtual interview with academic and historian Toyin Falola, the former President admitted his generation did a lot of wrong and also apologized to the youths. Obasanjo who noted that things are bad in the country, said Nigeria’s fortune might change when youths step up.
He said;
“You (youths) have everything going for you and I don’t want you to feel discouraged. Things are bad in Nigeria but I believe it is only for a short while because it depends on you.
Whatever my generation might have done wrong and I will be the first to admit that my generation has done a lot of wrong, (but) it is for your generation to do it better.
Don’t just sit down and complain. Sitting down and complaining will make you be on the same level and you have to get what I called critical mass of likeminded people who will be ready to say let us bring about the change.
You can bring about the change if you get critical mass of people that are ready to slug it out.
When people say when will these old hags go out of the way? I tell them they won’t go out of the way, you have to make them go out of the way. They won’t voluntarily go out of the way, you have to make it uncomfortable for them; I am not talking of violence but bringing pressure to bear to make it uncomfortable for them to go out of the way.”
Every eligible care home resident in England has been offered covid19 vaccine, the NHS has announced.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as a “crucial milestone”. The UK target is to vaccinate all care home residents and carers, people over 70, and frontline care workers, by 15 February. On Saturday a record 598,389 first jabs were given across the UK. It means nearly nine million people have received the first dose, with about 490,000 having both.
The EU says AstraZeneca will supply nine million more Covid vaccine doses by March, amid criticism of Europe’s slow vaccination rollout. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was a “step forward”…but the 40m doses now expected are still only around half of what had been hoped for.
Aung San Suu Kyi detained in Myanmar coup.
Aung San Suu Kyi spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010, winning the Nobel Peace Prize along the way. In 2016 she became de facto leader of her country, Myanmar. She has now been detained in a military coup – with the military making its commander-in-chief the country’s new leader.
There are soldiers on the streets of the main cities, queues at cash machines, the internet connection is down in places, and the state broadcaster has been off air. Other politicians, alongside Ms Suu Kyi, have also been detained.
The army says November’s election – in which Ms Suu Kyi’s party won 83% of votes – was fraudulent, which is why it has stepped in. It was just the second election since the end of military rule in 2011. Although Ms Suu Kyi was feted in the west when taking office, her rule has been defined by the alleged genocide of her country’s Rohingya people.
Boko Haram Terrorists Kill Newlywed Nigerian Soldier.
The attack happened a few hours after Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai handed over to Major General Ibrahim Attahiru as the Chief of Army Staff.
A newlywed Nigerian soldier, Abdullahi Bhuwa Usman, has been killed by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
SaharaReporters gathered that Usman was among soldiers killed when the insurgents engaged the Nigerian military in a four-hour battle to take control of Dikwa.
The attack happened a few hours after Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai handed over to Major General Ibrahim Attahiru as the Chief of Army Staff.
The gunbattle started at around 6:00 pm and lasted till about 10:00 pm. It claimed many casualties, including Usman.
“I received the news of Usman’s death with deep shock. He just got married on December 27, 2020. I attended the wedding here in Lagos.
“Though he wasn’t in attendance physically because he was on duty, his family members and friends were all here and left with the wife to Borno State that same day.
“I still spoke with him last week and told him to take care of his wife; it’s just so sad. He was so jovial and caring,” a family member of the deceased told SaharaReporters.
In the past months, the insurgents have targeted soldiers, who mostly lay ambush on their path.
The Boko Haram insurgency has caused over 40,000 deaths and displaced millions of individuals mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
The terror group wants an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria.
On January 22, 2021, the group ambushed and fired machine guns at a Nigerian army patrol in Borno State, killing seven soldiers and injuring others. Also, an ATV and ammunition were captured by the gunmen.
The attack occurred barely five days after the gunmen activated seven IEDs against a Nigerian army convoy of Armoured Personnel Carriers and other vehicles, escorted by a foot patrol in Gorgi in Borno State.
According to military sources, over 30 soldiers were killed during the ambush.
The gunmen also destroyed three vehicles and an armoured vehicle.
Captain Sir Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus, his daughter has said.
The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital after requiring help with his breathing, Hannah Ingram-Moore said on Twitter.
She said he had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and last week tested positive for Covid-19.
Mrs Ingram-Moore said her father was not in intensive care.
A spokeswoman for the family said Capt Sir Tom had not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine due to the medication he was on for pneumonia.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “You’ve inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery.”
The Army veteran won the nation’s hearts by walking 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, before his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown.
He was knighted by the Queen in July.
In Mrs Ingram-Moore’s tweet, she said her father had been at home with the family until Sunday when he “needed additional help with breathing”.
She said the medical care he had received in the past few weeks had been “remarkable”.
“We know that the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do all they can to make him comfortable and hopefully [he will] return home as soon as possible,” she said.
There has been an outpouring of well wishes for the centenarian on social media.
BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker posted: “Come on Captain Tom”, while actor and singer Michael Ball sent “love and prayers”.
Capt Sir Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday, had initially set out to raise £1,000 for NHS charities by repeatedly walking an 82ft (25m) loop of his garden.
But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than 1.5m supporters.
A man has been caught with bullets in Delta State. HGS Media Plus reports.
The unidentified man was caught this morning at Oghara express, opposite cattle market area in Delta State.
The man who was on a bike had a road accident, when residents rushed out to help, they discovered bullets falling out from the man’s pocket.
When the man was asked how he got procession of the bullets, he claimed one Sariki sent him to purchase it.
The man has however been handed over to the police for further investigation.
The new service chiefs appointment by the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have arrived Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to meet with critical stakeholders to brainstorm on how to tackle insurgency in the theatre of war.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Leo Irabor led the delegation to arrive at the headquarters of Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri on Sunday afternoon at about 1330 hours.
They include the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. General Leo Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Maj. General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff, AVM Awwal Gambo and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao.
A top security source said the visit is expected to brainstorming on how to re-strategise approach that will ensure lasting peace in the region.
The service chiefs were appointed this week to replace the ousted service chiefs, whose sack had long been called for.
Concerned authorities in Russia on Saturday issued an arrest threat to supporters of Kremlin critic, Alexey Navalny who are preparing for a fresh round of anti-government protests on Sunday.
Reports say Navalny’s supporters are planning a nationwide protest despite a police crackdown and strong warnings against participating in the demonstrations.
Spokeswoman for the Russian interior ministry, Irina Volk in a statement issued on Saturday said participants found in violation of epidemiological regulations by participating in rallies could face criminal charges.
“The Russian interior ministry units and other law enforcement will use all necessary measures to ensure public order at sites of mass events. Moreover, we warn that any violent actions against officers or refusal to obey their lawful orders will be prevented.
“Individuals who commit such illegal actions will be detained and held accountable according to the law,” Volk added.
This came days after the police in Russia arrested no fewer than 3,000 supporters of Navalny, and also violently broke up rallies across Russia as tens of thousands of protesters marched through the country.
Former Central African Republic militia commander, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the first time on Friday to answer for alleged crimes against humanity.
However, the alleged leader of Séléka, a largely Muslim rebel coalition who was handed over to the ICC on Sunday after his arrest in the Bria region of CAR, told the court that he’ll not make any comments for the time being.
“I will be silent for now and express myself when the time comes,” said Mr Kani, appearing by video link from the ICC’s detention centre because of coronavirus restrictions.
“I am not yet very fully informed of my rights. I am aware that as a suspect I am presumed innocent,” Kani added.
The militia commander allegedly committed the crimes in 2013 in the capital, Bangui, following the overthrow of President François Bozizé.
Thousands of people died in the ensuing violence that followed between the rebels and Christian militias in the country.
A former head of a Chinese state-owned asset management company, China Huarong Asset Management Company, Lai Xiaomin, has been executed after a court sentenced him to death on charges of corruption, bribe taking and bigamy.
Xiaomin who was sentenced to death by a court in Tianjin, east of Beijing, on January 5, was executed on Friday after President Xi Jinping signed the warrant for his execution.
The Second Intermediate People’s Court had ruled that the death sentence of the 54-year-old former bank executive was justified because he took “especially enormous” bribes to make investments, offer construction contracts, help with promotions and provide other favors.
According to prosecutors, Xiaomin had “asked for or collected 1.8 billion yuan ($260 million) over a decade” while he was the head of the company set up in the 1990s to buy non-performing loans from government-owned banks.
Under Xiaomin who was the Chairman of the company, it expanded into banking, insurance, real estate finance and other fields.
Court documents said one bribe exceeded 600 million yuan ($93 million). He was also convicted of embezzling more than 25 million yuan ($4 million) and starting a second family while still married to his first wife.
The accused “endangered national financial security and financial stability and the death penalty “was his own responsibility, and he deserved it,” the judge had said during the judgment.
Xiaomin was placed under investigation by the ruling Communist Party’s anti-corruption watchdog in 2018 and expelled from the party later the same year.
He was also accused by the anti-corruption agency of squandering public money, illegally organizing banquets, engaging in sexual dealings with multiple women and taking bribes while investigators seized hundreds of millions of yuan (tens of millions of dollars) in cash from his properties.
Key Phrase: Former Chinese bank executive executed for corruption
Israel says it is transferring 5,000 doses of Covid vaccine to immunise frontline Palestinian health workers.
Israel has one of the most advanced vaccination programmes in the world but Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza have yet to see one.
UN experts say Israel has a responsibility for vaccinations there.
Israel says that is not part of agreed protocols and it has not received any requests from the Palestinians. This is its first such transfer.
Israel has recorded some 640,000 Covid cases since the pandemic began, and just over 4,700 deaths, Johns Hopkins University research shows. There have been almost 160,000 cases in the West Bank and Gaza, with 1,833 deaths, the research shows.
Israel’s special deal with vaccine supplier Pfizer – Israel is providing vital medical data in return for a quick rollout – has helped it to become the country that has inoculated more people per head of population than any other.
Some 1.7 million people, almost 20% of the population, have already received both doses. More than three million people have received the first. However, the country remains under lockdown.
The office of Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz confirmed on Sunday that Israel would make the transfer to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinians have not yet commented.
Neither the West Bank, whose limited self-rule is run by the Palestinian Authority, nor Gaza, controlled by militant Islamist movement Hamas, has started vaccination programmes.
Palestinian health officials say deals are being negotiated for vaccine supplies but it is unclear when they will start.
The territories also hope to benefit from the World Health Organization-backed Covax scheme, to supply vaccines to poorer states and nations, but again timings are unknown.
A few thousand Russian-made vaccines have arrived but is unclear who they have gone to.
About 2.7 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, and another 1.8 million in Gaza.
Israel points to the Oslo accords, agreed in 1993 and 1995, which set out how parts of the West Bank and Gaza would be governed under an interim framework until a permanent peace settlement can be reached.
It says these give the Palestinian Authority oversight of public health under the principles of self-determination.
The Palestinians say those accords also say Israel should co-operate in combating epidemics and contagious diseases.
The Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine, who created one of the most famous riffs in pop music in the 1960s, has died at the age of 77.
The British band’s version of blues standard The House of The Rising Sun topped the UK and US charts in 1964.
The Animals’ record label ABKCO Music described Valentine as a “pioneering guitar player influencing the sound of rock and roll for decades to come”.
North Shields-born Valentine died on Friday, ABKCO said on Twitter.
Valentine co-founded the Animals in Newcastle in 1963 alongside singer Eric Burdon, bassist Chas Chandler, organist Alan Price and drummer John Steel.
The group also scored six other UK top 10 hits including Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and We Gotta Get Out of This Place.
Valentine left The Animals for a solo career after the original line-up split in 1966, but he went on take part in several reunions and toured with Burdon in 2007.
Based in Connecticut in recent years, he also released music with his band Skiffledog.
Burdon paid tribute to Valentine on Instagram, writing: “The opening opus of Rising Sun will never sound the same!… You didn’t just play it, you lived it! Heartbroken by the sudden news of Hilton’s passing.
“We had great times together, Geordie lad. From the North Shields to the entire world…Rock In Peace.”
