The Nigerian Government has announced that it is sending its first citizen into space.

The Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA, Mathew Adepoju, made this known at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Space Exploration and Research Agency, SERA, to facilitate the ambitious venture.

According to him, “This collaboration, which is coming to the country, marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s 25th anniversary of Space Exploration journey and opens new opportunities for scientific research and technological advancement.”

Meanwhile, DAILY POST recently reported that NASRDA had decried the lack of patronage for homegrown technology to fight maritime insecurity.

The agency said that 90 per cent of security challenges facing the maritime sector in the country can be tackled by Geo-Stationary Satellite.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki over the death of his mother, Florence.

Buhari described Florence as a strong pillar of the Saraki dynasty.

In a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, the former President said Florence was a hardworking community leader whose kindness and thoughtfulness towards others is an inspiration and would be remembered.

He said, “I am saddened by the demise of Chief Florence Saraki, a strong pillar of the Saraki dynasty and a mother firmly committed to family values and the welfare of the less privileged.

“The commitment and resilience she showed as she supported the family following the death of the patriarch, Senator Abubakar Olusola Saraki, and Waziri of Ilorin is praiseworthy.

“She was a hardworking and people-friendly community leader whose kindness and thoughtfulness towards others is an inspiration. She will sorely be missed by many in Kwara state and at the centre.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the former senate president and my noteworthy minister, for whom their mother meant so much. He May her soul rest in peace.”

Researchers have identified the world’s oldest wine, a drop of white, discovered in an ancient Roman burial site in southern Spain, which was found to be some 2,000 years old.

The wine was discovered in 2019 in a Roman mausoleum near Carmona, a town near Seville, believed to have been a family tomb dating back to the ancient Roman city of Carmo.

According to the research team from the University of Cordóba and the town’s archaeological department, the burial site contained six urns holding human remains as well as several objects.

In what they described as a rather exceptional and unexpected discovery, the scientists found the remains of a male individual submerged in a reddish liquid inside a sealed glass funerary urn.

Analysis of the liquid’s mineral profile and the detection of certain characteristic polyphenols, biomarkers found in every wine, allowed it to be identified as white wine.

This is according to the findings published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The liquid’s red colour was acquired over time, possibly due to solid residues contained in the urn, they said in the paper.

The researchers said that identifying the wine’s origins proved most difficult as there’s nothing left to compare it to.

However, they found similarities in the mineral profile of modern-day white wines produced in Montilla-Moriles, a wine-growing region east of Carmona, and sherry wines from Jerez.

While the Romans extensively used wine for burial rituals due to its religious significance, the remnants of ancient wines reported so far have all been dried up, often absorbed on vessel walls.

The researchers said their findings constitute the oldest ancient wine conserved in the liquid state.

Previously, the oldest wine ever recorded was a bottle from Speyer, Germany, discovered in 1867 and believed to have been preserved since the fourth century, according to a University of Cordóba statement.

The fact that it was the remains of a male individual that were covered in wine is no coincidence.

The researchers point out that women were long forbidden from tasting wine during Roman times.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed a fresh bail application the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, filed to be released on bail, pending the conclusion of his trial.

Kyari is facing an eight-count charge bordering on drug trafficking brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

The NDLEA alleged that Kyari and his men, sometime between January 19 and 25, 2022, at the office of Inspector-General of Police, IRT, Abuja, in connivance with one ASP John Umoru (now at large), ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu, unlawfully tampered with 21.25kilograms worth of cocaine that they seized from the two convicted drug traffickers- Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwane- even as it also accused them of dealing in cocaine worth 17.55kg.

The charge stated that this is contrary to section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, the defendants

The court had, in two previous rulings, denied the defendant’s bail and ordered their remand at Kuje prison.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja also refused Kyari’s request for bail.

At today’s sitting, Justice Nwite, in a ruling, held that Kyari’s application lacked merit.

He stated that Kyari failed to establish any exceptional circumstance that would warrant the exercise of judicial discretion in his favour.

The trial judge said that the court had earlier dismissed a similar bail application that was brought before it and ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.

He said no evidence was shown to convince the court why it should depart from its earlier ruling.

Justice Nwite rejected Kyari’s application and approved that the NLDEA, proceed with the prosecution of both Kyari and his co-defendants in the matter.

Recall that the court last month granted Kyari temporary bail from prison custody to enable him to participate in his mother’s final burial rites.

The court granted him N50m bail for two weeks and two sureties in like sum.

Previously, Kyari had filed an application to challenge the charge brought against him which the court on March 22, 2023, dismissed.

Kyari, through his team of lawyers led by Mr Nureni Jimoh (SAN), argued that the charge was legally defective and premature.

He added that the NDLEA ought to have allowed police to exhaust its internal machinery before filing the applications in court.

He claimed that the Police had already commenced an investigation into allegations against him and issued an interim report.

The defendant argued that he could only be charged to court upon the conclusion of the internal investigation by the police

An Arab diplomat told AFP on Wednesday that at least 600 Egyptians died during the hajj pilgrimage, citing searing heat that reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.

“All of the (newly confirmed) deaths were because of the heat as well,” the diplomat said after Arab officials earlier reported a figure of at least 323 Egyptian deaths.

Baseball legend and one of the greatest players in history of the sport, Willie Mays, has died “peacefully” at the age of 93, Major League Baseball (MLB) team San Francisco Giants made the announcement in the early hours of Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for a two-day state visit.

Mr Putin was received by North Korea’s ruler, Kim Jong Un, at the airport in Pyongyang, the Russian news agency Interfax reported on Wednesday.

According to observers, the two-day visit will also focus on further arms deliveries from Pyongyang, which Moscow intends to use in its war against Ukraine.

The main part of the visit begins on Wednesday.

The day would begin with a meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Kim in Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang’s urban and symbolic centre.

Long negotiations were planned, first in one-on-one talks, then on a larger scale.

In addition to several meals together, a wreath-laying ceremony and a joint concert visit have also been announced.

The last time Mr Putin was in North Korea was in 2000, when he was received by Mr Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il.

He said that after a long break in the relationship, the two countries have recently moved closer together, not least because of the Ukraine war.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has referred a complaint against the popular video-sharing app TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to the Department of Justice.

It was alleged that they failed to protect children’s privacy.

The FTC said in a statement that it uncovered reason to believe TikTok and ByteDance were violating or were about to violate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

The regulator did not provide any further details of the alleged violations in its statement.

The FTC said that it did not typically make referrals of complaints public but “determined that doing so here is in the public interest.’’

The FTC is responsible for consumer protection in the U.S. and plays an important role in competition policy.

TikTok rejected the allegations in a statement on X, noting it had been in talks with the FTC for over a year.

“We’re disappointed the agency is pursuing litigation instead of continuing to work with us on a reasonable solution,’’ it said.

TikTok also said that many of the FTC’s allegations related to past events and practices were factually inaccurate or had been addressed.

In 2019, TikTok agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle FTC allegations against its predecessor company, Musically, concerning the collection of data from children under the age of 13.

These collections were done without parental consent, in violation of U.S. law.

According to the FTC, the current investigation into TikTok and its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, began with an audit to determine whether the platform was complying with the terms of the previous agreement.

TikTok is currently involved in a separate legal battle in the U.S. over a proposed law that would force a change of ownership.

U.S. politicians are concerned that the Chinese government could potentially access data from American users through ByteDance and use the app for propaganda.

TikTok denied the allegations and has taken legal action in the U.S.

Tragedy struck on the Abuja-Keffi highway when a trailer’s brake system failed, resulting in an accident that killed four people and injured several others.

The incident occurred as the driver lost control while descending Kugbo hill.

The out-of-control trailer smashed into multiple vehicles before coming to a halt, causing significant damage.

The impact was so severe that a Honda Accord was completely crushed, leaving dismembered bodies and body parts scattered at the scene.

Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials, along with sympathizers, faced a harrowing task as they worked to retrieve the remains of the victims from the wreckage.

As of the time of reporting, efforts were still ongoing to extract the bodies from the mangled car.

A pilgrim from Plateau State, Nigeria, Mr Ismaila Musa, has died in Makka, Saudi Arabia.

Alhaji Daiyabu Dauda, the Executive Secretary, Plateau Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Jos.

Dauda said that the deceased, who hails from Mangu Local Government Area of the state, died on Tuesday after a brief illness.

“He was ill and had been on admission at Annur Specialist Hospital in Makka since May 31.

”We wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, the government and people of Plateau.

”We pray that Allah will accept his hajj, grant him eternal rest and give his family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” Dauda prayed.

Quadri Aruna will not play in the 2024 World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Lagos after pulling out of the tournament due to precautionary measures to prevent injury.

Waheed Oshodi, the deputy president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa and the chairman of the LOC, confirmed this during the WTT Contender Lagos World Press Conference ahead of the second edition of the WTT Series in Nigeria starting on Wednesday.

Mr Oshodi said the physio advised the reigning ITTF Africa Cup champion to withdraw from the competition due to his body structure being prone to injury as the 35-year-old continues work to win an Olympic medal at the 2024 Paris Games starting on July 26.

“He (Aruna Quadri) has been advised not to participate in WTT Contender Lagos but the physio as a precautionary measure to avoid injury due to his body,” Mr Oshodi said. “Aruna is currently preparing for the biggest event which is the Olympics.”

He added, “He is 35 years old now, so he does not have much time remaining to win an Olympic medal. He is currently working hard with experienced Segun Toriola (head coach of the Nigerian table tennis team) in preparation for the upcoming Olympics.”

“We know with two or three good games, you are in the semifinals where you can compete for the Olympic medal.

Mr Oshodi noted that even though Aruna will not compete in the WTT Contender Lagos, he will still be involved in the competition in other ways to help motivate local players.

Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has confirmed that parts of Abuja are currently experiencing power outages.

AEDC disclosed this in a notice to customers through its official X handle on Tuesday.

The disco noted that the power outage affected residents around Wuse Zone 3, parts of Zone 2, Zone 5 and environs in the Federal Capital Territory.

AEDC blamed the power outage on a faulty feeder serving the affected areas.

However, AEDC did not state when power supply will be restored to the affected areas.

“This is to inform residents around Wuse Zone 3, parts of Zone 2, Zone 5 and environs, that the power outage currently being experienced is due to a technical fault on the feeder serving these areas.

“Our dedicated technical team is working tirelessly to restore the supply as
quickly as possible. We regret any inconvenience caused”, the notice reads.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed condolences on the demise of the Elemure of Emure-Ekiti, HRM Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, who recently passed away.

The news of the passing of the renowned traditional ruler was officially communicated to the governor over the weekend after the conclusion of all traditional rites.

Governor Oyebanji, in a condolence message signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, described the demise of Oba Adebayo as a sad development, given that the late monarch did not exhibit any signs of illness during their last meeting.

He described the late Oba Adebayo as a loving and dependable traditional ruler who cared deeply for the people and showed tremendous interest in their welfare and the development of his town.

Condoling with the family of the late monarch, the Elemure-in-Council, and the people of the town, the Governor urged them to take solace in the fact that the late Oba Adebayo lived an impactful life of service to the town, Ekiti State, Nigeria, and humanity, for which he would remain unforgettable.

“My condolences and those of the Government of Ekiti State go to the immediate family of the late Kabiyesi, the Elemure-in-Council, and the good people of Emure-Ekiti on the demise of the Elemure, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo.

“The late Oba Adebayo was a great leader of his people, a lover of development, and a patriot who devoted his early life to the service of the country as a police officer, rising to the position of Commissioner of Police before ascending the throne of his forefathers. As a traditional ruler, he also made his mark, with his reign attracting significant development to his town.

“Our prayer is that the good Lord grants the departed monarch eternal rest and comforts the family and the good people of Emure-Ekiti,” the Governor added.

Thailand has approved same-sex marriage, becoming the first country in the Southeast Asian region to do so.

The development followed the nation’s Senate passing a marriage equality bill on Tuesday, June 18.

Al Jazeera reports that the upper house gave a final approval — by 130 votes to four, with 18 abstentions — allowing same-sex couples to get married.

The new legislation is expected to go to King Maha Vajiralongkorn for royal assent and come into force 120 days after publication in the official Royal Gazette.

Thailand will become the third place in Asia where same-sex couples have been legalised after Taiwan and Nepal although India came close in October but the Supreme Court referred the decision back to parliament.

Aljazeera also reports that the new legislation changes references to “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives” in marriage laws to gender-neutral terms.

It also gives same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual ones when it comes to adoption and inheritance.

The Lagos State police command has confirmed the release of the three abducted Fouani brothers.

Recall that the Managing Director of Fouani Company and three other Lebanese nationals were kidnapped while traveling on a boat from Apapa to the Victoria Island.

The victims were reportedly coming from their factory by boat when they were abducted.

They were identified as Abbas Fouani, Youssef Fouani, and Amtal Fouani.

The victims, including the boat driver and his assistant, were released Monday night in Orugbo Iddo.

The police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the report, said that “the feat was achieved by the Lagos Marine police with support from the navy.”

The family of Adekolure has been thrown into mourning after their daughter, Idowu Glory’s remains was dropped close to her parent’s house.

Glory is said to be a recent graduate of the University of Benin.

She was said to have left home for the institution for her clearance on June 13, 2024, but returned lifeless.

A social media user, who tweets from @softbaba24, claimed the deceased, who was his younger sister, was returning home from school when the incident happened.

He claimed she was beaten, raped, and killed in the Iyowa community area of Benin, the Edo State capital and her remains were dropped close to their house.

In a series of posts on X.com on Monday, the user sought help from Nigerians, particularly the police to unravel the mystery surrounding her death.

He wrote, “Justice for my younger sister Adekolure Idowu Glory, who was raped and killed in lyowa community, Benin, Edo State on her way back from school (UNIBEN). She went for her clearance and her corpse dropped close to her mother’s house.

“Help us seek justice for my kid sister that just graduated from the University of Benin in April 2024 and still processing her projects and clearance and was raped to death on her way back from school on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at just 22 years.

“Her lifeless body has been deposited at UBTH mortuary on 15/6/24 with the help of the Nigeria Police from Ekiadolor Division. She was beaten, raped, and killed. Please Nigerians, come to my rescue. The help I need now is just for my innocent sister, my mum can’t hold herself.

“Please everyone should help me to retweet and tag those that can help me get justice.”

Four Philippine policemen were found guilty Tuesday of killing a father and son, court officials said, in a rare case of law enforcement officers being prosecuted for taking part in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war.

The four low-ranking officers were all sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for the shooting deaths of the two victims at a Manila slum during an anti-drug police operation in 2016, Manila regional trial court judge Rowena Alejandria said in her written verdict that was read in court Tuesday.

“It must be worthy to note that the accused themselves did not deny their presence and participation in the police operation conducted, the same event where the victims Luis and Gabriel (Domingo) were killed,” Alejandria wrote.

Thousands of drug suspects were killed by police and unknown gunmen in a campaign that became the centrepiece of Duterte’s 2016-2022 rule, a crackdown that critics described as state-sponsored extrajudicial killings and is now the subject of an investigation by the International Criminal Court.

Luis Bonifacio’s partner, Mary Ann Domingo, cried on her son’s shoulder as they listened to the verdict on two counts of homicide each being read at the cramped northern Manila courtroom.

Manila policemen Virgilio Cervantes, Arnel de Guzman, Johnston Alacre and Artemio Saguros were also ordered to pay 300,000 pesos ($5,120) each in damages to the victim’s heirs.

The family has alleged more than a dozen police officers took part in the nighttime raid at the northern Manila slum community.

The family insisted the two were not involved in drugs and were unarmed when police opened fire.

The defendants pleaded self-defence, alleging the suspects were armed and had shot at them.

But state prosecutors went with the lesser charge of homicide against only four officers, instead of murder, which involves deliberate intent to kill and which carries a heavier penalty.

Official data shows more than 6,000 people died in police anti-narcotics operations.

But rights groups estimate tens of thousands of mostly poor men have been killed by officers and vigilantes, even without proof they were linked to drugs.

Duterte had openly ordered police to shoot dead suspects during anti-drug operations if officers believed their lives were in danger.

While the crackdown has been widely condemned and sparked an international investigation, only five other policemen have been convicted for killing drug suspects.

Three Manila police officers were convicted in 2018 of murdering a 17-year-old boy in 2017. Two other narcotics police officers were found guilty last year for separate killings in 2016 and 2017, the latter victim a South Korean businessman.

Lawyers say most families are too scared to go after their relatives’ killers or do not have the money or time to pursue a case in the Philippines’ creaky judicial system.

The Philippine drug crackdown is being investigated by the International Criminal Court, which said in 2021 that it appeared “a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population took place pursuant to or in furtherance of a state policy”.

Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019, so only cases before that date are covered by the investigation.

President Ferdinand Marcos, who succeeded Duterte, has refused to cooperate in the ICC probe, saying Manila has a functioning judicial system.

A student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Modupe Ayandare, was found dead outside the campus of the university on Monday.

Ayandare, who was a 500 level of the Department of Agronomy of the institution, was found hung beside the church she attended, located off the campus of the state-owned institution.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the institution’s Students Union Government, Olaogbebikan Noble, in a statement, said all hands were on deck to unravel the cause of the incident.

The statement read, “We express in strong terms our dissatisfaction and agony concerning the death of one of our students, Ayandare Modupe.A 500L student of the Department of Agronomy (Agronomy Departmental President).

“According to the report, the deceased was said to have committed suicide in the early hours of today, around 4 am, after they finished vigil in her church. The incident happened beside the church she attended around the Spotless Vlla.

“The law enforcement agency has been informed already, and all hands are on the desk in getting to the root of the situation. Rest assured that justice will be served, and the law enforcement agency will do a thorough investigation. Should you have any information to supply regarding the incident that happened, kindly reach out to the Students’ Union. Stay tuned for further updates as further investigations are underway.”

The state police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident, said the command was working to unravel the cause of the incident.

In a related event which occurred in January 2023, a 300-level student of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Olona Oluwapelumi, committed suicide at his residence in the Aule Area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The deceased, who was popularly called ‘Black’, was said to be in the Department of Industrial Design at the university. He was said to have hung himself in his room outside the campus.

A source in the school stated that the deceased’s friends went to his room and discovered it was locked. After several calls without response, the door was broken, and he was found dead.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday met with the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.

Obasanjo’s meeting Mrs Tinubu was made public by the First Lady’s Media Aide, Busola Kukoyi via X.

Sharing photos of the two individuals, Kukoyi wrote: “Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu after receiving the Former President who came felicitating on the Sallah Celebration on Monday 17th June.”

This is coming barely 48 hours after Obasanjo was seen donning a cap with President Bola Tinubu’s insignia.

A video of Obasanjo wearing a cap branded with Tinubu’s insignia at an event attended by some African dignitaries.

Obasanjo and Tinubu are known to belong to different political affiliations despite coming from the same Southwest geopolitical zone.

During the 2023 presidential election, the former President supported the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Before the election, Tinubu had visited Obasanjo at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while seeking an endorsement, but the former President opted for Obi.

The former President had criticised the Tinubu’s administration’s handling of its ongoing reforms and the coup d’etat in Niger Republic.

An unspecified number of bandits have attacked the headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Command in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital.

It was gathered that the assailants invaded the Command’s headquarters in the early hours of Monday amid sporadic gunshots.

Operatives of the Command, however, repelled the attack by opening fire on the hoodlums, leading to a gun duel.

It was gathered that the terrorists were on a mission to free some high-profile suspected criminals in the custody of the Command.

According to the NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Jerry Victor, the bandits invaded the Command’s headquarters with sophisticated weapons.

He said the gunmen attempted to break some part of the fence to gain entry into the offices while some of them took different positions around the building.

“The operatives of the NSCDC swiftly responded by opening fire on the hoodlums whose mission was to release some high-profile suspected criminals, including informants of kidnappers in the custody of the Command.”

He also confirmed that no casualty was recorded during the gun battle between the gunmen and the NSCDC operatives.