Author: Vardiafrica

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Israel has agreed to the “necessary conditions” to finalize a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said his representatives held a “long and productive meeting” with Israeli officials earlier in the day. “Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” he wrote. He added that Qatar and Egypt, the mediators in the ceasefire talks, would deliver the “final proposal” to the Palestinian group Hamas. “I…

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Rivers has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Sole Administration of the state, Vice Admiral Ibok-Eke Ibas (retd.), to submit a breakdown of major items in the 2025 N1.48 trillion Appropriation Bill. The Chairman of the committee, Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo), issued the ultimatum on Monday at a budget defence session in Abuja. He said that the committee had gone through the budget as presented by the sole administrator and had raised several issues. He said that the administrator should submit the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which is a legal document that…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced its ex-depot price for premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N840 per litre. The reduction represents a N40 decrease from the previous rate of N880 per litre. Five days before the reduction, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had increased the pump price of petrol to N925 per litre in Lagos. The decrease also came a week after Dangote refinery increased the ex-depot petrol price to N880 per litre. In an update on Monday by Anthony Chiejina, chief corporate communications officer of Dangote Group, Dangote refinery announced the price slash. The development follows a recent downward trend…

Owolabi Salis, a Nigerian-born lawyer and politician, has made history as the first Nigerian to travel to space. Salis was among six passengers aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 mission, which lifted off from West Texas on June 29, 2025. His crewmates included Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin. According to Space in Africa, the 10-minute suborbital flight took the crew past the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, reaching a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres. With this feat, Salis joins the ranks of citizen astronauts who have ventured into space under the New Shepard…

President Bola Tinubu has been conferred an honorary knighthood by the government of Saint Lucia on Tuesday during his state visit to the country. The title Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (KCOSL) was approved by the Governor General of Saint Lucia after advice from Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, as announced by the Office of the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. “The Government of Saint Lucia is pleased to announce that, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General has conferred the title of Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (KCOSL) upon His Excellency Bola…

The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has threatened to sponsor the formation of a new party in the United States to challenge the two dominant parties. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have dominated US elections for decades and have produced almost all American presidents. As the Senate debated President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” on Monday before a final vote, Musk issued a stark warning via his social media platform X. “Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame! And…

President Bola Tinubu has addressed a special joint sitting of the Senate and House of Assembly of Saint Lucia at the William Jefferson Clinton Ballroom, Sandals Grande, Gros Islet, as part of his official visit to the Caribbean nation. The address took place on Monday, marking a significant diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and Saint Lucia. President Tinubu had arrived in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, on Saturday at about 5:30 p.m. local time, commencing the first leg of his two-nation tour of the Caribbean and South America.

The Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ali Bukar Dalori, on Monday assured party members of his dedication to carrying out his new role with transparency, inclusiveness, and a unity of purpose. Addressing members of the National Working Committee of the party in Abuja shortly after assuming office, Dalori said he was grateful for the continued support and loyalty to the party as he was prepared to work with members as partners in the collective task of safeguarding the party’s unity, discipline, and direction. The Acting National Chairman appealed to members of the NEC to keep their eyes on the bigger…

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says the Commission’s 25 anniversary celebration will begin with a thanksgiving service in Akure, Ondo State, on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Ogbuku, who spoke during a reception in honour of the NDDC Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon Ifedayo Abegunde, described him as a dependable ally and worthy son of Akure. The NDDC Chief Executive Officer thanked God for the life of the celebrant whom he said had made numerous plausible exploits. He expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding the celebrant worthy of being appointed…

Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, says the south-east reserves the right to review its membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if the party does not sort itself out.  In a communique issued on May 14 at the end of a meeting held in Enugu, the PDP south-east zonal executive committee said it “unanimously” recommended Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the party’s national secretary. The communique signed by Ali Odefa, the PDP zonal chairman in the south-east, said it will review its relationship with the party if it is sidelined from producing the national secretary. The south-east PDP also asked the national working committee…