Author: Vardiafrica

A plane carrying 242 people has crashed at India’s Ahmedabad Airport, according to local media. The plane, heading to Gatwick, London, crashed when the aircraft was taking off from Ahmedabad airport in India, Reuters cites local TV channels as reporting. Video circulating on social media shows massive plumes of smoke rising into the sky near the airport in the western city.  People were shown being carried on stretchers and taken away in ambulances. According to police, the Air India plane crashed in a “civilian area” outside an airport. The plane crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general…

Nigerians have taken to the streets to demand better governance and an end to economic hardship in the country. The demonstration took place today, June 12, being Democracy Day in Nigeria. The demonstrators, made up of civil society organisations and pro-democracy activists, assembled at the Ikeja Under Bridge in Lagos. In Akure, Ondo State, protesters also gathered to make similar demands. Videos from the protest grounds were shared by Take It Back Movement, one of the groups organising the demonstration. The protesters carried banners and placards with their demands printed on them.   In Lagos, a large number of police officers, including personnel…

The United States is on high alert amid growing fears that Israel may unilaterally strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran collapse, according to a report by The Washington Post. Amid these concerns, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. will begin relocating personnel from the Middle East, particularly from Iran. “It could be a dangerous place,” he said. The State Department has approved the departure of some staff from Iraq, and the Pentagon is allowing military families to voluntarily leave U.S. bases in the region. The heightened state of security coincides with…

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé is facing growing pressure following a government clampdown on protests calling for his resignation over recent changes in the constitution that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Activists on Tuesday condemned the arrest and alleged maltreatment of dozens of people following staged protests late last week in Togo’s capital, Lomé, and on social media. The Togolese leader, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father, was sworn in as President of the Council of Ministers in May. The powerful role has no official term limits, and he is eligible to be re-elected…

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has told the suspended governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara that even if he decides to join the party, his sins cannot be forgiven. Caretaker Committee chairman of the party in the state, Tony Okocha, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while responding to questions regarding Fubara’s recent Sallah visit to President Bola Tinubu and its attendant political implications. Okocha said Fubara’s suspension and the declaration of a state of emergency was about his misdemeanors and had no political undertones. “If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing…

The federal government has announced a $50 million investment in the Nigeria Wholesale Impact Investment Fund, WIIF. The ministry of finance said the investment is to show the government’s commitment to fostering sustainable economic growth. The ministry said the initiative is projected to unlock significant financing for micro, small, and medium enterprises, MSMEs and generate millions of jobs across priority sectors. According to the statement, the strategic initiative supports President Bola Tinubu’s vision of achieving 7 percent annual economic growth, with a focus on critical sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, and digital innovation. “The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister…

The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has decried the growing insecurity and hardship across Nigeria, describing the country as a “crime scene” in dire need of repair. Speaking at an event in Abuja on Tuesday, June 10, Obi lamented that although Nigeria is not officially at war, many citizens live like refugees, both within and outside the country. In his words; “Today in Nigeria, we’re not officially at war, yet Nigerians are living in IDP camps in their own country. Nigerians are refugees in Chad, in Cameroon. And the only reason is because we don’t…

The Federal Government in partnership with Meta, has launched the Llama Impact Accelerator, an eight-month programme designed to support early-stage startups in developing impactful artificial intelligence (AI) solutions tailored to local challenges. The initiative is a collaboration between Meta, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). The accelerator includes a six-week incubation phase offering selected startups technical training and mentorship from AI experts and industry leaders. This is followed by six months of extended support, including access to resources and development opportunities…

Billionaire Elon Musk has said he regrets some of the posts he made about US President Donald Trump during their war of words on social media. “I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,” he said on his platform X. The two were embroiled in a public fallout, after the Tesla owner called Trump’s tax bill a “disgusting abomination”. His post comes after Trump declared that their relationship was over, and that he had no interest in mending ties with Musk The budget, which includes huge tax breaks and more defence spending,…

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, oversaw the inauguration of the newly renovated Abuja International Conference Centre, which has now been renamed in his honour. The event, held in the Federal Capital Territory, was attended by key government figures, including FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and other top officials During his speech at the ceremony, Wike attempted to justify the controversial decision to rename the centre after Tinubu, attributing the successful renovation to the President’s leadership. He said, “It is important for the public to know and understand why this is called Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.…