Author: NPO Admin II
The Central African Republic (CAR) has approved Bitcoin as legal tender – just the second country to do so. CAR is one of the world’s poorest countries, but is rich in diamonds, gold and uranium. It has been wracked by conflict for decades and is a close Russian ally, with mercenaries from the Wagner Group helping fight rebel forces. Lawmakers voted unanimously to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, said a statement from the CAR presidency. The move puts CAR “on the map of the world’s boldest and most visionary countries”, it said. ADVERTISEMENT El Salvador became the first country to…
Elon Musk has lost a bid to get out of an agreement made with regulators requiring oversight of his tweets about his car firm Tesla. The settlement was made after he tweeted he had “funding secured” to potentially take Tesla private despite a deal not being close. The ruling comes just days after the world’s richest person struck a deal to buy Twitter for $44bn (£35bn). Mr Musk says he wants to make Twitter a bastion of free speech. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Mr Musk of misleading investors with the 2018 tweet, which caused Tesla’s share price…
Photos have been released of 62 people allegedly being held hostage in Nigeria after a brazen attack by gunmen on a high-speed train last month. It is not clear when the pictures, which surfaced on social media on Tuesday showing the captives divided into four groups, were taken. Families of some of those missing after the attack told the BBC they recognised their relatives amongst the hostages. They give the first indication of how many people are being held. “I feel such emotion. I cried a lot when I saw the pictures,” someone whose brother and sister-in-law are among the…
Any country trying to intervene in the Ukraine war will face a “lightning-fast” response, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned. “We have all the tools no-one can boast of… we will use them if necessary”, he said, in what is seen as a reference to ballistic missiles and nuclear arms. Ukraine’s allies have stepped up the supply of weapons, with the US vowing to make sure Ukraine defeats Russia. Western officials say Russia is being hampered in its efforts in the east. Last week, Russia launched a major offensive to seize the Donbas region after withdrawing from areas around the…
The deaths of more than 100 people following an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in southern Nigeria has thrown a spotlight on the lucrative world of illicit refining, which the BBC’s Mayeni Jones and Josephine Casserly have been investigating. Hours by car, motorbike and on foot brought us to a remote illegal oil refinery – a site recently raided and shut down by the authorities. The smell of oil hits the nostrils first before anything is visible. Then, the lush green vegetation falls away and we arrive at a blackened clearing. There are puddles of oil on the floor,…
Nigeria’s advocacy group, Enough is Enough on Wednesday condemned ministers in the current administration who have been running across the country in preparation for the 2023 election. EiE, in a tweet on Wednesday frowned at the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba, who has picked his nomination forms for the presidency. It also felt concerned that Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige has gone ahead to declare for the presidency in spite of the many industrial disputes that have crippled the country. In its tweet, EiE said, “For 72 days, public universities in the country have been shut…
The organiser of Miss Rwanda beauty pageant has been arrested on allegations of sexually abusing contestants, the authorities have said. The arrest of Dieudonné Ishimwe, the chief executive of Rwanda Inspiration Back Up, the company that organises the contest, comes just a month after this year’s edition. Mr Ishimwe has not responded to the accusations against him. The Miss Rwanda pageant is one of the most followed events in Rwanda. An employee of the organising company told the BBC that four girls who contested last year and in this year’s edition had made complaints to investigators before his arrest. “While…
Emmanuel Deutsch, the head coach of Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure, on Wednesday in Abuja blamed his side’s 0-1 loss to Kano Pillars on his forwards’ inexperience. The Sunshine Stars lost to Kano Pillars in their rescheduled match day 25 fixture in the 2021/2022 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). “Kano Pillars fought harder for a win because of their low position on the league’s table. That was obvious. They fought well to win the game. “We played well too, but it was unfortunate that we lost to them. It was all due to my attackers’ lack of experience. This…
Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti says Nigeria is still worth fighting for, in spite of its current challenges across the country. Fayemi, one of the Presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the assertions on Wednesday during his consultation visit to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Olalekan Balogun, at his Alarere residence in Ibadan. According to him, though, youths in the country may want to give up on Nigeria due to a lot of justifiable reasons, but, “I believe Nigeria is still worth fighting for”. Fayemi, also the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said that…
*Says Negotiations Must Get Serious The Nigeria Labour Congress has lamented the rate at which politicians in the current administration are busy with politics regardless of the various crisis including the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The NLC called on the Federal Government to address issues that necessitated the ongoing strike by the union. President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, made the call when he addressed newsmen shortly before going into a closed-door meeting of the Congress’s Central Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday in Abuja. ASUU had embarked on a nationwide warning strike to press home its…