PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

 University of South Carolina declares all clear after unverified active shooter reports The University of South Carolina lifted its alert on Sunday after reports of a possible active shooter near the campus library proved unsubstantiated. Students had been instructed to shelter in place while police investigated the tip, but officials later confirmed there was no evidence of a shooter and no gunfire had occurred. Two minor injuries were reported during the library evacuation, according to university spokesperson Jeff Stensland. In a statement, the school noted that “there have been false gunfire reports at universities across the country in recent days and tonight's incident remains under investigation.” USC enrolls roughly 38,000 students in a city of nearly 145,000 residents. The false alert follows similar incidents earlier in the week at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where unverified reports prompted temporary lockdowns be...

 Climber dies attempting to rescue injured Russian woman on Kyrgyzstan's highest mountain; search suspended A search for a Russian climber stranded on Kyrgyzstan's highest mountain has been suspended indefinitely due to extreme weather, following the death of a rescuer, authorities said Saturday. Natalia Nagovitsyna, whose husband died on another mountain four years ago, broke her leg while climbing the 24,406-foot Victory Peak at an altitude of roughly 23,000 feet. She has been stranded for nearly two weeks. By comparison, Mount Everest is 29,032 feet tall. An Italian climber, Luca Sinigaglia, died on August 15 while attempting to rescue her. Italian authorities later sent rescuers by helicopter to recover his body. Efforts to save Nagovitsyna, who turned 48 on August 20, have so far been unsuccessful. Rescue operations have been further hampered by a helicopter crash and a climbing team forced to stop their ascent when their leader became seriously ill. Kyrgyz authorities con...

 Drug kingpin, 5 others in NDLEA custody over arrest of 3 Nigerians in Saudi Arabia . Face multiple charges for trafficking illicit substances to Jeddah as Marwa engages Saudi counterpart on the innocence of detained pilgrims A 55-year-old drug kingpin Mohammed Ali Abubakar alias Bello Karama and five members of a syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano have been taken into custody by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following the discovery that they are behind the shipment of illicit substances for which three innocent Nigerians who went on lesser hajj pilgrimage to the holy land were being detained in Jeddah for alleged drug trafficking. This was disclosed at a press conference addressed by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi along with the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim and Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo, at the NDLEA National Headquarters...

 LAGOS SWIMMER SHINES AT WORLD AQUATIC JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP IN ROMANIA Lagos State Swimmer Abduljabar Adama has just won a silver medal for Nigeria at the ongoing World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania, a feat never achieved in the history of Swimming competition. Adama secured the position in the Men’s 50-metre Butterfly, finishing with a time of 23.64 seconds. This is Nigeria’s best performance on the world stage since the inception of competitive swimming in the country. Abduljaba Adama had already won a gold medal at the Africa Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships earlier this year in March in Cairo, Egypt. Adama, one of Lagos' grassroots discoveries, was first showcased by the Lagos State Government at the National Youth Games, a major annual multi-sport event held for Under 15 Players in Ilorin, Kwara State. Reacting to the feat, the Director-General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu, stated that Adana’s success story is a...

 Benue Lawmaker Dajoh loses brother after resignation as Speaker The immediate-past Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Aondona Dajoh, on Monday, confirmed the passing of his elder brother, Gwamile Dajoh.  The former Speaker told our correspondent in his Makurdi residence on Monday that he had lost his brother, but gave thanks to God. Many political associates, friends and allies of the former speaker thronged his residence to commiserate with him over the loss, which followed his resignation as speaker on Sunday, paving the way for the emergence of Alfred Berger as the new speaker of the state assembly. News of the passing of the former speaker’s elder brother filtered into town on Monday, with sources claiming he died after collapsing a few hours after the news of his sibling’s resignation as speaker. Details of the incident remained unclear as of press time, but family sources suggested he had been deeply worried about the political crisis rocking the state assemb...

 Tinubu’s Executive Order Fails to Lower Drug Prices Despite President Tinubu’s June 30 executive order waiving tariffs and VAT on pharmaceutical inputs to cut costs, drug prices in Nigeria remain high. A market survey shows insulin rose 29% to N18,000, glucometers 41% to N29,000, metformin 30% to N650, and amlodipine 33% to N2,400. Antimalarials like Coartem surged 124% to N8,500. Only a few drugs, including Augmentin (down 24%) and Ventolin inhalers (down 12%), recorded price drops.

 Pro-Palestine protesters in Kenya, Senegal slam Israel over war on Gaza Thousands of protesters in Dakar and Nairobi showed solidarity with Palestinians just days after the UN officially declared that more than half a million people in Gaza, mostly children, are trapped in famine and suffering widespread starvation due to Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinian enclave. In Senegal, hundreds of protesters—including lawmakers, civil society groups, and rights activists—marched peacefully through the capital on Sunday, chanting “No to genocide” and “Boycott Israel.” "The fact that, in the eyes of the international community, Israel is doing what it is doing, pillaging lands, literally committing genocide, what legitimacy will we have when others, for example, terrorists or other countries, allow themselves to do the same thing?," a protester in Dakar, Sinna Gaye, told Reuters. Activists urged world leaders to act, saying, “It is time for this situation to stop. International or...