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 Rare dispute reveals China and North Korea's ongoing discord over nuclear weapons North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said. The North condemned China, Japan and South Korea on Monday for discussing denuclearization of the peninsula, calling their joint declaration after a summit in Seoul a "grave political provocation" that violates its sovereignty. Even though Beijing helped tone down the statement by advocating mention of the peninsula rather than the North specifically, that was enough to raise its neighbor's hackles, one analyst said. "It is notable that North Korea criticized a joint statement that China had signed onto, even after Beijing helped water down the statement," added Patricia Kim, of the Brookings Institution in the United States. In t...

 CJN Summons Kano Chief Judge, Federal Judge Over Conflicting Orders The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has summoned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and the Chief Judge of Kano State High Court over conflicting interim injunctions regarding the Kano Emirate, causing uncertainty in the state. The Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice S. A. Amobeda, issued an order for the eviction of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II from the Kofar Kudu Palace, reinforcing the authority of the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. “An order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from inviting, arresting, detaining, threatening, intimidating, harassing the Applicant, or infringing on his rights is hereby granted,” stated Justice Amobeda. He added, “This order ensures that Emir Aminu Bayero enjoys all rights and privileges accrued to him by virtue of his position.” On the other hand, the Kano State High Court, under the jurisdiction of Justice Am...

 NUC Directs VCs To Appoint Acting Deputies The Federal Government has directed all the Vice Chancellors in Federal Universities whose tenure will be ending soon, to nominate their deputies who will oversee the office of the Vice-Chancellor in an acting capacity. The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Chris Maiyaki conveyed this in a circular dated May 28, 2024, to all the affected outgoing vice-chancellors. The letter from the NUC to the outgoing vice-chancellors, is sequel to a directive from the Federal Ministry of Education, informing the commission about the end of the tenure of some vice-chancellors, and the urgent need to nominate through the recommendation of the Senate, a deputy vice-chancellor that would oversee the office of the vice chancellor until the new governing councils are inaugurated. “I write, further to previous communication Ref. No. NUC/ES/138/Vol. 65/88 and dated 27 May 2024, to convey the directive of the Federal Ministry of Education, ...

 ‘I was told playing talking drum might prevent me from having kids’ – Ara The Drummer Famous talking drummer and the cultural ambassador of the Ooni of Ife, Aralola Olamuyiwa, simply known as Ara, has recalled how people tried to discourage her from playing the talking drum. Ara, who is Africa’s first female talking drummer, disclosed that she was told that playing the talking drum might prevent her from having children but she broke the jinx. She featured on the latest episode of the ‘Terms And Conditions’ podcast. She said, “There are some drums females cannot play. I started with the traditional drums. But I evolved over the years. I played different instruments like bass guitar, keyboard, and set drums. “But I wanted something different, so I started learning how to play the talking drum. People I asked to teach me were skeptical about teaching me because I am a woman. So I am self-taught. “Although at some point, I was afraid. I was like, ‘what could happen to me?’ They were ...

Tinubu signs bill reintroducing old national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ into law In a significant legislative move, President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a bill seeking to reintroduce the old national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’. The announcement was made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday. Akpabio revealed that the bill, which had garnered widespread attention and debate, was signed into law by President Tinubu earlier in the day. The decision to reintroduce the old national anthem carries profound symbolic significance, reflecting a desire to honor Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and traditions. The move to reintroduce the old national anthem has stirred mixed reactions across the country, with proponents hailing it as a nod to Nigeria’s past and a celebration of unity, while critics argue for the preservation of the current anthem as a symbol of progress and modernity. The decision comes ami...

 Thailand Govt commends NDLEA over drastic drop in number of Nigerians in Thai prisons . As Marwa seeks support on training, improved partnership on visa clearance, others The government of Thailand has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for mounting a vigorous fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria, a development that has impacted positively on the image of the country in the international community. The commendation was given by the Charge d’affaires/Deputy Head of Mission of the Royal Thai Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Kriwat Pharmorabuta who was accompanied by a Counsellor, Mr. Perapol Berananda during a courtesy visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd). While praising the inspiring leadership Marwa has provided the NDLEA in the last three years, the Thai envoy said “I have good news that I received as we speak, because before, there were around 800 prisoners from Nigeria in Thai p...

 MAN SWALLOWED ALIVE BY GREAT WHITE SHARK REVEALS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE TRAPPED INSIDE A diver has revealed what it was like to be swallowed head-first and whole by a great white shark.  Eric Nerhus, from Eden, Australia,  was diving near the reefs at Cape Howard in New South Wales in January 2007 looking for abalone, a type of edible sea snail, when the killer beast approached him. The seasoned diver, who was 41 at the time, found himself inside the stomach of the 10-foot-long shark as its piercing teeth sunk into his flesh. The creature then tried to swallow him whole, crushing his head and chest, which were luckily protected by his heavy diving gear.  Speaking about being inside the shark, he said: "One minute it was daylight, the next second everything went black. "Inside the jaws, it was just dark, I couldn't see anything because I was looking down the back of his throat. I've never experienced anything like it."  He further described how he escaped the sh...