ONE WORD

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has raised the red flag on the violation of its pipeline right-of-way by some individuals and communities along the corridor of the system 2E pipeline network. The Corporation gave the warning in a statement by Mr Ndu Ughamadu, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs division, in Abuja on Sunday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that system 2E oil pipelines stretches from Port Harcourt-Aba-Enugu-to Makurdi. Ughamadu said the infringement on the statutorily guaranteed 25-metre setback for the infrastructure was detrimental to the free flow of petroleum products and harmful to dwellers of illegal structures and shanties. He said this was due to the combustible nature of hydrocarbon. Ughamadu noted the inseparable link between the cases of oil pipeline right-of-way-encroachment and incessant pipeline vandalism and oil theft with attendant negative effect on the economy. According to him, the creation of the mini...

Russian energy minister Aleksander Novak has said that Russia has offered Ukraine the opportunity to extend an existing gas transit agreement to the end of 2021. “We will wait for trilateral consultations [with the EU and Ukraine] to begin, when a new government will be formed (…). We are in favour of Ukraine buying gas directly. “We offered our colleagues the chance to extend the current contract for a year under the already existing conditions,” Mr Novak told the Russian press on July 26. According to Reuters, Russia’s aim is to have an agreement only until the construction of Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream, the two Russia-built pipelines that will bypass Ukraine, are fully completed. “Ukraine is looking for a long-term, 10-year deal. It’s not beneficial for us. A one-year deal would be OK so we would build up our strength and launch all those streams [Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream],” one Russian source told Reuters. Previous talks have collapsed due to a number of issues, i...

Team Nigeria topped the medals table with 21 gold at the maiden edition of the Africa Cup Track Cycling on Sunday in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria also won 17 silver and 12 bronze medals in the overall result of the medals table. Team Egypt won a total of four gold, six silver and five bronze, while Burkina Faso won three silver, five bronze. Morocco won a total of four gold three silver. Burundi won a total of two bronze medals and Ghana also won two bronze medals. NAN reports that in Sunday’s competition, Team Nigeria won seven gold medals five bronze and seven bronze. Clementine Ayoung from Ghana who won bronze for her country, while speaking on the championship, said she had never dreamt of winning a medal in the championship. ‘’I’ m very happy with this success it is like a dream come true. I’m sure that my country and the Cycling Federation of Ghana will be proud of me,” she said. NAN) reports that the Cycling Federation of Nigeria (...

The front end of the Porsche Macan has been re-designed so that it appears wider. The comprehensive overhaul at the rear builds on the sleek design of the predecessor model. The SUV now also comes in four new exterior colour options - Miami Blue, Mamba Green Metallic, Dolomite Silver Metallic, and Crayon. It also comes with new 20- and 21-inch wheels with an array of customisation option. The Macan Facelift gets a revised dashboard which now features an 11-inch touchscreen display for the new Porsche Communication Management (PCM). The air vents have also been redesigned and also repositioned, and the SUV now also gets the GT sports steering wheel similar to the 911. Porsche will also offer a Connect Plus module, making every vehicle fully connected along with the new 'off-road precision' app, that can record and analyse off-road driving experiences in the SUV. The base model of the Macan facelift comes with an upgraded 300 bhp engine, while the Macan S is expected to off...

Emergency personnel are seen helping an injured person out of the park. Officials said at least 15 people total were injured A gunman who opened fire on the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, killing three people and injuring at least 15 others, has been shot dead.  Gunfire erupted at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, outside Santa Cruz, at 5.41pm Sunday as the annual festival was finishing up its third and final day. Gilroy Police Chief Scott Smithee spoke at a press conference shortly after 10.15pm local time and confirmed that one suspect was shot dead by police within seconds of when he began firing a rifle into the crowd of festival-goers. Smithee said officials are still searching for a second suspect involved. He said that person's role in the shooting is unclear.  The two suspects are believed to have entered the festival via a creek on the north side, where they used a tool to cut through a fence in order to avoid strict security at official entrances. ...

Ibrahim El-Zakzaky: leader of the Shiites A spokesman of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, whose members are known as Shiites, has reacted to the labelling of the movement as a ‘terrorist group’ by a Federal High Court in Abuja. The spokesman who was not identified by Reuters, said although the group has not received any formal notice from the court, protests calling for the release of the leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky would continue. He said plans to ban the movement had been considered since 2015 and it was not surprised by the move. A Nigerian court on Friday granted the government permission to label the group a terrorist organisation and also ban it. Justice Nkeonye Maha issued the order in a ruling on an exparte motion brought by the “Attorney-General of the Federation” before the court on Thursday. The matter was argued on behalf of the government by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Dayo Apata. ...

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje on Saturday said the best way to improve the living standard of Fulani people was by banning their seasonal migration to the central and southern parts of Nigeria. “No better way to improve their lives if you don’t prevent their migration from the north to the central and southern parts of Nigeria. “Fulani migration should be banned, otherwise they would continue to suffer and the security challenges in the country would continue to exist,” he said. Ganduje also said states where Fulani were not indigenes would not be required to implement the RUGA settlement initiative. Ganduje made the clarification shortly after attending the wedding ceremony of the son of Sen. Kabiru Gaya, Ibrahim Khalil in Sokoto on Saturday. The governor told newsmen that the RUGA settlement initiative was for states who could cater for the Fulanis, and was targeted at making herdsmanship a socio-economic investment not a socio-cultural issue. “So States where...