Author: straightnewsng.com

The Akwa Starlets, Sunday, returned to the winning ways by stunning Enugu Rangers, a six-time champions 2-0 at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu. The young lads from Uyo created the upset against the 49-year-old Rangers International FC in the ongoing 2019/2020 Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) season. Femi Ajayi put Akwa Starlets ahead in the 18th minute, while Isaac George added the second a minute before the break. Last week, Akwa Starlets beat Ifeanyi Ubah FC 1-0 at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo. With the winning streaks, Akwa Starlets occupy the fifth position on the NPFL log and have eight…

By Akanimo Sampson Ukraine has become the 100th country to back the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment to make schools safe even during times of war. It made its endorsement public during the World Children’s Day. Ukraine’s endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration means the country now supports all of the major international child rights instruments: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its three optional protocols, the Paris Principles combating the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers, the Vancouver Principles on child protection in peacekeeping, and the two major treaties combating child labor. That is…

By Akanimo Sampson It will cost the world a total of $264 billion to end preventable maternal deaths, cover all unmet needs for family planning and put a stop to gender-based violence, all within a decade, according to a joint study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with Victoria University, the University of Washington and Avenir Health. A breakdown of this assessment was presented on November 12 at the Nairobi Summit on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25), revising preliminary data released in July. The price tag represents the amount required to…

Anthony Joshua has landed in Saudi Arabia ahead of his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr., which will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2019, in Diriyah. The British-Nigerian boxer will be looking to regain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles after losing them in a shock defeat to Ruiz Jr back in June at Madison Square Garden. The Mexican boxer defeated Joshua in the seventh-round to hand British/Nigerian boxer his first professional loss. Sports authorities in Saudi Arabia are said to have tabled almost $100 million (£83million) for the match to be held there.

At least 24 people have died after a passenger plane crashed into houses in Goma city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials say. Residents on the ground, including four family members, were among the victims. The small aircraft went down in the Mapendo neighbourhood after “missing” its take-off from the city’s airport on Sunday morning, North Kivu regional governor Nzanzu Kasivita said. The officials say 17 passengers and two crew members were onboard the plane. Air accidents are relatively frequent in DR Congo amid lax safety standards and poor maintenance, and all the country’s commercial carriers are…

Jailbreak was averted on Friday evening at Eket Correctional Centre, Akwa Ibom State Command as some warders and inmates of the centre clashed following the death of an inmate. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that one inmate of the centre was allegedly beaten to death by a warder and on hearing this, other inmates protested that the deputy controller in the centre must go. An eyewitness said in the ensuing confrontation, the inmates destroyed “Clinic facilities, kitchen, stores, pantry and other facilities,” estimated at millions of naira. According to the source, three inmates who tried to escape were injured…

In an epic football match encounter, Manchester City came from behind to leapfrog Chelsea into third in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory at the Etihad to keep the English champions’ title challenge alive. Liverpool’s late win at Crystal Palace earlier in the day meant City started 12 points behind the leaders and looked in danger of failing to cut that gap when N’Golo Kante gave Chelsea a deserved lead midway through the first half. However, Kevin de Bruyne’s deflected strike breathed new life into Pep Guardiola’s men and a trademark left-footed finish from Riyad Mahrez saw City edge…

Football is a money-spinning business. And the players are gradually making it big to rival some of the world’s richest in the world. For example, Neymar Jr, popular Brazilian player, who completed a move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1 side. In a deal worth €222 million in the summer of 2017, he has risen to become the most expensive player in football history. A French soccer marvel and former Monaco striker, Kylian Mbappe has become the second most expensive player after joining PSG for €145 million in addition to €35 million bonuses. Atletico Madrid broke the market after…

Since Ben Ayade, the Cross River State Governor presented the N1.1 trillion 2020 budget christened Budget of Olimpotic Meristemasis to the state House of Assembly for approval on Thursday, he has courted another controversy to himself due to the use of the jaw-breaking word. Ayade, a Microbiologist professor who recently sacked some state counsels in the state Ministry of Justice recently sent three names as Commissioners-designate to the state House of Assembly for confirmation, an action that has drawn another flak to him. A Senator, who has been on overseas’ holidays started thumping his chest for the vocabulary, has thrown…

Tongues are wagging as Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has announced his decision to rename 10 roads in eight urban centres after himself. The decision, according to the South African newspaper, TimesLIVE, was the fallout of a cabinet meeting on Thursday, which announced several roads in the country would be named after the nation’s heroes. However, the number of streets that would be named after the sitting president has been causing raised eyebrows. Former deputy prime minister in the inclusive government of 2009 to 2013, Prof Arthur Mutambara, told TimesLIVE that the renaming of the roads in Mnangagwa’s name was meant…