At least 17 labourers working on a railway bridge being built across a ravine in India’s eastern Mizoram state were killed when it collapsed on Wednesday, officials said, with others reported missing. Video footage posted by Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga showed a metal frame that had toppled off towering columns into a wooded valley below. “Under construction railway over bridge at Sairang, near Aizawl collapsed today; at least 17 workers died,” Zoramthanga, who uses only one name, said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Indian Express newspaper quoted a policeman as saying that 17 bodies had been recovered and “many others” were missing. “Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being given to those affected,” the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to host the next summit of the BRICS alliance of emerging economies. Putin made the offer after he could not attend the event in South Africa this year due to an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Putin announced that there would be more than 200 political, economic and social events under Russia’s BRICS presidency in the coming year. The ICC warrant, for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, means that Putin would have faced a possible arrest had he attended in person because South Africa is a member of the ICC. Putin used a video address to the summit leaders to reiterate Russian justifications for cancelling a grain export agreement with Ukraine and made sharp criticism of the West and of Kyiv.

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Gagdi said any MDAs who failed to appear before the committee winds up its investigation should have itself to be blamed should the report of the committee indicted such MDAs. The lawmaker said, “We have made two different publications in two different national dailies inviting 200 agencies to appear before this committee. ADVERTISEMENT“The agencies have no excuses not to appear before this committee because they have a budget for newspapers publication and they are using it. He said the newspaper publications remained one of the mediums of communication that the National Assembly should use to reach out to MDAs. He added that the MDAs would be accountable if they refused to appear before the committee to submit its final report.

Media practitioners have called on the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and other scientists involved in developing and promoting Biotechnology in the country, to scale up sensitization among rural farmers. He expressed concern that peasants farmers toil day and night but in the end, the yield would be small. She said, “Let the farmers know that it is cheaper to farm the bt Compea and that it has more yield than the conventional and many people can benefit from it. Therefore the need to inform farmers is crucial since they are residents in rural areas”. She also made emphasis on the need for more sensitization, stressing that most farmers in rural areas are not aware of this significant technology.

says debt may hinder achievements of Tinubu’s administrationThe Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has lamented that the Federal Government is placing its N77tn debt burden on the manufacturers in the country. The association also said its members have been hit with high multiple taxes. It revealed that the depreciation of the naira is also caused by the servicing of external debts in foreign currencies. “The manufacturing sector which has always been at the receiving end has not felt any significant impact of the debt finance on the numerous challenges that have bedeviled its performance in many years. Further identify and amend the loopholes in the tax laws in order to reduce the leakage of tax revenues.

Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Nagaland have closed schools in the state until Aug. 26 following an increase in the cases of conjunctivitis (eye flu) among school children. According to the local government officials on Tuesday, cases of conjunctivitis have been reported in Dimapur, Chumoukedima, Niuland, and Mon districts. “Also to prevent the exponential surge of eye flu cases not only among students but also among teachers and parents,” an official said. Since July 1, over 1,000 cases of eye flu have been reported in the state. Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is an irritation or inflammation of the conjunctiva, which covers the white part of the eyeball.

Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has unveiled an interim plan to alleviate the effects of the recent fuel subsidy removal and ongoing economic challenges for the state’s residents. In response, Soludo announced a 10% salary increase for all public servants effective January 2023 to combat rising inflation. He also revealed that pensioners and public servants would receive a monthly non-taxable cash award of N12,000 for September to December 2023. Additionally, the government will distribute rice to over 300,000 households across the state and exempt vulnerable groups from taxation. In the long term, the government aims to distribute oil palm and coconut seedlings to households to create a sustainable agricultural ecosystem.

An Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs Juliet Okpako, is currently devastated after losing N2.8m to a fraudster who posed as a bank official. The distraught woman said trouble started when a lady contacted her on the telephone and claimed to be calling from her bank. She said I should check my phone and send back the message they sent me to her. I rushed to my bank, but before I got there, all the N2.8m in my bank had been withdrawn. The police and then the bank said they could not trace the numbers that all the money and airtime were sent.

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The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, has restated the Chinese government commitment to deepening cooperation with Nigeria towards the eradication of poverty. President Xi said, “This book is apt and has become important because it narrates how China started its journey on the eradication of poverty since 1988. “President Xi contributed significantly to the success story of China and has shown commitment to poverty eradication through his various economic reform policies that so far yielded positive results. “Hausa language is the most widely spoken language on West African coast. He promised that the government would continue to leverage the China-Nigeria partnership to achieve targets in terms of poverty eradication.

Residents of Kwara state have been lamenting the sudden increase in prices of bread. A cross-section of respondents, who spoke with the Tribune Online on the sudden price hike of bread talked about causes and way out. It was gathered that prices of bread within the ranges of N200, N300 and N800 had increased by at least 100 per cent. One of the major bakers in the Ilorin metropolis, Chief Abddulfatai Alaba, linked the increase in prices of bread to the high cost of fuel and other important ingredients needed in the production of bread. “All the ingredients we use in baking bread are now times three higher than their previous prices.

While awaiting the judgment of the Presidential Elections Petitions Court, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, takes his battle against President Bola Tinubu’s victory to a United States court. In a countermove, however, President Tinubu filed a motion to quash the subpoena before the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chicago, USA, against a fresh petition by Atiku. Taking a different position is constitutional lawyer Kennedy Khanoba, who argued that unless the US court convicts President Tinubu, not much may come the way of Atiku. He said, “If Tinubu is not convicted in the United States, this petition would amount to a waste of time. “Despite the shenanigans perpetrated during the election, Obi still clearly won.

The N48 billion security contract awarded to Tompolo’s Tantita Security Services in August 2022 is set for renewal this month, igniting intense maneuvering among ex-warlords seeking to wrest control from Tompolo. While Tompolo seeks contract renewal, his ex-colleagues advocate for a split contract, allowing them to operate in their respective areas. Despite opposition, Tompolo’s renewal bid garners support from Chief Timipre Sylva and the NNPCL Chief Executive. Efforts by journalists to get reactions from Tompolo and Tantita Security Services were unsuccessful. As the contract renewal unfolds, the industry watches closely, anticipating the outcome.”