Author: starconnect
By SCM Foreign Desk TOKYO — A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday afternoon, triggering structural collapses, sparking fires, and leaving several people dead. Dozens of shoppers remain trapped inside a major commercial center after a partial building collapse, local authorities and emergency officials reported. The quake struck at 4:27 p.m. local time off the coast of Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu, at a depth of roughly six miles. The Japan Meteorological Agency registered the shaking at the maximum intensity of 7 on the country’s Shindo scale—a level indicating violent ground…
By SCM Foreign Desk MUSCAT, Oman — In a bid to defuse an escalating crisis over one of the world’s most crucial oil transit choke points, Oman has submitted a formal diplomatic proposal to Iran outlining a shared regional management framework for the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal, which has secured quiet backing from neighboring Persian Gulf states, seeks to establish a joint regional consortium including Iran, Oman, and other Gulf nations to guarantee safe passage through the narrow waterway. Under the Omani plan, traffic in the narrow passage would be partitioned into three distinct operational corridors: an…
By SCM Foreign Desk LIMA, Peru — Keiko Fujimori was sworn in on Tuesday as the first elected female president of Peru, assuming control of a deeply polarized South American democracy after securing victory in one of the tightest presidential runoffs in modern Latin American history. In an inauguration ceremony before a newly seated bicameral Congress in Lima, Ms. Fujimori, 51, took the oath of office wearing the presidential sash, capping a 15-year quest for the country’s highest office. Her triumph follows three consecutive, heartbreaking runoff defeats in 2011, 2016, and 2021. Addressing a nation battered by…
By SCM Technology Reporter ABUJA — In a decisive bid to reposition the continent’s telecommunications landscape for the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, satellite communications, and digital public infrastructure, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has rallied regulators across Africa to embrace systematic collaboration and evidence-based governance. Speaking at the Heads of Regulators Roundtable during the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) gathering in Abuja, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, warned that isolated national regulatory efforts are no longer sufficient to drive Africa’s digital economy forward. Addressing delegates at the session themed “Building…
Fidelity Bank, Airtel Nigeria and Leadway Assurance lead their respective sectors, as new data shows only 12 of 46 brands tracked generated measurable CSR/ESG media visibility in Q2 20 Admin I Tuesday, July 28, 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – P+ Measurement Services, Nigeria’s leading independent media intelligence consultancy, has released its Q2 2026 CSR & ESG Media Visibility Report, an audited analysis of how brands across banking, telecommunications and insurance used social impact communication to build reputation and public trust between April and June 2026. The report is drawn from media data monitored across 29 commercial banks, four telecommunications operators…
By Titus Eleweke, Editor, South East AWKA, Anambra – Renowned human rights lawyer Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor has broken his silence over a purported letter claiming he was sacked as legal counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), clarifying that he voluntarily withdrew from representing Nnamdi Kanu in December 2023. In a detailed statement issued on Tuesday titled “Setting the Record Straight: I Personally Withdrew from Nnamdi Kanu’s Legal Representation in December 2023: No Room for Mischief,” Ejiofor stated that his disengagement occurred long before Kanu’s eventual conviction and life imprisonment. Ejiofor explained that Kanu never independently appointed…
By Titus Eleweke, Editor South East AWKA, Anambra – More than 200 residents turned out on Monday for the first day of a one-week free cancer screening programme at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) in Amaku, Awka. The exercise—offering cervical cancer screening (Pap smear), mammography for early breast cancer detection, and prostate cancer screening—runs from Monday, July 27, to Friday, July 31. It was organized to celebrate the birthdays of the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, and his wife, Dr. Nonye Soludo, on July 28 and July 31, respectively. Visiting the screening centres…
By Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, July 28, 2026 ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian Senate moved to quell mounting public concern over a proposed amendment to the country’s road safety legislation, clarifying that the bill before the National Assembly does not attempt to prohibit street preaching or restrict religious activities in public places. The upper legislative chamber addressed a wave of public debate and social media criticism triggered by reports alleging that the new amendment sought to outlaw public religious expression. Senate officials characterized those reports as false, misleading, and a misinterpretation of routine legislative maintenance. In a formal…
By Esther Pius Ekong I Monday, July 27,2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – Some deaths are caused by disease, others by accidents and still others by the inconsiderate actions of fellow road users. Every road user has a right of way and obligations. Madam, you were six minutes late. Your son is gone”. It was then that she realised she had driven her son’s body, not a living child, into the emergency unit Her son suddenly slumped while riding his bicycle in the compound. With the help of her domestic staff, she hurried him to the car while…
By Sports Desk I Monday, July 27, 2026 ROME — Just two weeks after embarking on a high-profile rescue mission to overhaul Italian football, Paolo Maldini has stepped down from his role as technical director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), plunging the national team setup into renewed disarray. The iconic former AC Milan and Italy captain tendered his resignation following a bitter power struggle with FIGC leadership over the appointment of the national team’s next head coach. Maldini’s decision came after federation president Giovanni Malagò vetoed the candidacy of former midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo, who had been…