LAGOS: The death toll from the explosion of a petrol tanker truck in Nigeria that killed people rushing to gather fuel has risen to 86, emergency services said Sunday.
"The final death toll from the tanker explosion is 86," said Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in Niger state.
The truck carrying 60,000 litres of gasoline exploded after flipping over on a road in the centre of the country on Saturday, authorities said.
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Nigeria tanker truck blast toll rises to 86: rescuers
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Nigeria tanker truck blast toll rises to 86: rescuers
Pakistan will continue to play ‘constructive role’ for Middle East peace, PM Sharif tells US
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks to United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, says Sharif’s office
- Both agreed to continue working closely to strengthen Pakistan-US ties, particularly through enhanced trade, says PMO
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, telling him Islamabad will continue to play a “constructive role” to bring peace in the Middle East, the Pakistani premier’s office said amid regional tensions following the Iran-Israel military conflict.
The 12-day war between Iran and Israel began on June 13 after Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, killing several senior military commanders and scientists, while officials in Tehran were engaged in nuclear negotiations with the US. The conflict worsened when before the ceasefire announced by Trump, US forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites last week. The American president claimed the strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program by years.
Pakistan had remained engaged in talks with regional partners Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Qatar and other states to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. Sharif said on Thursday Tehran had thanked Pakistan’s political and military leadership for playing a constructive role during the war.
“While exchanging views on the current situation in the Middle East, the Prime Minister stated that Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role for bringing peace to the Middle East,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“While appreciating these efforts, Secretary Rubio said the US would like to work with Pakistan for promoting peace and stability to the region.”
Pakistan and India also engaged in a days-long conflict last month before US President Donald Trump announced on May 10 that both countries had agreed to a ceasefire. India and Pakistan had pounded each other with missiles, fighter jets, artillery fire and drone strikes during the four days of conflict that killed over 70 on both sides.
Pakistan has repeatedly thanked Trump for his mediation during the crisis and decided to formally nominate him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The American president has claimed he convinced both sides to back down by threatening not to do a trade deal with them.
During their conversation, Sharif thanked Rubio for the “key role” Washington played in the Pakistan-India ceasefire, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“The Prime Minister and Secretary Rubio agreed to continue working closely to strengthen Pakistan-US relations particularly through enhanced trade,” the statement said.
While the May 10 ceasefire continues to persist between the nuclear-armed nations, tensions simmer as New Delhi refuses to budge from its earlier stance of suspending a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.
Pakistan has said any attempts to stop or divert its flow of water by India will be regarded as an “act of war” and will be responded to with full force.
Celebrities converge on Venice for Bezos-Sanchez wedding gala
- Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals
- Event has stirred a debate about its impact on one of the world’s most beautiful cities
VENICE: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez began three days of lavish wedding celebrations in Venice on Thursday with tight security shielding their VIP guests from protesters.
Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and the Queen of Jordan were among the latest arrivals, joining Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian.
US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who showed up on Tuesday, have used the extra time for sightseeing and shopping.
Some 200-250 A-listers from show business, politics and finance are expected to take part in what has been widely dubbed “wedding of the century,” estimated to cost around $50 million.
The event has stirred a debate about its impact on one of the world’s most beautiful cities, with protesters seeing it as an example of Venice being gift-wrapped for ultra-rich outsiders, but others enjoying the spectacle and the spending.
An activist climbed one of the poles in the main St. Mark’s Square on Thursday, unfurling a banner with the words “The 1 percent ruins the world” to protest against the presence of the billionaire Bezos in Venice.
Guests were gathering on Thursday evening in the cloisters of Madonna dell’Orto, a medieval church in the central district of Cannaregio that hosts masterpieces by 16th century painter Tintoretto.
The city council banned pedestrians and water traffic from the area from 4.30 p.m. (1430 GMT) until midnight, to provide security and seclusion for the partygoers.
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, landed in Venice via helicopter on Wednesday and took up residence in the luxury Aman hotel, where rooms with a view of the Grand Canal go for at least 4,000 euros ($4,686) per night.
They are set to exchange vows on Friday on the small island of San Giorgio, opposite St. Mark’s Square, in a ceremony which, according to a senior City Hall official, will have no legal status under Italian law.
Some have speculated that the couple have already legally wed in the United States, sparing them from the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage.
Celebrations will conclude on Saturday with the main wedding bash to be held at one of the halls of the Arsenale, a vast former medieval shipyard turned into an art space in the eastern Castello district.
The “No Space for Bezos” movement is planning further demonstrations against an event they see as a sell-off of Venice, but by no means are all the locals hostile.
Politicians, hoteliers and other residents say high-end events, rather than multitudes of low-spending daytrippers, are a better way to support the local economy, and dismiss the protesters as a fringe minority.
“If you look at what concretely the Bezos wedding brings for the good of Venice, there are only advantages and no disadvantages,” Mattia Brandi, a local tour leader, told Reuters.
“If anything is different, it is because of the protesters ... They don’t realize that it is them who are disrupting the quiet life of the city,” he added.
Venice has hosted scores of VIP weddings. US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot there in 2014, and Indian billionaires Vinita Agarwal and Muqit Teja did so in 2011, without significant disruptions.
Bezos, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and No. 4 on Forbes’ billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie Scott.
Brazil coach tells Neymar to prepare well for World Cup
- “He must prepare well and he has the time to do that,” Ancelotti said
- “He’s a very important player for us regarding the World Cup“
SAO PAULO: New Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti considers Neymar “a very important player” and has urged the injury-prone star “to prepare well” for the 2026 World Cup.
“He must prepare well and he has the time to do that,” the Italian said in an interview with the South American football federation on Thursday.
“He’s a very important player for us regarding the World Cup,” Ancelotti added.
Neymar, 33, extended his contract with Brazilian side Santos to the end of the year this week.
Neymar’s career has been dogged by injury, and he has only played 12 matches in five months for Santos, scoring three goals.
Brazil’s top scorer with 79 goals was missing from Ancelotti’s first squad at the end of May.
With Neymar absent five-time world champions Brazil qualified for next year’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Paraguay this month.
Jeddah E-prix double-header becomes most-watched Formula E weekend in history
- Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds hails ‘phenomenal’ record 65m viewers
- Digital audiences showed impressive growth, with social video views and engagements up 13% and 12% respectively
JEDDAH: The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has confirmed that the 2025 Jeddah E-Prix double-header became the most-watched Formula E weekend in history with a record 65 million viewers, according to data analysis released by Kantar Media on Thursday.
Held under the lights of the iconic Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Feb. 14-15, the races marked the championship’s thrilling debut in the Red Sea city after six successful seasons in Diriyah.
Jeddah’s unique night racing spectacle, coupled with a state-of-the-art circuit and electric atmosphere, has cemented Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation as a premier destination for world-class motorsport, said a media statement.
It added that Jeddah is confirmed to once again host the only double-header night races on the Formula E calendar in Season 12, which will be held on Feb. 13-14, 2026.
According to Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, the latest figures from their external providers are truly phenomenal and show the tremendous momentum behind the growth of the sport.
“They highlight that not only do we have world-leading technology and acceleration in the cars, but that it’s producing some of the best most-competitive racing that old and new fans can’t get enough of,” said Dodds.
He revealed that they are building fan bases and fan loyalty in key and new markets, with Mexico and the US examples of where their investment and longevity in the market is paying dividends.
“As the world’s fastest growing motorsport though, we know we can’t stand still. We know we need to continue offering the best racing, the best rivalries and the best most-inclusive events to continue on our steep trajectory and build a strong community of electric super fans,” added Dodds.
In addition to the record-setting Jeddah rounds, Formula E has seen exceptional growth this season with the data analysis showing unprecedented audience growth across TV and social media for the first half of the 2024-25 season, with its cumulative audience due to surpass 500 million by the end of Season 11.
Digital audiences analysed through Emplifi have also shown impressive growth, with social video views and engagement up 13 percent and 12 percent respectively, underscoring the vibrant and interactive fan community the series continues to build.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s 11th season — which started in Sao Paulo in December 2024 and will culminate in London on July 26-27 — has so far delivered some of the most exciting racing action in world motorsport, while continually pushing the boundaries of electric performance.
So far this season, its 22 world-class drivers have engaged in intense, head-to-head competition, captivating fans with epic battles on iconic circuits and nail-biting finishes at new venues.
Fans around the globe have tuned in and turned up in greater numbers than ever before, drawn by compelling racing and a shared vision for sustainable and cutting-edge innovation, added the statement.
Masam Project clears more than 4,600 explosive devices from Yemen conflict in Abyan
- Operation took place on Thursday in Wadi Dufs area of Zinjibar, east of Yemen’s de facto capital Aden
- Clearance took place in high temperatures, rugged terrain of Abyan Governorate
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project for Landmine Clearance, known as Masam and launched by Saudi aid agency KSrelief, has successfully destroyed more than 4,600 explosive devices left behind from the war in Yemen.
The operation took place on Thursday in the Wadi Dufs area of Zinjibar, in Abyan Governorate, east of Yemen’s de facto capital Aden.
The project reported the destruction of 4,620 pieces of ammunition and remnants of war, including 155 projectiles, 235 combat fuses, 85 pieces of armor-piercing ammunition, 4,096 bullets, 13 anti-personnel mines, five anti-tank mines, and 31 grenades.
The Masam Project added that its efforts aimed to enhance community security and protect the lives of civilians in Yemen.
Engineer Munther Qassem, commander of the first special task force at Masam, said that the operation had been conducted in a safe area, away from residential communities and agricultural regions, ensuring full compliance with international standards.
He added: “The work of the special task teams does not stop throughout the year, given the importance of our missions in protecting the lives of innocent citizens.”
Qassem added that the team had successfully carried out the operation despite the high temperatures and rugged terrain of Abyan.
The Masam Project stands as a vital contribution to enabling a safe and dignified life for Yemenis.
KSrelief has implemented 3,438 diverse humanitarian projects across 107 countries, valued at over $7 billion, since its launch in May 2015.
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