By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A KLM flight carrying the Queen of Belgium had to make an emergency landing after a crack sirfaced in the plane’s cockpit windshield.

The left-sided windshield to the cockpit on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane was damaged (X/@fl360aero)
Queen Mathilde was on an 11-hour flight from Amsterdam to San Jose in Costa Rica for a three-day trip organised by Unicef when the damage to the Boeing 787-9 occurred.

The flight path showing the 11-hour journey made by the queen from Amsterdam to San Jose in Costa Rica.

As a result, the pilot requested a priority landing at the destination airport, with the plan landing 11 minutes early on Sunday at 5pm local time.

On board was Belgium royal commentator Wim Dehandschutter, who said he was surprised to learn about the issue on landing.

He wrote on X: “The airplane with Belgian Queen Mathilde landed in Costa Rica with a cracked windshield.

“I was on that flight. As passengers, we didn’t notice anything, and we didn’t receive any notification during the flight or upon landing.

“Our KLM flight did leave Schiphol 20 minutes late. There was turbulence – as on many flights – and the landing was quite hard, but nothing seemed to be alarming. So I was a bit surprised when I read reports in the local media and on X about the “emergency landing.”

A social media post from aviation expert @fl360aero said the aircraft was built in 2016, and showed a picture of the damaged windshield to the plane.

It reported: “A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane (PH-BHD) with a cracked LH side windshield arrived at San José Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport (SJO) with priority landing on Runway 07 after a 10:43 hours flight, on Sunday (09 February) afternoon.”

KLM confirmed the incident and said the safety of the passengers and crew was never at risk, according to the Mirror. The plane is reportedly in Costa Rica awaiting repairs. The Independent has contacted KLM for comment.

Queen Mathilde is in Costa Rica to help the government set up childcare facilities in vulnerable neighbourhoods as part of the UNICEF mission.

Pictures have been posted by the royal family on social media, showing her at work with children.

She has visited La Cometa, a public childcare centre in Tirrases, in the province of San José, and Lloverá Foundation, an organisation that supports and guides homeless people in Costa Rica.

Her engagement also saw her go to a coffee plantation that supports the children of seasonal workers. The 52-year-old royal is due to return to Belgium on Wednesday.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Speculation is mounting that Edo State Deputy Majority Leader, Natasha Osawaru, is expecting a child with Nigerian music legend, Innocent “Tuface” Idibia.
However, neither Tuface nor Natasha has issued an official statement regarding the rumored pregnancy.

The claims gained traction after popular journalist and blogger, Stella Dimoko Korkus, took to Instagram with a post suggesting that the pair are deeply in love and preparing to start a family together.

“Tuface Idibia, the singer you can’t stop talking about (at the moment), and Honorable Natasha Irobosa Igbinedion of the famous Igbinedion family of Benin Kingdom are in love and about to start a family… They are pregnant with their first child, and the singer confessed in a video early Tuesday morning that he loves her and wants to marry her,” the post read

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his dedication to combating cervical cancer by partnering with the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination.

The Minister stressed the urgency of collaboration while highlighting the critical need for strengthened cancer prevention and treatment efforts, citing 2022 statistics that recorded 20 million global cancer cases with 9.7 million deaths, including 127,000 cases and 79,000 deaths in Nigeria.

According to him, the collaboration aims to expand access to cancer care, strengthen public health initiatives, and reduce preventable deaths, particularly among women in the FCT.

Wike emphasised that FCT administration’s partnership with the National Task Force marks a significant step toward eliminating cervical cancer and improving healthcare outcomes for the residents.

The Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dolapo Fasawe, reaffirmed the Minister’s unwavering commitment to residents’ well-being during the 2025 World Cancer Day commemoration.

While emphasizing that February 4 serves as a global platform to raise awareness, promote better healthcare access, and ease the cancer burden on individuals and communities, Fasawe noted that this year’s theme, ‘United by Unique’, aligns with the FCT administration’s focus on people-centred healthcare.

Fasawe, in a statement on Wednesday, outlined several key initiatives, including free HPV vaccination for girls aged 9-14, pap smear screenings in all FCT hospitals, and training primary healthcare workers in cervical cancer detection using visual inspection methods.

The Mandate Secretary underscored the urgency of tackling cancer, noting that late detection and inadequate access to medical care remain major challenges.

To address these challenges, the FCT administration has implemented several additional measures, including colposcopy screening services at Wuse District Hospital every Thursday, chemotherapy management at Asokoro District Hospital, and statewide cancer prevention efforts in collaboration with the City Cancer Foundation, including stakeholder mapping and needs assessments.

She also revealed that plans are underway to establish fully equipped cancer centers in the FCT to ensure more people, especially in underserved areas, can access affordable care

She described the recent visit by the National Task Force, led by former Health Minister Prof. Isaac Adewole, as a strategic opportunity to enhance cancer prevention efforts in the FCT.

She noted that the FCT was chosen as the first State for engagement due to its strong track record in healthcare interventions.

Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, according to her, cancer continues to claim lives due to delayed diagnosis, limited treatment facilities, and widespread misinformation.

She, however, emphasized the need to combat stigma and promote early treatment to reduce mortality rates.