News
BREAKING: Bomb Rocks DR Congo Airport

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A bomb struck the airport in the restive eastern DR Congo city of Goma early Saturday as fighting flared between rebels and government forces, security and government sources told AFP.
Clashes have intensified in recent days around the strategic town of Sake, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Goma, between the M23 rebel group – which Kinshasa says is backed by neighbouring Rwanda – and Congolese government forces.
“Yes, it’s true, Goma airport was hit by a bomb last night,” a source in the governorate of North Kivu province said, asking not to be named.
A security source spoke of “two bombs” at the facility in Goma, the North Kivu capital and home to one million people, adding that they “caused no damage”.
Two experts are on site to check where the bombs were fired from,” the source said.
An AFP correspondent and Goma residents reported hearing two loud explosions.
The UN Security Council voiced concern this week at “escalating violence” in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, condemning an offensive launched by the mostly-Tutsi M23 rebels near Goma.
The DRC, the UN and Western countries say Rwanda is supporting the rebels in a bid to control vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.
The rebels have conquered vast swathes of North Kivu in the last two years.
The latest fight has pushed tens of thousands of civilians to flee towards Goma, which stands between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and is practically cut off from the country’s interior.
According to a confidential UN document seen by AFP earlier this week, the Rwandan army is using sophisticated weapons such as surface-to-air missiles to support M23.
A “suspected Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM)” was fired at a UN observation drone last Wednesday without hitting it, the report said.
UN forces have been in DRC for nearly 25 years, but stand accused of failing to protect civilians from armed groups.
The UN Security Council voted in December to accede to Kinshasa’s demand for a pullout despite the volatile situation.
With multiple diplomatic efforts failing to quell the violence in the Congo, African leaders meeting for a summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa discussed the DRC situation on the sidelines late Friday and were due to convene again on Saturday.
News
Celebrity boxing: Speed Darlington wants rematch after losing to Portable

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Nigerian singer Speed Darlington is calling for a rematch against Portable after losing to him in a celebrity boxing match.
Speed Darlington was knocked out in the second round, and he’s unhappy about the outcome.
In a video, he claimed Portable didn’t deserve the win and the prize money, saying he had plans to use the money to build a swimming pool for his community in Imo State.
Portable, I want a rematch. E dey pain me say you dey carry all that money dey go. E dey break my heart.
” I want a rematch. It’s so unfair. You have up to two experience before me and you fight. I never enter ring before. I did not come from poverty,” he said.
“You don’t deserve that money. E dey pain me. I want to build swimming pool for my villagers. I need a rematch, Portable”, he said.
According to Speed Darlington, Portable had an unfair advantage due to his experience, accusing him of using supernatural means to win the fight.
He also claimed he suffered a shoulder injury during the match despite not feeling tired.
Speed Darlington, who wants a rematch, said he needs 30 days to prepare better
News
Israel’s remote controlled bulldozers breaking ground in Gaza war

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the bulky bulldozer turning up soil at a testing site in central Israel, but as it pulled closer it became clear: the driver’s cabin is eerily empty.
This is the Robdozer, a fortified engineering vehicle manned remotely, and in this case operated from a military expo halfway across the globe in Alabama.
Army engineers and military experts say that the Robdozer — the robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer — is the future of automated combat.
The Israeli military has used D9 for years to carry out frontline tasks like trowelling roads for advancing troops, removing rubble and flattening terrain.
But since war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 and later in Lebanon, the Israeli military has increasingly deployed this robotic version in a bid to enhance its field operations and reduce the risks to its troops.
“The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer,” said Rani, whose team at the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Robdozer.
An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)
During the Gaza war, the military has increasingly opted for the unmanned version, which can carry out a full range of tasks “even better than a human”, said Rani, using his first name only for security reasons.
While such vehicles and other systems are currently operated by humans, future versions could be autonomous, raising ethical and legal concerns over the unchartered future of warfare being shaped by the Israeli military in the Gaza war.
‘Changing the paradigm’
Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law.
Analysts say the growing Israeli deployment of the Robdozer reflects broader global trends towards automation in heavy combat vehicles, like remote-controlled personnel carriers that operate much like drones.
An Israeli military official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that the army has been using “robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare”.
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70-hour Chess Marathon: Onakoya reportedly breaks record set by Norwegians

Nigerian chess sensation and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has broken the chess marathon record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, set by two Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, in June 2024.
Onakoya and his chess partner, Shawn Martinez, are currently aiming to complete a 70-hour chess marathon in Times Square, New York.
The marathon, a four-day non-stop gameplay, started on April 17.
In a post shared on X shortly after surpassing the current record, he expressed fulfillment and called for action to educate and create opportunities for street children in Nigeria.
For all the dreamers! We’ve officially BROKEN THE RECORD with my brother,” he wrote.
Although the official confirmation from Guinness World Records is still being awaited, Nigerians and chess lovers from different parts of the world have congratulated the chess master on his latest achievement.
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