News
SAD! 53 killed by earthquake in China’s Tibet region
A devastating earthquake in China’s remote Tibet region killed at least 53 people and collapsed “many buildings” on Tuesday, state media reported, with tremors also felt in neighbouring Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India.
Videos published by China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed houses destroyed with walls torn apart.
Rescue workers waded through rubble strewn across the ruins in the aftermath of the earthquake, footage showed, while some gave locals thick blankets to keep warm.
Surveillance images published by CCTV showed people running through a store’s aisles as shelves shook violently, sending objects like toys tumbling to the ground.
In the town of Lhatse, videos geolocated by AFP showed debris scattered in front of streetside eateries.
The powerful quake struck Dingri county with a magnitude of 6.8 near the border with Nepal at 9:05 am (0105 GMT), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The US Geological Survey reported the tremor as magnitude 7.1.
“Fifty-three people have been confirmed dead and 62 injured as of Tuesday noon, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County in the city of Xigaze in Xizang Autonomous Region at 9:05 am Tuesday,” Xinhua news agency said.
Over 1,000 houses have sustained varying degrees of damage, it added.
“Dingri county and its surrounding areas experienced very strong tremors, and many buildings near the epicentre have collapsed,” state broadcaster CCTV said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday emphasised “the full-scale search and rescue efforts, minimizing casualties to the greatest extent possible, properly resettling affected residents, and ensuring their safety and warmth through the winter”, CCTV added.
Xinhua said that “local authorities are reaching out to various townships in the county to assess the impact of the quake”.
Temperatures in Dingri are around minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and will drop to minus 18 this evening, according to the China Meteorological Administration.
Disaster relief aid, including cotton tents, quilts and items for high-altitude and frigid areas, had been dispatched by central authorities to areas impacted by the quake, Xinhua said.
The high-altitude county in the Tibet region is home to around 62,000 people and situated on the Chinese side of Mount Everest.
While earthquakes are common in the region, Tuesday’s quake was the most powerful recorded within a 200-kilometre radius in the last five years, the CENC added.
– ‘Shook quite strongly’.
As well as Kathmandu, areas around Lobuche in Nepal in the high mountains near Everest were also rattled by the tremor and aftershocks.
“It shook quite strongly here, everyone is awake,” said government official Jagat Prasad Bhusal in Nepal’s Namche region, which lies nearer to Everest.
But no damage or deaths had been reported so far and security forces had been deployed, Nepali Home Minister spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari said.
Nepal lies on a major geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence.
In 2015, nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 were injured when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes.
Some tremors were felt in Bihar state in India but no injuries were reported.
Three people were killed and dozens injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck along the mountainous China-Kyrgyzstan border in January last year.
A quake in December 2023 in northwest China killed 148 people and displaced thousands in Gansu province.
That quake was China’s deadliest since 2014, when more than 600 people were killed in southwestern Yunnan province.
In the December 2023 earthquake, subzero temperatures made the aid operation launched in response even more challenging, with survivors huddled around outdoor fires to keep warm.
AFP
The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has replied to the Nigerian Bar Association regarding the reason for relocating its Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu State.
Ibas faulted the reason cited by the NBA, describing it as misleading and uncharitable.
The Sole Administrator stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday by his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubo, and sent to newsmen.
He said while the NBA reserves the right to choose a venue for its conference, the association had yet to address the issue of the refund of the hosting rights paid by the state government for the conference.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
By Francesca Hangeior
The Federal Government has unveiled the second phase of its contactless biometric passport application system across its four missions in United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Brazil.
The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS disclosed this in a tweet on its ‘X’ handle signed by Service Spokesman, ACI AS Akinlabi.
The statement reads; “ain continuation of the phased Roll-Out of the Contactless Biometric Passport Application System across Nigerian Missions abroad, the Nigeria Immigration Service under its
Comptroller General, Kemi Nanna Nandap wishes to inform the General public especially Nigerians in the Diaspora that it is implementing the next stage of the roll-out across the following countries.
“The Application System, which is currently available on Google Play Store (NIS Mobile), is designed to allow Nigerians to renew their passports without visiting any Passport Centre for Biometrics enrollment. The Apple Store version will be onboarded shortly and an enhanced version of the NIS Mobile App for both Android and iOS users will be deployed to further improve users’ experience and accessibility.
“With this roll-out, the Service further informs the General public that the Contactless Passport App is now available in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. It is yet to be rolled out in Australia and Nigeria, a future date will be announced for both countries in due course.
“The Service remains committed to innovative and efficient Service Delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world”.
By Francesca Hangeior
At least eight of the 1,800 candidates shortlisted for teaching positions under the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission have been disqualified after testing positive for banned substances.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the TESCOM Press Secretary, Sam Onile, who quoted the Chairman of the Commission, Bello Abubakar.
According to the statement, the disqualified applicants tested positive for drugs, including benzodiazepine, tramadol, cotinine, marijuana, and amphetamine.
The tests were conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with support from the state government.
Abubakar said the affected candidates would be replaced by the next best-performing applicants from their respective local government areas.
“A major implication of this development is that the affected individuals will be replaced by the candidates who are next to them in performance from their respective local government areas,” the statement said.
“The idea is to send an unmistakable message about the state government’s zero tolerance for drug abuse. We have a duty of care not to expose little children to drug abuse under any circumstances.”
The TESCOM chairman praised AbdulRazaq for insisting on a merit-based recruitment process, noting that the governor had again demonstrated fairness and commitment to quality education in the state.
-
News13 hours agoAutonomy: 774 LGs challenge FG, states in court Tuesday
-
News6 hours agoRivers women rally in support of state of emergency
-
Sports24 hours agoJust in: Newcastle pummel Man United 4-1
-
News24 hours ago2027: Atiku’s Opposition Front is a mission impossible-Wike declares
-
News6 hours agoJust in: Namibia Moves to Deport Over 500 Americans in Bold Visa Policy Shift
-
News13 hours agoZulum orders arrest, offers house, scholarship to abused boy in viral video
-
News14 hours agoNANS criticize NASS over proposed bill to fine, jail non voters
-
Foreign14 hours agoGabon military leader Nguema wins presidential election