6 injured as church collapses in Badagry
No few than six members of the Deeper life Bible Church, located at Iragbo community in Badagry, Lagos state, were injured on Sunday, sustaining serious degrees of injuries when the building of the Church collapsed during heavy storm while the service was in progress.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that heavy rain which was later followed by a heavy storm led to the collapse of the Church building around 9:30 a.m.
One of the members of the Church who was also a victim, Mr Topohozin Tunde, told NAN that six members of the church sustained serious injuries.
“I also sustained a serious knee injury, but thank God no live was lost.
“Just around 9:30 this morning, during the church service, there was a heavy storm which hit the church building, and before we could know what was happening, the whole church building collapsed.
“Some were able to escape, while about six of us sustained serious injuries,” he said.
Tunde said medical attention were given to them, but they were not given proper treatment because no medical doctor was available at the hospital.
“Those that were seriously injured were taken to the General Hospital in Badagry for proper attention.
“Since my injury is not much, I decided to take care of myself,” he said.
Also speaking, Chief Thoma Agodi, the Baale of Iragbo community, said he was inside his palace when a resident came to inform him that the church building had collapsed.
“We have to thank God that there is no fatality as a result of the collapse,” he said.
France: Macron beats Le Pen to win 2nd term
French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday by a comfortable margin, securing a second term and heading off what would have been a political earthquake.
Cheers of joy erupted as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel tower, where Macron supporters waved French and EU flags. People hugged each other and chanted “Macron”.
In contrast, a gathering of dejected Le Pen supporters erupted in boos and whistles at a sprawling reception hall on the outskirts of Paris.
Le Pen admitted defeat but vowed to keep up the fight, with the June parliamentary elections in mind.
“I will never abandon the French,” she said to supporters chanting “Marine! Marine!”
The first pollsters’ projections showed Macron securing around 57-58 per cent of the vote.
Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in from around the country throughout the evening.
But Macron can expect little to no grace period after many, especially on the left only voted for him reluctantly to block the far-right from winning.
Protests that marred part of his first mandate could erupt again quite quickly, as he tries to press on with pro-business reforms.
“We will not spoil the victory … but (Le Pen’s) National Rally has its highest score ever,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told BFM TV.
“There will be continuity in government policy because the president has been reelected.
”But we have also heard the French people’s message,” he added, pledging change.
A first major challenge will be the parliamentary elections in June and opposition parties on the left and right will immediately start a major push to try to vote in a parliament and government opposed to Macron.
17 dead following migrant shipwreck off Tunisia coastline
Judiciary officials of the Tunisian government reported that 17 people have been confirmed dead following the shipwreck of several migrant ships that capsized off the coast of Tunisia.
According to Reuters, a Tunisian coast guard said that four boats carrying over 120 African migrants headed for Italy sank on Saturday off the coast near the city of Sfax.
An additional 17 bodies were found on Sunday by judicial officers of Sfax Courts, Mourad Turki, a spokeperson for the Sfax Courts, said. Fortunately, 98 people were rescued from the boat mishap.
Deaths on this coastline of Sfax are no news, as many people, damning the risk associated with the journey, would rather take the chance of crossing to get to Europe than continue to endure the poverty of Africa and the Middle East.
In the past seven months, the Corps of the Port Captaincies of Italy has reported an increase in the number of migrant ships trying to get into Italy through Tunisia and Libya.
Saudi Arabia achieves biggest trade surplus since 2016
The Central Department of Statistics and Information in Saudi Arabia has reported that the country’s trade surplus grew to SAR 60.1 billion in February of 2022. a feat that the department described as the biggest trade surplus since December of 2016.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported a 64.7 percent increase in exports year on year to SAR 108.4 billion, according to information made available to tradingeconomics.
This rise was fueled by a 78.1 percent increase in oil sales, which accounted for exactly 77.5 percent of total shipments.
Non-oil exports, on the other hand, increased by 31 percent, thanks to increased demand from China, India, and Japan. The majority of the non-oil products responsible for this increase were chemicals and related products (80 percent) and plastics (20.1 percent).
Imports increased by 18.2 percent year on year to SAR 48.3 billion, led by purchases of chemical and allied products and mineral products by trade partners such as China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.
Blinken, Austin in Kyiv for Talks with Zelensky
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, held talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday night over planned US support for the country in the face of renewed attacks from Russia.
According to Bloomberg, Oleksiy Arestovych, who is an adviser to Zelensky, told an interviewer on YouTube that the two Americans were talking with Zelenskiy at around 10 pm on Sunday. Arestovych said that the focus of the talks was centered on “weapons supply and joint policies toward Russia”.
Earlier on Sunday, Zelensky praised the supplies of weapons he received from the US and its allies and believed that they could help the country’s troops fighting in Mariupol stage a counteroffensive.
Air raid sirens, which have become a regular occurrence since the war started, could be heard across most of Ukraine on Sunday evening.
Sirens typically warn residents of an impending airstrike from the Russian air force.
Attacks continue on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holding on. Zelensky reported that a missile attack carried out by Russia that destroyed a “large consignment” of foreign weapons in Odesa on the Black Sea coast claimed the lives of eight people, including an infant.
In the coming days, UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet with the leaders of Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine.
