Five die in DR Congo plane crash

Five people were burnt to death on Friday, after a small passenger aircraft crashed in southern Democratic Republic of Congo near the border with Angola, a local official said, giving a provisional toll.

The piston-engined Antonov 2, operated by local airline Air Kasai, burst into flames, just after takeoff from Kamako for a flight to Tshikapa, 150 kilometres (93 miles) away.

“The plane crashed into the bush three kilometres (two miles) from Kamako,” said Anacletus Muswa Kapinga Safia, the deputy territorial administrator.

“Only two people got out, the pilot and a passenger. They are unable to talk,” he said.

“We already know that five people have died. We will know the final toll when the company provides us with the passenger list.”

The crash is the second in a month in DR Congo’s sprawling Kasai province. Last month, a light plane chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP) had an accident on takeoff at Kamonia, leaving several people injured.

Nigeria to experience longest total lunar eclipse on Friday –Scientist

Nigeria will on Friday night experience a spectacular total lunar eclipse, which will last for one hour, Prof. Augustine Ubachukwu, has said.

Ubachukwu, the leader of Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Group of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, disclosed this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

“Nigeria is set to experience a very spectacular total lunar eclipse on Friday, July 27, weather permitting.

“It will be visible from 9:30.p.m. and last till 11: 20 p.m.

“This total lunar eclipse will be primarily visible  from  the  world’s  Eastern  Hemisphere, which are Europe,  Africa,  Asia,  Australia  and  New Zealand.

“Part of South America will be able to watch the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset on July 27.

“New Zealand will catch the beginning stages of the eclipse before sunrise on July 28.

“It will be the century’s longest total lunar eclipse with a whopping one hour and 43 minutes in totality.

“It starts with a partial eclipse at 7:24 p.m.  The total eclipse begins at 8.30 p.m., and ends at 10.13 p.m. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 9.22 p.m. The partial eclipse ends at 11.19 p.m.,’’ he said.

Ubachukwu observed that a lunar eclipse could occur only on the night of a full moon.

The scientist said during a total lunar eclipse, the earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon, while the only light reflected from the lunar surface would be refracted by earth’s atmosphere.

According to him, unlike solar eclipses,  lunar  eclipses  are safe  to view without any eye protection  or  special precautions as they appear dimmer than the full moon.

The professor, however, said that the next total lunar eclipse that would be visible in Nigeria would occur on January 21, 2019.

Prof. Rabiu Babatunde, the Director, Centre for Atmospheric Research in Kogi told NAN that people should not be perturbed at the occurrence.

Babatunde said that the event underscored the fact that planetary objects, including the earth were in a state of defined continuous motion.

He said that the occurrence necessitated the need for scientists to continue monitoring and exploring the dynamics of the motion and the phenomena associated with them.

“Keeping tab on the dynamics will enable scientists sensitise the global community of any hazard associated with such occurrences,’’ he said.

Google to provide 10m Nigerians with free WiFi

Google Nigeria plans to reach more than 10 million Nigerians with free Internet access in five cities in Nigeria.

According to the company, the Wi-Fi will be available in 200 Google Stations across five cities in the country which includes Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Abuja by 2019.

This was made known on Thursday at the second Google for Nigeria event in Lagos.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Google Stations, the Google Nigeria Country Director, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, said the initiative would address affordability and access to data as well as broadband penetration.

She said the free Wi-Fi was rolled out in partnership with an Internet Service Provider with extensive fibre network, 21st Century, adding that the company was open to partnerships with other ISPs and telcos.

“One of the challenges we found was access to data. Broadband penetration is low and are not reliable and there are challenges with affordability just allow many Nigerians benefit from the digital economy. We are very excited to be able to launch in collaboration with partners,” she said.

She added, “We are starting in Lagos with four sites and commitment is to expand to 200 sites across five cities in Nigeria by 2019. There are opportunities that are available once people get online and are able to consume information.

Commenting on the initiative, the Vice President, Products Management at Google, Anjali Joshi, said the initiative would be scaled to other countries in Africa.

Details soon.

DEVELOPING STORY: Dino Melaye allegedly kidnapped – Senator

Dino Melaye has been allegedly abducted by unknown gunmen, his colleague Ben Murray-Bruce said on Thursday.

Mr Murray-Bruce, one of the key allies of Mr Melaye at the Senate, disclosed this on Twitter a few minutes ago, citing the senator’s brother.

The kidnap is yet to be confirmed.

Mr Melaye was among the 14 senators who defected from the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday.

The controversial senator is facing separate charges for allegedly aiding criminals and attempted suicide.

The Kogi police commissioner, Ali Janga, said he invited Mr Melaye to report at his office by 10:00 a.m. today.

The police chief said Mr Melaye had not arrived, but strongly denied knowledge of his whereabouts.

“I did not send officers to attack him, please call Gwagwalada police to confirm if they have reports,” Mr Janga said.

Mr Melaye’s associates said the senator was feared kidnapped on his way to Lokoja, but could not ascertain the specific section of the Abuja-Lokoja highway where the incident might have occurred.

Mr Janga’s suggestion that Gwagwalada police should be contacted indicated that Mr Melaye might have run into the encounter while still within the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT and Kogi State share a border after Abaji, which is about 170 kilometers south of downtown Abuja.

Mr Melaye was reportedly arraigned for attempted suicide in Lokoja yesterday. It was unclear whether he received Mr Janga’s invitation to appear at 10 a.m. while he was still in Lokoja for the court appearance or after he had returned to his base in Abuja.

More details later…

Five dead in Lagos boat mishap

The incident happened at about 5.57 p.m.

The general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Adesina Tiamiyu, who confirmed the deaths, said the cause of the incident was still unknown.

We learnt that a 20-capacity passenger boat belonging to Blue sea capsized mid-sea enroute Ikorodu from Lagos Island.

Bodies of victims have since been deposited at the morgue at Ikorodu general hospital.

The deceased, whose identities still remain unknown, include four women and a man.

Meanwhile, five other persons were rescued after the incident.