The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has attributed the recent hike in the pump price of petrol to the difficulty in landing the premium motor spirit (PMS). Billy Gillis-Harry, PETROAN president, spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ programme on Thursday. “What I can tell you is once there is difficulty in landing products by NNPC and the size of shock absorbing that they can do becomes overwhelming, they will certainly shed some of the loads,” he said. “I think that’s what would have happened.” On Wednesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited increased the price of petrol across its retail outlets. In Lagos, petrol prices jumped to N998 per litre while in Abuja, the price rose to N1,003. The price development comes weeks after the NNPC commenced petrol lifting at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s gantry after an extended period of price negotiations. On September 15, the NNPC said petrol was bought from Dangote refinery at N898 per litre. The Dangote refinery countered NNPC’s claim, describing it as “both misleading and mischievous”. A day after, the national oil company announced estimated pump prices based on prices set by the Dangote refinery for its petroleum products, saying petrol will sell for N950 in Lagos and N999 in Abuja. Gillis-Harry said the petrol prices are largely driven by market forces, particularly the dynamics of supply and demand. He stressed that the exchange rate between the naira and the dollar plays a major role in the cost of petroleum products, as Nigeria operates a “dollarised” petrol business. “The truth right now is that petrol prices are going to be determined by the forces of demand and supply,” he said. “This does not mean that the prices will always be high. We must remember that our dollar exchange value is going to impact very highly on the cost of PMS because we are operating a dollarised business in naira.” ‘DANGOTE REFINERY COULD ALLEVIATE PETROL PRICE PRESSURE’ Despite the current price increases, Gillis-Harry expressed optimism about the role the Dangote refinery as well as other refineries in Nigeria could play in alleviating the pressure on petrol prices. “The Dangote refinery should come to the rescue, as well as other refineries in Nigeria,” he said. Gillis-Harry added that PETROAN is hoping to engage in formal and clear business discussions with the Dangote refinery to explore potential benefits for the industry.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said an Israeli air strike on a Gaza school killed at least 28 people Thursday, while the Israeli military reported it struck a Hamas command centre. “Palestine Red Crescent teams responded to 28 fatalities and 54 injuries following the Israeli occupation army’s targeting of Rafida School,” the organisation said, referring to a school in Deir el-Balah. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry issued the same death toll in a statement. The Israeli army said in a statement the strike targeted Palestinian combatants operating from a command-and-control centre “embedded inside a compound that previously served as the (Rafida) School”. It did not give a toll but said the command-and-control centre was used “to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF (army) troops and the State of Israel”. Thursday’s attack was the latest in a series of Israeli strikes on school buildings housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza, where fighting has raged for more than a year. On September 26, at least 15 people were killed in another school-turned-shelter strike in northern Gaza’s Jabalia camp, according to Gaza civil defence agency. The Israeli military is currently engaged in an intense operation in Jabaliya. The Israeli military accuses Hamas of hiding in school buildings where thousands of Gazans have sought shelter — a charge denied by the Palestinian militant group. At least 42,065 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The United Nations has acknowledged the figures to be reliable. The October 7 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity. AFP

A new database has revealed that over 5,700 minors in the U.S. underwent gender-affirming surgeries between 2019 and 2023. Fox News and the New York Post reported on Wednesday that the database, launched by an advocacy group Do No Harm, tracks where children are receiving treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for gender dysphoria. The searchable database is called “Does My Hospital Transition Kids?” and was launched earlier in the week. The report shows that a total of 13,994 minors received gender-affirming care during the four-year period. Researchers identified 5,747 unique minors who underwent gender-affirming surgeries, including mastectomies and genital reassignment procedures. Additionally, 8,579 children received puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy, with over 60,000 prescriptions issued in total. The data was collected from insurance claims across the country, excluding some health plans like Kaiser and self-pay. The insurance claims for these treatments, covering roughly 14,000 patients, amounted to $119 million, according to the new report. The database’s analysis by state highlights significant regional variations in transgender medical care. The database also highlights that the cost of medical care for these treatments reached $119 million, with California alone accounting for more than $28 million from 2,000 patients. Irreversible surgeries were more common in certain states. In California, 1,359 minors underwent surgical procedures, followed by 357 in Oregon, 330 in Washington, 316 in Pennsylvania, and 300 in Massachusetts. Do No Harm’s findings suggest that these numbers may be underestimated, and the group aims to provide the public, policymakers, and researchers with clearer insights into gender-affirming care for minors. The chairman of Do No Harm, Stanley Goldfarb, in a press conference about the database, said, “We’ve really been meticulous in trying to make sure that the data are as clear as possible and are as accurate as possible. “If anything, we’re showing the lower limits of what’s going on… to be certain that we’re not overstating it one iota. We’re probably and almost certainly understating the nature of the problem.” Activist Chloe Cole, who detransitioned after receiving gender-affirming treatment as a minor, criticized the medical field, claiming that “thousands of kids are being treated like guinea pigs for unproven medical experiments.” Cole underwent a double mastectomy at 15 years old and put on puberty blockers and testosterone at age 13. “I hope politicians and parents alike use this database to see where these treatments are happening and protect their children from being rushed into irreversible, life-altering treatments,” Cole said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

The Defence Headquarters has said a notorious terrorist kingpin in Jigawa State known as Mai Hijabi has been killed in an operation conducted during the week. This, the DHQ said, was part of its effort to destroy the fighting capacities of terror groups across the Northern parts of the country. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities of the troops during the week. He noted that a total of 165 terrorists were killed and 238 suspects were arrested. Buba said, “Our operations have destroyed a substantial part of the combat capacity of these terror groups and their leadership. For instance, one of the notorious terrorist commanders in Jigawa State known as Mai Hijabi, was eliminated from the battlefield during the week. Troops are, therefore, increasingly making significant strides across all theatres of operations. “ During the week under review, troops neutralised 165, arrested 238 persons, andrescued 188 kidnapped victims. “ Buba added that troops also arrested 35 suspected oil thieves in the SS, and denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N688,125,150.00. “Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 2 dugout pits, 58 boats and 39 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 13 cooking ovens, 35 drums, one motorcycle, one tricycle, 4-speed boats, 13 vehicles, and 65 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 789,200 litres of stolen crude oil and 64,950 litres of illegally refined AGO,“ he added. Buba noted that troops recovered 153 assorted weapons and 2,182 assorted ammunition. The breakdown, according to him, is 81 AK47 rifles, 23 fabricated rifles, 27 Dane guns, 13 pump action guns, five locally made pistols, three revolver pistols, 30 AK47 magazines, and one bayonet. Others he said are, “1,561 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 278 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 70 rounds of 50mm ammo, 72 rounds of 9mm ammo, 87 live cartridges, one baofeng radio, 19 vehicles, 21 motorcycles, 45 mobile phones and the sum of N64,100.00 only amongst other items.”

Despite a Supreme Court ruling in July that granted financial autonomy to all 774 local governments in Nigeria, Charles Soludo, Anambra State governor, has introduced a new bill that would compel local governments in the state to remit a portion of the allocations they receive from the federal government into a state government-controlled consolidated account, FIJ reports. Titled “Anambra Local Government Administration Law 2024”, the bill was submitted to the Anambra State House of Assembly on Tuesday. Prior to the submission of the bill, the Labour Party (LP) caucus in the National Assembly had registered their displeasure over the governor’s plans to ensure that 20% of funds allocated to the local governments would be deducted as proposed by the bill on October 3. Section 13(1) of the bill states that the state shall maintain “a State Joint Local Government Account, into which all federal allocations to local governments in Anambra State must be deposited”. Section 14(3) of the bill stipulates that “each local government in the state must remit a state-determined percentage to the consolidated account within two working days of receiving their allocations from the Federation Account”. Section 14(4) maintains that if the “state receives the local government allocation on their behalf, it must deduct the specified percentage before disbursing the remaining funds to the local governments”. On Wednesday, the Senate faulted moves being made by governors to enact similar laws in their states. At the session, the Senate also urged all three tiers of government to fully comply with the Supreme Court judgment. On its part, however, the Anambra state government, through Law Mefor, its Commissioner for Information, has said the bill was introduced in accordance with Section 7 of the Nigerian Constitution, which empowers the state house of assembly to make laws regulating the local government. Mefor also argued that the section of the constitution empowers the state government to “oversee” the affairs of the local governments both in administration and finance. He said the state government’s aim was to safeguard the finances of the local governments and “direct” council chairpersons to their responsibilities, especially for projects often carried out in collaboration with the state government. On July 11, the Supreme Court held that all 774 local governments across the country should receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF).

A Senior Secondary School student of Akoko Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi, in Akoko North West area of Ondo state, Habib Salau, has been reportedly stabbed to death by a female colleague. Habid, according to sources, was stabbed by a female colleague, identified, as Sandra, following a scuffle. How I spent 24 years in prison for following friend to police station – Lukman Adeyemi0:00 / 0:00 An eyewitness told newsmen in Akure, the state capital, that the duo engaged in a scuffle after school hours. The source added that ” it was during the fight that the suspect stabbed the deceased with a knife. According to him, “the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Specialist Hospital, mortuary, in Ikare. Efforts to speak with the principal of the school to comment on the death of the student proved abortive. But one of the teachers who spoke with newsmen described the incident as tragic. He said that the incident had caused panic in the school. Students of the schools, according to reports, have been gathering in groups to discuss the sad incident. Contacted, the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, who confirmed the ugly incident, and said that the case has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for a thorough investigation. Odunlami said that police investigation would uncover the circumstances surrounding the death of the student.

The details of 31 million users have been exposed after Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine suffered a hack. Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library that offers millions of free books, movies, audio files, and billions of saved web pages in the Wayback Machine that would have been lost or deleted. An illicit pop-up on the Internet Archive on Wednesday announced that the site had suffered a major data breach. “Have you ever felt like the Internet Archive runs on sticks and is constantly on the verge of suffering a catastrophic security breach? It just happened. See 31 million of you on HIBP!” users reported seeing on the landing page after the hack. Advertisement HIBP, an acronym for Have I Been Pwned, is a tool that confirms if email addresses previously suffered a data breach. Troy Hunt, HIPB creator, confirmed that the breach was legitimate. According to Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder, the organisation fended off a DDOS attack. Kahle said the library also disabled the JS library after hackers defaced the website via the portal, scrubbed systems, and upgraded security. “Will share more as we know it,” Kahle tweeted. A pop-up on the Wayback Machine urged users to ask publishers to restore access.