Flowerbud News

Month: October 2023

  • Buhari congratulates D’Tigers qualifying for Olympics 2020

    President Muhammadu Buhari has joined Nigerians and Basketball fans all over the world in celebrating D’Tigers for a successful outing at  FIBA World Cup 2019, defeating China, 86-73, and securing a place for Olympics 2020.

    The president’s congratulatory message is communicated through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Monday.

    President Buhari congratulated the team for the energetic, resilient and skillful outing that saw them out-playing and out-pacing opponents during the tournament, assuring the team that the nation remains proud of them.

    He also commended officials and technical hands for the commitment and investments in ensuring that the D’Tigers emerged victorious with all the odds of playing against China before home fans in Guangzhou.

    As the team prepares for the Tokyo Olympics, President Buhari noted that with more dedication, training and focus, D’Tigers will surprise the world.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that  the Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team D’Tigers secured the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after beating China 86-73 at the FIBA World Cup game played at the Gyangzhou Gymnasium, China.

    The Nigerians pipped African champions, Tunisia to the ticket who had a crucial win on Saturday.

    Both teams finished with three wins from five games but D’Tigers got the ticket with better goal difference.

    The Nigerian team failed to get the Olympics ticket from their group after it finished with two losses and a win but eventually booked a place after emerging as the highest-ranked African team at the tournament.

    NAN

  • FCT High Court resumes after annual vacation

    The FCT High Court on Monday resumed regular Court activities marking the end of the annual vacation.

    The vacation which began on July 8 and ended on Friday, Sept. 6, was announced via a circular and signed by the Chief Judge of FCT High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bello  appointed vacation judges to hear urgent cases during the period.

    The vacation judges , Justice Peter Affen in Nyana while Justice M.B. Idris. sat in Jabi  during the vacation.

    Lawyers and litigants were seen at the premises of the various divisions of the FCT High Courts.(NAN)

  • Hong Kong government warns against foreign interference in crisis

    Hong Kong’s Government on Monday warned foreign governments not to interfere in the city’s “internal affairs,” following weekend protests that called for U.S. support in the three-month-old crisis.

    In a statement, the government also condemned “the illegal behaviour of the radical protesters’’ after violent clashes overnight between some protesters and police.

    The continued protests in the Asian financial hub came despite the city’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, last week formally withdrawing the controversial extradition bill that had triggered the crisis.

    The bill would have allowed the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China.

    Since protests began on June 9, they have escalated into mass anti-government demonstrations with demands including calls for electoral reform.

    Protesters have said they will continue to demonstrate until their demands are met.

    On Sunday, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents marched to the U.S. consulate to deliver a petition asking the U.S. Congress to sign a bill containing punitive measures for officials found to have suppressed “basic freedoms”.

    Later in the day, police fired tear gas and non-lethal bullets at anti-government protesters as demonstrations escalated across the city.

  • Euro 2020 Qualifiers: Spain beat Faroe Islands 4-0 for sixth straight win

    Spain homed in on Euro 2020 by easing past the Faroe Islands 4-0 on Sunday for a sixth straight qualifying win.

    The match featured two goals each from Rodrigo and Paco Alcacer and moved Spain further clear at the top of Group F.

    Sergio Ramos equalled Iker Casillas’ record of 167 appearances for Spain on an emotional night at Sporting Gijon’s El Molinon stadium, which paid tribute to the late Spain and Sporting forward Quini before kick off.

    A minute’s silence was also held in memory of former Spain coach Luis Enrique’s daughter Xana, who passed away last month.

    There followed a straightforward win that took Spain on to a maximum 18 points after six games and leaves them seven ahead of second-placed Sweden, who drew 1-1 at home to Norway.

    Romania beat Malta 1-0 with a goal from George Puscas to leapfrog Norway into third place on 10 points.

    Valencia striker Rodrigo tapped into an empty net to put Spain in front in the 13th minute despite being in an offside position when he received a pass from Mikel Oyarzabal.

    But with video technology not in use in the qualifying phases, the goal stood.

    Rodrigo doubled Spain’s lead in the 50th minute on coach Robert Moreno’s home debut by cutting in from the right wing and firing a left-footed shot towards goal which took a heavy deflection off a visiting defender on its way into the net.

    Alcacer then entrenched his reputation as a highly productive substitute by further stretching Spain’s advantage with simple strikes in the 89th minute and deep in stoppage-time.

    Midfielder Thiago Alcantara said the team had not played as well as they would have liked due to the visitors’ negative tactics.

    “It was very tough at first, you expect a team like them to close you down and sit back and that’s what happened and we struggled to break them down,” he said.

    “They had three players marking one of ours although once we got the first goal it was slightly easier. We still weren’t completely comfortable but we’re happy with the result.”

    With the top two sides in each group guaranteed a place at Euro 2020, Spain need only to win two of their remaining four games to qualify for the tournament, but Thiago said his side were determined to win every match.

    “We are focused on getting all the points, it doesn’t matter to us when we qualify, we want every point, from the first to the last,” he added.

  • FIBA World Cup: Spain brush aside Serbia, Argentina thump Poland

    Spain secured their fifth successive win of the World Cup with an impressive 81-69 defeat of Serbia and Argentina matched them with a 91-65 rout of Poland on Sunday.

    All four sides had booked their quarter-final spots with a match to spare and the results mean that Spain will face Poland and Serbia lock horns with Argentina for places in the semi-finals.

    France play Australia today for top spot in their pool with both teams already through to the last eight.

    Also today, holders the United States meet Brazil and the Czech Republic play Greece with all four sides in that group still in contention to reach the knockout rounds.

    Serbia, who won their opening four games by an average margin of 41 points, looked set to continue the streak after racing into a 20-11 lead late in the first quarter.

    An energetic Spanish roster then ground Serbia’s offence to a halt and hit a barrage of three-pointers at the other end to carve out a 42-37 advantage at halftime.

    Serbia’s Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic was ejected early in the second half for a double technical foul after loud dissent and Spain capitalised on his absence as their lead soared to 63-42.

    A late Serbian fightback fell short as a smaller but more agile Spanish team kept collecting offensive rebounds and restricted their rivals to three successful shots from three-point range from 19 attempts.

    “The Spaniards rocked us with their tough defence and ripped our game plan to shreds,” Serbia captain Miroslav Raduljica told the Balkan nation’s RTS television.

    “Their scouts did a great job and we couldn’t find a way to turn things around.”

    Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica added: “It was an exceptionally poor performance and we need to regroup quickly.”

    Livewire playmaker Ricky Rubio led Spain with 19 points, forward Victor Claver added 14 and centre Marc Gasol chipped in with 11, cancelling out a valiant solo effort by Serbia guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who had 26 points and 10 rebounds.

    The Argentines ripped into Poland with a flurry of fast breaks and clinical long-range shooting as forward Marcos Delia nailed 10 of his 12 points in the first quarter.

    Their 39-year old forward Luis Scola again rolled back the years as he finished with a game-high 21 points, while Delia scored 12 and Nicolas Brussino added 10.

  • Oil rises as Saudi signals OPEC cuts to continue under new minister

    Oil rose on Monday on expectations that Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, will continue to support output cuts by OPEC and other producers to prop up prices under new Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.

    Prices climbed for a fourth day and were also supported by comments from the United Arab Emirates’ energy minister that OPEC and its allies are committed to balancing the crude market.

    Global benchmark Brent LCOc1 was up 61 cents, or 1 per cent, at 62.15 dollars a barrel by 0649 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate CLc1 was up 65 cents, or 1.2 per cent, at 57.17 dollars a barrel.

    Salman, a long-time member of the Saudi delegation to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was named minister on Sunday, replacing Khalid al-Falih.

    He is the son of Saudi King Salman.

    It is the first time the energy portfolio has been handed to a member of the royal family.

    He helped to negotiate the current global agreement on supply cuts between OPEC and non-OPEC countries including Russia, a group known as OPEC+.

    A Saudi official said on Sunday there would be no shift in Saudi and OPEC policy.

    “The change at the top doesn’t necessarily mean a shift in policy as much as it’s being viewed as a move to improve relations within OPEC and with non-OPEC producers in the wake of the latest Russian compliance fissures,” said Stephen Innes, Asia Pacific market strategist at Axi Trader.

    Russia’s oil output in August exceeded its quota under the OPEC+ agreements.

    UAE Energy and Industry Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Sunday that members of OPEC and non-OPEC producers were “committed” to achieving oil market balance.

    Trade and geopolitical tensions are affecting the market more than demand and supply, Mazrouei said, but he was quick to rule out hasty steps influenced by the trade war between the United States and China.

    “The fear of slower (oil) demand is only going to happen if that tension is escalating and I am personally hopeful that is not the case,” Mazrouei told Reuters on Sunday.

    Prices on Monday were also supported by a rise in oil imports in China in August,with  shipments to the world’s biggest importer up three per cent from July and nearly 10 per cent higher in the first eight months of 2019 from a year earlier.

    In the United States, drilling companies cut the number of operating oil rigs for a third week in a row last week.

  • BBNaija (S4): Omashola wins Veto power

    Omashola Oburoh has won this week’s veto power of chance in the ongoing BBNaija season four.

    With this card, he gets to save and replace himself if he is put up for eviction.

    Omashola can also decide to another housemate with the privilege and put himself up for eviction.  He clinched the card on Sunday night, shortly after Venita’s eviction.

    The challenge, which was the fastest so far in the game, saw Omashola win 100 Bet9ja coins and the save and replace privilege that comes with the position.

    The challenge was a simple one of unlocking a padlock from one steel wire mesh and placing the unlocked padlock on a stool next to the table of keys.

    There were 33 padlocks locked on the steel wire mesh with their keys placed randomly on the table.

    All the Housemates were asked to do was pick one and open a padlock. The Game did not go long as expected as Omashola unlocked a padlock in record time.

    Although Omashola was the first to unlock his padlock, he was closely followed by Mercy and Ike.

    The Icy pair have been doing quite well in house games recently. They both competed fiercely to jointly win the current Head of House title.

    Following his win, an excited Omashola, who escaped eviction on Sunday, shouted, “I get another week in the House.”

  • Mugabe to be buried on Sunday

    A government statement, on Monday announced that the late former president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe will be buried on Sept. 15.

    Mugabe, 95, died on Sept. 6 in Singapore where he had been receiving medical treatment since April.

    He ruled Zimbabwe for nearly four decades until November 2017 when he resigned.

    According to the memo to diplomats accredited to Harare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a funeral service for Mugabe will be held on Saturday in the National Sports Stadium, before his burial on Sunday.

    The ministry did not indicate where Mugabe, who has since been declared a national hero, will be buried.

    According to the country’s tradition, national heroes and heroines are buried at the National Heroes Acre, a hill top in the capital Harare although families may opt for another burial place.

    In the memo, the ministry said Heads of State and Government wishing to attend the state funeral service on Saturday should arrive in Harare on Friday.

    “Heads of State/Government are expected to depart immediately after the ceremony taking into consideration that Government authorities will be fully occupied with preparations for the burial service/ceremony reserved for Sept. 15.

    “The full programme for the funeral service will be made available in due course.’’

    The government has said it will send a high-powered delegation led by Vice President Kembo Mohadi to Singapore on Monday to help with the repatriation of Mugabe’s body.

    His body is expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday.

  • FIBA World Cup: Spain Brush Aside Serbia, Argentina Thump Poland

    (FLOWERBUD NEWS) Spain secured their fifth successive win of the World Cup with an impressive 81-69 defeat of Serbia and Argentina matched them with a 91-65 rout of Poland on Sunday.

    All four sides had booked their quarter-final spots with a match to spare and the results mean that Spain will face Poland and Serbia lock horns with Argentina for places in the semi-finals.

    France play Australia today for top spot in their pool with both teams already through to the last eight.

    Also today, holders the United States meet Brazil and the Czech Republic play Greece with all four sides in that group still in contention to reach the knockout rounds.

    Serbia, who won their opening four games by an average margin of 41 points, looked set to continue the streak after racing into a 20-11 lead late in the first quarter.

    An energetic Spanish roster then ground Serbia’s offence to a halt and hit a barrage of three-pointers at the other end to carve out a 42-37 advantage at halftime.

    Serbia’s Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic was ejected early in the second half for a double technical foul after loud dissent and Spain capitalised on his absence as their lead soared to 63-42.

    A late Serbian fightback fell short as a smaller but more agile Spanish team kept collecting offensive rebounds and restricted their rivals to three successful shots from three-point range from 19 attempts.

    “The Spaniards rocked us with their tough defence and ripped our game plan to shreds,” Serbia captain Miroslav Raduljica told the Balkan nation’s RTS television.

    “Their scouts did a great job and we couldn’t find a way to turn things around.”

    Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica added: “It was an exceptionally poor performance and we need to regroup quickly.”

    Livewire playmaker Ricky Rubio led Spain with 19 points, forward Victor Claver added 14 and centre Marc Gasol chipped in with 11, cancelling out a valiant solo effort by Serbia guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who had 26 points and 10 rebounds.

    The Argentines ripped into Poland with a flurry of fast breaks and clinical long-range shooting as forward Marcos Delia nailed 10 of his 12 points in the first quarter.

    Their 39-year old forward Luis Scola again rolled back the years as he finished with a game-high 21 points, while Delia scored 12 and Nicolas Brussino added 10. (Reuters/NAN)