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News_Naija

Oyo Warns Students, Teachers Against Exam Malpractice

The Chairman, Oyo State Teaching Service Commission, Mrs Oladipo Olubukola, has urged students to shun examination malpractice as the National Examination Council examinations continue across the state. Olubukola gave the charge during a monitoring exercise at some secondary schools in different zones of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. She advised both students and teachers against cutting corners during examinations, stressing the need for honesty and hard work. She further encouraged students to focus on their academics to boost their chances of gaining admission into their preferred universities. Olubukola also reiterated the commission’s commitment to upholding high academic standards through collaboration with relevant authorities. She warned that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against anyone found guilty of examination malpractice. She said, “The Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration has zero tolerance for examination malpractice.” According to her, the monitoring exercise was aimed at assessing the conduct of the ongoing NECO examinations in public schools across the state. In his remarks, the Principal of Ibadan Grammar School, Mr Ogunleye Biodun, commended Governor Makinde for prioritising education development in the state. Some of the examination centres visited include Ibadan Grammar School, St. Anne’s School, Olubi Memorial Grammar School, and Saint Luke’s College, all in Ibadan.

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Worldnews

Three Killed In Suspected Attack By Yemens Houthis On Red Sea Vessel

The Yemeni group, which has not claimed responsibility for the attack, says Israel-linked ships are ‘legitimate target’. A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi group on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea has killed three sailors and wounded two others, a European Union naval force says. The attack on the Greek-owned Eternity C late on Monday follows the Houthis claiming they attacked another vessel on Sunday in the Red Sea, a vital maritime trade route. While the Houthis have not yet claimed the attack, the US Embassy in Yemen and the EU force blamed them for it. “The Houthis are once again showing blatant disregard for human life, undermining freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” the embassy, which has operated out of Saudi Arabia for nearly a decade due to Yemen’s wider war, said on Tuesday. “The intentional murder of innocent mariners shows us all the Houthis’ true colors and will only further the Houthis’ isolation.” The Houthis say that are targeting Israel-linked ships as part of a campaign to pressure the Israeli military to end its assault on Gaza, which rights groups have described as a genocide. After Sunday’s attack on a vessel called Magic Seas, the Houthis said ships owned by companies with ties to Israel are a “legitimate target”. “Our operations will continue to target the depth of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine, as well as to prevent Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas and to disrupt the Umm al-Rashrash [Eilat] port, until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted,” the group said in a statement. The twin assaults mark a revival of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and potentially signal the start of a new armed campaign threatening the waterway, which had begun to see more traffic in recent weeks. The EU, Israel’s largest trade partner, had condemned Sunday’s attack. “It is the first such attack against a commercial vessel in 2025, a serious escalation endangering maritime security in a vital waterway for the region and the world,” the bloc said in a statement. “These attacks directly threaten regional peace and stability, global commerce and freedom of navigation as a global public good. They can negatively impact the already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen. These attacks must stop.” The two Houthi attacks and a round of Israeli air strikes early on Monday targeting three Yemeni ports raised fears of a renewed campaign against shipping that could again draw in US and Western forces. The administration of US President Donald Trump launched an intense bombing campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Washington and the Houthis reached a ceasefire in May, with the Yemeni group agreeing to halt attacks against US ships. The escalation comes as a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear programme following its war with Israel in June. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. Their campaign has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Salman Khan Prepares To Play His Daringest Role To Date: The Untold Galwan Story

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has made a living playing larger-than-life roles, blood-pumping action, and mass appeal. But this time around, the actor ventures into new territory, one of real-life heroism and nationalistic pride. In what promises to be one of the most eagerly awaited movies in 2025, Salman Khan will star in a military drama inspired by the best-seller India’s Most Fearless, which chronicles the remarkable bravery of Indian soldiers facing danger. The movie, informally called the “Galwan Project,” is a departure from Salman’s usual commercial outings and will try to present a side of the actor hitherto unseen by his fans: disciplined, controlled, and realism-oriented. Sources from the production have made it known that Salman is now going through a dramatic body change to prepare for playing an Indian Army officer. Famous for his bulky physique and signature swagger, the star is now working towards getting into shape with a lean and athletic build to lend credibility to the character. This physical metamorphosis is not superficial; it is also a show of the discipline, stamina, and willpower of the soldiers that he will be playing on screen. Salman reportedly is on a rigid training regime, complete with long hours in the gym, a tightly managed diet, and movement drills that impersonate military-style discipline. Uncharacteristic of his usual prep work for a film role, this role requires both emotional intensity and physical control. It’s not about the brawn; it’s about the attitude. The movie is inspired by India’s Most Fearless, a book by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh that collates true stories of Indian troops in contemporary military history. Of the numerous gallant chapters in the book, the Galwan Valley encounter of 2020 is remarkable for its unadulterated bravery and historical importance. The movie is likely to revolve around this incident, presenting a dramatized but dignified tribute to the troops who held their ground against insurmountable odds. Where Bollywood has experimented with patriotic and war themes in the past, this movie is likely to touch a different chord—one that’s highly emotive, intensely patriotic, and rooted in actual sacrifice, not imagined heroism. According to an exclusive Pinkvilla report, the team behind the project has meticulously planned the shooting schedule. Salman Khan will undergo a look test in early July to finalize his on-screen persona. The film is set to begin principal photography by the end of July, kicking off with an intense 25-day schedule in the rugged terrains of Ladakh. The Ladakh shoot will concentrate on action sequences of high stakes, most of which will be shot at real locations where Indian troops have already been deployed. The idea is to capture the raw beauty and harsh strategic location of the area with maximum realism. After the outdoor schedule, the production will shift to Mumbai, where indoor sequences and set extensions will be filmed at a city-based studio. With Salman reportedly allotting bulk dates to the film, the makers are working on a tight schedule with the goal of wrapping up production by November 2025. For an actor who has played everything from a fearless cop in Dabangg to a spy in Tiger Zinda Hai, taking on the role of a real-life army officer might be Salman Khan’s most grounded and powerful performance yet. Industry observers feel that this film may represent a turning point in Salman’s career, a transition from the superstar image to a mature, character-driven actor. Since the Galwan Valley incident has such a sensitive nature and such deep national feeling, the producers are stated to be collaborating with military advisors at very close levels to provide correctness and dignity to the narrative. The intention is not only to entertain but also to inform, respect, and make eternal the valiance of the Indian Army. This film’s announcement comes when Indian audiences are going more and more towards content based on reality, patriotism, and untold tales of bravery. Already with Uri: The Surgical Strike and Shershaah, it has been shown that war dramas, if treated sensibly and realistically, can find a huge connection with the audience. With Salman Khan at the helm, the Galwan movie will be more likely to merge box office success with profound emotional connection. It promises action, yes, but also reflection, honor, and a salute to those who serve the nation in silence. As filming gears up to begin and the first look test awaits, anticipation around Salman Khan’s Galwan project continues to build. It’s more than a movie; it could be a cinematic tribute to actual heroes narrated by one of Bollywood’s largest stars but grounded in the courage of men who don’t ask for an audience. Come November 2025, this is not only a release of a movie; it may be a moment of national reckoning.

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Worldnews

Trump Set To Announce 50 Percent Tariff On Copper

The US imports roughly half of its copper needs each year, which is used in construction, transportation and electronics. United States President Donald Trump has said he will announce a 50 percent tariff on copper, hoping to boost domestic production of a metal critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, the power grid and many consumer goods. Trump told reporters at a White House cabinet meeting that he planned to make the copper tariff announcement later in the day, but did not say when the tariff would take effect. “I believe the tariff on copper, we’re going to make 50 percent,” Trump said. US Comex copper futures jumped more than 12 percent to a record high after Trump announced the planned tariff, which came earlier than the industry had expected, with the rate steeper. After Trump spoke, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in an interview on CNBC that the tariff would likely be put in place by the end of July or August 1. He said Trump would post details on his Truth Social media account sometime on Tuesday. In February, the administration announced a so-called Section 232 investigation into US imports of the red metal. Such an investigation allows the US Department of Commerce to analyse the impact of an import on national security. The deadline for the investigation to conclude was November, but Lutnick said the review was already complete. “The idea is to bring copper home, bring copper production home, bring the ability to make copper, which is key to the industrial sector, back home to America,” Lutnick said. The National Mining Association declined to comment, saying it preferred to wait until details were released. The American Critical Minerals Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Copper is used in construction, transportation, electronics and many other industries. The US imports roughly half of its copper needs each year. Major copper mining projects across the US have faced strong opposition in recent years due to a variety of reasons, including Rio Tinto and BHP’s Resolution Copper project in Arizona and Northern Dynasty Minerals’s Pebble Mine project in Alaska. Shares of the world’s largest copper producer, Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan, shot up nearly 5 percent in Tuesday afternoon trading. The company, which produced 1.26 billion pounds of copper in the US last year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Freeport, which would benefit from US copper tariffs but worries that the duties would hurt the global economy, has advised Trump to focus on boosting US copper production. Countries set to be most affected by any new US copper tariff would be Chile, Canada and Mexico, which were the top suppliers to the US of refined copper, copper alloys and copper products in 2024, according to US Census Bureau data. Chile, Canada and Peru, three of the largest copper suppliers to the US, have told the Trump administration that imports from their countries do not threaten US interests and should not face tariffs. All three have free trade deals with the US. Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy, Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Canada’s Department of Finance did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Chile’s Mining Ministry and Codelco, the country’s leading copper miner, declined to comment. A 50 percent tariff on copper imports would affect US companies that use the metal because the country is years away from meeting its needs, said Ole Hansen, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. “The US has imported a whole year of demand over the past six months, so the local storage levels are ample,” Hansen said. “I see a correction in copper prices following the initial jump.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...