Headlines
US. officials confirm Ukrainian strike sinks Russian Navy ship

The U.S. government believes that a Ukrainian missile strike was responsible for the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea this week, defense officials confirmed Friday. Ukraine’s government previously claimed that two domestically-made Neptune cruise missiles struck the Moskva on Wednesday, resulting in its sinking. Russia’s Ministry of Defense has provided a different story. On Wednesday, the ministry reported that the vessel sustained a fire on board and suffered an ammunition magazine explosion.
On Thursday, the ministry said in an update that the cruiser went down in heavy weather while being towed back to port.
Though Russia has described the Moskva’s destruction as an accident, U.S. officials report that other Russian warships have relocated further away from Ukraine’s coastline since the loss of the cruiser. In addition, Russia claimed Friday that it conducted a strike on a Ukrainian anti-ship missile production factory as part of a major blitz of artillery and missile attacks on Thursday night. The action and response were not explicitly connected in Russian messaging, but the sudden decision to strike a Ukrainian anti-ship missile facility is viewed by Western analysts as an act of retaliation.
The cruiser’s final location may have been pinpointed by open-source intelligence. Longtime naval analyst, H.I. Sutton obtained satellite radar imagery of a vessel of Moskva’s size, attended by several other vessels, at a position east of Snake Island at 1900 hours Wednesday.
The site is about 50 nm east of the Ukrainian-Romanian border and 75 nm south of Odesa, well within the range of Ukraine’s Neptune missile system.
No official accounting of casualties has been released for the 510 members of Moskva’s crew. A memorial service for the ship was held at the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol on Friday, and a ribbon on the memorial wreath read “korablju i morjakam,” or “to the ship and sailors,” noted BBC Russia correspondent Liza Fokht.
The Moskva’s commanding officer, Capt. Anton Kuprin, was not photographed or quoted in coverage of the memorial service. Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs claims that Kuprin was killed in the attack on the cruiser.
Russian public messaging suggests a Ukrainian attack On Russian state media’s premiere TV channel, at least one commentator described the loss of the Moskva as sufficient cause for a declaration of war on Ukraine. The statement deviated from two previous government positions: first, that the loss of the cruiser is not connected to Ukraine; and second, that the invasion cannot be called a war, only a “special military operation.”
“Moskva is absolutely a cause for war, one hundred percent. It’s the flagship [of the Black Sea Fleet]. ” There’s nothing to think about. There has to be a response, but what kind?” said one commentator on Rossiya-1, translated by Daily Beast’s Russian media monitor, Julia Davis.
Kyiv sank ‘Moscow’ and the Russians are furious. In response to the sinking of the warship ‘Moskva,’ state TV pundits and hosts propose bombing Kyiv, destroying Ukraine’s railways and making it impossible for any world leaders to visit in the future. Another Rossiya-1 commentator explicitly attributed the sinking to Ukrainian action, backed by guidance from NATO. “They’ve been hunting the warship Moskva. It was a pre-planned action. “Remember that stamp? What is shown behind the Ukrainian fighter?
” The warship Moskva is shown. They’ve been getting ready to destroy it. They seized the moment when they could do it,” he said. “They managed to do it.”
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Headlines
Traffic gridlock returns to Apapa port as Federal government closes Total bridge for maintainance works

“Given the impact the closure will have on Port users, the Authority in partnership with LASTMA, Police, FRSC, and the Nigerian Navy have worked out alternative routes and are on the ground to manage the traffic situation in the affected areas.
“The Authority wishes to solicit the understanding and cooperation of all stakeholders as we continue to support measures to mitigate the temporary disruptions, the NPA pleaded.
Headlines
NIMASA collaborates with NCC to regulate submarine cable operation for enhanced navigational safety on Nigerian waters

The eyewitness reporter
Apparently alarmed by the indiscriminate laying of communication cables and pipelines underneath the Nigerian waters by telecommunications operators and other allied professionals which has the potential of harming the safe navigation of ships, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA) has engaged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in a strategic discussion to forge a formidable synergy with other relevant stakeholders with a view to developing a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for submarine Cable and Pipeline Operators in Nigeria.
Officials of both organs of Government in Lagos reached this agreement at a pre Audit meeting on submarine cable regulation.
The Director General of NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who chaired the meeting, which also had the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Mr. Dasuki Arabi in attendance, noted that the Agency is committed to the Ease of Doing Business while implementing International Conventions which Nigeria has ratified and domesticated.
He noted that with Nigeria now a destination for global communication players, the time has come to prevent unregulated underwater cable laying, which might become hazardous to shipping.
According to him, “It is worthy to note that marine cable laying has been ongoing for over two decades in Nigerian waters.
“Our focus is to ensure the safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters with all these underwater cables being laid.
“NIMASA is actually developing the guidelines to regulate submarine cable operators in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS; which we have ratified and NIMASA is the Agency of Government in Nigeria responsible for its implementation.
“Collaboration is a key component of ease of doing business in the best interest of the country and we will work closely with the NCC to achieve this”.
On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, who was represented by the Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Efosa Idehen, noted that the stakeholders’ dialogue strategy adopted by NIMASA in developing the guidelines would ensure a win-win situation, urging NIMASA management to include the Ministry of Justice, a request NIMASA DG immediately granted.
Also speaking at the meeting was the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms Mr. Dasuki Arabi, who commended NIMASA and NCC for adopting effective Inter-Agency collaboration to avert a potential challenge for the country in the future.
NIMASA had notified submarine and cable operators in Nigeria of a soon-to-be-implemented regulatory guideline for submarine cables and pipelines in Nigeria, in line with the provisions of UNCLOS.
NIMASA and the NCC agreed to identify and resolve areas of likely regulatory overlaps, ensuring a regulatory framework based on consultation to engender the attainment of Nigeria’s digital economy transformation.
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Environment and representatives of Submarine Cable operators in Nigeria were also at the meeting.
Customs
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“He passed on about an hour ago at a private hospital in Abuja. The Janaza prayers hold after the Zuhr prayers (1 pm) at the National Mosque, Abuja In Shaa Allah,”
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