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Eighteen-year-old Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout delivered a stunning performance on Sunday, winning the national 200m title in a time faster than what Usain Bolt achieved at the same age.

The teenager clocked an impressive 19.67 seconds in Sydney, setting a new world under-20 record and marking the fastest time globally this year. It was also the first time Gout had legally broken the 20-second barrier, following a wind-assisted 19.84 run last season.

His latest feat surpasses Bolt’s 19.93 recorded in 2004, when the Jamaican legend was 17 and set what was then a world junior record. Bolt never improved on that mark as a teenager before going on to dominate the sport and set multiple senior world records.

Before this, Gout already held the fastest-ever time by a 16-year-old after running 20.06 in 2024, a performance that announced his arrival on the global stage.

American sprinter Erriyon Knighton still holds the fastest ever under-20 time of 19.49 seconds, set in 2022, although it was not ratified as an official world U20 record. Knighton’s recognised record of 19.69, also set in June 2022, stood until Gout’s breakthrough run.

Fellow Australian Aidan Murphy also impressed, finishing second in 19.88 to make it two Australians running sub-20 seconds in the same race.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Gout said after the race.

“We have such incredible athletes in Australia and me being able to race these athletes, we push each other to the limits. Two Australians sub-20. I mean, this is amazing.

“There’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally, and I have the speed and my body to run times like that. So, it definitely feels great, and ready for more.”

Despite his rising profile, Gout has indicated he will skip the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which begins on July 23, to focus instead on the World Under-20 Championships in Oregon in early August.

The post 18-yr-old Gout Gout breaks Usain Bolt’s 200m record appeared first on Vanguard News.

The Federal Government has opened applications for the second cohort of its flagship Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programme, as part of ongoing efforts to equip Nigerian youth with practical skills for job creation, entrepreneurship, and national development. The announcement was made in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by the Director […]

The Taraba State Government on Monday said it has concluded all arrangements to host international leaders at its annual traditional Nwonyo Fishing Festival. Barr. Danjuma Adamu, Chairman of the Publicity Sub-Committee, disclosed that the event, which is scheduled to start on Friday, April 17, 2026, will have the presence of the Prime Minister of Grenada, […]

By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi

The former attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Chika Malami, has said that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is a formidable coalition formed to rescue Nigeria and unseat the ruling All progressive congresses at all levels of governance in Nigeria.

The erstwhile minister, in a statement signed by his media aide Bello Doka in an emotion-laden appreciation message to his Kebbi supporters, stated that he remains resolute, unshaken and dogged in his quest to reposition Kebbi State through the ballot box, having witnessed unprecedented support when he returned home after almost ceaseless political persecution from the APC central government.

He reaffirms his absolute loyalty to his party supporters and the leadership of the African Democratic Congress in Kebbi State, on whose back he will ride to the Kebbi State seat of government.

“My homecoming is not ordinary but a clear message of an uncompromising quest for truth and rescue. In ADC we have a formidable coalition capable of rescuing Nigeria and our state; I will remain undeterred and strong in the face of political persecution.”

He added that the quest for fair and just governance is a fearless one as it seeks to change the narratives that Nigeria is beyond repairs.

“We believe in our country; we have confidence in our massive support. Therefore, together we can rescue our people with no retreat, no surrender: ‘Babu Kudu Babu Ja Baya’.”

Malami thanks groups and top political echelons for their massive support and encouragement during his homecoming.

The post ADC a formidable platform to rescue Nigeria, unseat APC – Malami appeared first on Vanguard News.

Former Governor of Benue State and ex-Senator representing the Benue North-East Senatorial District, Gabriel Suswam, has declared his intention to return to the upper legislative chamber via the 2027 general elections.

The two-term former governor made the declaration during a public event over the weekend.

Suswam, who recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said the state, since he “started politics in 1998, is a place where the people believe in one party.”

According to him, Benue State was “completely a PDP state for its first 16 years. And then subsequently after that, they moved to the APC.”

“As a Benue son, I won’t be an exception to what my people want and what my people believe. They now believe in the principles and philosophy of the APC.”

Suswam added that “as a politician, if you are still strong enough to contest an election, you always want to contest elections.

“The only election that I can contest now is the Senate. Of course, I can’t go back to run for governor even if I want to; the constitution forbids me from running for governor again. So, of course, I’ll be running for Senate.”

Benue North-East: I will be running for Senate in 2027 – Suswam

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 and now risks hanging more in the the wake of the war against the US and Israel, two NGOs said Monday, urging the West to put capital punishment “at the heart” of any negotiations with Tehran.

The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in 2024, and also included 48 women, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report.

If the Islamic republic “survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression”, the report said.

IHR — which requires two sources to confirm an execution, the majority of which are not reported in Iranian official media — said the figure represented an “absolute minimum” for the number of hangings in 2025.

The report said the number of executions was by far the highest since IHR began tracking it in 2008, and was the most reported since 1989, in the earlier years of the Islamic revolution.

Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of ECPM, said the question of abolition of the death penalty needed to be “at the heart” of any talks between Iran and the West on ending the conflict that is currently on hold with a ceasefire.

“Be strong, put the death penalty in all the deals,” he told reporters at a news conference in Paris, adding that the “reality is the same” even after more than five weeks of war that saw the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam lamented that after US-Iran talks in Islamabad at the weekend that failed to agree a breakthrough there was “no mention of the Iranian people’s rights in any of those negotiations”.

A moratorium on use of the death penalty and the release of all political prisoners must be “demand number one” in talks, he said.

– World’s top executioner? –

The report also warned that “hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of death sentences and execution” after being charged with capital crimes over January 2026 protests against the authorities — quashed by a crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested.

Even during the war, Iran hanged seven people in connection with the January protests, another six men convicted of membership in the banned opposition group People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), and one dual Iranian-Swedish citizen charged with spying for Israel.

Amiry-Moghaddam said that death sentences have been issued against at least 26 other people arrested over the January protests, “but several hundred more” are facing charges that could see them executed.

“The message they send by executing people every day is to say ‘we have the power to kill’,” he added.

In 2025, at least 48 women were executed, the highest number recorded in more than 20 years and a 55 percent increase from 2024 when 31 women were hanged, according to the NGOs.

Of these, 21 were executed for murdering their husbands or fiances, the report said.

Almost all hangings were carried out inside prisons, but public hangings more than tripled to 11 in 2025, the report said.

Almost half of those executed were convicted of drugs-related offences, the report said.

Rights groups including Amnesty International say Iran carries out the most executions of any nation worldwide per capita, and the most of any country other than China, for which no reliable data is available.

Amiry-Moghaddam said there were more than 500 other possible cases of executions in 2025 that were not included in the report as they could not be conclusively sourced. Compiling the figures has also been complicated by the internet blackout imposed by the authorities during the January protests and the war, he added.

Chenuil-Hazan added that this could mean Iran has “perhaps” now even overtaken China as the world’s top executioner.

The post Iran executed at least 1,639 in 2025, more hangings feared – NGOs appeared first on Vanguard News.

Political groups within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kwara South Senatorial District of Kwara State have endorsed the governorship aspiration of a former chairman of the party, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, ahead of the 2027 general elections. At separate events organised by the groups in Offa, Offa Local Government Area, and Iloffa in […]

Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) say power supply has improved in their areas.

The residents spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Some other residents of the territory, however, said that they had yet to see any improvement.

They spoke against the backdrop of the assurance given by the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, on March 24, that power supply would improve within two weeks.

Adelabu had also apologised to Nigerians for the country’s current power situation.

“We have set up a committee, and there is positive feedback from gas suppliers on the timeline for repairing the gas pipelines. I can say that within two weeks, we should start seeing improvements in power,” he said.

The residents, especially in satellite towns of Bwari, Lugbe and parts of Kubwa, said that during the Easter period, electricity improved in their areas.

However, others complained of persistent power outages and a weak supply, with some reporting less than a few hours of electricity daily.

Mr Stephen Omede, a businessman resident in Kubwa, said that power supply improved in his area during the Easter break.

He said that this may be due to the N3.3tn approval to clear legacy debt in the sector.

Mrs Ndidi Obi, a fashion designer in Kubwa, also said that there had been an improvement in electricity supply in recent times.

“I was surprised when I slept with the light for the first time in six months during this festive period,” she said.

Mr Samuel Agim, a welder, lives in Lugbe and said that there was a slight improvement in electricity in his area.

According to him, in the past few days, electricity improved from about four hours to eight hours daily.

Mrs Akugbe Odigie, a businesswoman resident in Kuje, said that the erratic power supply had resulted in increased operational costs, with many businesses relying on expensive fuel for generators.

Odigie said that fuel now costs between N1,300 and N1,400 per litre, which makes the businesses less profitable.

According to her, the situation is crippling small and medium-scale enterprises.

She appealed to the Federal Government to urgently look into the matter.

Mr Benson Edet, a Fashion designer based in Bwari, said that he was happy when the minister announced that electricity would improve in two weeks.

Edet said that the government should do everything possible to improve the power supply to allow citizens to live well.

Mr Thompson Gbeja, a barber in Lugbe, said that there was a need for improved infrastructure to ensure a steady power supply.

Gbeja said that the power situation was so bad that for days, he would not be able to do his job.

“I am appealing to the government to do everything possible to improve electricity, as most businesses and households are affected by the situation,” he said.
Mrs Happiness Onoja, who operates a restaurant in Kubwa, said that the situation had prompted her to close her business as the cost of running a generator was a burden to her.

Onoja said, “I was happy when the minister made the promise to improve the electricity supply in two weeks.

“But up till now, nothing has been done. My appeal is that the government should do everything possible to ensure steady electricity,” she said.

Mixed Reactions Trail Power Supply Gains In Abuja is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The management of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, has clarified the recent retirement of four of its directors, stating that the action complied with a Federal Government directive and in line with the Public Service Rules. Reacting to the ongoing industrial action and planned picketing by the Academic Staff Union of Research […]

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja), now known as Yakubu Gowon University, is set to graduate a total of 12,624 students, including 77 First Class graduates, at its 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, disclosed this on Monday during a pre-convocation news conference held at the institution’s main campus in Abuja. […]