Good morning! In today’s trending news stories;
1. Almost 3,600 casualties have been reported in Israel and Gaza, just four days after the sudden Hamas attacks ignited devastating conflict in the area. Israel alleges that it has faced shelling from both Lebanon and Syria, prompting retaliatory air strikes. Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, has asserted that these strikes were in retaliation for the deaths of its members at the hands of Israeli defense forces.
2. As the World celebrates The International Day of The Girl Child 2023, with the theme “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being,” UNICEF and its partners call for a $1 billion increase in investments for adolescent girls across countries of the World.
3. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives instructed the Committee on Banking Regulation to probe the utilization of the United States Dollar and other foreign currencies for domestic transactions in Nigeria. The decision was made to address the impact of the weakening Naira against the Dollar and other currencies. According to the House, the Naira has lost a greater percentage of its value against the Dollar, dropping from N778.602/$ as of September 2023 to nearly N1,000/$ in the parallel market.
4. The latest forecasts from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report, released in October 2023 during the ongoing World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakesh, Morocco, indicate that Nigeria’s inflation rate continues to rise, reaching 25.8 percent in August of this year – the highest in a decade. The report also projects Nigeria’s economic growth, which is expected to decline from 3.3 percent this year to 2.9 percent next year before rebounding to 3.1 percent in 2024. It attributed this in part to demonetization, high inflation, shocks to agriculture, and fluctuations in hydrocarbon output. It said these challenges compound the existing external headwinds.
5. In a renewed operation across the state, the Lagos State Government has seized more than 200 vehicles that are unregistered and unpainted. According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, This action was taken as a proactive measure to improve road safety, bolster security, and regulate the transportation sector. He vowed that legal repercussions would be imposed on transport companies found to be operating without required documentation.
6. Twenty Super Eagles players have reached Portugal in preparation for the upcoming back-to-back international friendly matches against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique. The Eagles are scheduled to face Saudi Arabia on Friday, October 13, and will play Mozambique on Monday, October 16. The matches are integral to the Eagles’ preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, which will take place next month. Meanwhile, Mikel John Obi, the former captain of the Super Eagles, has landed in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in anticipation of the official draw ceremony for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place on Thursday.
7. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made a ‘final’ decision regarding the future of 23-year-old Man U forward, Jadon Sancho at the club. His decision is to ‘sell’ Sancho in January. Following their 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest in August, Sancho has not been part of the team. This follows a dispute over comments Ten Hag made about his poor training performances, leading to Sancho being banned from all first-team facilities at the club’s Carrington training base.
