Twin earthquakes in Greece last week have left around 900 houses uninhabitable, media reported Sunday, while strong aftershocks continue to strike fear into people made homeless and looking for shelter.

Wednesday and Thursday’s quakes, rated at magnitude 6.3 and 5.9, damaged hundreds of buildings in the villages of Larissa, Elassona, Tyrnavos and Farkadona and injured 11 people.

After inspecting around 1,800 structures, engineers said 898 homes would have to be demolished along with some hospitals, schools and churches, Athens News Agency reported.

The mainly agricultural area has many stone buildings that are over 70 years old.

Authorities are rushing in caravans and tents to shelter those left homeless from low temperatures and rainy weather.

Thessaly regional governor Kostas Agorastos said Sunday that temporary housing units and caravans would be hooked up to electricity and water supplies in Damassi and Messohori villages, with at least 100 caravans expected in the coming week.

On Saturday, deputy Interior Minister Stelios Petsas said that each earthquake-hit municipality would receive 300,000 euros ($360,000) on Monday to fund emergency spending.

Meanwhile, seismologists have warned people not to return to damaged homes, forecasting many months of aftershocks.

“It’s a given that post-earthquake activity will be long, at least for 4-5 months, so the best solution is to move earthquake-stricken families to containers,” the director of the Greek Geodynamic Institute, Akis Tselentis, told Kathimerini newspaper.

A magnitude 4.2 aftershock hit late Saturday near the town of Elassona in Thessaly.

Greece is located on a number of fault lines, and is sporadically hit by earthquakes. But they mostly occur at sea and do not cause casualties.

In October, a 7.0 magnitude quake struck in the Aegean Sea between the Greek island of Samos and the city of Izmir in western Turkey. Two teenagers died on the island of Samos in a building collapse.

AFP

02:34

  

The Nigerian army freed 14 crew members of a Chinese fishing boat from their pirate kidnappers on Saturday after a month in captivity, following a ransom payment, the military said.

The crew of six Chinese, three Indonesians, a Gabon national and four Nigerians were kidnapped in early February when the tuna fishing bat was attacked.

“A ransom of $300,000 was paid before we arrived to rescue them,” and bring them safely to Nigeria, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Yahaya told AFP.

Kidnap attacks on ships for ransom have become common occurences in the Gulf of Guinea which runs from Senegal to Angola, taking in the southwest coast of Nigeria.

The perpetrators are usually Nigerian pirates.

The Gulf of Guinea accounted for more 95 percent of all maritime kidnappings last year 130 out of 135 cases, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors security at sea.

The Chinese fishing boast, registered in Gabon, was seized by such pirates using high-speed boats off the Gabonese port of Port-Gentil on February 7.

The boat with the crew still on board was spotted some 110 kilometres from the Nigerian island of Bonny a few days after the attack.

Maritime security consultants Dryad Global said the hijacked Chinese boat was used as a “mothership” for attacks on oil tankers.

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has its roots in Nigeria’s Niger Delta where oil wealth has failed to reach local populations and deep poverty has stoked militancy and armed unrest.

Gangs speed out from swamps to raid passing vessels, snatch crews and spirit them back to Nigeria’s shores. Theguardianng

02:02

  

The Nigerian army freed 14 crew from a Chinese fishing boat from their pirate kidnappers on Saturday, after a month in captivity.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Yahaya told AFP news agency a ransom of $300,000 was paid before the crew were freed.

The Chinese fishing boat, registered in Gabon, was seized using high-speed boats off the Gabonese port of Port-Gentil on February 7 and the crew – six Chinese nationals, three Indonesians, a Gabon national and four Nigerians – kidnapped.

The boat, with the crew still on board, was spotted some 110km (68 miles) from the Nigerian island of Bonny a few days after the attack.

Maritime security consultants Dryad Global said the hijacked Chinese boat was used as a “mothership” for attacks on oil tankers.

Attacking ships to kidnap their crew for ransom has become common in the Gulf of Guinea, which runs from Senegal to Angola, taking in the southwest coast of Nigeria.

The perpetrators are usually Nigerian pirates.

The Gulf of Guinea accounted for more than 95 percent of all maritime kidnappings last year – 130 out of 135 cases – according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors security at sea.

The region witnessed a 40-percent increase in cases related to piracy and kidnapping during the first nine months of 2020, according to the IMB.

Experts point to Nigeria’s Niger Delta as a major source of recruitment for pirates. The region’s oil riches do not benefit the local population who also find their traditional economic sectors of fishing and farming wrecked by pollution from oil extraction.

Beset by poverty, the local population is fertile ground for pirate gangs to recruit foot soldiers and to hide out between forays.(News Agency/Aljazeera)

01:30

  

Paul Pogba may hold the key for Manchester United's slim Premier League title hopes, Gary Neville insists in his latest podcast.

Despite sitting top of the Premier League in a bizarre season, Manchester United are currently third favourites with the bookies to win their first title since 2013

Pogba has been given a run in the side by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and after hitting the winner at Burnley in midweek, the Frenchman again had the chance to be the matchwinner at Liverpool on Super Sunday, seeing a late effort saved by Alisson in the goalless draw.

Neville, speaking in his latest podcast, says title winners need the belief and positive arrogance that Pogba possesses, and insists if United are to win it, it will be down to a run of special form from the midfielder, if he can find it.

"I think Manchester United's chances of winning this league are slim - Liverpool and Man City are still the best two teams in this league.

"But the slim chance they have to win this league will depend on something like Paul Pogba delivering a cameo of two or three months of brilliance, which he is capable of.

"He's got confidence, he's got arrogance - good arrogance, in a sense that he believes in himself. He thinks he should be playing in the biggest games in the world, and winning titles, and thinking positive thoughts, thinking you're the best is a big thing when you're looking to win.

"Just in that last 20 minutes, I felt United just had that little bit of missing belief. It's not a long way away, but that's the bit that will stop them winning the title.

"I thought it was tough for him on Sunday. I've seen it over the years, where Sir Alex Ferguson had to put Wayne Rooney or Danny Welbeck out on that right-hand side, and it's not easy when you don't play there, to play there. It's easier to come off the left onto your right and slip inside, but it's not natural for them on that right wing, so I thought he was given a tough gig on Sunday in terms of his natural position.

"If you asked Paul Pogba: you can play any position in midfield or any up front, that's the one he wouldn't pick, right of midfield. I didn't criticise his performance at Anfield because I thought it was a tough gig - the same with Rashford, who prefers to play on the left - but I do think he can have a big influence on United." (Skysport)

05:16

Following the defeat of Bobi Wine in the just-concluded Uganda’s presidential election, Commissioner for Youth Political Participation, Pan-African Youth Union (PYU), Ambassador Oladele Nihi, has described the outcome of the election as a slap on the faces of African youths and a clarion call on Nigerian youths. 

Ambassador Nihi, in a statement on Sunday, called on African youths to fight against what he described as “recycled leadership and analogue democracy”.

He said: “History was made in Uganda on January 14, as the world watched the outcome of the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections. 

“And as predicted by majority of election observers, the voices of the people were submerged in a total eclipse of political hazard, in which the country’s preferable candidate, Bobi Wine, became a victim.

“African Youths should come awake and take their destinies in their hands, by putting an end to recycled leadership, and analogue democracy.”

The youth Commissioner further stated that this should serve as a lesson for Nigerian Youths; as the country approaches another general elections come 2023. 

“The agitation of the People Power, Our Power Movement in Uganda is synonymous to what GYB2PYB Youth Support Group stands for, which is why we are urging Governor Yahaya Bello to contest for President, and lead the youths from the front as we take back what is rightfully ours,” Mr. Nihi said. 

In the election, the incumbent President, Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country since 1986, was re-elected with 5,851,037 (58.64%), as against his opponent, Bobi Wine, who scored 3,475,298 (34.83%). 

Bobi Wine is a politician, singer, actor and businessman, who currently serves as Member of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency in Wakiso District, in Uganda’s Central Region.

He is also the leader of People Power, Our Power Movement in opposition to President Yoweri Museveni. Vanguardngr 

04:43