News
Iran Denies Missile Attack on US-UK Base, Labels Claim ‘Israeli False Flag’
Iran Denies Missile Attack on US-UK Base, Labels Claim ‘Israeli False Flag’
Iran on Monday denied allegations that it launched missiles targeting a joint United States-United Kingdom military base on Diego Garcia, describing the claim as an “Israeli false flag” operation.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, dismissed the accusation as part of a pattern of disinformation, following remarks by Mark Rutte that NATO could not verify Israel’s claim that the projectiles were Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In a statement posted on X, Baghaei criticised the narrative, noting that even the NATO chief declined to endorse what he described as “discredited false flag storylines.”
Rutte, however, in an interview with CBS News on Sunday, expressed support for the United States’ military actions against Iran, led by President Donald Trump, urging public backing.
He argued that the move was necessary to ensure global security.
Reports by The Wall Street Journal and other US media outlets had earlier indicated that missiles were fired between Thursday night and Friday morning but failed to hit the strategic base located on the Indian Ocean island.
It was noted that confirmation of Iran’s involvement would suggest it possesses ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 4,000 kilometres, potentially capable of reaching cities such as London.
However, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, had earlier stated in an interview with NBC that the country had deliberately limited the range of its missile programme to below 2,000 kilometres to avoid being perceived as a global threat.
Reacting, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, condemned what she described as “reckless Iranian threats,” while maintaining that London would not be drawn into a broader Middle East conflict.
Similarly, the UK Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, said there was no indication that Iran either intended or possessed the capability to strike the UK with long-range missiles.
The Diego Garcia military facility, jointly operated by the US and UK, hosts approximately 2,500 personnel, mostly American troops, and has played a significant role in past military operations spanning Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and more recent strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military chief, Eyal Zamir, insisted that Iran deployed a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of about 4,000 kilometres in the alleged attack.
Israel has consistently warned that Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes pose a significant threat, urging US intervention over the years.
While previous US administrations largely refrained from direct military action, opting instead for sanctions, tensions have escalated in recent weeks.
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Diaspora Watch – Vol. 88
📢 Diaspora Watch Newspaper – 88th Edition is Out!
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Explore key global developments shaping today’s world:
• U.S.–Iran tensions after Islamabad talks collapse
• Gulf crisis and Strait of Hormuz concerns
• UN push to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity
• Africa CDC warns of major health system inefficiencies
• China’s IT expansion and India’s COP33 withdrawal
• UK and European economic and diplomatic updates
✨ Plus: Spotlight on Nigerian-American entrepreneur John Imah, building a $1.5B AI fashion-tech company.
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2026 UTME: JAMB Calls For Calm As Exam Disruptions Persist.
As the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) exercise enters day 2, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has assured candidates whose examinations were disrupted that they would be rescheduled to write them at a later date.
Public Communication Advisor of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin stated this during the The Senate Committee on Tertiary Education monitoring of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Abuja on Friday.
Benjamin was responding to questions raised by disgruntled parents and candidates whose examinations were disrupted at the Good Success Computer Based Test (CBT) Center, Utako
On his part, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Dandutse agreed that JAMB and CBT centers were faced with a lot of challenges but promised
to resolve them.
“From what we have seen, we have seen progress and we have seen a lot of challenges faced by the centres.
“And this one is not only in Abuja, it’s throughout the country. As a matter of fact, we sincerely appreciate what we have seen so far. Because the other issue is a technical issue, it happened yesterday and it also happened today, which was explained by the supervisor. But the truth of the matter, it has been a constraint to JAMB because these issues need to be addressed even before the exam takes place.
“As senators who are solely responsible for oversight and investigating the matters arising to this JAMB exam, I think we are going to look into how best JAMB will improve in most of the activities.
“We have already instructed them and told them to, as a matter of urgency, to take a definitive action so that the student will write the exam. And at the same time, we are going to review all the activities in JAMB so that we can make sure that these things do not happened again.
“So definitely we are going to address it and we are going to make sure that all the CBT centers are well functional and efficient. Because there is no moral justification for somebody to come from far away and will be living in trauma without writing the exam”, he said.
JAMB Spokesperson however maintained that the glitches were expected:
“Naturally, you should have one or two challenges here and there. It is not unusual and I don’t think there is anybody that will condone the exam using one thousand centers and then you expect that you won’t have any problem. But the most important thing is that if this problem do occur, are you prepared to handle them? And that is what we have just done there.
“That all those candidates will be rescheduled to another date, another center where they will sit the examination. It is natural to have a problem.
“As Nigerians, as citizens, that at least they are paying us with public funds, we are using public funds, they will expect 100%. But we know as operators that it is not easy, it is not possible for you to give 100%.
“But by the time you score 90%, at least you should have a term of. But for the candidate that have gone there, used the whole hours and sat inside the hall and then they didn’t take the exam, it is expected that they should vent their frustration. But it is natural”, he said.
Benjamin however, reassured that the Board would do the needful:
“We are assuring all Nigerians that every candidate who have registered for this exam will be given the opportunity to sit this exam. If your center fails today, you will be rescheduled again to take the exam. For any reason, even when you are rescheduled, and for any reason again, you are unable to sit the examination, you will be rescheduled again.
“That is why when we finish the exam, we have what we call the mop-up. The mop-up is to ensure that candidates whose center failed and they could not take the exam, we mop them up, give them a particular date for them to sit the examination. Because it’s a contract we have entered with them, they must sit the examination.
“But we’ll continue to do our best to ensure that we have minimal failure of these centers. And that is what we are doing. Out of 957 that we are using for this examination, I’m not sure we’ve had up to 10 or 8 centers that have failed”, he added.
Diaspora
ENTERTAINMENT – Diaspora Watch
Late Afrobeat Pioneer, Fela Earns Historic Global Recognition.
Late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has been inducted into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the first Nigerian artist to receive the honor.
Naija News reports that the announcement marks another major global recognition for the iconic musician, decades after his passing.
Fela was inducted under the “Early Influence” category, alongside renowned global music figures such as Queen Latifah, Celia Cruz, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons.
The list of inductees was unveiled in the United States during a live broadcast of the popular television show, American Idol.
Also recognized is Nigerian-born British singer, Sade Adu, who will be inducted in the “Performer” category.
She joins a lineup of global stars including Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
Despite stiff competition, several high-profile nominees failed to make the final list. These include Shakira, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, and Pink.
Organizers disclosed that over 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals participated in the voting process.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
Fela’s latest recognition comes just months after he made history in January as the first African musician to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The honor, coming nearly 30 years after his death, further cements his legacy as a global music icon and pioneer of Afrobeat.
It also follows the introduction of the Best African Performance category at the Grammy Awards two years ago, reflecting growing global recognition for African music.
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