The publisher of Eagle Online and Managing Director of Premium Eagle Media Limited, Dotun Oladipo, has died at the age of 56.   Oladipo’s death was announced by Eagle Online on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, after he reportedly took ill suddenly at his office in Lagos. According to the publication, the veteran journalist was in his usual state of health earlier in the day before he suddenly became ill. His death was described as a shock to his colleagues, friends and associates. The President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, Danlami Nmodu, also confirmed the death on the guild’s WhatsApp platform on Tuesday. Nmodu said Oladipo, who had previously served as president of the guild, had died that day. The General Secretary of the Innovative Media Partners Cooperative Multipurpose Society, Nkanu Egbe, also announced his death, describing it as a devastating loss to Nigerian journalism. Egbe said Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Lagos, aged 56. He noted that Oladipo had led the cooperative with dedication while maintaining a journalism career spanning nearly three decades. The African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, also paid tribute to the late journalist in a Facebook post. Sowore described Oladipo as a “complete gentleman, accomplished digital journalist and remarkable human being” and extended his condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. Oladipo had a long career in Nigerian journalism. He served as politics editor at PUNCH Newspapers and was also a member of the newspaper’s editorial board. After leaving PUNCH, he worked with the Nigerian Tribune, Nigerian Compass and The Sun before establishing Eagle Online. He obtained a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, in 1992. His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from professional colleagues, who described him as a thorough journalist and a humble professional. Funeral arrangements and other details concerning his burial are expected to be announced by his family and associates.

A deadly flood and mudslide struck near the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, leaving at least 19 people dead and hundreds of tourists unaccounted for.   According to PUNCH, citing AFP, Nepalese authorities said 384 tourists, including 291 foreigners, remained out of contact more than eight hours after the disaster. Americans, Indians, Australians, Malaysians and Britons were among those reported missing. The disaster occurred after a torrent of mud and debris surged from a river between Nepal and China, sweeping away homes and damaging infrastructure. Chinese state media reported major casualties from a mudslide near Gyirong Port on the Tibetan side of the border. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out rescue operation, with authorities urged to search for missing people and minimise casualties. Nepalese police said several communities were affected, while images showed floodwaters carrying debris through residential areas. A local resident, Raju Bhadel, said three members of his family were rescued after their house was swept away, but another relative remained missing. The Nepal Army deployed helicopters and disaster-response personnel to assist with rescue operations. Several highways were also closed because of the flooding and landslide risk. The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of electricity production capacity, including hydropower and solar facilities, was damaged. The damage to production, transmission and distribution infrastructure disrupted electricity supplies. A preliminary assessment by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development suggested that a rock-ice avalanche in Nepal may have blocked the Lhende River, triggering the cascading flood. Authorities also warned of the possibility of another flood because the blockage remained upstream. The disaster comes during South Asia’s monsoon season, when heavy rainfall frequently causes deadly floods and landslides. Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.

Residents and road users in Ekiti State have expressed relief as work begins on the badly deteriorated Ifaki-Oye-Ilupeju Road following renewed intervention by the Federal Government.   The development followed an inspection of the troubled route by the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, who pledged that the government would restore access and ease the difficulties faced by motorists and commuters. The road’s worsening condition had disrupted transportation and commercial activities, with hundreds of fully loaded trailers reportedly stranded for days along the Oye-Ilupeju axis. The prolonged gridlock also raised concerns about the movement of agricultural produce and other goods between the South-West and northern parts of Nigeria. Speaking to journalists, Goronyo described the route as a critical economic corridor connecting the two regions. He disclosed that the project was awarded to a contractor in 2025 and that the contractor had already been mobilised to begin work. However, he acknowledged that funding challenges may have slowed construction. The minister said the Federal Government would review the contractor’s mobilisation to ensure work progresses effectively. Goronyo said President Bola Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Works to ensure that no major road in the country remains cut off, adding that Works Minister David Umahi had instructed him to inspect the situation. The intervention comes after truck drivers complained about being trapped on the route. One driver, Akanda James Taiwo, said he had been stranded for about 48 hours, while another, Muhammed Hammed, expressed frustration over the prolonged hardship faced by transport workers. The Federal Government’s renewed intervention is expected to improve movement along the corridor and reduce disruptions to the transportation of people and goods.

A fire at a maternity ward in Islamabad, Pakistan, killed 14 infants on Wednesday after thick black smoke engulfed the facility, according to Pakistani authorities and AFP.   The blaze broke out shortly before 7am local time on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the capital’s leading public hospital. Authorities said a faulty air-conditioning unit was responsible for the fire. PIMS spokeswoman Aneeza Jalil told AFP that the blaze started when an electrical fault sparked from an air conditioner. The deaths have triggered grief and anger among families, with witnesses describing chaotic scenes as smoke filled the ward and patients struggled to escape. Khurram Mehmood, 40, told AFP that his three-day-old daughter died in the fire. He said rescuers took hours to arrive while families waited outside for assistance. Another witness, Jaweria, said the door to the neonatal intensive care unit was locked during the blaze. “I do not believe this. Give me my child back… Why did the doctors leave the children there?” she said. Witness Abdul Ghafoor said the fire spread rapidly and that babies as young as one day old were inside the ward. “There was thick black smoke inside, and patients were trapped,” he told AFP, adding that rescue teams arrived almost two hours after the fire began. However, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf said an emergency call was made just before 7am and that rescue and police teams reached the scene immediately before bringing the fire under control. Another witness alleged that hospital security personnel prevented people from leaving. “People had to break the door down and rescue teams had to break the windows to control the fire,” she said. ‘Ran For Our Lives’ AFP reporters saw families gathered outside the hospital as a nurse called out the names of babies who had died. Other patients emerged covered in soot, while one man carried a newborn in his arms. Shagufta Parveen, a mother whose 10-day-old baby survived, said there was panic as smoke spread through the ward. “People were screaming. There was black smoke. We ran for our lives,” she told AFP. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed grief over the deaths. Sharif ordered a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the fire, calling for those responsible to be identified and the strictest possible action to be taken. The tragedy comes amid longstanding concerns about fire safety in Pakistan, where deadly fires have frequently been linked to inadequate safety measures, building-code violations and weak enforcement. AFP reported that more than 65 people were killed in a shopping centre fire in Karachi in January, while at least 11 people died in another Karachi shopping mall fire in 2023. The latest incident has renewed scrutiny of safety standards in major public buildings, particularly healthcare facilities where patients, including newborns, may be unable to evacuate without assistance.