International
Scotland’s only refinery to shut down in 2025

Grangemouth, Scotland’s only oil refinery, is to close down in 2025 with the loss of 400 jobs, operator Petroineos said, according to a report by Reuters.
The company cited economic difficulties as the reason for the closure, stating that the company had invested $1.2 billion since 2011, and returned losses over $775 million over the same period.
Reuters quoted Petroineos as saying it was preparing to shut Grangemouth, Britain’s oldest refinery as production ceases in the second quarter of next year, subject to an employee consultation, a company spokesperson said.
The decision was however criticised by trade unions and politicians.
It is deeply disappointing that Petroineos have confirmed their previous decision to close Grangemouth oil refinery,” UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said.
Reuters further reports that the site will become an import and distribution terminal for finished fuels, which will cut the number of employees at the site from 475 to around 75 over the next two years.
Petroineos is a joint venture between PetroChina International London (PCIL) and INEOS Group, a British chemicals firm founded by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Grangemouth is increasingly unable to compete with bigger, more modern and efficient sites in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Due to its size and configuration, Grangemouth incurs high levels of capital expenditure each year just to maintain its licence to operate,” the company said.
It said the plant is currently losing around $500,000 per day, and expects to see a $200 million loss for 2024.
Analysts have said the commencement of operation by the Dangote refinery would significantly reduce fuel importation, thereby affecting the businesses of many refineries outside Africa.
The refinery operation is a business that thrives on volume and analysts anticipate closure of more refineries in Europe if more African countries invest in domestic refining.
International
Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni, 80, seeking reelection in 2026
Museveni said he is seeking reelection to grow the country to a “$500 billion economy in the next five years.”

• Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni/ Reuters
KAMPALA, June 29 (Reuters) – Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni has confirmed he intends to contest in next year’s presidential election, potentially extending his rule in the east African country to nearly half a century.
In a post on the X platform late on Saturday Museveni said he had “expressed my interest in running for… the position of presidential flag bearer,” for his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
The 80-year-old has been ruler of Uganda since 1986 when he seized power after leading a five-year guerrilla war.
The ruling party has changed the constitution twice in the past to allow Museveni to extend his rule, and rights activists have accused him of using security forces and patronage to maintain his grip on power.
He denies the accusation.
Museveni said he is seeking reelection to grow the country to a “$500 billion economy in the next five years.”
Uganda’s GDP currently stands at about $66 billion, according to the finance ministry.
The country will hold its presidential election next January, when voters will also elect lawmakers.
Museveni’s closest opponent will be pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine who came second in the last presidential election in 2021 and has already confirmed his intention to run in 2026.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, rejected the 2021 results, saying his victory had been stolen through ballot stuffing, intimidation by security forces and other irregularities.
International
South African Court Halts Burial of Former Zambian President Mid-Ceremony

In a dramatic turn of events, a South African court has intervened to halt the burial of a former Zambian president, president Edgar Lungu, temporarily suspending the proceedings mid-ceremony.
Lungu, who died on June 5 while seeking medical care in South Africa, was a rival of President Hakainde Hichilema, who wanted to lead a state funeral for his predecessor in Zambia.
Lungu’s family opposed the plans and blocked his body from being repatriated, saying he would not have wanted Hichilema at his funeral.
Zambia in turn filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the burial in South Africa.In a ruling delivered as Lungu’s widow and other mourners were already gathered in the church, a Gauteng region High Court judge said that, after an agreement between the parties, “respondents undertake not to proceed with the funeral or burial of the late president”.
The case will be heard on August 4, he said, in a decision that was carried by national broadcaster SABC — which also showed live images of people gathered for the service for Lungu, president from 2015 to 2021.
The adjournment “is extending the pain, the grief, that the family and the people are going through”, Zambian lawmaker Chanda Katotobwe, part of the delegation present at the memorial service, told SABC News.
The cause of the former president’s death at age 68 was not announced. He had been receiving specialised treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, his Patriotic Front party said.
International
Cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles, including 800 EVs, sinks in the Pacific Ocean
The shipping company said that the cargo ship had sunk on June 23.

A cargo ship that caught fire earlier this month in the Pacific Ocean has sunk, its manager has said.
MINT reports that The Morning Midas, which was left abandoned as it caught fire, was carrying about 3,000 vehicles, among which around 800 were electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles contain lithium-ion batteries, which are generally safe but can overheat and ignite if damaged.
The shipping company said that the cargo ship had sunk on June 23.
Zodiac Maritime in a statement further said that the damage caused by the fire was compounded by heavy weather, and subsequently water entered inside the vessel, causing it to sink.
Credit: MINT
-
News3 days ago
IPOB Cheers as Kenyan court awards Nnamdi Kanu KSh10 million compensatory damages for illegal extradition to Nigeria
-
News2 days ago
Breaking- Aminu Dantata is Dead
-
Politics3 days ago
Reserved Seats for Women Bill Gets Political Endorsement
-
News2 days ago
Again, Vanguard’s Editor, Eze Anaba Emerges NGE President
-
News3 days ago
2025 NGE Biennial Convention Opens In Enugu, 400 Editors In Attendance
-
News19 hours ago
Aba Tricycle Driver Returns ₦4 Million to Passenger, Earns Praise for Honesty
-
News3 days ago
EFCC’s counsel lied, I wasn’t harassed by Yahaya Bello’s security aides, witness tells court
-
Entertainment2 days ago
Nigerian film maker, Kayode Peters dies in Canada