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Tehran, July 10, 2026 – Iran has rushed out oil tankers carrying roughly 11 million barrels of crude in the past 24 hours as tensions flare again with the US and President Donald Trump threatens to reimpose a blockade on its ports. Five supertankers and one Suezmax were observed leaving Iranian ports, with four of the vessels signaling positions in the Gulf of Oman and another transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The flotilla emerged as the US military struck Iran for …

Tehran, July 10, 2026 – The US and Iran again traded strikes in exchanges that continued into Thursday, as observers reported a “dramatic” drop in the number of ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. The US says it hit 90 military targets, some near the Strait. Iran says 14 people have been killed in the past two days. State media also reported that targets near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were hit, citing the deputy governor of the province. The US has not commented on the latest strikes. Iran …

Lagos, July 9, 2026 – DataPro, the technology-driven credit rating agency, has upgraded the long-term credit rating of Dangote Cement Plc to AA+ from AA. It also affirmed Dangote Cement’s short-term rating of A1. The rating is valid until June 16, 2027. DataPro said the rating upgrade reflects Dangote Cement Plc’s sustained financial strength, resilientoperating performance and leading market position within Nigeria and across Africa. Kehinde Rasheed, the Business Development and Client Services Manager of DataPro, said in a statement that the assessment was based on a comprehensive review of …

Ankara, July 9, 2026 – Iranian armed forces targeted U.S. military infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states on Thursday following U.S. strikes ​on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces, putting further strain on a three-week-old ceasefire agreement. Iran was also preparing on Thursday to bury its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali ‌Khamenei at the country’s holiest shrine in Mashhad, in the northeast, the culmination of a week of mass funeral processions and rallies. Khamenei was killed in a U.S. airstrike on the first day of the war on February 28. Oil prices, which had …

Lagos, July 9, 2029 – The U.S has released an updated list of 124 Nigerians to be deported. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the affected persons were those convicted of serious crimes, but details about the offences were not provided. These individuals have been placed on what it calls its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register. The U.S. has earlier released the list of 300 targeted for deportation. The DHS has made public the names and photos of those affected public, but declined to provide when the deportations would take place.

…Outlines strategic vision for Nigeria’s energy future Abuja, July 9, 2026 – Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has called for stronger collaboration across Nigeria’s energy industry to unlock Africa’s vast energy potential. He said partnerships remained the key to driving investment, industrialisation and sustainable growth. Ojulari made the call while delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 25th NOG Energy Week at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, where he also highlighted significant operational, …

Lagos, July 9, 2026 – Fidelity Bank Plc has reinforced its commitment to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector through its participation in the $3 billion Contractor Finance Facility launched by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, SNEPCo, in partnership with nine leading banks. The facility, unveiled in Lagos, is designed to provide credit support to indigenous oil and gas contractors executing projects for SNEPCo. The financing arrangement will be available in both naira and United States dollars, creating a structured pathway for local contractors to access funding, improve project …

Abuja, July 9, 2026 – The National Pension Commission (PenCom) is to increase the number of enrollees under its health insurance scheme to 30,000 pensioners. Omolola Oloworaran, its Director-General, disclosed this while speaking at a meeting of the Pension Industry Leadership Council (PILC) in Abuja. She said the scheme currently has 13,000 enrollees which is not encouraging. Oloworaran said the insurance scheme is now targeting 30, 000 enrollees for a smooth takeoff of the pilot stage. She said to increase the participation, Pencom would have to expand the eligibility criteria …

Lagos, July 9, 2026 – Dangote Refinery has commenced free delivery of petrol to six states across the country while still maintaining its ex-depot price of N1,075 per litre. The company announced this development via a post on its official X handle on Wednesday. According to the post, the free delivery will cover Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Kaduna and Delta states. The refinery, however, explained that the offer is available to customers purchasing a minimum of 250,000 litres of petrol.

Tehran, July 9, 2026 – Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz came to a near standstill on Thursday, after the US struck Iran for a second straight day as a fragile truce between the two sides looked increasingly shaky. Observable movements in the world’s most vital energy conduit largely occurred along an Iran-approved route nearer to the waterway’s north, while the US-supported Omani corridor was quiet, ship-tracking data show. Among larger vessels, only a US-sanctioned supertanker heading out of the Persian Gulf was seen in the strait, alongside an Iranian-flagged …