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Qatar Airways says it has temporarily suspended all flights to Ukraine in the wake of conflict with Russia.

The airline disclosed this in a tweet on Thursday.

It, however, added that it is monitoring the situation of the war while directing affected passages to check for other available options suggested to them.

“All Qatar Airways flights to Ukraine have been temporarily suspended,” the tweet reads.

“We continue to closely monitor developments. Impacted passengers should visit My Trip at https://t.co/1T0MS4AJnD for available options.” 

TheCable had reported that Ukraine’s interior ministry said Russia attacked the country on Thursday.

Explosions were reportedly heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk and other parts of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson, Prime minister of the United Kingdom, said Russia and Vladimir Putin had now “plainly” violated Ukrainian sovereignty and “completely torn up international law”.

The European Union and the United States have also vowed to impose significant sanctions against those involved in the invasion.

Joe Biden, the United States President, condemned the attacks, describing them as unprovoked.

Biden said the US and its allies — members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) — would deliver a decisive response.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways owner IAG is now avoiding Russian airspace for overflights and cancelled its flight to Moscow on Friday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned Russia's flagship airline Aeroflot from Britain, CEO Luis Gallego said.

Britain has prohibited all scheduled Russian airlines from entering British airspace.

"Following the UK government decision to ban Aeroflot from landing in the UK, we have taken the decision not use Russian airspace for overflights," Gallego said. "We are avoiding Russian airspace for the time being."

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"The impact for us is not huge because right now we are only flying to a small number of destinations in Asia and we can reroute our flights."

(Reporting by Kate Holton; writing by Guy Faulconbridge)

BY  Okechukwu Nnodim

The Federal Government on Thursday insisted that the sudden and over 60 per cent hike in airfares by domestic airlines which occurred almost the same time appeared to be a coordinated action that must be probed.

On Wednesday, domestic airlines under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria denied the allegation of colluding to fix airfares following the increasing criticism that trailed their recent hikes in fares.

Their denial also came after an exclusively report by The PUNCH which revealed that the Federal Government had commenced investigations into their alleged collusion to fix airfares on all domestic routes.

But despite the denial by AON, the government insisted on Thursday that the sudden hike by all the carriers looked coordinated regardless of the argument by the carriers.

The Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Babatunde Irukera, disclosed this in Abuja during the inauguration of a joint technical committee by the FCCPC and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to address consumer complaints in the aviation sector.

He said the hike in airfares had aggravated the level of despondency among air travellers, as the latest responses to the development had been huge.

Irukera said, “Immediately the information about the increase in airfares came to us, we immediately set out to figure out what could potentially have gone wrong and the best approach, which is to start by engaging the NCAA.

“But what we didn’t anticipate was the share volume of responses from the public. We didn’t anticipate the level of aggravation and despondency that we’ve seen.”

Insisting that the recent hike was an action that appeared to be coordinated, the FCCPC stated that the issue distorted the country’s aviation sector, as he noted that cases of flight cancellations and delays had become incessant.

He said, “How do we address what is becoming more incessant from a delay and cancelation standpoint to the level of responsiveness and sensitivity the airlines show when unavoidable or permissible delays or cancellations occur?

“And more recently, what (airfares hike) appears to be a coordinated conduct in restraint of competition and completely distort a market that has become the vital backbone to the nation. These are really serious issues.”

Irukera told the NCAA team that these issues had to be addressed by the two agencies for the benefit of Nigerians, stressing that there were no options on the matter before both organisations.

“Any type of understanding or arrangement between competitors can only work in one direction and that is hardship and a loss of value to consumers,” he stated.

Irukera further observed that “sadly aviation is one of the high areas of complains and dissatisfaction.”

The Director-General, NCAA, Musa Nuhu, said the domestic carriers were supposed to submit their new airfares to the authority seven days before officially increasing the air tickets.

“In our regulations, airfares are deregulated subject to meeting certain conditions. The airlines are expected to submit to the NCAA, at least seven days before any increase and we are supposed to review it,” he stated.

The British pound has melted down against the Japanese yen during the trading session on Thursday as Russia has attacked Ukraine. This obviously has caused quite a bit of fear in the market, and therefore it makes sense that we would see plenty of selling pressure when it comes to risk appetite. Ultimately, this is a market that I think will continue to be very difficult to deal with but at the end of the day it is likely to see more selling than buying. Because of this, I like the idea of fading rallies as they occur and jumping on them at the first sign of exhaustion. This will be especially true if things actually escalate in Ukraine, something that seems very possible.

Adding more tension is the fact that China has just made a statement about how “Taiwan is not Ukraine.” And reiterated their opinion and statement that it is a part of China itself. In other words, things are unraveling quite quickly with the world’s authoritarian regimes.

At this point, it looks very likely that we will see an attempt to reach down towards the 200 day EMA, an area that of course attracts a lot of technical attention. Because of this, I would anticipate some type of big bounce near that area, because it is such an important part of most technical traders you point. I have zero interest in trying to get long of this market right now, at least not until Russia stepped out of the Ukraine area. That does not look likely, so therefore I think we have far too many things working against us to believe that we are suddenly going to turn around.

The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has sentenced kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans and two others, Uchenna Amadi and Okuchuwkwu Nwachukwu, to life imprisonment.

Justice Hakeem Oshodi handed out the sentence to the trio on Friday after convicting them on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping of a businessman, Donatus Duru, the managing director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

In convicting the trio, Justice Oshodi held that the prosecution had successfully proved the charge against them beyond a reasonable doubt.

In reaching his verdict on Evans, the judge held that he observed the demeanour of the witness, stating that in some of the confessional videos played in court, Evans had mentioned some of the other defendants and the roles they played in the crime.

“He showed no remorse in the dock and tried to lie his way out of the crimes despite the video evidence,” Justice Oshodi said.

“He was seen freely laughing and willingly answered questions. A close look at his body shows no sign of torture. He did not look unkempt. He is seen laughing even when he was told that he must be a rich kidnapper.”

He concluded that the evidence tendered before the court especially their video confessions corroborated their guilt.

The court discharged and acquitted Ogechi Uchechukwu and two former soldiers of the Nigerian Army, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba, for lack of sufficient evidence linking them to the crime.

The Lagos State government had arraigned Evans alongside Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, and Victor Aduba for allegedly kidnapping the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Limited, Donatus Dunu, on February 14, 2017.

The state had claimed that the convicts committed the alleged offence between February 14 and April 12, 2017.

The prosecution had further told the court that the incident took place at about 7:45 pm, along Obokun Street, in the Ilupeju area of Lagos.

UK airlines face higher fuel costs and longer journey times on flights to Asia and beyond after Russia banned British carriers from its airspace.

The move came in swift response to Boris Johnson’s decision to ban Russian national carrier Aeroflot from landing in the UK as part of a range of new sanctions against Moscow.

British Airways, the only UK airline flying to Moscow prior to the ban, said it was warning customers that some flights to destinations east of Russia would now take longer due to rerouting.

BA usually operates three flights a week to the Russian capital but does not fly to any other destinations in Russia or Ukraine.

The retaliatory move from Russia will increase already escalating jet fuel costs and pose more headaches for the national carrier’s long-haul services.

A BA spokesperson said: “We apologise for the inconvenience but this is clearly a matter beyond our control. We are notifying customers on cancelled services and are offering a full refund.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Virgin Atlantic said that the flight ban would increase flight times to India and Pakistan by up to an hour. The airline had decided from Thursday evening to avoid Russian airspace before Moscow’s edict confirming the ban.

A spokesperson said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers by slightly longer flight times.

“The safety and security of our customers and people always comes first and we’re monitoring the situation in Ukraine and Russia extremely carefully following the escalation of conflict, continuing to operate in full compliance with relevant safety regulators, authorities and governments.”

The longer flight paths will affect four Virgin routes, between London Heathrow to Islamabad, Lahore and Delhi, and between Manchester and Islamabad.

Virgin has not flown in Ukraine airspace since 2014, on its own risk assessments, above and beyond official guidance, and said it had further increased distances from the hostilities at the Russia-Ukraine border since December.

All airlines remain acutely conscious of the fate of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, shot down over Ukraine in 2014 by what investigators concluded was a Russian-made missile fired by pro-Moscow forces, killing all 298 people aboard.

The US and the EU have yet to follow suit on any flight ban. Aeroflot currently operates as part of the SkyTeam alliance, and has codeshare flights in and out of the US with Delta.

Wizz and Ryanair were the only airlines operating direct flights from Ukraine to the UK. All flights have been suspended. Wizz, the only airline with bases in Ukraine, was on Thursday trying to evacuate its remaining aircraft and crew from Kyiv and Lviv.

By Cooper Inveen and George Obulutsa

• Summary

• Thousands of students seek vocational training in Ukraine
• Students flee homes with just documents or a bag

Feb 25 (Reuters) - When Percy Ohene-Yeboah peered down from his high-rise apartment in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine on Thursday morning, the street below was clogged with traffic. People hurried along the sidewalks, wheeling suitcases behind them.

The Ghanaian engineering student went to a window on the other side and discovered why: Russian planes were flying low above the city, trying to evade missiles that rifled through the sky - a scene resembling one of his favourite video games, Call of Duty.

As reality dawned, and with nowhere to turn, the 24-year-old, packed a bag and ran to the nearest underground train station for shelter, one of thousands of African students stranded in Ukraine during a Russian invasion, with no idea of how to escape.

"In a situation like this, you're on your own. You've got to find the best way to find refuge for yourself," he told Reuters by phone from the basement of a church where he eventually settled on Thursday night.

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People on a motorbike drive past the Ukrainian embassy in Abuja, Nigeria February 25, 2022. REUTERS/ Afolabi Sotunde

Ghana's student presence in Ukraine is big enough for it to have a local union chapter. In the days before the invasion, the union sent reports about the situation to the government in Accra.

"They confirmed that they received things like that, but we never got any real reply to any of our concerns," said Ohene-Yeboah.

Afraid of taking the road west, and without flights or money, he will stay put for now.

Others are on the move.

When Russian bombs began to fall near the capital Kyiv, 400 km (250 miles) west of Kharkiv, on Thursday morning, a group of Kenyan medical students decided to leave. They have been in touch with officials from their government, one of them said, but they must find their own way out of Ukraine.

The five students rushed to Kyiv's train station on Friday morning in the hope of boarding a train to the western city of Lviv. From there, they aim to go over the border into Poland from where they can return home.

A spot on board the train is not guaranteed.

"It is really, really bad. Everyone is fleeing the city," said one of the medical students, who asked not to be named.

She and her colleagues brought nothing with them in the rush, only vital documents.

"We can't carry luggage. Luggage will make us lag behind."

Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Alison Williams

The Nigerian government has listed four borders in Ukraine where its citizens seeking to leave the country can be evacuated.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), spoke on Saturday.

She said the borders are Hrebenne-Rawa Ruska, Korczowa-Krakowiec, Medyka-Szeginie and Budomierz-Hurszew.

“For Nigerians in Ukraine trying to cross over to Poland, there are eight borders between Poland and Ukraine, four borders are recommended,” she said.

“Nigeria volunteer groups, as well as staff of the Nigerian embassy, will be at these borders to help you out. We are going to provide contact details of these Nigerians that will be there to help you out and the convergence point.

“If you are in Ukraine and you are not in a place directly affected, it is advisable that you stay where you are.

“There are forms you can fill, they are people to call. Every information would be provided on our website: nidcom.gov.ng so go to that website for further details and we will continue to update you.

Dabiri-Erewa said Nigerians in Poland can contact the following phone lines for assistance: +48 739400001, 729467341, +48729560 416, +48508182948, +48729690481 and +2348033372086.

Months of tension between Russia and Ukraine took another dimension on Thursday when Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, order troops into Ukraine.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed since the Russian invasion began.

The death toll has reportedly rose to 198 with over 1,000 said to have been wounded.

Hot real estate markets are adding gasoline to the debate about buying versus renting a home.

There have been a number of attempts at crunching the numbers. Which one makes more sense can depend on where in the world you plan to live.

New research from Compare The Market looked at average house prices and rent in OECD countries to find out which countries have the biggest gap between mortgage payments versus renting.

Canada has one of the widest gaps between renting and buying. The report found mortgage payments are 32.6 per cent more expensive than rent for a three-bedroom home.

But there are nine countries with even larger gaps. Luxembourg has the biggest gap between mortgage and rent at 51.1 per cent, while also being the most expensive for both in the world.

"This means that, with an average rent of US$3,017, the average monthly mortgage payment is estimated at US$4,558," read the report.

"Luxembourg is renowned for its high cost of living, which is clearly reflected in the cost of property and rent."

Latvia has the second-largest gap at 42.5 per cent. However, prices for both are significantly lower. The average rent is only $582 a month and mortgage payments are $830.

Slovakia has the third-largest gap (42.3 per cent), in large part due to rising home prices. But each option is also similarly lower-priced with an average rent of $771 and mortgage payments of $1,098.

There are only two countries where buying is cheaper than renting. Average mortgage payments of $1,258 in Finland are 2.1 per cent cheaper than rent of $1,285.

The other is Italy. Mortgage payments of $997 are slightly lower (0.9 per cent) compared to rent of $1,006.

Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains.

BY  Siddharth Philip, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- British Airways canceled more than 150 short-haul flights to and from its London Heathrow hub through midday, citing “continuing technical issues” following a systems outage that hit late Friday.

Morning departures to Milan, Geneva and Aberdeen were among those scrapped Saturday, with the carrier predicting further disruption through the day and advising people to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

Long-haul services at Heathrow together with flights at London’s smaller Gatwick and City airports were due to operate, though with possible delays, BA said in an emailed statement, adding that its website was now working again.

British Airways said Friday that the disruption stemmed from a hardware issue and that it hadn’t suffered a cyber-attack. Authorities have been on alert for electronic disruption following Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government banned Aeroflot flights to Heathrow after the invasion, with Moscow responding by closing its airspace to U.K. carriers.

BA was criticized on social media, with passengers saying they weren’t notified of cancellations and had been unable to reach the carrier’s call centers. The airline said those impacted can get a refund or rebook for a later date. 

“Our teams have been working hard through the night and will continue to do so to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” it said.