Breaking News: Kaduna government launches state residency card registration programme

The Kaduna State Government has launched the Residency Card Registration programme to register all citizens residing in the state.

According to the government, the programme which is being implemented in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is aimed at enabling the state government capture biometric data of all people residing in the state, after which they will be given a unique identification number and card.

While launching the programme at Rigasa community in Igabi Local Government Area of the state, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, explained that the residency card for all citizens will help the government in knowing the population of the state and consequently, help in providing concise data for development planning and security in the state.

He said successive governments have over the years failed to use accurate data in planning, noting that it had led to guesswork and inaccurate data.

“The overcrowded school in Rigasa made national headlines after we revealed its existence. But how did one primary school in Rigasa come about having more than 20,000 pupils.

“Three Mobile Enrolment Buses are also shuttling within Kaduna Metropolis, bringing the registration process to the elderly and persons living with physical disabilities.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure ease of access by scaling up the registration centres to 255 with one in each ward of our 23 Local Governments,” he said.

Furthermore, the governor said that in the near future, no citizen will enjoy some of the free or subsidized social services like basic education, healthcare or be considered for things like land allocation unless he or she can provide a Kaduna State Residents Card.

The Director-General, National Identity Management Committee, Aliyu Azeez, also enumerated the importance of data for national development.

He said the agency has captured 30.6 million Nigerians in its database, with Kaduna topping the list.

While the programme requires all residents, including the newly born to be registered, the Kaduna State Residency card will only be issued to those who are 16 years and above.

Azeez, however, stated that in the next three years, the agency also plans to have captured every Nigerian residing in the country.

Breaking News: Mikel Obi, I won’t retire now

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has revealed that he is not thinking of quitting international football after over a decade in the national team.

The 31-year-old Tianjin TEDA midfielder won his 85th cap in during Nigeria 2-1 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday, at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in their last Group D encounter at the FIFA 2018 in Russia.

Mikel who made his senior his debut for the most African side that have qualified for World Cup in August 2005 against Libya and he missed 2010 World Cup in South Africa but he made his debut in the Mundial at Brazil 2014.

Former Chelsea man maintained that he is looking forward to feature in next four years tournaments in Qatar.

“I am really proud of the boys, of everybody, of the coaches, for what we have achieved. Thanks for all the Nigerians back home and the ones who came out to support us,” Mikel said after the Argentina game.

“I hope I can still be around. It’s a fantastic team, I have enjoyed my time with the national team all of my years. I have never been in a team like this before.

“Amazing guys, funny, always nice to be around. The coach as well, we’ve all had a good time since the coach came in, the team have worked.

“We have a group who listen and want to improve, which is very important for Nigerian football. Nations Cup, we will see, I want to take every year as it comes and see what happens.”

Breaking News: President Buhari orders total overhaul of SARS

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a total overhaul of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this Tuesday during the Oyo State edition of the Youth Town Hall Meeting at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan .

Osinbajo said: “President Buhari has ordered the review of the operations, working strategies and total overhaul of SARS.”

Osinbajo, while confirming that there have been several allegations of uncivilised manner of operation, harassment and intimidation of many innocent Nigerians by SARS operatives, disclosed that the squad could not be totally banned in view of security challenges in the country.

He stated that the President, being a listening person, had ordered the review of the squad’s operations in order to meet the expectations of Nigerians.

Osinbajo said, “Regards to the question regarding #EndSARS, whether we are going to ban them or not, President Buhari has ordered the review of their operations and very soon this will be done.”

He noted that the retention SARS was necessary due to the role they have been playing in the protection of life and property across the country.

Osinbajo said, “We must have a force to protect the lives and property of the people; you know SARS is Special Anti-Robbery Squad, though some of them have been engaging in some activities contrary to their mode of operations.”

Breaking News: Queen Elizabeth Names Her Successor - The End of an Era

This just in: The longest-standing British monarch is preparing to take her final curtsy.

Queen Elizabeth, who turns 92 years old tomorrow, issued a formal request for the Commonwealth Heads of Government to appoint her son Prince Charles as her successor during an official meeting at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

She said, “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949.”

The monarch went on to say that she hopes Prince Charles will carry on her legacy, adding, “By continuing to treasure and reinvigorate our associations and activities, I believe we will secure a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world for those who follow us: a world where the Commonwealth’s generosity of spirit can bring its gentle touch of healing and hope to all.”

Prince Charles is the first in a long list of heirs to the throne, so the announcement was a long time coming. Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeth hadn’t publicly backed her son as the next Commonwealth leader…until now.

May the odds be ever in your favor, Prince Charles.

Why Yoruba must demand Oduduwa Republic – Fani-Kayode

Why Yoruba must demand Oduduwa Republic – Fani-Kayode
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, on Wednesday, said the time was right for Yorubas to demand the breakup of Nigeria and creation of Oduduwa Republic.

He noted that the current killings allegedly being perpetrated by armed herdsmen was an indication that Yorubas must call for secession.

In a series of tweets, the former Minister stressed that people of the South West could no longer be part of Nigeria because President Muhammadu Buhari allegedly opposes restructuring.

Fani-Kayode wrote: “Any Fulani man that refuses to openly and unequivocally condemn the slaughter, ethnic cleansing and mass murder of Middle Belters, southerners and other Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen is no friend of mine. As a matter of fact such a person is a mortal enemy.

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“Thank God that I am Yoruba. I was born Yoruba and I will die Yoruba.

‘Omo karo jire ni mi!’ And with the way things are going in Nigeria, I think that it is about time for the Yoruba to exercise their right of self-determination and consider the establishment of Oduduwa Republic.

“We cannot remain in a country where the President encourages and supports mass murder, genocide, and ethnic cleansing, where he says “no” to restructuring and where the life of a cow is worth more than the life of a human being. There is no fellowship between light and darkness!”

Breaking News: ‘Unbearable’ smelling passenger that caused plane’s emergency landing dies from tissue necrosis

A man that caused a Transavia flight from the Spanish island of Gran Canaria to make an emergency landing in Portugal has died from tissue necrosis, Netherlands" De Telegraaf reported. The male passenger, now identified as Russian rock musician Andrey Suchilin, allegedly smelled so strongly that others on the flight began fainting and vomiting once the plane took off from Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. Several passengers said the smell was “unbearable” and the man was “unwashed.” The 58-year-old reportedly had contracted an infection while on vacation in the Canary Islands that caused his body tissue to die, resulting in the odor. As Daily Mail reported, Suchilin caught the infection in

A man that caused a Transavia flight from the Spanish island of Gran Canaria to make an emergency landing in Portugal has died from tissue necrosis, Netherlands" De Telegraafreported.

The male passenger, now identified as Russian rock musician Andrey Suchilin, allegedly smelled so strongly that others on the flight began fainting and vomiting once the plane took off from Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. Several passengers said the smell was “unbearable” and the man was “unwashed.”

The 58-year-old reportedly had contracted an infection while on vacation in the Canary Islands that caused his body tissue to die, resulting in the odor.

As Daily Mail reported, Suchilin caught the infection in Gran Canaria. Suchilin’s wife, Lidia, wrote on Facebook, Newsweek reported, that her husband had sought medical attention before leaving Spain, but was told it was just an “ordinary beach infection” and given antibiotics.

His condition worsened on the flight to Amsterdam.

SOUTHWEST FLIGHT MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING BECAUSE PASSENGER WAS ALLEGEDLY SMOKING POT



The man was taken off the plane and placed on a bus by medical personnel.  (CEN)

Last month, on the flight, Belgian passenger, Piet van Haut, told Express the man smelled like he had not bathed in “several weeks.”

"It was like he hadn"t washed himself for several weeks. Several passengers got sick and had to puke,” van Haut said.

According to the publication, airline crew members tried to keep the man contained in the airplane bathroom while the pilot diverted the flight.

The plane landed in Faro in Portugal where the man was removed from the Boeing 737 and placed on a bus by medical personnel.

In a statement to Express from Transavia, the airliner confirmed the emergency landing was due to “medical reasons.”

"The aeroplane diverted because of medical reasons, but it is indeed right that he smelled quite a bit," a Transavia spokesperson told the news site.

Transavia later returned Fox News" request for comment with the following statement:

“We can confirm that on May 29th a stopover of flight HV5666 (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - Amsterdam) has taken place on Faro (Portugal). This was a precautionary measure in relation to a passenger for medical reasons,” a company spokesperson said via email.

“Due to privacy legislation, however, we cannot not disclose details about individual cases. What we can say is that our crew has acted correctly and carefully in accordance with the applicable procedures.”

Alexandra Deabler is a Lifestyle writer and editor for Fox News.

 

BREAKING: Oyo govt shuts Bodija market as Police, butchers clash

The Oyo State Government has shut Bodija market, Ibadan, as police and butchers clash on Thursday.

According to the verified twitter handle of the Oyo State government, @oyostategovt, the market was shut after gunshots were heard in the market.

Oyo State Govt

✔@oyostategovt

News Flash:
The Oyo State Government has shut down Bodija market for security reasons. This is an aftermath of the sporadic shooting which occurred earlier today in the market and its environs. /1

4:48 AM - Jun 28, 2018

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The state government had directed that the butchers should relocate to a new abattoir outside the town but the butchers did not agree with the directive.

On Tuesday, the butchers staged a protest at the state secretariat in Ibadan over the demolition of the abattoir in the market by the government over the weekend.

Our correspondent learnt that Thursday’s clash began when some of the butchers accused their leaders of taking gratification from the government to support the relocation order.

The clash led to the closure of shops in the market while traders vacated the market because of the commotion.

When contacted, Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Police Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said he would come up with a statement on the clash soon.

Breaking News: Maradona drama is a problem for Argentina and Messi

Saint Petersburg (AFP) - When Lionel Messi ran to the corner and sank to his knees, the enduring image of Argentina scrambling into the World Cup"s last 16 was set.

Their number 10, in the blue and white stripes, his head tilted and fingers vertical, about to be swamped moments later by adoring team-mates.

But all those cameras not positioned in Messi"s corner of the Saint Petersburg Stadium quickly turned their gaze upwards and slightly to the right.

Diego Maradona, with his arms grappling his own chest, was grimacing towards the sky, a crazed look in his eyes of ecstasy, relief and delirium.

This was the duopoly of Argentina"s 2-1 win over Nigeria on Tuesday.

Not Messi and Marcos Rojo, the scorer of the winning goal in the 86th minute, nor even Messi and Jorge Sampaoli, the team"s estranged coach.

But Messi and Maradona. On the pitch, off the pitch, present and past. One trying to win the trophy that has eluded him in an otherwise extraordinary career, the other watching on, having had his own story defined by it.

- Inspiration or distraction? -

There is no telling how the hysteria that surrounds Maradona really affects the team, whether his increasingly deranged presence is a force for inspiration, sympathy or discomfort.

But as Argentina rallied to escape Group D, one of the game"s most magical players, perhaps its greatest ever icon, was in the stands, only prevented from toppling over by two of his entourage next to him.

He sat slumped in his seat, seemingly dozing off, and then later upright, frazzled with nerves, his hands clawing his face.

When Rojo"s volley hit the net, the performance was completed by two raised middle fingers and a shouted obscene insult, the intended target apparently anyone that would look.

Broadcasters are expected to treat Maradona with more sensitivity during Saturday"s quarter-final against France. Accompanying every meaningful action with a shot of the 57-year-old perhaps made for compelling viewing, but his health cannot be taken lightly.

After the match, video emerged of him being helped into the dining area of his VIP box, seemingly unwell. Photos showed medical staff attending to him, with one appearing to take his pulse.

On Wednesday, Maradona wrote on Instagram: "I want to tell everyone that I am fine, that I am not and was not hospitalised."

Claudio Tapia, the president of the Argentinian FA, may be wondering though if Maradona"s histrionics are detrimental to the team, and Messi, as well as himself.

- Constant comparisons -

Whenever the World Cup comes around, Messi is encircled by Maradona"s shadow.

Thirty-two years after one Argentinian striker hoisted the trophy, another is expected to do the same.

"We say that if Messi does not win the World Cup, he will not be superior to Maradona," Tapia said, shortly after the Albiceleste arrived in Russia.

"But I believe that these are comparisons that should be left out."

When Maradona took aim at Sergio Ramos last week, calling him inferior to Atletico Madrid"s Diego Godin, the Spain defender retaliated with an insult he clearly felt would cut deep.

"In Argentina they know Maradona is light years away from the best Argentine player in history which, for me, is Lionel Messi," Ramos said.

Between Messi and Maradona themselves, there has been nothing but reverence.

Messi has described Maradona as his "inspiration" while only this week Maradona directed a personal message to Messi, saying: "Nothing is your fault. I love you and I respect you as always."

But for the quiet, unassuming genius of Messi, this current circus of Maradona must feel more encroaching than ever, more even than when Maradona was Argentina"s coach in 2010.

Then they were both on the same team, each on the inside, but now Maradona is the former favourite looking in.

"The Argentines" stereotype of Argentinian is a discreet person, who does not talk too much, and that"s the big difference with Maradona. He likes to grab attention," said Alexandre Juillard, author of "Insubmersible Messi".

"In Argentina they have an expression, "Pecho Frio", which means when you need to be hot, you have to be cold, and that"s Maradona"s problem."

Argentina"s win over Nigeria may only, in the end, prolong their stay at the World Cup by a matter of days. But for as long as they are here, Maradona"s problem is Messi"s problem too.

A Country Where Cows Are Valued More Than Human Beings - Wisdom Nwedene

Welcome to Nigeria where cows are valued more than the lives of human beings.

Welcome to Nigeria where over 200 persons were brutally murdered because of missing cows.

Welcome to Nigeria where Fulani herdsmen have taken responsibility of the killing of over 200 Persons in Plateau state but they have not been arrested.

Welcome to Nigeria where if you speak the truth, you will be arrested, humiliated and paraded like a common criminal.

Welcome to Nigeria where no place is safe!

How long shall we continue to live in pain and feel nothing is happening?

How long shall we continue to be killed and slaughtered like cows before something will done about it?

It pains seeing children, fathers, mothers being killed every day. It hurts me!!

I feel speechless and dejected.

Breaking News: An island in Brazil has so many snakes that humans aren"t allowed on it — and it"s the stuff of nightmares

The mysterious island is known as Ilha da Queimada Grande, and it is in fact so dangerous to set foot there that Brazil has made it illegal for anyone to visit. The danger on the island comes in the form of the golden lancehead snakes - a species of pit viper and one of the deadliest serpents in the world. The lanceheads can grow to be over a foot-and-a-half long and it"s estimated that there are between 2,000 and 4,000 snakes on the island, which unsurprisingly is known as Snake Island. The lanceheads are so venomous that a human bitten by one could be dead within an hour. Snake Island is uninhabited now, but people used to live there for a short period up to until the late 1920s when, according

About 25 miles off the coast of Brazil, there is an island where no local would ever dare tread. Legend has it that the last fisherman who strayed too close to its shores was found days later adrift in his own boat, lifeless in a pool of blood.

The mysterious island is known as Ilha da Queimada Grande, and it is in fact so dangerous to set foot there that Brazil has made it illegal for anyone to visit. The danger on the island comes in the form of the golden lancehead snakes - a species of pit viper and one of the deadliest serpents in the world.

The lanceheads can grow to be over a foot-and-a-half long and it"s estimated that there are between 2,000 and 4,000 snakes on the island, which unsurprisingly is known as Snake Island. The lanceheads are so venomous that a human bitten by one could be dead within an hour.

Snake Island is uninhabited now, but people used to live there for a short period up to until the late 1920s when, according to legend, the local lighthouse keeper and his family were killed by vipers that slithered in through the windows. Today, the navy periodically visits the lighthouse for upkeep and makes sure no adventurers are wandering too close to the island.

Another local legend claims that the snakes were originally introduced by pirates seeking to protect buried treasure on the island.

In reality, the vipers" presence is the result of rising sea levels - a less exciting origin story than paranoid pirates to be sure, but still interesting.

Snake Island used to be part of Brazil"s mainland, but when sea levels rose over 10,000 years ago, it separated the landmass and turned it into an island.

[embed]https://instagram.com/p/BbtQWKCnqGp/?utm_source=ig_embed[/embed]

The animals that wound up isolated on Queimada Grande evolved differently from those on the mainland over the course of millennia, the golden lanceheads in particular. Since the island vipers had no prey but birds, mother nature helped them develop extra-potent venom so that they could almost immediately kill any bird. Local birds are too savvy to be caught by the many predators that inhabit the island and the snakes instead rely on birds who visit the island to rest as food.

Lancehead snakes, which are the golden lancheads" mainland cousins, are responsible for 90 percent of all snakebites in Brazil. A bite from their golden relatives, whose venom is up to five times more potent, is less likely to actually happen due to their island isolation. However, such an encounter is far more likely to be lethal if it does happen. There are no fatality statistics of the golden lanceheads (since the only area they inhabit is cut off from the public), however someone bitten by a regular lancehead faces a seven percent chance of death if untreated. Treatment does not even guarantee a lancehead bite victim will be saved: there is still a three percent mortality rate.

It"s hard to imagine why anyone would want to visit a place where a painful death lurks every few feet. However, the vipers" deadly venom has shown potential in helping to combat heart problems. This has led to something of a black market demand for the venom. For some lawbreakers, the lure of the money is incentive enough to risk almost certain death on Queimada Grande.

Breaking News: In Merkel"s moment of crisis, a chance to seize middle ground on migration?

In a corner of Germany celebrated for its bucolic charm, this Bavarian town’s lack of rolling, pastoral fields, and half-timbered houses doesn’t exactly make it a tourist destination – that is unless you ask party officials of the ruling Christian Social Union (CSU).

The governor repeatedly uses the phrase “asylum tourism” for the migrants who trekked through the province during the refugee crisis in 2015 . They continue to do so, even if at a fraction of their earlier pace. And now his party colleague, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, has floated a plan to close the border altogether.

Such harder-line proposals have divided Germany’s government, with Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) calling it counter to the open borders that are the essence of Europe. But here in Waldkraiburg, which hosts nearly 500 asylum seekers, CSU party members remain firm. “I think what Seehofer is doing is perfectly fine,” says Anton Sterr, a district council member. “It would be good for Waldkraiburg if refugee numbers would go down.”

This is the front line of the battle facing the West today: between those espousing a more “open” society and those advocating that Europe must be “closed.” It could undermine not only the chancellor but the cohesion of Europe. In some ways both have never looked weaker.

But political pressure from Bavaria could also help Ms. Merkel find a solution nearly three years after Europe was rocked by the arrival of 1 million migrants. As European leaders head into a summit Thursday and Friday to try to strike a deal on migration, they are keenly aware of Merkel’s vulnerability, and could come to her side. The flare-up is also an uncomfortable reminder for mainstream parties of how fragile the political situation remains, even as the actual flow of migrants has ebbed. Above all it’s helped shape a new realpolitik around migration: that a middle ground that emphasizes both compassion and control is the winning narrative around Europe today.

‘A KIND OF A 2015 TRAUMA’

One of the proposals floated ahead of the Brussels meeting, for example, is to build more refugee screening centers outside of Europe, dissuading illegal passage, which was once a fringe idea, says Leopold Traugott, a policy analyst with the Open Europe think tank. “Politicians are increasingly accepting that the approach of Europe has to be restrictive, or otherwise it won’t work,” he says. “People want to have the sense of control.”

“We have had, over the past two or three years, this constant debate about populism, the idea of the open and closed society,” says Angelos Chryssogelos, an expert on European politics at Chatham House, a think tank in London. “But I think the understanding among mainstream parties is that ultimately if the debate is framed in that way … that allows populists to polarize against a social liberal establishment.”

The fight between the German ruling partners, whipped up by local Bavarian elections scheduled for the fall and exacerbated by the formation of a new anti-migrant government in Italy, is not the only one underway. Italy and France have spat again over closed borders, after Italy decided to reject rescue ships this month, while Austria has threatened to close its own frontier to the so-called “Balkan route” of migration. This has come to a head even as the pace of migration has slowed: UN figures show 44,370 have arrived via the Mediterranean so far this year.

“There’s still kind of a 2015 trauma within this society and a deep mistrust that politicians will be able to prevent [a repeat] in the future,” says Jana Puglierin, Europe expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations. She blames irresponsibility on the part of the CSU for seeking electoral gain against the far right in Bavaria. “They create an atmosphere as if nothing has changed” since 2015, she says. “The CSU portrays Germany as a kind of failed state ... This is so far from the truth.”

This puts pressure on Merkel to compromise on the humanitarian spirit she showed at the peak of crisis in 2015, and it raises concerns that mainstream parties are chasing the anti-migrant vote. The idea to process refugees abroad finds widespread backing because it is a policy aimed at reducing flows, but it raises concerns about human rights and proper processes.

A RALLYING CALL

Yet the threat that the German coalition could fail, just over three months after taking office, has awakened allies to the urgency of a solution after three years of stalling and bickering. Bavaria"s intransigence on the migration issue has, in fact, bolstered Merkel"s negotiating position with some EU countries, says Josef Janning, head of the European Council on Foreign Relations Berlin office. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to host a mini-summit over the weekend. French President Emmanuel Macron has supported her, too.

The timing is right while mainstream politicians are more united. Anti-migrant politicians might agree on keeping migrants out, but once they are in Europe they are “miles away,” says Ms. Puglierin. For example, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is adamantly opposed to quotas to redistribute refugees; the new government in Italy is a leading advocate of sharing the burden around the bloc.

If a unanimous European solution proves elusive this week, Merkel has already suggested she will strike a deal with a small number of EU states – as France and Germany did at the outset of the Schengen agreement, which created open borders between EU members.

A recent Eurobarometer poll shows that immigration is the No. 1 concern about the 500-million citizen bloc, with 38 percent naming it as the most important challenge facing the EU.

Mr. Seehofer’s hard line on Bavaria, though controversial, is part of a longer-term shift in the debate. French President Macron has advocated a system that more quickly deports economic migrants to give space to those who meet refugee status. Merkel has been pursuing a similar course, even before the Bavarian ultimatum. “She has understood that a common policy of Europeans can only be a restrictive policy because nobody, not even the Germans, are ready to pursue an open door policy on migration,” Mr. Janning says.

While Waldkraiburg’s Sterr says he’d like to see refugee numbers go down, he is also calling for order. It would be “good,” too, he says, “if orderly procedures would be followed, if people whose asylum claims are rejected would be deported as quickly as possible, and if space could be made for those people who are actually being persecuted and actually need help.”

That rhetoric plays far better to voters than the sometimes empty talk on “European values” that frames the migration debate, says Mr. Chryssogelos.

“The migration issue is not just about migration but about the relationship between elites and people, institutions and voters,” he says. “And they know if they cannot really deliver some sense of control to the electorate, it is going to reinforce the sense of disconnect between elites and the people. That is actually what populists are tapping.”

Breaking News: China rejects U.S. request for talks on airline website row

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has rejected U.S. requests for talks over how American airlines and their websites refer to Chinese-claimed Taiwan, according to sources, including a U.S. official, adding to tensions in a bilateral relationship already frayed by a major trade dispute.

China has demanded that foreign firms, and airlines in particular, begin referring to Taiwan as Chinese territory on their websites, along with Hong Kong and Macau, a move described by the White House in May as "Orwellian nonsense".

Numerous non-U.S. carriers, such as Air Canada, Lufthansa and British Airways have already made changes to their websites, according to Reuters checks.

But several U.S. companies, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, were among carriers that sought extensions to a May 25 deadline to make the changes. The final deadline is July 25.

In late May, the U.S. State Department presented China"s Foreign Ministry with a diplomatic note requesting consultations on the matter, but the ministry has since refused it, two sources briefed on the situation told Reuters.

"This has definitely become a foreign policy issue," one of the sources said on condition of anonymity, noting that the U.S. government did not view it as a technical matter for bilateral aviation cooperation.

The spat had become "another grain of sand in the wound" amid escalating trade tensions, a second source said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump"s threat to impose tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese imports to punish Beijing for intellectual property abuses.

An official with the State Department confirmed to Reuters that China had rejected its request for talks on June 25, adding that it was "disappointed" and had maintained close communication with the airlines but had not told them how to respond to Beijing"s demands.

"U.S. airlines should not be forced to comply with this order," the State Department official said. "We have called on China to stop threatening and coercing American companies and citizens."

Chinese companies are free to operate their websites without political interference in the United States, the official added.

China"s rebuff has left the U.S. government weighing its next move. The White House convened a staff-level meeting on the issue on Wednesday, but it is not clear what it plans to do.

"GOOD PLAN OF ACTION"

Taiwan is China"s most sensitive territorial issue, and Beijing considers the self-ruled, democratic island a wayward province. Hong Kong and Macau are former European colonies that are now part of China but run largely autonomously.

Armed by the United States, Taiwan has always been a major source of tension between Beijing and Washington, but it has been an increasingly contentious issue since Trump took office.

China"s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a faxed request for comment, but in May said: "No matter what the United States says, it cannot change the objective fact that there is only one China in the world and that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are indivisible parts of Chinese territory."

Taiwan"s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the latest developments, but this month urged companies to show "courage" in the face of China"s "bullying" over the website issue.

The companies have little incentive to defy Chinese regulations, but compliance could put them at odds with U.S. foreign policy.

Delta"s chief executive, Ed Bastian, said at a forum in Washington on Wednesday that the airline was working with the U.S. government but would not say whether it would comply.

"We"re working with the U.S. authorities on the topic and we"ll stay close to our U.S. government," Bastian said, calling it a "good plan of action".

The chief executive of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, told Reuters in Washington on June 7 that the website issue was a "government-to-government diplomatic issue and again we"ll see what comes out of that and we"ll react accordingly".

Asked if he would defer to the White House, Munoz said that "I fly to both places and I am deferential to our customers, and again this is not something I am going to solve".

American Airlines said in early June that it had not made changes on its website, and that it was following the direction of the U.S. government.

It is unclear how China might seek to punish airlines that do not comply. But in December it changed rules governing foreign airlines operating in the country, including adding a clause that regulators could change a company"s permit if it did not meet "the demand of public interest".

(Reporting by Matthew Miller and Michael Martina in BEIJING, Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI, Jess Macy Yu in TAIPEI and David Shepardson in WASHINGTON; Editing by Tony Munroe and Philip McClellan)

Obasanjo Bombs Buhari Over Plateau Massacre

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put the right machinery in place for solution to ongoing mass killings in the country.

According to the former President, human problems need human solutions and Nigeria must find solution to massive killings across the country.

Obasanjo spoke on Wednesday when he paid a condolence visit to Governor Simon Lalong in Jos.

Obasanjo who conveyed the condolences of his family and his delegation, charged government at all levels to look for the causes of the killings.

“It is saddening  in this day and age that this kind of barbaric thing is happening in our own country.

“I have suggested and I will still say it again that we need to find out the cause of these mindless killings even among age old neighbours.

“There must be a cause or causes,  remote and immediate and we must deal with it.

“And if we must continue to multiply condolences upon condolences, we must look for the remote causes and deal with it.

“I believe this is a human problem and problems have human solutions, this is a human problem.

“I hope and plead that government at the federal level must collaborate with states, local governments and communities to find what are the causes so that we can deal with it,” he said.

He prayed for a cohesive society where everybody would be his brother’s keeper.

Lalong  appreciated Obasanjo for making out time to come personally to console the people.

Lalong said that he was particularly sad with the development because when he came on board, the Berom and Fulani signed a pact and made some recommendations on how to stay and live together in peace.

According to him, some of the recommendations are being worked on to be passed into law.

The Plateau Government had placed a 6p.m. to 6a.m. curfew on three communities of Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South Local Government Areas after massive killings in the past three days.

The Police confirmed that 86 persons died in attacks which occurred on Sunday.

Michael Jackson’s dad dies at 89

Joe Jackson — the patriarch of the Jackson family — has died, TMZ reports.

The elder Jackson died two days after the ninth anniversary of the demise of his megastar son, Michael, who died on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50.

Family sources tell the online celebrity and entertainment news outlet that Joe passed away at 3:30 AM on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Joe was hospitalised in June with terminal cancer. His family had been flocking to his bedside since. His wife, Katherine, had been at his bedside as were some of Joe’s children and grandchildren, TMZ reported.

“Joe had been battling health problems for some time now. He was hospitalised back in 2016 after coming down with a high fever. But, he bounced back not long after and was seen partying in Vegas.

“His health was also fragile after a stroke and three heart attacks back in 2015. Doctors implanted a pacemaker,” TMZ noted.

Joe may have been the most successful parent managing his children in the history of music. He, with a little help from Diana Ross, engineered the careers of The Jackson 5, and then Michael and Janet Jackson as solo artists.

The elder Jackson took a lot of heat from Michael and his siblings for abusing parenting and management practices, including physical brutality.

Joe agreed to it but, far from apologising, he said his methods made his kids successful and kept them out of jail.

Michael’s dad stood by him during his molestation trial. After Michael’s death, Joe was criticised for trying to make money off his son’s memory.

Joe had 10 kids with Katherine, his wife of more than 60 years. The two did not live together and had a strained relationship for the last years of his life, but they frequently interacted.

Joe was 89.

Up to 10,000 police officers and SAS to guard Donald Trump on visit to UK

Sunday 24 Jun 2018 9:47 am

As many as 10,000 police officers will be on hand to protect Donald Trump from mass protests and a possible terror attack when he makes his visit to Britain next month.

Hundreds of van filled with frontline officers are set to be drafted in to stop any planned protests turning violent when the controversial POTUS makes his highly anticipated visit to the UK.
Special elite armed officers and counter-terror ‘robocops’ who train alongside the SAS will also be on standby in case of attack, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Police chiefs have told officers to prepare to be sent across the country to help out in areas where the president is due to visit as part of Operation Manifold, which has been dubbed ‘Operation Protect Trump’.

Though many people would be glad to see the security provisions being put into place, some are worried the operation will leave the rest of the country without adequate security – especially in London which has seen 77 suspected murders alone this year.

Kevin Hurley, a former public order chief in City of London Police, told the paper : ‘It will be a significant drain on visible policing – it’s going to strip out resources from surrounding forces and it will be the youngest and fittest who are drawn off.

‘Whenever the US president visits there is a huge security requirement just because of the threat from terrorism, but because of his current profile it’s likely to increase opposition and there will be a significant requirement to maintain public order.’

President Trump is due to arrive in the UK by plane on Thursday, July 12, and is expected to be arriving at Stansted Airport.

Rather than the full pomp and ceremony of a State visit though, he will largely be kept away from central London where large protests are expected to gather.

When he arrives, he will reportedly be flown in his Marine One helicopter to the US Ambassador’s residence in Regent’s Park before having dinner at Blenheim Palace.

The next day, he is expected to hold talks with Theresa May at the Prime Minister’s country retreat, Chequers, before meeting the Queen at Windsor Castle.

On his last day, the President is expected to visit his Turnberry golf course in Scotland before heading home.

Trump is also set to bring his own ranks of Secret Service agents as well as a fleet of bomb-proof Cadillacs – known as The Beasts – in which his entourage will travel.
According to some sources, as many as 200 Police Support Units, made up of an inspector, three sergeants and about 20 public order-trained PCs in three riot vans – will be on standby throughout the trip.
As well as this, hundreds of authorised firearms officers will be on duty.

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Fresh Trouble In Plateau As Fulani Herdsmen Kill Nigerian Air Force & Police Officer In Plateau State And Took Their Rifles Away, See How It All Happened

According to media reports, an air force officer and a police officer were killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen after being ambushed in Riyom village in Plateau State. It was also gathered that their rifles were carted away by the attackers.

This is coming after Plateau State Government imposed a 6pm to 6am curfew in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos South local government areas following attacks and reprisals in some communities that led to the death of over 100 persons.

About 12 communities in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State of Plateau came under multiple attacks over the weekend leading to the death of dozens, according to local sources.

The attacks, however, led to a breakdown of law and order around Angle D, which is close to Grand Cereals in Jos South as travellers were forced out of their vehicles and killed.

National Helm scooped that the weekend attack is suspected to be the climax of weeks of tit-for-tat killings between Berom locals and the Fulani communities around Barkin Ladi.
Source;

Breaking News: Homes evacuated as wildfire rages in northern England

Firefighters on Wednesday battled a rare large wildfire near Manchester in northern England which has led to the evacuation of dozens of homes.

Police have declared the fire, which is still spreading across moorland to the east of the city, a “major incident” and said the army is on standby to step in.

Around 10 fire engines and 50 firefighters are tackling the blaze at Saddleworth Moor, according to Leon Parkes, assistant chief fire officer with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

“Fire crews have been working in tremendously difficult conditions in the heat, smoke, working with our partner agencies,” he said.

“A number of actions were put in place including the evacuation of nearby houses because of the spread of the fire.”

Parkes added that reports indicate the fire was six kilometres (four miles) long — an unusually large wildfire for Britain, where they are rare events.

“We’ve got lots of experience with dealing with moor fires,” he said.

“But this particular incident is vast — it’s presented some real challenges.”

The blaze broke out on Sunday and reignited Monday amid a period of sustained hot weather across Britain.

Greater Manchester Police said 34 homes have been evacuated so far as strong winds drive the flames closer to residential areas.

No injuries have been reported, but people living nearby have been advised to keep windows and doors closed by health officials and two schools will be closed on Wednesday.

Smoke has spread for miles, darkening skies above swathes of Greater Manchester, one of the most populated areas in Britain.

Nearby resident Dee Blanchard, 28, told the Manchester Evening News she had placed damp towels around the windows and doors in her home.

“It’s getting a bit frightening,” she said, adding nobody was venturing out and firefighters had warned the neighbourhood may need to be evacuated.

Parkes, the assistant fire chief, said his service planned “a heavy attack on this fire” on Wednesday by deploying additional resources.

“If that needs military assistance, that’s what we’ll consider,” he added.

The cause of the fire has not been established, Parkes said.

Breaking News: Swede jailed for life over Rwanda genocide

A Stockholm court on Wednesday sentenced a Swedish man of Rwandan origin to life in prison for participating in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Theodore Tabaro, 49, was sentenced by the Stockholm district court for “genocide” after he was convicted of murder, attempted murder, and kidnappings of the Tutsi minority.

He was acquitted of rape due to lack of evidence.

The incidents occurred between April-May 1994 in Rwanda’s southwestern sectors of Winteko, Nyakanyinya and Mibirizi, according to the verdict, seen by AFP.

Tabaro participated in an attack against a Nyakanyinya school in which hundreds of people, including women and children, had been ordered to seek refuge.

The court said he, along with other culprits, “threw hand grenades at the building” and “shot and stabbed” civilians.

Eight hundred people, many of them children, were killed or seriously injured.

He also participated a few days later in an attack against a monastery in Mibirizi.

Investigators and prosecutors in the case interviewed dozens of witnesses and survivors in Rwanda, Europe and North America.

At least 36 deaths and seven rape victims were identified during the investigation.

Sixteen of the 30 survivors and relatives of victims who lodged the case against Tabaro, will be compensated, the court said.

Tabaro was arrested in October 2016 at his home in Orebro, 160km west of Stockholm. He arrived in Sweden in 1998 and was naturalised in 2006.

In 2014 and 2016, Sweden sentenced two other Rwandan naturalised Swedes, Stanislas Mbanenande and Claver Berinkidi, to life in prison for participating in the Rwandan genocide.

Triggered after the assassination of Rwandan President Hutu Juvenal Habyarimana on 6 April 1994, the genocide claimed 800 000 lives in three months, mainly among the Tutsi minority, according to the UN figures.

Breaking News: 17 US states sue Trump administration over family separation policy

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson Tuesday formally filed a multi-state lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump’s “family separation” immigration policy.

The legal action led by Ferguson and brought to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington was joined by a coalition comprising the District of Columbia and 17 states, including California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and Washington.

The Washington State Attorney General Office said in a statement Tuesday that the Trump administration has “violated the constitutional due process rights of the parents and children by separating without any finding that the parents pose a threat to the children.”

“The Administration has been violating federal asylum laws by turning away families that show up at ports of entry seeking asylum,” it said.

Describing the case as “something important about who we are as a people,” Ferguson said, “We will stand up for the Constitution, basic decency and fundamental American values.”

Ferguson and Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the lawsuit last week outside the federal prison in SeaTac, Washington, where the federal government was detaining dozens of women after forcibly separating their children from them.

The Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy on illegal immigration dictates that all immigrants arriving U.S. shores illegally should be handed in for prosecution and detained under federal custody, and that children traveling with their parents will be sent separately to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, where they are supervised by other family members, provided with shelters, or sent to foster homes.

Facing domestic and international backlash, Trump signed an executive order last Wednesday to end the administration’s controversial practice of separating migrant children from their parents crossing the U.S. border illegally.

“At the same time, we are keeping a very powerful border, and it continues to be a zero tolerance. We have zero tolerance for people who enter our country illegally,” Trump said after he signed the executive order.

The Washington Attorney General Office said Trump’s executive order does nothing to reunify families already torn apart by his policy, criticizing it as “riddled with so many caveats as to be meaningless.”

Tuesday’s lawsuit said until Trump signed the executive order, his zero-tolerance policy “had resulted in the separation of over two thousand children from their parents at the Southwestern border, most recently at a rate of 50-70 families separated every day.”

“This unlawful practice exacerbates the trauma already suffered by refugee families while simultaneously artificially increasing illegal entry violations,” the complaint read.

Ferguson has filed 27 lawsuits against the Trump administration and has so far won nine of them.

“My office has not yet lost a lawsuit to the Trump Administration, and we do not intend to lose this one,” Ferguson said.

Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court backed Trump’s travel ban targeting citizens of several Muslim-majority nations in a 5-4 vote.

Trump hailed the ruling as “a tremendous victory for the American people and our Constitution,” even though it is expected to spark fresh protests and further divide the country.

Mom shoots NZ man who flew to US to confront teen he met online

Mom shoots New Zealand man who flew to US to confront teen he met online-

A mother in Richmond, Virginia has shot a man who flew from New Zealand to the US to confront her 14-year-old daughter whom he had met online.

Troy George Skinner, 25, arrived at the girl"s home in Richmond, Virginia last Friday, while armed with a knife, pepper spray and duct tape, according to Goochland County police.

He had smashed the glass door and was reaching inside to unlock it when the girl"s mother fired her handgun, striking him in the neck. He survived.

Skinner had first met the girl on Discord, a platform and chat site for gamers. After several months, she stopped talking to him, despite Skinner"s attempts to continue contact.

"He was not invited here, he was not expected here, he had been told in the past that this daughter no longer wished to communicate with him," said Goochland Sheriff James Agnew at a news conference on Monday.

Agnew said that the girl"s mother was not aware of the communication.

After they stopped talking online, Skinner embarked on an extensive journey to reach her home, flying from Auckland to Sydney to Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., then taking a bus to Richmond.

The multi-stop trip further indicated deliberate planning on Skinner"s part, Agnew said.

"This was not random, this was not spontaneous, this was something very planned," he added.

Skinner then bought the knife and duct tape from a Walmart store. Armed and dressed in black, he headed to the girl"s house.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the girl"s mother was at home painting when she heard a knock. When she didn"t answer, Skinner went to the back door, through which he spotted the mother inside.

"I need some help, I"ve hitchhiked here 30 miles," he told her through the door.

Skinner eventually threw a landscaping brick through the glass door, even as the mother warned him repeatedly that she had a gun. As he reached inside through the broken glass, she fired twice, hitting him in the neck.

After arriving on the scene, the police transferred Skinner to the VCU Medical Center, where he is currently being treated.

"He is not the victim," Agnew said. "That lady and her family members are the victims here."

"The last guy I would expect"

One of Skinner"s friends told the New Zealand Herald that he was shocked at the news.

"This was the last guy I would expect to do something like this," said Shamar Singh, who has been friends with Skinner for eight years.

According to the Herald, Skinner had asked to borrow a few hundred dollars from Singh two weeks ago, claiming he was visiting a dying friend overseas.

Singh said Skinner hadn"t been in trouble with the law before.

Agnew told CNN that Skinner has been arrested but not yet booked, and will "face an enhanced penalty for committing this crime while armed with a deadly weapon."

Skinner will be held without bond after his release from the hospital, and will then be booked and have a bond hearing at the Goochland District Court.

Breaking News: President Buhari’s visit to Plateau an afterthought - PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Plateau state where more than 100 Nigerians were killed on Sunday was afterthought.

The PDP said President Muhammadu Buhari was more interested in his reelection in 2019 than governance.

Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, stated this while speaking with journalists in Akure, Ondo state capital.

Ologbondiyan said President Buhari ought to have visited Plateau state first before going to commission state projects in Cross River state.

“We in PDP think that responsibly, the first place that Mr. President should have gone to was Plateau state, not Cross River to commission a state project.

“We can not say that because Cross River is a PDP state we should encourage Mr. President to do what is not justifiable.

“This is because we want the President to do what is sensitive to the feelings of ordinary Nigerians.

“His action of going to Cross River first instead of going to Plateau, where many Nigerians have been killed, to say the least, is irresponsible.

“As a matter of fact, what singular project has Mr. President commissioned on behalf of the federal government in last two years?

“Nigerians are in pains over the lost of lives in Plateau state. And the life of a singular Nigerian is as important as lives of hundreds of Nigerians,” he said.

Breaking News: APC lacks capacity, experience - Ex-VP Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have the requisite experience and capacity to adequately manage the affairs of the country.

Speaking in an interview with journalists after an interaction meeting with the Forum of PDP Former State Houses of Assembly Presiding Officials, Tuesday in Abuja, Atiku said: “I think the people of Nigeria need to sit down and evaluate APC and PDP. There is nothing about APC.’’

On why he met with the forum, the former vice-president described members of the forum as a force to be reckoned with based on the number of its members and their experience.

The PDP presidential aspirant also described the recent killings in Plateau State as unfortunate, stressing that there was need to adopt measures including community dialogue to address the lingering crisis.

“I just listened to a former deputy speaker, a lady for that matter, and she made two points; hard and soft powers in resolving the crisis. I like that idea.

“It is not every security breach you can use hard power on. You need to establish dialogue between leadership of various communities that lived together over the years.

“So the issue of using mere crude and hard power is not the only solution. There is also the need to use soft power on the issue of peaceful coexistence between communities,” he said.

Also speaking to journalists after meeting with the forum, a former Minister of Special Duties, and PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, condemned the Jos crisis where many lives were lost.

He attributed the killing to the failure of the APC-led federal government and lack of failure among various security agencies.

“If you recall, few months ago the national security agency had appeared before the senate and disclosed that the greatest problem that the Nigeria security agencies have today is that the agencies work at cross purposes.

“There is no cooperation, there is no synergy. If critical security agencies are not sharing information or working together, then how do you expect them to come up with tight security architecture that will safeguard the lives and properties of Nigeria? And that is what is happening.’’

Turaki, however, expressed confidence that the PDP had all it takes to reclaim the leadership of Nigeria in 2019 and return the country to the path of prosperity.

He said: “PDP has men and women of impeccable integrity, men and women that are known to be bridge builders that have the needed education and experience.

“That is why we say PDP is different from every other political parties in the country.’’

The Chairman of the forum, Mr Inuwa Garba, speaking on the interaction said the purpose was for the forum to be properly guided on which of the presidential aspirants to be voted for during the parties primary.

Garba said the forum wanted the best for the party and the country.

He also pledged that the processes leading to the primaries would not divide members of the forum and that of PDP.

Breaking News: Ex-VP Atiku Abubakar, There’s no alternative to restructuring for Nigeria to progress

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday said there was no alternative to restructuring if Nigeria must make progress.

Abubakar said this in Asaba, the Delta State capital, during his consultative visit to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state on his 2019 presidential ambition.

He said he remained resolute in his support for the restructuring of the country, positing that there was “too much power” in the hands of the Federal Government.

He said this has made governance in the country less competitive, particularly among the states.

He said he had been in the forefront of the calls for the restructuring of the country since 2004 while still serving as Vice President because it would bring out the best among the federating units and lead to economic development across board.

The PDP presidential aspirant also called on the Federal Government to review the current security architecture to meet the emerging security threats in the country, adding that he would always support any cause that would move the country forward.

Abubakar, who also vowed to tackle unemployment in the country when he becomes president, noted that he was in the presidential race because of his burning desire to ensure that Nigeria made progress and was united irrespective of its religious and ethnic diversity.

He decried the situation where security agencies don’t take orders from state governors, adding: “As an individual, I don’t think this is true federalism, we must restructure the security architecture.

“I will have a very small Federal Government with powers and resources devolved to the states to manage the affairs while they pay taxes to the Federal Government.

“With this, each zone can survive on its own without leaning on oil money.

“I’ll create jobs.

“You must liberalise the economy, support the private sector, create incentives to make the private sector boom and open up the economy to foreign direct investments.

“The security architecture of the country must be reviewed and decentralised to meet modern-day security challenges.”

Okowa stressed that restructuring would help to resolve the myriad of challenges currently confronting the country.

He said: “I strongly believe that the way out of the challenges of the country is to have stronger states, stronger federating units.”

Breaking News: Killings, Plateau PDP asks Governor Lalong to resign

As pockets of attacks and killings continue in remote villages of Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos South local government councils of Plateau State, despite imposition of dusk to dawn curfew, the People Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Governor Simon Lalong to step down as governor.

The party’s reason was his inability to run the affairs of the state in a manner that ensures the security of lives.

Damishi Sango, the state party chairman, during press conference held at the party secretariat in Jos, Tuesday, lamented that in the last three years, Governor Lalong kept on drumming into the ears of President Muhammadu Buhari that he had brought lasting peace on the Plateau, when he knew that the peace he was talking about was peace of the graveyard.

According to him, the first duty of any elected governor is the security of his people, and in doing so, the governor ought to spread his security network to every nook and cranny of his state to get early warning signals.

He regretted that Governor Lalong failed in this responsibility to deliver his people from being killed on daily basis by herders believed to have been brought into the state to carry out hatchet jobs.

The former Minister of Sports and Youth Development said despite the many travails of the people of Plateau in the hands of their enemies, President Buhari had done little in identifying with the people of the state.

According to Sango, it is on record that following the flood incident in Bauchi, President Buhari did not only send his education minister there, but personally followed the next day where he sobbed as he shared in the pains of the victims.

“It is lamentable that President Muhammadu Buhari does not consider the loss of precious lives numbering over 200 sufficient reason for him to come over to Plateau State to offer condolences to the good people of Barkin Ladi and the entire state,” he said.

Sango described the happenings in the states of the federation where herders were hunting down citizens of this country in their communities as leadership failure.

The former minister said he gathered authoritatively that about a week to Sallah, intelligence reports indicated that there were plans to attack communities in Plateau immediately after the celebration.

“These killings have come exactly a week after Sallah; where is the intelligence network of the securities agencies?” Sango asked.

The party also expressed worry that Lalong left out flash points like Jos North and Bassa in the curfew he declared.

Yakubu Dati, the Commissioner for Information, said Lalong’s administration while coming on board three years ago made security of lives and property its top priority and worked round the clock to bring the peace the people had enjoyed before the recent development.

Dati said Lalong was alive to his responsibility as the chief security officer of the state, stressing that when the crisis broke out on Sunday in Barkin Ladi, the governor cut short his participation in the APC convention and returned to Jos to take charge of the situation.

Breaking News: Herding shouldn’t displace farming, human lives - Governor Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State says his government has a place for everyone that was interested in cattle business, adding that cattle business or ranching in the state would not be at the expense of the lives of the Benue people or farming, the mainstay of the Benue economy.

The governor, who made the statement in Makurdi on Tuesday while inaugurating 17 boards and two governing councils in the state, also commiserated with Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State over the killing of hundreds by suspected Fulani herdsmen last weekend.

In the wake of killing of hundreds by suspected Fulani herders in Benue recently, Lalong had said he had cautioned Ortom against the implementation of the anti-open grazing law.

But Ortom asked the governor to mind his business, adding that the killings were plans by herdsmen to occupy the land, as there had been killings in states that were yet to enact the law.

A statement issued in Makurdi on Tuesday by Terver Akase, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, added: “Samuel Ortom commiserates with Governor Simon Lalong and the entire people of Plateau State over renewed attacks in the state which have left many innocent people dead and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

“Governor Ortom condemns the attacks and describes the killing of children, women and other vulnerable people in Barkin Ladi as barbaric, inhuman and unfortunate.

“He urges security agencies to arrest for prosecution, the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association who have claimed responsibility over the Plateau killings.”

Ortom assured his Plateau counterpart that Benue would continue to stand with the people of Plateau in prayers until the orgy of violence over the state and other parts of the Middle Belt is brought to an end.

Earlier, while inaugurating the boards, the governor, who was probably reacting to the procurement of land by the Federal Government for ranching, noted that cattle business would not take priory over lives and farming in Benue.

According to him, Benue does not have the land being required by the FG to give away for ranching.

While explaining that Benue government has communicated same to the Federal Government, the governor said anyone that intended to ranch must follow the laid down rules as enshrined in the anti-open grazing law.

Governor Ortom stressed that his government would not release the land of the people to foreigners who slay its people, adding that it was government’s responsibility to protect lives and property in the state.

Just as he pointed out to the boards that the challenges before them were enormous, he said the expectations of the people were very high, as such they needed to be creative to improve Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the state.

He also stated that leadership comes with a lot of responsibilities, even as he urged the boards not to shy away from advising government in areas it could do better.

On the other hand, he said government would not fail in fulfilling its statutory responsibilities to ensure they succeed in the task set before them.

Responding on behalf of the boards, Abba Yaro, the board chairman, College of Education, Katsina-Ala, who is also the chairman of All Progressives Council (APC) in state, told the governor: “We will put in our best and we will work to succeed.”

Breaking News: Nigerian leaders, citizens capable of ending killings - US

United States of America Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, has said Nigerian leaders and citizens were capable of putting an end to the myriads of killings across the country.

Symington said if Nigerians were united across all regions, all occupations, and all faiths, ending the killings across the country would not be difficult to achieve.

Symington made the submission during the 242nd Independence Day celebration of the United State, on Tuesday, in Abuja.

Symington’s remarks came few days after close to 100 Nigerians were killed in Plateau State.

Symington said: “Nigeria’s leaders and citizens have it in their power to make this killing stop now, if you are united across all regions, all occupations, and all faiths.”

The United States envoy added: “When you act together with sincerity and high purpose and sustained effort, you will end this violence.

“This is not a goal, this is the cup itself. And it will mean the World for you to lift it high!”

The United States ambassador further said security that lasts depends on strong citizens who support each other and their governments.

According to Symington, “It is as much a product of trust, forged by opportunities shared and rules fairly enforced on level playing fields as it is the product of force wisely applied to answer threats.”

Speaking earlier, Symington said the United State is investing with Nigerians in a partnership for people, peace, and prosperity.

He added that together, “we are saving lives from disease, violence, and hunger.”

Symington continued, “Every single member of our great staff knows that our work matters. We measure our impact in lives.

“This is a nation of World Cup importance. This is the field; you are the players on it. There is no place with more at stake for the future of our World than NIGERIA.

“Every day, all across this land, we work with good people to save lives and bend upwards the curve of economic growth, so that real opportunity and hope will outpace need.

“But, far too often, we see the deaths of innocents whose hopes are stopped forever, by those whose awful acts reflect no good and serve no cause. These innocents must not be forgotten.”

See The Newly Customized Volkswagen Beetle Car For Offroad Expedition (Photos)

Lovers of Volkswagen Beetle might have something to cheer about after the unveiling of this Offroad Volkswagen Beetle.

The Offroad Volkswagen Beetle

A stylish and offraod Volkswagen Beetle with new features and capabalities has left many lovers of the car in joyous mood.

The new car with improved design can undertake different expeditions successfully.

It comes with a high tyre that can climb higher grounds with a powerful engine to compliment it.

See more photos:

 

Breaking News: FIFA scribe, CAF, others, Super Eagles made Africa proud

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, the Confederation of Africa Football and some Nigerians believe the Super Eagles made the continent proud despite their World Cup ouster in Russia.

A 1-2 loss to Argentina in the last Group D game at Saint Petersburg stadium sent the team to a third place finish with three points behind their South American counterparts with four points.

The Lionel Messi captained side will join group leaders Croatia with nine points in the knockout stages, while debutants Iceland will head home with a point alongside the Gernot Rohr tutored Super Eagles.

On her Twitter handle: @fatma_Samoura, the FIFA Secretary General urged the team to hold its head high.

She tweeted: “…To the Nigerian side be proud, be strong, hold your heads high! You have not only lifted the spirits of your country but made it very proud of you.”

CAF also added that the team had made them proud.

‘”Hard Luck @NGSuperEgles .. You did a great job and really made us proud. Celebrate Africa,” it said on @CAF_online, its Twitter account.

Some Nigerian politicians also took to their Twitter handles to laud the team.

Ben Murray Bruce: “Great game @NGSuperEagles. The score line doesn’t fluctuate the position of our hearts. We won together, we lost together. We remain proud of you guys.”

Atiku Abubakar: “We gave our all. The boys can hold their heads high. Thank you @NGSuperEagles.”

Bukola Saraki: “A great performance by our @NGSuperEagles. We fought a good fight. However, you win some, you lose some. Raise your heads up, you inspired all 180 million of us. Thank you.”

With Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia out of the World Cup, Senegal, the only African nation left, will take on Columbia in their last group H game on Thursday.

Breaking News: Super Eagles disappointed to crash out of World Cup Gernot - Rohr

Coach Gernot Rohr has said he is very disappointed the Super Eagles failed to go past the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.

Nigeria fell 2-1 to Argentina in a final Group D match when they needed at least a draw to go through.

“It was a big disappointment because my team gave their best especially in the second half,” Rohr said.

“We were just a few minutes away from qualification.

“But I’m proud of my players.

“We lacked experience, we’re a young team and in four years they will be ready.”

He praised skipper Mikel Obi as a “real leader” and hopes he continues to feature for the national team.

Rohr said he hopes to continue with the team.

He only recently signed a new contract that will expire in 2020.

Use of Social Media : Army threatens officers with dismissal, rank reduction

Abuja – Following increasing discovery of leakage of information about troop’s movement to Boko Haram terrorists and other security breaches through the social media, the Defence headquarters approved new guidelines of the use of social media to tackle cyber-security crimes.

General Gabriel Olonisakin Under the new guidelines, Officers of the Nigerian Military will lose seniority, reduction in rank or dismissal if their actions compromise national security.

newsmen gathered that the new law entitled ‘Policy on the Use of Social Media’ for the Armed Forces of Nigeria was signed by the Chief of Defence staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin on Monday at the Defence headquarters.

The new law stipulates among others, that all the Services, the Nigerian Army, Navy and Airforce are to establish Social Media Directorates to monitor the Social Media and tell the Armed Forces story in real time.

The law gives guidelines for use of Social Media by military personnel including the extent to which members of their families are allowed to use social media.

Furthermore, the new policy spelt out the ‘Do’s and Don’ts on social media to be adhered to by military personnel.

Finally the new policy stipulated actions on Social Media that are regarded as offences and punishment to be meted out.

The Defence Space Administration is saddled with the responsibility of monitoring the calls and usage of the social media by military personnel

Breaking News: Nnamdi Kanu’s surety demands his arrest - IPOB

Tochukwu Uchendu, one of the three persons who stood as surety to secure bail for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed an application demanding the arrest of the IPOB leader.

The two other sureties are Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Ben Elshalom, a Jewish priest.

Monday’s proceeding was meant for the three sureties to show cause why the N300 million bail bond should not be forfeited to the Federal Government since they could not produce Kanu in court.

The motion on notice was brought pursuant to Section 174(A) and (B), 177, and 179 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and Section 36I and 6(6) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The motion filed by Frank Chude, on behalf of Uchendu, is seeking “an order directing the Nigerian police to arrest and produce Nnamdi Kanu before the court.”

Uchendu also wants an order suspending his obligation on the bond until the whereabouts of Kanu was established.

Uchendu predicated his motion on the grounds that the court had granted the 1st defendant (Kanu) bail on the 25th day of April, 2017.

He pointed out that while Kanu was on bail, he had a confrontation with the military, an arm of the state, and “that since then his whereabouts is unknown and he has not being seen”.

An affidavit deposed to by Uchendu stated that after the invasion of the residence of Kanu by the Nigerian army on September 14, 2017, he had not been seen in the public since.

“I am unable to communicate with the 1st defendant and his whereabouts unknown to me,” he said.

Uchendu averred that Kanu had brought an application before the court seeking an order of habeas corpus for him to be produced in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/908/17.

“That Kanu has not been seen in public since the 14th day of September, 2017, when the agents of the state (soldiers) invaded his house in Isiama Afaraukwu, Abia State.

“That the invasion of Kanu’s home on 14th September by the military has ostensibly frustrated his bail and made it impossible for me to bring him to court as stipulated by the terms of the bail.”

Uchendu, therefore, pleaded the court not to punish him for the unforeseen circumstances created by the Nigerian soldiers which have practically frustrated his duty as surety.

Similarly, the 1st (Abaribe) and 2nd (Elshalom) sureties filed separate applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the order for them to show cause, which was made on March 28, 2018.

Both applications were filed and served on the prosecution counsel, Shuiabu Labaran, on Monday.

However, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, counsel to Kanu, objected to the motion to show cause from being heard on the basis that he was not served the processes.

Meanwhile, the attempt made by Chukwuma M. Umeh (SAN), counsel to Abaribe, to have him released from the custody of the Department of State Service proved abortive as Justice Binta Nyako refused.

Justice Nyako stated that he did not make any order of detention against Abaribe and therefore cannot order the release of a person whose arrest she did not order.

“I did not make any order of arrest against the surety (Abaribe), but if he has committed an offence, he should be arrested.

“DSS is not an extension of this court, I did not order his arrest,” Justice Nyako said.

However, based on the passionate plea of Umeh, the court advised the DSS to consider Abaribe’s fundamental rights and allow him access to his lawyers.

“For whatever reason you have arrested the surety, please, allow him access to his lawyer,” Nyako said.

The matter has been adjourned to November 14 for hearing of the applications of the sureties.

It would be recalled that Justice Binta Nyako had on March 28 ordered Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South in the National Assembly; Tochukwu Uchendu, and Ben Elshalom who stood as sureties for Kanu to produce the IPOB leader in court on June 26.

Justice Nyako had in a bench ruling on October 10, 2017, given the three sureties options of either producing Kanu in court, forfeiting the bail bond they signed or go to jail if the IPOB leader failed to appear in court to face trial.

The sureties had signed a bail bond of N100 million each to secure the release of Kanu on bail on April 25, 2017.

However, since the invasion of Kanu’s home in Abia State in September, 2017, during a military operation code-named, ‘Operation Python Dance 2’, the embattled IPOB leader has not been seen again.

The sureties and Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, are accusing the Nigerian army of being responsible for Kanu’s disappearance and, as such, should be asked to produce him in court.

But having failed to show up in court, on February 20, 2018, Justice Nyako had to order Senator Abaribe, and the two other sureties, to produce Kanu in court or forfeit the bail bond or risk jail.

However, the Department of State Services (DSS) has released Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Uchenna Awom, Abaribe’s media aide, confirmed this in a statement issued on Tuesday night.

“About 6.32pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe walked into freedom after five days in the DSS gulag,” the statement reads.

“Abaribe, who was granted administrative bail, was released to his lawyers led by Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN).

“The collective calls and demand for his release have shown the great spirit of Nigerians for justice.”

IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING, NOTHING WILL BE LEFT BEHIND, FROM THE EAST, WEST AND MIDDLE BELT---FULANI NATION

JUNE 25, 2018

THE KILLINGS IN PLATEAU

STATEMENT BY THE FULANI NATIONALITY MOVEMENT, (FUNAM)

WE REMAIN SOLID AND UNSHAKEN BY THE WIND

Our attention has been drawn to the series of campaigns being waged against the FULANI NATIONALITY following the killings in PLATEAU where some civilians who have been tormenting the FULANI nation were justifiable hacked down;

Why is it convenient for Nigerians to condemn the killings of Birom but fail to condemn the killings of Fulani people?

We frown at the
conscious attempts to demonize the FULANI nation by the media and their collaborators;

We wish to make the following categorical statements on the Plateau incidence:

1) The killings in Barkin Ladi was motivated by previous killings of FULANI men and women by Birom youths in collaboration with certain minority ethnic groups in PLATEAU. We hereby justify this retaliatory attacks and warn that we shall continue to defend ourselves and uphold the FULANI heritage now and in the future. Let it be known that the Fulani Special Force coordinated the attacks;

For the avoidance of doubt, our heritage is that ANY ATTACK ON A SINGLE FULANI IS AN ATTACK ON ALL. ANY OF SUCH ATTACKS MUST BE COUNTERED WITH TRIPLE MEASURE.

2) That apart from stealing hundreds of cows belonging to FULANI, these criminal elements also set ablaze several houses belonging to peaceful FULANI natives across the entire territories in Barkin Ladi and Plateau.

3)That we have said it several times that Plateau is an indigenous territory of the FULANI people. We are the first to settle in Plateau-Benue axis thousands of years ago. We shall take and posses every inch of this land; A conscious attempt to rewrite history and distort, manipulate or destroy our past will be resisted with all the might at our disposal.

4) That there is a clear agenda to divide Nigeria and exterminate the FULANI people. We are long aware of this plot. We call on FULANI all over Africa to prepare for this inevitable war and set our people on an offensive path rather than being weaklings that choose a defensive strategy in warfare.

5) We have said it over and over, that Nigeria is the only inhertrance we have in Africa and anywhere in the world. This land belongs to us, from Sokoto to the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. This was the destiny bestowed on Uthman Dan Fodio which would have been fulfilled since 1816 if not for the obstruction of this great assignment by the British. It is no longer time to play the ostrish. Our men are waiting. We are eager to fight. We are boiling with the zeal to actualize our dream; enough of double dealing and ambivalence by FULANI political leaders who unfortunately think the FULANI can only take back what belongs to us through appeasement and elections destined to reflect cultural values antithetical to the preachings of Uthman Dan Fodio.

6) We warn that nothing will be able to save those raising their voices against us and Allah. Nothing will be left behind, from the East, West and Middle Belt except those who accept the creation of Allah and the leadership place of Fulani in fulfilling this destiny. Since this irresponsible Western notion of democracy was imposed, the Fulani have been shortchanged and maligned. The Middle-Belt, the West and the East should be prepared. We are already here.

7) Let the Birom and the ethnic minority invaders in the entire Middle Belt leave our territory or be prepared to accept our ways of live. It is time for them to savour their wounds. It is just the beginning. Many more will come and nothing can stop us.

7) Insha Allah, we shall take this battle across the sea, on the land, in the air, on the mountains, in every territory currently occupied by the Kafirs. This is our position. This is our destiny. For those who think they can stop or continue to conspire against us, we wish them good luck.

Signed
Badu Salisu Ahmadu
National President

Umar Amir Shehu

"Fantastic Numbers" Nollywood movie worth N35M gets release date

A release date for "Fantastic Numbers," a Nollywood movie which reportedly cost 35 million to make, has been released.

Produced by Uzee Usman for 2effect Pictures, the movie is set to debut in cinemas on June 29, 2018.

"Fantastic Numbers" tells the story of twins who were separated at birth. They bump into each other in a seemingly dramatic circumstance and become sworn enemies instead of brothers that they are.

In a similar fashion, triplets who were thrown away by their biological mother lead their separate lives until fate brings them together at a time they need one another the most.

Directed by Paul Apel Papel, the movie stars Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards Best actress, Ivie Okujaye, Sani Danja, AMVCA best actor, Sambasa Nzeribe, Yakubu Mohammed,Funny Mallam and Rahama Sadau.

According to the Executive producer, Yakubu Mohammed, "Fantastic Numbers" addresses cases of children who are rejected and thrown away by their parents because they appear to be a burden or have some questionable circumstances surrounding their birth. These children become orphans and are left to survive on their own.

“However, there are relationships that go wrong; we see women suffer in their relationships because the man in their lives is the only hope for survival and so they keep quite and swallow their bitter pill," he said in an official statement sent to Pulse Nigeria on June 26, 2018.

The 35 million-budget movie is distributed by Blue pictures.