Policeman kills taxi driver,sick passenger in Kano

A police corporal, attached to Yankaba Division, Kano, yesterday, shot  and killed a taxi driver who was transporting a sick female passenger to the hospital. The passenger, unfortunately also died in the incident.According to an eyewitness, Isa Tanko, the killings occurred around 9.30am between Hadejia Road roundabout and Haye quarters of Nassarawa local government area.
He said:
“The cab driver was flagged down at a  security check point by officers of the Nigerian Police and, within two minutes, I heard gunshots that sent shivers down the spines of  onlookers “, Tanko said. 
“We rushed to the scene and found the driver in a pool of his blood; so also was a
woman gasping for breathe inside the cab who gave up the ghost before help could come her way.”
The eyewitness disclosed that the incident caused chaos as a crowd gathered to mob the suspected officer who eventually escaped in a police waiting van.

However, efforts to confirm the  incident from Kano State Police Image Maker, ASP Magaji Musa Majia, proved abortive.

Vanguard,

Posted by Angeleash A J

Focus is on Tanjong Pagar GRC residents, not opposition interest: Chan Chun Sing

Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Chan Chun Sing (centre) briefs the media during his team's walkabout on Sunday morning. Photo: Imelda Saad

SINGAPORE — The Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) team’s focus is not “on who’s coming
in”, but to put in their work every day so residents will see who is genuine, said Tanjong Pagar GRC Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing today (July 26). “The focus is to do my work consistently, and take care of
residents,” Mr Chan said. “It’s the wrong starting point to say that I want to come to Tanjong Pager because I want to
see a fight. That is injustice to residents.” The Minister was speaking to the media after a walkabout today. Mr Chan now leads the GRC, following the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew in March this year. The PAP is expected to face competition in this ward in the upcoming election, after
a walkover in 2011. Among the opposition parties that have stated an interest include Singaporeans First and Singapore
Democratic Party (SDP).
Commenting on the late Mr Lee’s legacy, fellow GRC MP Indranee Rajah said: “Mr Lee’s greatest legacy is that Singapore can carry on without him. We feel as MPs here that it is our duty to continue the Tanjong Pagar story and do our bit to build a new Singapore and a new spirit.”
The team had earlier officially introduced a new face, 47- year-old Joan Pereira, during today’s walkabout. CHANNEL
NEWSASIA

ABC

Posted by Angeleash A J

Diver killed by 'very large' shark in front of terrified daughter

KILLER: A great white shark like the one that attacked the scalloping diving dad

The hobbyist was swimming in shallow waters to collect shellfish when he was attacked by the predator. It comes after Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning returned to the water for the first time since he survived a shark attack live on TV.
The latest victim had been diving with his daughter from their small aluminium dinghy off the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, when things took a turn for the worst at around 8am local time.

SHARK ATTACK: Diver was killed by shark off Maria Island on Tasmania's east coast

Inspector David Wiss of Tasmania Police told a press conference: "Today there's been a terrible tragedy.
"There's been a fatal shark attack.
"It involves a male in his late 40s.
"He was near Maria Island, very close to Lachlan Island.
"He was scallop diving with his adult daughter.
"They went into the water, they collected a number of scallops.
"My understanding is the daughter returned to the boat and the father returned to get more scallops.

SURVIVOR: Pro surfer Mick Fanning returns to the sea for the first time since he fought off a shark

"He did not return to the surface.
"His daughter became worried and went down to check on her father.
"She saw a very large shark and saw her father being attacked by the shark."
Insp Wiss later added the daughter set off a flare for help and called the emergency services.
He explained: "Boaters attended the area and they pulled up a male using the air hose he was attached to but unfortunately he was fatally injured.
"This is a deeply traumatic incident for the daughter.
"We're providing support as best we can [and] we've got professional critical incident people attending their residence as we speak."
The Mayor of Hobart said a 15ft white pointer, as great white sharks are also known in Australia, had been spotted
several times in the preceding weeks.

Daily Star

Posted by Angeleash A J

50 Cent to pay additional $2 mil in sex tape damages

50 Cent has been instructed to fork over another $2 million in punitive damages to Rick Ross' baby mama, Lastonia Leviston, for leaking her sex tape online.
A lawyer for Leviston had urged jurors to award her $15 million in punitive damages but was rather awarded $7 mil especially because 50 Cent told the jury this week that he was worth less than $5 million in an effort to get some leniency. 50 Cent's attorney had asked them to order he pay $700,000.The jury announced the judgment in NYC on yesterday. 50 already got hit with a $5 million judgment in the case earlier this month which lead to him filing for personal bankruptcy.

50 Cent's attorney has released a statement saying the rapper plans to fight the judgement hoping to "reduce the size of the award."

Posted by Angeleash A J

9 year old girl narrowly escapes decapitation

Zainab Oluwole, a 9 year old girl, narrowly escaped death in the Oyo-Ode area of Ede in Osun State recently. Zainab’s mother, Adebukola Oluwole, a nurse at the State Hospital, Ede, was cooking dinner for her family to break their fast when she realised that she needed to buy some things and headed for the market.
Unknown to her, a burglar was lurking around the house and waiting for an opportunity to strike. The burglar invaded the house having seen that the man of the house, Mr. Raheem Kabir, had earlier left the house before the woman also left.
Although Zainab and her sister, Aishat, who is only 7 years old, were intelligent enough to bolt the door as soon as their mother left, yet this action did not save them from the criminal’s attack. The criminal made several attempts to trick the two children to open the door for him but they refused.
 
Zainab, who still had plasters over her wound, narrated what happened that day. She said:
“The man peeped from the window and asked my sister and I to open the door for him but we refused. We wanted to escape through the back door but he heard the sound of our footsteps and came to the back door also. When we saw that there was no way to escape, we decided to hide inside the house.
“He broke down part of the wall and crept inside through the hole. He caught me but my sister sneaked out through the back door and ran away to call some of our neighbours.”
Zainab said that the man took her around the rooms and asked her where her mother kept money and other valuables in the house but she answered that she did not know.
After a futile attempt to steal money and other valuables, the robber threatened to kill the young girl and later dragged her towards the bush not far from the house.
 
The little girl said she started crying and the man lay her head on a boulder near the building and raised his cutlass with the intention of cutting off her head. 
 
However, some of the neighbours, who had rushed towards the direction of her screaming, saw the man who was about decapitating her. She said she struggled with him and, broke free. The cutlass missed the girl’s neck but hit the left side of her temple, leaving her with a deep cut.
 
The neighbours saw the girl bleeding and decided not to pursue the fleeing armed man but rushed the bleeding girl to a nearby hospital where she was treated.
Zainab’s mother said the management of the hospital insisted that the family must notify the police and they reported the case at the Divisional Police Station in Ede.
Although the mother was still in shock, she was happy that her daughter survived the attack.
She said, “The strange man wanted to slaughter my daughter to avoid being identified. I am not sure whether he is a ritualist or a robber but I am thankful to God for sparing Zainab’s life.
“I am very happy that my daughter is alive today, because when I was alerted that something terrible had happened in my house, I thought my children had poured the hot food I was cooking on their body, not knowing that something worse than that had happened.”

Punch.

Posted by Angeleash A J

Dear LIB readers: I found out after I married my wife that she had a son

From a male LIB reader
I married my wife after dating her for a year and a half and she felt the need to hide the fact that she has an 11 year old son, a son she had in secondary school. She only told me after she gave birth to our first child. She showed me his pictures and said she wanted to come clean. The boy lives with his father's relatives and has never lived with her. All the years we have been together, I never saw the boy. She hid the fact that she was a mum from everyone, even me. I feel betrayed. If I'd known she had a son, would it have made a difference? To be honest I don't know but it's hard to trust her as I don't know what other secrets she's hiding. I've moved out of the house temporary to get my thoughts together. What should I do? What would you do?

Posted by Angeleash A J

Spain’s U-19s hold the nerve to reach the final

Andrea Sánchez cancelled out Léger’s opener with an equally stunning strike. Nahikari struck the deciding kick as Spain won 5-4 on pens.

Spain’s Women’s Under-19 team booked their place in the European Championships final after beating France in a game which remained unresolved after 120 minutes. Jorge Gilda’s team dominated play during the opening minutes but found themsleves a goal down when France captain Marie-Charlotte Léger had Elena De Toro beaten with a fine strike into the top corner on 36 minutes. Both teams were back level six minutes later when Andrea Sánchez equalized with a superb chip from a tight angle. It was still level on full- time and after a further 30 minutes of extra-time and just like Friday’s other semi-final between Germany and Spain, the game was decided from the spot. Spain showed their supremacy in the shoot-out, scoring all of their spot-kicks with Laura Domínguez, Sandra Hernández, Laura Ortega and Beatriz Beltrán all converting. Nahikari García struck the deciding kick as Spain won the shoot-out 5-4 and will face Sweden in the final at the Netanya Municipal Stadium on Monday. Spain will be hoping to repeat their triumph of 2003/4 when they defeated favourites Germany to lift the trophy.

As

Posted by Angeleash A J

God won’t listen to Nigerian songs- Etcetera

Etcetera says God won't listen to Nigerian songs and thinks most Nigerian artistes are confused and bewildered. He says Nigerian artistes sing meaningless songs and that those who listen toNigerian songs need to ask themselves why.
“Shoki hey hey Shoki!” cries a voice from the radio to the beat of a nerve-wracking pandemonium that seems designed to drive you insane.
A quick flick of the dial and “Shakiti bobo” is playing. The worse thing is that the raucous noise emitted by the artiste is no match for the loud, odious din coming from the beat. The lyrics are completely lost – which may not be regrettable to some – but the whole tumult sounds more like bad static than music.
I tuned the dial again. This time it was Olamide screaming “VANESSA VANESSA.”
As the last strains of the song died away, the OAP cheerfully and enthusiastically breaks in, “Yes, that’s for all you listeners out there. That’s the way we do it right here at your cool station. We personalise our playlist to make you feel cool.”
Cool kor, cooler ni…. I felt like telling the OAP that his choice of songs made me feel SICK. 
This is simply today’s Nigerian music! Something is terribly WRONG with it! Yet millions around the country – especially the young people – listen to it by the hour. WHY?
What is there about this music that is so gripping? How can something so meaningless hold millions under its spell? Why does it serve as a common denominator – as “the tie that binds” – for so many youths?
Judging from how and what they’re saying and singing, it is easy to conclude that some of these artistes should be taken for mental evaluation! Music mirrors our emotions; it reflects our thoughts; it echoes our activities – it shows us the way we really ARE!
Most Nigerian artistes are confused and bewildered – or they wouldn’t sing songs about not being able to tell right from wrong, or songs which purposely don’t say or mean anything, or which try only to “embody an emotional state that points indirectly to marijuana and crazy sex positions.”
Music – just like other forms of art – is like a social barometer. A strong and healthy society produces dynamic and stimulating music; a diseased and decaying society produces sick and decadent music.
It’s a simple matter of cause and effect!
This is now a SICK SOCIETY and, therefore, it produces SICK MUSIC. It’s just that simple! Both parents and the young people are to blame. My point is, we all don’t have to be a part of this sick society – or its sick music.
Even talking about today’s gospel songs, many are lacking in purpose and quality. The gospel singers are forgetting that God believes in QUALITY. Look at the universe He created! He also believes in human improvement and GROWTH. “Become ye therefore perfect” (Matt. 5:48) and “Grow in grace and knowledge” (II Pet. 3:18), He commands.
God wants His people to grow in the right kind of culture – the right kind of appreciation for the finer things in life. He says that mature Christians are “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to DISCERN both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).
God wants us to EXERCISE our five physical senses. He wants us to learn what the true values for the enjoyment of the senses are. One of these senses is hearing. And one of the ways we need to exercise our hearing sense is in the appreciation of quality music. Quality in music involves, first of all, the way it is composed or arranged. Secondly, it involves how the music is performed. And thirdly, the setting (the place and occasion) in which the music is heard.
You attend a concert only to see artistes with a hodgepodge of idiotic noise played from a CD and the audience seated at round tables like they are in a canteen, screaming with mouthful of small chops and ‘samosas’ as every new song is introduced by the performer. What utter nonsense! What is WRONG with us? How did we completely lose our sense of value regarding music? Do we even know the purpose of music?
A mother justifies her daughter who’s listening to an obscene song by saying,  
“If you listen to the words of that one, it’s pretty rough. But it has a real good beat. My daughter says she doesn’t pay any attention to the words anyway.” Are we really that naïve? 
What erroneous reasoning! Go along with the crowd – even if the crowd is on the way to suffering, misery, pain, extinction? Do we think that these songs have no part in the tidal wave of promiscuity, venereal disease, illegitimate babies that are all over the country today? If you are one of those who like today’s Naija music, you ought to honestly and truthfully ask yourself WHY.

Posted by Angeleash A J

Mariah Carey shows off 18 carat yellow heart shaped diamond necklace worth $500,000

Mariah Carey’s billionaire's boyfriend James Packer put $500,000 worth of rocks on her chest on Thursday before her performance. Packer gave Mariah an 18 karat yellow heart-shaped diamond, which he gave to her right before she went on stage for her Vegas show at Caesars Palace. She gave a shout out to him after her performance.

Mariah Carey thanked JP for "a new heart" ... right before she sang "Hero" that night.
She told the audience: 'I have a new heart tonight' as the crowd whooped and cheered.
Mariah continued: 'James is in my heart tonight.' 
Before she went on stage Mariah took a shot of herself in her new jewels and posted it on Thursday morning.
She captioned it: 'Happy backstage right before last night’s show...#NTT “‘If you look inside your heart.'

Posted by Angeleash A J

PDP warns FG not to intimidate them with EFCC

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators have warned the Federal Government against using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to intimidate them, vowing to resist such attempt.

They asked President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that some people do not use his name to misuse state machinery in fighting their perceived political opponents in the guise of waging anti-corruption war.
A statement on Friday by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, on behalf of PDP senators, read,
“As much as we are not against the anti-corruption agencies performing their statutory duties, the invitation by EFCC to the wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, clearly indicated that the threat by a group within the National Assembly to use all means to fight the National Assembly leadership is now being carried out.
“Nigerians should ask the EFCC what it was waiting for all this while before realising that it would need to invite Mrs. Saraki when she left the Government House with her husband in 2011. And why should the invitation come a few days after a senator threatened that his group would bring the senate president down?
“We also think that the same witch-hunt that the wife of the senate president is suffering now is the same thing happening to his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who the police have been disturbing. But at the right time, we will jointly make our opinion known on the harassment of our leaders.”
The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday said the invitation of Mrs. Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was politically motivated.
 
However, during a media briefing in Ilorin after the state APC’s executive meeting, the state APC Chairman, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, described the EFCC’s invitation as a calculated attempt to dent the image of the senate president and his wife.
 
He cautioned EFCC to avoid being used for political vendetta.
 
Balogun-Fulani said,
“The EFCC’s invitation of Mrs. Saraki was a shock to the APC in Kwara State because five years after her husband left office as the governor, the anti-graft agency thought it wise to invite his wife for questioning.”

Punch 

Posted by Angeleash A J

Woman adopts best friend's four kids after death

Laura Ruffino met her best friend, Liz Diamond, in the fifth grade. As adults, they both had children 2 girls for Ruffino and four girls for Diamond -- and kept their tight bond, Ruffino told ABC News.
But in August 2014, Diamond, a single mom from Orchard Park, New York, was diagnosed with brain cancer, Ruffino said. She died just months later.
"When we got in the car, she asked me, if anything ever happened, if I'd take her daughters. And I said, 'Of course,'" Ruffino said. "It wasn't even a thought."

Ruffino is now seeking custody of Diamond's daughters, who are living with her. But Diamond's ex-husband, Elyson Pagayonan, appeared in court to contest the Ruffinos' permanent custody of his children according to Leonard Berkowitz, a lawyer for the Ruffinos.
 
Pagayonan has not filed papers for custody of his children, according to the lawyer.
 
Laura Ruffino said that one morning in December, Diamond wasn't feeling well and called Ruffino to take her to the cancer center.
 
"It's like your whole world comes to a halt," said Ruffino, from Buffalo, New York. "That day, her MRI was not good," Ruffino said.
 
When Diamond asked her to take care of her children, according to Ruffino, she obliged.
"I would always want someone to do that for me. Her kids and I were so close anyway, because she was my best friend. I wanted to give her peace," Ruffino said. "I can't even imagine what she had to be going through."
Ruffino said it was a slow transition for Diamond's girls, ages 5, 7, 8 and 12 -- to move in with the Ruffinos.
"As Liz got sicker, she and the girls would stay with us for periods of time," Ruffino said.
In April 2015, Diamond passed away.
 
Ruffino said she'd describe her best friend as "love."
 
"She was non-judgmental. Liz was my person," she said. "That person that you could be anyone in front of, would never judge you. Which I think is so rare in life to find."
 
Ruffino's husband, Rico, said "The girls are doing awesome." "They're all going through a difficult situation" but "they're doing really, really well, considering."
 
"They're great kids," he said, adding that, "They're my kids now."
 
And Laura Ruffino said the girls, including her 12- and 13-year-old daughters, are "all best friends" and "already sisters."
"They fight, they share clothes, all those things," Laura Ruffino said.
 
Efforts to reach Pagayonan were unsuccessful and messages left with his lawyer were not returned.
"They’re living with the family they know," Berkowitz told ABC News of the children. "It would be inhuman for them to be ripped from the only parents they now know."
 
Pagayonan and Diamond divorced about four years ago, according to Berkowitz.
Patricia Kaminski, Diamond's aunt from the San Francisco area, said her family fully supports the adoption. Her brother did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 
“I think it’s remarkably generous for Laura and her husband to do that," Kaminski said. "I know Elizabeth’s family is very happy with that family. The rest of the family believe it’s an excellent outcome for the children

ABC News

Posted by Angeleash A J

Maryam Abacha university degrees not recognised – NUC

The National Universities Commission has warned that degrees obtained from Maryam Abacha American University of Niger Republic (MAAUN) are sub-standard and will not be accepted in Nigeria, saying henceforth such certificates would not be recognised as a means of seeking employment or doing other legitimate business in Nigeria.
The NUC Director of Information and Public Relations, Malam Ibrahim Yakasai, handed down the warning while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, NUC has been inundated with inquiries from some Nigerian students who have been offered admission in MAAUN on part time with a graduation time of four semesters.

He listed some of the programmes as Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, among others.
He explained that “in Nigeria, the duration for a full-time degree programme is not less than three years for direct entry and at least six years for part-time.
He said:
“Professional programmes in Science, Engineering and Health Sciences-Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science and Public Health are not offered on part-time basis in Nigeria.
“More so, their graduation time is far less than the graduation time in Nigeria-they admit students with HND on direct entry and they give them two years to do a degree in Nursing or Health Sciences.
“We wish to restate that as the only Quality Assurance Agency for universities in Nigeria, NUC is maintaining its stand that degrees from MAAUN will not be accepted in Nigeria.”“We wish to restate that as the only quality assurance agency for universities in Nigeria, the NUC is maintaining its stand that degrees from Maryam Abacha University will not be accepted in Nigeria”, the  commission stated.

The NUC which also discredited all part- time cross boarder education in Nigeria, therefore warned citizens against patronising online universities which offer academic programmes without physical contact with their students.
 
According to him, the Nigerian constitution has no backing or recognition for such degrees obtained online, insisting that students look for cheap means of acquiring qualifications to avoid competition at home.
He said,
“Nigeria will not recognise online degrees. Online degrees are not accepted in Nigeria at the moment; the Nigerian constitution does not even give recognition to such degrees. Those who ran out of Nigeria for study outside this country are those looking for cheaper degrees. It is either they cannot pass the examinations or they do not possess the minimum entry qualifications.”
He expressed displeasure that rather than addressing the issues raised by NUC, MAAUN resorted to campaign of calumny against the commission.

The NUC spokesman advised parents to always crosscheck with the commission before sending their wards to foreign institutions.

On his part, the NUC Director of Academic Standards, Dr Gidado Kumo, urged students to be wary of Houdegbe North American University, Cotonou, Benin Republic.

He said that the institution opeprated in Badagry and Kano, then relocated to Jos; but was recently running Bachelors Degree in Public Health in Gombe State.
“We have made it very clear that any degree obtained in Houdegbe North American University within the shores of Nigeria is not accepted.
“In Februray 2015, we had cause to request for a joint assessment visit to the university with the Council for Legal Education.
“At the moment, the institution has been graduating over 600 students from its law faculty whereas in Nigeria, the highest output from any law faculty is about 200.
“We requested a joint accreditation visit but we were flatly refused by Houdegbe North American University.
“So, our decision is that no law graduate of Houdegbe University will be moblised for the BL programme with the Council for Legal Education.”

PM News/Vanguard

Posted by Angeleash A J

U.S. Condemns Boko Haram Attacks In Nigeria, Cameroon

Boko Haram

Multiple bomb blasts at two bus stations in Gombe, Nigeria, killed 37 people on Wednesday, while two suicide bomb
attacks killed at least 13 people in northern Cameroon.
Reuters reported that the United States “strongly condemns the horrific and indiscriminate suicide attacks,” the State
Department said. “Boko Haram’s unconscionable use of children as suicide bombers and indiscriminate targeting of
men, women and children highlights the group’s senseless brutality,” State Department deputy spokesperson Mark
Toner said in a statement.
The attacks came as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was on a four-day visit to Washington, where he met with U.S. President Barack Obama. The two leaders on Monday discussed security issues including the threat posed by extremist group Boko Haram.
Following their talks, Obama said Buhari had a “clear agenda” for defeating the militants and tackling corruption.
Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in a six-year insurgency, during which it has attempted to set up a state
imposing strict Islamic law in the northeast of Nigeria, Africa’s top oil exporter and most populous nation.
Boko Haram has been increasingly employing young people as suicide bombers since it allied itself with Islamic State. In an attack last Friday, a 10-year-old girl blew herself up in Damaturu, Nigeria, killing at least nine people who were worshipping in a praying area for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The United States supports counterterrorism efforts in Nigeria with intelligence, advisers, equipment and logistics, the State Department said. “We remain committed to working closely with Cameroon, Nigeria and the other Lake
Chad Basin countries to defeat Boko Haram,” Toner said in the statement.

The Guardian

Posted by Angeleash A J

If only all digital billboards were used to display pictures of nature like this

Exactly.
This digital billboard almost entirely blends in with its surroundings because a picture of nature is supposedly being displayed on its ad space.
We fist-pump the eco-warrior responsible.

Yes! Destroy that grey with green


Better than Calvin The images are being widely circulated online, though it is not clear if this is the doing of some awesome person or crafty photo trickery.
They were uploaded to imgur.com and some have suggested a man bought the ad space with the soul purpose of camouflaging them.
Either way, we want more of this in the world please.
We don’t miss that estate agent’s face one bit:


Nature 6 – 0 Advertising


Metro

Raw blood in fish pepper soup (photos)

A LIB reader went to eat at a popular eatery in Maitama, Abuja and was served fish pepper soup with blood still in it. Imagine! More photos after
the cut...

Lindaikejiblog

Posted by Angeleash A J

Okada riders protest extortion by govt officials in Ondo state

Hundreds of commercial motorcyclists, popularly called okada, rode into the streets of Akure, the Ondo state capital, on Thursday to protest the alleged extortion by the officials of the Ondo State Ministry of Transport.

The Okada riders, who rode on major streets and roads in Akure, called on the state Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to reverse a new order directing them to obtain new number plate on each of their motorcycles at the rate of N10,000, describing the new number plates and other charges by the state government as “exploitative.”
Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as,
‘Mimiko must go; we are tired of this government’,  
‘Tofowomo is a thief’ and so on the okada riders started the demonstration from the entrance of the Ministry of Works on Oyemekun Road.
For several hours, business activities were totally paralysed as the popular Oba Adesida, Oluwatuyi and Hospital Roads, among others, were blocked by the protesters, causing huge traffic.

It was said that all efforts made by the state Chairman of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Jimoh Obabi, to calm the protesters fell on deaf ears because they said he had been allegedly compromised.
 
One of the protesters, Akiola Olumide, explained that the government had come up with a policy banning all number plates used by commercial motor bikes that were not from Ondo State. He said:
“They say we can no longer use plate numbers from other states but the one designed in the state with a red line. That means those who are arrested with such number plates are being made to pay N5,000, a compulsory N2,000 for ‘Card Igbeayo’ and another N700 before the bike will be released.
“Our leaders have been trying to get the government to change the policy, but they refused, “ he said.
In his reaction, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Union Matters, Mr. Dayo Fadahunsi, said that the state government took the decision for security reasons, following the spate of kidnapping and robbery incidences in the state capital recently.
 
He explained that the decision was reached at a meeting with the leaders of the association, adding that the government had ordered the release of all seized Okadas and has given all Okada operators till next Friday to get the new commercial number plates.
 
He however described as false the allegation that they were asked to pay N17,000 to get a new plate number, saying a new commercial number plate only cost N6,000.
 
 
Punch

Posted by Angeleash A J

We’re yet to receive bailout promised by Buhari, Govs cry out

36 state governors cried out, yesterday, over the worsening economic condition in the country and the failure of the Federal Government to give them the bailout funds promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The governors at their meeting which started Wednesday night and ended in the early hours of yesterday, complained that the comprehensive relief package designed by the Federal Government to salvage the economic crisis of the states was yet to be given to them.
The governors also expressed concern over the exchange rate of the dollar to the naira as well as other foreign currencies which has affected the nation’s economy.

They have, therefore, resolved to meet the President again over the issue.
 12 of the 36 states of the federation were said to be owing their workers more than $550 million in salaries and allowances, with some workers not paid for 7 months.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, said that the Federal Government has not bailed out any state under the bailout arrangement  as publicised, stressing that what the state got so far was the monthly allocation  from the Federation Accounts, Allocation Committee, FAAC and the dividends from Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG.

Governor Yari said:
“This is also to inform our friends in the media that the Federal Government has not given any bailout to any of the states. What had been shared the last time was monies from NLNG and FAAC. As we have been saying, rather than look out for bailout, we have been looking for all monies that are in the coffers of the federation to be brought together for the purpose of sharing.
“The CBN governor raised some issues that taking the monies from those accounts, most especially as our reserves are going down, will affect the exchange rate and as well put pressure on the naira. So they decided to make the naira available or its equivalent so that these can be taken as loan for some of the states that are complaining about payment of salaries.
“The Federal Government has, however, not given out any bailout yet. But we have been deliberating on how best the intervention will be done quickly so that we will be able to settle the issue of salaries and other operations of government in the country.”
According to him, the resolutions reached at the meeting were:
To discuss with Mr. President to seek lasting solutions to the worsening macroeconomic challenges confronting the nation, especially on foreign exchange stability. The forum pledges to work with Mr. President to ensure coherent policy actions that will create a clear policy direction for the country and stimulate domestic production and to collaborate with the Federal Government to ensure that the National Health Act is operational and the on percent funding for primary health care is provided for in the budget.

Vanguard

Posted by Angeleash A J

3 Dead, 7 Injured in Lafayette Louisiana Theater Shooting

Two people were killed and seven others wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a packed movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana Thursday night, police said. At some point the gunman died from a self-inflicted wound, official said.

Law enforcement personnel stand near a police line at The Grand Theatre following a deadly shooting in Lafayette, La., July 23, 2015.

The shooting comes one week after James Holmes was convicted of killing 12 people and wounding 70 others in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
There were also seven people injured at the Grand 16 Theater on Johnston Street where a screening of Amy Schumer's "Trainwreck" was reportedly playing. Conditions of those injured range from non-life-threatening to critical and their ages ranged from the late teens to their 60s, Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said at a news conference.
Police said they believed one person had been released from the hospital as of early Friday morning. They also said that one person was in surgery and not doing well.

PHOTO: Lafayette Police Department and Louisiana State Police units block an entrance road following a shooting at The Grand Theatre in Lafayette, La., Thursday, July 23, 2015.

Gunfire broke out around 7:30 p.m. in one of the movie theater's auditoriums, Lafayette PD told ABC News.
According to the Associated Press, the movie "Trainwreck" was playing at the time.
More than 100 people were in the theater, according to Louisiana State Police.
"We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker," witness Katie Domingue told the Daily Advertiser, according to the AP. She said a man shot down into the theater. "He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either," Domingue said, according to the AP.
When police arrived, they heard shooting, Craft said.

The shooting was contained to one theater, according to Craft.
The identity of the shooter is known but is not being released, Craft said. The shooter was described as a man in his 50s who appeared to be by himself in the theater.
Police said that he had a criminal history but it appeared to be old.
The motive for the shooting remained unclear.
In the wake of the shooting, state police were checking the suspect's car as well as the theater for possible suspicious
packages.

PHOTO: A Lafayette Police Department vehicle blocks an entrance at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, La., following a shooting, Thursday, July 23, 2015.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, who arrived in Lafayette tonight, called the shooting a seemingly random act of violence at a news conference.
"Whenever we see these or hear about these senseless acts of violence, it makes us both furious and sad at the same time," Jindal said.
"Lafayette is a strong community," Jindal said. "We will get through this, we're a resilient community. This is an awful night for Lafayette, this is an awful night for Louisiana, this is an awful night for the United States."

PHOTO: Police tape surrounds the scene following a shooting at a movie theater Thursday, July 23, 2015, in Lafayette, La.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy also tweeted, expressing his condolences for those shot: Please join Laura and I in praying for those in Lafayette right now.

— Bill Cassidy (@BillCassidy) July 24, 2015
The FBI said in a statement: "The FBI New Orleans Division is aware of a shooting incident that occurred at a Lafayette
area movie theater in which FBI Agents, along with state and local law enforcement have responded. Presently a joint law enforcement coordination is under way and further details will be shared once the information becomes available."
The theater and its parent company, the Southern Theatres, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source : ABC

Posted by Angeleash A J

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park to blossom into habitat for more butterflies

Students planting shrubs at the Butterfly...

Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo,...

SINGAPORE — More shrubs and trees will be planted at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park to draw more butterflies under a joint effort between the National Parks Board (NParks) and pulp and paper giant APRIL Group.
Three hundred shrubs were planted today (July 24) at the park’s Butterfly Habitat as part of APRIL Group’s five-year, S$100,000 sponsorship. Later this year, 250 trees will be planted.
Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance Josephine Teo, who is Member of Parliament in Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency, was at the event today and said: "It is important to promote biodiversity and a good living environment for all of us to enjoy."
The Butterfly Habitat has drawn 25 butterfly species so far and is set to attract more as it expands, said the NParks.
Students from local schools and youths from the region here for the ASEAN Power Shift 2015 conference were also at the event today. Said a youth delegate from Indonesia, Mr Muhamad Marwan, 23,: "This is a great opportunity for me to learn about Singapore's environment and contribute to it as well."

Source : Today

Posted by Angeleash A J

NNPC, engine room of corruption —Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, described the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as the engine room of corruption, lamenting that none of the perpetrators of illegal deals in the corporation had so far been apprehended and brought to justice.
He, therefore, challenged the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress to assist the Federal Government to fight corruption by encouraging their members in the oil and gas sector to expose those behind subsidy scam in the country.
Saraki who stated this while addressing the leadership of the NLC led by its President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, in his office, asked the oil and gas workers to reveal the identities of subsidy thieves and watch whether they would be protected or not.
He said, “I think we need the cooperation of our workers who know it all. They see it happen and when you look at the anti-corruption agencies, with all due respect, you will find out that 80 per cent of some of the cases are cases at the state level.
“You hardly see where people who are the real engine room – which is the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – where most of these corruption cases on oil are, being put on trial.”
He said it was time workers helped the government succeed to decisively tackle corruption through collective efforts.
Saraki noted that President Muhammadu Buhari had made it clear that his administration would fight corruption to its logical end, stressing that the Senate had on its part started the process by engaging the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission.
He also said that the upper chamber would soon interact with the management of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies in order to fashion out a collective to tackle the menace of corruption.
Saraki assured Nigerians that the Senate under his watch would fight corruption with a view to blocking leakages and create gainful employment.
He said, “We in the 8th Senate have said there will be zero tolerance for corruption. Corruption is one issue slowing down development and some of the problems we are tackling.
“Whether you talk about our refineries not working, you talk of the issue of fuel subsidy, you talk about the high cost of governance, everything you talked about comes back to this issue of corruption and I think it is time for all of us, those of us in the National Assembly, the Executive and the workers to show serious commitment.
“This should not be a headline-grabbing approach because at the end of the day, you are workers, when you talk about oil theft, we have Nigerian workers at the terminals who surely must know when this thing is going on.
“Everywhere that there is corruption, some workers are there either participating or observing. We now have a great opportunity to win the war against corruption because we have a leadership led by President Muhammadu Buhari that we believe has the political will to do the right thing” He said the excuses of Nigerian workers that when they blow the whistle on corrupt practices nothing would be done because the system is corrupt right from the top, was No longer tenable because the current administration in the country has the political will to deal with the scourge.
Saraki said, “We are assuring you that at the executive side, we have elected the President that will do it well. I am making the commitment on behalf of the National Assembly and myself that we are committed to fighting corruption.”
Wabba lamented the current high cost of governance coupled with the high exchange rate which according to him was having serious negative impact on the lives of workers.
Wabba said that the reduction of salaries announced by the President, the Vice-President and some state governors
was not the solution to the problem of high cost of governance in the country.
The NLC President also called for a more transparent execution of the National Assembly annual budget.
He recalled that the budget for the National Assembly for 2011 was shrouded in secrecy because the lawmakers used their influence to move it into the first line charge in the Federation Account.

The punch

Posted by Angeleash A J

Transfer news LIVE: Manchester United linked with Pedro and Sergio Ramos PLUS latest gossip and all done deals

Angel Di Maria's Old Trafford future looks uncertain, Man City eye De Bruyne and much more here throughout the day

Pedro could be ready to leave Barcelona, according to team-mate Sergio Busquets - and Manchester United lead the chase for the £22million man.
“Yes, I have spoken to him but I won't tell you what he said,” said Busquets. “It was a private conversation. I would want him to stay, I would love him to stay.
“He's a friend of mine and it will be his final decision. He wants to play more and get more minutes. That's what he wants. “But we are in a team of great players and it's hard for him. Finally, it will be his decision, but I hope he stays.”
The two sides play each other on a friendly on Saturday Meanwhile, here's what else is happening in the transfer world:
Transfer news and gossip from Thursday's Daily Mirror Manchester United dealt Sergio Ramos blow as ''100%
certain'' Benitez insists defender WILL stay Manchester United remain linked with most of the world's top available players, and face losing Angel Di Maria as well.

Man United transfers: Pedro could go, says team-mate Manchester United target Pedro is ready to leave Barcelona
this summer, according to team-mate Sergio Busquets.
United are chasing Barca attacker Pedro , but must activate his £22million release clause if they are to bring him to Old
Trafford.
Busquets, speaking in San Francisco ahead of Barca's game with United on Saturday, said he had spoken to Pedro about his future and hinted his team-mate wants to play more regularly.
“Yes, I have spoken to him but I won't tell you what he said,” said Busquets. “It was a private conversation. I would want him to stay, I would love him to stay.
“He's a friend of mine and it will be his final decision. He wants to play more and get more minutes. That's what he wants. “But we are in a team of great players and it's hard for him. Finally, it will be his decision, but I hope he stays.”

Mirror

Nick Cave's teenage son Arthur died after suffering 'multiple traumatic injuries due to a fall from a height'

The musician's 15-year-old son suffered injuries consistent with falling from a great height when he fell from a cliff in Brighton, East Sussex, earlier this month

Tragic: Arthur Cave, 15

Nick Cave's teenage son died after suffering "multiple traumatic injuries due to a fall from a height," an inquest has heard.
Arthur Cave, 15, was found with life-threatening injuries on the underpass of Ovingdean Gap in Brighton, East Sussex, at 6pm on July 14.
The student was taken to the city's Royal Sussex County Hospital but died later that evening .
Sussex Police have said his death was not being treated as suspicious.
At the opening of the inquest in Brighton, coroner's officer Thea Jones said the cause of Arthur Cave's death was from
"multiple traumatic injuries due to a fall from a height".

Nick Cave

She said: "Emergency services were called at 5.55pm to the underpass between Ovingdean and Rottingdean after a young male was found by two passers-by.
"He had injuries consistent with falling from a great height." Ms Jones said he was pronounced dead at 6.56pm and
investigations were continuing.
A full inquest into Arthur Cave's death will take place from 10am on November 10 at a venue to be confirmed, assistant deputy coroner Kate Palmer said.
Ms Palmer said statements would be read from people including the person who was with Arthur on the day he died.


Solent

Lawyer Sean Horstead, who attended the hearing with Rachel Willis, Nick Cave's assistant, referred to the reported difficulty that emergency teams had in reaching Arthur
.
Mr Horstead asked Ms Palmer whether a statement would be provided relating to that aspect of the case.
Neither Nick Cave or his wife Susie attended the short hearing. Cave, 57, is an Australian musician and songwriter, best known as being lead singer of the band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne in 1983.
Last year Cave and his wife appeared alongside Arthur and his twin brother Earl in 20,000 Days On Earth, a film documenting a fictitious 24 hours in the singer's life.
Following Arthur's death, Cave and his wife released a short statement through police saying "he was our beautiful, happy, loving boy." Cave has two other sons, Luke and Jethro.

Nick Cave's son Arthur, 15, dies after plunging from Brighton cliff

Source: Mirror

Tunisia terror attack hero has been invited to return to the resort for his WEDDING

Brave Mathew James, 30, was shot three times as he acted as a human shield to save his beloved fiancee Saera Wilson from the murderous rampage of madman Seifeddine Rezgui

A hero of the Tunisia terror attack has revealed he he has been invited back to the resort - to get MARRIED.
Brave Mathew James, 30, was shot three times as he acted as a human shield to save his beloved fiancee Saera Wilson
from the murderous rampage of madman Seifeddine Rezgui.
Now back at home and recovering from his injuries in Pontypridd, south Wales, he revealed locals in the resort town of Sousse have invited the couple back to the murder scene - so they can get wed.
But the traumatised couple have politely declined the offer.
Mathew said: "They want us to go back and get married over there. They said they would pay for us to have our wedding in the same hotel.
"I said 'No!' Can you imagine that? They'd advertise it as the hero coming back and even if they had armed guards the whole way around the hotel I still wouldn't be able to do it."




Lucky: Tunisian massacre victim James back home with his wife-to-be Saera


Bullet wounds: Tunisian massacre victim Matthew James back home with his family


Speaking from the home he shares with bride-to-be Saera in the Welsh valleys it is hard to believe Mathew was fighting for his life just over a month ago .
The humble gas engineer has made huge progress after bullets pierced his leg, stomach, arm and chest.
He even suffered a heart attack while being rushed to hospital following the attack at the beach resort on June 26.
The sickening attack claimed the lives of 30 Britons and eight others who were mercilessly killed by an Isis terrorist
Seifeddine Rezgui in the North African resort of Sousse.
Medics have since removed two bullets from Mathew's body - one which had broken into a number of small pieces, the other still intact.
"I wanted to keep it but they wouldn't let me have it," Mathew joked.
But he admitted the couple never really felt safe until they had returned to the UK.



Accompanied by air medics, the couple were flown back to Cardiff by private jet - paid for by their bank's holiday insurance scheme - within 36 hours of the shooting.
Saera said: "When we got up in the air in the jet I kept asking where we were. As soon as they said we were flying over British soil that was when I thought 'Oh my God, we're home'.
"When we landed and got off Mathew's mum and sister and my dad were there.
"They opened the door and I ran across the runway and threw myself on my dad."
Mathew subsequently spent more than two weeks being treated at the University Hospital of Wales, Heath, Cardiff.
Mathew said: "The doctors are quite shocked. They said I had done really well - I was up and walking after two or three days of being in the Heath."
Despite his good physical recovery he and Saera suffer from flashbacks following their horrifying ordeal.
"It is a bit strange going out into busy places.
"It feels weird at the moment - I feel a bit on edge," Mathew said.




"If I had reacted a split-second slower, I'm dead, or Saera's dead. It was millimetres away from hitting my internal organs and if it had hit anything in there I would have died.
"I was lucky. I am the luckiest man in the world."
Yet despite his ordeal plucky Mathew said he was counting his blessings.
He said: "There's no one luckier than me. There are not many people who can say they've gone through trauma like that and come out as well as I have.
"I have full function in my body, everything works - I just can't feel my leg, which is a pretty good sacrifice, really. I'm the luckiest unlucky person on the planet.
"I don't think you could have been put in a worse situation and come off as well as I have. You couldn't write it.
"I have got constant pain in my groin - it's like an electric shock going off the whole time. It never goes away. It feels like someone's stabbing you constantly with a knife.
"Where the gunshot has gone through they think there might be a few hernias so I am waiting for a specialist surgeon to have a look. I think that's why I am in pain.
"But even if I have to put up with that for the rest of my life it's better than being in a body bag."






Mirror