EU Election Observers on the look out for vote buyers in Osun
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we are also here to see stability and continuity in nigeria karlsen said1 the european union eu election observers say they will monitor saturdays governorship election in osun with an eye on vote-buyers1 karlsen said that the eu was hopeful that the modalities put in place by the independent national electoral commission inec to check vote-buying during the election would yield positive results1 while commending inec on its preparation karlsen said the global community would be watching the conduct of the election being the last before the 2019 general elections1 karlsen who noted that more than 28 diplomatic observers from different countries were in the state for the election said eu was committed to the continued consolidation of democracy in nigeria1 we are neutral in this election. we are not here to promote any candidate or political party1 but we are here to promote the process that would lead to credible free and fair elections in nigeria and we hope to see credible election on saturday1 mr ketil karlsen the eu ambassador to nigeria said this at a news conference on friday in osogbo1 also speaking mr dominic williams the political councillor british high commission said the osun election would be a signal to the 2019 general elections1 williams said the eu would be watching to see how the election would be conducted and its impact on the 2019 general elections1 we want free fair and credible elections and we want candidates to show respect for the rule of the game and shun violence1 we also appeal to the more the 1.2 million people that have collected their permanent voter cards to come out en mass to vote williams said1 in his remarks mr david young deputy chief of mission united states embassy said the us was committed to transparent and credible elections in nigeria1 young said the eu would continue to support the process that would promote peaceful elections1 while commending inec for what it had done so far young urged the security agencies to be neutral in the election1

Tanzania ferry disaster: Magufuli orders arrest of MV Nyereres owners
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the cause of the accident was not immediately clear but overloading is frequently to blame for such incidents2 i have not heard from either my father or my younger brother who were on the ferry. they had gone to the market in bugolora to buy a school uniform and other supplies for the new school term said domina maua who was among those seeking information about loved ones1 witnesses reached by afp said the ferry sank when passengers rushed to one side to disembark as it approached the dock1 in a speech broadcast on tbc one public television magufuli said it appears clear that the ferry was overloaded adding that negligence has cost us so many lives children mothers students old people1 i ordered the arrest of all those involved in the management of the ferry. the arrests have already begun he added1 the president declared four days of national mourning while saying at least 131 people had died updating an earlier death toll of 1261 magufuli also announced the government would cover the funeral expenses of the victims1 mwanza governor john mongella had earlier said the number of survivors was 40 but it was unclear whether any new survivors had been found since rescue operations resumed with police and army divers on friday morning1 operations are continuing he said but hopes are fading that more survivors might still be found1 state television cited witnesses reporting that more than 200 people had boarded the ferry at bugolora a town on the larger ukerewe island where it was market day when locals said the vessel was usually packed with people and goods1 the mv nyerere may have been carrying as many as 200 passengers double the ferrys capacity when it capsized close to the pier on ukara island on thursday according to reports on state media1 davita ngenda an elderly woman in ukara had already received bad news1 my son is among the bodies recovered she said weeping. he had gone with his wife but she has not been found yet. my god what did i do to deserve this1 sebastian john a teacher said such tragedies had become part of life for those living on the lake1 since my birth people have gone to their deaths on this lake but what are we to do we did not choose to be born here we have nowhere to go he said1 it remains unclear how many people are still missing1 tanzanias electrical mechanical and services agency which is responsible for ferry services said it was unknown how many passengers were aboard the mv nyerere1 the ageing ferry whose hull and propellers were all that remained visible after it overturned was also carrying cargo including sacks of maize bananas and cement when it capsized around 50 metres 55 yards from ukara dock1 tanzanian president john magufuli on friday ordered the arrest of the management of mv nyerere the ferry that capsized in lake victoria as the death toll climbed to 131 and rescue workers pressed on with the search to find scores more people feared drowned1 the countrys opposition has accused the government of negligence1

Bianca Jagger asks Ortega step down in Nicaragua
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before her speech in new york jagger was in washington for talks with senior government officials and lawmakers lobbying them to pass legislation that would cut off economic aid to ortega and sanction members of his government1 bianca jagger once defended the sandinista revolution of daniel ortega. but today the nicaraguan rights campaigner wants to see the controversial leader leave office in her homeland1 daniel ortega is maybe even worse than somoza the 73-year-old jagger told afp in an interview referring to the onetime dictator of the troubled central american country who was ousted in 1979 by ortegas guerrillas1 jagger says she feels betrayed by ortega who has faced months of upheaval sparked in april when his government backed by armed paramilitaries cracked down on relatively small protests against now-scrapped social security reforms1 more than 320 people have been killed in the subsequent unrest according to rights groups. at least 500 opponents of ortegas regime have been arrested in connection with the protests rights watchdog cenidh says1 ortega is killing children who are unarmed jagger said in the interview held on thursday before she delivered a speech at the americas societycouncil of the americas in new york1 the dual british-nicaraguan citizen president of the bianca jagger human rights foundation decried the terror brought on by ortega and the merciless persecution of all those who raise their voices against his government1 ortega is due in new york next week for the annual united nations general assembly debate1 jagger says the international community needs to think of ways to support the nicaraguan people and put pressure on ortega to release all political prisoners1 jagger the ex-wife of the legendary rolling stones frontman also wants the united states canada and the european union to sanction key members of ortegas government and cut off all aid to managua1 that draft could come before the us senate for a vote next week she says. a similar bill is before the house of representatives1 for jagger the administration of us president donald trump is doing a decent job in its handling of the crisis1 there are people in the us government who are doing important work in defence of human rights in nicaragua she said singling out washingtons ambassador to the un nikki haley for praise1 she also met with the state departments highest-ranking official for latin america francisco palmieri the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs1 jagger says she does not think a national dialogue of reconciliation will work in nicaragua but acknowledges that all avenues must be explored1 as to whether ortega should be tried or simply pushed to leave office jagger replied it would be very difficult for me to say lets ignore the crimes against humanity committed by daniel ortega1 we must find an effective way for daniel ortega to leave power and for new elections to be held but not under his direction jagger said1 daniel ortega is a war criminal1

NAFDAC seizes cartons of Tramadol, Diazepam from Lagos warehouse
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the national agency for food and drug administration and control nafdac operatives raided a lagos warehouse and seized controlled drugs such as tramadol valued at n105.6 million1 the director-general of nafdac prof. moji adeyeye made this known in a statement in abuja on friday1 she explained that nafdac carried out substantivesurveillance on nefarious activities of a gang involved in illegalimportation of banned and controlled pharmaceutical products1 she said that the operatives at about 1.04 am raideda transit warehouse at ijora ororo lagos state and discovered 187cartons of assorted tramadol with a range of 120mg 200mg and 225mg doses1 more than 49 cartons of diazepam another controlled drug concealed amongst household items including but not limited to bicycle used tyres and printers were also seized1 the seized products valued at n105.65 million have beenevacuated from the transit warehouse for necessary action and furtherinvestigation she said1 we are advising the general public to be watchful and should not hesitate toreport any suspicious activities within their environment to thenearest nafdac office she added1

I broke no law by dodging NYSC, says Adebayo Shittu
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nigerian tribune even reported that i left university in 1979 but in actual sense i left in 1978 and left law school in 19792 the minister of communications mr adebayo shittu has said that he did not violate the constitution by not participating in the compulsory one year national youth services corps nysc scheme2 the minister who is one of the all progressives congressapc governorship aspirants in oyo state spoke after being interviewed by the apc screening committee2 the news agency of nigerianan reports that the media had been awash with reports that the minister did not participate in the mandatory one year nysc program after his graduation from the university in 1978. the compulsory nysc programme began in 19732 former minister of finance adeosun resigned last week friday following allegations that she forged the nysc exemption certificate2 shittu stressed that whereas the former minister of finance submitted a fake nysc exemption certificate he didnt obtain any certificate2 he added that he considered his service at the oyo state assembly as a higher service. he said that he had not infringed on any law in the countrys constitution by skipping nysc2 the minister stated this while speaking with newsmen on friday in abuja arguing that his case could not be compared to that of the former minister of finance mrs kemi adeosun2 and the constitution says anyone who qualifies to contest an election or who has gone through an election and wins he is obligated to move through the house of assembly which i did for four years2 so it is a form of higher service as far as im concerned and even now i am still in service2 i dont think i have violated the law except someone has a superior argument and can prove itthe minister said2 he stressed that his case was not like that of adeosun because according to him there are differences2 unfortunately kemi had a fake certificate i didnt present any i didnt have one2 i simply followed the constitutional requirement that if you are qualified to contest an election it is compulsory for you to serve the nation in the capacity that you won an electionhe said2

Crisis hits Kaduna PDP, 5 governorship aspirants battle state chairman
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the forum accused the state chairman of openly working against the aspirations of the other gubernatorial aspirants in favour of his anointed candidate1 five governorship aspirants of the peoples democratic party pdp in kaduna state on friday passed a vote of no confidence on the partys state chairman hassan hyat for allegedly favouring a particular aspirant ahead of the partys primaries1 the disgruntled aspirants include sen. suleiman hunkuyi alhaji mohammed sani-sidi ramalan yero muhammed sani-bello and dr shuaibu idris-mikati1 ahmed maiyaki head of media team for sani-sidi who spoke on their behalf said the aspirants have appealed to the partys national leadership to take charge of affairs in the state to avoid crisis during the primary election1 the forum deems it a duty to intimate the national leadership of our great party teeming party members supporters and the general public on the following concerns1 prior to and after losing the 2015 general elections the peoples democratic party pdp had never been a more cherished bride with the prospects of winning almost all the elective posts in kaduna state than now with more people willing to join and participate actively in rescuing our state and the nation at large1 as democrats the forum insists that power must truly return to the people through open and transparent process anchored on internal democratic process in our great party1 the forum also observes with dismay the deliberate attempt to subvert the democratic process ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial primaries slated for the 28th of september 20181 the forum condemns strongly the activities of the kaduna state chairman of our party hon felix hassan hyet who has openly attached himself to one of the gubernatorial aspirants which is against the norm and the principle of fair play1 the aspirants who addressed a press conference in kaduna under the aegis of the forum of pdp governorship aspirants kicked against the alleged imposition of one of the aspirants by some members of the state working committee swc1 the aspirants claimed that the chairman had been promised the position of a running mate to the favoured aspirant1 after the recent congresses in which ad-hoc delegates were elected the state chairman threw caution to the wind by tampering with delegate lists of several local governments areas sent to the state party secretariat to the advantage of his anointed one1 there is great tension in the state as a result of the partiality of the party chairman whereby the bright prospects of bringing back kaduna state to the pdp is in jeopardy1 forum further notes the attempt by the party chairman to surreptitiously foist the preferred candidate using a certain group called southern kaduna stakeholders chairmen forum1 this act is capable of destabilising the party and its prospect in the 2019 polls and undermining the efforts of the aspirants to find consensus among themselves1 in view of the above the forum humbly requests the national leadership of our great party to take full charge of the partys activities in kaduna state in order to rescue the situation and restore the confidence of majority of party members and loyalists in the state once more1 the forum also calls on teeming party members delegates and supporters to resist all attempts to subvert democratic process and vote for aspirants of their choice1 the forum wishes to reassure all that discussions are ongoing to reach a consensus among the aspirants. nan1

Suge Knight to be formally sentenced to 28 years in prison in October
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suge knight to be formally sentenced to 28 years in prison in october1

Re-elected Pinnick promises more focus on youth soccer
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fresh edged it 22-21 and ishola was then re-instated to challenge yahaya-kwande for the remaining slot from north central. in the event yahaya-kwande won by 28 votes to 141 amaju pinnick the re-elected president of the nigeria football federation nff on thursday promised to focus more on youth programmes adding that football was the winner at the end of the polls in katsina1 pinnick swept aside three other contestants polling 34 votes to second placed aminu maigaris 8 with former international taiwo ogunjobi getting only 2 votes while there was none for club owner chinedu okoye1 a statement by ademola olajire the nffs director of communication said pinnick pledged to focus even harder on youth development programmes in his second tenure1 pinnick who is also the 1st vice president of the confederation of african football was also quoted as saying that there was no victor and no vanquished in the race as football remained the ultimate winner1 in his acceptance speech pinnick specifically thanked president muhammadu buhari vice president yemi osinbajo and the secretary to the government of the federation mr boss mustapha1 pinnick also thanked the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice the chief of staff to the president the director- general department of state services and the inspector general of police for their tremendous support for the board1 we respectfully ask for more support as we start a new tenure during which we aim to consolidate on our vision of building a sustainable football culture for our dear country and continue the great march toward ensuring financial independence for the nff1 we owe this country a lot and we are committed to working hard to give back so much to it1 we intend to set up a reconciliation team in a few days to reach out to aggrieved members of the football family with a view to bringing everyone under one umbrella for the purpose of a united front in the pursuit of the greater good for nigerian football he said1 the nff supremo also thanked the governors of delta and edo states for their understanding and support as well as players and officials of the various national teams for their efforts at doing nigeria proud at all times1 a festive atmosphere reigned in the home of hospitality as the full machinery of government was in motion to watch over the big occasion of the nff 2018 elective congress alongside the presence of observers from world football governing body fifa and the confederation of african football1 at the opening ceremony governor aminu masari of katsina state poured encomiums on the nff administration led by pinnick for its major strides over the past four years1 he noted trophies won in the fifa under 17 world cup women africa cup of nations the u23 and u20 africa cup of nations olympic football bronze and the recent wafu u17 cup triumph in niger republic1 he praised the aggressive marketing drive of the administration that had galvanized a steady move toward financial independence while pledging that the government of katsina state would continue to invest in football development because of the games virtues of youth empowerment and meaningful engagement1 governor masari was accompanied to the event by top officials of the katsina state government including the attorney general and commissioner for justice ahmed el-marzuq the chief judge of katsina state justice musa abubakar the commissioner for sports abu dankun and the grand khadi of the state hafiz bakori1 nan also reports that pinnick became the first man since father dennis slattery of blessed memory in 1957 to be elected back-to-back to one of the hottest seats in world football1 second-placed maigari the immediate past occupier of the office warmly embraced pinnick after the vote saying the vote has come and gone and football is the winner. the focus is football development1 i bear no grudge and i must say that i am indeed delighted by the strides that amaju pinnick has taken since taking over from me four years ago. he is like a son and i am proud of him1 incumbent seyi akinwunmi was even more emphatic in retaining his seat bagging 41 of the votes to challenger sunday dele-ajayis 2 while one vote was deemed invalid1 in other votes incumbent ibrahim musa gusau retained his seat as chairman of chairmen on the board polling 42 of 44 votes following the withdrawal of patrick ifeanyi ubah on the floor of the election1 ahmed yusuf fresh and suleiman yahaya-kwande retained their seats on the board after a nerve jangling contest that went to three rounds1 chairman of kwara state football association busari ishola was eliminated in the first round after polling only 10 votes leaving yusuf and fresh to vie in the second1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the polls was conducted by the nff electoral committee put in place by the nff congress at last years general assembly in jos plateau on oct. 19 20171 emmanuel ibah defeated oswald atuake 28 votes to 15 to win the remaining slot from the south south following pinnicks re-election while ganiyu majekodunmi and sharif rabiu inuwa were unopposed for the south -west and north -west slots1 three candidates slugged it out in the south-east with enyimba fc chairman felix anyansi-agwu winning the lone slot available as chidi ofo okenwa still has a seat as chairman of the nigeria national league1 anyansi-agwu polled 32 votes to nearest challenger emmanuel ochiaghas eight1 jude obikwelu and pastor emeka inyama who withdrew from the contest on the floor of the election still got two votes and one vote respectfully1 fifa observers luca piazza and solomon mudege and caf observer sita sangare witnessed both the opening ceremony and the entire elective congress proper1 chairman of the electoral committee barrister muhammed sani katu afterward swore in the new board1 next up for pinnick is his formal inauguration as the 1st vice president of caf at the bodys extraordinary general assembly in egypt on sept. 301 amaju pinnick president1 seyi akinwnumi 1st vice president1 shehu dikko 2nd vice president1 ibrahim musa gusau member1 ahmed yusuf fresh member1 felix anyansi-agwu member1 suleiman yahaya-kwande member1 babagana kalli member1 sharif rabiu inuwa member1 chidi ofo okenwa member1 aisha falode member1 mohammed alkali member1 musa duhu member1 ganiyu majekodunmi member1 emmanuel ibah member1 mohammed sanusi secretary1

Atiku names Iwuanyanwu, 58 others into PDP nomination council
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press statement2 frontline presidential aspirant of the peoples democratic party pdp and former vice president of nigeria atiku abubakar has named chief emmanuel iwuanyanwu and 58 other persons as members of his presidential nomination council ahead of the pdp presidential primaries1 announcing the membership of the council the director general of the atiku presidential campaign organization and former governor of ogun state otunba gbenga daniel said that the work of this council as the name connotes is to mobilize pdp delegates from all the states of the country for atiku to emerge as the presidential flag-bearer of our great party1 of course when by the grace of god our aspirant becomes the candidate of the pdp membership into this council will be expanded and more people will be drawn into the council1 in his remarks atiku noted that the struggle for national renewal is usually a difficult one but it is one that patriots must engaged in if they hope to improve the lives of their compatriots1 assembled here today thursday is a diverse group of nigerians including experienced political leaders representing all regions and segments of our country. you are all here because you want a better deal for nigeria and nigerians. you are here because you are committed to fighting for a better nigeria a nigeria that works1 members of the council drawn from several states of the country are eminent stakeholders in the pdp and are expected to mobilise support from their respective states for the emergence of atiku as the pdp presidential candidate. see list of members attached1 responding on behalf of other members of the council chief iwuanyanwu remarked that we owe the waziri atiku a huge sense of gratitude for finding us worthy for this national assignment1 i have been in politics for nearly fifty years and in all those years i have never seen our people this poor and i am sad when i see all of these things. my worry and my concern is how do we reverse this situation1 the waziri atiku is somebody i know very well. he has enormous strength and he has what it takes to bring pdp back to power and make life more abundant for our people1 therefore i urge us all as members of this council to see our nomination as a call to national service to rescue our people from the claws of poverty and bad governance1 nigerians are yearning for jobs for opportunities for unity and security. we must work with them to deliver these. we must also restore truth in politics justice and fairness in governance and a genuine federal system that helps us address local priorities and run a more effective and efficient government he said1

Buhari to new DG DSS: Have we ever met before?
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the new dss boss comes to the job with skills in intelligence gathering research analysis conflict management general investigation risk and vulnerability operations counter intelligence and protective operation and human resources management3 he was at various times the director national assembly liaison national war college director at national headquarters in the directorate of security enforcement directorate of operations directorate of intelligence directorate of inspection and directorate of administration and finance3 he attended danbatta secondary school the kano state college of advanced studies and the ahmadu bello university zaria where he graduated with a degree in political science1 nan reports that the meeting of the president and the dss boss went into a closed door session1 president buhari on sept. 13 appointed bichi as new director-general of the department of state service dss1 bichi who replaced lawal daura the former dg of the dss is a core secret service operative said malam garba shehu the senior special assistant to the president on media1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that when bichi was ushered into the presidents office by protocol officials he was asked by the president if they had met before1 the new director-general began his career in the security division of the cabinet office in kano from where he joined the defunct nigerian security organisation nso the precursor of the present dss1 bichi had undergone training in intelligence processing analysis agent handling recruitment and intelligence processing in the uk as well as strategic training at the national defence college1 president muhammadu buhari on thursday in abuja met for the first time with the newly appointed director-general of the department of state services yusuf magaji bichi at the presidential villa abuja1 in the course of his career bichi had worked as the state director of security in jigawa niger sokoto and abia states1 the new dg however confessed that he was seeing president buhari face-to-face for the first time in his life1 bichi also served as director at state service academy1

Youths Minister inaugurates NYCN new executives
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he urges them to also carry along those who lost the election while also appealing to the losers to accept the results in the spirit of sportsmanship1 the minister of youths and sportsbarr. solomon dalung in abuja inaugurated the national executive council of the national youth council of nigeria nycn1 while inaugurating the nec dalung expressed delight that the council was being inaugurated especially since the youths council had been enmeshed in leadership crisis for the past seven years1 he said that the crisis in the council had denied youths of all the benefits to the council from local and international organisation adding that the ministry had to intervene in the crisis1 he recalled that the settlement led to the formation of the national transition committee ntc with the mandate to conduct election. he noted that although they failed twice the council was still able to come out of its crisis1 dalung therefore charged the newly elected executive committee members to serve with humilitydedication and do justice to all1 dalung inaugurated the 22 member-council elected in gombe recently to serve as national executives of the nycn for a four year period1 speaking after the inauguration the newly elected president of the nycn bello shagari expressed his appreciation to the minister and all staff of the ministry for their support during and after the gombe congress1 he assured the minister that his nec would neverdisappoint nigerians1 he also assured the minister that every effort would be made to unite the youths irrespective of tribereligion or region1 the deputy president of the council mr innocent nduanya added that the youths must resist the temptation of collecting money to be use for thuggery during the 2019 election1 nduanya urged the youths to get involved in the revolution going on around the world where youths are taking over the affairs of their countries and the world1 he also urged nigeria youths to take advantage of the not too young to run law and gradually get involved in leadership through participation1

Ex-NANS President Obasi gets continental appointment
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his administration as the then leader of the nigerian students body was one that regained the lost voice of nigerian students2 comrade chinonso obasi the immediate past president of the national association of nigerian students nans has been appointed the executive director of african students education support initiative asesi2 asesi is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation which mandate revolves on education good governance anticorruption accountability and rule of law2 its operational jurisdiction is within the 54 countries of africa2 according to ggbemiga asesi is a child of necessity as issues and projects that will uplift africa shall be addressed judiciously as obasi resumes officially on sept. 24 at the asesi head office gudu abuja2 obasi was the president of the national association of nigerian students nans 201720182 obasis media aide comrade samson ggbemiga disclosed this in a statement on thursday in abuja2 he carried out interventions for the betterment of nigerian students and nigerian students leaders supported masses oriented demands-call for local government autonomy by nulge2 obasi had represented nigerian students in the 2014 nigerian national conference where he fought patriotically for the removal of the bsc and hnd dichotomy in tertiary institutions2 he had also represented nigerian students in the first nigerian petroleum summit in 2018 where he also made case for the students of petroleum training institutepti effurun delta state ggbemiga said2 obasi was the 20092010 student union government sug president of akanu ibiam federal polytechnic unwana ebonyi state and was later the zonal coordinator of nans zone b south-southsouth-east2 heis a graduate of mechanical engineering production option and also a graduate of welding engineering and offshore technology of the prestigious petroleum training institute pti effurun delta state2 obasi who hails from ebonyi state was born on april 27 1987. he is married and has two children2

44 die as Tanzanian ferry capsizes in Lake Victoria
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the cause of the accident was not immediately clear but overloading is frequently to blame for such incidents2 a statement from tanzanias electrical mechanical and services agency said it was unknown how many passengers were aboard the mv nyerere1 it is feared that a significant number have lost their lives said george nyamaha the head of ukerewe district council of which the island is a part1 regional governor john mongella said late thursday the toll had reached 44 while 37 others had been rescued though some of the survivors were in a very bad condition1 he added that rescue operations had been suspended and would continue on friday morning1 there were more than a hundred passengers on board the vessel when it sank thursday afternoon near ukara island in the southeast of the vast lake which also extends into uganda and kenya a local official said1 the ferry was also carrying cargo including sacks of maize and cement when it overturned close to the dock1 at least 44 people died and scores were missing after a tanzanian ferry mv nyerere capsized in victoria africas largest lake with a desperate search for survivors set to resume in tanzania on friday1 president john magufulis spokesman gerson msigwa also said on state television tbc 1 that the death toll stood at more than 401 with a surface area of 70000 square kilometres 27000 square miles oval-shaped lake victoria is roughly the size of ireland1 capsizes are not uncommon in the massive lake and the number of fatalities is often high due to a shortage of life jackets and the fact that many people in the region cannot swim1

Vietnamese ceremonial president Quang dies
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vietnamese ceremonial president tran dai quang has died in a military hospital at the age of 61 vietnamnews.vn reported1 the newspaper quoting the national commission of health services for officials said quang died at 10.05am at the 108 military hospital on friday despite the efforts of both vietnamese and foreign doctors1 quang was born on october 12 1956 in the northern rural province of ninh bnh1 a career policeman he enrolled in the peoples police academy at the age of 16 and served in the police force throughout his life. he became the minister of public security in 2011 and was elected president of vit nam in 20161 his official term was due to end in 20211 quang was also a professor in security science1

Saraki, a dangerous person Shehu
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be that as it may our appeal to our supporters is to ignore saraki and any such politicians bent on lowering the quality of political discourse. let them drown in their own waters1 presidency has said the political career of sen. bukola saraki has shown that he is a very dangerous person who can go any length to promote his personal interests1 is he just knowing that the president lacked vision1 presidency said that buhari was someone that the saraki had worked with very closely for more than three years. amazingly he never said all that he is now saying against him1 rather his word for and on the president were always respectful and reassuring. thats the man he called my father about him there is no cause for alarma president who is healthy witty and himself. what then changed all of a sudden1 is he saying these blatantly false and crude things against the president because he is gunning for the same office1 could it be that he is targeting president buhari because the party he has just joined does not have any real issues to highlight1 the language of the campaign of the pdps presidential aspirant is such that could not be used against a domestic help1 malam garba shehu the presidents senior special assistant on media and publicity condemned sarakis remarks in abuja and enjoined all groups and supporters of president buharis candidature in 2019 presidential election to always ignore the offensive speeches by the pdp aspirant1 he advised support groups to ignore the crude and extremely derogatory speeches by saraki and other pdp presidential aspirants against president buhari1 it urged supporters to always put their points in more decent language and display maturity instead of joining issue with saraki and other pdps aspirants1 saraki who recently defected from the ruling all progressives congress apc to the peoples democratic party pdp is one of the pdp presidential aspirants1 the presidency wishes to react to the crude speeches hitting the news from senator bukola saraki who recently joined the peoples democratic party with the sole ambition of running as the president of nigeria1 in response to the condemnable and extremely derogatory speeches by the pdp aspirant we urge all buhari supporters to display restraint in language and conduct and to always put across their points of view in a decent language1

N5.4 billion project probe: I wont be blackmailed, intimidated Adamu
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he noted that the farin ruwa dam project had reached over 60 percent completion stage by 2007 when he left office as chief executive of the state1 the senator representing nasarawa west senatorial district sen. abdullahi adamu says he will not succumb to blackmail and intimidation bygov. umaru al-makura of nasarawa state1 al-makura had on thursday set up the committeeto investigate the circumstances that led to the abandonment of the n5.4 billion farin-ruwa independent power plant project1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the farin-ruwa hydro-electricity power project was awarded in may 2004 by abdullahi adamu who at that time was governor of the state1 the lawmaker said that he welcomes the setting up of the committee by the governor to investigate certain activities carried out during his stewardship as chief executive of nasarawa state1 he however stressed that if the probe were an avenue to blackmail or intimidate him into succumbing to the whims of the governor then it would not work1 i will not succumb to blackmail andintimidation over my political differences with that of the governor1 everything we did while i was governor of nasarawa state were done openly and transparently and the records are there for public scrutiny1 the farin ruwa projectwas never abandoned as insinuated but that since government is a continuum i expected my successors to complete the project after his two terms in office he said1 the statement further explained that it was in view of the viabilityof that project that the federal ministry of water resources had now taken over the completion of the project1 this isnot only withthe intention of completing the proposed 20mw power component but is also considering thepossibility of incorporating other components like irrigation and water supply he said1 adamu in a statement issued on thursday in abuja by his legislative aide alhaji jibrin abdulahi was reacting to the constitution of a nine-man probe committee by his state governor1 this was duly acknowledged by governor al-makura when the permanent secretary in the federal ministry of water resources visited him in lafia barely two months ago to announce the federalgovernments decision to take over the project1 it is therefore pure mischief and an attempted blackmail for him governor al-makura to turn round and say he is investigating the handling of that project under my watch adamu said1 on the lease agreement for management of keffi hotels adamu said a privatecompany with which he was associated with pan-afric resources limited entered into a lease agreement with the then plateau state military administration of col. joshua madaki now latein 1990-91 which was about five years before nasarawa state was created1 i believe the great value addition that we have done to the hotel made successive governments in our state including umarus which is due to leave office in a few months to allow us tocontinue as concessionaires in the hotel1 i think the fact that pan-afric resources has complied with the terms of the lease agreement and has turned the abandoned property to what it it is and it have now become a source of jealousy for governor al-makura who has now turned into a hotelier since becoming governor adamu said1 the senator described the setting up of the probe panel as a political misadventure and an exercise in futility that was clearly misguided1 it was hastily done to see if i would be forced into accepting the abuse of the democratic process enshrined in the constitution of our party the rulingall progressives congress apc in the process of selecting a governorship aspirant of the partyfor the 2019 election1 that i believe shouldnt come from a person who is politically matureand wants to be reckoned with even after he leaves office adamu said1 the former governor said that as a law abiding citizen he would continue to accord al-makura due respect as governor of his home state1 adamu therefore urged al-makura to ensure that the 2019 elections goes through the democratic tenets in line with thepartysconstitution1

Film adaptation of Wole Soyinkas book Ake on Amazon
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by joshua olomu2 others are yinka davies the musical icon featured as mrs funmilayo ransome kuti and lanike onimisi and gbenga ajiboye are mr and mrs soyinka woles parents respectively1 amazon is the worlds acclaimed largestinternet retailer of video and mp3downloads and streaming1 mr dapo adeniyi executive producer and director of the film made this known in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on friday1 according to adeniyi efforts to put the film which has been screened in lagos and some international film festivals on amazon is to make it accessible around the world because ofits international appeal1 ake as a novel is read in secondary schools in california and manyother parts of the world and that kind of material with stronginternational appeal and acceptance must be made accessible to everyone1 a distributor may not have the resources to market it to wherever it is needed in all parts of the world1 people have been calling from all over the place to ask how they can get ake film and now under this arrangement someone can buy it online or rent it he explained1 adeniyi described the ake story as an epic that was very significant in nigerias history and must be immortalised for reminiscence especially for the younger generation1 the film adaptation of wole soyinkas classic autobiographical novel ake the years of childhood is now available to viewers on amazon.com1 shot at various locations in abeokuta ibadan lagos and east grinstead uk ake is a scintillating film adaptation of one of the most captivating childhood reminiscences of all time1 it combines a beautiful child-view narrative technique with direct echoes from the war as heard or imagined down in ake abeokuta1 nan reports that ake the years of childhood set in the years just before world war ii is a memoir by nigerian nobel laureate wole soyinka that was first published in 19811 it tells the story of soyinkas boyhood before and during world war ii in a yoruba village in western nigeria called ak where the author spent the first 12 years of his life1 the story ends with egba womens riot of 1945 a major historic event in nigeria1 the film adaptation produced by back page productions has a cast of about 1000 persons which includes some veteran nigerian artistes1 taiwo ajayi-lycett featured as one of the outspoken egba women in the famous egba women riots of 19451 he added that film adaptation would send the readers ofake back to the book and we hope we will really succeed in doing that1

British media declare Mays Brexit plans dead
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tusk was criticised for posting a picture of him offering may a choice of delicate cakes beside a message sorry no cherries. that is a reference to what eu leaders cast as british attempts to cherry pick elements of eu membership1 prime minister theresa mays brexit plans were declared dead by the british media on friday after what they cast as a humiliation at the hands of european union leaders at an informal summit in salzburg1 for the british media the message was clear1 your brexits broken the daily mirror newspaper said on its front page1 british newspapers led their front pages with a reuters picture showing may attired in a red jacket standing apparently aloof and alone from a mass of suited male eu leaders1 may humiliated the guardian newspaper said1 humiliation for may said the times on its front page1 mays salzburg hopes dashed as eu leaders reject chequers deal said the financial times. the bbc said embarrassing rebuff for pm in salzburg1 the sun went much further eu dirty rats euro mobsters ambush may it said alongside a mocked up picture of french president emmanuel macron and european council president donald tusk cast as american gangsters with guns1 macron bluntly said mays brexit proposals known as chequers after the country house where they were agreed by the british cabinet in july were unacceptable1 after a dinner of wiener schnitzel in salzburg eu leaders said they will push for a brexit deal next month but warned may that if she will not give ground on trade and the irish border by november they are ready to cope with britain crashing out1 britain is due to leave the european union on march 29 yet little is clear there is so far no divorce deal rivals to may are circling and some rebels have vowed to vote against a possible brexit deal1 both london and brussels say they want a divorce deal though there is limited time if the british and eu parliaments are to ratify a deal by march 29. any deal must be approved by british lawmakers1 the spectator used the headline chequers goes pop theresa mays salzburg catastrophe1 may will emerge as unique in the annals of history if she survives as pm much longer in the face of setbacks on this scale british journalist robert peston wrote1 mays former brexit minister david davis has said up to 40 lawmakers from the conservative party will vote against her brexit plans1 davis told huffington post there was a rock-solid core of party lawmakers who belonged to the european research group erg a grouping which wants a sharper break with the eu and were willing to vote down her plans1 if a possible deal were rejected by the british parliament britain would face leaving the eu without an agreement delaying brexit or calling another referendum1 if all conventional roads lead to a hard no-deal brexit the notion of parliament exerting control and forcing another referendum on us would begin to look not wholly fanciful peston wrote in the spectator1 if it left without a deal the country would move from seamless trade with the eu to customs arrangements set by the world trade organization for external states1 many business chiefs and investors say a so called no-deal brexit would weaken the west panic financial markets and block the arteries of trade. brexit supporters say such fears are exaggerated and britain would thrive in the long term1

US punishes Chinese military for buying Russian fighter jets
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a federal special counsel is leading a criminal investigation of russian interference in the u.s. election and any possible cooperation with trumps presidential campaign1 the trump administration has imposed sanctions on the chinese military for buying fighter jets and missile systems from russia in breach of a sweeping u.s. sanctions law punishing moscow for meddling in the 2016 u.s. election1 the u.s. state department said it would immediately impose sanctions on chinas equipment development department edd the branch of the chinese military responsible for weapons and equipment and its director li shangfu for engaging in significant transactions with rosoboronexport russias main arms exporter1 the sanctions are related to chinas purchase of 10 su-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and s-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018 the state department said1 they block the chinese agency and li from applying for export licenses and participating in the u.s. financial system1 it also adds them to the treasury departments list of specially designated individuals with whom americans are barred from doing business1 the administration also blacklisted an additional 33 people and entities associated with the russian military and intelligence adding them to a list under the 2017 law known as the countering americas adversaries through sanctions act or caatsa1 caatsa also seeks to punish russia for its aggression in ukraine and involvement in syrias civil war1 doing significant business with anyone on that list can trigger sanctions like those imposed on china1 some of those added to the list which now contains 72 names were indicted in connection with russian interference in the 2016 u.s. election the official said1 earlier on thursday president donald trump issued an executive order intended to facilitate implementation of the sanctions1 chinas foreign ministry has strongly urged the united states to withdraw the sanctions according to spokesman geng shuang at a daily news briefing in beijing1 trump has insisted there was no collusion with russia. moscow denies any effort to meddle in u.s. politics1 one u.s. administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said the sanctions imposed on the chinese agency were aimed at moscow not beijing or its military despite an escalating trade war between the united states and china1 the ultimate target of these sanctions is russia. caatsa sanctions in this context are not intended to undermine the defense capabilities of any particular country the official told reporters on a conference call1 they are instead aimed at imposing costs upon russia in response to its malign activities the official said1 in moscow russian member of parliament franz klintsevich said the sanctions would not affect the s-400 and su-35 contracts1 i am sure that these contracts will be executed in line with the schedule klintsevich was quoted as saying by russias interfax news agency. the possession of this military equipment is very important for china1 security analysts in asia said the move appeared to be largely symbolic and would serve only to push moscow and beijing closer together1 the imposition of u.s. sanctions will have zero impact on russian arms sales to china said ian storey of singapores iseas yusof ishak institute1 both countries are opposed to what they see as u.s. bullying and this kind of actions will just push beijing and moscow even closer together he said adding that moscow needed chinese money and beijing wanted advanced military technology1 collin koh a security analyst at singapores s rajaratnam school of international studies said the sanctions would do little to counter the evolving research and development relationship between china and russia1

Ronaldo weeps on Champions League debut for Juventus
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4. sunday november 30 2008 manchester city 0 manchester united 11 however his consolation will be that juventus was cruising to a crushing victory against the spanish team despite being reduced to 10 men. score was 2-0 in 60th minute1 the decision seemed harsh. ronaldo was being tracked by murillo in the penalty box and aimed a small kick at his opponent as they tussled1 murillo instantly fell to the ground and after consulting his assistant on the goalline brych sent ronaldo off1 the striker dropped to the floor in disbelief and had tears in his eyes when he finally walked down the tunnel1 ronaldo will now miss juventus next game in group h which is at home to young boys on october 21 the red card received by ronaldo today was his 11th in his stellar career1 1. saturday may 15 2004 aston villa 0 manchester united 21 ronaldo scored in uniteds 2-0 win away to aston villa on the final day of the season but was booked twice for diving and time wasting late on1 his first booking was eventually rescinded meaning he didnt have to serve a suspension1 2. saturday january 14 2006 manchester city 3 manchester united 11 the portuguese was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on former united favourite andy cole as the red devils went on to lose the manchester derby 3-11 3. wednesday august 15 2007 portsmouth 1 manchester united 11 a straight red card and three-match ban was again dished out to ronaldo for an apparent headbutt on portsmouth midfielder richard hughes in a 1-1 draw at fratton park1 ronaldo was shown a red card by german referee felix brych in the 29th minute at estadio mestalla after an altercation with valencia defender jeison murillo1 ronaldo saw red in a manchester derby once more this time for two bookable offences after a trip on shaun wright-phillips and then an inexplicable handball1 5. december 5 2009 real madrid 4 almeria 21 a first red card in la liga came in ronaldos debut season for two petulant late bookings coming after he had missed a penalty and also scored los blancos fourth goal in a 4-2 win1 6. january 24 2010 real madrid 2 malaga 01 just a month later ronaldo doubled his count of red cards at the bernabeu when he elbowed malaga midfielder patrick mtiliga in the face as he tried to escape the danes clutches. earlier the portuguese had scored both madrids goals in a 2-0 win1 7. may 17 2013 real madrid 1 atletico madrid 21 on a disastrous night for real as they lost a madrid derby for the first time in 14 years ronaldo kicked out at atletico captain gabi in the final few minutes and was shown a straight red1 8. february 2 2014 athletic bilbao 1 real madrid 11 ronaldo was given a three-game ban after clashing with athletic defender carlos gurpegi and then showing his disagreement with the referee when he was shown a straight red card as he left the field1 9. january 24 2015 cordoba 1 real madrid 21 arguably his most violent discretion as he kicked out at cordoba defender edimar1 10. august 13 2017 barcelona 1 real madrid 31 ronaldo packed plenty of action in a 24-minute appearance as a second-half substitute as he smashed into the top corner to give madrid a 2-1 lead1 however his decision to celebrate by removing his shirt to flex his muscles proved costly as he was booked and just two minutes later saw a second yellow card for diving in the referees eyes in an attempt to win a penalty1