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NiMet predicts more rains for Friday
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the nigerian meteorological agency nimet has predicted that with the continued influx of moisture thunderstorms and rains would be expected over most parts of the country for friday1 nimet made this known in its weather outlook by its central forecast office in abuja on thursday1 it said that cloudy conditions would prevail over sokoto and the northern part of borno with prospects of thunderstorms over kano gusau nguru potiskum dutse and environs1 the agency predicted thunderstorm during the afternoon and evening period over most places in the northern region1 nimet added that day and night temperature in the region would be in the ranges of 26 30 degree celsius and 20 22 degree celsius respectively1 according to it scattered thunderstorms and rains are expected to prevail across the central states throughout the forecast period1 it added that day and night temperature in the region would be in the range of 27 30 degree celsius and 22 23 degree celsius respectively except for jos that would be between 23 and 15 degree celsius1 the agency predicted moderate rains over ondo osogbo ibadan akure ijebu-ode enugu awka ikom calabar and environs during the morning hours1 it said that coudy conditions would be anticipated over ilorin shaki and iseyin axis with prospects of moderate rains over the rest of the southern region1 nimet said that day and night temperature in the region would be in the range of 26 30 degree celsius and 21 24 degree celsius respectively1 -
Romanian men, Ukrainian women worlds heaviest alcohol drinkers
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men in romania are the biggest alcohol drinkers in the world guzzling eight drinks a day on average. they are followed by men in portugal luxembourg lithuania and ukraine with seven units a day1 ukranian women who drink were in a league of their own putting away more than four glasses or shots every 24 hours followed by andorra luxembourg belarus sweden denmark ireland and britain all averaging about three per day1 the findings were made in a major study of 195 nations by the institute for health metrics and evaluation in seattle washington1 among men drinking alcohol in 2016 was most widespread in denmark 97 percent along with norway argentina germany and poland 94 percent1 in asia south korean men took the lead with 91 percent hitting the bottle at least once in a while1 among women danes also ranked first 95 percent followed by norway 91 percent germany and argentina 90 percent and new zealand 89 percent1 the most abstemious nations were those with muslim-majority populations1 -
New study says no safe level of alcohol, not one cup or one shot
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britains health authority for example suggests not exceeding 14 drinks per week to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level1 even an occasional glass of wine or beer increases the risk of health problems and dying according to a major study on drinking in 195 nations that attributes 2.8 million premature deaths worldwide each year to alcohol1 despite recent research showing that light-to-moderate drinking reduces heart disease the new study found that alcohol use is more likely than not to do harm1 the protective effect of alcohol was offset by the risks griswold told afp in summarising the results published in medical journal the lancet on friday1 overall the health risks associated with alcohol rose in line with the amount consumed each day1 compared to abstinence imbibing one standard drink 10 grammes of alcohol equivalent to a small beer glass of wine or shot of spirits per day for example ups the odds of developing at least one of two dozen health problems by about half-a-percent the researchers reported1 looked at one way that seems like a small increment 914 out of 100000 teetotallers will encounter those problems compared to 918 people who imbibe seven times per week1 but at the global level that additional risk of 0.5 percent among once-a-day drinkers corresponds to about 100000 additional deaths each year said senior author emmanuela gakidou a professor at the university of washington and a director at the institute for health metrics and evaluation1 those are excess deaths in other words that could be avoided she told afp1 the risk climbs in a steep j-curve the study found1 an average of two drinks per day for example translated into a 7.0 percent hike in disease and injury compared to those who opt for abstinence1 with five units of alcohol per day the likelihood of serious consequences jumps by 37 percent1 the less is better none is best finding jibes with the world health organizations long-standing position but is at odds with many national guidelines especially in the developed world1 there is no safe level of alcohol said max griswold a researcher at the institute for health metrics and evaluation in seattle washington and lead author for a consortium of more than 500 experts including some nigerians1 there is always a lag between the publication of new evidence and the modification and adoption of revised guidelines said gakidou who admitted to being an occasional drinker herself1 the evidence shows what the evidence shows and i like 2.4 billion other people on the planet that also consume alcohol need to take it seriously1 overall drinking was the seventh leading risk factor for premature death and disease in 2016 accounting for just over two percent of deaths in women and nearly seven percent in men1 the top six killers are high blood pressure smoking low-birth weight and premature delivery high blood sugar diabetes obesity and pollution1 but in the 15-49 age bracket alcohol emerged as the most lethal factor responsible for more than 12 percent of deaths among men the study found1 the main causes of alcohol-related deaths in this age group were tuberculosis road injuries and self-harm mainly suicide1 we now understand that alcohol is one of the major causes of death in the world today said lancet editor richard horton. we need to act now. we need to act urgently to prevent these millions of deaths. and we can1 this study used 694 data sources on individual and population-level alcohol consumption along with 592 prospective and retrospective studies on the risk of alcohol use. more than 500 gbd collaborators such as researchers academics and others from more than 40 nations contributed to the study according to max griswold senior researcher and lead author1 with the largest collected evidence base to date our study makes the relationship between health and alcohol clear drinking causes substantial health loss in myriad ways all over the world griswold said1 in 2016 eight of the leading 10 countries with lowest death rates attributable to alcohol use among 15- to 49-year-olds were in the middle east kuwait iran palestine libya saudi arabia yemen jordan and syria. the other two were maldives and singapore1 conversely seven of the leading 10 countries with highest death rates were in the baltic eastern european or central asian regions specifically russia ukraine lithuania belarus mongolia latvia and kazakhstan. the other three were lesotho burundi and central african republic1 kings college london professor robyn burton who did not take part in the study described it as the most comprehensive estimate of the global burden of alcohol use to date1 -
FAAN rewards 2 honest security guards who returned bag with dollars
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when they returned passengers involved they were jittery that some of the items in the bag might have vanished1 two honest security guards at the murtala muhammed international airport mmia ikeja who had earned the commendations of president muhammadu buhari and many nigerians were on thursday rewarded with n250000 each.1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that daniel was with his colleague emepueaku when he found the bag on aug.18 at the airport1 daniel said inside the bag we saw a mobile phone jewellery and huge amount of money in dollars and several other documents1 at that point i went straight to the managers office who now put a call through to somebody in atlanta georgia and the person happened to be daughter of the owner of the bag1 if the money was in multi-millions of foreign currencies i would still have returned it1 i saw the bag on a trolley at the car park and i said to myself that somebody must have forgotten it there1 it was not padlocked and without opening it i went to the ground floor with the bag to meet my supervisor daniel told newsmen at the event1 the security guard said that it was not his first time of returning money in foreign currencies to their rightful owners1 the guards mr achi daniel and mr francis emepueaku of halogen securities had returned a bag full of dollars and jewellery which belonged to a nigerian who returned from america1 but after crosschecking it she owner discovered that everything was intact and the family attempted to give us some amount of money as a form of appreciation which we rejected telling them that we were doing our job1 it never crossed my mind to steal the money i wouldnt have done that because it was not my first time of finding such and returning to the owners1 no amount of money would make me to take what does not belong to me. i believe my own time will come and at the right time daniel said1 also mr saleh dunoma the managing director federal airports authority of nigeria faan said that several other related cases had been recorded at the nations airports1 dunoma who was represented at the event by mr salisu daura the faan director of engineering services said that the duos act gave confidence and credibility to the agencys security profiling system1 he said that the duo would forever be remembered in the annals of the industry as role models reference points shining lights and good ambassadors1 some others may look at you and tag you stupid but i want to assure you that by virtue of this act you have secured seats for yourselves in the comity of those with credibility and integrity1 i want to advice other members of staff to emulate this great virtue and become role models just like these two security guards he said1 -
Seal visits Femi Kutis Afrika Shrine(Photos)
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seal the british singer with nigerian roots visited femi kuti at the new afrika shrine in lagos on thursday1 he came with his son henry and met with kutis son made and sister yeni1 yeni the afrikashrine all shared on instagram pictures of the truly august visitor whose real name is henry olusegun adeola samuel1 seal and i at the shrine today awesome wrote yeni kuti1 my brother seal femi announced on his own instagram account while @afrikashrine announced seals departure. femi was heard on the accompanying video telling henry to feel free to come to nigeria to spend his holiday1 however seal has not announced the visit on his own instagram verified page1 seal a multiple award winner was born in london to a nigerian mother adebisi ogundeji and a brazilian father francis samuel on 19 february 1963.however he was raised by a foster family inwestminster london1 -
Canada in talks with Saudis to end rift
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canadas prime minister justin trudeau says his government is engaging diplomatically with saudi arabia but isnt backing down on concerns about human rights1 his comments come two weeks into a spat over ottawas calls for the release of saudi activists from detention1 we continue to engage diplomatically with saudi arabia i think its important to have positive relationships with countries around the world trudeau told reporters after cabinet meetings in british columbia on thursday1 -
Australia: Rebel MPs set to topple PM Turnbull
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turnbull who accused dutton and his supporters of bullying and intimidation on thursday said he would not contest a second leadership challenge and leave parliament although he did not put a timetable on when he would go1 australia was bracing for yet another change of prime minister friday after a revolt against malcolm turnbull by hardline conservatives in his liberal party with his near three-year reign hanging by a thread1 turnbull survived one attempt to knife him on tuesday winning a party room vote 48-35 but since then ministers have been defecting and a second letter adership challenge is likely at noon 200gmt friday1 dutton needs to prove he has majority backing or 43 signatures from within the partys parliamentary group a requirement for him to force a second crack at the top job ahead of national ok opelections due by mid-20191 reports on friday said at least 43 lawmakers were onboard for a leadership change. turnbull has asked for a verification of the signatures and has promised a meeting for voting1 former home affairs minister peter dutton an ex-police officer and right-winger has been the stalking horse seeking to unseat turnbull after a party backlash against his more moderate approach to politics1 if he moves out of politics it would spark a by-election for his sydney seat threatening the governments one-seat parliamentary majority1 even if dutton gets the numbers for a challenge there is no guarantee he will assume the top job after foreign minister julie bishop and treasurer scott morrison both turnbull allies threw their hats in the ring1 during a three-way vote whoever comes last in the first round will be eliminated with a second round taking place to decide who becomes leader1 defence industry minister christopher pyne a turnbull ally refused to say who he would be backing and hit out at elements inside his party1 i think some people should have considered the greater good of the people of australia and the government rather than their own self-interest and ambition he said1 -
Buhari commends 2 securitymen for returning bag of dollars
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a lagos-based medical doctor banji oyegbami who runs betta hospital in agege had met a family returning from america at the airport on august 18. in the process of loading their luggage into his car the handbag of the returnees wife fell unknown to anyone1 when the bag was eventually collected the contents including a handsome amount of american dollars phone wrist watch and other valuables were intact. the grateful couple offered a generous gift but messrs francis emepueaku and achi daniel declined saying they were merely doing their duties1 the security men could have chosen to behave differently following the self-serving principle of if you cant beat them join them. but they have chosen to be examples of good honest nigerians. i commend their conduct to the rest of the country1 the president urged nigerians to bring out the best in themselves at all times noting that with such minds they can never be hoodwinked again by those who seek power for selfish and dubious reasons and return the country to an inglorious past1 nigeria will no longer be a byword for corruption and plundering of public resources. that is the path we have chosen to take and our country will eventually get to a new shore president buhari affirmed1 i parked my car on the first floor of the new multi level car park and walked briskly to wait for my guests in front of the arrival hall. about an hour of waiting my friend and wife emerged from the entrance pushing the luggage trolley. i rushed forward to meet them and as expected exchanged pleasantries. my driver immediately took over the trolley and we walk briskly to the car park chatting all along the way. we got there and started loading the bags into the boot of the vehicle. instinctively1 we were jolted when i received a phone call from the daughter of my friend in america. she told us that she received a call via her mothers number. the caller informed her that the owner of the phone forgot her bag at the airport car park and that we should turn back to collect it.1 -
Glencore, Sinopec battle for Chevrons South African assets
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south africas competition watchdog has approved glencores roughly 900 million bid for chevrons local and botswana assets bolstering its chances of scuppering a rival bid from chinas sinopec1 chevron agreed last year to sell its stake to state-owned sinopec before miner and commodities trader glencore swooped in after reaching a deal with minority shareholders who backed it and exercised preemptive rights on the sale1 at stake is a 75 percent share in chevrons south african subsidiary that runs a 100000-barrels-per-day oil refinery in cape town a lubricants plant in durban and 820 petrol stations and other oil storage facilities1 the sale also includes 220 convenience stores across south africa and botswana1 for glencore the deal would secure the traders first refining asset since it ventured into downstream investments. for sinopec it would mark its second major refinery investment as the company looks to expand overseas amid a saturated home market1 both deals have now been given the green light from the competition commission subject to several conditions that include the preservation of jobs after the deal1 it is now up to the competition tribunal which makes the final ruling on deals to decide whether to accept the commissions recommendations1 the tribunal has already approved sinopecs bid1 -
Trump says market will crash if impeached
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but in the interview broadcast early thursday trump questioned why there are calls for his impeachment because hes somebody whos done a great job1 fox and friends host ainsley earhardt asked trump if democrats will move to impeach him if they retake the house during novembers midterm elections1 i dont know how you can impeach somebody whos done a great job trump responded1 if hillary clinton had been elected trump said the gross domestic product rate would not have hit 4.1 percent this last quarter1 had hillary and the democrats gotten in had she been president you would have had negative growth he said1 trump also touted his great relationship with chinese president xi jinping days before he is expected to impose another round of tariffs on china. beijing is then expected to retaliate1 when i came in china was a dominant force he told earhardt. now they like me very much1 trump has previously warned that republicans need to maintain the house majority otherwise he could face impeachment from democrats1 calls for trumps removal have renewed this week after his former longtime lawyer michael cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and implicated the president1 house minority leader nancy pelosi d-calif. however said on wednesday that trumps ouster is not a priority1 -
British Airways axes flights to Tehran
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british airways will suspend flights between london heathrow and tehran from in september1 the airline said its last outbound service will operate on september 22 with the final inbound flight returning on september 231 we are suspending our london to tehran service as the operation is currently not commercially viable1 we are sorry for any disruption this may cause to our customers travel plans and we are in discussions with our partner airlines to offer customers rebooking options1 alternatively they will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to bring their flights forward1 ba relaunched flights to the iranian capital in september 2016 following a gap of four years. business traveller reviewed the service shortly after its launch1 it was not clear whether the flight suspension is rooted in the collapse of iranian currency and soaring food prices following president trumps re-imposition of sanctions on the country1 -
Why Buhari will win 2019 general election lawyer
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okpanachi of joe abrahams san1 according to him the president is very much on ground in kano state and so if kwankwaso saw himself as a son of the soil he can as well see himself as a son of the soil1 okpanachi said that buharis popularity had been tested and proven in kano even while kwankwaso was the governor1 according to him this is attainable with the likes of former governor of akwa ibom mr godswill akpabio defecting to the ruling all progressives congress apc and other strong politicians who are already on ground1 before the last election someone like sen. ndoma egba was not with the president but now hes with him. there are also appointees he has from that place who were not there before he said1 okpanachi opined that in rivers state the president would surely do better than he did in the 2015 elections1 he said even though former gov. rotimi amaechi supported buhari his powers were neutralised by federal might. but now the federal might was in favour of amaechi1 all amaechi has to do is to ensure that the kind of rigging that allegedly took place in rivers state during 2015 elections should not repeat itself1 and with what is going on in delta state where political heavy weights are going into the ruling party buhari is sure to get 25 per cent which he needs okpanachi said1 -
Delta Govt. increases jurisdiction of magistrates
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the governor said that the order followed the recommendation of the state chief judge justice marshal umukoro1 mr timothy agbaragu the head public relationsprotocol department delta high court disclosed this in a statement made available to the news agency of nigeria nan on thursday in asaba1 okowa said the order was in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 24 1 of the magistrate court law cap m1 vol. 3 laws of delta state 20061 the law empowers the governor to increase the jurisdiction of magistrates in civil and criminal matters1 by the order the maximum monetary limits of chief magistrates special grade chief magistrate grade 1 and chief magistrate grade 2 has been increased to n10 million n8 million and n5 million respectively1 senior magistrate grade 1 and senior magistrate grade 2 now have jurisdiction on matters within n3 million and n2 million1 magistrate grade 1 and grade 2 shall have jurisdiction on matters within in n1 million and n500 000 he stated1 the governor said the order took effect from aug. 20 20181 the recommendation provides that in all actions relating to landlord and tenant the claimant may in addition claim arrears of rent and the profits1 this is irrespective of the fact that the total claim exceeds the amount assigned to the cadre of magistrate concerned1 okowa also increased the criminal jurisdiction of magistrate courts to chief magistrate special grade1 the governor said that chief magistrate grade 1 and grade 2 were now empowered by the order to impose sentencesfines of 14 years or fine not less than n250 0001 he said they now had powers to impose sentences of 10 years or fines not less than n200 000 and six years imprisonment or fine not less than n150 0001 the governor said these were applicable where the law creating the offences did not make any specific provisions1 similarly senior magistrate grade 1 and 2 can now sentence convicts to four years and three years while their criminal jurisdiction has been expanded to sentence convicts to two years and one year1 -
Man arrested for issuing fake number plates to Ondo motorists
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the ondo state police command on thursday paraded a 43-year-old man francis oladapo who was arrested for allegedly issuing fake number plates to some motorists and motorcyclists in the state1 the commands spokesman mr femi joseph said that the suspect collected over n4000 from each of his victims while carrying out his illegal activities1 joseph said that detectives from the command swung into action by arresting oladapo after they had received information regarding his illegal act from the members of the public1 it was unfortunate that on sighting the police the suspects accomplices escaped arrest1 this illegal act no doubt must have depleted the revenues that should have accrued to the state government revenues the spokesman said1 joseph however advised the members of public to only register their motors and motorcycles at the state board of internal revenue or at the office of federal road safety corps frsc1 the suspect told newsmen that he was introduced to the illegal business two years ago by a gang member now at large1 he said that he was not aware that his accomplices were engaged in criminality1