Iran recovers black box of Mina Basarans jet
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iranian state television quoted mojtaba khaledi the spokesman of the countrys emergency management organization as saying the plane hit a mountain in shahr-e kord and burst into flames1 the black box from mina basarans private jet that crashed in iran while travelling from the united arab emirates to istanbul on march 11 has been recovered1 the report byirans state-run irna news agency also stated that officials have recovered 10 bodies so far from the crash in the zagros mountains outside of the city of shahr-e kord some 370 kilometers south of the iranian capital tehran1 the sharjah civil aviation authorities said the planes eight passengers were six turks and two spaniards. three others were the flight crew1 the aircraft days earlier carried a bachelorette party bound for dubai1 search and rescue teams were deployed to the area of the incident kerem knk the head of the turkish red crescent wrote on twitter on march 111 the three crew members as well as the eight passengers on board were also identified as female1 a plane belonging to turkey has crashed near irans western city of shahre kord. the iranian red crescent society has dispatched 10 teams to the disaster area in chaharmahal and bakhtiari province to search for possible survivors knk said in his tweet1 mina heiress to a turkish billionaire seven of her friends and three crew members all died in the crash1 the plane took off around 441 p.m. 1311 gmt 911 a.m. est on march 11 and reached a cruising altitude of just over 35000 feet according to flightradar24 a flight-tracking website. at around 601 p.m. 1431 gmt 1031 a.m. est something appears to have gone wrong with the flight as it rapidly gained altitude and then dropped drastically within minutes data published by the website showed1 the semi-official fars news agency said the plane took off from sharjah international airport on its way to istanbul. a private company that handles public relations for the sharjah airfield the home of low-cost airline air arabia declined to immediately comment to the associated press. sharjah is a neighboring emirate of dubai1 turkeys private doan news agency identified the plane as a bombardier cl604 tail number tc-trb. the turkish transport ministry said the plane belongs to baaran holding1 mina baaran a 28-year-old woman who is part of baaran holdings board of managers and is in line to run the business posted photographs on instagram of what appeared to be her bachelorette party in dubai1 among the photographs was an image of the crashed plane posted three days ago1 the last videos posted to her account showed her and friends enjoying a concert by the british pop star rita ora at a popular dubai nightclub. there was no further activity on her account after that1 the crash of the turkish jet comes after an iranian atr-72 a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying crashed in southern iran killing all 65 people on board in february1

Trump backtracks on raising minimum age to purchase firearms
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the plan is backed by the powerful national rifle association nra and opposed by the countrys biggest teachers group the national education association1 us president donald trump has backtracked on raising the minimum age requirement from 18 to 21 for some gun purchases local media reported on monday1 the latest proposals put forward by the white house instead suggested the establishment of a commission to examine whether the measure would make sense1 there was however no proposed timeline for the commission1 the proposals are much more modest than those trump suggested he would support in february1 controversially they do include a plan to help individual states arm teachers on a voluntary basis1 trump indicated support for the measure in the wake of februarys massacre at a florida high school1 democrat sen. chuck schumer said in response to the new proposals that the white house has taken tiny baby steps designed not to upset the nra when the gun violence epidemic in the country demands that giant steps be taken1 the white house is also supporting improved background checks1 it is also calling on states to introduce measures which would allow law enforcement to confiscate weapons from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others schumer added1 a 19-year-old has been charged over the killing of 17 people at a school in parkland florida in february1 the former pupil had legally purchased the weapon used in the attack in spite of having a record of mental health problems and making threats. dpanan1

Military draft law brews trouble for Netanyahus coalition
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israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahus conservative governing coalition remains on the verge of collapse on monday after a night of negotiations over legislation to extend military draft exemptions for ultra-orthodox jews1 the crisis which could spark early elections came after ultra-orthodox parties said they would not support the 2019 state budget unless the draft exemption legislation is approved1 israels defense minister avigdor lieberman who heads a hawkish secular party is the leading coalition member against the draft exemptions1 lieberman has said that he would only support legislation that is drafted by a committee of military officials1 report says the crisis comes as netanyahu faces police allegations of bribery and mounting corruption probes1 opposition politicians and a leading member of the prime ministers coalition have accused netanyahu who is polling strongly of seeking snap elections as a way to bolster his standing in the event of a criminal indictment1 netanyahu has said he wants elections only at the end of this governments term november 2019. dpanan1

Oil price rises towards $70
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oil markets climbed on monday on the back of a drop in the number of united states rigs drilling for more production and as the u.s. economy continued to create jobs which industry hopes will drive higher fuel demand1 brent sweet crude was at 65.70 dollars per barrel up 21 cents or 0.3 per cent from their previous close1 a falling rig count and the strong employment data may have helped support prices said william oloughlin investment analyst at rivkin securities1 the u.s. economy added the biggest number of jobs in more than 1-12 years in february with non-farm payrolls jumping by 313000 jobs last month the labor department said on friday1 in oil markets u.s. energy companies last week cut oil rigs for the first time in almost two months rig-ol-usa-bhi with drillers cutting back four rigs to 796 baker hughes ge.n energy services firm said on friday.reutersnan1

Bangladesh plane crash :17 rescued says official
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a bangladeshi aircraft carrying 67 passengers and four crew crashed on monday while coming in to land at the airport in the nepali capital kathmandu an airport official said2 he said that 17 people on board had been rescued2 the state of the other people on the flight from the bangladeshi capital dhaka operated by us-bangla airlines was not clear airport spokesman birendra prasad shrestha said2 we are trying to bring the fire under control. details are awaited he said2 he added that the airport had been shut down and all other flights diverted2 were now concentrating on evacuating the passengers2 television images showed smoke rising from the crash site2 mountainous nepal is notorious for air accidents. small aircraft often run into trouble at provincial airstrips2 read more at httpsuk.reuters.comarticleuk-nepal-crashbangladesh-plane-carrying-71-people-crashes-in-nepal-idukkcn1go0wt2

Tillerson to spend few hours in Nigeria
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he is also expected to discuss how to advance peace and security promote good governance and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment with the president2 on saturday while visiting nairobi tillerson 65 canceled his scheduled events because he had been feeling unwell1 tillersons travel plans have changed so that he can return to washington early on tuesday morning instead of late that night the spokesman told reporters traveling with him1 the secretary departed the kenyan capital of nairobi on monday morning1 he will visit chad and nigeria both oil-producers struggling to contain the islamist boko haram insurgency on monday afternoon and evening1 he was billed to spend monday night in the nigerian capital abuja before flying back to washington1 a spokesman for the top u.s. diplomat said tillerson had cut short his first trip to africa to return to washington about one day ahead of schedule to deal with urgent work there1 tillersons week-long five-country visit to africa came amid other urgent foreign policy developments including thursdays announcement that u.s. president donald trump will meet north korean leader kim jong un1 nan reports that tillersons visit to the horn of africa just days after he announced a new 533m aid package for africa out of which 128 million dollars was earmarked for nigeria and countries of the lake chad region1 when tillerson meets buhari both men are expected to discuss counter-terrorism efforts and humanitarian issues in nigerias north-east and the lake chad basin1 u. s. secretary of state rex tillersonhas changed his schedule so that he will spend only a few hours in nigeria before leaving late monday evening to washington dc1 during his trip he is expected also to meet with the u.s. embassy personnel and participate in events related to u.s. government-supported activities. reutersnan1

Expert wants more investment on refineries
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what are we doing with all these depots when we dont have refined products he asked2 an oil and gas expert alhaji tokunbo korodo on monday urged the federal government to create an enabling environment for investors to build more refineries instead of depots2 what are we doing with over 100 depots while we have just four refineries with a population of 180 million2 we should be thinking of how to get more refineries to refine more products than keep building more tank farms2 go to apapa now when i joined the oil sector in 1982 we had only seven tank farms in apapa but today we have more than 62 tank farms in the place alone2 in lagos alone we have more than 80 tank farms while we have over 30 depots in other states of the federation2 korodo the immediate past chairman lagos zonal council nigeria union of petroleum and natural gas workers nupeng gave the advice in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in lagos2 he said the countrys founding fathers meant well for the nation when they built three refineries and one storage facility in lagos in the 70s2 atlas cove storage was built in lagos to receive products from the refineries to serve the people in the western part of the country2 refinery was built in warri delta state to serve the people in south-south part while port harcourt refinery will serve the people in south eastern part2 the kaduna refinery was built to serve the people in the north2 unfortunately the subsequent government messed up the whole plan and allowed these entire infrastructure to decay korodo said. nan2

Davidos N1.8m donation to Rwandan music school
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they would be able to pace up with the qualities of music produced in nigeria and some other african countries1 by taiye baiyerohi1 some of them commended him for the generous act in separate interviews with the news agency of nigeria nan on monday in lagos1 others however advised davido to extend the gesture to music schools established by nigerians1 they said that those with interest in music could be sponsored by nigerian artistes in music school to curb social vices1 nigerian flutist omatshola iseli popularly known as tee mac said that such an act of generosity was not supposed to be publicized1 the donor should have done it quietly without bringing it into public limelight1 iseli said that celebrities as public figures should be more concerned about giving back to the society just as davido had done1 they should however try to minimise how the members of the public sing their praises due to their generosity1 as celebrities we need to give back to the society depending on how buoyant we are but this must be done without publicity1 and i believe such will be appreciated more by god as davido has tried he said1 folklore musician ayo orobiyi popularly called adunni nefrettiti said that davidos generousity was a beautiful development for the rwandan music industry1 she said that the rwanda music was below the acceptable standard when compared with music produced by other african countries1 she said that the school should channel the donation to the right direction for the improvement of the rwandan music industry1 the 5000 about n1.8 million pledged by renowned musician david adeleke a.k.a. davido to a rwandan music school has continued to generate mixed reactions from nigerian musicians1 this is a good development coming from one of us in nigeria1 i believe he must have observed that rwanda needed such help more than nigeria because their music is nothing to be compared with ours she said1 nigerian reggae musician austin peters known as king wadada urged nigerian artistes who are financially buoyant to demonstrate such generous act to music schools in the country1 king wadada who appreciated davidos gesture to rwanda said nigerian youths could also be assisted in enrolling in nigerian music schools1 according to him musicians can train the less privileged nigerian youths who are interested in becoming musicians by sponsoring them in music schools1 wadada said that this would curb the crime rates and other atrocities engaged in by youths1 davido has tried so far aside the pledge to the rwandan music school he has created a niche for himself and this is highly commendable1 i will call on other nigerian artistes to emulate him but this time such assistance must be for music schools in nigeria1 there are many youths who will appreciate being trained in the music school as a way to further their career in singing1 such youths can be sponsored in music schools and we will discover that crime rates and some other social vices will be minimised he said1 peters also advised nigerian musicians to ensure that the contents of their music were edifying to the souls of the listeners and serve as tools for behavioural change1 our music should be capable of achieving positive results changing the negative behaviour of people to the positive1 let us change the societal problems through our songs he said1

ICC Presidency: Saraki Congratulates Eboe-Osuji
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president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki has congratulated mr.chile eboe-osuji a nigerian on his election as the president of theinternational criminal courticc1 saraki in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity yusuph olaniyonu in abuja described the development as positive for nigeria coming a few days after his deputy senator ike ekweremadu was appointed a professor by the southern university united states of america usa1 he noted that the emergence of eboe-osujiduring the 10th session of the assembly of state parties of the icc at the un headquarters in new york was a testimony that nigeria and nigerians have what it takes to continue to provide leadership at both the local and global arena1 while wishing the eminent jurist a successful tenure the senate president said he was sure that the judge would work to justify the confidence reposed in him by his colleagues who voted to elevate him to the position1 no doubt the presidency of the icc represents a huge responsibility. it is my hope that eboe-osuji will help lead the court to new levels of successes in the next three years saraki stated1

2018 Convention: NANS to set up conciliatory committee
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the meeting suggested that former national president of nans 20072008 mr yinka dada be appointed chairman of the conciliatory committee with the mandate of meeting obasi aruna kadiri factional nans president zonal coordinators stakeholders and selected student union presidents within two weeks2 the national association of nigerian students nans has resolved to constitute a reconciliatory committee with a view to uniting the students body ahead if its 2018 national convention2 the communiqu was made available to the news agency of nigeria nan on sunday in abuja2 it was co-signed by mr chinonso obasi nans president mr yazeed yazeed chairman communiqu drafting committee and mr ogunwoye gbemiga secretary communiqu drafting committee2 obasi had in a letter dated march 1 addressed to nigerian students convened a conciliatory meeting slated for march 102 the meeting having resolved through robust deliberation on the inevitable unity of nans in a motion moved by mr friday adayi a presidential aspirant from uniabuja2 adayi urged legitimate nigerian students to appeal to stakeholders particularly former nans leaders to come together champion and ensure the unity of nans2 he was seconded by unanimous acceptance by voice vote of all attendees2 a communiqu issued after nans meeting at the university of abuja uniabuja said that the decision to set up such committee was sequel to motion by mr friday adayi a student of uniabuja2 they are to harmonise a united convention planning committeecpc that will organise and conduct an election on an agreed venue and date accepted by all parties2 the communiqu said that it was agreed that the cpc members must have current matriculation numbers2 it listed the presidential aspirants in attendance as-adayi uniabuja lukman salahuddeen kwara state university berido henry benue state polytechnic adio odunjo orlando university of ilorin kwara state and obande gideon -who sent a text2 the communiqu said that the presidential aspirants abubakar gambo an aspirant for office of nans senate president and numerous other aspirants for different offices all agreed that there should be a unity convention2 it also appealed to the governing council and management of uniabuja to revisit the case of the expelled 2007 sug president of the institution mr igwe ude-umanta2 it said that ude-umanta was expelled in 2007 adding that 11years was a long time punishment2 the communiqu appealed for an unconditional waiver for ude-umanta2 the communiqu said that nigerian students would resist any form of opposition that might jeopardise the energizing education programmeeep of the federal government2

Tillerson arrives in Abuja Monday
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he is also expected to discuss how to advance peace and security promote good governance and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment with the president2 i know kenya takes these matters seriously. a free and independent media is essential for safeguarding democracy and giving all kenyans confidence in their government2 he said they had shown a commitment to working for all kenyans regardless of party to take the long journey that is necessary to restore the country eliminate these divisions that are creating obstacles to kenyas future1 the secretary is expected to hold a press conference at the presidential villa on tuesday by 11.45 a.m1 tillerson is expected to be joined in the press availability by minister of foreign affairs geoffrey onyeama the embassy stated1 tillerson has been on a week-long tour of africa1 he has visited the horn of africa just days after he announced a new 533 million package for africa out of which 128 million was earmarked for nigeria and countries of the lake chad region1 tillerson and buhari are expected to discuss counter terrorism efforts and humanitarian issues in nigerias northeast and the lake chad basin1 the u.s. secretary of state mr. rex tillerson will arrive in abuja on monday in continuation of his visit to some african countries1 he would also meet with u.s. embassy personnel and participate in events related to u.s. government-supported activities1 during his visit to kenyan tillerson said on friday in nairobi he had shared his concerns with kenyas president uhuru kenyatta about the importance of democracy1 tillerson said at a news conference that his concerns were that government should not stifle the media and threaten the courts1 we believe that there are actions that need to be taken in kenya and that they need to correct certain actions like shutting down independent tv stations and threatening the independence of the courts he said1 when he arrives tillerson will become the highest ranking official in the trump administration to visit nigeria1 tillerson called kenya a leading democracy in africa praising president kenyatta and opposition leader raila odinga for meeting on friday and pledging to bring their people together after 2017 contentious and bloody elections1 the u.s. embassy in abuja said on sunday that tillerson would hold talks with president muhammadu buhari on tuesday1 tillerson said all the credit for the meeting went to the kenyan political leaders in response to a question as to whether the u.s. had a role in organising it1 both kenyatta and odinga had said in a joint statement that they agreed to establish a new office staffed by advisers1 they are to tackle the divisions ranging from opposition complaints over the election to tensions between ethnic groups and corruption1 we have a responsibility as leaders to find solutions. elections come and go but kenya remains kenyatta said1 kenyatta was sworn in for a second term in november after an extended election season which saw the supreme court nullifying an august presidential poll1 the apex court went on to order a re-run in october which odinga boycotted1 around 100 people died mainly in clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters during months of acrimonious campaigning and protests1 the election season blunted growth in kenya east africas richest economy and a western ally in a volatile region1 in january odinga took a symbolic presidential oath in a nairobi park in a direct challenge to kenyatta1 before fridays meeting the two men had defied calls from kenyan civil society religious leaders and western diplomats to hold talks to overcome deep divisions opened up by the disputed elections1 odinga said the opposition had decided to change tactics for the sake of the countrys unity1 we refuse to allow our diversity to kill our nation he said1 u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson arrived in the kenyan capital later on friday as part of a seven-day visit to africa1 the move was in the face of u. s. attempt to bolster security alliances on a continent increasingly turning to china for trade. nan1

Senate confirms N13.5m monthly allowance to Senators
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he was responding to a question on alleged bogus salaries and allowances of nigerian lawmakers2 the nigerian senate said today that senator shehu sani was in order when he revealed the n45m quarterly allowance that each senator takes home2 senate spokesman senator aliyu sabi abdullahi said thefigure sani gave out about running cost of the offices of senators was contained in various line items and expenditure heads of the budget of the national assembly which has been made public2 according to him senator shehu sanidid not disclose anything new2 sani who represents kaduna central disclosed the figure and the n700000 salary of senators in an interview with magazine. the interview was published last week triggering social commentaries about the senators well kept secret2 abdullahi dismissed any insinuations that sanis colleague were unhappy with him and said if people had looked critically at the budget of the national assembly which has since been made public they would have seen that various line items like travelling medicals consultancy and the rest were captured in the budget and they were the funds divided for each senators use2 almost all holders of elective and appointive offices have running costs allocated to their offices and that cannot be said to be part of their salaries abdullahi stated2 in the interview sani said i think what we can say is that the running cost of a senator is n13.5 million every month2 and it quickly added that the information about the emoluments of senators was never a secret2 according to him while there is no specific instruction on what the fund should be used for lawmakers must provide receipts to back up their expenses from the running costs. he added that the running cost is in addition to funds earmarked for each senator for constituency projects2 but what i am saying is that that money n13.5 million per month must be receipted for what you do with it. but what you are given to go and spend without any accountability is n750000.002 the constituency project itself is given on a zonal basis and almost every senator will go with a constituency fund of about n200 million but it is not the cash that is given to you2 you will be told that you have n200 million with an agency of government for which you will now submit projects equivalent to that amount. and it is that agency of government that will go and do those projects for you2 now the corruption comes when the projects are not done and the money is taken. but right now it is difficult to do that because ngos and transparency groups have come into it. they track every allocation made to you and where they are being used2 so its becoming difficult for what used to happen in the past to happen now2 but i can tell you that i would love a situation where we do away with running costs constituency projects and leaves senators and members of house of reps with salaries2 and also the public should be informed that nobody should come to any senators house asking for any kobo. that also would be helpful2

Turkish socialite Mina Basaran, 7 friends die in plane crash after Dubai party
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the wreck of the jet and the bodies are found. they will be carried down from the mountain when sun comes up. my condolences to those who lost their loved ones the head of the turkish red crescent kerem kinik said on twitter citing his iranian sister organisation3 a wealthy turkish socialite mina basaran and seven of her friends were among the 11 people killed on sunday when a private plane bringing them home from a dubai bachelorette party crashed into an iranian mountainside3 those on board were all flying back from a party ahead of minas planned wedding next month3 huseyin basaran a former deputy chairman of trabzonspor football club owns businesses that span yachts to energy3 one of his companies is the top shareholder in bahrain middle east bank bsc a small investment bank. his construction projects include a series of luxury apartment blocks on istanbuls asian side called mina towers named after his daughter3 the last photo on 28 year-old mina barasans instagram account showed her surrounded by seven other young women all wearing robes and sunglasses. the post tagged minasbachelorette said it was taken at the one and only royal mirage luxury hotel in dubai3 by late on sunday evening just a few hours after news of the crash there were more than 7000 comments on the photo3 the plane was owned by the private holding company of her father the turkish businessman huseyin basaran and carried eight passengers and three crew an official for turkeys transport ministry said3 kinik had earlier told reuters there was no chance of any survivors given the aircraft was a jet and it was flying in snowy weather although he was unable to officially confirm fatalities3 calls to basaran holdings office in istanbul went unanswered3 reza jafarzadeh spokesman for irans civil aviation organization told state television the jet had crashed near the southwestern city of shahr-e kord3 local residents who had reached the site of the crash said there appeared to be no survivors and victims bodies were burnt isna news agency reported quoting mojtaba khaledi spokesman for irans emergency services3 isna earlier quoted emergency services as saying the wreckage was burning and was clearly visible3 emergency crews had a difficult approach to reach the crash site because of the mountainous terrain isna said3

Conduct Tribunal adjourns Sarakis trial indefinitely
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reported by channels tv2 the trial of senate president bukola saraki at the code of conduct tribunal cct has been adjourned indefinitely1 he said the tribunal would await the decision of the supreme court on the appeals filed by both saraki and the federal government1 saraki is being tried on three of the 18 count-charge for false declaration of assets1 umar gave the ruling after listening to the addresses of both the defence and prosecuting lawyers1 in his address the prosecuting counsel mr rotimi jacobs urged the tribunal to proceed with taking the final address from the parties in the suit1 chairman of the tribunal mr. danladi umar announced the adjournment in a short ruling on the resumption of trial in abuja today1 however counsel to the senate president mr kanu agabi urged the tribunal to be mindful of the dignity of the supreme court and prayed for an indefinite adjournment1 agreeing with the defence counsel the cct chairman held that the tribunal has decided to tarry awhile so that the integrity of supreme court would not be played with1 the tribunal will adjourn this matter sine die pending the outcome of the appeals at the supreme court he added1 on tuesday last week the tribunal had adjourned the case till march 8 to hear the final address by the parties in the suit and for its final judgment1 the parties will have to await the decisions of the supreme court to proceed with the rest of the trial1 he based his request on the fact that the defence had already opened and closed their case and the tribunal had adjourned for the adoption of final addresses1

Breaking: Britain to build prison wing in Kirikiri
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britain will build a new 112-bed wing at kirikiri prison in lagos so that it can transfer nigerian prisoners there foreign secretary boris johnson announced in london today1 in a written statement to parliament johnson said tenders had been placed and a supplier identified to conduct the building work at kirikiri. he did not name the supplier1 the project will be funded from britains conflict stability and security fund which has an annual budget of more than 1 billion pounds and aims to commission projects that can help prevent conflicts and stabilise countries or regions1 the new 112-bed wing which will cost 700000 pounds 973000 and be compliant with united nations standards will make it easier for britain to comply with a prisoner transfer agreement it signed with nigeria in 20141 under that deal eligible prisoners serving criminal sentences in nigeria and britain can be returned to complete their sentences in their respective countries. the british government did not indicate how many prisoners might be moved or when the project is likely to be completed1 nigerian prisons many of them built by british colonisers more than 100 years ago are severely overcrowded leading to the spread of diseases1 the nigerian government has said it is developing a strategy to tackle the issue1 britains own prison system has been showing signs of severe strain in recent years with overcrowding rising suicide rates and a growing problem with drug trafficking and other crimes within jails that were sometimes built in the victorian era1 kirikiri is not one of the oldest prisons in nigeria but it does date back to colonial times1 last month the government said the prison in the southern city of port harcourt which was originally designed to hold 800 prisoners currently has nearly 5000. it said 3700 of them had been awaiting trial for more than five years1

Tillerson US Secretary of State ill in Kenya
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i know kenya takes these matters seriously. a free and independent media is essential for safeguarding democracy and giving all kenyans confidence in their government2 the kenyan government shut down three television channels in january on the day opposition leader raila odinga took a symbolic presidential oath then defied a court order to switch them back on. the stations had planned to live-stream the oath1 the announcement comes little more than 24 hours after us president donald trump stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet north koreas kim jong un before the end of may1 the audacious diplomatic gambit which was taken before consulting key confidantes including tillerson who was in the ethiopian capital addis ababa at the time left aides scrambling to catch up1 just hours before the summit announcement which emerged late on thursday tillerson had said washington was a long way from talking directly to north korea as he kicked off his five-nation africa tour1 the us diplomat who arrived in nairobi on friday had been due to visit the aids-relief programme pepfar on saturday and also attend a ceremony marking 20 years since al-qaeda bombed the us embassies in kenya and tanzania killing 224 people1 plans to lay a wreath at the site could be rescheduled goldstein said1 tillerson is due to travel to chad on monday then on to nigeria a day later1 tillerson arrived kenya on friday after visiting ethiopia and djibouti1 after talks with president uhuru kenyatta on friday he told newsmen he had shared his concerns with kenyatta about the importance of democracy and said the government should not stifle the media and threaten the courts1 the secretary is not feeling well after a long couple days working on major issues back home such as north korea and has canceled his events for the day spokesman steve goldstein said1 we believe that there are actions that need to be taken in kenya and that they need to correct certain actions like shutting down independent tv stations and threatening the independence of the courts tillerson told a news conference in the kenyan capital1 u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson cancelled scheduled events on saturday on the second day of a visit to kenya because he is not feeling well a state department spokesman said1 asked at the news conference with tillerson if kenya could call itself a democracy in light of restrictions appeared intended to stifle dissent kenyas foreign affairs minister monica juma said that the notion that there is a restriction of the media is not backed by fact or reality1 she said that only three of more than 10s of tv stations were temporarily shut down. the three stations taken off air reach the majority of viewers in the country1 in september after kenyas supreme court overturned president uhuru kenyattas election victory and ordered a new poll kenyatta dismissed the judges as wakora meaning crooks in swahili. he also said the country had a problem with its judiciary that needed to be fixed1 tillerson the top u.s. diplomat praised kenyatta and opposition leader odinga for meeting on friday and pledging to bring their people together after last years contentious and bloody elections1 all the credit for the meeting went to the kenyan political leaders tillerson said in response to a question as to whether the u.s. had a role in organizing it1 as expected tillerson also emphasized the u.s. security partnership with kenya and what he called our shared fight against terrorism. he said he would pay his respects on saturday in nairobi to victims of the 1998 bombings of the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania. the bombings killed 224 people1 he also recognized the 4000 kenyan troops fighting al-shabaab in somalia as part of the african union peacekeeping mission amisom1

Video: Over 50 Nigerian migrants rescued on way to Italy
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the second boat was turned back off garabulli east of tripoli and had 112 people on board2 no fewer than 50 nigerian migrants were among the hundreds ofmigrants rescued today in the mediterranean by libyas coastguard and an international charity doctors without bordersmsf2 according to reuters more than half the migrants on that boat were nigerians with the rest from other sub-saharan african countries as well as two palestinians2 watch the 19 sec. video posted by msf2 rt msf rt msfsea the will remain on standby in international waters ready to rescue other boats in distress. s doctor dan explains2 nicolacois @nicolacois2 the libyan coastguard vessels alsointercepted two of the migrant boats the first an inflatable dinghy that had broken down with 125 people on board off zawiya just west of the capital tripoli said ayoub qassem a coastguard spokesman2 the nigerians were aboard a boat with 110 migrants. they were rescued by a ship being operated by msf 21 miles from the coast west of tripoli. the ship will deliver the migrants who included 18 women and one child to italy2 the migrants and their smugglers were trying to take advantage of calm seas as they launched a flurry of boats towards italy2 meanwhile the coastguard in zuwara a former libyan smuggling hub west of zawiya said they had foiled a departure during the night and arrested some migrants whilst others had escaped with smugglers2 the coastguard posted pictures of detained sub-saharan african migrants sitting in an inflatable rubber boat on the beach in the dark2 libya is the main departure point for migrants attempting to reach europe by sea. more than 600000 migrants have crossed the central mediterranean to italy over the past four years as people smugglers took advantage of a security vacuum in libya2 since last summer the rate of departures dropped significantly after smugglers in the libyan town of sabratha struck a deal with the tripoli government to halt their activities and were then pushed out of the town by rival armed groups2 libyas eu-backed coastguard has also stepped up interceptions often cutting migrant boats off before they can reach international vessels that would bring them to europe2

Lobi Stars seize league lead, edge Katsina United
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stanley okorom first utilized a penalty kick for the lagos based side eight minutes into the game with uwaga chuka goal in the 63rd minute and giscard tchato score at exactly regulation time1 lobi stars of makurdi are now atopnigerian professional football league table three points ahead of kano pillars after beating katsina united in makurdi today1 in contrast kano pillars who were in the league lead last week surprisingly lost 0-2 away to yobe desert warriors thanks partly to joel djondang own goal in the 24th minute1 abdulmalik mohammed finished off ali aliyus assist in the 71st minute to seal the victory for the damaturu based side1 these are some of the highlights of matchday 12 in which debutants yobe desert warriors are now third on the table with 19 points. kano pillars are second with 20 points1 in other developments nafiu kabuga of wikki tourists bauchi scored the first hat-trick of 20172018nigeria professional football league npfl season against rivers united1 kabugas goal in the 57 59 and 87th minutes saw the hosts secure 16 points in total on 11th position while their visitors are 7th with 17 points1 elsewhere in enugu ghanaians nana bonsu and fatau dauda were in goal for rangers fc and enyimba international fc of aba1 injured femi thomas of rangers was replaced by bonsu in 32nd minute as the hosts pulled a lone early goal courtesy of bright silas five minutes into the game1 new comers go round fc of amaku rivers secured a win against 17th placed sunshine stars of akure with eta okon otop goal in the 34th minute1 the 19th placed rivers based team are 13 points in 11 matches while their visitors are in the relegation waters with 13 points on 17th1 thirteenth placed fc ifeanyi ubah of nnewi shared 1-1 spoils with visiting abia warriors of umuahia in another oriental derby1 the anambra warriors could not hold on to their patrick ikeokwus five minutes goal into the match paving way for obi samsons 67 minute score to gain a point for the visitors1 mfm fc of lagos brought in their continental a game when they thrashed visiting heartland fc of owerri 3-01 they won the game 1-0 withdavid tyavkases 69th minute strike1 defending champions plateau united lost 0-1 to niger tornadoes of minna with isah hussain 34 minute goal1 bottom placed kwara united could not safe the day drawing 1-1 with visiting el kanemi warriors1 el kanemi who is placed 18th opened scoring via antonio desonsa in the 36th minute with the hosts getting the equaliser in the 54th minute1 a total of 16 goals were scored on match day 12 with seven home wins and two draws1 lobi 1-0 katsina united1 wikki 3-0 rivers united1 fciu 1-1 abia warriors1 kwara united 1-1 el-kanemi1 tornadoes 1-0 plateau united1 yobe stars 2-0 kano pillars1 go round 1-0 sunshine stars1 rangers 1-0 enyimba1 mfm 3-0 heartland1

Teenager Anisimova sees off Kvitova in Indian Wells
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two-time wimbledon champ petra kvitova had her 14 match winning streak snapped on sunday at indian wells as she lost in straight sets 6-2 6-4 to world no. 149 amanda anisimova2 kvitova had been playing some of the best tennis of her career2 so it wasnt the kind of third round statement the ninth seed was looking for as she lost in straight sets to the youngest player in the draw2 the 14 straight victories tied her previous career best which she set in 2011-2012. the 28-year-old czech came into indian wells having won the last two tournaments she played in2 this was her first time back at indian wells after missing last year while recovering from a stabbing incident during a robbery at her home in december 20162 kvitova committed four double faults and had her serve broken five times in the 69 minute match2 the 16-year-old anisimova who needed a wildcard to get into the draw is making her indian wells debut2 she moves to the fourth round where she will face either fifth seed karolina pliskova or chinas zhang shuai2

Tiger Woods misses Valspar Championship by one stroke
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tiger woods narrowly missed lifting his first trophy since 2013 at the valspar championship losing to paul casey by just one stroke1 this wasdespite woodsthat put him in contention1 but victory was not to be for the 14 major winner and holder of 79 trophies1 he ended up tied for second along with patrick reed cbs sports reported1 casey who had not won on pga tour since 2009 carded 5-under 66 in the final round to finish at 10 under on the week1 casey played the last 15 holes in 6 under to grab his first victory since the 2009 shell houston open. he had to wait until the last minute for confirmation though. woods missed a 38-foot birdie on the 72nd hole and casey took the trophy from the clubhouse1 it might not have been the outcome most people watching and attending were hoping to see but casey was certainly emotional and delighted by the victory1 tiger made it look easy for such a long time and its not casey told steve sands of nbc1 ive won a few times in europe but to take this on and get my second victory on the pga tour its emotional. ive worked so hard. im so happy for it1 for woods though there was something to cheer in his coming up second as it was his best finish on the pga tour in 1659 days1