President Muhammadu Buhari and will be joining over 80 Heads of State to attend the24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP24.

The conference will be held in Katowice, Poland from December 2 14, 2018.

The conference isorganized by the Bonn-based UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC/ UN Climate Change) and is presided over by Poland.

The key objective of the meeting is to adopt the implementation guidelines of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Climate experts say the meeting is crucial because it ensures the true potential of the Paris Agreement can be unleashed, including ramping up climate action so that the central goal of the agreement can be achieved, namely to hold the global average temperature to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In 1992, countries joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were, by then, inevitable.

By 1995, countries launched negotiations to strengthen the global response to climate change, and, two years later, adopted the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed country Parties to emission reduction targets. The Protocols first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period began on 1 January 2013 and will end in 2020.

There are now 197 Parties to the Convention and 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

The 2015 Paris Agreement, adopted in Paris on 12 December 2015, marks the latest step in the evolution of the UN climate change regime and builds on the work undertaken under the Convention. The Paris Agreement charts a new course in the global effort to combat climate change.

Source: NAN

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Monday called on the Federal Government to put stringent measures in place to end gas flaring in the country.

Okowa made the call when Course 41 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, led by Major-Gen. Felix Edafioghor in Asaba came to his office on a courtesy visit.

He said that stopping gas flaring in Nigeria would not only curb environmental hazards, but create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths and women.

If you go to where gas is flared, which is still very common, you will understand why we need to be more serious about taking decisions to stop the flaring.

Stopping gas flaring will be so much better for our people because the flared gas has already destroyed the environment, not just the natural habitat in terms of farming.

It has also polluted very badly the air that we breathe.

Only God knows the level of damage that it has caused and we believe that the laws must be implemented in such a manner that gas flaring is not just tied up to fines.

This is because, as long as gas flaring is tied to fines, the oil companies begin to realise that it may be cheaper or easier to pay the fines than to stop the flaring of gas.

Then, we obviously are not discouraging them, the governor said.

According to him, though certain actions has been taken to address the menace in the past, the law must be applied to ensure that gas flaring is not tied to payment of fines.

Okowa said that some of the oil companies displayed a nonchalant attitude to the effect of gas exploration activities on the environment.

I am aware that a lot has been done in the last few years, but there is a lot more that can be done because the gas that we flare can generate a lot of income for the oil companies if only it can be properly utilised.

So, we must stay on our laws and ensure that we do what is right and stop tying the issue of gas flaring to fines.

This is because continually tying gas flaring to fines is injurious to our people and our environment, he said.

The governor decried the negative impacts of the oil economy on the environment, saying that in the course of exploration, the environment had been greatly damaged.

This has also been worsened by the regularity of illegal bunkering activities that takes place in the state in which a lot of damage is done to our environment.

The damage constitute both agricultural and health hazard to the people, he said.

He commended the visiting team and said that its findings would be useful to the government and people of the state.

He said some of his administrations achievements were in the area of jobs creation, health insurance scheme and infrastructure development.

Earlier, Edafioghor had said that the team was in the state for an environmental study tour, in part fulfilment of its training programme requirement.

Source: NAN

By Florence Onuegbu

Blackberry Mobile Nigeria on Monday unveiled Blackberry KEY2 LE, an Android version of Blackberry smartphone in the Nigerian market.

The re-born icon Blackberry brand is being sponsored by Ngilex Mobile Ltd.

Speaking during the unveiling in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Ngilex, Mr Kingsley Obaji, said that with the Blackberry KEY2 LE, the company was targeting 10 per cent market share in Nigeria by end of 2019.

Obaji said that Nigeria was 7th in the world in terms of cell phone usage; hence, the Nigerian smartphone market had to be taken seriously.

He said that Blackberry was ready for the competition in the market, as it had the best product that would enable it become the leader in the smartphone market in a couple of years.

According to him, Ngilex Mobile wants Blackberry phones to be organic, to be part of Nigerian smartphone business; hence, is looking at what the market demands.

Nigerian market demands the best. The market is large; the Nigerian users are smart and looking for better options.

We are looking at capturing some five per cent to 10 per cent market share within the next year and this requires a lot of efforts in marketing and outreach, he said.

The Ngilex boss said that the all-new Blackberry smartphones brought together iconic Blackberry features; with new experience that included dual-SIM, dual-rear camera, more intelligent keyboard, extended battery life and improved privacy controls.

He said that the Blackberry KEY2 LE ran the latest Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and provided access to millions of applications in the Google Play store.

Obaji said that Nigeria was the first country in Africa to receive and market the Blackberry KEY2 LE smartphone.

He said that the KEY2 LE came at a time when the Nigerian market was looking for a different smartphone option.

According to him, the company brings values of productivity, reliability and security to the next level.

Talking about productivity, the BlackBerry KEY2 LE has all the features you need to manage your work, travel, and personal life on the go.

This includes support for dual personal accounts and business ready software that makes it easier to manage all aspects of your business and personal life.

The BlackBerry KEY2 LE is the first BlackBerry with dual account management built in to enable you to separately manage both personal and professional social media profiles on apps like Facebook and Instagram.

All Blackberry devices we are bringing into Nigeria are dual SIM enable and will support dual WhatsApp and other apps that require unique numbers.

In Nigeria, most cell phone users are carrying multiple phones on multiple carriers. You can have these lines on a single device, while avoiding carrying the power bank that most users are used to here in Nigeria, he said.

Obaji said that the phone came with BlackBerry Hub, which brought all your messages into one consolidated place including emails, texts and messages from almost any social media account; including WhatsApp.

He said that for reliability, the phone had power to get one through the day with enhanced battery features.

The BlackBerry KEY2 LE features a powerful and efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and battery that can stay powered through a full day and often into a second day of use (22 hours of mixed usage).

With contextual battery reminder, the BlackBerry KEY2 LE will learn from your daily charging habits and calendar appointments to recommend when to charge.

This is to ensure you have the battery power to get through important meetings, trips, and events. Never get caught out again with suddenly needing to charge before going flat.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 enables up to 50 per cent charge in just 36 minutes. Turbo Charge your battery and get power fast, to do more, when you need it most.

The BlackBerry KEY2 LE includes enhanced security and built-in privacy features right from the start, he said.

The Vice President, Ngilex Mobile Ltd., Thomas Larson, said that the Blackberry KEY2 LE experience was different, compared with many smartphone options in the market.

Larson said that the phone combined the best of professional and personal use and the price could not be matched.

All our phones come with standard one-year warranty provided by McDorsey Services Company Ltd., he said.

Source: NAN

By Chinyere Joel- Nwokeoma

Guaranty Trust Bank and the Nigerian Breweries on Monday top the losers table at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports .

Nigerian Breweries recorded the highest loss to lead the losers table, dropping by N2.10 to close at N79.40 per share, whileGuaranty Trust Bank (GTB) trailed with a loss of 50k to close at N35.90.

Lafarge Africa was also down by 25k to close at N13.75 per share.

May and Baker shed 19k to N2.31, while United Bank for Africa depreciated by 15k to close at N7.65 per share.

Meanwhile, crucial indicators of the performance of the NSE opened the week on Monday with a loss of 0.31 per cent.

NAN reports that the All-Share Index dipped 98.98 points or 0.31 per cent to close at 31,579.72 compared with 31,678.70 on Friday.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation which opened at N11.565 trillion shed N36 billion or 0.31 per cent to close at N11.529 trillion, following losses by some highly capitalised stocks.

On the other hand, CAP led the gainers table growing by N2.75 to close at N31.95 per share.

GlaxosmithKline followed with a gain of N1.25 to close at N14.50, while PZ Cussons improved by N1.05 to close at N11.70 per share.

Flour Mills added 70k to close at N20.50, while Julius Berger increased by 50k to close at N21 per share.

The volume of shares traded closed lower, dropping by 53.15 per cent.

Investors bought and sold 104.87 million shares valued at N1.94 billion in 2,911 deals.

This was in contrast with a turnover of 223.84 million shares worth N2.64 billion achieved in 2,819 deals on Friday.

Unilever was the most active stock during the day, exchanging 20.38 million shares valued at N804.95 million.

Zenith Bank followed with an account of 14.48 million shares worth N347.44 million, while Interlink sold 9.54 million shares valued at N34.34 million.

FCMB Group traded 7.26 million shares worth N11.03 million, while Diamond Bank sold 5.89 million shares valued at N5.13 million. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) wants President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to address the lingering issue onthe new national minimum wage by immediately forwarding an executive bill to the National Assembly to legalise the recommendation of the tripartite Committee.

President of Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said Nigerian workers were running out of patience with the government over the delay and were getting more and more agitated.

The National Minimum wage tripartite committee put in place by the President to review the current N18.000 Minimum wage had two weeks ago presented its report to the president recommending N30,000 as the national minimum wage, but the Nigeria Governors Forum has said they cant pay the figure presented by the committee.

Speaking at the 2018 Harmattan School of the Congress in Abuja, Comrade Wabba said workers are running out of patience on the implementation of the new wage.

He described as unfortunate the position being taken by some Governors who are saying they cant pay the N30.000, but are spending billions of dollars in the name of security votes which they cant account for.

The NLC President dismissed claims that the implementation of the new national Minimum wage would lead to inflation in the country, adding that when salaries of political Office holders was increased by 800 percent in 2008, it did not cause inflation, and wander why just N30.000 for workers can cause inflation.

We dont know why the president has not transmitted an executive bill, the report of the tripartite committee to the National Assembly for an enactment into law, because Workers patience is running out.

We have maintained that any governor that said he cant pay the N30.000 should go to his state, gather workers and tell them they are spending billions of dollars in the name of security votes but once it comes to payment of N30.000 Minimum wage, they are saying workers are just 20 percent.

How can they say that because without workers which include health workers, police, army and others, most politicians cant sleep. Minimum wage is not a favour but a right of a worker because the law states that after 30 days, a labourer is worthy of his wage.

Source: NAN

By Taiye Agbaje

Rep Edward Pwajok, Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, says the motive behind the bill to declare June 12 as Democracy Day instead of the current May 29 has no political coloration.

The lawmaker, who represents Jos North/Jos East Federal Constituency of Plateau, made the clarification on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

NAN reports that a Bill for an Act to Amend the Public Holidays Act Cap p40, LFN, 2004 to delete item 5 of the schedule which declares, May 29 as Democracy Day, and substitute it with June 12 as Democracy Day on Nov. 22 scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, on June 6, directed that the nations Democracy Day would henceforth, hold on June 12 as against the current arrangement where the ceremony holds on May 29.

Pwajok, who sponsored the bill, said although President Buhari made a pronouncement on making June 12 Nigerias Democracy Day, it must have legislative backing to take effect.

He dispelled the insinuations that it was politically motivated with the intent of buying votes ahead 2019 general elections.

According to him, I am the sponsor of the bill; I am not even going to contest any election in 2019.

So which votes am I going to buy because I am the sponsor of the bill. It is not even President Buhari that brought the bill.

Left for President Buhari, maybe, he thought it was okay to make that pronouncement but looking at it as a legislator, we know that it needs a legislative backing.

Without legislation, it cannot work. We have to amend the existing law to accommodate it.

Even I that sponsored the bill, I am not a Yoruba man.

So I dont have any political benefit from sponsoring this bill. There are many other bills that I sponsored.

There is no pecuniary interest; there is no political motive behind it. This one is just purely on a national interest, he said.

Pwajok, who urged Nigerians to look at issues beyond the primordial sentiment, said it was disheartening that opposition parties would always read motives to issues.

So to me, this country is in need of this declaration. Look at how happy the members of family of late MKO Abiola were when they heard about that pronouncement.

I am not a member of Abiola family.

So the question is, when is the best time to declare June 12 as Democracy Day if you are afraid of insinuations, he said. NAN

Source: NAN

By Moses Omorogieva

The Lagos State Police Command said on Sunday that its men killed a suspected kidnapper and arrested another during exchange of gunfire with the syndicate.

The Lagos Police spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the arrest in a statement, stressing that the incident happened at Agbowa area of Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos State.

Oti said the two suspects belong to a kidnapping syndicate terrorising some parts of the state, particularly Ikorodu area.

He stated that two other suspects escaped with bullet wounds after exchange of gunfire with the police.

According to him, the Anti-kidnapping Squad of the State Command, acted on the directive of the Commands Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, on Friday, at about 11 a.m.

He said that the command received two separate reports on Nov. 13 and Nov. 16 from one Suleiman Eniola Ajumobi and one Veronica Ewuru about the kidnapping of their daughter and husband respectively.

While Suleiman Eniola Ajumobi reported that his 7-year-old daughter was kidnapped from his house in his presence.

Veronica Ewuru stated that her husband, one DSP Patrick Ewuru, a police officer attached to Force Headquarters annex, Obalende, was kidnapped from their house in the night when the victim came out to check on the Power Generating Set that suddenly stopped working.

The kidnappers demanded for ransom of N25 million from Mr Suleiman and N10 million from the family of DSP Patrick Ewuru but later settled for N500, 000 for both families.

At this point, the CP directed operatives handling the matter to play along with the kidnappers in the interest of the victims, who were still in captivity, he said.

The spokesman said that as soon as the release of the two victims was secured, the kidnappers hideout at Agbowa was busted, where one Festus Abama was killed and Austin Ebimiyenwei surrendered.

Oti said that the arrested suspect confessed to the crime, while the victim had identified them as those who kidnapped them.

He said that concerted effort was being made to arrest those on the run, while the suspect already in police custody would be charged to court.

Source: NAN

By Sam Oditah

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, the Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, has expressed concern over the call by IPOB on the South-East to boycott the 2019 general elections.

Ugorji expressed his concern in his sermon on the occasion of the Corpus Christi (the celebration of Christ the King) at the Mater Dei Cathedral, Umuahia on Sunday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the proscribed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) has repeatedly issued statements, calling on the people of the zone not to participate in the general elections.

The group said the boycott would underscore the demand for a referendum over its agitation for Biafra and further press for the realisation of the Republic of Biafra

But Ugorji said that failure to vote during the 2019 polls would amount to abdication of ones right and civic responsibility.

He said: I heard that some persons are discouraging people from going to vote during the general elections.

It is your right and civic responsibility to vote during elections. Elections offer the citizenry the opportunity to elect good leaders who will provide good governance.

If you fail to vote, you have failed to exercise your civic responsibility as responsible citizens, thus paving the way for the emergence of bad and insensitive leaders.

Presently, we are still Nigerians. We do not have another country we can call our own.

So it is our right and civic responsibility to vote and chose those that will govern us at the federal, state and local government levels.

The cleric said that the period of the electioneering provided an opportunity for the present administrations at all levels to give account of their stewardship based on their campaign promises to the electorate.

He recalled that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari promised a three-point agenda that hinged on security, job creation and fight against corruption.

This is the time for the Federal Government to give account of its performance on each of the agenda, he said.

Ugorji further charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that votes would count in 2019, especially with its promise to use the card reader.

He also admonished the judiciary to resist financial inducement to subvert the wishes of the people, adding that it should make integrity and uprightness its watchword.

He said that the Catholic Church was non-partisan but encouraged its faithful to exercise their civic responsibility toward the election of credible leaders.

On the Corpus Christi, the cleric said that the event marked the end of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church and also helped to remind Christians about the end of time.

It reminds us about when Christ will come as king and incorruptible judge to judge the world and take his people to himself.

The bishop therefore urged Christians to emulate Jesus Christ by bearing authentic witnesses in all they did in their homes and larger society.

NAN reports that highlights of the celebration was a solemn procession of the faithful round the major streets of Umuahia, with parish priests in the diocese and bishop bearing Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday presided over a meeting of security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the ongoing efforts to engage military and intelligence community towards addressing Boko Haram insurgency.

Confirming this development in a tweet in Abuja on Sunday, the Presidents aide on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, said all the service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim and the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi were part of the meeting.

All the Service Chiefs, IG of Police and DG of DSS were at the State House this morning. As President Buhari said (Saturday) yesterday, in the coming days, he will be engaging the Military and Intelligence Chiefs in extensive discussions on the next steps we shall be taking, Ahmad said in the tweet.

President Buhari had pledged on Saturday to ensure that the loopholes which led to the fatalities are blocked once and for all.

On 18 November, the Al Barnawi faction of Boko Haram attack the 157 Task Force Battalion based at Metele in northern part of Borno state, killing scores of Nigerian troops.

The military authorities are yet to give the specific number of casualties.

Buhari in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu in Abuja on Saturday, reiterated his administrations commitment to the security of military personnel and other citizens.

No responsible Commander-in-Chief would rest on his oars or fold his hands to allow terrorists to endanger the lives of military personnel and other citizens, Shehu quoted the president as saying.

Our loyal forces have proved their strength over the terrorists and we are ready to give them all the needed support, in terms of equipment and manpower, to succeed in ending the renewed threat.

In the coming days, I am engaging the military and Intelligence Chiefs in extensive discussions on the next steps we shall be taking.

The President noted that fighting terrorism had taken a global dimension which necessitated international collaboration among states facing similar security challenges.

He, therefore, reassured Nigerians of his continued commitment to their security and of his efforts to sustain the momentum in the previous significant successes recorded against the terrorists.

The president, however, advised Nigerians against making a political capital out of the national tragedy, stressing that members of the armed forces are one family, commonly committed to the security and safety of all Nigerians.

Source: NAN

Source: NAN

Marin Cilic clinched for Croatia their second Davis Cup title by crushing Frances Lucas Pouille 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3 to give his side a decisive 3-1 lead and the trophy.

At Lilles Stade Pierre Mauroy on Sunday, the powerful world number seven was relentless as he snuffed out any hope of a famous French fightback.

He gave the 24-year-old Pouille little chance of extending the last final in the 118-year-old competitions current guise into a deciding fifth rubber.

Pouille did not have a single break point.

In spite of pushing Cilic hard in the first set, he lost the last four points of the tiebreak and never threatened a comeback.

Cilic wasted four set points when Pouille battled back from 0-40 down at 2-5 in the second set, but with his own serve rock-solid he calmly moved into a two-set lead.

The mainly French 22,000 crowd kept roaring their support for Pouille, but it was the Croatia contingent, decked out in their distinctive red and white, who would soon be celebrating.

Cilic broke for a 3-2 lead in the third set and then closed in for the kill when Pouille served at 3-5.

The Frenchman saved two match points from 0-40 but Cilic would not be denied and finished it off with a delightful lob.

Immediately, the 30-year-old former U.S. Open champion was swamped by a swarm of his team mates as Croatia could begin the party after emulating their triumph of 2005.

Croatias sports-mad President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was among the fans at courtside to savour a landmark title.

It offered though a measure of consolation after France beat Croatia in this years football World Cup final.

Its not every day that you become a world champion, Cilic, draped in a Croatian flag, said on court.

For us its a dream come true, for this nation. You can see the fans are so passionate and they are here enjoying themselves. In Croatia, its going to be incredible too.

Whatever happens in the future, Croatias win will have a special place in the record books as this was the last `one on one final before the competition undergoes a major revamp.

The 16-team World Group, established in 1981, will be scrapped next year in favor of an 18-nation World Cup-style finals week that will take place in Madrid.

Hosts and defending champions France had begun the day holding out hope of becoming the first team to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the final since Australia beat the U.S. in 1939.

But there was to be no fairytale ending for French captain Yannick Noah in his last match in charge of Les Bleus.

Noah had surprisingly left Pouille, the highest-ranked player in his team, out of Fridays opening singles matches.

The gamble backfired as Jeremy Chardy was hammered by Borna Coric and Cilic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

After Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert won Saturdays doubles to keep the tie alive, Noah restored Pouille in a bid to take down Croatian talisman Cilic.

He hung on grimly in the first set, saving a break point at 4-4 with a beautiful dropshot.

Cilic twice held serve to stay in the opener and then struck in the tiebreak.

He opened a 5-3 lead then latched onto a Pouille serve to crush a forehand winner before converting his first set point with a dropshot of his own.

An animated Noah was up and down out of his seat, firing up his man and the crowd.

In contrast, his opposite number Zeljko Krajan sat back and let Cilic go calmly about his business.

Cilics weight of shot allowed him to break decisively in the fifth game of the second set.

He squandered a two-set lead in the fourth rubber of the final against Argentinas Juan Martin del Potro in 2016 a defeat that cost Croatia the title.

Yet he was never going to let Pouille off the hook.

And when he broke the Frenchmans serve at 2-2 in the third, any lingering belief Pouille had retained quickly ebbed away.

Source: NAN

Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, a move that risks igniting a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.

Russias FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized the Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea and used weapons to force them to stop, Russian news agencies reported.

The FSB said it had been forced to act because the ships two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat. had illegally entered its territorial waters, attempted illegal actions, and ignored warnings to stop while maneuvering dangerously.

Weapons were used with the aim of forcibly stopping the Ukrainian warships, the FSB said in a statement circulated to Russian state media.

As a result, all three Ukrainian naval vessels were seized in the Russian Federations territorial waters in the Black Sea.

The FSB said three Ukrainian sailors had been wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, it said.

With relations still raw after Russias annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict.

Ukraine denied its ships had done anything wrong, accused Russia of military aggression, and for the international community to mobilise to punish Russia.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held a meeting with his top military and security chiefs amid talk of imposing martial law.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and then built a giant road bridge linking it to southern Russia which straddles the Kerch Strait a narrow stretch of water which links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov which is home to two of Ukraines most important ports.

Russias control of Crimea, where its Black Sea Fleet is based, and of the bridge, mean it is able to control shipping flows.

The crisis began earlier on Sunday after Russia stopped the three Ukrainian ships from entering the Sea of Azov by placing a cargo ship beneath the bridge.

A Reuters witness said Russia backed its blockade with at least two Sukhoi Su-25 warplanes which screeched overhead. Russian state TV said Russian combat helicopters had been deployed in the area.

The Ukrainian navy said on social media that six Ukrainian sailors had been wounded in the subsequent seizure of its ships which appear to have been rammed and boarded and that the Russian attack on them had occurred after they had retreated and headed back towards Odessa, the Black Sea port from where they had begun their journey.

The European Union in a statement said it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokeswoman issued a similar appeal to both sides.

Source: NAN

Several U.S. Republican senators on Sunday rejected President Donald Trumps embrace of Saudi Arabia after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with some lawmakers from his party saying Congress must take additional action.

Trump vowed last week to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia and said it was not clear whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew about the plan to kill Khashoggi last month at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The president cast doubt on the CIA assessment that Crown Prince Mohammed ordered Khashoggis killing, telling reporters that the agency had not formed a definitive conclusion.

I disagree with the presidents assessment. Its inconsistent with the intelligence Ive seen, which implicates the crown prince, Republican Senator Mike Lee said on NBCs Meet the Press.

He cited the Khashoggi killing as another reason why he has pushed against helping Saudi Arabias war effort in Yemen.

The United States on Nov. 15 imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudi officials for their role in the killing of Khashoggi and senators from both major U.S. parties introduced legislation that would suspend weapon sales to Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi and for its role in Yemens civil war.

Democratic U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, who is in line to become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats regain control of the chamber in January, has promised investigations on the Khashoggi case as well as whether Trumps personal financial interests are dictating his Saudi policy.

Look, the president is not being honest with the country about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Schiff said on CNNs State of the Union program. Whats driving this?

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown prince, was killed Oct. 2. Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggis disappearance, then offered contradictory explanations.

I do think we need to look into this further, Republican Senator Joni Ernst said on CNN.

Ernst acknowledged Saudi Arabias importance as a strategic partner.

However, we also are a very strong nation when it comes to human rights, when it comes to the rule of law, Ernst said.

And if there are indicators that the prince was involved in this murder then we need to absolutely consider further action.

Climate change to batter economy: U.S. report
Senator Ben Sasse, a frequent Trump critic, criticized Trumps stance on Khashoggis killing as weak.

Making the realist case is a different thing than being so weak that we failed to tell the truth, Sasse said on Fox News Sunday. Crown Prince Mohammed contributed to murdering somebody abroad and it is not strength to sort of mumble past that. Strength is telling the truth even when its hard.

Other Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and Bob Corker, have been unsparing in their assessments of Saudi Arabias involvement in Khashoggis killing.

I never thought Id see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on Twitter after Trumps comments on Tuesday.

Source: NAN

US officials closed a border crossing in southern California on Sunday after hundreds of migrants tried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana, US authorities announced.

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office in San Diego, California, said on Twitter that it had closed both north and south access to vehicle traffic at the San Ysidro border post, before also suspending pedestrian crossings.

The incident took place only three days after US President Donald Trump threatened to close the whole border with Mexico if it gets to a level where were going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt.

Video clips posted Sunday on Twitter showed large numbers of migrants dashing across a shallow concrete waterway toward the border. Several thousand migrants, mostly from Central America, have been gathering in Tijuana in hopes of entering the US.

At least 500 of them, including several women and children, had been taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Tijuana before dashing toward the border in an attempt to clamber over a first metal barrier there.

The migrants tried to protect themselves covering their faces, with mothers holding their children close. There were cries of pain, desperation and frustration as the crowd swirled over the border line and back.

Are we in the United States yet? some asked in desperate tones.

Several hundred made it over the first barrier and were trying to cross a second topped with spikes when US border officers began firing tear gas at the group, even as US Army helicopters flew low overhead, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.

The migrants tried to protect themselves covering their faces, with mothers holding their children close. There were cries of pain, desperation and frustration as the crowd swirled over the border line and back.

Some migrants shouted that they only wanted to make their way to a better life and find work in the US.

But amid the stinging gas, several migrants turned back, even as others tried to forge ahead.

Trump has repeatedly warned that the large group of migrants moving through Mexico toward the US included criminals and possibly terrorists, while providing no evidence to support that.

He has deployed some 9,000 US troops along the border in support of the CBP agents.

Approximately 5,000 reached Tijuana over the past week, after an exhausting trip of up to 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) covered in just over a month. Many were fleeing violence and poverty in Honduras in hopes of finding asylum in the US.

The San Ysidro border post is a busy one, with thousands of people passing through every day.

Source: NAN

French President Emmanuel Macron is to address his nation on Tuesday following persistent and sometimes violent protests over fuel taxes that are morphing into a movement against his business- and environment-friendly policies.

Paris saw clashes between police and demonstrators Saturday on the Champs-Elysees where barricades were set on fire, luxury shop windows smashed, and traffic lights uprooted. Some 30 people were injured and 101 arrested, police said.

The government blamed much of the violence on a small minority of ultra-right activists who shadowed the 8,000 demonstrators who were wearing the yellow, high-visibility vests that symbolise their week-long protests.

Bruno Le Maire, the economy minister, acknowledged Sunday that the current crisis goes far beyond just a question of fuel, adding that it was important that work be better paid to improve living standards.

It is time to listen to the French, he said on BFM television, suggesting that Macron would call for grassroot debates throughout the country on government policies.

The presidential palace said Macron would make a speech on Tuesday on ecological transition and was expected to address the protests.

Opposition leaders have been quick to note that the protests, mostly organised by grassroot protesters coordinating by way of social media rather than by traditional political parties or trade unions, have won wide popular support.

When a movement has the backing of three quarters of French people, you give them an answer, you dont just dismiss them as a gang of thugs, Olivier Faure, the opposition Socialist Party leader told Le Parisien newspaper.

Guillaume Peltier, a leader of conservative The Republicans party, told the daily it was all too easy to stigmatise the yellow vests and equate their movement with that of a few unacceptable acts.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen voiced her full support for the protesters, telling the LCI channel the unrest revealed grievances held by the immense majority of the French who were being ignored by a miniscule cast working only for itself.

Former investment banker Macron was elected on a pledge to put more money in workers pockets. But the effects of his pro-business reforms on unemployment and purchasing power have been limited so far.

He has seen his popularity slide to just 25 percent, according to one poll a week ago, and the protests reflect broader frustration with a leader critics label as aloof and a president of the rich.

US President Donald Trump, whose initial friendly ties with Macron have chilled under the French leaders criticisms, sought to place the French protests in his frequent grumbling over US-EU trade relations and NATO spending.

The large and violent French protests dont take into account how badly the United States has been treated on Trade by the European Union or on fair and reasonable payments for our GREAT military protection, Trump said on Twitter. Both of these topics must be remedied soon.

Macron himself had taken to Twitter on Saturday, to condemn the violence and cry shame on those who assaulted or intimidated policemen, journalists and other citizens.

Several media workers based in Frances southwestern city of Toulouse said Sunday they would boycott the yellow vests movement after five journalists were threatened or beaten by scores of demonstrators while covering protests in their region.

Faced with the public anger, many politicians suggested Macron often perceived as aloof or arrogant might use his speech to announce measures softening the impact of rising petrol and diesel taxes and restore dialogue with trade unions.

When you act like Louis XIV, you can expect revolts () The French back the yellow vests because Macron promised them a new world, and they see that his policies arent delivering, Bruno Retailleau, who heads the Republican opposition in the Senate.

The French see environmental matters as an alibi for fiscal belt-tightening, he told le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

The yellow vests come overwhelmingly from non-urban areas of France. They feel overlooked and penalised by policies they see as being pushed through by elitist politicians in Paris.

Many of the often low-income yellow vest protesters are particularly incensed at Macrons decision to hike anti-pollution taxes on diesel, while scrapping a wealth tax on the rich.

Source: NAN

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has apologised for joining the groups who came together to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Atiku said the apology had become necessary because of the sufferings Nigerians had been subjected to in the last three and half years, from a party he played a role in bringing to power.

The former vice-president stated this while speaking at a town hall meeting with residents of Jimeta in Adamawa state.

He said, “I regretted being a part of the party which never deemed it fit to fulfil all of the promises it made to Nigerians.

“If I had known that the APC would be such a colossal failure and disgrace, I would never had joined the party.

“The APC has failed to fulfill even one of the promises it made to Nigerians. The APC is simply an assembly meant to defraud Nigerians.”

Source: Daily Post NG

The Kwara State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Bashir Bolarinwa, has raised an alarm accusing the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, of influencing and trying to persuade the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, to stop the inaguration of the Representative-elect of Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, Mr Raheem Olawuyi.

Remember, it was Mr Raheem Olawuyi of the ruling APC who won the Kwara just concluded bye-election into the Federal House of Representatives.

He, however, stated that he was confident that the alleged plot would fail because he believed that Dogora would not consent to such a plan.

Bolarinwa said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Saturday.

He said the allegations of malpractices and violence against the APC, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission by the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party were unfounded.

Bolarinwa said, “One of the plans they are hatching is that the Senate President himself will ask the Speaker of the House of Representatives not to swear in our rep-elect. That is one of the plans which they have but we know they will fail.”

But when contacted, Saraki’s media aide, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the allegation of using Dogara to stop Olawuyi’s inauguration was illogical, adding that Dogara did not take instructions from Saraki.

“Has the newly elected person presented himself to the Speaker? Does the Speaker of the House of Representatives work under the Senate President?

Has Olawuyi presented himself to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to be sworn in and he was stopped?”

Olaniyonu said, “The Senate and the House of Representatives are two different chambers. Does Dogara dictate to us? Can he dictate to the Senate President? Call the Speaker’s aide whether he has got the instructions not to swear in anybody.

Capital can be defined as the resources or wealth made by man that are used for producing further wealth. Capital consists of machinery, tools, buildings, cash, raw materials etc.

Capital can take different forms since it is man-made. Also the use of capital in production increases efficiency and output. It is an artificial factor of production developed from land.

Features of Capital

• Capital is made by man

• It can change form

• The reward for capital is interest.

Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur is a factor of production which controls, manages, organize and coordinate all factors of production in order to achieve the objectives of the organization.

The entrepreneurial activity is sometimes regarded as a specialized form of labor but is separated as a distinct factor of production. He/she is responsible for the management of the firm. The entrepreneur is the decision maker, risk bearer and organizer of a commercial enterprise. He/she is responsible for determining what to produce, how to produce.

The reward for the entrepreneur is profit.

Functions of Entrepreneur

• Provision of Capital:- The entrepreneur provides capital for the formation and running of the business.

• Risk bearing:- He/she is the risk bearer as he gets the credit for success and the blame for the losses or failure.

• Decision making:- The entrepreneur takes vital decisions affecting the organization. Business decisions lie what to produce and for whom to produce are take by him/her.

• Management Activities:- He is responsible for the management of the firm in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization.

• Coordinating other factors:- The entrepreneur has a responsibility to co-ordinate all other factors of production to achieve efficiency in the operation of the organization.

• Determines pricing policy:- The entrepreneur determines the pricing of the products.

• Organizing Research Activities:- He/She carries out research in order to increase the efficiency and productivity of the business.

• When you do all you can do for God, He will do what you cannot do for you.

• The more you speak Faith, the more you release Grace.

• Your relational capacity will determine your financial capacity.

• Stop living to impress people, live to impress God.

• If you can't stand people who are better than you, you will remain on the same spot.

• Grace becomes dormant where faithfulness is absent.

• If you are only willing to do the things that are easy, you may not find things easy.

Reading in it's entirety can be summarized under 2 processes namely:-

• Visual Aspect

• Mental Aspect

Purpose for Reading

The purpose for reading includes the following:-

• To acquire more knowledge

• To share from the knowledge of the writer

• To apply the knowledge acquired to one's real life.

• To seek some advice about the topic / course

• To respond to some questions (for exam purpose)

How to Build Good Reading Habit

To build a good reading habit the reader needs to:

• Create interest in the reading

• Read with full concentration

• Jot the important details

• Pay attention to the sound of words.

• Find the meaning of new words.

Reading Methods:

The reading methods are:

• Search

• Scanning

• Skimming

• Study

Scanning

Scanning is a speedy search for specific information on a discipline. To scan for information, the reader needs to glance at a text to fish out the needed information on a particular topic or subject matter.

Search

In the search method of reading, the reader does not have any particular information to search. The reader comes across or identifies what he is seeking for while doing search reading. While searching for information, the reader reads thoroughly with keen interest and full concentration in his reading.

Skimming

The skimming method of reading involves some concentrated attention to the chief points in the text. This needs more time than the scanning and search reading methods.

Study

Study reading involves intensive reading for the purpose of equipping oneself with the detailed knowledge of the text in question.

Factors that militate against reading habits are:-

• Word pointing

• Head movement

• Vocalization as regards inappropriate articulation of the sound of words

• Regression

Rules of Reading

• Read with a purpose. If there are questions appended to the passage, survey the questions to find answers to them easily.

• Dont let your mind wander when you're reading

• Don't whisper the words to yourself when reading, i.e. Don't pronounce words silently in your throat

• Allow your eyes, muscles to move and let your mind take in the meaning of the words.

• Move your eyes only focusing them on words.

• Focus on several words, or groups of words, at each eyes movement. Don't move our head to and fro when reading and don't focus on a single word

• Read consistently until you come to the end of a line or page. Don't read backwards or don't regress.

• Avoid distraction when you're reading. Don't stay near sources of distraction like video and television sets.

• Use contextual cues to deduce the meaning of new words. Also use the dictionary for those words whose meaning remain obscure.

• Take a break when you are tired and return to your reading with fresh vigour. Don't read when you're bored or fatigue.

• Don't attempt reading many things at a time.

• Time your reading so as to develop a high reading speed.