Spains prosecutor says it is seeking a five-year jail sentence and a fine of four million euros (3.5 million) for former football player Xabi Alonso over accusations of tax fraud.

The prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday that Alonso was accused of defrauding the Spanish state some two million euros between 2010 and 2012.

The prosecutor called for the same sentence to be applied to Alonsos financial advisor Ivan Azcuenaga and the administrator of consultancy shell company, Ignasi Casanova.

Source: NAN

Ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has constituted a 24-member committee to reconcile feuding members of the Executive and the Legislature.

The resolution, according to the Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, was taken at a meeting between the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and the APC Caucus in the Senate, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Lawan said after the meeting that membership of the committee would be drawn from the Executive, Legislature, the Governors Forum and the partys National Secretariat.

He said that the team would be charged with the responsibility of reducing the level of misunderstanding among members of the party across board.

Lawan explained that constitution of the committee was pertinent in probing the disagreements at different levels of the party so as not to allow them to cause clog in its fortunes ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Discussions at the meeting, he explained, centred on how to forestall crisis envisaged from the reordered sequence of elections adopted by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill.

The meeting discussed happenings in the party across the country and across all levels of government.

Senators took turn to express the way out of some of the issues bedeviling the party and I believe that it was a worthwhile, very frank discussion.

The party will soon constitute a team that will comprise of the executive, the legislature, the party itself and representatives from our governors and we have 24 of them.

We are very happy as a caucus that the interaction was worthwhile and I am sure that our party was also glad to be here with us this afternoon.

We, as members of the National Assembly are and will remain committed to ensuring that we continue to support the change agenda of our administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The party is the platform for all of us, both the legislative and executive and in my own view, the party has done well by coming.

This is our party; this is our government, our administration. We shouldnt be fighting dirty in the open, the lawmaker said.

In his remarks before the closed-door meeting, National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun, said the meeting was aimed at discussing issues that had arisen in the polity recently.

He said happenings in the polity necessitated the party leadership to meet with the Senate caucus to reason and strategise for 2019 election.

We hope to have a better party after the meeting, he said.

The NWC was led to the meeting by Odigie-Oyegun while President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, led the APC Senate Caucus to the meeting which lasted two and half hours at the national assembly. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy blasted what he said was a lack of evidence for the corruption charges against him.

He is being accused that late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi funded his 2007 election campaign.

In his court statement published Thursday morning after he was charged in one of Frances most explosive political scandals in years, the 63-year-old rightwinger said he had been in living hell since the allegations first emerged in 2011.

Demanding he be treated as a witness rather than a suspect, he urged magistrates to consider the violence of the injustice if it was proven, as he claims, that the accusations are a manipulation by the dictator Kadhafi or his gang.

In the 24 hours of my detention I have tried with all my might to show that the serious corroborating evidence required to charge someone did not exist, Sarkozy said in his statement.

I stand accused without any tangible evidence through comments made by Mr Kadhafi, his son, his nephew, his cousin, his spokesman, his former prime minister, he added.

Judges decided they had enough evidence to charge the combative one-term president Wednesday after five years of investigation and two days of questioning in police custody.

Sarkozy, who served from 2007-2012, was charged with corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealment of Libyan public money.

Ive been living the hell of this slander since March 11, 2011 when Kadhafi first made the allegations, Sarkozy said.

And he lashed out at Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine who claims to have delivered three cash-stuffed suitcases from Kadhafi in 2006 and 2007, when Sarkozy was preparing his first run for president.

Takieddine, who claimed he provided 1.5 to 2 million euros ($2.5 million) in 200-euro and 500-euro notes, has highly suspect characteristics and the questionable past, Sarkozy retorted. (AFP)

Source: NAN

The Federal Government has accused the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) of plumbing the depths of infamy for saying the abduction
and release of the Dapchi schoolgirls were stage-managed.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister ofInformation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such postulationportrays the PDP as an inhuman, insensitive, unpatriotic and unworthyparty.

He said since the release of the Dapchi girls were negotiated byfriendly countries and reputable international organizations, it wouldhave taken a conspiracy of global proportion to have stage-managed the
adoption and release of the girls.

Alhaji Mohammed said the reaction of the PDP amounts to an expression
of sour grapes, especially because the party failed woefully when itwas in power to quickly resolve a similar abduction of schoolgirls.

As we have said many times since the abduction of the Dapchischoolgirls, no government is exempted from its own share oftragedies. What makes the difference is the way such tragedies aremanaged. Whereas it took the PDP all of 18 days to even acknowledge
the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, the APC Federal Governmentacted promptly and responsively when the Dapchi schoolgirls wereabducted 19 Feb. 2018, hence their quick release, he said.

The Minister said it is unfortunate that the PDP that failed woefullyas a ruling party has also failed grievously as an opposition party,going by its insensitive and crude response to the release of theDapchi schoolgirls a development that calls for non-partisancelebration.

In its 16 years in power, the PDP redefined governance ascluelessness, massive looting of the public treasury and crudeexhibition of power. In its over three years in opposition, the PDP has again shown it does not understand the role of the opposition in ademocracy. How then can the PDP convince Nigerians that it has learntits lessons and that it is ready to rule the country again? Nigeriansmust say never again to this primitive and soulless party, hesaid.

Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government has not been responding to
the amateurish and jejune statements from the PDP precisely becausethe party has failed to learn the ropes of being an opposition party,even when we have advised them to take a crash course on the role ofthe opposition in a democracy.

We broke our own rules this time because the PDP over-reached itselfand scored an own goal at a time it could simply have congratulatedthe government and people of Nigeria on the release of the girls or
just keep quiet, he said.

The Minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Government willintensify the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibokgirls and return them safely to their families, just like over 100
other Chibok girls who have so far been released, unlike the PDP thatcould not secure the release of even one of the girls before it wasbooted out of power.

Source: NAN

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it may declare former Governor of Plateau, Sen. Jonah Jang, wanted for refusing to honour its invitations.

Indication to this was given by Spokesperson of the commission, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

She said that Jang was being investigated over alleged fraud involving about N5.6 billion, but that he had continued to evade invitations to appear before the investigating team.

According to Okoduwa, the Commission has been on the trail of the former governor, now a senator, since October, 2017, when it opened investigation into alleged corruption-related activities during his tenure.

Evidence before the ICPC so far indicates that Sen. Jang allegedly committed the offences in March, 2015.

He allegedly received N2 billion in cash illegally out of the money which was allocated to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), under the pretext of a loan to be spent on classified expenditure.

She alleged that the former governor also illegally received N400 million of funds meant for Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

She added that Jang also allegedly caused a former Commissioner for Finance in the state to illegally transfer N3.2 billion of SUBEB funds to the project account of the Ministry of Finance.

ICPC has sent several invitations to Jang through both the Senate President and the Clerk of the National Assembly to come and clear his name but he has refused to honour the invitations.

Also, efforts to procure an arrest warrant from two different Magistrates Courts in the Federal Capital Territory have been futile.

The magistrates declined to sign them even after the requisite sworn affidavit had been presented by the Commission.

In the light of the foregoing, the Commission may have no other option than to declare the former governor wanted, Okoduwa said.

Source: NAN

The President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, met with Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates and African Business Mogul, Alh. Aliko Dangote to proffer solutions to financing healthcare in Nigeria.

Saraki who was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had the breakfast with the business magnates and philanthropists at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

Top on the agenda of the meeting were: Polio eradication, sustainable health financing and primary health care strengthening.

Our correspondent reports that the meeting was also attended by other federal law makers, the Nigerian Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and other internation NGOs and Foundations.

The meeting aims to strategise on how to; Provide legislative leaders with a good understanding of the Gates Foundations engagement in Nigeria, and work with the Dangote Foundation.

Discuss ways to ensure continued polio commitment.

Share information on long-term vaccine financing challenges.

Hear thoughts from legislative leadership on government commitment and leadership to primary health care strengthening, and discuss possible areas to work together.

Speaking at the meeting, the American business magnate, Gates, commended Saraki for his efforts in the healthcare systems in Nigeria especially in the fight against polio.

Gates particularly hailed the Senates President for his role in 2009 as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) saying that his intervention then was a turning Point in the fight against polio in Nigeria.

Some of the talking points of the meeting include: Recognition of the important role that Nigerian legislators play in improving health care delivery in Nigeria through appropriate legislation and accountability.

Updates on polio in Nigeria and discussion of ways to ensure continued effort and appropriate resourcing.

Gates and Dangote Foundation investments in immunization, and challenges Nigeria may face in long-term financing, including transition from Gavi.

Source: NAN

The 23-year-old Mark Conditt, serial bomber whose deadly attacks terrorized Austin, Texas, for weeks left a 25-minute video confession on a cell phone.

The phone was found after he blew himself up on Wednesday as officers closed in to make an arrest, police said

Conditt, an unemployed man from the suburb of Pflugerville, detailed how he made all seven bombs that have been accounted for five that exploded.

One of the bombs was recovered before it went off and a seventh he detonated as officers rushed his vehicle early on Wednesday.

But the video failed to reveal a coherent motive for the attacks spread over the past three weeks, police said.

He does not at all mention anything about terrorism, nor does he mention anything about hate, but instead it is the outcry of a very challenged young man, talking about challenges in his personal life, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters.

I would classify this as a confession, Manley said.

Conditt, who had never before been in trouble with the law, killed two people and wounded five with a campaign of violence that began on March 2, authorities said.

Based on their search of the suspects home and his video statement, authorities said they felt confident that there were no other bombs and that the public was safe from further harm.

FBI special agent Christopher Combs said investigators believe the suspect would have continued his attacks had he not been apprehended.

Police recovered a target list of addresses for future bombings, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing U.S. Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Even so, the video gave no explanation for the individuals and addresses singled out as recipients of the bombs that were planted or shipped, Manley said.

Police previously said they had considered the possibility that the attacks were racially motivated, noting that the first several victims, including the two who died, were either African-American or Hispanic.

Conditt likely recorded the video between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to Manley, Conditt said he believed police were getting very close to him, and he was right. Authorities filed a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant around that time.

Read more:

Source: NAN

The Federal Government has accused the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) of plumbing the depths of infamy for saying the abduction
and release of the Dapchi schoolgirls were stage-managed.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister ofInformation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such postulationportrays the PDP as an inhuman, insensitive, unpatriotic and unworthyparty.

He said since the release of the Dapchi girls were negotiated byfriendly countries and reputable international organizations, it wouldhave taken a conspiracy of global proportion to have stage-managed the
adoption and release of the girls.

Alhaji Mohammed said the reaction of the PDP amounts to an expression
of sour grapes, especially because the party failed woefully when itwas in power to quickly resolve a similar abduction of schoolgirls.

As we have said many times since the abduction of the Dapchischoolgirls, no government is exempted from its own share oftragedies. What makes the difference is the way such tragedies aremanaged. Whereas it took the PDP all of 18 days to even acknowledge
the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, the APC Federal Governmentacted promptly and responsively when the Dapchi schoolgirls wereabducted 19 Feb. 2018, hence their quick release, he said.

The Minister said it is unfortunate that the PDP that failed woefullyas a ruling party has also failed grievously as an opposition party,going by its insensitive and crude response to the release of theDapchi schoolgirls a development that calls for non-partisancelebration.

In its 16 years in power, the PDP redefined governance ascluelessness, massive looting of the public treasury and crudeexhibition of power. In its over three years in opposition, the PDP has again shown it does not understand the role of the opposition in ademocracy. How then can the PDP convince Nigerians that it has learntits lessons and that it is ready to rule the country again? Nigeriansmust say never again to this primitive and soulless party, hesaid.

Alhaji Mohammed said the Federal Government has not been responding to
the amateurish and jejune statements from the PDP precisely becausethe party has failed to learn the ropes of being an opposition party,even when we have advised them to take a crash course on the role ofthe opposition in a democracy.

We broke our own rules this time because the PDP over-reached itselfand scored an own goal at a time it could simply have congratulatedthe government and people of Nigeria on the release of the girls or
just keep quiet, he said.

The Minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Government willintensify the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibokgirls and return them safely to their families, just like over 100
other Chibok girls who have so far been released, unlike the PDP thatcould not secure the release of even one of the girls before it wasbooted out of power.

Source: NAN

India Thursday successfully flight tested its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile in the western state of Rajasthan, the countrys defence minister said.

The missile was flight tested from Pokhran test range in Rajasthan on Thursday morning.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted: the precision strike weapon with Indian-made seeker flew in its designated trajectory and hit the target with pin-point accuracy.

The successful test will further bolster our national security.

The land and sea variants of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile are already operational with the Indian army and the Indian navy.

In November 2017, India successfully flight tested the air version of BrahMos missile from its fighter jet Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal.

NAN reports that a BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated.

It is the worlds fastest anti-ship cruise missile in operation. (Xinhua/NAN)

Source: NAN

By Philip Yatai

The Kaduna State Government said on Thursday that it would establish Technology Production Centres in all its technical colleges to further develop the technical skills of students.

Mrs Kande Bage, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, gave this hint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.

According to her, the effort is to promote skills development, creativity, innovation and invention for self-reliance, and to encourage local production of goods in Nigeria.

Bage, who said that the centres would be equipped with all the needed facilities and equipment to make the project a success, noted that the development would boost the morale of the students.

The permanent secretary expressed optimism that the centres, when established, would encourage the students to produce those things that they know how to produce with ease.

She said that the State Government would ensure that the host communities of these technical colleges as well as government ministries, departments and agencies patronise them.

We were recently at the Technical College, Kajuru; and I can say that I am particularly fascinated by the kind of products the students of the college were producing.

They were fabricating soya beans threshing machines as well as producing folded chairs, tables, beds and so many other fascinating products of high quality.

If they continue with this tempo, I assure you that most of them will become self-reliant.

This will help to eradicate poverty and promote locally made goods, Bage said.

She said that the State Government had distributed tablet computers to the students of the college to encourage technical skills and innovation.

We have so far distributed 15,000 of these computers to 31 boarding schools in the state, as part of the efforts to equip our students with Information and Communication Technology skills, Bage said.

The permanent secretary said that she was at the college to inspect the facilities and to solve a problem in one of the hostels.

Source: NAN

By Ifeanyi Nwoko

The President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, met with Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates and African Business Mogul, Alh. Aliko Dangote to proffer solutions to financing healthcare in Nigeria.

Saraki who was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had the breakfast with the business magnates and philanthropists at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

Top on the agenda of the meeting were: Polio eradication, sustainable health financing and primary health care strengthening.

Our correspondent reports that the meeting was also attended by other federal law makers, the Nigerian Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and other internation NGOs and Foundations.

The meeting aims to strategise on how to; Provide legislative leaders with a good understanding of the Gates Foundations engagement in Nigeria, and work with the Dangote Foundation.

Discuss ways to ensure continued polio commitment.

Share information on long-term vaccine financing challenges.

Hear thoughts from legislative leadership on government commitment and leadership to primary health care strengthening, and discuss possible areas to work together.

Speaking at the meeting, the American business magnate, Gates, commended Saraki for his efforts in the healthcare systems in Nigeria especially in the fight against polio.

Gates particularly hailed the Senates President for his role in 2009 as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) saying that his intervention then was a turning Point in the fight against polio in Nigeria.

Some of the talking points of the meeting include: Recognition of the important role that Nigerian legislators play in improving health care delivery in Nigeria through appropriate legislation and accountability.

Updates on polio in Nigeria and discussion of ways to ensure continued effort and appropriate resourcing.

Gates and Dangote Foundation investments in immunization, and challenges Nigeria may face in long-term financing, including transition from Gavi.

Source: NAN

Operatives of EFCC and ONSA, have discovered $9 million cash at the residence of the sacked Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Tarelah Boroh.

Boroh, who was Special Adviser on Niger Delta to President Muhammadu Buhari has also been arrested.

The discovery of the cash was made a few hours after his arrest by a combined team of EFCC and operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, confirmed the arrest and cash recovery in response to THISDAY’s enquiries.

A senior security agent said Boroh was picked up from his home in Gwarinpa, Abuja, on Monday.

He was reported to have been taken back to his residence at about 3 a.m. Tuesday by the security operatives who raided his house for hours and made the cash discovery of $9 million at his home.

He remains in the custody of the EFCC.

“The former adviser was driven to his home in an unmarked car after his arrest. His home was searched for several hours and about $9 million cash was discovered in several safe boxes in several parts of the house,” the senior security agent stated.

“The combined team of EFCC and the National Security Adviser operatives were very thorough with the search. Indeed, at a point, the operatives broke all the locks in the home including his wife’s closet. The recovered cash has been deposited at the Office of the NSA.”

Buhari sacked Boroh last week and announced Prof. Charles Dokubo as his replacement.

In the statement announcing Boroh’s dismissal, it said the NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), had been directed to probe the activities of the Amnesty Office from 2015, when Boroh was appointed, especially allegations of financial impropriety and other acts that were allegedly detrimental to the objectives of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

According to investigations by THISDAY, Boroh’s sack, investigation and arrest by the EFCC may not be unconnected to a petition, among others, that was sent to the president last August.

The petition to Buhari dated August 21, 2017 was signed by one Timi Angalabiri, on behalf of the Niger Deltans for Accountability and Good Governance (NDAGG).

The group requested the president to suspend the ex-Amnesty Programme boss “for a credible investigative inquiry to commence into the non-payment of tuition fees and living expenses of recently graduated Niger Delta students in universities across the United States, the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

The petitioner further pleaded with Buhari to use his good office to prosecute Boroh and others for allegedly diverting the sum of N70 billion.

Shortly after the petition was written, rumours swirled about Boroh’s sack by the president, but they were dismissed by the former Amnesty Programme boss.

“This story about my suspension and even sack has been off and on in the media, but the truth is that I have not been sacked and no one should disrupt the relative prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region with such fake news,” he had said.

“What is happening is the handiwork of political enemies and those who do not want the region to be peaceful. The rumours they are peddling are just rubbish and unfounded. Under my watch, the programme, candidly speaking, has helped greatly to stabilise the region.”

The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers and 10 other militant groups Tuesday threatened to attack oil installations in the Niger Delta if the sacked coordinator of the Amnesty Programme was not reinstated in four weeks.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Johnmark Ezonbi, leader of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, said the federal government would “hear from them” if Boroh was not reinstated.

He said the sacked coordinator of the Amnesty Programme played a significant role in prevailing on the militants to end the attacks on oil installations, warning that it was obvious that the government was toying with the destiny of the Niger Delta.

The statement by Ezonbi read: “The federal government will hear from us at the expiration of the four weeks ultimatum as no single stone will be left unturned as the administration prefers to go back to the recession period when Boroh played a major role by visiting the creeks with other stakeholders to prevail on the boys to drop their arms and embrace peace.

“We will embark on a well coordinated destruction of all major delivery oil pipelines after the expiration of the four weeks ultimatum without looking back.

“I want to warn that any intruder into our planned action in four weeks time, if the federal government fails to reinstate General Paul Boroh, will be severely dealt with without mercy because our attacks will make the security agencies in the creeks very small.

“We are fully ready to take on anybody as we have the instruments of warfare that will make the biggest military might marvel at our coordinated attacks.

“We are ready to dirty our rivers and creeks with our oil, it is better we spill it than allow government use it to develop other parts of the country.”

Source: NAN

In an effort to prevent further outbreak of Lassa fever, Ebonyi Government is to begin intensive campaigns against rat consumption in rural areas.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Chief Donatus Njoku, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abakaliki that the government would explore all avenues to dissuade the citizens from consuming rats.

NAN reports that Lassa fever outbreak in the state in January resulted in four deaths and it is believed thatinhabitants of the state erroneously believe rats have high nutritional value.

Njoku said: Rats are the primary vectors of the disease, and we are vigorously carrying out enlightenment through mass media, workshops, seminars and various ministries communication channels.

We will collaborate with traditional rulers and other opinion leaders at the grassroots to educate rural dwellers to shun such a notion and realise that rat is the diseases primary vector.

We have also continued to sensitise the populace to urgently report suspected cases to relevant health agencies.

With the total functionality of the state government-owned South-East Virology Centre, such an occurrence can be expeditiously handled.

On sanitation, Njoku said that contrary to insinuations, non-observance of the monthly sanitation in the state did not affect effective sanitation.

State and Federal Government functions sometimes fall on the last Saturday of the month, and when this occurs, we have to comply.

The state government has evolved policies which make the populace to clean their environments on daily basis and not wait for designated days, he said.

Njoku told NAN that the state Ministry of Environment ensured that state government ministries and parastatal-agencies cleaned their environments daily as directed by the governor.

We assess their performances to ascertain the level of compliance; to show his seriousness toward the directive, the governor visits the ministries for on-the-spot assessments.

We encourage the people to keep their environments clean to improve their health, he said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Wife of the President of the Senate, Toyin Saraki, has been named as special adviser to the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) of the World Health Organisations (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO).

The Media Office of Toyin Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said the appointment was made earlier this month by WHOs Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.

This move is intended to bring Mrs Sarakis considerable frontline experience to bear on WHOs strategy and policy.

Toyin Ojora-Saraki had since accepted the appointment based on the Advisory Groups focus on women and childrens health and in view of her role as a global champion for Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC).

I welcome the Advisory Group meetings focus on the health of women, children and adolescents as flagship indicators for Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) progress.

As a global champion for UHC, I advocate for a fuller understanding of its benefits, which go beyond health outcomes and include improved gender equality, higher levels of preparedness for epidemic outbreaks and transformative economic effects.

As Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Confederation of Midwives, I particularly welcome the introduction of WHO AFROs focused curriculum for the professional qualification education of Midwives and Nurses in Africa, she said.

I am looking forward to hitting the ground running in my new role as special adviser at the Independent Advisory Group meeting this week in Johannesburg.

The experience I have gained as Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, working closely with our midwives on the frontline, as part of the global Every Woman, Every Child Strategy to end all preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths, including stillbirths, by 2030, will inform my advice to the WHO, she added.

Source: NAN

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a trailer loaded with 24,000 bottles of cough syrups containing codeine in Funtua local government area of Katsina State.

The NDLEA State Commandant, Hajiya Maryam Gambo Sani disclosed this during a press briefing to newsmen on Tuesday in Katsina.

She said that six persons were arrested in connection with the drug cargo. According to her, those arrested were the driver of the vehicle, his assistant and two conductors.

Sani said other people arrested were the manager of SUNGLOW EQUITY NIG LTD who is suspected to be owner of the drugs and the salesman of the company.

State governments north of Nigeria are generally suspicious of cough syrups containing codeine, as people abuse the codeine content, a kind of opiate like cocaine or heroin. Users get high on it, leading to many cases of drug addiction.

According to reports, many users actually buy it when they cannot afford more expensive drugs such as heroin (diamorphine) or other opiate/opioid drugs.

As an opiate, codeine is also used to treat pain and diarrhea. Internationally, codeine is not a banned drug.

The Katsina state government is yet to make a law banning the use of the drug and it is unclear under which law the NDLEA will prosecute the suspects.

The trailer was arrested by the NDLEA operatives at the companys warehouse located in Dutsen-reme area.

Sani said that the trailer came from Onitsha.

She said that the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution.

Sani also said that 12 students of tertiary institutions in the state were arrested for drugs related offences.

The commandant said that the items seized from the students included 159 bottles of cough syrups with codeine, 160.6 grams of cannabis sativa and 50.7 grams of Rohypnol (Rochee).

She also said that a total of 186 persons were apprehended between January and March, 2018, for drugs related offences in the state.

Sani said that 57.8 kilograms of assorted hard drugs and 25,254 bottles of cough syrups with codeine were seized from the suspects.

She added that 8.4489 kilograms of psychotropic substances were seized from the suspects during the period under review.

Sani urged the public to continue to assist the command in its efforts of fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

Source: NAN

German authorities have confirmed outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu type at a farm on an island off the German North Sea coast, the Schleswig-Holstein state agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

The virus was found on a farm of with 57 chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese on the island of Hallig Suederoog. All the birds on the farm have been culled.

It is said to be the first case on a farm in Germany, the ministry said.

A case of H5N6 bird flu was also reported by a farm in the Netherlands in February and in southern England in January.

The Schleswig-Holstein state agriculture ministry said there is no record of the strain of the disease spreading to humans.

Some past outbreaks of bird flu have required expensive slaughtering campaigns and costly orders to farmers to keep poultry indoors.

Source:https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-birdflu-germany/germany-confirms-h5n6-bird-flu-case-on-island-farm-idUKKBN1GX1

Source: NAN

A US judge on Monday delayed by just a few days the start of Bill Cosbys sexual assault trial, throwing out a bid by defense lawyers for a three-month postponement.

Judge Steven ONeill moved jury selection to April 2 instead of March 29 as originally scheduled, to hear outstanding pre-trial motions on March 29 and 30.

Cosbys defense team, headed by Tom Mesereau, the celebrity Los Angeles attorney who got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, had requested a longer delay of 90 days, which ONeill denied.

It marks the second time that 80-year-old comedian will go on trial, accused of drugging and molesting a former university basketball official at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

In June, ONeill declared a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

The trial irrevocably damaged the once towering icon of US popular culture, loved by millions as Americas Dad and best known for his seminal role as a father and obstetrician on hit 1984-92 TV series The Cosby Show.

Around 60 women have publicly accused the Emmy-winning actor of being a serial sexual predator, but most of the alleged abuse happened too long ago to prosecute, meaning that the trial last year concerned only one of the alleged victims.

The Pennsylvania judge ruled last week that five additional women who claim to have been sexually assaulted by Cosby can testify at the re-trial, having last time ruled that only one other accuser could take the stand.

Cosby, now frail and isolated, risks spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

The actor denies the charges, saying his relations with Andrea Constand were consensual.

The Canadian has said Cosby gave her pills that left her semi-conscious, then made sexual advances a story similar to those recounted by many of the other accusers.

Source: NAN

Cynthia Nixon, the US actress who shot to international fame as workaholic lawyer Miranda on Sex and the City, is running for New York governor, unveiling Monday a progressive platform championing greater equality and eschewing big business.

The 51-year-old declared her candidacy with a two-minute campaign video posted on Twitter that showed her at home with her wife and children, riding the subway, taking her young child to school and speaking at liberal political causes.

The move confirmed growing speculation that Nixon intended to challenge incumbent Democratic state governor Andrew Cuomo, which went into overdrive last week when her wife, Christine Marinoni, stepped down from her job at the citys department of education.

I love New York, and today I'm announcing my candidacy for governor. Join us:

Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon)

The actress and liberal activist, who has campaigned for gay marriage, public schools and access to womens healthcare, threw her hat into the ring saying she was sick of politicians who care more about headlines and power than they do about us.

Our leaders are letting us down. We are now the most unequal state in the entire country with both incredible wealth and extreme poverty. Half the kids in our upstate cities live below the poverty line. How did we let this happen? she said on the video.

I love New York. Ive never wanted to live anywhere else but something has to change. We want our government to work again on health care, ending mass incarceration, fixing our broken subway.

Together we can win this fight, finished the New York born and raised Nixon, who said she grew up with her mother in what she called a one-bedroom, fifth-floor walk-up.

New York, the fourth most populous state in the United States, goes to the polls to elect a governor on November 6. But Nixon remains a left-field candidate with Cuomo very much the favored contender ahead of the Democratic Party primary on September 13.

Despite the stardom brought by her role alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall on the wildly successful television comedy Sex and the City, which aired on HBO from 1998-2004 and spawned two spin-off movies, the actress lags far behind in the polls.

A recent Siena College Research Institute poll found that Cuomo is overwhelmingly favored by Democrats over Nixon by 66 to 19 percent.

It remains unclear how much Cuomo may be damaged by the recent conviction of an aide for bribery. According to The New York Times, his name was mentioned 163 times during the eight-week federal trial.

Nixon worked for years as an actress before hitting the big-time with Sex and the City and won a Tony Award Americas most prestigious stage acting awards for her role last year in play The Little Foxes.

In addition to the video, Nixon has set up a campaign fundraising page that echoes some of the language used by 2016 Democratic Party presidential contender Bernie Sanders who electrified the left before ultimately losing to Hillary Clinton.

The page stipulates that Nixon wont be accepting any corporate contributions and that instead our campaign will be powered by the people.

The mother of three is far from the first US actor to venture into politics. Republican president Ronald Reagan got his political start after the world of entertainment as a two-term governor of California from 1967 to 1975.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born body builder is another actor turned two-term California governor, who was in office from 2003-2011.

Former television comic Al Franken for whom Nixon once campaigned also served as Democratic senator of Minnesota from 2009 to 2018, until he was forced to step down over sexual misconduct allegations.

Source: NAN

Unseeded Naomi Osaka has won her first WTA title and simultaneously, she logged the record as the first Japanese player to win the Indian Wells final, routing Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday.

World number 44 Osaka rolled over Kasatkina, breaking her serve four times and winning the battle of the 20-year-old rising stars in just 70 minutes.

I just knew that she was going to fight for every point, too, said Osaka. So I couldnt afford to lose points based on nerves, and I had to keep making the right decisions.

Osaka captured the title on her first match point by blasting a backhand into the open side of the court.

The Japanese dynamo improved to 13-4 on the season two days after her biggest previous win, a dominating semi-final triumph over world number one Simona Halep.

She was only the fourth unseeded player to reach the Indian Wells final, with the most recent before her being Kim Clijsters in 2005.

The loss ends a brilliant run in the California desert by Kasatkina, who was playing in her second final in a row after a runner-up finish in Dubai.

She was much better today than me, so she really deserved to win, Kasatkina said. Of course, we were both nervous at the beginning, because the biggest finals so far.

But during the match, she was able to manage her nerves and stuff, and I was still a little bit tight during the match. So it is what it is.

Kasatkina was two points from defeat against Venus Williams in the semi-finals but rallied for the upset triumph.

Kasatkina, who wasnt even born when Williams first competed at Indian Wells, said she really felt the nerves getting to her on the big stage in the final.

She called her coach to come down from the stands for advice at one point but couldnt remember after the match what he told her.

I mean, I already forgot what he told me. I was so nervous, that I really forgot, she said.

Osaka blasted five aces, made three double faults and won 79 percent of her first-serve points.

I wasnt really trying to hit hard today, said Osaka, who was born in Osaka, Japan, but is a dual citizen after living in America since the age of three.

I felt like it would be better for her to take my pace.

So I wanted her to do whatever she wanted to do and I was going to sit back and see what she does.

Like Osaka, Kasatkina was playing in her first Indian Wells final. This was the first time both Indian Wells finalists were under age 21 since Serena Williams beat Clijsters in 2001.

The opening set was even until Osaka blasted two aces to take a 4-3 lead. She then broke Kasatkina to make it 5-3 and finished it off with another strong service game.

Osaka pounced on Kasatkina from the beginning of the second set, starting with an opening break of serve.

She also broke Kasatkina to go up 4-1 with another precision forehand winner down the line and never looked back.

Kasatkina is now 1-3 in WTA singles finals, winning in Charleston last year and finishing runner-up last year in Moscow and this year at Dubai.

*AFP

Source: NAN