Breaking: Nigerian soldiers battle Boko Haram in Damasak
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damasak local government area of borno state is under crossfire between nigerian soldiers and boko haram fighters1 the battle was raging at the time of filing the report. the chief of army staff lt. general buratai is in the region leading efforts to flush out the remnants of boko haram insurgents in the lake chad fringes1 a competent military source told nan that the military and the terrorists were currently engaged in a heavy gun battle1 he said that the insurgents stormed the town to attack a military formation in the evening but they met stiff resistance from troops1 reacting brig.-gen. texas chukwu who confirmed the attack to nan through text message said the troops were dealing with the terrorists1 chukwu said that troops of 145 bn in damasak borno state are engaging boko haram terrorists who came to attack their location at about 6 p.m. this evening1 fierce battle is on going right now. the troops are dealing with the terrorists. further details later.1

Minimum wage: Expect N100,000 from 2019, Sowore tells workers
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by raji rasak3 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the meeting was attended by a large number of youths in the coastal town1 speaking at a town hall meeting organised by the party in badagry sowore said nigerians were indirectly going into slavery by traveling to different countries in search of jobs1 he noted that over 43 million black africans were sold into slavery in the coastal city about 400 years ago a development he said was still happening indirectly because of lack of job1 i am in politics to stop this by providing 500000 jobs yearly1 the minimum wage for civil servant will be n100000 from 2019 he said1 sowore regretted the poor state of roads in the country and describing the lagos-badagry expressway as the worst in nigeria1 the presidential aspirants said the historic town had been cut off from the rest of the country due to deplorable state of the expressway1 mr omoyele sowore a presidential aspirant of african action congress aac says he will ensure civil servants in the country receive n100000 as minimum wage from 2019 if he is elected nigerias president1 we spent almost five hours coming here instead of one and half hours1 badagry town has been cut-off from nigeria due to deplorable state of the road1 this is very shameful the presidential aspirant said1 he promised to construct two expressways from badagry to lagos and another one linking badagry and ogun state if elected into power in the 2019 general elections1 sowore urged the residents of badagry to vote wisely for candidates of their choice1 i heard now that politicians are buying permanent voters card pvc for n10000. please dont sell your pvc the pvc is your future1 can you do any business with n10000 they will buy your card your future is your pvc keep it he said1 i have traveled all over nigeria but i have not seen any international expressway like lagos-badagry1

Flood kills 9, destroys over 200 houses in Gombe
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by hajara leman2 nine people lost their lives while over 200 houses were destroyed and numerous farm lands washed out by flood in gombe between may and august an official has said1 mrs lamis benjamin deputy director rescue and rehabilitation gombe state emergency management agency sema disclosed this to newsmen in gombe on thursday1 benjamin said four out of the nine deaths were recorded in may following a downpour in gombe town1 she said the remaining five deaths were recorded in cham community of balanga local government area of the state in august also after a downpour1 the deputy director also said over 200 houses and numerous farm lands were washed away in nyuwar jesu cham in balanga and komta ayaba in biliri local government areas1 according to her the state government through sema acted promptly by providing 1200 bags of maize as relief material to victims in the two councils1 for now 1200 bags of 100kg of maize were distributed as relief material to the affected persons1 we are now waiting for the national emergency management agency to come with their relief materials she said1 she appealed to wealthy individuals and corporate bodies in the state to assist the needy to ameliorate the plight of the victims1

Court dissolves marriage over religious difference
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when we got married we always attend our shrine together until about few months ago when she started having some friends and getting advice against my wishes1 by ibrahim abdulazeez1 the complainant muri had approached the court seeking dissolution of the marriage over refusal of his wife to attend the ifa shrine with him1 he said he could no longer tolerate the insubordination1 is a traditional religion and a system of divination the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means1 a grade c customary court sitting in iseyin oyo state on thursday dissolved a four-year-old marriage between remi atanda and muri atanda over religious difference1 i had done everything possible to persuade her but she refused. even i called her family to intervene and that also did not yield result1 she has to move out of my house because her action was totally against my family tradition and customs. it is a taboo for me to keep her under my roof muri said1 in his ruling the president of the court chief adelodun raheem who frowned at the absence of the respondent said it was obvious that the relationship between the estranged couple had totally broken down1 he thereafter dissolved the union accordingly1 the courts president also granted the custody of the two children produced by the marriage to muri1

How police nabbed killers of Imo Catholic priest
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by ikechukwu iweajunwa3 he said that based on his experience in mortuary business he was able to steal the corpse2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that until his death egbom was the parish priest of st patrick catholic church amucha in njaba local government area lga of the state2 it will be recalled that the hoodlums barged into a salon in nkwere local government council where the priest was barbing his hair and killed him on sept. 102 the commissioner who paraded the suspects on thursday gave their names as chigozie uzoukwu and peter boniface2 also galadanchi paraded two other suspects who stole a corpse from o-jesus mortuary akabo and demanded for n5 million ransom2 the commissioner of police in imo mr dasuki galadanchi said on thursday in owerri that the command had arrested two suspects involved in the killing of a rev. fr jude egbom2 the names of the suspects were given as chukwudi chukwu and bethel ibe2 in their separate reactions bethel ibe a commercial bus driver said he was lured into kidnapping by his friends2 he said they decided to steal the corpse to raise money for what he called a mega business2 his co-suspect chukwudi chukwu said he was an ex-mortuary attendant and was sacked by management of o-jesus mortuary2 he explained that the criminals were arrested in a forest in mbaitoli lga on sept. 12 after keeping the corpse for many days2

Ekiti Assembly approves N10b budget, APC members cry fraud
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the appropriation committee did not sit on the bill. the bill was backdated to aug. 30 to give an impression that the appropriation committee had since been deliberating on the bill he said1 the ekiti house of assembly has approved the n10 billion supplementary budget sent to it by gov. ayo fayose despite concerns by the governor-elect kayode fayemi1 the chairman of the house committee on information dr samuel omotosho said the budget was to capture unforeseen expenses of government1 he said the bill went through first and second readings as well as committee review before its passage1 omotosho denied speculations that the budget was to defraud the state alleging that the governor-elect dr kayode fayemi also did the same a month before he left office during his first term1 but the all progressives congress apc caucus in the assembly has rejected the passage of the supplementary budget1 the apc lawmakers led by the minority leader gboyega aribisogan described the action as a ploy by the governor to legitimise fraud1 the apc lawmakers and some members are not in support of the bill because it has been discovered that the outgoing governor wanted to use the house to legitimise fraud1 the proposed appropriation bill is the handiwork of gov. fayose and his cronies to cover up massive fraud in some ministries department and agencies mdas1 the appropriation bill is not meant to improve the lives of our people in the state but to cover up some unapproved spending of the governor1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the budget was passed at plenary on thursday by a unanimous decision of the 14 members who were in attendance1 governor-elect kayode fayemi expressed concern over the hush-hush budget on wednesday1 he urged the fayose regime to refrain from actions capable of plunging the state into further financial crisis through irregular and unconstitutional means1 the governor-elect in a statement issued by the media director of his campaign organisation mr wole olujujobi said the consequences of illegal appropriation of public funds would be very grave for individuals who participated in any illegal act to defraud the state1 fayemi counselled ministry officials and assembly members against being used for illegal appropriation of public funds1 he warned that participants in such illegal acts would be called upon to account for their actions when the new administration takes effect on oct. 161 fayemi queried the rationale for the n10 billion supplementary budget barely a month to the handover date1 the media report alleging that fayose coerced the ministry of budget officials to make a demand backdated to aug. 23 2018 for a supplementary budget of n10billion a few days to the end of his administration is fraudulent and not in the interest of the state1 the governors covering note also backdated to aug. 30 2018 for the legitimacy of such request was equally done with fraudulent intention1 it is worrisome that the alleged supplementary budget was presented to the assembly clerk for immediate approval without presenting it to assembly members at the plenary to go through all parliamentary procedures in budget processing1 the latest development today after the plot leaked on this fraudulent conduct is that the budget is now before the house for a hush-hush debate for immediate approval he said1

2019: Ex NYCN president Garba joins House of Reps race
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he said he was motivated by his desire to give the youths a voice hence the not too young to run movement which was started in 20161 comrade murtala garba the immediate past president of the national youth council of nigeria nycn has joined the race for the house of representatives seat for tatun donga ussa and yangtu federal constituency in taraba state1 he said that as a matter of priority he would sensitise youths in his constituency on the importance of self-reliance peace and unity1 we have lost some youths and brothers to crisis and it cannot be allowed to continue peace is paramount1 we will industrialise the constituency and encourage our youths to go into agriculture farming fishing education entrepreneurship that is our first line of projects1 we have to move from poverty to self-reliance it is time to engage our youth and impact on them all that we have learnt in many seminars locally and internationally1 we must teach them the importance of entrepreneurship1 we have to change the mentality of our people above all we need peace and unity due to the complex nature of tarabadifferent ethnic groups and religionsour diversity should be our strength he said1 garba spoke with newsmen shortly after purchasing the expression of interest and nomination forms at the all progressives congressapcs secretariat in abuja1 garba said that since the president had signed the bill into law it was high time the proponents of bill came out and practiced what they preached1 he said that a lot of nigerian youths have purchased forms1 the former nycn leader said that going by the relationship he had with his constituents he was upbeat on winning the seat1 due to the experience i gathered as a youth leader i will attract projects that will bring development to my constituency1 we are talking about integrity and i know i will make it1 due to the achievements of president muhammadu buhari apc will conquer taraba state and i am hopeful of emerging victorious1 taraba people will like to join the moving train and will vote for apc because of what apcs achievement he said1

NLC, Labour Party reject Mimiko, presidential ambition in crisis
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mimiko made known on thursday his intention to run for president of nigeria on the platform of the labour party lp in 20191 the presidential ambition of dr. olusegun mimiko appeared dead on arrival on thursday as the nigeria labour congress the registered owner of the labour party denounced the declaration1 it is not possible for mimiko to run under the labour party and we want to say no to that as mimiko has no business as a member of labour party1 the party is registered by the nlc and the trade union congress market women association students. we register the party and the certificate of the party is with the nlc general secretary1 therefore bringing money to buy the party or the structure will not work we do not share in the same ideology with him. it is a party with a difference1 therefore i want to call on minimko once again to make sure he off-his hands off the party1 therefore a.a salam cannot continue to function as the chairperson of the party he said1 he added the labour party is not a place for any candidate to join when the condition is favourable and when you arrive at your destination you abandon it1 also mrs ebere ifendu national publicity secretary of the labour party also warned nigerians and political aspirants to disregard the purported party convention slated for 13 september in abuja1 it has become necessary for the leadership of the labour party to draw the attention of the general public to the fraudulent collection of expression of interest and nomination form fees from innocent and unsuspecting political aspirants1 that is for those who desire to contest various elective positions under the labour party through alhaji a. a. salam the former national chairman of the party1 it would be recalled that a. a. salam was removed at the special national convention of the party held on 3rd october 20171 mr ayuba wabba nlc president and mrs ebere ifendu the national publicity secretary labour party rejected the declaration and the hijack of the labour party platform at a joint news conference on thursday in abuja1 mimiko 63 years old made the declaration at an event held at the national secretariat of the party in abuja1 he expressed concern over the killings in the middle belt and some other parts of the country1 the aspirant said that the excruciating economic pains and the unprecedented level of division and distrust at individual and communal levels were of great concern1 mimiko said that the ability to envision great ideas and demonstrable track record rather than place and circumstances of birth should be the most compelling basis for investing candidates with power1 this is therefore not the time to cheapen the dialogue by engaging in argument on whose turn it is to run the country1 rather it is time to insist that only the best is good for nigeria it is time to all march out and recall our past take charge of the present and launch out into greatness as one inclusive cohesive family1 there comes a moment in the life of a nation when every patriot must stand up to be counted1 at such a moment no person worthy of a place in history can afford to remain ensconced in their comfort zone1 when the totality of our being and the very essence of our humanity are in violation patriots must advance to recapture the present and commit to re-defining the future1 i have found it compelling to declare my intention to run for president of the federal republic of nigeria1 alhaji abdulkadir abdulsalam who claimed to be the chairman of labour party received mimiko during the declaration1 abdusalam has now been declared an impostor by the nlc1

Crushing defeat awaits Paperweight Dogara in Reps election: APC
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we have received several media requests for a reaction to the purported defection of the speaker house of representatives rt. hon. yakubu dogara from the all progressives congress apc to one of the opposition political parties as reported in the media1 the all progressives congress appears not to be losing sleep over the reported defection of speaker yakubu dogara from its fold to the opposition peoples democratic party where he came from1 apc acting publicity secretary yekini nabena made the partys position known in a statement thursday saying the party was not surprised about dogaras ill-advised move1 it was only a matter of time judging by dogaras anti-party antics in the national assembly where in connivance with the senate president bukola saraki he exploited all available avenues to sabotage and undermine the apc-led executive. dogaras anti-party activities which enabled one of the opposition partys sole victory in bogoro local government area dogaras council during the recent bauchi south senatorial bye-election won by the apc is another pointer among several others1 here is the apc statement1 on the contrary the apc which dismissed dogara as a political paperweight said a crushing and humiliating defeat awaits him in next february election in his bogorodasstafawa balewa constituency1 in reacting a recent comment by president muhammadu buhari aptly sums dogaras reported defection1 dogaras reported defection has not come to us as a surprise. it was only a matter of time judging by dogaras anti-party antics in the national assembly where in connivance with the senate president bukola saraki he exploited all available avenues to sabotage and undermine the apc-led executive. dogaras anti-party activities which enabled one of the opposition partys sole victory in bogoro local government area dogaras council during the recent bauchi south senatorial bye-election won by the apc1 indeed all politics is local. as a party we empathise with dogara on his confusion and despair over his bleak political future given the fact that he is not on ground and a political paperweight in his home bauchi state. in his emergence as speaker dogara was merely used by his political master to achieve their selfish political ends at the time. they have since moved on to pursue their individual political aspirations and left dogara in the cold1 we would advise dogara against his ill-advised decision to recontest his house of representatives seat under the opposition party he is linked with because a crushing and humiliating defeat surely awaits him1 as a party we remain united and committed to our progressives ideologies. we urge party faithful to consolidate on our strengths and collectively go into the 2019 general elections as a united and strong political fighting force to sustain the change agenda we are implementing for the benefit of nigerians1

Apple's newest iPhone could have big screen, big price
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apples newest iphone could have big screen big price1

Fayose to submit self to EFCC
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fayose to submit self to efcc1

$2.9bn Paris Club refund: FG bars states owing salaries
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by racheal ishaya6 this approved sum was released to the states between dec. 1 2016 and sept. 29 20171 the director of information federal ministry of finance mr hassan dodo on tuesday said the federal government would commence phased payments of the refund to the states once the condition and several others were met1 the dmo led the reconciliation process under the supervision of the federal ministry of finance. the final approval of 2.69 billion dollars is subject to some conditions1 salary and staff related arrears must be paid as a priority. also commitment to the commencement of the repayment of budget support loans granted in 2016 must be made by all states1 furthermore they must clear amounts due to the presidential fertiliser initiative and make commitment to clear matching grants from ubec1 the federal government said states must clear backlog of salaries and other related staff arrears before they would be able to access the remaining 2.69 billion dollar paris club refund1 it will be recalled that the issue of paris club loan over-deduction had been a long standing dispute between the federal government and the state governments dating back to 19951 in response to the dispute president muhammadu buhari directed that the claims of over-deduction should be formally and individually reconciled by the debt management office dmo1 this reconciliation commenced in november 20161 as an interim measure to alleviate the financial challenges of the states during the 2016 recession the president had approved that 50 per cent of the amounts claimed by states be paid to enable them clear salary and pension arrears1 this is in cases where some states have available funds which could be used to improve primary education and learning outcomes dodo said in a statement1

Okupe, Accord Party chief, chairs Sarakis media campaign team
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dr doyin okupe has been appointed the chairman of the media council of the bukola saraki campaign organisation2 okupe until now was the south west leader of the accord party and chairs the partys committee to discuss with the coalition of united political parties2 the director general of the campaign mohammed wakil said dr okupe will work with other professionals on the team to effectively communicate the campaign messages of the senate president to nigerians and the international community2 okupe who is a medical doctor and politician served as the national publicity secretary of the defunct national republican convention nrc in the aborted third republic2 he has also worked as the director of communications during the presidential campaigns of two former presidents olusegun obasanjo and goodluck jonathan2 he later served as a senior special assistant on media and public affairs to both presidents2

Buhari commits to building corrupt-free Nigeria, collects nomination form
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president buhari however condemned the way and manner the 2007 general election was handled saying the result of the election was a disgrace to the nation2 president muhammadu buhari on tuesday received expression of interest and nomination forms and reiterated his administrations determination to continue on the path of building a strong virile and corrupt-free nigeria2 he observed that the all progressives congress apc would now be stronger as the weakest politicians had left the party2 president buhari who was referring to the defections that engulfed the party in recent times said those who left the party could not place national interest above their selfish interest in line with the objectives of the administration2 the president who highlighted the achievements of his administration in the past three years said corruption has been fighting back from both within and outside the administration2 these achievements over the past three years had not been easy. corruption has been fighting back from both within and outside but we held our ground2 today im pleased to say the weakest amongst us those whose selfish expectations did not align with our patriotic zeal had exited our party2 we are now a party of strong and patriotic individuals who are ready willing and able to continue on this journey of building secured self- sufficient and corruption-free nigeria2 i am honoured today to receive this nomination form which your members from all over the country contributed to buy2 it is a gesture from an association of patriotic nigerians which i was made to believe comprises of over three million members which believed in our principle of bringing positive things to nigeria he said2 president buhari who expressed gratitude for being honoured by the ncan said that his vision to rescue the nation began in 20022 the president who narrated his political history said his decision to contest for the presidential seat in 2007 was informed by the sorry and hopeless state the nation had found itself in 20062 he added that his decision was predicated on the state of hopelessness in the country where selfish interest of elected leaders superseded national interest2 the president spoke after receiving the forms bought for him by the nigeria consolidation ambassador network ncan at the presidential villa abuja2 he thanked the leadership and members of ncan who contributed part of their meagre resources to buy the expression of interest and nomination forms2 the deputy chairman board of trustees of the ncan mr chukwuemeka nwajiuba said the association is a network of young nigerians in various fields of endeavour who had been keeping tab of the policies programmes and projects of the buhari administration2 he said the association was doing this with a view to making an informed contribution towards the growth of a virile and stable country2 according to him in spite all the challenges the buhari administration has delivered and continues to deliver on its promises and other matters arising in the course of governance2 from the massive re-establishment of security of life and property by reclaiming the territorial integrity of our country even in the face of threat from within to the redirection and strengthening of our economy by increased productive capacity in agriculture and financial prudence even in the face of an almost negative balance sheet in 20152 the massive infrastructural development whilst growing our reserves2 he has also reined in systemic corruption by firmly enforcing even erstwhile policies which no one had the courage or the strength of character to enforce be it the tsa the ippsa the egp the operating freedom of law enforcement in dutiful compliance with the laws of our land. the list is endless2 nigerians for the first time in many years could see a leader who painstakingly took decisions solely on the bases of national interest above his or anyone elses2 a leader who belongs to all and behooving to our country and to god only who in his infinite mercy brought our president back from the brink of death and restored him to strength and vigour2 he said the association whose network seeks to consolidate these gains has decided to contribute its intellect and little earnings towards ensuring that the president was encouraged to continue with his good works to nigeria2 it is on account of the resolve of these ambassadors that they proceeded to obtain the nomination form for the president from the all progressives congress to encourage mr president to seek to be re-elected for another term to help consolidate the work he is doing he said2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the highpoint of the event was the handing over of the apc presidential nomination form by the national coordinator members of the board of trustees of the consolidation ambassadors network of nigeria to the president2

Rating of Nigerian customs worrisome
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regrettably the ratings such as this to a large extent determines the calculations of trading partners to a country as the shipping world will factor in all the pros and cons to maximise profit1 nigerians have continued to pour uncomplimentary reactions to the recent world rating that placed the nigeria customs service ncs at number 110 on the ladder1 the world bank ranked ncs low in efficiency and other indices of operational standards1 nigeria took the 110 place out of the 160 countries1 the report for the west african sub-region showed that cote d ivoire clinched the top position as the best performing country in trade logistics with a global ranking of 501 mr increase uche president national association of government approved freight forwarders nagaff told the news agency of nigeria nan on tuesday in lagos that ncs global rating was regrettable1 when you come the ports to do your cargo clearing the service seems to be confused with what to do in order to transact clearing jobs1 the rating was based on administrative efficiency and border management aimed at trade facilitation and national security1 the ncs act that is still in use at the ports was enacted in 1958 there is need to amend it in line with current global trend1 most of the reforms that the service brings on board such as nigeria customs service system nicss 11 an automation platform meant to ease transaction at the ports are not working1 port users are daily suffering for no cause of theirs while the shipping companies are ripping us off with demurrage uche said1 meanwhile the apapa ncs area customs comptroller abubakar bashir has urged shippers to make proper declaration of their cargo during documentation1 according to him compliance with such regulation will fast-track ports transactions and reduce cargo dwell time1 the customs chief decried constant system breakdown in the port and promised stakeholders that the issue would be improved upon. nan1

Nigeria, China in $2b cotton deal
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nigeria and a chinese firm have signed a memorandum of understanding mou on first-ever cotton value chain industry worth two billion us dollars1 the minister of industry trade and investment mr okechukwu enelamah unveiled the deal in abuja where he said the agreement was signed with shandong ruyi international fashion industry1 the minister explained that the agreement would involve cotton growing to ginning spinning textile manufacture and garment in katsina kano abia and lagos states1 their investments will comprise aggregation and off take of cotton from farmers for ginning spinning and weaving and manufacturing at least 300 million metres of african print which will meet 20 per cent of west africas demand1 others are producing cotton and denim garments for export and local consumption by ruyi group in abia lagos and kano states enelamah said1 he added that in china president xi jinping promised to open chinas market for agricultural products from nigeria based on trade negotiating engagements by nigerias trade negotiators1 enelamah said for industrialisation the government was aggressively implementing the nigeria industrial revolution plan nirp by establishing the nigeria industrial policy and competitiveness advisory council1 he said the focus would be on five high priority areas policy and regulation trade and markets critical infrastructure skills capacity building and lastly financing1 enelamah said that the government had begun the establishment and upgrading of some existing industrial parks to world-class special economic zones sezs across the six geo-political zones in the country1 according to him for the agreement establishing the african continental free trade area afcfta there is a serious ongoing technical work to strengthen nigerias trade policy infrastructure1

Jailed Pakistani ex-PM released for wifes funeral
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a jail official told dpa that sharif was released for 12 hours according to pakistans prison rules but the duration was likely to be extended until all the rituals are performed1 former pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif has been temporarily released from jail so that he can attend his wifes funeral officials and family members said wednesday1 sharifs wife begum kulsoom nawaz died at a clinic in london on tuesday after a long battle with cancer1 she was 681 sharifs political secretary asif kirmani said that her body was scheduled to reach pakistan for burial on friday1 the three-time prime minister and his daughter are currently serving jail terms in pakistan following theirconviction by a court on corruption charges1 his daughter maryam nawaz and her husband were also released overnight tuesday to accompany the former leader to the eastern city of lahore for the funeral information minister fawad chaudhry said1 sharif was not allowed to return to pakistan from exile in saudi arabia to attend his fathers funeral in 20041 former military ruler pervez musharraf and his fellow generals were at the time criticised for the decision1 nan reports that onpakistani court sentenced sharif to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices linked to his familys purchase of upscale london flats in a major blow to his party ahead of general elections on july 251 the guilty verdict in absentia against sharif ended the career of one of pakistans most high-profile politicians of the last four decades a political survivor who was prime minister three times1 sharifs daughter maryam widely seen as his chosen political heir was sentenced to seven years in prison and is disqualified from contesting the elections. maryams husband and pakistan muslim league-nawaz lawmaker muhammad safdar was handed a year in jail1

Russia identifies 2 suspects in Skripal poisoning case Putin
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nan reports that on sept. 6 the uk charged two russian men for the novichok nerve agent attack on the former spy and his daughter in the english city of salsibury accusing them of being russian military intelligence officers1 russian authorities have identified the two people suspected by london of poisoning russian ex-spy sergei skripal and his daughter yulia in salisbury president vladimir putin said on wednesday1 the russian president noted that the suspects were civilians1 i hope that they will show up and tell everything themselves. there is nothing particularly criminal there i assure you he said1 putin also urged the two individuals to talk to media1 we know who they are we have found them putin told the plenary session of the eastern economic forum eef in vladivostok1 british prosecutors issued arrest warrants for alexander petrov and ruslan boshirov charging them with conspiracy to murder and attempted murder of former double agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia1 both were poisoned with the military-grade nerve agent developed by the former soviet union in the 1970s and 1980s in march but survived after spending weeks in hospital1 the failed attack sparked an international diplomactic crisis with russia being accused by several countries allegations moscow has repeatedly denied1 britain said it will present its evidence at a un security council meeting on thursday1 british officials demanded at a meeting with russias charge daffaires that those responsible for the poisoning of the skripals were brought to justice1

President Weah in surprise return to football as Nigeria defeat Liberia
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reutersnan liberia president and former world footballer of the year george weah made a surprise return to international competition in monrovia on tuesday playing in the countrys 2-1 loss to nigeria1 the match came up a few weeks short of his 52nd birthday and liberia had arranged the friendly to retire the number 14 jersey made famous by weah1 however fans were in for a shock when 16 years after his last international appearance the striker led the national team onto the pitch wearing it instead1 media reports said weah led the attack and showed glimpses of the class that made him a household name around the world1 he received a standing ovation from fans when he was substituted on 79 minutes1 goals from henry onyekuru and simeon nwankwo helped nigeria to a 2-0 lead before the hosts pulled one back through a kpah sherman penalty late in the game1 weah enjoyed a career in europe spanning nearly a decade and a half that saw him play for monaco paris saint-germain and marseille in france ac milan in italy1 he also played for english sides manchester city and chelsea1 weah was named the 1995 world footballer of the year he also won the ballon dor in the same year and remains the only african to win either award1 his popularity from his playing career saw him secure a landslide run-off win last december in liberias presidential elections1

Libyan PM Serraj blames foreign powers for instability
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the country has two rival governments serrajs administration based in tripoli and another in theeastern city of tobruk1 dpanan foreign powers are actively working against the stabilisation of libya thecountrys un-backed prime minister fayez serraj said wednesday1 a un envoy brokered a ceasefire last week after deadly militia clashes in tripoli1 the country is not pacified because serious and long-term solutions have not been found to solve very deepinternal divisions serraj told italys corriere della sera newspaper1 but there are also foreign powers working against us for their own interests1 we know that some militias are surreptitiously armed from abroad he said1 when asked to name the countries serraj said they know well [who they are]. and they do not want asovereign libya1 libya remains riven by violence seven years after the nato-backed ouster of its former dictator muammar gaddafi1 there are also dozens of militia groups vying for power1 with libya being is a major port of departure for europe-bound migrants serraj said every extra dayof guerrilla warfare works in favour of migrant smugglers and criminal activities across the country1 he called on a key political rival from eastern libya field marshal khalifa haftar to work togetherfor common objectives and against unilateral initiatives and warned against a military takeover of tripoli1 serraj also said libya cannot hold elections until security is restored1 he said you cannot vote with instability in the streets1 it is also necessary that everybody accepts the result from the ballot box1