Sharif Pakistani ex-PM jailed 10 years in absentia
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the nab court ordered sharif to pay a fine of 8 million pounds 10.6 million and fined maryam 2 million pounds while ordering the confiscation of the london properties on behalf of the pakistani government abbasi said1 a pakistani court on friday sentenced ousted prime minister nawaz 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 a political ally said sharif would return to pakistan from london to file an appeal facing arrest on arrival just before the election in which his party is in a close race with opposition figure imran khans party1 todays verdict shows that these avenfield apartments were purchased using corruption money prosecution lawyer sardar muzaffar abbasi told reporters citing the name of the apartment building in london1 sharifs daughter maryam widely seen as his chosen political heir was sentenced to seven years in prison. maryams husband and pml-n lawmaker muhammad safdar was handed a year in jail he said1 the people of pakistan and pml-n reject this decision said sharifs brother shehbaz who took over as pml-n president after his brother was banned from holding office for life and is expected to be its prime ministerial candidate1 this decision is based on injustice1 sharif and his daughter were in london on friday with sharifs wife kulsoom who is being treated for cancer and is in a coma after suffering a heart attack last month1 both denied wrongdoing and will appeal the decision said sharif ally tariq fazal chaudhry adding that the former premier would return to pakistan before the election1 the guilty verdict in absentia against sharif 68 threatens to end the career of one of pakistans most high-profile politicians of the last four decades a political survivor who was prime minister three times1 the national accountability bureau nab court accused sharif and his family of money laundering and being unable to legitimately show the money trail for the purchase of several luxurious properties in london mostly in the mid-1990s1 a copy of the verdict said the sharif family had failed to prove a legal source of income for the purchase of avenfield apartments in 1993 1995 and 19961 sharif was ousted by the supreme court in july 2017 and barred from politics for being dishonest by failing to report a monthly income of 10000 emirati dirhams 2723 from a company owned by his son. he denies drawing the monthly salary1 but he has kept de facto control of the pakistan muslim league-nawaz pml-n party that he founded1 the decision comes at a time of growing suspicion of military meddling in politics ahead of the polls as well as media complaints of being muzzled1 sharif had denounced the court proceedings against him as politically motivated and a judicial witch-hunt often suggesting the military was to blame1 justice has been massacred maryams husband safdar said after the verdict1 pakistans military which has ruled the nuclear-armed country for almost half its history denies involvement in civilian politics. but the military ended sharifs second stint in power in 1999 in a bloodless coup1

Nigeria: Number of active mobile lines nears population figure
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according to ncc the number of voice-over internet protocol voip was 93080 in may compared with 89477 recorded in april representing a rise of 36031 the nigerian communications commission ncc says active mobile telephone lines in nigeria has increased to 162 million1 it said in its monthly subscribers operator data posted on its website on friday that the mobile lines figure was as at the end of may adding that it rose from 160 million recorded in april1 with 162 075116 lines in may and 160 081051 in april the increase in the number of lines was 19940651 however the code division multiple access cdma for active mobile lines had 217566 users in may same as in april1 the report said that the number of fixed wiredwireless for active mobile lines in may was 137 010 compared to april which had 136 496 lines indicating an increase of 514 lines1 this figure is close to the nations population figure which is now put at 195 million1 it also revealed that teledensity rose by 143 in may to 11609 as against 11466 in april1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that teledensity is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area and it varies widely across the country1 ncc also said that the number of connected mobile lines in may increased to 240259751 from 238032318 in april recording an increase of 2 2274331 the cdma for connected lines for may was 3586095 the same figure with april the subscribers data revealed1 the report said the number of fixed wiredwireless for connected lines in may was 345210 compared to april that had 344 892 an increase of 318 lines1 it also showed that the number of voip for connected lines in may was 611376 as against 575712 in april rising by 35644 lines1

Niger Delta youths canvass support for Amnesty boss, Dokubo
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the niger delta youth councilndyc says the special assistant to the president on niger delta and coordinator of the amnesty programme prof. charles dokubo needs the support of everybody ethnic nationality in the region1 this appeal is conveyed in a position paper drafted after ndyc stakeholders meeting held in abuja1 the paper was jointly signed by comrade jator abido ndyc coordinator and comrade kede michael secretary1 we appeal to all ethnic nationalities in the niger delta region to be calm and support our own dokubo1 to stop the castigation falsehood and blackmail against dokubo in all ramifications1 we should learn not to wash our dirty linen in public and desist from the act of pulling those that meant well for our region. niger delta must be united1 we should learn to channel our grievances and all other matters through the appropriate leadership organs1 we should learn to support our own to achieve successes in their primary place of assignment they said1 ndyc urged president muhammadu buhari to call on the various security agencies to do their job effectively in order to curb the high spate of insecurity in the nation1

Girl dies trying to save her sister from waterfall accident
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more than 40 agencies including forest services and multiple volunteer fire departments aided in the search for the girls body1 a teenage girl has sacrificed her life to save her younger sister from falling down a north carolina waterfall in the united states u.s. during the july 4 holiday1 she tried to help her younger sister get out of the river but fell down the waterfall1 an older family member managed to grab the other girl a u.s. forest service spokeswoman said1 multiple news outlets reported the fall occurred around noon1 hmoney siu 16 of charlotte and her sister 11 had fallen into a river 120 to 150 feet above rainbow falls in transylvania county a u.s. forest service spokeswoman said1 about 100 people were evacuated from the river below the falls during the search1 divers recovered the body around 5 p.m. from a pool about 25 feet deep1 sius accident marks the sixth waterfall-related death in western north carolina this year1 safety officials have urged visitors and hikers to exercise caution around the dangerous falls1 rainbow falls are about 150 miles from sius familys home in charlotte. they are originally from vietnam1

Ekweremadu salutes Ugwuanyi, Saraki on Supreme Court verdicts
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on sarakis victory ekweremadu said the apex courts unanimous decision dismissing the assets declaration charges against him before the code of conduct tribunal cct was avictory for the legislature and democracy1 the deputy president of the senate mr ike ekweremadu has congratulated enugu state governor mr ifeanyi ugwuanyi and senate president dr bukola saraki on their victories at the supreme court on friday1 ekweremadu said that ugwuanyi was an agent of peace and development in enugu1 on the victory he said this is victory not just for gov. ugwuanyi but more importantly a victory for peace equitable development and unusual transformation in enugu state1 i believe it is a motivation for the governor to do more and a veritable launch pad into the 2019 general elections for the pdp in the state1 it is instructive that the three senatorial districts of enugu state have already endorsed him unanimously for a second term in office because he has justified our decision in electing him in 20151 ugwuanyi was having a legal battle with sen. ayogu eze over election primaries of the peoples democratic party pdp for the 2015 governorship poll in enugu state1 ekweremadu said i salute the courage of the supreme court jurists1 this decision has no doubt strengthened faith in the judiciary as a sanctuary of justice and defender of rule of law1 it has once again distinguished the judiciary as the bastion of democracy and last hope of the oppressed1 he added that it was victory not only for the president of the senate but for the national assembly our democracy and every nigerian who stood up against all forms of political intimidation high-handedness and impunity1 i salute the president of the senate for his resilience courage and undying commitment to the immutable democratic principles of the rule of law and separation of powers as well as the integrity and independence of the legislature1

NILDS can solve perception problem plaguing the legislature CNA
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to further open the legislature to the public at the national level he disclosed that national assembly in consolidating legislative openness and in line with international best practices will for the first run an open week 16th to 19th of this month1 the clerk to the national assembly cna alhaji mohammed sani-omolori has said that legislatures across the globe face a common problem of public perception1 according to him the public are neither knowledgeable about nor particularly satisfied with workings of the legislatures and unless the public are informed about what parliaments are doing they cannot influence the institution and unless they can influence the institution they cannot hold it and their elected members fully to account1 he said that it was for the reason that the workshop had become more apt stressing that with more of such engagements as have been exemplified by nilds the public can become more knowledgeable of the working of the legislature and appreciate them better1 he explained that at the national level the national assembly has taken active measures to engage more with the public through information provision and involvement in legislative processes1 the cna who stated this in his key note address at a 2-day workshop on state legislatures and public engagement organised by the national institute for legislative and democratic studies nilds said the perception problem arose as a result of lack of required engagements from time to time1 this he explained is to further open the legislature to the public foster interaction between the public and their elected representatives and deepen public understanding of the workings of the national assembly in promoting accountability and good governance1 in making the public engagement robust the speaker called on the civil society organizations to see the legislature as partners in the quest for good governance anchored on transparency and accountability and not as a body to be attacking all the time1 more often than not csos constitute themselves as opposition to the legislature rather than as partners . such disposition is not helpful to consolidating democracy that csos seek to achieve in the first instance1 in the long run there can be no genuine democracy without the legislature . indeed it is arguably not in the extreme to postulate that the presence of legislature is the democracy he said1 in her remarks at the occasion the director general of nilds prof. ladi hamalai said the essence of organising the workshop for clerks of state houses of assembly was to replicate public engagement moves being made at the national assembly at the state levels1

Badminton Federation trains 67 umpires for intl engagements
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he said when you have people at that highest level it means that there is no aspect of the game that they do not know1 the badminton federation of nigeria bfn says it will ensure nigerian umpires are recognised by the world body especially in the officiating of international competitions1 orbih said the course which held between july 2 and july 5 for 67 umpires was designed to expose them to the latest developments in the game1 he said the course was also organised to build the capacity of the match officials and prepare them for international assignments1 i can tell you that for any championship if the standard of officiating is poor it can mar the game. we feel that our umpires should be grounded in the rules and technicalities of the game1 as we are today in nigeria we do not have one single referee in africa there is no nigerian referee recognised by the world body1 so we think and feel strongly that with the level the game has reached in nigeria we should have our umpires participating in international competitions1 it is not only our athletes that should be excelling at international events our umpires should excel too we want a situation where other african countries will come to nigeria and employ coaches1 we want to train our coaches and umpires to that level. we want to have as many referees as possible recognised and invited by the world body to officiate matches orbih said1 according to orbih the umpires course will make more meaning to the federation when the match officials are invited to officiate at the highest level1 bfns president francis orbih told news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on thursday that the federation had started the move with the umpires course held at the national stadium abuja1 but first and foremost we want to make sure that we organise national championships for them before we begin to look at sending them on international training1 it is the number of games an umpire officiated that add up to qualify him or her to be invited for african championships1 when i addressed the umpires during this course i told them that if they do not have competitions where they will go and practice what they have learnt then we have wasted our time1 from the response we have received we are going to have a second batch of this course after the lagos international badminton classics this july we have seen that we need to do more1 akinyemi akindele the chairman caretaker umpires committee of bfn said 67 participants from 27 states including army frsc and prisons attended the course1 we had this course last in 2003 because the people there before did not deem it fit to conduct it. but when we came in last month we pleaded with bfn to assist us financially to organise the course1 our aim is that since we are getting old we are supposed to leave officiating for the younger ones and that is basically why we are organising it1 the new bfn board is working hard to ensure that they take one umpire to every competition who will later impact the knowledge learnt on others akindele said1 akindele noted that nigerian umpires would be the toast of other african countries if the federation continued with the current trend1 he said the umpires committee had pegged the age limit for entry point at between 20 and 40 years1

World Cup: France, Brazil, Uruguay, Belgium battle for semi-final spots
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if i seem more relaxed its because the players have put me in this position by playing better said tite1 the world cup bursts back into life on friday as tournament favourites brazil take on a belgium side brimming with talent while a young france team face battle-hardened uruguay1 neymars brazil are aiming to win a record-extending sixth world cup at moscows luzhniki stadium on july 151 but first the worlds most expensive player and his star-studded supporting cast have to get past belgium who boast an array of their firepower to reach the semi-finals1 in a kazan arena expected to be dominated by yellow-clad brazil fans eden hazard romelu lukaku and kevin de bruyne have a chance to prove they can cut it at the highest international level1 they will have to be wary of attacking threats coming at them from every direction1 individually brazil are the strongest team in this world cup said vastly experienced belgium defender vincent kompany1 but it doesnt affect our chances against them. none of us are going to sleep at night thinking we have already lost to brazil1 we are going to look them in the eye. but if we make this a match of individuals then well lose he said1 brazil coach tite said he was desperate to win the match without resorting to the horror of penalties after three of the last-16 ties were settled by spot-kicks1 a football match should never be settled with the horror of penalties. i dont see that as a valid result tite told a packed press conference on thursday. for me there has to be another way1 brazil made a slow start in russia but hit their stride with an impressive performance to shut down mexico in the last round even though neymar was roundly criticised for once again play-acting at the merest contact from an opponent1 the first match uruguay-france will take place at 3pm nigerian time and the second at 7pm1 france overran argentina in a last-16 match that appeared to signal the passing of a torch to a new generation of superstars as 19-year-old kylian mbappe scored twice to outshine lionel messi and dump the 2014 finalists out of the competition1 uruguay have so many assets so many qualities said france coach didier deschamps. they defend as a unit they play together and they love to do that1 uruguay are crossing their fingers that prolific striker edinson cavani will recover from the calf injury he sustained in his impressive two-goal performance that ended the hopes of cristiano ronaldos portugal1 cavani was back in training on thursday and france are acutely aware of the threat posed by the man who plays his club football for paris saint-germain1 i am preparing my team for if cavani plays deschamps said although he suggested uruguay were keeping their cards close to their chest if he plays or not i will only know 90 minutes before the game1 in england world cup fever is building as hopes rise that gareth southgates young team can beat sweden on saturday and reach the semi-finals for the first time since 19901 even bank of england governor mark carney is getting swept up in the excitement saying that if the three lions were to win the tournament for the first time since 1966 it would be an unalloyed unadulterated absolute good1 coach gareth southgate has urged his young squad to seize their chance1 its a great opportunity and although our team will be individually better in two years we might not have this opportunity again southgate told the bbc1 in saturdays other quarter-final host nation russia will hope to keep their rollercoaster ride through the finals going when they face croatia1 written off as no-hopers before the tournament russia are now within reach of their first semi-final since 19661

Ndume dismisses R-APC, Oshiomhole appeals
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he added that forcing the eyes to open over night would create more problems and damage the eye the more2 mr adams oshiomhole national chairman of the all progressives apc has reiterated his appeal to aggrieved members of the party to be patient with his leadership in an apparent response to the emergence on wednesday of a rebel group reformed apcr-apc2 however former senate leader and the senator representing southern borno alhaji ali ndume dismissed the new group saying that only god and time could determine the direction of the apc in 20192 oshiomhole spoke to newsmen after receiving the report of the partys just concluded national convention appeal panel committees report on wednesday in abuja2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that alhaji buba galadima who is the national chairman of the reformed apc announced its formation at a news conference at the sheraton hotels in abuja on wednesday2 the assurance is that under my leadership we will make honest mistakes and once our attention is drawn we will find courage to make up for our mistake2 some people say how can people eat their words for me i will eat my words if it is nutritious enough and if that is what i have to do to have peace in the family oshiomhole said2 he expressed appreciation to members of the party for his election and for entrusting with him the responsibility to pilot the partys affairs at this time2 he acknowledged that he new of the partys challenges before accepting the task saying that it wasa huge opportunity for him and other newly elected executives of the party to make a difference2 this oshiomhole said was not only for the party but for the country generally2 so i appeal to people to realise that a blind man can redeem his eyes if he applies the correct medication but you cant force it to open over night he said2 my appeal to all those who are aggrieved is to be patient oshiomhole said2 the apc national chairman maintained that he would do everything possible to sustain confidence and trust adding that everybody was important in the party2 he also said that everybody in the party matters adding that he would run an inclusive party2 i pray for wisdom and courage and i believe that we have it and we will deploy it for peace within the apc familyoshiomhole said2 senator ali ndume in a separate interview dismissed the new group2 he said the threat by the r-apc and npdp to leave the apc would never spell doom for it but only god and time would tell2 the senator who admitted that politics is all about interest said there was however nothing wrong if an aggrieved group voices out its displeasure2 he added that movement from one political party to another is normal in politics2 what is happening is part of politics especially now in our political days all of us are nigerians and we know what is happening2 so politics is about interest and if somebody feels that his or her interest will be more protected by voicing out his dissent it is ok2 this party is a party of time decided by nigerian masses and it is only god that can decide the time of a political party god and nigerians know that apc government is the light at the end of the tunnelthe senator said2 malam bolaji abdullahi apc national publicity secretary was more laconic in his reaction. he said the party leadership would get the full details of what happened2

Boko Haram: Focus on intelligence gathering Ndume to FG
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by naomi sharang2 he commended the world food programme saying it was visible when compared with others1 ndume who represents borno south senatorial district at the senate made the call when he featured on the news agency of nigeria nan forum in abuja1 he suggested that security agencies should collaborate with various communities in troubled areas to gather intelligence on where explosive devices used for suicide bombing were manufactured1 everybody in borno knows that the major black spot of boko haram is sambisa and the lake chad basin fringes1 ndume expressed dismay that many people still did not understand what people in the north-east were passing through with regards to the humanitarian crisis1 many people are under-rating and under-estimating the humanitarian crisis in the north-east. people dont know and are under-estimating the level of destruction to infrastructure to ecosystem and to the people1 there are many children out of school in borno for nine yearsthat were not able to go to school. many children dont know where their parents are1 a member of national assembly sen. ali ndume has urged the federal government to concentrate on intelligence-gathering in its effort to win the fight against insurgency in the country1 the lawmaker however said that the action of government in the fight against insurgency was commendable adding but we are not there yet1 we as citizens are expecting peace that we know to be back he said1 on the grants given to internally displaced persons idps ndume said i am on the financial tracking system of the us1 the international development partners have contributed 740 million dollars if you convert that to naira it translates to n280 billion or more1 out of the 740 million dollars they spent close to 80 percent on overhead and it is only 20 per cent that went to the people1 he however decried existing situation where there was no synergy between the 75 non-governmental organisations ngos operating in the state1 it is not that they are not doing anything at all but when you look at the money 740 million dollars if you decide to give the displaced persons conditional cash transfer they would have settled themselves1 the institution of government is not working so since im here to represent my people i shouldjust keep quiet and concentrate he said1

Politicians, leaders planning disorder in Nigeria
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opposition politicians and some past leaders have been accused of holding secret meetings within and outside the country to plan how to cause disorder in nigeria 1 the buhari media organisation bmo on thursday alerted nigerians on the plan1 the chairman of bmo mr austin braimoh said the meetings were parts of their alleged agenda to cause public disaffection and disorder in the country1 according to him the primary objective of the sponsors is to stop the re-election of president muhammadu buhari in the 2019 general election1 this group of nigerians were powerful in the past and misused the opportunity of running the affairs of this country while in position of authority1 they are opposed to the anti-corruption action of the government of president muhammadu buhari because they directly or indirectly contributed to the economic adversity of the country he said1 the bmo chairman said that instead of these questionable leaders to apologise to nigerians on the ignoble roles they played in ruining the economy they have chosen to embark on campaign of calumny and mis-information against the country under the guise of exercising their freedom of expression1 it is ironic that while president muhammadu buhari is working hard to rebuild the economy restore the image of nigeria in the international community and take its rightful place in the comity of nations1 these politicians are out there portraying the country in bad light be-littling its status as a medium power in the world and discouraging foreign investors braimoh added1 while advising them to retrace their steps he described such plans as regrettable that people of their calibre have chosen to downgrade their status by their action. he also urged those involved in the perpetuation of this evil to support the current administration in its ongoing serious infrastructural development effort aimed at repositioning the country for the benefit of all nigerians. nan1

House of Reps probes MDAs expenditure on IT
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by ericjames ochigbo6 in his remarks the speaker of the house mr yakubu dogara mandated the committees to report back within four weeks for further legislative action1 this was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by rep. iboro ekanem pdp-cross river at plenary1 moving the motion earlier ekanem said that the national information technology development agency nitda reported that mdas spent about two billion dollars on it projects annually1 he said that the huge expenditure was without commensurate results in the activities of mdas1 the house of representatives on thursday mandated its committee on public accounts and its finance counterpart to investigate ministries departments and agencies mdas expenditure on information technology it1 he said that a recent investigation carried out by nitda showed that many it projects were riddled with poor conceptualization and without clear sustainability plans1 he said that such situation of led to duplication of projects waste redundancies and a conduit pipe to siphon public funds1 ekanem alleged that the nations financial resources were being hoarded to the benefit of a few individuals thereby damaging the economy and reputation of the country1 according to him if no attention is given to this matter it may pave way for corrupt practices to increase among mdas using lct platform as a ground for official theft breach of trust and misappropriations1 the lawmaker said that it had also been reported that the demand for public funds to pursue it projects had become a means to siphon public funds by corrupt individuals1

Oshiomhole: I wont miss my sleep over Buba Galadima
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so they were like what do we do next. they couldnt stop what god has willed1 the national chairman all progressives congress apc mr adams oshiomhole on thursday dismissed the so-called reformed apc and its sponsors saying reports that the party has broken up are far from the truth1 oshiomhole spoke in an interview with the newsmen shortly after a maiden meeting with the apc caucus in the house of representatives that lasted for about three hours in abuja1 responding to questions oshiomhole disagreed that the party was in a crisis1 there is no breakup in apc. if one galadima of no particular political address says he is not happy that is fine. he has the right not to be happy1 and if he chooses to call himself what he wants to call himself i wont miss my sleep over that1 we know those who are in the system. those who are in the politics for bread and butter that is their problem he said1 there is no breakup in apc. if one galadima of no particular political address says he is not happy that is fine. he has the right not to be happy. and if he chooses to call himself what he wants to call himself i wont miss my sleep over that1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that a rebel group in the party the reformed all progressives congress rapc under the leadership of alhaji buba galadima emerged on wednesday in abuja1 announcing the formation of the group at a news conference in abuja galadima said the group had activated its parallel structures from the national to the ward levels1 he further stated that the new leaders at the ward levels would soon be made public1 the news conference was attended by many apc leaders including the former national chairman of the new peoples democratic party npdp alhaji kawu baraje1 oshiomhole said the party is in talks with the real stakeholders in apc1 i mean between the executive and the two arms of the national assembly we have very important influential leaders and we are engaging them1 now if you have people who are being sponsored by those who thought that our convention would be a failure and they were expecting implosion1 if you review the headline before the convention there were stories like oh people are going to walk out of the convention oh people will boycott the convention1 in the end they were shocked to find that president was seated the vice-president was seated and senate president was seated1 speaker of the house was seated the national leaders were seated the then national chairman was seated and all the governors were seated1 who are the people i dont know about galadima oshiomhole said when asked whether he would be the splinter group back into the apc1 so if thereafter after two weeks of wriggling in pains that they were disappointed you find mercenaries who are willing to be hired for a purpose it is their right to be so hired he said1 the apc chair said the development would not cause any distraction within the core party leadership1 and i met with the senate leadership with the senate president in attendance i have just met with the house of reps with the speaker in attendance1 of course i have had series of meetings with various party leaders1 i have had meetings with governors elected on apc platform everybody that matters in apc is here and our members just expect that with the new leadership a couple of things will be done differently1 and we are obviously going to do a couple of things differently because as it is said you can be doing the same thing the same old way and expect different outcome1 i am convinced that there are many things that we could do differently he said1 according to him although there are worries there are also hopes1 he dismissed insinuations that the crisis might jeopardise the partys chances in the 2019 elections1 if people choose to be detained by fear it is their choice. i am inspired by hope of the infinite possibilities for the future1 on whether he intends to bring the splinter group together oshiomhole asked who are the people i dont know about galadima1 he said he was at the national assembly to thank the house caucus of the party for its support at the convention1 earlier at the meeting the speaker of the house of representatives mr yakubu dogara had said that it was only by enthroning justice and equity that the apc would be able to silence voices of dissent and opposition1 he said although there is no human endeavour that is perfect the apc lawmakers only expected justice which is indivisible and universal1 in every family whether it is a nuclear extended or an organisation there is bound to be problem and that is because we humans are running those institutions are not perfect ourselves1 so we dont expect perfection in from any quarters1 our only expectation is the issue of justice and justice is indivisible. what is justice to the executive should be justice to the legislature and it should be justice to the judiciary dogara said1

Ciromas death, great loss to Nigeria- Tinubu
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he said that the late ciroma was a consummate politician and an accomplished public servant2 in a statement issued by his media officer mr tunde rahman in lagos tinubu said the country had lost an illustrious leader who played politics with a commitment to serve the people and change society2 malam adamu ciroma was one of the illustrious leaders this country has produced. he was a politician of note2 you cannot but recall his days in the second republic national party of nigeria npn and in the pdp where he was one of the partys founding fathers2 he also made name as an experienced technocrat and skilful public servant particularly as central bank of nigeria cbn governor and in later years as minister of finance2 he was a fine man who played politics with a commitment to serve the people and change society2 this did not come as a surprise given his background honed by sound education at the popular barewa college and university of ibadan and his nationalistic worldview2 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that ciroma an elder statesman died in an abuja hospital on thursday after a protracted illness1 the deceased was a founding member of the peoples democratic party pdp and also the finance minister during the first term of former president olusegun obasanjo1 he was 84 years old1 by lucy osuizigbo1 the national leader of the all progressives congress apc asiwaju bola tinubu on thursday described the death of former finance minister malam adamu ciroma as a great loss to nigeria1 my condolences go to the ciroma family and the people of government of yobe state. may his soul rest in peace tinubu said nan1

Tributes pour for Ciroma in final farewell
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in a statement issued by his media officer mr tunde rahman in lagos tinubu said the country had lost an illustrious leader who played politics with a commitment to serve the people and change society2 he said that the late ciroma was a consummate politician and an accomplished public servant2 malam adamu ciroma was one of the illustrious leaders this country has produced. he was a politician of note2 you cannot but recall his days in the second republic national party of nigeria npn and in the pdp where he was one of the partys founding fathers2 he also made name as an experienced technocrat and skilful public servant particularly as central bank of nigeria cbn governor and in later years as minister of finance2 he was a fine man who played politics with a commitment to serve the people and change society2 this did not come as a surprise given his background honed by sound education at the popular barewa college and university of ibadan and his nationalistic worldview2 he said the late statesman was an icon of transparency and an epitome of integrity who lived an incorruptible life1 president of the senate dr bukola saraki and speaker house of representatives mr yakubu dogara expressed sadness over ciromas death1 in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity mr yusuph olaniyonu in abuja on thursday saraki said with the death of ciroma nigeria had lost one of its illustrious sons and highly respected elder statesmen1 although death is painful but it gladdens my heart that late ciroma lived a worthy and successful life1 as a public servant late ciromas integrity was unparalleled as a politician he was unblemished and as a journalist he was among the finest breed1 indeed there is no word or adjective that will be enough to describe late ciroma considering his invaluable contributions to the development of the country1 we have lost a detribalised nigerian bridge-builder and a strong pillar for nations unity. he will surely be remembered for his forthrightness and integrity. we shall miss him greatly he said1 dogara said late ciroma was one of the nations shining stars and frontline statesmen who demonstrated passion for the unity progress and development of nigeria1 ciroma aged 83 died today at nizamiyye hospital abuja. he had been missing from the political circuit for months before his death. he is survived by hajiya inna maryam ciroma and three children1 indeed we lost a great man a patriot leader par excellence and a shining star1 malam adamu ciroma was one of the few surviving close associates of the late prime minister sir abubakar tafawa balewa and the late premier of northern nigeria sir ahmadu bello1 the national leader of the all progressives congress apc asiwaju bola tinubu also described the death of ciroma as a great loss to nigeria1 malam adamu ciroma the former finance minister and governor central bank of nigeria took the final bow today amidst an outpouring of tributes by politicians and friends1 according to islamic tradition his funeral held today with senate president bukola saraki among the dignitaries who attended the prayers1 president muhammadu buhari led the condolences for the family of the elder statesman1 the president in a message by his special adviser on media and publicity mr femi adesina in abuja on thursday condoled with the ciroma family the government and people of yobe1 the president believed that ciroma as a political leader and federal cabinet minister for industries agriculture and finance at various points in his remarkable life would be long remembered for his remarkable service and dedication to the countrys unity progress and stability1 president buhari also affirmed that the late former cbn governor would be honoured too for his contributions to promoting democracy in nigeria1 according to him ciromas legacies should be a constant reminder to politicians who wish to work for the good of their communities and the nation1 my condolences go to the ciroma family and the people of government of yobe state. may his soul rest in peace tinubu said1 the ex-minister was a title holder of dallatun fika galadima of fika and currently madaki of fika respectively1 he was born on november 201934 from the royal family of ciroma in potiskum town yobe state was a founding member of people democratic party pdp1 he was educated at barewa college and university of ibadan1 he served at various times as minister for finance and agriculture1

Scott Pruitt Trump cabinet member resigns
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i have no doubt that andy will continue on with our great and lasting epa agenda. we have made tremendous progress and the future of the epa is very bright trump tweeted1 u.s. president donald trump has announced the resignation of mr scott pruitt the administrator of the environmental protection agency1 i have accepted the resignation of scott pruitt as the administrator of the environmental protection agency1 within the agency scott has done an outstanding job and i will always be thankful to him for this1 the senate confirmed deputy at epa andrew wheeler will on monday assume duties as the acting administrator of the epa1 trump in a tweet announcing the resignation said pruitts deputy andrew wheeler would assume duty on monday as acting administrator1 pruitt was on monday confronted while dining with a friend at teaism restaurant in washington d.c. by a teacher identified as kristin mink 33 holding her two-year-old son1 he was trumps point man for the administrations plan to roll back environmental regulations many of which were put in place by the former president barack obama administration1 pruitt moved to quash or replace numerous environmental regulations opposed by industry lobbyists while boosting the continued burning of fossil fuels which scientists have concluded is the primary cause of climate change1 his tenure was quickly overshadowed by a number of controversies including spending 25000 dollars retrofitting his d.c. office to include a soundproof booth another 9600 dollars on office furniture 3000 dollars to have the space swept for bugs and surveillance equipment and another 1560 dollars on a dozen custom pens1 he was caught taking a 163000 dollars first-class chartered taxpayer-funded flight to watch wimbledon tennis tournament in 2017 and rented an apartment in d.c. that lists for 4300 dollars a month for just 50 dollars a night but only paid for the nights that he actually slept there1

Maryland shooting: Newsrooms in U.S. hold moment of silence victims
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read more at6 newsrooms across the country paused thursday to observe a moment of silence for five employees of a maryland newspaper who were killed a week ago in one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in u.s. history1 the staff traditionally convenes meetings by clanging a bell and hutzell said the act has taken on a new meaning1 every time we ring that bell were going to think about our friends hutzell said1 the american society of news editors and the associated press media editors asked newsrooms around the globe to join in a remembrance of the dead and many did1 the capital gazette staff paused sombrely at 233 p.m. as editor rick hutzell rang a bell for each person who died at the annapolis paper exactly seven days earlier the baltimore sun reported1 we live right next door so it just hit us hard because its so close to home way too close to home and its tragic. everyone in the community knew these people and it just shouldnt happen like that she said1 in louisville kentucky the newsroom at the courier journal fell silent in memory of the victims after executive editor joel christopher read the names of the dead1 they paid a high price for doing what we do he said1 in the newsroom of the virginian-pilot in norfolk virginia the vigil was accompanied by the names of the five victims being read aloud according to reporter jane harper1 about a dozen people held hands and prayed next to a memorial near the building where the shootings happened. cheryl starr and her son sam came to pay their respects1

Emergency fund solution to bankruptcy, Lawyers tell cargo owners
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by taiye elebiyo-edeni3 he said that the carrier has to be properly checked out and the contract of sale must be binding in terms of insurance stating that shipping companies needs to be monitored.1 some of the legal practitioners who spoke at the closing ceremony of the 15th edition of the maritime seminar for judges held in abuja urged cargo owners to investigate the viability of the companies1 mrs oritsematosan edodo-emore an international maritime lawyer said that a lot of lessons were learnt from the hanjin shipping company the largest shipping company in the world that fell into bankruptcy1 she said that cargo owners should always ensure that outside the insurance of cargoes they investigate that the carrier has sufficient fund against insolvency.1 as the result of the bankruptcy of the hanjin shipping company last year it has brought a lot of lessons for cargo owners1 before cargo owners use a carrier that will carry their cargoes they should investigate that that carrier is sufficiently buoyant and it belongs to an alliance1 alliance is a group of shipping companies that decide to carry a container for each other they should find out whether that alliance has an emergency fund1 maritime legal practitioners on thursday advised cargo owners in nigeria to use shipping companies that have emergency fund for support in the case of bankruptcy1 however mr femi young chairman of sun logistics and marine services united kingdom said that cargo owners should always investigate the viability of shipping companies before using them1 he said that nigerian government could have a regulatory body that would investigate shipping companies annually to enable cargo owners know the right carrier to use1 government should have a regulatory body that will annually investigate shipping company to know which ones are viable.1 some alliance have being set up this alliance are group of shipping company that come together like a family that if something happen to one of the company others will help1 and out of those alliances it is only one that has an emergency fund against insolvency1 what am saying is that maybe one of the rules that we should have is that we should only use a shipping company that has emergency fund for insolvency young said1 justice olayinka faji federal high court lagos said an importer is expected to know the statue of his carrier at the time of loading or before loading1 in case one of the companies becomes bankrupt whether there is a fund that can support the problem of bankruptcy she said1

Nigerians want FG to brand legend to boost tourism
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macron3 macron made the confession while appearing in a two-hour live broadcast on french television bfm and online investigative site mediapart2 macron challenged nigerian youths to get involved in politics to change the narrative of the nation2 macron has repeatedly said that the use of chemical weapons in syria is a red line that would trigger reprisals2 nigerians want fg to brand legend to boost tourism1

Wang Jian, Chinese billionaire dies in freak accident in France
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wang jian1 chinese billionaire dies in freak accident in france1