Mahathir v Najib: Vote counting begins in Malaysia
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before polls closed mahathir said he was worried voters may not get the chance to cast their ballots1 malaysia was counting votes wednesday after one of the countrys fiercest ever election battles which has pitted scandal-hit prime minister najib razak against his one-time mentor 92-year-old former authoritarian leader mahathir mohamad1 angered by a massive financial scandal that has tarnished malaysias international image mahathir has teamed up with an alliance of parties that opposed him when he was in power and which includes jailed opposition icon anwar ibrahim his former nemesis1 najibs ruling barisan nasional bn coalition is seen as likely to retain power mainly due to an electoral system critics say has been heavily manipulated to favour the government but analysts predict it will lose the popular vote for the second consecutive election1 i am confident of winning ex-pm mahathir mohamad told reporters. i feel very good i am confident unless najib cheats1 results started trickling in a few hours after polls closed with bn having a slight early lead with 14 seats to nine for the opposition according to the election commission1 but some key bn figures appeared to have fallen with unofficial results on bernama state news agency showing the heads of the ethnic indian and chinese parties in the coalition had lost their seats1 earlier voters flocked in large numbers to polling stations throughout the day leading to hours-long queues in many places and prompting complaints from voters and opposition leaders about people potentially missing out on voting1 najib is seeking to retain power at the head of a regime that has ruled malaysia since independence in 1957 but veteran ex-leader mahathirs shock comeback has upended the election race1 i have received reports from voting centres that many voters are gathered outside polling stations and that the process was moving quite slowly he said1 i hope people will be given the right to vote1 election officials were yet to disclose the final turnout although analysts said it could be lower than at the 2013 election when it was 85 percent. this would be a blow to the opposition who have said they need a high turnout1 there were other complaints of dirty tricks at the poll with both opposition leaders and senior bn members claiming that their phones had been jammed by a flood of spam calls to stop them from communicating with their teams1 the internet regulator blamed the attacks on bots automated programmes and said it would investigate1 the race has been fiercely contested and the opposition alliance has gained ground in recent weeks as mahathir who ruled with an iron fist for 22 years chipped away at the governments key support base the muslim malay majority1 earlier mahathir cast his ballot alongside his wife in the northern city of alor setar and said he was confident of victory1 najib a political blue blood and son of malaysias second prime minister voted in his constituency of pekan1

IGP incurs senates wrath, gets vote of no confidence
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abaribe said i want to agree with some of our colleagues who have said that we should go into a close door session and agree whether we will accept this insult or not1 the inspector general of police mr ibrahim idris on wednesday incurred the wrath of the senate as the lawmakers unanimously passed a vote of no confidence on him1 idris had on first invitation sent a deputy inspector general of police to represent him but the senate refused to honour the dig1 the senate took the decision on wednesday after about an hour of closed door session1 the president of the senate bukola saraki announced the decision of the senate during plenary1 the senate in a closed session deliberated on the non-appearance of the igp to the senate in plenary after series of invitation1 the senate noted that this amounted to a great disrespect to the institution and constituted authority1 the senate also notes that his earlier refusal to appear before its investigative committee was overruled by a court of competent jurisdiction just in april of this year1 the senate therefore views his persistent refusal as a great danger to our democracy1 therefore the senate resolved to declare the igp as an enemy of our democracy and not fit to hold any public office within and outside nigeria1 the leadership of the senate was also mandated to look into the matter for further necessary action1 earlier sen. enyinnaya abaribeabia-apc condemned the action of the igp saying it was a disrespect for the legislature1 democracies die and it dies in two ways. it either dies abruptly or in bits and what is happening today in nigeria is that democracy is dying in bits1 it dies when people abuse governmental powers and all that we have seen today with the conduct of the chief law officer of the federation is nothing but an abuse of power1 he has no respect for this institution and that is now a fact. there is actually no way we can dress it to say we should give him some more time1 we can say that what he is doing is anything but an abuse of this institution the federation and himself even in the eyes of the international community1 this morning i watched someone who was a police officer in britain and what he said was germaine to what we are saying here1 he said if the chief law officer cannot obey the law of the land how do you now say to other people who are miscreants should obey the law he said1 according to him unless a concrete decision is taken by the senate the disrespect for the national assembly would become widespread1 the senators were angry because idris had personally refused to appear on invitation to answer questions concerning the arrest and issues surrounding senator dino melaye1 i want to appeal to us to remember that if you do not deal with this abuse of power all of us are going to regret it because there is nothing to stop anybody else from doing what it likes in this country he said1 the leader of the senate ahmed lawan said he made efforts to reach the igp for 48 hours but was not successful1 personally i made attempts to call his line and i sent text messages that he should call me as soon as he was able to see my messages1 clearly the ig is not here. i think this is very unusual and very unfortunate1 i personally feel that public officers should do what is in the interest of the public and where any public officer cannot do what is in the interest of the public there is no need for such an officer to continue to occupy that kind of position1 this institution is now at a crossroad on this. i believe that a decision has to be taken on the way forward1 i do not think it will make any further sense to continue to extend invitation until the senate takes a different decision to make the situation better he said1 sen. emmanuel bwachapdp-taraba said it was a sad moment for democracy1 he added that the igps action was inexcusable unacceptable and condemnable1 he called for immediate action to protect the institution of the national assembly1 this senate needs to take very serious action on the way forward. we cannot stand this embarrassment any longer1 i will suggest we have a closed session. i am moving for us to executive session to take very serious consideration on this matter. this is a national disgrace. isah missau.apc-bauchi said the igps action was not just disrespect for the parliament but also the president of the country who appointed him.1 he said i recall i made mention that there is problem with the leadership of the police1 on official capacity there is no any person here that is not bigger than the ig constitutionally. anybody here can invite the ig officially because by the constitution every senator is bigger than the office of the ig1 what the ig is doing is not against the senate it is against the president of the federal republic of nigeria because he is the leader today of this country1 if an appointee of the president will refuse to honour invitation of an institution it is unfortunate1 i think it is left for this government to decide if they have an appointee that will rubbish the image of the country1 i think it is much unfortunate and we will have to do something the image of the president the image of country and the image of our democratic environment that is the institution of the parliament he said.nan1

1,596 corps members desert Adamawa state
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he urged the people of adamawa to appreciate corps members who decided to serve in the state by supporting them to give their best1 the adamawa state coordinator of national youths service corps nysc mallam abubakar mohammed said that about 1596 corps members out of the 2126 registered under the 2018 batch a sought redeployment out of the state1 he said the 530 corps members that concluded their orientation today wednesday were not posted to serve in michika madagali mubi north and mubi south local government areas also for security reasons1 he also said that corp members were not posted to villages in numan demsa and lamurde local government areas because of herdersfarmers clashes1 however there are those who requested to be posted to mubi particularly married women who have their families there which we obliged mohammed said1 mohammed made this known wednesday in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in yola saying they left based on insecurity marriage and health grounds1 in his address at the wednesday closing ceremony of the batch a orientation course gov. muhammadu bindow said his government is committed to improving the welfare of corps members1 bindow who was represented by the commissioner for youth and sports mr suleiman sambo said that his administration was appreciative of the numerous contributions of corps members in uplifting the standard of living of communities they served adding that employers have been directed not to reject corps members posted to their organizations1 i want to urge you to make the best use of your orientation course in the subsequent months awaiting you in the service year1 i want to assure you that adamawa state government is ready to tackle the challenges of the nysc schedule in the state and improve the welfare of corps members1 our government has directed that corps employers should not reject members posted to their organisations under any guise. adequate arrangements have been made to give you decent accommodation and other welfare incentives in order to motivate you1

Number of Tax payers rises by 5m in 1 year Osinbajo
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he said that the free education as well as infrastructural developments enjoyed in south western region of nigeria were only possible with funds from cocoa and tax payment1 vice president yemi osinbajo on wednesday in abuja said that over five million new tax payers have been enrolled in the last 12 months1 he said that tax compliance should go hand in with good governance as the head and tail of the social contract between the government and its citizens1 the government of president buhari is working to change this state of affairs. we are determined to restore the full weight of the social contract1 we are rewriting the old rules and compacts making it clear to nigerians that we will ensure that every naira of public money is put to use for the maximum good of the nigerian people1 we will also simultaneously ensure that every naira due to the public coffers in taxes is promptly and efficiently collected1 this level of commitment to accountability makes it easy to see how we have managed to even in the face of dwindling oil earnings and a recession succeeded in spending significantly more on infrastructure roads rail power and human capital development education health poverty reduction than previous governments1 as of may 2017 only 14 million economically-active nigerians paid taxes. i am pleased to note that that number is now in excess of 19 million and still growing he said1 exemplifying with the wonderful achievements of late chief obafemi awolowo in south west osinbajo said that the giants stride which was achieved before nigeria discovered oil proves how far tax payment can go1 speaking at the 20th annual tax conference of the chartered institute of taxation of nigeria citn osinbajo said that the tax compliances is closely linked to good governance1 he however decried that with the coming of the military and the oil boom everybody forgot about taxation as the central government began to give everybody allocations1 so today the states in the old western region aside from lagos do not earn enough in taxes or anything else to pay salaries let alone do major capital projects1 without federal allocation most states cannot survive. i am sure you are familiar with the statistics lagos state alone takes in as much igr as 31 states combined. it tells you how little the other states manage to bring in igr1 this historical analogy of the old western region and fate of the states that now constitute it explains the low level of tax compliance the now-well-known fact that our tax-to-gdp ratio stands at only 6 percent1 although we are told that it will improve with viads and some of the steps taken already by the firs. this is obviously a dismal figure when compared to other countries at similar levels of development ghana egypt and india at 16 percent south africa at 29 percent1 that our tax-to-gdp ratio is one of the lowest in the world should in fact surprise no one1 as at december 2017 only 943 nigerians pay self-assessed taxes of over n10 million and of that number 941 live in lagos state the other two live in ogun state he said1 he called on citizens to always endeavor to pay their taxes stressing that tax does not excite anybody anywhere in the world1 he assured that the apc government will keep their part of the bargain by ensuring that monies realized from taxes were put to good use1

Djokovic sees off Nishikori at Madrid Open
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djokovic however will be keen to draw on the positives. his movement was better and he delivered in the crunch moments. there were also a handful of breathtaking retrievals the 30-year-old would have been proud of in his prime1 novak djokovic scored his best-ranked victory in almost a year by coming through his nightmare first round against world number 20 kei nishikori at the madrid open on monday1 not long ago djokovic versus nishikori would have been a match for the latter stages of a grand slam but struggles with fitness and form caused these two to meet first up on manolo santana1 djokovic prevailed 7-5 6-4 producing some scintillating tennis when it mattered most to register his first win over a top-20 opponent since the serb beat gael monfils at eastbourne in june last year1 at their best djokovic and nishikori were perhaps the games two outstanding athletes renowned for their speed in defence and stamina over five sets1 but injuries to the wrist for nishikori and elbow for djokovic have left each attempting recoveries and it was certainly evident here that both are still some way away1 if edmund beats medvedev he may fancy his chances against a player he is yet to take a set off in three meetings1 the 12-time major champion could now face kyle edmund in round two if the briton wins his own awkward opener on tuesday against the talented daniil medvedev1 four games both players would have liked to forget prompted an exchange of breaks in the middle of the opening set but djokovic stepped up a gear at 5-41 nishikori resisted two rasping forehands but finally caved two games later as djokovic clinched the frame1 djokovic seemingly defied physics by lashing one smash into the net early in the second but found his groove again at 5-4 breaking nishikori to seal victory in just under two hours1 maria sharapovas clay-court revival is also gathering pace after the russian had earlier eased past romanian big-hitter irina-camelia begu in the womens tournament1 sharapova arrived in spain on the back of four consecutive defeats but two wins the latest a 7-5 6-1 victory over begu have sent the 31-year-old into the last 161 frances kristina mladenovic will now await sharapova who is showing signs of rhythm ahead of the french open later this month which she won in 2012 and 20141

Neymar set to attend French Cup final in Paris
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it would take a shock of seismic proportions for qatar-backed psg even without the still injured neymar to slip up against a team of modest players struggling to stay in frances partly amateur third division1 neymar will attend tuesdays french cup final between paris saint-germain and minnows les herbiers psg captain thiago silva said1 neymar returned to paris on friday to continue his recovery two months after undergoing surgery on a broken bone in his foot in his native brazil1 he is unlikely to play again for psg this season his focus now on being ready in time for brazils world cup bid in june and july1 silva added neymar is doing well. its clear hes making progress. hes already working in the gym1 psg are overwhelming favourites to beat third-tier strugglers les herbiers in tuesdays game at the stade de france having already won the ligue 1 title and the league cup this season1 they were knocked out of the champions league by real madrid in the last 16 shortly after neymar suffered his injury in a game against marseille1 he is fully motivated but sad that he cant train with us. he will be there to support us tomorrow at the stade de france and i think hell be happy silva told reporters at a press conference on monday ahead of the game1 psg are fresh from winning the ligue 1 title and are hoping to secure a clean sweep of the domestic trophies when they run out at the stade de france for a game that will be attended by president emmanuel macron1 revenue of almost 500 million euros 596m last year makes them the seventh-richest club in the world according to deloittes latest football money league1 that helped them splash out a world-record 222 million euros on neymar last year and commit to spending 180 million euros to buy kylian mbappe from monaco1 with average gates of around 1300 les herbiers annual budget is around two million euros and prevents them from offering more than 3000 euros a month to their players1 the figures suggest psg will easily win the french cup for the fourth year running and record 12th time overall but les herbiers are not worrying about that1 that is not how we should look at this match insisted their coach stephane masala as he spoke to the press on monday at the stade de france1 i am a young coach and i am here to learn. i hope the players are there to learn and i hope psgs great players will give us a lesson. we wont be an embarrassment even if we get hammered1

Breaking: Buhari, Saraki, Dogara in closed door meeting (Pictures)
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the president of the senate dr bukola saraki and the speaker of the house of representatives yakubu dogara are currently meeting with president muhammadu buhari at the presidential villa abuja1 it is unclear the agenda of the meeting however last week the senate mandated its leader to interface with the executive over the fragrant disregard of the national assembly by the inspector general of police1 the senate had berated the police ig ibrahim idris for failing to honour its invitation over the killings across nigeria as well as the arrest and harassment and detention of their colleague dino melaye1 as at the time of this report a source close to the president of the senate could not confirm the agenda or the details of the meeting between the number one citizen and the number three and four citizens of nigeria1 our correspondent gathered that the meeting started after buhari returned from daura katsina state where he went to attend the apc ward congress in his ward1 more details shortly1 below are more pictures from the meeting1

2019: Soyode, BEN TV founder joins presidential race
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he said that employment would be one of the cardinal points of his administration adding that in a technology-driven world the innovative and creative minds of nigerians would be empowered1 soyode1 soyode who made the declaration on monday in abuja said that he took the decision after consultations with youths leaders elders trade unions non-governmental organisations among others1 he has yet to announce the platform under which he would contest1 soyode who is also an agriculturist said his ideals were encapsulated in the acronym yeeeeeees hence the slogan yes we can1 he listed the ideals as youth empowerment economy education employment energy enterprises agriculture health elders experts experience quality and enforcement of policies and security1 we have the youth and the experience of our elders and both are needed to make nigeria greater nation1 we have the ability to meet our challenges because we have the most needed resources human capital and blessing of natural resources that abound in the country as well as millions of highly skilled nigerians in the diaspora1 our economy sincerely needs diversification moving away from oil to manufacturing and services1 our education is falling many have called for a national emergency in the education sector and educational standards actually declining in parts of the country1 mr ali soyode an industrialist and founder of europes first ethnic media and satellite television ben tv has declared his intention to run in the 2019 presidential election1 soyode fondly called the bridge said he would also focus on security as the benefits of living in a great nation like nigeria would not be enjoyed without security1 he said he would reform the armed forces and the police by increasing their budgets training them and equipping the necessary tools to fight crime1 to me police officers are as important as any officer or executive in the nigeria1 their job is not to prosecute those that have the resources to hire private security officers but to deal with anyone breaking the law and safeguard the properties and belongings of the common people1 all options will be explored to help reduce crime and as shared before on equality whoever is found guilty will face the full force of the law1 let this be a warning to the foreign killers in nigeria leave the country now it is the end of the road1 the bridge will not allow you to cross over into killing our people burning our people burning our properties he said1 he said that nigeria needed peace and security for the economy to grow for tourism industry to grow and attract tourists1 the presidential aspirant said he was a detribalised nigerian committed to charting a new course for the country1

Police take over Ekiti APC secretariat
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awe who was said to have narrowly escaped assault by the irate party members was ferried to safety from the secretariat by mobile policemen1 the crisis rocking the ekiti state chapter of the all progressives congress apc after saturdaysinconclusive primary took a different dimension on monday as police have sealedthe partys secretariat1 nan reports that the protesters also announced the immediateformation of a pro-fayemi caretaker committee1 armed policemen however arrived the secretariat shortly and drove everyone out before sealing off the party secretariat1 the protesters saidthey were at the secretariat to register their disapproval over the conduct of the members of the state working committee1 the protesters who brandished placards with various inscriptions alsopassed vote of no confidence on awe and the partys spokesman taiwo olatunbosun alleging that they were supporting a particular aspirant1 relying on article 21 7 of the partys constitution the protesters disbanded the swcand set up a caretaker committee headed by the apc chairman in iseorun local government area mr michael egunjobi1 the protestersalso laced thegate of the party withfetish materials made from palm oil and egg1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports thatprotesters who claimed tobe sympathetic to the aspiration of the minister of mines and steel development dr kayode fayemi had besieged the secretariat onthe ajilosun- ikere road where they announced the removal of the state executives led by chief jide awe1 as atthe time of filing this report police vans werestill stationed at the secretariat which was under lock and key1 meanwhile no fewer than 27 aspirants have rejectedthe position canvassed by the national working committee of the partythat the botched primary would continue from where it ended on saturday1 some of the aspirants led by former gov. segun oni on monday met at a location in ado ekiti and rejected the position of the nwc that the committee which conducted the primary should returnand complete the exercise1 the aspirantswho were reacting to a statement credited to thenational publicity secretary of the party mallam bolaji abdullahi said that the ballot cast onsaturday in five local governments before the violence erupted had beenrendered invalid1 among those present at the forum apart from oni weresen. babafemi ojudu opeyemi bamidele bimbo daramola sen. ayo arise sen. gbenga aluko kola alabi muyiwa olumilua dr mojisola yaya-kolade debo ranti ajayi anddr bayo orire1 the spokesperson for the group yaya-kolade said the fact that the votes were not counted collated and announced at the venue had rendered the process invalid1 she declared that the 27 aspirants would not accept attempts to validate unverified results of the few delegates that had cast their votes onsaturday neither would they accept the tanko al-makura-led committee again as umpire1

Secondus letter to UN preposterous: Presidency
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the pdp chairman and all other politicians against whom the countrys anti-corruption agencies have on-going investigations should be assured that it is only a matter of time before the law catches up with them and makes them pay for the grief their mismanagement of the past has caused and is still causing nigerians. nigerians suffered because of the poison sowed by the pdp1 the letter by the peoples democratic party to the united nations secretary-general antonio guterres is preposterous and comical the presidency said today1 the presidency in a statement by senior special assistant on media malam garba shehu said the letter was a demonstration that the pdp was a bad loser desperate for another chance after they were kicked out in 2015 for failing the nation and its people1 pdps lecture on democracy and the rule of law coming from a party with a tradition of undemocratic rule is a desperate attempt to pervert history and the course of justice he said1 the sermon is both trite and hollow coming from a party with intolerance for dissent as its hallmark. a party that humiliated opposition parties and stunted their growth. this was the atmosphere that nurtured the birth of the all progressives congress apc1 the war against corruption for which many more politicians may soon be docked cannot be misrepresented as an attack on human rights and mr. secondus should not try to mislead the un. nigerian politicians at all levels have been used to dispensing with state funds in whatever manner they please and to have someone an administration finally saying no. it doesnt matter how big or important you think you are the law must come against you that is not something they are used to at all. for the pdp as1 the letter signed by the national chairman of the opposition pdp prince uche secondus accused president muhammadu buhari of several sins including alleging that his administration was at the verge of destroying nigerias democracy1 if the public were privy to some of the facts and figures on corruption that president buhari and the anti-corruption agencies are they would understand the passion that drives the determination to nail these callous men and stop them in their corrupt tracks1 regarding the accusation that president buhari is behind the spate of herdsmen and farmer clashes in the middle belt of nigeria all we will say is that it as an embarrassing charge that the pdp would make conveying an allegation from the beer parlours of nigeria to an international body like the un1 the pdp certainly has no shred of evidence to make such an allegation. these are comments driven by tribalism and that age-old trick of balkanisation in a bid to score political points. this should not surprise anyone given the politics of anger violence and polarisation that are the stock-in-trade of the pdp1 the various lengths to which president buhari has gone to end the spate of killings such as mobilising state resources against the attackers approving the setting up of new police and army formations in the affected areas and the recruitment of thousands into the police and other arms of the military are a few of the several steps taken which a more reasonable opposition will acknowledge1 what can president buhari possibly gain from the killings there is no intelligent angle from which you analyse the matter and see any possible gain for this government in the wanton destruction of life and property going on. for the new pdp leadership on the other hand incapable of thinking big about the nation they see and treat the unfortunate spate of killing of innocent nigerians as political gift about which they seem very happy to cite as the basis for a return to power. they feel bad at1

Former President Lula vows to contest Brazils elections from jail
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brazils former president luiz inacio lula da silva says he is very much a candidate in the elections coming up in october despite having been in jail for a month the newspaper folha de sao paulo reported monday1 the message was given by theologian leonardo boff who visited lula in prison in the southern city of curitiba1 lula will only renounce his candidacy if it is proven that he owned a penthouse which he allegedly renovated in a corrupt deal according to boff1 he wants to return to power to give a central place to brazilian policies for the poor boff was quoted as saying1 lula was jailed on april 8 after being sentenced to 12 years for corruption and money-laundering in connection with the renovation of a beachside penthouse1 the renovation was bankrolled by a company seeking contracts with the state oil giant petrobras1 lulas lawyers have launched an appeal process in an attempt to overturn his conviction so he can contest the october 7 elections. opinion polls indicate he would win these with a large majority if he were to run1 lulas workers party has said it has no plan b in case he is not allowed to represent it in the elections. however brazils electoral tribunal is expected to bar him from the poll1

Iran planning to launch barrage of missiles against Israel
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another possible group tamimi said was a palestinian organization linked to hezbollah and the irgc such as the force of return which is currently fighting for the regime of bashar assad in the yarmouk camp outside damascus1 israel is bracing for a barrage of missiles to be launched toward military positions along its northern front from syria by shiite militias trained and funded by irans revolutionary guard corps1 israel has allegedly uncovered involvement by hezbollah commanders and senior operatives from shiite militias in the planning of the retaliatory strike1 it is believed these militias along with experts from hezbollah under the command of the irgcs quds force commander maj.-gen. qassem soleimani will launch precision-guided missiles or armed drones from a base in syria1 the idea is to use heavy iranian missiles including the fateh-110 under the command and with the advisory work of hezbollah but without an irgc presence channel 10 reported on sunday night adding that hezbollah members from lebanon have been brought to syria to train shiite militia members for the attack1 while military officials have briefed mayors across the country on the latest developments the heads of local councils in northern israel have told residents there have been no special instructions or precautions issued1 while hezbollah and the irgc are the only groups that have the weapons and know-how to launch such an attack it is believed the missiles will be launched by one of the many shiite militia groups deployed in syria to give tehran the ability to deny their role1 14 killed in alleged israeli airstrike on syrian airbase april 10 2018 reuters1 according to aymenn jawad al-tamimi a research fellow at the middle east forum there are several key candidates who might launch the missile barrage for iran1 the syrian civil war has led to the expansion of the irgcs network of regional clients tamimi told the jerusalem post1 [there are] a variety of groups that could possibly strike israel on its behalf such as one of the many new syrian hezbollah groups integrated into the registers of the syrian armed forces or one of the iraqi groups that emerged during the war like harakat al-nujaba and its golan liberation brigade1 iran is reportedly very determined to carry out an attack. intelligence reports have indicated such an attack is in the advanced planning stages and might soon be executed as iran vowed to do in retaliation for an alleged israeli air strike against the t4 airbase near homs used by the irgc two months ago1 but it still remains the case that lebanons hezbollah which maintains some bases in syria is the most likely and capable of carrying out an attack tamimi said1 according to michael horowitz senior regional analyst at le beck a middle east-based geopolitical consultancy group having hezbollah carry out the attack would go against the plans by tehran which is said to be trying to avoid full-fledged war with israel1 this would defeat the purpose of using shiite militias which in my opinion was meant to enable iran to respond without actually provoking an escalation horowitz told the post1 in recent months israel has have identified and released pictures of several air bases throughout syria it said are being used by iranian forces. the pictures have been released to the media in an effort to deter iran from carrying out their strike as those bases would likely be targeted by israel in response1 according to horowitz israel chose to publish such threats to send the message that it will see any attack coming from an iranian-backed group as one actually coming from iran and thus will respond in kind1 tensions have risen dramatically between the two arch-enemies recently. in late april ambassador to the united nations danny danon told the un security council that there were over 80000 extremists from all over the middle east who are members of shia militias in syria under iranian control1 israeli officials have been warning of iranian entrenchment on the golan heights an area of key strategic importance for the jewish state. they have stressed that such activity is a red line for jerusalem. officials have also said the northern border is no longer considered two separate entities but one continuous front1 in february oc northern command maj.-gen. amit fisher warned not only of the iranian entrenchment across the border but also of the return of syrian troops to an area which was relatively quiet for close to six years while under the control of rebels1 we must prepare ourselves operationally and in terms of intelligence for the growing threat the return of the syrian army and iranian forces hezbollah and others he said1 source jerusalem post1

Assault allegations: New York attorney general resigns
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we have never seen anything as despicable as what weve seen right here he added1 new york attorney general eric schneiderman who has long been outspoken in his defence of womens rights resigned monday after denying allegations he had physically abused four women1 four women with whom he was romantically involved had accused the 63-year-old of non-consensual physical violence the new yorker magazine reported earlier monday leading new york governor andrew cuomo to call for the lawyers resignation1 michelle manning barish and tanya selvaratnam the two women who went on record with the magazine said they sought medical treatment after schneiderman choked them and slapped them hard across the ear and face1 they did not report the alleged abuse to the police with schneiderman reportedly threatening to kill them if they broke up with him1 he denied the allegations in a statement to dpa1 in the privacy of intimate relationships i have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. i have not assaulted anyone. i have never engaged in non-consensual sex which is i line i would not cross schneiderman said1 the attorney general made headlines in february after filing a lawsuit against disgraced hollywood producer harvey weinstein who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault and by dozens of women which he denies1 they knew what was happening they know how pervasive it was. and yet they did nothing schneiderman told reporters in manhattan at the time1 while these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office they will effectively prevent me from leading the offices work at this critical time schneiderman said in a statement1 under instruction from governor cuomo schneiderman in march began investigating manhattan district attorney cyrus vance jr for his involvement in a 2015 decision not to prosecute weinstein1 it is of great concern that sexual assault cases have not been pursued with full vigour by our criminal justice system cuomo said in a statement at the time1 the district attorneys office reportedly told nbc late monday that it had begun investigating schneiderman over the allegations in the new yorker1 schneidermans ex-wife jennifer cunningham said she found it impossible to believe the accusations1 ive known eric for nearly 35 years as a husband father and friend. these allegations are completely inconsistent with the man i know who has always been someone of the highest character outstanding values and a loving father she said in a statement1 manning barishs former boyfriend novelist salman rushdie told the new yorker that schneidermans behaviour crossed a line1 she called me and told me he had hit her rushdie was quoted as saying1 schneiderman served in the new york senate from 1998 to 2010 before becoming the states 65th attorney general in 2011. he was re-elected in 2014 and rose to recent prominence as a champion of feminist causes. dpanan1

Police confirm attack on residence of District Head in Plateau
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by polycarp auta1 the plateau police command on tuesday confirmed the attack on the residence of john dalyop the district head of gashish in riyom local government area of the state1 the commands spokesman asp terna tyopev told the news agency of nigeria nan in jos that the attack was carried out by some armed hoodlums on sunday at about 10 p.m1 tyopev who could not immediately confirm if there was any casualty however said that the traditional rulers residence and a vehicle were burnt1 immediately we received information of the attack the divisional police officer dpo in riyom mobilised the divisional crime officer dco to the scene1 on arrival it was discovered that the gunmen who are not yet known razed down the residence of the chief and also burnt to ashes a peugeot 406 vehicle1 though no life was lost the district head had shock and was rushed to the jos university teaching hospital juth where he is receiving treatment he said1 tyopev said that normalcy had returned to the area adding that investigations were ongoing for possible arrest and prosecution of those behind the crime1 he urged the residents of the area to be calm and law abiding1

Imo and Zamfara state Governors update President Buhari on Ward Congresses
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imo and zamfara state governors update president buhari on ward congresses1 apc ward congresses1

Grand corruption during Jonathan's Era - Osinbajo
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grand corruption during jonathans era - osinbajo1 yemi osinbajo1

Salman Khan returns to court over antelope killing
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he spent two nights in jodhpur central jail before being released on bail by a judge and returning to mumbai the home of indias multi-billion-dollar hindi film industry1 indian movie star salman khan was due back in court on monday over a five-year jail sentence he received for killing rare antelopes1 khan one of the worlds highest-paid actors was convicted last month of shooting dead two antelopes known as black bucks on a hunting trip while filming a movie in october 19981 he was sentenced to five years in prison and is currently out on bail1 at mondays hearing khans lawyer is expected to call for the sentence to be suspended pending an appeal1 on april 6 a court found him guilty in the 20-year-old case while acquitting four other actors1 the bollywood icon arrived in jodhpur in the western state of rajasthan sunday after flying from mumbai for the hearing india media reported1 khan has repeatedly denied killing the endangered animals and accuses rajasthans forest department of trying to frame him1 his lawyers claim the black bucks died of natural causes such as overeating insisting there was no evidence they were shot1 throughout the multiple cases eyewitnesses have stated they saw khan firing a gun1 the 52-year-old enjoys a cult-like status in star-obsessed india and is one of bollywoods biggest draws despite a host of controversies1 khan was in a vehicle in mumbai in 2002 when it mounted the curb and killed a homeless man sleeping on the pavement1 he was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years in prison but the verdict was overturned in a higher court in 2015. his acquittal is being challenged in the supreme court1

Cardiff City return to English Premier League 4 years after
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barnsleys 4-1 loss at derby ended their brief stay in the championship with burton managed by nigel clough also relegated after a 2-1 loss at preston1 four years after cardiff city returned to the premier league on sunday when a goalless draw at home to reading was enough to give veteran manager neil warnock a record eighth promotion1 a draw left cardiff waiting on fulhams result at birmingham but the cottagers 3-1 loss left the london club facing the lottery of the play-offs where the teams finishing third-sixth compete for the lone remaining promotion place1 the draw saw cardiff return to the premier league after a single season in the competition in 201314. we are going up the club celebrated on their website1 when warnock took over some 18 months ago cardiff were at the other end of the table but malaysian owner vincent tans decision to bring the experienced manager to the welsh capital paid dividends1 birmingham were still facing relegation when they kicked off but first-half goals from lukas jutkiewicz 15 and harlee dean 43 settled their nerves1 tom cairney scored for fulham with six minutes left but che adamss 89th-minute goal put the result beyond doubt1 only the top two at the end of the regular season were guaranteed a place in english footballs lucrative top flight and second-tier title-winners wolves had already secured one of those spots heading into sundays final round of regular-season championship matches1 meanwhile bolton beat the drop in remarkable fashion after beating nottingham forest 3-21 bolton were going down with three minutes left when forest led 2-1 after goals from ben osborn 70 and jack colback 79 overturning adam le fondres early volley1 but david wheater 87 and aaron wilbraham 88 scored to keep northwest side bolton in the division to the delight of their delirious home crowd1 elsewhere bottom club sunderland stunned champions wolves 3-0 in front of prospective new owner stewart donald1 on-loan pair ovie ejaria 19 and ashley fletcher 45 put the hosts 2-0 up before paddy mcnair scored sunderlands third midway through the second half1 atdhe nuhiu 14 60 and 90 hit a hat-trick in sheffield wednesdays 5-1 thrashing of norwich at hillsborough with wednesdays city rivals united winning 3-2 at bristol city1 leeds beat qpr 2-0 with goals from kemar roofe 30 and kalvin phillips 47 while brentford and hull drew 1-1 at griffin park1

Enyimba beat Malis Djoliba in CAF Confederation Cup
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nigerias enyimba international fc of aba brightened their caf confederation cup group c campaign on sunday at the u.j. esuene stadium with an emphatic 2-0 defeat of malis djoliba in calabar1 isiaka oladuntoye scored in the 48th minute while stanley dimgba converted a penalty in the 81st minute for the homers second in a match day 1 fixture at the group stage of 2018 caf confederation cup competition1 the bamako-based team controlled the midfield in the first half and had a few efforts on goal although poor shooting was their undoing1 enyimba struggled to find their rhythm in the first half which ended goalless before taking control in the second half1 the peoples elephant will be in action in group c of the caf confederations cup on may 16 away to cara brazzaville while djoliba will host willamsville of abidjan cote divoire same day1

5-star Arsenal give Arsene Wenger a fitting farewell
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on the other hand i have to think i will cherish every minute i had here but as well it is a new start for me1 departing manager of arsenal arsene wenger was given a fitting send-off in his final home game at the emirates on sunday as arsenal produced a devastating performance to thrash burnley 5-01 on a day dominated by tributes to the frenchman wenger was greeted with a guard of honour before kick-off and presented with a special gold trophy originally given to the club for winning the premier league without losing a game in 200304 under his guidance1 this stadium i have worked on every single part from your press conference to the technical areas so it is part of myself said wenger who was given a heros reception on a final lap of honour at full-time1 i can say guys who managed 22 years in a club of that stature there are not many1 i have been lucky to have the comfort to work for such a long time in a club of that stature1 after 22 years in charge of arsenal as manager wenger said he is looking forward to a fresh start for the club despite his sadness at bidding farewell1 wenger 68 hasnt hidden his desire to continue working in some capacity next season having also hinted his departure wasnt entirely his own decision1 despite winning three premier league titles in his first decade in charge many fans had become frustrated with the gunners inability to challenge for the premier league and champions league in recent years1 arsenal will finish this season in sixth as low as they ever have in wengers reign and defeat to atletico madrid in the europa league semi-finals means for a second straight season wenger has failed to qualify arsenal for the champions league1 nevertheless there was rightly an atmosphere steeped in nostalgia for the great days wenger has given the club on sunday in a 60000-capacity stadium he helped to deliver and design when the club moved from highbury in 20061 it means that even if they are not always happy they still respected me and wanted to show at least i gave my total commitment to do well said wenger of his ovation from the supporters1 thats how i see it. they know my commitment was genuine total with complete integrity it is of course a big compliment1