Russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea ahead of the Trump-Kim Summit.

He is expected to hold talks with his counterpart about the situation on the Korean peninsula, the Kremlin says.

It would be recalled that earlier this month, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were set to meet at a historic summit. Then last Thursday, Trump called it off.

But now, in a remarkable turnaround, it looks like that meeting could happen after all.

On Saturday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in traveled to North Korea for an Part of the goal, apparently, was to make sure Kim still wanted to meet the US president.

Hours later, the White House said it would send to Singapore to prepare for the possible Trump-Kim summit on June 12. And on Sunday,confirmed that the US sent a delegation to the Northern side of the Korean border for talks with Pyongyang.

Source: NAN

Zimbabwes parliament has threatened to charge the countrys former president Robert Mugabe with contempt if he does not appear at a hearing probing $15 billion in lost diamond revenue.

Mugabe, 94, failed to show up at a hearing Monday before the Zimbabwes Mines and Energy Parliament Portfolios Committee to clarify claims he made in 2016 that the country had lost $15 billion through diamond leakages.

It was the second time Mugabe did not turn up to face the lawmakers and he drew the anger of the committee officials who have ordered him to turn up on June 11 or face contempt charges and possible jail time.

We expect him to have time to appear before parliament. We expect him to co-operate and parliament has power to summon anyone, said committee chairman Temba Mliswa Monday told journalists in Harare.

He added: In the letter we are writing to him, which is a final letter we are reminding him that we will be summoning him and we hope we are not getting to that stage of summoning a former president

Let me remind you that the former and late MP Roy Bennett was sent to prison by parliament. So lets be mindful of the powers the parliament has, Mliswa added.

During his 92nd birthday in 2016, Mugabe told the state broadcaster that Zimbabwe had lost $15 billion through diamond leakages, resulting in him nationalizing the industry.

Mugabe who ruled Zimbabwe for nearly 38 years was forced to leave power last November after giving in to military pressure.

Since then he has been rarely seen in public and only addressed a few journalists earlier this year when he accused his former deputy and successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa of dethroning him unconstitutionally.

Source:

Source: NAN

The year Fredie Blom was born, in 1904, Rolls-Royce rolled out its first car and the Wright brothers built their second powered airplane.

Theodor Seuss Geisel came into the world. New York opened its subway system and celebrated New Year's Eve in Times Square. And American Major League Baseball player Denton True “Cy” Young pitched a perfect game.

Earlier this month, Blom, who is believed to be the oldest man alive, celebrated his 114th birthday at his home in Delft, a township outside Cape Town, South Africa, according to the Western Cape Department of Social Development. Video footage shows Blom wearing a yellow and green baseball cap and a sport coat. In the video, he says that although he has lived a long life, he does not know the secret to his success.

“There's only one thing — it's the man above,” he said, crediting God for his longevity, according to BBC News. “He's got all the power. I have nothing. I can drop over anytime but He holds me.”

“I feel very healthy, I'm good,” Blom added. “My heart is strong but it's only my legs that are giving in — I can't walk the way I used to.”

He told BBC News that he gave up alcohol years ago, but he still smokes tobacco several times per day. Specifically, he said, he smokes “pills,” a term used by the locals to mean tobacco rolled in newspaper, resembling a cigarette, according to BBC News.

“I use my own tobacco because I don't smoke cigarettes,” the 114-year-old said.

But he wants to quit.

“The urge to smoke is so strong,” he told BBC News. “Sometimes I tell myself I'm going to stop but it's just me lying to myself. My chest chases me to have a puff and I'm then forced to make a 'pill.'

“I blame the devil for that because he's so strong.”

Still, it hasn't seemed to hurt him. Blom has no real health issues — only a slower gait and some trouble hearing, according to BBC News.

In fact, he is believed to have outlived every other man on Earth, though the Western Cape Department of Social Development said in a statement that he has “yet to be recognized by the Guinness World Records organization.”

South African is possibly world's oldest man – 02:14
— CGTN Africa

In April, Guinness World Records named Japan's Masazo Nonaka as the oldest living person (male). Nonaka, 112, from Ashoro, Hokkaido, assumed the title from a man in Spain, who died this year at the age of 113.

But it is France's Jeanne Louise Calment who holds Guinness record for the “oldest person ever.” The woman, from Arles in southern France, was 122 when she died in 1997.

Guinness World Records said Blom is not currently being considered for an award.

“We receive many applications from individuals who claim to be the oldest living person (male or female) and see many reports about such individuals,” a Guinness World Records spokeswoman said in a statement Tuesday to The Washington Post. “However, we ask for a great deal of paperwork and proof to substantiate claims that meet our official guidelines. We also work with various expert gerontologists and consultants who assist in the investigation of such claims to ensure our facts are correct.”

But she said that if Blom wants to apply, Guinness will work to determine his eligibility.

It's not only Blom's long life that has made him a local celebrity, he is also still married.

His wife, Jeanette, who is about three decades younger than him, told CGTN that the couple met at a dance and developed a friendship that lasted 12 years. Eventually, she said, the two got married and have been together for nearly 50 years.

Born in 1904 in Adelaide in the Eastern Cape province, Blom never went to school to learn how to read or write, according to BBC News. He earned his education outdoors, hunting birds, and later went to work as a farm laborer, installing precast concrete walls throughout Cape Town. It wasn't until he reached his 80s that he retired.

Family members said he still works with his hands, “making fire” and working around the home.

“God says, 'honor your father and your mother then your future will be good,'” Blom told News 24.

Source: MSN, BBC

There’s a new world record holder.

And he goes by the name of Snoop D-O-DOUBLE-G!

We kid you not. Snoop Dogg was part of a successful Guinness World Record attempt on Day Two (May 26) of the BottleRock Napa Valley festival. The other members of the team included fellow hip-hop legend Warren G and “Top Chef” winner Michael Voltaggio, who appeared together on the festival’s Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage. (The culinary stage was hosted all weekend, in expert fashion, by the Bay Area’s own Emmy-winning TV and radio personality Liam Mayclem.)

Snoop Dogg and crew set the record by mixing up the biggest cocktail that, well, the people at Guinness (or anyone else, really) had ever seen.

And, of course, the cocktail was “Gin and Juice,” the concoction that Snoop made famous on his all-time-great debut, “Doggystyle.”

An official from the Guinness organization was on hand to present the certification of achievement to Snoop and crew. The certificate proclaimed, “The largest paradise cocktail was created by Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Michael Voltaggio, Kim Kaechele and Kendall Coleman (All USA) in Napa, California, USA on 26 May 2018.”

And, no, we weren’t too sure what what a “paradise cocktail” is either. Apparently, though, gin and juice is a kind of paradise cocktail. Wikipedia says “The Paradise is an IBA (International Bartenders Association) official cocktail, and is classified as a ‘pre-dinner’ drink, an apéritif.”

In any event, the record-setting concoction consisted of 550 litters (a pinch over 145 gallons) of what we’re certain was awesome deliciousness. The drink took 180 bottles of Hendricks gin, plus juice donated by Whole Foods. The vessel/glass was 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Snoop Dogg also performed on Day Two festival, drawing a huge crowd opposite The Killers, who also drew a massive audience on the main stage.

Source: Mercury News

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has alerted the general public on the activities of traffickers ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Russia.

The Director-General of NAPTIP, Ms Julie Okah-Donli, who raised the alarm at a news conference on Monday in Abuja said human traffickers plan to use the upcoming World Cup to traffic Nigerian youths.

Okah-Donli explained that part of the plot was to float unregistered football supporters club, unofficial government delegation, as well as unregistered youth bodies.

She said that they planned to use these platforms to collect huge sums of money from some desperate youths, with the promise to ferry them out of Nigeria using the World Cup tournament as a ploy.

According to the tip they received, the traffickers in collusion with their collaborators at the destination countries, have also arranged with their cohorts in Europe to facilitate the defection of the victims out of Moscow.

Already these traffickers have continued to mount pressure on some youths and their parents forcing them to part with huge sums of money in exchange for Russian visa.

One of such cases at hand is that of a girl from one of the states in the South-South part of the country (name withheld).

She reported that a Moscow-based trafficker has continued to pressure her through her parents in order to traffic her.

The trafficker has concluded plans to airlift her on or before June 5, 2018, she explained.

Okah-Donli said that the agencys detectives were already on the trail of the said parents, while the sister operatives in Moscow were handling the traffickers.

She warned parents to beware of persons coming to them to give out their children to be taken abroad within this period.

She added that yielding to undue pressure and deceit would send such children to their early grave.

Russia is a country with high incidence of human trafficking and many Nigerian victims of human trafficking are held up there, and now seeking assistance to return home.

Stories from victims of human trafficking rescued by NAPTIP from Russia in the past are full of pains and agonies, with few of such victims permanently incapacitated for the rest of their lives, she said.

The director-general however assured that her agency was making effort to meet with the Minister of Sports and Russian Ambassador to Nigeria on the development.

She called on leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation to ensure that only accredited delegates and officials made the Russian contingent.

Okah-Donli said that NAPTIP would strategies and work to ensure a World Cup free of human trafficking was achieved.

She said that whoever is caught in the act would not be spared no matter how highly placed he or she may be in the country.

Source: NAN

It appears the All ProgressivesCongress (APC) in Osun will not feel the exit of Olagunsoye Oyinlola fromB the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state if the words of Mr Bello Bashiru, a chieftain of the party are anything to go by.

Bashiru, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Osogbo, said the party is bigger than any individual.

NAN recalls that Oyinlola, a former governor in the state, resigned from the party on May 9.

He also resigned his appointment as Chairman of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Bashiru, however, said that the exit of Oyinlola would have zero impact on the success of the party in the Sept. 22 election in the state.

The party is bigger than anybody, Oyinlola was not with us when we won the 2010 election.

His impact in the victory of the party in 2014 election when he joined APC few weeks to the election as far as I am concerned, was very minimal.

Ever since his exit from the party, more people have started joining APC in Odo-Otin Local Government where myself and Oyinlola come from.

One thing I am sure of is that the success of the party in the election without him is guaranteed, Bashiru said.

He urged members of the party to unite ahead of the election, saying it must be won by the party.

Source: NAN

National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, has appealed to Messrs Femi Falana and Kunle Ajibade to join hands with the party to make Nigeria a better place.

In a birthday message to the duo, Tinubu described Falana and Ajibade, as icons in their chosen fields one an outstanding lawyer, the other an exceptional journalist.

The message was released on Monday in Lagos by Tinubus Media Officer, Mr Tunde Rahman.

Falana was born May 20, 1958 while Ajibade was born on May 28, 1958.

The month of May, which in 1999, heralded the rebirth of democracy again in Nigeria after almost 16 years of unbroken military interregnum, is also significant in one other respect.

It is the month of birth of many prominent Nigerians.

As both were united in their month of birth, there is also an unmistakable meeting point in their life trajectories.

Both fought against successive military regimes to facilitate the emergence of democracy in a country laden with respect for human rights.

They fought to ensure Nigeria is a citadel of social justice and rule of law and generally a better place for the present generation and generations yet unborn.

There is no doubt that both Falana and Ajibade had impacted Nigeria and Nigerians in the most profound ways.

We thank them for their struggles and we thank them for their sacrifices but we are not yet in the Promised Land.

We enjoin the duo not to rest on their oars and to join hands with us in the All Progressives Congress, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, to make Nigeria a better place, Tinubu said.

According to him, the duo have continued to contribute to the enthronement of true democracy, good governance and rule of law in the country.

I say happy birthday to them and wish them long life, continued good health and renewed energy to continue to make invaluable contributions to our country.

Both are close friends and associates, with whom I have interacted in our continuous struggle for the enthronement of true democracy, good governance and rule of law.

Mr Falana is a lawyer, pro-democracy and human rights activist, who over time, continues to employ the instrumentality of the law to correct the ills of the society.

His contributions to constitutionalism and jurisprudence know no bounds.

He takes briefs from the rich to empower him to fight the injustices against the poor pro bono.

Like his late mentor and comrade, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Falana is an advocate of the masses.

Ajibade is that astute journalist and celebrated author, who through his pen, fought against the military junta and was particularly a thorn in the flesh of the late Abacha regime.

He authored two popular books Jailed for Life, his experience in prison to which he was clamped by the Abacha junta, and What a Country, which speaks about the ills in the country,the APC national leader stated. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has advised Nigerians not to take for granted the continued democratic dispensation the country has been enjoying for the past 19 years but guard against actions, statements and moves which can truncate the political process.

A statement signed byYusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity quoted Saraki ascongratulating Nigerians on the 19th anniversary of unbroken elected government in the country.

Saraki was also quoted as advising Nigerians to always be vigilant and speak against anti-democratic policies and actions which are capable of subverting rule of law.

He also canvassed strict adherence to the principles of rule of law, separation of powers, sovereignty of parliament, independence of the judiciary, and freedom of the press, adding that our constitutional institutions must be preserved and protected.

As we celebrate democracy today, I congratulate our people and express my conviction that this system of government is the best so far invented. However, it goes beyond the conduct of elections to put leaders in office.

Democracy involves strict adherence to rule of law as against the rule of men. It is about respect for due process and following laid down procedures. It is about respect for and building of institutions.

That is why we cannot be celebrating Democracy Day without canvassing for caution on some recent negative developments in our polity, particularly as we prepare for next years general elections.

These include abuse of office in a manner that suggests persecution and oppression of perceived enemies, stifling of free expression, undermining of democratic institutions, and impunity on the part of certain persons who behave as though they are above the laws of the land.

These developments should be of concern to all democrats. Other political and opinion leaders who decided to veil their sight as if they are not seeing these infractions on democracy and choose to keep quiet, should know that they equally pose danger to the survival of our country.

History will not be fair to us if we allow our complacency to jeopardize democracy. We all must be able to speak out with strong voice on issues that constitute a danger to democracy. Eternal vigilance, they say, is the price of liberty, the statement quoted Saraki as saying.

According to the statement, Saraki saluted the heroes of democracy who toiled and paid different prices for the country to have elected government, particularly, those who paid the ultimate price with their lives, saying that their labour shall definitely not be in vain.

He called for urgent measures to quickly tackle all issues that can undermine Nigerias democracy, particularly insecurity and lack of good governance.

We must immediately find solution to the security issues and ensure that we return the regime of peace, safety of lives and property in all parts of our country, in the same way, we must do all that is necessary to deliver good governance to our people and fight corruption at all levels.

These challenges must be confronted by all political leaders devoid of party loyalty, ethnicity, religion and personal preferences; we must all set aside our personal interests and work collectively on these aforementioned issues.

It is equally necessary to warn that with the 2015 polls, we have set a very high standard in Africa. We cannot afford to perform less in 2019.

The next general elections must be freer, fairer and more peaceful than the last one. Those responsible for conducting the polls must raise the bar and work to take Nigeria to a higher level of electoral process.

The Senate President highlighted the importance of the 2019 general election and therefore urged the peoplenot do anything that would threaten the existence of the country or its peace, unity and tranquility.

It is important for all of us to note that Nigeria will continue to exist after the 2019 polls. Just as the country is still here after the 2015 polls.

Let me use this occasion to urge all our people to avoid making and circulating hate speech which can further accentuate our fault lines and set one section of the country against the other.

Rather, we should all embrace tolerance and the need to be our brothers keeper. We all have a lot to gain from a united and stronger Nigeria than having a nation embedded in conflict.

As we celebrate Democracy Day, it is my wish that Nigerians will continue to enjoy good governance, provided by freely elected government and sustained by strong and impartial institutions, all of which will lead to the creation of a developed society with the citizens freely enjoying a high standard of living, Saraki stated.

Source: NAN

Stakeholders in the Aviation Industry on Tuesday said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had performed well in the last three years.

The stakeholders in the aviation sector made the assertion while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Those who spoke with NAN were the President, Aviation RoundTable Iniative (ARTI), Mr Gbenga Olowo, the immediate past president of the group, Capt. Dele Ore (rtd) and another aviation expert, Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd).

Olowo said that the process of bringing in reforms was always cumbersome, adding that the government had been making positive impacts in that regard.

From the angle of aviation, on the average I think they have done well because we had an emergency with the Abuja International Airport, they gave their words and they delivered. Kudos to them, he said.

Olowo told NAN that other plans of the administration, particularly the establishment of a new national carrier, the aircraft leasing company and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, would transform the industry.

Olowo added that Transaction Advisers had been appointed to midwife the processes, stressing that the government had also given a target that the national carrier should be in operation by December.

Also, Ojikutu noted that safety of the Nigerian airspace had improved under the administration.

He maintained that safety was a critical aspect of aviation, which was often not given the desired priority by past governments.

He said: In terms of safety, I think the government is doing a good job. It is not visible to people but it is visible to some of us.

You can look at the amount of safety recommendations that have come out from Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and compared it with three years ago.

You can look at what they have done at the Abuja airport. We have been managing that airport runway since 2010 and many foreign aircraft have lost their tyres and their undercarriage.

I am looking at that and we have been talking about it since 2010. They made an attempt in 2010 and another attempt in 2014 but it didnt work but this administration resolved the issue within six weeks in 2017.

According to him, the government also went ahead to rehabilitate the runways of the Enugu and Port Harcourt airports.

Ojikutu said when Dana Air had two successive incidents a few months back, the president immediately directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to audit the airline, which clearly showed his commitment to safety.

He added that the government had also procured more navigational aids for airports while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) had intensified their calibration.

On his part, Ore said the government had given the NCAA more freedom to perform its functions unlike what was obtained in the past administrations.

He said the Civil Aviation Act 2006 provides that the NCAA should be allowed an unfettered opportunity to oversight the industry without undue interference from any quarters.

According to him, previous administrations did not to allow the Director-General of NCAA to perform.

I think I can more or less praise the government for allowing the people who know how to do the job to go ahead and do it but in the past the National Assembly will want to interfere.

They should allow the agencies to do their jobs and if they should allow this to continue, they are creating an atmosphere where there will be no accident and that is the objective of civil aviation.

He also commended the government for the successful rehabilitation of the Abuja Airport runway which according to him had been a huge threat to safety due to neglect by past administrations.

Ore urged the government to consolidate on its promise by establishing more Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in at least five or six states, across the country to create jobs for Nigerians.

Source: NAN

Gov. Muhammadu Bindow of Adamawa has ordered the release of 33 prisoners serving various jail terms in prisons across the state to commemorate this years Democracy Day.

A statement signed by the State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, said the beneficiaries were from five prisons in the state.

His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Sen. Muhammad Umar Jibrilla Bindow, acting on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, and in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 212 (I) (d) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, has ordered the release of 33 reformed prisoners in commemoration of the 2018 Democracy Day..

The release is to take effect immediately and all other legal formalities have been concluded with the Nigeria Prison Service.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the breakdown of the prisoners released, all of them males, comprised 14 from Yola Prison, nine from Jada Prison, six from Mubi Prison, three from Numan Prison, and one from Jimeta Prison. (NAN)

Source: NAN