The black box from Mina Basarans private jet that crashed in Iran while travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul on March 11, has been recovered.

Mina, heiress to a Turkish billionaire, seven of her friends and three crew members all died in the crash.

The report byIrans state-run IRNA news agency also stated that officials have recovered 10 bodies so far from the crash in the Zagros Mountains outside of the city of Shahr-e Kord, some 370 kilometers south of the Iranian capital Tehran.

The Sharjah civil aviation authorities said the planes eight passengers were six Turks and two Spaniards. Three others were the flight crew.

The aircraft days earlier carried a bachelorette party bound for Dubai.

Search and rescue teams were deployed to the area of the incident, Kerem Knk, the head of the Turkish Red Crescent, wrote on Twitter on March 11.

The three crew members as well as the eight passengers on board were also identified as female.

A plane belonging to Turkey has crashed near Irans western city of Shahre Kord. The Iranian Red Crescent Society has dispatched 10 teams to the disaster area in ChaharMahal and Bakhtiari province to search for possible survivors, Knk said in his tweet.

Iranian state television quoted Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesman of the countrys emergency management organization, as saying the plane hit a mountain in Shahr-e Kord and burst into flames.

The plane took off around 4:41 p.m. (1311 GMT; 9:11 a.m. EST) on March 11 and reached a cruising altitude of just over 35,000 feet, according to FlightRadar24, a flight-tracking website. At around 6:01 p.m. (1431 GMT; 10:31 a.m. EST), something appears to have gone wrong with the flight as it rapidly gained altitude and then dropped drastically within minutes, data published by the website showed.

The semi-official Fars news agency said the plane took off from Sharjah International Airport on its way to Istanbul. A private company that handles public relations for the Sharjah airfield, the home of low-cost airline Air Arabia, declined to immediately comment to the Associated Press. Sharjah is a neighboring emirate of Dubai.

Turkeys private Doan News Agency identified the plane as a Bombardier CL604, tail number TC-TRB. The Turkish Transport Ministry said the plane belongs to Baaran Holding.

Mina Baaran, a 28-year-old woman who is part of Baaran Holdings board of managers and is in line to run the business, posted photographs on Instagram of what appeared to be her bachelorette party in Dubai.

Among the photographs was an image of the crashed plane posted three days ago.

The last videos posted to her account showed her and friends enjoying a concert by the British pop star Rita Ora at a popular Dubai nightclub. There was no further activity on her account after that.

The crash of the Turkish jet comes after an Iranian ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, crashed in southern Iran, killing all 65 people on board in February.

Source: NAN

US President Donald Trump has backtracked on raising the minimum age requirement from 18 to 21 for some gun purchases, local media reported on Monday.

Trump indicated support for the measure in the wake of Februarys massacre at a Florida high school.

The latest proposals put forward by the White House instead suggested the establishment of a commission to examine whether the measure would make sense.

There was, however, no proposed timeline for the commission.

The proposals are much more modest than those Trump suggested he would support in February.

Controversially, they do include a plan to help individual states arm teachers on a voluntary basis.

The plan is backed by the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) and opposed by the countrys biggest teachers group, the National Education Association.

Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer said in response to the new proposals that the White House has taken tiny baby steps designed not to upset the NRA, when the gun violence epidemic in the country demands that giant steps be taken.

The White House is also supporting improved background checks.

It is also calling on states to introduce measures which would allow law enforcement to confiscate weapons from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, Schumer added.

A 19-year-old has been charged over the killing of 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida, in February.

The former pupil had legally purchased the weapon used in the attack in spite of having a record of mental health problems and making threats. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus conservative governing coalition remains on the verge of collapse on Monday after a night of negotiations over legislation to extend military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

The crisis, which could spark early elections, came after ultra-Orthodox parties said they would not support the 2019 state budget unless the draft exemption legislation is approved.

Israels Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who heads a hawkish secular party, is the leading coalition member against the draft exemptions.

Lieberman has said that he would only support legislation that is drafted by a committee of military officials.

Report says the crisis comes as Netanyahu faces police allegations of bribery and mounting corruption probes.

Opposition politicians and a leading member of the prime ministers coalition have accused Netanyahu, who is polling strongly of seeking snap elections as a way to bolster his standing in the event of a criminal indictment.

Netanyahu has said he wants elections only at the end of this governments term, November 2019. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN

Oil markets climbed on Monday on the back of a drop in the number of United States rigs drilling for more production and as the U.S. economy continued to create jobs, which industry hopes will drive higher fuel demand.

Brent sweet crude was at 65.70 dollars per barrel, up 21 cents, or 0.3 per cent, from their previous close.

A falling rig count and the strong employment data may have helped support prices, said William OLoughlin, investment analyst at Rivkin Securities.

The U.S. economy added the biggest number of jobs in more than 1-1/2 years in February, with non-farm payrolls jumping by 313,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said on Friday.

In oil markets, U.S. energy companies last week cut oil rigs for the first time in almost two months RIG-OL-USA-BHI, with drillers cutting back four rigs, to 796, Baker Hughes (GE.N) energy services firm said on Friday.(Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

A Bangladeshi aircraft carrying 67 passengers and four crew crashed on Monday while coming in to land at the airport in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, an airport official said.

He said that 17 people on board had been rescued.

The state of the other people on the flight from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, operated by US-Bangla Airlines, was not clear, airport spokesman Birendra Prasad Shrestha said.

We are trying to bring the fire under control. Details are awaited, he said

He added that the airport had been shut down and all other flights diverted.

Were now concentrating on evacuating the passengers.

Television images showed smoke rising from the crash site.

Mountainous Nepal is notorious for air accidents. Small aircraft often run into trouble at provincial airstrips.

Read More at :https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-nepal-crash/bangladesh-plane-carrying-71-people-crashes-in-nepal-idUKKCN1GO0WT

Source: NAN

U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersonhas changed his schedule so that he will spend only a few hours in Nigeria before leaving late Monday evening to Washington DC.

A spokesman for the top U.S. diplomat said Tillerson had cut short his first trip to Africa to return to Washington about one day ahead of schedule to deal with urgent work there.

Tillersons travel plans have changed so that he can return to Washington early on Tuesday morning instead of late that night, the spokesman told reporters traveling with him.

The secretary departed the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday morning.

He will visit Chad and Nigeria, both oil-producers struggling to contain the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency, on Monday afternoon and evening.

He was billed to spend Monday night in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, before flying back to Washington.

On Saturday while visiting Nairobi, Tillerson, 65, canceled his scheduled events because he had been feeling unwell.

Tillersons week-long, five-country visit to Africa came amid other urgent foreign policy developments, including Thursdays announcement that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

NAN reports that Tillersons visit to the Horn of Africa just days after he announced a new $533m aid package for Africa out of which 128 million dollars was earmarked for Nigeria and countries of the Lake Chad region.

When Tillerson meets Buhari, both men are expected to discuss counter-terrorism efforts and humanitarian issues in Nigerias North-East and the Lake Chad basin.

He is also expected to discuss how to advance peace and security, promote good governance, and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment with the President

During his trip, he is expected also to meet with the U.S. Embassy personnel and participate in events related to U.S. government-supported activities. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

An oil and gas expert, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, on Monday urged the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for investors to build more refineries instead of depots.

Korodo, the immediate past Chairman, Lagos Zonal Council, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

What are we doing with over 100 depots, while we have just four refineries with a population of 180 million?

We should be thinking of how to get more refineries to refine more products than keep building more tank farms.

Go to Apapa now, when I joined the oil sector in 1982, we had only seven tank farms in Apapa, but today, we have more than 62 tank farms in the place alone.

In Lagos alone, we have more than 80 tank farms, while we have over 30 depots in other states of the federation.

What are we doing with all these depots when we dont have refined products? he asked.

He said the countrys founding fathers meant well for the nation when they built three refineries and one storage facility in Lagos in the 70s.

Atlas Cove storage was built in Lagos to receive products from the refineries to serve the people in the Western part of the country.

Refinery was built in Warri, Delta State to serve the people in South-South part, while Port Harcourt Refinery will serve the people in South Eastern part.

The Kaduna refinery was built to serve the people in the North.

Unfortunately, the subsequent government messed up the whole plan and allowed these entire infrastructure to decay, Korodo said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The $5,000 about ( N1.8 million) pledged by renowned musician , David Adeleke , a.k.a. Davido, to a Rwandan music school has continued to generate mixed reactions from Nigerian musicians.

Some of them commended him for the generous act in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

Others, however, advised Davido to extend the gesture to music schools established by Nigerians.

They said that those with interest in music could be sponsored by Nigerian artistes in music school to curb social vices.

Nigerian flutist, Omatshola Iseli popularly known as Tee Mac, said that such an act of generosity was not supposed to be publicized.

The donor should have done it quietly without bringing it into public limelight.

Iseli said that celebrities as public figures should be more concerned about giving back to the society just as Davido had done.

They should, however, try to minimise how the members of the public sing their praises due to their generosity.

As celebrities, we need to give back to the society depending on how buoyant we are but this must be done without publicity.

And I believe such will be appreciated more by God, as Davido has tried, he said.

Folklore musician Ayo Orobiyi, popularly called Adunni Nefrettiti said that Davidos generousity was a beautiful development for the Rwandan music industry.

She said that the Rwanda music was below the acceptable standard when compared with music produced by other African countries.

She said that the school should channel the donation to the right direction for the improvement of the Rwandan music industry.

They would be able to pace up with the qualities of music produced in Nigeria and some other African countries.

This is a good development coming from one of us in Nigeria.

I believe he must have observed that Rwanda needed such help more than Nigeria because their music is nothing to be compared with ours, she said.

Nigerian reggae musician, Austin Peters, known as King Wadada urged Nigerian artistes who are financially buoyant to demonstrate such generous act to music schools in the country.

King Wadada who appreciated Davidos gesture to Rwanda said Nigerian youths could also be assisted in enrolling in Nigerian music schools.

According to him, musicians can train the less privileged Nigerian youths who are interested in becoming musicians by sponsoring them in music schools.

Wadada said that this would curb the crime rates and other atrocities engaged in by youths.

Davido has tried so far; aside the pledge to the Rwandan music school, he has created a niche for himself and this is highly commendable.

I will call on other Nigerian artistes to emulate him but this time such assistance must be for music schools in Nigeria.

There are many youths who will appreciate being trained in the music school as a way to further their career in singing.

Such youths can be sponsored in music schools and we will discover that crime rates and some other social vices will be minimised, he said.

Peters also advised Nigerian musicians to ensure that the contents of their music were edifying to the souls of the listeners and serve as tools for behavioural change.

Our music should be capable of achieving positive results, changing the negative behaviour of people to the positive.

Let us change the societal problems through our songs, he said.

Source: NAN

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has congratulated Mr.Chile Eboe-Osuji (a Nigerian), on his election as the President of theInternational Criminal Court(ICC).

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, described the development as positive for Nigeria coming a few days after his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was appointed a Professor by the Southern University, United States of America, USA.

He noted that the emergence of Eboe-Osujiduring the 10th session of the Assembly of State Parties of the ICC, at the UN Headquarters in New York, was a testimony that Nigeria and Nigerians have what it takes to continue to provide leadership at both the local and global arena.

While wishing the eminent jurist a successful tenure, the Senate President said he was sure that the Judge would work to justify the confidence reposed in him by his colleagues who voted to elevate him to the position.

No doubt, the Presidency of the ICC represents a huge responsibility. It is my hope that Eboe-Osuji will help lead the Court to new levels of successes in the next three years, Saraki stated.

Source: NAN

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has resolved to constitute a reconciliatory committee with a view to uniting the students body ahead if its 2018 national convention.

A communiqu issued after NANS meeting at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) said that the decision to set up such committee was sequel to motion by Mr Friday Adayi, a student of UniAbuja.

The communiqu was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

It was co-signed by Mr Chinonso Obasi, NANS President, Mr Yazeed Yazeed, Chairman, Communiqu Drafting Committee and Mr Ogunwoye Gbemiga, Secretary, Communiqu Drafting Committee.

Obasi, had in a letter dated March 1, addressed to Nigerian students, convened a conciliatory meeting slated for March 10.

The meeting having resolved through robust deliberation on the inevitable unity of NANS, in a motion moved by Mr Friday Adayi, a presidential aspirant from UniAbuja.

Adayi urged legitimate Nigerian students to appeal to stakeholders, particularly former NANS leaders to come together, champion and ensure the unity of NANS.

He was seconded by unanimous acceptance by voice vote of all attendees.

The meeting suggested that former National President of NANS 2007/2008, Mr Yinka Dada, be appointed Chairman of the Conciliatory Committee with the mandate of meeting Obasi, Aruna Kadiri, factional NANS president, zonal coordinators, stakeholders and selected student union presidents within two weeks.

They are to harmonise a united Convention Planning Committee(CPC) that will organise and conduct an election on an agreed venue and date accepted by all parties.

The communiqu said that it was agreed that the CPC members must have current matriculation numbers.

It listed the presidential aspirants in attendance as-Adayi, UniAbuja, Lukman Salahuddeen, Kwara State University, Berido Henry, Benue State Polytechnic, Adio Odunjo Orlando, University of Ilorin, Kwara State and Obande Gideon -who sent a text.

The communiqu said that the presidential aspirants, Abubakar Gambo, an aspirant for office of NANS Senate President and numerous other aspirants for different offices all agreed that there should be a unity convention.

It also appealed to the Governing Council and Management of UniAbuja to revisit the case of the expelled 2007 SUG President of the institution, Mr Igwe Ude-Umanta.

It said that Ude-Umanta was expelled in 2007, adding that 11years was a long time punishment.

The communiqu appealed for an unconditional waiver for Ude-Umanta.

The communiqu said that Nigerian students would resist any form of opposition that might jeopardise the Energizing Education Programme(EEP) of the Federal Government.

Source: NAN