Curator

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A crowd of Muslims kneeled to pray before breaking their Ramadan fast outside the Trump Tower in a protest against what they say is the US president’s Islamophobic rhetoric. About 100 Muslims showed up for the Iftar event late Thursday, organized by immigrant defense groups. A similar number of non-Muslim supporters also attended. Participants sat on the edge of the avenue after prayers and shared a meal that included rice, chicken and pizza. Police monitored the group closely, as they do with all groups near the building. Trump Tower in Manhattan is home to the Trump Organization, the heart of President Donald Trump’s business empire. First Lady Melania Trump lives there with the couple’s youngest son, Baron. Fatoumata Waggeh, a 26 year-old Muslim-American woman with Gambian roots, said she had come to denounce the negative “rhetoric they are spreading around Muslims,” and to show solidarity. Maggie Glass, a 31 year-old New Yorker active with a Jewish refug...

http://ift.tt/2roeVYl Opposition activists march during a protest against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on May 31, 2017. Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday began signing up candidates for a planned constitutional reform body, a move that has inflamed deadly unrest stemming from anti-government protests. Opponents of socialist President Nicolas Maduro say he aims to keep himself in power by stacking the planned "constituent assembly" with his allies. / AFP PHOTO / FEDERICO PARRA Venezuela’s opposition called for weekend protests as Thursday’s deadline neared for candidates for an assembly to re-write the constitution — a gathering opponents slam as a naked power grab by the leftist government. Sixty people have died and around 1,000 people have been wounded since April 1, when opponents of President Nicolas Maduro intensified their attempts to remove him from power, according to government figures. The massive protests have been fueled by soaring...

http://ift.tt/2shzUfm There is no denying that we spend a large proportion of our lives at work, which is why our careers are so important to us. If you’re thinking about taking the next step in your professional career, now is the time to make a change and push yourself to achieve more. However, with so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which direction is the best to take. Would simply reading a book help you to achieve greater success? Or would academic guidance add more value to your professional journey? Returning to university is an excellent way to gain the skills and knowledge you need to move up the career ladder as it provides a managed journey through carefully curated content. Thanks to the advancement of online degrees, there’s also no need to quit your job to continue your studies, providing an accessible solution for the career-driven professional. In fact, millions of people around the world have already been jumping on this opportuni...

http://ift.tt/2s9BGiy US Senator John McCain speaks at the United States Studies Center in Sydney on May 30, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a bigger threat to world security than the so-called Islamic State group, according to veteran US Senator John McCain on May 29 who also admits Donald Trump makes him "nervous". / AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN Russian President Vladimir Putin is a bigger threat to world security than the so-called Islamic State group, according to veteran US Senator John McCain who also admits Donald Trump makes him “nervous”. Republican McCain — one of US President Trump’s most outspoken critics in his own party — said Russia’s alleged meddling in elections was a danger to democracy. “I think he (Putin) is the premier and most important threat, more so than ISIS,” McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation late Monday. “I think ISIS can do terrible things … but it is the Russians ...

http://ift.tt/2qZ2OCp Smoke rises in the center of the Libyan capital of Tripoli after the clashes on May 26, 2017. At least 52 people were killed and nearly 130 wounded in fierce clashes between forces loyal to the UN-backed unity government and rival militiamen, the health ministry said. MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP Forces loyal to Libya’s unity government said Saturday that 52 of its fighters were killed as they repelled rival militias in fierce clashes in the capital Tripoli. Apart from sporadic gunfire in southern Tripoli, calm returned to the city on Saturday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Among the 52 killed in Friday’s clashes which centred on the southern district of Abu Slim, said Hashem Bichr, a security official of the Government of National Accord, were 17 members of pro-GNA forces who had been “executed”. There was no immediate confirmation from medical or other independent sources of the death toll, updated from Friday’s health ministry figures of...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Three unemployed men, Micheal Eyen, Aina Adebeshin and Sunday Olatunji on Friday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for attempting to steal electrical cable from a transformer. The accused appeared before Magistrate Y.O Ekogbule on a three-count charge of attempt to commit felony, conspiracy and being in possession of charms. The accused, Eyen, 30, Adebeshin, 35, and Olatunji, 25, who are residents of Ayobo area of Lagos State, pleaded not guilty and were admitted to N200,000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum. According to the Prosecutor, Insp. Clement Okuoimose, the accused committed the offences on May 23 at Orisunbare Phase 1, Ayobo, Lagos. Okuoimose said that the accused conspired to steal an electrical cable belonging to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company. He said that the policemen on patrol sighted a bus with the accused near the transformer at 1.30 am. “The police saw the accused come down from a bus and entered insid...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Sheikh Yusuf Suleiman, Chief Imam of Unguwar Gwari Central Mosque Minna, has enjoined Muslims to adhere strictly to the conditions attached to Ramadan period. Suleiman told newsmen on Friday in Minna that observing the rules attached to fasting was very significant. He also urged Muslims to always seek knowledge to enable them practice the religion in accordance with the dictates of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. ” Muslims should also use the Ramadan period to imbibe the lessons of the life of humility, sacrifice and sharing of the holy Prophet Muhammad(PBUH),” he said. He urged wealthy individuals to use their resources in the cause of Allah and to assist those in need to enable them observe the Ramadan without stress. ” Our business men and women should desist from indiscriminate increase of basic amenities during the Ramadan period.” He also advised Muslims to be vigilant, read the Holy Quran and undertake good deeds during the Ramadan. The post Cleric advis...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi called a meeting of security officials in the wake of a deadly attack on a group of Christians in the south of the country on Friday, the state news agency said. Masked gunmen attacked a group of Coptic Christians in southern Egypt, killing 26 people and wounding 26 others as they were driving to a monastery, medical sources and eyewitnesses said. The group was traveling in two buses and a small truck in Minya province, which is home to a sizeable Christian minority, the sources said. Provincial governor Essam al-Bedaiwy said earlier that 23 people had been killed and 25 wounded. Eyewitnesses said the Copts were attacked as they were going to pray at the monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor in the western part of the province. They said masked men stopped the vehicles on a road leading to the monastery and opened fire. Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 92 million, have been the...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A former U.S. intelligence specialist Brett Velicovich has donated five surveillance drones to police in Somalia, aiming to help combat a jump in deadly bombings by al Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgents. The gift comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is increasing military engagement in the region. A member of the U.S. Navy SEAL special forces was killed in Somalia earlier this month on a raid, the first U.S. combat casualty in Somalia since 1993. The Somalis received five drones, some of which have infra-red or night vision capabilities, from Velicovich, whose service with the U.S. military features in a “Drone Warrior”, a book to be published in June. His life story is also being developed as a movie by Paramount Pictures. “There’s been a real increase in complex attacks,” the 33-year-old told Reuters on a rooftop overlooking the capital of Mogadishu, as drones swooped and whirred nearby during a four-day police training course. “Some of the things that these...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Eighteen houses serving as hideouts for kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals have been demolished in Kogi, an official has said. Cmdr Mr Jerry Omodara (retired), Special Adviser to the governor on security, told newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja that the houses were destroyed in line with the provisions of the state’s law on kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes. He said that 17 of the houses were demolished in Kogi central senatorial district while one, an estate, was demolished in Kogi East senatorial district. Omodara said that more houses were being identified, adding that any house where arms and ammunition were recovered, would be pulled down. He restated Gov. Yahaya Bello’s resolve to rid the state of criminals, and declared that there was no going back on that stance. Omodara advised criminals to steer clear of Kogi in their own interest. The post 18 hideouts of kidnappers, armed robbers demolished in Kogi appeared first on Vanguard News ....

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Mr Kingsley Theophilus, the Chairman, African Shelter Support and Empowerment Initiative, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to fulfill its promise to recapitalise the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN). Theophilus, who made the call in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, said that recapitalisation of the FMBN would enhance its ability to carry out its mandate. He said that recapitalisation of the bank was very necessary to boost its capital base, and to encourage the bank to live up to expectations. The chairman said that the recapitalisation would also restore people’s confidence in the bank and enable contributors access funds. “In December 2016, the Federal Government during one of its functions promised to recapitalise the FMBN, but up to now nothing has been done in that respect. “The FMBN is the bedrock of housing development in Nigeria; for the housing challenges of the country to be tackled, all necessary effort needs to be geared toward m...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, said on Thursday that the plan to establish a University of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria was aimed at equipping Nigerians with the best skills. Shittu told newsmen in Abuja that facilities at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) would be utilised to achieve this objective. “We feel that we can ultimately utilise the facilities of NITDA by transforming it into an ICT University, which will be the first of its kind in Africa. “We are also engaging the private sector to collaborate with us in this venture; the Nigerian government is not going to spend huge amounts in running that place. “The ministry will be inviting companies like Motorola, Facebook and all the big companies to come and adopt campuses; by so doing, they will bring their money, technology and skills. “Nigerians will, therefore, be equipped with the best skills to look for jobs all over the w...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Participants of the Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on 2018 Agriculture Budget have urged the Federal Government to allocate 10 per cent of the nation’s annual budgets to finance the agricultural sector. They made the call in a communique issued at the end of their meeting in Kaduna; a copy of which was e-mailed to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN in Abuja on Thursday. The stakeholders said that the budgetary allocation, which was in line with the Maputo and Malabo Declarations on agriculture and food security, would boost the realisation of the benchmarks of the two Declarations for agricultural investment. They also said that buffer funds from sources such as Natural Resource Funds and Climate Resource Funds might also be considered, given the strategic importance of the agricultural sector. They called on federal and state ministries of agriculture as well as National Assembly Committees on Agriculture to monitor the execution of agricultural projects itemised...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Plateau government has approved N3 billion to reacquire Barc farms, a subsidiary of the state-owned Jos International Breweries, sold to a private farmer 24 years ago. According to Mr Dan Manjang, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Governor Simon Lalong, the figure was agreed upon after months of negotiations with the buyer of the facility. “The facility is very crucial to our agricultural revolution programme; that is why we approached the buyer, who agreed to re-sell it back to us. “The farm has more than 5,000 hectares for agricultural investments; the Plateau people were not happy when it was sold out, so we had to buy it back because it is a major asset,” he said. Manjang expressed government’s readiness to right the wrongs of preceding administrations, saying that government would always be guided by the interest of the Plateau people. On other achievements in the last two years, Manjang said that 2,889 persons had been trained in various skil...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The U.S. on Wednesday pledged to support Nigeria in the fight against cybercrime and financial fraud. A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy quoted Amb. Stuart Symington, as saying this at the Second Annual Conference on Combatting Financial Fraud, Cybercrime, and Cross-Border Crimes on Tuesday. The conference with the theme `U.S.-Nigerian cooperation in combating cybercrime and financial fraud,’ was organised by the Federal Ministry of Justice and the National Information Technology Development Agency. Symington said: “there is not a country in the world that is kept secure day and night, year after year by anything other than the people of that country. “They are to national security what every user of a computer is to internet security, they are the critical link.” The ambassador expressed the need to set up appropriate legal frameworks, deploy computer emergency response teams in critical sectors, and develop national and international tools that will wor...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Lagos – A businessman, Augustine Anyia, on Wednesday urged an Agege Customary Court to dissolve his seven-year-old marriage to his wife, Nneka, due to lack of care, lesbianism and threat to his life. Augustine, a father of two, resides at No. 11/13, Kolawole Adekunle St., Ajah, Lagos. “ My wife is quarrelsome and quick to violence, especially when she demands for money or anything and l don’t respond to on time,’’ he said. The petitioner told the court that he married the respondent after six months of courtship on his return from the United States. “There has been no peace of mind in this marriage: She is a party freak and does not have any iota of respect for me,’’ he said. Augustine also alleged that the respondent engages in lesbianism with her friends. “I see all sorts of pictures of naked women with my wife sent to my phone by her friends and informing me about their acts of lesbianism and asking me to stay away from her,’’ he said. The petitioner tol...

http://ift.tt/2oHYisj President Muhammadu Buhari A clergyman, Obinna Omerie, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari will successfully pilot the affairs of the country till 2019 in good health. Omerie, the founder of Grace and Great Kings Christian Ministry, Egbu, Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo, made the declaration while addressing journalists in Owerri on Saturday. ‘‘God revealed to me as His prophet that Buhari will complete his tenure in 2019,’’he said. He said that those expressing concern over President Buhari’s health are spiritually blindfolded and speaking from revelations backed by satanic sources. The man of God also said that the economic recession in the country was divinely motivated, saying ‘‘Nigeria’s economy will emerge stronger at the end of the recession. “For children of God this economy is not so much felt now. ‘‘The situation is fast opening prosperity doors for some cities like Owerri, Port Harcourt, Lagos, and Calabar, because thin...