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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A Russian warship and submarine have fired cruise missiles at Islamic State group targets around Palmyra in Syria from the Mediterranean, Moscow said Wednesday, the first such strikes announced in months. The frigate Admiral Essen and submarine Krasnodar carried out four strikes against military hardware and fighters from the jihadist group who had left its de-facto capital Raqa, the Russian military said in a statement. “All the targets were hit,” the statement said, without specifying when the strikes happened. Moscow said that the US, Turkish and Israeli military “were informed in a timely manner of the missile launches through existing communication channels.” President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the successful strikes by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Kremlin said. Russia has been conducting a bombing campaign since 2015 in support of President Bashar al-Assad and has a naval contingent deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to bolster its fi...

http://ift.tt/2pJpHHf Oby Ezekwesili A former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, says Nigeria’s greatness will emerge through human capital development programmes for youths and not oil or solid minerals. Ezekwesili said this in Abuja at “ SHIFT,’’ an annual youth programme of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The SHIFT initiative uses unconventional ways such as dancing, singing, comedy, innovation and empowerment that youths could relate with to become Christians. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme, which attracted youths from the FCT, Plateau, Niger as well as Kaduna and Nasarawa States, had as theme “ Creativity Unleashed.’’ She said such programmes would give youths a platform to showcase their hidden talents that needed to be unleashed and unlocked. The former minister , however, advocated that youths should be supported through public policy, right instructions and investment in education, health and other social services....

http://ift.tt/2s6VP8f Pope Francis shakes hands with youth as he arrives at the Santuario della Madonna della Guardia ( Virgin Mary of the Guardia Sanctuary )as part of a one-day visit in Genoa, on May 27, 2017. Marco BERTORELLO / AFP Pope Francis earned a rapturous reception on a visit to a struggling steel factory in northern Italy on Saturday as he denounced financial speculators and demanded dignity for working people. “Without work for all there will not be dignity for all,” the pontiff told several thousand uniformed and hard-hatted workers at the Ilva plant in the northwestern city of Genoa. “The progressive transformation of the entrepreneur into a speculator is an economic illness,” he said. “The speculator is the same as a mercenary who has no company and sees workers only as a means to make profits.” The assembled gathering responded with applause and cries of “Francesco, Francesco” as the Argentinian pope blasted the “faceless” nature of parts of today’s economy...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A 25-year-old unemployed, Yekini Balogun, was on Thursday docked at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly cutting a part of a truck driver’s hand with a cutlass. Balogun, a resident of Ikeja area of Lagos State, is being tried for a breach of the peace and inflicting wound on another person. The prosecutor, Insp. Ezekiel Ayorinde, said that the accused committed the offences on March 28 at Afariogun Street in Isolo, Lagos State. He said that the accused and others still at large conspired to cause harm to Mr Ibrahim Adebayo, a tipper driver. “The accused caused grievous harm to the complainant by cutting a part of his left hand with a cutlass,” he said. Ayorinde said that the accused and his accomplices stormed the site where the complainant had gone to offload sand and demanded money from him. “The complainant told them that he did not have money; this led the accused to machete him with a cutlass. “The complainant was rushed to an undisclosed...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Manchester United and Manchester City on Thursday jointly pledged one million pounds (1.3 million dollars) to an emergency fund set up to aid victims of Monday’s terror attack in the city. The Premier League clubs made the pledge to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund in the wake of the bombing at the Manchester Arena which killed 22 people. “Our clubs are right at the heart of our local communities in Manchester and it is right that we present a unified response to this tragedy,” United Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward said in a joint statement from both clubs. “The money will help of course but the work of the two clubs and their respective foundation and community scheme can build on the fantastic spirit that Mancunians have shown in the immediate aftermath.’’ The clubs’ pledge pushes the donated amount to the fund, which was set up by the British Red Cross and then merged with another set up by the Manchester Evening News, to more than three million p...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The late internationally reputed artist, Roger Moore, popularly called James Bond, must be immortalized by naming important places after him. Veteran artist Jide Kosoko, other actors and some fans of The deceased suggested this on Wednesday while reacting to his death that occurred on Tuesday. He was aged 89 years They told newsmen on that when Bond is honoured, generations yet unborn would remember and appreciate his contributions to the entertainment world. According to them, that will o encourage contemporary as well as up-and-coming actors to put in their best into the profession. They said that James Bond’s death had left a great vacuum that would be difficult to fill in the entertainment industry. They described James Bond as a naturally endowed thriller in the famous “007’’ movie series. They told in Lagos that Moore’s cool and calm personality made him the most suitable to play the espionage character he was assigned in the movie series. Jide Koso...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J NAN- Mr Fatai Ibu-Owo, Lagos State Chairman of National Conscience Party (NCP), has disagreed with Lagos state Governor, Akinwumi Ambode on the alleged use of billions to celebrate the state’s marking of 5o years of creation. Mr. Ibu-Owo, who spoke with newsmen on Wednesday while reacting to the second year anniversary of Governor Ambode-led administration said that the Governor,  rather than fulfilling his electoral promises to Lagosians, was  `playing the Ostrich’ with the Lagos at 50 celebration. According to him, the scale of the celebration is not commensurate with the level of development in the state, and the impact of government on residents has been negligible. He said the huge money spent on the celebration was “sheer waste of resources’’ and should have been used for developmental projects. “We at NCP find the elaborate way in which the state government is going about the celebration of Lagos at 50 funny. “Yes, it is good to celebrate that...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The first batch of policemen recruited under the 10,000 mass recruitment ordered by President  Muhammadu Buhari has passed out of the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos. The Commandant of the College, Boniface Onyeabor, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that 123 Cadet Inspectors and 52 recruits had completed their training. President Buhari had on Aug 15, 2015, ordered the recruitment of 10,000 additional police men for effective policing of the country. “The first batch of police personnel belonging to the specialist units passed out from the college on May 19. “They will be on two-week vacation before they resume at their different state commands,’’ the commandant said. Onyeabor, a Commissioner of Police, said about 1,300 general duty policemen would also complete training at the college between September and December. “When they finish training, the recruits would be given attestation, service register and appointment letters by the Po...