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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Bashir Bello KATSINA – Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Chieftain, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi Tsauri popularly known as Tata has been remanded in prison custody, Counsel to Tata, Barrister Uyi Igunma has disclosed. The counsel who disclosed this to Vanguard said Tata was arraigned before Chief Magistrate court I and later remanded in prison custody till Monday. Bar. Igunma said his client, Tata was arrested for distribution of grains to Muslim faithfuls in Dutsi Local government area of the state in the spirit of the Month of Ramadan. When contacted, the Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO Gambo Isah said Tata was invited by the police for questioning following a petition written to the command by members of the Dutsi community accusing him of causing public disturbance in the area hence his invitation. It would be recalled that on the eve of elections into the Mashi/Dutsi federal constituency seat, Tata was arrested by the police and arraigned before the court o...

http://ift.tt/2r5t4vF Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara PHOTO: TWITTER/DOGARA The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerian teachers that the National Assembly will increase their retirement age from 60 to 65 years to retain more experienced teachers in public schools. Dogara disclosed this when he received a delegation from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) who paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Abuja. The speaker said that the house would support an upward review of teachers’ retirement age to benefit Nigerian children. “We have done it for the Tertiary institutions and the Judiciary, so nothing should stop us from taking the bull by the horns. “They say that wine gets better with age. It was the same consideration that motivated us to raise that of university lecturers,raised that of judges. So this is something we can pursue. “Thankfully, it doesn’t require constitutional amendment, it is something we can a...

http://ift.tt/2qH0uMS < Previous 1 of 10 Next > Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning his tennis match against Netherlands' Robin Haase at the Roland Garros 2017 French Open on May 31, 2017 in Paris. Eric FEFERBERG / AFP Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Portugal's Joao Sousa during their tennis match at the Roland Garros 2017 French Open on May 31, 2017 in Paris. Thomas Samson / AFP French Open title rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic stormed into the last 32 on Wednesday, while women’s defending champion Garbine Muguruza survived a second-round scare. Nadal outclassed Dutchman Robin Haase 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier to continue his quest for an incredible 10th Roland Garros triumph. “I was more or less under control during the whole match, so I’m very happy. Winning in straight sets is always good news,” said Nadal. “I think I did a lot of things well this afternoon.” The Spaniard will face Nikoloz Basi...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Parties to conflicts are treating hospitals and clinics as targets rather than respecting them as sanctuaries, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Thursday. Guterres, who gave the warning during a Security Council debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Violence, regretted that civilians continued to bear the brunt of such attacks. “Despite our efforts, civilians continue to bear the brunt of conflict around the world,” Guterres told the 15-member body, stressing that attacks on medical staff and facilities continue in conflict zones. “These unrelenting attacks on civilians, coupled with lack of access to aid, are also playing a major role in creating conflict-driven famines that threaten 20 million people in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.” The UN chief recalled that last year, the Council took specific action to improve the protection of medical care during conflict by adopting Resolution 2286 of former Secretary-General Ban Ki-mo...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Nigeria`s Consul General in South Africa, Amb. Godwin Agada, says the country`s rich culture, food and attires were on display at a cultural event to mark Africa Day in South Africa. The event was organised by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Thursday. Agada told newsmenon telephone from Johannesburg, South Africa, that the Nigerian stand at the event attracted many visitors, tourists and potential investors. “Nigerian foods like “Amala’’, Pounded Yam, Semovita, “Moi-Moi’’, “Suya and all native soups were more than enough for visitors to taste. “We also displayed various native attires made in Nigeria and distributed pamphlets about investment opportunities in the country,’’ he said. Agada said that Nigerian culture was also displayed through music as native attires were won to dance to the country’s local music and songs. “We were fully there. It was amazing. All participants and visitors were impressed with the Nigerian stand. The event...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Militia violence in Central African Republic has killed almost 300 people and displaced 100,000 recently, the United Nations and the government said on Thursday, in the worst displacement since a 2013 civil war. The violence marks a sharp escalation in the long conflict that began when the mostly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition overthrew then-president Francois Bozize in 2013, prompting reprisals from Christian anti-balaka militias. The UN humanitarian office and the minister of social affairs said in a joint statement that the clash in the last two weeks has hit the towns of Bria, Bangassou and Alindao, all hundreds of kilometres east of Bangui. Social Affairs Minister Virginie Baikoua told newsmen after a visit on Wednesday to Bria that it was a catastrophe. “Houses are burnt down, others pillaged, the displaced are afraid it could degenerate at any moment because armed men are roaming around the camps. “Over 41,400 of Bria’s 47,500 inhabitants were displaced...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Emeka Aginam By July this year, six winning teams from  Middle East and Africa, MEA, will fly   the continent’s flag  at the world wide finals of the 2017 Microsoft Imagine Cup competition. The competition provides opportunities for students across all disciplines to team up and use their creativity, passion, and knowledge of technology to create applications, games and integrate solutions that can change the way we live, work and play. The Imagine Cup 2017 MEA finals had hosted 47 students in 17 teams, representing Lebanon, Jordan, West Bank & Gaza, Turkey, Tunisia, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Oman, Nigeria,  Algeria and Saudi Arabia. The six teams had contested in Beirut last week with other teams from the region after which they emerged winners after showcasing their innovative solution before  Microsoft judges. With this, the six winning teams will head to Seattle, Washington,...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Young Democratic Party (YDP) has said that it did not initiate any contempt proceedings against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). YDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mrs Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye, made the clarification when she briefed newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday. Animashaun-Ajiboye said the purported contempt process against INEC was the handiwork of imposters and usurpers who were not members of the party. She said INEC obeyed court order by issuing YDP with a certificate of registration after the court ruled in favour of the party. “Our attention has been drawn to some actions being taken by meddlesome interlopers, lovers of chaos, confusionists, pretenders and fraudsters purporting to come from YDP. “We want to put the record straight that the Chairman of YDP is Mrs. Georgina Dakpokpo, and it can be confirmed from the official record of INEC. “The official logo of YDP is a tractor green and white background. “The Court of...

http://ift.tt/2qiz5oH Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan / AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said debates over the possibility of moving the US embassy In Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem are “extremely wrong” and should be dropped. US President Donald Trump had promised during his campaign to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, whose status is one of the thorniest issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Speaking at a forum in Istanbul, Erdogan said everyone should be careful on issues that concerned the status of Jerusalem, warning that even “relocating a stone” in the city could have serious implications. “The debates over the possibility of US moving its Israel embassy to Jerusalem are extremely wrong and should certainly drop from the agenda,” the Turkish president said. Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. In 19...

http://ift.tt/2qUcE6f A Somali firefighter gestures at the site of car bomb attack in Mogadishu on May 8, 2017. At least six people were killed and ten injured when a car loaded with explosives blew up at an Italian cafe on a key thoroughfare in the centre of the city which leads to the presidential palace.MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB / AFP At least six people were killed and about 10 injured Monday in a car bomb attack in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, a police officer on the scene told AFP. The car exploded next to an Italian cafe on a key thoroughfare in the centre of the city which leads to the presidential palace, in the latest such attack in the violence-scarred country. “For the moment we have six dead in the explosion, civilians. The car full of explosives blew up next to an Italian cafe,” said the officer, Mohamed Abdulahi. “The blast was very powerful and there were a lot of people there at the time, I saw several people dead and injured,” added a witness, Abdukadir Ise. It was un...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Minister of Transportation and immediate past governor of Rivers state, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has again blasted his successor and current governor of the state, Nyesom Wike over alleged claims that the over $43million found in an Ikoyi apartment by theEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were stolen Rivers state funds kept in the apartment by Amaechi. Mr. Amaechi also said that Wike lied that the luxury Ikoyi apartment belonged to him, Amaechi. Recall that Amaechi had, when the discovery was made, strongly debunked Wike’s claims and had challenged Wike to provide evidence of his (Amaechi’s) ownership of the money and apartment where the money was found. In a statement released by his media office, Sunday, Amaechi again took a swipe at Wike for his failure to go to court to prove his claims before a Judge, describing Wike administration in Rivers State as a “government of lies, deceit, fraud and blood.” Amaechi also threw his weight be...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven (267) Bachelor Degree holders in Education from the Faculty of Education and Arts, Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai, were on Tuesday inducted into the teaching profession. Mr Baba Apatu, the Institution Public Relations Officer said in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Minna that the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) conducted the induction in Lapai, Niger. Speaking while administrating oath of induction at the University , Prof Josiah Ajiboye, Registrar of the Council, charged the new members not to engage in any act that would undermine the teaching profession. He said that the Teachers Council has the right to withdrawn the certificate of any teacher found wanting and necessary disciplinary measures would also applied. He also enjoined the University management to introduce a training programme for faculty’s members without teaching background. In his remarks at the occasion, Prof. M...

http://ift.tt/2oqduah PHOTO: SweetCrudeReports The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said that Nigeria, the ninth largest gas producing nation in the world, lost over 850 million dollars to gas flaring in 2015. Mrs Pat Maseli, Deputy Director, Head, Upstream, DPR, gave the statistics at the just concluded 10th Annual Sub-Saharan Africa Oil and Gas Conference in Houston, Texas, U.S. This is according to a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos on Sunday by Mr Sonny Oputa, Chairman, Energy Corporate African, the organiser of the conference. Maseli said that the development led to a loss of 3,500 megawatts of electricity generation and about 400 million dollars carbon credit value emission. She said, “55 million Barrels of Oil Equivalent (BOE) was lost and 25 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted. “The country is recording decline, but the scale of gas flaring is still worrisome’’. She said that with almost 8 billion cubic meters of ga...