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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Chuks Okocha One popular maxim in journalism  is that facts are sacred but opinions are free. It is based on this   paradigm that the second anniversary of the 8th Senate under the leadership of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki would be reviewed. Despite the  distractions and  propaganda, the facts   on ground show that the 8th Senate   has indeed taken its   legislative duties and interventions   to higher levels in terms of keeping promises and  moving the country forward. The Senate has been able to demonstrate that when facts are separated from  propaganda, it will be clear that the legislative institution is delivering on its mandate. Statistics show that the 8th Senate has done better than its predecessors since 1999 in terms of works done. For instance, the Senate just last week broke the jinx over the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), 17 years af...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Chuks Okocha One popular maxim in journalism  is that facts are sacred but opinions are free. It is based on this   paradigm that the second anniversary of the 8th Senate under the leadership of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki would be reviewed. Despite the  distractions and  propaganda, the facts   on ground show that the 8th Senate   has indeed taken its   legislative duties and interventions   to higher levels in terms of keeping promises and  moving the country forward. The Senate has been able to demonstrate that when facts are separated from  propaganda, it will be clear that the legislative institution is delivering on its mandate. Statistics show that the 8th Senate has done better than its predecessors since 1999 in terms of works done. For instance, the Senate just last week broke the jinx over the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), 17 years af...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The 93-year-old Zimbabwean President, Mr. Robert Mugabe, has launched a nationwide 10-venue speaking tour aimed at drumming up support ahead of elections next year when he plans to seek office again. Mugabe, who appeared in better health than at some recent public appearances, spoke for an hour and a half at a rally outside Harare attended by several thousand ZANU-PF supporters. The ruling ZANU-PF party is widely seen as divided over Mugabe’s successor, while opposition parties are in talks to unite to try to oust him in the election. “We want our party to remain united and not divided. If you are a real ZANU-PF member, be true to your party,” Mugabe said at the rally in Marondera. He urged those seeking to succeed him to “be at peace”. “The time will come,” he said. “It’s certainly coming.” ZANU-PF officials say Mugabe is focusing on youth issues at the series of “interface rallies” in each of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces. Mugabe has slurred his words in interv...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J CAF Champions League matchday 3 results Friday: Group B At Harare CAPS Utd (ZIM) 2 (Pfumbidzai 87-pen, Zvirekwi 90) Al Ahly Tripoli (LBA) 4 (Derbali 17-pen, 81, Ablo 19, Allafi 25) Playing later At Alexandria, Egypt Zamalek (EGY) v USM Alger (ALG) (2000 GMT) Standings (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points) Zamalek 2 1 1 0 2 0 4 Ahly Tripoli 3 1 1 1 4 5 4 USM 2 1 0 1 4 2 3 CAPS 3 1 0 2 4 7 3 Group C At Pretoria Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA, holders) 1 (Vilakazi 21) Esperance (TUN) 2 (Khenissi 6, 90-pen) Playing Sunday At Addis Ababa Saint George (ETH) v V Club (COD) (1300 GMT) Standings Esperance 3 2 1 0 5 2 7 Sundowns 3 1 1 1 4 3 4 George 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 V Club 2 0 0 2 2 6 0 Note: group winners and runners-up qualify for quarter-finals The post CAF Champions League results appeared first on Vanguard News . Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2sAI8hZ via Blogger http://ift.tt/2spuIGc

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J No fewer than 15 children have died in war torn South Sudan from a botched attempt to immunise them against measles, officials say. They were vaccinated with the same unsterilized syringe, and the vaccine was not stored properly, according to an investigation into the deaths. As a result, the immunisation campaign caused severe infection and sepsis. The team administering the vaccinations was “neither qualified nor trained” to do so, the health minister said. About 300 people were vaccinated during the campaign in the Kapoeta region, including 32 other children who fell ill, but survived, Riek Gai Kok added. Measles outbreaks in the country are a key target of the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef), which is aiming to vaccinate 1.2 million children this year. But a report from the Associated Press said that in this case, children as young as 12 were administering the vaccine to others. Sepsis is a potentially deadly immune response triggered by an infe...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The 93-year-old Zimbabwean President, Mr. Robert Mugabe, has launched a nationwide 10-venue speaking tour aimed at drumming up support ahead of elections next year when he plans to seek office again. Mugabe, who appeared in better health than at some recent public appearances, spoke for an hour and a half at a rally outside Harare attended by several thousand ZANU-PF supporters. The ruling ZANU-PF party is widely seen as divided over Mugabe’s successor, while opposition parties are in talks to unite to try to oust him in the election. “We want our party to remain united and not divided. If you are a real ZANU-PF member, be true to your party,” Mugabe said at the rally in Marondera. He urged those seeking to succeed him to “be at peace”. “The time will come,” he said. “It’s certainly coming.” ZANU-PF officials say Mugabe is focusing on youth issues at the series of “interface rallies” in each of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces. Mugabe has slurred his words in interv...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J CAF Champions League matchday 3 results Friday: Group B At Harare CAPS Utd (ZIM) 2 (Pfumbidzai 87-pen, Zvirekwi 90) Al Ahly Tripoli (LBA) 4 (Derbali 17-pen, 81, Ablo 19, Allafi 25) Playing later At Alexandria, Egypt Zamalek (EGY) v USM Alger (ALG) (2000 GMT) Standings (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points) Zamalek 2 1 1 0 2 0 4 Ahly Tripoli 3 1 1 1 4 5 4 USM 2 1 0 1 4 2 3 CAPS 3 1 0 2 4 7 3 Group C At Pretoria Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA, holders) 1 (Vilakazi 21) Esperance (TUN) 2 (Khenissi 6, 90-pen) Playing Sunday At Addis Ababa Saint George (ETH) v V Club (COD) (1300 GMT) Standings Esperance 3 2 1 0 5 2 7 Sundowns 3 1 1 1 4 3 4 George 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 V Club 2 0 0 2 2 6 0 Note: group winners and runners-up qualify for quarter-finals The post CAF Champions League results appeared first on Vanguard News . Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2sAI8hZ

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J No fewer than 15 children have died in war torn South Sudan from a botched attempt to immunise them against measles, officials say. They were vaccinated with the same unsterilized syringe, and the vaccine was not stored properly, according to an investigation into the deaths. As a result, the immunisation campaign caused severe infection and sepsis. The team administering the vaccinations was “neither qualified nor trained” to do so, the health minister said. About 300 people were vaccinated during the campaign in the Kapoeta region, including 32 other children who fell ill, but survived, Riek Gai Kok added. Measles outbreaks in the country are a key target of the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef), which is aiming to vaccinate 1.2 million children this year. But a report from the Associated Press said that in this case, children as young as 12 were administering the vaccine to others. Sepsis is a potentially deadly immune response triggered by an infe...

http://ift.tt/2rrTDch Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Indian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg on June 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Dmitry Lovetsky In US director Oliver Stone’s edgy new interview series, Russian leader Vladimir Putin says he believes intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is no traitor and appears to confirm multiple assassination plots have targeted him. Excerpts released Thursday from “The Putin Interviews” show the strongman president chatting from behind the wheel of a car, in the Kremlin and a country estate as the maverick three-time Oscar winner Stone listens. Stone is best known for Hollywood blockbusters inspired by American history such as “JFK” and “Born on the Fourth of July,” but has previously made films about the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan firebrand Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013. He asks Putin whether, as a former KGB agent, h...

http://ift.tt/2pIbie9 Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, says his administration has concluded plans to send 200 students to India and other countries to study medicine. The News Agency of Nigeria( NAN) reports that Tambuwal made the disclosure in Sokoto on Monday night at a media parley to commemorate the 2017 Democracy Day. The governor said the majority of those to be sponsored would be girls. “Discussions are in top gear with a university in India to send one hundred youths, mostly women, to study medicine. “This is to shore up the number of women medical doctors in the state, hence, encourage more women to seek medical services in the hospitals. “We are also discussing with other universities across the world, with a view to send another batch of one hundred youths to study various medical professional fields like pharmacy, dentistry, radiography and medical laboratory science, among others.” Tambuwal explained that the pro...

http://ift.tt/2qwQneq (FILES) This file photo taken on October 04, 1989 shows shows former Panamanian strongman General Manuel Noriega waving as he left his headquarters in Panama City following a failed coup against him. According to officials, Noriega died May 29, 2017.The ex-dictator, long on the CIA payroll, was ousted by a US military invasion in 1989, ending his six-year reign. After serving time in the US on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, he was sent to France in 2010 and convicted on money laundering charges. The following year he was extradited to Panama, where he was sentenced for the disappearance of political opponents during his time in power./ AFP PHOTO / Robert SULLIVAN Panama’s former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega died in Panama City late Monday, physically diminished after decades of imprisonment for crimes committed during his 1983-1989 rule. Noriega, 83, passed away in Panama City’s public Santo Tomas hospital where he had been recovering from ...

http://ift.tt/2qiBWLB PHOTO: CCBoot International investigators hunted Saturday for those behind an unprecedented cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies, as security experts sought to contain the fallout. The assault, which began Friday and was being described as the biggest-ever cyber ransom attack, struck state agencies and major companies around the world — from Russian banks and British hospitals to FedEx and European car factories. “The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits,” said Europol, Europe’s police agency. Europol said a special task force at its European Cybercrime Centre was “specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation”. The attacks used ransomware that apparently exploited a security flaw in Microsoft operating systems, locking use...

http://ift.tt/2pXfx80 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM Mahmud Abbas said Tuesday Donald Trump was expected to visit the Palestinian territories “soon” and that he was ready to meet Israel’s prime minister as part of the US president’s peace efforts. Trump is expected in Israel later this month as part of his first foreign trip and the Palestinian president said “we are looking forward to his visit soon to Bethlehem” in the occupied West Bank, with speculation it will occur on May 23. “We told him that we were ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli PM under his auspices to build peace,” Abbas told reporters while meeting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Abbas met Trump in Washington last week for their first face-to-face talks. Trump also announced last week that his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel an...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The 82 Chibok schoolgirls freed on Saturday by their abductors have been flown to Abuja, presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said. “82 Chibok girls now in Abuja. Received on behalf of the President at the airport by Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari,” Adesina tweeted on Sunday. 82 Chibok girls now in Abuja. Received on behalf of the President at the airport by Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari. Congrats Nigeria. — Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) May 7, 2017 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Details soon. Vía The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper http://ift.tt/2qPxIKo

http://ift.tt/2pkm2z6 A Syrian man sells fuel made from plastic in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of Damascus on May 6, 2017. Fighting subsided in Syria after a deal signed by government backers Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey to create four safe zones began to take effect, a monitor said.<br />Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP Fighting subsided in Syria on Saturday after a deal signed by government backers Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey to create four safe zones began to take effect, a monitor said. The zones still exist only on paper and the cosponsors have until June 4 to finalise their borders under the terms of the agreement struck at peace talks in Kazakhstan on Thursday. But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported only sporadic skirmishes and shelling early on Saturday in the areas covered by the deal. “Apart from a few exchanges and bombardments during the night and in the morning in Hama, Damascus and Aleppo provinc...

http://ift.tt/2pH8IaI Space technology The Director, Centre for Satellite Technology Development, Dr Spencer Onuh, says Nigeria requires more communication satellites for it to make quick returns on its investments in space technology. Onuh said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that the returns on investment in communication satellites usually takes up to 15 years. He explained that a satellite is an artificial body placed in orbit round the earth or another planet in order to collect information and enables easy access for communication. “The satellite has the capacity to generate income on a short term basis but not all the satellites. “It takes three to five years to develop earth observation satellites, but to get quick returns of money from satellites, we need more communication satellites. “All you need to do is your initial investment, the return on investment is very quick and it takes a shorter period to develop. “You can ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By: Kingsley Omonobi Abuja – Army authorities disclosed on Thursday that several Boko Haram commanders were killed in several Operation Deep Punch attack on hideouts and camps of the terrorists around the Sambisa Forest general area. According to the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman, the attack on the hideouts and camps which were jointly carried out by the Nigerian Air force and Troops of Lafiya Dole, also destroyed logistics bases, arms stockpile and terrorist’s equipment in Mangusum and various parts of Sambisa including Balla and Parisu. Brigadier General Usman said, “There were enquiries on alleged wounding one of the Boko Haram terrorist’s group factional leaders. “As you are aware, the Boko Haram terrorists have been on the run, but now they have nowhere to go. “We wish to confirm that there are ongoing clearance operations in various parts of the north east by the military. “The Nigerian Air Force specifically has been ca...

http://ift.tt/2oHCey5 “APGA is happy with the bail granted Mr Nnamdi Kanu and his eventual release from prison, this development we must say is long overdue. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has expressed satisfaction over the release of Mr Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra. Dr Victor Oye, National Chairman of the party told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Monday that the party was happy that the rule of law had been observed on the matter. He described the freedom of Kanu as long expected, observing that although the bail conditions were tough, they were fully met. “APGA is happy with the bail granted Mr Nnamdi Kanu and his eventual release from prison, this development we must say is long overdue. “It is also good that at last rule of law is being observed and it is a step in the right direction. “However, we are not comfortable with the bail conditions which the party views as stringent and punitive,’’ he said. The APGA c...