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http://ift.tt/eA8V8J A former Commissioner for Information in Cross River, Mr Patrick Ugbe, has been abducted by some unidentified gunmen. Ugbe, who is currently the Managing Director of Hit Fm 95.9, was said to have been kidnapped at about 8.20 p.m. on Thursday night at Ekpo Iso Street, Ikot Ansa, Calabar. An eye witness, Mr Ekpo Abasi, told newsmen that Ugbe was kidnapped by five unidentified gunmen who stormed the area in a Toyota Camry car. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident. “We are aware of the incident. The case has been reported to us. “We have dispatched our men and those from the Intelligence Department to hunt for the kidnappers and rescue the victim safely,’’ she said. Aside being Information Commissioner, Ugbe also served as Chief Press Secretary and Commissioner for Youth and Sports in the eight-year tenure of Sen. Liyel Imoke as governor of the state.   The post Ex-Cross Rivers commissioner, Hit Fm CEO Pa...

http://ift.tt/2rXWQmm A picture taken on May 10, 2017 shows a boat lying on the sand at the Theewaterskloof Dam, which has less than 20% of it's water capacity, near Villiersdorp, about 108 km from Cape Town. This dam is the main water source for the city of Cape Town, and there is only 10% of it's usual capacity left for human consumption, at the last 10% is not useable, due to the silt content. The Western Cape Province, which includes Cape Town is suffering from one of the worst water shortages in living memory. This has necessitated the Cape Town City Councel to establish stringent water usage restrictions, and unless unexpectedly heavy rains fall soon, the province will begin a cycle of drought. / AFP PHOTO / Rodger BOSCH As Cape Town suffers its worst drought in a century, residents have been told to restrict showers to two minutes and flush toilets only when “absolutely necessary”. The city — South Africa’s biggest tourist hotspot — and the surrounding Western Cape ...

http://ift.tt/2s9JqB6 Indonesian national Siti Aisyah (C) is escorted by Malaysian police after a court appearance with Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong (not pictured) at the magistrates' court in Sepang on May 30, 2017, for their alleged role in the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, have been charged with the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February. / AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN An Indonesian and a Vietnamese woman accused of assassinating the half-brother of North Korea’s leader with a deadly nerve agent, appeared in a Malaysian court Tuesday, wearing bullet-proof vests and under heavy security. Both women, aged in their twenties, could face the death penalty, though they have denied murdering Kim Jong-Nam, saying they were duped into believing they were taking part in a...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Academy in Udi, Enugu State, is to be upgraded to a degree awarding institution, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, has said. Oyeyemi said this in Owerri on Friday after a meeting with Prof. Francis Eze, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Owerri. He said that the National University Commission (NUC) had allowed the FRSC academy to be affiliated to the university as a prerequisite for the upgrading. The corps marshal said the meeting was to seek FUTO’s consent on the programme. He said that the FRSC might start with post graduate diploma programme and latter advance to masters degree. “We are here on the directive of the NUC Executive Secretary in order to meet with its requirements to upgrade our institution. “We have chosen to affiliate with your institution because we know that FUTO is among the best institutions in the nation offering transport-related causes,” he said. Oyeyemi said that ...

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 India’s longest-ever bridge was inaugurated on Friday, linking the country’s north-east to Arunachal Pradesh, a territory claimed by China. The 9.15-km bridge over the Brahmaputra River will reduce travel time to the disputed territory by around five hours. Its inauguration was timed to mark three years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. China claims Arunachal Pradesh is part of southern Tibet, thus Chinese territory. It has protested India’s decision to allow Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama to visit the region and developing infrastructure there. “This bridge will open the doors for economic development of India’s north-east on a big scale. “Good connectivity will also link the region with the economy of South-East Asia,’’ Modi told a public rally at the site, named after Assamese singer-poet Bhupen Hazarika. Media reports said the bridge would help India’s military forces access the border with China, adding that it was designed to facilita...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Some beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), have urged Niger Delta ex-agitators and youths to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s programmes and policies for the region, saying the president meant well. The ex-agitators, who spoke with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, said they would remain grateful to Buhari’s administration for empowering them in various skills. Mr Reuben Wilson, an ex-militant leader, said that PAP, under the leadership of Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh had engaged ex-agitators in various empowerment programmes and had also facilitated employment for some of them who graduated recently. According to Wilson, PAP has also assisted in rehabilitating more than 200 persons from his camp who have all shunned violence and embraced peace. He commended the Federal Government for initiating the programme which he said had empowered many youths in the region and scaled down crime rate. Mr Jerry Fiberesima, a native of Okrika, Rivers State, sa...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria (TSFN) on Wednesday said its under-17 traditional sports tournament will hold in Abuja from June 25 to July 1. Etim Udokang, Secretary-General of the federation, told the Newsmen in Abuja the tournament would feature Ayo and Kokawa events. He said the tournament, which would be its maiden edition, would have each state sending five athletes. “We want states to use the tournament as a national trial for the National Youth Games (NYG), slated for Ilorin in September. “The event is also geared at reawakening the interest of young athletes in the sport,’’ the TSFN secretary-general said. Ayo and Kokowa are expected to feature for the first time in the NYG at its 2017 edition in Ilorin   The post Abuja to host first U-17 traditional sports tournament appeared first on Vanguard News . Vía Vanguard News http://ift.tt/2qbopbK

http://ift.tt/2qVus1e We live in increasingly stressful times with people flaring up over little and trivial things. At this point, it’s fair to say that the knowledge of how to handle anger or angry responses is essential. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 6 ways to respond to anger. Listen When a person is angry all they really want is to vent their feelings out to someone, howbeit violently. Unfortunately, this zeal to vent falls on those who are at closest proximity to them. One great thing to do is to simply listen to the person express their anger until they calm down or wear themselves out. Simply hear them out. Do Not Analyse Avoid analyzing all you have listened to and avoid responding at the moment. Don’t worry yourself about if you agree or disagree with all that’s being said. Anger is a largely irrational emotion, therefore your thoughts and feelings about the situation are best kept to yourself when one is angry, especially if you’re the subject ...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J President Emmanuel Macron of France says he will ask Parliament to extend by several months emergency powers introduced in 2015 to counter the threat of terrorist attacks. Macron made this known on Wednesday after talks with security chiefs. Emergency rules giving French police wider search and arrest powers were introduced after Islamist gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in and around Paris in November 2015. Macron, who reviewed national security with defense chiefs following Monday night’s suicide bomb attack on a concert venue in northern England, said he would ask lawmakers to extend the special powers , due to expire in mid-July, until Nov. 1. The attack in Manchester, claimed by Islamic State, killed 22 people and wounded dozens more. It struck a chord in France where more than 230 people have died in the past two years in attacks by Islamist militants. Three weeks into his presidency, and facing parliamentary elections in June, Macron will ...

http://ift.tt/2pzTjsC United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres. PHOTO:JOSE MANUEL RIBEIRO / AFP UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday telephoned French President-elect Emmanuel Macron to say that he looks forward to France’s strong engagement in global affairs, his spokesman said. The election of Macron is welcome news at the United Nations as it struggles to ward off threats of US funding cuts. During the phone call, Guterres told Macron “that he looks forward to the strong engagement of France in the multilateral system,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Macron has promised to defend the Paris agreement on climate change and to work with partners to resolve international crises. The UN chief is hoping to schedule an early meeting with Macron, whose inauguration is on Sunday. Guterres and Macron met in December when the then-candidate for the French presidency was in New York to meet with French expatriates. Vía The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper htt...

http://ift.tt/2qSfwkk KTSG to offer free education scheme to people living with disabilities studying in tertiary institutions PHOTO: UN.ORG The Katsina State Government, says it will introduce a well funded free education scheme to people living with disabilities studying in tertiary institutions. “The government will not place the physically challenged people under the scholarship scheme but they will be placed under a well funded education programme,” an official told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Katsina. Muntari Sani, Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Masari on People Living with Disabilities, said the government already offers free education to people with special needs in primary and secondary schools. “The present administration has completed all arrangements to finance the education of our physically challenged persons in tertiary institution across the country. “We are trying to place them on a special package that will assist them to further their ed...

http://ift.tt/2p787jF WeChat, known as Weixin in China, is the world's most popular messaging service, with 889 million global users by the end of 2016. Chinese internet giant Tencent said Saturday its messaging app WeChat had been blocked in Russia, adding it was in touch with authorities to resolve the issue. WeChat, known as Weixin in China, is the world’s most popular messaging service, with 889 million global users by the end of 2016. As well as messaging, it also offers payment, ride-hailing and other services, and Tencent has ambitions to spread the app beyond China. It is unclear how many users WeChat has in Russia. “We’re experiencing a block and we’re deeply sorry,” a Tencent official said on a company microblog. “Russian regulations say online service providers have to register with the government but WeChat doesn’t have the same understanding (of the rules),” the official added. A spokesman for Russia’s telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor said the messaging se...

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J By Marie-Therese Nanlong. Jos – Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has said the current peace being enjoyed in the State is a result of prayers and unity of purpose stressing that payment of workers’ wages is a paramount step in peace building because when the people are hungry, no meaningful peace can be achieved. Lalong challenged his governor-colleagues to engage the youths in their respective states by providing meaningful empowerment programmes in order to keep them off criminality or else, the society will continue to suffer youth restiveness. He spoke yesterday during the Thanksgiving Service and 71st birthday Anniversary of Ambassador Bagudu Hirse held at the Church Of Christ In Nation, COCIN, Compound Church, Jos. Narrating his ordeal in the hands of his abductors, Ambassador Hirse said they thought he was a senator so they asked for a N50m ransom saying “because you are the people eating our money” until later when the news broke describing him as ...