Boko Haram: Buhari Takes Battle To France, Meets Hollande On Monday For Talks

President Muhammdu Buhari

Determined to curtail Boko Haram insurgency, President Muhammdu Buhari will on Monday begin a state visit to France to hold talks with President Francois Hollande. He will also explore opportunities of more collaboration with Niger, Chad and Cameroon, which are assisting the nation in the war against insurgency. The President was quoted as saying “it is more cost effective politically and economically to be at peace with your neighbours. This is something I learnt from the army.”

According to a pre-visit review by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the visit was in response to President Hollande’s invitation to President Buhari.

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho: I Will Not Run Away From Bad Results; Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois Facing Three-Month Lay-Off

Jose Mourinho has no intention of quitting Chelsea and is confident his team will turn things around

Jose Mourinho has dismissed any parallels between 2007 and now, insisting he has the desire and determination to lead Chelsea out of their current malaise. The Blues won the 2014-15 Barclays Premier League title at a canter, but have four points from four games and sit eight points behind leaders Manchester City ahead of Saturday's match at Everton, who frustrated Mourinho in his pursuit of John Stones. With the Toffees sticking to England defender Stones, Chelsea had to turn to other players, like the unheralded Papy Djilobodji, prompting speculation Mourinho was unhappy just weeks after signing a four-year contract.

Mourinho had a categorical response for those thinking his second spell at Stamford Bridge could unravel and end as quickly as the first.

"Let's be objective. I don't want to leave the club, in any circumstances," the Portuguese said. "And the club doesn't want me to leave. I'm not going to walk away. The club is not going to sack me. If somebody anyone thinks that I walk, or I leave the job, it's somebody that doesn't know. Chelsea fans know me for good and for bad and that's not my profile, to run away from problems, in this case to run away from bad results."

Northern Governors Lament Decay In Region

*Rally support for Buhari

The Northern Governors Forum (NGF) has lamented the collapse of vital industries in the region, warning that a grave consequence awaits the zone if the present leaders fail to address the decay. The remark was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting yesterday.

Addressing newsmen after the  meeting, the chairman of the forum and governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, said:  “It  has become imperative especially for northern state governors, owing to the near collapse of vital institutions in the region and the multifaceted problems facing the people to brace up for the challenges ahead.

He regretted that the Boko Haram menace, cattle rustling, sporadic killing, kidnapping, herdsmen versus communities, boundary disputes, armed robbery , unemployment, poverty, arms and drugs proliferation, inciting  preaching, almajiri phenomenon, and collapse of industries among others are everywhere in the north.

Police Confirm Release Of Abducted Columnist

Vanguard Newspaper columnist, Donu Kogbara

The police in Rivers State on Saturday confirmed the release of Vanguard Newspaper columnist, Donu Kogbara, abducted from her residence 11 days ago. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that Kogbara was freed in the early hours of Saturday.

He said the state commissioner of police, Mr Musa Kimo, had already visited Kogbara in her family residence in Port Harcourt.

Muhammad said Kogbara was in good condition and had reunited with her family.

TENNIS: Roger Federer Into US Open Final After Beating Swiss Compatriot Stan Wawrinka

Roger Federer, left, saw off Stan Wawrinka in straight sets

Roger Federer is one win away from an 18th major title after the Swiss swept past Stan Wawrinka to reach the US Open final. Federer had been expecting a tight battle with his compatriot but the world number two strolled through in just 92 minutes with a 6-4 6-3 6-1 victory. It means Federer is still yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this year and he will now face Novak Djokovic, who earlier beat defending champion Marin Cilic for the loss of just three games - the most one-sided grand slam semi-final in the Open era.

Federer is gunning for his sixth US Open title but the 34-year-old has not reached the final in New York since 2009.

"I'm very happy, it's been a great tournament so far," Federer said.

"I've tried very hard in the last six years to get to the final, I've come close a few times, tonight it worked against Stan, who's also played a great tournament."

UK LABOUR PARTY EARTHQUAKE! Jeremy Corbyn Elected Labour Leader With Massive Support

Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn arrives to hear the result of the contest

Veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn has won the leadership of the Labour Party by a landslide, taking almost 60% of more than 400,000 votes cast. In a result which marks a fundamental change of direction for the party, the Islington North MP defeated rivals Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall in the first round of counting, taking 251,417 (59.5%) of the 422,664 votes cast.

His victory was cheered loudly by supporters at the QEII conference centre in Westminster, who had greeted him to the event by singing the Red Flag.

After 32 years on Labour's backbenches, the 66-year-old won only a handful of votes from his fellow MPs but was swept to victory in the race to replace Ed Miliband by a surge of enthusiasm from members in the country as well as new "registered supporters" who paid £3 to secure a vote.

Jhadua Gas Cylinder Blast: India Gas Cylinder Blast Death Toll Hits 104: Police

Cooking gas cylinder exploded in restaurant (Image: Google maps)

At least 104 people died when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in a packed restaurant in India's central Madhya Pradesh state on Saturday morning, police said, with the blast shattering nearby buildings. The death toll rose rapidly from an initial count of 20 after rescuers recovered dozens more bodies from the debris of the destroyed restaurant and neighbouring structures in the town of Petlawad in Jhabua district.

"There are 104 confirmed deaths at the moment. Eighty-two postmortems have been carried out and 22 are still pending," M. L. Gond, an inspector in charge of Jhabua's police control room, told AFP by phone.

"My information is that 60 people are injured, but the number could be higher," he said.

Cattle Rustling: Army Recovers 22,378 Livestock In 3 Months

The 1 Brigade, Nigeria Army, Sokoto Command, has recovered no fewer than 22,378 livestocks between July and September 2015, the director, Army public relations and spokesperson, Operation Restore Peace, Captain Umar Shuaib confirmed. Captain Umar, who insisted that the command is dedicated towards ending the activities of cattle rustlers and armed banditry in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, also solicited for mutual support by locals in the areas of beneficial information.

According to a signed statement by Capt Umar, about 248 suspects have been arrested in connection with the rustling within the period under review.

The statement read in part, “The Task Force set up to tackle the menace of cattle rustling and armed banditry in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states has succeeded in recovering about 13,661 cattle; 7,208 sheep; 1,097 goats, 120 camels, 39 donkeys and two horses from it’s inception in July to date.”

Gen. Aronda Nyakairima: Uganda's Interior Minister Dies Suddenly During Trip Abroad

Gen. Aronda died last night of heart attack while on transit in Dubai from South Korea (Image source: redpepper.com)

Uganda's prime minister says the country's interior minister died suddenly while traveling home from official duty in South Korea. Ruhakana Rugunda said in a statement Saturday that Gen. Aronda Nyakairima died while transiting through Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The statement said the cause of death is not yet known and that a team of pathologists had been dispatched to Dubai to assist with the postmortem examination and repatriation of the body.

UPDATE Jhabua Gas Cylinder Blast: At Least 44 Dead In Blast At Packed Indian Restaurant - Police

People gather around the site of an explosion at a restaurant in Jhabua district in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on September 12, 2015. / AFP

At least 44 people have been killed and dozens have been injured after an explosion destroyed a two-story restaurant in India’s Madhya Pradesh, police reports. “The restaurant was in a tightly packed locality and a lot of people were here having breakfast, that is why the casualties are so high,” Seema Alava, additional police superintendent for Jhabua, told Agence France-Presse from the site by phone.

The blast, which ripped through the restaurant in Jhabua district, is believed to be a burst of a gas cylinder.

US$11mn, 36-Hour Historic Head Transplant To Be Carried Out In China In 2017

30-year-old Vladimir Spiridonov, head transplant candidate / RT

Italian doctor Sergio Canavero, along with his Chinese colleague Ren Xiaoping, is set to conduct the world’s first head transplant on a 30-year-old Russian patient suffering from a rare disease. The operation is planned for December 2017. The project was first announced in 2013, and the man who volunteered for the procedure is Russian Valery Spiridonov, who suffers from the extremely rare, progressive Werdnig-Hoffmann disease.

“Canavero initially joked it would be a Christmas present, but now this is becoming a reality.

Most importantly, it will happen after the results of our tests and additional experiments being confirmed,” Spiridonov said.

Canavero explained to RT why a Chinese partner was so important to have. “China wants to do it because they want to win the Nobel prize. They want to prove themselves [as] a scientific powerhouse. So it’s the new space race,” the Italian surgeon said.

87 Killed, 180 Injured In Crane Accident In Mecca

Image source: CNN

About 87 pilgrims were feared dead yesterday at the Masjid-l-Haram in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, when a crane being used for an expansion of the mosque collapsed on the worshippers. The nationalities of the victims were not known and it was not also clear whether Nigerians were among them as at the time of filing this report.

The incident occurred during a heavy rainfall which was preceded by strong wind and massive storm after pilgrims had observed the Asr prayer which was observed around 4pm.

An eyewitness said one of the cranes being used for construction was hit by a thunderstorm during the rainfall and then fell on one the pillars around the Ka’abba where thousands of pilgrims were circumambulating the holy house.

A witness said several pilgrims were feared dead after the pillar fell into their midst while they were performing the Tawaf (circumambulation) rites.

“I was inside (the mosque) when this happened. The rain was too much; the storm was too much. The crane fell on the people; it shook the mosque. I can’t say the actual number of victims but many people were on the ground, injured. It was very serious,” the witness said.

Where UK Landlords Make The Most Money Off Students

Landlords make more money off students in Edinburgh than anywhere else in the UK, research found

Landlords make more money off students in Edinburgh than anywhere else in the UK, new research has found. In fact four of the top five most lucrative locations can be found in Scotland, with Coventry the top English spot in second.

Property site Zoopla looked at where investors can get the best return from buying up properties near universities and letting them out to students.

In Edinburgh, buy-to-let investors can expect a rental yield of 6.11% for doing so, while in Coventry it is 6.03%. Aberdeen is the third most profitable at 5.66%.

Chile Catholic Church Rocked By Email Scandal

Rev. Fernando Karadima sanctioned by the Vatican to a lifetime of penance and prayer for having abused young boys.

The Catholic Church in Chile has been rocked by another scandal surrounding its most infamous paedophile. Leaked emails between the archbishop of Santiago and his predecessor show how they conspired to block a well-known abuse survivor from being named to Pope Francis' sex abuse commission, fearing it would damage the church.

Local newspaper El Mostrador this week published the email exchanges between the current archbishop, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, and his predecessor, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz. The Santiago archdiocese confirmed their authenticity.

In the emails, dated 2013 and 2014, the two men discussed the key Vatican cardinals they needed to consult to try to prevent Juan Carlos Cruz from being invited to speak at a meeting of Anglophone bishops on sex abuse.

"I hope we can prevent lies from finding space between those who belong to the same church," Ezzati wrote to Errazuri.

FOR THE RECORDS: Nigeria Suffered Lack Of Quality Governance, Says Asiodu

Chief Philip Asiodu (Image source: Pose4Fun)

Foremost former Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Philip Asiodu, yesterday in Lagos, stated that Nigeria had suffered over the years due to lack of quality governance and management of all sectors by successive governments. He also said the poverty in the country was largely due to abandonment of core values of honesty, integrity, discipline, hard-work and fairness to others.

Speaking at the inaugural public presentation of a non-governmental organization tagged New Generation Change Education Foundation, NGCEF, Asiodu, who is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the organization, said with high international standards of honesty and integrity maintained by officials in government, Nigeria will certainly make headway.

His words: “The security situation and stability has deteriorated so drastically over the past two decades that on the eve of this year’s election, some international commentators and some Nigerians predicted disaster and disintegration of Nigeria. Thank God that prediction did not materialize.

Rivers Governorship Poll A Sham, Mockery Of Democracy, Says INEC

Former governor Rotimi Amaechi on election day on Aprill 11 complaining to INEC about irregularities

The Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday dismissed the governorship election that took place in Rivers State on April 11 as a sham and mockery of democracy. The Head, Election and Party Monitoring Department (EPM) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Charles Okoye, told the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja yesterday that the election was akin to warfare, describing it as kangaroo.

Okoye, who was subpoenaed by the tribunal to give evidence on the findings of INEC’s team that monitored the election, told the tribunal that he was the coordinator of the team that monitored the election.

Arab Official Accused Of Raping Two Nepalese Maids At His Luxury Apartment In India Moves In To The Saudi Embassy As Abuse Allegations Cause A Diplomatic Row Between The Three Countries

Victims: The two Nepalese maids, pictured, claim that they were 'raped, assaulted, starved and held hostage over several months' in the Arab diplomat's home near the capital, New Delhi

An Arab official accused of raping two Nepalese maids at his luxury apartment in India has moved into the Saudi embassy - sparking a diplomatic row between the three countries.  India's government urged Saudi Arabia Thursday to cooperate with a police investigation into one of its diplomats. The two women, aged 30 and 50, claim that they have been held hostage in the diplomat's home near the capital 'for several months', New Delhi police said today.

They also claim that they had been 'offered regularly' to the Saudi diplomat's friends, sometimes seven or eight at a time, and that he threatened to kill them if they went to authorities. The women claim that they were 'raped, assaulted, starved and held hostage over several months' by the Saudi Arabian embassy employee as well as his friends.

'There were days when seven to eight men - all from Saudi Arabia - would assault us,' the oldest of the pair told The Indian Express.

TENNIS: Williams Upset Has Djokovic, Federer On High Alert

 Roberta Vinci STUNS Serena Williams ASSOCIATED PRESS

On high alert after a day of upsets during which Serena Williams was sent packing from the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer made sure their names were not added to the list of shocks on Friday as they posted emphatic semi-final victories. The tremors started early at Arthur Ashe Stadium with Flavia Pennetta crushing second seed Simona Halep 6-1 6-3, before Roberta Vinci rocked Flushing Meadows delivering one of the biggest upsets in tennis history with her semi-final win over Williams that punctured the American's calendar Grand Slam dream.

Two victories from becoming the fourth woman to win all four majors in one year, a brittle-looking Williams crumbled as unseeded Vinci, playing in her first grand slam singles semi-final, battled to an improbable 2-6 6-4 6-4 win.

The results set the stage for an equally improbable all-Italian final on Saturday.

UPDATE: Gas Cylinder Blast Kills 20 In Central India: Police

Domestic gas cylinder explosions are common in India, where safety standards are relatively poor ©Diptendu Dutta (AFP)

At least 20 people were killed when a gas cylinder exploded in a restaurant in central India early Saturday, while 25 people were known to have been injured, a police official said. The explosion occurred at around 8:30 am local time (0300 GMT) at the restaurant in Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh state as dozens of office workers and schoolchildren were having breakfast, senior district police official Seema Alava said.

"As of now, 20 people are confirmed dead. But this number could rise. Rescue efforts are on to find anyone who could be trapped inside (the debris)," Alava, additional police superintendent for Jhabua, told AFP from the site by phone.

Governors Reject Death Penalty For Looters; APC Hails NLC

Lai Mohammed

Many governors, who spoke reporters, on during the week, out rightly rejected the suggestion that looters of the nation’s resources be sentenced to death. Organized labour- the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress-at the beginning of the week said looters should be given the death sentence in order to serve as deterrence to others. Labour said it was only by killing looters that the anti-corruption crusade being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari could succeed.

But most governors, who reacted to the labour suggestion on Thursday, said the death sentence would be too harsh.

BREAKING 20 Feared Dead In A Blast At Restaurant In Central India

20 feared dead in a blast at restaurant in Central India

Details coming soon

Gang Warfare At Illegal Mines In South Africa

Workers also risk getting trapped in the illegal mines AFP

South African police say they are investigating the murder of 15 suspected illegal miners, known as "zama-zamas", who were shot dead this week at the Grootvlei mine outside Johannesburg.

BBC reports the battle for gold dust in abandoned mines between rival illegal mining gangs is becoming increasingly violent, and police have said they expect the body count to keep rising as the violence intensifies.

Illegal miners live underground for months looking for their piece of gold - and that means abandoned shafts become war zones when rival gangs clash.

They sometimes throw improvised bombs at one another and open fire with machine guns. Several police units have been deployed in various areas to deal with the situation.

But it appears that the potential rewards are more powerful than the deterrent of arrest and even death.