Germany Marks 25 Years Of Unity, Facing New Challenges

In this Sept. 10, 2015, photo people take pictures as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, speaks during a statement as part of a visit at a registration center for migrants and refugees in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Germany marks a quarter-century as a reunited nation on Saturday, with two leaders from the formerly communist east heading a country that increasingly asserts itself as Europe's political heavyweight — and now faces a new challenge in a refugee influx that will demand deep reserves of resourcefulness and patience.

West and East Germany united on Oct. 3, 1990, capping a process that started less than 11 months earlier when the east's communist leadership opened the Berlin Wall under pressure from massive demonstrations. Evening out the differences between east and west has been a far slower process, and some inequalities persist even now.

Rivers Election Tribunal: Drama As Police Make U-Turn

Wike and Peterside

Mild drama played out before the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal yesterday, as the Nigerian Police Force, which earlier testified that the April 11 gubernatorial election in the state was marred by violence, reversed itself, saying the poll was peaceful and credibly conducted. Police went ahead to disown the testimony of previous officers that were brought to testify before the tribunal by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

Those that testified for the police yesterday were an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Mr. Akugbo Kenneth and Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Mr. Uche Mike Chukwuma.

In his evidence-in-chief yesterday, ASP Kenneth, who is currently at the force intelligence Unit in Lagos, told the court that he was in charge of police officers that monitored election at Gokana and Eleme Local Government Areas of the state during the election.

At Least 26 Die In Guatemala Landslide

Rescue workers and firemen search for survivors at the the site of a landslide in Cambray, a neighborhood in the suburb of Santa Catarina Pinula, about 10 miles east of Guatemala City. Photo: AP

The number of dead was expected to rise with family members reporting 100 people missing.

Homemaker Dulce del Carmen Lavarenzo Pu had just returned from church when the ground shook and she heard a terrible noise. A wave of mud slid from the nearby mountainside and buried everything just 150 feet (50 meters) from her house.

“Everything went black, because the lights went out,” said the 28-year-old. A massive mudslide struck in her neighborhood on the outskirts of Guatemala City on Thursday night. “Ash and dust were falling, so we left the house. You couldn’t see anything.”

The rain-sodden hillside about 300 feet (100 meters) high had collapsed onto her neighborhood, killing at least 26 people, including the cousin of Lavarenzo Pu. She burst into tears upon seeing the body of her cousin brought into the morgue on Friday. Some 36 people were injured.

The number of dead was expected to rise with family members reporting 100 people missing. The number of missing could be as high as 600 based on at least 100 homes in the area of the slide, said Alejandro Maldonado, executive secretary of Conred, Guatemala’s emergency disaster agency.

British Conman Who Faked 2-Year Coma Jailed Over ‘Extreme’ Attempt To Avoid Court

A man who faked a coma and successfully avoided fraud charges for two years has been slapped with additional jail time, along with his wife, for their effort to try to con the courts, to the “extreme.”  The residents of Sketty, located just outside of Swansea, Wales, admitted to perverting the course of justice and have now been sentenced by Judge Huw Davies.

'Quadriplegic' conman admits faking illness to avoid justice after stealing £40,000

Forty-eight-year-old Alan Knight was arrested 2011 for stealing more than US$60,000 (£41,000) from his elderly neighbor’s bank account. In order to avoid charges the man claimed to be suffering from debilitating illnesses including quadriplegia, seizures and was slipping into comas.

Boko Haram strikes in Abuja, kills 20 in Kuje, Nyanya; Many Feared Dead In Twin Blasts

Suicide bombers set off explosive devices in Kuje, Nyanya, Abuja surburbs

Boko Haram militants struck last night in Kuje and Nyanya parts of the Federal Capital Territory, leaving many dead and a sizable number of people injured. The death toll was put at about 20 but the military, security agencies and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were mopping up last night.

Although NEMA confirmed that the explosions resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, it was silent on the toll.

Armed soldiers have been drafted to the affected parts to curtail the insurgents.

Oakland Community Shocked After Artist Shot Dead While Painting Peace Mural

#AntonioRamos murdered in #Oakland while painting boy with powers to heal and stop violence. @oaklandpoliceca

A young artist has been shot dead in a rough part of Oakland. He was working on a community project painting a motivational mural to inspire young people to dream big. Fellow artists have described the shooting as random, saying Antonio Ramos, 27, had had an argument with a passerby who wasn’t part of the group working on the Mural Project. The argument quickly escalated, and the offender used his gun on Ramos and ran away.

“How do you do something positive and still get shot for it?” a childhood friend of Ramos told the San Francisco Chronicle. Many took to Twitter to express their sorrow and a profound feeling of injustice.

Ramos died of multiple gunshot wounds and now the team he worked with is gathering funds to hold a funeral for him.

Top Sierra Leone Sprinter’s UK Asylum Bid Rejected

© Jimmy Thoronka / Facebook

The Home Office has refused Sierra Leone star 100m sprinter Jimmy Thoronka’s application to remain in the UK despite a scholarship offered to the athlete by a London university after he was found homeless in a London park this spring.

“I don’t have any options. It’s really hard for me to make a decision for what to do next. God is the only one that can make a decision for me,” Thoronka told the Guardian.

In March, Thoronka, 21, was found sleeping in a South London park. The sprinter went missing in the summer of 2014 after competing in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as Ebola raged in West Africa, killing nearly 4,000 people in Sierra Leone alone.

Eight members of Thoronka’s family died from the virus: his adoptive mother, three of his adoptive siblings, three of his aunts and an uncle.

Ex-Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Arrested In London; EFCC Swoops On Abuja Residence As Alison-Madueke Arrested In London

Former Nigeria's Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke

The immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was on Friday arrested in London. The former minister, who was one of the most powerful officials of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, was arrested Friday morning alongside four other people by the UK National Crime Agency. The identities of the four other people arrested along with her could not be immediately ascertained.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt she was arrested for offences related to bribery and corruption being investigated by the UK National Crime Agency.

Two top British officials in London have confirmed the development to this newspaper. They requested not to be named because they had no permission to speak on the issue.

When contacted, the British High Commission in Nigeria confirmed that some arrests were made Friday but declined to disclose the identities of those involved.

55th Independence Anniversary: Obiano Grants Prisoners Freedom, Gives ₦1 Million Each

Governor Willie Obiano

Twenty five prisoners from the three prisons in Anambra state have regained their freedom as well as received empowerment to the tune of ₦1 million each from the state government.

Governor Willie Obiano announced the prerogative of mercy and the empowerment on the prisoners serving different jail terms in Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi prisons as part of activities marking the nation’s fifty fifth Independence Anniversary and as a measure of hope to them to be able to re-integrate into the society and fend for themselves.

Maiduguri Bomb Blast: 14 Killed By 4 Suicide Bombers – Nigerian Army

Boko Haram has sworn allegiance to Islamic State and often displays its trademark black flag (Image source: BBC)

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the killing of 14 persons, including four suicide bombers, in a bomb explosion at Sajeri area of Maiduguri in Borno. The acting Army spokesman, Sani Usman, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday.

Mr. Usman, a colonel, said 39 other persons were injured in the explosion which occurred near the Ajilari railway crossing on Thursday evening.

According to the statement, security operatives and emergency management team were mobilized to take care of the wounded.

Ronaldo Equals Raul's Real Madrid Scoring Record

Cristiano Ronaldo powerful shot with his left foot (Image source: realmadrid.com)

Cristiano Ronaldo equalled Raul as Real Madrid's all-time top scorer when he netted both goals in a 2-0 win at Swedish side Malmo in Champions League Group A on Wednesday. Former Spain striker Raul, now with New York Cosmos, hit 323 goals in 741 appearances for Real between 1994 and 2010, while Ronaldo has needed a mere 308 games to match him.

The Portugal captain scored his 500th career goal in 753 games for club and country in the 29th minute when he ran clear onto an Isco pass and clipped a clinical shot past Johan Wiland in the Malmo goal.

55TH INDEPENDENCE DAY: Low-Key Ceremony At Presidential Villa

FOR PEACE IN NIGERIA: President Buhari releasing a pigeon to signify peace during the Independence Day anniversary at Aso Villa...yesterday. Photo: Akin Oladokun

Nigeria had yesterday a low-profile 55th anniversary celebration — in the spirit of these times. President Muhammadu Buhari led key government officials, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Chief Justice Mahmud Mohammed and a host of former government officials to witness a change of guards at the Aso Villa.

The short military ceremony marked the climax of the activities for the anniversary.

There had been services at the mosque and the church.

UPDATE: Oregon, US Gunman Named As Chris Harper Mercer; President Obama Says America Made 'Political Choice' To Allow Mass Shootings

Chris Harper Mercer who has been identified by US media as the gunman in Oregon shooting in which at least nine people died and dozens more were wounded

A gunman opened fire inside a classroom at a rural Oregon college, killing at least nine people before dying in a shoot-out with police. One survivor said he demanded his victims state their religion before he started shooting. The attack shattered the first week of classes at Umpqua Community College in the small timber town of Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland.

The killer was identified as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer. The authorities shed no light on his motive and said they were investigating.

However, a number of news outlets have reported how his online presence indicates support for the IRA and a morbid interest in the Sandy Hook massacre.

US SCHOOL SHOOTING: Up To 13 Killed; 20 Hurt By Shooter At Ore. Community College

A patient is wheeled into the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Ore., following a deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg.(Photo: Aaron Yost, Roseburg News-Review via AP)

As many as 13 people were killed and 20 injured Thursday when a shooter opened fire in a classroom at a community college in southern Oregon, according to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenbaum. The attorney general said the shooter was killed in the melee at Umpqua Community College near Roseburg, Ore., KGW-TV reports.

“It is believed there is only one shooter who is no longer a threat,”  Oregon State Police said in a statement. “There is no current threat to the community.”

A witness at the scene in Roseburg said the male shooter was shot by police and was acting alone, according The Register-Guard  of Eugene. The report could not be immediately confirmed.

Buhari Orders Probe Of CBN, NNPC, FIRS, NCC, Customs

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a complete audit of all revenue generating agencies in the country as a cleanup measure and to make them more efficient. Top on the list of the agencies are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Nigerian Customs Service.

PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported how former President Goodluck Jonathan had authorized the withdrawal of ₦67.2 billion in cash from the Central Bank of Nigeria in the build up to the 2015 general elections.

See How Google Honoured Nigerian Independence Day

Google designed a special "doodle" to mark the country's 55th anniversary of independence, complete with the familiar eagle, the symbol of strength which features on Nigeria's official coat of arms, and of course, inspiration for the beloved Super Eagles national team.

Buhari, Osinbajo, Others Witness Colourful 55th Independence Anniversary

From Left: Speaker House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; Former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, and Former Vice President, Chief Alex Ekweme, at the Presidential Change of Guards to Mark Nigeria’s 55th Independence Day Celebration in Abuja

The Federal Government on Thursday in Abuja held a low key celebration to mark the nation’s 55th independence anniversary. The event, which was held at the fore-court of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, witnessed special presidential change of guard to mark the event, which lasted for about two hours.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, had earlier indicated that the 2015’s anniversary would be low-keyed, due to the state of the country’s finances.

FOR THE RECORD: Full Text Of President Buhari’s 55th Independence Anniversary Speech

BEING TEXT OF SPEECH BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI TO MARK NIGERIA’S 55TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY.

October 1 is a day for joy and celebrations for us Nigerians whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in because it is the day, 55 years ago; we liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonialism and began our long march to nationhood and to greatness.

FOR THE RECORD: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa 1st Independence Day Speech & Pictures In 1960

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, speaking as Nigeria’s Prime Minister

Full Text of Speech Delivered by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, at Nigeria's Independence Ceremony, October 1st, 1960

On Saturday, October 1, 1960, Nigeria became an independent nation. What follows is Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa's speech delivered at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos at the Independence Ceremony.

Today is Independence Day. The first of October 1960 is a date to which for two years every Nigerian has been eagerly looking forward. At last, our great day has arrived, and Nigeria is now indeed an independent sovereign nation.

Words cannot adequately express my joy and pride at being the Nigerian citizen privileged to accept from Her Royal Highness these Constitutional Instruments which are the symbols of Nigeria’s Independence. It is a unique privilege which I shall remember forever, and it gives me strength and courage as I dedicate my life to the service of our country.

Immigration To Shame Ex-Ministers, Govs Holding Diplomatic Passports

Martin Kure Abeshi, NIS Comptroller General

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has threatened to publish the names of former Ministers, Governors and members of the National and State Assemblies who are illegally in possession of official and diplomatic passports soon. The Comptroller General of the NIS Martin Kure Abeshi issued the threat while speaking at the Service headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari on 7th September, 2015 directed the NIS to retrieve the documents from all illegal holders, mostly former top public office holders but the NIS Comptroller General said most of them were yet to comply with the directive.

'I Am Also Important'— Zama Ngema; South African Woman Refuses To Move For VIPS During Ramaphosa's Address

Zama Ngema, who was told to move to the back of the hall where Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was speaking. (Amanda Khoza, News24)

When an ANC official told Zama Ngema, 58, to move to the back of the Pietermaritzburg City Hall because she was occupying a seat reserved for VIPS, she made sure to kick up a fuss. "I am also important, why must I sit at the back,” she said, adding that she had borrowed R11 just so that she could see Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa speak during his address on Tuesday.

Livid, Ngema, from ward 19 in Mbali township, wiped away tears as she protested the move.

She was seated in the second row where she could get a clear view of Ramaphosa and was one of about 1,500 people.

FOR THE RECORD: Nigeria’s Public Institutions Perform Poorly In FOI Rankings

FOI - Your Right To Know (Image source: change.org)

Public institutions in Nigeria have remained unresponsive to Freedom of Information requests, separate assessments by two organizations have shown. The FOI Act, signed into law in 2011 by then President Goodluck Jonathan, ‎was enacted to allow access to public records and information.

But institutions have continued to ignore the provisions of the law.

In an assessment by Right to Know released on Monday,‎ all 39 government institutions assessed failed to comply with proactive disclosure – records made available without requests, a statutory obligation under the FOI Act.

Boko Haram ‘Poisons’ Water Sources In Borno

Army claims credible evidence of poisoning water sources (Image source: TheCable)

The Nigerian army says the Boko Haram sect is poisoning water sources in some communities where its members were dislodged in Borno state. Tukur Gusau, deputy director army public relations, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, warning residents of the state to avoid drinking water from unverified sources.

“They have now resorted to poisoning water sources like wells and streams,” the statement read.

“Some cattle were killed after drinking water from some poisoned sources. The latest being the poisoning of the cattle water ponds in Kangallam village along Marte and Abadam axis in Borno state where a large number of cattle died after drinking water from the ponds.

President Sends Ministerial Nominees List To Senate

Saraki (left) with Kyari (middle) and Enang (right) at the presentation of the list

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally submitted a list of his ministerial nominees to the Senate, Bukola Saraki, the senate president, confirmed late Wednesday.

The list came hours after the Senate adjourned for the day, fueling concerns the president may default on the September deadline he imposed on himself.

Buhari To Address The Nation Thursday

President Muhammadu Buhari (Photo: AP)

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday make a nationwide broadcast as part of the programme of activities to mark Nigeria’s 55th Independence Anniversary. The president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, said the broadcast would be at 7a.m.

“All electronic media stations are kindly requested to join the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) for the broadcast,” the statement said.

South Africans 'To March Against Corruption' As Thousands 'Unite Against Corruption', Marching In PTA, CPT

© & Image source: eNCA

Cape Town and Pretoria are expected to come to a standstill on Wednesday as thousands of people march against corruption. According to the United Against Corruption campaign, quoting the Institute for Accountability, corruption in South Africa has cost at least R700-billion in the past 20 years.

The coalition of organizations and individuals has described, on its website, itself as “an opportunity to bring together, in a spirit of unity, all those people who view corruption as an assault on our Constitution’s promise of equality and dignity".

Americans Being Radicalized By ISIS At ‘Unprecedented’ Rate – Report

© Stringer / Reuters

The United States has “largely failed” in its effort to keep Americans from joining the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq and Syria, and the government lacks a national strategy for combating the trend, a bipartisan congressional report stated.

Released on Monday, the report found that the federal government has generally failed to keep more than 250 Americans from leaving the country to join Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) since 2011. Overall, nearly 30,000 people from around the world have traveled to the region in the same time frame.

UN Is An ‘Entirely Corrupt Body’ – Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters To RT

British recording artist, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame, told RT that US media is entertainment used to sell soap powder and doesn’t give Americans the news of the world. He also claimed that the UN is a corrupt body, with the US controlling most voting decisions.

Waters was promoting his newly released documentary, titled “Roger Waters The Wall,” when the subject of the UN came up. He noted that he spoke to the UN Human Rights Committee in 2012 when there was a vote to recognize the idea of a Palestinian state and “raise the status of the Palestinian people to an observer nation state from non-observer status.”

Fighting Erupts As President Rushes Back To Central African Republic

Catherine Samba-Panza, interim President of the Central African Republic, addresses a plenary meeting of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York September 26, 2015. Reuters/Darren Ornitz

Fierce fighting between militia and U.N. peacekeepers erupted in the Central African Republic on Tuesday as President Catherine Samba-Panza rushed back early from the U.N. General Assembly in a bid to end days of violence in which at least 37 people died. Ahead of Samba-Panza's arrival, U.N. troops moved to clear barricades on the road from the airport to the centre of the capital Bangui, sparking heavy clashes with the anti-balaka militia.

Witnesses reported heavy gunfire and said two helicopters from France's Sangaris peacekeeping mission circled near the airport, opening fire on militia fighters. Calm returned by late afternoon.

Hajj Stampede: 244 Still Missing, Nigeria’s Death Toll Rises To 64

Muktar, NAHCON Chairman

The death toll of Nigerians from Saudi Arabia’s stampede during the just concluded hajj rites has risen to 64 with 71 others sustaining various degree of injuries while 244 others are still missing. Head, Public Relations at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Mallam Uba Mana told newsmen in Saudi Arabia yesterday, that the commission is doing all within its power to locate the whereabouts of those still missing.

“This briefing is just to give you an update of the situation of things as regard those that died, injured and those still missing after the stampede. We have 64 Nigerians dead from the stampede, 71 injured and 244 still missing.

Successful, Positive People Have Different Brain Connections

Scientists have for the first time observed a connection between particular brain centres and the presence of talent, success and positive lifestyle choices in people. The fMRI technique opens the door to extensive research which could improving human cognition.

The research was undertaken by the University of Oxford’s Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB). It took a large sample of 461 individuals, and crossed them with 280 behavioral traits, as well as demographic, traits – including language, vocabulary, education, income and others.

AU To Set Up South Sudan Court

More than two million civilians have been displaced by the fighting since December 2013 Photo: AFP

The African Union says it will establish a court to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of committing atrocities in South Sudan. BBC reports that the court will use a mix of international and South Sudanese law.

The AU's Peace and Security Council says the court will look into all atrocities carried out in the country since the eruption of a bloody civil war in December 2013.

It also says an AU inquiry found no evidence of genocide committed during the 20-month old conflict.

But the commission, led by Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo, found evidence of murder, torture, looting and sexual violence committed by both parties to the conflict.