Saturday, May 07, 2016

Bayern Munich Secure Record Fourth Straight Bundesliga Title

Bayern's Robert Lewandowski scores his side's opening goal from the penalty spot during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Ingolstadt and FC Bayern Munich in Ingolstadt, Germany, Saturday, May 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern Munich secured a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title with a game to spare on Saturday after a 2-1 victory at Ingolstadt helped them put the disappointment of their midweek Champions League semi-final exit behind them.

Sea-Level Rise Claims Five Islands In Solomons: Study

At least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands have either totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing severe erosion, an Australian study shows ©Eskinder Debebe (AFP)
Five islands have disappeared in the Pacific's Solomon Islands due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion, according to an Australian study that could provide valuable insights for future research.

Middlesbrough Wins 'US$250M Game,' Promoted To EPL

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka, right, lifts the cup with Grant Leadbetter as they celebrate returning to the English Premier League after the Championship match against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, England, Saturday May 7, 2016. (Ryan Browne/PA via AP)
Middlesbrough gained promotion to the English Premier League on Saturday after a seven-year absence, following a 1-1 draw with 10-man Brighton which could be worth almost US$250 million to the northern club.

Catholic Bishop Decries Neglect Of Nigerian Prisons

The clergy man spoke during a pastoral visit to Amawbia prisons, Awka South LGA, Anambra State, to administered sacrament of confirmation
The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has decried the poor state of prisons in the country, saying such facilities in a 21st Century must have a human face.

Romanian FA Postpones All Matches Following Ekeng Death

Before arriving in Romania, Patrick Ekeng played for several European clubs, spending four seasons with French Ligue 2 side Le Mans from 2009 to 2013 ©Jean-Francois Monier (AFP)
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has postponed all soccer this weekend following the death of Dinamo Bucharest and Cameroon midfielder Patrick Ekeng on Friday.

Buhari Signs 2016 Budget, Highlights Of 2016 Budget, President Buhari’s Remarks At 2016 Budget Signing Ceremony [FULL TEXT]

President Muhammadu Buhari signs the 2016 Budget into law during a brief ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday. From left is the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Hajia Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun; Minister Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma; Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo; SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Reps.) Ita Enang and (at right) John Odigie-Oyegun, APC Chairman
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday signed the 2016 Appropriation Bill into law, noting that the Act provides for aggregate expenditures of ₦6.06 trillion. 

Ekwueme, Clark, Gbonigi, Other Southern Leaders Reject Proposed Grazing Bill

Dr Alex Ekwueme With President (presidential candidate, General) Muhammadu Buhari
Nigeria leaders, under the aegis of Southern Nigeria People’s Assembly (SNPA), have condemned the rumoured existence of a bill in the National Assembly seeking the establishment of grazing reserves across Nigeria.

100 Nigerians Selected For U.S. Mandela Fellowship

Unites States President Barack Obama
The United States Government on Friday announced its selection of 100 Nigerians to participate in this year’s Mandela Fellowship.

Cameroon's Ekeng Dies During Romanian League Football Game

Patrick Ekeng in action
Cameroon international Patrick Ekeng has died after collapsing on the pitch playing a first division match on Friday with his Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest.
Cameroonian international Patrick Ekeng lies on the pitch after he collapsed during the football match between Dinamo Bucharest and Viitorul Constanta in Bucharest on May 6, 2016

Inside Kwankwaso’s Abandoned Billion-Naira Kano State Institutes

Main entrance of the Kano Sports Academy Karfi
The establishment of 26 institutes in Kano State by the immediate-past governor, Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, was aimed at reducing unemployment among youths and women.

Friday, May 06, 2016

Global Fund: US$3.8 Million Fraud, Stops Aid To Nigeria Agency

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria says it is suspending aid to Nigeria's AIDS agency over evidence that US$3.8 million was stolen by its workers and consultants.

‘3D’ Zebra Crossings Are Tricking Indian Drivers To Stop Them Speeding – And The Idea Is Catching On

© Ssr Krishna / YouTube
The Indian government has rolled out ingenious new “3D” zebra crossings – optical illusions that trick drivers into slowing down at intersections.

Recovering Stolen Funds Has "Become Tedious" — Buhari

President Buhari and UNODC president Yury Fedotov
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, in Abuja, said the process of recovering stolen funds had become tedious.

Thursday, May 05, 2016

First Transplants For HIV-Positive Patients On UK’s National Health Service

There has been a small number of transplants in the UK from donors with HIV and it is hoped the medical breakthrough will inspire people living with the condition to join the organ donor register
*HIV-positive patients had transplants using organs from infected donors *Surgeons at Guy's Hospital took extra precautions during surgeries *Hoped it will inspire more people living with HIV to join organ register *Successful transplants between infected patients will reduce shortages 
Transplants using organs infected with HIV have been carried out on patients in a major breakthrough which could save thousands of lives.

Nigerian Senate Moves To Criminalize Lecturers, Students Sexual Relations; Plans 5-Year Jail Term

Nigeria's Senate
A bill for a law which prescribes five-year jail term for lecturers who engage in sexual relationship with students passed its first reading in the Senate on Wednesday.

Daring Abductors Of Ex-Minister Advised Police To End Hunt, Help Pay ₦200 Million Ransom

Anisulowo (2nd left) after she was rescued and brought to Ogun State Government House. Beside her on the right is Deputy Governor Yetunde Onanuga, while on the left is Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Ali.
The leader of a group that abducted a former minister of state for Education, Iyabo Anisulowo, is an audacious kingpin in the business who approached the police to help facilitate the payment of the 200 million ransom they demanded while she was being held captive, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Budget: FG Outlines 34 Priority Projects

The Federal Government has set out “34 strategic priority programmes and projects” that it intends to achieve beginning with the 2016 budget.

FG Set To Meet Deadline On Digital Broadcasting

From left: Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hajiya Khadija Bukar Ibrahim; Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, during a jointly briefing with State House Correspondent after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja yesterday
The Federal Government has licensed 13 set-up box manufacturers and approved three digital signal distributors in an effort to fast-track the process to meet the June 2017 deadline for transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting in Nigeria.

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Apple Loses Trademark Case As China Rules iPhone Can Be A Handbag

Apple started selling iPhones on the Chinese mainland in 2009 ©Johannes Eisele (AFP)
A Chinese court has ruled against Apple in a case it brought against a small maker of "iPhone"-branded leather goods, state media reported.

Water Shortages Will Deliver ‘Severe Hit’ To World By 2050

© Rogan Ward / Reuters 

Global water shortages are taking their toll. The World Bank has issued a stark warning that the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia will receive a particularly “severe hit” by 2050, and global mismanagement needs to be addressed urgently.

16 Villagers Hacked To Death In Eastern DR Congo

People gather in Beni, in the North Kivu province of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after five people were killed in an attack blamed on Ugandan rebels near the town on May 12, 2015 ©Kudra Maliro (AFP)
Attackers armed with machetes and axes hacked at least 16 civilians to death in a nighttime assault on their village in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, UN and local officials said Wednesday.

Despite Cash Crunch...Govs Spend Billions On Foreign Travels — Daily Trust Investigations

Chairmain of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Mallam Abdulaziz Yari
State governors are still spending billions of naira from public funds on foreign trips in the name of seeking foreign investors, despite the cash crunch facing their states.

Police Rescue Anisulowo, Arrest Two Suspects

Senator Iyabo Anisulowo
Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, who was kidnapped last Wednesday while returning from her farm at Sanwojo in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, has been rescued by the men of the Ogun State police command.

Herdsmen Attack: FG Removes Enugu Police Commissioner

Nwodibo Ekechukwu
The Nigeria Police Force has removed the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mr. Nwodibo Ekechukwu, over the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Senegal, Mauritania Bet On Oil And Gas In Perilous Climate

Energy firms say Senegal and Mauritania's current oil and gas ventures will transform them into net exporters by 2020 ©Spencer Platt (Getty Images/AFP)
While petro-states reel from plunging oil prices and gas producers brace for American exports to hit the market, two West African nations are forging ahead with potentially massive extraction projects others might fear to touch.

'Staggering' Sums Allegedly Stolen In Nigeria; Nigeria Lost About US$15 Billion To Arms Fraud Under Jonathan — Osinbajo

President Muhammadu Buhari has pursued a relentless campaign to tackle corruption since 2015
The figures involved are just staggering. Previously Nigeria's government accused a former security advisor of awarding fake military contracts totalling US$2bn (£1.4bn).

I’ve Ordered Security Agencies To Deal Decisively With Rampaging Herdsmen — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari receives the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria
Against the background of reports of continued attacks on communities across the country by armed herdsmen, President Muhammadu Buhari late Monday in Abuja restated his administration’s resolve to deal decisively and expeditiously with the matter.

Cameroon's President In Nigeria For Security Talks As IMF Released Gloomy Forecasts For African Countries

Mr Biya (pictured second from left) came on the visit with his wife Chantal (pictured right greeting President Muhammadu Buhari)
Cameroon's President Paul Biya has arrived in Nigeria for a three-day visit that is expected to focus on security concerns.

Catholic Bishops: We’re 100 Percent With Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari shakes hands with Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has declared 100 percent support for the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nairobi Building Collapse: Baby Girl Rescued After Four Days

Dealeryn Saisi Wasike - Saved by God's Hand
A six-month-old girl has been rescued from the debris of a building that collapsed four days ago in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Monday, May 02, 2016

23 People In US Shot By Toddlers In 2016 So Far

Jamie Gilt heavily promoted gun ownership on Facebook and had previously posted about her son getting “jacked up” to go shooting.  Ms Gilt was driving down State Road 20, Florida, USA, to pick up a new pony on March 8 when she was shot in the back by her son sitting in the backseat, forcing her vehicle and a hitched horse trailer to stop in the middle of the traveling lanes, according to officials, WJAX reported.
The number of shooting incidents in the US in which toddlers have shot either themselves or others has, so far, increased by almost 30 percent in 2016 when compared with the same period last year, a Washington Post tally has revealed.

Speaker Dogara Invites Ministers To Debates On Economic Diversification

Speaker, House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Sunday asked four ministers to appear before lawmakers at the National Assembly for a series of debates on how to diversify Nigeria’s oil-based economy later this week.

May Day: FG Ignores ₦56,000 Minimum Wage Proposal

Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress at the 2016 International Workers’ Day celebration in Lagos...on Sunday. Photos: Saheed Olugbon
The Federal Government on Sunday kept mum over the recent demand by the organized labour for a new minimum wage of ₦56,000.

Sunday, May 01, 2016