South Africa Police Chief Suspended Over Marikana

Riah Phiyega said police management did not have "murderous intent" on the day the striking miners were shot in 2012. (Photo: AFP)

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has suspended Police Chief Riah Phiyega, pending the outcome of an inquiry into her leadership during the Marikana incident in August 2012 when 34 striking mineworkers were killed. Police shot dead the miners at the Lonmin platinum mine, saying they were acting in self-defence.

The shooting was the most deadly police incident since the end of apartheid in 1994, and shocked the nation.

A statement from South Africa's presidency says the suspension of General Riah Phiyega is with immediate effect and on full pay.

FOR THE RECORD: Buhari – There’re Big Challenges, Tough Choices

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria is currently experiencing monumental challenges that mean tough choices have to be made. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the opening of the 21st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES), Buhari said there were also “incredible opportunities for achieving competitiveness”.

He was represented by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

“We are at a time of monumental challenges and tough choices, but also a time of incredible opportunities for achieving competitiveness, inclusive growth and sustainability”, Buhari said. We, as a government, are called upon to make tough choices in exchange for control restrictions, altering the absurd recurrent-to-capital expenditure ratio, reducing the deficit and reducing the overall size of governance. We are called upon to clean up the mess and rebuild the institutions that corruption has ravaged over the years.”

Hayatou In Zurich To Take Up FIFA Presidency

Mr Hayatou has said he won't stand for Fifa presidency to replace Sepp Blatter permanently  (Photo: AFP)

Issa Hayatou is in Zurich to take temporary charge of football's world governing body, Fifa, Confederation of African Football (CAF) spokesman Junior Binyam has told the BBC.

The Cameroonian, 69, is replacing Sepp Blatter after the Swiss was provisionally suspended for 90 days pending an investigation into corruption allegations.

Hayatou himself has faced allegations of corruption in the past, which he has denied.

He was reprimanded by International Olympic Committee in 2011 over allegations he accepted bribes for World Cup TV rights in the 1990s.

The long-standing CAF president has already stood in for Blatter this year, handing over the Women's World Cup trophy in Canada to the winning United States side in July.

China's Middle Class Overtakes US As The World's Largest

© Fred Dufour / AFP

The US middle class, long considered a measure of prosperity, has for the first time been overtaken by China. A hundred and nine million people now make up China's middle class compared to 92 million in the US, says the 2015 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report.

While the middle class grew at a slower pace than wealth at the top end, the report forecasts Asia will see the greatest expansion.

"The middle class will continue to expand in emerging economies overall, with a lion's share of that growth to occur in Asia,” said Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam in the report.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Ebola-Stricken Nurse Pauline Cafferkey 'Critically Ill' After Condition Worsens

Nurse Pauline Cafferkey is "critically ill"

A nurse who is being treated for a late complication of an Ebola infection is now "critically ill" after her condition "deteriorated", the hospital treating her has said. Pauline Cafferkey, 39, was admitted to the isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in North West London on Friday after becoming unwell in Glasgow.

A statement from the Royal Free said: "We are sad to announce that Pauline Cafferkey's condition has deteriorated and she is now critically ill.

"She is being treated for Ebola in the high level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital."

Nigeria Arrests 'Masterminds Of Abuja Blasts'

Several people were injured in the attacks (AFP)

Two prime suspects and masterminds of multiple explosions that ripped through the outskirts of the Nigeria's capital, Abuja, on 2 October have been arrested, the police said. The attacks in Kuje and Nyanya suburbs, believed to have been carried out by the Islamist militant group in Boko Haram, killed at least 18 people.

BBC reports that the police said in a statement that it had foiled another attempt by suspected terrorists to carry out another in the capital.

It added that it had recovered "12 already prepared and primed homemade explosives... 28 pieces of electronic detonators and large quantity of IED-making materials".

The suspects would soon be arraigned in court, the statement said.

17 Remanded Over Killing Of Disu, Lekki Investment MD

Suspected killers of the Managing Director of Lekki Worldwide Investment Limited, Mr. Tajudeen Disu, during their arraignment at a Chief Magistrate Court in Lagos yesterday.

A Lagos State Magistrate’s Court in Ebute-Metta yesterday ordered 17 people arrested in connection with the killing of the Managing Director, Lekki Worldwide Investment Limited, Mr. Tajudeen Disu, on Monday to be remanded in custody.

Delivering ruling in an application brought by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Magistrate (Mrs) Folashade Botoku said she aligned with the argument of the prosecution counsel which asked for the remand of the suspects for more days.

Disu was killed during a peace mission to one of the communities in the Free Trade Zone area in Ibeju Lekki after which 17 suspects were arrested by the DSS.‎

NIS Recruitment Stampede: Perm Sec, Immigration Pass Buck Over Recruitment Failure

From left: Deputy Comptroller- General of Immigration Service, Yahaya Malgwi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji and Director Ministry of Interior, Abdulkarim Ibrahim, during the public hearing on Nigeria Immigration recruitment stampede at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji and the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Martin Kure Abeshi yesterday distanced themselves from the failure to honour presidential directive for the recruitment of immigration stampede victims. The duo, who appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee set up to probe immigration’s failure to employ relations of the victims, blamed the presidential committee tasked to ensure recruitment of the 176 victims relations.

2018 World Cup: Chad And Comoros With Shock Wins

The first round proper of World Cup qualifying will take place in November (Photo: AFP)

Chad and Comoros both earned away goal victories on Tuesday to progress to the next round of 2018 World Cup qualifying.

Comoros are ranked 193rd in the latest FIFA World Rankings and managed a 1-1 draw in Lesotho and that was the same score on aggregate.

41 Writers Return Indian Award, Cite Climate Of Intolerance

Maya Krishna Rao, playwright and theatre actress

Dozens of writers have returned India's highest literary honor to protest what they call a growing climate of intolerance in the country since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took office. As of Wednesday, 41 novelists, essayists, playwrights and poets had returned the awards they received from India's prestigious literary academy, saying they cannot remain silent about numerous incidents of communal violence or attacks on intellectuals across the country over the past year.

Maiduguri Blasts Killed Seven People

Maiduguri has been the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency (Photo: Getty Images)

At least seven people have been killed after three suicide bombers attacked a residential area in Nigeria's north-eastern city of Maiduguri last night, the army said.

"The explosions occurred at three-minute intervals and seven people were confirmed dead, including the three suicide terrorists," army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman told the BBC Hausa service.

He added that 11 others sustained "various degrees of injuries".

No group has said it carried out the attack but the city is frequently attacked by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

More than 100 people have been killed in similar blasts in the city in the past four weeks.

NYSC’s Certificates Now Embossed With Pictures

NYSC Acting Director, Certification, Alhaji Aliyu Taura (L) and Director, Press & Public Relations, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe, unveiling the newly improved NYSC Certificate in Abuja on Thursday /13/10/2015/JAU/BJO/NAN

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will begin to issue certificates of national service with the passport photographs of corps members as key features from Thursday. NYSC’s Director-General Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, who said this in Abuja at the unveiling of the newly improved certificate of national service, noted that it was part of efforts to check cases of fake corps members.

Olawumi, who spoke through Alhaji Aliu Daura, NYSC’s director of Certification, said the new certificate was produced to end all forms of fraud perpetuated by users of the old certificate.

His words: “In our concerted effort to make the operation of the NYSC conform with global best practices, the scheme engaged in the holistic “e-nysc solution” with effect from batch ‘C’ 2014, where prospective corps members register online before proceeding to the orientation camps. This resulted in the enhancement of issuance of NYSC certificates namely: Certificate of National Service, Certificate of Exemptions, and Letters of Exclusion.

40 Robbers Loot Lagos Banks, Kill Mother & Baby

Slain mother and child (Image source: Vanguard)

No fewer than forty heavily armed robbers, yesterday morning, invaded two second generation banks in 4th Avenue, Festac area of Lagos state and carted away huge sums of money. During the operation which lasted hours, a two-year-old toddler, Mmesoma Ndirika, and her mother, Jane, who were inside their apartment in an adjoining building, were reportedly hit by stray bullets from the bandits who were shooting sporadically in all directions.

Reports said both mother and child later died as a result of injuries they sustained from the bullet.   A commercial motorcyclist who was also hit by stray bullets reportedly died later in an undisclosed private hospital.

It took the Police more than one and half hours to respond.

41% Of Firms Generate Own Power, Says NESG

Despite improved power supply, 41 per cent of businesses still generate their own electricity, while 56 per cent don’t have access to electricity, the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) said yesterday. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 21st Nigerian Economic Summit, NESG Chairman, Kyari Bukar, also advocated the immediate passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law by the National Assembly, pointing out that the bill contained provisions that will transform the oil and gas sector.

While lauding President Muhammdu Buhari for the improvement in power supply, he said the country faces significant challenges in developing a stable business environment as she ranked 170 out of 189 countries the World Bank is doing business with.

World Cup Qualifiers To Be Decided

South Sudan played their first World Cup match in the first leg against Mauritania (Photo: AFP)

Ten World Cup qualifying ties are to be decided today. With the exception of Sierra Leone, all of today's hosts appear to have the advantage for the second legs of the preliminary round.

MH17 Shot With BUK Missile, Ukraine Failed To Close Airspace

© mh17.onderzoeksraad.nl

The Dutch Safety Board says a BUK missile with a 3N314M warhead was responsible for downing MH17. It also noted that Ukrainian aviation regulators admitted that arms were being in the east of Ukraine which were capable of striking passenger aircraft. "In the months before the crash, at least 16 military airplanes and helicopters were shot down in the eastern part of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities were aware of this. They stated that, occasionally, weapon systems were used that could reach the cruising altitude of civil airliners. Yet, despite of all this, Ukraine did not close its airspace," said Tjibbe Joustra, the Dutch Safety Board chairman.

The announcement at an airbase in Gilze Rijen in the Netherlands mentioned that civil aviation aircraft should not have been allowed to fly over the east of Ukraine, due to the risk of a plane being struck.

'350 Lashes Will Kill Him': British PM Urged To Help Jailed UK 74yo In Saudi Arabia

Karl Andree © Facebook

A 74-year-old British man is facing a punishment of 350 lashes for making homemade wine. The children of Karl Andree have called on UK Prime Minister David Cameron to bring up the issue with Saudi authorities, saying the ordeal will kill him.

Andree, who has been working in the Kingdom for the last 25 years as an oil executive, was arrested in August 2014 after police found bottles of wine in his car.

The Briton has already served 12 months in one of the country’s jails – Briman Prison in Jeddah. However, the Saudi authorities believe this is not enough and are mulling over whether to inflict 350 lashes on him.

Andree has endured three bouts of cancer and has asthma. His family believes that he would not survive such a brutal punishment.