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Showing posts from October 6, 2017

Guard burns four toddlers to death in Brazil horror

A Brazilian nursery school guard burned four toddlers and their teacher to death after spraying them with alcohol and setting them alight Thursday in an attack which horrified the nation. Dozens of people were also hurt in the blaze while the guard, who was reported to be mentally ill, died after succumbing to his own burn injuries. The tragedy occurred in a modest quarter of Janauba, a city of 70,000 about 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Belo Horizonte city. Janauba’s mayor decreed seven days of mourning. “This morning, four children and a teacher burned to death when a guard at the nursery school sprayed alcohol on the victims and his own body before setting them alight,” the prosecutor of Minas Gerais state, in the country’s southeast, said in a statement. About 50 people were hospitalized with injuries, said Bruno Ataide Santos, director of the local hospital. Their condition was not known. The guard, aged about 50, died in hospital several hours after the inci

Donald Trump annuls mandatory Obamacare contraception coverage

US President Donald Trump’s administration annulled on Friday an Obamacare provision that obliged employer health plans to pay for contraception. The move extends to all commercial enterprises an exemption already given to religious institutions. It expands “exemptions to protect moral convictions for certain entities and individuals whose health plans are subject to a mandate of contraceptive coverage” under Obamacare, a note published by the US Department of Health and Human Services said. Obamacare is the common name for the Affordable Care Act, health reforms that took effect under former President Barack Obama in 2010. It allowed millions of uninsured people to get health insurance. Repealing the act was one of Trump’s most strident campaign promises. He described Obamacare as a “total disaster,” but his Republican Party has failed in efforts to repeal the health reforms. Millions of American women who had the cost of contraception reimbursed could be affected by the Tr

At least 16 killed as train hits bus in Russia

At least 16 people were killed on Friday when a train slammed into a bus that had broken down on a level crossing east of Moscow, authorities said. The collision occurred before dawn on Friday near the town of Pokrov, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) from the Russian capital. “According to preliminary information, 16 people, including a child, have been killed,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said. “Other passengers, including minors, have been taken to hospital with various injuries. The number of dead and injured is being ascertained,” the committee said, confirming it had opened an investigation. The regional interior ministry said the bus broke down on the level crossing. Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that 19 Uzbek nationals had died in the crash, despite the Investigative Committee reporting a lower figure. The train, travelling at 90 kilometres per hour from the second city of Saint Petersburg to Nizhny Novgorod, east of Moscow, slammed into the

North Korea missiles ‘can reach west coast of US’ – Russian politician

North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile it believes can reach the west coast of the US, it has been claimed. Russian politician Anton Morozov made the claim following a visit to Pyongyang, in comments carried by Russia’s RIA news agency. “They are preparing for new tests of a long-range missile,” RIA quoted Mr Morozov, a member of the Russian Duma’s international affairs committee, as saying. “They even gave us mathematical calculations that they believe prove that their missile can hit the west coast of the United States. “As far as we understand, they intend to launch one more long-range missile in the near future. And in general, their mood is rather belligerent.” US President Donald Trump has said he is fully prepared to take the “military option” to deal with Pyongyang, which has carried out repeated nuclear and ballistic missile tests in the face of UN sanctions. Earlier this year it was claimed North Korea had successfully developed a miniaturised nucl

Nigerian national arrested for kidney fraud in India

The Police in India have arrested a Nigerian national for allegedly defrauding 20 people of Rs 3 crore (about N16.55m) in kidney donation scam. Reports from India said David Ujma Uba, 32, had promised to help his victims secure kidney donations. Uba arrived Kolkata in the world most populous nation on a tourist visa in 2013. Police in the city said the Nigerian created a fake hospital website and issued an advertisement asking those in need of kidneys to get in touch with him. Uba asked those who contacted him to pay various sums into his bank account but failed to render the services he advertised. Realising they have been scammed, the victims filed a complaint with Kolkata cyber crime police in April. Uba was traced through his phone’s call record details and arrested at his friend’s place in Nagenahalli Dinne near Kothanur.

UK PM May postpones trip to China to avoid timetable clash with Trump: Sky

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May has postponed a trip to China that had been provisionally planned for November due to a timetable clash with U.S. President Donald Trump who would have been there at the same time, Sky News reported on Friday.

Donald Trump is treating a potential war like a reality show cliffhanger

President Donald Trump hosted his top military brass and their spouses for dinner at the White House on Thursday night. The group posed for a photo. Then this exchange with reporters happened: Trump: "You guys know what this represents? Maybe it's the calm before the storm." Trump: "It could be ... the calm, the calm before the storm." Reporter: "Iran? ISIS? What storm, Mr. President?" Trump: "We have the world's great military people in this room, I will tell you that. And uh, we're gonna have a great evening, thank you all for coming." Reporter: "What storm, Mr. President?" Trump: "You'll find out." What. The. Hell. Is. Happening. To be clear: Trump didn't have to say anything. Reporters shout questions at these photo-ops all the time. Presidents ignore them all the time. So he did this on purpose. He wanted to say this -- so he did. Now as for what he said. When you say "maybe it&

Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola up for Manager of the Month award

Arsene Wenger is one of four Premier League bosses nominated for the September Manager of the Month award. The Arsenal boss, who was the subject of protests throughout last season, steered the Gunners to two wins and one draw last month. Manchester City, who sit top of the Premier League, were the only team to win all four of their September matches in the English top flight, earning Pep Guardiola a place among the contenders Jose Mourinho led Manchester United to three wins and a draw in the same period, with his side behind their local rivals only on goal difference. Mauricio Pochettino completes the quartet of nominees for the award, having collected 10 points from a possible 12 in September, leaving Spurs just behind the Manchester clubs at the top of the table.

ECOWAS signs strategic framework to protect children from violence

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday adopted a Strategic Framework for Strengthening National Child Protection Systems to prevent and respond to violence, abuse and exploitation against children in West Africa. A statement signed by Geoffrey Njoku, Communication Specialist, United Nations For Children Fund (UNICEF), said that the decision which will have positive implications for millions of children in West Africa was taken at the ECOWAS First Ladies’ Forum in Niamey, from October 2 to 5 2017. Based on the new framework Ministers responsible for the care and protection of children across the 15 Member States of ECOWAS agreed to take concrete measures to protect children from every form of violence, abuse and exploitation on a wide range of issues. In doing so they are committing to concrete measures to protect children from the most damaging forms of abuse, by focusing on five priority areas: sexual, physical and emotional violence against children, i

Governor Al-Makura’s wife Mairo secures release of 70 prisoners

The First Lady of Nassarawa State, Mairo Al-Makura, has secured the freedom of no fewer than 70 inmates of Lafia Prison. She reportedly did so through the payment of the fines for their offences. Mrs. Al-Makura, who was represented by the former Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, Hajia Zainab Ahmed, said the inmates had been incarcerated for a long time. She advised them against going back into crime or keeping bad friends. She said “I am greatly delighted to be here to witness the release of 70 prison inmates, whose fines have already been paid, from the Lafia Prison. “I have confirmed from the prison authorities that the inmates have been reformed and are ready to be released into the larger society.” She, however, called on the members of the society to accept and embrace the inmates and give them all the necessary support to enable them to live crime-free lives. One of the ex-inmates, 25-yrs-old Abdullahi Musa, said he was incarcerated for armed robbery. Al

Spain court quiz Catalan police officers in sedition case

Spain's National Court on Friday is questioning two senior officers of Catalonia's regional police force and the leaders of two pro-independence civic groups who have been placed under investigation for sedition. The case is linked to demonstrations Sept. 20-21 in Barcelona, when Spanish police arrested several Catalan government officials and raided offices in a crackdown on preparations for an Oct. 1 referendum on independence. Spanish authorities say the demonstrations hindered the Spanish police operation, and that Catalan police didn't do enough to push back the protesters who were blocking Spanish police officers from leaving a building. The questioning comes amid Spain's biggest political crisis in recent times. Spain has condemned the independence referendum, saying it's illegal, unconstitutional and invalid. Three of the four under investigation for sedition arrived to the National Court in Madrid for questioning. They were Catalan police chief

Igbos not only tribe marginalised in federal appointments – FCC chief Bukar Abba

The Acting Executive-Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr. Shettima Bukar Abba, has said that Igbos are not the only tribe marginalised in federal appointments. He said that the scourge of marginalisation is like a cankerworm affecting every tribe in the country, not just those from South East region. Abba stated this in Abuja while addressing journalists in his office. According to him, if an accurate data of all public and civil servants across the federation was collected and collated through a process that requires minimal human interference or influence, it will be noticed that members of a particular ethnic group or state dominate particular federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) either as decision makers or staffs. “Some groups are talking about marginalization in federal appointments but if you look at the Federal Character strictly and contextualize it in particular MDAs, there is no state or tribe which is not marginalised. “For inst

British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro wins Nobel Literature Prize

The 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. Born in Japan in 1954, the author’s family moved to England when he was five years old. The writer, “in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world”, said the Nobel Prize committee in a statement on Thursday. He is best known for the dystopian work Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, a book Ishiguro has said he wrote in just four weeks. The 62-year-old also writes screenplays Ishiguro studied at the University of Kent, receiving an undergraduate degree in English and Philosophy and later received a Master’s degree from the University of East Anglia in Creative Writing. His latest book, The Buried Giant, was published in 2015. Social media users took to Twitter to congratulate Ishiguro on the high acclaim. “Congrats to Kazuo Ishiguro on the Nobel! REMAINS OF THE DAY was perfect, emotionally, politically,