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Showing posts from October 8, 2017

North Korea’s leader promotes sister, reaffirms nuclear drive

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has promoted his sister to a senior ruling party post, state media said Sunday and praised the country’s nuclear weapons programme which has sparked international alarm. Kim Yo-Jong becomes an alternate member of the party’s powerful politburo, the decision-making body presided over by her brother, the official KCNA news agency said. The promotion was announced along with those for dozens of other top officials at a party meeting led by the leader on Saturday. It came as the regime faces growing global pressure to curb its weapons drive following recent nuclear and missile tests. Tensions soared as Kim traded verbal threats with US President Donald Trump, who tweeted on Saturday that “only one thing will work” to tame the isolated nuclear-armed state. The sister, in her late 20s, has frequently been seen accompanying her brother on his “field guidance trips” and other events and is known to have been involved in the party’s propaganda oper

Iran confirms nuclear negotiator imprisoned for spying

Iran confirms nuclear negotiator imprisoned for spying Iran’s judiciary confirmed on Sunday the five-year prison sentence given to a Canadian-Iranian member of its nuclear negotiating team on spying charges. “Mr Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani… was among some who were accused of spying and providing information for foreigners and had links with two espionage services,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie told reporters. Some reports have also said Dorri Esfahani has British citizenship. “The court sentenced him to five years in prison and the verdict is final,” Ejeie said. “He also has a financial corruption case for which a bail has been issued but no indictment has been issued yet.” Dorri Esfahani has a background in the banking sector and was a member of the supervisory board overseeing implementation of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers in 2015. Since mid-2016, conservative websites and members of parliament have repeatedly accused Dorri

The attorney-general said he had been interfacing with the prisons and was quite aware of the challenges they were facing. Ayoka, comptroller of prisons, praised Kalu for his assistance to the prisons and urged other public spirited individual and groups to emulate his gesture. “We always go out of our way to plead for assistance in order to create conducive environment for the prisons to play their reformatory roles,” he said. “[Kalu has succeeded in] in suppressing tensions in the prisons usually generated by discomforts, adding that the items would be distributed to the prisons in Umuahia, Aba and Arochukwu.”

The United States Mission to Turkey says it has suspended processing all non-immigrant visa applications at its diplomatic facilities in the country. A statement issued by the US Embassy in Ankara on Sunday said recent events had forced the US government to reassess the commitment of the Turkish government to the security of US facilities and staff. “In order to minimise the number of visitors to our Embassy and Consulates while this assessment proceeds, effective immediately we have suspended all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic facilities in Turkey,” read the statement. There was no immediate reaction from Ankara. Arrest of US consulate’s employee The move comes a few days after the arrest of a US consulate employee in Istanbul for alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric blamed by Ankara for a failed coup attempt last year. Gulen denies involvement. Washington said it was “deeply disturbed” by the employee’s arrest. Turkey’s state-run Anad

Abia attorney-general donates mattresses as IPOB members overcrowd prison

Abia attorney-general donates mattresses as IPOB members overcrowd prisonUmeh Kalu, attorney-general of Abia state, has donated a hundred mattresses because of the increase prison inmates owing to the arrest of suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Several people arrested were arrested during Operation Python Dance II that was launched in the south-east by the Nigerian army. Kalu said he was aware that the prisons have been overstretched with the arrest of IPOB members. He said the detainees deserved a comfortable place to lay their heads. “They deserve a comfortable place to lay their heads,” he said. “It all in our interest to reform the prisons so that when they come out they won’t come out with bitterness against the society The attorney-general said he had been interfacing with the prisons and was quite aware of the challenges they were facing. Ayoka, comptroller of prisons, praised Kalu for his assistance to the prisons and urged other public

Nigerian senators earn more than Donald Trump, Theresa May – Areoye Oyebola

The Initiator and Chairman, Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation, Chief Areoye Oyebola, has decried the non-responsiveness of Nigerian federal lawmakers to the widespread call for the downward review of their “monumental salaries and allowances.” According to Oyebola, the recent criticism of the federal legislators by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), was just one of many criticisms that had trailed the lawmakers over the years but to which they had turned deaf ears. He recalled that he had raised the same issue in a publication, tagged, “Grave Issues Nigeria Must Tackle,” which was publicly presented at a gathering that had in attendance eminent Nigerians such as a former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN); human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN); and Prof. Pat Utomi. Oyebola had, in the presentation, decried what he described as the insensitivity of the lawmakers, who he said, were living large i

Police invite Davido, others over friend’s controversial death

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigations to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of Tagbo, a friend of the hip hop musician, David Adeleke, popularly called Davido. The command said it was awaiting the result of an autopsy conducted on the deceased to ascertain the cause of death, which would guide its investigations. The Acting Commissioner of Police in the state, Edgar Imohimi, said on Thursday that he had and met with Davido and other parties involved in the case. Tagbo reportedly died on the eve of his birthday on Tuesday at a bar in the Lekki area of the state. A Nigerian actress, Caroline Danjuma, had, through a post on Instagram, accused Davido of dumping Tagbo’s corpse at the General Hospital, Lagos, after he allegedly died in his (Davido’s) car. The actress alleged in the post, which she later deleted, that Davido and his crew fled after depositing the corpse. Danjuma wrote, “Davido where is Tagbo? He was with you and your crew last nig

American rapper Nelly arrested for alleged rape

American rapper Cornell Iral Haynes, better known as Nelly, has been arrested for alleged rape. According to TMZ, Nelly was said to have raped a woman on his tour bus in Ridgefield, Washington, where he is to perform on Saturday night. Nelly is on a tour with rock band Florida Georgia Line. The report quotes law enforcement officers as saying the woman said she was raped by Nelly. The rapper was said to have been booked on second-degree rape charges at around 7am on Saturday morning. Before the alleged incident, the rapper who’s said to be in custody had said: “I’m coming to Ridgefield, Washington tomorrow. I will be giving out tickets.” “If you see Nelly out and come up to me and say ‘all work no play’, I’m giving you four free tickets to the show.” The rapper released his debut solo album ‘Country Grammar’ in 2000. It peaked at number one on the Billboard music charts.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah fires Egypt to World Cup

liverpool’s Mohamed Salah converted a stoppage-time penalty as Egypt sealed a dramatic 2-1 win over Congo to reach the World Cup finals. Salah had put Egypt ahead in the 63rd minute in Alexandria only for Arnold Bouka Moutou to equalise two minutes from the end of regular time. But the Reds forward kept his cool from 12 yards in the final moments (90+5) to seal a victory that gave Egypt an unassailable four-point lead over Uganda in Group E with one round of fixtures remaining. Egypt last qualified for the World Cup in 1990 but will now compete at next summer’s showpiece in Russia. Their Argentina-born coach Hector Cuper had admitted the pressure to end their absence had seen him take medication for high blood pressure. “I am taking hypertension medicine due to the stress I suffer from continuing criticism,” he told reporters, without specifying who his critics were. “Life is full of stress, but the challenge of reaching the World Cup is the toughest stress I have faced

Jhonattan Vegas hoping to inspire Venezuela at Presidents Cup

His surname couldn't be any more American, but Jhonattan Vegas won't be lining up for the Stars and Stripes in the Presidents Cup this week -- instead he'll become the first Venezuelan to play for the International team. The 33-year-old Houston-based pro is proud to be able to represent his country in the prestigious golf competition at Liberty National Golf Club, New Jersey, and hopes he can inspire his country's youngsters to achieve their dreams. It's one of the biggest prides for me taking my flag and putting it in that big of a stage in the golf world," Vegas, who is ranked 38 in the world, told CNN. "By being successful, by doing everything I can, by trying my best, and having success, and putting my country's name in places like the Presidents Cup. "It's what probably drives kids nowadays, to set goals, to shoot for high [sic], to make themselves dream about maybe one day being in the Presidents Cup, or even if it's not g

How to get fired by Donald Trump (and how not to)

President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that 25 years of agreements with North Korea have failed, "making fools" of US negotiators. Then he added cryptically that "only one thing will work." In a pair of Tweets sent Saturday afternoon, Trump said that past agreements with North Korea have all been violated. "Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid ... hasn't worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators," Trump   wrote . "Sorry, but only one thing will work!" Asked by reporters later Saturday about the cryptic tweet, Trump would only say: "You'll figure that out pretty soon." Reached for comment on Trump's tweet, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed that all options are still on the table and that she had nothing further to add at this time. This is not the fir