Parties deadlock alarms over abandoned projects in Ekiti

Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State yesterday bickered over abandoned legacy projects in the state. 

The APC had criticised Governor Ayodele Fayose for abandoning his predecessor’s legacy projects, saying he was doing so in bad faith.

A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Taiwo Olatunbosun, stated: “It is a disservice to the people of Ekiti State for Governor Fayose to abandon legacy projects of the Fayemi administration simply because he wants to rubbish the achievements of his predecessor.”

Olatunbosun wondered why a development-oriented governor would abandon an edifice like the Oba

Saraki writes APC, says ‘my hands are tied

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in a letter written to the All Progressives Congress, said his hands were tied with regard to the selection of principal officers of the upper chamber. This was contained in a Friday report on www.thecable.ng.

The National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had on June 23, written to Saraki, stating the party’s choice of principal officers of the senate.

The APC had nominated Ahmad Lawan as senate majority leader, George Akume as deputy majority leader, Olusola Adeyeye as chief whip, and Abu Ibrahim as deputy chief whip. However, Saraki, on

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Prince George revels in royal play day in New Zealand

Wellington (AFP) - Britain's baby Prince George hosted his first official function on Wednesday -- maintaining a regal calm on a play date with a group of New Zealand toddlers, even as some of his tiny guests burst into tears.

The play session at Wellington's Government House was organised by non-profit childcare group Plunket to give Prince William and Kate a relaxed start to a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia after their arrival in the capital on Monday.

Formalities were cast aside for the occasion, with the eight-month-old prince crawling on the floor alongside 10 local babies while his proud parents looked on.

George, who was born on July 22 last year, looked comfortable in the spotlight, playing with a purple

WWE says Ultimate Warrior dead at 54

Only three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, James Hellwig, who wrestled professionally as "The Ultimate Warrior," reportedly died Tuesday at 54, WWE officials said in a statement.

Hellwig appeared on WWE Raw on Monday in New Orleans on USA Network to a rousing ovation from fans, only a day after WrestleMania XXX.

Known for his extremely muscular physique, long, shaggy hair and colorful face paint, The Warrior feuded with many of the then-WWF's biggest stars, including Hulk Hogan and Randy "Macho Man" Savage during his career. He defeated Hogan at WrestleMania VI to become champion, and was also an ex-Intercontinental champion.

The Ultimate Warrior's career spanned 13 years, from 1985-98, and included three stints in the then-WWF. His most memorable run came from 1987-91. He came back for short stints in 1992 and 1996.

Nigeria now Africa’s biggest economy, overtakes S’Africa

The Federal Government on Sunday finally released the result of the rebased Gross Domestic Product for the country, which showed that the Nigerian economy had overtaken South Africa’s as the biggest on the continent.

The Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Yemi Kale, who presented the outcome of the preliminary estimates of the GDP in Abuja, said that following the rebasing exercise, the country’s real GDP for 2011 and 2012 now stood at 5.09 per cent and 6.66 per cent, while the economy grew by 7.41 per cent in real terms last year.

He stated that the numbers were still going through a final refinement and that by June this year; the final estimates of the nominal GDP would be released.

Pedestrian Bridge in Van Cortlandt Park Has an Obstacle: $7.5 Million

Before the dawn of automobiles, Van Cortlandt Park was an unbroken expanse of dense woodlands, steep ridges and meadows, interrupted only by the gentle murmur of Tibbetts Brook.

Then came the Henry Hudson Parkway, the Mosholu Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway, major highways that cross through — and effectively cut up — the 1,146-acre park, the second largest in the Bronx.

Now, the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, an advocacy group, and other residents of the northwest Bronx are petitioning city officials to build a pedestrian bridge over the Major Deegan to reconnect a

Two's a crowd in wedding wardrobe faux pas

Fellow guest turned up to a society wedding in the same coat chosen by the Duchess of Cambridge

It is the type of sartorial solecism to strike dread into the heart of any guest at a wedding.

So spare a thought for the unfortunate woman who found she was wearing the same outfit as none other than the Duchess of Cambridge.

The guest, who shares mutual friends with members of the Royal family, wore the same distinctive fitted Missoni coat to a society wedding over the weekend as the Duchess, who has been recognised as one of the most influential trend-setters in the world.

The coat, from a 2010 collection, has already been worn by the Duchess during several public

Signs of earthquake off North Korea prompts nuclear test fears

The location and depth of the earthquake did not immediately suggest North Korean nuclear testing was the cause

A magnitude five earthquake has been detected 132km (80 miles) from the Korean peninsula early on Tuesday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has said.

The quake, which was said to have occurred at approximately 03:48 local time, took place at a depth of nearly 16km (10 miles) in the sea west of the Korean peninsula – just days after North Korea

Obama agents sent home from Europe for boozing

In a new embarrassment for the US Secret Service, three agents were sent home from Amsterdam for drunkenness, after one was found passed out in a hotel hallway.

The agents were in The Netherlands ahead of US President Barack Obama's trip there this week as part of the elite unit tasked with protecting the president in the event of an attack.

Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed to AFP Wednesday "three employees were sent home for disciplinary reasons," without giving any further details.

The story was first reported in the Washington Post newspaper, which said the agents have been placed on administrative leave, citing three unnamed people familiar with the case.

1,000 killed in Boko Haram conflict this year in Nigeria

More than 1,000 people have been killed so far this year in three states in northeastern Nigeria worst hit by Boko Haram violence, according to the country's main relief organisation.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) figures are the starkest indication yet of the increase in bloodshed in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe that have caused growing concern.

NEMA said in a presentation in Abuja on Tuesday that people living in the states were "caught up in an intensifying conflict", which has been raging since 2009.

"The human toll: more than 1,000 people dead and 249,446 displaced between January to March 2014... One in five of the total population are not living in their own homes," it added.

Violence has increased in northeastern Nigeria since the new year, including a high-profile attack on a

Guinea Ebola death toll rises

Guinea battled on Wednesday to contain an Ebola epidemic threatening neighbouring countries as fear and confusion gripped communities under siege from one of the deadliest viruses known to mankind.

Global aid organisations have sent dozens of workers to help the poverty-hit west African nation combat the haemorrhagic fever, with health officials raising the death toll by two to 63.

"On Monday, two more deaths were reported in our area. People are really frightened," Joseph Gbaka Sandounou, a unit manager for Plan International was quoted as saying in a statement released by the organisation.

"They have seen people die in a matter of just two or three days. They are constantly worried who is going to be the next fatality."

Nigeria Police capture forgery syndicate

The Nigeria Police on Wednesday said it arrested five members of a syndicate that specialises in forging documents and certificates in Abuja.

The suspects – Emmanuel Onyehiela, Ugorji Ramsey, Emeka Chukwu, Chinyere Bright and Abdulazeez Sadiq – were arrested by a team of operatives attached to the International Police Organization, INTERPOL, section, Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in a statement said the suspects were arrested following a tip off and a discreet investigation at the syndicate’s base at UTC Shopping Complex, Area 10 Garki, Abuja. Mr. Mba said, as part of the investigations, police undercover agents presented themselves as prospective clients.

“The syndicate which has its operational base at the UTC Shopping Complex, Area 10 Garki, Abuja

Nigeria Court declares new FRSC’s plates number illegal

A Federal High Court in Lagos has declared that the new number plates introduced by the Federal Road Safety Commission are unconstitutional and as such cannot be imposed on vehicle owners.

In a judgment delivered by Justice James Tsoho on Wednesday, the court held that the redesigning of the old number plates was not backed by any law.

Tsoho, who was delivering the judgment in a suit by a lawyer, Emmanuel Ofoegbu, against the FRSC, therefore, held that the FRSC had no power to impose the redesigned number plates on vehicle owners, who had not acquired them.

The judge said, “The issue of redesigning new number plates by the respondent, is not covered under the provisions of any law in Nigeria.

Nick Clegg: Nigel Farage is siding with Vladimir Putin

The Deputy Prime Minister accuses the Ukip leader of "siding with Vladimir Putin" after he said that the EU has "blood on its hands" following Russia's annexation of Crimea

Nick Clegg has accused Nigel Farage of “siding with Vladimir Putin” after the UK Independence Party leader said that the European Union has "blood on it hands" after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Farage blamed the EU and the British Government for pursuing an "imperialist expansionist" policy in the east and giving "false hope" to people in the Ukraine.

Speaking during his LBC debate with Mr Clegg on Wednesday, he said that the EU's approach had inspired the Ukrainian people to topple the country's government and "provoked" military intervention by Russia.

Following their debate on the EU, Mr Clegg described Mr Farage’s comments as “insulting” and “extreme”.

South Sudan peace talks resume

Peace talks between South Sudan's government and rebels resumed in Ethiopia on Tuesday, mediators said, urging both sides to return to a moribund ceasefire agreement.

The talks, mediated by regional bloc IGAD, are aimed at ending the three-month-old conflict and forging a lasting political solution between the government of President Salva Kiir and former vice President and now rebel leader Riek Machar.

"The IGAD special envoys are in consultation with the parties on the conduct of a political dialogue towards national reconciliation and healing," mediators said in a statement.

3 Secret Service agents benched before Obama trip

The Secret Service sent three agents home from the Netherlands just before President Barack Obama's arrival after one agent was found inebriated in an Amsterdam hotel, the Secret Service said

The three agents were benched Sunday for "disciplinary reasons," Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said Tuesday, declining to elaborate. Donovan said the incident was prior to Obama's arrival Monday in the country and did not compromise the president's security in any way.

Still, the incident represents a fresh blemish for an elite agency struggling to rehabilitate its reputation following a high-profile prostitution scandal and other allegations of misconduct. An inspector general's report in December concluded there was no evidence of widespread misconduct, in line with the service's longstanding assertion that it has no tolerance for inappropriate behavior.

The agents sent home from Amsterdam were placed on administrative leave, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the disciplinary action. The newspaper said all three were on the Counter Assault Team, which defends the president if he comes under attack, and that one agent was a "team leader."

One agent was discovered highly intoxicated by staff at a hotel, who reported it to the U.S. Embassy, said a person familiar with the situation, who wasn't authorized to discuss the alleged behavior on the record and demanded anonymity. The other two agents were deemed complicit because they didn't intervene despite being in a position to assist the drunken agent or tamp down his behavior, the person said.

"It wasn't like a big, crazy party," the person said.

Obama arrived in the Netherlands early Monday on the first leg of a weeklong, four-country trip. He departed for Brussels on Tuesday night, and there were no known security issues during his stay in the Netherlands.

Before Obama travels anywhere abroad, a slew of Secret Service and other government officials are dispatched in advance to prepare the intense security operation needed to protect the president in unfamiliar territory. Typically, counter assault teams travel with the president in his motorcade and if he came under fire, the team would be called upon to engage any attackers while the president was hustled to safety.

Stricter rules implemented in the wake of a prostitution scandal involving secret service agents in Colombia bar agents from drinking alcohol within 10 hours of starting a shift. It's unclear whether the other two agents were drinking heavily or what time any of them would have been expected to show up for a shift.

The Secret Service's reputation for rowdy, fraternity-like behavior snowballed in April 2012 in the run-up to another Obama foreign trip, this one in the Caribbean resort city of Cartagena, Colombia, where 13 agents and officers were accused of carousing with female foreign nationals at a hotel where they were staying before Obama's arrival.

After a night of heavy partying in bars and clubs, the employees brought women, including prostitutes, back to their hotel. Six of the employees eventually resigned or retired, while others had their security clearances revoked or were removed from duty.

Seeking to turn a page on that chapter in the service's famed history, Obama last year named veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson as the agency's first female director and signaled his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service. Less than a year later, two additional officers were removed from Obama's detail following allegations of sexually-related misconduct that came to light after an incident at an upscale hotel next to the White House.

A 145-page report issued late last year by the Homeland Security Department inspector general determined there was no evidence of widespread misconduct within the Secret Service. Following the South American prostitution scandal, the agency put new procedures in place, including a ban on bringing foreign nationals to hotel rooms where agents and officers are staying.

 

How British satellite company Inmarsat tracked down MH370

Death toll in US mudslide rises to 14

Police say 176 people are missing following a mudslide which brought havoc to remote area of Washington state

The death toll from Saturday's mudslide in a remote village in Washington state has risen from eight to 14, police said.

A further six bodies were pulled out from the mud by search and rescue crews.

The victims were found by teams scouring the debris of the mile-wide mudslide at Snohomish County, a remote rural area in the north west of the US.

Police said that 176 people were still unaccounted for following the slide which brought havoc to the area.

But the exact death toll remains unclear with police compiling the list of the missing from an array of sources including social media.

Our ordeal in B’Haram’s den –Female abductees

Two women abducted by Boko Haram insurgents  in the North-East have given a rare account of life as captives.

While one who  was held captive for 15 days, said she had a marriage proposal from one of the Islamist militants, the other said she was almost turned into a killer.

“They asked me if I am Christian or Muslim. I said I am a Christian,” said 23-year-old Liatu, as she recounted her ordeal   in the hands of Boko Haram members to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

“On the 11th day (in captivity), they brought a man to me and said that he liked me and that  I should convert to Islam so that he can marry me,” she added in the report published by the BBC on Monday.

David Cameron wants Boris Johnson back as MP for next election

The Prime Minister said Boris Johnson should not be criticised for harbouring ambitions to be Prime Minister adding: "There is nothing ignoble about wanting my job".

David Cameron said he would like London Mayor Boris Johnson to return to the House of Commons as an MP next year.

The Prime Minister also said Mr Johnson should not be criticised for harbouring ambitions to be Prime Minister saying: "There is nothing ignoble about wanting my job".

The Prime Minister gave his interview to comedian James Corden, who was guest editing the Sun