Aviation fuel scarcity causes flight delays, cancellations

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Delays and outright cancellation of scheduled flights have nearly paralysed activities in the Nigerian aviation industry in the last two weeks.

As a result, passengers scheduled to travel to domestic and foreign destinations have been expressing dismay at the increasing cases of interruptions to their flight schedules and the consequent toll on their business activities.

Investigations by our correspondent showed that major airlines flying both local and international routes had been affected by the crisis, which was traced to inadequate supply of aviation fuel.

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Detailed expert analysis of the MH17 downing

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Just found this detailed analysis on a friend's blog and decided to share it with readers.

You can download his full report by clicking on either one of the following links:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByibNV3SiUoobnpCVDduaHVORHM/edit?usp=sharing

http://www.mediafire.com/view/61qa99yt6v3dq64/MH17Analysis_Parts_1_and_2.pdf

One could be getting increasingly frustrated and angry at the fact that clearly the Dutch and the British, obviously under the orders of Uncle Sam, are sitting on the data of the flight data recorders and not releasing them.  At the very least, the following countries have the recordings of the radio contacts between MH17 and the Kiev ATC:

Russia Extends Snowden’s Asylum for 3 Years – Lawyer

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Russian authorities have extended the temporary asylum for fugitive National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden for three years starting from August 1, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said Thursday.

Russia’s Federal Migration Service refused to comment on the report.

«Political asylum is not under consideration. In this case, a decision was made about his residence permit. The permission was issued for three years with a possibility of extension for another three years," Kucherena told reporters in Moscow.

The lawyer said that a foreign national may apply for Russian citizenship after living in the country for five years, but said it was up to Snowden to decide.

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Ukraine Civil War: War Torn Donetsk People’s Republic Prime Minister Resigns, Names Field Commander as Successor

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The prime minister of Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Boroday, announced his resignation Thursday.

«I came here as a crisis manager, a startuper if you wish. A lot was done in the past days, and DPR has proven itself as a state. Now I cede my place to a respected field commander, my friend Alexander Zakharchenko," Boroday said.

A Moscow-native, Boroday said the leader of the DPR must be a Donetsk native, as Zakharchenko, who has also been an outspoken leader of a unit of independence supporters called Oplot.

NATO Chief Threatens Russia With More Sanctions Over Ukraine

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NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that more sanctions will be imposed on Russia if the situation in southeastern Ukraine continues to deteriorate.

"I have no doubt the 'international community' will respond with tougher sanctions if Russia continues to intervene further," he told reporters during his visit to Ukraine’s capital Kiev.

The statement came on the day Russia announced embargo on US and European agricultural goods in response to the latest Western restrictions on the country’s economic, defense and energy sectors.

Sanctions Against Russia Suicidal for France - Lawmaker

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France’s decision to impose sanctions against Russia was extremely unreasoned, wrong and suicidal, Jacques Myard, a member of the National Assembly of France, told Le Figaro Thursday.

"The European Union and its member states have made a serious mistake [by imposing sanctions on Russia] because the Ukrainian conflict involving Russian-speaking rebels is a completely regional conflict, a consequence of the Soviet Union collapse and what had happened before, in particular, during the Second World War, when many Ukrainians fought alongside the Nazis," Myard said.

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US May Introduce New Sanctions Against Russia Over Iran Oil Deal - Reports

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The United States may introduce new sanctions against Russian companies due to the recently signed oil deal between Moscow and Tehran, the US Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said Thursday, as reported by Reuters. Although it was still unclear whether Russia and Iran had agreed on an oil-for-goods swap, Cohen said Washington had warned Russia against such a deal under the threat of additional US sanctions, according to Reuters.

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Canadians Cut off From Local Water Supplies After Billion Gallon Waste Spill

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Hundreds of British Columbia residents can no longer consume water at the place where they live following a billion gallon spill of mining waste that reached rivers and creeks in the Cariboo provincial area, the CBC reports.

The open-pit Mount Polley copper and gold mine recently suffered a breach in a tailings pond, which caused 1.3 billion gallons of slurry to pour out straight into Hazeltine Creek, equaling in size nearly 2,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Maidan Unrest Back to Life as Activists Clash With Police on Central Kiev Square

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Clashes among activists and police broke out Thursday on central Kiev's Maidan Square, the flashpoint of the country’s pro-EU uprising in November 2013.
Activists were seen throwing stones and sticks at police and firemen in a bid to force them out of the square.
A RIA Novosti correspondent said that tires were set ablaze, with sounds of what appeared to be an explosion heard in downtown Kiev. Thick smoke has blanketed the square, where a protest camp was set up less than a year ago.
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Russia Slaps U.S.A, EU, Canada and Australia with Sanctions

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Russia’s one-year ban on food imports from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Norway came into force Thursday after being published by the official government website.
Earlier on Thursday, Russia unveiled its list of banned imports of beef, pork, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, nuts, as well as cheese and other dairy products from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Norway that have imposed sanctions against Russia.
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Exposed: See The PDP Rigging Template For Osun Election

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 SUBVERSION OF DEMOCRACY AND THE PEOPLE’S RIGHT:PDP’S ELABORATE RIGGING PLAN FOR OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION UNCOVERED!
Fortuitously, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun has uncovered a very damning ‘secret’ document on how the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) intends to rig the August 9th gubernatorial election in Osun.
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British Govt. Downplays Impact of Russian Food Sanctions on UK Economy

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Russia’s ban on food imports from the so-called sanction nations will not have a significant impact on the UK agricultural industry, the British government said Thursday.

Russia unveiled earlier on Thursday a substantial «blacklist» of food imports from the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, and Norway. The list includes meat, poultry, fish, seafood, milk, dairy products, as well as fruits and vegetables.
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Ebola Virus: Crusades Banned In Lagos Churches & Mosques

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Few hours after the death of the latest victim of EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) in Lagos State Nigeria, LASG has ordered an immediate ban of all crusades in the state.

This move is to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Niger State seeks peace between herdsmen, farmers

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Governor Muazu  Aliyu of Niger State on Thursday called for mutual understanding and harmonious co-existence between herdsmen and farmers in the country.

Aliyu, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, made the appeal in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

The governor was reported to have spoken at a symposium on ‘Disentangling Farmers and Herdsmen Clashes: Fostering Peaceful Co-existence’, and a book presentation for victims of the clashes in Minna. 

No plan to send troops to Nigeria – Obama

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The United States President Barack Obama has said that his country has no plan to send troops to fight terrorism in African countries including Nigeria.

Obama made this statement after the US-Africa Leaders Summit while fielding questions from journalist on Wednesday.

According to him, the US is more interested in increasing the capacity of regional organisations on the continent to tackle issues more effectively and promptly.

Obama said, “Now, with respect to terrorism, I think there’s uniform concern of terrorist infiltration in many countries throughout Africa. A lot of the initiatives that we put forward were designed to partner so that countries, first and foremost, can deal with these problems within their own borders or region.

13 dead & 41 others wounded in Iraq car bombings

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At the least 13 persons were  killed and 41 others were wounded in three car bombs that targeted Shiite communities in Baghdad and Kirkuk on Thursday, police and medical sources said. Twin car bombs killed eight people and wounded 17 others near a mosque in Kirkuk. In a nearby of Kadmiyah in Baghdad, five people was killed and another 24 were injured in a suicide car bomb, based on sources.

Military dislodge Boko Haram from Damboa & other villages in Borno

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Special Forces in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign have cleared Delwa, Mustafari, Manga, Wanga and Damboa of terrorists who have been rampaging in the communities, the Nigerian military has annouced. 

Fashola restores LASU school fees

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Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has directed the immediate reversal of the school fees of Lagos State University, LASU, which was increased by the government to what it was as far back as 2011.

Governor Fashola gave the directive today August 7th at the convocation programme of LASU which held earlier today at the LASU Ojo campus ground. The reversal comes after months of protests by students and lecturers of the university. Continue...

How brother of EastEnders actress killed & chopped her body into pieces

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 On March 1st 2012, former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie, 29, disappeared from her home. About 10 days later, it was discovered that her own older brother, Tony McCluskie (pictured with her above) killed her after an argument at the home they shared, chopped up her body, put the body parts in a suitcase and dumped her in the canal. Their older brother talks about the incident for the first time since it happened.

As Danny McCluskie watched the grainy CCTV footage his world crumbled. It showed the unthinkable, the one thing every part of him had screamed could not be possible. His brother Tony carrying a heavy suitcase containing the mutilated body parts of their beloved baby sister Gemma.

The footage proved beyond doubt that Tony had killed the former EastEnders actress in cold blood, chopped her up then disposed of her like putting out the trash.

For Danny one thing made it even more incomprehensible – Tony had put his arms around him when Gemma disappeared and assuring him they would keep looking.

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Nigerian Medical practioners Rejecting Ebola-Infected People over short Incubation Period

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Health workers have reacted to the death of the first Ebola virus disease (EVD) victim in the country, expressing fear over what they perceived as an increase in the hazards they face in their practices.

The Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State, Dr. Tope Ojo, said a situation where doctors were paid N5,000 monthly al­lowance for hazard was not only laughable but unbeliev­able.
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Images: Family Relatives of Ebola patients Dump their Dead Body in the streets in Liberia

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 In Liberia where in fact the deadly disease is actually spreading, relatives of Ebola victims have started dumping infected bodies of their family members in the streets of Monrovia for fear about catching the deadly disease, defying government order to leave the relatives at home. Liberia's Information Minister, Lewis Brown, told Reuters that act is putting more folks at risk 

"They are removing the bodies from their homes and are putting them out in the street. They're exposing themselves to the risk of being contaminated. We're asking people to please leave the bodies in their homes and we'll pick them up.'

 Usually whenever a relative is found to be contaminated with the Ebola virus, government quarantines the remaining family. Minus catching the disease, that is another reason relatives are dumping bodies in the street, in order to avoid facing quarantine, and having their homes decontaminated.

 See more Photos after the break.

Don’t Disappoint Us- Atiku Begs

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The Osun state governorship election is coming up this Saturday and the former Vice Presi¬dent, Atiku Abubakar, is asking for the voters to support Rauf Aregbesola, for another four-year term.

The first wife of Atiku, Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar hails from Ilesa in Osun State, and he has spoken at length on why the incumbent governor, Rauf from APC should come back again.
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Apprehended murderer of Wealthy Lagos Business Woman Killed her Because She Made him Jealous

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The 31-year-old man, who allegedly strangled his 39-year-old international business woman lover to death in her apartment at Green Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, last month, told a crowd yesterday that he did it out of jealousy.

The suspect, Kelechi Williams, who was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command, was arrested at the border between Ghana and Cote D’Ivore by operatives from the Area ‘E’ Command, Festac Town and those of International Police, INTERPOL, while fleeing with the deceased’s Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV, with number plate LAGOS EKY 509 AZ.  

The incident, according to him, occurred on July 19, 2014, at about 2 am during an altercation over the late arrival of his lover, a mother of four identified as Njideka Lizzy Nzewe.

Jonathan pushes for more action against Boko Haram, others

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday called for more effective global action and implementation of all existing international protocols against terrorism and violent extremism, including Boko Haram in Nigeria.

He made the call, according to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, while presenting Nigeria’s statement to the ongoing United States-African Leaders Summit in Washington DC.

SURE-P bags ₦15b monthly – Agwai

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The Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (rtd) on Wednesday said the committee receives N15billion monthly.

The money, he said, represents the N32 difference between the old pump price and the new price of N97 for premium motor spirit (PMS).

He said SURE-P has been receiving the N15billon every month since inception on February 13, 2012 and has been intervening in provision of transportation infrastructure, healthcare and youth empowerment, among others.