Ebola: Premature school resumption date dangerous

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Culled from Punch Nigeria
WITH suspected new cases of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease popping up here and there, the Federal Government’s decision to fix school resumption date across the country for September 22 is short-sighted and wrong-headed. Given the highly infectious nature of the EVD, any thought of reopening schools when the contagion is yet to be brought under reasonable control will amount to taking an unnecessary risk and exposing the lives of innocent schoolchildren to avoidable danger. But even if we leave aside the public interest, it is not the duty of the central government to decide for states resumption schedules for their schools.
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National Conference achieved nothing —Junaid Mohammed

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A northern delegate at the just concluded National Conference, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has described the conference as a waste of time, saying it achieved nothing because President Goodluck Jonathan designed it for political gain.

Mohammed, who was a member of the House of Representative in the Second Republic, and currently coordinates, the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, argued that the agenda of the different regions of the South failed.
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Sherrif still under probe, says GEJ

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President Goodluck Jonathan has denied travelling to Chad with a former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, for a meeting with the Chadian President, Idris Derby, on terrorism issues.

The President said he was fully aware of allegations of Boko Haram sponsorship levelled against the former governor, adding that he was only waiting for the outcome of his probe by security operatives.

The presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, who said this in a statement on Thursday, insisted that the extent of participation of Sheriff in President Jonathan’s mission to N’Djamena, the Chadian capital, was limited to his being part of Nigerians who welcomed the President to the foreign land.
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Orji’s son sues Sun Newspaper for ₦5bn

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The first son of Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia State, Chinedu Orji, an engineer, has sued The Sun Newspapers Limited, owned by a former Governor of the State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, claiming N5bn damages for calling him “ a terrorist .”

Briefing journalists on Thursday in Umuahia, a member of the legal team for Orji’s son, Chief Chukwunyere Nwabuko, said the libellous publication was contained on page 21 of the March 10, 2014 edition of The Sun Newspapers, which reads that, ‘it is not a secrete affair as his terrorist activities in the state are fully documented. “
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Anxiety over pirated copies of ₦1.6B ($10m) Nigerian film

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Pirated copies of Half of A Yellow Sun are spreading unabated in parts of Lagos, JAYNE AUGOYE writes

Pirated copies of Nigeria’s most anticipated film, Half of a Yellow Sun, which started selling on the streets of Lagos a few weeks ago, seem to have found their way to other parts of the country.

Although copies of the film, which is still awaiting official approval for sale in the market from the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board, have been sighted in some major cities around the country, investigation shows that the bulk of the sales is concentrated in Lagos.
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After 150 Days: Boko Haram ‘Agrees To Release Some Chibok Girls’

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According to reports, the Boko Haram sect has agreed to release some of the abducted girls on one condition The Nation Newspaper reports that Boko Haram has agreed to release some of the abducted 219 Chibok girls after a secret negotiation between a government delegation and a Boko Haram commander . The leadership of the sect is said to have demanded the release of 18 of its key members in exchange for some of the schoolgirls.

CrossTalk: West vs Russia (ft. Ray McGovern)

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A troubled relationship or a transforming international system? As the West and Russia turn away from each other, can we expect more tensions or merely indifference? And is this a divorce or just a long-term separation?

Watch after the break.

Eastern Military District Troops Moved to Highest State of Combat Readiness

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Troops in Russia's Eastern Military District are moved to the highest state of combat readiness as surprise drills begin in the region, the Russian Ministry of Defense informed on Friday.

"As part of a surprise check of the Eastern Military District troops' combat readiness, military formations and units located in the Eastern region of the Russian Federation have completed the implementation of measures to enter the highest degree of combat readiness," the ministry wrote in a statement.,,,

Just in - Strelkov makes a historical press conference!

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Igor Strelkov is the commander of militias of Donbass, Eastern part of Ukraine. His statements are both very powerful and very subtle and a very careful analysis of his statements needs to be made. What is certain is that this will rock the Russian political scene in a most positive way.

See the English version after the break.

Actor Desmond Elliot joins the political crinkum-crankum of Nigeria, set to contect for Lagos house of assembly

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Actor and movie producer Desmond Elliot is contesting for Lagos State House of Assembly in 2015 underneath the APC. A few of may very well not know this, but Desmond is from Lagos state. See what he plans to complete when elected into office following the jump...

What each state got from the federation account from Jan-June 2014

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 Now measure the development in your state and compare it with the allocation received from January to June this year. If you can't see any tangible thing done since Jan, then mismanagement or embezzlement is going on in your state.

Twenty Policemen Still Missing after Boko Haram Attack – IG

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Acting Inspector-General of Police Suleiman Abba

Twenty Nigerian police officers are still missing three weeks after Boko Haram fighters attacked a training academy outside the remote northeastern town of Gwoza, the country’s police chief said on Tuesday. Inspector General Suleiman Abba told reporters that police would “not relent in the efforts of tracing them”.

Initially, police said 35 officers were missing after the attack on August 21. Abba said some had since returned, without explaining how.
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Horrible: Grandmother slaughters, drinks grandson’s blood in Minna

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A Minna Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday ordered the remand of a 55-year-old woman, Fatima Tsaraka for allegedly killing her grandson. The accused it was alleged abducted her grandson, took him to a nearby bush where she and two others slaughtered him, made a meal of his flesh and drank his blood.
Tsaraka, arraigned alongside Amina Mohammed, 65, and Zhitsun Aliyu, 38, is facing a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and cannibalism...
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James Bond: Richard Kiel dies at 74

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Hollywood actor, Richard Kiel, the 7’2″ actor best known for portraying steel-toothed villain Jaws in a pair of James Bond films, has died. He was 74. A spokesperson at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California, confirmed Wednesday that Kiel was a patient at the hospital and died. Kiel’s agent, Steven Stevens, also confirmed his death. Both declined to provide further details. Kiel famously played the cable-chomping henchman who tussled with Roger Moore’s Bond in 1977′s The Spy Who Loved Me and 1979′s Moonraker. Bond quipped of the silent baddie: “His name’s Jaws. He kills people.”

WWE's Sean O'Haire Dies Age 43 from Apparent Suicide -

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 Former WWE wrestler Sean O'Haire has died from an apparent suicide in his South Carolina home. He was 43 years old.mO'Haire, whose real name was Sean Haire, was found unresponsive Tuesday. The official cause of death has not been released, but according to news reports, the 43-year-old Spartanburg resident took his own life. Sean Haire was last seen alive Monday afternoon. His father, John Haire, came by to check up on him the next morning at 7.30am only to find him hanging in his bedroom. No foul play is suspected.

Man nabbed for abducting & r@ping a woman in the US

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 29 year old Nigerian man based in Brookline, Pennysylvania, Samuel Okorie is accused of grabbing a woman at a public place and sexually assaulting her. The incident took place over the weekend in a residential neighbourhood.

According to police report, early Sunday morning, police came to the house (left), in Brookline and arrested Samuel Okorie. He was booked on charges including rape, kidnapping  and robbery. A 21 year old woman identified Okorie as the man who sexually assaulted her. Police say the victim ran up the street, crying for help. Neighbours said she was screaming 'help me, help me'. When a neighbour approached her, she said "he raped me, he's coming to get me.".
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Delta Poly Student, four Others Arrested for Gang-Raping Student

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Five persons have been arrested and detained by the Delta State Police Command for allegedly gang-raping one Favour Orji, a student of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro. A press statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, gave the names of the suspects as Ekperierie Weomazino, Awolowo Abel, Chukwuka Godspower, Wilson Odili and Ojumah Kelvin. According to the statement, in the afternoon of 30 August, 2014, one of the suspects, Ekperierie Weomazino, also a student of the Polytechnic, allegedly invited her to escort him to Owhelegbo junction in the town to collect his handset.
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Pres. GEJ won't interfere with ongoing investigation of accusation against Ali Modu Sheriff

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Find the State House press release below...

We have noted with surprise, the unnecessary hue and cry raised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other bigoted critics of the Jonathan Administration over the claim that the President is “hobnobbing” with the former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who was recently accused by the Australian, Stephen Davis of being one of the chief sponsors of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

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How we got to where we are today; Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu gave answer in 1966 speech

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In 1966, Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu seemed to give us the answer in a speech he made after staging a successful coup. Here is an excerpt from his speech that day:

Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men inhigh and low places that seek bribes and demand 10 percent; those that seek to keep the country divided  permanently so that they can remain in office as ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds.

Do you agree with him?
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Analogies between Yugoslavia and the Ukraine

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NATO expansion — Yugoslavia to Ukraine

by Stephen Karganovic

Similarities in the way the Western coalition is handling the Ukrainian crisis that it engendered and brought to the point of savage conflict and the strategies that the same actors pursued in the nineties to lay the foundations for a brutal civil war and stoke the conflict resulting in the destruction of the Former Yugoslavia are being closely analyzed by Russian experts. Reasons for such close attention abound. For one thing, whenever your unimaginative (or excessively arrogant) opponent repeatedly acts by following a set matrix that gives you a significant strategic advantage. It enables you, within broad limits, to anticipate his moves and to devise effective countermeasures.
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Missing couple found in SSS cell in Ogun.

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Sixty-five days after they were declared missing, Islamic Cleric, Uztadh Abdul Ganniyu Jumah and his wife, Muinat, were found in the cell of the State Security Service, SSS, Abeokuta.

It would be recalled that .PM NEWS. reported that an Islamic Cleric and his wife were abducted by unknown gunmen at their residence located at 27, Fagbemi street, Ijoko, in Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of the State.
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A concerned Nigerian Mom on Ebola and resumption of schools.

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Article below is written by a concerned Nigerian mum named Efe Farinre. It seems a lot of mums are against the resumption of primary and secondary schools on September 22nd despite the Minister of Health saying there's currently no single case of Ebola in Nigeria. Anyway read this mum's concern below and tell us what you think.

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Heavy shelling as Nigerian troops attack Boko Haram to reclaim Michika.

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Nigeria’s military launched ground and air offensives against Boko Haram to recapture the northeastern town of Michika that fell to the jihadist militants over the weekend, witnesses said on Wednesday. Hundreds of troops aided by military jets have been pounding Boko Haram positions in Michika in Adamawa state since Sunday, residents of nearby towns and villages told AFP.

“We have been hearing thunderous explosions from bombs dropped by military jets on Michika,” said a Christian priest in Chibok, 20 kilometres (13 miles) from Michika.  Chibok was the scene of a mass abduction by Boko Haram of more than 200 schoolgirls in April.
“The sounds of explosions are more intense at night when flashes of exploding bombs can be seen from Chibok,” said the priest, who asked not to be named.

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Just In: Judge finds Oscar Pistorius not guilty of murder

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Judge Masipa has read much of her judgement and she's just found Oscar Pistorius not guilty of murder. The judge said there were not enough facts to prove the most serious charge of pre-meditated murder. She said the case was based entirely on circumstantial evidence and dismissed the witness testimony. She said the witnesses were unreliable as they were confused when giving testimony and said most of what they said weren't accurate. She said even if Oscar was evasive with some facts, and was a 'very poor' witness, it doesn't mean he's guilty of murder.
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Nigerian Teachers threaten to go on strike over new resumption date

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The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, have threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the Federal government does not shift the date of resumption as well as put in place measures that would protect their members from contracting the deadly Ebola virus while teaching in schools.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Punch, the National President of the NUT, Michael Alogba, said the union had taken a decision not to allow any of its members go into any school to teach if the eradication of the deadly virus has not been scientifically and medically proven.
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Kerry: United States Has No Plans of Cooperating With Tehran in Fight Against IS

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The United States is not planning to cooperate with Iran, in the fight with the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, the US Secretary of State John Kerry told the press Wednesday during a visit to Baghdad.

“The United States does not cooperate, militarily or otherwise, nor does it have any intention in this process of doing so, with Iran. Whatever they do is collateral and on their own. And we will pursue our own coalition over the course of these next weeks,” Kerry said.
“Iran obviously is opposed to ISIL. And then Iran is taking its own actions and has taken its own actions with respect to ISIL,” he added.
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Russia’s UN Envoy: Excluding Russia From UN Security Council Impossible

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 The discussion about possible exclusion of Russia from the UN Security Council is just “meaningless talks,” Russia’s Ambassador to UN Vitaly Churkin said Wednesday in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel .
“With regard to the exclusion of Russia from the UN Security Council, they should read the Charter of the United Nations before making such claims, as it is absolutely clear that it is impossible,” Churkin said.
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Russian Soyuz Spaceship Undocks From ISS, Heading for Earth

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Russian piloted spaceship Soyuz TMA-12M, which is bringing back Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artyomyev and NASA astronaut Steven Swanson, has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) and is now heading for Earth, the representative of the Mission Control Center told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

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Reno Omokri claims Doyin Okupe didn't start the #bringbackjonathan2015 hashtag

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 Reno Omokri took to twitter to protect his colleague, Doyin Okupe, who many have criticized for tweeting the offensive hashtag on August 22nd. Well, if he didn't start it, why join the bandwagon?

1,500 Foreigners Making Up 10-15 Percent of Forces Fighting for DPR: Donetsk Official

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Around 1,500 foreign volunteers are fighting in the ranks of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the self-proclaimed republic’s parliament speaker Boris Litvinov told the press Wednesday.

"According to my indirect data, they [foreign volunteers] account for 10-15 percent [of the self-defense fighters],” the official said, specifying that the number of foreigners stands at around 1,500.
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