Cameron threatens British media that publishes Snowden leaks

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British Prime Minister David Cameron has issued a veiled threat against Guardian and other media organizations, calling them to stop publishing the reveals leaked by former CIA employee Edward Snowden.

Mr Cameron said that UK lawmakers have not yet been “heavy handed,” but if media does not stop such publications soon the government may employ D-Notices, official requests asking editors not to publish news items for national security reasons.
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No to ‘extension of colonialism’: Gambia dumps British Commonwealth.

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Gambia has withdrawn from the Commonwealth, a collection of 54 nations made up largely of former British colonies, saying it will “never be a member of any neo-colonial institution”.
In an unexpected announcement broadcast by the west African nation on state television on Wednesday it was not immediately clear what prompted the decision to leave the Commonwealth, which is headed by the Queen.

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British secret agency, M16, police behind £3,000 visa bond against Nigeria – REPORT -

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A report from a United Kingdom based journal, University World News, has said the £3,000 visa pilot scheme against Nigeria was proposed by the British intelligence service, MI6 and British police headquarters at Scotland Yard.

The new UK visa scheme will impose £3,000 (US$4,740) in charges on unspecified visa applicants thought to be ‘high risk visitors’ from Nigeria, Ghana, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

The Nigerian government has threatened retaliatory measures if London goes ahead with the ‘refundable’ but unpopular visa bond.

"Chemical weapons" crisis in #Syria - LIVE updates - Putin Praises British Leaders (Photos + Video)

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International pressure has been building for a military strike on Syria in the wake of an alleged chemical weapons attack in a Damascus suburb. The West blames President Assad, as UN inspectors probe the site of the attack.

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£3,000 visa bond: FG summons British High Commissioner

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A diplomatic row  seems to be  brewing between Nigeria and the United Kingdom following a  proposed policy by the  British Government  requiring  Nigerian travellers to the UK to deposit £3,000 as bond in case they overstay  their visa limits.

On Monday,  the Federal Government  summoned the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, over the development  while the House of Representatives which flayed  the policy, argued that it could have negative impact on the relationship between  the two countries.

Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Pakistan and India are  listed by the UK  as  countries whose citizens are to deposit the £3,000 under  the  proposed  policy that will take off in November.

A Home Office official said the six countries highlighted were those with “the most significant risk of abuse.”

About 2.2million people are granted visas to enter Britain every year.

Audio:British and American intelligence To Spy On G8 and G20 Governments - Evidence uncovered by the whistleblower Edward

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The British and American intelligence were spying on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and other politicians and officials who attended the G20 summit in London in 2009. Claims that evidence of the espionage is contained in top secret documents uncovered by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden. The documents reveal that the UK Government Communications Headquarters and American National Security Agency intercepted communications of foreign high-ranking officials.

Has there been any conspiracy behind Snowden`s leaks and is there specific timing behind his moves? To find out more we are joined live on the phone now by Jim Killock, a British political activist and Executive Director of the Open Rights Group.

Are these leaks being timed to some major political events such as the G20 summit?

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Syrian forces kill 3 Westerners believed to be fighting against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad

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Syrian state-run television reported Thursday that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed three Westerners, including an American woman and a British citizen, who they claim were fighting with the rebels and were found with weapons.

Syrian TV identified the woman, releasing what it claimed were images of her Michigan driver's license and U.S. passport. It also released what is said was the name and passport of a British citizen. It did not identify a third person who it claimed was a Westerner. The report said the three were ambushed in their car in the flashpoint province of Idlib in northwestern Syria, where government forces have been battling rebels for control. TV footage showed a bullet-riddled car and three bodies laid out. It also showed weapons, a computer, a hand-drawn map of a government military facility and a flag belonging to the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

The British Nigerian Woolwich killer - Michael Adebolajo

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 One of the Woolwich killers has been identified as a British Nigerian man named ‘Michael 'Muhajid' Adebolajo’, whose father has been identified as 56 year old Nigerian trained nurse named Anthony Adebolajo. This is the last thing we need now. A Daily Mail article suggests that there's now a high threat of terrorism from Nigeria. Read it below...

Sources today named one of the suspects as Michael Adebolajo (pictured above) who, along with his fellow alleged killer, is a British citizen who converted to a radical form of Islam. They are not thought to have links to terror groups based in Nigeria, such as the jihadist militant organisation Boko Haram. The Foreign Office warns of a high threat from terrorism in the West African nation and raises the prospect of a risk of retaliatory attacks following the French intervention in Mali.

The other killer may also be Nigerian though he has not been formally identified. Continue After The Break

Identity of British soldier hacked down at Woolwich revealed

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The British soldier hacked down yesterday in broad day light by two Islamist fanatics has been identified as 25 year old Lee Rigby.  According to the UK Daily Mail, Rigby had recently fought in Afghanistan and was walking towards the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south-east London, yesterday afternoon, when he was run down by a car on the pavement and hacked to death by the two men.
Lee Rigby was married and had a 2 year old son.

British Millionaire Convicted For Selling Fake Bomb Detectors

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A 56-year-old British millionaire is facing jail after he was convicted on Tuesday of selling fake bomb detectors to Iraq and other countries.

James McCormick was found guilty of three counts of fraud at London’s Old Bailey court for selling completely ineffective devices based on an American novelty golf ball finder.

McCormick made an estimated £50 million(N12.1bn) from sales of his three models to Iraq, Belgium and the United Nations for use in Lebanon.

“The devices did not work and he knew they did not work,” prosecutor Richard Whittam told jurors.

Right engine of British Airways plane stops working before take-off at Abuja Airport

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We got a call this yesterday from one  Ọmọ Oódua reader inside a British Airways flight at the Abuja International Airport. They told us that the BA 8:30 flight to London was preparing to take off when the right engine of the plane just stopped working. They heard a noise and then smoke. The plane had to be towed back to the tarmac.

As at the last time we spoke with one of them, engineers were trying to fix the engine. We even heard the pilot making an announcement. They are not sure if the flight will continue or if it will be cancelled, but they are all still inside the plane at the moment. BA has been given 40 minutes to fix the engine or the flight will be cancelled...for safety reasons. Will keep you .

Update: All passengers have been asked to leave the plane
Update 2: The flight has been cancelled

Photos: BA flight that was cancelled because of engine problems

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The cancelled flight pictured above. Below left are passengers getting refreshments provided by B.A and the other pic are passengers waiting after they left the aircraft before they were told the flight has been cancelled...

NIGERIAN POLICE: BRITISH HOSTAGE TAKEN IN #NIGERIA RELEASED

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A police spokeswoman in Nigeria says a British man kidnapped from the country's largest city has been released.

Lagos state police spokeswoman Ngozi Braide told The Associated Press on Thursday that the man had been freed by his captors Tuesday. Braide said she did not know whether a ransom had been paid.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, confirmed the man had been released but offered no details.

Kidnappings of foreigners remain common in Nigeria, either for political reasons or for cash ransoms. However, such kidnappings rarely occur in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. The abduction came as Nigeria faces increasing insecurity with extremist attacks across its north.

AP

Man on trial for Cutting Off The Head Of A British woman

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The trial is beginning in Spain of a man accused of murdering and beheading a British grandmother in a supermarket on the holiday island of Tenerife. Jennifer Mills-Westley, 60, was killed in the resort of Los Cristianos in the Canary Islands on 13 May 2011. 

 Bulgarian man Deyan Deyanov, 29, is charged with her murder and will stand trial before a jury at the provincial court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife starting on Monday. Prosecutors are expected to ask for a sentence of 20 years in a mental asylum because he has chronic paranoid schizophrenia.

Nigerian British Actress Judi Shekoni Stars In Breaking Dawn Pt II

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The 30 year old Nigerian British born actress, model and TV presenter will portray Zafrina, one of the oldest vampires in the world, who teaches lead character Bella how to fight in the upcoming Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn - Part II, which will hit cinemas November 16th.

Laughing on his private jet - the £93m pastor accused of exploiting British worshippers

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Plenty to smile about;
Preacher David Oyedepo of the Winners Chapel
movement aboard one
of his private jets. He also owns a Rolls Royce Phantom

 A church run by a controversial multi-millionaire African preacher has been accused of ‘cynical exploitation’ after its British branch received £16.7 million in donations from followers who were told that God would give them riches in return.

Followers are ferried in double-decker shuttle buses to the church, handed slips inviting them to make debit card payments, and are even told obeying the ministry’s teachings will make them

Resolution in talks to sell Malaysia JV stake

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LONDON: British life insurer Resolution on Tuesday said it was in talks to sell its stake in a Malaysian joint venture as part of an overhaul aimed at cutting costs and boosting returns to shareholders.

The company is discussing a sale of its 30 per cent stake in Amlife Insurance Berhad and AmFamily Takaful Berhad back to its joint venture partner, Malaysian lender AmBank Group, Reuters quoted it as saying.

A spokesman said the planned sale formed part of a previously-announced effort by Resolution to streamline its operations and increase cash generation.

The company, created to buy and merge underperforming life insurers, earlier this year called a halt to takeovers and said it would focus instead on squeezing savings out of its existing assets, which include life insurer Friends Provident.

Resolution said its joint venture stake had an embedded value — an industry measure denoting the present value of expected future earnings from life insurance policies — of £38m ($61.00m) as of June 30.

Resolution shares were up 0.3 per cent at 1315 GMT, underperforming a one per cent increase in the FTSE 100 share index.

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Source : punchng[dot]com