US wants open and functional dialogue with Russia - US President spokesman

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US President Barack Obama is interested in maintaining "an open and business dialogue" with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Spokesman for the White House Josh Rogin confirmed this on Tuesday, responding to a question of ITAR-TASS correspondent during a regular press briefing.

Ernest said that Obama and Putin communicate regularly "in a businesslike manner." "Our president certainly respects the legitimate interests of Russia in the region,” continued spokesman. “But our president also wants to make sure that everybody respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of independent countries".

Putin forecasts Russia's GDP to grow higher than expected early in 2014.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin expects that Russia’s GDP growth would be higher than it was expected in 2014. "Last year, Russia’s GDP grew by not very much - 1.3%. This is slightly less than the year before, but still there was some growth. I think this year we will reach more significant figures than we predicted in the beginning of this year," Putin said at a meeting with Russian and Austrian business leaders in Vienna on Tuesday, reports Interfax.

Shooting in suburbs of Miami: two killed, 17 injured - TV

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Police detained three people after the shooting in the suburbs of Miami, resulted in two dead, seven injured, reported RIA Novosti, citing TV channel WPLG.

The shooting in the Liberty City took place early in the morning. According to eyewitnesses, two unidentified men started random shooting in a residential area.

Associated Press reports that victims are twenty-year-old man and a teenage girl. Another 17-year-old girl is in critical condition. For now motives of the shooters remain unknown.

Kiev continues hostilities in south-eastern Ukraine.

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Kiev has not stopped hostilities in the east of Ukraine in spite of the announced ceasefire until 27 June, Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Alexander Borodai said at a press-conference on June 24, reports TASS. In the meantime, Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko has confirmed the violation during a telephone conversation with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, but saying that self-defenders have broken the ceasefire in the south-east of Ukraine, according to the website of the President of Ukraine.

"Today was just another day of the war. Slavyansk was shelled, as well as the city of Snezhnoye in the Donetsk Region. Recently, fighting began on the outskirts of Donetsk in the area of the airport, with the use of armoured vehicles, cannons and mortar fire," Borodai said.

Gunmen fire on passenger airliner at Pakistani Peshawar airport

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Gunmen fired on a Pakistan International Airlines plane as it landed in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday night, killing a woman on board and injuring three crew members in the third incident at a Pakistani airport this month.

The plane was carrying 178 passengers travelling from Saudi Arabia when it came under attack, policeman Asghar Khan said at the airport.

Beirut suicide bomber kills Lebanese security officer late on Tuesday

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An overnight suicide blast in Beirut's southern suburbs, Hezbollah's main bastion, killed a security officer, who had tried to stop the bomber, the General Security agency said Tuesday. No one has claimed the attack, but an audio recording posted on YouTube by a Sunni militant group said there would be more "strikes" if the Shiite movement does not pull out of Syria.

The explosion happened around midnight (21:00 GMT Monday) near an army checkpoint and cafe where football fans were watching a World Cup match.
An army statement said a suicide attacker driving a white Mercedes "blew himself up at an army checkpoint at the Tayuneh roundabout (in southern Beirut), wounding several civilians."

Putin and OSCE Chairperson discuss situation in Ukraine on Tuesday

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"Now we need to discuss exactly how we can help," said Didier Burkhalter, expressing satisfaction that he and Putin were able to arrange a meeting quickly. "Our direct contact and dialogue is very important," said the Chairman of the OSCE. The meeting of the two presidents, closing Putin’s official visit to Austria, lasted 50 minutes instead of the scheduled half an hour

OSCE Chairperson-in-office Didier Burkhalter considers it necessary to find at least a part of solutions   on the situation in Ukraine in the next several days, repors RIA Novosti.

Reasons P()rnography Is Harmful And You Should Beware

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Today’s twenty-somethings have been exposed to more pornography, and research is showing that they’ve become more accepting of it.
I heard from a young woman the other day who didn’t get why I was anti-p()rn. “It’s a great way for my fiancé, to meet his needs when I’m not in the mood. I don’t want him to keep bugging me if I’m not into it that night. And he shouldn’t just have to ‘deal’ with frustration, either.”

Kalu Uche’s Wife's father Found Dead In Delta Hotel Room (PICTURED)

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Ex-beauty queen, Stephanie Oforka-Uche has lost her lecturer father to the cold hands of death.  Professor N.C Oforka, who taught at the Department of Chemistry in the University of Port Harcourt, was found dead in a hotel room in Delta.Continue..

Young man pushed from a motorcycle by a Police man (Photo)

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The Guy pictured above named Sharafa, who works in a carwash was allegedly pushed from the motorcycle facing AP station Gberigbe along Ikorodu General Hospital on June 22nd by a police attached at the Igbogbo Divisional HQ along Igbogbo Road Barracks. The guy is now receiving treatment at another friend's house.

The DPO at the Igbogbo police station was contacted in regards to the incident but nothing has been done about any of it yet though a police source said the guy plied on restricted road.

Plane owned by US company, Global Aviation, flying from Nigeria to Gabon Missing

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A 4-seater plane flying from Nigeria to Gabon via Cameroon has gone missing. The plane, owned by US company, Global Aviation, took off from Kano Airport around 6pm yesterday Monday June 23rd and was billed to make a stop over at Doula Cameroon before continuing to Gabon to arrive at 11pm but it never arrived at Doula, Cameroonian Aviation authorities have said. Only an American pilot was on-board.

My Father or Your Father ? Edo Lawmakers Engage In Free For All Fight (Video)

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Kerry urges Kurds to save Iraq from collapse

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John Kerry arrived in Iraq's Kurdish region Tuesday in a US diplomatic drive aimed at preventing the country from splitting apart in the face of Sunni militants pushing towards Baghdad. Iraq's security forces have managed to retake a crucial border crossing along the frontier with Syria, but were struggling to contain advances by insurgents, led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have taken swathes of five provinces north and west of the capital.

More than 1,000 killed in Iraq this month - UN

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At least 1,075 people have been killed amid the current wave of violence in Iraq in June, the UN human rights office reports.

Most of the dead were civilians, said Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He added that the tally of dead "should be viewed very much as a minimum."

It includes alleged executions of civilians and police, as well as non-fighting soldiers.

Ukrainian army carries out artillery strikes against self-defense in Slavyansk despite ceasefire

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Ukrainian government forces continue to carry out artillery strikes against the militia's strongholds in defiance of the declared ceasefire, the defense minister of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic", Igor Strelkov, has said.

"After 6:00 pm yesterday, artillery fire exchanges and local gun battles continued in the Semyonovka area. The adversary opened mortar fire on the village and continued to "hunt" passing cars by firing at them from a tank stationed at their checkpoint near the village of Vostochny," Strelkov was quoted as saying by Donbass people's governor Pavel Gubarev on his Facebook account, Interfax reports.

Fayose still has a case to answer —EFCC

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has described media reports that it had dropped corruption case against the governor-elect of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, as untrue.  The agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told our correspondent on Monday that the recent election of Fayose had not affected the ongoing trial of the governor-elect at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, for alleged corruption.

Uwujaren said that the case would come up for hearing on July 15, 2014, adding that the immunity clause in the Constitution only applied to the President, the Vice President, sitting governors and their deputies, and not governors- elect.

Drama as soldiers stop, search Tambuwal’s car

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Culled from Punch Nigeria

A mild drama ensued in Kaduna on Monday after soldiers stopped the motorcade of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,   Aminu Tambuwal, and searched his official car.

Findings showed that Tambuwal, who was in the flagged car on his way to the venue of an international conference on security, was asked to wind down his window glass to the surprise of other VIPs, who drove past the same route.

This made the security details attached to Tambuwal to   protest but   the soldiers stood their ground. Some of the soldiers were said to have insisted that they were acting on “orders from above.”

Actress Uche Nnanna's Dad is Dead.

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 Nollywood actress,Uche Nnanna has just lost her father,Chief Vincent Okoroafor Nnanna, according to a  family source, he died yesterday(June 22nd) at age 80. He has been ill for a while now that's the reason he couldn't attend Uche and her hubby Richard's wedding ceremony. May Eledumare grant them the fortitude to bear the loss..
Ase!

#2 of 5 Innovations you will not Believe are coming out of Africa, Produced by Africans.

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Mellowcabs are high-tech electric pedicabs manufactured from recycled materials. These vehicles primarily provide first and last mile public transport in urban areas, thereby filling the gap for commuters who need micro transport within a 3 km radius.
Mellowcab was developed in South African by South African serial entrepreneur Neil du Preez.

 

Egypt sentences 3 Al-Jazeera journalists to 7 years imprisonment

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Three Al-Jazeera journalists, Peter Greste (correspondent, Australian), bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy (Canadian/Egyptian) have been sentenced to 7 years in prison each over allegations of false reporting and association with the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. While a 3rd journalist, Baher Mohamed (producer) was given 10 years for same charges and also for being in possession of ammunition.

The three journalists were arrested in December 2013 after security forces raided their work suite office in Cairo on charges of 'spreading false news' and holding meetings with Muslim Brotherhood.

The journalists had reported on how Egyptian security agencies killed hundreds of peaceful protesters in sit-ins in Cairo. This was when Egyptians took to the streets to protest the coup by the army that removed former Egyptian president, Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood from power in July 2013 and demanding for his reinstatement. 

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