NDLEA nabs 11 school children over drug abuse and trafficking

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Eleven secondary school students and a resort manager were recently arrested in Kaduna by officials of the Kaduna State National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, after being caught in a resort taking Psychotropic substances.

 

NDLEA Kaduna State Commander, Mohammed Jibrin made this revelation at The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking programme which held in Kaduna yesterday, June 24th. 

Just in: Galadima Adamawa Kicked the Bucket Today.

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The Galadima Adamawa, Alhaji Aliyu Raji, is dead. The late Raji passed away, Tuesday night at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola. He is going to be buried by 12 noon today at the Yola cemetery based on Islamic rites. 

Video: Our Close Shave With Death Abuja Bomb Blast Survivors

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Jonathan performs ground-breaking of ₦2.4trn centenary city

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President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the Centenary City, Abuja.  Jonathan said the $18.6 billion (N3 trillion) centenary city which would start off with 10 storey building, would be a modern city with presidential archives. The president said his administration was developing the centenary city, sited at the Airport Road, Abuja for security and free trade zone.


Describing the project which was designed to cover 1,200 hectares of land as an elegant city of hope and a symbol of national unity, the president said no other sign could demonstrate the symbol of his administration’s determination for excellence than the city which, according to him, promises a unique and global standard in real estate project.

Ekiti election was fraudulent, says Aregbesola

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Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the All Progressives Congress lost the Ekiti State governorship polls due to fraud but maintained that it was impossible to rig him out in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun.
The governor spoke in Ikirun on Tuesday during the continuation of his campaign which was held in the town.

I’m excited to break winless jinx –Keshi

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Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi says he is excited to lead the team to break their 16-year winless jinx at the World Cup.

Nigeria last won at the World Cup in 1998 when they defeated Bulgaria 1-0 in a group game in France.

Keshi, who led Nigeria to a 1-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday, said that breaking the jinx was the high point of the game, saying he was excited by its outcome.

“What gave me excitement after the game was the fact that Nigeria finally won again at the World Cup. I am excited to be part of this great team that changed things after a very long wait. It is indeed delightful,” Keshi, who led the team to victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, said.

Cameroon arrests 40 B’ Haram suspects

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Cameroon’s military has arrested 40 suspected Boko Haram militants in the north of the country.   Soldiers have also sealed off a market where they suspect Boko Haram may be hiding arms for use in the insurgency over the border in Nigeria.

Col. Nyemeck Pierre, who led the military raid, told VOA that the central government ordered the military action as part of its fight against Boko Haram incursions into Cameroon.

“It is the duty of the military to filter the population so that enemies do not infiltrate into Cameroon,” he said in French Language.
He added that the matter was complicated because along the border there were Nigerians and Cameroonians “who belong to the same families and soldiers have to try to distinguish who is a militant.
Also, a state radio broadcaster in Cameroon also announced that, “A gendarme [military] raid on the Maroua Central Market has led to the arrests of over 40 people.
“The arrests are in connection with the ongoing investigations into the activities of the Boko Haram group in the far north region of the country.”

Fayemi lost but Fayose did not win.

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If you are talking about results from a population of 2.3 million, with over 1.6 million eligible voters and 700,000 plus registered voters from which meagre figures totalling just about half of registered voters voted, as victories and loses, then you can have a field day celebrating or crying. But if you are really recognising the depressing reality and hopelessness of Nigeria under its current democracy, if we can use that term, then the results of the Ekiti election are a cause of consolidated grief and reason to ask – when will the people stand up?

British PM's ex-press secretary found guilty in phone-hacking trial

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Former News of the World editor and ex-press secretary to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Andy Coulson was found guilty of plotting to hack phones, AFP reports. His predecessor Rebekah Brooks, who went on to become chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's News International media empire, was cleared of all charges as well as the paper's managing editor, Stuart Kuttner.

Putin proposes cancelling resolution on using Russian armed forces in Ukraine - Kremlin

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Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, has asked the Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, to repeal a March 1 resolution, which allows him to use Armed Forces on Ukrainian territory, should the need arise, reported Interfax, citing the presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov.

"On Tuesday, before leaving for Vienna on an official visit, Putin forwarded a letter to the Federation Council, addressed to the upper chamber's Speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, asking the Federation Council to repeal its March 1, 2014 resolution No. 48-FZ "On the use of the Armed Forces of Russia on the territory of Ukraine", Peskov said.

Swedish arrest warrant for Assange should be repealed – lawyers

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Stockholm District Court should repeal the arrest warrant for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and a new remand custody hearing should be held, his attorneys Thomas Olsson and Per E Samuelsson said Tuesday in a new legal challenge in the long-running case. A Swedish prosecutor requested his arrest, citing the need to question Assange over the alleged sexual assault of two women in August 2010 and that he had not been available for questioning.

The Australian national denies the allegations, his lawyers said in a 13-page writ filed Tuesday at the Stockholm District Court.

First US military advisers start operating in Iraq - Pentagon

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The first teams of up to 300 US military advisers have begun their mission in Baghdad to assist the Iraqi army in its fight against Sunni extremists, the Pentagon said Tuesday, according to AFP reports. Admiral John Kirby told reporters that "we have begun to deploy initial assessment teams" and two teams of about 40 troops "have started their new mission."

India wants to receive Russian gas through China - media

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India intends to hold negotiations, concerning the extension of a gas pipeline from Russia through China to the Indian border, Indian newspaper Financial Express says, citing the source. The issue may be discussed during BRICS summit in July.

The negotiations may be continued during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin in India, in the end of the year. India's Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has already discussed the issue with his Russian colleague Aleksandr Novak during the most recent World Petroleum Congress in Moscow, Financial Express says. Russia hasn't commented on the issue yet.

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.