US pressure on French banks 'blackmail' linked to Mistral warship deal - Putin

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Vladimir Putin said that Russia was aware of pressure that the United States puts on France over the deal to build the Mistral warships for Russia and views it as blackmail, RIA reports. "What is being done now with the French banks causes nothing but outrage in Europe and in our country as well," Putin said at a meeting with Russian ambassadors and permanent envoys.

"We are aware of the pressure that our American partners exert on France with a purpose of not to deliver the Mistral warships to Russia. And we know even that the United States hinted that if the French do not deliver the Mistrals, then sanctions will gradually be lifted from the banks, or at least be reduced to minimum. If this is not blackmail, then what is it?" he added.

Policemen, families escape death as Lagos barracks collapse

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Some policemen and their families escaped being crushed on Monday night when a two-storey building in the Pedro Police Barracks, Somolu, Lagos, collapsed.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the building, which served as the kitchen, bathroom and toilet extension, collapsed at about 8.30pm when most of the residents were in their sitting rooms and bedrooms.

A resident, who identified herself simply as Faith, explained that the collapse was not surprising considering the dilapidated state of the barracks.

Gowon Laments Over Umaru Dikko’s Death

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Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has described the death of the former Minister of Transportation during the second republic, Umaru Dikko, as a great loss to the nation. Gowon stated this on Tuesday after the news of Dikko’s death was being announced by the Family.

“I have known him since our school days in 1950; he was part of the Zaria Boys Association. I was the Chairman and he was my deputy. So you can see how long we have known each other, and we have interrelated ever since”, he said.

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Fighting resumes in Lugansk (Most Populated Nigerian City), south East region Ukraine, children evacuated by self-defense - militia

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Lugansk, south east of Ukraine has the highest number of Nigerian student followed by Ternopil in the Western part of the country.  A spokesman for the Lugansk People's Republic Vladimir Inogorodskikh has said that the situation in the region remain tense following Ukrainian President Poroshenko's decision not to prolong the ceasefire in the country’s southeast.

"The situation in the republic remains tense. The information available to us indicates that minor armed clashes are underway near Izvarino. The villages of Metalist and Zheltoye have come under artillery fire. Children are now being evacuated from an orphanage in the Kamennobrodsky district of Lugansk, where fighting is taking place at the moment," he told Interfax on Tuesday.

US imperial ambitions in East Asia could push region to the brink of war

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With the US seemingly working up tensions the world over, the Far East is another region facing the risk of major instability. The ultimate cause of potential conflict would be a standoff between the US and China that it would like to "contain". How great are the risks? Experts from Japan and China are sharing their vision with The Voice of Russia.

According to a recent poll by the Japanese newspaper, Mainichi Shimbun, 71 percent of respondents said they think Japan could get dragged into an armed conflict if the government allowed the exercise of the right to collective self-defense.

West should get rid of ambitions to build 'global barracks' dictating its rules - Putin

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Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes the West will stop forcing its principles on other countries, making a "world barracks" out of the international stage. "I hope pragmatism will triumph after all. The West will rid itself of the ambitions and desire to put a 'world barracks" in place, to line all up by ranks and to force uniform rules of conduct and living on society," Putin stated. "I hope the West will build relations on the basis of equality and mutual respect, taking each others' interests into account," the Russian president said to ambassadors and permanent envoys at a conference on Monday.

On trends in global politics

Putin clearly sees, cold-bloodedly counts all moves of the West - expert

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined his foreign policy priorities to ambassadors and envoys. The experts noted he was confident, revealing and sent quite a clear message to the West. He certainly has not attacked any Western leader, despite numerous personal attacks against himself.

Latvian nationalists to hold procession in honor of Hitler's intervention

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Latvian nationalists will hold a procession in Riga in commemoration of Nazi intervention, ITAR-TASS says. The union against Nazism has opposed the event.

On July 1, Riga will see two events, Riga's government says. A traditional proceeding "Steps of the living" in commemoration of the Holocaustvictims is to be held on the territory in Riga’s former ghetto. Moreover, the nationalists intend to hold their own procession from the Museum of Occupation to the Freedom Monument. The event will be consecrated to the end of the "horrible year", which is the period from 1940-1941.

US on the wrong side of history for supporting Israeli atrocities in Palestine - lawyer

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Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine: Protesters run as tear gas canisters are fired by Israeli security forces. February 15, 2013.

Diana Buttu

The Israeli military has discovered the bodies of three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped on June 12, in the West Bank. Their abduction shocked the nation and triggered a full-scale violent offensive against the Palestinians that is unlikely to stop even now the bodies have been unearthed. That's the view of Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer. The remains of Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel, both 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, were found in a field near Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, not far from where they were allegedly abducted
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PhotoNews: Scene of today's bomb blast in Maiduguri market

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 See more pics after the break.

Why we need to be grateful to Abacha (Must read)

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Former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, unwittingly did Nigeria a big favour regarding our democracy. On May 29, 2014 Nigeria celebrated its 15 years of unbroken democracy in the Fourth Republic, which is about three times longer than the longest period of democracy we had had hitherto. If not for Abacha, this could not have been possible.

The First Republic had lasted five years and three and half months. The Second Republic lasted three years and exactly three months. That showed retrogression. After many postponements about handing over to the civilians, the Third Republic kicked off in a peculiar way: Gen. Ibrahim Babangida conducted governorship and legislative elections while he was still ruling the nation. That experiment, which started in 1991, was supposed to culminate in the conduct of the presidential election in 1993 and final handover to a democratic government.
Continue after the break..

OBJ dancing to strange music – Bode George

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A member, Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees and South-West leader of the ruling party, Chief Bode George, comments on topical national issues in this interview with TUNDE ODESOLA

Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor Tunde Bakare invoke the wrath of God on the Boko Haram

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Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor Tunde Bakare, two of Nigeria’s very popular Christian leaders, have invoked the wrath of God on the Boko Haram terrorist group that has endlessly inflicted pains in the country, killing its citizens and maiming others.
Oyedepo is the founder of the Living Faith Church, also called Winners Chapel while Bakare is Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly.

Man jumped off the cliff after fiancée dumps him

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Tragedy struck at the Onikolobo section of Abeokuta, Ogun State on Saturday when  a 33-year-old man, Oluwatosin Otaiku, stabbed himself to death after his fiancee, Olaogun Oluwatoyin, discontinued the relationship.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Otaiku killed himself after his woman told him she was no longer interested in the relationship.
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Chibok girls were not kidnapped - Asari Dokubo

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Inspite of the faces and names of kidnapped Chibok girls released, ex-Niger Delta militant Asari Dokubo still maintaining that no girls are missing. See what he wrote on his Facebook page above.

Injured Onazi Tweets From Hospital Bed

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* Nigeria's Ogenyi Onazi

Nigeria's midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi has spoken on Super Eagles exit from the ongoing 2014 FIFA World Cup holding in Brazil.

The Nigerian team were defeated 0-2 by the Les Blues of France on Monday's night with the two goals coming in the second half of the round of the 16 tie.

A header from Paul Pogba of Juventus and an own goal by Joseph Yobo secured a quarter final berth for the French team who had to dig deep for the victory.
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Bomb blast in Maiduguri market this morning

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A bomb exploded at an active market in Maiduguri, Borno state, today July1st. Eye-witnesses said the bomb went off around 8am today at the busy market near a Power Holding building.  Number of casualty is likely to be high as a result of how crowded the location is. A Borno state govt official confirmed the blast to Sahara Reporters, saying the causality number is very high but stated that security agencies are working to secure the location and rescue victims. Today's bombing would be the first major bombing by Boko Haram since the start of Ramadan.

Video Post: Pro Wole Soyinka says Boko Haram Menace Worse Than Biafran War (Video)

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Video: Kwara police unmasks ritualist den in Illorin

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Just in: Prominent Northern Politician, Umaru Dikko, is dead

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A prominent northern politician and Minister of Transportation during the Second Republic, Umaru Dikko, is dead, his son, Bello Dikko, has said.

Mr. Dikko, 78, died early Tuesday in a London hospital, family members told PREMIUM TIMES.

He has been sick for “quite some time” and suffered three strokes in a row, a family member said.

Details later….

Meanwhile, below is Wikipedia entry for Mr. Dikko.

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