Day: February 16, 2018

US and Turkey agree to mend ties as a humanitarian crisis looms in Afrin

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The United States and Turkey have pulled back from the brink of a potentially disastrous crisis, agreeing to normalise badly strained relations over Syria and other issues that had threatened the NATO allies’ longstanding ties. During a two-day visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the two sides announced the creation of new “mechanisms” to improve the relationship, starting with the question of American support for Kurdish rebels as Turkey proposed a joint deployment in Syria. The allies have been at odds since Turkey launched an air and ground assault…

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Constitutional amendment: Youths give Presidency, NASS 30 days ultimatum

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A coalition of 54 youth organisations across the country under the aegis of the ‘Not Too Young to Run Movement’ have given the Presidency, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly 30 days to conclude all the on-going constitutional amendments as the 2019 election is 365 days away. Convener of the ‘Not Too Young to Run’ movement, Mr. Samson Itodo made this known while briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday. He said the movement had declared March 14, 2018 a National Day of Action for Presidential Assent. Against that backdrop,…

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Mourinho denies rift with Pogba

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has dismissed media speculation of a rift with Paul Pogba as a “big lie” and said that the midfielder was well aware of the need to improve after below-par displays in the last few weeks. The France international, 24, was substituted in the 2-0 Premier League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur and started the next game against Huddersfield Town on the bench. He was hauled off again in the 1-0 defeat by Newcastle United last weekend. British media have said United’s record signing is increasingly frustrated…

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Google begins blocking annoying ads on Chrome browser

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Google has begun a new effort to block annoying ads on its Chrome browser, as part of an initiative aimed at improving the online advertising ecosystem that provides the bulk of its revenues. The new ad filtering system rolled out this week aims to eliminate the most irritating marketing messages such as pop-ups, auto-play video ads and “sticky” boxes which cannot be removed. The system was implemented by Google in partnership with the Coalition for Better Ads, an association which includes the internet giant and a number of media and…

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Hackers steal 339.5 million rubles from Russian banks

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Unidentified hackers stole 339.5 million rubles ($6 million) in an attack on the SWIFT international payments messaging system in Russia last year, the Russian central bank said on Friday. The disclosure, buried at the bottom of a central bank report on digital thefts at Russian banks, is the latest in a string of attempted and successful cyber heists using fraudulent wire-transfer requests. The central bank said it had been sent information about ”one successful attack on the work place of a SWIFT system operator. “The volume of unsanctioned operations as…

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Neymar’s dad hits out at son’s critics

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Neymar’s father spoke out at what he called the “vultures” circling his son on Thursday, in an apparent reference to criticism of the Paris St Germain striker’s less than stellar performance in the previous night’s loss to Real Madrid. Neymar was widely criticised as being ineffective during Real’s 3-1 win over PSG in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie in Spain. “In a war there are those who feed off victories and those who, like vultures, feed off the carcasses of the defeated,” Neymar’s father wrote…

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Minister Rotimi Amaechi, lawmakers clash over 2018 budget figures

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Lawmakers at the National Assembly, the Minster of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday disagreed over figures presented in the 2018 Budget of the ministry. The disagreement was sequel to the visit of the Minister of Tranportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, to the Senate Wing of the National Assembly, who appeared before a joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport Transport Chaired by Senator Gbenga Ashafa, at the National Assembly to defend his Ministry’s budget proposal for 2018. While the session was ongoing, Vice Chairman of the House…

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Sierra Leone: How child refugee moved to royalty

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Two decades after fleeing Sierra Leone to escape a brutal civil war, former child refugee, Euphemia-Ann Sydney-Davies is preparing to meet British royalty at London Fashion Week. The fashion designer will present one of her creations – a three-piece suit made of Ghanaian cloth – next week at an event hosted by Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, at Buckingham Palace. The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, spearheaded by Livia Firth who co-founded sustainability brand consultancy Eco-Age, connects designers and artisans from Britain and many of its former colonies to showcase and champion sustainable…

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We’ll implement amended Electoral Act if President Buhari gives assent – INEC

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said it will implement the amended Electoral Act, if it gets the President’s accent. INEC National Commissioner, Voter Education and Publicity, Solomon Soyebi, disclosed this when he appeared on a Lagos-based television programme, yesterday. He said the commission operates within the ambit of the law, and noted that it would be difficult for the electoral body to challenge the law, when it is, in fact, bounded by it. “Everybody has a role to play in the governance of Nigeria; ours is just to…

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Gunmen kill 36 In Zamfara village

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Thirty six people killed by gunmen in Birane Village in Zurmi Local Council of Zamfara State on Wednesday have been buried. However, the Police Command in Zamfara admitted that 18 persons died in the attack, which appears to be a reprisal against the villagers for intercepting a suspected cattle rustler. The Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Muhammad Shehu, said on Feb. 13, hunters from Birani village of Zurmi local government area intercepted and accosted a herder in the bush with some suspected stolen cattle and sheep. “The herder…

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