Month: April 2018

The Nigeria of our daydream

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Around 9am on Friday, April 20, 2018, I grabbed my phone to check my messages. My wife and I had taken an early morning walk and I had been separated from my phone for over an hour. It was inevitable that there would be many missed calls and messages patiently waiting for my attention. The first message I saw was from Imam Imam, spokesman of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state and my former colleague at THISDAY. It came in at 8:23am. He wrote: “Oga good morning. Are you…

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NUJ begs FG to declare state of emergency on media industry

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Rafat Salami, the Secretary of the FCT Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), has called on the Federal Government to declare state of emergency on the media industry in order to check the maltreatment of journalists. She made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. Salami, who participated in the recent convention of the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, described the nonpayment of salaries by most media owners as unfortunate. “It is a threat to the survival of democracy. “It…

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Germany triples compensation for victims of terrorism

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The German government plans to triple the compensation it gives to victims of terror to 30,000 euros (36,400 dollars), a reaction to an outcry after the 2016 terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas market. “The attack [on the Christmas market in Berlin] in December 2016 showed that great improvements have to be made,” the government’s commissioner for the victims of terror, Edgar Franke, told the local newspaper Rheinische Post. He said current levels of compensation – 10,000 euros for the loss of a child, parent or spouse and 5,000 euros…

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British PM appoints Sajid Javid interior minister

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British Prime Minister, Theresa May, appointed Sajid Javid as the new Home Secretary on Monday after the previous Interior Minister, Amber Rudd, quit over the treatment of some long-term Caribbean residents wrongly labeled illegal immigrants. Javid, 48, a former Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, was previously Communities and Local Government Secretary. Rudd resigned on Sunday after May’s government faced an outpouring of indignation over its treatment of some long-term Caribbean residents who were wrongly labeled illegal immigrants. The loss of one of May’s closest allies is a blow as she…

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Woman cut off boyfriend’s penis for leaking their sex tape

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An Argentine woman Brenda Barattini accused of cutting off her boyfriend’s penis with gardening scissors said she was provoked because he showed his friends their homemade sex tape, according to reports. The 26-year-old Barattini, allegedly committed the revenge attack in the Nueva Cordoba area of the Argentine city of Cordoba last November, which left her 40-year-old boyfriend with 90 percent of his penis chopped off, and in life-threatening condition. Barattini, who is serving imprisonment without bail ahead of her trial, said she suffered great psychological harm because of the leaked tape…

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Ace comedian Bill Cosby convicted of sexual assault in retrial

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omedian Bill Cosby was convicted yesterday on all three counts of drugging and molesting a onetime friend in 2004 at his home, a decisive victory for prosecutors in one of the first celebrity sexual-assault trials of the #MeToo era. Cosby, 80, best known as the lovable father from the 1980s TV hit “The Cosby Show,” faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts of aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand, who is now 45. Cosby looked down with a sad expression when the Pennsylvania jury’s…

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Thomas Mapfumo: We were happy to hear Mugabe was gone

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After 16 years in self-imposed exile, Thomas Mapfumo, one of Zimbabwe’s most popular and outspoken musicians, has returned home displaying the same defiance that forced him to flee. “I was speaking out against the government and what was happening,” he told AFP as he recalled his vocal and much-celebrated opposition to Robert Mugabe, who was ousted from power in November. “There was no rule of law. Everything was just out of order. There was a lot of dictatorship going on. I don’t tolerate dictatorship.” Mapfumo, 72, has remained a beloved…

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Senator Saraki: IGP Ibrahim Idris must appear on Wednesday

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Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, who was billed to appear before the Senate yesterday to brief the lawmakers at plenary on the ordeal of Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Dino Melaye, APC Kogi West, in the hands of the Police on alleged illegal possession of ammunition, shunned the upper chamber. The IGP, who failed to appear, was said to have travelled with President Muhammadu Buhari on a visit to Bauchi State. He was, however, re-summoned to appear next Wednesday at 11am. Meanwhile, Senate…

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Marseille on course, Arsenal fail to kill 10-man Atletico

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Olympique de Marseille’s Dimitri Payet set up both goals as he guided the team to an impressive 2-0 home win over Salzburg in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday. In London, a late equaliser from French striker Antoine Griezmann gave 10-man Atletico Madrid a precious away-goal advantage over Arsenal in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final at the Emirates. A night which looked like Arsenal’s ended with a 1-1 draw on Thursday. Griezmann scores a vital goal for Atletico against Arsenal in London Arsenal…

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Paul Pogba: I’m being judged differently to other midfielders

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Paul Pogba thinks his performances for Manchester United are being judged differently to those of other midfielders in the Premier League. The Frenchman, who has six goals and 11 assists to his name in all competitions, has come in for criticism at times this season with his role in Jose Mourinho’s side questioned. However, the 25-year-old’s form has picked up in recent weeks with his goals and assists helping United to wins over Manchester City and Bournemouth in the Premier League and Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.…

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