The king of Dubia's first son dies of heart attack at age 33

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The prince of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the first son of Dubai’s ruler/Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has died. He died very early this morning from what the family say is a heart attack. He wasn't the heir apparent to the throne though, his younger, Sheikh Hamdan, is.

African Union suspends Burkina Faso from organization

The African Union has suspended Burkina Faso over Thursday's military coup. The AU said sanctions would be imposed if members of the presidential guard, who staged the coup do not release members of the interim government which includes the interim president, Michel Kafondo. 

182 Die in South Sudan Fuel Truck Blast

The death toll in South Sudan from the explosion of a fuel truck this week has risen to 182, a regional official said on Friday.

The blast occurred on Wednesday as crowds gathered around the tanker to gather fuel after it had veered off the road.

An official had earlier said that the toll could keep rising as South Sudan did not have adequate facilities to treat the burns.

Former Ca. mayor accused of helping company that allegedly scammed thousand

Arcadia, Calif. Councilmember John Wuo, also a former city mayor, is shown in this official headshot. (City of Arcadia, Calif.)

A council member and former mayor of Arcadia, Ca. has been accused of using his government position to lend credibility to a company now under investigation by federal and state agencies for allegedly scamming hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims in the U.S., and potentially many more abroad.
Some 10,000 people in the U.S., including 3,000 in California, invested in the Arcadia-based U.S. Fine Investment Arts (USFIA), according to attorney Long Liu, who represents several Chinese Americans who believe they were scammed.

RELATIONSHIP CLAUSE:Living Together Before Marriage: Is It The Best Idea?

 
There are a lot of reasons a couple might want to consider living together long before they are able to make things ‘official’ between them.
It can be due to financial advantages, or they have child(ren) together. It could also be due to the fact that they are saving up for a wedding and they simply cannot wait until then to be together.
There are a few advantages of having a live-in partner, such as;
– Giving each other a chance to know each other well before marriage. It is almost impossible to know someone truly well unless you live with them, and doing this before marriage could give you a good idea on what to expect. It could even make it clearer for you regarding whether or not you will like to continue in the relationship.

Boko Haram Leaders Say They Are Tired Of Fighting

The Centre of Crisis Communication (CCC) has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his willingness to negotiate with the deadly Boko Haram sect for the release of the abducted Chibok School girls.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, September 16, the executive secretary of the centre, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (rtd) said there was nothing wrong in exploring and exploiting every opportunity that will secure the freedom of not only the school girls but every other Nigerian under the sect’s captivity.
Anas stated this while giving an update on the dialogue being facilitated by the CCC between the government and the insurgents to free the 219 abducted Chibok girls, The Nation reports.
According to him, some Boko Haram leaders were tired of fighting and that’s why they decided to negotiate with the government.

Obasanjo, Tinubu Clash Over PMB’s Ministers

Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and Bola Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos state, have clashed over the formation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

The first casualty in the war between the two politicians was the former Lagos state commissioner for finance and a nominee of Tinubu into the cabinet, Wale Edun.
New Telegraph reports that Edun, who Tinubu had suggested to Buhari as minister of finance, has been overlooked despite being screened by the security service.
He is to be replaced by the former Lagos state commissioner for budget and economic planning, Yemi Cardoso, as a Lagos representative in the cabinet.

Chibok Girls: Buhari Considers Amnesty For Boko Haram

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, September 16, said he was ready to offer amnesty to Boko Haram fighters in exchange for the missing Chibok girls. 
 
Buhari spoke on the amnesty offer in an interview with french channel AFP on the last day of his visit to France. This comes as the government is considering ways of rescuing the girls who are yet to be released from Boko Harm captivity.
Buhari said they could offer amnesty if the sect handed over all the Chibok abductees. But girls’ release should come first, he insisted.

Mecca Crane Accident: Victims’ Families to Receive N70 Million Each as Compensation

In the aftermath of the tragic crane accident at Makkah Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi authorities have announced that families of each of the 111 people who lost their lives in the accident will be paid compensation of (SR1,000,000) one million Saudi Riyals – approximately N70 Million.

According to The Nation, top officials of the Saudi Binladin Group have been banned from traveling outside the kingdom after the construction company was partially blamed for the accident

SOUTH AFICA: Oscar Pistorius cannot afford another murder trial say his lawyers

Lawyers to Oscar Pistorius say he cannot afford another murder trial. The athlete was found guilty of culpable homicide - a similar charge to manslaughter - by a judge and was sentenced to five years in prison last year for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home on Val's Day 2013.

Syrian Refugee Tripped in Hungary Is Welcomed in Spain

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As a Syrian refugee fled from the police in Hungary last week, a local journalist stopped filming and tripped him, changing both of their lives. Credit Marko Djurica/Reuters

Burkina Faso military confirms coup, dissolves government

Sept. 16, 2015: People demonstrate near the presidential palace after soldiers arrested Burkina Faso’s transitional president and prime minister in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. (AP)

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso –  While gunfire rang out in the streets, Burkina Faso's military took to the airwaves Thursday to declare it now controls the West African country, confirming that a coup has taken place just weeks before elections.
The announcement aired on national television and radio said the transitional government was dissolved and the interim president no longer in power.

Nigerian refugees in ‘atrocious’ situation in Niger – UN

 

Nigerian refugees in ‘atrocious’ situation in Niger – UN
Thousands of Nigerian refugees who fled to southeast Niger to escape the Islamist group Boko Haram are in an “atrocious” situation, the United Nations says.

Russian attack helicopters spotted in Syria

 
Four Russian attack helicopters have been spotted on the tarmac of a Syrian airport that the Pentagon says is being converted into a Russian forward operating base.
The arrival of the helicopter gunships follows the shipment of sophisticated battle tanks, and shows the Russian build-up in Syria escalating even after repeated complaints from the Obama administration.

Civil Servants Do Most Of The Work, Ministers Are Just There To Make Noise – Buhari

 
President Muhammadu Buhari has for the umpteenth time defended his decision to delay appointment of ministers, saying most of the works in the ministries are being done by civil servants and technocrats.

He described the role of ministers as that of noise makers.

Buhari made this assertion on Wednesday in an interview with French television station, France 24.

Texas 14-year-old arrested for bringing homemade clock to school after teacher said it looked like a bomb

A Texas high school freshman said he was arrested Monday after one of his teachers said a homemade clock he had brought to school looked like a bomb.
The Dallas Morning News reported late Tuesday that Ahmed Mohamed, 14, has been suspended from MacArthur High School in Irving and police say they may charge the teen with making a hoax bomb.

'CAUGHT OFF GUARD': At least 16 killed as flash floods strike Utah

 
At least 16 people have been killed in flash flooding in two locations in southern Utah, officials said late Tuesday.
Sgt. Brock Bentley of the Washington County Sheriff's Office said three additional bodies were found a day after two vehicles were washed away in floodwaters in a town of women and children at the Utah-Arizona border, bringing the total there to 12 dead, and one still missing.

Buhari Assures Negotiations With Boko Haram

The major issues of focus today Wednesday, September 16, in the Nigerian daily newspapers are on the issues of the federal government having negotiations with Boko Haram, the transfer of government revenues into the treasury single account and the 7-day ultimatum issued by the presidency for workers to be paid all arrears of salaries and allowances.
After about 500 days of the abduction of the Chibok girls, President Muhammadu Buhari told members of the Nigerian community in France on Tuesday, September 15, that the federal government has started dialoguing with the terrorist sect to facilitate the release of the girls, The Punch reports.

The Punch front page, Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Technology: How to Use Animated GIF Image as Wallpaper in Windows

Customizing your newly installed windows could take a lot a time, from tweaking its settings to finding a nice wallpapers that suits you from core. Well we have covered a lot of stuff in the windows niche, like removing the windows watermark, extending your 7 and windows 8 trial period, that can actually reset your trial period hence you can use your windows for straight 1 year for free and much more.

Zimbabwe: MDC-T MPs Receive Death Threats On Their Phones, Lawyers Condemn Development

MDC-T MPs on Tuesday received death threats on their mobile phones after threats to heckle President Robert Mugabe during the 3rd Session of the 8th Parliament, NewZimbabwe.com has learnt.
Mugabe officially opened the third session of the eighth parliament on Tuesday where he read a wrong speech which his aides said had been given him accidentally.
Parliament stopped the live broadcast of the speech following reports that the MDC-T MPs were planning to boo Mugabe.

Pres. Buhari: Boko Haram Agreed to Swap Chibok Girls with Arrested Bomb Expert

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that one of the conditions given by Boko Haram for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls was for the Nigerian government to release one of the sect members with expertise in making Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs).

South Africa: SA Calls for Lasting Solution in Syria

Pretoria — Concerned about the situation regarding Syrian refugees, South Africa has called on the international community to reflect on the root causes and find lasting solutions to the problem.
"The human tragedy requires us to find lasting solutions - which is to stop the war in Syria," said President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday, when he gave an update on South Africa's foreign policy.
The President addressed issues of foreign policy with a number of foreign ambassadors and high commissioners resident in South Africa.

Nigerian Army contingent win gold at All Africa Games

3 officers of the Nigerian Army, Lance Corporal Kehinde Obareh, Lance Corporal Edith Agu and Private Caroline Linus who are currently representing Nigeria in the Boxing event at the 11th All Africa Games holding in Congo have won Gold and Silver medals respectively. The trio won the medals during the boxing final competition on Sunday September 13th. Congrats to them.

Facebook plans alternative to ‘like’ button

 

Founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has announced Facebook will soon launch a button which will allow users to express empathy.

Addressing a Q&A session held at the US company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, the 31-year-old acknowledged that “like” is not always appropriate for some posts – about a tragic news event, for example – when people might want to express empathy.

Photos of Pastor Adeboye’s Alleged New Private Jet

Pastor EA Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church of God has allegedly purchased a Gulfstream Jet for a whooping sum of $65million, the same type Pastor TB Joshua  bought for himself.
The new jet is said to have been purchased in May 2015. According to Sahara Reporters, the pastor has also floated a new luxury jet company, Emmanuel Aviation. The G550 jet was made in Georgia and is far newer than the one purchased by Prophet TB Joshua months earlier.

obasanjo Reacts To President Buhari’s Appointments

Many has been expecting him to react on this matter. President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is not in any way worried over the mode of operation of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking with PT, after his visit to President Buhari in Aso Rock, Baba said: “I am reasonably satisfied with his performance so far, and I can’t see any reason that will make me raise any alarm at this time.”

Stolen Funds; ICPC returns N924m desertification project fund to ministry of environment

By Caleb Ayansina

ABUJA – The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Monday returned the sum of N924m stolen fund diverted from the desertification project to the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Also, over N56m recovered from the N103m meant for feeding of students in three federal colleges were returned to the school principals.

Meet 14-Year Old Boy Who Wins Big At Venice Film Festival

14-Year old Ghanaian street vendor, Abraham Attah wins big at the just concluded 2015 Venice Film Festival.

Abraham Attah
Abraham won the Marcello Mastroianni’s Best Actor Award for his lead role in the movie “Beasts of Nation”, alongside top international movie star, Idris Elba.

South Africa: Sibella, Karoo's Queen of the Cheetahs, Dies

Sibella the cheetah died early in the morning in the Samara Private Game Reserve near Graaff-Reinet after a clash with a duiker buck it was hunting. The cheetah suffered a deep wound to its abdomen.
Born wild in North West province, Sibella was rehomed in Samara in 2003. It had been captured and tortured by hunters at the age of two. Sibella died on Friday, 11 September.
"Lying at death's door, she was fortunate enough to be rescued by the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust. She owes her life to the five-hour surgery and dedicated rehabilitation that ensued," said Margie Varney, Samara general manager, said at the time of the relocation.

Ghana's Bizarre Burial Rites

By Eugene Okumu
A man was 'buried' standing while holding a football in Ghana, whose funeral service sector has adopted a new method of preserving corpses.
The trend of burying the dead in life-like positions has long been practised in some European nations and the Americas.

It is now catching on in the west African country, and was done for former Ghanaian Black Stars footballer George Arthur, who died in June.
King George, as he was fondly called, suffered a heart attack while playing a game of draughts with his friends, and died upon arrival at Sunyani government hospital.

Photos: Buhari holds breakfast meeting with French businessmen

President Buhari participated at the High Level Business Breakfast Session with French and Nigerian CEOs at MEDEF Headquarters in Paris this morning. Continue to see more photos..

Sierra Leone quarantines 700 after new Ebola death

 
 Health authorities in Sierra Leone said Tuesday they had quarantined almost 700 people as they battled to contain a new outbreak of Ebola which killed a 16-year-old girl.

The teenager died Sunday in a rural suburb of the city of Makeni, in a northern province that had not recorded a single case of the deadly virus in nearly six months.

“Over 680 people in the village of Robureh are now under a 21-day quarantine,” Amadu Thullah, a spokesman for the local Ebola response centre told AFP.

South Africa: Unlocking the Potential of South Africa's Electricity Grid

analysis

By Steve Hedden, Researcher, African Futures and Innovation, Iss PretoriaSustained power cuts, caused by under-investment and a shortage of generating capacity, have damaged the South African economy. The response has been a belated thrust towards more power supply, from a combination of coal-fired power plants, oil and gas, wind and solar, and potentially a fleet of new nuclear power stations.
Fixing South Africa's energy crisis is not just about generating more electricity, however. More focus is also needed on the transmission and distribution of electricity.

APC Wades Into Bayelsa Power Struggle

The All Progressives Congress on Monday, September 14, waded into the ongoing power struggle for the Bayelsa state governorship ticket with the aim of building a consensus around the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, as its candidate.
As part of efforts to boost its chances of victory against the two PDP controlled states, the leadership summoned all its governorship aspirants in Bayelsa and Kogi states to a meeting in Abuja, This Day reports.
The meeting with governorship aspirants from Bayelsa state is coming ahead of the primary election scheduled for next Saturday, September 26, where two popular aspirants, the former Governor of the state, Chief Timpre Silva and Alaibe are shaping up for a contest.
It was also gathered that the plan to persuade Silva to back Alaibe has met a brick wall as Silva has gone ahead with intense campaign and mobilisation of delegates.

RELATIONSHIP CLAUSE: Why Men Lie About Their Relationship

It’s ridiculous when most men out there claim being single when in fact they are not! Various sorts of lies come up when they are being asked about their relationship status.
Some always claim to have broken up a week before meeting the lady while others talk about their girlfriends with a silly wave of the hand like it’s nothing important. At the long run, things could become adventurous and dark secrets would be exposed. It’s simply weird!

T.B Joshua Reportedly Purchases $60 Million Private Jet

According to Sahara Reporters, Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) pastor, T.B. Joshua, reportedly purchased a ‘nearly brand-new’ Gulfstream G550 aircraft in April 2015, a few months after the church’s building collapse that killed over 100 people.

Frustration, Anger In APC Camp Over Buhari’s Ministerial

The mood at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday was that of disappointment, frustration and anger, following the news that President Muhammadu Buhari had sent the names of certain persons to be appointed ministers to the Department of State Services (DSS) and were already being screened.

Why Eid-el-Kabir (Salah) Was Shifted To September 24

 
“The Muslim Eid-el-Kabir or Eid-il-Adha festival will now be celebrated on 24 September.

This followed the shifting of the Arafat Day from 22 September to 23 September by the Saudi Arabia moon sighting committee.

Sultanate council declares September 24 as Sallah day

The Sultanate Council has declared Thursday September 24th as Sallah Day. A statement issued by the Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI) Secretary General, Dr Khalid Aliyu, in Kaduna today also declared Tuesday, September 15 as the first day of the Muslim month of Dhul-Hajj

Buhari urges AU to unite against terrorism

President Muhammadu Buhari  has called on the African Union  and the regional economic blocs within Africa to coordinate their efforts in order fight the menace of terrorism, violent extremism, armed conflicts and other crises threatening the peace and security of the continent.

The President noted that attention  should be focused on how the Peace and Security Council and the regional economic communities  can enhance effectiveness using their comparative advantages and various  capacities   in the areas of  early warning and early action,  conflict prevention , peace- keeping, post- conflict peace building,  reconstruction, development, democratic practice and good governance,  as well as combating terrorism and violent extremism.

MTN Foundation Celebrates 10 Years of Positively Impacting Nigerians

It’s been 10 impactful years since the inception of MTN Foundation, the CSR arm of MTN Nigeria. MTN has from inception committed 1% of its Profit-After-Tax to fund the activities of the foundation. From disability support projects, youth empowerment programs, scholarship schemes, eyesight restoration, medical support initiatives, sickle cell treatment, schools connect projects, ICT development, security and so many more

Photos: Buhari arrives France on his 3-days working visit

President Buhari has arrived France on his 3 days visit. He was received at the Pavillion de Honour, Orly International airport, Paris by H.E. Mr. Thierry Leleu, Governor of Val de Marne. Continue to see more photos

SAD! Nigerian Pilgrims Who Died In Mecca Crane Accident Will Be Buried In Mecca

 
Though the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria had earlier said only three Nigerians died in the crane accident that occurred in a Mecca mosque in Saudi Arabia on Friday, there seems to be a new twist to it now has more bodies of Nigerians have been discovered among the dead victims. According to the spokesperson of the Hajj commission, a total of six Nigerians have been confirmed dead with four people still missing.

He disclosed that their religion Islam, does not permit corpses to be brought back home, so they will also be buried in Mecca.

South Africa: SA Slips Further in Economic Freedom - Index

Continuing a steady decline, South Africa has slipped from 42nd place in 2000 to 96th in the latest global index which measures economic freedom.
The country ranks 96th out of 157 countries and territories included in 2013, according to the Economic Freedom of the World: 2015 Annual Report, released on Monday by The Free Market Foundation in conjunction with Canada's Fraser Institute.
South Africa ranked 89th in the previous index.

Uganda: Female Ugandan Students Have Created an App That Detects Vaginal Bacteria

By Laura Newnham
A group of five female students from Makerere University in Uganda have successfully created a test kit connected to a smartphone app that is able to detect harmful vaginal bacteria that cause bacterial vaginosis and other infections.

Ambode investment drive gets major boost, as German firm plans N14bn factory

The investment drive of the Lagos State Government received a major boost on Monday when the representative of the Knauf Group International, Mrs Isabel Knauf expressed her company’s readiness to commence work on a N14billion manufacturing firm in the state.