Churchill Choken

Update:: A man and a woman arrested over the drone disruption that brought Christmas getaway flights to a standstill at London’s Gatwick Airport were released without charge on Sunday, police said. Paul Gait and Elaine, the 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from the town of Crawley, near Britain’s second-busiest airport, were arrested on Saturday. The police swooped after three days of disruption from Wednesday to Friday, affecting 140,000 passengers. “Both people have fully co-operated with our enquiries and I am satisfied that they are no longer suspects in the drone incidents at Gatwick,” Sussex Police detective chief superintendent Jason Tingley said in a statement. Drones were sighted buzzing around the airfield more than 50 times, forcing the government to bring in specialist military resources to help counter the threat. The dangers posed by drones include the possibility of a device smashing into a passenger plane or being sucked up into an engine where its ...

Update:: The Civil Society Legislative Centre (CISLAC) and other anti-graft groups have said that the low knowledge on African Union Convention for Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) has limited the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria. They made the observation at the preliminary launch and findings of the country report on the implementation of AUCPCC. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the African Union adopted the AUCPCC on July 1, 2003 and it became effective on Aug. 5, 2006. Ms Chinwe Ndubeze, one of the Directors in the Legal Department of the EFCC said while Nigeria signed on Dec. 16, 2003 and ratified the 12 article convention on Sept. 26, 2006, the implementation and awareness had, however, been low. “Concerned about the negative effects of corruption and impunity on the political, economic, social and cultural stability and its devastating effects on the economic and social development the African States adopted AUCPCC. “In spite of this, many ...

Update:: At his 80th birthday, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has warned that the future of Nigeria “is not in naira and Kobo’’, but in the legacies left for generations of Nigerians. The octogenarian advised Nigerians, especially the young ones, to do everything possible to leave good legacy behind for future generation. The former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria held the anniversary at his farm at Basaa, Zaria in Kaduna State which was attended by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. He said the ceremony was an opportunity for “members of the Abdullahi Kwasau dynasty to come together, “to know one other, speak with one another and strengthen the relationship with one other”. Obasanjo, who was at the ceremony organised by Abdullahi Kwasau Dynasty, advised Nigerians to forge a collective force against the current insecurity. He called on Nigerians not to plant the seed of destruction for the country. Obasanjo said: “We have to work together to make our country...

Update:: Cuba will soon be legalising gay marriage if the updated country’s constitution adopted by the country’s National Assembly on Saturday is anything to go by. The approval of the constitution is the final step before a national referendum expected to approve the new charter in February. The new constitution contains more continuity than change, although it recognises the de-facto modernisation of Cuban society over the last decade. The constitution maintains Cuba as a centrally planned economy ruled by a single Communist Party, but recognises private property for the first time and paves the way for a separate referendum on legalising gay marriage. It also creates the role of prime minister alongside the current president, as well as provincial governors. Legalising private property is a formal recognition of significant change in Cuban society since former President Raul Castro permitted home and auto sales, creating a booming real-estate market, and allowed more ...

Update:: The number of active oil rigs in the country fell by 17.6 per cent to 28 in November, as global oil benchmark, Brent crude, fell to its lowest level this year. Brent plunged below the $60 per barrel mark in November from a four-year high of $86.74 per barrel in early October. Data obtained from Baker Hughes Incorporated and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries on Friday showed that the Nigeria’s rig count stood at 34 in October. The country and Kuwait recorded the biggest decline in the number of rigs among its peers in the OPEC in November. Rig count dropped to 44 from 50 in Kuwait; fell to 152 from 155 in Saudi Arabia; declined to 67 from 69 in Venezuela, and dipped to 57 from 58 in the United Arab Emirates. Ecuador saw a rise in its rig count to 13 in November from 8, while that of Angola and Iraq increased by one to five and 61 respectively. Rig count is largely a reflection of the level of exploration, development and production activities occ...

Update:: Atiku revealed this at a parley he held with civil society organisations last Thursday in Abuja. Atiku said: “There must be a partnership between civil society organisations and political parties to enthrone, sustain, maintain and develop democracy. Therefore, I would like to appeal for the strengthening of this partnership between civil society organisations and PDP, because it was PDP that enthroned democracy in this country in 1999, and not the APC.” He explained that there was need to dignify Nigerians at home and abroad, which a PDP government would do through providing good governance, security, jobs and prosperity. “We will also respect law and order and obey court orders,” he said. He assured his guests that his party would tackle the issue of kidnapping by providing employment, “because most of those kidnapping are jobless.” Atiku said it is possible to bring back Nigerians that have excelled abroad by offering them things they are used to abroad. “N...

Update:: Slack has apologized after it shut down the accounts of users who have visited Iran following a poorly executed effort at complying with U.S. sanctions against the country. The company, which has eight million users of its productivity tool , has scrapped that first go at the policy. But it did confirm it will now block all activity in Iran and other sanctioned countries, although user accounts won’t be closed. As one of the world’s largest community services, that botched first implementation will have impacted significant numbers of users — both in terms of enterprise teams and free accounts which use Slack for membership of interest groups and communities. The victims affected included Amir Abdi, a machine learning scientist at the University of British Columbia (UBC) who is also the recipient of the Vanier scholarship for PhD talent. Abdi told Motherboard that his account was shut down without prior warning, and the same appeared to apply to a numbe...

Update:: The federal government received over N132 billion subscriptions from 2,073 investors for its N100 billion seven-year 15.74 per cent Sukuk offer, the Debt Management Office (DMO) has said. The DMO, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, announced the result and added that the bond would be due in 2025. It said that the high success rate of the Sukuk, which is the second by the federal government, showed investors’ appetite for government securities. The debt management office added that it showed the investors’ interest in the fact that the proceeds would be used to improve the state of road infrastructure in the country. The bond, which is aimed at funding road infrastructure across the six geo-political zones, is payable semi-annually. Subscription for the bond, which is guaranteed by government, closed on Monday. The government, had in 2017, raised a N100 billion seven-year debut Sukuk bond for the financing of 25 road projects across the six geo-political zone...

Update:: Nigerians have taken to social media to congratulate Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele Bello and her husband, AbdulRasheed–Bello aka JJC Skillz, on the birth of their twin boys Akindele-Bello has been trending on Twitter as Nigerians rejoiced over the reported birth of her twins. They have trooped to her Instagram page and that of her husband’s to drop their congratulatory messages. The birth of the twins was confirmed by Akindele’s publicist, Mr. Biodun Kupoluyi. He said, “the family just welcomed a set of twin. They are boys.” Meanwhile, Akindele has been posting cryptic messages on her insta stories, mostly in the Yoruba language, saying she has been given a new name and that God is great. The popular actress, fondly called Jenifa by her fans had suffered a pregnancy loss in 2017, after she was seen without her pregnancy bump, just months, after she was seen with one. The reported birth of Akindele-Bello’s twins is coming after a Lagos-based prop...

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on members of the National Assembly to apologise to Nigerians for their unruly behaviour during President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 budget presentation. National Assembly must apologize to Nigerians for booing Buhari, says Sen. Ayogu Eze The Public Relations Officer of NANS, Mr Azeez Adeyemi, made the call on Friday in Abeokuta. Adeyemi condemned the lawmakers’ behaviour, saying that it had further tarnished the external image of the country. He urged the lawmakers to always promote the integrity of the country, while according due respect to its leaders. He stressed that the legislators should jettison personal and political interests while treating matters of national interest. “Nigerian students believe that members of the National Assembly should be role models to Nigerian youths and students by displaying worthy and enviable character. “It is important to place respect for the honour and integrity of our...

Update:: The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill(PIGB) and other bills critical to national development. Saraki said this in his opening remarks at the 2019 budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari, the speech was however not delivered at the ceremony, but was made available to newsmen. He noted that in response to the economic recession, the National Assembly passed a number of bills to assist the executive mobilise investment into the country to stimulate economic activities. He said the PIGB alongside National Transport Commission Bill and Federal Road Authority Bill, had not been signed into law, contrary to the expectations of many. “Let me make it clear that the National Assembly appreciates Your Excellency’s assent to some of these bills. “We recognise the prerogative of the president to sign or not to sign these bills. “However, we believe that some of the is...

Update:: Will Ferrell only stopped thinking about possible career "plan Bs" seven or eight years ago. The 51-year-old actor is one of the most popular comedy stars in the movie business, but during the early part of his career, Will worried his success would evaporate and that he'd need to find an alternative job. He shared: "Up until seven or eight years ago, my wife and I still joked that if it all fell apart, what could we possibly do? Maybe open a business of kenneling dogs or be UPS drivers. "We finally stopped thinking of plan Bs." Will - who has kids Magnus, 14, Mattias, 11, and Axel, eight - also revealed that his children have inherited his love of comedy and making people laugh. He told Parade.com: "They're good kids and like to be funny, but they don't need to stand on their desk trying to get a teacher's attention. They just like making their friends laugh. That's the way I was too." Despite his success ...

Update:: The No Alternative To Buhari-Osinbajo 2019 (NATBO 2019), a polictical campaign group has expressed displeasure over the attitude of opposition lawmaker who jeered at the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the budget presentation. In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, National Coordinator of the Group, Vincent Uba, described the action of the lawmakers as not befitting of persons who are supposed to be honourable,\ He said that the jeering made the lawmakers seem like they were kindergartens, stressing that it was an embarrassment to the legislative arm and to the nation. “We view the action of the lawmakers as if they were kindergartens, exhibiting  political rascality and gangsterism capable of smearing the image, reputation and credibility of Nigeria that have continued to rise in the international community since the current administration assumed office. “In as much as democracy bestows freedom of expression on the citizenry, that freed...

Update:: A new British law banning all ivory sales has been welcomed by a dozen African states, and by campaigners who say poachers have been using the legal trade in antique ivory to cover their own activities. The law has been described as the best Christmas present for the world’s threatened elephants, and a significant blow for the world’s ivory smugglers. For years, Britain has been at the centre of a flourishing international trade in antique ivory. But there’s evidence that the legal trade has fuelled demand, and provided cover for criminal gangs smuggling fresh tusks to China.

Update:: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, including surprise decisions to yank troops from Syria and start planning a drawdown in Afghanistan. Mattis announced plans to depart in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare the growing divide between them, and implicitly criticized Trump for failing to value America’s closest allies, who fought alongside the United States in both conflicts. He released the letter after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which the two men also aired their differences, a senior White House official said.

THE All Progressives Congress, APC national peace and reconciliation committee set up over crisis in the Southwest submitted its report to the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Abuja with a recommendation for persuasion to reconcile aggrieved tendencies. More than 70% of the complaints in the region as learnt, came from Ondo State where party leaders variously complained of the attitude of the governor. Chairman of the committee, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State who served as chairman of the committee in presenting the committee’s report thanked Oshiomhole for the passion he has brought to bear in pursuance of peace in the party. The committee had Governors Nasiru El-Rufai and Akinwunmi Ambode, former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, former deputy governor of Ekiti State, Professor Modupe Adelabu, the D-G, NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside and Barrister Sa’ida Sa’ad Bugaje and members. Bolarinwa-led APC appeals Kwara High Court judgment Committee sources...

Update::   A candidate in upcoming presidential elections in DR Congo said Thursday that the national election commission had confirmed the long-delayed vote would be postponed again. Theodore Ngoy, one of 21 candidates vying to succeed President Joseph Kabila on Sunday, said the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) had informed him the poll was being postponed "for technical reasons." "CENI says that it is technically unable to organise the December 23 elections," he told AFPTV. "We are going to meet in the light of this information," Ngoy said. On Wednesday, a senior source in CENI said the panel would order a one-week postponement after a warehouse fire destroyed thousands of electronic voting machines earmarked for Kinshasa, the nation's capital. CENI chief Corneille Nangaa met in parliament Thursday with Prime Minister Bruno Tshibala and other candidates, ahead of a scheduled press conference. But opposition leaders immed...

Update:: Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna central, has mocked speculations that the reason why the Electoral Amendment Bill wasn’t signed, is because Russia will meddle or temper with our elections. The senator said the reason is simply an excuse and very untenable. The senator added that the government must submit to free and fair elections, saying “the world is watching. ” Shehu Sani, said this via Twitter on Thursday. However, some of his followers while responding to his statement said such “allegations against Russia for meddling in US elections or others is a western concocted media campaign to damage Russia’s image.” He wrote: The conjecture that Russia will meddle or temper with our elections if the electoral bill is signed & applied is baloney. Its an untenable mythical tale adopted & advanced as an excuse.The Government must commit & submit itself to free elections as ‘The World is watching us’. The conjecture that Russia will meddle or t...

Update:: Russian President Vladimir Putin threw doubt on American troops’ withdrawal from Syria, citing Afghanistan. Making the remarks Thursday in his annual press conference in Moscow, Putin said that he is not sure about the withdrawal of the American troops, citing the example of Afghanistan, where US troops have been deployed for over 17 years despite Washington’s consistent announcements of plans to leave the country. He also elaborated that the US military presence in Syria was illegitimate. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Russian President regretted that the tendency to underestimate the threat of a nuclear war in the world is increasing. “The danger of the situation escalating is being downplayed. It now seems to be impossible, something of not critical importance. But if something like that happens, that might lead to the collapse of the entire civilisation, and maybe even our planet. “They [the US] are withdrawing from the INF Treaty. It’s hard to imagine what wil...