David Shadrach

Keystone pipeline spills 5,000 barrels of oil in US NEWS / US & CANADA WATCH 29:31 Standing Rock and the Battle Beyond Environment US & Canada Oil spill SIGN UP The spill comes in the midst of a growing protest movement against oil pipelines in the US and Canada [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters] An investigation is ongoing after a leak in the major Keystone energy pipeline spilled nearly 795,000 litres of oil onto farmland in the US state of South Dakota. That is the equivalent of 5,000 barrels of oil, said TransCanada, the Calgary- based company that operates Keystone, a 4,324-km pipeline which carries crude oil from Canada through the US. The company said the pipeline was shut down on Thursday morning after the leak was detected near the town of Amherst, South Dakota. "Emergency response procedures were activated," TransCanada said in a statement. Advertisement "The safety of the public and environment are our top priorities and we will continue to provide updates as th...

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will welcome Lebanese leader Saad Hariri "with the honours that are due a prime minister", adding that he expected him to return to Lebanon within days or weeks. Hariri and his family are expected to meet Macron on Saturday in France's capital, Paris, following an invitation by the French president earlier this week. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim politician and longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, suddenly announced his resignation as Lebanon's prime minister during a visit to Riyadh on November 4. He has been promising to return home soon but Saudi leaders say they fear for his safety if he does. Advertisement Lebanese officials have refused to accept Hariri's resignation, unless he delivers it on Lebanese soil, and have alleged that he is being held hostage by authorities in Saudi Arabia. "I will ... welcome Prime Minister Hariri with the honours that are due to a prime minister, indeed resigned, but whose resignation hasn...

Mass Harare rally planned as pressure mounts on Mugabe NEWS / ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe's street starts discussing life after Mugabe OPINION Mugabe: Between the wife and the loyal lieutenant by Alex Magaisa Africa Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe Politics SIGN UP Harare, Zimbabwe - Pressure is mounting on Robert Mugabe to step down as Zimbabwe's president, as efforts to force the veteran leader to resign after nearly four decades in office gain traction. Zimbabwe has been in political turmoil since the early hours of Wednesday, when the country's armed forces seized power and placed Mugabe under house arrest. The embattled 93-year-old leader so far appears resistant to demands to step down. However, he is increasingly running out of options as even some of his closest allies, including top officials within his ruling ZANU-PF party, look determined to remove him from power. Issuing a "stark warning", Zimbabwe's influential war veterans on Friday said Mugabe, the patron of their ...

EFCC detains ex-SGF, Anyim, exposes how he used personal firms to siphon N13b Ecological fund ON NOVEMBER 17, 20177:21 PMIN NEWSCOMMENTS …questions him on what he used N520m from Dasuki on 2015 poll eve By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, yesterday, detailed how former Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Ayim Pius Anyim, used firms in which he had interest to award contracts to the tune of N13 billion from the Ecological Fund Account domiciled in his office. The anti-graft agency, which arrested Anyim, a former Senate President, said its operatives were also questioning the Ebonyi politician on what he collected the sum of N520 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, on the eve of the 2015 Presidential election, in which his party, lost. A top source in EFCC, who confirmed Anyim’s arrest to Saturday Vanguard, said that the ex-government scribe, was also grilled on false asset declaration to t...

Breaking: Mugabe attends public function after coup Breaking: Mugabe attends public function after coup ON NOVEMBER 17, 20171:54 PMIN NEWSCOMMENTS Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrived at a university graduation ceremony in the capital on Friday, his first public appearance since a military seizure of power that political sources say is aimed at ending his 37 years in office. Wearing a blue and yellow academic gown and mortar board hat, the 93-year-old sat in large wooden chair at the front the hall. Mugabe He was greeted by ululations from the crowd as he declared the ceremony open. Earlier, leaders of Mugabe’s party are making plans to force him from office if the 93-year-old leader resists pressure from the army to quit. The self-styled grand old man of African politics, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since independence in 1980, insists he is still in charge. But the source, a senior member of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, made clear the party wanted him gone. “If he becomes stu...

- November 16, 2017

Rudeboy (P-Square) - Nkenji Keke https://davidshadrach.blogapor.com/rudeboy-p-square-nkenji-keke/

- November 16, 2017

Reps Seek Explanations On Funding Of 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Road November 16, 2017, 16:0801 By Kauthar Anumba-Khaleel, Abuja – The House of Representatives yesterday expressed concern over the construction the second Niger bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan express way saying that it is still unclear if the projects are fully funded by the government or they are being executed under a concession agree with private companies. To that end, it urged the Federal Government to take definitive decision on the funding and execution of the second Niger Bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Road project. The resolution is contained in a motion on the Need to Investigate Nature of the Contract or Concession Arrangement on Second Niger Bridge and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway sponsored by Hon. Solomon Maren. In his lead debate, Maren recalled that the minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, recently warned that the second Niger Bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Road could end up as white elephant pr...

Life of a hero

- November 16, 2017

10 Key Dates In Chinau Achebe’s Life Channels Television Updated November 16, 2017 Lovers of literature and the world at large are celebrating one of Africa’s greatest storytellers, Chinua Achebe, who would have been 87 on November 16. While the literary Icon passed in 2013, his works and the impact he had on African storytelling still linger. Also in honour of him today, technology giant – Google, changed its logo to a doodle, portraying him. Here are some memorable dates in his life. 1930: He was born and named Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe 1936: Achebe entered St Philips’ Central School and was immediately promoted to a higher class when the school’s chaplain took note of his intelligence. 1944: Achebe sat for entrance examinations and was accepted at both the prestigious Dennis Memorial Grammar School in Onitsha and the even more prestigious Government Collegein Umuahia. 1948: Owing to his brilliance, Achebe was admitted as a Major Scholar in the first intake of the then...

Olympic weightlifter sells his gold medal to raise money for Iran earthquake victims Iran's Olympic weightlifting champion Kianoush Rostami has put his gold medal up for auction to raise money for the victims of Sunday's earthquake that left at least 452 people dead in Iran and Iraq. The 7.3-magnitude quake that struck in the remote border area between Iran and Iraq on Sunday left thousands of people injured hundreds of villages destroyed. The earthquake, the deadliest of the year, was felt as far away as Turkey and Pakistan. Rostami, who won gold at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016, says the disaster has left him desperate to help those affected. He says, 'I consider it my duty to take a step, however small, to help my beloved fellow countrymen who have suffered as a result of the quake. I am returning the gold medal, which is theirs by right, to my people. I will auction off the medal and use the proceeds to help the quake victims."

Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" becomes the most expensive painting to ever sell at auction for $450.3 million Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" has become the most expensive artwork to ever sell at auction, going for $450.3 million at Christie's in New York. Dating back to around 1500, the rare painting is one of fewer than 20 authenticated works by the Italian in existence. Original estimates had predicted bids of over $100 million for the piece. But the new record was set after approximately 20 minutes of telephone bidding, far surpassing the previous auction record held by Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger," which sold for $179.4 million in 2015. Now, "Salvator Mundi" is set to be the biggest lot at this yeaar's fall auction season, during whichp Christie's and Sotheby's can expect to achieve total sales of more than $

Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepage that is intended to celebrate holidays, events, achievements and people. Late Nigerian author Chinua Achebe has now been honoured by tech giant, Google as an important figure of 20th century literature. The doodle is marking what would have been Achebe's 87th birthday today, November 16. He died in March of 2013 at the age of 82, having collected accolades that included the Man Booker International Prize, St. Louis Literary Award and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.

former Kano State High Court Judge, Hon. Justice Kabiru Mamman Auta has been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on allegations bordering on criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery. Auta was arrested by operatives of the Commission on Tuesday 14th November, 2017 when he was invited for interrogation on allegations that he had conspired with some other persons to defraud a Kano businessman, Alhaji Bashir Sani Kwangila Yakasai (SKY) of the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty Million Naira (N220,000,000). The matter was referred to the Commission after it had been reported to the National Judicial Council which had constituted a committee to investigate the allegations. The amount involved had been fraudulently obtained from Alhaji Yakasai by Hon. Justice Auta and his accomplice Bashir Sufi, on the pretext that they were acting on behalf of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloma Mukhtar. Justice Auta in his statement to t...

APC National Legal Adviser Muiz Banire Accuses Lagos State Gov. Ambode Of Vendetta National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Muiz Banire (SAN), has alleged that he and his family are being persecuted by the Lagos State government. BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKNOV 15, 2017 National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Muiz Banire (SAN), has alleged that he and his family are being persecuted by the Lagos State government. He made the allegation in a statement issued on Wednesday. According to Mr. Banire, his only offense is that he insisted on the need to observe the rule of law. Mr. Banire, who is on lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabi, said he was informed on Tuesday of a contravention notice served on the residence of his 90-year old mother, Mrs. Sarat Banire, at 24A, Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. The notice, he said, contained a demand that his ...

News at the hour

Harare, Zimbabwe - The capital of Zimbabwe finds itself torn between excitement and uncertainty as it dawns on residents that President Robert Mugabe may be, just may be, leaving office after 37 tumultuous years. The mood is a major shift from the typical way of life in Harare: people here avoid discussing sensitive political matters in public due to a history of repression by the government of critical voices. But amid rising discontent in recent years, the military's surprise takeover appeared to give a new impetus to the dissatisfied voices on the streets. "If this pulls through, we will regard this in future as a 'second Independence Day', after that of April 18, 1980," Tineyi Chimwanda, who identified himself as a local businessman, said. Advertisement "This is how it feels." 'Pleasing development' In power since 1980, Mugabe led Zimbabwe's fight for independence in the 1970s. Yet, the 93-year-old's rule has often been criticised for...

Athens, Greece - Flash floods have killed at least 11 people in the western outskirts of the Greek capital, Athens, as rescue teams are still searching for missing individuals. The deaths on Wednesday took place in the Mandra, Nea Peramos and Magoula areas, while authorities in the town of Megara said they were searching for several missing residents. "We have had hundreds of calls for help," Stavros Fotiou, the vice mayor of Megara, "We are trying to access some areas and open the roads, but the rain still hasn't stopped," he added Fotiou could not yet confirm the number of damaged houses and vehicles, but said local municipal authorities were working with the fire department to help people who were displaced. Storm clouds are seen over a flooded street in Mandra Mandra [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuter

Manila, Philippines - After two days of ceremonious meetings, Southeast Asian leaders missed the bullseye in talks about two major human rights issues affecting their region: Myanmar's handling of the Rohingya crisis and the Philippines' bloody campaign against illegal drug traffickers. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, this year's Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), managed to fend off criticism of his "war on drugs", which has left thousands of people dead. "I think Duterte was very smart in using this event to legitimise himself and push back against criticism of his drug war," said Richard Heydarian, a geopolitical analyst from De La Salle University in Manila. "We saw no major country raising the drug war issue or if ever they raised it, it was very low-key."

Bert Bayou counts himself among the lucky ones. He had completed his undergraduate studies in politics and international relations and was working for the United Nations' World Food Programme in Ethiopia when his mother pestered him into applying for the Diversity Visa Lottery Programme . In 2000, after entering for the first time, he "won". Then 23-year-old Bayou, seeing it as his best opportunity to pursue his graduate studies, decided to take the next step and apply for the visa to come to the United States. "I was young,I didn't want to stay doing the same thing that I was doing. "I really wanted to continue working on development projects and addressing poverty, and most of the international professionals that I knew working these jobs at a higher level had graduate degrees," Bayou continued. Created by the 1990 Immigration Reform Act, the Diversity Visa Programme (DVP) selects 100,000 applicants in a lottery who are then eligible to apply for a U...

Life of Osama bin laden

Osama bin Laden's secret personal diary, seized during the US Navy Seals raid on his house in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011, that ended with his killing, offers an insight into the mind of someone who was once one of the world's most wanted men. In the al-Qaeda documents, bin Laden comes across as an engaged commentator reacting to current events, not a strategic thinker taking part in shaping and influencing those events from his hideout. In the tranche of documents released by the US Central Intelligence Agency on November 1, bin Laden shows no global vision or strategy. The dominant theme of the secret journal is its dissection of the revolts of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, with bin Laden offering little more than commentaries and analyses. Advertisement On Libya, for example, he discussed the decision of the longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi of attacking the rebels who were trying to topple his government. Bin Laden expressed apprehension that Gaddafi might be able to defeat...

A 50-year-old mother-of-two who lost her job earlier this month for sticking a middle finger up at Donald Trump's motorcade has been showered with donations of over $70,000 after a GoFundMe account was created to support her. Julie Briskman went viral when newsmen captured her on a bike giving the President's motorcade the middle finger on October 28 as the president left Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Virginia. Three days later, the marketing executive was fired by her company, government contractor Akima. After she was fired, Rob Mello, who was inspired by what Juli did, set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for her. “Thank you, Juli Briskman,” wrote Rob Mello. The description for the campaign reads: “Juli Briskman is an inspiration to us all. This week we learned that she was fired from her employer for exercising her first amendment rights.” The account was set up on November 6 and only days after, over $70, 000 has been raised with thousands of people donating ...