LEGISLATIVES THREATEN STRIKE OVER ALLOWANCES

The legislative aides in the National Assembly on Wednesday issued notice of a 14-day sitting protest over unpaid allowances and entitlements.

The aides, who staged a warning protest at the main lobby of the assembly complex, displayed placards with inscriptions that expressed displeasure over unpaid allowances and entitlements since Oct. 2015.

Speaking on behalf of the aides, Mr. Paul Usembor, said that the protest was a platform to express their grievances to the management of the assembly.

He said, “We need to come out to state our grievances against the management by carrying out a 14 sitting working day protest in line with our advocacy rally which is taking place throughout the month of November until our issues are resolved.”,Usembor explained that the aides resorted to a peaceful protest having exhausted all possible avenues to get the management of the assembly to pay outstanding allowances to about 4, 600 aides.

He said that the aides were owed DTA allowances since Oct. 2015 till date, first 28 days allowance and no training since inception of the 8th assembly.

Similarly, another legislative aide, Mr. Gozie Nwachukwu, said that if nothing is done to meet their demands before Oct. 31, they will down tool.

He said, “If nothing is done between now and Tuesday, all the legislative aides will down tool. And if we down tool it will certainly be a clog in the wheel of the operations of the national assembly.”

 Borno IDPs embrace drug use

The Borno State Government says it may declare a state of emergency to curb the menace of drug abuse in communities liberated from Boko Haram control.

The Commissioner for Justice, Alhaji Kaka Shehu, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Maiduguri that illicit drug use and abuse among the Internally Displaced Persons in the state was becoming alarming.

Shehu, also the Chairman, Borno State Committee for the Control of Drug Abuse, noted that in spite of security challenges in the state, there had been significant successes in the fight against drug abuse.

“I recall that some offices of the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency were attacked in Gamborun Ngala, Banki, Baga and here in Maiduguri before it was taken over by Boko Haram insurgency.

“But in spite of these challenges, the NDLEA Borno command was able to recover more than 20 tonnes of various of assorted illicit drugs.

He said the agency also made significant arrests of drug barons, consumers and other traffickers over the last three years.

“It is against this backdrop that the government has deemed it fit to support the agency in its effort to wipe out the menace of drug abuse by setting up a Drug Control Committee.

“The committee comprises the military, NDLEA, Police, Civil Defence and other humanitarian and non Governmental Organisations.

“So far, we have mapped out an aggressive sensitisation on drug abuse in almost all the IDP camps because we have discovered that some IDPs are chronic addicts of illicit drugs.

“Our fear is that we do not want these IDPs to get back to their liberated homes and continue to constitute nuisance.

“We have had enough of Boko Haram and enough of our youths engaging in drug abuse. We do not want to go to the camps to start effecting arrests now because of the condition they have found themselves.

“But be rest assured that as we are moving to return them to their liberated communities, we will ensure that we rid the communities of nefarious activities.

“You can see that the truck that was intercepted with about 1,200 kilograms of Indian hemp was heading to Gamborun Ngala — a liberated community.

“The committee will then continue to liaise with the NDLEA to ensure that all liberated communities are free of illicit drugs.

 

brad pitt's child abuse investigation will now involve the ENTIRE family including angelina jolie

On Tuesday, sources say brad pitt's child abuse investigation conducted by the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services has now been expanded to include the entire family including angelina jolie.
While the case primarily focused on an incident where the Troy actor allegedly attacked son Maddox on a plane, authorities are now looking at other alleged incidents involving Brad AND Angie that were allegedly witnessed by 1 or more of their children.
Most notably, there are reports of "unintentional contact" between the actor and a child.
This new development was based on interviews the DCFS did with members of the family and members of the flight crew of the said plane incident.
Because of these new claims, the investigation has been expanded "several weeks." While officials may interview more people, they hope to wrap things up very shortly.
regardless of the DCFS' findings, this will NOT affect Brad and Angelina's divorce or custody agreement.

 

ADELE ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON-says am with her dont vote for him.

As you're probably aware, there are a TON of major celebs who have come out in support of hillary clinton, and Tuesday night,Adele joined the part!
During the songstress' concert last night in Miami, in which Miz Clinton just happened to be in attendance, the Brit decided to address the upcoming presidential election by saying:

"I am English, but what happens in America affects me too. I am 100 percent for Hillary Clinton. I love her, she's amazing."

The 28-year-old even goes on to warn her fans of donald truimp saying, "Don't vote for him!"

We are secretly investigating those in the government-EFCC chairman ibrahim magu

We are secretly investigating those in the government-EFCC chairman ibrahim magu

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, yesterday disclosed that the agency was carrying out discreet investigations on government officials working in the present administration.

Magu disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the National Union of Textiles and Garment Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) in Kaduna yesterday October 25th.

He said President Buhari has given him the order to investigate every Nigerian irrespective of party affiliation. ‎

“We have cause to investigate and in fact we are investigating even those that are in government without them knowing. The president has given me the mandate to investigate every Nigerian irrespective of political affiliation”he said

Ciara is Pregnant! Singer Expecting First Child With Russell    Wilson 

 

ciaraand russel wilson's family is about to grow!
The R&B songstress and NFL star are expecting their first child together, Ciara confirmed on her birthday via instagram. The pregnant star wrote, "On this special birthday I received an abundance of love from friends and family...and I'm excited to finally share one of the greatest gifts of all that god could give."
Wilson posted a sweet image on his own Instagram and wrote, "The greatest blessing of all. Forever grateful."
Ciara and Russell's forthcoming bundle of joy will be their second and first, respectively. The 30-year-old co-parents 2-year-old Future Zahir with ex, rapper Future.  
The singer, who was recently named Revlon's Global Brand Ambassador, stepped out to perform at a private event for the cosmetic organization in New York City on Tuesday evening. Ciara concealed her growing baby bump with an all-white, loose-fitting blazer and matching pants.
Back in July, it was exclusively reported the lovebirds were surrounded by their closest family and friends as they tied the knot during a lavish wedding ceremony at the Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England. Since then, all eyes have been on the pair's aspirations to start their very own family.

     Afghanistan: 30 civilians shot dead in Ghor province

Fighters have killed at least 30 civilians, including children, after abducting them in the remote Afghan province of Ghor, according to an Afghan police official. 
Suspected ISIL fighters killed dozens of civilians on Tuesday in the Firozkoh district in revenge for the death of one of their commanders, a provincial official told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
"Afghan police killed a Daesh commander in Ghor province during an operation yesterday but Daesh fighters abducted some 30 civilians from near the provincial capital and shot them all dead in revenge," Abdul Hai Khatibi, a spokesman for the governor, said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, also known as ISIS.
Ghor Governor Nasir Khazeh told the AFP news agency that the bodies were found by the locals on Wednesday morning.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
However, Abdul Hai Khateby, spokesman for Ghor's governor, told the Associated Press news agency that the fighters behind the attacks and abductions were a renegade Taliban group that swore allegiance last year to Afghanistan's ISIL group.
Ghor is one of the largest and most isolated provinces in the country. Its mountainous terrain and harsh winters have effectively sheltered it from the worst of the conflict with the Taliban.

 

EASIEST COUNTRIES TO DO BUSINESS IN THE WORLD-RATINGS TOP 10

Starting a new business in New Zealand takes less than one day. In Venezuela, it takes 230.
That startling difference helps explain why the World Bank has rated New Zealand as the easiest place on the planet to do business -- and why Venezuela languishes 187th out of 190 economies. 
* Here's the top 10:
1. New Zealand
2. Singapore
3. Denmark
4. Hong Kong
5. South Korea
6. Norway
7. United Kingdom
8. United States
9. Sweden
10. Macedonia
but i see no reason why nigeria isnt there on the list.

APPLE SALES DECLINE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2001

Apple just posted its first annual sales decline since 2001, the year it launched the iPod and kicked off a tremendous run of groundbreaking products.

The tech company revealed Tuesday that annual sales fell to $216 billion in the 2016 fiscal year ending September 30, from a record $234 billion in 2015.
The sales decline is closely connected to the falling sales for the iPhone, which remains Apple's largest source of revenue.
Apple sold 45.5 million iPhones in the September quarter, down from 48 million iPhones in the same quarter a year earlier. That marks the third consecutive quarter when iPhone sales and overall revenue have declined from a year prior.
Many analysts have raised concerns that the global smartphone market is saturated. Customers are taking longer to replace their phones. And Apple's latest iPhone is a dead ringer for the previous two models, eliminating some of the desire to upgrade.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said on a conference call with analysts that demand for the new iPhones is "outstripping supply in the vast majority of places, particularly on the iPhone 7 Plus."
Apple's sales in China, once a promising area of growth, fell 30% year-over-over year as the company faces competition from local smartphone makers like Xiaomi and Huawei. However, the company expects that to improve next quarter.
"We are very bullish on China," Cook said on the call, noting the vast number of "people growing into the middle class."

CHANGE WILL OCCUR IN THE ECONOMIC SECTOR IN 2017-Minister of trade

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah says the President Buhari-led administration will surprise Nigerians in 2017 with the level of growth that will be visible in all sectors of the economy.

The minister said this at the 8th Session of the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment i Abeokuta, Ogun state yesterday October 25th.

"You will start seeing result at the end of this year and early next year. As far as I am concerned, next year is a year of results. All the work we are doing will start yielding results from this quarter. The level of delivery in 2017 will surprise everybody. People may be saying we are not doing anything but it is impossible for a man to start broadcasting a plan we haven’t really put together well”he said.

Turkey: PKK fighters killed in attempt to storm base

Officials say air operation targeted PKK members after attempt to storm military base in southeastern Hakkari province.

Turkish military officials say the army has killed 35 Kurdish fighters after they attempted to storm a military base in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

The early morning attack on Saturday came just hours after clashes in Hakkari's Cukurca district between Turkish troops and fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the officials said.

They said the fighters attempted to take the base in three different groups, but were spotted by aerial reconnaissance.

An air operation was subsequently launched, killing 23 fighters, the Turkish officials saidFour more were then killed in a ground operation, they said, adding that the other eight Kurdish fighters were killed in Friday's gun battle in Cukurca.
Those clashes also left 25 soldiers wounded, the officials said

world population,nigeria ranked 7

Nigeria populous than Germany,russia and uk

its wonderful to know that Nigeria is a highly populated country and yet we are going into recession ,Nigeria population is doubled compared to Germany, Russia, uk, france, south Africa, iran spain Saudi arabia and so more.and yet we cannot make a fine policy to bring the nation out of recession.i feel we should blame ourselves as citizens not the government.

usa is a capitalist country where individuals make the country not the government.with such population I feel theres is a lot of success that can come out of this state-nation.we need to start brain washing ourselves and people around our environment.to know this,

sourced from infoplease.com ,Nigeria as the population of 181,562,056.

check the world population and each countries population here http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/most-populous-countries.html

mother kills children in germany

The parents of eight babies found dead in a house in southern Germany went on trial in Coburg on Tuesday.

The mother is standing trial for the murder of four of her children while the father is in court for aiding and abetting her crimes.

The infant bodies were discovered in November wrapped up in towels and plastic bags at the family home in Wallenfels in the state of Bavaria.

The prosecution accused the mother of the premeditated murder of four of the children.Report says it is not clear if the other four children had survived the birth and were viable.

According to the prosecution, the parents did not want to live with the burden of additional children.

The couple, who separated before the bodies were found, has three living children together.

kim and kanye in ready for divorce

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West‘s marriage is on life support right now, but don’t expect a court showdown if they do go their separate ways. ybc has learned the couple has hammered out an agreement on how to potentially divide their assets— including the kids — in the event of a split!

“They’ve figured out a mid-nuptial agreement, where Kim gets primary custody of the kids and Kanye holds onto most of his cash,” an insider revealed.

 Kardashian, 35, has grown mistrustful of her 39-year-old husband and has been examining their marriage more closely than ever before.

However, “They’re both adult enough to realize that divorce is always a possibility and to their credit they wanted to figure out arrangements ahead of time,” said the insider.

China jails top Hu Jintao aide for corruption

An ex-aide to retired Chinese president Hu Jintao has been jailed for life for corruption, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

Ling Jihua pleaded guilty and "decided not to appeal", state media reported.

Ling was in effect chief-of-staff to Mr Hu, but was demoted in 2012 amid a high profile anti-corruption campaign.

His downfall came after reports of an alleged cover-up over his son, who died alongside two semi-clad women while driving his Ferrari in Beijing in 2012.

There was also speculation that Ling's demotion may have been the result of political manoeuvring ahead of a leadership change that year.

The court in the northern city of Tianjin held a closed-door hearing on 7 June, Xinhua reported.

Ling was convicted of taking $11.57m (£8.71m) in bribes and to have used his influence to secure property deals and promotions for his associates, among other favours, the state news agency said.

Descent from power

Until the scandal involving his son, Ling had been tipped for promotion to the party's Politburo.

Instead, he was moved from head of the Central Committee's General Office - in effect chief of staff to China's leader - and appointed to the less influential post of head of the United Front Work Department.

The identity of those inside the Ferrari was never revealed and censors blocked online comments mentioning the crash. Ling was accused of trying to cover up the scandal.

The authorities announced an investigation into him in late 2014, and he was expelled from the Communist Party and arrested in July 2015.

President Xi Jinping has overseen a campaign against corruption since coming to power in late 2012 and many high-profile political figures have been jailed.

Critics say President Xi's campaign is as much about eliminating political rivals as it is about tackling corruption

Bomber blows himself up near US consulate in Jeddah

                                                  

A suspected suicide bomber has died after blowing himself up near the US consulate in Saudi Arabia's city of Jeddah, the interior ministry has said.

Security officers early on Monday became suspicious of a man near the parking lot of Dr Suleiman Faqeeh Hospital, which is directly across from the US diplomatic mission.

When they moved in to investigate, "he blew himself up with a suicide belt inside the hospital parking", the ministry said, adding that two security officers were lightly wounded.

The attack happened at around 2:15am (23:15 GMT) on July 4, the day when Americans celebrate their independence.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

An investigation was ongoing, and some people were being questioned for their suspected links to the attack, security sources told Al Jazeera.

In a statement, the US consulate said there were no casualties or injuries among its staff, adding that it and the US embassy were in contact with Saudi authorities investigating the incident.

The US State Department also said it was aware of the explosion in Jeddah and it was working with Saudi authorities to collect more information.

In 2004, five people stormed the US consulate in Jeddah with bombs and guns, killing four Saudi security personnel outside and five local staff within.

Three of the attackers were killed in the assault and two were captured.

Australia election: PM Malcolm Turnbull 'confident' of poll win

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull says he is confident he can form a government after Saturday's election, but results are still too close to call.

The leader of the Liberal-National coalition needs to win 76 out of 150 lower house seats to form a ruling majority.

With about half the votes counted, results suggest a very close contest.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said the close result was a vindication of his Labor Party's policies.

Labor has improved strongly on its 2013 election result of 55 lower house seats.

"There is one thing for sure - the Labor Party is back," he said.

The leader of the Australian Labor Party Bill Shorten is congratulated by party supporters as he arrives alongside his wife Chloe (R) to give a speech about the success of the Labor Party in the Australian Federal Election in Melbourne on July 2,

Supporters congratulated Bill Shorten on Labor's gains as he arrived with his family to make a speech in Melbourne

All 150 seats in Australia's lower house, the House of Representatives, are up for grabs at the election, as are 76 seats in Australia's upper house, the Senate.

It is the first time in decades that all the seats in both houses have been up for election.

The double-dissolution election, as it is known, was called by Mr Turnbull in an attempt to break a deadlock over industrial relations legislation.

It was thought the result of the UK's referendum on the EU would benefit Mr Turnbull, who assured voters that he could deliver "economic certainty".

The former lawyer and investment banker vowed to deliver tax cuts for workers and small businesses.

Michy Batshuayi: Belgium striker confirms exit from Marseille

Chelsea target Michy Batshuayi has confirmed that he will leave Ligue 1 side Marseille this summer.

The Belgium international, 22, is set to move to the Premier League club in a £33m (40m euros) deal on Sunday.

Batshuayi, who scored 23 goals in all competitions for Marseille last season, will be new manager Antonio Conte's first signing at Stamford Bridge.

"This should be formalised tomorrow, I will leave Olympic Marseille this summer," Batshuayi wrote on Twitter.

Batshuayi came on as a substitute in Belgium's 3-1 Euro 2016 quarter-finaldefeat by Wales on Friday.

The Brussels-born forward, who signed for Marseille from Standard Liege in 2014, came off the bench to score in Belgium's 4-0 win win over Hungary in the last 16 on Monday.

He was linked with several Premier League clubs, and Crystal Palace reportedly agreed a fee with Ligue 1 side Marseille earlier this week.

Germany reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals after winning a thrilling penalty shootout against Italy in Bordeaux.

Joachim Low's World Cup holders looked on course for victory in normal time - against a country they had never beaten at a major tournament - when Mesut Ozil rounded off a slick build-up with Mario Gomez and Jonas Hector to score at the near post in the 65th minute.

Italy did not flinch but were grateful for a moment of madness from Germany defender Jerome Boateng when he needlessly handled, allowing Leonardo Bonucci to score the first penalty of his career with 12 minutes left.

Germany missed more penalties in one shootout than in their history - three - but were once again the winners on penalties.

They have still never lost a shootout since the 1976 final of this competition when they lost to Czechoslovakia - some 40 years and 13 days ago.

It was settled when Hector drove low under Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon after Manchester United's Matteo Darmian saw his side's ninth penalty saved by Manuel Neuer.

Germany will now play either hosts France or England's conquerors Iceland in the last four.

Obama seeks to reassure Canada, Mexico on Trump, trade

President Barack Obama sought to reassure his counterparts in Canada and Mexico Wednesday that a potential Donald Trump presidency wouldn't throw cross-border ties into turmoil, even as he pushed back on the GOP candidate's platform.

Expressing confidence that immigration wouldn't be shut off and trade deals would persist, Obama argued against the type of protectionist policies that Trump has espoused on the campaign trail. And he cast the presumptive GOP nominee as a failed historical archetype.

"We've had times throughout our history where anti-immigration sentiment is exploited by demagogues," Obama said. "The language is identical. But guess what? They kept coming, and they kept coming because America offered possibility for their children and grandchildren."

Three world leaders leads to one awkward handshake

Convening a final North American leaders' summit even as the U.S. presidential contest throws crucial cross-border issues into dispute, Obama and his counterparts discussed trade, security and climate change during a day of talks in the Canadian capital.

But during an afternoon press conference, Trump was the topic du jour. Reporters quizzed Obama, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extensively about the candidate's vow to construct a border wall and withdraw from free trade deals.

Clinton questioned by FBI as part of email probe

Hillary Clinton met with the FBI for three and a half hours Saturday as part of the investigation into her use of a private email server while leading the State Department, her campaign said.

"Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her email arrangements while she was secretary," Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement. "She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this review to a conclusion. Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview."

An aide said the interview occurred at FBI headquarters in Washington Saturday morning and lasted approximately three and a half hours. The FBI declined to comment on the interview.

The meeting means the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server for official business as secretary of state is coming to an end. The question now becomes how long it will take for the FBI to conclude its probe.

Sources familiar with the investigation had previously told CNN the Justice Department's aim was to wrap up before the Republican and Democratic conventions later this month. The timing is crucial, because if Clinton were to be indicted before the convention, Democrats could perhaps nominate another candidate.

The news of FBI agents interviewing the former secretary of state could heighten anxiety among Democrats that their nominee might be indicted before November. It also serves as a reminder of Clinton's negatives to voters already skeptical of her trustworthiness.

It's an investigation that has cast a shadow over her campaign and also has put the Justice Department in the position of having a major say in how the 2016 vote turns out.

The interview comes at the end of a week that could have been another win for Clinton as Trump continues to struggle, but instead demonstrated her -- and her husband's -- inability to avoid unforced errors and leave past controversies behind.

House Benghazi Committee Republicans on Tuesday released their report on the September 11, 2012, attack where four Americans died, which drew significant media attention but lacked significant new information that changed the dynamic of the race. The panel's biggest discovery was finding the email address and server over a year ago.

Clinton has maintained that no emails marked as classified at the time were sent on the server, and that information in some emails was retroactively classified. And her campaign has actively portrayed the congressional investigation into Benghazi as a partisan exercise, highlighted by last October's 11-hour hearing where Clinton testified.

But the FBI interview, along with news that Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch met at an Arizona airport Monday, shows Clinton can't move past the email issue -- a story that overshadowed the launch of her campaign in early 2015 and helped Bernie Sanders find running room still won't go away.

After pm Erdogan apology, Russia brings Turkey in from the cold

Outside the Turkish Embassy in Moscow there is a heap of flowers and a hand-coloured paper flag left in sympathy after this week's suicide attack in Istanbul.

The pile is small and the carnations have wilted in the sun, but the gesture reflects a dramatically different mood to last November when hundreds of Russians came here to hurl stones, eggs and insults.

The breakdown in relations came after Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian military plane on the border with Syria. The pilot was killed as he attempted to parachute to safety.

Vladimir Putin lashed out, calling it a stab in the back and state media here echoed his furious tone. The airwaves filled with talk of treachery.

Then came the sanctions: a ban on charter flights to hugely popular Turkish resorts, restrictions on Turkish imports and for firms operating here and the introduction of visas.

In a matter of months, one opinion poll showed Turkey leaping from nowhere to third place among the countries Russians view as their enemy, behind the US and Ukraine.

But that anger is now dissipating as suddenly as it was whipped-up.This week, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally apologised for downing the plane - or that is how Russia is reading his carefully chosen words.

President Putin, who had insisted on that apology, immediately ordered talks on restoring ties.

In what many saw as a battle of wills, it looks like Mr Erdogan blinked first. The political about-turn that followed has been dizzyingly swift.

By Friday, the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers were shaking hands in Sochi. And after months accusing Turkey of collaborating with extremist groups in Syria, Russia now says military and anti-terrorist contacts have been renewed.

Next up, are package holidays. Turkey has long been a key destination for Russians and their sudden disappearance hit the local economy hard. Ankara now says charter flights will resume by 7 July.

Russia's official reason for cancelling flights was security concerns, after Moscow accused Ankara of supporting extremists.