Your position is threatened by women, Buhari tells Osinbajo
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where a man is a president we expect that the vice president should be a woman where a man is speaker we expect that the deputy speaker should be a woman and vice versa she said1 president muhammadu buhari on friday alerted vice president vp yemi osinbajo that his position as vp was being threatened by nigerian women in politics1 the women under the auspices of the nigerian female parliamentarians made the request when they paid a courtesy call on buhari at the presidential villa abuja1 the chairperson of organisation mrs elizabeth ativie who spoke on behalf the delegation lamented that nigerian women were being marginalised by their male counterparts in the nations body politics1 since 1999 we only have one principal officer each in the senate and the house of representatives1 and in the state houses of assembly we have only just five per cent women are five per cent of the total population of elected members of the state houses of assembly and we feel that this is not good enough for all the efforts we women had put in the development of this country particularly in politics1 we feel the trend now needs to be reversed and we feel you are the only one who can do it now1 the implementation strategy is simple. any statement you make today is a policy statement and is a law1 now your excellency is twinning. many african countries have imbibed that culture of twinning and is working in rwanda in south africa is working and we believe it will work in nigeria1 the president stated this while reacting to a request by nigerian women who asked for the slot of vice president of nigeria in subsequent elections in the country1 besides ativie called on the buhari administration to invest more in womens participation in politics by creating an enabling environment for women to thrive and tackle perceived systematic and cultural hindrances to womens inclusion1 she commended the president for the recent approval given to the inspector-general of police to employ youths into the nigeria police force and expressed the optimism that at least 35 per cent of the those to be recruited would be female police1 she also called on the president to urgently intervene in the protracted industrial action embarked upon by the joint health sector union johesu1 she said indeed this strike action bites harder on women and children who are the most vulnerable in our society1 we humbly appeal to your excellency to graciously look into the issues as the father of the nation in order for the health sector to bounce back and ameliorate the plight of the citizens1 responding buhari noted the efforts of women in ensuring political stability in the country and for the support given to him during the 2015 presidential elections1 on their demands including the vp slot in future elections in the country buhari regretted that he was not as powerful as you think im1 it is a pity the vice president is not here. but i believe the secretary to the government of the federation will tell him that his position is threatened he jokingly told the visiting female parliamentarians1

Drug abuse: NDLEA to raid black spots
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the spokesman said that the menace of drug abuse had become a global concern as citizens particularly young people in several countries were engaged in the act1 the national drug law enforcement agency ndlea fct command says it is poised to curb drug abuse and trafficking among youths in the territory through surprise raiding strategy srs1 he explained that the srs as the name implies involves surprise raids on the traffickers black spots and hideouts in the territory such as zone 4 bannex jabi and other areas in the outskirts of the fct1 according to adegbe the strategy is part of the agencys efforts in tackling drug vendors and traffickers in the territory and environs1 he said the command would achieve the goal by ensuring that the demand and supply of both cocaine and cannabis sativa are reduced to the barest minimum1 once people especially the youths are well informed about the dangers of drug abuse the demand will drastically reduce and this will affect the supply1 the command has chosen to tackle the menace of drug abuse and ridding the territory with this new strategy he said1 mr peter adegbe the public relations officer pro of the command disclosed this in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan on friday in abuja1 it is disheartening that children at tender age already have problem using drugs1 there should be deliberate and sustained efforts at educating the younger generation on drug prevention adegbe said1 the spokesman said the command would not relent in its efforts to rid the fct of hard drugs adding that several campaigns had been held in this regard1 he urged nigerians especially parents and guardians to give listening ears to their children and youths who were the vulnerable groups against drug abuse1 adegbe also appealed to residents of the fct to join hands with the ndlea in ensuring a responsible society void of social vices1 the public needs to understand that they should also support the ndlea in tackling this drug menace he said1

Iran gives EU deadline to save nuclear deal
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washington has not only re-imposed sanctions but started to make them even tighter. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo on monday threatened iran with the strongest sanctions in history if it did not change its behavior in the middle east1 reutersnan iran wants european powers to present it with measures by the end of may to compensate it for the u.s. decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal a senior official said on friday1 the 2015 agreement between iran and world powers lifted international sanctions on tehran1 in return the middle east country agreed to curb its nuclear programme1 since president donald trump pulled the u.s. out on may 8 european states have been trying to find a way to ensure iran still gets the economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal1 but that has proven difficult with european companies frightened away by u.s. sanctions1 nations that remain in the agreement britain china france germany and russia began meetings on friday for the first time since trump left the pact but diplomats see limited scope for salvaging it1 their officials will try to flesh out with irans deputy foreign minister a strategy to save the deal by keeping oil and investment flowing1 to be honest with you we are not confident a senior iranian official told reporters on friday before the talks1 eu leaders have united behind the accord with brussels working on measures including banning eu-based companies from complying with re-imposed u.s. sanctions and urging governments to make money transfers to irans central bank to avoid fines1 we expect the economic package to be given to us by the end of may the iranian official said. im sorry to say that we havent seen the plan b yet1 the plan b has just started to be figured out1 he said european measures would need to ensure that oil exports did not halt and that iran would still have access to the swift international bank payments messaging system1 the official said tehran would decide within weeks whether to quit the accord1 pompeo was like taking a cold shower said a european diplomat. well try to cling to the deal but were under no illusions1 irans supreme leader set out conditions on wednesday for iran to stay in the deal unless europe guarantees irans oil sales will not be hurt tehran would resume enrichment of nuclear material1 he also rejected any new negotiations over irans missile program which was not covered in the nuclear deal1 the official said time was running out and that if iran was not satisfied by european efforts iran would seek a ministerial meeting before making its decision1 iran has struggled to benefit from the accord so far partly because of remaining unilateral u.s. sanctions that have deterred major western investors from doing business with tehran1 some western companies have already quit the country or said they may have to leave because of the new u.s. sanctions1 trump denounced the accord completed under his predecessor barack obama because it did not cover irans ballistic missile program its role in middle east conflicts or what happens after the deal begins to expire in 20251 french president emmanuel macron wants to complement the nuclear deal with negotiations between all sides over other issues an idea cautiously received by russian president vladimir putin during talks in st. petersburg on thursday1 our position is very clear make the jcpoa iran deal a successful story then come to us and ask for dialogue or discussion or negotiation on other subjects the iranian official said1 european nations share u.s. concerns but they say that torpedoing the nuclear deal makes them far harder not easier to address1 they have said that as long as tehran meets its commitments they would remain in the deal1 the international atomic energy agency which polices the pact said on thursday that iran continued to comply with its terms but could be faster in allowing snap inspections. its chief yukiya amano briefed participants before fridays meeting1

Australia, Netherlands hold Russia legally responsible for MH17 crash
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the case could next be presented to an international court or organization for judgement the dutch and australian governments said1 australia and the netherlands have decided to officially hold russia accountable for its role in downing of malaysia airlines flight mh17 in 2014 paving the way for the two countries to possibly take legal action against moscow1 the netherlands and australia are now convinced that russia is responsible for the deployment of the buk installation that was used to down mh17 dutch foreign affairs minister stef blok said in a statement on friday1 the government is now taking the next step by formally holding russia accountable blok said1 australia and the netherlands have informed the russian federation that we hold it responsible under international law for its role in the downing of mh17 australian foreign minister julie bishop said1 bishop and blok said their governments asked russia on friday to enter talks about its role in the disaster in order to find a solution that would do justice to the tremendous suffering and damage caused by the downing1 mh17 en route from amsterdam to kuala lumpur was shot down over eastern ukraine on july 17 2014 killing all 298 people on board. in a report from the dutch-led joint investigation team jit issued thursday international investigators said the buk anti-aircraft system used to bring down the jet belonged to the russian military1 the son of an australian couple killed in the disaster said earlier friday the international community should pressure russia to take responsibility after investigators found its military missile brought down the flight1 its good to see some strong evidence that russia was involved paul guard who lost his parents jill and roger in the disaster told australian broadcaster abc1 clearly russia has a lot of questions to answer as to what its missile launcher was doing there and why it was involved in this war in the first place1 he said governments have a problem in acknowledging their involvement in these sorts of things1 the us i think took over 10 years to acknowledge the shooting down of an iranian jet. im not expecting anything anytime soon.dpanan1

CAMA Act by Senate a lifeline to small businesses LCCI
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the fact that your excellency has a private sector background has brought a lot of value to the content and processes of legislation he added1 president of the lagos chamber of commerce and industry lcci mr. babatunde paul ruwase has lauded the passage of the companies and allied matters act cama act amendment bill by the senate1 ruwasegave the commendation when he led other executive members of the chamber on a courtesy visit to the president of the senate according to a statement by the chief press secretary to the president of the senate sanni onogu in in abuja1 the lcci boss noted that the passage of the cama amendment bill is a major step towards enhancing the business environment in the country1 he said that the bill when signed into law would reduce the burden of reporting obligations for small businesses reduce time and cost of of setting up a company and also facilitate the transition of many informal sector players to the formal sector of the economy1 he said that the amendment is timely in view of present economic realities as the country cannot afford a static legislation in a dynamic business and economic environment1 ruwase further stated that the beauty of legislation lies in how well it is aligned with contemporary realities and thanked the president of the senate for the efforts of the red chamber in promoting private sector development and for collaboration1 this is even as he said that cama will greatly boost and increase the viability of small businesses in the country1 in his remarks the president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki thanked the lcci and its members for their contributions to the nations economic growth1 he noted that the 8th senate has been keen on working with the private sector to improve the nations economy and business environment right from its inception in 20151 he said that the senate with the collaboration of major players in the private sector had identified a number of critical laws that required urgent review to improve the ease of doing business in the country most of which have now been passed and signed into law1 this is a senate that is very pro-business. we believe that our role as a government is to create enabling environment that will allow businesses to thrive1 even in the area of infrastructure our focus has been on how we can pass laws to enable private sector participation. with our reforms in railways ports and road construction and maintenance we hope that the private sector will play a bigger role with the bills we have passed1 there are some bills that are still pending like the the investment and securities bill where there is a major amendment that we hope to pass very soon. we are also looking into the reform of the stock exchange to make it more attractive and also in line with global best practice he said1 saraki said the aim of the senate is to strengthen the economy and be able to provide jobs for the youth through legislation1

Trump says Democrats frustrating talks with N/Koreas Kim
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read more18 u.s. president donald trump has blamed democrats of frustrating talks between him and north korea leader kim jong un earlier scheduled to hold in singapore on june 121 democrats are so obviously rooting against us in our negotiations with north korea1 just like they are coming to the defense of ms 13 thugs saying that they are individuals1 dems have lost touch trump tweeted friday1 trump nixed the summit following threats from north korea but hours after the u.s. pulled out of the meeting north korea issued a statement suggesting the regime was open to talks1 very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from north korea1 we will soon see where it will lead hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. only time and talent will tell trump tweeted on friday morning1 though trump said on friday that he was happy with north korea for leaving the door open for potential u.s.-north korea talks he maintained that democrats were against negotiations with the rogue regime1 they very much want to do it we want to do it well see what happens trump said. everybody plays games1 a top north korean official had issued a statement thursday evening expressing the regimes willingness to sit down for a summit with the u.s1 we express our willingness to sit down face-to-face with the u.s. and resolve issues anytime and in any format north korean vice foreign minister kim kye-gwan said according to yonhap newsoutlet which cited the korean central news agency kcna1 the official also said that trumps move to call off the summit highlighted the tensions between the two countries further emphasizing the need for a meeting. the official added that kim had been preparing for the summit1 despite all of this the u.s. unilateral decision to scrap the talks causes us to reconsider whether all of the efforts and the path we have taken is really the right one or not the official said according to yonhap1 our commitment to doing our best for the sake of peace and stability for the world and the korean peninsula remains unchanged and we are open-minded in giving time and opportunity to the u.s1 he also told reporters that were talking to them now adding it could even be the 121

JOHESU Strike: Saraki intervenes, meets Adewole, Ngige
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by ifeanyi nwoko15 the only thing i can assure you is that we will make sure that the right thing is done and that this matter is resolved he said1 the president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki after a meeting with the leadership of johesu yesterday where he listened to their grievances and demands today met with the minister of health prof. isaac adewole and the minister of labour dr. chris ngige to hear their own side of the issue1 while meeting with the johesu leadership led by its chairman comrade biobelemonye joseph the president of the senate had pledged that the senate would ensure that the right thing is done to end the strike1 chief press secretary to the president of the senate sanni onogu in a statement in abuja said sarakis meeting with adewole and ngige was meant to hear their side of the issue and to forge a way forward not only to end the strike but to ensure that there is lasting peace and industrial harmony in the nations health institutions1 the senate has intervened in the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the joint health sector unions johesu in a bid to end the strike and make the nations hospitals functional once again1 he noted that it is not in the interest of the country to have its hospitals closed while he pledged that the senate would work with all stakeholders to ensure that the strike is called off1 saraki said our interest here in the senate and the national assembly in general is to find a solution to this problem. it is not in the interest of the country for us to have our hospitals closed and we must work to ensure they are reopened promptly1 i have heard your remarks i will spend sometimes to discuss with you and get more details to see how we can put an end to this strike1 on our own part we will bring all parties involved together to ensure that where commitments have been made those who made the commitments honour them1 during his meeting with the leadership of johesu saraki said the senate and indeed the national assembly would ensure that the right thing is done to end the strike1

Iniesta breaks Japan league’s record
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iniesta breaks japan league’s record1 barcelona legend andres iniesta joined japan’s vissel kobe on thursday1 calling his j-league move an “important career challenge”1 andres iniesta1

Northern group denies asking Buhari not to seek re-election
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the coalition was however quite surprised by some reports by a section of the media tending to suggest that we have asked certain aspirants to the 2019 presidency to shelve their ambition1 contrary to reports northern groups have denied asking president muhammadu buhari against seeking a re-election in 20191 the group described the report as misrepresentation1 mr abdul-azeez suleiman spokesman of cng said in a statement issued in lagos on wednesday that the cng did not discuss individual aspiration at its two-day summit in kaduna as reported in the media1 according to him the communiqu only highlighted its support for structural reforms with condition that only youths between ages 18 and 60 should represent the north1 the attention of the coalition of northern groups cng has been drawn to certain misrepresentations of parts of its communiqu of may 21 2018 by a section of the media1 while we do not want to believe that the misrepresentations though very fundamental were maliciously made we nevertheless owe the public a duty to straighten the records1 at the end of our two-day summit at arewa house kaduna a five-page communiqu was read by our spokesperson abdul-azeez suleiman in which we categorically stated that the north fully supports the restructuring of the country and shall be prepared to represent itself in any debate thereon1 our coalition said the north supported structural reforms with certain conditions he said1 according to him one of the terms is that those who will carry the banner to any future discussion with regards to nigerian federal arrangement should be within the 18 to 60 years bracket1 we said this out of a patriotic conviction that the older men who have been speaking and running the country since independence should cease to take the front seats at such national discourses1 the coalition of northern groups cng on wednesday also denied asking former vice president atiku abubakar not to contest presidential election1 we wish to respond here that at no time did the individual aspiration of any politician ever came up at our two-day summit nor was it mentioned anywhere in the communiqu we read1 our summit and subsequent communiqu essentially concentrated on the issue of restructuring. nowhere and at no time did we discuss such matters as the 2019 presidency suleiman said1 he said that the summit was sequel to calls from several quarters in the last six months asking for our position on the issue of restructuring1 suleiman said the group answered those calls by mandating a committee to sample the pulse of northern nigeria in that respect1 he said that the committee after contacting stakeholders across all shades of interest in the region reported that the north favoured restructuring of the country1 consequently we called for the summit at which participants unanimously confirmed norths support for total and holistic structural reform1 a communiqu was issued to that effect devoid of the slightest hint at partisanship or 2019 elections nor did we discuss the individual aspiration of any politician he added1 he advised media practitioners in the country to stick to their professional ethics of accurate reporting of events and avoid unnecessary sensational overkill1 nan reports that a section of the media on monday reported that cng asked buhari and abubakar not to contest for president in 20191 cngs position was reported to be contained in a communiqu issued after at the end of its two-day summit in kaduna. nan1

131,687 PVCs yet to be collected in Sokoto INEC
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the independent national electoral commission inec said no fewer than 131 687 permanent voter cards pvcs were still uncollected in sokoto state1 the commissions spokesman in the state malam muhammad musa told the news agency of nigeria nan on wednesday in sokoto that the unclaimed pvcs comprised 69 685 not claimed between 2011 and 20141 musa said that another set of 62 002 pvcs were recently received from inec national headquarters for distribution to owners adding that the distribution of the cards commenced on monday1 he said the continues voters registration cvr that started on april 27 2017 was in progress across the 39 collection and registration centres in the state1 he advised eligible persons to forward their temporary voter cards tvcs for the collection of pvcs at designated centres1 musa said that ongoing issuance of pvcs was to persons who applied for transfers lost defaced or destroyed cards1 the commission is assuring those who registered in 2018 that their pvcs will be ready for collection in good time before the 2019 general elections he said1 he however appealed to public to use the opportunity to collect their pvcs for use in the 2019 elections. nan1

Elections: Group to protect voters voices
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she said that the widespread development of non-partisan election monitoring around the world was a tangible evidence of citizens desire for responsive transparent and democratic governance achievable through voter education1 the voters union a programme of be-the-change organisation bco a civic advocacy organisation says it is committed to increasing the chances of peaceful credible elections and protection of voters voices1 she said the decision to create voters union came after a rigorous research for solution to boosting voters mood and increasing political participation1 according to her voters union is a voter advocacy platform where voters connect to achieve common goals1 olabisi listed the goals of the group to include increasing voters access to information1 to educate voters on voters rights duties and responsibilities to minimize oppression and suppression of voters voices to reduce the toxicity in political atmosphere to maintain and improve relationship between the voters and the voted1 with voters union protecting constituency integrity protecting our votes and election follow ups becomes easy1 this will check the right of citizens to participate in public affairs without intimidation or favour she said1 voters union chairman ms diana olabisi who briefed newsmen on wednesday in abuja said that the group envisioned a well-informed passionate voters that were hard to be compromised1 the chairman said that by providing voter education election monitoring vote protection and constituency integrity the group was working to advance democratic goals and strengthening democratic institutions1 she said that voters union had made conscious decision for monitoring efforts that would safeguard electoral integrity and create governmental and political accountability1 on his part mr emeka ejezie national president actors guild of nigeria said he came to lend support to voters union1 he said that the most important persons in politics are the voters not the voted1 we need to protect our votes so that our voice will count before during and after election1 that is only the way we can effect a change and get the people we want into offices1 we have 150 members in 32 states as role models we want to join our voices with voters union he said1 he said the guild always made meaningful impact in any sector it identified with1

APC says no petition against Saraki Congress in Kwara
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as i am speaking to you we have not received any petition from anybody1 the all progressives congress apc appeal committee in kwara state has said there was no petition or appeal against the state congress conducted on saturday by senator bukola saraki-led faction which was supervised by the national secretariat of the party in ilorin1 egwuatu said the three -member committee were in the state for hearing of election petition that might have arisen from the state congress election1 he added that as at the 9 a. m on wednesday when their assignment ended the committee has not received any complaint against the conduct of the congress1 egwuatu said members of the committee arrived ilorin on sunday to hear any complaint petition and appeal against the state congress of the party1 he said he pasted notice on the board at the apc secretariat for any person with petition or complaint to submit same1 chairman of the committee mr osita egwuatu made this known in ilorin on wednesday at a news conference at the party secretariat1 today is the last day of the hearing of the petition up till now no petition from anybody egwuatu added1 he said that since there was no petition appeal or complaint from anybody it means that the congress went well in the state1 reports had indicated that two congresses of the party were held simultaneously on saturday with the saraki led group holding its own atthe banquet hall opposite the government house. it elected alhaji ishola balogun-fulani as chairman1 another faction loyal to the minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed held another congress at the arca santa event hall in ilorin and electedmoshood bolarinwa as chairman1 malam abdullahi samari was elected as the deputy chairman1 others were alhaji abdulganiyu saka secretary abegunde goge assistant secretary rahmat abolaji women leader and samuel isaac youth leader1

Bauchi Governor accepts resignation of deputy
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i wish him well in his future endeavours and he can count on me for support1 gov. mohammed abubakar of bauchi has accepted the resignation of his deputy alhaji nuhu gidado who turned in his letter of resignation on wednesday1 wereceived the resignation of our deputy governor engr. nuhu gidado1 on behalf of the people of bauchi state i want to thank him for his meritorious service while in office1 he remains vital to our administration and party1 in a statement issued on his behalf by mr ali m. ali special adviser media the governor described the tenure of his deputy as meritorious and therefore deserving of commendation1 i am also optimistic he will avail the state his service when called upon in the future said ali in the statement quoting the governor1 it would be recalled that the deputy governor resigned on wednesday attributing his action to the dampening of spirit and waning zeal with regards his official responsibilities1 ordinarily i should have remained up to the end of the tenure but with the current dampened spirit and waning zeal as it relates to my official engagements my continued stay will not be fair and truthful to you as my brother and leader1 in this regard i feel sure that your excellency will readily recollect the most recent one on one discussion we had precisely on thursday april 19th 2018 in your office where among other issues i expressed to you my contemplation to step aside if need be in order to free my conscience1 i regret to say that it has become necessary to yield to that inner calling and may this development be in accordance with the blessed will and guidance of allah said the deputy governor in his resignation letter1

Breaking: Trump cancels summit with Kim
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last week trump sought to placate north korea after it threatened to call off the summit saying kims security would be guaranteed in any deal and his country would not suffer the fate of muammar gaddafis libya unless that could not be reached1 president donald trump has cancelled the planned june 12 summit in singapore with north koreas kim jong un citing the tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement from north korea1 trump said in a letter to kim released thursday by the white house that based on the statement he felt it was inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting1 the president says the north koreans talk about their nuclear capabilities but ours are so massive and powerful that i pray to god they will never have to be used1 read trumps letter1 the aborted singapore summit had a ring of doubt since it was first suggested. at the heart of the problem was trumps suggestion that north korea unilaterally give up its arsenal of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles1 it came on a day that north korea dismantled its nuclear bomb testing site in the presence of some invited journalists1 but the reference to the case of libya has angered north korea1 in a statement released by north korean media on thursday vice foreign minister choe son hui called u.s. vice president mike pence a political dummy for comparing north korea a nuclear weapons state to libya where gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development programme only to be later killed by nato-backed fighters1 it is to be underlined however that in order not to follow in libyas footstep we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the korean peninsula and the region choe said1 choe said the fate of the summit was entirely up to the united states1 we will neither beg the u.s. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us said choe1 she said she could suggest to leader kim that north korea reconsider the summit if the united states offended the norths goodwill1

Aborted Trump-Kim summit: Moon holds emergency security meeting
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south korean president moon jae-in convened a meeting with top security officials on thursday night after u.s. president donald trump abruptly cancelled his planned summit with north korean leader kim jong-un the presidential office said1 yonhap news agency reported that moon called an emergency meeting at cheong wa dae at 1130 p.m. with his chief of staff top security adviser intelligence chief chief press secretary and foreign unification and defence ministers his press secretary yoon young-chan said in a message to reporters1 the presidential office said it is seeking to figure out the background of trumps decision to call off the june 12 summit with north koreas leader kim jong-un1 we are trying to figure out what president trumps intention is and the exact meaning of it presidential spokesman kim eui-kyeom told reporters1 earlier in the day trump cancelled the summit citing the norths tremendous anger and open hostility. trump informed kim of the decision in a letter released by the white house hours after the north dismantled its only known nuclear test site1 we greatly appreciate your time patience and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties which was scheduled to take place on june 12 in singapore the letter said1 sadly based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement i feel it is inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting1

Peace Corps bill dead finally
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the bill was sponsored by emmanuel orker-jev apc benue and passed by the national assembly in 20171 the controversial nigerian peace corps bill has finally been jettisoned as attempt by the house of representatives to override president muhammadu buhari failed on thursday1 the bill seeks to turn the peace corps currently a non-governmental organisation into a government para-military agency1 the bill which was passed by the national assembly amidst controversy was rejected by president muhammadu buhari who refused to sign it into law1 buhari in february refused to assent to the bill because it was a duplication of duty and could conflict with the functions of the existing security outfits the police and the nigeria security and civil defence corps nscdc1 on thursday the bill failed to pass the second reading at the house of representatives1 the house of representatives which boasted it would override the veto of the buhari could not achieve its aim1 in separate letters to the senate and house of representatives mr buhari also cited security concerns and financial implications amongst reasons for his decision1 the bill was transmitted to the president in december 2017 by the clerk to the national assembly sani omolori1 the nigerian police had remained opposed to the legalisation of the corps1 on february 17 2017 it stormed the organisations headquarters in abuja and arrested its head dickson akoh and about 49 other members1 the police accused mr. akoh of using the peace corps registered as a non-governmental organisation to swindle young job seekers and operate as a para-military agency1 mr. akoh who denied the allegations was later granted bail1

Uganda introduces daily pay for civil servants
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the gadgets will be installed at public facilities in 22 districts in eastern uganda piloting the scheme and the supervisors will be required to file daily reports of their supervisees attendance to opm1 the ugandan government is to introduce biometric gadgets for the implementation of daily salary payment for civil servants1 prof. ezra suruma the head of the delivery unit in the office of the prime minister opm said they are for a start installing the gadgets at public health and educational institutions to monitor clock-in clock-out of health workers and teachers at their duty stations1 suruma said salaries of absentee civil servants will be deducted equivalent to work days missed he said1 last week we were in jinja for a meeting with district local governments and we were told that some districts no longer pay civil servants who absent themselves from work1 we want other districts to follow suit because this is kisanja hakuna mchezo no playing games he said1 kaliro kayunga buvuma bulambuli bugiri and bududa districts all in eastern uganda are already implementing the scheme1 prof suruma the former finance minister and current makerere university chancellor made the comments while receiving an assortment of biometric machines donated by the british government through its overseas development arm the department for international development dfid1 the gadgets are to be introduced following the resolve of the government to start paying civil servants according to the number of days worked rather than a guaranteed monthly salary1 bureaucrats say the previous practice of registering staff presence at work manually was ineffective and susceptible to errors1 suruma said citizens dissatisfied with delivery of government services had started reporting absentee employees directly to authorities using social media platforms particularly whatsapp1 this has increased the level of community engagement in ensuring service delivery suruma said1 mr adrian green the head of growth and economic management at dfid said the equipment they donated also included laptops printers computers and their accessories1 they will be deployed for gathering processing and analysing biometric information on teachers and health workers to improve the quality of service delivery at schools and hospitals1 this is a grant worth half a million british pounds for a partnership we have been implementing with government for essential service delivery since 2015 where we have registered tremendous results mr green said1 a biometric time and attendance system is a time clock that tracks some unique physical characteristic of each employee when they clock in or out1 biometric data comes in many forms such as vascular patterns fingerprints iris patterns and voice recognition. biometrics cannot be forged1

How my foundation staff defrauded me of N3m Alakija
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alakija also told the court that she confronted vincent and seized his mobile phone after he had received a suspicious call1 by moji eniola1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that vincent who was employed by alakija as a clerk and administrative officer is standing trial alongside his siblings florence and emmanuel as well as four others for fraud1 the other defendants are onuwa david okoronkwo chikadibia ehizibolo george and chinyere awanah1 vincent was accused of defrauding alakijas foundation of the fund by forging cheques and conniving with his siblings and cohorts to pose to banks as beneficiaries of the foundation1 alakija while being led in evidence by mr m.d aliyu the prosecuting counsel for the economic and financial crimes commission efcc told the court how she was allegedly defrauded by vincent1 her testimony lasted from 2 pm to 3.23 pm1 she said on nov. 13 2012 i was called by my treasurer gladys efiozor who said she received a call from stanbic ibtc that there was a forgery of a cheque1 i told her to send me an email of the forged cheque and when i saw it i told her that the signature was not mine1 there are three signatories to that account and the forged signature did not match those of the other signatories1 florence vincents sister was the one caught with the cheque the bank called efcc to investigate and florence was handed over to the efcc1 it was discovered that the bag she was carrying had 12 different identity cards of beneficiaries of the foundation with her pictures on the identity cards1 the bag also contained cash collected from other banks from the foundations account1 mrs folorunso alakija a billionaire businesswoman on thursday told an ikeja high court how one vincent ayewah a staff of her rose of sharon foundation allegedly defrauded her of n3 million1 she also claimed that vincent deleted an incriminating text message from his phone1 he admitted to the fraud and begged for mercy he had done other infractions in the past and had begged for mercy anytime he was caught alakija added1 alakija told the court that vincent enjoyed a new lifestyle with proceeds from the alleged scam claiming he bought new car which he parked far away from the premises of the office to avoid detection1 a blank cheque and a survey plan of a property was in his car1 he had committed infractions before begged for mercy and i forgave him. i thought that with warnings he will change the businesswoman said1 but while being cross-examined by mr obiora umeh the defence counsel to the ayewahs and other defendants alakija gave further insight into the alleged fraud1 there are widows and orphans that need to be empowered i had one project manager at the time that vincent ayewah was reporting to1 when he needs to write the cheques he had to handle the cheque book i knew he was issuing the cheques because it was part of his duty1 the auditors must have gone through the list of beneficiaries and approved it i cant remember now if they were going through the cheque books because our systems have since changed1 the issue at hand is that the first defendant vincent had taken blank cheques and written the names of the beneficiaries on them1 vincents siblings had gone to pose in banks to pretend that they were the original beneficiaries1 even if it wasnt a blank cheque he had torn out and he had followed the normal sequence of things they will still go and pose as beneficiaries alakija said1 justice hakeem oshodi adjourned the case till oct. 25 for continuation of trial1

Former PSG and Sevilla coach, Unai Emery is new Arsenal manager
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former sevilla coach1 unai emery is new arsenal manager1

Boko Haram insurgency affects 14m people
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the envoy noted that nigeria was among the first group of states to endorse the safe schools declaration in oslo thereby making a pledge to protect schools during armed conflicts and using and promoting the guidelines for protecting schools and universities from military use during armed conflict1 no fewer than 14.8 million people were affected by the boko haram insurgency in nigeria with at least 1.7 million of them displaced1 bande regretted that the boko haram insurgency had led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in northeastern nigeria1 he however assured the international community that the buhari plan would bring relief to northeast nigeria currently ravaged the by boko haram activities as all efforts were being taken against the insurgency1 the presidential committee for north east initiative developed the buhari plan a framework of action to ensure the rehabilitation of the victims of insurgency and the reconstruction of their communities1 bande said a robust social protection initiative and a second national action plan to fully implement the provisions of resolution 1325 2000 had been instituted to protect civilians particularly women and children from the boko haram ravages1 to that end the initiatives will also complement the implementation of the buhari plan which provides a blueprint for the comprehensive humanitarian relief and socioeconomic stabilisation of the north-east as well as the return and resettlement of displaced persons1 we are collaborating with our neighbours chad cameroon niger and benin within the framework of the multinational joint task force to defeat the boko haram insurgency which is targeting civilians particularly women and children bande said1 the buhari plan aims to achieve a safe and prosperous northeast that would be a global model for post-conflict socio-economic recovery and development1 nigerias ambassadorpermanent representative to the un prof. tijjani bande told the un security council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts tuesday that most adversely affected were women and children1 bande said the declaration complemented and strengthened nigerias national safe schools initiative established in 2014 as part of the response by the federal government to promote safe zones for learning1 he said these initiatives reflected governments commitment to ensuring the security of women and children during armed conflicts and enhancing their active and direct participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding1 the ambassador said it is heartening to note that over a thousand kidnapped women and children have been rescued and all territories once controlled by the group have been recovered1 indeed our experience in the lake chad region today is evidence that with determined international collaboration terrorism can be defeated1 in addition the government of nigeria has adopted a multinational and multi-agency approach tagged operation safe corridor to effectively handle the de-radicalisation rehabilitation and reintegration of willing and surrendered boko haram members back to the society1 the nigerian envoy said so far many insurgents had willingly surrendered to the military while about 700 others had indicated interest to surrender1 he said nigeria had taken steps to cater to victims of boko haram in the form of rape and other sexual violence against children abduction of children and other grave violations1 according to him these steps include providing humanitarian relief financial economic educational and psycho-social support1 despite the tremendous efforts being made at the national level we acknowledge that protecting civilians in conflict situations remains a critical challenge not only for the united nations but also for the entire international community1