IPOB/Police clash: We’re in democracy, people should be entitled to speak their minds- Ekweremadu

Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, has advised security agencies to always be cautious when quelling disturbances and protests to avoid unnecessary loss of lives. Ekerenmadu made the call at the Senate on Tuesday while speaking on Monday’s clashes between Indigenous

DSS stopped me from greeting Buhari, Murray-Bruce laments

Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has accused operatives of the Department of State Security of preventing him from getting close to President Muhammadu Buhari during a dinner at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.

A Peoples Democratic Party Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Murray-Bruce has openly criticised several decisions by the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress government.

Diego Simeone: Atletico Madrid manager questions future

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone says he will "start thinking" about his future with the club after Saturday's Champions League final defeat.

Atletico lost 5-3 on penalties to Real Madrid after the match at Milan's San Siro finished 1-1 after extra time.

It is the second time in three seasons Simeone's side have lost to their La Liga rivals in the final, following the 4-1 extra-time defeat in 2014.

Olympiakos footballer Alan Pulido kidnapped in Mexico

Mexican footballer Alan Pulido has been kidnapped in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, officials say.
The 25-year-old striker was reportedly kidnapped on Sunday near his home in Ciudad Victoria after leaving a party.
He plays for the Greek team Olympiakos and has made several appearances for Mexico's national team.

Buhari’s scorecard: Stakeholders rate President low

With the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari clocking a year today, OUR CORRESPONDENTS spoke with experts in different sectors of the economy who gave the President a performance scorecard

Manufacturing — Poor

Herdsmen recorded video of Enugu massacre – Police

The Nigeria Police Force says it has arrested five suspects for their role in the Enugu attack by suspected herdsmen which led to the death of about 20 persons in the Ukpabi Nimbo area of the state on April 25, 2016.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

Chelsea could derail Mourinho’s Manchester United move

JOSE Mourinho’s move to Manchester United may have hit a snag with new documents revealing Chelsea still has a hold on him.
The European Union’s Intellectual Property Office database confirms that “Jose Mourinho” is registered as a trademark of Chelsea Football Club Limited, according to The Independent.
The application was received in March 2005, during the Portuguese coach’s first season at the club.
It was registered the following year and Chelsea’s ownership of the name is only due to expire in 2025.

Jose Mourinho would be 'fantastic' for Man Utd - Carlo Ancelotti

Jose Mourinho would be a "fantastic signing" as Manchester United manager, says Carlo Ancelotti.

United are in talks with the Portuguese coach, 53, to replace Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who was sacked on Monday.

"In the last year, Manchester United has lost its identity," Ancelotti, 56, told BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas.

However, the Bayern Munich boss said Van Gaal had been faced with the tricky task of rebuilding United and perhaps needed more time to make his mark.

Afghan Taliban announce successor to Mullah Mansour

The Afghan Taliban have announced a new leader to replace Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed in a US drone strike.
In a statement, the Taliban acknowledged Mansour's death for the first time and named his successor as Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Analysts say it is unlikely the group will change direction under hardline religious scholar Akhundzada.

Nigeria Needs Prices That Work

By Editorial Board

Nigeria took a step toward economic sanity Tuesday by announcing plans to let its currency weaken. Africa’s largest economy is facing recession, and exchange-rate flexibility will help it cope. For best effect, those plans should also include junking the foreign-exchange controls that have blighted its businesses and scared off foreign investors.

Mark Zuckerberg meets US conservatives over Trending row

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has met several high-profile conservative figures in US politics to extend an olive branch.
The site has been accused of tampering with its Trending Topics feature, promoting "progressive" views and websites over content presenting views from the American right.
Mr Zuckerberg has denied the reports - which first appeared on tech news site Gizmodo - were accurate, though the site did concede that the feature was controlled by human editors rather than a popularity algorithm.

Newcastle United: Transfer funds key to Rafael Benitez decision

Rafael Benitez's decision whether to stay on as Newcastle manager will depend on the amount of funds he is given to strengthen the squad.

Benitez took over in March but could not stop the club being relegated, despite the Magpies winning three of their last six league matches.

Maria Sharapova may not play again, says Russian official

Former world number one Maria Sharapova may never play again following her failed drugs test, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation says.

The Russian, 29, tested positive for meldonium at January's Australian Open.

When asked if Sharapova would play any more tournaments, Shamil Tarpishchev told R-Sport news agency it was "very doubtful" and added the five-time Grand Slam winner was in a "bad situation".

Fat Joe reveals answer to 20-year Notorious B.I.G. mystery

IT DIDN’T have the commercial success of Hypnotize or Mo Money Mo Problems, but of all the tracks on The Notorious B.I.G.’s legendary 1997 Life After Death album, I Got A Story To Tell has always been the song that’s generated the most curiosity among fans of the rap star’s music.
The 4min 42sec disc one closer tells the story of an encounter the rapper, who was also known as Biggie Smalls, had with an unnamed player from the New York Knicks.

Man receives penis transplant in US

A hospital in Boston has become the first in the US to perform a successful penis transplant, doctors said, calling the operation "a surgical milestone".
Thomas Manning, 64, received the donated organ three years after his penis was amputated due to penile cancer.
He is the third man worldwide to have had the experimental surgery performed.

April breaks global temperature record

April was the seventh month in a row that broke global temperature records, Nasa figures show.
Last month smashed the previous record for April by the largest margin ever, the data show.
That makes it three months in a row that the monthly record was broken by the largest margin ever.
But in terms of its departure from the 1951-1980 temperature average used by Nasa, April was equal with January 2016.

Fifa appoints first female secretary general to succeed Jerome Valcke

             

Senegal's Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura has been appointed as Fifa's first female secretary general.

She succeeds former secretary general Jerome Valcke, who was banned from football-related activity for 12 years.

Samoura, 54, spent 21 years working for the United Nations and will start at football's governing body in June.

"It is essential Fifa incorporates fresh perspectives as we continue to restore and rebuild our organisation," said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

Buhari not sound in economy, foreign affairs —Obasanjo

esusegun Alagbe

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says President Muhammadu Buhari may not do well in economy and foreign affairs, except in military matters.

“Buhari is not a very hot person on the economy and foreign affairs,” Obasanjo said.
The former President stated this on Monday at the third International Conference on African Development Issues — themed, “Driving inclusive and sustainable development in Africa: Models, methods and policies” — organised by Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

Fuel price: NLC to go on strike Wednesday

The emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Friday took a decision to embark on “total strike” on Wednesday to protest the increase in the fuel pump price from N86 and N86.50k to N145 per litre by the Federal Government.

The meeting, which was also attended by all the major civil society organisations based in Abuja, was chaired by the President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba.

Dreaming brain rhythms lock in memories

Disrupting brain activity in sleeping mice, specifically during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase, can stop the animals remembering things they learned that day, a study suggests.
It is the clearest evidence to date that REM sleep is critical for memory.
By switching off certain brain cells, the researchers silenced a particular, rhythmic type of brain function - without waking the mice.
If they did this during REM sleep, the mice failed subsequent memory tests.
The research is reported in the journal Science.

Serena Williams eats dog food but reaches Italian Open quarters

Serena Williams made herself ill after eating dog food hours before reaching the last eight of the Italian Open.

The world number one tried "a spoonful" of food meant for her dog, Chip, before beating fellow American Christina McHale in straight sets in Rome.

"I thought 'what the heck, I'm gonna try a piece, it looks good'," she said.

"Fast forward two hours, I just ran to the toilet like I thought I was going to pass out. It did taste weird. It tasted kind of like house cleaner."
In a video posted on Snapchat, Williams explained she sampled a dish of salmon and rice offered on a 'doggy menu' at her hotel.

Buhari forcing judges to convict me, says Kanu

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), says President Muhammadu Buhari is influencing the court to convict him for treasonable felony.

Kanu made this allegation through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, at a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ejiofor said the president’s “pronouncement” on issues regarding Biafra was prejudicial, and that they were capable of forcing the hands of the court to convict his client.

Fuel price hike: Don’t take Nigerians for granted, Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani, warns Buhari

Shehu Sani, the Senator representing Kaduna central on Thursday said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s decision to increase the pump price of petroleum products is “insensitive and punitive”.
Mr. Sani, who is the chairman Senate committee on Foreign and Domestic debt, said in a statement that the decision was “most unfortunate”.
“At a time when poor Nigerians are facing enormous economic hardships and are being asked to be more patient all the NNPC can do is to add to their suffering,” he said, referring to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

EXCLUSIVE: How Kogi Governor, Bello, squandered over N260 million ‘security vote’ days after assuming office

Barely a week after he became governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello approved for himself a total of N260 million as security votes, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today.
Mr. Bello, who is currently Nigeria’s youngest governor, was sworn into office at an elaborate ceremony on January 27 after his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, fielded him as replacement for its former candidate, Abubakar Audu.

It’s International Masturbation Month – but is porn harming your brain?

LADIES and gents, gather ’round. Let’s talk about International Masturbation Month.
Oh, wipe that sheepish look off your face. You’ve masturbated. Your mates have masturbated. Your boss has masturbated. Your frumpy middle-aged neighbour Meg has masturbated. Statistically, most people you know have literal first-hand experience with brushing the beaver, jerkin’ the gherkin, or whatever other crude slang is slightly more comforting to you than the M-word.
International Masturbation Month was started in 1995, after then-US Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders was fired by the government for publicly advocating that masturbation should be discussed in school classrooms.

What yoghurt tells us about the obesity fight

When it comes to understanding the challenge facing the nation on obesity, yoghurt is a good place to start.
It's one of the most common items in our shopping basket. We spend more on it than we do on crisps and bacon.
In its normal state - natural full-fat - it's pretty good for you. It can boost your immune system, is good for your bones and is great at satisfying hunger.

Nigeria unions to resist 'criminal' fuel price hike

Nigeria's trade union federation has said it will resist what it calls the "criminal" 67% rise in the petrol price, as fuel subsidies are removed.
The government announced on Wednesday that the price was to increase in a bid to ease crippling fuel shortages.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the rise from 86.5 naira ($0.43) a litre to 145 naira should be reversed.

Skin bacteria stay 'stable over time'

Everyone has their own personal range of bacteria living on their skin that stays largely unchanged over time, a US study suggests.
It found sites of oily skin, such as backs and ears, had the most stable microbial fingerprints.
But even exposed dry sites such as palms were relatively stable.
Feet were among the areas that changed most in their microbial make-up, perhaps due to factors such as personal hygiene.

Abortion study: 25% of pregnancies terminated, estimates suggest

One in four pregnancies ends in an abortion each year, global estimates from the World Health Organization and Guttmacher Institute suggest.
The report in the Lancet said 56m induced abortions take place annually - higher than previously thought.
Researchers acknowledge rates have improved in many rich countries but warn this masks no change in poorer areas over the past 15 years.

FG caused fuel scarcity to increase pump price – Fayose

Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has condemned the decision of the Federal Government to increase the price of petrol from N86.50 to N145.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose accused the government of causing fuel scarcity in the country in order to increase the price.
He described the price increase as insensitive and a demonstration of the level of hatred the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress government had for Nigerians.

British couple caught in nude sex romp near a cash and carry business

A RANDY couple strip for a daylight romp — just yards from a cash and carry in Doncaster.
The horny pair got jiggy on a patch of grass in the South Yorks town unaware a passer-by was filming.
The 90-second bonkbuster was posted online and shows the blonde puffing on a cigarette as she wraps her legs round her lover.

Nigeria Giwa barracks 'a place of death' says Amnesty

Amnesty International says at least 149 detainees have died "in horrendous conditions" at a military detention centre in north-east Nigeria this year.
In a report, Amnesty says 11 of those who died at the Giwa barracks were young children, including four babies.
It called the centre "a place of death" and said it should be closed.
The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar in Abuja says it is the latest in a series of damning reports on the Nigerian military's treatment of suspects.
The army has not commented on the latest report but has previously said it has set up a human rights department to check claims of abuse.

Do you inherit your parent's mental illness?

In the battle to find what causes mental illness, scientists are increasingly looking at genetic factors. For James Longman - whose father killed himself after suffering from schizophrenia - it's a very personal question.
I'm often told I look like my dad, that I have his mannerisms and some of his habits. It's something I take pride in. But it's also something that worries me because he had schizophrenia, and when I was nine, he took his own life.

Germany anti-gay law: Plan to rehabilitate convicted men

Germany is set to annul the convictions of gay men under a law criminalising homosexuality that was applied zealously in post-war Germany.
Justice Minister Heiko Maas is to overturn the convictions and create a "right to compensation".
About 50,000 men were convicted between 1946 and 1969, under a 19th-Century law that the Nazis had sharpened.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1969, but the legislation was not taken off the books entirely until 1994.

Uganda, where a book can cost a month’s salary

The hunt for a good book in Uganda's capital is not for the faint-hearted; in fact it feels like a black market.
People look for friends going on a foreign trip to help them buy books, which are either not available or too expensive in Kampala.
One book which I have been wanting to read is Nothing Left To Steal by South African journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika.
But it costs around 140,000 Ugandan shillings ($42, £29) in bookshops here - which can buy a week's worth of groceries for a family.

South African Judge Mabel Jansen in race rape row

A white South African judge has been strongly condemned for purportedly saying on social media that rape was part of the culture of black men.
Judge Mabel Jansen said the gang-rape of babies, girls and women was seen as a "pleasurable" pastime.
A petition has been launched to demand her removal as a judge. She said her comments had been taken out of context.

Patrick Ekeng death: Sister claims Cameroon midfielder 'felt tired' before game

   

The sister of Patrick Ekeng, who died after collapsing while playing for Dinamo Bucharest, claims he said he was "feeling very tired" before the game.

Cameroon's Ekeng, 26, fell to the floor in the 70th minute of the televised Romanian league match against Viitorul and was pronounced dead in hospital two hours later.

"He told his best friend he was not able to play," Monique Chantal, Ekeng's elder sister, told BBC Sport.

"He said he was very tired."

Jean-Claude Van Damme’s daughter is even more badass than he is

DON’T cross Bianca Van Damme.
With her wide-set eyes and pouty lips, she looks like pin-up perfection — and then she leaps into a perfect roundhouse kick.
“I want to show little girls and little boys that you can be physical and feminine. That you can cross your legs at the dinner table and then kick ass in a nice, feminine way,” the 25-year-old told The New York Post. “Kind of like how my father brought martial arts to the mainstream for my generation — I want to continue that legacy.”

Woman arrested for ‘trying to rip boyfriend’s testicles off’

A WOMAN has been arrested in Florida for allegedly trying to rip her boyfriend’s testicles off.
Rosaire Francois, 28, reportedly confessed to police that she “tried to rip his balls off” during a fight at the couple’s home on May 5.
According to police, the couple got into a fight during a car journey to their home in Ellenton, in the east of the state, The Sun reports.

Janet Jackson ‘pregnant with first child at 50’ after cancelling her Unbreakable world tour

JANET Jackson is reportedly pregnant with her first child at age 50 a month after cancelling her comeback world tour.
Entertainment Tonight reports that Jackson, who will turn 50 on May 16, and her husband Wissam al Mana are said to be delighted by the news.
It comes a month after the singer announced that she was postponing her tour to start a family.
“We’re in the second leg of the tour and there actually has been a sudden change,” Jackson explained in a video posted to Twitter on April 6. “I thought it was important that you be the first to know. My husband and I are planning our family, so I’m going to have to delay the tour.”

This is the REAL reason we say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes... and it's not because of the Plague

THERE are some things we do in everyday life which become part of the furniture, even if we don’t know why.

Saying “bless you” when someone sneezes has to be up there with the best of them.

It’s a rarity to let a sneeze shoot out without someone uttering the words, and quite often you won’t even know the person who says it.

OK so it’s polite, but do you know why we actually do this?

Family accepts apology of autistic man mocked by 50 Cent

The family of an autistic airport worker mocked by 50 Cent has apparently accepted his apology.
Andrew Farrell's stepfather, Ken Kramer, says "we have chosen to accept" the rapper's according to a number of US sites.
It's after 50 Cent tweeted a video of himself teasing Farrell at Cincinatti/Northern Kentucky Airport.
He said the janitor seemed "high" and that "the new generation is crazy" but Farrell didn't appear to respond.

‘Stop EFCC from forcing me to implicate Jonathan’

Ramon Oladimeji

The detained cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Robert Azibaola, has urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to declare as unlawful any attempt by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to make him indict the ex-President.

In a fresh suit filed on Wednesday, Azibaola’s lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, claimed that any attempt to make his client indict the ex-President was a violation of Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, “which has outlawed the practice of arresting a citizen as ransom for the alleged offence of another citizen.”

I am not abusing Buhari –Fayose

Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan

Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose on Tuesday said his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari was not borne out of hatred for him but out of his conviction that at 73, Buhari was not strong enough to lead a complex country like Nigeria.

The governor, who spoke at the an event organised by the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day in Ibadan, said those who voted for Buhari in the last presidential election did not know who he was. He stressed that in the last one year, Nigeria had never had it so bad, noting that the fuel crisis, exchange rate of dollar to naira, killings by Fulani herdsmen and power situation were indices showing that Buhari’s government lacked the idea of how to rule Nigeria.

Afeni Shakur, mother of rapper Tupac, dies at 69

Afeni Shakur, the activist and protector of slain son Tupac Shakur's legacy, died Monday in Nothern California. She was 69.

The Marin County Sheriff's Department confirmed her passing via Twitter, adding that deputies responded to a possible cardiac arrest situation at 9:34 p.m. PT Monday at her Sausalito home and transported her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead almost one hour later.

After 52 years, man is cleared of murder he didn’t commit

AN 81-YEAR-OLD Brooklyn man who served nine years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit was exonerated Monday — 52 years after pleading guilty to the crime in order to escape a possible death penalty.
Elderly Paul Gatling had his record cleared of the 1964 murder of sculptor Lawrence Rothbort, who was fatally shot in the chest in his Crown Heights home.

Indonesia police confiscate sex toy mistaken for 'angel'

Indonesian police have confiscated a sex toy from a remote village after its inhabitants and some on social media mistook it for an "angel".
The doll was found in March floating in the sea by a fisherman in the Banggai islands in Sulawesi province.
His family took care of the doll, and pictures soon spread online along with claims it was an angel.
Police investigated amid fears the rumours would cause unrest, and found it was in fact an inflatable sex doll.

German couple tortured two women to death, police say

Police in Germany investigating the deaths of two women say they were the victims of a couple who held them hostage and tortured them.
They say a man and his ex-wife placed dating advertisements to lure the women to their home.
The suspects - Wilfried W, 46, and Angelika B, 47 - were arrested last Wednesday and charged with manslaughter.
The man denies any wrongdoing but his partner is reported to have confessed
Detectives believe there may be further victims and are searching the couple's home in Hoexter, north-western Germany.

Need more material, girl! Madonna flashes a LOT of bum and boobs in revealing outfit at Met Gala

MADONNA made sure that all eyes were on her in a sheer black outfit that left very little to the imagination as she attended the 2016 Met Gala in New York.

This year’s theme at the annual bash was Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology.

While many of the star-studded guests adhered closely to this with metallic materials and accents proving popular, some like Rebel Heart singer Madonna were in a league of their own.
The 57-year-old stood with her hands defiantly on her hips and a broad smile across her face as she posed on the arrivals carpet.

’I gave family £20m... now we don’t speak’: £148m EuroMillions jackpot tore my family apart

EUROMILLIONS winner Gillian Bayford has told for the first time how scooping £148million made her life a misery.

Gillian, 43, split from hubby Adrian 15 months later and has lost contact with her parents and brother in a bitter rift.

She revealed she handed £20million to her family but they have not spoken to her for a year.
The mum of two threw cash at struggling dad Ian McCulloch, 71, mum Brenda, 66, and brother Colin.

Ex-OMATA boss accuses FG, DSS, security agencies of pampering Fulani herdsmen

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu Nnewi—Former President General of Onitsha Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, OMATA, Chief Ozoh Anaekwe has accused the Federal Government, Department of State Services and other law enforcement agencies of pampering and treating the Fulani herdsmen with kids gloves, while being hard on non violent Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB and Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.

Breast cancer: Scientists hail 'milestone' genetic find

Scientists say they now have a near-perfect picture of the genetic events that cause breast cancer.
The study, published in Nature, has been described as a "milestone" moment that could help unlock new ways of treating and preventing the disease.
The largest study of its kind unpicked practically all the errors that cause healthy breast tissue to go rogue.
Cancer Research UK said the findings were an important stepping-stone to new drugs for treating cancer.

George John Dryden, Canada's 'Diefenbaby', dies at 47

George John Dryden, a Canadian man who sought for years to prove that he was the son of former Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker has died.
Dubbed 'Diefenbaby' by the press, Dryden, 47, died of complications from a suicide attempt, a close friend said.
He had been suffering from a terminal pancreatic disease.
There was a striking resemblance between Dryden and Diefenbaker, whose relatives maintained that the twice-married ex-PM was childless.

Yahoo chief's $55m severance package revealed

Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer will receive $54.9m (£37.4m) in severance pay if she loses her job in the sale of the troubled internet firm.
In February, the internet company announced it was offering its core business for sale, after several years of falling advertising sales.
She has attempted to turn the company's fortunes around with a mobile-first strategy since 2012.
But critics say she has failed to stem the decline.
A filing to the US Securities and Exchanges Commission says Ms Mayer will receive a package of cash, stock and other benefits if she is removed as chief executive within a year of any sale.

Transgender children: 'I don't want to grow a beard'

Last year, the Victoria Derbyshire programme met children going through a period of extraordinary change - but what's happened to two of the UK's youngest transgender children since?
Last May, Lily, seven, went to school wearing a skirt and was called by a girl's name for the first time. She was born a boy, and "skirt day" marked her transition to life as a girl.
It seems both she and her classmates took it in their stride. "When I went to school that day, everyone was saying, 'Hi Lily, you look nice in a skirt'. And I was like 'ooh thanks,'" she says.

Magic System drummer Pepito drowns in Ivory Coast

The drummer of Ivory Coast's famous Magic System band has drowned at the age of 46, the group has said in a Facebook post.
Didier Deigna, known by the stage name Pepito, drowned at a beach in the small town of Jacqueville in southern Ivory Coast on Sunday, it said.
Magic System are particularly popular in French-speaking West Africa and in France.