Torpell

The United States on Monday vetoed a draft UN resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, after all 14 other Security Council members backed the measure.

The veto cast by US Ambassador Nikki Haley highlighted Washington’s isolation over Trump’s announcement that the US embassy will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively ignoring Palestinian claims on the city.

The policy shift by the Republican president, announced earlier this month, broke with international consensus, triggering protests and strong condemnation.

Key US allies Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Ukraine were among the 14 countries in the 15-member council that backed the measure asserting that any decisions on the status of Jerusalem “have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.”

“The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy,” Haley told the council after the veto.

“What we witnessed here today in the Security Council is an insult. It won’t be forgotten,” she said, describing the measure as “one more example of the United Nations doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Egypt put forward the draft resolution, which insists that Jerusalem is an issue “to be resolved through negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians and expresses “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem” — without specifically mentioning Trump’s move.

The United States along with Britain, China, France and Russia can veto any resolution presented to the council, which requires nine votes for adoption.

– ‘Thank you’ from Netanyahu –
“Thank you, Ambassador Haley,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter.

“On Hanukkah, you spoke like a Maccabi. You lit a candle of truth. You dispel the darkness. One defeated the many. Truth defeated lies. Thank you, President Trump. Thank you, Nikki Haley.”

US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Jerusalem on Wednesday, wading into the crisis over one of the most controversial issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel seized control of the eastern part of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The Palestinians view the east as the capital of their future state.

The draft resolution had included a call on all countries to refrain from opening embassies in Jerusalem, reflecting concerns that other governments could follow the US lead.

It also demanded that all member-states not recognize any actions that are contrary to UN resolutions on the status of the city.

– Going back a ‘century’ –
Washington’s closest allies, France and Britain, came out ahead of the vote to declare their backing for the measure, which they said was in line with the positions enshrined in previous UN resolutions.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre praised the Egyptian draft as a “good text” and argued that “without an agreement on Jerusalem, there will be no peace accord” between Israel and the Palestinians.

The status of the city must be decided through negotiations and “not by the unilateral decision of a third country that would bring us back a century,” said the French envoy.

Despite outrage over the US decision, the United States “will continue to play an extremely important role in the search for peace in the Middle East,” said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft.

Several UN resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from territory seized during the 1967 war and have reaffirmed the need to end the occupation of that land.

The Palestinians had sought tougher language in the draft resolution that would have directly called on the US administration to scrap its decision, but the final version was softened to draw maximum support.

Backed by Muslim countries, the Palestinians are expected to turn to the UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution rejecting the US decision after the US veto.

No country has the power to veto resolutions at the 193-nation assembly.

While Haley considers “the veto a source of pride and strength, we will show her their position is isolated and rejected internationally,” Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said in Ramallah.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has scrapped a meeting with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem announcement, and will instead head to Saudi Arabia to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Turkey meanwhile said it hopes to soon open an embassy to Palestine in East Jerusalem.

South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was narrowly elected head of the ruling ANC party Monday, winning a bruising race that exposed rifts within the organisation that led the fight against apartheid.

Thousands of raucous Ramaphosa supporters sang and chanted in the conference hall as rival backers of defeated candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma appeared dejected.

Ramaphosa won 2,440 votes to Dlamini-Zuma’s 2,261.

“We declare comrade Cyril Ramaphosa the new president of the African National Congress,” an official told party delegates in Johannesburg.

The victory puts Ramaphosa in line to succeed President Jacob Zuma, whose reign has been plagued by corruption scandals, economic slowdown and growing anger at the once-omnipotent party.

The vote was a long and acrimonious process. Delegates who had travelled from around South Africa cast their ballots after repeated delays caused by disputes over who was entitled to vote.

President Zuma was seen as backing Dlamini-Zuma, allegedly to secure protection from prosecution on graft charges after he leaves office.

But his loyalists did win senior positions in the vote, including David Mabuza as party deputy chief, meaning Ramaphosa is likely to face strong internal opposition to his pro-business reform agenda.

President Zuma stepped down as party chief at the conference but could remain as head of state until the 2019 election.

“I hope you will cooperate with the new leadership… as we move to the 2019 elections,” Baleka Mbete, the party chairwoman, told delegates.

– Falling public support –

The ANC, which has ruled since 1994 when Nelson Mandela won the first multi-racial vote, could struggle to retain its grip on power in the next election due to falling public support.

“The party will decide if Zuma goes (before the 2019 election),” Mzwandile Mkhwanazi, a delegate from KwaZulu-Natal province, told AFP.

“Ramaphosa’s victory is good for the country. We need a stable country, a president able to fight corruption. We think he is up to the task.”

Ramaphosa, 65, is a former trade unionist leader who led talks to end white-minority rule in the early 1990s and then became a multi-millionaire businessman before returning to politics.

He is often accused of failing to confront Zuma while serving as his deputy since 2014.

Dlamini-Zuma was head of the African Union commission until earlier this year and a former interior, foreign affairs and health minister.

She had four children with Zuma before divorcing in 1998.

“I believe Ramaphosa will work to bring back the principles of liberal politics in the party,” Amanda Gouws, a politics professor at Stellenbosch University, told AFP.

“The outcome of the vote was not easy to call. What is at stake here is unity — the new leaders need to forge unity and rebuild the image of the party.”

Allegations swirled of delegates being targeted with bribes, but ANC spokesman Khusela Sangoni told reporters that the process had proceeded “smoothly”.

“I’m bowing out very happy because I think… I made my contribution,” President Zuma said on Monday as he walked through the vast conference centre hosting the five-day event.

Soaring unemployment and state corruption have fuelled frustration at the ANC among millions of poor black South Africans who face dire housing, inadequate education and continuing racial inequality.

Party veteran Zikalala Snuki told AFP: “It’s democracy. We are happy that we managed to elect the top leadership.

“We have Ramaphosa, who may be able to steer the ship in the right direction.”

The opposition Democratic Alliance party said that the ANC was “held together only by the glue of patronage and corruption, and Cyril Ramaphosa is just a new face to the same old ANC.”

Britain’s Interior Ministry, the Home Office, said on Monday that it is to extend a streamlined visa processing scheme for international Masters students.

It followed a pilot scheme, now in its second year, at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Imperial College London.

The piloted process for international students looked at students wanting to study on a Masters course of 13 months or less in the Britain.

It also provides greater support for students who wished to switch to a work visa and take up a graduate role, by allowing them to remain in the UK for six months after they have finished their course.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said: “The expansion of this pilot is part of our ongoing activity to ensure that our world-leading institutions remain highly competitive.

“The UK continues to be the second most popular destination for international students and the number coming to study at our universities has increased by 24 per cent since 2010.

“This is a clear indication that genuine students are welcome and there is no limit on the number who can come to study in the UK.’’

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Universities taking part are given responsibility for eligibility checks, meaning that students can submit fewer documents than required in the current process alongside their visa applications.

“All students will continue to require Home Office security and identity checks.’’

The most recent Home Office statistics showed that the number of students applying for visas increased by eight per cent over the past year and there has been a nine per cent increase in the number of students applying to Britain’s Russell Group universities.

The 23 additional universities would be able to apply the pilot to their 2018/2019 intake.

The universities were selected as their visa refusal rates are consistently the lowest in their area or region.

The 23 universities to be added to the pilot are: Cardiff, Goldsmiths University of London, Harper Adams, Newcastle, Queen’s University Belfast, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Bristol, Durham, East Anglia, Edinburgh.

Essex, Exeter, Glasgow, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, University of Wales Trinity St. David (Swansea Campus), Warwick, and York. (Xinhua/NAN)

Alexander Okere, Benin

The Edo State House of Assembly has sworn in Mr. Godwin Adenomo as the member representing Ovia South-West  constituency.

Adenomo replaces Mr. Sunday Aghedo, who was sacked by a ruling of the Supreme Court on December 8.

The five-man panel had in a unanimous judgement declared Adenomo as the authentic winner of the April 11, 2015, legislative poll, having emerged as the candidate of of the All Progressives Congress in 2014.

It had also ordered the House to swear him in and the salaries and allowances received by Aghedo, also of the APC, to be returned within 90 days.

At plenary on Monday, the Speaker, Mr. Kabiru Adjoto, confirmed that Adenomo had provided copies of his declaration of assets and liabilities.

“It is constitutional for every public office holder to declare their assets before taking oath of allegiance.

“The House is in receipt of the supreme Court judgement to the effect that Mr. Godwin Adenomo be sworn in as a lawmaker representing Ovia South-West,” Adjoto added.

A Trump administration judicial nominee who struggled to answer basic questions about courtroom procedure in a viral video clip withdrew his name from consideration on Monday.

Matthew Petersen, who had been tapped to be a judge on the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, wrote in a letter to President Trump that his nomination had become a "distraction."

"I had hoped my nearly two decades of public service might carry more weight than my two worst minutes on television," he wrote. "However, I am no stranger to political realities, and I do not wish to be a continued distraction from the important work of your Administration and the Senate."

He is the third of Trump's judicial nominees to be withdrawn in the last week.

Petersen was raked over the coals in a cringeworthy exchange last week with Republican Sen. John Kennedy (La.), a member of the Judiciary Committee.

After Petersen admitted he's never tried a case, Kennedy told him as a trial judge he's going to have to deal with witnesses. He then asked him what the "Daubert standard" is.

"I don't have that readily at my disposal," Petersen said of a rule regarding expert testimony in federal court.

"Do you know what a 'motion in limine' is?" Kennedy asked a moment later, referring to a request to exclude certain evidence in a trial.

Petersen said he hadn't had time to "do a deep dive," before later saying that he would "probably not be able to give you a good definition right here at the table."

Kennedy in an interview Monday morning on WWL-TV in Louisiana said that Peterson is a "decent guy," but too inexperienced for the bench.

"Just because you've seen 'My Cousin Vinny' doesn't qualify you to be a federal judge," he said, referring to the 1992 movie starring Joe Pesci.

Peterson, who is a member of the Federal Election Commission, had been rated "qualified" by the American Bar Association, but "he has no litigation experience and my job on the Judiciary Committee is to catch them," Kennedy said.

Kennedy also said that Trump called him over the weekend and expressed support for his work on the Judiciary Committee.

"The president called me the day before yesterday. He doesn't interview these guys. He has his staff do it and he said, 'Kennedy, I think you're right. Number two, Mr. Petersen's a really smart guy.' "

"The president and I get along fine, and he has told me, 'Kennedy, when some of my guys send somebody over who's not qualified, you do your job," he said.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), the District's nonvoting representative, criticized the White House for not consulting her on judicial nominations.

"D.C.'s District Court is one of the most important federal courts in the nation and should be filled with judges who have first-rate qualifications and experience," she said in a statement. "The White House should learn from this embarrassing moment and, at the very least, extend to District of Columbia residents the courtesy of consulting on nominees to our federal bench here."

Petersen's withdrawal came just days after the White House heeded a call from Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to withdraw two other controversial judicial candidates - Brett Talley and Jeff Mateer.

Talley, who was nominated to be a federal judge in Alabama, had never tried a case before in court and was rated "unqualified" by the American Bar Association.

Mateer, meanwhile, drew fierce criticism for past speeches in which he compared homosexuality to bestiality and described transgender children as a part of "Satan's plan."

The liberal Alliance for Justice, which has been fighting Trump's judicial picks, said Petersen was "among many unfit" nominees that have been put forth by this administration.

"It took the nomination of some egregiously underqualified people to make Senate Republicans begin to push back, but this GOP-led Senate has been rubber-stamping unfit judicial nominees for months now," Daniel Goldberg, the group's legal director, said in a statement.

"It's time for that irresponsible behavior to stop, and also time for the White House to stop sending up the kind of nominees we're seeing: individuals with inadequate credentials, open hostility to the rights of fellow Americans, or both."

Rebecca Dykes, who is said to be in her 30s, was found dead on the side of a highway in Lebanon, police said.
Rebecca Dykes, who is said to be in her 30s, was found dead on the side of a highway in Lebanon, police said.  (Family handout)

A diplomat working at the British Embassy in Lebanon was found dead Saturday by the side of a road, reportedly strangled.

Rebecca Dykes’ body was found Saturday on the side of a highway east of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, the BBC reported Sunday. Dykes, believed to be 30, was strangled, senior police sources told the news site. Local media Al Jadeed TV said Dykes was raped, though authorities said they are investigating whether she was sexually assaulted.

A forensic official also told The Associated Press that Dykes was strangled with a rope.

Dykes reportedly met friends and colleagues at a bar in central Beirut the night before she was killed, the Telegraph reported. She left the bar just after midnight.

Dykes had been living in Beirut since January while working as the Department for International Development’s program and police manager, according to the BBC.

Friends said she was flying home for Christmas Saturday.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. We are doing all we can to understand what happened. We request that the media respect our privacy,” Dykes’ family said in a statement.

A spokesman for U.K.’s Department for International Development said an investigation into the death is being conducted.

"Following the death of a British woman in Beirut, we are providing support to the family," the spokesman told the BBC. "We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time."

The United Nations, UN, United States of America and the United Kingdom have all reacted to the military coup in Zimbabwe.

The military on Wednesday overthrew 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe  after seizing the National Radio Station on Tuesday.

Mugabe has been in charge of the country for 37 years.

The UN has consequently issued a security advisory, instructing its personnel to work from home.

Some schools were closed and some students failed to sit for their final examinations, including at the University of Zimbabwe.

Also, the UK foreign and commonwealth office has updated its travel advice to British nationals in Zimbabwe.

It reads in part, “Due to the uncertain political situation in Harare, including reports of unusual military activity, we recommend British nationals currently in Harare to remain safely at home or in their accommodation until the situation becomes clearer. Please continue to monitor our travel advice and embassy social media accounts for updates.

“You should avoid political activity, or activities that could be considered political, including political discussions in public places and criticism of the president. You should avoid all demonstrations and rallies. The authorities have sometimes used force to suppress demonstrations.”

On its part, the US revealed that its embassy in Harare, “will be minimally staffed and closed to the public on November 15. Embassy personnel will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

It also advised US citizens in Zimbabwe, “to shelter in place until further notice.

“Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. Avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place and exercise caution when in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.”

President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, arrived at the headquarters of the governing ZANU-PF party last week during a rally to back Mrs. Mugabe as the next vice president. | Jekesai Njikizana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Zimbabwe’s military said early Wednesday, November 15, 2017 that it had taken custody of President Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, in what increasingly appeared to be a military takeover in the southern African nation.

After apparently seizing the state broadcaster, ZBC, two uniformed officers said in a short predawn announcement that “the situation in our country has moved to another level.” While denying that the military had seized power, they said that Mr. Mugabe and his family “are safe and sound, and their security is guaranteed.”

“We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice,” said the main speaker, who was identified as Maj. Gen. S. B. Moyo, the army’s chief of staff.

General Moyo — who was not widely known to the public but who was considered close to the commander of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces, Gen. Constantine Chiwenga — warned that “any provocation will be met with an appropriate response.”

Around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, taxis were running on the main roads leading to central Harare and people seemed to be making their way to work. Some soldiers could be seen on the main roads but were not stopping commuters.

After the short announcement, commercials on farming and corn seeds appeared on the state broadcaster. There was no further clarification of the whereabouts or status of Mr. Mugabe, 93, who is the only leader his nation has known since independence in 1980.

Asked in a brief telephone interview about reports of a possible coup, the country’s information minister, Simon Khaya Moyo, said, “What can I say? I don’t know about that.” He did not elaborate.

The television announcement came after a long night of rumors and sketchy reports in Harare that a coup might be underway. The day before, in a remarkable act of defiance, General Chiwenga had warned that “when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in.”

General Chiwenga was considered close to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom Mr. Mugabe summarily expelled from the government and the governing ZANU-PF party last week. The move was widely seen as clearing the path for Mr. Mugabe’s wife, Grace, 52, who had been amassing growing political power in the past two years as her aging husband’s health declined visibly.

Since his removal, the whereabouts of Mr. Mnangagwa, who like Mr. Mugabe was a veteran of the country’s struggle for independence, has been shrouded in mystery.

Zimbabwe's military has placed President Robert Mugabe under house arrest in the capital Harare, South African President Jacob Zuma says.

Mr Mugabe told Mr Zuma in a phone call that he was fine, the South African leader's office said.

Troops are patrolling the capital, Harare, after they seized state TV and said they were targeting "criminals".

The move may be a bid to replace Mr Mugabe with his sacked deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, BBC correspondents say.

Mr Mnangagwa's dismissal last week left Mr Mugabe's wife Grace as the president's likely successor.

Mr Mugabe, 93, has dominated the country's political scene since it gained independence from the UK in 1980.

How the drama unfolded
After days of tension and rumour, soldiers seized the state broadcaster ZBC late on Tuesday.

A Zimbabwean army officer, Major General Sibusiso Moyo, went on air and denied there was a coup, but said the military was targeting "criminals" around President Mugabe.

Maj Gen Moyo also said Mr Mugabe and his family were "safe and sound and their security is guaranteed". It is not clear who is leading the military action.

Since then military vehicles have been out on the streets of Harare, while gunfire has been heard from northern suburbs where Mr Mugabe and a number of government officials live.

In a statement, Mr Zuma's office said: "President Zuma spoke to President Robert Mugabe earlier today who indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine."

How we got here
At heart is a power struggle over who succeeds Mr Mugabe. The rivalry between his wife Grace and Mr Mnangagwa has split the governing Zanu-PF.

Following a call from Mrs Mugabe, Mr Mnangagwa was removed from the vice-presidency earlier this month.

But on Monday, army chief Gen Constantino Chiwenga said the army was prepared to act to end purges within Zanu-PF.

Gen Chiwenga is a close ally of Mr Mnangagwa and both are veterans of the 1970s war which ended white minority rule.

One of the leading members of the Zanu-PF faction led by Grace Mugabe, Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo, is being detained, a government source told Reuters.

An extraordinary gamble
By Andrew Harding, BBC Southern Africa correspondent

A quick show of military force, a few arrests... and then what?

These are, of course, unpredictable times for Zimbabwe and yet there is a chance that the army's extraordinary overnight gamble will pay off, and that President Robert Mugabe, humiliated and powerless, will nonetheless be allowed to retire with at least the pretence of dignity.

It is important to remember that Mr Mugabe is not being challenged by the Western governments he has warned against for decades, or by Zimbabwe's political opposition, or by a mass uprising against economic hardship.

This is, fundamentally, an internal power struggle within Zanu-PF and whoever emerges victorious can expect a newly purged party to fall obediently into line.

Mr Mugabe's mistake, at 93, was to assume he was still powerful enough to build a dynasty to back his wife, Grace, to succeed him.

Instead, his once loyal deputy, Emerson Mnangagwa, may be poised to take control. If so, many foreign governments are likely to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he can rescue Zimbabwe from years of misrule.

Is this a coup?
In his statement Maj Gen Moyo said "this is not a military takeover of government".

But despite the Zimbabwean military's denials, to many observers their actions bore many of the hallmarks of a coup.
There has been no direct comment from President Mugabe, nor his wife Grace, whose whereabouts are unclear.

Key regional blocs the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) do not look favourably on unconstitutional changes of power, which might explain the Zimbabwean military's wording.

How the news is being seen
In Harare, some were delighted. "We are going to have a good life, we are looking forward to Christmas, because of what has happened," one woman told BBC News.

"I want to thank the general for removing this tyrant," said a man. "He was ruling the country as if it belonged to his family."

The leader of the war veterans, Chris Mutsvangwa, told Reuters: "It's the end of a very painful and sad chapter in the history of a young nation, in which a dictator, as he became old, surrendered his court to a gang of thieves around his wife."

Both the UK Foreign Office and US embassy in Harare has advised its citizens to remain indoors until the situation becomes clearer.

China, Zimbabwe's biggest trading partner, says it is closely watching the situation and hopes that the relevant parties can properly handle their internal affairs.

The Intelligence Response Team (IRT) under the watch of Abba Kyari at the weekend, lost one of its gallant officers to the cold hands of death.

The gallant officer was one of the leading ‘field detectives’ who tracked and demystified Lagos based billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuadike aka Evans.

It was in the middle of a similar arrest that the suspect pumped bullets into Lanre’s stomach while his colleague got shot in the hand.

Unperturbed by the surprise attack, both the late Sergeant and others chased after the kidnappers and killed the man that fired the killer shots.

The bullets lodged in their bodies were later extracted with medical teams on ground confirming that the injured Policemen were responding to treatment.

But tragedy struck a few days later. It was discovered that Sergeant Lanre who had opened his eyes and exchanged pleasantries with his colleagues, later gave up the ghost.

“It is really sad and painful altogether. We have not been able to tell his wife and other family members yet. This is the risk of the job we are talking about; we put our lives on line for others, yet when it is time for promotion, one thing or the other will happen and the list will be kept in view.

“Look at this now, Sergeant Lanre was one of the men that put his life on the line to arrest Evans and now he is dead. We don’t even know how to break the news to his wife and family. It is painful,” one of his colleagues said at the weekend.

The commander of IRT, Kyari, is said to be in deep pain over Lanre’s death.

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to Turkey to boost bilateral trade, 23 Turkish electrical manufacturing  companies will  visit Nigeria this week to meet buyers and distributors.
The Managing Director of Naijalink Ltd., Mrs Thessa Bagu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the visit would strengthen trade and economic relations between Nigeria and Turkey.

Naijalinks, a local firm, connected foreign companies willing to do business in Nigeria to local buyers or sellers.

“Following renewed Turkish-Nigerian commitments to boost bilateral trade, a Turkish electronics and electrical goods trade mission will, this week, be visiting Nigeria for meetings with local buyers and distributors."

“This trade mission is coming only weeks after President Buhari visited Turkey to strengthen trade and economic relations between Nigeria and Turkey."

“Under the ambit of the Turkish Electro Technology Exporters’ Association (TET) – a professional body representing over 7,500 companies – the trade mission will showcase advanced Turkish white goods, electronics, cables and electrical production and distribution equipment,’’ she said.

Bagu said that the mission would comprise Turkish manufacturers, representing companies across consumer electronics and appliances, lighting, cables, electrical transmission and distribution equipment, industrial automation products and specialised cables.

She said that the mission, to be led by the Vice Chairman of TET Board, Mr Mehmet Kavaklioglu, would hold pre-scheduled meetings with Nigerian business operators at Eko Hotel and suites, Lagos, on Thursday.

According to her, Turkey’s fast-growing electronics, white goods and electrical components sector annually exports over 10 billion dollars in goods to the global market.

NAN reports that Buhari went on a four-day working visit to Turkey on Oct. 18.

The president participated in the ninth D-8 Summit in Istanbul on Oct. 20 and held bilateral meetings with some member-countries.

Biafra
Nnamdi Kanu sacked as IPOB leader for 'diverting' over $30m contributed by Igbos

Radio Biafra said Kanu has been replaced by one Mazi Ezenwachukwu Sampson Okwudili.

Radio Biafra, an international media arm of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has announced the removal of Nnamdi Kanu as the director of the broadcast station and leader of IPOB.
The Radio was said to have disclosed this on Sunday, November 12, upon resumption of operations.

According to Daily Post, a lady presenter at the station who gave her name as Ifeoma Okorafor, said that Kanu was dismissed after "extensive and intensive consultations."

The presenter said Kanu has been replaced by one Mazi Ezenwachukwu Sampson Okwudili.

Giving reasons for Kanu's dismissal, she accused the embattled IPOB leader of "Personalisation of the Biafran struggle and derailing from the core objectives of IPOB as a grassroots movement."

Okorafor further said, "Kanu’s actions and his decisions to incite members of IPOB towards violence leading to the death of many innocent young people in Onitsha, Aba and Umuahia is totally unacceptable and grossly irresponsible.

"Kanu privately collected £14 million and another $22 million to purchase landed properties abroad in his name and that of his father, Igwe Israel Kanu, in a clear case of ‘monkey dey work baboon dey chop’.

"Kanu turned our collective struggle into a money-making enterprise for himself and his father. Thus the monies contributed by enterprising and hard-working Igbo youths across the world are being collected and converted by one man and his father while pretending to be sacrificing for the cause.

"Upon his release from detention in April 2017, one expected Kanu to drum up support for the release of his colleagues and co-detainees such as Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. These are our brothers who were arrested at the same time with him and they should not be forgotten. We hereby demand their release. Kanu, since his release, has never spoken about them or appealed for the release of these our freedom fighters. Instead, he has been going about collecting chieftaincy titles and having a messianic swagger that even allowed full-blooded Igbo men to kneel down and kiss his feet.

"Kanu threw away the original meaning of our collective struggle for personal gain and vain glorification. IPOB believes in democracy as a solid base of any modern state, the rule of law, and will always reject violence in all its ramifications."

Kanu's whereabouts has been unknown since the Nigerian army personnel allegedly invaded his home.

He is believed to have fled for fear of rearrest having breached the conditions upon which he was granted bail.

Here’s a beautiful story of a Nigerian woman, Mrs. Akpevwe, who recently got a gift of a brand new Range Rover from her husband, Mr. Etu, for sticking with him throughout the years he was struggling.

According to what the know, the SUV is a 2013 Range Rover Evoque, and it’s worth $46,995 that’s (N17 million) According to details sent by a mutual friend of the couple they’ve been together since childhood.

The couple dated for 10 years, got married in 2011, and have since remained married for over 6 years! They’re both based in Ghana. Their union is blessed with 2 kids, a boy and a girl.

The Oluwo of Iwo, a kind who loves entertainment and entertainment practitioners, has decrees that all the things making BankyW battle cancer, should come and afflict him.

A Young Promising Nigerian soldier, SE Ayo has died after been involved in a Ghastly car accident, Juts 22 days to his wedding, the man who is popularly called lieutenant Sunny Brown.
So sad, he was to wed on the 3rd of December, 2017,  His friends,and relatives took to social media to express shock as they mourn the late lieutenant.

Queen Elizabeth II stepped down from her official duties on Sunday, leaving heir to the throne Prince Charles to lay a tribute to Britain’s war dead on her behalf.
The queen traditionally lays a wreath at the Cenotaph national war memorial in London, but for the first time she observed the annual Remembrance Sunday service from a balcony.

Her eldest son Charles instead stepped forward following a nationwide two-minute silence, placing a wreath of poppies at the monument close to parliament.

Other members of the royal family, including princes William and Harry, also took part in the ceremony along with senior politicians and veterans.

Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn also placed wreaths at the Cenotaph, while the ceremony was attended by former premiers including Tony Blair.

The queen has missed the ceremony only six times in her 65-year reign and handing over her role to Charles is a visible sign to her subjects that she is reducing her official duties.

Buckingham Palace announced in advance that the 91-year-old monarch would view the service from a Foreign Office balcony, alongside her husband Prince Philip, 96, who retired from public duties in August.

Queen Elizabeth has already reduced her schedule, with official engagements dropping 22 percent from the 425 in her 2012 diamond jubilee year to 332 in 2016.

Remembrance Sunday is the Sunday nearest to Armistice Day on November 11, the anniversary of the 1918 signing of the peace treaty that ended fighting in World War I.

More than one million people from the then British empire died in the four-year conflict, but the day has become a time to remember all the troops killed in wars since then.

A bloody clash was on Saturday recorded in Port Harcourt, Rivers State between the security convoys of Governor Nyesom Wike and that of the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

Security officials of Governor Wike allegedly attacked the convoy of the Transportation Minister.

Amaechi's escort details were, however, unlucky during the 3 p.m. attack, as one of them, Sgt. Eteng Ewelu, was battered, with blood on his face, while the AK-47 rifle of Sgt. Princewill Ubaji was snatched, while being forcibly disarmed.

Wike, through his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, in his reaction, however, claimed that personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) and soldiers attached to the minister of transportation attacked his convoy, while allegedly attempting to assassinate him.

Report of the sad incident was immediately lodged at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Rivers Police Command, headed by Zaki Ahmed, while Ubaji's rifle had not been recovered, with Ewelu and other injured policemen still receiving treatment in undisclosed hospitals in Port Harcourt, as at press time.

When contacted for his reaction through the telephone yesterday evening, the Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), stated that he would find out the details.

He asked our reporter to call back in ten minutes, but when contacted twice, after thirty minutes, he did not take the calls, and he had not called back, as at press time.

Nwakaudu said: "Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, on Saturday escaped assassination, as Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in the motorcade of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, attacked his convoy.

"The governor, who was on project inspection, was attacked at Nwanja Junction on Trans-Amadi Road. The SARs personnel and soldiers in the minister's convoy hit down the governor's escort rider and attacked the policemen in the pilot car. Mr Debewari, Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the minister of transportation, supervised the attack, which included damage of cameras held by journalists.

"Also part of the attack was the Commander of F-SARS in Rivers State, Mr. Akin Fakorede (a Chief Superintendent of Police), who received the minister of transportation at the Port Harcourt International Airport and accompanied on his trip.

"After the attack, the Rivers State governor continued with his inspection of projects. Governor Wike was not harmed, despite the attack. The minister of transportation had over 50 personnel of F-SARS, soldiers and mobile policemen in his motorcade."

The German Pentecostal evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, has warned members of the public and, especially, participants at his ongoing Farewell Crusade holding in Lagos, that he does not collect offerings during his crusades.

“We are here to bless you; we have brought you gifts of salvation and deliverance; we are here to give and not to take anything from you.

“Anyone who asks you to give offering for this crusade is a thief and should be reported immediately,” the sponsors of the crusade, Christ for All Nations, warns participants on Thursday at the crusade ground.

This is coming on the heels of suspicion that certain unscrupulous persons might want to malign the credibility of the preacher by seizing the opportunity offered by the huge crowd at Bonnke’s crusade to raise money for personal use.

Observers opine that Bonnke’s decision is a radical departure from what critics see as “normal practice” by some open-air preachers who urge crusade participants to donate money for offering and other projects.

A respondent, 50-year-old Mr. Ifeanyi Duru, said Bonnke’s decision to not raise offerings at his crusades is “an attestation to his sincerity” in only being concerned about “the salvation of souls.”

Duru recalled that as a student in the University of Benin in the mid 1980s, a popular preacher from the region (name withheld) had to contend with the activities of people he described as “rogues” who tried to raise unofficial offerings from the crowd.

“The preacher, who is now late, had decided to collect offering during his open-air crusades, but some unscrupulous persons tried to outsmart him,” Duru said.

He added that the popular preacher beat the thieves to their game by having different colours of offering bags for each night of the week-long crusade.

“The colours to be used were announced just a few seconds to the commencement of each offering collection; and because the rogues had no prior idea, they were defeated in their purpose,” Duru said.

He, however, commended Bonnke’s “caring heart” for refusing to succumb to what he called “the temptation to exploit the crowd,” who he said would have given “generously” if asked.