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  • Airlines get ready for new U.S. security rules on Thursday

    Airlines get ready for new U.S. security rules on Thursday

    New security measures including stricter passenger screening take effect on Thursday on all U.S.-bound flights to comply with government requirements designed to avoid an in-cabin ban on laptop computers, airlines said.

    Airlines said the new measures, which could include short security interviews with passengers, would be in place by Thursday.

    They will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights arriving daily in the U.S., on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries.

    The U.S. announced the new rules in June to end its restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.

    Those restrictions were lifted in July, but the Trump administration said it could re-impose measures on a case-by-case basis if airlines and airports did not boost security.

    European and U.S. officials said that airlines had 120 days to comply with the measures, including increased passenger screening. The 120-day deadline is Thursday.

    Airlines had until late July to expand explosive trace detection testing.

    Lufthansa Group said on Tuesday the measures would be in place by Thursday and travelers could face short interviews at check-in or at the gate.

    Economy passengers on Lufthansa’s Swiss airline have been asked to check in at least 90 minutes before departure.

    Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said it would suspend in-town check-in and self bag-drop services for passengers booked on direct flights to the U.S.

    The airline said passengers would also have short security interviews and it has advised travelers to arrive three hours before departure.

    Airlines for America, a U.S. trade group, said the changes “are complex security measures” but praised U.S. officials for giving airlines flexibility in meeting the new rules.

    Association of Asia Pacific Airlines Director-General, Andrew Herdman, said having a globally coordinated security approach made more sense than having destination-specific requirements.

    “This is not a positive,” he said of the U.S. measures at an industry conference in Taipei. “It adds complexity.”

    U.S. authorities in June also increased security around aircraft and in passenger areas, and other places where travelers can be cleared by U.S. officials before they depart.

    A Transportation Security Administration ( TSA ) spokeswoman declined to discuss the specific changes but said “the U.S. continues to work with our partners to raise the baseline of global aviation security and keep the entire traveling public safe.”

    The TSA said in July it was imposing new security rules requiring U.S. domestic airline travelers to remove all electronic items larger than mobile phones such as tablets, e-readers and video game consoles from carry-on baggage for screening.

    NAN

  • EU top court rules against Austria in asylum case

    EU top court rules against Austria in asylum case

    The European( EU ) Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday that Austria was obliged to examine the asylum application of an Iranian national even though he had previously sought international protection in Bulgaria.

    Majid Shiri, the asylum seeker, applied for international protection first in Bulgaria, and then in Austria.

    Under current EU law – also known as the Dublin regulation – the member state which was the first point of entry into the EU – in this case Bulgaria – is obliged to handle asylum applications.

    Read: Nigeria records 1,300 registered victims in EU countries

    But the ECJ found that because Shiri was not transferred back from Austria to Bulgaria within a six-month time limit, the “responsibility is transferred automatically” to Austria.

    The ruling is likely to have repercussions for a number of asylum cases lodged in 2015 and 2016 when a large number of people seeking international protection entered Europe.

    Read Also: EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping

  • Plague kills 124 in Madagascar

    Plague kills 124 in Madagascar

    A plague epidemic in Madagascar has killed 124 people since August in an outbreak that hit the island’s two main cities the hardest, authorities said on Wednesday.

    Plague is endemic in Madagascar, but the outbreak that has caused 1,192 suspected cases since August is especially worrying because it started earlier in the season than usual and hit urban rather than rural areas.

    In addition, two thirds of the cases are of the pneumonic plague, the deadliest form of the disease.

    “The total number of cases (1,192) is already three times higher than the average annual total,” the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management said in a report on Wednesday.

    Last week a World Health Organisation ( WHO ) report said the death toll stood at 94.

    The capital Antananarivo and Toamasina, the two largest cities in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean, were the most affected, with 55 per cent of cases recorded there.

    To date 54 medical staff have been infected, it said.

    The report said that of an estimated 9.5 million dollars in aid needed to counter the epidemic, only 3 million dollars has been raised.

    Read Also: Outbreak of Cough, Measles kills 17 children in Kano

  • Real Madrid to abandon team bus for safety reasons

    Real Madrid to abandon team bus for safety reasons

    Real Madrid will not use their branded team bus to transport players for the trip to Catalonia to play Girona on Sunday for security reasons, Spanish media reported on Tuesday.

    The club do not want the vehicle to become a target due to political unrest in the region over Catalonia’s bid for independence.

    Madrid do not usually bring the team coach to matches which are considered high risk, like the “El Classico” in Barcelona or away at Athletic Bilbao.

    The team are planning to arrive in Girona by plane on Saturday evening before the match on Sunday, which they will travel to in an unmarked coach, Marca said.

    However, the plans are subject to change based on the political situation.

    Read Also:

    La Liga: Ronaldo Returns, Saves Madrid against Getafe

  • Troops kill 11 Boko Haram insurgents, destroy IED factory in Borno

    Troops kill 11 Boko Haram insurgents, destroy IED factory in Borno

    The Nigerian Army on Wednesday said its troops had killed 11 Boko Haram insurgents and destroyed a bomb making factory at Ngala Local Government Area of Borno.

    Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka, the Director, Army Public Rations said this in a statement in Maiduguri.

    Kukasheka said that the troops, in joint operations with the Air Force and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), on Tuesday attacked insurgents’ hideouts at Mogole, Ngaiwa, Tongule, and Warsele villages of Ngala Local Government Area of the state.

    He disclosed that the troops destroyed the insurgents’ logistics base and a workshop at Ngaiwa village and an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory at Tongul.

    The director further said 85 persons were rescued from the insurgents in the villages.

    Kukasheka said that the troops also recovered a gun truck; four suicide bomb vests, various IED making materials, three Dane guns.

    Others, he said were: one Barretta pistol, 22 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 5 motorcycles, 13 bicycles and a wheelbarrow.

    “Tuesday Oct. 24 will go down as one of the best in the outing of troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in their daily clearance of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists, especially in northern parts of Borno.

    “The unit in conjunction with gallant 22 Mobile Strike Team accompanied by Civilian JTF, based on credible information carried out offensive operations at suspected Boko Haram terrorists hide outs at Mogola,” he said.

    Other areas where the soldiers carried out operations he said were Ngaiwa, Tongule and Warsele villages in Ngala Local Government Area of the state.

    “The operation which was supported by the Nigerian Air Force was very successful in achieving its objectives”.

    NAN

  • Nigeria’s GDP records decline in Q3 and Q4 2016

    Nigeria’s GDP records decline in Q3 and Q4 2016

    The National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ) says the Gross Domestic Product( GDP ) in real terms dellined in the third and fourth quarters of 2016.

    The NBS made  this known  in its “Nigerian Gross Domestic Product( GDP ) Report on Expenditure and Income Approach for the third and fourth quarter of 2016 released in Abuja.

    According to the report, the decline followed the negative growth trend from the first half of 2016.

    It explained  that the household consumption and government consumption expenditures led to the decrease in GDP in both the third and fourth quarter of the year under review.

    The bureau,however, stated that a strong recovery in growth in net exports, particularly in the fourth quarter helped to stem the decline.

    According to the report, the National Disposable Income recorded a strong growth in comparison to the GDP in the second half of 2016 in real terms.

    This it said was partly as a result of increases in other net transfers from the rest of the World .

    The report stated that Year on Year growth in Domestic Compensation of Employees in real terms declined.

    The bureau further said that the operating surplus declined in the third and fourth quarters but grew overall in real terms in 2016.

    NAN

  • Aisha Buhari urges Govts to give priority to education of women, girls

    Aisha Buhari urges Govts to give priority to education of women, girls

    The Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, on Tuesday called on government at all levels to give priority to education and empowerment of women and children.

    Buhari made this call in Abuja at the International Sheroes Forum with the theme: “Advancing women’s roles in business leadership and governance.”

    Buhari, who was represented by the Wife of the Nasarawa State Governor, Hajiya Salamatu Al-Makura, said that education is the foundation for empowerment of women and children to achieve gender equality.

    “We need to come together by supporting and encouraging each other in creating positive impact by empowering women and girls.

    “I believe education is the foundation for empowerment of women and children, especially the girl child.

    “I wish to call on government at all level and Non Governmental Organisation to ensure that issues that has to do with the right of women and the less privileged empowerment is mainstreamed.

    “We have to come together as partners to confront gender inequality.

    “We need to work with government, Civil Society and private sector to address the underlying bias and social norms that permit women and girls to be treated as lesser breed than men and boys.

    “We still have a long way to go in terms of enjoying a gender equal world; we also need to be vigilant against sliding back on progress already made,” she said.

    She said that there can be a change through legislation by working on the design progressive laws and ensuring that the laws are effectively implemented in other to be truly successful in the goals of equality.

    However, Ms. Comfort Lamptey United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, said that the conference needs relevant stakeholders to get the desired equality.

    Lamptey, who was represented by Adji Ndiaye, Deputy Country Representative, said that women in Africa were grossly marginalised, stating that Nigeria has the lowest level of representation in Africa.

    She said that the main objective of UN women was to close the gap of marginalisation, saying that in 2019 election women should invest in political participation.

    Sen. Jewel Taylor, Vice Presidential Candidate, Liberia, said that women in Africa should create a national fund to assist in increasing women participation in politics.

    “We can begin to raise funding to get women in national governance because that is the button line, we have to put our money where our mouths are.”

    NAN

  • Pastor admits defrauding Titi Atiku of N918m

    Pastor admits defrauding Titi Atiku of N918m

    A confessional statement tendered before an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday exposed how Pastor Nsikakabasi Akpan-Jacobs voluntarily confessed defrauding Mrs Titi Atiku, the wife of former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku of N918 million.

    Mr Dickson Graymond, a retired detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) insisted on the voluntariness of Akpan-Jacob’s alleged confessional statement while giving evidence during a trial.

    While being led in evidence by Mr Babatunde Sonoiki, the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Graymond said: “There are so many things that he confided in me that he refused to put into writing.

    “He admitted to me that Florence Doregos was Titi Atiku but he refused to put that into writing.

    “He confided in me that he wanted to contest in the Akwa-Ibom elections and that as soon as he begs Her Excellency, the matter will be over.

    “All what he told me were not forced, I did not even force him to write all what he confided in me in his confessional statement.

    “All what he said in his statement was of his own free will.”

    During his cross-examination by Mr Amos Ibe, Akpan-Jacob’s defence counsel, the retired detective denied illegally detaining the pastor in EFCC’s custody for three weeks and denying him access to legal representation.

    “The first defendant (Akpan-Jacobs) was served with bail conditions by the EFCC but he could not provide sureties and we could not grant him bail on self-recognisance because of the gravity of the case against him.

    “He did not spend three weeks with us but six days and he was given the opportunity to produce a lawyer but he refused, saying he will write his statement on his own.

    “Dapo and Chima (EFCC operatives) did not force him to write any undertaking,” he told the court.

    Graymond also denied bringing Akpan-Jacobs to the Abuja office of the EFCC on the influence of Titi Atiku.

    Earlier during the proceedings, Ibe had objected to the tendering of statements Akpan-Jacobs had made at the EFCC offices dated Feb. 6, 12, and 13, 2009, March 4 and 5, 2009 and April 2, 2009 on the grounds that they were not given voluntarily.

    Following Ibe’s objection, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, in her ruling, ordered that a trial-within-trial should commence.

    The EFCC had slammed Akpan-Jacobs; Abdulmalik Ibrahim, a lawyer; and Dana Motors Ltd with a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.

    THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd, a company created in 2000, is owned by Titi Atiku, Akpan-Jacobs and Fred Holmes, her German business partner.

    Mrs Atiku was allegedly the majority shareholder with 49 per cent shares, while Messrs. Holmes and Akpan-Jacobs each had 25 per cent shares.

    Akpan-Jacobs, who also doubled as the company’s Managing Director and Secretary, was alleged to have gone to the Corporate Affairs Commission ( CAC ) to alter the shareholding in his favour and forged the company’s board resolutions.

    Under the new shareholding arrangement, he allegedly allotted 51 per cent shares to himself and 24.5 percent shares each to Mrs Atiku and Mr Holmes.

    According to the EFCC, welding a fraudulent shareholding power, Akpan-Jacobs also sold a property belonging to the company to Dana Motors Nigeria Ltd for N918 million.

    The property is located at Plot C63 A, Amuwo-Odofin Commercial Layout along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos.

    Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the case until Oct. 25 for the continuation of trial-within-trial.

    NAN

  • AD chieftain lauds President Buhari

    AD chieftain lauds President Buhari

    Mr Josiah Ogungbemi, a chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), has commended President Mohammadu Buhari over the sack of Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms.

    Ogungbemi gave the commendation in an interview  in Ibadan on Tuesday.

    According to him, the order for immediate disengagement of Maina would strengthen the confidence Nigerians had on Buhari’s ability to fight corruption.

    He, however, urged the president to ensure that all accomplices in the Maina’s reinstatement were sanctioned.

    ”Every patriotic Nigerian will be happy about the directive for the sack of Maina because it further proves that President Buhari means the ongoing anti-corruption crusade.

    ”The reinstatement of the former pension boss who had been declared wanted by the EFCC since 2015, clearly shows that some unpatriotic Nigerians are behind the scene,’’ he said

    Ogungbemi called on EFCC to do the needful on Maina’s case for other corrupt-minded public servants to turn a new leaf.

    Buhari, on Monday, ordered the immediate disengagement of Maina from the federal service.

    The president also demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s reinstatement and posting to the Ministry of Interior.

    Maina, who was  appointed by the former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2010, was alleged to have connived with others to misappropriate N100 billion in 2012.

    He was subsequently arraigned in 2015 by the EFCC, after declaring him wanted.

    NAN

  • Gunmen kill two policemen, abduct expatriate in Kogi

    Gunmen kill two policemen, abduct expatriate in Kogi

    The police in Kogi on Tuesday confirmed the killing of two police officers and the abduction of an expatriate by unknown gunmen at a construction site in the state.

    Spokesman of the state police command, ASP William Aya, told newsmen in Lokoja that Insp. Ezekiel Negedu and Sgt. Gini John were killed while on guard duty on Obajana – Oshokoshoko – Kabba road.

    Aya said that John died on the spot while Negedu died on arrival in hospital.

    According to the police spokesman, about 15 gunmen emerged from a nearby bush and attacked the construction site of A .G. Dangote Company currently handling the rehabilitation of the 45-kilometre Obajana – Kabba Road.

    He said that the abducted expatriate, Mr Jose Machada, a Portuguese civil engineer, along with other expatriates and Nigerians, were inspecting the project when the gunmen struck.

    According to him, the deceased policemen put up a gallant fight and resisted attempt by the invading gunmen to wreak further havoc.

    The police spokesman, however, expressed regret that Negedu and John died in active service to the nation.

    Aya said that the state police Commissioner, Mr Ali Janga, had a raised a team headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and comprising men of Special anti-robbery squad, mobile police force, Counter Terrorism Unit and others to comb the bush and rescue the victim.

    He said that Janga had also visited the scene where he met with top officials and workers of the construction company on the incident.

    Aya said that the police commissioner assured the workers of adequate security and promised to rescue the abducted expatriate.

    NAN