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  • Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s surrogate spotted

    Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s surrogate spotted

    Reality queen Kim Kardashian and her Grammy winner husband Kanye West’s surrogate carrying their third child has been pictured for the first time.

    According to MailOnline, Kim confirmed the news that she and Kanye are having a third child, on Thursday night.

    The reality TV couple were said to have paid the surrogate an estimated $75,000 in June to carry a sibling (due in late January) for their daughter North, four, and son Saint, 21 months.

    Pictured in September, this is the first sighting of the expectant African-American 27-year-old following Kim’s confirmation that they are having a third child.

    The secret surrogate wore a white T-shirt over her five-month bump, cuffed blue jeans, and black sandals, while strolling through a playground in September.

    ‘She’ll also receive a $4,500 monthly “discomfort” allowance; if she gives birth by cesarean, she’ll earn a $2,000 bonus and she’ll receive a $5,000 bonus if she has twins,’ an insider told Radar Online.

    ‘Kim liked her immediately and Kanye thought she looked a little like Kim, which no doubt helped her get selected.’

    The stay-at-home San Diego woman was previously paid to be a surrogate in 2014, and it didn’t hurt that she’s a big fan of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

    ‘She’s watched all of the shows, and Kim’s vanity was touched when she found out,’ a source added.

    Also, TMZ recently reported that the surrogate, a registered Democrat and college graduate has two sons of her own with her husband of five years, and their marriage is ‘solid.’

    The 36-year-old mother-of-two confirmed the baby news Thursday by sharing a preview for the 14th season of her E! series airing Sundays on cable TV, with her 188.1million social media followers.

    Kim, a devout Atkins dieter who finally whittled her surgically enhanced 5ft3in figure down to 115lbs, cannot carry anymore children due to complications from pre-eclampsia.

    It comes amid mounting speculation that her 33-year-old sisters, Khloé, as well as her 20-year-old half-sister Kylie Jenner are pregnant from NBA basketball player Tristan Thompson and Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott, respectively.

    They are both reportedly due in February; one month after Kim’s surrogate will give birth to a daughter, if sources are to be believed.

    The most famous, wealthy and entrepreneurial of her siblings, Kim has a net worth of about $175 million.

    Over the last year, Kim made $45.5 million, making her the 47th richest celebrity on the Forbes list of the 100 highest-earning celebrities in 2016.
    Kim was robbed at gunpoint in her hotel in Paris, during Fashion Week in October 2016 .

    The robbers stole nearly $9 million worth of jewelry including a $4 million diamond engagement ring from Kanye.

    Known for her frequent use of social media, Kim kept a low profile in the months after the traumatic event and has since recounted the robbery in detail on the family’s show.

    NAN

     

  • Qatar calls for conflict to settle migration issues

    Qatar calls for conflict to settle migration issues

    Qatar says the best way to resolve the issues of refugees and migration is to eliminate the major causes that forced those to leave their home countries, Qatar news agency( QNA ) reported on Friday.

    Qatar’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Al-Marri, stated this in Doha in his speech at the opening session of the regional consultative meeting on international migration.

    Al-Marri said that factors responsible for migration are conflicts, marginalisation, economic and social weaknesses as well as instability.

    He said that Qatar would continue to support the efforts made by the UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia ( ESCWA ) and others to reach global consensus on the issue of refugees for the benefit of the international community.

    Others are the Arab League and International Organisation for Migration ( IOM ).

    Eighteen Arab countries make up ESCWA and it is aimed at promoting economic and social development in western Asia through regional and sub-regional cooperation and integration.

    NAN

  • Merkel, Macron pledge to lead EU forward post-Brexit

    Merkel, Macron pledge to lead EU forward post-Brexit

    French President, Emmanuel Macron, won backing from Angela Merkel for plans to reform the EU after Brexit, founded on what the German chancellor called “intense” cooperation between Paris and Berlin.

    But during an EU dinner in Estonia that lasted till midnight ahead of a formal summit on Friday, some leaders sounded wary of the youthful new French leader’s ambitious ideas, set out in a speech at the Sorbonne on Tuesday, for deepening EU integration.

    Merkel, re-elected for a fourth term on Sunday but weakened by the rise of an insurgent eurosceptic opposition, met Macron for half an hour before dinner and, according to a French aide, welcomed his speech as “visionary” and a return of co-founder France as a driving force in the European Union project.

    But she also noted differences.

    Some of her potential new coalition partners, along with northern governments like the Dutch and Finns, are very dubious about his suggestions for pooling budgets with less fiscally austere states in the south.

    “As far as the proposals were concerned, there was a high level of agreement between Germany and France.

    “We must still discuss the details, but I am of the firm conviction that Europe can’t just stay still but must continue to develop,” she said.

    French officials said Macron, who they said spoke again with Merkel at length after the late-night dinner, was not trying to impose his ideas but to show others that they were in their common interest and recognised that some needed time to reflect.

    “The idea is not about forcing people to give a binary response.

    France cannot force things,” one said, adding that Paris hoped leaders could agree on a way to work on the ideas in the coming weeks before an October summit in Brussels.

    “The dinner,” a Macron aide said, “Was a chance to share further the Sorbonne project … Things are on the move.”

    An EU official said that the dinner had shown there was a “strong and shared willingness to maintain the unity” and that the EU should be “open to address new ideas” while continuing to work to deliver concrete results for citizens.

    Summit Chair, Donald Tusk, would consult governments in the coming two weeks and make proposals for how to follow up on the debate about reform at a summit in Brussels on Oct. 19-20.

    European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, proposed similar but different reforms earlier this month and called for a landmark summit of the 27 in Romania on the day Britain leaves the EU in 18 months time, on March 30, 2019.

    British Prime Minister, Theresa May, also attended the dinner in spite of Britain’s increasing isolation as it prepares to quit.

    She took the opportunity of Friday’s “digital summit” in Tallinn to visit British troops on a NATO mission in northern Estonia and pledged post-Brexit security cooperation with European neighbours confronting Russian threats.

    May arrived with a better sense of whether her keynote major Brexit speech last Friday has succeeded in unblocking talks in Brussels on Britain’s divorce package.

    The chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, praised on Thursday a “new dynamic” to Brexit negotiations created by concessions made by May although progress was still not sufficient to allow discussions on future trade relations.

    EU officials said she should not expect direct feedback in Tallinn from the other leaders.

    But she was expected to talk to Merkel and others individually as she pursues her quest for agreement to open talks on close ties with the bloc.

    Friday’s talks on a “digital agenda” for Europe will range from ways to ease cross-border flows of data while protecting privacy to cyber security and taxing online businesses.

    NAN

  • Kwara gets N3.5bn as September allocation

    Kwara gets N3.5bn as September allocation

     Kwara Government received N3.5 billion as its share of the federal allocation for September.

    The state Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Ilorin, said the amount was an increase over the N2.5 billion it got in August.

    Banu gave the breakdown as N2.7 billion being statutory allocation and Value Added Tax ( VAT ) of N813 million, totaling N3.5 billion.

    The commissioner said that the 16 local governments in the state received a combined allocation of N2.5 billion for September, against N1.8 billion they got in August.

    He noted that the amount was made up of a statutory allocation of N2 billion and Value Added Tax ( VAT ) of N461 million.

    NAN

  • IPAC urges parties to shun violence

    IPAC urges parties to shun violence

    The Lagos State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council ( IPAC ), has urged political parties to steer clear of violence during and after the Eti -Osa Constituency 1 election on Saturday.

    The council’s state Public Relations Officer ( PRO ), Mallam Shakirideen Olofin, gave this advice in an interview on Friday in Lagos.

    Reports that the election is to fill the vacant seat, following the death of the lawmaker representing the area, Mr Kazeem Alimi on July 18.

    He urged all the participating parties to conduct their supporters peacefully so as to ensure the successful conduct of the poll.

    Olofin explained that in any election, there would be winners and losers, and therefore, urged political parties to approach the exercise with the spirit of sportsmanship.

    “IPAC enjoins all participating parties to comport themselves properly before, during and after the bye election”.

    Olofin said that the state had been noted for peace and urged all stakeholders to ensure that the bye-election was a reflection of that notion.

    He said the deployment of a new Commissioner of Police, Mr Edgar Imohimi and a new Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC ), Mr Sam Oulmekun, to the state was timely.

    Olofin said that IPAC welcomed both men while the state was looking up to them for the peaceful and fair conduct of the poll.

    The PRO also urged residents of Eti-Osa with Permanent Voter Card ( PVC ) to come out en-masse and vote for candidates of their choice during the election.

    He said that IPAC would render any required support for the successful conduct of the poll.

    NAN

  • Niger to set up courts for traffic offenders

    Niger to set up courts for traffic offenders

    Mr Umar Kuki, Director, Motor Administration Department in Niger, on Friday said the state government would set up mobile courts to try traffic offenders in the state.

    Kuki told the reporter in Minna that setting up the courts would minimize road accidents in the metropolis.

    He said the department was collaborating with Board of Internal Revenue, Ministry of Justice and other security agencies for the successful take up of the courts.

    “Motorcycle operators, civil servants and other motorists do not obey traffic rules, especially around central market, Bosso, and traffic junctions in Minna.

    “We usually record not less than 10 road accidents daily in the metropolis due to violation of of traffic rules by road users,” he said.

    The director, however, said that the department had reached out the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW ) and Commercial Motorcycle Association to mobilize their members on the need to obey traffic rules.”

    NAN

  • Nigeria restates commitment to zero tolerance for trafficking

    Nigeria restates commitment to zero tolerance for trafficking

    Nigeria has restated commitment to zero intolerance for human trafficking, saying it had put in place strong measures to reduce the menace to the barest minimum in the country.

    The Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to Vienna, Mrs Vivian Okeke, stated this in New York, at the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Appraisal of the UN Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons.

    Okeke said Nigeria considered the meeting very important in view of the need for global solidarity and cooperation to fight trafficking in persons.

    “Nigeria is not exempted from the scourge. It has been both a destination country and an export country where vulnerable persons, especially young women and boys, are lured across the Sahara to other continents, especially Europe.

    “Our Government has zero tolerance for trafficking of human beings, whether young or old, men or women. This is why we put in place strong institutional measures and legislations,’’ she said.

    The ambassador said the measures would ensure that those engaged in such illegal acts to face the full wrath of the law.

    “Nigeria has long criminalised trafficking in persons and has taken several efforts to actualise our national priorities at fighting the menace.”

    Okeke said one of the measures taken by Nigeria against human trafficking was the establishment of a permanent mechanism – the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP ).

    The Nigerian envoy said NAPTIP was established in 2003 to rescue, assist, and support and cater for victims of human trafficking as well as arrest, prosecute and jail the perpetrators.

    She also said the Trafficking in Persons Enforcement and Administration Act of 2015 had broadened the scope of national legislation against trafficking in Nigeria.

    According to her, Nigeria can be classified as one of the few countries in the world that has in operation, potent legislative regime against trafficking in persons.

    “Nigeria has expanded its prosecution mechanism against trafficking in persons.

    ‘’In this regard, and going by the recent statistics from NAPTIP, 345 victims of trafficking were rescued during the first quarter of this year.

    “This figure brings the total number of persons rescued from trafficking, since the establishment of NAPTIP to 10,815.

    “In the area of prosecution and arrest, 90 traffickers were arrested for various forms of human trafficking during the same period.

    “This figure includes 50 females and 40 males. Also, of the 42 cases referred to various courts for prosecution, 22 have been successfully charged and prosecuted.

    “Nigeria has also strengthened international partnership and collaboration in the area of fighting trafficking in persons.

    “This collaboration has yielded mileage in the rescue of victims as well as prosecution of human traffickers.

    “For instance, out of 345 victims rescued by NAPTIP in the first quarter of this year, 288, representing 83.5 per cent of those rescued were through international collaboration and partnership.

    The Nigerian envoy called on the global community to intensify supports for the operation of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking.

    This she said became necessary to make it relevant to the fight against trafficking in persons.

    “Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to the efforts of United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and Inter-Agency Coordination Against Trafficking in Persons in sustained operations to end trafficking in persons.

    “We, therefore, advise against any attempt to undermine the work of these bodies in their collective efforts to discharge their mandates.

    NAN

  • Court remands teacher for strangling son

    Court remands teacher for strangling son

    A Minna Magistrates’ Court on Friday ordered the remand of a 38-year-old Arabic teacher, Bashiru Isah, accused of strangling his own son.

    Isah was arraigned on a one count charge of culpable homicide, punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code Law.

    The Police prosecutor, Insp. Emmanuel Danladi, told the court that one Aisha Bashiru, wife to the accused person, reported the matter at Lapai Police Division on Sept. 19.

    Danladi said the complainant alleged that on the same date at about 1:15 am, her husband, a resident of Ebbo village in Lapai, took their son into his room and strangled him to death with his hands without any reasonable excuse.

    He said Isah admitted committing the crime during police investigation.

     Reports that when the charge was read to the accused person, he pleaded guilty.

    However, the Magistrate, Maryam King, said the court would not record the plea of the accused because it lacked jurisdiction to try the case.

    King therefore directed the police to forward the case file to the State Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

    She adjourned the matter till Oct. 26, for further mention.

    NAN

  • NEMA lauds Okorocha’s urban renewal programme

    NEMA lauds Okorocha’s urban renewal programme

    The National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) has applauded Gov. Rochas Okorocha’s urban renewal programme, saying it has made response to emergencies in Imo easier.

    Mr Evans Ugoh, Coordinator of NEMA Owerri operations office in charge of Imo and Abia states, disclosed this in an interview on friday.

    Ugoh further said that the urban renewal programme would reduce disasters such as flooding and fire outbreaks in the area as well as create more job opportunities for the youth.

    The coordinator, who was commenting on the state government’s urban renewal programmes and the associated benefits, noted that flooding was becoming a major issue in emergency management in the country.

    He said that the recent flooding in Owerri was a temporal situation and would be permanently taken care of when the various projects in the state were completed.

    He said that the programme had helped to decongest the capital city and had also attracted meaningful development in other parts of the state.

    The NEMA boss also noted that with the milestone so far achieved, the crime rate would drastically reduce.

    “Imo will soon become the safest state in the country because of how it is being reorganized and this will make our job very easy.

    “The governor has a lot of vision, but needed people to support him to achieve his vision,”

  • Gunmen kill traditional ruler in Plateau

    Gunmen kill traditional ruler in Plateau

    Unknown gunmen at midnight attacked Gyangyang village in Jhar Chiefdom of Kanam Local Government area of Plateau killing the acting village head, Alhaji Mohammed Suleiman.

    The gunmen invaded the house of the deceased at about 1:00 a.m on Friday and killed the traditional ruler.

    The source said that the gunmen who carried sophisticated weapons stationed some of their men outside the house to ensure that nobody interfered with their operation.

    “We heard when they shot him and when we made efforts to come out, the gunmen stationed outside started shooting sporadically,” the source said.

    The Chairman of Kanam Local Government area, Mr Hamidu Bale, confirmed the incident.

    “I have spoken with the Divisional Police Officer and other security agents and they have moved to the area.

    “They will tell us after their investigation exactly what happened,” he said.

    However, when contacted, ASP Terna Tyopev, the Plateau Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, said that he was yet to be briefed about the incident.

    “I will call the DPO in the area and I will get back to you.”

    NAN