N Carolina split on LGBT law response

The law has spurred protest by major businesses in the state

North Carolina leaders are divided on whether they will respond to Justice Department concerns over an LGBT law that has sparked a national outcry.

The law invalidated several local anti-discrimination measures that protected gay and transgender people.

It also requires people to use public toilets that correspond to the sex listed on their birth certificates.

The US Justice Department told the state the legislation violates national civil rights laws.

It gave the state a deadline of Monday to agree not to enforce it.

North Carolina's Republican Governor Pat McCrory called the justice department warning an "overreach", but plans to respond to the Department of Justice by the Monday deadline.

"All I can say is that the governor will have a response by Monday," said Mr McCrory's press secretary Graham Wilson told the BBC.

The state could lose millions in federal funding for education if it upholds the law, known as House Bill 2.

North Carolina's house speaker said the legislature will not meet the Monday deadline

"We will take no action by Monday," Tim Moore, Republican speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, said on Thursday. "That deadline will come and go."

"We don't ever want to lose any money, but we're not going to get bullied by the Obama administration to take action prior to Monday's date. That's not how this works."

Mr Moore signalled that lawmakers are meeting to determine what to do about the letter.

"Right now we're talking with our attorneys to see what our options are."

Democratic North Carolina representative Cecil Brockman called the bill "unnecessary, ill-conceived and discriminatory" in a tweet, calling for a full repeal of the law.

Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato and other artists who cancelled concerts and major businesses pulled out of the state.

Companies like Bank of America and Apple have criticised the law.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the justice department's enforcement action was made independently of any direction from the White House.

Specifically, the justice department has an issue with the bathroom provision of the law. It said that the law represents "a pattern or practice of discrimination against transgender employees".

​Genevieve is dead

Once again, the Nigerian movie industry is in mourning. After the industry lost some of its vibrant stars to the cold hands of death earlier this year, it’s here again, digesting the death of another rising star, Genevieve Nene.Genevieve-NeneThe light-skinned actress died last Sundayas she was recuperatingfrom typhoid fever.Before her death, Genevieve, who is a graduate from the Institute of Commerce, featured in many moviesincluding Hottest Strippers, Hottest Virgins, Quest Of A Life Time, Romantic Heart, and Mistake Women Make, among others.Also, the Ebonyi State-born actress made several appearances as a video vixen, featuring in the videos of artistes such as May D, ReekadoBanks, Pasuma, Samklef’s “Birthday Girl’ and Skripture’s ‘Sweet Trouble.’

Look Of The Week - Vanguardallure

· May 6, 2016

   

There was no shortage of fun looks this week, with the homefront kicking it off over the weekend with the  premiere of the highly anticipated movie ‘Entreat’ held last Friday at the Silverbird Galleria.

While on the international scene, it was glamour at its best as celebrities strutted the red carpet at the Met Gala, held on Monday, May 2nd.
From both events we have selected two of the most stand out looks for the week. See below…

Local

Who: Funmi Aofiyebi Raimi
What: Entreat movie premiere
Where: Silverbird Galleria,Victoria Island
Why: The actress brings her signature feminine glamour to the red carpet via this elegant dress with metalic charms. And of course the drama at the back,was captivating, coupled with a hairstyle that complements her look.

International

Who: Lupita Nyong’o
What: 2016 Met Gala
Where: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in New York,
Why: Lupita Nyong’o knows how to make a bold fashion and beauty statement. The award winning actress turned every head as she arrived dressed in a shimmering green Calvin Klein dress and crisp cat eye makeup. But it wasn’t her gown or her makeup that was the center of attention, it was her larger than life hairstyle! Lupita went all in with the fashion meets technology theme with a hairstyle that was quite architectural. The hair is whimsical and perfect for the theme. What is there not to love!

The cute creature Sweden wants to wipe out

 

 

                 Alamy                            

 

They look cute and cuddly and are sometimes kept as pets - but raccoon dogs are a menace, threatening wildlife across Europe. Sweden is so worried about their impact that it has trained a team to hunt and kill the animals, with the unwitting help of creatures made to betray their mates.

It's mid-April and on the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland, the ice covering the sea is still a metre thick.
It's where Ludde Noren and Viktor Medstrom, two professional hunters from the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management have switched off their snowmobiles and are using GPS tracking equipment to try to detect signals of an unwelcome visitor.
The animal they are looking for is a raccoon dog, a fox-like creature native to East Asia that has a similar face to a raccoon but is a member of the canine family.
The beeps coming from the tracking equipment are weak, so it's back on the snowmobiles to roar across the vast expanse of the frozen sea towards a small island.

  Ludde Noren (left) and Per-Arne Ahlen hunting raccoon dogs

Per-Arne Ahlen who leads Sweden's project to eradicate raccoon dogs, is with them too. He says the animals were first released in the European parts of the former Soviet Union by biologists as a source of fur.
"Economic success 80 years ago, today an ecological disaster," he says.
An ecological disaster, he explains, because raccoon dogs feed on amphibians and ground-nesting birds in wetland areas.
"Amphibian species can go extinct in areas with a high raccoon dog population," Ahlen says.
Along with the Arctic fox, they reproduce more quickly than any other canine species. A million are born every year in Finland, and there are thousands more in Germany. They have been sighted as far west as France and the Netherlands, Ahlen says

Omawumi Storms Out Of Press Interview

 

Omawumi  Megbele is  known  to be an outspoken entertainer who doesn’t mince words when it comes to  expressing herself. The self -proclaimed Wonder woman, showed her other side when she recently, stormed out of an interview session when asked about her smoking and drinking habit. The flow of the interview took a different route when the songstress was asked about her alleged smoking and drinking habit.
The interviewer had asked: “There is some controversy about you in the industry; that you smoke and drink. It’s amazing because young girls want to be like you but they are saying, how does she keep this drinking and smoking habit away from her kids?”
She became angered by the question and asked the interviewer if she had seen her smoke before.
“I will not honour you with a response. I feel that is a taint to my character. Have you seen me smoking before? Why should you ask me such a question? You see me as an artiste, I am contributing what I can. I make music the way that I should and I come here and honour your invitation and then you sit down and talk about my smoking and drinking to people that are listening? And you are supposed to mean me well, when these people are supposed to be the ones that are buying my music? Now, when you say that sort of thing, do you mean well for me? You can’t ask me to kill a rumour that you are not sure about. So first and foremost, as a rumour, you need to go and dig and get your facts right before you ask somebody something. I will maintain that if you have not seen me smoking and you come out and say it on National TV, that means you don’t mean well for me and that is the end of this interview. And you will publish it o.”
The issue has generated diverse opinions  on social media. It is one of the issues currently trending

Oil production in Lagos: The concerns, the celebrations

 Nigeria’s quest for increased crude oil production and reserves is on the verge of being achieved with the commencement of oil exploration in offshore Lagos, at the Aje field located in Oil Mining Lease 113. Though the actual quantity of current production was not stated, it is expected that production from the well would contribute to Nigeria’s attainment of four million barrels per day crude oil target and also help achieve the daily target of 2.5 million barrels.
It is also expected to boost the country and Lagos State’s revenue profile, generate employment and make positive contribution to the economy of the country in general. However, the commencement of production also raises certain questions and concerns, especially as it concerns the management of proceeds from the field. This is mainly due to the large-scale corruption that has bedeviled the Nigeria’s oil and gas sector over the years. There is also concern around environmental management, mostly because of the fact that most of the communities in the Niger Delta are currently battling with environmental pollution and degradation of immense proportion, due to oil exploration activities within the area. Aje is an offshore field located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 113 in the western part of Nigeria, in the Dahomey Basin. The field is situated in water depths ranging from 100 to 1,000 metres about 24 km from the coast. The Aje Field contains hydrocarbon resources in sandstone reservoirs in three main levels – a Turonian gas condensate reservoir, a Cenomanian oil reservoir and an Albian gas condensate reservoir. Panoro Energy, one of the owners of the oil field, disclosed that AGR TRACS International calculated the gross Cenomanian oil Proved plus Probable Reserves estimate associated the Aje-4 and Aje-5 wells, and the gross Contingent Resources estimate associated with the future drilling of Aje-6 and Aje-7 wells. At that time, the company said AGR TRACS International calculated these as 23.4 million barrels (MMbbl) and 15.7MMbbl respectively (on a gross basis), indicating a mid-case expected ultimate recovery of 39.1MMbbl from the Cenomanian Oil Reservoir once all four wells have been drilled. AGR TRACS International also calculated the Turonian gas and condensate/oil best estimate gross contingent resource as 163 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe). Former Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources for Lagos State, Mr. Taofiq Tijani, had during the announcement of the discovery of oil in the state, disclosed that Lagos had done its due diligence about the activity of oil and gas within the state and was aware of the different status and level of activities. He said the state is aware of companies that have drilled and found oil, but are yet to commence operation after about seven years. He said, “We were aware when they found the oil and they contacted us so that we can work in partnership to develop that block. So we are in touch with them. We know about another block owned by Sunlink. We have also been interacting with all the professional groups, Geologists, Geo-physicists’, petroleum engineers and stakeholders to know about the kind of resources we found within our offshore, onshore Lagos. “We have been told all along, that offshore Lagos is also a potential oil producing region like the Niger Delta, if they do enough exploration and exploitation activities. We know that the reservoir that we are talking about of the new discovery will amount to that of the Jubilee Field in Ghana where they are now producing. “So it is not news to us that they found oil, it is a thing of joy that they put in money to be able to explore and make arrangement for production.” “What then is the economic impact of this discovery to the state? As for the economic impact for Nigeria and Lagos in particular, it has a very positive economic implications for Nigeria. Considering the fact that Nigeria has made a projection that we are going to achieve certain billion barrels of reserves in certain years. We have not been able to make good the projection because most of the international oil companies are not doing what they are supposed to do – developing their resources.” He had blamed the inability of the other companies to start production on the absence of a proper fiscal regime, especially with the delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). Panoro Energy ASA, an independent Exploration and Production (E&P) company, with assets in Nigeria and Gabon, in conjunction with its partner, the Operator of OML 113, Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum Company Limited, had earlier in the week announce the first oil production from the Aje field, offshore Lagos. According to Panoro, subsea installation activities had been underway at Aje since January and were completed in early March ready for the hook-up of the Front Puffin Floating Production, Storage and Offloading, FPSO, which arrived in Nigeria on the 16th of March. The company said oil produced from the Aje field will be stored on the Front Puffin which has production capacity of 40,000 barrels of oil per day and storage capacity of 750,000 barrels, adding that flow rates will be provided in Panoro’s next operations update, following a period of commissioning and well stabilisation. Commenting on the development, Panoro’s Chief Executive Officer, John Hamilton, said, “We are extremely pleased to announce the start of first oil production at Aje. This is a transformational milestone for Panoro and represents a great achievement by the Aje project teams. “It is also a key building block in our strategy to become a full cycle E&P company, focused on West Africa. The commencement of production at Aje is also significant for Nigeria as it is the first commercial production for the country in the emerging Dahomey Basin.

I want to go back to Sambisa to meet my husband- rescued 9-year-old girl

   Maiduguri A nine-year-old girl who was among the 65 young girls rescued by the troops from Sambisa forest has embarked on hunger strike, saying she wanted to go back to Sambisa forest to meet her Boko Haram husband. It was gathered that the girl (name withheld) has refused to eat for the past three days insisting that she wanted to go back and reunite with her Boko Haram husband in Sambisa. 12 other rescued girls were also discovered to be pregnant while others have already given birth.  File: Bama IDP Camp This was disclosed yesterday when Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state visited the headquarters of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Maimalari Cantonment to officially receive the Boko Haram hostages by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Victor Ezegwu. Our Correspondent observed that most of the rescued hostages comprising 27 children and over 30 young girls with few women including two Camerounians have been indoctrinated by the sect as many of them claimed they have been with the sect for the past three years, and were willing to go back to Sambisa to meet their husbands. Briefing Governor Shettima at the Youth centre in Maimalari Cantonment, venue of the official handing over of the hostages to the Borno State Government, the GOC said, the ongoing Operation crackdown in Sambisa forest which commenced about a week ago was recording successes as according to him, many of the insurgents have been killed by troops with the recovery of chunks of arms and ammunitions at Balaza, Walasa, Banki and other surrounding villages. He said during the crackdown, over 300 persons held by the insurgents in Dikwa, Gamboru, Ngala, Kala Balge axis have been rescued and handed over to their families in Dikwa resettlement camp, while 300 cattle rustled by the sect have been returned to their real owners. While commending Governor Shettima and the state government for their support towards complementing effort of the military in the fight against insurgents, the GOC assured that the Nigerian Army will not rest on its oars, until Boko Haram elements are dislodged from their hideouts. Responding, Governor Shettima commended the military and other security agencies for storming the heart of Sambisa Forest, which according to him will see to the end of the insurgents deadly activities in the north east. He said, as government, he will do everything possible with the scarce resources at his disposal to support military in order to put an end the Boko Haram madness in the state. While congratulating the rescued hostages Shettima said, the state government will keep them in a safer place to enable them undergo proper counselling and traumatic training before they reunite with their families, pointing out that the two Cameroonians who were freed alongside other Borno citizens will be taken back and handed over to the Cameroonian government

 

SpaceX records another rocket landing

 

 

                           

Legs down: The first stage of the rocket lands on the drone ship positioned some 650km from shore

SpaceX has made another successful landing of a rocket stage at sea.

The Falcon-9 booster returned to a drone ship off the Florida coast just a few minutes after it had sent a Japanese satellite on its way to orbit.
It is the second at-sea touchdown for California's SpaceX company, having completed the same task last month.
This latest effort was all the more impressive however because the rocket was carrying much more speed when it made its return.
SpaceX officials have said that recovering boosters used on missions that orbit geostationary satellites will always be more difficult because of the high velocity required to put those platforms in the right part of the sky.

On confirmation of the latest landing, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted the joke: "May need to increase size of rocket storage hangar."

                            

The Falcon-9 heads out over the Atlantic from Cape Canaveral

The primary purpose of the latest Falcon launch was to orbit the JCSAT-14 satellite.
This spacecraft will relay telecommunications over the Asia-Pacific region for the Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation.
Lift-off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station occurred at 01:21 local time (05:20 GMT).
Separation of the satellite from the Falcon's upper-stage, which is not recovered, was recorded 32 minutes later.
Friday's mission had been delayed a day because of poor weather over the Cape.
SpaceX has now brought back three boosters to Earth under control.
Its first success was in December, when it returned a stage to hard ground close to the Florida launch site.
But it is the ocean landings on special barges that SpaceX is very keen to master. The nature of many of its missions will mean a sea platform is going to be a very frequent return location.
Sending satellites to geostationary transfer orbit requires a lot of performance from the Falcon-9 rocket, and that energy then has to be removed before it can make a landing.
It is not just the extra speed at which the booster is travelling that must be reduced; it is also the extra loading and heating on components that has to be taken into account.
For SpaceX, the goal is clear, however: if it can recover, refurbish and re-fly rockets it should be able to offer its customers lower-cost launches.

                           

 The satellite passenger was released 32 minutes after launch

Trump v Republican elite - the split explained

By Tim Swift BBC News, Washington

                                     House Speaker Paul Ryan (right) says he is not ready to support Donald Trump's bid for presidency                

Republican road to the White House

 

Is Donald Trump really a Republican?

That sounds like an odd question to ask of the presumptive presidential nominee of the party, but Mr Trump isn't your typical conservative.
Mr Trump's Republican rivals have long called him a "New York liberal" who can't be trusted to uphold their Republican values.
"I think what a lot of Republicans want to see is that we have a standard bearer that bears our standards." House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday, explaining why he is withholding his support. Jeb Bush said he would back "principled conservatives" rather than Mr Trump.
Mr Trump describes himself as a "commonsense conservative" and the fact that his message has earned him millions of Republican votes suggests a fracture between the grassroots and leadership.

Here are five key issues upon which the billionaire businessman diverges from Republican orthodoxy as represented by leaders like Mr Ryan and presidents of the past.

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Immigration

                           

Mainstream Republicans: Traditionally Republicans have favoured increased immigration in keeping with the party's close relationship with the business community. Both President Ronald Reagan and President George HW Bush extended amnesty to millions of undocumented workers while in office. Mainstream Republican figures such as Florida Senator Marco Rubio initially favoured similar immigration reforms that would have provided a "path to citizenship", but those efforts stopped after meeting resistance from more conservative members of Congress.
Trump: Views on immigration have shifted rightward across the Republican Party in recent years, but Mr Trump's views are some of the most extreme in American politics. He has:

• advocated deporting nearly 11 million undocumented workers
• called for a border wall to be built between the US and Mexico
• said he would force Mexico to pay for the wall by threatening to ban Mexicans in the US from sending remittances home

Most Republicans oppose mass deportations. While they support increased border security, they do not advocate a border wall paid for by the Mexican government.

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Abortion

                            

Mainstream Republicans: Almost all Republicans oppose abortion. In recent years, Republican-controlled state legislatures have supported a wave of regulations that have limited access to abortions - new laws that have been met with legal challenges. The Supreme Court will likely decide the fate of these regulations, making the recent vacancy on the high court a critical issue for social conservatives. Social conservatives have also aggressively targeted Planned Parenthood. Although the group is one of the leading abortion providers in the US, the health care organisation also provides cancer screenings, contraception and screening and treatment for sexual transmitted diseases. It receives federal funds for those services, while regulations prohibit federal funds for abortions. Conservatives have sought to cut off its federal funding to weaken the organisation.
Trump: While Mr Trump's stance is comparable to many Republicans, his consistency is the issue. In the course of a week earlier this year, Mr Trump changed his position on abortion at least five times, alarming many social conservatives. This flexibility has convinced many social conservatives that Mr Trump cannot be trusted to appoint a Supreme Court justice who would oppose abortion rights. He has also publically praised the work of Planned Parenthood, saying their non-abortion services should receive federal funding. The organisation has done "very good work for millions of women," Mr Trump said.

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International trade

         

Mainstream Republicans: Republicans have long supported trade agreement such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which increased trade between Canada, the US and Mexico in the 1990s. Many Republicans in the Congress currently support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a pending trade agreement between the US and many Pacific Rim countries. Supporters of these agreements say the pacts increase economic growth and enhance American competitiveness in the global market.
Trump: Mr Trump has aggressively criticised international trade agreements, particularly Nafta, saying the pacts have harmed the US manufacturing sector and cost millions of US jobs. He has pointed to the country's massive trade deficit with China, saying tariffs are needed to address the imbalance. Most Republicans oppose tariffs, saying they would spark a trade war that would damage the economy.

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Foreign policy

                           

Mainstream Republicans: Republicans have long supported a muscular foreign policy and have not shied away from supporting the use of military force aboard. While generally opposed to government spending, Republicans make a key exception for defence spending, allowing the US military to maintain scores of bases overseas and protect the interests of its allies in Europe and the Pacific.
Trump: Mr Trump has been a vocal critic of the Iraq War and says the US need not be the world's policeman. While Mr Trump has supported strengthening the military, he says he would do so by extracting concessions from allies. He has repeatedly said the US should rethink its commitments to Nato, saying other member countries do not pay their fair share of the organisation's budget. He has also floated an idea that South Korea and Japan could arm themselves with nuclear weapons - eliminating the need for US protection

Labour's Sadiq Khan promises a 'better' London

Labour's Sadiq Khan has vowed to do all in his power to make London "better", as he was sworn in as the new mayor.

Referring to his council estate roots, Mr Khan, the city's first Muslim mayor, said he wanted all Londoners to have the same opportunities he has had.

It comes as Defence Secretary Michael Fallon defended Conservative Zac Goldsmith's campaign, describing it as the "rough and tumble" of politics.

The much-criticised campaign questioned Mr Khan's alleged links to extremists.

Mr Khan beat Conservative Zac Goldsmith, by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614 - a margin of victory of 13.6%, giving him a larger personal mandate than either of his predecessors, Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone.

He has announced he will step down as MP for Tooting, meaning there will be a by-election in the constituency to elect a new representative in Parliament.

The former Labour minister's victory ends eight years of Conservative control of City Hall.
It has also given a boost to the Labour party after its poor performance in Scotland's election which saw it slump to third place behind the Conservatives.

Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has introduced the SNP's new batch of MSPs as the party celebrates its third successive victory in the Holyrood election - though the result left the SNP two seats short of a majority in the parliament.
The second day of counting in the Northern Ireland elections is nearing an end, with the Democratic Unionists certain to remain the biggest party in the assembly, and Arlene Foster continuing as first minister.
A handful of English councils are also expected to declare their results.

'Mayor for all'

At the swearing in ceremony in Southwark Cathedral, Mr Khan, the son of Pakistani immigrants who was brought up on a council estate, said that as a child he "never dreamt" he would one day become the mayor of the capital.
"I'm only here today because of the opportunities and helping hand that our city gave to me and my family.
"My burning ambition for our city, that will guide my mayoralty, is to ensure that all Londoners get the opportunities that my city gave to me," he said.

 

"I promise you I will always do everything in my power to make our city better. I will be a mayor for all Londoners," he added.

He also pledged to lead "the most transparent, engaged and accessible administration London has ever seen".

'Rough and tumble'

During the mayoral campaign, Mr Khan was accused by rival Conservative candidate Mr Goldsmith of sharing a platform with Islamist extremists - a strategy which has drawn criticism from Labour and some Conservatives.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Ken Clarke has said the party's campaign tactics were a "mistake" and "probably had a counter-productive effect", while Baroness Warsi said it had "lost us the election, our reputation and credibility on issues of race and religion".
Mr Goldsmith's sister Jemima also weighed in with criticism of the way the contest was fought, saying it "did not reflect who I know him to be".

Referencing that campaign in his victory speech after the results of the contest were announced, Mr Khan said he was "proud" that voters had "chosen hope over fear".
But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon - who called Mr Khan a "Labour lackey who speaks alongside extremists" during the election campaign - has defended the Conservatives' approach, telling the BBC it was legitimate to put a candidate under scrutiny.
"Both candidates were asked questions about their backgrounds, their personalities, their judgements, the people they associate with. That's the nature of our democracy and the rough and tumble of politics," he said on BBC Radio 4's Today.
Repeatedly challenged over whether he believed Mr Khan was a security risk to London, Mr Fallon said: "London is safe with a Conservative government working with the new mayor of London."

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Who is Sadiq Khan?                           

The new mayor did not have a privileged start in life. He was one of eight children born to Pakistani immigrants, a bus driver and a seamstress, on a south London housing estate.
From an early age, he showed a firm resolve to defy the odds in order to win success for himself and the causes important to him.
That resolve has won him the biggest personal mandate in the UK, a job with wide-ranging powers over London and with enormous emotional significance for him.
Some question whether he has the experience or record of good judgement necessary for the role.
He insists he is there to represent all Londoners and to tackle inequality in the capital, and now he has the chance to prove it.

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Labour's Tottenham MP David Lammy said Mr Khan had risen above what he described as "smears" and predicted his election could lead to an ethnic minority candidate entering Downing Street.
"If we ever get a prime minister of colour it will be because of what Sadiq Khan has achieved," he told Today.

'New powerbase'

Meanwhile, John McTernan, a former strategist to Tony Blair, told the BBC Mr Khan's election was a "rejection of hate" and showed Labour can "win a victory".
He said it was good for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn "in the short term" but noted that Mr Khan's campaign was "totally independent" of Mr Corbyn and the politics he articulated.
"This creates a new powerbase in the Labour party," he added

Suspect shooter held after man shot is dead at traveller site - UK

 

A SUSPECTED gunman sought police after a grandfather was shot dead near a Somerset village gave himself up yesterday.

                                                                         

                                                                            

 

Police have already arrested a man and a woman in connection with the incident

Officers had appealed for Charlie Broadway, 23, to turn himself in after Wilf Reilly, who was in his 50s, was killed on Thursday evening. 

Another man was wounded during the “domestic argument” at a travellers’ camp outside the village of Ilton. 

Police have already arrested a man and a woman in connection with the incident

Egypt crackdown widens with arrest of leading rights lawyer

 

Egypt under Sisi

A prominent Egyptian human rights lawyer has been arrested, in the latest government move against critics of a recent decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Malek Adly is accused of plotting a coup and spreading false information.

He is among a group of lawyers who filed a lawsuit against a deal signed by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Arabia over the islands.

The decision led to protests in April, followed by a wave of arrests.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption An anti-protest law gives the authorities the power to ban gatherings of more than 10 people

Malek Adly's was one of a group of journalists supporting the protests. He appeared on TV talk shows, arguing that the islands belonged to Egypt.

Two others from the group were arrested on Sunday during a police raid on the journalists' union, sparking protests by hundreds of journalists who called for Interior Minister, Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, to be dismissed.

Mr Adly came to prominence during the uprising that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011.

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Media captionPolice raided Egypt's journalists' union for the first time in its history

Rare public backlash

President Sisi's decision to cede control over the Red Sea islands sparked a rare public backlash against him.

He was forced to defend the move, saying the islands - Sanafir and Tiran - had always belonged to Saudi Arabia.

Egyptian troops have been stationed on the islands since 1950 at the request of Saudi Arabia. But critics have objected to the way Mr Sisi has handed them back to Saudi Arabia, saying it is anti-constitutional.

 

As commander-in-chief of the armed forces in 2013, Mr Sisi led the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against his rule.

Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed and 40,000 are believed to have been jailed in a crackdown on dissent, most of them supporters of Morsi's now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Local and international human rights activists say the situation in the country is dire, with Amnesty International saying Egypt has reverted "back to a police state".

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Why the Red Sea islands matter

• Sanafir and Tiran are islands, about 4km (2 nautical miles) apart in the Red Sea. Tiran sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, on a strategically important stretch of water called the Strait of Tiran, used by Israel to access the Red Sea
• The islands are uninhabited, apart from Egyptian military personnel and multi-national peacekeepers since 1982
• The islands belong to Saudi Arabia, which let Egypt guard them since 1950
• Israel captured the islands in 1956 and 1982, subsequently returning them to Egypt both times
• Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was criticised for "selling" Egyptian territory after deciding in April 2016 to hand the islands back to Saudi Arabia

US jobs growth falters in April

 

                           

The US economy added 160,000 jobs in April - undershooting expectations and well below the 208,000 created in March, official figures show.

March's figure was revised down from 215,000 and February's was also revised from 242,000 down to 233,000.
The jobless rate remained at 5% and average hourly earnings rose 2.5%.
April's report is being closely watched, as it could influence an upcoming interest rate decision by the US Federal Reserve.
Fed policy makers hold a two-day meeting starting on 14 June and some thought they might decide to raise interest rates.

'Particularly ugly'

But some think the latest jobs report has diminished that prospect.
Aberdeen Asset Management, investment manager Luke Bartholomew, said: "Anyone wanting a June hike should probably look away now. The headline number is disappointing, while the household survey looks particularly ugly.
"If there's a bright spot then it's wages which were a bit better than expected. That's important. The lack of any meaningful increase in wages has caused much head scratching at the Fed. But there's probably not enough here to keep a June hike a clear and present danger."

                           

'Close call'

However, Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics, thinks that a rate increase is still possible.
"Overall, there is nothing here to swing the Fed's June rate decision very far in either direction. We still think the Fed will hike next month, but it's shaping up to be a close call," he said.
Mr Ashworth said the increases in average weekly hours worked and average hourly earnings were "reassuring".
In December, the Fed raised rates for the first time in ten years. That rise was seen as the first of a number of moves upwards and Fed officials have forecast two more rate rises for this year.
But since then the economic news has been mixed.
In April, official figures showed that US growth slowed to an annual pace of 0.5% during the first quarter of the year.

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Analysis, Andrew Walker, economics correspondent

This is a rather disappointing report.
Slower growth in jobs - compared with what was expected and compared with previous months.
There was also a marked increase in the number of people not in the labour force. That means people are not looking for work, which can sometimes mean they don't expect to find any.
The good news was the slightly faster rise in average earnings. This has been a weak feature of the recovery after the financial crisis, so the acceleration, modest though it is, can be seen as encouraging.
Still, this was just one month's worth of data. That can give some clues about the underlying state of the labour market, but it's no basis for drawing firm conclusions.

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Today's report showed the strongest jobs growth was in business services and healthcare.
Professional and business services added 65,000 jobs in April and healthcare recorded a 44,000 increase.
The number of those employed in mining fell back as the energy sector continues to suffer weak profits thanks to the low oil price.
The share of working-age Americans who are employed or at least looking for a job, fell 0.2% to 62.8%

Kenya building collapse: Demolition of unfit houses starts

 

  The network of low-rise buildings was home to around 600 people

Authorities in Kenya's capital Nairobi have begun demolishing homes in an area where the collapse of a building killed at least 42 people last week.

Eight buildings deemed unfit to live in were the first to be destroyed in the district of Huruma. More than 200 are to follow.
Officials say many of the houses are substandard or built on unsafe grounds.
A recue operation continues at the collapsed building, which had been declared unfit for human habitation.
At least 70 people are still missing, while 140 have been rescued.

The first structure that was demolished was a network of eight low-rise buildings with an estimated 600 residents.
People were warned a week ago to vacate, but many were seen taking their possessions out on Friday morning.
Another 90 houses will be pulled down next. Other areas affected include Roysambu, Hazina, Zimmerman, Kahawa West, Umoja and Dagoretti.

People raced against time to take their belongings out of their homes                

                                     Residents had been told to vacate a week ago

Image caption Buildings lined up for demolition are marked with a red cross

The six-storey building collapsed on 29 April, at the height of Kenya's rainy season.
A local MP said it was built less than 5m (15 feet) from a river, when it should have been at least 30m away.
The National Construction Authority said it had marked the building as unfit for habitation, but that the local government had failed to follow up.

          EPA

     The rescue operation began shortly after the building collapsed on Friday

The two owners of the building were taken into custody but released on $5,000 (£3,450) bail Wednesday, pending formal charges.
Many of Nairobi's four million people live in low-income areas or slums. Housing is in high demand, and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations.

Pulled out alive

As rescue operations continue, four people were pulled out alive on Thursday.
Crowds cheered as 24-year-old woman was rescued, in scenes broadcast live on Kenyan TV.
Rescuers had smashed through slabs of concrete to reach Elizabeth Night Odhiambo, who was eight months pregnant.

 Elizabeth Night Odhiambo was given an intravenous drip and oxygen while rescuers tried to dig her out

                                     Ms Odhiambo was rushed to hospital and survived, but she lost her baby                

Soldiers, firefighters and volunteers have been searching for survivors since the 29 April collapse of the building.
Trained dogs had been brought in, along with special equipment to detect breathing and movement, military spokesman David Obonyo told AP news agency

Barclays Premier League Table

Barclays Premier League Table

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

This table charts the Barclays Premier League teams

Team Statistics	Position	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Last 10 games results	Match status
									Last updated 4 days ago
	No movement1	Leicester	36	22	11	3	64	34	30	77	Win Draw Win Win Win Win Win Draw Win Draw	Report of Leicester's last match
	No movement2	Tottenham	36	19	13	4	67	28	39	70	Win Loss Draw Win Win Draw Win Win Draw Draw	Report of Tottenham's last match
	No movement3	Arsenal	36	19	10	7	59	34	25	67	Loss Loss Draw Win Win Draw Draw Win Draw Win	Report of Arsenal's last match
	No movement4	Man City	36	19	7	10	68	38	30	64	Loss Win Draw Loss Win Win Win Draw Win Loss	Report of Man City's last match
	No movement5	Man Utd	35	17	9	9	43	31	12	60	Loss Win Win Loss Win Win Loss Win Win Draw	Report of Man Utd's last match
	No movement6	West Ham	35	15	14	6	60	43	17	59	Draw Win Win Win Draw Draw Draw Draw Win Win	Report of West Ham's last match
	No movement7	Southampton	36	16	9	11	53	39	14	57	Loss Loss Draw Win Win Loss Win Draw Win Win	Report of Southampton's last match
	No movement8	Liverpool	35	15	10	10	59	48	11	55	Win Win Win Loss Draw Win Win Win Draw Loss	Report of Liverpool's last match
	No movement9	Chelsea	35	12	12	11	55	48	7	48	Win Win Win Draw Draw Win Loss Loss Win Draw	Report of Chelsea's last match
	No movement10	Stoke	36	13	9	14	38	52	-14	48	Win Win Draw Loss Win Draw Loss Loss Loss Draw	Report of Stoke's last match
	No movement11	Everton	35	10	14	11	55	49	6	44	Loss Win Loss Loss Loss Draw Draw Draw Loss Win	Report of Everton's last match
	No movement12	Watford	35	12	8	15	36	42	-6	44	Win Draw Loss Loss Loss Loss Draw Win Loss Win	Report of Watford's last match
	No movement13	Swansea	36	11	10	15	37	50	-13	43	Loss Win Win Loss Win Draw Win Loss Loss Win	Report of Swansea's last match
	No movement14	West Brom	36	10	11	15	32	46	-14	41	Win Draw Win Loss Draw Loss Loss Loss Draw Loss	Report of West Brom's last match
	No movement15	Bournemouth	36	11	8	17	43	63	-20	41	Draw Win Win Win Loss Loss Win Loss Loss Loss	Report of Bournemouth's last match
	No movement16	Crystal Palace	36	10	9	17	36	46	-10	39	Loss Draw Loss Loss Draw Win Draw Draw Loss Loss	Report of Crystal Palace's last match
	No movement17	Newcastle	36	8	9	19	39	64	-25	33	Loss Loss Loss Draw Loss Loss Win Draw Draw Win	Report of Newcastle's last match
	No movement18	Sunderland	35	7	11	17	40	58	-18	32	Win Loss Draw Draw Draw Draw Loss Win Draw Draw	Report of Sunderland's last match
	No movement19	Norwich	35	8	7	20	35	61	-26	31	Draw Loss Loss Loss Draw Win Win Loss Loss Loss	Report of Norwich's last match
	No movement20	Aston Villa	36	3	7	26	27	72	-45	16	Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss Loss	Report of Aston Villa's last match

Please note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made.