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Saturday 25 June 2016

Los Angeles glass slide opens 1,000ft up skyscraper

A glass slide fixed 1,000ft (305m) along the outside of a skyscraper in Los Angeles opens to the public on Saturday.
The Skyslide spans 45 ft from the 70th to the 69th floor of the US Bank Tower in the city.
Despite being made of glass just one inch thick, it is built to withstand hurricane-force winds and earthquakes.
Tickets cost $25 (£18) each. It is part of the Skyspace renovation that also includes an observation deck.
Some visitors got a preview earlier in the week.
"I thought it was nerve-wracking and exciting and daring," said Keri Freeman.
"I went a lot faster than I thought I would," said Rebecca Fitzgerald.
"And you kind of like hit the side as you're coming around the curve, so you're really pressed up against the glass, so you see the whole world below you, but it's not really that scary."
A slide fixed to the side of a skyscraperImage copyrightAP
Image captionThe 73-storey US Bank Tower is the tallest in western US
A woman rides a glass slide in LAImage copyrightREUTERS
Image captionThe slide runs from the 70th to the 69th floor
A man rides down a glass slide in Los AngelesImage copyrightAFP
Image captionThe journey lasts 45 ft (13m)
A man rides down a glass slide in Los AngelesImage copyrightREUTERS
Image captionAnd ends on an outdoor platform

‘Do I Need A New Passport?’ And Other Brexit Questions

After Brexit, how will the new development affect people’s personal circumstances and how they will be affected by the UK leaving the European Union.

David Cameron has said he plans to let his successor activate Article 50, which is the point when the clock starts on the negotiations for a Brexit.
Here are some of the other things we’ve been asked about the most.
Will I need a new passport?
You will have noticed that the top line on the front of the UK passport says “European Union”. Because the UK will remain a member of the EU for as long as it takes to negotiate the exit deal, such passports will be valid over that period – so there is no need to worry if you are travelling this summer, for example. After the UK leaves, there will presumably be new British passports that will no longer say “European Union” on them. While no one can say this for sure, it seems likely that the new design would just be phased in as existing passports expire.
Will My Ehic Card Still Work?
The European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) entitles travellers to state-provided emergency medical treatment within the EU country they are visiting. It works in any EU country as well as Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA) countries Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. It will continue to work for as long as the UK is in the EU – so for at least as long as Article 50 negotiations take. After that, it is possible that the UK will have negotiated a deal to retain preferential access to the single market, as the EEA countries have, which would mean the continued use of Ehic. Alternatively, the UK already has reciprocal deals with a number of countries, including Australia and New Zealand, under which visitors can receive free urgent treatment. It could agree similar deals with EU countries.
Will I Need A Visa To Travel To The EU?
Again, while the UK remains part of the EU you will still be able to travel freely in the EU. It is possible that the UK will accept the continuation of free movement in order to retain preferential access to the single market, in which case you will continue to be able to travel freely in the EU. If not, while there may be limitations on British nationals’ ability to live and work in EU countries, it seems unlikely that those countries would want to deter tourists. There are many countries outside the EEA that British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without needing a visa and it is possible that such arrangements could be negotiated with European countries.
What About My EU Driving Licence?
Your driving licence features an EU flag in the top left corner with “UK” in the middle of it. The information on it is the same as those used by drivers everywhere in the EU. As with passports, the licence will remain valid while negotiations take place because the UK will still be part of the EU. What happens after that will depend on the results of those negotiations, but one possible outcome is that a new design will be phased in as old documents expire.
What Will It Mean For People Living In Other Parts Of The EU?
During the campaign, there were no suggestions from the Leave campaign that there would be mass deportations of the 3 million EU nationals living in the UK. There is unlikely to be any change to their status while negotiations on Brexit are under way and it is generally expected that they will be able to stay after the UK leaves the EU. The same is true of the estimated 1.2 million UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU. But while they are likely to be able to stay where they are, there are details that will emerge as part of the negotiations.
For example, at the moment, UK nationals claiming their state pensions in other EU countries benefit from annual increases. The same is true of some other countries outside the EU with whom the UK has social security agreements. But in many other countries, UK pensioners do not receive increases each year, which means that inflation reduces their spending power. It is not certain that UK pensioners in the EU would continue to get their annual increases. Similarly, some UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU are entitled to state healthcare funded by the UK government, which would be open to negotiation.
What Happens To My Italian Wife?’
It seems unlikely that your wife will be forced to return to Italy – nobody has suggested there will be deportations of people already living and working in the UK. If there were to be problems, she may be eligible to apply for British citizenship as she is married to a British citizen and has been in the country for more than three years.
Bringing Booze Back
When we leave the EU – will duty limits be reintroduced? For example, will we be restricted to just six bottles of wine being brought back from our trip to France?
Unless there is an agreement in the negotiations, customs limits are likely to be reintroduced. At the moment, the limits for bringing wine into the UK from outside the EU is four litres, which is just over five bottles.

Brutal Woman who cut off her step-son's penis in Minna has been arrested

This gruesome incident happened two days ago in Minna, Niger State. If you missed the story, search for it in the side bar. The woman named Bara'atu (pictured) is the step mother of the victim. She allegedly cut off his penis out of 'jealousy' and has now been arrested & placed in custody. The boy survived the incident and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Minna. Doctors are urgently trying to provide a way for him to urinate. See very graphic photos of the boy before the injury was covered and after it was, as you continue.




Photo Credit: Rariya

Emir of Kano - Muhammadu Sanusi's Son, Ashraf graduates from college in England (photos)


Well, their brothers and subjects are saying Boko is haram, and they keep quiet, their children are graduating from overseas as depicted in this news from lindaikeji's blog below:
One of the sons of the Emir of Kano - Muhammadu Sanusi II, Ashraf, graduated today from St. Lawrence College, a traditional co-educational independent school, in Ramsgate, England. Congrats to him! See more photos below:






West Virginia deadly floods: Hundreds rescued, 23 dead

Hundreds of people stranded by floods have been rescued in West Virginia, with the death toll now standing at 23, officials say.
Rescue works are set to continue throughout the weekend, and authorities fear more victims may be found as they search through the rubble.
The floods are the worst in a century in some areas, the state governor says.
West Virginia received a quarter of its annual rainfall in a single day, the National Weather Service said.
A storm system dumped up to 10 inches (0.2m) of rain on parts of the state, causing rivers and streams to overflow.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said the damage was "widespread and devastating" and that the floods still presented a challenge to rescue efforts.
Men look at the remnants of a house which was torn off its foundation and burned after severe flooding in West Virginia on 24 JuneImage copyrightAP
Image captionThis house was torn from its foundation and burned after the foods
Damage to culvert crossing at Elkview Crossings Mall after heavy rain on West Virginia on 24 JuneImage copyrightWEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION/REUTERS
Image captionDamage to roads stranded hundreds
More than 100 homes were destroyed, some of them torn from their foundations and carried away, and an estimated 66,000 residences were still without power.
Teams removed people from second-storey windows, tops of trees and cars.
Among those rescued were a 97-year-old woman and a family of five including an infant, officials said.
About 500 people were trapped in a shopping centre as crews scrambled to build a new gravel road to reach them.
High water is seen after West Virginia was pummelled by up to 10 inches (0.2m) of rain, on 24 JuneImage copyrightWEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION/REUTERS
Image captionGovernor Tomblin said the rescue effort was challenging
A resident sorts through debris as the cleanup begins from severe flooding in West Virginia on 24 JuneImage copyrightAP
Image captionMore than 100 houses were destroyed
Meanwhile, officials continued to try to reach others stranded in devastated areas.
A state of emergency was declared in 44 of the state's 55 counties, and up to 500 soldiers have been authorised to assist in the rescue operations.

Niger Delta Avengers ask President Buhari to call for a referendum just like Cameron did


Militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, this afternoon asked President Buhari to also call for a referendum on Nigeria just like his British counterpart David Cameron did yesterday June 24th. The group said the referendum would help Nigerians decide if they still wanted to stay together. The stated this in two tweets on their twitter handle. They also released a statement asking President Buhari to visit the Niger Delta region to see for himself the deprivation host communities have suffered in the hands of oil companies that operate in their communities. Read the statement below


The Nigeria President Buhari should visit  Ugborodo host to Chevron  crude oil Export terminal/EGTL gas plant, Ogulagha host to Shell For cados Crude Oil Export terminal/tank farm, Bonny Island host to Shell Bonny Crude Oil Export terminal/NLNG gas terminal, Brass host to Agip/ENI export terminal, Ibeno host to ExxonMobil Qua Iboe crude export terminal. These are just the export terminals not talking about the numerous oil and gas flow stations and the oil Wells that criss cross the length and breadth of the Niger delta.Mr. President come and see for yourself what the host communities are going through in the hands of Nigeria government and the multinationals.
Brig.Gen Moduch Agbinibo
Spokesman

Yvonne Jegede reveals how a beauty pageant organizer wanted her & other judges to crown his candidate

Actress Yvonne Jegede revealed how a beauty pageant organizer wanted her (Cheif Judge) and some Judges of the pageant which took place in Delta State yesterday, to cheat other contestants by picking his own personal candidate. She and the others personally decided to stand their ground by crowning who they felt deserved it more. This angered the organizer identified as IK and he has now refused to pay for her hotel bills and buy her return ticket back to Lagos as promised. See her post regarding the issue after below:



Abuja jail break: Nigerian prisons service says Okah still in custody

Charles-Okah

Francis Enobore , spokesperson of the Nigerian Prisons Service has denied  reports that Charles Okah, the suspected mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bombings, , escaped from Kuje Prison in Abuja
Enobore who admitted of an “incident” Friday night said Okah still remains in the prison “hale and hearty,” adding  that the comptroller of prisons in charge of the FCT told him he saw Okah in the prison less than 30 minutes ago.
“Yes there was an incident yesterday, but Charles Okah was not involved,” he said. “The Comptroller of prisons has ordered an investigation and that is going on. We want to know if anybody escaped and if yes, what are their identities.”
Charles Okah who is a brother to Henry Okah, leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, sued the prisons authorities earlier this year for allegedly violating the rights of inmates at the Kuje Maximum Security Prison, Abuja.
- See more at: http://independentnig.com/2016/06/25/abuja-jailbreak-okah-still-in-custody-nigerian-prisons-service/#sthash.BBsfdPGy.dpuf

BIAFRA AGITATORS LACK IDEOLOGY – APC CHIEFTAIN


IPOBpost


Chief Jerry Chukwuemeka, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and many time governorship aspirant from Awaka, Owerri North Council Area of Imo State has said  that there is no ideology behind the business of the sovereign state of Biafra.
Chukwueke described the increasing agitation as a vehicle of frustration which is attributable to the economic marginalisation being experienced by youths in the regions.
The business mogul who spoke to Independent  on Saturday however advised government at all levels to create economic and empowerment opportunities for youths, expressing optimism that such would help to address the many restive youths’ activities in the country as well as chart the way forward for Nigerians, particularly the youths.
“I think we need to have this conversation because the issue in my view, is the big picture, it  happened that 29th of May was the date of the proclamation of the state of Biafra and it does coincide with the democracy day as we have it today. But the big picture really is that I see no ideological attachment. There is no ideology in my view behind the business of the Sovereign State of Biafra. It appears to be a vehicle of frustration, economic marginalization,” he said.
Chukwuemeka argued that Biafra ought not to be the news because according to him, for decades, the nation had been warned by the UN, and by the World Bank that 35-40 million unemployed is an existential threat to Nigeria.
“This is what we are dealing with today. I think we must focus on that so that we can get away from the issue of Biafra, the bad word and all of that and look at what is really going on.”
Meanwhile, renowned community leader and a chieftain of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nze Iwumba Onyebiri, has denounced the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu by security operatives arguing that such amounted to an infringement on his fundamental human rights.
Onyebiri, a human rights campaigner therefore implored members of the international community to prevail on the federal government to allow the IPOB commander in chief to regain his freedom without further delay.

Ogun private school owners protest over multiple levies, others

Scores of the private schools owners under the aegis of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Ogun chapter have staged a protest over alleged multiple levies and charges by the state government. The Private schools owners who stormed the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat, Oke Ilewo,Abeokuta lamented I50 per cent increase in the charges for the First School Leaving Certificate examination.They said it has been increased from N500 to N2,000.

 Speaking on behalf of the proprietors, the President of the association, Alhaji Rilwan Hassan, said the government had also increased the fees for the Basic Education Certificate Examination by 50 per cent from N2,500 to N5,000. He explained that there was disparity between fees and charges payable by the public and private schools to the state government on these two examinations. Hassan said that the association had written so many letters to the relevant authorities, including the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, to intervene in the situation but no response. He said, “We have come to appeal through you and the general public to help appeal to His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to give respite over issues affecting us as owners of private schools and the parents who entrust their children in our hands, who are also tax payers.

“We want the government to reverse decisions on charges for BECE, FSLC, signage, tenement rate, renewal fees and multiple taxes. “The disparity is what we say we don’t want, we are not saying there is no justification for the increment because of stationery, but for it to have been jacked up by 400 per cent, it is quite disheartening. We are not enjoying any benefit as private schools owners. “We are assisting the government to employ staff into our schools and a lot of us are on loans. It is a social service we are rendering.” Hassan said pupils from the private schools in the state have been doing well in the West African Examinations Council, where 55 private secondary schools were among the best performed schools, last year. He said, “We are among the best 1,000 schools in WAEC last year, no single public school in Ogun State in the last WAEC is among the 1,000 and we have 55 private schools from Ogun State, that are among.

” Reacting to the allegation, the State Commissioner for Education, Modupe Mujota, said the increments were necessary given the current economic reality in the country. Mujota said the increments were not a routine exercise adding that they have not been touched in the last four years. She said, “The intention of the government was not to kill the schools adding that the decision was in line with the school fees being charged


50 feared killed in Lagos/Ogun communities

  Barely six days after some suspected militants killed 15 persons in Imushin community in Ogijo area of Ogun  state,  another 50 people were feared dead on Thursday night when militants swooped on the  neighbouring communities in Elepete and Igbo Olomu,  the borderline communities in Lagos/Ogun State. Saturday Vanguard reliably gathered that a large number of the victims  were said to be landlords in the area, who were reported to be keeping security watch over the communities, due to incessant armed robbery attacks. A source who was a landlord but pleaded anonymity said his colleagues landlords made bonfires in strategic points with a view to checking incessant attacks by robbers. But, tragedy struck when  the militants who were coming from where they had gone to perpetrate their illegal business, mistook the landlords for law enforcement agents and went on a shooting spree. 
The source said that 30 dead bodies have been accounted for from various points, and that many residents have fled the communities for safety. Most residents who spoke with our correspondent lamented that the militants had threatened to attack the communities on  reprisal attacks  over the death of their colleagues few weeks ago. The residents have therefore blamed security operatives  for alleged negligence resulting to loss of  lives of residents and landlords.
 One of the residents who spoke with Saturday Vanguard said  that only the Nigerian Army, the Navy and the Airforce could tackle the menace of these criminals. “The militants came out from the creek and attacked the communities around 11p.m on Thursday night. We were outside keeping vigil over incessant armed robbery attacks. We had bonfires in some areas and the militants, having sighted the bonfires,  opened fire on anyone on sight. “The whole communities have already been deserted. We need the presence of the Nigerian Army, Airforce and Navy to curtail the excesses of these militants,” he said. Another  source told  Saturday Vanguard that since the first attack which led to death of 15 persons in the communities, schools in the areas have been closed down while business activities were paralyzed. The source who spoke with our correspondent  on condition of anonymity said residents of the affected communities are fleeing their houses and that the whole areas were already deserted. However, the  Ogun State Police Command said only two people were killed by suspected militants who have been laying siege on the community. 

The command’s image maker, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, while speaking with our correspondent  said only two people were killed by the militants. He said that the militants came from the creek to attack innocent residents and fled back. Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police, said the Police would try and fish out the criminals. “Two have been confirmed dead. The militants came again and attacked the community. They came yesterday and attacked and went back to the creeks. We will only continue to try,” he said.

South African court refuses Zuma appeal request in arms case



Jacob Zuma - archive shotImage copyrightREUTERS
Image captionThis is the latest legal blow for South Africa's President Jacob Zuma
A South African court has refused permission for President Jacob Zuma and prosecutors to appeal against its ruling that he should face corruption charges over a 1999 arms deal worth billions of dollars.
There were "no merits" in the argument requesting an appeal, it ruled.
In April, the court said a 2009 decision to drop the 783 charges against Mr Zuma was irrational.
He has always denied taking bribes over the arms deal.
National director of public prosecutions Shaun Abrahams had asked the court for permission to appeal against the earlier ruling, saying prosecutors should be able to exercise discretion over whether an investigation should continue.
Rejecting the request, High Court Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said: "We seriously considered whether the appeal would have reasonable prospects of success and came to the conclusion that there are no merits in the arguments."
The ruling is a blow to Mr Zuma's efforts to avoid standing trial, reports the BBC's Milton Nkosi from Johannesburg.
The president can still take the case to the Supreme Court of Appeal but it is difficult to see it overturning the unanimous ruling of the High Court, our correspondent says.
Mr Zuma's final option would be to ask the Constitutional Court to throw out the case.

Controversial arms deal: What you need to know
One of the Saab Gripen fighter jets, bought by the South African Airforce, as part of the country's controversial arms deal - Cape Town, South Africa, 2006Image copyrightAFP
  • 1999: largest-ever post-apartheid arms deal announced, with contracts totalling 30bn rand ($5bn; £2.5bn) to modernise national defence force
  • Deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France and South Africa
  • Allegations of bribery over deal dogged governments of President Jacob Zuma and predecessor Thabo Mbeki
  • Mr Zuma's former financial adviser Schabir Shaik convicted in 2005 for corruption over deal. Found guilty of trying to solicit bribe from Thint, local subsidiary of French arms firm Thales, on behalf of Mr Zuma - then deputy president. Released on parole on health grounds after serving just over two years
  • Another official, Tony Yengeni, chairman of parliament's defence committee at time of deal and ANC chief whip, convicted of fraud in 2003. Also freed on parole after serving five months of four-year sentence
  • April 2016: commission of inquiry into deal found no further evidence of corruption or fraud

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has waged a seven-year battle to get Mr Zuma to stand trial over the charges.
In a separate case in March, the Constitutional Court said Mr Zuma breached his oath of office by failing to repay government money used to upgrade his private residence with a swimming pool, amphitheatre, chicken run and cattle enclosure.
It backed an earlier ruling by an anti-corruption body that said $23m (£15m) of public money had been improperly spent on Mr Zuma's rural home in Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province.