Nigerian Court sentences man to death by hanging for robbery in Delta State

                               

The Delta State High Court of Justice sitting in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area today sentenced one Trust Abraham to death by hanging over alleged armed robbery.

The court presided over by Justice Eboiwe Tobi sentenced Trust Abraham on seven count charge bordering on conspiracy and armed robbery punishable under Section (2) (a) of the robbery and firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R11 Vol.14 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.

He was specifically sentenced to death by hanging, having found guilty of four counts out of the seven count charges i.e,( 1,2,6 and 7.).

” I hereby sentence you, Trust Abraham, having found you guilty for the offence of armed robbery in counts 1,2,6 and 7 to death by hanging. The sentence is to run concurrently. Trust Abraham, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging and may the good Lord have mercy on your soul.”

Abraham was alleged to have conspired with others now at largeto rob six persons including, Rebecca Emavwodua, Dedekuma Jeffery, Juliet Tony, Imorehi Simon Mudiaga, Elohor Emavwodua and Solomon Theophilus of their personal belongings and monies with knife and dangerous weapons in Okito Junction, Jakpa Road, Effurun within Effurun Judicial Division on 13/5/2015.

DailyPost.Ng

Nigeria introduces harmonized deparre, arrival cardtus in airports

                             

The Federal Government on Thursday introduced a harmonized departure/arrival cards in airports around the country.

Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, said the cards will replace multiple cards, which had been in use before now.

Dambazau said: “Federal Government has chosen the Kaduna International Airport to formally launch this unique security document to the travelling public.

“This cards will replace the multiplicity of cards that hitherto existed and will take care of the interest of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Customs, Port Health Services, NDLEA and others.”

He explained that Nigerians will fill only the departure cards, while foreigners are expected to fill the departure/arrival cards.

Dambazau added that the new measure, was part of the FG’s policy on “Ease of doing business in Nigeria,” in line with international best practices.

Source:Dailypost.ng

PICTURE:Biafran protesters in London,August 1967

Igbo Biafran protesters crossing Westminster Bridge in London in August 1967, protesting against British Government and oil company involvement in and support for the Nigerian Federal Government against the secession of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.

July 2014: First Ebola Patient arrives in city of Lagos

                                 

Patrick Oliver Sawyer was a Liberian-American lawyer who was notable for being the index case for the introduction of Ebola virus disease into Nigeria during the West African Ebola epidemic. Sawyer was a naturalized U.S. citizen who lived in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. He has been variously described as working for the Liberian Ministry of Finance  and for the mining company ArcelorMittal as their national manager for public health. He was 40 at the time of his death. he dies of Ebola five days later of his arrival in Lagos

Wrongfully Convicted Man Gets $175,000 for 13 Years in Prison

                            

It took two decades for Thomas Webb III to get Oklahoma authorities to pay for the nightmarish years he spent in prison for a rape he didn't commit.

The state finally agreed this week to write him a check for $175,000, according to his lawyers.

The payout is the maximum amount Oklahoma law allows people who have been wrongfully convicted to collect.

That is what is supposed to make up for his 13 years of incarceration ─ the lost wages and potential, the separation from family and friends, the time he'll never get back ─ and the psychological trauma that thrust him into addiction and homelessness after he was released.

And he's not allowed to ask for anything more.

But Webb says he will gladly sign the paperwork.

Simply getting the state to pay him, and in doing so acknowledge its mistakes, is enough to give him some comfort.

"For the first time, the state of Oklahoma has accepted the fact that I have been wronged," Webb, 56, said Wednesday. "That gives me closure, a feeling that justice, in my frame of reference, has been done, that amends have been made."

Compiled by Damien

World Bank to raise $1.6b to combat hunger in Nigeria

                             

World Bank Group President Jim Yong-Kim on Thursday said the bank was working toward raising 1.6 billion dollars to build social protection systems to end food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen.

In a statement made available to newsmen by the Head of Communications, World Bank Nigeria in Abuja, Mrs Olufunke Olufon, Yong-Kim said about 20 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen were on the “tipping point” of famine.

“We at the World Bank Group stand in solidarity with the people now threatened by famine.

Singapore Officially Unveils Electric Car

                            

Singapore today officially unveiled its technologically ambitious electric supercar - Vanda Dendrobium - at the Geneva Motor Show.

According to CAR magazine UK website , it had a sneak preview of 'Vanda Dendrobium' at Williams Advanced Engineering in the United Kingdom, the consultancy offshoot of the F1 team.

It is tasked with engineering and building the show car on behalf of its creators, Vanda Electrics, a Singapore-based firm incorporated in 2016, which hasn't built a car before, nor does it plan to become a volume automotive manufacturer.....

American Medical Association rejects Republican health care Proposal

                                  

The American Medical Association joined a growing list of medical groups rejecting the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act Wednesday, saying it will hurt patients.

The AMA said not only is the proposed American Health Care Act being rushed through Congress, but it's loaded with unacceptable provisions from cutting Planned Parenthood funding to repealing a vital public health fund.

"That just won't do," Dr. Andrew Gurman, president of the AMA, said in a statement posted to the association's website.

"While the ACA is imperfect, the current version of the [American Health Care Act] is not legislation we can support," Gurman added. "The replacement bill, as written, would reverse the coverage gains achieved under the ACA, causing many Americans to lose the health care coverage they have come to depend upon."

The AMA, which lost several thousand members when it backed the ACA in 2010, had previously spoken in support of President Donald Trump's health and human services secretary, Tom Price. The AMA said new plan will cost people more money and gut CDC funding for killer diseases in addition to cutting insurance coverage for millions.

Legal smoking age in Singapore to be raised to 21

                                   
The minimum legal age to smoke will be raised from 18 to 21, announced Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor in Parliament on Thursday (March 9).

Proposed changes to the law will be tabled in Parliament within a year, and the change will be phased in over a few years after the law is passed. Youths above 18 who are already smokers will not be affected by the change.

The Government wants to cut, if not eliminate, opportunities for the young to be tempted to take up smoking before they turn 21.

It is raising the minimum legal age to smoke, buy and possess tobacco because most smokers start before the age of 21 and a habit is established between the age of 18 and 20, said the Ministry of Health. In Singapore, 19 out of 20 smokers in the National Health Surveillance Survey 2013 had their first puff before age 21. The minimum legal age of 18 for smoking has been in force since 1993.

The prevalence of smoking in Singapore has improved over the years — from 18.3 per cent in 1992 to 13.3 per cent in 2013, but the smoking rates among young men are still high, while the smoking rates of young women are creeping up.

Research has also shown adolescent brains to be more vulnerable to nicotine, as they have a heightened sensitivity to the rewarding effects of nicotine. Studies also show the younger that youths are when they first try smoking, the greater the levels of nicotine addiction, intensity of smoking and likelihood of continuing to smoke into adulthood, said the MOH.

Singapore has rolled out other anti-smoking measures in recent years. The import and sale of e-cigarettes and products such as nasal snuff and oral snuff are not allowed, and Dr Khor told Parliament last week that there is no compelling reason or practical benefit in allowing heated tobacco products as it could draw a much larger group of users, especially among youth.

Last year, the government extended smoking prohibition to areas around reservoirs and more than 400 parks. More than 32,000 premises are now smoke-free in Singapore and Dr Khor said on Wednesday it will look into progressively extending the smoking prohibition to other areas.

Singapore is also taking steps to standardise tobacco packaging, as Australia, France and the United Kingdom have done, said Dr Khor on Thursday.

“We have closely studied the experience of these countries, and see significant value in moving in this direction, so as to reduce the appeal of tobacco products, particularly to youths, and raise the visibility and effectiveness of health warnings,” she said.

“We will conduct a further public consultation on standardised packaging this year to seek additional and more detailed views on possible standardised packaging measures. We will carefully review relevant considerations including public health, intellectual property and international law perspectives and ensure that any measures taken are consistent with our domestic law and international obligations.”

The authorities will continue to monitor international best practices in tobacco control and will adopt appropriate measures to control tobacco use, she said.

Read the original story here: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/legal-age-smoking-be-raised-21

Turkey is spying in Germany-German int

                         

There has been an increase in Turkish spying in Germany, according to German intelligence, adding to tensions between Berlin and Ankara.

As reported by Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, the BfV said divisions in Turkey leading up to the controversial April 16 referendum on boosting the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were mirrored in Germany.

“The BfV is observing a significant increase in intelligence efforts by Turkey in Germany,” it said in a statement. No further details were provided.

Already strained relations between Germany and Turkey reached a new low this month in a row over cancelled Turkish political rallies to drum up support for the impending referendum.

As many as 1.4m Turks living in Germany are eligible to cast their ballot in the vote.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel met with his Turkish counterpart Melvut Cavusoglu in Berlin on March 8. While both diplomats agreed on the importance of good relations, Cavusoglu said that Germany must now “decide whether Turkey is a friend or not”.

According to DW, Erdogan himself is due to hold a rally in Germany in a bid to secure support ahead of next month’s referendum. Critics, however, have warned that the proposed presidential system which seeks to expand Erdogan’s powers as president would cement a one-man rule in the country.

In a separate report, the Reuters news agency noted that Bfv President Hans-Georg Maassen has underscored his concern over tensions between right-wing Turks in Germany and supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

“There is the danger that these proxy fights between PKK supporters and nationalist, right-wing extremist Turks will escalate because there is a high, hard-hitting potential for danger in both groups,” he said.

In January, Maassen told reporters that Germany would not tolerate Turkish intelligence operations within its borders.

Berlin airports to be hit by strikes on Friday

                          

Trade union Verdi announced walkouts at Tegel and Schönefeld airports from 4 a.m on Friday to 5 p.m. on Saturday local time.

Verdi is pushing for an hourly pay increase and better working hours for its members, arguing that their workload is increasing with the growing number of passengers and a greater focus on security. The union also wants more opportunities for professional advancement for ground staff.

Ugwuanyi abolishes Osu practices in Enugu

                                

Enugu State Governor; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has directed the immediate abolition of all harmful traditional practices, including ‘Osu caste system’, that deprive some indigenes of the state their rights and privileges.

Speaking during a protest march by some indigenes of Obuno Ndi Uno community in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, Ugwuanyi described such practices as “satanic”.

He said on no account would anybody be regarded as a slave in their community either on account of their ancestry or otherwise.

The governor noted that the Constitution had placed all Nigerians on equal pedestal, adding that the laws of Enugu State had also abolished all forms of Osu Caste practices in the state.

Ugwuanyi said: “Slavery and segregation have been abolished and as far as the state government is concerned, we do not recognise Osu Caste system.

“We operate the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”