Extra Reporters

If there’s any doubt left in the credibility of the mainstream media, recent allegations of a Russian jet being shot down in Turkey should have brought confidence in their objectivity down to an all-time low. The Daily Mail wrote: According to Daily Express, one journalist tweeted that three Turkish planes had been responding to ‘mysterious’ lock-ons from MIG-29 jets, which are used by Putin’s forces. There is one glaring error in the above statement, even if we were to accept the rumor: first off, the Russia did not deploy MIG-29 jets in Syria, and instead has the more modern Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24SM jets flying bombing missions there. I would also like to point out that when a large mainstream publication decides to publish rumor as fact, these days they get away with putting zero research into determining the authenticity of the rumor- especially when it deals with Russia. A glaring error like the one spotted above should have been enough to prevent the Daily M...

Russia’s telecommunications supervisor Roskomnadzor has blocked 11 pornographic websites including the widely popular PornHub following a district court ruling that the sites violated Article 242 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation which includes bans on illegal distribution of pornographic materials as well as child porn. Roskomnadzor warned in its statement that distributing illegal pornographic content online is punishable by a prison term of two to six years. “It is established that the websites contained pornographic material prohibited by law (images, videos, movies),” the court ruled in September. PornHub, which is hosted in Canada, is domestically bound by Section 163 of the Canadian Criminal Code, which proscribes pornographic images depicting people under 18. “We can confirm that Roskomnadzor has blacklisted PornHub in Russia and we are currently investigating and considering available means to reinstate our website in Russia,” a PornHub spokespe...

A new report released by the United Nations Broadband Commission has declared that the Internet is being used as a tool “to inflict harm on women and girls” and called for worldwide action on what it calls “cyber VAWG” because despite the rapidly growing number of women experiencing online violence, only 26% of law enforcement agencies in the 86 countries surveyed are taking appropriate action. Entitled “Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls: A World-Wide Wake-Up Call”, the report urged governments and industry to work more effectively to better protect the growing number of women and girls who are victims of online threats and harassment. So while the UN says we need to ‘wake up’ and fight cyber violence, it wants the tech companies to cooperate with law enforcement, implementing takedown procedures, producing transparency reports, and make sure that the termination of abusers’ accounts is possible. According to The Washington Post, the United Nations proposes that social networks pr...

Ambode with British Deputy High Commissioner and Minister of State  Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday played host to the British Minister of State for Foreign Commonwealth Affairs and DFID, Mr. Grant Shapps and the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ray Kyles, where he expressed the readiness of the state to explore the opportunities for partnership in the area of power supply. Governor Ambode who spoke at the Lagos House, Marina, lauded the intervention of the UK DFID through solar related energy in the state, expressing optimism that it would prove a viable energy alternative to more rural areas in the state. He also reiterated his administration’s commitment to partner with willing investors to take power supply to communities in need of it. “I will like you to also know that other areas where we believe that we can partner together is in the area of energy, that’s something that is also of utmost interest to us here, we would lik...

Syria (RT) — Islamic State militants have lost “most” of their ammunition, heavy vehicles and equipment in Russian airstrikes, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. At least 86 ISIS targets were hit during 88 sorties in the last 24 hours.   Shortly after hundreds of civilans from various political parties and youth organizations came out onto the streets outside the Russian embassy in the capital of Syria, Damascus, to demonstrate support for Russia’s involvement in the fight against the Islamic State. Sukhoi Su-24M and Su-34 bombers, together with Su-25SM ground support aircrafts targeted Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) sites in the provinces of Raqqah, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Aleppo, according to the ministry. The jets hit command posts, ammunition and armament depots, military vehicles, plants producing explosives, field camps and bases. Su-24M bombers also targeted an IS field headquarters near the city of Anadan in the province of Aleppo from which the terrorists coordina...

Photo Credit: www.aviationgin.com The poultry farmers association, donated 50 crates of eggs, books and Biros to the students of Government secondary school Tarauni of Kano State, Nigeria. This is to mark world egg day celebration as been celebrated all over the world.  The Kano State Government while receiving the items called on individuals and organizations give their contribution towards the development of education in the state.  The call was made by the state Deputy governor and commissioner of education professor Hafiz Abubakar. Represented by the special adviser on Education Dr. Bakari Ado Hussaini, the Deputy Governor urged the Poultry Farmers association to augment government effort to enhance nutritional value of secondary school boarding student meal by donating eggs to some school monthly. He said government decision to increase cost of boarding students meal per head from N100 to N150 was aimed at improving the quality of food. The patron ...

Photo Creditt: www.wikipedia.com The most frequent texters do 34 per cent worse at school,  TEEN girls who text frequently see their school grades plummet by up to a third, a study warns. Experts found compulsive use of smartphones to send messages significantly impacts on academic performance.  And girls are much more vulnerable than boys. The most frequent texters did 34 per cent worse at school, compared to those that used their phones the least. For boys, the difference was much smaller - just eight per cent between those who messaged constantly and not at all. U.S. researchers looked at the texting habits of 403 schoolkids, aged 13 to 17. Around three fifths texted daily, while just under two fifths used their mobile phones for voice calls.  But only girls did dramatically worse at school the more they messages. Lead researcher Dr Kelly Lister-Landman of Delaware County Community College said: “It may be that the nature of the texts girls send ...

A market and refugee camp was target by suicide bombers suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists in Baga Sola village of Chad near Nigerian border. About thirty eight persons lost their lives in the attack, 51 wounded and 5 attackers dead. The suicide bombers where mostly female. The refugee bombing resulted in killing about 22 persons, while the market bombing leads to 16 persons loosing their lives, said Gen. Banyaman Cossingar, director general gendarmerie. There was triple bombing in the village and we suspected Boko Haram, military spokesman Col. Azem Agouna. There was an uncompleted establishment of over 8,000 multinational forces to counter the activities of Boko Haram sect which is having Nigeria as its strong hold. The delay in operational kick off is not acertain.

President Buhari In UK President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja applauded the renewed support from Britain and Switzerland for the recovery and repatriation of public funds stolen from Nigeria. At separate audiences with the new British and Swiss Ambassadors, who were at the Presidential Villa to present their letters of credence, President Buhari noted that British, Swiss and other foreign anti-crime agencies had already given his administration much help with relevant information and intelligence on public funds that were stolen and illegally transferred to personal bank accounts by officials of past administrations. The President called, however, for the speeding up of the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of Nigerian funds stolen by corrupt public officials and their accomplices. ‘‘Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful indeed in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started. ‘‘It is also important to send a sig...

The immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was on Friday arrested in the UK National Crime Agency according to a report by PREMIUM TIMES. Diezani was granted bail after her arrest in UK, London. Reports reaching our desk that the house of the former minister was under siege. It was learned that her passport was seized by the UK base crime commission.  Mrs. Alison-Madueke is expected to return to the Charing Cross Police station on Monday for further questioning Here at home:   Sahara Reporters report that EFCC has sealed Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke’s Abuja home in Asokoro as well as the SPOG Oil offices of Jide Omokore and also Omokore’s home in the Ikoyi area of Lagos . The former minister who was perhaps one of the most powerful officials of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was arrested alongside four other people by the British law enforcement agency. Diezani was arrested for offences related to b...

A T ADOPTION OF POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA, BUHARI URGES WORLD LEADERS TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ELIMINATE ILLITERACY, HUNGER AND DISEASE BY 2030 President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in New York reaffirmed his Administration's total commitment to the entrenchment of a fully transparent and accountable public revenue management system in Nigeria. Addressing the United Nations Plenary Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, President Buhari said that his administration was taking steps to improve and streamline internal generation of revenue, and to plug all loopholes that have led to illicit capital flight from Nigeria. The President told the gathering that his government was also putting mechanisms in place to prevent oil theft and other criminal practices that are detrimental to Nigeria's economy. Applauding the adoption of the Post-2015 Global Development Agenda, President Buhari said that he was very pleased that world leaders had ...

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has condemned Israel for its blatant attacks on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The king has spoken on phone with US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to express his concerns over Israel’s actions. He called on the UN Security Council to take urgent measures to stop the violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, protect the Palestine people and holy sites, and ensure Israel grants Palestinians sovereignty, according to the SPA. He said the attacks violate the sanctity of religions, and contribute to extremism and violence in the world. The Saudi government would hold the Israelis fully responsible for the aggression, the report stated. Saudi officials warned that Israel’s actions violate the sanctity of the third holiest site in Islam, and are incompatible with the principles of international law. One offic...

One retired Las Vegas police officer is claiming that he helped Tupac Shakur fake his own death on the night of his fatal shooting. David Myers, who is currently in a critical condition,  has claimed  he was paid upwards of $1.5million (£960,000) to help stage the death of one of rap’s most iconic artists. Shakur, known by his stage name 2pac, died in hospital following a drive-by shooting in Vegas back in 1996. He had just been a VIP guest at a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand. But myers, who is currently on his death bed, apparently wants the world to know the “truth”. He said:  “The world needs to know what I did. I’m ashamed that I let a price be put on my word and I cannot die without letting the world know.” He also added that Suge Knight, who was in the car when Pac was shot – and is currently serving time in prison – played a huge role in the cover-up. In fact, over 30 people were reportedly involved in faking his death – including police, medics ...

The military in Burkina Faso has taken to the airwaves to declare it now controls the country, confirming that a coup has taken place - just weeks before national elections. In the announcement aired early on Thursday on national television and radio, the statement said that the transitional government had been dissolved. The statement came a day after members of the elite presidential guard unit of the military arrested the transitional president and prime minister. According to reports,  gunfire could be heard on the streets of  the capital Ouagadougou. "There is a lot of military on the street [...] there is also no information about the transitional president and prime minister and there is no information if they are dead or alive." Burkina Faso was due to hold elections on October 11 that many hoped would strengthen democracy. The transitional government came to power after the president of 27 years, Blaise Compaore, was toppled late last year...

CIA released yesterday roughly 2,500 previously classified President’s Daily Briefs (PDB) from the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations at a public symposium at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, TX, entitled  The President’s Daily Brief: Delivering Intelligence to the First Customer.  The declassified documents are posted at  http://www.foia.cia.gov  along with a  40-page color booklet  describing the documents and the PDB process during this period. While a few PDBs have been publicly released over the years, the release of roughly 2,500 PDBs is unprecedented. The PDB contains intelligence analysis on key national security issues for the President and other senior policymakers. Only the President, the Vice President, and a select group of officials designated by the President receive the briefing, which represents the Intelligence Community’s best insights on issues the President must confront when dealing with threats as well as ...

Photo Credit:  democraciaparticipativa.net BY ABBATI BAKO,psc,UK DEMOCRACY Democratic governance is a concept (idea) that emerged from the principles that are based on the understanding that an effective and vibrant system of democratic governance is one which is based on representative, equitable (across gender and other categories of people), transparent, accountable and inclusive institution/class; a vibrant, responsible and capable social media and a dynamic civic society. Democracy is defined by freedom of speech and assembly, free elections and a government resulting from such free elections, the separation of powers and the rule of law which is engaged in the political process. There are different meanings of democracy all of them according to (Professor Kamilu Sani Fage 2002) can be classified into three general categories. They include:- (1) Normative (2) Empirical (3) Normative – Empirical5 In this case, normative meaning of democracy refers to the id...

BY   Abbati Bako  Many scholars, researchers, diplomats and foreign policy analyst/experts around the world has reaches a consensus that the globalization policy had united the world; integrated global economy, democratizes the globe and multiculturalism which is the key that made the world "global village". Things such as communication, transportation, money transfer, busine ss transactions, transfer and exchange of knowledge/ideas and so on has been easier (compared to decades back) by the globalization policy (although anti-globalists argues that the world is more perilous than ever before). Therefore, the constant and consistence visit to economically advanced nations such as USA, GERMANY, UK, FRANCE AND OTHER WESTERN EUROPE by President Buhari is a welcome development and a new page for Nigeria and Nigerians and a fine tuned foreign policy that may take Nigeria to the next level of development; politically, economically and socially. Nigeria cannot aff...

President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday in Paris that one of the key objectives of his administration's ongoing economic reforms was to restore the confidence of investors in the Nigerian economy. Addressing leading French businessmen and investors at the headquarters of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), President Buhari also reaf firmed his government's determination to curb corruption in Nigeria. "Our ongoing economic reforms are designed to restore business confidence and block leakages and wastage of public resources. We are also focused on the recovery of stolen wealth belonging to the country," the President told participants in a Nigeria/France Investment Forum. President Buhari said that his administration will do all within its powers to sustain Nigeria's position as the number one investment destination in Africa. "With a blessed land, rich in agricultural and mineral resources, skilled and low-cost labour, large ...

Clashes have erupted after a number of Israeli soldiers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, police and witnesses said The Israeli security personnel used tear gas as they entered the compound to arrest what they called Palestinian "stone throwers". "Masked protesters who were inside the mosque threw stones and fireworks at police," said a police statement carried by AFP news agency. A Muslim witness accused police of entering the mosque and causing damage, saying prayer mats were partially burned. Clashes later continued outside the mosque complex, with police firing tear gas and stun grenades. Israeli security forces closed the mosque's compound to worshippers following the clashes that come just hours before the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for Israeli police, said that the Israeli police received intelligence in the morning about the possible disturbances at Al-Aqsa m...

President Muhammadu Buhari commiserates with his Majesty, King Salman, the people of Saudi Arabia and the worldwide Islamic community over the tragic loss of lives in yesterday’s crane collapse at the Grand Mosque of Mecca. As details of the deaths and injuries sustained in the unfortunate incident unfold, President Buhari has directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to closely monitor developments and take necessary action to ensure the security and well-being of all Nigerian pilgrims. President Buhari also urges all Nigerians to pray for the continued safety of their compatriots who are currently in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj. He prays that Almighty Allah will receive the souls of those killed in the incident and grant the injured speedy recovery.