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The social media giant is preparing for a new law that would force it to pay publishers for news articles.

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The group's first ever English single has made history as a Billboard Hot 100 chart topper.

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A hugely competitive college exam in India kicks off after weeks of heavy protest from students.

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Content creators say OnlyFans has slashed incomes by placing caps on prices charged on the platform.

Kaycee Madu, a Nigerian lawyer recently named Minister of Justice in Alberta, a Canadian province, says he looks forward to a day when appointments are based on hard work and merit in Nigeria.

Madu recently became the first African to be appointed Minister of Justice in the Canadian province.

Before his appointment, he was a member of the legislative assembly of the province representing the district of Edmonton South-West after winning the 2019 Alberta general election.

On April 30, 2019, he was appointed to the Executive Council of Alberta as the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

In a tweet on Sunday evening, Madu thanked Nigerians, who celebrated his appointment.

“Thank you for all the support and prayers coming from Nigeria and Nigerians in the diaspora.

“I look forward to the day when Nigeria and Africa become places where hard work and merit are rewarded. Chukwu Gozie!,” he said.
 

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The Kano State Elders Forum has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop Governor Abdullah Ganduje’s plan to borrow about N300bn from China for a light rail project in the state.

The group in a petition to Buhari accused Ganduje of planning to plug the state into needless indebtedness with the white elephant project, a liability several generations may find difficult to bear.

The forum asked the President and other concerned authorities to intervene to save Kano from multiple indebtedness beyond the current liability.

SaharaReporters gathered that the Kano light rail project was one of the major causes of the break down in relations between former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and Ganduje.

Sanusi had in an investment forum in 2017 castigated the rail project.

He said at the time, “At the end of the day, what do you benefit from it? Your citizen will ride on a train and when you ride on a train in Northern Nigeria, in a state like Kano or Katsina, where are you going to? You are not going to an industrial estate to work.

“You are not going to school? You are not going to the farm. You borrow money from China to invest in trains so that your citizens can ride on them and go for weddings and naming ceremonies.”

Meanwhile, a group of youths under the umbrella of Collation of Kano State Students, Youth Parliament and Youth Traders Association on Monday held a protest in support of the governor’s move to take the loan for the light rail project.

The group in a letter of solidarity signed by its Chairman, Rabiu Ibrahim, commended Ganduje for repositioning the state into an economic hub and tackling infrastructural deficit.

The letter reads, “With due respect and honour, we acknowledge your projects for the development of Kano State especially the light train project, Kano ultra modern market located at old Daula Hotel and street beautification with modern bridges such as Alhassan Dantata Bridge, Dengi underpass, Kofor mata Bridge, Katsina Road underpass. 

"The main reason for our gathering is to condemn those who call themselves Kano elders while they have not contributed anything to the development of Kano State.”

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Six men, including two princes, are arrested as part of the country's latest anti-corruption drive.

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Yegor Zhukov, who is critical of President Putin, narrowly avoided prison last year.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria popularly known as Shiites has accused the police of killing two of its members during Ashura procession in Kaduna and Zaria.

The group said the policemen opened fire on their members while procession was in progress, killing two persons and injuring others.

IMN revealed this in a statement issued on Sunday by President of its Media Forum, Ibrahim Musa.

The statement reads, "Armed policem opened fire in Zaria and Kaduna on religious mourners soon after completing this year's  processions (a religious rite held by Shiites globally on the 10th of Muharram Islamic calendar).

"As a consequence of these unprovoked attacks, two people in Kaduna lost their lives while many others were injured in both Kaduna and Zaria.

"Undoubtedly, these policemen are taking direct orders of Kaduna State, who also was responsible for similar attack in Kaduna earlier that also resulted in the death of two people and also many houses and vehicles torched.

"Besides, similar Ashura processions were held in major towns and cities across Nigeria including some Southern states without any incident. Only in Zaria and Kaduna were brutality and violence meted on the peaceful mourners. A number of arrests were also done by these murderous troops of Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai."
 

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Paul Rusesabagina's efforts to save people during the Rwanda genocide were depicted in a film.

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President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Russia's, will ask for volunteers in the coming days.

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Svetlana Tikhanovskaya will reportedly brief the Security Council on Friday as protests continue.

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A right-wing magazine accused of racism apologises to black socialist MP Danièle Obono.

The Christian Rights Agenda has condemned in the strongest terms the substitution of the name of Mr Silas Agara, a Christian from Nasarawa State, as Chairman of the National Population Commission by President Muhammadu Buhari. 

In a statement, the CRA said the latest action by President Buhari was nothing but a continuation of the government’s Islamisation agenda in which most sensitive Federal Government positions in the executive, legislature and judiciary are being populated by Northern Muslims. 

CRA recalled that President Buhari had in March 2020 appointed Agara, who is the immediate-past deputy governor of Nasarawa as Chairman of the NPC but was not inaugurated as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. 

However, the appointment was withdrawn under questionable and  controversial circumstances following a visit to Buhari by Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, recently where he presented the name of Nasiru Kwarra, a Muslim from Nasarawa, to replace Agara, who is a loyal member of the ruling All Progressives Congress. 

The statement reads, "Last Thursday, the National Council of State ratified the appointment of Agara, which was published by most news medium including the Nigerian Television Authority, which reversed itself minutes later.  See Also Corruption Christian Nominated For Chairmanship Of National Population Commission Finally Replaced With Muslim 0 Comments 6 Days Ago

"CRA is using this opportunity to alert Nigerians of a possible grand plot to short change Christians in the country in the planned National Population and Housing Census which may have triggered and informed the sudden decision not to appoint a Christian to head the NPC. 

"Recall that the CRA had weeks ago issued a statement in which it detailed the lopsidedness in the appointments by President Buhari since he came to office in 2015.

"We wish to remind Buhari that any society which thrives on injustice cannot endure. 

"Any empire, nation or system which perpetuate injustice is bound to fail.  See Also Corruption Garba Shehu Reverses Council Of State Decision Nominating Christian As Chairman Of NPC, Announces Muslim As Replacement 0 Comments 2 Days Ago

"With less than three years to the end of his tenure, we had expected Buhari to begin to right the wrongs he meted out against Christians through his skewed appointments and other state patronages. 

"Although it is still not too late for him to amend his ways but it may soon be too late, a stitch in time saves nine."

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​Ahead of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has warned politicians and their supporters to conduct themselves properly.

The gubernatorial elections are scheduled to hold on 19th September and 10th October this year in Edo and Ondo respectively.

Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in a statement said Adamu gave the warning having reviewed the Election Security Threat Assessment Reports submitted by the Commissioners of Police from both states in a meeting held last Tuesday.

He said, “The Election Security Threat Analysis reveals amongst other indicators: arming and movement of political thugs, use of inciting statements during political campaigns, high likelihood of violence and possible cross attack by political opponents, misinformation/disinformation aimed at heating-up the polity and deliberate efforts at delegitimising government institutions involved in the electoral processes.

“The IGP has therefore ordered the Commissioners of Police in the two states – Edo and Ondo – to rejig their preparations for the elections to accommodate and address the threats and emerging trends as contained in the security report. 

"He noted that the Force leadership is evolving customised security architecture to protect the people and ensure hitch-free elections. 

The IGP, however, warns politicians and their supporters in Edo and Ondo that the Force will not hesitate to bring the full weight of the law on anyone or group, irrespective of status that may want to sabotage the security arrangement being emplaced for the elections."
 

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The African Democratic Congress on Sunday vowed to legally challenge the outcome of the recently concluded local government election in Ondo State in court. 

The party also vowed to boycott the rerun election proposed by the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission in some wards and polling units. 

Mr Bode Iwaloye, a leader of the ADC, who spoke in Akure, the state capital, said the party members have vehemently rejected the result of the election declared by the ODIEC. 

Iwaloye said the ADC had already passed a vote of no confidence in the electoral umpire for conducting an inconclusive council election. 

He said, "Many of our party candidates were threatened and also intimidated to step down before election day. 

"To our surprise, some security agencies aided thugs to perpetrate the violence and snatching of the ballot boxes but we are rejecting the entire exercise and shall seek redress. 

"But we want the international community to beam the searchlight on the forthcoming governorship election in the state using the outcome of the local government election as an example as."

Also speaking, a chairmanship candidate of the party in Ile Oluji/Okeigbo, Mr Rotimi Akinwamide, said they could not vote during the election as electoral officers failed to show up on time for the poll. 

He fingered two aides of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in the violence that broke out In Igbara Oke and Akoko areas of the state. 

The two aides, Tobi Ogunleye and Kolawole Babatunde, were accused of using armed thugs to disrupt the exercise.  

He said, "Some of the ballot boxes were taken into private residences of APC chieftains for rigging and manipulation of results to favour their candidates. We're not going to participate in any rerun election in the state."

The African Action Congress had also rejected the outcome of the election, citing violence and snatching of ballot papers as the reason for its decision. 
 

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About sixty Nigerian women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are seeking assistance to return home.

The women currently live in four overcrowded homes in the city, SaharaReporters gathered.

Alade Abdulaziz, a leader of the Nigerian community in the country, told SaharaReporters that the Nigerian consulate in Jeddah botched a flight arrangement to bring the women home.

He said he had almost concluded a deal for a flight to evacuate the women on August 25 but stopped when the Nigerian consulate office in Jeddah offered a purportedly better arrangement.

“This all started when the consulate said it was okay for me to organise some of the girls for evacuation,” Abdulaziz said. “It is a process I hoped would take a week, but it has stretched on for three weeks now, and not one flight has left. Thankfully, they called me from the consulate today (Thursday). They said they had better travel plans than ours. My concern is when their aircraft will take off.”

Abdulaziz said 45 women in three houses, including those in his home, could face starvation if they are not immediately repatriated. 

“I have 18 of them in my home, where I am staying with my wife, my son and my daughter. The ladies are living on the little money they came with from their employers. Some of them have been here for five months, even me and my family may go hungry if these girls don’t leave soon… within the week.”

He said the women were rescued from their abusive employers whom they worked for as domestic workers. 

According to him, aside from the chance to be evacuated by the Nigerian government, the other option for the women is to report to deportation camps where they would stay much longer before being deported by the Saudi Arabian government. 

“Since this month started, I have made at least 400 calls, trying to get out ladies trapped in their employer’s house,” Abdulaziz said. “Not all of them received ticket money from their bosses. Some could not endure the two years and had to run away.”

If the Nigerian government fails to repatriate the women, Abdulaziz said they could either return to the houses of the employers they ran away from and obtain a clearance document stating that they committed no crime or pay money to get cleared at any of the country’s immigration offices.

“I have the names of more than 200 ‘runaways. We are appealing to the Nigerian government to beg the Saudi government to wave the clearance fee so that they can be cleared at immigration for free,” he said.

In a video sent to SaharaReporters, some of the women begged the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi and the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Arewa, to help facilitate their repatriation to Nigeria.

“Abike Dabiri we beg you. Ooni of Ife, we call on you. We do not want to return to Nigeria through deportation,” they pleaded in Yoruba. “We hear Nigerian airports would be open to international flights on August 29 – now September 5. Our luggage is here with us. Please help us return.”

One of the women said healthcare at the deportation camps was grossly inadequate, pleading that she did not want to end up in those camps.

“I’ve heard people die there, especially when they are sick,” she said. “One of my friends was deported this month. I do not want to go there. I will be forced to if the evacuation flight does not come through.”

Some of the women told SaharaReporters that they had not received any forms of assistance from Nigerian consulate in Jeddah.

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One of the survivors of the attack against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the joint personnel of the police and the Department of State Security (DSS) says he had to run into a Catholic church to escape shooting from the security agents during the killing of their members in Emene, Enugu State, last week.

The IPOB member, who witnessed the attack, said he knew 15 persons who were killed that day by the Nigerians security forces.

“They attempted to shoot me,” the IPOB member, who did not want to be named, said. “One of the DSS officials ran after me as I was running into a Catholic church. The reverend father protected me.”

The survivor said contrary to claims by the police and the DSS that the IPOB first attacked the law enforcement agents, the youth only picked up sticks and stones to defend themselves after they were shot at. He said they were unarmed.

However, the security agencies said IPOB attacked them first with sticks that had nails, adding that they had been shot at by IPOP before they reinforced.

The survivor said when the police returned with reinforcements, they began harassing innocent persons in the neighbourhood.

They demanded to know where IPOB members, who escaped from Emene Community Secondary School where they were having a meeting, had run to.

“When they came the second time, they started arresting innocent youths that were not involved, asking where people ran to,” he said.

He said since the incident; security agents had been cracking down on IPOB members.

“They have been doing house-to-house searches, stopping people on buses, checking peoples’ phones,” he said. “If they see any Biafran symbol on your phone, they will arrest you. People cannot walk on the streets. They have been patrolling everywhere.”

A woman who lives in the neighbourhood where the killings happened in Emene told SaharaReporters that the law enforcement agents appeared to be scared of a protest by IPOB.

“The army guys were wrong. They are the ones who shot first. They set up a roadblock along the Abakaliki Expressway in Enugu. They have been searching any youths they see in transit,” the woman, who is not a member of IPOB but craved anonymity, said.

She said Emene had been calm since the killings. “IPOB guys have never carried arms. They don’t act violently or harass people. Even though they want Biafra, they know they have to maintain the peace,” she said.

IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu who jumped bail in Nigeria and now lives abroad, is seeking the independent state of Biafra that would comprise the territories that were old eastern Nigeria before the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War between 1967 and 1970.

IPOP has endured numerous killings of its members by the Nigerian armed forces as documented by Amnesty International.

Despite not bearing arms or killing people, the Nigerian government branded IPOB a terrorist organisation and outlawed it. 

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Wahab Shittu, counsel to suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has said that the purported interim report of his client's probe did not emanate from the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel.

Magu is being investigated by the presidential panel over allegations of corruption and insubordination. 

He was arrested on July 6 in front of the EFCC office in Wuse II, Abuja.

The allegations were levelled against him by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Sunday, August 29, marked 55 days from the date of Magu’s arrest on July 6, 2020. 

The panel has been sitting for 40 days, excluding 14 weekends and public holidays.

In a statement on Sunday, Shittu said he confronted the panel with the consequence of the purported interim report in certain sections of the media.

He said Justice Salami refused the request that those, who published the stories should be summoned by the panel.

The lawyer also quoted Salami as saying he did not leak the interim report of the panel.

Shittu quoted Salami as saying, “The story arising from the so-called interim report is not from us. 

"What should concern you and your client is what the chairman said. Inviting the promoters of the story will not serve any useful purpose as they will not disclose their sources of the story. The purported story is a figment of their imagination.”
 

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Australia has denied allegations of subsidising or dumping wines in China, as bilateral tensions grow.

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China is yet react to the allegation which comes after several rounds of peace talks.

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The first commercial flight marks a major step in normalising ties between the two countries.