US warships deployed to Korean peninsula

The US military has ordered a navy strike group to move towards the Korean peninsula, amid growing concerns about North Korea's missile programme.


The Carl Vinson Strike Group comprises an aircraft carrier and other warships.
US Pacific Command described the deployment - now heading towards the western Pacific - as a prudent measure to maintain readiness in the region.
President Trump has said the US is prepared to act alone to deal with the nuclear threat from North Korea.
"The number one threat in the region continues to be North Korea, due to its reckless, irresponsible and destabilising programme of missile tests and pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability," US Pacific Command spokesman Dave Benham said.

Russia St Petersburg metro explosion kill ten

The head of Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said the blast hit the train between Sennaya Ploschad and Tekhnologichesky Institut stations.

Images posted on social media showed a badly mangled carriage, with a number of casualties nearby.
President Vladimir Putin said all causes, including terrorism, were being investigated.


Initial reports suggested there had been two explosions, one at each of the two stations.
At least 50 people have been reported injured, and a number of children were among those hurt.
Andrei Przhezdomsky, the head of the Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee, said it was caused by "an unidentified explosive device" but that the exact cause had yet to be determined.
However, a spokesman for Russia's prosecutor general said the explosion was "a terrorist act".

St Petersburg's metro system is the 19th busiest in the world, with more than two million passengers every day. It has not suffered attacks before.
However, several transport hubs in Russia have been attacked. In 2010 at least 38 people died in a double suicide bombing on the Moscow metro.
In 2009, a bomb exploded on a high speed train travelling between Moscow and St Petersburg, killing 27 and injuring another 130.
Both attacks were claimed by Islamist groups.

David Rockefeller reportedly dies in his sleep

Former Chase Manhattan Chief Executive David Rockefeller has died at the age of 101.

Rockefeller reportedly died in his sleep at home in Pocantico Hills, New York, on Monday morning as a result of congestive heart failure, according to a family spokesperson Fraser P. Seitel.

The businessman, who had an estimated fortune of $3 billion, retired as head of Chase Manhattan in 1981 after a 35-year career.

Read the statement from the The Rockefeller Foundation confirming his death below...

Tanzania To Send 500 Doctors To Kenya To Curb Effects Of Doctors’ strike

Tanzania is to send 500 doctors to Kenya to help overcome the effects of a strike in public hospitals, the Tanzanian president’s office said on Saturday.

Kenya’s doctors went on strike in public hospitals on Dec. 5 over pay and working conditions.

A deal struck this week opened the way to negotiations to end the strike, but many doctors are still not back at work.

The strike means many public hospitals, already stretched for cash and materials, have had to turn away some patients. The situation threatened to undermine Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s bid for a second term this August.

Tanzanian President John Magufuli approved Kenya’s request for more doctors after he met Kenya’s Health Minister, Cleopas Mailu, in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

“Tanzania has accepted Kenya’s request for 500 doctors to help the country deal with a shortage of doctors at its medical centres following a doctors’ strike,” the statement from Magufuli’s office said.

“Kenya’s problems are Tanzania’s problems,” Magufuli was quoted as saying.

Kenya will pay the Tanzanian doctors and provide them housing, the statement said.

Tanzanian Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said Tanzania had many qualified, unemployed doctors.

The Kenyan Health Ministry and the Kenyan doctors’ union were unavailable for comment.

On Friday, there were only two doctors on duty at the Kenyatta National Hospital, the biggest public hospital in the country, a nurse told media reporter.

“We can give you some pain relief but it will be a long time before you see a doctor,” she cautioned a bleeding, screaming car accident victim as hospital staff inspected a deep cut to her leg.

2 Nigerian Authorities Clash In The Open Over Trump’s Immigration Policy

It all happened within 24 hours. One Nigerian official advised her countrymen not to travel to the United States unless there was a compelling reason to do so, until, she added in a statement, the United States immigration policy became clear.

Another Nigerian senior official then held a press conference discarding what the other official had said and telling his countrymen that Nigerians with valid travel documents were free to travel to the United States.

It all played out in the media – a tough press statement and a hurridly arranged press conference.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Tuesday countered a travel advisory by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Onyeama, at  a press conference in Abuja, said Nigerians with valid US visas were free to embark on their trips.

On Monday, Dabiri-Erewa advised Nigerians against visiting the US for now until there is clarity on US President Donald Trump’s new immigration policy.

Her advisory was issued, she said, following disclosure that Nigerians with valid travel documents were denied entry into the United States and sent back.

Nigerian newspaper, The Punch, quoted an unnamed source as saying that “Onyeama might have been directed to issue a rebuttal on the advisory in order to assert his position as the one in charge of the nation’s diplomatic relations”.

The source said, “The rebuttal of Dabiri-Erewa’s travel advisory clearly exposes the division in the Federal Government. For the minister to have issued a counter-advisory without broaching the issue with the SSA (Dabiri-Erewa) or even taking time to find out the veracity of the report confirms the deep crack in the government.

“Onyeama may have been pressured to stick his neck out  by a top member of the cabal and this is clear from the hastily organised press briefing he held.”

ThOnyeama  at the briefing denied that Nigerians with valid travel documents were being sent back. He called on Nigerians to ignore the travel advisory by the other official.

“On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the US, this is not the case. If the Nigerian government is speaking on any external relations, you will hear it from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Office of the President.

“I have reached out to the US Ambassador to Nigeria and the country’s high level officials who said nothing of such had happened. I can tell you to ignore the advice to reconsider travelling to the US because there is no basis for that,” he added.

According to Dabiri-Erewa, at least four Nigerians were denied entry into the US in the last two weeks.

She advised Nigerians without any compelling or essential reasons to visit the US to consider delaying their trips “until there is clarity on the new immigration policy.”

The Punch quoted a victim of the US travel ban, Francis Adekola, as narrating how he was detained for over 10 hours at the Atlanta Airport on February 15 and then placed on the next available flight  and returned to Abuja via Johannesburg.

A software engineer, Celestine Omin, had also tweeted his experience with the US border protection guards who delayed him and subjected him to mental humiliation when he visited America on the invitation of a tech firm, Andela.

The US Mission to Nigeria, however, denied that Nigerian citizens were barred from visiting America, pointing out that those denied entry might have had immigration issues peculiar to them.

The embassy spokesman, Russel Brooks, said Nigeria was not among countries affected by Trump’s executive order on immigration.

“On the statement  issued by the special assistant to the president, again Nigeria was not named among the six countries, Nigerians are still able to travel to the US just as they were previously. An individual’s ability to travel to the US is based on that individual’s circumstances,” Brooks said, noting that the US Department of Homeland Security which  was in charge of all the US ports of entry was free to allow or deny entry to any visitor, according to a report in The Punch.

Wikileaks Reveals How The CIA Can See Your Whatsapp Messages

A WikiLeaks data dump details ways in which the CIA can hack your devices. Here's everything we know.
The CIA may be equipped with an arsenal of hacking tools that can give it access to your phone, computer and other devices, according to a report by CBS News.

What did WikiLeaks publish?

WikiLeaks, the organization notorious for leaking highly secure government data, published a document exposing tactics the CIA uses to hack into our devices.

According to the WikiLeaks press release -- which includes information we have not yet independently verified -- the CIA lost control of an archive that details the ways in which it hacks devices. The archive landed in the hands of "former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive."

What do I need to know?

Here's the TL;DR: If the information WikiLeaks exposed is accurate, the CIA may be equipped with a variety of tools that let it hack into your phone, smart TV, computer and router. Basically, all the things you own that are connected to the internet.

It turns out that the CIA's tools can be used to read encrypted messages send on otherwise secure apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram.

What kind of devices can the CIA hack?

According to the report, the CIA can hack devices like:

Android phones
iPhones
Smart TVs (the report specifically outs Samsung TVs)
Routers
Windows and Linux computers
Mac computers

Can the CIA really read all of my encrypted WhatsApp (and other app) messages?

WikiLeaks data dump indicates that, yes, the CIA can bypass the encryption and view your private messages.

But I thought WhatsApp, Signal and other apps encrypted my messages?

Those apps do employ encryption, but that's useless if the CIA can hack your phone. If you crack the operating system, you don't need to crack the app.

The OS shows what's on screen, listens to you typing or dictating words and captures that unencrypted original data. If software -- like the alleged CIA's hacking software -- can access the phone at that privileged level, it doesn't matter whether data is encrypted at rest (stored on disk/flash memory) or in flight (sent over network).

One thing we're unsure of is which versions Android, iOS, Mac OS X, smart TV software and other operating systems WikiLeaks hacks.

How did it hack these devices?

There isn't a single method the CIA uses to hack internet-connected devices. According to the report, the CIA uses a combination of malware, viruses, trojans and what it's calling "zero day" exploits to gain access into these devices.

Does this mean devices like my phone and smart TV aren't secure?

We're still not sure. We're actively reaching out to companies mentioned in the WikiLeaks document and will update this story as the news develops.

Is there anything I can do to secure my phone?

We're not sure. The information currently available indicates that the devices the CIA hacks -- including phones, tablets, smart TVs and computers -- have vulnerabilities the organization is able to exploit. If this is true, it would mean that all affected companies would need to patch these vulnerabilities to secure the devices.

News Flash: 3 Boko Haram bombers strike north of Cameroon in 24 hours

- 3 Boko Haram bombers have reportedly struck in Cameroon within the past 24 hours

- One bombing took place, which only took the bomber's life and no other

- The bombing incident took place in Magdeme in the country’s far north, not that far from the border

According to SimonAteba.com, a Cameroonian news website, a bombing took place in Magdeme in the country’s far north, not that far from the border Cameroon shares with Nigeria.

The bombing which fortunately did not claim any other lives but that of the bomber suggests that the Boko Haram insurgency is not only affecting Nigeria, but is affecting other countries.

Also, L’Oeil du Sahel, a Cameroonian newspaper, on its Facebook page reported that two bombers who came from Nigeria were neutralized yesterday, March 6, night at Boudoua (Limani) by soldiers of the sector N01 of the multinational force.

The newspaper which is known for reporting Boko Haram attacks in the country said that the attack came only two days after a Cameroonian soldier who was in a joint military patrol with the Nigerian army died in the Borno state locality of Kumshe.

The soldier died when his vehicle climbed a landmine planted by the insurgents.

Meanwhile, Nigerian soldiers on Operation Lafiya Dole encountered Boko Haram terrorists in a clearance operation in Chikun Gudu, Bono state triggering a gun battle.

In a statement by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman who is the director of army public relations, he said the encounter took place on Friday, March 3.

He said some of the terrorists escaped with gun wounds while their vehicles and weapons were recovered.

Four soldiers were also injured in the encounter and have been taken to a medical facility for treatment.

Nigerians with valid visas denied entry into USA

The Federal Government has advised Nigerians against visiting the United States of America at the moment except for crucial matters as a result of the lack of clarity in the country’s new immigration rules.

The advisory was sequel to the barring of some Nigerians, with valid US visas, from entering the US in recent weeks.

“At least, four Nigerians with valid visas were denied entry to the US within the last two weeks and sent back to the country on the next available flights,” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, told The PUNCH on Monday.

In a statement on Monday, Dabiri-Erewa advised Nigerians without any compelling or essential reasons to visit the US to consider delaying their trip “until there is clarity in the new immigration policy.”

She added, “In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas, being denied entry and sent back to Nigeria.

“In such cases reported to the office, the affected persons were sent back immediately on the next available flights and their visas were cancelled.”

She reminded Nigerians in the Diaspora to abide by the rules and regulations of their host countries and be good ambassadors of the country.

Francis Adekola, who was affected by the immigration restriction, explained that he was prevented from attending a friend’s wedding in Mississippi on February 15, 2017.

Narrating his bitter experience, Adekola said he was detained for over 10 hours before he was placed on aircraft and returned to Abuja via Johannesburg.

He said, “I travelled to the US on February 15, but when we got to the Atlanta airport, where I was to connect another flight, I was asked to step aside at the check-in counter by an armed border protection officer.

“He walked me to the luggage section and searched my wallet and bag. He also collected my telephone (set) and went through the contents: SMSes, pictures, WhatsApp chats, everything.”

Adekola, who recently finished his Ph.D at a Canadian university, said he was informed by the immigration agent that he did not have strong ties in Nigeria and that he might not go back home if allowed into the US.

Though he was allowed to speak to someone in the US, he stated that he was still prevented from entering America.

Adekola added that his mobile was not returned to him until he got to Johannesburg.

“My documents were not released to me until the plane was airborne on its way to Abuja even though my home was in Lagos,” he said.

He explained that he saw some nationals of other countries, who were also denied entry to the US, noting that the wasted trip cost him over N1m in airfare.

The US embassy could not be reached for comment as it had yet to respond to an email, sent to it, seeking its reaction to the barring of Nigerians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also unavailable for comment.

Its spokesman, Clement Aduku, did not return calls to his mobile and had yet to respond to an SMS as of the time of filing this report on Monday.

Muhammadu Buhari Speaks With Alpha Conde, Chairman Of African Union

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Conde of Guinea on Friday initiated a phone call to President Muhammadu Buhari in London, to wish him good health and speedy recovery.

A statement on Saturday by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, said that Conde called on behalf of leaders of member countries of the AU.

The AU chairperson assured the Nigerian president that all African leaders stood with him in prayers.

Buhari thanked Conde for the call, and congratulated him on his election as AU chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017.

The Nigerian President, who could not attend the AU Summit, wished his Guinean counterpart a successful tenure.

President Buhari also expressed confidence that Africa will witness improved political stability, security and economic growth during Conde’s tenure.

Obama tapped my phone during campaign – Trump

President Donald Trump on Saturday accused his predecessor Barack Obama of “tapping” his phone during last year’s White House campaign, without providing evidence of the explosive charge.

“I’d bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

“How low has President Obama gone to tapp (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!,” he wrote in another tweet.

Venezuela Is Down To Its Last $10 Billion!

I think we should be grateful that Nigeria's case is not this bad.
Venezuela's foreign reserves down to only 10billion dollars!

Caracas is running out of cash.
Venezuela only has $10.5 billion in foreign reserves left, according to its most recent central bank data.
For rest of the year, Venezuela owes roughly $7.2 billion in outstanding debt payments.
In 2011, Venezuela had roughly $30 billion in reserves. In 2015, it had $20 billion. The trend can't persist much longer, but it's hard to know exactly when Venezuela will run completely out of cash.
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"The question is: Where is the floor?" says Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed income strategy at Nomura Holdings. "If oil prices stagnate and foreign reserves reach zero, then the clock is going to start on a default."
venezuela reserves
According to the country's recently released 2016 financial report, about $7.7 billion of its remaining $10.5 billion of reserves is in gold. To make debt payments in the past year, Venezuela shipped gold to Switzerland.
The thinning reserves paint a scary financial picture as the country faces a humanitarian crisis sparked by an economic meltdown. Venezuelans are suffering massive food and medical shortages, as well as skyrocketing grocery prices.

Trump's International Hotel Guts Fire

A small fire broke out at Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York earlier this morning.

The fire broke out in an apartment on the 47th floor of the tower which is near Central Park.

Dozens of fire engines and emergency service workers rushed to the hotel to deal with the fire, but it was quickly contained.

Fire investigators are looking into what happened, but have said they are no longer treating it as suspicious.



It is believed to have been started as a result of a piece of machinery malfunctioning at a flat that is being developed.

The fire was put out at 5.20am (10.20GMT), nearly an hour after it started at 4.30am (9.30GMT).

Police are investigating the cause of the fire along with firefighters and one person suffered smoke inhalation.

The building is 52 storeys high and is the 64th tallest building in New York.

Third Batch: Another 180 Nigerians return from Libya on Tuesday

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this on Friday while receiving the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons Commission, Sadiya Farouk, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

That is the third batch of Nigerians that will be returning from Libya in the last one month. 171 returned on February 21 while 161 returned on February 14.

Dabiri-Erewa said the Federal Government was expecting more migrants back in the country with the current happenings around the world.

She said her office would, therefore, be working with the commission to sensitise Nigerians on the need to avoid some countries.

She said, “Your visit is timely because we expect more migrants back home. In fact, 180 Nigerians are expected back from Libya on Tuesday.

“With what is going on around the world, it is going to be worse.

“We will work with your commission to continue to sensitise Nigerians on the need for them to know that some places are not just worth it.”

Earlier, Farouk had commended Dabiri-Erewa for her efforts towards ensuring that Nigerians in diaspora are treated with dignity.

She condemned the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa and pledged her commitment to a sustained advocacy to end such unwarranted attacks.

She promised to work with Dabiri-Erewa to educate Nigerians on the dangers of irregular migration.

Farouk said, “These programmes will better inform Nigerians on their options so they can make informed decision and develop realistic expectations when travelling outside the country.

“It is important to note that the issue of sensitisation is an offshoot of the National Migration Dialogue.

“The dialogue highlighted the need to establish a migration desk in all states and local governments which will provide sensitization from the grassroots level in order to curb the root causes of irregular migration.”

She said the commission has also developed a return, readmission and reintegration programme which provides referrals to settlement services for returnees.

To further cater for returnees, Farouk said the commission has also developed a standard operating procedure for the conduct of return, readmission and reintegration of Nigerians.

“What is currently obtainable is an ad-hoc approach which is not sustainable.

“The SOP when operationalised will ensure that the returning Nigerian migrants are adequately reintegrated into the society.

“The SOP has been validated by the relevant stakeholders but yet to be institutionalised. We, therefore, seek your partnership to ensure the operationalisation,” she added.

Nigerian Software Engineer given test to prove he is an engineer at JFK Airport

Donald Trump's temporary immigration ban and the ensuing heightened security procedures for travelers from outside the U.S. have caused a great deal of trouble for visitors to the country.

On Sunday, though, things got taken to the next level when the Customs and Border Protection office reportedly claimed its latest victim: 28-year-old Celestine Omin, who was traveling from Lagos, Nigeria on business.

Omin, a software engineer at Andela — a tech startup that connects developers in Africa with U.S employers — had a particularly unwelcoming reception when he deplaned at John F. Kennedy Airport and was given a test to prove he was actually a software engineer.

A LinkedIn post detailing Omin's challenging experience explained that upon landing in New York after spending 24 miserable hours on a Qatar Airways flight, he was given some trouble about the short-term visa he obtained for his trip.

According to the post, an unprepared and exhausted Omin waited in the airport for approximately 20 minutes before being questioned by a Customs and Border Protection officer about his occupation. After several questions were asked, he was reportedly brought to a small room and told to sit down, where he was left for another hour before another customs officer entered and resumed grilling him.

"Your visa says you are a software engineer. Is that correct?" the officer reportedly asked Omin. After verbally confirming his occupation, Omin was given a piece of paper and a pen to test his knowledge as a software engineer.

Omin was instructed to answer the following questions:
"Write a function to check if a Binary Search Tree is balanced."

"What is an abstract class, and why do you need it."

According to the LinkedIn post, Omin who has over seven years of experience in his department, was seriously sleep deprived and emotionally flustered by this point. Thus, he felt the questions were "opaque and could have multiple answers." In fact, to him they looked suspiciously like the officer simply Googled, "Questions to ask a software engineer," which he addressed in comments on his Twitter account.

Once Omin was released from the airport, he learned that U.S. Customs even called his employer, Andela, along with New York based firm and client First Access for additional questioning.

Christina Sass, co-founder of Andela, reportedly received the call about Omin, and explained this was the first time any of Andela's engineers have been grilled with questions specific to software engineering.

"Celestine was the first software engineer at one of the most visible e-commerce sites in Africa and is exactly the kind of person we want coming to America and sharing his skills," said Jeremy Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Andela.

"Tapping into brilliant minds like Celestine’s is a huge help to many American companies who are struggling to find talent," Johnson told LinkedIn. "We want to make sure that our team members around the world know what to prepare for and don’t get unnecessarily hassled for their work."

For fear of similar roadblocks taking place in the future, Johnson reportedly reached out to Customs and Border Protection to seek additional information surrounding the mishap with Omin's work visa.

BREAKING: Aircraft crashes into shops next to Essendon airport, burst in flames

Emerging reports from Melbourne suggests that a charter plane has crashed into a shopping centre next to Essendon Airport.

According to Daily Mail, five people were onboard the Beechcraft charter plane to King Island, towards Tasmania.

Huge plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the airport in the city's north on Tuesday morning after the plane crashed just before 9am.

Witnesses said the plane got to about 100 feet, put out two mayday calls and then crashed.

The plane veered during take-off and crashed into shops at the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) outlet mall, and into the Spotlight store.

The shopping centre opens at 10am.

The area is being evacuated and surrounding roads will be affected for some time, police said.

'There is constant explosions going off, there is black smoke billowing into the sky,' one caller told 3AW on Tuesday.

Motorists on the nearby Tullamarine freeway have posted videos and pictures of black smoke pouring out from the side of the DFO building.


Witnesses have described the horrific moment a charter plane crashed into a warehouse next to Essendon Airport on Tuesday morning, before it burst into flames.

The charter flight bound for King Island went down soon after take-off at 9am, with five people on board, Police Minister Lisa Neville confirmed.

Footage from onlookers shows smoke and flames billowing from the wreckage, with witnesses saying they saw the aircraft reach just 100feet before putting in two mayday calls.

'I saw a ball of flames,' one witness told Neil Mitchell. 'My heart's racing.'

'There is constant explosions going off, there is black smoke billowing into the sky,' another caller told 3AW on Tuesday.

Motorists on the nearby Tullamarine freeway have posted videos and pictures of black smoke pouring out from the side of the DFO building.

The Tullamarine and Calder freeways are now closed as firefighters work at the crash scene.

A wheel from the plane ended up on the Tullamarine Freeway, closing the road in both directions and delaying emergency services.

VicRoads warned commuters to avoid the area and expect heavy delays on all detours.

Mugabe Rules Out Retirement At 93 - I Have No Acceptable Successor

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has ruled out retirement as he looks forward to his 93rd birthday next Tuesday.

There had been calls for him to retire due to old age.

According to him, he has no "acceptable" successor in place, hence he won't give up power.

"The call to step down must come from my party, my party at congress, my party at central committee," Mugabe said in excerpts from a radio broadcast that will air this week.

"But then what do you see? It's the opposite. They want me to stand for elections."

"The majority of the people feel that there is no replacement, a successor who to them is acceptable, as acceptable as I am," he added.

Mugabe, who has kept an iron grip on power since Zimbabwe declared independence in 1980, has repeatedly denied reports of health problems.

“If Mugabe Dies, We Will Field His Corpse As A Candidate For Election” - Wife

First lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe has said that her husband, Robert Mugabe is so much loved by his people to an extent that even if he dies, he will still be fielded as a candidate in a presidential election and Zimbabweans will still massively vote for him.



The 51 years old first lady, who now performs most of his aged husband’s presidential functions and is touted as his possible replacement said this during a rally by the ZANU-PF, the Zimbabwean ruling party.



“If Mugabe dies, we will field his corpse as a candidate for elections to prove that people love him.”

She told thousands of cheering supporters at the rally in Buhera, Eastern Zimbabwe.



“You will see people voting for Mugabe as a corpse. I am seriously telling you – just to show people how people love their president.”

she added.



Grace Mugabe further echoed her husbands role during the guerrilla war against white rule, adding that Mugabe’s associates whom she accused of plotting to take over from him were too old to take power.



“Anyone who was with Mugabe in 1980 has no right to tell him he is old. If you want Mugabe to go, then you leave together. You also have to leave. Then we take over because we were not there in 1980.”

She said.



92 year old Mugabe has increasingly become scarce in the public while the first lady increased her public engagements in recent months. Late last year, the first lady told a women congregation that she was ready to run for the presidency since she was doing everything for her husband.



Mugabe who is set to turn 93 on Tuesday has ruled the southern Africa nation since 1987 amidst a tumbling economy and poor human rights record. A popular pastor who last year led a popular protest against the Mugabe regime was recently arrested, and after he was released on bail he expressed interest in contesting against Mugabe in the country’s 2018 General election.



Though it is not yet clear how he will fare against a living Mugabe, it is much harder predicting how he will fare against his corpse.

See What This Nigerian Did At Lagos Airport After Being Deported From Libya

A total of 162 Nigerians stranded in the Islamic Republic of Libya were returned back home today and received by the National Emergency Management Agency along with the office of the Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters. A chartered flight that brought the returnees arrived the cargo wing of Murtala Mohammed International Airport where they were officially received at about 4pm.

Director General of NEMA was represented by the Deputy Director Search and Rescue Dr Onimode while the Special Assistant to the President Hon Abike Dabiri was represented by Mr Abdulrahman Balogun.

Breakdown of the returnees as given by Dr Onimode shows that 61 of them were males and 101 females. He further explained that among the males were 2 children and 7 infants while the females had 7 children and 2 infants.

He also said that the return of the stranded Nigerians were facilitated by the International Organization for Migration as on arrival, they were profiled, fed and assisted back to their various towns and homes.

See what President Buhari and President Trump talked about during their phone conversation

President Buhari and President Donald Trump at 3:45pm today had a phone conversation.


Read what they talked about after the cut…

“President Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon from London spoke to President Donald Trump on telephone at the request of the American President.

The conversation was cordial and President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States, and on his cabinet.

The two leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.

President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military.

President Trump assured the Nigerian President of US readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism.

President Trump also invited President Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date.

FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 13, 2017.”

CNN Confirm Trump Buhari Phone Calls

President Donald Trump has been increasingly chatting with other world leaders during his first weeks in office. On Monday he turned his attention to Africa.

Trump spent Monday morning calling two of the continent's most prominent leaders, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and South African President Jacob Zuma, to discuss combating terrorism, trade relations and other issues.

According to Buhari's aide, Femi Adesina, Trump assured the Nigerian president that the US is ready to help obtain "a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism."

In a statement to CNN, Adesina also said, "President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military."

Opinion: Nigeria's protests signal the end of blank checks for leaders

In 2014 nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from a boarding school in Chibok by terror group Boko Haram. Most remain missing, although the terror groupreleased a group of them last October in a deal brokered in part by Nigerian authorities.

Trump also invited President Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date. Buhari, who congratulated Trump on his election, is currently in London on an extended break while he awaits the results of unspecified medical tests.

After his call with Buhari, President Trump also requested and completed a phone call with South Africa's Zuma.