US firm fined $400m over African bribery allegations

The US hedge fund Och-Ziff Capital Management Group has been fined more than $400m (£310m) to settle charges connected to the bribery of "high-level government officials in Africa", the US finance watchdog body, the SEC says in a statement.

It adds that "the illicit payments induced the Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund to invest in Och-Ziff managed funds".

Abuja: FG Working to Boost Patronage of Made-in-Nigeria Products

This day September 30, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said his administration is currently working to improve patronage of locally made goods as well as enhance access to finance for Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.

He said efforts were also being made to bridge the gap between skills required by industry and those provided by the educational institutions.
He added that his administration would work with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the other Organised Private Sector (OPS) groups who are key stakeholders in achieving these objectives.

BREAKING: Train hits New Jersey Hoboken station - casualties feared

Source: BBC, September 29, 2016

A commuter train has crashed into a rail station in the city of Hoboken, in the US state of New Jersey.

Eyewitnesses at the scene have reported casualties but the extent of injuries is unclear.
Emergency crews have arrived. Photos on social media show extensive damage to the train carriage and station.
A local radio station anchor said the train went through the station and ticket barriers and "into the reception area".

Why the Fall of Aleppo Won’t End Syrian War, Only Change It

The Moscow Times September 29, 2016

Not so long ago, when Aleppo was only the subject of ground attacks, things were simpler. Mortars were thrown. People died, but they died suddenly.
Not so today. In today’s Aleppo, the only frontline is the sky. You have time to think, you have time to watch. After the first airstrike, there is always a second. A bomb with your name on it, waiting for you to rush out and try to dig your begging friends and family out of the rubble.
Those who survive in Aleppo can hardly be described as the lucky ones. They are the guilty ones. They are the walking dead.

Israel's Peres won Nobel prize but his Mideast peace dream remained elusive

Source: REUTERS, September 28, 2016


Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday at the age of 93, never realized his vision of a new Middle East built upon a 1993 interim peace deal he helped shape with the Palestinians.
But Israel's elder statesman won world acclaim and a Nobel prize as a symbol of hope in a region long plagued by war fueled by deep religious and political divisions.
Peres was hospitalized following a stroke two weeks ago and his condition had improved before a sudden deterioration on Tuesday, doctors said. In announcing his passing, family members said that he did not suffer pain, and as a last act after death, he donated his corneas for transplant.

Tanzania Magufuli fires officials over 'fake' earthquake account

Source: BBC, September 28, 2016

anzania's president has sacked two senior officials for opening a fake account to siphon money from an earthquake fund, his office has said.
An accountant had been suspended for being part of the plan to take money collected for earthquake victims, John Magufuli's office added in a statement.
At least 16 people died and 200 were wounded in the 10 September earthquake in the northern Kagera region.

Russian Orthodox Church Defends Anti-Abortion Petition

The Moscow Times, September 28, 2016

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has defended his support for a total ban on abortion and contraception as "not political." 

Patriarch Kirill signed a petition calling for the ban on Tuesday, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.

The petition, which was compiled by protest groups “For Life” and “Orthodox Volunteers,”  had been approved by a patriarchal commission on family, motherhood and children, the church said in a statement.

Buhari Not Keen on Asset Sale, For Soludo, It Will be a Historic Mistake

 Source: Thisdaylive September 27, 2016

As the debate over the proposed sale of national assets rages, THISDAY can exclusively confirm that President Muhammadu Buhari is not in the least bit keen on the disposal of Nigeria’s strategic assets as a means of shoring up foreign exchange reserves and/or ending the economic recession in the country.

Buhari’s position which he has kept very close to his chest, came to light just as a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, faulted the proposal that has been flaunted by members of the federal government’s Economic Management Team (EMT) and has received the blessing of the National Economic Council (NEC) and Senate President Bukola Saraki, among others, saying such a hasty auction of national assets could only benefit a privileged few with cash and access, while jeopardising Nigeria’s long-term economic interest.

Ethiopian deaths in fire at prison 'holding Oromo protesters'

BBC, September 5, 2016.

An unknown number of inmates have died after a fire at an Ethiopian prison where prominent anti-government protesters are reportedly being held.

Sustained gunfire could be heard coming from Qilinto prison, on the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa, after the fire broke out, local media reported.

Putin, Obama Discuss Ukraine on the Sidelines of G20 Summit

The Moscowtimes, September 5, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China’s city of Hangzhou, international news outlets reported Monday.

Following the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the two delegations had mainly discussed Syria as well as Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported Monday.

North Korea fires three ballistic missiles as G20 leaders meet in China

Reuters, September 5, 2016.

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea's military said, as the leaders of the Group of 20 major economies held a summit in China, the North's main diplomatic ally.

Hermine hammers Florida, leaving thousands without power

Reuters, September 2, 2016

Wind and rain from Hurricane Hermine slammed Florida's northern Gulf Coast before it weakened to a tropical storm and ploughed its way overland toward the Atlantic Coast on Friday.

Hermine made landfall early on Friday, bringing heavy rains and packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), causing damage and leaving tens of thousands of households without power along Florida's Gulf Coast.

The Final Encounter: Obama and Putin to Meet at G20 Summit

The Moscowtimes, September 2, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 4 to lock in his geopolitical gains in a private meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama before the clock runs out for the Obama administration.

SpaceX rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch

BBC September 2, 2016

A rocket operated by the aerospace company SpaceX has exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral where it was being test-fired ahead of a launch.

The force of the blast shook buildings several miles away.

SpaceX said "an anomaly" had occurred while the rocket was being loaded with fuel. No-one was injured, it said.

The rocket's payload, an Israeli-built communications satellite for Facebook due to launch on Saturday, was also destroyed, it added.

Russian Police Arrest Mothers, Widows and Journalists Attending Beslan Memorial Event

The Moscowtimes, September 1, 2016

Russian police have detained grieving relatives at an event commemorating the Beslan school massacre after they criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Thursday.

Five women who lost relatives in the tragedy were detained after they removed their jackets to reveal t-shirts with the slogan “Putin - Butcher of Beslan,” the newspaper reported.

Zuckerberg Pledges Support for Nigerian Tech Startups, SMEs

Thisday live, September 1, 2016

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, wednesday assured Nigerian technology startups and the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria of Facebook’s support that will enhance easy access and connectivity to the internet.

Zuckerberg, who made the pledge in Lagos while addressing technology startups on the second day of his visit to Nigeria, said Nigerian, which is the largest African market for Facebook, currently has 18 million people that are connected to Facebook, while the global figure of Facebook account is close to two billion people.

Some Hispanic Trump backers pull support after immigration speech leftright 8/8leftright

Rueters, September 1, 2016

Some Hispanic backers of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pulled their support after he stood by his hardline immigration stance and said anyone in the United States illegally would be subject to deportation if he were president.

Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles advocacy group, said on Thursday he felt "disappointed and misled" by a fiery Trump speech in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday that dashed the hopes of conservative Latinos that the businessman would soften his views on immigration.