XBASE UPDATES : March 2016

Sunday, 6 March 2016

US election 2016: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz call for 'one-on-one' after Super Saturday wins

US election 2016: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz call for 'one-on-one' after Super Saturday wins

Following a week of concerted attacks from the Republican establishment, Donald Trump’s grip on the party’s presidential nomination at last appeared to weaken – just barely – last night. Texas Senator Ted Cruz triumphed in two states, Kansas and Maine, at the so-called “Super Saturday” primaries, further cementing his claim that he is the one remaining GOP candidate capable of beating Mr Trump.

Yet his victories have likely come too late to seriously hinder the New York billionaire, who also claimed a brace of states yesterday: a marginal win over Mr Cruz in Kentucky, and a 20-point landslide in Louisiana, which, with 47 delegates, was the biggest trophy of the weekend.

Speaking last night in West Palm Beach, Florida, Mr Trump urged Marco Rubio to drop out of the race, after the Florida Senator suffered another poor set of results, including a fourth-place finish in Maine. Mr Trump added that he would relish the prospect of a two-way tussle with Mr Cruz. “I would love to take on Ted one-on-one, that would be so much fun,” he said.
The Republican results were mirrored by the Democratic race, with Bernie Sanders securing symbolic victories in Kansas and Nebraska, even as front-runner Hillary Clinton conserved her growing delegate lead with 70-23 per cent triumph over the Vermont Senator in Louisiana.

While the states up for grabs this weekend were minor in terms of their delegate count, the results will give a glimmer of hope to those still striving to keep the GOP nomination out of Mr Trump’s reach. In recent days, GOP donors have ploughed funds into an anti-Trump Super PAC, while several high-profile Republicans have come out against the pugnacious property magnate.

On Thursday the party’s 2012 presidential pick, Mitt Romney, delivered a broadside against The Donald, calling him a “fraud”. Mr Romney laid out a plan to defeat Mr Trump at a brokered party convention. While it may be too late to consolidate voters behind a single non-Trump candidate, his rivals could collectively deprive him of the majority of delegates required to sew up the nomination.

Until recently, Mr Cruz was considered singularly unpalatable to many of his own GOP colleagues, yet he now looks increasingly like the party’s only plausible alternative to Mr Trump. On Saturday the Texas Senator topped a straw poll of conservative activists at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland.

With 50.7 per cent in the Kansas caucuses, he also became the first Republican candidate to claim more than half the vote in any state. Campaigning last night in Idaho ahead of that state’s primary on Tuesday, Mr Cruz said: “Kansas, CPAC and Maine are all very different sets of voters, and I think what it represents is a Republican party coalescing against Donald Trump.”

Mr Trump’s opponents are already looking ahead to Florida and Ohio, two delegate-rich, winner-take-all states both set to vote on 15 March, where Mr Rubio and Ohio governor John Kasich ought to enjoy home advantages. Yet while a new poll puts Mr Kasich in front in Ohio, Mr Trump appears to have a double-digit lead over Mr Rubio in Florida. Meanwhile, Mr Cruz is reportedly planning to campaign hard in the Sunshine state, in hopes of knocking Mr Rubio out of the race altogether.

For Bernie Sanders, Super Saturday offered a repeat in miniature of Super Tuesday, with the socialist Senator from Vermont unable to attract significant support in the South, where African-American voters have come out overwhelmingly on Ms Clinton’s side. Her win in Louisiana will have given her almost as many delegates as Mr Sanders’ collected in Kansas and Nebraska combined.

Majority of UK women don't bathe or take a shower daily

Majority of UK women don't bathe or take a shower daily

The majority of women in the UK don’t bathe or take a shower each day because they are too tired, new research has revealed.

The survey also showed that as many as one in three women admitted that they had gone as long as three days without washing or wiping their face or body at all.

Some 57 per cent of women acknowledged the importance of hygiene, but said that they didn't have the time to shower or bathe before bed, and instead opted to freshen up with wipes.

The survey of over 2,000 females by skin care range Flint + Flint also showed that over 60 per cent of women did not remove their makeup before bed after a night out, with 35 per cent of those saying they were worried about getting enough sleep.

Asked whether they washed in the morning, only a fifth of women said they took a shower or bath every day, with over 30 percent revealing they did not wash for three days at time.

However, 92 per cent of participants said they understood the importance of a skin care regime and recognised that life-style factors such as lack of sleep and dehydration can impact the appearance of their skin.

Almost 90 per cent of women surveyed said they didn’t improve their hygiene because they were too tired in the morning or evening.

The NHS advises that to maintain a basic level of hygiene, a person must wash their face and brush their teeth daily; clean their hands after using the toilet; wash their genital and anal area each day; and fully bath or shower at least twice a week.

Flint + Flint owner Maxine Flint said the company was "alarmed" by the survey.

“We were alarmed to hear about the amount of women not looking after their skin by following basic skin care regimes. It is so important to clean your face daily and moisturise to slow down the ageing process.”

"It’s true that today’s pace of life is fast but surely as a nation we haven’t become too busy to wash!”

Iranian billionaire businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death

Iranian billionaire businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death for corruption, justice officials say. He was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channelled through his companies. He denies the allegations. Zanjani was convicted of fraud and economic crimes, a judiciary spokesperson said at a press briefing. Two others were also sentenced to death and all were ordered to repay embezzled funds. One of Iran's richest men, Zanjani had been blacklisted by the US and EU for helping Iran evade oil sanctions in place at the time. He had acknowledged using a web of companies in the UAE, Turkey, and Malaysia to sell millions of barrels of Iranian oil on behalf of the government since 2010. Before his arrest, Zanjani had claimed international sanctions were preventing him from handing over $1.2bn still owed to the government. He was taken into custody a day after President Hassan Rouhani ordered his government to fight "financial corruption", particularly "privileged figures" who had "taken advantage of economic sanctions".

Abia North Re-run: INEC declares PDP’s Ohuabunwa as winner

The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, who won four out of the five local government areas in the Abia North Senatorial election re-run, has been declared winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

He defeated former governor of the state and candidate of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA, Orji Uzor Kalu; Dr. David Onuoha-Bourdex of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and Nnenna Nma Lancaster-Okoro of the All Progressives Congress.

Details soon

Shirley Frimpong-Manso wins Best Picture Editor at AMVCAs

Shirley Nana Akua Frimpong-Manso won the award for Best Picture Editor at this year’s Africa Magic Viewers Choice held Saturday in Lagos.

Miss Frimpong-Manso’s win was a huge statement for Ghana, which failed to go home with a single award last year. The serial winner was not present to receive the award but took to Twitter to express her excitement.

In its 4th year, this year’s ceremony, which kicked off Friday evening with a nominees cocktail party, played host to key industry professionals drawn from the continent’s booming and emerging markets.

Still one of Africa’s biggest nights in movies, the AMVCA acknowledges the contribution made by Pan African filmmakers, actors and technicians to the success of the continent’s film & television industries. It honours the rich entrepreneurial and creative spirit of the African filmmaker.

Winners at tonight’s event received the prestigious AMVCA trophy.

The AMVCA is appreciated by the continent’s biggest players. Organizers maintain the scheme will endeavour to cultivate and inspire new talent within the various Pan African industries through its development programme. Content and technical Master Classes took place prior to the awards.

Ghana’s Patrick Asante of House of Eccentric lost out on the award for Best Costume Design for the Juliet-Asante-directed ‘Silverrain’ while Nana Mensah also lost in the Best Actress (Comedy) category. Juliet Asante missed out on winning the Best Movie in West Africa as well as the overall Best Movie award, which went to Stephanie Linus’ ‘Dry’.

Ghana’s nominated duo of Majid Michel and Van Vicker in the Best Actor (Drama) were beaten to it by Daniel K. Daniel for the movie ‘A Soldier’s Story’.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by South African beauty Minenhle Dlamini and IK Osakioduwa.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS HERE

Best Art Director – Frank Raja Arase for “The Refugees”

Best TV Series – Ariyike Oladipo for “Daddy’s Girls”

Best Makeup Artist– Louiza Calore for “Ayanda”

Best Short Film – Oluseyi Amuwa for “A Day With Death”

Best Writer – Trish Malone for “Ayanda”

Best Lighting – Stanley Ohikuare for “Common Man”

Best Cinematography – Paul Michaelson for “Tell Me Sweet Something”

Best Sound Editor – Marquez Jose Guillermo for “Dry”

Best Picture Editor – Shirley Frimpong-Manso for “Rebecca”

Best Costume Design – Uche Nancy for “Dry”

Best Local Language (Swahili) – Single Mtambalike for “Kitendawali”

Best Local Language (Hausa) – Salisu Balarabe for “Dadin Kowa”

Best Local Language (Yoruba) – Abiodun Jomoh & Jumoke Odetola for “Binta Ofege”

Best Local Language (Igbo) – Paul Igwe for “Usekwu Igbo”

Best Documentary – Remi Vaughan Richards for “Faaji Agba”

Best Supporting Actor – Sambassa Nseribe for “A Soldier’s Story”

Best Supporting Actress – Tunbosun Aiyedehin “Before 30”

Best Actor (Comedy) – Folarin Falz Falana for “Jenifa’s Diary”

Best Actress (Comedy) – Funke Akindele for “Jenifa’s Diary”

2016 AMVCA Trailblazer – Kemi Lala Akindoju

2016 AMVCA Industry Merit Awards – Bukky Ajayi & Sadiq Daba

Best Movie (Southern Africa) – “Lilongwe” by Joyce Mhango Chavula

Best Movie (Eastern Africa) – “Mapenzi” by Elizabeth Michael

Best Movie (Western Africa) – “Road To Yesterday” by Chinny Onwugbenu, Genevieve Nnaji & Chichi Nwoko

Best Actress (Drama) – Adesua Etomi for “Falling”

Best Actor (Drama) – Daniel K. Daniel for “A Soldier’s Story”

Best Director – Akin Omotosho for “Tell Me Sweet Something”

Best Overall Movie – “Dry” by Stephanie Linus

Ghana will pursue investments in oil, gas - Buah

As part of the government’s effort to ensure that the oil and gas sector contributes towards the transformational agenda being pursued by President John Dramani Mahama, major oil and gas projects are still being pursued in Ghana, despite the downturn of crude oil prices worldwide.

This was made known by the Petroleum Minister, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, following the arrival of the FPSO Prof. John Evans Atta Mills (FPSO Atta Mills) on the shores of Ghana on March 2, 2016.

It will produce and store oil from Ghana’s Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) offshore oilfields being operated by Tullow Ghana Limited and its partners.

A statement signed by Mr Edward Abambire Bawa, the Head of Communications at the Ministry of Petroleum, and issued in Accra quoted Mr Buah as saying that “the arrival of the FPSO Atta Mills moves us to a sustained production of oil and gas”.

The minister also emphasised that the gas sector was the major game changer for Ghana’s economy and added that “the government is systematically developing additional gas fields and ramping up volumes in existing fields”.

“The President’s vision of ensuring that by 2020 Ghana gets 3,000MW of power will be achieved because we estimate that with the various projects lined up, gas volumes from indigenous fields will be enough to generate over 3,000MW of power,” the statement quoted the minister as pointing out.

It said he noted that significant progress had been made in the implementation of the Local Content Regulation, L.I. 2204.

“Significant local content milestones have been achieved with the enhanced participation of Ghanaians in the procurement of TEN and ENI projects,” he added.

“Participation of indigenous Ghanaian businesses in major infrastructure projects within the oil and gas sector continues to grow.

“For instance, in the construction of the FPSO Atta Mills, Ghanaian companies contributed remarkably. The deck of the vessel, which is lined with hundreds of modules and pipe rack support tools, were fabricated by Ghanaian companies,” it added

He further stated that in the next decade, 80 per cent of Ghana’s source of power would come from thermal generation, with gas as the critical feed stock.

64-year-old Ghanaian woman jailed for smuggling heroin to NY

New York City prosecutors sentenced a 64-year-old Ghanaian woman to more than two years in prison Friday for stuffing heroin inside dried fish and trying to smuggle the drug-filled treats into the United States.

The fishy smuggler was caught by officials at John F. Kennedy airport with three kilos of heroin, after an attentive customs agent singled her out for inspection upon her arrival last February on a flight from Amsterdam originating in Ghana, the New York Daily News reported.

Rose Amanor's 27-month sentence was short compared to the six-and-a-half years in prison prosecutors originally threatened.

Trying to excuse herself, the woman blamed her son for coercing her to bring the heroin to the US, according to the Daily News.

'I am asking you to have mercy on me so I can go home to my family and enjoy whatever time I have left with my family,' the woman said through an interpreter.

But the judge called her out on what he referred to as an 'incessant number of fish stories' told to authorities.

'I find it totally incredible that Mrs. Amanor didn't know what it was that she was doing,' federal judge Eric Vitaliano said according to the Daily News.

'It certainly was a disrespect for the law, sitting in this courtroom and spinning this incredible tale under oath.'

Amanor, who has been in custody for 13 months, had her request of a sentence of time served denied, and will be deported to Ghana upon her release from prison.

Man shot dead by Toronto police ID'd as missing Ottawa resident

Man shot dead by Toronto police ID'd as missing Ottawa resident
Devon LaFleur, 30, was killed near Bayview and Steeles avenues late Friday

The man fatally shot by Toronto police officers Friday night in North York was an Ottawa resident with a history of mental illness.

The Special Investigations Unit, Ontario's police watchdog, says officers shot the 30-year-old man during a confrontation in front of a house on Bayview Avenue — south of Steeles Avenue East — around 10 p.m. last night.

He was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police in Toronto and Ottawa would not identify the victim, but his uncle told CBC News it was Devon LaFleur, whom Ottawa officers reported as missing and possibly armed with a gun on Friday.

Devon LaFleur, 30, was fatally shot in a confrontation with Toronto police on Friday night. (Facebook )
At the time, police warned people not to approach LaFleur. His family told officers they were concerned for his safety.

On Saturday, Ottawa police issued a short statement saying LaFleur had been found, offering no further details.

According to his family, LaFleur suffered from bipolar disorder.

Devon LaFleur was reported missing in Ottawa before he was killed in a confrontation with police in Toronto. The SIU is investigating his death. (Facebook)
SIU spokesman Jason Gennaro told reporters that three officers shot at the man. Another nine who were on the scene will also be part of the investigation.

"If witnesses saw anything they should contact the lead investigator at the SIU," Gennaro said.

The SIU investigates deaths, serious injuries or alleged sexual assault involving the police.

US: Front-runners split Super Saturday

Cruz, Sanders victories show Republican, Democratic races for nomination far from over

There is more than a fair bit of fight left in the U.S. presidential race, with Republican and Democratic front-runners facing significant competition from their fellow candidates on Saturday.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was first to claim a state – taking nearly 50 percent of the vote in Kansas while his nearest competitor, real estate mogul Donald Trump, claimed just under 25 percent.
Cruz also claimed a victory in Maine while Trump, who continues to hold a commanding lead in the delegate count, won Louisiana and Kentucky. That makes seven total victories for Cruz to Trump's 12.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio again failed to gain momentum, casting questions over the future of his campaign. Ohio Gov. John Kasich was also winless Saturday.
Addressing supporters at a campaign rally in Idaho, where Republicans vote on March 8, Cruz said that his early win was a sign that conservatives were rallying behind him.
“We saw on Tuesday, the Super Tuesday results that were extraordinary. And today on Super Saturday, we seem to be seeing a continuation of that very same pattern,” he said.
The polls in five states – Kansas, Louisiana, Maine and Kentucky for Republicans and Kansas, Louisiana and Nebraska for Democrats – closely followed the single biggest day of voting in the presidential nomination process, Super Tuesday, and was just 10 days before a handful of big states, including Florida and Ohio, vote on March 15.
For the Democrats, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won in Nebraska and Kansas while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed a victory in Louisiana.
That give Sanders a total of seven state wins, compared to Clinton’s 11. But in terms of delegates, Clinton continues to dominate with at least 1,117 to Sanders’s 477. A Democratic candidate requires 2,383 delegates to gain the party’s nomination.
Saturday’s elections followed growing tensions among Republican contenders after Trump scored 10 victories across the country on Tuesday, quickly becoming the focus of his opponents’ ire.
After Rubio’s continued failure to gain traction as Trump racks up new victories, it is unclear if he will bow out before the pivotal March 15 contests. The senator from Florida faces the possibility of a humiliating loss in the state, a crucial winner-take-all primary.
Rubio has claimed only one win so far.

Sudanese leader Hassan al-Turabi hospitalised

Sudanese leader Hassan al-Turabi hospitalised after what falling unconscious in his office

Sudanese leader of the Popular Congress Party Hassan al-Turabi is in critical condition after what was described as a heart attack after falling unconscious in his office.

EU to push Turkey to take back refugees on 'large-scale'

European Union's 28 leaders are pinning much of their hopes for reducing the chaos on new commitments from Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

European leaders will push Turkey at a summit on Monday to agree to "large-scale" deportations of economic refugees from Greece, as EU chief Donald Tusk says he sees the first hints of a resolution to the refugee crisis.
With a fresh surge expected in the warmer spring weather, the European Union's 28 leaders are pinning much of their hopes for reducing the chaos on new commitments from Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The EU will also push Ankara to drastically reduce the huge flow of refugees into Europe, as Turkey is the launch pad for most of the more than one million refugees who have come to the continent since early 2015.
On Saturday, European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramapoulos said Greece -- already struggling with a buildup of 30,000 refugees -- was expected to receive "another 100,000" by the end of March.
But lingering tensions flared when Turkish police seized an opposition newspaper at the weekend and Brussels warned Ankara it had to respect media freedom in its decade-long bid for EU membership -- also a topic in the refugee talks.
Tusk, the European Council president and summit host, said in his invitation letter that success depended largely on securing Turkey's agreement at the summit for the "large-scale" readmission from Greece of economic migrants who do not qualify as refugees.
"It would effectively break the business model of the smugglers," Tusk said when he also raised the idea on Thursday in Ankara with Davutoglu.
Brussels has meanwhile unveiled a plan for saving the passport-free Schengen zone, which has been jeopardised by several countries closing their borders to stop the huge influx of people from Syria and elsewhere.

Turkey's Aselsan signs railway deal with Spain's Indra

Defense systems producer Aselsan and Spain's Indra plan more cooperation on non-defense projects

Leading Turkish defense manufacturer ASELSAN announced Friday that it had signed an agreement with Spain's Indra to work together on railway control systems.
The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding designed to create the framework for future collaboration on railway planning, traffic management, signaling, and control system projects for Turkey and international markets, Aselsan said in a statement.
The two companies also intend to expand their cooperation in non-defense sectors.
“Aside from their defense sector activities, ASELSAN and Indra, who are their own domestic market leaders as well as reliable international market suppliers, cooperatively will be expanding activities in fast-growing non-defense sectors relying on their system solutions,” said the statement.

Brazil police detain ex-president Lula in corruption probe

Police have searched Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's house in Sao Paulo, the offices of the Lula Institute, and houses of family members

Police searched the home of Brazil's powerful ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and detained him for questioning Friday in a probe into a huge corruption scheme.
Agents searched his house in Sao Paulo, the offices of the Lula Institute, and houses of family members, Jose Chrispiniano, a spokesman for Lula and his institute, told AFP.
The federal police also issued a statement confirming earlier media reports of the dramatic development in Brazil's corruption probe, dubbed Operation Car Wash.
Officials said that a major sweep including detentions and searches of properties had taken place in three states as police deepened their probe into a vast embezzlement and bribery conspiracy centered on national oil company Petrobras.
Authorities were to hold a press conference at 1300 GMT.
"About 200 federal police and 30 auditors served 44 warrants, including 33 warrants for search and seizure and 11 for detention for questioning," the federal police said.
The operations in Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Sao Paulo states involved probes into "corruption and money laundering, among other crimes practiced by various people in the context of the Petrobras criminal scheme."
The news came a day after a bombshell claim by a Brazilian magazine that a former close ally of Lula and current President Dilma Rousseff -- a senator who has already been charged in the Car Wash probe -- was preparing to testify against them.
The report, although unconfirmed, sparked a furious reaction from Rousseff's government and the president said in a speech that fighting corruption was her "first priority."
Operation Car Wash has already netted a Who's Who of Brazilian politicians and businessmen. These include numerous high-ranking figures from Rousseff's Workers' Party, including a former treasurer.
Lula, who was president from 2003-2010 and remains one of Brazil's most influential figures, is being investigated over alleged ownership of a luxury apartment and a country house.
The properties, which he says do not belong to him, were allegedly renovated by companies accused in the Petrobras corruption scheme.
Both Lula and Rousseff are also facing political heat after the arrest of their former campaign manager, Joao Santana, who allegedly took money originally embezzled from Petrobras.
Source: Agence France-Presse

UNHCR straining to provide for refugees at Greek border

Refugee camps on Greece's Macedonian border are made for 1,600 but now they have over 10,000 refugees, says spokesman

The UNHCR said Saturday that it is having difficulty providing essential services to over 10,000 migrants along Greece's border with Macedonia.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in the Greek town of Idomeni, Babar Baloch, spokesman for the UN refugee agency, said the refugee camps at the border have a capacity of 1,600 people, but that figure has been surpassed many times over.

"There are over 10,000 people, including women and children, here, and we are expecting many more. We are having difficulty providing food and healthcare," said Baloch.

He added that most of the refugees are from Iraq and Syria and have used up all their resources, so now they face an unexpected impasse.

A Syrian refugee named Abdulmecid said he had been waiting 19 days at the camp to cross the border.

"We had to get our own tent. There are long queues for healthcare and food services. Whoever can’t make use of these facilities has to find their own way," he said.

Greek authorities have been pressed to prepare for a swell of refugees remaining in Greece for longer periods as countries along the Balkan route to Europe tighten border controls.

The number of migrants stuck along Greece’s Macedonian border rose after Balkan countries put new regulations into effect limiting the admission of migrants to 500 a day.

The tighter regulations led to a sharp increase in the number of refugees in Greece, now standing at more than 22,000.

Immigration Minister Giannis Mouzalas said that next month, as the weather in the Aegean Sea is set to improve, Greece is expecting up to more 70,000 refugees.

In recent weeks, Austria has placed strict limits on the inflow of migrants, causing a domino effect through the Balkans and leading to criticism from other EU members and refugee agencies.

Athens has threatened to block decisions at an EU-Turkey summit on Monday unless the EU forces members to take their share of refugees.

Philippines impounds N. Korean ship, deports crew

Under new UN sanctions, The Philippines has impounded a North Korean vessel in response to Pyongyang's recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests, the Philippines Government has said.

The Philippines said Saturday it had impounded a North Korean vessel in response to tough new United Nations sanctions introduced in response to Pyongyang's recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The 6,830-tonne cargo ship Jin Teng will not be allowed to leave Subic port, northeast of the capital Manila, where it had been docked for three days and its crew will be deported, presidential spokesman Manolo Quezon said on state-run radio station Radyo ng Bayan.
It was the first reported case of the sanctions -- the toughest to date, which were adopted late Wednesday by the UN Security Council -- being enforced.
"The world is concerned over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and as a member of the UN, the Philippines has to do its part to enforce the sanctions," Quezon said.
A team from the UN is expected to inspect the ship in the port, located near a former United States naval base, foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.
Jose told AFP the ship was impounded "in compliance with the UN resolution" and did not depend on the results of the inspections.
The Jin Teng, carrying palm kernels, was searched for the second time on Saturday, this time using electronic weapons sensors, coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo told AFP, adding the 21 crewmen were "very cooperative".
Balilo said no explosives, drugs or banned substances have been found so far.
North Korea has no embassy in the Philippines. Its embassies in Thailand and Indonesia were unavailable for comment when contacted by AFP.
There are no other North Korean ships docked in Subic, according to the coastguard.
The Jin Teng arrived in Subic from Palembang, Indonesia Thursday afternoon, just hours after the latest sanctions were unanimously passed.
In response to the UN's move, Pyongyang fired six short-range missiles into the sea on Thursday, while North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered its nuclear arsenal put on standby for pre-emptive use at any time.
On Friday, the European Union also tightened sanctions against North Korea by adding 16 people and 12 entities to a list of some 60 individuals and groups who were hit with travel bans and asset freezes.

EU sees record number of asylum applications

Eurostat reports 1.2 million people applied for asylum in the 28-nation bloc in 2015

A record number of people -- 1.2 million -- applied for asylum in the European Union in 2015, more than double the amount in 2014, the bloc’s statistics agency reported on Friday.
The highest number of asylum applicants, most of whom are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, were registered in Germany in 2015 with 441,800 first-time applicants followed by Hungary (174,400) and Sweden (156,100), Eurostat said.
War-torn Syria was the main country of citizenship of the asylum seekers, constituting 29 percent of the first-time applicants to EU member states in 2015.
Eurostat’s report comes one day after European Council President Donald Tusk warned economic migrants to not come to Europe.
During a visit to Ankara on Thursday, Tusk also urged Turkey, which hosts the highest number of Syrian refugees in the world, to step up efforts to stem the flow of refugees and migrants coming to Europe via Greece.

Breaking news

Abducted lagos school girl regain freedom

Turkish aid agency builds 36 water wells in Somalia

IHH and Islamic Development Bank’s joint project will cost over $6 million
Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) are building 36 solar-powered water wells in Somalia costing over $6 million, the foundation’s vice chairman said on Saturday.
“They will be deep water wells, boasting depths of around 300 to 500 meters," Yavuz Dede told Anadolu Agency. "Each well costs around $170,000.”

The Islamic Development Bank finances the wells and IHH provides the manpower, according to Dede.

“When we complete the project, we will have made, in total, a $6.1 million water well investment. We aim to complete the wells by 2017,” he said.

IHH has built around 6,000 water wells in Africa so far, the vice chairman added.

“There is so much need for water in African countries. It is almost impossible for them to build water well, as they have financial difficulties. So, our priority is these [African] countries,” Dede said.
The foundation will also train people in Somalia on how to use the wells.

IHH builds around 550 water wells annually around the world.
Somalia has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.

The country had appeared to inch closer to stability with the recent installation of a new government and the intervention of African Union troops tasked with combatting al-Shabaab militants.

Since 2011, it has also been hard-hit by drought.

According to the UN, more than 13 million people across the Horn of Africa have been affected by drought and more than 4.7 million in Somalia are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Turkey has been one of the most visible foreign countries to help war-torn Somalia rebuild its crumbling infrastructure.

Ankara has launched various development and infrastructure projects in the country in recent years, ranging from health and sanitation projects to the construction of roads and buildings.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Elvan, Turkey’s investment in Somalia has reached around $100 million.

Iraq’s Sadr blasts gov't for lack of reform, corruption

Outside Baghdad's Green Zone, Shia leader warns gov't, foreign embassies to 'comply with Iraqi people's demands'

Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of Iraq’s Sadrist movement, has urged foreign diplomatic missions on Friday to "comply with the Iraqi people’s demands or leave Baghdad’s Green Zone".
He also condemned the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, accusing it of failing to resolve Iraq’s chronic security, economic and political problems.
On Feb. 12, al-Sadr gave the authorities 45 days to draw up a non-sectarian-based government of technocrats.
On Friday, he warned that his followers would storm Baghdad’s Green Zone -- which houses government institutions and foreign embassies -- if the deadline passed without the demand being met.
"In a final attempt, I call on all Iraqi political parties to enter into dialogue with the Iraqi people and their representatives to end this… government of corruption," al-Sadr said in a televised speech.
"Everyone must heed the will of the people, including Iraqi politicians, the government and foreign diplomatic missions," he asserted. "We ask them [foreign missions] to remain silent or leave the Green Zone."
Regarding the wave of recent demonstrations held by his followers in Baghdad, al-Sadr added: "Our protests aren’t intended to attack anyone or remove any party or person… we're not demanding authority or influence, but rather to rid Iraq of those who are exploiting its resources and sapping its strength."
On Friday evening, thousands of al-Sadr’s followers demonstrated outside the Green Zone as the government stepped up security throughout the city.
A planned Friday demonstration was meant to protest the al-Abadi government’s failure to carry out promised reforms and eliminate government corruption.
Al-Sadr's bloc in parliament holds 34 seats in the 328-seat assembly and three ministerial portfolios in Iraq’s current government.

Sisi's Egypt appears to draw closer to Israel

"If the media reports are accurate, we will address it bilaterally with Russia and with the other members of the UN Security Council," State Dept. says

Despite their 1979 peace treaty, relations between Egypt and Israel have long remained cold due to the latter’s heavy-handed treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
However, there have been signs of warming Egyptian-Israeli ties since Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2014.
Egypt was the first Arab country to recognize Israel after signing a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979.
While Israel is still viewed in a negative light among much of the Egyptian public, recent weeks have seen indications that the two countries are drawing closer.
Last week, Egyptian diplomat Hazem Khairat handed his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, officially becoming Cairo’s first senior emissary to Israel since 2012.
The move came almost four years after former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi withdrew Egypt’s ambassador from Israel to protest a deadly Israeli military offensive against the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Israel, for its part, reopened its embassy in Cairo last year -- four years after it evacuated its diplomatic staff after protesters ransacked the building following the killing of five Egyptian border guards by the Israeli army in the Sinai Peninsula.
Last month, outgoing Israeli ambassador to Egypt Haim Koren praised al-Sisi as an "open-minded" leader.
"Israel respects President Sisi because he is an open-minded president who wants stability for Egypt and the entire region," Koren said, according to a statement published on the embassy’s Arabic-language Facebook page.
Sisi "is fully aware of how the Middle East theater has changed and understands what Egypt and Israel are going through," the diplomat asserted.
Israel first opened its embassy in Cairo in 1980. Egypt opened its embassy in Tel Aviv one month later.
In 1982, Israel completed its withdrawal from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, which it occupied during the 1967 Middle East war.
Normalized ties
In the latest sign of improving Egyptian-Israeli ties, outspoken Egyptian lawmaker Tawfiq Okasha last week invited Israeli Ambassador Koren to dinner at his home.
The move, however, drew a storm of outrage across the country and prompted Egypt’s parliament to vote to expel the firebrand MP.
Okasha, who is also a talk show host, also spoke of a planned meeting between Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of an upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
The Egyptian presidency, however, has not commented on the assertion.
What’s more, the Israeli embassy in Cairo last week invited Egypt for a friendly football match between the national teams of both countries.
The request, however, was rejected by Egypt’s football governing body.
The invitation came shortly after the head of Egypt’s Zamalek football club, Mortada Mansour, was accused of transferring money to the agent of his team’s new striker, Emmanuel Mayuka, through a bank in Israel -- a claim denied by Mansour.
And last month, a delegation of Egyptian journalists visited Israel for talks with Israeli officials.
The visit, however, prompted an uproar in Egypt, with the country’s Journalists Syndicate distancing itself from the visit, saying the journalists were not registered with the union.

Friday, 4 March 2016

Aproko is a blog to bring you latest news happening around you