NECO also derecognised 12 schools for their involvement in mass cheating and cases of malpractice.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the internal Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) results for 2020, showing a two per cent increase in candidates who made five credits and above in all subjects.
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The Registrar, Professor Godswill Obioma, confirmed this at the NECO Headquarters in Minna.
Obioma said the schools derecognised include four schools in Adamawa, two in Kaduna, two in Kastina, Two in Niger, one in Taraba and one in FCT.
He said that 24 supervisors were blacklisted for various offences ranging from poor supervision, aiding and abetting, connivance with non candidates to write answers on chalkboards.
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“Yes, it is true. The results have been released.
“To check, visit result.neco.gov.ng and input your details”. A NECO official has confirmed.
If you are one of those crotchety people who believe the kids these days are somehow less inspired than generations before, then I come bearing new evidence: Even their superstitions are lamer than ours!
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“Charlie Charlie,” a game/Internet urban legend of sudden and inexplicable popularity, surged to the top of the global social media charts this weekend after kicking around on the Spanish-language Internet for much of eternity. As of this writing, #CharlieCharlieChallenge has been tweeted more than 1.6 million times. More people are Googling “Charlie Charlie” than virtually any other news event.
What’s all this about?! Below, our no-nonsense explainer for the old/unimpressed.
How do you play Charlie Charlie? Simple! You could, if you wanted, even do it at your desk.
Step 1: Open your Vine and get the camera rolling. (If you don’t have Vine, you ARE too old for this.) Step 2: Draw an X on a piece of paper. Step 3: Label two of the resulting quadrants “no,” and the other two “yes.” Step 4: Place two overlapping pencils on each axis of your grid, crossing them in the middle. Step 5: Say “Charlie, Charlie, are you there?” and ask a question. (i.e., “is one of my friends going to die soon,” “will I go to prom next May.” ) Step 6: Scream, probably.
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Where did this come from? While it’s hard to pin down an exact country of origin, Charlie Charlie (also spelled Charly Charly) has a long history as a schoolyard game in the Spanish-speaking world. According to one seven-year-old Yahoo! Respuestas thread — that’s Yahoo Answers to you — kids have played a version of the “classic game” in Spain for generations.
Traditionally, this version with the crossed pencils was called the “Juego de la Lapicera” — a term that still turns up lots of creepy stuff on Google — and “Charlie Charlie” was a distinct game, played with colored pencils. At some point in their Internet and playground travels, the two games seem to have merged. In either case, both have always had demonic or supernatural connotations; one site calls Lapicera “the poor man’s Ouija board.”
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Why is it popular again right now? It’s always hard to say exactly why these things trend, but the latest bubble seems to have begun in late April in the Dominican province of Hato Mayor, when a local TV news station broadcast a very alarmist (and unintentionally funny) report about the “Satanic” game overtaking local schools. From there, social media users in the Dominican Republic began tweeting, Instagramming and Vining about the game; by mid-May, the phrase “Charlie Charlie” was trending on Dominican Twitter, an easy jump away from the rest of Spanish-language Web.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, a 17-year-old girl in central Georgia Instagrammed her game and slapped it with the hashtag #CharlieCharlieChallenge. That hashtag was, apparently, all the kids needed: It’s been tweeted 1.6 million times since then.
Who is Charlie, anyway? Per various corners of the Spanish-speaking Internet: a child who committed suicide, the victim of a fatal car accident, or a pagan Mexican deity who now convenes with the Christian devil. The Mexican deity bit, at least, is demonstrably untrue.
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“There’s no demon called ‘Charlie’ in Mexico,” said Maria Elena Navez of BBC Mundo.
Is this as dangerous as some of the other viral teen challenges going around? Given that no one’s setting themselves on fire, inhaling a caustic substance or deforming their lips, Charlie Charlie looks … pretty harmless.
That said, according to popular legend, Charlie haunts players who fail to say goodbye before they close out of the game. And there are, predictably, a whole lot of people who don’t love the kids-summoning-demons thing.
Why should I care? (Should I even care?!) I mean, you should definitely care if you’re seeking supernatural answers to your life questions. (Excepting questions about love, death and money, which — per certain versions of the legend — Charlie will not answer.)
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Even if that doesn’t exactly describe you, though, Charlie makes a killer case study in virality and how things move in and out of languages and cultures online. You’ll notice, for instance, a lot of players and reporters talking about the game as if it were new, when it’s actually — and more interestingly, I think — an old game that has just recently crossed the language divide.
This is also, pretty notably, yet another example of the power of the teenage Internet. Write off their little games as silly, sure — but we never trended “Bloody Mary” or “Ouija board.”
Note: Project Originally Posted to The Washington Post dated 2015, copied to Noble Reporters Media for awareness.
Capricorns are born between December 22nd and January 20th, and belong to the Earth element of the zodiac (along with Taurus and Virgo – who they happen to be incredibly compatible with, romantically). The Earth sign crew are all practical, self reliant, stoic and ambitious. You’d want them in your corner… but maybe not at a party.
Capricorns are ruled by the planet Saturn aka, the “task master”, as are Aquarians (or they were until people decided it was actually Uranus, so, looks like Capricorns are on their own. AGAIN)
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To get an idea of the classic Capricorn personality traits and types, we need only to look to some of the most famous celeb Capricorns: Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Dolly Parton, Bradley Cooper, Zayn Malik and Liam Hemsworth, to name a few.
TYPICAL CAPRICORN PERSONALITY TRAITS
AMBITIOUS (read: workaholic)
Driven to do their utmost bestest, Capricorns never let themselves off the hook. They’re determined to show other people what they’re made of. And, let’s face it, a little bit obsessed with status and the trappings of success.
PERSISTENT (read: relentless)
Caps may not be the fastest, cleverest, or the most talented, but hard work beats talent every time when talent doesn’t work as hard. That’s why so many Capricorns make it – they never give up.
REALISTIC(read: pessimistic)
There are literally no flies on them as clear-eyed, perceptive, down-to-earth and worldly-wise characters. Their feet are so rooted on the ground that sometimes their gaze tips downwards, and they’ll focus on the negatives rather than the “possibles”.
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SENSITIVE (read: touchy)
Capricorns have zero tolerance when it comes to being made fun of, like, ZERO. They will hunt someone down if they feel mocked or undermined by them. It’s a sin that won’t be forgotten in their book.
PRACTICAL (read: dry)
Capricorns aren’t ones for flights of fancy or dreaming up new worlds, but instead interested in making things better in the real world. They’re always smart and intuitive about how things work, and like to get involved and just do it (rather than read/write/watch/listen to it).
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DISCIPLINED (read: uptight)
If the 12 signs were given that toddler test about eat the sweet now or wait and get two sweets… guess who’d be a winner? Right. Any Capricorn could sit there in that laboratory for years if they thought this was a battle of wills with a tangible reward. Caps can make sacrifices. They can control their urges. They are rock solid.
WHAT ARE CAPRICORNS INTO?
Munneh. It’s the most tangible way to measure their success, and success is their catnip.
Puzzles and games. Really really difficult ones – something like Escape Rooms but extra. Tasks which are absorbing and complicated (ideally “never been completed”) that they can set their methodical mind to solving… and prove to others how brill they are.
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Diy And Gardening. Capricorns LOVE being at home, and doing something useful, practical and improving around the house or garden. Pottering-with-intent…
“There is a big kid inside every Capricorn”
Reading. Not in a flippant way, oh no no, but to stockpile precious knowledge, learn how to do things, and to outdo other people by acquiring surprising super-skills!
WHO GETS ON BEST WITH CAPRICORNS? The Earth sign crew (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo) all get on well with each other. They’re on each other’s wavelength and share similar priorities and values – to a degree, anyway. There’s a pragmatic, materialistic, hard-headedness to them. They have no interest in the ethereal or imaginative realm, it’s all money/appetite/status/reward, thank you very much.
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This Earthy vibe works romantically, professionally and on a friendship level. It’s one big, weird love-in. They can all judge, pressurise and critique each other to the ends of the earth. And the other signs just have to leave them to it, because it’s just something the Earth crew do!
The hot tip for hot sex for Capricorns is to find a Cancerian lover. This astrological combination creates sparks from the opposites attract energy around it. Capricorn is all strong and protective, and Cancer loves to be loved and cared for, illiciting sympathy and protection (which Capricorn will provide). In return, Capricorns value loyalty above all, and Cancers will deliver that in spades. There’s an old-fashioned feel to this pairing, but it endures.
Capricorn’s are the most sincere people you will ever meet. Until you make us mad that is.
— Capricorn (@CapricrnQuotes) January 15, 2019
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Capricorns will cross swords with Fire signs, because their confidence (arrogance) will rile the zodiac’s goaty grafter. Geminis will infuriate them with their fickle and nonsensical ideas and schemes.
All in all, sometimes, Capricorns actually just like to be left the hell alone. But we love them too much to do that.
In her remark, Onadeko, pledged to make lives and property of residents of the state safe and secure saying that visibility policing had started in earnest.
Following the ultimatum given by self-acclaimed leader of Yoruba freedom agitators, Sunday Igboho, to people of Fulani ethnic stock to vacate the Ibarapa area of Oyo State, Gov. Seyi Makinde has now asked the new Commissioner of Police in Oyo, CP Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest him and treat him as a criminal.
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NoRM recalls that Igboho arrived Igangan town earlier and was welcomed by scores of youths at the Igangan Town Hall.
There was palpable tension in Igangan and other parts of the Ibarapa area of Oyo State on Friday morning, as the quit notice he had given to herdsmen in the area expires today.
Frustrated by the incessant killings, kidnappings, and destruction of farms allegedly being carried out by herdsmen in Ibarapaland, Igboho last Friday stormed the Fulani settlements in in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government Area and asked them to leave within seven days.
Giving the order for Sunday Igboho’s arrest, Governor Seyi Makinde on Friday when Onadeko paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan.
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Makinde said that attempt to fuel security tension under any guise that would threaten the corporate vision of Nigeria would not be tolerated by his administration.
He said that his government was not against any ethic group, but was determined to flushing out criminal elements anywhere in the state.
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He stressed that the Hausa/Fulani ethnic group residing in the state was not his government’s target, but hoodlums, bandits, irrespective of their tribes and religion.
“For people stoking ethnic tension, they are criminals and once you get them they should be arrested and treated like common criminals.”
“For this administration, the major pillar for us is security because we know that all the good things we want to do economically won’t be possible in an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity.
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“So, when people say things that are not lawful and within the spirit of Nigeria’s constitution, it is not acceptable here.
“And they cannot hide under being people protecting Yoruba interest to perpetrate chaos in the state,” he said in a veiled reference to the quit order on the Fulani issued by Igboho.
Makinde reiterated that security remained one of the pillars of his administration, noting that all the good policies of his administration could not be actualised in an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity.
He promised to give maximum support to the Nigerian Police and other security agencies to ensure safety of lives, property and economic prosperity of the state.
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Makinde called for more synergy between the police and the Western Nigeria Security Network, code-named Amotekun.
He noted that those who demonised Amotekun were the ones issuing ultimatum to certain ethnic nationalities to vacate the state.
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The governor welcomed the new police boss and assured the CP of his support in tackling insecurity in the state.
“We won’t make the job difficult. We will be sincere, open and support you,” he added.
She assured the governor that men and officers of the command would display high level of professionalism and that corruption would be shunned, with the view to achieving common goal.
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“I’m here to formally tell you that I have assumed duty, we promise to make the lives and property of the people of Oyo State safe and secure.
“Since I came in, we have started with our visibility policing. When I came in, I noticed that there were no policemen on the road, maybe it was still the aftermath of the EndSARS issue, but we have been able to draft them back.
“We have asked them to occupy their space because it is their constitutional duty. We have to nip crime to hit the barest minimum in Oyo state.
“We are going to be professional about our work, shun corruption, synergise and work with other sister agencies.
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“We are all working toward one particular goal, that is, to make sure that Oyo State is safe and secure,” the CP said.
Onadeko further pleaded with the governor to assist the command with operational vehicles.
The vice chancellor assured of the management’s readiness to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols by students, staff and other visitors.
The Nasarawa State Government has supported the state university in Keffi with N7 million to fight Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Suleiman Mohammed, has said.
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Mohammed explained that the fund was meant to purchase Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and other consumables to contain the spread of COVID-19 as students resumed.
He made this known when the state House of Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology visited the school to assess the institution’s level of preparedness over school resumption.
The vice chancellor said that the institution has purchased thermometers, hand washing facilities and face masks, among others, in order to curtail the spread of the virus.
“We have instructed that no face mask no entry into the school environment as we have taken the measure in order to curtail the spread of the pandemic.
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” I want to commend you for being up and doing in improving on the standard of education in the state.
“You are active and committed to the development of the education sector in the state.
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“Government has fumigated all of our faculties and our health staff have been trained on COVID-19 prevention.
“The state government has supported us with N7million to purchase Personal Protection Equipment (PPE),” according to him.
Mohammed also said the state Chairman on COVID-19 and Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, has approved the establishment of isolation and testing centres in the institution.
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Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Mr Daniel Ogazi, said that they were in the institution to assess its level of preparedness on re-opening of the institution amidst second wave of coronavirus.
Ogazi, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, said that the Speaker, Mr Balarabe Abdullahi, has tasked the committee to visit schools in order to ensure strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols.
“It is in view of that the committee cut short its recess to visit schools in order to assess the level of preparedness on schools re-opening,” he said.
Ogazi commended the management of the institution for providing the required non-pharmaceutical materias at the entry of the school, hostels and classes as well as offices and called for its sustenance.
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The chairman assured of the committee’s continued commitment to support the institution to succeed.
Noble Reporters Media reports that the committee alongside management of the institution inspected lecture halls, board rooms and hostels, among other facilities, to assess the level of compliance with COVID-19 protocols.
The Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, severely reprimanded the outgoing president and left the door open for voting to convict Trump.
Donald Trump will go on trial in the US Senate soon after an impeachment case against the former president is transmitted by the House of Representatives on Monday, top lawmakers announced.
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The House impeached the Republican leader for a historic second time on January 13, just one week before he left office, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to send the article of impeachment to the Senate.
The step is necessary in order to launch the trial process.
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“I have spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the article will be delivered to the Senate on Monday,” Chuck Schumer, the new Democratic Senate majority leader, said in a floor speech Friday.
“A trial will be held in the United States Senate and there will be a vote whether to convict the president,” Schumer told his colleagues.
Trump was impeached on a single charge of “incitement of insurrection” for his role in whipping up his supporters during a speech in Washington on January 6, the day a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress with deadly consequences.
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He, however, has sought a delay in an impeachment trial until February, arguing Trump needs time to hire lawyers and mount a defense.
But on Friday, McConnell, now the Senate minority leader, acknowledged the Democrats’ timetable.
“As I understand, it must be headed our way Monday. By Senate rules, if the article arrives, we have to start a trial right then,” he said on the floor.
McConnell spoke of the “unprecedentedly fast” process in the House, where Trump was impeached in a single day.
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“The sequel cannot be an insufficient Senate process that denies former president Trump his due process or damages the Senate or the presidency itself,” he said.
He also said that delaying the trial would have provided time for the Senate to confirm members of new President Joe Biden’s cabinet, and consider crucial legislation like a coronavirus pandemic rescue package.
The Biden-Harris administration is expected to participate in a WHO executive board meeting that is continuing this week, Biden’s team said earlier on Wednesday.
United States President Joe Biden has signed a string of executive orders, memorandums and directives that will reverse some of his predecessor Donald Trump’s most divisive policies, including rescinding the so-called “Muslim ban”, rejoining the Paris climate accord, and ending the process to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Just hours after his inauguration at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Biden signed 15 executive actions that his team earlier said aimed to “reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration”.
Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that there was “no time to waste”.
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“Some of the executive actions I’m going to be signing today are going to help change the course of the COVID crisis, we’re going to combat climate change in a way that we haven’t done so far and advance racial equity and support other underserved communities,” he said, as reported by the Reuters news agency.
Biden’s first big challenge as he enters the White House will be tackling the surging COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 400,000 people across the country to date.
Joe Biden in the midst of his first elected senators. (Noble Reporters Media, Olamide)
To that effect, Biden signed an order on Wednesday afternoon to institute a 100-day mask mandate across the US and appoint a COVID-19 coordinator to manage a national response to the pandemic.
He has also announced that the US would remain a member of the WHO, and that Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, would attend the ongoing WHO Executive Board meeting at the head of the US delegation.
Here is a look at some of Biden’s first executive actions as president:
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Rescinding the ‘Muslim ban’ Biden rescinded the so-called “Muslim ban”, an executive order Trump signed in 2017 that banned travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the US.
The ban was changed several times amid legal challenges and ultimately upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018.
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“The president put an end to the Muslim ban – a policy rooted in religious animus and xenophobia,” Biden’s White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a Wednesday evening briefing.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed the decision as “an important first step toward undoing the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant policies of the previous administration”.
“It is an important fulfilment of a campaign pledge to the Muslim community and its allies,” the group’s executive director, Nihad Awad, said in a statement.
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Rejoining Paris agreement The US will once again become a party to the Paris Agreement, Biden also announced.
The move to rejoin the international treaty on climate change is expected to take effect 30 days after it is deposited with the UN, Biden’s team said earlier on Wednesday.
Picture of Joe Biden ready to sign the Muslim ban end orders and other matters. (Noble Reporters Media, Olamide)
In November, the US became the first country in the world to withdraw from the treaty – a move that fuelled tensions between Washington and its allies in Europe and drew a widespread rebuke from environmental and human rights groups.
Launching mask mandate Biden launched his “100 Days Masking Challenge”, ordering a mandatory mask mandate in all US federal buildings for the first 100 days of his administration to try and curb the spread of COVID-19.
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The order asks Americans to do their “patriotic duty and mask up for 100 days” and also creates the position of COVID-19 response coordinator, who will report directly to the president and help coordinate a unified national response to the surging pandemic.
“This will strengthen our own efforts to get the pandemic under control by improving global health,” Psaki said during the briefing, adding that Dr Fauci, one of the top US infectious disease experts, would participate in a WHO meeting this week “as the US head of delegation”.
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The Infectious Disease Society of America immediately welcomed the mandatory mask order.
“The president’s order comes at a critical point, when vaccines, as well as a plan to accelerate their roll out, offer new hope, but also when more easily transmitted variants of the virus present new challenges,” the group said.
Re-engaging with WHO Biden is halting Trump’s planned withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO).
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The Trump administration in July of last year notified Congress and the United Nations that the US was formally withdrawing from the WHO. The decision would have gone into effect in July.
2021: President Joe Biden officially signs order seeking end of Muslim ban in the United States of America. (Noble Reporters Media, Olamide)
Trump justified the decision by saying the WHO “failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms” and accusing the group of helping China cover up the origins of the novel coronavirus.
Bob Goodfellow, the interim executive director of Amnesty International USA, welcomed Biden’s WHO decision as “a much-needed first step” in restoring Washington’s cooperation with the international community.
He also urged Biden to support the WHO’s COVAX programme, which aims to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are evenly distributed between countries.
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“It is of the utmost importance that the Biden administration lead multilateral efforts to fight the pandemic and to support and fund global vaccine efforts,” Goodfellow said.
Halting border wall construction Biden also rescinded the national emergency declaration that was used to justify some of Trump’s funding diversions to build the wall on the US-Mexico border.
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The order, Biden’s team said earlier on Wednesday, will direct “an immediate pause” in construction to allow for a review of the funding and contracting methods used.
Building a “big” and “beautiful” wall between the US and Mexico to block undocumented immigrants from entering the country was one of Trump’s key 2016 election campaign promises.
Revoking Keystone pipeline approval Biden also revoked the presidential permit granted to the multibillion-dollar Keystone XL pipeline, a contentious energy project that was slated to ship 830,000 barrels of oil per day between the Canadian province of Alberta and the US state of Nebraska.
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Canada, which this week said it remained committed to the project, expressed its “disappointment” at the decision on Wednesday.
But Matthew Campbell,a staff lawyer at the Native American Rights Fund, which has represented Indigenous nations in legal challenges against Keystone XL, told NoRM‘s known Media Biden’s decision is “vindication” for Native communities opposed to the pipeline.
Fortifying DACA In 2012, while serving as vice president to President Barack Obama, the US adopted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to provide temporary relief from deportation to “Dreamers”, young people who were brought to the US as children.
The Trump administration has tried to terminate the programme, through which 700,000 young people have applied for relief.
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In a presidential memorandum signed on Wednesday, Biden directed the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the US attorney general, to make sure that DACA is preserved and fortified.
The memorandum also calls on Congress to enact legislation that would provide “permanent status and a pathway to citizenship” to the Dreamers.
The company is also getting ready to produce a vaccine being developed by the United States company, Novavax Inc.
Five people have died after a fire tore through a building in the world’s biggest vaccine production hub in western India on Thursday.
The fire broke out at a plant being built for the Serum Institute of India (SII) but it will not affect the production of coronavirus vaccines, a source close to the firm said.
Television channels showed a huge cloud of grey smoke above the site in Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
“Five people have died,” Pune city mayor Murlidhar Mohol told reporters.
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Local media reported that rescue workers discovered five bodies in the under-construction building after the blaze was brought under control.
“We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed,” Adar Poonawalla, the firm’s CEO, tweeted.
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The SII is manufacturing millions of doses of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca for India and many other low- and middle-income countries.
Pune’s fire office told Reuters news agency five fire trucks had been sent to the site.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
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Earlier this month, Indian regulators approved two coronavirus vaccines – Covishield, produced by the SII, and Covaxin, made by local firm Bharat Biotech.
India began one of the world’s biggest vaccine roll-outs on Saturday, aiming to vaccinate 300 million people by July with both Covishield and Covaxin.
Many other countries are relying on the SII to supply them with the vaccine.
India began exporting the vaccines on Wednesday, with the first batch sent to Bhutan and the Maldives, followed by two million doses to Bangladesh and one million to Nepal.
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The country plans to offer 20 million doses to its South Asian neighbours, with Latin America, Africa and Central Asia next in line.
The SII also plans to supply 200 million doses to Covax, a World Health Organization-backed effort to procure and distribute inoculations to poor countries.
Videos from Thursday’s attack show scenes of chaos, with people running for cover and bodies strewn across pavements and the road.
Suicide bombing that tore through a busy area of central Baghdad on Thursday morning, Iraqi officials said.
Ministry of Defence Spokesperson Yahya Rasool told NoRM‘s known Media one of the two perpetrators lured a crowd of people towards him in a market in the central Tayaran Square by feigning illness, only to detonate his explosives.
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The second bomber struck as people helped victims of the first attack, Rasool said.
The attack is the first twin bombing in Baghdad since January 2018, when 35 people were killed and 90 injured in the same square that was targeted on Thursday.
The health ministry said the capital’s hospitals were being mobilised to treat the wounded. While officials suggested the death toll is likely to rise as many of those injured in the attack are in critical condition.
No one immediately took responsibility for the attack.
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But Sajad Jiyad, an Iraq analyst and fellow at The Century Foundation think-tank, told NoRM‘s known Media: “This kind of attack bears the hallmark of ISIS [ISIL] who have targeted crowded civilian areas in Baghdad with suicide attacks many times in the past.”
“This shows a security failure by the government who have been warned that ISIS is still active and in recent days have seen it target infrastructure and rural areas with similar attacks,” said Jiyad.
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“For Iraqis, this is a worrying development which saps confidence in the security forces and adds to the level of tension already present with geopolitical, economic and pandemic issues,” he said.
Iraq declared ISIL defeated at the end of 2017 after a fierce three-year campaign.
But ISIL attacks across the country have been on the rise again over the past year, particularly in northern Iraq where sleeper cells are still active.
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By Thursday afternoon the area surrounding the market had come back to life. But some stalls near the blasts remained shut and a small crowd of people had gathered to examine the wreckage.
Dry blood was still visible on the tarmac, while the charred remains of toys and clothes once sold by vendors littered the floor.
The Kurdistan Region Government Head of Foreign Relations Safeen Dizaye condemned Thursday’s attack.
“This horrific crime is a sad reminder that terror is still a real threat to peace and stability in the world. [The international] community must stand united against all acts of terrorism,” Dizaye wrote in a tweet.
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The United States embassy in Iraq also strongly condemned the attack in a statement.
“This attack is a reprehensible act of cowardice that underscores the dangers of terrorism that millions of Iraqis continue to face. We extend our condolences to the families of these victims, and hope for the swift recovery for those who were injured,” it said.
The 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner issued the report into what he said was “the world’s most expensive palace” days after his arrest on arrival in Moscow from Germany.
Russian prosecutors on Thursday warned supporters of Alexei Navalny against making calls for protests as his probe into President Vladimir Putin’s alleged “palace” has become the Kremlin critic’s most-watched YouTube report.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Thursday that the two-hour video report into an opulent Black Sea property allegedly owned by Putin had been viewed more than 40 million times since its release Tuesday.
The video accompanied a call for mass anti-Kremlin protests this weekend.
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But in a statement on Thursday, Russian prosecutors warned against calls to take part in the “illegal mass protests”.
“Law enforcement agencies have been advised to take preventative measures and bring administrative action against violators if need be,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said.
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Following the release of his latest report, Navalny supporters took to social media to voice support for him and post videos urging people to come out on to the streets on Saturday.
‘Illegal activities’ On Wednesday, communications watchdog Roskomnadzor warned social media platforms against promoting calls for demonstrations.
The watchdog said it had formally told TikTok and VKontakte — Russia’s equivalent of Facebook — to stop spreading “illegal information involving minors in illegal activities”.
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Navalny in recent years has released a series of investigations into the alleged wealth of Putin’s allies, but Tuesday’s report was the first time he has targeted the Kremlin chief in a lengthy expose.
His 2017 video into the alleged wealth of former prime minister Dmitry Medvedev by comparison has been viewed 38 million times and sparked mass protests on its release.
Navalny’s team has received 10 million rubles ($136,000) in donations from supporters since the report’s release, Yarmysh told AFP on Thursday.
The report alleges that the 17,691 square metre mansion sits on a property 39 times the size of Monaco and features a casino hall, along with a theatre and a hookah lounge complete with a pole-dancing stage.
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The Kremlin has denied the mansion belongs to Putin and urged Russians not to send their money to “crooks.”
Navalny returned to Russia on Sunday from Germany where he had been recovering from exposure to the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in an attack he blamed on Russian security services and Putin.
The jihadist factions seized a third of Iraq in 2014 and was dangerously close to the capital, but a ferocious three-year fight by Iraqi troops pushed them back.
A rare twin suicide bombing killed nearly 30 people at a crowded market in central Baghdad on Thursday, Iraqi state media said, the city’s deadliest attack in three years.
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At least 28 people were killed and another 73 wounded in the attack amid stalls hawking second-hand clothes in the Iraqi capital’s Tayaran Square.
The market had been teeming with people after the lifting of nearly a year of restrictions imposed across the country in a bid to halt the spread of Covid-19.
According to an interior ministry statement, the first suicide bomber rushed into the market, claiming to feel sick.
Once a crowd of people had gathered around him, he detonated his explosives.
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As people then flocked around the victims, a second attacker detonated his bomb, the ministry said.
An AFP photographer at the scene said security forces had cordoned off the area, where blood-soaked clothes were strewn across the muddy streets.
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Paramedics were working to remove casualties, and Iraq’s health ministry said it had mobilised medics across the capital.
Thursday’s attack was the bloodiest incident in Baghdad since January 2018, when a suicide bomber killed more than 30 people in the same square.
Suicide bombings had been commonplace in Baghdad during the sectarian bloodletting that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.
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Later on, as the Islamic State group swept across much of Iraq, its jihadists also targeted the capital.
But with the group’s territorial defeat in late 2017, suicide bombings in the city became rare.
Baghdad’s notorious concrete blast walls were dismantled and checkpoints across the city removed.
‘Despicable act’ President Barham Saleh led political figures in condemning Thursday’s attack, saying the government would “stand firmly against these rogue attempts to destabilise our country.”
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United Nations’ Iraq mission (UNAMI) also offered condolences to the victims.
“Such a despicable act will not weaken Iraq’s march towards stability and prosperity,” UNAMI said in an online statement.
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Thursday’s attack comes as Iraqis prepare for an election, events often preceded by bombings and assassinations.
The 2018 attack took place just a few months before Iraq’s last round of parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi had originally set this year’s general election for June, nearly a year ahead of schedule, in response to widespread protests in 2019.
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But authorities are in talks over rescheduling them to October, to give electoral authorities more time to register voters and new parties.
Thursday’s twin attack was not immediately claimed but suicide bombings have been used by jihadist groups, most recently IS.
Still, the group’s sleeper cells have continued to operate in desert and mountain areas, typically targeting security forces or state infrastructure with low casualty attacks.
Still, the US-led coalition that had been supporting Iraq’s campaign against IS has significantly drawn down its troop levels over the past year, citing the increased capabilities of Iraqi troops.
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The United States, which provides the bulk of the force, has 2,500 troops left in Iraq — down from 5,200 a year ago.
They are mainly in charge of training, providing drone surveillance and carrying out airstrikes while Iraqi security forces handle security in urban areas.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confessed that he is not worried by his team’s recent struggles, instead claiming that everything has been blown out of proportion by the media.
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A run of four games without a victory and three games without a goal has seen Liverpool tumble down to fourth in the Premier League, but they will hope to get things back on track against a stubborn Burnley side on Thursday.
Liverpool’s poor form has led to plenty of scrutiny about both the team’s present and future, but Klopp insisted that he is not humouring the drama whatsoever because he can actually see the progress his side are making,
“We all know it is all about results but sometimes you can see little steps in the right direction or not,” he said. (via Sky Sports News). “But it is nothing for you (the media) because you can’t deal with small details. You make them big things. You are not ready for this information.
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“We wanted to play better but there were a lot of good signs and I cannot ignore them and I will not.
“You cannot change the approach because everybody who has no real idea about the job expects now massive changes, from the wake-up call to the nutrition, because we don’t have the results. Sometimes we have to be really, not stubborn, resilient maybe, and do it.
“I understand that at the moment in the press conference people think ‘Oh he is so entertaining’ and now they think ‘What kind of mood is he in?’, ‘Does he see reality?’. It (scrutiny) is just getting earlier and earlier but it is all fine. We are on it, believe me.”
Klopp was also quoted by The Mirror as saying: “It is not a catastrophe, it is not perfect, but that is not important. Be as good as you can be.”
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The boss previously revealed that centre-back Joel Matip is available for selection after shaking off his injury, but forward Diogo Jota will remain on the sidelines for another few weeks while he steps up his recovery from a knee injury.
Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk has also made impressive progress in his bid to return from a serious ACL injury. He’s currently in Dubai and has been working with specialists to start kicking a ball again.
Liverpool have never given a timeframe for the Dutchman’s return, and although Klopp was reluctant to suggest that he could make a comeback before the season was out, he was positive about his progress.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has described Virgil van Dijk’s rehabilitation as ‘promising’, without giving a timeframe on the defender’s return as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
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The centre-back has not featured for the Reds since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) following a challenge from Jordan Pickford in October’s Merseyside derby.
Such was the severity of the injury, Van Dijk was expected to miss the majority of the season, although he has excited fans by sharing a video of himself juggling a football on his various social media accounts.
“I don’t know what is possible and what is not possible; I don’t think I’m the right person to judge that 100 per cent,” Klopp said (via liverpoolfc.com).
“He looks really good. I spoke to him this morning, I had him on the phone – he is in a really good mood. So it’s all very promising. But I don’t know when he will be back.
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“There are for sure a lot of stages still to go over or pass or whatever. That’s clear. I had this injury myself. But for the time we are in and for how long he is out now, how long the rehabilitation is going on, he looks really, really promising. But that’s all.”
Van Dijk’s central defensive partner Joe Gomez is also poised to miss the majority of the season after rupturing his knee tendon while on England duty in November, while Joel Matip has been in and out of the side with various injury problems – a groin strain most recently keeping him out of the Reds last four games.
Controversial Nigerian crossdresser, Bobrisky has finally broken his silence on his fight with Tonto Dikeh.
According to Bobrisky, he has been getting a lot of questions about his friendship with Tonto Dikeh and why they have not been seen together lately.
Bobrisky stated clearly that the sudden distance between him and Tonto Dikeh is not anyone’s business. He further mentioned that he even if they were not on go terms, he won’t come out publicly to talk about it.
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In his words;
“Guys, I just watched a video of one guy, saying he can’t wait for me and my tonto to fight dirty on ig .sad you will wait for 100yrs more.”
“You don’t know me sha. I’m so discrete to a fault when it comes to keeping relationships. So you think even if we truly have issues I will come out to rant? I will never in my life fight any of my friends on social media no matter bad it maybe. So those waiting for fight, 600,000 years for you. Come let me train you how to be a true FRIEND.”
The photos comes after the Odunlade Adekola took out time pendown a lovely birthday message to Eniola Ajao.
Photos from the surprise birthday Veteran Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola gave his alleged side chick and colleague, Eniola Alao, has surfaced on social media.
According to Odunlade, Eniola is beautiful, talented, wonderful and amazing.
In his words;
“She is beautiful , talented, wonderful, amazing…….. a lot to say about pretty ENIOLA FLORENCE BOLANLE OMO AJAO. I Pray almighty God will bless your new Age..YEYE ALARA, DR ADUNNI..Keep enjoying the grace of God.”
Watch videos from the surprise birthday below;
Recall with NoRM that the gorgeous and super talented actress decided to bless her fans and followers on Instagram with some adorable photos from her birthday shoot.
Bless The Lord O My Soul And All That Is Within Me Bless His Holy Name; Who Redeems My Life From Destruction, And Crowns Me With Lovingkindness And Tender Mercies. Happy Birthday To Me And Everyone Celebrating Today. Cheers To Greater Heights”
The government explained that the spike in the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state had made it necessary for more stringent measures.
To combat the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola has banned vigils and crusades and announced a daily dusk-to-dawn curfew from 10:00 pm till 5:00 until further notice.
The directives were contained in a new set of guidelines to enforce non-pharmaceutical safety protocols against coronavirus signed by the Secretary to State Government Wole Oyebamiji.
In the new guidelines, the government also banned social events unless with approval from the state, adding that even with the approval, no gathering should have more than 50 participants.
The statement reads: “No religious gatherings should exceed two hours per time of gathering. Vigils and crusades are banned till further notice. Religious organisations should operate at only 30 percent capacity of their space..
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It further reads: “There will be a dusk to dawn curfew every day from 10:00 pm till 5:00 am. Enforcement teams have been set up in every Local Government and Area Office across the State, to ensure strict enforcement of the protocols.”
The government also ordered eateries, restaurants, joints, and bars to operate at 50 percent capacity and ensure adequate physical distancing of customers.
Biden has made mask wearing in all federal buildings and during interstate travel mandatory.
Thew newly sworn-in president of the United States of America, Joe Biden, began his first day in office by reversing some actions of former President, Donald Trump.
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In his first executive orders, Biden implemented new policies on the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration and climate change.
He cancelled the ban which restricted travel to America from mostly Muslim nations.
The countries are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Chad, North Korea, Venezuela, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.
At the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk, Biden rolled out 15 orders and two other action items.
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“It’s requiring, as I said all along, where I have authority, mandating masks be worn, social distancing be kept on federal property,” he told reporters.
He also signed orders for America to formally rejoin the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris climate agreement.
There is now a solution that will ensure teams can at least immediately replace a player suspected of having suffered a concussion.
The Premier League has approved a trial of concussion substitutions that could be introduced to games very soon.
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In the event of a suspected concussion, it will give clubs the power to make additional substitutions and contribute to better player welfare.
Once the final details surrounding implementation are ironed out between FIFA and international lawmakers IFAB, the trial can begin and each side in a game will be allowed to make a maximum of two concussion substitutions, regardless of the number of substitutions made already.
As things stand, players with a head injury or suspected concussion may force themselves to carry on, putting themselves at risk of more serious injury, if the only alternative is that their team would be at a numerical disadvantage without them.
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A Premier League statement explained: “Premier League Shareholders today formally agreed to introduce the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) additional permanent concussion substitutions trial.
“The trial will be confirmed when the implementation of the reporting processes, including private medical information, has been resolved with IFAB and FIFA.
“With player welfare the Premier League’s priority, the protocols will allow a maximum of two concussion substitutes to be used per team, with the opposition side able to use the equivalent number.
“The additional concussion substitutions may be made regardless of the number of substitutions a team have made already.
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“The trial is a result of the IFAB’s consultation with stakeholders and recommendations from their concussion expert group to allow additional substitutions for players with actual or suspected concussion.”
With Premier League games coming thick and fast in an ever more congested season, any measures intended to improve player safety, health and welfare cannot come soon enough.
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