THAI SEXUAL ATTACKER OF AN INJURED AMERICAN TOURIST GETS ONLY 5 YEARS IN JAIL!

The family of an American backpacker who was sexually assaulted after she fell 150ft down a cliff in Thailand have hit out at her attacker’s five-year jail sentence.

Hannah Gavios, 23, broke her back and lay helpless trapped on rocks while Apai Ruangwong, 28, subjected her to a 10-hour ordeal on September 1.

She was rescued the next morning but still has no feeling in her ankles, feet and backside, and is having to learn to walk again.

Ruangwong was originally sentenced to 10 years in prison but that has been halved after he pleaded guilty to obscene behavior and causing serious injury.

Hannah’s mother Gwen, who is trying to raise money for her daughter’s medical treatment, said: “I am dismayed that it is automatically cut down to five years because of a guilty plea.“ 

Hannah had been teaching English in Vietnam when she took a holiday to Railay Beach in the resort of Krabi, arriving on September 1.

She encountered Ruangwong when she asked for help finding her way back to her hotel. He offered to show her the way but instead led her into the jungle where he tried to assault her.

Hannah fought him off and fled but ran off the edge of a cliff in the darkness, fracturing her spine leaving her trapped at the bottom of the cliff, where Ruangwong repeatedly sexually molested her for several hours as she lay helpless.

He later returned with other people who raised the alarm and his victim was rescued and taken to hospital.

At the time, Hannah said: ‘I honestly thought I was going to die. I felt like a total vegetable. I felt completely vulnerable. I couldn’t move anything. He didn’t rape me but he did everything else. ”

She was flown home to Queens, New York where she is still undergoing intensive treatment and her parents Gwen and Aaron are now trying to raise up to $200,000 to help her walk again - expenses not covered by her insurance.

Gwen said: “We’re raising funds to pay for medical bills, medical equipment, psychotherapy, and physical therapy which will not be fully covered by our insurance company.

'”Hannah’s recovery period is expected to last up to two years or more, and many of the expenses, such as physical therapy will not be covered after several months.”

To donate towards Hannah’s medical costs visit her GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/2s7ydek   

------YAHOO NEWS

EXPERT PREDICTS A TRUMP WIN!

Professor Lichtman

A distinguished Professor of History at American University, Professor Allan J. Lichtman has predicted that Republican candidate Donald Trump will triumph over Hillary Clinton of the Democrats in the November 8 American General Elections.Professor Lichtman, the author of  Predicting the Next President: The Keys to the White House 2016, first made the prediction in September and after some controversies and bad press especially against Mr. Trump, he is insisting on victory for the Republicans. Hear him:"The 13 keys are a historically based prediction system that were founded on the study of every presidential election from 1860 to 1980, and I've since used them prospectively to predict, often well ahead of time, the results of all eight elections from 1984 to 2012. The keys basically assess the strength and performance of the party holding the White House. There are 13 keys. An answer of true on these true/false questions always favours the reelection of the party in power. And if six or more of the 13 keys are false, the party in power, the party holding the White House, is the predicted loser – any six or more".Early on, the keys were inconclusive. That is, remember, six or more and the party in power is the predicted loser. And for some time, there were five keys out against the incumbent Democrats.And since that time, that sixth key has turned against the Democrats, and that is the third party key, and that is based on an assessment that you would expect the third party candidate, in this case the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, to get five per cent or more of the vote. That's a big sign of discontent with the party holding the White House. And so, again on the knife edge, you had exactly six fatal keys against the incumbent Democrats".And remember, this was before the sex tape – this was before any of those allegations or other things emerged. But the Professor insists this changes nothing in his prediction.
 "Donald Trump's severe and unprecedented problems bragging about sexual assault and then having 10 or more women coming out and saying, "Yes, that's exactly what you did" – this is without precedent. But it didn't change a key.By the narrowest of possible margins, the keys still point to a Trump victory. However, there are two major qualifications. And I'm not a hedger, and I've never qualified before in 30 years of predictions.Qualification number one: It takes six keys to count the party in power out, and they have exactly six keys. And one key could still flip, as I recognised last time – the third party key, that requires Gary Johnson to get at least five per cent of the popular vote. He could slip below that, which would shift the prediction.The second qualification is Donald Trump. We have never seen someone who is broadly regarded as a history-shattering, precedent-making, dangerous candidate who could change the patterns of history that have prevailed since the election of Abraham Lincoln".

Professor Allan Lichtman has correctly predicted the winner of the popular vote in every presidential election since 1984.

RELEASE FULL AND COMPLETE FACTS HILLARY TELLS FBI AS RACE TIGHTENS

The disclosure yesterday by the FBI that they have discovered new emails relating to the Clinton email investigations it had "concluded" in July has kind of jolted the Clinton camp and given the rival Trump camp a boost so to speak.

An obviously elated Trump had this to say during a rally:

"I need to open with a very critical breaking news announcement: The FBI has just sent a letter to Congress informing them that they have discovered new emails pertaining the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's investigation, and they are reopening the case into her criminal and illegal conduct that threatens the security of the United States of America. Perhaps, finally, justice will be done."

One of his strong supporters said "this is a great day".

Many political analysts are questioning the sincerity of the FBI Director and are wondering why he is bringing this up 11 days to a crucial election like this.

Hillary Clinton in her reaction said:

"We are 11 days out from perhaps the most important national election of our lifetimes. Voting is already underway in our country," Clinton said. "So the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately."

Clinton said that no one from her campaign has talked to the FBI, but she implored the bureau to release all the info it could.As for Weiner's connection, Clinton chalked them up to "rumors.""We don't know what to believe. And I'm sure there will be even more rumors," Clinton said. "That's why it is incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what they're talking about.""We have got to keep our foot on the gas. Donald Trump says he can still win and he is right," Clinton told supporters. "You know this has been such an unusual election. I don't take any place, anyone or anything for granted."

And recent polls have shown a closing gap between two candidates.Clinton's 47%-45% edge in the new Washington Post/ABC tracking poll released Saturday is within the poll's 3-point margin of error. As recently as Sunday, Clinton led Trump 50% to 38% in the poll.
Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson is winning 4% while Green Party candidate Jill Stein is at 2%.
The tracking poll improves Trump's standing by 1 percentage point in CNN's Poll of Polls, which averages the five most recent publicly released national polls that meet CNN's standards for publication. Clinton is leading 47% to Trump's 42% in polls taken from October 17 to 26.

  

BOKO HARAM CONTINUES ATTACKS IN NORTH EASTERN NIGERIA

Two suicide bombers killed at least eight people on Saturday in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the heart of a seven-year-old insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram militants, the military said.

Though there was no immediate claim of responsibility the attacks bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram which has been trying to set up an Islamic state in the northeast, killing thousands and displacing more than two million people. The Nigerian Military also readily blamed the terrorist group for the attacks. 

In one attack a woman who blew herself up at 0600 GMT in front of the Bakasi camp for displaced persons on Maiduguri`s outskirts, killing five men and wounding 11 women, the Army said in a statement.

At about the same time another female suicide bomber blew herself up while trying to enter a fuel depot of state oil firm NNPC, killing three persons, the army said.Residents saw bodies being carried into an ambulance by government emergency services.Boko Haram controlled a swathe of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria`s Army, aided by troops from neighboring countries, has recaptured most of the territory. The group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon.

These latest attacks are coming weeks after the terrorists released some 21 girls out of the over 200 they abducted over two years ago from the region. The terms of the release up till now is still shrouded in secrecy as the government has not come out in clear terms on how they were able to secure the release of the girls. Many believe top commanders of the terrorist group who were earlier arrested by the previous government were swapped for the girls.

OBANIKORO FAILS TO MEET 100 MILLION NAIRA BAIL CONDITION

Former Nigerian Minister of State for Defense, Musiliu Obanikoro, has failed to produce the N100 million he initially pledged he would pay as a condition to commence the payment of N800 million he admitted he embezzled from about N4.7 billion stolen from a budget designated for procurement of weaponry and other equipment for the Nigerian military to enhance its fight against Islamist militant group, Boko Haram.

Two top sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told SaharaReporters that the former minister, who was arrested two weeks ago on his return to Nigeria, appeared to be playing games with the officials of the commission after initially cooperating with investigators.As of Friday, Mr. Obanikoro had only mustered N24 million naira, a sum far below the N100 million he had committed to pay to fulfill bail conditions, according to an agreement with the anti-corruption agency.
The EFCC sources said the former minister would likely be charged alongside two of his sons, Babajide and Gbolahan, who are currently on the run.Mr. Obanikoro’s sons will be charged in absentia, and thereafter be declared wanted and an application made to the US government to extradite them for trial in Nigeria.

Mr. Obanikoro returned to Nigeria on October 16 and surrendered himself to the EFCC on October 17, apparently after intense behind-the-scene negotiations with senior members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. An EFCC source said Mr. Obanikoro came to the EFCC with a bag containing a cocktail of drugs with the hope of getting the EFCC to release him on health grounds the same day, but he was shocked when officials at the anti-corruption agency insisted on detaining him until he deposited at least N100 million. 

The former minister reportedly confessed that he took N800m for himself out of the funds he collected using his sons’ Sylvan McNamara Company. His sons’ firm was apparently used to launder funds that were then used to rig elections for Governor Ayodele Fayose, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State. The remainder of the laundered funds reportedly went to former Senator Iyiola Omisore, the PDP’s governorship candidate in Osun State, also in 2014.

------SAHARA

SOUTH EAST REGION NOT INCLUDED IN BUHARI'S PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT

The Buhari Administration has further confirmed the marginalization woes the South Eastern Region of Nigeria has suffered since it came into power as the region has been left out in projects which the President plans to execute with the pro­posed $29.960 billion infra­structure loan.

A breakdown of how the loan would be spent on infra­structure between 2016 and 2018 shows that none of the projects contained in the gov­ernment’s document is locat­ed in the South East geo-polit­ical zone.

President Buhari had on Tuesday asked the Senate to ap­prove the loan from multilater­al financial institutions to ena­ble his administration execute critical infrastructure and oth­er social intervention initiatives across the country.

The Finance Ministry said the $29.960 billion loan is de­signed to address infrastructure deficit in the country. But in a statement released to journalists on Thursday on the projects to be funded by the loan, there was no single infra­structural project allocated to the South East - an area most acutely hit by poor infrastruc­ture and an acute shortage of various social amenities.

According to the statement, issued by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Finance on Media, Mr. Festus Akanbi, in­frastructural projects are allo­cated $18.3 billion.
The projects to be em­barked upon are the Mambil­la Hydro Electric Power Project ($4.8 billion), the Moderni­sation Coastal Railway Pro­ject (Calabar-Port Harcourt-Onne Deep Sea Port Segment) valued at $3.5 billion and the Abuja Mass Transit Rail Project (Phase 2) put at $1.6 billion.Others are the Lagos-Kano Railway Modernisation Project (Lagos-Ibadan Segment Dou­ble Track) estimated at $1.3 bil­lion and the Lagos-Kano Rail­way Modernisation Project (Kano-Kaduna Segment Dou­ble Track) valued at $1.1 bil­lion.

The balance of $11 billion will be expended on Eurobond ($4.5 billion), Federal Govern­ment Budget Support ($3.5 bil­lion), Social Support for Educa­tion and Health ($2.2 billion), Agriculture ($1.2 billion), and Economic Management and Statistics ($.2 billion).
According to the statement, the borrowing has a three-year plan covering proposed pro­jects for 2016-2018 and is ex­pected to be phased over the three year period.
The ministry said that the borrowings are highly conces­sional (non-commercial), with low interest rates and long ten­ors.

The Federal Government affirmed that the funding is being sought from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic De­velopment Bank (IDB), Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and the China Exim Bank.

The planned Eurobond is­suance in the international capital markets, the statement pointed out, is the only com­mercial source of funding.

This is a good opportunity for the Senate to demonstrated the spirit of the much talked about ONE NIGERIA and demand that every part of the country should benefit in one way or the other from the proposed loan before given their consent.

.

BREAKING NEWS: FBI TO RE-OPEN CLINTON EMAIL INVESTIGATIONS

The controversies surrounding the emails Hilary Clinton deleted after her tenure as America's Secretary of State have refused to go away with the FBI set to re-open investigations based on a new set of the deleted mails just discovered.

FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to congressional leaders Oct. 28 saying that his agency recently discovered additional emails that are pertinent to the previously concluded investigation into whether Clinton mishandled classified information using a private server from her home in Chappaqua, N.Y. Comey said these new emails were found in “connection with an unrelated case.”

Later in the day, the New York Times and the Associated Press reported that the additional emails were discovered on former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s electronic devices during the FBI’s investigation of his sexting habits. According to the Times, the FBI is looking at inappropriate text messages Weiner allegedly sent to a 15-year-old girl.Weiner’s estranged wife, Huma Abedin, is a longtime top aide to Clinton. Abedin announced earlier this year that she would divorce Weiner, whose political career has been rocked by multiple sexting scandals.

Clinton took the stage at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, immediately after the news broke and did not address the issue. The Democratic presidential candidate also ignored questions shouted at her by reporters.

But her competitor for the White House, Republican candidate Donald Trump, capitalized on the FBI’s announcement by releasing a statement that accuses Clinton of “criminal and illegal conduct.” “Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,” Trump said. “I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the DOJ are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made. This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understand. It is everybody’s hope that it is about to be corrected.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted that Americans were already aware of Clinton’s “lifelong pattern of corruption” and that elected officials should be held accountable regardless of how high they rise in politics.

Elected officials, no matter how high their position, should be held accountable for criminal conduct. The rule of law matters. https://t.co/ftAB7aJ50l

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 28, 2016

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, also chimed in on Weiner’s surprising role in the controversy.

Who would have thought a Weiner would be HRC’s undoing?😱

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 28, 2016

John Podesta, the chairman of Clinton’s campaign, released a statement calling for the FBI to release more details about its announcement:

“Upon completing this investigation more than three months ago, FBI Director Comey declared no reasonable prosecutor would move forward with a case like this and added that it was not even a close call. In the months since, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have been baselessly second-guessing the FBI and, in both public and private, browbeating the career officials there to revisit their conclusion in a desperate attempt to harm Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

“FBI Director Comey should immediately provide the American public more information than is contained in the letter he sent to eight Republican committee chairmen. Already, we have seen characterizations that the FBI is ‘reopening’ an investigation but Comey’s words do not match that characterization. Director Comey’s letter refers to emails that have come to light in an unrelated case, but we have no idea what those emails are and the Director himself notes they may not even be significant.
 “It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election".

BEHOLD THE MISS ANAMBRA ALLEGED CHIEF BLACKMAILER FINALLY UNMASKED!

At long last, after days of speculations and hearsay concerning the Miss Anambra sex scandal, a name has finally been dropped allegedly as the brain behind the "blackmailing video"

The man is Uche Nworah, the Director of Anambra Broadcasting Service (interestingly the organisers of the Miss Anambra Pageant). This was revealed by an undisclosed source who stated thus:

"Secret Reporters findings reveal that the Director of Anambra Broadcasting Service, Uche Nworah, had been having sex with Chidinma Okeke, which was how she was able to win the beauty pageant, but trouble broke out when he wanted to pass her to his other friends to also have a taste of her, but for her refusal, she was threatened and could not bear the pressure anymore".
"She decided to surrender the Kia car she was given as the star price, and the crown , so she could be left alone, but trouble was looming for her as the ABS Director insisted on having his way, else he will expose her, but Chidinma was not moved by this threat, until when she handed over the crown, in order not bring disrepute to the pageantry, they waited for her to hand over the crown before he leaked the video"

It will be recalled that a press conference organised for her to state her side of the story could not hold because of alleged threats from "the blackmailers". It is now left to be seen what the police authorities will do in the face of the allegations of blackmail and threat to life. But considering the way our police here carry on with their duties and the "calibre" of the person named, your guess is as good as ours!!

It will also be very interesting to see how the 2016 edition of the Pageant slated for today will hold amidst the controversies and scandal and what the sponsors (KIA MOTORS and others) will do about it.

It is curiously surprising, though, that the Anambra State Government has not deemed it necessary at this point to release any official statement on the matter.  

PENCE'S PLANE SKIDS OFF RUNWAY

An aircraft carrying Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence, his wife and 28 others skidded off the runway while landing at LaGuardia Airport , New York in heavy rain. Luckily nobody was hurt.

The Boeing 737 went off the runway during landing at 23.40 GMT (7.40pm Local time and was stopped by a crush-able type of runway which halted the planes movement before it finally came to a standstill on an area of grass.

Flights out of LaGuardia were halted for at least an hour. 

"So thankful everyone on our plane is safe", tweeted Pence. "Grateful for our first responders and the concern and prayers of so many"

So thankful everyone on our plane is safe. Grateful for our first responders & the concern & prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow!

— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 28, 2016

TWO EARTHQUAKES HIT ITALY

Two powerful earthquakes Wednesday struck central Italy about 50 miles north of the site of a deadly August quake that killed nearly 300 people, the US Geological Survey said.
The second quake -- with a magnitude of 6.1 -- was 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) north of Visso and 58 km (36 miles) from Perugia, the USGS reported.
Just a few hours earlier, a magnitude-5.5 quake struck the same region. The epicenter was about 9 kilometers away, south-southwest of the town of Visso. The first quake hit at 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) between Perugia and Macerata, according to ANSA.

This part of Italy is full of narrow roads linking small stone villages. Rescuers are fearful of mudslides and even of risking bringing heavy equipment up the narrow roads.

There have been no reports yet of injuries, although there was damage in Visso and another town, Campi, where the historic church, San Salvatore, was destroyed by the tremors -- the first severely damaged the 15th century structure and the second finished it off.

In Campi, hundreds of people were sleeping in their cars, with blankets covering the windows. The cars are parked everywhere -- streets, gas stations, parking lots. Some residents have taken their dogs with them in their cars.

Local media said one man had suffered a heart attack.

Residents were uncertain as to what might happen next, and expressed worry that another, bigger tremor, might cause even more damage.

The USGS said both earthquakes were shallow.

-----CNN

RECESSION: PLEASE DON'T LEAVE NIGERIA- FG BEGS EMIRATES AIRLINE, OTHERS

The federal government has appealed to Emirates Airline and other foreign airlines operating in the country not to pack up.

James Odaudu, deputy director in the ministry of aviation, quoted Hadi Sirika, minister of state for aviation, as making this plea in Abuja during a visit by Manoj Gopi Nair, West African regional manager for Emirates.

Sirika assured the operators that the challenges confronting the aviation sector would soon be resolved.

“The minister appealed to the management of Emirates and other airlines to reconsider their decisions to either suspend their operations or scale them down, considering the adverse effects on their long-standing costumers and the benefits they had reaped in the past,” Oduadu said in a statement.

“Government is not unaware of the issues that have created operational difficulties for both domestic and foreign airlines, such as Foreign Exchange, Aviation fuel and infrastructural deficiencies and the government has been up and doing to ensure the creation of an environment that is both enabling and profitable for all airlines to operate”, he added.

However, Nair explained that the decision to move out of the country was based on poor access to foreign exchange, high cost of aviation fuel and the state of the Abuja Airport runway.

On infrastructural deficiencies at the Abuja airport, Sirika said the government was already handling the issue, noting that the long-term solution was to concession the major airports.

He added that the scarcity of aviation fuel, which threatened to cripple the industry in the recent past, had been resolved.

-----DAILYPOST

HEART BREAKING! FOUR YEAR OLD KILLED BY NEW DOG!

KIYANA MCNEAL

A Michigan family has been left in anguish after 4-year-old Kiyana McNeal was killed by her new dog after she tried to give it a treat.
Kiyana’s mom, Jacy, had just bought the dog the same day from an Illinois man who brought the dog to their Michigan home, according to Kiyana’s stepmom, Lorie May.
The family's Doberman died a few months prior of cancer and Kiyana and her mom were filling that void with a new one, according to May.But what was supposed to be a bonding moment turned into a tragedy just 45 minutes after getting the dog when the Doberman bit the little girl in the throat, Lorie May told InsideEdition.com.

Neighbor Rebecca Davis told CBS News that she heard hysterical screaming coming from next door and ran out to see Kiyana’s mom sobbing over the girl’s body. According to Davis, Jacy tried to fight the dog off of Kiyana during the attack but couldn’t.

“She got in between them and she got bit in the neck and in her hands,” said Kenneth Davis.

Lorie May said Jacy called Kiyana’s dad, Gerald Johnson, after the attack and said she “was covered in the blood and didn’t know if she was going to make it.”

Lorie May said a police officer told them Kiyana’s mom did everything she could to save the girl.

“She loved her baby girl,” said May. “Our hearts are broken. Kiyana was a ball of fire. She loved to sing. She loved to dance. She was compassionate beyond her years and full of life and wisdom."

May added: "She brought us such joy.

-----CBS

MISS ANAMBRA SEX SCANDAL TAKES A MORE DANGEROUS TURN!

The sex scandal currently rocking Miss Anambra, Chidinma Okeke, took a dangerous turn on Wednesday when a press briefing organised for her to state her own side of the saga was abruptly cancelled at the last minutes following information of an imminent attack by gunmen on the venue.

It would be recalled that the beauty queen's alleged lesbian sex video (too dirty to be shown on this website) went viral all over the internet prompting her to immediately issue a statement claiming the video and pictures were photo-shopped and that she was not the one. The claim immediately received a backlash from many commentators and the public who reminded her that videos cannot be photo-shopped. Not playing the devil's advocate, but our investigations have actually shown it is possible to replace a face in a video. See Link: blob:https://www.youtube.com/89167ea8-22b0-4f60-9717-2c48749b3681

In an apparent move to redeem her battered image the beauty queen who won the 2015 edition of the pageant was reported to have admitted her involvement but vowed to expose the complicity of some top politicians and government officials in the sex scandal during the now aborted news conference.

As soon as reports got to the venue about the imminent attack, the newsmen who had just started arriving soon scampered for safety.

Later on her Facebook account Miss Okeke said: "The moment I made public this intention to speak with journalists, I have been under threats by my blackmailers traducers. They are seriously threatening to shoot me at the press conference if I ever open my mouth to say the real truth about the ugly episode. Since I have no protection, and if I die now, the truth will be buried forever. it's my intention to save not just myself but other girls and upcoming pageant by letting the world know the truth and what we go through"

It was also revealed that the police failed to provide protection for the beauty queen especially during the news conference even after the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sam Okaula was briefed. Counsel to the Miss Okeke, Barrister Ikenna Obidiegwu who said he personally made the request on behalf of his client told newsmen the Commissioner of Police claimed the notice was too short.

Apparently some seemingly ''powerful" forces are shamefully at play behind the scenes to frustrate the young girl who no doubt has made a mistake that no one is above. 

NIGER DELTA AVENGERS RESUME ATTACKS ON OIL FACILITIES

The Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group which is based and operates in the Southern Nigeria has resumed attacks of oil facilities in the region after a three month ceasefire and series of fruitless talks with the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The Avengers, in a statement, said they "took down" Chevron's 100,000-barrel-a-day offshore pipeline at Escravos before dawn on Tuesday.

They cited lack of progress in the talks as a reason for resumption of hostilities and also see that as a ploy by the government to distract them from their determination to drive oil producing companies away from their land and waters. They insist the companies over the years have deprived the people of the region of their farmlands and fishing waters through pollution brought about by wrong practices.

The government on its part has partially blamed the attacks, which started sometimes in February, for majority of the failures this administration has recorded so far from a steady decline in power supply to a downturn in the economy. The government's use of military force against the militants has so far yielded no positive results.

TRUMP'S HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME STAR VANDALIZED!

With less than two-weeks to go before America decides if the ex-Apprentice host will pull off a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed early Wednesday morning.

The attack by a man dressed as a city construction worker on the sidewalk embedded five-pointed terrazzo and brass star came at around 5:45 AM on Hollywood Boulevard. Located right near the Dolby Theatre, Trump’s star was dedicated in 2007 in recognition of his work fronting and firing on the 2004 debuting NBC series. Apprentice EP Mark Burnett, Larry King and then Tonight Show host Jay Leno all spoke at the ceremony for Trump almost a decade ago. The more than 2,500 stars up and down the boulevard are maintained by the Hollywood Historic Trust and chosen by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce – who are probably just learning now what happened this morning to Trump’s star.

Speaking to Deadline, the vandal, who said his name was Jamie Otis, indicated that he originally intended to remove Trump’s star so to auction it off next month to raise funds for the women who have come forward to accuse the ex-Apprentice host of sexually assaulting them over the decades.
In the past few months, 11 women have claimed that the Republican Presidential candidate groped or otherwise attempted to get intimate with them. At a rally earlier this week, Trump told supporters that the accusers were not telling the truth and that he would sue them after the November 8 election.

Usually one of the most crowded spots in L.A. during the daytime, there was almost no one around in the pre-dawn hours as the vandal attacked Trump’s star with a sledgehammer and pix ax. Moving fast and with apparent planning, the defacer attracted little attention except from a few passersby. There was no LAPD presence in the usually well patrolled tourist spot just across from where Jimmy Kimmel Live! is filmed most weekdays.

This is of course not the first time the controversial GOP candidate’s star has been attacked or defaced since Trump announced his White House bid back in the summer of 2015. The most extreme measure was a reverse swastika being sprayed on the star at 6801 Hollywood Blvd in late January. In June, a mute sign was painted on Trump’s star in a seemingly protest against the antagonistic language and policies some have accused Trump of promoting and reveling in during the campaign. In both cases, Trump’s star was quickly cleaned and back as new within a day.
In July, an L.A. street artist surrounded the Trump star with a tiny wall topped by tiny razor wire to knock the candidate’s much-repeated plan to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico if elected. Like other designs on the Trump star, the little wall was soon removed.

Despite a petition to remove the Trump star from Hollywood Blvd, the Chamber of Commerce has said it’s staying – until today it seems.

IRAN UNVEILS ''SUICIDE DRONE''

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had developed a "suicide drone" capable of delivering explosives to blow up targets at sea and on land.
The new drone is primarily for maritime surveillance and "has not been designed to be armed with missiles," the Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Guards, reported.
"(But) it can carry heavy payloads of explosives for combat missions to launch suicide attacks.
"Flying at a high cruising speed near the surface of the water, the aircraft can collide with the target and destroy it, either a vessel or an onshore command centre."
Tasnim said the drone was designed to fly as low as two feet (half a metre) above the water at a speed of around 250 kilometres (160 miles) per hour but could reach an altitude of 900 metres (3,000 feet).

As with previous drone announcements by Iran, the news agency released photographs of the aircraft on the ground, but no footage of it flying.
"It has an advanced military camera with the capability of being used at night and during the day, as well as the possibility of being used in damp sea conditions," Tasnim said.

Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards claimed to have produced a new attack drone, the Saegheh (Thunderbolt), by reverse-engineering a US Central Intelligence Agency RQ-170 Sentinel drone that was captured in December 2011.
Iran claimed one of its cyber warfare units took control of the US drone and landed it safely, while the US says a technical problem caused it to crash.
The Guards released pictures of the Thunderbolt, but no footage of it in flight.

-----AFP

TRUMP'S ENDORSEMENT CLAIMS ARE FALSE

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump frequently touts his support among law enforcement and military figures.
On Monday, he told News4Jax that the United States military "conceptually" endorsed him and that "virtually every police department" in the country backed his bid for the presidency. During last week's third debate, Trump said his hard line stance on immigration and pledge to build a border wall had earned him an endorsement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But none of that is true.
Federal agencies are barred by law from endorsing candidates in political elections. Under the Hatch Act, only the president, vice president and high-ranking administration officials are allowed to dip their toe in partisan waters.
The Department of Defense, meanwhile, has its own set of guidelines that tightly restricts any active duty military or civilian personnel from publicly choosing political sides.

The same applies to Trump's repeated claims about ICE, the agency tasked with deporting undocumented immigrants. Trump has doubled down during campaign rallies and onstage at debates by saying that ICE endorsed him.
But the agency has not endorsed any candidate, nor is it able to. Instead the union representing ICE employees, National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council, gave the Republican nominee its backing. And it represents just a quarter of the more than 20,000 employees that work at the agency.

Trump did receive an endorsement from more than 88 retired military figures last month. His list of supporters included top military brass and Medal of Honor recipients, including Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, a former Army green beret and Holocaust survivor, and Vietnam veteran Rear Admiral Charles Williams.
However, Trump's support from military quarters pales in comparison to what some Republican predecessors received when they ran for the Oval Office.
Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee who lost in 2012, received a sweeping endorsement from 500 retired generals and admirals. The veterans banded together to release a full-page ad in the Washington Times highlighting their support.
Trump has also overstated his standing with local police departments. He has picked up endorsements from the federal police union, the Fraternal Order of Police.

But the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association in New York, the largest police union in the country with 23,000 members, has remained on the sidelines this election and has yet to back a candidate.
Police departments as a whole do not typically endorse candidates in elections. Though that has not stopped Trump from saying they do.
After a meeting with first responders and law enforcement officials in northern Florida on Monday, Trump later boasted on Twitter that he was honored for being endorsed by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.


But the department did no such thing. The sheriff's office took to both Facebook and Twitter to make clear that despite Trump's comment, they have "NOT made any official endorsement."

-------NBC NEWS

ANOTHER FUEL PRICE HIKE?

The fears which have been spreading amongst the Nigerian populace of another hike in the pump price of Premium Motoring Spirit PMS (Petrol) has been doused by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC today.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Mr. Muhammad Garba-Deen, said there is absolutely no plan, whatsoever, by the Federal Government or the NNPC to increase fuel price above the N145 maximum level.

He was quoted by the Vanguard as saying that if there is going to be anything like a price hike, the agency responsible for fixing the price of petrol, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, would definitely sensitize Nigerians on it and give reasons for the hike. He said, “As for this moment, there is absolutely no plan to do that and no need to that, because we have more than enough supply, we have very robust stock of product in our custody. In addition to that, we also have long term procurement contract with our suppliers. “The usual reason that would necessitate a review of price at the moment has been taken care of. We have long term procurement contract with our suppliers; we have more than enough supply to last us throughout the ember months and beyond. “The statement people are referring to was made within the context of technical explanation, not within the context of downstream operations.”

But from experience such denials in the past from official quarters have turned out to be exactly the opposite. And by now there would have been widespread panic buying, but the present harsh economic situation in the country has probably made that impossible as most families are barely managing to buy food and hardly have any money to spare in stocking up petrol.

HILLARY AND TRUMP STILL THROWING PUNCHES!

The two opposing candidates for the November 8 US General Elections, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are still fighting dirty even after months of bitter rivalry and campaign of calumny against each other.

The drama continued at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in Manhattan which traditionally has presidential hopefuls in attendance every election year. As usual Trump took the first shots by calling Hillary "so corrupt" and saying she is merely “pretending not to hate Catholics,” an allusion to hacked correspondences from Clinton aides that appeared to include messages criticizing Roman Catholic conservatism.

He also made a reference to his earlier insinuation during the presidential debates that he will jail Hillary when he becomes president. “Just before taking the dais, Hillary accidentally bumped into me. And she very civilly said, ‘Pardon me,’” Mr. Trump said, as murmurs filled the room. “I very politely replied, ‘Let me talk to you about that after I get into office.’”

Mrs.. Clinton, seeming to get the joke before some others, chuckled hard before the punch line.

His speech attracted a lot of boos from the audience.

Mrs. Clinton while speaking, joked that Mr. Trump was “translating from the original Russian” on his teleprompters and wondering just how President Obama might be able to visit the White House for a reunion of former presidents under a Trump administration.

“How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?” she asked.

Noting that she was speaking second, she riffed: “It’s amazing I’m up here after Donald. I didn’t think he’d be O.K. with a peaceful transition of power.”

She also spoke of the Statue of Liberty, recounting how for most Americans, the green lady of freedom represents a shining beacon of hope and a welcome symbol for immigrants arriving on the nation’s shores. But Mr. Trump, she added with a glint of steel, “looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a 4” — a not-so-veiled reference to his comments rating the physical appearance of women.

“Maybe a 5 if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair,” she continued, before making an explicit, if subtle, pitch for becoming the nation’s first female president.

“You know, come to think, know what would be a good number for a woman? 45,” she concluded triumphantly.

At the dinner before the remarks, the pair could be seen chatting, at least briefly, perched two seats apart, with only Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, between them.

Mr. Trump however reached out and shook her hand briefly before she quickly turned away before he did.

MITCHELLE OBAMA- EASILY THE MOST STYLISH AMERICAN FIRST LADY EVER!

Michelle Obama lived up to her billing as a fashion icon last Tuesday night when the Obamas hosted their last state dinner.  Michelle stunned in a custom-made rose gold Atelier Versace gown as she and Barack welcomed Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife, Agnese Landini. The soiree included a menu prepared by celebrity chef Mario Batali and a guest list full of stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Giorgio Armani, and Gwen Stefani.

The stylish first lady easily and effortlessly stole the spotlight of the evening. Below are the pictures from the event and a few other pictures from her numerous great fashion moments. You just cannot help loving Michelle!

Other pictures of Michelle Obama: