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  Johannesburg, South Africa – South Africa’s top court on Thursday delivered a damning verdict against President Jacob Zuma, saying he flouted the constitution over public funds used to upgrade his private residence, sparking immediate calls for him to be impeached. Zuma “failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution as the supreme law of the land,” Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said in a strongly-worded ruling from the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg. The court judgement came as Zuma fights back against separate allegations that a wealthy Indian family influenced ministerial appointments in a scandal that has rocked his government.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeeflyover bridge collapseKolkota India Harrowing Scene from the Kolkota bridge collapse The death toll in the collapsed flyover bridge in the Indian City of Kolkata has risen to 14, with many injured and many still trapped under tons of concrete and steel. The bridge collapsed today on to vehicles and street vendors below. Residents used their bare hands to try to rescue people pinned under a 100-metre (110-yard) length of metal and cement that snapped off at one end and came crashing down in a teeming commercial district near Girish Park.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has insisted he does not have any regrets calling Sunday Oliseh Africa’s Pep Guardiola. Oliseh has been blamed in some quarters, for the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. The former national team captain was contracted last July, but decided to quit after a series of indifferent results, including a draw away to Tanzania in the AFCON qualifying series.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has confirmed that its lawyers are assessing the possibility of changing the rules of the AFCON 2017 qualifying series, after Chad pulled out of Group G. Chad’s withdrawal now means only one country can qualify for the tournament in Gabon from the group. The West African country cited financial difficulties as the reason for pulling out. “It is rather unfortunate that Chad, one of the teams in the qualification group, suddenly pulled out of the

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), is expected to name a new foreign coach for the Super Eagles within a fortnight. This was revealed by NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, who also said the incoming manager’s salaries will be footed by a private company. Samson Siasia has been acting as the interim coach of the national team, since Sunday Oliseh resigned in February. “We’re going to get a foreign manager for the team,” Pinnick was quoted as saying by Vanguard newspaper.

Good morning! Here are 10 things you need to know this morning: 1. The Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has sent a letter to the British government to wade into his case and have him released from detention. Kanu, approached the British government through his lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor. A letter lamenting his unjustly detention was sent to the British High Commission in Abuja. 2. The Defence Ministry, yesterday, denied media reports, which quoted its Minister, Mansur Muhammed as saying that the Boko Haram was still operating in two council areas in the north east.

Ex-international, Adokiye Amiesimaka, says the lack of quality players in the Super Eagles is responsible for the draw back the team has been experiencing in recent times. Amiesimaka, who was a member of the victorious Green Eagles squad that won the 1980 AFCON in Lagos, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday. The former winger added that the players lacked the finesse needed to play at the world stage compared to what was obtainable in the 1980s and 1990s.

The National Assembly has assured that details of the 2016 budget would be ready in the next two weeks. Addressing a news conference yesterday in Abuja, the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Rep Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano) said both the Senate and the House Committees on Appropriation were working to ensure this happened. “At the moment, we are working on the details of the budget. We’ll take a week or two to work on the details. We are doing the final harmonization. We are looking at the various reports of the committees,” he said.

Current champions of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Enyimba defeated Shooting Stars 2-0 on Wednesday, in a rescheduled Week Two fixture, played at the Umuahia Township Stadium. Abu Azeez gave the People’s Elephant the lead 12 minutes before the break, before Joseph Osadiaye confirmed their three points in the 88th minute, slotting home Mfon Udoh’s pass. In another game, Akwa United picked their first away win of the season, with a 3-1 victory over El Kanemi Warriors in Katsina.

Tay's Twitter account was accidentally turned back on while the company was fixing the problems. Almost a week after being shut down for spewing racist and sexist comments on Twitter, Microsoft Corp's artificial intelligence 'chatbot' called Tay briefly rejoined Twitter on Wednesday only to launch a spam attack on its followers. The incident marks another embarrassing setback for the software company as it tries to get ahead of Alphabet Inc's Google, Facebook Inc and other tech firms in the race to create virtual agents that can interact with people and learn from them.

The FBI may be allowed to withhold information about how it broke into an iPhone belonging to a gunman in the December San Bernardino shootings, despite a U.S. government policy of disclosing technology security flaws discovered by federal agencies. Under the U.S. vulnerabilities equities process, the government is supposed to err in favor of disclosing security issues so companies can devise fixes to protect data. The policy has exceptions for law enforcement, and there are no hard rules about when and how it must be applied.

  Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has called on the British Government to lean on President Muhammadu Buhari to release him from prison. Kanu alongside two other Biafra proponents, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, are facing treason charges. The IPOB leader wrote a letter dated March 24 to the British High Commissioner in Abuja, through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.

El-Rufai said he could not have slapped his deputy and was not slapped by his deputy – He said he respect his deputy and their relationship dates back to their university days Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Rufai says healthcare and education in the state are more important than Hajj Did El-Rufai slapped his deputy? Following various reports that there was exchange of hot slaps between the now embattled Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai and his deputy, Barnabas Bala, the governor has come out to clarify the issues. El-Rufai had earlier clashed with the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and was once described as President Buhari’s real vice-president.

Samsung Electronics is facing a lawsuit from Pelé seeking $30m in compensation, after the football legend claimed the electronics group used a lookalike to promote its televisions last year. The former Brazil footballer filed the lawsuit against Samsung in Chicago earlier this month, claiming that the South Korean group used his identity in a full-page advert for ultra high-definition TVs that appeared in the New York Times last October. The advertisement did not mention Pelé by name but featured a large portrait photograph of an elderly black man who “very closely resembles” him, in addition to a smaller picture of a white soccer player performing a “modified bicycle of scissors-kick, perfected and famously used by Pelé”, the complaint said.

President Obama (Reuters) – Just as fears of nuclear terrorism are rising, U.S. President Barack Obama’s drive to lock down vulnerable atomic materials worldwide seems to have lost momentum and could slow further. With less than 10 months left in office to follow through on one of his signature foreign policy initiatives, Obama will convene leaders from more than 50 countries in Washington this week for his fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit, a high-level diplomatic process that started and will end on his watch.

Elders from Benue state have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare Fulani herdsmen invasion of the state and gruesome massacre of the people by the armed herders as act of insurgency and the perpetrators labelled as terrorists to be routed out by the military. “We observed that these invading Fulani Herdsmen have been allowed to bear sophisticated assault weapons unchallenged which is against all our extant laws. The perpetrators and sponsors of such heinous crimes against humanity must be brought to justice”. the elders said.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg committed to turning on Safety Check in more human disasters going forward, responding to criticism that the company turned on its safety feature for Paris but not for Beirut and other bombings. A few hours later, some users reacted differently: Where was Safety Check after suicide bombings in Beirut killed more than 40 people? Or after an attack at Garissa University College in Kenya left 147 dead? Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg says critics were right. The social network will now activate Safety Check for a broader range of human disasters.

Pinnick Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peterside Idah, has said that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), must take the blame for the country’s failure to reach the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. Nigeria lost 1-0 to the Pharoahs of Egypt in the return leg match of the 2017 AFCON qualifying series on Tuesday in Alexandria. The result means that the North Africans now lead Group G with five points, with only one round of matches left.

The FBI's announcement that it mysteriously hacked into an iPhone is a public setback for Apple Inc., as consumers learned that they can't keep the government out of even an encrypted device that U.S. officials had claimed was impossible to crack. Apple, meanwhile, remains in the dark about how to restore the security of its flagship product. The government said it was able to break into an iPhone used by a gunman in a mass shooting in California, but it didn't say how. That puzzled Apple software engineers — and outside experts — about how the FBI broke the digital locks on the phone without Apple's help. It also complicated Apple's job repairing flaws that jeopardize its software.

The suspects Six citizens of the Republic of Benin have been arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for allegedly siphoning fuel from vandalised pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. It was learnt that the suspects – Suru Hunpevi, 30; Messel Hungo, 25; Mark Huntoji, 22; Emmanuel Somoten, 18; Joseph Gbehan, 21 and 29-year-old Gbenonu Jonas – were rounded up on Sunday on the sea in the Badagry area of Lagos while they were about to cross the border to their country. PUNCH Metro gathered that 53 drums of about 13,250 litres of diesel were recovered from the suspects while a pumping machine and the two speedboats they used for the operation were also impounded.

The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANEDS) yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene so that the three tiers of government could pay the N60 billion electricity bill they are being owed. Its Executive Director, Barr. Sunday Oduntan, who spoke in Abuja, said the Nigerian Army is the highest debtor. He lamented that the huge debt has started weighing the power firms down.

My govt will set Nigeria free from poverty   President Buhari said his plan is diversify the economy, use agriculture to save foreign exchange and pull many out of poverty – He said Nigeria cannot continue to spend $11billion annually to import wheat, rice, sugar and fish – The president maintained that his social policy programmes will go ahead despite austerity measures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Bola Tinubu President Buhari being received by Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the International Conference Centre Abuja Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that his administration is poised to break all economic barriers and set Nigeria free from poverty.

 explosion Three persons were killed on Sunday in a pipeline explosion at Olugboboro, near Olugbobiri, in Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State. The pipeline, it was learnt, belongs to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC). A security source, who spoke in confidence, said: “There was a rupture on Agip pipeline and welders were engaged to clamp it. In the process, the pipeline exploded and went into flames.”

   Political leaders from the north-central have accused the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danlami Umar, of abusing the legal system in the country – The group said Justice Umar’s pronouncement established clearly that double standard is reigning supreme in the trial of Saraki – It describes Saraki as one the pillars of the APC in the North central Some political leaders in the north-central zone have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to halt the alleged injustice being meted out to Senate president, Bukola Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT) has advised Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, the PDP National Chairman not to extend his tenure beyond May. The acting Chairman of BOT, Walid Jubrin, who gave the advice while addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, urged Sheriff to heed the advise and not stay in office beyond three months. Jubrin said that the advice became necessary “following calls by praise singers who were calling on Sheriff to extend his tenure.”

Argentina's Lionel Messi in action against Bolivia during the 2018 World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday. Ecuador suffered their first loss in the group, going down 3-1 in Colombia, while Uruguay scored a 1-0 home win over Peru. Lionel Messi scored his 50th international goal to help Argentina beat Bolivia 2-0 in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The win put Argentina third in the South American group with 11 points from six matches, two points behind joint leaders Ecuador and Uruguay.

Mikel Obi, Eagles captain: agonises over the future As Egypt know only too well, and as Nigeria are finding out in an agonising manner, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. There is, it seems, no downfall too spectacular for continental kings. The Super Eagles are facing up to the stark reality of missing a second consecutive Cup of Nations following Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat in Alexandria. In light of Egypt’s last-minute 1-1 draw in Kaduna on Friday, and Chad’s withdrawal from Afcon qualifying, the Super Eagles will definitely not be present in Gabon for the continental showpiece in January 2017.

  The Nigeria Olympic Committee on Tuesday in Lagos signed a Memorandum of Understanding with four television stations as part of plans to ensure Nigerians enjoy a memorable Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The TV stations are Nigeria Television Authority, Silverbird Television, African Independent Television and Hip TV. President, NOC, Habu Gumel, said the partnership with the TV stations was a major contribution to the long-term financial stability of the Olympic movement in Nigeria.

The Chibok Community in Abuja on Tuesday said the suspected female suicide bomber that was arrested in Cameroon was not from their community, based on information made available to them by the Federal Government. The Chairman of the community, Tsambido Abana, told our correspondent on Tuesday that the suspect had never attended a conventional school, noting that the minor, who does not speak English, was believed to be from Bama area of Borno State.

Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has predicted doom for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In an interview granted to Thisday, Metuh spoke about the current state of the economy and the hopelessness in the polity. According to him, the lingering fuel crisis crippling economic activities in the country is a clear evidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has nothing to offer.

A crew member of the hijacked aircraft of EgyptAir is seen on the passenger steps after landing at Larnaca airport. AP Photo/Petros Karadjias • EgyptAir flight MS181 from the north Egyptian city of Alexandria to the capital Cairo departed with 81 passengers on board. • The flight landed in Larnaca, Cyprus. All passengers except the crew and four foreigners were released. • At least one man on board is thought to be armed. • Fighter jets are patrolling the airspace. • The Hijacker is allegedly 27-year-old Egyptian national Ibrahim Samaha who wanted to get a letter to his ex-wife who lives in Larnaca.

The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday it had succeeded in unlocking an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters and dropped its legal case against Apple, ending a high-stakes legal battle but leaving the broader struggle over encryption unresolved. The abrupt end to a confrontation that had transfixed the tech industry was a victory for Apple, which vehemently opposed a court order obtained by the Justice Department that would have required it to write new software to get into the iPhone.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has reassured Nigerians of its commitment to end the persistent fuel scarcity in the country. This came few days after APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu, attacked Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, over what Tinubu called his non-challant attitude towards the feelings of Nigerians in view of the ongoing fuel scarcity. A statement signed by Mr Garba Deen Muhammed, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, on Monday in Abuja, said “we wish to re-assure Nigerians that we are on top of the petroleum products supply and distribution situation and we remain committed to eliminating this endemic issue once and for all within the next few days.”

Pakistani Christians mourn the death of a blast victim of Sunday’s suicide bombing in Lahore... on Monday. Photo: AFP Afeez Hanafi with agency report Grief enveloped Pakistan on Monday as the official death toll from a suicide bombing at a public park in Lahore rose to 69, with 341 people wounded. But the local news media put the number of people killed at 71. The Sunday’s suicide bombing was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban’s Jamaat-ur-Ahrar faction, which once declared loyalty to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, saying it was targeting Christians.

(In pic) Malaysian women walk in front of a mural of missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane in a back-alley in Shah Alam. ET SPECIAL:Love visual aspect of news? Enjoy this exclusive slideshows treat! KUALA LUMPUR: Another piece of debris possibly from Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 has been found in South Africa, more than two years after the jet mysteriously disappeared during a routine flight over the Indian Ocean leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. Malaysian authorities, however, said it was too early to know if the piece of debris belonged to MH370. Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the piece was found yesterday and it was too early to ascertain if it was part of flight MH370.

NNEWI—The Indigenous People of Biafra,IPOB, has berated the Nigerian military and the police for their alleged collaboration with Fulani herdsmen in killing people only to turn around to claim they are fake soldiers and police men. In a statement issued after its meeting in Nnewi, signed by its Media and Publicity Officer, Mr. Emma Powerful, IPOB said Nigerian soldiers have displayed their cannibalism of not caring for innocent human lives when they massacred IPOB members in churches and streets while praying and protesting for the release of their leader Mr Nnamdi Kanu.

  Dr Ibe Kachikwu: Nigeria’s oil minister Whatever All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu saw to make him attempt killing a fly with a sledge hammer must have really been something to dance naked over. In a clear departure from convention, Tinubu indirectly criticised the government presided over by his own political party, the APC when he took a swipe at the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu.

A member of the House of Representatives, Joseph Edionwele, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will chase away the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led All Progressives Congress, APC, out of the state’s Government House in the coming governorship election. Edionwele, who represents the people of Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben federal constituency of Edo State, alleged that the non-performance of the APC government in the state had contributed in making the governorship election a walk over for the PDP. Speaking with Vanguard in Abuja, the lawmaker said: “It is not an issue of how prepared we (PDP) are. In Edo State, we are ready for change. We have passed through a lot of pains and troubles. PDP will certainly take over in September.”

The depressing economic situation in the country seems to be eating deep by the day as 27 states in the country have been faced with the difficulty of paying the salaries of their staff.

Supporters flooded into the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna to watch Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Egypt. Photograph: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty A major disaster was avoided on Friday as an estimated 40,000 supporters packed into the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna to watch Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Egypt.

There are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari is making fresh moves to woo the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Budget breakdown In an infographics made available to our reporter, the organization revealed what each ministry will get. The president had presented a N6.08 trillion budget before a joint session of National Assembly.

No fewer than 120 deaths arising from accidents were recorded in the power sector in 2015, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said. According to NERC, the sector also recorded 117 injuries during the period, as it decried the high number of casualties in the industry despite having trained engineers in the workforce. The Manager, Statistics and Forecasting, NERC, Chigozie Azikiwe, said this on Wednesday while addressing stakeholders in the industry during a two-day meeting held at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

In this report, KUNLE OLASANMI looks at the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, which continues at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) today and the fresh issues raised by his legal team About six months after the trial of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki began at the code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), much controversies have been generated due to the calibre of person involved in the case.

  THE Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) appears bent on enforcing the introduction of the Speed Limiting Device (SLD) come September 1, 2016 in spite of furious opposition from some quarters, particularly transporters and members of the House of Representatives. In fact, the Lawmakers called for the outright suspension of the scheme, arguing that the Commission should settle for a more technologically-up to date approach rather than embracing the speed limiting device which, they argued, had been dumped by many countries because they “do not work”.

  Microsoft has launched a Twitter bot, TayTweets, that is capable of responding to and making conversation with users. If you've been giving the Twitter-verse gold and getting nothing in response, or perhaps you don't have enough followers to get dialogue going, now you can converse with Microsoft's Twitter bot. The robot, Tay (@TayandYou), automatically responds to tweets sent its way. Responses are instantaneous, though not always related to what it was asked or sent.

Speaking at the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two states held at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House, Ikeja, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the partnership signaled the commencement of a new beginning of cooperation and common-sense revolution, which is line with the change mantra of All Progressives Congress that calls for patriotism in all facets of life   In line with the persistent calls for a paradigm shift from over dependence on oil as the major earner of the country, the Lagos State Government and the Kebbi State Government on Wednesday entered into a partnership on the establishment of a commodity value chain that will give a quantum leap to food processing, production and distribution.

  Governor Nasir El-rufai is accused of implementing anti-workers policies – The NLC and TUC held a meeting and resolved to issue a seven days ultimatum to the governor – The organised labour threatened a nation wide shut down if the governor fails to meet its demand Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Rufai El-Rufai is accused of anti-workers policies Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna state might be in for a long ride with the members of the organised labour who shut down government activities in the state on March

The Kardashian matriarch called into the Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday and gave her opinion of Rob Kardashian's new girlfriend -- who happens to be the ex-fiancée of Kylie Jenner's boyfriend, Tyga. Her opinion might surprise you, too. "I haven't really seen her that much and I don't know her as well as everyone else, but she seems like a really nice girl," Kris said. "I just haven't been around her too much. But, you know, he's been very, very happy lately and I think he's in a really good place. I don't know too much about their relationship."

Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui were Belgian nationals with criminal backgrounds; suspected IS jihadist Najim Laachraoui is another possible participant he two brothers who blew themselves up in the deadly train and airport attacks in Brussels were known by police for serious crimes and are linked to November’s Paris massacre. Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui are Belgian nationals with major convictions “not linked to terrorism”, federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said at a dramatic news briefing on Wednesday. Khalid (27), who blew himself up on Tuesday at the Maalbeek metro station, is a convicted car-jacker. His brother Ibrahim (30), who was one of two suicide bombers at the airport, had been handed a nine-year sentence for firing his gun at police, local media say.