Global Naija Info

Several bodies found at plane crash site Several bodies have been found at the crash site of missing Russian military Tu-154 aircraft in the Black Sea, Russian media reported on Sunday, citing Defence Ministry press service. However a singer in the Red Army Choir declared dead in the Sochi air disaster is alive, as his passport was out of date and was forbidden to fly. Roman Valutov, 29, was in the list of the aircraft passengers, but did not board the doomed flight as his passport expired in July. The ill-fated plane, en route to the Syrian port city of Latakia, vanished from the radar screens shortly after taking off from an airfield in the southern Russian city of Adler at 5.40 a.m. Moscow Time (0240 GMT), according to Russian media reports. “Fragments of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Tu-154 aircraft were discovered in 1.5 kilometers from the Black Sea shore of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters,” the defence ministry said. The ministry’s Spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, confirmed...

Suicide bombers kill 2 in Cameroon Two suspected suicide bombers were killed after attempting to launch attacks on Sunday morning in Cameroon, security source told Xinhua. The source said two young men suspected to be members of Boko Haram killed themselves after detonating bombs attached to them at the entrance of market in Mora, a small town in Far North Region near the border with Nigeria. The source said the attacks took place at around 8 a.m. and no other victim was reported. The Lake Chad Basin Commission formed multinational forces stationed at Mora , with particular objective of eradicating terrorist threat in the region.

The ill-fated plane All 92 people on board a Russian military aircraft are feared dead after it crashed into the Black Sea. The plane disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Sochi at 05:25 (02:25 GMT), heading for Latakia in Syria, the defence ministry said. Debris and 11 bodies have been found, with no reports of survivors. The Tu-154 was carrying soldiers, reporters and 64 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble who were to perform for Russian troops. Russia’s transport minister says investigators are looking into an “entire spectrum” of possible reasons the crash occurred, including the possibility of a terror attack. Earlier, a Russian official had downplayed any suggestion of a terror attack. President Vladimir Putin has said Monday will be a day of national mourning. The flight had originated in Moscow and landed at Adler airport in Sochi for refuelling. The defence ministry said in a statement: “Fragments of the Tu-154 plane of the Russ...

L-R: Pastor Bayo Oyeyemi, Pastor William Kumuyi, Mudashiru Obasa and Pastor Jerry Asemota at the Deeper Life December Retreat General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi has predicted a better New Year for Nigeria, saying that God will grant the leaders the solution to tackle economic recession in the coming year. Kumuyi spoke on Sunday while answering questions from newsmen after the visit of the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa to the church’s National December Retreat at the Deeper Life Camp Ground, Km 42, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. According to Kumuyi, the theme of the retreat: “Power for the Present Hour,” was apt as it addressed the happenings in the nation, such as tackling economic recession, hardship and equipping the Christians with the necessary ingredients to live victoriously in these days. Mudashiru Obasa (left) with Pastor William Kumuyi at the retreat He said God had pro...

President Muhammadu Buhari Dear Compatriots, I heartily rejoice with all Nigerians, particularly our Christian brothers and sisters, on this year’s celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. As we celebrate this year’s Christmas, I believe that it is very appropriate for us to reflect on the love of God aptly espoused in the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus Christ. During his earthly sojourn, Jesus Christ repeatedly reminded his disciples and followers of peace that comes in the midst of trials and tribulations on earth. There is no better time than now in our nation’s history to pray for divine guidance to get over our current challenges. We can have peace in Nigeria if we all learn to tolerate and appreciate one another, respect constituted authority; and be our brothers’ keepers in word and deed. During this period, we should remember to offer special prayers to God for all our heroic citizens who paid the supreme price to restore peace and security in the North East and othe...

Queen Elizabeth II: not celebrating big A heavy cold is keeping Queen Elizabeth II from attending the traditional Christmas morning church service near her Sandringham estate in rural Norfolk, England. It is extremely rare for Elizabeth to miss the service, which is a cornerstone of the royal family’s Christmas celebrations and brings the monarch into contact with local residents who gather outside for a glimpse of her. “The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery,” Buckingham Palace said. “Her Majesty will participate in the royal family Christmas celebrations during the day.” Those festivities usually include a gala lunch. In past years, the royal family would often go for extended walks in the countryside. Elizabeth has been in generally good health and has maintained an active schedule in the last year despite traveling less often than in the past. Her husband, 95-year-old Prince Philip, has also cut back his public sche...

Flames rise from the top of a warehouse, which caught fire during a dance party in Oakland, California,U.S. December 3, 2016. Seung Lee/Handout via Reuters A massive fire is raging at the premises of the Nigerian Breweries Limited in the Iganmu area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria. The blaze is said to have engulfed the factory section of the company. Channels Television senior correspondent, Ambrose Okoh, who is at the scene, reports that the fire service is currently battling the inferno. Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the fire started at about 5.30am on Sunday. No death has so far been reported in the incident, but the cause of the fire has not yet been established. Channels Television

Dolapo Badmos, Lagos State Police Command spokesperson The police in Lagos have confirmed the death of two persons on Sunday at when a building collapsed in the barrack. the Area ‘F’ Police Command, Ikeja. The state police command spokesperson Dolapo Badmos confirmed the incident. Details later.

NSCDC Operatives The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Sunday says it has deployed 1,000 personnel in Maiduguri to secure lives and property during Christmas celebrations. NSCDC`s Commandant in Borno, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, disclosed this in Maiduguri in an interview. Abdullahi said that the officers deployed from the anti-riot squad, bomb detection and disposal, intelligence and detective units of the corps were to provide security at Churches. He further said that other officers and men were to protect people at commercial places like markets, motor parks, amusement parks and shopping malls at the state capital. “We are not anticipating any threat to peace but in order not to take any chances, we must ensure protection of life and property at all times. “We, therefore, call on all residents of Borno to report any suspicious movement of people around them to the security agencies,” he said.

The type of plane that disappeared A Russian Defence Ministry flight carrying dozens of people has vanished from the radar screens after departing from the resort city of Sochi, Russian media reported on Sunday, citing preliminary findings. A total of 91 people were on board the Tu-154 aircraft, including musicians and media representatives, the Sputnik news agency quoted a security service source as saying. Meanwhile, some media outlets cited sources as saying that the plane might have crashed in mountains in Krasnodar Krai. Based on preliminary information, the accident was caused by technical malfunction or pilot error, a law enforcement source was quoted as saying. The vanished airplane is not a civilian one and was en route to the Syrian port city of Latakia, according to Russian aviation and emergency ministry authorities. The Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range airliner produced by Russian aerospace and defence company Tupolev. It is one of the fastest civilian aircraf...

FILE PHOTO: Nigerian soldiers on patrol on Borno road The Federal Government will formally re-open two major roads in Borno later today following the total defeat of Boko Haram in the North-East by the Nigerian military. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this in a statement issued in Abuja. The roads are the Maiduguri-Gubio-Damasak and the Maiduguri-Mungono-Baga. Mohammed said that he and the Minister of Defence, Brig.-General Mansir Dan-Ali (Retd), Service Chiefs, Governor Kashim Shetimma of Borno State and other dignitaries will grace the occasion. He said the two major roads, which were earlier closed due to the activities of the insurgents in the area, are of strategic importance to the economy of the Lake Chad Region. The minister said that the dignitaries will later have lunch with the gallant troops who crushed the insurgency.

Barack Obama and Trump Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama has told incoming President Donald Trump to accept the fact that there is only one U.S. President at a time. Obama also told the president-elect that he remains the U.S. President till Jan. 20, 2017, when he would complete his two-term presidency of the U.S. and handover to Trump. Obama’s remarks followed what the White House termed as Trump’s undue interference in U.S. policies since his election. The president-elect had on Thursday directed the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Ms Samantha Power, to veto the Security Council’s Resolution on Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. However, the Obama’s administration disregarded Trump’s directive and had gone ahead to abstain from voting on the resolution when it finally came up on Friday, drawing criticisms from the president-elect and his team. The White House, in a response by Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, Mr Ben Rhodes, said t...