NIGERIAN NEWS

Saudi in rare flogging of prince

Saudi Arabia has flogged a prince convicted in a criminal case, a newspaper reported Wednesday, two weeks after another was executed for murder in rare punishment of the country's royalty.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most prolific executioners and has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

Rights groups have also raised concerns about flogging sentences including those handed to Saudi rights activist Raif Badawi, convicted of insulting Islam, and Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayad, convicted of apostasy.

Senate threatens to suspend plenary if INEC fails to conduct elections in Rivers by December 10

THE Senate on Wednesday threatened to suspend plenary sessions if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC fails to conduct all pending re-run elections into legislative positions in Rivers State.

This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance sponsored by Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, PDP, Enugu East and Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South.

Don’t sell our state to Northerners – Group warn Jimoh

A group, Ondo Young Leaders in Diaspora, A Pan-African Organisation of Ondo Youths, has sent a warning to the Modu Sheriff’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the state, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim over the political crisis rocking the state, saying he should beware of trading the state into the hands of political merchants.

The group, in a statement by its President, Tomide Akinribido, warned Mr Ibrahim to be careful of allowing himself be used as a tool in the hands of the trio, the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Works minister, Babatunde Fashola, his Solid mineral counterpart Kayode Fayemi whom it accused of conniving with Jimoh to sell some facilities belonging to the state.

#BuhariFreeZakzaky protest turns awry in Abuja

The #BuhariFreeZakzaky protest by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, at the National Assembly Complex and Federal Government Secretariat in Abuja, Wednesday, turned awry, as members of the group were confronted by armed policemen, who dispersed them by releasing tear gas canisters.

Bobrisky, ‘Africa’s Male Barbie’ dominates Google trend

"Bobrisky, 'Africa's Male Barbie' became a search interest this week after a presidential aide pulled off from a new media conference, because he could not share the stage with the social media sensation.

Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos. He said that the search was from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2.

“Top trending searches on Google this week went from a fashionable man with a different dress sense to a search for a chemistry, which is neither a subject nor love bond," he said.

Catholic female priests a ban forever, irrevocable, Says Pope Francis

Pope Francis has said that he believes the Roman Catholic Church's ban on women becoming priests is forever and will never be changed.

He was speaking aboard a plane taking him back to Rome from Sweden, in the freewheeling news conference with reporters that has become a tradition of his return flights from trips abroad.

A Swedish female reporter noted that the head of the Lutheran Church who welcomed him in Sweden was a woman, and then asked if he thought the Catholic Church could allow women to be ordained as ministers in coming decades.

Oil bandits/contractors’ syndicate attacks Trans – Forcados trunk line in Delta

LESS than 12 hours to President Muhammadu Buhari's meeting with Niger Delta leaders at Abuja, on Tuesday, a suspected syndicate of pipeline contractors and oil thieves attacked the Trans-Forcados Export Trunk Line at Batern community in Warri South West Government Area, Delta State with dynamites.

The affected trunk line delivers products from Batern flow station to the Forcados Terminal Line for export. The attack occurred at about 1:30 am on Tuesday.