Merry Christmas

As over two million Christians all over the continents, joined by their loved ones to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, may God the Merciful, henceforth, embolden the entire population to choose hope over fear, and unity of purpose over every discord.

Christ must remain the center/focus of our celebration. It is a moment to draw close and be overwhelmed by the unswerving Love of God.

Show some love to that individual next door and brighten the day with beautiful colours 'cos a SON and a SAVIOUR is born unto us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

from: www.realtimeclick.blogspot.com

Tent blows away in the middle of Jacob Zuma’s speech

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma was forced to run for cover after a tent in which he was giving a speech collapsed.

Strong winds and rain tore through the marquee, where Mr Zuma was addressing a crowd for Reconciliation Day.

A video posted onsocial media by local reporters showed people scrambling for safety as the tent blew upwards and the president was rushed off stage.

There were no immediate reports of injuries during the storm, in Gopane in South Africa's North West province.

Reconciliation Day is meant to promote unity among South Africa's racial groups following the end of white minority rule in 1994.

With the tent up in the air, all further proceedings were cancelled.

Amina Mohammed’s Appointment as UN Deputy Secretary-General

The new UN Secretary-General, António Guterres yesterday announced the Nigeria Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed as his Deputy Secretary-General.

Guterres made the announcement through the spokesman of the Secretary-General, Mr. Stephane Dujarric.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Guterres also announced the duo of Ms. Maria Viotti of Brazil and Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea into high-profile positions at the UN.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be appointing Mrs. Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as my Deputy Secretary-General, and Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as my Chef De Cabinet.”

“I also intend to create the position of Special Advisor on Policy, and to appoint Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea to this new role.”

“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights and humanitarian action.”

“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity,” Guterres said.

Guterres had hinted on Monday, after he took the oath of office, that gender parity would be top of his agenda as the UN scribe.

Guterres is succeeding Ban, who will bow out on December 31.

Reacting to Mrs. Mohammed’s appointment, President Muhammadu Buhari welcomed her elevation to the post of Deputy Secretary-General of the UN.

A statement by his media aide, Mr. Garba Shehu, said the president spoke with Guterres who called to inform him (Buhari) of his decision to name Mrs. Mohammed as the Deputy Secretary-General yesterday evening.

Shehu said Buhari used the opportunity to reiterate his support for Guterres and congratulated him on his upcoming tenure.

He said the president endorsed the excellent selection of Mrs. Mohammed. “By her appointment, Nigeria has been honoured,” said the President.

Shehu said Buhari thanked Mrs. Mohammed for her untiring contributions to transform Nigeria and said he looked forward to sustained collaboration between the UN and Nigeria.
He said he had no doubt that she would continue to make Nigeria proud at the global level.

Pursue Peace to Promote Development, Buhari to ECOWAS Leaders

The president was speaking at a joint press conference after a closed door meeting with the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in the Presidential Villa.

He commended the Liberian President for the stability her country had enjoyed over the years and her ability to combine her job with ECOWAS responsibilities.

“I thank you very much for the way you are handling the ECOWAS responsibility. We have 102 countries and I believe we will discuss when we go to Senegal today, in terms of peace and security,” he stated.

President Buhari also stressed the need for other ECOWAS leaders to continue to pursue peace in the sub-region, which had been scuttled in some member states by terrorists groups.

He pointed out that the situation in the sub region was relatively stable, but said it was imperative to continue to persuade other leaders to show appreciation for the efforts the sub-region is making towards protecting its people to foster development.

Johnson-Sirleaf, who is in Nigeria to get an update on the ECOWAS Commission as the secretary, briefed President Buhari on her findings, ahead of a report she would be presenting on December 17.

After both leaders held talks that lasted for about one hour, the Liberian leader said she was using the opportunity of the visit to be updated on the progress and challenges of the work of the ECOWAS Commission.

“I have come to meet with the entities of ECOWAS, the commission, parliament and the court in preparation for the report that I will need to make on the summit of the authority which will be held here in Abuja on December 17,” she said.

The last time she came in February she thanked Nigeria for helping to restore peace to her country and specifically acknowledged Nigeria’s support during the Ebola epidemic in Liberia.

After the meeting, President Buhari left for the third Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa.

Beyond the ECOWAS sub-region, the president is carrying the message of peace and development to the African Union Summit, as he believes that development can only strive in a peaceful environment.

India politician J Jayalalitha dies at 68

One of India's most influential and colourful politicians, J Jayalalitha, has died at 68.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu state suffered a heart attack on Sunday night and died at 23:30 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday, Chennai's Apollo Hospital said.

Thousands of her supporters had gathered to pray for her recovery.

Extra police have been deployed in the southern state amid fears of unrest among her supporters.

The former film star served as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister four times. She had been receiving treatment for months.

Jayalalitha is revered by many but seen by her critics as having created a cult of personality over the years.

There are fears her death could spark unrest given the extreme devotion she inspires among her supporters, many of whom refer to her as "Amma" (mother).

Earlier reports of her death, which were swiftly withdrawn, prompted scuffles between police and her supporters outside the private hospital.

Tributes began to pour in for Jayalalitha as soon as her death was confirmed by Apollo, which had been treating her since 22 September.

Jayalalitha lived a dramatic life, both on screen and off.

She appeared in more than 100 films before turning her hand to politics in the early 1980s.

Aleppo battle: Russia and China veto UN truce resolution

Russia and China have vetoed a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that called for a seven-day ceasefire in Syria's embattled city of Aleppo.

Russia said the document infringed the council rule, allowing countries 24 hours to consider the final wording.

The US dismissed this as a "made-up alibi", saying Russia wanted to preserve recent military gains by Syrian government troops in Aleppo.

The army are reported to have seized more parts of rebel-held east Aleppo.

If confirmed, that would mean the government had recaptured about 70% of the rebel-controlled area in just over a week.

More than 100,000 people may be under siege in districts still under rebel control, where food supplies are exhausted and there are no functioning hospitals.

On Monday, Russia and China  – both veto-wielding council members, voted against the draft submitted jointly by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain.

Venezuela also voted "No", while Angola abstained.

The other 11 UN Security Council members backed the resolution.

NCC suspends planned data tariff increase

NCC had announced the immediate suspension of the new minimum pricing template for data services by mobile operators saying the decision is to allow for further consultation.

In a statement signed by its Director, Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, the commission said “directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by consumers across the country.”

It said it has therefore, directed all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria is done. “Following the concerns that visited the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from December 1, 2016, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has suspended any further action in that direction.”

“The Commission has weighed all of this and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.”