HURRICANE MATHEW HITS HAITI IN THE PHASE OF PROGRESS!

                    Tableau of devastation

1. JÉRÉMIE, Haiti — Things had been looking up in Jérémie, a coastal city marooned on the tip of Haiti's southern peninsula. It had recently gotten its first decent road link to the rest of the country, a new highway through the rugged mountains that brought development. Cellphone service had finally begun, enabling farmers and businesses to flourish. The city was racing into the 21st century, dreaming of advanced agriculture and tourism in one of Haiti’s few nature preserves.

Now, Hurricane Matthew has turned back the hands of time.

The rich forests and vegetation are now splinters and a saltwater swamp. Roads are blocked with detritus, trees turned to tinder, homes reduced to mounds of stone and rusted tin shards cleaved from roofs. Jérémie’s ambitious economic plans have been eviscerated.

“Instead of going forward, we have to restart,” said Marie Roselore Auborg, the minister for commerce and industry in the Grand Anse department, where Jérémie is the capital. “This storm leveled all of the potential we had to grow and reboot our economy.”

Hurricane Matthew’s toll in Haiti has been hard to measure: the deaths and injuries, the number of people still stranded, the cases of cholera contracted in the week since winds of 145 miles an hour blew the country back to a tragically familiar state of disaster.

EFCC RETURNS 48 HOUSES ILL-OWNED BY FORMER BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, TIMIPRE SYLVA

Timipre Sylva(former Bayelsa State Governor)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned 48 houses seized from former Bayelsa state governor, Timipre Sylva. The antigraft agency during the Jonathan administration in 2013, had dragged Sylva before a Federal high court over allegations of misappropriation of N6.46 billion state funds when he was governor of the state between 2009 and 2012. His assets were subsequently seized during his trial.

Among properties seized and have been returned are a mansion at 3 River Niger Street, plot 3192 Cadastral zone AO, Maitama District Abuja; nine units (comprising six one bedroom and 3 two bedroom apartments) at 8 Sefadu Street Wuse zone 2, plot 262 Cadastral zone AO2, Wuse Abuja; and 2 units duplexes at 5 Oguta Street, plot 906 Cadastral zone Wuse 11 Abuja.

Others are: a duplex at Plot 1271 Nike Street Cadastral zone AO5, Maitama District Abuja; a duplex at Phase 1 Unit No. 1 (Villa 1) Palm Springs Gold Estate, Cachez Turkey Projects Limited, Mpape, Abuja; 10 units of one-room apartments at 8 Mistrata Street plot 232 Cadastral zone Wuse 11 Abuja; 5 units duplexes at Plot No 1070 Dakibiyu District Cadastral zone B10, Abuja; 16 units service apartments at Plot 1181 Thaba Tseka Crescent, Off IBB Way, Wuse 11, Abuja and 3 units of three- bedroom flats at No. 1 Mubi Close, Plot 766. Cadastral Zone A01, Garki, Abuja. Sylva was first arraigned on Tuesday June 5, 2012.

AMAZING BANA ALABED; SYRIAN TWEETS AT 7!

Bana Alabed

Bana is just 7 years old but she knows how to tweet. A video posted on her Twitter account @alabedbana shows her back as she stands in front of a window, long hair flowing on a green jumper and fingers in her ears. Loud bombs can be heard in the distance, in the Aleppo night. 

US IS LAUNCHING DRONE; A REMOTELY CONTROLLED AIRCRAFT ATTACKS AGAINST BOKO HARAM FROM NIGER REPUBLIC!

US drone....

There are strong indications that the United States government may launch attacks against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, as a drone base being constructed in the Niger Republic would soon be completed.

According to reports, the American drone base is under construction in Agadez, a town in Niger.

The facility is expected to offer US military, greater ability to use drones against Islamist extremists in countries like Libya, Mali and Nigeria.

The project, considered to be the United State’s most important military construction effort in Africa.

The construction of the base is an indication that the US is paying more attention to terrorist groups in Nigeria and other countries on the African continent.

“As the only country in the region willing to allow a US base for MQ-9 Reapers — a newer, larger, and potentially more lethal model than the venerable Predator drone — Niger has positioned itself to be the key regional hub for US military operations, with Agadez serving as the premier outpost for launching intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions against a plethora of terror groups.

The Americans have for years operated an air base in Niamey, Niger’s capital, but in September 2014 the US African Command announced plans to build a drone facility for “Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.” The top MILCON [military construction] project for USAFRICOM is located in Agadez, Niger to construct a C-17 and MQ-9 capable airfield against terrorists.

However, there were concerns about US plan against the terrorists that might alongside affect the innocent citizens which of course could not be ruled out. Options are being weighed over this though. But there is a war of the detested pricking the nations at the moment. Though, the Nigerian Military is taking over, and the US drone might be as a complimentary effort to end the insurgency.