Saturday, July 16, 2016

Grandson Allegedly Scams Elderly Grandpa/Grandma: Couple Facing Eviction

This elderly couple never imagined the day they would face eviction from their California home, or that such an ordeal would allegedly be the work of their beloved grandson.
Helen and Hank Kawecki, 87 and 88, are now packing away more than 56 years' worth of things they accumulated in preparation for their Monday eviction.

Pakistan's Education Crisis: The Real Story

Pakistan's education budget has doubled in recent years -- to almost as much as the military's -- but literacy and dropout rates remain abysmal and "ghost schools" persist, a new report said.
A staggering 24 million children are not in school and more than half of eight-year-olds cannot read despite the budget growing twofold to $7.5 billion in the last six years, the report from the US-based Wilson Center released Thursday found.
Pakistan's poor report card comes even as the number of so-called ghost schools -- which receive funding but have no teachers or students -- has declined in some areas.

Killed 'By Brother': R. I. P.

Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch
Muzaffarabad (Pakistan) (AFP) - A Pakistani social media celebrity whose selfies polarized the deeply conservative Muslim country has been murdered by her brother in a suspected honour killing, officials said Saturday, prompting shock and revulsion.
Qandeel Baloch, praised by many of the country's youth for her willingness to break social taboos but condemned by conservatives, was strangled near the city of Multan, police said.
"Qandeel Baloch has been killed, she was strangled to death by her brother. Apparently it was an incident of honour killing," Sultan Azam, senior police officer in Multan, told AFP.
Baloch, believed to be in her twenties and whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, had traveled with her family to Muzzafarabad village in central Punjab province for the recent Eid holiday.

Turkey Quashes Coup

A Turkish solder is taken to police by civilians

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Forces loyal to Turkey's president quashed a coup attempt in a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left at least 161 people dead and 1,440 wounded Saturday. Authorities arrested thousands as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that those responsible "will pay a heavy price for their treason."
The chaos came amid a period of political turmoil in Turkey — a NATO member and key Western ally in the fight against the Islamic State group — that critics blame on Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule. Staying in power by switching from being prime minister to president, Erdogan has shaken up the government, cracked down on dissidents, restricted the news media and renewed fighting with Kurdish rebels.

The Latest Nice Attack


NICE, France (AP) — The latest on the deadly truck attack in France (all times local):
3:45 p.m.
A neighbor of truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel in Nice says she often crossed paths with the man — and said he struck her as odd and unpleasant.
"I saw him four times a day," said Jasmine Corman, who has lived in the building for six months.
"He wasn't very nice. ... He was handsome, but his face was miserable," she said.

8-Month Pregnant Woman 'Pinned Down' By Male Nurses

The woman was 8-and-a-half months pregnant when three nurses held her face down on the floor.
The woman was reportedly thrown to the floor
An NHS trust has launched an investigation after claims that a heavily pregnant patient was dragged from a seat and pinned to the floor face down by staff were made using social media. Three members of staff are said to have held the eight-and-a-half months pregnant woman on the floor after dragging her to the ground in a London psychiatric hospital.
The incident was said to have taken place at a mental health unit ran by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL). Bosses at CNWL have removed a member of staff from clinical duties while the investigation takes place.

Good News For HIV-Positive Individuals

Ahead of world's biggest Aids and HIV conference AIDS 2016, IBTimes UK looks at the major studies of the year.

The International AIDS Conference, or AIDS 2016, takes place this year in Durban, South Africa. From 18-22 July, scientists, policy-makers and charities dedicated to fighting the HIV pandemic will meet to coordinate the global response to the virus. Although global rates of new infections has fallen by 6% since 2010, around 36.7 million people worldwide currently live with HIV.

UNAIDS, the UN agency dedicated to fighting the HIV epidemics has set a clear goal for 2020. By then, 90% of all people living with HIV should know their HIV status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection should receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of people receiving the drug should have viral suppression.

R. I. P. India's 'Gold Man'

Slain Indian businessman Datta Phuge
Mumbai (AFP) - An Indian businessman who made headlines in 2013 for purchasing one of the world's most expensive shirts made entirely of gold has been beaten to death in western India, according to a report Friday.
Datta Phuge gained fame when he ordered a customized gold shirt worth 12.7 million rupees, around $240,000 dollars at the time.
It was made up of 14,000 pieces of 22-carat gold, weighed 3.32 kilogrammes (7.3 pounds) and was put together by 15 craftsmen over 16 days.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Loaded Gun, Bullets, Knives and Drugs Seized in Nando's Police Raid

A loaded gun was found in a police raid on the Nando's restaurant in Birmingham city centre
West Midlands Police seized a loaded gun, six bullets, knives and drugs from a gang of teenagers who were eating at a Nando's restaurant in Birmingham city centre.

Nice Attack Updates: List of Known Victims Killed.

Here is a list of known victims of the Nice attack in which at least 84 people have been killed and scores injured. The list will be updated as more information becomes available.
The central hospital in Nice has released a number for families of the victims: 04 93 72 22 22.

2 Americans Killed in 'Monstrous' Attack in Nice

Police officers and rescue workers stand near a van that ploughed into a crowd leaving a fireworks display in the French Riviera town of Nice on July 14, 2016
Two Americans were among the more than 80 killed in an attack in Nice, France, Thursday night, when a driver ploughed into a large crowd with a truck hauling grenades and other weapons during Bastille Day celebrations, the U.S. State Department said.
Officials did not name the two Americans, although family members confirmed their identities to ABC News.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Nigeria: Excerpt From Africa Housing Finance Yearbook 2015

Overview
This year has been an exciting yet uncertain year for Nigeria. The presidential and state elections took place in April, leading to a new party, the All Progressive Congress, taking the presidential office. The Naira has spiralled up and down against the US Dollar for the majority of the year leaving local and foreign investors unsure of the future.

Prime London Real Estate Assets Up For Grap

Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
One consequence of Brexit could be that more London properties end up in foreign hands.
That's the ironic product of Britain's decision to exit the European Union — an outcome predicated in part on a desire to reduce immigration to the U.K.
Investors pulling money from U.K. property funds out of fear that real estate values will fall are forcing sales of prime properties in London. The managers of seven funds with about 18 billion pounds ($23.7 billion) of property suspended trading last week as investors rushed to redeem, and some are now offloading key holdings.

Nigeria To Lose N2.79bn Daily As Avengers Blast Qua Iboe Terminal

Avengers
Nigeria may be losing about N2.79 billion daily as from this Tuesday as the unrelenting militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) last night blasted Qua Iboe crude oil terminal operated by ExxonMobil.
Qua Iboe is Nigeria’s largest crude oil stream and exports usually more than 300,000 barrels per day.

BoE And ‘Extraordinary’ Brexit Charges

Mark Carney denied that the Bank of England undermined its independence in the run-up to the U.K.’s referendum on its European Union membership by highlighting the risks of a decision to leave.

The Pound, Brexit Vote And Theresa May!

The pound climbed the most since three days before Britain’s European Union referendum as Home Secretary Theresa May prepared to take over as the U.K.’s next prime minister, removing one layer of political uncertainty.

INSIGHT: China Banks’ $24 Trillion Rollover Risk

China’s banks are rolling vast sums through wealth-management products. The amounts involved, the maturity mismatch between assets and liabilities, and the fragile state of final borrowers all increase the chances of a misstep — and the severity of an impact should one occur. That underlines the importance for the government to maintain buoyant nominal growth, ample liquidity and low interest rates.

South Africa And Brexit

South Africa’s reliance on foreign money to finance the shortfall on its current account makes it the most vulnerable in sub-Saharan Africa to fallout from the U.K.’s vote to quit the European Union, Moody’s Investors Service said.

Nigeria’s Economy Going Down: IMF

Nigeria’s economy will probably contract this year as energy shortages and the delayed budget weigh on output, according to the International Monetary Fund.