White House goes to war with the press over dubious claims about crowd

President Donald Trump's top officials stood defiant for a second day in the face of withering media criticism over dubious White House claims about the size of Trump's inauguration.

During a visit to CIA headquarters in Virginia on Saturday, Trump asserted that there were over a million people at Friday's inauguration, though independent estimates put the crowd at closer to 250,000 attendees.

There are no official government estimates of the crowd size, but photographic evidence comparing Trump's inauguration to past inaugurations and metro ridership statistics suggested that the number was far lower than the White House claimed.

But Trump officials refused to admit Trump made factual inaccuracies or exaggerations, instead taking aim at the media.

Samsung announces what caused the Galaxy Note 7 to overheat and explode

Samsung says bad battery design and a rush to release an updated version of the Galaxy Note 7 caused some of the devices to overheat and explode in a new report the company released Sunday night.

Samsung said in the report that two separate battery malfunctions caused some Note 7 phones to overheat and even catch fire in some cases.

The first problem affected the first batch of Note 7 phones that launched last fall. In those phones, the battery was too large for the casing of the phone, which caused some to overheat, according to Samsung's report.

After Samsung recalled the initial batch of Note 7 phones, it manufactured the phone with a battery from a different supplier. But Samsung was in a rush to get the new phones out, and the new battery produced by the supplier had a defect that also caused it to overheat, the report said.

In the end, Samsung ended up recalling all Note 7 phones and canceled the product altogether.

I know what it’s like to be told by your teacher that you’ll never amount to anything - T.I Writes new Open letter

Rapper T.I. recently issued an open letter to former President Obama and a second letter to Donald Trump.
Now he has released his third letter, and this time the letter has been issued to US. Each of the letters were inspired by his latest musical projects, “US or Else,” and “Us or Else: Letter to the System.”
Read after the cut....

MLB star, Yordano Ventura dies in car accident at 25

25 years old Royals pitcher and Major League Player, Yordano Ventura has died. According to Cristian Moreno of ESPN, he died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic early this morning Jan. 22nd. His team, The Royals have since confirmed Ventura’s death, according to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan.

Ventura made his debut for the Royals in 2013 and was immediately known for his fastball. Sadly, he is the second major league player who has died over the past five months. Former Marlins ace Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident on September 25, 2016.

14 people killed as severe weather strikes Georgia

Catherine Howden, the spokeswoman for Georgia Emergency Management Agency confirms that 14 people were killed in a severe weather that struck southern Georgia in the overnight hours of Saturday into Sunday. She said the agency was working to assess the damage but she also confirms that at least two of the deaths occured in Brooks County.

Trump discusses Iran threats, White House visit with Israel's Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump Sunday discussed threats from Iran with Benjamin Netanyahu, inviting the Israeli prime minister to visit the White House early next month.

The two leaders spoke by telephone and "agreed to continue to closely consult on a range of regional issues, including addressing the threats posed by Iran," the White House said in a statement, signalling the new administration's tougher line on Tehran.

The statement also said that Trump invited Netanyahu "to an early February meeting at the White House."

Israel approved hundreds of new settler homes in east Jerusalem Sunday hours before the telephone call, which an Israeli statement described as "very warm".

But a potentially explosive plan to annex a large West Bank Jewish settlement unilaterally was shelved until after Netanyahu and Trump meet.

Ex-President Yahya Jammeh leaves The Gambia after losing election

Gambia's former President Yahya Jammeh has left the country in the wake of elections that ousted him after 22 years in power.

He boarded a plane to Guinea and from there will travel on to exile in Equatorial Guinea, regional group Ecowas says.

Mr Jammeh was defeated in December's election by Adama Barrow but went on to challenge the results.

Mr Barrow has been in Senegal but says he will return to The Gambia soon.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Barrow said he wanted to create a truth and reconciliation committee to investigate allegations of human rights abuses during Mr Jammeh's time in office.

Marcel de Souza, president of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), said the military operation that had sent West African troops into The Gambia in support of Mr Barrow, was now ended, although some would remain to ensure security.

Students killed and scores injured in northern Italy bus crash

Italian police say 16 people died and some 40 injured when a bus carrying Hungarian school students returning home from France crashed into the side of a highway near Verona.

Police commander Geralomo Lacquanita said the bus crashed and burst into flames just before midnight.No other vehicles were involved in the crash and it was not clear why the bus went off the road.

The bus was returning to Budapest carrying students aged between 15 and 17 years. Police say 16 were severe burns were pulled from the wreckage.

In Budapest, the foreign ministry said there were 54 passengers, including adults accompanying the students, and two drivers aboard, but they believe the actual number was higher. 

Suicide bombers blow themselves up in Saudi Arabia

A security officer stands guard in front of the logo of the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition [Faisal Al Nasser/Reuters]

Two suicide bombers have blown themselves up in a confrontation with security forces in Saudi Arabia's second city of Jeddah, local media reported.

Sabq, a news website affiliated with the kingdom's Interior Ministry, reported on Saturday that security officers surrounded a house in Jeddah and exchanged fire with two men, who then detonated explosives that images showed completely destroyed the home.

Anti-Trump protesters set to flood Washington

Hundreds of thousands of protesters spearheaded by women’s rights groups are set to converge on Washington Saturday to send a defiant message to America’s new president, Donald Trump.

The flag-waving crowds who turned out to cheer Trump’s inauguration will make way for a coalition of protesters who fear an erosion of women’s rights under the new Republican administration.

Powered by social media, the “Women’s March on Washington” aims to draw 200,000 people, illustrating the divisions of a country whose incoming leader faces levels of public mistrust unseen in recent decades.

Trump’s inaugural speech on Friday set the tone for his presidency: proudly populist, fiercely nationalist and determined to break with the legacy of his Democratic predecessor.

His first act in office — signing an executive order aimed at freezing Barack Obama’s signature health care law, before it is eventually repealed — was a potent gesture in that direction, with more such actions expected to follow on Monday.

Director arrested for inserting electric heater into son’s anus for allegedly being gay

A Director of Planning in one of the juicy ministries in Borno State, (names withheld) has been arrested by the state Police Command for allegedly inserting electric heater into the anus of his 10-year old son over the allegation of engaging in homosexual activities.
The top civil servant was said to have perpetrated the act upon hearing that his son performed the act with some politicians. While the boy, names withheld, had claimed to have been raped at their 1000 Government Housing Estate residence, the father was said to have dismissed his story leading to the inflicting of the bodily injuries. Saturday Vanguard learnt that the victim was chained before his father, who was accused of denying his children western education carried out the act. The 10 year old victim whose father allegedly inserted hot electric heater into his anus for being gay It was further gathered that the civil servant recently chained one of his daughters named Mama for insulting her stepmother in the estate. A top government official, who pleaded anonymity, said the director had been arrested. Efforts to confirm the incident from the Police Public Relations Officer of Borno State Command, Mr. Victor Isuku proved abortive. However, some residents told Saturday Vanguard  that the estate was recording growing rate of homosexual activities.

EXCLUSIVE (Body language expert gives inauguration insights ) - Hillary is fearful, Trump is selfish, and Obamas are sympathetic to Melania because Donald does not attend to her needs

Hillary Clinton put on a brave face Friday afternoon as she accompanied her husband Bill to President Donald Trump's inaugural address, a little over two months after she was defeated by the billionaire businessman in the election.

And while Hillary may have looked calm and composed, and even plastered on a smile for her appearance at the Capital, she was actually quite 'fearful.' 

That is according to body language expert Patti Wood, who took a look at the key players during the inauguration on Friday and revealed to us how they were really feeling on the big day.Wood also noted that there was a real bond between Barack and Michelle Obama and Melania Trump, who the couple tried to put at ease ahead of her husband's inaugural address.By going out of the way .greeting her warmly and each putting an arm around her as went in the door. Meanwhile, President Trump himself is a bit selfish according to Wood, especially when it comes to how he treats his wife, but it is clear that he respects  

Barack.And, as has been said time and time again for the past eight years, appearances continue to suggest that Barack and Michelle really do have a remarkable relationship built on respect. See how Obama goes out of his way to help with the Tiffany gift box. 

Hillary Clinton appeared 'fearful' before making her entrance at inauguration on Friday says body language expert Patti Wood, pointing to how her body froze (above)

The Gambia crisis: Yahya Jammeh says he will step down

The Gambia's long-term leader Yahya Jammeh says he will step down, after refusing to accept defeat in elections.

In an announcement on state TV, he said it was "not necessary that a single drop of blood be shed".

The statement followed hours of talks between Mr Jammeh and West African mediators. He gave no details of what deal might have been struck.

Mr Jammeh has led the country for 22 years but was defeated in December's election by Adama Barrow.

• Adama Barrow: From estate agent to Gambian president
• Jammeh: The man in charge for 22 years
• Why is it The Gambia, not Gambia?

Mr Barrow has been in neighbouring Senegal for days and was inaugurated as president in the Gambian embassy there on Thursday.

Troops from several West African nations, including Senegal, have been deployed in The Gambia, threatening to drive Mr Jammeh out of office if he did not agree to go.

Young woman killed by boyfriend saves six lives with donated organs

She said: "Through her death, she has gone on to save the lives of six others."

Mrs Gillard said: "My last memory of my beautiful daughter was her in hospital fighting for her life.

"She didn’t stand a chance with James Tobin. I am no longer capable of smiling, let alone laughing - all my happiness is gone."

Her family said her decision to donate her organs "sums up Kellie's kind and giving nature".

They said: "We are proud that Kellie received the Order of St John award as a result of her organs being donated and saving the lives of others. "

Kellie's family described her a "a much loved daughter, sister and auntie."

In a statement, they said: "Kellie was a amazing, beautiful person, full of life and energy. She lit up our lives and we were blessed to have had her as part of our family."

They said they are devastated and will never get over her death and said they are "grateful" Tobin has finally been brought to justice and accepted responsibility for her death.

The 25-year-old died from a ruptured artery in hospital, Wales Online reported .

Tobin, 21, had denied being to blame for her fall at his home on Lower West End in Port Talbot on April 24, 2015.

But he was caught by police after detectives put a secret recording device in his home to hear him confess the killing to his father.

She said: "Through her death, she has gone on to save the lives of six others."

Trump signs his first executive order and it’s directed against Obamacare

President Donald Trump didn’t wait long to get into the Oval Office before signing his first executive order. And as promised, it was directed against the “Affordable Care Act,” the cornerstone legislation of his predecessor, also known as Obamacare.

According to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, the order asked the states to “ease the burden of ObamaCare,” but he offered few other details on the substance of the order, which was not immediately provided to media outlets.

The official text of the order makes it clear that it is the full intention of President Trump to seek full repeal of the legislation, but in the meantime he will take the steps “to minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens of the Act, and prepare to afford the States more flexibility and control to create a more free and open healthcare market.”

Abuja Get Ready for Laugh Out Loud Weekend @lol_abuja

Are You in Abuja ? Have you heard of
#LOL WEEKEND ABUJA
#LIFE IS EAZI #ABUJA
#Laugh out Loud  Sunday
#hosted by #CFR GANDOKI / MR EAZI
#BYOB #Music #DJ SNIPER #Date: #sun 26th Feb 2017 #Wuse 2 Abuja #HOSTED BY CHAPERON #GROUP #3M360 #party #partying #fun #instaparty #instafun #instagood #bestoftheday #crazy #friend #friends #besties #guys #girls #chill #chilling #kickit #kickinit #cool #love #memories #night #smile #music #funtime #funtimes #goodtime #goodtimes #happy

GET READY

Trump inaugurated as 45th US president

Donald John Trump was inaugurated on Friday as the 45th president of the United States.

He took the oath of office in front of the Capitol just after noon Eastern time.

The 70-year-old real-estate magnate beat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in a shocking victory in the 2016 election, and he will start off his administration with Republicans controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Washington, DC, for the big event, and Trump has been promoting the inauguration festivities on his Twitter account for days.

Trump signed several executive orders shortly after his swearing-in.

Immediately after his inauguration, Trump delivered his inaugural address.

"Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people," Trump said.

"For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of our nation's government while our people have borne the cost."

Trump attacked the Washington establishment throughout his speech and focused his praise on the American people.

"This moment is your moment. It belongs to you," Trump said. "It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. This is your day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your country."

Trump said his inauguration would be remembered as the day "the people became the rulers of this nation again."

"The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer," Trump said. "Everyone is listening to you now."

Trump described the poverty, job loss, and crime that he said plagued the country.

Army parades expelled student who masterminded the killing of Ibadan Army school Commandant

The 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, have paraded the suspected killers of Colonel Anthony Okeyim, the Commandant of the Command Secondary School, Apata, Ibadan who was strangled to death last December

Parading the suspects before newsmen in Ibadan, Oyo state yesterday, Colonel Timothy Antigha, who is the Deputy Director, Public Relations, 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, said one of the suspects is a former student of the school that was expelled for stealing. Antigha said investigations by the Army and police led to the arrest of one of the suspects who was using the Samsung X4 phone of the deceased.

The suspects had gone to the commandant's premises within the school compound to rob and kill him.

He disclosed that the expelled student gave the others the necessary information needed to carry out their operation. According to Antigha, the arrest of the suspects was made possible by the full support of the Oyo state police command. All the paraded suspects will soon be arraigned in court.

Police arrest two suspects in connection with Nigerian-Turkish school kidnap

The Nigeria Police have arrested two suspected masterminds of the kidnapping of pupils and staff members of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges.

Among those arrested were Philip Kakadu, aka General Kakadu, and Romeo Council, otherwise known as Raw

Other suspects were also said to be undergoing screening in connection with the crime.

It was gathered that 29-year-old Kakadu and Council, 40, were picked in Warri, Delta State, by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, led by ACP Abba Kyari.

DAILY POST reports that gunmen had stormed the NTIC last Friday through a hole dug under the school fence and headed for the female hostel, where three pupils were abducted.

A Turkish teacher, a supervisor, a matron and two intending candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, who worked in the school, were also whisked away by the assailants to an unknown destination.

Gambia crisis: Barrow inauguration in Senegal as Jammeh stays put

The man who won The Gambia's disputed election says he will be sworn in as president at the country's embassy in neighbouring Senegal.

The message, posted on Adama Barrow's social media accounts, invited the general public to attend the ceremony.

Last-ditch efforts by regional leaders to convince Yahya Jammeh to step down as president failed overnight.

He lost elections last month, but wants the results annulled citing errors in the electoral process.

Twitter user who insulted Michelle Obama suspended from work

A Nigerian man who could not mind his own business by attacking outgoing American First Lady, Michelle Obama, has been suspended from his workplace.

According to news reports, the man, Ladi Delano who goes by the moniker #WeCare4IDPs, had reacted with denigration to the photo of the delectable Michelle posing with dogs on her birthday on the steps of her house by writing on his Twitter handle:

"Your mates are holding their male children, you are holding dogs."

That outburst did not go down well with Nigerians and women groups who attacked him severally for coming out as a sexist who does not see anything good in female children going by the fact that Michelle has two daughters.

See the first tweet and reactions here:

The new 'Star Trek' series has been delayed again

“Star Trek: Discovery” will likely miss its previously announced May premiere target, Variety has learned. The series has also cast James Frain as Spock’s father.

CBS released a statement regarding the potential delay:

“Production on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ begins next week. We love the cast, the scripts and are excited about the world the producers have created.  This is an ambitious project; we will be flexible on a launch date if it’s best for the show.  We’ve said from the beginning it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast. There is also added flexibility presenting on CBS All Access, which isn’t beholden to seasonal premieres or launch windows.”

Vigil held for kidnapped photojournalist Shiraaz Mohamed

As the sun set on Wednesday evening, the sound of sirens and car hooters filled the air as a motorcade snaked its way through the streets of Ennerdale until it reached the Civic Centre in Lenasia South.

The Ennerdale Joint Reaction unit and other community members headed towards a vigil that was organised in support of the release of South African photojournalist Shiraaz Mohamed who was kidnapped on Tuesday last week while on assignment in Syria.

His trip was facilitated by relief organisation Gift of the Givers.

Many of the cars, driven by members of the Ennerdale Joint Reaction group, had flashing lights on their roofs and posters with Mohamed's face glued to their windows.

Members of the SA Block Neighbourhood Watch in their high visibility vests walked in front of the cars chanting "Free Shiraz Mohamed".

Inside the civic centre the mood was sombre and more chairs had to be brought inside as over 200 friends, family, community members and journalists gathered.

My Coach Demanded To Sleep With Me Before I Can Represent Nigeria – Moses

Moses claimed that after she refused the coach’s sexual overtures, she was framed up for drugs usage and was dropped from national camp in 2013, while preparing for a championship in Malaysia.

“They said I tested positive (for drugs) in 2013. If they didn’t throw me out of camp and tried to frustrate me, I would have been an Olympian today. Why did they do all these? Because Gloria Moses is a stubborn lifter who won’t sleep with her coach,” the athlete, who won three gold at the Rivers 2011 National Sports Festival, said.

“They said I tested positive. But after the dope test I had, a letter should have been sent to my state (Bayelsa) and another to me. But I didn’t get a copy of the result of the dope test and I requested for but nobody gave me any till now. The frustration was too much; that’s why I had to leave for America.

US-based Nigerian weightlifter Gloria Moses says she relocated to the United States late last year after a national coach tried severally to sleep with her before she could be allowed to represent the country.

“In Nigeria, the coaches drop better female weightlifters for those that give them what they want. I’m okay with what they made me pass through; it was a challenge and it made me stronger. ”

Moses, an orphan, added that the frustration that came with her expulsion from national camp almost made her commit suicide in Lagos.

The 2009 NSF triple silver medallist added, “I was targeting gold (in Malaysia) in the snatch and jack events because I was in-form but the coach frustrated me, denied me the opportunity. I would have made some money if I won. Thereafter, I couldn’t pay my rent; and there was nobody to help me. If I had parents, they would have fought for me, but I had no one.

'I feel that justice has been served': Obama defends commuting Chelsea Manning's sentence in final press conference

President Barack Obama defended his decision to commute Chelsea Manning's remaining prison sentence during his final press conference from the White House on Wednesday.

Manning, a transgender woman, was convicted in 2013 of violating the Espionage Act after she leaked documents detailing US diplomatic and military activities to WikiLeaks in 2010. Manning had been serving as an army intelligence officer in Iraq at the time. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison, but is due to be released in May.

"Let's be clear: Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence," Obama told reporters, noting that Manning's sentence had been "disproportionate" to what other leakers had received.