Donald Trump is attempting to crack Hillary Clinton's blue wall. And Clinton is hoping for a surge in Latino turnout fueled by opposition to Trump.
The two candidates are making a last-minute dash across swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as the 2016 presidential race enters its final hours. They've also gone north to Michigan and New Hampshire to states Democrats have won in recent cycles but could flip this year.

Here are the key states and signs to study as the night unfolds:


A loss in any of the states would severely complicate Trump's already precarious path to 270 electoral votes. Though if Trump clawed back Pennsylvania or Michigan from the Democrats, who have won both electoral-rich states six times in a row, North Carolina would be more expendable. A win in a state like Pennsylvania or Michigan would allow Trump to offset a loss in North Carolina and still have a shot at reaching 270.

If that doesn't happen, holding North Carolina and Arizona, while reclaiming Florida, Ohio and Iowa from the Democrats -- plus Maine's 2nd District -- would only get him to 260.
Trump would need to tack on 10 more electoral votes somehow. New Hampshire's four and Nevada's six would get him there. Colorado, with nine electoral votes, Michigan with 15 and Pennsylvania with 20 are also possibilities.

In his last 48 hours before Election Day, Trump has been pretty much everywhere, including Colorado, Michigan -- even Minnesota -- searching for the extra votes he needs.

The key question for Clinton is whether her "blue wall" of Democratic-leaning states on the Great Lakes -- Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin -- will hold.

Trump has targeted all three, but Clinton has consistently led polls in all three states. However, most voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania cast their ballots on Election Day -- which means her campaign hasn't built the early voting advantage already in place elsewhere.

If Clinton can do that and pick up just one of North Carolina, Florida or Ohio, she's all but guaranteed to win.

If she can't win one of those three states, she'll need to hold Virginia, vote-by-mail Colorado, New Hampshire and Nevada -- where Democrats have already built a hefty early voting edge.

3. Does Latino turnout surge?
If Clinton wins, her coalition will consist of women, college-educated voters and a swell of new Latino voters.

In early voting in states like Nevada, and Florida, there's already evidence of burgeoning Latino turnout. This is best witnessed by the over 57,000 people who voted in Nevada Friday, with pictures of long lines and extended hours at a Latino grocery store in Clark County.

Many first-time voters, polls show, are turning out to oppose Trump. And Democrats are bullish that Latinos have been under-polled through the entire 2016 election cycle.

For Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, this is a ghost of elections past. After the 2012 race, the RNC warned that the party needed to do more to court Latino voters. A nominee who roundly rejected that advice could be the reason the party loses a third consecutive presidential race.

Just as Trump's attacks on Mexican immigrants have alienated Latino voters, his attacks on women and allegations of sexual assault have helped Clinton to a large lead among female voters. Clinton's campaign has highlighted Trump's most derogatory remarks in TV ads aimed at moderate, suburban women -- a constituency that has helped Republican nominees in years past. If she succeeds, it would limit Trump's strengths to rural areas.

4. Does Trump have a "silent majority"?
Trump's biggest strength is his overwhelming support from disaffected white voters -- particularly men, and especially those without college degrees.

His campaign has long argued that those voters -- many of them independent or Democrats who buy into Trump's protectionist stance on trade -- will carry him on Election Day.

For this to happen, Trump will also need core Democratic voters to stay at home, as well.
Already, Trump appears poised to win Iowa, and has polled ahead of Clinton in Ohio. He's hoping to win enough blue-collar Democrats in Pennsylvania or Michigan to win at least one of those states.
Michigan, in particular, emerged as a tempting target in the campaign's closing days -- a state hard-hit by the trade deals Trump bemoans. Clinton's campaign raced to play defense, dispatching the former secretary of state there, as well as President Barack Obama, for last-minute rallies.

5. Do African-American voters show up?
Among Democrats' biggest concerns has been whether African-American voters -- a reliably left-leaning constituency -- will turn out in numbers anywhere close to their support for Obama in 2008 and 2012.

If the answer is no, it could hobble Clinton in key states -- particularly Florida and North Carolina.
Obama is helping carry Clinton's load with black voters. In a call to Tom Joyner's radio show, he argued that participating in this election is just as much about him as it is about Clinton.

"And I know that there are a lot of people in barbershops and beauty salons, you know, in the neighborhoods who are saying to themselves 'We love Barack, we love -- we especially love Michelle -- and so, you know, it was exciting and now we're not excited as much,'" he said. "You know what? I need everybody to understand that everything we've done is dependent on me being able to pass the baton to somebody who believes in same things I believe in."

6. The post-Trump GOP starts now
Since Trump clinched the GOP nomination in May, Republican Senate and House candidates have been forced to answer for everything he has said -- from his attacks on a Gold Star family and an Indiana-born judge's heritage to his rejection of conservative orthodoxy.

As soon as the election ends, Capitol Hill Republicans -- especially if they retain control of both the House and Senate -- will regain power.
The party will have to decide just what to do with Trump's rejection of free trade, his calls for a decreased US role overseas and his criticism of GOP congressional leaders -- whether he wins or loses.
But adopting some of Trump's policy planks while rejecting his political style might not help much after an election driven by the candidates' personalities.

7. How the loser handles losing
For a nation divided by a long, bitter contest, this could be the most important question of all: Will the loser concede -- and how will he or she do it?

Trump and Clinton are both historically unpopular presidential nominees. Half the country thinks Clinton is a crook, and the other half thinks Trump is a racist and misogynist.

And Trump, in particular, has cast the election as rigged -- calling into question whether ballots that are mailed in will be counted, playing up inaccurate reports of voter irregularities and claiming that voter fraud is pervasive.

The loser will play a crucial role in legitimizing the victor -- or delegitimizing the winner from the outset. 

President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with Niger Delta leaders was expected to put an end to militancy in the region this seems to be just not the case. The Punch reports that the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) that has been terrorising the region released a statement on Saturday, November 5 threatening total war against the federal government and rejecting the outcome of the president‘s meeting with the Niger ZDelta leaders led by Chief Edwin Clark.

“As a matter of fact, what the Avengers did to the oil industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan already set by our central command. We shall bring Nigeria’s daily output quota to below 500,000 barrels. Just be ready for the approaching tsunami. “The multinational oil companies, we know you are recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope you will continue in this tradition so there will always be reason to let the world know that ‘you don’t contest the corners of a house with the owner of the house.’

“The destruction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline is just a warning. We warned against the restarting of the facility, but the daring companies won’t listen. That shadow operation that brought the TFP down was only meant to let these companies know that we aren’t kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay down, and it’s in your best interest.”

The militant group described the president’s meeting with the elders from the region as a humiliation. “The humiliation that came with the meeting of the elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the government knows the character and intent of the man and most of those he led to the meeting.

“The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people. However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and see the response that will follow.

“We want to say here, without mincing words, that we are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his hostile message, we understand his message and the NDGJM is saying we are ready for him. We know he has reportedly threatened war on our people; we had been calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at this point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him ‘enough is enough.’

“If it is war, bring it on, we are no cowards, just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is not going to be another vanquished ‘Biafran Uprising’. Niger Deltans are nobody’s slaves; we shall fight until there’s nothing left to defend.”

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will adopt “pin vending” for the 2017 UTME test. Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the head of media and information, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, November 2, in Lagos said that it would no longer use scratch cards, adding that intending candidates to get familiar with the new approach.

Benjamin said: “Candidates, wishing to sit for the 2017 examination, should start getting themselves familiar with the newly adopted process of pin vending by the board. We must make ourselves open to change like it is obtained in other climes.

We are no longer going back to the use of scratch card; that method is outdated. Candidates wishing to register for the examination will just make online payment and get a pin with which they can upload their data. “This new pin vending will be accessible through the options of web payment, ATM issued cards like Visa, Verve, and Master card, online Quick Teller, mobile application and Bank Branch case/card.’’

Benjamin assured that the board was working hard to redress all challenges experienced by candidates during its 2016 UTME as it was preparing for the 2017 diet. He said all hands were on deck to ensure a hitch-free conduct of the examination across the country.

Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the registrar of JAMB, had earlier revealed that they scrapped the use of scratch cards for any transactions and services describing it as outdated. He said the board decided to do away with the method because of its consistent subjection to fraudulent practices.

When the record-breaking Shinkansen high-speed rail line opened in 1964, it was perfect timing.
That year Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympics, and Japan hogged the spotlight to debut the world's first commercial bullet train.

In 2020, the Japanese capital will host the Summer Olympics, and if you're getting deja vu that's because the Asian nation is once again shattering rail records.

The new Japanese maglev became the fastest train in the world after traveling at 374 miles per hour (603 kilometers per hour) on a test run near Mount Fuji last year, breaking its own world record of 366 miles per hour (590 km per hour), set the previous week.

Maglev trains -- already operating at slower speeds in Shanghai and Changsha, in China, and Incheon, in South Korea -- use magnetic repulsion both to levitate the train up from the ground, which reduces friction, and to propel it forward. It is perhaps Japan's boldest rail innovation yet.

The Chuo Shinkansen maglev line will link Tokyo to the southern city of Nagoya in 40 minutes -- arguably making the maglev faster than flying, given the time it takes to get through an airport. There are plans to later extend the line to Osaka.

The 16-carriage train will be able to shuttle 1,000 passengers along the 159 mile (256 km) track.
Tomoaki Seki, a manager at the Central Japan Railway Company, which is developing the maglev line, says the company has been testing the technology since 1997. By the time it opens in 2027, the service will have undergone 30 years of refinement.

During a test run, in 1997, it had already reached a speed of 342 miles per hour (550 kilometers per hour), but the company says it needed to do more testing to bring the technology to the necessary safety standards, and make it a cost efficient service.

"We are refining our technology and verifying ways to reduce costs in operation, maintenance and construction," says Seki.
"There are people who wanted to have the maglev service as early as possible, but the construction takes time."

So, how does the 2020 Olympics rail breakthrough compare to the bullet train unveiled for the 1964 Tokyo games?
For a start, they're both somewhat political moves.
Japan's first high-speed railway between Tokyo and Osaka wasn't built solely for the sake of improving internal transport.

It was also an opportunity to show the world that Japan could outperform Western countries in engineering, after the economic devastation it suffered following the end of World War II.
Sure enough, the world took notice.

France swiftly followed in Japan's footsteps installing the Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) in the 1970s, which set speed records in 2007. The Intercity-Express, which began service in Germany in 1985, still operates between major cities in the country; its trains are among the fastest high-speed trains in the world.

For Japan today, the need to revive its pioneering rail reputation is crucial. With a world record to its name, the maglev -- although not operational until 2027 -- heralds a new era in Japanese engineering.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said any Nigeria who has another country to relocate to are free to do so.

On his part, he said he would stay back to solve the nation’s position.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke while addressing Niger Delta stakeholders at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“We are determined to make life comfortable and affordable to all Nigerians. If anybody has a country to go to, let him go, we will stay here and salvage our country,” Shehu quoted the President as saying.

Buhari was said to have told the leaders of the Niger Delta that they had more to do than anyone else to bring peace to the region, given the influence they have on militant groups.

He expressed the determination of his administration to stay focused on its key campaign promises of securing the country, fighting corruption and creating jobs through the improvement of the economy.

He said peace, security, investment and prosperity are linked together, adding that “if we give peace a chance, investors will come here to invest.  Nobody will invest in an insecure environment.”

Buhari said the problems his administration found on the ground were many, as illustrated in collapse of oil prices, inability of 27 of the 36 states to pay salaries, absence of savings to fall back and having to deal with an elite who didn’t seem to care.

All these, he said, made his government to conclude that, “life as usual is no longer affordable.”

In welcoming the 16-point request presented for negotiation by the Niger Delta leaders, Buhari said he was still expecting reports from officials he had instructed to review the implementation of the Amnesty programme to determine where government fell short so that amends can be made.

The President said the service chiefs were putting together their own assessment of the militancy situation, saying “when I have these reports, including this one (just presented), we will revisit the situation (in the region) to ensure that we succeed this time.”

The President who delivered his report card on the war against corruption and the efforts to secure the country repeated his call to the Niger Delta leaders to join the administration in bringing peace to the troubled region.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has intensified investigations into N3bn fraud allegedly committed by Malam Gimba Ya’u Kumo, who recently got married to the second daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, SaharaReporters reports.

According to the news platfrom, Malam Kumo allegedly committed the crime while he was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.

It was learnt that the new son-in-law to the president had been under probe before his marriage but has now fallen into the spotlight of the anti-graft agency recently.

Sources also revealed that the President has vowed not to get involved in the case as the EFCC continues to find incriminating evidences against him.

Venom derived from the long-glanded blue coral snake - one of Southeast Asia's rarest and deadliest snakes - may help develop better painkiller that could help manage pain without the side effect of addiction.

The snake with electric blue stripes and neon-red head and tail grows up to two metres long. Its venom glands extend to 60 centimetres about a quarter of its body length.

Described as "the killer of killers" due to its taste for young king cobras, this snake is unique among snakes because, like scorpions, its venom causes its prey to spasm.

"This venom hits a particular type of sodium channel that is important for the treatment of pain in humans," said Bryan Fry, from the University of Queensland in Australia.

Researchers identified six unusual peptides in the venom of the blue coral snake that can switch on all of its prey's nerves at once. This immediately immobilises its victim.

The found that the venom used receptors which were critical to pain in humans. Learning how these work may enable improved pain treatment and management, the 'Sydney Morning Herald' reported.

"It's a great example of why studying the really weird animals is a great path for biodiscovery and you can't get any weirder than this snake with the longest venom glands in the world," Fry said.

The findings were published in the journal Toxins.

Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, may be called to witness in the trial of Sambo Dasuki who is facing investigation for alleged mismanagement of $2.1billion arms funds. The Nation reports that Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), the counsel to the former national security adviser (NSA), said Dasuki wanted Jonathan to testify in court.

Raji said: “It will be desirable for Jonathan to testify for the ex-NSA. It will throw greater light into grey areas. And it will serve the interest of Justice. “It will be fantastic for him to go to court to testify. Dasuki is an agent of a disclosed and known principal.”

Another member of the legal team citing Jonathan’s statement that faulted the charges against Dasuki, said the only logical thing for the former president to do is to see it through.

“We want Jonathan to follow-through. If he backs out, it will be bad.”

Recall that Jonathan in a recent interview at the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom, faulted the charges against Dasuki, claiming that the ex-NSA could not have stolen about $2.2billion votes for arms. But, in Raji’s view, a political solution will be better than trial because of the “characters involved”.

He said: “But, frankly speaking, I pray for a political solution to the problem because of the characters involved.” On insurgency, the United States has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to sustain the momentum against the Boko Haram insurgents.

The Sun reports that the US on Sunday, October 30, told President Buhari to put more pressure on Boko Haram to ensure the insurgents do not regroup even as the country distanced herself from the Nigerian government negotiations with the group that led to the release of 21 Chibok girls recently.

Sarah Sewall, the US Under-Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, commended the Buhari administration for its progress in the fight against Boko Haram. But Washington urged the federal government to step up pressure on the terrorists.

“From our experiences, insurgency and terrorist groups can be very resilient, can move and again reconstitute themselves. So, it’s absolutely critical that both federal and state levels of governments partner very closely the military campaigns to ensure they can provide security, services and good governance for the country as Boko Haram is pushed out particularly in the neighborhoods. At the same time, Nigeria needs to put pressure on Boko Haram,” Sewall said. Meanwhile, strong indications emerged that elders, leaders and stakeholders of the Niger Delta Region have rejected the federal government’s move to launch a $10 billion (N4 trillion) infrastructural rebirth investment programme in the area.

Vanguard reports that the multi-trillion naira programme is part of the Short and Medium Term Priorities to Grow Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry (2015 to 2019), tagged the ‘7 BigWins’, a new initiative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

But the Niger-Delta leaders dismissed the proposal as a blackmail saying there is no money to fund it. The leaders said it is imperative to tell President Buhari that they are rejecting the move because it is private sector-driven with the aim of dragging the government into it.

“At the end of the day, other Nigerians will say why complain when you have $10 billion and the money is not there in the first place. If the companies have such money, they should pay the money owed the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, rather than blackmail the region with such money,” they said.

In other news, the Punch reports that another round of crisis is looming between the executive and the federal legislature over the present administration’s plan to borrow $29.96bn from external sources.
The impending clash follows President Muhammadu Buhari request on Tuesday, October, 25, for the National Assembly to approve the external borrowing plan to enable his government to raise funds to execute key infrastructural projects across the country between now and 2018. But a source has said lawmakers were currently not favourably disposed to approving the plan.

The lawmakers opposed to the loan were said to include members of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. On the economy, banks are taking their scarce assets to governments as foreign exchange crisis and economic recession threaten return of investments. Guardian reports that lending rates to different sectors of the economy for the month of September as published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) show that deposit money banks see higher risks in lending to the private sector, including agriculture.

Loans to governments and Mining & Quarrying remain the lowest at 24 and 23 per cent respectively. For general commerce, oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, mortgage and agriculture, banks would charge the highest rates at 27 per cent on the average. Ostensibly due to exchange rate volatility.

IGBO leaders have called on the Federal Government to immediately release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and other prisoners of conscience in line with the rule of law, saying that their agitation does not constitute threat to peace.

They also called for the restructuring of the nation so that Igbo that have made the “biggest sacrifice and contribution to the building of modern Nigeria” will be allowed to live and operate freely as equal citizens without discrimination. Rising from a three-day 2016 World Igbo Summit held at Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State, Igbo leaders also condemned in strong terms, the destructive activities of herdsmen and urged governors and the lawmakers in Igbo states to enact laws prohibiting open grazing in Igboland.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, which was attended by prominent Igbo people, including first class traditional rulers and co-chaired by General Ike Nwachukwu, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Col. Joe Achuzia (retd.), Chief Francis Oji and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, they resolved that Ndigbo should take full responsibility for the rebuilding of Igbo economy and development. Other resolutions, according to the communiqué read by Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, are that governors in Igboland should form a joint commission for the development of their areas; that the 1999 Constitution should be repealed and a new one enacted that will recognise the inalienable rights of each constituent group to self-determination and regional autonomy as enshrined in the 1960 Independence Constitution and 1963 Republican Constitution:

“Ndigbo, hereby, resolve to take full responsibility for the rebuilding of the Igbo economy and development of Ala-Igbo and hereby shall adopt the digital economy as the organising paradigm and implementation framework for the sustainable development of Ala-Igbo. “That Igbo political leadership (elected and appointed) must act in the best interest of Ndigbo and be prepared to be held accountable by the people for all their actions and inactions; that in view of the threat by the herdsmen, which constitute present and imminent danger to peace and security in Igboland, the Igbo governors and the states assemblies should immediately legislate against any form of open grazing in Igboland, among others.” … as minister urges Biafra agitators to follow due process Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, has accused those agitating for the Republic of Biafra of using uncivilised methods, advising them to follow constitutional and diplomatic processes to achieve their aim.

The minister said that MASSOB and IPOB have the fundamental right to clamour for Biafra, “but they should be rational and not emotional in going about it.” He spoke with newsmen in Enugu shortly after the end of a stakeholders/caucus meeting of the Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Onyeama then urged those spearheading the breakaway project to critically look at the rules relating to secession. According to him, those agitating for Biafra “are not speaking for Ndigbo, as they do not have the mandate of the Igbo race to do so.” He asked them to embrace dialogue rather than resorting to violence.

He, however, called on Nigerians, particularly those from the South-East, to keep supporting the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, pointing out that the government has the capacity to tackle the current challenges facing the nation. In his remarks, the Chairman of APC in the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye, assured the national leadership of the party that the state chapter was highly committed to wrestling power from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019. Nwoye said that existing political structures are being oiled and strengthened at all levels in the state, calling on true democrats and progressives to embrace the party to ensure a better Enugu State.

For every action we did there are always consequences, and that includes cheating. This is a fact well-known to us but still, many men are taking the risk. This 47-year-old man from Pattaya, Thailand learned this lesson the hard and painful way after his wife discovered his affair.

Apparently the man known only as Mr. Somchai (name changed to protect his identity) was having an affair with his wife’s best friend. After discovering the illicit relationship of his husband, the wife flew into a rage and then planned her vengeance. She led her husband into a trap by flirting on him and started performing fellatio.

Somehow his wife began to feel a little sorry for him and immediately called the medics. The attack happened in the Thai tourist spot of Pattaya and it is reported that Mrs. Somchai used a box cutter to chop off her husband’s pen*s.

The poor guy was rushed to Bang Lamung Hospital in Pattaya for urgent surgery and is closely monitored after losing a lot of blood. Aside from it, he is also said to be suffering severe psychological trauma on top of the injury.

A man who claimed to be a wizard has blamed the recession in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for why he crashed into Sapele River. Vanguard reports that the man who was discovered in Ajogodo River in Sapele, Delta State said he was flying from Benin airport to attend a meeting in the UK using Plantain Leaf.

He said he was also supposed to watch a football match in the UK when the fuel in his jet finished.

He said: “I was flying in with what is known in the physical realm as ‘Plantain Leaf,’ but it is actually my expensive private jet in the coven realm.

“It crashed me into this bridge, when the fuel in it finished. My members will be here tonight to refuel it for me, so I can continue my journey to the UK.

“I have to be in the UK to watch football, because there is economic recession, unemployment and inflation in Nigeria.”

Vanguard reports that the apostle who is the founder of New Covenant Christian Fellowship which is located in Nnobi in Anambra state said he wants to use the contest to re-enact the feat of Prophet Elijah in Mount Carmel, where he challenged the prophets of Baal to determine whether God or Baal was supreme.

The 83-year pastor said: “For a long time now a lot of people believe in occultism, charms, witchcraft, wizardry and all sorts of satanic manipulations instead of believing in the Almighty God. I want this contest to determine who is supreme: God or all those witches, occults and their likes.

“All these groups should come together against the Apostle of Christ. From 12 noon they can do everything. After then, the Apostle will do his own to bring down the power of God.

“This challenge has gone into internet and social media; it involves the universe: India, United States of America, Europe, China, among others. I insist that there must be a clear demarcation of who the Supreme Being is.”

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said that it was impossible for his former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, to have stolen $2.2 billion as being accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Responding to questions after his lecture on Youth Entrepreneurship at the famous Oxford Union in the United Kingdom, former President Goodluck Jonathan, said: “They said the National Security Adviser (Sambo Dasuki) stole $2.2billion. I don’t believe somebody can just steal $2.2 billion. We bought warships, we bought aircraft, we bought lots of weapons for the army and so on and so forth and you are still saying 2.2 billion, so where did we get the money to buy all those things?

“Yes, there were some issues. Yes, there are still corruption issues but some of it were over blown. I’d say exaggerated and they give a very bad impression about our nation. You cannot say the national security adviser stole $2.2billion. It is not just possible.”

To avoid sounding confrontational with the current government, Mr Jonathan explained that some of the corruption cases were still in court and would rather allow the legal processes to reveal the facts of the matter.

He said: “One thing about the issue of corruption is that these matters are in court, let’s allow some of these processes to end. Lately some judges’ (homes) were also invaded. There are so many things involved and we have to follow up these matters to conclusion before we know the fact. “I don’t want to be seen a former president challenging what the sitting government is doing so I have decided to keep quiet for the court to look into them.”

He said allegations of corruption were not unique to his administration or the country. He said: “You will see that it has become a major topic whenever there is a change of government … I am not saying there is no corruption in Nigeria, there is corruption.

If you look at corruption there is almost no country that is free, the degree varies, the perception varies. “Transparency International talks about the way corruption is being perceived in different economies, why do we talk about the way corruption is being perceived, it depends on the issue raised in the media every day.”

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, promised Nigerians that the Federal Government has set machinery in motion to ensure 7,000 megawatts at the first quarter of 2017 . Osinbajo, who acknowledged that the country was battling with 3,000 megawatts, assured that the 7,000mw is achievable.

The vice-President said the Federal Government is currently working on nine transmission stations across the country towards achieving that set target of 7, 000 megawatts electricity generation for the country.

He however, attributed the crisis in the power sector to the vandalisation of the folcado terminal and four other export terminals is responsible to the reduction in the megawatts to as low as almost 2500mw of power .

The VP who said this in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital while declaring open, the 8th Session of the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment, adding that the work on the critical transmittions would be completed by the first quarter of the year 2017.

Meantime, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on African countries to explore trading opportunities within the continent as part of efforts to boost their economies. Obasanjo made the call yesterday when a delegation from the National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment paid him a courtesy visit at his hilltop mansion in Abeokuta.

The delegation led by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enalamah, included the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, and members of some committees of the National Assembly The delegation was in Abeokuta for the eighth edition of the council’s meeting with the theme “Diversification of the Nigerian Economy: From Over Dependence on Oil Exports.”

The former president expressed concern that the share of intra-African trade in Africa’s total trade over the past decade was only about 12 per cent compared to 65 per cent of Asia.The VP further hinted that the federal government is already encouraging a privately owned oil refinery firm in the country which would refine 650, 000 bpd towards easing the petroleum products’ supply and accessibility in Nigeria. According to him, when the privately owned refinery project is completed, Nigeria would be saving about 30 percent of the amount it spends on importation of refined crude into the country.

Over 5000 workers have lost their jobs in the Apapa area of Lagos. This followed the closure of over 50 companies including banks and entertainment outfits located in Apapa who depend on the activities from the wharf.

On Wharf Road alone, Daily Sun counted over 10 banks  and two eateries that have closed their branches because of the lull in the ports. Unity Bank which used to have four  branches, has two now and Ecobank with eight  branches has reduced to four. Similarly, Access Bank with seven  branches also cut down to four Eateries like Tetrazini and some ‘mamaput joints’ have been  shut down, while a  popular Kingstone Joe – a fast food company – that had two  outlets at Warehouse Road and Wharf Rood  are closed down.

Tantalizer with three outlets has been reduced to one while the only Mr Biggs eatery in Apapa on Creek Road is now out of the market. Major hotels like Rockview, Excelsior and many others are groaning for lack of patronage as most of their rooms are empty. Chains of events that require renting their halls no longer come with faster frequency. A room rate which used to be between N25,000 and N30,000 can now be negotiated to between N8,000 and  N10,000 because of the low patronage.
Other businesses that collapsed on Burma Road include, grocery shops, shipping companies, haulage outfits, freight forwarding firms, clubs and other recreational outlets.  It was gathered that each of the outfits has between 20 and 50 staff while one of the biggest brothels which harbours over 200 inmates in the area has equally closed shop and the inmates relocated to other parts of Lagos where they can get ‘customers’.

The entertainment outfit, according to the president of Association of Maritime Journalists (AMJON), Mr. Ismaila Aniemu, said that the brothel served as a relaxation spot for sailors but since there is no activity in the ports, the brothel lost patronage and had to close shop.
Beside the bank and entertainment workers that lost their jobs, some ancillary businesses like the provision stores and food vendors that supply the low-end workers also ceased to be active.
The popular Eleganza complex that used to house over 1000 offices is virtually empty because the tenants have relocated or are out of business. The few tenants who are still hanging on are owing several months rentage. The complex which used to be the centre of activities is now a ghost of itself—empty, deserted dilapidated.

The popular Nnewi Building where over 800 offices were located is  now empty, abandoned and lonely.Generally speaking, property owners in Apapa are all lamenting because nobody occupies their property. Daily Sun gathered that since this year, only five ships had berthed in Apapa port, a situation that now makes maritime business unattractive and boring.
The situation is worsened by recent high foreign exchange rate which is almost N500  to a United States dollar from what used to be about N160 to a dollar in 2015.

The high exchange rate  and the ban on  41 items by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) contributed to the low  activities in the ports. The 41 items include, rice, cement, margarine, palm kernel/palm oil products/vegetable oils, meat and processed meat products, vegetables and processed vegetable products, poultry chicken, eggs, turkey, private airplanes/jets, indian incense, tinned fish in sauce (Geisha)/sardines, cold rolled steel sheets, galvanized steel sheets, roofing sheets, wheelbarrows, headpans, metal boxes and containers, enamelware, steel drums, steel pipes, wire rods (deformed and not deformed), iron rods and reinforcing barbedwire mesh, steel nails, security and razor wine, wood particle boards and panels; wood fibre boards and panels, plywood boards and panels; wooden doors, toothpicks,  glass and glassware, kitchen utensils, tableware, tiles-vitrified and ceramic textiles, woven fabrics, clothes, plastic and rubber products, polypropylene granules, cellophane wrappers,  soap and cosmetics, tomatoes/tomato pastes, eurobond/foreign currency bond/ share purchases.
The CBN policy implies that, those who import these items can no longer buy foreign currency from the official window to pay the overseas suppliers. Rather, they will have to source forex from the parallel market or Bureau De Change to pay for their imports.

Most businesses in the area were heavily dependent on the state of the ports in Apapa Complex and Tin Can Island. President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel,  had announced in August that the government policy has led to more than 3000 dockworkers losing their jobs.

Investigations show that over 50 per cent of these dockworkers are from Apapa Port. The chains of food vendors and other ancillary service providers who hitherto enjoyed their patronage have been shut down.

The ailing veteran Nollywood actor of Village Headmaster fame, Tunde Alabi, who has been laying critically ill, over complications from diabetes at the Lagos General Hospital has had one of his legs amputated.

The surgery to save the Thespian from further complication by amputating one of his leg took place today, Monday, October 24, 2016. There were several efforts to checkmate the amputation surgery but all failed as they seemed to have come rather too late.

According to the veteran actor’s colleague, Paul Julius, who is the person solely taking care of him, the actor has no home to go back to after the surgery. “ As I speak with you, the amputated leg has just been taken to the mortuary. But that is not our major concern right now but where he will return to as his home. Right now, he has no family, no friend that can take him in. He is homeless,” he said.

Lagos State Government may soon join the growing number of states including Edo, Ogun and Anambra that have imposed death sentence on kidnappers.According to a private member bill sponsored by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, “any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains or captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her, will commit an offence, and liable to a conviction of death sentence.

The bill, which is titled: ‘A bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of the act of kidnapping and for other connected purposes,’ went through a public hearing in the State House of Assembly, yesterday. Attempt to kidnap was also criminalized under the bill and it was suggested that such a person would be committed to life imprisonment. Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person under Section 4, and this attracts seven years imprisonment.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petition and LASIEC, whose committee handled the public hearing, Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, had earlier said in her welcome address that the Bill was necessary to curtail kidnapping in the state. “We need laws to safeguard the citizens. We looked at the law on kidnapping and we felt that it should be amended to curb the crime,” she stated.

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has launched a rare attack on Michelle Obama, saying "all she wants to do is campaign" for his rival.

He also accused the first lady of attacking Hillary Clinton in 2007 by invoking a line she had said about fitness to run the White House.

The Obama campaign had denied the line referred to Mrs Clinton.

Mrs Clinton, meanwhile, accused Mr Trump of threatening democracy if he did not accept the election result.

"We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart," she told a crowd in Cleveland, Ohio.

"Donald Trump refused to say that he'd respect the results of this election. By doing that, he's threatening our democracy."

At his own rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump told supporters, "I see how much [Michelle Obama] likes Hillary."
"But wasn't she the one that originally started the statement, 'If you can't take care of your home,' right? 'You can't take care of the White House or the country?' Where's that? I don't hear that. I don't hear that."

The New York businessman was referring to a remark Mrs Obama made in 2007 while campaigning for her husband, who was running against Mrs Clinton.

The first lady said: "If you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House".

Some critics asked whether the comment had been aimed at Mrs Clinton's relationship with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

But the Obama campaign maintained the line was not directed at the Clintons and instead referred to their own struggle with parenting during a campaign.

"So, we've adjusted our schedules to make sure that our girls are first, so while he's traveling around, I do day trips," Mrs Obama continued in her 2007 speech.

"That means I get up in the morning, I get the girls ready, I get them off, I go and do trips, I'm home before bedtime."

Mr Trump was back on the campaign trail a day after he and Mrs Clinton appeared together at the Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation charity dinner in New York City.

The event, which takes place during election years, offers presidential candidates a chance to crack jokes about one another.

But Alfred E Smith V told CNN on Friday Mr Trump had "crossed the line and took it a little too far".

"The room did get a little uncomfortable," he added. 

Raine Spencer who is the stepmother of Diana, the Princess of Wales, has died. She Died Friday morning, aged 87 after a short illness. Countess Spencer died at her London home, her son William Legge, the Earl of Dartmouth and a Ukip MEP, confirmed to press men.

The short statement issued by the family said: 'Raine, Countess Spencer, died peacefully at her home in London on 21st October, 2016, after a short illness.'

The socialite met Earl Spencer, Diana's father, when she was a young Conservative councillor where she was known for her enormous bouffant hair, pearls, scarves and grand tones. They married in 1976 and remained together until his death in 1992.

Countess Spencer, born in 1929, was the only daughter of her parents, Alexander McCorquodale and the novelist Dame Barbara Cartland.

Former Chairman, Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin has challenged his suspension from participating in the House’s activities for 180 days.

The legislator, who was recently suspended following his disagreement with the House’s leadership over alleged fraudulent conduct, including padding of the last national budget, is seeking N1billion damages against