President Goodluck Jonathan sacks 2 top Advisers

Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan sacks 2 top Advisers

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has relieved two of his Special Advisers of their appointments, with immediate effect, according to a press statement issued here Friday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati.

The statement named the sacked Special Advisers as Mrs. Joy Emordi, for National Assembly Matters, and Dr. Tunji Olagunju, his Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Sacking the officials, President Jonathan thanked them for their services and wishes them success in their future endeavours.

The statement did not indicate reasons for the dismissals.

Kenya shopping mall attack death toll up at 39; 150 wounded

 

September 22, 2013 - Updated 015 PKT
From Web Edition

 

 

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NAIROBI: Thirty-nine people were killed and 150 wounded in Saturday's attack on a Nairobi shopping mall, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta said in a televised address to the nation.

He said Kenya had "overcome terrorist attacks before, and we will defeat them again," and told the nation he had also "personally lost family members in the Westgate attack".

"Our security forces are in the process of neutralising the attackers and securing the mall," he said, as security operations went on late into the night.

Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked Shebab group said its fighters were behind the attack.

"They want to cause fear and despondency in our country, but we will not be cowed," Kenyatta said, adding: "Terrorism is a philosophy of cowards."

"I ask God to give you comfort. My government will provide the support needed in the days to come," he said. (AFP)

U.S. official: Syrian CW list more complete than anticipated

From Tom Watkins and Hamdi Alkhshali, CNN

September 21, 2013 -- Updated 1814 GMT (0214 HKT)

Iran: We want 'constructive engagement'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: U.S. officials are surprised and encouraged by the list's completeness, an official says
• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says he can help bring peace to Syria
• Syria's opposition fires back, says it does not consider him an independent broker
• Iran is a long-time ally to Syria

(CNN) -- U.S. officials were pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the initial declaration that Syria has submitted to the world's chemical weapons watchdog outlining its inventory of the munitions, a senior administration official said Saturday.

The official said the declaration was more complete than what the officials had expected the Syrians to put forth.

The news came hours after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced that Syria had handed over a list of what it says is its chemical arms stockpile.

"The Technical Secretariat is currently reviewing the information received," the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The handover occurred a day before the organization is to meet at The Hague in the Netherlands to discuss Syria.

The timing meets the terms set in a deal forged last week between the United States and Russia in Geneva to begin destroying Syria's chemical arsenal.

Second-half goals from Oscar and Mikel steered Chelsea to the top of the Premier League

Updated Saturday, September 21st 2013 at 23:05 GMT +3

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Second-half goals from Oscar and John Mikel Obi steered Chelsea to the top of the Premier League with an unspectacular victory over Fulham.

The visitors created the best chance of a dour first half but Darren Bent shot straight at Blues keeper Petr Cech.

Oscar settled Chelsea's nerves when he tapped in after David Stockdale spilled a Samuel Eto'o shot into his path.

And Mikel secured three points for the Blues when he hooked in his first Premier League goal in 185 matches.

The result ended a run of four games without a victory for Chelsea and took them above Liverpool at the top of the table on goal difference, although any one of Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City or Manchester United could leapfrog the Blues on Sunday.

YouTube Mobile To Allow Offline Viewing with a Catch

posted on SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

There’s a lot of great content on YouTube and sometimes you just wish you could download a video and keep it to watch whenever you want. Well, keep wishing, that’s not what this announcement is all about.

Here’s the YouTube Creator Blog talking about the new feature:

We’re always exploring ways to bring more viewers to your content. As part of this effort, later this year we’ll launch a new feature on YouTube’s mobile apps that will help you reach fans — even when they’re not connected to the Internet.

This upcoming feature will allow people to add videos to their device to watch for a short period when an Internet connection is unavailable. So your fans’ ability to enjoy your videos no longer has to be interrupted by something as commonplace as a morning commute.

This is part of our ongoing updates to give people more opportunities to enjoy videos and channels on YouTube mobile. Check out the YouTube blog when this launches in November for more details on how this will work for viewers.

Hmm…that’s a very low-key announcement for such a big, new feature. I guess they’ll blow it out when the feature actually goes live. Right now, I’m left with questions. First up, how long is a “short period”? Second, what happens after the “short period”? Does the video disappear from your mobile queue? Library ebook rentals work like that. You download the book to your device but at the end of the rental period, you’re locked out. I don’t know how it works, but it does.

I’m guessing this video download option will work the same way. You’ll have access for a few days (?) and then you’ll get a warning message, gently reminding you that you’ve pushed your luck. Time’s up, man. Pick another video.

For content creators, this is a nice little option. If I can download the latest installment from my favorite channel to watch while I’m on the train to work, I’ll do it. And I’ll do it regularly. This is the kind of thing that can become a habit and consumer habits are great for business.

In case you missed it, YouTube recently added the ability to keep browsing while a video plays in the corner of your screen. It’s another feature that makes YouTube more like cable TV. Personally, I find it annoying. If I’m watching a video, I want to WATCH it, not listen to it while it plays in a tiny box in the corner of the app. If you have a short attention span, then it’s the perfect feature for you.

Are you using YouTube more for yourself or your business? Tell us about your experience in the comment box below.

New iPhones: What the tech world is saying

New iPhones: What the tech world is saying

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Photo by: 

The Associated Press

The iPhone 5C screen, displayed, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 in New York, is available in green, blue, yellow, pink or white. On the 5C, the background wallpaper on the screen matches the color chosen. If sunny yellow for the yellow model gets annoying, you can change it to Apple’s standard wallpaper, or any photo of your choosing. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

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By:

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Should you get a new "space gray" iPhone 5S that scans your fingerprint or its cheaper little sister the 5C, which is encased in candy-colored plastic? And what about iOS7 —should you brave an upgrade?

A barrage of reviews arrived this week, ahead of Apple's release of two new iPhones and redesigned software for mobile gadgets. Here's a sampling of what tech reporters, columnists and bloggers are saying:

On the iPhone 5C and 5S

— Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal: "If you are an iPhone fan with any model older than the iPhone 5, the new 5S will be a big step up. If you own an iPhone 5, there's less of a case for upgrading, unless you want the fingerprint reader and improved camera."

— David Pogue, The New York Times: "(The) speed of innovation seems to be slowing down, but don't let that depress you. Focus instead on the silver lining: you can keep your current phone longer without feeling obsolete quite so soon."

— Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg: "If you like Apple products, you'll like these; if you don't, you won't."

— Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press: "Who knew biometric authentication could be such a blast?"

— Lauren Goode, AllThingsD: "While the 5c looks and feels very familiar, it's still a good phone and an improvement over the 5. But its improvements are evolutionary, not revolutionary."

— John Gruber, Daring Fireball: "The 5S is another engineering triumph for Apple (and no slacker in the fashion/branding game either). The 5C, though, is purely an emotional play — and, I think, a winning one."