Singapore has started a seven-day national mourning after the death of its founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. Lee, who died at 91, led Singapore’s transformation from a small port city to one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Many world leaders have paid tribute to Lee, who served as the city-state’s prime minister for…
Yahoo To Close China Office
Internet giant, Yahoo, is closing down its China office as part of a worldwide consolidation aimed at cutting costs. The Beijing research center is Yahoo’s only remaining physical presence in the country after it sold its Chinese operations to Alibaba in 2005. A spokesperson for Yahoo told newsmen that “around 350 jobs” would be eliminated.…
China, Japan Hold First Security Talks After Four Years
China and Japan are holding their first high-level security dialogue in four years, following recent tensions over territorial and historical issues. The meeting in Tokyo among officials comes ahead of trilateral talks with South Korea on Saturday. The last round of talks was in 2011, before ties deteriorated over an island in the East China…
Thai Ex-PM To Stand Trial For Negligence
Former Thailand Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has been ordered by a Thailand Supreme Court to stand trial for negligence over a controversial rice subsidy scheme. If convicted, the ex-PM faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. It is the latest blow to the dominance of the Shinawatra family in Thai politics, after Yingluck was…
Sierra Leone Vice President Sacked
Sierra Leone’s Vice-President, Samuel Sam-Sumana, has been sacked for seeking political asylum in a foreign embassy, the president’s office said on Wednesday. President Ernest Bai Koroma said the Vice President was sacked because he had “abandoned” his duties. On Saturday, March 14, Sam-Sumana said he had asked for asylum in the US because his life…
Gunmen Kill 7 Tourists In Tunisian Museum
Seven foreigners and a Tunisian were killed after gunmen targeted a museum in the Tunisian capital, officials say. The tourists killed were, Italian, French and Spanish nationals. The shooting happened at the Bardo Museum, which is next to the parliament building in central Tunis on Wednesday Morning. At the time of the attack deputies were…
Pakistan Carries Out Mass Hangings
Pakistani authorities have hanged 12 convicts, the largest number of people executed on the same day since the country overturned a ban on executions recently. According to an interior ministry spokesperson, the hanged convicts were terrorists and murderers guilty of “heinous crimes”. At least 27 convicts have been executed since the moratorium was lifted, most…
WriteHouse, Patabah Books To Host Popular Nigerian Authors
WriteHouse Publishing House in collaboration with Patabah Books Limited, a Lagos bookstore is set to host top Nigerian authors, Olubunmi Familoni and Dami Ajayi, on Sunday, March 22, 2015. The event, which will take place at the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall, Surulere Lagos by 3pm, will be an interactive discussion that is centred on the…
Venezuelan Legislators Grant Decree Powers To President
Venezuelan National Assembly has granted President Nicolas Maduro the power to govern by decree until December 31, 2015. The president requested the approval of the Enabling Law after the United States issued new sanctions against Venezuelan officials. He said he needed the special powers to deal with the threat posed by the United States, which…
ISIS Accepts Boko Haram’s Allegiance Pledge
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Nigeria’s militant group, Boko Haram, according to an audio message. In the tape, Mohammed al-Adnani, who identified himself as ISIS spokesperson, said the aim of establishing a caliphate has now been expanded to West Africa. In the tape, which is yet to…
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