World News for Nigerians Today 19th January 2019
World News Today: Two Russian Jets Collide and UK’s PRINCE Philip Involved in a Car Crash. Continue reading iDonsabi for more…
1. Two Russian Fighter Jets Collide
Two Su-34 jets of the Russian Air Forces accidentally collided during a training flight in the country’s Far East on Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed in a statement.
According to the statement, the accident occurred over the Sea of Japan, 35 km off the coast, at 8:07am Moscow time (0507 GMT).
The planes performed the flights without ammunition and the crews managed to eject safely.
2. Gbagbo to Remain in Detention Pending New Hearing in FEBRUARY —ICC
Ivory Coast ex-strongman Laurent Gbagbo will stay behind bars until February despite his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal court.
Judges in the Hague cleared Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude on Tuesday over a wave of violence after disputed elections in 2010. The crisis claimed around 3,000 lives.
But the 73-year-old’s hopes of an emotional homecoming to Abidjan after seven years in jail have been dashed by a last-minute request by ICC prosecutors to keep him detained.
The prosecution said there was a “concrete risk” Gbagbo would fail to return to the court if it later overturned Tuesday’s decision to acquit them.
3. Mozambique Seeks Ex-Minister’s Extradition from South Africa
Mozambique has asked for the extradition of its ex-finance minister Manuel Chang, who was detained in South Africa on US charges over a corruption scandal in his home country, a Johannesburg court heard on Friday.
The unexpected petition meant Mozambique and the United States both want to extradite Chang, who was arrested at Johannesburg airport for alleged involvement in $2 billion of fraudulent loans.
4. Protests May Mar Documentary on Michael Jackson’s Sexual Abuse of Minors
The premiere of a documentary, which revealed that the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson had sexually abused some children, at Sundance Film Festival will feature pro-Jackson protesters, reports revealed.
According to the celebrity magazine, TMZ, the local police are getting prepared for possible clashes with the protesters.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ, the Park City Police Department is aware of an anti-documentary protest being organized on social media, so police are going to beef up their presence both inside and outside the premiere with uniformed and undercover officers.
HAVE YOU READ: Victoria Beckham Spends £1,200 on Moisturizer Made From Her Blood?
5. UK’s PRINCE Philip Involved in a Car Crash
Queen Elizabeth II’s 97-year-old husband Prince Philip emerged “shocked and shaken” but unhurt from a car crash that flipped his Land on Friday.
According to Local Police, a 9-month-old baby who was in the back seat of the other car involved was unhurt, while one of the two women inside hurt her wrist.
Philip and the other driver were given breath tests, which is standard police procedure but no alcohol was detected.
“MY LEGS! MY LEGS!” Prince Philip “yelled” as he was pulled from the car wreckage.
Prince Philip is also famous for his love for speed.
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6. Democrat Vows to Probe Trump Lawyer’s Alleged Lies to Congress
A top Democrat in the US Congress has vowed to look into a report that President Donald Trump had ordered his lawyer to lie to Congress to hide his dealings with Russia.
“We will do what’s necessary to find out if it’s true.”
Cohen had previously pleaded guilty to lying to Congress by stating that Trump’s Moscow project ended in January 2016, long before Trump became the Republican presidential nominee, when it actually extended into June 2016.
The New York lawyer, 52, was sentenced to three years in jail for the campaign finance violation and other charges.
7. Spain, UK to Allow Citizens Vote in Post-Brexit Local Elections
Spain on Friday announced that it had reached a deal with Britain that will allow their citizens living in both countries to keep voting in local elections as the prospect of no-deal Brexit looms.
According to Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa, “This agreement will prevent these rights from disappearing for British people who live in our country and for Spanish people living in the United Kingdom.”
The Spokeswoman added that there would be municipal elections in the UK and in Spain in May 2 and May 26 respectively, after Britain’s planned exit from the European Union on March 29.
The bilateral agreement announced on Friday comes as part of a series of other measures touted by the Spanish government to try and guarantee the rights of Britons living in Spain and vice-versa in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
SEE ALSO: Theresa May Faces Confidence Vote After Brexit Humiliation
8. Govt. Shutdown Could Stunt US Economic Growth —NY Fed Chief
The shutdown of the US government since 28 days is now becoming a drag on economic growth of the United States.
The president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, John Williams revealed this on Friday.
John Williams also said the government work stoppage could shave as much as a full percentage point off GDP growth in the first quarter.
He went on to estimate that the shutdown would reduce GDP growth by half a percentage point, “maybe even a percentage point if it continues.”
9. French Police Under Fire as ‘Yellow Vests’ Casualty Increase
The “yellow vest” protests that erupted last year over fuel taxes have broadened into weekly demonstrations across France against President Emmanuel Macron
The “Disarm” collective, a local group that campaigns against police violence, has documented 98 cases of serious injuries since the first nationwide protests on November 17, including 15 cases of people losing an eye.
The leftwing Liberation daily counted 77 people with serious head injuries, 71 caused by rubber bullets and others by stun grenades.
In one incident that caused widespread outrage, a volunteer fireman and father of three suffered a stroke on January 10 after being hit in the head in Bordeaux, apparently by a rubber bullet.
10. Russia Becomes World’s Fifth Biggest Gold Holder
Russia has overtaken China to become the world’s fifth largest official sector holder of gold.
According data showed on Friday, Western sanctions drove the Country’s central bank buying to increase in 2018.
With support from President Vladimir Putin, the central bank has been betting heavily on bullion, often seen as a safe haven or a natural hedge against the dollar, with active purchases in the last 10 years.
In 2018, Russia’s buying jumped further as holdings of US Treasury securities were reduced after Washington imposed sanctions on Russian entities in April, the toughest since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
The central bank bought 8.8 million troy ounces in 2018, it said on Friday, beating a record 7.2 million ounces set in 2017.
