South Africa detains Russian ship allegedly bringing illegal weapons to Lagos

South African police on Thursday said they had boarded a Russian-registered cargo ship allegedly carrying illegal weapons and explosives en route to Lagos, Nigeria.

The vessel, named Lada, had reportedly left Madagascar before stopping at Ngqura port outside the eastern city of Port Elizabeth, where it was detained after a security check on Sunday.

“We are aware that she has dangerous cargo — explosives and weapons — on board,” Olwethu Mdabula, spokeswoman for the Transnet state transport company told AFP.

She declined to give further details.

Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the Hawks police investigative unit, confirmed to AFP that the vessel was carrying weapons.

“This is a very, very sensitive matter. It is receiving attention,” he said.

Local reports said police had searched the vessel after an anonymous tip-off and found weapons and explosives worth about $3.5 million in 20 containers on board.

(AFP)
Culled from Punchng.com

Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo sacks DSS Boss, Lawal Daura

Nigeria’s acting president Yemi Osinbajo has sacked the director-general of the country’s secret service following the service’s operatives blockade of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Masked operatives of the Department of State Services earlier on Tuesday prevented lawmakers, staff and journalists from entering the National Assembly.

Opposition lawmakers accused the ruling all Progressives Congress of being behind the blockade which saw the lawmakers locked out of their offices. The clerk of the National Assembly was also refused entry to the Assembly complex.

Daura, who was summoned to the presidential villa by the acting president few minutes before his sack, was directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the DSS until further notice.

“Acting Yemi Osinbajo has directed the termination of the appointment of the DG of the DSS, Mr. Lawal Musa Daura,” said Laolu Akande, media aide to Osinbajo.

“Mr. Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the State Security Service until further notice.”

Osinbajo also described the unauthorized takeover of the National Assembly complex as a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order.

He said the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable.

“Prof. Osinbajo is consequently assuring Nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.”

Culled from guardian.ng

Facebook recently started asking banks for your financial data Rachel Kaser

A report from the Wall Street Journal today revealed Facebook was attempting to gain detailed financial information from its users’ banks. Oof, in how many languages can I say “no?”

According to the Journal, Facebook has approached the likes of Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup with an eye toward partnership. In exchange for users’ banking data, it proposed to offer a bank’s customers the ability to conduct business within Facebook itself.

In response, a company spokesperson told TNW any reports it had requested transaction data weren’t true, and the company asked for the partnership in order to incorporate banking chatbots into the Messenger app:

Like many online companies with commerce businesses, we partner with banks and credit card companies to offer services like customer chat or account management. The idea is that messaging with a bank can be better than waiting on hold over the phone – and it’s completely opt-in. We’re not using this information beyond enabling these types of experiences – not for advertising or anything else.

Given what we know about Facebook‘s approach to consumer data, just from the last year or so, I think I’ll take a 20-minute phone wait over giving them my banking details.

We’re not even six months out from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the press blew the lid off a series of in-house mishaps involving users’ personal data finding its way into malicious hands — or at least having the potential to find its way to them. These data privacy scandals appeared to be at least one major catalyst behind Facebook‘s precipitous plunge on the stock market at the end of last month.

Facebook has also never denied that it gathers a truly dizzying amount of data on its users. And now it wants that information to include banking data? Even if that doesn’t include info on all transactions, it’s more than a little scary to think of Facebook — whose name in this sphere is basically mud — having access to that data.

For what it’s worth, the banks might not be open to the idea. A spokesperson for Wells Fargo told NY Daily News: “Maintaining the privacy of customer data is of paramount importance to Wells Fargo. We are not actively engaged in data-sharing conversations with Facebook.”

Culled from msn.com

Cable News Network (CNN) reporter, Isha Sesay takes to twitter to announce her exit

After 13 years at CNN Isha Sesay, has announced her exit from the organisation. She broke the news via her twitter handle, @IamIshaSesay on Wednesday.

Speaking on the reason for her exit in an interview with Whatweseeee, Sesay said, “It’s an exciting time for me — and a nerve-wracking one,”. In her words, “I’m writing a book about the Chibok girls, it’s being released in May 2019. It really speaks to where my head is at, currently — a lot more coverage about Africa, a lot more work on the continent, and a lot more focus on young girls. That’s what I’m about right now.”

She also revealed her frustration with Western media, which is focused on US President Trump, “it’s all so Trump-focused,” she explains. “He sucked all of the oxygen out of the room. The media is following that lead to the exclusion of almost everything else, in a meaningful way. For me, personally, it’s not what I want to spend all my time doing.”

“After a while, I want to do more coverage of the Ebola outbreak, of the elections in Liberia, or any number of things that are happening. I’m ready to take control of what I’m talking about,” Sesay added.

Her news got her followers on twitter talking with many wishing her well in her future endeavours.

Sesay is a British born journalist of Sierra Leonean descent, not Nigerian as we all thought.

Sourced from Punch.com.