Electron Native

The ongoing dialogue involving Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia regarding the construction of a disputed dam on the Nile River have collapsed, the Sudanese Information Minister said on Friday. Grand Renaissance Dam, Wikipeadia “The countries were discussing many issues including, the Nile and the dam but we failed to reach any agreement on the matters that caused conflict,’’ Ahmed Mohamed Osman told dpa by phone from Khartoum, where the talks were conducted. Egypt decried the 4.8-billion-dollar hydroelectric Grand Renaissance Dam on Ethiopia’s border with Sudan could reduce its share of waters from the Nile. Sudan supports the dam. The dam, which is expected to more than double Ethiopia’s current energy production levels, is more-than-60-per-cent built. The east African nation would become an energy hub for the continent upon its completion.

Hollywood actor, John Boyega has expressed willingness to invest in Nollywood to further boost the movie sector. Boyega, 27, spoke on Thursday night on the sideline of Glenfidich circle of maverick’s business meeting organised by PlayNetwork Nigeria in collaboration with Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. John Boyega with Charles Okpaleleke and other members of PlayNetwork Nigeria at Glenfidich circle of maverick’s business meeting in Abuja, NAN The Nigerian-British born actor said he intends to spend some time in Nigeria to produce a movie based on and inspired by Nigerian lifestyle and heritage. “I intend to tour most parts of Nigeria for seven months to sort out few things and get inspiration for the movie. I am yet to find a writer to depict my idea of the movie; I’ll be staying a bit longer to find a writer”. The actor also revealed he has enjoyed his first official visit to Nigeria so far, insinuating this official visit will be the beginning of more collaboration with ...

Gold prices rose on Friday as investors sought safer assets after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed 100 billion dollars in new tariffs on China, raising concerns about an escalating trade spat between the United States and China. Spot gold was 0.4 per cent higher at 1,330.78 dollars per ounce as of 0032 GMT, and the U.S. gold futures rose 0.4 per cent to 1,334.10 dollars an ounce. Spot gold on Thursday dropped to a one-week low of 1,322.40 dollars an ounce after the United States and China signalled willingness to negotiate a trade dispute. However, President Donald Trump late on Thursday said he had instructed U.S. trade officials to consider $100 billion in additional tariffs on China, fuelling an already heated trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies. U.S. stock markets slid and the yen rose against the dollar on Friday. Gold-backed exchange traded funds in North America saw inflows in March, amid market volatility and as trade tensions between the United ...

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organistaion (UNESCO) on Thursday said knowing how to read and write without knowledge of  computer was synonymous with illiteracy. The Regional Director of UNESCO, Ydo Yao, made this known on the sidelines of the National Launch of the 2017/2018 Global Education Monitoring Report in Abuja. The theme of the report: “Accountability in Education: Meeting our Commitments’’ is targeted at informing policymakers of approaches to accountability and share evidence based recommendations. The report is also aimed at facilitating connections and encourages collaborations among education actors to improve the effectiveness of accountability and education. “Today if you know how to read and write and you don’t master computer, you are illiterate. We are advocating so that governments will take measures to promote the use of  Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education. “We also know that the development ...

The rescued Dapchi schoolgirls are now in the General Hospital in Dapchi and are awaiting profiling by the military. A parent of one of the girls, Ali Abdullahi, said that all the girls were in their various homes now. ‘’Immediately the insurgents dropped them from the truck that they were brought in around 8 a.m., the girls all ran home. “Now, the Army told us to bring them to the hospital for checking. “As you can see some of the parents are not willing to let their daughters out of their sight. But the Army are insisting,’’ he said. Vehicles have been stationed at the hospital to convey the girls to Damaturu. Most of the girls at the hospital looked malnourished and wore Hijab (Islamic head and body cover).

The Federal Government on Wednesday confirmed the release of 76 of the 110 abducted girls from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe. A statement by the Minister of Information and Culture,  Lai Mohammed in Abuja, said the 76 girls were released from captivity in the early hours of Wednesday. Mohammed confirmed that the 76 girls were those who had been documented so far, adding that the process for the release of others was ongoing. ‘‘The girls were released around 3 a.m. through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and that it was unconditional. ‘‘For the release to work, the government had a clear understanding that violence and confrontation would not be the way out as it could endanger the lives of the girls, hence a non-violent approach was the preferred option. ‘‘Within the period when the girls were being brought back, operational pause was observed in certain areas to ensure free passa...

An academic from Cambridge University who harvested data on millions of Facebook users said he has been made a scapegoat by the social network and a UK-based political consultancy that have been accused of trying to sway public opinion for Donald Trump. Courtesy, Betanews Facebook has been rocked this week by a whistleblower who said that Cambridge Analytica, a UK-based political firm hired by Trump for the 2016 campaign, had improperly accessed information on 50 million Facebook users. The company has lost 60 billion dollars of its stock market value over the last two days over fears that its dealings with Cambridge Analytica might damage its reputation, deter advertisers and invite tougher regulation. Facebook has said the data was harvested by Aleksandr Kogan, a psychology academic, who created an app on the platform that was downloaded by 270,000 people. It says he then violated its policies by passing the data to Cambridge Analytica. “The events of the past week ...