Yvonne Ocran's Blog

London Fire Brigade took a day's worth of calls in 90 minutes, with its crews attending flooded premises and roads as well as properties hit by lightning. A Met Office yellow "be prepared" warning has been issued, after reports of 40mm (1.5ins) of rain in some areas. The Environment Agency issued 45 flood warnings, including seven red alerts. Rivers in Bromley and Sidcup in south-east London, and Basildon, Essex, are affected, and there are 24 flood alerts ADVERTISEMEN Meanwhile, Gatwick Express, Abellio Greater Anglia, South West Trains and Southern have warned of major delays on some rail routes. In London, flooding has led to the suspension of services on the London Underground and on the overground services. A Network Rail spokesman said: "It's a very fast moving picture this morning, with flash floods still arising and others falling in a variety of different routes into London. "In addition, we are dealing with the aftermath of lightning strikes at Su...

JUNE 23 HISTORICAL EVENT 848 The saxophone was patented by Adolphe Sax 1962 A ceasefire in Laos, Asia, was announced 1968 A stampede at an Argentinian football match left 73 dead 1986 The US Justice Department announced that employees with AIDS could be fired 1993 President Babangida annuls the June 12 election. 1994 Chief Abiola arrested and detained for declaring himself President

on Tuesday,the EFCC said it had made a breakthrough in how over $15bn was swindled from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The EFCC,has frozen the bank accounts of the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and the account of a company, belonging to the two sons of a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, said it had recovered evidence of the alleged illegal transactions from the banks. The bank tellers and other relevant documents, which were made available, showed that the fraudery took place between April 4, 2014, and December 15, 2014, when a total of N4.745bn was paid into the Diamond Bank account of Sylvan McNamara.A source at the EFCC said, “The entire fraud started from the company that Obanikoro’s sons were operating. The company  was set up by some people but curiously made Obanikoro sons signatories to the account."It  was learnt that after money was pa...

On wednesday,President Muhammadu Buhari met with staff at the Presidential Villa and warned them to desist from corrupt activities. As long as he remained the president, the fight against corruption would continue,he said. He further stated that whoever is found to be corrupt would be charged to court. He urged those who might want to try his resolve to ask those who are currently facing corruption charges in courts across the country. Buhari said: “All fraud must stop. If they don’t believe us, they should try and see those we caught red handed with public funds. This exercise will continue as long as this leadership is here". “Whoever takes anything that does not belong to him or that he is not entitled to, it will be documented and the person will be taken to court. This is the only way I think we can bail ourselves out. I am asking you to dedicate yourselves more to your country because I said more than 30 years ago, that there is no other country but Nigeria.” The president s...

Soldiers in the Niger Delta shot and killed a boat operator in the waterways of Bayelsa State. The man,who hails from Olugbobiri, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, was allegedly killed in error by the security operatives after mistaking him for a militant. The victim identified as Ernest is a fallout of the disquiet that has pervaded the Niger Delta creeks as a result of the activities of militants who have attacked oil facilities in the region,the victim worked with an oil service firms in the region before the unfortunate incidence.The troops were reportedly patrolling the waterways in search of militants when mistook Ernest for hoodlums and fired at him. Mr. Alagoa Morris, A human rights activist and state representative, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), condemned the shooting and killing of the young man. “One of the worst opponents to contend with is the one who is very scared of you and lacks confidence. He would not hesitate to kill you at the slightest oppor...

At least 93 people have been killed and more than 20 injured by lightning strikes in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, officials say. Most of the people who died were working on farms during torrential rains on Tuesday, reports said. Lightning strikes are common in India during heavy monsoon rains. Fifty-six people died in Bihar while 37 people were killed across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand and Madhya Pradesh. Media captionHelen Willetts explains why lightning strikes are so deadly in India "Many of the victims are children and women," Anirudh Kumar, a senior official at Bihar's disaster management agency, told AFP news agency. 'Anguished' One man taken to hospital in Rohtas said: "When it was raining, we immediately took shelter. It [lightning] hit us there, and then we fell unconscious. "We could not understand what had happened. Then in the middle, when I regained consciousness, I realised that I had been hit by some...

The 33-Year-Old actress,Erika Christensen was delivered of a a baby girl at her callifornia home on Tuesday. This is the first child of Erika and her hubby,cyclist Cole Maness ,The baby whose name is Shane weighs 6lbs,3oz Erika announced she was pregnant with a baby girl via Twitter back in March. She posted a photo of herself with an adorable puppy, writing , "This boy is getting a little sister. A human sister... She'll make her first appearance tomorrow at #Confirmation." Then, as promised, Erika debuted her baby bump the very next day at the premiere of the HBO film starring Kerry Washington .Just in case anyone missed the memo (or the bump), Erika tweeted , " Also, yes... We're expecting! Very excited that our baby girl will be coming soon." The first-time mama-to-be had some fun documenting her pregnancy and little girl's imminent arrival via social media. Erika Instagrammed pics of her bump in a bathing suit, her bump in a bed , and even h...

Popular producer and Artiste Babatunde Okungbowa funeral arrangements has been announced by family. The Funeral arrangements are listed below; Candle Light Procession;Monday July 4, 2016 Time:5pm.VenueOJB’s residence, Adress;no4, Gbaja street,Surulere, Lagos. Wake keeping/Service of songs/Tribute Thursday July 7, 2016 Ojays, National Stadium, Surulere.Time:5pm. Funeral(Laying in State at his Residence): no4, Gbaja str, Surulere, Lagos.7am – 8am Service at Redeemed Christian Church of God, Grace Chapel Adress;no129,Ogunlana Drive Surulere, Lagos. Time;9am. Burial at Ikoyi Cemetery, Ikoyi after service. Signed Apostle Albert Okungbowa For the family May his soul rest in peace. He is survived by father, Chief Anthony Okungbowa(Arase of Agbor), Siblings, Mrs.Theresa Ebunola Gamba(USA), Mr. Cornelius Archibong(England), Mr. Albert Okungbowa(USA), Mr. Anthony Okungbowa, Marvin Okungbowa, Bose Ajila Okungbowa and Joseph Okungbowa. Wives, Mabel Babatunde Okungbowa...

The American Medical Association (AMA) has just adopted an  official policy statement  about street lighting: cool it and dim it. The statement, adopted unanimously at the AMA's annual meeting in Chicago on June14,comes in response to the rise of new LED street lighting sweeping the country. An AMA committee issued guidelines on how communities can choose LED streetlights to "minimize potential harmful human health and environmental effects." Municipalities are replacing existing streetlights with efficient and long-lasting LEDs to save money on energy and maintenance. Although the streetlights are delivering these benefits,theAMA'sstance reflects how important proper design of new technologies is and the close connection between light and human health. The AMA's statement recommends that outdoor lighting at night, particularly street lighting, should have a color temperature of no greater than 3000 Kelvin (K).  Color temperature  (CT) is a measure of the...

After about two-hour closed session, the Senate summoned Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, to justify the forgery case against Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu. The two and others are alleged to have forged the senate rule ahead of the election of principal officers in June last year. The court summon, inviting Saraki and Ekweremadu over alleged forgery of Senate Rules, was pasted on the notice board in the Senate yesterday as it had been difficult to serve the officers. The notice board bearing the summons sits at the White House section of the  National Assembly Complex. The summons from the High Court Abuja listed Saraki, Ekweremadu, immediate National Assembly Clerk Salisu Maikasuwa and Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly Benedict Efeturi, as defendants.But it was removed after a few minutes by unknown persons. The invitation of the minister followed the  adoption of a motion of national urgent importa...

After about two-hour closed session, the Senate summoned Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, to justify the forgery case against Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu. The two and others are alleged to have forged the senate rule ahead of the election of principal officers in June last year. The court summon, inviting Saraki and Ekweremadu over alleged forgery of Senate Rules, was pasted on the notice board in the Senate yesterday as it had been difficult to serve the officers. The notice board bearing the summons sits at the White House section of the National Assembly Complex. The summons from the High Court Abuja listed Saraki, Ekweremadu, immediate National Assembly Clerk Salisu Maikasuwa and Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly Benedict Efeturi, as defendants. But it was removed after a few minutes by unknown persons. The invitation of the minister followed the adoption of a motion of national urgent importance entitled, “...

Aliko Dangote,Nigerian billionaire and Africa’s richest person, fell 25 places on the Billionaires Index on Monday Dangote’swealth lost $3.7 billion, knocking him to No. 71 on the ranking, down from No. 46 on Friday. The majority of Dangote’s $12.7 billion fortune is derived from Dangote Cement Plc on a 91% stake, which shed two per cent in trading Monday. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) began auctioning dollars to limit the currency’s decline. The bank had been using capital controls to stem an outflow of dollars after the naira crashed in February 2015 when oil prices slumped. Dangote’s slide came as equity markets worldwide surged on hopes that British voters would choose to remain in the European Union.

We now have confirmation of Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes' relationship.The former Real Housewives of Atlantastar, Claudia Jordan, joined the Allegedlypodcast on Tuesday and revealed that Foxx is, in fact, dating Holmes. When asked about the Annie actor, Jordan said, "[He's a] good friend of mine. Never [hooked up with him]." When asked about his relationship with Holmes, Jordan added, "He is very happy with her. I like that he seems very happy." The confirmation comes after Holmes sparked engagement rumors in January when she was spotted wearing a ring onthat finger, recirculating speculation that she's been seeing Foxx after her split from Tom Cruise . It all started in 2013 at a charity event, the 4th annual Apollo in the Hamptons,where Jamie and Katie were photographed dancing together . Then, earlier this year, a report claimed the stars have "been hooking up on the DL" for the past year and a half. Both Holmes and Foxx remained mum on...

“I received six mutilated corpses and addressed hundreds of displaced persons including women and children. I condemn the attack as gruesome and barbaric. I, however, call for restraint on the part of my people while I urge the federal and state governments to intervene in arresting the culprits and provide relief materials to the displaced people.” Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Moses Yamu, said the corpses of the deceased victims had been deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital, Ugbah. “You know, these Fulanis always strike in a guerrilla manner. Once they strike, they leave the area. Security has been beefed up in the area and the people can now return to their homes,” Yamu said A member of the House of Representatives that represents Logo State Constituency, Hon. Terna-­Kester Kyenge said;" The herdsmen stormed the village in the night, attacking the community members with machetes and other dangerous weapons"...

Read the advice given by Minister Of Agriculture in respect to the consumption of moin-moin prepared with nylon "There is a lot of self-poisoning going on in Nigeria now with people in Hospitals & asking to be taken to India for treatment, Please stop eating moin-moin cooked in cellophane,it releases poisoning chemicals into it,while the leaf gives antioxidant"

The Director-General of NYSC, Brig.Gen. Suleiman Kazaure  made the appeal on Saturday when he visited 2016 Batch A (Stream II) corps members currently undergoing orientation in Afikpo. He  urged corps members from different tribes of the country to inter-marry as part of efforts to boost national integration.            “I enjoin you to inter-marry within the orientation period to achieve this all important objective, as it would only be achieved through adequate bonding in the camp. “The activities outlined during your orientation programme such as military drills, skills acquisition and sporting activities would help in this regard and prepare you for life within and after the service year,” he said. The NYSC DG said that the need to sustain national integration and coexistence was what propelled the corps to organise the orientation across the country in spite of the Ramadan period.

Former President Bill Clinton and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton 's daughter announced on Twitter Saturday that she and her husband welcomed their second child. "Marc and I are overwhelmed with gratitude and love as we celebrate the birth of our son, Aidan Clinton Mezvinsky," Chelsea, 36, wrote .She and Marc, 38, are also parents to 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter Charlotte. "We are overjoyed to be grandparents again with the arrival of our grandson, Aidan Clinton Mezvinsky, born on Saturday, June 18, 2016," Bill and Hillary said in a joint statement to E! News. "We are all over the moon as Chelsea and Marc welcome Charlotte's little brother to the world and grateful for our many blessings. Chelsea and Aidan are both doing well and enjoying this very special time together." In January, Chelsea talked about motherhood at the American Library Association conference in Boston and said her daughter doesn't quite grasp the concep...

Zonnique Jailee Pullins, daughter of R&B singer and reality star Tameka "Tiny" Harris and stepdaughter of her husband and rapper T.I. , was arrested and charged Thursday for carrying a weapon without a permit at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. The 20-year-old, a past member of the OMG Girlz R&B group who appears with her parents on T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, had attempted to pass through the TSA checkpoint while carrying a Ruger 380 semi-automatic pistol, police said. A worker saw the weapon on an X-Ray machine and notified a supervisor. Pullins told authorities she had a weapons permit but one was not found. She was then placed under arrest and taken to jail, police said, while her gun was confiscated. She was released Friday morning. Pullins has not commented, nor has her mother and stepfather. She faces a charge of carrying a weapon at a commercial service airport without a permit, which is a misdemeanor, court records show. So...

Blake was in a middle of a divorce less than a year ago, but within a months he discovered a new relationship with Gwen Stefani and creative inspiration for his latest album If I'm Honest. But with every unexpected turn so begins a new journey, and Gwen and Blake's romance is a testament to just that. Both of them found love amidst heartbreak, "Gwen saved my life last year," Blake said to CMT's Katie Cook. He recalled the beginning of their relationship, explaining, "It's not something anybody could've seen coming besides God I guess because it doesn't look like it would make sense... It just makes the most perfect sense for us and where we're at in our lives."

The 22-year-old Christina Grimme was shot outside of her concert in Orlando last Friday night. The assailant also shot himself shortly thereafter.Marcus attended a candlelight vigil in her hometown and told fans that he was overwhelmed by the love and support he and his family have received"She loved this town, she loved this state, she loved singing, she loved the Lord and she loved me and she was my baby sister," he told the crowd. "She's in a better place….Thank you to everyone once again. I wish I could elaborate more, you guys didn't know her like I did, so thank you. This is awesome." Just hours before the vigil, Marcus took to Facebook to tell everyone that he was " blown away " after learning that Adam Levine "personally called my mother and said he will pay for the funeral and her plane flight." The Maroon 5 singer had previously tweeted that he and his wife Behati Prinsloo were "absolutely devastated and heartbroken by ...

Breaking news! It's #ClearblueConfirmed! There is going to be a new cool kid in town? And by cool I mean dorky just like their father. A little PenaVega is on the way!!! #ItsHappening #HolyWow #Imgoingtobeadaddy #clearbluepartner Carlos Vena Pena posted. He further posted sayin;"I cannot believe I finally get to say this... WE'RE PREGNANT!!! It's #ClearblueConfirmed that a little blessing is joining the PenaVega family!!!" the actress captioned the post. "We can't wait!!! #ItsHappening #HolyWow #LosForDaddyOfTheYear #ClearbluePartner" "And so the journey begins…#IslandBaby Already taking this little nugget to all of our favorite spots! #GodIsGood," the actress captioned the photo.  Alexa panavega and hubby are so excited about their little  nugget Source:E!

Boko Haram Terrorists on Thursday night killed 18 women and left several injured in Kuda-Kaya village in Madagali local council of Adamawa state. Witnesses said the insurgents, who stormed the village around 10:00 p.m., took the mourners unawares, killing mostly elderly women who could not run for their lives. The attackers came in hundreds and opened fire on the mourners, noting that men were able to escape with gun-shot wounds, Mr. Bello Ichadi the district head of Gulak reported. Member representing Madagali constituency in Adamawa State House of Assembly, Mr. Emmanuel Tsamdu, lamented the incident but said he has not confirmed the number of casualties. “I was called today this morning from my hometown that there was an attack on Thursday night, but I am yet to get the details on how it happened and the real number of people killed during the attack. It is disheartening to see this kind of attack particularly now that the military is winning the battle against insurgency i...

The attack happened Friday night in Lower Woody Creek, according to Ginny Dyche, a representative of the Aspen Valley Hospital. The boy's mother fought off the animal and brought him to the hospital, Dyche said  After initial treatment in Aspen, the boy was transferred to Children's Hospital in Denver. He's in fair condition while his mother has been treated and released. The boy and his mother have not been identified and there's no word on what kind of injuries they suffered.

Lester got his start in Hollywood back in 1997 when he had a part in the Nickelodeon hit Good Burger shortly before Varsity Blues.His agent Dave Bradley confirmed he died of kidney and liver failure on Friday evening. Lester was transported from an intensive care unit at a Dallas-area hospital into hospice care earlier on Friday.

The shocking incident took place after a judge gave Marhanka a four-year prison sentence for smuggling poppy seeds into the country and growing marijuana. Marhanka was married to a Taiwanese woman and had two children, and he had lived in the island for over 15 years, AFP reported. Marhanka was arrested in April 2015 after police discovered illegal drugs at a rented house which he lived in. The drugs included hundreds of cannabis plants and 10 opium poppies. He told police the plants were a "hobby" that he intended to use on his own and that he had no intention to sell them. Witnesses said that after the judge read the sentence out loud, Marhanka turned to the interpreter, who informed him of the sentence. The interpreter explained to Marhanka that the sentence could be appealed, but Marhanka said he didn't want to do so. “I don’t want to live anymore,” he yelled, before stabbing himself in the neck and severing at least one artery. He was rushed to a hospital, where he ...

Former President Of Nigeria,Goodluck Jonathan via His twitter handle urged Nigerians to be patriotic by supporting the FG in its fight against terrorism He also condoles with the families of those killed by Boko Haram at a funeral.

Kudos Miss Tourism South-South for your patroitism

We can hardly believe North West is already 3-years-old, and it appears her mama Kim Kardashian is feeling the same way. The reality star took to Twitter to share a video of the adorable, little birthday princess , making her promise to stop growing up so fast. "You're not going to get any bigger. You're not going to get any taller. You're going to stay little forever, OK?"   Kimmy asks Nori, who dons a colorful one-piece bathing suit.  "K!" North responded, smiling from ear-to-ear in the cutest way. Kim continued, "And you're not going to eat your veggies because I want you to stay really small!" What toddler could say no to that!? What toddler could say no to that!?

We’ve spent the past decade handing Mark Zuckerberg our cherished memories, beloved photographs and intimate details of our day to day lives. But that’s not enough for the social media titan: he wants to get inside your brain and access your thoughts directly. Zuck has hinted that social networks of the future will be powered by telepathy, allowing ordinary people to beam their brainwaves and emotions directly onto the internet.  Many of us might think there’s something nightmarish about a world where we’re all plugged into the matrix.  But the billionaire has made his money from persuading huge numbers of people to drop their privacy shields and share every tiny aspect of their lives with friends, strangers and advertisers on Facebook. “I think you’re going to be able to capture a thought [and take] what you’re thinking or feeling, in its kind of ideal and perfect form in your head and share that with the world,” he said  whilst discussing predictions of the future with...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it was ready to conclude the rerun elections in Rivers State if the political parties would guarantee peace. Speaking at a consultative meeting with critical stakeholders at the Police Officers’ Mess, Port Harcourt, yesterday, Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, said although the date for the conclusion of the legislative rerun election had not been fixed, INEC was prepared and ready to conduct the exercise, provided all the stakeholders in the state were willing to cooperate with and support the electoral body.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Tuesday finally provided clarification on how part of the $12.9 billion dividends it received from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company Ltd over an eight-year period on behalf of the federation was spent. The corporation also said the balance of the dividend has been moved to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), adding that it was no longer housing the money in line with the federal government’s directive on the Treasury Single Account (TSA). NNPC stated in Abuja when the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) convened a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2013 audit report of activities in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, that it took and ploughed back part of the dividends to the new trains that were built  by the NLNG. It equally listed BrassLNG and OlokolaLNG projects, as well as other gas projects it did not mention, as beneficiaries of the dividend payouts. BrassLNG and OlokolaLNG projects have ...