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Shehu Shagari A former Nigerian President, Shehu Shagari, is dead. Mr Shagari, 93, died Friday evening at the National Hospital Abuja after a brief illness. The death of the elder statesman was announced by his grandson, Bello Shagari, via his Twitter handle. Mr Shagari was elected president in 1979 and led Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 on the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He was removed from office via a military coup in December 1983. The coup plotters eventually named then Major General Muhammadu Buhari as the Head of State. Mr Shagari’s death was also confirmed by the governor of his home Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal. View image on Twitter Aminu W. Tambuwal @AWTambuwal I regret to Announce the death of former President Shehu Shagari who just passed away at National Hospital Abuja. May his Soul Rest in Peace. 2,650 7:24 PM - Dec 28, 2018 1,798 people are talking abo...

Image copyright BARCROFT MEDIA Image caption Some species of langur monkeys in Vietnam are highly endangered (file photo) Six men have been arrested in Vietnam for killing and eating an endangered monkey and live-streaming it on social media. The men, aged 35-59, filmed themselves eating a langur monkey in November and streamed the video on Facebook. Police say the men confessed on Thursday to violating wildlife protection laws. Vietnamese langur monkeys are one of the world's most endangered primate species, living only in the north. "It took time for us to figure out the suspects involved," police told AFP. In a statement, police added that one of the men bought the monkey from a hunter for 1.1 million dong (£38; $48). Vietnam is currently home to plenty of other endangered species, including the Christmas Island frigatebird and the Siamese crocodile. Trafficking and consumption of rare and endangered animals is a lucrative and widespread practice in the ...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Jean-Jacques Savin spent months constructing the barrel in a shipyard in south-west France A Frenchman has set off to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, using ocean currents alone to propel him. Jean-Jacques Savin, 71, left El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands and hopes to reach the Caribbean in as little as three months. His reinforced capsule contains a sleeping bunk, kitchen and storage. He will drop markers along the way to help oceanographers study Atlantic currents. Updates on the journey are being posted on a Facebook page  and the latest message said the barrel was "behaving well". In a telephone interview with AFP news agency, he said: "The weather is great. I've got a swell of one metre (3ft) and I'm moving at 2-3km/h... I've got favourable winds forecast until Sunday." Image copyright AFP Image caption The barrel is designed to withstand the constant battering of t...

Image copyright COLIN O'BRADY Image caption Colin O'Brady's Instagram page features a daily selfie of his chores, such as securing his tent each night A 33-year-old American man has become the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unassisted. Explorer Colin O'Brady finished in 53 days, ahead of British Army Captain Louis Rudd, 49, after an epic race across the ice. Both men set out on 3 November to complete the journey, which killed a British ex-Army officer two years ago. The 921-mile (1,482km) trek took them across the coldest continent on Earth in some of the most extreme conditions. O'Brady, a pro-athlete who posts his milestones on social media, spoke to the BBC on one his harshest days. "I'm tired, man. I'm exhausted, but I'm making steady progress every day," he said from his satellite phone on 20 December - Day 47 - as he camped amid a storm and massive ridges of ice and snow known as sastrugi. After a day which was li...

By Suleiman Ugbokhe “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 18:3 On Christmas day at the grounds of Mr Biggs at Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Alimosho, Lagos, it was like the unwritten law was if you are not with children you cannot enter, as clusters of children accompanied by parents or older siblings troop into the Mr Bigg's premises to celebrate. No doubt the day was for the children, though accompanied by parents or guardians. Mrs Nwokeke and her children Mrs Nwokeke sets the tone when she told Agbelonews , “Well, as you can see us with the children we are here to make them happy. And we are celebrating because of the birth of Jesus Christ, so, we have to have fun. “Christmas means the period to have fun and send gifts because Jesus Christ was born.” Speaking to Agbelonews in the same vein, Mr Afolabi Aroniba, who brought his son, Olalekan, said, “I think it is a ti...

Image copyright AFP/GETTY IMAGES Image caption The aircraft crashed 10 minutes after take-off A Mexican governor who was sworn in earlier this month and her senator husband have died in a helicopter crash in the central state of Puebla. The aircraft carrying Puebla Gov Martha Erika Alonso and Sen Rafael Moreno Valle came down shortly after it took off. The two pilots were killed. Reports say a third passenger also died. Officials say the helicopter may have suffered an unspecified failure. An investigation has been opened. Ms Alonso, 45, had been sworn in on 14 December as Puebla's first female governor, after hotly contested polls. Mr Moreno, 50, had served as Puebla's governor between 2011 and 2017. What do we know about the crash? The privately-owned Agusta helicopter bound to Mexico City lost contact with air traffic control and crashed 10 minutes after take-off, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said. The accident happened on Monday at 14:50 local time (...