What did Donald Trump's doctor say again?

Is that animal a dog or a horse?

Moscow says strikes on Syria army threaten US-Russia ceasefire plan

Moscow stepped up its war of words with Washington on Sunday, saying air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition on the Syrian army threatened the implementation of a U.S.-Russian ceasefire plan for Syria and bordered on connivance with Islamic State.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that U.S. jets had killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers in four air strikes by two F-16s and two A-10s coming from the direction of Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group with contacts across Syria, cited a military source at Deir al-Zor airport as saying at least 90 Syrian soldiers had been killed.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a strongly worded statement that the United States' position on the incident was "unconstructive and inarticulate".

"The actions of coalition pilots - if they, as we hope, were not taken on an order from Washington - are on the boundary between criminal negligence and connivance with Islamic State terrorists," the ministry said.

"We strongly urge Washington to exert the needed pressure on the illegal armed groups under its patronage to implement the ceasefire plan unconditionally. Otherwise the implementation of the entire package of the U.S.-Russian accords reached in Geneva on Sept. 9 may be jeopardized."

Russia has repeatedly called on the United States to push units of moderate Syrian opposition to separate from Islamic State and other "terrorist groups".

The Foreign Ministry said Saturday's incident was a result of Washington's "stubborn refusal" to cooperate with Moscow in fighting Islamic State, the Nusra Front - now renamed Jabhat Fatah al Sham - and "other terrorist groups".

The U.S. military said the coalition stopped the attacks against what it had believed to be Islamic State positions in northeast Syria after Russia informed it that Syrian military personnel and vehicles may have been hit.

Washington further unnerved Moscow when its envoy to the United Nations abruptly left her seat as the Russian representative took the floor to condemn the air strikes at an emergency U.S. Security Council meeting.

"We are reaching a really terrifying conclusion for the whole world: That the White House is defending Islamic State. Now there can be no doubts about that," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in comments aired by state TV.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said Zakharova should be embarrassed by that claim. Russia's U.N. representative Vitaly Churkin said Russia had no "specific evidence" of the U.S. colluding with Islamic State militants.

The diplomatic row is likely to further complicate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, including its largest pre-war city of Aleppo where the situation remains especially tense and the fragile truce has been repeatedly violated.

The U.N. told Reuters aid trucks that had been expected to move to Aleppo on Sunday morning were once again being delayed.

"It's a tough moment," one top aid official in Geneva told Reuters. "The U.N. convoys are highly politicized."

Russia's Defense Ministry said conditions in Syria were deteriorating.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, and blamed Russia for undermining the truce.

"The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (U.S.) State Department - will not hold out," a senior rebel official in Aleppo said, pointing to the continued presence of a U.N. aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to enter.

Rebels have also accused Russia of using the ceasefire to give the Syrian army and allied Shi'ite militias a chance to regroup and deploy forces ready for their own offensives.

Funnel-fed model's dream is to become world's fattest woman

Monica Riley is a 27-year-old American woman weighing over 317kg making her morbidly obese. She models for a websites that celebrate Big Beautiful Women (BBW) and said her goal is to become the world’s fattest woman and until she is unable to walk.

 She embraced her weight in 2014 after trial and errors with weight loss. It was then she vowed to become the world’s fattest woman and her boyfriend, Sid, who is 25 years old fully supports her decision by helping her reach her obese weight goal. 

 She embraced her weight in 2014 after trial and errors with weight loss. It was then she vowed to become the world’s fattest woman and her boyfriend, Sid, who is 25 years old fully supports her decision by helping her reach her obese weight goal.

Benefits of Sleep And Why Sleep Is Important

Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what happens while you're sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.

The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.

Healthy Brain Function and Emotional Well-Being

Sleep helps your brain work properly. While you're sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. It's forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information.

Studies show that a good night's sleep improves learning. Whether you're learning math, how to play the piano, how to perfect your golf swing, or how to drive a car, sleep helps enhance your learning and problem-solving skills. Sleep also helps you pay attention, make decisions, and be creative.

Studies also show that sleep deficiency alters activity in some parts of the brain. If you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency also has been linked to depression, suicide, and risk-taking behavior.

Children and teens who are sleep deficient may have problems getting along with others. They may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation. They also may have problems paying attention, and they may get lower grades and feel stressed.

Photos: President Buhari receives newly confirmed IG of Police, Governors of Plateau & Yobe states

President Buhari received the newly confirmed Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, at the State House, Abuja, today 8th September, 2016 . Kpotum who was appointed back in June, was confirmed yesterday by the Council of State. Meanwhile, Governors of Plateau and Yobe States also payed a visit to the President.

Nigerians head back to the farm to beat recession

Too broke to pay for costly imports of rice and palm oil, Nigeria is looking to agriculture to help lift itself out of a recession.

The once-flourishing sector was abandoned during the oil boom but has the potential to grow as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari pushes to diversify Nigeria’s economy.

In a grim recent report, the National Bureau of Statistics said the country’s economy contracted in the second quarter by 2.1 percent, with the oil sector suffering a double-digit decline.

Crude-addicted Nigeria has been hit hard by the global fall in oil prices, which has reduced government revenues and driven inflation to an 11-year-high of 17.1 percent in July.

Nigeria usually gets 70 percent of its revenue from oil sales but the crash has left the government cash-strapped and struggling to pay civil servant wages.

The dire situation has spurred the Nigerian government to look for ways to encourage sustainable growth.

Agriculture seems a good place to start. With 84 million hectares of arable land spanning the jungles of the south to the Sahara desert in the north, Nigeria can produce a range of food and cash crops for local needs and exports.

Today Nigeria’s food imports are estimated at over 20 billion dollars annually, according to the agriculture ministry.

A 50kg bag of rice, likely imported from Thailand, now sells for 20,000 naira ($63) compared to 8,000 naira at the beginning of the year, prompting the authorities to encourage people to farm.

In the southeastern state of Imo, Governor Rochas Okorocha has asked civil servants to work just two days and devote the rest of the week to farming cassava, corn and yams.

In central Benue and Sokoto states in the north, workers have been directed to close shop early so they can tend to their crops.

– Be ‘patriotic’ –

Moving Nigeria away from smallholder farming towards commercial agriculture is a priority.

“If we get it well in agriculture, we will get it well in the economy,” Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said last month while launching a policy document on the development of the sector.

Osinbajo urged Nigerians to be patriotic and buy ‘Made in Nigeria’ products.

Decades ago, that wouldn’t have been difficult.

Nigeria used to be world’s number one exporter of palm oil, ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia, central bank data shows.

It was also a leading exporter of cocoa, accounting for 18 percent of global production in the 1960’s, according to the Cocoa Association of Nigeria.

But now, the country imports palm oil from Malaysia and only accounts for a paltry eight percent of global cocoa exports.

“We must return to agriculture and especially cocoa,” Cocoa Association of Nigerian president Sayina Riman said, adding that cocoa sales generate much-needed dollars.

– Farms to factories –

Farmer Lukman Busari told AFP access to credit is strangling development of the sector.

“Farmers are finding it difficult to obtain loans at reasonable rates,” he said, explaining that the 14 per cent lending rate decimates his profits from his cassava farm in southwest Ogun state.

Farmer Oluranti Adeboye, who entered the business in 2008 after quitting his government job, says unreliable power supply and poor roads drain his energy and limit his company’s growth.

“I have 5,000 hectares of land on which I grow cocoa, cassava, plantain, kolanut and run fish ponds,” he said, showing AFP the large expanse of land at Shofolu village, also in Ogun state.

Days of torrential rains made the road leading to the farm muddy and slippery, and farm assistants donned boots and raincoats as they nurtured fresh cocoa seedlings ahead of the next planting season.

“We want government to provide infrastructure like good roads, electricity, water and finance to support us,” Adeboye said.

“Government has to provide the enabling environment for our business to thrive.”

Nigerians hope to see the country not only growing the produce but processing it too.

“If we really want to diversify from oil and create proper value, agriculture must give birth to industry,” said popular 

This Day newspaper columnist Simon Kolawole.

Some are already putting those words into practise.

As well as building a tomato paste factory, Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote is investing $1 billion in commercial rice farming with the first harvest expected to hit local markets in December.

That means Nigerians may finally enjoy for the first time in years a steaming plate of jollof rice — a popular tomato-infused dish — made from ingredients grown in their own backyard.

Sallah: Nigerian government declares Monday, Tuesday public holidays

The Federal Government has declared Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th September, 2016 as public holidays to mark Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

Making the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, enjoined all Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to support, co-operate and join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari in his sustained efforts to diversify the economy and progressively accelerate the pace of economic recovery.

Mr. Dambazau, a retired Lieutenant General, stated that government is aware of the present economic challenges the nation is facing following the downturn in oil prices. He assured that appropriate steps are being taken to address them, especially through revitalizing the agricultural sector, the “Youth Empowerment Scheme” in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the “Change Begins with Me”, a value re-orientation programme, and other “social intervention” programmes, as well as massive capital release all aimed at stimulating the economy towards the path of growth and recovery.

The minister expressed optimism that the present economic difficulties will soon be over. He urged everyone to continue to support the government towards building a new formidable Nigeria where peace, unity, security and sustainable development are guaranteed.

He wished all Nigerians a happy Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

MOOD

Abenomics: Matching resources in Japan with opportunities in Nigeria

If the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, were to conduct a stress test on Nigerian banks today, most of them would likely fail because they are the life wire of business and a mirror of the state of the economy which is now belly up.

As a fall out of the slump in crude oil price; vandalism of oil assets leading to shut down of production and inability to export; the introduction of the Treasury Single Account, TSA, in one fell swoop instead of being done in stages; removal of fuel subsidy without providing palliatives like SURE-P to cushion the harsh effects on the masses; and the floating of the Naira exchange rate which has resulted in the devaluation of the currency from N199/$1 in June to about N400/$1 in the open market, the balance sheet of Nigerian banks have doubled in size without commensurate credit disbursement. 

This is the reason most of Nigeria’s financial institutions are now hobbled with no funds to disburse to loan seekers and therefore little or no income is being generated for sustainability of the banks and by extension the growth of the GDP of the economy which recent data indicate is contracting at about -0.2% quarterly.

With Nigerian economy experiencing negative growth of -2% year on year and her population growing at 2%, the prospect of getting out of the current recession without drastic measures is slim because for an economy to experience economic growth,GDP must be growing faster than the population but the current situation in Nigeria is that while population is growing at 2% GDP is receding at 2% which is a jeopardy.

In the light of the foregoing, the inflow of surplus Japanese yen to the Nigerian economy that is in dire need of foreign exchange,FX life line in the form of foreign direct investments in infrastructure, would most certainly be a magic wand, elixir and antidote to the recession stricken Nigerian economy as banks struggle to remain within the limits of regulatory framework of the CBN.

The prevailing ‘financial crunch’ was obviously not anticipated by Naira devaluation proponents. This is because they had argued that the FX held by Nigerian and foreign businessmen and women waiting for the Naira to be devalued, so that they can earn quick yields, would immediately flood Nigeria, as soon as Naira devaluation exercise is carried out.

As it turned out, in a country fraught with policy inconsistencies due to lack of a grand strategy,such optimism without solid foundation, was bound to be nothing but a pie dream or mirage.

Obviously, the pundits did not reckon with the negative impact that the policy of scrubbing bank treasuries of funds via the the Treasury Single Account,TSA , would have on the monetary system, neither did they figure out that lack of clarity on govt’s policy on the Niger Delta on whether there would be a continuation or cessation of Amnesty for militants would lead to the rise of a new militant group,the Avengers with the mission and capacity to destroy oil/gas facilities to the extent of Nigeria losing as much as one million barrels of crude oil daily.

It may be recalled that president Muhamadu Buhari ,perhaps relying on his gut feeling which is probably derived from past experience (having had the privilege of being at the helm of a salvage team for Nigerian economy Dec, 1983/August,1985) dismissed the call for Naira devaluation for about one year into his administration before capitulating onJune 20, a couple of months ago.

Mr president’s justification for the delay in boarding the Naira devaluation train was that the arguments for it did not add up in his books especially since Nigeria did not have any other finished products to sell to the world (the most viable reason for currency devaluation) except crude oil whose price is fixed internationally and of which there is currently a global supply glut.

With Naira now trading at over N400/$1, president Buhari’s fears of the Naira spiraling out of control when floated is manifesting.

In an attempt to wriggle out of the monetary policy cul de sac, the CBN had increased the lending rate during the last MPC meeting by 2 percentage points from 12-14% amongst other measures aimed at attracting foreign equity portfolio managers, who by their very nature, would rush to trade in Nigeria’s bonds as soon as it is made attractive enough.

Little surprise then that Nigeria’s bonds and treasury bills are now trading at about 20% which is mouthwatering considering that a country like Japan which is currently in stagflation, offers her bonds at zero interest rate.

In fact , in some cases, Japan even pays to offload bonds to willing parties in order to induce growth in the economy but such practice is extended only to European firms and others in industrialized and stable economies.

That’s why banks in Europe can offer loan facilities for as low as 4% and African banks, particularly Nigerian ones,grant loans at outrageous rate of 26% or more.

At such an exploitative rate what type of business can a Nigerian entrepreneur possibly engage in and be able to pay banks 26% interest rate plus overhead cost (salaries etc) at 10% and utilities 4% respectively, which when added together puts the total cost of funds into a business venture at approximately 40% or more?

I may be wrong but l’m yet to see a genuine business that yields up to 40% profit except fraudulent and doggy Govt contracts.

In my view, the outrageous cost of funds is a recipe for loans going bad and the reason for high rate of business exit and mortality in Nigeria.

A while ago, the CBN and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC had reported that the non performing loan portfolio of banks in Nigeria was heading towards the N2.4 trillion Naira mark,which is a significant 10% of the N24.3 trillion credit speculated to have been disbursed to both the public and private sectors.

How Donald Trump is making money off his presidential bid

In 2000 Donald Trump told Fortune magazine, “It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it.”

During this primary season, Donald Trump made a point of not taking outside donations, but now he is. Some of Trump’s campaign money is making its way back to the candidate himself, because unlike any other candidate in modern history, Trump is using his businesses for his campaign.

Legally, Trump has to pay no more than fair market value, so we crunched the numbers to see how much he’s essentially paying himself, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman.

Donald Trump has contributed more than $52 million to his presidential campaign.

“I didn’t need to do this folks. I’m spending a lot of money,” Trump said during a rally in Ohio.

But the Republican nominee has offset some of that by pouring $7.2 million dollars -- just over eight percent of the money his campaign has spent through July -- into his own businesses.

Since Trump moved into the general election phase, that spending has increased.

During the first year of his campaign, he spent on average half a million dollars a month at his own companies. But as his campaign ramped up from the end of June through July, he spent $1.2 million at Trump businesses.