My New Year Wish for You

PowerLines 2016

The other side of fireworks

Mexico fireworks blast: Bodies too charred to identify

• ection

The BBC reports that the bodies of some of the 32 people killed in an explosion at a fireworks market outside Mexico City are so badly charred that neither their age nor gender can immediately be determined, the state prosecutor has said.

Alejandro Gomez said forensic experts were carrying out DNA tests to identify the blackened remains of the dead.

So far, only 18 bodies have been identified.

More than 70 people were also injured when the explosion happened.

Serious preparation for Deeper Life December Retreat

Kumuyi shelves nationwide outreaches for Dec retreat

According to Vanguard News, General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM),Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, has shelved his nationwide outreaches, for the December Retreat. A move the church said was unprecedented in the history of the church.

This year’s December Retreat tagged, “Power for the present hour,” scheduled for December 23-26 would not be held in  Nigeria alone , but also in the UK, USA and other parts of the world where the church has presence, is being taken more seriously.

Foreigners taking over MTN

Worried Minister says Indians are buying over MTN Nigeria - The Nation Newspaper

Worried Minister says Indians are buying over MTN Nigeria. rRepresented by the Assistant Director, Information Communication and Technology, (ICT) at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Adeyemi Adebayo, th ...

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America needs this now, more than ever before

Rev. Graham Calls on Christians to Pray That God Will Guide Trump

Rev. Franklin Graham told "Fox & Friends" hosts Tuesday "we need to be praying" for President-elect Donald Trump, "because the decisions he makes are going to affect our lives for a long time."

When asked what the evangelical community expects from Trump, Graham said "some of the moral issues that we as Christians are concerned about, at least that we be at the table and have a chance to speak into those issues, things like abortion, same-sex marriage."

Graham, who is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization, emphasized he supports Donald Trump.

Cash and carry politics: has anything changed?

The article below was written when PDP held sway. But, has anything changed since then?

Influence of Big Money In Nigerian Politics, By Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

Premium Times April 28, 2015 By Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

Politics is speech, money is also speech, but whose money speaks in politics? In politics, money is not just speech, money is power! It was revealed that Mr. Jonathan spent N2trillion on his failed campaign to secure his return to office. We have no idea how much the All Progressives Congress (APC) spent on the campaign trail for General Buhari to win for comparison. However, we witnessed the open bribery of monarchs, Church leaders, community leaders, militants and anyone they could find.

The issue of campaign finance is a difficult one in politics. It is more difficult in a country with a high index of intergenerational poverty like Nigeria. The high cost of political campaign for office seekers and the present ways of meeting the costs ties the hands of elected officials because they must recoup their investments by pandering to the whims of moneybags, godfathers and special interests who funded their campaigns. A politician cannot represent the interests of his or her community/constituency when he has solicited and taken contributions from special interests to finance a costly election. Such politician can only be governed by a sense of obligation to his/her benefactors. From the 2015 campaigns at all levels, we have seen that the infusion of cash has great ability to influence electoral outcomes.

Tough days ahead in Brazil

Brazil Senate approves controversial austerity measures

Violent protests erupt over spending freeze that will affect healthcare, education and social programmes.

Brazilians have been on the streets protesting after the Senate approved a 20-year freeze on government spending that a UN official described as a "historic mistake".

The upper house voted 53 to 16 on Tuesday to lock in the spending ceiling.

Centre-right President Michel Temer says tough measures are needed to get Brazil's finances back under control, but his austerity policies have drawn sharp criticism and prompted violent protests.

Opponents say the austerity measures, which will affect spending on health, education and social programmes, are an attack on the poor in a country where wealth distribution is already among the worst in the world.

Police were out in force in the capital, Brasilia, to protect government buildings from demonstrators during the upper house vote.

Read full story here.