The remains of a mysterious sea creature have washed up on the shore of the Philippines.
The unidentified creature, measuring 6.3 metres long and two metres wide, was found on a beach in Barangay Poblacion, Cagadianao, on the Philippines' Dinagat Islands.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, based in the capital Manila, believe the remains could be those of a sea cow.
Also known as manatees, sea cows are large marine mammals, which eat a mostly herbivorous diet.
Teodoro L Alipayo, who captured the remains on camera, said a sample has been sent to the bureau to determine the species and its cause of death.
The carcass was already significantly decomposed when surprised locals discovered it on Wednesday afternoon.
Friday, February 24, 2017
North Korea's chemical warfare capabilities
We tend to focus on North Korea's nuclear threat and its visible, increasingly successful missile tests, but Kim Jong-Un also possesses one of the world's largest stockpiles of chemical weapons.
The country's chemical arsenal ranks third, behind the US and Russia, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative project.
Its most recent report put North Korea's estimated chemical weapons stores at 2,500 - some 5,000 tons.
:: 'Weapon of mass destruction' killed Kim
Pyongyang denies it has any such weapons, but research sponsored by the South Korean government says it has four military bases equipped with chemical weapons, 11 facilities to produce and store them, and 13 dedicated research and development facilities.
The regime's production is said to focus on Sarin gas and VX, one of the deadliest chemical agents ever manufactured.
VX nerve agent is listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. A single drop on the skin can kill within minutes.
Malaysian police have found traces on swabs taken from the eyes and skin of Kim Jong-Nam, the elder half-brother of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un.
Mr Kim reported feeling sick and dizzy after being attacked by two women at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 13 February. He was taken to the terminal's clinic, but died before reaching the hospital.
One of the female suspects also showed signs of exposure to VX.
Seven North Korean men are wanted as suspects in the case, including a diplomat from the country's embassy in Kuala Lumpur, in addition to the four people already in custody.
As well as its chemical weapons capability, North Korea is thought to have access to a wide range of biological weapons, including blister agents, anthrax, smallpox, cholera, and a form of plague.
It also has the means of delivery.
South Korea's government estimates half of Pyongyang's long-range missiles, and almost one-third of its artillery pieces can be fitted with chemical or biological warheads, although the degree to which those biological payloads would survive impact is unclear.
What is clear is that North Korea is continuing to pursue its weapons programme at pace, in spite of the sanctions and UN security resolutions against it.
If you had an impression previously of North Korea as a rogue state, with an unpredictable ruler and nuclear ambitions, you might want to upgrade your anxiety level.
North Korea is an increasingly isolated state, with an unpredictable ruler, who has nuclear ambitions, biological weapons and access to one of the world's most deadly chemical warfare agents.
The country's chemical arsenal ranks third, behind the US and Russia, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative project.
Its most recent report put North Korea's estimated chemical weapons stores at 2,500 - some 5,000 tons.
:: 'Weapon of mass destruction' killed Kim
Pyongyang denies it has any such weapons, but research sponsored by the South Korean government says it has four military bases equipped with chemical weapons, 11 facilities to produce and store them, and 13 dedicated research and development facilities.
The regime's production is said to focus on Sarin gas and VX, one of the deadliest chemical agents ever manufactured.
VX nerve agent is listed by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. A single drop on the skin can kill within minutes.
Malaysian police have found traces on swabs taken from the eyes and skin of Kim Jong-Nam, the elder half-brother of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un.
Mr Kim reported feeling sick and dizzy after being attacked by two women at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 13 February. He was taken to the terminal's clinic, but died before reaching the hospital.
One of the female suspects also showed signs of exposure to VX.
Seven North Korean men are wanted as suspects in the case, including a diplomat from the country's embassy in Kuala Lumpur, in addition to the four people already in custody.
As well as its chemical weapons capability, North Korea is thought to have access to a wide range of biological weapons, including blister agents, anthrax, smallpox, cholera, and a form of plague.
It also has the means of delivery.
South Korea's government estimates half of Pyongyang's long-range missiles, and almost one-third of its artillery pieces can be fitted with chemical or biological warheads, although the degree to which those biological payloads would survive impact is unclear.
What is clear is that North Korea is continuing to pursue its weapons programme at pace, in spite of the sanctions and UN security resolutions against it.
If you had an impression previously of North Korea as a rogue state, with an unpredictable ruler and nuclear ambitions, you might want to upgrade your anxiety level.
North Korea is an increasingly isolated state, with an unpredictable ruler, who has nuclear ambitions, biological weapons and access to one of the world's most deadly chemical warfare agents.
RBS in the red for ninth year in a row as losses more than treble to £6.96bn
Royal Bank of Scotland boss Ross McEwan insisted the lender was on its way back to health after a "remarkable journey" despite reporting a ninth straight annual loss of £6.96bn.
The state-backed lender remained mired in multi-billion pound costs linked to its record a decade ago when it careered out of control and had to be rescued during the financial crisis.
2016's loss was more than three times the figure of £1.98bn for the year before.
It leaves the bank, which includes NatWest as well as the RBS brand, looking some way from a return to the private sector after its £45bn bail-out.
Mr McEwan said it was aiming to return to profit by 2018 - meaning it will have endured a full decade of losses under majority state ownership - as the impact of "legacy issues" finally began to fade.
He said: "This is a bank that has been on a remarkable journey. We still have further to go.
"But the next three years will not be the same as the past three.
"Legacy issues will take up a decreasing amount of our time and focus."
Instead the bank would focus on customers, costs and efforts to return to profit - which would represent "a significant step towards being able to start repaying UK taxpayers for their support".
Mr McEwan said the bank was moving to the final phase of a three-phase strategy announced in 2014, after completing plans to build up its strength and strip away "unnecessary complexity".
The lender's latest results saw it weighed down by litigation and conduct costs of £5.87bn.
That included a recently-announced additional £3.11bn set aside over US allegations over the mis-selling of mortgage-backed financial products ahead of the financial crisis.
RBS also took a £2.11bn hit for the cost of restructuring, including £750m set aside for a plan to enable it to avoid having to sell off hundreds of branches under the Williams & Glyn brand.
The state-backed lender remained mired in multi-billion pound costs linked to its record a decade ago when it careered out of control and had to be rescued during the financial crisis.
2016's loss was more than three times the figure of £1.98bn for the year before.
It leaves the bank, which includes NatWest as well as the RBS brand, looking some way from a return to the private sector after its £45bn bail-out.
Mr McEwan said it was aiming to return to profit by 2018 - meaning it will have endured a full decade of losses under majority state ownership - as the impact of "legacy issues" finally began to fade.
He said: "This is a bank that has been on a remarkable journey. We still have further to go.
"But the next three years will not be the same as the past three.
"Legacy issues will take up a decreasing amount of our time and focus."
Instead the bank would focus on customers, costs and efforts to return to profit - which would represent "a significant step towards being able to start repaying UK taxpayers for their support".
Mr McEwan said the bank was moving to the final phase of a three-phase strategy announced in 2014, after completing plans to build up its strength and strip away "unnecessary complexity".
The lender's latest results saw it weighed down by litigation and conduct costs of £5.87bn.
That included a recently-announced additional £3.11bn set aside over US allegations over the mis-selling of mortgage-backed financial products ahead of the financial crisis.
RBS also took a £2.11bn hit for the cost of restructuring, including £750m set aside for a plan to enable it to avoid having to sell off hundreds of branches under the Williams & Glyn brand.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Corbyn election win 'impossible' after Labour's crushing Copeland defeat
Labour met with triumph and disaster within the space of an hour in the early hours of this morning.
At first there was a small triumph for Jeremy Corbyn in holding at bay UKIP's surge into his party's heartland in Stoke. But, minutes later, came the terrible loss of the staunch Labour seat of Copelandto the governing Conservatives.
It is the first by-election loss from Opposition to a sitting Government since the early Thatcher years. In reality, the first of this type in over half a century.
It has not happened in a seat with a comfortable Opposition majority.
The result in the Cumbrian constituency, which has been Labour since before the war, saw Conservative Trudy Harrison elected as MP.
It renders an election victory for Jeremy Corbyn seemingly impossible. Labour on this sort of result is heading for fewer than 200 seats.
A Labour Party heading for a majority would be piling on votes in a seat such as this, not losing it.
Yes, Mr Corbyn's historic lack of support for the nuclear industry at Sellafield played a part, but the routine Labour NHS crisis campaign fell short.
In Stoke though, Labour held off UKIP and left in tatters the gamble of leader Paul Nuttall.
UKIP saw only a small improvement in a town the new leader hoped to rechristen the Brexit capital of Britain.
It should have been the most fertile territory to show off Mr Nuttall's pitch for the party to replace Labour in working class Midlands and northern towns.
Labour campaigners managed to paint Mr Nuttall as a Brexit carpetbagger. He may struggle to regain momentum.
After his election disappointment, he insisted he was "not going anywhere" and that there was "a lot more to come from us".
"We cut their (Labour's) majority in half," he said.
"We've unified the party like never before. We'll go forward now - UKIP's time will come - this will happen."
What is the point of UKIP if it can't win in places such as Stoke, asked one Tory MP. But a version of that question is also applicable to the new Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Gareth Snell.
He praised Mr Corbyn and told me the Labour leader could win the next general election - that was just before the Copeland result.
It was bad news for UKIP in Stoke, and as bad for Labour in Copeland.
The Prime Minister is left sitting pretty, with her majority increased by one, while Mr Corbyn might toast Tristram Hunt for having resigned and offering him a chance to win one and lose one.
But the chances of Labour replacing the Conservatives in government seem even more remote on this evidence.
At first there was a small triumph for Jeremy Corbyn in holding at bay UKIP's surge into his party's heartland in Stoke. But, minutes later, came the terrible loss of the staunch Labour seat of Copelandto the governing Conservatives.
It is the first by-election loss from Opposition to a sitting Government since the early Thatcher years. In reality, the first of this type in over half a century.
It has not happened in a seat with a comfortable Opposition majority.
The result in the Cumbrian constituency, which has been Labour since before the war, saw Conservative Trudy Harrison elected as MP.
It renders an election victory for Jeremy Corbyn seemingly impossible. Labour on this sort of result is heading for fewer than 200 seats.
A Labour Party heading for a majority would be piling on votes in a seat such as this, not losing it.
Yes, Mr Corbyn's historic lack of support for the nuclear industry at Sellafield played a part, but the routine Labour NHS crisis campaign fell short.
In Stoke though, Labour held off UKIP and left in tatters the gamble of leader Paul Nuttall.
UKIP saw only a small improvement in a town the new leader hoped to rechristen the Brexit capital of Britain.
It should have been the most fertile territory to show off Mr Nuttall's pitch for the party to replace Labour in working class Midlands and northern towns.
Labour campaigners managed to paint Mr Nuttall as a Brexit carpetbagger. He may struggle to regain momentum.
After his election disappointment, he insisted he was "not going anywhere" and that there was "a lot more to come from us".
"We cut their (Labour's) majority in half," he said.
"We've unified the party like never before. We'll go forward now - UKIP's time will come - this will happen."
What is the point of UKIP if it can't win in places such as Stoke, asked one Tory MP. But a version of that question is also applicable to the new Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Gareth Snell.
He praised Mr Corbyn and told me the Labour leader could win the next general election - that was just before the Copeland result.
It was bad news for UKIP in Stoke, and as bad for Labour in Copeland.
The Prime Minister is left sitting pretty, with her majority increased by one, while Mr Corbyn might toast Tristram Hunt for having resigned and offering him a chance to win one and lose one.
But the chances of Labour replacing the Conservatives in government seem even more remote on this evidence.
Copeland by-election: Tories deliver historic win over Labour
Labour has suffered a humiliating defeat by the Tories in Copeland but managed to see off UKIP leader Paul Nuttall in Stoke in a night of double by-election drama.
Jeremy Corbyn's critics blamed him for defeat in Copeland, which saw the Conservatives' Trudy Harrison snatch a shock victory with a majority of 2,147.
But the bid by UKIP's leader - whose by-election campaign had lurched from one crisis to another - to win a seat in Parliament failed by 2,620 votes.
In Stoke-on-Trent Central, Labour's Gareth Snell, who had also attracted criticism for his own campaign, won comfortably with 7,853 votes to Mr Nuttall's 5,233.
Image Caption:Results of Copeland by-election
After a night of tension and high drama at the Copeland count in Whitehaven, Ms Harrison beat Labour's Gillian Troughton, whose by-election campaign was almost entirely about the NHS.
In a seat held by former Labour MP Jamie Reed at the 2015 general election with a 2,500 majority, the Conservatives increased their vote share by more than 8%, while Labour's was down nearly 5%.
Despite appalling weather brought to the Cumbrian constituency by Storm Doris, turnout in Copeland was a respectable 51.33%, above average for a by-election, though it was just 38% in Stoke-on-Trent Central.
After her relatively comfortable victory, which came after predictions at the count that the result was on a knife-edge, Ms Harrison told Sky News: "The people are ready for change".
"I think we ran an extremely positive campaign and it was a campaign that represented the needs of this area. And I know this area because I have lived here all of my life.
"I think that, and the combination of Jeremy Corbyn's views on nuclear in an area which is so dependent on Sellafield and on Moorside, contributed to my win tonight."
Minutes earlier, in her victory speech, in the Whitehaven Sports Centre, Ms Harrison - a mother of four daughters - said the result was a "truly historic event".
She said: "It's been very clear talking to people throughout this campaign that Jeremy Corbyn doesn't represent them.
"They want a party which is on the side of ordinary working people, which will respect the way we voted in the referendum and which will build a country which represents everyone. That's why they voted for me tonight."
Labour's defeat was embarrassing because it was the first by a Government over an Opposition in a by-election since 1982, when Labour was also split and led by an unpopular left-wing leader.
Then, under Michael Foot's leadership, 28 Labour MPs defected to the SDP and only one, Bruce Douglas-Mann, resigned and defended his seat in a by-election and was defeated by the Conservatives' Angela Rumbold in Mitcham and Morden.
Reacting to the by-election results, Mr Corbyn said: "Labour's victory in Stoke is a decisive rejection of UKIP's politics of division and dishonesty. But our message was not enough to win through in Copeland.
"In both campaigns, Labour listened to thousands of voters on the doorstep. Both constituencies, like so many in Britain, have been let down by the political establishment.
"To win power to rebuild and transform Britain, Labour will go further to reconnect with voters, and break with the failed political consensus."
Jeremy Corbyn's critics blamed him for defeat in Copeland, which saw the Conservatives' Trudy Harrison snatch a shock victory with a majority of 2,147.
But the bid by UKIP's leader - whose by-election campaign had lurched from one crisis to another - to win a seat in Parliament failed by 2,620 votes.
In Stoke-on-Trent Central, Labour's Gareth Snell, who had also attracted criticism for his own campaign, won comfortably with 7,853 votes to Mr Nuttall's 5,233.
Image Caption:Results of Copeland by-electionAfter a night of tension and high drama at the Copeland count in Whitehaven, Ms Harrison beat Labour's Gillian Troughton, whose by-election campaign was almost entirely about the NHS.
In a seat held by former Labour MP Jamie Reed at the 2015 general election with a 2,500 majority, the Conservatives increased their vote share by more than 8%, while Labour's was down nearly 5%.
Despite appalling weather brought to the Cumbrian constituency by Storm Doris, turnout in Copeland was a respectable 51.33%, above average for a by-election, though it was just 38% in Stoke-on-Trent Central.
After her relatively comfortable victory, which came after predictions at the count that the result was on a knife-edge, Ms Harrison told Sky News: "The people are ready for change".
"I think we ran an extremely positive campaign and it was a campaign that represented the needs of this area. And I know this area because I have lived here all of my life.
"I think that, and the combination of Jeremy Corbyn's views on nuclear in an area which is so dependent on Sellafield and on Moorside, contributed to my win tonight."
Minutes earlier, in her victory speech, in the Whitehaven Sports Centre, Ms Harrison - a mother of four daughters - said the result was a "truly historic event".
She said: "It's been very clear talking to people throughout this campaign that Jeremy Corbyn doesn't represent them.
"They want a party which is on the side of ordinary working people, which will respect the way we voted in the referendum and which will build a country which represents everyone. That's why they voted for me tonight."
Labour's defeat was embarrassing because it was the first by a Government over an Opposition in a by-election since 1982, when Labour was also split and led by an unpopular left-wing leader.
Then, under Michael Foot's leadership, 28 Labour MPs defected to the SDP and only one, Bruce Douglas-Mann, resigned and defended his seat in a by-election and was defeated by the Conservatives' Angela Rumbold in Mitcham and Morden.
Reacting to the by-election results, Mr Corbyn said: "Labour's victory in Stoke is a decisive rejection of UKIP's politics of division and dishonesty. But our message was not enough to win through in Copeland.
"In both campaigns, Labour listened to thousands of voters on the doorstep. Both constituencies, like so many in Britain, have been let down by the political establishment.
"To win power to rebuild and transform Britain, Labour will go further to reconnect with voters, and break with the failed political consensus."
Nerve agent used to kill Kim Jong-nam: police
Malaysian police say a preliminary report shows the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was carried out with a nerve agent used in chemical warfare.
A statement on Friday from the inspector general of police said that a preliminary analysis from the chemistry Department of Malaysia identified the agent at "VX nerve agent".
VX nerve agent, or S-2 Diisoprophylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate, is a chemical weapon classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, died after two women attacked him at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week as he was preparing to board a flight to Macau.
Police have not said how the women were able to apply the nerve agent to Kim's face and also avoid becoming ill themselves. It is not known if they were wearing some sort of thin gloves or if washing their hands quickly removed the danger.
Police had said earlier that the two attackers rubbed a liquid on Kim's face before walking away and quickly washing their hands. He sought help from airport staff but died before he reached the hospital.
North Korea's official, state-controlled media mentioned the case for the first time on Thursday, saying Malaysia's investigation was full of "holes and contradictions" without acknowledging the victim was Kim Jong-nam.
The report from KCNA largely echoed past comments by North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, but the publication of at least some news inside North Korea could be a sign of its concern over growing international speculation that Pyongyang dispatched a hit squad to kill Kim.
Long estranged from North Korea's leadership, Kim Jong-nam had lived outside the country for years, staying in Macau, Singapore and Malaysia.
The two suspected attackers, and Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese woman, are in custody.
A statement on Friday from the inspector general of police said that a preliminary analysis from the chemistry Department of Malaysia identified the agent at "VX nerve agent".
VX nerve agent, or S-2 Diisoprophylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate, is a chemical weapon classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, died after two women attacked him at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week as he was preparing to board a flight to Macau.
Police have not said how the women were able to apply the nerve agent to Kim's face and also avoid becoming ill themselves. It is not known if they were wearing some sort of thin gloves or if washing their hands quickly removed the danger.
Police had said earlier that the two attackers rubbed a liquid on Kim's face before walking away and quickly washing their hands. He sought help from airport staff but died before he reached the hospital.
North Korea's official, state-controlled media mentioned the case for the first time on Thursday, saying Malaysia's investigation was full of "holes and contradictions" without acknowledging the victim was Kim Jong-nam.
The report from KCNA largely echoed past comments by North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, but the publication of at least some news inside North Korea could be a sign of its concern over growing international speculation that Pyongyang dispatched a hit squad to kill Kim.
Long estranged from North Korea's leadership, Kim Jong-nam had lived outside the country for years, staying in Macau, Singapore and Malaysia.
The two suspected attackers, and Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese woman, are in custody.
Why is Nigeria's President Buhari still in London?
As Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was beginning his latest visit to London more than a month ago, a new series of Big Brother Nigeria was getting under way.
A former military ruler known for his no-nonsense style would appear to have little in common with a reality TV show where contestants engage in attention-seeking behaviour.
But both subjects were soon generating headlines for the same reason - neither of them were in Nigeria.
It turned out that Big Brother was actually being filmed in South Africa - a decision that led Nigeria's information minister to launch an investigation.
While the howls of protests from outraged Big Brother fans soon died down, the clamour over Nigeria's leader's extended medical stay in London is not going away.
President Buhari's absence comes as Africa's most populous nation is gripped by its worst economic crisis in decades, and faces the threat of famine in north-east Nigeria, which has been devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.
And unlike Big Brother, there are no constant updates - in fact, President Buhari, 74, has not given a single interview since arriving in the UK.
Instead, the Nigerian public is relying on pictures - posted on Twitter - of their leader meeting senior UK officials as proof that he still is alive.
The latest statement issued by the government said there was "no cause for worry" about the president's health but his medical leave was being extended.
His month-long stay so far has angered some Nigerians after he promised to crackdown on "medical tourism" by officials last year.
Last June, President Buhari spent nearly two weeks in London receiving treatment for an ear infection.
But the bigger issue this time is that officials have repeatedly refused to disclose his illness and are not saying when he will return to Nigeria.
'Urgent decisions'
In a country where rumours are rife, the presidential statements have done little to dampen the speculation about the leader's health.
Nigerians are acutely sensitive to leaders travelling abroad for medical reasons after President Umaru Yar'Adua died while in office in 2010.
For months, the public was kept in the dark while he received treatment in Saudi Arabia.
The period of uncertainty created deep political instability in the country.
The current president's supporters say that is emphatically not the case this time.
They point to the fact that President Buhari constitutionally handed over power to his vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, as he has done on previous trips, rather than governing from afar.
He did take one phone call while in London, however, from the US President Donald Trump - the first between the two leaders.
"There is no vacuum at the top," says political analyst Jibrin Ibrahim.
"President Buhari takes his constitutional role seriously, and has not personalised power, unlike other African leaders.
Lack of authority?
"My chief criticism is that his government has been acting like it has all the time in the world, when in fact urgent decisions needed to be made in regard to the economy."
But, perhaps, one of the most striking things about President Buhari's absence has been the go-getting style of the acting leader.
Yemi Osinbajo is preparing to launch an economic recovery plan.
He also led a high-profile delegation to the Niger Delta to voice support for a government agreement with local militants groups that have seriously disrupted the region's oil production.
But critics say that despite all his activity, the vice-president has no real authority.
"He cannot perform because ministers and other political appointments are not obliged to be loyal to him as he didn't appoint them," said Isuwa Dogo, a political analyst, and a member of the opposition party.
"President Buhari is a public figure and there is no need for him to hide behind his health issues.
"I want him to be back in the county. If there are successes, he will get the credit. If there are failures, he will get the blame."
So, while Big Brother fans will know in April who has been crowned the series winner, for now, no-one seems to know when Nigeria's president will come back home.
A former military ruler known for his no-nonsense style would appear to have little in common with a reality TV show where contestants engage in attention-seeking behaviour.
But both subjects were soon generating headlines for the same reason - neither of them were in Nigeria.
It turned out that Big Brother was actually being filmed in South Africa - a decision that led Nigeria's information minister to launch an investigation.
While the howls of protests from outraged Big Brother fans soon died down, the clamour over Nigeria's leader's extended medical stay in London is not going away.
President Buhari's absence comes as Africa's most populous nation is gripped by its worst economic crisis in decades, and faces the threat of famine in north-east Nigeria, which has been devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.
And unlike Big Brother, there are no constant updates - in fact, President Buhari, 74, has not given a single interview since arriving in the UK.
Instead, the Nigerian public is relying on pictures - posted on Twitter - of their leader meeting senior UK officials as proof that he still is alive.
The latest statement issued by the government said there was "no cause for worry" about the president's health but his medical leave was being extended.
His month-long stay so far has angered some Nigerians after he promised to crackdown on "medical tourism" by officials last year.
Last June, President Buhari spent nearly two weeks in London receiving treatment for an ear infection.
But the bigger issue this time is that officials have repeatedly refused to disclose his illness and are not saying when he will return to Nigeria.
'Urgent decisions'
In a country where rumours are rife, the presidential statements have done little to dampen the speculation about the leader's health.
Nigerians are acutely sensitive to leaders travelling abroad for medical reasons after President Umaru Yar'Adua died while in office in 2010.
For months, the public was kept in the dark while he received treatment in Saudi Arabia.
The period of uncertainty created deep political instability in the country.
The current president's supporters say that is emphatically not the case this time.
They point to the fact that President Buhari constitutionally handed over power to his vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, as he has done on previous trips, rather than governing from afar.
He did take one phone call while in London, however, from the US President Donald Trump - the first between the two leaders.
"There is no vacuum at the top," says political analyst Jibrin Ibrahim.
"President Buhari takes his constitutional role seriously, and has not personalised power, unlike other African leaders.
Lack of authority?
"My chief criticism is that his government has been acting like it has all the time in the world, when in fact urgent decisions needed to be made in regard to the economy."
But, perhaps, one of the most striking things about President Buhari's absence has been the go-getting style of the acting leader.
Yemi Osinbajo is preparing to launch an economic recovery plan.
He also led a high-profile delegation to the Niger Delta to voice support for a government agreement with local militants groups that have seriously disrupted the region's oil production.
But critics say that despite all his activity, the vice-president has no real authority.
"He cannot perform because ministers and other political appointments are not obliged to be loyal to him as he didn't appoint them," said Isuwa Dogo, a political analyst, and a member of the opposition party.
"President Buhari is a public figure and there is no need for him to hide behind his health issues.
"I want him to be back in the county. If there are successes, he will get the credit. If there are failures, he will get the blame."
So, while Big Brother fans will know in April who has been crowned the series winner, for now, no-one seems to know when Nigeria's president will come back home.
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