\Ghanaian footballer, John Pantsil stabs wife; arrested by police

Ghanaian and Hapoel Tel Aviv player, John Pantsil, has reportedly stabbed his wife in the eye.
The defender, who last played a game on February 9 at the African Cup of Nations, stabbed her because she allegedly stole $20, 000 (N3 million) from him.
The Ghanaian police has confirmed they have Pantsil in their custody.
Pantsil was also a member of the 2010 World Cup team that represented Ghana in South Africa.
The Black Stars defender John Paintsil has been arrested by police for stabbing his wife.
This was confirmed by Greater Accra Police PRO Freeman Tettey in an interview with Joy News a while ago.
Police describe the incident as domestic quarrel.
A freelance journalist Haruna Maiga who was at the Legon Police where John Paintsil is being held said the deputy Black Stars skipper was brought together with his three kids.
They were escorted by a group of police men, one armed.
Freeman Tetteh said Paintsil is being held for assault and causing harm.
The wife, Richlove Paintsil is reported to have jumped the Trasacco wall to her neighbour, ostensibly to escape the assault of the husband but Paintsil is alleged to have followed into the neighbour’s house and handed a few slaps to the man holding the wife.
The wife is said to be unconscious after sustaining serious injuries to her eye.
She is said to be responding to treatment at the hospital.
Paintsil was part of the Black Stars team that came fourth in the just ended 2013 Nations Cup.

Yordanov returns gold

Bulgarian legend Valentin Yordanov sent back his Olympic gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Games on Wednesday, to protest the International Olympic Committee’s decision to drop wrestling from the Olympic program.
The 53-year-old is the president of the Bulgarian wrestling federation and won an unprecedented 10 world championship medals during his career.
Some of Bulgarian wrestling’s biggest names have already expressed their support for Yordanov, saying they believed that the IOC would scrap the plans to drop the sport. The plans have to be ratified in September.
Wrestling has been Bulgaria’s most successful Olympic sport with the country’s athletes winning a total of 16 titles.

Culled from www.euronews.com

Feds join whistle-blower lawsuit against Lance Armstrong

The U.S. Department of Justice said Friday it has joined the whistle-blower lawsuit against cyclist Lance Armstrong that was originally filed by a former teammate.

The Justice Department will file its formal complaint in 60 days.

Armstrong, the onetime legendary and now disgraced cyclist, has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. He was the team's lead rider when the U.S. Postal Service sponsored the team from 1996 to 2004 and Armstrong won six of his seven Tour de France titles, the Justice Department said.

The civil lawsuit alleges that Armstrong and former team managers submitted false claims for government funds to the sponsoring Postal Service by their "regularly employing banned substances and method to enhance their performance" in violation of the sponsorship agreement, the federal announcement said.

"Today's action demonstrates the Department of Justice's steadfast commitment to safeguarding federal funds and making sure that contractors live up to their promises," Stuart F. Delery, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the civil division, said in a statement.

Between 2001 and 2004, the Postal Service paid $31 million in sponsorship fees, but that affiliation has now been "unfairly associated with what has been described as 'the most sophisticated, professionalized, and successful doping program that sport has ever seen,' " said Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

"In today's economic climate, the U.S. Postal Service is simply not in a position to allow Lance Armstrong or any of the other defendants to walk away with the tens of millions of dollars they illegitimately procured," Machen said.

The suit also names as defendants Johan Bruyneel, who had managed the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery racing teams on which Armstrong raced, and Tailwind Sports, which was the team's management entity, the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department is joining the lawsuit's allegations against Bruyneel and Tailwind, but it isn't intervening in the suit's claims against several other defendants, the agency said.

The U.S. Postal Service supported the intervention.

"The defendants agreed to play by the rules and not use performance enhancing drugs," general counsel and executive vice president Mary Anne Gibbons said in a statement. "We now know that the defendants failed to live up to their agreement, and instead knowingly engaged in a pattern of activity that violated the rules of professional cycling and, therefore, violated the terms of their contracts with the Postal Service."

The lawsuit accuses the former management of Armstrong's team of defrauding the federal government of millions of dollars because it knew about the drug use and didn't do anything.

The federal government had been evaluating for weeks whether to intervene in the lawsuit.

An attorney for Armstrong, Robert Luskin, said that ongoing discussions between the federal government and Armstrong's legal team had collapsed.

"Lance and his representatives worked constructively over these last weeks with federal lawyers to resolve this case fairly, but those talks failed because we disagree about whether the Postal Service was damaged," Luskin said. "The Postal Service's own studies show that the service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship -- benefits totaling more than $100 million."

Former teammate Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after failing a drug test, filed the lawsuit in 2010 against the team, which was sponsored the U.S. Postal Service.

As of midday Friday, the whistle-blower suit remained under court seal.

For years, Armstrong had denied drug use and blood doping, but he publicly admitted such use in January, three months after international cycling's governing body stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles.

That stripping came after a damning report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accused Armstrong and his team of the "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program" in cycling history.

CULLED  FROM www.cnn.com

Lagos Poly Girl Beaten To Death

A part-time Business Administration Student of Lagos State Polytechnic, Miss Olayinde Bournes, 22, has allegedly been beaten to death by her boyfriend, Abuchi Cyril.
The incident happened  Thursday at Shorinmade Street, Aguda-Ogba area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
According to Miss Titilayo Fagbamila, friend of the deceased girl, she always complained to her that her boyfriend, Abuchi always beat her at the slightest provocation.
She said that on Thursday when the tragedy occurred, Abuchi invited Olayinde to his house along Shorinmade Street, to see his travel documents.

•The late Miss Olayinde Bournes

Titilayo said nobody knew what happened when the lovers were together but it is believed that they had a misunderstanding which may have led to a fight.
Sources at 17, Muibi Street residence of the deceased told P.M.NEWS that  after the fight with her boyfriend, the victim was rushed to G&S Hospital where she was confirmed dead before the corpse was taken to Ikeja General Hospital for autopsy.
Abuchi was immediately arrested and taken to Area ‘G’ Police Command, Ogba, for interrogation.
When our correspondent visited Area ‘G’, Ogba, Friday morning, the suspect was seen writing his statement.
When contacted for comment, the Area ‘G’ Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ishola Abdulahi, declined to speak on the issue, saying it  was too early as investigation was going on.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS, the 55-year old father of  Olayinde, Mr. Akindele Bournes, said his daughter was not a troublesome person, adding that the government must ensure that justice is done.

CULLED FROM www.pmnewsnigeria.com

Magistrate Grants Bail for Pistorius

PRETORIA, South Africa — After four days of combative hearings, a South African magistrate on Friday granted bail for Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee track star accused of murdering his girlfriend in a case that has horrified and fascinated the nation and much of the world.

Magistrate Desmond Nair announced the decision after impassioned final arguments from the defense and the prosecution in Courtroom C of the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.

The magistrate said Mr. Pistorius did not represent a flight risk and was not likely to interfere with state witnesses. “The accused has made a case to be released on bail,” he concluded, while the prosecution had not established a case for detaining him. Pistorius’s family members in the packed courtroom shouted, “Yes!”

Magistrate Nair set bail at 1 million rand, about $112,000, and ordered a series of conditions before the case was adjourned to June 4. Mr. Pistorius was told to relinquish firearms and passports and to avoid his upscale home in a gated community where he shot to death his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in what he has called an accident and prosecutors have called premeditated murder. The home is now a crime scene.

The unusually tight restrictions on Mr. Pistorius also included a prohibition on making contact with witnesses. The athlete was also told that he could not leave the Pretoria area without official permission and could not use drugs or alcohol while the trial was pending. He was instructed to report to a police station twice a week.

Arnold Pistorius, an uncle who has acted as family spokesman, told reporters: “We are relieved by the fact that Oscar got bail today, but at the same time, we are in mourning for Reeva Steenkamp and her family.”

But Kim Myers, a friend of Ms. Steenkamp, said: “I think it is important to remember that someone lost their life.”

“We trust and hope that justice will prevail.”

Before announcing his ruling, the magistrate recounted the four days of conflicting arguments by defense and prosecution lawyers. Mr. Pistorius’s shoulders shook with emotion and tears fell from his eyes as, at one point, Magistrate Nair said, “The deceased died in his arms.”

Magistrate Nair took issue particularly with the testimony and actions of the prosecution’s lead investigator, Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, who has since been removed from the case, saying the officer made “several errors and concessions” and “blundered” in gathering evidence.

“It is his evidence that may have been tarnished by cross-examination, not the state case,” Magistrate Nair said. At the same time, the state case was not so “strong and watertight” that Mr. Pistorius “must come to the conclusion that he has to flee,” he said.

In a two-hour summary of the case and of the laws governing bail, the magistrate also read a series of character references from the athlete’s friends, who described his relationship with Ms. Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law school graduate, as loving and happy.

The prosecution had opposed the sprinter’s application to be released on bail until a full trial, arguing that he might flee. It said Mr. Pistorius, 26, murdered Ms. Steenkamp when he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door at his home on Feb. 14 while she was on the other side.

The sprinter, who underwent double amputation as an infant after being born without fibula bones and uses prostheses, has said he believed that the person in the bathroom was an intruder and he never intended to kill Ms. Steenkamp.

Magistrate Nair said that while the prosecution case rested on “nothing more than circumstantial evidence,” there were “improbabilities that need to be explored” in Mr. Pistorius’s account of events.

“The only person who knows what happened there is the accused,” he said. But, he went on, “I cannot find that it has been established that the accused is a flight risk.”

Ultimately, he said, Mr. Pistorius had helped his case for bail by providing a sworn affidavit to the court setting out his version of events. 

Mr. Nair cited legal requirements that the defense must establish “exceptional circumstances” to qualify for bail in cases of premeditated murder, the most serious murder charge under South African criminal law which carries a mandatory life sentence, with parole after 25 years at the latest.

He also said bail hearings were not about guilt or innocence, but about whether justice was served by holding defendants in custody. Mr. Pistorius’s lawyer, Barry Roux, said Friday that if he were prosecuting the case, the charge would be culpable homicide — a less serious charge implying either negligence or a lack of intention to kill.

Prosecutors say judges decide the sentence for culpable homicide depending on the circumstances. With his head bowed and his jaw clenched as he entered the court on Friday in advance of the bail ruling, Mr. Pistorius appeared to be struggling to hold back tears, as the prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, described Ms. Steenkamp’s plight on Feb. 14.

“I am not saying the planning of the murder of Reeva Steenkamp happened weeks ahead, days ahead,” Mr. Nel said. “I am saying the planning to kill Reeva Steenkamp happened that night.”

Ms. Steenkamp took refuge in the bathroom to escape either a fight or a gun, he said.

But, during a morning session before the bail ruling, Magistrate Nair seemed skeptical on Friday about the risk of flight by Mr. Pistorius.

“What kind of life would he lead, a person who has to use prostheses, if he has to flee” and found himself “ducking and diving every day” on artificial limbs, the magistrate asked.

“A life not in prison,” Mr. Nel replied, comparing Mr. Pistorius to the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has taken refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, despite his “famous face.”

Piling on emotional pressure on Friday, Mr. Nel linked the death of Ms. Steenkamp to other violence against women in South Africa, including the case of Anene Booysen, a 17-year-old who was raped and murdered in the Cape region earlier this month. “The degree of violence present in this case is horrific,” Mr. Nel said.

The athlete’s longtime coach, Ampie Louw, told reporters on Friday that he was considering putting the athlete back in training “to get his mind clear.”

Mr. Pistorius has canceled planned track appearances and several corporate sponsors, including Nike on Thursday, have distanced themselves from him.

“The sooner he can start working, the better,” Mr. Louw said.

In an aside to the case, the South Africa edition of Heat, a celebrity gossip magazine, on Friday published what it said was Ms. Steenkamp’s last interview, a week before her death, in which she said the couple had not been discussing their relationship publicly in the media “because I don’t want to get it tainted.”

“I don’t want anything coming in the way of his career,” she said, according to an advance excerpt from the interview. “He’s such an amazing athlete.

“You know what they do, they make things up, ‘Reeva cheats on Oscar,’ and rubbish like that. I wouldn’t want lies about us jeopardizing it.” 

CULLED FROM  www.newyorktimes.com

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NJC Recommends Two Judges for Compulsory Retirement

Symbol of justice

*Begins Probe of Justice Talba

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended two high court justices, Justice Charles  Archibong of the Federal High Court and Justice T.D. Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State.

A statement signed by the council's Acting Director, Information, Mr Soji Oye said that the two judges have been recommended for retirement.

The statement said; "The National Judicial Council under the Chairmanship of the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, GCON, at its Emergency Meeting which was held on 20th February, 2013  recommended the compulsory retirement of Hon. Justice C. E. Archibong of the Federal High Court Lagos and Hon. Justice T.D. Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State."

SSS busts Iran-linked plot to kill Babangida, Dasuki

Nigeria’s State Security Service,SSS, on Wednesday stated that it has uncovered a terrorist plot to attack two prominent Nigerians.
The targets of the plot include former President Ibrahim Babangida and former Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki.

General Babangida: slated for assassination

Briefing newsmen on the development at the SSS headquarters in Abuja, the Deputy Director of Public Relations, Ms. Marilyn Ogar, said that the principal suspect, Mr. Abdullahi Mustapha Berende, confessed that he was tasked to provide names of prominent Nigerians who if attacked could unsettle the West.
Berende was said to have given the names of former President Ibrahim Babangida and Ibrahim Dasuki, former Sultan of Sokoto, to his Iranian handlers.
Ms. Ogar revealed that on the heels of measures taken to check the wave of terrorism, and based on painstaking investigations which lasted for six months, that the SSS arrested Berende,an indigene of Ilorin, Kwara state on 17th December, 2012, for his active involvement in espionage and terrorist activities.
The suspect, who is a 50 year old local leader of the Shiite sect in Ilorin was observed to have made several suspicious trips to and from Iran where he interacted with some Iranian elements known to operate a high profile international terrorist network.
Among other things which the SSS alleged that Berende confessed to was that he was tasked to establish a terrorist cell in the South –Western part of Nigeria with particular emphasis on Lagos and that in his bid to establish the network, he recruited the following lieutenants; Suleiman Olayinka Saka, Saheed Aderemi Adewumi who have also been arrested and Bunyamin Yusuf who is said to be at large.

CULLED  FROM www.pmnewsnigeria.com

3 girls found dead in India well; mother calls for culprits to be hanged

Indian students in a One Billion Rising rally in New Delhi on February 14, 2013.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The bodies of three girls aged 6, 9 and 11 are found at the bottom of a well
• Police say initial medical reports suggest the girls were sexually assaulted
• The girls' mother says police should have acted more swiftly

New Delhi (CNN) -- The mother of three girls who were found dead at the bottom of a well in western India after they were allegedly raped has called for those responsible to be caught and publicly hanged.

The bodies of the three girls -- aged 6, 9 and 11 -- were found in the well in Bhandara district in Maharashtra state on Saturday after they had been reported missing two days earlier, said A.R. Tiwari, a local police inspector.

The shocking news comes as India is still reeling from the horrific allegations against five men and a juvenile who are accused of gang raping and murdering a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi in December. The five men are currently on trial.

India rape case drags on

Report: India has failed its children

'Slumdog' star weighs in on gang rape

Preliminary medical reports suggest that the girls died from drowning and had been sexually assaulted, he said.

No arrests have been made in the case yet, but investigations are under way, Tiwari said.

In an interview with CNN affiliate IBN on Thursday, the victims' mother said police hadn't responded swiftly enough to the girls' disappearance.

"Had the police searched for the girls in the neighboring areas, then they would have been found," she said in the interview, for which her identity was withheld in keeping with Indian law that protects the victims and families in sexual assault cases.

But police denied her allegations.

"We acted promptly," Tiwari said. "Wireless messages were issued the same day and police teams fanned out to find the girls."

The mother is nonetheless urging police to catch those responsible quickly.

"I appeal to the government to capture the culprits and hang them in public," she said.

Police Detective in Pistorius Case Faces Attempted Murder Charges

PRETORIA, South Africa — In a remarkable twist in the case of Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee track star accused of murdering his girlfriend, the South African police said on Thursday that the officer leading the investigation against the athlete is himself facing seven criminal charges of attempted murder.

Enlarge This Image

Police detective Hilton Botha arrived at court for the bail hearing of Oscar Pistorius on Wednesday.

The disclosure seemed to present one more setback for the prosecution and to deepen questions surrounding the detective, Hilton Botha. Under cross-examination at a bail hearing on Wednesday, the officer was forced to concede that he could not rule out Mr. Pistorius’s own version of events based on the existing evidence.

While the prosecution has accused Mr. Pistorius, 26, of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, a week ago, the track star himself said he opened fire thinking there was an intruder in his home in a gated community and had no intention of killing her.

In a development that seemed as bewildering as it was sensational on Thursday, Police Brig. Neville Malila said that Mr. Botha is himself set to appear in court in May facing attempted murder charges relating to an incident in October 2011, when Mr. Botha and two other police officers were accused of firing at a minivan carrying seven people.

The case had initially been dropped but was reinstated on Wednesday at the insistence of the state prosecutor, even as Mr. Botha was appearing as the lead police witness in the prosecution’s attempt to prevent Mr. Pistorius from securing bail.

“Botha and two other policemen allegedly tried to stop a minibus taxi with seven people. They fired shots," Brigadier Malila told Reuters.

“We were informed yesterday that the charges will be reinstated,” he said. “At this stage, there are no plans to take him off the Pistorius case.”

Prosecutors said on Thursday they were unaware of the charges when they called Detective Botha as their lead witness in the argument over bail on Wednesday.

Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for the prosecutors, said it was not clear whether they would seek to remove him from the case.

Mr. Pistorius returned to court on Thursday for further arguments about whether he should be granted bail in a case that has riveted South Africa and fascinated a wider audience, reflecting Mr. Pistorius’s status as one of the world’s most renowned athletes, whose distinctive carbon-fiber running blades have given him the nickname Blade Runner.

On Wednesday, what was supposed to be a simple bail hearing took on the proportions of a full-blown trial, with sharp questions from the presiding magistrate, Desmond Nair, and a withering cross-examination that left Detective Botha grasping for answers that did not contradict his earlier testimony.

Initially, Detective Botha explained how preliminary ballistic evidence supported the prosecution’s assertion that Mr. Pistorius had been wearing prosthetic legs when he shot at a bathroom door early on Feb. 14. Ms. Steenkamp, a model and law school graduate, was hiding behind it at the time.

Mr. Pistorius said in an affidavit read to the court on Tuesday that he had hobbled over from his bed on his stumps and had felt extremely vulnerable to a possible intruder as a result.

But when questioned by Barry Roux, Mr. Pistorius’s lawyer, Detective Botha was forced to acknowledge sloppy police work, and he eventually conceded that he could not rule out Mr. Pistorius’s version of events based on the existing evidence. Mr. Roux accused the prosecution of selectively taking “every piece of evidence” and trying “to extract the most possibly negative connotation and present it to the court.”

Facebook hacked, says no user data compromised

Facebook says it has found no evidence that any user information was compromised in a hack last month.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Facebook says it was hacked in January when employees visited a compromised website
• The social network has found no evidence that any user data was obtained by the hackers
• This is latest in a string of high-profile hacks this year

(CNN) -- Facebook says it was recently hacked, though it says no data about its more than a billion users was compromised.

The company described the "sophisticated attack" in a blog post on Friday, saying it took place in January when a small number of employees visited a compromised website that installed malware on their machines.

"As soon as we discovered the presence of the malware, we remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement and began a significant investigation that continues to this day," Facebook Security said in the post.

Facebook, the largest social network in the world, is the latest high-profile site to be hacked this year. Twitter announced a similar intrusion earlier this month, and major news organizations including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have also admitted to being hacked.

The news sites attributed the breaches to hackers working for the Chinese government, but neither Facebook nor Twitter mention China when describing their attacks.

"Facebook was not alone in this attack. It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well," said the blog post. "As one of the first companies to discover this malware, we immediately took steps to start sharing details about the infiltration with the other companies and entities that were affected. "

Unlike Twitter, Facebook said it has found no evidence that any user information was compromised. Twitter said that user names, encrypted passwords and e-mail addresses for as many as 250,000 users were potentially grabbed by the hackers. It reset passwords for all affected accounts.

The string of hacks have primarily exploited vulnerabilities in the programming language Java, which is installed on most computers by default. Facebook said the site responsible for its attack took advantage of a previously unknown Java vulnerability, which Oracle patched on February 1.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security issued an alert about the security-challenged software and recommended people turn it off on their computers. Apple turned off Java by default for its OS X users as a precaution. Full instructions on how to disable Java on any computer can be found on Oracle's website. If you must use Java, make sure that you have downloaded the latest updates, which include key security patches.

Facebook said it will continue to work with law enforcement and others in the industry to prevent future attacks.

Manchester United CEO David Gill to step down

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was effusive in his praise for David Gill.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• David Gill to step down as Manchester United CEO in June
• Gill will be succeeded by current executive vice chairman Ed Woodward
• The 19-time English champions owned by the Glazer family
• The Glazer family also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchiseAfter a decade at the helm of one of the world's biggest football clubs David Gill will step down as Manchester United chief executive officer in June.

Gill, who will be succeeded by current executive vice chairman Ed Woodward, was involved in the controversial takeover of the 19-time English champions by the American Glazer family.

Macolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise, acquired a controlling stake in United in 2005, a takeover that sparked fan protests.

Man Utd move 12 points clear

"It has been the greatest privilege to serve Manchester United for 16 wonderful years -- the last 10 of which as its chief executive," said Gill, who joined United as finance director in 1997.

"However, I have always been conscious of the fact that, as a member of staff, I was always just a temporary custodian of this marvelous institution," added Gill, who will remain a director at the club.

"I am also of the view that all businesses need to refresh themselves with new management and ideas and after 10 years in charge I believe it is appropriate for someone new to pick up the baton."

United co-chairman Joel Glazer said: "David has played a significant role in the success of Manchester United in his 10 years as chief executive and he can take great satisfaction in all that has been achieved on his watch, both on and off the field."

Since Gill became CEO in 2003, United have won four English Premier League titles, the 2004 FA Cup and the European Champions League in 2008.

The man who saved Manchester United -- twice

Spain dominates football's rich list

All of those titles have been won under the club's iconic manager Alex Ferguson, who has been in charge at Old Trafford since 1986.

"I have been at United for over 26 years and for 23 of those years my boss has been one of only two men: Martin Edwards, who brought me to the club, and David Gill. I have enjoyed working with both," said Ferguson.

"David has been a magnificent chief executive. Of course, we have had a million arguments, but I have always enjoyed them because I know that David has two great qualities: he is straight and he always puts Manchester United first.

"He has been, and will continue to be, a fantastic success for Manchester United. He has all the qualities of successful people engrained in him: energy, honesty, integrity, personality and decision-making ability."

Read: Sculptor shows softer side of formidable Ferguson

The Deloitte Sports Business Group recently estimated United's revenue to be $502.4 million, a figure bettered only by Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Mendieta: Barca, Real out in front

Does Ronaldo carry Real Madrid?

The list compiled by Deloitte does not consider debt, and it was debt which caused many fans to rail against the Glazer's takeover of United.

A group of fans formed a breakaway team called FC United of Manchester, which now plays in the seventh tier of English football.

By way of protest, a number of fans began wearing green and yellow scarves to the team's home games, the colors of the Newton Heath club from which Manchester United was formed.

United currently lead the Premier League table by 12 points from cross-city neighbors Manchester City with just 12 matches of the season remaining.

Ferguson's team are also still in the Champions League and are level at 1-1 with Real Madrid ahead of the second leg of their second-round tie on March 5.

After reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup with victory over Reading on Monday, United's current squad could emulate the team of 1999 which won an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.

Civil Society Under Fire in Zimbabwe

The last time Zimbabwe made widespread international headlines occurred as the country descended into violence following the contested 2008 presidential elections. That chapter in Zimbabwean history ended with the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that split power between President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The final conditions of the GPA are set to be fulfilled this year with a referendum on a new constitution and new presidential elections. But despite the appearance of moving forward, a closer look at recent events shows that all is not well in Zimbabwe.
A rash of new arrests of civil society leaders are just the tip of the iceberg but also highlight the problems facing a legitimate transition of power later this year. ZANU PF’s national conference in December ended with a commitment to deregister “errant NGOs.” Almost immediately, the government started targeting the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) by arresting multiple employees and the organization’s director along with charging the organization itself with illegal voter registration. More recently, the government introduced a new law that harshly regulates youth organizations as members of the National Youth Development Trust were arrested and their office in Bulawayo raided. Last week, police raided the office and seized equipment from the Zimbabwe Peace Project which tracks political violence and also broke up a peaceful protest by Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) with arrests, beatings and teargas.
These incidents depict the general backdrop of Zimbabwean politics today as the referendum on the draft constitution approaches in March. WOZA’s Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams spoke at a roundtable event in Washington, DC last month about these challenges and the difficulties of pushing for progress in such a politicized setting. Both women were optimistic then that in the end, real reform could be made this year. But in some corners, such cautious optimism is waning. At this point even if the referendum and subsequent election are peaceful, the lack of legitimacy for the result is pretty much guaranteed.
The reason for this largely lies in the first sentence of this post: the last time people paid attention to Zimbabwe was during the violent aftermath of the 2008 election. Once that subsided, attention turned elsewhere. Meanwhile, not much actually changed inside the country even with the GPA. The pro-democracy group Sokwanele released a report in December 2012 detailing gross violations of the GPA by all parties involved, although ZANU PF dominated in the number of infractions. The political violence and corruption seen so clearly in 2008 never fully stopped which means that the reforms needed for a legitimate democratic process are still lacking. Along the way, regional actors such as SADC largely enabled the lack of reforms by consistently siding with ZANU PF, leaving few avenues for the people of Zimbabwe to seek government accountability.
With the constitutional referendum set for March 16, the consequences of such crackdowns are growing. Regardless of the outcome, the referendum is just a warm up for the general elections. The recent attacks on civil society are just one sign pointing to a repeat of the contentious elections of 2002 and 2008. If that is to be avoided, now is the time for the world to start paying attention to Zimbabwe again.

TRIBUTE: The man, Justus Esiri (1942 – 2013)

By Osagie Alonge

Justus Esiri. Photo: Facebook

With the reported death, yesterday, of Nollywood great Justus Esiri, the entertainment industry, and indeed Nigeria as a whole, has lost one of its greatest sons.

Esiri, Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), was for many years, a leading man in drama and movies, and one of the few in his category to have successfully crossed over from stage and TV, into the home video industry now popularly called Nollywood.

He was however mostly known  for his role as the Village Headmaster in the then popular television series of the same name.

Born on 20 November 1942 in Oria-Abraka, Deltta State, Esiri attended Urhobo College Effurun in the then Bendel State, Warri.

He also attended the Maximillan University, Munich, German, 1964, Prof. Weners Institute of Engineering, West Berlin, 1967 and the Ahrens School of Performing Arts, 1968.

It is believed he started his acting career in Germany. He was the only Nigerian male performing on stage between 1968 and 1969.

According to reports, he also worked for Voice of Nigeria, German Service as a translator; and it was while  performing on stage in Germany that a delegation from Nigeria invited him home to perform in a government sponsored programme. He never returned to Germany.

Soft-spoken but firm, Esiri was a fun-loving and scandal-free actor who brought respect and regard for a profession that was for many years looked down on by the Nigerian society.

And it is no surprise that one of his sons is today a leading entertainer in his own rights, making music that’s making millions happy. Dr. Sid, one of Esiri’s sons who broke the news of his death yesterday, spent years studying to become a dentist, before dumping his certificate and facing music.

‘I just called him and told him both the negative and positive aspects of the entertainment industry and he has to be focused. I scolded but gave him my blessing and he picked up.’, Esiri once said of his son’s choice.

He had six children with his Kalabari wife Omiete.

A recipient of the Nigerian national honour, THEMA Awards, NTA Honours Awards and AMAA Awards, amongst many others, he was a greatly decorated performer who won accolades home and abroad for his talent, hard-work and consistency.

Justus Esiri, 70, was an avid golfer.

culled from pm news

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Robbers breach gate, steal $50 million in diamonds at Belgian airport

Eight masked thieves stole $50 million in rough and polished diamonds in a lightning-fast heist Monday at Brussels Airport, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre said Tuesday.

The stones were en route from Antwerp, Belgium, to Zurich, Switzerland, a spokesman for the diamond center said, citing police.

Police told the diamond center that the robbers, who used two vehicles, breached a security gate when the goods were already on an aircraft.

Jan Van der Cruysse, a spokesman for Brussels Airport, told CNN that it took the thieves only three minutes to rob the cargo hold and that they left the scene minutes later.

He said the robbers, who arrived in two cars, breached the airport periphery and sped to the airplane. They then removed items from the hold before leaping back into their vehicles to escape through the same breach.

They were heavily armed, but no shots were fired, he said.

At the time, there were about 20 passengers on board the aircraft, which was a regular passenger flight from Brussels to Zurich operated by Helvetic Airways on behalf of Swiss, Van der Cruysse said.

"This was a very precise, almost military-organized and well-executed robbery," he said.

"We are an airport that is, as all international airports are, subject to very strict aviation security and safety regulations," he said.

The airport, which is governed by Belgian and European regulations, generally has an excellent reputation, he said.

"It comes as a big surprise that something like this is possible. But of course, this is rather connected to banditism and organized crime rather than aviation security," he said.

The spokesman for the Antwerp World Diamond Centre said it was aware of reports that gold and platinum were stolen along with the diamonds, but he said he could not confirm that information.

On average, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre has $200 million in stones coming in and out daily, and it takes security very seriously, he added.

 

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss dies at 80

By Ronald Grover

LOS ANGELES | Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:44pm EST

(Reuters) - Jerry Buss, who parlayed a $1,000 real estate investment into ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 10 National Basketball Association championships and making the team one of the most glamorous in American sports, died on Monday at 80, the team said on its official website.
Buss, who matched superstar players with brilliant coaches and savvy executives, had been hospitalized recently for cancer. The official cause of death was kidney failure, said Lakers spokesman John Black.
Buss had been hospitalized much of the past 18 months and had not been to a Lakers game this season.
"We not only have lost our cherished father but a beloved man of our community and a person respected by the world basketball community," a statement released on behalf of the Buss family said.

 

 

NBA Commissioner David Stern said the NBA had "lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come."
Buss bought the Lakers in 1979 and under his ownership they became the second most valuable professional basketball team behind the New York Knicks, worth an estimated $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
They won league championships during their "Showtime" era in 1980s and early '90s with teams that feature some of the game's marquee names, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The team had more dominant years in the late 1990s through 2004 with superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
In addition to winning championships with all-star players, the flashy Showtime teams transcended sport. Live music, dancers and a festive atmosphere made the games like a party and celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dyan Cannon and Denzel Washington were regulars.
"The brand of basketball that he brought here with Showtime and the impact that he had on the sport as a whole - those vibrations were felt (by) a kid all the way to Italy at 6 years old before basketball was even global," Bryant, who was raised in Italy, told the Los Angeles Times.
Two of Buss' adult children are executive vice presidents of the franchise - Jeanie Buss manages the business and Jim Buss oversees basketball operations. He had four other children.
HARD WORK AND LUCK
"I've worked hard and been lucky," Buss told the Los Angeles Times. "With the combination of the two, I've accomplished everything I ever set out to do."
Buss brought in two of the NBA's best coaches - Pat Riley and Phil Jackson - and they took the Lakers to NBA titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010. Buss was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2010.
Buss also was a high-stakes poker player and finished third in the 1991 World Series of Poker and second in the 2003 World Poker Tour's Freeroll International. He also appeared on NBC's "Poker After Dark."
Gerald Hatten Buss was born in Salt Lake City in 1933 and worked his way through the University of Wyoming, graduating in three years. In 1957, he earned a doctorate in chemistry at age 24 from the University of Southern California, where he briefly taught.
Buss made a fortune after investing $1,000 with a fellow chemist in a small Los Angeles apartment building to provide him added income so he could teach. His holdings grew, leading the way for his founding the successful real estate investment company Mariani-Buss Associates with long-time business associate Frank Mariani.
In 1979, Buss bought the Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and the Los Angeles Forum arena in a $67.5 million deal that at the time was the largest transaction in sports history. Buss later sold the Kings.
He bought Pickfair Mansion in Beverly Hills in 1979, paying $5.4 million for the former home of movie legends Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. He sold the home in 1988 for $6.7 million.
James Worthy, a key player during the Showtime era, offered condolences to the Buss family on Twitter.
"Dr. Buss was not only the greatest sports owner, but a true friend and just a really cool guy. Loved him dearly," Worthy said.
Mark Cuban, owner of the rival Dallas Mavericks, tweeted: "Your encouragement and support along with your stories of staying true to yourself had an enormous impact on me."

Oscar Pistorius charged with premeditated murder in death of girlfriend

PRETORIA, South Africa — Olympian Oscar Pistorius fired into the door of a small bathroom where his girlfriend was cowering after a shouting match on Valentine's Day, hitting her three times, a South African prosecutor said Tuesday as he charged the sports icon with premeditated murder.
Pistorius sobbed softly as his lawyer insisted that Reeva Steenkamp's shooting was an accident.

Oscar Pistorius, center, hiding his head from cameras, is transported from jail to his bail hearing Tuesday in South Africa. (AP Photo)

"She couldn't go anywhere. You can run nowhere," prosecutor Gerrie Nel said at a bail hearing.
The shooting death has shocked South Africans and many around the world who idolized Pistorius for overcoming adversity to become a sports champion, competing in the London Olympics last year in track besides being a Paralympian. Steenkamp, 29, was a model and law graduate who made her debut on a South African reality TV program on Saturday, two days after her death.
Nel said the couple had had a shouting match and Steenkamp fled to the bathroom, down a seven-meter (yard) passage from the bedroom, and locked herself in. He said the 26-year-old Pistorius got up from bed and had to put on his prosthetic legs to reach the toilet door.
Nel told the court the door was broken open after the shots were fired. Pistorius' lawyer insisted there was no evidence to substantiate a murder charge.
"Was it to kill her, or was it to get her out?" defense attorney Barry Roux asked the court, referring to the browken-down door. "We submit it is not even murder. There is no concession this is a murder."
Pistorius, who had appeared grim and solemn at the start of the hearing, broke down and sobbed softly with his head in his hands as his lawyer argued that he had mistaken Steenkamp for a burglar. The shooting in the early hours of Feb. 14 came after neighbors had heard a loud argument and then gunshots, police have said. The couple had been dating for only about three months.
As details emerged at the dramatic court hearing in the capital, Steenkamp's body was being cremated Tuesday at a memorial service in the south-coast port city of Port Elizabeth. The family said members had arrived from around the world. Six pallbearers carried her coffin, draped with a white cloth and covered in white flowers, into the church for the private service.
June Steenkamp, the mother, said the family wants answers.
"Why? Why my little girl? Why did this happen? Why did he do this?" she said in an interview published Monday in The Times newspaper.
At the court, Nel said the killing was premeditated because Pistorius had planned to say that he thought he was shooting an intruder, and had told that story to his sister, Aimee.
"It was all part of the preplanning. Why would a burglar lock himself inside the bathroom?" Nel asked. The shooting happened at Pistorius' home in a guarded and gated community in a luxury suburb of Pretoria.
Roux, in arguing that Pistorius should be freed on bail, he said there were no other charges outstanding against the double-amputee who last year became the first double-amputee track athlete to run at the Olympics.
Legal experts say it could take months for the case to be tried.
Pistorius, in a gray suit and tie, nodded after the chief magistrate asked if he was well. And he nodded his appreciation when his brother, Carl, pressed his shoulder in support. Journalists jammed into the courtroom, which was full with almost 100 people, including Pistorius' father, Henke, and sister Aimee.
In an email to The Associated Press on Monday, Pistorius' longtime track coach — who was yet to comment — said he believes the killing was an accident.
"I pray that we can all, in time, come through this challenging situation following the accident and I am looking forward to the day I can get my boy back on the track," Ampie Louw wrote in his statement. "I am still in shock following the heart-breaking events that occurred last week and my thoughts and prayers are with both of the families involved."

FIFA have confirmed goal-line technology will be used during the 2014 World Cup.

Four years too late!

FIFA: 2014 World Cup will see goal-line technology

OVER THE LINE ... but Frank Lampard's goal did not stand against Germany in 2010

FIFA have confirmed goal-line technology will be used during the 2014 World Cup.

It means dodgy decisions — like Frank Lampard's disallowed effort in England's last 16 defeat to Germany in the 2010 tournament — should be a thing of the past.
A system was trialled at the Club World Cup in December, and FIFA will now roll it out for this summer’s Confederations Cup before the big one in Brazil next year.
FIFA said in a statement: “The aim is to use goal-line technology in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests.”
Rival systems Hawk-Eye and GoalRef have already been approved by FIFA approval and will vie, along with others, for the World Cup gig.
FIFA will choose their preferred provider in early April.

Security guard gets eight years’ jail for sexually abusing five-year-old girl

Adleen being lead out of court.

AMPANG: A security guard was sentence by a Session Court here on Tuesday to eight years prison for forcing unnatural sex on a child, who was then in the care of his wife who was babysitting the five-year-old girl.
Adleen Che Ibrahim, 28, was found guilty of forcing the child to perform oral sex on him while in a bathroom of his home in Pandan Perdana on August 15, 2011.
The child's mother, during her Victim Impact Statement (VIS), said her child had become an introvert after the traumatic incident and was even afraid to go to school.
She added that the child suffered from nightmares and was unwell for a while, after the incident.
"I've had to take leave to take care of my child when family members can't.
“I now have a phobia of sending her to babysitters, especially those with men in the family," she said.
Adleen was seen wringing his fingers and looking away from the victim's mother while she gave her statement.
DPP Nadiah Malek Fauzie urged for a heavy sentence, considering the mother's VIS and the fact a minor was assaulted.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution adduced nine witnesses, while the defence called on three witnesses.
Judge Manira Mohd Nor found that the victim's detailed testimony of the incident, even drawing the accused's privates, had convinced her that the victim had indeed experienced the ordeal.
"How could a six-year-old (at time of trial) girl draw the man's privates and graphically describe the incident, if she did not experience it," said judge Manira.
In her grounds of judgement, she ruled that the defence's testimony was bare denial, saying the child had accused Adleen as she disliked him and felt he was strict with her.
Judge Manira noted that, as the husband of the victim's babysitter, Adleen had ample opportunity and access to the victim.
She sentenced him to eight years in prison, saying as an adult he should have known better than to abuse the trust of a child in his care.
Counsel P. Suthes said she would be appealing against the decision, on grounds of insufficient medical evidence in the prosecution's case.

CULLED FROM www. http://www.allvoices.com/news

Northern Nigeria: The Conflict Within – By Zainab Sandah

Members of Nigeria's Northern States Governors Forum.

Ethnicity and religion are not predetermined; we are not born, do not possess an innate sense of ethnic or religious affiliation, we become Yoruba, Christian, Hausa or Kataf largely as a factor of geographical, ancestral, and societal influences.

Against this backdrop, it is ironic that in a substantial number of the 19 states that make up northern Nigeria, and indeed in the country as a whole, ethnicity and religion have become the primary factors that dictate how we (co)exist.  Of course, the question of Nigeria’s fragile unity has never been in doubt. But much as Nigeria is burdened with crises of ethnic and religious nature, the (near-clichéd) media characterization of  ‘largely northern Muslims and southern Christians’ is anomalous and misleading, for the mere fact that both southern and northern Nigeria are multi-ethnic and multi-religious.
Moreover, the unity of the northern region as an entity in itself is arguably in a worse state than that of the country as a whole. It may, therefore, not be far-fetched to suggest that northern Nigeria, even though geographically homogeneous, is on a precarious cliff due to its continued and ever-widening heterogeneity, comprising of ethnic, religious and political dynamics, and that if left untended, will have national implications.
It is hard to recall a three or five-year period – since the famous anti-government and intra-religious riot that was led by the YanTatsine group in Kano State in the ‘80s – in which one or other settlement within northern Nigeria has not been consumed by ethno-religious strife. It is also one of nature’s not so funny jokes that warring parties largely happen to be neatly divided along religious lines, and belong respectively to ‘majority’ (Hausa and Fulani and Muslim) and ‘minority’ (Kataf, Berom, etc. and Christian) ethnic groups. States like Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi and recently Plateau have been the traditional flag-bearers of the country’s ethno-religious riots.
For instance, the riots that happened in Kano in 1982 and 1991 were largely caused by religious differences, the former to do with Muslim opposition to the reconstruction of a church in Fagge area of the state, and the latter, in objection to the invitation issued to a German Evangelist Reinhard Boonke to hold a Christian crusade in the state. It is worthy to note that Muslims primarily objected to the Christian crusade because they had been denied a chance to host the late Ahmed Deedat, a Muslim scholar from South Africa in Kano for an Islamic sermon. This of course led to loss of lives and destruction of property.
A near-unique characteristic of riots in Kano is its largely inter-religious nature – there is relative ethnic harmony within the state since most of the indigenous population is Hausa and Muslim. However, because of the cosmopolitan and commercial nature of the city, there is an intersection of tribes, with the Igbo – largely Christian – being the most visible because of their commercial success. The Hausas have been known to clash with the Igbos in the course of religious tension, thus bringing non-regional entities into the fray and further complicating an already complex situation.
Unlike Kano state, Kaduna and Plateau (Jos) states are marked by, ethnic, territorial and religious differences largely driven by the issue of  ‘indigeneship’ or the ‘indigene-settler clause’. While the issue of indigeneship is a burdensome colonial legacy, it is also promoted by a vague and rather discriminatory constitutional provision that fortifies the superiority of the indigene over the Nigerian citizen – who in this context is considered to be a settler – thus, making the settler an inferior entity lacking political influence, and denied benefits like scholarship opportunities.
According to a recent report released by the International Crisis Group titled ‘Curbing Violence in Nigeria: The Jos Crisis’, 80 episodes of violent riots have occurred from 1999 to 2004 between the indigenous Berom/Anaguta/Afizere (largely Christian) and non-indigenous Hausa and Fulani (largely Muslim) tribes in Jos.  In Kaduna, Southern Zaria Christians of Zango Kataf, Kafanchan etc. who enjoy a numerical advantage are constantly at loggerheads with Hausa Muslims and this often leads to reprisal attacks in neighbouring cities. One such notable riot that generated reprisal attacks in Kano and Kaduna metropolis was the May 1992 Zango Kataf riots. A more recent example, which had a chain effect (of both attacks and counter-attacks) from Kaduna to Zango Kataf to Kano etc. was the 2011 post (presidential) election violence.
Ethnicity and religion therefore can be considered the badge of identity the average northerner (or Nigerian) wears; apart from establishing social interactions, they also determine political viability and by extension economic inclusiveness, which intensifies power struggle and conflicts among rival ethnicities within a given state (Kaduna, Plateau come to mind). Competition over access to state resources, generated mostly through oil revenue from the Niger Delta, provides much needed fuel to keep the ethno-religious inferno alive.
As if indigeneship and its divergent, divisive complexities were/are not trouble enough, with the return to democratic rule in 1999 and armed (again) with an ambiguous constitutional reading, 9 northern states with Muslim majority population instituted the Sharia legal system (both civil and criminal) as the law. 3 more northern states followed with the adoption of Sharia, but only in areas with large Muslim populations. Adoption of, and Sharia in itself, is not by any means wrong, and represents the aspirations of certain section of people within those 12 states, but when considered within the context of a society already steeped in mutual animosity and violent conflict, or within the context of a multi-faith, multi-ethnic and democratic society, the counter-intuitive nature of that policy becomes glaring.
Institution of the policy predictably led to riots in various northern states, consolidated the ethno-religious divide, which for instance culminated in the advent of separate living communities/quarters in some areas in Kaduna state (it is claimed that there is currently no single Muslim living in Sabon Tasha and no single Christian living in Rigasa – both areas of Kaduna metropolis). I would suggest that for a multi-faith region steeped in inter-ethnic/religious suspicion, secularism would have continued to serve as a better balancing act.
With the vehement negation of all state and constitutional authority and the call for national adoption of the Islamic legal system by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awatih wal-Jihad (popularly called Boko Haram), a terrorist group operating in northern Nigeria, Sharia once more became a contentious issue, only on a much bigger platform this time around. Even though the views of the terrorist group are not shared by northern Muslims in general, the continued negative leveraging of Sharia as a condition for cease-fire, continued massacre of innocent civilians and bombing of churches and state properties by the group, has led to calls by some in the south for a re-negotiation of the continued unity of Nigeria.
Considering the above narrative of detrimental intersectionality between ethnicity, religion (Sharia), and power struggle, it has become imperative to seek practical solutions to re-stitch the unraveling thread of unity, first regionally and then nationally. How can the northern region advance a psychological erosion of ethnicity, or bring northerners out from their respective ethnic enclaves, to embrace regional harmony?
So far, government at state and federal levels has set up various committees to look into remote and general causes of the riots, several reports and recommendations have been given, but implementation is lax. For instance the International Crisis Group has urged the government to ‘implement the recommendations of the published Fiberesima, Tobi and Ajibola commissions of inquiry and whitepapers,’ note that these submissions were respectively made in 1994 (Fiberesima), 2001/2002 (Tobi), 2009 (Ajibola). Similarly, the recommendations from various commissions of inquiry into the causes of the Sharia crisis in Kaduna over a decade ago have not been implemented. What is needed primarily is a body of committed and specifically, regionally focused civil society and other pressure groups to see to the implementation of reports.
The status of the constitutionality and legality of adoption of Sharia law in a pluralistic, federating nation, and respective states, has to be made constitutionally clear. Likewise, the indigene-settler clause needs to be reviewed. The discriminatory aspects of that policy, like educational, political privileges for (only) indigenes have to be broadened to include non-indigenes, but for a longer term national integration goal, the clause will have to be abrogated completely. It remains doubtful though whether a mere constitutional provision can sufficiently erode the acquired psychological effects of ethno-religious differences. This suggests the need for CSOs to oversee the launch or intensification of policies that drive inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogues between conflict-ridden parties at the grassroots. These groups also need to build capacity and political literacy especially for youths, with respect to understanding rights and duties of political representatives.
As a matter of urgency, the national mono-economic system, and culture of dependency on federally allocated funds for development of states and local governments needs to be revised. When all local government (chairmen) or states (governors) are made to generate revenue for local and state sustenance, instead of being dashed ‘free oil money’ and freedom not to account for state funds – the incentive to occupy public and elective offices will reduce and by extension only competent hands will vie for such positions and emerge as leaders. This will ensure that the immediate constituency for respective politicians will no longer be mosques, churches or their ethnic enclaves.
The northern leadership, especially the Northern State Governors’ Forum (NSGF), needs a people-focused regional alliance, a ‘new’ blueprint for development that prioritizes literacy, (youth) employment, infrastructure development, girl child and women empowerment schemes, and optimization of mineral resources. This can effectively deplete the number of available recruits that fight during ethno-religious crises. Northern NGOs and CSOs need to act as watchdogs and guide the policies of the NSGF.

CULLED FROM  www.africanarguement.org

Sand dredger killed, policeman injured in Lagos explosion

A victim who sustained a serious injury in the explosion
| credits:

A sand dredger, Oladele Pius, was killed on Monday after an explosion under the FESTAC Link Bridge in Amuwo Odofin Local Government, Lagos State.

A police inspector, Akin Sunday, also sustained a serious injury in the explosion that caused panic in the area.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Pius, who was the branch Chairman of Sand Dredgers in the area, was torn apart.

According to eyewitnesses, rescue workers found it difficult to carry Pius’ remains and had to use shovels to pack them in different body bags.

They (eyewitness) said the inspector’s legs were shattered, while his eyes and hands were affected by the explosion.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the explosion which occurred at about 12pm, caused panic because many of the residents and passersby had speculated that the explosion might have been as a result of terrorists’ activities. They reportedly fled the area.

An eyewitness, who claimed to be the deceased’s colleague, said he (deceased) resumed work in the morning under the bridge, and having parked his vehicle, made for his duty post.

The eyewitness said some moments later, the deceased received a telephone call following which he drove out.

He said the deceased returned accompanied by a policeman and then called one of his workers to buy a local gin which he shared with the policeman

He said the policeman was leaving the area when the explosion occurred, killing Oladele on the spot and seriously injuring the policeman who had moved a few steps away before the device, connected with dry cell batteries and wires, detonated.

Dogo, one of the deceased’s workers, described him as a kind-hearted man, adding that he was survived by five children and two wives.

The policeman was however rushed to a nearby hospital

It could not be ascertained who planted the explosive, but the police denied that it was a bomb.

Commissioner of Police for the state Police Command, Umar Manko, said full investigation had commenced to unravel the cause of the explosion.

 Manko however said preliminary investigation revealed that the explosion was caused by an electrical fault.

While briefing journalists at the state command headquarters on Monday, Manko urged residents not to panic but continue with their lawful businesses, assuring them that the police were committed to safety of lives and property in the state.

He said, “Contrary to people’s fear that it was a bomb blast, it was a mere electrical fault at the Amuwo Odofin Bridge. Anti-bomb experts have been called in to assess the situation and I will be adequately briefed later.

“From the investigation so far, it has been revealed that it was neither a terrorist attack nor an act of Boko Haram. It was also not a bomb blast.

“It is not a question of letter bomb. This is not an incident that will attract fear. The state is not under any attack from anywhere.”

The scene of the explosion had, however, been cordoned off by the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Nigeria Police and officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.

Okonjo-Iweala Talks Of Africa’s Future

This weekend, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the keynote speaker at the Harvard Africa Business Club Conference. The conference is truly a spectacular event calling together dignitaries, professionals, and students from all across the African Diaspora. More than 1200 guests were in attendance at her talk and dignitaries included:

-Honorable Miles Sampa, Deputy Finance Minister of Zambia
-Honorable Professor Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, the Nigerian ambassador to the United States
-Mr. Jean-Louis Ekra, the President of the African Export-Import Bank
-Mr. Acha Leke, Head of McKinsey Lagos Office
-Professor Wole Soboyejo, President and Provost of the African University of Science and Technology
-Mr. Leslie Nelson, Managing Director of General Electric West Africa
-Ms. Louisa Mojela, Chairman and CEO of WIPHOLD, a prominent black and women focused investment group in South Africa

The theme of the conference was “Redefining Africa,” and it was a look at the changing paradigm of the “dark continent” to the continent where the best opportunities are amongst the brightest in the world. Listen Okonjo-Iweala’s four-part speech above (use the arrows on the side of each video to navigate to the next part). Below are some choice excerpts:

1. “Just last week, The Financial Times newspaper reported cheekily that: There is a second scramble for Africa under way…Nigerian stocks have returned almost 63 percent in US dollar terms during the past 12 months, Kenya’s Nairobi All-Share index has returned 46 percent and Ghana’s market has climbed more than 17 percent”

2. “The African middle class has tripled since the 1980s with a total size of about 313 million people or 34 percent of the population. This middle class is growing largely because of sustained economic growth, more salaried jobs and the growth of the services sector. So I am convinced that there is an emerging story on Africa today. The question is: What role would each of you play in this new story?”

3. “Despite Africa’s recent strong growth and rising middle class, many poor households are being left behind, and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. As the Arab Spring has taught us, rising inequality and youth discontent could have serious political consequences. In Africa, we must take deliberate actions to address this by introducing social protection measures, which target these poor households. In Nigeria, we recently introduced the Community Services Scheme which aims at engaging unskilled youth in labor-intensive activities, and also a Graduate Internship Scheme. About 119,000 youth across the country are to be engaged in the first quarter of this year.”

4. “African leaders should also build institutions which promote transparency and accountability in the management of the resource revenues. In Nigeria, we are building and maintaining institutions for managing our natural resources. Today, we have built a buffer of excess crude savings of about $9 billion, while establishing a Sovereign Wealth Fund with an initial capitalization of $1 billion. Clearly, transparency and fighting corruption will be critical to harness as much of our domestic resources as possible.”

5. “What services can you – our young African Zuckerberg entrepreneurs – deliver to the continent?”

6. “The third US President, Thomas Jefferson, once remarked that he ‘liked the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.’ I think the same can be said of my view for Africa in the coming years. I am optimistic that you, the next generation of entrepreneurs and young professionals in Africa will rise to this challenge in contributing to a more prosperous Africa. You are the reason why I am optimistic about the continent’s future.”

by Transparent Nigerian