Tornado emergency issued for Oklahoma City, twister-ravaged Moore

By Sean Morris and Chelsea J. Carter, June 1, 2013... STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: At least three tornadoes have touched near Oklahoma City The weather service says people stuck in traffic ''are in danger'' The tornado emergency warning includes Oklahoma City and the community of Moore Oklahoma City's airport is being evacuated over tornado threat, officials say Are you there? Stay safe and send iReport your photos and video. (CNN) -- Thousands of people in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, including the twister-ravaged community of Moore, were scrambling for shelter on Friday after the National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency for the area. At least three tornadoes have reportedly touched down: one southwest of the suburb of Bethany, one north of Union City and another outside Tinker Air Force Base, according to the National Weather Service's Norman, Oklahoma, office. Parts of Interstates 35 and 40, which cut through Oklahoma City and Moore, were "a parking lot," the weather service said, warning that those caught in the heavy rush hour traffic "are in danger." "Please try to get to a building or safe shelter!" the weather service tweeted. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol described the situation as dire. Overturned big rigs and cars littered portions of the roadway, and thousands more were believed to be stuck in the traffic. "My biggest concern right now is the traffic that is out on the highway right now," Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said. She said she has called out the National Guard, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the state Office of Emergency Management to "try to get the traffic moving" and get people to shelter. Police and firefighters were responding to reports of damage in El Reno, just outside Union City, but it was not immediately known how bad the damage was, Mayor Matt White said. The tornado emergency declaration means a large, destructive tornado is moving into a densely populated area where widespread damage and fatalities could occur. The weather service issued the tornado emergency for Oklahoma City as well as its suburbs of Moore, Yukon and Bethany. Authorities were urging people in the path of the tornado to take immediate cover, and Fallin was urging residents not to take any risks. In Moore, where a massive tornado leveled much of the city this month, Mayor Glenn Lewis said it was unimaginable that the city was in the path of another tornado. Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport was evacuated over the threat from the approaching tornado, which the National Weather Service said was moving at 40 mph. The storm was so fierce that the Weather Channel's Mike Bettes, known for his on-the-ground severe weather reports, said his Tornado Hunt vehicle was thrown about 200 yards. "Airbags deployed. All are safe," Bettes said in a post on Twitter. About 12,000 customers were without power by early Friday evening in the Oklahoma City area because of severe weather, the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. said. More than half the city of Mustang, 17 miles south of Oklahoma City, was without power, Mustang Fire Chief Roy Widmann said.

Security agents take over Lebanese terror suspect’s plaza

JUNE 1, 2013 BY FIDELIS SORIWEI, ABUJA Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade | credits: beegeagle.wordpress.com Security operatives on Friday took over the premises of Amigo Supermarket, one of the biggest supermarkets in Abuja, over the proprietor’s alleged links to a terrorist group, Hezbollah. A part-owner of the supermarket situated at Adetokunbo Street, Wuse, was mentioned as the owner of the building housing a Hezbollah operational unit in Kano. The Joint Task Force and security operatives recovered anti-aircraft weapons, AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, different categories of ammunition from a bunker in the building housing the cell. The security team comprising soldiers, State Security Service men and policemen, took over the supermarket about 9 pm and prevented access to the facility. In the afternoon when our correspondent visited the supermarket, normal business was going on in the place. After taking over the place, the security agents directed motorists to leave the area. Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, confirmed that a security operation was going on in the facility. “I can confirm to you that a security operation is going on now at the place,” he said.

The Bloody Bathroom Where Oscar Pistorius Shot His Lover Dead31.05.2013, 21:30

PHOTO:

Dramatic pictures from inside the home of paralympian Oscar Pistorius - including the blood-soaked bathroom where he shot his lover Reeva Steenkamp - have been revealed.

It is the first time the public has seen the actual room where the athlete's model girlfriend was killed.

Images show a panel missing from the toilet door and two police markers below the handle which indicate bullet holes below the level of the handle.

It is likely the defence will argue this backs up the double-amputee runner's claims that he was walking on his STUMPS - and shooting from low down at what he thought was an intruder.

Oscar claims he raced to the bathroom with his gun after hearing a noise. He says he was horrified to then discover he had shot his girlfriend dead on St Valentine's Day.

Prosecutors say Reeva ran into the bathroom after a row and he deliberately shot her through the door after taking the time to put on his prosthetic legs.

Other pictures show footprints through trails of blood on the floor of Pistorius's luxury home in Pretoria, South Africa. There are more blood stains on the walls and a cream sofa.

He says he carried Reeva's body downstairs after calling for help.

Tehran Officials: U.S.A., Not Iran, Sponsors Terrorism

31.05.2013, 21:39. Iran on Friday repelled a U.S. State Department report that accused Tehran of increasing its assistance to terrorism overseas to levels not seen for two decades, saying it is the United States that backs terrorists in the Middle East. "Iran itself has been the victim of state-sponsored terrorism, which has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Iranian people," said Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman for Iran's U.N. mission. "Iran has been actively engaged in counterterrorism activities by all possible means and is a party to many counterterrorism international legal instruments," he said. The State Department report on Thursday cited a series of actual and planned attacks in Europe and Asia linked to Hezbollah, Iran's Lebanon-based ally, including a July 2012 bombing in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli citizens and a Bulgarian, and wounded 32 others. Last July, Iran's U.N. ambassador denied his country's involvement in the Bulgaria bombing, which he accused Israel of carrying out. "We have never, and will not, engage in such a despicable attempt on ... innocent people," Ambassador Mohammed Khazaee said. "It should be mentioned that the U.S. government has no merit to label other nations of sponsoring terrorism as it has a long ... record (of) supporting terrorist groups in our region as well as Israeli state terrorism," Miryousefi said. He cited the recent removal from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations of the Mujahadin-e-Khalq, a dissident group that calls for the overthrow of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim clerical leadership and fought alongside the forces of Iraq's late Sunni Muslim dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. "The recent delisting of the MEK terrorist group ... and also allowing it to publicly lobby in Washington is a clear indication that the U.S. government has double standards in dealing with terrorism and uses designation of others as terrorist only to serve its illegitimate political interests," he said. The State Department report's release comes as U.S. and European officials and intelligence agencies say Iran and Hezbollah have stepped up their military backing for the besieged government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Afghans 'unlawfully held' by UK forces at Camp Bastion

29 May 2013. By Dominic Casciani and Clive Coleman BBC news Under international rules detainees can normally be held for 96 hours Continue reading the main story UK troops in Afghanistan Military deaths in Afghanistan Roadside bombs 'deadliest weapon' Changing role of UK troops Q&A: Foreign forces in Afghanistan British forces are detaining up to 85 Afghan nationals in a holding facility at Camp Bastion, in what could amount to unlawful detention and internment, documents obtained by the BBC suggest. UK lawyers acting for eight of the men said their clients had been held for up to 14 months without charge. They compared it to when the public became aware of Guantanamo Bay and want the UK High Court to free them. The MoD said detentions in Afghanistan were legal under the UN mandate. Camp Bastion in Helmand province is the largest British military base in Afghanistan, housing nearly 30,000 servicemen and women. Legal documents seen by the BBC suggest that an estimated 85 suspected insurgents are being held at the base in a temporary holding facility. 'Exceptional circumstances' British forces in Afghanistan, operating as part of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), are allowed to detain suspects for 96 hours. However, in "exceptional circumstances" - for example, to gather critical intelligence to protect lives - they can hold them for longer periods. Continue reading the main story Nato guidelines on detention British forces operate in Afghanistan as part of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) They are allowed to hold suspects for up to 96 hours before release or transfer to Afghan authorities This can be extended in "exceptional circumstances" where it is necessary to gather intelligence from the detainee to protect British soldiers and local people But there has been a bar on detainees being transferred to Afghan authorities since November 2012 because of allegations detainees were being abused The Ministry of Defence has previously said that Isaf neither has the power nor the facilities to intern detainees in Afghanistan. But nor can the British pass them to the Afghan authorities, after Defence Secretary Philip Hammond imposed a ban on handing over suspects to Afghan forces last November because of fears over ill-treatment. UK lawyers acting for eight of the men said their clients were arrested by British soldiers in raids in villages in Helmand and Kandahar provinces and have been held for between eight and 14 months without charge. They claimed it amounted to unlawful detention and internment. Lawyers for the men, whom the BBC has chosen not to name over fears for their safety, launched habeas corpus applications at the High Court in London on 18 April, with a full hearing due in late July. Habeas corpus, in this context, argues for the right to be brought before a court to determine whether their detainment is lawful or not. The lawyers argue that the MoD should release the men because the British army has no power to continue holding them. 'Perfect storm' A senior government lawyer, James Eadie QC, described this situation in court as a "perfect legal storm" because the Army suspects each detainee of links to insurgents. The families of two of the men who appear to have been held the longest said they were arrested in spring last year and interrogated in the weeks that followed. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote It is reminiscent of the public's awakening that there was a Guantanamo Bay” Phil Shiner Lawyer But legal papers state their interrogation ended "many months ago". Last week, the two were allowed access to lawyers but they have still not been told why they are being held and they have not been charged with any crime. The families only established where the men were being held with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross. One, a teenager, has been held for 14 months, while the other, a 20-year-old father, has been held for 12 months. In legal papers Dan Squires, a barrister for the 20-year-old, told the High Court: "He has not been granted access to lawyer nor brought before a court. "He does not know how long he is to remain detained or for what purpose. He has asked whether he will be transferred to Afghan authorities but had been told they do not consider that he has committed any criminal offence and so do not want to receive him." 'Suspected killers' In preparatory legal arguments at the High Court on 22 April, Mr Justice Collins told the government that the case raised serious questions about the British army's power to hold suspects in Afghanistan, because the UK could not operate a Guantanamo Bay-style prison - referring to the US facility in which enemy combatants can be held indefinitely without trial. British soldiers are banned from passing suspects to the Afghan forces over fears of ill-treatment UK forces operate in Afghanistan as members of Isaf. Isaf was established by a UN Security Council resolution which "authorises the member states participating in Isaf to take all necessary measures to fulfil its mandate". The Security Council resolution does not include a power to intern detainees on the basis that they are regarded as a threat to national security or otherwise. The MoD said detainees were held where there was evidence linking them to criminal activity. "Many are either suspected killers of British troops or known to be involved in the preparation, facilitation or laying of improvised explosive devices. They are held pending transfer to Afghan authorities for further investigation prior to prosecution," a spokesman said. Detention procedures Phil Shiner, lawyer for eight of the men, said: "This is a secret facility that's been used to unlawfully detain or intern up to 85 Afghans that they've kept secret, that Parliament doesn't know about, that courts previously when they have interrogated issues like detention and internment in Afghanistan have never been told about - completely off the radar. "It is reminiscent of the public's awakening that there was a Guantanamo Bay. And people will be wondering if these detainees are being treated humanely and in accordance with international law." In a statement, the MoD confirmed the existence of a temporary holding facility but would not comment on the numbers of detainees held there or on individual cases. It said the detentions were legal under the UN mandate and complied with international obligations. A spokesman said: "Detention operations are an important part of our force protection measures protecting British troops, our allies and partners, and the Afghan civilian population. "They directly contribute to the success of the Nato Isaf mission in Afghanistan and ultimately to UK national security. The threat of UK court action is currently preventing us from transferring detainees to the Afghan authorities."

US prosecutes '$6bn money-laundering hub

28 May 2013 Last updated at 16:47 GMT' Liberty Reserve's web domains were seized during the raids Continue reading the main story Related Stories Raids take digital cash firm offline Cyber thieves target bitcoin owners Dark web drug site hit by hacker The Liberty Reserve digital money service that was shut down laundered more than $6bn (£4bn) in criminal cash, US authorities have said. Weekend police raids in 17 countries scooped up Liberty Reserve's owners, operators and its computer hardware. The Department of Justice said it was the "largest international money-laundering prosecution in history". Liberty had about a million users and processed more than 55 million illegal transactions, Cash transfer The documents allege that seven people involved in running Liberty Reserve set up the digital cash service as a "criminal business venture" designed specifically to "help criminals conduct illegal transactions and launder the proceeds of their crimes". The raids in the US, Spain, Costa Rica and other countries led to the arrests of five of Liberty Reserve's principals, including its founder Arthur Budovsky. US Attorney Preet Bharara: "Liberty Reserve was intentionally created and structured to facilitate criminal activity" The service's operators will face charges of money laundering and operation of an unlicensed money transmission system. Also arrested were many of the principal operators of exchanges that fed cash to Liberty for distribution to members of criminal gangs or as the start of the laundering process. The raids also garnered servers supporting the service and allowed the DoJ to seize the web domains through which the service was run. Behind the scenes, data traffic for the sites from regular customers was directed to a series of virtual traps, known as sinkholes, that log information about who is trying to use the service. In addition, it said, 45 bank accounts used by the service have been seized and action has been taken to take over the assets of 35 other sites that fed funds to Liberty Reserve for laundering. Some details about the scale of the Liberty Reserve operation came to light in court documents unsealed by the New York office of the DoJ, which is leading the action against the service. The digital money scheme run through the service was one of the world's largest, the DoJ said, and handled $6bn over the seven years it was in operation. Liberty Reserve was so successful that it became a "financial hub of the cyber crime world", whose users were involved in credit card theft, investment fraud, hacking, child pornography and drug trafficking. The shutdown has caused problems for legitimate users of Liberty Reserve, said Mitchell Rossetti, head of the EPay Tarjeta service that piggy-backed on LR. "Thousands upon thousands of LR users are not nor have been involved in illegal activities," he said, "but now have become victims through the closure and seizure of LR." "We seem to be acceptable collateral damage," he said. "We have committed no crime and want our funds returned to us."

Algeria doctor jailed for child-trafficking to France

An Algerian doctor has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for abducting children born to single mothers and selling them in France for adoption. An Algiers court found Khelifa Hanouti guilty of illegally transferring children to the city of Saint-Etienne. A notary received five years for his involvement. Another six people were jailed in absentia to 10 years. The case came to light in 2009 after a woman died during an abortion at an illegal clinic belonging to Hanouti. In total, 13 people had gone on trial for allegedly belonging to a child trafficking ring composed of both French and Algerian nationals. In Tuesday's ruling, one defendant was acquitted, while the remaining four were given suspended jail sentences. All those sentenced also received fines. The six jailed in absentia are French suspects of Algerian origin currently living in Saint-Etienne. Falsified documents Hanouti was arrested in 2009 after Algeria's security services dismantled the network thought to have been operating since the 1990s. He was accused of impersonating an obstetrician and running an abortion clinic in the Algiers suburb of Ain Taya. Abortion is illegal in Algeria. Prosecutors argued that the doctor illegally transported children abroad with the help of the notary, who falsified "disclaimer" documents signed by single mothers. The investigation has so far been unable to determine the exact number of children involved. The security services reportedly discovered 12 "adoption certificates" at a nursery in the Algiers suburb of El-Biar written between 2005 and 2006, with nine children sent abroad for a sum of money. Hanouti had already been prosecuted in 2002 for performing illegal abortions and served nine months of a two-year jail term.

Pakistan: Deadly 'US drone strike'

29 May 2013 Last updated at 06:54 GMT At least four people were killed when a US drone fired two missiles in the volatile Pakistani region of North Waziristan, security officials said. They said the missiles hit a house close to the town of Miranshah. The strike comes a week after President Barack Obama issued new guidelines for tighter scrutiny of the drone programme and stricter targeting rules. US drone strikes are a major point of contention in Pakistan, and represented a key issue in its recent elections. A Pakistani foreign ministry official condemned the strike as a breach of sovereignty, Reuters news agency repor Bureau of Investigative Journalism has recorded 368 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004 Vast majority carried out under Barack Obama Most strikes in Pakistan have taken place in the tribal area of North Waziristan Obama's selective disclosure "Any drone strike is against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan and we condemn it," the official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. It was unclear whether those killed were the intended targets. Four people were also reported to have been wounded. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that the strike is also the first since Pakistan's 11 May elections which have brought to the fore groups that feed on anti-Americanism and oppose such attacks. Our correspondent says it comes on the day that the newly-elected parliament of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province - which adjoins North Waziristan - holds its first meeting. The province is now being ruled by former cricketer Imran Khan's PTI party, which has in recent months repeatedly spoken out against drone attacks, as has Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif. Our correspondent say the strike is seen as an early message from Washington that legitimate targets in Pakistan's tribal regions will continue to be targeted by drones unless Pakistanis themselves are able to neutralise those targets or dismantle militant sanctuaries in them. Last Friday President Obama defended the use of drones as a "just war" of self-defence against militants and a campaign that had made America safer. He said there must be "near certainty" that no civilians would die in such strikes. Drone attacks should only be used amid a "continuing, imminent threat" to the US where no other options are available, the guidelines say. The Afghan-Pakistan border region is home to a variety of local and Afghan militant groups including fighters linked to al-Qaeda. Pakistan's security forces have long been accused by the US on not doing enough to fight the Taliban in the mountains of North Waziristan. More recently, US forces have used drone strikes in the region as part of their campaign against the Taliban across the border in Afghanistan.

Pakistan: Deadly 'US drone strike'

29 May 2013 Last updated at 06:54 GMT At least four people were killed when a US drone fired two missiles in the volatile Pakistani region of North Waziristan, security officials said. They said the missiles hit a house close to the town of Miranshah. The strike comes a week after President Barack Obama issued new guidelines for tighter scrutiny of the drone programme and stricter targeting rules. US drone strikes are a major point of contention in Pakistan, and represented a key issue in its recent elections. A Pakistani foreign ministry official condemned the strike as a breach of sovereignty, Reuters news agency repor Bureau of Investigative Journalism has recorded 368 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004 Vast majority carried out under Barack Obama Most strikes in Pakistan have taken place in the tribal area of North Waziristan Obama's selective disclosure "Any drone strike is against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan and we condemn it," the official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. It was unclear whether those killed were the intended targets. Four people were also reported to have been wounded. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that the strike is also the first since Pakistan's 11 May elections which have brought to the fore groups that feed on anti-Americanism and oppose such attacks. Our correspondent says it comes on the day that the newly-elected parliament of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province - which adjoins North Waziristan - holds its first meeting. The province is now being ruled by former cricketer Imran Khan's PTI party, which has in recent months repeatedly spoken out against drone attacks, as has Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif. Our correspondent say the strike is seen as an early message from Washington that legitimate targets in Pakistan's tribal regions will continue to be targeted by drones unless Pakistanis themselves are able to neutralise those targets or dismantle militant sanctuaries in them. Last Friday President Obama defended the use of drones as a "just war" of self-defence against militants and a campaign that had made America safer. He said there must be "near certainty" that no civilians would die in such strikes. Drone attacks should only be used amid a "continuing, imminent threat" to the US where no other options are available, the guidelines say. The Afghan-Pakistan border region is home to a variety of local and Afghan militant groups including fighters linked to al-Qaeda. Pakistan's security forces have long been accused by the US on not doing enough to fight the Taliban in the mountains of North Waziristan. More recently, US forces have used drone strikes in the region as part of their campaign against the Taliban across the border in Afghanistan.

Syria crisis: rebels condemn opposition coalition

29 May 2013 Last updated at 06:31 Syria conflict Rebels on the ground in Syria have launched a blistering attack on the Syrian opposition coalition outside the country. A statement issued by the Revolutionary Movement in Syria said the coalition had failed to represent the Syrian revolution. The criticism comes amid Russian and US efforts to arrange a conference on Syria in June. An emergency UN debate on Syria is also due in Geneva on Wednesday. The statement by grassroots opposition groups inside Syria says the National Coalition has allowed itself to be taken over by regional and international players. Issued in the name of the Revolutionary Movement, it says the Coalition is incapable of fulfilling its duties due to chronic internal discord. A meeting of National Coalition members in Istanbul has been marked by sharp divisions and a failure to agree on who should represent them at June's conference. The statement called for at least half the Coalition's leadership bodies to be made up of "revolutionary forces". It is the clearest sign yet of the total disarray of the opposition leadership, as it faces the challenge posed by the Russian and American call to negotiate with the Syrian regime, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut. Geneva debate Member states of the UN Human Rights Council will consider a resolution on Wednesday condemning the presence of foreign fighters in Qusair, as fighting around the strategic town intensifies. Foreign powers have been in dispute over the question of arming the warring parties in Syria. The row has also overshadowed the US-Russian effort to arrange a conference in Geneva on ending their two-year conflict. Wednesday's debate at the UN's top rights body will debate a draft resolution condemning the Syrian government's use of "foreign combatants" in the besieged town of Qusair. UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay has warned that the violence has reached "horrific dimensions", and the resolution before member states calls for immediate access for UN aid agencies. The sabre-rattling is growing louder, and the West is making fierce faces at Bashar al-Assad” The fact that Qatar - along with the US and Turkey - drafted the resolution reflects the deep divisions over Syria, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva. The "foreign combatants" are implied to be Hezbollah from Lebanon, who support the Syrian government - while Qatar is widely believed to be supporting opposition forces, some of them also foreign. If there is one thing the Human Rights Council hopes to achieve, our correspondent says, it is a pause in the fighting around Qusair, where thousands of civilians are thought to be trapped. But the council's decisions are not binding - only the UN Security Council can order sanctions or peacekeepers, and those options look as far away as ever, she adds. Separately, representatives from 40 countries are expected to attend a conference in the Iranian capital, Tehran, Iranian officials were quoted as saying in local media Jim Muir BBC News While lifting the EU arms embargo is theoretically good news for the fractious Syrian opposition, it is clearly going to be some time before it has any effect on the battlefield balance. Its authors hope the decision will send a strong enough signal to the Assad regime that it is time to hand over power. That is extremely unlikely. It is hard facts on the ground that count for a regime that has shown determination to fight to the end to stay in power. While European arms supplies remain for the moment theoretical, the step has stirred an angry reaction - possibly even an escalation - from the Russians. They've said the move jeopardises efforts to convene a peace conference, and that they plan to honour a prior contract to supply Syria with advanced S-300 air defence missiles. Israel sees that as a threat to its own security, and has warned that it "would know what to do". The stakes are clearly getting higher. But for the rebels, at least the eventual possibility of carefully-controlled arms deliveries is there, in what looks like being a bloody, long-haul struggle. The meetings come amid fresh international tensions over the Syrian conflict following an EU decision not to renew an arms embargo on Syria - a position Washington has backed. Though EU ministers said there were no immediate plans to arm rebels in Syria, the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has insisted there is nothing to stop nations doing so before a 1 August EU review of the situation in the country. In response, Russia - a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - said it would go ahead with deliveries of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, and that the arms would help deter foreign intervention. The S-300 is a highly capable surface-to-air missile system that, as well as targeting aircraft, has the capacity to engage ballistic missiles. This has in turn provoked the ire of Israel, which fears the weapons could end up in the hands of its enemy Hezbollah. Israel has said it would intervene to stop this, and is widely believed to have already carried out strikes on arms convoys in Syria. Commander's warning As the diplomatic sparring intensifies the warring sides in Syria continue to try to gain the upper hand. Amid the diplomacy, opposition activists told the BBC they had documented the deaths of more than 200 people in a massacre earlier this month Though not long ago the rebels seemed to have the advantage, in recent weeks government forces have won a number of battlefield victories that may make Damascus less inclined to negotiate, say correspondents. Gen Salim Idris - military chief of the main umbrella group of Syrian rebel forces, the Free Syrian Army - told Associated Press he was "very disappointed" at the EU's apparent decision not to send weapons to his forces immediately. He cautioned his fighters could lose control of Qusair - strategically placed close to Syria's border with Lebanon - if weapons did not arrive quickly. Correspondents say the US and European backers of Syrian rebels have baulked at sending heavy weaponry in fear they could end up in the hands of Islamic militants, some linked to al-Qaeda. But the loss of Qusair could, they say, further buoy the Syrian government and set back the prospect of a negotiated transition which many rebels insist must not include President Assad.

Syria conflict: US Senator John McCain visits rebels

S Senator John McCain has visited Syria to meet rebels in the war-torn country, his office has told the BBC. Sen McCain has repeatedly called for the US to provide military aid to members of the Syrian insurgency. He becomes the highest ranking US official to travel to Syria, though McCain spokesman Brian Rogers did not give further details about the visit. News of the trip came as US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Paris. The US currently provides non-lethal aid to opposition groups in Syria, where an estimated 70,000 people have been killed since violence broke out in March 2011. Rebels call for arms Sen McCain, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, is understood to have entered Syria through Turkey and was on the ground there for several hours. He travelled with the Syrian Emergency Task Force and met General Salim Idris, chief of staff of the rebel Free Syrian Army, as well as 18 other rebel commanders, the BBC has learned. Gen Idris called for weapons to continue their fight, as well as a no-fly zone and air strikes on government targets. EU member states are divided on lifting the arms embargo These are all steps that Arizona Sen McCain has previously urged the Obama administration to take. Gen Idris also urged airstrikes on the forces of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group whose forces have been fighting in Syria on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. Sen McCain - who was the Republican presidential candidate in 2008 - has repeatedly urged more forceful American support of Syrian rebels, calling for US cruise missiles to target Syrian government forces. After unverified reports emerged last month that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons on rebels, the hawkish 76-year-old senator renewed his calls for the establishment of a no-fly zone. He has also repeatedly urged that the insurgents Earlier this month, American Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford briefly crossed into northern Syria to meet opposition leaders - in his first visit to the country since he left in February 2012 when the US closed it mission there. should be armed. But the Obama administration has demurred, amid concerns that weapons might fall into the hands of al-Qaeda sympathisers. S Senator John McCain has visited Syria to meet rebels in the war-torn country, his office has told the BBC. Sen McCain has repeatedly called for the US to provide military aid to members of the Syrian insurgency. He becomes the highest ranking US official to travel to Syria, though McCain spokesman Brian Rogers did not give further details about the visit. News of the trip came as US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Paris. The US currently provides non-lethal aid to opposition groups in Syria, where an estimated 70,000 people have been killed since violence broke out in March 2011. Rebels call for arms Sen McCain, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, is understood to have entered Syria through Turkey and was on the ground there for several hours. He travelled with the Syrian Emergency Task Force and met General Salim Idris, chief of staff of the rebel Free Syrian Army, as well as 18 other rebel commanders, the BBC has learned. Gen Idris called for weapons to continue their fight, as well as a no-fly zone and air strikes on government targets. EU member states are divided on lifting the arms embargo These are all steps that Arizona Sen McCain has previously urged the Obama administration to take. Gen Idris also urged airstrikes on the forces of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group whose forces have been fighting in Syria on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. Sen McCain - who was the Republican presidential candidate in 2008 - has repeatedly urged more forceful American support of Syrian rebels, calling for US cruise missiles to target Syrian government forces. After unverified reports emerged last month that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons on rebels, the hawkish 76-year-old senator renewed his calls for the establishment of a no-fly zone. He has also repeatedly urged that the insurgents Earlier this month, American Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford briefly crossed into northern Syria to meet opposition leaders - in his first visit to the country since he left in February 2012 when the US closed it mission there. should be armed. But the Obama administration has demurred, amid concerns that weapons might fall into the hands of al-Qaeda sympathisers. S Senator John McCain has visited Syria to meet rebels in the war-torn country, his office has told the BBC. Sen McCain has repeatedly called for the US to provide military aid to members of the Syrian insurgency. He becomes the highest ranking US official to travel to Syria, though McCain spokesman Brian Rogers did not give further details about the visit. News of the trip came as US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Paris. The US currently provides non-lethal aid to opposition groups in Syria, where an estimated 70,000 people have been killed since violence broke out in March 2011. Rebels call for arms Sen McCain, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, is understood to have entered Syria through Turkey and was on the ground there for several hours. He travelled with the Syrian Emergency Task Force and met General Salim Idris, chief of staff of the rebel Free Syrian Army, as well as 18 other rebel commanders, the BBC has learned. Gen Idris called for weapons to continue their fight, as well as a no-fly zone and air strikes on government targets. EU member states are divided on lifting the arms embargo These are all steps that Arizona Sen McCain has previously urged the Obama administration to take. Gen Idris also urged airstrikes on the forces of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group whose forces have been fighting in Syria on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. Sen McCain - who was the Republican presidential candidate in 2008 - has repeatedly urged more forceful American support of Syrian rebels, calling for US cruise missiles to target Syrian government forces. After unverified reports emerged last month that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons on rebels, the hawkish 76-year-old senator renewed his calls for the establishment of a no-fly zone. He has also repeatedly urged that the insurgents Earlier this month, American Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford briefly crossed into northern Syria to meet opposition leaders - in his first visit to the country since he left in February 2012 when the US closed it mission there. should be armed. But the Obama administration has demurred, amid concerns that weapons might fall into the hands of al-Qaeda sympathisers.

Archery: Indian men a big let down on opening day

London : In an anti-climax to the pre-competition hype, Indian archery hit a new low on Day One of the 30th Olympic Games at Lord’s with the men coming up with a poor show in both the team and individual ranking round here Friday. In the team event, the Indians finished a shocking 12th out of 20 teams. The combination of Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai and Jayanta Talukdar, ranked third in the world, totalled a pathetic 1969 points to take the last spot and would be pitted against fifth-ranked Japan in the pre-quarters. The two teams had clashed in the Ogden Olympic qualifying match where India lost. However, the Indian team’s fate seems all but sealed as it finds itself in the top half alongside defending Olympic champion Korea and World No.1 team, the US, in the team elimination round that will get underway at the iconic venue Saturday. The team finals will also take place during the same day awarding the first medal in the discipline. The winner of the Indo-Japan duo would come up against the US in the quarterfinals. Title holders Korea gave an awesome display to set up two world and Olympic records for the team and individual totals. The top four finishers Korea, France, China and the US got a bye into the last eight. The Indians also disappointed in the individual race, with Rai grabbing the 31st spot logging 664 points. Banerjee was 46th with 655 and Talukdar 53rd with 650 in the ranking round. In the elimination round, Rai will play 34th ranked Juan Carlos Stevens of Cuba in the opener while Banerjee takes on 19th ranked Mongolian Jantsan Gantugs. The off-colour Talukdar has the toughest draw meeting 12th ranked Jacob Wukie of the US. The Korean trio of Im Dong Hyun, Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin Hyek totalled 2087 points to establish a new world and Olympic record. Both the previous records were set by Korea. The world record score so far was 2069 at the Antalya World Cup earlier this year and the Olympic record stood at 2031 struck at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Im Dong Hyun’s individual score of 699 bettered his own world record of 696 set at Antalya earlier this year and erased the Olympic mark of 684 points shot by Michele Frangilli of Italy in 1996. World No.1 archer American Brady Ellison of the US was way below his best finishing 10th with a score of 676.

Rapper tweets London attack live

ondon : “Ohhhhh myyyy God!!!! I just see a man with his head chopped off right in front of my eyes!,” rapper Boya Dee live tweeted in horror as he saw the London terror attack unfold. Boya Dee tweeted furiously as two machete-wielding men brutally attacked and killed a soldier in southeast London Wednesday afternoon. The two attackers were later shot and injured by police. Prime Minister David Cameron said there were strong indications that it was a “terrorist incident”. “These times i was just going to the shop for some fruit and veg and i see all that!” tweeted Boya Dee. “The two black bredas run this white guy over over then hop out the car and start chopping mans head off with machete!!,” said another tweet, which reflects the savagery of the assault. “People were asking whyyy whyyy they were just saying we’ve had enough! They looked like they were on sutn! Then they start waving a recolver,” said a third tweet. Describing the scene when the police arrived, he tweeted: “Oh my God!!!! The way Feds took them out!!! It was a female police officer she come out the whip and just started bussssin shots!!” What began with a few simple messages about a mundane road crash near a primary school, within minutes turned into the Woolwich terror attack that unfolded live on Twitter. Stunned Britons took to Twitter and other social media to express their anger and anguish over the terror attack. Get Latest News on : london

FG’s ‘war on terror’ records tentative victory

Posted by: Agency Reporter on May 27, 2013 Nuradin Mohammed used to resent and fear the troops who swept past his fish stall in this northeast Nigerian city on the trail of Islamist insurgents Boko Haram. Now, for the first time, he thinks they may be on his side. “We are pleased the president has finally recognized our peril and we pray his plan works,” Mohammed said, frying fish by the roadside as a crowd of young children looked on hungrily and trucks packed with troops rumbled past. President Goodluck Jonathan took a gamble when he launched a big offensive this month on Boko Haram’s four-year-old attempt to establish an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria. The crackdown risks stoking, rather than quashing the rebellion, but has so far met with a surprising degree of support in a region that has long accused the oil-rich Christian south of neglect. “We felt let down and ignored. We are afraid soldiers will come bullying the public, which makes people want to join the Boko Haram, but we hope this time is different,” Mohammed said. Only a few months ago, Jonathan was telling foreign leaders that Boko Haram was a small problem that would be over soon. In declaring an emergency on May 14 in Borno, Yobe and Adawmawa states and ordering thousands of troops and air strikes on suspected Islamist camps, he said they were “terrorists” whose “declaration of war” could not go unanswered. Civilians like Mohammed appear to have had enough of being caught in the crossfire of a rebellion that has killed thousands in Africa’s No. 1 oil producer and provoked fears of a descent into chaos in one of the continent’s most dynamic economies. Even usually critical northern governors and elders have been cautiously supportive of Christian southerner Jonathan’s new firm tactics, which include the offer of an amnesty to any militants who willingly surrender. “I now fully understand the strategy: show strength and be magnanimous at the same time,” previously critical northern opposition politician Alhaji Bashir Tofa told Reuters. But it will take more than just firmness to win against a movement that has proved remarkably resilient under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, a fiery militant who likes to make finger-waving Internet videos holding a Kalashnikov. Ousted from Nigeria’s city centres in an earlier crackdown last year, the Islamists, whose name in the Hausa language means “Western education is sinful” withdrew to the remote semi-desert region of the northeast bordering with Chad, Cameroon and Niger. In this isolated zone, they scared off local officials and took de facto control of at least 10 out of 27 council areas. This recalled what happened in 2012 in Mali, where al Qaeda-allied Islamist rebels seized control of the Sahel country’s Saharan north before taking several cities and towns. A French military offensive drove them back earlier this year. In the past two months Boko Haram mounted some of their boldest attacks to date, including one that killed 55 people. Jonathan’s administration knows that just sending in more troops will never totally defeat a foe that can hide among the civilian population, even if that population has been put off by Boko Haram attacks on churches, universities and markets. “In some ways youths had more in common with Boko Haram than soldiers and wealthy politicians,” said Borno public servant Ali Shuwa. Behind him, scrawny goats chew on a rubbish pile. “But I think people are tired of the fighting.” As with the “surge” of extra United States soldiers that former President George Bush ordered into Iraq in 2007 to prevent the country disintegrating into ethnic and sectarian bloodshed, experts say Nigeria’s military needs a change of tactics that will motivate the population to actively cooperate with it. “The major focus should be on securing the local population. It is popular legitimacy that will provide the intelligence necessary to fight insurgents and terrorists,” said Kole Shettima, a Nigerian pro-democracy activist. Regarding this, Jonathan agreed to free some detained Boko Haram suspects this week, including all women and children, one of Boko Haram’s top demands. This is a sign he is willing to take steps towards reconciliation with moderate elements. It reinforced the message that a panel he set up to try to establish a dialogue with Boko Haram is sincere. “This is the most concerted effort yet … They’ve hit it with a big stick and then dangled a carrot in front of them,” said Peter Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria head of security firm Drum Cussac. “They now realize the huge task in front of them.” Maiduguri, the once thriving hub of an ancient Islamic trading route, has been decimated by the conflict. Soldiers hunch behind sandbag bunkers on streets strewn with rubble from bomb blasts. Traders hang carpets and piles of sandals hopefully outside corrugated-iron roofed shacks, while young boys peddle oranges and watermelons from wooden carts. But there are few buyers. Boko Haram has infiltrated so deeply here that some parents don’t know their children are members. Civilians don’t want to turn against insurgents because informants are often killed. “It could be him or her watching us,” said Ali, a teenage boy selling jerry cans of fuel, pointing out onto the street. “People have been killed just on a rumor of informing.” It was in Maiduguri in 2002 that a cleric called Mohammed Yusuf founded a radical Islamist movement initially tagged ‘Nigeria’s Taliban’, but later nicknamed ‘Boko Haram’ because of its virulent opposition to Western influences. A military crackdown against an uprising by the group in 2009 killed 800 people. This included Yusuf, who died in police custody, a catalyst for years of reprisals on security forces. Jonathan says he will clamp down on military excesses after reports of human rights abuses by soldiers in the northeast, although rights groups and foreign diplomats think these may continue going unpunished given the secrecy of the operation. Rights activists say soldiers carry out extra-judicial killings and torture suspects never face trial. “We welcome that Jonathan has finally recognized publicly the abuses but these words must be turned into actions for his operation to have legitimacy,” a western diplomat in Abuja said. Security sources say Jonathan’s army faces a tough task in defeating resilient Islamist fighters, who have shown their ability to re-arm and counter-attack and who know the remote southern fringe of the Sahara better than most soldiers. A military source in Maiduguri told Reuters they had found the first days of the latest offensive harder than expected against “an enemy willing to hide anywhere and do anything”. Boko Haram is not one cohesive group and new independent splinter-operations are emerging, making negotiations difficult. The longer this goes one, the costlier it will be, and not only in human terms. Nigeria spent 700 billion naira ($4.4 bln) on security in the four months to April, the central bank said. Porous borders with Chad and Niger have been used to transport weapons from Libyan and Malian conflict zones and Western governments are concerned about Boko Haram’s increasing ties with al Qaeda linked groups in the Sahel – a fact which could draw Nigeria’s neighbors further into the conflict. “Even the U.S. government couldn’t contain guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan and Iraq, so do you think we can?” Sakuria Mohammed, a Borno legislator told Reuters in Maiduguri, where his mother was kidnapped by Boko Haram this month. “The fighting is a symptom and therefore the military will not solve this. We must create jobs, rebuild this once great region and give youths a better option than Boko Haram.”

HDI calls for end of human trafficking in Nigeria

Posted by: Abiodun Alade on May 27, 2013 Human Development Initiatives (HDI) has marked the 2013 Child Helpline International Day on May 17 with a call for an end to human trafficking in the country. The event, organized in collaboration with Child Helpline International, Netherlands was held in lagos with over one hundred students drawn from twenty seven schools across Lagos state. Speaking at the programme, a member of the Board of Trustees of HDI, Mrs. Olufunsho Owasanoye noted that human trafficking with its attendant evils is a dangerous trend that must be stopped. “Human trafficking is the transfer of persons by fraudulent means for exploitative purpose. Human traffickers are not always strangers, they could be relatives, neighbours or people you thought were friends” she said. She said Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for internal and external trafficking with Cross River, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Bayelsa and Benue states as the prominent sources of internal trafficked children while Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Akwa Ibom and Abia states are the destination states. She said most trafficked children are lured with the promise of greener pastures, gifts or monetary gains by the traffickers who take advantage of the victim’s greed, poverty or ignorance. “Traffickers prey on people with promises of higher incomes to improve economic situations, support parents and families in villages, and escape from war and conflict” Mrs. Owasanoye added. According to her, many victims of trafficking in person, especially children are sucked into exploitative labour hidden from public eye such as houseboys and housemaid, factory hands, prostitution including child/teenage prostitution and farm workers among others. The effect of human trafficking on the victims, Owasanoye stated include emotional trauma, sexual abuse, diseases (HIV/STDs), damaged reproductive organs, unwanted pregnancy and mental sickness. She counseled the students to be cautious of the information they give on social media, to be contended, to always speak out and seek appropriate counsel when they are enticed. Mrs. Wemimo Ibiyemi, a teacher at Bank Anthony Junior High School, Sabo-Yaba counseled parents to monitor and care for their children. She also advised the students to be contended, keep the right company and not succumb to pressure from their peer while enjoining the schools to create awareness and always inform their students about the menace of trafficking in person. “Teachers should also treat students like their children because the law of karma is constant” she said. HDI is a leading not-for-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to serving vulnerable groups by advocacy and programmes that promote equality, justice, solidarity and opportunities.

Joint Task Force ‘kills Boko Haram chief, three others’

Posted by: Yusuf Alli, Abuja on May 28, 2013 in News The Multinational Joint Task Force has captured three key Assembly Points of Boko Haram insurgents and killed three, including a high profile terrorist identified as Abba, the military said yesterday. Besides, the Force has arrested 25 suspected insurgents during a foiled bid to invade Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. But the insurgents killed a security operative. These disclosures were contained in a statement by the Defence Headquarters, signed by its spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, on the update on the ongoing special operation in Borno State and two others —Adamawa and Yobe —where a state of emergency is on. The statement said the Special Forces had also intercepted messages sent to fleeing insurgents, urging them not to give up but fight to the end. The statement said: “Troops of the Special Forces have intercepted messages sent to fleeing insurgents urging them not to give up but fight to the end. “The attempt by some of them to heed the call was foiled during the weekend as they were trailed to some settlements and towns towards the border where they plan to regroup. “Troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force carried out an operation which resulted in the capture and destruction of the insurgents’ assembly points sited on the outskirts of Kaneram Dan Katsina, Tumbu Dabino and Mallam Fatori area north of Baga. “The towns and settlements have now been secured while cordon-and-search operation is also ongoing in the area after the insurgents have been dislodged.” The statement which could not be independently confirmed, added: “Meanwhile, a total of 25 insurgents were rounded up while three died, including a high profile terrorist identified as Abba, who has been on the list of most wanted persons. “This incident happened during an encounter with troops of the task force as the insurgents were finalising moves to carry out an extensive terrorist operation around Maiduguri. “The captured ones were all apprehended with their weapons, which include rifles, pistols, double barrel guns and various calibres of ammunition, during a raid operation of the JTF in Kumshe and Bulunkutu area. “In Sambisa forest, troops combing the forest continue to make more discoveries. “A man who had been held hostage in the forest since last year escaped, bound in handcuffs as his captors fled during the troops’ attack on the biggest camp in the forest. The freed hostage is being treated by the Task Force. “The troops are dominating the forest as they find a number of fresh grave, more arms and ammunition, burnt vehicles and other equipment. More updates as the operation continues.”

Syria conflict: EU considers amending arms embargo

27 May 2013 Last updated at 15:35 GMT EU foreign ministers are discussing UK and French calls to ease sanctions so Syria rebels can be supplied with arms. France and the UK argue that the move would push Damascus towards a political solution. However, several EU states are totally opposed to ending the arms embargo, which expires on 31 May. Meanwhile French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said there were "growing suspicions" of "localised" chemical weapons use in Syria. Mr Fabius said the evidence needed "very detailed verification". "We are consulting with our partners to examine what specific consequences to draw," he added. He was speaking after the French newspaper Le Monde on Monday reported that rebel forces in the Damascus suburb of Jobar had been targeted by canisters of toxic gas since last month. Continue reading the main story Analysis Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent In a conflict which worsens by the week, this is a week when critical decisions on the next steps in Syria must be made. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has added his voice to those urging Europe to ease restrictions on military support for the opposition. "Fine for him to say, but what is Washington willing to do?" one European foreign minister opposed to lifting the ban told me. On Monday, Mr Kerry meets his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Paris. Their talks are expected to focus on plans for the first conference to bring together representatives of the Syrian government and opposition. The meetings in Brussels and Paris are linked. One of the main concerns in many European capitals is the impact any lifting or easing of the EU arms embargo might have on the fragile effort to fashion a political transition. Read more from Lyse A photographer working for the paper "suffered blurred vision and respiratory difficulties for four days", it said. There has been increasing pressure on the international community to act since allegations emerged of chemical weapons being used in the conflict. Syria has denied using chemical weapons. The meeting in Brussels comes as the US, France and Russia push for Syria's opposition to join President Bashar al-Assad's government at an international peace conference in Geneva next month. Syria's foreign minister confirmed on Sunday that the government would "in principle" attend the summit. Members of the main opposition coalition are currently meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul to decide whether to attend the conference. They have been given an unofficial deadline of this evening, the BBC's Jim Muir reports, before US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to have talks in Paris with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said that Britain fully backed the Geneva conference as "in the end there is only a political and diplomatically supported solution". But he said amending the EU arms embargo was "part of supporting the diplomatic work". President Assad's government needed "a clear signal that it has to negotiate seriously", he said. 'Peace community' Hours into the EU meeting, foreign ministers were still locked in discussions on the arms embargo, says the BBC's Matthew Price in Brussels. A source told the BBC that a majority of countries preferred not to change the embargo, and the ministers were seeking a compromise. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague explained the government's position One option could involve allowing some military equipment to be sent to Syria, with strict conditions attached, our correspondent adds. There are fears that anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons given to rebel fighters considered "moderate" might end up in the hands of jihadist militants, including those from the al-Nusra Front, which has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. But last week Mr Hague told British MPs that weapons would be supplied only "under carefully controlled circumstances" and with clear commitments from the opposition. Ban on export/import of arms and equipment for internal repression since May 2011 Non-lethal military equipment and technical assistance allowed under certain conditions since Feb 2013 All Syrian cargo planes banned from EU airports EU states obliged to inspect Syria-bound ships or planes suspected of carrying arms Assets freeze on 54 groups and 179 people responsible for or involved in repression Export ban on technical monitoring equipment Source: EU - April 2013 The EU embargo, first imposed in May 2011, applies to the rebels as much as the Syrian government. But in February this year, foreign ministers agreed to enable any EU member state to provide non-lethal military equipment "for the protection of civilians" or for the opposition forces, "which the Union accepts as legitimate representatives of the Syrian people". If foreign ministers fail to agree to an easing of the arms embargo, which expires at midnight on 31 May, a more likely deal would involve extending it without amendment for a short period to see if the Geneva conference is successful. Unanimity is needed, and Mr Hague warned that if a deal could not be agreed, each member state would have to ensure it had its own sanctions. Syrian state TV said Yara Abbas was killed while covering clashes in Qusair Oxfam has warned of "devastating consequences" if the embargo ends. "There are no easy answers when trying to stop the bloodshed in Syria, but sending more arms and ammunition clearly isn't one of them," the aid agency's head of arms control, Anna Macdonald, said in a statement on Thursday. Fighting in Syria continued on Monday around the strategic town of Qusair, a few miles from the Lebanese border. A prominent Syrian female TV journalist, Yara Abbas, was killed just outside the town, pro-government Ikhbariya TV said, in clashes that have threatened to spill over into Lebanon. Dozens of militants from the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah movement have been killed in Qusair in the past week. The latest violence has prompted UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay to issue a dire warning. "A humanitarian, political and social catastrophe is already upon us and what awaits us is truly a nightmare," she told the start of a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Munich parties as Dortmund mourns in divided Germany

MAY 27, 2013 BY AGENCY REPORTER. Bayern Munich fans celebrated long into the night after their team’s 2-1 Champions League triumph over Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday ensured two defeats in the previous three finals were quickly forgotten. More than 40,000 Bayern fans erupted in delirious joy when Arjen Robben scored the 89th minute winner as they watched the match on a chilly, wet night at a special public viewing event set up on Munich’s Oktoberfest grounds. Another 50,000 Bayern supporters watching on video screens at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena were finally able to celebrate after the Dutch forward rescued them from the prospect of another heartbreaking defeat on Europe’s biggest stage. Many stormed the vacant pitch to proclaim the famous victory and tear up sods of turf as souvenirs. “It’s superb and I feel so relieved,” said Marco Goering, who had joined thousands of fans on Munich’s fashionable Leopoldstrasse in a spontaneous midnight rally. “It’s an overwhelming feeling. Three finals in four years. It’s a fantastic feeling to see how the fans are going crazy here, a great feeling.” Singing, dancing and slapping each other on the back, many fans offered their own rendition of the Queen song “We Are The Champions” as well as traditional fan chants praising Bayern. The mood was entirely different 600-km to the north in Dortmund, a former mining town about as far away from the glitzy and cosmopolitan world of Munich that you can get in a country where opinion was divided on who was the popular choice in the all-German final. The match began well for the thousands of Dortmund fans packed into the Friedensplatz square in their black and yellow jerseys after the team dominated their loathed opponents for much of the first half. Joy turned to despair when Munich scored after an hour before a deafening roar greeted Dortmund’s equaliser in the 68th minute, reviving memories of Bayern’s squandering of a 1-0 lead in last year’s final before losing on penalties to Chelsea.

Ambrose, Onazi win Scottish, Italian cups

MAY 27, 2013 BY PIUS AYINOR WITH AGENCY REPORT A classy double from Gary Hooper helped Celtic beat Hibernian 3-0 to lift the Scottish Cup for the 36th time at Hampden Park on Sunday. It was also a classy Scottish double for Nigeria’s Efe Ambrose and his club having won the league earlier on. The success on Sunday completes the trophy run for the Nigerian who was part of the Super Eagles winning team at the 2013 Africa Nations Cup concluded in South Africa in February. The UEFA Champions League, which started on a good run for the Scottish champions, ended with a heavy defeat to Juventus but before then Ambrose had established himself as a regular with Celtic and the Eagles. He was allowed to stay back with his club on account of the cup final and he is now expected to link up with the Eagles as they prepare for the FIFA Confederations Cup and Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers. On Sunday, he started from the bench and was brought on as a substitute for Scott Brown in 81st minute. For the cup final, Hooper broke the deadlock after just eight minutes with his 30th goal of the season and he doubled his side’s advantage just after the half hour with another smart finish from close range. Joe Ledley rounded off the scoring towards the end of the second half. The loss means Hibs’ wait for a first Scottish Cup triumph since 1902 continues. It was their 11th final defeat. Also on Sunday, Ogenyi Onazi won the Italian Cup with Lazio. Lazio won the Cup for the sixth time on Sunday beating fierce rivals AS Roma 1-0 in a day of high tension at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Senad Lulic tapped home the winning goal from close range in the 70th minute after Roma goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont tipped Antonio Candreva’s cross into his path. The victory means Lazio will qualify for the Europa League, salvaging an otherwise disappointing season and rubbing further salt into the wounds of their old foes, who miss out on European football despite finishing sixth one place clear of the Biancocelesti. “I am really happy for the players who worked so hard this year and deserved the victory. It’s not easy to win a game like this. We now have Europe ahead of us,” Lazio manager Vladimir Petkovic told RAI Sport. The defeat for Roma makes their manager Andrea Andreazzoli’s position at the club precarious with speculation in the lead up to the match suggesting AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri could be a favourite to take his place.

Boko Haram must be defeated at all costs – Jonathan

MAY 27, 2013 BY OLALEKAN ADETAYO, ADDIS ABABA President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said the excesses of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, must be curbed, not minding what it would cost the government. “The excesses of Boko Haram must stop. That is the decision of this present government now. It must stop, whatever it will cost the government, it must stop,” he said in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in an interview with journalists on the sideline of the 21st ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Africa Union. The President boasted that the government had the wherewithal to confront the reign of terror being unleashed by the sect members and that their actions were already being confronted with his recent declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Also at the same forum, Jonathan told the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon that the state of emergency in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa might be called off before the end of six months initial prescription by the Constitution. The President said with the level of success so far recorded by the military in the affected states, he was optimistic that the emergency rule would end soon. “The military intervention in the affected states is going on well. There is no human rights abuse and there is no collateral damage with regards to security of individuals. I am optimistic that with the level of success already being recorded, the emergency rule in the affected states may not last up to the six months stipulated by the Constitution,” he told Ban. Jonathan also said that reports at his disposal showed that the relationship between civilians and soldiers on duty had been excellent. He said the soldiers’ rules of engagements and operation order were well defined and presence of troops in the areas had been welcomed by the residents. The President added that his recent order for the release of women and children being held by security agencies was a sign of commitment to resolving the security challenge within the ambit of the law, assuring the UN Secretary-General that the state of emergency was not designed to inflict suffering on the civilians. Jonathan also assured him that Nigeria would continue to play its leading role in the West African sub region. Ban had earlier sympathised with the government and people of Nigeria over the violence being unleashed on parts of the country by members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram. He noted that terrorism had become a global challenge and identified with the Federal Government on efforts being made to resolve the challenge. He also advised that there should be prudent and cautious measures to protect civilian population living in the affected areas. On curbing Boko Haram, Jonathan told the journalists that although terrorism was a global problem with the United States and United Kingdom and other countries having their shares, his administration was working hard to contain it in terms of immediate, medium and long-term approaches. He said, “For the short term, of course, there must be military intervention, we must beef up security, we must change the security architecture to make sure that we detect that something is about to happen before it happens so that we will be able to stop it. “We have stopped a number of incidents in the country. It is just that the few that happened affect life and whenever life is affected, you will not even think that somebody is doing anything. “That is why recently I even had to declare a state of emergency in three states so that we go all out to make sure that we seize these weapons. “A lot of free weapons come in because of the Libyan crisis. We must seize them. They are illegal weapons and must be seized and you cannot do that without declaring a state of emergency to enable the military enter any house, whether it is a residential building or a church, a mosque, a shrine, anywhere, and hotel. We will be able to enter and seize these weapons. “In the short term, it is to seize these weapons. That is why those three states we have the worst cases; we declared a state of emergency. By the time we finish combing, we would not have just stopped it there but we would have seized most of the weapons they are using. That is the short term.” The President added that his government’s medium term strategy was to concentrate more on education. He observed that the part of the country, where there had been prevalence of Boko Haram activities, has the highest rate of school dropouts. He said although the Constitution put the issue of basic education under the purview of state and local governments, the Federal Government still found it essential to intervene to make sure that there is improvement in the sector. Jonathan said the idea behind the intervention was to make sure that people received education so that they would not be easily brainwashed. He said another government’s approach was to create an economic environment that would afford individuals opportunities to fend for themselves.

French soldier stabbed in neck while on patrol

MAY 27, 2013 BY AGENCY REPORTER A French soldier who was stabbed Saturday on the western outskirts of Paris was targeted because of his military service, France’s defense minister said. “The aim was to kill the soldier because he was a soldier,” Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told CNN affiliate BFMTV. The attacker wanted “to kill a soldier who is in charge of French security,” he said. The soldier was stabbed in the neck from behind with either a knife or a box cutter, a Hauts-de-Seine police spokesman said. The soldier, 23, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The attacker was wearing a robe and appeared to be North African, said Laurent Lefebvre, a spokesman for Syndicat Alliance Police Nationale, a French police union. Hauts-de-Seine police said they were screening surveillance video. The case has been passed on to anti-terrorism investigators in Paris.

Vegetables and fruits can make one live long – 80-year-old retired engineer

MAY 26, 2013 BY ETIM EKPIMAH. A former employee of Shell Petroleum Development Company, Effiong Amasi, who is now a community leader in Urue Offong/Orugo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, attributes his longevity to a healthy diet in this interview with ETIM EKPIMAH How was it like going to school in your days? People were born with natural intelligence in those days. They only needed little monitoring to excel in academics. Science existed in our daily life then, so, we only needed little guidance to succeed in that field. My parents wanted the best for me so they took me to school as soon as I came of age and I became an engineer later. What motivated your decision to become an engineer? I did not plan to become an engineer when I went to school, circumstances led me to the profession. My school principal played a great role in my success as an engineer I left Methodist Boys High School, Oron, as a brilliant pupil. I was in standard four when I gained admission into secondary school. I lost my father when I was in form four. But the principal of my school, who was a white man, encouraged me to write the London Matriculation Examination immediately after my father’s death because he believed in my academic ability. I did well in the examination and I was informed by the principal that I had been admitted to read marine engineering in Liverpool, England. He showed so much interest in my academic career; he was like a hero to me. Five other pupils were also admitted for the same course but at the end, I was the best. When I finished from the college, I secured a job in the institution, which opened the door to other opportunities for me. I saw things from a different perspective and decided to study aeronautical engineering also. When I returned to Nigeria, I worked briefly in a company, where I was in charge of engines and instrumentation. But I had the urge to return to England for more education. I later enrolled at the Leicester College of Advanced Technology, England. When I came back to Nigeria, I got a job at the Nigeria Tobacco Company in Ibadan. But something happened at the Marine Department in Apapa Wharf, Lagos. A lecturer that I met at the Yaba Higher Technical College, the highest institution then in Nigeria, and an expatriate at the institution, traced me to NTC in Ibadan. They told me that they had a problem in Lagos and that I should help them solve the problem. I was one of the best in gas turbine and boiler in Nigeria then and my knowledge from two respected institutions in England put me ahead of many of my counterparts. My service was in great demand in Nigeria. I agreed to go to Lagos with them to fix the problem and they were happy I did. I also worked in Port Harcourt, Zaria, most of the northern region, and later Ghana. How was your stay in England? I had a pleasant stay in England. I went there as an unmarried young man and the parents of a white lady wanted me to marry their daughter. I refused by telling them that I came to England to study. My education came first and I did not want anything that would distract me. I was certain that I could marry any woman of my choice when I finished my study. But we remained friends. I was sent abroad by white men who wanted a bright future for me. They trained me and I did not want to disappoint them. That was why they had confidence in me. Where did you meet your wife and how about your family? I met my wife, Arik, in Nigeria. I have many children. My first child is Okon who has a doctorate degree. He works with a bank in Abuja. My last daughter, Arit, is married to a white man in the United Kingdom. She also has a doctorate degree. She is the Dean, Faculty of Human Resources and Management, University of Glasgow, England. I also have a second wife called Eno. But she left me for Prof. Edet Esang, the former Minister for Works and Housing. Few years after they got married, the husband died. I have another wife called Nkoyo, she has three children for me, Daniel, Emmanuel and Joseph Amasi. When we got married, I was getting old so the parents thought that I might not be able to father a child again. But I proved them wrong with the three kids. What was the fashion in vogue then? Tradition demanded that young girls be kept in fattening rooms, where they would be prepared for womanhood. Girls were also sent to fattening rooms in preparation for marriage. In the room, they would be taught how to live as women and beautify their bodies. That was why women of those days made better wives. People don’t have time to keep girls in the fattening rooms now to make them more beautiful. People are too busy nowadays so we have thrown away the tradition. The types of clothes worn then are no longer in vogue today. Today, our girls go naked on the streets. They now dress to show parts of the body that should be kept away from every eye. How would you describe your active days as an engineer? I had a rare skill as an engineer and I still possess the skill. When I was still in service, I worked in four engineering departments; marine, aeronautics, automotive, and allied mechanics. It boosted my value as an engineer and this was because I developed myself over a long time. I had an eventful career because of the broad knowledge I acquired in England. For how long did you practice? If you are talking of the companies where I worked, then the list is unending. But the last company to secure my services was Shell Petroleum Development Company in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as a mechanical specialist. I retired from the company 16 years ago. Were you ever offered a top job by the Nigerian government? I did not have to look for government job or appointment because I was too busy. I was a field man and I enjoyed the freedom to work. Moreover, I was employed by the best companies in Nigeria and was working with the best machines around at the time. I had many companies waiting for me to take up their job offers, so a government job was not attractive to me. I was comfortable with what I was doing. Did you aspire to establish an engineering company? The financial demand of starting an engineering company was huge and I could not shoulder it. I actually established Asimaco Technical Company, but I had to abandon the project for full employment because the system in the country then was not favourable for private company owners to flourish. We had no oil at the time. There was nothing available to give you the needed revenue to sustain such company. What I did was to accept the offers to resuscitate some companies that were experiencing hard times. One of such companies was Veno and Plywood Company in Calabar. At 80, you still look sharp and agile. What is responsible for this? We ate fresh and natural food when we were young and I controlled my diet, up till today. Vegetables and fruits are some of the best diets that can make a man live long. Unfortunately today, people do not observe good diet. They eat without caution. Our people no longer want to prepare food like draw soup and plantain leaf with cassava flour which is rich in nutrients that are needed by the body. In the past, draw soup was prepared with crayfish, prawns, periwinkles, fish, oysters, snails, fish, brown beans and vegetables. It was a wonderful meal for us. It gave us power and enriched the body. In the wildlife, apes, which still eat this natural food, have the power to fight even lions. There were warriors in those days, who could take on lions. This was because of the natural food they ate. But today, people are living on the fast lane. They eat fast food prepared with ingredients that could harm the body system. Life was slow in the past, but meaningful and peaceful. I could climb an orange tree, stay there and take as many oranges as I wanted before coming down. Where are the orange trees today? It’s been replaced with juice flavour which gives the wrong impression that what we drink is actual orange. But isn’t the quality of life today an improvement on the past? You may call the people of those days primitive, but their body system was fantastic. The clay pot and the calabash they were using to cook and drink water were cleaner than the plates and glass cups people are using today. They had no chemical substances in them. What was your favourite sport? There are sports activities today which are good exercises for the body but in those days, we trekked long distances to school, farms and back to our homes. We played our own form of football and tennis, using orange as the ball. People who lived in the past had no good roads so walking kept them healthy. They had their own sport too. It kept them in good shape. People prefer to drive around in their cars today than walk. How then will people live long again? People who live in hard condition have natural immunity. They are hardly afflicted with diseases. Men who married many wives in those days had the natural power to live with them because they consumed natural diet. They also lived long. The children of those days depended on their mothers’ breast milk which guaranteed outstanding intelligence. But today, we give the children dairy milk and you can see the kind of persons they grow up to become.

Hungry soon after a meal? Here’s why

MAY 27, 2013 BY SOLAADE AYO-ADERELE. Do you sometimes feel hungry almost immediately after a sizeable meal? You are not alone, as many people experience hunger pangs not long after a reasonable portion, making them to reach for snacks or sugary beverages to assuage a growling stomach. Without intending to support your likelihood to indulge, researchers at Flinders University in Australia have provided answers to your unspoken questions. They are of the view that one of the reasons you seem hungry after you have just eaten is because you are bored and that’s why you can’t stop thinking about food! They suggest that you need visual distractions of sorts to steer your mind away from food. The step is simple, they suggest. “To test yourself, envision a huge, sizzling steak. If you’re truly hungry, the steak will seem appealing. But if that doesn’t seem tempting, chances are you’re in need of a distraction, not another meal,” the researchers say. Again, what are the unspoken ingredients in your food? Experts are of the view that the more additives you have in a meal, the more the likelihood of experiencing hunger even after you may just have eaten a sizeable portion of what you call food. Nutritionists say, for instance, that if your food contains much artificial sweeteners, you will only be laying foundation for food cravings even after you have just eaten. They explain it this way: “When you eat something sweet but do not take in any calories, your body will crave more calories than if you had eaten real sugar. And that’s why people gain weight even when they are on a diet.” Here, the sweet stuffs may be the soft drinks that accompany your meal, according to a research from the University of California at San Francisco. “This can trick your brain into craving more food, even when you’re full. It works by impeding the body’s ability to use leptin, the satiation hormone that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat,” the scientists argue. A dietician, Dr. Grace Omolayole, says it’s a vicious cycle that people are ignorant about. She says if your lunch consists of foods spiced with artificial sweeteners, for instance, they cause your body to starve itself simply because the foods are of poor nutritional quality and therefore deprives the body of the essential nutrients it needs to function optimally. To get round the problem, researchers at Pennsylvania State University advise that you eat more low-calorie, high-volume foods. The lead researcher, Dr. Barbara Rolls, and her colleagues describe such foods as those high in water and fibre, like fruits and vegetables. Rolls says, “We have found in numerous studies that when you allow people to eat as much as they want of foods that are high in volume yet low in calories, they eat less at the meal or during the day.” Omolayole explains further that foods that contain water, air, or fibre have fewer calories than other foods and also cause the stomach to stretch and empty slowly. “The best part is that choosing foods low in caloric density helps you lose weight without feeling like you’re on a restrictive diet,” she says. She also says many people deceive themselves that in order to lose weight or stay in shape, they must cut down their meal intake drastically. She explains that this is one of the fastest routes to food cravings. The reason, she argues, is because when you eat wholesome foods in good quantity, they make for smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the day, resulting in fewer sudden food cravings. Nutrition expert at MART-Life Detox Clinic, Mrs. Idowu Ashiru, also advises that to get more out of meals and stave off unhealthy cravings, “Eat slowly and mindfully, do not engage in multitasking like reading e-mails, working or watching television while eating. Instead, concentrate on your meal.” She recommends spending 30 minutes to finish any meal. “To prolong the meal, you can chew slowly or put your fork down between bites, or simply take smaller bites,” she says. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition notes that people who drank one cup of black tea after eating food rich in carbohydrate decreased their blood-sugar levels by 10 per cent for two and a half hours after the meal, which means they stayed full longer and had fewer food cravings. The researchers credit the polyphenolic compounds in black tea for suppressing rebound hunger. Ashiru also says dehydration often mimics the feeling of hunger. “If you’ve just eaten and still feel hungry, drink a cup of water before eating more, and see if your desires don’t diminish,” she counsels. Don’t forget also that if you are in the habit of eating canned foods, you will forever remain hungry. Researchers at Harvard University explain it this way: “Many canned foods are high in the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, which can cause abnormal surges in leptin that leads to food cravings and obesity.” Scientists are also of the view that the kind of foods you crave after a reasonable meal might also explain whether or not you are emotionally sound. These are the findings of two scientists, Dr. Judith Wurtman and Prof. Richard Wurtman, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who note that the craving for carbohydrate foods like biscuits, cookies, cakes, bread, sweets, etc., is related to decreases in the feel-good hormone serotonin, which is marked by a decline in mood and concentration.

INEC, new media and 2015 elections ( Nigeria )

MAY 27, 2013 BY ’SOLA FAGORUSI Globally, 2008 redefined the capacity of the new media. In that year, Senator Barack Obama emerged President of the United States of America after beating Senator John McCain by a margin of 193 electoral college votes and 8.5 million popular votes. He was able to achieve this feat by converting everyday people into engaged and empowered volunteers, donors and advocates through social networks, text messaging, e-mail promotion and online video. By the time the elections were over it was obvious that never again in the world would voting take place without due consideration for the new media as against the regular use of just the mainstream media. The new media has helped to shift focus from the hypodermic needle theory that dwells on the strong, direct effects of the media on people to the uses and gratification theory. Most people are no longer seeking out media to subscribe to but can and have become the media themselves! It is important to place the Nigerian 2011 election in perspective with a view to drawing lessons from it ahead of the 2015 election. The increase in telephone networks and internet technology in the country might play a dominant role than it did in 2011. With about 65 percent of the population under the age of 35 and INEC’s assertion that the number of registered voters in Nigeria has risen from almost 58 million in 1999 to 67 million in 2011, we may see more social media use in the 2015 elections. An example of the new media use in Africa is in Kenya. A new media tool called Ushahidi, which means ‘testimony’ in Swahili, was used during the post election crisis in that country in 2008 to provide record and report irregularities on voting day and areas where violence were taking place. Following this example, the ReVoDa was designed for the 2011 election in Nigeria. The ReVoDa allows voters to report as independent citizen observers from their respective polling units across the country, having registered to map their mobile number, name and polling unit number to specific locations. Also, it allows users to receive relevant information about the electoral process. The #RSVP, which means register, select, vote and protect, was also pushed. YouTube videos also came in handy in viewing first-hand the intellectual capacity of contenders. The NN24 debate was made available online and Ibrahim Shekarau oratory prowess was spotlighted and became an issue for discussions nationwide. The ‘My Vote Fit Change Naija’ video was also available for viewing on YouTube and had the then US Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton tweeting about it. It is commendable that the electoral adjudicator understood the need to engage with the new media. The Independent National Electoral Commission website, twitter handle, Facebook page, phone numbers and blackberry pin offered services to the electorate. With about N122.9bn spent on the 2011 elections and the modest result obtained, it is only logical to have higher expectations from INEC for the 2015 elections. Elections are not prepared for during elections! The preparation should be before elections. The pre-electoral cycle is arguably the most important phase of the electoral cycle. INEC needs to share information rapidly and strategically and also seek information on possible challenges for 2015 in various locations. The new media would make this information reach all easily. At present, the Nigerian public has heard nothing about the electoral register. The Direct Data Capturing Machine, another new media tool, needs to be properly tested and certified to be in good condition so that we don’t experienc hitches in 2015. INEC also needs to put the reviewed legal and policy framework on the coming election on the horizon now before electioneering thickens so that they are not seen as changing the goal post in the middle of the match. The means, alacrity and method of information sharing by the electoral body, among others, is of primary concern. Strategic in the electoral process is the means with which the results are announced and the fraud process it allows. While an election at a polling booth may have been adjudged as free and fair, the concern usually is whether that same result is what would be submitted at the collating centre. The last election saw how Nigerians massively deployed new media use for elections. A digital info graph, for instance, was shared on the voter’s kit. Voters were encouraged to download apps that reported election results and also go to the polling booth ready to wait the period with a bottle of water, snacks and even extra batteries. The loud re-echoing ability of the social media can be harnessed by INEC with a careful design. The issue of manipulation of election results before they get to the collation centres can be solved through the deployment of new media. Would INEC consider having members of the new corps of bloggers and social influencers as election observers? It is also time consuming to have to do accreditation on every election day in this age. A simple mapping may help tell them who is who and given the borderless nature of use, certifying them and putting their reports into consideration would help set INEC up as truly pro-people. INEC also needs to reinforce to security officials that smart phones are valid for use during elections. Voters’ education would also be easier with consistent use of social media tools on real time basis. Now is the time for INEC to facilitate digital media literacy for the election while collaborating with the electorate through the various organised groups.

UK murder: Suspect arrested in Kenya in 2010

MAY 27, 2013 BY AGENCY REPORTER One of the suspects in the Woolwich murder case was arrested in Kenya in 2010, the Foreign Office has confirmed. It said Michael Adebolajo was arrested there and it gave consular assistance “as normal” in the circumstances. He was believed to have been preparing to fight with Somali militant group al-Shabab, a Kenyan government spokesman told the BBC, and was later deported. Meanwhile, police investigating soldier Lee Rigby’s murder have arrested a 22-year-old man in north London. The arrest at Highbury Grove, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, brings the total number made so far in the case to nine. Several hundred people have gathered at the scene of the murder, some chanting Mr. Rigby’s name and waving Help for Heroes flags. The Met Police said it was aware of a planned community event in which a group of people intended to lay a wreath. A small group of English Defence League members have also joined the crowd. The Kenyan government had previously denied that Mr. Adebolajo had ever visited the country, but spokesman Muthui Kariuki said there had been some confusion as he was arrested under a different name. Mr. Adebolajo was handed over to UK authorities when it emerged he was a British citizen, he added. In video footage of his court appearance which emerged on Sunday, Mr. Adebolajo is heard to say: “These people are mistreating us, we are innocent.” Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab is affiliated to al-Qaeda and is thought to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters. It killed 76 people in a double bomb attack in Uganda as they watched the 2010 World Cup. Mr. Adebolajo, 28, and a second man, Michael Adebowale, 22, were arrested on suspicion of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich on Wednesday. They remain in custody in hospital in a stable condition after being shot and wounded by police at the scene after the killing. Three further men, aged 21, 24 and 28, were arrested in London on Saturday evening on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder — a Taser was used on two of them. A 29-year-old man arrested earlier on suspicion of conspiracy to murder was released on bail on Saturday, while two women aged 29 and 31, arrested on Thursday, have been released without charge. You may also like - Ladipo to address world supporters club in China Woolwich killing: Police arrest suspect’s friend Heynckes joins exclusive club Davido’s mean men MOJAO: The rising West-African al-Qaeda Read 80 times More Stories in World French soldier stabbed in neck while on patrol May 27th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Hezbollah promises ‘victory’ in Syria conflict May 26th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Brazil cancels $900m in African debt May 26th, 2013 / 1 Comment Read Full Story

NGF: GOVERNORS AT WAR

NGF: MAY 26, 2013 BY JOHN ALECHENU, OLUSOLA FABIYI, JUDE OWUAMANAM, SUNDAY ABORISHADE, CHUKWUDI AKASIKE AND LEKE BAIYEWU | credits: Almost 48 hours after governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum elected a new chairman, the battle over the control of the 36 member body still rages. On Saturday, the incumbent chairman of the Forum, who is the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and his challenger, Plateau State governor, Mr. Jonah Jang, both claimed to have won the poll. The Director-General of the NGF, Mr. Asishana Okauru, had on Friday announced Amaechi as winner of Friday’s election after polling 19 votes to Jang’s 16. Minutes after the announcement, the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpapio, addressed the press announcing Jang’s victory. A new twist was added to the drama on Saturday, when Jang and members of the NGF who pledged allegiance to his leadership held their inaugural meeting in Abuja. After the meeting, Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, who was introduced as vice-chairman, read a communiqué to the media. Mimiko while reading the document said the meeting was attended by 18 governors. He also noted that Jang as the new chairman of the body had “vowed to unite members of the forum, work for the interest of the forum and the country.” The Ondo State governor, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the forum re-stated its commitment to continue being a platform for peer review and collaborative engagement with all levels of governments. He said the forum also “resolved to secure a befitting permanent secretariat outside any governors’ lodge.” All the governors, who spoke at the end of the briefing, insisted that they endorsed Jang for the election. Those who spoke were: Gabriel Suswam(Benue), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Akpabio, Yisa Yuguda, Shema and Peter Obi (Anambra State). While speaking on the issue, Akpabio said, “Yesterday, even before the formal meeting of the governors’ forum, it was agreed the chairmanship of the forum be zoned to the PDP which is the party with the largest number of governors in the forum. “There was a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum. The decision of the Northern Governors’ Forum was announced and you need to know that as Nigerians, that chairmanship of the forum should be two years in the South and two years in the North. “That has been the resolution of the governors. And so it was incumbent upon the northern governors’ forum to meet to bring out the leadership before presenting it to the governors’ forum. “Yesterday, Governor Aliyu Babangida who is the chairman together with Governor Suswam of Benue came up with Jang as the new chairman and presented him to the PDP governors’ forum and accordingly, the PDP governors’ forum formally adopted Jang. “The PDP Governors’ Forum would work with Jang as chairman and Mimiko as vice-chairman of the NGF.” Liyel Imoke, who is the Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum also said, “The South-South governors participated in the process that led to the emergence of Jang. “Of course the South-South had always stood behind this administration, we will continue to do that and we will continue to support the new chairman and his vice to succeed. “We team up with the governor to make sure that there is no bad signal in the governors’ forum and forge ahead to ensure that we have a united country moving forward.” Suswam, who is the vice-chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum added, “Yesterday (Friday), the meeting of the northern governors unanimously adopted the new leadership led by Jang and the northern governors are strongly behind the new leadership of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum led by Jang and supported by Mimiko, the Iroko.” Similarly, Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, who attended the meeting said, “Until yesterday (Friday) morning, myself and Governor Yuguda of Bauchi and Amaechi of Rivers scheduled to vie for the election. “But in the interest of peace and prosperity, we honoured the governors’ forum as myself and Yuguda decided to step down to allow the Northern Governors’ Forum to produce a candidate acceptable to all of us. “And the northern governors on their own decided to adopt a consensus candidate in the person of the Governor of Plateau State who was presented to the PDP Governors’ Forum and was graciously accepted and they applauded the effort of both myself and Yuguda for making sure that the governors’ forum continue to serve the interest of this nation. “Our position is that we stepped down to honour this nation and this forum so that we can have a united front.” In the same vein, “Yuguda said, “19 of them endorsed Jang.” Answering questions on whether they were sure that those who endorsed Jang voted for him during the election, Mimiko said, “Go and ask those who claimed to have conducted election.” Meanwhile, there was confusion in Rivers State on Saturday as the Peoples Democratic Party in the state recognised Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, as the new chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. The state PDP, had in a briefing with journalists on Saturday in Port Harcourt, congratulated Jang on his victory during the forum’s election on Friday. State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, lauded the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio, for his contribution towards ensuring that Jang achieved victory during the exercise. Likewise, Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Abraham Yiljap, said the election of Jang as the new chairman of the forum will convince all Nigerians about the state of peace pervading in the state. He said, “Jang will bring into the NGF a sense of purpose and focus as he is the only governor in Nigeria who has occupied that office four times in a lifetime and that sense of purpose can be seen in how he has handled the affairs of the state, especially during those turbulent days.” Reacting to Mimiko’s position on the NGF election, Amaechi maintained that the election was transparent and he was the winner. Amaechi, who spoke through the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said it was not possible to rig an election among equals, adding that the exercise went on without any controversy. On the position of the state PDP, the governor added that the party in Rivers State did not have the locus standi to speak on the conduct or outcome of the election since they were not members of the forum. He said, “You don’t rig an election among equals. You don’t rig an election and win by three votes. If anybody should complain, it should be Amaechi because his opponent picked the form few hours to the election. “On the state PDP not recognising Amaechi as the winner of the NGF election; the truth is the state PDP has no locus standi on this matter. It is a matter among equals. “I believe the governors who own the forum know who their chairman is. The fact is that the people in Port Harcourt and Rivers as a whole are excited over the victory.” In a related development, Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, has berated governors opposing the re-election of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. He said their stance amounts to self embarrassment because Amaechi’s victory complied with the forum’s electoral rules. Governors in Amaechi’s camp include Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo). Others are Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto); Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Umaru Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe); Abdul-Aziz Yari (Zamfara) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa). It was not clear as at press time who the Governor of Kebbi State, Usman Dakingari, was supporting. You may also like - APC can’t win Igboland — Okwu NGF Election: Northern, PDP governors in crucial meetings NGF election: Northern govs divided over Amaechi, Shema Emergency rule: ACN accuses Jonathan of deception Jonathan, Mahama to build school in Achebe’s memory Read 19,183 times More Stories in News Boko Haram must be defeated at all costs – Jonathan May 27th, 2013 / 2 Comments Read Full Story ACN, PDP disagree over alleged Osun debt profile May 27th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story Rivers Assembly, NUJ, others differ on NGF election May 27th, 2013 / Comments Read Full Story