UK seeks Peaceful Settlement of Stand -Off with Ecuador Over Wikileaks Founder's Asylum

Britain is seeking an amicable solution with Ecuador to their diplomatic standoff over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a U.K. official insisted Saturday, as the secret-spiller prepared to make his first public statement since the Latin American nation confirmed it would offer him asylum.

Assange, who took shelter in the Ecuadorian Embassy on June 19 after he exhausted all routes of appeal in the U.K. to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over sexual misconduct allegations, is scheduled to make a public statement Sunday.

London diplomats have spoken with Ecuadorian Ambassador Ana Alban since the South American country granted Assange asylum on Thursday, a move which threatens to further complicate Sweden's two-year long attempt to have the activist extradited from Britain.

British officials in Ecuador's capital, Quito, have also contacted the country's foreign ministry to discuss a resumption of talks over the case, and to quell anger prompted when Britain appeared to suggest it could invoke a little-known law to strip Ecuador's embassy of diplomatic privileges - meaning police would be free to move in and detain Assange.

But there was little sign of a friendlier atmosphere Saturday from Quito, however, where Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said on his weekly broadcast that Britain's "direct threat" about possibly entering the embassy had come "in a totally offensive, inconsiderate, intolerable manner."

He said Ecuador "never wanted to impede the investigation of a supposed crime. What we wanted to impede is the extradition to a third country."

Correa complained again that Britain and Sweden had declined to give assurances against such an extradition.

British diplomats have repeated assurances that the government was simply setting out the country's legal options, not making a specific threat to storm the nation's mission - a small apartment in London's ritzy Knightsbridge district, close to the famed Harrods department store.

"We are continuing to seek a diplomatic solution," a British government official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to comment publicly on the talks with Ecuador. "We remain ready to continue the conversations we have had, but that is now a question for the Ecuadorians."

Britain had held seven rounds of formal talks with Ecuador over the stalemate before Thursday's decision. But Foreign Secretary William Hague insists Britain has no option but to meet the obligations of a European arrest warrant and send Assange to Stockholm.

Former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, who is representing Assange, said Ecuador may consider making an appeal to the International Court of Justice in the Hague in order to compel Britain to grant Assange safe passage out of the country.

Assange, an Australian, shot to international prominence in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website began publishing a huge trove of American diplomatic and military secrets - including 250,000 U.S. embassy cables that highlight the sensitive, candid and often embarrassing backroom dealings of U.S. diplomats.

As he toured the globe to highlight the disclosures, two women accused him of sex offenses during a trip to Sweden.

Assange and his supporters claim the Swedish case is merely the opening gambit in a Washington-orchestrated plot to make him stand trial in the U.S. over his work with WikiLeaks - something disputed by both Swedish authorities and the women involved.

Diplomatic cables obtained under freedom of information laws and published Saturday by Australia's The Age newspaper showed Australian diplomats have held discussions on Assange's fate with the U.S.

A Virginia grand jury is studying evidence that might link Assange to Pfc. Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier who has been charged with aiding the enemy by passing the secret files to WikiLeaks and is awaiting trial. No action against Assange has yet been taken.

A document written in February detailed how Australia's ambassador to the U.S., Kim Beazley, had asked officials in Washington for advice on "the direction and likely outcome of the investigation" and requested "early advice of any decision to indict or seek extradition of Mr. Assange."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters traveling on Air Force One with President Barack Obama to campaign stops in New Hampshire on Saturday that "at this point the United States views this as a matter to be resolved between the British government, the Ecuadorean government and the Swedish government."

"At this point we've not intervened in this matter and I don't have any guidance now as to whether this would be a matter we intervene in," Earnest said.

WikiLeaks declined to comment in more detail on Assange's planned statement Sunday, however the organization has said Assange plans to speak outside the embassy - which if correct, could expose him to arrest.

If the 41-year-old steps foot outside Ecuador's mission, he faces immediate detention by the dozens of British police who surround the building and are stationed inside a shared lobby.

While Assange stays inside, he is seemingly out of reach of British authorities, prompting speculation that he may address the public from a window or the embassy's small balcony.

Kidnappers Strike Again in Enugu, Kidnap Hospital Boss

Barely three days after the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Enugu, Professor Cyprian Onyeji, was abducted, kidnappers struck again on Friday, abducting the Administrative Director of Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu, Mazi Jonah Ndubuisi Abah.

Abah was abducted while on his way to the morning mass and his whereabouts were not known.  A Spanish doctor working at the same hospital, Dr. Joe Machimbarrena, had been abducted early  this year.

Greenwich News learnt that Abah was with his wife and children in his car when he was accosted by gun men numbering about four. He was ordered out of the car and taken away by the men to an unknown place while the wife and children watched helplessly.

No contact has been established with the kidnappers as the victim was not with his phone when the incident occurred.
Operatives of the Police Anti Kidnap Squad in Enugu were said to have swung into action to ensure the release of the doctor.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the development, said the police were after the kidnappers.

Woman Seeks To Abolish Sex in Humans

Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it … The wonderful Cole Porter song, Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love, lists many of the species who enjoy pairing off: 'Even Pekineses at the Ritz do it!'
The Pekineses are not alone: 99.9 per cent of higher animal species reproduce themselves sexually. Species capable of reproducing themselves without contact between male and female are in the distinct minority.
Whiptail lizards and some hammer-head sharks apparently do it. Or rather, don’t do it. But so far no one has written a song about them and their lonely sexual endeavours.
But a research geneticist from Imperial College London, Aarathi Prasad, has tried to do the next best thing. Not only has she written a celebration of those eccentric creatures who are capable of reproducing by themselves without sexual contact, she controversially claims that sexless reproduction is the way of the future for humans, too.
A generation ago, test-tube babies were the stuff of science fiction: now, we accept these things as realities. In the same way, suggests Prasad, we could well be looking at a future in which human babies could be born without any sperm donors, let alone contact between the sexes. The future is sexless.
Since her publicity photographs show a beautiful young woman with bare shoulders posing coquettishly for the camera, some readers might feel that Aarathi Prasad is teasing them just a little.
But her book, Like A Virgin, is exploring a fundamentally serious theme, and one at the heart of Western liberal thinking. It is that we human beings are in control of our own destiny, and there is nothing sacred or special about life itself.
This is because we live in a world where science means we can manipulate everything — even the process of reproduction. Indeed, the central tenet of her story is that virgin births are now almost within the grasp of science. Can she really be serious?
And while she watches our jaws drop, she reminds us not to be prejudiced. If women can do it, why not men, she asks.
Already, in Australia, they have pioneered an artificial womb — a plastic container specially designed to hold fluids and bacteria found in natural wombs. Admittedly the creatures being developed in this artificial womb are grey nurse sharks — but, where sharks lead, humans could follow.
According to Prasad, it will one day be technically possible for a man to develop a child in one of these ‘wombs’ without the co-operation of any female partner.
Probably, by now, you are beginning to echo Captain Mainwaring’s words to his corporal in Dad’s Army: ‘I think you’re getting into the realms of fantasy here, Jones.’
But Prasad points out that science has already developed artificial sperm. And that such sperm has produced offspring. How far behind can be the synthetic egg?
Like so many scientists, Aarathi Prasad believes long-held taboos and traditions should be cast aside in the name of progress.
She wants us to drop all our prejudices about sex, sexual difference, reproduction and foetuses, and to allow science to develop in any way it chooses.
‘Why can’t a man be a mother?’ she asks. ‘Why do we care so much about what it means to be a 'mother' rather than to be a 'parent'?
‘By all reasonable estimates, in the near future we will conquer the tyranny of the womb. The question remains if we can also conquer the tyranny of human prejudice, too.’
Of course, she is being contentious so that her spirited book will sell. But Prasad is not a neutral research scientist: she is an out-an-out liberal campaigner in favour of taking research on human embryology and fertilisation as far as it will go.

Like so many scientists, Aarathi Prasad believes long-held taboos and traditions should be cast aside in the name of progress.
She wants us to drop all our prejudices about sex, sexual difference, reproduction and foetuses, and to allow science to develop in any way it chooses.
‘Why can’t a man be a mother?’ she asks. ‘Why do we care so much about what it means to be a 'mother' rather than to be a 'parent'?
‘By all reasonable estimates, in the near future we will conquer the tyranny of the womb. The question remains if we can also conquer the tyranny of human prejudice, too.’
Of course, she is being contentious so that her spirited book will sell. But Prasad is not a neutral research scientist: she is an out-an-out liberal campaigner in favour of taking research on human embryology and fertilisation as far as it will go.
In her vision of the world, it is only fuddy-duddies who would question why anyone — elderly women, men, you name it — should not become pregnant if they choose to indulge the whim.
She is a brilliant scientist, and I know nothing about her subject. But the greatest problem facing this planet isn’t the slight dip in human fertility in the West. Rather, as any third world charity worker will tell you, it is the vast problem of overpopulation, especially in parts of the world scarcely capable of feeding themselves.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the issue is not that a few selfish older ladies or gay men cannot have babies. It is that the babies who have already been born in vast numbers do not have enough to eat. Prasad’s book provides a very strong example of how scientists can ignore the blindingly obvious in an attempt to brainwash us.
No doubt there are some people who love to contemplate the brave new world in which the messy business of relationships between the sexes is done away with.
They probably rejoice at the idea of a future in which human beings are made from artificial sperm; a future where the ‘best’ baby is selected from 371 fertilised laboratory eggs and the others are chucked away.
If Aarathi Prasad is to be believed, such a concept does not belong to the realms of fantasy, but is, on the contrary, just round the corner.
For Prasad and those who think like her, it goes without saying that science offers us choice, and choice is always a good thing. But is it?
Would we really have a better world if we had been able to select our children in the way we might choose a pet in a shop? Is there not something healthy and adventurous about accepting what comes?
Is there not something creepy — almost Nazi — about the idea of trying to create for ourselves a perfect child who does not inherit Uncle Sid’s dyspepsia, Aunt Mavis’s wonky teeth, and those weird knees from Charles’s side of the family? Does not the attempt to make babies into designer items remove any of the adventure of being born?
Yet, above all, is there not something sinister and joyless about the notion of going it alone when it comes to reproducing ourselves?
In the old myth about the Garden of Eden, God says that ‘it is not good for man to be alone’. Modern science disagrees. It thinks there is nothing wrong with this.
A generation ago, we watched families breaking up in large numbers for the first time, and the breakdown of marriages. Nearly every observer of society agrees that this was calamitous, especially in the less privileged parts of our cities, where lack of family structure is the major background and cause of crime, psychological dislocation, and anti-social behaviour.
What appears to be a scientific exploration is actually a political tract, saying that we can do without a patriarchal, male-dominated society, do without Dad, without family, without any of the structures which have hitherto shaped the human destiny.
The subtitle of Prasad’s thesis is How Science Is Redesigning The Rules Of Sex. To my mind, this book is not so much redesigning the rules of sex as suggesting sex as we know it should be abolished.
It is a good example of something purporting to be a work of science but is, in fact, as brimful of prejudice as any religious text, and as biased as any loony tract.
The author is a clever geneticist, and I know nothing. But I very much doubt whether human beings ever will be able to reproduce without the time-honoured meeting of male and female. But even if she is right, how boring life would be without the mutual attractions of the sexes,  and the complexities, joys and frustrations of family relationships.

Policeman Kills 12 Year Old in Kano

A police sergeant attached to Gwale Police Division today shot dead a 12-year-old boy in Gwale quarters in Kano metropolis.

The boy, Hassan Muhammad, was hawking sachet water in front of his parents home when the cop, Laminu Adamu, shot him  in the face for undisclosed reasons, Greenwich News gathered.

The killing was said to have irked residents who reportedly converged on the nearby Gwale police station threatening to storm  it.

It was also gathered that the situation was saved after police reinforcements were dispatched to the area from the state command.

Explaining how the incident occured, an eyewitness said the victim, who was popular in the area and ran errands for policemen at the station near his home, was seated outside his home when the officer who was inside a patrol vehicle, shot him.

He said the remains of the boy, who died on the spot, was conveyed to by angry protesters to the Gwale station. 'They attempted to break into the station, demanding for justice. It took several policemen to contain the situation,' he said.

Our correspondent gathered that burial arrangements were being finalised for the victim at the time of filing this report, while his parents were said to have lodged complaints with the Kano Emirate Council, asking for the killer cop to be brought to book.

Meanwhile, the state police command in a swift reaction to the incident expressed 'deep regret' and promised to take appropriate action against the officer through a fair and open process.

The command, through its acting spokesperson, ASP Musa Magajji Majiya, said the policeman had  been disarmed and was facing orderly room trial، Majiya, who said the boy died at the hospital, added that 'The command regrets the unfortunate incident and hereby assures the public that justice will surely be done.'
A police sergeant attached to Gwale Police Division today shot dead a 12-year-old boy in Gwale quarters in Kano metropolis.

Patience Ozorkwo Starts Talent Hunt

Highly rated actress and one of Nollywood’s top earners, Patience Ozorkwo, popular known as Mama G is stirring things up in her hometown of Enugu.

The veteran actress who is smiling to the bank on the bill of MTN as one of the giant telecom company’s most celebrated faces is sharing her bounties with aspiring stars from her constituency and only last week organised a three-day screening to sieve out true talents from the sea of wanabes who came storming the initiative being put together by the Nollywood’s Queen Mother and her partners.
Though the idea to go hunting for fresh bloods is basically hers, she is being supported by others who have come on the train as partners. And to set the record straight the group founded an entertainment company named Dominion Entertainment Limited, simply abbreviated DEL.

According to Ejiro Okurame, who was one of Nollywood stars at the three-day screening exercise  that held in Enugu ”the company is meant to help develop raw talents of future entertainers who want to showcase what they have but have not been opportuned to do so due to the harassment and intimidation by some producers who take advantage of them.

Its headquarters is in the coal city (Enugu) where one of Nollywood’s icon was discovered and still resides, Patience Ozorkwo aka Mama G” she said

“The motto of the company is, creativity and morals. Its vision: promoting Christian values through entertainment and media. Objectives; to produce quality Nigerian movies that will instill Christian values; to correct the moral decadence in the movie industry; to provide a platform harnessing and promoting talents in the Christendom; to create job opportunities for the Nigerian citizen. Values; morality,hardwork and commitment, quality, integrity and creativity” she added

Joining the DEL group in Enugu for the screening exercise which consists of Patience Ozorkwo, Pastor Ifeanyi Emmanuel, Sunny Valentine Chukwu were Ejiro Okurame,Theodore Anyanji and Uzo Amayo Philips

Miss China Crowned Miss World 2012

Miss China won the coveted title of Miss World on Saturday, triumphing on home soil during a glitzy final held in a mining city on the edge of the Gobi desert.
The mostly Chinese audience erupted in cheers and fireworks lit up the sky when it was announced that the home candidate, Yu Wenxia, had been awarded the title.
“When I was young I felt very lucky because so many people helped me, and I hope in the future I can help more children to feel lucky,” Yu, a 23-year-old aspiring music teacher said when asked why she should be crowned.
Yu, who became China’s second Miss World winner, appeared on stage in a dazzling array of ballgowns during the two-hour final and serenaded the audience with a piercing rendition of a popular Chinese song.
Last year’s winner, Ivian Sarcos of Venezuela, handed over her crown to Yu, who wore a sparkling blue dress, in the futuristic Dongsheng stadium in the northeastern city of Ordos.
The final included a nod to the culture of Inner Mongolia, with a performance by a group of Mongolian musicians playing the erhu, a traditional two-stringed instrument.
Ordos, which sits around 700 kilometres (440 miles) from the nearest beach, was an unlikely setting for the world’s biggest beauty pageant.
The city has grown rich over the last decade on the back of a coal mining boom that has transformed it from a sandstorm-afflicted backwater into one of the wealthiest places in China.
The boom triggered a frenzy of building in the city, but the local government has struggled to fill the vast tower blocks that sprung up, earning it the title of China’s biggest ghost town.
However, enthusiastic competitors seemed unfazed by the locale, expressing optimism that with the help of the pageant, the city could leave its reputation behind and take its place alongside other global centres of glitz and glamour.
“Ordos could be the next Dubai,” Marielle Wilkie, representing the Caribbean nation of Barbados, confidently predicted.
Albanian contestant Floriana Garo chimed in with her own bold statement.
“In ten years, this city will be booming,” she said.
Architecture in Ordos, where the city museum is shaped like an undulating blob, is “world class,” added Markysa O’Loughlin, representing St. Kitts and Nevis, also in the Caribbean.
Contestants churned yoghurt in a nomad’s yurt and donned local dress to climb sand dunes during their month-long stint in China. Video clips shown during the final showed the beauty queens posing in swimwear on desert sand dunes.
A total of 116 contestants — the highest ever number to take part — took to the stage during the final in a variety of stunning gowns, with estimates that more than a billion people around the globe would be tuning in.
Miss Mexico Mariana Reynoso was the bookmakers’ favourite for the title, but failed to make the last seven candidates despite a strong showing in the early rounds of the pageant. Miss Wales Sophie Moulds came in second, while Miss Australia Jessica Kahawaty finished third.
A red ceremonial flag was passed over to representatives from the South East Asian resort island of Bali, hosts of the 2013 Miss World Final, during the ceremony.

Church Massacre: Nigerian Governor’s Aide Arrested

Nigerian police said they had arrested a governor’s aide over a church massacre and an attack on a military patrol that killed 23 people, but his involvement was not clear.
The attacks this month were similar to scores blamed on Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has targeted Christians as well as the security forces in a series of gun raids and suicide blasts.
Kogi state police chief Muhammed Katsina said that special adviser to the state governor, Yahaya Karaku and four others “are being detained and interrogated over their suspected involvement in the attacks on the Deeper Life Church and military patrol team”.
Gunmen stormed the evangelical church on August 6 in Okene in Kogi state, cut the electricity and opened fire on worshippers, killing 19 people including the pastor.
The following day, assailants shot at troops patrolling outside a government building in the city, sparking an exchange of gunfire that left two soldiers and two of the gunmen dead.
“We want to determine the involvement of these five suspects in these attacks as well as arms and ammunition recovered in Okene and its environs,” Katsina told Greenwich news.
“We want to trace the sources of these arms and those behind the attacks.”
Kogi state government spokesman Jacob Edi confirmed the arrests of Karaku and Abubakar Adagu, a former local government council chairman, vowing that officials would not protect them if they are found culpable.
“The law must take it course,” Edi said.
It was not clear who carried out the church killings or whether the two attacks were linked, although a police spokesman has said there was “suspicion” that the same group was responsible for both assaults.
The police also previously said they had raided a suspected hideout of militants who carried out attacks in the state, arresting a key leader and two other suspects.
The Islamist sect Boko Haram, which has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the north, is believed to include a number of factions, including those with local political links.
The group has killed more than 1,400 people since 2010 in attacks across northern and central Nigeria, according to Human Rights Watch.
In another development, a bomb blast in Jos, capital of Plateau state, has injured a civilian and damaged a police station as well as nearby houses, an army spokesman said on Friday.
“The police post, three other houses and a vehicle were affected by the blast. One person by the name Alhaji Abubakar Adam was injured,” Special Task Force spokesman in the city, Captain Salisu Mustapha, said in a statement.
The bomb exploded late Thursday between the police station and a residential building in the Muslim-dominated Rikkos district of Jos, capital of Plateau state.
Plateau has seen violent clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups as well as attacks blamed on Islamist militants Boko Haram. It lies in the middle belt region between the mainly Christian south and majority Muslim north.
“It is clear that the police station was the target of the attack,” Mustapha told Greenwich news.
Nigeria has tightened security ahead of this weekend’s Eid celebrations, and two main prayer grounds in Jos where violence has previously occurred have been put off-limits, with alternative areas provided.

15 Students Paraded Over Illegal Possession of Army Uniform in Benin

FIFTEEN students of the Delta State University, Asaba Campus and Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-uku were yesterday paraded in Benin by the 4th Brigade Nigerian Army  for allegedly being in possession of fake Army Uniforms and accoutrements.
The Brigade Public Relations Officer, Captain Roselyn Managbe while parading the suspects, disclosed that some of them have already confessed how they acquired the Army uniform from a Mobile Policeman. The Brigade spokesman also disclosed that both the police officer and the police tailor who sewed the uniform have been handed to the force authorities for further action.
She, however, warned the Public to be wary of persons in army uniform who may want to cash in on the situation to perpetrate crime.
She said the Army was disturbed over the spate of abuse of its uniform, insisting that different illegal bodies have impersonated the army to engage in kidnapping, robbery and illegal bunkering adding that “these groups arrested are not in any way associated with the Nigerian Army.”
One of the suspects interviewed, Solomon wisdom, a student of Delta State University Asaba campus, who confesses to the crime, said they are part of Para-military body authorised to operate within the campus.
“I have not used the uniform to commit any crime,  in fact we are still waiting for the school authority to finally approve our activities on campus before we were arrested and brought to Benin”
Among items recovered by the Army includes, dozens of army uniforms,  20 pairs of boots, 5 pairs of camouflage, cadet recruitment forms, 4 copy of Nigeria cadet identity cards, and ID card bearing Nigeria Army logo among others.

9ice changes names

As part of efforts to reposition himself in the music industry, the Alapomeji singing pearl, 9ice has changed his names.
Formerly known as Abolore Adegbola Akande, 9ice told Greenwich news he is taking the new names of  Alexander, Abolore, Adegbola, Alapomeji Ajifolajifaola.

9ice

Advancing reason for the name change, the Gongo Aso crooner said it was in line with his desire to please his fans who have taken a liking to the name Alapomeji.
“When I set up Alapomeji records, I didn’t reckon on my fans taking to the name. Now that they seem to love the name, I have decided to add it to my original names’”, he told Greenwich news.
On his father’s reaction to the new name, 9ice said, “Its my decision to adopt a new name and not my father’s. I am sure he will have nothing against my wish, knowing this is business”.

Ex Nollywood Actress Fights against Breast Cancer

Juliet

Ex-Nollywood actress, Juliet Aguwa is due to return home from her base in America as she continues her campaign against breast cancer.
The beautiful mother of two daughters who also survived the pangs of breast cancer when she was diagnosed of teh ailment stage 3c in 2008 is now preparing to storm Nigeria to continue her awareness programme for underserved Africans worldwide and the need to reach out to under-privileged African women who are undergoing the painful trauma caused by breast cancer.

Juliet

Through her Courage to Dare Foundation, Juliet who appeared in several TV series and Talk Shows on NTA, Lagos, including ‘Twist Away’ and ‘Memorial Hospital’ before she migrated to the USA to further her studies, is looking forward to launch its inaugural program, an educational Breast Cancer Awareness later this month at the instance of Imo State’s First Lady, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha.
The awareness programme will be the first ever event of its kind in the State.
Last year, Juliet’s awareness gala event attracted over 300 participants at Lagos State University and Lagos University Teaching Hospital and she is hoping to make an even bigger impression with her awareness programme in Imo State.
“Through Courage to Dare Foundation, I am determined to ensure that individuals of African descent have access to information about breast cancer and also have access to preventive mammogram screenings.
“These days, I feel as though breast cancer gave me a new life. Before I had breast cancer, I worked hard on being a mother and a wife, and I think one of the things I neglected most was me! So after cancer, I decided that you only have one time to live your life. I want to go back to the film industry. I am pursuing a master’s degree in public health in Wisconsin where I live now.
“I am also going to keep talking about breast cancer because people have to know that being diagnosed with the disease doesn’t mean that they are going to die, that with early detection and quick action, they can survive breast cancer.” She said.

PHCN: NLC Commences Solidarity Strike Next Wednesday

The Nigeria Labour Congress said it has concluded arrangements to call workers in the country out on industrial action as solidarity with workers of the Power holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, who it said, were being unfairly treated by Ministry of Power over their stand that the right things be done before the planned privatisation of the PHCN by the Federal Government.
It said it had set up strike mobilisation committees across the country preparatory to the planned strike which it said, would commence immediately if there was deadlock in their meeting with the government on Wednesday, next week.
The NLC which addressed the press Friday, in Abuja, through its Acting President, Promise Adewumi and Acting General Secretary, Chris Uyot respectively, on the impasse in negotiation between the workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, and the Federal Government, accused the former of being insincere in settling the dispute.
The union said the Federal government reneged on its demand that soldiers should be called off from the PHCN facilities as well as immediate payment of July salary to all PHCN workers for genuine negotiation to commence, saying it was not ready to accept any excuse from the government if the next meeting billed for Wednesday does not address its demands immediately.
The labour also urged the Federal Government to create the enabling environment for a meaningful dialogue just as it asked the government to call the Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnaji to order, saying the minister has resorted to negative utterances against the workers.
‘’We call on the Federal Government to do the needful by creating the enabling environment for a meaningful dialogue to resolving the issues by calling the Minister of Power to order, withdrawing soldiers from PHCN offices nationwide, and setting up a high powered committee to sincerely address the legitimate concerns of the PHCN workers”, it said

ASUU boss brutalised as RSUST VC crisis deepens

LINGERING tussle over who becomes next Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt assumed violent dimension yesterday with Dr. Felix Igwe, branch Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) reportedly brutalised.
The ASUU leader who has been leading the union on a collision with the varsity’s management is said to be receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital after he was battered by assailants suspected to be security operatives at a congress of the union on the university campus.
The assault on Dr. Igwe comes four days into the ongoing strike by members of the union in resentment of the appointment of immediate past VC of the university, Prof. Barikeme Fakae as Acting VC. Condemning the attack, human rights lawyer, Mr. Ken Atsuete, has called for investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault on the university don.
Mr. Atsueke who described the assault on the ASUU leader as “dastardly and barbaric” assumed that the masterminds of the act may not be “far away from the university authorities.”
Calling on major parties in the leadership crisis rocking the university to shun violence in advancing their interests, Mr. Atsuete concluded that resorting to “violence means that somebody is fighting because he or she is not qualified to be in a certain position he is occupying right now.”
The strike by the branch ASUU demanding Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers to nullify his appointment of Prof. Fakae as Acting VC has paralysed academic activities in the university since Monday.
It would be recalled that the university Public Relations Officer, Mr. Desmond Nwosu had earlier discredited the strike as amounting to dereliction of duty by the lecturers on ground that the school authorities were not pre-informed, a position Dr. Igwe refuted.

Salah Hopes Dashed As New Moon is Not Sighted

Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar

Hopes that the Ramadan fast would be concluded last night was dashed over the failure to sight the new moon.  A statement from the Sultan of Sokoto, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, noted that the Muslim fast will continue through the weekend as a result.

The Eid-el-Fitr celebrations would have been held on Sunday.

Walnuts ‘improve sperm health’ in Young Men

Eating around two handfuls of walnuts a day improves sperm health in young men, a study in the journal Biology of Reproduction suggests.
Sperm shape, movement and vitality improved in men who added walnuts to their diet over 12 weeks.

The fatty acids found in these nuts are thought to have helped sperm development. It is not known if this would help improve male fertility.

About one in six couples are infertile, with 40% of these due to a male factor.

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield said: “It would be relatively easy to poke fun at studies like this, but there is increasing evidence to show that aspects of a man’s diet can affect the number and quality of sperm produced by his testicles.”

The researchers say the next step is to work with couples who are attending infertility clinics to determine if placing sub-fertile men, with poor semen quality, on a walnut diet results in better success conceiving.

It is thought that infertility in men may be a result of too few sperm being made, or that the sperm have poor swimming ability, size or shape. Walnut supplement

This study involved 117 men between the ages of 21 and 35, who were divided into two groups. One group added 2.6 ounces (75 grams) of whole-shelled walnuts to their daily diet.

The other group continued their usual diet but avoided eating tree nuts. Both groups ate a typical Western-style diet.

Lead author, Prof Wendie Robbins from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health said: “We found a significant improvement in sperm parameters in the group that consumed the walnuts.

Healthy sperm

“The men who ate no tree nuts saw no change.”

Sperm quality improved in terms of concentration, vitality, movement, shape and chromosome abnormalities.

Dr Pacey said: “The study has been well executed and my only criticism would be that the men in the walnut-eating arm of the trial could have altered other aspects of their behaviour to give the results shown in the paper.

“A better trial would be to produce tablets of walnut extract that looked identical to a placebo so that the study was completely blind.

“In spite of this, the results of the study show a small but statistically significant improvement in sperm health.”

These benefits may be down to the fatty acids in the nuts.

Co-author Catherine Carpenter, from the UCLA Centre for Human Nutrition said: “Walnuts provide a particularly rich source of a-linolenic acid, a natural plant source of omega-3, which we suspect may have been responsible for the improvements we observed.”

The walnuts for the study were supplied by the California Walnut Commission and the study was funded by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health.

2 Friends Gang-Rape Teenager, Take Victim’s Nude Photo

A 17-year old girl (name withheld) has narrated before an Ejigbo magistrate’s court in Lagos, how two friends, Ekene Uzor, 24, and Eni Daniel, 21, allegedly gang-raped her after they had forced her to suck their penises. They also took her nude photo with their camera phones.
The teenager was giving evidence before the court in a two-count charge of forcing her to suck the defendants’ penises and gang-raping her.
At Thursday’s resumed hearing before the trial magistrate, Mrs. M.B. Folami, the girl said she knew Daniel Uzor, who is in the entertainment industry, at her mother’s shop in Surulere, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
The victim stated that Uzor promised to groom her to become a star in the entertainment industry and under this guise, he invited her to his residence at 10, Joe Ejeye, Jakande Estate, Ejigbo.
She said on the day of the incident, she went to Uzor’s flat where his friend, Eni Daniel was already waiting, adding that immediately she entered, Uzor locked the door to the flat.
“They came to me and started fondling my breasts and other parts of my body. They ordered me to remove my dress. They started taking my nude photographs and threatened to post them on the internet.
“They forced me to suck their penises. They had rounds of sex with me in turns. When they were satisfied, they told me to go. But they did not delete my nude photographs in their camera phones,” the girl narrated her ordeal.
She disclosed that she did not inform anyone of her experience because of fear that her nude photographs might be posted on the internet.
But after some days, she summoned the courage and narrated the incident to her grandfather who took her to the police station to report the matter.
She said when the police arrested Uzor and Eni,  her nude photographs were still in their mobile phones. The photographs were later downloaded and printed in hard copies. The court admitted them as exhibits.
The police prosecutor, Mr. Oladejo Balogun, charged Uzor and Eni before the court with the offences punishable under sections 409 and 259 of the criminal code laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.
At the commencement of the case, they pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.
The trial magistrate, Mrs. Folami admitted them to bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Uzor and Eni were remanded in prison custody pending when they will perfect their bail condition.
The court has adjourned the matter till 31 August, 2012 for continuation of the trial.

Driver, 28, pleads guilty for stealing madam’s car

A 28-year-old driver on Friday pleaded guilty to stealing a Toyota Camry car valued at two million naira, belonging to his employer.

The defendant, Nurudeen Ayew, was charged with stealing the vehicle before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Magistrate Olalekan Aka-Bashorun.

The prosecutor, Insp. Godwin Anyanwu, told the court that Ayew, an employee of one Mrs Chidinma Nlemigbo, resides with his employer at 76, Somide St., Omole phase 2, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said that the driver on Aug. 6 stole the vehicle from where it was parked by his employer at the premises of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Yaba.  According to the prosecutor, the defendant drove the vehicle away without the complainant’s knowledge.

Anyanwu told the court that the complainant, a legal practitioner, emerged from CAC to discover that her car was gone.

He said that all efforts to reach the accused failed as his phones were switched off.

He said that the accused was later arrested with the vehicle by the police.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravenes Section 285 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State. Aka-Bashorun adjourned the case to Aug. 22 for facts and sentencing.

Dangote, Others Under Investigation For Oil Subsidy Scam

The Federal Ministry of Finance on Friday listed M.R.S. Oil and Gas Ltd, believed to be owned by billionaire businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; as well as Conoil Plc, owned by Dr. Mike Adenuga; and Capital Oil, owned by Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah, and 18 others as oil firms under investigation for alleged fuel subsidy fraud.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Finance Minister on Media, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu.
The statement said the firms were being investigated based on the report of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy Payments headed by the Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank Plc., Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.
The companies are Alminnur Resources Ltd, Brilla Energy Ltd, Caades Oil and Gas Ltd, Capital Oil and Gas Industry Ltd, Connoil Plc, Downstream Energy Source Ltd., and Eterna Plc.
Others are Euraafric Oil and Gas Ltd, Lumen Skies Ltd, Majope Investment Ltd, Matrix Energy Ltd, Menon Oil and Gas Ltd, Mob International Services and M.R.S. Oil and Gas Ltd.
The rest include Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Natacel Petroleum Ltd, Ocean Energy Trading and Services, Pinnacle Contractors Ltd, Sifax Oil and Gas Company, Tonique Oil Services Ltd and Top Oil and Gas Development Co. Ltd.
The statement noted that the Aig-Imoukhuede committee’s report recommended that these firms should refund various sums to the Federal Government’s treasury.
Also, the statement listed a second group of companies with infractions considered by the government and Aig-Imoukhuede-led committee as  “relatively minor.”
According to the statement, these categories of companies are in discussion with government for a quick resolution of their issues.
It gave conditions in which government was prepared to settle their claims.
“For oil marketers under investigation for possible refunds to the government, their 2012 outstanding claims will be netted out against their expected refunds to government.
“For those with a positive net balance, that is outstanding claims greater than expected refunds will be processed and paid,” the statement said.
Also, the statement said for marketers that owed government more in refunds than government owes them, the Aig-Imoukhuede committee would accelerate review of their documents after the Eid-el- Fitr public holidays.
It assured Nigerians that claims for marketers in this category would be processed and settled, if cleared, without further delay after the public holiday.
“For others that may not be in the above categories but who have other issues or claims, their claims will also be addressed with the same dispatch,” the statement added.
The statement also reiterated that the ministry was not responsible for the looming fuel supply shortage in Abuja and environs caused by the oil marketers strike over delayed payment of subsidy claims. 
“ It is clear that those behind the strikes are marketers being investigated. These elements have now resorted to hiding behind the unions to unnecessarily antagonise government and create hardship for Nigerians.
“We want to make it clear that government will fully investigate their activities and if found guilty, bring them to book and recover all public funds fraudulently obtained, in the guise of fuel subsidy claims.
“No degree of blackmail will stop the government from doing its work. Government will, therefore, pursue justice and ensure that those who are found guilty are appropriately sanctioned,” it said.
The statement reaffirmed that between April and August, the Sovereign Debt Notes amounting to N42.66 billion were issued to 31 oil marketers, in respect of the 2012 fuel subsidy claims.
“These are incontrovertible facts which confirm government’s commitment to ensuring that issues concerning genuine marketers with legitimate claims are dealt with expeditiously,” it added.

State Police is Okay - Babangida

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida on Thursday described the insecurity in the country as a passing phase associated with any developing nation.
General Babangida who made the observation in an interview in Minna said the solution to the problem is dialogue and perseverance.

The former president also threw his weight behind the calls for the establishment of state police, saying that the fears being entertained in certain quarters for the creation of state police were unfounded.

“Left to me, the whole essence of governance is to provide adequate security for the people and in whatever way this is achieved, it is acceptable. I don’t think what happened in the 50s should continue to haunt us. We should try to move on.

“When we were there, we established the National Guards that was so vilified and was later dropped. Why should we think that what happened in the 50s when the regional police were used to intimidate members of the opposition political parties will continue to happen under the present dispensation.

“I don’t think the incumbent governors can use state police to intimidate anybody. Honestly, the fear is unfounded.”

General Babangida expressed optimism that the country will overcome the present security challenges rocking some parts of the country saying that the country had overcome similar crisis in the past and can still do it again.

While calling for support from the federal government in tackling the raising security problem, he appealed to Nigerians not to allow the present crisis to divide the country along ethnic line.

He also enjoined the Nigerian media practitioners to stop giving prominence to those suggesting the break-up of Nigeria and described the call on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign as laughable.

Army Donates Suicide Bomb Stoppers CAN, JNI

The Nigerian Army has donated 174  Suicide Bomber Vehicle Stopping Instrument each to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) at the 1 DIV Head Quarters of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna.

The GOC, Major General Garba Wahab, said in an interview that the army is not claiming to be winning the war but it is on top of the situation because according to him, “if you say you are winning the war, then that means we know what is going to happen next and we are ready for it”.

Wahab said the suicide bomb stoppers are very effective in stopping suicide bombers vehicles, saying it is not only in Nigeria that the instrument had been used but has also been used extensively in Pakistan.

“We are not just discovering the instruments; we just had to be very careful so that innocent people do not get injured along the line. We had a situation where people refused to stop at check-points and now people are realizing the need for them to stop”, he said.

Chairman of CAN, Kaduna State, reverend Simon Kujyat, and that of JNI Alhaji Ja’afaru Makarfi expressed appreciation to the army for the gesture.

Unless We Pray, There Will Be No Election in 2015 - White Witches

Chief Okhue Iboi is the Spokesperson for the Community of Nigerian White Witches. The 53 years old native    of  Edo State is proud of his association. “I am a white witch whose duty is to repair and not to destroy”. He is known for benevolence magic and accurate prediction.

In this interview, “The Gifted One” unveils after the meeting of White Witches held  in Abuja last  Thursday “that witches, are trying their best to ensure that there is peace in the country and reveals that former president Ibrahim Babangida is not a terrorist. “He is the best president Nigeria has ever had.” He disclosed that the witches have concurred that the EFCC should investigate the Central Bank of Nigeria. He never failed to applaud president Jonathan for his steadfastness amid the security challenges in Nigeria. Excerpts

My story

My father. Chief Jonah Iboi, was a respected community leader, a farmer and  hunter. He went on hunting expedition with one of his friends. At a point, he heard the screaming of an animal in pain. He cocked his gun and pulled out his matchet to kill a deer he saw, but  to his amazement the deer was not held by a trap but was on the verge of giving birth.

Having allowed the deer to have its birth, a voice echoed from the animal that he should not touch it if he still wish to have his own children.
My father was not overly surprised about what he has seen and heard from the animal because of his knowledge of herbs enable him to understand the whole incident.

He, however, kept this bizarre experience to himself, until a month later when one of his five wives, Alice, being my mother became pregnant. Instead of the usual nine months, I spent 12 months in my mothers womb. When I was born in the 50s, I had leaves in my hands, which was a symbolic prelude to what I am renowned for today, as an herbalist, white witch.

As a white witch, where are the areas you specialize most?

I started from my childhood. I did not learn it but was a natural gift from birth. I also heal different types of sicknesses. I was asked to leave the primary school because, during those days, I do perform magic in the class and if a teacher is writing on the blackboard, instead of seeing what the woman is writing, I will be seeing different types of leaves there. I predicted in 1993 during the time of M.K.O. that he will win but will not be sworn in because of what he did to Awolowo.

I also predicted to IBB that because of what he did to MKO, he will not rule Nigeria again. I will not deny the fact that IBB is the best head of state Nigeria has ever had. I have predicted to so many people and it came to pass. Even in our other word, we praise him as the best head of state this country has ever had.

What is the difference between white witches and other ones?

White witches are the group that sees to the welfare of the people. We use our powers to heal people, predict what will happen in future and just for the good of the people. But people mis-understood us. They think we are the ones that kill people. It is only the black witches that can do that.

Like as we are thinking of the way to make the country good, the black witch can never think likewise. That is just the difference between the white and black witches. We also have international body where the whole witches in the whole world meets. We can meet anywhere anytime.

Recently, the Boko Haram sect made their demand that the president should resign for the deputy to take over and he should also change to Muslim for peace to reign, as a spokesman to Nigerian White Witches, what is your take on that?

Their demands can never be possible. To me, they are just joking. They know that it is quite impossible for Jonathan to comply to such demand. In our meeting in Abuja (Witches), we have seen it before other people that their demand cannot be possible. So, they should better stop disturbing themselves. We know that everything will soon settle. Peace will soon return to the country but it is just a matter of time.

You said that they will soon stop bombing, what do you think are the conditions for them to stop the bombing?

Yes, we have sent their leaders to talk to them. It will not be more than three months anymore the whole situation will return to normal. We the witches are trying our best to ensure that there is peace in the country. So we have sent messages across to Northern witches to talk to their people to give peace a chance.

State policing

I do not think there is any need for that. It will not bring solution to the problem. Most governors will use state police to victimise their opponents especially, during election period.

You know any law is made in this country, we the witches see that ahead of every other person. We know if it will work or not. I know that this state policing is a failed project. They will adopt the use of vigilante instead of the state policing.

Demolition of houses  in Abuja?

As you rightly said, yes we saw that. And we knew that it will not bring any problem in the country. People whose houses were affected will only complain after which, they will settle.

All the land are owned by government, so the government has the reserved right to ask people who did not comply with their requirements to leave whenever they want. We Nigerians are very stubborn. We Nigerians do not like doing what is right, we prefer the hard way.

Over dependence on oil

I strongly do not agree with this Nigerian idea of putting all their trust in oil as the only source of livelihood. There are some other countries that do not have oil but they still survive better than us. So I do not see any reason why a reduction in oil price in Europe will be affecting us here in Nigeria.

We should find other thing to develop as a source of living instead of believing solely in oil. The funniest part of the whole thing is that this oil money is circulating in the hands of few Nigerians while others are suffering.

Impeachment saga ?

Yes, we have had a meeting of the National Conference of Nigerian White Witches in Abuja about that issue and we have seen that it cannot work. They cannot impeach the president.

Privatization of PHCN?

That is a very wonderful idea. The best way I believe to tackle the problem of power failure is if the PHCN is privatized. If this happens, there will be competition in the sector just like what is happening in the telecommunication industry. There are different companies who are ready to render the services properly at a very cheaper rate.

So, everybody is struggling to meet up in order not to lose its customers. With this PHCN privatization, you can comfortably choose which company to use and in a situation where any of the companies fail in its service delivery, you conveniently, change to another company. A huge amount of money has been pumped into this sector which suppose to make it work perfectly well starting from the Obasanjo administration.

But we do not know where all these money are being directed at. Some individuals will sit in their houses and embezzle the money meant for the good of the nation. In fact, this is a very wonderful idea by the government. We applauded the idea when we heard it.

On CBN

The witches want the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the Central Bank of Nigeria. That is one institution that many people have not look into. The governor, Mr. Sanusi is a good man but the people that are working with him are not sincere, so they should be investigated, because we have seen it from our world.

What do the witches foresee in 2015 general elections?

In that year, Nigerians need to pray as they have never prayed before because, from what we see at night during our meetings, there will be war. All the religions in the country should pray. Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers should pray whether there will be election that year.

The Northerners are saying that they are cheating them that they supposed to produce the head of state, likewise the Easterners and other parts of the country. This will create problem. And if Nigerians cannot pray, there will be  no election.

IBB Vs Clark

I want to tell you the truth; IBB has no hand in Boko Haram. He with other Imans are praying seriously for the good of this country. I do not see any reason why somebody will be suspecting him. He is innocent.

Chances of Jonathan on second tenure

It will be very hard. Jonathan going for the second tenure will be very hard for him. Because, there will be a very big problem. Though he is a very nice man but since he is not a military man, his chances are not bright.

What are the strategies the witches put on ground to avert these problems you are saying?

Yes, we are trying our best to see that there is no problem in the country because, if problem starts, it is the poor masses that will suffer. The rich will fly away with their families. In our meeting last Thursday in Abuja, we have agree to come together to form a strong formidable force to be able to hold the country together for good.

Calls for National Confab

Then we agreed that the president should call all the ex-presidents both during the military and civilian and solicit for their support to enable him do his duty very well. He should call them irrespective of their political affiliation. So that everybody will say what he/she thinks about the problem in the country?

The national conference should include representative from the six geopolitical zones and different age groups should also be represented. Then, they will put heads together for the good of the country.

Fresh Explosion Near Police Station In Jos Injures One

One person was injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded near the Rikkos Police Post in Jos on Friday.

Captain Salisu Mustapha, spokesman for the Military Special Task Force (STF), maintaining security in Plateau, said in a statement in Jos, that that the explosion affected the police post and three other houses.

Also affected by the blast that happened on Layin-Walin Street, Jos was one vehicle, the statement said.

It said that the injured person, one Alhaji Abubakar Adamu, had been taken to hospital, while investigation was ongoing on the incident.

“But the area is calm and people are going about their normal activities,’’ the STF spokesman said. (NAN)

Worldwide Protests As Three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot Get 2 Years Jail Term Each

Three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, over a protest in a cathedral.

Judge Marina Syrova said the women had "crudely undermined social order" during their action in February.

The women say their "punk prayer" was a political act in protest against the Russian Orthodox Church leader's support of President Vladimir Putin.

Prosecutors are seeking a three-year jail sentence.

The verdict is still being read out.

Judge Syrova said Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29, had offended the feelings of Orthodox believers and shown a "complete lack of respect".

"Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina and Samutsevich committed hooliganism - in other words, a grave violation of public order," she said.

The judge quoted prosecution witnesses as saying the act had been one of blasphemy, not politics.

Worldwide protests

Along with other members of their band, the women staged a flashmob-style performance of their song close to the altar in the cathedral on 21 February.

Their brief, obscenity-laced performance, which implored the Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out", enraged the Orthodox Church - its leader Patriarch Kirill said it amounted to blasphemy.

Mr Putin was elected for a second term as president two weeks later.

Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova and Samutsevich, watching Friday's proceedings from inside a glass-walled cage in the courtroom, smiled as the widely predicted verdict was delivered.

The BBC's Daniel Sandford, in Moscow, says the defendants are all handcuffed in the dock, whereas on other days the handcuffs had been removed.

On Thursday, Tolokonnikova had said she was "not bitter about being in jail". But, speaking through her lawyer on Twitter, she said: "Politically, I am furious."

"Our imprisonment serves as a clear and unambiguous sign that freedom is being taken away from the entire country," she said.

The women have been detained for the past five months.

Their defence lawyer said before the hearing that they were hoping for an acquittal, "but they are ready to continue to fight".

Large crowds of supporters have gathered outside the court in Moscow, including prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Associated Press news agency said a number of protesters had been arrested, including ex-world chess champion Garry Kasparov and opposition politician Sergei Udaltsov.

There were also pro-Pussy Riot protests in Paris, where demonstrators in Igor Stravinsky square chanted "Freedom", and in Kiev, where women protesters sawed down a wooden cross in a central square.

Other shows of support took place in Belgrade, Berlin, Sofia, London, Dublin and Barcelona.

The band have also had vocal support from artists including Paul McCartney and Madonna, and from politicians.

Critics of the band have also been demonstrating, saying the stunt was an insult to the Russian Orthodox Church.

One, Igor Kim, told the BBC News website from Moscow: "Shouting and screaming and spreading hate in Church is unacceptable and is contrary with Christian ethics."

One protester outside court in Moscow simply shouted: "Let Pussy Riot and all their supporters burn in hell."

South African Police Shoot Protesting Miners

A policeman gestures in front of some of the dead miners after they were shot outside a South African mine in Rustenburg, northwest of Johannesburg, August 16, 2012. 

South African police opened fire on thousands of striking miners armed with machetes and sticks at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine, leaving several bloodied corpses lying on the ground.

Usher returns to court as closing arguments are delivered in custody battle with ex-wife

Usher's Ex- wife Makes Her Argument in Court

Usher's long-running court battle with his ex-wife over the custody of their children looks set to be decided next week.

The 33-year-old RnB star and Tameka Foster were both giving evidence this week as she tries to prevent the singer from taking sole custody of their two young sons, while closing arguments were delivered today.

They currently have a co-parenting agreement for four-year-old Usher Raymond V and Naviyd, three, but the Yeah favourite is seeking sole custody, accusing his former spouse of being a bad mother.

According to Fox Atlanta, an attorney representing the vocalist said: 'We believe the evidence is that Ms Raymond is incapable of being a proper parent to these children.

'That she does not have the emotional stability or capacity to bond with them, and therefore she is handicapped.'

However the 41-year-old stylist's attorney Lisa West told the court the pop star is on the road all the time, and cannot rely on the 'village' of his mother, grandmother and aunt, who all attended, to keep the children.

She added that he does not have a good relationship with his mother, and said Miss Foster is determined to fight for custody.

The two divorced in 2009 and both sides admitted the current co-parenting arrangement is not working.

Kidnap Victim Escapes as Kidnapper's Vehicle is involved in An Accident.

It was one of those mysteries of life: a person is kidnapped; somewhere along the line the kidnap goes awry and the victim is set free from the abductors, without the victim having to pull any punches or ransom being paid.
Annabel Erikowa, a 26 year-old woman resident in Lagos State has just had a similar experience.
Kidnapped in Lagos by four armed men, she was rescued by an accident involving the vehicle conveying her and her abductors from Lagos to an unknown destination.
Annabel who works in her father’s resort located at Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State was abducted by four gunmen last week. Then they forced her into their vehicle after masking her.
The kidnappers were heading to unknown destination when the vehicle in which they conveyed their victim crashed around Ofosu town, along Benin-Lagos highway.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Edo State Command, Mr. Agberebi Egbuson disclosed that the Police in Iguobazuwa division on receipt of a distress call of an accident, rushed to the scene.
They were however amazed when four of the five accident victims they were supposed to rescue took to their heels on sighting the police.
“When the policemen approached the scene, four young men around the vehicle took to their heels. We later realized that they were actually kidnappers as a young girl was found inside,” the DCP disclosed.
Narrating her ordeal in the hands of her abductors, Annabel said she was in her father’s hotel in Lagos when four heavily armed men ordered her to a waiting vehicle and later blind folded her while they embarked on a long journey.
She could not, however, ascertain what led to the accident or where it occurred but she affirmed that police arrival to the accident scene made her abductors to abandon her.
Annabel has since been reunited with her family.

Do Eggs Kill Your Heart?

Is your breakfast omelet harming your heart? A recent study by researchers at Western University in Canada found that the more egg yolks people ate, the thicker their artery walls became — an indicator of heart disease risk — and that the effect was almost as bad as from smoking cigarettes.

In the study, the researchers measured carotid plaque build-up in the arteries of 1,231 men and women, average age 62, who were seeking care at cardiovascular-health clinics. Participants filled out questionnaires detailing lifestyle habits including medication use, cigarette smoking and egg-yolk consumption. The researchers gauged how much people smoked and how many egg yolks they ate over time, by calculating their “pack-years” (the number of packs of cigarettes people smoked per day multiplied by the number of years they spent smoking) and “egg-yolk years” (how many egg yolks they ate per week for how many years).

After about age 40, participants’ plaque began building up steadily, but among the participants who ate the most eggs — three or more yolks per week — that build-up increased “exponentially,” the study found. As people’s egg-yolk years went up, so did their plaque accumulation — an association that was independent of factors like gender, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking, body mass index and diabetes.

Among the 20% of participants who ate the most eggs, the carotid plaque build-up was about two-thirds that of the study’s heaviest smokers. The researchers concluded that the plaque increase from eating eggs “follows a similar pattern to that of cigarette smoking.”

Arterial accumulation of plaque is a key risk factor for heart attack and stroke. As plaque builds up, it thickens artery walls and narrows the space through which blood can flow, forcing the heart to pump harder. If plaques become unstable, they can break off and form clots, which can halt blood flow to either the brain or the heart, causing stroke or heart attack.

The authors argue that their findings should quell doubts over the link between high dietary cholesterol and heart disease. “The prevailing tendency to ignore dietary cholesterol as a risk factor for coronary heart disease requires reassessment, including the consumption of cholesterol from eggs,” the authors wrote.

The government’s dietary guidelines recommend that adults consume no more than 300 mg of cholesterol a day. One whole egg contains about 180 mg of cholesterol, nearly two-thirds of your daily recommended ma.

“The mantra ‘eggs can be part of a healthy diet for healthy people’ has confused the issue. It has been known for a long time that a high cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular events, and egg yolks have a very high cholesterol content,” study author Dr. David Spence, a professor of neurology at western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, said in a statement. “In diabetics, an egg a day increases coronary risk by two- to five-fold.

However, the study’s findings raised brows among other health experts, ABC News reports:

Cardiologists say the study shouldn’t be taken so seriously because the research is flawed.

“This is very poor quality research that should not influence patient’s dietary choices,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, who chairs the department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in an email. “It is extremely important to understand the differences between ‘association’ and ‘causation’.”
Nissen said the researchers relied on patients to recall how many eggs they consumed, but asked them once and assumed it remained constant, which isn’t reliable. He said the way researchers measured patients’ plaque has come under “considerable criticism,” and that researchers failed to adjust for other dietary factors.
Indeed, it’s possible that the people who ate a lot of eggs also tended to eat a lot of other high-fat, high-salt or high-cholesterol foods. Or maybe they also tended to exercise less.

The researchers say that while further studies are needed to flesh out the association, people at risk for heart disease should still refrain from eating egg yolks on a regular basis.

The study is published in the journal Atherosclerosis.

A Peep Into P Square's Mansion

Peter Okoye uploaded photos from inside his 'Squareville' home on Instagram. We got some of the best views here.