U.S. Women Win U-20 World Cup After Olympic Triumph

The Spain of women's football. The U.S. under-20 team celebrate their World Cup success

The United States won the women's under-20 World Cup for the third time on Saturday after Kealia Ohai scored late in the first half to secure a 1-0 win over defending champions Germany in the final. It is America's second football triumph in a month following the women's victory at the London 2012 tournament. However, despite the strength of won's football in the nation - the domestic league, the WPS, was cancelled at the start of 2012 and there's little sign of its return. The victory came when Crystal Dunn beat a German defender in the area and squared a pass to Ohai, who sent a right-foot shot over goalkeeper Laura Benkarth in the 44th minute. "I saw Crystal making a run and every time she does that you know she is going to get something in the box,'' Ohai said. "I sprinted as fast as I could and she got the ball to me and I just squared it.'' Ohai's goal was the first given up by Germany in the tournament. The two teams met in the group stage, with Germany winning 3-0 on Aug. 27 in Miyagi. "It was a great performance by our team,'' U.S. coach Steve Swanson said. "It's a reflection of a lot of people's efforts. We had some adversity in the group stage but the players learned from that and our character showed tonight.'' Result turnaround Germany pressed forward for an equaliser after the break but the Americans defended staunchly to protect the lead. Leonie Maier rattled the crossbar from distance in the 72nd and came close again with a long-range shot in the final minute, but U.S. goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin made a good save. "Our defence got better and better as the tournament went on,'' Swanson said. "They deserve a lot of credit, and when I say that I include the goalkeeper. We needed to stay compact. We got a little stretched out against Germany in the first game against them so we knew we needed to be better defensively and that was a key to our winning tonight.'' Germany scored 15 goals in the group stage, but just couldn't find a way to break through in the final. "I don't think beating them 3-0 had any implications for today's match,'' Germany coach Maren Meinert said. "Playing the United States is always tough. We gave up a goal in the first half and that made it harder for the players to respond and it was a totally different situation than the first time we played them.'' The U.S. also won this tournament in 2002 and 2008. Germany won in 2004 and 2010. Earlier on Saturday, Japan beat Nigeria 2-1 to take third place.

N78m Conference Fund Scam: Anti-Fraud Police Storm Bayelsa Assembly

                                  Speaker Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Kombowei Benson

Policemen from the Anti- fraud unit, Force headquarters, Abuja, Friday stormed the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to investigate the alleged diversion of N78million approved by the state government for the 43rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in South Africa which held from June 29 to July 8.

The action of the Police was based on a petition by a civil society group, Transparency and Good Governance Coalition claiming that the Speaker, Kombowei Benson and members after receiving the sum failed to attend the 43rd CPA conference but allegedly diverted the money.

But surprisingly, a few moments after being grilled, the speaker and some members of the House took off for Malaysia Friday.

Speaking at a 2-day Capacity Training for Journalists organised by the Federated Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Yenagoa Friday, the Speaker, Kombowei Benson who was represented by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Preye Kiyaremo argued that the claims of the petitioners were not true and that the members of the House have been questioned by the anti-fraud unit of the Nigerian Police on the allegations.

Benson said though the House members arrived late for the conference due to late procurement of visas, the members returned the sum of N19.5million of unspent fund on registration for the conference, “the Speaker is a God-fearing man and he is man that does not do anything that is fraudulent.”

“We arrived at the venue of the conference late and got the closing ceremony. We interacted with other legislators and got the communiqué arrived at by member legislators. Our arrival was late because of the delay in the visa. And on the 3rd of August, we refunded the sum of 19.5million being sum for the registration that were not expended.”

Nokia unveils phone to challenge Apple

Nokia, along with its partner Microsoft, has unveiled its new smartphone which comes in two models that will use the Windows operating system.

The companies are hoping to become bigger players in the market now dominated by Apple and devices using Android software.

Man 56, Killed by Friends to Appease Local Deity in Ondo State

''The heart of man is desperately wicked; who can know it'' This Biblical assertion perhaps aptly captures the story of how Mr. Olufemi Ogunkorede, 56, was craftily lured to death by his bosom friends and others. The motive and intrigues that preceded the murderous plot is now the subject of investigation by men of the Ondo State Police Command who have sworn to unearth the sacrificial killing of Ogunkorode, a Lagos based businessman, who specialised in the supply of medical equipment.

Ogunkorede was a childhood friend of Chief Babatunde Olumofe, a staff of 7Up Bottling Company, Lagos. They had schooled together at Christ College, Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State some 38 years ago. Their friendship blossomed so much that when they moved to Lagos, they both settled in Ikorodu. With time, they developed their own property, and decided to cement their friendship by buying land from the same family. Their compounds followed each other.

While Olumofe hails from Erusu Akoko, in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Ogunkorede came from Ilu Omoba Ekiti, Ekiti State.

But as their friendship grew, the little rivalry among friends also grew, and in time, it developed into a vice, the degree of which was perhaps unknown to Ogunkorede.

They continued to live like true friends, supportive of each other seemingly, so much that when the Erasu Akoko community decided to bestow a chieftaincy title on Olumofe, Ogunkorede was around to celebrate with him.

But that incident became the source of friction between both friends and ultimately led to the killing of Ogunkorede.

The police narrated that before the chieftaincy title, Ogunkorede and Olumofe had performed some traditional rites together, preparatory for the installation of Olumofe in the latter's village. The natives were to later hear of the rites performed by Olumofe and his friend, who was a non-native of the town.

Allowing a stranger to perform such a rite was considered a sacrilege by the traditionalists, who insisted that the only appeasement is to offer the blood of the offender for purification.  

The natives were said to have mounted pressure on Olumofe to bring the “offender” back to serve the ultimate punishment.

Olumofe  thus contacted two of his other friends-- Mr. Sunday Akeju and one other simply identified by his nickname, Eso,  to help him with a plot that can lure Ogunkorede back to his village. They soon came up with the story of inviting him for the burial of Olumofe’s mother. As it is the practice in Lagos, a ceremonial uniform, called ‘aso ebi’, was procured and given to Ogunkorede, so he would have a sense of belonging at the said fictitious funeral. Ogunkorede fell for the plot.

Last Saturday, they all left Lagos for the “burial” at Olumofe’s village, all decked in the ‘aso ebi.’

A source revealed that immediately they arrived in Erusu Akoko, the suspect allegedly handed over Ogunkorode to the traditionalists who tricked him to a sacred grove and killed him. They dumped his corpse on a major highway and claimed that he was killed by armed robbers. And to avoid being suspected of involvement in the murder, they rushed to the Erusu Akoko police post, to file the report of the “discovered” killing.

But the incoherence in the storyline began to show when the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Oke Agbe Police Station, where the case was later transferred, was told that the deceased merely slumped and died.

They could not defend the conflicting storyline on the cause of death.

Two of the suspects, including Olumofe, have since been arrested.

Expectedly, the incident has fouled the relationship between the communities of Ogunkorede (in Ekiti) and that of Olumofe (in Ondo State).  The hostilities were manifested last Sunday when youths of Omoba Ekiti drove away emissaries from Erusu-Akoko who had come to beg for forgiveness.

The source said, "delegates from Erusu, including some traditional chiefs, were in Ilu Omoba last Sunday in connection with the case.

"They even promised to take care of necessary funeral rites but they were chased away by irate youths of Ilu Omoba.” 

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Ondo State Command, Mr. Aremu Adeniran, confirmed the incident and added that two of the suspects had been arrested and that a case of murder had been established against them.

Powerful Quake Hits Costa Rica, Two Killed

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Sept 5  - A powerful earthquake rocked Costa Rica on Wednesday, causing the deaths of at least two people, damaging buildings, and briefly triggering a tsunami warning.
Residents of the capital San Jose said phones went down, electricity poles rattled on the streets and water flowed out of pools after the 7.6-magnitude quake. The were also unconfirmed media reports of people being treated for injuries.
A spokesman for the local Red Cross said two people died during the earthquake, one from a heart attack. He was not immediately able to confirm media reports the other person had been crushed under a collapsing wall.
Locals were shocked by the force of the quake, the biggest to hit Costa Rica since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1991 left 47 dead.
"I was inside my car at a stop sign and all the sudden everything started shaking. I thought the street was going to break in two," said Erich Johanning, a 30-year-old who works in Internet marketing in San Jose. "Immediately I saw dozens of people running out of their homes and office buildings."
President Laura Chinchilla said there had not been reports of serious damage to buildings, although some hotels on the western Pacific coast had been hit, locals said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a warning for Pacific coastlines of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, but this was later canceled. The center had earlier warned of tsunamis for as far afield as Mexico and Peru.
The quake's epicenter was in western Costa Rica about 87 miles (140 km) from San Jose, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, and it was felt as far away as Nicaragua and Panama.
The Guanacaste region around the epicenter is known for its beaches, surf and volcanoes. With several nature and marine reserves it is less tropical than the rest of the Central American nation, with stretches of open savannah and mountains.
In the town of Nicoya, some 11 km (7 miles) east-southeast of the epicenter, Selenia Obando, a receptionist at the Hotel Curime, said the building had been left without lights and electricity. A floor had collapsed in the hotel but there were no injuries.
"It was horrible, like being in a blender going round and round," Obando said. "All the water sloshed out of the swimming pool. It's now about half full."
There was also an early report of damage to the Hotel Riu Guanacaste on Matapalo beach in Guanacaste.
But America Nava, a reservations clerk with Riu in Mexico, said it had only been evacuated. "There is no damage to the hotel, they're checking it to make sure everything is in order. As soon as that is finished, the guests will return."
Local media reported the death of a woman from a heart attack at the time of the earthquake in a nearby hospital.
Actor Mel Gibson owns a lush forest retreat at Playa Barrigona in Samara not far from the epicenter, which he recently put up for sale for $29.75 million. Guests to the 500 acre property have included Bruce Willis and Britney Spears.
The last serious quake to hit Costa Rica was a 6.1 magnitude quake in January 2009, which killed 40 people.

Fire Guts Ibadan Market, Goods Worth Millions Destroyed

Property worth several millions of Naira were today destroyed as fire gutted the Labaowo Market at Ogunpa area of Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, in the western part of Nigeria.
The market under Ibadan North Local Government is known for fire disasters as it has recorded about five incidents within three years.
Helplessly watching their property being destroyed by fire, the traders at the market could not control their emotions as they broke down in tears.
Greenwich news gathered that the fire gutted four houses which included three bungalows and a storey building and destroyed over 50 shops.
The roofs, windows and ceilings of some buildings were badly affected by the inferno while the chemical section of the market and part of those selling keys, padlocks and paints were razed down by the fire.
It was gathered that before the arrival of firefighters, sympathizers tried to put off the fire, without success.
Speaking with journalists, the state Director of Fire Service, Mr. Kareem Oyegunle Gafari, said the cause of the fire was yet to be known, assuring that his men would investigate the incident.
But an eyewitness who refused to disclose her name, said the fire broke out when one of the traders was filling a chemical gum into a jerry can.
She explained that a trader at the chemical section of the market was trying to fill a customer’s jerry can with gum and suddenly fire just broke out with lot of explosives around the area adding, “we have lost so much in this market today”.

FG re-instates Dana Air's operating licence.

Three months after suspending Dana Air's operating license following the Dana plane crash that killed 153 on June 3rd, the federal government has lifted the suspension.

In a statement sent out this evening, the Special Assistant on media to the Minister of Aviation said the federal government decided to lift the suspension after being satisfied with the air-worthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational and financial audit of the airline company

So now Dana Air can resume commercial flight operations in Nigeria....the question is; will you fly Dana?

'Daddy's killed mummy': What four-year-old son of soldier said 'after he witnessed murder of his mother for having an abortion'

A boy of four cried 'Daddy's killed Mummy' and 'She's all red' after his soldier father murdered his mother in a frenzied knife attack at their home, a court heard.
Lance Corporal Ian Lowe, 25, is alleged to have kicked down the door to Leanne McNuff's home and stabbed her in the neck and arm before stamping on her face.
As the 24-year-old lay bleeding to death on the landing, the boy begged his grandmother, who had just arrived at the scene: 'Can you help Mummy, Nana?'

Yesterday Lowe  – who was due to be deployed to Afghanistan at the time of the attack – appeared in court charged with Miss McNuff's murder. The jury heard that the couple, who met in 2006 and had their son the following year, had a stormy relationship.
Manchester Crown Court was told the pair finally separated in February this year, after which Miss McNuff found out she was pregnant.
She called Lowe at his barracks in Catterick, North Yorkshire where he was serving in the 1st Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, to tell him the news.
Lowe was allowed home by the Army and begged his ex girlfriend to take him back. However, an argument erupted and Lowe was charged with assault for trying to throttle her. A month later he told a friend he had discovered that Miss McNuff had had an abortion.

The court heard Lowe went round to Miss McNuff's house in Droylsden, Manchester on March 11 in a rage and kicked in the door before stabbing her.
Miss McNuff's brother, Ryan, who lived next door, and mother Margaret heard the disturbance and ran round to find the doors hanging off.
They found the boy standing in the hallway, crying: 'Daddy's killed Mummy.' The four-year-old then asked his grandmother: 'Can you help Mummy, Nana?'
Manchester Crown Court heard Mr Lowe, a lance corporal with 1st Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, had discovered that Leanne had aborted their second child after hacking into her Facebook account.
It is also alleged that he discovered on the day she was killed that Leanne had started a relationship with another man.
Lowe, who had been in a stormy was on bail at the time of the murder after being charged with the assault in February.
He has admitted a charge of manslaughter but denies murder, claiming Leanne lunged at him with the knife and he wrestled it from her grasp.
Neil Flewitt QC said: 'When Ryan McNuff stepped inside he saw Jaden to the right of the front door, crying and screaming ‘Daddy’s killed Mummy’.
'Ryan McNuff checked the living room and, on discovering that it was empty, ran quickly upstairs where he discovered the body of his sister lying on the landing.'
The jury was told that Leanne’s mother, Margaret McNuff, then ran inside and found her grandson standing at the top of the stairs wearing his pyjamas.
The court heard that a neighbour, Sheila Holland, ran to help and agreed to take care of the child before police and paramedics arrived.

Mr Flewitt said: 'Once inside Jaden said to Sheila Holland, ‘Sheila, do you know my Daddy? He has killed my Mummy and she is all red’.'
The jury was told that Lowe, who was based at Army barracks in Catterick, North Yorkshire, and had started a relationship with another woman, ran to the home of his mother, Lorraine Lowe, and confessed.
Mr Lowe is alleged to have told Mrs Lowe: 'I booted the front door in.He was in the front room and Leanne was at the top of the stairs, shouting at me to get out. I ran up, stabbed her four times and I stamped on her face.'
The jury was told of Leanne’s horrific stab and stamp injuries, including marks on her hands where she fought to save her life.
Mr Flewitt said ‘patterned bruises’ caused by the impact of the sole of a shoe were found on her face.
He added: 'Although it is not likely that these blows accelerated Leanne McNuff’s death, they could have rendered her unconscious or dazed, making her less capable of defending herself from attack.'
The court heard that, when the pair met at Miss McNuff's home to discuss the pregnancy on February 18, a violent row broke out during which Lowe called Miss McNuff a 'prostitute' and accused her of 'sleeping around'.

Break up: Leanne McNuff and Lowe had been dating since 2006 but broke up a month before the killing in March this year
As Miss McNuff tried to force him out of the house, Lowe is said to have grabbed her by the thoat and begun 'shaking her from side to side'.
In a statement given to police at the time, Miss McNuff recalled: 'He’s shaking me from side to side and I’m almost on the floor.
'I’ve lost my footing but being held up by Ian gripping my clothing and he’s shaking me about.
'Somehow, whilst he’s still ragging me about, I’ve twisted and he’s got hold of my hair.
'Now he’s got a grip of my clothing and a grip of my hair and he’s still shaking me about.
'At some point he’s let go of my jumper and his left arm has come around my throat choking me and making it hard to breathe for a few seconds. I was frightened to death.
'I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was scared wither he’d really hurt me or I’d lose the baby.
'Then Ian’s released me and pushed me to the floor. He’s gone to kick me.
'At first I think he was going to kick me hard but he held back and it wasn’t a very hard kick in my back.
'Then he’s picked up his bag and ran out of the gate.'
Lowe was later arrested and charged with assault and was ordered not to contact Leanne under his bail conditions.
But the court heard that, only an hour later, Miss McNuff rang police again to claim that Lowe had called her.

The next day, February 20, Miss McNuff went in secret to an abortion clinic for a consultation.
She terminated the unborn baby on March 1.
Lowe found out about the abortion on March 10 - the day before the killing - when he hacked into Leanne’s Facebook account, the court heard.
The day before her death Mr Lowe, who used Facebook under the name Ian ‘Boom Boom’ Lowe, wrote on his Facebook page: 'Need a weapon out of the armoury to shoot the bitch', the jury heard.
That evening, Lowe went for a drink with his father and a family friend who said he 'looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders'.
He is alleged to have killed Miss McNuff hours later.
The trial continues.

Air Nigeria Suspends Operations, Sacks Staff

AIR Nigeria has announced the suspension of all its operations -local, regional and international – with effect from Monday, September10, 2012.

The suspension, according to the management of the frontline airline, is largely due to staff disloyalty and environmental tension, “which are not conducive for business in the aviation sector.”

In a statement yesterday, the management of the airline expressed regrets for any inconvenience the decision would cause its loyal passengers on all the routes and advised passengers to contact agents from whom they had purchased tickets for refunds.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the airline, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, OFR, said it was difficult to continue further investment in the airline, with the high level of staff disloyalty and weak business environment.

“But we are strongly committed to ensuring that Air Nigeria survives,” he added.

He said about 50 loyal staff from various departments of the airline had been selected with a mandate to recommence business within 12 months, while other staff had been relieved of their employment effective from the last day of work on their various routes.

Dr. Ibrahim thanked the stakeholders for their massive support in the last two years of the operation of Air Nigeria under the new management.

The corporate turn-around expert explained that the suspension of all the operations of Air Nigeria was not unusual.

According to him, “Corporations are like individuals who naturally will get sick and the usual thing to do is to admit them to hospitals, either for corporate surgery or for treatment, as the case may be. During such a period, it is not likely that they will work in full capacity, depending on the nature of the illness.”

The airline’s suspension of operations, he added, was not due to load factor, but largely to staff disloyalty and weak business environment.

N5000 Note: CBN Governor is Plotting Jonathan's fall - Enang

 As the controversy over the planned introduction of N5000 note deepens, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmaker, Senator Ita Enang, has accused the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi of plotting the fall of President Goodluck Jonathan with the ignoble plan.

Many Nigerians have kicked against the move by the CBN to issue the new note on the grounds that it would induce inflation and worsen the nation’s fragile economy but the bank is adamant over the issue.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with newsmen, Enang, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Rules, described the arguments in favour of the new note as pedestrian and lacking in intellectual depth.

According to him, the plan amounts to a direct devaluation of the Naira in response to the demands of the World Bank and an effort on the path of those the bank had seconded to Nigeria in the name of employment to fulfill its mandate.

He also said apart from being at variance with the cashless policy of the CBN and the Money Laundering Act, the planned introduction of the higher currency would add no real value to the Naira or its purchasing power.

“I pray Mr. President should be sensitive to this and take action against the move because I am certain the plan is intended to embarrass the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to make the government of Goodluck Jonathan unpopular in years to come so that people will not like to vote for him in the next election.

“I think what Sanusi is aiming at with the introduction of the plan against Nigerians is to ensure that the people will be so unhappy with the President that in the next election they would not like to vote for him.

“Mr. President should therefore call the CBN governor to order with immediate effect,” the lawmaker stated.

Enang also warned the 19 Northern governors of the consequences of their agitation for a review of the controversial onshore/offshore dichotomy, which was laid to rest eight years ago.

Northern Governors Forum had last week called for a review of the oil dichotomy to make more revenue available to the Federation Account for onward sharing to all the states. They argued that it was wrong to pay revenue accruing to the country from offshore proceeds to the nine littoral states.

He noted that the renewed attempt by the governors for a review of the law constituted a treasonable offence.

The lawmaker said, “The protagonists of the review should be ready for the consequences of their action. They should know that any action in that regard would trigger another round of crisis in the oil sector and possibly reduce production from the present 2.7 million barrels per day to 700 barrels per day.

“But above all, whoever is championing the call for the abrogation of the oil dichotomy law, which we passed into law many years ago, should know that it is a treasonable offence.

“I am saying so because treason is any act committed against the interest of the state,” Enang said.

The lawmaker, who represents Uyo Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State, berated northern states for allowing their solid minerals to be illegally exploited and the resources kept away by known persons while turning round to share in the oil proceeds from the South.

The lawmaker said equity demands that all parts of the country should contribute something to the Federation Account for sharing by the Revenue Mobilisation, Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, instead of some states behaving as parasites.

Enang absolved former President Obasanjo of any complicity in the onshore/offshore debacle, saying that it was the National Assembly that passed the bill into law after the Supreme Court had given its verdict on the matter.

Japan 2012: Team USA Ends Falconets Glory Chase

The gallant run of the Super Falconets at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Japan ended Tuesday morning after losing 2-0 to the United States.

The Nigerians, beaten finalists at the last tournament in Germany two years ago, dominated for large part of the game, played at the National Stadium in Tokyo, but just failed to turn their possession into clear cut goal scoring chances.

The US, which lost to Nigerian on penalties at Germany 2010, made sure that there would be no repeat of that heartbreak taking the lead in the 22nd minute through an unmarked Morgan Brian and made sure 20 minutes to the end of the game through a brilliant strike by Kealia Ohai.

Ironically Desire Oparanozie, the star of Nigeria’s 1-0 quarter-final win over Mexico, was one of the worst culprits on Tuesday with her selfish play often failing to pass to better placed colleagues.

A clearly frustrated Coach Edwin Okon yanked her off with 18 minutes to go but even her replacement, Orji was unable to make any difference.

In the end despite having 58 percent of the play, Nigeria was just unable to get the better of the Americans who will now play the winner of second semi-final between hosts, Japan and champions, Germany in the final on Saturday.

On their part, the Falconets still have a chance to return from Japan with at least a bronze medal because they will play the loser of the second semi-final in the third-placed play off match on Saturday.

Flood displaced 400 in Taraba –Council chair

More than 400 people have been displaced while farm produce estimated at N100 million were destroyed by flood in Karim Lamido, Gassol, Lau and Ardo-Kola local government areas of Taraba. Alhaji Tukura Bashiru, Chairman of Gassol local government area, made the revelation in an interview in Jalingo yesterday, expressing regrets that the incident which had become a perennial occurrence, was due to high volume of water in River Benue.

The chairman said the most affected villages included Amar and Ziff in Karim Lamido local government area and Kwatanido, Maigemu and Kwatataro in Gassol local government area. “The flood followed days of torrential rainfall and increase in the volume of water in the River Benue as a result of the opening of the flood gates of Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon. The council is still taking stock of the extent of damage caused by the flood in the affected communities’’, he said.

Hong Kong Students Protest Over 'Brainwashing' Classes

Hong Kong students and teachers protested Tuesday for a sixth straight day against plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes, as political tensions rise days ahead of legislative polls.

Protesters at the government headquarters said they would not vote for parties that supported "national education", which they say is a bid to brainwash children with Chinese Communist Party propaganda.
"I feel national education is an important issue because it could affect many generations of children's education," second year university student Cheung Nga-lam said at the demonstration, which began on Thursday.
"The new Legislative Council members will definitely have an influence on the issue because whatever they say affects society."
The former British colony goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new 70-seat legislature, but power will continue to reside with the pro-Beijing executive appointed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
Leung has ignored protesters' calls for a meeting and refused to abandon plans to implement the new education policy, which schools can adopt voluntarily from this week and will become compulsory by 2016.
"We are willing to talk to the anti-national education parties, but the prerequisite of the dialogue cannot be either to withdraw or not to withdraw," Leung told reporters.
Most schools have said they will not introduce the subject this year and want to see more details about how the subject should be taught.
The government says the curriculum is important to foster a sense of national belonging and identity, amid rising anti-Beijing sentiment in the semi-autonomous southern city of seven million people.
But critics say the lessons extol the virtues of one-party rule and gloss over events like the bloody Tiananmen crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, and the mass starvation and extrajudicial killings of Mao's Cultural Revolution.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 but maintains its own independent political and legal system which guarantees civil liberties not seen on the mainland.

Four Arsenal fans arrested inside Anfield stadium For Allegedly Beating a Liverpool Fan to Death

Four Arsenal football fans were arrested inside Liverpool's Anfield stadium after a man was beaten to death on a city centre street.
Stuart Smith, 33, from London, died in hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning following an alleged assault in Liverpool city centre.
The four men, two aged 39, a 33-year-old and a 27-year-old, who are also from the London area, were later arrested at Anfield during Liverpool's game against Arsenal.

Four Arsenal fans were arrested inside Anfield Stadium following the death of a London man was was beaten on a Liverpool street

The men remain in custody for questioning.
Merseyside Police said detectives do not believe the incident, which may have been recorded by a passer-by on a mobile phone, is football or gang-related or that Mr Smith was known to the suspects.

Woman Recieves Divorce Letter From Husband For Giving Birth To Triplets

A woman, who gave birth to a set of triplets in Kaduna, has been divorced, Greenwich news has learnt.

Our correspondent, who visited who visited the woman identified as Zainab Sirajo at Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital in Kaduna yesterday where the babies are receiving medical treatment, reports that the triplets were delivered on May 4.

Narrating her ordeal, Zainab said she was issued a divorce letter by her husband, Kabiru Yusuf, only two days after she delivered the triplets, alleging that she was beaten by her husband for giving the birth before divorcing her, and since then she has been living with her parents.

The woman also said she had three children with her former husband, saying she is the only wife of Yusuf and that the triplets are her first delivery for him.

When she was asked the reason why she left her first husband, she said it was destined to be so. “I left my first husband due to the fortune of this set of triplets,” she said.

On how she feels about the triplets, she said “the only thing I will say is that God should bless them for me. I am not planning to re-marry for now and even if I will, I will like to first of all take proper care of my children and give them good training with a sound education. Presently, I don’t have anything doing but if I get a job, I will do it just for the sake of my children”.

“Actually, I am not willing to go back to him even if he begs me to come back; this is due to his habit, which I am sure he will not change; he doesn’t take care of me nor his children even though he knew before delivery through the result of scanning that I was carrying triplets,” she said.

She however declined giving our reporter her husband’s phone number and address but she only disclosed that he works at Panteka in Kaduna.

The matron in charge of paediatrics in Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, Mrs Ajiyana Ramatu, confirmed that Zainab delivered a set of triplets four months ago which she said are two boys and a girl and that her husband divorced her two days after she was discharged from the hospital.

“After her delivery that time, I had to go round my colleagues for material and financial assistance that could be given to her; some gave a little cash while others brought some wears. So two days later when she was discharged from the hospital she was divorced for giving birth to triplets,” she said.

She said at present the hospital is planning to take the case to the state Social Welfare Department as the hospital could not continue to keep them.

Pastor Jailed for Stealing Sheep

An Ilorin Magistrates’ Court on Monday sentenced a pastor, Oloruntoba Ibitoye, to nine months imprisonment for stealing a sheep.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, Mrs Florence Adebiyi, reported at the police station in Ganmo, near Ilorin, that the convict stole her sheep valued at N3,000($20) in front of her residence at Amoyo area of Ilorin.
The prosecution said the sheep was recovered from the convict by the police.
The convict pleaded guilty to the offence and begged for leniency.
Police prosecutor, Insp. Mojisola Olamokun applied for summary trial which was granted by the court.
The Magistrate, Mrs Mariam Qudus-Salahu, sentenced him to nine months imprisonment without option of fine.

Two Policemen Fight In Public

Two police officers engaged in a fight on Monday at Bode Thomas Street in Lagos
Trouble ensued when one of the men, who was in uniform, attempted to impound the motorcycle of his colleague in mufti, over improper registration and indiscriminate parking.
As a result, the officers made a spectacle of themselves in the full glare of publicity.
The officer in mufti had parked in front of the MTN office on the street to do some business inside the telecommunications office.
On returning to his vehicle, the officer in mufti was challenged by the uniformed officer, who wanted to arrest him for wrongful parking and not having a number plate on his motorcycle.
However, the officer in mufti felt insulted and the ensuing altercation soon resulted into fisticuffs.
Residents had to interfere by calling the District Police Officer (DPO) of Bode Thomas Police Station, when it became difficult to separate the duo.

On his arrival, the DPO requested for an explanation, but in the course of that, the uniformed police man slapped the other one across the face.
The DPO got angry and ordered the arrest of the two officers.
"I came from my office to settle this dispute and you still had the gut to slap him, we will have to go and settle this in the station," he said.
The police officers all left for the police station, while the residents kept voicing their comments.
One of the residents, Olawale Adegoke, who described Nigeria as a lawless country, said "that's why two police men can be fighting on the street, laying bad example for others."
"A normal citizen cannot do this kind of thing they have done. They didn't even regard the presence of their boss; it is unheard of," he added.

Ivorian Universities Re-opened After 18 Months

President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire on Monday in Abidjan re-opened public universities after 18 months of closure due to the spill over of the Ivorian political crisis.

Voilence flowed into the various universities in the country, especially the Houphouet Boigny University in Cocody and the University of Abobo, at the height of the country’s political crisis in 2010 and 2011.

Ouattara said it took the government more than a year and about 110 billion CFA (about 220 million n U S dollars) to rehabilitate the universities in the country, which were all plundered during the crisis.

At the re-opening ceremony held at the Houphouet Boigny University in Cocody , Ouattara said: “We have worked hard to create an enabling learning environment for the students and a good working environment for the lecturers who are all returning.

“I have given instructions already for the improvement of the working conditions of the lecturers based on their requests. The lecturers have a major role to play in the re-orientation of the society.’’

The president said the university would be focused on capacity building for the development of the country through transformative, selective and principle based learning.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Cisse Bacongo, said all the departments of the universities had been upgraded to meet modern standards, while laboratories and theatres had been fully equipped.

One of the returning students, Gale Didier, said he took up menial jobs during the 18 months of closure to stay busy.

“What we are seeing today gives us great joy that the president has us in his heart. We are overjoyed to return to school and more than happy to return into an improved environment,’’ Didier who reads Computer Science said.

Another student, Suzanne Lognon, who is studying Psychology, said the the re-opening was preceded by sensitization on the students on “evils of violence’’.

Lognon said: “We have learnt a lot on the dangers and implications of violence. We just hope that the student union would stay out of national politics.’’

Soldiers, police  and the gendermarie provided security at the ceremony, with many hanging on roof tops with sniper rifles.

Tenager Set Self Ablaze Over Poverty

A young man has died after setting himself on fire in the Gaza Strip, apparently in protest at economic hardship in the Palestinian enclave, the family and police said on Monday.
Ehab Abu Nada, 18, left his home on Thursday after an argument with his father, who had urged him to find work to help feed his poor family.
Frustrated in his job hunt, Abu Nada doused himself in petrol and set himself alight inside Gaza’s main Shifa hospital.
His neighbours suggested he might have chosen to immolate himself at the hospital because he had wanted to make a gesture rather than kill himself, but medics there could not save him.
He was pronounced dead on Sunday.
“He left to seek work and he did not come back. My heart was shattered,” his weeping father told a local radio station.
“We live in a miserable condition. We live in a rented house and I hardly can afford the rent,’’ he added.
A police official from the Islamist Hamas movement, which rules Gaza, said an investigation was under way to dtermine the motive of Abu Nada’s death, as he cited unemployment as the possible motive.
Abu Nada’s suicide was another sign of frustration over the lack of work in the coastal territory, where a another Gazan man set himself ablaze last year in despair but survived.
The teenager’s death is reminiscent of the self-immolation of the impoverished Tunisian fruit-seller Mohamed Bouazizi
in December 2010, which sparked an uprising that toppled Tunisia’s president and ignited protests across the Arab world.
A UN report published last week said poverty stood at 40 per cent among Gaza’s 1.6 million people, of whom 80 per cent depended on outside aid.
It also said nearly 30 per cent of the people were jobless.
It was unclear how Abu Nada’s death would affect the policies of Gaza’s Hamas rulers, who took over Gaza in 2007 after a brief civil war with forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, which holds sway in the West Bank.

Kano Awards 501 Overseas Scholarships

KANO State Government has awarded scholarships to 501 indigenes of the state to undergo Masters degrees overseas.

Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso on Saturday said the aim was to boost manpower in the state.

The governor directed the Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Umar Doguwa, to ensure that only university graduates with First and Second Class Upper Division were awarded the scholarships.

He warned that any anomaly uncovered would attract sanctions, saying Kano could not afford to continue to depend on other states to for manpower.

He said, “On completion of their various courses, they will take over the realms of leadership of the state at various human endeavours to bridge the manpower, which the state seems to be lacking.”

The governor assured the people that the sponsorship would be a continuous process whereby students with First and Second Class degrees would be sponsored abroad for further studies.

“During our screening, we discovered about 900 students, who are qualified. That is why I directed the Higher Education Ministry to start preparing for the second batch of the programme,” he said.

200 ACN Members Defect to PDP in Osun

Mrs. Olusola Obada

Mrs. Olusola Obada

About 200 members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Osun State on Friday, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The defectors, who are from Ilesa West, Atakumosa West and Atakumosa East local government areas of the state were received by chieftains of the party in the state, led by the Minister of State for Defence, Mrs. Olusola Obada, and the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa. They said the decision to defect to PDP as manifested in the large turnout of crowd showed that PDP was love by the people of the state.

Obada, who was joined by former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, Dr. Duro Famojuro, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, Senator Olu Alabi, Chief Atinuke Oyawoye, Chief Oladipupo Ogunleye and other chieftains of the party, said the defection of the ACN members was a manifestation that PDP was still on ground.

The minister, who thanked the leaders of the party and its member for making the party more attractive, also urged the defectors to team up with other members in order to oust the ACN government come 2014 general election.

“This is a landmark event because this shows that we are on ground in the state. This is a signal also that by 2014, nothing will stop us from reclaiming the state,” she stressed.

She informed the party faithful that the PDP was the only party, that cares for the welfare of the masses, and that people of Osun State were missing the good governance they enjoyed when the PDP was in government in the state.

Speaking at the rally, Oyedokun said ACN leaders were all out to better their lots at the expense of the masses, stating that as one of the foundation members of ACN, he decided to leave the party when it became obvious that those who parades themselves as leaders of the party were only interested feathering their nest at the expense of the masses.

“We formed A CN, but we latter left the party, part of the reasons for leaving the party is that when we realised that, the so called leaders of the party operate like a cult, and were self centre and anybody who identifies with the party can make success out of the party, because its leaders are selfish and self centred,” he said.

Responding on behalf the defectors, Mr Sunday Oyejide (Abore), said they decided to dump ACN because its leaders are deceitful and careless about the welfare of the masses, he said the incumbent governor of the state Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, made many promises to them before he became the governor of the state, but he reneged on the promises made when he get into office

House Of Rep Probes N6 Billion SIM Card Registration Project

The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the N6.1 billion SIM card registration project embarked upon by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) in 2011.

The investigation followed the delay in completing the exercise and the request by NCC for additional N1 billion for the project in its 2012 budget.

The project was approved in the 2011 Appropriation Act amidst controversy. The lawmakers had opposed its huge cost and had argued that it amounted to a duplication of efforts and wastage of public funds as mobile telecommunications companies were also simultaneously registering their subscribers.

Some of the lawmakers had argued that the NCC had no business embarking on the project since the various service providers were already registering their subscribers.

The registration was undertaken through NCC-appointed SIM registration consultants in each of the six geopolitical zones, including Lagos; and the telecoms service providers.

The NCC, which had given a six-month deadline for subscribers to register their SIM cards, extended the deadline indefinitely to allow more subscribers to register.

Announcing the extension, NCC Head, Media and Public Relations, Reuben Muoka, had said all unregistered SIM cards would be promptly disconnected after the conclusion of the exercise.

He, however, added that service providers would not be allowed to disconnect unregistered subscribers until the commission announced the completion of harmonisation of the data.

There are indications that the NCC may be compelled to refund part of the funds appropriated for the project in the previous year’s budget as penalty.

Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Communications, Hon. Usman Bawa, who gave these hints at the weekend, said the probe became necessary because the committee was not satisfied with the slow pace of the project and the additional request for fund.

Before the House went on recess, a sub-committee of its Committee on Communications was mandated to investigate the SIM card registration and the level of implementation of the call centre project which the NCC also initiated and for which the National Assembly had appropriated funds for.

Bawa said the committee had already turned down the request for additional budgetary provisions and was on the verge of concluding its investigations.

According to him, the report of investigation into the SIM card registration project will be ready when the House resumes in the next two weeks from its annual recess.

He said: “If you ask me, the NCC has no business with the SIM card registration project. This is not the only country where such an exercise is taking place. Apart from that, the service providers have done about 80 per cent of the registration because they started well before the NCC. To me, for the regulatory body to be involved in the registration is a duplication of effort and a waste of resources and time.

“Even, the manner with which the bill for the N6.1 billion was passed during the Sixth Assembly showed that there was more to it than meets the eyes. From our investigations, from which our report was compiled, our interactions with the NCC contractors for the SIM card registration and the service providers, a lot have been exposed and this was part of the reason why we have removed the N1 billion that was budgeted for the same SIM card registration in the last budget. I make bold to say that if the removal of the N1 billion was critical to the exercise, then the NCC would have raised dust over it. They claimed that the N1 billion was meant for software and I ask what kind of software would cost N1 billion?

“Remember that other countries have done a similar exercise before and that the software is in the open market for all to access. We have all the details on the equipment types, specifications and everything and that is the reason why we removed the N1 billion from their budget believing that it was not necessary because it will only amount to wastage.”

Bawa explained that all over the world, SIM card registration is the duty of the service providers and not the government or its regulatory agency.

He lamented that the project had dragged on for too long and its non-completion had given rise to some of the unpleasant security challenges, which it was designed to prevent.

“Imagine the recent case of the murder of the General’s daughter (Cynthia Osokogu); if the process had been concluded before now, such incidents may probably have been prevented because it would not have been difficult to identify and apprehend the culprits who were said to have about 20 SIM cards in their possession. I am sure, someone with so many cards and telephone lines would have been on the watch list of security agencies beforehand if the NCC had executed the SIM registration project,” he said.

Bawa also disclosed that the House Committee on Communication was working on a bill that would establish a Public Safety Communication Fund (PSCF) to assist security agencies in tackling insecurity in the country.

The PSCF, when established, Bawa said, will provide a communication infrastructure that would enable citizens to access help in times of emergency by dialling a functional toll-free three-digit number.

On the bid by the NCC to establish zonal offices and communication centres across the country, Bawa said so far, the committee was yet to ascertain the position of these projects.

“What we are particular about as members of the House is that we have not seen a project inaugurated in the last one year.

“Even in the budget we just passed, there were previous ongoing projects which we had expected that they would have completed, but nothing yet.  As soon as we come back from the recess, we are going on oversight to ascertain what is the actual situation about the projects we have appropriated for and whether they are still ongoing or abandoned. We need to know and let Nigerians know because taxpayers’ monies are involved, so we need to follow up to know that money appropriated for are spent properly.

“For instance, the emergency call centres are supposed to be in each state of the federation but we are only hearing that only two that were just like prototype have been inaugurated. We are curious to know the details about the emergency call centres because the contracts for all the states were supposed to have been awarded at the same time.

“More worrisome is how can the two centres handle all the calls coming from across the country?  Why should we get two centres when all the states are supposed to have theirs as contained in the Appropriation Act?

“Another point of concern is the area of equipment for the project that was awarded two years ago. If it was awarded two years ago and just two were delivered, what happens to the equipment that was supposed to be supplied to the other centres?  Remember the state of the equipment is at stake here when we look at the pace of global technological development,” Bawa said.

Father Who Could Not Swim Died Tried Save Drowning Seven Year Old Son Coast-Majorca

A brave father who drowned when he jumped into the sea in a desperate bid to save his young son had never learnt to swim, his best friend has revealed.
George Selby, 27, jumped in after seeing his son, Louis, seven, swept away by a wave whilst on their first ever holiday abroad – witnessed by their wife and mother Abigail.
But sadly neither survived the tragic accident yesterday.

The family, including  Abigail’s two sons from a previous relationship Mitchell, believed to be 14 and Dylan, believed to be 12, and her niece Olivia, had only left for Majorca from their home in Hornchurch, Essex, the previous day.
George's best friend, Graham Klerks said the loving father would ‘never have stood by and watched his son drown’ despite being unable to swim.
The boy was standing on a stairway cut into rocks overlooking a small deserted cove called Cala Antena in the south east of the Spanish island when he was washed out to sea by a large wave.
His father dived in to try to save him but drowned in the attempt.
Mrs Selby ran screaming for help, and lifeguards from a nearby hotel raced to the scene and tried to rescue the two holidaymakers but could do nothing to save them.
Witnesses said they saw Mr Selby shouting for help from the sea, waving his arms in the air.
According to one local report, he had been taking photographs of his son by the rocks shortly before the tragedy, which happened at around 11am yesterday.
It was raining lightly and a red flag was flying on the beach warning bathers not to enter the sea.
Police and an ambulance arrived in Cala Antena, on the Spanish island's south east coast, but it was too late to save the two Brits.

Louis Selby was swept off this rock platform in Cala Antena while his father George was taking his photo. The 28-year-old died trying to save his seven-year-old son who also drowned

The father and son drowned off the Majorca coast, pictured

George's best friend, Graham Klerks, today paid tribute to the George and his young son, saying the two were very alike.
The 31-year-old banker said: ‘George going out into the sea to rescue Louis is him down to a tee.
‘The tragic thing is that George could not swim but I honestly can't imagine him standing by the side and watching his son drown.
‘For whatever reason he had never learned to swim. It's so tragic.
‘You could not ask for a more decent guy than George.
‘He had been stressing about going abroad for the first time - we was worried about everything being alright.
‘It was very much their dream holiday - they normally went away to Clacton on Sea, but this was their holiday of a lifetime.’
Graham - who had only returned from his home in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday - was staying with the family at their three-bedroom house.
He has heard from Abigail via text messages since the tragedy happened at about 11am yesterday.
He said: ‘She is holding it together for the kids as best she can but it must be incredibly hard right now.’

A red flag was raised at the time of the incident, warning visitors not to swim in the sea, pictured

Abigail's mum has flown out to Majorca to support her devastated daughter.
George worked as an assistant manager at a Cash Concepts store in Romford and the family had moved from a small maisonette to a large rented three-bedroom house.
Graham added that George treated Mitchell and Dylan as if they were his own.
He added: ‘George loved all three of his boys so much.
‘He and Louis were alike in so many ways - they knew what they wanted and would go for it. ‘
‘Louis was like his dad - he would try and get whatever he could and he would carry on until he was told not to.
‘George was quite a straight forward bloke, he would tell it how it was.
‘But he was also very kind and generous. When I flew back into the UK, he offered to pay for my taxi back from
Heathrow even though he was not rich and in a position to be doing that.
‘They were working hard to make a better life for themselves.’
Abigail was working part time at a local Harvester Pub as a barmaid to help bring in for income for the family.
He added that the couple married about a year ago, and had taken in Abigail's sister's daughter, Olivia, who was out on holiday with them when the tragedy occurred.
George and Abigail met about eight years ago when she moved in next door to his family in in Chadwell Heath.

Resort: George Selby and his family were staying at Cala Antena in the south east of the Spanish island

Tragic: The Foreign Office confirmed the deaths of the two Britons

He often joked with friends that Abigail was the ‘girl next-door’.
Family members have flown out to show their support following the tragedy but it is not yet clear when they are returning to the UK.
A police source on the island said: 'It is a terrible tragedy.
'It appears the young boy was swept from the rocks by a large wave, and the dad naturally dived in to try to save him.
'The sea was ferocious with very strong waves crashing onto the rocks, and when it's like that those stairs are extremely dangerous.
'The staircase really should be closed off when the weather is like that.'
'We are providing consular assistance to the family.'
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of the tragic deaths of two British nationals in Majorca on September 1.
The tragedy comes less than a fortnight after a Brit died as he tried to rescue his young granddaughter who was washed out to sea by a freak wave in Portugal.
Lara Lewis, five, was swept away as she played with shells on a beach near Nazare, 80 miles north of Lisbon.
Brian O'Dwyer, 66, drowned after diving in to try to save her.
Grandmother Jill O'Dwyer also got into difficulties after leaping into the sea to try to help, but she survived.
The grandparents had taken Lara for a walk along the sandy beach leaving parents Philip and Sian Lewis sunbathing around 400 yards away.
Mr and Mrs Lewis, from Hackney, east London, were devastated as they watched as lifeguards spent an hour trying to revive Lara, but she died on the beach.

7 killed as blast rocks Maiduguri

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State yesterday said it killed five suspected members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnati Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, aslo called Boko Haram, sect members while two soldiers and a teenager sustained injury during a gun fight shortly after a blast went off in Ruwan Zafi area of Maiduguri Friday evening.

However, residents told Sunday Trust that they saw lifeless bodies of two soldiers at the scene of the blast, which was targeted at JTF troops.

IG

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said two bodies of soldiers were seen on the floor while a white pick up van belonging to the JTF was in flames after an explosion at the Bola junction in Ruwan Zafi Friday evening. Apart from the seven people killed, scores of civilians and soldiers also sustained injuries, witnesses claimed.

Some traders in the area alleged that men likely to be soldiers had mobilized to the area and set many shops ablaze.

The JTF spokesman denied this, insisting that it was the fire from the blast that burnt buildings.

In a statement to newsmen, the JTF spokesman, Lt Col Sagir Musa said, “There was an IED attack targeted at JTF Operation Restore Order patrol team at Ruwan Zafi , Dikwa Gamboru road in Maiduguri metropolis by suspected Boko Haram terrorists. Fuel propelled Improvised Explosive Device was used by terrorists during the attack which resulted in fire outbreak that burnt some adjoining shops

Van Pesie Scores Hat-trick to Enable Man u Beat Raveging Southampton

Robin van Persie hit a dramatic hat-trick as Manchester United fought back to win 3-2 at Southampton in Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1,000th league game in charge.
Van Persie looked like ruining Ferguson’s landmark celebrations when he missed a penalty with United trailing 2-1 midway through the second half at St Mary’s.
But the Dutch forward showed why Ferguson splashed out £24 million to sign him from Arsenal last month with two clinical finishes in the final three minutes to snatch the points from Southampton’s grasp.
“Van Persie has come up with three important goals. He’s got four now in two starts, it’s a great statistic,” Ferguson said.
“But I thought (substitute) Paul Scholes changed the game. His vision and passing helped us get complete control.”
Rickie Lambert had headed Southampton into the lead from Jason Puncheon’s 16th minute cross, but van Persie equalised seven minutes later with a fine strike after Nathaniel Clyne slipped while trying to reach Antonio Valencia’s cross.
Southampton, who are bottom of the table after losing their first three matches back in the top-flight after a seven-year absence, regained the lead 10 minutes after half-time when midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin directed a diving header past United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard.
Van Persie won a penalty when Jos Hooiveld fouled him in the 69th minute, but Kelvin Davis saved the Dutchman’s chipped spot-kick.
Determined to make amends for that blunder, van Persie bagged the 87th minute equaliser with a close-range finish before heading the winner from Nani’s corner in stoppage-time.

Fuel Tanker Explodes Near Abuja, Kills Two, Destroys 29 Buildings

A fuel tanker has exploded in Maje town, on the outskirts of Abuja, killing two people and destroying 29 buildings, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has said.
A statement by NEMA spokesperson, Yushau Shuaibu, said the tanker fell and then exploded, killing the two victims and injuring many others. Two of the 29 buildings destroyed were residential apartments while 27 were shops.
Mr. Shuaibu did not say how many people were injured in the incident. He only said the injured had been taken to hospital.

Man Shoots Son Dead in failed ‘Bullet Proof’ Charm Test in Benue

In a bid to test the potency of his newly acquired bullet proof ‘juju’, a man, Ornguga Adega, of Agbatse village in Kwande local government area of Benue State, shot his only son dead while conducting a gunshot test on the boy.
Greenwich news gathered that the suspect, who was immediately apprehended by men of the Benue State Police Command, is currently facing trial at a Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court.
According to the First Information Report, FIR, by the police, the suspect and father of the ten- year- old had, in August 2012, bought some charm from a native doctor with the belief that it was potent enough to prevent the penetration of bullets into his body.
He was said to have rubbed his ‘bullet proof’ cream on the body of his son in order to verify its efficacy and potency in line with the instructions of the native doctor from whom he bought the charm.
According to the FIR, Adega fired a shot with his single barrel gun on the right leg of his son following which the bullet shattered the leg and also penetrated through to the left leg.
The boy was said to have bled profusely but before his shocked and devastated father could get proper medical attention for him, the little boy bled to death.
When the case came up at the Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court, police prosecutor, Inspector Gabriel Egbonyi, said the accused was arrested at the process of investigating the cause of death of the young boy.
Egbonyi further told the court that the accused confessed to committing the crime and also acknowledged responsibility for the unfortunate incident which prompted further police investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile no plea was taken for want of jurisdiction. However the prosecution said investigation was still in progress in the matter and asked for another date for hearing.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Dan Ogoh, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to 12 September.

Bakassi Goes Spiritual to Reclaim Ceded Territory

Amid lack of moves by the Federal Government to commence the process of appealing against the International Court of Justice judgment that ceded the oil rich Bakassi peninsular to Cameroon, the displaced people and religious men from the area are now seeking  divine intervention to have their land back.
Representatives of Cross River State at the National Assembly, led by Senator Bassey Otu for Cross River South and Hon. Esien Ayi, Bakassi/Calabar South/Akpabuyo federal constituency, and other stakeholders had met the Presidency after what they described as fresh facts to commence the process of appeal against the ICJ verdict.
But the Presidency seems not convinced on why the case should be reopened.  Now, the people have taken the matter to  God seeking His intervention in what they described as injustice.
Speaking at a thanksgiving service to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Ekondo Micro Finance Bank, a subsidiary of the Davandy Group, the General Superintendent of Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc, Bishop Enebong Ephraim said, “We have handed to the court of heaven issue on Bakassi.”
Eneobong, whose declaration of divine intervention drew a loud amen from the people, expressed dismay over the handling of the Bakassi case by the authorities, saying that even though no one could challenge the wisdom of the Supreme Court and that of the International Court of Justice, “there is one more court which has the final say over every mortal and issues.
That court is the court of heaven”.
He went on: “I stand here today to appeal Bakassi case and hand it over to the court of heaven. And let heaven decide. I am sure the decision of heaven will be superior to any other decision.
“I am declaring that Cross River State may be coming from behind, but we will overtake. It is not by might but by the power of the word of God. This shall be according to this declaration whether detractors and politicians like it or not.
“The will of God must be done in Cross River State. We may be the minority but from today we refused to carry the tag of minority. We are God’s people who must not be trampled upon anyhow”.