Imam of China’s largest mosque killed

by bbc

The imam of China’s largest mosque – in the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang – has been killed in what appears to be a targeted assassination.
Jume Tahir, 74, was reportedly stabbed after he led early morning prayers at the Id Kah mosque on Wednesday.
His killing came two days after dozens of people were reportedly killed or injured in clashes with police in Yarkant county, in the same prefecture.
The reasons for his death remain unclear.
But the BBC’s Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says Tahir, who was from Xinjiang’s mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority, was a vocal and public supporter of Chinese policies in the region.
Radio Free Asia quoted an unnamed shopowner near Id Kah as saying he saw a body lying in a pool of blood front of the mosque in the morning and police clearing a huge crowd that had gathered. He was told the body was that of Mr Tahir.
A hasty burial was conducted by the late afternoon and the funeral procession was heavily guarded by military and police, according to The Los Angeles Times .
Shortly after his death, police sealed off roads in and out of Kashgar and cut internet and text messaging links to other parts of China. Those restrictions have since been lifted.
Tahir was appointed imam of the 600-year-old mosque by China’s ruling Communist Party.
Some say he was deeply unpopular among many Uighurs who disliked the fact that he praised Communist Party policies while preaching in his mosque.
He had also echoed the official government line that blamed the rising level of violence in Xinjiang on Uighur separatists and extremists, says our correspondent.
On Monday, a knife-wielding gang attacked a police station and government offices triggering clashes that killed “dozens” of Uighur and Han Chinese civilians, according to state media outlet Xinhua.
But activists disputed this account and said that local Uighurs were protesting against a Chinese crackdown on the observance of Ramadan, which ended on Monday.
Reports surfaced earlier this month that some government departments in Xinjiang were banning Muslim staff from fasting during Ramadan, and several university students told the BBC that they were being forced to have meals with professors.
There has been an upsurge in Xinjiang-linked violence that authorities have attributed to Uighur separatists.
In May at least 31 people were killed when two cars crashed through an Urumqi market and explosives were thrown. In March, a mass stabbing at Kunming railway station killed 29 people.
In response Chinese authorities have launched a year-long security campaign which includes increased police and troop presence in key cities and towns in Xinjiang. Scores of people have been arrested, and some sentenced to lengthy jail terms or death.

Argentina blames US mediator for debt default

Argentines have been protesting against the demands made by what they call "vulture funds"

Argentina has blamed the US for its debt default, calling the mediator in failed talks "incompetent".

Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said his country was considering opening proceedings at international tribunals in The Hague after it was declared to be in technical default.
The announcement came just hours after last-minute talks in New York with a group of bond-holders failed.
The bond-holders are demanding a full pay-out of $1.3bn (£766m).
Argentina says the bond-holders are "vultures" using the South American country's debt problems to make a big profit.
The investors are US hedge funds that bought debt cheaply after Argentina's economic crisis in 2001-2002.
They are also known as "hold-outs" because they did not sign up to a restructuring of debt which the majority of bond-holders agreed to in 2005 and 2010.
Under that deal, investors agreed to settle for about one-third of what they were originally owed.
However, hedge funds NML and Aurelius Capital Management bought up a large chunk of the remaining distressed debt at low prices.
They demand to be paid the full face value of their holding.
 
'Shameful handling'

Mr Capitanich said Argentina would denounce the "vulture funds" before the International Court of Justice at The Hague and the United Nations General Assembly.

Mr Capitanich called US mediator Daniel Pollack (pictured) "incompetent"

 

He said the US was to blame for it's "shameful" handling of the funds' case against Argentina.
"The responsibility lies with a state, that of the United States of America," he said in a news conference at the presidential palace.
Mr Capitanich accused the US of "not acting in an adequate manner".
The Argentine government had expected the dispute to go all the way to the US Supreme Court, which would have bought the country more time.
But in June, the Supreme Court declined to hear Argentina's appeal against the decision of a lower court that made it liable for the money.
Under that court's ruling, Argentina cannot use the US financial system to keep paying the restructured bondholders unless it also pays the "vulture funds", placing it in technical default.
 
Rufo clause

However, Mr Capitanich denied the country was in default at all, arguing that it has the money to pay the interest that became due to the restructured bondholders on 30 June but that it was barred from doing so by the court's ruling.

Feeling against the " vulture funds" runs high in Argentina

 

He suggested that holders of its performing debt demand their money from the US judge who blocked the 30 June interest payment.
Mr Capitanich also suggested one way out of the impasse would be for a third party to buy out the hold-out investors.
He said that move would allow them to side-step a clause that was seen as a major stumbling block on the way to a deal.
The clause, known as Rufo (rights on future offers) states that Argentina cannot favour the hold-outs over those who accepted the restructuring deals.
He also said that in the meantime Argentina would maintain its policies to stimulate the economy.

@bbc.com

FG rolls-out 10,000 low cost houses

by Ifeanyi Onuba

The Federal Government on Thursday officially began the roll-out of the first phase of its 10,000 housing units under the affordable home ownership scheme.

The project, to be spearheaded by the newly established Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company will enable Nigerians to own their houses at affordable rate.

The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala while speaking at the event in Abuja said with the flag-off, low income earners would begin to have the opportunity to own their houses under a flexible payment package.

Findings revealed that under the housing scheme, a unit of two bedroom apartment might be sold for between N4.5m and N7.5m depending on the location while that of a three bedroom would be sold from N8m.

The minster said unlike in the past where it was difficult for Nigerians to own their houses through affordable mortgages, the process had been simplified.

For instance, she said that under the new framework, the processing time for application for the mass housing project had been reduced from between six and 18 months to just six weeks.

She said with the launch of the NMRC in January, and its subsequent take off in June,  the key barrier of finance to developing accessible and affordable housing in Nigeria had be removed.

She said, “We want Nigerians to own their houses at affordable cost The NMRC mission is to provide long term funding for the housing sector.

“Since the ability of banks in providing mortgages is limited by the fact that 80 per cent of all and deposits are on 30 day period which does not ensure great level of sustainability in providing resources for the housing sector, the NMRC is here tenure greater access to for financing of up to 10 to 15 years.

“So instead of people not being able to own houses as they would have to pay up in 12 or 18 months, we are changing that now so that for 10 to 15 years, people can be able to pay for their own houses.”

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi said the roll out is a significant step in the Federal Government’s bid to reduce housing deficit.

She said apart from the mortgage housing project being spearheaded by the NMRC, the ministry was implementing other complimentary projects to help provide affordable houses for Nigeria.

On difficulties in getting titling for land,  the minster explained that the current framework is currently being reviewed so as to remove the bottle necks associated with land ownership.

She also explained that the government has intensified efforts in updating land database noting that this would help the government to increase the housing stock.

@punchng.com

Nigeria's deadly politics of interfaith love

A political power struggle masquerading as religious strife grips Nigeria - with mixed-faith couples paying the price. Maram Mazen

Violence has torn through Jos, leaving hundreds dead in the town and in nearby villages [AFP]

Jos, Nigeria - Hajiya Badamasi was a practising Christian when she married her Muslim husband in the central city of Jos 20 years ago and converted to Islam. The Plateau State capital has been a tinderbox for ethnic and religious clashes in the middle belt region, home to a region where Nigeria's largely Muslim north meets its mainly Christian south, encompassing many of Nigeria's ethnicities. The tensions began in 1991 when Jos was demarcated and divided into Jos North and Jos South. Violence started to break out in 1994, when a Hausa (a group which along with others are regarded as "settlers" in the region, as opposed to ethnic groups that view themselves as "indigenes") was appointed as Jos North local government chairman. According to International Crisis Group, roughly 4,000 people have been killed in sporadic outbreaks since 2001 in what Human Rights Watch described as "horrific internecine violence" . Before Jos became the epicentre of religious strife in the region, there were no issues over "who is a Muslim, who is a Christian", said Badamasi, having interfaith parents herself. "My father was a Muslim, he died as a Muslim, but my mom is a Christian and she still goes to Catholic church," she said. She was raised by a Christian uncle, and practised Christianity. Her uncle initially wasn't fully supportive of her marriage to a Muslim, "but at the end of the day they said where you find love, happiness, and joy, it is where you go to". Manufacturing religious strife Generations of mixed Muslim and Christian marriages highlight previous religious tolerance in Jos, where the focal point is tension between indigenes and the settlers, with each struggling for control of political power and resources. Settler groups say they have unequal access to government jobs and scholarships, political offices, and even roads and infrastructure, compared with more favoured indigenes. Distinction between individuals based on ethnic ancestry, not where they were born or reside, and its effects on privileges in each area, is a general practise across Nigeria. Clashes followed when the Hausa challenged this distinction, demanding equal rights as they arrived in the early 1900's and helped build Jos. Despite the conflict's portrayal as religious, "there is no religious doctrine that has been the focus of the fight," said Etannibi Alemika, a University of Jos professor of criminology and sociology of law. Incidentally, the Hausa are predominantly Muslim, while the indigenes, mainly the Berom, are largely Christian. The two sides say politicians reframed the conflict as a religious one to expand their support, manufacturing a religious conflict which feeds into the wider middle belt region. Inter-communal clashes in the middle belt have killed more than 1,000 people from December 2013 to mid-April this year, and more than 10,000 since 1992 in Plateau and Kaduna states alone, according to HRW. In the process, Jos has become one of the most religiously segregated Nigerian cities. The marriage of Alhaji Abdulaziz Haruna, a 59-year-old Muslim, and Augustina Vou Haruna, a Christian, nearly 40 years ago, is another example of the religious tolerance at the time. "When my parents went to visit my wife's parents, they were received wholeheartedly," said Haruna, who's a community leader for the Shuwa Arabs, a minority group from northeastern Nigeria. Augustina, a Berom, goes to church every Sunday, and sometimes Haruna takes her there himself. The couple have raised five children. Targeting interfaith marriages Among Jos' bouts of violence, the 2008 clashes hit mixed marriages the worst. By then, religious undertones had overtaken the conflict's political roots, and families moved to neighbourhoods predominantly of their religion for safety. On two occasions, Augustina was compelled to stay with her parents in Christian neighbourhoods until tensions calmed. All of this is perpetrated by politicians. - Sani Mudi, a spokesman for the Muslim community in Jos The 2008 clashes erupted amid local government elections in Jos North, the conflict's focal point. A minority in Jos, the Hausa and Fulani believe they constitute a majority in Jos North, where, as in the other parts of the area, local governments confirm indigenes by issuing "indigene certificates". "Whoever controls the local government controls the issuance of indigene certificates. This, in the final analysis, is what much of the fighting is about," Philip Ostien, a former lecturer in law at the University of Jos, wrote in a report examining the 2008 clashes. The Hausa suspected vote rigging after the vote counting was moved to a Berom neighbourhood. Riots erupted, followed by clashes that claimed hundreds of lives. In the aftermath, "Churches were burned, Mosques were burned", Isawa Elaigwu, president of the Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR) said in his Jos office. "So religion is more a vehicle of expression than a cause, because it mobilises people and it's easier to express." The increasing use of religion in the political space is a national phenomenon, said Elaigwu. “Suddenly from the 80's, politicians politicised religion and made religion an item of distinct conflict of social cleavage in the society,” he said. "All of this is perpetrated by politicians,” Sani Mudi, a spokesman for the Muslim community in Jos, said in the city's central mosque. New boundaries Rising opposition to interfaith marriages, as well as the communities' segregation, have reduced their occurrence, said Muhammad Lawal Ishaq, a Jos lawyer. "There's a sharp change from what was happening in the past," said Ishaq. Ishaq was involved in a case four years ago where the parents of a Muslim, Hausa woman attempted to stop her marriage to a Christian, Berom man, ultimately arguing her age, 17, rendered the union illegal. But they married after she turned 18, and she was disowned by her parents. Rarely do couples in Jos defy these new social boundaries. Prince Charles Dickson, a Christian, and his wife, Fatimah Dickson, who was Muslim when they married in 2000, reside in Jos. We have our own people from Jos, from Plateau, residing in other states ... we will always make sure they respect the culture and tradition, respect the constituted authority. - Jacob Gyang Buba, paramount traditional leader in Jos Fatimah converted to Christianity based on her own convictions, after the birth of their second child. Neither family approved of the marriage. Fatimah said that, ironically, her own family's history provides a stark comparison of how mixed marriages were viewed in her parents' generation. "My mom was a Christian, my father married her as a Christian and she converted when she had her last child," said Fatimah. "Her grandfather was also a Muslim, and he got converted by the early missionaries... So when she got married it wasn't a problem," she said. Fatimah was born and raised in Kaduna, another central state embroiled in intermittent ethnic and religious clashes. But because her family is originally from Lagos, in the southwest, she is considered a Lagos indigene and a settler in both Jos and Kaduna. As a settler, Fatimah says, she faces discrimination even though she's Christian, including, she said, being denied two government jobs that went to less qualified applicants. Respecting indegene 'authority' The Jos indigenes say they wouldn't be granted indigene rights in other places, and therefore it isn't fair, or possible, to share their ancestral rights with non-indigenes. "We have our own people from Jos, from Plateau, residing in other states ... we will always make sure they respect the culture and tradition, respect the constituted authority," Jacob Gyang Buba, the paramount traditional leader in Jos, known as the Gbong Gwom Jos, said in his palace. He insists that besides traditional privileges (such as representation in the traditional councils), all communities in Jos enjoy full residency rights. He also denied that there was any form of discrimination against settlers, on any level. Initiatives by organisations such as IGSR and Operation Rainbow, a government programme, have helped to stem the violence. IGSR trained thousands of young people on early warning system protocols to stop the spread of clashes when violence breaks out through prompt communication with security agencies, said Elaigwu. These questions over citizenship and identity are among others being discussed at a national conference that aims to resolve obstacles to "the nation’s harmonious development". But, as politicians bicker, a generation is growing up in a tense, religiously segregated Jos. Trying to teach children tolerance is a challenge. "My son saw a body being burned ... a couple of months later he bumps into a scene where people were being butchered, and you can imagine what that does to him. He was coming back from school," said a father who asked to remain unnamed. At his church, the pastor told worshippers not to buy beef from Muslims, he said. "If the pastor teaches that, what do you think the teacher is doing?"

Source: Al Jazeera

United need time to learn my methods –Van Gaal

by Agency Reporter

Van Gaal

New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has warned fans not to expect instant success, saying it will take three months for his players to get used to his style and methods, Reuters reports.

The Dutchman, brought in following the sacking of David Moyes less than 10 months after taking the job at Old Trafford, is introducing a new 3-4-1-2 formation and increasing the technical demands on his players.

United, who finished outside the European places in seventh last season, play Swansea City, Sunderland and Burnley in their first three Premier League matches but despite a relatively comfortable start, Van Gaal warned against immediate success.

“Every club where I have been, I have struggled for the first three months,” Van Gaal told reporters on the club’s pre-season tour in the United States.

“After that, they know what I want, how I am as a human being and also as a manager because I am very direct.

“I say things as they are, so you have to adapt to that way of coaching. It’s not so easy and also the way I train and coach is in the brains and not the legs.

“A lot of players are playing intuitively and I want them to think and know why they do something. That’s a process that is difficult at first.

“When we survive for the first three months, it will be the same as at Bayern (Munich). After three months there, we were seventh (in the Bundesliga) and third in the Champions League (group stage).

“We had to win at Juventus, we did and that was the turning point.”

Van Gaal, who led the Netherlands to third place at the World Cup in Brazil, said he turned down an approach by Tottenham Hotspur before taking the United job, and would not engage in verbal sparing with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese recently hit out at the wage demands of new United defender Luke Shaw, but Van Gaal said he would not let him get under his skin.

“He shall not do that with me,” Van Gaal, who appointed Mourinho as his assistant while at Barcelona, said.

“I play against Chelsea and not against Jose Mourinho. My team and his team are playing against each other.”

United reportedly spent close to 60 million pounds ($101.59 million) on Shaw and Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera last month but van Gaal said he was determined to give opportunities to the young players already at the club.

“When you see Ajax, I had the youngest team to win the Champions League with 17, 18, 19-year-old players. And the way you see Barcelona still playing with six players from my time is because I gave a lot of chances to the youth players.”

Record income of $711m for Barca

by Agency Reporter

Barcelona players celebrating a goal

Barcelona have reported a record income of €530m ($711m) over the past year and made a profit of €41m ($55m), the club announced on Tuesday.

Javier Faus, Barcelona’s vice president in charge of finance, presented the annual report for 2013-2014, saying that the club’s net debt had been reduced by €44m to stand at €287m as of June 30, AP reports.

Faus said that since he took up his post in 2010 the club’s debt had been reduced by €143m and that Barcelona had risen from 24th to second position in the Forbes ranking of the world’s most valuable sports teams. Real Madrid heads the Forbes ranking for 2014 with Manchester United in third place, baseball’s New York Yankees in fourth and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL in fifth.

Faus said that advertising and sponsorship revenue was the biggest contributor to the club’s income, at €169m, with the media – including television rights – second at €161m.

Ticket sales at the Camp Nou added €128m, while transfer fees brought in €53m and club memberships earned a further €19m.

Yaya wants to stay at City

by Agency Reporter

Yaya

Yaya Toure has once again underlined his commitment to Manchester City, insisting he wants to remain at the club for “as long as possible”.

Toure’s future at City looked uncertain after his agent Dimitry Seluk suggested the 31-year-old felt he had been treated disrespectfully by the club.

A poor World Cup with the Ivory Coast and the death of his younger brother Ibrahim to cancer saw further doubt cast on Toure’s City future, but the former Barcelona midfielder insists he is going nowhere.

“It was not a case of leaving the club. It was difficult because my situation was quite difficult,” he told the club’s official website. For me I was always quiet and my decision, if you want to say it like that, is that I will stay at Manchester City for as long as possible.”

“For me I was always quiet and my decision, if you want to say it like that, is that I will stay at Manchester City for as long as possible.”

Toure, who scored 24 goals and contributed 12 assists from 49 appearances for City last season, hopes the club reinforce the squad in the coming weeks in order to challenge on multiple fronts.

“I hope a couple of players sign in because we need to try to build a massive club because if we want to be the best we need to win every trophy possible,” he added.

“We are looking for the Champions League – that is an important title this year and the Premier League is going to be a battle as well between Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool too.

“I think it’s going to be very open. We know we are the team to beat but we have the confidence and we have the fantastic players coming and I hope this year’s going to be the same.”

Man United beat Inter

 by Agency Reporter

Manchester United players
| credits: AFP

Manchester United continued their unbeaten start to life under new boss Louis van Gaal, beating Inter Milan 5-3 on penalties in Washington DC after the game finished 0-0.

United converted all of their kicks in the shoot-out at FedEx Field, Darren Fletcher slamming home the winner after Marco Andreolli had hit the crossbar.

Having beaten Roma last week, United have one foot in the final of the International Champions Cup, where they could face Manchester City.

United’s new signing Luke Shaw, who van Gaal had described as unfit on the eve of the game, came on to play wing-back for the second half, while Wilfried Zaha, who showed plenty of promise on his first appearance of the tour, was introduced to play up front.

Former United stalwart Nemanja Vidic was in the Inter line-up and made a key challenge on Zaha before he was substituted with 18 minutes left.

Van Gaal’s men were sporting their new blue kit for the first time but, although they passed the ball around nicely before the break, they struggled to create clear-cut chances.

NFF to finalise Keshi’s contract

by Pius Ayinor

keshi

The board of the Nigeria Football Federation will convene an emergency meeting devoted to finalising contract deal with Stephen Keshi as Nigeria coach. The decision follows the meeting of the Federation’s Technical Committee members and later the board on Wednesday in Abuja.

A member of the committee, Mr. Paul Bassey, however told The PUNCH that nothing had been said on the pay for the coach as other issues had to be settled first.

He said, “It is not true that we have agreed to pay him N7m. That aspect has not been discussed.”

But following the report of the committee appointed to open channels of communication with Keshi on the probability of contract renewal for the Super Eagles job, the NFF Executive Committee then approved that the Acting President Chief Mike Umeh should convene a meeting of the NFF Emergency Committee to approve/finalise details on Keshi. This is a bid to fast track the negotiations/employment within the shortest possible time with the defence of the African Nations Cup title starting in September.

The emergency Congress earlier scheduled for Thursday (today) was cancelled. The statement released by the NFF on Wednesday read, “As a result of unforeseen circumstances, the emergency Congress of NFF earlier proposed for Thursday, 31st July, 2014 but not convoked, will now be convened at a later date.”

The PUNCH learnt that the realisation that their constitution specifies for 30 days’ notice before such meeting forced the Federation to postpone the meeting which had been fixed in Abuja to deliberate on Aminu Maigari’s impeachment.

Wednesday’s meeting also confirmed that the Elective Congress of the NFF will still hold on August 26 in Abuja, while the General Assembly will now hold on November 18 at a venue to be determined later. And for the elections, the NFF also decided to retain the Electoral Committee headed by Mr. Amoni Biambo with the exclusion of Dr. Akpo Mudiaga-Odje and Mr. Pascal Patrick, while the Electoral Appeals Committee is also retained with the exclusion of Eddy Ibrahim Mark, who is said to be a Chairman of one of NFF’s judicial bodies.

The NFF paper, signed by Emeka Inyama, stated that Shehu Adamu was approved as the Acting 1st Vice President of the NFF.

The Wednesday meeting also took a look at the contentious bans imposed on some members of the Nigeria football family. And at that a five-man committee to review the issue of bans on persons affected and report back to the NFF within three days. The Committee, which was immediately inaugurated by Umeh, is headed by Chief Effiong Johnson and has Shehu Adamu, Mr. Ayodeji Tinubu, Mrs Dilichukwu Onyedinma and Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande as members, while Dr. Christian Emeruwa will serve as Secretary.

@punchng.com

Ebola: Liberia shuts schools to tackle outbreak

by bbc

Liberia’s government has announced that it is closing down all schools across the country to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
Some communities would be placed under quarantine as well, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said.
Non-essential government workers will be sent home for 30 days and the army deployed to enforce the measures.
The number of people killed by the virus in West Africa has now reached 672, according to new UN figures.
The BBC’s West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy says treatment facilities have reportedly been overwhelmed in the Liberian capital Monrovia.
Some wards have already filled up, forcing health workers to treat some patients at their homes.
President Sirleaf said that Friday 1 August would be a non-working day in Liberia to allow for the disinfection of all public facilities.
“All non-essential staff – to be determined by the heads of ministries and agencies – are to be placed on 30 days’ compulsory leave,” she added.
The US humanitarian organisation Peace Corps said it was withdrawing 340 volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea because of the spread of the virus.
Two of its volunteers had been isolated after being exposed to someone who later died from the virus, it added.

PAWA 774 hails FG’s rural energy initiative

by Agency Reporter

A power station

PAWA 774, a private sector-led initiative to deploy 10 megawatts of clean, renewable energy power plants in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, has commended the Federal Government’s plan to power rural communities nationwide with renewable energy.

Last week, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had said that the Federal Government would deploy a three-phase programme utilising solar, wind and biomass energy to power hundreds of rural communities that had been without electricity for decades.

“We have quietly been implementing our vision to power hard-to-reach communities with Nigeria’s abundant, renewable energy sources,” the Managing Director/CEO of the Renewable Energy Technology Institute, Prof. Olurinde Lafe, said.

The institute, which developed Nigeria’s national renewable energy training curriculum, is a founding partner of the PAWA774 initiative.

“We are therefore highly encouraged by the Minister of Power’s plans to bring this all-important resource to Nigerians who have been off the power grid for generations, and we offer our support to realise the dream of constant, sustainable power for all Nigerians,” he said.

Confusion in LASU as striking workers shut offices

by Charles Abah

Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa

Striking workers of the Lagos State University, Ojo, on Wednesday forcibly shut offices in the university, an action that disrupted all administrative and academic activities in the school.

Apart from the office of the Vice-Chancellor, members of the institution’s Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, who have been on strike since last May; shut all other offices in the school.

The development, our correspondent gathered, frustrated hundreds of graduates of the university, who converged on the institution to collect their National Youth Service Corps call up letters.

The potential corps members are due to report to camp for orientation on August 5.

The striking workers’ action also initially prevented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa, from holding a press briefing on the institution’s forthcoming 19th convocation and 30th anniversary ceremonies.

Journalists, who gathered for the briefing scheduled for 10am at the university’s Senate Building, waited for more than three hours without the VC addressing them.

Obafunwa, it was gathered, later addressed a few journalists who remained behind in his office.

But speaking to journalists, the LASU-SSANU Chairman, Mr. Saheed Oseni, alleged that the university authorities had failed to address the needs of the members of the union.

Oseni, who spoke on the sidelines of the union’s congress on Wednesday, noted that the shutdown was strategic, especially as “they had several unresolved issues with the authorities.”

He added, “The authorities have not been fair to us and this explains why we cannot suspend the strike. Of importance to us is that the university council has failed to resolve the promotion issue we raised with the management for over one year now.

@punchng.com

Bush meat can predispose you to Ebola

by Bukola Adebayo

Bush meat is a known a delicacy in many parts of Nigeria. Indeed, many Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry its delicious aroma and taste in native soups, such as Egusi, Efo and Ofe Isla.

Game meats are usually free-range animals, which mean they have less saturated fat, which makes them healthier than other fatty meats. They are also low in calories when compared with beef and chicken.

Bush meat is high in Eicosapentaenoic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid that has several cardiovascular benefits.

Also, because it is grown in a natural environment, game meat is usually rich in vitamins and minerals, and free from growth hormones, which are the norm in domestic meat and poultry products.

However, as nutritious and tasty as it is, one can contract the Ebola Virus Disease by eating raw and infected bush meat.

Scientists say consumption and preparation of meat from forest animals, such as fruit bats, monkeys and chimpanzees is behind the transmission of Ebola, which has killed over 660 persons in the last six months in West Africa.

They have linked the recent outbreak of Ebola — a disease that causes its victims to bleed to death– to the indiscriminate consumption of raw bush meat and other exotic animals.

For one, meats from grass cutters, antelopes, gorillas and chimpanzees are a preferred delicacy in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, countries where the virus is spreading like wildfire.

Veterinary expert, Dr. Femi Oboye, notes that game meats are known hosts to Ebola, anthrax and yellow fever and some other deadly fever

Oboye states that those residing in countries with poor meat inspection policy are at a greater risk of contracting the virus.

“Forest animals like monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees can also get the disease and pass it to humans. Apes are hosts to diseases, such as Ebola, anthrax and yellow fever. One can be infected if one is exposed to the secretions of an infected animal or eats an infected animal.

“We must careful because game meats are hardly inspected before they are sold in the market in many African countries. No procedures are carried out by a professional to determine and guarantee either the flesh or organs are free of diseases and other contaminants,” he adds.

Oboye notes that unlike food poisoning where its symptoms manifest a few hours after eating the food, it takes, at least, two to three weeks for the symptoms of Ebola to show in infected persons.

“The virus incubates (lives) in the body fluids of the victim between two days and three weeks, after which symptoms, such as fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain will begin to show. You may not know you are infected till it is too late to treat.”

Roasted fruit bats are another delicacy in some states in the Southwestern parts of Nigeria. Experts warn that these animals may be infected and roasting them may not kill the virus in the already infected animals.

The contracting of Ebola, the World Health Organisation also states can be by eating fruit bats or eating fruits that have been infected by bats.

The body notes, “Fruit bats are known hosts for the virus. So, we are warning that people should stay off eating fruit bats or dead animals that may have been infected this period.

“If you eat fruits that have come in contact with these bats, you may get infected. Those who handle or eat bush meat, especially in rural areas, must also be careful, as they could be at risk. Monkeys and apes could be hosts for the Ebola virus.”

Nutritionist, Dr. Yomi Agaja, says this warning is not to say that Nigerians should stay off fruits, but they must be cleaned, properly washed or disinfected in some cases to make sure that some bacteria or viruses that may be in such fruits are denatured.

He states, “Ebola is transferred from fruit bats to humans or fruits. It is usually not obvious when a fruit is infected. But you can take precautions. Do not buy any fruit that looks infected from the market. When you want to prepare it, wash the outer layers. After that, you can disinfect it with vinegar.

“Also, try not to buy sliced fruits from the roadside; they will definitely not take the same precautions that you would if you were to prepare it yourself.”

Ebola Virus Disease — also known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever — is one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind.

For now, the disease has no cure or vaccine and kills up to 90 per cent of its victims within days of its incubation in the body system.

The WHO describes the recent outbreak as the most challenging so far due to the low level of awareness and poor access to quick treatment in affected countries.

The early symptoms of Ebola mimic that of malaria and fever. They may not be identified right away – particularly in the early stages of the disease.

Family, friends and health care workers can easily contract the virus while caring for an infected individual, a reason why the disease spreads like fire.

As there is no cure for the disease, prevention is, therefore, the watchword. Experts urge individuals to adhere to stringent personal and environment hygiene to minimise the risk for the infecting the virus.

@punchng.com

Market capitalisation rises by N28bn

by Simon Ejembi

Trading floor, Nigerian Stock Exchange

Equities rose on Wednesday, the first trading day of the week following the public holiday, to lift major market indices.

For instance, the market capitalisation of the listed equities rose by N28bn or 0.2 per cent from Friday’s close of N13.962tn to close at N13.990tn.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index also rose by 0.2 per cent – or 83.17 basis points – to close at 42,368.99 basis points, up from 42,285.82 basis points.

The NSE 30 Index, which tracks the performance of the 30 most capitalised companies on the Exchange, appreciated marginally.

It advanced by 0.03 per cent or 0.60 basis points to close at 1,933.81 basis points from 1,933.21 basis points.

The banking sub-sector dominated the activity chart in terms of volume traded, accounting for 71.3 per cent of total turnover traded.

In the sub-sector, 509.273 million shares valued at N3.794bn were traded in 1,604 deals with Access Bank Plc and Wema Bank Plc driving volume.

Unity Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc also recorded high volume turnover in the sub-sector.

In all, investors exchanged 713.842 million stocks worth N6.728bn in 5,830 deals with 29 equities recording price appreciation and another 29 making losses.

Oando Plc was the day’s top gainer. It gained 9.7 per cent or N2.47 to close at N27.94 per share.

Portland Paints and Products Plc rose by 4.98 per cent or 26 kobo to close at N5.48 per share. Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc was also up by 4.98 per cent to close at N30.54 per share.

Also, Evans Medical Plc gained 4.85 per cent or 10 kobo to close at N2.16 per share.

Red Star Express Plc led the losers, shedding seven per cent or 35 kobo to close at N4.56 per share.

Wapic Insurance Plc and Honeywell Flour Mills Plc fell by 5.56 per cent and 4.94 per cent to close at 85 kobo and N4.04 per share, respectively, while Cap Plc declined by 4.88 per cent or N2 to close at N39 per share.

The most traded stocks for the day are Access Bank Plc, 217.528 million shares at N2.172bn; Wema Bank Plc, 153.443 million shares worth N162.7m; and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, 44.5 million shares worth N242.4m.

@punchng.com

EU sanctions top Putin aides over Ukraine conflict

by bbc

A former judo sparring partner of Vladimir Putin is among three of the Russian president’s close aides on a new EU sanctions list.
The EU says billionaire tycoon Arkady Rotenberg runs firms which profited from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. He is also under US sanctions.
The asset freezes and travel bans target Russian officials accused of undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The major shareholders in Bank Rossiya, close to Putin, are also listed.
Rotenberg’s construction projects include a contract to build a bridge linking Russia with Crimea.
Western leaders are using sanctions to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea in March and its support for the pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine. The rebel cause has been helped by Russian heavy weapons and volunteers, according to Western intelligence.
The downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet on July 17 – allegedly hit by a Russian-made missile – fuelled calls for tougher action against the Kremlin and the rebels in Ukraine.
The EU says Bank Rossiya “is considered the personal bank of senior officials of the Russian Federation”.
The bank’s chairman Yuri Kovalchuk owns about 38 per cent of the bank’s shares. He is now on the EU and US sanctions lists, along with Nikolai Shamalov, who has a 10 per cent stake in the bank.

Barclays Africa earnings up by 10%

by Agency reporter

Barclays Africa Group’s posted an expected 10 per cent rise in first-half headline earnings on Wednesday boosted by its Africa operations.

Reuters reported that the pan-African lender, majority owned by the eponymous British bank, said headline earnings per share came in at 720.9 cents in the six months to end June, compared with a restated 655.7 cents a year ago.

Barclays said net interest income – the measure of income from lending – grew 10 per cent to 17.197 billion rand ($1.62bn) as the bank passed on higher interest rates.

Credit impairments fell seven per cent after a push to rein in bad loans, which spiked in 2013 for most South African banks following a spate of unbridled unsecured lending.

Reuters had quoted the Deputy Chief Executive, Barclays Africa, David Hodnett, as saying the bank “sees ‘mid single digit’ loan growth continuing, reflecting its more cautious stance to writing new business.

It said Hodnett made the comment at Barclays Africa’s first-half earnings presentation. The bank, an arm of London-based Barclays Plc, reported loan growth of around five per cent in the six months to the end of June.

India landslide: Rescuers continue search for survivors

by bbc

Rescue workers in western India are working to locate survivors of a landslide that has claimed at least 23 lives and buried up to 200 people.
Ten people have been rescued from the wreckage in Malin village, near the city of Pune in Maharashtra state.
Teams worked through the night but rain was hampering efforts to search for scores of people presumed trapped under the mud and debris.
The landslide hit the village early on Wednesday while people were sleeping.
Landslides are common in some parts of India during the monsoon, which runs from June to September.
A large part of a nearby hill collapsed on Malin, and its population of 150 to 200 tribal people were covered with tonnes of loose earth, mud and rocks.
“Everything on the mountain came down,” said Suresh Jadhav, a district official, describing how a cascade of mud, rocks and uprooted trees swamped the area.

Argentina defaults for second time

by bbc

Argentina has defaulted on its debt – for the second time in 13 years – after last-minute talks in New York with a group of bond-holders ended in failure.
So-called “vulture fund” investors were demanding a full pay-out of $1.3bn (£766m) on bonds they hold.
Argentina has said it cannot afford to do so, and has accused them of using its debt problems to make a big profit.
A US judge had set a deadline of 04:00 GMT on Thursday for a deal. The crisis stems from Argentina’s 2001 default.
Late on Wednesday evening, Argentina’s Economy Minister Axel Kicillof said the investors had rejected the government’s latest offer.
“Unfortunately, no agreement was reached and the Republic of Argentina will imminently be in default,” Daniel Pollack, the court-appointed mediator in the case, said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
The fresh default is not expected to affect Argentina’s economy in the same way it did in 2001, when dozens were killed in street protests and the authorities froze savers’ accounts to halt a run on the banks.
“The full consequences of default are not predictable, but they certainly are not positive,” Pollack said.
Speaking at a news conference in New York, Kicillof said Argentina would not do anything illegal.
The investors, also known as “hold-outs”, are US hedge funds that bought debt cheaply after Argentina’s economic crisis.
They never agreed to the restructuring accepted by the majority of bond-holders.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has described as vultures the minority bond-holders – including Aurelius Capital Management and NML Capital.
She accuses them of taking advantage of Argentina’s debt problems to make large profits.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the country to “default” earlier on Wednesday, although the price of the bonds did not react.
S&P noted that it could revise the rating if Argentina were to find some way to make the payments.
The hedge funds are demanding Argentina make interest payments on debt which it defaulted on in 2001, even though it was bought at less than face value.

Three shortlisted to replace Zakari as prison boss

by Adelani Adepegba

Three senior officers have been shortlisted and presented to The Presidency for consideration as replacement for Ibrahim Zakari, who retired as the Controller-General of Prisons last Thursday, after attaining the mandatory 35 years in service.

Findings indicated that the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prison Services Board had nominated the candidates to the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, who would recommend the ideal candidate to President Goodluck Jonathan.

The President is expected to announce the new CG after consultations with the minister and other officials.

Sources informed our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday that the CDFIPB recommended the Deputy Controller-General of Prisons, Aminu Suley, who is the interim CG; ACGs Ogundele Olawepo, and Salihi Bala for the position.

It was learnt that Suley, who is the most senior of the three men, may however not get the nod as he had spent about eight years as DCG and may therefore be retired if he fails to get the appointment, according to the civil service rules.

Investigations indicated that the odds however favour Bala, who hails from Yobe State and holds a Master’s degree in Budget Management as well as a Post-graduate Diploma in Finance and Material Management and a B.Sc in Political Science from Bayero University, Kano.

It was learnt that the appointment of Bala, may also lead to the retirement of three other DCGs, including Dagaci Abubakar, (in charge of Finance and Budget), Dr. Peter Ekpendu (Administration and Supply) and Segun Bewaji, (Operations.).

Bala, who joined the Nigeria Prison Service on November 29, 1984, had held various positions in the service before his appointment as Assistant Controller-General on January 1, 2008.

Bala, currently in charge of Inmates Training Programme at the Prison headquarters, was the zonal coordinator, Zone ‘H’ Makurdi, between 2008-2009.

He was also the Controller in charge of Discipline (Provost-General) at the National headquarters, between 2000 and 2001

Between 1991 and 2006, he was the State Controller in charge of Niger (1991-1992); Bauchi (1992-1994); Borno (1996-97); FCT (1998-2000); Nasarawa (2001-05) and Jigawa (2005-06).

@punchng.com

Ukraine MH17: Russian aviation experts to visit site

by bbc

Russian aviation experts have arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kiev ahead of a visit to the site of the Flight MH17 crash in rebel-held territory.
Ukraine’s government has called a one-day pause in military operations against pro-Russia rebels to allow investigators to reach the site.
The Russian team plans to visit the site with international colleagues and study debris there together.
The Malaysia Airlines plane is said to have been shot down killing 298 people.
There is evidence that the plane was hit by a missile, with Ukraine, the US and others accusing the pro-Russian separatist rebels, who deny targeting the jet.
Russia has come under increased pressure to end its support for the rebels despite having continually denied claims that it is arming and training them. Moscow has accused Ukraine of shooting down the plane – a charge Kiev denies.
A new round of EU sanctions is being revealed on Thursday following similar action by the US.
A Russian delegation led by Oleg Storchevoy, deputy head of Russia’s federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia, arrived in Kiev.
“Russian experts intend to meet the head of the investigative commission… and hand over all the materials that the chairman of the commission had previously asked for,” Rosaviatsia said in a statement.
“Today, the Russian representatives will also try to reach the crash area of the Boeing 777 and together with specialists from the international investigative commission examine the state of parts of the aircraft at the site.”
Dutch and Australian police experts have been trying all week to reach the crash site but have been prevented from doing so by intense fighting as government forces push against rebels in the region.
The press service for Ukraine’s “anti-terrorist operation” said troops would refrain from combat operations in the Donetsk region, except in self-defence, in order to allow investigators to do their work on Thursday.
Well over 1,000 civilians and combatants have been killed since the new Ukrainian government sent troops into east Ukraine in mid-April to quell the insurgency.
The rebels have been forced back towards their strongholds in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have come under heavy bombardment.

Stakeholders urge concerted efforts against terrorism

by Sunday Aborisade

•President Goodluck Jonathan,•Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and •Ozekhome

Nigeria’s security challenges have prompted civil society groups as well as government agencies to seek ways of finding a lasting solution to the Boko Haram menace. This, perhaps, informed a one-day symposium recently held in Abuja, writes SUNDAY ABORISADE.

Eminent Nigerians from all walks of life recently converged on the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, to brainstorm on how best to tackle insecurity and sundry challenges facing the country in order to attain development.

The Director of Policy and Strategy in the office of the National Security Adviser, Ambassador Layiwola Lasehinde, and other prominent Nigerians like human rights activist, Mike Ozekhome; a former presidential spokesperson, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi; Mr. Umar Farouk, Dr. Inusa Tanko, Hajia Ramatu Bala-Usman, Hajia Aisha Bako, Dr. Kunle Fagbemi, and Mr. Bankole Afilaka; among others, spoke extensively on insurgency and how to tackle it. Most of the discussants agreed that rather than expect Nigeria to break-up, every citizen should encourage unity with a view to tackling the problems which have over the years stifled its growth.

As it is often the case with such gatherings, experts in various fields offered suggestions on what they feel could be done to rescue the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group from the Government Secondary School, Chibok. Some of the speakers recommended sustained military action while others insisted that negotiation remains the best option if the country expects to get the girls back alive. Speakers at the event unanimously agreed that an early resolution of the Boko Haram insurgency was desirable to enable the country fast-track national development.

Human rights activist, Mike Ozekhome, urged Nigerians to pray for the quick release of the remaining schoolgirls. He noted that God, who delivered him from captivity after he spent 21 days in the hands of his abductors, was capable of delivering the abducted schoolgirls.

Ozekhome said, “The Nigeria of our dreams is a country that would become one of the greatest countries in the world, a country that everyone would love to come and dwell in. I dream of a country, which would always sponsor the talented ones amongst its citizens, a country with no trace of violence. The Nigeria of our dreams is a country where corruption will be a taboo in public service and Nigeria will be sanitised not with the forceful hand of the law but with impulsive self-censorship.”

He expressed the opinion that Nigeria’s case was still redeemable.

The lawyer was not oblivious of the precarious situation Nigeria finds itself today. He said, Nigeria “is swirling precariously on a dangerous precipice of unparalleled corruption, pervasive insecurity, political bedlam, unfettered tribalism, economic sabotage, religious bigotry, sectional chauvinism, ethnic acrimony, travesty of justice, gross inequality, entrenched impunity, and ubiquitous rights violation, among others.”

He lamented that the problems had systematically reduced the nation from its enviable height as a projected “giant of Africa” both in potential and prospect, to a laughing stock, an anathema, and a political cretin with a near pariah status among the comity of nations.

Ozekhome observed that whereas Nigeria had a 2013 estimated population of 174.5m people and is the 7th most populous country in the world with the world’s 26th largest economy (GDP) of over $500bn, having overtaken South Africa, she remains bent on her wobbly knees. He expressed concern that 100 years after the creation of Nigeria and 54 years after its independence from Britain, Nigeria had witnessed a steady decline.

The legal practitioner said the vestige of corruption, nepotism, inequality, rights abuses, inefficiency and ineffectiveness that had come to be associated with military rule has remained like the rock of Gibraltar since 1999.

“From 1999 till date, many things which were wrong with the polity were aggravated, reframed in a different manner, or simply hibernated. None, as a matter of fact, has been known to have been eliminated,” he said.

The Director of Policy Strategy in the office of the National Security Adviser, Ambassador Layiwola Lasehinde, in his presentation, gave insights into the enormity of the challenge of confronting terrorism.

Lasehinde, however, explained that as much as an end to the scourge was desirable, there were no quick fix solutions to the hydra-headed monster of terrorism. Drawing inferences from experiences of other climes, he enjoined Nigerians to be prepared to confront the challenge for a few years more.

He said, “It took America 10 years to locate Bin Laden and when you are talking of resources, the American government spent huge amount of money in search of Bin Laden who was sitting in a house close to a military station. America could not solve the terrorism problem in Afghanistan and they were there for years, spending $1m every day. They were also in Iraq, spending $1m everyday also. In fact, what they have achieved there is worse than when they got there. We are not saying that we will not get to the end of terrorism in Nigeria, but don’t expect a quick resolution. It is a virus that has entered the politics of the country and it will be extremely difficult to remove it because there are many disgruntled people all over supporting them.”

He maintained that there would be no meaningful development especially in the North-East until peace returns.

“If you try to build anything there, you will be ‘killed’ so peace has to be returned there first to achieve meaningful development in the area,” he added.

The security expert expressed delight that the European Union and the Department for International Development were already involved in a comprehensive strategy to ensure transparency in the development of a blueprint for the North-East in line with international best practices.

The initiative, he added, had long term, short term and medium term measures to rejuvenate socio-economic activities in the region.

On the issue of funding, he explained that the programme would be jointly funded by the federal and state governments as well as the development partners.

He said, “The government has also put in place a victim support program. The office of the NSA has designed two programmes to combat terrorism and discourage young people from buying into the concept of terrorism.”

He stressed that the Federal Government had remained focused despite the security challenges posed by the activities of the Boko Haram sect. This, he said, explains why the office of the NSA initiated a programme to protect critical assets of the country by compiling a comprehensive list of their current locations and condition of the assets.

Under the arrangement, strategic assets including government and private buildings such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation headquarters, police headquarters, secretariats, educational institutions, and other facilities, would be fully guarded against terrorist attacks.

“The master plan is now in place for the protection of assets particularly those vulnerable to terrorist attacks,” he said. According to him, the main task before the Jonathan administration at the moment is how to tackle insecurity in the North-East. He said, “The presidential initiative for the North-East is a plan for economic development and the committee is working with the affected state governments and development partners for the post state of emergency period.”

Not everybody appears convinced that government is doing enough to ensure the safe return of the girls who have been in captivity for over 106 days. Conveners of the Bring Back our Girls group and the All Progressives Congress insist that government needs to do more to regain public confidence.

A former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, Yusuf Mamman, urged the Federal Government to reverse the decay in the nation’s education sector by drawing up a workable master plan. He also stressed the need to build a country where equity, justice and peace would reign when leaders and other people in position of authorities would lead with sincerity of purpose by abstaining completely from corruption.

Speaking in a similar vein, Adeniyi, who is also the chairman, Editorial Board of Thisday newspapers, challenged Nigerian leaders to create a positive impression of Nigerians in the minds of younger generation so that they would be encouraged to engage in activities that would make the nation great.

Similarly, Tanko, Fagbemi, Afilaka and Bako spoke on the need for peaceful co-existence of all tribes in Nigeria where politics would be played by the actors with the single purpose of creating peaceful atmosphere for all citizens and to guarantee all their needs.

Afilaka specifically asked Nigeria’s ethnic regions to forget the idea of disintegration because having been together for over 50 years all hands should be on deck to collectively engender actions that would move the nation forward.

It is worthy of note that Nigerians are never short of ideas. Each time there is a challenge, workshops and seminars are often organised with experts proffering possible solutions. Often times their recommendations remain on the shelves years after. It is hoped that those saddled with the responsibility of implementing government policies will rise to the occasion this time around.  

@punchng.com

Ebola epidemic ‘out of control’ says charity

by Aljazeera

Global medical charity Doctors Without Borders has given warning that the Ebola crisis in West Africa is “unprecedented, absolutely out of control”, as states across the world took steps to prevent its spread.

Bart Janssens, the charity’s director of operations, warned there was no overarching vision of how to tackle the outbreak, in an interview with Belgium’s  La Libre Belgique newspaper.

“This epidemic … can only get worse, because it is still spreading, above all in Liberia and Sierra Leone, in some very important hotspots,” Janssens said.

“We are extremely worried by the turn of events, particularly in these two countries where there is a lack of visibility on the epidemic. If the situation does not improve fairly quickly, there is a real risk of new countries being affected.

“That is certainly not ruled out, but it is difficult to predict, because we have never known such an epidemic.”

More than 670 people have died of Ebola in the outbreak, the largest on record since the disease was detected in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organisation has met global health officials to discuss measures to stop the disease from crossing borders. The pan-African airline ASKY suspended all flights to and from the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The EU allocated an extra $2.7m to fight the outbreak, bringing total funding to $5.2m.

“The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost,” said the EU’s humanitarian aid commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.

The bloc has deployed experts on the ground to help victims and try to limit the contagion.

Israel’ll destroy Hamas tunnels -Netanyahu

by bbc

Israel will not stop its operation in Gaza until all the tunnels constructed by Hamas have been destroyed, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting, he said Israel was determined to destroy the tunnels – used to attack troops and towns – “with or without a ceasefire”.
Earlier Israel called up 16,000 reservists, bringing the total mobilised so far to 86,000.
Some 425,000 people in Gaza have been displaced by fighting, the UN says.
The UN says it is sheltering 225,178 Palestinians in 86 shelters across Gaza, with 200,000 more thought to be sheltering with friends or family.
The total number displaced amounts to 25 per cent of all of Gaza’s 1.7 million inhabitants.
Israel began Operation Protective Edge on 8 July. Since then at least 1,360 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians.
The operation began with a focus on Hamas’ rocket-launching capability, but has since expanded to take in the threat from tunnels.
After air strikes began, the Israel Defense Forces discovered an extensive network of tunnels leading from Gaza into Israel.
Hamas militants have launched several attacks from the tunnels, killing a number of Israeli soldiers.
It launched a ground operation to destroy the tunnels on July 17, and insists that any ceasefire deal includes the right to continue that mission.

Panic as DSS operatives fire gunshots in Osun

by Tunde Odesola and Femi Makinde

Panic gripped residents of Osun State on Wednesday when operatives of the Department of State Service in about 50 Toyota pickup vehicles fired into the air as their convoy rode through the capital city.

The officials, some of whom wore masks, were fully armed and were conveyed round Osogbo in the siren-blaring vehicles.

They were also sighted in Iwo and surrounding communities of Osogbo.

Our correspondent observed that some of operatives, who sat on the roofs of the vehicles, fired gunshots into the air, thereby causing fear among road users.

Dressed in black T-shirts, black trousers with caps and fully armed, the officials drove from their office along Gbongan-Osogbo Road through Olaiya Junction to Oke-Fia.

A source disclosed that the operatives were deployed from Abuja.

Motorists and ‘okada’ riders hurriedly parked their vehicles while the armed officials took over the roads and just as pedestrians also abandoned the roads.

The Director of the DSS in Osun State, Mr. Andrew Iorkyar, when contacted by our correspondent on the telephone said that the officials were deployed in the state for the purpose of the August 9 governorship election.

He said, “They are our men. They are patrolling round to familiarise themselves with the terrain. They are in the state to protect law-abiding people. They are not deployed to terrorise anybody.

“You know that there are allegations and counter-allegations of stock piling or arms by some politicians. We don’t want any breakdown of law and order. So, our men are in the state to ensure peace.”

Asked why the officials were shooting into the air, Iorkyar said he was not aware of that and he promised to find out.

He urged the people of the state not to hesitate to make useful information available to the service.

The Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Security Matters, Mr. Amos Adekunle, when contacted on the telephone by our correspondent condemned the incident, describing it as intimidation. Some residents who spoke to our correspondent condemned the shooting, saying it was not necessary because there was no crisis that warranted it.

The All Progressives Congress described the shooting as a ploy to scare voters away from coming out to vote.

The Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, who spoke with one of our correspondents in a telephone interview, said the incident was totally uncalled for, adding that it left people running helter-skelter.

Oyatomi, who also issued a statement on Wednesday, asked the people not to be intimidated by security presence in the state.

He said, “The incident was unwarranted because there was no riot. They came from Abere end; they passed though Olosan to Olaiya and Oke-Fia thence to Ilobu. They would move a few meters and open fire. People began to run helter-skelter. If this is how the Peoples Democratic Party thinks it would capture Osun, they are joking because the people’s wish can never subverted.

“No citizens should be scared or should run away when they see and or hear gunshots from security people because they have committed no crime. Everybody should go about their businesses and ignore them. A country in which the security operatives are the ones doing what we are experiencing to citizens in Osun, calls for the gravest concern.”

@punchng.com

Abba may replace Abubakar as IG

by Adelani Adepegba

Mr. Suleiman Abba

Barring any last change of plan, the Federal Government is expected to announce Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 7, Mr. Suleiman Abba, as a replacement for Mohammed Abubakar, the Inspector-General of Police, whose tenure ended on July 30, 2014.

Findings indicated that President Goodluck Jonathan had already conveyed to Abba the news of his appointment as the next IG, following his selection by the Police Council made up of the 36 state governors and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro.

A source in the Presidency said, “Abba would be announced any moment from now as the next IG; in fact, the appointment has been confirmed to him personally, all we are waiting for is the official announcement by the President which may be made after the FEC meeting on Wednesday.”

Abubakar, from Zamfara State, enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on July 30, 1979 and was due for retirement on July 30, 2014, based on the mandatory retirement age.

Abubakar, who had attained the mandatory 35 years in service, had been expected to proceed on terminal leave early in the month, but he had clung on, hoping his tenure would be extended.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported that Abubakar would not be granted an extension in spite of his relative achievements in the Force and efforts by Vice President Namadi Sambo, to persuade President Jonathan to extend his tenure till 2015.

The appointment of Abba as the next IG seems to have put paid to Sambo’s alleged promise and assurances to Abubakar and his dream of staying in office till after the general elections.

Investigations showed that it was only the tenure of former IG Sunday Ehindero that was extended by one year by the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo.

Abba, whose appointment may be announced on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting, had served as the Commissioner of Police in charge of Rivers State; Deputy Force Secretary and Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID, FCT Police Command.

@punchng.com

Landlady’s children cut tenant’s private parts

by Samson Folarin

Yinka
| credits: Samson Folarin

A 35-year-old man, Yinka Offehin, is battling for his life at a private hospital in Lagos State after his scrotum was cut by the children of his landlady.

The Edo State indigene, who resides on Popoola Street, off Abaranje Road in the Ikotun area of Lagos, was said to have been attacked while sleeping in his room with his family members.

His wife, Bisi, who was with him when the incident happened, identified the assailants as Solomon and Damilola, the children of the landlady.

She said, “On Thursday morning, around 3am, while we were sleeping, we heard loud bangs on our door. We initially thought they were armed robbers because the house beside ours had recently been robbed.

“When they entered, we saw they were children of our landlady. They began destroying our electronics and other property.

“There were two of them. One held a knife in his hand. They took N800, 000. They descended on my husband and he also fought back. In that confusion, my husband shouted and we saw that one of the attackers had cut Yinka’s scrotum. I can’t say what they used to cut off my husband’s scrotum.”

She added that her husband, though in pain, was able to hold on to one of his attackers till dawn, while the other fled the scene.

Bisi said her husband could not be admitted at a general hospital because of the ongoing doctors’ strike, but was eventually taken to a private hospital in the area.

When our correspondent visited the victim at the hospital, he told PUNCH Metro the genesis of his problem was when he had a misunderstanding with his landlady and was asked to vacate his apartment.

“I was asked to leave the house immediately, but after the intervention of the traditional ruler of the community, I was asked to leave by the end of August.

“But that decision did not go down well with the children of my landlady and they continued to make trouble with me.

“I was already planning to leave their house and had even contacted an agent when they attacked me without any provocation. I want the government to fight for me,” he said.

A doctor in the hospital, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that his patient would need up to three months to recover.

He said, “We have stitched the area where the scrotum was torn. It may take up to three months before it will heal. He needs time to fully recover from the injury.”

A relative said the doctor told the family if the condition did not improve, a surgery may not be ruled out.

It was learnt that about N60, 000 had already been spent by the family.

The father of the suspects, a pastor, when contacted, declined comment.

He said, “I am sorry; I can’t speak with you on this matter. You know the matter is already with the police and those they accused of committing the offence are in the police cell. So, what do you want me to say? I was told they are taking the matter to court. Let’s leave everything to God.”

Our correspondent learnt that the case was reported at the Ikotun Police Division.

A source told our correspondent that a member of the suspects’ family had on the morning of the incident reported a case of armed attack on them by a tenant.

The wife of the victim, who met the relative at the station, reportedly expressed surprise, telling the officers the reverse was the case.

It was learnt that the relative was put behind the counter after the police saw the victim’s injuries.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident.

She said, “It was around 3am, while the victim was sleeping in his room, that one Solomon Olowogbemi and Damilola Olayeye, the children of his landlady, came in and started fighting with him.

“In the process, they inflicted injury on him with an unknown object. The skin of his scrotum was partly cut off, thereby exposing one of his testicles. The two suspects have been arrested and detained and the victim taken to a hospital.”

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New e-passport takes off Friday

by Olalekan Adetayo

President Goodluck Jonathan
| credits: File copy

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday inaugurated Nigeria’s new 64-page e-passport with a call on Nigerians to protect the image of the country by shunning uncomplimentary statements and actions.

Jonathan launched the traveling document shortly before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He and Vice President Namadi Sambo later took turns to be captured in order to be issued with the new traveling document. The new passport takes effect from August 1.

Jonathan said Nigerians must be ready to work hard in order to improve the image of the country.

The President said, “The issue of the image of the country is what we will all work for, people in government, the media and the civil society.

“I always say that when people continue to paint their country with all kinds of colours, that is the way they will associate those colours with your green passport.

“I want a situation that whenever you travel to another country and you raise your green passport, people will appreciate you and not when you raise your green passport, people will begin to think that that green passport signified some suspicious character.

“We are not helping ourselves when we paint ourselves the colours that we are not supposed to bear.

“I wish to continue to appeal to all Nigerians that we must all collectively learn how we do our things, statements that we make, to paint brighter colours for our green passport.”

The President said the pages of the traveling document had to be increased from 32 to 64 to cater for frequent travellers who change their passport almost every other month because of limited pages for visa.

He urged officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service to protect the integrity of the passport by ensuring that it would be difficult for anybody to fake it.

Jonathan also asked officials who man the nation’s airports to ensure that they conduct themselves in a manner that would portray the country well before visitors.

He added, “I always sympathise with those who travel almost on a weekly basis, changing passport every month, at least we have moved a step forward. The key thing is for us to have a robust relationship with key countries so that some of these frequent travellers may not need visas and that will really help us more.

“One thing one must know today is that it is not the issue of 64-page passport that is key to Nigerians but the security. If our passport could be easily faked by criminals, then we will have problems.

“One thing again is that how can Nigerians get passport easily especially those living outside this country?”

@punchng.com