Taiwan gas blasts kill 24

by bbc

A series of gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 24 people and injured about 270 others, officials say.
The blasts rocked the city’s Cianjhen district, scattering cars and blowing deep trenches in roads.
The exact cause of the gas leaks is not clear, but reports say the blasts were caused by ruptured pipelines.
Images of the scene showed major fires, upturned vehicles, bodies covered in debris and streets split in two.
The explosions happened late on Thursday night, with witnesses reporting huge fireballs soaring into the air. Taiwan’s premier said there were at least five blasts.
“The local fire department received calls of gas leaks late Thursday and then there was a series of blasts around midnight affecting an area of two to three sq km [one sq mile],” the National Fire Agency said in a statement.
“I saw lots of cars and motorcycles with engines all over on the road, and doctors checking if bodies were dead or alive,” eyewitness Chen Guan-yuan, who was at the scene shortly after the blast, told the BBC.
“Because the explosion range is so far so it’s really difficult to handle this situation immediately,” Chen said, adding that the blasts “caused a long-range hole, like a huge cave”.

Terrorism should end by December – Council of State

 by Olalekan Adetayo

L–R: Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Uwais; another former CJN, Alfa Belgore; a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar; and a former Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, during the Council of State meeting in Abuja... on Thursday.
| credits: NAN.

Members of the Council of State rose from an emergency meeting on Thursday with a resolution to support President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the current spate of terrorism in parts of the country ends before December.

They also resolved to put an end to all discriminatory practices in states including the registration and “deportation” of non-indigenes as well as different school fees for indigenes and non-indigenes in state-owned institutions among others.

The council presided over by Jonathan has the Vice President, the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, all living former Heads of State, all former Chief Justices of Nigeria and all state governors as members.

All living former Heads of State, except former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) attended the emergency meeting. President of the Senate, David Mark, was also absent.

Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Sullivan Chime (Enugu); and the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

Aliyu said it was the resolution of council members that all hands must be on the deck to end insurgency in parts of the country.

He said they would work hard to ensure that the predictions by some foreigners that Nigeria would cease to exist as a united nation beyond 2015 remained a wishful thinking.

The governor added that the council observed that leaders, particularly politicians remained the only threats to the country and democracy.

He said a collective decision was taken to stop the inflammatory statements always attributed to politicians.

He said, “More fundamental of the issues is the bucks stopping with the leadership. In fact, it came to the fore that if there is any threat to either the state or democracy probably the threat is coming from politicians and from leaders of the country.

“We must understand the boundaries of leadership and also the responsibilities that are involved. Leadership is not about beauty contest.

“In leadership, you must take difficult decisions and really go about implementing them.

“So, all the things came to the fore at the meeting and subsequently, each of us made it a deliberate resolution not to be bi-partisan or non-partisan to support the President to make sure that we get rid of this insurgency and indeed suggesting that before December.”

The governor said there was nothing religious or Islamic about the Boko Haram sect.

He said the important thing was for the adherent of religions to respect the rights of adherents of other religions aside from theirs.

Akpabio said the council frowned on the registration of Nigerians in parts of the country and directed that the exercise be stopped forthwith.

He disclosed further that the council set up a six-member committee saddled with the responsibility of further identifying other discriminatory practices across the country.

The committee, which had two months to submit its report, according to him, had governors of Niger, Sokoto, Enugu, Gombe, Akwa Ibom and Ondo states as members.

He said with the submission of the report, the council would then decide if the National Assembly would be approached to ensure that changes were made.

He said the ex-leaders proffered solutions to the security challenges in the country while council members commended the security agencies.

The governor said, “The council viewed the report seriously that some citizens were being deported, deportation should be from one country to the other but where you have a Nigerian who is being returned to his state of origin from other states, then you know there is a problem.

“We felt that that was capable of disrupting the unity of the country, making Nigerians to become apprehensive and unsafe.

“Also, the council frowned on the idea of even registering Nigerians in various parts of the country and felt this must be brought to an end immediately.

“And so we looked at all these issues and the role every leader should play from the local government level to the federal level. The role each one of us should play to ensure that we solidify the unity of this country.

“We also looked at these discriminatory practices across board from all parts of the country: North, South, West and the East and we felt all those issues must be brought to the front burner, solutions proffer to ensure that Nigerians are united, live freely and do their businesses without hinderance.”

Chime on his part said he saw commitment to save the country by both past and present leaders who attended the meeting.

He said the willingness to remain one Nigeria would lead to the abolition of disclosure of states of origin.

Rather, he said people would only be asked to disclose where they reside.

The NSA said the Federal Government was troubled by the idea of registering Nigerians, hence the need for the meeting.

He said those of them who were around knew that that was how the civil war started.

He said, “Those of us who were around will remember very well that that was how the civil war started, we saw the danger, we said there is really the need for everybody to be sensitised on this. It looks very innocent now to say well, I have security concerns, I can register any body who is not from here.”

@punchng.com

B’Haram tops US-Africa summit agenda

by Temitayo Famutimi

President Barack Obama
| credits: guardianlv.com

The United States Government has said that 50 African heads of governments and states have signified interests to participate in the 2014 US-Africa Leaders Summit scheduled to open in Washington DC on August 4.

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stated that the summit, which she described as “the first of its kind” was aimed at strengthening ties with “one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing regions.”

Thomas-Greenfield spoke during a telephonic media briefing with some journalists on the continent, monitored by our correspondent in Lagos on Thursday.

According to her, the summit with the broad theme, “Investing in the Next Generation,” will focus on US-African partnership, particularly in the containing the challenges posed by extremist groups, such as the Boko Haram in West Africa, Al Shabaab in East Africa.

The top US diplomat noted that the US government was working closely with its Nigerian partners and all other countries affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the West African sub-region.

Thomas-Greenfield said, “We are working with Nigeria and Nigeria’s neighbours. Following the kidnapping of Chibok girls, we sent a large inter-agency team to Nigeria to work with the Nigerian government in terms of developing a strategy for dealing with how to get the Chibok girls returned and also on how to deal with the Boko Haram.

“We have participated in a lot of discussions with leaders in the region (West Africa). The Nigerian government is also going to host us very soon to follow up on the areas of discussions. We have assisted Nigeria with information that we have been able to gather and we would be having a meeting while the summit is taking place on Boko Haram.”

@punchng.com

Abdullahi was APC mole in Jonathan’s cabinet —PDP

by Success Nwogu

Former Minister of Sports Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
| credits: thelondonnigerian.com

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Thursday accused a former Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who publicly declared his membership of the All Progressives Congress on Wednesday, as being an APC mole in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.

The PDP Kwara State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rex Olawoye, in a statement said PDP was not surprised at Abdullahi’s declaration.

He alleged that unknown to many Nigerians, Abdullahi on Saturday, February 8, 2014 secretly registered as a card-carrying member of the APC in Kwara State.

He stated that Abdullahi actually became a member of the APC five months ago, before Jonathan sacked him.

Olawoye said, “His latest ‘open declaration’ was only a façade to deceive unsuspecting members of the public. This development has therefore evidently confirmed the fear of well-meaning Nigerians, who raised the alarm then that Mallam Abdullahi, was planted in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan by the opposition APC to sabotage the government of Nigeria from within. The good news, though, is that he was spotted by the Presidency way before he could do further damage to the government he pretended to be serving.

“On national development, there is no worst case of self-indictment than that of a man who served for an upward of four years as a Commissioner of Education to now turn around to lament over the quality of education in the state, and by extension, the country at large!

“What can Abdullahi point to as his concrete contributions to the socio-economic development of Kwara State in the last eight years that he presided over critical state and federal ministries and parastatals? How has he impacted on the lives of his people within the period that he held sway as both minister in charge of sports and the youths ministries?

Olawoye stated that it was only when Abdullahi and his handlers were able to truthfully answer the above questions that he could have the moral high ground to disparage the claimed impressive achievements recorded over the years by the PDP-led Federal Government.

According to him, Abdullahi is a liability to any political party that he joins. Olawoye alleged that the sacked the former sports minister was a man with a past that was riddled with controversies.

He advised the APC to ensure that Abdullahi was asked to first purge himself of the vestiges of the past   before he could be formally admitted into the APC.

Olawoye said, “Abdullahi should be asked to seek the forgiveness of families of innocent public school teachers, who his obnoxious and draconian policies when he was Kwara State Commissioner of Education, sent to their earlier graves.”

@punchng.com

Abba replaces Abubakar as IG

by Olalekan Adetayo

Mr. Suleiman Abba

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday named an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, as the acting Inspector-General of Police.

Abba, who until his appointment was the AIG in charge of Zone 7, takes over from Muhammed Abubakar, who proceeded on statutory retirement on Thursday.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who confirmed the change of guard in the police top echelons in a statement, said Abba’s appointment would take effect from Friday (today).

The statement read, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of AIG Suleiman Abba as the acting Inspector-General of Police.

“AIG Abba, currently the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, comprising Abuja, Kaduna and Niger states, replaces the incumbent Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who proceeds on statutory retirement today having completed 35 years in service.

“The incoming Inspector-General, a lawyer, hails from Jigawa State and is an alumnus of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies.

“Positions previously held by him in the Police include Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, FCT Command; Deputy Force Secretary, and Commissioner of Police, Rivers State.

“His appointment is with effect from Friday, August 1, 2014.”

The former IG had led Abba to a private meeting with the President shortly before his appointment was made public.

In an interaction with State House correspondents after the meeting, Abubakar thanked Nigerians for their support.

He described the position of an IG as challenging but said the experience was worthwhile.

He said as somebody who had been in the police for quite some time and very experienced, he expected his successor to take the police to the next level.

@punchng.com

Ebola: 69 under watch, two isolated, says FG

by Friday Olokor

Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu

The Federal Government has placed 69 persons who had first contact with the Liberian-born victim of Ebola Virus Disease, Patrick Sawyerr, on surveillance, while two persons have been quarantined, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said.

He also said government had not shut its borders for now, “except when it becomes necessary.”

According to him, the 69 persons will be under surveillance for a period of three weeks from the date of contact in line with the specifications of the World Health Organisation.

The minister at a joint press briefing with the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, on Thursday on the update of the virus, said Sawyerr with dual citizenship from both Liberia and United States, was confirmed dead barely four days after arrival in Nigeria.

He said, “We decided on the proper manner on how to dispose off his body because the corpse of any victim of Ebola disease is very toxic. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control decontaminated the body. We are tracking all those who had primary contact with him. As of today, 69 persons have been placed under surveillance while two persons have been quarantined.

“All those in the same aircraft to attend the meeting with him in Calabar are presently under surveillance. They will remain under this surveillance until a period of three weeks from the date of contact. We have a copy of the passengers’ manifest and we discovered that the sitting arrangement was free sitting. We are working with the airlines to track down those other passengers yet to be identified.

“As a Federal Government policy, we have not closed our borders, unless it becomes necessary. But the Aviation Minister is working with us in many aspects to make sure that the virus does not spread.”

Chukwu also stated that that the virus “can be contacted on air even while airborne once you contact the droplets.”

The Minister said government was engaging the states right from the moment that the disease was first reported in Guinea.

“Our rapid response team is in Lagos. Nigeria has been commended by WHO. Secondary contacts are also important. We are working with the Cross River State government. We are not going to quarantine them but we have demanded for their contact details,” he stressed.

Chukwu also commended the hospital where the patient was managed saying, “We commend them for the great job they have done. They did everything to keep the man alive but unfortunately, he passed on. We have ordered the closure of the hospital. The doctors are under surveillance, we are using WHO certified personal protective equipment. Doctors are at high risk but Nigerians should not panic.”

According to him, government is pushing the frontiers of communication “and we believe that by this weekend subscribers of the mobile networks will begin to receive what government has been doing in that regard.”

He said, “We will soon convene a meeting with airline operators, Transport Ministry, Federal Road Safety Commission and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria to see how to manage people who travel on the West coast. Each state government has been mandated to expand its isolation centres beyond the ones they had before.

“Individuals can now buy sanitizers in offices, hotels and all public places. The idea is to reduce the sources of contamination. If it is not necessary to have a handshake, don’t. But where it is necessary do.”

Meanwhile The Federal Government on Thursday commenced workers’ sensitisation on Ebola at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

A statement issued by the Coordinating General Manager, Aviation Parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Datti, said the workers were from different agencies operating at the two major international airports.

@punchng.com

Confusion as residents find baby’s placenta with Alfa

by Success Nwogu

Gani, the house where the placenta was found.
| credits: Success Nwogu

The discovery of a baby placenta in the residence of a man, identified simply as Alfa Gani, is causing confusion in the Laduba community, Ogidi area of Ilorin, Kwara State.

Our correspondent gathered on Thursday that the discovery was made when some volunteers went round the Laduba community to appeal for financial contributions from residents for the repair of a faulty transformer in the area.

It was said that the volunteers perceived offensive odour at Gani’s residence, which they later reported to other members of the community.

It was said that curious to know what smelled, some members of the community rushed to Gani’s residence and demanded an explanation for the offensive odour oozing from his house.

An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, told PUNCH Metro that Gani initially accused the community members of intruding into his privacy.

He was said to have rushed to the Oloje Police Station to report the community members.

The source added that before Gani could come back with the police, the community members had entered his house and discovered a boy with a baby placenta.

The enraged community members were said to have beaten up the boy, making him to confess that he was asked to prepare a charm by Gani, who allegedly exhumed the placenta.

While this was going on, our correspondent gathered that a woman, whose baby naming ceremony was recently held near Gani’s house, arrived at the scene.

On seeing the placenta, she was said to have rushed to where the placenta of her new-born baby was buried, only to discover that it was missing. She was said to have raised the alarm, alerting the community members to the ugly development.

When he came back with the policemen to arrest the community members, the commotion was still in progress.

The source said, “The residents narrated their discovery to the policemen. It was at that point that the policemen decided to search the entire house including an uncompleted building behind the suspect’s house, after which they discovered some human parts.”

It was gathered that the enraged mob vandalised Gani’s house and set it on fire.

Our correspondent gathered that the policemen, who were overwhelmed by the crowd, managed to prevent them from lynching the suspect as they whisked Gani away to their station.

It was learnt that the incident fuelled speculations that there were dens of ritual killers and markets where human parts were traded in Ilorin.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Kwara State Command, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, however, told our correspondent that there was no den of ritual killers in the state capital.

He said, “That is not true. What was discovered was not a den of ritual killers, but a suspected criminal who was used to performing fetish activities.

“The man was looking for a placenta of a new baby, exhumed the buried placenta and used it for whatever yet-to-be identified purpose.

“He just came back from jail. He went to where a placenta was just buried about three days ago before the incident. He dug up the placenta and while he was doing that, people saw him and tried to do things their own way.

In the process of damaging his house by the youth, the police got there and arrested the suspect with the exhibit.

“The police have started investigation to get to the root of the matter.”

@punchng.com

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.