Kim Jong Un May Not Be Responsible For Jang Sung Taek - Analyst

The motives behind the highly publicized execution of Jang Sung Taek, the uncle of current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, have been open to question, but a South Korean analyst said Jang's ambition to restore an old power structure could have played a role in his death sentence.

Ko Soo-suk, a senior researcher at the Unification Research Institute of JoongAng Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, wrote Jang was seeking the role of prime minister in the North Korean Cabinet.

According to Ko, a North Korean document on the judgment of death penalty for Jang, included a passage on Jang's crimes against the state.

"Jang had a foolish dream, and he took the first step to seize the position and status of prime minister," the document read.

Unlike China, where the prime minister is an influential player in economic policy, North Korea's prime minister plays a largely ceremonial role and has low impact in governance, Ko wrote.

Economic planning is the task of a department in the Korean Workers' Party, and the prime minister follows instructions from the Party.

Jang, who was a prominent figure under former leader Kim Jong Il, often travelled to China and even to South Korea to learn about economic policy and planning. Jang has often been associated with economic reform, but in December 2013 was executed on charges of treason and of being a "counterrevolutionary."

The prime minister position Jang could have had in mind was the more influential version in place under North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. Prime ministers under the late Kim were in charge of economic policy and Jang would have been well-suited for a bigger role involving growth and development.

Ko also stated in his analysis that members of North Korea's core leadership, rather than Kim Jong Un, could have thwarted Jang's ambition. Core leadership officials foiled attempts by Jang to procure a meeting with Kim, who was away on a field guidance trip at a critical time. While Kim was away, Ko wrote, core members could have been able to enforce an order of execution for Jang.

North Korea's First Lady Disliked For Her Lavish Lifestyle

North Korea's first lady Ri Sol Ju is rarely seen in public, but according to a recent report, the wife of leader Kim Jong Un is not well liked.

Ri is best known for her love of luxury goods that suggest she leads a lavish lifestyle, Asia Press reported Wednesday.

North Korean reporters who went undercover to gather opinions about life in the secluded country said Ri gets bad ratings for her choices at a time when many North Koreans say their standard of living has worsened since Kim came to power.

North Koreans who were interviewed anonymously called Kim a "rookie" and "fearsome."

But they reserved their most negative remarks for Ri, who, according to the report is 26 years old and traveled to South Korea in 2005 with a North Korean cheerleading squad during the Asian Athletics Championship in Incheon.

Some North Koreans complained that they were irritated with her debut on state media, where she was touted as "Respectable Comrade Ri Sol Ju."

One male worker in the North Korean province of Yanggangdo said the title was undeserved, adding, "What did she do to earn such praise? And why does she carry a moneybag everywhere she goes? Is she giving out money?"

Ri is often seen with an expensive French purse on her arm.

For decades, North Korea's socialist economy precluded the need for most citizens to carry cash for purchases, but eyewitnesses have said that is changing, especially in Pyongyang, where women are starting to follow or start fashion trends.

Others criticized Ri's attire, which often includes a short skirt. Kim's mother, Ko Yong Hui, wore military uniforms when she accompanied her husband on inspections, they said.

North Korea's elite live a life apart from the vast majority of the population, and Ri's choice of clothes could be a sign the wealth gap in the country is not only increasing but also being tolerated.

Top officials who fall ill are often treated outside the country, where better medical care is available.

Yonhap reported Hwang Pyong So of the Korean People's Army, known also as Pyongyang's third most powerful official, has been missing because he is receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore for a back problem.

81 Years Old Woman Charges Airline With Sexism After Being Asked To Switch Seat

Renee Rabinowitz is a sharp-witted retired lawyer with a doctorate in educational psychology, who escaped the Nazis in Europe as a child. Now she is about to become a test case in the battle over religion and gender in Israel's public spaces - and the skies above - as the plaintiff in a lawsuit accusing El Al, the national airline, of discrimination.

Rabinowitz was comfortably settled into her aisle seat in the business-class section on El Al Flight 028 from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv in December when, as she put it, "this rather distinguished-looking man in Hasidic or Haredi garb, I'd guess around 50 or so, shows up."

The man was assigned the window seat in her row. But, like many ultra-Orthodox male passengers, he did not want to sit next to a woman, seeing even inadvertent contact with the opposite sex as verboten under the strictest interpretation of Jewish law. Soon, Rabinowitz said, a flight attendant offered her a "better" seat, up front, closer to first class.

Reluctantly, Rabinowitz, an impeccably groomed 81-year-old grandmother who walks with a cane because of bad knees, agreed.

"Despite all my accomplishments - and my age is also an accomplishment - I felt minimized," she recalled in a recent interview in her elegantly appointed apartment in a fashionable neighbourhood of Jerusalem.

Fifa Passes Reforms: Salary Disclosure, Limit on President's Term, Women's Football

The Fifa president will be limited to three terms in office, in a raft of reforms passed by world football's governing body as it aims to recover from a corruption crisis.

A new council will replace the current executive committee, featuring a female representative from each confederation. Later on Friday, Fifa will elect a new president to succeed Sepp Blatter. 

Four candidates remain in the running after Tokyo Sexwale withdrew at the extraordinary congress in Zurich. 

The remaining candidates are Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, Gianni Infantino, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and Jerome Champagne. 

Swiss Blatter, who held the position since 1998, was re-elected for a fifth term last May but resigned amid a growing corruption crisis. 

The election process began at 12:00 GMT, but several rounds of voting may be required before a winner is known. 

"We stand united in our determination to put things right, so that the focus can return to football once again," said acting Fifa president Issa Hayatou. 

"The hard work of restoring trust and improving how we work begins now. 

"This will create a system of stronger governance and greater diversity that will give football a strong foundation on which to thrive. And it will deter future wrongdoing."

What are the reforms? 

Disclosure of salaries

This will happen on an annual basis for the Fifa president, all Fifa council members, the secretary general and relevant chairpersons of independent standing and judicial committees.

Presidents limited to three terms of four years

This applies to the Fifa president, Fifa council members and members of the audit and compliance committee and of the judicial bodies. Sepp Blatter served five terms as Fifa president dating back to 1998.

Separation of political and managerial functions

The elected Fifa council will replace the executive committee and will be responsible for setting the organisation's overall strategic direction. The general secretariat will oversee the operational and commercial actions needed to implement the strategy.

Promotion of women in football

A minimum of one female representative will be elected as a council member per confederation.

Why are reforms needed?

There have been widespread allegations of corruption within Fifa, the arrest of leading officials, the banning of its president and major sponsors withdrawing their support.

Numerous Fifa officials have been indicted in the United States, while Swiss authorities are also investigating the organisation.

Blatter has also been banned from all football activity for six years after being found guilty of breaching Fifa's ethics rules over a $2m (£1.3m) "disloyal payment" to the head of European football's governing body Uefa, Michel Platini.

Former France captain Platini was also suspended. Both men deny any wrongdoing and are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Furthermore, Jerome Valcke, Fifa's secretary general and formerly Blatter's right-hand man, was banned for 12 years  following allegations - which he denies - of misconduct while in office.

 

North Korea Threatens To Carry Out Attacks On Mainland America

North Korea has threatened to attack 'mainland America' if the U.S. carries out a planned military drill with South Korean troops next month.

The secretive state has reacted with anger after it was revealed more than 300,000 American and South Korean troops were planning to hold their biggest ever annual exercise following the North's nuclear tests earlier this year.

Vaginal Ring Protects Women From HIV Infection

When used properly and consistently, a vaginal ring emitting an experimental drug reduced HIV prevalence significantly among women, according to a clinical trial in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health found the ring, which contains the antiretroviral drug dapivirine, was most effective at preventing spread of the disease among women older than 25 in a trial in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Overall, the ring was effective barely more than a quarter of the time because of improper use or women who did not use it. The spread of HIV was reduced significantly when used properly, though.

More than 25 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have HIV or AIDS, with 9 out of 10 children in world who have one of the diseases living there, according to the World Health Organization.

Researchers said the dapivirine vaginal ring could have more success at controlling the spread of HIV because women can fully control its use, unlike condoms, with which men can interfere. The $5 silicone ring can be worn for a month, does not need to be refrigerated and can sit on a shelf for five years.

"I remember really vividly talking with some of the participants in Zimbabwe partway through the study, and they would say, 'This ring is mine,'" Dr. Jared Baeten, a researcher at the University of Washington, told the New York Times.

"There was ownership of the ring because she could control it."

For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers in the ASPIRE study enrolled 2,629 women at 15 health clinics in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe between the ages of 18 and 45 who were at high risk for HIV infection, giving them either the dapivirine ring or a placebo. All women in the trial also received counselling on HIV risk reduction, advice on treating sexually transmitted infections, and free condoms.

There were a total of 71 HIV infections in the dapivirine group and 97 in the placebo group -- a 27 percent reduction in spread of the disease. When researchers did not count results from two sites with lower numbers of patients continuing to participate or following instructions, the infection rate among women using the ring was 37 percent lower than the placebo group.

The researchers found women older than 25 had a 61 percent lower risk of HIV infection, because younger women used the ring less consistently, based on lower levels of the drug found in blood tests. The ring reduced risk for infection by 56 percent, as well, but provided little protection for women between the ages of 18 and 21.

In addition to conducting ASPIRE in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, the International Partnership for Microbicides also found in The Ring Study that the dapivirine ring decreased HIV infection by 31 percent over a placebo.

More research is needed to find the combination of factors -- behavior, biology, or both -- that made the ring so much less effective in younger women, the researchers said.

"Women need a discreet, long-acting form of HIV prevention that they control and want to use," Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a press release.

 "This study found that a vaginal ring containing a sustained-release antiretroviral drug confers partial protection against HIV among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Further research is needed to understand the age-related disparities in the observed level of protection."

China Blocks North Korean Ship Ahead of UN Resolution

The United States and China are expected to pass the most stringent set of North Korea sanctions at the United Nations Security Council, but Beijing could be taking its own measures against reclusive Pyongyang.

After weeks of negotiations, the two sides have reached an agreement on a draft resolution that could penalize North Korea, a Security Council diplomat told CNN.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power is expected to present the draft sanctions Thursday, according to Kurtis Kooper of the U.S. mission to the U.N.

China has shown commitment to sanctions since the North launched an "earth observation satellite" into space in early February but has said dialogue with the North and regional stability is a priority.

But after a recent meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, turned a corner on the sanctions issue, and the two sides agreed a tougher resolution is necessary.

"We hope and believe this resolution will curb the further development of nuclear missiles" in North Korea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. "China is willing to work with relevant parties to promote denuclearization of the peninsula."

Beijing may be working independently toward stricter regulations against the North.

Pyongyang depends heavily on China's hubs for trade, but on Thursday South Korean television network SBS reported North Korean ships have been banned from docking at ports in Dandong, China's border city that faces the North.

Dandong is a major gateway for North Korean iron ore and anthracite coal, but Pyongyang's vessels are no longer allowed to dock and transfer goods to China.

An unidentified Dandong port worker told SBS ships typically brought in 3,000 tons of raw materials, but a new state ordinance forbids North Korea shipments for the next two years.

US Test-Fires Ballistic Missile Amid Strategic Tensions With Russia, North Korea

The US military test fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile in a week late on Thursday to demonstrate the reliability of American nuclear arms at a time of rising strategic tensions with countries like Russia and North Korea.

The unarmed Minuteman III missile blasted off from a silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California shortly before midnight, a Reuters reporter witnessed, headed toward a target area near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands of the South Pacific.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said the US tests, conducted at least 15 times since January 2011, send a message to strategic competitors like Russia, China and North Korea that Washington has an effective nuclear arsenal.

"That's exactly why we do this," Work told reporters prior to the launch.

"We and the Russians and the Chinese routinely do test shots to prove that the operational missiles that we have are reliable. And that is a signal ... that we are prepared to use nuclear weapons in defense of our country if necessary."

Demonstrating the reliability of the nuclear force has taken on additional importance recently because the US arsenal is near the end of its useful life and a spate of scandals in the nuclear force two years ago raised readiness questions.

The Defence Department has poured millions of dollars into improving conditions for troops responsible for staffing and maintaining the nuclear systems. The administration also is putting more focus on upgrading the weapons.

President Barack Obama's final defence budget unveiled this month calls for a $1.8 billion hike in nuclear arms spending to overhaul the country's aging nuclear bombers, missiles, submarines and other systems.

The president's $19 billion request would allow the Pentagon and Energy Department to move toward a multiyear overhaul of the atomic arms infrastructure that is expected to cost $320 billion over a decade and up to 1 trillion dollars over 30 years.

The nuclear spending boost is an ironic turn for a president who made reducing US dependence on atomic weapons a centerpiece of his agenda during his first years in office.

Obama called for a world eventually free of nuclear arms in a speech in Prague and later reached a new strategic weapons treaty with Russia. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in part based on his stance on reducing atomic arms.

"He was going to de-emphasize the role of nuclear weapons in US national security policy ... but in fact in the last few years he has emphasized new spending," said John Isaacs of the Council for a Livable World, an arms control advocacy group.

Critics say the Pentagon's plans are unaffordable and unnecessary because it intends to build a force capable of deploying the 1,550 warheads permitted under the New START treaty. But Obama has said the country could further reduce its deployed warheads by a third and still remain secure.

Hans Kristensen, an analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, said the Pentagon's costly "all-of-the-above" effort to rebuild all its nuclear systems was a "train wreck that everybody can see is coming." Kingston Reif of the Arms Control Association, said the plans were "divorced from reality."

The Pentagon could save billions by building a more modest force that would delay the new long-range bomber, cancel the new air launched cruise missile and construct fewer ballistic submarines, arms control advocates said.

Work said the Pentagon understood the financial problem. It would need $18 billion a year between 2021 and 2035 for nuclear modernization, which is coming at the same time as a huge "bow wave" of spending on conventional ships and aircraft, he said.

"If it becomes clear that it's too expensive, then it's going to be up to our national leaders to debate" the issue, Work said, something that could take place during the next administration when spending pressures can no longer be ignored.
 

Hackers Can Break Into Your Computer Through Your Wireless Mouse

It turns out that even something as seemingly benign as your mouse can put your personal information at risk. That’s according to a report by security firm, Bastille, which says that hackers could in theory take control of your computer through its wireless peripherals.

The hack, which the company calls Mouse Jack, affects nearly every wireless mouse and keyboard on the market and could give a hacker complete access to your personal computer or to the network at your office.

The hack isn’t exactly sophisticated either. According to Bastille, all a would-be hacker needs is about $15 worth of computer hardware, which he could then use to send commands from his computer to yours.

The hack works because while your wireless keyboard sends information in encrypted form to your computer’s wireless dongle (so hackers can’t see what you’re typing), your mouse doesn’t.

As a result, hackers can send signals designed to perform keyboard commands to your dongle. Those signals can then be used to hijack your system.

“Wireless mice and keyboards are the most common accessories for PCs today, and we have found a way to take over billions of them,” said Marc Newlin, Bastille’s engineer responsible for the Mouse Jack discovery, in a statement.

So how to protect yourself? Well, some wireless mouse and keyboard manufacturers developed their devices so they can be patched via firmware updates. Other companies’ offerings, however, can’t be updated and will simply have to be replaced.

Yahoo Tech

Miracle Baby Born Still Inside Its Amniotic Sac

This is the remarkable moment a baby was born – inside its amniotic sac.

The tiny baby was born 26 weeks prematurely, with its placenta and umbilical cord still inside the bag of fluid.

He had to be removed by a ceasarean. Remarkably Silas Johnson, whose entry into the world was just a 1 in 80,000 occurrence, is now a healthy ten-week-old.

Video footage showed the tiny child, who was born in California, yawning inside his amniotic sac, before being freed by a doctor.

He can even be seen wriggling around and moving his arms. A doctor can later be seen snipping the amniotic sac open. As the baby comes out he gives a little cry as he takes his first breath.

North Korea threatens to turn U.S., South Korea into 'powder'

North Korea said it would "create a planet without the United States," as the United Nations Security Council prepared to pass a tough resolution against Pyongyang this week and the United States and South Korea are preparing a joint military exercise.

Pyongyang made the statement Thursday in state-controlled newspaper Rodong Sinmun. In its editorial, North Korea also warned that South Korea and the United States could be turned into a "sea of fire," Yonhap reported.

North Korea is strongly opposed to the military exercises that take place annually on the peninsula. Key Resolve, expected to be one of the biggest military drills to be held in March, is being carried out with the goal of "decapitating" the Kim Jong Un regime, according to Pyongyang.

"How dare they try to hide the dazzling sun [Workers' Party Secretary Kim Jong Un], our destiny, humanity's destiny," Pyongyang said in statement, according to South Korean news service News 1.

 "Let us make 10 million missiles that would turn South Korea's presidential Blue House and the United States into powder."

But the threats could be coming from a sense that North Korea's security is being threatened. The joint drills are equivalent to a "declaration of war," Pyongyang said, and repercussions could follow. U.S. military bases in the Asia-Pacific region would be turned into "ashes," North Korea stated in its warning.

The Rodong also ran photos of the 1950-53 Korean War and the U.S. Navy ship Pueblo, captured by the North in 1968.

North Korea warned its adversaries against attack, saying "millions of youth can turn themselves into human bombs" if it meant protecting Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang also denounced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who marks her third year in office.

Actor Femi Adebayo Appointed SA to Kwara Gov

Hollywood actor Femi Adebayo has been appointed Special Assistant on Arts, Culture and Tourism to the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The versatile actor who played Jelili in the comic Yoruba flick of the same title was announced for the new position on Monday.

Sharing the good news, the 43-year-old Law graduate wrote on Instagram:”Today I was appointed as Special Assistant (SA) to the Kwara State Governor, on Arts, Culture and Tourism. Thank God 4 an opportunity 2 transform my state into a foremost tourist state that will attract foreign and domestic tourists. My fans i need ur support. Leave me not.”

Femi is the son of veteran actor Adebayo Salami, aka Oga Bello.

An award-winning actor, Femi made his first cross-over role, playing Banji in Kunle Afolayan’s movie, October 1.

Father ‘sells’ son for N250, 000

A Liberian, Daniel Barnney, is being held by the police for allegedly selling his nine-month-old son Emmanuel to a 43-year-old woman, Ekah Richard, for N250,000.

Barnney, one Pastor Samuel Osavitu and a worker at an orphanage, Alhaji Sunkanmi Adamu, are being quizzed at Festac Police Station over the matter.

Barnney’s Nigerian wife Ijeoma Ndoku raised the alarm over his plan to sell their son and flee to Ghana last month.

The police arrested Barnney at Mile 2 on February 12 and recovered the baby from Richard.

Ndoku said she and Barnney have been quarrelling because she did not allow him to take the baby to his aunt, who she never saw.

She debunked Barnney’s claims of abandoning the child, accusing him of fleeing with the boy on their way to buy groceries.

“It’s a lie! I didn’t abandon my baby. He said he wanted to hand the baby over to his aunt. I said it was okay since his aunt was now in Nigeria. I said it will give me opportunity to look for a job and support the family because he has not been taking care of us.

“For over three months, he has been saying he does not have money to take care of me and my baby but he usually had money to buy drinks and cigarettes. He could not even bring out N150 for me to buy pampers for our baby. Even when I wanted to take the baby to the hospital, I usually went and borrowed money; other times, our neighbours will give me money to cater for the baby.

“He used to get drunk and vomit. When I complained, he would bring out iron rod and hit it on my head. I fell down once, tried to go and open the door, but he dragged me back.

“I didn’t know his plan was to sell our baby. I said I wanted to see his aunt. He said if the aunt knows that I am around, she wouldn’t collect the baby. He asked me if I wanted the baby to die, I said no”, she said.

Ndoku said she learnt of Barnney’s plan to sell their son from his boss.

“She (the boss) told me that Daniel was planning to sell my son for N150,000. She said that Daniel said after selling the baby, he would leave for Ghana. I didn’t believe her.

“The woman said I should come back around 4pm, so that I would hear the story from some of her assistants. I told Daniel’s friend. He doubted the story too, so he followed me.

“It was in his presence that the woman told us everything. She said she became curious and concerned after she noticed Daniel was always with the baby. When she asked, Daniel told her that I abandoned the baby and ran away. She asked for my number, so that she could speak to me, but Daniel refused. That was when she knew Daniel was lying.

“I told her that Daniel told me that the baby was with his aunt. She said that was part of the reason she withheld his salary,” Ndoku said.

Ndoku said on January 29, Barnney called that he was coming to see his son, adding that when he came, their neighbours were happy and advised her to forgive him.

To effect his plan to take away the baby, she said he tricked her that they were going to buy him things.

She said when she alighted from the motorcycle (Okada) that they took to enter a store, Barnney disappeared with the baby.

Barnney, 32, who admitted to have received N250,000 from Richard through Adamu, said the money was given to him to start a business.a

He denied selling the baby, claiming that his wife abandoned the child. He said since he could not cater for the boy alone, he took him to an orphanage.

Richard, who claimed that she adopted the child, said she never knew the adoption process was illegal.  She said she was advised by the pastor to adopt a child so that God can open her womb.

But Osavitu, who denied conspiring with others to steal the baby, said he was only trying to help Richard and safe the child’s life.

He said: “I have known the orphanage guy for almost nine years. He’s a good man. He’s the manager at the orphanage. I used to go to the orphanage to preach there.”

2014 EKITI POLL: APC Wants IGP to Prosecute Fayose, Indicted Officers

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and the Ekiti State government were, yesterday, engaged in war of words over the alleged manipulation of the electoral process that gave Governor Ayodele Fayose victory in the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

While the Ekiti State APC appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to prosecute Governor Fayose; a former Ekiti State Mopol Commander, Gabriel Selekere; Assistant Inspector General of Police, Bala Nasarawa, who oversaw the conduct of the election.

 Ekiti State government, on its part, said the Supreme Court has ended the party’s pipedream on Fayose’s victory.

In a statement by its state chairman, Chief Olajide Awe, the party said its petition followed a leak of a secret audio recording by Captain Sagir Koli, of the 32nd Artillery Brigade in Ekiti State two days to the election. Awe, in a petition entitled: “Criminal Complaint Conspiracy, Bribery, Threats and Use of Military to Perpetuate Electoral Fraud Against the People of Ekiti State; and investigation of the role of the Nigerian Police Force in the Ekiti State Gubernatorial Elections June 21, 2014,” said the party brought the IGP’s attention to the content of the audio tape detailing criminal acts planned by those mentioned or whose voices were captured in the tape.

The party alleged that on February 8, 2015, the audio recording capturing the voices of Fayose, Commander of 32 Artillery Brigade, Brig. Gen. Aliyu Momoh; Senator Iyiola Omisore, Police Affairs Minister, Jelili Adesiyan; Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro and others, at a meeting where they conspired and strategized to rig the June 21 governorship election was released to the public.

Awe, however, said: “the import of this audio recording is the revelations of criminal acts, which were planned and perpetrated by these men. Besides, he alleged that the above listed persons conspired to tamper with the constitutionally laid-down procedure for the conduct of election.

 The Ekiti APC also called on Arase to investigate the roles of the police in the alleged election fraud  unprofessional conduct bordering on alleged dishonesty and violations of the code of ethics of the Nigerian Police Force. Stop living in illusion— Fayose.

In his reaction, Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka said yesterday’s Supreme Court judgment on the leadership dispute within the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in which the court said it lacked jurisdiction to review its own judgment should be enough for members of the APC in Ekiti State to stop living in the illusion that the Supreme Court judgment on the June 21, 2014 governorship election can be reviewed. He said the judgment ended the APC’s pipedream of returning to power through an orchestrated review of the Supreme Court judgment that validated Governor Ayodele Fayose’s election.

Oliseh Resigns His Appointment As Supper Eagle’s Coach

Sunday Oliseh has quit as Nigeria’s football coach after claiming violations of his contract and receiving too little help from the national federation for next month’s crucial 2017 Africa Cup of Nations clash with Egypt.

Nigeria host seven-time African champions and group leaders Egypt on March 25 in Kaduna before a return fixture days later, with only the overall group winners guaranteed automatic qualification to the 2017 Nations Cup in Gabon.

 “Oliseh has resigned as Super Eagles coach after he did not enjoy the right support from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF),” a top official said on Friday.

 “He also complained of several breaches to his contract with the NFF,” he said. Oliseh has complained he is owed four months’ salary and has not received accommodation in the capital of Abuja that he had been promised.

 It is also understood that he was unhappy over the dismissal of his personal assistant, former international Tijjani Babangida, and rumours that the NFF approached former Cote d’Ivoire coach Herve Renard, who has since been appointed coach of Morocco.

Former Nigeria skipper Oliseh was appointed as coach in July 2015, replacing sacked Stephen Keshi. However, the relationship between him and the NFF has soured since Nigeria failed to go past the group stage of the recent African Nations Championship in Rwanda.

Amid speculation over his future, Oliseh took to social media platform YouTube to vent his frustration by attacking his critics who wanted him sacked, but he would later apologise. Nigerian sports minister Solomon Dalung waded into the crisis when he advised against sacking the coach. Under Oliseh, the Eagles played 14 matches, losing two.

Supreme Court Decides Rev King’s Fate Today

The Supreme Court would today, give the final word whether Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, alias Reverend King should be hanged for murder or whether he should spend some few years more in jail.

 King, General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly in Lagos, is challenging the judgment of a Lagos High Court sentencing him to death by hanging. General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a Reverend King

The apex court presided over by Justice Walter Onoghen adjourned till today to give judgment after listening to arguments from counsel to prosecution and defence in the matter.

Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who appeared before the Supreme Court alongside Mrs. Idowu Alakija, the Director of Public Prosecution and other Senior Counsel in the State, urged the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the judgment of the lower court.

Ezeugo was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder. He pleaded not guilty to the allegation but was sentenced to death by the then Justice Joseph Oyewole of Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, on January 11, 2007 for the murder of one of his church members, Ann Uzoh. Justice Oyewole is now a judge of Appeal Court sitting in the Calabar division.

The Lagos State Government had said that the convict poured petrol on the deceased and five other persons and that Uzoh died on August 2, 2006; 11 days after the act was perpetrated on her. Ezeugo was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the attempted murder and death by hanging for the offence of murder. Dissatisfied, Ezeugo challenged the verdict before the Court of Appeal in Lagos, but the appeal was thrown out.

 “I hereby rule that the prosecution effectively discharged the burden of proof on it. This appeal is devoid of any basis and accordingly fails.

 “The judgment of the High Court is hereby affirmed, and the conviction imposed on the appellant, (which is death by hanging) is also affirmed,” Justice Fatimo Akinbami who read the judgement held.

 The two other members of the panel of Justices, Amina Augie and Ibrahim Saulawa concurred with the lead judgement. Again, Ezeugo not being satisfied with the verdict, approached the Supreme Court, and urged that the judgment be upturned. The apex court has now fixed the final judgment for today.

Buhari Lauded for Naming Physically-Challenged Person Adviser

Physically challenged people in Plateau State on the platform of Disability Progressive Group, DPG, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday applauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for appointing a physically challenged person as his Special Adviser.

The group pledged its support to President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the appointment of one of its own, Dr. Samuel Ankeli, as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, was an indication that the President identified with the physically challenged people.

In a statement in Jos, Plateau State leader of the group, Mr. Bulus Shanding, said Dr. Ankeli’s appointment was the first of its kind in the last 16 years.

 The statement read: “The appointment of Dr. Samuel Ankeli as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters is well deserved, considering his desire to contribute to national growth, his personal contributions during 2015 polls campaigns was unquantifiable. Dr. Ankeli was the Director Disability Mobilization Forum APC Presidential campaign.” 

Padded 2016 Budget: Reps Invite Adeosun, Udoma, Emefiele, Others

                                                                           House of Reps during plenary

THE House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, yesterday, revealed plans to hold budget session with Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance and Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Budget and Planning on the 2016 budget proposal to explain the many errors associated with it.
Also invited by the committee are Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, and Director-General of Budget Office of the Federation.

The meeting is primarily designed to address grey areas relating to alleged infractions and padding observed by various standing committees during interface with the ministers and heads of departments and agencies.

While giving update on the presentation of the 2016 budget so far, Abdulmumin Jibrin, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, confirmed that the budget proposals of the MDAs being presented by all the standing committees had been harmonised with their Senate counterparts.

He said: “Since by tomorrow (today), we will finish taking the reports, we have agreed that we will invite the Minister of Budget and Planning, Minister of Finance, Accountant-General of the Federation, Director of Budget Office and Central Bank Governor and engage them extensively on the entire budget.

 “We also have pending issues on the 2015 budget, so they have to come with 2015 budget performance and then we will go into special session.”

 The chairman also directed the clerk of the committee to liaise with the office of the Clerk of the House to access the members’ data base for easy dispatch of message to all the 360 members and various committees on the February 25 deadline for final submission and consideration of MDAs’ budget.

 In a communication from the Appropriations Committee read at the opening of yesterday’s plenary, the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, directed chairmen of all the standing committees to submit and defend their MDAs’ budget within 24 hours or risk zero budget for 2016. Only 15 committees of the 97 standing committees inaugurated by the Speaker, have so far submitted and defended their budgets before the Jibrin-led Appropriations Committee.

Somalia's al-Shabab killed '180 Kenyan Troops' in el-Ade

At least 180 Kenyan troops were killed when al-Shabab attacked their base last month, Somalia's president has said.

Kenya's army said the number was untrue, but again refused to give its own casualty figures for the assault in the southern Somali base of el-Ade.

The Islamist militant group said it had killed about 100 Kenyan troops.

If it is confirmed that 180 troops were killed, it would be al-Shabab's deadliest assault since it was formed nearly a decade ago.

Its previous most deadly attack was the killing of 148 people in the day-long assault on Garissa University College in north-eastern Kenya last April.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud gave the death toll of 180 in an interview with a Somali television station, while defending his attendance at a memorial for the soldiers in Kenya.

Some Somalis accused him on social media of showing greater concern for the killing of Kenyans than his own nationals.

President Mohamud said it was important to pay tribute to the troops killed in el-Ade, which is in Somalia's south-western region of Gedo.

"When 180 or close to 200 soldiers who were sent to us are killed in one day in Somalia, it's not easy," he told Somali Cable TV.

"The soldiers have been sent to Somalia to help us get peace in our country, and their families are convinced that they died while on duty," he added.

Kenyan army spokesman David Obonyo said the Somali president's information was untrue.

‘’We should stop trivializing the dead. They are not mere statistics. They ought to be treated with honour and respect," Col Obonyo added.

The el-Ade attack was hugely embarrassing for Kenya, and it is not surprising that it has rejected the Somali president's figure without giving its own. Kenya's government possibly fears that confirming a high death toll would fuel doubts among Kenyans about its military presence in Somalia.

It is unclear where Mr Mohamud got the figure from, and whether he had had intentionally disclosed it, something that could strain diplomatic relations with Kenya.

Kenya's military is clearly upset with him, but it has previously said that a company-sized battalion, usually made up of 100 to 250 men, was targeted by the militants.

And there is no doubt that this was the bloodiest attack on Kenyan troops since they crossed into Somalia in 2011, even if the exact death toll remains unclear.

The Kenyan army has sought revenge for the attack, carrying out a series of air strikes against suspected al-Shabab bases in southern Somalia, even saying that it has killed the group's intelligence chief, a claim the militants deny.

Mr Mohamud's figure is similar to that a community leader in el-Ade gave to the BBC Somali service after the attack on 15 January. He had counted about 190 bodies, he said.

It is unclear why al-Shabab put the number of killed at about 100, but one possibility is that it excluded ethnic Somalis who were Kenyan soldiers, correspondents say.

After the attack, Kenya said the bombs used by al-Shabab were three times more powerful than those used by al-Qaeda in the 1998 US embassy attack in the capital, Nairobi, which left 224 people dead. Its troops withdrew from el-Ade 11 days after the attack.

Kenya has about 4,000 troops in the 22,000-strong African Union force battling al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, in Somalia.