Tuesday, 22 March 2016
PST KICKS AGAINST EL-RUFAI 'S ANTI - RELIGIOUS BILL
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
NFF APPOINTS AMUNEKE AS COACH FOR UNDER 20
The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former u-17 team coach Emmanuel Amuneke as the new Flying Eagles coach after his heroics helped the under-17 Nigeria team to success in last year's FIFA U-17 tournament in Chile.The news of his appointment was confirmed by the football body who passed a communique after it's executive board meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. Amuneke, who was named African Footballer of the Year in 1994 will be assisted by Kabiru Baleria and Emeka Amadi as assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer respectively.
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Cacaoweb.com cacao powder making
About the cacao treeFermentation of cacaoDrying and roastingCocoa ballsManufacturing cocoaManufacturing chocolateTypes of chocolateGourmet chocolateNutrition factsBaking with chocolateBuy chocolateCacao producing countries
Manufacturing Chocolate
After roasting and winnowing (removing the outer shell from the cacao beans) they are ground making cocoa liquor, see the left side of the picture.
Pressure is employed to a part of the cocoa liquor (slightly heated to be in a liquid form) to obtain cocoa butter (fat), see the right side of the picture. Cocoa liquor and sugar are mixed and ground down smaller and smaller for a long time. More cocoa butter is added in addition to emulsifier and flavoring agents, especially vanilla. During the continued grinding the mixture becomes smooth. The next step in the process is called conching: mixing, heating, agitating and aerating for 24 hours to obtain the final velvet-like texture and less bitter flavor.
Before moulding the chocolate into bars or squares it must be tempered. Tempering is done by mixing the melted chocolate at a controlled temperature until the right form of tiny chocolate crystals are formed. This gives the chocolate the right appearance and texture. Then the chocolate is molded and cooled rapidly.
For more information about the process of manufacturing chocolate at a small chocolate factory, see the process description by Grenada Chocolate Company.
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
Full text of Buhari’s speech at 2016 budget presentation Op-Ed Editor
December 22, 2015 2016 budget speech delivered by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, to a joint session of the National Assembly. I am honoured and privileged to present the 2016 Budget proposal. This is my first address before this joint session of the National Assembly. I have come here today, not only to address members of the National Assembly, but also to speak directly to the men and women who placed us here. I know the state of our economy is a source of concern for many. This has been further worsened by the unbridled corruption and security challenges we have faced in the last few years. From those who have lost their jobs, to those young people who have never had a job, to the people in the North East whose families and businesses were destroyed by insurgents, this has been a difficult period in our nation’s history, lessons that we must not forget or ignore, as we plan for the future. By June 2014, oil prices averaged $112 per barrel. But as at today, the price is under $39 per barrel. This huge decline is having a painful effect on our economy. Consumption has declined at all levels. In both the private and public sectors, employers have struggled to meet their salary and other employee related obligations. The small business owners and traders have been particularly hard hit by this state of affairs. Fellow Nigerians, the confidence of many might be shaken. However, I stand before you today promising that we will secure our country, rebuild our economy, and make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger than it has ever been. The answers to our problems are not beyond us. They exist on our farmlands; our corporations; in the universities in the hearts and minds of our entrepreneurs; through the gallantry of our Armed Forces; and the resolute spirit of Nigerians, especially the youth, who have refused to give up despite all the obstacles confronting them. This Budget proposal, the first by our Government, seeks to stimulate the economy, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development; delivering inclusive growth; and prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians. We believe that this budget, while helping industry, commerce and investment to pick up, will as a matter of urgency, address the immediate problems of youth unemployment and the terrible living conditions of the extremely poor and vulnerable Nigerians. In the medium to longer term, we remain committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion. This will build resilience in our economy. It will guarantee that the problems we have today, will not confront our children and their children. This shall be our legacy for generations to come. 2015: A Year of Global and Domestic Challenges Today, it is widely acknowledged that the global economy has slowed down. This is particularly the case with emerging markets such as Nigeria. However, despite the weak emerging market growth rates, our domestic security challenges, declining oil prices, and the attendant difficulties in providing foreign exchange to meet market demands, the Nigerian economy grew by 2.84% in the third quarter of 2015. We have, and will continue to implement strategies that will maintain macroeconomic stability and manage the oil price shocks we are experiencing. Upon the inauguration of this administration on 29th May 2015, we engaged key stakeholders from various sectors of our economy and interfaced with the heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in order to understand the true state of our nation. What we found prompted us to take certain strategic decisions. On the economy, we injected new leadership at the helm of our revenue generating agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). We implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which, so far, has provided greater visibility of Government revenues and cash flows. We intervened to support States to navigate their fiscal challenges by restructuring their commercial bank loans and by providing facilities to enable them to pay salary arrears. We have demonstrated a strong will to fight corruption. I am sure you will agree that the sheer scale of corruption and impunity of the past explains in part, the economic challenges we now face. On these initiatives, and the many more to come, we shall not be deterred. We will pursue the recovery of everything that belongs to the people of Nigeria. No matter where it is hidden. No matter how long it will take. 2015 Budget Performance Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, I now present a review of the 2015 Budget. That Budget was based on a benchmark oil price of $53 per barrel, oil production of 2.28 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N190 to the US$. The projected revenue was N3.45 trillion, with an outlay of N4.49 trillion, implying a deficit of N1.04 trillion. Due largely to under-provisioning by the previous administration for fuel subsidy and the costs required to support the military operations in the North East, the Government had to obtain National Assembly’s approval for a supplementary budget of N575.5 billion. I take this opportunity to thank all members of the National Assembly for the prompt passage of that Bill. 2016: Budget Assumptions After reviewing the trends in the global oil industry, we have set a benchmark price of $38 per barrel and a production estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2016. We have focused on non-oil revenues by broadening our tax base and improving the effectiveness of our revenue collecting agencies. Also, with the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account, we expect significant improvements in the collection and remittance of independent revenues. To further support the drive for increased remittances, we will ensure that all MDAs present their budgets in advance, and remit their operating surpluses as required by section 22 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. We are determined to ensure that our resources are managed prudently and utilized solely for the public good. To set the proper tone, one of our early decisions was the adoption of a zero based budgeting approach, which ensures that resources are aligned with Government’s priorities and allocated efficiently. This budgeting method, a clear departure from previous budgeting activities, will optimize the impact of public expenditure. In addition to the proper linkage of budgeting to strategic planning, we are enhancing the utilization of the Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) to improve financial management. The recently established Efficiency Unit is working across MDAs to identify and eliminate wasteful spending, duplication and other inefficiencies. We engaged costing experts to scrutinize the 2016 budget proposals. They have already identified certain cost areas that can be centralized for economies to be made. We have directed the extension of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to all MDAs to reap its full benefits. We will also strengthen the controls over our personnel and pension costs with the imminent introduction of the Continuous Audit Process (CAP). These initiatives will ensure personnel costs are reduced. Our commitment to a lean and cost effective government remains a priority, and the initiatives we are introducing will signal a fundamental change in how Government spends public revenue. 2016: Laying the Foundation for Sustainable Growth The 2016 budget, as outlined, is designed to ensure that we revive our economy, deliver inclusive growth to Nigerians and create a significant number of jobs. We aim to ensure macroeconomic stability by achieving a real GDP growth rate of 4.37% and managing inflation. To achieve this, we will ensure the aligning of fiscal, monetary, trade and industrial policies. As we focus on inclusive growth, we are conscious of the current rate of unemployment and underemployment. This is a challenge we are determined to meet; and this budget is the platform for putting more Nigerians to work. I can assure you that this administration will have a job creation focus in every aspect of the execution of this budget. Nigeria’s job creation drive will be private sector led. We will encourage this by a reduction in tax rates for smaller businesses as well as subsidized funding for priority sectors such as agriculture and solid minerals. As an emergency measure, to address the chronic shortage of teachers in public schools across the country, we also will partner with State and Local Governments to recruit, train and deploy 500,000 unemployed graduates and NCE holders. These graduate teachers will be deployed to primary schools, thereby, enhancing the provision of basic education especially in our rural areas. We also intend to partner with State and Local Governments to provide financial training and loans to market women, traders and artisans, through their cooperative societies. We believe that this segment of our society is not only critical to our plan for growing small businesses, but it is also an important platform to create jobs and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs. Furthermore, through the office of the Vice President, we are working with various development partners to design an implementable and transparent conditional cash transfer program for the poorest and most vulnerable. This program will be implemented in phases. Already, the compilation of registers of the poorest persons is ongoing. In the coming weeks, we will present the full programme, which will include our home-grown public primary school feeding and free education for science, technology and education students in our tertiary institutions. Indeed, this will mark a historic milestone for us as a nation. The 2016 Budget Distinguished members of the National Assembly, I now present, the 2016 Budget proposals of the Federal Government. Based on the assumptions I presented earlier, we have proposed a budget of N6.08 trillion with a revenue projection of N3.86 trillion resulting in a deficit of N2.22 trillion. The deficit, which is equivalent to 2.16% of Nigeria’s GDP, will take our overall debt profile to 14% of our GDP. This remains well within acceptable fiscal limits. Our deficit will be financed by a combination of domestic borrowing of N984 billion, and foreign borrowing of N900 billion totaling N1.84 trillion. Over the medium term, we expect to increase revenues and reduce overheads, to bring the fiscal deficit down to 1.3% of GDP by 2018. In 2016, oil related revenues are expected to contribute N820 billion. Non-oil revenues, comprising Company Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), Customs and Excise duties, and Federation Account levies, will contribute N1.45 trillion. Finally, by enforcing strict compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and public expenditure reforms in all MDAs, we have projected up to N1.51 trillion from independent revenues. Although we are working to diversify our economy, we will not lose sight of the need to restructure the oil and gas sector which has been marred by corruption and plagued with inefficiencies. Accordingly, I have directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to adjust its pricing template to reflect competitive and market driven components. We believe this can lower input costs and attain efficiency savings that will enable PPPRA to keep the selling price for all marketers of petrol at N87 per liter for now. The current fuel scarcity with long queues at petrol stations all over the country causing social dislocation is very unfortunate. Government profoundly apologizes to Nigerians for this prolonged hardship and misery. It is as a result of market speculators and resistance to change by some stakeholders. Government is working very hard to end these shortages and bring fuel to the pumps all over the country. I have also directed the NNPC to explore alternate funding models that will enable us to honour our obligations in Joint Ventures (JVs) and deep offshore fields. We are confident that these measures can be achieved and will lower the burden that the traditional cash calls have imposed on our budget and cash flows as well as contribute towards shoring up our national reserves. To deliver our development objectives, we have increased the capital expenditure portion of the budget from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion, in the 2016 budget. Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, for the first time in many years, capital expenditure will represent 30% of our total budget. In future years we intend to raise the percentage allocation for capital expenditure. This is a fulfillment of our promise to align expenditure to our long-term objectives, and a sign of government’s commitment to sustainable development. This increased capital expenditure commits significant resources to critical sectors such as Works, Power and Housing – N433.4 billion; Transport – N202.0 billion; Special Intervention Programs – N200.0 billion; Defence – N134.6 billion; and Interior – N53.1 billion. These investments in infrastructure and security are meant to support our reforms in the Agriculture, Solid Minerals and other core job creating sectors of our economy. We will invest to safeguard lives and property. We will invest in equipping our farmers with the right tools, technology and techniques. We will invest in empowering and enabling our miners to operate in a safe, secure and humane environment. We will invest in training our youths, through the revival of our technical and vocational institutions, to ensure they are competent enough to seize the opportunities that will arise from this economic revival. Indeed, the future looks bright. And I ask that we all work together to make this vision a reality. The 223% year on year growth in capital expenditure demonstrates our desire to make Nigeria more competitive, and start the journey to deliver sustainable development in our country. In fulfillment of our promise to run a lean government, we have proposed a 9% reduction in non-debt recurrent expenditure, from N2.59 trillion in the 2015 Budget to N2.35 trillion in 2016. Furthermore, we have budgeted N300 billion for Special Intervention Programs, which takes the total amount for non-debt recurrent expenditure to N2.65 trillion. As I mentioned earlier, the Efficiency Unit set up by this Administration together with effective implementation of GIFMIS and IPPIS will drive a reduction of overheads by at least 7%, personnel costs by 8% and other service wide votes by 19%. Distinguished and honourable members, this budget will be executed to provide optimum value by ensuring every naira spent by this Government, counts. We will devote a significant portion of our recurrent expenditure to institutions that provide critical government services. We will spend N369.6 billion in Education; N294.5 billion in Defence; N221.7 billion in Health and N145.3 billion in the Ministry of Interior. This will ensure our teachers, armed forces personnel, doctors, nurses, police men, fire fighters, prison service officers and many more critical service providers are paid competitively and on time. Distinguished and honourable members of the National Assembly, our 2016 borrowings will be principally directed to fund our capital projects. Furthermore, the sum of N113 billion will be set aside for a Sinking Fund towards the retirement of maturing loans; while N1.36 trillion has been provided for foreign and domestic debt service. This calls for prudent management on our part, both of the debt portfolio and the deployment of our hard earned foreign exchange earnings. I am aware of the problems many Nigerians currently have in accessing foreign exchange for their various purposes – from our traders and business operators who rely on imported inputs; to manufacturers needing to import sophisticated equipment and spare parts; to our airlines operators who need foreign exchange to meet their international regulatory obligations; to the financial services sector and capital markets who are key actors in the global arena. These are clearly due to the current inadequacies in the supply of foreign exchange to Nigerians who need it. I am however assured by the Governor of Central Bank that the Bank is currently fine-tuning its foreign exchange management to introduce some flexibility and encourage additional inflow of foreign currency to help ease the pressure. We are carefully assessing our exchange rate regime keeping in mind our willingness to attract foreign investors but at the same time, managing and controlling inflation to level that will not harm the average Nigerians. Nigeria is open for business. But the interest of all Nigerians must be protected. Indeed, tough decisions will have to be made. But this does not necessarily mean increasing the level of pain already being experienced by most Nigerians. So to the investors, business owners and industrialists, we are aware of your pains. To the farmers, traders and entrepreneurs, we also hear you. The status quo cannot continue. The rent seeking will stop. The artificial current demand will end. Our monetary, fiscal and social development policies are aligned. Conclusion Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the National Assembly, in spite of the global economic uncertainties; we must remain steadfast in our commitment to steer this country back to greatness. The Nigerian economy needs to move away from dependency on oil. Our growth must be inclusive. Nigerians must be part of the growth story. As a Government, we shall deliver security, jobs and infrastructure. This is the right of all Nigerians. I know many people will say “I have heard this before”. Indeed, trust in Government, due to the abuse and negligence of the past, is at an all-time low. This means we must go back to basics. Our actions will speak for us. My team of dedicated, committed and patriotic Nigerians is well aware of the task ahead and I can assure you that we are taking on the challenge. We will not betray the trust reposed in us. We will welcome and be responsive to your feedback and criticisms. We are here to serve. And indeed, Nigerians will get the service they have longed for and which they rightly deserve. We as a Government cannot do it alone. We will require the support of all civil servants, the organized labour, industry groups, the press and of course, our religious and traditional institutions. This is a call for all of us to stand and serve our country. This Budget represents a major step in delivering a new opportunity for Nigeria. It demonstrates our confident optimism that despite the challenging times, we have the will, resourcefulness and commitment to deliver prosperity to our people. And by the Grace of Almighty God and the sheer will and determination of the Nigerian people, we will come out stronger and more united than ever. Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Previous article ‘We’re ready to move swiftly and speedily’ | Read Saraki’s full speech at 2016 budget presentation Next article ‘Buhari, Saraki, Osinbajo, Dogara’ | Photos from 2016 budget presentation (PHOTOS) RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Aero Contractors fined millions for allowing passengers disembark with ladder THE YNAIJA TRACKLIST: Cameroon soldiers kill 70 in Borno | Buratai quizzed over Shiites’ killings | Is this why people support Trump? | More... Opinion: 5 reasons a Biafra referendum must occur by March 31, 2016 Omilola Oshikoya: Be bold, take risks and embrace challenges (30 Days of Gratitude) We have evidence that Bayelsa governor beat up Southern Ijaw chairman – APC Criminal charges filed against Tompolo after shunning EFCC invitation Login Follow the discussion Comments There are no comments posted yet. Be the first one! 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December 23, 2015 Polls Y!/YNaija.com Person of the Year 2015 Bunmi Akinyemiju and Kunmi Demuren - Business Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan - Politics Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi - Politics Ibukun Awosika - Business Attahiru Jega - Public Service Goodluck Jonathan - Public Service David Oyedepo - Education Simdul Shagaya - Technology Bola Ahmed Tinubu - Politics Josephine Ugwu - Citizens View Profiles The September Standard Fun Photos From Christmas at the Maki Oh Atelier with Zashadu & Temi Dollface December 22, 2015 Exclusive: Meet Gert-Johan Coetzee, Designer of Leading Ladies, Lupita Nyong’o, Bonang Matheba December 21, 2015 Tzar Studios Presents its Spring/Summer 2016 Collection ‘1760’ December 21, 2015 Exclusive: Photographer Hans Neumann for Harper’s Bazaar Mexico – Nordic Odyssey December 21, 2015 TY Bello’s Take On: Genevieve Nnaji – Beauty & Power December 21, 2015 Tech Africa Full Specs of the Infinix’s 20MP Camera Smartphone – the Zero 3 December 17, 2015 BlackBerry Priv: First Impression [VIDEO] December 17, 2015 Google’s Nexus 6P: Hands On & First Impressions December 11, 2015 Olamide’s Bobo Tops Most-Watched Music Videos for 2015 December 11, 2015 Tecno Confirms Marshmallow Update for Camon C8 December 9, 2015 Join Our Online Community 108,130FansLIKE 14,401FollowersFOLLOW 124,834FollowersFOLLOW ABOUT US YNaija is the internet newspaper for young Nigerians, focused on the issues and ideas that matter for an evolving generation. 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Malala and Muzoon reunite to proclaim benefits of education
December 23, 2015 3:36 AM The girls were reunited in Newcastle, as Lyse Doucet reports By Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent "Are two Malalas better than one?" I ask, only partly in jest, of two smiling teenagers sitting on a purple sofa in a gleaming public library in northern England. It elicits some quiet giggles. "Or two Muzoons," 18-year-old Malala Yousafzai immediately chimes in. Muzoon Almellehan, 17, hands clasped demurely in her lap, smiles shyly at the world's most famous campaigner for girls' education who is fast becoming the best of friends. On a cold rainy day, their two families are reunited in a glass fronted room in Newcastle City Library which offers sweeping views of Muzoon's new home in Britain. Her Syrian family is among the first to come to the UK from refugee camps on Syria's borders. A deep friendship is developing between the two education campaigners When the Pakistani teenager who survived a Taliban assassination attempt travelled to Syria's border with Jordan nearly two years ago to meet refugees fleeing the war, she heard about a girl they called "the Malala of Syria". Young Muzoon was going from tent to trailer in the camp, urging nervous parents to educate their daughters instead of marrying them off. Their teenage lives were changed forever by two very different conflicts. Now they are both schoolgirls in Britain whose lives are changing again. "We want a Malala-Muzoon army to inspire young girls to stand up for their rights," Malala declares as Muzoon nods firmly in agreement. "We always wanted to work together and now we can." Their next project for Syrian girls' education will be launched in early February during a major aid conference in London. As their two daughters chatted, Ziauddin Yousafzai (right) and Rakan Almellehan were deep in discussion with the help of an Arabic translator The mother of the two campaigners, Eman Almellehan (left) and Torpekai Yousafzai (right) also met in Newcastle Malala is already an accomplished activist with a fund in her name that's growing in scale and ambition. I saw her mark her entry into adulthood in July with an unusual 18th birthday celebration - she cut her cake, in the shape of a school, as she opened her first school for Syrian girls. But the young campaigner - already a Nobel laureate - is generous in her praise for her Syrian friend who is a little bit younger and a lot less experienced in the ways of the aid world. "I was with some schoolgirls in the refugee camp in Jordan and one girl said to me: 'It was wonderful meeting you, but it's not you, it's Muzoon who inspired me to get an education,'" Malala recounts. Malala Yousafzai has championed education for girls in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world She also remembers the "horrible situation in camps without electricity where it gets really hot in summer and really cold in winter". "When you start something, it's always difficult," reflects Muzoon as she ponders her new life in a very different culture. Her fluency in English has improved considerably in recent years. Mastering it is now one of her goals so she "can talk to Malala about everything" and pursue her dream to become a journalist. Both girls grew up in conservative Muslim families with fathers who were teachers who instilled in them a love of education. Malala Yousafzai (seen here visiting the Obamas in the US) is already an accomplished activist with a fund in her name that is growing in scale and ambition As their two daughters chatted, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Rakan were deep in discussion with the help of an Arabic translator. Their mothers Toor Pekai and Eman also found ways to overcome a language barrier. The plight of Syria's refugees is clearly on Malala's mind in the midst of the massive movement of people making the perilous journey to reach safety in Europe. "We say we can't solve this problem because the number of refugees is so huge," she says, citing a figure of four million. "I actually took out a calculator," she admits with a smile. "I said this is how many refugees there are, and if each country takes about 50,000 or even 25,000 we can solve this." I point out that countries like Britain, which has promised to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, says they cannot afford to take more. "I'm not really sure where Britain's economy stands but one thing I am sure of is we can at least help people," she insists. "It's a developed country and we need courage and strength to accept that it's our duty to help people." One of Muzoon's biggest concerns is the issue of child brides. Aid agencies say marriages involving teenage refugee girls are increasing at an alarming rate and now make up about a third of marriages in the camps. "Because of their customs and education, many parents think that by marrying their daughter they will give her a good future," Muzoon explains. "They're stopping their education because they don't realise the best way to protect their daughters is to educate them." There is no denying their sense of purpose and, despite their young age, they do make good sense. "If we are hoping to rebuild Syria one day, that won't happen if two million refugee children are totally deprived of education." Malala explains. There is another initiative on their minds too. Muzoon Almellehan argues the best way for mothers to protect their daughters is to educate them "We are hoping to launch a campaign next year that will mark 2016 as the year we hope war will end and peace will be restored," she says. "We must be positive and hopeful that my country will be without war," adds Muzoon. Ending Syria's punishing war next year will test the will of the world's most powerful leaders and most experienced diplomats. But, in the meantime, two campaigners for girls' education have more than enough of their own work to do, including their own homework. "What courses are you taking this year?" Malala asks Muzoon when the two schoolgirls retreat to a quiet corner of the library. It's the beginning of their new conversation. Some of it will be heard around the world. BBC © 2015
Iraqi forces advance on IS-held Ramadi
December 23, 2015 2:45 AM
Iraqi ambassador to US: Ramadi liberation 'just a few days away' The battle to drive so-called Islamic State (IS) fighters out of the centre of Ramadi is entering its second day as Iraqi special forces fight the militants street by street. Officials are optimistic that the city will be recaptured by the weekend. But a spokesman for the US-led coalition has been more cautious, saying a tough fight is in prospect. Iraqi forces are heading towards the main government complex, and have come up against snipers and suicide bombers. Ramadi fell to IS in May in an embarrassing defeat for the Iraqi army. The Iraqi army advanced as black smoke from US airstrikes rose above Ramadi US-led coalition spokesman Col Steve Warren estimates that there are up to 350 IS fighters still in Ramadi in addition to possibly tens of thousands of civilians. There have been reports that IS has been rounding people up, possibly to use as human shields. How tactical change boosted offensive BBC Middle East editor Sebastian Usher says that the offensive in Ramadi appears to be a more effective Iraqi military operation, helped by months of US training. Notable by their absence, our correspondent says, are powerful Shia militias, who helped recapture Tikrit earlier this year.
Their presence would be too incendiary in the Sunni heartland of Ramadi and the surrounding province of Anbar, he adds.
Security sources told the BBC troops and allied tribesmen, backed by US-led air strikes, had already retaken two districts, and entered two others.
Last month, government forces completed their encirclement of the predominantly Sunni Arab city, about 90km (55 miles) west of Baghdad, cutting off militants inside the centre from strongholds elsewhere in Anbar province and in neighbouring Syria.
Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service spokesman Sabah al-Numani said its troops, supported by soldiers, police and Sunni tribesmen, began the assault on central Ramadi at dawn on Tuesday.
The US says there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of civilians inside Ramadi
Sources in the Iraqi military's Anbar Operations Command told the BBC that engineers had built temporary bridges over the River Euphrates, which flows along the north and west of the city centre.
This had enabled troops to enter directly the al-Haouz district, south-west of the government complex.
By Tuesday afternoon, government forces had retaken the al-Thubat and al-Aramil districts, and entered nearby al-Malaab and Bakir, the sources said.
The Iraqi defence ministry said the jihadists had prevented civilians leaving Ramadi since leaflets warning of an assault were dropped over the city last month.
Sources inside Ramadi told the BBC IS had carried out a campaign of raids and mass arrests of residents in districts still under its control, in an attempt to prevent an uprising in support of the government offensive.
IS has lost control of several key towns in Iraq to government and Kurdish forces since overrunning large swathes of the country's west and north in June 2014 and proclaiming the creation of a "caliphate" that also extended into neighbouring Syria.
On Monday, analysis by IHS Jane's suggested that IS had lost 14% of its overall territory in Iraq and Syria, about 12,800 sq km (4,940 sq miles), over the past year.
Despite this, the group has been able to capture new territory of strategic value over the same period, including Ramadi and Palmyra in Syria's Homs province. It also still controls the Iraqi cities of Falluja, east of Ramadi, and Mosul, in the north.
What is Islamic State?
A notoriously violent Islamist group which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq. It has declared its territory a caliphate - a state governed in accordance with Islamic law - under its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
What does it want?
IS demands allegiance from all Muslims, rejects national borders and seeks to expand its territory. It adheres to its own extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and regards non-believers as deserving of death.
How strong is IS?
IS projects a powerful image, partly through propaganda and sheer brutality, and is the world's richest insurgent group. It has about 30,000 fighters but is facing daily bombing by a US-led multinational coalition which has vowed to destroy it.
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
How to make your 'dead' batteries last eight times longer
When you throw out your disposable AAs because your remote stopped working, they actually still had about 80% of their power remaining.A new $2.50 battery sleeve called the Batteriser, coming to Amazonthis fall, promises to extend the life of your batteries up to eight times longer by drawing out theirremaining power -- which you were about to throw in the garbage. The tiny, 0.1 millimeter-thick stainless steel Batteriser sleeve features an incredibly small circuit board, built to tap into the battery's remaining energy.AA batteries start off with 1.5 volts of energy, but the voltage goes down as the batteries are used up. Once the batteries dip below 1.35 volts, they appear to be dead, even though they still have a lot of juice left.It's akin to a tube of toothpaste, according to Batteriser founder Bob Roohparvar, who is a computer science professor at California State University."If you just squeeze from the top,you're only going to get so much out of the tube," Roohparvar said.For example, a typical AA battery will stop working after 240 minutes of use powering a remote control, 95 minutes powering portable speakers, or just 38 minutes powering an RC toy. Roohparvar claims that the Batteriser can get 1,185 minutes out of a remote (5 times more energy), 570 minutes out of portable speakers (6x) or 355 minutes out of an RC toy (9x).Batteriser can continue to delivera 1.5 volt charge from batteries that have actually discharged down to 0.6 volts.Roohparvar says he hopes to shake up the $14 billion disposable battery market. Thereare 5.4 billion battery-operated devices in the wild, and 15 billiondisposable batteries are bought every year around the world. A typical U.S. home has 28 battery-operated devices inside.The Batteriser will come in AA, AAA, C and D-cell varieties and sell for less than $10 for a pack of four. At that price, Roohparvar, the technology"pays for itself" after just one purchase -- a typical AA battery costs $2.50, and the Batteriser makes one battery last as long aseight.He said it's a cheaper solution than rechargeable batteries. And those rechargeable batteries are typically made of lithium, which isn't compatible with many battery-powered products."The Batteriser is giving you lithium performance at alkaline price," Roohparvar said.After an Indiegogo campaign in July for early-adopters, Roohparvar says the Batteriser will begin selling on Amazon in the fall. He also said that he has been talking to executives at Wal-Mart about selling the battery sleeves in the future.Though Roohparvar says that his patents would prevent the battery manufacturers from simply adding the Batteriser technology into their batteries, he said he would be open to licensing the technology down the road. He also said that Batteriser could one day partner with a Duracell or an Energizer and sell the batteries and Batterisers as a single package
How to make your 'dead' batteries last eight times longer
When you throw out your disposable AAs because your remote stopped working, they actually still had about 80% of their power remaining.A new $2.50 battery sleeve called the Batteriser, coming to Amazonthis fall, promises to extend the life of your batteries up to eight times longer by drawing out theirremaining power -- which you were about to throw in the garbage. The tiny, 0.1 millimeter-thick stainless steel Batteriser sleeve features an incredibly small circuit board, built to tap into the battery's remaining energy.AA batteries start off with 1.5 volts of energy, but the voltage goes down as the batteries are used up. Once the batteries dip below 1.35 volts, they appear to be dead, even though they still have a lot of juice left.It's akin to a tube of toothpaste, according to Batteriser founder Bob Roohparvar, who is a computer science professor at California State University."If you just squeeze from the top,you're only going to get so much out of the tube," Roohparvar said.For example, a typical AA battery will stop working after 240 minutes of use powering a remote control, 95 minutes powering portable speakers, or just 38 minutes powering an RC toy. Roohparvar claims that the Batteriser can get 1,185 minutes out of a remote (5 times more energy), 570 minutes out of portable speakers (6x) or 355 minutes out of an RC toy (9x).Batteriser can continue to delivera 1.5 volt charge from batteries that have actually discharged down to 0.6 volts.Roohparvar says he hopes to shake up the $14 billion disposable battery market. Thereare 5.4 billion battery-operated devices in the wild, and 15 billiondisposable batteries are bought every year around the world. A typical U.S. home has 28 battery-operated devices inside.The Batteriser will come in AA, AAA, C and D-cell varieties and sell for less than $10 for a pack of four. At that price, Roohparvar, the technology"pays for itself" after just one purchase -- a typical AA battery costs $2.50, and the Batteriser makes one battery last as long aseight.He said it's a cheaper solution than rechargeable batteries. And those rechargeable batteries are typically made of lithium, which isn't compatible with many battery-powered products."The Batteriser is giving you lithium performance at alkaline price," Roohparvar said.After an Indiegogo campaign in July for early-adopters, Roohparvar says the Batteriser will begin selling on Amazon in the fall. He also said that he has been talking to executives at Wal-Mart about selling the battery sleeves in the future.Though Roohparvar says that his patents would prevent the battery manufacturers from simply adding the Batteriser technology into their batteries, he said he would be open to licensing the technology down the road. He also said that Batteriser could one day partner with a Duracell or an Energizer and sell the batteries and Batterisers as a single package
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
One God: Two Destinies
Wednesday 19, November 2014TEXT: 2 KINGS 18:1-12Key Verse: “And at the end ofthree years they took it: evenin the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken” (2 Kings 18:10).The story was told of two young boys who grew up in alocal church. Their Sunday school teacher had special interest in the lads because they were intelligent stars with promising future leadership traits. Years later,one of them had become an outstanding reformer and anactive defender of the Christian faith while the other degenerated into a deadly and criminal advocacy of falsehood. Equalopportunities and privileges in life do not necessarily produce equal results!Today’s text examines the contrast between two kings who ruled in Israel and Judah about the same time. Their relationship with God, which was the reflection of their heart condition, lifestyle, actions and attitude,positioned them differently before God and history.Hosea the son of Elah, who reigned in Israel deviated from all godly precepts and transgressed in things of God to his own peril. His reign terminated the northern kingdom of Israel that had existed for over twohundred years, which eventually disappeared from history as the “ten lost tribes” commonly known as the Samaritans. Hezekiah, onthe other hand, feared God, and worked in His ways. Though his father was ungodly, Hezekiah did that which was right, according toall that David his forefather did. He was with God and God was with him.It is wisdom to pitch one’s tent beside God on the path of righteousness, because righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. Hosea, meaning salvation in Hebrewtongue, could neither obtain salvation for himself nor be an agent of salvation for his nation. Hezekiah, which means, strength of God, drew divine strength from God’s righteousness to do exploits. Godly names with special privileges in life that is void of purity and personalrelationship with God and Christ will end up in shame and regret.
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Australia finds 2 potential bits of missing Malaysian plane wreckage - Thursday, March 20, 2014
Two pieces of wreckage that are possibly from the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 - one estimated to be 78ft in size - have been found to the west of Australia, it was announced yesterday. The debris was spotted on satellite imagery and a total of four aircraft have been sent to investigate the sighting, some 1553 miles off the coast of Perth.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the potential breakthrough to Parliament in Canberra Thursday, but warned the wreckage may not be from the missing flight. Continue...
John Young of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said at an afternoon press conference that one aircraft was already on scene searching the area, and three others were due to meet it into Thursday evening. A merchant ship dispatched in the search operation was also due to arrive around 6p.m. Canberra time.
The imagery, which was progressively captured by satellites passing over the area, has not yet been released to the media. Commercial satellites have been tasked with collecting higher resolution images of the floating objects.
Mr Young said visibility was poor in the area, hampering both air and satellite efforts and he estimated the water in the location where the debris was spotted to be several thousand feet deep.
'I must emphasize that these objects may be very difficult to locate,' he told report
British grandmother claims semen is the best anti-aging product
A UK grandmother, Stella Ralfini, (pictured above) says her wrinkle-free face is all thanks to a semen therapy which she does on her face by applying semen from her lover after sexual intercourse.Stella, 67, said she learnt the bizarre anti-aging method while in India studying a unique sexual therapy called Tantra. According to her, all you need is a lover with healthy sperm residue..
"All you need is a lover but if you don't have one you know what to do. All you need to do is just ten days or two weeks, you both should have a nice time and make sure he has a great time, and when your beautiful love making session is over, you are going to scoop this amazing sperm mask in your finger, apply it all over your face, leave it for fifteen minutes and then wash off. I know some of you are thinking "What is she saying?!" but we have to assume that your lover is a healthy clean man and eats wells.
Lol. Now which man put grandma Stella up to this? Funnily, she's not the only one who believes in this therapy. Actress Heather Locklear, 51, in a recent interview told a reporter that the secret to her youthful look was as a result of semen on face therapy. Continue...
UK Mirror reports that research has however proven Stella and Heather right in the usefulness of semen as an anti-aging substance. Research shows that the Human semen is rich in anti-oxidant, proteolytic proteins that helps to diminish aging lines on faces and helps to destroy dead layers on skin, revealing a more fresher skin layer.
The researcher must be a man. Not putting no gaddem semen on my face! Lol.
Posted by Linda Ikeji at 8:25 AM
It Is Harder to Quit Alcohol Than to Quit Smoking - Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell looking smashing in a black cutout swimsuit on the cover of the April issue of Shape magazine. In the issue, Naomi opens up about how quitting smoking has been harder than she thought it would be."People told me that cigarettes are harder to quit than alcohol. I didn’t believe it, but you know what? It is harder. I'm not someone who wants to light up inside people's homes, including my own, and I don't want to stand outside on street corners anymore. It's still a struggle. In fact, just talking about it makes me crave one, so let's stop, please! But I am really trying." the world-famous supermodel said of her desire to quit.
Direct marketing lessons from a kilishi seller Posted on March 18, 2014
You know what kilishi is right?
That peppered dry meat sold usually in the Northern part of Nigeria. They are so popular Tuface even mentioned it in the song he was featured in by P-Square. He said something like…
“Everytime I go Abuja I dey buy you kilishi…
Click here to watch it on Youtube
By the way, I’m a huge Tuface fan. Along with PSquare and D’banj I believe they are the three biggest acts we have in this country.
Please note I said biggest. Don’t bring any argument about someone wey sabi sing pass. Biggest does not mean the best singer.
Back to the matter at hand.
Segun “The Pundit” Agbede went to Kano at the weekend to cover the premier league game involving Kano Pillars for Super Sport and he was gracious enough to bring us some kilishi in the office.
As a marketer through and through, some things struck me about the package. The kilishi seller must know one or two things about direct marketing.
1. It was well packaged. Most people in “ordinary” businesses do not think about image. They think because they are mechanics, moi moi seller, fried yam seller etc that they must look rugged and unkept. If you want to attract the type of customers that will pay you good money without stress, you have to look the part.
2. Dan Kennedy tells us all the time to always make an offer in our marketing materials. Your name and slogan is not enough. You must make an offer. An offer people will like to respond to. Take a look at the package. It says “Taste before you buy”.
3. I wrote not too long ago that one of the best ways to increase sales is to offer a money back guarantee. That is what the kilishi seller did. He gave a two month guarantee that the kilishi will remain intact all through. That will put your mind at rest if you were not going to consume the kilishi immediately.
So what do you think? How can you apply these principles to your own business?
Thursday, 6 March 2014
WestJet Passenger Leaves Super-Sexist Note For Female Pilot
The issue at hand was the pilot’s ovaries, and the fact that she was not at home doting on children. Where, apparently, she is supposed to be.
"The cockpit of an airliner is no place for a woman,” reads a letter written on a napkin left aboard a Calgary flight to Victoria, B.C., obtained by Metro News. "A woman being a mother is the most honor. Not as 'captain.' Were (sic) short on mothers, not pilots WestJet."
The letter further contained reference to a biblical verse and concludes, “In the end, this is all mere vanity.”
The author further said he wished WestJet would warn their passengers when a "fair lady" was at the helm so they would have the chance to book another flight.
The fear, of course, is that the pilot will go into spontaneous labor, putting the passengers in immeasurable danger.
[ Related: Weather Network predicts 'slow start to spring' across Canada ]
The letter is a shame, not worth the soiled napkin it was written on. But Steacy's response is worth celebrating.
According to Metro, she posted the following Facebook post (no longer publicly accessible):
To @David in 12E on my flight #463 from Calgary to Victoria today. It was my pleasure flying you safely to your destination. Thank you for the note you discreetly left me on your seat. You made sure to ask the flight attendants before we left if I had enough hours to be the Captain so safety is important to you, too. I have heard many comments from people throughout my 17 year career as a pilot. Most of them positive. Your note is, without a doubt, the funniest. It was a joke, right? RIGHT?? I thought, not. You were more than welcome to deplane when you heard I was a “fair lady.” You have that right. Funny, we all, us humans, have the same rights in this great free country of ours. Now, back to my most important role, being a mother.
While only about four per cent of airline pilots are women, the idea that they are "less than" is ridiculous in this day and age.
In fact, the comment is so deafening in its Mad Men-era absurdity that questions of its authenticity are sure to be raised. Such events have been contrived in the past to attain "viral fame."
Last year, a television producer fed the Internet by creating a Thanksgiving beef with "Diane in 7A," claiming he confronted the self-involved passenger mistreated flight staff. It was proven to be a hoax days later.
[ Related: Jimmy Kimmel offers Rob Ford advice after scathing late night appearance ]
The case of David in 12E seems similarly extreme. Would someone actually hold, and voice, the opinion that women are meant only for motherhood?
After 17 years on the job, does Steacy really have to deal with such situations?
Westjet has confirmed, however, that they were told of the incident and that they have many female pilots and first officers in their fleet.
“We’re enormously proud of the professionalism, skills, experience and expertise of our pilots, and we were very disappointed to find this note,” a spokesman told Yahoo Canada News in an email.
Apparently, they are not concerned about the dangers of female pilots launching into spontaneous labour. Won't somebody please think of the children?
So what do you say, should women be allowed to continue piloting?
Teenager Who Sued Parents Loses Court Case - skynews
The judge cautioned that Rachel Canning's attempt could lead to a "potentially slippery slope" of claims by teenagers against their parents.
Ms Canning, a high school senior, claimed that her parents had kicked her out of home around the time she turned 18 in October, and had refused to pay for her education even though she had been accepted by several universities.
She sought immediate relief in the form of $650 (£390) in weekly child support and the payment of the remainder of her tuition at Morris Catholic High School, as well as attorney's fees.
Her father insisted she left voluntarily because she refused to abide by reasonable household rules, such as observing a curfew and doing chores.
State Superior Court Judge Peter Bogaard denied Ms Canning’s motion.
However, he ordered the parties to return to court on April 22 , when they will present evidence and testimony on the over-arching question of whether the Cannings are obligated to financially support their daughter.
Mr Bogaard sounded sceptical of some of the claims in the lawsuit, saying it could lead to teens "thumbing their noses" at their parents, leaving home and then asking for financial support.
"Are we going to open the gates for 12-year-olds to sue for an Xbox? For 13-year-olds to sue for an iPhone?" he asked.
"We should be mindful of a potentially slippery slope."
Ms Canning was dressed in her school uniform as she attended the hearing, as several friends were in the gallery.
She has said that her parents are abusive, contributed to an eating disorder she developed and pushed her to get a basketball scholarship.
The Cannings say they were supportive, helped their daughter through the eating disorder and paid for her to go to a private school where she would not get as much playing time in basketball as she would have at a public school.
Ms Canning has been living at a friend's home, and the court appearance was the first time she had seen her parents in four months, reports said.
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Nigerian football legend Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha, threw a lavish 40th birthday party for his wife of 16 years, Nkechi Okocha on Friday October 25th at Civic Centre in Lagos. Maestromedia reports that Okocha gave his wife a brand new White Mercedez Benz G-Wagon SUV as birthday present. Nkechi was said to have gone down on her knees to thank her husband for all his love and support in front of the party guests. Happy belated birthday to her!
Sunday, 20 October 2013
Policing Moral Codes asWomen Streams into India's Cities
CITY LIFE Meena, a student in Rohtak, warns young women that moving to a city does not keep people back in the village from scrutinizing their actions. “I tell them, we have to be careful,” she said. KUNI TAKAHASHI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
By ELLEN BARRY October 19, 2013
ROHTAK, India —Meena, 20, was a village girl herself, so she can recognize the changes that come when girls from the village arrive in this city as students and take their first gulps of freedom.
Blue jeans, forbidden at home, are crammed into a corner of the backpack for a midday costume change. A cellphone is acquired and kept on silent.
She always tells them: You never know who might be watching. If word gets back to the village that a young woman has stepped across the village’s moral boundaries —it could be something as simple as being spotted chatting with a group of male students after class —her life could be upended in a day.
“I tell them, we have to be careful,” Meena said. “Maybe they are not aware that someone can watch them and go and report back.”
As young Indian women leave rural homes to finish their education in cities, often the first women in their families to do so, they act like college students everywhere, feeling out the limits of their independence. But here in the farming region of Haryana State, where medieval moral codes are policed by a network of male neighbors and relatives, the experience is a little different. There is always the danger that someone is quietly gathering information.
The old and new are continually rushing at each other in India, most starkly in places like Haryana, a largely rural, conservative state abutting New Delhi whose residents can commute 20 miles to work in nightclubs and office buildings. But their home villages are sleepy places, whose main streets are patrolled by glossy, lumbering black water buffalo.
The villages are ruled by khap panchayats, unelected all-male councils that wield strong control over social life, including women’s behavior. That job becomes much harder once the women have left for the city. When one khap leader listed city shops that were allowing young women to store mobile phones and change into Western clothes, another suggested posting informers outside the shops with cameras to capture photographic evidence as women came and went.
Om Prakash Dhankar, a khap leader who voiced his support for this approach, said measures like these would protect young women from much worse dangers that might follow if they freely cultivated friendships with men.
“The mobile plays a main role,” he said in an interview. “You will be surprised how this happens. A girl sits on a bus, she calls a male friend, asks him to put money on her mobile. Is he going to put money on her mobile for free?No. He will meet her at a certain place, with five of his friends, and they will call it rape.”
A generation ago, women here lived in complete seclusion from men,and could appear in public only wearing a lightweight cloth that completely covered their head and face. Though that tradition is fading, many women are still not allowed to leave the house without permission from a father or husband.
Haryana’s khaps focus much of their energy on defending a single ancient prohibition: Men and women are not allowed to marry anyone from the same village. The local interpretation of ancient Hindu texts holds villagers to be brothers and sisters, rendering their unions incestuous. Young people defy the ban very rarely, but those who do are sometimes murdered by a gang of male relatives. As much as the khaps condemn these “honor killings,” they are just as adamant about preventing these romances, a quest that involves tight control over women.
Meena, who left her village several years ago to escape an arranged marriage, said young women there were terrified of the elders in the khap, who scrutinized their behavior and issued a steady stream of criticism. The criticism, in turn, terrified her parents, who feared being ostracized.
“They would say, ‘Why is your daughter going around in the village with her head naked?’” she said. “If you were walking with your head straight, the khap guys would say, ‘Look down at the ground, don’t make eye contact. Don’t have irrelevant conversations.’ ”
Whether their influence extends to college women in Rohtak, one of Haryana’s largest cities, is another matter.
As young women poured out of the gates of Maharishi Dayanand University recently, walking down the road in the golden light of afternoon, they described the alchemy that takes place when young women from the village mix with classmates from big cities. Some begin illicit romances, something strictly forbidden at home. But for many, the changes are modest ones.
“In the cities, the girls have phones, because parents provide them, but in the village we are not given phones,” said Sunita Meham, 23. “She comes to college and sees that other people are using phones, so she also wants to use one. If her parents agree, and if her friends call her on that phone, they say, ‘Why do you have so many friends?’To save herself all these questions, she has a secret phone.”
Satish, who runs a photocopy shop next to the college, said the khaps are simply too far away to monitor students’ behavior. Phones are often exchanged as gifts and kept secret from the family, he said. “Generally,” he said, “everyone around here has two mobiles at least.”
Sonal Dangi, 20, shrugged off the talk of tighter controls. Social change had taken hold in Haryana, she said, and it could not be halted.
“Everything has its positive and negative sides,” she said. “But they can’t stop it.”
But others were far more wary. The moral arbiters from the village have informers everywhere, Meena said. Police officers often work with the khap, many said. A young man from the same village might report back to a woman’s family if he spotted her walking with a man, others said. So could the rickshaw driver who drove her to the city.
All the young women interviewed in Rohtak could reel off stories of classmates who simply disappeared, withdrew from school and were swiftly married to men of their parents’ choosing after word of a moral infraction reached their village.
The possibility of violence ran like a thin blade through their chatter: Just last month, a young man and woman studying in Rohtak were killed in public by the woman’s relatives after they were discovered violating the ban on same-village romance. The man was beheaded.
“You know,” said Puja, a 19-year-old student, “the first time the parents hear that the girl is roaming around, either they take her home and get her married or else they kill them.”
Even within the khap panchayats, there seemed to be little consensus on how, or whether, to keep an eye on young women away from home. In interviews, numerous local khap leaders scoffed at Mr. Dhankar’s notion of placing surveillance units at places where young women change out of their traditional, billowing clothes.
But Mr. Dhankar was undaunted, saying the photographs could be shown to the girls’ parents, or to friendly police officers, who could threaten to press trumped-up criminal charges unless the behavior stopped. Great dangers await, Mr. Dhankar said, when a young woman keeps secrets from her family.
“It starts with a small lie,” he said. “Then they get into borrowing money and other bad things. The end result is that she will commit suicide or someone else will kill her.”
As he was explaining this, his daughter, a high school science teacher in her early 40s, chimed in with a robustly dissenting view, and Mr. Dhankar admitted cheerfully that the women in his house generally ignore what he says.
Growing serious, he added that it was misguided to see any collision of interests between young women and the traditionalists in the village. They are, he said, on the same team.
“As long as the girl lives within moral codes, she can have as much freedom as she wants,” he said. “If they are going after love affairs or extra freedom, then they are killed.”
Monday, 14 October 2013
We played like champions —Amokachi, Musa
OCTOBER 14, 2013 BY FESTUS ABU 4 Comments
Daniel Amokachi
and
Assistant coach
Amokachi
Daniel
Ahmed Musa are delighted with the Super Eagles for showing stuff of champions in their 2-1 defeat of Ethiopia’s Walya Antelopes in their 2014 World Cup playoff in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
Nigeria rallied to beat the North East Africans after
misjudged
goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama
from Behailu Assefa to give the hosts a surprise lead in the 57th minute. But Turkey-based Emmanuel Emenike rifled home in the 67th minute and converted from the spot in the dying minutes to shoot Nigeria closer to Brazil 2014.
“We came out in full force after the pressure in the first 45 minutes gave us a little bit of scare. In the second half we showed we are African champions after going down one goal and scoring two in less than 20 minutes,” Amokachi was quoted by supersport.com as saying after the clash.
“But it’s not over yet. We still have 90 more minutes to play in Nigeria and then we can celebrate some more,”
Musa said, “The game was a very tough and hard one. The Ethiopia played well, but we are more exposed and experienced than them, that won the match for us. We showed them that we are the Africa champions."
Strike: Security Agencies Beam Searchlight On ASUU Leaders Nationwide
By: Adebayo Waheed on October 14, 2013 -5:50am
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday alleged threat to the lives of its leaders nationwide.
The four-month old strike embarked upon by members of the union took a new dimension when ASUU alleged that members had been under the siege of security agencies nationwide.
It was learnt on Sunday that security agencies were beaming searchlights on the sources of finance of members of the union nationwide despite the stoppage of their salaries by the federal government.
Investigations at the University of Ibadan showed that ASUU executives at the institution went underground shortly after last Thursday Congress held at the institution while phones were switched off.
Similarly the secretariat of the union has been deserted with new security arrangement being put in place.
In a statement issued on the latest development, the chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter of the union, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, said “ASUU strike: Union leaders go underground.”
The ASUU leader alleged that he had received some calls warning him about his role in the ongoing strike.
Ajiboye who called on the Inspector General of Police to save the lives of ASUU leaders nationwide said no amount of threat or clampdown on the union will make them back down from the strike until public education is saved from collapse.
According to him, this recent security threat has forced many ASUU leaders to go underground alleging that many of their phone numbers have been bugged.
“Apart from the issue of finance, ASUU leaders are now being trailed all over the place. A majority of the our union leaders have now gone underground while many have their telephone lines bugged. Some are now living in fear of their lives”
Ajiboye who noted that ASUU members are not security threat to the nation added that as a democratic nation, citizens are guaranteed freedom of association.
Ajiboye urged the federal government to leave its leaders alone and implement the agreements it reached with the union for normalcy to return to university campuses nationwide.
“The position of ASUU is that Nigeria is a democratic country and citizens are guaranteed freedom of association. Members of the union are apprehensive for the lives of their leaders.
“We urge the government to leave our leaders alone. Our leaders are our servants, we are their principals, they report to us on all matters”.
Representatives of the union have repeatedly stated that the strike action would only be called off when the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement is implemented by the government.
The strike, which started 105 days ago, has seen many meetings between the federal government and representatives of ASUU end in deadlocks with ASUU rejecting an offer of N30bn to begin payment of the earned allowance owed to university lecturers.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Guidelines on making good investment decisions
