Jose Mourinho Irritated?

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho cuts short his news conference in Bucharest after becoming irritated with questions from the media.
Asked why Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has not travelled, Mourinho responds: "This is fantastic because no one asks me about [Juan] Mata. Three weeks you have been asking me about Mata.
"I try to decide by what they do on the pitch when they play and what they do in training. I make mistakes but I try to be honest all the time.
"With Kevin, he's not been selected because I didn't like the match he played against Swindon."

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Yobe students attack: Death toll rises to 78

  Yobe students attack: Death toll rises to 78

The death toll at the College of Agriculure, Gujba ,Yobe State has risen to 78. At least 50 of them were students who were attacked in the early hours of yesterday morning as they slept in their hostel. Some were shot, others were butchered with swords and knives. The gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram sect members later moved to houses around the hostel, killing residents they find. Then they blocked the Damaturu-Maiduguri road and killed travellers. So far, 78 bodies have been counted, with many more people still unaccounted for. A student of the college who survived the massacre explained what happened...

"They started gathering students into groups outside, then they opened fire and killed one group and then moved onto the next group and killed them. It was so terrible. They came with guns around 1a.m. and went directly to the male hostel and opened fire on them. The college is in the bush, so the other students were running around helplessly as guns went off and some of them were shot down.”

The gunmen stormed the hostels in two double-cabin pickup all-terrain vehicles and on motorcycles, and were dressed in military camouflage. They attacked 4 male hostels but avoided the only hostel reserved for girls. Swords and knives were used to kill at least 30 male students. Some corpses that were found were without heads while others had heads hanging to the bodies. Wailing parents and relatives were at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital mortuary in Damaturu this morning to identify their loved ones. This can't continue. This government has to do something about the situation

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CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE

THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT

…. The serpent deceived Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. She ate and also fed it to Adam and ever since then man has lost his worth!

For so long a time, we Nigerians have been eating the forbidden fruit because the service providers in Nigeria have thrived in playing the serpent.

What really is the forbidden fruit? Different schools of thought including religious folks have tried to fill in the space – giving different answers to this age-long question.

Some say it is apple. Adam’s apple they say. Others say it is pre-marital sex

.

Customer Service Experience in Nigeria we say both answers are WRONG!

Apple? How could it apple. Apple is a fruit rich in nutrition and important vitamins with anti-cancer properties. How then could the all knowing and most loving God instruct man not to enjoy such very important fruit? No.

Pre-marital sex? Adam and Eve were created married. God himself pronounced them man & wife. I mean you can’t be more married than that. So where the pre-marital does came from?

Customer Service Experience in Nigeria we say the forbidden fruit is a thing of the mind – mindset! The mindset that says you are less important. 

How? According to the holy book, God made man in his image. So Adam and Eve were like God already. But the serpent deceived Eve to think that she is less (if you eat this fruit you will be like God.) immediately she accepted, her mindset changed. She also succeeded in selling this mindset to Adam (Men who believe their wives hmm…) and they lost their place in the equation of things

For so long a time, a lot of organizations, companies, corporations, and government agencies have been treating Nigerians as if we are less. You would hear things like “ Pls you are not the only customer I have to attend to”. This is deeply wrong. No business is able to survive without the customer. Nothing captures this fact more than the Sterlin Bank ad – 1 CUSTOMER.

These organizations have been deceiving us to think that they have so many customers in Nigeria such that losing one customer will be of no consequence. We have believed this mindset for so long and have ever since been accepting any and every kind of treatment. It’s like losing your place in the equation of things.

This must change! When every individual customer begins to share his/her experiences here, we expose the weak points of erring organizations to their competitors. Then someone somewhere especially the senior management will begin to recognize the need to truly focus on one customer.  Where there is a strong commitment to customer service from senior management, the front desk officer will certainly behave

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MISS PHILIPPINES CROWNED MISS 2013

MISS PHILIPPINES CROWNED MISS 2013

The 2013 Miss World pageant held today Saturday September 28th at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali, Indonesia.Miss Philippines Megan Young beat 126 other contestants to win Miss World 2013.

Miss France Marine Lorphelin was named 1st runner-up, while Miss Ghana Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter came third

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Judges uphold Charles Taylor's jail sentence

Hague judges confirm 50 year jail sentence of ex-Liberian president for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Judges at the Hague have upheld the 50-year jail sentence of former Liberian President Charles Taylor for aiding murderous rebels in Sierra Leone's civil war. Taylor, 65, had earlier been found guilty by the Special Court for Sierra Leone on April 26, 2012, of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including terrorism, murder, rape and using child soldiers. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) on Thursday rejected Taylor's appeal against his earlier conviction. "The trial and judgment of Charles Taylor sets out a clear marker that even those at the highest levels of power can be held to account,'' Elise Keppler, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement. "The Taylor trial, and the Sierra Leone Special Court's work overall, have made a major contribution to justice for brutal crimes committed during Sierra Leone's conflict.'' Gruesome attacks About 50,000 people died in the 11-year civil war that ended in 2002. Thousands more were left mutilated in a conflict that became known for the extreme cruelty of rival rebel groups who gained international notoriety for hacking off the limbs of their victims and carving their groups' initials into opponents. The rebels developed gruesome terms for the mutilations that became their chilling trademark: They would offer their victims the choice of "long sleeves'' or "short sleeves'' - having their hands hacked off or their arms sliced off above the elbow. Taylor was convicted not only of aiding and abetting Sierra Leone rebels from Liberia, but also for actually planning some of the attacks carried out by Sierra Leone rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. Taylor's trial was moved from the Special Court of Sierra Leone's headquarters in the capital, Freetown, to the Netherlands because of fears it could destabilise the West African region if held in Sierra Leone. The Taylor appeals ruling is the final judgment at the court, which indicted 13 of the main architects of the atrocities in Sierra Leone. Two died before trial and one more remains unaccounted for and possibly dead. Another died before hearing a verdict and all the others were tried and convicted

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Light shed on Michelle Obama hacking case

Cybercriminal system used to hack major databases and access millions of Americans' personal information exposed.

Jay Z [-]

An investigation by an independent journalist has revealed how computer hackers were able to access the personal information of several US public figures, including First Lady Michelle Obama, US media reports. On Wednesday, independent journalist Brian Krebs published an investigation which exposed how hackers infiltrated major data aggregators and collected Social Security numbers, birth records, credit card and background reports of millions of Americans, the Washington Post reported. According to Krebs' investigation, the hackers had access to LexisNexis, the world's largest electronic database of legal and public record information, for months, as well as to other US-based electronic databases, enabling them to collect the information about millions of people. They then sold the collected personal data on the Website ssndob.com, which markets itself on underground cybercrime forums as a service that customers can use to look up Social Security numbers, birthdays and other personal data on any US resident. Available on ssndob.com, the personal information of Michelle Obama - as well as other public figures such as CIA Director John Brennan, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller and performers Beyonce and Jay Z - was collected by other hackers and republished online. The FBI confirmed to Krebs they were looking into the breaches, and a vice-president at LexisNexis parent company Reed Elsevier told him the company "identified an intrusion targeting our data but to date has found no evidence that customer or consumer data were reached or retrieved", but because it is the subject of an active investigation couldn't provide any further information. Other companies were less willing to discuss the issue but both told Krebs how data security is a company priority. FBI Spokesperson Lindsay Godwin confirmed to Krebs that the FBI is "aware of and investigating this case".LexisNexis confirmed that the compromises appear to have begun in April of this year, adding that it found "no evidence that customer or consumer data were reached or retrieved" but that it was still investigating the extent of the intrusion

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Rights groups Say Sudan police shot to kill

Two groups say more than 50 killed in protests over fuel prices, with police aiming at "protesters' chests and heads".

Protesters vandalised banks and gas stations throughout Khartoum [Reuters

Two leading rights groups say Sudanese police have killed at least 50 people during protests in the last week, often "shooting to kill". A statement released by Amnesty International and the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies late on Thursday urged authorities to end violent repression of the protesters. Lucy Freeman, Amnesty's deputy chief for Africa, said the police's "aiming at protesters' chests and heads" is a "blatant violation of the right to life". Information from Sudan is starting to flow out today after a 24 hour internet blackout. Only about five newspapers reached kiosks on Thursday, carrying mainly statements from First Vice President Ali Osman Taha denouncing violence during the protests.  Editors at three newspapers said they had either been prevented from publishing by security agents or had decided not to print to protest against state attempts to steer coverage. Youth activists and doctors at a Khartoum hospital have told The Associated Press news agency that at least 100 people died since protests first broke out on Monday. The clashes are the worst unrest seen in Sudan's central regions for years. Terroristic actions "The demonstrations have turned out to be some kind of terroristic actions against the people more than the government, some sort of looting and burning gas stations and cars of the people and some areas the belong to the government and to the people as well," Ahmed Bilal Osman, Sudanese Minister of Information, told Al Jazeera. "It is not a demonstration, it is a sort of spreading chaos." Many petrol stations were torched in the violence [Reuters] On Thursday, the streets of Khartoom appeared calm as people stayed away from work and schools remained closed. Long queues were forming at petrol stations. Fear of shortages came a day after many petrol stations were torched during violent protests. The state-linked Sudanese Media Centre said schools in Khartoum state would be shut until Sept. 30. Students have been at the forefront of previous rounds of anti-government protests. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who came to power in a 1989 coup, has been spared the sort of Arab Spring uprising that unseated autocratic rulers in states from Tunisia to Yemen since 2011, but anger has risen after the government announced another set of fuel subsidy cutbacks, causing pump prices to almost double overnight. The cuts have been driven by a severe financial crunch since the secession of oil-producing South Sudan in 2011, which deprived Khartoum of three-quarters of the crude output it relied on for state revenues and dollars used to import food

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Drama at Ibori's trial, Okiro's camp rejects Ribadu's claims

 

THE confiscation of assets hearing of former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, came to an abrupt end around 3.40pm on Wednesday ,when crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass,  asked Judge Anthony Pitts to adjourn proceedings in order to give the prosecuting team enough time to ascertain whether Ibori's alleged claim that he owns thirty per cent shares in Oando Oil PLC is actually true. Pitts obliged and asked the court to end and reconvene on Thursday morning.

Prior to the court  coming to an impromptu end, defence barrister , Ivan Krolick had been cross examining prosecution witness,DC -detective Costable – Peter Clark all day and trying to weaken as  much of the prosecution's 66,000 pages of evidence as possible. And  Krolick seemed to be having some success in some areas , while Wass sat quietly taking notes and observing proceedings almost all day until just after 3pm when she interrupted Krolick's cross examination of Clark . it was at the instance when he was cross examining the prosecution witness on 'hidden assets.'

Krolick  asked Clark : 'you've said Ibori has hidden assets,' to which the detective replied: 'I believe so.' Krolick then went on to be inferring that the prosecutors have emphatically concluded that his client owns thirty per cent of Oando. This didn't go down well with Wass, who got off the bench and took permission to interrupt her learned friend.  According to her, ' by his conduct, Mr Ibori has  ownership of hidden properties,' and that the crown prosecution can 'identify two companies ,' where Ibori has hidden assets. 'The first is Oando, a candidate for hiding his assets.' She argued that if there's no link of some sort between Ibori and the company, why will Oando  transfer :'$1.2 million into an account which has no business dealing with Oando at all.'  Pitts himself wondered why Oando's lawyer , Andrew Ballie ,has been coming to court since last week if there's nothing between Ibori and Oando. 'I wonder why they will pay him money to be in court,' Pitts stated.

Meanwhile, Wass continued  and said: ' we have not asserted he owns thirty per cent of Oando. If he owns it, we will address your Honour that Mr Ibori had realisable assets in Oando.'  Wass then warned Krolick to be mindful of what he attributes to her, noting that Ibori's link with the oil company is a huge media interest . 'I will implore Mr Krolick to be extremely accurate with regards to what I said about Oando,' she added. Wass noted further that , 'the Crown have chosen their word very carefully ,' but more importantly, ' we cannot say Mr Ibori has not hidden his assets, that would not be accurate or correct.'

At that instance, Wass told the court she needed to make a quick call in order to clarify something and the Judge agreed the hesring should hav a  short break. When the court resumed about fifteen minutes later, she addressed the Judge immediately, asking for an adjournment. Wass told the Judge: 'that is not likely to be resolved this evening.There is an important decision that has to be made.'

Meanwhile, a group, Grassroot Politicians of Nigeria, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to complete investigation of corruption on former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

It was reacting to a statement on Tuesday by Ribadu's Media Assistant Abdulaziz Abdulaziz that berated Okiro as lacking integrity.

Ribadu's man had said: 'Our attention has been drawn to the shameless lies a former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro recklessly spewed to the media yesterday (Monday). The cause of Mr. Okiro's anger, the statement, in a London court, by Mallam Ribadu that James Ibori was instrumental to his emergence as the IGP needs no further equivocation as it was an open secret to everybody in the government circle then. If Okiro is now denying this in public, there is no way he can deny this open secret to a number of people including an influential governor from the North-Central then, and a couple of other people who helped facilitate his selection by Ibori. It was this same shameless method of desperate lobbying that Okiro, a chronic political jobber and sycophant  of the first order would use in getting subsequent appointments as Chief Security Officer to the PDP national chairman and later, regrettably, as the chairman of the Police Service Commission.

'The assertion by Okiro that Ribadu wanted to be the IGP further underlines the former IGP as a perennial peddler of falsehood. The truth is Nuhu Ribadu's focus then was consolidating on his modest efforts at the EFCC, especially at a time when he was working on high-profile cases, including that of Okiro's godfather, James Ibori. We therefore challenge Okiro to name those people he called Ribadu's friends that narrated the fictitious story of Ribadu's interest in becoming the IGP to him.

The highest distortion in Okiro's statement, however, is his attempt to rewrite the well-known and widely documented assassination attempts on the former EFCC chairman, and Okiro's hands in it all. It is ridiculous that Okiro is now desperately trying to paint himself in another colour after all the schemings he orchestrated. It beats our imagination that Okiro would want a Ribadu he was fighting to destroy to report those incidences to him. It would have been a case of having a culprit to be a judge in his own case. At the time, the trio of Micheal Aondoakaa, the former Attorney General of the Federation, Okiro and Mrs Farida Waziri, the former EFCC chairman, had created a hell out of the world for Ribadu. The only sensible thing to do was to avoid these characters and seek solace somewhere else. This notwithstanding, it is a blatant lie that Okiro telephoned Ribadu 'several times' but that he did not answer his calls. What Ribadu and other Nigerians easily recall was an elated Okiro rushing to address the press to deny something he knew nothing about. The bullet-riddled car Ribadu drove during that unfortunate life threatening incident is still there, if Okiro or any other person would want a further proof.

'On the issue of withdrawal of Ribadu's personal security, if Okiro is suffering from selective amnesia, let him be reminded that that was exactly what he did. he also redeployed Ibrahim Lamorde out of EFCC, to Bauchi State Police Command as Area Commander in Ningi. He did the same thing to other top EFCC operatives that Nigeria spent a fortune to train as investigators. One of them suspected to be close to Ribadu was even locked up for months in police custody. This also belie his statement that as IGP he could not have altered the postings of police within the EFCC.

'As for Okiro, we would like to alert the retired IGP that he is dancing naked in the gallery as his nasty record is something known to a lot of people.'

The statement alleged that a man cannot deny being corrupt 'when we all know he cannot account for the source of the wealth he used in building a shopping mall in Jabi, a hotel with casino in Lugbe and a private school, all in Abuja? This is not to mention his property in Lagos and Port Harcourt, while he was still serving in the police. If a public servant, one tasked with the responsibility of protecting the lives of Nigerians and instilling discipline in the police, managed to amass such wealth, what gut does he have to talk of corruption?'

But the pro-Okiro group, in a statement in Abuja on yesterday by its the National Chairman, Hon. Onimim Quakers and Secretary John Fiwarigoma, said: 'If we must fight corruption, then there should be no sacred cow.  Otherwise we are paying lip service and cannot make headway.  Secondly, the President should direct that the list of all beneficiaries of oil block allocation should be published in the daily newspapers; these people should not be growing rich and living ostentatious life for doing nothing while majority of Nigerians are wallowing in and dying of poverty.

'We find the character of Nuhu Ribadu very irritating phenomenon. It really does not matter to him if it is at the expense of Nigeria's image or another person's honour.'

The group listed some of Ribadu's alleged contradictions as follows:

'Ribadu Vs Bola Ahmed Tinubu: While briefing the National Assembly on EFCC's anti-corruption activities on September 27, 2006 Ribadu indicted Tinubu of corruption and described him as a looter 'of international dimension'.  But in September 2010 he told newsmen in Wuse area, Abuja that he would not bother himself with the integrity profile of politicians sponsoring his election as the President of Nigeria.  He shamelessly exonerated Tinubu, simply because Tinubu gave him the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) presidential ticket and sponsored his campaign financially.

'Ribadu Vs Atiku: Ribadu forcefully defended EFCC's purported indictment of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; who got into trouble with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo over his presidential ambition.  But instead of proceeding to the court to prosecute their purported indictment, including Atiku, he took their case files to the ex-President in brazen demonstration of eye service feigned as loyalty.  When newsmen asked whether indictment was the same as conviction upon which a candidate could be banned for contesting election, Ribadu blabbed as follows: 'We have only one government in Nigeria.  The President has the mandate of Nigerians.  And we cannot take the cases of these individuals to Tony Blair'.

'Ribadu Vs ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo:
Ribadu follows the tide of wealth and authority.  When Olusegun Obasanjo was in power Ribadu held him as the best, incorruptible and a power worthy of emulation.  About two years ago, with Obasanjo no longer in power Ribadu wrote a secret report to the American Ambassador in Nigeria stating that Obasanjo was more corrupt than Abacha, only that he (Obasanjo) was very clever to cover his criminal activities.  The ambassador forwarded same report to America.  What an insult.  Did he prosecute Obasanjo of corruption after he had left office as President and lost his immunity to so classify our president?  No citizen of America, a bastion of democracy and human rights, can write such a damaging report about the President of America to another country and still walk the streets.  A few days ago Ribadu took sides in the altercation between Obasanjo and Mrs. Farida Waziri where he exonerated Obasanjo.  Ribadu is a zero entity when it comes to principles and true to type he forgot that what he said about Obasanjo earlier is still in the media.

'Ribadu Vs Chief Bode George: Ribadu exposed a case of monumental fraud against Olabode George and his colleagues in the NPA Board.  But in an interview he granted The NEWS magazine in 2007 and reproduced by the Sunday Sun of November 8, 2009, page 47, the same Nuhu Ribadu said: 'Olabode George was never an executive officer of NPA.  He was a part-time Chairman.  It is the Executive Managing Director who runs the place; it was the MD's name that appeared in all the contract papers of NPA.  Olabode George was a part-time Chairman whose name was never on any contract paper…'  In early 2008, Ribadu went for a course at NIPSS, Mrs. Farida Waziri, AIG rtd, stepped in as the EFCC Chairman in June 2008.  On August 8, 2008, Mrs. Waziri arraigned Bode George and five others.  (About) 14 months after, she got a major conviction following a meticulous prosecution of the case.  Still, Nuhu Ribadu, the chameleonic hypocrite, turned around and said the following in an email he sent to media houses in October 26, 2009 in respect of the judgement of Justice Joseph Oyewole on Bode George:  'I salute the courage and intellect of the learned judge who has demonstrated over time that he is an exemplary reference point in the fight against corruption and for a true definition of rule of law in the country…'  Cases of Nuhu Ribadu leaking his own vomit are endless.

'Ribadu Vs Mrs. Farida Waziri: When Mrs. Waziri was having issues with Obasanjo, Ribadu came from nowhere saying that he is joining issues with Waziri.  He claimed he never worked under Waziri and that he taught her the job.  One wonders how Ribadu could have come from another command, section or department to teach Mrs. Waziri the job if he was not working under her.  On a more serious note, what job can Ribadu who was a Superintendent of Police and could not handle a small Police Division in Surulere Lagos as a DPO, and so worked his way to Force CID, Alagbon, Lagos teach an Acting AIG?  He found the exchange of words between Obasanjo and Waziri as an auspicious occasion to defend Obasanjo and mend fences with him over his secret report to America indicting Obasanjo.  Ribadu, with all his grand standing did not secure any conviction in all his cases.  He depended on plea bargaining which our legal luminaries have said is unconstitutional and illegal.  On the other hand Waziri recorded more success than Ribadu in her short time in EFCC.

'Ribadu Vs Sir Mike Okiro (rtd.): Ribadu's current target of slander is Mike Okiro, a former Inspector-General of Police.  While giving evidence in the trial of Ibori in London, Ribadu alleged, among others, that Okiro was the most corrupt Police officer he (Ribadu) has ever seen, that Okiro attempted to assassinate him.  We are not defending Okiro, since we are certain he can explain himself to Nigerians.  Records show that Okiro was Deputy Inspector-General of Police from 2002 to 2007.  This was the period Ribadu held sway as Chairman of EFCC.  If he was as corrupt as Ribadu is attempting to make us believe why did Ribadu not take action against him.  If he could take in Governors, serving IGP for corruption was it a DIG, the most corrupt Police Officer he 'have ever seen' that Ribadu could not handle?  Ribadu merely used the occasion to attempt to rubbish the name of an illustrious, detribalised, hardworking, courageous and upright Nigerian whom a majority of Nigerians honour, respect and emulate.

'Ribadu Vs Whos's Next:  The catalogue of prominent Nigerians whom Ribadu tried to hound or blackmail is endless.  Who is next in the series?

'Ribadu is a pretender.  He is worse that some of the people he investigated, haunted and demonised.'

The group added: 'Nigerians need to know who has a large housing estate in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

'Whose 13-year old daughter owns a house in London?

'May be Nigerians may want to know who was given a house as a gift in Dubai.

'Who claims that the house he is living and owns in a high brow Mambila Street, Aso Drive Abuja was bought for him by his father-in-law who is a retired lecturer.

'Most importantly, Nigerians may want to know who has two oil blocks in the Niger Delta area.

'Nigerians want to know what happened to properties recovered and confiscated from fraudsters by Ribadu. Nigerians may want to know who sold the properties to himself, his friends and cronies at ridiculous prices.'

The group added: 'Ribadu ran out of Nigeria into self-exile to avoid being prosecuted for his conduct, corruption and sale of EFCC property while he was Chairman.  In a demonstration of magnanimity, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, brought him back, restored his dubiously acquired rank, changed his dismissal to retirement and withdrew the criminal cases against him in court.

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Interpol issues arrest warrant for ‘White Widow,’ British woman suspected in Kenya mall attack

 

AFP/Getty Images: A photo of fake South African passport of Samantha Lewthwaite released by Kenyan police in December 2011. Samantha Lewthwaite, nicknamed 'The white widow', widow of suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay, who blew himself up on a London Underground train on July 7, 2005, killing 26 people, may be among the members of the terrorist cell behind the Nairobi mall massacre.

Interpol has issued a worldwide arrest notice for “white widow” Samantha Lewthwaite at the request of Kenyan authorities.
It was believed Ms. Lewthwaite might have been one of the Al-Shabab terrorists who attacked the Nairobi Westgate mall last weekend and killed at least 72 in a four-day siege. Some of the witnesses reported a white woman as being among the terrorists.
Kenyan authorities had previously wanted Ms. Lewthwaite in connection with other terrorist charges.
The Interpol “Red Notice” — or arrest notice — said she was wanted by Kenya on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011.
The notice was issued Friday, just days after the Westgate mall siege ended.
“By requesting an INTERPOL Red Notice, Kenya has activated a global ‘tripwire’ for this fugitive,” said Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble.
“Through the INTERPOL Red Notice, Kenyan authorities have ensured that all 190 member countries are aware of the danger posed by this woman, not just across the region but also worldwide.”
A schoolgirl who saw her nine-year-old brother shot dead by terrorists in Nairobi has told her teachers she saw a white woman among the attackers.
Poorvi Jain, 12, said the woman was accompanied by two boys aged just 15 or 16, one of whom was wearing a bandanna and carrying a guitar case from which he produced a gun.
Her account is the latest piece of evidence which suggests that British terrorism suspect Samantha Lewthwaite may have been part of the al-Shabaab gang that killed as many as 130 people, including at least six Britons, during a four-day siege.
Lewthwaite, 29, is the widow of the 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay. She has been on the run in east Africa for two years after allegedly plotting to attack Western targets in Kenya.
Dr. Geetika Saxena, Miss Jain’s head teacher, said: “Poorvi said she saw these men just going around 360 degrees with their guns. She said they were just not considering anyone, if the bullet doesn’t touch you, you’re lucky, otherwise that’s it.
“She described the men and says she saw a white lady.
“She said she saw her there with two other men. One boy was wearing a bandanna and carrying a guitar case out of which he pulled a gun.”
Miss Jain’s brother Pramsu was shot dead by armed Islamists as he watched his sister take part in a cookery competition organised by a radio station in the rooftop car park of the mall.
Meanwhile a court in Mombasa, Kenya, trying a Briton with alleged links to Lewthwaite heard yesterday that bomb-making equipment was found in the man’s home.
The equipment was similar to that used by the London suicide bombers on July 7, 2005.
Police discovered the items in the home of Jermaine Grant, an alleged accomplice of Lewthwaite, after his arrest in December 2011.

HandoutPhoto of Samantha Lewthwaite with Jermaine Lindsay. Samantha married Germaine Lindsay, who would later detonate a bomb in London's King's Cross Tube Station killing 26 people and himself, in July 2005.

It raises the intriguing possibility that Lewthwaite may have learned bomb-making skills from her husband and passed on her knowledge to Grant. The 30-year-old Muslim convert is facing charges related to terrorism, including the possession of bomb-making materials. Lewthwaite was charged in absentia on similar counts to Grant, including the possession of explosive materials and conspiracy to cause an explosion.
Police believe that they were members of a terror cell planning attacks on tourist targets along Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. Metropolitan Police officer Robert Garrick told the court he saw items in Grant’s kitchen – including flasks, burners and a light bulb – that were similar to those used in the July 7 London bombings in which 52 people died.
Exhibits presented to the court included chemicals, mobile phones, sim cards, pliers, batteries and wires.
Mr Garrick told the court that “put together in a particular way” the chemicals found in the house “can be used to make explosives.”
Grant denies all the charges lodged against him.
It also emerged that Lewthwaite used an assumed South African identity to take out bank loans and rent property in Johannesburg before fleeing the country two years ago.
She used the alias Natalie Faye Webb to rent at least three properties and ran up debts of pounds 5,300, the eNews Channel Africa reported.
According to credit records, she was listed as living in the city’s predominantly South Asian neighbourhood of Mayfair for four years.
In August 2012 a Johannesburg court issued an order against her for defaulting on pounds 1,700 of debts with South Africa’s First Rand Bank.
Kenyan authorities issued a wanted notice for Lewthwaite after she entered the country from Tanzania’s northeastern Lunga and Namanga border posts in February and August 2011. She had been using a South African passport under the name of Natalie Faye Webb. A local terror expert and academic said earlier this week that she regularly travelled to South Africa and stayed in South Asian suburbs of Johannesburg earlier this year.
A British security source quoted by Reuters said it was possible Lewthwaite was involved in the Nairobi siege. “It is a possibility. But nothing definitive or conclusive yet,” the source said.

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Stars of Big Brother The Chase Reunite In Ghana For Selly's BirthDay Party

It was an exciting reunion for Big Brother The Chase housemates Dilish, Maria, and Nigeria’s Melvin as they arrived Accra, Ghana last night for their fellow housemate Selly's 27th birthday celebration. Dilish, Maria, Melvin were welcomed at the Kotoka International Airport yesterday by the excited birthday girl Selly and fellow BBA housemates Elikem and Pokello. Trust the press to show up too. Selly's party will be holding tomorrow and is dubbed “Selly’s Birthday Bash and Hosting of Big Brother Housemates. Photo credit : AmeyawDebrah

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Another Loss For. BlackBerry

BLACKBERRY
T-Mobile no longer stocking BlackBerry products at retail stores



With BlackBerry facing a tenuous and uncertain future, T-Mobile has decided it's time for a shift in strategy. According to Reuters, the US carrier will no longer stock BlackBerry devices in its retail stores citing weak demand among everyday consumers. Instead, T-Mobile will now ship in-store and online orders directly to buyers. VP David Carey told Reuters that enterprise and business customers represent a large percentage of the BlackBerrys that T-Mobile does sell, and the company will still have demo models of BlackBerry handsets on hand at its stores — you just won't be able to take one home. Sales may not be halting entirely, but this isn't exactly a strong show of support from T-Mobile. Other carriers following suit could spell significant trouble for the storied phone maker.

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Sports

German Cup

Holders FC Bayern München marched into the last 16 of the German Cup with a 4-1 home success against Hannover 96. Thomas Müller drove in the opener in the 17th minute before Claudio Pizarro doubled the advantage shortly after with a powerful header. Fourth in the Bundesliga, Hannover fought back and Didier Ya Konan reduced the deficit on the counterattack before the break, but Müller restored the lead and Fraynck Ribéry added a fourth to ensure Bayern's quest for a 17th cup success continues.

Dortmund win, Spurs stroll
Walcott set for surgery
Swansea set for St Gallen
FC Schalke 04 were given a test by third-tier SV Darmstadt 98 but prevailed 3-1, while second-tier 1. FC Kaiserslautern eliminated top-flight Hertha BSC Berlin with a 3-1 win. Eintracht Frankfurt avoided a similar fate with a 2-0 victory against VfL Bochum 1848 and Matthias Ginter and Mike Hanke struck for SC Freiburg in a 2-1 win against VfB Stuttgart 2-1.

English League Cup
Manchester United FC responded to their weekend derby defeat against Manchester City FC by sinking rivals Liverpool FC to make the last 16 of the English League Cup, while holders Swansea City FC were knocked out in emphatic style by Birmingham City FC. A solitary Javier Hernández strike just after the restart was enough to earn victory for the Red Devils, who will face Norwich City FC in the next round. They will be joined by fellow UEFA Champions League contenders Arsenal FC after their penalty shoot-out win atWest Bromwich Albion FC set up a home tie with Chelsea FC.

Swansea City's reign came to an abrupt end in the midlands as second-half goals from Dan Burn, Matt Green and Tom Adeyemi earned Birmingham a 3-1 win. Newcastle United FC saw off Leeds United AFC 2-0, while Stoke City FC earned a 2-0 win at Tranmere Rovers FC.

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Chinese Company Begins Work On New Lagos Airport Terminal

  Chinese Company Begins Work On New Lagos Airport Terminal

The federal government has started the plan to realise the goal of making Lagos a West African hub with the construction of additional and modern terminal by the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company ( CCECC).

FAAN yesterday mobilised to site at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos to begin work  on the project..

The commencement of preliminary work by the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company  at the Lagos International Airport is part of the agreement the federal government signed with the Chinese Government for the development of five ultra modern international airport terminals in major cities including Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.

Confirming the development yesterday at the project site, General Manager , Corporate Communications , FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati explained that the Chinese firm has started preliminary work on the project, which includes soil test, and site mapping carried out at the site.

Dati said : “ Work has commenced on the project for the construction of a new international terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja with the mobilisation to site today, of the project contractors, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).

However, the intervention of men of Nigeria Police, Murtala Muhammed Airport Command, helped to calm tension at the Lagos airport following the forceful take-over of a piece of land by FAAN.

On Sunday, the Police chased away the Chinese firm from the property.

AIC Limited has kicked over the invasion of its site at the Lagos International Airport alleging that FAAN describing the take over of the land for its proposed hotel as an impunity.

Speaking in an interview, the director of AIC Limited, Mr Niyi Akande, said FAAN violated its lease agreement by granting access to the Chinese company to get to its site.

Recall that the Government of Nigeria and China signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of five ultra modern international terminals at the country’s major international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt , as part of  the transformation agenda  in the aviation sector.

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Boko Haram Leader; Shekau says He Is Alive, Claims Responsibility For Recent Attacks In Borno State

Boko Haram Leader; Shekau says He Is Alive, Claims Responsibility For Recent Attacks In Borno State

According to SaharaReporters

The leader of Boko Haram, Sheik Imam Abubakar Shekau who had been declared dead by Nigerian military on August 19th 2013 has just appeared in a new video, saying he is alive and shame to Nigerian government and the military.

Shekau in the video claimed responsibility of recent attacks that killed several civilians on  September 17th 2013 in Benisheik in Borno State.

Also according to CKN Nigeria, Shekau who appeared in military camouflage uniform, seated and surrounded by hooded insurgents said “Here I am, alive, hale and hearty. Sagir Musa should bury himself in shame, President Jonathan (of Nigeria) should bury himself in shame, President Obama (of United States of America) should bury himself in shame, and President Francois Hollande (of France) should bury himself in shame, Queen Elizabeth (of England) should bury herself in shame,” he said.

According to Shekau, “They said I am dead, but here I am. The world should know that I am alive and will only die at the appointed time. Everybody should be judged according to the dictates of his conscience. What I am doing is written in the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith and I will not stop. I challenge all the clerics of the world to question my deeds. Those underrating my capacity should have a re-think. I will never allow democracy to thrive.

“The concept of Government of the people by the people for the people will never be possible and will never exist. Democracy shall be replaced only by the government of Allah, from Allah and for Allah,” he said.

He said the Nigerian military will never subdue his group. “Nigerian soldiers are late. After killing many of them in Monguno and Benisheik, we have snatched their armoured carriers and Hilux van and then hoisted Islamic flags on them. We now move freely with them,” he said.

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