A PREGNANT woman in southern China was detained, beaten and forced to have an abortion just a month before her due date because the baby would have violated the country's one child limit, her husband claims.

Construction worker Luo Yanquan said his wife was taken kicking and screaming from their home by more than a dozen people on October 10 and detained in a clinic for three days by family planning officials, then taken to a hospital and injected with a drug that killed her baby.

Family planning officials told the couple they weren't allowed to have the child because they already have a nine-year-old daughter, Luo said.

For the past 30 years, China has limited most urban couples to just one child in a bid to curb population growth and conserve its limited resources. China has the world's largest population, with more than 1.3 billion people.

Couples that flout the rules face hefty fines, seizure of their property and loss of their jobs.

The case is an extreme example of the coercive measures Chinese officials sometimes use to comply with the strict family planning regulations. Though illegal, police and judicial authorities often look the other way when forced abortion cases are reported and the heavily censored state media shy away from such news.

But in recent years, victims have begun to speak out about their ordeals with the help of the internet and text messaging. Aiding them are social campaigners and lawyers who have documented cases of forced late-term abortions. Similar abuses have been reported in Hebei and Shandong provinces and in the Guangxi region.

An official with the Siming district family planning commission, which oversees Luo's neighbourhood, confirmed there was a record of Luo's wife, Xiao Aiying, undergoing an abortion recently, but said the procedure was voluntary and that she was about six months instead of eight months pregnant at the time. Like many Chinese bureaucrats, he refused to give his name.

China bans forced abortions, but doesn't prohibit or clearly define late-term abortion.

The Siming official said Xiao's husband had approved the abortion, a claim Luo denied.

"I never signed anything. No one in our family did," he said by telephone from Xiamen. "I called the police, but they said family planning issues weren't their responsibility. I want to sue, but lawyers I've asked here say they can't help me and the media won't report on our case."

Luo set up a blog last week to let people know what had happened to his wife, and satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera posted a report about the couple's case on its website on Wednesday.

Photos on the blog show a pained-looking, and clearly pregnant, Xiao sitting on a hospital bed after the injection, but before the baby was stillborn 40 hours later. Other images show a large purple bruise on her arm and scratches on her leg, which Luo said were caused when family planning officials hit and kicked her as she struggled to get away.

Ordinary Chinese reacted with anger and disgust to Luo's online account, posting comments that called the family planning officials cruel and inhuman.

Xiao delivered the dead baby on October 14, but remains hospitalised and may require emergency surgery to remove pieces of placenta still in her uterus, Luo said. The couple, both 36, were not informed of the sex of the aborted baby, Luo said.

A man who answered the phone at the obstetrics ward of the Siming No. 1 Hospital confirmed that Xiao was still a patient there. He refused to provide more details or give his name.

Telephone calls to the press office of the National Population and Family Planning Commission in Beijing rang unanswered.

Since its release two and a half weeks ago, "Whip My Hair"—the runaway hit single by nine-year-old show-biz progeny Willow Smith—has become one of the most-analyzed songs in pop music history. Many have attempted to dissect the song's deceptively simple lyrics and wondered, "What does it all mean?" Reflection on the existential plight of man? Tribute to the recently rescued Chilean mine workers? Or a mere paean to the simple joy of whipping one's hair back and forth?

And now the pre-teen daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith has finally broken her silence on the topic, revealing the true story behind the song to a grateful nation. As Willow tells MTV, the song is a heartfelt salute to the power of individuality:.

"'Whip My Hair' means don't be afraid to be yourself, and don't let anybody tell you that that's wrong. Because the best thing is you."

..

Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" has been a hit with online audiences, getting nearly four million views on You Tube's music channel Vevo, in just four days.

Other than a catchy hook, they video's fashion has some buzzing. Now the hairstylist responsible explains the key looks to People. “Creating the ‘Heart Hawk’ was a bit of a challenge," Marcia Hamilton tells the magazine. "But after tons of individual braids and many sticks of glue, I did it.”

Hamilton says that the stunning looks weren't just a solo effort on her part, saying, "These looks were a collaborative effort between Willow, Jada, Fawn Boardley and myself,” she says.

The daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith stars in the colorful video whipping her hair and joining in a group of kids dancing. The song sent bloggers and critics buzzing with delight when it was released in September. “Don't let her age fool you; the song packs serious punch,” said one Los Angeles Times writer at the time.

Willow isn’t the first of the Smith kids to venture into music. Her older brother, Jaden, rapped with Justin Bieberon a song featured on the Karate Kid soundtrack. Jaden Smith also starred in the film, which quickly became one of the biggest box office success stories of the summer.

Like the rest of her family, Willow Smith won’t be stopping at just music. She’s already begun her acting career - which has included roles alongside her father in his hit I Am Legend, vocal work alongside her mother inMadagascar 2, and a small role in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.

“I really enjoyed every step of the creative process," Hamilton told People. She adds she "was thrilled to see it all come to life on Willow!”

The Republic of South Africa beefed up its case against suspected terrorist, Henry Okah, yesterday by providing evidence linking the suspect to the two vehicles detonated in Abuja on October 1.

Following an earlier ruling by the presiding magistrate, Hein Louw, that he needed “something substantial” to come to a decision concerning Mr Okah’s bail application, the prosecuting lawyer, Shaun Abrahams, read a supplementary affidavit signed by the Police Services Officer in charge of the investigation, Noel Graeme Zeeman, which said prior to the detonation of the vehicle-rigged explosive devices, two vehicles were purchased in Lagos on Mr Okah’s instructions.

According to the affidavit, the explosions took place under the supervision of one Chima Orlu, who is said to have acted on the instructions of Mr Okah. Mr Orlu’s telephone records reportedly show that he was in contact with Mr Okah on numerous occasions leading up to the independence day attack. Mr Okah is also said to have sent text messages to Mr Orlu on the midnight preceding the attack and on October 1 at 6h 02:39am, 7h 40: 20am, 7h 41:22am and at 7h 41:35 am.

Mr Zeeman’s statement stressed that, “of greater significance is that Mr Orlu sent an SMS to Mr Okah at precisely 10h 58:59 am on 1 October, 13h 13:01am and 13h 29:59pm on the same day.” Mr Zeeman’s affidavit adds that Mr Orlu “made a total of 43 voice calls and sent 27 text messages to co-perpetrators and co-conspirators.” Mr Orlu was declared wanted by Nigeria’s State Security Service after the bomb blast..

The affidavit also states that one Ben Ebere had made calls and sent SMS to Mr Okah right up to 29 September. “There were 1126 calls from Okah to Ben Ebere, aka Ben Jesse, from 7 August to 29 September,” stated Mr Zeeman.photo:Vehicles conveying independence day bomb suspects on arrival at the Magistrate Court, Wuse in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Okah also sent 59 text messages to Mr Ebere from 1 July 2010 to September 2010.

It was also revealed that e-mails between Mr Okah and arrested suspects, John Tarmy and First Man were being investigated. One in particular reads: “Done, tell them to leave now.” According to the document, this email was forwarded from First Man to John Tarmy at 11:15 am on 1 October 2010 and forwarded the same day to Mr Okah at 16h 25:40..

Okah’s attorney responds

Rudi Krause, lawyer to Mr Okah, took time off to consult with his client and then filed an affidavit stating that he will not be able to refute the allegations presented by the prosecution unless he was provided with printouts of the telephone records, text messages, cell phone memory and the hard drive from Mr Okah’s computers which the State used in making up its case. He suggested that the evidence put before the court had been fabricated.

At this point, Judge Louw pointed out that the cell phone and computers were Mr Okah’s, and seized from his own home, which “precludes the state from fabricating evidentiary material.” Mr Krause, in resuming his reading of his client’s affidavit, said Mr Okah had no knowledge of Mr Orlu and Mr Ebere, but had received information that Mr Jesse used cell phone number 08039945640 to call him but he (Mr Okah) couldn’t access his call records to cross-check this information, as his cell phone had been seized by the police.

But Mr Abrahams maintained that; “we can give copies of what was seized from him (Mr Okah), and not what was obtained in the course of the investigation.” He also pointed out that Mr Okah “miraculously produced a telephone number for Ben Jesse, after saying he didn’t know Ben Jesse during cross-examination.” Judge Louw subsequently ruled that the state would go through Mr Okah’s request and adjourned the matter for today, October 22.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy in Nigeria, Mr James McAnulty, has said that more than 6,500 Nigerian students are currently enrolled in various schools in his country.

Speaking at the annual College and Career Fair organised by the US Mission in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja, McAnulty said Nigeria had the highest number of foreign students in the US

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, he said the statistics of Nigerian students studying in the US had continued to rise over the years, with the hope that it would continue to rise.

``Nigeria has recently become the country with the largest number of students who attend universities and high schools in the US

``This is a great achievement because it is a testimony to the hard work of Nigerian students.

``Nigerian students bring their ideas and values to their community in the university, and are able to interact with students not only from the US but from other parts of the world.

``We think that the diversity is very important in our educational system; it helps people to understand other cultures,‘‘ he added..

McAnulty also noted that out of the 83 Nigerian students who gained admission into the current academic session, 67 students were awarded 2.5 million dollars on partial and full scholarships.

Football's world governing body, FIFA, has provisionally suspended Executive Committee members Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii as it investigates allegations of World Cup vote-selling by the duo.

FIFA announced this yesterday at a press conference following a meeting of its ethics committee, chaired by former Switzerland striker Claudio Sulser.

Four other FIFA officials were also provisionally suspended from taking part in any football-related activity. They are Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee.

Besides Sulser, other FIFA officials present at the press conference to announce the suspensions were Jerome Valcke, the world body's secretary general and Nicolas Maingot, its director of communications. The conference had started two hours later than advertised, without explanation for the delay.

"The decision to provisionally suspend these officials is fully justified and should not be put in question," said Sulser.

"The evidence that has been presented to us today has led us to take this provisional measure, as we considered that the conditions were definitely met to take this decision and we deem that it is crucial to protect the integrity of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process.

"We are determined to have zero tolerance for any breach of the code of ethics."

Sulser added that two national football bodies, albeit unnamed, were also being investigated in connection with the scandal.

Addressing the media after the suspension, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, said it was a sad day for football especially after having recorded success in what people thought could not be possible with the World Cup in Africa. But he dismissed claims that FIFA is corrupt by saying the immediate reaction of the body to the scandal showed its seriousness on zero tolerance for corruption.

He urged the media to trust FIFA and promised he would continue to do everything to protect the reputation of the game as the president. Blatter also played down the magnitude of the scandal by saying just as we have good players, there also bad players.

The suspended officials now have between now and the middle of November, when the ethics committee will meet again to take a final decision ahead of the World Cup vote on December 2, to prepare their defence.

Investigations to continue

In the meantime, FIFA will investigate the circumstances leading to the suspensions, and presumably, related matters surrounding alleged voting arrangements between bidding nations and parties seeking to influence the bidding process.

Valcke said the vote to decide the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will still go ahead as planned on December 2, but added that if Adamu and Temarii are eventually found guilty then both of them will not be part of the voting process.

Five countries are vying for the right to stage the 2022 World Cup, namely Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United States, while there are four bid groups for the 2018 World Cup.

They are England, Russia, as well as joint bids by the Netherlands and Belgium, along with another joint bid by the Iberian pair of Portugal and Spain.

EFCC trouble for Adamu

Reprieve may however be a long way off for Adamu as Nigeria's Anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is at the moment probing the one-time Director General of the National Sports Commission.

Reporters from British newspaper, the Sunday Times, posing as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies that wanted to help bring the World Cup back to the United States, filmed Adamu asking for money to fund the construction of four artificial football pitches in Nigeria.

No money exchanged hands but Adamu requested for the sum of £500,000, and in the opinion of the EFCC, that is enough reason to commence investigations on the embattled FIFA official.

"We have already commenced our own investigations mostly as a result of the fact that he was filmed demanding for money to construct football pitches in the country," EFCC spokesman Femi Babafemi said.

However, Babafemi declined to confirm whether the agency will arrest Adamu upon his return to the country.

"That will depend on the outcome of our own investigation and that of FIFA," he said..

The son of late Chief MKO Abiola, Kola Abiola has lost his wife, Olayinka.

THEWILL gathered that Olayinka Abiola nee Williams slumped and died in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, October 16, 2010 while on vacation in the city.

Kola and family are in Los Angeles at this time and it is unclear if she has been laid to rest according to Muslim tradition.

Previously: The Kola Abiola family has been having its own share of bereavements

First, it was his teenage daughter, Labake, a product of his famed liaison with Yinka Onileere.

Before her death in London, she exhibited no signs of ill health.

Barely a year after her demise, Onileere‘s elder brother, Ladi Williams, also went to meet his maker in a similar fashion.

A few weeks ago, the clean-shaven Abiola was subjected to another mourning session.

His brother-in-law, Richard Ossom, recently passed away..

The 56-year-old Delta State man was the elder sibling of Victoria, Abiola‘s wife.

His remains have since been laid to rest.

The abductors of Mrs. Lakshimi Tom Bush, the headmistress of Exxon Mobil Pegasus School, Eket, Akwa Ibom State have made a ransom demand of a mind-blowing N1 billion naira for her release with a caveat that Oil giant Mobil should pay the ransom and not her family.

THEWILL gathered from security sources that her abductors made telephone contact with the family threatened to lunch further attacks in the area if they involve the police in the negotiations.

The source said her abductors claim to be from the Eket area and that all they are interested in is in getting Exxon Mobil in Nigeria to pay the ransom.

The unknown gunmen further stated in the telephone contact that they were aggrieved over the insensitivity of the oil company to the extreme poverty of host communities even as the company has refused to pay compensation claims since 2000..

Photo: Mrs. Lakshimi Tom Bush, abducted headmistress of Mobil Pegasus School, Eket.

In a media statement recently, the oil firm had confirmed the kidnap of the school head but stated that the motive of the abduction was yet to be ascertained.

The press statement which was signed by Executive Director in charge of External Relations, Mrs. Gloria Essien Dinner did not state the company’s position on the ransom demand.

THEWILL further gathered that Exxon Mobil Pegasus School in Eket has been shut as a precautionary measure by security operatives of the oil company to avoid further kidnappings of the staff or students of the school.

Meanwhile, the father of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Speaker, Pa Sunday Etuk was reported kidnapped by unknown gunmen at about 2.am on Sunday at his village, Asang, Affaha Offiong in Nsit Ubium local Government area of Akwa Ibom State.

According to reports, the seventy-year old septuagenarian was sleeping inside his residence when the gunmen came calling amidst several gunshots which shook the entire community before he was eventually forcefully taken.

Report says that a policemen attached to the septuagenarian was killed while another officer sustained several gunshot wounds.

The gunmen were also said to have made away with a new 1.8 Series Toyota Corolla Saloon car just given to him by his son.

An eyewitness told THEWILL that many residents of the peaceful Asang community were roused from their sleep and fled into the bush on hearing rounds of gunshots fired by the hoodlums.

When contacted, Police Commissioner, Mr. Walter Rugbere confirmed the story and assured that his men are on the trail of the kidnappers adding that the kidnappers have made contact with the family of Pa Etuk but declined to comment further.

He however lamented the incessant killing of his men by the criminals maintaining that his command has now declared total war on kidnappers in the state.

Just traded in your Blackberry for a shiny new iPhone? Wise choice.

Here's how to transfer contacts from your old Blackberry to your new iPhone, and without buying anything extra along the way (completely free solution).

We'll do this in two main steps:

1. Transfer contacts from the Blackberry address book to Outlook on your computer (or Windows Mail).

2. Sync your iPhone with your computer using iTunes, which will transfer the contacts from Outlook to your iPhone.

Make sure that both the Blackberry Desktop Manager and iTunes are installed on your system, and that your Blackberry is connected to your computer with a usb data cable.

Run the Blackberry Desktop Manager program and click "Synchronize" from the main menu screen. Select "Synchronization" below the Configuration menu option to get to the Synchronization Configuration screen.

There you'll click the "Synchronization" button to configure the synchronization settings.

(that was a mouthfull of synch-related words wasn't it? Hang in there)

You'll be asked to choose the device applications to synchronize. Choose "Address Book", and then choose "Outlook".

If you don't have Outlook on your system, then you can choose "Windows Mail" instead.

Next you'll configure how you want to sync your contacts, either bi-directionally or just from your blackberry to Outlook (which is the option I chose):

Click "Next" and then "Finish" to complete the synchronization settings. This will take you back to the synchronization screen.

Make sure you check the option to "Synchronize organizer data". This is the setting that tells the program to sync your contacts.

Click the "Synchronize" button to copy the contacts from your Blackberry to your Outlook contacts. You can open Outlook after the sync has completed, and you should see your Blackberry addresses in your Outlook contacts folder.

http://www.rickysays.com/themes/garamond/img/circle.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(94, 178, 234); margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 20px; background-position: 5px 0.32em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Transfer contacts from Outlook to an iPhone

You can import Outlook contacts to your iPhone by syncing your iPhone with iTunes.

Plug your iPhone into your computer and wait for iTunes to automatically launch (or run iTunes from the Start menu if necessary).

Select your iPhone in iTunes, select the Info tab, and then click the checkboxes to sync your contacts. Choose Outlook as the application to sync with. Click Apply, then click Sync.

This will copy the contacts from Outlook over to your iPhone.

Remember however, that you can only sync your iPhone with one computer at a time. If you later decide to sync with another computer, your contacts will be erased.

Our work here is finished, and your Blackberry contacts will now be copied over to your iPhone.

The presidential aspiration of homeboy, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babanida yesterday, in Minna, suffered a severe setback as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his home state, Niger threw its weight behind the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Abdulrahman Enagi during a meeting with the campaign co-ordinators of the Jonathan Campaign Organization, in Minna said the president had won the hearts of the people with the signing of the bill on the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Area Development Commission (HYPPADEC) into law.
Amidst shouts of ‘Nigeria sai Jonathan,’ Enagi assured that the party in Niger State would support the Jonathan/Sambo ticket in the PDP primaries.

Earlier during a courtesy call, the Niger State Governor Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu who was represented by his Deputy, Ahmed Musa Ibeto said the state was not rigid in its support for any presidential aspirant. He pointed out that the party, in Niger State will give its support to anybody ready to support the developmental aspiration of the state...

According to Ibeto, anybody who could dualise the Abuja-Minna Road, rehabilitate the federal roads in the state and solve the problem of electricity would have the support of the party. He thanked the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organization for the courtesy call bearing in mind that the state had a candidate and that it was not a do-or-die affair.

Ibeto added that any aspirant who eventually emerged would need the general cooperation of others for the general elections and after the election for the development of the country and to lead a united country.
The Deputy Governor said he prayed the Peoples democratic Party would come out more united than it was after the primaries, adding that the challenges before the country were too enormous.

The Director General of President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organization, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida stated that it was payback time for the people of the North to reciprocate the kind gesture of the people of the South-south. He added that in the past, the people of the South - south had always supported the North to achieve their political ambitions.

“People will wonder why we are supporting President Goodluck Jonathan despite that he is not from the North. But for me, I think it is pay back for the South-south people who have always supported the North to achieve its political ambitions which in many cases was not able to meet up with the required majority.”
“The people of the South-South have always supported us even before they ever dreamt that they will ever come looking for any position. So, I think this is the time to show them that we have been grateful for what they have done for us in the past,” Dalhatu said.

The Director General of the Goodluck/Sambo campaign organization who made this known yesterday in Minna when they paid a courtesy visit to the Niger state Governor Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu wondered what is in four years in the history of Nigeria ’s history that the North cannot give to Jonathan to make Nigeria better.

“This man who has been climbing the ladder gently and God has given him the opportunity said he wants to come back and make Nigeria better for just four years. What is even four years in the political history of Nigeria that the North cannot give to Goodluck to make Nigeria better”?
Dalhatu who accepted that the campaign organization is aware that Former Military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida who is an indigene of the state said they respect and admire the way the Former president ran the country but added that President Goodluck will make a good president if given the next four years.

“We are aware that you also have an aspirant for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria here whom we respect “so much as our leader and we will pay him a courtesy visit now if he is in the town and is he is willing to receive us because as much as possible we want to ensure that we practice politics without bitterness”.
“Goodluck will make a good president, though there might be little bit of problems here and there, just watch him and see what he will do in the next four years”.

Apparently there is a JayJay Okocha biopic in the works, it will be called Feet of Destiny(no surprises there…nollywood movie…cheesy title). The movie will reportedly span the entirety of Okocha’s life, including his football career.

Emeka Ike is lined up to play the football ace….Jimmy Jean Luis (Phat Girlz) will also be appearing.

Still on the topic of biopics, there is also a DAGRIN movie in the works – which would chronicle the late rapper’s life and his tragic death at 26 in April 2010. I hope these movies are done justice, and cast properly, as they more often than not Nollywood productions turn out to be over-acted, badly directed and poorly produced.

“Nuff said

What are your thoughts?