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LONDON (Dow Jones)--A spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, also known as MEND, Tuesday repeated a warning of possible attack in Nigeria's capital of Abuja, after a previous threat didn't materialize..

In an e-mail to the media, Jomo Gbomo, a pseudonym, said: "We hereby repeat our warnings to the residents of Abuja, the heart of the country and to all persons who will be interested in attending the political [presidential campaign] organised by the president Goodluck Jonathan."

Nigeria president Jonathan, who stepped in after the death of his predecessor Umaru Yar'adua, is a candidate for presidential elections due January 2011.

Gbomo Friday threatened a new bombing in Abuja over the arrest of MEND's alleged leader, Henry Okah, in South Africa, but no attack appears to have taken place since.

Okah, ex-leader of MEND, was arrested a few weeks ago in Johannesburg, a day after twin car bombings in Nigeria's capital Abuja killed 12 people. Okah has denied any involvement in the car bombings, according to his lawyers.

Key MEND commanders have accepted the amnesty, but some fighters refused to lay down arms, saying the deal was a "charade" that failed to address the key issues of under-development and injustice in the delta.

-By Benoit Faucon, Dow Jones Newswires; +44-20-7842-9266; benoit.faucon@dowjones.com

Abdulsalam Idowu

When disabled Abdulsalam Idowu got admission to the University of Lagos to study Political Science in 2006, it appeared it would be difficult for him to complete the course. But with the help of kind-hearted Nigerians, he has not only completed the programme, he has also secured admission to study Law, SEGUN OLUGBILE reports.

Many readers are likely to be familiar with the story of Abdulsalam Idowu, the disabled man who begged his way to become a Political Science student of the University of Lagos in 2006. His story was exclusively reported in THE PUNCH edition of January 23, 2007.

Idowu has just completed his bachelor’s degree programme. His ambition then was to study Law so that he could be an advocate for the less- privileged in the society. But he had to opt for Political Science because he could not meet the admission requirements to study Law. Apart from not having the cut-off points for Law, he did not have Literature, a compulsory requirement to study Law in UNILAG. But to demonstrate his commitment to his dream, ID, as he is popularly known at UNILAG, sat for the November/ December West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in 2009, 10 years after he fled his village, Erinle in Kwara State via a Lagos-bound train because he could not pay for the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination form. He got a credit in Literature in English and secured admission to study Law a few weeks to his graduation. He will start the law programme in the 2010/2011 academic session.

Born into a polygamous home, Idowu lost his mother at the age of three and became crippled at the age of four after a malaria attack. But in spite of his poor parentage and physical disability, Idowu has exhibited a great courage and a strong determination to survive. He had opened a bank account with the proceeds of his alms begging and saved enough money to obtain the WASSCE examination form. He failed the November/December WASSCE twice. He also failed the Universities Matriculation Examination twice. But these challenges did not discourage him. Eventually, he got admission to UNILAG but not to study Political Science.

But since his admission to the university in 2006, Idowu said he had been taking steps that would enhance the realisation of his dream of becoming a lawyer.

Speaking with our correspondent at the Jaja Hall of the university on Saturday, Idowu’s will power was intact. Now more refined and exposed, he said the admission to study law was God’s best gift to him.

“I cherish all that God has done for me. I admire all the people He has used to take me off the street- begging business and I appreciate all the institutions particularly THE PUNCH for cleaning up my life. But I want to thank God specially for this admission to study Law because I’ve realised that one can be his best in a programme that one loves and not in a programme that one embraces by accident,” he said.

Speaking on how he got the admission, Abdulsalam said he never for once lost sight of his ambition to study Law even after he gained admission to study Political Science.

“I know my limitations. I’m disabled and therefore I cannot do everything that the able- bodied can do. But I know that with Law, I won’t be involved in too much physical exertion. I see Law as a life career. So, when I was in 100 Level, I bought the November/ December WASSCE form but I could not sit for the examination. I did the same thing in 200 Level. The same situation arose. My semester examination timetable always clashed with the WASSCE,” he said.

But in 2009 when he was in 300 Level, the strike embarked upon by workers’ unions in universities including the Academic Staff Union of Universities provided him another opportunity to write the examination.

“I seized the opportunity provided by our lecturers’ strike to sit for the 2009 November/December WASSCE. Thank God I made six credits including Literature. This year, I sat for the UTME and I scored 264. I was invited for the post-UMTE and I scored 68. My aggregate score was 67 and with this I was offered admission to study Law after over four years of attempts,” he recalled.

Idowu’s 2009 November/December WASSCE results show that he has A1 in Mathematics, C4 in English, B3 in Literature, B3 in Government, C4 in Economics and B3 in Commerce.

He identified three people- Justice Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta , Ogun State , Dr. Derin Ologbenla and his room-mate, Dike Godwin, as some of the people that kept the fire of his ambition burning.

“So many people and institutions helped me. THE PUNCH Newspaper, Publisher of The Source Magazine, Mrs. Comfort Obi, wife of the Kwara State Governor, Chief Oluwatoyin Saraki, Mr. Peace Omokaro, mosques, churches, men and women of God, UNILAG, Intercontinental Assurance Plc, and a whole lot of Nigerians including my classmates and roommates deserve my appreciation.

“But Mama Ajumogobia and Dr. Ologbenla are my motivators. Mama was always calling me to remind me of the need to study Law. Though Ologbenla never called me aside one day to encourage me, each time he came to class, he was always using himself as an example to challenge us. He had five degrees in various disciplines and he got his Ph.D before he enrolled for the Law programme.

“He is a son of a top class traditional ruler and had the opportunity to school outside the country. Each time he spoke, something told me that if the son of a wealthy man could achieve all these feats, why not me? I’ve decided to lay the foundation of a solid future for my children and to break the cycle of poverty in the family. To achieve this, I have to read. University education is the best for any individual and in fact, anybody that does not have a university education is missing a lot,” he said.

He added that he was also encouraged to further his education because of the response of some of the street boys to his admission.

“Some of the street boys that knew me as a beggar were stunned when they heard my story. They came to me to verify whether it was true. I used the opportunity to talk to them and even allowed them to make use of my one room apartment at Ajegunle. Now I’m happy that they are responding very well. Two of them are now in UNILAG. One is in 200 Level studying Economics while the second one has just been given admission to read educational administration,” he said.

On how he was able to cope with his academics on the campus, Idowu said that he was too focussed to see distraction.

“I was on campus to fight for my life and the future of my family. I was not concerned with what people were saying about me because most of the students on campus already had the foundation of their future laid out for them. I was determined to lay a solid foundation for my children and to break the hold of poverty on my family. Therefore, I was not in any way distracted.

“The only challenge that I had was that my poor primary and secondary education affected my performance in 100 Level. You know I had to do all the reading by myself. I combined this with begging and it affected me, otherwise I would have made a first class or at worse a sound second class upper. But as at the first semester of my 300 Level, my CGPA was at 3.3. To make a second class, I must make 3.5. From the results of the second semester that had been released, I scored four Bs and a C. The only one that I have not seen is the result of the project,” he said.

Asked how he intended to cope as a law student with no source of funding, he said, “The God that has seen me through the first one will also see me through this stage. However, I plan to get a job possibly on campus and then continue with the programme. I have weighed all the options and I have concluded that even if I don’t get a job, I will not abandon the programme because abandoning it is not sensible. What is the essence of being at home jobless when you have an opportunity to run a programme you have been dreaming to study?’’

Though he is into a relationship, Idowu said he was not in a hurry to get married. “Marriage is good, most especially early marriage, but I must be very careful about that issue. My poor father bit more than he could chew, I don’t want to make a similar mistake. If marrying late is one of the prices that I have to pay to deliver my family from poverty, I’m ready to pay the price. But one should not rule anything out as everything is in the hands of God,” he said.

Abuja residents were again subjected to hours of traffic mayhem yesterday, as large sections of the Federal Capital were closed off to vehicles.

The heightened security measures left thousands of workers stranded, as they desperately tried to reach their offices and places of business.

According to authorities, the security measures were taken in order to “ensure zero risk” during the commissioning of police aircraft at Eagle Square, at which Goodluck Jonathan was in attendance. As a result, security cordons were put up in a one mile radius around the venue.

A traffic gridlock ensued because Eagle Square happens to be in proximity to the Federal Secretariat, situated in a hub of many businesses and activities.

Yesterday’s traffic chaos comes just days after similar logjams occurred on Friday. Ministry staff and other employees were forced to trek for miles to work, after all vehicles were prohibited from driving towards the centre of the town.

Joy Iwuese, a civil servant, recounted how the diversions caused her to be two hours late for work.

“My bus normally drops me just outside the secretariat,” she said. “Instead, what happened is that they drove only as far as Setraco then started turning back. By the time I even got to work, half of my colleagues were not there.”

Bomb detectors

The traffic tailbacks were no different at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, where bomb detectors were used to screen all approaching vehicles on the airport access road. Some vehicles were also stopped and searched, leading to several missed flights and disgruntled passengers.

Bomb detectors were also sighted at various other locations within the FCT, such as the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) had, on Friday, warned of another attack in Abuja, in an email sent to various media houses. According to the email, the attack was a direct response to Henry Okah’s trial in South Africa and “the persecution of innocent people in Nigeria.”

In the email, signed by its putative spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, the group said it will “give a 30-minute advance warning to avoid civilian casualties, then sit back and watch how the blame game will be played out on all those already falsely accused.”

A security source revealed to NEXT that a similar email was sent to security agencies on Thursday and this has stoked up security concerns in the Federal Capital. The source added that all such threats were now being taken seriously, and warned Abuja residents to brace themselves for stricter security procedures, including the introduction of more checkpoints and random searches.

No end in sight

“It unfortunately does not end here,” the source said. “Things may never fully return to normal because of what transpired on October 1st. Already, if you go to the airport now, all cars entering are being searched. This will also be introduced in strategic places across FCT.

“On Tuesday, again there will be more blockading. The president is commissioning the AYA Bridge, so that entire stretch of road which connects from Asokoro to Maitama is going to be closed off.”

The stringent checks are not a welcome development for increasingly frustrated Abuja residents. Taofik Adejuwon, another civil servant, compared the recent conditions to being in a militarised state.

“Of course, one can never be too safe,” Mr. Adejuwon said..

“But at what cost? It is as if we are living in a military zone. You see police, traffic wardens, VIO, civil defence everywhere. It is very uncomfortable for those of us who are used to more freedom,” he said.

Scientists found no signs of cancer in their extensive study of mummies apart from one isolated case

Michael Zimmerman, a visiting professor at Manchester University, said: 'In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should remain in all cases.

'The virtual absence of malignancies in mummies must be interpreted as indicating their rarity in antiquity, indicating that cancer-causing factors are limited to societies affected by modern industrialisation.'

To trace cancer's roots, Professor Zimmerman and colleague Rosalie David analysed possible references to the disease in classical literature and scrutinised signs in the fossil record and in mummified bodies.

Despite slivers of tissue from hundreds of Egyptian mummies being rehydrated and placed under the microscope, only one case of cancer has been confirmed.

This is despite experiments showing that tumours should be even better preserved by mummification than healthy tissues.

Dismissing the argument that the ancient Egyptians didn't live long enough to develop cancer, the researchers pointed out that other age-related disease such as hardening of the arteries and brittle bones died occur.

Fossil evidence of cancer is also sparse, with scientific literature providing a few dozen, mostly disputed, examples in animal fossil, the journal Nature Reviews Cancer reports.

Even the study of thousands of Neanderthal bones has provided only one example of a possible cancer.

Caricaturist James Gillray illustrated the taking of snuff, which appears in first reports in scientific literature of distinctive tumours of nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761

Evidence of cancer in ancient Egyptian texts is also 'tenuous' with cancer-like problems more likely to have been caused by leprosy or even varicose veins.

The ancient Greeks were probably the first to define cancer as a specific disease and to distinguish between benign and malignant tumours.

But Manchester professors said it was unclear if this signalled a real rise in the disease, or just a greater medical knowledge.

The 17th century provides the first descriptions of operations for breast and other cancers.

And the first reports in scientific literature of distinctive tumours only occurred in the past 200 years or so, including scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps in 1775 and nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761.

Professor David, who presented the findings to Professor Mike Richards, the UK's cancer tsar and other oncologists at a conference earlier this year, said: 'In industrialised societies, cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death. But in ancient times, it was extremely rare.

'There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. So it has to be a man-made disease, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle.

'The important thing about our study is that it gives a historical perspective to this disease. We can make very clear statements on the cancer rates in societies because we have a full overview. We have looked at millennia, not one hundred years, and have masses of data.

'Yet again extensive ancient Egyptian data, along with other data from across the millennia, has given modern society a clear message – cancer is man-made and something that we can and should address.

Dr Rachel Thompson, of World Cancer Research Fund, said: 'This research makes for very interesting reading.

'About one in three people in the UK will get cancer so it is fairly commonplace in the modern world.

Scientists now say a healthy diet, regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can prevent about a third of the most common cancers so perhaps our ancestors’ lifestyle reduced their risk from cancer.'

History will be made on October 26, 2010, as 100 million shares of Dangote Cement Plc will be listed by introduction, on a special offer, on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, at N135 per share.

Tiruchirapalli: A case has been lodged against a college principal in Tiruchirapalli for allegedly raping a nun several times over a period of two years since 2006.

The woman, in her complaint, said the man who used to visit the college where she was doing her graduation in music, once invited her to his college.

On her first visit to the college on January 22, 2006, the principal allegedly offered her a drink mixed with drugs and raped her repeatedly, she said in her complaint.

He also recorded the incident on his cell phone and threatened to make it public if she disclosed the matter to anyone.

The complainant said she became pregnant in 2008, but was forced to undergo an abortion at a private hospital. The principal had threatened her with dire consequences several times and sexually harassed her, she said.

Though she had complained about him to the relevant authorities at the Society of Jesus, no action had been taken so far, she said.

The case was registered at an all women's police station and the woman was sent for medical examination, police said.



Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/tiruchirapalli-nun-says-college-principal-raped-her-59275?trendingnow&cp

Non-official cover (NOC) is a term used in espionage, particularly by national intelligence services, for agents or operatives who assume covert roles in organizations without ties to the government for which they work. Such agents or operatives are typically abbreviated in espionage lingo as a NOC (pronounced "knock").^[1]

[edit]History

An agent sent to spy on a foreign country might, for instance, work as a businessperson, a worker for a non-profit organization (such as a humanitarian group), or an academic. For example, retired NOC agent Scott Mahalick operated as a manager with a broadcast company for 10 years before leaving the agency and working full time in the radio broadcast industry. The CIA's Ishmael Jones spent nearly two decades as a NOC.^[2] Non-official cover is contrasted with official cover, where an agent assumes a position at a seemingly benign department of their government, such as the diplomatic service. This provides the agent with official diplomatic immunity, thus protecting them from the steep punishments normally meted out to captured spies, instead usually resulting in the agent being declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country. Agents under non-official cover do not have this "safety net", and if captured or charged they are subject to severe criminal punishments, up to and including execution. Agents under non-official cover are also usually trained to deny any connection with their government, thus preserving plausible deniability, but also denying them any hope of diplomatic legal assistance or official acknowledgment of their service. Many of the agents memorialized without names or dates of service on the CIA Memorial Wall are assumed to have been killed or executed in a foreign country while serving as NOC agents. In nations with established and well-developed spy agencies, the majority of captured non-native NOC agents have, however, historically been repatriated through prisoner exchanges for other captured NOCs as a form of gentlemen's agreement. Some countries have regulations regarding the use of non-official cover: the CIA, for example, has at times been prohibited from disguising agents as members of certain aid organizations, or as members of the clergy.

The degree of sophistication put into non-official cover stories can vary considerably. Sometimes, an agent will simply be appointed to a position in a well-established company which can provide the appropriate opportunities. Other times, entire front companies can be established in order to provide false identities for agents. Examples include Air America, used by the CIA during the Vietnam War, andBrewster Jennings & Associates, used by the CIA in WMD investigations and made public as a result of the so-called "Plame affair", or "CIA leak scandal"..

[edit]Examples

Nicholas Anderson is a real NOC who wrote an account of his service in a fictionalised autobiography (as per British law). The original non-fiction manuscript breached the UK Official Secrets Act in 2000 and appeared in a 100 banned books list published in 2003.^[3]

Chuck Barris claims to have been a NOC with 33 kills. His story was recounted in the book and movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

Fictional examples are featured in the books Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Debt of Honor, Ted Bell's Pirate, and The Eleventh Commandment; in the movies Mission: Impossible, Spy Game, The Bourne Identity, and The Recruit; and the TV shows Burn Notice,Spooks and Covert Affairs.

Nigerian musician and actor, Uti Nwachukwu, yesterday won the reality TV senatation, Big Brother Africa - the All stars edition.

Beating his Zimbabwean contemporary, Munya, to win the coveted price, Uti jumped up and danced proudly singing the Nigerian national anthem after he was announced the winner.

It was a tight race as Uti and Munya were the final housemates. According to host IK, this was the closest ever finale with the winner securing the votes from 8 countries and the runner up from 7.

Uti initially participated in the 3rd season of Big Brother Africa and was one of the housemates from previous seasons chosen to enter the Big Brother All Stars house. The final five housemates were

Sheila (Kenyan), Mwisho (Tanzanian), Lerato (South African), Munya (Zimbabwean) and Uti.

It was a sweet victory for Uti, who survived a number of eviction nomination during the 91-day spell in the Big Brother house and was never sent to the barn. Uti lost his father while he was in the house.

The finale featured performances from MI, Jesse Jagz, 2Face, and Kenya’s Wyre.

More:

After a thrilling 91 days in the Brig Brother Africa All Stars house, Nigerian musician/model/actor,Uti Nwachukwu has emerged as the winner of Big Brother Africa 2010 – Big Brother Africa All Stars.
It was a tight race as Uti and Munya were the final two housemates.
According to host IK, this was the closest ever finale with the winner securing the votes from 8 countries and the runner up from 7. Uti originally participated in the 3rd season of Big Brother Africa and was one of the housemates from previous seasons chosen to enter the Big Brother All Stars house. This is the second consecutive Big Brother Africa win for Nigeria as Kevin Chuwang Pam won Big Brother Revolution in 2009.

This season of Big Brother Africa has certainly been thrilling with various twists and turns. From the ‘barn’ to Meryl and Mwisho’s engagement. There was never a dull moment.

The finale was equally exciting. With performances from Nigeria’s MI, Jesse Jagz and 2Face as well as Kenya’s Wyre and Nigerian musician Maye Hunta who performed the Big Brother All Stars theme song “African Star“.

The final five housemates were Sheila, Mwisho, Lerato, Munya and Uti. With Sheila exiting first, followed by Mwisho and then Lerato.

In addition, all the previously evicted and removed housemates were present at the grand finale. Evicted housemates Meryl provided one of the highlights of the night when she was asked by IK what she would choose, her man – Mwisho or the $200,000 prize, she replied “As much as I love paper, I love my man“. Love is beautiful! We wish them all the best.

As for Uti, it is a sweet victory after a tough 91 days. While he was in the house, his father passed away. Now, he can go home and be with his family. In addition, he launched his debut single before he entered the BBA House. We bet the $200,000 prize will help him push his music career a bit further..

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