All Posts (300)

Sort by

Remember the under pressure man Well yes he storms Realto Hotels Benin This month in a fun filled Jam packed Reggae Comeback ! More Details soon ! 

 

 

Recent Interview:

In a bid to revamp his musical career and once again capture the hearts of Nigerians with classic tunes, Reggae sensation Ras Kimono released two singles late last year. 
In a chat with Daily Sun, Kimono revealed that young artistes are no longer interested in making good music but are rather keen on making money at the expense of creating an enduring legacy through music. The dreadlock-wearing singer also stated that nothing will make him go into politics. Excerpts:

What are your plans for the year?
My plan for the year is to drop my new album. Late last year, I came out with two singles Veteran and Wicked politicians. They are enjoying massive airplay. For now, I have only promo copies and radio stations in Nigeria are doing justice to it. 

You are trying to revamp your career no doubt but how do you intend to take over the scene since young Nigerians are not given totally to reggae music?

Before I came into the limelight in the late 80s and early 90s, it was like that, still, I achieved success in the industry then through hard work and intense promotion and that is what I intend to do now to make sure reggae music reigns once again. it is like I am starting afresh, I am going on tour around the country and not waiting for my company to do it for me. They tend to go to the cities alone and not penetrate the rural areas.

I am focusing on rural dwellers to revamp reggae music so that they will hear me. You know Nigerians, when reggae picks up again, a lot of youths will now go into it. They just want somebody to lead them and I am back to lead again because I have always been a flag bearer.
Nigerians still have a soft spot for Reggae music. They react positively anytime I sing since I came back to the country. They love the truth that Reggae music reveals. It is just a matter of time before it finally gains ground fully because a lot of youths will also go into Reggae music. Some of them have not come out openly to do so because they may have not have the platform, but I am ready to be the platform for them. 

How would you describe your career at this moment?

It’s been good. Since I came back to the country in 2009, I have enjoyed a lot of commendations. I didn’t know it would be like this. The ovation has been louder more than it was over 15 years ago. I give thanks to Jah every morning for that. I see that as an advantage I have to utilize to bring back Reggae music. I am looking for a proper channel and a good marketer that will work closely with me to achieve this. I need good promotion because no matter how good or bad an album is, if you don’t push it well, it will flop in the market. If I don’t do a good job on my album, I am ready for doom. 

What qualities do you look out for in a marketer that you think will help push your album the way you want it?

Marketers are not the same as recording companies so you can’t handle them the same way. It could be anybody but the bottom line is that we will spend money to make money. We have to channel money into promotions and make sure Nigerians crave for reggae music once more. Given the expansion of FM stations, there is enough room for promotions on air. I just need someone that will help me expose these songs so that it can reach everyone. 

What inspired this come-back album?

Music. All the while I left this country, I have been doing music. I wasn’t working, but playing where my services were needed. With that, I was bidding my time pending when I would return to Nigeria. I decided to go into the studio and make songs of international standards, songs that are better than what I have done before and focusing on leadership failures. My songs are to call them back to order. I think we should be tired of all the lies, deceit and deprivings. I talk about the truth of the time with my lyrics. 

I am inspired with what is going on in our society. Nigerians copy the ugly side of western civilisation and it stands to be corrected. We have to emulate good things too and not vices alone. America has the good, the bad and the ugly, but over there, they celebrate the good so that it overshadows the ugly side of their existence. Nigeria was colonized by Britain but our leaders are not following British rules. Our leaders travel abroad and see developments in these nations but when they are elected to perform, they loot instead of working with the funds allocated to them. I want to keep saying it and also wish to have followers that will stand with me in fighting corrupt government through music. We have to deal with the issue of bad governance so that we can see change. I will do my best and leave the rest for Jah.

How do you intend to drive home your point through music because you are not the first musician to do this?
I am not the first person to tackle bad leadership through music. Many people have been doing it even through other means and some of them have died while the ones that are alive are still shouting. I will do my best because I know that someday, I will be no more and some other people will keep talking until Nigeria gets to the promised land. We have to make sure we retain our status as the giant of Africa. Without Nigeria, some of these western countries will collapse. Nigeria is very crucial to world development. I will only relax when our country becomes a better place for us and our children.

Do you think Nigerian artistes are right in supporting the present crop of politicians we have now by doing songs and jingles for them?
I don’t campaign for politicians. My style is different from other musicians’ styles. I don’t have faith in our politicians. They have disappointed us for a long time and I don’t think they have anything good to offer us as a nation. Even the younger politicians whom I had a little respect for are now getting worse than the older ones. I refuse to be part of the campaign for today’s politicians. 

So if you are called to campaign for them, what will you do?
They have called me, but I won’t be a party to it. I don’t want to regret anything. If I have to support any of them, I must have a legitimate reason to do so and not because other musicians are doing so to get money. I have not seen any one among them who really cares about the masses and has the interest of Nigerians at heart. Even the minimum wage is appalling. What is N18,000 in Nigeria? They are just there for themselves and are not genuine. 

How do you think Nigerian artistes should relate with politicians?
Artistes are individual people. I can’t speak for anybody. I am a lone ranger in my fight against corrupt governments. I do not join forces with anyone. It is left for the artistes to do whatever they want to do. Some of these artistes are richer than me but every member of their families is still facing the repercussion of electing bad leaders. Those ones supporting these politicians are selfish and are only looking for how to enrich their pockets. If we come together to say we won’t support them, before you turn your back, someone has betrayed you all. They should act as watchdogs and not support evil. 

How would rate music generally in Nigeria?
Music has come of age in Nigeria. Most youths that have gone into music are making it big. They drive choice cars and build good houses. They are living large and it is good for the industry. 

But would you say these lyrics make an impact? What is responsible for our lyrics filled with vulgar languages?
The corporate bodies are responsible for it. I have been back for two years and deal with reality of the time. I speak about societal ills. They promote these guys with empty lyrics, support them and pay them millions to perform.

ras-kimon.gif?width=228
•Ras Kimono

The Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation also is to blame for the influx of vulgar lyrics in Nigeria. They have refused to check what is going out on air. When I released my song We no want the system in 1988, because of a word in the lyrics, it was banned. It was not played on radio.

If they refused to play that song then, it means there is a regulatory body that makes sure whatever song is aired is checked and scrutinized. I don’t think that organisation still exists because if it does, all these trashy and vulgar songs should have been banned. The languages that corrupt children are not supposed to be aired at all. If they are not encouraged, they will go back and churn out good tunes. Some of them get drunk and smoke on stage and yet, no one cares to call them to order. 

In your view, what should young artistes do to release good tunes to Nigerians?

Young artistes are making money and are not concerned about releasing soul-lifting music. It is just a matter of time, and the result of releasing trashy songs will show. Good name is better than money, but they don’t want to listen. When they look back and nobody recognizes them, then, they will know they have not have done well. They have to go back to the drawing board and put in more effort to release quality lyrics. 

How would you describe these young musicians?

Most of them are just flashes in a pan. They just release a song and you never hear of them again. They are after the money and not to leave a legacy through their lyrics.

You have been away for a long time, what have you learnt over the years that has helped you become a better person?

I have learnt to be business-minded. Even though I sing, I have learnt to manage the business aspect of it as well and not only minding the lyrics alone. I have learnt to be punctual in my career. I have learnt to relate with different kinds of people well no matter their weaknesses. I can accept people for who they are and not for what I want them to be. I have learnt not to be judgmental. I can now see life from a different perspective.

Did you have any unpleasant experience while you were abroad?

I was playing in clubs. That was not what I wanted for myself at that time. When I was in Nigeria, I never played in clubs. Over there, you play in a club of about 20 people and you will be lucky if they are up to 20. 

People are insinuating that you ran to America to make money and when the money didn’t come, you came home. How true is this?

It is not true. I went there to take a break and to gain knowledge as a musician. I took a break with my stay overseas so that I can come back with something fresh and better. How can I go to America to make money? There is more money to make here in Nigeria than in America. 

Are you back for good or you still have plans to go back to the States?

I am back for good but that doesn’t mean I won’t travel if the opportunity arises. I am a musician and can be called to perform anywhere in the world. 

How about your family?

My family is still abroad. You know when women get to such places, they are comfortable and do not want to move. My wife and children are still in America. 

As a husband and a father, what advice would you give to husbands and fathers?

Marriage is like two dogs playing. Sometimes, one brings the other down and he gets beaten. It works with understanding. If a couple decides to fight like kings of the jungle, then the marriage won’t stand the test of time. If you react based on how angry you are, you will make mistakes. Couples should be each other’s fool to make it work. No one is better than the other, it takes two of you to build a lasting marital relationship. 

As a father, you must always listen to your kids. You must be around to watch your children grow. There are questions they want you to answer as their father and you must be willing to play that role well. You also have to be involved in their education and extra-curricular activities. This is the way you can express your love and support for them. 

If you make all the money in world and don’t have time to nurture your kids, they will turn out bad and all your struggles will be in vain. They must feel secured with your presence. It doesn’t have to be their mother all the time. Create time to play with your children, it makes them feel wanted and loved. You must make your children your closest friends. They must trust you enough to tell you all their fears. If you don’t listen to them, they will go astray. 

What else do you hope to achieve in life?

Greatness. As far as I am concerned, heaven is my starting point. I am hoping that before death takes me away, I will achieve my aims and objectives. One of such objectives is to see Nigeria safe and great and black people united again. I will be glad if West Africa have a common passport, it will be good. We should stop segregation in Africa, we need the peace and unity. 

Do you have any plans to go into politics?

Never. The rules of the game are dirty and if you don’t take time, you will join them in the name of bringing change to the masses. It is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. All over the world, politics is a dirty game. Politicians are politicians everywhere. 

What advice would you give to upcoming musicians as a veteran in the industry?

They should leave drugs alone because most of them do drugs. Drugs will not make them. I don’t do drugs and I don’t smoke weed and I have achieved a great height as a musician. Learn to play an instrument so that it will give you an edge over your colleagues.

 

Read more…
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiJJx1wMlGkBB0BM-xZ3j4LoUYY2n9xESWWxvONP39nOa6JyKUPJp9fgDenunciation and condemnation on Saturday trailed the comments attributed to the governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Isah Yuguda, that the National Youth Service Corps members who were murdered in the state were destined to die the way they did.

 Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda
 
Some corps members were killed in the state as well as in some other northern states shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the incumbent President and Peoples Democratic Party standard-bearer, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, winner of the April 16 presidential poll.
Specifically, nine corps members were reportedly killed in Bauchi State.
Property worth millions of Naira were also destroyed in the post-election violence in which the irate youths were protesting the defeat of the Congress for Progressive Change standard-bearer, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) by Jonathan.
Jonathan polled over 21million votes to beat other contenders comprising Buhari, the All Nigeria Peoples Party standard-bearer, Ibrahim Shekarau, and his Action Congress of Nigeria counterpart, Nuhu Ribadu.
However, speaking to our correspondents on Saturday, some eminent Nigerians among them the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide; Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum, Gen, Ibrahim Haruna; former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; former governor of old Anambra State; Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife; and spokesperson to the Congress for Progressive Change Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said Yaguda's comments were condemnable.
Haruna who spoke to one of our correspondents on Friday described the reports attributed to the governor as disappointing.
Haruna said there was no justification for the slaughter of young Nigerians because of politics.
He said it was inconceivable for anybody with human feelings to make such a comment on the gruesome killing of young innocent Nigerian graduates in the service of their fatherland.
To him, what was expected of Yuguda was for him to join other Nigerians to eulogise them as heroes and to name structures after them to alleviate the pangs of their loss.
He called on the Federal Government to exploit the instrumentality of the law to ensure effective maintenance of peace and security.
He said that it was grim for such young men to be killed because of politics because the country was not in a state of war. He added, "I am saddened by what he said. Is there any justification for any young, hopeful Nigerian to be killed because of politics?
Akinjide, who described the governor's comment as unwarranted, opined that a leader must be discreet at all times in handling issues that affected lives. He said, "It is sad that the governor of a state should treat human life with levity.
"Was it not in Bauchi that a teacher was murdered because one of the students was alleged to cover up something? That lady came from the South. She was not the person who used the Quran to wrap something.
"A governor, as the chief security officer of the state, is expected to be a role model and should uphold the rule of law and promote peace and harmony in his state. Human life is too sacred to be toiled with."
The former Attorney General explained that even the Commissioner of Police in the state was responsible to the governor and as such should be taking orders from him. He said that explained why in every state the governor is the chairman of the Security Council while the CP is only a member together with the Attorney-General.
Similarly, a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Abubakar Tsav, said the statement attributed to Yuguda was most unfortunate and unbecoming of somebody in his position as a governor of a state where such killings took place.
He said that Yuguda should have at least shown sympathy to the corps members, their families and indeed the country.
Tsav said, "It is most unfortunate, this is unexpected of somebody in the position of a governor. He should have shown sympathy with the corps members, their families and Nigeria."
Musa simply summarised his opinion by saying, "I think it is being insensitive and quite undiplomatic."
Odumakin, who strongly condemned the governor's assertion, said, "What Governor Yuguda said further confirmed that Nigeria is a nation founded on iniquity, sustained by hypocrisy and is on a balance of uneven scale. That is why today we talk about peace and nobody is talking about justice. Even if he was truly attacked in Ibadan in 1979 as he claimed, is that enough to justify the killing of corps members in his state? General Muhammadu Buhari did not make such inciting comment but went on air to discourage the people from causing violence. That is the prize of leadership."
However, Ezeife contended that the governor's statement depended on how each individual viewed it. He said that some people believe in destiny and stretch the belief to the limit because of the doctrine of their religion. "You have to be careful not to expect so much from such people," he said adding that the governor's statement was not provocative.
Yuguda had said while speaking with journalists in Bauchi on Thursday that the corps members who got killed in the state were not the only victims of the unfortunate violence that followed the presidential election.
He recalled to the shock of journalists that his son was almost lynched while his house was torched.
"They (corps members) were destined to experience what they experienced. Nobody can run away from destiny. When they were serving me, they were the happiest in Nigeria.
"Immediately I handed them over to INEC, it was the responsibility of INEC to protect them. They were not the only ones affected. My own house was burnt; they almost lynched my first son. It is part of their destiny. I was also attacked as a corps member in Ibadan in 1979.
"They were attacked on the services of INEC," he was quoted as having said.
Also, a former Security Advisor to Rivers State Government, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, condemned the statement.
He stated that Yuguda had failed the nation by issuing inciting statements.
Meanwhile, in a statement titled 'PUNCH goofed as Yuguda was misquoted' made available to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, Bauchi State government said the governor was not quoted correctly.
The statement signed by the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media/Public Affairs, Sanusi Muhammad, quoted the governor as saying during the media briefing that "The death of the corp members was purely an act of destiny. As human beings we should always accept our destiny either in our favour or against our interest. The unfortunate death of the corp members was destined to happen in the course of their service to Nigeria. Every new day is a new experience to all living souls which we must contend.
"After the unfortunate attack on the corp members that led to the untimely death of some in some remote areas of the state on receiving the report, I swiftly acted and made sure that those evacuated are camped at the Senior Staff Development Centre of Directorate of State Security Service in Bauchi metropolis were comfortable and well protected. I paid several visits to the camp to boost their morale and comfort them. Each of them was given a token amount to take care of their immediate needs while in the camp. I have vowed to bring the perpetrators of the crime to book as several arrests have already been made.
"At a time when all efforts are being made to ensure return to normalcy and the need to rebuild frontiers of harmonious relationship and friendship, we urge the media not to play with the destiny of the country through sensationalism and outright mischief."
Read more…

12166309294?profile=originalThe Bad-Asses Who Killed Osama Bin Laden

The military team that killed Osama Bin Laden is an elite special forces group unofficially called Seal Team 6.

 

Officially, the team's name is classified and not available to the public, technically there is no team 6. A Tier-One counter-terrorism force similar to the Army's elusive Delta group, Team 6's mission rarely make it to paper much less the newspaper.

It shows how important the publicity about Bin Laden's killing is to the U.S. that this morning, Team 6 is front-page news.

The members of Team 6 are all "black" operatives. They exist outside military protocol, engage in operations that are at the highest level of classification and often outside the boundaries of international law. To maintain plausible deniability in case they are caught, records of black operations are rarely, if ever, kept.

The development of SEAL Team 6 was in direct response to the 1980 attempt to rescue the American hostages held in Iran. The mission was a terrific failure that fell apart at many points and illustrated the need for a dedicated counter-terrorist team capable of operating with the utmost secrecy.

The Team was labeled 6 at the time to confuse Soviet intelligence about the number of SEAL teams in operation at the time. There were only two others.

Team 6 poached the top operatives from other SEAL units and trained them even more intensely from there. Even among proven SEAL's the attrition rate for Team 6 is reported to be nearly half.

There are no names available for current Team 6 members, but the CIA does recruit heavily from their numbers for their Special Operations Group, so it makes sense that they were chosen to work with the CIA on this mission.

Team 6 is normally devoted to missions with maritime authority: ship rescues, oil rigs, naval bases or land bases accessible by water. There are no waterways near Bin Laden's compound.

When a former Navy SEAL was called for a comment about this article all he could say was: "You know I'd love to help you man, but I can't say a word about Team 6. There is no Team 6."



Read more…

Today is World Press freedom Day

12166310659?profile=originalThanks to the First Amendment, I'm free to write these words -- and you're free to read them.

But for about 84 percent of the about 6.9 billion people with whom we share this planet, that's not the case. They live in nations where the press is only "partly" free from government control or criminal intimidation, or not free at all.

Those global press freedom figures are from a 2010 report by Freedom House, an independent human rights organization, which has compiled such data annually since 1980. The group's 2011 report was issued Monday.

The figures are worth noting as the United States hosts this year's World Press Freedom Day today with the theme "21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers." It's an appropriate focus given the dramatic presence of new media methods and technology in political and social turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The Freedom House report notes that "in response to the growing popularity of Internet-based applications like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, many governments have started targeting the new platforms as part of their censorship strategies." In 12 of 37 countries examined, the group said, officials imposed temporary or total bans on such new technology.

But these kinds of ratings and reports tell only part of the story of the worldwide struggle to gather and report the news freely and report it without fear:

• Eight journalists were attacked in recent days in Uganda while trying to report on the second day of a walk-to-work campaign protesting fuel prices and government's inefficiency.

• The editor of a Ukrainian English-language newspaper was fired on the spot on April 15 reportedly for insisting on publishing an interview with a government minister regarding possible international trade violations. From Bahrain to Sri Lanka, journalists have been arrested for simply doing their job.

• And, in a ceremony set for May 16, the Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., will add the names of 59 journalists who died in 2010 in the course of reporting the news. Eighteen names of newly identified journalists who died in previous years also will be added, bringing the overall total to 2,084.

Information freely gathered and freely reported is the enemy of despots, dictators and criminal cartels. For democracies, it would seem just as obvious that a free and unfettered flow of information is the lifeblood of systems that depend on an informed citizenry to make the ultimate governing decisions.

Newly created global news outlets on the Web, widely used social media and so-called "data dumps" by groups like WikiLeaks do raise legitimate issues ranging from personal privacy to credibility to national security.

Serious critics of the press, here and abroad, are right to point to errors of fact and judgment by journalists.

But on at least one day, we all ought to pause to appreciate the value -- and for far too few, the unique national asset -- that is a free press.




Wikipedia:

The United Nations General Assembly declared 3 May to be World Press Freedom Day[1][2] to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.
UNESCO marks World Press Freedom Day by conferring the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on a deserving individual, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger. Created in 1997, the prize is awarded on the recommendation of an independent jury of 14 news professionals. Names are submitted by regional and international non-governmental organizations working for press freedom, and by UNESCO member states.
The Prize is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, on 17 December 1986. Cano's writings had offended Colombia's powerful drug barons.
UNESCO also marks World Press Freedom Day each year by bringing together media professionals, press freedom organisations and UN agencies to assess the state of press freedom worldwide and discuss solutions for addressing challenges. Each conference is centred around a theme related to press freedom, including good governance, media coverage of terrorism, impunity and the role of media in post-conflict countries.
The 2011 World Press Freedom Day celebration is being held in Washington, D.C., USA on May 1-3. This will be the first time the United States has hosted the World Press Freedom Day celebration. The theme of this year's event is 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The event will affirm fundamental principles of media freedom in the digital age—the ability of citizens to voice their opinions and access diverse, independent information sources—20 years after the original declaration was made in Windhoek, Namibia. The World Press Freedom Day 2011 program and agenda are available here.
Read more…

12166204052?profile=original12166208267?profile=original9jabook TuesDay  Feed

follow us on twitter

friend us onfacebook

 

Dear 9jabook.

Today's promo: Secret Question: What would you pay 100 naira for ? http://bit.ly/hARciM

Are you an artist painter,sculptor ? still trying to decipher the art landscape of 9geria ?

join http://www.decipher-art.com today the ist 9gerian art network !

 

Lagos State dealoftheday:Get 50percent OFF on webdesign call 08064950565 for more info. .Send your deal of the day to dofftd@systemini.net indicate your state and city thanks !

 

9jax.net calls :Get your website known it is the way to get that business out there on the Web.By 9jabook's engineers and it is awoof , no money required not a dime ! F.r.EE .

Hope you like our new newsletter loook .Tell us if you dont !

regards

Weboga

abi john balogun

 

Newsblogs:

 

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiJJx1wMlGkBB0BM-xZ3j4LoUYY2n9xESWWxvONP39nOa6JyKUPJp9fgDenunciation and condemnation on Saturday trailed the comments attributed to the governor of Bauchi State,
The Men that Killed Osama Bin Laden Meet The 'Seal Team 6',

12166309294?profile=originalThe Bad-Asses Who Killed Osama Bin Laden

The military team that killed Osama Bin Laden is an elite special forces group unofficially called Seal Team 6


weboga Today is World Press freedom Day

12166310659?profile=originalThanks to the First Amendment, I'm free to write these words -- and you're free to read them.

But for about 84 percent of the…

weboga Ten Tactics of Online Oppressors

The world’s worst online oppressors are using an array of tactics, some reflecting astonishing levels of sophistication, others reminiscent of old-school techniques. From China’s high-level malware attacks to Syria’s brute-force imprisonments, this may be only the dawn of online oppression. A CPJ special report by Danny O’Brien

NollywoodMohits 9ja rapper breaks world freestyle record

jpeg&STREAMOID=o8kaXdB6dHvklnmE3SDnYC6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxSfDyHabqBtnyMs9cP$IOConW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-&width=234Rapper Chidera ‘Chiddy' Anamega from the Hip-Hop duo, Chiddy Bang is the current holder of the ‘World's Longest… Continue

 


weboga Kidnappers Now Demand For Recharge Cards also

Members of a gang of kidnappers who abducted a medical doctor in Edo State have called on members of the family

webmadam Osama was executed: U.S. forces were under orders to kill Bin Laden

jpeg&STREAMOID=5gn8vMi1zp6AEpyTaxFgNS6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxQn3JUzE6qnqra6aWy_4I0AnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-&width=234Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. helicopter raid on a mansion near the Pakistani capital…

weboga The Prisoner's dilemma

why two "errant" people might not cooperate even if it is in both their best interests to do

Read more…

Ten Tactics of Online Oppressors

The world’s worst online oppressors are using an array of tactics, some reflecting astonishing levels of sophistication, others reminiscent of old-school techniques. From China’s high-level malware attacks to Syria’s brute-force imprisonments, this may be only the dawn of online oppression. A CPJ special report by Danny O’Brien

SAN FRANCISCO In reporting news from the world’s most troubled nations, journalists have made a seismic shift this year in their reliance on the Internet and other digital tools. Blogging, video sharing, text messaging, and live-streaming from cellphones brought images of popular unrest from the central square of Cairo and the main boulevard of Tunis to the rest of the world.

In Other Languages
Yet the technology used to report the news has been matched in many ways by the increasing sophistication, from the state-supported email in China designed to take over journalists’ personal computers, to the carefully timed cyber-attacks on news websites in Belarus. Still other tools in the oppressor’s kit are as old as the press itself, including imprisonment of online writers in Syria, and the use of violence against bloggers in Russia.

To mark World Press Freedom Day, May 3, the Committee to Protect Journalists is examining the 10 prevailing tactics of online oppression worldwide and the
 
Offenders and Tactics
(/reports/2011/05/audio-report- the-10-tools-of-online-
oppressors.php)
 
• Download the pdf (/reports /CPJ.Tools.of.Oppression.pdf) More on This Issue • CPJ Internet Channel: Danny O'Brien's blog (/internet/)
countries that have taken the lead in their use. What is most surprising about these Online Oppressors is not who they are—they are all nations with long records of repression—but how swiftly they adapted old strategies to the online world.

In two nations we cite, Egypt and Tunisia, the regimes have changed, but their successors have not categorically broken with past repressive practices. The tactics of other nations—such as Iran, which employs sophisticated tools to destroy anti-censorship technology, and Ethiopia, which exerts monopolistic control over the Internet—are being watched, and emulated, by repressive regimes worldwide.

Here are the 10 prevalent tools for online oppression.

WEB BLOCKING Key country: Iran

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government has set the bar for Internet oppression. (Reuters)

Many countries censor online news sources, using domestic Internet service providers and international Internet gateways to enforce website blacklists and to block citizens from using certain keywords. Since the disputed 2009 presidential election, however, Iran (/mideast/iran/) has dramatically increased the sophistication of its Web blocking, as well as its efforts to destroy tools that allow journalists to access or host online content. In January 2011, the designers of Tor, a privacy and censorship circumvention tool, detected that the country’s censors were using new, highly advanced techniques to identify and disable anti-censorship software. In October, blogger Hossein Ronaghi Maleki was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for allegedly developing such anti-filtering software and hosting other Iranian bloggers. The government’s treatment of reporters has been among the worst in the world; Iran and China topped CPJ’s 2010 list of worst jailers of the press, with 34 imprisoned apiece. But by investing in new technology to block the Net and actively
 

The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
persecuting those who circumvent such restrictions, Iran has raised the bar worldwide.

Tactics in practice:
An array of repressive tactics (/2011/02/attacks-on-the-press-2010-iran.php) > World’s worst jailer (/reports/2010/12/cpj-journalist-prison-census-iran-china-highest-14-years.php)

PRECISION CENSORSHIP Key country: Belarus
Belarusian police crush an election protest as critical domestic websites were suddenly blocked. (AP/Sergei Grits)
Permanent filtering of popular websites often encourages users to find ways around the censor. As a result, many repressive regimes attack websites only at strategically vital moments. In Belarus (/europe/belarus/) , the online opposition outlet Charter 97 (http://charter97.org/en/news/) predicted that its site would be disabled during the December presidential election. Indeed it was: On Election Day, the site was taken down by a denial-of-service, or DOS, attack. A DOS attack prevents a website from functioning normally by overloading its host server with external communications requests. According to local reports, users of the Belarusian national ISP attempting to visit Charter 97 were separately redirected to a fake site created by an unknown party. The election, conducted without the scrutiny of critical outlets like Charter 97, was marred by secretive vote-counting practices, international observers said. Technological measures were not the only attacks on Charter 97: The site’s offices were raided on the eve of the election, and editors were beaten, arrested, and threatened. In September 2010, the site’s founder, Aleh Byabenin, was found hanged under suspicious circumstances. Tactics in practice: > Blocking sites for an election (/internet/2010/12/widespread-net-disruption-surrounds-belarus-electi.php) > Web journalists targeted (/2011/02/attacks-on-the-press-2010-belarus.php)
 
The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php

DENIAL OF ACCESS Key country: Cuba
Bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez face significant technical and political hurdles. (Reuters/Desmon Boylan)

High-tech attacks against Internet journalists aren’t needed if access barely exists. In Cuba (/americas/cuba/) , government policies have left domestic Internet infrastructure severely restricted. Only a small fraction of the population is permitted to use the Internet at home, with the vast majority required to use state-controlled access points with identity checks, heavy surveillance, and restrictions on access to non-Cuban sites. To post or read independent news, online journalists go to cybercafes and use official Internet accounts that are traded on the black market. Those who do get around the many obstacles face other problems. Prominent bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez (http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/) have been smeared in a medium accessible by all Cubans: state-run television. Cuba and Venezuela recently announced the start of a new fiber-optic cable connection between the two countries that promises to increase Cuba’s international connectivity. But it’s unclear whether the general public will benefit from connectivity improvements any time soon.
Tactics in practice

Bloggers face huge obstacles (/reports/2009/09/cuban-bloggers-offer-fresh-hope.php) > Sánchez called a “cybermercenary” (/blog/2011/03/for-cuban-blogger-sanchez-a-government- distinction.php)

INFRASTRUCTURE CONTROL Key country: Ethiopia
 
The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi tightly controls online news media. (AP)

Telecommunications systems in many countries are closely tied to the government, providing a powerful way to control new media. In Ethiopia (/africa/ethiopia/) , a state-owned telecommunications company has monopoly control over Internet access and fixed and mobile phone lines. Despite a management and rebranding deal with France Telecom in 2010, the government still owns and directs Ethio Telecom, allowing it to censor when and where it sees fit. OpenNet Initiative (http://opennet.net/) , a global academic project that monitors filtering and surveillance, says Ethiopia conducts “substantial” filtering of political news. This matches Ethiopia’s continuing crackdown on offline journalists, four of whom are imprisoned for their work, according to CPJ records. Ethiopian government control does not simply extend to phone lines and Internet access. The country has also invested in extensive satellite-jamming technology to prevent citizens from receiving news from foreign sources such as the Amharic-language services of the U.S. government-funded Voice of America and the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.


Tactics in practice:

Suppressing news of Middle East unrest (/blog/2011/02/sub-saharan-africa-counters-censorship- on-mideast.php) > Controls over all media (/2011/02/attacks-on-the-press-2010-ethiopia.php)
ATTACKS ON EXILE-RUN SITES Key country: Burma
 

The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
Editors at Democratic Voice of Burma face repeated cyber-attacks. (AP/Morten Holm)

For journalists who have been run out of their own country, the Internet is a lifeline that enables them to continue reporting news and commentary about their homeland. But exile-run news sites still face censorship and obstruction, much of it perpetrated by home governments or their surrogates. Exile-run sites that cover news in Burma (/asia/burma/) face regular denial-of-service attacks. The Thailand-based news outlet Irrawaddy (http://www.irrawaddy.org/) , the India-based Mizzima (http://www.mizzima.com/) news agency, and Norway’s Democratic Voice of Burma (http://www.dvb.no/) have all experienced attacks that disabled or slowed their websites. The attacks are often timed around sensitive political milestones such as the anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, a 2007 monk-led, anti-government protest that was violently suppressed. Burmese authorities have coupled these technical attacks with brute-force repression. Exile-run news sites depend on undercover, in-country journalists, who surreptitiously file their reports. This undercover work comes with extreme risk: At least five journalists for Democratic Voice of Burma were serving lengthy prison terms for their work when CPJ conducted its annual worldwide survey in December 2010. Tactics in practice: > Cyber-attacks hit exile sites (/2010/09/burmas-exile-media-hit-by-cyber-attacks.php) > Repression precedes election (/2011/02/attacks-on-the-press-2010-burma.php)

MALWARE ATTACKS Key country: China
International journalists are targeted in many ways in China. Here, a foreign journalist is pushed to the ground while trying to cover a potential protest in Beijing. (Reuters)
 
The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
Harmful software can be concealed in apparently legitimate emails and sent to a journalist’s private account with a convincing but fake cover message.

If opened by the reporter, the software will install itself on a personal computer and be used remotely to spy on the reporter’s other communications, steal his or her confidential documents, and even commandeer the computer for online attacks on other targets. Journalists reporting in and about China (/asia/china/) have been victims of these attacks, known as “spear-phishing,” in a pattern that strongly indicates the targets were chosen for their work. Attacks coincided with the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize award to imprisoned writer and human rights defender Liu Xiaobo, and official suppression of news reports describing unrest in the Middle East. Computer security experts such as those at Metalab Asia

(http://twitter.com/#!/metalabasia) and SecDev (http://secdev.ca/index.php) have found such software is aimed specifically at reporters, dissidents, and non-governmental organizations.

Tactics in practice:
  A Nobel invitation that wasn’t (/internet/2010/11/that-nobel-invite-mr-malware-sent-it.php) > Taking over an email account (/2011/02/attacks-on-the-press-2010-internet-analysis-danny-obrien.php)

STATE CYBERCRIME Key country: Tunisia under Ben Ali

Amid protests in Tunisia, the government tries to sabotage journalists' Facebook and other social media accounts. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra)
Censorship of email and social networking sites was pervasive in Tunisia (/mideast/tunisia/) under Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, as it has been in many repressive states. But in 2010, the Tunisian Internet Agency took the effort one step further, redirecting Tunisian users to fake, government-created log-in pages for Google, Yahoo, and Facebook. From these pages, authorities stole usernames and passwords. When Tunisian online journalists began filing reports on the uprising, the state used their login data to delete the material. A common tactic of criminal hackers, the use of fake Web pages to steal passwords is being adopted by agents and supporters of repressive regimes. While cybercrime tactics appear to have been abandoned with the

The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
collapse of Ben Ali’s government in January, the new government has not relinquished control of the Internet entirely. Within weeks, the administration announced it would continue to block websites that are "against decency, contain violent elements, or incite to hate." Tactics in practice:
 
Invading Facebook (/internet/2011/01/tunisia-invades-censors-facebook-other-accounts.php) > Will the revolution endure? (/internet/2011/01/will-tunisias-internet-revolution-endure.php)

INTERNET KILL SWITCHES Key country: Egypt under Mubarak
The Mubarak regime turned off the Internet to hide images and news of protests. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany)

Desperately clinging to power, President Hosni Mubarak shut down the Internet in Egypt (/mideast/egypt/) in January 2011, preventing online journalists from reporting to the world, and Egyptian viewers from accessing online news sources. Egypt was not the first to sever its link to the Internet to restrict news coverage: Internet access in Burma was shut down during a revolt in 2007, and the Xinjiang region of China had either limited or no access during ethnic unrest in 2010. Mubarak’s crumbling government could not sustain its ban for long; online access returned about a week later. But the tactic of slowing or disrupting Net access has been emulated since that time by governments in Libya and Bahrain, which have also faced popular revolt. Despite the fall of the Mubarak regime, the transitional military government has shown its own repressive tendencies. In April, a political blogger was sentenced to three years in prison for insulting authorities.

Tactics in practice:
> Egypt vanishes from the Net (/internet/2011/01/watching-egypt-disappear-from-the-internet.php) > Online, an enormous loss (/internet/2011/02/what-the-world-loses-from-egypts-internet-disappea.php)
 
The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
DETENTION OF BLOGGERS Key country: Syria

President Bashar al-Assad's government has made a practice of jailing bloggers. (Reuters)

Despite the spread of high-tech attacks on online journalism, arbitrary detention remains the easiest way to disrupt new media. Bloggers and online reporters made up nearly half of CPJ’s 2010 tally of imprisoned journalists. Syria (/mideast/syria/) remains one of the world's most dangerous places to blog due to repeated cases of short- and long-term detention. Ruling behind closed doors in February, a Syrian court sentenced blogger Tal al-Mallohi to five years of imprisonment. She was 19 when first arrested in 2009. Al-Mallohi’s blog discussed Palestinian rights, the frustrations of Arab citizens with their governments, and what she perceived to be the stagnation of the Arab world. In March, online journalist Khaled Elekhetyar was detained for a week, while veteran blogger Ahmad Abu al-Khair was detained for the second time in two months.
Tactics in practice:
 
A blogger becomes a “spy” (/2011/02/syrian-blogger-sentenced-to-five-years-in-prison.php) > Detention among many tools (/2011/03/syria-cracks-down-on-press-attacks-in-libya-elsewh.php)
VIOLENCE AGAINST ONLINE JOURNALISTS Key country: Russia
 
The 10 Tools of Online Oppressors - Reports - Committee to Pr...    http://cpj.org/reports/2011/05/the-10-tools-of-online-oppressors.php
The brutal assault on blogger Oleg Kashin drew worldwide outcry. Here, a protest at the Russian embassy in Kyiv. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)
In countries with high rates of anti-press violence, online journalists have become the latest targets. In Russia (/europe/russia/) , a brutal November 2010 attack left the prominent business reporter and blogger Oleg Kashin so badly injured he was placed in an induced coma for a time. No arrests have been made in the Moscow attack, which is reflective of Russia’s poor overall record in solving anti-press assaults. The attack on Kashin was the most recent in a string of assaults against Web journalists that include a 2009 attack on Mikhail Afanasyev, editor of an online magazine in Siberia, and a 2008 murder of website publisher Magomed Yevloyev in Ingushetia.

Tactics in practice:
 
Danny O’Brien, CPJ's San Francisco-based CPJ Internet advocacy coordinator, has worked globally as a journalist and activist covering technology and digital rights. He blogs at cpj.org/internet/ (/internet/) . Follow him on Twitter @danny_at_cpj (http://twitter.com/danny_at_cpj) .
Read more…
jpeg&STREAMOID=o8kaXdB6dHvklnmE3SDnYC6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxSfDyHabqBtnyMs9cP$IOConW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-&width=234Rapper Chidera ‘Chiddy' Anamega from the Hip-Hop duo, Chiddy Bang is the current holder of the ‘World's Longest Freestyle Rap' title. The American-based rapper with Nigerian root last weekend had a rap freestyle running for 9 hours, 16 minutes, and 22 seconds at the MTV organised ‘O Music Awards' to beat the previous record of 9 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds held by the rapper named M-Eighty.
Revealing preparations towards achieving this feat, the rapper popularly known as Chiddy told MTV.com he practices freestyles daily.
"That's better than a lot of people, if you really think about it; I freestyle once a day for like 30 minutes straight. I never put myself to this maximum test, but it's very exciting for me, and once this all done, it'll be like, ‘Wow I didn't know I could go that long.'"
"It's a marathon, not a race," Chiddy continued.
"It's all about pacing yourself. I tend to be very, very hype when I rap. This time, I realise I'm gonna rap for like nine hours, so I'm not gonna come out of the gate hyped. I'm just gonna pace myself and ride that thing out, ride it till the wheels fall off."
The group Chiddy Bang gained recognition after its 2009 released Extended Play set, ‘The Opposite of Adults' received critical commendations. Chidera acknowledges his Nigerian roots on the opening of the track ‘Sooner Or Later' which receives sampled elements from the legendary Afrobeat singer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
-------------------------------------------------------------
***Ehikhamenor presents new collections 
Visual artist, Victor Ehikhamenor will commence the exhibition of his famous ‘Entrance & Exit' series on Saturday May 7 2011. The latest from the series, ‘Entrance & Exit: In Search of Not Forgetting' will be paraded at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Yaba and the exhibition will be open till Saturday May 28,
2011.
According to the Masters Degree holder in Fine Art from the University of Maryland, USA, the exhibition which is an instalment of the ‘Entrances and Exits: A Quest for Memory', will display new art works from the ‘Entrance & Exit' collection.
"The exhibition will present several new bodies of paintings, photographs, drawing and installation. These works will explore from an ethnographic perspective, the artist's consummated experience between his ancestral heritage and home, and the subsequent valour with which the colours, patterns and designs engraved or drawn on these ancestral walls, doors and other surfaces fuelled his evolutionary style in figurative and abstract paintings and drawings. It also explores the aesthetic imagery that connects his visual repertoire with the beaming arts on the numerous shrine walls, including the mud walls of his many grandmothers, the rooms of his uncles, and other villagers' walls,' a message from the official invitation reads.
A graduate of English and Literary Studies from Bendel State University, Ekpoma (now Ambrose Alli University, Edo State), Ehikhamenor is currently the creative director at Timbuktu Media, publishers of NEXT newspaper.
Previous successful exhibitions include ‘The Labyrinth of Memories series', ‘The Mirrors and Mirages series' and ‘Roforofo Fight: Paintings to Fela's Music' amongst others.
---------------------------------------------------------
***"Fast Five", "Thor" top box office attractions 
"Fast Five," the fifth entry in the "Fast and the Furious" street-racing franchise, raced to the biggest opening of the year at the North American box office, while "Thor" was the top choice overseas.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Fast Five" earned about $83.6 million during its first three days of release across the United States and Canada, proving the appeal of car chases in exotic locales for young male moviegoers.
Industry prognosticators had expected the film to edge past the $71 million start for the previous film, "Fast and Furious" in 2009. The opening also boosted the flagging fortunes of both its distributor, Universal Pictures, and the overall industry.
"Thor" pulled in $83 million from 56 foreign markets, a week before the Marvel comic book adaptation opens in North America.
Top-ranked openings included Britain ($9 million), France ($8.1 million) and South Korea ($5.7 million). Its foreign total stands at $93 million after the Paramount Pictures release got an early start in Australia last weekend.
"Fast Five" earned $45.3 million internationally after expanding to 14 markets from four last weekend. It opened at No. 1 in each of the 10 new markets, including Russia ($11.5 million), Germany ($10.2 million) and Spain ($6.3 million). Its foreign total stands at $81.4 million.
The strong performances of the two action films suggest a strong summer for the Hollywood studios, which have suffered a dismal year so far. Ticket sales in North America are off 17 per cent and attendance is down 18 per cent from 2010. Universal, newly controlled by Comcast Corp, had the smallest market share of the six major studios last year. It has enjoyed a decent 2011 because it distributed the hit cartoon "Hop."
-------------------------------------------------------------
***Kelly Price releases first R&B album in eight years 
When Kelly Price was nominated for a Grammy last December, the R&B nod caught many people off guard.
Up until that point, Price hadn't released an R&B album since 2003's "Priceless." In fact, when she delivered the contemporary gospel album "This Is Who I Am" three years after that, most people assumed the soulful singer had chosen a new career path.
"It's never been a secret that I'm a preacher's kid," says Price from her Los Angeles home. "Gospel will forever be a part of my life; that's why I sing the way I sing. But I never said I was leaving R&B." Now, the artist known for belting out such hits as "Friend of Mine," "As We Lay" and "Heartbreak Hotel" is adding an exclamation point to that declaration with the May 3 release of her sixth album "Kelly." Its anthemic opening track "Tired" caught Grammy voters' attention. (Alas, she lost to Fantasia).
Not only does the project plant Price squarely back into the R&B scene, it's helped the singer achieve her first top 40 hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 11 years: second single "Not My Daddy," featuring Mint Condition frontman Stokley Williams.
Price and her manager, husband Jeffery Rolle, began dressing the stage for her return three years ago when they relocated from Atlanta to Los Angeles. After the 2006 release of "This Is Who I Am," Price continued performing, averaging between 200 and 250 dates per year.
Read more…
Members of a gang of kidnappers who abducted a medical doctor in Edo State have called on members of the family of their captive to send them enough airtime to recharge their mobile phones to facilitate transactions on his release between both parties. Cases of kidnapping, which seemed to have abated during the election, suddenly rose again as a retired permanent secretary in the state ministry of health, Momoh Daudu, was kidnapped over the weekend. For this reason, the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the weekend called for a total overhauling of all security agencies in the state, saying it is apparent that they have failed in checking the rising spate of kidnapping and armed robbery in the state. Family sources said that the abductors of the medical doctor are demanding for an undisclosed amount of money as ransom and also airtime with which to communicate with members of his family. The Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has condemned the abduction of Mr Daudu. A statement signed by the state chairman of the NMA, Philip Ugbodaga, made available to NEXT, described his abduction as "one too many," adding that the incident has again brought to the fore "the worsening state of insecurity in Edo." The statement went on to call on the abductors of Mr Daudu "to immediately free him unconditionally," saying that neither "the NMA nor the family of Dr Daudu is prepared to negotiate any payment of ransom for his release." Overhaul the system The medical practitioners therefore called for "a total overhauling of the entire security network in Edo state and for improved funding and equipping of the relevant security agencies in the state for optimal performance," in order to stem the rising spate of crime in the state. As at the time of filling this report, it was not known if the family members of the abducted doctor have reached an agreement with the kidnappers on an amount as ransom money or sent recharge cards to them as demanded. The spokesman of the Edo State police command, Peter Ogboi, could not be reached on his mobile phone for comment as it was said to be unavailable.
Read more…

jpeg&STREAMOID=5gn8vMi1zp6AEpyTaxFgNS6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxQn3JUzE6qnqra6aWy_4I0AnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-&width=234Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. helicopter raid on a mansion near the Pakistani capital Islamabad early on Monday, ending a long worldwide hunt for the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Members of an elite Navy Seals team dropped by helicopter to the compound were under orders to kill not capture bin Laden, who had eluded U.S. forces for 13 years, a senior U.S. security official told Reuters.

"This was a kill operation," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Many analysts see bin Laden's death as largely symbolic since he was no longer believed to have been issuing operational orders to the many autonomous al Qaeda affiliates around the world.

Fearful of revenge attacks, the United States swiftly issued security warnings to Americans worldwide. A top Republican lawmaker briefed by the White House on bin Laden's death said U.S. security agencies were working to prevent any attacks on the United States or its installations overseas.

"This is a key moment because al Qaeda has to avenge. This is a terrible defeat for them and they have to move as quickly as they can, and it's up to us to stop them," said congressman Peter King.

Bin Laden's death is unlikely to have any impact on the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan spawned by the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York. U.S. forces there are facing record violence by a resurgent Taliban, which has vowed to avenge his death.

President Barack Obama, whose popularity has been hit hard by rising gasoline prices, will likely see a short-term bounce in his approval ratings. But he may also come under more pressure from Americans to speed up a planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from the unpopular war in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials said bin Laden was found in a million-dollar compound in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad. After 40 minutes of fighting, bin Laden was among several people in the mansion killed.

A source familiar with the operation said bin Laden was shot in the head. A senior U.S. official in Washington said the al Qaeda leader was killed in a firefight after he resisted the assault force.

Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said bin Laden was buried at sea. A third official said this was done to prevent a gravesite on land becoming a shrine for followers.

"Justice has been done," Obama declared in a dramatic late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive head of the militant Islamic group behind a series of deadly bombings across the world.

Pakistan told after raid

Leaders worldwide praised the killing as a dramatic success in the war against al Qaeda, a mood reflected in financial markets. The dollar and stocks rose, while oil and gold fell, on the view bin Laden's death reduced global security risks.

Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving Americans thronged outside the White House and in the streets of New York after Obama's announcement.

It was the biggest national security victory for the president since he took office in early 2009 and will make it difficult for Republicans to portray Democrats as weak on security as he seeks re-election in 2012.

In sharp contrast, on the streets of Saudi Arabia, bin Laden's native land which stripped him of his citizenship after September 11, there was a mood of disbelief and sorrow among many.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas mourned bin Laden as an "Arab holy warrior."

But many in the Arab world felt his death was long overdue. For many Arabs, inspired by the popular upheavals in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere over the past few months, the news of bin Laden's death had less significance than it once might have.

The operation could complicate relations with Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the battle against militancy and the war in Afghanistan. Those ties have already been frayed over U.S. drone strikes in the west of the country and the six-week imprisonment of a CIA contractor earlier this year.

A U.S. official said Pakistani authorities were told the details of the raid after it had taken place.

The revelation bin Laden was living in style will hugely embarrass Pakistani officials, who will be under pressure to explain how he could have been right under their noses. Residents in Abbottabad said a Pakistani military training academy is near the compound.

"For some time there will be a lot of tension between Washington and Islamabad because bin Laden seems to have been living here close to Islamabad," said Imtiaz Gul, a Pakistani security analyst.

REUTERS

Read more…

capt.9ffca9b8866040eebdda6fc9015dacba-9ffca9b8866040eebdda6fc9015dacba-0.jpg?x=213&y=142&xc=1&yc=1&wc=410&hc=273&q=85&sig=bxyYYvYcu1T4ZbmVX8Jm1w--NEW YORK – A trove of papers and photographs documenting the lives of Holocaust victims and survivors includes notable names like Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel and former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. But Benzion Baumrind's name might have stayed forgotten to his descendants without the records kept by a humanitarian aid agency.

A genealogist discovered Baumrind, one of 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, was in her family with one stray document buried in a database of historic papers and photos kept by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

With over 500,000 names, and more than 1,000 photographs, the searchable collection documents the relief organization's vast efforts during World War II and the postwar era in 24 countries, from China and Japan to the Dominican Republic and Bolivia. The records, being made available online for the first time on Monday, open a singular view into the lives of survivors that the JDC aided during that cataclysmic period.

"We can get broader pictures of the actual everyday social life in the aftermath of war," Kenneth Waltzer, director of the Jewish Studies Department at Michigan State University, said of the collection.

Until now, the organization's archive has been largely inaccessible to the public, kept at a private storage warehouse located a short subway ride out of Manhattan.

Volunteers entered names in a database for over a year; rare, fragile documents were scanned into the computer system. Users of the site can submit names to identify people they recognize in the photographs, which may be later added to captions.

"A website like this is where history meets technology," said Gideon Taylor, an executive with the New York-based committee. "It's taking history out of the dusty files... And bringing it out into the community."

The committee plans to put even more documents from its archive online later this summer.

The project is one of a growing number around the world aimed at making available on the Internet primary records about the Holocaust.

"It is a world phenomenon that's launched by the technology," said David M. Kleiman, president of Heritage Muse Inc., a New York-based genealogy technology firm.

The collection offers glimpses of the lives of children who survived the Holocaust to become moral and spiritual leaders, politicians and artists.

There was the 16-year-old teenager who would become an author and one of the world's most esteemed humanitarians — Wiesel — listed on a document naming 426 orphaned boys from the Buchenwald concentration camp who were taken to Paris by the committee in 1945. Also on the list: a future Chief Rabbi of Israel and one of the youngest surviving prisoners of Buchenwald, Israel Meir Lau, who was 7 years old when he was liberated.

Begin, the future Israeli prime minister, is named on a list of 9,000 Polish Jewish refugees receiving the agency's aid in Vilna, Lithuania, in 1940.

Another person named in the files is Peter Max, the famed New York artist whose cosmic-colored works became a signature style of the hippie 1960s.

"Looking back, it's amazing that people had the will to organize, to create organizations to help people who fled other countries and were in dire need," said Max, who was 6 months old when his family, the Finkelsteins, fled Berlin, and found safe haven in Shanghai, where the JDC also had a relief operation.

For Linda Cantor, the past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York and a volunteer who helped put the names online, the collection helped her find a relative she never knew about.

A researcher with 30 years of experience in genealogy, even she was surprised when she came across a document that connected her to Baumrind, who lived in the Polish town where her family was from.

That document, a list of Polish Jews expelled by the Nazi German government and living in the border town of Zbaszyn, Poland, between 1938 and 1939, showed that her great-aunt was named as Baumrind's contact in the United States. It was a tantalizing clue that would help her document him as a cousin.

"My discovery allowed him to have a place in somebody's memory," she said.

The committee, commonly known as the Joint, was founded in 1914 to help Jews in need in war-ravaged Europe and Palestine. During World War II, it provided assistance to refugees from Lithuania to Japan and helped Jews escape Europe, including by booking them on ships headed for the Americas.

Claus Hirsch, 76, of New York, fled Berlin with his parents and brother and found asylum in Shanghai and had to rely on the Joint for hot meals. As a volunteer, going over lists of names and keying them into the database, it has been an emotional experience.

"It's nice to see a name on a list," he said, before he began to weep. "I saw names of people I had known years ago. And I hadn't thought about them in 30 or 40 years."

 

  Extracted from 

Read more…

The Prisoner's dilemma

why two "errant" people might not cooperate even if it is in both their best interests to do so.

Read more…
The sixth season of the television reality show, Big Brother Africa began yesterday in Johannesburg , South Africa with two Nigerian girls making the final list.





Tagged: ‘The Amplified Edition’, there are 14 participating countries with two contestants from each country.
The contestants were unveiled yesterday. The two Nigerian housemates are: Malvina Longpet, a radio presenter and Karen Igho.
Two housemates, one each from Angola and Mozambique were absent as they were said to have opted out the previous day for personal reasons.
The world will set its eyes on the overwhelming impact of Nigeria on the show in the last three years.



Last year, Nigerian, Uti Nwachukwu won the attractive cash prize in the 2010 edition called ‘Big Brother All-Stars.
Read more…

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday emerged champions of the 2011 African Youth Championship after a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Young Lions of Cameroun.

It is the sixth time the Flying Eagles will be crowned champions of Africa and also their first AYC title since 2005.

Sunday’s win also means that the Nigerians head into July’s FIFA World Cup in Colombia as African champions.

The Nigerians however, made things tough for themselves after squandering a two-goal lead in the match which was played at the Dobsonville Stadium, in Soweto.

With a quarter of an hour left on the clock, Olanrewaju Kayode opened scoring for the Flying Eagles with a shot from inside the Camerounian area following an error from the Young Lions’ defence.

And when Uche Nwofor converted from the penalty spot after Kayode was brought down by Young Lions goalkeeper, Komguep Efala four minutes later, the Nigerians probably thought they were home and dry.

Fightback

But with eight minutes left on the clock, the Camerounians, like wounded lions, fought back and pulled back two goals within the space of two minutes with Franck Ohandza leading the fight back for his side.

The Thailand based striker, who grabbed the only goal of the game when both sides met in the group stage of the tournament, ran into the area and turned his marker, Gbenga Arokoyo inside-out before slamming the ball off the underside of Danjuma Paul’s crossbar.

Two minutes later, Edgar Salli, brought the Young Lions back on level terms with the Flying Eagles with an unstoppable drive from inside the Nigerian area after some sloppy defending by Ganiyu Ogungbe, who uncharacteristically headed the ball onto the path of the Camerounian forward.

The game then drifted into extra time, but it was the Nigerians that were to have the last laugh, when substitute Terry Envoh dribbled his way into the Camerounian area in the second minute of extra time, to score what turned out to be the match-winning goal.

It was a deserved victory for the Nigerians who were for the greater part of Sunday’s encounter the better side.

Kayode’s show

John Obuh’s side also had far more chances than the Camerounians and came close to going ahead in the 11th minute through Kayode. But the ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire youngster, following a cross from the right by Nwofor, headed the ball onto the crossbar much to the delight of Efala who was rooted to the spot.

And with two minutes to the end of the first half, Kayode found some space in the Camerounian area only to smash his shot onto the side netting with Efala at his mercy.

The Camerounians also had chances of their own and Salli proved more than a handful for the Nigerian defence with his powerful runs and mazy dribbles. But the Nigerians always looked the more likelier to score, and deservedly went ahead in the 75th minute when Kayode latched onto an error by the Camerounian defence, ran into the area before slamming the ball past an onrushing Efala.

Four minutes later, Efala was slow in coming off his line and brought Kayode down in the area for a penalty, which Nwofor dispatched with ease to grab his fourth goal of the tournament, and thus overtake South Africa’s Lucky Nguzana on the scorers’ chart.

Then came two goals in as many minutes by the Camerounians, before Terry Envoh, who took the place of the injured Abduljeleel Ajagun on the dot of 90 minutes, dribbled his way past the tiring Camerounian defence, before calmly slotting the ball under the onrushing Efala for the cup-winning goal.

It wasn’t over yet though as the Camerounians adopted a gung-ho approach and could had pulled back on level terms once again but for impressive saves by the Nigerian goalie.

Not even a 113th minute red card to Kayode for a second bookable offence could deny the Nigerians a deserved victory as they now set their sights on Colombia.

Read more…
quote:"when the wicked perish there are shouts of Joy "

12166204052?profile=original12166208267?profile=original9jabook MonDay twitter Feed

follow us on twitter

friend us onfacebook

 

Dear 9jabook.

Today's promo: Secret Question: What would you pay 100 naira for ? http://bit.ly/hARciM

Are you an artist painter,sculptor ? still trying to decipher the art landscape of 9geria ?

join http://www.decipher-art.com today the ist 9gerian art network !

 

 

Lagos State dealoftheday:Get 50percent OFF on webdesign call 08064950565 for more info. .Send your deal of the day to dofftd@systemini.net indicate your state and city thanks !

 

9jax.net calls :Get your website known it is the way to get that business out there on the Web.By 9jabook's engineers and it is awoof , no money required not a dime ! F.r.EE .

regards

Weboga

 

News:

 

 

12166309256?profile=originalNollywood Actor wins Election ! Popular Musician & Actor Tony One Week.. http://bit.ly/l032No

 

 

12166228466?profile=originalOsama Bin Laden killed in Pakistan announced by Obama . Americans 29063ae8-ca20-4a34-8790-fdb000721314_part6.jpg?width=234Rejoice: AMERICANS REJOICE OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE...
Gaddafi's Son Killed: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi survived a NATO air strike on a Tripoli house that killed hi...

 

Mariah Carey gives birth to twins on wedding anniversary http://bit.ly/mRWCEv

 

 

Wicked boyfriend ‘kills’ lover’s son http://bit.ly/mgKQcs

 

Post-election riots " planned " ahead of time - Soyinka http://bit.ly/jJWS4J

http://a2.twimg.com/a/1304019356/phoenix/img/sprite-icons.png); background-position: -288px 0px; padding: 0px;">»
 
Sunday Sermon: Do you Speak in the Tongues of Men & Angels and have not Love ?: Speaking in a Heavenly Language ...
 
In honor of the dead corpers......: The worst thing we can do to ourselves as a nation is to move on with our li...
 
Obama's father forced out at Harvard:Called a Womanizer. The university was concerned about his personal life and finances, record...

 

 

Prince William And Kate's Kiss (PHOTOS) after saying I DO !: Prince William And Kate's Kiss (PHOTOS) …
 
Imo Youths Go Gaga, As Tension Mounts ….. As Nzeribe's wife escape lynching: There is palpable tension in the ca...

INI in UN

IMG_0066%255B1%255D.JPG?width=234

Ini Edo begins United Nations work http://bit.ly/mQDrfO

 

 

Rigged or NOT We Present The 23 Governors Elect.....2011-2015 http://bit.ly/kVGjf3

12166309676?profile=originalAre these Underage voters on a line waiting patiently to exercise their constitutional duty in Katsina ? http://bit.ly/kZQkZt


Arrest "BUHARI" Now or We Attack HAUSAS ! Niger Delta Militants. Are they Militant police now ? http://bit.ly/mj7sje

Today's promo: Secret Question: What would you pay 100 naira for ? http://bit.ly/hARciM

Partners:

Are you an artist painter,sculptor ? still trying to decipher the art landscape of 9geria ?

join http://www.decipher-art.com today the ist 9gerian art network !

 

http://www.mumzyerrands.co.uk send someone like you were there !

 

http://www.geeksandstitches.com Designs by Geeks for Stars

 

 

 

Read more…

AMERICANS REJOICE OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE !  

As news of the death of Osama bin Laden spread, a large crowd gathered in front of the White House to celebrate, chanting "U-S-A U-S-A" and waving American flags.

After midnight Monday, the throng had filled the street in front and was spilling into Lafayette Park. People rode there on bikes and some brought dogs and took pictures.29063ae8-ca20-4a34-8790-fdb000721314_part6.jpg

Legislative aide Will Ditto was getting ready to go to bed at his place on Capitol Hill when his mother called him with the news.

He called the terrorist leader's death "huge."

Twenty-year-old Alex Washofsky came despite finals on Monday at George Washington University. He's also a member of the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps.

He said former President George Bush said the U.S. would get Bin Laden dead or alive, "and we did it."


 

12166228466?profile=original

India calls Pakistan names

President Obama announced late Sunday that Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, was killed in a firefight during an operation he ordered Sunday inside Pakistan, ending a 10-year manhunt for the world's most wanted terrorist. American officials were in possession of his body, he said.

Here is the statement issued by Chidambaram on the incident:

Earlier today the United States Government informed the Government of India that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by security forces somewhere "deep inside Pakistan."  After the September 11, 2001 terror attack, the US had reason to seek Osama Bin Laden and bring him and his accomplices to justice.  

We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President Obama said that the fire fight in which Osama Bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad "deep inside Pakistan".  This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan.  We believe that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack, including the controllers and handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan.  We once again call upon the Government of Pakistan to arrest the persons whose names have been handed over to the Interior Minister of Pakistan as well as provide voice samples of certain persons who are suspected to be among the controllers and handlers of the terrorists.



Read more…

 

capt.709740e44b8c4035a5fd010a30debae1-709740e44b8c4035a5fd010a30debae1-0.jpg?x=213&y=318&xc=1&yc=1&wc=274&hc=409&q=85&sig=FwDwnMxQ5h3iWh.I4fdHZg--WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks against the United States, is dead, and the U.S. is in possession of his body, a person familiar with the situation said late Sunday.

President Barack Obama was expected to address the nation on the developments Sunday night.

Two senior counterterrorism officials confirmed that bin Laden was killed in Pakistan last week. One said bin Laden was killed in a ground operation, not by a Predator drone. Both said the operation was based on U.S. intelligence, and both said the U.S. is in possession of bin Laden's body.

Officials long believed bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, was hiding a mountainous region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak ahead of the president.

The development comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home.

Al-Qaida organization was also blamed for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 231 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors in Yemen, as well as countless other plots, some successful and some foiled.

 

Article extracted from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110502/ap_on_re_us/us_bin_laden

Read more…

Gaddafi's Son Killed

12166311259?profile=originalLibyan leader Muammar Gaddafi survived a NATO air strike on a Tripoli house that killed his youngest son Saif al-Arab and three young grandchildren, a government spokesman said on Sunday.

Libyan officials took journalists to the house, which had been hit by at least three missiles. The roof had completely caved in at places, leaving mangled rods of steel hanging down among splintered chunks of concrete.

"What we have now is the law of the jungle," government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told a news conference. "We think now it is clear to everyone that what is happening in Libya has nothing to do with the protection of civilians."

The deaths have not been independently confirmed. But they would be sure to heap pressure on NATO -- which denies targeting the Gaddafi family -- from opponents of the mission who say it goes beyond its U.N. mandate to protect civilians.

It would also show the vulnerability of Gaddafi himself.

Fighting in Libya's civil war, which grew from protests for greater political freedom that have spread across the Arab world, has reached stalemate in recent weeks with neither side capable of achieving a decisive blow.

Ibrahim said Gaddafi's youngest son, Saif al-Arab, was killed in the attack. Saif al-Arab, 29, is one of Gaddafi's less prominent sons, with a limited role in the power structure. Ibrahim described him as a student who had studied in Germany.

The grandchildren killed were pre-teens, Ibrahim said.

"The leader himself is in good health. He wasn't harmed," he said. "His wife is also in good health.

"This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country. This is not permitted by international law. It is not permitted by any moral code or principle."

NATO denies Gadaffi target

NATO denied targeting Gaddafi, or his family, but said in a statement it had launched air strikes on military targets in the same area of Tripoli as the bombed site seen by reporters.

"NATO continued its precision strikes against regime military installations in Tripoli overnight, including striking a known command and control building in the Bab al-Aziziyah neighbourhood shortly after 1800 GMT Saturday," it said.

NATO's commander of Libya operations, Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, said the target was part of a strategy to hit command centres that threaten civilians.

"All NATO's targets are military in nature...We do not target individuals," he said in a statement.

Any appearance of an assassination attempt against Gaddafi is likely to lead to accusations that the British- and French-led strikes are overstepping the provisions of the U.N. resolution to protect civilians.

Britain said on Sunday it was investigating reports the ambassador's residence in Tripoli had been attacked, along with other countries' diplomatic premises.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a long-time ally of Gaddafi, called the attack attempted murder.

"There is no doubt the order was given to kill Gaddafi. It doesn't matter who else is killed, kill Gaddafi... a murder, this is a murder," he said in Caracas.

Konstantin Kosachev, head of the international affairs committee in the lower house of Russia's parliament, told Interfax: "More and more facts indicate that the purpose of the anti-Libyan coalition is to physically destroy Gaddafi."

NATO's Bouchard said: "I am aware of unconfirmed media reports that some of Gaddafi's family members may have been killed. We regret all loss of life."

British Prime Minister David Cameron declined to comment on what he also called the "unconfirmed report".

He told BBC television: "The targeting policy of NATO and the alliance is absolutely clear. It is in line with the U.N. resolution 1973 and it is about preventing a loss of civilian life by targeting Gaddafi's war-making machine, so that is obviously tanks and guns, rocket launchers, but also command and control as well."

Second close call

Gaddafi, who seized power in a 1969 coup, is fighting an uprising by rebels who have seized much of eastern Libya. He describes the rebels as religious extremists and Western agents who seek to control Libya's oil.

Inside part of the villa hit late on Saturday, a beige sofa was virtually untouched, but debris had caved in on some striped upholstered chairs. The blasts were heard across the city.

A table football machine stood outside in the garden in a wealthy residential area. Glass and debris covered the lawns and what appeared to be an unexploded missile lay in one corner.

It appeared to be the second NATO strike near to Gaddafi in 24 hours. A missile struck near a television station early on Saturday when the Libyan leader was making an address in which he said he would never step down and offered talks to rebels.

The rebels say they cannot trust Gaddafi. The past days have seen fierce shelling of rebel outposts in the west. A rebel spokesman in Zintan said government forces showered the city with up to 30 Grad missiles late in the evening.

Tripoli has also declared a sea blockade on the western outpost of Misrata, potentially robbing the rebels of a vital aid link to their eastern heartland. An International Organisation for Migration ship, the Red Star One, was waiting offshore to deliver aid and evacuate migrants and the wounded.

A rebel spokesman and an oil official said an air strike destroyed a Gaddafi convoy after his forces killed five civilians in fighting in the eastern towns of Jalu and Awlijah. More fighting also broke out close to the Tunisia-Libyan border, scene of repeated skirmishes over the past days.

Celebratory rifle fire and car horns rang out in the rebels' eastern capital of Benghazi as news of the attack spread.

However, the rebels' military spokesman Ahmed Bani, a former colonel in Gaddafi's army, told Reuters: "We don't believe it. I'm sure if he was killed it was not by an air strike. We know him (Gaddafi) as a man with a big mouth."

The announcement of the attack was made live on state television, which later showed hundreds of people in and around Gaddafi's compound, chanting and vowing revenge.

"We will fight and fight if we have to," Ibrahim said. "The leader offered peace to NATO yesterday and NATO rejected it."

Gaddafi's daughter was killed in a U.S. air strike in 1986, ordered after a bomb attack on a West Berlin discotheque killed two U.S. servicemen. Washington linked Tripoli to the attack.

Read more…

12166310698?profile=originalThe babies were born shortly after 9 a.m. local time at a Los Angeles hospital, said Carey's representative, Cindi Berger.

 

 

Berger said the babies weigh over 5 pounds each, and the girl is 18 inches long while the boy is 19 inches. The names of the children were not immediately known.

Grammy winning singer Carey and Cannon, an actor and rapper, were married on April 30, 2008.

"Babies were born on their wedding anniversary," Berger said in a statement. "Not even Mariah could plan that!"

Carey announced she was pregnant in October. At the time, Cannon said the couple delayed telling people about the pregnancy because Carey once suffered a miscarriage

Read more…
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Thursday decried the post-election violence in some Northern states, saying it was "planned well ahead of time." He described the killings that followed the riots as an 'unbelievable waste of lives,' and pointed out that they (killings) had further brought to the front burner, the concept of Nigeria. The playwright spoke just as the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army said it had arrested more than 108 people in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Delta, Edo and Kwara states during Tuesday's governorship and state assembly elections. Election observers on the platform of Project 2011 Swiftcount had also on Thursday reported an upsurge of critical election-related incidents, including ballot snatching and violence during Tuesday's polls. Addressing journalists at a news conference in Lagos, Soyinka lamented that the destruction of lives, especially during elections in the country had persisted because leaders have never prosecuted the perpetrators. "There should be no arbitrary laws. One for the mindless mobs that are kept as executioners to be called up anytime. Boko Haram, for instance, is a product of complacence and complicity of leaders and past presidents who cultivate and appease them to stay in power," Soyinka said. He said he was particularly appalled by the "glee with which the decimation of human lives" was carried out by rioters and the "sadistic satisfaction" which certain sections of the society received the revolt against their traditional rulers. Wondering why "we call ourselves one Nigeria when we do not go to polls with the same mind," the renowned scholar argued that Sovereign National Conference could no longer be ignored. SNC, according to him, will deal with various issues, including "the majority pay to minority lawmakers and other core issues that affect the Nigerian nation." He said that it was regrettable that past leaders who ought to have made the SNC a reality reduced it to a banal level and opportunistic interpretations, including the argument that it was capable of dividing the country. His words, "Why do we call ourselves one Nigeria when we do not go to polls with the same mind? The killings were done on a wrong foundation. In the end, they were carried out for nothing, fuelled by deliberate misinformation. The riots were planned well ahead of time." Soyinka also lamented the killings of Nigerian Youth Service Corp members, saying that the scheme should have been inviolable to the rioters. He stated that it was unfortunate that those who incited the crisis in the North were not remorseful, judging from their body language. Soyinka, therefore, charged President Goodluck Jonathan to find a solution to the crisis. The playwright said, "I hereby charge President Jonathan on the SNC. This is not a matter of good luck. Good luck cannot carry you through a crisis. He has no choice but to tackle the problem in a comprehensive manner otherwise, I greatly fear for the continuity of this nation." Soyinka also said that going by the figures available to him as a part of a monitoring group, Reclaim Naija, he believed that Jonathan won the April 16 presidential poll. He said the reports he had, showed the elections went well in most places with impressive turnout, except for incidences of underage voting, ballot box snatching and pockets of violence. Soyinka said "It is not my business to comment on the methods which include allegations of voter inducement etc. because I am dealing straight with figures from Reclaim Naija." He also praised the people of Ogun State for "finally redeeming themselves from a fetish and thuggish government." Soyinka added that Ogun people should not have tolerated the shutting down of the state assembly but had through the ballot, humiliated the 'oppressive mafia' that had ruled the state for almost eight years. In Abuja, Project 2011 Swiftcount, said that 'critical election related incidents' during Tuesday's governorship and state assembly elections were highest in the South-East and South-South. This was contained in an interim report made public by the election monitor in Abuja. The First co-chair of the project, Dafe Akpedeye, said that 937 critical incident reports were received from its mobile observers deployed in 34 states of the federation. Akpedeye said, "This is in an increase compared to 628 reports received during the presidential election. This situation, particularly in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Rivers states, pose a great threat to citizens' franchise. "It set a negative template against the backdrop of a particular desire for credible elections in those states. The reported critical incidents were concentrated in the South South (more than 40%). "Delta had a total of 178 total incidents, with intimidation and harassment being the topmost; Akwa Ibom recorded 161 incidents, with violence being in the majority; while Imo had 76 incidents reported, with violence being in the majority; while Imo had 76 incidents reported, with violence and intimidation leading the list." The report noted that the most frequently reported incidents were intimidation or harassment, violence, vote buying/bribery, ballot snatching/stuffing, and illegal voting. Meanwhile, the spokesman of the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Omale Ochagwuba, has said that 108 suspects were arrested on Tuesday for election-related offences. Thirty one of them , including a lady, were held in Olomi in Ibadan, Oyo State with live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, dane guns, machetes, locally made pistols, axes, 27 cartridges and charms. One Adesola, an Action Congress of Nigeria supervisor in Ibadan, said Ochagwuba was also arrested with vehicle marked Lagos HW 324 AAA for unauthorised movement and mobilisation. The army division's spokesman added that 40 suspected thugs, who claimed to be railway workers, were arrested at Offa, Kwara State. He said one Adebisi Kunle of Agowande was also arrested in Osogbo, Osun State with charms, a pistol with 11 live rounds of ammunition and an INEC voter card belonging to one Mr Aworemi Wale. The remaining suspects, include 14 that were held in Ogun State; four in Delta State and seven in Edo State. Ochagwuba said that all the suspects were handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
Read more…

Little five-year-old Ayo Azeez had known his mother’s boyfriend, Adesile Ogooluwa (41 ) for a while and had seen him as his “stepfather”. His mother had left his biological father after irreconcilable misunderstanding which led to their separation.

amina-ib[1].gif?width=200
Amina

 

 

 

The story, however, changed when family members intervened in the rift between her and her husband. “I cannot but listen to my people when they insisted that I should go back to the father of my only son, he was also willing to take me back”, she told Daily Sun.

 

Trouble was, how does she summon enough courage to inform her new lover about the new development that wouldcertainly end their dream of living together as husband and wife? Somehow she did, but, the news was not taken in good faith by Ogooluwa, as he was said to be desperate to have Amina as his wife. All entreaties to let him see reason fell on deaf ears. Amina eventually left Lagos and returned to Ibadan to live with her former husband. Broken -hearted Ogooluwa decided to take his pound of flesh.

 

He went to Amina’s mother’s house in Ibadan, where she was at the time, under the pretence that he was in town on an errand and had called to say hello. He allegedly demanded that Amina allow Ayo to go out with him. “Since that was not the first time they’ve been going out together, I couldn’t object and besides Ayo was fond of him, that was the last time I saw my son alive”. She recounted amidst tears.

 

Ogooluwa, now a suspect, was said to have called after some hours, threatening the mother to come and pick the boy if she loved herself somewhere around Odinjo area of Ibadan and like a true mother would act, she rushed to the area, but couldn’t find them there. She later called and was informed by the suspect that he had moved to Olorunsogo area with the little boy. “We eventually located the address he gave us at Olorunsogo, we asked him for my boy and he told us he was sleeping. We immediately rushed in to see the boy, but as we were trying to rush into the room, he ran out, that was when we found my son in the pool of his own blood”, Amina said.

 

The boy was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but he gave up even before any medication could be administered on him. Understanding the gravity of his offence, the suspect was said to have rushed back to Lagos.

Unfortunately for him, his father had received a message informing him of the evil his son had allegedly perpetrated in Ibadan. The father, Daily Sun learnt, played along with him, pretending he was unaware of the incident.

 

He was said to have given him food and while eating went ahead to the police station to effect his arrest.

He was consequently arrested and brought back to Ibadan to face the law. The suspect is being interrogated by the state police command. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olatunji Ajimuda, a Superintendent, confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect, adding that the police had since commenced full investigation into the matter.

Read more…

Blog Topics by Tags

  • in (506)
  • to (479)
  • of (339)
  • ! (213)
  • as (166)
  • is (157)
  • a (156)

Monthly Archives