Ghanian President John Atta Mills says African leaders are refusing to cooperate with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir because it is best for Africa.
President Mills says last week's decision by the African Union to ignore the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for the Sudanese leader was hotly debated at the alliance meeting in Libya.
"At the end, we arrived at a decision by consensus," he said. "And let me say that when you belong to a group where you believe in democracy, the decision taken by the group is binding on you, not that I dissented."
President Mills says he was convinced by the argument that the court's case against President al-Bashir differs from cases against former Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba and Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony.
The International Criminal Court issued its arrest warrant in connection with charges that the Sudanese leader is responsible for human rights abuses in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
President Mills says arresting President al-Bashir would hamper efforts to bring peace to that region, where more than 200,000 Sudanese refugees already live in camps across the border in Chad.
"We need a lasting solution for Darfur," he said. "And the President of Sudan, al-Bashir, is a major part of the solution. So that is why we called for postponement. That is why we expressed the view that with him out, it is going to be very difficult to get any solution in that country. We did that because we thought that was the best for Africa."
The human rights group Amnesty International says the African Union decision undermines its credibility and shows disdain for those in Darfur who have suffered. By supporting a person facing an international arrest warrant for war crimes, the group says the African Union is making a mockery of itself as an international body.
Since the warrant was issued, President al-Bashir has traveled only to countries that have not signed on to the international court and therefore do not fall under its jurisdiction. Khartoum says it believes the African Union decision to ignore the warrant means Mr. al-Bashir is free to travel within Africa without fear of arrest.
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The Central Bank of Nigeria sold $162.2 million at 145.90 naira per dollar at its daily foreign exchange auction on Wednesday, as demand increased sharply to $191.74 million, traders said on Thursday. The regulator had sold $136.12 million at 145.75 …
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's new central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, won strong approval from foreign investors when he used his first policy meeting to unveil a root-and-branch reform of the country's chaotic banking system.
Once a darling of frontier markets, Nigeria's economy -- sub-Saharan Africa's second-biggest -- faltered with the sharp decline in oil prices and the global downturn. Regulators have scrambled to defend the local currency and capital markets in Africa's most populous nation.
In its first monetary policy meeting under Sanusi, a revitalized central bank (CBN) on Tuesday slashed interest rates by 2 percentage points, lifted foreign exchange controls and guaranteed interbank transactions for the next nine months.
"There will be no half-measures when it comes to resolving Nigeria's financial sector problems and supporting growth," said Razia Khan, Standard Chartered's head of Africa research.
"The steps taken (on Tuesday), initiated by the new CBN governor who has promised to prioritise the cleanup of the financial sector, are the most promising yet."
Markets did not immediately react to the news on Wednesday as traders digested the long list of changes.
"Lending rates have not really changed and the interbank rate is still where it was," said Leke Sule, dealer at Fidelity Bank. "We think maybe tomorrow investors will begin to re-price risk, re-assess the yield curve and re-adjust."
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British taxpayers are to provide £1million for a comfortable jail in nig.e.ria to take convicts whose crimes were committed in the UK.
The prison would house 400 nig.e.rian inmates incarcerated in our own packed prisons who cannot be forcibly sent home to complete their punishments.
Jails there are considered so rough that any prisoner the UK tried to deport could oppose their removal on human rights grounds.
But the Government hopes that by spending as much as £1million turning a rundown nig.e.rian prison into something approaching British standards, the convicts could be repatriated.
Lin Homer, the UK Border agency chief, said it would save taxpayers' mone
Lin Homer, the chief executive of the UK Border Agency, told MPs the deal would save taxpayers' money, because the UK would no longer have to pay the £30,000-a-year cost of keeping inmates in our own jails.
'We are in negotiations with nig.e.ria to help them establish better prison conditions,' she said.
'It's about helping them generate a structure that can cope with the prisoners. It would be well worth the money to do so.'
But Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It's an absolute scandal that British taxpayers may foot the bill for a nig.e.rian prison.
'The Government should not even entertain this nonsense proposal, particularly at a time when our own prison service is so desperately in need of funds.
'If nig.e.rians are here illegally and are going to be deported, we should be sending them home immediately.'
Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister, said: 'This should not mean in the long term we build prisons all around the world instead of sorting out our own deportation processes.'
Ministers have been frantically searching for a solution to the UK's chronic prisoner overcrowding crisis since 2005, when the number of foreign criminals soared past 11,000 - the equivalent of more than one in every eight inmates.
Prisoners have been offered cash windfalls - which some say are bribes - if they returned home voluntarily.
Boy?s feet in shackles at a Young Peoples Home in Jos/nig.e.ria
A prisoner's feet at shackled in Jos jail in nig.e.ria
But this is the first time the Government has announced firm plans to provide funding for a jail overseas.
The idea had been suggested in relation to Jamaica, but never got off the ground.
It would require nig.e.ria to change its laws so prisoners could be sent back without their consent.
Human rights groups say current conditions in nig.e.rian prisons are appalling.
Amnesty International said there was severe overcrowding, and more than half of prisoners are awaiting trial - some for up to ten years.
During the same home affairs committee evidence session yesterday, Mrs Homer updated MPs on how the Home Office is dealing with two scandals - the 2006 foreign prisoner fiasco, and the discovery of up to 450,000 outstanding asylum claims.
Three years on from the mistaken release of 1,000 overseas inmates without them even being considered for deportation, almost two-thirds are still in the UK.
Incredibly, 87 of the 1,000 convicts - who included killers and sex attackers - have yet to be even traced. Of those who have been located, only 348 have been deported or removed.
The remainder have either been told they can stay - often because removal back to their homeland would be a breach of human rights law - or are still going through the deportation process.
Mrs Homer also revealed that, so far, 197,500 of the 450,000 asylum 'legacy' cases discovered by the Home Office in 2006 had been processed.
More than 30 per cent have been awarded asylum, in an exercise that has been described an amnesty by opponents. At current rates, more than 100,000 people with claims dating back years will be awarded permission to stay in the UK.
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A pet Burmese python measuring more than 8 feet long broke out of a terrarium and strangled a 2-year-old girl in her bedroom Wednesday at a central Florida home, authorities said. Shaiunna Hare was already dead when paramedics arrived at about 10 a.m., Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said.
Charles Jason Darnell, the snake's owner and the boyfriend of Shaiunna's mother, discovered the snake missing from its terrarium and went to the girl's room, where he found it on the girl and bite marks on her head, Caruthers said. Darnell, 32, stabbed the snake until he was able to pry the child away.
"The baby's dead!" a sobbing caller from the house screamed to a 911 dispatcher in a recording. "Our stupid snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby."
Authorities did not identify the caller and removed the person's name from the recording.
"She got out of the cage last night and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death," the caller said.
Authorities removed the snake from the home Wednesday afternoon after obtaining a search warrant. Once outside the small, tan home, bordered by cow pastures, the snake was placed in a bag then inside a dog crate. The snake was still alive.
this people never hear python na wild animal????????? One cute girl gone because of sheer carelesness. I hope they will be prosecuted. Rubbish
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Chrome OS, Google’s newly announced computer operating system, is coming this Autumn and promises to revolutionize netbooks and other underpowered machines. Essentially, the OS is a small, fast-booting platform whose purpose is to run a browser, and from there all the Google apps and other web services you know and love. But why bother? Your netbook already has a browser and access to Google’s applications. What could Chrome do for you and your netbook?
Cost
Netbooks are cheap. So cheap that a disproportionately large chunk of the cost is made up of a Windows license. Ever wondered why the Linux versions of netbooks cost around $50 less? Microsoft tax. Chrome OS is based on Linux and will, like most Google products, be free, bringing the price of a $500 netbook down by 10% — not a small discount.
Speed
Windows 7 runs faster than Vista on a netbook. Scratch that. Windows 7 runs on a netbook, period. But Chrome OS is designed to run on low-powered Atom and ARM processors, and web based applications don’t require that much horsepower on the client end so it should be faster still. Better, it will be small. Google is promising boot times measured in seconds, not minutes, so battery life should also get a boost — it will be possible to cold boot instead of sleeping or hibernating the machine, saving precious juice.
Compatibility
Google says that “[Users] don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates.” One of the big problems with using anything but Windows XP on a netbook has been drivers. Try installing OS X on one if you don’t believe us, or any version of Linux not specifically designed for your model. If Google can come up with an OS that can be downloaded, dropped onto any machine and then “just works”, we might just have the ultimate portable OS.
Portability
Netbooks are meant for the road. At home, a bigger computer is almost always better but when traveling, a netbook shines. Swapping between the two is a pain, though. With Chrome, you can bet that all of Google’s service - Gmail, Google Docs, Picasa and so on — will be built-in and have offline access via Google Gears. If you are a good Google Citizen and use all these services, you’ll never have to worry about having all your latest data with you, whether you have a net connection or not.
New Applications
With its web services, Google has been slowly duplicating everything that we can do locally on our computers. Almost. There are a few things that Google doesn’t do yet, most notably a video player and a music jukebox. Sure, there’s YouTube, but what happens when you want to watch something other than a skateboarding dog in a blender? There are open-source options: The awesome VLC video player has just reached v1.0, for example, and the Songbird music player, based on Firefox, can even sync with an iPod. Both already run on some flavors of Linux.
Google may use these, buy them or even roll its own. One thing is sure, though: If Google can put out a whole OS that is as clean, fast and focused as its individual web products, the Chrome OS could be a revolution. A free revolution that could be making Microsoft extremely uncomfortable right now.
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo may have left judgment in the hands of the almighty God and taken the death of his wife, Stella, as what fate brought, but Spanish authorities have not given up as the doctor who handled the surgery that led to her death will on Friday appear in court on a charge of negligent manslaughter.
The cosmetic surgeon from a Marbella clinic in Spain is being tried on a charge which may earn him two years in prison and a ban from working as a plastic surgeon for five years for the 2005 death of the then Nigerian first lady due to complications allegedly caused by the surgery he carried out, reported euroweeklynews.com yesterday.
The news website quoted the public prosecutor’s office as claiming that in August 2005, the 59-year-old late Mrs Obasanjo attended the exclusive Molding cosmetic surgery clinic in the upmarket town of Puerto Banus to enquire about a cosmetic surgery operation.
She was seen by the accused who, following some tests, gave her an appointment for her to return for more tests on October 20 for the procedure to take place the following day.
According to the prosecution, despite the fact that the accused had carried out more than 300 liposuction procedures in the past, he allegedly made several errors that punctured Stella Obasanjo’s liver and colon.
During the hours following the operation and in the post-operation, the prosecution claimed the injuries caused a massive amount of blood loss that led to several complications that eventually caused the patient septic shock that were not diagnosed by the doctor.
When the doctor allegedly eventually realised there were problems, he caused Stella Obasanjo to be transferred to Marbella’s USP Hospital by a clinic vehicle instead of helicopter despite the clinic having an arrangement with the medical helicopter firm. It is thought that she had suffered a severe asthma attack and lapsed into a coma.
The hospital in Marbella said all efforts to revive her failed because she was in an advanced state of shock.
Mrs. Obasanjo died in the early hours of October 23, 2005 in the hospital. The prosecution considers the action of the doctor as constituting negligent manslaughter.
In addition to the prison sentence, the public prosecutor’s office is seeking 120,000 euros in compensation for the victim’s family.
Stella Obasanjo was born into the Abebe family of Iruekpen, Edo State. Her father, Dr. Christopher Abebe, was the first African chairman of the United African Company (UAC). Her mother, Theresa Abebe, is a graduate of the Pitman College, London.
The paths of the mother of the late first lady and the ex-president first crossed in 1976 in London when the then Stella Abebe was studying in England. Obasanjo, then a colonel and ex-war commander was on a course.
Stella started her education at Our Lady of Apostles Primary School, Yaba, Lagos. Young Stella enrolled at the famous St. Theresa’s College, Ibadan, where she obtained her West African School Certificate.
She completed her education with a certificate as confidential secretary from the Pitman College in 1976. She returned to Nigeria in 1976 and soon after married General Obasanjo, who had become Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.
In 1995, during the military dictatorship in Nigeria, when Obasanjo was jailed on trumped up charges of plotting to overthrow the government of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Stella campaigned for her husband's release
There are some many things that qualifies one to be called a true born Naija Person..I say the things dem plenty well well..Also,there are many things that are found only in Naija..I mean ways of life..talking,and other things. Check out the List 1:Its only in Naija that Young Guys eat Beans and Bread?2:Na 4 Naija U go hear say Thief dey Rob 4 Church.3:In Naija,When they bring Light(Electricity)Everybody shout Up Nepa4:In Naija,even when you koboless,you can dress like a millionaire.5:In Naija,Men dont give their fellow Men Lifts on the way,except they have booby(U know what i mean)6:Na 4 Naija when you are in a public means of transport,u dont interact..everybody carries a long face.7:In Naija,You can get almost anything in its fake version..Shoes,Clothes,jewry,currency,women ..even these days,their are fake Leaders.8:In Naija no Sociall security.9:Na only for Naija You see People with lots of Cars wasting away in their garage.10:Lastly..na 4 only naija u see politicians spending their ill-gotten wealth on parties and no one talks,afterall na chop i chop...What a country!...yet we still believe things go work out some day...''The Choosen Leaders are not yet Born" He go better!
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When news that well-loved Nigerian actress Stella Damasus had remarried broke, the majority of her fans began asking. Who did she marry? Soon after we got a name, Emeka Nzeribe but still no details on Mr. Nzeribe were leaked. Not even a photo. Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel as Mode Mag has grabbed the scoop. Their new issue exclusively reveals Mr. Nzeribe. Check out the cover below! from bellaOh well,its been four whole years since jaiye passed on and stella has definitely moved on and gotten her groove back.insiders confirm she wed emeka nzeribe recently in owerri(imo state) and the registry wedding took place inside her lekki home .The sources say it held either on saturday march 7,2009 or sunday march 8,2009 and that ''stella and emeka are passionately in love and the only way to seal their love was to get hooked and they are happy with the choice they have made''.sources also whisper that the new husband will move into his wifes lekki home as it is more convenient.stella met emeka after her relationship to lanre broke up.she dated emeka secretly for a while before taking this plunge into marriage for the second time.emeka is rather very good looking,a little on the plump side,dark skinned and has a fantastic smile.they have both attended star studded events together but arrived venue seperately and left seperatelyHeres PRAYING she she finds fulfillment in this marriage!...we wish her all the best of luck.
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N.IG.ERIA.NS, from early next year, may be able to buy a brand new car for just N400,000.
Tata Motors announces the launching of the world's cheapest production car, the "Tata Nano"
Indication to this emerged on Friday as it was gathered that India’s largest vehicle manufacturers, Tata, is planning to introduce ultra-cheap car, Nano, into the Nigerian market.
According to reports, the company will, from 2010, introduce the Nano brand along with its Indica Vista hatchback and Sumo Grande models in to the African market with Nigeria expected to be its first port of call.
It said the beautiful car would cost between N375,480 and N400,000 when it is launched in Nigeria in 2010.
According to its website, Tata Nano is the world’s most affordable car in the market. It has an engine of 32 LP, a tank of 624cc, a two-cylinder engine placed at the rear of the vehicle.
It also said the main body of the car is steel while the bumpers are plastic. It weighs 1,322 pounds and has space for four passengers.
However, it could not be ascertained whether the vehicle would be assembled in Nigeria or imported directly from India, but sources said the car and other brands would also be sold in South Africa and Senegal, but that Nigeria would be the first port of call of the car.
Between the ages of 15-20 a woman is like Africa.She is half discovered, half wild.Between the ages of 20-30 a woman is like America.Fully discovered and scientifically perfect.Between the ages of 30-35, she is like India Japan.Very hot, wise and beautiful !!!!!!!!!Between the ages of 35-40 a woman is like France.She is half destroyed after the war but still desirable.Between the ages of 40-50 she is like Germany.She lost the war but not the hope.Between the ages of 50-60 she is like Russia.Very wide, very quiet but nobody goes there.Between the ages of 60-70 a woman is like England.With a glorious past but no future.After 70, they become Siberia.Everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there.
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Eggs: When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the eggis probably past its prime.Meat: If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a 3block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.Flour: If it wiggles...it's spoiled.Lettuce: Bibb lettuce is spoiled when you can't get it off the bottomof the vegetable crisper without Comet. Romaine lettuce is spoiled whenit turns liquid.Raisins: Raisins should not be harder than your teeth.Potatoes: Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches or dense, leafyundergrowth.Chip dip: If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on thefloor, it has gone bad.Unmarked item: You know its well beyond its prime when you're temptedto discard the Tupperware along with the food. Generally speaking,Tupperware containers should not burp when you open them.Frozen food: Frozen foods that have become an integral part of thedefrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably bespoiled (or wrecked, anyway) by the time you pry them out with ahammer and knife.
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Little Johnny is at it again... President Obama was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.The teacher asked the president if he would like to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy'?So our illustrious president asked the class for an example of a 'tragedy'.One little boy stood up and offered:'If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him, that would be a tragedy?'> 'No,' said Obama, 'that would be an accident.' A little girl raised her hand: 'If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy.' 'I'm afraid not,' explained Obama. 'That's what we would call great loss.' The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Obama searched the room. 'Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?' Finally at the back of the room, Little Johnny raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: If the plane carrying you and Mrs. Obama was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy.''Fantastic!' exclaimed Obama. 'That's right. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?''Well,' says the boy, 'It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss... and it probably wouldn't be an accident either.
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Budget airline Ryanair has come up with a possible new cost-cutting measure in the form of stools rather than seats on flights.
The Irish no-frills carrier is looking at the possibility of increasing capacity on flights by getting some passengers to squat on stools.
These passengers would pay less than those in "normal" seats or possibly fly for free.
Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said that the airline's chief executive Michael O'Leary had already been in touch with aircraft manufacturer Boeing to see if such a scheme was feasible.
Mr McNamara said: "If it's possible, if we can get the IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) to approve it and if it can reduce fares even further we will be doing it."
Mr O'Leary told Sky News that he got the idea from the Chinese airline Spring, which said it could squeeze 50% more passengers on board and cut costs by 20%.
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He who lends to the poor gets his interest from God.The charitable give out the door and God puts it back through the window.Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.We get to make a living; we give to make a life.No one became poor by giving alms.READ MORE MOTIVATING WORDS AT muyiwaandthepoems.blogspot.com
SAW THIS AND DECIDED TO SHARE...VERY TRUE OH!!
1. He understands your accent.
2. He knows that when you suffix every sentence with 'now', its not a command, e.g. "Come let's go now..."
3. When you guys go out, he pays and doesn't expect a refund of exactly half!
4. He understands why you have to send money home - probably doing the same himself!
5. He doesn't see your kid sister staying in your house as an inconvenience/ cramping his style. 6. He doesn't think you should put your parents in a home.
7. He eats 'Gbegiri and Amala' and doesn't think it's 'yucky' or 'spicy'. In a nutshell, loves your cooking
8. He gets your jokes.
9. The way he licks his ten fingers 'cos that Ogbono soup with Iyan hit da spot, Oh Yes!!!
10. He has got his education or he got something going on.
11. He may be a baby daddy but he loves his kid and takes care of him.
12. He can have a bus load of conversation without him saying much 'cos his momma taught him that.
13. He loves to see you shake that ass to Sir Shina Peters, the original "Back That Ass Up" master.
14. He will settle an argument and say sorry while maintaining his man status.
15. I am IN charge but he is THE charge, we understand that.
16. He knows where he is from. Living in NY does not mean you are from NY.
17. He thinks you're so pretty without makeup.
18. He calls you native endearing names like "Nne" or "Omo"
19. He has respect [not to be confused with obedience) for his elders(important).
20. The way he gets embarrased and says "I beg oh" when you compliment him.
21. The way he says "I love you baby" ? may be very fake yet sounds so TRUE!
22. The way he eats meat with his bare hands? for some reason it is sexy to me.
23. The way he calls you his wife in front of all his friends.
24. The way he says "Shey you get am" when he thinks you are not paying attention, but you really are.
25. The way he knows that it is you calling and answers the phone "Hey Baby!" without looking at the caller ID.
26. The way Naija men look when they are all decked out in native? there is nothing sexier than a dark chocolate man in lace o!
27. Pronounces your name like say na im born you.
28. The way he flows from Ebonics to Pidgin English to Akata with ease.
29. He is just at home at your office picnic as he is at the Naija reunion.
30. The very satisfied look on his face after eating one of your meals and the way he glares at you while picking his teeth with the tooth pick,and you both know that you are his next "meal". 31. He appreciates the art of yanshrolling when he sees one!
32. Keeps you from doing wahala by buying a stickshift vehicle he knows U can't drive!
33. He saves you money on groceries a la "limited diet". Just cook the stew and he'll figure the rest? Eba, Amala, Fufu or even plain old White Bread!
34. No need for breast implants to impress am!
35. No need to go kill himself trying to maintain a six pack. He knows u know big belle is sexy inside Agbada!
36. He knows to allow you like three hours to get ready for a party!
37. He will not complain when you waka with headful of rollers inside house but quick to let you know that aint nothing sexy about that when you want to go outside.
38. Her singing while doing housework is a classic reminder of wetin you dey miss when you dey carry Akata woman!
39. His lunch (Rice, Beans, Dodo, complete with carefully selected assorted meat) wey you pack for am na something u know sey im no go wait "Palam" (gobble up!) when him reach work
40. He thinks the small gap between your front teeth are actually sexy!!!!
Finally, Cool Cos He Is Just A Naija Man Period!!!"
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Shock, horror; yesterday he even learned not to cry. It seemed fitting that Andy Roddick’s challenge had left him too exhausted, too mentally drained and too emotionally shot even to even offer his usual trick of watering the Centre Court lawn with his tears.
That is what number 15 and sporting history took out of him. Never before has he had to delve so feverishly into his endless reserves of champion’s resolve to win a grand slam title. Never before has he looked more like a warrior than a wizard. And never before should all those tears have rightfully been reserved for his almost heroic, but ultimately broken opponent.
To break the seemingly unbreakable, Federer offered a four-and-a-quarter-hour snapshot of his peerless career; the brilliance, the glory but, most of all, the guts. He had to. Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras had come to pay homage to their successor. And, as they chatted to him afterwards, did the icons perhaps even recognise their superior?
Sampras did. The best ever, he proclaimed Federer. When the seven-time champion turned up in the Royal Box, Federer heard the applause at the changeover, walked out to serve and gave his illustrious guest a nod of acknowledgement.
“I said 'hello’. I thought 'I don’t want to be rude’. But when I saw him, I did get more nervous.” Typical Federer. The only champion who worries about being polite to visitors during a game.
Sampras was suitably impressed. “He makes it look so effortless,” he cooed. Only yesterday, in what has to be considered the equal of last year’s unreal contest between Rafael Nadal and Federer – if not quite in quality, then at least in terms of the longevity of drama in that incredible last set – it was a tribute to Roddick’s effort that the Swiss really did look as if he was forced to labour harder than ever before.
This was a test of nerve. Not full of monumental rallies like last year but, as Federer put it, more a throwback to the big serve-and-volley fests of yore. That last set could have come from a Hollywood western. Who would be the last man standing? There were moments when you swore it would be Roddick. He seemed more aggressive than Federer, whose date with history had seemed to pacify him.
After all, it may have been the American’s best-ever performance. Think of it; 10 times you have to serve to stay in the match against the greatest player of all-time, the man who has routinely tortured you, and 10 times you do not blink. But when he lost at the 11th attempt it was not just because his body, wearied from a fortnight of rare battles, at last betrayed him. It was because Federer was too tough for the streetfighter.
That is what gave the Swiss the most satisfaction. “I came through a match I couldn’t control,” he explained. “If I’d gone two sets to love down with the way Andy was serving, I would have been in a very difficult situation.” Yes, a losing one.
So let’s return to the key moment of the match. Federer, a set and 6-2 down, is facing four set points in the second set tie-break. What happens next?
First point saved: an exquisite cross-court pass picked up on the half-volley to leave Roddick floundering. Second point, an unreturned serve; third point, an ace; fourth point, forcing Roddick to volley wide out of his comfort zone.
Here was Federer in crisis, growing not shrinking. Then the kill; a beautiful cross-court backhand chipped past Roddick to earn the mini-break before applying the pressure on set point to force Roddick to strike a final backhand long.
How long will that torment Roddick for? For ever and a day, probably. On court afterwards, the ever-gracious Federer tried to remind his rival that he had suffered a similar defeat to Nadal last year and come back stronger.
“Yeah, but you’d already won five,” Roddick muttered inconsolably.
But even then, he could not bring himself to hate his conqueror. No-one can. Because as Sampras suggested, you can only celebrate a champion who is as humble and gracious off court as he is murderous on it. We are talking about a sportsman, and a sporting achievement, for the ages.
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"ol'boy, see small Ghana o"The labour department in Ghana(PWD) is to introduce 'new titles' toremove inferiority complex, so that workers could be proud andcomfortable with their professional Titles.These are:1. Garden Boy - Landscape Executive and Animal Nutritionist2. House Maid - Domestic Operations Specialist3. Typist - Printed Document Handler4. Messenger - Regional Business Communications Conveyer5. Window Cleaner - Transparent Wall Technician6. Temporary Teacher - Associate Tutor7. Tea Boy - Refreshments Overseer8. Garbage Collector - Public Sanitation Technician9. Watchman - Area Theft Prevention and Surveillance Officer10. Thief - Wealth Redistribution Officer11. Driver - Automobile Propulsion Specialist12. Cook - Food Technician and Preparation Office
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Mbet Udoaka watched helplessly as his wife and 3week old newborn baby died in the blaze.
The 37-year-old raced home from work after receiving a frantic call from his wife Helen, who said she was trapped in their flat with their three-week-old daughter Michelle.
He tried to rush past police and firefighters, but they blocked his way. Instead, he stayed on the phone to Helen, 34, until she lost consciousness.
Mr Udoaka’s cousin Mary said: ‘Helen was panicking, but they were on the phone to each other constantly until she was too weak to cry. He was beside himself. He so wanted to run to their rescue but was stopped.’
She added: ‘Michelle was brought out at about 8pm and taken to King’s College Hospital wearing an oxygen mask. Mbet went with her. But she was dead.‘Michelle was their first child. Everyone in the family was so pleased and they were just planning the christening. They were such a loving couple.’
Another father has told of his devastation after his wife and two children were killed in the Camberwell tower block inferno in London.
Harrowing witness accounts have revealed mobile phone conversations with victims of the tragedy as they tried vainly to escape the flames.
Rafael Francisquini, 31, watched helplessly as wife Dayana, 26, daughter Thais, six, and son Filipe, three, were trapped in their 11th-floor flat.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "I have lost everything. They were my world, my two babies and my beautiful wife. They were my angels."
Police yesterday named the three other victims as Helen Udoaka, 34, her three-week-old baby Michelle and Helen's friend, Catherine Hickman, 31.
They were killed in the next-door flat.
Police are treating the fire, which started in an unoccupied ninth-floor flat on Friday afternoon, as suspicious.
Yolimar Caboz, 33, said she was on the phone to her friend and neighbour Ms Francisquini who had locked herself and her two children in their bathroom in a
bid to survive.
"Dayana told me, 'I tried to get out but the firemen told me to stay in the bathroom with the children and put wet towels on the floor'," she said.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the advice to remain inside a bathroom with wet towels at the base of the door was standard procedure.
Local MP Harriet Harman said people were "asking questions" following the tragedy at Lakanal Flats.
She said: "There will have to be a thorough investigation into what caused this fire and whether the prevention was adequate.
"There are many blocks with one central stairwell and questions will have to be asked about what happens when a fire breaks out."
Eleven residents were discharged from hospital after treatment while one person, a firefighter, remains in hospital.
His condition is not thought to be serious, however.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Nick Collins described the blaze as "one of the most significant fires in London for some time".
He added that firefighters were on the scene within five minutes but had faced "very difficult operational circumstances".
Several residents said the complicated layout of the flats made the process of evacuating the building difficult.
Ed Hammond, 37, an accountant who lives on the seventh floor, described the flats as "death traps".
He said: "If the fire is in the central area, you would virtually have nowhere to go."
Zahera Chaudry, 21, whose sister was in a first-floor flat when the blaze broke out, added: "These buildings should have been torn down years ago."
Witnesses described seeing those trapped inside screaming for help as more than 100 firefighters and 18 fire engines battled the blaze.
Lincent Johnson, 28, who lives across the street, said: "The people were in the windows, screaming out for help.
"There was panic, there were a lot of people screaming.
"It wasn't that big at first but it started to spread so quickly."
Speaking at the scene, Chief Superintendent Chance said the fire is being treated as suspicious.
He said officers were dealing with a "large and complex scene" and added: "The investigation is likely to take some time."
WHAT A COUNTRY ! this is the new record !
Earlier this week, police found the badly decomposed body of Isabella Purves, who would have been 90 this year.
Officers forced their way into the top-floor flat in the tenement building in the Canonmills area of Edinburgh after a neighbour reported water dripping through the ceiling.
They had to fight their way through piles of unopened mail behind her front door.
It is thought her pension was paid directly into a bank account and utility bills were paid by direct debit.
Police are trying to trace her relatives.
Neighbours in Rodney Street have spoken of their horror at the discovery.
Giovanni Cilia, who owns the Fioritalia florist below Ms Purves's traditional tenement flat, said he was shocked at how long it took to find her.
He said: "How did no one notice the smell, or wonder where she was? I heard there was a big pile of letters and bills behind the door. I used to see her walk past the shop maybe four times a week. She would often go across the street and pick up litter to clean the place up."
Mr Cilia, who has run the shop for 20 years, added: "It's shocked everyone here. When I saw her she looked quite fit and healthy for her age. She used to wear boots and would often carry a rucksack like she enjoyed going for walks."
Michael Singh Kille, who works in a newsagent's three doors along, said he saw a stretcher taken from the building.
He said: "The police came and knocked down the door, then a private ambulance came after that. They took a stretcher up and when it came down it didn't look as though it had anything on it, just a very slight shape."
David Crystal, an optometrist who has run his business near the flat for 22 years, said Ms Purves had been a client.
He said: "I haven't seen her for 12 years. I last saw her in 1997 and we've sent her five reminders. For someone who doesn't have any family in this automated society, you can understand how it can happen.
"Before, they would go to the post office to collect a pension. I just assumed she'd been moved into a care home. We wouldn't normally follow up a non-attending person to see why they hadn't come back."
The last reminder was sent out in 2004.
His wife, Dorothy, who co-owns the business, said the discovery was "an indictment" of society.
She said: "Nobody cares any more, that's pretty sad. It's down to basic neighbourly behaviour. I would hope people would be looking out for others."
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The Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho caused a major frenzy among Nigerian fans as he arrived in the country for a three-day visit.Mourinho arrived in Lagos on Friday as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3 – 5 July, as he seeks to encourage coaches and officials of the project run by the Kwara state government.The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.“It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football as well as the KFA,” Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.“He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.“We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.“Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the ‘Special One’ on this trip.”The trip facilitated by DanJan Sports is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the Kwara Football Academy (KFA) to the rest of the world.“The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them,” David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained.“We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.“The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria’s Kwara State.
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