News: Student Arrested With 1.535kg Cocaine By NDLEA

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday arrested a 23 years old student of Management Accounting at Waltham College, London Mr. Chiwuzie Godson Chiedozie in an attempt to smuggle about 1.535 kilogrammes of cocaine through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The suspect, was nabbed by official of the anti-narcotics agency when he tested positive to drug ingestion during the screening of passengers on an Arik flight to London.
Speaking on the arrest, NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar pointed that after arresting the suspect, he was placed under observation where he excreted about 92 pellets of substances that tested positive to cocaine weighing 1.535 kilogrammes.
According to Hamza, the suspect was also found in possession of two tickets. “Chiwuzie presented a valid Asky ticket from Lagos to Lome at the screening but during search, a valid Arik ticket from Lagos to London was recovered in his luggage.
The Lome ticket was to divert attention from him but besides having multiple tickets, he also tested positive for drug ingestion,” Hamza explained.
The NDLEA Airport Commander also stressed that from investigation conducted, the agency gathered that Chiedozie had lived in London since 2009 where he was recruited to smuggle drugs in his school at Waltham College, London.
Narrating his ordeal, Mr.Chiedozie pointed out that he was lured into trafficking drugs with a promise that he was going to be paid £3,500 pounds with which he intended to pay his tuition fees.

News: Wife and Kids detained over alleged theft by husband

AUGUST 7, 2012 will forever remain indelible in the minds of the family of Hyacinth Okwute of Asaba in Delta State. On that memorable day, a team of policemen from the Delta State Police Command stormed the residence of Okwute and arrested no fewer than eight persons including children, their mother and a pregnant woman over an alleged theft of the sum of N13. 8 million from the boot of a car that belongs to the State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Frank Omare.

Crime Alert was reliably told that Okwute, a domestic staff in the employment of the commissioner along with four of his colleagues, were accused of stealing the commissioner’s money and disappearing with their loot.

The President-General of the Environmental and Human Rights Justice Committee (EHRJC), Mr. Benjamin Iluobe, a Benin-based legal practitioner and counsel to the Okwute family who narrated  how the incident happened said ,  “On the 8th day of August, 2012, the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State, Sammy Ayiwie, in company of four armed police officers, went to the house of one Hyacinth Okwute who is our client’s younger brother and who was working for the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State as a cook and arrested his under-aged children, wife and other members of the family.

The children and other persons who were arrested by the police and detained before they were released and subsequently re-arrested on the alleged orders of the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba are;- Sophia Hyacinth Okwute, 7, Kelvin Hyacinth Okwute, 5, Dominion Hyacinth Okwute, 2 and Nonso Hyacinth Okwute, 5. Others include; Calista Cletus, 15, a cousin and Chinyere Hyacinth Okwute, his wife, Mrs Aladi Friday (wife of Hyacinth’s younger brother) and Mrs. Lilian John (wife of Hyacinth’s elder brother).

The suspects were alleged to have been arrested and detained by the Police in a questionable manner until Hyacinth Okwute, the alleged perpetrator of the crime was found. The abducted children were said to have been kept in a room inside a house allegedly owned by the commissioner before they were released following media outcry on the way and manner they were arrested and incarcerated by the police.

Mr. Iluobe, in a petition to the Chairman, Police Service Commission and titled, “SERIES OF BAIT ARREST BY THE DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND:- A CALL FOR INVESTIGATION AND IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE POLICE COMMISSIONER, DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND”, said that his client informed him that the reason for  their arrest was because Hyacinth Okwute allegedly stole the sum of N13.8million belonging to the Commissioner for Environment, Delta State.

Besides, Iruobe said he was told by his client that on the order of the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, Mrs. Chinyere Hyacinth, Mrs. Aladi Friday, Mrs. Lilian John and Miss Calista Hyacinth were detained at the police cell in Asaba till the 10th day of August, 2012 , while the under aged children, Miss Sophia Hyacinth, Master Kelvin Hyacinth, Master Nonso Nnachukwu Hyacinth and Master Dominion Hyacinth were taken to the house of the Commissioner for Environment where they were allegedly maltreated and starved till the 14th day of August, 2012. He added that following media outcry on the arrest of the children and the women in lieu of Hyacinth Okwute, the Commissioner of Police and the Environment Commissioner later released them.

The Human Rights activist said that again, on the 29th of August, 2012, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State ordered a fresh arrest and detention of Mrs. Chinyere Hyacinth, Mrs. Aladi Friday and Mrs. Lilian John pending when Hyacinth Okwute would submit himself to the police.

“Our client said since the said Hyacinth Okwute was alleged to have stolen the money, no member of his family has seen him to confirm the story. He said they are uncomfortable with the story and are confused as to what had happened to him or what the commissioner for Environment must have done with him.

Our client further told us that on the 20th day of September, 2012, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, sent police officers to his house at No. 31C, Ogbeagwezie Street, Asaba Delta State to arrest him as a bait to get his brother, Hyacinth Okwute. He said he was not at home at the time and that the police officers entered his room and removed valuables including documents and three of his photographs and  threatened to declare him wanted for an offence he did not commit.”

In a 27-paragraph affidavit in support of the application by the applicants against the Delta State Commissioner of Environment, Delta State Police Commissioner and five others at an Asaba High Court, Mr. Cletus Okwute, younger brother to Hyacinth Okwute, said that the applicants were deceived by the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Environment, one Sammy Ayiwie who came to inform them that the Commissioner wanted to see them and that there was a problem to be resolved. He deposed that   Ayiwie who is the third Respondent in the suit claimed that the children were also needed.

Wife of Hyacinth Okwute, Mrs. Chinyere Hyacinth while corroborating what was contained in the affidavit explained that they were taken to the Police Headquarters and from there, they took the children from them just as she added that while at the police detention for three days, they were not given food or even allowed to have their bath.

“For my children, the police did not tell us where they kept them all those days. At first, they claimed they were at the Ministry of Women Affairs. We went there, but we did not see them. We called them on phone, they said they were at the Welfare Office; we went there, again, we did not see them , but when the children appeared after they were released to the family, they put the record straight  by saying that they were kept in one of the rooms at the Commissioner’s quarters, Government House, Asaba with little or no care.”

The applicants are seeking among other reliefs, an order of the court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a declaration that the arrest, and subsequent detention of the 5th to the 8th applicants from the 8th day of August 2012 to the 14th day of August, 2012 in the premises/houses, offices and within the premises of the  1st and 7th Respondents by the 2nd and 3rd respondents, is a breach of their constitutional rights and that such detention and arrest is unconstitutional, unlawful and therefore actionable.

The applicants want the court to declare that the arrest and the subsequent detention of the 1st to 4th applicants by the 2nd to 3rd respondents is a breach of their constitutional rights provisions and that such detention and arrest is unconstitutional, unlawful and therefore actionable. The applicants are asking for general, aggravated and exemplary damages for the sum of N2billion against the respondents jointly and severally as reparation for the unconstitutional and unlawful act.

Attempt made to reach the Commissioner for Environment, Frank Omare for his own side of the story failed as he would not pick several telephone calls put across to him. Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Charles Muoka could not be  reached also.  However, , a police source in Asaba confirmed the story saying that the matter was being investigated.

News:Twin Blasts in Restive Mubi, Two dead, children hurt

Two bomb blasts targeting soldiers rocked northeast Nigeria on Wednesday, killing at least two civilians in a region hit hard by Islamist extremists, the military said.
Boko Haram Islamists have carried out scores of similar attacks in the area, repeatedly targeting the military as part of an insurgency that has killed hundreds since 2009.
Residents said children were hurt in the blast at Kashuwar Sanu (cattle market) in the town of Mubi, which went off as a convoy of military vans drove through.
“There was an explosion that targeted a military patrol team, but the explosion missed the target as none of the patrol vans were affected but two civilians were killed,” said Brigadier General John Nwaogu, the top military commander in the area.
A resident said a young girl was among those hurt and reported seeing “a young boy with both legs blown off.”
After the blast, soldiers left their vehicles, fired their weapons and made several arrests, according to two witnesses who requested anonymity.
“I was in my shop when I heard an explosion which was followed by shootings and I saw people running,” said one shop owner near the market.
“I was told there were arrests after the blast,” he added.
The military blamed Boko Haram for a separate blast in the nearby city of Maiduguri, which is considered Islamist group’s base.
“A remote-controlled improvised explosive device went off as a military patrol vehicle was passing along Bama road around 8:35 am (0735 gmt) today without causing any casualty,” Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa told AFP.
Mubi was the site of gruesome massacre at a university student housing building last month where at least 40 people were killed, including many who had their throats slit. It is not clear who carried out that attack.
Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency is believed to have left more than 2,800 people dead in the north and centre of the country since 2009, including killings by the security forces.
Boko Haram has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north of Africa’s most populous country, where the south in predominately Christian

News: Shopping Mall Collapses in Ghana

A six-storey shopping mall collapsed in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Wednesday, with at least three people so far confirmed dead and dozens of victims feared trapped, sparking desperate rescues.
Police said around 50 employees were reported to be in the building before the collapse on Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear if customers were also inside, with one worker saying the mall had yet to open.

President John Dramani Mahama suspended his campaign ahead of December 7 elections and offered prayers for those trapped. Thousands thronged the site, including family members in search of relatives.
“My son, my son, my son! My son is going to die! Get him for me! He is my only son!” one woman could be heard screaming.
Assistant Police Superintendent Freeman Tettey told journalists that three people had so far been confirmed dead and six rescued, as workers rushed to find those buried with the west African heat bearing down.
“According to information that I gathered when I got here, about 50 employees were in the building before it collapsed,” Tettey said.
Family members could be seen at the site attempting to call relatives who may be trapped, while scores of rescue workers at the scene sought to clear debris and get oxygen masks to victims.
A man who saw his brother being put in an ambulance on a stretcher yelled out in agony: “He can’t move! He can’t move!”
The cause of the collapse of the Melcom shopping mall in the centre of the capital was not immediately clear. Workers from a nearby construction site were urgently called over to help dig through the rubble.
“They said, ‘please bring equipment’,” said one of the construction workers, Camille Moukarzel.
Stephen Ansah, a Melcom employee from another branch, said he had spoken with someone buried who had said he needed water.
“They are suffering,” he said. “The heat is too much.”
President Mahama issued a brief statement on his Twitter account about the disaster, saying: “My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Achimota Melcom building.”
Another tweet from his account said he was suspending his campaign ahead of the presidential and parliamentary polls next month because of the disaster.
“President John Mahama suspends his campaign tour of the Northern Region in the wake of the Achimota Melcom disaster,” it said.
Police rushed to the scene and were still seeking to confirm details while soldiers worked to help maintain order.
“They are still working to get to the root of the building,” Assistant Superintendent Juliana Obeng told AFP. “Meanwhile we have sent ambulances to the scene.”
Witness Ama Okyere told AFP: “I was very close to the mall because I was going to buy something, only for me to see the building coming down.
“I had to run for my life. I was so terrified. I believe there are lots of people trapped under this because this is a heavily patronised shopping mall in the area.”
Another witness said he heard a bang followed by the building falling in.
“I was on my way to school and all of a sudden heard a big bang and people shouting, only for me to see that the shopping mall has collapsed,” said John Owusu.
The Melcom Group of Companies, based in Ghana, includes extensive retail outlets, according to its website.
Ghana — a country of some 20 million people and a major producer of gold and cocoa which began significant oil production in 2010 — is viewed as a success story in often turbulent west Africa and a rare example of a relatively stable democracy in the region.

News: Bomb Blast in Maiduguri

The men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Tuesday survived another fresh bomb explosion which was planted along the major road linking Gwange/London Ciki wards of Maiduguri metropolis.
Our Correspondent report that the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which was planted by suspected terrorists group exploded at about 8am few metres away from the JTF vehicle which was in a patrol operation, a situation that led to the shattering and damaging of the windscreens, as well as the body of the vehicle destroyed without no casualty from the occupants.
Immediately after the blast, our Correspondent gathered that, there was an exchange of gunshot sounds around the area which lasted for twenty minutes, before the JTF cordoned off the area to prevent further attacks.
Confirming the incident to Journalists, the JTF Spokesman, Leuitenant Colonel Sagir Musa said, at about 8:35 am on Wednesday, there was a failed IED attack on a JTF patrol vehicle along Gwange/Costain area of Maiduguri metropolis.
He said, an IED remote control bomb targeted at JTF vehicle (s) was planted and buried on the road by suspected Boko Haram Terrorists.
He added that no casualty was recorded and nobody was killed or wounded. The area was cordoned off, searched and swept by the bomb disposal arm of the JTF, pointing out that normalcy has since been restored in the area. End.

News: Beggar Absconding with colleagues' Money #250,000

The police in Lagos on Wednesday arraigned a beggar, Aminat Aliyu, 48, before an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly absconding with N250,000 belonging to one Malam Ya’u Yusuf and 11 other beggars.
The accused who resides at Carol market, Oshodi, is facing a two-court charge of obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.
The police prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that the accused committed the offence sometime between August and October at 17, Araromi St., Oshodi.
He said that the accused obtained N250,000 from her victims at Araromi and Cairo markets respectively.
Olatunde said that Aliyu collected the money under the false pretence of helping them to keep it till when it would be needed .
“The accused collected various sums of money in the name of contribution from the physically challenged beggars.
“The beggars have been contributing money they have been receiving from people from August to October to the accused for safe keeping,” he said.
Olatunde said that the accused converted the said money to her own use.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened sections 285 and 312 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2012.
When the charge sheet was read to her, Aliyu pleaded not guilty.
The magistrate, Mrs M.R. Osho-Adebiyi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum

News: A Social Network Facebook Boyfriend Pushes UNILAG Student Off Storey Building.

A 21-year-old student has been hospitalised, after she was allegedly pushed down from the third floor of the multi-storey building in Lagos, following a disagreement with a man she met on the social network, facebook.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akabugu Nkiruka sustained multiple injuries, including a pelvis fracture, and was undergoing surgery at the General Hospital, Marina, Lagos, on Tuesday.
Nkiruka, a linguistic student of the University of Lagos, told NAN on her hospital bed that she met the young man through the social media, barely a week before the Nov. 1 incident.
She told NAN that the 26-year-old man (names withheld) last Wednesday invited her to a night club in Apapa from where they ended up in his family home at 1004 Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos.
She noted that the young man had earlier talked about sex on phone prior to the outing but she told him she was menstruating.
Nkiruka said that on getting to the house, the man tore her dress and tried to rape her.
According to Nkiruka, the man thereafter pushed her down from the third floor of the building because she refused to have sex with him.
When contacted, the mother of the young man, who was at home on the night of the incident, however, told NAN that she was not aware of what happened, saying that she slept around 10 p.m., wile the disageement between the couple started much later.
The mother, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that she paid part of the hospital bill immediately after Nkiruka was admitted, and even tried to transfer her to a private hospital.
“I took her as our own daughter and so, I can do anything that will make her recover quickly,” she added.
She insisted that her preliminary inquiry indicated that Nkiruka was not pushed by her son as alleged, but that she jumped on her own in the ensuing scuffle.
When contacted, CSP Fayoade Adegoke, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos, told NAN that Nkiruka wrote in her statement to the police that she jumped on her own, in order to escape being raped.
Adegoke said that he ordered his men to convey the victim to the hospital immediately after he was informed of the incident by night security guards in the area.
The DPO said that the suspect was released on bail, pending further investigation into the matter.
NAN recalls that seven young men, including two who met her on facebook, are currently facing trial for the alleged rape and killing of 24-year-old Miss Cynthia Osokogu, in Lagos earlier this year.

News:YABATECH Lecturer Arrested

A lecturer in the Business Administration Department, Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, Mr. Joseph John has been arrested for beating and inflicting injuries on a 12-year old boy living with him.
John, who lives at No. 7 Osanyinpeju Street, Akoka, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria was arrested by the police in conjunction with the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA on Tuesday at his residence and brought to Alausa.
The boy (name withheld) started living with John’s family on 7 January 2012 and was stopped from going to school since March 2012 over what John termed as unruly behaviour.
The victim painted a gory tale of how he was being allegedly maltreated by John’s family and he drew the sympathy of all.
Officials of the WAPA ministry claimed that people living the John’s neighbourhood were overjoyed when the boy was rescued and the alleged culprit arrested. There were wounds on the boy’s body, one close to the eyes, another on his buttocks,  several marks of beating and swollen hands occasioned by severe maltreatment.
According to the victim, who hails from Imo State, “I started living with the man in January and they put me in school, Primary 4 but they stopped me from going to school in March. They said I gave my father’s number to my teacher to call.
“The man will not give me food but he will give his son food, so whenever he gives his son food, I will eat from it and this will attract beating. He beats me with electric cable, plank and curtain rod.”
He alleged that “he will tie my hands from the back and tie my legs. Anywhere he inflicts injury on me, he will apply pepper to that spot.
“Whenever he keeps food, I will eat it because he did not give me food. I normally go outside to beg for food and he beats me when he knows about it. At times he will use blow on me.”
He further alleged that he was being accused of eating from the food he was asked to give to the dog, saying that “he will ask me to bring plank and hit it on my buttocks and I will feel serious pains.”
However, John admitted that he beat him whenever he did something wrong, saying that the aim was to correct his bad behaviour.
“This boy is my uncle’s child and I brought him to Lagos. The one who seniors him has impregnated a girl. I was asked to train him.
“I put him in school and in that school, I receive report that he is not participating. I asked him for his book and it was blank and I flogged him. After sometime, I discovered that he had started stealing, he will break the door and empty my money and he says because he is hungry.
“We saw money in his bag and it is only God who can judge between him and me. I even took him to Mountain of Fire Ministry so that his life can change but he will go there to sleep,” he explained.
He denied using planks and electric cable to beat him, but noted that he had exceeded the limit in beating, saying that he would send the boy back to his parents.
Permanent Secretary, WAPA, Risikat Akiyode lamented the serious injuries inflicted on the boy’s body, adding that the Child Rights Law forbade inflicting wounds on a child. “You can beat a child but not to inflict injury on him. The law will take its course,” she stated.
As at the time of filing this report, John had been taken to the Alausa Police Station for further investigation while the victim was taken to one of the state’s rehabilitation homes.

Sports: Samuel New Technical Adviser, Sunshine stars

Sunshine Stars FC of Akure on Wednesday in Abuja announced the appointment of Samuel Abimbola as its new Technical Adviser.
The club said in a statement by its Manager, Patrick Ngwaogu that Abimbola would take over from Gbenga Ogunbote, who resigned from the position for personal reasons.
It said that Abimbola, who was an Assistant Coach to the National U-20 team until recently when he was unceremoniously dropped, beat other coaches in an interview for the position in Akure on Monday.
The statement said that Abimbola, who was chosen ahead of much favoured Ladan Bosso and John Obu, would be formally unveiled at the weekend in Akure.
“Born 50 years ago, Abimbola was an Assistant Coach to the National U-17 team that won the silver medal at the 2009 U-17 World Cup in Nigeria.
“He also assisted John Obu to win the Africa U-20 Youth Championship in 2011 and to reach the quarter-finals of the U-20 World Cup in Colombia the same year.’’
It noted that Abimbola was the immediate past technical adviser of the City of David (COD) FC of Lagos, a national division one club.
“He has also handled Gateway FC of Abeokuta where incidentally, he also took over from Gbenga Ogunbote,’’ the statement said.
It noted that Abimbola was a former chairman of the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, coach of Finance United FC, Court of Appeal FC, Access FC and Central Bank FC, all of Abuja.
The statement said that as technical adviser, “his major task will be to lead Sunshine Stars back to the continent at the end of the 2012/2013 football season’’. (NAN)

News: Jonathan Congratulates New Elected US President Obama.

President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated President Barack Obama over his re-election as the President of the United States of America.

A statement issued by the special Adviser to the President Dr Reuben Abati quoted the president as saying that he “looks forward to continuing to build on Nigeria’s and Africa’s developmental collaboration with the United States in the next four years”.
The statement reads: “On behalf of himself, the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan heartily congratulates President Barrack Obama on his success in winning re-election in yesterday’s presidential elections in the United States.
“President Jonathan welcomes President Obama’s victory in an intensely fought presidential race as an endorsement by the good people of United States of his leadership, progressive world view and the very good work he has done in the past four years towards ending global economic depression and fostering global peace and security.
“Nigeria, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union enjoyed very cordial and productive relations with the Obama Administration in his first term; President Jonathan looks forward to continuing to build on Nigeria’s and Africa’s developmental collaboration with the United States in the next four years.
“The President looks forward in particular to the further strengthening of US-Nigeria bilateral relations and the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission which was established in President Obama’s first term as the primary platform for the promotion of greater trade and economic cooperation between both countries as well as bilateral collaboration in other areas.
“President Jonathan also hopes that the millions of people across the world, especially those in developing nations who watched the beauty and strength of democracy unfold in the United States presidential elections yesterday will come to a greater and better appreciation of democracy as the key to building peaceful, stable and progressive societies.
“The President wishes President Obama continued good health and God’s blessings and guidance as he prepares for his inauguration in January for a second term in office as the President of the United States of America”.

News: Cult Clash In Benin, 4 Die.

No fewer than four students of the College of Education, Katsina-Ala, in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, were yesterday reportedly  killed when two cult groups clashed in the school.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the ugly incident happened Saturday night where two students were killed while the two others were murdered between 5.pm and 6.pm on Monday.
Consequently, the Provost of the institution, Dr. Harns Senwua, yesterday ordered the immediate closure of the school, saying that the college would not open until the management was able to set up a committee to look into the clashes. He called on the students to quickly vacate the hostels on or before noon, or risk being punished.
However, it was gathered that the clash occurred due to a serious disagreement between the red and black cult groups over a lady who was said to be having a love affair with a senior student of the college, popularly referred to as ‘lord’ and who was alleged to be the leader of one of the cults.
An NCE 1 English student of the college, who gave her name as Mercy Alu, said that four students were killed in the clash and that one of the murdered students was an NCE 2 student of political science department while the others were first year students of the theatre arts/social studies departments.
According to Mercy, one of the deceased students was sleeping in his room with his girlfriend at night last Saturday when some unidentified students came and knocked on his door and demanded that he should follow them out of the house, whereupon they macheted him to death. She said another student was also killed in the school during the incident.
 Our correspondent also gathered that the other deceased students were sitting with friends at the main gate of the college, Monday, at about 6.pm when an unidentified vehicle conveying three persons drove to the scene. They allegedly came for reprisal attack and immediately shot and killed two of the students. The development reportedly caused panic to the residents of the college community who quickly fled for safety.

News: Romney’s Concession Speech After Obama’s Re-election

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s concession speech after Obama’s re-election.

Thank you.
I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory. His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. I wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters.
This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.
I want to thank Paul Ryan for all that he has done for our campaign and for our country. Besides my wife, Ann, Paul is the best choice I’ve ever made. And I trust that his intellect and his hard work and his commitment to principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation.
I also want to thank Ann, the love of my life. She would have been a wonderful first lady. She’s — she has been that and more to me and to our family and to the many people that she has touched with her compassion and her care.
I thank my sons for their tireless work on behalf of the campaign, and thank their wives and children for taking up the slack as their husbands and dads have spent so many weeks away from home.
I want to thank Matt Rhoades and the dedicated campaign team he led. They have made an extraordinary effort not just for me, but also for the country that we love.
And to you here tonight, and to the team across the country — the volunteers, the fundraisers, the donors, the surrogates — I don’t believe that there’s ever been an effort in our party that can compare with what you have done over these past years. Thank you so very much.
Thanks for all the hours of work, for the calls, for the speeches and appearances, for the resources and for the prayers. You gave deeply from yourselves and performed magnificently. And you inspired us and you humbled us. You’ve been the very best we could have imagined.
The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work. And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion.
We look to our teachers and professors, we count on you not just to teach, but to inspire our children with a passion for learning and discovery. We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family. We look to our parents, for in the final analysis everything depends on the success of our homes. We look to job creators of all kinds. We’re counting on you to invest, to hire, to step forward. And we look to Democrats and Republicans in government at all levels to put the people before the politics.
I believe in America. I believe in the people of America. And I ran for office because I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure. I believe that the principles upon which this nation was founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy and to renewed greatness.
Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign.
I so wish — I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation.
Thank you, and God bless America. You guys are the best. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks, guys.end of story marker

News: Obama’s Victory Speech

Read President Barack Obama speech Wednesday in Chicago after his victory .
OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.
It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.
Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.
I want to thank every American who participated in this election…
… whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time.
By the way, we have to fix that.
Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone…
… whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.
I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign.
We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight.
In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.
I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.
And I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago.
Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation’s first lady.
Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you’re growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom.
And I’m so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog’s probably enough. (LAUGHTER)
To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics…
The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.
But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the life-long appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley.
You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done and all the incredible work that you put in.
I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you’ll discover something else.
You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity.
You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift.
You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse whose working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.
That’s why we do this. That’s what politics can be. That’s why elections matter. It’s not small, it’s big. It’s important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.
That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers.
A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.
We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.
We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this – this world has ever known.
But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.
To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.
To the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president – that’s the future we hope for. That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go – forward.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s where we need to go.
Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path.
By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over.
(APPLAUSE)
And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.
(APPLAUSE)
You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our Democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.
(APPLAUSE)
This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth.
OBAMA: The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.
(APPLAUSE)
I am hopeful tonight because I’ve seen the spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job.
I’ve seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.
(APPLAUSE)
I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.
(APPLAUSE)
And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.
(APPLAUSE)
I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own.
And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future.
(APPLAUSE)
I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.
I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.
(APPLAUSE)
America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.
(APPLAUSE)
I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
And together with your help and God’s grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.

Sports: Drogba Pledges Better Aimes Ahead

Three coaches, boardroom upheaval and a reported players’ strike — Didier Drogba’s first season in China hasn’t exactly been smooth, but it looks like he’ll stick around next year.
Speculation about Drogba’s future has been intense but the Ivorian striker appeared committed to the Chinese Super League (CSL) when he spoke of making a fresh start with the club next season.

Didier Drogba attends a press conference. AFP PHOTO

“Because I joined Shenhua relatively late, I didn’t prepare with the team early in the season, so our results this year were not very good,” he said, according to the Shanghai Morning Post.
“But I hope next season I can start again from the beginning with Shenhua.”
Drogba has scored eight goals in 11 games since joining former Chelsea colleague Nicolas Anelka in Shanghai mid-term, earning the nickname “Devil Beast” as he terrorised Chinese defences.
But despite his prolific record, Shenhua finished a lowly ninth out of 16 teams.
It’s a disappointing return after the club’s owner, video game mogul Zhu Jun, splashed out on Anelka and Drogba — who are reportedly on hundreds of thousands of dollars a week — in a bid to land Shenhua’s first title in nearly a decade.
However, after a season of serious internal strife, it’s something of a surprise that both players are still at the club.
Zhu made world headlines when he spent big to lure Anelka, China’s first direct import from the English Premier League, and French coach Jean Tigana to the Hongkou Football Stadium.
But ex-Fulham boss Tigana was hit by a player revolt against his training methods after just five games in charge, and was dismissed in April after weeks of speculation and rumours.
At a game against Tianjin, Tigana departed the stadium before the kick-off, leaving Shenhua without a coach for the match and with empty seats on the home bench.
The situation barely improved when Anelka, who had no coaching experience and is nicknamed “Le Sulk” for his moody demeanour, announced he had been appointed as Tigana’s replacement.
Anelka was furious when Zhu brought in ex-Argentina coach Sergio Batista to helm the team, but he was soon placated and when Drogba arrived in July it looked as if the club had turned the corner.
Drogba was given a hero’s welcome by hundreds of cheering fans at the city’s Pudong Airport, with Shanghai police saying it was their biggest operation ever mounted for a celebrity.
Chinese football’s biggest star quickly became a hit on the pitch, delighting the fans by scoring a brace in a 5-1 demolition of local rivals Hangzhou Greentown in early August.
However, the feel-good factor didn’t last long as by the end of the month Drogba and Anelka became pawns in a boardroom dispute that raised questions over their futures in Shanghai.
Zhu said his fellow owners had promised him a majority stake due to his heavy investment, and he threatened to withhold the foreign players’ salaries unless they handed it over.
A few weeks ago, pictures of casually attired players strolling around instead of training filled the Shanghai back pages, as newspapers said they were protesting at not being paid.
Drogba and Anelka missed several games towards the end of the season, apparently due to injury, but many fans drew a link with the ownership dispute — which is still dragging on.
“I don’t think many people believed they were injured,” said Shenhua fan Ma Haiping, 31.
The team’s unconvincing form was also cause for tension with Drogba smashing furniture in the dressing room, according to Chinese reports, after a draw with local rivals Shanghai Shenxin in September.
Drogba, who spoke of raising the league’s profile and even improving ties between China and Africa when he arrived in Shanghai, seems to have taken it in his stride — and is a huge hit with fans.
“Drogba is massive, he motivates the players, he reactivated Anelka, and terrified the opponents, he’s the king no doubt,” enthused Shenhua fan Bobby Lu.
And after scoring in the final game of the season, a 3-0 win over Qingdao Jonoon, he signed off with a promise to return next year.
“Wait for me, I’ll be back,” Drogba told the Oriental Sports Daily, as he left Hongkou Football Stadium on Saturday.

News: US To Approve A Lroposal To Legalize Marijuan

Colorado on Tuesday became the first US state to approve a proposal to legalize marijuana, including for recreational use, with Washington state appearing set to follow suit, according to US media.
The western state, one of three voting on the measure, voted by 52.7 percent in favor to 47.3 percent against, according to the Denver Post, with over 50 percent of votes counted. CNN gave 53 percent for with 47 percent against.
A number of US states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but Colorado, Oregon and Washington state all voted Tuesday on legalizing recreational use as well.
In Washington state 55 percent of voters backed the move, with 45 percent against, according to CNN and NBC, citing figures with 50 percent of votes counted.
In Oregon voters appeared set to reject the proposal, with 55 percent against and 45 percent in favor, according to CNN, with 47 percent of votes counted.

News: President Obama wins re-election.

Barack Obama’s re-election for another term in the White House opens a new chapter in the already historic tale of the first black president of a nation scarred at birth by a deep racial fault line.
But for Obama partisans his re-election was essential. Only with a full eight years at the helm of the US presidency will he be remembered for the change he wrought and not just for the change he represented.

America's first black U.S. president has won re-election. President Obama won Ohio, securing him re-election as president of the United States with 303 electoral votes (thirty three more than he needed) to Romney's 206. He defeated Romney in key states.

Entertainment: Fight- Fans vs Tonto Dike

Tonto Dike has appeared in our faces again barely a month after that messy fight with fans on the battle grounds of twitter, this time with a tweet not about her music, movies or tattoo, but rather, on the state of her virginity which she’s publicly announced was lost to Mavin crew Boss Don Jazzy.
Her tweet read ‘I got disvirgined by @DONJAZZY” i think this a lil bit Too Much info.’
She is not alone on this thought as a lot of her followers on twitter also think the same way and it’s beginning to generate an uproar.

*Tonto Dike

Already Don Jazzy has tried making a joke of it by quickly re-tweeting ‘lol me dat im still a V,’ (‘V’ standing in as Virgin).
Fans, however, are not sniffing the lighter side of this development as many have pounced on the tweet by Tonto alleging she’s going low and desperately trying to remain in the public eye with such tweets. Others claim it was unnecessary, joke or no joke.
As another army of willing fighters grow again, Tonto Dike has thankfully remained silent.
This writer hopes she does, for just one counter word from her and another bitter, messy war with fans could begin again.
Fans had attacked her in October after she reacted to tweets about her new single. Both sides had called each other names until Tonto Dike stopped responding.

Entertainment: 2face reacts to ban on birth control pill.

2face Idibia is rarely in the news except for brief announcements of his many country tours and ofcourse that period he proposed to and married Annie Macaulay, he’s however making headlines for a new reason now.
A birth control pill (names withheld) is being rumoured to be banned soon by the federal government and its a hot topic on twitter but not because of the drugs alleged ban, rather it’s for the star, 2face, who has been roped into the story and he’s not finding this funny.

•2face

In a swift reaction, the enter the place crooner has taken to twitter to caution those tweeting @2face Idibia about the ban on the birth control pill and making jokes out of it.
His tweet read “I pity all of una wey dey tell me about (name of drug here withheld) #Shallow minds
and later … Father forgive them for they know not what they say
His followers on twitter are still taking this as funny but not 2face Idibia.

News:Teacher sentenced.

Cairo, An Egyptian School Teacher received a six-month suspended jail sentence on Tuesday for cutting the hair of 12-year-old girl pupils who were not wearing Islamic headscarves, a judicial source said.
Iman Abu Bakr Kilany, a science teacher, said she had been removed from the school in the southern town of Luxor after complaints by relatives of the girls – the only two in her class who did not wear headscarves.
She said she was being moved to an administrative job and docked one month’s salary.
Egyptian human rights groups and women’s organisations condemned the incident as an example of hardline Muslims trying to impose their values on others since Islamists took power in Egypt.
Many Egyptian women wear the headscarf, but the country’s Islamic scholars generally said it should be done out of free choice.
That view was shared by the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that propelled Mohammed Mursi to the Presidency in June.
Kilany said last month she had asked all her students to put on the headscarf because it was required for girls older than 10 – a view disputed by many Muslims.
While Mursi and his administration have repeatedly said they would not impose strict Islamic codes of behaviour, the rise to prominence of an array of Islamist groups alarmed more secular-minded Egyptians and the sizeable Christian minority.
In one headline-grabbing incident, a young man out with his fiancée was stabbed to death by three Islamist zealots in Suez in July.
The killers were sentenced to 15 years in jail.

Entertainment: Elliott Carter, US Composer, Died At the Age Of 103.

Carter remained very active towards the end of his life

US classical composer Elliott Carter has died at the age of 103.

Known for his challenging and complex pieces, he won two Pulitzer Prizes and was also honoured with the US National Medal of Arts.
While not widely known by the general public, he was hugely respected by critics and musicians.
In 2002, The New York Times said Carter's string quartets were among "the most difficult music ever conceived".
Carter was hailed by fellow composer Igor Stravinsky for his Double Concerto for harpsichord, piano and two chamber orchestras (1961) and Piano Concerto (1967), both of which Stravinsky dubbed "masterpieces".
In a BBC Radio 3 interview 12 years ago, Carter said hearing Stravinsky's famous work The Rite of Spring in the 1920s was what made him want to become a composer.
"It was a scandal. Everybody walked out of the hall and people were terrified. Maybe that's why I liked it but in any case I became a fan of modern music in very early adolescence."
His music publisher, Boosey & Hawkes, said in a statement announcing his death: "The great range and diversity of his music has, and will continue to have, influence on countless composers and performers worldwide.
"He will be missed by us all but remembered for his brilliance, his wit and his great canon of work."
Elliott once said he was unperturbed by his apparent lack of fame.

Carter received the Juilliard Medal in 2005

"I don't think it means anything to be popular," he said.
"When we see the popular tastes and the popular opinion constantly being manipulated by all sorts of different ways, it seems to me popularity is a meaningless matter."
Carter composed more than 130 works, including 1942's Symphony 1 and 1944's Holiday Overture.
His later works included Dialogues (2004), which was nominated for the a Pulitzer, and 2006's Boston Concerto, nominated for a Grammy for best classical contemporary composition.
Roger Wright, the controller of BBC Radio 3 said he was a "significant figure" in contemporary classical music.
"He was significant, not just because his life spanned the 20th Century - he met and was influenced by so many people - but also because the way his music developed and changed in style," he said.
"I think he will be remembered for his music itself, but crucially for the way his music pushed classical music forwards. Stylistically he moved the art of classical music on."
"He was charming, generous and could be very witty and waspish, but a very open hearted person with a wonderful sense of humour and for that he will also be gratly missed," he added.
Carter's latest work, Instances - for chamber orchestra - will have its world premiere in February next year, and will be performed by the Seattle Symphony.
He won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1960 for his Second String Quartet, the second was for his Third String Quartet in 1973.
In 1998, he was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame.
100th birthday He was also honoured with prestigious awards in France and Germany.
Carter said he found Europeans were more receptive to his work because music was part of the culture, "something that people make an effort to understand".
The composer celebrated his 100th birthday at New York's Carnegie Hall in 2008, where a new work of his was played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Carter was born in New York in 1908 and was first encouraged toward a musical career by his friend and mentor Charles Ives.
He went on to study literature at Harvard and then studied music in Paris under Nadia Boulanger, who also taught Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.
It was his First String Quartet in 1951 which first brought him to the attention of music critics.
In 1939, he married sculptor Helen H Frost Jones.
He is survived by his son and a grandson.