Goodluck Jonathan escapes mob attack in Katsina

SECURITY forces, on Tuesday, averted what was potentially an ugly situation, as hundreds of supporters chanting ‘sai Buhari’ attacked the motorcade of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina, Nigeria.

A combined unit of soldiers and anti-riot policemen dispersed the supporters as they surged forward with the intent to attack the president and his delegation, as they visited the house of Hajia Dada, mother of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in her residence at Yar’Adua Quarters, Katsina.

There was palpable tension as the president’s convoy drove past the area, with hundreds of Buhari supporters brandishing brooms, the APC symbol and welcoming the president with chants of  “sai Buhari,” while some could be heard calling Jonathan “arna,” an unbeliever.

PHOTOS: Brazilian women stage topless protest for the right to sunbathe topless

Women in Brazil staged a topless protest - to fight for the right to go topless.

As well as turning heads, the group hoped to turn attention to a Brazilian law which prohibits women from going topless at the beach as well as highlight cultural issues surrounding the freedom of women's bodies.

In a city where little more than a thong bikini is seen as modest and old fashioned, a woman showing few centimetres more skin in shedding her bikini at the beach is treated as a scandalous act of promiscuity that attracts unpleasant attention.

In bearing her breasts to the bank-holiday Rio crowds, campaign organiser, Ana Paula Nogueira, hoped to encourage people to see the act of going topless as something pure and natural.

Cristiano Ronaldo confirms split from Irina Shayk, as he is allegedly linked to a Spanish journalist

Cristiano Ronaldo has finally confirmed that his five year relationship with Irina Shayk is over.

The Portuguese footballer said: 'After dating for five years, my relationship with Irina Shayk has come to an end. We believed it would be best for both of us to take this step now.'

'I wish Irina the greatest happiness.'

Cristiano's split from the stunning model, whom he'd been with for five years, was confirmed at the weekend, after days of speculation after she unfollowed him on Twitter as was reported here.

She was also notably absent at his third prestigious Ballon d'Or win celebration on January 12.

PHOTOS: Kanye's ex girlfriend, Amber Rose mimics Kim Kardashian's REAR-LY curvy beach look in thong bikini

Kanye and Amber

It's fair to say that Kanye West has a type when it comes to women. 

Kim Kardashian(left) and Amber Rose(right)

Having once dated model Amber Rose, 31, and now married to reality star Kim Kardashian, 34, the two girls have very similar figures - most notably their ample and very pert posteriors.

Primary school teacher, kissed 15-year-old girl in his classroom cupboard and met another for sex in his car

A primary school teacher kissed a 15-year-old girl in a classroom cupboard and engaged in sex acts with her and another teenager in his car, a court heard.

Jonathan Norbury, 33, is accused of sexually touching two teenage girls as well 'inciting' the pair to perform sex acts on him. 

Swansea Crown Court was told he would sneak the 15-year-old, who can not be named for legal reasons, into his classroom after school and take her into the stationery cupboard where he asked to see her underwear.

The incredible moment mum delivers her own twins by caesarean section

A mum took the extraordinary decision to deliver her own twins when she gave birth - even though she had a C-SECTION.

Gerri Wolfe, from New South Wales, Australia, was desperate to give birth to her babies naturally, the same as her last two children, but doctors told her one of the twins was putting pressure on a scar from a previous caesarean and a natural birth would be dangerous.

"I was desperate for another and, when the doctors told me it was too big a risk, I cried and cried,” she said.

Jonathan in secret meeting with pastors; says “Osinbajo is my problem”

Apparently ruffled by the momentum generated by the nomination of Yemi Osinbajo, a professor and pastor, as the running mate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress [APC], Muhammadu Buhari, President Goodluck Jonathan is asking a group of Pentecostal pastors to help him avert what he fears could be a loss in next month’s presidential polls.

Mr. Osinbajo, a prominent cleric with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria [SAN] emerged APC’s presidential running mate last month giving President Jonathan and the ruling party, PDP, what sources described as sleepless nights.

Specifically last Thursday, the President held a meeting in Abuja, with a number of Pentecostal pastors led by Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel, with the main agenda being how to fashion out ways to solve the “Osinbajo” problem.

Lamorde says UK, EFCC probing govs, ministers for fraud

EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde CREDITS: PUNCH

The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, has said that the commission and the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police are investigating some serving and former governors, ministers, heads of service of the federation, and federal lawmakers.

Lamorde said that the operatives of the EFCC and the Met Police were investigating the serving and former public office holders for money laundering and looting of public treasury.

The EFCC Chairman made the comment while playing host to the Metropolitan Police Special Crime and Operations Unit led by Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Benton in Abuja, on Monday.

Lamorde refused to disclose the identities and the total number of the public office holders on the watch list of the commission and the Met Police on the premise that the investigation was jointly carried out by the EFCC and the UK Police.

How we arrived at N87 petrol price – PPPRA

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, has explained how the new price of N87 per litre of petrol was arrived at, saying it was based on the components of the prevailing petroleum products pricing template.

The pricing template shows the landing cost, the ex-depot price, which is the price that products marketers are to pay for products they lift, and the expected open market price of petroleum products.

The Executive Secretary of PPPRA, Farouk Ahmed, said on Monday that based on the landing cost of N74.35 per litre of PMS as at the close of business on Friday, January 16, 2014, the addition of distribution margin of N15.49 per litre would translate to an open market price, or pump price of N89.84 per litre.

PDP dares EFCC to Name N750m bribe takers

 

The Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has vowed to defend the corruption allegation against him.

Also, the national leadership of the PDP has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to be diligent in the party’s investigation of the allegation that some members of its National Working Committee collected a whopping N750m bribe from Mr. Ndudi Elumelu.

Elumelu, a PDP governorship aspirant in Delta State, had alleged that the money was collected from him with a promise that he would be given the party’s governorship ticket in the state.

Cameroon: Army Says Some Captives Seized by Gunmen Have Been Freed

More than 20 of the approximately 80 people kidnapped in Cameroon during a cross-border attack by gunmen suspected of being members of the group Boko Haram have been freed, a Defense Ministry spokesman said Monday. 

Australian Open 2015: Defending champion Stan Wawrinka makes flying start

Stan Wawrinka got his Australian Open title defence off to a flying start with a straight-sets win over Turkey's Marsel Ilhan in Melbourne.

Though struggling to land his first serve, the fourth seed, who upset Rafael Nadal to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title last year, barely broke a sweat against the Turkish battler on a steamy day, blasting 34 winners to wrap up the match 6-1 6-4 6-2 in less than one and a half hours on Rod Laver Arena.

Nigeria 2015 Polls: 'Generals will support Buhari' says IBB

Buhari(Left) dressed in white attire and IBB(Right) holding a mic

THE presidential ambition of All Progressives Congress (APC) standard-bearer, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, received a boost, on Monday, as former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) said they (Generals) will support him.

IBB gave the assurance when he played host to Buhari at his Hilltop Mansion in Minna, Niger State.

The former military leader said he was proud of the persistence and perseverance of General Buhari in seeking to offer himself for service at the highest level in the country’s young democracy.

“You have beaten some of us in proving General Douglas McArthur’s theory that ‘old soliders never die but fade away gradually,’ but you have refused to fade away,” he told Buhari.

Rodgers: I still respect Jose

Jose(Left) and Brender Rodgers(Right) as they hug each other after a match

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admits his respect for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho remains high as he insists he is not driven by a personal desire to beat opposing managers - only to win football matches. 

Rodgers comes up against Jose Mourinho, the man who gave him a youth team job in his first spell at Stamford Bridge, in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday.

I don’t have PVC, Sultan tells Jonathan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Monday told President Goodluck Jonathan that he might not vote during the next month’s general elections because he had yet to collect his Permanent Voter Card.

Jonathan, who was in the Sokoto State in continuation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential campaign, visited the religious leader to seek his blessing.

The Sultan said it was imperative for the Federal Government to do everything within its powers to ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised.

He said, “Let us respect people’s wishes; let’s not try to disenfranchise anybody.

“We have had issues of the Permanent Voter Cards and I want to tell you that even myself, I don’t have a PVC, so it means I will not vote on February 14."

AFCON 2015: Algeria came from behind to earn a comfortable win over South Africa 3-1. (Group Tables as they stand)

Tournament favourites Algeria came back from a goal down to eventually earn a comfortable win in their opening game. 

After dominating the first half, South Africa took a 51st-minute lead when Thuso Phala finished a flowing move.

Tokelo Rantie missed the chance to double the lead when his penalty hit the bar and Thulani Hlatshwayo headed past his own keeper to level the score.

Australian Open 2015: Rafael Nadal breezes past Mikhail Youzhny as Roger Federer eases through earlier today

The No 3 seeded Spaniard, who said last week he does not expect to be a contender at the first Grand Slam championship of the year, needed just one hour and 49 minutes to dispatch the streetwise Russian 6-3 6-2 6-2.

Nadal, champion at Flinders Park in 2009, broke serve twice in each set and was rarely troubled by the 32-year-old world No 49.

While, Roger Federer eased into the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-2 7-5 win over Yen-Hsun Lu on a Monday after Nadal's early game.

Nigeria February Polls: PDP says North is its stronghold

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that the northern part of the country remains its strongholds where it had enjoyed massive support and majority votes within the last 16 years.

Disclosing this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, the party attributed this acceptance to the unprecedented performance it has recorded in all sectors in the region.

According to the PDP, “Our strength lies in the fact that out of the 19 states in the north, the PDP controls 12 with solid structures over the years in all the wards and local government areas."

AFCON 2015: Senegal earn victory over Ghana.

Moussa Sow struck late in injury time to earn Senegal victory over Ghana. The substitute scored with virtually the last kick of the game, slotting in from the edge of the box to snatch all three point for the Teranga Lions. 

Maria Sharapova through to second round after straight sets win over Petra Martic

Maria Sharapova launched her Australian Open campaign in emphatic fashion as she crushed Petra Martic in straight sets.

The second seed can regain the coveted world No 1 ranking from arch-rival Serena Williams if she wins a second title at Melbourne Park and was all business as she downed Martic 6-4 6-1.

Sharapova said she was benefitting from a strong lead-in to the season-opening Grand Slam, when she won the Brisbane International.

Court nullifies ban on Abalaka’s HIV vaccine

A Federal High Court, sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, has declared the ban placed by the ex-president Olusegun Obansonjo’s administration on the use of HIV/AIDS vaccine discovered by Dr.Jeremiah Abalaka as illegal, null and void.

Abalaka and his hospital, Medicrest Specialist Hospital Limited, Gwagwalada, had dragged the Federal Government to court seeking a declaration that the July 20, 2000 ban or suspension of the use of HIV vaccine he discovered was illegal, null and void, because it violates his Patent No. RP 13567 dated July 22, 1999.

In a 32-page judgment delivered by Justice Nyako, the court held that the use of the vaccines must be at the discretion of the patient.

“The government lined up experts recently during Ebola outbreak. Everything and everyone that could contribute to the battle was brought on deck and Nigeria was the pride of the world and the people were proud of the government. HIV/AIDS is also related to Ebola as it is equally a death penalty on its victims. This should call for encouragement and not dampening of the spirit of persons who have made efforts to provide a remedy,”

Fuel price reduction not enough — NLC

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Monday said the recent reduction in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from N97 to N87 per litre, although a welcome development, is not low enough.

A statement by the Secretary General, NLC, Peter Ozo-Eson, said the N10 price slash in fuel pump price translates to 10.3 per cent reduction compared to 33% price reduction in most countries.

Reduction of fuel price has nothing to do with politics – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ruled politics out of the reduction of fuel price from 97 to 87 naira.

There have been arguments on social media since the Minister of Petroleum made the announcement on Sunday.

Some observers say the President wanted to use the reduction to win the heart of the people ahead of the February 14 presidential election.

Samuel Eto'o looked poised for a move to Sampdoria from Everton on Tuesday

Sampdoria hope to complete the signing of Everton forward Samuel Eto'o on Tuesday.

The two clubs have been in talks in recent weeks over a deal for the 33-year-old, who moved to Everton less than five months ago after his contract expired at Chelsea.

He has made 20 appearances for Roberto Martinez's side, scoring four goals, and is poised to sign an 18-month contract with the Genoa outfit after reportedly agreeing to a 40 per cent drop in wages.

APC accuses Nigerian govt of fraud, says price cut too meagre

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused the Federal Government of making a show out of deceit by its so-called fuel price reduction, saying a 10.3 per cent slash in the price of petrol (from 97 to 87 Naira) is a mere tokenism at a time the price of crude oil has crashed by about 60 per cent.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the pump price of a litre of fuel should not be more than 70 Naira, meaning that at 87 Naira per litre, the government is forcing Nigerians to subsidize the massive corruption in the oil sector by 17 Naira for every litre of fuel.

”When crude oil was selling at 100 dollars per barrel, the landing cost of PMS without subsidy was 125 Naira per litre. Now that the oil price has crash to about 44 dollars per barrel, landing cost without subsidy is about 65 Naira per litre. The same goes for diesel which should not sell for more than 90 Naira per litre,” it said.