African voice newspaper 21 june issue 487 by African Voice Newspapers UK

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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ISSUE 487

SINCE 2001

B R I TA I N ’ S N O . 1 A F R I C A N N E W S PA P E R Former refugee catwalk queen appointed Goodwill Ambassador

Has mass immigration made the genial Irish a myth?

SEE PAGE 12

SEE PAGE 4

£1.00

Phishing scammers jailed for £59m fraud SEE PAGE 14

Lawyers attack legal aid cuts By Alan Oakley

Lawyers have added their voice to mounting criticism of UK government plans to limit the right of immigrants to legal aid.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling recently announced proposals that would prevent immigrants applying for state-funded legal advice or representation during their first year in the country. The plan would effect so-called ‘failed asylum seekers and those accused of overstaying even though there have been several cases where the courts have found in their favour. These verdicts often centre around illegal procedure or a legal technicality that only a lawyer could reasonably be expected to uncover. Mr Grayling has also announced proposals to remove eligibility for legal aid from most UK citizens and to change the system so that defendants in criminal cases will be provided with a state-appointed solicitor rather than choosing their own representative as they do at present. The Civil Justice Council has criticised the plans, pointing out that they run counter to “the fundamental principle of equality before the law” and could leave immigrants “unable to bring or defend claims that are

crucial to their lives”. The Council goes on to warn that, if the changes are made, this will diminish “the credibility of the UK’s encouragement of the rule of law elsewhere in the world”. Mr Grayling is on record as saying that he does not want “individuals with little or no connection to this country” to be “able to claim legal aid to bring civil actions at UK taxpayers’ expense”. He says that of 8,734 immigration Judicial Review cases brought in 2011, only 607 got as far as a court hearing and only 31 were successful. He concludes that many of those applications for Judicial Review were, therefore, without merit, arguing that the system is being abused by lawyers who apply for Judicial Review in order to delay the deportation of their clients even when there is no chance that the review will be successful. But writing in The Guardian, immigration barrister Julian Norman says that just because a case does not result in a successful legal ruling, it does not mean it is without merit. Ms Norman gives the example of a UK Border Agency (UKBA)

Continued on page 2

Immigration barrister Julian Norman challenges the notion that an unsuccessful challenge to an immigration ruling makes the challenge meritless

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UNHCR Credibility Assessment Report Separately, a UNHCR report relating to Europe and asylum focuses on a central part of the examination of an asylum claim: determining whether statements and other evidence provided by an applicant are credible. UNHCR notes in this report that applications for asylum are often turned down in the European Union due to questioning of the credibility of the evidence presented. With this report, and in light of the steps taken by the European Parliament, UNHCR hopes to contribute to the further harmonization of Member State practices as they relate to the assessment of credibility. At a time when a common understanding of and approach to the credibility assessment process among EU Member States is still lacking, the report “Beyond Proof - Improving Credibility Assessment in EU Asylum Systems” provides unique insights into state practices based on research in EU Member States, guidance from other states and court rulings. UNHCR calls for a fair EU asylum system with objective and impartial asylum decisions that take into account the applicant’s individual background and circumstances. The report includes checklists and flowcharts that translate the legal and theoretical concepts into practical tools to assist decision-makers and support a fair assessment of credibility.

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Mike Abiola Editorial Board Adviser Dr Ola Ogunyemi News Editor Emmanuel Urhiofe Managing Editor Alan Oakley Sports Editor Abiodun Teriba Assist. Sports Editor Olubunmi Omoogun Arts Editor Golda John Columnists Ryan Holmes Ben Savill Photo Journalist Isaac Adegbite Graphic Designer Alvin Brown Legal Adviser Godwin Okri London Office: Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP

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African Voice is published by African Voice UK.

News

Government less strident on tenant vetting The government has backtracked on a major policy initiative designed to combat illegal immigration. In March, David Cameron announced that all landlords were to be required to check the immigration status of tenants before allowing them to rent flats. Any landlord found to have let to tenants who do not have permission to be in the UK would expose themselves to the possibility of hefty fines.

Now, communities’ secretary Eric Pickles has tried to water down the proposals. It has been reported that there were heated scenes in cabinet while Mr Pickles told the prime minister that most landlords in the UK are individuals, not large companies and would find the imposition of yet more ‘red tape’ (or bureaucratic requirements)

difficult to cope with. He said that there were likely to be legal challenges to the proposed checks. However, despite his objections to the tests, Mr Pickles is understood to be preparing to introduce them in ‘high risk areas’ where there are large numbers of immigrants. This is almost certain to lead to the government facing charges of discrimination and even racism. There are two million private landlords in the UK. In May, Richard Lambert, the CEO of the National Landlords Association issued a statement saying that landlords should carry out checks on tenants to ensure they are trustworthy. He said that this was ‘best practice which safeguards the landlord’s business’. He said that existing checks ‘should highlight any immigration irregularities’. However, Mr Lambert went on to say

that these steps on their own, without action from government as well, would lead to homelessness among immigrants. He said ‘local authorities must undertake robust, intelligence-led, targeted enforcement, otherwise illegal immigrants who are refused housing by reputable landlords will face homelessness or be pushed straight back into arms of the criminals who deliberately exploit vulnerable people’. The shadow communities’ secretary, Labour’s Hilary Benn, said ‘ministers simply don’t have a clue when it comes to the detail and their policy on this is unravelling’. Mr Benn said that the government should, rather than make landlords check up on prospective tenants, establish a statutory register of landlords in order to ‘prevent unscrupulous private landlords from exploiting illegal immigrants’.

Hospitals to face new “tougher and more rigorous” rating system UK hospitals are set to be graded under a new “Ofsted-style” ranking system, based on frequent inspections of every department, in the latest shake-up to the NHS.

The system, which resembles that currently used by education regulator Ofsted to grade schools, will award hospitals a single simple grade of either “inadequate”, “requires improvement”, “good” or “outstanding”, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) unveiled this week.

Lawyers attack legal aid cuts Continued from front page

detainee who was about to be illegally deported while his claim for asylum was being processed. According to Ms Norman: “Telephone calls to UKBA yielded no result, so Judicial Review was the only answer. Immediately the Judicial Review was lodged, he was released with a muttered apology”. Some weeks later, the UKBA again embarked on the process of deporting the client. Unable to get a response from the Agency, Ms Norman launched another Judicial Review before the UKBA again agreed not to deport him. “Those cases were technically among those Grayling regards as meritless, because they did not get as far as being granted permission. UKBA could have fought us and we would have won – but isn’t it better that they do concede at the earliest opportunity?” she says, adding: “These are the types of cases which immigration solicitors and barristers deal with on a daily basis. A combination of over-legislation and under-staffing at UKBA [has created] a toxic mix”.

Health Secretary Hunt ordered a new ratings system in February.

The CQC, which is responsible for regulating care in the NHS, hopes the ratings will drive up standards, giving patients and families a better insight into the quality of treatment they can expect from particular hospital services. “It’s going to be tougher and much more rigorous, and will be much more clear about when services are failing or inadequate,” said David Behan, the CQC’s chief executive. The changes are set to begin in October, with the first findings published in December. CQC inspectors will rate every hospital department, as well as every hospital and hospital trust under the new system, based on examinations of whether the care being provided is safe, effective, caring and compassionate, well-led and responsive to patients’ needs. If an inspector reports problems, the chief inspector of hospitals Sir Mike Richards will issue a warning notice. The hospital will be given a fixed period – perhaps only a few days – to amend the situation. Inspectors will also look to see if hospitals have failed to deliver any of the ten new “fundamental standards” of care, as suggested by the Francis Report. Published in February, the report outlined the findings of Robert Francis QC’s public inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

Between 2005 and 2008, up to 1,200 people were said to have died unnecessarily at the NHS hospital due to “appalling standards of care.” The report led Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to order the institution of the new regulatory system shortly after its publication. Under the previous, much criticised system, the CQC only reported whether or not hospitals met the minimum standards of care. Critics had labelled it a “tick-box exercise” that failed to encourage improvement. “As an MP I know how well each school in my constituency is doing thanks to independent and thorough Ofsted inspections,” said Hunt when the new proposals were made late last year. “But because the CQC only measures whether minimum standards have been reached, I do not know the same about hospitals and care homes.” Hunt has now approved the CQC’s new plans, saying that it reflected a major programme of changes in the NHS that meant “setting clear standards of care and publishing ratings so that patients have a single version of the truth about how their hospitals are performing on finance, leadership and, most importantly, the quality of care.” The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents the UK’s 220,000 doctors, has also a welcomed the new scheme. But Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, has been more critical, stating that the CQC is still yet to persuade NHS managers to accept the changes. In a recent poll, almost three quarters of NHS chief executives and chairs said they disagreed with the implementation of Ofstedstyle ratings. Farrar suggests such as system risks “skewing resources to only those areas being measured.” “We welcome steps to improve transparency within the NHS,” he said. “But in doing so, we must avoid creating perverse incentives whereby a single focus develops on those areas being measured alone, at the expense of other areas that are equally as important.”

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News

Professor says citizenship test would baffle most Brits 2. In what year did the Roman emperor Claudius invade Britain? A) 110BC B) 55BC C) 43AD D) 150AD 3. When did Sake Dean Mahomet open the first curry house in the UK A) 1780 B) 1810 C) 1880 D) 1889 4. Which 17th century scientist predicted the return of a comet which was then named after him? A) Isaac Newton B) Richard Arkwright C) Samuel Pepys D) Edmund Halley ‘It has gone from testing practical trivia to the purely trivial’

Dr Thom Brooks calls the citizenship test ‘impractical, inconsistent, trivial, gender-imbalanced, outdated and ineffective’

An academic at one of the UK’s leading universities has issued a report that the UK’s new citizenship test, which was introduced in March 2013, is ‘unfit for purpose’. Dr Thom Brooks, who teaches history at Durham University, said that the new test requires those who take it to know ‘trivial facts’ that ‘many citizens born and bred in the UK would struggle to know’. Most of those applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK or citizen ship will have to take the UK’s citizenship test. The test was originally introduced by the then Labour government in 2005. It contains 24 multiple choice questions and you must score 75% (18 correct answers) in order to pass. Dr Brooks was born a US citizen but took the UK’s citizenship test in 2009 before becoming a UK citizen in 2011. When Dr Brooks took the test, it contained questions on subjects such as the UK’s constitution and practical matters such as how to claim benefits but the UK’s Coalition government which was elected in 2010 said that this test did not equip immigrants to take part in the

Dr Brooks said ‘the life in the UK quiz has become a bad pub quiz. It has gone from testing practical trivia to the purely trivial and is a major opportunity lost’. He said ‘the biggest surprise is the lack of attention successive gov-

ernments have paid to ensuring that the test is fair and not out of date; a surprise even bigger than the sometimes shocking questions that can be found in the test’. Dr Brooks added ‘Britain will not be more cohesive because more people have heard of the Battle of Trafalgar, but rather if its future citizens understand better how to participate in daily British life and make a contribution’. Dr Brooks also complains that the test is ill-thought through and inconsistent. For example, it contains no question about the number of MPs to be found in Westminster but candidates may be asked about the number of seats in the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies. He said the test was ‘impractical, inconsistent, trivial, gender-imbalanced, outdated and ineffective’. He suggested it should be reformed. Dr Brooks’s report has been welcomed by critics of the new test. Lord Roberts of Llandudno, vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration said ‘the test, which is irrelevant as it stands, [should] be reformed’. See page 21 for answers

cultural life of the UK. Consequently, it announced that it intended to change the nature of the test which would now contains questions about the UK’s history and culture. The UK’s Home Office issued a statement in January 2013 saying that, in the old test ‘migrants did not have to show they had an understanding of how modern Britain has evolved’. The UK’s immigration minister, Mark Harper said ‘Instead of telling people how to claim benefits, [the new guide] encourages participation in British life’. Try a few questions and see you how you do (answers at the end) 1. In what year did Big Ben first chime A) 1859 B) 1869 C) 1879 D) 1889 3

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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Opinion

Has mass immigration made the genial Irish a myth?

By Alan Oakley

pinions vary as to the origins of the term Black Irish, which has been used for at least three centuries. Some theories explain the term as referring to the ‘dark’ disposition of historical invaders, rather than any physical characteristic. The phrase may be overdue for a 21st century redefinition. The Obamas, as history’s first and only black ‘first family’ received a warm welcome in Northern Ireland as the President of the United States (POTUS) attended this week’s G8 summit. But elsewhere on the Emerald Isle, particularly south of the border, less esteemed black families enjoy nothing like as effusive hospitality. During the Republic of Ireland’s economic boom of the latter part of the 1990s and early 2000s, immigrants of all hues poured into the nation’s towns and villages, taking up the plentiful roles in trades as diverse as building and IT. Relative prosperity saw to it that the Eastern Europeans, Asians and Africans that comprised the bulk of this influx suffered, in general, no more negative an experience than being viewed as a curiosity. By 2011, however, more than three quarters of a million of Ireland’s 4.5 million inhabitants were born elsewhere according to that year’s Census. Like most of the rest of the globe, years of recession were wreaking havoc on the lives of ordinary, balanced people. Ireland was experiencing, in a kind of microcosm, what Great Britain had gone through after the British West Indians were invited in during the 1950s and the East African Asians were given refuge from the tyrannical excesses of Idi Amin in the 1970s. Representatives of more than 20,000 respondents who declared Africa as their place of birth in the 2011 Census feel their communities have become the ‘sacrificial lambs’ for the economic travails of the indigenes. By late 2011, the climate for black people in Ireland became so toxic that some black leaders said their communities were “under siege” and suffering from widespread “verbal, physical and psychological attacks.” A group of prominent black businessmen held a press conference in Dublin in November 2011 in which they warned of “unprecedented levels of racist attitudes, attacks and a lack of leadership by the government and the institutions of the state.” They had formed the assembly in response to comments made by Fine Gael councillor Darren Scully, who said he no longer wanted to represent the black Africans in his area. Scully had earlier told Irish media that he found black Africans to be overly aggressive and illmannered. He later apologised for his comments and resigned as mayor of the town of Naas. 4

Dublin-born former pop star Samantha Mumba’s father arrived in Ireland from Zambia

A Gallup poll taken that year revealed that 73 percent of black Africans in Ireland believed that racial discrimination was “widespread” in the country. “We demand the Irish government live up to its responsibility to protect all residents in the Republic of Ireland and to take strong measures to end racism,” read a statement from a group of representatives, which included community leaders Eric Yao of the Africa Centre; Salome Mbunge of Akidwa, a network of African and migrant women living in Ireland; and Clement Esebamen of the Ireland West Africa Business and Economic Council. Not surprisingly, small hard-core groups of Irish nationalists have formed political organisations in order to advocate for the deportation of many immigrants. In 2010, a group called the Irish National Party (INP) -- likely based on a British group of a similar name -- was formed for the “immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers who (sic) have had their applications rejected.” Now defunct, the INP claimed that Ireland’s ancient culture and identity were being eroded due to “record levels of immigration and an influx of so-called ‘asylum seekers’ ... leading to the development of minority communities in our cities and increasing levels of social isolation in our towns and villages.” “[We] rather seek to establish greater control

over the immigration process. We recognise there is and always will be a need for some level of immigration but believe a more vigorous system needs to be put in place,” INP chairman David Barrett told the Irish Central newspaper. “We wish to see Irish identity preserved but do not believe this is possible with, for example, mass immigration or membership of an increasingly powerful European Union.” Racism against blacks took a deadly turn in the spring of 2010 when a 15year-old boy named Toyosi Shittabey was stabbed to death in Tyrellstown, a housing development outside Dublin. Four men were arrested in connection with the incident. The race-related killing sparked huge demonstrations in Dublin and elsewhere. Commenting on the murder, another black youth named Patrick Kabangu told Irish media: “Racism is hiding everywhere. It is in the schools. Everywhere in Ireland is racist, it is just being hidden. This country is crazy.” In a column for The Irish Journal last year, Timi Martins, a Nigerian who migrated to Ireland in 1996 as a teenager to attend university, described some of the positive and negative experiences he had undergone, while predicting that the future will be much better for his children. “At that time there weren’t many black people, there weren’t many Chinese people, there weren’t many Indians. But there had been a lot of black people in Ireland -- for example, Ireland would have been the training ground for a lot of African nurses, pilots and doctors. So it was not a bad time, because it was more of a novelty to see a black person on the street and most people would love the opportunity to meet one, shake one’s hand, talk or whatever.” However, there were also some very bad experiences. Martins added: “But it was still hard. I was lucky, because there were a couple of black kids in my school and we just blended in a nice atmosphere. Only when I went out of my school for rugby matches or whatever, then I might encounter some racism. People saying stuff; people throwing eggs or saying go back home or (calling me) monkey.” Nonetheless, Martins said he is committed to remaining in Eire: “Ireland’s a very lovely place to live. Even though there have been cases of racism; it’s everywhere but it’s in small amounts here... Luckily for me I met my wife, I have two beautiful children (and) my business is flourishing. It’s not easy still, but I’m doing what I have to do.”

Rotimi Adebari became Ireland’s first black mayor in 2007

Martins also believes Irish attitudes toward race are now changing: “You go to any school, nearly any school in Dublin there will be many children from any ethnic background. You see them walking home in pairs, you see a black kid walking with a white kid, an Indian kid, or you see a black girl and Chinese girl walking together. Even in relationships -- I see a lot of black girls with white guys, white guys with Chinese girls. It’s changing completely. The next generation of kids, my daughters’ ages, when they grow up they’re not going to see any racism at all. Ireland is my home. I’m here, my family’s here.” It is important to establish that not all Africans endure a negative Irish experience. Rotimi Adebari, a victim of religious persecution who fled Nigeria for Ireland in 2000, was elected Mayor of Portlaoise in County Laois in 2007. At the time, the University of Dublin graduate said: “Ireland is really changing. The immigrant community in the town has been growing, especially since the accession countries joined the European Union on enlargement in 2004.” However, he added: “That is not to say that I did not have my own share of the prejudice that would be out there against maybe Nigerians, or immigrants or asylum-seekers. But I don’t let the attitude of a very small minority over-shadow the fact that the people are wonderful.” This writer’s experience of Irish people, albeit outside their country of birth, echoes that last sentiment of their nation’s first black mayor but the deepening economic crisis, bank bailout and grim fiscal predictions that have placed a blight on the intervening years are unlikely to soften attitudes towards the new Black Irish.

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Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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News 65 years since Windrush; the generation that changed Britain forever

A group of men dressed ready to eat read about themselves in the newspaper

A somewhat bemused-looking selection of new arrivals

This weekend marks the 65th anniversary of the docking at Tilbury of SS Empire Windrush and its human cargo of British West Indians.

arrived in their mother country in the middle of summer, 22nd June 1948, having set off from Jamaica, via Trinidad, just under a month earlier. Many arrived intending to begin a new life but some to content to earn enough to improve the one they already enjoyed back home. Expectations were high and mostly not realised. The Empire Windrush’s arrival was momentous but its passengers ultimately found their fellow British citizens’ welcome more muted than the adverts that lured them had led them to expect. Most spent their first few weeks

In 1948, a British Nationality Act was entered into law to accommodate Britain’s need to rebuild following the end of WWII. The Act afforded British citizenship to all people from Commonwealth countries and paved the way for workers to be recruited from the British West Indies, as the region was then known, to staff state-run serv-

ices. Prominent advertisements were placed on billboards, in shop windows and in newspapers throughout the major towns in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and, later, British Guiana (now Guyana), but they were scarcely needed. The grapevine was a more than adequate medium for the anticipation, particularly amongst young men, to reach fever pitch, despite the not inconsiderable £28 passage. Nearly 500 overseas citizens – almost certainly more if stowaways are included -

housed in a redeployed WWII bomb shelter below the Northern Line. But this is a time to celebrate those pioneers. My late father arrived in Britain from Jamaica later that same year, albeit into Bristol on a different vessel; so I have reason to look back at the Windrush generation with a degree of fondness. They contributed much to British society and, in the judgement of anyone informed enough to understand, received less than their just desserts. Heralding the anniversary on behalf of

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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News the Government, David Cameron said:

22 June 1948, the arrival of multiculturalism

“The 65th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Dock on 22 June 1948 marks a truly historical moment for modern day Britain. Nearly 500 people arrived from the Caribbean that day to find work or a new life, and it led to the transformation of this country into the richly diverse nation it now is. “The early arrivals from the Caribbean came to help rebuild our country after the Second World War. They brought with them the skills and resolve to help get Britain back on her feet and to make a better life for themselves and their families. But as history has shown many of them suffered unjust hardships and barriers – from social exclusion and prejudice to discrimination and racism. “I pay tribute to the Windrush generation and praise their fortitude and determination in overcoming those difficult challenges. Younger generations are rightly very proud of those early pioneers, and while some social issues still need to be tackled, I strongly believe that our country today is an overwhelmingly fair and tolerant one. And this is in part down to the people from the Caribbean and around the world who settled here. “Those early migrants did so much for our country, and paved the way for their

children and subsequent generations to make enormous contributions to Britain in the 21st century. Whether this is in the field of public service, business, culture or the arts, the children of the Windrush generation have given so much. “Whenever I meet people from Britain’s African-Caribbean community, I’m always struck by the stories I hear; stories of guts, determination and sheer hard work. Our island is richer in every sense of the word for your contribution.” A special weekend event to mark the 65th anniversary is being held at Tilbury Cruise Terminal. Leaving from St Katherine’s Dock in London, a vessel will cruise along the Thames to Tilbury on the afternoon of 22nd June 2013, attempting to emulate that memorable arrival on the same day in 1948. A special reception infused with Caribbean and African cuisine will follow, complemented by an evening of entertainment, live music and a special awards ceremony. On the following day, Sunday 23rd, Tilbury Cruise Terminal will host a Family Fun Day. Activities will include tours of the Windrush exhibitions, music and educational workshops, a gospel choir and dance performances. For further information, call 07766 725173 or book at ticketline.co.uk

MoneyGram joining forces with Lebara to offer international money transfers on mobile devices Leading global money transfer company, MoneyGram, today announced an agreement with Lebara Mobile, one of Europe’s leading mobile telecoms operators, to offer real-time MoneyGram transfer services over the Lebara Money mobile and web solutions. MoneyGram’s money transfer platform is now integrated within the Lebara Money iPhone and Android mobile payment platform solutions and the Lebara Money website, enabling customers in the United Kingdom -- and soon, in Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland -- to send international transfers from a mobile phone to more than 320,000 MoneyGram locations in 198 countries worldwide. By downloading the Lebara Money iPhone or Android apps from the iTunes and Android stores, or visiting Lebara Money online, Lebara customers can directly connect to MoneyGram’s convenient and secure mobile remittance services global network. The real-time transfer services can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We’re excited about the opportunity to provide our European customers

with easily accessible transfer services though Lebara’s smart phone apps,” said Carl Scheible, executive vice president, Europe, Africa and Emerging Channels, MoneyGram. “Our agreement gets us yet another step closer to our goal of linking with fast and reliable mobile and web services that give our customers even more flexibility when sending money to loved ones nearby or overseas.” Lebara and MoneyGram signed a multi-year contract for the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland. Lebara Money services will help provide a global consumer audience with funds transfer options. “The new Lebara Money crossborder mobile money transfer service, easily accessible with a smartphone, enables our customers to make reliable, peer-to-peer money transfers in the house, the workplace or while out and about” said Lebara CEO, David Moffatt. “MoneyGram is a trusted company for consumers and Lebara Mobile is excited to be joining forces to offer a compelling Mobile Money transfer service for our customers. It’s a winwin.” 7

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“Africa being ripped off big time” – AfDB chief Mining and energy companies operating in Africa should pay more taxes if the continent is to overcome its status as the “world’s poorest”, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) claimed last week. Speaking in London a day before the UK-hosted G8 summit, Donald Kaberuka frankly stated that “the reality is, Africa is being ripped off big time.” “Africa wants to grow itself out of poverty through trade and investment,” he explained to Reuters. “Part of doing so is to ensure there is transparency and sound governance in the natural resources sector.” It is estimated that Africa loses around £40 billion every year through illegal outflows and price manipulation, much of which is exported by multinationals. The Africa Progress Panel, led by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, recently highlighted how the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone lost at least £880 million in potential revenues from 2010-2012, due to cut-price sales of mining assets to offshore companies. Kaberuka’s comments came amidst the UK’s preparations for the G8, with its “Triple-T” agenda of trade, transparency and tax. The UK government has said it will put

its “own house in order” by pressing overseas tax havens into a transparency deal and drawing up new disclosure rules for British companies. Its hope is that its G8 partners – the seven other wealthiest countries in the world – will now follow suit. Kaberuka attended a lunch at London’s Lancaster House last weekend to discuss the issues with the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the presidents of Ghana, Guinea, Senegal, Somalia and Tanzania and the finance minister of Nigeria. All countries have energy or mining resources. Kaberuka’s aim is to make sure that the “Triple-T” agenda of the summit is not merely limited to the world’s richest states. “It’s seen as a collective agenda, not just a G8 agenda, that we make sure everybody pays what is due,” he said. “The international community must do its part to ensure balanced contracts, minimise tax avoidance – let alone tax evasions – and bring light and transparency in the natural resource sector, [which is] at the moment often very opaque. “It is only in this way that our countries will be able to find the financial resources they need to fund infrastructure, to fund the trade corridors, which are now very dependent on donor funding.” At the London meeting, UK Prime Min-

AfDB president Donald Kaberuka has called for a crackdown on tax avoidance ister David Cameron praised the AfDB for its work efforts towards both infrastructure development and the reduction of bureaucracy. “Let’s back African countries in achieving their goal of doubling intra-African trade by 2022,” said Cameron. “Let’s back Africa in ending the crazy bureaucracy that means a trucker taking goods from Cape Town to Kigali has to carry up to 1,000 documents. “And let’s back Africans on infrastructure – where they have a point when they say it was largely designed in another era

and primarily focused on getting products out of the continent rather than promoting trade within it.” “Let’s get behind president Kaberuka’s work through the African Development Bank to secure the private finance that can deliver the infrastructure that is so badly needed.” The AfDB, which was founded in 1963, has forecast growth in Africa at 4.8 percent this year, with sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) the fastest-growing region at 6.6 percent.

Nigeria’s $1 billion Eurobond roadshow underway

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is leading the roadshow

Nigeria is currently taking a one week roadshow to the UK, Germany and the United States with the bookrunners for its $1 billion (£650 million) Eurobond, which it plans to issue this year. The meetings are being led by Nigeria’s finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – who last year made a unsuccessful bid to lead the World Bank – alongside other senior government officials from the debt office. Deutsche Bank and Citigroup were appointed in May to lead manage the bond.

Nigeria, Africa’s second-largest economy and top oil producer, has a credit rating of BB- with a stable outlook from both Fitch and Standard & Poors. It first issued a debut $500 million (£325 million) tenyear Eurobond two years ago, which was 2-1/2 times oversubscribed, with investors spanning eighteen countries from Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa. Last month, the head of the debt office said Nigeria will increase the amount it borrows overseas from 12 percent of all debt currently to around 40 percent over the next three to five years, in order to lower its funding costs. The debt office has said it hopes to raise the money before the end of September in order to help finance Nigeria’s power reforms. However, the timing of the bond and its maturity have not been decided yet and will depend on the market. As concerns build that major central banks may start to back off loose monetary policies, yields on emerging market debt have risen sharply over the past six weeks. According to Samir Gadiom, an emerging market strategist at Standard Bank, “Nigeria is likely to pay a higher yield to launch its second Eurobond than the external funding cost that it would have secured a couple of months ago.” The roadshow began in London on Wednesday, 19 June, before moving to Germany on 20 June. It will then head to New York and Boston, and end in Los Angeles on 26 June.

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Nigerian Army rescues French sailor from Pirates As part of the collaborative efforts to rid Nigeria and indeed the West African coastal area of the activities of terrorism and sea pirates, the Nigerian Army, freed a French sailor from pirates. According to reports, the ship Adour, an oil products tanker, was attacked by the pirates on the 13th June, 2013 about 30 nautical miles off the coast of Togo and the sailors were captured. General Bata Dembiro, a military commander in charge of the coastal area, informed the media that the personnel of the Nigerian Navy and the French marines launched a joint attack on the captured vessel after the hijackers had seized it and were able to set free about 14 crewmen while the rescued sailor, Benjamin Elan was taken hostage to facilitate their escape. “The rescued foreign ship worker was abducted in Togo aboard an oil tanker and

brought to Bayelsa State (in Nigeria) by suspected kidnappers,” Dembiro was quoted as saying. The pirates had taken Benjamin to a village in Bayelsa state where they took refuge. Fortunately, their presence had not escaped the vigilance of youths in the community who quickly alerted the relevant authorities. This helped in the rescue attempt by the army but the gang had fled the house before rescue group got to the place. Reports state that Messrs. ST Management SAAM has not made any significant statement on the issue except to confirm that the ship had experienced an ‘incident’. The impact of pirates on the West African coast line threatens to destabilize sea trading and way fare which is very likely to negatively on exports which the region is in dire need to promoting aggressively. This is not to state a similar trend on imports which has been a mainstay of a few francophone states in the region as well.

Nigerian astronauts to weather space technology

Prof.Ita Okon Bassey Ewa Minister Science Tech The Honourable Minister of science and Technology, Prof. Ita Ewa, while brieﬁng the nation on his ministry’s activities on Monday at the ministerial press conference in Abuja, stated that plans were afoot to ensure that the training of local astronauts begin by 2015 all things being equal. He added that a memo requesting the President Goodluck Jonathan’s approval for the programme had been submitted. The training would be done in collaboration

with the Chinese government who will also assist the country in developing a space rocket. It should the noted that space technology has been a developing ambition of successive governments in Nigeria leading to the establishment of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NARSDA). The Minister further stated that a launch site with a 20-kilometre launch capability had already been set up in Epe, Lagos State, adding that 12 engineers from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NARSDA) are in China for training. While expounding on the benefits of an improved programme to the country, Prof. Ewa stated that the Nigeria would begin making preparations for the launch of two or more communication satellites after Mr. President’s approval. According to him, the socio-economic benefits of such deployment of satellites include; security surveillance, flood management, environmental surveillance for pest and diseases infested areas, desertification and pollution, especially oil spillage in the Niger Delta.

Odili wins Commonwealth prize The 10th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting which held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from the 17th – 19th June, 2013 was highlighted by the presentation of awards to women who participated and were distinguished in the essays they wrote on ‘Women’s Leadership for Enterprise’. The essays focused on reasons and ways through which governments could promote women’s involvement in leadership and policy making processes. The award presentation was witnessed by over

2000 guests and had the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina giving out awards. Ms. Nonyem Obiageli Odili, Nigerian, was presented with a trophy by both dignitaries for coming 1st in the 18 -29 age category in the Commonwealth Leadership essay competition on engaging the youth in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment within the commonwealth. Miss Tang Sze Lin of Malaysia was also

Nigerian pirates

Omotola tweets her rage

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde By Peter Olorunnisomo A Nigerian Nollywood star, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde recently took to her Twitter page to tweet her unreserved spleen against the trend of the deﬁciencies by people at the helms and corridors of power in Nigeria. From her tweets, it is that her protest stems a lot from the level of responsibility and poor leadership which irks her. She decried the activity of money politics which seems to have made everyone person with honoured having come 1st in the 15 -17 age category. Ms Odili’s essay highlighted, through a comparative analysis of a select of commonwealth countries, ‘the overwhelming number of women’ excluded from leadership positions while pointing out that only a progressive democracy will best achieve good governance involving women in the decision-making process. She noted that women are gender dominant in the world population.

a position to watchdog the welfare and interests of the masses, silent. “SHAME on those who worship money, forget their silent heroes n suck up to corrupt leaders n sell their voice! SHAME on you who only talks too”. Her concerns for the welfare of the people are marked when she asks; “Are Nigerian ENTITLED to health care beneﬁts? What’s the way forward from maternal mortality for a start? Perhaps her core concerns are reﬂection of her feminist intuitions but it would appear that it is not limited to this. “SHAME on Humans who pledge to serve fellow humans, get in2 POWER n ignore their DUTIES, intimidate d citizens becomn headboys of local schools”. These appropriately translated to read ‘Shame on humans who pledge to serve fellow humans (and) get into power (and) ignore their duties, intimidate the citizens becoming head boys of local schools’. She queries, “What is the primary JOB of a government?” and goes on to encourage people who share similar sentiments to tweet and sign on-line petitions and protests. “We trend with anything, we can with petitions”.

Another Nigerian, Edem Dorothy Andah, took 3rd place in the 18-29 age category for her essay advocating an all-inclusive renewed socialisation and political education process granting women greater participation in leadership. Tameka Nicketta Hill of Jamaica took 2nd position for her script which highlighted how women’s exclusion from leadership opportunities result in unhealthy societal constructs, poor conﬂict management, war and other social issues. 9

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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Another giant step in Osun The State of Osun recently witnessed the official take-off of the redevelopment of the old Gbongan-Akoda Road to a new 30km superhighway and the construction of a trumpet interchange bridge at the intersection of the road with the Ibadan-Ife Expressway. The superhighway called Omoluabi Motorway and the Interchange fly-over is named after Chief Adebisi Akande, who was governor between 1999 and 2003. The two projects when completed will also improve the safety and comfort of both motorists and pedestrians. The project is another significant step in the journey towards a more prosperous socio-economic living for the people of the State of Osun. Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the ceremony said, “while Good roads are critical to the modern state. Physical transportation of human and materials is primarily by road here, although we are also exploring and investing in other avenues like the rails. Bad roads regrettably are responsible for a lot of road accidents that claim lives and leave hitherto able-bodied individuals permanently incapacitated, an avoidable depletion of our valuable human resources.

Bad roads also have health cost, besides the possibility of road accidents. People are loath to travel on bad roads because of the possible challenge to their health after the trip. Good roads on the other hand will enhance economic and social activities, bring down the cost of goods and services and reduce wear and tear on vehicles. Bad roads make our cities and the environment look ugly while good roads on the other hand improve the aesthetics of our cities, towns and villages. “Our assault on bad roads therefore is massive. At the state level, work is ongoing at different road projects and at varying stages of completion. “These are: rehabilitation of 21 Osogbo township roads, rehabilitation of 15 Ilesa township roads, rehabilitation of 14 Ede township roads by direct labour, 20 intercity roads totaling 319 kilometres, 13 intra-city roads totaling 79.46 kilometres, rehabilitation of select roads in six zones totaling 74.1 kilometres, eight roads inherited from past administration totaling 144.29 kilometres, dualisation of Osogbo-Kwara boundary road totaling 43.37 kilometres and dualisation of Gbongan-Orileowu-Ijebu Igbo Road”.

President of the Links International, Mr. Niyi Dada, Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Public Relations Ofﬁcer of the Houston African Community International, Mrs Janet Olusola in a dramatic presentation of an award of Rise and Shine African Outstanding Leadership in Houston Texas to the Governor during a courtesy visit at the State Government House, Osogbo

Photos: Taofeeq Adejare

Constitutional Lawyer & Professor of Law, Professor Itse Sagay, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Perception Managers Ltd, Mr. Yomi BadejoOkusanya, Dean Faculty of Law, OAU, Ife, Dr. Francis Fagbohun and Celebrity Radio Presenter, Moyo Oyatogun during the 2nd Edition of the Public Discourse at Agip Recital Haii, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos

Chairman National Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishments, Mrs. Felicia Oyeleke, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, General Secretary National Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishments, Mr. Jide Asagodogbo and Vice Chairman National Forum of Heads of Federal Government Establishments, Mufutau Adedeji during a Courtesy Visit to the governor at the Governor’s Ofﬁce Osogbo 10

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Girl, 18, beheads rapist father Papua New Guinea Community leaders are protecting a teenage girl who decapitated her father with a bush knife after he raped her at their home in Papua New Guinea. The Post-Courier newspaper said the 18-year-old chopped her father’s head off after he repeatedly raped her last Tuesday night (June 11) in their village in the poverty-stricken Paciﬁc nation’s Western Highlands. The report cited a pastor as saying the father, in his mid-40s, had three other children and raped his daughter when they were alone in the house while the mother and the other siblings visited relatives. Pastor Lucas Kumi said the man went to his daughter’s room in the night and raped her repeatedly. “The father wanted to rape his daughter again in the morning inside the house and that was when the young girl picked up the bush knife and chopped her father’s head off,” he said. Community leaders are now refusing to hand the girl over to police, vowing to protect her. “The people and leaders in our area went and saw the headless body of the father

after the girl reported the incident (to the leaders) and told her story of why she had killed her father,” said Kumi, adding: “The daughter did what she did because of the trauma and the evil actions of her father, so that is why we have all agreed that she remains in the community.” Violent crime and witchcraft are rife in Papua New Guinea, with the government last month voting to reinstate the death penalty in a bid to deter offenders after a series of high-proﬁle grisly incidents. Brutality against women, including domestic violence and rape, is also endemic. Over the weekend, the Post-Courier reported that child prostitution is on the rise, particularly in the capital, Port Moresby, where many new nightclubs have sprung up and where young girls are increasingly being forced into the sex trade. Some are being pushed into selling themselves by their parents to help them cope with rising cost of living, it said, citing non-government organisations. “Child prostitution is an issue so hidden from our public consciousness that the mere mention of it results in shock and denial,” said one NGO.

Police celebrate paw haul China gling bear paws as the weather is too warm to keep the paws fresh,” said Sun Rongxin, an official from Manzhouli customs. He added they had often seen similar attempts to smuggle paws, but in much smaller amounts and occurring during winter or early spring. Police said that a kilogram of bear paw in Russia is worth 2,000 rubles (about £40), while in China, the price could be 10 times higher. Sales of all bear parts are banned, according to China’s animal protection reguPaws for consideration: customs officials survey lations. their haul The customs police said that Customs officials at Manzhouli, the huge profit and the increasing Inner Mongolia Autonomous Redemand in China triggered such smuggling cases. gion, have uncovered a haul of 213 “The demand is huge because more peowild bear paws hidden in a vehicle ple can afford them and the country has the by two Russian nationals, the biggest tradition to treat bear paw as a rare ingrediseizure of smuggled paws ever made ent for cuisine or as an expensive present,” by Chinese customs. Zhang Xiaohai, director of China’s external An initial investigation found the paws affairs offi ce for Animals Asia Foundation, may come from the brown bear, which is a told the Global Times. nationally protected animal in China. The Zhang said the number of such smugsmugglers, who hid the contraband in their gling and other illegal trades are increasing vehicle’s tyres, have been detained by poin the past two years. lice. “Bear farms in China exacerbate the situ“This case is quite special as it occurred ation as they also sell paws illegally which in May, which is not a peak time for smugstimulates the growing trade,” he noted.

Philippines takes lead on ivory crisis Philippines

Due to theft, a fraction of the ivory seized since 2005 remains

Friday, June 21 marks the day the Philippines will destroy ﬁve tons of seized ivory, becoming the world’s ﬁrst ivory-consuming nation to destroy its national ivory stock.

The decision comes in the wake of the south-east Asian nation being identiﬁed by National Geographic magazine as having a longtime ivory-trafﬁcking problem. “The destruction of the items would hopefully bring the Philippines’ message across the globe that the country is serious and will not tolerate illegal wildlife trade, and denounces the continuous killing of elephants for illicit ivory trade,” said Mundita Lim, director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. PAWB, the country’s leading wildlife agency, will destroy all the ivory in its possession, except for 106 pieces to be repatriated to Kenya and a few pieces to be retained for training, enforcement, and education purposes. Five tons is less than half of the total ivory seized by the Philippines in recent years. But most of that seized ivory ‘grew legs’ and disappeared. Customs agents seized 7.7 tons of smug-

gled ivory in 2005 and another 5.4 tons in 2009. But a subsequent audit revealed that customs had “lost” almost six tons of this ivory, an act so suspicious that PAWB sued the agency. Customs turned its 2009 seizure over to PAWB, which soon discovered that it too had mice in its larder. Someone broke into its storeroom and stole more than 1.7 tons. The thieves even replaced the stolen tusks with excellent replicas made of plastic. PAWB will destroy the remainder of its ivory this week on the grounds of the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, Quezon City, by crushing using industrial rollers. Originally, the government had intended to have a small burn to accent the ceremony, but local environmental groups decried burning as sending up both the wrong message and too much smoke. The ivory cache is worth roughly $6.5 million, based on prices charged by the Chinese government for raw ivory after its 2008 purchase. According to Philippine government ofﬁcials, the ivory was smuggled from various countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda. Ofﬁcials are taking samples for DNA analysis to be sent to Samuel Wasser, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington.

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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News

Zuma government demands action over GCHQ spy claim

Clayson Monyela is calling for “strong and visible action” against anyone found to have abused the privacy of South African diplomats

The government of South Africa has called on the British government to investigate reports that its delegates who attended two G20 meetings in London in 2009 were put under surveillance.

As the G8 summit got underway in Northern Ireland this week, it was revealed that Britain’s intelligence agencies carried out an intensive spying operation on foreign politicians, especially those from South Africa, Russia and Turkey, who attended the

meetings in April and September 2009. According to reports by The Guardian, details of the surveillance are said to be contained in documents uncovered by US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, responsible for a string of disclosures about American intelligence operations. The documents reveal that Britain’s spying body, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), spied on communications of visiting delegations on the instruction of the British government.

GCHQ was said to have enabled a team of 45 analysts to be provided with live roundthe-clock summaries of who was phoning whom during the proceedings. The leaked documents, classified ‘top secret’, show that G20 delegates had their computers monitored and phone calls intercepted by GCHQ, and were even persuaded to use specially prepared Internet cafes where an email interception programme and key logging software was used to provide the M16 and GCHQ with “sustained intelligence options against them” even after the London summits were over. One of the documents describes efforts to penetrate South African computers and successfully gain access to the country’s foreign ministry network. They “investigated phone lines used by the High Commission in London” and “retrieved documents including briefings for South African delegates to G20 and G8 meetings”. As a ‘friendly ally’ and member of the G20 group, South Africa has observer status at G8 meetings. It is alleged that in December 2005, the GCHQ convened a meeting on a project to intensify spying on the South African foreign ministry. It is clear that GCHQ was aiming to find out everything it could about the negotiating position of the government of then President Thabo Mbeki, considered “an independently minded swing vote on issues of global economics and finance.”

The “computer networks exploitation” team is alleged to have acquired passwords ‘wheedled’ out of target governments and agencies. One method was to dig up old phone numbers and email addresses of the head of the cryptology department in Pretoria. The passwords were then used to hack into online accounts of South African diplomats. South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said government had noted these reports with concern. “We do not yet have the full benefit of details reported on but in principle we would condemn the abuse of privacy and basic human rights particularly if it emanates from those who claim to be democrats. We have solid, strong and cordial relations with the United Kingdom and would call on their government to investigate this matter fully with a view to take strong and visible action against any perpetrators,” said Monyela. The leaked documents suggest that the government of then prime minister Gordon Brown sanctioned the surveillance operation at a senior level and that the intelligence obtained was passed to ministers. These revelations are potentially embarrassing for Prime Minister David Cameron as he hosts this week’s G8 summit at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

Former refugee catwalk queen appointed Goodwill Ambassador South Sudanese Supermodel and former refugee Alek Wek has been appointed as the UN refugee agency’s newest National Goodwill Ambassador.

Wek was formally welcomed into the UN family last Sunday (June 16) in Libreville, Gabon, where she was participating in the New York Forum Africa gathering of Heads of States, entrepreneurs and experts who came together to create a road map of action for development on the continent. “I am humbled and honoured to be presented with the role of UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) Goodwill Ambassador. It is thrilling to receive this at a conference full of business people and political leaders who are working to increase development, education and healthcare in Africa,” said Wek. Shelly Pitterman, UNHCR’s Regional Representative to the US and the Caribbean, said in his video message that the former refugee had demonstrated a “genuine commitment to humanitarian issues.” Wek has been an out-spoken advocate for access to education for refugee and displaced youth for over a decade. “I am confident that by undertaking this important role, with your passion and concern, you will help UNHCR mobilize lifesaving support and resources to address the situation of refugees and displaced 12

persons around the world, specifically in Africa and South Sudan,” said Pitterman. The announcement of her official role comes just days before World Refugee Day. This year’s theme is ‘1 family torn apart by war is 1 too many.’ In 1991, Wek and her family were forced to leave their hometown Wau and flee to Khartoum in the north of Sudan. “My father was unable to get access to the medical care he needed and we lost him after we fled our home,” said Wek. Wek knows intimately the impact of violent displacement on families. Wek sought refuge in London where she was joined by her mother two years later. During her first year in college she was approached by a modelling scout. Wek went on to become one of the most influential African models in the world breaking the mould for beauty in the fashion industry. In 2012, in celebration of the one-year anniversary of independence, Wek travelled to South Sudan with UNHCR. In a small village built by UNHCR Wek said she heard numerous women express concern over their children’s future, specifically their daughters. At the forum Wek spoke passionately about the need to educate girls. “Today, it is three-times more likely that a girl in South Sudan will die in childbirth than make it to the eighth grade,” said Wek. UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassadors are,

along with High Commissioner António Guterres, the most recognizable public faces of the UN refugee agency. They

help bring UNHCR to every corner of the world through their celebrity, popularity, influence, dedication and hard work.

Alek Wek, who arrived in Britain as a 14-year-old refugee in 1991, was plucked from the streets of south London and catapulted into international stardom by 18

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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News

Europe-wide asylum legislation edges closer After long and complex negotiations, the European Parliament has amended EU legislation on asylum.

The changes that have been brought are, in the opinion of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), a welcome step towards the establishment of a Common European Asylum System. The ultimate objective of these changes is a uniform asylum system which is valid across the European Union. This would ensure that, regardless of the Member State in which an application for international protection is lodged, the application should receive the same treatment. Among several new provisions which improve existing frameworks and practice are four elements that we believe are of particular note. The first is strengthened safeguards in asylum decision-making. This includes mandatory training requirements

for authorities; a compulsory personal interview in all cases; requirements for a detailed report of the personal interview; and gender-sensitive procedures. The second is further regulation of the use of detention. Systematic detention of asylum-seekers will no longer be possible. Important new guarantees include the requirement that any detention be necessary and proportionate; that detention is an exceptional measure and can only be justified for a legitimate purpose on defined grounds. The third is more extensive guarantees for vulnerable people. These include the establishment of identification mechanisms, better representation for unaccompanied children, as well as specific procedural and reception guarantees. Last, is earlier access to the labour market. In cases where claims for international protection are not decided within

Dedicated team pledges to help navigate UK immigration morass A major law firm has launched a new team which aims to rescue people who have become lost in the “immigration maze”.

Simpson Millar has hired two immigration solicitors and a legal adviser, who will run a service for individuals and families seeking to work, visit or integrate into the UK. The immigration team will offer advice on immigration, asylum and nationality law from the firm’s Leeds, Manchester and London offices. The new team includes Sumita Gupta, who qualified as a solicitor in 2001, and specialises in immigration law. As head of Simpson Millar’s immigration team, she will provide advice on all areas of immigration and public law. The team also includes Arif Khalfe and legal adviser, Bhavini Bhatt. Together, they will be helping foreign nationals and overseas workers to cope with the complexities of the UK immigration system. The immigration team will represent people who have a right to enter or remain in the UK, as well as business people who are seeking to recruit staff. Ms Gupta said this week: “Whether you are seeking to work, study or join family members in the UK, being refused entry by the Border Agency or being ordered to leave when you have a legal right to remain in the country, can be frustrating. Often, these decisions are illinformed and in breach of people’s basic human rights. “Having the correct representation when seeking to extend leave, or appeal a refusal decision, can make a significant difference.

“Getting stuck in the immigration maze can make anyone feel vulnerable or financially out of pocket, and we are here to make sure that doesn’t happen.” On the commercial side, Simpson Millar’s immigration team will help with applications from business visitors, skilled workers, investors and entrepreneurs, as well as applications submitted on behalf of temporary and charitable workers. Ms Bhatt added yesterday: “Immigration laws are growing increasingly complicated, and many people need help to ensure their stay in the UK is legal. “I am passionate about finding pragmatic solutions for my clients and making sure the final outcome is what they were hoping for.” Mr Khalfe, a commercial litigator and immigration solicitor, has carved out a niche helping skilled workers. He added: “Immigration advice is often needed urgently, and with great attention to detail, so that is what I make an effort to provide; no nonsense and swift action.” Businesses that have been fined following a raid on their premises by the Border Agency can seek help from the new team at Simpson Millar. In some cases, they may be able to negotiate down fines imposed for employing overseas nationals without the right documents. Ms Gupta will be based in Simpson Millar’s Manchester office, while Ms Bhatt will be based in London and Mr Khalfe in Leeds. The company has almost 300 dedicated staff over their eleven UK locations in nine cities.

six months, asylum-seekers will have access to the labour market not later than nine months following the date when their applications were lodged. UNHCR believes that the legislation agreed has potential to contribute to more harmonized asylum systems in the European Union. The agreed legislative package should further improve protection standards and practices across the 27 Member States - soon to be 28 - with Croatia’s imminent accession. European Union Member States are now obliged to amend their national laws to reflect these changes. If correctly enacted in national laws and implemented in accordance with international protection principles, these new provisions could help ensure a more timely and accurate recognition of persons in need of international protection. This could also lead to resource savings - a key concern of all States - through

more efficient asylum systems operating at a high standard of quality. During the negotiation process, some compromises were made and some opportunities were missed to fill gaps and to clarify overly broad, complex and problematic provisions. Some new articles that have been introduced do raise difficult questions of interpretation and of principle, for example, border entry procedures as they relate to unaccompanied children. Such provisions are likely to require further guidance from the European Court of Justice to define their implications and UNHCR is committed to supporting this process. As part of our collaboration with governments and in the exercise of our supervisory function for the 1951 Refugee Convention, we are ready to work with Member States and other stakeholders to assist the legislative and implementation process at national level.

British widow found dead in Kenyan resort home

The bay area of Kilifi is a popular holiday destination

Detectives in Kenya are investigating the death of a British national in the coastal Kilifi district.

Kilifi police chief Clement Wangai said Sheila Claridge, 86, was found dead in her apartment on June 14. Preliminary investigations indicate Ms Claridge might have committed suicide. Wangai said: “Our officers recovered a poisonous pesticide bottle (Steldone) next to her body. We suspect she poisoned herself but we cannot also rule out foul play.” Police are waiting for the deceased’s relatives, who are expected to fly to Kenya this week, before they carry out an autopsy. Statements have been taken from a guard and a gardener, amongst others, as police piece together evidence. Sheila Claridge arrived in Kenya in 1986

with her husband and invested in properties. Her husband died four years later. Police said she was living alone with her dog. “We have information that she was an avid reader. A neighbour who visited her on Friday morning to borrow a novel said she was well and cheerful as usual with no indication she was stressed (and about) to commit suicide,” said Wangai. Ms Claridge was the proprietor of Seahorse Apartment, situated within Kilifi town where she had lived since her arrival in Kenya. Police are investigating claims that foreign investors are murdered by people close to them to enable them inherit their properties. On December 9 last year, an Italian investor was strangled by thugs in the exotic nearby Bofa Estate. No arrest has been made so far. 13

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CRIME Phishing scammers jailed for £59m fraud

An estimated £59m worth of fraud has been prevented in the UK after three men were convicted for launching a sophisticated phishing scam to access the accounts of bank customers in 14 countries. They were sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on 17 June following an investigation led by the MPS Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) and supported by SOCA Cyber, the banking industry and global counterparts including the United States Secret Service. Acting on intelligence that over 2,600 phishing pages had been placed on the internet, PCeU detectives began surveillance of Sunday Godday Etu, 27, a Nigerian national of Fleet Street, Birmingham, Inout Caraman, 22 and Adrian Iorgovean, 27 both Romanian nationals of Adamci (near Constanta) in Romania, in October last year. The web pages were made to mimic various genuine banking websites, and were designed to dupe unsuspecting victims from countries including the US, Russia, China, Australia, Canada and the UK into logging on to the fake sites and providing their banking credentials. Etu then used these details to steal money from their bank accounts. The PCeU tracked all three men to a luxury hotel in central London, where MPS and SOCA ofﬁcers caught them red-handed using laptops to log into servers storing compromised banking data, on 29 October. They were arrested and then charged two days later.

Sunday Godday Etu Following the arrests, PCeU officers worked with counterparts in the USA and France to secure the servers, which were based there. PCeU officers then travelled out to examine the equipment, subsequently revealing that the trio had obtained the personal details of almost 30,000 bank customers - 12,500 of which were in the UK. They also found over 70,000,000 customer email addresses stored on the server, intended to be targeted with phishing scams. PCeU detectives also executed search warrants at numerous addresses in Constanta in Romania with the assistance of Romanian police, seizing crucial financial documents as evidence of the group’s money laundering. Evidence presented by the Financial

Inout Caraman Fraud Bureau shows that up to £59m worth of fraud from the 12,500 UK victims alone was prevented by the trio’s conviction but this figure is likely to be significantly more when other countries’ victims are included. The PCeU and SOCA Cyber would like to remind members of the public never to click on links in unsolicited emails purporting to be from banks or building societies. Further advice can be found at <A href=”http://www.getsafeonline. org/”>www.getsafeonline.org</A>. Investigating officer DI Jason Tunn, of the MPS PCeU, said: “These convictions have struck a major and decisive blow against this global cyber crime gang. Quite what they have managed to steal is yet to be

Adrian Iorgovean determined but their conviction has prevented them from systematically defrauding thousands more bank customers across the world. This is by far the biggest case the PCeU has dealt with to date and is likely to be the biggest cyber phishing case so far in the UK. My personal thanks go to the UK banking industry, the United States Secret Service, Municipal Police of Lille, and the Romanian Police Cyber Division for their invaluable and ongoing cooperation which has enabled these convictions to be secured. The PCeU’s detectives also showed tremendous resolve, ability and determination in building this case over many months.”

Trident seize three firearms in 24 hours 20 year old man found guilty of murder Three firearms have been removed from the streets of London during the course of 24 hours by the Trident Gang Crime Command. The weapons, two revolvers and a sawn off shotgun were seized by officers on Thursday, 13 June as part of their ongoing commitment to targeting gang members and organised criminals. Officers arrested a 19-year-old man in Pulross Road, Brixton at approx 2015hrs following a proactive stop and search by officers. The man was in possession of a loaded revolver wrapped in a sock. He was arrested for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and possession of a knife. He was later charged. As part of a proactive operation, officers executed drugs warrants at approx 1630 at three separate premises: a flat, a garage and a shed at Teyham Court, Northcote Road, SW11. A sawn off shotgun was found in the store shed and a 20year-old man was arrested for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and possession of a quantity of ammunition. He was later bailed to return to a date in August pending further enquir14

ies. At approx 22.05hrs, officers proactively stop and searched a man on Dog Kennel Hill, Dulwich, and recovered the .44 calibre Smith and Wesson revolver. The 17-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with an intent to endanger life, and possession of a class B drug. He was later charged. Detective Chief Superintendent Dean Haydon, Head of Trident, said: “The past 24 hours has seen intelligence led pro active work by the Trident Gang Crime Command, working alongside our borough colleagues and specialist teams, which has resulted in significant weapons being taken off the streets of London. “The work of Trident is ongoing, and we will continue and remain focused on targeting gangs and removing weapons from those involved in gang violence and who choose to case harm in London’s communities. “We can help people who want to escape involvement with gang violence. We work with local authorities and partners who can offer training, education, employment and housing support.”

Achraf Jandara, 20 years of Laing House, Comber Grove, Camberwell, SE5 found guilty on 10 June of the murder of Shaun Akanbi, in Kilburn in December 2012.

He has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 28 years imprisonment. Detectives launched a murder investigation after being called at 1645hrs on Saturday, 22 December to an address in Cedar Lodge, Exeter Road NW2 following concerns expressed for the welfare of the occupant after he failed to arrive at work at the mobile phone shop he worked at part time. Officers forced entry to the property and found Shaun Akanbi deceased. No-one else was in the property at the time officers entered. A post-mortem examination took place on Wednesday, 26 December, at Northwick Park Mortuary and gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds to the torso. Shaun Akanbi was a 26-year-old fashion designer who founded the fashion label ‘Billy Boyce’ whilst a student at the London College of Fashion. He had a number of high profile sport and music celebrities amongst his clients and was described as a

very popular person with many friends and associates who was stabbed to death in his bedroom in Exeter Road, Kilburn. CCTV captured Ashraf Jandara leaving Shaun Akanbi’s flat laden down with luggage wearing Shaun Akanbi’s distinctive clothing. The two had previously exchanged messages via Facebook. Jandara’s footprint and DNA was found in Mr Akanbi’s flat. Mr Akanbi’s laptop computer was sold by Jandara’s cousin two days after the murder for £160. Jandara pleaded not guilty to the murder but was found guilty after the trial at the Old Bailey. He told police that someone else had murdered Shaun Akanbi but that he had been the first person to come across the body. He used the opportunity to steal Shaun Akanbi’s clothing and possessions. DCI Russell Taylor from the Met Police’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: “Shaun Akanbi was a highly talented, successful and popular young man needlessly murdered for the sole purpose of Jandara’s financial gain. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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Sounds of Diaspora People of America

Smiley Culture inquest hears evidence over controversial death

Smiley Culture released two of the eighties’ most critically acclaimed reggae singles

A police officer giving evidence at the inquest into the death of eighties reggae star Smiley Culture claimed that the singer used a kitchen knife to stab himself. Smiley Culture, real name David Emmanuel, grew up in Stockwell, South London, and had a string of hits in the mid- to late-eighties, including “Cockney Translation” and “Police Officer” in 1984. On 15 March 2011 he died from a stab wound during a police raid on his house, one week before he was due to appear in court on the charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine. He was 48 years old. Coroner Richard Travers, speaking on behalf of a police officer known only as Witness 2, told the inquest jury that Em-

manuel suddenly “completely changed” during the police raid on his home, moments after a relaxed chat over tea. “You will hear from Witness 2 that, when they were coming to the end of the search… Mr Emmanuel very suddenly and without warning stood up and Witness 2 realised for the first time that he, Mr Emmanuel, had a large kitchen knife in his hand,” Travers told the jury. “The officer says that he shouted out ‘knife’ so as to warn his colleagues, at which point, Mr Emmanuel, he says, held out his arm and screamed at Witness 2 ‘Do you f***ing want some of this?’ Or ‘What about this?’ “Witness 2 will tell you that Mr Emmanuel’s face and body language had completely changed, he became angry and was screaming. “He will tell you that he, Mr Emmanuel, then held the knife with both hands and plunged it into his own chest.” Nonetheless, the exact circumstances of Emmanuel’s death remain uncertain. Nathaniel Cary, who carried out the second post-mortem examination told the jury that “whilst it is clearly possible that the fatal stab wound was, as described, a self-inflicted injury, on pathological grounds alone there is nothing to determine that this was in fact the case.” The inquest continues.

Kanye proclaims himself the next Steve Jobs

West has described himself as the next Jobs “by a long jump”

Kanye West has declared himself the successor to deceased Apple boss Steve Jobs, explaining that “what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means.”

With his characteristic blend of eccentricism and self-importance, he explained to the New York Times that, “I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump.” “I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it’s like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z,” he reasoned. The 36 year-old rapper and producer, who is currently promoting his sixth album ‘Yeezus’, failed to explain exactly how his career path is set to follow that of consumer electronics pioneer Jobs, who died in October 2011. Regardless, he went on to hint that one of the major setbacks to his career so far has been racism in the American music industry. “I don’t know if this is statistically right, but I’m assuming I have the most Grammys of anyone my age, but I haven’t won one against a white person,” he said. ‘Yeezus’ was released last Monday, two days after West became a father with his partner Kim Kardashian. According to West, the main inspiration for the album was a Le Corbusier lamp he saw in France.

Malian artists set to rock Glastonbury explained the Maliheavy line-up: “We have a long tradition… of African acts playing the festival. Given the situation in Mali… it felt particularly important to show some solidarity. We want to stay out of the politics, but if we can give musicians a platform we will always do that.” Traoré, who opens the main stage of SatRokia Traoré is one of a number of Malian artists heading to urday, said that even the UK next week though the immediate A roster of musicians from Mali threat of Islamist cenare set to take centre stage at sorship has passed, the preservation of the UK’s Glastonbury Festival Mali’s musical legacy remains impornext weekend, in tribute to the tant. “Even now that the ban on music has country’s rich musical heritage gone, there’s still so much to do – to and in response to Islamist make sure Malian musicians can live censorship there earlier this year. off their art and contribute to the reSinger-songwriter Rokia Traoré, newal and evolution of the country.” ngoni master Bassekou Kouyate, rising Glastonbury Festival, which runs this star Fatoumata Diawara and Tuareg year from 26-30 June, was founded in band Terakaft will all appear over the 1970 and is one of the world’s largest three days of the festival, while Bamamusical festivals. In previous years ko turntablist Mo DJ is set to storm the it has played host to the likes of Fela Dance Village. Kuti, Amadou and Mariam, Ali FarOrganiser Emily Eavis, speaking ka Touré, Salif Keita, Tinariwen and to the Guardian earlier in the year, Oumou Sangaré.

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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Gospel By Michael Adekoya

IT IS TOO LATE TO FAINT

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Pro. 24:10.

ear reader, I can’t tell you how many people I have the grace to talk to and pray with in just this past weeks that have been under an attack of the enemy that has been so strong. And all they want to do is to give in, give up or quit, even though they aren’t quite sure what that might mean! My friend, is that where you are today? Quitting is not an option for you. There are people all around you who are depending on you. But even more, the Lord has made you “for such a time as this.” So, if you give in to pressure, discouragement, worry, doubt, stress, depression, lukewarmness and you want to quit or lessen your passion for doing God’s will, fasting and praying, in declaring the Word of the Lord, in witnessing to lost and dying souls, in lifting, strengthening and helping others, what purpose will there be to your life? Have you heard about the boy who was expelled from college because his grades were too low? Concerned about his parents, he sent a text message to his Mum, saying, and “Flunked my courses –Kicked out of College –Coming home – Prepare Dad Immediately he got a reply back: “Dad prepared – Prepare yourself!” My friend, there are no trouble-free people in life. Can you name a person who is greatly used by God or a person who is successful who didn’t endure delay, hardship, temptation, attack, trial, trouble or failure? Sometimes, it is not the size of the problems, but the sheer number of them or the magnitude of it or the length of time of the problem that wears you

down. Is that right? My friend, listen! Speaking about you, me and other believers, Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Did you hear that? As long as you are on “terra firma”, you are going to go through fire, storm, crisis, delay, disappointment or trouble. We are in an unseen spiritual war and we have to learn how to fight it everyday through prayer in the name of Jesus. Whatever war you are fighting now, the Good News is, “You are destined to win!” “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Pro. 34:19. You have nothing to fear and don’t let anything stop you. One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that, if you let anything start stopping you, it will never stop stopping you. You see, once the enemy knows the button to push to stop you in your tracks, he will continue to push it – be it finances, health, relationship or whatever. Esther was told, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esth. 4:14. My friend, another thing I’ve learned is that, when we are in the midst of a battle, we are on our way to victory. You cannot loose with the God of all creation. He is on your side! It doesn’t matter what’s happening. Rom. 8:28 says, “He will work all things together for our good.” My friend, do you believe? As I normally do in the last quarter

Are you looking for a church?

Not settled in any particular congregation? Perhaps now is the time to pray about it If you are not yet saved try one of the following: Jubilee International Churchmeets at 2,30pm on Sundays at Kings Avenue, school, park hill. London SW4. Part of Jubilee International Churches worldwide. For information, you may call (020)8697 3354 New Wine Christian Church- 11am holds meeting at Ringcross Tennants club, Lough Road, Holloway, N7. a member of the Icthus fellowship

worldwide. For more information call 020 7609 959 or 07957 757 663. Praise Tabernacle- 10:30am holds meetings at 620 Western Avenue (A40), park royal Business centre, opposite Warner Bros. Cinema Complex, W3. part of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. For information you may call 020 8993 3010 New Life Christian Centre 10.30am & 6.00pm. meetings at Cairo New Road, Croydon. The church has

Black Gospel Ensemble of every year, recently, I looked back over my life, and even at the various relationships I’ve been in and out of - men and women, leaders and friends, in church, in ministries and in secular world, casually and intimately - I realize that I would never have stepped into the ministry as I’m doing today if those parasites, vision killers and attachments relationships and things have really stayed in my life. When I look at the envy, the jealousy, the disappointments, delays, betrayals, persecutions, attacks, hurts, pains, and the struggles, I know God truly did have a better plan, even though I couldn’t imagine it at the time! Looking back at the love and grace of God, the protection and provision of God, the support and help of God in my life through others, the strength and comfort of the Holy Spirit, the hope and the assurance of the promises of God in His Word, the calling and the ordination of God, I would never want to give up what I’m doing now. My friend, God knows what He is doing every time! He comes strong for His a bible school, primary, is involved in extensive mission work in Eastern Europe, Italy and India. For information you may call 020 8680 7671 Ruach Ministries - holds meeting at 9am, 11am and 6pm. For information you may call 020 8678 6888 International Central Gospel church - Battersea chapel, holds meetings on Sundays from 2.00pm. . For information you may call 020 8684 4934 Jesus Arena International- Sunday service at 11.00am at Broadwater farm centre, Adams road N17 The Bible Life Church UK- They meet on Sunday mornings at 2.30pm at St Giles Centre, Camberwell

children always! My friend, there is a purpose for which you have come to the Kingdom of God and still staying there till today. If you compromise, backslide, give up or quit, God may find someone else to do what you are called to do. And if He chooses to do that, nobody can query Him. By the way, why would you give up in the midst of your victory? Truly, if you’re in the midst of your greatest battle, you’re on the way to your greatest victory. My friend, look at what Moses told Joshua in Deut 31:6-8 “Be strong and be of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your GOD, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you… You must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” What an assurance! “You shall cause them to inChurch Street, London SE5 Christ Apostolic church (Full Gospel & Pentecostal) Surrey Docks District 163 Ilderton Rd South Bermondsey London SE16 2UT. Tel. 020 7252 2086. Time of worship: Sunday English service 9- 11.30am. Yoruba service 11.30 -2.30pm. Prophetic counselling: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 12noon- 5pm, Saturday only 5- 7pm. Holy Cross Church InternationalSunday 10.am- 1 pm at Crown House 71-73 Nathan way London SE28 0BQ Tel: 07904 234 126, 07809 381 886 Times of service:Bible study: Thursdays 8pm. Night Vigil: Friday Forthnightly 12am

herit it!” I love that! My friend, listen carefully! You can’t afford to loose heart, to be lukewarm or to give in to the pressures of life. You can’t afford to give up dying to self, praying to God, sowing what you have, waiting for your time, exercising your faith, expecting answers to your prayers, witnessing to others or helping others. You can’t afford to ignore the voice of God or the leading of the Holy Spirit in the choice you make and in the decision you take. There are those in your life that God has sent to you and those around you that the Lord is sending you to, whom in His power and might, the Lord will use you to cause them to inherit their promised land as well! And in the process of it, you will inherit yours too! My friend, don’t be dismayed or be downcast! God has not forgotten you! God is not “out of town” or “out of hearing range.” He is totally up to date and on time. He just isn’t concerned with doing things in our way or on our schedule because He knows everything, including the exact right time to bring us into our inheritance. Don’t waste time worrying, grumbling, murmuring and complaining. Fill that time slot in with praying to God, proclaiming and declaring the Word of God to souls, praising God, stepping out in faith to do what God tells you to do, rejoicing in the Lord and thanking God in advance for your salvation, liberty, victory, connection, fruitfulness, reconciliation, revelation, restoration, prosperity or blessings! It is too late to faint! Remain blessed!

Sunday Service: Sundays 10am - 1pm Winners Chapel London- part of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, at Unit B1 Galleywall Trading Estate, South Bermondsey, London SE16 3PB meets Sunday 7am & 9am and 11am and Wednesdays at 7pm. For details call 020 7237 7894 CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH GRAVESEND, ST. AIDAIN’S CHURCH, ST. AIDAN’S WAY, GRAVESEND, KENT, DA12 4AG TEL. 01474 355 841, 07956 38 38 70 TIME OF WORSHIP: Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30pm to 9:00pm Friday, Night Vigil: 9pm to 11pm Sunday Worship: 12:30pm to 3:00pm

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Tension increases over upcoming elections

Africa

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

Newsround

Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister and leader of the Movement for Democratic change (MDC), has accused President Robert Mugabe of acting “unconstitutionally” as bitter tensions resume between the two leaders ahead of July’s presidential elections. Mugabe, 89, has set the election date for 31 July, using presidential powers to bypass parliament. But Tsvangirai, Mugabe’s junior partner through a power-sharing agreement reached after the chaotic presidential elections of 2008, has said that all members of the coalition government need to be consulted over the arrangement. “President Mugabe is acting unlawfully and unconstitutionally,” he said. “As prime minister I cannot and will not accept this.” Mugabe, for whom the coalition has “outlived its usefulness”, has said he is only following a Constitutional Court ruling from earlier this month, which stated

that elections must be held before August. He claims that his rivals are only trying to cause delay as they fear defeat. “The other parties do not want elections, they are afraid of elections,” he told the state-owned Sunday Mail. “They know they are going to lose and it’s a sure case that they are going to lose” With less than six weeks to go, parliament is still considering a draft electoral reform law, which will give all parties access to the state broadcaster, hitherto restricted to Mugabe’s ZANU-PF. Tsvangirai is also pushing for further amendments, including the reform of security agencies, which he says are allied to ZANU-PF. The MDC fears these reforms will not be ready by 31 July. This week a summit of regional leaders in Mozambique further urged Mugabe to scrap his 31 July date. President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, the chief regional mediator in Zimbabwe, said more time was needed to ensure the “upholding of the rule of law and the validity of electoral regulations.”

Ousted president’s wife stands by pledge to be third African female leader Madagascar However, critics have suggested she is only running on behalf of her husband, ousted in 2009. Mme Ravalomanana has dismissed these claims. “I am my own person. I will be the president. It will be his turn to run the company,” she said. “It would be impossible for a married couple to run a country together.” Marc Ravalomanana was president of Madagascar for seven years before being exLalao Ravalomanana was First Lady from 2002 to 2009 iled in a military-supported Lalao Ravalomanana has outlined her coup led by Andry Rajoebid to run in this year’s Madagascan lina. Since then, the country has been suspended from the African Union (AU) and presidential elections this August, foreign donors have frozen budget support. amid international concern that The country’s economy has declined drashe is only acting on behalf of her matically. husband, the exiled former president Earlier this year the former president, Marc Ravalomanana. who is banned from returning to the counMme Ravalomanana, the CEO of a suctry and now lives in South Africa, agreed cessful dairy company, has pledged to not to run in the forthcoming elections. boost tourism and increase direct foreign Yet both the AU and France, Madagasinvestment and international aid in Madacar’s former ruler, have said they will not gascar, one of the poorest countries in Afrecognise his wife as president either. rica. Three-quarters of its population live Mme Ravalomanana remains deﬁantly below the poverty line. optimistic. “As soon as the foreigners see If successful, she will be the continent’s that there is peace, security, that we are third female leader, alongside Ellen Johnmaking a difference, they will come back. son Sirleaf of Liberia and Joyce Banda of Their hearts are not made of stone.” Malawi.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai have shared power since 2009

Police academy shooting may have been false alarm Niger An outbreak of shooting at a Nigerien paramilitary police academy last week may have only been an overreaction by nervous guards, says the country’s foreign minister. The Ecole de la Gendarmerie, situated on the outskirts of the capital Niamey, made international headlines last week when a prolonged gunfight was reported. The minister of defence had confirmed shooting had taken place, but could not identify the gunmen. But minister Mohamed Bazoum has now told Anfani radio that an official investigation “was not able to establish if anyone opened fire [on the camp]” “There was no trace of bullet holes or cases,” he said. “Nothing.” Niamey was rocked earlier this month by an armed attack on the city’s prison in which two guards were killed and 22 prisoners escaped. It is now believed that, following the attack, increased nerves in the city –

Niamey this month, where security remains at a high which has also been plunged into darkness for weeks due to power failures – may have led to last week’s misunderstanding. “Everyone is nervous, either because they sleep poorly without any electricity, or because they saw their comrades killed in the attacks”, said one source, speaking to the website Agenzia Fides. “It was a ‘simple’ loss of control on behalf of the guards. Fortunately no one was injured.”

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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African Fashion

igeria born British based designer, Duro Olowu, is the master of mixing rich colors and bold prints. However life started very different for Duro who was originally a lawyer but gave it all up to pursue his true love of fashion. 2004 saw his ﬁrst RTW collection at London Fashion week, proceeding the following year to be named New Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council. Duro’s inspiration comes from the shades and patterns of his African culture however with great tailoring and an urban touch he keeps it modern. Michelle Obama, Uma Thurman and Linda Evangelista are big fans and all have been spotted in Duro’s designs. This spring sees an exciting new chapter in his career as he teams up with jcp to design a collection of clothes, accessories and home-wear. I had the opportunity to chat with Duro at his launch about his fashion addictions. Q&A What’s your fashion addiction? Books on fashion and art, I’m obsessed. I also love beautiful things regardless of how much they cost. So If I see something beautiful I’ll buy it for my wife. I probable buy more shoes for my wife than she does.

Duro Olowu What’s your favorite thing about living in New York? I love the fact that women in NY make an effort, I love the vibrancy of the city, the fact that people get up in the morning and grab life. Whose your style icon? As a man it’s Harry Belafonte and Gregory Peck in the 60s. How would you describe your personal style? Old school Savile Row meets Harlem ﬂy. I love mixing things and I love comfort but I always feel I need to look smart. One thing you couldn’t live without? My wife.

Duro Olowu

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African Fashion

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

Joe & Charlie Casely-Hayford

oe and Charlie Casely-Hayford are a father and son tailoring duo from East-London who together have an impressive background in tailoring, art and design. Having recently unveiled their Autumn/Winter 2013 collection at London Collections: Men earlier in the month the pair are definitely a force to be reckoned with. From the late 1980s to present Joe has styled and designed for musicians, fashion houses whilst simultaneously taking his independent label forward. As the first designer to collaborate with Topshop during the early 1990s; Casely-Hayford was recognised for his contributions to the industry in 2007 when he was appointed with an OBE. Son, Charlie who has also made a name for himself having read History of Art at ICA, and worked with I-D magazine, The White Box Gallery and Creative review. Definitely a team to be watched!

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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Arts

Edinburgh Fringe: Carnival in the streets By Peter Olorunnisomo

The City of Edinburgh was certainly a great reminder of the history of United Kingdom which I studied in my first few years of secondary education. The pictures did well to help my vision how things were in the days Tom Sawyer or Tom Brown.

Stories that were in Tess of the D’urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, among others in the classics, displayed the reality and admiration that could easily sell the title: a city of monuments. The age-old architecture and the battle to re-modify them internally for modern usage without destroying the aesthetics of a culture was very visible. The streets were sufficiently wide, comparably, and the presence of play areas, gardens, and open areas spoke wonderfully well for the life that the Scot of yore must have lived and how very libertine they must have been for a sense of freedom. All these structural values and infrastructure was now being converted to serve annual festivals without direly affecting the aesthetics of the environment. It is in the splendor of this enabling environment that, perhaps, the most fervent, all-participatory part of the Edinburgh festival does manifest best its ‘fringe’ quality. The hundreds of shows assemble in some form organised space allocation all over the street square area or street or both (the artistes with their performances certainly

spill out spanning the princes street gardens and more) and there is at once a competition for attention. From invisibly, marked out spots ‘clips’ of performances begin in full view and in stage costumes too. The atmosphere becomes charged with the carnival spirit, and tourists and residents alike litter in small clusters seeking foot-stands to view what performance catches their fancy. The morning sun sends down glows its warmth down confirming its blessings encouraging all to come out, not merely for the fun, but also for the view. It is not long before some make shift

seats come into view and cans of all manners of drink are find hands holding them waiting for a kiss. Members of the performing groups are soon snaking their ways through the attentive viewers handing out performance bills with a smile. A scan of the din constitutes no environmental pollution as the acceptance of the ‘audience’ over-rides that of the local council for once. The people become gods that must the satisfied with the performances otherwise the whole city pays for the ‘sacrilege’. The artistes know; and time is never

is, our minds rely on the media for far more than we might think. From an early age, we are incredibly prone to the images thrown in our direction from a many different ones, eventually shaping the way we look on the world and ourselves. The blunt westernization of African gods displayed here is without a doubt, shameless in its own right, and will not be accepted nor tolerated. This is an element of storytelling that has gone on for far too long, and must be put to rest as timely as possible. I try to imagine a reality in which Roman Gods are portrayed as Chinese, but my mind just simply won’t allow it. It is the same concept when speaking on the casting of “Game of Thrones” actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as the Egyptian God Ra. To set aside this racist inclination to paint history one color, we must fully commit to what we wish our future to be. I believe it is one where a child of any race and background can know who they are and where they come from. Sadly, this will not be the case if the only face we see... is a white one. Stunned! Can that word be acted in the precise ramifications of my feelings? I haven’t been hit by a taser. May be ‘dazed’ is the word. Certainly not good enough be-

cause being hit by a 20-ton truck at a steady hundred miles per hour would certainly over dramatise the word, I mean the impact. Somehow my education and lack of expertise of the English lingo has betrayed what my feelings are. How else can one relate to Henri’s alarm? I thought art had no colour; it came from the inside whose colour I know not even if you had forty years of tobacco-piping experience or did a life-time at the coal mines in Enugu or England. The beauty of art was in its creativity, colour of it was only part of the divine affectation it came with. Taste was a reflection of individuality and culture. What error of simple logicality can

One Egyptian god is ‘white’

wasted to show what the captured audiences dare not miss. The boundless energy exerted always has me wondering where it was going to be replenished from before the performances that usually start as early as 11am till somewhere as late as 12 midnight. Between 5pm and 6pm, the tourists and residents are worn out and thinning. They need to get back for a rest and evaluate who has won their immediate ‘candidacy’ for a viewing that night. I had cause to chat with a few persons after one such performance had ended at about 7.30pm only to find out that they were seeing two more shows that night. Such can be the fever that the fringe festival occasions that attracts pilgrims to Edinburgh to a mecca of new works and performances. The nights at the various venues also take on their characters reflecting the dominant type of performances there. Some are mainly musicals, some theatric, etc and then you find the lights lit up for bars and eatery. At times parties also spring up from nearby pubs and even venues though it does matter who is anchoring this. This constitutes its own fringe effect not only to the tourists but also to the residents who are having a different spectacle to enjoin. The artistes are not left out either: it’s always a relief to be one’s self and not the part one has to play.

By Peter Olorunnisomo

(This is a reaction to the excerpt below by Henri Thorne of Thorne Studios, a film company) It has been little to over a day since the Australian filmmaker, “Alex Proyas”, has quite literally left me at a loss for words. On the morning of June 5th, 2013, he announced his final casting choice for his upcoming epic, “The Gods of Egypt”, that strip the divine from the ancient text, into a land they once ruled. I had been a frequent follower of the story myself for some time now, due to my past interests in what would be made of it. However, the project went in a direction I would’ve never expected, casting the Danish actor “Nikolaj CosterWaldau” (famed for his works on the Game of Thrones) as the Egyptian god Ra. When I heard the news for the very first time, I saw it has nothing more than a joke of sorts, but Mr. Proyas spoke truth and spoke it proudly. The race of the Ancients have been argued for moreover than a century, leaving their depiction to mere opinion. However, we must call this for what it is head-on, and not falter in doing so... a whitewashing of World History. Now, before you dismiss this as no more than just another article, listen to me for a moment. The fact of the matter 20

dominate one so much that to replicate an Egyptian god in a movie recommends itself, unperturbed, to other than a coloured skin if not Egyptian? Perhaps Alex Proyas will make bold to say that the god, Ra, was actually European who got lost in an adventure to Africa. ‘Cause I can truly imagine how Bruce Willis will act Mandela. Or doesn’t he know that Sizwe Banzi is Dead? Will some please ask Proyas to read the Camara Laye’s Radiance of the King and find out how the hero Clarence eventually became black! (You welcome to send your views to africanvoicenews@gmail.com and marked ‘ARTS’, please)

Friday, 21 June 2013 – Thursday, 27 June 2013

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Change of Name I formerly known and addressed as Benedict Jojnson now wish to be known and addressed as Benedict Bryan Johnson. All former documents remain valid. Members of the public, Home Office and Nigeria High Commission, London should please take notice. I formerly known and addressed as Vicoria Modupe now wish to be known and addressed as Victoria Ademodupe. All former documents remain valid. Members of the public, Home Office and Nigeria High Commission, London should please take notice. I formerly known and addressed as Adamu Belo now wish to be known and addressed as Adamu Belo Aliyu main valid. Members of the public, Home Office and Nigeria High Commission, London should please take notice. I formerly known as Bashiru Ahmed, date of birth 11th January 1976 now wish to be known and addressed as Beshiru Ahmed, date of birth 11th January 1968. All former documents remain valid. Members of the public, Home Office and Nigerian Embassy, London should please take note.

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I formerly known and addressed as lailat Muhamad now wish to be known and addressed as Leyla Mohamed. All former documents remain valid. Members of the public, Home Office and Nigeria High Commission, London should please take notice.

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take notice.

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FIFA Confederations Cup: Oduamadi and Balotelli hit the ground running ing him the top-ranked defender. The Super Eagles’ No3 was heavily involved in his team’s play, scoring the opening and closing goals against Tahiti and ranking fourth in this initial round for the number of passes made with 112. The fact that the top four in that category were all Nigerian shows how much of the ball the West Africans saw against Tahiti. Another team who enjoyed plenty of possession in their opening fixture were Spain against Uruguay, and Gerard Pique’s assured display at the back in the European champions’ 2-1 success put him fourth in

Mario Balotelli in action

After a colourful and exciting first round of 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup matches that featured a flurry of goals, it is perhaps no surprise to see a couple of forwards at the top of the Castrol Index. Almost half of the 16 goals seen so far in Brazil came in the one match – Nigeria’s 6-1 win over tournament newcomers Tahiti – and the hat-trick scored by Nnamdi Oduamadi in Belo Horizonte has made him the Index’s early frontrunner. What was impressive about Oduamadi’s contribution was his finishing accuracy. While Nigeria’s six goals came from 17 shots, the 22-year-old – who spent last season in Italy’s Serie B with Varese – scored with three from four. In fact he had just three goal attempts inside the Pacific Islanders’ penalty box but was in the right place to put the ball in the net on each occasion. While Oduamadi’s treble earned him

9.55 points, Italy’s Mario Balotelli took 9.38 for his lively performance against Mexico, capped by the winning goal with 12 minutes remaining. Balotelli was a central figure throughout Sunday’s entertaining contest, offering an early statement of intent with a shot just over the crossbar and two more straight at goalkeeper Jose Corona. Indeed he had seven shots in total and his persistence paid off near the end when he powered through the Mexico defence and struck the winner with a fierce low drive. It was reward for a display that excited the Maracana crowd, and not only because of the AC Milan striker’s shooting. A foul on him led to Andrea Pirlo’s typically exquisite free-kick which opened the scoring and he was a thorn in the side of the Mexico defence throughout. Somebody who had a less fraught assignment than the Mexico centre-backs was Nigeria’s Uwa Echiejile, who sits third in the Index compliled by the Castrol Performance Analysts with a score of 9.35 – mak-

Ghana edge Lesotho to go top of group D Ghana registered a 2-0 win over Lesotho in a 2014 World Cup qualifier played in Maseru on Sunday afternoon. The win sees the Black Stars seize top spot in the group with 12 points, one more than Zambia who drew with Sudan in Ndola on Saturday. The West African country opened the account through Christian Atsu who gave the visitors the lead just before the break, and skipper Asamoah Gyan sealed the victory with his 35th international goal fifteen minutes from time. Lesotho dominated the first half while Ghana had 22

control of large portions of the second but could find the way through the Ghana defence. Atsu powerful header from a free kick gave the West African the lead on the stroke of half time after failing to clear the Sulley Muntari’s ball. In the second half Lesotho started as the better side and were once again let down by poor finishing. Ghana gained the upper hand shortly after their coach Kwesi Appiah made back-to-back changes bringing in Dominic Adiyiah for the rather quiet BoakyeYiadom, while Emmanuel Badu replaced Rashid Sumaila at the very end.

ditionally, Pique was the top defender for recovered balls (12), with Echiejile fourth (10); the men in between were Uruguay’s Maximiliano Pereira and Japan’s Maya Yoshida. Looking at the overall picture following the first group games, Spain are the country with most players in the top ten, with Andres Iniestia (8.71/8th) and Sergio Busquets (8.63/9th) also featuring alongside Pique. And though the top two in in the Index were forwards, there are five defenders in total in the top ten: besides Echiejile and Pique, full-back Marcelo (8.87/5th) and

Nnamdi Oduamadi in action the Index with 9.03 – the fourth and last player to have passed the nine-point mark so far. From 51 passes attempted, the Barcelona central defender faltered only twice, earning a completion rate of 96 per cent. That only his defensive partner Sergio Ramos surpassed that rate (98 per cent) underlines how well Spain move, and keep, the ball at the back as they build their attacks. Ad-

goalkeeper Julio Cesar (8.61/10th) feature for Brazil and centre-back Diego Lugano (8.75/7th) for Uruguay. The highest-ranked midfielder, finally, is Italy’s Riccardo Montolivo (8.83/6th), whose eight solo runs against Mexico was a tally surpassed only by the Brazilians Oscar and Neymar. And that, as the home fans at this tournament will vouch, is not bad company to keep.

Kwesi applauded his team for the hard work and dedication to beat the stubborn Lesotho side that is unbeaten in their previous two world cup qualifiers. “Credit should go to the players for the hard work that puts us closer to securing a place in the next year World Cup in Brazil,” Appiah said. “We knew that it would be difficult to get the results playing Lesotho in their own backyard, but we were patient in our build-up and got the results in the end. Kwesi said the win over Lesotho takes them closer to qualifying to the next World Cup set for Brazil.Lesotho coachLeslie Notsi said their plan was to try and get results playing at home.

“We gave it a brave fight unfortunately we could not find the goals from the chances we created and lost the match,” Notsi said. “It’s back to the drawing board for us as we build a team for the future especially the upcoming regional COSAFA Cup. The Lesotho mentor said he was disappointed to have lost at home especially after playing so well in their previous home matches where they held both Sudan and Zambia to draws. Lesotho is now rooted at the bottom of group D with only two points and will finish the World Cup campaign with the away match to Sudan.

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Oduamadi wants more goals after Confeds Cup hat-trick Nigeria hat-trick hero Nnamdi Oduamadi has said he wishes to score more goals at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. Oduamadi was on target for African champions Nigeria in the 10th, 25th and 77th minutes against Tahiti on Monday in Belo Horizonte. The AC Milan loanee, whose nickname is ‘Robinho’ after the Brazil legend with the same name, also became only the second player after Fernando Torres to score a hat-trick at the Confederations Cup.

“I am just happy that we got this victory. I thank God for my hat-trick against Tahiti, it was God’s making,” Oduamadi told MTNFootball.com “I am very happy with the way things are going for me, scoring three goals in a game at such competition was great. “I have to thank my teammates for providing assists for the goals. I will keep working hard for myself and the team to get more goals. “I dedicate all the goals to my mother, who has always been there for me. In fact her prayers have been the Midas touch for

my career.” The tournament leading scorer, who also scored the all-important equaliser against Kenya at home in March, also admitted the Eagles were wasteful in front of goal. “I know we lost of a lot of scoring chances in the game, but I am happy that we have all three points,” said the Varese of Italy left winger. “We have realised out mistakes because we lost many scoring chances in the game but hopefully we would not be that wasteful in the game against Uruguay.”

No automatic call-ups for returnees- Ghana coach Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah says there are no guaranteed places in his team for the three players who ended their self-imposed exiles last week.

AC Milan ace Kevin-Prince Boateng and the Ayew brothers Andre and Jordan have confirmed their returns to the Black Stars. Boateng, who quit the national in September 2011, announced his availability for international football before the end of the season. He could have been named in the squad for the just ended double qualifiers this month but for a toe injury. Andre and his younger brother were also talked out of temporary retirement by Ghana President John Mahama. It is expected that the trio will rejoin their teammates for September’s Group D decider against Zambia at home but Appiah cannot assure any of them. “I always believe it is important all Ghanaian players make themselves available for selection,” said coach Appiah “And is you the coach that will decide whether you need this player at a particular time and it depends on the game that you are going to play and the tactics and if they can fit in you, bring them in but as to they will by all means be in does not come in.” Ghana will need a draw at the Baba Yara Stadium to seal their place in the third

Louise Martin, honorary secretary of the CGF, was named as the new chair of the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS), which was established by the heads of Commonwealth Governments in 2003 as a sports policy advisory body to ensure best practice and that governing bodies are “well governed, transparent and democratic”. Its membership is made up of the leading sport and development experts and senior sports officials from across the Commonwealth and, as well as strengthening sport’s role in meeting development goals, it aims to address threats to

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has addressed the hardship facing the Black Stars when they host Zambia in September to advance in the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

The Black Stars must avoid defeat at the Baba Yara Stadium in three months time to make it to the next stage. Ghana moved to the summit of Group D with a one point advantage after beating Lesotho 2-0 in Maseru and Zambia dropping points in a 1-1 with Sudan at home. “I personally take a game as it comes and now that we are done with Lesotho, my concentration will be on our game against Zambia,” Appiah said after Sunday’s win at the Setsoto Stadium. “But looking at the way we played, I believe if we continue and patch up a few mistakes, we will go very far.” The third qualifying round of the eliminators will feature the top ten teams from the Groups and will be paired off. The winners of the five home-and-away ties to be played in October and November will qualify for the finals next year. Ghana have played in the last two World Cup finals in Germany and South Africa.

Draw for final African WC qualifiers set for September Kevin-Prince Boateng in action

qualifying round which will consist of all ten Group leaders. They will be paired for five home-and-

away ties with the winners qualifying to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Scot and South African appointed to spearhead Commonwealth sport development projects By Emily Goddard

Zambia give us no room for error, states Ghana coach

the integrity of sport, such as illegal and irregular betting and match-fixing. The research-based initiative also develops policies and helps coordinate efforts between Commonwealth countries and with other international bodies such as the United Nations International Working Group on Sport for Development and Peace. “I’m really honoured and delighted to be accepting this role, because I truly believe that sport is what really binds the Commonwealth together,” Martin said. “Commonwealth countries are uniquely placed to learn from each other and work together to maximise our efforts.

“We can be tremendously powerful when we pull together as a team. “I would also like to thank Professor and Olympic athlete Bruce Kidd, who’s done an amazing job as chair of CABOS for the past four years, and built its credibility and voice. “It’s time now to build on that hard work.” Sam, meanwhile, will now chair the CGF development committee, which was formed by the executive board at its meeting in Samoa earlier this year following a recommendation from a recent review of its strategy, activities and processes.

Fifa has announced that the draw for the third and final round of African World Cup qualifiers will be made on 16 September 2013.

The Confederation of African Football will host the draw in Cairo. The matches will take the form of two-legged play-offs, with the aggregate winners going through to Brazil 2014. Fifa has also stated that the five bestplaced sides in the world rankings, as of 12 September 2013, will be seeded for the draw. The first legs of the play-offs will be played between 11-15 October 2013, while the second and decisive ties will take place on 15-19 November 2013. The second round of qualifying is currently reaching its climax across Africa, with the penultimate round of matches taking place this weekend ahead of the final round in September. Five nations can qualify for the playoffs on Sunday. 23

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ISSUE 487

No automaic call-ups for returnees Ghana coach

SEE PAGE 23

Ethiopia’s error may cost World Cup qualification

Sewnet Bishaw (Ethiopian Coach) Peter Olorunnisomo In one of those rare situations that could record itself into the annals of footballing history, at least for the concerned country, Ethiopia has found itself liable for prosecution for fielding an unqualified player when it played its World cup qualifier against Botswana on 8th June, 2013.

The player, Minyahile Beyene, should not have been fielded for Ethiopia in

that match having bagged two yellow cards from previous qualifying matches which by FIFA riles ruled him out of participation in that match which Ethiopia won by 2 goals to I. As a result, FIFA handed the match to Botswana which measure is a the regular punishment where a team is deemed to have won or had an undue edge as a result of breaking a rule warranting that

advantage. By this, Ethiopia would be just two points ahead of group A, South Africa, ahead of the final round while Ethiopia’s play-off has now been placed on hold. The Ethiopia Football Federation admitted to fielding an ineligible player and blamed officials who forgot that Beyene had backed two yellow cards or the FIFA rule. Ethiopia may therefore miss qualification for the World cup finals in Brazil if this affects her qualification which is already looking unsure because of this incident. Meanwhile Ethiopia had defeated South Africa by 2 goals to 1 over the weekend in a derby win that was celebrated in Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian Football Federation had received warning about Minyahile ineligibility from FIFA but ‘forgot’ and played him. The federation and the team

coach however admitted knowing about FIFA’s inquest before the South Africa match but chose not to react in order not to destabilize the team’s concentration; and they won. The officials guilty of ‘forgetting’ noted as the Federation’s Vice president and coach Sewnet Bishaw can look forward to FIFA penalties as well. In a related development, Togo and Equatorial Guinea are also facing FIFA sanctions for fielding ineligible players. This could affect the qualification hopes of Libya and Tunisia and confer advantages to Cameroon and Cape Verde respectively. While Togo could be stripped of its 2 – 0 win over Cameroon; Equatorial Guinea was guilty of playing the same ineligible footballer against Cape Verde twice. Cameroon could however, go above Libya in group I if it is awarded

a win over Togo where Alexis Romao who plays for Marseille and Togo, is ineligible having bagged two yellow cards in previous qualifiers. In the same vein, cape Verde could hinder Tunisia’s qualification for the play-offs if it is awarded a win over the March 24th game with Equatorial Guinea. Cape Verde won their match on June 8th while Tunisia already had thought themselves qualified by their win over the weekend.

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