African Voice Newspaper Issue 593

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Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015 ISSUE 593

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 barrister convicted of providing illegal immigration advice

£1.00

Just one drink a day ‘may raise breast cancer risk’

SEE PAGE 4

SEE PAGE 6 Like us on Facebook facebook.com/africanvoicenews Follow us on Twitter @africanvoice2

JOINT FORCE WILL TACKLE CALAIS CRISIS

Anglo/French unit aims to root out migrant trafficking gangs

By Alan Oakley The Home Office has announced a new “command and control centre” for tackling smuggling gangs in Calais, where thousands of migrants desperate to cross the Channel are living in slum-like conditions.

The facility is to be a joint enterprise staffed by British and French police at the northern French port, which has dominated the British media this summer as refugees made repeated attempts, often in broad daylight, to reach Britain aboard freight lorries and via the Channel Tunnel.

As part of the deal signed on Thurssday

by Home Secretary Theresa May and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve, police officers led by one British and one French senior commander will be deployed to Calais to combat gangs smuggling migrants and refugees across the Channel.

Those trying to reach Europe include some refugees and “many many economic migrants,” Mrs May said. ...

Continued on page 2

Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, is the author of the latest report on Dungavel IRC

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Have You News Got News Action to protect children from internet For Us Newsdesk: 020 3737 3077

Email: africanvoicenews@gmail.com

Global Investment Conference 2015

The GREAT Global Investment Conference will take place at Lancaster House in London on 17 September 2015.

Organised by UK Trade and Investment, the Global Investment Conference (GIC) is the official launch of the Rugby World Cup Business Festival.

Investors, business leaders and government ministers from around the world will come together to develop partnerships for growth. The main theme this year is ‘leading by design and innovation’.

Attendees include potential and existing investors from 9 Foreign Direct Investment target markets with teams competing in the Rugby World Cup: Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, USA. The event will look at how design, creativity and innovation enables companies to compete in global markets.

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Mike Abiola Editorial Board Adviser Dr Ola Ogunyemi Managing Editor Alan Oakley News Editor Peter Olorunnisomo Sports Editor Abiodun Teriba Arts Editor Golda John Columnists Milton Tella Photo Journalist Isaac Adegbite Graphic Designer Edward Mirza Accountant Fanla Agboola London Office: Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP

Tel: 020 3737 3077

Email: africanvoicenews@gmail.com

African Voice is published by African Voice UK.

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The Government is working with the UK music industry, BBFC and digital service providers like Vevo and YouTube to take further action to protect children from viewing inappropriate videos on the internet.

Many children have easy access to music videos online and some parents are rightly concerned that some of these contain imagery or lyrics not appropriate for a young audience.

Baroness Joanna Shields, Minister for Internet Safety and Security, said: Movies in the cinema and music DVDs are age rated to inform the viewer and help parents to make informed choices. We welcome this voluntary step from industry to bring internet services in line with the offline world.

Baroness Joanna Shields, Minister for Internet Safety and Security

Keeping children safe as they experience and enjoy all the benefits the Internet has to offer is a key priority for this Government’s One Nation approach to help families across Britain. We will continue to work with industry to develop ways to help parents to better protect children online from inappropriate music

videos with explicit adult or violent content.

Clear age ratings are the first step but initial findings of independent research commissioned by the BBFC shows that up to 60 per cent of children aged 10 to 17 are watching music videos that they do not think their parents would approve of.

Anglo/French unit aims to root out migrant trafficking gangs

Continued from front page ...The Centre, which will be close to the Eurotunnel entrance, will employ extra French policing units, additional freight searches, additional fencing, security cameras, flood lighting and infrared detection technology.

The Home Secretary claims it will also boost humanitarian assistance for the migrants in a bid to ease the desperate conditions in Calais.

At least 10 migrants have lost their lives attempting to cross to the UK from Calais in the past two months. An estimated 3,000 more are living in ramshackle ‘camps’ without adequate shelter or sanitation. Originally from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, many have given up trying to hide on UKbound vehicles and are resigned to relying on hand-outs from charitable agencies.

The issue has strained ties between politicians in Paris and London. French ministers claim it is too easy to work illegally in the UK and that Britain’s welfare regime is too liberal, while Westminster is concerned about what it believes are security failings in Calais and the various points migrants manage to enter France, which is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, which allows unfettered movement free from security checks across member states’ common borders.

Keith Vaz, who chairs a parliamentary body scrutinising the work of the Home Office, welcomed the agreement but warned there was already evidence of greater “illegal activity” at other Channel ports in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

“Closing off one route will only mean the problem moves to another port,” he said.

“We need agreements with countries across the north coast (of Europe) to stop this situation developing before we see Calais-like crises spring up at ports across the continent.”

Theresa May told reporters there had been “an excellent level of cooperation” between British and French governments, but agreed wider efforts in Europe were also

The migrants camped at Calais make no secret of where they see their final destination

needed.

She said Britain had begun talks with Belgium and the Netherlands, as the UK government was “very well aware of the possibility of displacement” of people trafficking operations if security was strengthened at Calais.

Security measures at other northern French ports, which include Dunkerque, Le Havre and Dieppe, were also being scrutinised, the Home Secretary said, adding: “Migrants are trying to come to Europe with organised gangs, people smugglers, trafficking people through to Europe. What we see here is a symptom of a wider problem.”

Britain has pledged £22 million so far towards improving security at the French end of the Channel Tunnel. Prime Minister David Cameron has in the last fortnight promised “more fencing, more resources, more sniffer dog teams” to aid French police. But the tighter security has merely pushed up prices for the migrants and refugees who pay smuggling gangs to sneak them across.

“Getting into a lorry cost 500 euros just a few months ago, now it’s 800-900 euros because there are so many more police and

sniffer dogs,” NGO worker Francois Guennoc told journalists.

Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel said the number of attempts to breach the undersea rail link had fallen to around 150 a night this week, from a high of 1,700 in late July.

The number includes multiple attempts by the same refugees.

The numbers trying to reach Britain are a tiny fraction of those entering other European countries, particularly Germany, which said this week it expects a new record of 800,000 asylum seekers in 2015 - far exceeding the 500,000 initially expected.

Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that compared to 200,000 asylum applications in Germany last year, the UK had just over 30,000. The UK government faced challenges in trying to distinguish between illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, and “there won’t be a 100% success rate”, she said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently warned that the issue could become a bigger challenge for the European Union than the Greek debt crisis.

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News

Former barrister convicted of providing illegal immigration advice Khalil Hosenbux, of Hubert Road, Rainham, Essex, was convicted on 19 August 2015 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of providing unregulated immigration advice and services.

He was handed a conditional discharge for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the victim in the sum of £2,050, prosecution costs of £1,020 and a victim surcharge of £15.

Mr Hosenbux is a qualified barrister and was a regulated immigration adviser until his suspension on 15 May 2013 following disciplinary proceedings for professional misconduct brought by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

Mr Hosenbux however, failed to abide by the suspension and continued to operate by submitting a Home Office application on behalf of a client, without disclosing that he was disqualified from doing so.

Sentencing him, District Judge Roscoe

said: “I accept that this case is different from those normally before the court. You did have qualifications and knowledge of this type of work, but the other side of that is that you should have known better.

“In your favour your early guilty plea and admissions to the OISC have been taken into consideration. This is just one offence and not a continuing course of fraudulent conduct although quite clearly, you shouldn’t have done it”.

Speaking about the decision, the Immigration Services Commissioner, Suzanne McCarthy said: “We have clear standards outlining what we expect in terms of the fitness and competence of regulated advisers. Mr Hosenbux chose to operate outside the law.

“I am delighted with the outcome of this case, and I hope it sends a clear message to other people considering providing immigration advice either act within the law or you will find yourself in court.”

UK support for Palestinian children

New UK funding for UNRWA will help ensure schools reopen for half a million Palestinian children in time for new school year.

The UK has agreed an additional donation of £3 million ($4.69 million) to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), International Development Minister Desmond Swayne has announced.

This funding is helping UNRWA to bridge its unprecedented $101 million (£65 million) deficit and open its 685 schools on time. UNRWA provides basic education for half a million Palestinian refugee children in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Desmond Swayne said: The UK is committed to supporting Palestinian refugees through UNRWA and we see education as a top priority. UNRWA plays a crucial 4

role in an unstable region, delivering basic services and humanitarian assistance.

It provides a safe place for children to learn and play, broadens their world view through lessons on human rights and tolerance, and gives them the skills to earn an income.

I am pleased that DFID is supporting this work – our £3 million contribution will ensure Palestinian children can continue to go to school. This is in addition to our existing funding of more than £40 million to UNRWA this year.

I welcome the joint effort of donors, including those in the region, to bridge this year’s shortfall. However, the deficit is a chronic one that cannot be addressed by fundraising alone. UNRWA will need to pursue further cost saving reforms to address its deficit, to focus on providing essential services to Palestinian refugees and to bring down operating costs.

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Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

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Health News Just one drink a day ‘may raise breast cancer risk’ Just one or two drinks a day can increase the risk of certain cancers, researchers report.

A new study of 136,000 adults found light to moderate drinking was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women and several other cancers in male smokers. Light drinking is defined as up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks daily for men, the researchers added.

“Our study reinforces the dietary guidelines that it is important not to go beyond one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men,” said lead investigator Yin Cao, a research fellow in the nutrition department at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

However, the study did not prove that drinking raises cancer risk; it only showed an association.

Determining whether to drink and how much should take into account your smoking history, family history of alcohol-related cancers and your risk of heart disease, he said. Besides breast

cancer, alcohol-related cancers include colon, liver, oral, throat and esophagus cancer.

“Men who have ever smoked should limit alcohol intake to below the recommended limit,” Cao said. “Smoking and heavy alcohol consumption should both be avoided to prevent cancer.”

Women should weigh the modest increased risk of alcohol-related cancers, primarily breast cancer, against the potential benefits of alcohol in preventing heart disease, Cao suggested.

(The American Heart Association says heart disease is less common among people who drink lightly or moderately than among teetotalers. However, alcohol consumption is linked to other health dangers such as high blood pressure.)

For the report, published online Aug. 18 in the BMJ, Cao’s team used data from two studies of health professionals in the United States: the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

During up to 30 years of followup, more than 19,000 women and nearly 7,600 men developed cancers, according to the report.

The researchers found that light to moderate drinking was not associated with a statistically significant increased risk for cancers overall.

And among men who had never smoked, risk of alcohol-related cancers was not increased significantly.

However, the risk was raised for men who had smoked, the researchers found.

In contrast, even women who had never smoked had an increased risk of alcohol-related cancers -- mainly breast cancer -- with one drink a day.

One drink (14 grams of alcohol) is the equivalent of about a 4-ounce glass of wine or a 12-ounce bottle of beer in the United States, the researchers said.

To isolate the effect of alcohol, Cao and colleagues accounted for other 6

factors, including age, ethnicity, weight, family history of cancer, physical activity and diet.

Jurgen Rehm, director of the social and epidemiological research department at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, wasn’t surprised by the results.

“Alcohol can cause cancer, even at levels of light to moderate drinking.

The present study reinforces this statement,” Rehm said.

Drinking causes almost 4 percent of all cancers worldwide and a similar proportion of cancer deaths in the United States, the researchers wrote in background notes.

If you want to reduce your risk for cancer, curb your drinking, advised Rehm, who wrote an accompanying journal editorial.

“Less drinking is better,” he said. “Limit your consumption of alcohol.”

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News

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SA not doing enough to get young people into employment – World Bank Millions of young South Africa were jobless and searching for work but they could not be employed because they lacked the requisite skills for the modern day work environment, according to the World Bank.

“Without enough jobs being created, South Africa is left with many of its unskilled and young facing the prospect of unemployment. The unemployment rate is the highest in all the middle income countries at 25,4 percent, or a third if you include discouraged workers,” World Bank Lead Economist for South Africa Catriona Purfield told reporters in Pretoria.

She said with the 25 percent unemployment rate, school leavers were the hardest hit.

“They are young people and 40 percent of them are new entrants who have never worked before. Basically, they are school leavers who leave the school system

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and can’t find jobs. More interestingly, 60 percent of them do not have a matric qualification even,” said Purfield.

“In other words, the school system is putting out school leavers who do not have the necessary education attainment levels at a time when the workforce and employers are demanding more skilled and higher educational attainment of new employees. There is clearly a mismatch,” she said.

Purfield said if the youth could find jobs, the South African economy could win big. She said: “If these people can find jobs, the second step in this will accelerate economic growth and yield what we call a first demographic dividend. It doesn’t stop there, when there are more people working in the age bracket 15 to 64, there are less children, less old age people to support, people are working and there is more space for savings.”

Purfield noted that the youth unemployment rate in South Africa was at

50 percent – double the national average rate of unemployment. “If you actually look at the number of young people in this country, 10,2 million are under the age of 24 and a third of them are not looking for jobs and are not in school. Some more than three million people in that age bracket are not doing anything,” she said.

The World Bank released its seventh edition of the South Africa Economic Update, which focused on the implications of South Africa’s changing demographic profile on growth and employment needs in the country. The report also examined “simulated scenarios” on what would happen if South Africa could not create the required jobs over the next 15 years.

“We focus on the next 15 years because that is the period of the National Development Plan. In that period alone, each year the working age population will expand by 280,000 new entries [and] that’s huge. If South Africa cannot generate jobs and the unemployment rate remains high, there isn’t much of a dividend. Growth does improve but it’s still relatively low at 3,7 percent a year. Poverty and inequality will remain a problem,” said Purfield.

She went on to state that in such a scenario, South Africa “would lose another generation of young workers”.

“Imagine if South Africa could generate jobs. We looked at a scenario where the unemployment rate fell to 5,8 percent.

That would mean generating 5,8 million jobs by 2030. Just by generating jobs, by how much could growth improve by? It would average 4,6 per year and incomes would rise to over 11 percent. That could allow improvements in savings as well,” she said.

Among other policy recommendations, the Bretton Woods Institute recommended that South Africa pulled its socks on when it came to education and that the African economic powerhouse needed to stimulate the private sector to create jobs.

“To me, I think the greatest priority is getting basic education right. It will ensure that school leavers at least have the foundational skills necessary to work and function in the modern workplace. That is not enough. One needs to complement better education with policies that look after the existing skilled [workforce]. They need expanded access to better vocational education and training,” Purfield said.

She said the private sector could also join the party by providing internships to the school leavers. Purfield was accompanied by the World Bank’s new Country Director for South Africa, Guang Zhe Chen.

The report indicated that since 1994, the working age population expanded by 11 million and comprised 65 percent of South Africa’s population of 54,9 million in 2015. Since 2000, the number of jobs in South Africa grew only by 2,8 million, mainly in services sectors. Agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors shed jobs in the same period with the result that total jobs created fell short of the booming labour supply.

The report’s forecast for real gross domestic product was at 2 percent in 2015, and envisaged a slow strengthening to 2,4 percent in 2017. Largely, the Bretton Woods Institute predicted that growth in South Africa would remain largely below the average growth rate of 4,2 percent and 4,0 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 and in 2016 to 2017 respectively.

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Arts Culture

Theatre, Shows and Musicals

By Edward Mirza

MEMPHIS Now – Oct 18th

The producers of hit Broadway musical MEMPHIS are delighted to officially announce that multi award-winning recording artist Beverley Knight will star as club singer ‘Felicia Farrell’ when the show comes to London’s West End this autumn. MEMPHIS, winner of four 2010 Tony Awards® including Best Musical has Grammy® Award-winning original score

by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan and book by Joe DiPietro.

Inspired by true events from the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, MEMPHIS follows the fame and forbidden love of a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break.

“David Bryan evokes the powerhouse funk of James Brown, the hot guitar riffs of Chuck Berry, the smooth harmonies of the Temptations and the silken, bouncy pop of the great girl groups of the period” Charles Isleworth, New York Times.

Directed by Christopher Ashley and with Choreography by Sergio Trujillo, MEMPHIS has Scenic Design by David Gallo, Costume Design by Paul Tazewell, and Lighting Design by Howell Binkley.

Shaftsbury Avenue Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2H 8DP

THRILLER LIVE Now - September 25th 2015

Thriller - Live, the spectacular concert show that celebrates the music of the world’s greatest entertainer and undisputed King of Pop, Michael and the Jackson 5, is celebrating its 2,000th West End performance on Thursday October 24.

Smashing all previous records at the Lyric Theatre, where it recently celebrated becoming the longest-running production in the theatre’s 125-year history, Thriller - Live first moonwalked into the West End in January 2009 after three acclaimed UK tours. It has just extended its West End booking period to Sunday 28 September, 2014 Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 7ES

MACBETH, TARA ARTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH QUEEN’S HALL ARTS & BLACK THEATRE LIVE Now- October 31st Macbeth is the first production from Black

Theatre Live, a pioneering consortium of 8 regional theatres committed to increasing the amount of Black and Ethnic Minority theatre on the touring circuit. Spun together with a blend of Indian music and movement, this brand new production from one of the UK’s leading cross-cultural theatre companies sees Shakespeare’s tragedy reimagined in a contemporary context, as a brew of treachery and ambition sets an Asian family on a road to destruction. The production sees the engineers of Macbeth’s downfall depicted as three Hijras. A strand of Indian society little-known in the west, Hijras are a centuries-old “third gender” community (including transsexuals, transgender people, eunuchs and cross-dressers).

Tara Arts Artistic Director Jatinder Verma, who will direct Macbeth said “Spirits in Indian traditions combine vivacity with viciousness. By casting the Witches in Macbeth as provocative Bollywood queens, I aim to explore the dangerously vain ambition driving Macbeth.”

For information on Black Theatre Live: www.blacktheatrelive.co.uk | For information on Tara Arts: www.tara-arts.com .

From: ‘Thriller Live’, at The Shaftesbury Avenue Theatre

TAR BABY BY DESIREE THE ETIENNE SISTERS BURCH Selected dates until August

BY CHÉ WALKER September 10 - Oct 3 31st ‘I can’t believe my own sister would come with this thievery and anarchy to my door...’

Tree and Ree Etienne are laying their mother to rest when an unwelcome arrival at the graveside intrudes on their grief. It’s Bo, their troublesome estranged half-sister.

To comfort her sisters Bo moves in for a while and things begin to look up. But can a leopard ever change her spots? Cracks appear as childhood memories, deep resentments and long put away dreams come to the fore. Tensions build before erupting in a confrontation during which harsh truths are said that cannot be unsaid. Will the sisters destroy all that is left of their family and each other?

This thought-provoking and honest is new play is written by Chè Walker with songs by Anouskha Lucas (Klook’s Last Stand). Set to a contemporary soulful jazz soundtrack, The Etienne Sisters explores what it means to be part of a family today.

By Chè Walker, with songs by Anoushka Lucas Additional songs by Sheila Atim Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN

Can America only dream in black and white? Desiree Burch is here to find out.

In her own straightforward style, Desiree investigates the intersection of institution and individuality in the UK premiere of Tar Baby.

Let Desiree be your guide in this exploration of America’s love affair with race and capitalism, as she reveals their impact on her experiences as a black woman in academia, the entertainment industry and personal relationships. Solo, devised and interactive theatre forms combine to speak for the growing majority of minority experiences in the US Tar Baby is at the Turret at Gilded Balloon (Venue 14), 25 Greenside Lane, Edinburgh EH1 3AA | 7-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-31 Aug (£9/£7), 12pm (1hr30) | Box Office: 0131 622 6552 | Fringe Office: 0131 226 0000

NINE LIVES BY ZODWA NYONI NATIONAL TOUR Now - Jan 2016 Presented by Leeds Studio in association with West Yorkshire Playhouse Performed by Lladel Bryant Directed by Alex Chisholm Fleeing from his home in Zimbabwe

where a fresh wave of homophobia threatens his life, Ishmael has sought sanctuary in the UK. Dispersed to Leeds, Ishmael waits to hear his fate, he waits for a new life to begin amongst strangers. Strangers who don’t trust him and don’t want him there. But not everyone is bad… can he find a place to call home again?

Some of us wanted to stop being afraid.

Some of us wanted to find ourselves.

Some of us wanted to belong.

Zodwa Nyoni (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Channel 4 Writer in Residence 2014) threads together humour and humanity to tell the real personal story behind asylum headlines.

25 September 2015 Taliesin, Swansea 26 September 2015 Wakefield Lit Festival, Wakefield 28-29 September 2015 Oxford Playhouse, Oxford 12 October 2015 The Bikeshed Exeter, Exeter 17 October 2015 Trinity Bristol, Bristol 23 October 2015 The Cube, Malvern 06 November 2015 Upstairs at Western, Leicester 12 November 2015 Cast, Doncaster 16 November 2015 Waterside Arts Centre, Trafford 19 November 2015 Arc Stockton, Stockton on Tees 10 December 2015 9

Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

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Culture

BODE LAWAL: Untimely Passing of a Nigeria Dance Export

By Jahman Anikulapo

The Dancer, Choreographer and Founder of Sakoba Dance Company, UK, was reported dead on August 13, 2015 in Manchester, where he had been running a Dance workshop. Details of the circumstances of death are still being put together by the Police in London, and will be reported here as soon as it is clear. Mr Peter Badejo (OBE) of badejoArts, and Alhaji Teju Kareem (CEO Mirage Multimedia Company), two of his close associates are on top of the case, and are already in touch with his family both in the UK and in Ibadan, Nigeria.

PROFILE: Bode Lawal MA (emca), is hailed as one of the finest exponents of creative African dance working in Britain. He studied dance, choreography and drama before being invited to join the Nigerian national dance troupe with which he toured internationally, winning the Ministry of Culture’s Dancer of the Year award in 1985.

After this success, he moved to Britain to form Sakoba (meaning new dawn), to celebrate the rich traditions of African dance and music and to spread the profound messages encapsulated in his choreography across Europe.

In 1990 he was asked to choreograph Macbeth for the English Shakespeare Company, directed by Michael Bogdanov, which also formed part of an exchange programme with the Santa Monica Playhouse. In 2003 Bode was invited by the Dean of Faculty of Arts and Architecture to UCLA as a visiting dance professor, teaching intercultural choreography in the World Art and Cultures department Los Angeles, California.

Due to the great interest in his visionary work, Bode was encouraged to establish Sakoba’s sister company in Los Angeles in order to promote the understanding and appreciation of his unique choreography and technique.

This company has received sponsorship from some renowned personalities including Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Guest, Sharon Stone, James Cameron and the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, allowing the Company to perform at the prestigious Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts. Bode Lawal, upon completing his sabbatical, returned to the UK where 10

he arrived with a fresh and compelling new dance language.

He is also in great demand as a teacher and residency tutor and has won numerous National and European awards for his choreography and performances alike. In 2002 Bode Lawal was awarded The Dance Artist Fellowship “Men of Merit” Award for Outstanding Contribution to Dance.

His recent choreography “Clockwork” won the ‘Performance of the Year 2006’ in The Journal Culture Awards.

Lawal Dance Technique Bode Lawal’s inspiration originates from ancestral ritualistic movements embedded in Yoruba tradition of the orisas.

Movements and gestures inspired by the foundation of Sango (god of thunder) and Oshun (goddess of river) form the basis of the technique. It demands of its practitioners grounding, sincerity and understanding of the connection and importance of spiritualism and physicality.

This technique can be an open ended study for any dedicated practitioner with positive energy and the will to work undeterred by challenge. It is a rich aesthetic experience of a quest for truth and originality of self-being that can be practiced as an art form as well as being taught in institutions. The reason behind the development of the Bode Lawal Dance Technique is the need to nurture and guide upcoming African dance students or indeed anybody with a genuine interest in understanding the essence of African dance tradition within the context of the African Diasporas; The gateway to this endless journey being the ritualistic and symbolic dance of the Yoruba tradition.

Bode Lawal Dance Technique is also intended to emphasise the higher aspect of African dance beyond cultural tourism and other trivial or nonsensical realms in which African dance is frequently expressed.

It maintains and honours the vital link between progress and tradition. By dwelling in the realm of human consciousness, it naturally embraces and complements all styles of dance while remaining rooted in the tradition of the orisas. Bode Lawal stresses the point that practitioners and students alike should understand the source of the technique and its use as a vehicle for creating dance movements and choreography. The technique should be seen as a guide and inspiration for developing one’s own vocabulary and style; a vehicle that is driven by the human spirit.

Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

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Movie Review Culture

When Love Comes Around Vicky (Eku Edewor) allows her insecurities and her very materialistic friend, Love (Zynnell Zuh), to destroy her otherwise affectionate marriage. Love’s avarice enslaves her to Douglas (Mikki Osei Berko) as she scorns Kamal (Jim Iyke), the man who really loves her.

The first 20 to 30 minutes of When Love Comes Around arrests the viewer with its witty dialogue spiced with a lot of subtext. Love asks her lover to put the phone on speaker, so she could apologize to her friends, who are waiting for her arrival at the venue of her surprise birthday party.

He does and she announces to them that the best birthday gift to give herself will be to dump her boyfriend! The drama between Didi and her boyfriend also contains beautiful subtext.

The animation at the beginning and end of the film somewhat makes one wish that the whole film had been made as animation, certainly a very beautiful inclusion in the film.

Good ironies are beautiful in film and they work well in When Love Comes Around. Edewor is extolled for her competence in playing Vicky, a lady who looks

Jim Iyke

unsure of herself 90% of the time. Her facial expressions and words are typical of people who are easily influenced. Vicky’s travails are a reminder that when taunted or teased for their choices or what they own, people should carefully evaluate the situation and not give in to the mocker’s attacks, which may stem from inferiority or envy.

Someone tells Vicky, ‘your husband is addicted to another woman’s cooking’, talking about the take-away she buys for him, ‘make sure they never meet’. Could it be that the screenplay for this movie was split between the two writers and there was never a meeting between them to harmonize their work? Those first 20 – 30 minutes belong to a hit while the rest of the screenplay/film is fraught with mediocrity.

The movie’s descent into blandness is troubling because if more time was given to the screenplay, we would have ended up with a ‘one-in-town’ movie. It is clear that something went wrong with the script, killing all expectations from a movie that kicked off well. Like someone said, ‘slow foundation work is the quickest in the end’, but the producers of When Love Comes Around failed to realize this.

The viewer is rudely awakened when Love decides to end her relationship with Douglas so as to settle for Kamal because the friendship between Love and Kamal remains platonic as far as the viewer can see. In fact, it seems that she derides him or how else do you describe her decision to leave her friends in his restaurant to go and attend to another lover?

If the director thinks that his use of flashback to show us that Kamal and Love’s relationship blossoms into romance, then that technique fails because the flashback sequence looks more like a dalliance.

Films leave lasting impressions, so why will any film-maker dash the chance to write his or her name in gold, owing to the neglect of a vital process in film-making: screenwriting.

Love’s outlook on life is informed by her mum’s experience with her dad plus the mum’s insistence that all men cannot be trusted. If the two ladies are true to themselves, they will remember some trustworthy men they knew at different times in

their lives. Labels and generalizations are jaundiced and lead narrow-minded people astray.

Didi’s predilection to date her friend’s ex-boyfriends must be informed by something the director fails to tell us. Her character does not really have a life of her own.

It is regrettable that When Love Comes Around could not sustain the sublimity on which it took off.

Eku Edewor

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News

Israel

Thomas Cook scraps Tunisia trips until next year

Brazil

Rio 2016 workers living in squalor

Seifeddine Rezgui had not come to the attention of Tunisian authorities before his deadly attack on holidaymakers in Sousse

Tour operator Thomas Cook has announced that it has scrapped all trips to Tunisia until early next year on advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Previously the travel firm had been taking bookings effective from October 31st this year, but the FCO has advised against all but essential travel to the North African state in the wake of the beach hotel slaughter in June that left 30 Britons dead and 26 others injured.

A spokesman for the company said the decision was made because “we have no clear indication as to when the FCO travel advice may change”.

He added that customers can cancel

their holidays for free – or travel to another “winter sun” hotspot, such as the Canary Islands and Turkey. Bookings to Tunisia are not expected to recommence until February 2016 at the earliest.

The Thomas Cook group was sending up to 700,000 holidaymakers to Tunisia each year prior to the massacre perpetrated by university student Seifeddine Rezgui, 23, who was shot dead by police at the scene.

The gunman, thought to be operating on behalf of the so-called Islamic State, killed eight other people, including tourists from Ireland, Germany, Belgium and Russia. He was not known to be a potential threat by Tunisian authorities, according to Prime Minister Habib Essid, and reports that he was not acting alone have so far come to nothing.

Homes reminiscent of shanty homes...

Brazil’s labour ministry says its inspectors have found 11 men hired by the construction firm building the athletes’ village for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics living in slave-like conditions.

The ministry’s website says the workers were hired by Brasilia Global Services, the construction firm in charge of the “Ilha Pura” project where athletes will be housed during the Games.

The ministry says the workers were found living in cramped, rat and cockroach-infested lodgings provided by the company. Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Extra’ newspaper says the company has denied it made its workers live in slave-like conditions.

Brasilia Global Services was contracted by the Ilha Pura consortium that says it is co-operating with investigators.

Brasilia Global Services have so far made no comment about the allegation.

Alexandra keen to explore Irish heritage It was news to me that she had any, but singer Alexandra Burke has revealed that she is planning to take some time off next year to travel to Ireland with her family to find out more about her Irish roots.

Burke is currently in Ireland performing in The Bodyguard at Dublin’s Bord Gais Energy Theatre and told TEN magazine that she was disappointed that she didn’t have the time to explore her heritage this time around due to her intense schedule.

“My nan is actually from Connemara.

I’m not sure what town she was from, but I wanted to take this time while I was here to research my background and my roots. But there wasn’t enough time, so I’m hoping next year, with my family, we can take at least a week off of work and 12

Alexandra Burke has been playing Whitney Houston’s character, Rachel Marron, in the stage adaptation of the movie, The Bodyguard

stuff to research where she was from,” she said.

While she may not have as much time to explore as she would have liked, the X Factor winner did have the chance for a quick road trip to the West.

Speaking about the highlight of her trip, Burke said: “Seeing lots of sheep!

I think that was really funny. But in all seriousness, the highlight for me was the scenery: it was absolutely beautiful to take the trip all the way from Dublin Airport to Galway and to Connemara, and also I went to visit Kylemore Abbey.

“It was incredible driving past it and seeing this massive castle and then randomly stopping in for afternoon tea and visiting where the boarding school used to be and seeing the background and stuff of who used to live there. It was really, really beautiful.”

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Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

Spain

Gervais sees red over traditional bull-run festival Actor Ricky Gervais has spoken out against this year’s running of the bulls in Spain, which has so far left seven people dead.

BBC News reports that seven people have been killed since the annual festival began in July, four of them over the weekend. The victims included a 36-year-old town councillor in Penafiel, north of Madrid, and a man who was gored in the neck while trying to film the bull-run with a cellphone.

Video from Sunday appears to show a 29-year-old bullfighter being gored in the back by a bull immediately after tripping and falling to the ground while he was trying to avoid the horned animal in Navarra, northern Spain. He later died.

Gervais, a well-known advocate for animal rights who regularly speaks out against animal cruelty on social media, had the following harsh words for the event.

“Neither I nor any bull wants you to fight it. But if you insist I hope it defends itself. F*** anyone who tortures an animal for fun.”

Gervais’s tweet drew some harsh criticism, particularly from The Sun, which

Every year in Spain, thousands gather to taunt bulls into chasing them throught the streets. Inevitably, the bulls occasionally catch up

called him “Sicky Gervais,” saying he “gets kicks from watching humans being murdered by bulls.”

Gervais responded in a short video on his Facebook page, pointing out that the tabloid didn’t clarify that he was talking about the running of the bulls.

“The truth is, I do prefer the bull to win,” Gervais said. “I’d rather you didn’t fight a bull, but if you do, if you choose to torture an animal to death for fun, I hope it defends itself.

“People will go and see it and say, ‘Well, it’s traditional.’ So was slavery. We’ve moved on, haven’t we? I mean surely progress, at its core, is society maximizing compassion and minimizing suffering?”

Gervais’s video has so far been shared more than 4,000 times, with 20,700 likes on his Facebook page.

According to a Spanish report cited by BBC News, more than 7,200 bulls and steers were killed by bullfighters in Spain last year. Bullfighting was acknowledged as a part of Spain’s national heritage in 2013. Officials said the state has a duty to “preserve and promote” the sport even as opponents continue to decry it.

Pakistan

Opposition legislator ambushed and critically wounded Four attackers on motorcycles opened fire on the car of a Pakistani lawmaker on Tuesday, critically wounding him and killing his driver in an attack that raised tensions in the country’s largest city Karachi.

Rashid Godil, a legislator from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) opposition party, was in his parked car at a traffic light in the eastern Bahadurabad neighbourhood when the unidentified men began firing.

“The attackers came from behind the car and opened fire, injuring Rashid Godil critically,” Abid Kaimkhani, a senior police officer, told AFP. Godil’s driver died in the attack, he added.

Senior police officer Javed Jiskani told media that bullet casings taken from the scene matched a 9mm pistol, adding that CCTV footage was being examined.

A spokesman at the Liaquat National Hospital, where Godil was taken, said the politician was struck by five bullets to his head, jaw and chest and a team of doctors was trying to stabilise him. Senior MQM leader Haidar Abbas Rizvi said the next 48 hours would be crucial for Godil.

The shooting comes a week after members of the MQM, which dominates politics in Karachi, offered their resignations

Rashid Godil is in a critical condition in hospital at the time of going to press

from their seats in parliament over what they described as a campaign of victimisation against them.

The resignations have not yet been formally accepted by the government of Prime

Minister Nawaz Sharif, which is trying to get the party to reverse its decision.

The MQM has the power to shut down Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub and a city of roughly 20 million people, and

its activists have been accused of using violence in the past. The party denies the charges and says it has been unfairly targeted in a police and paramilitary crackdown on violence in the city that began in 2013.

Shops and offices closed for business in the east of the city after the news, while the University of Karachi postponed examinations that were to be held in the evening.

Tensions have also been rising in recent months between MQM chief Altaf Hussain, who rules the party from London, and the country’s powerful military establishment. The rift widened in June, when Hussain, in an address to his workers, accused the paramilitary Rangers of torturing and killing party workers and dumping their mutilated bodies on roadsides.

The party has accused law enforcement agencies of the extrajudicial killing of 40 of its supporters and the forcible “disappearance” of 150 more.

The attack also comes two days after suicide bombers killed Shuja Khanzada, a senior Pakistani provincial minister who had campaigned against militants, along with 15 others attending a meeting in the country’s north.

It was later claimed by the Pakistani Taliban who said it was revenge for the killing of a sectarian militant commander.

13

Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

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CRIME

Romance scammer conman is jailed A scammer who helped convince women that an American marine had fallen in love with them, in order to defraud them of more than £300,000, has been jailed at Isleworth Crown Court today, Thursday, 13 August.

Robinson Agbonifoayetan, 32, an engineer of Sutcliffe Road, Welling, Bexley posed as a diplomat called Christopher Williams, using a forged United Nations diplomatic card.

Two victims were manipulated to believe that a suspect posing as “General James Krulak” and “General James Raul” wanted to move to the UK and marry them. Agbonifoayetan led them to believe that he needed their help to transfer his retirement fund - a box of money given to him by a family in Afghanistan - from Greece. He asked them to pay fees for its transfer, on the basis that they would be reimbursed once it was in the UK. He, and an as yet unidentified suspect, met the two women in London a number of times, to collect some of the fees.

One of the victims - a woman in her 60s, from Ealing - paid around £260,000 over the course of six months after she was contacted by “General Krulak” via Skype.

A suspect posing as the general sent

Agbonifoayetan.

The victim used up her life savings,

pawned jewellery, sold her car and took out loans to pay the spiralling costs before reporting her situation to police.

Detectives from the Met’s fraud

and cyber crime unit FALCON began investigating after the woman took the

courageous step of coming forward. They

arrested Agbonifoayetan at Heathrow

airport on 17 December 2014, as he tried to leave the country on a flight to Nigeria.

Enquiries uncovered the second victim,

a woman in her 50s from Devon, who was

sold a similar line by “General James Raul”

and handed over £22,000. Detectives are now seeking a compensation order to help the victims’ recoup some of their money.

Agbonifoayetan was today sentenced

for two counts of fraud by false Robinson Agbonifoayetan

her photos of a soldier - supposedly him - and quickly built a rapport with her. He insisted on speaking to her several times a day, paying her countless compliments and seemingly confiding in her about tragic family events, like his parents and sister dying in a car crash.

Within days he talked of marrying

representation after he admitted personally her and introduced the idea of a box containing $8.5million, which he said he had been gifted by a family while serving in Afghanistan after he saved their lives.

He talked the victim into paying large fees for the transportation and protection of the box into bank accounts based in Ghana, before she met with

to defrauding women of almost £42,000 of the overall cash. He was sentenced to

three years each for each count, to run concurrently.

Enquiries to identify other suspects

involved in the scam continue.details, such as bank details - this leaves you vulnerable to fraud.

Appeal after man dies following shooting 13 years ago A murder investigation has been launched after the death of a man shot 13 years ago in Shoreditch.

Marvin Couson, 39 had been confined to a hospital bed unable to communicate or do anything for himself since the incident in May 2002.

He died on Saturday, 8 August 2015 in hospital. A post-mortem examination on Wednesday, 12 August at Croydon mortuary gave cause of death as brain injury suffered as a direct result of the shooting.

An investigation has been opened at the Homicide and Major Crime Command under Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh.

DCI McHugh said: “For 13 years Marvin’s family have been at his bedside and now tragically he has succumbed to the injuries he suffered all those years ago.

“We have launched a full murder investigation and despite the passage of time are committed to finding the person who shot Marvin that night.”

Police were called at 03.40hrs on Saturday, 12 May 2002 to reports of gunfire at the Lime in London Bar 14

Robinson Agbonifoayetan

commonly known as the Lime Bar - in Curtain Road, Shoreditch EC2.

On arrival, officers found Marvin, then aged 26 and of Darlington Road, West Norwood, on the ground outside the bar with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken by ambulance to the Royal

London Hospital in a critical condition with injuries to his heart and other internal organs.

After an operation he was transferred to the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability in Putney. He was unable to care for himself or leave his hospital bed. He could not

communicate and had no capacity to understand anything said to him.

Police were informed by the hospital that he died at 22:40hrs on 8 August.

Marvin had visited the Lime Bar with his cousin and a friend on 12 May 2002.

In the early hours they fled, along with a large number of other people, after shots were fired inside the bar.

Outside Marvin’s friend saw a red or burgundy Ford Fiesta, thought to contain at least two black men, driving fast along Curtain Road. The vehicle struck him and he grappled with the front seat passenger.

A gun was then fired and the friend walked back towards the bar to see Marvin lying shot on the ground.

Trident officers took on the case and made several appeals for witnesses and information. Around 600 people were inside the venue at the time for a commercial party and 200-300 of them congregated in the street after shots were fired inside the club.

One man was arrested during the course of the investigation, on 23 May 2002, but subsequently released with no further action.

Friday, 14 August - Thursday, 20 August 2015

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Sounds of Diaspora People of America

Guard hired to foil waxwork violators

Chris Brown experiencing that old ex-factor mishegas Karrueche Tran is reportedly not happy after hearing ex Chris Brown and his ex, Rihanna, have been FaceTiming each other.

Tran, 27, might have dumped Brown after his cheating scandal and baby drama came to light, but she has yet to move on completely from her bad-boyfriend.

An insider close to the model told a Hollywood Life reporter that Tran was upset when news surfaced that the “Loyal” hit maker and Rihanna have recently reconnected.

“She knows they are in contact and it breaks her heart. She’s focused on her career but she can’t help but think about Chris. And thinking about him with Rihanna really upsets her,” the source revealed to the publication.

For those who aren’t up to date with their latest drama, aspiring singer Assata recently shared SnapChat proof that Brown has been FaceTiming with Rihanna. The eyewitness claimed that she was in the studio with Brown on August 14th when she saw him talking to his old flame like they were still “boyfriend and girlfriend,” Media Takeout reported.

According to Hollywood Life’s insider, Tran has always suspected that Brown was keeping in

Karrueche Tran broke up with Chris Brown in March after she discovered that the “Loyal” singer had a child with model Nia Guzman.

touch with Rihanna even while they were dating, and this latest news only seems to confirm her suspicions. “[Karrueche] always felt Chris was secretly talking and seeing Rihanna when they were together. Hearing that they are getting close again just confirms that in her head,” the insider added.

But Rihanna isn’t the only one Brown has been texting. The R&B singer has also reportedly been exchanging messages with Tran.

“Chris has been telling her how sad he was about the Royalty situation and how lonely he was. All the more reason it’s better for Kae (Karrueche) to move on with her life and leave Chris in the past,” the insider told the publication.

His mother would be so proud!

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas museum has had to bring in extra security to monitor guests who have been “acting inappropriately” around a waxwork of raunchy rapper Nicki Minaj.

People have been rushing to have their photograph taken with the exhibit, which is not that unusual. But the wax effigy’s provocative pose, inspired by the real rapper’s ‘Anaconda’ video, appears to have had an undesired effect on fans’ (and let’s hope they’re at least that and not just random perverts) libido.

A picture posted online of a male acting out a sex act with the waxwork, which is posed on all fours, seems to have inspired as many copycats as it has comments from rightly outraged detractors.

So much so that the exhibit has earned its own security guard.

The offending post, in which a man simulates entering Minaj-alike from behind while pulling her head back by her ponytail, is perhaps a telling commentary on how Trinidadian Minaj and many like her are perceived and, more to the point, how they position (forgive the pun) themselves in the marketplace.

Madame Tussauds says that while it wants people to have an “interactive, immersive experience”, the waxworks must be “treated respectfully”.

That’s a laugh. I have never seem the

real lady perform, but I have to assume she, on occasion, perhaps stands up and holds a microphone. And while I may be way off the mark, it is possibly a reasonable assumption that standing – perhaps even in a faux-aggressive pose – is actually more typical of what she does, since I understand she is principally a rapper and not a porn star.

So quite why Madame Tussauds has eschewed the typical in favour of commissioning an effigy in an advanced state of undress, positioned on all fours and has the temerity to suggest it be “treated respectfully” is somewhat puzzling.

The lady herself is reportedly “delighted” with the exhibit and has even included some pictures of her waxwork’s ‘abusers’ on her Instagram account, which is cause for alarm but is probably not surprising given the image she seems keen to portray. Why alarm? Because most of her fans are young girls who not only admire, but in many cases aspire.

Inevitably, Miss Minaj and her minions will eventually become the mothers and aunts and godmothers of little girls who they will seek to protect from the domination-regardless-of-consent attitude displayed by ‘Mr Backshot’.

To those that say she appears to consent; how could she not – ‘she’ is a waxwork. But even if the real Nicki Minaj doesn’t care, she deserves more respect because all women do.

15

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Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

Gospel

GOD IS NOT AN ERRAND BOY!

By Michael Adekoya

“Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Continued from last week! ....Jesus said unto His disciples, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) The Bible says, “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.”

(Mark 16:20)

My friend, following from last week’s article, it is no accident that every gospel account mentions the word “GO “. In the Gospel of Luke 19:30-31, Jesus said, “Go ye into the village next to you, and when you enter you shall find a colt tied, loose him and bring him to Me and if any man ask you why you loose him, then shall you say unto him, because the Lord has need of him”. My friend, do you know that the “colt” represents the unbelievers…the unsaved, the lost and dying souls, people who are spell, satanic remote control and drug, alcoholic or pornographic addictions.

The ‘colt’ represents people in our family, neigbourhood, work-places, city or nation who are the poor in the spirit, people who are spiritually blind, people who are oppressed and depressed, people who are under the bondage of ignorance, idolatry, occultism, cultism, ancestral curse, sexual sins, bondage of the devil…the list goes on. My friend, Jesus has sent you to these bound and dying souls to bring them. Remember, satan will hold on to what he has got as long as he can, but you have been given the power and the authority to take it from him. Yes! You can!

The Church is not a building, but a family of God, community of believers, followers or disciples of Jesus Christ. We need to look beyond our circumstances and our personal needs to see the greater need outside the four corners of our local assembly. We need to be soul winners! Today, we have made the Church building so comfy and cozy like entertainment centre.

My friend, do you know what your local

assembly should be? A training centre! It is a place of worship, prayer, learning, discipleship; mentoring and empowerment for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:7-14).

But, today, we come every Sunday, at least, to receive good sermons and we do nothing with those words, yet untold many in our lives and around us are on their way to hell. As from June every year through the summer time, there are seminars, international gatherings, conferences, conventions, anniversaries in many churches, especially in the Western World. We do all these yearly events, yet no impact on our communities. Hear me! The heart beat of God is, “Souls! Souls!! Souls!!! By His Spirit, God wants to save souls through you and me!

The Bible says, “It is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Saviour; who desires all men and women souls to be saved and come to the knowledge of Jesus, the Truth.” (1 Tim 2:3-4) My friend, listen!

Christianity is personal. If Jesus Christ has truly come to dwell in you and in me by His Spirit, then we are His Body. His ministry didn’t end with the early Christians (early disciples). Every ministry should be an extension of the ministry of Jesus for a common goal – salvation of human souls. God wants to save, forgive, heal, deliver, feed, help, bless and prosper people through us, especially in this last days. The reason for His power in us is to be His witnesses on earth!

My friend, hear me! God wants to work through us to “open people spiritual and physical eyes, to turn them from darkness

­­

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

16

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

to light, from the power of satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in God” (read Acts 26:18). God has promised and provided salvation, through Jesus Christ. He’s not willing that any soul should perish but that all souls should come to repentance (read 2 Peter 3:9). Did you hear that? He’s called, chosen and anointed us to do these greater works on earth.

God would have sent angels for this assignment of salvation of human souls. He would have sent them to preach the Gospel, heal the broken hearted, preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to those who are physical and spiritual blind and set at liberty those who are wounded and bruised; but He didn’t. He chose you and me as His representative, His conduit, His mouthpiece, His legs, hands and instruments of change. He saved us to be channels to save others! Listen! God has no other body (channel) to work His salvation of human souls through if you don’t make yourself available or too busy to obey Jesus’ Command.

Speaking to His early disciples and to us today, Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in your family, throughout your community, in your city and nation, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). Jesus cannot physically go to London Holloway prison to preach God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness to the inmates there but you can. He can-

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

(PART 2)

not go to rehab houses, hospitals, mental homes, night clubs, offices, market places, highways, hotels, prostitutes’ arenas, orphanages, villages to be His own witness, but you can. Yes, you can!

My friend, there are multitudes in your city waiting to find someone who really cares to be a witness unto them – they are in buses, on the trains, in the cinema houses, in the shops and everywhere. It is time to have the motivation that Jesus had when it was said of Him – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

(Matt. 9:36). He desires to show His love through you to others. He wants to exercise His compassion and concern for lost souls through you.

My friend, the Gospel is not Good News to people who don’t hear it. An unpreached Gospel is useless! In the New Testament, we never read about God going forth on His own but we read that, “they (the disciples) went out and preached everywhere and the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following.” (Mark 16:20). God acted when they obeyed the command of Jesus, took the step of faith, went out to preach the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes. God acted when they acted! The Acts of the Apostles was written because the Apostles acted on the word of Jesus and in the direction of the Holy Spirit.

My friend, talk is cheap! Enough of talking or discussions about evangelism!

It’s now time to act on your faith and go in the power of the Holy Spirit. God has called, chosen and sent you to go; you should no more give any excuse or fear any longer. God would sustain you and reward your obedience. (John 17:18). He has set you free from the fear of the people, fear of rejection and fear of failure (Psalm 37:23).

God is always prepared to backup anyone who would not be afraid of the peoples’ faces to tell the Truth. The Gospel is the Truth. Let’s Go and Tell the world!

Remain blessed!

Church 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 Forth-

nightly 12am Sunday Service: Sundays 10am - 1pm Winners’ Chapel London- part of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, at 1 Churchill Close, Green Street, Green Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1QE meets Sunday 7.30am, 9.15am and 11am and Wednesdays at 7pm.

For details call: 01322 292097 Christ Apostolic Church, Surrey Docks District, Solution Centre, 47-47 High Street, Swancombe, Kent, DA10 0DA Tel: 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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Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

Africa Newsround

Sierra Leone

Mass quarantines end as new Ebola cases hit zero At the end of the first week in which no new Ebola cases have been reported within its borders since last year’s mass outbreak, Sierra Leone has ended an Ebola lockdown in the northern village of Massessebeh that had kept more than 500 residents in quarantine.

President Ernest Bai Koroma cut the yellow ribbon that had ringed the village in the northern district of Tonkolili on Friday to mark the completion of the standard 21day quarantine period.

“None of the villagers tested positive (for Ebola),” a health ministry official told reporters, adding that only two people nationwide are still being treated for the virus nationwide.

President Koroma described the lifting of the last large-scale quarantine in the country as “a special day in the lives of the people”, but he cautioned against “complacency in the fight against the receding virus”, according to his speech which was broadcast on national radio.

“Only two patients (both in the northern district of Bombali) are in treatment centres throughout the country”, Koroma told the cheering villagers.

The 500 residents of the village of Massessebeh have been kept in isolation for 21 days since the last Ebola case was identified there

“But you should not rest until Ebola is eradicated,” he said. “Our efforts should be sustained until the last case is discharged,”

he added, his voice occasionally drowned out by the sound of drums and animal horns.

“I shall be making on-the-spot checks across the country,” Koroma warned, without giving further details.

Massessebeh, a predominantly agricultural village some 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the capital, went on alert three weeks ago after a trader from Freetown who was visiting his mother tested positive for Ebola and later died.

But with no cases emerging in the village, the director of the National Ebola Response Centre’s Situation Room, Ibrahim Sesay, said the country was making progress in its battle against haemorrhagic fever.

“We are doing 90 per cent better,” he told reporters, adding: “There has not been any new case of Ebola throughout the country for more than a week now and only 86 people are in quarantine nationwide.”

Ebola has claimed around 11,300 lives since late 2013. More than 99 per cent of these occurred in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.

IMAGE: 593_ebola.jpg CAPTION: The 500 residents of the village of Massessebeh have been kept in isolation for 21 days since the last Ebola case was identified there

Zimbabwe

Chess grandmaster left isolated on board Chess grandmaster Nigel Short became an accidental VIP recently when three passengers due to accompany him on a Boeing 737 to Victoria Falls failed to show up – leaving him the only passenger on board!

Initially told he was going to be one of only four passengers on the flight, Zimbabwe, the former World Chess Champion finalist (he lost to Garry Kasparov in 1993) told TODAY.com: “I went to check in and they said don’t be late because we only have four passengers. So, I got to my gate on time and there was no one there. I was uncomfortable because I thought maybe I made a mistake or arrived too early.”

Short then proceeded to go back to the main terminal to double-check his gate information. “The gate listed on my ticket was correct, so I went back four or five times and there was still no sign of anyone.”

Eventually the crew for his Air Zimbabwe flight did arrive and, much to his shock, they told him he would be the only passenger on board that day.

“I fly a lot and have been to well over 100 countries. And once in a while you’re on a flight with not many passengers,” he said. “But, there’s a difference when you’re the only passenger.”

Nigel Short aboard his own 737, at least for one flight

Unsurprisingly, the airline waived traditional pre-boarding routines like letting first-class passengers or people needing assistance on first. But, Short revealed, they did complete their full safety demonstra-

tion and were “very attentive.”

Once on board, Short opted not to sit in his assigned aisle seat, but moved to a window to see the view. And though he had the whole 105-seat aircraft to himself, the

Brit didn’t ask to move to first class. “They had one guy who was sitting there that was the staff,” he said. “So, I just stayed in economy.”

But Short still received top-notch service. “I was served by two ladies and all of the announcements were directed to me,” he said. “They would say things like, ‘Mr. Short, we’re beginning our descent.’”

Upon landing, Short was even escorted to the arrivals hall to top off his solo traveller experience.

Ultimately, the whole scenario amused him. “It was just the novelty and total surprise of the whole thing,” Short quipped.

“I’ve been on other private planes and small planes, but there were more passengers on those. I’m amazed they didn’t cancel it.”

Many others wondered the same, prompting the airline to respond to the news outlet NewsDay: “Please be advised that the aircraft in question operated Victoria Falls-Bulawayo then Johannesburg and it became necessary for operational reasons to position the aircraft to Victoria Falls to operate a scheduled flight Victoria Falls-Harare,” acting CEO Edmund Makona’s personal assistant Emma Benhura told the site. “The flight had therefore been rescheduled and some of the booked passengers had opted for other earlier flights.”

17

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Nigerian News

Thousands Of Ghost Workers Discovered In Osun Verification Exercise Scores of ghost workers might have been detected in Osun State during the on-going ‘operation show your certificates screening and verification exercise’ in the state.

Investigation conducted revealed that the verification and screening exercise is on-going and yet to be completed, it was discovered scores of ghost workers were discovered in the local government, civil service and teaching service in the state.

The actual figure is not officially known as at the time of filling this report, it was gathered that some faceless workers who were drawing salaries from the coffer of the state were discovered.

Another set of ghost workers were drawing salaries from the purse of the state but were actually living in Ibadan, Oyo State, not working for the money they are drawing from the state.

The operation show your certificates and verification screening exercise was reached between the labour movement and the state during the current unpaid salaries impasse when the number of workers drawing salaries from the state government came up for scrutiny.

There are about 35,000 workers on the payroll of the state govern-

ment leaving the government with N3.6bwillion wage bill monthly.

The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Jacob Babatunde Adekomi while speaking at the just concluded stakeholders’ conference organised by state legislators both in the state and National Assembly told the state government that the issue of salaries needed to be reviewed adding that the labour movement believed that there are possibilities of ghost workers among 35,000 workforce in the state.

Adekomi noted that chunk of workers of the state had left service in 2012 during the implementation of the contributory pension scheme in the state.

Both the state government and labour thereafter agreed that the screening exercise be conducted immediately after the suspension of strike over unpaid salaries to workers in the state.

As at the time of filling this report, the actual figure of ghost workers could not be determined as none of the ministry officials are ready to speak on the development.

The exercise is still on and once the exercise is completed, the report will be made public by the state government.

From left -Former Governor State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former Secretary to the Osun State Government, and Head of Service, Chief Moses Aboaba and Senator Olusola Adeyeye during the Osun Stakeholders Conference at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former Secretary to the Osun State Government, and Head of Service Osun, Chief Moses Aboaba, Senator Olusola Adeyeye and Senator Babajide Omoworare during the Osun Stakeholders Conference at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left); Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran (2nd right), Vice Chairman, Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji (left) and Babaloja of Atakumosa Market, Chief Adediji Ogbara (right), during a condolence visit to the Scene of the fire outbreak that ravaged Atakumosa Market, Ilesa,

Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola gave his daughter, Shakirat Aregbesola, out in marriage.

18

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left); Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran (2nd right), Vice Chairman, Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji (left) and Babaloja of Atakumosa Market, Chief Adediji Ogbara (right), during a condolence visit to the Scene of the fire outbreak that ravaged Atakumosa Market, Ilesa,

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Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015

Opinion

Cloud of greater expectation hangs over Nigeria’s Mission in the UK

By Mike Abiola

Nigeria is currently the focus of the rest of the world as she occupies the position of the rotational presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of August. The position provides an ample opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate her potential as a global leader.

Nigeria was elected to serve from July 31st in this most important and powerful decision-making organ of the United Nations. Prof. Joy Ogwu, Nigeria’s Permanent Secretary to the United Nations, is currently performing a good job as president.

What Nigeria makes of this opportunity for Africa will be a test of its foreign affairs initiatives. It comes at a time when Nigeria is still earning goodwill as a result of a peaceful transition from one democratic government to another with President Muhammad Buhari enjoying a honeymoon period.

The demand for Nigeria, with all its human and natural resources, to reposition itself to an enviable height is on the top burner of most admirers of this potentially rich nation. There is no better time for a turnaround than now with a new government promising change.

The role expected of Nigeria goes beyond exemplary leadership in Africa.

There is a challenging role for Nigeria in world politics. The most populous nation in Africa has to be in the forefront of global political decision-making. To effectively take up this position Nigeria must deploy its best talents to key positions in world bodies such as the United Nations and in strategic embassies like Britain and America. The right choice of ambassadors could turn the ties between Nigeria and the UK/US to economic advantage; reversing the current trade imbalance in favour of Nigeria in a few years.

This period of international goodwill presents Nigeria with an opportunity to redeem its image in tandem with the mood for change of its citizenry and expectations from friends across the world.

In the spirit of the clamour for change and international support, expectations are that the government will deploy core professionals in their areas of specialisation to serve in various posts at home and overseas.

With the recent recall of non-career diplomats from ambassadorial postings by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari, the signs are that the government may be planning a radical departure from the practise of the past where politicians are posted as ambassadors over career diplomats.

In the spirit of the change process Nigeria is presently undergoing, it is hoped that the UK and USA will be treated differently as this is a time for government to get serious with the selection of the country’s representatives for these diplomatic postings.

One cannot overemphasise the importance of America in global politics or Britain’s historical ties to Nigeria and economic importance as Europe’s leading financial city. The Buhari administration will have to be strategic in the selection of its envoys by ensuring the posts are carefully filled to serve the government’s global economic and political aspirations.

In exempting these two embassies from party political postings, expectations are that the government must take the opportunity to reposition Nigeria amongst the league of respectable nations.

Drawing on the recent service delivery record rendered by Nigeria’s High Commission in London by the outgoing High Commissioner Dr. Tafida, one can conclude that Nigerians in the Diaspora with their huge remittances and willingness to contribute to their home country’s development has never had it so good.

Fears and apprehension can best describe the mood of many Nigerians in the UK as the news spread of an end to the tenure of Nigeria’s High Commissioner in the UK, His Excellency Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida OFR, CFR. Many are wondering who will succeed this great man, whose achievements during his time of service distinguished him from those before him.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Nigerians in the UK dread a return to the days when one would have to be personally acquainted with someone working at the Mission to access the services one required. But one thing that remained very clear is that UK Nigerians will never allow the gains made during Dr. Tafida’s era to be reversed.

Whoever cannot build on the good foundations already set can be sure of a running battle that will attract the wrath of President Buhari.

The High Commissioner to the Court of St James’s, who presented his letter of credence to the Queen on 30 May 2008, eventually departed the UK for Nigeria on Saturday 15 August after a meritorious service. Dr. Tafida will not be forgotten for a long time. Days after his departure, many are gazing at their crystal ball to see whom it will deliver.

In a move to immortalise him for a job well done, the senior staff and section heads at London’s Nigeria High Commission were unanimous in their decision to name the Banking Hall of the Mission after him.

The renaming ceremony, which many described as a master stroke, took place on Friday 14th August 2015 with the approval of the Permanent Secretary and acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambas-

sador Bulus Lolo, who also sent in a letter of commendation.

At the brief and private ceremony, plaques were unveiled on the wall of the new Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida Hall.

As the news filtered out to the community, many commended the decision as appropriate and merited. Some recalled the state of the Mission before Dr. Tafida took over. The floor was in an appalling state with half torn linoleum flooring and cracked walls. Dr. Tafida brought about a new dawn and the venue suddenly began to host diplomatic functions.

Nigeria will now need to foster partnerships on a global stage, and the pedigrees of the ambassador to the US and UK are pivotal. Apart from feeding the government at home with current updates on issues of bilateral relationship, Nigeria requires ambassadors who will be strategic on foreign and security policy issues and global cooperation; and forces to be reckoned with in proffering solutions to global problems. This is especially the case if Nigeria is to be granted a permanent seat as a member of United Nations Security Council. This is a position that Nigeria must lead Africa to campaign vigorously to attain.

19

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South African clubs raise standards to aim higher

By Agency Reporter

When the members of South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs were first introduced to a certain idea of “club licensing”, in a seminar in November 2013, there were plenty of procedures and concepts to grasp and understand. However, what stood out for the Mamelodi Sundowns’ Head of Youth Shawn Bishop was something quite practical: he would use the occasion to extend and develop his club’s youth divisions.

The Sundowns have won the league title a record six times since the inception of the PSL and yet the only youth squad they fielded until then was the under-21s. As Bishop got acquainted with the project of implementing a club licensing system in South Africa – that is, a set of principles that clubs must meet to be eligible to compete –, and as these principles included a youth development programme, he quickly embraced the idea.

“Soon after the concept was presented, before the requirements for PSL clubs were even formally set, we started pursuing this,” Bishop explains to FIFA.com. “We implemented our football academy all the way down to the under-15 category and now we are working on a foundation programme for even younger ages.”

Adapted standards The process of coming up with minimum standards for clubs to comply with in order to participate in official tournaments is one that starts globally with the FIFA Club Licensing System - which is then transformed into confederation principles and finally into national ones, taking into consideration the peculiarities of club football in each region.

These standards, which FIFA aims to roll out worldwide by the end of 2016, range from training facilities and youth football development to good quality stadiums and professional, trained staff.

When all six confederations met this week in Zurich to work on the global 22

programme together for the first time, CAF Club Licensing Manager Ahmed Harraz pointed out the South African example as a benchmark for the region as it works towards fully implementing its own criteria. “We have been seeing South Africa come up with a very strong licensing system,” says Harraz. “The PSL is doing a great job in organising the league and raising the level of the clubs.”

Indeed, for just over two weeks prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, officials from the PSL travelled around the country to meet with representatives from the clubs to offer assistance and assess all the elements that were included in the set of requirements defined by the league. This went from discussing the clubs’ statutes and legal framework to checking the qualification of coaches and medical staff, to inspecting and measuring the clubs facilities.

“We went through both FIFA’s and CAF’s requirements and added what we found to be our own, specific needs. So, we started sending out the forms and visiting the clubs in order to have the system of licenses fully in place for the first time come the 2016-17 season,” explains the PSL General Manager of Football, Derek Blanckensee. “There are different categories of requirements within our divisions, ranging from A to C, and we distribute them accordingly.

Fortunately, in South Africa several standards are very high, as an inheritance of having hosted the World Cup in 2010. At the end of the day, for me, club licensing is about unifying criteria just as much as it is about adapting to the specificities. But we should know where to aim at, for the benefit of everyone.”

Development beyond club level One of the key elements of the licensing system lies precisely in the value that it can bring not only to each club specifically, but to a region’s football as a whole. This is the reasoning behind a club like Ajax Cape Town fully supporting the club licensing project in South Africa – even if they already met the

Vivacious playing from South African representatives

PSL’s principles by the time these were presented.

“Eventually, all we did was to ratify that we indeed complied with all the requirements,” says CEO Ari Efstathiou.

“I would not be shy to say that Ajax are a model, especially in our concept of a strong youth academy – with a lot of support from the fact that we are associated with a European club (Ajax Amsterdam) that follows this philosophy.

I am happy to see every club pursuing this path, because this is for the good of South African football. The point of club licensing is not to have it in place because we have to do it, but because we should do it. If everyone complies, it can be a fantastic development tool and even have a direct impact on the national team.”

Here, again, the example with youth football is already tangible, before the licensing system is even operational in the country. “All you have to do is look at the South African squad that qualified for this year’s under-17 World Cup,” says the Mamelodi Sundowns’ Shawn Bishop, who is an assistant coach of the team that will play the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October, in Chile. “Most of our players come from four institutions in the province of Gauteng who have been working on their youth academies: SuperSport, Wits, School of Excellence and now the Sundowns. If we establish national principles to have clubs investing in the development of youth football, the growth and the results will certainly be there to be seen. It comes down to making the clubs accountable,

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Namibia to host 2016 Cosafa Cup Latest news reports suggest that the next edition of the Cosafa Cup will be organised in Namibia.

The announcement comes after this year’s edition was held in South Africa where the Desert Warriors emerged as champions.

The report suggests that Namibia will stage the event for the first time in their history between 15-29 May 2016 at two venues in the capital Windhoek – at the Sam Nujoma Stadium and Independence Stadium.

It follows the country’s successful hosting of the 2014 African Women’s Championship and has the full support of the Namibian Government and all stakeholders in the country.

When confirming the news, the Namibian Football Association’s secretary Barry Rukoro said the success of the women’s championship tournament paved a way for them to host Cosafa.

“The NFA is extremely pleased with the confidence COSAFA has shown in it by entrusting its flagship competition to our association,” Rukoro said.“Of course, the success of the recent African Women’s Championship will have played a role in the decision, which goes to show the importance of hosting these major events for the emerging countries and National Associations.

“Hosting this competition will give the growth and development of the game in our country a whole new impetus. We know, as we have seen from the African Women’s Championship recently, that after this tournament next year more than ever

Sierra Leone will host their Group I of the 2017 Africa Cup

of Nations qualifier against Cote

d’Ivoire in Nigeria on September 6.

The match will be played in Lagos as Sierra Leone are banned from hosting international matches, owing to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus.

Leone Stars had to play their home tie against Ivory Coast in the 2015 Nations Cup qualifiers in Abidjan after failing to secure a neutral venue.

The Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) will provide use of the stadium and medical facilities for the game, while the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) will cater for all other logistics.

The Teslim Balogun Stadium, which was used during the 2009 Under-17 World Cup, will host the game.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, said that on receiving the request from the Sierra Namibia winners of the 2015 Cosafa Cup final match between Namibia and Mozambique at the Moruleng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa on May 30, 2015 ©Samuel Shivambu

before children in Namibia will choose to play football over any other sport.

“As a National Association, that is what we want as a ‘take-away’ from the event.”

Under the guidance of coach Ricardo Man-

netti, Namibia became the fifth nation to clinch the COSAFA Cup since its inception in 1997. Zimbabwe and Zambia have four wins each, while South Africa and Angola have each won on three occasions.

Ghana defender in to bolster leaky champions Continued from back page

...Atsu, on the other hand, is yet to make the Chelsea first team, having spent his time at the club out on loan. He is currently on a season-long loan at Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth.

Baba Rahman may be thrown straight into the starting line-up against West Brom this weekend, with Cesar Azpilicueta switching to right-back and Branislav Ivanovic dropping to the bench following two below par performances in a poor start for the champions.

Nigeria To Host Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone AFCON Clashto go out on loan

He is confident he has the tools to be a success in the Premier League whenever he does get his opportunity.

“I’m a left-back and, as a defender, it’s important for me to be strong in the tackle, which I always try to be.” He told chelseafc.com.

“I also like to get forward as much as possible and help the team in attack. In the Premier League there is a heavy emphasis on getting up and down the pitch, which I like to do.”

Chelsea have been without a true left

back since they sold Filipe Luis back to

Atlético Madrid pre-season. The Brazil-

ian failed to adequately replace stalwart

Leone Football Association, the NFF approached the Federal Ministry of Health for an approval.

“We are delighted to announce that we have received the go-ahead from the Federal Ministry of Health to host the match.

The Sierra Leoneans will come with a delegation of 32, made up of mostly overseas-based professionals, technical crew and officials of the SLFA, to be led by its president, Isha Johansen.

“We are happy about the go-ahead because, once more, our country has an opportunity to underscore its leadership role on the African continent, nay global sphere.

“The NFF has initiated discussions

Ashley Cole, at least in Mourinho’s eyes,

with the Lagos State Government and the

ond fiddle to Cesar Azpilicueta, a right

measures, such as keeping Sierra Leone’s

and spent most of last season playing secback playing on the left.

FC Augsburg’s left back in 31 games

last season, Rahman’s transfer fee is believed to be in the region of £21m.

Rivers State Government on preventive small delegation in a special hotel where they can be monitored at all times,” Mr Pinnick explained.

23

Friday, 21 August - Thursday, 27 August 2015 ISSUE 593

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Namibia to host 2016 Cosafa Cup SEE PAGE 23

Young Black Star signs for Blues

Ghana defender in to bolster leaky champions

Abdul Baba Rahman (or Abdul Rahman Baba, or even plain Baba Rahman – he doesn’t seem to mind which) pictured at Chelsea’s Cobham training facility earlier this week.

By Alan Oakley Abdul Baba Rahman has become the third Ghanaian, after Michael Essien and Christian Atsu, to sign for Chelsea and may have a chance to make an immediate impact if, as is being speculated, he makes it onto the pitch against West Brom this weekend.

The 21-year-old, the latest signing by beleaguered Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, spoke to both of his compatriots before making the move to Stamford Bridge.

“I spoke with both of them and they were very positive about Chelsea,” Rahman told the club’s official website. “They told me it was a great club with very nice people, which was good to hear.

“I watched [Essien] whenever I could.

In Ghana they only showed the Premier League at that time so I was always watching him, he was a great player for Chelsea.

“I’m really looking forward to trying to carry on the pattern of African players do-

ing well for the club. It’s a big inspiration for me. I can’t wait to get started.”

Michael Essien was a stand-out player for Chelsea soon after joining the Londoners in 2005. At the end of the 2006/7 season, he was voted Player of the Year by the club’s fans, having helped the Blues to FA Cup to supplement the Premier League title won a year earlier. He was released in 2014 and now plays for Greek club, Panathinaikos.

Continued on page 23

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