African Voice Newspaper Issue 618

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016 ISSUE 618

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 Study shows Yemisi Jenkins’ (MBE) triumphant entry into UK ranks highly Buckingham Palace for BME MPs

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RAISE CASH TO HELP COMA DOCTOR

Tejuoso advocates for more local contents

By Alan Oakley

African Voice is backing a campaign by friends of an NHS doctor, who remains in a medicallyinduced coma after a tragic road accident in America.

Senator Prince Lanre Tejuoso

Sebastian Kola-Bankole, a 35-year-old London-based medic attending a friend’s wedding, was hit by a truck in Las Vegas last Monday (February 15), and has since been holed up in an intensive care unit following emergency operations on his ears, arteries and spine.

The UCL and King’s College trained doctor’s family and friends now have to figure out how to pay for his mounting medical bill and the cost to repatriating him to Britain once he is fit enough to travel, which they concede could be a long time.

Led by friend Alexander Ademokun, they have started a ‘GoFundMe’ campaign, pleading with the public to pull together and help collectively foot the costs, as Dr Kola-Bankole, who they believe would have taken out travel insurance, left no confirmation or details with anyone.

The appeal, which was launched this week, has already managed to raise over £120,000 in aid of Dr Kola-Bankole’s treatment. It is hoped it can raise £250,000 to cover the costs of the Sunrise Hospital bills and repatriation to the UK.

Continued on page 2

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria

The Senator representing Ogun Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Prince Lanre Tejuoso has clamoured for more local contents on pay satellite television in Nigeria.

He made this assertion at tuesday’s Senate plenary in a senate motion on concern on unwholesome practices by Multichoice Nigeria (DSTV). Senator Tejuoso said “The football programme on DSTV is more of international matches showing English Premier League teams like Chelsea and Arsenal. I can’t remember seeing Enyimba,3SC, Sunshine stars, Gateway FC and co the way we see the English Premier League football clubs”.

Sebastian Kola-Bankole (left) as best man at friend Alexander Ademokun’s wedding

Continued on page 19

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Changes to UK’s Aid Strategy

A historic agreement reached on 19 February 2016 means that the changes to official aid rules puts the world in a better place to tackle extreme poverty and create global stability.

The rule changes will ensure the international community is best placed to fight the underlying causes of poverty and instability in today’s world, in line with the UK’s Aid Strategy.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: It is firmly in Britain’s national interest to fight disease and conflict and promote global stability which is why the UK government has been at the forefront of work to modernise the international rules which govern how overseas aid is spent.

We welcome the fact that these remain focused on the primary principle of tackling extreme poverty and supporting the economic aspirations of developing countries, while ensuring the new Global Goals are delivered in the most effective possible way.

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 Chief Correspondent, Nigeria Olubunmi Omoogun 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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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

News

Study shows UK ranks highly for BME MPs A new study has found that the UK, along with the Netherlands, has the greatest percentage of ‘immigrant-origin’ MPs.

The findings are the result of an international project – ‘Pathways to Power’ – which studied the political representation of immigrant-origin MPs across Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

Despite growing concerns about European and UK immigration levels, the findings show that MPs of immigrant-origin are well-represented in Westminster. In particular, MPs of Indian descent occupy key roles; there were ten elected during the General Election in May 2015.

Campaign groups have estimated that the number of MPs categorised as ‘black and ethnic minority’ hit a new high in Britain following the General Election – reaching 42. The study’s findings, announced by Laura Morales of the University of Leicester, show that while the Netherlands and Britain have a high percentage of MPs of immigrant-origin, southern European countries have minimal immigrant-origin representation.

Commenting on the study, Morales said: “The study is the first of its kind to compare, in a systematic way, the political representation of citizens of immigrant-origin across European countries. Our findings reveal that migrants, and their native-born offspring, are under-represented in national parliaments in all countries, but they are much more likely to gain elected national office in the Netherlands and the UK.” Amid the furore surrounding UK im-

Labour’s Kate Osamor was elected MP for Edmonton in the last General Election

migration, with the government trying to curb it by imposing restrictions on routes such as the Tier 2 visa system, the level of immigrant-origin MPs may be surprising.

Centre-left parties most likely In most countries, it is centre-left wing parties that appear to be more accepting of immigrant-origin MPs, according to the study.

Of the European parliaments assessed as part of the study, Westminster was deemed to be among those parliaments with the greatest percentage of representatives of immigrant-origin (11 per cent). The Netherlands has an immigrant-origin representation of 12 per cent.

An excerpt from the study said: “The findings indicate that the direct descendants

of immigrants (second generation), born in the UK, are more likely to be represented than first-generation immigrants. Nevertheless, over 3 per cent of British (immigrantorigin) MPs in the Parliaments elected in 2005 and 2010 were born abroad.”

Immigrant-origin MPs and UK political parties Historically, the UK’s Labour Party has led the way in welcoming MPs of Indian origin into its parliamentary ranks. However, the Conservative Party has closed that gap during more recent General Elections and increased the number of immigrantorigin MPs and MPs with ethnic-minority backgrounds on its benches.

Raise cash to help coma doctor Continued from front page Ironically, before his accident, the British Nigerian had spent time training in the States and said his experience of America’s insurancebased healthcare system left him with “a greater appreciation” of the NHS. When he returned to the UK, he spent time working at the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust and also raised money for a homeless charity on a sponsored run.

In a statement posted on the ‘GoFundMe’ page, his friends and family wrote: “We are overwhelmed by your generosity and can’t wait to tell Seb how you’ve all pulled together to help get him back home.

“Thank you all for your donations, comments and suggestions.

“We are also discussing with consultants who can take him on in the UK and hopefully should have a plan in place soon ready for whenever he is medically able to be transferred.”

To donate, go to: https://www.gofundme. com/59q92jcs

Dr Kola-Bankole is in a medically-induced coma to control any tendency for his brain to swell posttrauma

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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News

New initiative to make Civil Service represent modern Britain The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, has announced a new network for senior civil servants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to help the Civil Service become more representative of modern Britain.

The network is being established to bring together BAME leaders together from across the Civil Service. The first meeting of the new network will take place on 16 March, where BAME members of staff will be encouraged to stand as visible role models

A diverse and inclusive workforce is proven to be more efficient and effective.

I am passionate about encouraging individuals from all backgrounds to aim high and achieve their potential too.

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and aim for higher roles and promotions.

Although the latest ONS figures show we have the most diverse civil service ever, with representation of women, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities at an historic high, we recognise there is much more work to be done on this issue.

This network is the next step in a range of work taking place to increase BAME representation within the Civil Service.

In October we announced that we have appointed four external diversity advisors to provide advice to ministers to help us become more diverse and better represent modern Britain. Our Talent Action Plan also sets out how we will ensure that the most talented individuals progress, whatever their background and whoever they are.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, Head of the Civil Service, said: “One of our most important collective responsibilities is to improve the diversity of our senior leadership. Networks play an important part in this and I am hugely supportive of their contribution.

“The Civil Service takes pride in its differences and we have a duty to become

The Civil Service Diversity Team (Copyright: Geoff Crawford)

even more representative of modern Britain.

“A diverse and inclusive workforce is proven to be more efficient and effective. I am passionate about encouraging individuals

from all backgrounds to aim high and achieve their potential too, and in doing so to help the Civil Service become a truly inclusive employer where different points of view are genuinely encouraged and valued.”

Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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News

Nigerian Medical Students Organize First Global Health Course in Eastern Europe for Foreign Students Aderombi Adetayo, Ezeagu Chukwuebuka and Ohwo Victor Ufuoma, medical students in their 6th and 5th years of study at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, coordinated a Certificate Course in Global Health in their university; the first of its kind in Eastern Europe.

The course introduces theories and concepts including current trends, issues, challenges and debates in global health. It intends on providing a critical understanding of determinants that shape the current global health situation. It was a 2-day course that held on 8th and 9th February 2016 and was attended by Nigerian medical students from several medical institutions all over Ukraine.

The course was directed by Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno PhD an associate professor of the Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China. Dr. Don introduced foreign medical students to Global health, Global health epidemiology, equity, tools and approaches to solving

Dr. Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno PhD and foreign medical students

Global health challenges. Also, student speakers, Agboola Adedamola, Ifeanyi Eya and Ohwo Victor delivered explanatory lectures on the Outbreaks of Zika Virus and Lassa Fever in Africa, and the Economic, Social and Environmental determinants of Health.

The course, which has previously been held at several medical universities all over Africa and Asia, was targeted at the bulk of Nigerian Students currently studying medicine in Ukraine, to tilt their mindset to the direction of health development back home. The course coordinators noticed the absence of this course in any Nigerian medical University and decided to organize one for future Nigerian doctors currently being trained in Ukraine.

The course, which was attended by over 100 foreign medical students and native Ukrainian doctors, was concluded with a 2-hr inspiring lecture on ‘Building a Career in Global Health’ where several attendees were given stepby-step procedural training on how to be impactful global health specialists in their community.

Angola next to take up UN Security Council presidency Angola will take up the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council next week on 1 March, the day on which the provisional work programme for the month will be formally adopted.

The programme focuses on an open debate at ministerial level with the participation of all UN member states, under the theme proposed by Angola, “Peacekeeping and International Security: Conflict Prevention and Resolution in the Great Lakes Region”.

The debate will take place on 21 March and will be chaired by the Angolan Foreign Affairs Minister, Georges Chikoti, who addressed invitations to counterparts from member states of the UN Security Council and of the Great Lakes Region.

Still on the proposal of Angola, it will take place on 28 March, another open debate on the theme “Women, Peace and Security: The Role of Women in Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa”, and a meeting “ArriaFormula” on food safety on 29 March, with the participation of the Directorgeneral of FAO. The meetings “Arria-Formula” allow a member of the Security Council to in-

Georges Chikoti, Angola’s foreign affairs minister

vite other UN members and experts in a particular area of interest to the Council for non-binding informal meetings, on topics outside the Security Council agenda.

The March programme, which remains provisional until the end of the presidency, as it is always subject to change, includes the consideration of issues in the agency’s agenda, such

as the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Libya, Somalia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Syria, Israel/Palestine, as well as cooperation amongst the UN Security Council and regional and sub-regional organisations, in this case the European Union.

It is equally reserved a visit to Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, in the first week of the month.

Angola, which fulfils its second term in UNSC, will replace Venezuela in the presidency and then will be substituted

by China in April.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations, charged with the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to the United Nations and approving any changes to its United Nations Charter. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.

The Security Council held its first session on 17 January 1946.

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Health News

Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Support people with HIV: Stop the cuts HIV and sexual health sector unites in national action against government cuts as budgets are slashed by councils – with local towns hardest hit

HIV charities from Liverpool (Sahir Trust) to Leicestershire (LASS) to London have come together with health professional bodies, British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), and British HIV Association to launch a new national campaign opposing cuts to HIV services across the country -‘Support people with HIV: Stop the cuts’.

Increasing numbers of local authorities are pulling funding from HIV support services.

The campaign has written to Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt. calling for a meeting to discuss the impact of these cuts, demand effective commissioning, adequate funding, and access to support services for all people living with HIV. HIV services in both Berkshire and Oxfordshire, run by Thames Valley Support and Terrence Higgins Trust respectively, have been cut by over £100,000 between them. In Berkshire this equates to a loss of a third of funding, and will directly affect 300 people living with HIV in both Slough and Bracknell.

In David Cameron’s back yard, Oxfordshire County Council has cut Terrence Higgins Trust’s £50,000 funding, which is forcing the closure of its local centre. The reality is that there are will be no HIV Prevention and Support service in the whole county after April 2016, with almost 500 people left with no alternative support service.

In Portsmouth the HIV support service, provided by Positive Action, has been cut by approximately £26,000 by Portsmouth City Council. Its Hampshire service has been granted an interim support payment of £30,000, less than half of the amount it historically received.

In Bexley and Bromley, equality and diversity charity, METRO is facing cuts to HIV support services of over £80,000.

Public Heath England’s national HIV figures show that in 2014 alone over 6,000 people were diagnosed with HIV, while People Living with HIV Stigma Index UK– found that stigma had prevented 15 per cent of people surveyed from accessing their GP in the last year, and 66 per cent had avoided dental care.

14 per cent had received negative comments from healthcare workers. Despite the obvious roles specialist HIV support services play in combatting this they are being reduced to almost ineffective levels, or cut completely, in a short term cash save measure.

Alex Sparrowhawk, Membership and Involvement Officer Terrence Higgins Trust said: “As a person living with HIV, I can prove to Jeremy Hunt that HIV support services are vital to dealing with your diagnosis and managing this health condition. The national campaign is about sounding the alarm to policy makers, councils, and the public - these essential services are under serious threat and we need your help.

“At a time when rates of HIV are increasing, stigma is as apparent as ever, we are seeing the start of a disturbing trend of local authorities across the country scrapping HIV services.

Yusef Azad, Director of Strategy National Aids Trust: “HIV remains a stigmatised and misunderstood condition. It’s not the same as other health issues where people can rely of support and sympathy from friends and colleagues.

“HIV support services can be the only place where people are open about their status, the only places they can find advice and support, the only place they can talk to other people with HIV. “They are an essential component of the long-term care of people with HIV. To remove them would leave a lot of vulnerable people stranded.”

Dr Greg Ussher, METRO Charity CEO, said: “People living with HIV can be some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

“Proposed cuts of up to 100 per cent to HIV support services will decimate vital provision for people that cannot speak out against their local authority’s plans for fear of the stigma publicly disclosing their HIV status might bring.”

Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt.

The Treasury last year announced it was cutting public health budgets in-year by £200 million with reductions in the funding for public health set to continue this year. The feasibility of the Chancellor’s plan to allow local authorities to income generate to fund social care services will be tested in poorer areas of the country – those areas that also see the highest rates of HIV. ‘Support people with HIV: Stop the cuts’ is also appealing to members of the public to take an e-action to show their support - write to their local council leader and ask what the council is doing to support local people living with HIV.

THT workshop for friends and family of people with HIV opens in London Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) launches workshop for partners, friends and family of people living with HIV in London

Terrence Higgins Trust in London has launched a new workshop ‘Partners, Friends and Family’ to support people who care about someone who is living with HIV, with a focus within black African communities.

Over 500 black Africans were diagnosed with HIV in London, according to last years HIV figures. The new workshop aims to support people who care about someone living with HIV, share experiences and ask questions in a safe and friendly environment.

Following the successful run of workshops in Brighton, Terrence Higgins Trust is hosting the workshop in London to increase knowledge of living with the health condition, emotional wellbeing and healthy relationships.

The charity invites people regardless of gender, sexuality or HIV status, to register online to attend the workshop on 27 February in Kings Cross, London.

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Ben Tooke, Groupwork Coordinator at Terrence Higgins Trust said: “We understand that those close to someone living with HIV often want to find out more about how they can support them. This workshop provides a friendly and safe environment for family, friends and partners to learn more about the health condition, ask questions and share experiences.”

People who are interesting in attending and would like more information can call 0207 812 1719.

Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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News

Yemisi Jenkins’ (MBE) UK doctor defies triumphant entry into cancer diagnosis Buckingham Palace to pen Inspirational Book for Women

Mrs Yemisi Jenkins MBE admiring her medal after attending an Investiture at Buckingham Palace.

Inset: Yemisi receiving the award from HRH Prince Charles.

Dr Nkem Exeilo (‘Dr Kem’)

Dr Nkem Ezeilo (‘Dr Kem’) a UK registered GP, Author, soughtafter Speaker, Health Coach, had a private practise at London’s famous Harley street.

In March 2015 she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, a diagnosis which carries a poor prognosis of weeks to months. Determined and strong willed, Dr Nkem knew she would beat it, by practicing what she teaches about Optimal Mindset being the key to success in any area of life, including health.

While on her sickbed - defying medical expectations and prognosis, Dr Nkem decided to start a home based business as she could no longer work at the Clinic and has rapidly risen in the ranks, proving that excuses are simply in the mind. She also decided to update her book, “Inspirational Blueprints for Personal Success for Women”, as a lot had happened since the

first edition was published in 2010. She has added new insights, strategies and findings in this revised edition of her book.

The “Inspirational Blueprints.” book is an interactive personal development bible and personal success guide for women who truly want to take their journey to the next level. Whatever your profession or career, your social and economic status, this book will serve as daily guide for a life shaping process to greatness in all areas of your life.

The principles shared in it have been proven to work in any area of Personal and Professional Life.

The book will be available from March and readers can preorder now at a discount on the publisher’s website. Dr Nkem also will kick start her book signing tour at this year’s Divas of colour where women and readers can also receive their signed copies.

Yemisi Jenkins attended an investiture at the Buckingham Palace to receive her MBE insignia from His Royal Highness Prince Charles on 24 February 2016. The highly elated Yemisi dedicated the medal to the less privileged in developing countries of Africa.

Yemisi is the President of Association of British-Nigerian Law Enforcement officers (ABLE). In honour of her achievement, the Nigerian Women in Leadership forum (NWIDLF) is putting together a diner dance to celebrate this phenomenal woman of substance on the 20th March 2016. Proceeds from the fund raising dinner will be used for young girls in Ajegunle a rundown suburb in Nigeria where girls trafficking is rampant, many go into prostitution from as young as 12years old. Ticket for the event are available on Eventbrite.

A typical Investiture Ceremony At the start of the ceremony, The Queen enters the room attended by two Gurkha orderly officers, a tradition begun

by Queen Victoria in 1876.

The Queen, or the member of the Royal

Family holding the Investiture, remains standing throughout. Each Investiture takes about an hour.

After the National Anthem has been played either the Lord Chamberlain or a Lord in Waiting announces the name of each recipient and the achievement for which he or she is being honoured. The Queen then places the decoration on the person concerned before congratulating them on receiving the award.

Those who are to receive a knighthood (and who are therefore entitled to style themselves ‘Sir’), kneel on an Investiture stool before The Queen. Her Majesty uses the sword that belonged to her father, King George VI, to dub the knight.

As well as receiving awards within one of the Orders of Chivalry, recipients may also attend to receive a decoration for gallantry such as the George Cross or The Queen’s Gallantry Medal.

The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, which is a branch of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, is responsible for the organisation of each Investiture.

The Central Chancery also organises the distribution of British insignia awarded by The Queen throughout the Commonwealth.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

UK Minister for Africa highlights investment opportunities in Guinea James Duddridge, Minister for Africa offers potential investors a taste of what you might find in Guinea at his opening address given at the UK-Guinea Trade and Investment Forum on the 24th February 2016.

Guinea he said, is almost exactly the same size as the UK, but with a population 6 times smaller. It is a young and aspirant population with 60% under the age of 25. It is a country of great beauty and remarkable biodiversity.

Guinea has an incredible natural resource wealth. It has the world’s largest reserves of bauxite; the world’s highest quality - and among the most extensive deposits of iron-ore; diamonds, gold, and many other minerals. The government of

Guinea is talking of increasing production of bauxite to 50 million tonnes by 2020 through a number of existing and new projects.

The minister said, a UK company Alufer have just signed a new mining convention with the government of Guinea, and will be contributing to this conference. Alufer hope to begin production in 2017, and to produce 5 million tonnes of bauxite per annum in the first phase.

Hydro-electricity is another area of huge potential. It’s not for nothing that Guinea is known as “the water-tower of Africa”. Four major rivers, including the Niger, rise in the Guinean mountains.

Over 6,000 kilometers of rivers flow through the country. Properly harnessed, it could make Guinea a major electricity exporter throughout West Africa. The

Mr Youla’s new government is working to make the changes needed to attract investors.

It has some tough political and economic decisions ahead.

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James Duddridge, Minister for Africa

240 megawatt Kaletta Dam is a first illustration of that potential. It opened last year, and is already bringing more regular, more reliable power to more of Guinea’s capital and elsewhere.

Guinea is also a hugely fertile country.

It was once the biggest exporter of bananas and pineapples in Africa. Today, it exports coffee, cocoa and palm oil.

In fact, with only a 10th of potentially irrigable land currently developed, there is tremendous scope for more growth in agriculture.

So the potential is obvious. We know the government of Guinea is keen to move from potential to progress. This will be a challenge given the political, economic and most recently Ebolarelated obstacles, which are now being overcome.

However, 2016 is a fresh start for Guinea. President Alpha Conde’s appointment of Prime Minister Youla, with his experience of the mining sector as Head of the Guinean Alumina Corporation, shows commitment to a new era. Other new ministers in the government with key portfolios such as Mines, Budget, and Finance come with similarly strong technical expertise and international experience.

Mr Youla’s new government is working to make the changes needed to attract investors. It has some tough political and economic decisions ahead.

But having spoken to the Prime Minister this morning, I am confident these issues are being gripped. Further reform, and work to increase transparency of the

business environment, will be essential to strengthen the economy, to pull Guinea up the Ease of Doing Business Index, and to reassure investors.

Evidence of continued surveillance against Ebola and other diseases will also be important.

The United Kingdom is very much present in Guinea, not just Alufer but of course also through Rio Tinto’s interest in the Simandou iron-ore mega project. This will involve significant infrastructure investment. New roads and railways to carry the ore to the coast. A new port to ship it to market. The Simandou partners will be seeking around $20 billion investment in this.

Other UK companies such as Stellar Diamonds, Avocet Gold and Tullow Oil are all exploring in Guinea. The United Kingdom is also supporting Guinea through multilateral and bilateral funding. Our support focuses particularly on governance, civil society, countering sexual violence, and of course Ebola, alongside supporting the business environment.

Other activities include our support for Kew Gardens in their partnership with the University of Gamal Abdul Nasser in Conakry to set up a Masters in Environmental Development, and to preserve Guinea’s extraordinary biodiversity.

Being extract from the opening address given by James Duddridge, Minister for Africa, at the UK-Guinea Trade and Investment Forum on the 24th February 2016.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Comment Arts Culture

Are Government Policies Destroying the UK Property Market?

The plethora of government policies will hurt the UK property market, says Godwin Okri

by Godwin Okri The free-market economist, Friedrich Heyek once opined that the free market is not just the most efficient way to organise economic activity but also a guarantor of personal liberty. Most free market economists (including monetarists, Keynesian and neoclassical economists) agree that intense and regular State intervention in the free market could be destructive.

So, how “free” is the UK property market?

The housing shortage and affordability crisis have been identified by the Government as key problems in the UK property market. As a result, the Government has introduced a plethora of policies as panacea to cure the (alleged) ills of the property market, which are the following: Firstly, the Government has introduced the Housing & Planning Bill. This Bill heralds the intention of the Government to build affordable homes for first time buyers (FTB) and to speed up the planning process with a view to delivering more housing.

Secondly, the Government introduced the Help-to-Buy Scheme to encourage FTB access the property ladder. Under this Scheme, FTB can get interest-free loan of up to 40% of the property value provided the FTB has 5% deposit.

The Help-to-Buy ISA was also introduced to gives FTB the opportunity to receive 25% top up payment from the government when they save £200 a month in a dedicated ISA. This would enable FTB raise the deposit required to purchase a home.

Furthermore, the government announced that anyone buying a second home would pay a higher rate of stamp duty. This was introduced in order to keep a tight rein on Buy-to Let investors (BTL), Fifthly, as part of the Finance Act 2015, BTL landlords will be prevented from deducting their mortgage interest costs from their rental income when calculating taxable profit.

“Another destructive policy by the government is increasing the stamp duty rate for second homes.

From 1 April 2016, anyone buying a second home will pay higher rate of stamp duty. This will lead to unintended consequences which will be destructive to the housing market.”

Lastly, as part of the Immigration Act 2014, all BTL landlords in England are required to check the ID of new tenants before the commencement of their tenancy to ensure they are legally entitled to live in this country. A fine of £3,000 is payable for any breach of this rule.

Are all these laws and policies necessary in a free market economy? Have these policies gone too far so as to have ‘crossed the Rubicon’?

Whilst there is economic benefit for building more affordable homes, it is difficult to see how all the other laws and policies are justified in a country of free enterprise. Firstly, the Help to Buy Scheme and ISA is premised on the false assumption that owning a house is good for everyone, even if they cannot afford it.

The Scheme is a government loan for five years. What happens after the expiration of five years or if the mortgage rate is hike?

This will cause a flood of repossession, the

very thing that caused the 2008 financial crisis.

The desire to increase the number homeownership above the ‘natural’ market rate is likely to lead to a lot of economic pain.

This is a form of “creative destruction”.

In his book “The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure”, John Allison refers to actions of this kind as a misallocation of resources which is destructive to the free market. As Paul Ormerod (author of “The Death of Economics”) would say: “When the State attempts to take on that role, it can have the opposite effect to the one intended, making people depend on the State and unable to help themselves.”

Another destructive policy by the government is increasing the stamp duty rate for second homes. From 1 April 2016, anyone buying a second home will pay higher rate of stamp duty. This will lead to unintended consequences which will be destructive to the housing market.

For a start, some BTL investors may transfer the increased expense to their tenants in the form of higher rents. This is destructive to the market as it will lead to cost-push rent inflation, which is counterproductive in economic terms.

Secondly, the fundamental error in raising stamp duty on residential property may limit the supply of affordable homes: increasing stamp duty makes property purchase more expensive, which may drive down demand. As demand falls, developers may be reluctant to risk building more affordable homes, with the result leading to fewer affordable homes being built. It is important to note that developers assess their equity multiples when considering whether to build homes.

The equity multiple is a ratio that compares equity with leverage. Dampening demand by increasing stamp duty will affect this ratio.

Furthermore, the policy by the government preventing BTL landlords from deducting their mortgage interest costs from their rental income when calculating taxable profit goes against established accounting principles. The usual accounting rule is that cost is deducted from income in order to arrive at a profit. Treating gross income as profit runs contrary to this principle and is illogical. The policy is also counterproductive because BTL investors may increase their rent(s) to take account of this illogical policy. The government has failed to factor in human nature; eventually the laws of human nature are what drive all economic activities.

Lastly, the requirement that all BTL landlords check the ID of all new tenants before the commencement of the tenancy is simply adding more layer of bureaucracy and red tape on them. For instance, there are many unanswered questions: Are EEA or EU prospective tenants entitled to live in this country? Would BTL landlords to responsible to checking whether the documents are forged? Where a landlord engages a managing agent, who would be liable for breaches of this rule? Further, the additional expense the majority of the 2 million BTL landlords may incur, as a result of this illogical policy, may have to be borne by innocent tenants.

In sum, the plethora of Government policies will hurt the UK property market. The key message here is this: the Government should not interfere in the market process. A free enterprise society creates an environment of freedom upon which creativity flourish. This guarantees “the greatest happiness of the greatest number”.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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Arts

Theatre, Shows and Musicals

By Edward Mirza

WEST AFRICA: WORD, SYMBOL, SONG AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY Now – Feb 16th, 2016

An exhibition of literature and music – from the great African empires of the Middle Ages to the cultural dynamism of West Africa today.

Fascinating stories from the region’s 17 nations show how West Africans have harnessed the power of words to build societies, drive political movements, sustain religious belief and fight injustice.

Beautiful manuscripts, historic film and sound recordings, books, photographs, and woven and printed textiles offer a unique insight into a profound and engaging literary culture with centuries-old written heritage existing alongside ancient oral traditions.

Hear the myth of the founding of ancient Mali in recorded performance. See the influence of religion through colourful fabric and a saddlebag Qur’an. Celebrate writers and artists including Africa’s first Nobel prize winner, Wole Soyinka, and internationally acclaimed musician and human rights activist Fela Kuti.

British Library, 96, Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB

KINKY BOOTS Now – May 28th 2016

The UK première of Kinky Boots, Broadway’s huge-hearted, high-heeled hit opens at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 15 September 2015, with previews from 21 August.

With a book by Broadway legend and four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage Aux Folles), and songs

by Grammy® and Tony® winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper, this joyous musical celebration is about the friendships we discover, and the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind.

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots takes you from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos.

The Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London WC2R 0NS

RED VELVET Jan 23rd - Feb 27th 2016

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked 10

to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has announced the full cast for Red Velvet, the third production in the inaugural Plays at the Garrick season. The production originally premiered at the Tricycle Theatre in 2012 before transferring to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York in 2014. Red Velvet is written by Lolita Chakrabarti with direction by Indhu Rubasingham and stars Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge [read interview].

Kenneth Branagh said “Writing, direction and performance are exceptional in Red Velvet. I’m immensely proud to be presenting this work”.

The Garrick Theatre 2 Charing Cross Road London, WC2H 0HH

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Jan 26th - May 18th, 2016

Chicago, 1927. In a recording studio on the city’s South Side, a battle of wills is raging.

Ma Rainey, Mother of the Blues, uses every trick in the book to fight her record producers for control of her music. Hardened by years of ill-treatment and bad deals, she’s determined that ‘Black Bottom’, the song that bears her name, will be recorded her way.

But Levee, the band’s swaggering young trumpet player, plans to catapult the band into the jazz age. His ambition puts them all in danger.

Inspired by the real-life Blues legend and infused with her music, August Wilson’s play speaks powerfully of a struggle for self-determination against overwhelming odds.

Sharon D Clarke plays Ma Rainey. Cast includes Giles Terera, O-T Fagbenle and Lucian Msamati.

Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX

THRILLER - LIVE Now - April 17th, 2016

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 Several world tours have seen the show play to acclaim in 26 countries, including Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Singapore, South Africa, China, Sweden, Finland and Norway, Japan and Brazil.

More than 1 million people have seen

From ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ at The National Theatre

the show at the Lyric Theatre and more than 2.5million people have seen the show worldwide.

Unlike other West End productions, Thriller - Live is not a rigid book musical with set songs, but is a constantly evolving music concert celebration. When Michael Jackson died, the Lyric theatre became a focus for fans from all over the world, who created a massive shrine of flowers, candles, and tributes. More than 40 books of condolence were signed in the foyer then sent to the Jackson family. A year after his death, a permanent West End memorial to Michael was unveiled in the theatre foyer. Thriller - Live brings to life on stage the distinctive high-energy dancing and pulsating sound of many of pop’s greatest hits, blending eye-popping video footage and effects together with dazzling choreography by the show’s award-winning director Gary Lloyd. The show has regularly been updated with additional songs, new visuals and choreography.

Thriller - Live was originally conceived and created by Adrian Grant, a long time associate of Michael Jackson, and author of Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary. Thriller - Live is produced by Paul Walden and Derek Nicol for Flying Music in association with Adrian Grant for Key Concerts.

Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 7ES

A RAISIN IN THE SUN Jan 28th - March 26th, 2016

Injustice, inequality and a housing crisis lead to family tension in Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play, revived by the UK’s leading Black-led national touring company Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play, the first on Broadway written by a Black woman, is to tour the UK in a new production directed by Eclipse Theatre’s Dawn Walton. This intense family drama, written on the cusp of the civil rights era, sees the Younger family await the arrival of a cheque for a life changing $10,000.

Driven to conflict as they encounter issues of inequality, housing and lack of opportunity that continue to resonate today, the play acts as a stark warning to anyone who measures happiness and personal worth in capital gain.

UK tour: 28 Jan – 13 Feb Sheffield Theatres 55 Norfolk St, www. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk | 0114 249 6000; 17 Feb – 20 Feb, New Wolsey Theatre, www.wolseytheatre.co.uk | 01473 295900, 23 – 27 Feb, Nuffield Theatre, www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk | 023 8067 1771; 2 Mar – 5 Mar, Liverpool Playhouse, www.everymanplayhouse.com | 0151 709 4776; 8 Mar – 12 Mar, Watford Palace Theatre, www. watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk | 01923 225671 ; 16 – 19 Mar, The Albany, www.thealbany. org.uk | 020 8692 4446; 22 – 26 Mar, Belgrade Theatre, www.belgrade.co.uk | 0247 6553055

Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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Culture

Camille Cosby quizzed in husband’s defamation case The wife of under-fire actor Bill Cosby testified under oath on Monday (February 22) in the defamation lawsuit filed by seven women who claim they were sexually assaulted by the comedian.

The intensely private Camille Cosby will have to return on March 14 for the second part of the deposition, which she tried and failed to prevent.

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Joseph Cammarata, said Cosby’s lawyers objected to questions, invoking spousal privilege, more than a dozen times during Monday’s session, and the attorneys had to call the judge twice for rulings.

“I get the sense she didn’t want to be there,” Cammarata told reporters, describing the reluctant witness as “reserved.”

The two sides were behind closed doors at a Massachusetts hotel for nearly seven hours.

Camille Cosby sat at one end of a long rectangular table, opposite a videographer, as two four-person teams of lawyers squared off against each other.

By the end of the session, Mrs Cosby had answered questions for just 2.5 hours, Cam-

marata said, necessitating a second session. No details of her testimony were disclosed.

The deposition was conducted under tight security, with black curtains cordoning off the wing of the Springfield Marriott and security posted at all entrances. Camille Cosby was whisked in and out of the hotel out of public view and made no comments.

The Cosbys fought hard to prevent the grilling, but a judge ruled late Sunday that Camille, who staunchly defended her husband of 52 years as his sex scandal mushroomed, could be questioned under oath even though her lawyers argued she has no information that would be relevant to the lawsuit and her conversations with her husband are confidential under the law.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers argue that Mrs Cosby could hold information that did not emanate from private marital discussions, since she was also her husband’s business manager. Although the deposition is for a civil case, anything she says theoretically could be used in a criminal prosecution — and Cosby is under indictment in Pennsylvania.

“We’re hoping to learn about issues important to the case involving his relationship with her and his relationship with other women and

Camille Cosby has stuck by husband Bill amid torrid allegations of drug-rapes and assorted other sexual misdeeds

his relationship with the business,” Cammarata said before the deposition.

The seven women who filed claim Cosby defamed th em by branding them liars after they came forward with stories of being sexually assaulted. He has filed a counter suit.

Cosby has denied wrongdoing. Although dozens of women have accused him of sexual misconduct, he faces criminal charges in just one case — a sexual assault complaint from Andrea Constand, who says she was drugged and molested by the actor at his Philadelphiaarea home in 2004.He recently lost a bid to get the Constand case thrown out but is appealing.

London Art Exhibition Featuring Ethiopian Tribes Tests The Realities of Diversity T.R.I.B.E (Testing Realities Invariably Binding Everyone) is a Photography, Poetry and Interactive Art Exhibition to be held at Espacio Gallery in Bethnal Green, London from the 15th -20th March. Founded by Kay Adekunle Rufai, the exhibition will feature images of rarely photographed tribes from remote regions of Southern Ethiopia with punctuating poems and videos from documentation with the tribes.

There will be 6 nights of engaging poetry workshops, drama, debates, Yoga and much more. T.R.I.B.E exhibition will also see the launch of the a poetry and photography book of the same title launched which contains over 100 images and a back story that narrates Kay Rufai’s experiences across Ethiopia.

Kay Adekunle Rufai is a Britishborn Nigerian who identifies as a citizen of the world, having lived in The UK, Nigeria, and America and has truly undergone immersive cultural experiences due to his nomadic wanderlustful addiction. He is a Poet, Motivational Speaker, Photographer, Youth Worker and Creative Expressionist and founder of Universoul Brand which is hosting the T.R.I.B.E. exhibition.

His ambition is to use the marriage of varying methods of self-expression to inspire, motivate, emancipate, educate, unite and ultimately bring smiles to the people of the world. “Art is the only language that is truly universal in connecting to a person’s soul, irrespective of their background, colour, religion, ethnicity, culture, gender, ability and geographical confines.” Kay Rufai.

TRIBE takes place Tuesday, 15 March 2016 from 17:00 to 21:00 (GMT) Espacio Gallery - 159 Bethnal Green Road London E2 7DG GB Private View 15th March 2016 – Invitations available upon request Tickets range from £0 -£10 depending on experience booked visit: https://www. eventbrite.co.uk/e/tribe-exhibition-tickets-21323452019?aff=es2 11

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

News

France

Italy slammed in CIA rendition case

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has condemned Italy over the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian imam who had been granted political asylum

by Italian authorities.

The case concerned an instance of extrajudicial transfer (or “extraordinary rendition”), namely the abduction by CIA agents, with the cooperation of Italian officials, of Osama Mustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, who had been granted political asylum in Italy, and his subsequent transfer to Egypt, where he was held in secret for several months.

The clergyman was “abducted” while walking down a street in Milan and taken to a US air force base in Germany, it said, finding Italy guilty of numerous human rights violations over the case. These include violating a ban on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment under the European Convention on Human Rights.

“The Court found it established that the Italian authorities were aware that the applicant had been a victim of an extraordinary rendition operation which had begun with his abduction in Italy and had contin-

Abu Omar was illegally snatched off the streets in Milan by CIA agents

ued with his transfer abroad,” it said.

The court also ruled that “the legitimate principle of ‘state secrecy’ had clearly been applied by the Italian executive in order to ensure that those responsible did not have to answer for their actions.

“The investigation and trial had not led to the punishment of those responsible,

who had therefore ultimately been granted impunity,” it added.

Italy has denied any involvement in the rendition of Abu Omar, who now lives in Egypt and was also convicted in absentia and sentenced to six years by an Italian court in 2013.

Twenty-three Americans, including 22 CIA agents, were convicted in absentia 2009 by an Italian court over the 2003 abduction, after which the cleric was flown to Egypt where his lawyers say he was tortured.

The trial in Italy was one of the world’s biggest to take aim at Washington’s controversial extraordinary renditions programme, which was set up in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks to capture and interrogate Islamist terror suspects. Under the programme, suspects were sent to countries where they were detained, interrogated and possibly subjected to ill-treatment.

Africa-based music download service launches

Baaba Maal is just one of many top African acts to sign up with MusikBi

Africa’s first home-grown platform for legal music downloads launched in Senegal on Wednesday (February 24) with a mission to promote African artists, pay them properly, and fight internet piracy.

Internationally famous musicians such as Youssou Ndour and Baaba Maal are among almost 200 who have signed agreements with “MusikBi”, along with younger rappers, jazz artists and Christian and Muslim vocalists.

The platform draws its name from the word for music in Wolof, the language widely spoken in Senegal and neighbouring Gambia, said project developer Moustapha Diop at the launch in Dakar.

Songs cost between 300 and 500 FCFA (50-85 US cents) and users can download them using mobile phone credit in a region where few have bank cards.

12

“It is the first platform of its kind enabling music downloads by text or PayPal,” said a statement released by Diop’s company, Solid.

Solid noted that many African music artists “cannot live comfortably by the proceeds of their work”, adding the platform offered a chance for “promotion and to allow them to make a living from their art.”

Concerts were one of the few ways local artists had to really make money, the firm noted.

Piracy and changing consumer habits have seen record sales drop across the continent, with illegal downloads tempting African consumers looking online for music while copyright enforcement remains relatively weak.

A source within the Solid group told journalists that after mobile operators took their share, artists kept 60 percent of their income from the service, while MusikBi took the remaining 40 percent.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Indonesia

Plan to extinguish Indonesia’s red light for good

Indonesia has vowed to clean up its reputation as a sex tourism hub.

Police have been sweeping the country’s red-light districts with raids, in an effort to clamp down on prostitution in the conservative nation.

The government has already come down hard on 68 of these areas, and are working on shutting down the remaining 100 in the next three years, social affairs minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa told the Jakarta Post this week.

Last week, some 6,000 policemen descended on the infamous Kalijodo district in North Jakarta — an area that holds about 500 businesses across 1.6 hectares (16,000 square metres) — and raided cafes and brothels there for alcohol, drugs and weapons. They found 9,900 bottles of alcohol and 166 packs of condoms.

Prostitution is illegal in Indonesia, and Kalijodo is a major prostitution hub in Jakarta.

The administration is so bent on cleaning out the red-light districts that bulldozers are scheduled to move in on the district next Monday.

This will leave roughly 3,000 residents and legal business owners there out of jobs and

Restauranteurs and bar owners that profit from Jakarta’s sex trade will not be compensated for losing their businesses

homes. A local resident told ABC News that authorities gave her an eviction notice just a week ago. A food seller in Kalijodo said he had been paying his land tax for the last 15 years, and was unhappy that authorities wouldn’t be

compensating him during the eviction.

The authorities have assured displaced residents that they will have new homes in lowcost government housing located in the outskirts of Jakarta, but will not be extending the

offer to those working in nightlife establishments. The Jakarta Post reports that about half the people living in Kalijodo have jobs related to nightlife, such as security guards, cleaning staff and valets — in addition to prostitutes.

According to a Kompas report, the head of the Penjaringan subdistrict, Abdul Khalid, said on Monday that only 202 households were eligible for the housing, out of the 1,340 in Kalijodo. Although they weren’t running brothels per se, bar or cafe owners that ended up having their venues being used for prostitution activities were struck out, too.

The social affairs ministry said it has reached out to Kalijodo’s sex workers to offer them skills training at its social work facility.

But none have come forward so far.

Kalijodo’s demolition follows the shutting down of the brothels across Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, in 2014.

According to Reuters, 650 sex workers there were trained under the government’s rehabilitation programme between 2010 and 2013, equipping themselves with skills such as cooking and hairdressing. Surabaya is about 774 km (411 miles) away from Jakarta.

Cuba

Grief for Castros as big brother dies

Ramón ‘Mongo’ Castro, the farming older brother of Fidel and Raúl, died on Tuesday morning in Havana at the age of 91, according to Cuban state media.

Imprisoned in 1953 during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, he collaborated with his brothers in the 26th of July Movement, which led to the 1959 triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

Granma, the official paper of Cuba’s Communist Party, reported that he organised supply lines for revolutionaries on the eastern front.

While the insurgency raged, he helped his family care for their ranch.

Throughout his life he seemed to prefer the countryside to the agitated political life of Havana. Often photographed wearing a straw cowboy hat and white ‘guayabera’ shirt, he bore a striking resemblance to his brother, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who is two years younger. He was sometimes seen driving a tractor around Havana.

No cause of death was reported.

Granma said he was cremated and his ashes will be sent to the village of Birán in eastern Cuba, where he was born on Oct. 14, 1924, the son of Angel Castro, a wealthy rancher, and his second wife, Lina Ruz.

He was married to Aurora Castillo and had five children. In addition to Fidel and Raúl Castro, he is survived by three sisters, Juanita, who lives in South Florida, Emma and Agustina.

Pakistan

Rebels shot dead outside Karachi

Twelve Pakistani militants were killed during a shoot-out just outside Karachi on Tuesday, according to a senior police official.

Rancher Ramon Castro collaborated with his brothers in the 26th of July Movement that led to the Cuban Revolution

Even though he preferred to till the soil to politics, he still served the revolution, working as a consultant for the sugar and agriculture ministries and also serving as a deputy in the National Assembly, Cuba’s parliament.

Ramón founded several state companies, including ones that handled the transportation of sugar cane and orange production and was also involved in ag-

ricultural research. For his efforts, the Cuban government named him a “Hero of Work.”

Ramón seemed to relish the notoriety of being the eldest brother of two Cuban leaders and met with high-profile visitors, including American film director Oliver Stone, who met with both Fidel and Ramón during a 2002 visit.

Inspector Rao Anwar said seven of the slain men belonged to the anti-Shiite Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group while five were from al-Qaida’s branch in the Indian subcontinent. They had been involved in killings of civilians and attacks on security forces, he said.

Anwar says officers recovered bombmaking material, guns and assault rifles from the hideouts of the slain militants.

Karachi is the capital of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, which has witnessed multiple terrorist attacks in recent years.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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CRIME Two men jailed following shooting at a wake

Two men have been jailed after a man was shot after he tried to act as a peacemaker at a wake.

Michael Otshudi was sentenced to 18 months and Joseph Smith was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, 12 February.

Otshudi, 37, of North Road, N6, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and Smith, 27, of no fixed abode, admitted possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear and violent disorder at a previous hearing.

Smith recieved 24 months for violent disorder and four years for possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Now officers from the Trident and Area Crime Command are still appealing for assistance to trace three men involved in the incident.

The shooting happened on 13 May, 2015, at Andover Community Centre, Corker Walk, Holloway, between 23:44hrs and 23:50hrs, when the pair attended the wake with a group of unknown men.

Adisturbance began between the group and another man which resulted in him being assaulted.

Jailed for four years Joseph Smith

The 54-year-victim tried to intervene to diffuse the situation and protect the man being assaulted. He was then shot.

The group then fled and the victim was taken to a south London hospital.

He was treated for serious injuries but is still recovering.

Otshudi was arrested after DNA from blood was found outside of venue and then identified in the CCTV. Smith was arrested after his image was circulted and identified by another officer within the Metropolitan Police.

Detective constable Irfan Khalifa of the Trident and Area Crime Command said: “The Metropolitan Police Service is committed to tackling gang and gun crime. This was a reckless act, resulting in serious injury to an innocent person.

“Trident Gang Command has today secured convictions against two individuals and now appeals to the public to help identify those yet to be brought to justice.”

Officers are still appealing for information on the man who they believed opened fire on the victim and other members of the group.

They have released CCTV images of men they would like to trace in connection with the shooting.

Man jailed for non-recent rape and Four sentenced for conspiracy sexual abuse against children to commit burglary

A man has been sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of a rape and sexual abuse against children.

Julian King, 53, of Waltham Forest was sentenced for the following on Friday, 19 February, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court : - Five counts of Rape/attempt rape of a child - 10 years’ imprisonment - Three counts of Indecency with a child - three years’ imprisonment, concurrent - Three counts of Indecency with a child - three years’ imprisonment, concurrent but to run consecutively with the above - Three counts of Indecent assault- two years concurrent - Sexual assault of a child - two years concurrent - Sexual activity with a child - three years concurrent - Taking indecent images of a child two years concurrent He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and been given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

King was arrested when a victim came forward to police in 2014 to document the abuse, which took place in the Ilford area between 2003 and 2009. She was aged under 16 at the time the abuse ended.

Another woman was then identified who was abused by King between 1997 and 1999 in the South Lambeth area. She 14

Rashid Alleyne Julian King

was under 13 at the time of the abuse.

In both instances, he was a friend of the victims’ families, and he groomed the victims.

Officers from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command investigated the incidents and arrested King on 4 January 2015. He was charged in August 2015.

Detective Constable Jon Froude, from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “The victims were preyed upon by a depraved man who used his relationships to manipulate them.

The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences.”

Four men were jailed at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, 22 February for conspiracy to burgle a flat in Eaton Place, SW1.

The four were sentenced having pleaded guilty on 19 December 2015 to conspiracy to commit burglary.

Mark William Harding, 45 of Worcesters Avenue, Enfield was sentenced to four years and four months’ imprisonment.

Rashid Alleyne, 24 of Crusoe Road, Mitcham was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment.

Gavin James, 36 of Glastonbury Road, Morden was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Peter John Costello, 34 of Wentworth Court, Maldon Road, Wallington was sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment.

Harding also pleaded guilty to handling hair extensions worth £100,000 which had been stolen in a burglary on 13 September 2015 at commercial premises in the Hanger Lane area of Ealing.

Pro-active police work by officers from the Met’s Special Project Team established that the four men were planning the burglary at a flat in Eaton Place in September 2015.

On Tuesday 22 September 2015 the group accessed the block of flats through a communal door. They were intercepted by police officers and arrested. They were charged as above the following day.

Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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Sounds of Diaspora People of America

Strictly fun dancing It took the eighteenth president of her lifetime to send her an invitation to the White House, but sprightly 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin wasted none of the opportunity to dance all over the presidential carpet.

Some 55 million people have watched online video footage posted on the White House’s Facebook of the chirpy Ms McLaurin stealing the show by dancing with the President, followed by the First Lady and then both in unison.

Barack Obama was moved to implore his guest to “slow down” after her run to greet him belied the need for the walking stick she was holding aloft. As Ms McLaurin took Michelle Obama’s hand for a three-way quick-step, the First Lady quipped: “I wanna be like you when I grow up!” before being told the secret to be dancing at 106 is to, “Just keep movin’.”

Ms McLaurin was invited to the White House for 2016’s Black History Month celebrations after expressing her ambition to meet President Obama in 2013, when she was honoured for her full-time voluntary work with students with mental and physical disabilities.

In the video, she says, “I thought I would never be able to get into the White House.

I am so happy.” And looking proudly up at Barack and Michelle Obama, she beams, “A Black President…yay…and his Black wife. Yes! And I’m here to celebrate Black history. Yea… that’s what I’m here for.”

After watching the viral video of her meeting with the President and his wife back, Ms McLaurin declared the experience to be “the joy of my whole entire life” before summing up “I can die smiling now.”

Virginia McLaurin was born below the Mason-Dixon Line in South Carolina in March 1909, just days after William Howard Taft succeeded Theodore Roosevelt to become the 27th President of the United States of America. Barack Obama is the

Bey gets NoI backing in cop boycott controversy

It took Virginia McLaurin 106 years to journey from the lynching trees of America’s Deep South to a White House presided over by a Black President

44th and, if his latest guest’s mobility is any indication of her general health, she has every chance of seeing the 45th Commander-in-Chief sworn in a year from now.

She moved to DC, as close to the White House as she thought she was ever likely to get, when she was widowed in 1941.

1909 was also the year the NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored (sic) People was founded; on the day, had he survived, Abraham Lincoln would have become a comparatively youthful 100 years old!

Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam group

Beyoncé has been offered the security services of the so-called Black Muslims for her forthcoming tour by no less a figure than Minister Louis Farrakhan in a sermon on Sunday.

Calling her “my sweet sister Beyoncé,” Farrakhan spoke out about the controversy surrounding the singer’s Super Bowl halftime show performance this month, in which her backup dancers appeared in outfits and hairstyles that appeared to some to allude to the Black Panther movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Along with the Afro-centric video for her single “Formation,” it has led to harsh criticism and some police urging their fellow officers to avoid providing security for her upcoming tour.

Farrakhan said during his sermon that “She started talking that black stuff ... and white folks (said), ‘We don’t know how to deal with that.’

“But when one of us shows some independence, look how you treating Beyoncé now,” he said. “You gonna picket. You not going to offer her police protection? But the [Fruit of Islam, the security branch of his organisation,] will.”

In the past, the controversial leader has been less supportive of Beyoncé, saying in a 2015 interview that she needed to cover up and be more modest in her dress.

“Today, you strip the woman of her clothes,” he said. “How can a man think straight, looking at the beauty of Beyoncé?”

But in his more recent remarks, he hailed both her and rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose politically charged Grammys performance last week was all about black pride.

“We say to the hip-hop community, to our cultural giants, say what you feel,” Farrakhan said to the cheers of his audience. “Put it out there with strength. They allowed you to call your women b**ches and whores, so now put it out there how you love your black selves and you want to see black people free.

We’ll back you up.”

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Gospel

By Michael Adekoya

Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

REDEEM THE TIME (PART 2)

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Eph.5:15-16

Dear Readers, we are now living in the last days. Time is too short to mess around or to play church.

Jesus is coming back soon and there are so much evangelism and witnessing to do on earth. Today we need to ask ourselves, ‘What am I doing with my time?’ You might think it doesn’t matter and say, ‘I’ve got all the time in the world, I can do what I like when I like!’ Listen! When we think like this, we act like it because our actions always reflect what we’re thinking (Prov 23:7). Thinking that we have all the time in the world is the reason why we defer, delay or waste time.

Today, there are many people who waste their time; they never get as fit as they ought to, they will not be as healthy as they could be, they never read enough, they ignore their family, friends and God. With regards to prayer, Bible study or Church, they postpone their attendance. The early Apostles said, “we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word and select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom for the running of the food program (Acts 6:4).

Did you hear that?

We don’t have all the time in the world.

Listen: ‘Seventy years are given to us!

Some even live to eighty, ninety or over hundred. But ... soon they disappear.’ So, my friend, you need to sack off your, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ attitude, because tomorrow may never come. Start living now!

Don’t waste the time God has given you; don’t miss out on being the best you can be, ‘for we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago’ (Eph 2:10).

The Bible says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to

him it is sin.” (Jam. 4:17) My friend, are you one of those people who believes in putting off until tomorrow what you could do today”? This is one of those times when the fingers pointing back at me outnumber the one that’s pointing to you! What am I talking about? It is procrastination. Did you know that procrastination is a sin? I say this because sin is not merely doing wrong; it is failing to do what you ought to do.

Procrastination and disobedience are just different shades of the same sin. When you have a job to do, you should begin this very hour. When you supply the will, God will supply the power. When you make yourself available, God will supply the ability. That is the will power we need in this last days’ to instantly obey God and do His will! God requires instant obedience from you and me. Time is too short. No more delay! The time is too short! Don’t live like the foolish five virgins but like the wise ones who filled with Holy Spirit.

My friend, has a certain task been hounding you? Have you left undone what you ought to do yesterday, last week, last month or last year? Are you going to delay what you ought to do today? Confess your

­­

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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

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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

procrastination as sin. And act now; don’t hesitate. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come. Today is the day! “Make the most of every chance you get to fulfill your assignment. We are living in desperate times!” (Eph 5:16) Time drags when you want it to pass quickly and flies when you need more of it.!

Time is the great equalizer. We all have the same amount of it. But, the difference between successful people and average people is this: Achievers manage their time wisely. Rather than wasting time or spending time, they invest time. They make the most out of each moment. My friend, your time is your life. When you give someone your time, you’ve given them a part of your life. So that currency in your wallet or purse is part of your life. When you give someone your money, you’ve given them part of your life. This means time management is really “life management.” This is the reason why you cannot afford to waste money. A waste of money is a waste of life.

Where you invest your money matters in this day and age!

The Bible has this to say: “Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t

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

live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants” (Eph 5:15-17).You could summarize these verses this way: Analyze Your Lifestyle.

Be aware of where your time is going. Or utilize the present and make the most of this moment. Or recognize what’s important and focus on priorities that last.

My friend, here is a personal question for you to consider throughout today: “How much of what I’m doing right now is going to count ten years from now … or 50 years from now … or for eternity?” You have just enough time to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. If you can’t get it all done, it means either you’re doing things God never intended for you to do, or you’re doing the right thing in the wrong way. I pray that God would help us to manage our time wisely today, every day, every week, every month and this year. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

My friend, if there is a time to seek the Lord, it is now (Hos. 10:12). For Moslems, the call for prayer goes out five times a day and the first call comes at dawn. If you’re spending hours in front of your TV, but don’t have a few minutes to spend with God, then it’s time to seek the Lord. If you are living comfortably with habits that once troubled you or living in the same unrepentant sin, it’s time to seek God. If you spend most of your evening chatting or gossiping on your mobile phones, it’s time to seek the Lord.

If you are still speaking words of bitterness and hatred toward someone who has hurt you, it’s time to seek the Lord. If having money and things consume so much of your time that there is none left for God and your family, then it’s time to seek the Lord. I have learned, by experience, that He is the only One who can satisfy. Ask Him to use you everyday for His purposes and keep you on the path He has for you.

Ask Him to realign your focus and connect you with the people He has ordained to be in your life.

Remain blessed!

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Africa Newsround

Uganda

Besigye faces fifth arrest as Museveni romps in Kizza Besigye, leader of Uganda’s opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has been detained by police for the second time this week after he defied a house arrest order and tried to protest against last week’s landslide election win for incumbent Yoweri Museveni.

Besigye was grabbed by police outside his home on the outskirts of the capital Kampala on Tuesday (February 23), forced into a van and spirited away at high speed, according to his supporters.

Officials later confirmed he was being held at a police station and said they would continue with what they called a tactic of “preventative arrest” until the FDC party leader and former Museveni aide stopped trying to take to the streets.

President Museveni, who seized power as the leader of a rebellion in 1986, was returned to office in last week’s vote with 60.8 percent of the ballot, the electoral commission said.

Besigye secured 35.4 percent, according to the results, in a poll that he alleged was rigged.

The 59-year-old opposition veteran had been brought back to his home by police late on Tuesday night after a previous attempt to leave the house on Monday and join supporters who had planned to march on the headquarters of

Kizza Besigye had been placed under house arrest for disputing last week’s poll outcome

the country’s electoral commission.

On that occasion, Besigye was dramatically bundled by police into an unmarked van, which then sped from the property pursued by other police vehicles, and cars carrying supporters and journalists.

Ibrahim Ssemujju, an FDC spokesman, told reporters that the police presence outside Besigye’s home appeared to have been beefed up on Tuesday.

“Clearly they don’t want him to leave his home,” he said, adding there was no indication of how long Besigye was

expected to be kept inside his home by police.

Police said they were preventing Besigye from marching to the electoral commission, where he says he plans to collect official results, because he had not been given government permission.

“His behaviour is not appropriate and it is unnecessary given that the election commission has already agreed to issue an official tally of the results,” said police spokesman Fred Enanga.

“Life is going back to normal in Kampala, businesses are re-opening

and children are going back to school, and we cannot allow Besigye and his supporters to disrupt that.”

The FDC has said that any march would be peaceful, but authorities accused it of plotting to cause trouble.

Besigye, who was once close to Museveni and served as his field doctor during the war which brought the longtime president to power, has been detained five times in a little over a week.

He was arrested on Election Day as he tried to show journalists what he said was a vote-rigging operation in a suburban house, and he was held on a separate occasion when he tried to stage a rally in the centre of the capital.

A European Union observer mission said Thursday’s vote lacked transparency and had been conducted in an “intimidating” atmosphere.

US Secretary of State John Kerry phoned Museveni to voice his concern over the harassment of opposition figures and an apparent shutdown of social media services, the state department said.

Museveni, 71, dismissed accusations that the electoral commission favoured him and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and said he was unconcerned by the EU mission’s statement.

“I told those Europeans ... I don’t need lectures from anybody,” Museveni said.

South Africa

Baby theft solved after sister attends same school

A woman is facing trial in South Africa, accused of snatching a newborn baby 18 years ago.

The 50-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, appeared briefly in a Cape Town court in a case that only came to light when school pupils noticed a strong resemblance between a student and a new girl.

The accused woman has been on bail since March last year after DNA tests confirmed that the new girl at the school and a 17-year-old final-year student were in fact biological sisters.

The new girl was the daughter of Celeste and Morne Nurse, whose first child was taken as a three-day-old baby named Zephany in April 1997 from Cape Town’s Groote Schuur hospital. Police were alerted after Zephany’s parents became convinced the older girl was their missing baby.

The parents looked on from the public gallery as the alleged kidnapper sat emotionless in the dock. Without knowing it, the Nurse family had been living within a couple of kilometres of their kidnapped

Celeste Nurse had her baby daughter taken from a Cape Town hospital back in 1997

daughter, while celebrating her birthday every year and never giving up hope of finding her.

Zephany, who was renamed by her new family, is now approaching her 19th birthday after reportedly being raised with love and kindness by the accused woman and

her husband, who she believed were her real parents.

Her whereabouts have been kept secret since she requested protection from the media storm over the case, a spokesman for the social services department told journalists.

In a statement read on her behalf by a lawyer shortly after Zephany discovered the truth about her past, she said: “I want to say thank you to all the people who supported me through this, for continuously praying and never giving up on looking for me (…) Under the circumstances I am doing fine.”

Her biological parents told reporters at the time that their joy at finding her overwhelmed any desire for revenge and have thanked their child’s alleged abductor for taking good care of her.

The suspect reportedly had a series of miscarriages before allegedly stealing Zephany from the hospital.

She has been free on bail on condition that she does not contact potential state witnesses - including her husband and Zephany – and would ordinarily face a minimum of five years in jail if convicted of kidnapping. However, prosecutors have indicated that they could be open to a plea bargain after consultations with both sides.

17

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Nigerian News

I Don’t Regret Borrowing Money to Develop Osun- Aregbesola

Govt Resolves to Borrowing Because the State in a bad Physical Development Condition

By Waheed Adekunle

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has once again cleared the air that he has no iota of regret on his administration’s resolve to borrow money for physical infrastructural development of the state.

Aregbesola stated that on no account does he feel being ashamed or regretted of sacrificing all he has to service humanity and as well promoting the integrity, dignity and economic potentials of the state.

The Governor who described people as the major target of government, said the primary objective of any serious government is to serve the people and place their plights above other considerations or interests.

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Aregbesola said it is evident that his government had successfully prioritized masses and as well taken the needs of the people as its primary responsibility in all sectors of the economy.

He said it is erroneous for anyone to either speculate or reduce government to salary payment institution alone, saying the purpose of government as an institution in the society is to provide the basic needs of the masses before any other obligations.

GovernorAregbesola however stated this while addressing the State Chapter of Association of Medical Officers of Health in Nigeria, AMOHN, at his office, in Osogbo.

Aregbesola who lamented over the incessant strike of the medical health practitioners in the state that has reached eleven months, noted that it is against the ethics and professional conduct of the practice for any healthcare giver to unjustifiably abandon work as being done by the striking health workers in the state.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Exeternal Electrical Engr. Oladele Babatunde during the unscheduled inspection to the ongoing construction of Osogbo Government High School, Osogbo. Photo credit: Adejare Taofeeq

Aregbesola described it as being ridiculous a situation whereby a medical expert who sworn to an oath and avowed to protect and save life resolves to strike all in the name of mere agitation for an increased remuneration.

Governor Aregbesola noted that the inimical step taken by a section of the state health workers who are presently on strike was a testimony of insensitivity and carefree to the people’s live whom they pledged to save and protect.

Aregbesola stressed that his government since assumption of office has been taking seriously the general well being of the masses most especially the standard of living of the state workforce without the exception of health workers.

The Governor revealed that Osun State under his watch was among the states that gives adequate attention to the utmost welfare of the health practitioners in the country, stressing that the state pays the highest allowance to NYSC health practitioners being posted to the state.

Aregbesola who described the agitation of some workers to reduce governance in its entirety to workers’ salary payment to what he regarded as “unrealistic fantasy”, emphasizing that the payment of workers salary is just a secondary responsibility of government.

Governor Aregbesola disclosed further that, it is practically impossible for any serious government to divert all the government’s resources into payment of workers’ salaries, resisting that he would not for whatever reason divert all the state’s treasury to pay the striking health practitioners who have been on industrial action for almost a year.

Aregbesola who bemoaned the strike embarked upon by the state health workers, said in spite the economic downturn in Nigeria and Osun in particular since 2014, his government has never owe the state health workers, just as he revealed that despite the being on strike for eleven (11 months), the state health workers have received 6months full salaries out of 11months they have been on strike.

Aregbesola said his government has been very fair and sincere to workers’ plights even in the face of dwindling allocation to the state, adding that Osun was the only state in Nigeria that opens its book to workers for administrative clarity and topmost accountability.

He explained that his government has financially motivated the workers, saying at the best of time, Osun was the only state that pays workers every 25th of every month, which according to him was championed for four fiscal years before the economic crisis befell the nation.

Aregbesola stressed further that in spite the current economic imbroglio, his administration has been graciously managing the socio-economic and political affairs of the state.

He said, “let me state categorically that our administration in spite all successes we have recorded so far in all aspects of the economy especially on the workers’ welfare would not bow to any pressure or agitation to reduce governance to salary payment at this special economic period.

“Just as we owe workers responsibility to pay their salary arrears and pensions, we equally owe the entire populace the provision of basic infrastructures because the primary responsibility of government is to serve the people.

“We met Osun in a bad physical infrastructural development condition and this led us to seek for available means to restructure the state and give it a new look.

“It is only those who do not understand what development is all about would contradict this fact because to the glory of God, our administration has successfully turned around the economic fortune of the state and as well given Osun a befitting look it deserved.

“Whoever visits our cities and towns across the state would definitely feels the impact of our government as this plethora of developments and transformation had brought investors to the state.

“The rapid development of our state is not by accidental because it took us years to draw a genuine template for our state.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Nigerian News

Tejuoso advocates for more local contents

Continued from front page

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria The Senate also frowns at the domination of the Nigerian satellite television market

by DSTV thereby enabling it to engage in negative and unhealthy trade practices and unreasonable subscription hikes across their various bouquets which have led to monopoly and growing public complains.

Tejuoso said “ We just have to allow competition so everybody can enjoy pricing policy that is favourable to everybody”. We need to protect the interest and rights of Nigerians”. The Nigerian senate notes that Multichoice Nigeria pay television has been known to dominate the Nigeria satellite market and many subscribers have been complaining about arbitrary increase in the subscription charges, refusal to adopt the pay as you go/use model applicable in other climes where Multichoice operates moving major games from low subscription bouquets to Compact to high subscription bouquets called Premium poor service delivery and absence of toll free lines for customers’ complaints amongst others.

Senator Rose Oko parleys stakeholders of Civil Society

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria

The need for an all inclusive gathering was uppermost in the mind of the Chairman Senate Committee on Diaspora and Civil Societies when she conceived an interactive forum by members of the National Assembly and Stakeholders of the Civil Society held this time at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Senator Rose Oko who chairs the Committee on Diaspora and Civil Society did not minced her words when she welcomed the stakeholders to the exciting interactive session She said “This meeting is fundamental in many ways.

It intrinsically offers the legislature and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) a critical opportunity to come together and share ideas towards fashioning out a functional working relationship for the greater good of national development. This is germane because the legislature and CSOs pursue a common goal that borders on good governance and development. Interactive sessions of this nature therefore would have farreaching impact on enabling the two institutions to establish a desirable synergy to drive and fast track our common objectives. Senator Rose Oko noted that the mandate bestowed on her committee has the propensity to strengthen the workings of the CSOs and deepen legislature-CSO collaboration towards the enhancement of shared goals of nation building and good governance.

Senator Rose Oko

Recounting her Committee’s agenda for greater benefit Senator Oko highlighted; formulation of legislative and legal frameworks towards integrating CSOs activities into the national development plan as its number one cardinal agenda.

In emphasising the good working relationship that exists between parliaments of other west African countries and their CSOs, She said “The Sierra Leonean parliament has consciously worked towards the democratization of the legal environment for CSOs to operate robustly by repealing certain specific laws from the country’s undemocratic past. CSOs registration framework has been simplified and unified by parliament to make CSOs registration more accessible through decentralization. She reassured the stakeholders of CSOs of the commitment of her committees to work with the CSOs individually and collectively for the enhancement of civil society operations in the country.

Senator Prince Lanre Tejuoso

Many concerned Nigerians are aggrieved and in constant demand to stop DSTV’s arbitrary price hikes, noting that recent increase in DSTV subscription is outrageous and totally unacceptable. The Senate noted that the high number of complaints have attracted the attention of Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to look into

the issue of consumer abuse as DSTV does not conform with international best practices. The Senate wants the consumers to enjoy or receive the benefit the full purpose of their purchases.

The Senate wants the consumers to enjoy or receive the benefit of the full purpose of their purchases.

This Lawyer can draw!

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria

Mrs Nelly Idagba Ojong

Very few lawyers will put on their wigs during the day and after the day’s job still get home in the evening and pick up their pencils, drawing pens and drawing brush and get fantastic artworks done.

Mrs Nelly Idagba Ojong, a lawyer is wearing another cap as an artist and can give great artwork painters such as JMW Turner, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh a run for their monies. Nelly’s artistic works which often exceed people’s imagination are exquisite, creative and require thinking out of the box. The inscription ‘nelly’ her signature on her works show the uniqueness that distinguishes her works of art from others. With all these outstanding artworks done by this mercurial lawyer have indeed not gotten into her head, as she just simply wants to be known as Nelly.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Events

Mrs Babatunde’s 50th Birthday

By Golda John

Mrs Olufunmilayo Adebukunola Soyombo Babatunde was full of praises and joy as she celebrated her 50th birthday in style at the Christ Apostolic Church, 163 Illderton Road SE16 3LA recently.

The beautiful unassuming Olufunmilayo is known to be very humble and service oriented. very hardworking and a woman of virtue. She deliberately chose to celebrate her 50 years on planet earth in the church, in the presence of her maker, surrounded by the people of God and family.

Rather than throw a big party, with specially hired musician with all the razzmatazz, this woman of God who is the President of Unity in Christ Band preferred to sing her favourite songs of praise from the church hymn book and read her best psalm “Bless the Lord o my soul and forget not all His benefits......(Ps 103 ).

The invited guests, church members as well as family members were full of acco-

Mr and Mrs Babatunde

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lades for this illustrious daughter of God. “She is very selfless honest and kind” said her sister-in-law. Her beautiful daughter, ‘Lamide said she was very happy to have a mother like her and would never trade her for anything else. She thanked her for teaching her the way of God and being there at her moments of need. She also thanked God for sparing her mother’s life.

Mr Babatunde seized the opportunity to express his deep love for his wife of 25 years. He appreciated her endurance and patience in their relationship. He said she was a woman in a million, his back bone and pillar in the home, a good mother who never complained about anything but will make special meal out of whatever is available and it would turn out very delicious.

The CAC Church choir sang a rendition specially composed for her, there was word of exhortation and Olufunmilayo Adebukunola Soyombo Babatunde had her grand finale by singing solo choruses, supported by her amiable husband in praise of God Almighty.

She thanked everyone for making her 50th anniversary a glorious and memorable one.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Flores welcomes Ighalo to Arsenal Quique Sanchez Flores has welcomed rumours linking Odion Ighalo to Arsenal as proof of Watford’s impressive performances this season.

The 26-year-old has scored 15 goals in the Premier League this term to help fire his side to within just four points of the top six with 12 matches left to play.

Manchester United and Arsenal have been subsequently linked with Ighalo, who also claimed to have turned down a big-money move to China - worth over £200,000 a week - before the start of the season.

“He is one of the best strikers in the division so [speculation] is very normal,” Flores said on Thursday. “It’s good.

“I love speculation for all the players in the squad. It means the performance of the

Watford striker Odion Ighalo

Mahrez confident of Premier League glory

The Algeria international has been instrumental in the Foxes’ outstanding campaign thus far, scoring 14 goals and delivering 10 assists from 25 league appearances for his side.

Claudio Ranieri’s men are enjoying a two-point lead over North London arch rivals Tottenham and Arsenal and a 12-point lead over fifth-placed Manchester United with 12 games remaining, and can realistically hope for a UEFA Champions League spot.

22

Ahly: We chose Jol out of 70 coaches

Al Ahly’s Red Devils

Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez

Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez says they are confident of holding onto their advantage at the top of the Premier League table and claiming the crown at the end of the season.

team is good, every teams want players of Watford so we are doing something well and it’s good news for our team.”

Watford have taken 36 points from their first 26 matches and can take a big step towards their pre-season goal of 40 when they take on AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

And Flores is eager to reach that mark as soon as possible in order to allow his players to play with less pressure, citing league leaders Leicester City as a prime example of the benefits of such positive morale.

“We are really close,” he said. “I would like to get to the objective as quick as possible.

“Leicester is the example. They achieved 40 points and then they are freer on the pitch. They feel really, really positive and everything. This is ideal. We are really close.”

However, Mahrez firmly believes they stand a chance to cause the biggest upset in English football history.

“I used to dream of playing in the Nou Camp when I was younger so it’d be amazing, if we finish in the top four, to play there in the Champions League next season,” the 25-year-old told MOTD Magazine.

“If I had to sum up this season in one word it would be ‘fantastic’. I’ve never known a season like it.

“We’re confident, we believe we can win it and we dream of winning it - but let’s wait until there are five games to go; we’ll know more then.”

The Foxes will host Norwich City in their next Premier League outfit on Saturday.

Following the appointment of Martin Jol as the new coach of Al Ahly on Wednesday, Ahly president Mahmoud Taher says they chose the Dutch manager out of 70 candidates.

Egyptian media reports reveal that Jol joins the Red Castle for a one-and-a-half year deal with Tahez saying that Jol is considered a huge gain for Egyptian Football.

“We’re full of trust and optimism in Al Ahly’s success with Martin Jol, he’s a great high profile manager who’s very competent,” said Tahez.

“The negotiations took a great amount of time, and Jol is going to positively affect Egyptian football not just Al Ahly as he had many successes in the Netherlands and England.

“We chose him from around 70 resumes of suggested managers.

“Jol knows Al Ahly are the African Club of the Century and has huge ambitions he wants to achieve with the team, including getting the team back to winning Egyptian and African titles to reach the FIFA Club World Cup.” Taher added that he brought the Dutch manager up to speed on the situation of Egyptian football and is expected to return from England on Thursday after concluding the negotiations with Jol. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager reportedly joined the Red Castle for a rumoured fee of $150K per month and a three-month breakout clause.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016

Eight teams, two tickets in CONCACAF qualifiers The age-old call of Ludi incipiant (‘Let the games begin!’) will ring out once more in August as the 2016 Summer Olympics get underway in Brazil. The question of which of North and Central America and the Caribbean’s national teams will battle it out for the gold medal at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament will be answered in a qualifying competition held in the USA from 10 to 21 February.

In total, eight teams divided into two groups have their sights set on a ticket to Rio 2016: USA, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Costa Rica will meet in Group A, while Group B contains Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.

Clear favourites Although reigning world champions and Olympic gold medalists USA and last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup hosts Canada will head into the competition as clear favourites on paper, newly-crowned FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football Jill Ellis believes qualifying will not be a walk in the park. “It’s a tough group,” she explained in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. “The fact that only two teams get out means there’s no safety net this year.

We have to make sure we hit the ground running.

“It’s about making sure we finish top of our group, then that semi-final is a critical game,” the USA coach continued. “What I love about this team is that I think our approach is that ‘nothing’s guaranteed’. We have to earn everything. That’s really where our mindset and our focus is. In 2011, our team had to go through a play-off to qualify for the World Cup, and I think that constantly sits in the back of your mind. Nothing can be taken for granted in our region. We’re playing against some teams that have been in the World Cup and have a lot of experience.”

The sides she is referring to are Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica, who had very differing

Zambia international Emmanuel Mayuka netted his first goal for Zamalek in an English Premier League match at the Petrojet Stadium on Monday.

Trinidad and Tobago Women Team

experiences last summer, with the latter pair eliminated from Canada 2015 immediately after the group stage. Costa Rica headed home after drawing twice with Spain and Korea Republic before suffering a narrow defeat by Brazil, while Mexico’s stalemate with Colombia was followed by two losses to England and France.

Rank outsiders Meanwhile FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 hosts Canada suffered a bitter quarter-final defeat to end their dream of winning the game’s most prestigious title on home turf. Despite this disappointment, John Herdman’s attention immediately turned to the Olympics – and he is brimming with confidence about his team’s qualifying hopes.

“Right now we’re in a position to focus on the upcoming qualification tournament and hopefully position ourselves to defend our Olympic bronze medal this summer in Rio,” the Canada coach said after his squad was announced on the Canadian Soccer Association’s website. “We had a strong group of players to select from, which made the final selection extremely challenging, but we have put together a team that will go out there and get the job done, which is simply to make this country

proud by qualifying for Rio 2016.”

In contrast, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana – ranked 108th, 76th, 48th and 89th in the world respectively – have significantly less tournament experience under their belts, as their standings in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking suggest. None of these four teams have ever competed at the Olympics or FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nevertheless, none of these sides should be underestimated, as Puerto Rico midfielder Nicole Rodriguez made clear on the CONCACAF website: “It’s about working with our minds, knowing that we are in this tournament for a reason and are not here by accident. We’re able and willing to compete with the best.” Trinidad and Tobago coach Richard Hood also believes in his team, saying: “We believe that we have a realistic chance of attaining success in this tournament.”

The bigger sides have officially been warned – and with only two starting places available at this summer’s Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, they cannot afford to give the underdogs any room for manoeuvre.

Late Touré strike eases pressure on boss Yaya Touré seemed back to his imperious best on Wednesday evening as Manchester City look set to finally advance beyond the UEFA Champions League last 16 with a handsome 1st leg win in Kiev.

First-half strikes from Sergio Aguero and David Silva gave City a foothold against potentially tricky opposition -- the Argentine predator lashed in from close range in the 15th minute after a Touré flick, with the Spaniard converting a Raheem Sterling cross five minutes before the break. Then Touré, outstanding all evening, completed a 3-1 victory with a typical swerving 90th minute strike from the edge of the area.

Mayuka nets first Zamalek goal

Dynamo Kiev will probably have to win by three clear goals in the second leg in Manchester unless they score four or more, which does seem beyond them based on Wednesday’s showing; albeit their previous competitive game had been in early December.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini can now prepare for Sunday’s League Cup final with Liverpool flushed with vindication for fielding an under-strength team in the FA Cup at Chelsea at the weekend and losing 5-1, the Mancunians biggest reverse under the current ownership. A losing run of three matches had been the worst sequence of his time in charge and victory in Kiev was necessary to soothe the damage Yaya Toure’s late goal against Dynamo done.

Kiev ended a barren spell

African giants Zamalek edged out Ittihad Alexandria with Mayuka scoring seven minutes into a game with a powerful shot from inside the box.

The 25-year-old forward had reportedly come under criticism from the Egyptian football media after he failing to score in his previous two games.

The former Southampton star joined Zamalek on three-and-a-half-year deal from French Ligue 2 side FC Metz in January, 2016.

The race for the 2015/16 Egyptian Premier League title is still on, with Al Ahly sitting at the top of the standings - just two points ahead of Zamalek.

Fellow Zambian Patrick Ngoma of Ittihad missed the game due to injury. The Red Arrows striker joined the Egyptian side last year.

Mikel has to tell me he wants to go to Olympics - Siasia

Chelsea star Mikel Obi will have to first tell coach Samson Siasia he wishes to feature at the Rio Olympics before he would be considered for the summer games.

The 28-year-old midfielder could debut at the Olympics in Brazil in August as an over-age player after he missed out on the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Siasia said: “As for Mikel, if he specifically comes to me to request I include him in my team, I will reason. I will ask him if he really wants to play for the team.

“I must be sure of his mission.”

The coach had refused to pick Mikel for the Beijing Olympics after the player stayed away from the qualifying matches.

Siasia further said he will be definite about the three over-age players he will name for the Rio Olympics when it is closer to the competition.

“I have some players I am thinking about, but the truth is that since the tournament is still six months away, we have to also be cautious of the players’ form.

We cannot pick players who are in form now only for them to lose form in August,” he explained.

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Friday, 26 February - Thursday, 3 March 2016 ISSUE 618

WWW.AFRICANVOICEONLINE.CO.UK

Late Touré strike eases pressure on boss

SEE PAGE 23

BONY DESPERATE FOR WEMBLEY START

Wilfried Bony has failed to light up the Etihad Stadium since arriving from Swansea a year ago

By Alan Oakley

Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony is fighting to be fit for this weekend’s League Cup Final, having only started training this week following a calf injury.

The Ivorian hasn’t played since the start of January, which has allowed Nigerian youngster Kelechi Iheanacho an opportunity to impress as understudy to main striker Sergio Aguero.

City’s strongest available team will have played an important UEFA Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev out in Ukraine before Sunday’s final against Liverpool comes around, so it is up in the air whether manager Manuel Pellegrini, who put out a weakened side in an FA Cup competition he has never won last weekend and is still fighting to regain the Premier League title, will regard a League Cup he has won in the past as an important target in his final season with the club.

If not, he may be inclined to rest some of his strongest line-up, which would almost

certainly have put a 100 percent fit Bony in the frame. As it stands, even if he has recovered, his lack of match fitness might at best relegate him to the substitutes’ bench in favour of Iheanacho, who surely deserves some reward for his impressive cameos.

Bony, 27, is keen to show what he can do at City before the arrival next season of top coach Pep Guardiola, who is sure to be given the funds to tick off whoever is on his shopping list.

The former Swansea star was forced to scotch rumours that he could return to south Wales on loan in the January transfer win-

dow and was also reported to have snubbed advances from China Super League bigspenders Guoan Beijing and Guangzhou Evergrande.

African Voice Newspaper is published by African Voice Communications. Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP. Tel: 020 3737 3077 Registered at the British Library as a newspaper. ISSN 1475-2166.Email: africanvoicenews@googlemail.com