NYPD: Motorcyclists pull over, beat SUV driver...

               

NEW YORK (AP) — A man driving with his family along a New York City highway was attacked and beaten by a large group of motorcyclists who first surrounded his SUV and stopped it on the road, then chased him for miles after he plowed through the blockade of bikes in an attempt to escape.

One biker suffered two broken legs and other severe injuries when the SUV ran over him, police said. A second biker suffered a leg injury. The driver, who was traveling with his wife and toddler, was taken to a hospital where he required stitches to his face.
The frightening assault on the 33-year-old man began around 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Manhattan's West Side Highway and was partially captured on a helmet-mounted video camera worn by one of the riders involved in the chase.
A portion of the video posted on the Internet by an unidentified user shows a large group of bikers swarming around the Range Rover as it heads north on the highway. One of the bikers then moves into the SUV's lane and rides briefly alongside the vehicle, peering in through the driver's side window. It isn't clear from the video what the driver might have done to anger the motorcyclist.
The biker then cuts in front of the Range Rover and, still staring at the driver, suddenly slows down. It isn't captured on the video, but the motorcycle and SUV bumped, police said.
The motorcyclists, 20 to 30 in all, then come to a complete halt on the highway, blocking the SUV's path. Some dismount and approach the vehicle. Police said some of the bikers then began damaging the Range Rover, which isn't clear from the video.
The video shows the SUV suddenly accelerating, bouncing over at least one of the motorcycles and its rider as others scramble to get out of the way. The cyclists give chase, pursuing the driver for about 2 1/2 miles. At one point, the bikers succeed in getting the SUV to stop. One ripped open the driver's door, but he sped away.
The chase ended when the SUV exited the highway and got stuck in traffic on a city street. The video shows one biker using his helmet to smash the driver's window. Police said the group then pulled the man from the SUV and beat him, although that part isn't shown on the recording posted online. The police department confirmed that the video circulating online is authentic.
Police didn't identify the driver, who was not charged. His wife and child were not injured.
On Tuesday, police arrested the biker who was involved in the initial accident. Christopher Cruz, 28, of Passaic, N.J., was charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, endangering the welfare of a child and menacing. He was not injured. Cruz was in custody awaiting arraignment Tuesday and hadn't yet been assigned a lawyer. A woman who answered a phone number listed in some records as being connected with the address where Cruz lives said she didn't speak English and hung up the phone.
Police distributed images of two bikers they said were involved in the chase and said they were wanted for assault.
Police believe some of the bikers belong to a gang known as Hollywood Stuntz. They said the motorcyclists were part of a planned but unauthorized event in which hundreds of riders gathered outside of Manhattan, with the intent of driving into Times Square en masse.

Federal shutdown closes the Statue of Liberty and other top tourist sites...

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A sign in Battery Park says the Statue of Liberty is closed due to the government shutdown, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York City (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)                                                                     

NEW YORK—JoAnn Wilson had been planning her trip to the Statue of Liberty since March, when she and a friend booked plane tickets to travel from Seattle to the East Coast. But when they traveled to lower Manhattan Tuesday morning where visitors board ferries to Liberty Island, the women were met with two major disappointments.


First they were scammed by a man who was selling what they later learned from police were counterfeit tickets to the Liberty Island ferry. Then they saw the signs that the Statue of Liberty was closed until further notice along with thousands of other national attractions because of the federal government shutdown. Visitors could still pay to take a $24 cruise to circle the island, but the statue was off limits.

“It’s incredibly disappointing,” Wilson said, as she sat on a bench planning her next steps. She said she had been vaguely familiar with the looming threat of a government shutdown, but didn’t realize it would directly impact a vacation she had planned for months.

“I guess we can hold out hope that maybe they fix this while we are still here, but who wants to bet on that? Neither side down there seems to be interested in working together, and we’re the ones who feel the impact," she said.
Wilson’s frustration was echoed across the country as Americans faced the first full day of the first government shutdown in 17 years.

The shutdown closed some of the nation’s most popular tourist spots, including the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the hundreds of national parks around the country. That includes Yosemite National Park in California, which had been set to mark its 123th anniversary on Tuesday but was closed.
In Washington, D.C., the memorials and museums along the National Mall were closed or blocked by barricades, including the Lincoln Memorial. But down the mall, visitors to the World War II Memorial--including dozens of veterans--knocked down those barricades and entered the park anyway.
In New York, there seemed to be more reporters than tourists near the site where Park Service officials would usually screen tourists for a trip to Liberty Island. But large tour groups still occasionally wandered up—only to see the signs and walk away dejectedly.
There were no park employees around—save for one.

David Luchsinger, the superintendent of Liberty Island and Ellis Island, was spotted milling among the tourists dressed in his park ranger uniform and hat. He had come to talk to tourists, even though he had been furloughed like thousands of other federal employees around the country.
Asked why he was there, Luchsinger said he felt a responsibility to meet people who had made the pilgrimage to see Lady Liberty and try to explain what was happening.
“People keep asking me, ‘Why?’” he said. “For many people, especially our foreign visitors, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, coming here, and it’s just sad that we have to turn people away.”
But he also worried about the impact on his staff—many of whom had never experienced a government shutdown before and live paycheck to paycheck. That was his experience during the last shutdown 17 years ago, when he was laid off for three weeks while working at Fire Island National Park and was forced to take a temporary job working at a gas station to support his family.

“I don’t profess to understand this or why this is happening,” he said. “I just hope Congress does their job so that we can do ours.”

28-Year-Old Man And His Daughter Arrested For Having S*x With Each Other...

A man and his step-daughter have been arrested and charged with incest in West Virginia.
According to reports, Police arrested 28-year-old Kelcey Nicholas and 21-year-old Lataura Jarrett and charged them with incest even though they are not related by blood and are both over the age of consent.
The couple reportedly face 15 years jail term.
Nicholas married Jarrett’s mother five years ago and authorities allege that she calls him ‘father’
Prosecuting Attorney James ‘P.K.’ Milam, Hopkins clarifies the definition of daughter in West Virginia law;According to state law, a daughter is the natural daughter of a person’s husband or wife — and Nicholas is still married to Jarrett’s mother, Hopkins said.
The two were charged with seven counts of incest, which under West Virginia law carried a penalty of anywhere between five and fifteen years in prison.

Source:

Santa Monica Airport crash..Terrible..

 

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Four bodies were found inside the burned wreckage of a private jet that crashed into a hangar while landing during the weekend, a coroner's official said Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013.

A crew was working to remove the remains from the aircraft at Santa Monica Airport, said Betsy Magdaleno, an investigator with the Los Angeles County coroner's office. (Associated Press)

New Treatment Restore Fertility To Five Barren Women..

In research that might redefine the limits of reproductive technology, scientists were able to restore fertility to five completely infertile women, one of whom later delivered a baby.
The unlikely new mother was a 29-year-old Japanese woman who had been in early menopause. She delivered a healthy baby boy in December using a new procedure developed at Stanford University. The study and the birth were reported Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The experiment was a small one; it involved 27 women in Japan with a condition called primary ovarian insufficiency, in which patients enter early menopause before the age of 40. Of these women, the researchers were able to help eight of them ovulate. They were able to create embryos from eggs retrieved from five of the women. Thus far, two of the women have become pregnant, and one has already successfully given birth, and the other is still pregnant.
While the procedure is still in its infancy, the authors of the report say it could have widespread applications to women who are barren and those who have low rates of ovulation.
“This procedure could be helpful to cancer survivors … [and] middle-aged woman with infrequent menses,” said lead study author Dr. Aaron Hsueh, who is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University.
The procedure is experimental for right now, and likely far too invasive to be considered by most women. It involves removing a woman’s ovary, cutting it into small pieces, treating these pieces with a medicine that stimulates egg development and re-implanting pieces of that ovary near the fallopian tubes, according to the study.
But while the procedure in the study might seem very invasive, Hseuh said he hopes to develop a more local, less invasive treatment in which the medicines used in the study can be directly injected into patients, thus bypassing the surgical removal of the ovary that was done in this study.
Hsueh added that one day, when it is combined with today’s IVF technologies, it might help increase the overall rates of successful pregnancies.
Dr. Rick Paulson, director of the fertility program at the University of Southern California, said the study, while preliminary, might offer promise going forward for women who today have no real prospects of being able to get pregnant.
“This is completely outside of current clinical practice,” said Paulson, who was not involved with the study.

Bukenya one for the future - Baxter..

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter welcomed Amakhosi’s new signing Ivan Bukenya following his conclusion of a two-year deal on Monday and described him as one for the future.

Speaking after taking the team's morning training session on Tuesday, Baxter said he was impressed by the Ugandan international. He added that the signing was part of the team's re-engineering process.

"This is part of the process of refreshing the team. Ivan is tall and very strong plus he has age on his side. We are strong at the back and we looked at him as one for the future and also giving us options tactically. He understands his role in the team as we have described it to him. He is willing to adapt and to take it one step at the time. I am excited to have him as part of the squad," said Baxter.

The Amakhosi coach said it might take some time before the Ugandan is given a run in the league or official cup competitions.

"I will not rush him until we are satisfied that he has adapted to our system as well as the culture in and around the Club. As I said before he arrived I heard good things about him and had an opportunity to look at him in the past month to analyse him and I am satisfied with what I have seen so far," Baxter said.

Bukenya will however get a taste of how it feels to wear the Chiefs jersey when his new team plays Bloemfontein Celtic in the Macufe Cup October 13 in Bloemfontein.

Obamacare: The Exchanges Are Here. Experts Answer Your Questions Live...

The federal government isn’t quite open for business today, but the health exchanges – the centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 – have officially launched today. (The exchanges are not affected by the shutdown that began at midnight because they are already funded.)

The Obama administration expects millions of consumers to apply for private insurance coverage. The first open enrollment period is six months – beginning in October and going through March 2014. And most Americans will be required to have health insurance, or pay a fine, starting in January.

So how do these insurance exchanges work and who should use them? There is, of course, much confusion. The rollout will, no doubt, come with some glitches. But if all (or most) goes according to plan, consumers who don’t have insurance or who buy it on their own will be able to shop for coverage online, and get subsidies depending on their income. Currently, 14 states have their own online exchanges, while the rest run in whole or part by the government.
Whether you’re generally confused about what the law does or you’re unclear how your medical history will impact your eligibility for getting insurance, post your questions in our live chat above, and our experts will do their best to help.

Congress continues to squabble on first day of a government shutdown..

               

U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement to the press about the government shutdown

The inside of the closed Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is seen in Washington October 1, 2013.

The U.S. Capitol dome is reflected in water on Capitol Hill in Washington after the U.S. government  …

On the morning of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, the political brinkmanship reached a stalemate when the Senate rejected a House request for a conference committee to take up a proposal to fund the government through Dec. 15 and delay a key part of the Affordable Care Act.
The Democrat-controlled Senate on Tuesday voted to table the House bill passed overnight that proposed the committee. The House bill also included language that would prohibit congressional staff members from receiving subsidies for their health care plans and delay Obamacare’s individual mandate to buy health insurance for one year.

By transitioning to a conference committee, the House and Senate would each appoint members to work out a deal to fund the government and end the shutdown. But appointing a committee would take the talks from public view to closed-door negotiating rooms where lawmakers and staffers could hash out their differences in private.
The Senate's refusal to accept the Republican proposal is the latest indication that the government shutdown, which began at midnight Tuesday, won't end immediately. This is the first shutdown since federal operations closed down under former President Bill Clinton in 1996
Before turning down the latest House offer Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the upper chamber would not accept conference talks until the House approves a measure to fund the government for six weeks that includes no extra amendments such as the ones aimed at crippling the federal health care law. Until the House passes a “clean” bill, he said, negotiations would stall.
"We will not go to conference with a gun to our head,” Reid said on the Senate floor.
The result of a shutdown came after House Republicans repeatedly refused to pass a bill to set federal spending levels unless the federal health care law was defunded or delayed. Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama repeatedly said they would not accept any spending bill that tampers with the law.
Last week, the House passed a bill to completely defund the health law. When the Senate rejected it, the House passed another version that would have abolished a tax on medical devices and delayed the law for a year. When the Senate rejected that, House Republicans passed another bill that would have delayed the individual mandate and revoked health insurance subsidies for congressional staffers. After the Senate said no to that, the clock ran out and the government shut down. That’s when the House asked for private negotiations — surprise, the Senate turned that down — and that’s where the parties stand now.

Meanwhile, Obama, who has called on Congress to pass a clean bill to fund the government, called the shutdown “completely preventable.”
"This shutdown was completely preventable,” Obama wrote in a letter to federal employees. “It should not have happened."

Obama is scheduled to make a statement in the Rose Garden at 12:25 p.m. ET about the opening Tuesday of Obamacare insurance exchanges and about the government shutdown.

The back-and-forth between the parties will continue throughout the day, as House Republicans recalibrate their strategy and Senate lawmakers huddle for partisan meetings this afternoon.

Unless they can find a compromise, the government will remain shut down until further notice.

The Republican strategy of coupling anti-Obamacare legislation with the threat of a government shutdown is unpopular, according to a national Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. American voters oppose the GOP's tactic by a ratio of 72 to 22 percent, according to the poll.

Kim Kardashian Stuns at Paris Fashion Week With Two Sexy Looks..

 

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Kim and Kanye head to Givenchy / Kim looks leggy and gorgeous strolling around Paris (WireImage/PacificCoastNe …

She's baaack!
Three and a half months after giving birth to daughter North West, Kim Kardashian made a triumphant return to the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week.

The 32-year-old reality star seriously stepped up her style game, rocking several fashion-forward looks over the weekend.
Leaving little Nori at home, Kim departed L.A. on Friday to meet up with beau Kanye West in the City of Light. After the 11-hour flight, Kim naturally looked a bit tired, but the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star quickly ditched her comfy leggings in favor of more fashionable attire.

On Saturday, Kim wore a form-fitting nude dress, an oversized camel wool coat, nude heels, and a gold "Nori" nameplate necklace (although she kept it tucked under her frock at times) as she and Kanye headed to the office of designer Stephane Rolland. The nude color did wonders to accentuate Kim's leggy look!
After their meeting, the 36-year-old rapper, who looked effortlessly chic as well, took his lady love to dine at the posh L'Avenue for lunch.

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Kim looked a bit tired after touching down in Paris, but she sure rebounded nicely! (Splash News)

That certainly wasn't Kim's only great look of the weekend.
The superstar couple sat front row at the Givenchy show on Sunday evening and upon their arrival Kim turned heads thanks to her edgy gown.
Sporting a sexy black peplum dress with a thigh-high split and strappy red stilettos, Kardashian looked confident as she hit the town with Kanye, who opted for an all-black getup.
On Sunday, Kardashian took to Twitter to thank Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of the French fashion house, who apparently made the dress for Kim just one day prior to the event.
"Thank you Ricky for making this for me the day before the show. I die for you. ‪#Givenchy4lifebaby," she wrote on Instagram.
Tisci also designed the dress Kim wore to the Met Gala in May, which was widely panned online and only encouraged those people who were already criticizing her pregnancy weight gain to attack her more.

Clearly, Kardashian is getting the last laugh.

Serero must explain - Igesund..

Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Thulani Serero will not be considered for future Bafana Bafana matches until he has written a letter to the association explaining himself after claiming that he was injured only to feature for his club a few days later.

The exclusion of Serero from the squad that will player Morocco on October 11 was not a surprise as the former Ajax Cape Town player is currently nursing an injury.

Bafana coach Gordon Igesund said that, even if the player was fit, he would have not been considered for this match. This is due to outstanding issues from the last camp where Serero was ordered out of the camp on the eve of the crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier against Botswana in Durban last month. This, Igesund said, did not mean that the door is closed on Serero.

Serero was asked to leave the camp for his lack of commitment after claiming that he was injured when, according to the medical team, that was not the case. However, Serero went on the offensive subsequent to that. He released a statement through his manager in SA stating that he did not fake injury and that he was committed to the national team.

A few days later he featured for his Dutch team in a league match before coming on as a second-half substitute in the Uefa Champions League match against Barcelona last week.

Igesund said the matter is now in the hands of the association, who have requested Serero to write a letter explaining himself. Until then, the player will not be considered for selection, Igesund said.



Full Bafana Squad

Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (C) (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Darren Keet (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)

Defenders: Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk, Belgium), Thabo Nthete (Bloemfontein Celtic), Bongani Khumalo (Doncaster Rovers, England), Tsepo Masilela (Kaizer Chiefs), Buhle Mkhwanazi (Tuks), Siyanda Xulu (FC Rostov, Russia), Kgosi Nthle (Peterborough, England)

Midfielders: Kamohelo Mokotjo (PEC Zwolle, Holland), Bongani Zungu (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Bidvest Wits), Ayanda Patosi (Lokeren, Belgium), Daylon Claasen (Lech Poznan, Poland), Keagan Dolly (Ajax Cape Town), Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers, England), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, England), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Lerato Chabangu (Moroka Swallows)

Strikers: Tokelo Rantie (Bournemouth, England), Kermit Erasmus (Orlando Pirates), Bernard Parker (Kaizer Chiefs).

Rhino horn poaching hits new record in South Africa..

The carcass of a rhino is seen after it was killed for its horn by poachers at the Kruger National Park …

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The number of rhinos killed by poachers has hit a new annual record in South Africa, raising worries of a downward population spiral in a country that is home to almost all of Africa's rhinos.
As of the end of September, 704 rhinos had been killed by poachers in South Africa, exceeding the annual record of 668 set in 2012, according to data provided by the Environmental Affairs ministry on Tuesday.
If the trend keeps at its current pace, more than 1,000 rhinos would be killed in 2014, putting the species on the brink of a population decline that the ministry has said could lead to the end of wild rhinos in about a decade.
The greatest threat to the estimated 22,000 rhinos in South Africa comes from those trying to cash in on the black market value of their horn, which sells at prices higher than gold.
Many of the poachers come from neighbouring Mozambique and sell the horn to crime syndicates to feed rapidly rising demand in Southeast Asia, where the horn is thought by some to cure cancer and tame hangovers.
"We need people to be ashamed of this. The fact that our rhinos are killed is because there is a market out there. There are people who are coming to steal our heritage," said Fundisile Mketeni, a top biodiversity official at the ministry.
He said a baby boom among rhino stocks is softening the blow, while the ministry has mounted a global campaign to shut the doors for illegal exports to places such as Vietnam, China and Thailand, which are the main consumers of the contraband.
ARMS RACE
Most of the killings are taking place in the flagship Kruger National Park, which borders Mozambique. The park covers an area about the size of Israel and has been the focus of an arms race between poachers and rangers.
The park service has been turning its rangers into soldiers, using drones to patrol airspace and sending out crack units by helicopter once suspected poachers have been sighted.
"The poaching syndicates are determined to carry on with their nefarious acts, using the poverty that is prevalent in Mozambique and South Africa to recruit poachers," said Ike Phaahla, a spokesman with South African National Parks.
Up until about 2010, only a handful of rhinos were poached but the number shot up when rumours circulated at about that time that a Vietnamese minister's relative was cured of cancer by the horn. There is no basis in science to support the claim.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the horn was used to treat maladies from rheumatism to devil possession. Now, many newly rich Vietnamese consume it after a hard night of partying.
Rhino horn, once seen as a treatment only for royalty, is being swallowed by a small segment of the Vietnamese population who can afford prices of about $65,000 a kilogram, conservation groups say.
Due to the high costs, much of the so-called rhino horn sold at pharmacies in major cities is fake, with buffalo horn the main substitute.

"There is a small group who have the money for rhino horn. We need to get out scientific evidence to show the people of Vietnam that it doesn't work," Vo Tuan Nhan, vice chairman of the Vietnamese parliament's science and environment committee, told a seminar in Johannesburg last month.

How Lolo Jones Gained 30 Pounds For Bobsled...

For most people, downing two shakes and a double bacon cheeseburger every day would be a dream.

For Lolo Jones, it was part of her job.

The Olympic hurdler, who is now hoping to make the Winter Olympic team as a bobsledder, told USA Today that she's gained some 30 pounds during the past few months. She's done so by eating 9,000 calories a day on a diet which includes two 1,365-calorie protein shakes and a McDonald's double bacon cheeseburger.

And it looks like she's thrown a donut or two into the mix:

  Whereas in track the leaner the better, in bobsled the idea is "mass pushes mass." And Jones could not be more satisfied with her new weight.

"I'm the heaviest ever in my life," Jones said. "It took so much work. I'm three pounds away from my ultimate goal."

While Jones says she weighed in at about 135 pounds when she competed in the London Olympics last year, after coming away without a medal she became depressed let her weight slip into the 120s.

It wasn't easy to gain so much weight while also maintaing her figure, but leave it to a potential two-sport Olympic athlete to pull it off.

"I'm pumped about this muscle weight," Jones said. "My abs are still there. I'm still cut, just super solid."

Swag from "Homerland" | THE SIMPSONS | ANIMATION on FOX

Kwara United to LMC, NFF: Don’t allow W/Wolves to bring the league to disrepute..

The management of Kwara United FC of Ilorin, has called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the League Management Company (LMC) not to allow Warri Wolves to bring Nigeria football and the league to disrepute.
The management was reacting to the Warri Wolves appeal against NFF Organising and Disciplinary (O&D) judgment which ordered the replay of the botched week 29 encounter played at the Kwara State Stadium Complex on Saturday, August 30th in Ilorin.
A statement from the Afonja Warriors camp expressed concern why Warri Wolves are crying foul over the NFF O&D verdicts.
The statement noted that no Warri Wolves players or official was attacked in the incident and that they refused to continue play after the match commissioner had ordered that the match be continued.
The statement added that if Warri Wolves refused to resume play as ordered by the match commissioner that day sighting security reasons the match has been rescheduled for a more secured venue which is most appropriate, hence no reason for Warri Wolves to complain again.
The statement also expressed disappointment over the comments of the Vice Chairman of O&D Iyke Igbokwue faulting a judgment he was part of.
The NFF O&D Vice chairman had gone on a Channelstv Sports programme ”SPORT TONIGHT” on Friday condemning his committee’s position over the Kwara United vs Warri Wolves week 29 abandoned Globacom Premier League match.
The management expressed the belief that involvement of such persons in the running of football in Nigeria will continue to cause confusion among Nigerians and may bring the game to disrepute if he is not called to order.
The management again expressed confidence on the LMC and NFF programmes and commended the LMC for what it has done to the Nigeria league of recent signing the 34 million dollars Supersport deal as one of the best event to have happened to football in Nigeria.

I didn’t sign single term agreement, says President

President Jonathan  

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday denied signing an agreement with governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to spend one term in office.
He challenged those who have the pact to produce the document.
The President spoke last night during a Presidential media chat – his fifth since his election in 2011- aired on national television.
Jonathan also spoke on various topics in the two-hour live programme in which he fielded questions from five journalists in the studio. He also took questions sent by some Nigerians.
He also spoke on the ongoing university teachers’ strike which is nearing the 90th day, the Boko Haram activities and the controversy over the death or otherwise of its leader Abubakar Shekau, oil theft, the state of the economy, corruption and the sack of some minister, among others.
Jonathan said: “I did not sign agreement with anybody; if I had signed an agreement, they would have shown you.
“What I said in Ethiopia was that should Nigerians agree to a single term of seven years, I would not be part of it so that they would not say I canvassed it in order to spend 12 years in office.
“A lot of people are misinforming Nigerians. I was in Addis Ababa when I advocated for this single tenure. I said if we look at the politics of Nigeria, especially now that the country is just developing…in terms of the political evolution, we started the First Republic, it collapsed, the Second Republic collapsed, the Third Republic collapsed. This is the very first time that we have stayed.
“So, I said if we look at the way we go about our politics, to be productive, definitely if a president a tenure of seven years of one term without any interference, he must be productive more than even in the so-called eight years. I advocated for that, people would say the president, having completed the late President Yar’Adua’s tenure and another four years that make it five years, want to serve for another seven year single tenure, that would make it 12 years.”
“If Nigerians agree to that single tenure, I believe it will be more
productive for the country because I am thinking more about the
country. I did not say oh, Jonathan is or not going to contest election. I discovered that  the concept of the single tenure which I was advocating at that time, it was when I was interfacing with some Nigerians in Addis Ababa, that some said I signed an agreement. They should show you the agreement.”
On his 2015 ambition, Jonathan said it is too early to declare.
He said: “We have laws in this country and our electoral laws regulate political activities. It gives the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) time frame to declare campaign open.
“My declaring early will create more problems for the system than solving it. A lot of people have been holding meetings silently but have you heard any of them coming out to say I want to be president or governor?”
On Boko Haram, Jonathan said it was not caused by poverty. He insisted that poor people cannot afford the weapons used by the sect.
When asked if Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau is dead or alive, Jonathan said: “I do not know whether he (Shekau) is dead or alive. I do not know him and have never seen him before. You cannot have clear information on security operation.
“If he was talking regularly in the past and suddenly stopped, there should be speculations.”
On the cademic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, the President said politics had crept into so many things. He said: “We have agreed on all issues, except transferring government’s assets to the university.
“Until we get to that level where universities that claim to be autonomous are autonomous in funding and other areas, we will still face similar challenges.
“The earned allowances which the lecturers are talking about are supposed to be paid from the Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) of the universities. The Federal Government cannot close all other departments because we want to solve ASUU problem.”
Jonathan wondered why state universities’ lecturers should join those in the federal universities to embark on strike.
He said: “Is it Federal Government that will provide infrastructure for state universities when we say we are in a federation? ASUU strike is very unfortunate because the union knows we are committed to revamping the infrastructure.”
The President also spoke on revenue, saying the monthly meetings to share allocation were not necessary.
He chided those who said the country was bankrupt, wondering why people play politics with serious issues.
Jonathan said: “How can someone say Nigeria is bankrupt? What are the yardsticks used when Nigeria currently has the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa. If Nigeria is bankrupt, investors will remove their money overnight.
“We should be mindful of what we say as citizens. Despite all political interests, we must take our country first when making statements.”
Appealing to ASUU to suspend the strike, he said the government’s commitment to make changes is total but that everything cannot be done overnight.
He said: “ We set up a team, technical team, they visited all the universities, all the hostels including the toilets that we had in the hostels, they  took photographs and videos records and when it was present to the executive council, I said it must be presented to the governors.
“So , I asked the Vice President that during the National Economic Council meeting with the governors, the Finance Minister is a member, the Planning Minister, Chief Economic Adviser to the President and the Central Bank Governor, the report should be presented.
“The report was on Federal Universities and states, we did not go to the private universities and we saw the enormous responsibilities that we have as a nation; the Vice-President could not recognise where he learnt his Architecture.
“I believe we can say there is misunderstanding; definitely, politics has come into so many things that we do, some we observe that the way we do certain things I have a feeling that something else is happening, they may be saying something different.
“Anybody who talked about Nigeria being broke is just playing politics with the issue, we should be mindful of what statement we make.”
He said Boko Haram did not start in 2009 and that because it was not handled properly at the initial stage, it became cancerous.
He denied the allegation that the sack of ministers has anything to do with the aggrieved governors.
On privitasation, he said: “There is no selective privatisation, you cannot privatise everything the same day.”
On power, he said: “We are not talking about how many megawatts. That is not the issue, because. When we generate  and you do not have the capacity to evacuate, then you have done nothing.
“As at the time we were talking about megawatt, we couldn’t  even have done more than 5500 megawatts, but  We are taken the whole chain, including the privatisation of Gencos and Discos.”
He said those criticising the Petroleum Ministry are those who want to get oil blocks or lift oil and are not able to do so.
“They will complain. Most of the stories are based on perception. Some of the stories are ‘molue’ stories. We are now paying a little less than a Trillion.”
On oil theft, he said: “When something starts in a very small way, if it is not checked it will result in what we are seen now. I can assure you that we will get it under control. Government is also working with other heads of states outside Nigeria. There is no reason why you should accept stolen crude oil. It is not done by poor people.”

Seven beheaded on Maiduguri/Damaturu road...

 

Seven people were killed in Makintamari village in Kaga Local Government in Borno state along the Damaturu/Maiduguri road.
Eyewitnesses said the travellers were beheaded with their heads placed on their lifeless bodies on the main road.
At the Makintafamari village, in a separate incident, gunmen also cut the throats of four persons on Saturday. They were returning to Maiduguri in the evening.
Borno Police chief Lawal Tanko confirmed the attacks .
Makintamari is a few kilometers from Benishek where over 100 travelers were murdered a week ago by suspected Boko Haram sect members.
Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said: “We call on Mr. President and all the security chiefs, to intensify security operations through aerial surveillance, to contain the situation before it consumes the region and country.
“On our way from Maiduguri to Damaturu this afternoon (Sunday), we saw a trailer and bus that were burnt, with the occupants slaughtered and their corpses littering the highway.
“Government should rise up to its responsibilities to save the lives and properties of its citizens,” he pleaded15.
The governor said that anyone travelling on the Damaturu to Maiduguri highway, was taking a huge risk.
He urged the newly established Seven Division of the Nigerian Army, to intensify surveillance of all flash points in the two states, to flush out the insurgents.

New PDP, tread softly

Baraje

NIGERIA’S 1999 Constitution spells out the basic requirements for various political offices, including that of the President of the Federal Republic. President Goodluck Jonathan met these basic requirements; otherwise he would not have been elected President. We are also aware that governors and the president are allowed a maximum of two terms of four years each. The only barrier that could stop them from going for second term are Nigerians who may choose not to reelect them for whatever reason.
This is why we are surprised by threats by members of the New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the President should drop his ambition to seek reelection in 2015, unless he wants the country to disintegrate. A statement signed by the publicity secretary of the Alhaji Kawu Baraje faction of the party said the President would be breaching the constitution if he decides to seek reelection. It condemned what it called the desperation of the President to contest the 2015 election against the admonitions of some respected Nigerians. “What else is he looking for that is making him desperate to participate in the 2015 presidential election, despite warnings that doing so may spark a chain of events capable of culminating in the country’s disintegration, thereby bringing to pass the predictions of Lord Lugard that Nigeria as a nation by 2014 may be history, later confirmed by the US think-tank that Nigeria may disintegrate by 2015”, the statement added.
It is true that personalities such as Professor Ben Nwabueze and Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, have advised that President Jonathan should stay away from the 2015 presidential race. As a matter of fact, we share this opinion, given the fact that we cannot see the benefits that the Jonathan presidency has delivered to Nigerians. And if his government cannot deliver democratic dividend for more than three years that he has been in office, including the remaining period of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua presidency that he completed, there is nothing to suggest that it will ever improve.
But then, our dislike (or that of any other Nigerian for that matter) of his administration, cannot be a substitute for constitutional provisions. The law should be the compass in all we do if we are to advance the cause of democracy. Yes, we expect the Nigerian leader to be a man of his words; in this context we are talking about the pact that the President allegedly signed with governors of his party while seeking election in 2011, to the effect that he would only spend one term of four years. But so far, Nigerians have not seen the document. For now, it is the word of those claiming that the pact exists versus that of the President. If the President has reneged on that pact, and members of the New PDP feel sufficiently aggrieved, they may approach the courts to decide the matter.
Even the other leg of their argument that Jonathan’s “running in 2015 will mean spending a total of 10 years in office” and that this would be contrary to constitutional provisions, the President having been sworn in for three terms as president, should be similarly decided.
We empathise with members of the New PDP but hasten to add that they should seek to stop the President by lawful means instead of resorting to threats of violence. In this wise, they should rally to defeat the President and his ambition. The fact is that the Jonathan presidency has won so many enemies for itself, for various reasons and the only thing the aggrieved can do is to come together with the aim of stopping him, either at the courts or at the polling booths. This can only be possible if the opposition ensures that the principle of ‘one man, one vote’ is strictly adhered to at the polls.

How PDP, Presidency plan to rig 2015 polls, by APC

ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has uncovered an alleged grand and serpentine plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Presidency to rig the 2015 general elections, especially the presidential poll, and also to destabilise the country.
In a statement yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the multi-faceted strategy that is being employed by the diabolical duo of the PDP and the Presidency, include suppression of votes in areas where the President’s chances are slim, using the police and the military.
They also plan to use what they have tagged a Third Force to bamboozle Nigerians and project the image of a performing Presidency, even when they admit that the current public perception of government is less than salutary because of its weakness and lack of vision; Engage in the destabilization of the APC using moles and fifth columnists; Instigate chaos in the Southwest using what they called the ‘’Old Afenifere Guards’’ as well as infiltrate and weaken socio-cultural and socio-political organisations in areas they deemed to be unfavourable to the President.
Shockingly, the party said, the PDP/Presidency’s grand plot also did not exclude even the PDP itself, as they are pursuing a strategy of decisively and ruthlessly purging from the ranks of the party’s inner decision-making caucus all recalcitrant members, including governors and House of Representatives members.
‘’The dogged pursuit of this action of dealing with supposed recalcitrant members has led to suspensions, expulsions and alienation of some PDP members, and it was the immediate trigger of the collapse of the party of tattered umbrella,’’ APC said.
‘’After all, it is said that a house divided against itself cannot stand.’’
Elaborating on the satanic plot, the party said the Northeast and the Northwest have been singled out as areas where votes must be suppressed in 2015, by creating an enabling environment for the deployment of ‘’special forces’’ in the run-up to the 2015 elections. Simply put, they intend to launch police/military actions in the run-up to 2015, to ensure most of the registered voters in the zones are disenfranchised.
‘’The reason these two geo-political zones have been singled out for ‘vote suppression’ is because of what the PDP/Presidency called the ‘voting demographics’ in the zones in 2011. The North west had 18,900, 543 registered voters in 2011 while the Northeast had 10,038,119. By contrast, the President’s ‘safe support base’ of Southsouth and Southeast had 8,937,057 and 7,028,560 respectively, the total of which was less than that of the Northwest alone!
‘’The PDP/Presidency therefore believe that unless the votes in these two zones are suppressed, and those of the Southwest (14,298,356) stifled one way or the other, the chances of the President winning re-election are very poor. Needless to say that these three zones (NE, NW and SW) are considered to be hostile to the President, hence must be tamed,’’ the APC said.
On the Third Force, APC said it involves railroading unsuspecting credible and independent-minded Nigerians with deep knowledge of, and extensive penetration of the media, civil societygroups, labour, youth, women and ethnic nationalities into the plan, in which they will be given scripts written by the government and sent out to inundate the airwaves and the print media, posing as experts and public analysts to peddle lies and reel out statistics that have no bearing on the standard of living of the average Nigerian.
The party said perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the plot is the determined attempt by the PDP/Presidency to constrict the democratic space by moving against the main opposition party which they regard as a ‘’real threat’’ to the President if it (party) does not implode or forced to break up before 2015.
The strategy to achieve this is multi-pronged: The PDP/Presidency will use those they called fifth columnists, disillusioned party members and ‘deep cover plants’ to fracture the APC; Play up clash of ambitions among its leaders, as well as create and empower a new anti-APC political force in the South-West, comprising the old Afenifere guards whom they described as spent and disillusioned forces, but who can be manipulated to achieve the desired objective of neutralising the APC; And to revive some dormant political forces.
APC said while it is not bothered by the desperation of the PDP/Presidency to engage in unfair and foul means to win elections, it is astounded that a democratically-elected President will resort to actions that are far from democratic just to retain power at all cost.
‘’The PDP/Presidency should know that no power in the world can stop an idea whose time has come. For Nigeria, this is the time for change, and change will come in spite of the shenanigans of the devilish duo. Our hope is that these desperadoes do not destroy the country in their rabid ambition,’’ the party said.
It called on Nigerians to be vigilant in the days, weeks and months ahead as the PDP/Presidency begin to roll out their grand plot.
But PDP has described as unfounded and mere sophistry the APC allegation that it has concluded plans to rig the 2015 presidency and general elections, stating that it is part of the failures associated with the opposition party, as it is designed to fail.
According to its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, “this is all excuses for the APC envisioned monumental failure in the 2015 polls. The APC is a media creation. They are not on ground. The statement is merely trying to justify its anticipated failure”.
The PDP spokesman said that the ruling party will “no longer dignify disgruntled and frustrated persons and groups with responses and replies. We have directed all organs of the party to engage only in productive and proactive activities”.
Accordingly, he said: “The PDP is only willing to discuss the policies and programs of the government. Nigerians will like to know the oppositions’ alternatives to the President’s programmes”.

Photos: Rihanna wears fishnet bodysuit on set of her new video ..

She's getting naked again in her new video. The singer shared behind-the-scenes pics from her latest music video, Pour It Up, on her instagram page yesterday. See more photos after the cut...

Fed Govt, Chinese firm sign $1.3b Zungeru hydro-electric contract..

The Federal Government has signed the contract for the Zungeru Hydro-Electric Power Project, which will add 700 megawatts (MW) to the national grid, when the project is completed.
The cost of the project is $1,293,573,013.08 and 75 per cent of this would be financed by a loan provided by the China Eximbank. The Federal Government has paid 25 per cent of the cost as a counterpart fund.
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, signed for Nigeria while Chinese Ambassador Deng Boqing signed on behalf of his country.
The Zungeru Hydro-Electric Power Project is considered one of the country’s legacy power projects, and the contract will be executed by a consortium of two Chinese companies China National Electric and Engineering Corporation (CNEEC) and SinoHydro.
A statement by Paul Nwabuikwu, the Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, said the project was captured in the 2012-2014 Medium Term Borrowing Plan approved by the National Assembly.
The statement said: “The loan is obtained at a highly favourable concessional terms of 2.5 per cent interest rate with a seven-year grace period and 20 years’ maturity.”
Dr Okonjo-Iweala, the statement said, explained that the project would have significant positive impact in many areas.
She said: “It would create thousands of jobs for Nigerian engineers, technicians and artisans during the construction phase directly and indirectly. It would also boost the local economy in Zungeru as well as its environs.”
The minister added that President Goodluck Jonathan had given ministries and agencies involved in the project the marching orders and that it should be executed according to schedule.