Why FG Rejected Gay Marriage Despite Foreign Pressure – Minister Turaki

The Minister of Special Duties in the Presidency, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki has given an insight into how the Federal Government took the decision to reject gay marriage at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) despite pressure from the international community to legalize it.

Turaki made this known on Wednesday at his residence in Abuja when he hosted staff of his Ministry and his friends to breaking of Ramadan fast.

According to the minister, Nigerians are highly religious people and as such, FEC could not endorse such anti-religious practice in a country like Nigeria.

“When we were at the Federal Executive Council and we were discussing the issue of gay marriage, we all said that it is very unnatural. How can we explain this to Nigerians? That a man will go and marry a man and a woman will go and marry a fellow woman. Then we also discussed the aspect of the psychological and mental trauma that the children of such union, whether adopted or not, will have to go through. For example when they go to school and they are asked; who are your parents? And they have to answer that their mummy and daddy are both men or are both female. This does not fit into a highly religious society like ours,” he said.

Turaki added that “There is nowhere in the world where God is worshipped like in Nigeria. Even traditional worshippers also take their religion very seriously. We pray a lot and that is why God has not forsaken Nigeria. We have been through situations that saw many countries went into pieces but whatever happens in Nigeria, like an elephant, Nigeria will only shake its body and move on”.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, who spoke on behalf of staff of the Ministry, commended the great humility displayed by the Minister in inviting the staff to break fast.

Present at the gathering were a former Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali Abubakar Jatau and Mr. Joe Kyari Gadzama, a senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). 

Arsene Wenger Still Targeting Luis Suarez

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Arsenal still want to sign Luis Suarez from Liverpool.

Wenger refused though to be drawn on the details of Arsenal's bid, insisting he wants to keep negotiations with Liverpool "amicable".

The Gunners are yet to land a big-name summer signing, despite chief executive Ivan Gazidis saying Wenger has "financial firepower" in the summer window.

Arsenal were linked with Gonzalo Higuain but he opted to join Napoli - Arsenal's Emirates Cup opponents on Saturday - from Real Madrid.

Wenger has made two bids for Suarez - the second being £40million plus £1, which was intended to trigger a clause that would allow them to discuss terms with the Uruguayan.

Liverpool insist that they intend to keep hold of the striker, who joined up with Brendan Rodgers' squad on the tour of Australia.

Wenger said: "I don't want to speak about Suarez, because that is between Liverpool and Arsenal. We will completely respect what Liverpool wants to do. We want to (sign the player) if it is feasible in an amicable way.

"I am a great believer you have to keep as much confidentiality as possible, which is quite difficult in the modern world.

"But we work very hard, not only on the case you name, but on other different cases."

US Embassies To Shut Over 'Security Threat'

The US will close a number of embassies and consulates, mostly in the Middle East, on Sunday in response to an unspecified threat, officials say.

A state department spokeswoman said the order applied to any embassy or consulate normally open on Sunday.

In the Muslim world, Sunday is a work day. In other parts of the world US diplomatic offices are shut on Sunday.

Last year on 11 September, the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, leaving four Americans dead. Other embassies are routinely targets of protesters.

"We have instructed all US embassies and consulates that would have normally been open on Sunday to suspend operations, specifically on August 4th," a senior state department official told the BBC.

"It is possible we may have additional days of closing as well."

The official said the state department had "been apprised of information" leading it to these "precautionary steps... out of an abundance of caution".

US Representative Ed Rogers, chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, told CNN the threat was related to al-Qaeda.

"It's my understanding that it is al Qaeda-linked, all right, and the threat emanates in the Middle East and in Central Asia," Mr Royce said.

An unnamed US official earlier told the broadcaster the threat was "credible and serious".

CBS News reported that among those affected by closure would be the embassies or consulates in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Last year, the attack on the facility in Benghazi led to the deaths of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, as well as three other US consulate staff.

Driver In The Deadly Train Crash Speaks

The driver of the train that derailed in northwestern Spain, killing 79 people, has said he was traveling at twice the speed limit when he approached a treacherous turn.

But, sitting uneasily before a judge, he waved his hands in front of his face and was at a loss to explain why he didn't slow down in a courtroom video released by a Spanish newspaper Thursday.

"I can't explain it," Francisco Jose Garzon Amo said, shifting in his chair and looking around. "I still don't understand how I didn't see ... mentally, or whatever. I just don't know."

The journey was "going fine" until the curve was upon him, he said. When the danger became clear, he thought, "Oh my God, the curve, the curve, the curve. I won't make it."

The edited video of Garzon's appearance at Sunday night's court session in Santiago de Compostela, where the accident occurred last week, was released by Spain's ABC newspaper. Two court officials said the video appeared authentic. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the video has not been officially released.

In it, Garzon, a slightly-built 52-year-old with short-cropped gray hair and glasses, appears shaken and at times hesitant. He sits in a simple chair in front of the judge, with four rows of chairs behind him in the small courtroom.

Garzon is wearing a dark jacket and trousers with an open-necked shirt. Behind him are two men in dark uniforms, and several other unidentified people are in the room. He also answers questions from a prosecutor.

Garzon's testimony added little new to what is already known about the crash on the evening of July 24 as the high-speed train, carrying 218 people in eight carriages, approached the capital of Spain's northwestern Galician region. But the video was the public's first look at the court testimony of the driver who walked away from the accident with a gash in his head.

Israel To Be Sued For Killing Jesus

A Kenyan lawyer is suing the Holy Land for killing Jesus.

Kenyan lawyer Dola Indidis has taken on the ‘case for Christ’ as he is suing the State of Israel, the Republic of Italy and a whole slew of New Testament characters on behalf of the “Friends of Jesus.”

Indidis filed his suit in the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, also bringing suit against Tiberius, the Emperor of Rome; Pontius Pilate; Annas, a Jewish Chief Priest; King Herod; Jewish elders and Jewish teachers of the law.

“I filed the case because it’s my duty to uphold the dignity of Jesus and I have gone to the ICJ to seek justice for the man from Nazareth,” Indidis told Nairobian, a local Kenyan paper. “His selective and malicious prosecution violated his human rights through judicial misconduct, abuse of office bias and prejudice.”

For Indidis, it’s all about human rights, and he feels as though Jesus suffered greatly. In particular, the lawyer is challenging the modes of questioning used in Jesus’ trial more than 2,000 years ago.

“Jesus came here on Earth as a human being,” Indidis told Kenyan Citizen News. “Now when he died, he was not given an opportunity to be heard. No one speaks for him.”

Although most of the defendants are long deceased, Indidis still sees merit in the case as it could set a precedent for the future.

“This case is not about fanaticism,” he told Nairobian. “It’s a case of law and it’s the duty of counsel to help in the development of law.”

Indidis, who apparently has been studying the case for over 10 years, gathered his evidence from the Bible.

“Evidence today is on record in the Bible, and you cannot discredit the Bible,” he told Kenyan Citizen News.

While Nairobian reported that ICJ had put together a panel to hear the case, a spokesperson for ICJ reportedly told Legal Cheek the opposite.

“The ICJ has no jurisdiction for such a case,” the spokesperson said. “The ICJ settles disputes between states. It is not even theoretically possible for us to consider this case.”

Man Sat Dead at Dinner Table for 2 Days Before Neighbors Noticed

The 51-year-old man had been found dead at his dinner table with a plate of food in front of him in the Townsville suburb of North Ward, Australia.

Townsville neighbours thought that a man who had died while sitting in a chair at his dining room table was asleep.

After a while they realised that he hadn't moved for several days and raised the alarm.

Townsville police senior sergeant Tony Melrose said that they were not treating the death as suspicious.

"We expect his death to be of natural causes given the absence of injuries, violence and the fact he was seated in the chair," he said.

Also he added that a post mortem examination was due to be completed today.

How Policemen Sold PDP Chairman Tukur's Stolen Rams

Three former police officers were arraigned today in a Wuse Zone 2 Chief Magistrates' Court for reportedly selling three stolen rams, according to the Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Mohammed Ahmed.

The dismissed policemen were identified as Grace Antozah, 38, Yahaya Alhaji, 30, and Esther Yahaya, 32; the accused were attached to the Karu Divisional Police Headquarters in Abuja.

The three detained law and order officers assisted in selling off three rams at the Kugbo Market, Abuja, knowing that the animals were stolen.

Sgt. Mohammed Ahmed informed the court that on April 8, one Musa Tapwa reported a case of theft in connection with the matter at the Karu Police Station.

"Tapwa, a gardener attached to PDP Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur's residence at plot 155, Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, reported that three men, Dalhatu Musa, Musa Aliyu and Kalli Kadai, stole the three rams from the house.

"The three men, all of Bierra Crescent, off Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, formed a common intention, broke into the house and stole the rams and gave them to the policemen."

The prosecutor further narrated that on April 13, the matter was transferred from the Karu Police Station to the Maitama Division Police Station for further investigation.

The former police officers are standing trial for the offence of concealing stolen property, which is contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code.

If found guilty, the three can be punished with imprisonment up to five years, or fined, or both.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the offence.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Anthony Ogboyi, granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 each and a reasonable surety each, residing within the jurisdiction of the court. He ordered that the sureties must have a fixed address and must deposit their passport photographs with the court registrar.

The case has been adjourned to Aug. 7 for further hearing.

Amnesty Committee: "Constructive Dialogue With Boko Haram Remains Major Challenge"

Engaging in constructive dialogue with key members of the Boko Haram sect remains a "major challenge" for the Presidential Committee on Amnesty, according to the Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki.

Turaki, Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North Chairman's, comments were made in Abuja, during a meeting with foreign diplomats in the country, and followed the two-month extension granted by President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday to the committee for bringing peace to the northern part of the country.

Although the committe was inaugurated in April, the insurgency in the north had continued -- even after the reported ceasefire agreement was reached with members of Boko Haram.

Turaki told members of the diplomatic corps that "this committee is focused, and, as far as our terms of reference are concerned, we have been able to achieve a lot."

He listed some of the committee's achievements: the release of women and children of alleged Boko Haram members, wrongly detained by security operatives, and building "confidence and trust" of some of the group's members.

He specifically noted that the ongoing dialogue with some critical members of the group would help the committee to establish a comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the insecurity in the country.

"We hope that very soon and within the timeframe the president gave us, this committee will be able to conclude the dialogue, as much as practicable.

"This will then enable the appropriate government agency to sign a ceasefire agreement that will see the end of this insurgency," he said.

The meeting with diplomats later went into a closed-door session.

Cesc Fabregas Would Improve Manchester United - David De Gea

David De Gea says Spain team-mate Cesc Fabregas would "greatly improve" Manchester United's squad.

United have been unsuccessful with two bids for the Barcelona midfielder and are reportedly set to make a third offer of £40m.

"He will have to make the decision whether he wants to stay or join us," De Gea told the Manchester Evening News. "It would be a very good signing and he would help us improve greatly."

De Gea was unsuccessful in convincing Spanish U21 team-mate Thiago Alcantara to move to Old Trafford, the midfielder opting to join former coach Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

But the 22-year-old insists that the Premier League remains the best in the world and wants more Spaniards to make the move to England.

"It's the best organised league," he said. "Everything is well organised on every level, even financially. You can see this. The players know it. It's a very attractive league and I like it a lot.

"The grounds are full so it's understandable that Spaniards should want to come here. It's important there are more Spaniards so that the Premier League is followed more in Spain.

"It's great that Spanish players are in England, it makes everything more fun. Hopefully players from our country keep going to England.

"I've been here for two years, I feel that I have a normal life. Also, I have family and friends who come over a lot. I am very settled."

Woman Gives Birth To Baby On Metro Subway

It's a boy! Washington Metro authorities announced via Twitter on Thursday that a 23-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy on the platform of a busy downtown metro stop.

Metro authorities identified the mother as Shavonnte Taylor, 23. They said the baby was named Amir Mason, and weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds 5 ounces.

Mother and son were helped by an off-duty emergency medical technician, a woman who happened to be on the same train, according to a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority spokesman, Philip Stewart.

DJ Spinall Denies Smoking Marijuana

In a recent HipHopWorld Magazine story, the rising DJ Spinall allegedly said marijuana makes him a better person, but now he denies everything.

He reportedly said, "Two, I don’t like cigarettes. I like weed. Weed makes you a better person, it makes you holy and cigarette kills you, it leads to cancer."

Though in a telephone interview wit NET, the DJ says he was only asked about his opinion as regards smoking and not if he smoked or not.

"I don’t even smoke at all, I hardly drink", he told NET.

DJ Spinall is currently the official DJ for Wande Coal and Spinlet’s weekly industry Nite.

Analysis: Why Is Europe Getting Tougher On African Migrants?

As Africa's economic fortunes rise and the continent continues to be charmed by superpowers, spare a thought for the millions of Africans in faraway lands. 

While we know that some of the great presidents of our times - Jomo Kenyatta, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Thabo Mbeki - all passed through some far-flung university or another, millions more after them did the same and many more in this 21st Century have landed on European or US shores.

But every now and again, a backlash of predictably blinkered vision finds a finger being pointed at immigrants of every type and shade and the accusation "illegal" is thrown in their direction and fevered opinion declares that there are thousands of people milking the system. Folk are disliked for their physical difference and decades of contributions and hybrid families featuring an African heritage are casually ignored.

We recently heard, for instance, of an Angolan man who died on a plane while being forcibly removed from his adopted home, from his five children and from his 15- year life in the UK.

And also of an Italian cabinet minister of Congolese decent being likened to an orangutan by a fellow Italian politician, whose own looks would not make Italian Vogue.

'Throwing bananas'

Cecile Kyenge has been thrown into the lion's den by her portfolio as Italy's integration minister as she actively campaigns for an easier route to make immigrants Italian citizens.

If you are born in Italy, Ms Kyenge believes, you ought to be an Italian citizen.

As she gave her speech last week, bananas were thrown in her direction - following on from the "resemblance to an orangutan" gag from Roberto Calderoli, vice-president of Italy's senate.

Ms Kyenge's reasoning is sound to the rest of us, for there are hundreds of Italians born in African countries who have the luxury of dual citizenship, despite Italy's 20th Century adventures in Asmara and Addis Ababa.

So, the footballer Mario Balotelli may have been adopted by Italian parents but had his Ghanaian parents held on to him why could he not become an Italian citizen as one born in Italy?

As it happens, Mr Balotelli's goal-scoring feats in the Azzurri's colours have never really stopped the ignorant from throwing bananas at him either.

North of the Mediterranean in the UK a new king-to-be was born just the other week; it would have been possible to imagine him a century ago as being the future head of a realm in which most of Africa on the maps was painted in the pink of empire from Lagos to Lamu, Cairo to the Cape.

Of course young Prince George will not inherit so wide an empire as the Georges who came before him, but so shaken are his great grandmother's ministers at the prospect of increased migration, African or otherwise, they have taken a cricket bat to the problem and decided to pummel it in the head.

Mugabe on the UK

Firstly they proposed that certain visitors, including Nigerians, pay a $4,600 "security bond" for the privilege of being a tourist in the UK.

The figures say Nigerians are the sixth biggest-spending tourists in Prince George's future kingdom - above them are the people from China, the Middle East, Russia and Thailand - but none of these will be asked to pay a deposit.

The shops, including Harrods, have been wondering what her majesty's ministers are doing chasing away good Nigerian money.

Not content with going after the rich, the ministers then sent a lorry onto the streets of London in areas deemed to contain high populations of migrants, carrying the crude billboard message - "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest".

Everywhere you look it seems the walls of intolerance are rising.

Of course such messages are aimed at every shade of migrant, including the millions who stepped over from eastern Europe, but it is difficult to escape the feeling that migrant means you. Yes, you.

Meanwhile, on the campaign trail just the other day, one of Africa's oldest statesmen - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe - could see the issue clear as glass.

Bemoaning his countryfolk's tendency to jump the borders when things get tricky at home, he invited them back.

"If you said: 'Mugabe' they would just say come in, come in… But see now, they are saying these people are too many…let them go back," he said of other country's immigration policies.

"Why run to Britain, a very cold and uninhabitable country where the houses are very small, why go there? Can those who went there show us what they did with their time?" he asked.

While mansions have been built across Africa on a cleaner's salary, children educated on a bus driver's wages, economies revived by money transfers from across Europe, families raised in Europe's high rises and beyond - questions are ringing for Africa's army of migrants.

All Men Trace To Man Who Lived 135,000 Years Ago - Genetic 'Adam & Eve' Study

Almost every man alive can trace his origins to one man who lived about 135,000 years ago, new research suggests. And that ancient man likely shared the planet with the mother of all women.

The findings, published in journal Science, come from the most complete analysis of the male sex chromosome, or the Y chromosome, to date. The results overturn earlier research, which suggested that men's most recent common ancestor lived just 50,000 to 60,000 years ago.

Despite their overlap in time, ancient "Adam" and ancient "Eve" probably didn't even live near each other, let alone mate. [The 10 Biggest Mysteries of the First Humans]

"Those two people didn't know each other," said Melissa Wilson Sayres, a geneticist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study.

Tracing history

Researchers believe that modern humans left Africa between 60,000 and 200,000 years ago, and that the mother of all women likely emerged from East Africa. But beyond that, the details get fuzzy.

The Y chromosome is passed down identically from father to son, so mutations, or point changes, in the male sex chromosome can trace the male line back to the father of all humans. By contrast, DNA from the mitochondria, the energy powerhouse of the cell, is carried inside the egg, so only women pass it on to their children. The DNA hidden inside mitochondria, therefore, can reveal the maternal lineage to an ancient Eve.

But over time, the male chromosome gets bloated with duplicated, jumbled-up stretches of DNA, said study co-author Carlos Bustamante, a geneticist at Stanford University in California. As a result, piecing together fragments of DNA from gene sequencing was like trying to assemble a puzzle without the image on the box top, making thorough analysis difficult.

Y chromosome

Bustamante and his colleagues assembled a much bigger piece of the puzzle by sequencing the entire genome of theY chromosome for 69 men from seven global populations, from African San Bushmen to the Yakut of Siberia.

By assuming a mutation rate anchored to archaeological events (such as the migration of people across the Bering Strait), the team concluded that all males in their global sample shared a single male ancestor in Africa roughly 125,000 to 156,000 years ago.

In addition, mitochondrial DNA from the men, as well as similar samples from 24 women, revealed that all women on the planet trace back to a mitochondrial Eve, who lived in Africa between 99,000 and 148,000 years ago — almost the same time period during which the Y-chromosome Adam lived.

More ancient Adam

New 'Doctor Who' Star To Be Unveiled

The new star of Doctor Who will be revealed in a special live programme on Sunday, the BBC has announced.

The half-hour show, presented by Zoe Ball, will feature an interview with the new lead, as well as 11th Doctor Matt Smith and executive producer Steven Moffat.

"The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who's taking over the Tardis," Moffat said.

"For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve."

Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, is on BBC One at 7pm on 4 August.

According to the official announcement, Ball "will unveil the 12th Doctor in the first ever interview in front of a live studio audience set against the backdrop of a swirling vortex, amongst Daleks and the Tardis".

Smith, who has played the Time Lord since 2010, announced in June that he would be bowing out in this year's Christmas special.

The announcement sparked much speculation about who might take over, with Peter Capaldi, Ben Daniels, Rory Kinnear and Ben Whishaw among the bookies' favourites.

ASUU Strike: Governmental Subcommittee to Be Set, Next Meeting with Lecturers Shifted to Tuesday

The consultations between striking university lecturers and the representatives of the Federal Government on August 1 did not resolve the contending issues, but the parties have agreed on setting up of a government committee.

This was revealed by the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Mr. Nasiru Fagge, in a telephone interview with the reporters.

Mr. Fagge explained that the last meeting was ‘an inaugural meeting’ and that the head of the government negotiating team and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Pius Anyim, stated “what he wants to do.”

He said the government delegation set up a sub-committee to source data from the National Planning Ministry on the contentious issues while the government’s meeting with the lecturers would continue on Tuesday.

The striking university lecturers demand that government fully implements the 2009 agreement with ASUU, while the government says it wants to renegotiate some parts of the agreement.

The strike is currently in its fifth week as hundreds of thousands of public university students are kept out of class.

The lecturers, through their various zonal executives, have said that they would not return to class until government agrees to implement the 2009 agreement fully. 

Is "Mutual Respect" Between Islam And Christianity Possible? Pope Addresses the Issue

On Friday, Pope Francis called on for "mutual respect" between Christianity and Islam and an end to "unfair criticism" in a personal message congratulating Muslims on the feast of Eid al-Fitr.

"We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values,” he said in a statement distributed by the Vatican press office.

"I have decided to sign this traditional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.

"We all know that mutual respect is fundamental in any human relationship, especially among people who profess religious belief," the pontific said.

The statement was addressed 'To Muslims Throughout the World,' and the Vatican explained that the message has been traditional since 1967, but only John Paul II in 1991 previously sent a similar personal message.

The feast of Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan for all Muslims, a period of prayer and fasting.

Francis has called for stronger ties with Islam, and the saint he chose for his pontifical title, St Francis of Assisi, is widely respected in the Muslim world.

PHOTONEWS: Korean TV Station Captures Suicide Process

The weird intention off a South Korean man to kill himself was supported by a local TV station that captured the whole process on camera on July 26, 2013.

The man left a message about his intentionf to jump from a bridge on social network on July 25, 2013 and he kept his word, he commited suicide on July 26, 2013.

While KBS Television captured the process, which raised moral arguments about news coverage.

Couple Breaks Into School To Have Sex

Two teen lovebirds are accused of breaking into a high school to have sex, WFTV reported.

It's unclear whether Vincent Ewell, 18, and Lindsay Longbottom, 19 actually engaged in any hands-on biology lessons inside the high school, but cops say they found the pair driving away from the high school after the break-in at around 3 a.m. Wednesday, WESH reported.

While inside the building, Ewell and Longbottom allegedly vandalized vending machines to satisfy what they described to cops as "beer munchies," according to WKMG.

Officers say Longbottom told them they broke into the high school because they needed a place to have sex where her boyfriend wouldn't find out.

They are both charged with burglary. Ewell is also charged with criminal mischief.

NIGHTMARE TURNS INTO REALITY: Dog Bites Off Sleeping Owner's Testicle

The dog's owner, a 39-year-old paralyzed man, recently adopted the "small white fluffy" stray in hopes of having a loving animal companion, but instead, the dog had to be euthanized after it bit off one of the man's testicles while he was asleep on Monday morning.

The man, who told police he has no feeling from the waist down, woke up with a "burning pain" in his mid-section.

He looked down and found his newly adopted dog between his legs, according to KAIT8.com.

The victim told police he sleeps in the nude and noticed his dog had blood on its feet and muzzle.

That's when he also realized that the dog had eaten one of his testicles, WMC-TV reported.

According to a police report , the man was taken to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries.

The dog, which had been adopted by the man three weeks earlier, was euthanized with its remains tested for rabies by a local veterinarian.

Rumble in the North

This title takes me back to the last years of 1990s, to those days we used to gather in our Big Man neighbour's living room for communal viewing of the movie "Rumble in the Bronx". We would laugh our hearts out at the stunts of Jackie Chan. The Bronx, he didn't know, being a visitor from Hong Kong, was a hub of street gangsters and standing in their way is a call for a “rumble”. Those movie gangsters of New York are just as dreadful as the religious gangsters of northern Nigeria to whom those of us who call for a cultural revolution are seen as pathetic deviants – they want to “rumble” with us today for standing in their gangster ways. I remember that movie from my late childhood today because I'm a stranger to this new world of religious extremism, being unaware of our differences in those days we used to enjoy our movies and laugh together. I remember this today because our reactions to sensitive issues of and around our region, religion and future are being done with our brains turned upside down. We had evolved from those innocent kids who marked both Christmas and Eid to sophist adult advocates of religious differences. We had lost what used to bind us: love. That community in that living room comprised Muslims and Christians, Hausa and Igbo, Musa and Moses, Minority and Majority... It was the symbolic representation of Nigeria in my childhood, one that remains in my dreams. Sadly, these days, I’m now learning to understand the way of our Islamist Bronx.

We used to be beautiful. We were a beautiful people until 1999 when an individual from faraway Zamfara State suddenly pioneered a political ideology that highlighted our differences; a flawed ideology that led to the deaths of thousands of Nigerians who engaged one another to contest the powers of their religions. We lost friends and families, many of them, innocent people, in those explosions of madness over the (il)legitimacy of shariah. Senator Ahmed Yarima, then the governor of that part of Nigeria urgently in need of developments, ought to be congratulated for introducing shariah legal system. Only that his was a joke to which laughter was, and still is, impossible. Introducing a system that exposes the poor to constant harassments of a taskforce charged with penalising "legally" recognised criminals and sinners while the major thieves of which Yarima himself is a member under-utilise public trust and misuse public funds is not only a crime against humanity, but an elitist oppression taken too far. The joke of our reality is that these leaders who play God in the name of politics, manipulating aspects of religion that portray them as defenders of faith, are uncritically embraced by the same people they cheat.

Cops Torture Untouchables, Parade Them Naked

A group of policemen in Sehore district in Bhopal, India, detained, thrashed and paraded naked two dalit youths. The reason for that was the desire to trace one of their relative, who absconded from parole 20 years ago.

Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous social groups from all over India, they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions

There are many different names proposed for defining this group of people, including Panchamas ("fifth varna"), and Asprushya ("untouchables")

The victims, Mahesh Kumar and Arjun approached Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (HRC) on Thursday. This was their second complaint with the HRC.

Both were allegedly threatened by the policemen, who were annoyed over HRC's cognizance, on their first complaint after the said assault.

The incident took place at Siddhiqueganj village, where the two were detained by police on July 23. In a complaint lodged with HRC, they alleged that police took them to an isolated place, forced them to undress and lie down on ground.

"They thrashed us with cane and wooden logs asking the whereabouts of one Suresh. They kept us under detention for two more days and continued torturing us asking for the same man who we had not met or seen in the last 20-25 years," the victims said.

Then both were released on July 25, after wife of one of the victims approached superintendent of police (SP) Raman Singh Sikarwar and apprised him of the matter. On the same day, they lodged a complaint with HRC narrating their plight.

Annoyed over the HRC complaint, one of the cops allegedly called up the victim's relative and insisted that the complaint be withdrawn.

In their complaint, the victims alleged that they were tortured by Narendra Singh Parihar and a constable Vikash Katihar posted at Siddhiqueganj police station.

District superintendent of police Raman Singh Sikarwar said, "If any such complaint has been made, we will get the matter investigated."

PHOTO: Beyonce And Jay Z Called Demons During Concert

Area activist Rocky Twyman and other protesters set up shop outside The Mrs. Carter Show at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. warning  Mrs Obama and other concert goers that Beyonce and Jay Z were possessed by demons.

According to him, Beyonce Knowles is a demon and if you attend her concert, you are consorting with evil. More so he believes that Jay-Z and Beyonce’s music is “corrupting young people,” especially the ones in the Black community.

Carrying signs with slogans such as “Jay-Z and Beyonce Are Possessed by Demons,” the group urged Michelle Obama to refrain from attending the concert with her daughters, Sasha and Malia, to protect them from exposure to demonic principles and unholy messages.

Twyman, 64, of Rockville, a retired public relations consultant who describes himself as a devout Christian, came to public attention several years ago when he founded the Pray at the Pump Movement, a group that held prayer vigils at local gas stations praying that prices would drop.

He said, “We believe that this couple is virtually destroying our youth,” Twyman said. “If you go on the Internet, you’ll see stories about how they’re both part of the Illuminati and you can see Jay-Z’s use of the Satanic triangle symbol when he performs. Jay-Z even declared himself to be God by referring to himself as Jehovah, and we don’t think that this is the image that our young people need to be glorifying.”

Some of people who encountered him were not receptive to his message as they were screaming or yelling ‘Beyonce!’ or showing pictures of her in front of him.

Twyman has vowed to continue with his protest. “I’m going to look up the Beyonce tour schedule and see where she will be and when. Then I’ll get in touch with our people in different states and try to do what we’ve done here, all over the country.”

Twyman group of protesters is often small but he says he is not bothered about the number because the Bible that says ‘When two or three are gathered together in my name I will be with them and I will bless them.’

Why Miss Nigeria 2013 Meets the Management of Famous Advertising Agency (PHOTOS)

It’s good to be a winner! Not long after moving into a cosy Lekki apartment, Miss Nigeria 2013, Ezinne Anyaoha, visited the management of Insight Communications – one of the largest advertising agencies in West Africa.

The visit has been officially called as a ‘courtesy’, but obviously new contract opportunities and financial issues might have been discussed.

Ezinne pictured below with Insight MD, Mr. Jimi Awosika, Project Coordinator Miss Nigeria Organisation, Konnie Nnachetan-Agu, and Head Marketing Insight Communications, Franklin Ozekhone. 

Babysitter Arrested For Having Sex With 9-Yr-Old Boy

A teenage babysitter, Jalissa Baez, 19, was arrested for having sex with a 9-year-old boy.

According to the police chief, who arrested her after a six-month long investigation, Baez, 19, who lives in Pennsylvania, was arrested for sleeping with the 9-year-old boy, after she had been hired to babysit him.

Jalissa was branded a "threat to the community" by the police chief, who arrested her after a long investigation.

According to police reports, the babysitter warned the boy not tell anyone about their "relationship".

A father was devastated when he learned that the sexual relationship lasted for six months.

The father hired the girl to babysit his son while he was at work. Instead of caring for the him, she flirted with the child and got him to have sex with her.

Baez was booked into jail on charges of involuntary sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of a minor and indecent exposure. Her bail was set at $25,000.

Emergency FEC Meeting Deliberates 2014 To 2016 Budgets - Maku

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the special Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, summoned by President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday, discussed the fiscal strategy paper for the 2014 to 2016 appropriation years.

Maku disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the meeting held at the council chamber of the presidential villa.

It will be recalled that President Jonathan had summoned the emergency meeting two days after the usual Wednesday weekly FEC meeting.

Maku said that the special council meeting solely deliberated on the medium term fiscal framework and the fiscal strategy paper for 2014 to 2016 appropriation years.

For all this period since we came, we have been discussing the medium term fiscal strategy paper forwarded to us by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The idea of bringing this to FEC was for us to intensively discuss the budget forecast for the year between 2014 and 2016 and also to look critically into the revenue and expenditure for these years.

It is an elaborate policy paper that was brought to us and we started debating on it to see that the budgets between now and 2016 realised the objective of growing the GDP.

It will also help in stabilising the macro-economic environment which has ensured that Nigeria remains the fastest growing economy in the continent as well as the destination for the inflow of foreign investments into the continent.

So, we are looking at the budget objective, budget policy and the direction that we want the economy to go and how it can impact on the welfare and well-being of the people of Nigeria,’’ he said.

Maku stressed that the objective was to ensure that the budget for the next two years would consolidate what the president had achieved in the first two years.

He said the council also wanted to ensure that the 2014 budget, like that of last year, came early.The early passage of the budget will also improve execution.

Last year, it was October, so, this year, we are hoping to keep the momentum of early passage of the budget,’’ he said.

Plateau Community Denies Attacking Fulani

Tarok people of Wase Local Government of Plateau State have debunked allegations that they are responsible for the frequent attacks on the Hausa/Fulani settlements in Wase.

This came three days after gunmen suspected to be members of an Islamic sect attacked two communities in the council, killing one person and burning five houses.

The Chairman of Ngwan Ishi O’Tarok, a traditional union in charge of welfare and security in the local government, Mr. Lohbut Jangle, in a statement in Jos on Thursday, said contrary to insinuations, the persistent attacks on Wase and Langtang North and Langtang South were not perpetrated by Tarok youths.

The statement read, “We have decided to inform the world of the evil perpetrated against the Tarok natonals in Wase and its environs. We Tarok people in Wase are being treated as outcasts.”