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BOMB SCARE AT MURTALA MUHAMMED AIRPORT

2012-05-09T08:48:00.000+08:00

There was pandemonium at the arrival wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Tuesday as officials and security men sought to unravel the content of an abandoned bag found at the busy airport.

The PUNCH had gathered that airport officials invited the police anti-bomb squad to examine the bag after waiting, vainly, for hours for the bag to be claimed.

The incident started at about 7:30pm and lasted for about an hour. Our correspondent gathered that the police, on arriving at the scene, had ordered the evacuation of all travelers and airport workers from the building.

The order reportedly threw the gathering of passengers, airport workers and other users of the facility into confusion.

The confusion, according to an eyewitness, deepened after the bag emitted a loud sound while the anti-bomb policemen were trying to open it. On hearing the bang, those present at the airport at the time reportedly took to their heels.

However, after it was opened by men of the anti bomb squad the bag was discovered to contain the personal effects of a British Airways passenger.

Hours after the incident, British tabloid, the Daily Mail, reported that a blast tore through the cargo section of the airport.

However, a statement by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. H.O. Demuren, late last night, said the bag belonged to a British Airways passenger named Salami A. Atolagbe-Aro.

The stament titled, No Bomb Blast at MMIA, reads, “It was an abandoned carry-on baggage/handbag with a British Airways tag with passenger name Salami A. Atolagbe-Aro that was discovered at E-Arr frontage 1948hrs.

“The bag was thereafter diffused (sic) by three men from the Police Bomb Disposal Unit at about 2058hrs. The contents of the bag were taken and (they) were personal effects and are currently in the custody of the FAAN Aviation Security Crime Investigation Bureau.

“BA has confirmed that the passenger actually arrived on their flight this evening. The bag was sighted by Avsec officers unattended and the Police Bomb Disposal Unit personnel called in as standard procedure.

“They placed the bag under surveillance and went ahead to open it and thus creating the sound. No bomb explosion.”

There have been speculations that the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, could attack Lagos as parts of its campaign of violence against the Federal Government.

As a result, the airport authorities have increased security at the local and international airports.

Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mr. James Olatunji, said the speed with which the Bomb Disposal Unit arrived at the scene might have caused the apprehension at the airport.

“You know when the Anti Bomb Disposal Unit people parked their vehicle at the scene and started examining the bag, the scene created apprehension. There was really nothing.

“We have discovered that the bag was left by a passenger that arrived aboard British Airways this evening. BA has confirmed that and they are trying to get the passenger to know why the bag was left,” he said.

Meanwhile, security men were said to have been deployed at sensitive positions at the airport following the development.

About two weeks ago, the airport command of the police had beefed up security at the airport following the bombing of media houses in Abuja and Kaduna.

LED LIGHT BULB TO LAST MORE THAN 20 YEARS

2012-05-09T05:12:00.000+08:00

Light bulbs that are said to last for more than two decades while consuming very little energy may go on sale later this year.

US firm General Electric, Dutch company Philips and UK-based Sylvania all showcased their products at the Light Fair industry conference in Las Vegas.

Using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of filaments, the bulbs are meant to produce as much light as a 100-watt incandescent alternative.

However, LEDs are not usually cheap.

In April, Philips introduced its LPrize LED that will cost $60 (£37) - but consumes only 9.7 watts while giving off the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent lamp.

The company has arranged discounts with shops that will sell the bulb for as little as $20 (£12). The new EnduraLED from Philips looks similar, but is said to be equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent bulb while consuming nearly four times less energy.

Both Philips and Sylvania said their products are due to appear in stores later this year, while GE plans to sell its bulb early next year. The firm currently sells a 9-watt LED bulb that is made to replace a 40-watt incandescent, for about $50 (£31).

All three bulbs are meant to last more than 20 years, if used about three hours per day. Saving energy

In 2011, the UK's Energy Saving Trust (EST)carried out a study, measuring the performance of more than 4,250 LED light fittings installed at 35 sites around the UK.

The authors of the report claim the technology can deliver huge energy savings, reduce costs and makes residents feel safer.

"LEDs promise to be the way forward for the whole sector," explained James Russill, EST's technical development manager, in an earlier interview with the BBC.

"There are so many benefits: they can be smaller, brighter; it is one of those rare technologies where the trial has shown it performs better than the lighting systems it is replacing but, at the same time, uses less energy."

MASSIVE RISE IN ASIAN EYE DAMAGE

2012-05-05T09:40:00.000+08:00

Up to 90% of school leavers in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia - short-sightedness - a study suggests.

Researchers say the "extraordinary rise" in the problem is being caused by students working very hard in school and missing out on outdoor light.

The scientists told the Lancet that up to one in five of these students could experience severe visual impairment and even blindness.

In the UK, the average level of myopia is between 20% and 30%.

According to Professor Ian Morgan, who led this study and is from the Australian National University, 20-30% was once the average among people in South East Asia as well.

"What we've done is written a review of all the evidence which suggests that something extraordinary has happened in east Asia in the last two generations," he told BBC News.

"They've gone from something like 20% myopia in the population to well over 80%, heading for 90% in young adults, and as they get adult it will just spread through the population. It certainly poses a major health problem."

Eye experts say that you are myopic if your vision is blurred beyond 2m (6.6ft). It is often caused by an elongation of the eyeball that happens when people are young.

According to the research, the problem is being caused by a combination of factors - a commitment to education and lack of outdoor light.

Professor Morgan argues that many children in South East Asia spend long hours studying at school and doing their homework. This in itself puts pressure on the eyes, but exposure to between two and three hours of daylight acts as a counterbalance and helps maintain healthy eyes.

The scientists believe that a chemical called dopamine could be playing a significant part. Exposure to light increases the levels of dopamine in the eye and this seems to prevent elongation of the eyeball.

"We're talking about the need for two to three hours a day of outdoor light - it doesn't have to be massively sunny, we think the operating range is 10-20,000 lux, we're not sure about that - but that's perfectly achievable on a cloudy day in the UK."

'Massive pressures'

Cultural factors also seem to play a part. Across many parts of South East Asia, children often have a lunchtime nap. According to Professor Morgan they are missing out on prime light to prevent myopia.

"Children suffer from a double whammy in South East Asia," says Professor Morgan.

"As a result of massive educational pressures and the construction of a child's day, the amount of time they spend outside in bright light is minimised."

A big concern is the numbers of students suffering from "high" myopia. According to Professor Morgan, this affects between 10% and 20% of students in Asian cities. It can lead to vision loss, visual impairment and even blindness.

"These people are at considerable risk - sometimes people are not told about it and are just given more powerful glasses - they need to be warned about the risk and given some self-testing measures so they can get to an ophthalmologist and get some help."

For decades, researchers believed there was a strong genetic component to the condition. It was believed that people from China, Japan, Korea and other countries were particularly susceptible to developing myopia. But this study strongly suggests an alternative view.

In Singapore, where there are large numbers of people from Chinese, Malay and Indian backgrounds, all three ethnic groups have seen a dramatic rise in short-sightedness.

Professor Morgan says you cannot rule out genetics completely, but for him it's not the major factor.

"Any type of simple genetic explanation just doesn't fit with that speed of change; gene pools just don't change in two generations.

"Whether it's a purely environmental effect or an environmental effect playing a sensitive genome, it really doesn't matter, the thing that's changed is not the gene pool - it's the environment."

Further evidence on the impact of light is provided by UK researchers. Kathryn Saunders from the University of Ulster was part of a team which compared short-sightedness in children in Australia and Northern Ireland.

"White UK kids are much more likely to be myopic than white Australian children," Dr Saunders told BBC News. "We've proposed that this might be due to the protective effect in Australia of increased exposure to bright sunlight.

"This requires further exploration and research, but I guess we might want to encourage children to spend more time outside when the sun is shining. It's unlikely to do them any harm."

By Matt McGrath

TOP MINISTER SACKED IN TANZANIA AMID CORRUPTION SCANDAL

2012-05-05T09:18:00.001+08:00

Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has sacked six ministers amid allegations of government corruption.

He has been under pressure to deal with the scandal following a report by a body overseeing public finances.

The inspector of the government's accounts noted the rampant misuse of funds in at least seven ministries.

The ministers who have been dropped from cabinet all hold high-profile portfolios: Finance, energy, tourism, trade, transport and health.

'Taken to task'

In November, the ruling CCM party promised to implement anti-corruption measures, but there have been heated calls from the opposition for heads to roll.

Announcing the cabinet reshuffle, President Kikwete said that accountability would be taken seriously and ministers' subordinates and even executives working for state-owned companies would also be held responsible over any embezzlement.

"It is not enough for a minister to take responsibility alone but the new approach is that even those who caused the mishap will be taken to task as well," Mr Kikwete told journalists at State House in Dar es Salaam.

The BBC's Hassan Mhelela in Dar es Salaam says the ministry of energy, which oversees the lucrative mining sector, and ministry of tourism - two of the major revenue generators for the government, were criticised most in the Controller and Auditor General's annual report.

There have been mixed reactions to the sackings, our reporter says.

Many are pleased that the government has acted at last but some feel there should be prosecutions too, he says.

Mr Kikwete was re-elected in 2010 for a final five-year term.

His government has struggled to tackle corruption which has adversely hampered economic growth in Tanzania where the rate of inflation rate stands at 19%.

Last year, donor countries cut funding pledges to Tanzania after expressing concern about corruption and the slow pace of reforms.

EXHIBITIONIST ONLY: VISITORS STRIP NAKED AT SYDNEY EXPO

2012-04-30T08:13:00.000+08:00

MCA's adults-only "performance" puts naked art lovers on display as artist guides tour group

Turn up, strip off and enjoy the show at this weekend’s MCA event -- you’re the main attraction

With a forecast high of 22 C this weekend, most Sydney visitors will be looking forward to some pretty-much-perfect weather, but there’s a select bunch who may find that a touch chilly.

That’s because they’ll be touring the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) completely naked in an event led by Melbourne Artist Stuart Ringholt.

He’ll be checking his clothes in at the door too, by the way.

Ringholt’s tour is actually billed on the MCA website as a performance, so that should give some clue as to his motivation here. He says he aims to address “themes of fear and embarrassment.”

The event itself comes with the equally attention-seeking -- not to mention long -- title, “Preceded by a tour of the show by artist Stuart Ringholt 6-8pm (the artist will be naked. Those who wish to join the tour must also be naked. Adults only).”

While cynics might consider the people joining the tour to be the actual performance, museum curators say it’s really about the art hanging on their walls.

“[Visitors can] gain a new perspective on the current MCA exhibitions by viewing them entirely nude,” says the event description.

“Remove the material barriers between artist and audience (literally) when you join artist Stuart Ringholt’s tour followed by a nude reception,” it states.

At least that removes any concerns about what to wear to one of Sydney’s most unusual social events this month.

The Museum of Contemporary Art reopened in March after a $53 million refit and is home to more than 4,000 works by artists from around the world.

PRIEST IN GAY PORN PROBE LEAVES PARISH

2012-04-30T07:44:00.001+08:00

Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- An Irish priest at the center of a gay porn controversy has asked to leave his parish and take sabbatical leave from the priesthood, he said Sunday.

Father Martin McVeigh has admitted he destroyed a memory stick containing "inappropriate imagery" ahead of a church investigation into reports he accidentally showed pictures of naked men to parents of children preparing for their First Holy Communion.

The incident happened at the start of a PowerPoint presentation at a grade school in Pomeroy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in March, said the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady.

Parents said in a statement they were "horrified" by what they saw and called for action to be taken against the priest. The church reported the incident to police, who said no crime had been committed. In a statement Sunday, McVeigh apologized "for the hurt caused" and "his failure to check his presentation in advance."

However, he insisted he "was not responsible for the presence of the offending images and in this respect I ask you to accept my innocence." The priest also confirmed he had destroyed the memory stick that contained the images. He said: "After the images were inadvertently shown, I immediately removed the memory stick from the laptop. In my shock and upset and in my concern to ensure that the images would never be shown again, I destroyed it later that evening."

McVeigh described the past month as "the most difficult" of his life and said he would be taking a break. "In the hope of bringing resolution and healing to the division and pain within the parish, I have taken the decision to ask Cardinal Brady to allow me to leave the parish of Pomeroy and to take sabbatical leave," said McVeigh, adding: "The memory of this awful episode will remain with me for the rest of my life."

Brady said he accepted McVeigh had no advance knowledge of the pornography. In a statement Sunday, Brady said it had been "a traumatic time for the whole parish community and for Father McVeigh personally." The cardinal also apologized for the incident.

He issued an update on the church investigation, saying other computers used by McVeigh had been "forensically examined by an independent technical expert and no inappropriate imagery has been found."

Brady added an additional laptop stolen from the local church sacristy since the March 26 meeting "did not form part of the technical examination."

The cardinal said he had accepted McVeigh's request for leave on the understanding he would return to the diocese on its completion.

The latest controversy comes after a series of child sex abuse scandals involving Catholic Church clergy in Ireland. The government-backed investigations say thousands of children have been abused by priests and other church figures over the last 80 years.

In March, the Vatican released a major report into the problem, begging forgiveness from victims. However, victims hit out at the report's finding that new safeguards are working.

LIBYA EX-MINISTER SHUKRI CHANEM DEAD IN DANUBE RIVER

2012-04-30T07:36:00.002+08:00

The body of Libya's former Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem has been found in the Danube River, Austrian police say.

A spokesman said there were no signs of violence to Mr Ghanem's body, which was in the river that flows through Vienna.

The former prime minister, 69, worked as a consultant for a Vienna-based company. He apparently left his home early on Sunday, police said.

Mr Ghanem defected from Libya as the country was engulfed in the uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi last year.

At the time, he criticised the bloodshed in Libya, saying that the situation had become "unbearable", making his position untenable.

He served as Libyan prime minister from 2003 to 2006 and then as oil minister until 2011.

Post-mortem examination

A passer-by reported seeing the body under a bridge near a popular recreation ground in Vienna.

Police spokesman Roman Hahslinger said Mr Ghanem was dressed when he was found but had no personal identification documents on him, with the exception of one naming the company he was working for. An employee of the company had identified him, the spokesman said.

Mr Hahslinger said: "There would be no signs of violence if someone pushed him in. But it's also possible that he became ill and fell into the water."

A post-mortem examination has been ordered for the coming days.

The former prime minister is understood to have been in Europe since his defection last June, and to have had family in Vienna.

His connection to the city dates back to the time he worked at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) - a forum he later visited regularly as Libyan oil minister.

The Libyan uprising ended in October last year with the killing of Col Gaddafi.

In June Libya will hold elections to a constituent assembly, whose first task will be to draw up a constitution.

SUDAN ARREST FOREIGNERS IN DISPUTED REGION

2012-04-29T10:32:00.001+08:00

(CNN) -- Sudan has arrested foreigners in the disputed region of Heglig, its defense ministry said Saturday, the latest in the spiraling conflict between the Sudans. Those arrested were identified by the defense ministry as British, Norwegian, South African and South Sudanese.

"They were engaged in suspicious activities, collecting war debris," it said.Meanwhile, a South Sudanese military spokesman reported ongoing clashes and bombings -- though a Sudanese military spokesman denied any such attacks. Col. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army of South Sudan, said eight bombs were dropped in Unity state Saturday.

Friday, "Khartoum-supported mercenaries" attacked an SPLA position in a town called Wau, causing 21 deaths, he said. Three fighters were captured alive, he added. The SPLA seized three trucks, which are said to belong to the Sudanese Armed Forces, said Aguer, vowing to retaliate against "all these acts of aggression."

But Al-Sawarmi Khalid, a spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces, said, "We have not bombed Wau, or any other place in South Sudan." South Sudan split from Sudan last year as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of war in Africa's largest nation. The war left 2 million people dead and ended with the peace agreement that included an independence referendum for the south.

Despite the split in July, unresolved issues remain between the two, including status of their citizens, division of national debt, disputed border areas and sharing of oil wealth. Simmering tensions peaked this month when South Sudan seized the oil-producing region of Heglig from Sudan, raising the stakes by targeting a resource that fuels the economies of both nations.

Heglig oil facilities account for about half of Sudan's production of 115,000 barrels a day. Sudan claims ownership for the region, and lodged complaints with the United Nations and the African Union to pressure South Sudan to withdraw troops from its territory. A day after South Sudan withdrew from the disputed region, it accused Sudan of launching ground and aerial attacks on its territory.

MALI COUP LEADER REJECTS ECOWAS TROOP DEPLOYMENT

2012-04-29T09:41:00.000+08:00

The leader of last month's coup in Mali has rejected the West African decision to send troops to the country.

Captain Amadou Sanago said the military had not been consulted by the regional grouping Ecowas. The coup leaders handed power to an interim civilian government earlier this month.

A meeting between Ecowas mediators and the interim government was disrupted by soldiers shouting "Down with Ecowas" and cocking their guns. They only backed down when Capt Sanago left the meeting to tell them to disperse.

The military leaders are unhappy about Thursday's decision by Ecowas heads of government to send at least 3,000 soldiers to Mali. Their planned deployment was designed to help secure the transition back to civilian rule, and help the government defeat rebels who now control the northern half of the country.

Officers led by Capt Sanogo seized power on 22 March, accusing the elected government of not doing enough to halt the rebellion in the northern desert region.

Powerful military

They agreed to hand over power to a civilian government on the understanding it would hold fresh elections within 40 days. But the military is unhappy after Ecowas said the interim government should have up to a year to organise fresh elections. The country's interim president Dioncounda Traore was at the Ecowas meeting.

Capt Sanago told reporters after the meeting that it was up to the military to decide what institutions run the country after the end of the 40-day period. He did not make clear whether elections would then be held.

The BBC's John James in neighbouring Ivory Coast says it seems the coup leaders still exercise considerable power and fear any Ecowas deployment would threaten their position.

The military leadership said it seized power last month because the previous government had not done enough to combat rebels.

BOMB WITH 600 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVE FOUND AT BORDER

2012-04-29T09:35:00.002+08:00

Police have said that a bomb found at the border near Newry contained 600 pounds of explosives and was fully primed.

Ch Supt Alasdair Robinson: "Anyone within 50 metres of a 600Ib bomb would be killed

The device, which had been placed in an abandoned van on the Fathom Line, was discovered on Thursday.

It was made safe on Friday evening.

Ch Supt Alasdair Robinson said the bomb was twice as big as the bomb that exploded outside Newry courthouse two years ago.

"If this had exploded it would have caused devastation," he said.

"To put it in perspective - anyone within 50m of this device would have been killed and anyone within 100m, seriously injured."

The police chief also rejected criticism that motorists had been able to drive past the bomb and said police had closed a main cross-border road within 12 minutes.

"Many police services would struggle to get an international border road closed in this time frame," he added.

"There was some residual traffic following the closures and, while we made the public aware of the road closures and advised them to avoid the area, a few cars ignored our advice.

"We do everything in our power to protect human life."

The Fathom Line was closed for 24 hours while the police and Army dealt with the alert.

Ulster Unionist MLA for the area, Danny Kennedy said if the bomb had exploded it would have caused serious destruction.

He said: "It had the potential to cause lethal damage.

"A 600 pound device at the road side waiting for a police patrol. It is just unthinkable."

Abandoned

A member of the public reported the discovery of a suspicious vehicle to police on Thursday.

It had been abandoned with its engine running.

Dissident republican paramilitaries have been blamed for a number of bomb attacks in the city in recent years.

Earlier this month, a bomb was found near the Cloghogue roundabout in Newry, just off the main Belfast to Dublin dual carriageway.

Police said the device contained a significant amount of explosives and had the potential to kill.

It was also made safe by army bomb experts.

MALAYSIAN POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS AT PROTESTERS

2012-04-29T09:28:00.000+08:00

Police fired tear gas and fought with protesters in Kuala Lumpur as thousands of people marched calling for “reform” and cleaner elections yesterday, defying a new government ban on street protests in Malaysia before national polls expected this year.

Police also used water cannons as protesters threw shoes, bottles and chairs while trying to break through barricades to enter a square where the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, orBersih, wanted to hold a sit-in. Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government enacted legislation this month banning such protests after police detained more than 1,600 people during a similar rally in July.

“A group of protesters tried to provoke a violent confrontation with police,” Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in an e-mailed statement. About 388 people were detained overall, according to a Twitter posting by the Malaysian police.

Najib’s handling of the clashes may affect plans for timing an election. Arrests during a street rally by the same group last year led to a drop in the prime minister’s approval rating. A delayed vote would prevent him from taking advantage of a swell in support that followed increases to civil servant salaries and cash payments to poor households.

Police Cordon

“The Malaysian government is once again showing its contempt for its people’s basic rights and freedoms,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement yesterday. “Despite all the talk of ‘reform’ over the past year, we’re seeing a repeat of repressive actions by a government that does not hesitate to use force when it feels its prerogatives are challenged.”

The authorities began cordoning off Kuala Lumpur’s Independence Square on April 27 after getting a court order preventing people from entering the area where Bersih planned a sit-in. Crowds marched in groups toward the square from different parts of the city, including the 88-floor Petronas Twin Towers.

One police car was overturned and a gun snatched by a protester, a Royal Malaysia Police spokesman said. The pistol was later retrieved, Hishammuddin said in a Twitter posting. Two officers were admitted to hospital with injuries and 20 others received outpatient treatment, he said.

Around 25,000 people took part in the rally, Bernama reported, without citing where it got the information. While primarily a pro-democracy rally, some called on the government to block plans by Australian miner Lynas Corp. to start rare- earth refining in the country on environmental and safety concerns.

Polls

Smaller rallies were held in other cities and abroad, including Sydney.

Najib’s approval rating in peninsular Malaysia fell to a two-year low of 59 percent a month after last year’s protests, according to the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research. It increased to 69 percent in February after the government announced it would give cash handouts of 500 ringgit ($164) to households with monthly incomes of 3,000 ringgit or less, and overhaul security laws. The margin of error was 3.07 percent.

The government does allow protests, so long as they are peaceful and held at appropriate venues, Bernama quoted Najib as saying yesterday.

Bersih is demanding that election officials resign after failing to implement all but one of the group’s eight demands, including a minimum 21-day campaign period, Ambiga Sreenevasan, the group’s co-chairwoman, said April 24. She received a copy yesterday of a court order from Kuala Lumpur Magistrates Court Judge Zaki Asyraf Zubir that prohibits the public from joining any rally at Independence Square until May 1.

REPORT: GADHAFI FUND SARKOZY'S CAMPAIGN 2007

2012-04-29T09:18:00.002+08:00

(CNN) -- The campaign of French presidential front-runner Francois Hollande called for a criminal investigation into President Nicolas Sarkozy after a media report Saturday accused the president of taking 50 million euros ($66.3 million) for his 2007 campaign from then-Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

Mediapart, a French online magazine, claimed in its report to have a Gadhafi government document, detailing an agreement to fund the campaign. The alleged document, dated December 10, 2006, states that then-Libyan intelligence chief Moussa Koussa authorized secret payments to Sarkozy through an intermediary, Mediapart reports.

CNN was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the published document. Sarkozy has dismissed the allegation as "grotesque." During a television interview aired by TF1 last month, Sarkozy addressed the accusation, which has surfaced periodically since at least last year: "If (Gadhafi) had funded (my campaign), frankly, I would not have been very grateful," he said.

France supported the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya that helped to topple the longtime leader. Gadhafi was ousted, then was fatally wounded in a gunbattle that broke out after his capture on October 20. His son and one-time heir apparent Saif al-Islam Gadhafi was captured by Libya's new authorities and is awaiting trial.

During a televised interview with Euronews in March 2011, after France recognized the National Transitional Council as the legitimate authority in Libya, Gadhafi's son claimed Libya contributed to the Sarkozy campaign.

"The first thing we want this clown to do is give the money back to the Libyan people. He was given assistance so he could help them, but he has disappointed us," Saif al-Islam Gadhafi said. The deposed Libyan leader's son then claimed that Libya had "all the bank details for the transfer operations." Despite pledging to make these transactions public, the Gadhafi regime, before and after its downfall, never produced any evidence it financed the Sarkozy campaign.

"When one quotes Mr. Gadhafi, who is dead, or his son, who is standing trial, the credibility is zero. And when you drag up their accounts with these questions you are asking, you quite degrade this political debate," Sarkozy said in the TF1 interview. But Hollande's campaign is calling for the president to come clean.

"The fact that these revelations take place within days of the second round of the presidential election is not sufficient to demonstrate that they are 'grotesque.' It is now up to justice to reveal the truth: Either establish the facts and prosecute, or otherwise provide proof that these are false allegations," said Hollande spokeswoman Delphine Batho.

French records for the 2007 presidential election show that the Sarkozy campaign declared 21.3 million euros ($28.2 million) in contributions it received, according to the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing, the French government body that monitors and records campaign financing.

Hollande and Sarkozy face a runoff vote for the presidency on May 6. Sarkozy, who leads the center-right UMP party, received 27.2% of the vote in the first round of voting, just behind Hollande's 28.6%. Hollande is a member of the center-left Socialist party.

If elected, Hollande would be France's first left-wing president since Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995. Sarkozy has been president since 2007. The two contenders are expected to take part in their first head-to-head televised debate on Wednesday.

EXPLOSION IN UK 27 HURT, TERROR PROBE STARTS

2012-04-28T23:20:00.001+08:00

(CNN) -- Four explosions that rocked an eastern Ukrainian city on Friday have prompted a terror probe, the Ukrainian News agency reported. A regional prosecutor's office has started a "terrorist case" into the blasts in Dnepropetrovsk. The explosions went off in the course of 70 minutes and injured at least 27.

Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych said a special investigation team will be set up to probe the explosions, the news agency reported. "This is another challenge to the entire country," the president told reporters in the country's Crimea region. "We are thinking how to respond it properly. I am sorry this happened."

The first blast went off in a trash can at a tram stop, injuring 13 people, the country's Emergencies Ministry said. The second followed 40 minutes later near a movie theater. That injured 11, nine of them children. Three were injured in the third blast, and no one was hurt in the fourth, the ministry said.

Of those hurt, 24 have been hospitalized, it said. Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko and other government officials traveled to the city after the blasts occurred. The city, with just over 1 million in population, is one of the largest in the country, the CIA World Factbook says. The incident raises concerns about security in Ukraine ahead of the European soccer championships, starting in June in both Poland and Ukraine.

But the Union of European Football Associations, the entity overseeing the games, said the incident doesn't change its "confidence in the security measures that have been developed by the authorities." The closest venue to Dnepropetrovsk will be in a Ukrainian city to the east, Donetsk.

BLIND CHINESE ACTIVIST ESCAPES ARREST, CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION

2012-04-28T23:12:00.001+08:00

Beijing (CNN) -- A prominent Chinese human rights activist has called for an investigation into what he describes as corrupt and cruel officials who he says "violently assaulted" him and his family before he escaped from house arrest and fled to Beijing.

Chen Guangcheng addressed the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, in a video posted on YouTube on Friday, detailing the abuses he said he and his family had suffered at the hands of authorities during more than 18 months of heavily guarded detention in their home. "They broke into my house and more than a dozen men assaulted my wife," he said. "They pinned her down and wrapped her in a comforter, beating and kicking her for hours. They also similarly violently assaulted me." Chinese authorities have not commented.

The activist, who is blind, was driven to Beijing on Sunday after evading his guards in the tiny village of Dongshigu in Shandong Province, He Peirong, a friend and fellow activist, said Friday. Escape was like a Hollywood thriller His high-profile breakout appears to have angered the local authorities who were holding him captive, with members of his family already reporting that they have suffered reprisals.

Chen, 40, is a self-taught lawyer who rose to fame in the late 1990s thanks to his legal advocacy for what he called victims of abusive practices, such as alleged forced abortions, by China's family-planning officials.

A local court sentenced Chen to four years and three months in prison for damaging property, disrupting traffic and "pressurizing the government" in a protest, according to a story from the state-run Xinhua news agency. The same 2007 story, which reported that a higher court had denied his appeal, described Chen as a "blind mob organizer."

His supporters have maintained authorities used trumped-up charges to silence him. Since his September 2010 release from prison, he had been confined to his home along with his wife, mother and daughter. In the video posted Friday, he said the treatment of him and his family by the local security forces "was so cruel it has greatly harmed the image of the Communist Party."

Calling on Wen to investigate his case, he asked: "Is it just local officials flagrantly violating the law or do they have the support of the central government? I hope you will give the public a clear answer in the near future."

The blind activist had prepared for his escape for months, He Peirong said, by lying in bed for prolonged periods so that the guards wouldn't be suspicious if they didn't see any activity from him for a long time. Once free, Chen contacted He Peirong and a few other activists. "We learned that he had escaped and needed our help," she said, in an interview via Skype from her home city of Nanjing. They met him at a rendezvous point, and then drove him to Beijing and hid him in a safe house, He Peirong said.

She said that Chen's fellow activists had decided to publicize his flight from captivity after hearing that Shandong authorities, upon discovering his disappearance, had sent people to assault members of his family.

DEPORTED BIN LADEN WIDOWS, DAUGHTERS LEAVING FOR SAUDI ARABIA

2012-04-27T08:20:00.001+08:00

(CNN) -- Pakistan's deportation of 14 members of Osama bin Laden's family to Saudi Arabia occurred just one week shy of the first anniversary of his death at the hands of U.S. commandos.

Among those being deported were bin Laden's three widows and two daughters, said Aamir Khalil, a family attorney. It was not clear late Thursday whether their plane had departed Islamabad.

Earlier this month, the five women were sentenced to 45 days of house arrest for living in Pakistan illegally. Their detention ended last week. Khalil said the time served began March 3, when the five were formally taken into custody.

"The family was kept safe and sound in a guest (safe) house," according to a Pakistan Interior Ministry statement. "They have been deported to the country of their choice, Saudi Arabia, today." Two of the widows are Saudi, while one is Yemeni. The daughters are ages 17 and 21, Khalil said.

The widows have been identified by U.S. and Pakistani officials as Amal Ahmed Abdul Fateh, Khairiah Sabar and Siham Sabar. Judge blocks release of bin Laden death photos

Because all five defendants confessed to impersonation, illegal entry into Pakistan and staying illegally in Pakistan, there was no need for a trial, Khalil said recently. He represents four of the five relatives. Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs at his Abbottabad compound May 2, 2011.

The al Qaeda leader spent years on the run in Pakistan after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, moving from one safe house to another and fathering four children with Fateh, at least one of whom was born in a government hospital, she told Pakistani investigators. No credible threat of attack on anniversary of bin Laden's death

A deposition taken from Fateh gives the clearest picture yet of bin Laden's life while international forces hunted him. He and his family moved from city to city with the help of Pakistanis who arranged "everything" for them, Fateh said, according to the deposition. She told police she never applied for a visa during her stay in Pakistan. Authorities in Saudi Arabia have repeatedly declined to comment on the matter.

B-R-E-A-K-I-N-G N-E-W-S: BOMB BLAST HITS ABUJA AND KADUNA

2012-04-26T21:02:00.001+08:00

Bomb blasts hit 2 Thisday News offices

ABUJA (AFP) – A loud explosion rocked an area Abuja on Thursday followed by smoke and ambulances headed in the direction of the blast, with injuries reported.

Reports have it that the first bomb blast was in the Abuja Thisday office in Jabi and was carried out by a suicide bomber who drove into the media house before detonating the bomb hence blowing away the building ‘s roof.

Another blast was also reported at the Kaduna Thisday office according to witnesses.

But Mr Yushau Shuaib a National Emergency Management Agency spokesman said the Abuja Thisday blast “occurred inside the premises of a national newspaper,” adding that “a preliminary investigation seems to indicate that the explosive device was planted somewhere within the premises, not likely a case of suicide bombing.” An AFP correspondent heard the blast and saw ambulances heading towards a district where a bus station and newspaper office are located.

A police spokesman said “we heard something like that happened, but we don’t have the details yet.”

A spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency said “it’s true there was an explosion at Jabi (district).”

“NEMA officials are on the ground,” said Yushau Shuaib. “They are trying to move those injured to the hospitals, but we don’t have any information on casualties yet.”

happened at about 11:30 a.m.

ONE KILLED AS BARCA, CHELSEA FANS CLASH IN LAGOS,TWO DIED CELEBRATING

2012-04-26T20:56:00.000+08:00

One person was killed at a pub in Lagos on Tuesday night after a fight broke out between fans of Barcelona and Chelsea football clubs, while two others suspected to be Chelsea fans drove dangerously after the match resulting in a fatal accident.

PUNCH Metro learnt that John Idoko, a 23-year-old boy, was stabbed to death at a makeshift pub at Shiro Bus Stop, Boundary Road, Shasha.

It was learnt that the outcome of the football match, which favoured Chelsea FC, did not go down well with some Barcelona’s supporters.

According to police authorities, an altercation, degenerated into fisticuffs and supporters of the two clubs some of whom were drunk, soon engaged in a free-for-all.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone. He, however, added that no arrests had been made as no witness had come forward.

He said, “On Tuesday, around 10pm, a report reached Shasha Police Division that one John Idoko was stabbed to death with a broken bottle during a match between Chelsea and Barcelona football clubs.

“The owner of the pub said almost all her property was damaged during the fight as the fans went crazy. We don’t even know if Idoko was a fan of Chelsea or Barcelona

“No arrest has been made as witnesses have refused to come forward but investigations are ongoing.”

Jaiyeoba warned fun seekers to be careful when celebrating and remember their loved ones at home.

The spokesperson also warned members of the public that the use of explosives such as banger, would not been tolerated anymore.

He said celebration should be carried out in a peaceful manner, warning that the police would not tolerate any form of unruly behaviour.

“The use of banger is illegal as well as any form of disturbing public peace,” he said.

Meanwhile, the two people who died in the accident were driving dangerously in a commercial bus, popularly known as danfo, after the match.

Witnesses said the occupants were fans of Chelsea FC celebrating their club’s victory.

Jaiyeoba confirmed the two deaths but said it was uncertain whether they were football fans or not.

“Around 11:30pm, a Volkswagen bus somersaulted and caught fire around Ojota end of Ikorodu Road inward Maryland. The two occupants were burnt to death” he said.

BY ENIOLA AKINKUOTU

RINGGIT EXTENDS UPTREND AGAINST GREENBACK IN EARLY TRADING

2012-04-26T11:11:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR (April 26, 2012): The ringgit extended its uptrend against the US dollar in the early session Thursday amid rising risk appetite, dealers said.

At 9.04am, the domestic currency was quoted at 3.0575/0605 to a US dollar compared with 3.0590/0620 at yesterday's close.

A dealer said the increasing appetite for riskier assets boosted Asian currencies as the greenback came under pressure after the US Federal Open Market Committee said it was keeping interest rates on hold.

"It makes the emerging market currencies including ringgit more attractive," the dealer said. Meanwhile, the ringgit traded mixed against other major currencies.

It appreciated against the Japanese yen to 3.7557/7603 vis-a-vis yesterday's 3.7672/7723 and rose against the euro to 4.0417/0472 from 4.0428/0477 previously.

The local unit, however, depreciated versus the Singapore dollar to 2.4574/4618 from 2.4551/4594 yesterday and also decreased against the British pound to 4.9406/9470 from 4.9192/9249. – Bernama

IRANIAN DIPLOMAT LEAVES BRAZIL AMID SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATION

2012-04-26T10:21:00.002+08:00

(CNN) -- Iran has recalled a diplomat from Brazil amid allegations he sexually abused children at a swimming pool, state media in Brazil reported.

The case will be "seriously considered," Ramin Mehmanparast, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign affairs ministry, said Tuesday, according to Agencia Brasil. The 51-year-old diplomat allegedly fondled the genitals of boys and girls -- ages 9 to 14 -- on April 14 at Neighborhood Social Club No. 1 in the capital, Brasilia, the news agency said.

It was not immediately known in what capacity the man worked at the Iranian embassy in Brazil. As the children reported the alleged sexual assaults that took place during a birthday party, angry parents confronted the diplomat, with at least one parent assaulting him, CNN affiliate G1 reported.

"When the staff discovered it was a case of pedophilia they wanted to kill him," the father of a 14-year-old girl said, according to G1. "If the club had not deployed those security guards, today you would be interviewing me to speak of a murder or lynching."

The alleged events were reported to a local military police station, which responded to the scene, a statement from the social club said. The diplomat had been a member of the club for about a year at the time of the alleged assaults. His membership has since been suspended, the social club said.

Iran's promise to investigate the allegations is a change in position after initially calling the incident a "misunderstanding arising from differences in cultural behavior" and a result of media bias, a statement from the Iranian embassy in Brazil said.

At the time, Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota pressed Iran for additional information. "We would like a clarification from the embassy regarding the very worrying accusations," Patriota said, according to Agencia Brasil. "We hope to get to the bottom of the facts and from there decide what measure to take."

Iran and Brazil have enjoyed largely amicable relations for more than a century. Iran also has worked to strengthen ties with Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Cuba. It has opened six embassies in the region since 2005.

NAJIB WILL ANNOUNCE MINIMUM PAY FOR PRIVATE SECTOR ON MONDAY

2012-04-26T10:13:00.000+08:00

PUTRAJAYA: The highly anticipated minimum wage for the private sector will be unveiled on the eve of Labour Day by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

A statement from the Human Resources Ministry said Najib would make the announcement at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Monday.

Both workers’ and employers’ representatives have reached a consensus on the minimum wage rate said to be a “win-win situation” for all.

“It is a rate that is not so high that it will affect a business or cause enterprises to be out of business or lay off workers,” said the statement.

It also credited the decision to the consultation process held by members of the National Wages Consultative Council with representatives from employers, employees and civil servants.

Studies were also conducted by the technical committee which comprises economists, social scientists and actuarists.

The minimum wage policy is expected to benefit some 3. 2 million private sector workers in small and medium enterprises (SME), who earn less than RM700 a month.

They represent some 33% of the Malaysian workforce who currently live below the poverty line of RM763.

The minimum wage is a provision in the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011, which was passed by Parliament in June last year.

Although the policy is expected to strengthen the purchasing power of those in the lower-income bracket, the ministry cautioned that the rise in consumer’s buying power may result in the higher price of goods.

“This is a normal reaction in any economy worldwide,” it said, adding that the Government would continue to monitor the price of goods and services to ensure they are offered to consumers at a reasonable rate.

MALAYSIA: WIRE MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OVER ACID ATTACK

2012-04-26T10:00:00.003+08:00

SELAYANG: A WIREMAN was charged in the magistrate's court yesterday with the murder of an accounts clerk who was splashed with acid during a botched snatch theft incident last month.

N. Sritharan, 19, and another person still at large, were alleged to have murdered S. Usharani, 46, at a bus stop along Jalan Ipoh in Rawang at 7am on March 27. He was arrested on April 12.

The victim was waiting to take a bus to her workplace in Sentul when the two youths tried to snatch her chain. When she resisted, Usharani was splashed with acid. She suffered burns to her face and upper body and died at the Selayang Hospital on April 16.

She is survived by her husband R. Muragan, a mathematics teacher, and three children between the ages of 11 and 21.

In court yesterday, Sritharan indicated he understood the charge which was read to him. No plea was recorded.

He faces the mandatory death sentence if convicted. Magistrate Namirah Hanum Mohamed Albaki fixed June 6 for mention.

By HIDIR REDUAN

SUDAN 'DECLARES WAR' ON SOUTH SUDAN

2012-04-26T09:17:00.001+08:00

(CNN) -- South Sudan's president, who accused Sudan of declaring war on his nation, cut short his trip to China on Wednesday as tension between the two neighbors intensified over border and oil disputes.

President Salva Kiir canceled the Shanghai leg of his trip. He had planned a five-day trip, ending Saturday. It's unclear how soon he will return home. During a visit to Beijing on Tuesday, Kiir accused Sudan of declaring war on his nation.

The visit came at a "critical moment ... because our neighbor in Khartoum has declared war" on South Sudan, Kiir told his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao. His accusation marked the latest in fiery war rhetoric that has drawn alarm and condemnation from the international community. China, a crucial trading ally to both nations, urged restraint and negotiation, and said it plans to send its envoy for Africa to Sudan and South Sudan to promote peace talks.

Beijing has deep trade ties with Africa, and has had diplomatic and economic ties with Sudan for decades. Ambassador Zhong Jianhua traveled to both countries earlier this year for mediation, the Chinese foreign ministry said. South Sudan split from Sudan last year as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of war in Africa's largest nation. The war left 2 million people dead and ended with the peace agreement that included an independence referendum for the south.

Heglig oil facilities account for about half of Sudan's production of 115,000 barrels a day. Sudan claims ownership for the region, and lodged complaints with the United Nations and the African Union to pressure South Sudan to withdraw troops from its territory. The African Union on Tuesday gave the nations 48 hours to cease their hostilities and three months to complete negotiations on outstanding issues or face "appropriate measures."

It said it will seek updates on the status of negotiations and will require compliance by Sudan and South Sudan. Failure to resolve their disputes will lead to an arbitration process, the body said, without getting into specifics. Heglig is on the border created when the two countries split. While it is a disputed region, Sudan continued administering it after South Sudan declared independence from the north.

"We have every right to use all military means inside our territory to crush the enemy, " said Daffa-Alla Ali Osman, Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations. "Setting territories inside our borders as theirs ... this is a call for war until they stop and refrain from any behavior against the territorial integrity of Sudan."

BOY SCOUT DEN LEADER DISMISSED FOR BEING A LESBIAN

2012-04-26T09:11:00.000+08:00

(CNN) -- Jennifer Tyrrell, an Ohio den leader dismissed by her local Boy Scout troop for being a lesbian, said she's disappointed her 7-year-old son is no longer participating in the Scouts.

"He's no longer a Boy Scout," Tyrrell said Wednesday of removing her son, Cruz, from the group. "And we're sad about that, but we can't support an organization that doesn't support our family." Tyrrell is now engaged in a campaign with Change.org, a left-leaning political group, to raise awareness of the policy of the Boy Scouts of America, garnering 140,000 signatures and saying that she ultimately wants the national organization to reverse its position.

"This isn't about my sexuality; this isn't about anybody's sexuality," Tyrrell said. "It's about teaching children to be better adults, and we aren't doing that by teaching them to hate or discriminate." LZ Granderson: Boy Scouts feel a mother's wrath A 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision found that a New Jersey law requiring the national organization to readmit an openly gay Scout Master infringed the organization's First Amendment right of expressive association and that it had a constitutional right to oppose homosexuality in its ranks.

"Forcing a group to accept certain members may impair the ability of the group to express those views, and only those views, that it intends to express," then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote at the time. He added that the decision was not meant to approve or condemn the Scouts' view on homosexuality. The Boy Scouts of America said in a statement that its "membership standards are founded on the values, expectations and beliefs of those we serve."

"We recognize that there will be a range of views on this topic, and Scouting's policy is not meant as a social commentary outside of our program," Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith said. The Girl Scouts of America has a decades-old policy of nondiscrimination.

HONG KONG TO LIMIT MAINLAND CHINA MATERNITY SERVICES

2012-04-26T09:00:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong hospitals will limit maternity services to most pregnant women from mainland China from next year, under new proposals from its incoming chief executive.

Mainland women will be prevented from giving birth in Hong Kong unless they have a Hong Kong husband.

While the proposal would only apply to public hospitals, private hospitals have also agreed to follow suit.

Increasing "birth tourism" from the mainland has caused tensions.

Soaring numbers of mainland women have sought to give birth in Hong Kong to ensure that their child receives Hong Kong citizenship.

Almost half of all babies born in Hong Kong in 2010 were the children of mainland couples, according to government figures.

The "zero quota" proposals were made by Chief Executive-elect CY Leung, who takes office on 1 July.

Under the proposals, pregnant women from mainland China will not be eligible for obstetrics services from next year, unless their husband is from Hong Kong.

Furthermore, children born to mainland parents will not be guaranteed residency unless one of their parents is a Hong Kong resident.

The new proposals are likely to be popular in Hong Kong, whose residents have said that "birth tourism" from mainland China has strained resources and put lives at risk.

'No choice'

Ethnic Chinese babies born in Hong Kong currently automatically receive the right to live and work there, as well as the right to carry a Hong Kong passport, which makes international travel easier.

Some mainlanders also choose to give birth in Hong Kong to skirt the one-child policy, which can result in heavy fines for violators.

Mr Leung, who was elected with the weakest mandate of any chief executive to date, has been trying to rally political support with populist policies, says the BBC's Hong Kong correspondent Juliana Liu.

The Hong Kong government has already imposed quotas on the number of mainland mothers allowed to give birth in local hospitals, but residents say the quotas do not go far enough.

Alan Lau, head of Hong Kong's Private Hospitals Association, told the BBC that its members felt they had no choice but to comply with Mr Leung's wishes.

He confirmed that the hospitals would stop taking bookings from mainland mothers from 2013.

Many private hospital chiefs had initially opposed the proposals, citing financial and ethical issues.

Hong Kong has seen a surge in anti-China sentiment in recent months, due to resentment over "birth tourism" and claims that tourists from mainland China get preferential treatment.

10 DIE IN KOGI BANK ROBBERY, AS GUNMEN KILL POLICEMEN, 4 OTHERS IN YOBE

2012-04-26T07:58:00.000+08:00

LOKOJA – NO FEWER than 15 armed bandits Wednesday attacked two commercial banks in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing 10 people and leaving scores wounded.

The robbers later sacked a police station in the area with mortar before disarming policemen on duty and looting the armoury and freeing some detainees in police custody. The robbers according to a source, were able to cart away some money from an old generation bank which was one its targets but were reportedly not successful at the second bank even after gaining entry into it.

Among those that was killed include a native medicine seller, known as Shuabu Achiejime and a female petty trader by the road side. Both were felled by stray bullets. Vanguard reliably gathered that the robbers stormed the town around 2pm in five jeeps fully armed with sophisticated weapons.

Police officers on duty and banks workers took to their heels during the invasion which lasted for about an hour, apparently following rumour some days earlier that an Islamic sect would attack the town.

It was said however, that the hoodlums later beat a retreat with the arrival of members of the Joint Task Forc, JTF, at the scene. Those that were injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The State Police Public Relation officer, Mr. Okasanmi Ajayi confirmed the incident but stressed that the state police headquarters had not been briefed by the Divisional Police Officer in Ankpa.

In a related development, gunmen have killed five people, including a police officer and a politician, at a bar in Damatutru, capital of Yobe State on Tuesday as they sat around a table, sources told newsmen in the state.

Also, six people were gunned down and two others injured following an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Gwarim village in Riyom Local Governmenf Area of Plateau State. Five were killed in Gwarim, while one official was killed in the city, bringing the number to six.

There was another blast Tuesday at a television viewing centre in Tudun Wada area of the Plateau State capital some minutes to the end of the Chelsea-Barcelona match. Just on Monday three people were shot and burnt in their car at Gashish in Barkin Ladi local government bringing the death toll in such killings to about 11 within one week.

The improvised explosive device which went off at Angwan Yashi about 9.45pm was said to have injured several people but details were unavailable at press time.

Vanguard Nigeria