Two ‘Muslim clerics’ arrested in Lagos over N10m fraud - Daily Trust

Police detectives attached to the Lagos Special Fraud
Unit (SFU) have arrested two 'Muslim clerics' for
allegedly defrauding local and foreign businessmen of
N10 million.
The suspects Fatai Bamidele and Lateef Ahmed,
allegedly paraded themselves as Muslim clerics to
defraud innocent members of the public of their money.
They were said to have allegedly operated a shrine in
Ilorin in Kwara State and they took victims to the shrine
where they were made to take an oath not to reveal
what had happened to them to others.

12 Years for Woman Who Snatched Baby 20 Years Ago

The Connecticut woman who dressed as a nurse before snatching an infant from a New York hospital more than 20 years ago was sentenced to 12 years in prison today on kidnapping charges.

Ann Pettway admitted in February that in 1987, she took a train from her home in Bridgeport, Conn., dressed up in a nurse’s outfit at Harlem Hospital, and took 3-week-old Carlina White, who was brought into the hospital by her parents for a fever.

Pettway told the girl’s parents she was taking the baby for treatment in another part of the hospital, and then took off, raising White as her own daughter for 20 years, according to statements made during the February hearing.

In her late teens, White became suspicious of how she became Pettway’s daughter and searched on an FBI website of missing children for information, leading her to reconnect with her birth family in 2011.

Pettway went on the lam from authorities trying to charge her with kidnapping before eventually surrendering and facing charges. She pleaded guilty in February, avoiding the possible sentence of life in prison if she were to stand trial.

Pettway, now 51, appeared for sentencing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan today. Following her time in prison, she will face three years of probation for her crimes.

Carl Tyson, the father of Carlina, said that his daughter is now living in Atlanta and the two chat occasionally. Carlina does not speak with her birth mother, Joy  White, Tyson told ABC News last year.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/12-years-for-woman-who-snatched-baby-20-years-ago/

Nas Explains How He Went From 'Life's A Bitch' To 'Life Is Good'

'There's bad, there's joy, pain, all the emotions ... life is still good, no matter what,' MC says in MTV's Hip-Hop Music Preview.

Listening to Nas' Life Is Good is like dropping a golden subway token into a mechanical turnstile, one that grants you instant entry into a New York City of days long gone.
A product of the gritty Queensbridge Houses, Nas navigates his borough in dizzyingly poetic detail, shouting out 'hood-famous hustlers and incense-burning Five-Percenters over a bed of rich horns and pounding knocks. "Colosseum downstairs, gold-teeth mouth," the baby-faced 39-year-old spits on "A Queens Story," giving a nod to the mall on Jamaica Avenue and 165th Street where a basement throbbed with jewelers and hair-extension purveyors.If that sounds like golden-era nostalgia, then fair enough, but as God's Son told us when we sat down with him in L.A. for MTV's Hip-Hop Music Preview, "I got jazz in my soul." On Life Is Good, Nasty Nas tapped those blues for a reverie on his rise but also an honest dissection of his failed marriage and his shortcomings as a father, extending the narrative to his instant-classic album cover (sigh every time we see that green wedding dress). Still, the MC scored a #1 album this week, 20 years after recording his game-changing Illmatic debut.
We'd say life is good, and Nasir explains why, in his own words.
The Title: Life Is Good
"A couple of years ago, I just started to really appreciate the opportunities that I've had, the places that I've traveled and the people I met and just the life that God gave me. So I felt like 'life is good' was a positive message that we should just say to each other during such challenging times. Just have to remember the important things, you know?"
The Album Cover
"I feel like album covers used to be just as important as the music. And to me, I'm still that kind of dude, like, I still feel like if you can come up with something cool for your album cover that makes the whole package more beautiful. The album cover, of course, you see what's going on there: just love of life and appreciation of where I've come from and where I've been.
"On my first album, I said "life's a bitch," now I'm saying 'life is good.' That just shows you my journey has been peaks and valleys, ups and downs, obstacles, fun, all kinds of things that brought me to this place."
The Recording Process
"This record was just me appreciating the people who listen to me for all these years and just understanding that it could've went a different route. I could be someone who don't love the music no more. For this record, my appreciation for the music is there."
The Cinematic Influence
"The scene in 'Godfather II' was at the end when Michael Corleone was sitting on his property after all the executive decisions he had to make. He's sitting on his property just thinking.
The Tracks
"Bye Baby": "That was a song that had to be done. It gets into my relationship that I had [with ex-wife Kelis] and why did things go wrong. You know, certain people just hit that point where they need to take a break or they need to move on separate ways. So 'Bye Bye' is a record that has that story line, from beginning to end. With life, you take [it] there's wins, there's losses, there's bad, there's joy, pain, all the emotions ... life is still good, no matter what, you have to keep your head up."
The Five-Word Description
"Hip-hop, jazz, it's personal, love, it's a great sound put together by No I.D. and Salaam Remi and myself; it's all good.
"A lot of producers that I like, they sample a lot of jazz. They are inspired by jazz, so a lot of their music comes out that way. So a lot of the stuff I rapped on sounds like jazz. I was talking to Sting one time and he had heard Illmatic — someone played it for him — and he said, 'It's a jazz album!' I love that he said that because I got jazz in my soul."
Check in with MTV News all this week for our Hip-Hop Music Preview, when rap's biggest names give you an in-depth look at some of the year's most anticipated albums. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #MTVHipHopPreview!

Communiqué from the 15th Wole Soyinka Lecture Series

On Saturday 14 July 2012, the 15th Annual Professor Wole Soyinka Lecture series took place at the London South Bank University. Three distinguished speakers, Dr Ibibia Worika (Legal Counsel, Commonwealth Secretariat, London), Dr Grimot Nane (Economist, London Southbank University) and Barr. Uche Anyawu (Convener, Citizens Initiative for Responsible Leadership, Abuja) addressed the audience gathered at the venue on the theme of the day a “clarion call” , by the Nobel Laureate, for a “new generation of freedom and anti-corruption fighters.”  The lecture was followed by a very vibrant interactive session by the audience and the following resolution emerged from the discussion.

Mass. dad shoots his 2 kids, 1 fatally, kills self

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A man who had recently separated from his wife shot his two children, killing his 7-year-old daughter, before committing suicide, prosecutors said.
A family member called police Saturday night after finding the bodies of 41-year-old Daryl Benway and his daughter, Abigail, in the master bedroom of their two-story Oxford home, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said.
Benway's 9-year-old son, Owen, was found shot in the head in the kitchen and was taken to UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center in serious condition. Owen has been in pediatric intensive care, a spokesman for Early said Sunday. He said he had no additional information about Owen Benway's condition, and a hospital spokeswoman would not comment.
Benway's wife, Kelleen, returned home after the shootings, unaware of what had happened, and found a swarm of police cruisers and television crews, Early said. She was taken to the children's hospital, where authorities told her the fates of her children and husband.
Neighbors told the Telegram & Gazette that Daryl Benway's brother Shawn lived on the first floor of the home with his wife and mother. Shawn Benway called 911 to report the shootings, Early said.
Early said he couldn't speculate on a motive. He said the Benways separated weeks ago but were still married.

No restraining orders had been filed against Daryl Benway, and he had no criminal record, the DA said. He had a gun license that expired in 1999, Early said.
On Daryl Benway's Facebook page, his profile picture posted in December showed him with his family in front of a Christmas tree. He described the woman next to him as "my Beautiful wife Kelleen." Owen stood in front of him in a white dress shirt and red plaid tie, while brown-haired Abigail wore a black and white dress with a black hair bow.
Daryl Benway listed his place of employment as TJX Cos., which operates discount retailers TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, as well as Ross Stores Inc
Yahoo News

Obasanjo, IBB, Decry Insecurity in Nigeria, Pronounce Their Readiness to Help End It

By SaharaReporters, New York

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his arch-rival, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, came together on Sunday to lament the security situation in Nigeria, saying that the loss of innocent lives was simply unbearable.
In a joint statement, they warned that the continued unity of Nigeria is “not only priceless but non-negotiable,” and declared their availability to do whatever is possible to promote the quest for peace and harmony.”

The former leaders noted the regime of fear and uncertainty in the country, and that virtually all citizens have difficulties going about their normal day-to-day lives without great anxiety and trepidation, and pronounced,  “This cannot be allowed to continue.”

They described as “simply untenable” the pervasive cynicism that is beginning to set in, leading millions of true Nigerian patriots to question the platform upon which the unity of this country rests.

“The people of this country must not allow whatever sense of frustration, fear and despair we are experiencing now to supersede our hopes for a collective destiny which lies in our continued existence as a Nation,” they said.  “For us, and we believe for millions of other Nigerians, the continued unity of this nation is not only priceless but non-negotiable.”
The two former leaders called for the efforts being made by governments in the country concerning the security challenges to be scaled up to include greater community involvement.
They also said that the Holy Month of Ramadan affords Nigerians a great opportunity to turn the tide against insecurity, violence and hatred, and called on religious leaders, in particular, to assume the greater challenge of using the immense virtues of the Holy period to inculcate among millions of citizens the spirit of mutual respect, humility and forgiveness.
“Ample opportunities are therefore at hand to bring all armed belligerents to table for meaningful dialogue with the authorities for our future and that of our children and grandchildren,” they said.

The former leaders also noted that no meaningful development can ever occur in an atmosphere of violence and hatred, and that History has shown that any society that is built on the structures of violence and intolerance cannot prosper.
[Full text of the statement]:

Nigeria - Pirates Kill Eni Oil Worker In Niger Delta - African Eagle

Pirates killed at least one oil worker in an attack on a boat owned by Italian energy firm Eni's local subsidiary Agip in Nigeria's Niger Delta on Friday, the military said.

"The boat conveying some staff of Agip was attacked by sea robbers and one of the staff of the company died when he was attempting to escape and drowned," Onyema Nwachukwu, spokesman for Nigeria's military joint task force.Two otheeuters Agip staff were missing after the attack in the Tarabora creek in Bayelsa state, said Nwachukwu.Pirates off the coast of Nigeria tend to raid ships for cash and cargo rather than hijacking the crews for ransom like their counterparts off the coast of Somalia But onshore kidnapping is a major business in Nigeria, especially in oil producing coastal areas like Bayelsa.West Africa is a worsening piracy hotspot. Attacks in the Gulf of Guinea have increased in recent months as the area, spanning a dozen countries, is a growing source of oil, cocoa and metals being shipped to the world's markets.

Amazon CEO Gives $2.5M for Wash. Gay Marriage Law - ABC News

Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, announced Friday they are donating $2.5 million to the campaign to defend Washington's same-sex marriage law. With the gift, Washington United for Marriage has raised more than $5 million for its referendum campaign."It's a game changer for us," said campaign manager
Zach Silk in Seattle. "It puts us in unique position to win."But, his group is still the underdog, he said. In 32
previous elections nationally, same-sex advocates have lost. The Washington election may be the turning point,
thanks in part to the Bezos' generous donation, Silk said."They understand what's at stake for Washington
families and what's at stake for the country," he said."We're at a tipping point, and they really understand this
is an historic moment, and they want to be on the right side of history and want to make history." Last month Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder
Bill Gates each donated $100,000 to support the law. Referendum 74 was certified for the November ballot in
May after gay marriage opponents in the group Preserve Marriage Washington turned in more than 240,000 signatures. The referendum seeks to overturn the gay-marriage law signed in February by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Preserve Marriage Washington wants to preserve marriage as the union between one man and one woman, "because marriage is a
unique institution that is profoundly in the common good," the group says on its
website. The same-sex marriage law was supposed to take effect June 7 but has been put on hold. A "yes" vote on the referendum upholds the law, and a "no" vote overturns it. Same-sex marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Maryland legalized gay marriage this year as well, but that state also is poised to have a public vote this fall. In Maine, voters will decide on an initiative to approve same-sex marriage three years after a referendum
overturned a law passed by the Maine Legislature. And in Minnesota, voters will decide whether to pass a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
So far contributions from same-sex supporters to Washington United for Marriage far outweigh contributions to Preserve Marriage Washington. Silk expects the organization seeking to repeal the law will receive an infusion of cash late in the campaign from the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage, which was involved in ballot measures that
overturned same-sex marriage in California and Maine. Silk expects the other side will spend $4 million to $7
million. "We take them at their word and we need to dig deep," he said.
A call to the Preserve Marriage Washington office early Friday morning was not answered. Silk said that despite the recent big-name donors, 80 percent of his organization's 8,000 donations have been for less than $200. "This is a grassroots movement," he said. "This is an issue of fundamental fairness."

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

Russian Spy Ring Aimed to Make Children Agents

Officials say Russian agents Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley sought to groom son Tim Foley to be a spy.

A Russian spy ring busted in the U.S. two years ago planned to recruit members' children to become agents, and one had already agreed to his parents' request, according to current and former U.S. officials.

When the suspects were arrested in 2010 with much fanfare, official accounts suggested they were largely ineffectual. New details about their time in the U.S., however, suggest their work was more sophisticated and sometimes more successful than previously known.

Malaga coach to Wenger: Cazorla won't come cheap - Sky Sports

Santi Cazorla: Reported to be a top target for Arsenal

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini has warned those said to be keen on Santi Cazorla that it will take a lot more than £15million to do a deal.

Reports claim that Arsenal have identified the Spain international as a top target and are looking to pay around €20million for his services.

That figure is only fractionally more than Malaga paid Villarreal for the highly-rated forward last summer.

NICON Fraud: Court reserves October 17 for addresses adoption

An Abuja High Court on Thursday reserved October 17 for the adoption of addresses on alleged N10.4 million fraud leveled against two former officials of the National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria (NICON).


The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had in 2007 charged Okechukwu Chukwulozie, Angela Chukwulozie, a wife of the first accused and Adedolapo Ogungbe with the crime.

Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi gave the date after the third accused person (Ogunde) had presented her defence.

Ogunde, a former Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration, had said that the N3.5 million she received from the organisation was her legitimate entitlement.

The ICPC had filed a three-count charge of corrupt advantage against Ogunde.

The prosecution alleged that the third accused used her position to illegally withdraw the amount to furnish her apartment located in Maitama.

Ogunde, however, said the money was her statutory in lieu of 28 days allowance meant for her position upon assumption of office in 2005.

"I used the money to make the place livable as I bought curtains, four air-conditioners, micro wave, refrigerator, beddings and a set of upholstery.

"My Lord I have done no wrong as the money was officially meant for me and two other executive commissioners.

"In fact Mr Badugu Useni, a Commissioner in charge of operations, was paid before me.

"My allowance was unnecessarily delayed and I became aggressive in November 2005.

"I was advised to suggest a name that the money could be remitted to and I used Mrs Aina Attahiru, my friend and the Managing Director of Barn Root Homes Creation.

"My Lord it would also interest the Court to know that I and the first accused were not paid the monetisation allowance that formed part of the prosecution’s evidence,’’ she said.

Ogunde is facing a three-count charge while the first accused (Chukwulozie) is charged with eight of the 15 charges.

The second accused and wife to the third accused is charged for allegedly aiding and abetting the crime.

The accused persons denied participating in any complexities that led to the alleged fraud.

ICPC had alleged that the actions of the accused persons were offences which contravened Sections 12 and 19 of its Act.
Information: Ascology

Life Is Good - #1 Album in the Country!

Life is Good" is available in stores and online now!

Hear what one of the fans had to say: Nas murdered rick Ross dummies this album is classic material

What do you have to say about the Album? Kindly Drop your comments and observations.

Elton John: George W. Bush taught me a lesson - Yahoo News

Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer Elton John once called President George W. Bush "the worst thing that ever happened to America." But in an interview with ABC News/Yahoo! Power Players series, Sir Elton offers a different description of Bush: The U.S. President who has done most to fight AIDS.
Asked directly what President has done more than any other to combat AIDS,

Video: Watch Oshiomole Celebrating his Victory with Azonto and Etighi Dance Steps

Following his re-election 2 weeks ago. A party was thrown to celebrate his Landslide Victory. Truth be told, One of the performing governors in Nigeria today is Gov. Adams Oshiomole. He dazzled the crowd with his Dancing steps. On Behalf of Midas Banter Team, we say congratulations,once again.

5½ years for Ore. woman who got $2.1M bogus refund

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A 25-year-old woman who duped the state of Oregon into giving her a $2.1 million tax refund pleaded guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison.
Krystle Marie Reyes, of Salem, entered guilty pleas to one felony count of tax evasion and three counts of felony fraud. She had faced eight felony charges.
Reyes' court-appointed lawyer, Gale Rieder, said her client faced "overwhelming" evidence, The Oregonian reported (http://is.gd/hiVixm ).
Rieder said her client "

Obama on Defense

Here’s the new re-elect TV ad “Always,” which, somewhat amazingly, has the President directly responding to the Romney exploitation of Obama’s out-of-context quote about infrastructure.

Nigerian raped to death by five wives

A wealthy businessman from Nigeria - and husband to six women - died after allegedly being forced into a marathon sex session with his elder five wives after they became jealous when the man had sex with his youngest spouse.

Uroko Onoja was having sex with his youngest wife, when the remaining five came on to him with knives and sticks, and allegedly demanded that he have sex with each of them too, the Daily Mail reported.

Onoja, from Ogbadibo in Benue state, had sex with four of the women in succession, but stopped breathing while in bed with the fifth.

Two women were arrested after the incident.

Kanu looks to leave – but we’re unlikely to forget -Goal.com

As Papilo makes a final departure from Portsmouth, the legendary forward will leave behind him a fractured relationship due to unpaid wages
A mutual exhale and a rolling of eyes at Fratton Park as confirmation of Aaron Mokoena’s transfer came through. Things generally aren’t going well if the departure of one of your most established players is greeted with relief , but then again, things haven’t been going ‘well’ at Portsmouth for sometime, and they are going to get far worse before they get better.
As Mokoena departed for Bidvest Wits, a former university team based in Johannesburg, South Africa, eyes on the south coast turned to Portsmouth’s other African star – and the mire surrounding his inevitable departure from English football.

STUDY OF ANTI-AIDS VAGINAL RING BEGINS IN AFRICA

Demonstrators participating in an AIDS rally fill thestreet In downtown Washington Tuesday, July 24,2012, as the International AIDS Conference continued. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A month long HIV blocker that women could use for protection without their partners
knowing? Major new research is beginning in Africa to see whether a special kind of vaginal ring just might
work. Giving women tools to protect themselves when their partners won't use a condom is crucial for battling the AIDS epidemic. Women already make up half of the 34.2 million people worldwide living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS; even more — 60 percent — in hard-hit Africa are women.

Family coming to terms with mother's death

AURORA - Robert Wingo decided there was no other way to tell his two young daughters that their mother died. So on Friday night, when he returned home, he told them the truth.

"[My youngest] asked, 'Daddy, what's wrong? Why are you acting so funny?' I said, 'baby, mommy died today. She was in the theater shooting,'" Wingo recalled on Monday.