Israel's unwanted African migrants

For nearly a year Israel has been offering African migrants cash and the chance to go and live in what is supposed to be a safe haven in a third country - but the BBC has spoken to two men who say that they were abandoned as soon as they got off the plane. One was immediately trafficked, the other left to fend for himself without papers.

Adam was 18 when he arrived in Israel in 2011. Attackers had burned down his home in Darfur at the height of the genocide, and he had spent his teenage years in a UN refugee camp in another part of Sudan. With no prospects in the camp and no sign of an end to the conflict in Darfur, he made his way north through Egypt and the lawless Sinai peninsula to Israel.

But Israel - which has approved fewer than 1% of asylum applications since it signed the UN Refugee Convention six decades ago - has not offered asylum to a single person from Sudan. It turned down Adam's application, and last October, when he went to renew the temporary permit allowing him to stay in the country, he was summoned to a detention centre known as Holot, deep in the Negev desert.

This was no surprise for Adam. As most Sudanese and Eritreans in Israel know, it's just a matter of time before they get the call to Holot.

The government calls Holot an "open-stay centre", but it's run by the prison service and rules are strict, including a night-time curfew, which, if broken, will land you in jail.

It's in such an isolated area that there's very little to do and nowhere to go.

I talked to Adam and a group of his friends just outside the gates of Holot, where, at that time, they spent most of their day playing cards or snooker, and eating and cooking in makeshift restaurants.

They told me they took turns to make the hour-long bus ride into the nearest town, Beersheva, where they bought food. The meals served in Holot were insufficient, they said, and contained little meat or protein.

Most of the men there were young - in their 20s or early 30s. Some had been teachers, activists or students in their own countries.

"We are wasting our youth here," Adam says. "If someone lives in Holot, they have no future... You find many people here go crazy."

Since I visited Holot, those makeshift restaurants and game areas have all been demolished on the orders of the government, leaving those inside with even fewer ways to pass the time.

Court orders arrest of ex-PDP secretary

Following a Motion Ex-parte filed by the Ekiti State Government against former State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Temitope Aluko over alleged perjury, a Chief Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, has ordered the State Commissioner of Police to arrest Aluko.

Chief Magistrate Adesoji Adegboye gave this order on Wednesday, upon a Motion Ex-parte number MAD/10cm/2016, filed by the State Government against Aluko and the State Commissioner of Police, pursuant to Section 117 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, law of Ekiti State 2012, Section 79 of the Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2014 and Section 23 (D) of the Magistrates’ Courts Law 2014.

In the Motion, which was filed and moved by the State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr Gbemiga Adaramola, an order of the court was sought to issue warrant of arrest against Mr Aluko to be executed by the State Commissioner of Police for the purpose of committing him (Aluko) for trial for the offence of perjury.

Chief Magistrate Adegboye said the order was granted as a means for the first defendant (Aluko) to attend the court for defence.

The matter was premised upon an application to the State Attorney General by a lawyer, Mr Sunday Olowolafe, calling for the prosecution of Aluko for alleged perjury.

The legal practitioner said; “I hereby apply to your office that Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko be arrested and sued for perjury in view of the interview recently granted on Channels Television by ‪8:00pm on Sunday 31 January, 2016.

“The said Dr Temitope Kolawole Aluko now recanted the evidence he gave in the cause of the hearing of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition as a star witness even up to the Supreme Court. The Certified True Copy of the State on Oath, evidence of Dr Temitope Kolawole Alukoin Court on the 12/11/14 and Nigerian Tribune and The Punch newspapers of Monday, 01/02/2016 that reported the interview granted are hereto attached.

“It is to be noted that this if this act (Perjury) is not looked into, it will definitely defile the cause of justice and consequently rubbished the judicial proceedings.”

In the affidavit filed in support of the motion ex-parte by Special Assistant to the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, he said Mr Aluko, who was a witness before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sworn to a Statement on Oath on August 4, 2014 wherein he stated that the Election was not only
free and fair, but devoid of violence, thuggery, hooliganism, snatching of ballot boxes, and related forms of electoral disorderliness.

Olayinka further averred that Mr Aluko tendered and adopted his Statement on Oath on November 12, 2014 and further gave evidence under cross examination.

He stated that all what Aluko said on Channels Television on Sunday,January 31, 2016 were contrary to and opposite in direction to his evidence before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Issuing the warrant of arrest against Mr Aluko, Chief Magistrate Adegboye said since the court had the power to grant the order and it will serve the interest of justice, the State Commissioner of Police should arrest Aluko for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting him.

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NNPC reports N267bn loss for 2015

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation recorded a loss of N267.14bn in 2015, the latest data from the group’s financial report for the month of December 2015 shows.

According to the report, the national oil firm lost N11.861bn in the month of December alone, down from the N14.29bn loss recorded in November.

Its gross revenue was put at N2.046tn, while its expenses stood at N2.3tn, leaving a loss of N267.138bn for the 2015 financial year.

The refineries continued their poor performance through the out 2015 with the three refineries posting a combined loss of N82.09bn in the period under review.

The Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company lost N34.7bn, while Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Port Harcourt Refining Company lost N24.308bn and N23.09bn, respectively.

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Alleged $620,000 bribe: Emenalo to testify against Farouk Lawan

Former co-accused to the ex-Chairman, House of Representatives ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy, Farouk Lawan, Boniface Emenalo will testify against Lawan in the case of acceptance of bribe brought against him and Lawan.

Until yesterday, Lawan and Emenalo, who acted as the committee’s secretary, were listed as defendants in the seven-count charge brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

But yesterday, prosecution lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo announced that the prosecution has amended the charge, reduced the counts to three and deleted Emenalo as a defendant.

The amended charge indicated that Lawan demanded $3 million from Mr. Michael Otedola and did collect $500,000 from the businessman. The offences are said to be contrary to sections 8(1)(a) and 17(1) (a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, and punishable under sections (8)(1) and 17(1) of the same Act.

Awomolo, through Emenalo as first prosecution witness, tendered some documents in aid of the prosecution’s case. The documents include:  Order Paper for the special session sitting of the House of Representatives on Sunday, January 8, 2012; votes and proceedings of the special session on the same date; Order Paper, vote and proceedings of the House on Wednesday April 18, 2012; and Order Paper, votes and proceedings of Tuesday April 24, 2012.

Also tendered was ‘Report of an ad hoc committee to determine the actual subsidy requirement and monitor the implementation of the subsidy regime in Nigeria (Resolution number HR.1/2012)’.

Trial Judge Justice Angela Otakula dismissed the objection by the defense lawyer, Sekop Zumka, who contended that the documents were not admissible as exhibits because the prosecution failed to provide the evidence of payment for its certification by the House of Representatives as provided for in the Evidence Act 2011.

But Justice Otakula held that unpaid fees does not render a document inadmissible in as much as it is relevant to the case. She also held that there was no provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 which prohibited the tendering of documents obtained after a case was filed.

She, however, gave the prosecution seven days to pay the fees and fixed further hearing for February 9.

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Militants hijack ship in push for Kanu’s freedom

A merchant ship has been seized by some militants who are demanding freedom for the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, within 31 days or they will blow up the ship.

Kanu, the promoter of Biafra radio, who was arrested on October 17,  last year, is standing trial for treasonable felony before a court in Abuja. The judge has denied him bail.

There have been protests in the Southeast states for the revival of the defunct Biafra.

The hijacking of the ship is the latest attempt to compel the government to release the IPOB leader.

The ultimatum to the government was reportedly given at the weekend by a militant identified by the General Ben. Ben. “Some Niger Delta militants have shown interest in working with us,” said Uchena Madu, a leader of the Movement for the Actualization of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

The hijacking indicates the Biafran agitators could be working with some Niger Delta militants who recently bombed oil pipelines in the Niger Delta.

The Defence Headquarters yesterday confirmed the hijack of a merchant ship in the Niger Delta by some “criminals”.

Although it did not give the name of the ship, it said the ship is now in about 7.4 nautical miles off the coast of Nigeria.

It said Benin Republic Navy is guarding it.

The Acting Director of Defence Information, Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said yesterday: “We can confirm the hijack of a merchant ship but we don’t know who really hijacked it.

“We are suspecting that the ship was hijacked by some criminals and not militants.

“There is nothing like militants in the Niger Delta again since the Amnesty Programme was launched.

“The ship is not even within the waters of Nigeria. It is in about 7.4 nautical miles off the coast of this country.

“The Navy personnel in Benin Republic have been guarding the ship. We are collaborating with all our neighbours.”

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French-Swiss chef dies from apparent suicide one month after restaurant is named the world’s greatest

A French-Swiss chef whose tiny restaurant was named the best in the world just one month ago was found dead Sunday from an apparent suicide, police said.

Friends of culinary master Benoît Violier speculated that he may have cracked after his sudden rise to global fame.

“I hope that the stress of this number-one ranking is not the cause,” Paris restaurateur Pierre Gagnaire told the Swiss newspaper 24 Heueres.

Pierre Keller, a wine merchant who saw Violier just days ago, told the paper: “I am appalled, absolutely destroyed.”

Referring to Violier’s esteemed restaurant, he added: “It takes a lot of pressure to do that.”

Violier, 44, died in his home in Crissier, Switzerland, from a self-inflicted shotgun wound, according to police.


The young culinary star quietly earned top honors for his low-profile Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville, which he ran with his wife, Brigitte. It was one of about 100 restaurants in the world to earn the maximum three stars from the Michelin Guide. In December, La Liste — a restaurant ranking by the French Foreign Ministry — deemed it the greatest eating establishment in the world, ahead of bigger names like New York’s Per Se and Paris’ Guy Savoy.

Violier openly discussed the pressures of meeting such high expectations.

“It’s my life,” he told the Swiss TV station RTS in 2014.

“I go to sleep with cooking, I wake up cooking.”

Violier last year lost his father, as well as fellow chef Philippe Rochat, whom he considered a “mentor” and “second father,” according to The Guardian

iolier’s death came just hours before he was due in Paris for the release of the new French Michelin guide. 

French reports said Violier was haunted after his rating in the Gault & Millau guide went down, and he feared a similar slip in the next Michelin book.

In 2003, French chef Bernard Loiseau killed himself with a shotgun amid rumors that the three-star rating for his restaurant, La Côte d’Or, was about to fall.

Helicopter crashes in Lagos

A Bristow helicopter with registration No. 5NBJQ has crashed in Lagos. The helicopter was on its way from Port Harcourt before it crashed around Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Eleven people were believed to have survived the crash as they floated on the water with help of their life jacket. They have since been rescued.

However, the identities of the affected passengers were unknown at the time of this report.

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Nigeria to implement UNEP report on Wetlands – Minister

The Federal Ministry of Environment said there were plans to implement the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the designation of Niger-Delta as Wetlands.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed in Abuja on Tuesday, on the occasion of the 2016 Wetlands Day.

A wetland is an area of land where water covers the soil – even for only part of the year.

Wetlands can be natural or artificial. The water in them can be still or flowing, fresh, salty or in-between (brackish).

World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 2 which marks the date on which the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar.

The minister said that some the efforts being made to manage wetlands in the country included preparation of National Wetlands Management Policy.

She also said that there were plans to designate more wetland sites of international importance for conservation and sustainable use as well as sensitising the public to sustainable use of wetlands.

Others, she said are promotion of international cooperation on wetland management and development of wetlands poverty reduction initiatives towards improving the livelihoods of wetland communities.

The minister said this was in line with government’s development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Ramsar Convention had designated 11 wetlands of international importance for Nigeria

They are Apoi Creek Forests, Bayelsa, Baturiya Wetland, Kano, Dagona Sanctuary Lake, Yobe, Foge Islands, Kebbi, Lake Chad Wetlands, Borno and Lower Kaduna-Middle, Niger Floodplain, Kwara, Niger.

Others are Maladumba Lake, Bauchi, Nguru Lake (and Marma Channel) complex, Jigawa, Yobe, Oguta Lake, Imo, Pandam and Wase Lakes, Plateau and Upper Orashi Forests, Rivers.

The theme of the 2016 World Wetlands Day celebration, which is selected to demonstrate the vital role of wetlands to humanity and the new sustainable development goals, is “Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods.’’

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'Rambo' the Elephant gores Scottish tourist to death during Thailand island vacation

An elephant dubbed “Rambo” may have been startled or overwhelmed by the heat when it gored a Scottish tourist to death, Thai authorities said.

The pachyderm launched its attack Monday on the resort island of Ko Samui, throwing Gareth Crowe, 36, and his daughter, Eilidh Hughes, to the ground. Rambo then gored Crowe with his tusk and stomped on him.

The animal — who's also known as Golf — became enraged after its trainer, or mahout, climbed off to take a picture of the tourists.

Crowe had a prosthetic leg and was unable to run away from the elephant, officials say.

Hughes and the trainer, Zaw Win Tun, were injured in the deadly attack.

There was speculation that the elephant might have been in a state of musth, when it becomes more aggressive during its mating cycle, but authorities said that was not the case.

"We suspect that the hot weather made the elephant angry and that he was not accustomed to his mahout," Paiboon Omark, Samui district chief, told AFP.

The elephant has been chained to a tree since Monday so officials can monitor its behavior, the Bangkok Post reports. Officials say Rambo will take a 15-day break from work and then be moved to another branch of the trekking company.

Elephants are Thailand's de facto national animal and were once featured on the country's flag. Their numbers have declined in recent decades as expanding human settlements have reduced their natural habitats. Thailand now has fewer than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

The animals once were used for logging, but deforestation and a subsequent ban on most logging has led to many elephants now being used as tourist attractions.

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An evil gang of swans is terrorizing villagers

An evil pair of swans have been ‘terrorizing’ the townspeople of Gloucestershire, England — and there's nothing anybody can do about it.

The tormenting team has been ruthless in their quest for destruction — attacking kids, chasing postmen, vandalizing cars and property — generally wreaking havoc and making the villagers’ lives a living nightmare.

According to an old British law penned in the 12th Century, swans are officially protected by the British Monarchy and thus are exempt from punishment.

Elderly residents living in a nearby residential park said they feared the swans’ wrath so much, at times they were too scared to even leave the house.

"I’m scared to leave the house at times," resident Angela Helbrow, 53, told Metro UK.

Helbrow lives next to the river where the swans hang out and intimidate locals.

"I can’t even go outside to hang up the washing anymore,” Helbrow said. “I was doing my knitting last week and they came right up from the river to the patio doors and began pecking on the window.”

The severity of the situation has gotten so bad that locals have begun to arm themselves with water pistols, garden hoses, and shovels, to fend off the sinister sownder of swans.

"I think the entire community would like to see these swans moved to a more suitable location. I’m sure we and the swans would benefit," local Barbara Morse, 66, said.

A spokesman for the swans' stomping ground said that their perilous attitude is partly to do with mating season.

"For ten months of the year, they are perfectly OK. It is just nature taking its course," he said.

"What can you do? They are protected birds. There is nothing we can do," he said.

Pope Francis to make acting debut in spiritual movie, becomes first pope to do so

His Holiness is coming to a theater near you.

Pope Francis is set to making his movie debut in a religious family movie called “Beyond the Sun,” Variety magazine reported.

The role will be the first film appearance for a head of the global Catholic church.

The pontiff will play himself in the feature film — from Rome-based distribution and production company Ambi Pictures — about family adventures based on the Gospels.

“Our excitement and gratitude toward His Holiness, Pope Francis participating in this film is beyond words,” AMBI co-founder Andrea Lervolino told the magazine.

While originally reported to feature significantly in the film, AMBI’s site only says it will feature “an epilogue from Pope Franis telling children how and where to find Jesus.”

Additionally, a spokesman for the Vatican told the Guardian, “the pope is not an actor.”

The news of the spiritual film comes after the Pope asked movie makers to find ways to communicate Jesus’ message to children.

The story will focus on children of various cultures who “emulate the apostles” as they search for Jesus in their world, AMBI said on their site.

All profits from the family movie will be donated to two Argentinian charities for at-risk children and young adults.

The film is expected to begin production soon in Italy.



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Wenger on the attack after Gunners misfire

Arsene Wenger shrugged off criticism that he should have signed a world-class goalscorer in the January transfer window despite acknowledging that Arsenal’s finishing has been rather poor in recent weeks.

The Arsenal manager cut a frustrated figure at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday as the Gunners created plenty of chances in a 0-0 draw with Southampton, but ultimately were denied on numerous occasions by the sheer brilliance of Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

It has often been said that, in pursuit of winning a first Premier League title since 2004, the north London club should have invested heavily in a proven striker.

Wenger, though, batted away such claims after his side fell to fourth place, five points behind leaders Leicester.

“If you had found a world-class striker, who could have strengthened the team, then you should have told me,” he said.

“Believe me, they do not walk in (off) the street and say: ‘I am a world-class striker’.

“They are already at a big club and under contract and not available. We have Walcott, Giroud, Ozil, Sanchez and Welbeck, who is coming back.

“Tonight, I don’t think that a miracle man would have come in and scored for us. As a team, we can score goals.

“I don’t like to say it was one of those nights. We are all disappointed because we had enough chances to win the game.

“The most disappointing thing is that some players missed chances that they usually take.

“Our finishing is very poor at the moment. We have played three Premier League games now without scoring a goal.

“Forster had a brilliant game. But you’d expect that. The rate and quality of chances created was high for a Premier League game but the quality of finishing was poor.

“Finishing is a bit cyclical, up and down at the moment. It’s very down for us now.

“We have a difficult programme, especially away from home, but we need to respond.”

– Magic –
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman paid tribute to Forster, who kept his fourth successive clean sheet since returning from a knee injury last month.

“Our goalkeeper is magic and he was magic tonight,” Koeman said.

“It’s always difficult when you are out for more than nine months. Knowing you need rhythm and games.

“But since coming back he was the same. Credit to the medical staff and credit to Fraser.

“He is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and maybe one of the best in Europe.”

Koeman was quick to admit that his team had enjoyed their fair share luck given the sheer amount of chances created by Arsenal.

But he emphasised how well Southampton have played away to the supposedly prominent Premier League clubs.

“Not one team in my one-and-a-half years managing Southampton created what Arsenal created against us,” he said.

“So you need to be lucky first and you need to have a goalkeeper who is saving everything and that’s maybe what explained what happened.

“Normally it’s more difficult for opponents to create that many chances against us.

“We didn’t play well but we had unbelievable spirit. In the counter-attacking, we didn’t have the quality.

“But to get one point away to Arsenal, three points at Manchester United, to beat Chelsea away, one point against Liverpool at Anfield is amazing, a dream for a club like Southampton.”

Koeman revealed that his new striker Charlie Austin suffered a “knock” on the eve of the match.

But the recent signing from QPR should be available for the home match with West Ham on Saturday.

“It was risky in my opinion to put him on the pitch. It’s not a serious injury,” he said.

“Normally he’ll be available. If you know his past, he had been out for five or six weeks.

“So I’d prefer to wait one week to ensure the player is back.”

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Fake priest accused of pocketing cash from parishioners for Pope Francis trip

A man of the cloth has been accused pooling the wool over the eyes of parishioners and making off with their money.

Erwin Mena was arrested Tuesday after allegedly pretending to be a priest for decades and selling bogus trips to New York and Philadelphia for the visit of Pope Francis.

He had celebrated Masses, funerals, marriages and heard confessions around California since first posing as an ordained servant of God in the mid-1990s, according to prosecutors.

Police say the 59-year-old clergy con also had a habit of fleecing his flock and others out of their money, including more than $15,000 from more than 24 people who wanted to travel to the East Coast for the pontiff’s visit in September.

He now faces 22 felony counts and eight misdemeanors including filing a false marriage license, grand theft and practicing medicine without a license, according to the Los Angeles Times.

An arrest warrant said that the medicine charge came from offering “a system or mode of treating the sick.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the site of the latest alleged Francis-focused swindle, was only the latest in a series of churches of where Mena would appear only to miraculously vanish when he had pocketed cash.

“He has time to escape. He never come back. He never do any Mass again,” the attendee of one church told Fox LA.

Mena, who convinced pastors at different parishes that they did not need to check his official “faculties” letting him perform services, would also sell a faith-based video for $25 and accepted a $16,000 loan to make a video about the Pope.

The prolific padre also has put out several eBooks, including one about his “irreverant confessions” where he discusses celibacy.

Other churches put out a warning that Mena was a fraud last summer, around the time the Archdiocese of Los Angeles contacted the LAPD.

The city’s church officials said they placed Mena on a list of unauthorized priests in 2008, and has reimbursed some of the victims who bought into the September pope trip.

Spokeswoman Doris Benavides told the Times that those who received sacraments from Mena could go through the ceremonies again.

SEXWALE TO SEEK CAF SUPPORT TO REVIVE FIFA PRESIDENTIAL BID

Fifa presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale will seek continent-wide support in a final bid to revive his ailing election campaign at a meeting of African football leaders on Friday.

Sexwale was grilled on Tuesday by high-ranking officials of his home South African Football Association (Safa), who had earlier endorsed his candidacy in the race to replace Sepp Blatter.

Safa wanted answers about Sexwale’s election tactics and the unconvincing progress of his campaign after they had backed his bid for the presidency and helped him obtain the five nominations needed to stand to replace Blatter.

Safa president Danny Jordaan called Sexwale’s report to them “comprehensive” but said they would only comment further after a meeting of officials of the Confederation of African Football (Caf)in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, in what will be Sexwale’s final opportunity to win support before the 26 February election.

Failure to land an endorsement from African football’s governing body is likely to stall Sexwale’s bid in its tracks.

There had been some media reports that dissatisfaction with his campaign was such that he might be asked to withdraw his candidacy on Tuesday but they proved unfounded.

Sexwale is a former political prisoner who was jailed alongside Nelson Mandela and served as Premier of Gauteng province, South Africa’s economic heartland, and later as a cabinet minister in South Africa. He also proved successful in mining and other businesses.

Yet he is an outsider in the five-man race to become football’s global leader.

He faces UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Al Khalifa, former Fifa vice president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein and the long-odds outsider, Jerome Champagne.



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