Akure prison bombed

No fewer than 175 inmates of the Olokuta Maximum Security Prison in Akure, the Ondo State capital, have been set free in an unprecedented attack on the facility.
The attack, which took place at about 12.05 am, was launched by a gang of unknown gunmen.

The gunmen shot dead two civilians and used explosives to break into the prison.
They shot sporadically into the air to scare away prison officials before breaking the walls of the facility.

They reportedly entered the prison yard after breaking the keys.
“The unknown gunmen numbering over 20 came at about midnight into the Olokuta prison through the main gate after using dynamite,” Prison Comptroller

Obama 'humbled' to visit Mandela's Robben Island jail

Mr Obama wrote in the guest book: "The world is grateful for the heroes of Robben Island"

US President Barack Obama has toured Robben Island - the jail in which Nelson Mandela was kept for 18 years.

He said he and his family were "deeply humbled" to visit the prison once inhabited by Mr Mandela - who remains critically ill in hospital.
Mr Obama went on to give a speech at the University of Cape Town and launch a multi-billion-dollar electricity initiative.
The US leader did not visit Mr Mandela, but met the Mandela family in private.
Security is likely to have been strengthened during this final Cape Town leg of his time in South Africa, says the BBC's Karen Allen who is there, following clashes on Saturday between riot police and anti-Obama protesters in Soweto.

Marriage not a must for me–Funke Adesiyan

 By Wole Adepoju

Sexy and beautiful actress, Funke Adesiyan may not be one of the most celebrated in the movie world but she sure belongs to the league of the most talked about and especially in a  controversial manner. The tall and fashionable popular face in the course of this interview with The Entertainer opened up on a couple of interesting issues. Among the issues  are  her breast implant tale, her romance with socialite, Salawe and why she feels it’s not compulsory to get married.

How has Funke Adesiyan faired so far as an actress ?

I am grateful to God. God has been good to me. He has always been good to me and He has not ceased to be good to me. I thank God and everything is fine. I have not been an everyday actress, I am choosy with what I do,so that’s it.

What’s  your projection for the year and how far have you gone in fulfilling it?

I  like to do things properly and I scrutinize myself a lot. I am my own critic and it’s difficult for people to criticize me because before I bring anything out I would have checked it out to see where it’s lacking or lagging behind. So, there is something we are working on.

Prostitutes beat up policemen in Akure during sanitation

 

Uneasy calm pervaded Lao area of Akure metropolis yesterday, as prostitutes and their clients beat the security operatives attached to the Environmental Task Force monitoring the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

 

Beaten black and blue, the security officials had their uniforms torn into shreds and sustained various degrees of injury during the attack

The Task Force led by the Commissioner for the Environment, Chief Sola Ebiseeni, had set out as early as 8 am to ensure strict compliance with the monthly environmental exercise.

 

While on visit of some towns and villages, some people were arrested for violating the environmental laws. Trouble, however, started when the team got to Inner Circle Hotel at Oke padi, off Lao street in Akure, and met the prostitutes with their clients. They were said to be drinking and dancing when the Task Force took a swoop on them. In the ensuing encounter, some Civil Defence officials and one other security personnel were beaten mercilessly, as the prostitutes resisted their arrest.

 

A female Civil Defence officer had her uniform torn into shreds by the irate women of easy virtue.

 

When it was obvious that the prostitutes and their clients had overpowered the team, they put a distress call to the police and SSS headquarters for reinforcement. It took the intervention of additional security men comprising of mobile policemen, State Security Service official and Civil Defence before the security men could be rescued in the hands of their attackers.

 

When the Commissioner for Environment got to the scene, he ordered the hotel premises to be sealed off. Ebiseeni who was feasibly angered with the prostitutes’ action, asked the prostitutes and their clients to be arrested and taken to police station for interrogation. He said the offenders aside from facing environmental court would also be prosecuted for assault on government’s officials.

 

Briefing reporters at the end of this month’s edition of the environmental exercise, Ebiseeni said 22 persons caught violating environmental law were arrested and taken to court immediately.

 

He warned that government would take over any uncompleted building that is constituting nuisance to the public as from Monday.

Police confirm abduction of corps members in Rivers

The Rivers Police Command on Saturday in Port Harcourt confirmed the abduction of three members of the National Youth Service Corps serving with Abua/Odual local government council of the state.

Mrs. Angela Agabe, the command’s Public Relations Officer, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that two male and one female youth corps members were abducted.

 

She said they were seized by armed men in the early hours of Saturday.

Agabe, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the motive behind the kidnapping was however still unknown.

 

The police PRO said the command’s anti-kidnapping unit, had since commenced a search for the missing corps members.

 

“Reports received by the command indicate that the corps members went to Ogomokon jetty, near the council headquarters, where three armed men abducted them early on Saturday.

 

“So far, no group has claimed responsibility and no ransom has been demanded. The police had commenced investigation into the incident.

 

“As we speak, our anti-kidnapping unit is on top of the situation. The unit had already commenced work to free the corps members,’’ she said.

Avril Lavigne Marries Nickelback Frontman Chad Kroeger

Wedding bells are ringing! Avril Lavigne married Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger on Saturday, June 29, in Cannes, France, a source confirms to Us Weekly.

 

Described as a "very intimate affair" by an insider, the "Here's To Never Growing Up" singer wore a Johanna Johnson custom-made dress with her gay best friend serving as her maid of honor. 

 

During a Nylon Magazine event on June 11, the 28-year-old told Us that their wedding song would be a new track that they wrote together. "We'll have to release it after," she explained.

 

As for wedding planning, the singer said she was the one taking control -- which her fellow Canadian beau, 38, didn't mind at all.

 

"I've been doing it, I'm the girl," she laughed. "I'm the one who has the crazy vision and he's letting me be me. It's a lot and I just want to make sure I really enjoy this amazing time."

 

She added, "I want all the guests who come to have this once in a lifetime experience and I want everyone to say 'Wow!' and for it to be special for everyone, not just us." Of the wedding location in Cannes, Lavigne spilled that "it's out of control!"

 

The couple announced their engagement in August 2012. This will be Kroeger's first marriage and Lavigne's second. She filed for divorce from Sum 41's Deryck Whibley in October 2009 after three years of marriage. 

 

Looted statues returned to China in Pinault donation

Two bronze animal heads, returned to China after more than 150 years, will soon be on display in their new home in Beijing's National Museum of China.

 

The sculptures were bought by the Pinault family, who own French luxury group Kering, and donated to the Chinese government.

 

The rabbit and rat heads were looted from Beijing's Old Summer Palace at the end of the Second Opium War in 1860.

 

China had tried to stop their sale when they came up for auction in 2009.

That auction ended in controversy when a Chinese man bid successfully for them, but did not pay, as a "patriotic act".

 

The statues had come up for sale following the death of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Kering's brands, which include Saint Laurent as well as Gucci and Alexander McQueen, are popular in China's booming luxury market.

 

In a statement in April announcing their donation of the statues, the Pinault family said they had gone to "great efforts to retrieve these two significant treasures of China and strongly believe they belong in their rightful home".

 

At a ceremony at the National Museum on Friday attended by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong, Francois Pinault was awarded a certificate of donation, according to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

 

The bronze animal heads were among 12 which previously adorned a zodiac fountain in the destroyed Old Summer Palace.

The palace, known as Yuanming Yuan, was sacked by British and French forces.

The heads disappeared, but it remains unclear when, how and by whom they were taken out of China.

 

Of the 12, the ox, monkey, tiger, pig and horse heads have already been returned, the state-run China News Service reports. 

 

The whereabouts of the other five animal heads, the dragon, dog, snake, sheep and chicken, are currently unknown, it adds.

Brazil 2-1 Uruguay: Late Paulinho header books Confeds Cup final berth

Paulinho popped up with a late winner as Brazil progressed to the Confederations Cup final with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over a gritty Uruguay side on Wednesday night.

An underwhelming game, which had featured a first-half penalty miss from Diego Forlan, appeared to be heading for extra time, with Edinson Cavani cancelling out Fred's opener for the hosts.

However, Paulinho nodded home a Neymar corner with just four minutes of normal time remaining to send the Belo Horizonte crowd into ecstasy, and leave Uruguay heartbroken.

Brazil looked weighed down by the almost tangible sense of expectancy among a partisan crowd packed into the Estadio Mineirao.

However, even the significant pressure the hosts were under could not explain precisely why Selecao centre-half David Luiz took leave of his senses and elected to haul Diego Lugano to the floor as the pair jostled for position at a corner 14 minutes in.

Luiz's stupidity really should have resulted in Uruguay taking the lead, but Forlan squandered the opportunity to score against the country in which he plies his trade, the Internacional attacker seeing his low spot kick turned around the post by Julio Cesar.

That fine stop drew a thunderous roar from the crowd but, in truth, they were given little else to cheer about during a desperately fractious opening quarter in Belo Horizonte.

Hulk worked himself into a fantastic position just before the half-hour mark, after a neat one-two with Neymar, but the Zenit forward ballooned his effort over the bar.

Brazil's mounting frustration then threatened to get the better of them, with Luiz Gustavo picking up a deserved booking for following through on Cristian Rodriguez, but they made a crucial breakthrough just before the interval.

Paulinho picked out Neymar's clever run in behind the Uruguay defence with a measured chip into the area and the Brazil No.10 controlled the ball on his chest before flicking it goalwards. Fernando Muslera saved well with his outstretched left arm but Fred was on hand to slice home the rebound with the aid of his shin. It was a fittingly scrappy opener, given what had gone before.

 

Uruguay replied in somewhat similar circumstances just three minutes into the second half, with Thiago Silva - of all players - inexplicably passing the ball straight to Cavani, after a game of pinball in the Brazilian box. The in-demand Napoli striker took a quick touch before beating Julio Cesar with a low strike into the far left corner.

Uruguay very nearly went ahead midway through the second period through a Luis Suarez header that was deflected just over, before Fred flashed a spectacular - but wayward - volley that never looked likely to trouble Muslera.

With both sides horribly devoid of ideas, extra time appeared inevitable, but man of the match Paulinho rose at the back post to meet Neymar's deep corner and beat Muslera with a fine downward header to put the hosts into Sunday's tournament decider.

Supreme Court strikes down DOMA; rules it interferes with states, ‘dignity’ of same-sex marriages

The Supreme Court released two major decisions expanding gay rights across the country on Wednesday as hordes of cheering demonstrators greeted the news outside. The justices struck down a federal law barring the recognition of same-sex marriage in a split decision, ruling that the law violates the rights of gays and lesbians and intrudes into states' rights to define and regulate marriage. The court also dismissed a case involving California's gay marriage ban, ruling that supporters of the ban did not have the legal standing, or right, to appeal a lower court's decision striking down Proposition 8 as discriminatory.

 

The decision clears the way for gay marriage to again be legal in the nation's most populous state, even though the justices did not address the broader legal argument that gay people have a fundamental right to marriage.

 

The twin decisions throw the fight over gay marriage back to the states, because the court ruled the federal government must recognize the unions if states sanction them, but did not curtail states' rights to ban gay marriage if they choose.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court's conservative-leaning swing vote with a legal history of supporting gay rights, joined his liberal colleagues in the DOMA decision, which will dramatically expand the rights of married gay couples in the country to access more than 1,000 federal benefits and responsibilities of marriage previously denied them.

 

"The avowed purpose and practical effect of the law here in question are to impose a disadvantage, a separate status, and so a stigma upon all who enter into same-sex marriages made lawful by the unquestioned authority of the States," Kennedy wrote of DOMA. He concluded that states must be allowed by the federal government to confer "dignity" on same-sex couples if they choose to legalize gay marriage. DOMA "undermines" same-sex marriages in visible ways and "tells those couples, and all the world, that their otherwise valid marriages are unworthy of federal recognition."

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain close to Arsenal switch, says agent

Gonzalo Higuain's agent and brother, Nicolas Higuain, says that the Real Madrid striker is closing in on a move to Arsenal.

 

The 25-year old had previously announced his desire to leave the Bernabeu after spending six-and-a-half seasons in Spain since joining from River Plate in 2006, and Arsene Wenger is believed to be keen to make the Argentine a part of his squad for the forthcoming season.

 

Higuain has been linked with a number of European clubs including Juventus and Napoli, but the striker's agent believes that the Gunners are the nearest to clinching his signature.

 

"I can't deny that Gonzalo is now close to Arsenal."
Nicolas Higuain

 

"I think that Higuain is now closer to Arsenal," he told TMW.

"Juventus are a great club, but Gonzalo is too expensive for them. Napoli are a strong side and that place represents a lot for Argentines.

 

"Saying that, I can't deny that Gonzalo is now close to Arsenal."