Dutch Get First King In Over 120 Years

King Willem-Alexander raises his right hand as he swears to uphold the Dutch constitution during his investiture ceremony next to Queen Maxima in the Nieuwe Kerk or New Church in Amsterdam

Willem-Alexander has been sworn in as king of the Netherlands at a colourful ceremony attended by 2,000 visitors in Amsterdam.
The 46-year-old became the country's first king since 1890 when his 75-year-old mother Beatrix signed the abdication deed after 33 years on the throne this morning.
As King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima took centre stage in Nieuwe Kerk, a decommissioned church, Princess Beatrix smiled happily, watching the proceedings with her three granddaughters, who all wore matching royal blue dresses.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima take their place in Nieuwe Kerk or New Church in Amsterdam for his inauguration

Wearing a fur-trimmed ceremonial mantle, swore an oath of allegiance to his country and the constitution in the historic New Church.
In a speech in the church, Europe's youngest monarch underscored the ceremonial nature of his monarchy in this egalitarian society but also the symbolic and economic value a king can deliver on state visits aimed at drumming up trade.
'I will proudly represent the kingdom and help discover new opportunities,' he said.
The investiture ceremony was the final formal act on a day of high emotion within the House of Orange-Nassau and was to be followed by an evening boat tour around the historic Amsterdam waterfront. 

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane on the blue carpet

The new king gripped his mother's hand and looked briefly into her eyes after they both signed the abdication document in the Royal Palace on downtown Amsterdam's Dam Square.
Beatrix looked close to tears as she then appeared on a balcony decked out with tulips, roses and oranges, overlooking 25,000 of her subjects.
'I will proudly represent the kingdom and help discover new opportunities,' he said.
'I am happy and grateful to introduce to you your new king, Willem-Alexander,' she told the cheering crowd, which chanted: 'Bea bedankt' ('Thanks Bea.')
Moments later, in a striking symbol of the generational shift, she left the balcony and the new king, his wife and three daughters - the children in matching yellow dresses and headbands - waved to the crowd. 

Prince Charles and Camilla in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam for the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander

'Dear mother, today you relinquished the throne. 33 years moving and inspiring years. We are intensely, intensely grateful to you,' the new king said.
With her abdication, she becomes Princess Beatrix and her son ascends the throne as King Willem-Alexander.
The father of three's wife becomes Queen Maxima and their eldest daughter, Catharina-Amalia, becomes Princess Orange and first in line to the throne.
Willem-Alexander, a 46-year-old water management specialist, is expected to bring a less formal touch to the monarchy together with his wife, a former investment banker from Argentina.
He has pledged to be a 21st century king, close to his nearly 17 million subjects, and not a 'protocol fetishist'.

The regalia  - crown, sceptre, globus cruciger and sword of state- lie at the credence-table during the ceremony

Wearing a sober purple dress, Beatrix signed the abdication document in front of the Dutch cabinet, Willem-Alexander and Maxima, who wore a pale rose-coloured dress with a shimmery skirt and enormous bow on her left shoulder.
'Today, I make way for a new generation,' said Beatrix.
April 30, or Queen's day, is always a day for partying in the Netherlands. Many people took Monday off work and started celebrating in earnest from Monday evening with street bands and music.

Again, Jonathan’s Approval Rating Takes A Beating

Only 4 out of 10 Nigerians approved of Mr Jonathan’s performance.

Fresh from the whopping 8-point drop in March, President Goodluck Jonathan’s approval rating continues to take a bloody nose according to the NOI Polls for April released on Tuesday.
The President’s rating dropped by 4 points in April to an all time low approval rating of 42 per cent since NOI started conducting the polls 4 months ago. A further breakdown of the result shows only 4 out of 10 Nigerians approved of Mr. Jonathan’s performance.
The poll, aimed at gauging “approval rating of the president, the performance of the current administration, and the situation of power supply in the country,” shows more Nigerians are getting frustrated and are (beginning to) lose faith in the government.
The poll also shows that despite government’s claim of improved power supply most Nigerians think it has become worst. Over 68 per cent of respondents say power has either gotten worse or has not improved. Last Sunday, media aide to the President, Doyin Okupe, said that the Jonathan- administration has almost resolved all the problems it inherited in the power sector, adding power generation will hit 10,000 megawatts by December.

Rated highly in South South

Also, a geo-political analysis of the poll result show the president has drastically lost ground when compared with the 2011 election results. The poll shows that the president’s best approval rating is from the South South geopolitical zone with 59 per cent approval rating. This is not entirely surprising as the President is from the South South zone. However, when compared with the election result from the same zone two years ago, this rating becomes less cheering. According to the election result, the President won 95.97 per cent in the zone. The NOI poll show the president has lost over 36 points in his approval rating since the election.
The story is not different in South East zone. The president received the highest number of votes from this region (98 per cent) during the election. However, the NOI poll shows he now has 58 per cent approval rating from the zone. This is a 40 points drop since after the election.
According to NOI polls, the President approval rating in the South West zone is 29 per cent. When compared to his rating during the election where he won 57.80 per cent of the votes, this is more than 28 per cent drop in his approval rating.
The President has the lowest rating in the North Central region with an abysmal 23 per cent approval rating.
The poll did not give the breakdown of Mr Jonathan’s approval rating in the North West and North East region although it is difficult to expect that his rating will be any better in these regions.
During the 2011 election when he was winning by a landslide in other regions, he recorded his lowest votes in these regions (North West 32.13 per cent; North East 34.54 per cent). With the administration’s poor handling of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East and his increasing unpopularity in the Northern region, generally, one can only expect his approval ratings in these regions to be more abysmal.

Ex-Diamond Bank Regional Manager Docked Over Alleged N43.7M Theft

A 43-year-old banker, Ige Adegboye, on Tuesday in Lagos appeared before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court charged with alleged theft of N43.7 million.
The accused, whose address is unknown, is facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and fraud.
The prosecutor, Raymond Akhaine, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in 2008 in Lagos in his capacity as the Regional Manager of Diamond Bank, Kaduna Branch.
He said the accused stole the money, property of the bank.
“The accused obtained a facility from the bank under the pretext of using a fixed deposit of National Union of Textile Garment as a security,’’ Mr. Akhaine, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said.
The offences, he said, contravened Sections 285, 313 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
Section 313 provides a maximum of 15 years imprisonment for convicted felons.
Mr. Adegboye entered a not-guilty plea and was granted bail in the sum of N2 million, with two sureties in like sum.
Magistrate I.O. Omotosho fixed May 16 for mention.

Pakistan Court Remands Musharraf In Bhutto Murder

Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf will spend Pakistan's general election day under lock and key after a court Tuesday extended his house arrest over the murder of Benazir Bhutto.
An anti-terrorism court in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, next to Islamabad, put Musharraf on 14-day judicial remand over the death of the former prime minister, who was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack in 2007.
Musharraf returned from exile in March to stand in the May 11 general election, vowing to "save" the country from militancy and economic collapse but he was barred from running over charges dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.
He will now spend polling day in his Islamabad villa, which has been designated as a jail, making his chances of even voting now remote.
Musharraf's lawyer Ibrahim Satti told AFP that his client could request a postal vote but said a government-facilitated visit to a polling station would be unlikely "because of security concerns".
The retired general is already under house arrest for sacking judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007 and did not appear in court in person.
"The court granted a 14-day judicial remand and ordered that Musharraf be kept in a judicial lock-up until May 14," prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar told AFP.
The order was made to give investigators time to work on the case and the regular hearing is due to begin on May 3.
Musharraf is accused of conspiracy to murder two-time prime minister Bhutto, whose Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was elected into power in February 2008 on a wave of sympathy over her death.
Besides the sacking of judges, he faces a third legal case over the 2006 death of a Baluch rebel leader during a military operation and has been threatened with death by the Taliban.
His All Pakistan Muslim League party has complained that he has been confined to two rooms and stripped of his personal staff.
In the northwestern city of Peshawar, a court dismissed an appeal against his disqualification from standing for election in the district of Chitral and banned him for life from running for parliament, lawyers said.
Nobody has ever been convicted or jailed for Bhutto's assassination. Musharraf's government blamed the killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement and was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.
But Bhutto's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is PPP chairman, has accused Musharraf of her murder.
In 2010 a UN report said Bhutto's death could have been prevented and accused Musharraf's government of failing to give her adequate protection.

Court Sentence A 31-Year Old Man To 45 Years In Jail For Stealing Aregbesola’s Phone

An Osogbo High Court, headed by Justice Oyejide Falola, has sentenced
31-year-old Kelvin Ighodalo, to 45-year imprisonment For stealing a N50,000 Sony Ericsson phone belonging to Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The phone was stolen by Ighodalo on November 27, 2010, from Governor Rauf Aregbesola's pocket when he was being inaugurated at Government Technical College, Osogbo.
Kelvin Ighodalo was found guilty on six counts, which included conspiracy, stealing and fraud, which carried 10 years imprisonment for the first three counts and the others carried 5 years imprisonment each of the last three which included impersonation, obtaining property by falsehood and collusion.
The Judge explained that the convict deserved the sentence and held that the convict used the phone to obtain N500, 000 from the Owa of Ilesa, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, while he obtained N200, 000 from Shengen Rahman, an associate of the governor.
Mr Ighodalo will run the jail term concurrently and so will only spend a total of 10 years in prison.
During the hearing, the assistant principal state counsel, Biodun Badiora, also disclosed that the convict had served six-year imprisonment in Ikoyi prison custody in connection with a murder case in 2005.

Court Sentence A 31-Year Old Man To 45 Years In Jail For Stealing Aregbesola’s Phone

An Osogbo High Court, headed by Justice Oyejide Falola, has sentenced
31-year-old Kelvin Ighodalo, to 45-year imprisonment For stealing a N50,000 Sony Ericsson phone belonging to Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The phone was stolen by Ighodalo on November 27, 2010, from Governor Rauf Aregbesola's pocket when he was being inaugurated at Government Technical College, Osogbo.
Kelvin Ighodalo was found guilty on six counts, which included conspiracy, stealing and fraud, which carried 10 years imprisonment for the first three counts and the others carried 5 years imprisonment each.
Mr. Ameachi Ngwu, Counsel to Ighodalo, prayed the court to commit him to community service, rather than being incarcerated so the public can see him as a convict.

World Record Holder Attempting To Cross River Suspended By His Ponytail Dies During Stunt

An Indian Guinness World Record holder who attempted to cross a river suspended from a zip wire attached to his ponytail has died during the stunt.
Sailendra Nath Roy, 48, was performing the stunt on the Teesta river in West Bengal state when he suffered a heart attack.
In March 2011, Mr Roy was named a Guinness World Record holder for travelling the farthest distance on a zip wire using hair.
He worked as a driver for the police.
Mr Roy was trying to cross the Coronation Bridge over the Teesta river near Siliguri town suspended from a zip wire 600ft (180m) long at a height of 70ft (20m).
A large number of people had gathered on the bridge to watch the feat.
Witnesses said that Mr Roy appeared to make no progress after covering about 300ft (90m).
"He was desperately trying to move forward. He was trying to scream out some instruction. But no one could follow what he was saying. After struggling for 30 minutes he became still," said Balai Sutradhar, a photographer, who was covering the stunt.
Police said he was hanging for nearly 45 minutes before he was brought down.
Doctors at the hospital said he had suffered a "massive heart attack".
Mr Roy had arrived at the riverside on Sunday morning and set up the zip wire from the bridge with help from friends.
He was wearing a life jacket, but there were no doctors or emergency service on the spot.
Police said that Mr Roy had not got permission to do the stunt.
A friend, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: "His wife used to urge him to quit doing dangerous stunts. Mr Roy convinced her that crossing the Teesta river would be his last. Unfortunately, that became his last stunt."
In 2008, Mr Roy pulled the famous Darjeeling toy train with his ponytail.
And in 2007, his ponytail tied to a rope, he flew from one building to another in front of television cameras.

Clint Eastwood In Fight To Save Marriage As Wife Checks Into Rehab

Movie legend Clint Eastwood is fighting to save his marriage, it was claimed — after his wife checked into a rehab clinic for anxiety and depression.
Pals of the Dirty Harry star, 82, and his second wife of 17 years, Dina Ruiz, said they have had problems for months.
Ex-TV news anchor Dina, 47, left their home in Carmel, California, for a clinic in Arizona, where she is set to stay for weeks.
She recently starred in a US TV reality series called Mrs Eastwood and Company, but the show was a flop and was axed.
Dad-of-seven Clint has a daughter, Morgan, 16, with Dina.

Michael Jackson Not 'King Of Pop' But 'Messed-Up Junkie' Says Best Pal

Troubled Michael Jackson drank up to six bottles of wine a day — and was “paralytic” at the press conference announcing his comeback tour.
The late pop legend would get best pal Mark Lester to smuggle bottles of plonk into hotels past his strict Muslim security team.
Ex-actor Mark — godfather to Jacko’s three kids — says Michael would down them to beat his insomnia and easily quaffed a case over two days.
But Jacko’s secret habit spiralled out of control on the day of his press conference in March 2009 — announcing his This Is It 50-date residency at London’s O2 Arena.
Mark, now an osteopath in Cheltenham, Gloucs, said: “Michael passed out on the hotel bed. His doctor said he’d drunk two-thirds of a bottle of whisky and was paralytic.
“He sobered up enough to struggle through the This Is It speech, which he just about got away with.”
Jacko died of a sedative overdose three months later.
His family are suing promoters AEG over his death at the hands of Conrad Murray. The case opens in LA today.

Papua New Guinea Mulls Death Penalty For Sorcery Murder, Rape

Papua New Guinea is considering introducing the death penalty for sorcery killings and rape after a spate of horrific crimes against women drew international condemnation.
Attorney-General Kerenga Kua said public opinion had swung in favour of capital punishment after a series of brutal sorcery-related murders including beheadings and torchings, and the gang rape of a US academic.
Kua said he had received more than 100 petitions from human rights and other groups across the globe calling for urgent action on the violence against women.
"Those horrific, brutal, gruesome killings of the type that a woman was burnt alive to her death should attract death penalty," The National newspaper reported Kua as saying.
"Most of the people are ready for it and they want it now as they are fed up of the law and order problems in this country and they want to see a more liberal use of the death penalty."
In February a 20-year-old mother accused of witchcraft was stripped and burned alive in front of a crowd at a village market. Earlier this month an elderly woman was beheaded after being accused of black magic.
Also this month, an Australian was murdered and his friend sexually assaulted by a group of men, followed barely a week later by the ambush of the US researcher, her husband and their guide on a wilderness track.
She was stripped, had her hair cut to the scalp and was gang-raped by a group of nine men armed with rifles and knives before a sound in the forest frightened them away.
Kua said he had been monitoring the public mood on the issue and it was time the government "did something radical" to halt the crimes, which have undermined PNG's standing as a tourism and investment destination.
"My job is simply to do what the people want me to do. I cannot shut my eyes to the people's request. I'm not deaf, I'm listening; if they want it we will give it to them," he said.
The offences of treason, piracy and wilful murder are already punishable by death in the impoverished Pacific nation, but the country has not carried out an execution since 1954.
The Catholic Church condemned Kua's remarks as "giving in to the same vengeful streak in PNG culture that is part of our current problem", and said the death penalty would not be a deterrent to violent crime.

Stop Witch-Hunting My Cabinet Ministers, I Was In Charge, Probe Me Instead – Ex-President Obasanjo To FG

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is ready for a probe of his eight-year administration instead of the present administration descending on his cabinet ministers.
Mr Obasanjo, who made the criticism at the 50th birthday thanksgiving of former minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili in Abuja, said he is ready to account for his stewardship.
He said if the present government finds anything wrong with his administration, he would bear the responsibility.
The former President was reacting to the recent moves to probe Mrs Ezekwesili by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and challenge thrown to the former World Bank VP by the presidency to account for her tenure as Minister of Education.
He said, “I have always said this, whatever you want to blame in my government, blame me, don’t blame any of those people who assisted me. If there is any credit to dispense we share it.
“But for anything you want to say is wrong, I was the one in charge and I was in charge.”

-Channels TV

Highlights Of Sunday's NBA Playoffs Games

Heat 88, Bucks 77

LeBron James had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and visiting Miami pulled away in the fourth quarter to complete a four-game series sweep of Milwaukee.
Ray Allen scored 16 points off the bench and Udonis Haslem added 13 as the reigning NBAchampions rolled into the Eastern Conference semi-finals despite playing without All Star guard Dwyane Wade, who sat out with an ailing knee.
The Heat will play either Chicago or Brooklyn in the next round.
Monta Ellis scored 21 points and Mike Dunleavy chipped in 17 for the eighth-seeded Bucks, who followed the script of the previous two games by staying close through three quarters before the top-seeded Heat turned on the jets.
Miami led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter but Ellis scored seven straight points as Milwaukee cut the deficit to 45-41 at the half. The Bucks were within five at the end of three quarters and trailed by two with 9 1/2 minutes to play when the Heat delivered the knockout blows.
Allen buried a pair of three-pointers and Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier each connected from long range before James capped a 19-5 burst with a conventional three-point play to extend the lead to 86-72 with 4:54 remaining.

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Celtics 97, Knicks 90 (overtime)

Reserve Jason Terry scored nine of his 18 points in the final 91 seconds of overtime as hosts Boston averted a four-game sweep despite blowing a 20-point second-half lead.
Paul Pierce scored 29 points and Jeff Green added 26 as the Celtics fought off a stirring comeback to force Game Five of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series on Wednesday at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 17 rebounds for Boston.
Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points and Raymond Felton had 27 for the Knicks, who led only once - at 84-82 with 1:18 to play in regulation - and trailed 59-39 with 9:25 left in the third quarter.
Terry put the Celtics ahead to stay by burying a three-pointer with 1:31 left in the extra session. After Anthony sliced the deficit to one, Terry hit a short jumper and buried two foul shots for a 95-90 edge with 20.4 seconds left.
Pierce scored eight points in a 73-second span late in the second quarter to help send the Celtics into the break with a seemingly commanding 54-35 lead. A three-pointer by Green pushed it to 20 early in the third quarter before Felton scored 16 points in a 26-9 burst to pull New York within 68-65 entering the final 12 minutes.
The Knicks played without Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith, who was suspended one game by the NBA for elbowing Terry in the face in the fourth quarter of Game Three.

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Spurs 103, Lakers 82

Tony Parker scored 23 points and visiting San Antonio routed Los Angeles to complete a four-game sweep of the Western Conference playoff series.
Kawhi Leonard and DeJuan Blair scored 13 points apiece and Tim Duncan added 11 as the Spurs broke the game open early and sent the Lakers to their first opening-round postseason sweep since 1967.
Second-seeded San Antonio will face Denver or Golden State in the next round.
The injury-depleted Lakers, already missing their top four guards and starting forward Metta World Peace, went down meekly and saw center Dwight Howard ejected after picking up his second technical foul for arguing a non-call in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Pau Gasol scored 16 points and Andrew Goudelock added 14 for Los Angeles.
The Spurs allowed the Lakers to hang around for the first quarter, leading by eight, but Gary Neal came off the bench and knocked down a pair of three-pointers in a personal 8-0 run to put San Antonio ahead by 14 en route to a 52-34 halftime edge.
The Spurs had only three turnovers in the first half compared to 16 for Los Angeles.

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Warriors 115, Nuggets 101

Stephen Curry took over in the third quarter and finished with 31 points and seven assists as host Golden State took a 3-1 lead over Denver in the best-of-seven series.
Curry hit six three-pointers and went 10-for-16 from the field for the Warriors, who will try to close out the series at Denver on Tuesday. Jarrett Jack added 21 points and nine assists and Carl Landry scored 17 off the bench.
Ty Lawson scored 26 points and Andre Iguodala had 19 for the Nuggets, who committed 23 turnovers leading to 33 points. Denver has allowed an average of 118.7 points in the last three games - all losses.

CRAZY CRAZY FELLA! Mario Balotelli Promises Entire Real Madrid Squad Sex With His Girlfriend Fanny Neguesha If They Beat Borussia Dortmund

Crazy to the power of infinity!

Italian youngster in crazy headline grabbing stunt #172.
Now Mario Balotelli is something of an oddball, we all know this this, but on this particular occasion he may just have overstepped the mark.
The Italian youngster, famed for a number of bizarre incidents that have left many questioning his sanity, has promised Real Madrid the use of his girlfriend Fanny Neguesha for sexual purposes if they manage to overturn their 4-1 first leg Champions League deficit against Borussia Dortmund.
Balotelli is claimed to have stated, presumably in jest, “If Real Madrid come back against Borussia Dortmund and make it to the final of the Champions League, I will let my girlfriend sleep with all the players,”
One would imagine that Miss Neguesha was not made privy to this arrangement and would surely be a little bit worried about her boyfriend’s willingness to use her in this manner.
Perhaps Balotelli has wagered a large sum with the bookies on Real Madrid to conduct a comeback and this is his way of offering Real Madrid with the incentive they need to overcome German opposition.

Syria's Prime Minister Survives Car Bomb Attack

State-run Syrian TV says the country's Prime Minister has escaped an assassination attempt when a bomb went off near his convoy.
The TV says Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi was unhurt in the attack in the capital's western neighborhood of Mazzeh. The TV said Monday's bombing left a number of casualties.
The attack was not the first targeting a high official in the Syrian capital.
On July 18, a blast at the Syrian national security building in Damascus during a meeting of Cabinet ministers killed the defense minister and his deputy, who was President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law. That attack also wounded the interior minister.

Jonathan Pledges To Rebuild Baga Town

President Goodluck Jonathan has offered the federal government’s assistance to Borno State to rebuild Baga, a border town in the state in which between 36 and 190 people were killed in a gun duel between troops of the Multinational Task Force (MTF) and Boko Haram insurgents penultimate weekend.
A presidency source confided in THISDAY at the weekend that the presidential offer was one of the decisions reached during a closed-door meeting held at the State House, Abuja, on Friday between Jonathan and Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima.
Although the agenda of the meeting was not made public, it was learnt that the governor came to Abuja to update the president on the incident in Baga, where the displaced residents were still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after the orgy of killings and destruction in their town.
As the controversy over the actual death toll in the incident rages, a fact-finding team constituted by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim, to ascertain the exact casualty figures, has presented its findings in which it said contrary to reports and allegations by some northern leaders, no mass grave was found after two days of searching in the town.
But the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) yesterday faulted the military high command’s account of the incident and made a case for the redeployment of the MTF commander as well as the withdrawal of the multinational troops.
However, a Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the federal government to direct the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the Baga massacre and all cases of extra-judicial killings in the course of the anti-terror war to avoid government officials being reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for conspiracy and crimes against humanity.
THISDAY learnt that Shettima was at the State House on Friday to brief the president on the destruction of lives and property in Baga and seek the assistance of the federal government in re-settling victims.
He also sought financial assistance from the federal government so that the state could upgrade its intervention in the beleaguered area, which has become the enclave of the insurgents since 2009.
Shettima, it was gathered, outlined the security challenges the state was facing and ended his presentation with the situation in Baga, which he said would require the federal government’s assistance to rehabilitate the residents.
The presidency source said: “President Jonathan acquiesced to the request of the governor whom he had taken a liking to after his visit to Borno and Yobe a couple of weeks back.
“The president agreed to do everything possible to rebuild Baga town and also give the state some financial leverage to enhance its security operations against the Boko Haram insurgency.”
Shettima, who attended the meeting with the president with an unidentified aide, declined comments when State House correspondents approached him after the meeting.
Dismissing the high death toll reported in the media, the fact-finding team constituted by the CDS, after a three-day visit to the town, said there was no evidence of mass graves to justify the high death toll.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in a statement yesterday by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said contrary to reports and allegations from some northern leaders, no mass grave was found after two days of search.
It said the team, which was led by the Defence Chief of Training and Operations, Major-Gen Lawrence Ngubane, interacted with the commander, officers and troops of the MTF as well as some community leaders, the police, aid workers and residents of the town with a view to getting their accounts of the incident.
It explained that the team also went round the town interviewing those who participated or witnessed the encounter between the terrorist group and the troops in a bid to ascertain the casualty figure and the conduct of the troops.
“In its particular concern to ascertain the claims of massive loss of lives, the team was taken to cemeteries in the town as it tried to locate where the reported large number of civilian casualties were buried.
“It however found no mass grave after nearly two days of search,” it added.
The statement, quoting the report by the team, said: “The district head of Baga, Alhaji Babagana Zanna, who was accompanied by the (immediate past) Kukawa Local Government Area chairman, Alhaji Lawal Kone, while responding to enquiries from the fact-finding team, told the members that he had not received any report of mass burial in his domain.
“Kone, who was earlier quoted to have given some figures, said he was not in the town during the incident and as such he did not know the number of civilians who died in the incident.
“Earlier, MTF Commander, Brig-Gene Austin Edokpayi, who briefed the team on how the operation was conducted, said the situation in the town had stabilised until the arrival of some politicians and government officials who addressed the community, making a series of allegations, which raised fresh tensions.
“He added that they were the ones behind the campaign of the high death toll, which was being levelled to discredit the military.
"Edokpayi had explained that the operation was only targeted at stopping Boko Haram terrorists who had established a pattern of burning buildings and property as a mode of operation in the area.
“He had cited instances of how the terrorists used arson as a terror tool in communities such as Duguri, Metele and Kangarwa where they operated recently.
“Edokpayi also briefed the team on details of the casualties recorded during the encounter, stating that some civilians who were wounded were treated at the task force medical facility and were subsequently discharged."
But faulting the military's account of the Baga incident, the northern elders queried the rationale for involving troops from foreign countries in the anti-terror campaign and demanded the redeployment of the troops’ commander.
Their spokesman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, expressing concern over the involvement of foreign troops in fighting terror in Nigeria, explained that it would be dangerous for Nigeria to align with any country that appears to nurse a phobia for Islam.
Abdullahi, who had spoken in Bauchi last week, was reacting to a statement credited to the military authorities that the Baga incident that led to the killings of civilians was conducted in conjunction with troops from Nigeria, Niger and Chad.
He said people were suspicious that Nigeria was going into another multilateral agreement with other countries on the security situation in the country, querying in what forum, agency or level of discussion was the decision taken for military troops from Niger and Chad to fire guns at Nigerians.
He had expressed dismay that the Borno military commandant was involved in the operation in which about 200 Nigerians were killed and thousands of houses razed.
He recalled that some months ago, the commandant at the Jaji Military Cantonment, Major General M.D. Isa, was not only posted out of Jaji but retired for what was then described as his lapses in the Jaji bomb explosion.
Also reacting to the Baga incident, Falana, in a statement at the weekend, urged the federal government to order the human rights commission to probe the death and destruction in the town and other extra-judicial killings in the course of the anti-terror war.
He said this was necessary so that the ICC would not add the Baga case to the list of extra-judicial killings in Nigeria being probed by the commission.
According to him, the ICC special prosecutor had previously confirmed that the commission was investigating allegations of rampart extra-judicial killings in Nigeria by security forces.
He said the investigation was confirmed by the ICC Special Prosecutor, Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, in an interview published in the August/September 2012 edition of the New African Magazine when she said: “The OTP is currently conducting preliminary examinations in a number of situations, including Afghanistan, Georgia, Guinea, Columbia, Honduras, Korea and Nigeria.”
Falana explained that the ongoing inquiry was sequel to a petition he had lodged with the special prosecutor two years ago on behalf of the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Falana urged the federal government to show the world that it does not condone extra-judicial killings by ordering a probe into the Baga incident to avoid a situation whereby some highly-placed public officers and security personnel are reported to the ICC for conspiracy and crimes against humanity.

Mrs Carter is Queen of Bey-mingham

We check out Bootylicious Beyonce's first UK gig of world tour.

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French Hostages: Boko Haram 'Was Paid $3m Ransom'

Islamist militant group Boko Haram was paid more than $3m (£2m) before releasing a French family of seven, a Nigerian government report says.
The confidential report, seen by Reuters news agency, does not say who paid the money.
Both France and Cameroon deny paying a ransom while Nigeria has not commented on the issue.
The French family, including four children, were captured in Cameroon in February and freed last week.
The were handed over to the Cameroon authorities last Thursday.
The Nigerian report also says that Cameroon freed some Boko Haram detainees as part of the deal, according to Reuters.
If confirmed, transfer of such a significant amount of money given to Boko Haram could serve to strengthen the firepower of the group, the BBC's Will Ross in Lagos reports.
Over the past week, violence in northern Nigeria has escalated as suspected members of Boko Haram have targeted the army and police. Reports say more than 200 civilians have died in the violence.
While the army is unable to prevent such attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed a committed to prepare the ground for offering an amnesty to the militants, our correspondent says.
The French family, who live in Yaounde, where Tanguy Moulin-Fournier worked for the French gas group Suez, had been returning from a holiday in the Waza National Park in northern Cameroon when they were kidnapped by gunmen on motorbikes on 19 February.
Mr Moulin-Fournier, his wife Albane and four children, aged between five and 12, had been joined on their holiday by his brother Cyril.
In a YouTube video released about a week after their capture, the militants demanded the release of prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria.
One of them also criticised French President Francois Hollande for sending troops to fight Islamist militants in northern Mali in January.
The French-led operation in Mali has ousted the Islamist groups, including al-Qaeda's North African branch, from cities and towns in the vast desert region they had captured a year ago in the wake of a coup.
Boko Haram, which began its insurgency following a deadly crackdown on its members in 2009, had previously said it was not involved in hostage taking.
It has usually followed a Nigerian agenda, and says it wants to establish an Islamic state.
During its insurgency at least 2,000 people have been kill in northern and parts of central Nigeria.

American Faces Trial In North Korea

A US citizen will be tried soon on charges including attempting to overthrow North Korea's government, the North's official news agency says.
KCNA says that Pae Jun-Ho has admitted the charges, without specifying when the verdict will be handed down.
Pae Jun-Ho, who is known in the US as Kenneth Bae, was held last year after entering North Korea as a tourist.
His case comes at a time of high tension between Pyongyang and Washington.
This follows North Korea's third nuclear test in February.
"The preliminary inquiry into crimes committed by American citizen Pae Jun-Ho closed," the KCNA said in a report on Saturday.
"In the process of investigation he admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) with hostility toward it.
"His crimes were proved by evidence," the report added. "He will soon be taken to the Supreme Court of the DPRK to face judgement."
It is not clear what sort of sanction Mr Pae, 44, might face, although North Korea's criminal code provides for life imprisonment or the death penalty for similar offences.
North Korea has arrested several US citizens in recent years, including journalists and Christians accused of proselytism. They have been released after intervention by senior American public figures.
Mr Pae, believed to be a tour operator of Korean descent, is the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter as well as former UN Ambassador Bill Richardson have all been involved in mediation efforts to gain the release of previous American detainees.
In one of the most high-profile cases, Mr Clinton negotiated the release in 2009 of two US journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been found guilty of entering North Korea illegally.
"For North Korea, Bae is a bargaining chip in dealing with the US," Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul told Associated Press news agency.
"The North will use him in a way that helps bring the US to talks when the mood slowly turns toward dialogue,'' he said.
Mr Pae was reportedly arrested in November after arriving in Rason - a special economic zone in the north-east of the country near the Russian border.
Washington has so far not publicly commented on the latest development.
The US and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations. The Swedish embassy in Pyongyang represents the US.
In a further sign of the continuing tension on the Korean peninsula, South Korea has begun withdrawing its remaining workers from the Kaesong joint industrial zone in North Korea.
The complex, once considered a symbol of reconciliation, lies just north of the military demarcation line dividing the two Koreas.
South Korean officials said 126 people had left, with the final 48 expected home by Monday.
North Korea has already withdrawn its 53,000 workers and blocked access to the zone in response to joint South Korean and US military exercises.

Boston Bombing Suspects' Mom In CIA Terror Database Since 2011

U.S. intelligence agencies had added the mother of the Boston bombing suspects to a government terrorism database 18 months before the bombings, U.S. officials told the Associated Press late Friday.
The CIA had asked for the older suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev - now dead - and his mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, to be added to a terrorist database in the fall of 2011.
The request came after the Russian government contacted the agency with concerns that both had become religious militants, according to officials briefed on the investigation.
The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about the ongoing case.
The mother called the information "lies and hypocrisy" and said she has never been linked to crimes or terrorism.
An aerial photo in Friday's Boston Globe showed a line of more than 20 investigators, all dressed in white overalls and yellow boots, picking over the garbage with shovels or rakes.
The revelation that the FBI had also investigated Zubeidat Tsarnaeva and the CIA arranged for her to be added to the terrorism database deepened the mystery around the family.
The Tsarnaevs are ethnic Chechens from southern Russia who immigrated to the Boston area in the past 11 years. Tsarnaeva, a naturalized U.S. citizen who has appeared on television interviews since the attacks and reversed her decision to return to the U.S. after the bombings, has said her sons could never have been behind the deadly attacks and believes they were framed.
Dzhohkar Tsarnaev is charged with joining with his older brother in setting off the shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs. He could face the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the father of the Boston bombing suspects has accused the FBI of “setting up” his sons.
“They just wanted to set up Tamerlan, and Dzhokhar just turned out to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Anzor Tsarnaev told the Russian Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.
“Tamerlan was driving him to school when they started shooting at them,” he said. “This is a set-up, a political order, a Hollywood show.”
In an earlier interview with the U.S. media, Anzor described Dzhokhar as a “true angel.”
Dzhokhar was captured late Friday after a police hunt following last week’s Boston Marathon bombings, which left three people dead and 180 injured.
Anzor denied that Tamerlan held radical Islamist views.
“Tamerlan did get religious after getting married. He went to the mosque every Friday. He prayed five times a day. He was a righteous Muslim, and could not have done what he is accused of.”
Dzhokhar “was an A-grade student at Cambridge. He worked as a lifesaver at a pool. He had big plans: to become a doctor, to open a business, to come over here,” Anzor said.
“He said: ‘Dad, don’t worry. I’ll finish studying and come over, I’ll help you.’”

Woman, 80, Swallows Diamond At US Charity Event

An 80-yr-old US woman accidentally swallowed a USD 5,000 diamond from her champagne glass at a charity event.
The Tampa Woman's Club held a fundraiser over the weekend where they poured 400 flutes of champagne.
For USD 20, members could buy a flute of champagne and a chance to win a one-carat, USD 5,000 diamond.
Each flute contained a cubic zirconia stone, and only one of them contained the prized gem donated by Continental Wholesale Diamond, ABC News reported.
After patrons finished their drinks, the real diamond was nowhere to be found.
The elderly woman then came forward and said she accidentally swallowed what was in her flute.
"We were laughing and I wasn't paying attention and I took a swallow," said Miriam.
Miriam immediately went to an area hospital for an x-ray only to find out diamonds don't show up on x-ray. She went in for a routine colonoscopy the very next day, where her doctor ended up finding the elusive diamond.
"We still had to find out if indeed that was the winning diamond," Miriam said.
Miriam stopped by the jewelry store on her way home to have the diamond tested, the report said.
Once the diamond was washed and then steamed it was tested and it turned out to be the prized diamond.
Miriam has decided to keep the diamond in her family.

Oshiomhole Accuses PDP Of Frustrating LG Polls In Edo State

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday accused the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, of doing everything possible to frustrate the Local Government election in the state.
The Governor recalled that the party had so far stopped the conduct of the election twice in Esan North East Local Government Area.
He claimed that the PDP was using the instruments of the Federal Government to harass and intimidate the voters.
Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony of the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Oredo, Ikpoba Okha and Esan West Local Government Areas in Benin City yesterday, the Governor said,“Twice, the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, tried to conduct election in Esan North East and twice the PDP disrupted it.
“When I swore in the first set of local government chairmen, I made the point about how the Hon. Minister of Works used armed mobile policemen, over a dozen, to intimidate the voters in Esan North East and subsequently compelled the DPO and the EO to announce the cancellation of the election and he went on television to ask how he could have disturbed an election that was not held.
“Let me repeat. I did not accuse him of undermining an election that was held, we accused him of illegally using the police, conniving with the DPO to order the postponement of the election. He caused the election to be postponed because he had no chance of winning,” he added

Governor Amaechi Stranded At Akure Airport

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, was on Friday stranded for two hours at Akure Airport as the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency prevented his Bombardier jet from flying.
Although no official reason was given for the development, it was learnt that aviation officials were acting on an ‘order from above’ not to allow Amaechi’s jet to leave the airport.
Amaechi was on his way to Port Harcourt after attending the burial of Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, in Ado Ekiti when the incident occurred.
An employee of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria told our correspondent that the aircraft was prevented from flying because the presidential aircraft that brought Amina Sambo, the wife of Vice-President Namadi Sambo, to the airport from Abuja had not taken off.
But another source said the pilot of the governor’s aircraft neither filed a flight plan nor manifest of passengers on the jet.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal,and some other government officials witnessed the grounding of the governor’s jet.
Amaechi’s aircraft was eventually cleared to fly when the pilot had completed the necessary procedures, an official said.
Spokesman for NAMA, Mr. Supo Atobatele, who confirmed the development, said the plane was not cleared to take off initially because the pilot failed to observe certain mandatory requirements.
He said, “By rule, a pilot has to file in the number of souls on board his or her aircraft. These are necessary things that you need to do. In the course trying to do that, the 6pm deadline caught up with him because Akure airport is not on a 24-hour service like other major airports.
“We had to make other special logistics arrangement for the plane to take off later. If you want to fly after 6pm, we have to make a special arrangement, which we did. As I speak, the aircraft is already in Port Harcourt.”

Minister Named In N59tr Oil Deal

Five aggrieved oil-producing communities in Delta State yesterday shut down the National Assembly over allegations that Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Limited were involved in a N58.9 trillion shady oil deal.
Besides, the oil communities declared that Nigeria would lose four trillion cubic feet of gas asset worth $15.72 trillion.
Already, the Senate has summoned top management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to explain their alleged involvement in the deal.
The five oil-producing communities and their leaders protesting the illegal deal are: Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality (led by Chief Emami Ayiri); Ijaw Ethnic Nationality (Chief Aribogha Johnny); Urhobo Ethnic Nationality (Olorogun Jaro Egbo), Isoko Ethnic Nationality Zino Onaemor); and Ndokwa Ethnic Nationality (Emmanuel Orwti).
The communities accused the minister of having secretly transferred production rights in four large oil blocks (OMLs 26, 30, 34, and 42) to Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, allegedly owned by Mr. Jide Omokore.
They also claimed that the deal was perfected “two days before President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2011…”
In a petition presented to Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal yesterday, the communities alleged that there was “deliberate exclusion of indigenous rights to preemption and/ or first refusal and breach of open and competitive bidding on the four oil blocks.”
They demanded an outright cancellation of “the on-going hand-over of OML 4, 26, 30, 34, 38, 41 and 42 to Atlantic Energy and Septa Energy” and that the deal “be put on hold pending the determination of the issues raised in the petition.” The communities demanded an investigation of the abuse of due process by the National Assembly.
Besides, the petitioners accused the SPDC of active participation in the fraudulent allocation to unqualified contractors.
A part of the petition reads: “We, members of the oil-producing communities, are compelled to bring to the notice of the National Assembly the manner and /or mode upon which the allocation of the oil mining leases were fraudulently allocated by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, the officials of the ministry and the SPDC. “Mr. Jide Omokore’s Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited neither tendered for, nor bided for the blocks.
By this deal, 60 per cent of NNDC’s 55 per cent stake of these assets is about five billion barrels, which when calculated with the 2013 crude oil benchmark comes to $380 billion or N58.9trillion. This figure is exclusive of the four trillion cubic feet (4TCF) of gas asset in the blocks valued at $15.72 trillion.
“The game behind this deal is brought sharply into focus by noting the fact that, on OML 26, 30, 34 and 42, Mrs Deiziani Allison-Madueke’s alleged no–bid approach via the so called “Strategic Alliance Agreement” fetched the Federation Account an upfront cash payment of little more than $50 million as initial entrance fee from Atlantic Energy, while SPDC’s open and competitive bidding process, though excluding indigenes of the area on the other hand, got $1.3 billion from Heritage Oil Plc, for its 45 per cent joint venture beneficial stake of the same block.
“Clearly, the true market value of the OML 30 assets divested to Atlantic Energy by NPDC, if the open and competitive bidding process mandated by Public Procurement Act had been followed, should not be any less than $800 million.
The said “Atlantic Energy Agreement” in OML 30 is annexed hereto.” Addressing the aggrieved communities who shut down all legislative activities in the National Assembly yesterday morning, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Abdul Ningi, assured the communities that the Upper Legislative Chamber would get to the root of the matter.
He begged the aggrieved communities to give the Senate one month to invite all parties and resolve the issue holistically. “It’s not only the Niger Deltans who feel the injustice meted out to Niger Deltans.
We have tried to take care of the host communities because they have suffered from the oil exploration activities in the Niger Delta. “We have seen the petition and if it is true, you definitely have a case.
This is the first time we are seeing this maladministration if this petition is true. Please, give us 30 days instead of the two weeks asked from lawmakers.”
Minority Whip Ganiyu Solomon echoed Ningi’s request for 30 days to carry out a “comprehensive investigation into these allegations” while the Chairman of the Petroleum Upstream Committee, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, assured the protesters that the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is already addressing the problems.
“The PIB is dealing with most of the problems you are talking about. I know the oil wells very well on paper, that is, the OML 30 and co. Next week, the Upstream Committee will invite your representatives and officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to come and address these accusations.” Leaders of the communities agreed with the intervention package outlined by the National Assembly on the matter.
eacting to the demonstration, the minister’s media aide, Mr Kelvin Alonso, confirmed that her principal was actually aware of the protest by youths at the National Assembly.
He denied the minister’s involvement in a N59 trillion oil deal with the SPDC. Mr Alonso, however, declined to speak further as he insisted that he must get the details from Alison-Madueke before making any comment. He said though he could get the minister’s position on the allegations later in the night since he was yet to contact her for comments.
“Yes, we are aware and the minister is also aware of the development this afternoon at the National Assembly. But I can only get any comment or reaction from her when I am able to meet with her.
At the moment, she is in a meeting and I can’t access her”, Alonso said. He promised to get back to our correspondent in two hours time, but could not, at the time of filing this report.

4 Nigerian Teenagers Get Life In Prison For Gang Killing In London (PHOTOS)

The case of a very sad murder that took place months ago at Victoria Station in London is now over with 4 Nigerian teenagers sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Sofyen Belamouadden.
According to the The Daily Mail UK, a 15 year old boy was hacked to death by a twenty man gang in London. All members of the Gang have been arrested and charged.
Sofyen Belamouadden had his life cut short at Victoria station in central London when he was chased and killed by the gang over youths.
Twenty teenagers were charged in connection with the attack, but three were cleared. Fifteen others have already been jailed for a total of 129 years.
Obi Nwokeh, 20, Christopher Omoregrie and Samson Odegbune, both 19, were given life sentences for murder last April with minimum terms of 18 years.
Victoria Osoteku, 20, the only female to be charged, was jailed for 12 years for manslaughter, along with three other youths.

This evil Oseteku was seen on CCTV kicking Sofyen in the head as he lay dying on the ground after the 12-second attack and also helped with buying the knives that were used in the fatal assault.
Sofyen was stabbed nine times in the body and suffered wounds to his heart, a lung and major blood vessels.
The victim had dreamed of playing football for England and his death has left his family devastated.
The attack was the horrific end of a minor confrontation the day before in the fast-food area of Victoria mainline station between pupils from the two schools, in which a youth received a bloodied nose.
Messages were sent by phone and on Facebook arranging the clash.
Sofyen died after being chased by about 20 pupils across the Terminus Way concourse and into the Underground station.
A youth led the charge with a Samurai sword. Others were armed with a flick knife and a Swiss army knife, machetes and screwdrivers.
Sofyen fell down the stairs into the ticket hall and was attacked on the ground by a smaller group

11 British Islamists Jailed For Bomb Plot

Eleven British Muslims were jailed on Friday for planning what a court heard was an al-Qaeda-backed plot to carry out a string of bombings that they hoped would rival 9/11 and the 2005 London attacks.
The conspiracy involved at least six of the plotters travelling to Pakistan for terror training, with the eventual aim of setting off eight rucksack bombs in crowded areas and possibly other timed devices.
Ringleader Irfan Naseer received a life sentence, his right-hand man Irfan Khalid was jailed for 18 years and co-conspirator Ashik Ali was jailed for 15 years by a judge at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London.
Eight other members of the cell, which had been based in Birmingham, were also sentenced on Friday.
"Your plot had the blessing of al-Qaeda and you intended to further the aims of al-Qaeda," Judge Richard Henriques said as he sentenced the men.
"The only barrier between (Naseer's) team and mass murder was the intervention of the authorities."
The terror cell was heavily influenced by the teachings of American-born al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by a drone strike in Yemen in September 2011, police said.
Prosecutors said that the attacks planned by the men would have been the deadliest since the 7July 2005 London bombings, in which 52 people were killed by three Islamist suicide bombers on subway trains and a fourth bomber on a bus.The plot was also the most significant terror plan uncovered in Britain since the 2006 plot to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs in drinks bottles, police said.

Female Sailor From The U.S. Beats Bus Driver In Dubai Who Tried To Poke Her Against Her Will

An off-duty U.S. navy sailor wrestled a Dubai bus driver to the ground and beat him into submission after he tried to sexually assault her at knifepoint on Jan. 19, a courtroom heard Wednesday.
The woman, 28, was on 24-hour shore leave in Dubai when she was attacked by a bus driver after he picked her up from the Mall of the Emirates shopping center.
“I noticed he did not take the main road and when I asked him he told me not to worry,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.
He then stopped where several other buses were parked and tried to kiss her. After she refused, he pulled out a knife and tried to force sex on her.
Prosecutors said that she knocked the knife from his hand, broke it in two, bit him in the hand, forced him to the ground and locked him between her thighs, the Daily Mail reports.
The man, known as K S, has been charged with attempted sex assault, threatening to kill, assault and consuming alcohol illegally, the Daily Mail reports.

African Diva Angelique Kidjo Wins Songlines Best Artist Award

African diva Angelique Kidjo was named Best Artist in Songlines magazine's annual world music awards on Friday, lauded for her high-energy shows and her championing of social causes.
French veterans Lo'jo, who mix French folk with African and Arabic sounds, picked up the Best Group award and the young Zimbabwean band Mokoomba was chosen as top Newcomer.
The Best Cross Cultural-Collaboration went to Dub Colossus for the blend of Ethiopian roots, reggae and dub beats on their latest album "Dub Me Tender Vol. 1+2".
Kidjo, originally from Benin, is one of Africa's biggest singing stars. Over the years she has worked with Prince, sang at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and sold out New York's Carnegie Hall.
The Best Artist award was given for her live "Spirit Rising" album but was also recognition of her career achievements, Songlines editor-in-chief Simon Broughton told Reuters.
"She's been around a long time but she's always inspiring," he said. "What clinched it was a concert she gave in London in March for Women's Day. It was breathtaking. I've never seen her so exuberant. She bonds people and really makes it special."
Kidjo, 52, has adopted the mantle of the late South African singer Miriam Makeba as a political voice and campaigns for women's rights and education in Africa.
"The award is also for what she stands for," Broughton said.
Lo'jo, from southwest France, has also been around a long time and the band's latest album, "Cinema el Mundo", showed them to be as strong as ever.
"They are much better known in the Francophone world than elsewhere. They've not been tempted to become more mainstream," Broughton said.
"They are a quality act, an unusual, interesting group, especially in their connections with West and North Africa."

Mike Tyson: My Ex-Girlfriend Cooked And Ate One Of My Beloved Pigeons (And He Kicked Her Out)

He's famous as a fearsome fighter, but Mike Tyson has a surprising soft spot for his beloved pigeons.
And now the former heavy weight champion has revealed he was traumatised after an unnamed ex-girlfriend cooked and ate one of his birds in front of him.
The 46-year-old, who has called pigeon racing his 'first love' and at one pointed owned up to 350 bird, recalled the incident during a interview on US sports talk-radio show Boomer & Carton.
When asked if he had ever eaten one of his animals, he said: 'I tried. I was dating this young lady and she said, "I don’t know why you’re flying those damn birds, you should be eating them."
'She happened to grab one and — and she cooked one and proceeded to eat it. And I just couldn’t do it.'
'You loved that pigeon so much,' host Craig Carton responded.
'Well, ‘cause he’s got a relationship with the pigeons,' co-host Boomer Esiason interjected.
'It just wasn’t the right thing to do,' Tyson added. 'That’s why she’s not my woman anymore.'
When asked why he even allowed the ex-girlfriend to eat the bird in the first place, Tyson responded: 'It was her house and we were living off of her dime, so she could do [it].'
The Hangover star, who infamously bit Evander Holyfield ear in a 1997 fight, has previously said he adored birds since he nine.
'They were my escape,' he said. 'I was fat and ugly. Kids teased me all the time. The only joy I had was pigeons.'

The former heavyweight boxer with his third wife Lakiha Spicer

Meet Venezuela's New Sports Minister

Believe it or not but the beautiful specimen you are seeing here is the new Minister of Sports in Venezuela.
She's made history in becoming Venezuela's first ever female minister, but Alejandra Benitez's promise to transform sport in the South American nation is not what's got her countrymen all excited.
Instead, she's the talk of the town after a series of saucy snaps she posed for before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing were re-published online.
The 32-year-old - who fenced for Venezuela during the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics - was revealed as new President Nicolas Maduro's sports minister last week.
On Twitter, she wrote: 'Today starts a new challenge and I will assume that challenge with the same commitment as an athlete who defends his homeland at all costs.'
Already dubbed by Venezuelan media as 'Maduro's sexy minister,' she looks set to be a focal point in the government formed by Hugo Chavez's successor.

The erotic photographs, published by Sunday magazine Dominical some five years ago, see her posing with nothing but her fencing equipment.
She joined other famous Venezuelans in getting naked for a series called: 'The Country Strips Down.'
'Clothes can hide anything,' she is quoted as saying in the magazine. 'But when you are naked, you are yourself.'
She released a portfolio of modelling shots in 2010.
'I want to inspire girls of the neighborhood, that the physical stereotype not only be seen as a sex symbol,' said Benítez in an interview.
'Beyond the physical beauty or sexual, I wanted to show an image of purity, feminine tenderness.'
Her official Facebook page is also awash with hundreds of suggestive pictures.
Benitez, a fully-trained dentist married to physical trainer Ricky Diez, will be in charge of providing financial support to sports projects across the country.
Maduro himself explained the appointment on state television by saying: 'In these processes of refreshment, renewal and re-invigoration, we considered it necessary to designate Alejandra Benitez, world medallist, Olympic competitor, as our new Minister of Sport.'

Boy Oh Boy! See Boy George Looking Dashing

I guess we all remember Boy George of Culture Club, which gave us hits like 'Everything I Own'and 'Dou You Really Want To Hurt Me?'.

Well, he has really done a fantastic job to keep in shape.

What do you think?

Boy George cut a dashing figure as he headed to the Eleven Paris store launch in London on Thursday, looking svelte and sporting a rugged beard

The star looked a lot heavy just a few years ago, and has now completely transformed himself

Dortmund 4 Madrid 1: Lewandowski Runs Riot On Real Madrid With Foursome Display As Spanish Wembley Dreams Are Shredded

Just what everyone was waiting for at Wembley next month. The first all-German European Cup final. Fussball’s coming home, everybody. Enjoy.
And we will. It is increasingly hard to dispute the top two in the Bundesliga as the best teams in Europe right now.
After Bayern Munich took Barcelona apart on Tuesday, Wednesday saw Borussia Dortmund dominate Real Madrid. An incredible four goals from Robert Lewandowski sealed the deal, but this was no mere one-man show.
Dortmund won the midfield, the defensive battle and Lewandowski was head and shoulders the best forward, closely followed by team-mate Marco Reus. It comes to something when the Germans give up the right to take a penalty, but they stood aside for Pole Lewandowski to claim number four. It is hard to imagine Madrid have a way back, needing to win 3-0 to progress on away goals.
Is the simple fact that Borussia Dortmund are a better team than Real Madrid? They were on Wednesday night, and they have been this season. Madrid have played Dortmund three times this season and have not won. And the aggregate score between the countries in the Champions League semi-finals reads: Germany 8 Spain 1. Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira, who swapped the Bundesliga for La Liga, must feel they backed the wrong horse.
It was hardly comfortable viewing for England manager Roy Hodgson, either, considering his defenders must find a way of containing Lewandowski this year. He was immense, his three second-half goals coming in the space of 17 minutes, Madrid shaken to the core by his movement and clinical finishing.

Having seen their lead wiped out before half-time, Dortmund restarted with vengeance and verve, and were helped by some pitiful defensive work from Madrid.
The second half was five minutes old when a lame shot by Reus was ignored by Madrid’s back line, who preferred to look for an offside flag against Lewandowski. It was in vain; a sluggish Khedira was playing him onside. The ball rolled to the striker who turned it expertly past Diego Lopez.
If that had a hint of fortune, Lewandowski’s third was a work of art. Marcel Schmelzer hit a low ball across the face of goal, it was deflected to Lewandowski and he held off Pepe before dragging the ball back in one deft movement and firing into the top of the net.
The gasps soon gave way to a sound more raucous. The goal that may have taken the tie came as the Spaniards collapsed. Xabi Alonso clattered into Reus, referee Bjorn Kuipers awarded the penalty, and Lewandowski finished it in style.
He is the fifth player to score four in one game in the European Cup from the quarter-finals onwards: Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis and Lionel Messi are the others. Some roll call. Some player.
The idea of Jose Mourinho being left to fight for the honour of Spanish football is an irony too rich for many Catalans, who may feel there are three Teutonic teams contending this title now.
This may do a disservice to Real Madrid at their most freewheeling, but there is only one Barcelona and after they were dismantled in Munich, the sole Spanish team with a Champions League pulse could be relied upon to adopt a more pragmatic approach.
That scheme lasted eight minutes. Borussia Dortmund took a deserved lead and the result was a high-tempo tie in which Madrid had to abandon hopes of playing with caution.
The response was to win a series of free-kicks in Dortmund’s half, and pepper the goal with shots and viciously swinging crosses. Cristiano Ronaldo forced a save from Roman Weidenfeller, but the rest were overhit and off-target or competently handled.
Dortmund are no Barcelona, and Mats Hummels in the heart of the back four is a giant in the air. Much the same is said of Madrid’s Pepe, but he was left exposed here.

Dortmund’s first chance came after seven minutes, when Sven Bender won a fierce tackle in the heart of midfield and released Reus. He seemed to glide past white shirts before attempting a delicate finish to which Lopez just got a hand. From the next attack, Dortmund were ahead.
Mario Gotze supplied an outstanding cross and Lewandowski’s movement was superb, giving Pepe the slip and making room at the far post to force the ball past Lopez. The Yellow Wall, as the south tribune is known at this most colourful of grounds, went wild.
It did not matter to them that Gotze’s £31.5m transfer to rivals Bayern Munich had just been announced. It did not seem to trouble them even before he supplied that superb pass.
Coming from a culture that snarls at perceived disloyalty — even if it means financial and professional improvement — the reaction came as a surprise.
There was no venom, few oaths, little animosity at all. The locals had decided beating Real Madrid was a bigger issue on the night. It was all very grown up.
How they will feel if, as expected, Munich take Lewandowski when his contract expires at the end of next season remains to be seen. One can only remain philosophical for so long, and the limit of patience expired on 43 minutes.
Reus broke into the Madrid area, at which point Raphael Varane appeared to latch onto his arm, causing a fall.
Kuipers ignored it and the sixth best official in Holland — behind the goal at the behest of Michel Platini — had neither the wit nor the gumption to take charge. Nothing was given and the ball stayed in play — and from that, Madrid equalised.
To be fair, it also took a horrendous mistake by Hummels, under-hitting a back pass which Gonzalo Higuain seized on like a cheetah with a stricken antelope.
He drove at Weidenfeller and had the common sense and absence of ego to square for Ronaldo to convert. Had the roles been reversed? We will never know.

10-Game Ban For Luis Suarez After Ivanovic Bite

The FA have banned Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for 10 games after he bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
The Liverpool striker pleaded guilty to the charge, which the FA had said in an earlier statement would require a ban of more than three games.
Suarez is expected to contest the length of the ban, however; Liverpool had indicated that he would appeal if the ban was longer than three matches. They will have until midday on Friday April 26 to contest the punishment.
In the aftermath of the verdict Liverpool said that they would wait to read the full written reasons before making a fuller statement, but expressed their disappointment.
Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre said: "Both the club and player are shocked and disappointed at the severity of today's Independent Regulatory Commission decision.
"We await the written reasons tomorrow before making any further comment."
There is no standard minimum or maximum punishment for biting in football's disciplinary code, unlike rugby union which has a 12-week recommended suspension for first offences, and up to a four-year ban for the most serious biting offences.
"A three-person Independent Regulatory Commission today upheld the FA’s claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient and the player will serve a further seven first-team matches in addition to the standard three. The suspension begins with immediate effect," the FA statement read.
Liverpool have four games remaining this season, and should the 10-match ban stand, it would rule the Uruguayan out of domestic football until around late-September.
This is the second major ban that Suarez has been hit with in his two and a half years at Liverpool - he was punished for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra with an eight-game suspension.