Chinese authorities in the northwestern province of Xinjiang have
banned Muslim officials and students from fasting during the month of
Ramadan, prompting an exiled rights group to warn of new violence.
Guidance
posted on numerous government websites called on Communist Party
leaders to restrict Muslim religious activities during the holy month,
including fasting and visiting mosques.
Xinjiang is home to about
nine million Uighurs, largely a Muslim ethnic minority, many of whom
accuse China's leaders of religious and political persecution.
The
region has been rocked by repeated outbreaks of ethnic violence, but
China denies claims of repression and relies on tens of thousands of
Uighur officials to help it govern the province.
A statement from
Zonglang township in Xinjiang's Kashgar district said that "the county
committee has issued comprehensive policies on maintaining social
stability during the Ramadan period.
"It is forbidden for
Communist Party cadres, civil officials (including those who have
retired) and students to participate in Ramadan religious activities."
The
statement, posted on the Xinjiang government website, urged party
leaders to bring "gifts" of food to local village leaders to ensure that
they were eating during Ramadan.
Similar orders on curbing
Ramadan activities were posted on other local government websites, with
the educational bureau of Wensu county urging schools to ensure that
students do not enter mosques during Ramadan.
'Administrative methods'
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more closer to God, pious and charitable.
An
exiled rights group, the World Uyghur Congress, warned the policy would
force "the Uighur people to resist [Chinese rule] even further."
"By
banning fasting during Ramadan, China is using administrative methods
to force the Uighur people to eat in an effort to break the fasting,"
said group spokesman Dilshat Rexit in a statement.
Xinjiang saw
its worst ethnic violence in recent times in July, 2009, when Uighurs
attacked members of the nation's dominant Han ethnic group in the city
of Urumqi, sparking clashes in which 200 people from both sides died,
according to the government.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Trinidad And Tobago Deports 28 Ex-Niger Delta Militants:
Trinidad and Tobago has deported 28 ex-Niger Delta militants whose characters and behaviours were considered inimical and threatening the good relationships between Nigeria and that country.
The 28 ex-militants were part of the initial 100 sent to that country for a training programme that is costing Nigeria as much as $6 million, 15 had earlier dropped out of the programme on health ground.
Ten of the ex-militants have, however, been rewarded with scholarships to further their programmes up to masters degree level following their excellent performance in their training aimed at equipping them to play significant roles in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.
This much was revealed to President Goodluck Jonathan who concluded his two-day visit to the country on Wednesday.
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, while receiving President Jonathan said her country is pleased to be part of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme “initiated and implemented by your office to engage young persons from the energy-rich Niger Delta in training and rehabilitation programmes, thereby contributing to the positive development of that region”.
Ten out of the ex-militants participating in the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme initiated and implemented to engage young persons from the energy-rich Niger Delta in training and rehabilitation programmes won scholarship up to masters level at the Caribbean University.
As a result, only 57 Nigerians are now taking part in the programme where the Federal Government of Nigeria is spending over $6 million to equip the youths with various skills expected to be deployed in the oil and gas sector.
They represent the first group of trainees who will be certified in the areas of Automotive Service Maintenance, Heavy Equipment Operations and Millwright and Shielded Metal Arc Wielding.
The prime minister noted that “on Wednesday July 25th, the National Energy Skills Centre held a graduation ceremony for its first group of trainees from the programme who are now certified in the areas of Automotive Service Maintenance, Heavy Equipment Operations and Millwright and Shielded Metal Arc Wielding.”
“I am confident that the 57 graduates will utilise the skills acquired to enhance the human capital of the Niger Delta. I am informed that another group of approximately 80 trainees are expected to arrive in Trinidad and Tobago and that discussions are underway for the implementation of a similar training model in Nigeria.”
www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/284-breaking-news/42270-trinidad-and-tobago-deports-28-ex-niger-delta-militants
Davido fights with taxi driver over girlfriend
Davido fights with taxi driver over girlfriend
A taxi driver, Femi Ajibola, will never forget July 1, 2012 in a hurry. At about 5.30 pm on that day, he received a phone call from a young woman in the Lekki area of Lagos and had quickly answered the subsequent invitation to pick her up.
“The lady introduced her as Susie. She called me to come and pick her and her friend. They told me to come pick them up at Mobolaji Estate near Lekki Second Roundabout. Later, I took them to a hotel at Lekki Phase I to meet one of their friends.
“From there we left for Beni Apartment in Victoria Island. They said that I should wait for them and promised to be back soon. Not long afterwards, one of the girls began to scream as she was coming towards my car. Behind her, I saw David Adeleke (Davido) and four of his bouncers.
“The girl was running towards me. I think they men had assaulted her. She said I should open the door for her so that she would enter. I opened the door for her; as she was about to enter the car, Davido caught up with her and slapped her face,” Ajibola said.
In a bid to save the girl from further assault, Ajibola switched on the engine of his cab and was about to drive off when the youthful singer suddenly dealt him a slap.
The cabbie said, “He left the girl and faced me. He said I was the one that brought the girls, that I am their boyfriend. He knocked my face against the steering wheel of the cab. This made blood begin to come out from my ear drums. He seized my car keys and in the process, injured me.
“Before I knew what was going on, his four bouncers began to beat me up. They beat me severely and took my car keys from me and chased me away. This happened around 11 pm. I went to report the matter at the Bar Beach Police Station, which was the nearest one. I was asked to come back the next morning to report the case.”
Unfortunately, Ajibola had just taken delivery of the vehicle he was using for his transport business and had not paid the dealer in full before the incident. He said that the balance of N100,000 was in the car before the incident had happened. In the whole confusion, he could not pick the money as he was ordered to leave the car by the bouncers.
“I had taken delivery of the vehicle about two weeks before the incident. I had paid my dealer N50,000 and the other N100,000 was in the car because I could not pay it in the bank. The money was in the car and since they had sent me away from the car, I could not retrieve it.
“The following day, I did not find the money in the cab. They did not even let me wind the car windows up before they chased me out. I noticed that the car was ransacked. I managed to obtain Davido’s phone number and called him. But he did not pick his call. So I sent him a text message. Thirty minutes after I sent him the message, someone picked up the call and promised to pass the message to him. I did not get my car key throughout that day. I went to the police station to file a report,” Ajibola said.
“When all efforts to contact Davido proved futile, the police had to go to Susie. Unfortunately, she was of no help.”
“On the fourth day, I went to Susie’s house with the police. The ladies said they were not the ones that beat me. They said the only help they could render was to give me Davido’s address and that they had since settled their differences. The whole point of the police visit was to use the girls to get to Davido, but the girls made a phone call to an aunt of theirs and the policemen left them, saying that they were not the ones that assaulted me,” the cab driver said.
CRIME DIGEST learnt that the genesis of the fight was because the singer was allegedly caught cheating on his girlfriend.
Ajibola continued, I learnt that Davido was dating one of the girls I picked up. They went to his hotel room and caught him with another girl who was their friend. This is what I learnt caused the fight. The police collected Davido’s phone number and called him, but he kept asking them if they knew whose son he was.
“He warned the policemen not to threaten or intimidate him. They in turn told him that they were just inviting him for questioning and not to arrest him. Since then, the effort to get him has not been forthcoming. I had to go to the hospital because I was really injured. Davido gave me a blow to the ear which made it to bleed.
“One day, the DPO of the station assured me that they would make sure they get him. He was irritated by Davido’s boasting that he was immune to arrest. On July 13, one Sharon Adeleke asked me to come and collect the key of my car at 1004. I told her to come and meet me at the police station. She did not turn up till the DPO intervened.
“The DPO invited the Sharon Adeleke, she eventually came to drop the key of the car. I told them that I could not just collect the key of the car without documentation that they gave me the key of the car without a penny, though I lost money and my car got damaged. When I said this, the DPO told me that I did not look like someone that was worth N100,000.
“He said I have no proof that there was money in the car and that all he was after was to retrieve my car keys for me. He said that if I wanted to do anything I should go to court and he ordered me out of his office. Till this moment I have not received my car keys or an apology from the singer,” Ajibola said.
When contacted on the telephone, both Davido and the Divisional Police Officer of Bar Beach police station, Fakeye Adegoke, refused to answer their calls nor did they reply the text messages sent to them.
But Davido’s publicist, Valerie Obaze, denied her client’s involvement in the incident.
“Davido has no knowledge of any incident involving the assault of a taxi driver or the illegal seizure of his car. He does not condone violence of any sort and will not be commenting on this untrue allegation,” she said via email
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide promised to get back to CRIME DIGEST with the facts of the matter later.
http://www.punchng.com/feature/crime-digest/davido-fights-with-taxi-driver-over-girlfriend/
Thursday, 21 June 2012
EME empire state of album reviews...and PHOTOS
Wizkid, Skales, Banky W & Shaydee (EME Artistes)
To celebrate with the EME Crew for their stellar collaboration, were some of Nigeria’s top music acts and socialites including Tiwa Savage, 2Face, Sasha, Lynxxx, Praise Adejo (Praiz), eLDee Da Don, Yvonne Vixen Ekwere, Iceberg Slim, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Dr SID, Ms. Jaie, Don Jazzy and a host of others. BN was on the scene at the party and we have all the exclusive photos.
Enjoy!
Arrivals
Kel
Samklef
Lami Phillips
Makida Moka
Praiz
Niyola
Lynxxx (R)
Makida Moka & Dr SID
2Face (R)
Party Photos
Jumai Shaba (R)
Banky W
Skales
eLDee makes his way in
Wizkid
K-Switch
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