Sunday 2 July 2017
Drug kingpin who changed face caught in Brazil
A drug lord who had plastic surgery to change his appearance has been captured in Brazil after three decades on the run according to Sky News.
Germany survive Chile onslaught to win Confederations Cup
Germany survived a whirlwind assault by Chile and capitalised on an awful mistake by the South Americans to claim a 1-0 win in a pulsating, bad-tempered Confederations Cup final on Sunday.
Lars Stindl scored the only goal into an empty net in the 20th minute after Chile midfielder Marcelo Diaz gave the ball away on the edge of his own penalty area.
Chile, playing with their trademark high octane style and driven forward by another relentless display by Arturo Vidal, dominated the match but were let down by poor finishing.
There was a controversial incident involving video technology in the second half when Chile defender Gonzalo Jara elbowed Timo Werner by the touchline.
Serbian referee Milorad Mazic initially missed the incident, was alerted to it by the video assistants and then let Jara off with a yellow card instead of showing a red.
There was late drama deep in stoppage time when Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen dived to push away an Alexis Sanchez free kick.
The win could be a bad omen for Germany, however, as no team has ever won the World Cup after lifting the Confederations Cup the year before. - Reuters
2,000 evacuated after scare at Paris's main airport
At least 2,000 people were evacuated from Paris's main airport on Saturday and eight flights cancelled after an individual went into a "restricted area" without going through security controls, airport sources said.
"We had to evacuate to 'decontaminate' the zone, meaning check to make sure no object had been left," said one of the sources.
The evacuations were from a zone in terminal 2F at the Charles de Gaulle airport that passengers access after passing through security and before boarding, a second source said.
"Police searched the terminal from top to bottom and found no suspicious object," the source added.
The incident also led to about 20 flights being delayed.
Charles de Gaulle airport is Europe's second-biggest airport, with some 180,000 passengers transiting through one of its eight terminals each day.
France remains under a state of emergency after a wave of jihadist assaults in the past 18 months which have left more than 230 people dead since 2015.
Atletico Madrid extends Saul contract for 9 years
After a successful U-21 European Championship that saw him bag five goals in four matches, 22-year-old Saul Niguez has extended his contract at Atletico Madrid for a whopping nine years.
The 22-year-old academy product already had a long-term contract at the club that ran through 2021, but has tacked on five more seasons to it, also increasing his buyout clause from the old $104 million along the way, according to reports. He is thus now tied to the club through age 31.
Saul had been linked with both Barcelona and Manchester United, so his new contract is a strong statement to those and other suitors.
The central midfielder scored four La Liga goals last season, racking up over 2,500 league minutes in 33 appearances. He scored another four goals in 12 Champions League matches, including one against cross-town rivals Real Madrid as Atletico attempted a comeback in the second leg of their semifinal matchup.
Saul’s successful U-21 Euro campaign had other clubs hot on his trail, and it’s only a matter of time before Saul becomes a permanent part of the country’s senior setup. He made his Spain debut in September of last year and has three caps, appearing in the country’s last two matches.
FIFA rules state contracts can only be five years in length, but because Spanish employment laws allow for longer, the world governing body defers to the local rules.
Mel B 'blew multimillion Spice Girls fortune on extravagant lifestyle'
Mel B splurged her multimillion pound Spice Girls fortune after leading an "extravagant and affluent" lifestyle, a court has heard.
The 42-year-old, real name Melanie Brown, and her estranged husband Stephen Belafonte racked up tax debts in the US after making "improvident" financial decisions, Los Angeles Superior Court was told.
During a hearing in the couple's divorce case, the pair were said to "never have money at the end of the year to pay their taxes".
Grace Jamra, representing Belafonte, said that while the couple led an "extravagant and affluent" lifestyle, Brown "wiped out all her Spice Girls money - approximately $50m (£38.3m) if not more".
Meanwhile, Jacalyn Davis, representing Brown, said the pair's joint income "was being spent and then some".
"In this marriage that would be Miss Brown's income from the Spice Girls," she said.
"Prickly things happen when the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) doesn't get paid."
Brown claims Belafonte subjected her to years of physical and mental abuse.
Belafonte has "vehemently" denied he had subjected her to abuse.
Brown previously won a temporary restraining order after alleging her husband was abusive and had links to the porn industry.
Her lawyers claimed he was a danger to their child as a "convicted domestic violence offender" with an "extensive criminal history".
However, Ms Jamra argued the allegations were part of "an ongoing smear campaign".
Judge Lawrence Riff ruled that Belafonte, 42, could only see their five-year-old daughter Madison twice a week at a supervised centre.
Brown, who is now a judge on America's Got Talent, married the film producer in June 2007.
She filed for divorce on March 20, citing "irreconcilable differences".
The case continues.-
Ehud Olmert released from prison
Disgraced ex-Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was released from prison on Sunday after serving 16 months of a 27-month sentence for fraud and bribery.
Olmert, 71, became Israel's first ex-prime minister to go to jail when he was convicted in 2014 of accepting bribes to promote a real-estate project in Jerusalem, and of obstructing justice. He took the bribes while mayor of Jerusalem and trade minister, before he began a three-year stint as prime minister in 2006.
Before its decision to release him, the parole board said that he had undergone a rehabilitation process in prison, and that his behaviour had been “impeccable”.
The Attorney General, Avichai Mendelbit, and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan decided not to oppose the release, despite Mr Nitzan previously saying that he would block any such move.
A previous request for a pardon from Olmert to the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, had been rejected.
He will now volunteer at two charities until May 2018, the date he was originally scheduled to be released.
Olmert is currently under investigation for allegedly disclosing classified information, after it was reported that he had smuggled his
autobiography out of jail. The book must be cleared by the military censor, but he is suspected of using his lawyer to take sections of the manuscript straight to the publishing house, without having it checked.
Police raided the Yedioth Ahronoth publishing house on June 13 in search of the material.
Olmert was the first Israeli Prime Minister to go to prison. Moshe Katzav, who was President from 2000 to 2007, was convicted in 2010 of rape and sentenced to seven years in prison. He was released in 2016.
Benyamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister, is a suspect in two open police inquiries. One focuses on whether he proposed passing legislation that would harm a competitor of an Israel newspaper – also called Yediot Ahronoth – if the paper’s editor agreed to give him more positive coverage. The other is investigating claims he accepted improper gifts from wealthy supporters.
Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in either case.
Neymar and Dani Alves celebrate Messi's wedding
Dubbed the "Wedding of the Century", stars and celebrities were out in force as Lionel Messi and long-term partner Antonella Roccuzzo tied the knot.
There was plenty of glitz and glamour in Rosario to celebrate Messi's marriage in his hometown on Friday.
Barcelona team-mates Neymar, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba were among those to witness Messi marry his childhood sweetheart in Argentina.
Neymar – part of the famed 'MSN' alongside Messi and Suarez at Camp Nou – provided an insight into the celebrations as he congratulated the five-time Ballon d'Or and his bride on Instagram.
Neymar's caption on the post reads: "I wish you the best brother always .. Congratulations."
Dani Alves, Sergio Aguero, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Samuel Eto'o, Angel Di Maria, Ever Banega, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Sergio Romero, Lucas Biglia and Fernando Gago were also pictured at the City Center complex, as team-mates both current and past paid tribute to the young couple.
Kogi West: More troubles for Dino Melaye as Bello stops his constituency project
The Kogi State Town Planning Board has reportedly ordered that work on Senator Dino Melaye’s constituency office at Kabba, Kogi State should stop forthwith.
Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Ijumu Local Government Area, Mr Gbenga Bright made this claim in a statement issued during the weekend.
He alleged that there was “desperate move” by the state government to stop work at the Kogi-West constituency office being built at Kabba, the headquarters of Kogi-west by Senator Dino Melaye.
“Information reliably gathered had it that the governor issued a directive to the GM, Kogi State Town Planning and Kabba Bunu LGA administrator, Mr Moses Tolorunleke, via Kabba/Bunu Local Government Council town planners to issue (a stop work) directive with their satanic intention to frustrate the finishing torches going on at the site.
“I also wish to inform the public, our esteemed party leaders, members and the loyal electorate of Kogi-west senatorial district that all necessary legal rules, payment and processes of town planning procedures for the project were done satisfactorily, and all papers given to us before the commencement of the building which is now due for commissioning.
“Senator Dino Melaye is bringing development to Kabba town, and a governor who hasn’t done anything positive for Kogi people, despite huge resources collected so far, is attempting to stop development and progress.
“Surely, this move by the Kogi State government is not in tune with the yearnings and aspirations of the good people of Kabba and Kogi-west in general,” the statement said.
Responding, the General Manager of Kogi State Town Planning and Development Board, Yisau O. Aliu said the recent clampdown on violators of town planning laws in the state had no political undertone as being alleged.
“We want to state categorically that the state Town Planning and Development Board is not a political body but a government agency with clearly stated and defined mandate.
“The agent was advised to seek alternative site or possibly acquire more space to meet up with the required ratio and process relevant title documents but he failed to adhere to the directives and went ahead to develop the said site.
“Several ‘stop work’ notices were served without response from the developer or his agent. The State Town Planning and Development Board had no option than to enforce relevant laws, hence, the marking of the structure.
“Mr. Gbenga Bright did a massive disservice to the public by attributing the marking of the building to politics when all available facts point to gross violation of town planning laws by the developer. If the building is allowed, it will constitute a great danger to its inhabitants and immediate environment.
“As a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and an anti-corruption crusader, it is expected that he will fight against any act of law infringement.
“We expect the senator to lead the fight against lawlessness and recklessness on the part of people in high places. No amount of blackmail can force us to succumb to the blatant irregularities which characterized the development of the said constituency office of Senator Dino Melaye. The law is a no respecter of anybody,” Aliu said. - Daily Post
Saudi king orders newspaper columnist to stop piling on the praise
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz has ordered an over-enthusiastic columnist to be suspended from his job after he equated him with God, Saudi media reported on Sunday.
King Salman has frequently been lauded by columnists in local media, in traditional deference to authority, since the 81-year-old assumed office in 2015.
But Ramadan al-Anzi's column in al-Jazirah newspaper describing King Salman as "Haleem", or forbearing, and "Shadeed al-Eqab", strict in punishment - both terms associated in Islam with God - appeared to have gone too far.
Attributing divine qualities or giving individuals any of the 99 names of God is frowned upon in the kingdom, which follows the strict Sunni Muslim Wahhabi school of Islam.
The newspaper published an apology late on Saturday.
"The phrases and tribute which the author bestowed on the personality of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, are not acceptable, despite what God had bestowed upon him, may God protect him, of the honour of serving the two holy mosques, Islam, the homeland and the people," al-Jazirah wrote.
Saudi media reported that the king had ordered that action be taken against the newspaper, but no specifics were given.
In a message to Information Minister Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad, the king wrote that he was "astonished by some of the phrases used in the column", according to Okaz newspaper.
Online newspaper, sabq, quoted the king as saying in his written complaint: "This is an issue that has distressed us, we don't accept it and don't approve of it, recognising its dangers and the danger of being lenient towards it." - Reuters
Britain says 181 high-rise buildings have failed safety tests after London fire
Some 181 high-rise buildings have failed safety tests carried out after a fire that killed at least 80 people in London last month, the British government said on Sunday.
Officials are conducting tests on some 600 high-rise buildings across England after fire ravaged the Grenfell tower block in west London on June 14.
The Department for Communities said in a statement that the cladding from 181 high-rise buildings in 51 local authority areas had failed tests. - Reuters
Militant video purports to show westerners held in Mali
Islamist militants operating in Mali released a video purporting to show six western hostages, ahead of a regional security summit in the West African country attended by France's president on Sunday.
A narrator speaking in English said the 17-minute video showed hostages from South Africa, France, Colombia, Australia, Romania and Switzerland. The film bore the name of Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group JNIM.
Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the footage, or when or where it was taken.
Romania's foreign ministry said the Romanian man from the video, Iulian Ghergut, was kidnapped from a mine in Burkina Faso in April 2015.
France's Foreign Ministry declined to comment while the Swiss government said it was aware of the video and called for the release of its citizen.
Islamist militant groups, some with links to al Qaeda, seized Mali’s desert north in 2012.
A military intervention by former colonial power France drove them out of major cities a year later, but they continue to attack U.N. peacekeepers, Malian soldiers and civilian targets.
The violence has spilled over into neighboring countries in West Africa’s arid Sahel region and Paris has deployed thousands of French troops to combat Islamists under a cross-border operation known as Barkhane.
President Emmanuel Macron said France and its African partners must work together to wipe out Islamist militants, at the opening of the summit in Mali's capital Bamako.
Leaders of the G5 Sahel bloc - Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad - were expected to launch a new multi-national force at the meeting.
Nigerian club sacked 40 footballers for underperformance
Second division football club in central Nigerian city of Jos has sacked 40 players for underperformance.
Mighty Jets Football Club said it took the action to propel the team into the top tier football league, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Wednesday.
The club’s Sporting Director Benedict Akwuegbu said they had already recruited 10 new players to strengthen the team for promotion into the Nigeria Professional Football League.
“The new players will uplift the team spirit as well as hunger for success, two ingredients which were lacking in the team in the first stanza,” the former Nigerian international player said.
He told the BBC that the team had 65 players initially and now maintain 35.
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