I can't compete with City - Ashley

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has admitted he is unable to compete financially with clubs like Manchester City, meaning Rafa Benitez does not have enough money to spend in the transfer window.

Newcastle boss Benitez has cited his frustration at the club's transfer dealings, despite assurances from Ashley that he can spend every penny the club generates from returning to the Premier League this season.
Ashley - speaking in a rare and exclusive interview with Sky Sports that will air on Sunday - understands the Spaniard's unhappiness at not being able to land his preferred targets this summer, but says he is simply not able to compete financially with the biggest clubs in the Premier League.

"If you said to me I am wealthy - in theory I am a billionaire or maybe a multi-billionaire - but in reality my wealth is all in Sports Direct shares," Ashley said.
"As I said the other day, it is like wallpaper. I don't have that cash in the bank so I don't have the ability to write a cheque for £200m. I don't have it, it's simple.

"I would have to sell the Sports Direct shares to fund that. The way it is sometimes portrayed in wealth terms is as though it is in the bank, it's not.
"And I have to make it clear that I am nowhere near wealthy enough in football now to compete with the likes of Man City and others where it is a wealthy individual taking on what is the equivalent of countries. I cannot and I will not."
Ashley would like to give his manager more funds to strengthen his squad, but says the club does not generate enough money at present, meaning Benitez has to spend within Newcastle's means.
Asked whether Benitez has enough funds this summer, Ashley said: "Not enough, it's very simple, it's not enough. Rafa knows that and it's not a secret.

"Every penny the club generates he can have, but it won't generate enough. Newcastle United does not have a £40m-a-year stadium naming rights deal.
"I don't want the fans to watch this interview and think 'that's great Rafa is getting £150m in the morning' - he's not.

"Rafa has [managing director] Lee Charnley's help. And Lee Charnley answers to Rafa and not the other way around, let's make that crystal clear. Rafa makes all the final decisions on players out and players in but he has to do it with the money the club has." - SKY

Transfer news : Jose confirms Zlatan talks

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Manchester United are in talks to bring striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to the club for the second half of the 2017/18 season.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against West Ham, Mourinho revealed the club are currently holding talks with the Swede about the possibility of him joining the squad for the second part of the season if he can prove his fitness.
The 35-year-old is a free agent following his release from Old Trafford at the end of last season and has been at United's Aon training complex this week as he battles back to fitness after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in April.
The United boss said: "He's injured, and needs time to recover.

"He's not ready to play tomorrow so it's not urgent, not desperate to have it done or not done.
"I just think he was very clear showing what he did last year was not enough for him.
"He thinks he can do more, he wants more at football's highest level, so we are having conversations and we are discussing the possibility of him staying with us for the second part of the season."

Ibrahimovic was United's top scorer with 28 goals in 46 appearances last season, before suffering a serious knee injury against Anderlecht in April which ended his season early.

The striker's agent Mino Raiola told Sky in May there had been offers from "many leagues" for the former PSG and Barcelona striker and that he would "remain in Europe 100 per cent", adding he still had "one more year, maybe two" left in his career. - SKY

Terrible country !!! Father dumps four children with notice lamenting economic hardship

Four children have been dumped at the Agege Local Government “Area A – Maternity Office” by their father.

Their father left a short note with them, asking the Local Government Authority to carter for them because he can no longer fend for the poor children due to economic hardship, Agege TV reports

On the short note, the father further said his wife abandoned the children with him.

The Agege local government Executive Chairman Hon. Ganiyu Kola Egunjobi and other council workers intervened and rescued the children.
They have been taken to a nearby police station for custody and proper care. - Daily Post

Photo : Woman bags 65-year jail term for starving, suffocating 11-year-old daughter to death

A 33-year-old mother, Keishanna Thomas, who starved, suffocated and drowned her 11-year-old daughter before locking her body in a freezer for 16 months, has been jailed for 65 years.

According to UK Sun, a court in Florida, united State, US, sentenced the 33-year-old to jail despite pleading no and contesting the charges of second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and abuse of a dead body

The report said the body of Janiya Thomas, 11, was found in October 2015 in a padlocked freezer that her mother had delivered to a relative’s house in Bradenton.
Relatives had opened the freezer days after hearing the child was missing.
An autopsy revealed the little girl weighed only 44 pounds at the time of her death.

The report said that the 33-year-old mother killed her daughter by a combination of starving, suffocation and drowning.




It further disclosed that the 11-year-old had her right leg broken in the weeks before her death and there were marks on her hands and feet indicating she was tied. - Daily Post

See Nigerian biz men see fraudsters !!! Ifeanyi Ubah begins Anambra guber campaign despite owing staff 6 months salary

Ifeanyi Ubah, Chairman of Capital Oil, has kickstarted his campaign to emerge as the flagbearer of the the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra.

But the businessman is yet to pay workers’ salary, some upward of 6 months.

Some of his workers, in a chat with DAILY POST, lamented how they have been struggling to survive.
One of them, who spoke from Anambra on condition of anonymity, said he and his colleagues have been living from hand to mouth.
“We are suffering and now chairman wants to contest again. It was only recently he paid security men at the stadium under construction two months salary, cleaners two months, footballers two months and bouncers one month”.
“But me and others in my category have not got any payment since January. It’s a pathetic situation, we have borrowed money several times from family and friends so much that they now avoid us,” a staff told our correspondent.

“A woman came with her four children from their home state to Anambra because our colleague had no money to send to them. She thought he was lying and was always shouting at him over the phone.
“In fact, the husband would give us the phone to explain our situation to her. When she came and saw things, she was crying daily. They got stranded, nothing to eat. They were here for weeks before they managed to raise money to go back.”
Asked if there has been any word or assurance from Ubah on the salary arrears, the staff said: “We go gist that chairman said since we endured till this day and did not die, we should give him more time but he’s already spending money on politics”.

“People are scared to come out and protest because they will be victimised. Please help us get the message out, we believe the company management will act since we are now crying through the media”.

Ubah returned to Nigeria late July after sojourn abroad following a six-week detention in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS)​.
Ubah was arrested and detained by DSS on May 5, 2017, for alleged engagement in acts of economic sabotage which include stealing, diversion and illegal sale of petroleum products stored in his tank farm (in Lagos) by the NNPC.
Ubah contested for the 2013 Anambra governorship election. He ran on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and lost to Governor Willie Obiano of APGA.
For the next election, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed November 18 for the conduct of the exercise. - Daily Post

EFCC : Cameroun Lauds EFCC on Corruption Fight

Dieudonné Massi Gams, Chairman, National Anti-Corruption Commission of Cameroon, CONAC, has lauded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for its resolve towards tackling corruption in Nigeria, while seeking the agency’s support in fighting the menace across African states.

Gams, who led a delegation on a study tour to the EFCC on Thursday, August 10, 2017 said, “The tour is geared towards enlightening the CONAC on the working modalities of EFCC and seeks areas of partnership which will be mutually beneficial to both agencies”.
According to him, “the major objective for this bench marking visit is to acquire some of the best practices of the EFCC; negotiate modalities for CONAC staff to be trained at the EFCC Academy; and kick start procedures to establish formal cooperation ties between CONCAC and the EFCC.

Gams further accentuated the role of anti-graft agencies in the fight against corruption as one that is critical, stressing the need for stronger ties to effectively stem terrorism and money laundering especially within the African region.
He described the facilities at the permanent site of the EFCC as “contemporary” and expressed pleasure at the quality of work at the new site.
“The state of the art infrastructure of the EFCC is first of its kind in Africa. The various agencies need to see and emulate what EFCC is currently doing as the agency has set the pace as a leader in Africa”, Gams said.

The Acting Chairman, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, had earlier welcomed the delegation delightfully and expressed willingness to partner with CONAC.
“We are happy to receive you and I can assure you of our readiness to assist CONAC in advancing the anti-graft war”, Magu said.
While reiterating the need to strengthen the existing collaboration among African countries in fighting corruption, the EFCC boss said, “The reason Africa is not developed is because of corruption.

Corruption is a clog in the wheel of progress.  Therefore, we, as anti-graft agencies and indeed all Africans, need to come together to fight the monster”.
The visitors were led on a tour to the permanent site of the EFCC by the Secretary to the Commission, Emmanuel Adegboyega Aremo, where the Project Coordinator, Engr. Dixon Otitoju, conducted the team round the facilities at the site.

According to Otitoju, “The EFCC ultra modern facility has 10 floors with conference rooms attached to each floor, massive space for executive garage, staff and visitor car park and will use water treatment to power the expansive infrastructure”.
On the CONAC’s team were Dieudonne Epo, Head of Studies and Co-operation Division; Irene Morikangache, Head of Prevention and Communications Division, and Ngom Francois, Defence Attaché to the Cameroon High Commission, Abuja.

Yeah partly ! ‘Juju,’ not Quran or Bible can end corruption – Yeni Kuti

Yeni, the first daughter of the late Afrobeat icon, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has suggested what she considered would be the solution to fight against corruption in Nigeria.
According to her, traditional African medicine, ‘Juju’ should be used as a tool in fighting corruption in the country.

Yeni, while speaking in an interview with Classic Fm said no one would steal money if government officials are made to swear by Ogun and other African deities instead of Holy bible and Quran.
“let them use ‘Juju’ to swear in government officials and we shall see if anybody will continue to steal our money in this country or not.

“I am sure that if they are made to swear by Ogun or some other fearsome African deity, there will be no more corruption,” she said.
“I believe in life after death. Also I believe that if my father has a message for me, he will come directly to me and not go through someone I don’t know or like. If anybody tells me that Fela has sent a message to me through him, I would tell him to ask my dad to appear to me directly himself,” she said.

When asked if her father’s hatred for religion influenced her, she said “my choice of religion was not largely influenced by Fela.
“It is not that my father made me to embrace it through indoctrination; I learnt and I actually believe in it. As a matter of fact, Fela’s arguments in defence of the traditional African religion were enough to convince me.”

“When I was a young girl and I knew nothing about his dislike for what he often described as ‘foreign religions’ (Christianity and Islam), I used to visit the Braithwaites and accompany them to church on Sundays. When Fela heard of it, he warned me never to use the allowance he gave me for offering in the church. I can’t forget it,”

The retired dancer further urged Nigerians to stop being hypocrites, adding that some people professed to be devout Christians or Muslims by day, yet sneaked out at night to consult local herbalists or diviners. - Daily Post 

Story for the gods !!! BAT denies involvement in N30trn revenue leakage

In reaction to the ongoing probe into the alleged involvement in N30 trillion revenue leakage, the British American Tobacco Company says it has never owed a dime in customs duty payments.

In a statement signed by Freddy Messanvi, legal and external affairs director, BAT said it got a commendation from the Nigeria Customs Service in 2016 for “its contributions to Nigeria’s treasury”.

The senate customs committee had said it discovered that between 2006 and 2017, there was over N30 trillion worth of foreign exchange in form of approved Form M and there was no evidence that the goods came into the country.

“We have identified over 228 vessels with their registration numbers, the terminals where they offloaded and we are going through customs database tracking every shipment and vessel that came and offloaded,” Hope Uzodinma, chairman of the committtee, had said.

“On July 31, 2017, we received a letter inviting us to appear before the senate committee in relation to allegations of involvement in the N30 trillion revenue believed to have been lost within the import and export value chain.

“In 2016, Nigerian Customs Service commended the British American Tobacco Nigeria for its contributions to Nigeria’s treasury.

“We also have a history of ensuring 100% custom duty payments are disbursed on time and in full to secure an incessant flow of required materials. We also ensure we abide by Central Bank of Nigeria and Customs guidelines in relation to import and export processes as required and demanded by the law.

“We appreciate the efforts of the government to block all revenue leaks and as good corporate citizens we will continue to comply with the Nigerian regulations.”

The Nigerian Port Authority had said it was unable to identify the 228 vessels as the documents provided by the senate didn’t contain the registration numbers.

30 CEOs appeared before the senate committee on Wednesday. Their appearance was sequel to a threat to arrest them for failing to honour the committee’s invitation. - Cable Nigeria

Papa deceive pikin !!! James Ibori included in PDP’s convention planning committee after serving jail terms for corruption

Former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori has been included as a member of the national convention planning committee for Saturday’s special convention of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Ibori returned to the country few months ago after serving a four-year jail term in a British prison.

He was listed as No 41 in the main organizing committee of the PDP.
Saturday’s non-elective national convention is put together by the opposition party to extend the tenure of the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee to enable them conduct the elective convention which is speculated to hold in November.
The convention will also to see to the amendment of the party’s constitution.

The former Delta State Governor who has not attended any political meeting at the national headquarters since he returned to the country, and was absent at the inaugural meeting of the committee last Wednesday.

The committee is headed by the Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Former Media Aide to Ibori, Tony Eluemunor, who reacted to the inclusion of his former principal in the committee, told reporters that Ibori’s nomination in the committee was normal and that he had not left the party.
Eluemunor added that Ibori was equally invited to the last National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting, even though he didn’t attend.
He said, “It is a privilege given to every former PDP governor. Ibori is a former governor and he has not left PDP. - Daily Post

Face of corruption !!! EFCC allegedly investigating CBN Deputy Governor, Bayo Adelabu over fraud with Deziani, Onasanya

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for some hours on Monday grilled a Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Adebayo Adelabu over the role he played on the financial allegations with former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke and former Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Bisi Onasanya.

DAILY POST learnt Friday morning that Adelabu was interrogated and admitted to administrative bail by the anti-graft agency for abuse of office and his role in the alleged siphoning of shareholder funds via phony loans at First Bank Plc, where he previously served as the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.

Adelabu, a grandson of the foremost Ibadan politician in the pre-independence day, Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu, is alleged to have amassed a huge war chest in preparation for his governorship ambition under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
He is believed to be one of the top candidates, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the state is toasting to succeed him.
Adelabu, DAILY POST learnt was interrogated for more than two hours on Monday at the Ikoyi, Lagos office of the anti-graft agency and was subsequently released on administrative bail.

A source with knowledge of the development reveals that investigators believe that Adelabu, who is presently serving as CBN Deputy Governor in charge of operations, connived with former CEO of the bank, Mr. Bisi Onasanya and a popular businessman who is a former chairman of the bank to arbitrarily approve loans running into several billions of Naira which have since gone bad.

”The EFCC is particularly looking at billions of naira in bad loans approved for a popular businessman’s companies during his tenure as Chairman of the bank. The recklessness of the bank bosses prompted the CBN to introduce stiffer corporate governance rules to protect shareholder funds from being abused by insiders,” the source alleged.

Further findings revealed that the embattled former First Bank Executive Director set himself up for disgrace through his crave for quick money. Sources within First Bank disclosed that he had always carried himself around like a Lord of other people’s manor. He allegedly displayed the proclivities of a man perpetually angling to hit a fortune, particularly through illicit channels.
It was also learnt that Adelabu is expected to return to the anti-graft agency for further questioning and may be charged to court for fraud and insider abuse when investigations are concluded.

Efforts by DAILY POST to get Mr. Adelabu’s reaction as at the time of filling this report on Friday was not successful. - Daily Post

Transfer updates : Coutinho hands in transfer request

Philippe Coutinho has issued Liverpool with an official transfer request following the owners' statement that he is not for sale, according to Sky sources.

Liverpool have denied receiving any such request and on Friday morning, Fenway Sports Group released a statement saying "no offers will be considered" for Barcelona target Coutinho this summer, with Jurgen Klopp backing the owners' sentiments.
Sky Sports News understands Liverpool have so far rejected two bids from Barcelona for the Brazil international, with the latest offer worth up to £90.4m.

Later on Friday, a close family member of Coutinho's told Sky Sports News: "Philippe has tried very hard to find an amicable solution to this situation but to no avail.
"He has tremendous love for the club and its fans, but like Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez have pointed out in the past, Liverpool does not let its players leave on amicable terms."
It is understood Barcelona are prepared to pay up to £110m for Coutinho, who signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract at Liverpool in January, but FSG's statement had seemed to clear up his future.

"The club's definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes," the FSG statement read, issued prior to Coutinho's transfer request.
Klopp remained adamant the Liverpool owners' stance on Coutinho was final when speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday - ahead of the club's Premier League opener against Watford on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
"When FSG say something like this it is 100 per cent clear," said Klopp. "You can read it and there is nothing else to say about it." - Sky Sports

Estranged wife granted divorce from footballer Ryan Giggs

Former Manchester United and Wales star Ryan Giggs’s estranged wife Stacey has been granted a divorce.

Mrs Giggs, 39, was granted a decree nisi during brief proceedings in central London on Friday.
Their names appeared as Giggs SA v RJ in a short list of other couples for the “making of a decree or order” under matrimonial and civil partnership proceedings by District Judge Yvonne Gibson at the Central Family Court in High Holborn.

Giggs and Stacey Cooke married in September 2007 and have two children. Neither party was present to hear the judge formally grant the decree.
Once a decree nisi has been granted, a divorce petitioner has to wait six weeks and a day to apply for a decree “absolute”.
James Brown, a partner with Hall Brown Family Law who is acting for Mrs Giggs, said she was determined to finalise all outstanding aspects of her divorce with as little attention as possible for the sake of her family.


“Her only interest is in bringing these events to as swift and amicable a conclusion as possible, so that she and her family can move on.
“Divorce is a very personal process and she wishes to emphasise once more her request that her family be allowed to complete it in privacy.”

Mr Brown said: “Mrs Giggs’ primary focus has always been and will continue to be the welfare of her family.
 - PA

Go girl !!! Good girl !!! I’m glad I dumped Nigeria for Bahrain, says Naser after winning silver in London

Salwa Naser, a 400m silver medalist at the ongoing World Athletics championship in London, says she is happy to have chosen Bahrain ahead of Nigeria.

The 19-year-old achieved her dreams on Thursday by setting a new national record to win both her heat in 50.57 seconds and the semi-final in 50.08 seconds.
After the race, Naser was asked if she had any message for the new board of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, and she said, “I don’t really have anything to say to them.

“The past three years have been a great transition for me and I’m glad. I have nothing to say to the AFN.”
Naser, who is coached by Bahrain-based Nigerian John George Obeya, said wasn’t bothered by the pedigree of her opponents ahead of the race.
The athlete said she was simply interested in winning.

“I just had to push through and try. I didn’t see anyone in front of me so I didn’t know what position I was at until the results came through.”
“No, I wasn’t. But I was training hard and hoping for the best. Coming here I really hoped to do something,” she told iaaf.org.
“I feel so happy. It wasn’t about beating Allyson Felix. It was about getting a personal best and a medal. - Cable Nigeria

Sacchi : Cristiano not as naturally talented as namesake Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is not as naturally talented as his Brazilian namesake, but hard work has elevated him to his status as the world's best, according to former Real Madrid director of football Arrigo Sacchi.

Brazil forward Ronaldo led the line for Madrid during Sacchi's brief time in the job in the mid-2000s, racking up 104 goals in 177 appearances over the course of his five-year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But Sacchi believes current star Cristiano Ronaldo's dedication has earned him a longevity that was beyond his forerunner, hailing the four-time Ballon d'Or winner as "an exemplary professional".

"I once went to meet Carlo Ancelotti when he was at Real, and do you know who was there working out an hour and a half before training? Cristiano Ronaldo," Sacchi told Corriere dello Sport.
"The other Ronaldo, the Brazilian, had more quality but he didn't last as long because he was looking for privileges, he didn't want to run much.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is an exemplary professional, cognitive psychology teaches us that you're not born with talent, it's something you have to work at every day.
"That's how he is. He raises Real up, Real raise him up." - Goal

Whoa !!! 91-year-old Thai woman earns bachelor's degree

 A 91-year old woman in Thailand has earned a college degree after spending more than 10 years studying for it and has received her diploma from the country's king.

Public television broadcaster Thai PBS says Kimlan Jinakul was granted the Bachelor of Arts degree in human and family development Wednesday at the government-run Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University just outside Bangkok.
"If we do not study, do not read, do not know, then we won't be able to speak and make sense," she said.

Her diploma was handed to her by King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who took the throne last year. Diplomas at Thailand's public universities are traditionally handed out by members of the royal family.
"I am happy and honored that the king has graciously shown such limitless mercy," Kimlan said, using a phrase meant to show utmost respect to Thai royalty.

Kimlan traveled with her family from their home in Phayao province, 725 kilometers (450 miles) north of Bangkok, to attend the graduation ceremony.
"Sometimes she felt weary because of her body," Kimlan's son, Mongkol Jinakul, told Thai PBS. "But we as her children tried to cheer her on and mom studied until the end and it was a success."

"For the elderly, we focus on practicality rather than the academic aspect," professor Panumas Kadngaongam, acting dean of the university, said. "So the subject can be studied and put to use immediately."
The Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, which has courses catering for the elderly, this year had 199 students who are over 60 years old. It offers part-time and remote learning. - AP

Clarion call Nigerians !!! Mauritania sacks 'Useless, and Too Costly' Senate

West African nation, Mauritania joined Senegal in abolishing the Senate, its upper legislative chambers.

The decisions was made by voters in a referendum conducted at the weekend.
The voters also decided to alter their national flag, the electoral commission announced on Sunday, in a clear victory for President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz the day after the vote.
While turnout was 53.73 percent, 85 percent of voters on Saturday declared “Yes” to changes put to a referendum when they were defeated in the Senate in March, despite fierce criticism from a boycott movement that called mass protests during campaigning.

Abdel Aziz, who last week described the senate as “useless and too costly,” has said the move to abolish the governing body would improve governance by introducing more local forms of lawmaking.
But the boycott movement drew broad political support from figures as diverse as religious conservatives and anti-slavery activists.

Members of opposition parties leading the boycotters held a press conference on Sunday during which they denounced an “electoral farce which has given way to open-air fraud,” adding that people “had clearly rejected the constitutional amendments.”
They said they would not recognise the results of the referendum, having previously claimed the government would rig the vote.

The most contentious issue surrounding the vote, given that just one opposition party campaigned for “No” while the boycott campaign attracted several parties and civil society movements, was the turnout.

Turnout was just 36 percent in the capital, Nouakchott, but was much higher in the remote West African nation’s rural areas, at times hitting 80 percent, the electoral commission said.

The boycott movement held several protests attracting thousands of supporters, but were also prevented from demonstrating by the security forces, who on Thursday shut down several planned rallies close to the capital with tear gas and beat protesters back with batons.
The UN Human Rights Office said on Thursday that “protest leaders were reportedly beaten up and a number of them were arrested” during campaign rallies in the last few weeks, urging the government to ensure fair and credible elections.
Around 1.4 million Mauritanians were eligible to vote and celebrations were expected from the select opposition parties that did support the revision.

Aziz himself fuelled speculation on Saturday by saying that “in two years, or even 10 years, other amendments could arise to adapt our constitution to reality,” without elaborating.
The proposal to modify the constitution, in force since 1991, was rejected by the Senate in March, leading Aziz to call the referendum to push through the changes.

The opposition groups opposed to the measure say they are concerned that, despite Aziz’s claims to the contrary, he is laying the groundwork for a third term in power – with his own prime minister saying back in July that he supported the idea.
Scrapping term limits would enable Abdel Aziz to follow leaders of more than a dozen other African countries including in Uganda, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and more recently Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Around 20 senators, who have held a sit-in for three days at their chamber, suspended their protest and said they would gather on Monday to consider the “fraud” committed by Aziz and his supporters, according to a statement.
President Aziz came to power in a coup in 2008 and was elected in 2009 and again in 2014 for a second five-year term. - NAN

Shocking !!! Beachgoers watch migrant boat land on Spanish shore

Bathers on a southern Spanish beach watched in amazement when a large dinghy carrying as many as 20 African migrants came ashore in broad daylight before its occupants fled into the surrounding countryside.

The landing, caught on video, took place on Wednesday afternoon in Zahara de los Atunes near Cádiz, 7.7 miles from the coast of north Africa.
Heavy police and coastguard patrols have in recent times forced migrants to use the much longer and more hazardous route from Mauritania to the Canary Islands, but lately there has been an upsurge in crossings via the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Spanish coastguard had earlier received an SOS call from another dinghy and rescued all eight people on board. The Moroccan navy rescued seven people from another vessel.
According to the EU’s Frontex border agency, 7,500 immigrants made the crossing to Spain in the first three months of the year, compared with 3,600 in the same period last year.
In June alone, 2,200 attempted to cross the strait on vessels ranging from inflatable toy boats to high-powered launches.

 A Frontex spokesman said the route across the strait had been revived because it was the shortest and because powerful launches of the type employed by drug smugglers meant it was possible to ship a large number of people over in a matter of minutes.

The spokesman said the closure of migrant camps in Morocco and Algeria may be driving migrants to take greater risks. - The Guardian