Nigerian referees excluded as FIFA releases list of World Cup officials

Three months to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the referees that will officiate during the football mundial have been unveiled.

FIFA on Thursday released a list of 36 referees and 63 assistant referees appointed as match officials — but no single Nigerian was included in the list.

Six referees and 10 assistant referees from Africa were included in the list.

According to FIFA, “the choice of the final group of match officials selected to officiate at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia was based on each referee’s skills and personality, as well as his level of understanding of football and ability to read both the game and the various tactics employed by teams.

“Over the last three years, preparatory seminars have taken place for referees and assistant referees focusing on fair play, protecting players and the image of the game, as well as consistency and uniformity”.

The selected FIFA World Cup match officials will a seminar for two weeks in April at the technical centre of the Italian Football Association in Coverciano, Italy.

The officials will be divided into two groups, which will also include video assistant referee (VAR) candidates.

Here is the list of African referees and assistants referees for the World Cup.

Six referees from Africa

Abid Charef Medhi (Algeria)

Diedhiou Malang (Senegal)

Gassama Bakary (Papa of Guinea)

Grisha Ghead (Egypt)

Sikawe Janny (Zambia)

Tessema Weyesa Bamlak (Ethiopia)

Ten assistant referees from Africa

Achik Redouane (Morocco)

Ahmed Waleed (Sudan)

Birumushahu Jean Claude (Burundi)

Camera Djibril (Senegal)

Dos Santos Jerson Emiliano (Angola)

Etchiali Abdelhak (Algeria)

Hmila Anouar (Tunisia)

Range Marwa (Kenya)

Samba El Hadji Malick (Senegal)

Siwela Zakhele Thusi (South Africa) - Cable Nigeria

Mayor of Dakar jailed five years for fraud

One of Senegal’s most popular politicians has been jailed on charges of fraud which his supporters claimed are politically motivated.

Khalifa Sall, mayor of the capital Dakar, was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling $3.4m (£2.4m), the BBC reports.

His conviction bars him from next year’s elections, when he had been expected to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall.

The convicted mayor is not a relation of the President.

Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in West Africa.

It is the only country on mainland West Africa never to have had a military coup.

It has seen two peaceful transfers of power following elections, most recently in 2012, when Macky Sall became president.

Khalifa Sall, 62, was arrested last year and successfully stood for parliament even though he was in detention at the time.

His parliamentary immunity was lifted so he could stand trial.

PL news : No club is too good to be relegated - Hodgson

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson claims that no team is too good to be relegated, ahead of his sides’ crunch tie against Liverpool this weekend.

Hodgson says his side have to focus on ensuring they retain their Premier League status as they approach the final season run in.

Having faced a host of tough opponents in recent weeks, Hodgson hopes his side can remain grounded against what can be considered an easier run in to close out the season.

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Talking ahead of this weekend’s clash at Selhurst Park, Hodgson said:

“We have to stay competitive and not throw in the towel or give up even if go a goal behind. We’ll keep believing in the work we do and believing in each other.”

“Our goal is a simple one to stay in this league. It’s a nervous and anxious time because none of us can guarantee we’ll achieve our goal.”

“The dangerous situation is if we start believing our run-in is better than others and that our players are good enough to keep us in the league. Nobody will be too good to get relegated.” - Read Sport

I don't have €30billion in my bank account -Flamini

Mathieu Flamini says reports he has €30billion in his bank account are inaccurate.

Forbes claimed the former Arsenal midfielder - now with Getafe in LaLiga - had established the fortune through his company, GF Biochemicals, which produces levulinic acid.

But the former France international denied that is the case and rejected suggestions he is the world's richest footballer.

"Well, it's important to rectify things," Flamini told L'Equipe.

"Contrary to what I read, I do not have €30billion in my bank account.

"And this sum does not correspond to the valuation of my company, GF Biochemicals."

Flamini explained how estimates had wrongly given him a personal fortune that would make him one of the richest people in the world.

"In fact, it [€30billion] is the total value of the market we want to 'attack' with the new technologies we have developed in recent years," Flamini said.

"There was a misunderstanding. It's as if we had given a single restaurant the value of the entire catering market in France."

Asked directly if he is a billionaire, Flamini said: "Oh no, not at all.

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"I'm sorry about this story because I did not go into this business to make money." - Goal

California : Starbucks, others must carry cancer warning , judge rules

Starbucks (SBUX) and other coffee companies in California should have to post warnings because the brew may contain an ingredient that's been linked to cancer, a judge has ruled. The culprit is acrylamide, a chemical produced in the bean roasting process that is a known carcinogen and has been at the heart of an eight-year legal struggle between a tiny nonprofit group and Big Coffee.

The Council for Education and Research on Toxics sued to require the coffee industry to remove acrylamide from its processing — like potato chip makers did when it sued them years ago — or disclose the danger in ominous warning signs or labels. The industry, led by Starbucks Corp., said the level of the chemical in coffee isn't harmful and any risks are outweighed by benefits.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle said Wednesday that the coffee makers hadn't presented the proper grounds at trial to prevail.

"While plaintiff offered evidence that consumption of coffee increases the risk of harm to the fetus, to infants, to children and to adults, defendants' medical and epidemiology experts testified that they had no opinion on causation," Berle wrote in his proposed ruling. "Defendants failed to satisfy their burden of proving ... that consumption of coffee confers a benefit to human health."

The suit was brought against Starbucks and 90 other companies under a law passed by California voters in 1986 that has been credited with culling cancer-causing chemicals from myriad products and also criticized for leading to quick settlement shakedowns.

The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65, requires warning labels for about 900 chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects. It allows private citizens, advocacy groups and attorneys to sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties for failure to provide warnings.

"This lawsuit has made a mockery of Prop. 65, has confused consumers, and does nothing to improve public health," said William Murray, president and CEO of the National Coffee Association, who added that coffee had been shown to be a healthy beverage.

Scientific evidence on coffee has gone back and forth for a long time, but concerns have eased recently about possible dangers of coffee, with some studies finding health benefits.

In 2016, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization moved coffee off its "possible carcinogen" list.

Studies indicate coffee is unlikely to cause breast, prostate or pancreatic cancer, and it seems to lower the risks for liver and uterine cancers, the agency said. Evidence is inadequate to determine its effect on dozens of other cancer types.

CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus, director of the Westside Cancer Center at USC, says he believes it is too early to put this kind of blanket warning on coffee.

"When you put a bold declaration that 'X may cause cancer' when there isn't data to that effect in humans, to me it causes panic rather than informed knowledge," he told "CBS This Morning."

Coffee companies have said it's not feasible to remove acrylamide from their product without ruining the flavor.

But attorney Raphael Metzger, who brought the lawsuit and drinks a few cups of coffee a day, said the industry could remove the chemical without impairing taste.

"I firmly believe if the potato chip industry can do it, so can the coffee industry," Metzger said. "A warning won't be that effective because it's an addictive product."

Many California coffee shops have already posted warnings that say acrylamide is cancer-causing chemical found in coffee. But signs that are supposed to be posted at the point of sale are often found in places not easily visible, such as below the counter where cream and sugar are available.

Customers at shops that post warnings are often unaware or unconcerned about them.

Afternoon coffee drinkers at a Los Angeles Starbucks said they might look into the warning or give coffee drinking a second thought after the ruling, but the cup of joe was likely to win out.

"I just don't think it would stop me," said Jen Bitterman, a digital marketing technologist. "I love the taste, I love the ritual, I love the high, the energy, and I think I'm addicted to it."

Darlington Ibekwe, a lawyer in Los Angeles, said a cancer warning would be annoying but wouldn't stop him from treating himself to three lattes a week.

"It's like cigarettes. Like, damn, now I've got to see this?" he said. "Dude, I'm enjoying my coffee."

The defendants have a couple weeks to challenge the ruling before it is final and could seek relief from an appellate court.

If the ruling stands, it could come with a stiff financial penalty and could rattle consumers beyond state lines.

The judge can set another phase of trial to consider potential civil penalties up to $2,500 per person exposed each day over eight years. That could be an astronomical sum in a state with close to 40 million residents, though such a massive fine is unlikely.

California's outsized market could make it difficult to tailor packaging with warning labels specifically to stores in the state.

That means out-of-state coffee drinkers could also take their coffee with a cancer warning. Cream and sugar would still be optional. - CBS News 

Zamfara killings: ‘Call your people to order’ – Emir of Anka tells Fulani leaders

The Emir of Anka in Zamfara, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad has called on Fulani leaders to call their people to order following spate of crimes involving Fulani herdsmen.

The monarch made the call on Friday in Anka while briefing journalists in his palace over last Wednesday killings of Bawan Daji villagers in his emirate.

“It is disturbing to hear that most of the criminal attacks taking place in almost all parts of the country, involve the Fulani or they are always mentioned,” he said.

This, according to him, should worry the Fulani leaders, adding that it was expected that by now, they should call on their people and find out what they really wanted.

“This meeting should be called immediately because it is a matter of urgency that should be addressed before it is too late, ” the traditional ruler said.

He said, even though the recent attack in the area had nothing to do with Fulani/farmers’ feud, most of the attackers were alleged to be of the Fulani extraction.

South African President Ramaphosa travels economy class

President Cyril Ramaphosa has stunned South Africans as he was spotted travelling to Durban in economy class.

It was on a Safair flight from Pretoria on Friday morning. He was on his way to attend the Covenant Fellowship Church International in eSikhaleni, Kwazulu Natal north coast.

Ramaphosa’s co-passengers snapped photos with the president which were shared on Twitter, according to News24.

While some commended the South African leader  for cutting costs, some  others were cynical, dismissing the gesture as a PR stunt.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Khusela Diko told News24 that the president will at all times use the mode of transport which is most practical, convenient and cost effective for his duties.

Ramaphosa who is 65 years old is South Africa’s  fifth  President. He succeeded Jacob Zuma  on 15 February 2018. Zuma resigned after the African National Congress recalled him.

Pope says hell does not exist

Pope Francis says hell – believed to be a place of condemnation for deceased sinners – does not exist. 

The pontiff reportedly said this in an interview published by Daily La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper.

The interview was conducted by Eugenio Scalfari, a veteran Italian journalist and atheist who regularly muses about faith and religion, and enjoys access to the leader of the Catholic church.

“There is no hell where the souls of sinners suffer in eternity,” Scalfari quoted the pope to have said.

“After death, the souls of people who repent are pardoned by God and join in his contemplation. But those who do not repent, and therefore cannot be pardoned, disappear. Hell does not exist… what exists is the disappearance of sinful souls.”

But hours after the report was published, the Vatican issued a denial, saying comments attributed to the spiritual leader denying the existence of hell are a product of the journalist’s reconstruction of the pope’s remarks and not a faithful transcript of the pontiff’s real words.

The Vatican said the pope did receive Scalfari “in a private meeting” to exchange Easter greetings, but he did not “give him an interview”.

“No quotes of the aforementioned article should therefore be considered as a faithful transcription of the Holy Father’s words,” the Vatican said.

It is part of the beliefs of Catholics all over the world that there is a place like hell, meant for punishment of sinners after they have died.

In the past, the veracity of quotes Scalfari attributed to the pope has been called into question, especially after the journalist admitted to never using a tape recorder during interviews. - Cable Nigeria

Jonathan’s cousin has case to answer, says court

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Azibaola, has been ordered to defend himself in a fraud allegation of $40 million levelled against him and his company, One Plus Holding Ltd, by the Federal Government.

According to a Federal High Court, Abuja, Azibaola must defend himself on two out of the nine-count charge preferred against him by the government.

He was to defend himself on the two counts bordering on being in possession of and converting the sum of $40 million received from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) to personal use.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba made the order yesterday while ruling on the no-case-submission filed by Azibaola and his wife, Stella.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted Stella of all the nine-count charge levelled against her.

Dimgba, in discharging Stella, held that being wife to Azibaola was not enough to charge her with the offence since criminal liability was personal and not vicarious.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the prosecuting agency in the matter, in 2016 preferred a seven-count charge against Azibaola, his wife, Stella and their company.

EFCC said they received $40 million worth of contract from Dasuki.

They were subsequently arraigned on June 7, 2016 and were admitted to bail for N500 million each.

They were re-arraigned on April 27, 2017, this time on a nine-count amended charge.

In the cause of the trial, the prosecution called 10 witnesses and tendered 27 documented evidences against the three parties and closed its case.

Mr. Chris Uche (SAN), counsel to Azibaola and his wife, however, filed a no-case-submission.

Uche insisted that the government had failed to establish a prima-facie case that would warrant his clients to enter a defence and prayed the court to discharge and acquit his clients.

Delivering the court’s ruling on the no-case-submission, the judge held that two of the defendants had some explanations to do with regards to counts two and three.

“It was claimed that the $40 million released from the office of the former NSA to Azibaola and One Plus Holding Ltd was meant for the procurement of tactical communication kits.

“Counts two and three are basically the same, the difference is that count two borders on possession of the sum of $40 million while count three was hinged on conversion of the said amount.

“Having reviewed the oral and documentary evidence tendered by the prosecution through its witnesses, this court holds the view that there is good reason for Azibaola and the company to proceed with their defence,” the court ruled

The court noted that there was no evidence to show that the said tactical communication kits were supplied.

“In the absence of any evidence to show supply of the tactical communication kits, the 1st (Azibaola) and 3rd (One Plus Holding) defendants are in a position to explain what the fund was used for.

“On the whole, there is sufficient prima-facie case made out by the prosecution against the 1st and 3rd defendants.

“The no-case-submission in respect of these two counts is refused,” the court held.

The court absolved Azibaola and his company of any wrongdoing in counts one, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine.

The judge adjourned the matter until June 4 for Azibaola to open his defence.

Fulani ‘Herdsmen’ kill six in Kaduna

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have killed six people in Bakin Kogi, Kaninkon chiefdom in Jama’a local government area of Kaduna state.

Auta Maurice, a member of the security committee in the community, said the people were killed in separate attacks between 10am and 11am on Thursday.

He said the gunmen, numbering about 10 wore army and police uniforms.

Maurice said three people were and killed in the bush when they went to cut wood for the roofing of their houses while three others were killed at a local mining site.

He said four people who sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital in Kafanchan.

“The attacks occurred in the bush. The first attack occurred at about 10am when some members of our community went to the bush to cut wood for roofing their houses,” he said.

“All of a sudden, the herdsmen opened fire at them and three people were killed while others managed to escape.  The second attack happened at about 11am at a local mining site. Three people were also killed there, while four others were injured.

“The herdsmen were dressed in army camouflage and mobile police uniforms.”

Maurice said the distance between the village and the place where the other attack took place is about five kilometres.

“We reported the case to the soldiers maintaining security in our community and we went to the bush with them, but the bandits had fled by the time they reached there,” he said.

However, the police could not confirm the incident as Aliyu Mukhtar, spokesman of the Kaduna state police command could neither responded to calls nor reply a text message sent to his telephone. - Cable Nigeria

How 19-year-old girl ‘stocks illicit drugs in bra’

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA in Katsina State have arrested a a girl, Zakiya Abdukarim, with illicit drugs stocked in her brassiere and other parts of her body.

The Katsina State Commander, NDLEA, Mrs. Maryam Sani, who confirmed the arrest of the 19-year-old girl to journalists yesterday, said she was arrested in Sokoto Rima River Basin area of the state with the drugs meant for sale to her clients.

Sani added that the girl ran away from her village to stay with her boyfriend under the pretense that her step-father and mother wanted to give her out in marriage without her consent.

The NDLEA boss gave the quantity of illicit drugs found in possession of the teenage girl to be 14.4grams of Tramadol, 14.8grams of Exol-5 and 2.4grams of D5.

Interacting with the teenage girl, she said her boyfriend, Abdulsalam, asked her to keep the drugs in her possession that he forgot something at home and he needed to pick it up.

“The drugs are for my boyfriend, Abdulsalam. I met him around the motor park here in Katsina where he sells the drugs.

“I am from Tantagaria village on your way to Bakiya. I sell rice and beans.

“On that day, he (my boyfriend) told me to keep the drugs that he forgot something that he needed to pick up at home. He fled the house after I was arrested. They found three drugs with me. I don’t know the names of the drugs. I don’t take it,” the teenage girl, Zakiya Abdulkarim stated. - Daily Post

Police parades suspected ritualist with human heads

Kwara State Police Command has paraded a suspected ritualist arrested with three human skulls in Ilorin.

Police Commissioner Mr. Lawan Ado said the suspect, Suleiman Adenifuja, was caught with three human skulls in Eiyekorin, Ilorin, on March 26.

He said when the suspect was interrogated; he claimed that he brought the skulls from Lagos to Ilorin for rituals.

Ado said Wahab Ramoni was arrested with a stolen Toyota Camry car, registered as AKD 287 EE.

“The vehicle will be released to the owner after investigation, while the suspects will be arraigned.”

He warned residents against illegal use of siren, covering of number plates and use of spy numbers by banks and other organisations.

Ado advised those using such to apply and get the approval of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

He said the application should be routed through the Force Transport Officer, Abuja, adding that offenders would be arrested and prosecuted.

“We wish to inform the public of the extension of the date of withdrawal of police personnel attached to VIPs, government officials and political office holders to April 20.

“This is to enable the affected officials re-apply for revalidation of the authority for IGP’s approval,” he said.

He urged people who had not surrendered illegal and prohibited firearms to do so, saying anybody arrested would be prosecuted.

Nigerian jailed for rape in Aberdeen months after lavish wedding in Uyo

Nigerian born oil and gas engineer, Kufre Umoh Uwem was yesterday handed a 7-year jail term for allegedly raping an 18-year-old student in Aberdeen.

The incident reportedly happened just three months after his lavish wedding in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in December 2017.

34-year-old Kufre Umoh Uwem, of 6 Waterton Lawn, Stoneywood, Aberdeen, who was a sub-sea project engineer, purportedly detained the woman against her will in his flat, removed her clothing and proceeded to rape her.

He was also convicted of intent to rape a second woman in her flat, Evening Express UK reports.

The offences were committed on October, 18, 2012, and October 30, 2016, at flats in Aberdeen.

Delivering the judgement at the High Court in Glasgow, Judge Lord Arthurson said; “This was a course of violent and predatory sexual offending, notwithstanding the four years between the two offences.”

The court heard that Uwem’s first victim was a first-year student who Uwen met by chance and invited her to his flat. Once there, he allegedly raped her.

In a victim impact statement to the court, the victim said that the rape had “a monumental impact on her life”.

Uwem’s second victim was attacked in her own home.

Uwem was said to have restrained her, removed her lower clothing with intent to rape her.

He stood with his head bowed as Lord Arthurson told him: “The consequences are truly catastrophic for you”.