₦airaland Forum

President Vladimir Putin said he and
his wife of 30 years are splitting by
mutual consent. It isn’t clear when the
two will make it official but the split
comes at a sensitive time when the
government is promoting family
values.
MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir
Putin and his wife said Thursday they
are separating after nearly three
decades of marriage, setting the stage
for the first divorce of a Russian
leader since Peter the Great and
bringing an end to years of
speculation about the state of the
couple's union.
"It was our joint decision," Mr. Putin,
60 years old, said in a rare interview
alongside his wife, 55-year-old
Lyudmila Putina, who explained that
the marriage had ended because they
"barely see one another."
The couple made the surprise
announcement in a brief appearance
after a performance of the ballet "La
Esmeralda" at the Kremlin theater.
After a few questions about the dance
elicited enthusiastic replies, the
reporter from state-run Rossiya-24
television asked about rumors that the
first couple no longer lived together.
Mr. Putin, who for years has angrily
batted away personal questions,
confirmed that they live apart.
Explaining their decision, the Putins
spoke somewhat awkwardly, looking
at one another for cues, as Russians
heard for the first time a public
admission of discord within the
secretive first family.
The pair's two daughters, 28-year-old
Maria and 26-year-old Yekaterina,
have been hidden from view to such
an extent that few in Russia know
what they look like. Mr. Putin said the
couple "loves their children and is
very proud of them," noting that they
now lead their own lives in Russia.
Mrs. Putina thanked him for
supporting her and her daughters.
Asked if they were divorcing, Mrs.
Putina said, "you could call it a civilized
divorce," without elaborating. Mr.
Putin nodded and ended the
interview.
Neither explained the timing of their
announcement.
Associated Press
The Putins talk to reporters Thursday
after attending a ballet atthe Kremlin.
Mr. Putin suggested his work has led
to his marriage's demise. "All my
activity and work is tied to publicity,
absolute publicity," he said. "Some
people like that and others don't. But
there are some people for whom it's
completely incompatible," Mr. Putin
said, gesturing toward his wife.
Mrs. Putina confirmed that she finds it
difficult to appear in front of people.
She also said it is hard for her to fly,
though she was once a stewardess.
Mr. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov,
suggested the Russian leader had
become married to his work. "It's no
secret and everyone knows that he
long ago devoted himself to the
country, as pompous as that may
sound," he told the Lifenews website.
The announcement comes at a time
when the Russian government is
trying to promote traditional family
values, in part to prop up the
country's sluggish birthrate. Russia
has a population of 143 million and
has one of the world's highest divorce
rates. In 2012, Russia saw 1.2 million
marriages and 642,000 divorces,
according to federal statistics.
In the past, Mr. Putin appeared at
Russian Orthodox Easter services with
his wife. But Mrs. Putina didn't attend
the most recent service this spring.
The Russian Orthodox Church permits
divorce in some circumstances.
Mr. Peskov said Thursday that the
couple has yet to file for divorce
officially.
The announcement brings an end to a
marriage that has been the subject of
speculation for years in Russia and
abroad. Until Thursday, Mr. Putin and
the Kremlin vehemently denied
periodic tabloid reports of marital
stress or even plans for divorce. Mr.
Putin, meanwhile, has cultivated an
athletic, tough-guy image with
appearances flying planes, riding
horses and wrangling wild animals.
After one Moscow paper reported in
2008 that Mr. Putin had split with his
wife and was planning to marry a
gymnast many years his junior, Mr.
Putin responded angrily.
"There's a private life that no one's
allowed to mess with," he said at the
time. "I have always had a negative
attitude toward those who reach into
the lives of others with their fluey
noses and erotic fantasies." The
newspaper was closed by its owner
within days.
In the initial years after Mr. Putin
became president in 2000, Mrs. Putina
accompanied her husband on major
trips and made a number of
appearances in public. But like nearly
all her predecessors, with the
exception of Mikhail Gorbachev's wife,
Raisa, she stayed away from political
matters and avoided the limelight.
Mrs. Putina's absences grew even
longer when her husband served as
prime minister from 2008 to 2012.
Their last public appearance together
before Thursday was Mr. Putin's
presidential inauguration in May 2012,
the Interfax news agency reported.
The couple married on July 28, 1983.
Vladimir was a young KGB officer from
Leningrad. Lyudmila was a stewardess
from Kaliningrad. They met through
friends at a concert when Mrs. Putina
made a trip to Leningrad, and later
struck up a long-distance relationship
by phone, with Mrs. Putina flying back
and forth to see her new crush,
according to a Kremlin-sanctioned
biography released in 2000.
In the book, Mrs. Putina recalled one
special night after 3½ years of dating.
The two sat down at his house.
"I'm generally not a very convenient
person," she recalled him saying.
"Then he went on to list all his self-
characterizations—silent, sometimes
pretty cutting, sometimes hurtful, and
so on."
She thought they were breaking up,
but instead Mr. Putin proposed. The
young stewardess said yes to the
Soviet agent, acknowledging she was
about to marry "a risky life partner"

www.online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324299104578529481899431480.html?mod=e2tw

Today we are marking the 15th Anniversary of Gen Sani Abacha's death. What do you remember him for. I remembered that when he died the whole street was thrown into partying spirits.. Share your experiences on this day in 1998 Nobody less than 15 years shld comment

David Beckham edged ahead of
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
in Forbes' list of high-earning
athletes
David Beckham has retained his status
as the highest earning soccer star in
the world in his final season as a
professional footballer, according to
the latest Forbes rich list.
Beckham, ranked the eighth-highest
earner among athletes worldwide,
raked in an impressive $47.2 million
(£30.6 million) in the year since June
2012. The Englishman’s time was split
between the final few months of his
contract with LA Galaxy and a brief
stint with Paris Saint-Germain, yet the
conclusion of his glittering playing
career last month will not signal the
end of his earning potential as much
of his revenue flow stems from
ongoing sponsorship deals.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is
the next in the rankings after claiming
$44 million (£28.6 million) in the last
year, with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi
following with $41.3 million (£26.8
million).
Messi’s earnings are likely to increase
in the next 12 months after he agreed
to a new deal with Barcelona as well
as attracting fresh sponsors in recent
months.
No other soccer star makes the top
60, with Manchester United forward
Wayne Rooney clocking in at No. 61,
with estimated earnings of $21.1
million (£13.7 million) and Manchester
City striker Sergio Aguero No. 63, with
wages and sponsorship deals of $20.9
million (£13.5 million).
The list is led once more by golfer
Tiger Woods, who returned to the top
of the standings in a 12-month period
that saw him claim $78.1 million
(£50.7 million) in earnings and
endorsements. Tennis superstar
Roger Federer was second with $71.5
million (£46.4 million) in a list
dominated by US baseball, basketball
and football stars.
1 Tiger Woods $78.1 million (£50.7
million)
2 Roger Federer $71.5 million (£46.4
million)
3 Kobe Bryant $61.9 million (£40.2
million)
4 LeBron James $59.8 million (£38.9
million)
5 Drew Bees $51.0 million (£33.1
million)
6 Aaron Rodgers $49.0 million (£31.9
million)
7 Phil Mickelson $48.7 million (£31.6
million)
8 David Beckham $47.2 million (£30.6
million)
9 Cristiano Ronaldo $44.0 million
(£28.6 million)
10 Lionel Messi $41.3 million (£26.8
million)

Back pain is a common
condition, affecting about four
out of five people at some
point in their lives. And when
it comes to preventing back
pain and maintaining good
posture, beauties I got your
back (pun intended)!
Have you ever met someone
and said, “Ohhhh this what
they mean when they say
angels sometimes come to
earth.” . While he may be an
orthopedic and spinal surgeon
by trade, he is certainly a
healer by heart. I will never
forget our time together and
am honored to share his top 5
tips for how to improve your
posture and achieve a stunning
and stronger spine.
Downward Dog Meets The
Hundred. Having a daily
exercise regimen that
strengthens the spine,
stretches the neck and opens
the chest is the best kind of
love you can show your spine.
In just 10 minutes a day the
spinal nerves and facet joints
can be strengthened and
stretched within a few
popularyoga/pilates move. For
instance downward dog is
great for stretching the spine,
and the plank and the hundred
are fantastic for strengthening
the core (the spines body
guards). Ever since I started
incorporating a serious yoga/
pilates practice into my
workout regimen the severity
of my chronic back pain has
drastically lessened.
How To Dine For A Healthy
Spine. So now that you know
good posture begins with your
core it is important to also
understand that the strength
of your core can directly
impact your digestion. Dr. Ken
suggests following a diet
consisting mostly of lean
proteins and lots of fresh
vegetables. He also
recommends a multivitamin as
well as a B-complex and
Omega-3, as those have been
shown to help decrease pain in
the nerves of the spine. And of
course, avoid sugars whenever
possible.
Sunlight = Everything
Right. Poor posture has also
been directly linked to
depression, and one sure way
to beat the back-related blues
is getting your daily dose of
sunlight. Believe it or not, the
sun can have a magical effect
on you. It energizes the whole
body, literally waking it up and
encouraging the body to stand
up straighter, which gives you
a more alert and happy
appearance.
Let Your Breath Lead
You. Deep breathing doesn’t
need to be limited to your
weekly yoga classes. Just
follow Dr.Ken’s method of
placing your hands on your
belly and feeling it move as
you inhale and exhale. Do this
as many times a day as
possible to improve your
posture and better your
overall spinal health. Oh and
not to mention the less stress
benefit that comes from deep
breathing. Stressed breath is
also shallow breath. When we
constantly breath like this the
nerves in the channel are not
moving; and consequently they
hurt (hello back pain).
However happy breathing is
deep breathing, and happy
breath allows the nerves to
move efficiently and are not
tender.

The Chief Executive Officer,
Etisalat Nigeria Mr.Steve
Evans, has described the
celebrated porting of the
comedian Hafiz
Oyetoro popularly known as
Saka as a mistake, noting
that he will return back to
Etisalat fold after 90 days.
Speaking in Lagos yesterday at
a media Roundtable on Mobile
Number Portability (MNP) ,
Evans noted that “We all make
mistakes in life” and the
decision by Saka to port from
Etisalat to a rival network
MTN Nigeria was one of such
mistakes on the part of the
comedian.
In what could be regarded as
one of the official statement
by any high ranking staff of
Etisalat since Saka ported over
a month ago, Evans said he is
hoping Saka would realise his
mistakes and port back at the
end of the 90 days grace period
given by the Nigerian
Communications Commission
(NCC) for subscribers to port
back to any other his original
network.
The CEO noted that Etisalat
was well prepared for
the MNP and has built and
expanded its network to
accommodate over 30 million
subscribers which is double its
present capacity.
He noted that his company has
recorded very impressive
results since the MNP kicked
off on April22. Though he
refused to provide the details
but said he was satisfied with
the report he was getting from
his men on the field.
Furthermore, Evans
maintained that his company
has improved tremendously in
its Key Performance -indicator
(KPI) ratings.


www.informationng.com/2013/06/saka-will-port-back-to-etisalat-after-90-days-ceo-etisalat-nigeria.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Drugs cheat Justin Gatlin inflicted a
rare defeat on Usain Bolt in the 100m
race at the Rome Diamond League.
The American finished in 9.94secs,
one hundredth second ahead of the
25-year-old.
The Olympic champion admitted that
he stumbled after making the perfect
start and could not catch up with
Gatlin, who ended in third position at
London 2012.
Bolt has not lost in a Diamond League
100m event, since he was beaten by
Tyson Gay in Stockholm in 2010, but
he has vowed to be well prepared for
the World Championships in Moscow
in August.
“The one-offs are never for me. It’s all
about the World Championships. I’ve
got two months to get it right,” the
Jamaican said.
“You learn more from losing. You
can’t win every race in your career,
I’ve learned that.
“For me Rio will be biggest Games of
my life. That’s where I’m going to
make history if possible (by
becoming) the three times Olympic
(100m and 200m) champion, which
has never been done. I want to go
out there for my legend status.
“For me, it’s just going through the
season and putting things together
for the World Championships. The
season is still very early. I am not
surprised. I have time – I’m not
worried.”
Gatlin, who has twice tested positive
for drugs and served a four-year ban,
won in 9.94 seconds, with Bolt a
hundredth of a second behind.


www.dailypost.com.ng/2013/06/07/usain-bolt-suffers-shock-defeat-to-justin-gatlin-in-100m-race-2/?wt=6

African champions, Nigeria have
moved up three places in the latest
Fifa rankings released monthly by the
world football governing body.
The Super Eagles moved up three
places in the latest rankings having
amassed 780 ranking points.
Nigeria are now ranked fourth in
Africa and 28th in the world.
Meanwhile, former coach of the
Nigeria national team, Christian
Chukwu has declared that the current
appreciation recorded by the Super
Eagles should not lull the players and
coaches in the team into a false sense
of security as “there is still work to be
done.”
“Of course, I am pleased at the news
because it means we are doing
something right but the players and
coaches know the rankings will count
for nothing if they fail to qualify for
the 2014 Fifa World Cup. There is still
work to be done,” Chukwu told
supersport.com on Thursday.
The Super Eagles had a rewarding last
30 days having drawn 2-2 against
heavily fancied Mexico in an
international friendly and defeating
Kenya 1-0 in 2014 Fifa World Cup
qualifying.
Nigeria, whose best ranking was fifth
in 1994, has not lost in any of their
last 16 internationals.
The top five nations in Africa are Ivory
Coast, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Algeria
while the top five positions in the
rankings are occupied by Spain,
Germany, Argentina, Croatia and
Portugal in descending order.


www.supersport.com/football/super-eagles/news/130606/Eagles_soar_in_latest_Fifa_rankings

Onyiclassic: i would keep lookn 4 my change,cos d money could b a trap

i dnt agree.. ur being primitive. nt everything is a trap

What will u do if you are lookin for change and as u were walking along d road u see money on the ground enough to make change..

Will you make change with the money on the ground?

Only Football fanz can comprehend dis.. Those hu understand shld explain

My bro called and told me of MTN's on going promo where u send ur mother's maiden name to 779 or thereabout and u will b rewarded with 300 airtym . Please hw thru is dis cos i cnt see MTN being this generous?

England takes on Ireland in a friendly.. Cole d Captain.. Ox, walcott, lampard featuring

Mazi_Omenuko: I might be wrong but is this a PDP affair? Shouldn't the state house of assembly take a stance? Isn't there a law that stipulates the next course of action in such a case? Since October 2012 and nothing has been done.

His deputy is to take over, then the state pdp can appoint\annoint a new deputy.

Datz politics for u in nigeria.. We re used to that.. See Yar'Adua"s case.. till he died in office.. It shws lust of power by the political party and greed by the family members of the individual

Two top level political sources in
Taraba State have told
SaharaReporters that the days of
Danbaba Suntai as governor of the
state may be numbered. "Alhaji
Danbaba Suntai will be replaced
soon," said one of the sources.
As a first step towards Mr. Suntai's
removal, the national leadership of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
today inaugurated a committee to
determine the status of his office.
Mr. Suntai was seriously injured in
October, 2012 when a small plane he
was piloting from Jalingo crashed
near the airport in Yola, the capital of
Adamawa. The governor was trying
to land the aircraft at the time of the
accident.
Speaking to members of the seven-
man committee in Abuja on Monday,
the PDP's national chairman,
Bamanga Tukur, said the party
decided to intervene in order to
resolve the political situation created
by Mr. Suntai's accident. One of the
tasks given to the committee was to
discover and report the political
repercussions among key
stakeholders of the governor's
sickness and absence.
"Interact and establish the most
effective approach to reduce to the
barest minimum, the fears of all the
contending interest in Taraba State,"
Mr. Tukur told the committee
members.
The PDP chairman added: "Fast track
the process of constitutional
adherence as it affects the current
status of the office of the governor of
Taraba State.
"Ensure that in all practical
implications, the PDP Taraba emerge
stronger and more united in
responding to all the partisan
challenges arising thereafter in the
state.
"Consider and report any other
matter that is, in the opinion of this
committee, relevant in the resolution
of the political condition of the state."
Members of the committee are Hope
Uzodinma, Ahmed Gulak, Shittu
Mohammed, Bala Buhari, Richard
King, Bolajoko Doherty, and
Abubakar Garda, who is serving as
secretary.
Following the plane crash, Mr. Suntai
was briefly treated at the National
Hospital, Abuja before being flown to
Germany for continued urgent
treatment. Despite efforts by PDP
officials to paint a rosy picture of Mr.
Suntai's recovery, SaharaReporters
revealed that the governor had
suffered significant brain damage
that rendered him incapable of
recognizing visitors, including
members of his family.
"Some of us told the leadership of
our great party in Abuja that we
cannot go on telling ourselves lies
about the condition of Alhaji Suntai,"
said one of our sources. "They now
realized that what we're saying is
true. That's why the committee has
been set up," he added.
Mr. Suntai was moved to the US and
is being treated at undisclosed
hospital in the East Coast. A source
said the governor's brain impairment
remains a serious issue.
Mr. Tukur asked the committee to
submit its report within two weeks.



www m.naij.com/news/35472.html

Leading telecommunications service
provider, Airtel Nigeria, has partnered
with Huawei and Microsoft to unveil
Ascend W1, its first Smartphone that
runs on the Microsoft windows Phone
8 operating systems.
The latest Huawei Ascend W1
smartphone comes bundled with free
200 Megabytes (MB) data plan for the
first 6 months on the Airtel network.
In addition, customers who purchase
the phone would also enjoy Airtel’s
special Smartbytes plan of 20 free
SMS, 18K per second calls to all
networks in Nigeria and 20k per
second call rate to 5 international
destinations (USA, United Kingdom-
Land Line, Canada, India and China).
To activate the free Airtel 200mb of
data for 6 months, customers are to
text ‘SMART’ to 141.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief
Sales Officer for Airtel Nigeria, Inusa
Bello, said the company was proud to
collaborate with Huawei in providing
Nigerians with innovative mobile
experience especially on superior data
offerings, to enhance the way they
work and play.
“Only recently, we unveiled a special
recharge card called the Single
Recharge that enables customers to
do both voice and data recharge
using one card. Today, WhatsApp
subscribers on Airtel platform are
enjoying exclusive first of its kind data
bundle service in partnership with
“WhatsApp Inc. These innovations ride
on our superior and widest 3.75g
service, underscoring our
determination to become the most
loved brand in the daily lives of
Nigerians”, Bello stated.
According to the Managing Director of
Huawei Devices, West Africa Tony
Liang Wei, “the phone is specifically
created for Africa and is powered by
Microsoft, making it the first Huawei
Windows 8 smart phone in the world.
He added that the smart phone has
470 hours of standby time, the
longest of all Smartphone’s in its
class.”
Emmanuel Onyeje, Country Manager,
Microsoft Anglophone West Africa,
stated: “Microsoft is confident that the
Ascend 1 from Huawei, being unveiled
today, provides excellent value for
African consumers and will support
both companies’ ambitious growth
plans for the continent. We recently
made a commitment through the
4Afrika Initiative to deliver tens of
millions of smart devices into the
hands of Africans in the coming years,
and every new Windows Phone that
becomes available further enables us
to deliver on that commitment”.
The Ascend W1 is 10.15 mm thin and
features a 4-inch IPS LCD 480 x 800
touchscreen with OGS Technology,
powered by the high-end Qualcomm
Snapdragon™ S4 MSM8230 dual-core
1.2 GHz processor and Adreno 305
GPU. With a 1950 mAh battery, the
Ascend W1 has 470 hours of standby
time, the longest among all
smartphones in its class.
It features a visually iconic design
inspired by a tropical island and
comes in an array of bold colors
including blue, red, black and white.
The Ascend W1 is a smart and stylish
alternative for consumers looking for
great technology at a price that is
right.
Customers can get the new Huawei
Ascend W1 Smartphones in Airtel
stores nationwide, as well as Huawei
phone distribution outlets.


http://www.dailypost.com.ng/2013/05/27/airtel-partners-huawei-microsoft-to-launch-latest-windows-8-smartphone/?wt=3

Rehnoy: Who's neymar? Isn't he the over hyped fellow from santos? Looks like u're a barca fan, already taking defence.

me not a barca fan.. U call neymar a flop?? Datz unfair to say d least..

Rehnoy: Flop in the making.

do u knw neymar at all?

Neymar just made a £25 move to barcelona from santos which will be made official this week. Most strikers have failed to compete with messi right from Henry to Eto'o to Ibra. Do you think Neymar will follow the rest or will topple messi's influence

Life is too short to commit suicide.
Why?

Because, In the year
2002 nokia
3310 was N75k with N40k econet simcard.
Today its N700 and the sim is
free..

In 2003 samsung c100 was N48k and u must recharge
with atleast N1500 airtime every two weeks or else ur
sim will be blocked..
Today its N800 and u dont even need to recharge to
retain ur sim {customers are
needed}...

In 2004 sendo x with camera and16mb memory card
{one of the cheapest mp3 enabled phone back then} was N39k today its free...

In 2006 sagem my v55 was N30k today its going for N300 (if e still dey market)....

2008 nko blackberry bold2
was N135k today blackberry has scrapped production of Bold2... so
London used na N15k..
U can get 9ja used for N6k...

So my friend, if u neva dey use blackberry porch, htc smart phones, android, ipad, iphone, playbook or nokia 808 no just worry.

Just wait and see coz before 2015 our children go dey use dem as toys.

Veteran actor, Zachee Ama Orji
popularly called Zack Orji has
officially joined the list of movie
stars who have officially yielded to
the callings of God to enter a full
time ministry.
It all started with actress Iyabo
Ogunsola aka Efunsetan Aniwura
followed by Eucharia Anunobi and
actor Kanayo O Kanayo.
According to reliable sources, Zack
Orji has been ordained a full-time
evangelist by Bishop Emma Isong of
Christian Central Chapel International
(CCCI).
We learnt the talented actor had
engaged in various gospel activities in
Abuja, Lafia (Nasarawa) and Makurdi.
Pastor Zack Orji has dedicated his
time to preaching the gospel of good
tidings across the nations of the
world.
He was born Zachee Ama Orji in
Libreville, Gabon to a Nigerian family
in the 1960s. He graduated from the
University of Nigeria in Nsukka.
Zack Orji is married to Ngozi Orji and
the couple has 3 children together.


www.dailystar.com.ng/2013/05/19/nollywood-actor-zack-orji-turns-pastor/

The race for top 4 is hotting up. Who among chelsea, tottenham and arsenal will make it to d finish line. Ve ur say

Cant stop lafing. The main issue isnt yet treated and we re struggling about the grammar.. but to some extent, the type of grammar used determines the type of audience that responds.. My bro dnt mind dem jawe.. I love Nigerians

The gunnaz take on a very on form bayern syd but luck could swing in their direction today.