₦airaland Forum

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29864533
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29864533

US officials have started to investigate why a Virgin Galactic space rocket crashed over California's Mojave desert on a test flight.

One pilot died and the other was badly injured when SpaceShipTwo exploded shortly after take-off on Friday.

A National Transportation Safety Board team arrived in Mojave on Saturday and was heading to the crash site.

Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson said he was "determined to find out what went wrong" and learn from the tragedy.

The dead pilot was named as Michael Alsbury, aged 39. The pilot who survived Friday's crash has not been identified.
Pilot Mike Alsbury Mike Alsbury - an employee of Scaled Composites, the company developing SpaceShipTwo - was named as the pilot who died in the crash
NTSB investigators arrive at Mojave Air and Space Port NTSB investigators flew in to the Mojave Air and Space Port before heading to the desert crash site
Crash scene The on-site investigation into the crash in the Mojave desert is expected to last several days

Speaking at the at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where the craft was being developed, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard said "nobody underestimates the risks involved in space travel".

Virgin had hoped to launch commercially in 2015. It has already taken more than 700 flight bookings at $250,000 (£156,000) each, with Sir Richard pledging to travel on the first flight.

"We owe it to our test pilots to find out what went wrong, and once we find out, if we can overcome it, we will make sure that the dream lives on," Sir Richard added.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Eyewitness Ken Brown: "It burned for a time and then just exploded"

Sir Richard said Virgin Galactic and its partners had "been undertaking a comprehensive testing programme for many years and safety has always been our number one priority".

A team of between 13 and 15 NTSB investigators - including specialists in structures, systems, engines and vehicle performance - arrived in Mojave on Saturday morning and would begin on-site work later in the day, NTSB acting chairman Christopher Hart said.

Their work would include detailed examination of all available data, work at the crash site and interviewing witnesses, Mr Hart said.

"This was a test flight and test flights are typically very well documented in terms of data," he added.

Wreckage from the crash is scattered across a large area of the Mojave desert, north-east of Los Angeles. Police secured the site amid fears that some of the debris could be explosive.
Composite images of how the crash happened The disaster occurred shortly after take-off
'Serious anomaly'

SpaceShipTwo was flying its first test flight for nine months when it crashed shortly after take-off near the town of Bakersfield.
BBC map

In a statement, the company said SpaceShipTwo experienced "a serious anomaly" after the craft separated from its launcher, an aircraft called WhiteKnightTwo.

WhiteKnightTwo landed safely.

It later emerged that the space craft was burning a new type of of rocket fuel never before used in flight, although officials said it had undergone extensive ground testing.

In a blog post on Friday, Sir Richard said everyone involved in the project was "deeply saddened".

"All our thoughts are with the families of everyone affected by this tragic event," he wrote.
line
David Shukman, BBC science editor
David Shukman, BBC science editor
SpaceShipTwo (file pic)

Even as details emerge of what went wrong, this is clearly a massive setback to a company hoping to pioneer a new industry of space tourism. Confidence is everything and this will not encourage the long list of celebrity and millionaire customers waiting for their first flight.

An innovative design combined with a new type of rocket motor make the development exceptionally hard. Despite an endless series of delays to its spacecraft, Virgin Galactic has over the years managed to maintain some very optimistic public relations and positive media coverage.

I interviewed Sir Richard Branson when he first announced the venture, and his enthusiasm and determination were undoubted. But his most recent promises of launching the first passenger trip by the end of this year had already started to look unrealistic some months ago.

This accident will delay plans even further. Space is never easy, and making it routine is even harder.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/78594000/jpg/_78594659_bf0d5e43-733e-4f31-abc7-0458f930e11e.jpg

Google is aiming to diagnose cancers, impending heart attacks or strokes and other diseases, at a much earlier stage than is currently possible.

The company is working on technology that combines disease-detecting nanoparticles, which would enter a patient's bloodstream via a swallowed pill, with a wrist-worn sensor.

The idea is to identify slight changes in the person's biochemistry that could act as an early warning system.

The work is still at an early stage.

Early diagnosis is the key to treating disease. Many cancers, such as pancreatic, are detected only after they have become untreatable and fatal.

There are marked differences between cancerous and healthy tissues.

Google's ambition is to constantly monitor the blood for the unique traces of cancer, allowing diagnosis long before any physical symptoms appear.

The project is being conducted by the search company's research unit, Google X, which is dedicated to investigating potentially revolutionary innovations.

It marks the firm's latest shift into the medical sector following its work on glucose-measuring contact lenses for patients with diabetes and the acquisition of a start-up that developed a spoon to counteract the tremors caused by Parkinson's disease.

Google has also bought stakes in Calico, an anti-ageing research company, and 23andMe, which offers personal genetic-testing kits.
Nanoparticles

The diagnostic project is being led by Dr Andrew Conrad, a molecular biologist who previously developed a cheap HIV test that has become widely used.

"What we are trying to do is change medicine from reactive and transactional to proactive and preventative," he told the BBC.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Doctor-patient relationships are pretty privileged and would not involve Google in any way”

Dr Andrew Conrad Google X

"Nanoparticles... give you the ability to explore the body at a molecular and cellular level."

Google is designing a suite of nanoparticles which are intended to match markers for different conditions.

They could be tailored to stick to a cancerous cell or a fragment of cancerous DNA.

Or they could find evidence of fatty plaques about to break free from the lining of blood vessels. These can cause a heart attack or stroke if they stop the flow of blood.

Another set would constantly monitor chemicals in the blood.

High levels of potassium are linked to kidney disease. Google believes it will be possible to construct porous nanoparticles that alter colour as potassium passes through.

"Then [you can] recall those nanoparticles to a single location - because they are magnetic - and that location is the superficial vasculature of the wrist, [where] you can ask them what they saw," said Dr Conrad.

Unattached nanoparticles would move differently in a magnetic field from those clumped around a cancer cell.

In theory, software could then provide a diagnosis by studying their movements.

As part of the project, the researchers have also explored ways of using magnetism to concentrate the nanoparticles temporarily in a single area.

The tech company's ambition is ultimately to create a wristband that would take readings of the nanoparticles via light and radio waves one or more times a day.

Drinking lots of milk may not lower the risk of fracturing bones, a study in the British Medical Journal suggests.

The research, conducted in Sweden, showed women who drank more than three glasses a day were actually more likely to break bones than those who had less.

The researchers cautioned that their work only suggested a trend and should not be interpreted as proof that high milk consumption caused fractures.

Factors such as alcohol and weight were likely to play a role, they said.
Twice the chance

Milk has been recommended as a good source of calcium for many years but studies considering whether it leads to stronger bones and fewer fractures have had conflicting results.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Those who had a high milk intake also had a 50% higher risk of hip fracture”

Prof Karl Michaelsson Uppsala University

A team of scientists in Sweden examined the dietary habits of 61,400 women in 1987-1990 and 45,300 men in 1997 and then monitored their health for years afterwards.

Participants were asked to complete questionnaires on how frequently they consumed common foods such as milk, yoghurt and cheese over a one-year period.

Researchers then tracked how many developed fractures and how many participants died in the years afterwards.

In the 20-year follow-up period in which the women were monitored, those who drank more than three glasses, or 680ml, of milk a day were more likely to develop fractures than those who had consumed less.

The high-intake group had a higher risk of death too.

Prof Karl Michaelsson, lead researcher at Uppsala University, said: "Women who drank three or more glasses a day had twice the chance of dying at the end of the study than those who drank less than one glass a day.

"And those who had a high milk intake also had a 50% higher risk of hip fracture."

Men were monitored for an average of 11 years after the initial survey and the results showed a similar but less pronounced trend.
Opposite pattern

When fermented milk products such as yoghurt were considered, the opposite pattern was observed - people who consumed more had a lower risk of fractures.

Prof Michaelsson says the findings could be due to sugars in milk, which have been shown to accelerate ageing in some early animal studies.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Individuals should still be encouraged to consume a balanced diet”

Prof Sue Lanham-New University of Surrey

"Our results may question the validity of recommendations to consume high amounts of milk to prevent fragility fractures.

"The results should, however, be interpreted cautiously given the observational design of our study."

Dietary advice should not be changed until more research had been conducted, he said.

Prof Sue Lanham-New, from the University of Surrey, said the study was of limited use. "We do not have a feel for the influence of physical activity or other lifestyle habits important to bone or overall mortality.

"And the effect of increasing body mass index has not been fully investigated in this study.

"Milk and dairy products in the UK provide 50-60% of the calcium in our diet.

"We know that low calcium intake (less than 400mg a day) is a risk factor for osteoporosis.

"Individuals should still be encouraged to consume a balanced diet from the five key food groups of which milk and dairy are key."

see video. http://hsrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=A2KLthtBGVVUaxgA8bibvZx4;_ylu=X3oDMTQyaWo4NHQwBGJwb3MDMQRjY29kZQNyZGNhYjUEY3BvcwM5BGN0AzMEZwMyOWU3NDA0OC1jMDhiLTM1YjAtYWVjNi0yODJkZjgwYzBlZGIEZ3JwdAN2cARpbnRsA3VzBHBrZ3QDNQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDdGQtc3RybQRzbGsDdGl0bGUEdGVzdAM5MDE-/RV=1/RE=1416072769/RH=aHNyZC55YWhvby5jb20-/RO=2/RU=aHR0cDovL3NjcmVlbi55YWhvby5jb20vbmlnZXJpYS0zOS1wdXJwb3J0ZWQtYm9rby1oYXJhbS0xMDA2MjcwNDMuaHRtbA--/RS=%5EADAeBdNtyMezVht.HF3vIVRHrNZYlc-[url][/url]

Swiss fourth division player Ricardo Ferreira has been banned indefinitely after kicking a ball in a referee's face and squirting water at him. For the league's computer system purposes, the ban has been set at 50 years, which means Ferreira might be able to play again when he's 78 years old.

Suddenly Luis Suarez doesn't feel like complaining so much about his four-month ban for biting.

From the Guardian:

According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, the defender Ricardo Ferreira of Portugal Futebol Clube was an unused substitute in the 1-0 defeat by SC Worb in the local Bern league. But it was not until after the match that he entered the fray, kicking the ball in the referee’s face and then hurling insults as the official made his way to the tunnel before squirting him with water.

“We do not want such a player in our league,” said Robert Breiter, the lawyer of Switzerland’s amateur football league. “Unfortunately we encounter such cases about once a year.”

Like Suarez, Ferreira has prior offenses, though. In 2009, he slapped the whistle out of a referee's mouth to earn a 12-month ban and has missed a total of 45 matches over the years due to various abuses of opponents and refs. So while 50 years might sound harsh, it seems like the guy is just an unrelenting jerkface.

Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the 219 schoolgirls kidnapped from the remote town of Chibok in Nigeria's northeast in April have converted to Islam and been married off. He also denied reports that Boko Haram had agreed to a cease-fire with the Nigerian government, and ruled out future talks.

"Don't you know the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls have converted to Islam? They have now memorized two chapters of the Koran," Shekau said in a video obtained by Agence France-Presse on Friday.

"We have married them off. They are in their marital homes," he added.

In a previous statement, Shekau had threatened to sell the girls as slave brides and also suggested that he would be prepared to release them in exchange for Boko Haram prisoners.

In the new video, Shekau also denied that Boko Haram had agreed to a cease-fire, describing the Nigerian government’s declaration that the group had as a “lie.”

The video comes after a surprise Nigerian government announcement on Oct. 17 that a peace deal had been reached with the group. A senior presidential aide to President Goodluck Jonathan also said that an agreement had been reached to free the schoolgirls, whose abduction sparked a global campaign for their release.

There was immediate skepticism about both claims because of previous assertions of cease-fires and the identity of the purported Boko Haram envoy at the supposed talks, Danladi Ahmadu.

Violence and fresh kidnappings have continued unabated since the announcement, including a triple bombing of a bus station in the northern city of Gombe on Friday that killed at least eight people.

Nigeria's government maintains that talks are ongoing in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena.

But Shekau, dressed in military fatigues and boots with a black turban, and flanked by 15 armed fighters, said: "We have not made cease-fire with anyone."

"We did not negotiate with anyone... It's a lie. It's a lie. We will not negotiate. What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not."

He also said he did not know Danladi.

Shekau added that the group was holding a German national, though he did not name the hostage.

There was no indication of when or where the video was shot, but it was obtained through the same channels as previous communications from the group.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report this week that Boko Haram was holding upwards of 500 women and young girls and that forced marriage was commonplace in the group's camps.

Wire services

Few hours after the commercial nerve centre and the second biggest town in Adamawa State fell into the hands of Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the insurgents, yesterday, overran Vimtim, the home town of the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh.

The terrorists have thus rubbished the purported ceasefire agreement announced by the Chief of Defence Staff and his earlier vow on January 20 this year that the Boko Haram menace would end last April.

Mubi town was invaded, yesterday, by the terrorists who stormed the 234 Nigerian Army Battalion, burnt down the police station and the Mubi prison, setting the inmates free. The insurgents also hoisted their flag at the Palace of the Emir of Mubi. When the insurgents invaded the town, the troops and the residents fled while they had a field day looting and burning property.
Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader and Alex Badeh, Chief of Defence Staff

Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader and Alex Badeh, Chief of Defence Staff

As at yesterday, Mubi was like a ghost town as the entire residents have deserted it even as some edifices like the Mubi International Cattle Market, the local government secretariat as well as some private buildings were still burning.

Having taken over Mubi, the insurgents marched on to other surrounding villages and towns before storming Vimtim, the home town of the Chief of Defence Staff.

How we escaped from Mubi –Redeemed pastor

A Zonal pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG,who escaped from the insurgents in Mubi, told Vanguard that the Boko Haram sect had conquered Mubi and were fully in-charge.

Asked how he escaped, he said he was just getting to Yola, the Adamawa State Capital at press time last night, after a scary run through Mubi bushes and farm roads.

“For over two hours, we ran and crawled through bush tracks and farm roads to get to where I got a bus to Yola. I am just getting to Yola. I thank God.”

Asked what he was doing in Mubi, the pastor said he was transferred to somewhere in Borno where he stayed for several days. According to him, “there was no telecommunication network in the area, I could neither call nor receive calls. The insurgents were terrorizing the area and one of my zonal pastors at the headquarters advised that I should not stay there hence, I had to leave”.

Before he fled Mubi for Yola, he said the security problem had worsened. “However, the men and the youths said they were not going anywhere, that enough is enough. They have been killing the militants. Yesterday, they killed two. But they withdrew the soldiers and mobile policemen and yesterday the insurgents attacked. They have conquered Mubi. That is why most people are afraid.”

Adamawa Govt moves to send trapped residents to IDP camp

Meanwhile, Adamawa State Government has dispatched over hundred buses to comb Mubi and its environs for people who were trapped and stranded in buses and villages for onward transit to the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in the State capital.

Governor Bala James Ngilari gave the order yesterday afternoon, when concerned citizens of Mubi visited him to brief him on current development in the area.

Briefing the Governor, leader of the group, Mr. Joshua Atiku told him to consult with the Federal Government to persuade the Cameroonian authorities to allow fleeing people access into that country.

Atiku disclosed that hundreds of thousands of people escaping into Cameroon were stranded at the borders owing to the fact that the Cameroonian gendarmes have denied them entry.

He added that the situation was causing concern to the people, who have fled their homes due to insecurity only to run into diplomatic problems with their neighbours.

Atiku charged both state and federal governments to as a matter of urgency do everything humanly possible to evacuate people still trapped in Mubi and its environs as the insurgents continue to lay siege to the town.

What Badeh said in January

On January 20 this year when Air Marshal Alex Badeh assumed office, he expressed optimism that there would soon be an end to insurgency in some parts of the country. He said with the support and co-operation of the new service chiefs, the Boko Haram menace would be stamped out in the next three months.

He said it was mandatory for the military to eliminate the menace of Boko Haram before April to avert a constitutional problem in the polity. The CDS said it was possible to bring the insurgency in the North East to an end if the military approached its security responsibilities cohesively.

“We must bring it to a stop before April so that we will not have constitutional problems on our hands. We don’t want to go back to the Senate to start begging and lobbying. If we do our work cohesively, I can tell you, Gen. Minimah, you will finish your work in no time.

“I can say confidently that this war is already won,” he had said.

NEMA expresses shock, fears over humanitarian challenges in Adamawa, Borno

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the North East sub region yesterday, expressed “shocks and fears” over Wednesday’s multiple attacks on Mubi town in Adamawa state, as the number of displaced persons continued to rise with increased humanitarian challenges at various resettlement camps.

The North-East Zonal Information Officer of NEMA, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, who addressed newsmen on Mubi’s multiple attacks and eventual capture by Boko Haram insurgents said: “We are very much alarmed and worried by the latest attacks on Mubi and Uba towns of Adamawa and Borno states; which have sacked many residents from their houses and displaced over 8, 950 refugees from their existing camps in the two affected communities.

“It is disheartening that this is happening when a humanitarian agency like this, was doing everything possible to cushion the devastating effects of the attacks on Madagali, Michika, Gulak and other surrounding communities through intervention by providing relief materials to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Mubi and Uba which were also attacked by insurgents yesterday (Wednesday).

“Many victims fled into mountainous border areas of Cameroon while others fled to Yola for safety, leaving the existing camps empty”.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/terrorists-overrun-cds-badehs-home-town/#sthash.pQq1oqXg.dpuf

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
The rescue of the 219 girls abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State by insurgents of the Islamist Boko Haram group must take priority over every other activity, Bringbackourgirls campaigner, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili has said.

Speaking ahead of the 200th day today, of the abduction of the school girls, Mrs. Ezekwesili expressed sorrow over the continued abduction of the girls who she said, should not be allowed to abide a day longer in the captivity of the insurgents.
Leader of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign Oby Ezekwesili speaks as policewomen block supporters of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from marching to the president's official residence in Abuja on October 14, 2014. Nigerian police on Tuesday blocked supporters of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from marching on the president's official residence on the six-month anniversary of the abduction. A wall of female officers in full riot gear formed the first line of a barricade in front of less than 100 members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, preventing them from setting out.

Nigerian police on Tuesday blocked supporters of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from marching on the president’s official residence on the six-month anniversary of the abduction. A wall of female officers in full riot gear formed the first line of a barricade in front of less than 100 members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, preventing them from setting out.AFP PHOTO

She rebuffed a direct response to the spate of political activities connected to the forthcoming elections saying tersely that every other thing was insignificant to the efforts to liberate the girls.

“As far as we are concerned, we are not looking at any other thing, we are just interested in the Federal Government living up to its responsibility, the need to rescue the Chibok girls,” Mrs. Ezekwesili a former minister of education and vice-president in World Bank said.

“Every other thing pales into insignificance to the lives of 219 citizens of Nigeria who should not be in the enemy’s den for 200 days now,” she reiterated.

276 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok were abducted by the insurgents on the night of April 14, 2014 in an operation that initially raised doubts among some sections of the government and the polity. 57 of the girls reportedly escaped from the captivity of the insurgents the abduction has drawn worldwide condemnation from all sections of the world.

Efforts by the government to rescue the girls have so far been unsuccessful despite the alleged deployment of international assistance from some western nations.

The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, AVM Alex Badeh had on October 17, 2014 announced a ceasefire with the insurgents in a move that was believed to be a step towards the release of the school girls, but the ceasefire has so far failed to lead to a truce with continued reports of attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/200th-day-make-rescue-chibok-girls-top-priority-ezekwesili-pleads/#sthash.uIhpxQXd.dpuf

THE speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal Thursday told the acting Inspector General of Police, Sulaiman Abba that he breached the law by ordering that his security details be withdrawn from his residence.

In a statement issued and signed by his media aide, Malam Imam Imam Tambuwal said he received with shock and amazement the statement issued by the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters justifying the withdrawal of Police Security Personnel attached to the Hon Speaker, by the Acting Inspector General of Police.

In the said statement, the Force has stated to the effect that by his defection from the PDP to the APC, the Hon Speaker is in breach of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution and is consequently no longer entitled to police security. Nothing can be further from the truth.

The implication of the Inspector General of Police’s statement is that as sanction for this alleged constitutional breach, he has removed Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from office of Speaker House of Representatives.

For the avoidance of doubt the question of whether or not there is a division or faction in the PDP has been resolved by Lord Justice Faji of the Ilorin Division of Federal High Court in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/605/2013 in which the court held that indeed there were factions in the PDP.

Again in suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/ 605/2013, the Sokoto Division of the Federal High Court per Justice Aikawa, the judgment of the court was that there was not only Division but faction in the PDP which later merged with the APC.

As the number four citizen in the hierarchy of protocol in the country, the Speaker is entitled to security protection by the security agencies, therefore we see the action of the Acting Inspector General of Police as not only contempt of the courts but a ploy to bring harm to the person of Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

We are on authority that nothing in the 1999 Constitution nor the Police Act confers on the police force adjudicatory powers including the interpretation of the constitution.

In any case even Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution does not contemplate the issuing of or compliance with unlawful orders by the President and or the the Inspector General of Police respectively.

What the Acting Inspectorr General of Police has done therefore has no basis in law including the 1999 Constitution which he has cited. It is a brazen act of crass impunity, gross Constitutional breach and contempt of court, The Inspector General should desist from assuming or usurping the constitutional functions of the Judiciary.

For the avoidance of doubt the Speaker of the House is elected by members from among themselves under Section 50(1) (b) of the constitution and vacates office under Section 50 (2) (a) (b) &(c), in the case of (c) by two-thirds majority of members of the House.

The Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution which refers to a member vacating his seat on grounds of defection, which the Inspector General of Police refers to,has a proviso which has been and still is a matter for judicial and not police interpretation.

We have faith and confidence in our judiciary and are persuaded that it cannot by stampeded into administering injustice.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A small plane lost power after takeoff and crashed into a building while trying to return to a Kansas airport Thursday, killing at least four people, injuring at least five others and igniting a fire that sent up towering plumes of black smoke that could be seen for miles around Wichita, officials and witnesses said.

Only the pilot was on the plane, but it wasn't immediately clear how many people were inside the building at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport where at least four people found dead, authorities said. Four more people remained unaccounted for hours after the crash, but a search was halted at midday after a portion of the building collapsed.

Wichita Fire Marshal Brad Crisp assured onlookers the search would resume as soon as the building was stable. "We understand that this is a very difficult time, especially for folks who have family members who are working out here and they don't know," Crisp said.

The plane, identified as a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air, crashed into a building that FlightSafety International uses to train pilots to fly Cessna planes, company spokesman Steve Phillips said.

It appeared to strike the top of the building and ignite what Wichita Fire Chief Ronald D. Blackwell described as a "horrific" fire.

Jay Boyle, who works at the airport, said he saw people standing outside and pointing, then spotted the crash site.

"I could see from a distance the cutout in the side of the building where it looked like a wing had gone through and you could actually see the aircraft landing gear through a hole in the building," he said.

The crash did not appear to be significantly disrupting passenger traffic at the airport as planes could be seen taking off from other runways.

Located several miles west of downtown Wichita, a longtime aircraft manufacturing hub, Wichita Mid-Continent is used by private aircraft and served by several airlines and their regional affiliates, including American, Southwest, Delta, United and Allegiant. It saw more than 13,000 departures and about 1.4 million passengers last year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The crash is the latest in a string of incidents at the airport. In December, an avionics technician was arrested after a months-long undercover sting when he allegedly tried to drive a van filled with inert explosives onto the tarmac in a plot prosecutors say was intended to kill as many people as possible. Then in January, an Oklahoma man rammed his pickup truck through a security gate at the airport. In September, the airport conducted a large-scale disaster exercise featuring the mock crash of a 737 aircraft.

FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said it is "too early to rule anything out" about the cause of Thursday's crash and confirmed the FBI is assisting in the investigation, but stressed the agency's protocol is to respond to "any and all plane crashes at airports."

___

Reporters Heather Hollingsworth, Margaret Stafford and Greg Moore in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this story.

ABUJA—The World Bank has given a positive assessment of doing business in Nigeria and 34 other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the global body, the report of this year’s study on Doing Business indicated that almost all nations in the continent took deliberate steps to implement reforms which made doing business easier for private sector operators.

“The report, Sub-Saharan Africa has had a great year of reform, with 35 of 47 economies recording at least one reform that makes it easier to do business – 75 reforms in total”, it said yesterday.Tomatoes market

Nigeria alone undertook 10 regulatory reforms in its push towards making private sector operators take charge of the economy.

Majority focused on improving business incorporation, trade, and credit reporting systems, allowing Nigeria to gradually narrow the gap with the best regulatory practices in the region.

The report finds that Nigeria ranks among the top five economies in Sub-Saharan Africa in two areas – the ease of getting credit and the strength of minority investor protections.

Between 2013 and 2014, Nigeria saw an increase of 3.6 points in its distance to frontier score, greater than the global average increase of 0.8.

This, the World Bank report said “is due in large part to an increase in the coverage rate of Nigeria’s credit reporting system and a reduction in the company registration fee that made it less costly to start a business.”

Nigeria is one of the 11 economies with a population of more than 100 million where the report now covers two cities, providing new insights into the variability of business regulation within economies. Lagos and Kano were covered in the report.

“This year, for the first time, the DB team analyzes business regulations in Kano as well as Lagos making Nigeria one of few countries where the report covers two cities”, the bank said.

It added, “Francophone Africa had an excellent year, with Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Togo counted among the top ten reformers globally. Senegal is the global top reformer, with 6 reforms, closely followed by Cote d’Ivoire and the DRC with 5 reforms each”.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/business-nigeria-now-easier-world-bank/#sthash.zlxJEF4e.dpuf

ABEOKUTA-Former vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Monday, said President Goodluck Jonathan runs government of ‘clientelism’, and nepotism which only his cronies and family benefit.

Atiku also said the presidential system of government under Jonathan has been turned to presidentialism, in which the president wields enormous power, where he favours only his cronies.


The former vice- President stated this at a press conference held at Olusegun Obasanjo President Library, Abeokuta, to herald a two-day Atiku Abubakar policy review summit.

Abubakar who spoke through the Director-General, Atiku Campaign Organisation, Prof. Babalola Borishade, lamented that the country was being misgoverned by the present administration.

According to him, presidentialism means the systematic concentration of political power in the hands of one individual or a cabal.

He said, “as a result, effective accountability and representation through popular democratic participation is giving way to personal rule and single party dictatorships rooted on politics of Clientelism.

“Clientelism refers to the awarding of personal favours among patrimonial cronies. These favours take the form of public sector jobs, appointments, distribution of resources through licences, contracts and tax wavers.

“Corruption, nepotism and official impunity have brought our country down to the bottom 3 per cent in the world in terms of political stability.

“In essence, what we have now in Nigeria is a form of patrimonial democracy. This is posing serious threats to the durability of democracy.

“Not only because it erodes civil liberties of citizens, thus creating a culture of political apathy and disenchantment among them, it also severely limits the extent to which Government can be pressed to be responsive and accountable towards the citizens.

“Thus, for both of those who are inside and outside the network, the future is bleak,”he said.

He said Nigerians need democracy of substance that would respond to their socio-economic demands and bring about improvements in their living conditions, and that was the aim of the policy review by resource persons.

Speaking on his desire to govern the country, Atiku said, the country should not be ruled by greenhorn, saying, only the experienced knows what governance means.

According to him, people with experienced should be allowed to governed because the country needs people with wealth of experience.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/atiku-accuses-jonathan-running-government-clientelism/#sthash.LLNmGZoX.dpuf

A Somolu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State on Monday sentenced a 28- year-old man, Abiodun Ojedokun, to six days of community service for stealing a large pot of soup.

The Magistrate, Mrs Bola Osunsanmi, sentenced the convict to 48 hours of community service for each of the three-count charge, after he had pleaded guilty to them.

“Based on the facts of this case before this court, the confirmed report and your plea of leniency, I hereby sentence you to 48 hours community service on each of the counts of the charge,” Osunsanmi said.

The convict, arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, burglary and stealing, pleaded guilty to all the charges preferred against him.

The prosecutor, ASP Akinlabi Adegoke, told the court that the convict, who was a casual worker and whose address was unknown, committed the offences on Sept. 20 at 2:00 a.m. at the Onipanu Model Market in Somolu, Lagos State.

“The accused connived with some others, now at large, to break into one Mrs Gbadamosi Sanni’s shop at 2:00 a.m.

“They broke the locks and stole her large pot of soup, valued at N8,000,” Adegoke said.

The prosecutor told the court that the offences contravened Sections 285, 308 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Ojedokun pleaded guilty to the charges and asked for leniency, claiming that he committed the offence because he was starving. (NAN)
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/man-28-sentenced-6-days-community-service-stealing-pot-soup/#sthash.aJ5FYPXs.dpuf

2015 elections: Germany, France urge INEC to defend Nigeria, Africa’s image

on October 27, 2014 / in News 2:51 pm / Comments

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Laurent Fabius, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to defend Nigeria and Africa’s image by conducting credible elections in 2015.

Fabius gave the advice when he and the Garman Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Frank Seinmeier, led a delegation to a courtesy visit on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, in Abuja on Monday.

Fabius said the delegation visited the commission because of INEC’s responsibility to conduct credible elections by 2015.

“We congratulate your institution for the way you handled general elections in 2011 and more recently the current elections.

“Now that new elections are coming next year, the challenge is tremendous. You have great responsibility towards Nigeria. The image of Nigeria is at stake and the image of Africa as well.

“We have no doubt that this election will be free, fair and transparent.

“European Union (EU) will contribute to it, financially and will also dispatch EU observation mission ’’ Fabius said.

Fabius said the delegation was interested in knowing INEC’s preparation to face the security challenges because of the current situation, particularly the northern part of Nigeria.

“We are here to tell you that we have great confidence in what you are going and what you will do,’’ he said.

Also in his address, the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Frank Seinmeier, tasked Nigeria to increase its efforts on ending insurgency ahead of the 2015 elections.

“You know that the elections you are preparing for are taking place under difficult conditions, fighting two enemies at a time.

“First of all, it was even until last week we were commenting on your effort and success fighting Ebola.

“The second enemy we were talking about this morning during breakfast meeting with different religious organisations is against the Boko Haram and its terrorist groups.

“Therefore we know that the fight against Boko Haram is not yet enough successful as over 200 girls are still kidnapped and not yet released,’’ he said.

Fabius wished the commission success in the 2015 general elections even as the country continued its fight against Boko Haram and security situation in the North.

The minister said that the visit was to underline the importance of Nigeria to EU, saying Nigeria mattered not only beyond trans-borders, Africa but also in Europe.

Responding, the Jega said the commission was working closely with all key stakeholders to address challenges that had to be ended before the elections.

“One of the challenges is security and how it could affect the conduct of the elections. From our interaction, we are working with security agencies.

“We know that these challenges are there; our hope and prayer is that before the 2015 general elections, tremendous success would have been attained to ensure that election are peaceful and credible throughout Nigeria.

“We, as electoral body, are adequately prepared to deploy but we need to work closely with security agencies,’’ he said.

Jega said the commission was taking its responsibilities to contribute towards deepening the democracy of Nigeria with all seriousness that it deserved and promised to deliver credible elections in 2015.

“Obviously that does not underestimate the challenges. There are enormous challenges; it is going to be difficult but we believe it will not be impossible.

“The kind of support, encouragements and assistance that we have received from all stakeholders – domestic and international partners – have not only inspired us but reinforced our commitment to ensure that we deliver free fair credible elections,’’ he said.

The chairman commended EU’s support to the commission, saying the visit underscored the kind of importance EU attached to the democracy of Nigeria.

“The support has enabled us to conduct free, fair and credible election in 2011 and since then, we have been receiving timely and important support as we prepare for 2015 general elections ,’’ he said. (NAN)
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/2015-elections-germany-france-urge-inec-to-defend-nigeria-africas-image/#sthash.Jm8aL4NY.dpuf

what about educationist?

UP NIGERIANS. NOW AMERICAN WE KNOW THAT NIGERIA IS NOT A COUNTRY TO DESPISE.

that is my brother making me proud as a Nigerian and yoruba. ondo state for that matter. nice one brother.

New film reopens one of Vatican’s most enduring wounds
By Peter Stanford

For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has tried to bury her story.
But of all the legends suppressed by the Vatican over the years, this is one that refuses to go away. Now, a new film has brought to life the story of the only female pope – and it is being shown this week in cinemas cheek by jowl with the Vatican. And there are plans to bring it to Britain.

For a church that still treats women as second-class citizens, it is a source of considerable embarrassment and will once again raise the question of whether Pope Joan, as she is called in medieval chronicles, really did exist.
The Vatican claims that she was a mythical figure used by early Protestants to discredit and embarrass Rome.

Pregnant-popeBut the film – which stars John Goodman from Roseanne, David Wenham, last seen with Nicole Kidman in Australia, West End regular Iain Glen and, in the title role, German actress Johanna Wokalek – is billed as ‘a true story’.
And it is a pretty extraordinary story: a woman of devout faith disguises herself as a man to become a priest and is then elected pope.

Only when she gives birth in the street while in a procession in full papal regalia is her true identity revealed – after which, inevitably, she meets a grisly end. What is more, the legend has it that she was English.

Catholics have long been told there has only been one English pope – Adrian IV in the 1150s. But according to many medieval chronicles, John Anglicus – John the English – reigned from AD855 for two years, seven months and four days before the astonishing revelation that he was, in fact, a she called Joan.

Many of the medieval Books Of Popes, the principal source for the history of the papacy during the Dark Ages, record the tale of a young girl born of English missionary parents.
Raised in Germany at Fulda – the final resting place of St Boniface, who had travelled there from his native Devon to convert pagans – it is said she was clever and spent all her time in the libraries Boniface had established.

They stoned the treacherous mother and child to death When she was 12, she was told she could not continue her studies alongside the boys in her class, but had to marry and have children.

She refused and, donning a monk’s cowl and ankle-length tunic to pass herself off as a man, ran away in the company of what some chroniclers say was her teacher, others her lover.

They headed for Greece, a centre of learning, and Joan is said to have impressed all of Athens with her learning. By the 840s, she set off again – for Rome.
It was there that she caught the eye of Pope Leo IV, best remembered for building the defensive Leonine walls that still surround part of the Vatican. Believing, like everyone else, that she was a man, he promoted her to his inner circle and, as he lay dying, recommended her as his successor.

Popes at that time were often elected by popular acclaim of Roman citizens and, thanks to Leo’s patronage, Joan got the nod.
By all accounts, she was a virtuous ruler, powerful orator and even found time to compose church music. Her downfall came when she became pregnant and ended up giving birth in a papal procession.

Some accounts say that a bishop in her entourage – possibly the father of her child – tried to convince the horrified crowds that this was an act of God, who had the power to allow men to have babies.

But the Romans were wilier than that and – depending on which chronicler you read – in their outrage they stoned the treacherous mother and her child to death, or tied her to the legs of a horse to be dragged through the streets of the city until she was dead.
A minority of writers say she was treated with a crumb of Christian forgiveness and – in traditional fashion – was locked away in a convent with her child.

The identity of the child’s father is disputed. A few chroniclers point the finger at the papal librarian Anastasius, who retains a place in church history as an anti-pope who tried to seize the papal throne by force around this time.
Whoever the father was, Pope Joan is a wonderful story and as irresistible for writers and film-makers today as it has been down the ages.

Lawrence Durrell wrote a novel about her, Caryl Churchill featured her in a play, Top Girls, and Scandinavian screen siren Liv Ullmann starred in a 1972 film about her.
But the question is: can the story be true? The straight answer is that it is impossible to say.
The chroniclers who recorded Joan as fact include some of the most distinguished medieval figures, including bishops, archbishops and papal chamberlains.

None delighted in the tale, but recorded it in the interests of accuracy. But they were not eyewitnesses, and were writing 200 to 300 years after the event. A fatal flaw? Well, yes and no, for many of the popes of the Dark Ages who are accepted by the Church have left no other historical record than these chronicles.

Pregnant-pope1What causes Catholicism to accept these shadowy figures as real but dismiss Joan as a tall tale is the fact she was a woman.
And if she never existed, how do you explain three curiosities of Roman life that survive her? First, there is the small wayside shrine or edicola in a back street between the Colosseum and the basilica of St John Lateran that for centuries has been treated by visitors as marking the spot where Joan infamously gave birth.

The Vatican in the 17th century rebranded it with a statue of Our Lady, but it continues to draw those curious about the woman pope. And then there are the eight incongruous designs at the base of the great baldacchino, or altar cover, in the centre of St Peter’s.

The Vatican’s denials only fuel the rumours. Seven show a woman’s face, topped by a papal crown, in various stages of agony. The final one replaces the woman’s face with a baby’s. Below the face is a swollen belly and below that folds of skin that contract to create the impression of giving birth.

Are these, as most experts suggest, just a bit of mischief by the 17th-century sculptor Bernini? Or does their presence, decorating an altar that by tradition is used only by the Pope, suggest that Joan’s legend is not so distant from the heart of Catholicism?

Finally, there is the peculiar pierced chair in the Vatican Museum. A host of medieval travellers record its use in the election ceremony for popes. Before an appointment could be confirmed, the candidate had to sit in the chair, which has a large key-shaped hole cut in its seat. The youngest deacon present would kneel down and reach up and under the chair through the hole to check its occupant was a man.

Why else would the Church employ what is popularly known as the ‘ball-feeling chair’ if Joan had never existed?
This latest film version of the story, La Papessa, is based on a novel by the U.S. novelist Donna Woolfolk Cross that sold well in Germany. It has had a chequered history, with Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Minnie Driver all having been linked with the project.

The Catholic Church has in the past been quick to condemn films that show it in a bad light – including Angels And Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Last Temptation Of Christ. However, history has taught the Vatican that when it comes to the legend of Pope Joan, the more it denies the story, the more intrigued people become.

So far, L’Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican mouthpiece, has remained silent about this latest sighting of the English woman who has been haunting it for nigh on a millennium.

*Peter Stanford’s account of the Pope Joan legend, The She-Pope, is published in paperback by Arrow.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/mystery-pregnant-pope/#sthash.nvFjb5S3.dpuf

TB Joshua will not die but will suffer – Congolese Prophet

on September 20, 2014 / in Interview 10:13 am / Comments

Cogolese Jean-Claude Kibondzi is one of the thousands of worshippers who crave to see TB Joshua. He said that he is based in Sweden and that he has not been able to meet TB Joshua since he started coming to Nigeria in 2012. He calls himself a prophet and predicts that more buildings at the Synagogue may collapse. He speaks in a manner that casts doubt over his sanity. Excerpts.

BY EBUN SESSOU AND ADERONKE ADEYERI

You said God revealed things to you. What were they?

T.B Joshua is a messiah. He is not a real human being. He is a special creator from God and it is only God that knows why he chose to use that body. There is likely no man of God who is spiritually endowed. It is only those who are filled with the spirit of God that can understand him and that is why demons tremble when they come close to him. Again, I want to say T.B Joshua is the fulfillment of the promise of God in Mathew 21 verse 42 to 44.
Jean-Claude

Jean-Claude

You said God revealed the building collapse to you. Which other revelation has God shown you that has come to pass?

God has shown me many Prophecies like the fall of the Catholic church and the fall of the Pope. I sent these prophecies via mail to SCOAN. I even call the church but nothing tangible has come out of it.

Why did you send it to SCOAN and not the catholic church?

Well, I sent it to SCOAN because I had contact with them and I told some Pastors in Sweden but they did not believe me. I told them about the missing Malaysian airplane but they never listened to me. My Challenge in Sweden is racism.

Have you been able to speak with TB Joshua since Saturday?

No, his security officials were very arrogant. They go as far as pushing and treating you like a dog. They did not want me to talk. I was detained on Sunday around 8am till 9:45pm in a room with no water or food. My family did not know where I was. At 9:45pm, they told me to come back the next day that I will see the man of God. The next day, I was at Gate 5 as agreed. They began to push me here and there and when they saw that some people were attracted to the scene, they carried me into the same room and locked me there. It was when I was released that my wife told me it was someone who saw us when we were walking into the church premises that told her and she began shouting and this led to my release.

Why do you think God sent you instead of somebody close to TB Joshua?

God has sent me to America to empower a man of God. I also got a revelation about President Obama and other pastors in Sweden prayed for him for two weeks.

Have you met TB Joshua in spirit?

I met him in the spirit and in the throne of God.

How?

It takes a spiritual person to understand who this man is. For me, I have to know you in the spirit to confirm whether or not you are a man of God. If TB Joshua were a white man, I believe, we will be paying nothing less than $10,000 to go and visit him. But, here in Nigeria, people don’t believe him and I am giving them another five years and they will know better when this man’s mission will be accomplished.

Are you are saying, he has a mission to be accomplished in five years time and will be taken away like Enorch?

God will take him and everyone will see it. Then, the people will know. But, until then.

Is that a fresh revelation?

It is not like a fresh revelation, but, the consequence of the threatening of his life. He will not be killed but he will suffer.

Are you saying all these to get the man’s attention, perhaps when the story is out, he will call you over?

No, I am not. I spoke with one of the man’s wise men called, “Wise man Daniel and made him understand that he was a prophet of T.B Joshua while I am a prophet of the Almighty God. He apologized immediately because he knew I was not kidding. I told him I will put the power of God to test in his presence so as to know that I am not an ordinary man. God will always rescue TB Joshua from any trouble but I am more concerned of the lives of the people that may perish if no preventive measure is taken. I am not in government but a spiritual leader, and whether people like it or not, I will be going back to my country. I have told God that, this would be my last time in Nigeria and I will not come back.

And what if God sends you to people like Adeboye, Kumuyi among others?

I don’t take a contact of someone I don’t know in the spirit. Many people call themselves men of God but in the real sense they are not. I can’t talk or authenticate someone who I have not met in the spirit.

What will happen if you are not able to see him?

This is my seventh visit to SCOAN and everything God has shown has happened. So, if I can’t get him this time, I will not come back.


- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/tb-joshua-will-die-will-suffer-congolese-prophet/#sthash.1OMa9WGb.dpuf

yea. if you really need a usa mastercard delivered to your door step within 40 working days all you need to do is just PAY the sum of #2500 to ME AND I WILL SEND YOU THE WEBSITE.IMMEDATELY YOU GOT INTO THE SITE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERY THING.NOTE YOU MUST HAVE A VALUED IDENTITY CARD.
CALL ME ON THIS NO +2347068739826 IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.

i know some will say yes while others no .others may also ignore it.

pleas i need real people to breaf me.

age bracket

nothing

jealously and also not in contact always with she or he

great ways to make girls love u. just visit the following link.

[http://dtmword..com]