₦airaland Forum

sirkells:
Can someone help me with the link for the questionnaire that should be attached to the visa application. Thanks

http://www.nigeria.diplo.de/Vertretung/nigeria/en/04-1_20Visa/Long_20term_20visa/Visa_20-_20Long_20term.html

Click on the questionnaire link and download.

sirkells:
Please how long does it take for DB to send your account details so I can fund. I opened it on the 3rd of August. I asked earlier and I didn't get any response. Thanks in advance

I was also at the embassy on the 3rd of August for blocked account opening, I haven't received any response yet.

Congratulations. How long has it been after your interview?

Oye50:
With great joy I share my testimony to my online family here. I am been called upon now to come get my visa. I wish I had the right words to express how happy I am. I want to thank everyone here particularly Eke40seven, I swear u are a real gift to us here. I appreciate all the efforts you have made on this thread and I pray that yours will come soonest and God will take all obstacles away. I thank my friend XpensiveT and every other great contributions here on this thread. It's such a great feeling to feel that my 3 years effort has just paid off. Seriously it wasn't easy all along but I'm grateful to God

bigzzz:
Greetings house. Please I need help here! It's almost 2weeks since I applied for an interview appointment and I still haven't received a reply from the embassy. Is this a normal occurrence or am I missing something? I actually booked an interview appointment on July 29th, via the email written at the back of the account oppenig receipt just about few hours after applying for the famous blocked account at the German embassy in Lagos. And yes! I attached the 3 required files along with my appointment request. Guys what's your take regarding this issue? Please advise..

Check your spam folder, if there is no mail from the embassy you may need to send another mail to them ASAP.

See the present rating/ranking of your dream University

http://www.webometrics.info/en/europe/germany

Mine is 26, not quite bad--
Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel

michlan:
I want to make certified copies of my documents at the German embassy, does any one know how much it will cost? Or I should just stick to a notary public though the school informed me the embassy is preferable. Thanks

Certification of documents at the German embassy is free of charge. WARNING: Go with as much copies you want to certify as possible. Embassy will charge you NGN1,200 per page to make photocopy for you.

bosakelvin:
i want to thank everybody on this thread on their useful contributions so far. i received letters of admission from fh kaiserslautern and hs rhinewaal to study msc mechanical engineering on the 4th and today respectively.also was issued a leave for some weeks today in my place of work. i will like to know the current amount to be paid at the embassy for the db account opening, secondly i want somebody to give me a detailed description on how to get to the german embassy from iyana paja as i will be staying with a friend there. my enrolment deadline for the both schools is 21oct and 15nov respectively. once again i thank you all,hope to get ur response asap

1. congratulation on your admissions
2. Be in Lagos by Sunday ( if you are not a resident) for the Blocked account opening on Monday. you must be at the embassy latest by 8am.
3. from Iyana ipaja, find your way to Oshodi then to Obalende/CMS. At CMS take a bus to Eko hotel and alight at checkpoint bus-stop. Cross to the other side of the road and asked for the German Embassy.
4. You will pay NGN4,500 for the blocked account application.
5. Go to the embassy with 2 filled copies of the DB blocked account form, your passport and 2 copies of the data page and 2 copies of your admission letter. Note that TWO copies of all the documents are needed.
6. use the receipt of the blocked account to book for your visa appointment that SAME day if you really want to beat your enrolment deadlines

adeboye1000:
Hello guys!
I have already booked for interview with one admission letter.Can I just go for interview with the more prefered admission letter?Has anyone done it?Do you know anyone that has done it?

According to what I have been reading on this thread for a while, the important thing is that you have an admission letter. Even after you might have gotten your visa you can still change to a more preferred school in another Bundesland.

Guys please correct me if I am wrong.

fempet07:
Hello guys,


This trend has been really helpful. Sorry I don't know how to comment on a trend but I have a question for whoever is reading this now.

I have an appointment for 11th of this month but haven't been able to get the hard copy of my admission letter.

Please can the embassy issue a visa with the soft copy of admission letter? Please i need your urgent assistance.

Thanks.

Just go to the embassy with a hard copy (printed copy) of your admission letter. You don't really need the original.

Barbing? Do you mean hair cutting? Barbing does not mean hair cutting. A "Barber" is someone who cuts hair. Hair Salon or Barber's shop not 'barbing salon' is where hair is cut.

ifeegee:
I feel disappointed, I thought it's one of our own house of rep.

Why would you want Dogara to resign?

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/australia-speaker-resigns-ridiculous-expenses-150802090022424.html

The speaker of Australia's House of Representatives has resigned her post following weeks of accusations that she used taxpayer money to pay for extravagant and unnecessary travel.

Bronwyn Bishop has faced fierce criticism after it emerged last month that she spent more than $3,650 to charter a helicopter for an 80km trip to a golf course to attend a fundraiser for the ruling Liberal Party, rather than drive the 90-minute route.

Bishop subsequently apologised for what she called the "ridiculous" expense and repaid the money.

However, scrutiny over her other travel expenses continued, including claims that she charged taxpayers for travel costs associated with trips to attend weddings; she later said she would repay those expenses as well.

On Sunday, Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported that Bishop had used more than $190,000 of taxpayers' money over the past five years to be driven around in chauffeured cars, limousines and private-plated vehicles.

Related: Can Australian MP survive the laughs from 1,000 memes?

The Finance Department is investigating whether she violated any rules.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who announced Bishop's resignation, said there would be a review of entitlements for politicians in the wake of the scandal.

"It won't just be tinkering with the system," he told reporters. "Plainly, the system that we have is deficient. The public deserves to be absolutely confident taxpayers' money is not being abused."

Bishop said her resignation was effective immediately. She will continue to serve as an MP for the ruling Conservative Party, representing her local district.

"I have not taken this decision lightly," Bishop said in a statement. "It is because of my love and respect for the institution of parliament and the Australian people that I have resigned as speaker."

Bishop had served as speaker since 2013.

Source: AP
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/australia-speaker-resigns-ridiculous-expenses-150802090022424.html

Mr Singh walked into a bank in Central London and asks for the loan officer.
He says he is going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow £5,000.
The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan, so the Mr Singh hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank.
Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan.
An employee drives the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.
Two weeks later, the man returns, repays the £5, 000 and the interest, which comes to £15. 41.
The loan officer says, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled sir. While you were away on business, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire! What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow £5, 000?"

Mr Singh replied, "Where else in Central London can I park my car for two weeks for £15 ?

Source: https://www.facebook.com/SinghStreetStyle/photos/a.141342562712091.1073741829.132406760272338/364180310428314/?type=1&fref=nf

The unbelievable story of the two brothers who started Adidas and Puma and wound up bitter enemies.

FORTUNE — Cain and Abel. Romulus and Remus. Adidas and Puma? The rivalry between two of the world’s most recognizable brands went far beyond mere corporate competition. It was a vicious family feud that not only pitted two brothers against one another, but also divided the inhabitants of their hometown into warring factions — and lasted 60 years.

In the 1920s, the brothers were partners in the Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Company, operating out of their mother’s laundry room in the small German town of Herzogenaurach. Adolf (“Adi”) Dassler was the quiet, thoughtful craftsman who designed and made the shoes, complemented by the older Rudolph (“Rudi”) who was the extroverted salesman. Although the brothers joined the Nazi party when Hitler seized power in 1933, it didn’t stop them getting legendary African-American track star Jesse Owens to wear their shoes as he competed and won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. Owens’ victory gave the shoes international exposure, and sales of the Dasslers’ product exploded.

But the success created new tensions in the brothers’ relationship, already strained by the fact that their families lived in the same villa despite
their wives not getting along. There were several incidents that were said to have precipitated their conflict, but the most widely accepted one took place during World War II when the Allies were bombing Herzogenaurach. As Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter already occupied by Rudi and his wife, he exclaimed, “The dirty bastards are back again,” referring to the Allied forces. Rudi was convinced the remark was directed at him and his family. A feud — one of the most epic and, well, Biblical in business history — was born. (Not surprisingly Adidas vs. Puma is No. 20 on Fortune‘s list of the 50 greatest business rivalries of all time.)

When Rudi got called up for service, he suspected Adi and his wife had schemed to get him sent to the front so they could have him out of the way at work. Later, Rudi was arrested first for deserting his post and then by the Allies on suspicion of working for the Gestapo. On both occasions, Rudi was convinced that Adi was the one ratting him out, his suspicions confirmed by a report filed by an American investigating officer. While Rudi languished in a prisoner of war camp, Adi rebuilt the business, selling shoes to American G.I.s.

MORE: The 50 greatest business rivalries of all time

The conflict escalated as the brothers split the company in two in 1948, dividing the assets and the employees between themselves. Adi named his company “Adidas,” a combination of his first and last names. Rudi attempted the same by first naming his company “Ruda” but eventually changed it to the more athletic sounding “Puma.” The two built competing factories on opposite sides of the river Aurach and quickly became responsible for much of Herzogenaurach’s economy, with nearly everyone working for one company or the other.

As the entire town got caught up in the Dassler family feud, the rivalry reached ridiculous proportions. There were local businesses that served only Adidas or only Puma people, dating or marrying across company lines was forbidden, and Herzogenaurach became known as “the town of bent necks” since people first looked at which company’s shoes you were wearing before deciding to talk to you.

While Rudi had the sales staff and was better at moving product, Adi had the technical know-how and better relationships with athletes who could provide exposure, tipping the scales in favor of Adidas, with Puma constantly playing catch-up. However, in focusing so heavily on each other, both the companies were slow to react to the threat of Nike NKE 0.18% , which would come to dominate the athletic footwear industry, leaving them far behind.

It wasn’t until 2009 when employees of both companies symbolized the end of six decades of feuding by playing a friendly soccer match. By then, the Dassler brothers had both died, within four years of each other. Even in death, the animosity continued as the brothers were buried at opposite ends of the same cemetery, as far away from each other as possible.

http://fortune.com/2013/03/22/the-hatred-and-bitterness-behind-two-of-the-worlds-most-popular-brands/

A newborn baby was found in a toilet in Munich airport on Thursday. Police so far have no clue as to who or where the mother is.
A woman found the baby girl lying unconscious in the toilet cubicle at around 15.15 on Thursday afternoon, and immediately contacted the police, Bavarian police announced in a statement on Friday.

The baby was then taken by helicopter to a Munich hospital.

Police started to search for the mother but by Friday afternoon still had no indication as to her whereabouts.

Over forty police officers searched through the airport's two terminals for the mother on Thursday.

On Friday afternoon a police spokeswoman told The Local "doctors believe the baby has a good chance of survival.”

Police believe that mother gave birth to the baby in the adjacent parking lot or in the toilet cubicle itself.

Investigators are currently assessing CCTV footage for clues to the mother's identity and movements.

It is still unclear as to how the woman could have given birth without it coming to anyone's attention. The toilets are in the main parking lot in Terminal 2 which has around 7,000 parking spaces.

Investigators are also looking into the possibility that the mother caught a flight after giving birth and is now outside Germany.



http://www.thelocal.de/20150731/new-born-baby-found-in-munich-airport-loo

Prosecutors in Germany have charged a doctor with negligent bodily harm for declaring a 92-year-old woman dead, only for her to wake up in a refrigerated room at a funeral home.

Essen prosecutor Birgit Juergens said on Tuesday the 53-year-old doctor, whose name was not released in line with privacy regulations, could face anything from a fine to prison time if convicted.

The doctor is alleged to have pronounced the seriously ill woman dead in March after a caregiver found her without a pulse and not breathing at a retirement home.

That evening, a worker at the funeral home where she had been taken heard a scream from the refrigeration room and discovered the woman alive.

Juergens says she died two days later in a hospital from heart disease unrelated to the incident.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11769611/German-doctor-declared-woman-dead-who-later-woke-up.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11774269/German-fireighter-started-31-blazes-so-he-could-look-like-a-saviour.html
A German fireman has been sentenced to three years in prison without parole for an arson spree that caused £88,000 of damage.

The 39-year-old fireman, who has not been named under German privacy laws, was found guilty of deliberately starting a series of 31 fires earlier this year.

The incidents all took place in a five-week spree in and around the fireman’s home town of Siegen in western Germany.

After starting the fires, he would then turn up on the scene in his role as a fireman and put them out.

At first, police were baffled as to who was behind the series of arson attacks.

They were astonished when a local fireman was identified as the culprit was identified from CCTV footage of one of the attacks.

The fireman was seeking solace from an unhappy domestic life, the court heard.

“He was humiliated by his wife and felt comfortable in the role of helper and saviour,” the judge said in her verdict.

“In order to have that feeling as often as possible, he repeatedly started fires.”

Earlier, the fireman had told the court that his wife treated him “like a doormat” and alleged she was violent towards him.

But the judge said that could not excuse the fireman’s actions.

“Over a period of five weeks earlier this year, he caused significant fear and anxiety in the population,” she said.

The fireman began by setting a paper container on fire, then moved on to torching cars by pouring lighter fuel over the tyres.

The spree culminated in an attack on a €23,000 (£16,000) motor-home that sent gas cylinders flying through the air.

The attacks are estimated to have caused a total of €126,000 (£88,000) of damage, according to the police.

In addition to a three-year sentence, the court ordered that the fireman repay the damage, and never be allowed to work as a firefighter again.

“This is very hard for him,” the judge said.

The case bears a disturbing resemblance to that of a German nurse who was jailed for life for killing more than 30 patients earlier this year.

In that case, the court found that the nurse had deliberately injected the patients with potentially lethal overdoses in order to save them and show off his resucitation skills.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11774269/German-fireighter-started-31-blazes-so-he-could-look-like-a-saviour.html

sirkells:
oh thanks. please who has the link for the blocked account opening form. so i can fill it . and please shey i just need to fill the form alone before booking appointment or i need to go to te bank too?

https://www.deutsche-bank.de/pfb/content/privatkunden/konto_international-students-en.html?#myaccordion_10766
check this out. it may be of help.

The alleged attacker was jailed for stabbing people at a 2005 pride parade

(JERUSALEM) — An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man lunged into a group of revelers leading Jerusalem’s annual gay pride parade and stabbed six of them Thursday evening as they marched in the holy city, Israeli police and witnesses said.

The alleged attacker, Yishai Schlissel, had recently been released from prison after serving a term for stabbing several people at a gay pride parade in 2005, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said, adding that he was arrested at the scene of Thursday’s attack.

Eli Bin of Israel’s emergency service said six young people were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously.

The annual parade was proceeding as planned when the crowd’s joyful chants gave way to screams. Panic ensued, and a bloody woman fell to the ground, an Associated Press photographer at the scene said.

A man with blood seeping from his back wandered around with a dazed look before collapsing. Another man with his shirt off also had blood dripping down his back. Medics quickly surrounded them both and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.

Shocked revelers, some in tears, gathered along the sidewalk as ambulances and police on horses quickly arrived on the scene.

Schlissel was convicted of a similar attack that wounded several people at a gay pride parade in Jerusalem a decade ago. Media reports said that on Thursday he hid in a nearby supermarket and jumped out to attack the march when it passed nearby.

Jerusalem police spokesman Asi Ahroni said there was a “massive presence” of police securing the parade but “unfortunately the man managed to pull out a knife and attack.”

A medic that treated the wounded at the scene, Hanoch Zelinger, said one woman was stabbed in the back, chest and neck, and was lying unconscious on the ground.

Shaarei Tzedek hospital said it was treating a man with stab wounds who was in serious condition and a woman in critical condition, both in their 20s.

The parade continued after the wounded were taken for treatment, but in a more somber atmosphere. Media reported that thousands of Jerusalem residents who had not participated in the parade joined in after the attack in solidarity.

“I do think that homophobia is rooted in the city, but that’s the point of the parade,” said Benny Zupick, 21, shortly after the attack. “We are trying to change that. And hopefully we will change that. It takes one man to create a scene like this. Hopefully he’s a minority.”

A majority of Jerusalem’s residents are either observant Jews or Muslim or Christian Palestinians, conservative communities that oppose homosexuality. Previous parades have drawn opposition.

The heads of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and others across the Israeli political spectrum condemned the attack.

“People celebrating their freedom and expressing their identity were viciously stabbed. We must not be deluded, a lack of tolerance will lead us to disaster. We cannot allow such crimes, and we must condemn those who commit and support them,” President Reuven Rivlin said.

Jerusalem’s annual parade is smaller and more restrained than the annual gay pride march in Tel Aviv, which was attended by some 100,000 revelers last month.

Tel Aviv has emerged as one of the world’s most gay-friendly travel destinations recently, in sharp contrast to most of the rest of the Middle East, where gays are persecuted or even killed.

Gays serve openly in Israel’s military and parliament, and many popular artists and entertainers are gay, but gays still face hostility among religious Jews.


http://time.com/3979215/jerusalem-gay-pride-parade-stabbing/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33729281?post_id=10206142589577371_10206142589537370#_=_
Palestinian officials say Israel is "fully responsible" for the death of an infant in an arson attack blamed on Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

The 18-month-old boy was killed in the night-time attack on two homes in the village of Duma. His parents and brother suffered serious injuries.

Slogans in Hebrew, including the word "revenge", were found sprayed on a wall of one of the firebombed houses.

Israel's prime minister called the attack "reprehensible and horrific".

"This is an act of terrorism in every respect. The State of Israel takes a strong line against terrorism regardless of the perpetrators," Benjamin Netanyahu said in a tweet.

Mr Netanyahu telephoned Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the attack, telling Mr Abbas Israel's security forces had been ordered "to use all means to find the murderers", his office said.

However the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which dominates the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, said it held the Israeli government "fully responsible for the brutal assassination" of the child, Ali Saad Dawabsha.

"This is a direct consequence of decades of impunity given by the Israeli government to settler terrorism," it said.
The Hebrew word for "revenge" and a Star of David were found sprayed on the wall of one of the gutted houses
The attackers reportedly set fire to the buildings with petrol

While it is unclear what the word "revenge" referred to, the incident resembles what have become known as "price tag" attacks.

Such attacks usually involve acts of vandalism or arson by Jewish extremists as retribution for actions taken by the Israeli government against Jewish settlements or unauthorised outposts in the West Bank, or for violence by Palestinians.
What are 'price tag' attacks?

The name given to certain types of attack by militant Jewish settlers and their supporters in the West Bank and Israel
Such attacks commonly involve graffiti including the words 'price tag', vandalism, arson and destruction of Palestinian olive trees
Carried out as a form of retribution for Israeli government curbs on settlement activity and for attacks by Palestinians

Trapped inside

In the overnight attack, Palestinian officials said up to four assailants threw firebombs at the houses, one of which was empty.

Resident Ibrahim Dawabsha told Reuters news agency he heard people shouting for help.
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Media caption The Israeli PM's spokesman and Palestinian president gave their reactions

"We found the parents outside with burns, they said there was another son in the house, we brought him out and then they said there was another boy inside, but we couldn't reach the bedroom because of the fire. He was left inside until rescue forces came," he said.
Hundreds of Palestinians, some urging revenge, attended Ali Saad Dawabsha's funeral

Ali Saad Dawabsha died at the scene. His mother, Reham, father, Saad, and four-year-old brother, Ahmad, have been airlifted to hospitals in Israel for specialist treatment.

Pictures from the scene of the attack showed at least one of the buildings completely gutted, with only charred remains left.

The killing comes amid heightened tensions between the Israeli state, Jewish settlers and Palestinians in recent days.

On Wednesday, settlers scuffled with police as Israeli authorities demolished two partially built blocks which the high court had ruled were built illegally on Palestinian-owned land, in the settlement of Beit El.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, whose fragile coalition includes pro-settler parties, immediately authorised a start to the construction of 300 planned homes in the settlement, drawing ire from the Palestinians.

Palestinians regard settlements as a major obstacle to building a sought-after state in contiguous territory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33729281?post_id=10206142589577371_10206142589537370#_=_

www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/british-newspaper-app-track-prince-william-150726230716625.html

A British newspaper claims to have uncovered a major royal security breach by using an inexpensive app to track Prince William's air rescue ambulance while it is in the air.

The Mail on Sunday said the 2.99 pound ($4.65) app allowed it to keep close track of William as he flew in his capacity as a private pilot with East Anglian Air Ambulance in eastern England.

It said the app allowed its journalists to pinpoint where the country's future king was planning to land the air ambulance helicopter.

It published photos appearing to show William's helicopter landing and of the prince himself talking to colleagues on the ground.

For a small extra fee, the newspaper said, users could receive a text alert every time the helicopter William uses takes off on a mission.

Uber beefs up security after hacking scare

Air safety expert Christopher Yates told The Associated Press it would be relatively easy to modify software so that a helicopter William was using could not be tracked, but he said such a change may not be warranted even though William is thought to fly without a protection officer.

"Most of the time when an air ambulance is called it appears on the scene, scoops someone up and disappears," he said. "If there were someone monitoring, the chance of them being there at the scene when he arrives is quite remote. And we don't know from one day to the next if he's going to be on board. So I don't see a problem."

William's press office refused to comment, calling it a security matter. The Metropolitan Police also refused to comment.

The prince returned to work several weeks ago after paternity leave following the birth of Princess Charlotte.

He previously made similar rescues while serving at a Royal Air Force base on an island off the coast of Wales.

Those were military flights not believed to be easily tracked by commonly available apps.

Source: Associated Press

www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/british-newspaper-app-track-prince-william-150726230716625.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/nigeria-frees-dozens-boko-haram-captivity-150730194223142.html

Nigeria's military has rescued 71 girls and women in firefights that killed several Boko Haram fighters in the country's northeast, as the government steps up effort to drive out the armed group.

Army spokesman Colonel IT Gusau said on Thursday that 12 people were rescued on Wednesday and 59 on Thursday from villages about 40km from Maiduguri, the biggest city in the northeast.

"During the operation a number of terrorists were killed," said Gusau adding that a total of 29 women, 25 children, and five elderly men were part of those freed.

Some of the captives said they were in the clutches of the group for as long as a year.

One young woman, Yagana Kyari, told the Associated Press news agency that she was just "waiting for death" because the group had constantly threatened to kill their victims.

Hundreds of captives were freed in March when Nigeria's military declared it had seized back all towns held by Boko Haram.

But the group continued to launch suicide bombings and attacks from remote villages.

Earlier this week, the army said it had freed 30 other hostages, including 21 children.

Boko Haram has abducted thousands of civilians, including children, in raids on villages and towns inside Nigeria and abroad.

The movement has also forced young teenage girls and women to become suicide bombers.

In just over a week, suicide bombers have killed at least 47 people in attacks at crowded places, including a market and a popular bar, in towns in both Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon.

News of the rescue operation come as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's new government appointed a general to lead a new multinational task force to fight Boko Haram.

Major-General Iliya Abbah, who previously commanded military operations in the oil-rich Niger Delta, will head the five-nation force, Nigerian military spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade said.

The Multi-National Joint Task Force, made up of 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Benin, is expected to be more effective than a current alliance in the battle to end Boko Haram's six-year insurgency, which has claimed some 15,000 lives.
Talk to Al Jazeera - Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria 'reduced to a failed state'

The announcement came as Buhari was visiting Cameroon in a bid to forge a stronger regional alliance against the armed group.

In a joint statement after their talks in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, Buhari and Cameroon's President Paul Biya expressed "their common determination to eradicate Boko Haram ... and agreed to intensify the exchange of information between the two countries".

Asked when the new regional force would go into action, Buhari said: "It should be ready today or tomorrow, by the end of this month."

But he added: "After the promises of G7 countries to help the region defeat Boko Haram, we are waiting for training, equipment, and intelligence assistance."

Buhari visited Washington last week but returned empty-handed because the United States is prohibited by law from sending weapons to countries that fail to tackle human rights abuses, a stance the Nigerian leader said was helping Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks since Buhari took office in May, unleashing a wave of violence that has claimed more than 800 lives in just two months.

In another gruesome attack reported on Thursday, Boko Haram fighters slit the throats of 10 fishermen in villages on the shores of Lake Chad in northeastern Nigeria on Monday, a fisherman and a resident told AFP news agency.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/nigeria-frees-dozens-boko-haram-captivity-150730194223142.html

Rayhut:
Congrat bros, is it msc Geosciences or Geophysics or Bsc

It is a non degree program. I will be auditing course in the M.sc geophysics program and will be doing most of my research work with the Geophysics and Geoinformation group.

[quote author=Rayhut post=36444567]Congrat bros, is it msc Geosciences or Geophysics or

aibee01:
congratulations.....
#Teamkiel go soon reach one football team ooooo....what course are you admitted to..... #Teamwinter #Teamkiel

.
Thank you my brother.
I am coming into the Geosciences dept.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/07/brutal-black-magic-tanzania-election-150720073105627.html
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - "Doctor" Manyaunyau doesn't know how he decides which cats' heads he chews off, and which he chops off. According to him, the cat-killing is the work of "spiritual powers" that attack him and render him unconscious.

But as he ruminated on the matter from a house gifted to him by a re-elected Tanzanian minister who believes witchcraft saved his seat, he said he knows that his bloody spells really pay off.

"He's here in a big position and a member of parliament, but I can't say his name," said Manyaunyau, claiming doctor-patient privilege as East Africa's "perfect cure champion", in the words of his personal website, which features grisly before-and-after kitten photos.

In 2010, the US-based Pew Research Center found that 93 percent of Tanzanians believe in witchcraft, the highest rate in Africa.

Manyaunyau - the sound cats are said to make when they meow - changed his name from Jongo Salum eight years ago, when he gave up gutting fish and driving a bus, and took over "doctoring" using cats from his grandfather.

"People gave me this name, as I am a friend of cats," he said. Cats are considered bad luck in Tanzania, but some believe that they can bestow power if decapitated and their blood is drunk.

When the election comes, this is when us witchdoctors get a lot of respect, as all these politicians come running to us.

Manyaunyau, witchdoctor

Although he said he kills three to four cats a month, he claims he could power his way through as many cats as life throws at him - unless it's the holy month of Ramadan, when he abstains.

Manyaunyau would not name the politicians using his services, but was willing to speak about how many are requesting them ahead of Tanzania's parliamentary and presidential elections in October.

"Most of my clients are members of parliament and also ministers," Manyaunyau said, although this claim could not be independently verified.

"When the election comes, this is when us witchdoctors get a lot of respect, as all these politicians come running to us," the witchdoctor said .

Targeting albinos

Manyaunyau offers his services despite a recent warning - the first of its kind - from Tanzania's home affairs ministry, telling candidates not to use black magic to boost their campaigns.

There are few witchdoctors like Manyaunyau who focus on cats. More common in Tanzania are witchdoctors who target people with albinism - a congenital condition that makes eyes, hair, and skin paler, and that affects one in 1,400 people here in Tanzania - compared to just one in 20,000 worldwide.

Trapped in their own skin in a tropical country with fierce sunshine and black magic beliefs, albinos in Tanzania are routinely abducted, mutilated, murdered or sold alive to witchdoctors, who charge a small fortune for charms made from their body parts

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/egypt-verdict-al-jazeera-staff-150730050741933.html
An Egyptian court has adjourned the long-running retrial of three Al Jazeera journalists for the ninth time, with the next hearing scheduled for August 2.

Australian Peter Greste, Egyptian Baher Mohamed, and Canadian Mohamed Fahmy were found guilty in June 2014 of aiding a terrorist organisation, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after the army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Greste and Fahmy received seven years, while Mohamed was given 10 years.

In January, an appeals court ordered a retrial, saying the initial verdict lacked evidence against the three journalists working for the Doha-based network's English channel.

The journalists and Al Jazeera have vigorously denied the accusations.

Following Thursday's adjournment, Dr Mostefa Souag, Al Jazeera Media Network's Acting Director General, said: "We are outraged that the verdict has been adjourned as today was meant to be the final court hearing for our colleagues.

"We, along with others, expected a swift end to the ordeal for Baher Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy, and Peter Greste.

"All three men have been under immense stress and pressure for the past nineteen months and delaying the final verdict has just continued the strain on them and their families.

"We demand the Egyptian authorities bring an end to the charges against Baher, Peter and Mohamed which should be dropped immediately. Journalism is not a crime."

Greste has already been deported to his native Australia under a law allowing the transfer of foreigners on trial to their home countries but he is still being retried in absentia.

'Really difficult'

"It is really difficult for us, we all thought this was going to be the day. We have seen so many unexpected twists and turns in this trial," Greste said from Sydney after Thursday's announcement.

"The only thing that any of us is concerned about is this verdict. It is the thing that will define our lives. We cannot make any plans or even think of travelling."

Fahmy and Mohamed had been on bail ahead of the retrial after spending more than 400 days in detention.

Fahmy renounced his Egyptian nationality hoping he too would be deported like Greste.

The three men have received support from governments, media organisations and rights groups from around the world.

The European People's Party (EPP) issued a letter of support earlier this month signed by members of the European Parliament from across the political spectrum and countries.

Source: Al Jazeera

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/south-africa-desmond-tutu-readmitted-hospital-150728192341661.html

South African Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu has been hospitalised with a persistent infection just a week after being discharged following treatment for the same ailment, according to his foundation.

Tutu was readmitted to a hospital in Cape Town after expressing renewed discomfort, a statement by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said on Tuesday.

"His doctors considered it prudent for him to return to hospital for observation," the statement read.

Tutu was first hospitalised for the infection on July 14.

The 83-year-old Nobel Peace laureate also continues battling prostate cancer he has lived with for 15 years, but his foundation said the current infection was unrelated.
"[Tutu's] daughter, the Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu, said the hospitalisation was unrelated to his cancer treatment. His oncologist confirms that his PSA [prostrate-specific antigen] level is pleasingly low," the foundation said.

The foundation said Tutu, a veteran rights campaigner, would undergo bed rest while his doctors determine further treatment, and remain in the hospital at least through the weekend.

Tutu survived an illness believed to be polio as a baby, and battled tuberculosis as a teenager.

He has been in and out of hospital for minor complaints since 2011.

Under apartheid, Tutu campaigned against white minority rule during the years that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

Generator fumes kill three in Bayelsa
http://www.punchng.com/news/generator-fumes-kill-three-in-bayelsa/
Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was been thrown into mourning as a result of the death of five persons from generator fumes and fire outbreak.

It was learnt on Thursday that a family of three, involving a husband, his wife and his child died in Emeyal community in Ogbia, after inhaling fumes from a generator.

Their corpses were reportedly discovered three days after their deaths following an “offensive odour” that emanated from their decomposing bodies.

A community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “The entire family slept on Sunday. There was no sign of them till Wednesday afternoon when we started perceiving foul odour from their house.

“The odour was saturating the entire neighbourhood and it got us curious.

“The family always kept to themselves and that was why nobody discovered their condition on time. Toxic gas from a generator killed them. They must have inhaled it over night. We called the police.”
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Confirming the incident, the police identified the deceased family’s name as Ibieneye Tubotamuno.

Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said bodies of the victims were discovered at about 3:50pm on Wednesday following distress calls to the police by people of the area.

Butswat said, “On July 29, 2015 at about 1550hrs, policemen responded to a distress call, that a foul smell was oozing out of the house of one Ibieneye Tubotamuno, at Emeyal Community, in Ogbia LGA.

“The policemen forced the house open and discovered the dead bodies of Ibieneye Tubotamuno, male, 34; Jennifer Asiagbuladia, female, 30 and Goodluck Tubotamuno, boy, eight years.

“Preliminary investigation revealed, that the deceased must have died about three days back, when they were last seen, as a result of inhaled fumes from a generator exhaust, which was kept inside their living room.

“Corpses have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Mortuary, Yenagoa, for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/el-rufai-cuts-overhead-cancels-pilgrims-sponsorship/
Governor Nasiru El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, says his administration has cut down overhead costs by 60 per cent as part of measures to rescue the state from its precarious financial situation.

El-Rufa’i, in a broadcast to the people of the state on Wednesday night, said the state was broke and had a debt burden of more than N74.297 bn, comprising N28.840 bn domestic and N45.44 bn foreign debts.

He said the administration had also taken radical steps to reduce costs of governance, shore up its internal revenue and block all revenue leakages.

El-Rufa’i said, “It was obvious that running Kaduna the old way is a recipe for disaster.

“One of the steps we took was to cut overheads spending by 60 per cent. I therefore directed the state accountant general to release only 40 per cent of budgeted overheads as we strive to improve liquidity and prioritise spending for public goods.

“However, our efforts in this regard are not on the expenditure side alone. As we cut costs, plug leakages and reduce wastes, we need to grow our revenues and have more realistic budgeting in the state.
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“We are therefore focusing on strategies to rapidly increase our internally generated revenue.”

The governor said the reduction of ministries from 19 to 13 and the 50 per cent salary cut for himself and the deputy governor were also targeted at reducing the cost of governance.

He emphasised that the administration would no longer spend money on gifts, feeding and pilgrimages.

“In 2014, over 2,000 pilgrims were sponsored to the Hajj by the Kaduna State Government and the 23 local government areas. Out of the 810 Christian pilgrims, 800 were sponsored by the same governments.

“All these cost the governments nearly N1.5 bn in just one year. Our state simply cannot afford these expenses any longer.”

El-Rufa’i said N120m was saved from salaries paid to ghost workers after the biometric verification of civil servants conducted by the administration, adding that those involved in the fraud would be prosecuted.

The governor said, henceforth, the administration would adopt the zero-based budgeting system.

“This means that every expenditure item will have to be justified both in terms of its necessity, cost and availability of funds vis-à-vis other competing needs before it can be included in the state budget.

“There is no reason to legislate N200bn as annual budget when the realistic revenue and expenditure capacity is less than N100bn.”

On tax reforms, El-Rufa’i said the government was studying all options to improve its internally generated revenue and reduce dependence on federal allocations.

He said their target was to generate IGR exceeding what the government would receive monthly from the Federation Account

Got a late admission. started following this thread. read a lot about the student visa. information here is unquantifiable. Planning to submit application for blocked account by Monday and hoping time is not really against me. I am going to University of Kiel (Christain-Albrechts University)