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God, this one shouldn't pass your son

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Nigeria's environment ministry has launched an investigation after a video emerged of an endangered manatee, also known as a sea cow, being dragged along a dusty road by a group of young men.

It is not clear when the footage was filmed.

The animal has been tied in ropes and can be seen trying to get away.

Deputy environment minister Sharon Ikeazor branded the video "very distressing", and said officials were trying to rescue the creature.

Ms Ikeazor said the incident took place in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, and called for an awareness campaign "to educate our people to protect the manatee".

Manatees are large marine mammals which are mostly herbivorous.

It is illegal to hunt them in Nigeria, but they are still killed for their meat, oil, and organs which are used in traditional medicine, AFP news agency reports.

Many people in the Niger Delta are poor, despite the region's oil wealth.

Pressure group the Blue Planet Society, which campaigns to preserve ocean life, said it was shocking that a "supposedly protected West African manatee can be abused in such a public way".

There are about 10,000 manatees along the coast of West Africa, AFP reports, but their numbers are in steep decline.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-africa-51619623


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI8gcKoq5C4

My guy don confuse, from PDP to APC then to PDP. The thing tire the man.
But anyway sha, this is good for democracy, at least he left the position honorably rather than being impeached which is a minus to his political career.

Nigeria's politics isn't for soft people. David Lyon is a damn soft nigga who doesn't understand the game. I wish the incoming governor good luck.

Las las PDP has gotten a replacement for IMO state loss.

How does it attack the body? What are the full range of symptoms? Who is more likely to be seriously ill or die? How do you treat it?

Now, an account by medics on the front line of this epidemic, at the Jinyintan Hospital, in Wuhan, is starting to provide answers.

A detailed analysis of the first 99 patients treated there has been published in the Lancet medical journal.

Lung assault
All of the 99 patients taken to the hospital had pneumonia - their lungs were inflamed and the tiny sacs where oxygen moves from the air to the blood were filling with water.

Other symptoms were:

82 had fever
81 had a cough
31 had shortness of breath
11 had muscle ache
nine had confusion
eight had a headache
five had a sore throat
First deaths
The first two patients to die were seemingly healthy, although they were long-term smokers and that would have weakened their lungs.

The first, a 61-year-old man, had severe pneumonia when he arrived at hospital.

He was in acute respiratory distress, meaning his lungs were unable to provide enough oxygen to his organs to keep his body alive.

Despite being put on a ventilator, his lungs failed and his heart stopped beating.

He died 11 days after he was admitted.

The second patient, a 69-year-old man, also had acute respiratory distress syndrome.

He was attached to an artificial lung or ECMO (extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation) machine but this wasn't enough.

He died of severe pneumonia and septic shock when his blood pressure collapsed.

At least 10% die
As of 25 January, of the 99 patients:

57 were still in hospital
31 had been discharged
11 had died
This does not mean the death rate of the disease is 11%, though, as some of those still in hospital may yet die and many others have such mild symptoms they do not end up in hospital.

Market workers
Live animals sold at the Huanan seafood market are thought to be the source of the infection, called 2019-nCoV.

And 49 out of the 99 patients had a direct connection to the market:

47 worked there, either as managers or manning the stalls
two were shoppers who had only popped in
Middle-aged men worst affected
Most of the 99 patients were middle-aged, with an average age of 56 - and 67 of them were men.

However, more recent figures suggest a more even gender split. The China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1.2 men were infected for every 1.0 women.

There are two possible explanations for the difference:

Men could be more likely to become severely ill and need hospital treatment
Men, for social or cultural reasons, may have been more likely to be exposed to the virus at the beginning of the outbreak
Dr Li Zhang, at the hospital, says: "The reduced susceptibility of females to viral infections could be attributed to the protection from X chromosome and sex hormones, which play an important role in immunity."

And those who were already sick
Most of the 99 had other diseases that may have made them more vulnerable to the virus as a "result of the weaker immune functions of these patients":

40 had a weak heart or damaged blood vessels due to conditions including heart disease, heart failure and stroke
A further 12 patients had diabetes.
https://https-www-bbc-com.0.freebasics.com/news/health-51214864?iorg_service_id_internal=624173547714020%3BAfp0SE2ZuOWVEYkT

Videos of the British pop star Dua Lipa dancing and giving money to performers at a strip club in LA pulled the singer to the centre of a debate: can a feminist go to a strip joint?

Some commentators criticised the singer, tagging her as a bad feminist. But many more rushed to her defence, noting that the male artists present were not subject to the same scrutiny.

"Imagine trying to cancel a woman for going to a strip club and supporting other women," wrote one Twitter user. "I don't see y'all cancelling men for it."


Women are not strangers to strip clubs in the US. A cursory online search for "bachelorette parties" returns numerous pre-wedding packages, customised for women, in which an evening at a strip club is the headline event. Nick Triantis, the owner of the Camelot strip club in Washington DC, told the BBC women had been coming to his club since it opened in 1980.

"I don't even understand what the angle is there," Triantis said, adding that women at strip clubs was "nothing new".

So why did the Dua Lipa video provoke a reaction? Catlyn Ladd, an author and women's studies professor in Colorado, and a former stripper herself, told the BBC the industry was double edged.

"Sex work can be incredibly exploitative and it can also be empowering," she said. "Whether it's exploitation depends on the exact environment and the exact personalities of those involved."Ladd worked as a stripper for more than five years in the early 2000s, using the income to help support herself as she earned her master's degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

She said she experienced cruelty and condescension, but she also met her husband of over 20 years while dancing. She has returned to strip clubs occasionally as a patron, since she stopped dancing, she said, often as a "safety blanket" for other friends.

As for the dancers in the Dua Lipa video, she said she thought they were "probably having a really good night". "And good for them," she added.

Discomfort at seeing women as customers at strip clubs was legitimate, said Bernadette Barton, a gender studies professor and author of two books examining the experience of exotic dancers, because of the structural imbalance working against women in that environment.

"Strip clubs are patriarchal organisations", she said. "The men are dressed and the women are naked."

So is it feminist for women to go to a strip club? "Not particularly," Barton said, "but it's not up to me to say." And there was a disparity in the reaction to the Dua Lipa, video, too, she said: the male celebrities who were with the pop star dodged criticism altogether.

"I'd rather be critical of the culture of the strip club," Barton said.

Barton wrote two books on the world of stripping - the first in 2006 and the second in 2017. She said the biggest change she observed between the two was a rise in female customers.

She said some managers reported during the research for her second book that women accounted for up to 45% of their customers - a figure she said was far higher than any she'd heard when interviewing people in the industry for her first book.

And as for the dancers, female customers were often a welcome change, said Antonia Crane, an activist, professor and dancer who has logged more than 10,000 hours as a stripper over a 25-year career.

"We love women coming into strip clubs, it's fun," Crane said. "Stripping is women's labour. The only that's terrible about stripping and the sex industry in general are the unfair labour practices", she said - citing poor wages, exploitation, and sexual assault.

Supporting that labour was "so important", Crane said. And, she added, not hard to do.

"Rule number one is pay her," she said. "Have fun and be nice."


https://https-www-bbc-com.0.freebasics.com/news/world-us-canada-51286973?iorg_service_id_internal=624173547714020%3BAfp0SE2ZuOWVEYkT

Music lovers and genuine content critics like myself would have given up on the credibility and essence of the Grammy Awards if another undeserving artiste had won this.



Sentiments aside, Nigeria is yet to replicate another Fela Kuti in the global music sphere.



Fela is the only Nigerian deserving of a Grammy.

Because music is not about dancesteps or groupie trends but about a movement, a message, reawakening a consciousness and yet the melody from real musical instruments.

This is a reality lost on today's Nigerian artistes aside from Asá who still lacks in consistency.



As an African act, till your music can be accepted by Pastors, Imams, Youths, elders, global leaders, United Nations and illiterates, then you stand a chance of being an African Album or winning a foreign award in Music.



Nigeria and Nigerians must understand that club bangers do not translate to foreign awards in global music

I was shocked when i saw the officer order the killings , very painful that nigeria police doesn't understand the rule of law. Well even there boss (Buhari) in Abuja doesn't understand the rule of law why should i even blame them.

OP your headine says: Ortom's convoy arrests cow for open grazing
Maybe you meant arrest cattle heads man
But for me journalism in Nigeria is dead

Amotekun777:
See as you don bleach all una life commot. Chai... na wah ooo

You are very irrational.
Mods rule 2 was broken
Do your job.

[quote author= post=85906543]Anything that FFK and Cownu come out to support will always end in failure.
This has happened many times prior now.
FACTS speak for itself.

The Amoteks handwriting is on the wall.

A pity the founders of Amoteks,
allowed these 2 troublemakers,
religion and ethnic bigots to join and support them, even the IndecentStar promising to support Amoteks with 1 million members!

We rescinded henceforth
Dead on Arrival!!


We really hope so.
We hope you dont let these craze men infiltrate into Amoteks.
The supporter of evil they are.

All the Amoteks image and memes all of you are using on every Amoteks thread (like the one you used below) was started by Yours Truly.
Cos we believed the initiative, as long as it will be done properly.

But the moment, these 2 bigots (FFK and Cownu) started saying trash,
then, there is something hidden.
Cos they never support anything to move the nation forward or for the unity of Nigeria.
All they want is chaos, unrest and war.
We owe you no explanation anyways,
This is just for posterity sake.
Goodluck to you guys....
[/quote]You are very annoying

NwaAmaikpe:

Land grabber

CNG reduces the engine life of a vehicle that uses PMS,

D

Mbaka don do am

Mynd44:
The vans are JAC.

Lanre Shittu has hammered

JAC isn't owned by Lanre Shittu

The Iranian government announced it would no longer adhere to limits imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal in the wake of national outrage over the US’ assassination of one of the country’s top officials, General Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad Friday.


It’s Iran’s latest step in pulling away from the deal, which eased sanctions against the country in exchange for compliance with nuclear restrictions. It comes nearly two years after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement and began imposing harsh sanctions on the country, arguing that the deal was ineffective and that Iran was supporting violent militias like Hezbollah.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will end its final limitations in the nuclear deal, meaning the limitation in the number of centrifuges,” the government said in a statement Sunday. “Therefore Iran’s nuclear program will have no limitations in production including enrichment capacity and percentage and number of enriched uranium and research and expansion.”

The announcement does not mean Iran is fully scrapping the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif said.
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/world/2020/1/5/21050627/iran-nuclear-deal-limits-soleimani

One US military service member and two contractors were killed in an Islamist attack on a military base in Kenya.

Islamist militant group al-Shabab attacked the base, used by Kenyan and US forces, in the popular coastal region of Lamu on Sunday.

The US military said in a statement that two others from the Department of Defense were wounded.

"The wounded Americans are currently in stable condition and being evacuated," the US military's Africa Command said.

Witnesses to the attack reported hearing gunfire and seeing plumes of black smoke emerge from Camp Simba on Manda Island.

Gen Stephen Townsend, commander of US Africa Command, added in a statement: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of our teammates who lost their lives today.

"As we honour their sacrifice, let's also harden our resolve. Alongside our African and international partners, we will pursue those responsible for this attack and al-Shabab, who seeks to harm Americans and US interests."

Al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaeda and is headquartered in neighbouring Somalia.

The group has carried out a spate of attacks in the region since it was formed more than a decade ago.

On 28 December, about 80 people were killed in a bombing in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

What happened at Camp Simba?
The Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) said "an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip" but the attack was repulsed.

Four militants were killed, it added.

A fire caused by the attack had been extinguished and the airstrip was now safe, a KDF spokesman said.

A nearby airfield used for civilian flights had reopened, aviation officials said.

Al-Shabab said it had "successfully stormed the heavily fortified military base" before taking "effective control of a part of the base".

The group said the Kenyan military used warplanes to repel the attack.

How extensive was the damage?
The Associated Press news agency reported that two aircraft, two US helicopters and multiple vehicles were destroyed at the airstrip.

Al-Shabab said it had killed nine Kenyan soldiers and had inflicted 17 "battle casualties" on US forces.

Seven aircraft and five military vehicles had been destroyed, it added.

A journalist with Voice of Africa tweeted photos of what the militants said was a US aircraft that had been target.

The camp has fewer than 100 US personnel, AP reported.

This was the first attack by al-Shabab on US forces in Kenya.


This was an audacious pre-dawn raid by al-Shabab militants.

It is not yet possible to verify al-Shabab's version of events, but there are unconfirmed reports that one of the aircraft destroyed in the attack is a US plane used for spying in the region.

The fact that this happened close to the popular tourist destination of Lamu Island is also alarming.

Since 2011, when Kenya sent troops to fight al-Shabab in Somalia, the jihadist group has carried out frequent attacks on Kenyan soil.

Almost exactly a year ago, 21 people were killed during a raid on the Dusit hotel complex in the capital Nairobi.

In June 2018, a US commando was killed in Somalia during an attack by al-Shabab.

The US has stepped up military operations against the militants since Donald Trump became president in 2017.

The US military conducted more air strikes in Somalia in 2019 than in any previous year.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50997769

January sees many of us count the cost of Christmas.

There are those who have spent too much, others who have eaten too much and then there are Premier League bosses generally frustrated by playing too much.

Some managers felt four games in 12 days was "absurd" and one club has been hit by injuries which look set to keep some of their players out for around a combined 500 days.

In all, 74 players picked up anything from a niggle to a serious injury as most teams played four fixtures between 21 December and 2 January. That means around six Premier League players were injured every 24 hours across the 13-day period.

Using data compiled by injury data analyst Ben Dinnery, founder of Premier Injuries, BBC Sport has examined which clubs and players felt the festive strain.

No miracles as injuries pile up
Click to see content: Playersinjured
According to Dinnery's data, there were 214 Premier League injuries requiring 10 days or more of recovery between August and December. The festive-period figure of 74 over 13 days also accounts for injuries requiring less than 10 days of recovery.

Newcastle were in a league of their own in clocking up nine injuries over Christmas and managed to lose five players in a single defeat by Leicester on Boxing Day.

Manager Steve Bruce now has just one of his six central defenders available for Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie at Rochdale.

He said: "I did predict a month ago that the schedule was ridiculous and we don't have the resources to have huge rotation."

In all, Premier League teams registered 500 players for the 2019-20 season along with 1,013 under-21 players. The 74 injuries over Christmas accounts for around 5% of all players eligible to play in the league at the start of the campaign.

League leaders Liverpool played just three times during the period after returning from their Club World Cup triumph in Qatar, and manager Jurgen Klopp said: "Sports science and sports medicine is [in] a good place, but they cannot do miracles and we cannot have 30- or 40-player squads. That's not possible."

'Very sorry' spell for Villa
Click to see content: Lengthoftimeout
Some clubs have not specified how long certain players are out for. So of the 74 reported injuries, 19 have no recovery timeframe attached to them.

So while Crystal Palace saw five festive injuries, only Martin Kelly and Wilfried Zaha were diagnosed with four-day recovery periods, meaning injuries sustained by Patrick van Aanholt, Christian Benteke and Mamadou Sakho are not accounted for in the graph above.

"The injury list has been added to with Mamadou Sakho pulling his hamstring against Norwich," said Palace manager Roy Hodgson. "He will be out for a considerable period.

"The problem, though, is the same - do you say we need to play what we think is near to our best team, and we put players on the field and risk that they are going to pick up an injury, or do we say we can't afford to risk it with all the games we have coming up.

"It is a dilemma and I am still waiting for some bolt from the blue which will tell me what I need to do to solve the dilemma - but it hasn't happened yet."

Nowhere was the full force of Christmas fixtures felt more than Aston Villa, who lost striker Wesley and goalkeeper Tom Heaton for an estimated 482 days combined as a result of anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

"They are two key players who I feel very sorry for. We've had five games in 16 days and another seven to come in January," said Villa boss Dean Smith.

The unlucky and the absurd
Arsenal defender Calum Chambers faced the same injury as Wesley and Heaton, ruling him out for an estimated 244 days according to Dinnery's data.

Bournemouth had the double blow of losing Joshua King and Jack Stacey each for over 50 days with hamstring complaints, while Tottenham did not put a timeframe on Harry Kane's recovery from the same issue.

Manchester United lost Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba for over 90 days combined and while Wolves reported just one injury - to forward Patrick Cutrone - the stance of their manager Nuno Espirito Santo epitomised the frustrations aired by several managers.

"I've never seen a situation like playing games against tough teams with 45 hours between games," said Nuno. "It's going to be very tough. Of course, it goes against everything - it's absurd. There's no explanation."

Next month the Premier League will have its first mid-season break, where 10 matches will be played across two weekends rather than one.

Players' union Fifpro has already called for the sport's stakeholders to get together to discuss festive fixture congestion in a bid to "ease this pressure".

The runners and rotators
The weekend's FA Cup third-round ties could see countless changes to starting line-ups after a chaotic fortnight but during the festive fixtures it was Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers who shuffled his pack most, while Watford's Nigel Pearson made the fewest changes of those teams who played four times.

Who changed their team the most?
Leicester 18
Watford 4

Sheffield United suffered only a John Lundstram ankle sprain over Christmas despite running further than any side (460.1km). Palace clocked the least distance of any side to play four games yet ended up with five injuries.

Which teams ran most and least?
Sheffield United 460.1km
Crystal Palace 415km
Source: Opta
And while Dele Alli picked up a tightness in a muscle, he played in all four Spurs games over the period and featured in the top five players in the league for distance covered. None of the other top 19 in the players ranked for distance covered picked up an injury.

Which players ran furthest?
N'Golo Kante (Chelsea) 48.01km
James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) 46.71km
Fred (Man Utd) 46.49km
Ashley Westwood (Burnley) 45.52km
Dele Alli (Tottenham) 45.3km

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50986483

That i am a bad boy o
Me wey no do anything with my mates

A man shot dead on Christmas Eve was attacked in front of his family after a night out, police said.

Flamur Beqiri, a Swedish national, was killed in Battersea Church Road in south-west London at about 21:00 GMT.

Neighbours described hearing multiple gunshots followed by a woman screaming "desperately" for help.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said the killing which "saw a man losing his life in such a horrific way" had left his family "devastated".

The 36-year-old, who had a wife and young child, was pronounced dead at the scene by the emergency services.
According to reports, Mr Beqiri is the brother of former Real Housewives Of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri.

Lying in doorway
Neighbour Vittoria Amati, 60, said she heard between "eight to 10" gunshots fired.

"I then heard the screams of the wife. I came out and realised it was one of my neighbours.

"He was lying in front of his doorway in a pool of blood. He was still alive. We were really hoping he would make it.

"You have no idea how desperate she [his wife] sounded."

Mr Beqiri was shot "just yards from home" in Battersea
A young woman, who identified herself as a nurse, tried to help Mr Beqiri by applying pressure to his wounds, Mrs Amati added.

Det Ch Insp Jamie Stevenson said: "Our investigation is in the very early stages and we are still working to establish what the motive could be that has led to a man losing his life in such a horrific way, on Christmas Eve, in front of his family.

"They have been devastated by this horrible event and are being supported by specialist officers.

"We know that the victim was returning home with his wife and young child following an evening out, when he was shot just yards from his home."
The officer added the assailant fled on foot in the direction of Battersea Bridge Road.

Supt Richard Smith said: "There is no suggestion that there is any ongoing risk to members of the local community in Battersea."

The death is the 135th homicide in London in 2019, the highest number in a calendar year since 2008.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-50916466

US President Donald Trump wanted to be impeached.
Trump appears to believe that if his base is mobilised by anger, they can deliver his 2020 ambition.
At the very moment that the US Congress was voting to impeach him, Donald Trump was having the time of his life haranguing the crowd at Michigan campaign rally. He denounced Congress, ridiculed or demonised his Democratic rivals, boasted of his “many victories,” and appeared to feed off of the energy of his cheering fans. Even with his complaints about what he called a “hoax,” “scam,” and “witch hunt,” what came through was that he was exactly where he wanted to be. I actually think that Donald Trump wanted to be impeached.

Ever since his 2017 inauguration, he has appeared to be taunting Democrats to take this very step. I’m not speaking about his shockingly controversial Executive Orders or his profanity-rich and vulgarity-laden rants, neither of which constituted impeachable offences. These were designed to excite and incite his supporters and to provoke his opponents. More to the point of impeachment, Trump repeatedly pushed the envelope with far more serious behaviours. He has, for example, repeatedly: violated the emolument clause of the Constitution; fired or threatened to fire individuals who were investigating him or his associates; flaunted his controversial and questionable relationship with the Russians; and refused Congressional requests and subpoenas for documents or testimony.

From the moment Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in 2018, they were under pressure to act against Trump’s unacceptable actions. The party’s leadership, however, was hesitant to take the bait. What finally pushed them to act was a whistle-blower’s complaint alleging that the president had used the authority of his office and pending US military aid to pressure the Ukrainian government to launch an investigation into possible corruption by the son of one of Trump’s potential 2020 Democratic challengers, former vice-president Joe Biden.

Neither Trump nor the GOP appear to care that he has been impeached. There’s no embarrassment, no pressure to resign. In fact, they appear ready to use this impeachment as an election issue in 2020.
- Dr James J. Zogby, president of Arab American Institute
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership were not inclined to take the matter directly to impeachment, for a number of reasons. They wanted Democrats to focus on building a legislative record and not allow themselves to be distracted by the side show emanating from the White House. Democrats also didn’t want to give Trump a new grievance with which to rally his troops. And finally, Democrats knew that the Republican-led Senate would never vote to remove an impeached Trump from office, making the entire enterprise an exercise in futility. Initially, therefore, the Democrats decided to launch only an investigation, without committing to impeachment.


However, once the process began, Trump “upped the ante.” He refused to turn over requested documents or to allow administration officials to appear before the investigating committee, all the while berating the Democratic leaders involved and goading them to strike out against him.

In the end, Trump gave the Democrats no choice but to proceed with impeachment. And yet, even here, his bizarre obstruction continued. On the one hand, he denounced the process as “one-sided” and grossly unfair. At the same time, by refusing to allow his aides and White House officials to testify, Trump insured that the process would be one-sided.

Now, he has been impeached and, despite his protestations and feigned outrage, I believe that this president is quite pleased with himself. Unlike politicians who run and govern by trying to broaden their base of support, Trump has focused exclusively on his base, alternately entertaining them and inciting them. He is a divisive figure and thrives both on both the love and hate he generates.
https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/us-president-donald-trump-wanted-to-be-impeached-1.68612862

Algerian strongman military chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, known for telling veteran leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign, has died aged 79, official media say.

Gen Salah, one of the last veterans of the 1954-62 independence war against France still in power, died of a heart attack.

Mr Bouteflika, who ruled since 1999, resigned in April after mass protests, leaving Gen Salah as de facto leader.

The opposition has been calling for the whole of the old regime to quit power.

Gen Salah has been replaced as acting army head by Gen Said Chengriha and three days of mourning have been announced.

ADVERTISEMENT

How Algeria's army sacrificed a president to keep power
Thousands protest against elections
Gen Salah played a major role in organising presidential elections on 11 December, which were boycotted by the opposition, saying they were necessary to avoid the country descending into chaos.

The election, fought between five candidates closely associated with Mr Bouteflika, was won by former civil servant Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was dubbed as the "chosen one" on social media because he was seen as being close to the army chief.

What was General Salah's role?
Protests began in February after Mr Bouteflika announced that he would run for re-election.

It was the military chief who announced on 26 March that article 102 of the constitution - allowing the president's removal on grounds of ill health - should be applied. Mr Bouteflika's resignation followed.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Ahmed Gaid Salah (R) was seen as de facto leader after Mr Bouteflika's resignation
But protesters continued to call for the removal of those around the president, including Gen Salah himself.

Gen Salah, as de facto leader, rejected opposition demands for deep reforms, the setting up of transitional institutions and the dismantling of the regime.

Ever since independence, the army has been the real centre of power in Algeria, arbitrating factional conflicts among politicians and business interests, making and unmaking presidents.

Mr Bouteflika himself was brought to the presidency in 1999 by a group of generals who had prosecuted a brutal war against militant Islamist insurgents since 1992.

Gen Salah, head of the army since 2004, was a central figure in this system.

Biographical details
Born in 1940 in Batna region, 300km (186 miles) southwest of Algiers
Joined National Liberation Army aged 17, and fought against French colonial forces
After independence in 1962 attended Soviet military academy and rose through ranks
Chief of land forces during civil war against Islamist insurgents in 1990s
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50891741

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death and jailed three others over the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.

Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul by a team of Saudi agents.

The Saudi authorities said it was the result of a "rogue operation" and put 11 unnamed individuals on trial.

A UN expert has concluded that it was an "extrajudicial execution".

Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard said in June that there was credible evidence warranting further investigation that high-level Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were individually liable for Khashoggi's death.

The secret tapes of Jamal Khashoggi's murder
Mohammed bin Salman: The man who controls Saudi Arabia
Jamal Khashoggi: All you need to know about his death
The prince denied any involvement, but in October he said he took "full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government".

A senior aide, Saud al-Qahtani, was sacked and investigated over the killing but not charged "due to insufficient evidence", the public prosecution said. Former Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad Asiri was put on trial but acquitted on the same grounds.

Following Monday's announcement Ms Callamard wrote on Twitter: "And the travesty of investigation, prosecution and justice continues."

How did Jamal Khashoggi die?
The 59-year-old journalist, a US-based columnist for the Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate on 2 October 2018 to obtain papers he needed to marry his fiancée Hatice Cengiz.

After listening to purported audio recordings of conversations inside the consulate made by Turkish intelligence, Ms Callamard concluded that Khashoggi was "brutally slain" that day.

Media captionThe Jamal Khashoggi secret tapes explained
Saudi Arabia's deputy public prosecutor Shalaan Shalaan told reporters in November 2018 that the murder was ordered by the head of a "negotiations team" sent to Istanbul by the Saudi deputy intelligence chief to bring Khashoggi back to the kingdom "by means of persuasion" or, if that failed, "by force".

Investigators concluded that Khashoggi was forcibly restrained after a struggle and injected with a large amount of a drug, resulting in an overdose that led to his death, Mr Shalaan said. His body was then dismembered and handed over to a local "collaborator" outside the consulate, he added. The remains were not found.

At a news conference in Riyadh on Monday, Mr Shaalan said the public prosecution's investigations had shown that "there was no premeditation to kill at the beginning of the mission".

Media captionJamal Khashoggi: What we know about the journalist's disappearance and death
"The killing was in the spur of the moment, when the head of the negotiating team inspected the premises of the consulate and realised that it was impossible to move the victim to a safe place to resume... negotiations.

"The head of the negotiating team and the perpetrators then discussed and agreed to kill the victim inside the consulate," he added.

Who was put on trial?
A statement by the Saudi public prosecution said a total of 31 individuals were investigated over the killing and that 21 of them were arrested. Eleven were eventually referred to trial at the Riyadh Criminal Court and the public prosecutor sought the death penalty for five of them.

Human Rights Watch said the trial, which took place behind closed doors, did not meet international standards and that the Saudi authorities had "obstructed meaningful accountability".

Media captionMohammed bin Salman is asked: "Did you order the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?"
On Monday, the Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced five individuals to death for "committing and directly participating in the murder of the victim", according to the public prosecution's statement.

Three others were handed prison sentences totalling 24 years for "covering up this crime and violating the law", while the remaining three were found not guilty.

The public prosecution said it would decide whether to review the court's rulings and decide whether to appeal. The death sentences must be upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Ms Callamard said in June that the five people facing the death penalty were Fahad Shabib Albalawi; Turki Muserref Alshehri; Waleed Abdullah Alshehri; Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, an intelligence officer who the US said worked for Mr Qahtani; and Dr Salah Mohammed Tubaigy, a forensic doctor with the interior ministry.

The other six defendants were Mr Asiri, Mansour Othman Abahussain; Mohammed Saad Alzahrani; Mustafa Mohammed Almadani; Saif Saad Alqahtani; Muflih Shaya Almuslih, reportedly a member of the consulate staff.

According Ms Callamard, the defendants' lawyers argued in court that they were state employees and could not object to the orders of their superiors.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50890633

A federal high court in Lagos on Monday dismissed Orji Uzor Kalu’s application for bail

Justice Mohammed Liman of the federal high court dismissed Kalu’s bail pending the determination of his appeal against his fraud conviction.

Justice Liman said there was no evidence to prove the senator was suffering from chronic diseases which weren’t contagious.

The court also rejected Mr Kalu’s argument that there are substantial grounds in his appeal against his conviction, saying it is an irrelevant
ground.

The former governor is currently serving a 12 year jail term over N7.1bn fraud
https://dailypost.ng/2019/12/23/no-evidence-to-prove-your-ill-health-court-denies-orji-kalu-bail/amp/