Okocha, Siasia hit fortune in Indian football

NEW DELHI Nigerian legend Jay Jay Okocha and former Super Eagles coach was amongst a star attraction of renowned retired and semi-retired soccer world stars auctioned in Kolkata on Monday to play in a new football tournament over seven weeks in the proposed Premier League Soccer (PLS), in India.

Hernan Crespo from Argentina emerged the most expensive player for an annual salary of $840,000 by the Barasat franchise.

Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro went for $830,000 to Siliguri, Robert Pires of France fetched $800,000 from Howrah, Nigerian Jay Jay Okocha got $550,000 from Durgapur and Robbie Fowler of England was sold to Kolkata for $530,000.

Former Argentina captain Juan Pablo Sorin, the sixth 'icon' player, was not named in the list of auctioned players released by the promoters Celebrity Management Group (CMG).

The tournament, the brainchild of football officials in the eastern state of West Bengal, is a franchise-based event on the lines of cricket's popular Indian Premier League.

Organisers said the dates of the tournament will be announced early next month, although they had earlier pencilled in a possible February 25 start.

The five city franchises will play each other twice on a home-and-away basis with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals.

The tournament is an attempt to fuel growing interest in football in cricket-mad India, which is ranked a lowly 158th in the world.

Each of the franchises will be coached by well-known names, who were also auctioned on Monday.

 Portugese coach Fernando Couto was sold to Howrah for $240,000, former Manchester City manager Peter Reid went for $200,000 to Kolkata, while Bolivian Marco Etcheverry was picked up by Siliguri for $200,000.

Nigerian coach Samson Siasia fetched $210,000 from Durgapur, the same amount Teitur Thordarson of Iceland got from Barasat.

Among the top buys outside the 'icon' players' list were Robert Egbeta of Nigeria for $350,000, and Alonso Solis of Costa Rica and Christian Lara of Ecuador for $200,000 each.

"This is an exciting time for Indian football," Goswami said.

 "These legends will make the sport even more popular in the country.

"Television coverage will ensure this tournament will attract viewers across India. Details are being worked out."

   Football has a huge following in West Bengal, where the state capital Kolkata hosted a friendly between Argentina and Venezuela in September.

   

GEJ may run for AU chairman

President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria may contest the office of the chairman of the African Union, after Gambia pulled out of the running this week, a source said on Saturday.
 African leaders will choose a new chairman for the 54-member pan-African body in a secret ballot at the African Union summit opening on Sunday.
The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are campaigning for Jonathan to run for the position, which has been occupied by the President of Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, since 2008.
  "Quite a number of African leaders have been approaching him and encouraging him to be the candidate for the next chairman of the African Union," said the source, who spoke of the condition of anonymity.
   "If it is the consensus of (ECOWAS) that he should run for the chairmanship of the African Union, I doubt if he will be able to tell his colleagues that he will not listen to them," he added.
   Diplomatic sources had earlier said Gambian President Yahya Jammeh or Benin's leader Boni Yayi were likely rivals for the post, which changes every four years and is offered to different regions in Africa on a rotational basis.
   However, the source confirmed that Gambia was no longer vying for the spot, which is largely ceremonial, adding that Benin may not run either, leaving Nigeria as the sole candidate for chairman of the union.
   ECOWAS leaders are meeting on the margins of the AU summit in Addis Ababa on Saturday to decide whether they will formally recommend Jonathan for the spot.
   The next chairman will come from the west African region to replace Obiang, whose election was condemned by rights group over his poor rights record at home.

Nigerian-born Canadian man gets 18 years for credit fraud

A US judge said a Toronto man will serve 18 years in a US prison for his role in what authorities are calling one of the biggest credit card fraud schemes in American history.
US District Judge Ralph Erickson on Monday sentenced Adekunle Adetiloye to 214 months in prison for mail fraud. The judge scheduled a February 15 hearing to discuss returning the nearly $1.5 million in losses to credit card companies and banks.
Federal prosecutor Nick Chase said during Monday's sentencing hearing that Adetiloye had an "insatiable hunger for other people's money."
Defence attorney Richard Henderson had asked for a sentence of fewer than 16 years. Henderson says any prison time for his client, a native of Nigeria, is more difficult than it would be for American citizens because he has no family in the United States.

Adetiloye was born in Nigeria, but lived in Toronto before moving to the US. Assistant US Attorney Nick Chase in North Dakota, where the case was handled, said the 40-year-old Nigerian had an "insatiable hunger for other people's money."

Investigators said Adetiloye incorporated two different companies in Delaware Syspac Financial Services and Commet Consultant Inc. that claimed to be debt collection companies. He gained access to commercial data providers, including large-scale outfits LexisNexis and ChoicePoint that only allow access to law enforcement, financial services and debt collection companies.
With access to those data providers, Adetiloye and others obtained the personal identification information to about 38,000 people, most of whom were medical professionals. They used that information to open credit card, debit and checking accounts, prosecutors said.
Those data providers said it was only the second such breach of that scale.
"Characterizing this fraud scheme as massive, if anything, is an understatement," Chase said in court documents.
Defense attorneys had argued that their client, the only person charged in the case, was a "marginal and minimal participant" whose role was to handle mail and withdraw money from ATMs. Nevertheless, prosecutors and the judge believed otherwise.
Investigators' interest in Adetiloye, who is a Canadian citizen, was piqued after figuring out he was unemployed and receiving welfare yet living lavishly, complete with a Range Rover vehicle, extended trips to England and an expensive condominium. Then there were two credit cards tucked away in his wallet the each bore different names Donald Douglas and Vincent Andriole that seemed to confirm suspicions that he was up to something nefarious.
The complexity of the scheme which took five years to investigate and litigate — was highlighted in a sentencing phase that has lasted nearly a year and included numerous hearings and briefings, and some 12,000 pages of court documents. The case wound up in North Dakota after US Bank's customer service center in Fargo intercepted calls by Adetiloye and others.
US District Judge Ralph Erickson handed down a 214-month prison term and scheduled a February 15 hearing to discuss returning nearly $1.5 million in losses to credit card companies and banks. The judge has said losses may have been as much as $5 million.
Defense attorney Richard Henderson had asked for a sentence of fewer than 16 years for his client, who pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges. Henderson said any prison time is more difficult than it would be for American citizens because he has no family in the United States. No decision has been made about whether he plans to appeal, said Neil Fulton, lead federal public defender for North Dakota and South Dakota.
"The sentence imposed today should send a strong message to those who would seek to scam the citizens and businesses of North Dakota and the United States," US Attorney Timothy Purdon said in a statement released on Monday. "We take the growing problem of foreign financial fraud seriously here and seeking justice for the victims of such crimes is a priority for our office."
Greg Krier, lead credit card fraud investigator for U.S. Bank, testified during the sentencing phase of the case that it was the most complex case he had ever seen. His company, which has its own fraud unit, launched special training sessions focusing on the case in hopes of catching the culprits.
The lead investigator, one of 25 people who worked on the case, put in 2,000 hours, authorities said.
Investigators initially said the operation accessed information of nearly 16,000 people, about 500 of whom had their identities stolen for the purpose of obtaining credit cards. It's alleged that more than 100 commercial mailboxes were opened under false or stolen identities.
But further investigation showed that the scheme actually accessed personal information to some 38,000 people. The government said Adetiloye went so far as to mask his handwriting after a judge ordered a test of his calligraphy.
Erickson, the federal judge, said in court documents ahead of the sentencing that the evidence "indisputably demonstrates" that Adetiloye was a leader or organizer of the scheme. The judge calculated losses to banks at about $1.5 million, but said it could have been as high as $5 million if credit limits had been maxed out.
The trauma cannot be measured, Erickson said.
"The non-monetary harm to the victims was substantial," the judge wrote. "They lost sleep, they lost time with their families, they lost time at work, and they lost their sense of security. Some victims spent hours trying to reclaim their credit record and their identities."
Court documents show that US. Bank suffered the most number of tainted accounts, at 130, for a total loss of about $76,000. The companies alleged to have lost the most money were Citibank, at about $271,000, and Discover, at about $248,000.
Brett Bogan, the security investigations manager at Reed Elsevier, the parent company of LexisNexis and ChoicePoint, told the court that data breaches of this type are extremely rare and knew of only one other case like it. He said the company sent out notices to more than 32,000 people whose personal information was compromised by the scheme.
"With their combined extensive and nationwide perspective, those entities place this fraud scheme at or near the top of their historical lists in terms of size and complexity," Chase said in court documents.

West African states discuss Al Qaeda and Boko Haram threat

 NOUAKCHOTT  West African security experts met in Nouakchott on Monday on the threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its possible ties to Islamist sect Boko Haram in Nigeria, a security source said.
Nigeria and Burkina Faso have been invited to the two-day meeting between Sahel states Mali, Algeria, Mauritania and Mali which will end with talks between foreign ministers and intelligence chiefs on Tuesday, the Mauritanian security source said on condition of anonymity.
Algeria's African Affairs Minister Abdelkader Messahel said on Sunday that Nigeria had been included to "evaluate the links between AQIM and Boko Haram" with a view to future co-operation.
   The Nouakchott meeting is the third in a series of bi-annual sessions between the Sahel nations' security chiefs.
Intelligence chiefs will present a report on the "terrorist threat" in the region and the Committee of Joint Chiefs (CEMOC) set up in southern Algeria in 2010 will give an update on military co-operation, said Messahel.
Security has deteriorated across the Sahel desert strip in recent months.
This zone is difficult to patrol and monitor and AQIM has carried out many attacks on troops, kidnappings of Westerners and trafficking of various kinds, including drugs.
AQIM, which was started in the late 1990s by radical Algerian Islamists who sought the overthrow of the Algerian government to be replaced with Islamic rule was, was linked to Al-Qaeda in 2006.
The group is currently holding nine European hostages, while a new splinter group calling itself the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa claims to hold two Spaniards and an Italian kidnapped in Algeria in October.
Mali is also facing an offensive by Tuareg rebels who returned heavily armed from fighting for fallen Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Boko Haram -- believed to have a number of factions with differing aims, including some with political links and a hardcore Islamist cell -- has carried out a wave of deadly attacks in Nigeria.

Arrests made over kano deadly attacks- GEJ

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan (left) walks with Emir of Kano Ado Bayero at the emir's palace, in Kano, on Sunday.

KANO Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Sunday that arrests have been made over a wave of attacks in the city of Kano that killed at least 166 people and vowed to hunt down the backers of Islamist group Boko Haram.

"Some arrests have been made. Some died in the process. Some were suicide bombers," Jonathan said during a visit to Kano, the largest city in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north.

"There must be people who are sponsoring them. Terrorists all over the world have their source of income," said Jonathan, whose visit came two days after the coordinated bombings and gunbattles rocked Kano after Friday prayers.

Jonathan is battling with the worst crisis of his rule as the sectarian violence has raised fears of an all-out civil war in Africa's most populous nation and its biggest oil producer.

"We are also looking into those areas to make sure that the so-called Boko Haram... those who are encouraging them, those who are sponsoring them, shall be brought to book," he vowed.

Jonathan inspected some of the eight sites targeted in the attacks claimed by Boko Haram, including a regional police headquarters, and visited some of the wounded at a military hospital.

He also met the Emir OF kano Ado Bayero, and pledged to boost security, saying "a terrorist attack on one person is an attack on all of us."

But unrest erupted in the north again on Sunday, with 10 people killed in pre-dawn gun attacks in the town of Tafawa Balewa, in the neighbouring state of Bauchi.

Around 20 explosions reverberated across the city on Friday, with a police headquarters and other police stations, a secret police building and immigration offices being targeted.

Gunfire also erupted in several areas of the city and a Channels Television journalist covering the unrest was among those shot dead.

The attacks sent residents fleeing in fear or kept many indoors on Sunday.

"How can I go out while such a huge number of the people have been killed? I have to respect the dead," said food trader Shehu Lawan.

In Sunday's unrest, 10 people were killed in Bauchi after gunmen attacked a police station and robbed a bank, police said.

"In the exchange of fire that ensued, a policeman, a soldier and eight unidentified civilians were killed by stray bullets," police spokesman Mohammed Barau said, adding that six suspects had been arrested.

Al Sadd back on top of Qatar Stars League

DOHA Asian Champion Al Sadd Sports Club walloped Umm Salal 4-1 to regain top spot of the Qatar Stars League in a week thirteen-fixture at its home ground on Saturday.

WHAT A CELEBRATION! Al Sadd players celebrate scoring a goal.

Al Sadd’s goals came from Magid Mohammed with a brace in the 36^th and 77^th, followed by Khalfan Ibrahim on 52 minutes and South Korean Jung Soo Lee completing the rout in the 91^st minute to finish off an unimpressive Gerard Gili led Umm Salal, sitting at the bottom of  the QSL table.

Magno Alves scored Umm Salal’s only goal in the 58^th minute leaving it    with a paltry nine points from 13 matches.

With the win al Sadd go top of the table after being nudged by Lekhwiya on Thursday.

Al Sadd has 26 points from 13 matches, while Lekwhiya is on 25 .

In third spot is QSL newcomers El Jaish (22 points) while Al Rayyan (20) is in fourth spot.

It was Al Sadd's third successive win - they beat Al Kharaitiyat and Al Arabi in their last two fixtures prior to Saturday - and eighth this season. Coached by Jorge Fossati, Al Sadd is seeking their first QSL title in more than four seasons.

Elsewhere, struggling Al Arabi denied al Wakra's chase to the top by beating them 1-0 in their Qatar Stars League (QSL) clash.

Argentine striker Leonardo Piscuilichi struck in the 25th minute with a superb curling free-kick as Al Arabi posted their third win this season.

The loss stalled the process of fifth-placed Al Wakra who is chasing the top four in QSL - Lekhwiya, Al Sadd, Al Jaish and Al Rayyan.

The top four sides in QSL qualify for the Heir Apparent Cup, an event that can help the winners earn a spot on the AFC Champions League calendar.

Al Arabi - who started the season with four successive draws – is placed  eighth  in the league table.

After thirteen weeks of action, Al Rayyan’s Alfonso Alves leads the goals chart with ten goals, followed by Adriano Martins of Jaish with nine goals.

Here is a list of the top ten goal poachers with their clubs. (Goals, Names and clubs)

          10        Afonso Alves Martins                 AlRayyan

            9          Adriano Martins Ferira            Al Jaish

            9          Moumouni Dagano                     AlKhor SC

            9          Said Boutahar                           AlWakra

            8          Kalunituka Dioko                     Al Ahli

            7          Sebastien Soria             Qatar Sports Club

            7          Rodrigo Tabata                        AlRayyan

            5          Joji Boualem                             AlArabi

            5          Wegnar Renar Rebearo            Al Jaish

            5          Everaldo de Pereira (Cabore)  Umm Salal

Recent attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria

 A look at recent major attacks in Nigeria attributed to the radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram:

Jan. 20: Boko Haram claims responsibility for a series of coordinated bombings and gun battles around the city of Kano that kill at least 143 people.

Dec. 25, 2011: Boko Haram claims responsibility for an attack on a Catholic church in Madalla near Nigeria's capital and assaults elsewhere in the country that kill at least 42 people.

Dec. 22-24, 2011: Sect members fight with police and military forces around the city of Damaturu, leaving at least 61 people dead.

Nov. 4, 2011: Sect members bomb government buildings and shoot their way through the city of Damaturu, killing more than 100 people, while bombs and a suicide attack in Maiduguri leave 4 dead.

Aug. 26, 2011: A sect member detonates a car loaded with explosives at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja, killing 25 people and wounding more than 100 others.

June 16, 2011: A car loaded with explosives detonates at the federal police headquarters in Abuja, killing at least two people. Police first call the attack a suicide bombing, but later deny it.

April 9, 2011: Gunmen from the sect set fire to the Maiduguri International Hotel and kill a politician ahead of local elections.

April 8, 2011: A bomb allegedly planted by the sect explodes at an election office in Suleja in Niger state, killing 16 people.

Jan. 28, 2011: Gunmen with the sect shoot and kill the leading candidate for governor in Borno state along with six others in his entourage.

Dec. 31, 2010: A bomb allegedly planted by the sect explodes at a crowded and popular outdoor beer garden at a military barracks in Abuja, killing at least four people.

Dec. 24, 2010: A series of bombs allegedly planted by the group explode in the central Nigerian city of Jos, killing as many as 80 people.

Sept. 7, 2010: Gunmen with the sect free about 700 inmates from a Bauchi federal prison.

July 2009: About 700 people die after sect members riot and a security crackdown hits Maiduguri, the sect's spiritual home.

Real Madrid's Pepe apologises for hand-stamp on Messi

MADRID Real Madrid defender Pepe Thursday apologised for stamping on Barcelona striker Lionel Messi's hand in their cup clash and said it was "unintentional", in comments published by his club.
"It was an unintentional act. All the same, if Messi was offended then I apologise to him," Pepe said in a statement published in Spanish on Real Madrid's website.
"All I mean to do is defend my team and my institution. I give myself to it body and soul. It never crossed my mind to hurt a fellow professional," Pepe added.
Real Madrid's Pepe was lashed as a "world disgrace" and a "public danger" by Spain's press on Thursday after he stamped on Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi's hand as his team headed to a 2-1 loss.
The sporting press splashed front-page pictures of Pepe's stamp on a prostrate Messi in the Spanish Cup quarter-final in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
"Pepe, a public danger, was the biggest exponent of an impotent and deranged Madrid," blared the Barcelona-based sports daily Mundo Deportivo under a photograph of the incident in the 69th minute.
"Heroes," the Mundo Deportivo's front page said of Barca. "Villains", it said of Madrid.
Inside, the paper showed a picture-by-picture account of the stamping incident, under the headline "World disgrace".
Madrid daily Marca, the biggest sports daily, described Pepe as "disgraceful".
"Pepe again. The Portuguese again suffered a temporary mental derangement with a treacherous stamp on the left hand of Messi while the Argentine was on the ground," Marca said.
In an opinion piece, the paper said: "Pepe's behaviour was intolerable. Violent, overly aggressive, theatrical and far from what should be the attitude of a footballer in top-class competition."
In a post-match news conference, Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said he had not seen the incident but, if intentional, he agreed with a reporter that it would be "reprehensible".
Madrid's Ricardo Carvalho, asked about Pepe's behaviour after the match, in which he played for the first time in four months, said: "Pepe is tough, but he is clean and loyal."

1, 895 Nigerians seek asylum in Switzerland

GENEVA According to Swiss government statistics the main countries of origin for asylum seekers in 2011 were Eritrea with 3,356 applications, followed by Tunisia with 2,574 requests, and Nigeria with 1,895The number of asylum applications in Switzerland jumped about 45 percent in 2011 from the preceding year, federal migration office statistics showed Thursday.
Last year 22,551 asylum applications were filed in Switzerland, the highest number since 2002, the office said in a statement.
"This large influx of asylum applications was mainly due to the crisis in North Africa," and an influx to Europe from March, said the Swiss authorities.
The statement warned that Tunisian asylum seekers were "unlikely to be able to stay in Switzerland" although forcible deportations to the North African nation had been suspended due to upheavals there.
Of the total applications filed, 3,711 people were granted asylum compared with 3,449 the year before, an increase of 7.6 percent.

How Nigeria's general strike started

ABUJA  Nigerian unions on Monday ended a week-long nationwide strike which had paralysed Africa's most populous country, after the president agreed to lower petrol prices.
Here is how the strike unfolded in the continent's biggest producer of crude oil:
JANUARY 2012--
- 9: Tens of thousands of people take to the streets on the first day of an indefinite general strike to protest at the doubling of the price of petrol. Unions demand that the government reinstate fuel subsidies, whose suppression on January 1 led to a sharp increase in petrol prices.
At least six people are killed, including two in clashes with the security forces in the northern city of Kano. A police officer is accused of killing one person in Lagos.
- 10: Security forces disperse thousands of protesters in the north and protesters set up roadblocks in Lagos.
- 11: The two unions representing oil workers threaten to disrupt the production of crude oil.
- 12: Union representatives meet President Goodluck Jonathan, the first direct dialogue since the start of the movement.
- 13: Demonstrations continue, including in Lagos, where some 2,000 Muslims observe Friday weekly prayers on the main protest site. Ten thousand other demonstrators shout anti-government slogans. The unions announce that protests will be suspended during the weekend to allow residents to stock up on food and supplies and for negotiations to take place.
Since the start of the strike movement 15 people have been killed in clashes with police.
- 14: Government and unions fail to reach agreement on the price of petrol. Unions blame the government for the failure of the negotiations.
   - 15: In Lagos long queues form in front of petrol stations in several parts of the economic capital.
   Overnight, unions decide to call off street protests due to security concerns, but say the strike will remain in place.
- 16: President Jonathan announces a cut in petrol prices of around 30 percent but says the government will "continue to pursue a full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector".
Security forces occupy main protest sites and later fire tear gas, shoot into the air and use armoured vehicles to disperse protesters in Lagos.
Unions announce they are suspending the strike. Union officials say that even after the decrease the price of petrol remains too high, but are ready to engage in further negotiations with government representatives.

Nigerians rush to stock food after strike

LAGOS Weary and hungry, scores weave their way through rutted and chaotic alleys in a food market in Lagos city, seeking to replenish their food stocks after a week-long strike against soaring fuel prices shut down the country.
Roads to Mile 12 market, Lagos's largest food market, were jam-packed with vehicles as people jostled for parking space.
One woman, a shopping bag in hand, stops by a stall selling yams, a staple food in Nigeria. The vendor says his price. She walks past -- it's too expensive -- but steps back.
"I have to buy. It's food. We have to eat," said Funke Kayode, a furious 45-year-old mother of two.
But both sellers and buyers have one common problem: food prices have hit the roof.
"The price of yam is high. All the same, we still have to buy because we have to eat," lamented Olabisi Adekoya, a mother of four.
Traders say prices have been affected by the hike in transportation costs since fuel prices went up.
Fish trader Oluwatoyin Oluwaseun has not sold much.
"Although many people have come, very few are buying due to the high price," he said.
In some cases prices of vegetables such as tomatoes have risen seven-fold after fuel prices abruptly more than doubled in Nigeria since January 1 when the government lifted subsidies on petrol prices.
The decision sparked anger, and labour unions called an open-ended strike which totally shut down Africa's most populous country for five days.
Sunbo Ahmed said a basket of tomatoes now costs 7,000 naira, up from 1,000 naira last week.
For Abiola Ayansanya the strike has brought misery to her family.
"I came out today because I am hungry. No money. No food. We are suffering. My children suffered a lot during the strike," she said.
"Some of them were crying for food but the older ones were able to show some understanding. Government should go back to 65 naira," she said.
   A decision by the government to end petrol subsidies without warning brought tens of thousands of people out into the streets in protest during the week.
   The decision caused petrol prices to more than double overnight, from 65 naira ($0.40, 0.30 euros) per litre to between 140 naira and 145 naira.
   Strike organisers ordered a two-day pause on Saturday and Sunday to allow people to stock up food in case unions and government fail to reach a deal. Government and labour representatives held a first round of talks on Thursday and began meeting again late Saturday. Unions are sticking to their guns, refusing accept any deal but a return to the old petrol price.
The talks are to take place with government under intense pressure after the country's white-collar oil workers' union PENGASSAN threatened to stop production at midnight if no deal is struck.
Most of the population of Africa's leading oil producer live on less than two dollars a day and see cheap petrol as the only benefit they get from their largely inefficient and corrupt government.
"Everybody is angry and hungry. We voted for (President Goodluck) Jonathan so that he can improve our condition," said Muda Ogunniyi, a 25-year-old driver reading newspapers near the market, summing up the mood in the country of 160 million people.

Police kills up to six in Nigerian oil protests

KANO At least five people were shot dead on Monday during protests over an oil price hike in Nigeria while a nine-year boy was reportedly trampled to death by a crowd, officials and medical sources said.
   Sixteen others suffered gunshot wounds, with most of the violence in the northern city of Kano, where police clashed with demonstrators.
   The head of Nigeria's Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, said three people were shot dead in the economic capital Lagos while another was shot in Kano, where a boy also crushed to death in a stampede.
   "My understanding is that the nine-year-old appears to have been trampled in what looks like a stampede in Kano," he told AFP.
   Earlier, a hospital source in Kano reported at least two dead -- a 25-year-old and 27-year-old -- from gunshot wounds, bringing the nationwide toll to up to six.
   A union leader accused police of shooting dead a protester in Lagos. Police spokesman Samuel Jinadu confirmed the death and said an officer had been arrested.
   Police fired tear gas and shot into the air as thousands of protesters converged on the governor's office in Kano, the largest city in the north.
   Clashes broke out with police who pushed the protestors back as they tried to enter the Kano governor's office, it was reported.
   Protesters set two vans ablaze and also tried to torch the home of central bank governor Lamido Sanusi in Kano, but were stopped by police.
   The office of the secretary of the state government -- its highest administrative officer -- was also set ablaze, causing serious damage.
   The strike came after the government's deeply controversial move to end fuel subsidies on January 1, which caused petrol prices to more than double in a country where most of the 160 million population lives on less than $2 a day.

Messi wins FIFA Ballon d'Or

ZURICH Lionel Messi has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2011, as the world's best football player for a third consecutive year.
The Barcelona and Argentina forward beat his club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid to get the game's most prestigious individual honour.
Messi's prolific scoring and unselfish creative play inspired Barcelona to win five trophies last year including the Champions League, Spanish League and Club World Cup.
Aged 24, Messi is the first man to win three straight FIFA world player awards in the honour's 21-year history.
Earlier, Homare Sawa ended Marta's five-year hold on the women's award after leading Japan to win the 2011 Women's World Cup.

The following is a list of all men's and women's winners since the
FIFA World Player award was introduced in 1991.

2011 Lionel Messi Argentina Barcelona
2010 Lionel Messi Argentina Barcelona
2009 Lionel Messi Argentina Barcelona
2008 Cristiano RonaldoPortugalManchester United
2007 Kaka Brazil AC Milan
2006 Fabio Cannavaro ItalyReal Madrid/Juventus
2005 Ronaldinho Brazil Barcelona
2004 Ronaldinho Brazil Barcelona
2003 Zinedine Zidane France Real Madrid
2002 Ronaldo Brazil Real Madrid
2001 Luis Figo PortugalReal Madrid
2000 Zinedine Zidane France Juventus
1999 Rivaldo Brazil Barcelona
1998 Zinedine Zidane France Juventus
1997 Ronaldo Brazil Inter Milan
1996 Ronaldo Brazil Barcelona/PSV
1995 George WeahLiberia AC Milan
1994 Romario Brazil Barcelona
1993 Roberto BaggioItalyJuventus
1992 Marco van Basten NetherlandsAC Milan
1991 Lothar Matthaeus Germany Inter Milan



Women
 2011 Homare SawaJapanInac Kobe Leonessa
2010 MartaBrazil Gold Pride/Santos
2009 MartaBrazil Los Angeles Sol/Santos
2008 MartaBrazil Umea IF
2007 MartaBrazil Umea IF
2006 MartaBrazil Umea IF
2005 Birgit Prinz Germany FFC Frankfurt
2004 Birgit Prinz Germany FFC Frankfurt
2003 Birgit Prinz Germany FFC Frankfurt
2002 Mia HammUSWashington Freedom
2001 Mia HammUSWashington Freedom

Fuel price hikes long cause of strikes in Nigeria

LAGOS  Following is a time-line of general strikes in Nigeria in recent years:
Like the indefinite stoppages which began on Monday, all strikes have been staged to protest against attempts to increase the price of fuel in Africa's number-one crude oil producer.
- January 16-17, 2002: An indefinite general strike shuts down whole cities and halts industry in a bid to force the government to reverse a 15 percent increase in fuel prices. Several union officials are arrested.
- June 30-July 7, 2003: A eight-day general strike in protest at increases in oil prices paralyses the country. On the last day of the strike, rioters mingle with strikers, put up barricades, torch vehicles and clash with armed police deployed in Lagos. At least four demonstrators are killed by the police.
- June 11, 2004: Triumphant labour leaders call off a three-day general strike after paralysing Nigeria and dealing a blow to president Olusegun Obasanjo's reform agenda by forcing filling stations to slash petrol prices.
- October 11-14: A general strike called to protest an increase in fuel prices paralyses the country's cities.
- June 20-24, 2007: A general strike to protest the refusal of the government to reverse a 15-percent hike in petrol prices at the pump paralyses the country. The strike hits schools, government offices, banks, filling stations, domestic air transport and Lagos port.
 The two main unions end the strike following a promise from President Umaru Yar'Adua to keep petrol prices stable for a year. Other measures are also announced, including the cancellation of plans to double value added tax and a 15 percent increase in civil servants' salaries backdated to January 1.
- January 9, 2012: Tens of thousands protest nationwide over fuel price hikes, as a nationwide strike virtually shuts down the country. One demonstrator is killed by police in Lagos and two are shot dead in Kano in the country's north, where another 28 are injured during clashes between police and demonstrators.

Nigerian-born Isreali racially abused

JERUSALEM  Nigeria born Israeli international, Toto Tamuz was racially abused by Beitar Jerusalem fans  during an Israeli domestic league match leading the Israel Football Association docking two points from the team.
 The penalty comes after Beitar fans directed racist epithets toward Hapoel Tel Aviv striker Toto Tamuz during a game. Tamuz, who was raised in Israel, is of Nigerian dissent.
Beitar has been one of Israel's most popular and most successful teams, and has won the domestic championship title six times. But in recent years it has fallen on hard times and is currently in danger of relegation from the top division.
It has also gotten into trouble for its rabid fan base, which is notorious for its racist and anti-Arab chants.
The team will be playing its next home game before an empty stadium as punishment for a previous incident in which their fans stormed the field.