Australian, Nigerian may face death penalty for drugs

Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (right) and Tania Scivetti (left), lawyers for Emma Louise L'aiguille speak during a press conference at the High Court, in Kuar Lumpur, on Tuesday

KUALA LUMPUR  A Nigerian man and an  Australian nurse face the possibility of death by hanging after a Malaysian court on Tuesday charged them with trafficking methamphetamines.
Anthony Esikalam Ndidi  was charged in a Kuala Lumpur rcourt along with  34- year old Emma Louise L'Aiguille, two weeks after police said both were arrested in possession of one kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of methamphetamine.
  L'Aiguille entered the court in tears and spoke briefly to Australian High Commission officials before sitting in the dock, hunched over in distress, for the hearing.
No plea was recorded but the Australian's lawyer said she was innocent and was slapped once by a Malaysian police officer during interrogations.
   Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence by hanging in Malaysia, where hundreds of people are on death row, mostly for drug offenses.
   Anyone found to be in possession of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine is considered a trafficker.
   L'Aiguille, from Melbourne, was in a car with her co-defendant when police arrested them, attorney Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters after the court appearance.
   Police told L'Aiguille, who had been driving, that drugs were later found in the car, he said.
   Muhammad Shafee said two other Nigerians -- L'Aiguille's boyfriend and another man -- had also been in the car but had left the vehicle just prior to the arrests. Police are currently searching for the boyfriend, he added.   "She is completely depressed. She just does not understand how all this could happen to her. She was just driving the car," Muhammad Shafee said.
   He said L'Aiguille was a nurse who was in Malaysia as a tourist and had visited the country several times over the past two years. He complained that defense lawyers were only allowed one ten-minute meeting with her before the court appearance.
   The next court appearance was set for October 1. Pleas are not normally heard at the time defendants are charged.
   No further details were immediately available on the Nigerian defendant as he was not represented by legal counsel or the Nigerian High Commission at the hearing.
    Since 1960, more than 440 people have been executed in Malaysia, including two Australians put to death in 1986 for heroin trafficking that made headlines as they were the first Westerners to be executed under tough new anti-drug laws.


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Jermain Defoe's cousin electrocuted in St Lucia hotel pool

The cousin of the England footballer Jermain Defoe has been killed in a tragic accident while on holiday in St Lucia.

According to reports, Hannah Defoe, 20, was electrocuted as she dived into a swimming pool at Juliette's Lodge, a hotel in Vieux Fort close to the island's airport.

Hannah's mother Janet was reportedly taken to hospital after getting an electric shock as she tried to save her daughter. An investigation is taking place to find out how the tragedy happened.

A statement from the St Lucia Tourist Office said: "We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Hannah Defoe. We have been touch with the family to offer our support."

The Tottenham Hotspur striker was on the club's pre-season tour of America when he was told the news.

A statement on Tottenham's website said: "Jermain Defoe is to return home from our pre-season tour of the US after receiving the tragic news of the death of his cousin Hannah Defoe while on holiday in St Lucia.

"Everyone at the club sends their sincere condolences to Jermain and his family and all our thoughts are with them at this sad time."

Last month, Defoe was forced to fly home from England's Euro 2012 camp in Poland following the death of his 49-year-old father Jimmy from throat cancer.

His half-brother Jade, 26, died after falling into a coma following a street attack in east London in 2009.

Maldives tourist board twitter campaign backfires

A Twitter campaign thought up by Maldives tourism chiefs to try to boost the popularity of the country as a holiday destination has been hijacked by users tweeting abut police burtality, political coups and social unrest.

The Maldives tourism authorities urged the islands' tourism businesses to help make #SunnySideofLife a global trend, but activists used the hashtag to tell the world about the darker side of life in the Maldives.

While @myvisitmaldives boasted: "Maldives has been awarded as the Most Romantic Destination in the World #SunnySideofLife", Ali Adil tweeted: "#SunnySideOfLife: Pristine white sandy beaches, crystal clear lagoons filled with blood of its citizens who are fighting for democracy". And there have been hundreds of other tweets echoing Adil. "#SunnySideOfLife: A place where a chicken is not allowed to cross a road without being intimidated by Police," tweeted @gaanagaa. Others posted pictures of alleged victims of police brutality.

In fact, of the hundreds of tweets using the #SunnySideofLife tag, the majority have been negative.

Many of the tweets are aimed at the government, installed after the ousting of President Mohamed Nasheed in February. Nasheed claims he was forced to resign at gunpoint.

Amnesty International has accused the current government of using excessive force against supporters of the former president and his Maldivian Democratic party (MDP). Last month, Amnesty said it was "deeply concerned at the Maldives government's continued repression of protestors, including beatings, pepper-spraying, and arrests. Those attacked include peaceful demonstrators, members of parliament, journalists and bystanders".

The Maldives tourist authority's Twitter campaign coincides with a hearing on Thursday of the UN human rights committee, which is discussing concerns about a deterioration of human rights on the island.

Farah Faizal, from the MDP, was among those tweeting criticisms of the human rights situation in the country using the #SunnySideOfLife tag. Faizal, who resigned as the Maldives ambassador to the UK the day after Nasheed was forced out of office, said there was no co-ordinated opposition response to the tourist authority's campaign but that it had touched a nerve with ordinary citizens.

She also said the intent was not to encourage tourists to boycott the Maldives, but simply to raise awareness. "It's important that people know the truth. There's a lot of brutality going on in the Maldives," she said. "It's just for people to understand that for people of the Maldives, the luxury resorts are far removed from their lives."

The negative responses to the campaign has helped the tourism authority achieve its stated aim of making #SunnySideofLife trend. But their role went unacknowledged by the Maldives tourist minister. He tweeted: "Thank u all the Resorts, Tour Operators, Tourists & all those who love Maldives who gave positive tweets for #sunnysideoflife making a trend."

57 Nigerians graduate in Trinidad &Tobago

FUNDED at a cost of over $6 million, 57 Nigerians recently graduated from the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) equipped with various skills which they would use in the country.

The money was funded by the federal government of Nigeria under Qess Services Limited whose CEO Godfrey Paul signed a training agreement with the NESC in December 2010. The programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training under Minister Fazal Karim.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony at the NESC in Point Lisas, Karim said the relationship between Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago has been strengthened by this initiative. Economically Nigeria has for some time been recognised as a viable export market.

The minister said he was heartened to hear some of the personal stories by some of the Nigerian graduates. Darego Obu-Dennis, Karim said, revealed he worked as a gas station attendant and came to Trinidad to pursue training in Millwright Trade with the hope of making a valuable contribution to his community in Nigeria.

“I am also told of Dodo Mojo, whose interest in automotive technology began at a young age. Having graduated he hopes to move into the realm of entrepreneurship with his own automotive shop in Nigeria,” Karim related.

Karim said he was aware some of the participants did not complete the programme. “This is part of the course of life’s journey. The journey is not for the swift but for those with the ability to persevere.”

In addition the minister said plans have been put in place for a second group to commence training in Shielded Metal Arc Welding in August. Over 70 Nigerian nationals will be among those to receive training at the NESC Drilling School at the NESC’s Ste Madeleine campus.

Present at the graduation ceremony was Nigerian High Commissioner to TT, Musa John Jen. The vote of thanks was delivered by Qess CEO Paul.

Nigeria-Zambia faceoff imminent: New visa requirements for Nigerians

Nigerians traveling to Zambia will henceforth need an entry visa into the country following a new order that excludes Nigeria among the African and Commonwealth countries that do not require visa to enter the country.

As a rule, Nigerians should obtain Zambian visa at the point of entry into the country but recent development indicate that Zambian authorities have changed their immigration rules on free visa application requirements for Nigerians.

Presently, the new law requires that even for just passing through, Nigerians should apply for transit visas from Zambian Missions abroad.

Reports has it that the move by Zambia seems to stem from an incident in December last year when Nigerian businessmen were deported on the orders of then new president Michael Sata for allegedly supporting the then ruling party MMD.
The country said in its website that Nigerian nationals and some others going to Zambia as private/ business visitors or in transit shall apply for visas at Zambian Missions abroad.

The statement on the Zambia Immigration website reads:

‘Nationals of all Commonwealth countries do not require visas to enter Zambia EXCEPT for those nationals from Australia, Britain, Canada, Gambia, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Sri-Lanka who need visas on a reciprocal basis’

This has always been the case with all the countries except Nigeria which was included to the list last month.

The change in visa requirement came to public notice when some Nigerian journalists failed to travel to Zambia for the CNNMultiChoice media wards held in Lusaka.
On realizing the Zambian stance on Nigeria, some delegates and officials including the Editor of Daily Independent,  Ikechukwu Amaechi billed to attend  the CNN/MultiChoice 2012 African Journalist award held in that country for the first time last weekend and  who did not start their visa application early stayed back.

One wonders how the Nigerian government will react to this development.

Recently there was a diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa, as some Nigerians were deported on the excuse of fake yellow fever documents. Nigeria retaliated blocking all South Africans from entering Nigeria. South Africa apologised and the situation was normalised.

Court overturns Bin Hammam FIFA life ban

The Court of Abitration for Sport on Thursday overturned a life ban imposed by football's world governing body FIFA against Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam, citing "insufficient evidence" to impose the penalty.

But a three-member panel who considered the case stopped short of exonerating the 63-year-old, who was accused of offering cash bribes to buy FIFA delegate votes during campaigning to unseat long-standing president Sepp Blatter last year.

Bin Hammam strongly denied wrongdoing in the FIFA presidential challenge last year, maintaining that the $40,000 in unmarked envelopes that were offered during the election campaign to delegates of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) were gifts.

He described the charges and his punishment as politically motivated. A one-time close associate of the powerful Blatter, the two became estranged following a falling-out.

The Lausanne-based tribunal said in a statement on its website: "The CAS has upheld Mr Bin Hammam's appeal, annulled the decision rendered by the FIFA Appeal Committee and lifted the life ban imposed on Mr Bin Hammam."

But it added the three-member panel that considered the appeal "was unable to conclude to its comfortable satisfaction that the charges against Mr Bin Hammam were established" and considered the case "not proven".

There was no direct evidence to link Bin Hammam with the money's presence at a CFU meeting in Trinidad and Tobago and CFU chief Jack Warner had initially said the gift was from the federation but later said it was from Bin Hammam, the ruling said.

"No efforts" were made to trace the source of the money but the panel said it was "possible to infer" that Bin Hammam's failure to prove the cash's provenance "might be explained by the fact that it would have confirmed that he was the source".

The CAS panel said it was "more likely than not that Mr Bin Hammam was the source of the monies that were brought into Trinidad and Tobago and eventually distributed at the meeting by Mr Warner".

In that way "his (Bin Hammam's) conduct, in collaboration with and most likely induced by Mr Warner, may not have complied with the highest ethical standards that should govern the world of football and other sports.

"This is all the more so at the elevated levels of football governance at which individuals such as Mr Bin Hammam and Mr Warner have operated in the past."

The CAS said the panel was applying the law under the tribunal's code but "not making any sort of affirmative finding of innocence in relation to Mr Bin Hammam".

It was "doing no more than concluding that the evidence is insufficient in that it does not permit the majority of the Panel to reach the standard of comfortable satisfaction in relation to the matters on which the Appellant was charged.

"It is a situation of 'case not proven', coupled with concern on the part of the Panel that the FIFA investigation was not complete or comprehensive enough to fill the gaps in the record."

The lifting of the FIFA life ban does not mean that Bin Hammam -- who helped secure Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup -- is free to resume footballing activities.

Drogba arrives in China to hero's welcome

The Ivorien, Didier Drogba was given a hero's welcome as he arrived in China on Saturday to start a two-and-a-half-year contract that is expected to make him one of football's highest-paid players.
   Hundreds of fans, many clad in "Drogba 11" shirts, greeted the former Chelsea star at Shanghai's Pudong airport, some carrying flowers, others brandishing his name in English on placards and many jostling to touch him.
   "What I experienced at the airport this morning was unbelievable. Even when I was at Chelsea I never experienced anything like this," the 34-year-old told reporters at a press conference to launch his career with Shanghai Shenhua.
   The Ivory Coast striker sealed a deal that Chinese and British media have said is worth 200,000 pounds ($314,000) a week, making him the highest-paid player in China and in the top bracket globally.
   But he insisted money was not the reason he had moved to a side languishing near the bottom of China's Super League, just weeks after he scored the penalty that won Chelsea the European Champions League.

Drogba joins a fast-expanding group of foreign stars who have been lured to China on enormous salaries, which are typically funded by Chinese business titans.
   Drogba will play alongside French striker Nicolas Anelka, who signed with Shenhua in January on a deal believed to be worth nearly as much.
   The pair will work under former Argentine coach Sergio Batista, who joined the club in May. Shenhua are bankrolled by high-profile video-game tycoon Zhu Jun.
   In the far south of the country, World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi is at the helm of league-leaders Guangzhou Evergrande, and Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has just signed with cross-town rivals Guangzhou R&F.

South Africa train crash kills at least 24

JOHANNESBURG  A cargo train loaded with coal collided with a truck carrying farm workers at a crossing in eastern South Africa on Friday, killing at least 24 people and leaving bodies strewn across the scene of the accident, officials said.
"The accident was messy," said government spokesman Thulani Sibuyi describing heads and limbs severed from bodies. At least 25 people were injured in the accident in Mpumalanga, an eastern province in South Africa.
"Probably even more," cautioned spokesman Joseph Mabuza of the province's community safety department, saying authorities were still struggling to count all the injured. Eleven of the victims died on the spot, two on the way to hospitals and the others perished in different health facilities, he added. The final death toll, however, might still rise, officials cautioned.
"You have scattered bodies. It is difficult to count or to come up with a conclusive number," Mabuza said earlier on Friday. The owner of the truck is currently being questioned by the police, Sibuyi said. It appears likely that he crossed the tracks and misjudged the distance to the arriving train, added Mabuza. Traffic accidents with high death tolls are common in South Africa, and often are blamed on negligent drivers and badly maintained roads.
 In 2010, a man driving 14 children to school evaded barriers at a crossing near Cape Town and a train crashed into it, killing 10 of his young passengers. The driver was convicted of murder in the deaths of the students and attempted murder in the case of the four surviving children. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Transportation officials hailed the tough charges and sentence, saying that could help deter reckless driving.

US man jailed for translating Thai King book freed

BANGKOK An American sentenced to two and a half years in Thai prison for translating a banned biography about the country's king and posting the content online has been freed by a royal pardon, the US Embassy said on Wednesday.
Joe Gordon was convicted in December for translating excerpts of the book "The King Never Smiles" from English into Thai. The punishment was a high-profile example of the severe sentences meted out here for defaming Thailand's royal family, an issue that has raised concern about freedom of expression in this Southeast Asian kingdom.
No reason was given for the pardon, but US officials have pressed Thai authorities to release the Thai-born American since he was first detained in May 2011. Gordon was freed from Bangkok's Remand prison late on Tuesday, US Embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler said.
 "We are pleased that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted Joe Gordon a royal pardon, which allowed him to be released from prison," Braunohler said.
"We urge Thai authorities on a regular basis, both privately and publicly, in Bangkok and in Washington, to ensure that freedom of expression is protected in accordance with its international obligations."
Braunohler declined to comment on Gordon's whereabouts or what his future plans were.
Gordon's lawyer, Arnon Numpa, said he would likely return to America within several days.

Nigeria picks last Olympic basketball ticket

CARACAS Nigeria seized the last men's basketball berth at the London Olympics with an 88-73 victory over the Dominican Republic in a last-chance game at the FIBA qualifying tournament in Caracas, Venezuela on Sunday.

 Nigeria had shocked favorites Greece in the quarter-finals, but were beaten in the semi-finals on Saturday by Russia -- who booked their own place with that win.

Lithuania had also secured a spot on Saturday with a victory over the Dominican Republic, leaving Nigeria and the Dominicans to play one last contest for the third and final berth still up for grabs.

Ike Diogu, a 10-year NBA veteran who was with the San Antonio Spurs last season before a spell with the Chinese Basketball Association's Xinjiang Flying Tigers, led Nigeria with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

"I'm very happy. We did what had to be done," Diogu said. "We knew we were going to face teams that are heavyweights, and we did what we needed to do - win."

Nigeria, ranked 21st in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) world rankings, had 14 points from Al-Farouq Aminu, who plays for the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA.

Yack Martinez led the Dominican Republic, coached by University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, with 16 points.

Nigeria and Lithuania will play in group A in the preliminary round in London, along with the 2008 gold medalists the United States, Argentina, France and Tunisia.

Russia booked a berth in group B, which includes Spain, Brazil, Australia, China and hosts Great Britain.

Nigeria assures UAE investors of safe business

LAGOS Potential UAE investors in Nigeria are being reassured that the country remains open for business despite worries about security risks.
The message from business leaders in Nigeria comes as a number of Emirates executives prepare to visit to assess the investment climate in Africa's largest consumer market.

"Terrorism is an issue, but it's not as big an issue as people think, as with the right research and planning you can mitigate against risk," said Ken Igbokwe, the managing partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria.
He pointed out that the violence was in isolated pockets, mainly in the north, while the rest of the country was stable.
A heavy focus on terrorism and other challenges facing Nigeria was not helping foreign perceptions of the country, said Olusegun Okunnu, a Nigerian economist and a member of a task force set up by the government to monitor oil revenue.

"Perception of Nigeria is key," he said. "A lot of the western media don't present the good side or opportunities."

With a population of about 160 million, vast oil wealth, cheap labour, and a rapidly emerging wealthy class, Nigeria has been rated as one of the most promising emerging markets.
But terrorism clouds its future.
The terror group Boko Haram has carried out a series of deadly attacks in the past two years. It said it was behind bombings of three churches last month in the state of Kaduna, attacks in which at least 50 people were killed.

Foreign investment will be harmed if terrorism is not curtailed, Baroness Chalker warned on Friday. She is the coordinator of the Honorary International Investors Council (HIIC), a group of foreign investors advising the Nigerian government.

A delegation of UAE businessmen including executives from the Sharjah-based conglomerate Mulk Holdings and Danube Building Materials plans to visit Nigeria after Ramadan.

Mulk Holdings, which has interests in solar-panel manufacturing, sees "immediate opportunities" in the renewable-energy industry in Nigeria, said the chairman, Shaji Ul Mulk. Solar technology offers a possibly cheaper power alternative than the country's current costly generators.

But Mr Mulk is mindful of potential risks. "The decision (to invest) will be based to a large part on a security point of view," he said.

Ties between the UAE and Nigeria are growing. Bilateral trade between Nigeria and Dubai swelled four times to about US$572 million (Dh2.1 billion) between 2005 and 2009, the latest period for which trade data is available.

Since then the flow of goods is believed to have risen further as Dubai services a growing chunk of the south-south trade between Asia and Africa. Significant amounts of that is bound for Nigeria.

Investment, however, has been less forthcoming. The telecommunications operator Etisalat's presence is perhaps the most high-profile business link between Nigeria and the UAE.

Mining and minerals, infrastructure and agriculture are among the "shopping list" of sectors into which Ibrahim Auwalu, Nigeria's new ambassador to the UAE, said he would like to tempt investors.

tarnold@thenational.ae