Tanzania, Nigeria's Dangote reach natural gas supply deal

DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania and Nigeria's Dangote Cement have reached a deal on the supply of natural gas to the firm's manufacturing plant in the East African country after negotiations stalled over prices, Tanzanian President John Magufuli said on Saturday.

The $500 million cement factory in the southeastern Tanzanian town of Mtwara, set up last year with an annual capacity of 3 million tonnes, runs on expensive diesel generators and has sought government support to reduce costs.

But the negotiations had stalled with the state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) saying the company was seeking "at-the-well prices".

After meeting Aliko Dangote, the company's chairman who is Africa's richest man, Magufuli blamed unspecified middlemen of interfering with supply plans and said the issue has now been resolved with gas supplies to be sold at a "reasonable" tariff.

"They (Dangote Cement) will now buy natural gas directly from the state-run TPDC instead of going through middlemen," Magufuli told journalists after the meeting.

He did not give details on the new tariff.

Dangote, Africa's biggest cement producer, has an annual production capacity of 43.6 million tonnes and targets output of between 74 million and 77 million tonnes by the end of 2019 and 100 million tonnes of capacity by 2020.

The company plans to roll out plants across Africa. In Tanzania, Dangote is seeking to double the country's annual output of cement to 6 million tonnes.

The country announced in February that it had discovered an additional 2.17 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of possible natural gas deposits in an onshore field, raising its total estimated recoverable natural gas reserves to more than 57 tcf.

REUTERS

Nigerian activist held in solitary in Japan, prompting calls for her release

  

TOKYO - A prominent Nigerian asylum seeker and activist is being held in solitary at a Tokyo detention centre, a case that has highlighted a growing crackdown on foreigners living in Japan without visas and prompted demands for her release.

Elizabeth Aruoriwo Obueza was detained two weeks ago after authorities turned down an appeal against her asylum rejection, Obueza and her lawyer told Reuters.

Obueza, 48, campaigns for asylum seekers and the 4,700 people on "provisional release" from immigration detention - a status that lets foreigners out from detention but bars them from working and travelling freely.

Obueza's arrest is part of a wider campaign by the Justice Ministry, which in September 2015 said it would take steps to reduce the 60,000 foreigners living in Japan without visas.

People on provisional release, many of whom have lived in Japan for decades, have been among those targeted, activists and lawyers say.

"Elizabeth was targeted and detained for being an activist," said immigration lawyer Shoichi Ibusuki. "I want her released immediately."

The crackdown on people like Obueza comes even as people on provisional release, despite being legally unable to work, power Japan's construction and manufacturing sectors as companies scramble to find workers in the worst labour shortage in decades.

"Elizabeth is held in solitary because she's an activist and immigration officials don't want her causing trouble," said Mitsuru Miyasako, head of the Provisional Release Association in Japan, a group representing refugees and immigrants.

"Locking someone up alone in a tiny room is to ruin them psychologically."

Naoaki Torisu, a senior Justice Ministry official overseeing immigration detention, declined to comment on Obueza's situation, saying he could not discuss individual cases.

Obueza, an evangelical Christian, said she fled Nigeria for Japan in 1991 to escape female genital mutilation and applied for asylum in 2011.

Obueza told Reuters she was locked up for more than 22 hours a day. Typically, detainees at the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, where she is held, are locked up for 18 hours a day, according to the Justice Ministry.

"I want to help people," Obueza told Reuters from across a security divide in a small meeting room at the detention centre. "Give me the right to help people - don't put me in here."

During her previous 10-month arrest in 2011 at a different centre, Obueza organised detainees to write a petition to immigration authorities calling for better medical care, Miyasako said.

For more than a decade, Obueza has visited immigration detention centres across Japan, helping detainees navigate the asylum system and find legal help, said rights groups, lawyers and former detainees.

"She has supported so many people as an activist and that's a nuisance for the immigration authorities," said Miyasako, who has worked with Obueza, adding that she had helped hundreds.

Former detainees and people on provisional release visit her in detention every day, sometimes waiting for hours, he said.

Solitary cells, usually for detainees who are ill, unruly or have tried to harm themselves, are about five square metres, detainees say.

In 2014, a Sri Lankan man died in a solitary cell at the same centre, highlighting problems with medical care.

Isolation has not stopped Obueza from fighting for detainees' rights.

"When I go outside my room, I go around the windows and talk to the others," Obueza said. "I advise them."

Obueza said of the immigration officials who locked her up: "You might think you arrested me, but I think God wants me here to help some other people."

Italian police bust Nigerian smuggling and prostitution ring

VATICAN CITY -  Police in Italy have arrested 11 Nigerians for allegedly trafficking young women and girls from Nigeria to exploit them as sex slaves.

Police Officer Antonio Salvago in the southern Italian city of Catania said on Monday that the victims underwent a voodoo rite, popularly known as 'juju' in Nigeria to bind them to their debts after they promised to pay up to 40,000 euros ($43,000) for a journey they thought would bring them to a better life in Europe.
Salvago says the rite made them obey their smugglers and pimps.

The victims, all under age 25 and some as young as 16, traveled through Libya before crossing the Mediterranean by boat with thousands of other migrants.

Catania Chief Prosecutor Carmelo Zuccaro says the investigation shows that illegal immigration breeds more serious crimes of exploitation and forced prostitution.




AP

African elephants 'suffer worst decline in 25 years'

 The number of African elephants has dropped by around 111,000 in the past decade, a new report released Sunday at the Johannesburg conference on the wildlife trade said, blaming the plummeting figures on poaching.
The revelation, the worst drop in 25 years, came amid disagreement on the second day of the global meet over the best way to improve the plight of Africa's elephants, targeted for their tusks.
With Namibia and Zimbabwe, wanting to be allowed to sell ivory stockpiles accrued from natural deaths to fund community elephant conservation initiatives, Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri rejected the "imperialistic policies" of opposing countries, branding them a "clear infringement on the sovereign rights of nations".
Both Namibia and Zimbabwe boast healthy elephant populations and their desire to sell the stockpiles is supported by South Africa.
"We need to be considerate as we make these decisions," Muchinguri told a news conference.
"CITES should be there to facilitate us to succeed in our conservation programmes rather than these imperialistic policies," she added, saying she was speaking on behalf of the southern African region that is home to three-quarters of the savannah jumbo population.
A booming illegal wildlife trade has put huge pressure on an existing treaty signed by more than 180 countries -- the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Thousands of conservationists and government officials are in Johannesburg for the 12-day gathering, seeking to hammer out new international trade regulations to protect a vast array of different species, with several proposals on whether to tighten or ease controls on the ivory trade on the agenda.
"We have been keeping this ivory for nine years and we're hoping this moratorium will be lifted so that we are able to sell this ivory or to produce jewellery, artefacts for the benefit of our people," Muchinguri said.
"We have our sovereign right and we know best what to do, how to utilise our natural resources... we should not be punished, we should be rewarded (for good conservation practices)," she added.
Based on 275 estimates from across the continent, the report released on Sunday by the IUCN conservation group put Africa's total elephant population at around 415,000, a decline of around 111,000 over the past decade.

It is the first time in 25 years that the group's African Elephant Status Report has reported a continental decline in numbers, with the IUCN attributing the losses in large part to a sharp rise in poaching.
"The surge in poaching for ivory that began approximately a decade ago -- the worst that Africa has experienced since the 1970s and 1980s -- has been the main driver of the decline," said IUCN.
IUCN chief Inger Andersen said the numbers showed "the truly alarming plight of the majestic elephant".
"It is shocking but not surprising that poaching has taken such a dramatic toll on this iconic species," she said.
Sue Lieberman, vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said the IUCN report was "yet another set of data clearly indicating that governments must take all necessary actions to address the crisis, including closing their domestic elephant ivory markets".
"It is now up to the CITES parties to carry that momentum forward (and) support the majority of African elephant range countries who are calling for closure of domestic markets," she said.
"Closing domestic markets will close off opportunities to launder illegal ivory."
Stephen Mwansa, permanent secretary in Zambia's Tourism Ministry, however, earlier castigated the proposal to ban domestic trade in ivory.
"How do you come and start regulating the domestic market? That will be extra-territorial," said Mwansa.
"That's arrogance of the highest order. It's tantamount to neo-colonialism and that we can't accept it," he told reporters on Saturday.
In 1989 CITES banned international trade in ivory by listing all African elephant populations in its appendix 1.
In 1997 and 2000, however, elephant populations in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe were downgraded to a less endangered species status -- to allow two sales of ivory stockpiles to Japan and China in 1999 and 2008.

AFP

Rangers emerge league champions in Nigeria

Rangers International FC of Enugu have emerged as champions of the Nigerian Professional League for the 2015-2016 season on Sunday after the Flying Antelopes defeated Ikorodu United 2-1 in Lagos.

The last time Rangers won the league title was in 1984, meaning the club ended a long 32-years wait to win its first title after successes in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982 and 1984. Closest challengers Rivers United, Ifeanyi Ubah, Wikki Tourist and former champions Enyimba failed to match the Coal City consistency across the season despite losing nine matches and drawing nine, Rangers still won 17 games in 36 matches. 

Rangers league succes is a victory for perseverance and patience. The team has come close in so many occasions and would return to the continent next season to represent Nigeria in the CAF Champions League.

Moroccan woman takes late husband's bowels on flight to Austria

Basel Austrian airport officials made the "strangest find of the past year" after discovering a man's intestines being taken through customs by a female passenger.

The Moroccan woman was taking her late husband's bowels to Austria to test whether they revealed any signs of poisoning, according to a report Sunday by local newspaper Kleine Zeitung, and confirmed by an official at the Finance Ministry, which is responsible for imports.

She was carrying his remains in a plastic box under her clothing at Graz airport.
According to the newspaper, the woman's husband had died in a Morocco hospital, and she was convinced that he had been poisoned.

A criminal investigation into the incident would not be "relevant," a police spokesman said.

DPA

Buhari asks UN to help free abducted Chibok girls

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has invited the United Nations to help negotiations to exchange the kidnapped schoolgirls from Chibok for detained leaders of Boko Haram, a government statement said on Thursday.

Buhari's government has been criticized for failing to free the Chibok girls by parents of the abducted students, community leaders and human rights activists. Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of people, but the mass abduction of 276 schoolgirls in April 2014 brought international condemnation of Nigeria's home-grown Islamic extremist group. Dozens of the girls escaped, but 217 remain missing.

Buhari's request for UN intermediaries is a "show of commitment" made to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual UN. gathering of world leaders in New York, said a statement from presidential adviser Femi Adesina.

Buhari told Ban that his government is "willing to bend over backwards" to win the girls' freedom but finding credible Boko Haram leaders for negotiations has been difficult, especially because of the current leadership struggle among the extremists.

Longtime Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau's faction in August posted a video showing about 50 Chibok girls and offering a prisoner swap. An unidentified fighter in the video suggests the government deal with a journalist trusted by the extremists. That was an apparent reference to Dubai-based Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida, who was subsequently detained by Nigerian intelligence agents and released. He was accused of knowing the whereabouts of the girls, which he denied.

Last week, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said the government had nearly secured the girls' release three times but negotiations collapsed.

One activist with the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, Washington-based Nigerian Emmanuel Ogebe, said the United Nations is not a suitable intermediary since it has been a victim of Boko Haram attacks. He suggested a better choice would be France, which has helped negotiate the release of Boko Haram kidnap victims in neighboring Cameroon.

Boko Haram attacked the UN's Nigeria headquarters in Abuja, the capital, in August 2011 with a car bomb that detonated in the reception area, killing at least 21 people. Last month, the extremists launched a rocket attack on a humanitarian convoy under military escort in northeast Nigeria, wounding three people including a UNICEF worker. That caused a halt to UN aid to dangerous-to-reach areas outside Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria and birthplace of Boko Haram.

Most girls kidnapped by Boko Haram have been forced to marry fighters and are pregnant or have babies, according to some people freed in the past year as the military has recaptured territory.

The government has isolated the only one of the Chibok group to escape this year, saying she is receiving medical care and counseling. However, Human Rights Watch has asked whether Amina Ali Nkeki is now a detainee.

AP

German passport strongest in the world

German citizens hold the world’s most flexible and powerful visa-free passport as they can visit 177 countries without applying for a tourist visa, and US tourists can travel to 174. British travellers can currently enter 175, which could change in the next couple of years. 

Meanwhile, Nigerian passport holders can only travel to 45 countries. And there have recently been hoax stories that Nigeria including some Commonwealth Afrucan countries has been given visa-free status.

With a possible score of 218, the visa restriction index by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, ranks nations or territories based on the number of countries their citizens can travel to visa-free. The annual report is based on visa restrictions in place on 1 January

Germany claimed sole possession of first spot this year after three more countries scrapped visa restrictions for Germans, edging Sweden into second place with visa-free access to 176 countries.

After three years in first place, the U.K. fell to third  and was tied with Finland, France, Italy and Spain with a score of 175, up one from 174 last year, while the US shared fourth spot with Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Afghanistan found itself at the bottom of the table with visa-free access to just 25 countries.

Pakistan was in second-last place (29), just behind Iraq (30), Somalia (31) and Syria (32).

In a statement released earlier this year, Henley & Partners, which has offices around the world, including London and Melbourne, said only 21 of the 199 countries listed in this year’s study remained in the same rank as last year.

It said: ‘No country, however, dropped more than three positions, indicating that overall, visa-free access is improving around the world.

‘Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan meanwhile, continue to hold the bottom four positions on the index, and thus have again been labelled the worst passports in the world.’

‘Generally, visa requirements reflect strongly on each country’s relationships with others, and will take into account diplomatic relationships between the countries, reciprocal visa arrangements, security risks and the risks of visa and immigration rules violations.’ 

Full list of results countries:

1. Germany - 177

2. Sweden - 176

3. Finland, France, Italy, Spain, UK - 175

4. Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, US - 174

5. Austria, Japan, Singapore - 173 

6. Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland - 172

7. Greece, New Zealand - 171 

8. Australia - 169

9. Malta - 168

10. Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland - 167

11. Slovakia - 165

12. Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Slovenia - 164

13. Latvia - 163

14. Estonia, Lithuania - 162

15. Poland - 161

16. Monaco - 160

17. Cyprus - 159

18. San Marino - 156

19. Chile - 155

20. Hong Kong - 154

21. Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania - 153

22. Andorra, Argentina - 152

23. Brunei Darussalam - 151

24. Croatia - 149

25. Israel - 147

26. Barbados - 141

27. Bahamas - 140

28. Mexico - 139

29. Taiwan, Uruguay - 137

30. Antigua and Barbuda, Vatican City - 134

31. Seychelles - 133

32. St. Kitts and Nevis, Venezuela - 132

33. Costa Rica - 131

34. Trinidad and Tobago - 130

35. Mauritius - 128

36. Panama - 127

37. Paraguay, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines - 125

38. United Arab Emirates - 122

39. Grenada - 121

40. Macau - 120

41. Dominica, Honduras - 119

42. Guatemala - 116

43. El Salvador, Serbia - 115

44. Samoa - 112

45. Macedonia - 111

46. Nicaragua, Tonga, Vanuatu - 110

47. Montenegro - 107

48. Russia - 105

49. Palau - 104

50. Colombia - 10

51. Turkey - 102

52. Bosnia Herzegovina, Moldova - 101

53. Albania - 98

54. South Africa - 97  

55. Belize - 94

56. Peru, Solomon Islands - 86 

57. Guyana, Kuwait, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu - 82

58. Ecuador, Fiji, Ukraine - 81

59. Maldives, Nauru - 80

60. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Qatar - 79

61. Jamaica - 78

62. Papua New Guinea - 77

63. Micronesia - 75

64. Suriname - 74

65. Bahrain - 73

66. Bolivia, Botswana - 72

67. Oman, Thailand - 71

68. Namibia - 70

69. Lesotho, Saudi Arabia - 69

70. Kenya - 68

71. Belarus, Gambia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Swaziland - 67

72. Tanzania, Tunisia - 65

73. Ghana - 64

74. Zambia - 63

75. Azerbaijan - 62

76. Cape Verde, Philippines - 61

77. Uganda - 60

78. Benin, Cuba, Morocco, Zimbabwe - 59

79. Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan - 58

80. Armenia - 57

81. Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mongolia - 56

82. Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo - 55

83. Dominican Republic, Sao Tome, Principe - 54

84. Tajikistan - 53

85. India, Mali, Uzbekistan - 52

86. Bhutan, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sierra Leone - 51

87. Cambodia, China - 50

88. Chad, Egypt, Gabon, Turkmenistan - 49

89. Algeria, Central African Republic, Haiti, Madagascar, Rwanda - 48

90. Comoros, Jordan, Laos, Vietnam - 47 

91. Guinea - 46

92. Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria - 45

93. Congo (Republic of), Djibouti - 44

94. Liberia - 43

95. Burundi, North Korea, Myanmar - 42

96. Bangladesh, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Lebanon, Sri Lanka - 39

97. Kosovo, South Sudan, Yemen - 38

98. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Nepal, Palestinian Territory, Sudan - 37

99. Libya - 36

100. Syria - 32

101. Somalia - 31

102. Iraq - 30

103. Pakistan - 29

104. Afghanistan - 25 

Source: Henley & Partners.

German passport strongest in the world

German citizens hold the world’s most flexible and powerful visa-free passport as they can visit 177 countries without applying for a tourist visa, and US tourists can travel to 174. British travellers can currently enter 175, which could change in the next couple of years. 

Meanwhile, Nigerian passport holders can only travel to 45 countries. And there have recently been hoax stories that Nigeria including some Commonwealth Afrucan countries has been given visa-free status.

With a possible score of 218, the visa restriction index by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, ranks nations or territories based on the number of countries their citizens can travel to visa-free. The annual report is based on visa restrictions in place on 1 January

Germany claimed sole possession of first spot this year after three more countries scrapped visa restrictions for Germans, edging Sweden into second place with visa-free access to 176 countries.

After three years in first place, the U.K. fell to third  and was tied with Finland, France, Italy and Spain with a score of 175, up one from 174 last year, while the US shared fourth spot with Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Afghanistan found itself at the bottom of the table with visa-free access to just 25 countries.

Pakistan was in second-last place (29), just behind Iraq (30), Somalia (31) and Syria (32).

In a statement released earlier this year, Henley & Partners, which has offices around the world, including London and Melbourne, said only 21 of the 199 countries listed in this year’s study remained in the same rank as last year.

It said: ‘No country, however, dropped more than three positions, indicating that overall, visa-free access is improving around the world.

‘Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan meanwhile, continue to hold the bottom four positions on the index, and thus have again been labelled the worst passports in the world.’

‘Generally, visa requirements reflect strongly on each country’s relationships with others, and will take into account diplomatic relationships between the countries, reciprocal visa arrangements, security risks and the risks of visa and immigration rules violations.’ 

Full list of results countries:

1. Germany - 177

2. Sweden - 176

3. Finland, France, Italy, Spain, UK - 175

4. Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, US - 174

5. Austria, Japan, Singapore - 173 

6. Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland - 172

7. Greece, New Zealand - 171 

8. Australia - 169

9. Malta - 168

10. Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland - 167

11. Slovakia - 165

12. Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Slovenia - 164

13. Latvia - 163

14. Estonia, Lithuania - 162

15. Poland - 161

16. Monaco - 160

17. Cyprus - 159

18. San Marino - 156

19. Chile - 155

20. Hong Kong - 154

21. Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania - 153

22. Andorra, Argentina - 152

23. Brunei Darussalam - 151

24. Croatia - 149

25. Israel - 147

26. Barbados - 141

27. Bahamas - 140

28. Mexico - 139

29. Taiwan, Uruguay - 137

30. Antigua and Barbuda, Vatican City - 134

31. Seychelles - 133

32. St. Kitts and Nevis, Venezuela - 132

33. Costa Rica - 131

34. Trinidad and Tobago - 130

35. Mauritius - 128

36. Panama - 127

37. Paraguay, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines - 125

38. United Arab Emirates - 122

39. Grenada - 121

40. Macau - 120

41. Dominica, Honduras - 119

42. Guatemala - 116

43. El Salvador, Serbia - 115

44. Samoa - 112

45. Macedonia - 111

46. Nicaragua, Tonga, Vanuatu - 110

47. Montenegro - 107

48. Russia - 105

49. Palau - 104

50. Colombia - 10

51. Turkey - 102

52. Bosnia Herzegovina, Moldova - 101

53. Albania - 98

54. South Africa - 97  

55. Belize - 94

56. Peru, Solomon Islands - 86 

57. Guyana, Kuwait, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu - 82

58. Ecuador, Fiji, Ukraine - 81

59. Maldives, Nauru - 80

60. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Qatar - 79

61. Jamaica - 78

62. Papua New Guinea - 77

63. Micronesia - 75

64. Suriname - 74

65. Bahrain - 73

66. Bolivia, Botswana - 72

67. Oman, Thailand - 71

68. Namibia - 70

69. Lesotho, Saudi Arabia - 69

70. Kenya - 68

71. Belarus, Gambia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Swaziland - 67

72. Tanzania, Tunisia - 65

73. Ghana - 64

74. Zambia - 63

75. Azerbaijan - 62

76. Cape Verde, Philippines - 61

77. Uganda - 60

78. Benin, Cuba, Morocco, Zimbabwe - 59

79. Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan - 58

80. Armenia - 57

81. Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mongolia - 56

82. Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo - 55

83. Dominican Republic, Sao Tome, Principe - 54

84. Tajikistan - 53

85. India, Mali, Uzbekistan - 52

86. Bhutan, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sierra Leone - 51

87. Cambodia, China - 50

88. Chad, Egypt, Gabon, Turkmenistan - 49

89. Algeria, Central African Republic, Haiti, Madagascar, Rwanda - 48

90. Comoros, Jordan, Laos, Vietnam - 47 

91. Guinea - 46

92. Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria - 45

93. Congo (Republic of), Djibouti - 44

94. Liberia - 43

95. Burundi, North Korea, Myanmar - 42

96. Bangladesh, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Lebanon, Sri Lanka - 39

97. Kosovo, South Sudan, Yemen - 38

98. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Nepal, Palestinian Territory, Sudan - 37

99. Libya - 36

100. Syria - 32

101. Somalia - 31

102. Iraq - 30

103. Pakistan - 29

104. Afghanistan - 25 

Source: Henley & Partners.

Italian man arrested for beating to death Nigerian asylum seeker

Rome An Italian football hooligan has been arrested and charged with murder after beating to death a Nigerian asylum seeker who reacted to racial insults against his partner, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Thursday.

According to the La Repubblica newspaper, Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, 36, got into a fight on Tuesday after the man called his 24-year-old girlfriend Chinyere - referred to only by her first name - a "monkey."

Nnamdi was taken to hospital in a comatose state and declared dead on Wednesday in the central Italian town of Fermo, some 170 kilometres northeast of Rome, near the Adriatic coast.

The accused, Amedeo Mancini, is a supporter of 4th league team Fermana and had been banned from the local stadium because of his violent behaviour, ANSA news agency reported.

The incident led Alfano to travel to Fermo to chair a meeting with local police. Before the talks, he told reporters it was a "day of infinite sadness."

The minister later said Mancini's actions were racially motivated, an aggravating circumstance which could earn the accused a longer jail sentence, and that Chinyere's asylum demand had been accepted.

"She has been granted humanitarian protection status," Alfano said.

Italy's highest authorities also weighed in on the case.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on Twitter that the government was committed to fight "hatred, racism and violence," while President Sergio Mattarella delegated Fermo's authorities to offer Chinyere "any kind of required assistance."

"What happened is shocking and deeply disturbs the principle of international protection which, aside from the international obligation of states, should be rooted in everybody's conscience," UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) executive Stephane Jaquemet said in a statement.

Comunita di Capodarco, the Catholic charity that was giving shelter to the couple, issued a statement giving a version provided by Chinyere. She said the man put his hands on her, triggering Nnamdi's reaction.

"A fight broke out, a street sign was pulled from the pavement, there were heavy blows and one, probably fatal, hit the young Nigerian on the back of the neck. Once on the floor ... the young man was hit repeatedly," the Comunita said.

The couple left Nigeria to flee from the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, their hosts said.

Chinyere travelled while pregnant, but fell ill during the sea crossing to Sicily and lost her baby, probably as a result of beatings suffered in Libya, they added.

Father Vinicio Albanesi, who leads the community that sheltered the couple, said the people who attacked the asylum seekers were the same who earlier this year planted unexploded bombs in front of four Catholic churches in Fermo. Alfano said he could not confirm this.

DPA

Nigeria's amnesty boss assures ex-militants of payment this week

The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) has assured ex-agitators in the Niger Delta that their delayed stipends will be paid this week.

Brig-Gen. Boroh, who lamented the plight of the ex-agitators over the delayed stipends, reiterated the federal government’s commitment towards re-engineering the Amnesty Programme in their favour.

He maintained that his office is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that their stipends are paid as at when due, pointing out that it would be counterproductive for ex-agitators to take to the streets at a time the federal government is making frantic efforts to address the challenges facing the programme.

The amnesty boss therefore called on all agitators in the Niger Delta region to shun acts that are inimical to public peace, adding that such anti-social actions, such as violent street protests, among others could be hijacked by hoodlums to cause mayhem on innocent and law abiding citizens, to discredit the programme and embarrass the government.

Meanwhile, a leader of the third phase of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Mr. John Ebi, has appealed to his colleagues to be patient as plans are on top gear to ensure that the stipends are paid this week.

Also, a former agitator under the first phase of the programme and the Executive Director of Peace Advocates Outreach, Chief Jephtah Kalaiti, has also added his voice to the call for restraint, appealing to ex-agitators to listen to the voice of wisdom in giving the Amnesty Office the benefit of doubt. 

Nigerian World Cup star Musa set for record move to Leicester

Nigeria's Ahmed Musa is set to be signed for a record fee by English champions Leicester City, who are set to break their record transfer fee for the second time in a matter of days by buying CSKA attacking midfielder Ahmed Musa on Wednesday.


Musa, who scored a brace for Nigeria in a 3-2 defeat of Lionel Messi's Argentina at the 2014 World Cup, will see his present side Russian outfit CSKA Moscow receive £16.6million ($22.1 million, 19.8 million euros) -- a record outlay for Leicester.

"Everything has been finalised and Musa will be in England for his medical on Wednesday," Musa's agent Tony Harris told BBC Sport.

Musa and Sunday's signing former France Under-21 midfielder Nampalys Mendy, who joined from Ligue 1 side Nice on a four-year deal for a club record at the time of £13m, will bolster the Foxes squad for a tilt at the Champions League.

Musa's soon to be former coach Leonid Slutsky said the Nigerian -- who scored 53 goals in 161 matches for CSKA since joining them in 2012 -- would be ideal for the Premier League.

"If you look at the way things are done over there you'll see he is a player just made for English football," Slutsky said.

According to the BBC Musa rejected the advances of Leicester's rivals Southampton, Everton and West Ham. 

Lesbianism killing female football in Nigeria- NFF VP

Abuja Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) vice-president Seyi Akinwunmi has blamed lesbians for recent poor performances of the country's women's team.

The country's national team Super Falcons are the most successful African nation in the game, having won the continental title a record nine times and competed at every Women's World Cup since it started in 1991. But they have failed to qualify for this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and were also under-par in last year's All Africa Games in Congo.

The NFF official blamed the decline in the women's game nationally to same-sex relationships, which are illegal in religiously conservative Nigeria.

"Lesbianism kills teams," he complained at a meeting of sports writers in Ibadan on Saturday.

"People are afraid to talk about it. The coaches also take advantage of the girls, so there is much more to build in female football."

AFP reported that it contacted Akinwunmi for comment but he was not available.

Nigeria, which is almost evenly split between a largely Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, has found itself in hot water with football's world governing body before on the issue.

According to the agency report, in June 2011, women's coach Eucharia Uche came under fire for branding homosexuality "dirty" and "spiritually and morally very wrong", and for admitting she forced lesbians out of her team.

Three years ago, the former chairwoman of the women's league, Dilichukwu Onyedinma, reportedly announced a ban on lesbianism in Nigerian football, prompting a FIFA inquiry.

FIFA's non-discrimination stance includes gender and non-inclusive policies on the part of member countries are "strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion".

Several high-profile female footballers are openly gay or bisexual, including ex-USA star Abby Wambach, whom Time magazine named among the world's 100 most influential people in 2015.

Nigeria in January 2014 introduced strict new laws banning same-sex marriage and civil partnerships, proposing up to 14 years in jail for law-breakers.

Gay rights campaigners described the legislation as "one of the world's most homophobic laws" but the government at the time said it had the support of more than 90 percent of Nigerians.

EU to negotiate with Nigeria to deport citizens

The European Commission said on Wednesday in Brussels that it is ready to start negotiating an agreement with Nigeria to deport Nigerian migrants who do not qualify to stay in the European Union.

The Commission said that the move would ensure that returns are done "rapidly and efficiently." It said the readmission agreement would respect international law.

“The European Commission has just proposed opening negotiations with Nigeria on a readmission agreement,” Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told a press conference.

“This agreement aims to ensure a rapid and effective process for identifying and returning Nigerian nationals who do not have the right to stay in the European Union.”

The move is similar to a recent agreement EU had with Turkey that is drastically curbing migration flows from the Middle East.

A “readmission agreement” would involve migrants from Nigeria being deported in exchange for EU economic aid for Nigeria.

It would be the bloc’s first major return deal with a sub-Saharan African nation — its only existing one is with island nation Cape Verde.

Around 22,000 Nigerian nationals crossed the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe last year, according to the EU's border agency, Frontex.

The EU only provides international protection to people fleeing conflict or violence. EU member states must still give the green light for the readmission talks with Nigeria to begin.

Thelma West: Nigerian lady in male-dominated diamond trade

Nigerian Thelma West is a rare gem in the diamond world as a woman in a male-dominated sector with few Africans, despite the continent being the main source of the precious rocks.

The first in her family to work in diamonds, West is used to being an outsider, having been raised in a Jewish family in a country where Jews number fewer than 50,000 out of a population of around 180 million.

"I'm the only Nigerian Jewish woman in the trade, and I don't know of other African women in the business," the 32-year-old told AFP at her London-based business as she greeted customers with a broad smile and sparkling diamonds on her hands and wrists.

Discretion and security are essential, with the anonymous-looking building guarded by an encrypted intercom system and a reinforced door, all under the gaze of a bank of security cameras.

  

After attending the most prestigious international school in Lagos, West travelled to Britain aged 16 to finish her education.

"I wanted to become an engineer because at that time in Nigeria, you had to choose a solid career, such as doctor, lawyer, engineer," she told AFP.

But, as the saying goes, "Diamonds Are Forever" and the sparkle of the stones, which had captivated West since childhood, was an irresistible allure.

"My mum had loads of jewellery," said the daughter of a Guinness drinks company employee mother and a property developer and industrialist father.

"We were always playing with her jewellery box and she would always clean her jewels, and I would help."

West headed for Antwerp, the world's diamond capital, aged 17 despite "not knowing anybody" in the Belgian city.

There, she enrolled at the internationally renowned Hoge Raad Voor Diamant school to hone her skills.

"Even though you go to school, most of your knowledge comes from working with diamonds day-to-day," she said.

After trying for six months in vain to secure an internship,  was eventually taken under the wing of an Orthodox Jew diamond dealer, who worked with her every evening after school for a year.

She was then recruited by one of the biggest diamond suppliers in Europe based in Spain.

"It was being sent in at the deep end," she recalled. "I was 19 and I was responsible for every single diamond the company had".

Teaming up with school friends from Lagos who had moved into investment banking, West set up her own business in London to trade the precious stone.

Metal tongs in hand, West explained the secrets of some of her stock.

"Diamonds have fire," said West.

"That stone is too flat but it's got a lot of life in it, it was cut about 100 years ago," she said, pointing to one tiny rock.

"This one cost just over £100,000 ($141,000, 126,000 euros), it's got a low colour but it has been cut perfectly so it reflects light in such an amazing way."

Fewer than 50 clients, 12 of whom are investors, have access to West's knowledge.

"I can find a diamond and call them and say 'we have to buy this diamond, trust me' and they follow me," she said.

Her multinational client base -- introduced by word-of-mouth -- includes Swiss, Russians, Ghanaians, Nigerians and "a handful of French".

Helped by a 10-woman team, West creates all of her company's products, which come with a lifetime guarantee. Her most ambitious creation was a custom-made necklace worth around £2 million.

She plans to open a workshop in Nigeria, "where I'll train girls in the art of making jewellery".

West gives little away but also said she is creating "a revolutionary tool" that will help people in her business.

"That tool should be part of every diamond dealer and every shop".

AFP

Obasanjo to speak on diversification of Nigeria's economy in Georgetown University Qatar

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, will be an honored guest of Georgetown University in Qatar on Tuesday, where he will discuss “Nigeria's evolving transformation,” exploring the challenges and opportunities in the nation’s efforts to diversify its economy. 

The public lecture at the university campus, is open to the public. Obasanjo will pay special attention to instructive insights from Qatar’s own experience of investing natural resource wealth to transition from a hydrocarbon-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. This is with a view to examine what lessons Nigeria can learn from Qatar and what opportunities exist for collaborations. 

“It is a great honor for Georgetown to host a former head of state of President Obasanjo’s caliber,” said the dean of ​GU-Q, Dr. Gerd Nonneman. 

"Two themes of enormous importance for the world as well as for us here at Georgetown are the urgency for single-commodity economies to diversify in pursuit of sustainable development; and the building and safeguarding national cohesion in countries of complex ethnic and religious make-up. President Obasanjo's experience and insights into the challenges and opportunities for Nigeria, in such efforts, are extremely valuable for all those concerned with these issues, not least here at Georgetown where our students and professors continuously engage with these questions."

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1976 to 1979. Subsequently, he was popularly elected as the President for two consecutive terms from 1999 to 2003 and then from 2003 to 2007. His tenure at the helm of democratic government ushered in a commitment to the rule of law and crucial political reform. 

In 2008, Obasanjo was appointed by the United Nations as a special envoy to mediate in conflict situations around the continent, including in Democratic Republic of Congo, in Zimbabwe and in South Sudan. He is called upon regularly to oversee democratic elections on behalf of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in countries across the continent. 

Obasanjo is a member of Club de Madrid, an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Its members are over 100 former democratically elected Presidents and Prime Ministers from more than 60 countries. 

Outside the political arena Mr. Obasanjo has been a catalyst in driving Africa’s economic transformation. The region is now amongst the fastest growing in the world, rapidly becoming the destination of choice for international investors looking to emerging and frontier markets.