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

France will beat Spain, says Bacary Sagna

FRANCE international player and Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna is confident France will beat Spain in Sunday's quarterfinal of the Euro 2012. 
Sagna was speaking at Aspetar Qatar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Doha, after completing a 10 days treatment.  
Missing out of the European Championship because of the injury, Sagna confirmed his sole focus is on recovering fitness so that he can once again take his place on the right-side of Arsenal’s defence. 
“It’s a huge blow to miss the championship but I wasn’t thinking about that straight away because I didn’t know it was as bad as it was.” On the chances of France in the Euro, he said, “The French team is not doing badly except for the loss to Sweden on Tuesday. 

“We are in the quarterfinals pitted against Spain. It’s going to be a difficult game but if we remain consistent as we were, France will beat Spain. We have nothing to lose.”  The 29-year-old said he was not sure when he will be fully fit to be back in action. 
                                                            
The Frenchman had broken his right fibula midway through the first half at the Emirates in an English Premier League match. The scenario couldn’t have been worse as the defender had suffered a fracture in the same place earlier in the season when he collided with the advertising hoardings at Tottenham. The injury kept him out for four months. 

Speaking about his injury, Sagna said, “I didn’t know my injury was going to be as bad as it was at the time. 

“I was injured twice last season and decided to visit Qatar. I have been here for ten days and the atmosphere has been fantastic. “I am really pleased with the quality of nursing and treatment here." 

“To be honest, I don’t know when I will be fit. I want to take my time before returning to the field so as not to make the mistake of the past, returning so quickly but unfit,” Sagna said. 

Speaking on his Arsenal experience, the team he joined in the summer of 2007 from French Ligue 1 side Auxerre. “Arsenal is a great team; it’s the most watched out team in France. 

Joining Arsenal in 2007 was a dream come true for me. We have a good coach in Arsene Wenger and a good team. Arsene is a positive person and it has helped me as a man in life situations as I find myself.”


 The Arsenal defender capped 32 times by the French national team revealed that he had tried playing for his fatherland but was turned away unceremoniously. 

“I contacted the Senegalese FA to play for the team but was not given the chance, and when the French opportunity came I grabbed it.” Sagna said he had the opportunity of playing in Qatar when he was 18 but had other options then. 


Whether Sagna will play any part in Arsenal’s pre-season in Nigeria and Far-East Asia is not sure, although given the length of time he was sidelined last time it seems unlikely.

Sharp's largest TV on the planet cost N1.7m Naira

When your TV is longer diagonally than most people are tall, that's when you have the largest LED TV on the planet. 

As big as the screen is, so is its price. If you're interested in getting one of these sets and being the talk of the neighborhood, it's going to cost you quite a bit -- N1.7 Million Naira ($10,999.99) to be exact.

That's what Sharp has.

The Japanese company recently introduced what it contends is the largest LED TV in the world, announcing and launching the 90-inch Aquos LED TV.

The TV is 4 feet tall, 8 feet diagonally and more than 6 feet wide with a depth of 5 inches. Sharp says it  weighs 141 pounds. 

In addition to its impressive screen size, its other features seem solid.

The TV has a 1080p resolution and is equipped with Sharp's SmartCentral service, which has apps for Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus and others. The TV is also 3-D ready and comes with two 3-D glasses.

That's a lot, but then again, you don't build the biggest TV out there and then sell it for less.

Three Boko Haram members tagged as 'terrorist' by US

The United States on Thursday named three alleged leaders of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram as "foreign terrorists", the first time it has blacklisted members of the Islamist group blamed for attacks across Africa's most populous nation.

The State Department identified the three as Abubakar Shekau, who it called the "most visible" leader of the group, and Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid al-Barnawi, who it said were tied both to Boko Haram and to al Qaeda's north African wing.


"Under Shekau's leadership, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in northernNigeria, its primary area of operation. In the last 18 months, Boko Haram or associated militants have killed more than 1,000 people," the State Department said in an announcement.

"These designations demonstrate the United States' resolve in diminishing the capacity of Boko Haram to execute violent attacks," it said.

The action by the State and Treasury departments, first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, follows growing pressure on the Obama Administration to take stronger action against Boko Haram, which has stepped up attacks on Christian places of worship this year in its drive to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria.

U.S. officials say the decision to list individual Boko Haram members, rather than apply the more sweeping "Foreign Terrorist Organization" label to the group as a whole as some U.S. lawmakers have demanded, reflected a desire not to elevate the group's profile.

The action freezes any assets the three men have in the United States, and bar U.S. persons from any transactions with them.