Nigeria, Switzerland partner to assist deportees

ABUJA The government of Switzerland has pledged to partner the Federal Government to assist Nigerians deported from Switzerland.
Ms Simonetta Sommaruga Federal Councillor of the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police, made the pledge in Abuja on Friday when she paid a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She said that more than 180 illegal Nigerian immigrants were deported from Switzerland in 2012.
The Swiss federal councillor added that the 180 were, however, granted some "return help" to assist them.
She noted that more than 900 other illegal immigrants had yet to leave that country.
"Another 2 700 asylum seekers came to our country last year but none of them have been granted asylum because they had no genuine reasons to become refugees in
"The asylum requests were turned down because there were no genuine reasons for the asylum.
"However, the more than 180 Nigerians who left our country got return help to come back so they could have something to fall back on."
Sommaruga said that the migration partnership Switzerland shared with Nigeria would enable the Swiss Government to assist Nigeria in the areas of drug, human trafficking and terrorism.
Receiving the Federal Councillor, the Minister of State I, Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, said that skills acquisition centres would be set up by the government to assist the deportees.
Onwuliri said that the centres would encourage Nigerians living illegally in other countries to return, noting that the measure would also save the image of the country.
"It is a wonderful sign that Switzerland sent its justice and police minister to Nigeria and a lot is coming up to strengthen relations between the two countries.
"Talking about the issue of migration and deportation, a lot is being put in place so that it does not continue to dent the image of Nigeria and spoil the relationship between both countries.
"The issue of training for returnees is being taken seriously, it is not just to deport people but for them to know that when they return, they can be gainfully engaged," she said.
The minister urged the Swiss Government to treat seriously the death of Nigerian immigrants under Swiss police custody, calling for full investigation into outstanding cases.
The UN Refugee Agency Report 2011, stated that some 10 500 Nigerians sought asylum in industrialised countries in 2011.
According to the report, Nigerians filed 1 303 applications for asylum in Switzerland.

Finnair world's safest airline

Finnair, the national airline of Finland is the world's safest airline, according to Europe's Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre. Finnair is the fifth oldest airline in the world with uninterrupted existence. It last suffered fatal or hull-loss accidents in 1963.

It ranked Air New Zealand second, followed by Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific.

British Airways was the highest ranking UK carrier, making it into 10th position.

Virgin Atlantic came 15th, easyJet 17th, Thomas Cook Airlines 18th, Thomson fly 26th and Ryanair 32nd.

JACDEC collects and analyses safety occurrences from airlines around the world.

The Safety Index ratings are calculated by comparing serious incidents suffered by airlines over the past 30 years to the revenue passenger kilometres they have flown over the same period. Airlines are also measured against other international safety benchmarks.

No US airline made the top 20, Southwest Airlines coming in highest at No 21.

The Safety Index Top Ten

1 Finnair

2 Air New Zealand

3 Cathay Pacific

4 Emirates

5 Etihad

6 Eva Air

7 Tap Portugal

8 Hainan Airlines

9 Virgin Australia

10 British Airways

Other rankings included Lufthansa (11), ANA (12), Qantas (13), Jetstar Airways (20), Qatar Airways (22), Air Asia (29), Singapore Airlines (30), Malaysia Airlines (35), China Southern Airlines (48), South African Airways (52), Thai Airways International (53), Air India (58) and China Airlines (60).

Virgin Atlantic's proposed new partner Delta, which is planning to buy a stake in the UK airline, came 28th.

In total, there were 496 fatalitites on commercial flights last year, two fewer than in 2011. The number of hull losses (aircraft write-offs) was 44, one less than the previous year.

CNN Christiane Amanpour's Interview with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jo...

What your thoughts on this video?
-->http://victorikoli.blogspot.com/

Immigration surge swells UK population

   LONDON The population of England and Wales swelled between 2001 and 2011 after an influx of 2.9 million people born abroad, while the number of Christians plunged, according to census data published Tuesday.
   The figures from the March 2011 census paint a picture of a changing population, with more foreign-born residents and fewer people of faith.
   The population of England and Wales was 56.1 million, an increase of 3.7 million or seven percent since 2001.
   The number of foreign-born residents rose by 63 percent from 4.6 million in 2001 to 7.5 million a decade later. They now account for 13 percent of the population, up from nine.
   White Britons now make up 80 percent of the population, at 45.1 million people, down from 87 percent in 2001. Some 2.5 percent are ethnic Indian, 2.0 percent ethnic Pakistani.
   Indians accounted for the biggest number of those born abroad, rising 52 percent to 694,000.
   The number of Poles saw a 10-fold increase from 58,000 in 2001 to 579,000 last year and they now make up one percent of the population.
   The Pakistani-born population rose by 56 percent to 482,000. Ireland, Germany, Bangladesh, Nigeria, South Africa, the United States and Jamaica made up the rest of the top 10.
   Forty percent of all foreign-born individuals arrived since 2004, when the European Union expanded to include eastern European countries.
   Foreign-born women have a higher birth rate and the percentage of total births to non-UK-born mothers rose from 18.3 percent in 2004 to 24.3 percent in 2011.
   "These statistics paint a picture of society and help us all plan for the future using accurate information at a local level," said census director Guy Goodwin from the Office for National Statistics.
   "This is just the tip of the iceberg of census statistics," he added.
   The percentage who identified themselves as Christian dropped from 72 percent to 59 percent, while atheists rose from 15 percent to a quarter of the population.
   The fastest-growing religion was Islam, which increased by 75 percent in 10 years to 2.7 million adherents, or 4.8 percent of the population.
   Some 1.5 percent of the population said they were Hindus, while 0.8 percent said they were Sikhs.
   In London, white Britons are no longer the majority. They now account for 3.7 million Londoners, or 44.9 percent of the capital's population.
   Other whites account for 14.8 percent of Londoners. Asians make up 16.9 percent, while people who identified themselves as black account for 11.2 percent.
   Some 61.1 percent of London residents were born in England, followed by 3.2 percent born in India, 1.9 percent in Poland and 1.6 percent in Ireland.
   Twenty-six percent (848,000) of London households contained a resident whose main language was not English.
   The percentage of married people dropped below 50 percent, from 50.9 to 46.6, while the percentage of people divorced rose from 8.2 to 9.0 percent.
   The wealth held by the richest 10 percent of households accounted for 44 percent of overall wealth. The entry bar was ?967,000 ($1.55 million, 1.2 million euros). That held by the poorest 50 percent of households accounted for 10 percent.
   Among the more curious statistics, around 177,000 people claimed to follow the Jedi religion from the "Star Wars" films. Some 6,242 identified their religion as heavy metal, while 1,893 claimed to be Satanists.
   Despite having two cathedrals and more medieval churches than anywhere north of the Alps, some 42.5 percent of people in Norwich, eastern England, said they had no religion, the highest proportion in the census.

Qatar Airways new global sponsor of Barcelona

FC Barcelona and Qatar Sports Investments announce that they have agreed, under the terms of their contract, that Qatar Airways will appear on the Club shirt from the 2013-2014 season as the new Main Global Sponsor.

Meanwhile, Qatar Sports Investments, in agreement with FC Barcelona, has designated Qatar Foundation as the Official Human Development Partner of FC Barcelona, which will allow the promotion of initiatives based on their shared values to continue.

Sandro Rosell, president of FC Barcelona, has welcomed Qatar Airways as, “an ambitious brand with global aspirations, always committed to achieving the utmost excellence in its field. These are objectives with which FC Barcelona fully identifies.”

The contract signed with QSI permits the possibility of including a new logo on the shirt from the third season of the agreement, as reported to the Assembly of Representatives in September 2011. The inclusion of sponsorship on the shirt was agreed at the Assembly of Representatives in August 2003.

Rosell also stressed, “After sharing two fantastic years with Qatar Foundation, we are delighted to be continuing our relationship by welcoming them as our official Human Development Partner.”

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, said, “We are delighted to form this alliance with FC Barcelona, the biggest football club in the world. Qatar Airways has been voted Best Airline in the World for two consecutive years (2011 and 2012) and will work with FC Barcelona on activities of benefit both to fans and passengers, offering tangible rewards to both organisations.”

A Qatar Foundation spokesperson added “when we started this fantastic journey with FC Barcelona, our objective was to work closely with the club, the team and the supporters to promote awareness of Qatar Foundation on an international scale. This has been a huge success. In fact, the first two years of the collaboration have surpassed our expectations and we are looking to deepen and strengthen our relationship with FC Barcelona and its supporters around the world in our continued role as a proud partner of the club.”

Qatar Sports Investments, Qatar Airways and Qatar Foundation are united in their commitment to the success of FC Barcelona.

Qatar Airways, which has been voted World’s Best Airline two years in a row (2011 and 2012), will work with FC Barcelona on joint activities that promise to benefit fans and passengers, offering tangible rewards for both entities.

Dutch police bust Nigerian fake wedding scam

   THE HAGUE Police in the Netherlands busted a wedding scam involving Dutch citizens being paid to go to Britain to marry illegal Nigerian immigrants so they can obtain residency there, prosecutors said on Friday.
   The gendarmerie, responsible for border security, "detained 16 women and seven men this week on the suspicion that they traveled to Britain to enter into fake marriages," it said in a statement.
   "They are almost all of Dutch Antillean origin and were flown to Britain to get married", mainly to Nigerian men and women, it added.
   Once married, the Nigerians would get legal residency in Britain and access to state welfare. In return, the Dutch collaborators would be paid 2500 euros ($3,100) to 3,500 euros.
Members of the Dutch Caribbean community were used so they could be used as look-alike for Nigerians' real partners, who would be brought into Britain after the "wedding" to make the swap complete, prosecution service spokesman Wim de Bruin said.
   Called Operation Dutch Conclusion, the two-year investigation involved Dutch and British law and border security agencies and continental policing agency Europol.
Some 81 people have been arrested over the last two years, De Bruin said, mainly in Britain, of whom 66 have already been sentenced to between a few months and six years on human trafficking charges.
    Those arrested in the Netherlands also face human trafficking charges, the statement added.

Barack Obama's victory speech – full text

At a rally on Wednesday in his hometown of Chicago, Barack Obama delivers a victory speech 
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers, applause.)

 Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. (Cheers, applause.)
It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people. (Cheers, applause.)
Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.
(Cheers, applause.) I want to thank every American who participated in this election. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you voted for the very first time (cheers) or waited in line for a very long time (cheers) – by the way, we have to fix that – (cheers, applause) – whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone (cheers, applause), whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference. (Cheers, applause.)
I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. (Cheers, applause.) We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service. And that is a legacy that we honour and applaud tonight. (Cheers, applause.) In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.
(Cheers, applause.)
I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America's happy warrior, the best vice-president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.)
And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. (Cheers, applause.) Let me say this publicly. Michelle, I have never loved you more. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you too as our nation's first lady. (Cheers, applause.)
Sasha and Malia – (cheers, applause) – before our very eyes, you're growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like your mom. (Cheers, applause.) And I am so proud of you guys. But I will say that, for now, one dog's probably enough. (Laughter.)
To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics – (cheers, applause) – the best – the best ever – (cheers, applause) – some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.
(Cheers, applause.) But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together. (Cheers, applause.) And you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way – (cheers, applause) – to every hill, to every valley. (Cheers, applause.) You lifted me up the whole day, and I will always be grateful for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you've put in. (Cheers, applause.)
I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics who tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym or – or saw folks working late at a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you'll discover something else.
You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organiser who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. (Cheers, applause.) You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. (Cheers, applause.)
You'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home. (Cheers, applause.)
That's why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why elections matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy. That won't change after tonight. And it shouldn't. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter – (cheers, applause) – the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future.
We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers – (cheers, applause) – a country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation – (scattered cheers, applause) – with all of the good jobs and new businesses that follow.
We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened up by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. (Cheers, applause.)
We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on Earth and the best troops this – this world has ever known – (cheers, applause) – but also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.
We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag – (cheers, applause) – to the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner – (cheers, applause) – to the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president.
That's the – (cheers, applause) – that's the future we hope for.
(Cheers, applause.) That's the vision we share. That's where we need to go – forward. (Cheers, applause.) That's where we need to go. (Cheers, applause.)
Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end all the gridlock, resolve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward.
But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. (Cheers, applause.) A long campaign is now over. (Cheers, applause.) And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you. I have learned from you. And you've made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead. (Cheers, applause.)
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. (Cheers, applause.) You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours.
And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together – reducing our deficit, reforming our tax code, fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do. (Cheers, applause.)
But that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about what can be done for us; it's about what can be done by us together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. (Cheers, applause.) That's the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared – (cheers, applause) – that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations, so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great. (Cheers, applause.)
I am hopeful tonight because I have seen this spirit at work in America. I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbours and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I've seen it in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb and in those Seals who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back. (Cheers, applause.) I've seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. (Cheers, applause.)
And I saw it just the other day in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his eight-year-old daughter whose long battle with leukaemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for healthcare reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care. (Cheers, applause.) I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd, listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes because we knew that little girl could be our own.
And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That's who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president. (Cheers, applause.)
And tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope.
[Audience member: "We got your back, Mr President!"]
I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. (Cheers, applause.)
America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunities and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers, applause.) You can make it here in America if you're willing to try.
(Cheers, applause.)
I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)
And together, with your help and God's grace, we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you, America. (Cheers, applause.) God bless you. God bless these United States. (Cheers, applause.)