Fuel scarcity’ll end in nine days –Kachikwu …says he won’t resign, apologises to Nigerians

Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, appeared before the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) on Tuesday to give reasons for the acute fuel scarcity across the country and the efforts being made by his ministry to resolve the embarrassing situation.

He regretted the situation and apologised to Nigerians, who he said were really going through difficult moments, and promised that the scarcity would end on or before April 7.

Kachikwu said he would not resign from his position as minister and instead asked those who were threatening to stage a protest in Abuja to save their money because he took the appointment to work for his fatherland.

The minister stated, “I will not resign. I am here to do my job. Those who are planning to stage a protest against me in Abuja should save their fuel money because I have a job to do, and I am committed to doing it well.

“I share the pains of Nigerians. I feel that pain every day. I walk the streets and those who are following my trajectories since I resumed office would see that even on Christmas day, I was at the refineries. On Easter Day, I was in Lagos monitoring fuel distribution at the depots.

“I have given 24/7 attention to the problems in this industry, which are unbelievable. I have continued to work with one sole purpose in mind, which is that every problem will have a solution.”

Kachikwu added, “I do apologise if a comment I make jocularly with my friends in the press about not being a magician offends some Nigerians; it wasn’t meant to be. It is a side jocular issue and I did go ahead to explain what needed to be done. I didn’t intend to create this kind of hyperbole that it did.

“Let me admit that I am not a typically experienced politician. I am a technocrat. Some of the phraseologies that I may use, while being acceptable in the arena in which I play, obviously will not be acceptable in the public political arena. If anybody’s sensitivities were offended by that, I totally apologise.”

He attributed the current petrol scarcity to the refusal by the major oil marketers to import, diversion of the product by marketers, pipeline vandalism, panic buying and non-computerisation of the distribution network to monitor trucks.

The minister lamented that since the payment of N600bn subsidy arrears, which the current administration inherited from the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, oil marketers had stopped fuel importation.

The development, he said, had forced the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to overstretch its capacity, human resources and facilities in order to bridge the gap, but that the corporation lacked the immediate capacity to handle the task.

Kachikwu said, “Let me put the reasons for the scarcity in three categories. First, when we came in August, this country had arrears of unpaid subsidy claims that were in excess of N600bn, which were not paid for over a year.

“Progressively, over a period of eight months, prior to my coming on board, people had been staying away from importation not at a heavy level, but by about 10 to 15 per cent of allocations were not being met.

“There was hope that ultimately, if the subsidy regime continued, they would get paid; so, some people continued to import, but by the time we came in, people had reached a breaking point and most of the companies didn’t have the liquidity even to go to the banks and open letters of credit, and that became a major issue.”

He said it was obvious that having cleared the N600bn subsidy claims, the country could no longer continue with the subsidy regime owing to dwindling oil revenue and the fact that monumental frauds were being uncovered in the system.

As of January 1 this year, the minister stated that the country was no longer paying subsidy, saving a cumulative amount of over N1tn in a one year period.

Kachikwu noted, “The second major issue was that once the N600bn subsidy money was paid, the ability of the marketers to import the product became a challenge, because they could not raise letters of credit, and up to this point, that still remains a major issue.

“So, even if they wanted to import, they needed letters of credit and adequate foreign exchange cover. Some of them were owing arrears of liabilities as a result of the commitment I had made on petroleum importation.”

As part of efforts to ensure a lasting solution to the problem, he stated that the nation was setting up for the first time strategic reserves of about two million tonnes to provide products always.

He said these would be operational as from May and would contain between five and seven cargos of fuel per reserve.

Kachikwu said, “Once we do that, we should be away from the incessant fuel crisis that we have.

We expect that between now and about the 6th to the 7th of April, the fuel queues will disappear, the DSDP will begin and the foreign exchange allocation will see us smoothly through the track.

“The refineries will be working and the volumes they will be producing will be sent to the strategic reserves to address difficult times. In April, we are expected to get 150 per cent of the volumes that will be needed. A lot of that will go to storage tanks. Hopefully, that should sort out the problem.”

He said privatisation of the refineries remained the best solution to end the fuel crisis in the country.

Source: PUNCH.

Nigeria loses N89bn to cybercrimes annually

Security concept: computer keyboard with word Cyber Crime, selected focus on enter button background

Nigeria loses about N89.55bn ($450m) annually to computer and internet-related frauds; consultant to National Information Technology Development Agency, Mr. Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, has said.
Ajijola said this in an opening remark at the NITDA Public Sector Cyber Security Hands Capacity Building Workshop for IT officers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies organised by NITDA which opened in Abuja on Wednesday.
Quoting the United States Centre for Strategic and International Studies and information security firm McAfee, a subsidiary of Intel which puts Nigeria’s loses to cybercrime at 0.08 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, Ajijola said the country’s annual losses to cybercrimes was equivalent to the its booming cement industry.
He said, “As technology becomes increasingly pervasive and our dependency on it grows, our economic losses will grow exponentially unless pre-emptive measures are taken to mitigate and eliminate the capacity of cybercriminals to take advantage of our environment.
“This does not preclude major disruptions by cybercriminals to critical national infrastructure like oil and gas; telecommunications; banking and finance, national security and government. For example, in January 2016 the infamous “Anonymous hacker collective has started a cyber-campaign against the government of Nigeria, accusing it of corruption, greed, and theft.
“The Nigerian Communications Commission indicates that, as at September 2015, over 97 million Nigerians used the Internet on a daily basis.  According to a 2015 survey by Kaspersky Lab, 45.3 per cent of the internet users in Nigeria suffered attack in the third quarter of 2015. By implication either you or the person next to you was hacked in some way.”
Speaking at the ceremony, Acting Director General of NITDA, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, said Nigeria, like other countries, was facing many challenges such as network design, security, and prevention, as well as cyber-attacks as a result of increasing use of the internet.
“The need for effective security measures to create trust and confidence in our various platforms can therefore not be overemphasised,” he added.

I will be at Arsenal next season – Wenger

Arsene Wenger has confirmed he is not thinking about stepping down from the Arsenal job, as he revealed his intention to stay for at least another season.
The manager’s position has been questioned by some fans, with banners appearing at the Emirates Stadium calling for the long-serving Frenchman to step down following exits from the FA Cup and the Champions League as well as poor Premier League form.
But Wenger insists that he will be back to fight again next season as he enters the final year of his three-year deal with the club.
“During the season, [that criticism] was not very welcome when you fight for the championship, especially after the Tottenham game, when we were a bit unlucky,” he told beIN Sports.
“I give my best to the club I love and if I can share that love with the supporters it’s even better. I want to make sure that I give my best and that I put my knowledge at the disposal of the team.
“I am committed and have no doubt I will be there next season.”
Despite the pressure, Wenger insists that he is only thinking about his own team’s performances as they look to keep up a distant title bid over the last stretch of the season.
“I don’t worry too much about the rest – what people say,” he affirmed.
“All the rest is judgement, opinions and that is linked with belief from the last disappointment or result.
“In my job I focus on how we perform. In life, it’s very important you focus on what you are appointed for – and I am appointed to perform and do the best for my club.
“My future is my future, I don’t master that.”

Actor and Musician Kiefer Sutherland releases video for 'Not Enough Whiskey'

Hear the actor's first single and see its music video.

“If I hear about an actor doing a music project, my eyes are the first to roll,” Sutherland told Rolling Stone.
“It’s been done before and, on some levels, not very well. A lot of
actors make records but won’t tour to support them or make videos, and
it ends up not being serious. I felt strongly that this was something I
wanted to do.”


According to Rolling Stone, Sutherland financed the single-take “Not Enough Whiskey” clip himself.


In March, Sutherland also announced that, in addition to the 11-track Down in a Hole, he’ll hit the road for a string of concerts in April and May.

Marissa Mayer could get up to $37 million If Yahoo gets sold

Marissa Mayer in 90 seconds

Marissa Mayer's tenure at Yahoo could be wrapping up soon. But if she plays her cards right, she could make out like a bandit.

Rumors are heating up about a deal to sell Yahoo. If there is a sale, Mayer could get ousted. In that case, she would take home about $37 million, according to the terms of her employment contract.

This would trigger the release of all her stock awards. In virtually any other scenario, Mayer would have needed to stay at Yahoo for a certain period of time in order to cash out those rewards.
She would get to take home three years salary ($3 million), roughly $9.5 million in stock awards that are scheduled to vest over the course of 2016 and about $24.5 million worth of awards that are scheduled to vest down the road.
But Mayer could get fired before Yahoo is sold, in which case her payout would be significantly less.
In that case, Mayer would take home $12.5 million: $1 million in salary, a $2 million cash bonus and $9.5 million in stock that would vest in 2016.

In either scenario, her golden parachute will be worth significantly less now than it was a year ago.
Yahoo's (YHOO, Tech30) stock price has fallen 23% over the past 12 months. She was granted a huge chunk of stock awards as a kind of signing bonus at the beginning of her employment in July 2012, the bulk of which have already been released into her account.
A year ago, Mayer would have taken home $110 million had she lost her job because of Yahoo's sale and $26 million if she was fired without a sale.


Though Yahoo says it is actively exploring a sale of the company, it is currently fighting a battle on two fronts. Activist hedge fund Starboard Value called for the removal of Yahoo's entire nine-member board last week -- including Mayer, who also serves as a director.
That wouldn't necessarily impact Mayer's job as CEO, but Starboard has expressed strong dissatisfaction with Mayer's efforts to turn around the company.
Mayer's hefty pay package has been the subject of shareholder ire. She made $42 million in cash and stock in 2014, despite being docked $13 million for the company's poor performance. Mayer's 2015 compensation is due to be reported next month.
CNBC reported Monday that Yahoo is in the early stages of negotiating a sale with an unnamed bidder. Verizon (VZ, Tech30) and private-equity firm TPG Capital are rumored to have expressed interest.
Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) isn't interested in buying Yahoo outright anymore (it made an unsolicited $45 million takeover offer in 2008), but it would like to help back a potential deal, in an effort to salvage its lucrative search and advertising deal with Yahoo, according to Re/code.
A spokeswoman from Yahoo declined to comment on the rumors or on Mayer's potential golden parachute.

Nigerian Man Arrested with cocaine worth $720,000 in India

A Nigerian belonging to an international drug racket which employs postal services to smuggle contrabands and illegal drugs has been arrested by the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau, NCB, in collaboration with the Anti-Narcotics Cell, ANC, of the Mumbai police.
Frank Williams, the Nigerian man was arrested with 600 grams of cocaine worth between Rs. 4 crore and Rs. 4.8 crore ($640,000 – $719,500).
The hard drug was detected in the axle of a vehicle which wa sen via post from Latin America.
Leading up to the arrest, the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau received a tip off and therefore worked in collaboration with the Postal services and the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Mumbai police.
The Joint effort trailed the parcel as it crossed over three countries and made the arrest when the parcel reached a post office at Khoparkhairane, Navi in Mumbai.
An official said; “We could have stopped the parcel at the Foreign Post Office as all post parcels are routed through it. We played along so we could reach the recipient,”
Explaining the Modus Operandi of the drug cartels, the Zonal Director of NCB,  Sanjay Jha, explain that the illegal drugs whose demand is on the high in India is sent through postal services or courier companies and addressed to a wrong or non-existent location which will mean return to the postal office.
He added; “They then track the parcel online. When it reaches its destination city, it lies at the post office as the address is wrong. The recipient then picks it up from the post office,”

Woman found dead in deep well in Lagos

A 41-year-old woman, Antinlola Adeyemi, declared missing for about four days by family members, has been found dead in a deep well on Monday in Lagos.
The Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Fadipe Rasaq, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Rasaq said that the family had been looking for her for about four days before she was discovered on Monday.
“The family had been looking for her. She was discovered in the well and we were informed at about 9.30 a.m.; when we got there, she was already swollen.
“It was only her back we were seeing. It was difficult to bring her out. At the time we brought her out, the corpse was handed over to Isheri Police Division police officers.
“The well is situated in front of the houses along the power lines where illegal buildings and other structures were demolished in Ikotun area not too long ago,’’ Rasaq said.

You Are a Creator-Being and Child of Light

"Many people feel that they do not have the power to make major changes in their own lives, and for that reason could not possibly be creating their own reality. What they don't realize is that their thoughts, feelings and beliefs simply provide the energy to send a signal out into the Universe. It is the Universe which amplifies this signal by adding all the energy required to rearrange a personal reality and manifest a new life experience.

If people only knew that they have the power to ask the Universe to change their reality, they would understand that they are not weak and helpless victims of circumstances, but empowered Children of Light exercising their birthright as Creator-Beings. A Being of Light is empowered to ask the Universe because the Universe is itself made of Light. So in a sense, when you send a signal out in the Universe, you are sending a signal into the essence of your own being, and it is because the Universe recognizes you as a Child of Light, as being one with itself in essence, that it obeys your request. Thus, manifesting a reality is fundamentally you and the Universe being as one, and moving as one, and this is the real secret of your own nature and your own power."

- Angel Alariel (Channeled in the book "Beyond Limitations - The Power of Conscious Co-Creation")

Messi Blames Media For Constant Ronaldo Comparison

Barcelona talismanic forward, Lionel Messi has put the blame of the constant comparison to Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo on the media, saying he doesn’t care about it.
He said this in an interview with MBC, adding that he is only concerned with helping his team and becoming a better player.
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated world football’s most prestigious awards in recent times, combining to win the last eight editions of the FIFA Ballon D’Or award.
He said: “The press is always looking for comparisons and those kinds of things.
“The only thing I care about is helping my team and to keep on improving each season.
“I am not comparing myself to Cristiano Ronaldo or to anyone else. I am only thinking about myself and my team-mates and winning games.”
The two players are due to meet in the el clasico, where both players will have a chance to compete against each other for the second time in the current season.
Extolling the talent in the rival team, Messi said: “Real Madrid have some great players. They have always had some impressive stars and are one of the best teams in the world.”

The Wonderful Thing about this Universe

"You see, the only way you can guarantee what you want for yourself is to keep your vibration purely on what it is you want. When you finally understand that you will be free. What appears in your life experience is solely and only a function of your thoughts and beliefs. Otherwise, others could create in your experience and that simply cannot happen. Others creating in your experience is a violation of universal law. The universe is set up so that each and every one may receive what is wanted no matter what the others are doing.

Life is a win–win situation. People receive what they are focused upon. Your thoughts and beliefs precisely establish the content of your vibration, to which all things in the universe respond. Those who choose to focus in a disconnected way will live lives of disconnection. Those who are focused in a positive way will live lives in a positive condition, connected to the flow of universal energy. The parameters of your existence may change if others change; but it will still be a positive existence IF you keep your focus on what you want! It is simply up to you what you choose; the universe has the capacity to respond. You may live exactly as you choose to live. That’s the wonderful thing about this universe –– the desires of everyone may be satisfied.

We want to say to you that you cannot lose, you are always and will always receive a precise vibrational match to your desires no matter whether you are a physically focused consciousness in a body, or whether you are completely in ‘non–physical.’ Whatever you choose as your place of vibration (thought, belief, and feeling) you will have a matching experience. That is just the way it is! If you choose abundance and prosperity you can experience it, in whatever form you envision.

As we have said over and over, you are the molder of your own experiences! You are in charge, you are the writer and director of your own life. Our message is 100% empowering because that is the way the universe is set up. You are focused consciousness, an aspect or extension of universal consciousness, which created and designed the universe. We want you to know that the set–up for all life experience is a win–win. There is no lose; unless, of course, you want to experience that way.

Lighten up! Life is not supposed to be ‘serious,’ at least that was not what you intended before you came here. As you lighten up and relax into your connection you will find (as you have found) that life becomes simpler and more joyful and more exciting!"

- Conversations with My Higher Self (A book channeling the same entity known as "Abraham Hicks")

There's a little cave man in all of us: Early human inbreeding

• People living in South Asia have DNA from Denisovans, an early hominin, new research finds
• The genes we borrowed from ancestor cousins may have helped us adapt to new environments but reduced our fertility

(CNN)Your ancestry can reveal a lot about you, including how related you are to cave men.

If you have Chinese heritage, you might have slightly more Neanderthal in your genome, while a new study finds that people from South Asia have more Denisovan, another type of early human, in their DNA.

Evidence started to emerge in 2010 that our distant ancestors interbred with Neanderthals, the Stone Age hominins who populated Europe until around 40,000 years ago. We can all, with the exception of African people, credit Neanderthals for around 2% of our genome. (Our ancestors apparently started hooking up with their stocky cousins after moving out of Africa.)

Now it seems Neanderthals were not the only interbreeding game in town. The new study finds that Denisovans interbred with the distant ancestors of people living in what is now South Asia, including India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Previously the only people known to have detectable traces of Denisovan DNA were in Papua New Guinea, Australia, China and other parts of East Asia.

The inter-hominin mating, both with Neanderthals and Denisovans, seemed to bestow our ancestors with advantageous traits, such as thicker hair (thanks, Neanderthals) and ability to live at high altitudes (courtesy of Denisovans). However the new study suggests that there could also have been evolutionary downsides to interbreeding, such as reduced fertility.

"The South Asia finding was a bit of a surprise. It is not explainable by what we know about human history," said Sriram Sankararaman, assistant professor of computer science and human genetics at the University of California-Los Angeles. Sankararaman is the lead author of the study, which was published Monday in Current Biology.

Researchers had been thinking that our ancestors could have picked up Denisovan DNA just once, when one population of our ancestors intermingled with one population of Denisovans, and then the descendants moved to East Asia and the Pacific Islands. Although that still could have happened, Sankararaman said these findings also raise the possibility that Homo sapiens made babies with Denisovans in three different areas, including South Asia.

The current study and previous research suggest that we can no longer think of our ancestors as interbreeding with other hominins only once, said John Hawks, professor of anthropology at University of Wisconsin-Madison. "It is happening repeatedly, wherever modern humans are coming into contact with these archaic people," said Hawks, who was not involved in the current study.

Of all the nationalities today, Papua New Guineans and Australians can claim the most Denisovan DNA, about 5% of their genome, followed by South Asians, and then East Asians and Native Americans, all at around 2%. Europeans have no detectable Denisovan DNA.

What's in your caveman genes?

Looking at the kind of Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA we possess "is a first step to understanding the (genomic) regions which might have been important for modern humans," Sankararaman said. We can also learn a lot from the regions of our genome where cave man DNA is glaringly absent.

The current study found some of the most prevalent Neanderthal genes are associated with thicker skin and hair, just as previous research concluded.

"You have humans that lived in Africa, and now they are going into different environments in the world and there are already populations (of Neanderthals and Denisovans) that adapted to those environments. And so, for the modern humans it almost makes sense that they borrow the genes from them," Sankararaman said.

The study also found evidence that our ancestors may not have passed on certain parts of the genome from their hominin cousins, such as a less evolutionarily advanced version of the FOXP2 gene, which is thought to play a role in language and speech.

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"We all agree there has been positive and negative selection. ... It is interesting that similar regions in both Neanderthal and Denisovans, like FOXP2, had negative selection," said Rasmus Nielsen, professor of evolutionary biology at University of California-Berkeley, who was not involved in the current research.

Another group of genes that seems to be avoided by early humans, from an evolutionary standpoint, is involved in reproduction. This finding suggests that the offspring of an early human and Neanderthal or Denisovan pairing could have been less able to procreate and pass on their genes. If interbreeding reduces fertility, Hawks said, "that creates the expectation that maybe (these three hominins) were different species," which has been a matter of debate.

Woman in Power: Brazilian President under Pressure to Resign

The tarnished president should now resign

DILMA ROUSSEFF’S difficulties have been deepening for months. The massive scandal surrounding Petrobras, the state-controlled oil giant of which she was once chairman, has implicated some of the people closest to her. She presides over an economy suffering its worst recession since the 1930s, largely because of mistakes she made during her first term. Her political weakness has rendered her government almost powerless in the face of rising unemployment and falling living standards. Her approval ratings are barely in double digits and millions of Brazilians have taken to the streets to chant “Fora Dilma!”, or “Dilma out!”
And yet, until now, Brazil’s president could fairly claim that the legitimacy conferred by her re-election in 2014 was intact, and that none of the allegations made against her justified her impeachment. Like the judges and police who are pursuing some of the most senior figures in her Workers’ Party (PT), she could declare with a straight face her desire to see justice done.

In this section

Now she has cast away that raiment of credibility. On March 16th Ms Rousseff made the extraordinary decision to appoint her predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to be her chief of staff. She portrayed this as a shrewd hire. Lula, as he is known to all, is a canny political operator: he could help the president survive Congress’s attempt to impeach her and perhaps even stabilise the economy. But just days before, Lula had been briefly detained for questioning at the order of Sérgio Moro, the federal judge in charge of the Petrobras investigation (dubbed lava jato, or “car wash”), who suspects that the former president profited from the bribery scheme. Prosecutors in the state of São Paulo have accused Lula of hiding his ownership of a beach-front condominium. He denies these charges. By acquiring the rank of a government minister, Lula would have partial immunity: only the country’s supreme court could try him. In the event, a judge on the court has suspended his appointment.
This newspaper has long argued that either the judicial system or voters—not self-serving politicians trying to impeach her—should decide the president’s fate. But Ms Rousseff’s hiring of Lula looks like a crass attempt to thwart the course of justice. Even if that was not her intention, it would be its effect. This was the moment when the president chose the narrow interests of her political tribe over the rule of law. She has thus rendered herself unfit to remain president.

Three ways to leave the Planalto

How she exits the Planalto, the presidential palace, matters greatly. We continue to believe that, in the absence of proof of criminality, Ms Rousseff’s impeachment is unwarranted. The proceeding against her in Congress is based on unproven allegations that she used accounting trickery to hide the true size of the budget deficit in 2015. This looks like a pretext for ousting an unpopular president. The idea, put forward by the head of the impeachment committee, that congressmen deliberating Ms Rousseff’s fate will listen to “the street”, would set a worrying precedent. Representative democracies should not be governed by protests and opinion polls.
There are three ways of removing Ms Rousseff that rest on more legitimate foundations. The first would be to show that she obstructed the Petrobras investigation. Allegations by a PT senator that she did so may now form the basis of a second impeachment motion, but they are so far unproven and she denies them; Ms Rousseff’s attempt to shield Lula from prosecution may provide further grounds. A second option would be a decision by Brazil’s electoral court to call a new presidential election. It may do that, if it finds that her re-election campaign in 2014 was financed with bribes channelled through Petrobras executives. But this investigation will be drawn out. The quickest and best way for Ms Rousseff to leave the Planalto would be for her to resign before being pushed out.
Her departure would offer Brazil the chance of a fresh start. But the president’s resignation would not, of itself, solve Brazil’s many underlying problems. Her place would initially be taken by the vice-president, Michel Temer, leader of the Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement. Mr Temer could head a national-unity government, including opposition parties, which, in theory, might be able to embark on the fiscal reforms needed to stabilise the economy and close a budget deficit that is close to 11% of GDP.
Sadly, Mr Temer’s party is as deeply enmeshed in the Petrobras scandal as the PT. Many politicians who would join a unity government, including some from the opposition, are popularly seen as representatives of a discredited ruling class. Of Congress’s 594 members, 352 face accusations of criminal wrongdoing. A new presidential election would give voters an opportunity to entrust reforms to a new leader. But even this would leave the rotten legislature in place until 2019.
The judiciary, too, has questions to answer. Judges deserve great credit for holding Brazil’s mightiest businessmen and politicians to account, but they have undermined their cause by flouting legal norms. The latest example is Mr Moro’s decision to release recorded telephone conversations between Lula and his associates, including Ms Rousseff. Most jurists believe that only the supreme court may divulge conversations in which one of the parties has legal immunity, as the president does. This does not justify the claim from government supporters that the judges are staging a “coup”. But it makes it easy for lava jato suspects to divert attention from their own misdeeds to the blunders of their pursuers.
Brazil’s war of parties and personalities obscures some of the most important lessons of the crisis. Both the Petrobras scandal and the economic crash have their origins in misconceived laws and practices that are decades old. Getting Brazil out of its mess requires wholesale change: controlling public spending, including on pensions; overhauling growth-crushing tax and labour laws; and reforming a political system that encourages corruption and weakens political parties.
These can no longer be put off. Those chanting “Fora Dilma!” on the streets would claim victory if she was ousted. But for Brazil itself to win it would be just the first step.

See The New Aston Martin That’s Limited To Only 5 in the World

When Aston Martin releases a limited-run of a production car, they make sure it’s special. From the Bond-themed DB10 auction they’re hosting, or their highly customizable ‘Q by Aston Martin’ line, they make sure buyers are treated to a unique automotive experience.
Aston Martin’s latest luxury car twist pays homage to The Blades, Britain’s acrobatic aircraft display team made up of former RAF fast-jet pilots, and former members of the Red Arrows.

The aircraft-inspired V8 Vantage S Blades Edition will be extremely exclusive – just five will go to production. Each car is distinct with a unique badge linking it directly to one of The Blades’ Extra 300SC and Extra 300LP aircrafts.

Aston Martin is all about the experience though, so when the $170,000 cars are given to buyers in March, they’ll spend the full day with The Blades team. British car and aviation hobbyists should act fast; there’s only one model left for sale.

Barcelona Still Owing Liverpool Over Luis Suarez’s Transfer

The details of Luis Suarez’s transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona have been leaked online.
The deal, worth £65 million, took place in July 2014 after the Uruguayan won the European Golden Shoe, having netted 31 league goals for Liverpool in the 2013/2014 season.
According to documents leaked online by Football Leaks, the Catalan club still owe Liverpool the final instalment of the transfer payment.
The European and domestic champions have been paying £13 million pounds every six months, which is a common practice in transfer deals in football.
The documents also show that the Anfield side did not ask for any performance-based add-ons, which is a common practice in the transfer of high-calibre players such as the 29-year-old.
This is believed to have been caused by the furore generated when Suarez bit Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, which earned him a four-month ban.
The Merseysiders were said to have been relieved to let him go after the incident, following a series of incidents that also pitched him against the club.
Football Leaks have on previous occasions leaked transfer documents of many players in the Spanish league, many of whom are Real Madrid stars.

Why Christians Should Not Celebrate Easter by Femi Aribisala

Most Christians are unaware that Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity.
Easter is not a Christian holiday. The word Easter is not even scriptural; it does not exist in true translations of the bible. Easter was smuggled into the King James Bible in Acts 12:4, where it was substituted for the original word; “Passover:” “When (Herod) had apprehended (Peter), he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
As a matter of fact, the word Easter only appears in the King James Version of English bible translations. It does not exist in any other English bible translation. Even the King James Version was forced to remove it from its revised version, known as the New King James Version. Queen of Heaven Most Christians are unaware that Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity.
Noah’s son, Ham, married a woman called Ashtoreth. In some cultures, Ashtoreth is called Ishtar, which is transliterated in English as Easter. Ashtoreth made herself “the Queen of Heaven;” the goddess of fertility and became an object of worship. This idol worship of Ashtoreth, later camouflaged in Christendom as Easter, is specifically forbidden in the scriptures. God says:
The women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces? Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, my anger and my fury will be poured out on this place.” (Jeremiah 7:17-20).
God punished Israel for succumbing to the worship of Ashtoreth (Ishtar): “They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So he delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them.” (Judges 2:13-14). Accordingly, Samuel counselled Israel to forsake Ashtoreth (Ishtar) worship:
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve him only; and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 7:3). Sun worship Ham and Ashtoreth gave birth to a son called Nimrod. After Ham’s death, Nimrod married Ashtoreth; his own mother, and became a powerful king of ancient Babylon.
When Nimrod was also killed, Ashtoreth deified him as sun-god or life-giver. Indeed, Easter means “movement towards the rising sun.” It pertains to the religious rites of people who worship the sun and the signs of the heavens.
Sun worship is expressly forbidden in the scriptures. Ezekiel says: “I was then led into the temple’s inner courtyard, where I saw about twenty-five men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the LORD’s temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun.
God said, ‘Ezekiel, it’s bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things.’” (Ezekiel 8:16-17). Nevertheless, following this pagan tradition, “Sunrise Services” are conducted on Easter Sunday mornings in many Christian denominations. Hot crossed buns In Western Europe, it is traditional to eat hot-crossed buns on Easter Sunday morning. This is where we get the limerick: “Hot crossed buns; hot crossed buns. One a-penny, two a-penny, hot cross buns.
These small sweet buns are usually decorated with solar crosses made of white icing. They were consecrated in ancient Greece to the goddess of the sunrise. In ancient Babylon, the buns were offered to the Queen of Heaven; the goddess of Easter. Pagan Lent After the death of Nimrod, Ashtoreth (Ishtar) gave birth to Tammuz, a son she claimed was Nimrod reborn.
When Tammuz was killed by a wild boar, Ashtoreth instituted an annual ritual of 40 days of mourning for Baal worshippers, when no meat was allowed to be eaten. This pagan tradition of “weeping for Tammuz” is specifically proscribed in the scriptures. God said to Ezekiel: “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.
So he brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’S house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.” (Ezekiel 8:13-14). Nevertheless, weeping for Tammuz has been absorbed into Christianity by the institution of Lent; a 40-day period of fasting and prayer observed in some Christian denominations as a prelude to Easter.
Just like Easter, Lent is not scriptural. Neither the word nor the custom exist in the bible. Lent begins, according to Christian tradition, on Ash Wednesday; which is also pagan. The ashes were said to be the seed of the Indian fire god, Agni, deemed to have the power to forgive sins. Easter egg Because of their prolific nature in reproduction, rabbits were associated with Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. This is where Christians borrowed the tradition of the Easter bunny.
Ancient Babylonians believed an egg fell into the Euphrates River from the moon. Queen Ishtar was apparently “hatched” from this egg. This moon egg was called Ishtar’s egg; which became in Christendom Easter egg. Shifting date Have you noticed that your birthday falls on different days from year to year? So how come the celebration of Easter always falls on Friday and on Sunday? Moreover, unlike your birthday, the date for Easter changes from year to year.
Sometimes it is in March; sometimes in April. Easter moves from year to year because the date has nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus but with the changing cycles of the moon. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Vernal Equinox full moon; which is consecrated by pagans as Ishtar’s Sunday. This signifies the astronomical arrival of spring. The pagan belief is that the sun dies at winter (Christmas) and is reborn at spring (Easter).
Good Saturday Good Friday is also a misnomer. Jesus was not crucified on a Friday. The week in which he was crucified contained two Sabbaths and he was crucified on a Wednesday. The following Thursday was a high Sabbath day; the first day of unleavened bread. Jesus did not resurrect on a Sunday. He resurrected on a Saturday, which was a regular weekly Sabbath day different from the high Sabbath of the preceding Thursday. Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb on Sunday morning, while it was still dark.
Christians should realise that from Friday evening to Sunday morning does not constitute three days and three nights in the grave, but one day and two nights. The decision to change the day of the resurrection to Sunday was simply a continuation of the Babylonian tradition. Nimrod was ostensibly resurrected on a Sunday; a day devoted to worshipping the sun.
By AD 321, Constantine established Sunday as part of the official state religion, and the Sabbath was statutorily changed from Saturday to Sunday. Christians should desist from celebrating Easter: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity.’” (Jeremiah 10:2-3).

Ibinabo may be looking at fresh jail term – Emeka Ike

Emeka Ike, the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria has voiced out on the condition of his opposition and past president of the body, Ibinabo Fiberesima.
In a chat with Saturday Beats, the AGN President warned that the Actress who has surrounded herself with the wrong set of people could be back in jail yet again for contempt of court.
Clearing the air on issues, Emeka Ike said; ”My victory at the court has nothing to do with Ibinabo’s predicament. This case is different and if Ibinabo is going to go to jail for my own case, they should come and beg me. Instead of them to come and beg me, they are still going to the press to say all sorts of rubbish about me. There is still a second jail term for Ibinabo. It is called contempt of court and it would also include Segun Arinze. People have threatened to kill me but I am not scared of them. I am waiting for them and I would look them in the face and tell them that they are evil and I am righteous.
“I did not take the issue to the police but straight to the court and I am happy that justice has been served. Anyone that ties Ibinabo’s plight to my victory is only trying to blackmail me and I know they would not stop blackmailing me. How can anyone say that I sent Ibinabo to jail? Am I the Giwa family or the government?
“How can I be happy that Ibinabo has been sentenced to jail? I feel very bad. The people saying that I am happy about the sentence are actually Ibinabo’s enemies.
This is a lady that was used because of the powers she could garner and control. Some people were using her and now that they have messed her up, they are still using her in prison. Ibinabo would never say that Emeka Ike sent her to jail, it is impossible.because she knows why she is there. What I was only telling Nigerians is that people of Ibinabo’s status do not contest for any public office. Should we stop telling the truth? She had a criminal issue in court.
“Let’s leave sentiments, we have to be realistic. I cannot be happy about her predicament because it is rather unfortunate that she is surrounded by the wrong people and advisers; she was surrounded by sycophants. Instead of them to tell her how to solve her problem, they were pushing her to jail and now that she is in jail, they will not leave her alone.
“Why did they not advise her to form a team and go to Giwa’s family house and roll on the floor for forgiveness? They could have sent her away for days but they would not send her away forever. We are a cultural people, I am sure that after going repeatedly, an elder in the family would plead on her behalf and say something like, ‘our son is dead and nothing can bring him back, let us just forgive her.’ She should have been very remorseful but she wasn’t. We told Nigerians that some of us would not agree but they began to call us names because we took the matter to court,”

“You Will Die!”- Apostle Suleiman Curses El-Rufia During Service

Apostle Johnson Suleiman, President of the Omega Fire Ministries, during a sermon called out the Governor of Kaduna state, stating that his days were numbered and that he would die.
The Pastor it seems, is taking exception to the proposed bill in Kaduna that will make it compulsory for preachers to get licences before they can preach.
A lot of people have already reacted unfavourably to El-Rufai’s plans, with many calling it a plot to Islamize Nigeria.
The pastor took it further in his impassioned sermon, calling the Governor names, arguing that he was not only against the will of God but also against the constitution and even referencing the rumor that he was slapped by his Deputy Barnabas Bantex.

Chinese Man who Married Sex Doll after Being Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer

Sex Doll? Yes Sex Doll, this Chinese man married the sex doll after being diagnosed with cancer. In a couple of romantic wedding photographs, you would think the bride is a real person, the man claimed that he doesn’t want to leave a bereaved widow after his death.

Three Nigerian Billionaires under 40

Sijibomi is notably the youngest Nigerian man so far to reach a billion in earnings from business investments. He is 34 and the CEO of Sijimoto, a real estate business empire. Sijimoto is a key player in real estate both in Nigeria and beyond. He currently has over 70 houses in Ikoyi listed as his own
Sijibomi was not born a success. He worked himself into it. He grew up in Agege but because of his vision, he decided to push on for a better life. At a very young age, the young lad would leave his suburb Agege to be at the Ikoyi Polo Club; his mission then was to be like the rich and opulent so as to emulate their unique lifestyles.
Today, his lifestyle suits his status as a billionaire. Sijibomi revealed his affection for fast cars and antique watches. At 33, he bought a pricey Patek Phillipe wristwatch that costs $150,000 (N23 million) and when asked, he said he procured it so his grandson can one day use it.
Ladi Delano
image: http://www.theheraldng.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/image-6.jpg
At 35, Ladi is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bakrie Delano Africa – a $1 billion joint venture with the $15 billion Bakrie Group of Indonesia.
He started the journey to riches from age 22 he founded Solidarnosc Asia, a Chinese alcoholic beverage company that made Solid XS, a premium brand of vodka. Forbes Africa listed him as one of Nigeria’s top earners to watch.
This is an excerpt from the report done on him by Forbes Africa back in 2013
The path may have been well lit, but hardship lurked around the corner. In his student days, Delano found he suffered from mild dyslexia and deafness in one ear. Learning became more and more difficult and the idea of school waned. Despite this, with the help of extra lessons, Delano made it to a top university on a day he describes as glorious. The novelty soon wore off and academia became Delano’s nemesis. In his second year of a political science degree, he made up his mind. “It became quite clear that I didn’t have a passion for my course. I think that lead to me being easily distracted and that, ultimately, culminated in me thinking that rather than flogging a dead horse, it would make more sense to do something I was more comfortable with. There are two types of education and each form of education is equally as valuable. The academic approach to education is vital, no business can operate and be successful without those who have spent the time to understand the academic side of anything. However, that approach to education is not necessarily for everybody. And in my case, it wasn’t. So, I decided to withdraw from the university,” he says. Delano’s decision didn’t go down well at home, but there was no stopping him. At least, university education had planted the idea of becoming an entrepreneur.“
Igho Sanomi
The 40-year-old Igho Sanomi is the founder and CEO of Taleveras Group, a Nigerian energy, power and construction conglomerate. Taleveras is arguably one of Africa’s largest energy trading companies, trading close to a billion barrels of crude oil and millions of tons of condensates, gasoline, jet fuel and LPG every year. Taleveras also owns substantial stakes in two oil blocks in Nigeria as well as lucrative production sharing contracts (PSCs) in three offshore oil blocks in Ivory Coast. The group Power subsidiary constructs electrical substations in Nigeria and also owns a majority stake in the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company. The towering conglomerate has an annual turnover of several billions of dollars. Igho Sanomi is the controlling shareholder of the group.
At 40, Mr Sanomi is arguably one of the youngest kings of oil and gas Nigeria has ever seen.

ISIS bomber kills 41 at football tournament

At least 41 people have been killed by a suicide bomber who blew himself as trophies were presented after a local football tournament in Iraq.
More than 100 others were wounded in the attack near the village of al Asriya, 25 miles (40km) south of Baghdad.
Video posted on social media shows a local official speaking in front of a table covered with trophies and calling out the name of a player before a huge explosion.
The footage cuts off with a yellow flash of light before resuming with the chaotic scenes afterwards.
Mayor Ahmed Shaker was among the dead, along with one of his bodyguards and at least five members of the security forces.
“The suicide bomber cut through the crowd to approach the centre of the gathering and blew himself up as the mayor was presenting awards,” an 18-year-old witness told AFP.
Islamic State said it carried out the attack, which it claimed was targeting Shia militiamen.
It also said it killed three Iraqi soldiers in an attack on a military base in Anbar province.
“Four suicide bombers this morning infiltrated the military base of Al-Asad on its northern edge,” said Major General Ali Ibrahim Daboun, head of the Al-Jazeera Operations Command.
IS has lost ground in recent months in Iraq and Syria and but has hit back with a series of attacks, including the Brussels bombings.
On Friday, the US said the group’s second-in-command had been killed in an American raid in Syria.
Defence Secretary Ash Carter told reporters the “well-known terrorist”, Haji Imam, also known as Abdul Rahman Mustafa al Qaduli, was the group’s finance minister.
In Iraq, a military spokesman announced the country’s troops and Sunni tribal fighters had recaptured the town of Kubeisa in Anbar from IS.
The day before IS fighters were pushed out of a string of villages in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province as the US-led military coalition carried out airstrikes.
Iraqi ground forces are working to build on recent gains in Anbar and prepare for an eventual push on Mosul, the largest city held by the militants in their self-declared “caliphate” in northern Iraq and Syria.
The US estimates IS has lost 40% of the territory it once held in Iraq, as well as around 20% of its territory in Syria.

1000 Young Nigerians to Receive N500million Naira Grant for Start Ups

The YESGrant will provide business training for up to 600 aspiring young entrepreneurs

ABUJA, Nigeria, March 26, 2016/ — Over 1000 Nigerians will this year be beneficiaries of N500Million Naira Grant seed capital set aside for young Nigerian entrepreneurs and students.
This was disclosed today during the launch of the YESGrant Scheme (www.YESGrant.com) by the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) (http://www. NYPForum.org) in partnership with Heritage Bank, which took place at the Four Point Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.
The event which was very well attended by dignitaries, including representatives from the Nigerian University Commission (NUC), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as well as captains of industries and top Government Functionaries as part of efforts to grow more indigenous entrepreneurs among young Nigerians and deliberately create over 50,000 jobs in the next 5 years of the program circle.
Speaking during the launch, Chairman of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), Moses Siloko Siasia, said he was inspired by the big impact small businesses can have on the economy and that was why the grant was created to provide incubator support to enable young entrepreneurial postulants with creative ideas in Agriculture, ICT and creative economy start or expand their business concepts in those areas.
“I have built businesses from the scratch and I understand the challenges people face and that is why I am optimistic that if given the necessary support, young Nigerians will not only grow the Nigerian economy, they will completely revolutionize it”.
Speaking also, the Managing Director of Heritage Bank (http://www.HBng.com), who was represented by the Head of Marketing Strategy Mr Obioma Emenike said he was optimistic that the initiative would lead to start ups and give a boost to economic growth and issued a call out to entrepreneurs to use their network to encourage their friends and colleagues apply for it.
The YESGrant will provide business training for up to 600 aspiring young entrepreneurs spread across all geo-political zones in Nigeria and will encourage expansion, specialization and spin-offs of existing businesses, which is to enable young entrepreneurs access a wide business professional network and improve their visibility, while entrepreneurs will receive up to 2million Naira annually as grant.
The YESGrant is to enable Nigerian students with extreme financial need pursue their academic dreams and aspiration in the areas of research and technological/scientific innovation and it will also help low income and disadvantage students with their tuition of which over 500 students will benefit from this year’s grant .
Furthermore, Students studying in Nigeria will receive up to 500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) while those studying in the United Kingdom will receive up to 3,000pounds and those studying in the United States will receive up to 5,000dollars annually as grant
To apply for the YESGrant available at www.YESGrant.com prospective recipients must be between the ages of 18- 40, be registered members of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) and have an account with Heritage Bank prior to the disbursement of the funds in August 2016. Student’s award recipients must in addition provide their matriculation number and academic progression report.

23 year old Frances Bean Divorced from Husband Isaiah Silva after 21months of marriage

Frances Bean Cobain

 

Frances Bean Cobain was spotted at the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, just days after news broke that she had filed for divorce from husband Isaiah Silva.

The 23-year-old artist donned dark sunglasses with her hair in a ponytail as she walked through the airport. She was dressed casually, wearing a t-shirt and black pants with a tan and brown jacket.

Cobain, the daughter of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, and Silva are divorcing after 21 months of marriage, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The Catholic Church puts one foot forward on the path to including women

In her 50th Easter season as a nun, Sister Antonia Sanchez participated in something new.

For the past 49 years, since she joined the order of Religious Mary Immaculate at age 16, Sanchez has watched priests wash the feet of men on Holy Thursday. This week, Sanchez was before the altar herself at the nation’s preeminent Catholic shrine. She was the one removing her shoes and socks. And then the pope’s representative to America washed her feet.

This was the first Easter since Pope Francis decreed in January that priests can include women in the foot-washing ritual, one of the most moving rites of the holiest week on the church’s calendar. The change had already happened in some churches, but since Francis made it official, it is now spreading worldwide.

Sanchez has been waiting for this for half a century. “I said, ‘Maybe sometime,'” she said. “This is the first time the pope said this opportunity has to be for ladies too. In this moment, I feel I’m privileged.”

The change is the most recent of Pope Francis’s slow but symbolically powerful efforts to expand women’s roles in church life.
On his first Easter after becoming pope in 2013, Francis washed the feet of women and Muslims at a juvenile detention center in Rome. While he has disappointed liberals within the church with his reiteration that women can’t be priests and his decision not to include women in his recent synods, he has also drawn attention to the gender wage gap, and he recently ended an inquiry into American nuns that many saw as anti-women.

As priests around the world took both women’s and men’s feet in their hands on Thursday, their gesture of humility represented to many the progress of inclusion in the Catholic church.
The Easter Week tradition models Jesus’s call for humility when he washed the feet of his Apostles at the Last Supper. In the gospel that was read on Thursday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the country’s largest Catholic church, the apostle Peter asked, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” And Jesus responded, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Jesus also instructed the apostles at the Last Supper to continue the tradition of foot-washing.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who is the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States, spoke about the rite in his homily. “By cleansing their feet, he demonstrated his desire to cleanse their souls of sin,” he said. “Only God stooping down to us can lift us up.”
Then the archbishop removed his peaked hat and left his throne-like seat. As the choir sang, “Love one another as I have loved you,” each of the 12 people chosen by the Basilica to represent the 12 disciples solemnly removed their shoes, and Viganò knelt before each of them with a bowl and pitcher.

For centuries, foot-washing was done among clergy only, away from the presence of the laity. Men and women both participated, but most likely not in mixed company, according to Peter Jeffery, who wrote a book on the foot-washing tradition. Leaders in monastic communities would wash the feet of the lower members. Mother superiors would wash the feet of other nuns.
Then in 1956, Pope Pius XII revised the Holy Week liturgies to make foot-washing part of the Holy Thursday Mass.
The incorporation of the ritual into the Mass was “to make the Holy Week liturgies more interesting to the people,” said John Baldovin, a Jesuit priest who teaches historical and liturgical theology at Boston College. Pope Pius XII’s document specified that 12 men be chosen.
Pope Francis changed that language in the Roman Missal, the text which prescribes the format of Catholic Mass. Now it says instead of “men,” “those chosen from amongst the people of God.”

In many American churches, women have been participating in the ritual alongside men for years. These churches have interpreted the act as connoting service and humility, not as simply reenacting a gesture involving 12 male apostles.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which oversees the American Catholic Church, declared in 1987 that even though the Roman Missal specified men, women could also participate “in recognition of the service that should be given by all the faithful to the Church and to the world.”

The Rev. Michael J. Flynn, the secretariat of divine worship at the USCCB, said his organization does not track how many of the tens of thousands of parishes in the U.S. wash men’s or women’s feet, or include foot-washing in their Holy Thursday observance.

But he said that nearly every parish does choose to perform the well-liked rite, and the new guidelines will likely spur holdouts to start including women if they did not before.

“Given the understandable publicity over this recent change, it seems to me that there will be a certain level of expectation in most areas that both women and men will be included in the Washing of the Feet,” Flynn wrote in an email. “Like any change in our rituals, this alteration invites us to reexamine why we do it to begin with…. Perhaps part of Pope Francis’s motivation for altering the ritual is to remind us exactly who our neighbors are, whom we are called to serve.”

Not all Catholics looked favorably on the change. Some conservatives voiced disapproval, including the Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a blogger popular among traditional Catholics. In a blog post, he said he feared that the change “could be interpreted to mean that liturgical norms mean very little and, worse, that liturgy means very little.”

But for many in the church, including women in the foot-washing service was not a tough decision.

“It was very simple. The pope changed the rules,” said Monsignor Walter Rossi at the Basilica of the National Shrine. The imposing domed shrine in Northeast Washington, central to American Catholicism, had never included women before in the rite. “We quickly said, ‘Oh, this is what we’re doing now.’”

Rossi said he recognized that the National Shrine is “a model for liturgy for the country.” When the cameras that broadcast the Basilica’s Mass online and on television went live on Thursday night, he knew many eyes would be on the foot-washing. “People watching on TV will be looking to see if we do it.”

The more interesting question for the Basilica was whom to invite for the honor of having their feet washed.

The church picked eight men and four women; members of its staff and two people who were homeless; lifelong devotees and a recent convert.

Rosie Armstrong of Gaithersburg became a Catholic last Easter, and this year, she was in front of hundreds of people who packed the Basilica’s long nave on Thursday evening.

Raised Baptist, Armstrong, 64, said felt the Catholic church was the place for her. “This was my home, where all races are family. It feels like my life is complete now, because I’m part of the community.”

When Viganò knelt before her and poured water over her right foot, she pushed her hands together in prayer.
“It cleanses the spirit. It cleanses the soul. It cleanses your whole being,” she said.
Lucy Guevara, 30, said she has trekked across the District to the Basilica frequently during her four years as a medical student at Georgetown University. “I felt that this was the place I needed, to recharge and get my bearings,” she said. “The shrine changed my life in the best way possible.”
Standing in the sacristy minutes before the Thursday Mass started, she said she would be praying for the sort of humility Jesus showed when he washed his disciples’ feet, so that she can connect with her neediest patients. “It’s going to take a lot in me to try not to cry.”
Each of Viganò’s 12 foot-washings was brief, about 20 seconds. But they were filled with meaning. Guevara gasped with emotion as the archbishop rinsed and dried her foot under the Basilica’s gleaming mosaic ceilings.
Guevara said she found it particularly potent to be in the first group of women honored in this way at the national shrine. “It’s such a great stage to show we are open to change as a faith and accepting of it,” she said.
Eddie Caparas, who has been one of the people whose feet were washed at the Basilica every year since 1998, except when he was having bypass surgery in 2011, said it never before crossed his mind to wonder why women weren’t there alongside him.
“It never dawned on me. But now that they’re here, I think it’s welcome. Regardless of who you are and what you are, it should be both men and women together,” Caparas said in the sacristy.
And then three bells clanged, his cue to proceed out onto the altar. And side by side with women and men of faith, he put his right foot forward.

Romelu Lukaku must join Man United or Bayern Munich – Father

Romelu Lukaku must consider leaving Everton for either Manchester United or Bayern Munich at the end of the season, according to his father.
Roger Lukaku told Het Laatste Nieuws‏ that his son, who has scored 25 goals for Roberto Martinez’s side this season, is ready to move on.
The 22-year-old Belgium international joined the Toffees in 2014 for £28 million after failing to make the first-team at Chelsea and has become the subject of interest for many of Europe’s top clubs with his performances.
“He’s ready,” Lukaku Sr. told Het Laatste Nieuws‏. “I see that there is interest from Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Chelsea and Manchester United.
“I think he must choose Manchester United or Bayern Munich. Manchester United is a team under construction with no real focus.
“Bayern Munich is a machine where he can rotate well. The only condition is if Robert Lewandowski leaves.”

Obama could go down as one of the most merciless presidents in history

On pardons, Obama could go down as one of the most merciless presidents in history

Photographed through a cell window, President Obama tours a federal prison in El Reno, Okla., last July.

George Lardner Jr., a former Post reporter, is scholar in residence at American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop. P.S. Ruckman Jr. is a professor of political science and editor of the Pardon Power Blog.

When the Obama administration’s new acting pardon attorney, Bob Zauzmer, arrived on the job last month, he ran headlong into a backlog of more than 9,000 clemency petitions awaiting a decision on whether they deserve the president’s consideration. Many of those petitions were the byproduct of the announcement of Clemency Project 2014, which was established by the Justice Department — to great fanfare — to process additional applications from federal prisoners seeking reductions of unjustifiably long drug sentences.

Zauzmer has his work cut out for him — it has been widely reported that his predecessor, Deborah Leff, stepped down in January over frustrations with a lack of resources.
Was the administration ever serious about Clemency 2014? The rules for commutation requests even reaching the overburdened pardons office under the initiative are inexcusably discouraging. The worst is that inmates must have served at least 10 years of their sentence. Other rules state they must not have “a significant criminal history” (whatever that means); they must be nonviolent, low-level offenders; and they must be serving a sentence harsher than they would have gotten if convicted of the same offense today. Those who fall “outside of this initiative,” according to the Justice Department, can still seek clemency under the old rules if their applications are “especially meritorious.”
The results of this great, unprecedented effort? Obama has a clemency record comparable to the least merciful presidents in history. He has granted just 70 pardons, the lowest mark for any full-term president since John Adams, and 187 commutations of sentence. Meanwhile, 1,629 pardon petitions have been denied (more than five of the previous six presidents), as well as 8,123 requests for commutations (a new record). An additional 3,444 requests have been “closed without presidential action.”
Obama’s record is all the more deplorable because of assurances that he has made and that have been made on his behalf. On April 21, 2014, then-Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. encouraged federal prisoners to seek relief, noting that, despite sentencing reforms Obama signed into law in 2010, there were “still too many people . . . sentenced under the old regime” who needed attention. Holder said the White House had “indicated” that it wanted to “consider additional clemency applications to restore a degree of justice, fairness, and proportionality for deserving individuals who do not pose a threat to public safety.” In addition, the Justice Department was “committed to recommending as many qualified applicants as possible for reduced sentences.” Clemency Project 2014 has, however, become a bureaucratic disaster, assigned to volunteer lawyers and law students with little if any experience in the pitfalls of dealing with the federal criminal justice system.
In June 2014, the Hill reported that Obama was pushing forward with a review of the clemency system. In March 2015, the president told the Huffington Post that the pardon process had been “revamped” and that he would be exercising the pardon power “more aggressively.” Seven months later, he told the Marshall Project that clemency applications were being processed “more effectively” and a “steady ramp up” was in play. The Post recently reported that some additional grants are expected in the coming weeks, but “big” is hardly a word that appropriately describes what has gone on to date.
By now, Obama could have simply signed an amnesty proclamation covering everyone qualifying for lesser sentences. He could have taken the pardon process out of the Justice Department and given the job to a commission or an independent agency that would give him a degree of political cover if anything went wrong. Just such a move had been proposed by his first White House counsel, Gregory Craig.
Regardless, seven neglectful years allow for few pretty endings. If current patterns persist, Obama will go down as one of the most merciless presidents in history. On the other hand, even a moderate display of concern about clemency, with a few grants here and there, will almost certainly be viewed (and dubbed) as “a last-minute gesture,” granted to avoid any serious political accountability.
Any such grants will also be greeted with suspicion and exceptional scrutiny by the media and political opponents. Impressions left by any scandalous reports will be much deeper than if the president had simply been more merciful more evenly across the term, and not left everyone to wonder: “Why are these particular people being pardoned? And why are they being pardoned now? Why are they any more special than the thousands of applicants deemed unworthy before them?”
Having waited almost two years before granting his first presidential pardon, Obama would probably do as much harm to the general reputation of the pardon power as to his personal legacy with a controversial, Bill Clintonesque splurge in clemency just before leaving office. Sadly, many deserving recipients would be besmirched as well. This is the bed the president has made for himself.

Prophet predicts second civil war in Nigeria

A prophet of the Royal House of David, Godfrey Gbujie, has predicted that Nigeria would witness another civil war if the nation’s leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, did not act swiftly to resolve the national questions.
He said that part of the national question is, are Nigerians willing and ready to continue to co-exist in an entity called Nigeria, adding that much depends on the President to act now in resolving this issue without further delay.
This is even as the man of God said a serious air disaster would soon be recorded within the airspace of Imo State.
Gbujie, who gave the revelations in a press briefing held at his Akabo, Ahiara Mbaise, Imo State country home, yesterday, said that blood sucking demons were roaring across the six zones of the nation, noting that an honest approach in handling the affairs of the nation was needed from Buhari and other leaders of the nation to avert the imminent war.
“God’s anger on the leaders of Northern Nigeria was enormous in that another terrible rebellious group in addition to Boko Haram will spring up from the North very soon,” he said.
According to Gbujie, “this second rebellious group will be led by two seasoned Nigeria army trained generals, and soon after, a more terrible and fiercer opposition group led by a younger trained Nigeria military commander will emerge from the South.
“This southern force will eventually cause the final disintegration and collapse of the Nigerian nation,” he said.
He said that two signs would herald his prediction. The first, according to him, would be a serious air disaster to be recorded within the Imo airspace soon.
“The nose of the aircraft shall point towards the west and the burning tail, pointing to the east’’, he said.
“Another sign is that two very prominent Nigerians working and walking in partnership along a north/south highway shall make history.
“As they walk along, suddenly, the senior partner will get struck to death due to circumstance not very clear, and this will result to a serious commotion and public revolt in Nigeria,” he said.
He said that Nigeria under the present administration of President Muhammad Buhari was passing through a gathering storm of God’s anger and pitiable dangers.
Gbujie said that what informed his public revelation on the spiritual messages was the need for Nigerians and the world to take note and possibly apply the solutions to avert the dangers ahead.
“Due to certain overwhelming development in the spiritual realm over the Federal Republic of Nigeria, within the last few months, in my Christian divine ministry as God’s commissioned and covenanted prophetic watchman over the nation.
”I could not help, but step out on faith to boldly and courageously open up and deliver to you certain message of the development for onward dissemination to the public and government and people of Nigeria’’, he said.
Gbujie, while presenting the solutions to the predictions, urged Buhari to urgently resolve the national question.
According to him, “for Buhari to resolve the national question, he should convoke a conference for various parts of Nigeria to state if they still want to remain one country or not.’’
On the anti-graft campaign, the man of God stated that the way and manner the anti-graft was going on was one of the major issues threatening Nigeria’s unity, especially amongst the nation’s armed forces