Read how UN peacekeeping soldiers rape 14-year-old girls in Central Africa Republic

‘Sometimes when I’m alone with my baby,
I think about killing him.
He reminds me of the man who raped me.’

Members of a U.N. peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic allegedly turned to sexual predation, betraying their duty to protect

In Bangui, Central African Republic

Above:

A 14-year-old breast-feeds her 3-month-old son in Bangui, Central African Republic. She says she was raped and made pregnant by a U.N. peacekeeper from Burundi.

The neighborhood is a patchwork of low-slung buildings scorched and looted at the height of the civil war, a place where the United Nations was supposed to come to the rescue. But in a number of homes, women and girls are raising babies they say are the children of U.N. troops who abused or exploited them.

“Peacekeeper babies,” the United Nations calls such infants.

“A horrible thing,” says an elfin 14-year-old girl, who describes how a Burundian soldier dragged her into his barracks and raped her, leaving her pregnant with the baby boy she now cradles uncomfortably.
The allegations come amid one of the biggest scandals to plague the United Nations in years. Since the U.N. peacekeeping mission here began in 2014, its employees have been formally accused of sexually abusing or exploiting 42 local civilians, most of them underage girls.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called sexual abuse by peacekeepers “a cancer in our system.” In August, the top U.N. official here was fired for failing to take enough action on abuse cases. Nearly 1,000 troops whose units have been tied to abuses have been expelled, or will be soon. Among them is the entire contingent from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But the victims appear to be more numerous than the United Nations has reported so far. In a corner of the capital city known as Castors, near the U.N. headquarters in the country, The Washington Post interviewed seven women and girls who described contact with peacekeepers that violated U.N. regulations against sexual exploitation and abuse. Five of them said they exchanged sex for food or money — sometimes as little as $4 — while their country was rocked by civil war and families were going hungry. Only two had reported their cases to the United Nations.
Five of the seven interviewed by The Post said they had borne the children of their abusers. The 14-year-old mother said she was assaulted by a Burundian soldier, but the United Nations recorded her case not as rape but as “transactional” sex, in which acts are exchanged for money or food.
“Sometimes when I’m alone with my baby, I think about killing him,” the teen said, holding the little boy. “He reminds me of the man who raped me.”

There has been only one criminal charge filed in the 42 cases of sexual abuse or exploitation that have been officially registered in the Central African Republic, according to U.N. officials.

The accounts by the women and girls could not be independently verified. But their stories are consistent with other accounts of abuse in the Central African Republic collected by independent groups and the United Nations.
The Washington Post does not identify minors who are alleged victims of sexual abuse or exploitation.
The U.N. system responsible for handling and prosecuting such cases has been widely criticized as dysfunctional, even after scandals involving peacekeepers in other parts of the world. Only one criminal charge has been filed in relation to any of the 42 cases of sexual abuse or exploitation that have been officially registered in the Central African Republic, according to U.N. officials.
U.N. officials did file a report on the 14-year-old mother’s case, and a U.N. spokeswoman, Ismini Palla, said the organization was “monitoring the case of the girl closely.” But nine months after the girl reported the alleged rape, investigators have not reported any results. U.N. officials had no comment on why they had classified the case as exploitation rather than assault.

Above: In the Castors area of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, the six women and girls pictured here spoke this month about sexual abuse allegedly committed against them by U.N. peacekeepers. The country was gripped by crisis, and desperate residents were vulnerable to manipulation. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Annie, 29, holds her 2-month-old son, who she says was fathered by a soldier from Gabon. A young woman, holding her 1-year-old daughter, says that when she was 17, a peacekeeper from the Republic of the Congo coerced her into having sex for money and food, leaving her pregnant. Rosine Mengue, 18, holding her 1-year-old son, says she was 16 when a Moroccan peacekeeper coerced her into sex for money, giving her a total of $8 for two visits and making her pregnant. A 16-year-old girl inspects the remains of her family%u2019s home. She said that last year, before violence forced the family to flee, she had a sexual relationship with a Moroccan peacekeeper. Over several weeks and five or six meetings, he gave her a total of about $50, she says.

The sexual abuse scandal is the latest horrific development in a war already marked by extreme brutality. The conflict began in late 2013 when mostly Muslim rebels overthrew the government in this Christian-majority country, setting off a cycle of revenge killings that in Bangui fell largely along religious lines. About 6,000 people have been killed. The U.N. mission, a 12,000-member organization which includes troops from 46 countries and is known as MINUSCA, was established to provide security and protect civilians.
In recent months, numerous allegations have emerged of peacekeeper abuse of vulnerable residents. Human Rights Watch issued a report this month documenting the cases of eight women and girls allegedly raped or sexually exploited by U.N. peacekeepers in late 2015 in the central city of Bambari. Amnesty International said last August that it had obtained evidence of a U.N. peacekeeper’s rape of a 12-year-old girl in the capital.
U.N. officials recognize that they are grappling with a serious breakdown in their peacekeeping forces. This month, they said they were investigating the cases of four girls who were allegedly exploited or abused at a camp for internally displaced persons in central Ouaka prefecture. In January, they said that at least four peacekeepers had allegedly paid girls as little as 50 cents for sex at a camp in Bangui. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the newly appointed head of the U.N. mission, said he fears that the cases discovered so far may be the “tip of the iceberg.”
“We’re going to be flooded by paternity claims,” he said in an interview.

“There was no way to get food or money at the time
and they promised to help us if we slept with them.”

Rosine Mengue, 18, who said she received the equivalent of $4 in each of two encounters with a peacekeeper. She was 16 at the time.

Mission was quickly tainted

It is not the first deployment in which U.N. forces have been accused of sexual abuse. In Bosnia in the 1990s, peacekeepers were accused of soliciting sex from women who had been trafficked and virtually enslaved in local brothels. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the early 2000s, more than 150 allegations of abuse and exploitation were registered against peacekeepers, and U.N. investigators found that many of the alleged victims were orphans. U.N. missions in Kosovo, Haiti, Liberia and other places also have been tarnished by such allegations.
The United Nations has conducted internal investigations and revamped training programs. But the complaints continue to roll in.
Perhaps no mission in recent U.N. history has been as quickly tainted by abuse allegations as the one in the Central African Republic,  which is expected to cost $814 million this year. The first cluster of sexual abuse cases appeared within months of the mission’s September 2014 launch.
Even before the U.N. mission officially began, French troops were accused of sexually abusing a number of local children. In a report issued last year, a United Nations-appointed review panel sharply criticized U.N. officials in the Central African Republic as failing to take action or report the cases after uncovering them.
“The welfare of the victims and the accountability of the perpetrators appeared to be an afterthought, if considered at all,” the report said.
U.N. bases in the Central African Republic are now plastered with posters that list the rules that troops are already supposed to know.

“Sex with anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited.”
“Exchanging money, goods or employment for sex is prohibited.”
“Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation.”
But the Castors neighborhood is a shocking illustration of how brazen the peacekeepers became. Residents say that troops skulked around the neighborhood looking for girls during the day and sneaked out at night to meet them in rented rooms or abandoned houses, or to take them into the barracks. Moroccan troops broke holes in the perimeter wall of their bases, witnesses said, so that they could leave undetected.
“There are so many girls here who slept with [peacekeepers],” said Thierry Karpandgei, a resident. “You can see their babies all over here.”
Most of the alleged cases of abuse and exploitation occurred at the peak of the conflict, in 2014 and 2015, when the fighting pushed residents to the edge of survival.
“There was no way to get food or money at the time, and they promised to help us if we slept with them,” said Rosine Mengue, who explained that she received the equivalent of $4 in each of two encounters with a peacekeeper. She was 16 at the time. She spent the money on cassava leaves, which fed her family for two days. Mengue, who is now 18, told The Washington Post it could use her full name.
Like the rest of the women, Mengue never heard from the man after she became pregnant, she said. He went back to Morocco. She dropped out of school and is raising her son in her family’s home, surrounded by charred palm trees and the ruins of half-destroyed buildings.
“We don’t have enough food for everyone,” her mother said.
U.N. officials have said that peacekeeping contingents from around 10 countries have been implicated in the sex-abuse scandal.
Most of the women interviewed by The Post said they did not report their cases to the United Nations because they felt ashamed and did not think the organization would be able to help them. One of the women did approach the United Nations seeking financial assistance for her baby after his father returned to the Congo Republic. But U.N. officials say she did not specify that she had received money from the peacekeeper — as she later told The Post — so the case was not recorded as involving exploitation. Such an act would have violated U.N. rules for peacekeepers on sexual relationships.

Children cross a dilapidated bridge outside the peacekeeper base near Castors in Bangui, Central African Republic.

A sense of impunity

Castors is along the road from the sprawling U.N. headquarters, where Onanga-Anyanga, 55, a veteran U.N. official from Gabon, is scrambling to solve the problem. In an interview this month, he sat in front of a sheet of paper that said in bold print: “Talking points — Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.” When he looked up, he spoke angrily.
“We inherited troops that we cannot call troops. I realized that what was sent here was trash,” he said.
There are a range of explanations for the rampant abuse, including the poor training and discipline of many battalions, which are dispatched here for years-long rotations, said U.N. officials and analysts. Some troops were sent in 2013 as part of an African Union operation and then were “re-hatted” as U.N. peacekeepers with little or no additional instruction.

In the early 2000s, the United Nations launched an investigation into allegations of more than 150 instances of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“We can’t just put a blue helmet on them and assume their mind-set will change overnight,” Onanga-Anyanga said.
U.N. officials here have tried to encourage the reporting of sexual abuse by setting up a hotline for victims and buying radio ads in which they are encouraged to come forward. Victims of abuse whose cases are documented are eligible for medical and psychological help and possibly other assistance. But many women are still unaware of how to register complaints.
Even as the United Nations has tried to improve training on sexual abuse, there have been mistakes. Many of the new lessons, for example, are taught only in English and French, and some troops lack fluency in either language, said one U.N. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.
Perhaps most problematic is that the United Nations leaves the adjudication of sexual abuse allegations to the troops’ countries of origin. But those nations’ investigations are often weak, U.N. officials said. That has contributed to a sense of impunity, according to U.N. officials and outside experts.
For peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, “the message is clear: You can rape or abuse women and girls, and you can get away with it,” said Lewis Mudge, an Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Until troop-contributing countries bring peacekeepers accused of these crimes to justice, we can expect more of these cases in the future.”

‘You just feel used’

The 14-year-old mother still watches the troops drive near her faded-yellow home, where broken beer bottles are glued on top of the outside wall to keep trespassers out. She and other residents said they first saw the peacekeepers as a sign of security, proof that the world hadn’t forgotten about them.
But when the soldiers began arriving in 2014, there was still a massive food shortage. Some peacekeepers recognized their leverage over a city of starving women and girls.

Two teenage girls recalled approaching a base of Moroccan peacekeepers to beg for food. Neither had ever had sex, they said in a recent interview, but they agreed to sleep with the soldiers after the men suggested they would give the girls water, food and money. The older girl, then 16, said she met one man in a vacant house. The younger girl, then 15, said she met another soldier next to a base. Both girls said they regretted what they had done almost immediately.
“You just feel used,” said the younger girl.
The 14-year-old said that when she went to a U.N. base last year to ask for food, a Burundian soldier gently beckoned to her from his barracks, calling, “Come here.”
Then, she said, he pulled her into a room full of empty beds. He ripped off her clothes.
The teenager and her aunt said that three months later, they told two U.N. employees what had happened. The pregnant girl was then taken to a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, the medical group said. But aid workers who followed the girl’s case over the next few weeks said they were dismayed at how little help she received from the United Nations.

U.N. peacekeepers from Burundi speak to women and girls walking near their base Feb. 15 in the Castors neighborhood in Bangui. Some of the troops sent in to safeguard the population have been accused of committing abuses. 

“There was absolutely no immediate or concrete measure of assistance available to this girl,” said Ondine Ripka, an international legal adviser with Doctors Without Borders.
A UNICEF spokesman, John Budd, said the organization does not comment on aid provided to individuals. The 14-year-old mother said she had not received any psychological counseling or financial assistance.

The United Nations is facing a crisis in the Central African Republic. For more than a year, U.N. employees in the country have been accused of sexually abusing and exploiting young children. The Washington Post discovered a village in CAR where young women are raising children allegedly born from rape.

In a 2005 internal report recognizing the problem of “peacekeeper babies,” U.N. officials wrote that “there is a need to try to ensure that fathers, who can be identified, perhaps through blood or DNA testing, bear some financial responsibility for their actions.”
But it is often difficult to identify offenders who have returned to their home countries, U.N. officials say. Even if victims know the names of their abusers, armies in many nations have proved uncooperative in pursuing DNA tests, U.N. officials say.
The teenage mother’s case was referred to the Burundian military, which appointed an investigator, according to U.N. officials, but no results have so far been reported. That country has been consumed in civil strife in recent months, and experts said it was unlikely the military would follow through on an investigation.
That leaves girls like the 14-year-oldto raise their babies on almost nothing, as the war rages on. Earlier this month, she sat outside her home, five rooms where more than 20 relatives sleep. Nearby, a man sold liquor from a plastic table. A white U.N. surveillance blimp flew overhead. Two hundred yards away, a group of Burundian troops was on patrol.

The teenager handed her baby to her mother, who looked at the ground. She fears that her daughter has been ruined by the abuse.
“If someone destroys what you love, what do you do?” the mother said.

A young girl walks through the Castors neighborhood of Bangui in the Central African Republic.

Source: The Washington Post

Zidane says Real Madrid ‘were not ready’ for Atletico

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said his star players were not mentally up to the task after they lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s derbi clash.
Antoine Griezmann’s second-half goal was enough for the visitors to win a third consecutive league win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu — with Cristiano Ronaldo missing Madrid’s two best chances to get something out of the game.
Should Barcelona win at home to Sevilla on Sunday evening at the Camp Nou, Madrid will be 12 points behind the leaders with just 12 games remaining, while Atletico Madrid are now four points clear of their neighbours in second place.
Zidane said he took responsibility for what was his first defeat since taking over from Rafa Benitez in January, but he said his team had not been focused enough for a game they knew would be a tough challenge.
“I have the responsibility,” Zidane said. “The players play, but I have responsibility. I must look for solutions so it does not happen. I did not expect to lose, this first defeat at home, although we knew it would be difficult. When you have chances, you must put them in, nothing else.
“It was not a physical issue, we have done everything in that part. Today’s game was more mental, not physical. They played Wednesday, had less time to recover, and look at the game they played. So it is a mental question — we lacked a bit of everything.”

Zidane sent on three homegrown players as substitutes during the game and appeared to suggest that some big names at the club might be moved on this summer no matter what happens.
“I have full confidence in my players, I am always behind them, they are always behind me, whatever happens,” he said. “Next year there might be changes, players and coach. But for now we must keep going as we have something to aim for.
“I told the players they cannot be happy. In a game like this, we have to do more, run more, put our foot in more, do more. If you do not, this will happen.
“We were not ready for the game as we thought we were. We had to run more, but they were able to play comfortably.”
Zidane implicitly accepted that his team’s chances in La Liga were now very faint, while saying he wanted to get everyone quickly focused again ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Levante.
“What is now important for me, and the team, is the next game,” he said. “La Liga is not over, but it was difficult before the game. If you lose points it is more difficult. But we will continue, will not give up on his season. We have games to win, things to win.
“Of course it is a difficult moment to lose a derby at home. But we must be professional and think about the next game. Madrid will never give in — not me nor the players. There can be criticism, but that is part of the game. I will look for a solution — starting with winning on Wednesday.”

Madrid’s hopes for a trophy this year now seem to rest on their Champions League campaign, with the team 2-0 up against Roma ahead of their round-of-16 second leg on March 8 at the Bernabeu, but Zidane is not looking past Levante.
“Before the Champions League we have a game — on Wednesday,” Zidane said. “We must prepare for that game, to do everything to do the most we can to win. Our objective, our duty, is to think about the next game. Today is very hard, a very hard blow, to lose at home to Atletico Madrid. It is difficult.”
The half-time change which saw Karim Benzema replaced by 18-year-old Borja Mayoral for just his second La Liga appearance was forced after Real’s centre-forward suffered an injury, Zidane said.
“Benzema had a problem, he was feeling pain,” he said. “He could not sprint, we did not want to take a risk. So he was changed. I wanted Mayoral as needed to put in a nine.
“Borja is playing well, today was his opportunity, I would have liked him to take his chance, but he played well. We are happy with him. He played with personality.”

Atletico winning at Real Madrid is now ‘natural’ – Simeone

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said it was now natural for his side to win at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu after Saturday’s 1-0 triumph at neighbours Real Madrid.
Antoine Griezmann’s well-taken strike early in the second half was enough to give Atletico the three points — with Cristiano Ronaldo missing two clear chances — but Zinedine Zidane’s club showed little in a disjointed display.
Atletico went 14 years without even one derbi win until the 2013 Copa del Rey final but have now won their last three La Liga visits to the Bernabeu — and have gone a club record six clashes unbeaten.
Asked at his postgame news conference what it was like to have overseen such a turnaround in fortunes between the two clubs in Spain’s capital city, the Rojiblanco coach said it was no longer a surprise for his team to beat their much richer, historically more powerful neighbours.
“We take it naturally, to be able to win here,” Simeone said. “Football is marvellous — it has these things, that from outside are hard to explain and communicate. Football is a game, we will lose some, we lost to them in last year’s Champions League to a late goal, having played the same way.

“Atletico keep growing, building towards a better future, with young players who will improve. We played with pride, with hope, and the team gave a great response. Once again, the Atletico Madrid fans can feel proud of their team.”
Atletico remain in second place in the standings, but now move four points ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, though leaders Barcelona will maintain their eight-point advantage should they beat Sevilla at the Camp Nou on Sunday evening.
Simeone admitted it would be tough for his team to catch Barca, though he said he would still consider second place to be a very successful season.
“It is difficult to see Barcelona losing that many games,” he said. “Our objective since the start of the season has been to finish in the top three. We always try and be as far up the table as possible. But we are relaxed about it. This is a good moment to see that work, stability, collective effort, the team over individuals, pays off.”

Griezmann’s goal was his first in five appearances, and the first Atletico scored in 321 minutes in all competitions. Simeone said his team always played the same way, while admitting the France international will be relieved to have broken his barren run.
“We have a very defined identity,” he said. “Through we lacked goals in recent games, the team always had the same intention as today. We got a goal today, had some more chances. Antoine asks that of himself, he is very demanding of himself.
“Antoine had a chance to resolve things, it was a nice goal, and brought us closer to what we wanted.”
The former Atletico player finished his news conference by saying he was really content with how the day had gone.
“The truth is we are very happy to be part of Atletico,” he said with a smile.

Forbes Report: Mark Zuckerberg Has A Plan To Bring Facebook Users Into Virtual Reality

Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a new team at Facebook dedicated to creating social experiences in virtual reality. (Courtesy of Facebook)

Facebook's FB -0.12% Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, which ships to consumers for the first time in a few weeks, may have been conceived of by gaming enthusiasts. However, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has bigger plans for the device.
Facebook FB -0.12% recently announced it formed a “Social VR” team to build technology that creates new ways for people to have social experiences in virtual reality and to engage with Facebook’s network in virtual settings. The team will build for Oculus devices as well as other technology that’s available today, while also trying to anticipate the platforms of the future. Facebook unveiled the team on Sunday, the day before the Mobile World Congress began in Barcelona, Spain.
“VR is going to be the most social platform,” Zuckerberg said on Sunday at Samsung’s Galaxy S7 event. “Facebook FB -0.12%, with Oculus, are committed to this for the long term. We’ve recently created new teams at Facebook FB -0.12% to build the next generation of social apps and VR.”
Designers Daniel James and Michael Booth, who have both worked at major gaming companies, will lead the team that is making Oculus social. Facebook said its social VR tools will allow friends in different parts of the world to feel like they are hanging out in the same room together. Zuckerberg told Wired he envisions a pair of lightweight eye glasses that will allow users to shift between the virtual world and real life. The tool would allow users to play a virtual game with a friend as well as peruse Facebook posts and photos. Facebook, however, did not specify further what to expect from these social apps.
“We’ve already helped people connect in a wide variety of ways on mobile devices — ranging from Facebook and Instagram to Messenger and WhatsApp — and now we want to apply that same approach to the new medium of VR,” Facebook said in a post.

Recommended by Forbes

Oculus, which Facebook acquired in 2014 for about $2 billion, has already incorporated social networking into some of its experiences. Facebook recently shared a demonstration of Oculus “Toybox,” a Rift game that allows users to virtually play ping pong together, light a firecracker or play with blocks. Activities like these are facilitated by Oculus’ sensor-laden hand controllers that track hand movements.
Oculus also incorporated ”Social Alpha,” a group chat tool, into its Gear VR headset, a device Facebook made with Samsung. Samsung built the hardware, and Oculus made the software. More than 200 games and apps are available on the $99 product. Facebook says people have watched more than a million hours of video on the headset.
“He [Zuckerberg] wants a billion people on Facebook in virtual reality as soon as possible,” Mary Lou Jepsen, director of engineering at Facebook and head of display technology at Oculus, said at a VMware VMW +0.51% conference in Palo Alto, Calif. on Tuesday.
Online worlds such as Second Life, which saw a surge of interest a decade ago, offered users an alternative reality that even brands wanted to join. The platform gives some indication as to what future virtual worlds could be like, according to Jan Rezab, founder and executive chairman of social analytics company Socialbakers. Even though virtual reality is a high priority for Facebook, the hardware and software challenges ahead of the company are considerable. Barriers to getting people to want to wear headsets every day will likely be high. Other wearables such as Google Glass haven’t caught on among consumers, and the adoption will take time.
“Virtual reality’s success will depend on the penetration of devices,” Rezab said in an email. “VR-capable devices need to be in enough hands to where the technology can flourish.”
Rezab estimated that at least 50 million people will need to use virtual reality headsets daily in order to give social VR the momentum it needs to take off. That number should make it practical for users to jump into virtual reality for meetings, for example. However, Rezab, is more bullish on augmented reality than on VR.
“Augmented reality [AR] is the ultimate solution,” Rezab said. “It allows you to input external content into your own reality rather than entering a separate reality. AR more closely merges into our lives, just as smartphones are now an integral part of our lives.”
Facebook’s 360 or spherical video technology is helping pave the way for virtual reality. The social media giant said people have uploaded more than 20,000 spherical videos to Facebook, and the tool will become available on Gear VR.
For now, Facebook’s Oculus, priced at $600, is up against a host of other companies and startups: Google has been building its own VR technology in-house and invested about $500 million in the augmented reality startup Magic Leap and Microsoft released an augmented reality headset. The smartphone and table-makers HTC and LG are also both launching their own VR headsets.

Quote of the Day

"I wouldn't mind if I failed because I tried something worthwhile."

Siggi Hilmarsson

Pirlo hails ‘beast’ Conte amid Chelsea reports

Andrea Pirlo has hailed Italy boss Antonio Conte as a “beast” and “genius” amid reports the former Juventus coach is on the verge of moving to Chelsea, but also warned owner Roman Abramovich not to interfere with his methods.
Conte is expected to be announced as Chelsea’s coach for next season within the next 10 days, according to multiple reports on Thursday. The defending Premier League champs are in search of a permanent replacement for Jose Mourinho, who left the club by mutual consent in December after a poor start to the league campaign.
Conte won three consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus before unexpectedly taking the Italy job in the summer of 2014, and was fundamental in turning the club’s fortunes around in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal.
Pirlo, who played for Conte in each of his title-winning seasons with the Bianconeri, heaped praise on his former coach on Friday, with a warning.
“I love the man, I have nothing but respect and admiration for him. I know if he takes a job, any job, it will have to be on his terms,” Pirlo told the Mirror.

“The players he wants to sign, those he wants to get rid of, the style he wants to play. If you sign him as your coach and then as the owner you want to start making ­decisions, he is not the coach for you.
“If you let him get on with things and do his methods, then you will have a team that plays attractive football and will, without doubt, be successful.”
Pirlo lauded Conte’s maniacal work ethic and attention to detail, and added that the Italian’s passion for football is not restricted only to the pitch.
“There is a beast in him,” Pirlo continued. “I have been in his dressing room at half-time when we have been winning, but he comes in and will be throwing full bottles of water around because of a mistake we made or because he feels we should be further ahead.

“His life is football. I know he is up until 3-4 a.m. in the morning, studying videos, looking at errors, ­studying the opposition of the next game. It is a good job Elisabetta is such an understanding wife, and if he takes the Chelsea job then she will have plenty of time to enjoy London, because he has two wives — Elisabetta and football.
“I even know he will turn on the bedroom lights in the middle of the night because he has thought of something he needs to write down — you will not find a more understanding woman than her.”
Pirlo continued: “I have played under a lot of great managers. But I can say that Conte is a genius. Like all men who possess genius, he is a little mad.
“The man can be a beast, a dressing room when he is angry is one of the most dangerous places you can be.”

Mourinho to Man Utd talk ‘an absolute scandal’ – Van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal labelled the talk of Jose Mourinho replacing him “an absolute scandal.”
The pressure has eased marginally on the Dutchman this week after securing safe progress to the FA Cup quarterfinals and setting up a Europa League last-16 tie with Liverpool.
However, Van Gaal remains the bookmakers’ favourite to be the next top-flight manager to leave their post and Mourinho is as short as 1/6 to succeed him in the Old Trafford hot-seat.

The pair worked together when Van Gaal managed Barcelona, but he feels no need to speak to his former assistant about the speculation.
“[Mourinho] has said things a number of times with a lot of words,” Van Gaal told TV channel RTL7, according to the multiple outlets.
“But he does not have to tell me anything. I find the whole thing ridiculous.

“No, I don’t want United to do something either. I don’t even want them to react to things which I read in the media or which are being created.
“We, the club and I, are not going to help the media right now by denying things.
“I think what is happening is an absolute scandal.”

Dollar rise affects Commercial Sex Worker, Stabs customer over new price

Lagos based Commercial Sex worker, Loveth, has been arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force for allegedly stabbing her customer over an argument involving new price of patronage due to the increased exchange rate.
The alleged stabbing occurred in a popular brothel in Ojota area of the state, after the customer could not afford the new set price of the all-night service provided by the sex worker.
Loveth, who described the victim as a long distance driver who worked with a transport company identified him by the name Etuh. She explained that he was a regular customer of hers and usually spent the night whenever he visited.
She explained; “Etuh is a driver who plies Lagos and the east and he has been my regular customer for several years. In fact, I knew him when I was in Iyana Ipaja before I moved to Ojota.
Normally, when he sleeps with me, he already knows the amount to pay me and at times when he does not have enough money on him, I allowed him to have sex with me for free. But this time, he owed me some money from two previous visits and when he came, I told him that our price has gone up due to the rise in dollar. He was just laughing and I told him I was very serious.
I normally charge between N5,000 to N10,000 for all night but with the dollar rise, I told him I was going to collect N15,000 plus the money he was owing me.
After spending the night with me and having sex with me four times, he woke up very early to have his bath. When he came out of the bathroom, I told him to pay me my money but he told me he was only going to pay the old price of N5,000.
I told him I would not accept the money and that he would not leave unless he paid up all my money. He got angry and slapped me about four times and to add to the insult, he tried to rape me. That was when I picked a bottle of beer that was on the table, smashed it on the wall and stabbed him with it.
I was only defending myself,” She added.

Breast Cancer: Men Should Wash Their Hands Before Handling Women’s Breasts – Expert

 A radiologist, Prof. Gbadebo Awosanya, on Friday ‎urged women to go for post menopausal mammographic screening yearly for early detection of breast cancer.

Awosanya, who is the Provost, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“The breasts are liable and exposed ‎to cancer when they attain menopause because they become empty and fatty,” he said.

The provost said that with a yearly post menopausal mammographic screening, lumps if detected would be treated early.

“Breast cancer risk increases with age; two out of three invasive breast cancers are found in women over 55 years old.

“Breast cancer is not a death sentence as long as early treatment follows detection of lumps,” he said.

According to Awosanya, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide‎ as the incident keeps increasing in the country.

Awosanya ‎urged men to wash their hands and free them from germs before handling a woman’s breasts so as not to infect them.

He also advised the women to avoid wearing brazier throughout ‎the day to prevent the black spots and infection.

“Breast should be handled with outmost care because of its sensitivity.
“If you are busty as a woman, please flaunt it‎, do not wear brazier all through the day for your health sake,” he said.

Awosanya further urged the Federal Government to provide the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) equipment in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country.
He said that the government should also set aside a reasonable amount to fund research and retraining of university teachers.

According to him, the situation in Nigeria presently is precarious, as the only functioning radiotherapy machine, a linear accelerator in Benin, Edo, had broken down.

The provost urged the ‎Lagos State University Teaching Hospital to separate Diagnostic Radiology and Radiotherapy, as this would allow a multi-dimensional growth of radiotherapy.

“The state government should as a matter of priority, procure a therapy machine that will be put in use soonest, as more cancer are radiosensitive than chemo-sensitive,” he said. (NAN)

Signs that you need to break-up with your friend

Wondering whether you should dump your friend or not? Read this to know what is unacceptable in any friendship.

Just like any romantic relationship, unfortunately, even platonic ones or a friendship can eventually run its course due to certain circumstances and situations. Many people tend to underestimate the negative impact that a friendship can have on your life when things start going sour. Popular culture and terms like ‘bestfriends for life or BFFs’ tell us how friendships are supposed to last for several years on end.
However, in reality, life is rarely that rosy. Though a friendship can add a lot of value to your life, it can also be stressful and draining if your friend turns out to be a toxic person. These are the six signs that indicate that it is time to break-up with your ‘friend’.

1. They constantly attack your insecurities, directly or indirectly
If you’ve trusted your friend enough to reveal what you’re most insecure about and they constantly bring it up and make you feel bad about it, don’t even think twice before breaking up with them. Playful banter and harmless jokes are one thing, but if they try to make you feel bad about your appearance or certain personality traits that they know you’re conscious about, they’re not really your friend to begin with.
2. They repeatedly refuse to acknowledge the fact that they’ve hurt you
Unfortunately, in every relationship, there will be a time when either party hurts the other. In many cases, it could be completely unintentional and by communicating with your friend, you can get rid of any misunderstandings and tell them how you really felt about it. This helps in moving on from the incident and even growing closer to your friend. However, if they repeatedly refuse to listen to you and brush it off as you being ‘too sensitive’, it is a sign that you should break-up with them.
3. They have betrayed your trust
Most of us have been in a situation where you trust your friend enough to reveal a secret only to find out that they betrayed you by talking about it with others. Or they end up dating someone you were interested in. Such incidents can make it very difficult for you to start trusting your friend again. Depending on the situation, if you feel the betrayal was so bad that you could never trust them again, then breaking up with them is a good idea.
4. Both of you have been growing apart
This is more common with people who have known each other since their school days.  Unfortunately, people tend to change a lot over the years.  If you feel you and your friend don’t connect anymore due to different interests and perspectives and like you’re just drifting apart from them, it means the friendship is just running its natural course.
In this case, you don’t need to necessarily have ‘The Talk’ with them and break-up, especially if both of you are on the same page about the friendship. Instead, just take some time off and try meeting new people with similar interests. If you’re lucky, after a few months or even years, both of you will click again.
5. You are the only one making all the effort
Do you constantly feel like you’re the only one making all the effort to initiate contact with them and stay in touch? The signs could be that they are constantly rescheduling meetings, don’t bother calling or messaging and have repeatedly ditched you on several occasions without a proper apology. Also, most of the conversations you have with them are extremely one-sided and they don’t really bother listening to you. A friendship is supposed to be about give and take and if they’re not adding any value to your life, you should break-up with them.
6. There’s too much jealousy and unhealthy competition
While there’s nothing wrong with healthy competition with a friend, especially if they’re working in the same field as you, the minute the ‘friendship’ is all about them doing far better than you, it is not a good sign. Your friend is supposed to be happy for you and your accomplishments, not bitter and jealous when they hear about your new relationship, job or promotion. If they can’t be supportive and encouraging, ask yourself, are they really your friends?

Obama signs into law privacy protections for European citizens

US President Barack Obama has signed a measure into law on Wednesday that extends US privacy protections to European citizens and allows them to take legal action in US courts.
Obama praised the law for ensuring “that everybody’s data is protected in the strongest possible way with our privacy laws not only American citizens, but also foreign citizens.”
The Judicial Redress Act extends protections under US privacy law to allow citizens of certain countries as designated by the government to correct information in their records and take action in US courts if the US government unlawfully discloses their personal information.

It was touted by its sponsors as a way to ensure strong trans-Atlantic relations and provide European citizens similar rights to those granted US citizens in European courts.
The measure was considered key to an agreement reached this month between the European Union and the United States on a new system to protect trans-Atlantic data transfers.

The agreement had to be hammered out after the EU’s top court struck down the Safe Harbour system, which had since 2000 regulated how businesses in the EU and the US share data.
The court found that the deal did not fully safeguard the rights of EU citizens, leaving businesses on both sides of the Atlantic in legal limbo.

Photos: Abia state governor takes on cancer patient, Paul Arisa's case

Respite has come the way of 27 year old cancer patient, Paul Arisa as Abia state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has sent a medical practitioner, Mike Eninnaya and Ubani Newman Ubani his SSA on New Media to visit Paul at his hospital bed, with the plan of taking over his medical expenses.


Paul Arisa is an orphan with no direct blood brother or sister and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of cancer.

 Source: LIB

"Empire's" JussieSmollett on what it's like to portray a gay character in Hollywood

Currency now sold at N250/1$

Naira has appreciated against dollar by 50%, currently sold at N250/1S

Naira which has been on a free fall for some weeks now has impressively appreciated against dollar by 50% from N395/1$ as of close of work on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 to N250/1$ as of early hours of Thursday, February 25, 2016.

According to The Leadership, street hawkers and Bureau de Change (BDC) operators in Abuja sold greenback (Dollar) between N250 and N255.

Ibrahim, an operator stated that due to the continuous Naira instability, he was scared to buy dollars so as not to lose further.

“Earlier this morning, I bought dollars for N305, but now it is sold at N250, making me to lose N55 in less than 10 hours. I am very scared of buying dollars because of the continued instability.

“Although I am happy that the naira continued to gain strength at the parallel market as an overflow of dollars chased the local currency but we are losing greatly here.”

Because the Naira is most likely to appreciate further, most dealers are rushing to sell dollars off so as not to be in loss.

Tips for couples in long distance relationships

It takes a lot of hard work and commitment from the two people involved  to keep their long distance relationship strong and smooth

We often hear long distance relationships rarely work due to certain issues that come up over time between couples.

It takes a lot of hard work and commitment from the two people involved  to keep their long distance relationship strong and smooth while living in different parts of the country or world with different time zones.

1. Schedule: Couples should be aware of each other's schedule and make out time to have conversations, video or otherwise.

2. Counting down: Try to anticipate the time you'll be talking to each other. As insignificant as it sounds, anticipation makes the time and distance shorter. It brings you closer too.

3. Openness: This is very important in very relationship especially long distance one.

4. Hopeful: Just be hopeful for the best between you and your partner. Absolute trust too is essential, this will drive out thoughts of infidelity and other negative thoughts from your head.

5. Video conferencing: Skype, Facetime breaks that distance between you two. It can help your relationship a lot.

 

6. Care packages: Photos, other thoughtful things helps as a reminder that you both care for each other and are willing to what it takes to make things work.

7. Spontaneity and surprises: This keeps your relationship exciting and takes away boredom totally. It keeps both of you on your toes.

8. Honesty: This is extremely important. Try to be as honest as possible to your partner.

 

9. Trust: Distance will make it harder but you have to learn too trust your partner with your whole  heart though it's going to be scary. This is what brings out the best in your relationship.

TV Series Casting Call in Abuja

A DMK Media Studious: Open Casting call for actors (male/female) between the ages of 16 - 65 , for a TV Series. Date : 26th to 27th February. Venue: Oxygen Beauty Spa , Block 66, opposite 45 Road 4th avenue, Gwarinpa, Abuja. Time: 9am. For more information call 0809 949 2357 , 0803 304 5312. IG . @fclaydmkmedia

Cristiano Ronaldo Plans To Go Into Acting After Retirement

Real Madrid star forward, Cristiano Ronaldo is one player whose future outside the game has been the object of much speculation.
The 31-year-old even went as far as to state that he would not be getting into coaching or football management when he eventually retires from the game that has brought him immense fame fortune, maintaining that he would like his break from the game to be total.
However, the Portuguese international has given a hint into what he would most likely be doing after hanging his boots.
In an interview with Portuguese fashion magazine, Sacoor Brothers Ronaldo said he would like to go into acting.
Recall that the prolific forward recently starred in a documentary movie named after himself.
He said: “I would like to learn being surrounded by good actors because only then will I learn since it is an area I do not control because it has nothing to do with football.
“Why not? It’s not my goal at the moment, but I have had some invitations.
“Do not close the doors because it is an area which I like.”
But he said he still has much more to offer to the beautiful game on the pitch, declaring “I feel good, I feel young, so I want to continue.”
Other footballers who have also gone into acting after their retirement include Manchester United legend, Eric Cantona, who has acted in many movies, and former Wimbledon FC defender, Vinnie Jones.

Cristiano Ronaldo Plans To Go Into Acting After Retirement

Real Madrid star forward, Cristiano Ronaldo is one player whose future outside the game has been the object of much speculation.
The 31-year-old even went as far as to state that he would not be getting into coaching or football management when he eventually retires from the game that has brought him immense fame fortune, maintaining that he would like his break from the game to be total.
However, the Portuguese international has given a hint into what he would most likely be doing after hanging his boots.
In an interview with Portuguese fashion magazine, Sacoor Brothers Ronaldo said he would like to go into acting.
Recall that the prolific forward recently starred in a documentary movie named after himself.
He said: “I would like to learn being surrounded by good actors because only then will I learn since it is an area I do not control because it has nothing to do with football.
“Why not? It’s not my goal at the moment, but I have had some invitations.
“Do not close the doors because it is an area which I like.”
But he said he still has much more to offer to the beautiful game on the pitch, declaring “I feel good, I feel young, so I want to continue.”
Other footballers who have also gone into acting after their retirement include Manchester United legend, Eric Cantona, who has acted in many movies, and former Wimbledon FC defender, Vinnie Jones.

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first athlete to hit 200 Million Social Media Followers

Why we forced UNN students to pay N70,000 for laptops – Vice-Chancellor.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Professor Benjamin Chukwuma Ozulumba has explained that the institution was not out to extort money from students when it insisted that new students must acquire laptop computers from the school authority at a price of N70,000.
There were series of protests in the institution late last year over the policy of compulsory purchase of laptop, with allegations that the Vice Chancellor and his management team initiated the idea as a means of ripping off students.

But addressing the issues during one of the activities to mark UNN’s recent convocation ceremony, Ozulumba said the decision was one of the best initiatives introduced by his administration to improve on the quality of students by becoming Information Communication Technology, ICT, compliant from the beginning of their studies.
He maintained that the N70,000 which the students were compelled to pay for the computer is equivalent to a give­away price when compare to the fact that students at private universities compulsorily pay up to N110,000 to own similar laptop.
The Vice-Chancellor pointed out that the unique idea has enabled most of the students to have access to the internet on their own, instead of patronising commercial cyber cafes, which cost a lot of money.
Ozulumba added that the company from which the laptop systems were purchased has opened up servicing centres within UNN campus to fix whatever faults the gadgets may develop.