Indian woman ‘raped by two gangs’ on Chrismas eve

Police in India say 10 men are in custody, after a 21-year-old woman was raped by two apparently unrelated groups of men on Christmas Eve.She was visiting friends in Pondicherry when she was abducted by three men and raped by one of them, officials say.She found her friends after that ordeal but they were all confronted by another group of men who singled her out and gang-raped her, according to police.The last suspect was arrested on Friday and police say they have confessed.The suspects have been remanded for 15 days, but they are yet to be formally charged in court. None of the suspects has publicly commented on the allegations made against them by the victim.Pondicherry Senior Superintendent of Police Monika Bharadwaj told the BBC that this was a particularly bizarre and brutal sequence of events.It comes just days before India marks the first anniversary of the death of the student whose gang-rape on a bus in Delhi sparked unprecedented public outrage, leading to changes in India’s laws against sexual violence.

Egypt: Three die in Muslim Brotherhood supporters and police clash

Backers of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood battled police in Cairo and other cities after Friday prayers. At least three people died and 265 were arrested, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry blamed the deaths on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that the Egyptian government declared a terrorist organization on Wednesday.

The government has threatened to arrest anyone who attends Muslim Brotherhood protests or provide financial support to the group, which helped propel ousted President Mohamed Morsy to power.

Morsy, the nation’s first democratically elected president, was forced out of office in July by the nation’s military and arrested following widespread protests and petitions calling for his removal.

Detractors said he was a tyrant trying to impose conservative values. Supporters called his removal a coup and a blow to the democratic movement that toppled former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Since Wednesday’s declarations, hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been arrested.

EgyNews, a state-run news agency, previously reported the Interior Ministry had told police to confiscate copies of the group’s newspaper and seal off the publishing house that prints it.

The unrest comes as Egyptians prepare to vote a new constitution next month.

The proposed constitution would ban religious political parties and put more power in the hands of the military.

The Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to continue protesting.

“Let’s begin with full force and peacefulness a new wave of majestic anti-coup action in a ‘Revolutionary Rage’ week,” the group said Thursday on its website.

23 die in India train fire

At least 23 people, including two children, have died after a fire broke out on a train in southern India, media reports say.The blaze engulfed a carriage of the Nanded-Bangalore Express while it was travelling through Andhra Pradesh state, rail officials said.Police said many of the dead had been suffocated by thick black smoke filling the train.The reason for the fire, which has been extinguished, is not yet known.More than 60 passengers are thought to have been on board the train when the fire broke out in an air-conditioned carriage around 03:30 local time (22:00 GMT).Officials said rescue operations were being hampered by thick fog and smog.The exact number of injured and missing people remains uncertain.Accidents are common on India’s immense state-owned rail network, which operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 18 million passengers every day, connecting every corner of the country.Last year, 47 people were killed in a fire on a passenger train travelling in Andhra Pradesh.

Three persons were burnt to death in an auto accident, which occurred on East-West Road, Zarama, near Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Friday, while another five passengers died in a ghastly crash along Ila-Orangun – Otun-Ekiti road.

While 12 persons sustained injuries in the Bayelsa crash, eight persons were injured in the Osun crash, which occurred on Wednesday.

The Bayelsa accident involved two vehicles – an 18-seater Toyota Hiace and a Toyota Sienna vehicle.

The accident, which caused panic within the community, occurred near the popular Zarama market at 10.20am.

One of the vehicles involved in the accident, an 18-seater Toyota Hiace with number-plate YB 820 AAA, was said to have exploded and went up in flames after it collided with the Sienna.

The situation was said to have resulted in the death of some of the passengers in the Toyota bus, including its driver.

An eyewitness, Mr. Joel Ebi, said the commercial bus was travelling from Warri, Delta State, to Calabar, Cross River State, when the crash occurred.

The second vehicle, he said, a Siena bus with number-plate BJ 292 BWR was conveying a family of eight from Warri, Delta State to Aba, Abia State when the accident occurred.

The remains of the passengers have been deposited at the morgue of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, by officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission while the rescued commuters are receiving medical treatment in the same hospital.

Another eyewitness, Mr. Sam Amabebe, said the Hiace bus veered off the road into his farm.

When contacted, the State Commander of the FRSC, Vincent Jack, confirmed the accident.

Jack said, “Three persons were roasted beyond recognition while 12 persons sustained injuries.

“Of the 12 injured persons, four were males and eight were females. The injured have been rushed to the NDTH at Okolobiri.”

Commenting on the Ila-Orangun – Otun-Ekiti accident, eyewitnesses told journalists in Osogbo on Friday that a Toyota Hiace bus with number-plate XP 874 ABC was coming from Abuja to Osun State when it crashed.

Although the cause of the accident remained unknown but an eyewitness who identified himself as Tajudeen said that the accident was caused by reckless speeding.

Meanwhile, two persons were critically injured on Friday evening in an accident involving a White Toyota Hilux van and a red Honda CRV SUV near Prisons Gate, Amawbia, Anambra State.

Battered pregnant woman: Lagos police arrest Lebanese boss

The Lagos State Police Command on Friday arrested Kaveh Noine, a manager with Toppan Printing Company, who allegedly kicked his pregnant subordinate, Alexandra Ossai, in the stomach two weeks ago,  causing her to lose her pregnancy.

PUNCH Metro had, on Tuesday, exclusively reported that Noine, a Lebanese, travelled out of the country when policemen attached to the Area F Police Division initially went to the company, to invite him for questioning.

Following the publication, President Goodluck Jonathan, had on Friday directed that the police and the National Human Rights Commission investigate the matter, expressing his displeasure over the incident.

However, Saturday PUNCH gathered that Noine was arrested on Friday by the Lagos State Police Command in Kano where he had fled to on Friday and brought him back to Lagos.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the story. She said, “Even before President Goodluck Jonathan ordered an investigation into the case, the Lagos State Police Command has been on it.

“In the course of our investigation, we discovered that Noine was still in the country; he had fled to Kano. Our men traced him to Kano, arrested him and have brought him back to Lagos.

“Presently, he is making his statement now at the command. The issue of bail, has not come up for now.”

Ossai had in PUNCH Metro’s December 24, 2013 publication, alleged that Noine assaulted her several times during her eight months stay at the company. Noine had allegedly hit Ossai in the chest a day before kicking her in her stomach over some misdemeanor by those whom Ossai supervised.

She also alleged that Noine was in the habit of physically assaulting workers at the company with anything he could lay his hands on, whenever he was angry.

The 34-year-old mother of one was said to have developed pains in her tummy which lasted for two days before subsiding. The pains were said to have begun again in the early hours of December 16, 2013, resulting into an emergency surgery at a private hospital at Fagba.

Her seven-month pregnancy was allegedly lost to the kick, as a result of a broken placenta. Ossai’s appointment with the company was allegedly terminated as a result of the incident and two of her siblings who also worked there were sacked.

Already, the Lagos State Public Advice Centre has waded into the case and offered Ossai free legal aid. The Public Relations Officer of the centre, Mr. Alex Omorodion, said, “We are going to liaise with other security agencies in Lagos State to see this matter to a logical conclusion. We also intend to visit the factory and talk with other workers to determine if more people have been abused by Noine. Then we will prosecute Noine at the conclusion of our investigation.”

When Saturday PUNCH contacted Ossai, she said, “I am really happy about the arrest. The rest is left to the police and my lawyer.”

Prophecies For 2014: “Patience Jonathan May Die” – Primate Ayodele

Prophet Babatunde Ayodele, Founder/Spiritual Head of Inri Evangelical Church, Lagos, has over the years warned the country of looming dangers, mostly unheeded. Warnings came before the airplane mishap that involved Sosoliso and Bellview Airlines in 2005, but were unheeded. The cleric has again spoken of things to come in the new year as 2013 winds down, emphasising the need for fervent prayers to avert evil, especially in the first family, as he says President Jonathan has to be prayerful so that he would not lose his wife.
“Concerning the year 2014, I will advise every Nigerian to take time and be prayerful for the country and for themselves from the 1st to 3rd of January, 2014. This is for God to prevent imminent dangers ahead of the nation and economy. Let us take it from here. I don’t see anything happening in the Nigerian economy. I see debts everywhere- our crude oil, foreign reserve, and all.
“States will be in debt, the Federal Government will be in debt and Nigeria will be planning to go borrow money. So, the government has to be very careful not to be grinded by these debts. Prices of food will increase drastically and flour will be scarce and very expensive. Corruption too will be more prevalent because this government lacks the power to fight it. Fighting oil theft will also pose a major challenge and Nigeria will beg America to support her in the fight. The price of petroleum will increase as well.

“There will be too much of troubles concerning kerosene. Sea pirates will dominate the waterways and the African Union, AU, will form a common security to monitor our seaways. Various organisations such as the Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, will be embarking on industrial action almost at the same time. Again, power supply will be unstable until 2015, 2016. I also see ocean surge in Lagos. Sponsors of Boko Haram will be exposed as well. Very importantly, let us be very watchful so we don’t have any border crisis.

“Like I’ve always said, President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term is dicey. He will start some political abracadabra in order to gain his second term which will be characterised by so much of negotiations. He will have to cajole and beg a lot of people; he will also beg Obasanjo. What Nigerians see now is only a tip of the iceberg of the clash that will come between Obasanjo and Jonathan.
“In the process of Jonathan’s negotiations, the offices of the Vice President, the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the Federal Government will be affected. When he eventually succeeds through negotiation, some of these governors who moved to the All Progressive Congress, APC, will return back to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Tukur will be removed.

“At the same time, I want to tell you that when Jonathan eventually gets his second term, there will be crisis. Also, another person will be shopped by the PDP to take over from Jonathan, but like I said, through negotiation and begging, he will get the second term. Jonathan might be the last president of PDP to rule this country, anyway. He also has to be prayerful and watchful so he doesn’t lose his wife, the First Lady of the country. I also see shake-up in the cabinet and ministers being removed and replaced. The Ministers of Petroleum and Aviation will also be seriously probed. Some people might not like theses prophecies, but that is not my problem because I am speaking as God has directed me,” Ayodele said.
Speaking further, he stated; “An unknown man will rule Lagos State. Nationally, APC has accommodated traitors and betrayals. It is not yet time for the party to rule this country. However, if they really want to rule, they have to struggle and pray very well to get the right candidate. They must be watchful so that their party is not used for negotiation.
“Nigeria will try their best in the World Cup but I do not see them in the semi-final or final. Let us be very watchful in the aviation sector so that pilots will not go on strike. Also, there will be air turbulence in some of our airports such as in Lagos and Abuja. We also must be watchful so that there won’t be any air crash. I however see reforms in the aviation sector.Let us pray very well so that this growing climatic condition will also not cause mourning for this country,” Ayodele said.

Lagos drain ducks agency carts away 150,000 tonnes of silt

The stupendous performance of lagos drain ducks agency in its constant clearing of drainage channels in all parts of the state has been another form of development as the lagos state government records more successes in the state.

The agency which was first

established in year 2000 has been  responsible for drainage clearing, road management and carting away silts to dump sites.

mr akeem abiodun apatira resumed  office as ceo of drain duck and since his resumption, the company has achieved several goals in terms of carting of toones in lagos. 

Offa: 7 Policemen Killed In Robbery Attack – CP

Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Mr. Agboola Oshodi-Glover Monday disclosed that seven police men lost their lives during an armed robbery attack in Offa town last Thursday.

According to him, three civilians were also killed while three other people are now at the hospital receiving medical attention over the attack.
Over 30 armed robbers had on Thursday, December 19 invaded four commercial banks in the ancient town of Offa, Kwara State.
During the incident, ten people were killed by the bandits while several millions of naira were carted away by the armed robbers.
An eyewitness said the robbers shot indiscriminately as they attacked the banks.

Pastor Kumuyi’s perception on Christmas

The General Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W.F Kumuyi, has again warned members of the church against celebrating Christmas, saying the annual celebration of Christmas is idolatrous and unscriptural.

Kumuyi warned that partaking in the celebration made Christians to go back from the commandment of Jesus Christ.
The cleric said this on Saturday at the annual national December convention of the church, which held at the church’s camp ground in Ogun State.
He said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas. It actually came from idolatrous background. That is why you don’t hear us sing what they call Christmas carol, Never! We always say it is the December retreat. We are only gathering together because it is the holiday period and love the lord more, and rededicate ourselves more.
“When you find anybody coming in, or any leader, trying to introduce the idolatry of mystery Babylon, that they call Christmas and you want to bring all the Christmas carol saying that is the day that Jesus was born, and you don’t find that in the Acts of the Apostles or in the early church, then you don’t find that in the church either.  If you don’t know that before, now you know.”
He warned that any of the church’s leaders that tried to introduce the “idolatry of Christmas” into any section of the church would be sanctioned, while also encouraging other believers in Christ to jettison the celebration as part of their sacrifice to perfection.
Kumuyi said the duty of the church was to make people more like Jesus Christ and not join in worldly celebrations.
“We are not trying to make the church turn like the world. We want it to be like Jesus Christ, and more like the Apostles. If you don’t have that mind with us, then you have permission to go to other places,” he added.
But the Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, in his reaction to Kumuyi’s proclamation, said, “I don’t know what he means by saying the practice of celebrating Christmas is wrong.
“Is he saying that Christ wasn’t born? That he didn’t come to die for us? Does he not celebrate his own birthday? Do Kumuyi’s pastors not celebrate him? It is not everything I react to; some people just seek attention. If Kumuyi is a Christian, then he must believe in Christ.
“The celebration of Christmas didn’t just start today; it is too public an event for anyone to say that they don’t know what it is about. “If Kumuyi is condemning the commercialisation of Christmas, I can understand that. Christ came to redeem us from our lost state; this was actualised through his coming, his birth; that is why we celebrate Christmas. It is the fulfilment of God’s promise.”
 “I saw him on the television a few days ago. He was in Akwa Ibom State and was the chief preacher during their Christmas celebration event. Kumuyi is just saying what he feels; he is not making any doctrinal statement.”
The spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria, Oshodi chapter, Lagos State, Pastor Barnabas Otoibhi, said that Christmas was worth celebrating.
Otoibhi told one our correspondents in a telephone interview that the origin of Christmas was not as important as its essence.
He said, “The origin of Christmas, as we know it, could be traced to Roman Emperor, Constantine. Christmas was a day for celebrating the Sun God. However, because Constantine was a Christian, the day was changed to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
“The tradition has continued to date and since the aim of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus since there is nothing bad in honouring Jesus. Also, the worship of the Sun God was done in Rome and not everywhere in the world, so it is not part of our history.
“We mark Christmas with the singing of songs as a day, which has now been consecrated.”

SOURCE- PUNCHNG

FRSC Warns Motorists Against Overspeeding During Christmas

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Gombe State Command, Monday, warned motorists, especially commercial drivers against speeding and overloading their vehicles, to avoid accidents.

The Sector Commander, Mr Kuteb Galadima, gave the warning during a sensitisation programme at Bauchi Park in Gombe.
He said that at this time of the year, many people travelled to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their loved ones and a lot of accidents occurred.
According to him, many commercial drivers in their hurry to make more money, refused to obey traffic rules.
He said that the command, on its part, had made plans to deploy more men on the roads to enhance safety and ease traffic during the period.
The Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Gombe State, Mr Ado Solomon, also advised people to always obey the traffic lights to avoid accidents in the state.

Solomon urged parents to send their children to driving schools before releasing their cars to them to drive, especially during the festivities. [NAN]

Russia’s designer of AK-47 rifle dies

MOSCOW, (AFP) – Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of fabled AK-47 automatic rifle, died Monday, the office of the presidency in the Udmurtia region where he worked said. He was 94.

Kalashnikov designed a weapon that became synonymous with killing on a sometimes indiscriminate scale but was seen in the Soviet Union as a national hero and symbol of Moscow’s proud military past.
“He died about one-and-a-half hours ago,” Viktor Chulkov, the spokesman for the Udmurtia leader Alexander Volkov, told AFP.
Lavished with honours including the prestigious Hero of Russia prize for designing the iconic rifle, Kalashnikov has said he had never intended for it to become the preferred weapon in conflicts around the world.
“I created a weapon to defend the fatherland’s borders. It’s not my fault that it was sometimes used where it shouldn’t have been. This is the fault of politicians,” he said during an award ceremony at the Kremlin to mark his 90th birthday.
AK-47′s name stands for “Kalashnikov’s Automatic” and the year it was designed, 1947. Also called the “Kalashnikov”, the rifle and its variants are the weapons of choice for dozens of armies and guerrilla groups around the world.
More than 100 million Kalashnikov rifles have been sold worldwide and they are wielded by fighters in such far-flung conflict zones as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
But their inventor, a World War II veteran, has barely profited financially from them and lived modestly in Izhevsk, an industrial town 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) east of Moscow.
The Izmash factory that was the home manufacturer of the weapon in the central Russian region of Udmurtia has now fallen on hard times after a collapse in orders following the fall of the USSR, a fact that prompted Kalashnikov to make a personal appeal to President Vladimir Putin.
Born in a Siberian village as the 17th child of family on November 10, 1919, Kalashnikov had a tragic childhood during which his father was deported under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1930.
Wounded during combat in 1941, Kalashnikov designed his rifle in 1947, driven by Soviet defeats in the early years of World War II at the hands of far better armed German soldiers.
In October 1941 in fierce battles around Bryansk he was heavily wounded and shell-shocked.According to his official Izmash biography, Kalashnikov first conceived of the weapon while recovering in hospital.
The rifle quickly became prized for its sturdy reliability in difficult field conditions and Kalashnikov was honoured with the Soviet Union’s top awards including the Lenin and the Stalin prizes.
Yet the design was never patented internationally and Izmash always complained that its potential income from the weapon was hit badly by the “pirated” versions of the designs made abroad.
The 205-year-old Izmash plant remains one of the main producers of Russian weapons and is treasured as a national icon.
But Izmash has also suffered from dwindling demand and a failure to make up for this with foreign orders — a problem plaguing many specialised post-Soviet industries.