Biafra: IPOB disowns S-East govs, Ohanaeze over meeting with FG

Bianca Ojukwu,  Fasheun, Major Al-Mustapha, others storm Owerri for 3rd anniversary of Ojukwu’s demise

By Chidi Nkwopara & Chimaobi Nwaiwu

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, warned the South East governors andOhanaeze Ndigbo, to stop any meeting they were planning to hold with Federal Government in the name of representing and speaking for them as they did not represent IPOB

This came as the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike,  appealed to the Federal Government to unconditionally release the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Unconditional release

One of IPOB’s spokesmen, Emma Powerful said “if the South East governors and theOhanaeze Ndigbo are serious, they should be talking about getting unconditional release of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who is still  incacerated for the past one month, that should be the starting point.
How can the South East governors, whom we elected but stabbed us at the back, calling us all sorts of unprintable names with the enemies of Biafra and South East in general, and the people who call themselves Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a group that is in shambles, that has not takenNdigbo forward after the leadership of Eze Ozobu and Nwabueze, be talking for us?

“The governors and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that is in disarray and some disgruntled traditional rulers, whom we know for working for any government in power, and soliciting for and receiving contracts from governments, joined the enemies of Ndigbo,who betrayed us during the Nigerian Biafran Civil War, to call us name.

“And now they claim they want to go and negotiate for us, to collect money and contracts as usual, to sell us out like they have always done, when they have not even called us to a meeting to find out our grievances.

“We are rejecting the South East governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo and whatever proposals they are making with Nigerian Federal Government. They are not representing us, but themselves.

We, the IPOB members warn them to stop discussing IPOB because they are not representing us, they have roundly and consistently disappointed us, Ndigbo and Biafrans as a whole.

“We can only listen and support them if they are talking about unconditional release for Mr. Kanu and not to stop worldwide Biafra actualization agitation and peaceful protests, we will not stop until our leader is released unconditionally.”

Anniversary

Meanwhile, leader of  MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has appealed to the Federal Government to unconditionally release the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.

Uwazuruike made the appeal, yesterday, while addressing loyalists and friends of MASSOB, who stormed Owerri for the third anniversary of the exit of Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.

Biafra

Some dignitaries that honoured the event included, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, who was the Special Guest of Honour. He was also accompanied to the event by more than 70 persons.

Others included Alhaji Yerima Shetima, President, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum; Prof. Alu Danladi, Ambassador John Fashanu, Alhaji Abdullahi Zaria, Alhaji Sale Hassan, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu, Alhaji Zallari Bello and Alhaji Aminu Gwaru.

Continuing, the MASSOB leader sai: “We are not operating from any foreign country.  The so called Radio Biafra, London, was opened by MASSOB in London and Nnamdi Kanu appointed as the Director, after MASSOB had operated Voice of Biafra International in Washington DC for three years. The purpose of Radio Biafra London was to showcase the marginalization of Ndigbo,” Uwazuruike said.

He said his group knew the desires of Ndigbo, and how to achieve them, noting that those who were threatening fire and brimstone today, were once members of MASSOB before they were expelled due to violent related behaviours.

Blackmail

He was not particularly happy at the way Ndigbo “castigate, vilify and blackmail their leaders to impress other tribes,” pointing out that “Ndigbo takes delight in killing their leaders to emerge as the new champions.

“Ndigbo are now second class citizens in Nigeria. They will soon be relegated to the third class. Ndigbo blames the Hausa and the Yoruba for their misadventure. Unfortunately, Ndigbodo not see any reason to blame themselves.

“Today, Ndigbo in their usual character, want to decimate MASSOB. They believe that since MASSOB has not achieved Biafra through non-violence for 16 years that they would achieve it through violence.”

Fire and brimstone

Uwazuruike said that the those claiming to be champions in their little knowledge, forget that “Igboland is landlocked and that the five states of the South East contribute less than eight per cent of the economy of Nigeria.

“In their little knowledge, they do not know that Ndigbo need deep sea ports to bring in their arms and ammunition to be used to fight an established government of Nigeria.

There is no Sambisa forest connecting Igboland to other neighbouring countries, through which small arms could be smuggled in.”

Suicide attack hits Nigeria Shia march

Image copyrightIbrahim Hassan

Image captionDeaths and injuries did not stop the procession - an annual event lasting seven days

A suicide bomber has killed at least 21 people in an attack on a Shia Muslim procession in Nigeria's Kano state, eyewitnesses and organisers say.

The bomber ran into the crowd and detonated his device before he could be spotted, an organiser told AFP.

The attack happened shortly after a man was arrested in possession of a bomb, a witness told the BBC.

The blast took place in the village of Dakasoye, about 20km (13 miles) south of the provincial capital, Kano.

"We lost 21 people and several others have been injured," Muhammad Turi from the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) said.

Police said they did not know who was behind the attack, but IMN organisers blamed the Sunni militant group Boko Haram.

Meeting Nigeria's Shia leader

The procession - an annual event lasting seven days - continued after the blast.

"We are not surprised that we've been attacked because this is the situation all over the country. This will not deter us from our religious observance," said Mr Turi.

The procession travels from Kano to Zaria in neighbouring Kaduna state, where the IMN, the country's biggest Shia organisation, has its headquarters.

Security forces had been ordered away from the procession after clashes between pilgrims and the army left several people dead last year, including three sons of its leader Sheikh el-Zakzaky.

Most of Nigeria's Muslims are Sunnis and correspondents say there are underlying tensions between them and Shia Muslims.

Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed thousands and made more than 2m people homeless. The group condemns Shias as heretics who should be killed.

The militants have increasingly attacked civilian targets since being pushed out of territory they controlled by a military offensive.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has given the military commanders until next month to end the conflict, but there are fears bomb attacks may continue.

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Facebook launches Instant Articles for faster loading

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — Facebook launched itsInstant Articles initiative today for reading news stories, videos and photos that load quicker on the iPhone platform.

Chris Cox, the chief product officer for Facebook, made the announcement at the Wall Street JournalWSJ.D Live conference, adding that Instant Articles are being tested on Androidphones as well.

Facebook is working with news organizations including Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Vox, NBC News, Washington Post, Slate, New York Times and others, to give their articles preferential treatment in the Facebook News Feed for faster loading.

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'New York Times,' Buzzfeed begin publishing on Facebook

The company says articles—including video and photos—will load in the News Feed 10 times faster than previously.

“We built Instant Articles because performance on smartphones is the most important feature,” Cox said. “If we can lower the friction, it’s a huge service to both the body that’s writing the article and the user on Facebook.”

Facebook has been giving video publishers who upload video directly to Facebook preferential treatment by promoting them to a wider group of the News Feed and faster loads. In its pitch to publishers to join Instant Articles, Facebook tells them they can either keep the ad revenue, or have Facebook sell them for a revenue split.

Hundreds march for Mississippi flag change

JACKSON, Miss. — Sharon Brown, who proposed the initiative that seeks to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, said she's doing it for her mother.

"Mother is the reason why this is taking place; she indicated that, ‘you and your sister better stand up,’ so we’re standing up for a change," Brown said as supporters gathered  for Sunday's One Flag for All rally near the Jackson State University campus.

But more than striking the Confederate emblem, Brown said, it's about creating a flag that can unify Mississippians.

"(The current flag) doesn't represent the unity that's here in Mississippi," she said. "We need one flag that represents all of the people here, not just a minority. It hurts the state economically and socially."

The rally also drew some big names, including rapper David Banner, civil rights activistMyrlie Evers and South Carolina Rep. Jenny Horne. Horne helped facilitate  the removal of the flag at the South Carolina state capitol following a mass shooting at a church in Charleston this summer. Horne had been friends with Sen. Clementa Pinckney, one of the victims of the shooting.

"There's a lot Mississippi can learn from what we did in South Carolina, so they don't have to have a tragedy to make them do the right thing," she said. "It's unfortunate that it took such a senseless act of violence. You shouldn't need that in Mississippi. It's really sad that it's 2015, and it took a tragedy to make us do this."

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Country star wants Mississippi flag changed

Banner spoke to the crowd before the march to the Capitol started.

"My family lived and  died on this land, so it means a little bit more to me than just a flag," he said. "It's time to move Mississippi forward."

A flag, he added, is supposed to be about a conglomerate effort, about everybody. "That flag is not about me," he said.

About 300 people walked from their meeting place at the corner of J.W. Lynch and Rose streets to the State Capitol.

Munisha Lott found out about the rally on Saturday night from friend Jeremy Lewis. The two marched together with their signs.

Musician David Banner gives an impassioned speech on the south steps of the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson on Sunday during a rally in support of Mississippi Initiative Number 55, a state ballot initiative to amend the Mississippi State Constitution and remove the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi state flag. (Photo: Joe Ellis/The Clarion-Ledger)

"We think it's important to promote unity. We know there will be divisions, no doubt about that, but we can put effort and energy into the unification part,"  Lewis said. "A flag represents the people, so we think it's very important."

Banner said a new flag is also about investing in Mississippi's children.

"We’re going to have to draw a line. Are you Confederate, which stands for slavery, or are you Southern? I’m Southern until the day I die," he said. "For me it’s more about these kids, every time those kids look up at that flag, it’s something that makes them duck their heads."

Russia’s deadly new weapons striking fear into heart of the West

Russia said 26 rockets fired by its warships this week struck Islamic State targets, but others aren’t so sure.

Emma Reynoldsnews.com.au

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RUSSIA’S deadly hi-tech weapons on display in the Middle East are spreading fear of another Cold War in the West.

Vladimir Putin is employing sophisticated modern warfare in supporting Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and the world-leading electronics are making the US and its allies increasingly nervous.

The Russian president has sent fighter jets, drones and bombers to Syria, but it’s the spy weapons that could be the most powerful and dangerous. While surveillance equipment and “jammers” are ostensibly there to block communications by Islamic State fighters, it appears Russia is also targeting Western-armed rebels in an almighty display of power.

“We’re still trying to work out what the strategical aim is,” Middle East expert Rodger Shanahan from the Lowy Insititute told news.com.au

“Obviously to buttress the Assad regime, they’ve been allies for decades. There’s a significant air component and a few thousand troops, enough to defend [Russia’s] air base.

“It’s certainly Russia trying to protect its nationalist credentials and be a player in the region.”

While Dr Shanahan dismissed the idea of another Cold War, others aren’t so sure. US officials told the Times of London they were considering a revival of the protocols used to prevent such a confrontation.

Civilians on the rubble of a damaged site hit on Wednesday by what activists say were cluster bombs dropped by the Russian air force in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria.Source:Reuters

WHY THE WEST IS WORRIED

In recent weeks, Russia has sent in its IL-20 surveillance aircraft, known as “Coot” by NATO, armed with radar, eavesdropping equipment and optical and infrared sensors. It has also deployed advanced electronic jamming system Krasukha-4, used to block enemy radar and aircraft.

The Vasily Tatishchev, an advanced naval surveillance ship, sailed for the eastern Mediterranean on Monday, Interfax reported, with Turkey expressing serious concern.

This intelligence weaponry is a fresh example of “hybrid warfare” tactics, covert and deceptive operations used to achieve strategic objectives, according to Foreign Policy. With many calling for no-fly zone over Syria, it has helped keep Putin in control of the skies over the Middle East, said Igor Sutyagin, a senior research fellow at London think tank Royal United Services Institute.

Electronic warfare is one of Russia’s greatest strengths, where it out-muscles even the West. The deployment of jammers could directly affect NATO technology, blinding pilots and giving Russia a huge military advantage over the West.

“They would have understood the implications for America.” said Dr Shanahan. “The US reaction would have been considered.”

The Russian Navy's large landing ship Novocherkassk on its way to the Mediterranean Sea in Istanbul.Source:Reuters

WHO’S REALLY THE TARGET?

On Wednesday, Putin’s government said it had launched 26 cruise missiles, successfully hitting targets in north and north-western Syrian provinces. But US officials said four missiles had gone off course and landed in Iran.

Secretary of State John Kerry said he was worried that the “preponderance of targets” being struck by Russian forces in Syria were not related to IS. Local activists and US officials say the strikes have targeted Western-armed rebels, helping to prop up the Assad government.

The Russian Ministry of Defence responded with characteristic bullishness. “However unpleasant and ‘unexpected’ it may be for our colleagues at the Pentagon and Langley [CIA’s Virginia headquarters] about yesterday’s attacks by high-accuracy weapons on the [Islamic State] infrastructure in Syria — all the same, all rockets fired from ships found their targets,” said ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov.

The US has warned that further conversations may be required with Russia to avoid misunderstandings.

The deployment of the Krasukha-4 jamming system came after three days of aerial confrontations between Turkish jets and Russian-made warplanes used by Russia and the Syrian regime, The Times reported.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, said the incursions were deliberate acts of harassment. “Intelligence that we have received provides me with reason to say it doesn’t look like an accident, it is a serious violation,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has remained defiant as the US expresses concern.Source:AP

WHAT’S PUTIN’S MOTIVATION?

Russia’s aims in Syria are far more simple than those of the US, according to Dr Shanahan. “At some stage there will be a political settlement in Syria,” he said. “If they strengthen the Assad regime and weaken everybody else, it will make Russia’s rein in the Syrian hand much stronger in political bargaining. They don’t have to worry about IS, the West is doing that for them.

“Russia wants to wedge US interests so it is strategically located, and it wants to support allies to show it is ‘pick and stick’

“It’s certainly sending a message. Military power is obviously part of national power.”

A US official speaking to Foreign Policy said Russia has concealed communications and movements just as it did in Ukraine, hiding fighter jets in larger cargo planes.

What Russia’s long-term plans are, only Putin and his confidants really know, but they’re certainly making the rest of the world uneasy.

This baby was born with two noses after suffering from an ultra-rare genetic condition

Shock birth ... Baby Angelito (little angel) was born with two tubes growing out of the side of his face. Picture: CEN/Australscope

Michael Morrow and AgencyNews Corp Australia Network

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A baby who has two tubes growing out of his face instead has been born and given the name Baby Angelito (meaning little angel) by his parents.

Doctors say despite the deformed nose, the youngster is perfectly normal following his birth in the city of Chimbote, Peru.

Paediatrician Jose Castillo, who’s looked after him since his birth, explained to local media that the strange condition was the result of a very rare genetic deformity which happens once in every 10 million to 15 million births.

He said the child is stable and his heart and respiratory system are also working fine.

Otherwise healthy ... Doctors say it’s likely he suffers from no other problems. Picture: CEN/AustralscopeSource:australscope

The baby was transferred from his home in Nuevo Chimbote to hospital, some 600k’s away, where he will undergo an operation on the double nose.

The hospital’s neonatal care boss Carlos Arrestegui Ramos said: “He doesn’t have difficulty breathing now, but he will need plastic surgery.”

He added that all the indications were that the child was perfectly normal in every other way although further tests would be needed to determine whether he also had any other issues.

Plastic surgery is most likely to be a complete success.

The mayor of the Nuevo Chimbote district in Lima, Valentin Fernandez, has presented the young parents with a gift of nappies, milk and money to cover their stay in the capital while their newborn receives treatment.

Former Mrs Orange County arrested for child porn with 4-year-old girl

A FORMER beauty queen has been arrested for allegedly making and distributing child pornography involving a four-year-old female relative.

Meghan Breanna Alt, of Irvine, California, is accused by investigators of sending the child porn to a US marine in exchange for gifts and cash, the Orange County Register has reported.

Police say the former Mrs Orange County has admitted to the charges.

Arrest ... Alt is accused by investigators of sending child porn to a US marine. Picture: Orange County Sheriff’s DepartmentSource:Supplied

The 25-year-old mother is also alleged to have prostituted herself on Craigslist and, in at least one instance, is accused of engaging in online porn while her children were present.

The custody of her children has been handed to her husband who police say was unaware of what she was doing.

Sick mum ... Alt is accused of engaging in online porn while her children were present. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Alt, who was crowned Mrs Orange County in 2014 and also competed in the Mrs California 2014 pageant, was involved with helping children as a church volunteer, said investigators.

They adding that they feared there may be more child victims.

She was arrested by police during a traffic stop and is being held on bail of $US100,000 ($136,000).