First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan Blasts Amaechi

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, yesterday took a swipe at Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State when she said Port Harcourt, the state capital, has lost its attraction during the governor's reign.

Dame Jonathan who was in the city to attend the wedding of one of the five anti-Amaechi legislators in the State House of Assembly prayed for the return of the lost glory.

"During the time of Chief Rufus Ada-George and Dr. Peter Odili as governors, everybody wanted to come to Port Harcourt, which was called the Garden City, but I pray that it will return to what it used to be, so that we and our children can be proud of Port Harcourt," she said at the wedding reception.

The governor who was scheduled to be the guest of honour was absent at the wedding-of Mr. Evans Bipi and former Miss Rhoda Sika- although he was represented at the church by his deputy, Tele Ikuru .

Ikuru did not attend the reception having left for another function in his home town.

However, scores of prominent politicians from the state including ex-Governors Ada-George and Odili were there, as were national and state legislators with the Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, playing the chief host.

The First Lady was full of praise for Wike for bringing together such an array of prominent citizens.

She said: "I grew up in Rivers State, but I have never seen a gathering of the movers and shakers of this state like this. When I say I love Wike, people do not understand. If not for him, I would not have this opportunity to be here.

"It is good to be good. Both Rivers and Bayelsa are one, because Bayelsa State was created out of the old Rivers State (on October 1, 1996) and nobody can separate the two states, but the people must come together in peace and speak with one voice. Wike has brought us together."

Wike is currently locked in a bitter struggle with Amaechi for the soul of the PDP in the state.

He is said to be the Presidency's favoured candidate for the 2015 governorship election in the state.

He is the chief supporter of the Obuah-led faction of the PDP in the state and enjoys the backing of the five anti-Amaechi assembly men.

The first lady's presence in town practically shut down the city.

Security was heavy and traffic paralysed especially in and around St. Cyprian's Anglican Church, Hospital Road, venue of the wedding and Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, Moscow Road, where the reception took place.

Several Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), soldiers, policemen and State Security Service (SSS) operatives were deployed in strategic places.

Mrs Jonathan, a native of Rivers State, had once openly clashed with Amaechi when she scolded him for demolishing shanties in parts of the state.

It was gathered that she met last night with the anti-Amaechi lawmakers.

The governor is also not in the good books of the Presidency for his acts of 'insubordination' toward President Goodluck Jonathan.

He is perceived as threatening the chances of the president for a second term in office by allegedly agreeing to run as vice presidential candidate to a Northerner in 2015.

He has denied the allegation.

He is also blamed for defying the Presidency by running for a second term as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). He defeated the Presidency's candidate, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau in the election by 19 votes to 16.

He is currently on suspension by the party

Also at yesterday's wedding were a former Minister of Science and Technology, King Ebitimi Banigo, now the Amanyanabo of Okpoma in Bayelsa State, the Amanyanabo-elect of Ogu, Nicholas Nimenibo, former Governor Celestine Omehia and former Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives Chibudom Nwuche and Austin Opara.

Others were Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas; PDP National Women leader, Kema Chikwe; ex-Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe; Dr. Abiye Sekibo, factional chairman of PDP in Rivers State, Chief Felix Obuah; Senator Lee Maeba, the National President of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Chief Nkechi Mba; and the wife of the Bayelsa Governor, Rachael Dickson.

Goodluck Summons PDP Govs For Peace Meeting

President Jonathan has reportedly summoned all the PDP governors for a peace meeting scheduled to hold in Abuja tomorrow.

A Presidency source told Sunday Tribune in Abuja that President Jonathan, as leader of the party, took the action to find a lasting solution to the crisis so that the party would regain its leadership footings and plan ahead of the 2015 general election.

Following this development, it was gathered, the PDP governors, who had been warring among themselves, would bury the hatchets and hold a crucial meeting in Abuja tonight with a view to presenting a common agenda on the way forward to resolve the crisis.

Though the position of most of the PDP governors had always been that the party's national chairman should step aside to allow for a neutral and less controversial person to take over, with the recent formation of the PDP Governors' Forum and the crisis rocking the Nigeria Governors' Forum, which they said resulted in Alhaji Tukur winning only a few of the governors into his camp.

It was, learnt that some of the governors were also said to be of the opinion that if they fail to support the current move to remove Alhaji Tukur, they might be the next victims of the treatment meted to Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Aliyu Wammako, who until recently, were considered to be his favourites.

The source revealed that it was the same Governor Amaechi who went round, last year, to convince his governor-colleagues on the need to support the candidature of Alhaji Tukur as the national chairman of the party.

Wizkid Wreck Porsche Car In Accident

Super artiste Wizkid in the early hours of Saturday was reported to have wrecked his multi million Naira Porsche car in an accident,though no life was lost in the accident,the car was a wreck. Wizkid was said to be coming from Oriental hotel Victoria Island Lagos in company of some ladies at about 3.00 am before the accident happened. As could be seen from the wreck,airbag seemed to have exploded.

Tecno Announce Phantom N9 Tablet (Photos/Specs)

Tecno – Mobile company have made their presence felt in Nigeria and they are determined to go head to head with Samsung to see that they grab their share of the Nigerian market when it comes to smartphones. Already, they have highjacked lower end sales of phones from Nokia and they are now ready to move head on to the Smartphone battle ground as far as Nigeria is concerned.

Recently, it was the release of Tecno N7 that people couldn't stop talking about due to what was packed into the smartphone. However, they didn't stop there, they move on to produce Tecno Phantom A which was even more dashing than Tecno N7 due to its specifications which is twice as better than the N7.
Now, Tecno have moved on to produce its first Tablet known has the Tecno Phantom N9 Pad. See the images below with more on the way soon.

This pad is a 8 inch white sleek body tablet running Android Jelly Bean 4.2.1 with Kernel version 3.4.5. Its a quad core 1.2GHz CPU tablet with 5mp rear camera and 2.0mp front camera.

For now, only the white version is available. It has a silver back plat with speakers and camera embedded.

Below are the detailed Specifications of this tablet and it is scheduled to be released by end of June.

Specifications

Model: Tecno Phantom N9
Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.1
Network: 3G/2G
Band: GSM 900/ DCS 1800/WCDMA 2100 MHz
Dimension: 204 x 154 x 9.9 mm
Display: 8.0 inch capacity Touch screen
Resolution: 768 x 1024
Processor: Quad Core 1.2 GHz CPU
Camera: 5.0 MP back camera and 2.0MP front camera
Audio Format: MP3, MIDI, AMR, WAV, AAC
Video Format: MP4, 3GP, AVI
Memory: 16 GB ROM with MicroSD Slot to expand to 32GB
RAM: 1.0 GB
Messaging and SNS: Gmail, Facebook
Connectivity: GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, USB, 3.5mm Earphone Jack
Battery Capacity: 4500mAh
Talk Time: Up to 8hrs
Standby Time: Up to 500hrs
Sensor: G Sensor
SIM : Single SIM
Tentatively this device would sell between 35 – 40k in Naira according to my source.
Pros: Its running Android Jelly Bean, camera is good, RAM and ROM are good and the price is considerate
Cons: Battery life for tab should be higher, Resolution is not HD
Verdict
Its not bad. Its going to be a welcome device and am sure Nigerians would by it, especially those that want a tablet and don't want to spend so much to get an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

- phonegist.blogspot.com

Blackberry Announces Blackberry A10

Following the release of the BlackBerry Z10, Q10 and Q5, BlackBerry plans to release a completely touchscreen A10 in November according to CNET.

There's no word yet on when Nigerians are going to be able to get their hands on the phone, but being that all the others have launched around the same time they did in the U.S., I think we'll see it then.

The phone will be a high-end phone with BlackBerry 10, higher than the Z10 and Q10, leaving the Q5 as a lower end phone for emerging markets as intended. It's meant to act as a competitor for the iPhone and Galaxy S4

No photos of the A10 have surfaced, all we know is Sprint will carry the phone in the U.S. in and it will launch towards American Thanksgiving.

We'll make sure to keep you posted as the story develops.

- Technesstivity

Gov Amaechi lashes out on critics, says they are seeking attention

Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi says those criticizing his administration for not performing are only looking for a way to gain political relevance in the State.

Governor Amaechi stated this while declaring open the first Council of Information summit organized by the Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications in Port Harcourt.



He said some lapses in the completion of projects is also as a result of some Rivers indigenes who has abandoned contracts awarded to them and yet they end up criticizing him.

Governor Amaechi emphasized that transparency is key to his administration to ensure that the yearning and aspirations of the people are achieved.

He urged Media practitioners to call on Politicians to deliver on their electioneering promises.

The theme for the conference if "Public information management, a tool for good governance".

-

Source: Legisreportsng

Gay Right: Britain to Stop Aid to Nigeria

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on Friday said his government might consider cutting off aid to Nigeria over same sex marriage bill passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday. The Senate had passed its own version in November, 2011.

Cameron spoke on a British Broadcasting Corporation programme, monitored in Lagos. He said he would take up the issue with President Goodluck Jonathan soon. The prime minister said he would restate his government's strong objection to the passage of the bill. The prime minister was reacting to a question by a Nigerian resident in London, Bisi.

"When we meet with Nigerian politicians and leaders, we will be clear about those things we agreed on. We have to be clear where we disagree. We will make clear where we stand on those issues," he said.

When asked whether Britain would consider stopping a projected 50 per cent increase in aid to Nigeria or cutting it outright, Cameron said, "Nothing is off the table. We need to have these conversations. We also have some very important objectives with Nigerians, for instance on how to deal with the appalling rates of poverty in Northern Nigeria, which are part of the problems confronting the country."

Britain and some Western Nation had previously expressed opposition to the bill. Cameron had in October 2011 threatened to cut off aid to countries which ban gay and lesbians.

Kim Kardashian Gives Birth to Baby Girl

Kim Kardashian has given birth to a baby girl ... TMZ has learned.Source close to KK tell TMZ ... it was a NATURAL CHILD BIRTH. She started having contractions Friday night and went into full labor early Saturday AM. Our sources tell us the baby and Kim are both in good health. We're told Kim delivered the baby at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center this morning ...5 weeks early.

Our sources say BF Kanye West was there for the entire thing -- in the delivery room by Kim's side. We're told Kanye cancelled his appearance at his own record release party last night when Kim told him she was feeling "a little off."It is the first child for Kim and Kanye.

Abiki Dabiri-Erewa is Lagos’ Next Deputy Governor?

Rumour reaching us via myemag is that House of Representative member, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa might be the next Lagos State's Deputy Governor by zoning arrangement.

According to what we reliably gathered, Action Congress of Nigeria's governorship zoning for the next dispensation, goes to Badagry, while the Deputy Governor's position goes to Ikorodu.

So if all goes as planned without any last minute political magic, our source stats that the most eligible candidate with the support of the godfathers from Ikorodu, three time Rep member, Hon. Abike Dabiri, former broadcaster with NTA, who doubles as Chairperson, House Committee on Diaspora matters is the candidate.

ABU Students Describe Reuben Abati As National Embarrassment

The Ahmadu Bello University Student Representative Council (ABUSRC) has criticized Reuben Abati, President Goodluck Jonathan's spokesman, for his verbal attack Nuhu Ribadu who last week presented a paper at the university. Mr. Abati's fiery response suggested that the government regarded Mr. Ribadu's paper as an attempt to take aim at Mr. Jonathan.

In a detailed statement, ABUSRC described Mr. Abati's outburst as an embarrassment to Nigerians and the academic community.

Signed the ABUSRC's president, Abubakar A. Rafindadi, the statement declared: "As an impeccably responsible students' body, the Students' Representative Council of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, notes with utter consternation and disappointment, the reaction by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati on a lecture delivered by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu during a One Day Public Lecture organized by ABUSRC on 8th June, 2013, in Assembly Hall of the Samaru Main Campus. With all due respect to the revered Presidency, the way and manner in which the Presidential Adviser came out and launched his characteristic campaign of calumny against perceived opponents to his boss, this time against Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in the national dailies, is very disheartening. It is also instructive to note that he did so on account of total misconstruction and deliberate distortion of the contents of the speech delivered by Ribadu.

"In the said lecture entitled 'Political Engagement: A New Approach,' Ribadu attempted to locate the role of all stakeholders in the Nigerian enterprise, particularly the youth, in rising up to the myriad challenges of national cohesion, entrenchment of democratic values, the increasingly rising tide of oligarchic tendencies in the nation's politics, the divisive and exclusionist siren calls among parochial ethnic chauvinists, among other very important national issues including insecurity. We view as unfair as well as provocative, the statement credited to Abati by national dailies that 'President Jonathan and his administration will not be distracted from the diligent implementation of the agenda by the falsehood and vituperations of Ribadu and his new friends'. It is disgustingly surprising that this statement was made as an attack on a paper presented which was tailored to address the aforementioned challenges.

"It is instructive to note that the lecture in question looked at Nigeria and its embarrassing predicaments, and not at any particular person or group. No mention was made of anybody's name. Naturally, one wonders why the hoopla! In the lecture, this was, amongst others, what Ribadu said '...we need to come together to make our democracy work; let us drop any form of identity that introduces us as something other than 'citizens', and let us drop any citizenship that asks for anything other than 'change' for the better. Let us destroy any institution that preaches divisions and exclusions'. For goodness sake, fellow Nigerians, what is wrong with a paper (or for that matter, its author) that advocates for the much-sought-after ideals, as quoted above?
That Nigeria and Nigerians need take their destiny into their own hands is, in the opinion of ABUSRC, which is made up of true democrats, (and indeed the majority of well-meaning Nigerians), a right philosophy on the right track. Interestingly, this is the philosophy that pervades throughout the paper delivered by Mallam Ribadu.

"It is equally important to emphatically state here that the fact that Nigeria is in unfortunately ailing situation is not in doubt. Therefore, why should it become a crime when Nigerians are told that there is a problem with their dear country, with the intention that they may be spurred to wake up to clear the mess for the political and economic development which the nation badly needs?"

The students' statement continued:

"As true democrats, we strongly believe in intellectual exchange of ideas so as to move this nation and its nascent democracy forward. It will doubtless not augur well for this country and its politics when its leaders consider any attempt to enlighten the public politically as irresponsible and subversive. The ABUSRC believes in the great possibility of a greater Nigeria with the active participation of all and sundry, whether one is in government or not. In view of the above, we view as sine qua non for the achievement of the above goal, the entrenchment of freedom of speech which the Nigerian constitution guarantees. And it sounds paradoxical for a government that takes pride in 'consistently (upholding) the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights' to now come out berating a Nigerian who has lawfully expressed his opinion as guaranteed by the law of the land.

"On a final note, if Nigeria should move forward politically and otherwise (which we believe so), leaders should learn to tolerate opposition, allow the freedom of expression to be exercised and look at things in proper perspective. Decontextualizing issues for personal and/or political reasons will not help our drive for a more prosperous, egalitarian and united Nigeria."

NLNG Scholarship 2013/2014 Application Begins - Apply Now!

The Nigeria LNG Limited Undergraduate Scholarship Award is open to only First Year undergraduate students in Nigerian Universities.

By filling out this application, you certify that you are an undergraduate student in a Nigerian university and currently in your first year in your institution.

The purpose of Nigeria LNG Scholarship Award Scheme is to promote academic excellence amongst undergraduates in tertiary institutions in Rivers State and the rest of the country.

Please ensure you have properly scanned, legible copies of the following documents available before you proceed to submit your application.

- Scanned copy of passport sized photograph (300 x 300 pixel)
- Scanned copy of JAMB and/or University admission letter
- Scanned copy of WAEC/NECO/GCE/O'Levels or A'Level result
- Scanned copy of School Identity card
- Scanned copy of Letter of Identification from Local Government of origin

In addition to the following, kindly note that

Copies of all documents must not be larger than 300 kilobytes (300 Kb)

Scanned copies of all documents should be in the following formats JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIFF.

The following candidates need not apply;
- Beneficiaries of other scholarships
- Second (200 Level) to final year students
- Part-time students

Steps to Apply for NLNG Scholarship
- Register and create a user account on the undergraduate scholarship application website by clicking here
- Ensure the email you provided is correct because you will be sent a message after registration. After you create an account, check your email for a message and activate your user account from the account notification mail sent to you.
- Log on and submit an application on the the undergraduate scholarship application website
- Await notification from Nigeria LNG Limited.
- Print photo cards, locate your exam centres, check your application status on U-GRAD.

Nigeria LNG Limited Undergraduate Scholarship 2013/2014
Application for Undergraduate scholarship is from 12 June 2013 to 03 July 2013. To submit an application now, please click on the link below.
https://sws.nlng.com/Undgrad/account/registration.aspx

Bayelsa Governor Sacks Chief of Staff

GOVERNMENT SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

In view of the increasing engagements and official programmes of His Excellency, the Governor of Bayelsa State in the Nation's Federal Capital as well as the strategic nature of these engagements to the conduct of government's business, His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson has approved the upgrading of the Bayelsa State Liaison office with immediate effect.
Accordingly, in line with this upgrade, His Excellency has approved the immediate transfer of Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, to head the new Abuja office so as to meet up with the high responsibility and demand of the new office.
The appointment takes immediate effect.

His Excellency expresses confidence in the ability of Chief Ikiogha to transform the liaison office to match its new status and this is based on his wealth of experience as a politician and public servant.
Similarly, His Excellency has approved the appointment of Dame (Mrs.) Didi Walson-Jack as the new Chief of Staff, Government House, Yenagoa. His Excellency is confident that her rich civil service background will stand her in good stead in effectively repositioning the administration of Government House.

 Daniel Iworiso-Markson
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State

Unilag Students Protest High Cost of Living

Students of the University of Lagos are protesting the high cost of living on campus.

Vanguard gathered that the peaceful protest started yesterday, as the students bemoaned the high cost of food and other basic items on campus, saying it is disheartening that students are paying higher for food and other consumables than their prices outside campus. The cost of making photocopies is also said to be too expensive for an academic environment.

According to a citizen reporter who seeks anonymity,"Imagine, we students  are buying sachet water at N10 per sachet, Indomie super pack sold for N60 in town is N70 here, same as Indomie hungry man size, which is N100 everywhere except in my school where it goes for N110. Also soft drinks in plastic bottles such as Viju,Fanta,Pepsi are sold for N120 per bottle instead of its supposed retail price of N100.

As at the time of this report, vendors were not allowed into campus.

Details later.

(Vanguard)

Review of CODE S95's #COCA2013 + List of Winners

Apologies for the late review; had a bit of writer's block.

The show which took place on friday, 7th of June at the Kongo Conference Hotel was surprisingly magnificent. This was the first show that I was to review where I actually had fun. From the well decorated hall to the bottles of Ciroc on the table, stepping inside made you forget you were in Zaria for most part of the show. I wouldn't bore you with my opinions of the winners as I have already done a review of the nomination list previously.

Majority of Abusites (girls especially) surprising were well dressed and covered for the retarded guys who couldn't be bothered to even wear a shirt. From those who simply dug out the most skimpy gowns they could find in their boxes, to those who wanted to sweep the streets of Zaria, ABU girls were simply elegant and sexy. I would choose not to dwell on those who dressed like they were going to clubs.

For guys, I was a little disappointed in the likes of Api Boi and Trueson (considering they were both nominees for Mr Trendy). Where was the 'trendiness' they were nominated for?
Also, the winner of the Novice to Notice (couldn't be bothered to catch his name but he should be happy that I'm even mentioning him), wore one red polo T-shirt which is probably the last thing you should wear to a formal event and he was so quiet almost the whole night that I wonder how he won this category.

Generally, despite the tardiness of the organisers (the show didn't start till almost 10pm, 10.30pm) and the awkwardness during some awards presentations (calling the wrong presenters, the wrong category, etc.), the show was well managed, had some good performances (Morell, BHP Boiz, etc.), and was actually worth the 3000 naira gate fee.

There is always that one show who leaves a critique silent or lost for words, and I think this is my first one in my time in ABU. Kudos to CODE S95 Ent. and I hope others will learn from them.

List of Winners:

Winifred (300 Pharmacy) - Mz Cordiality

Trueson (300 Thap) - Mr Trendy Samaru (person wey dey collect ticket for gate, how him no go win)

Raymond (300 Law) - Mr Trendy Kongo

Habiba (300 Law) - Mz Trendy Kongo

Hadrex (300 Mass Communication) - Mz Trendy Samaru

Speaker (300 Political Science) - Stunt Man (side note: this guy wasn't around for the whole of first semester...go figure)

Rayd, Pharook and co - Best Clique Male

Meemah, Zara and co - Best Clique Female

Euphoria Fashion Show - Best Concept

Ezekiel Gora (200 Industrial Design) - Most Enterprising

Amina & Jboy - Bonnie and Clyde

Seun (400 Medicine) - Perfect Gentleman

FoodSteps - Best ChillOut Spot

Ashraf (500 Engineering) - Most Handsome

Sophie (Samaru) - Best Diploma Student Female

Madina (100 Mass Communication) - Most Beautiful (didn't deserve to win, sorry to say)

Terse (300 Biological Science) - Chick Magnet

Shinki (400 Law) - Most Influential

Faiza (100 Economics) - Novice to Notice (female)

Dorcas (300 International Studies) - Hottie of the Year

PS. Bear with me for not getting all the winners names. This probably isn't one of my best writings. Also, will try to get the official pictures.

Record eighth French Open title for Nadal

(CNN) - Rafael Nadal raced to a record eighth French Open title Sunday with a straight sets 6-3 6-2 6-3 dismissal of fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in a final briefly interrupted by a protestor brandishing a lighted flare.

Nadal was serving for the second set at 5-1 when a shirtless man with a white mask ran onto the Philippe Chatrier Court and came to within a few meters of Nadal.

He was swiftly tackled by security staff -- Nadal shook the hand of one of them -- but when play continued red smoke was still billowing over the court.

Perhaps shaken, Nadal dropped his service but quickly regained his composure to close out the set in the next game.

Protestors aside, the weather looked looked the only other obstacle to another Nadal triumph at Roland Garros.

Persistent drizzle was in evidence throughout the match, but the heavier rain held off long enough for the reigning champion to wrap up victory in two hours 16 minutes.

It was his 12th grand slam title and particularly sweet after his prolonged eighth month absence from the game with a knee injury -- only returning to the ATP circuit in February.

He also becomes the first man to win the same grand slam title eight times -- breaking out of a tie with Roger Federer and Pete Sampras -- who have seven wins apiece at Wimbledon.

ABU lecturer sentenced to two months imprisonment for enticing married student

 

The Chief Magistrate Court in Kiyawa LGA of Jigawa State has sentenced Professor Festus David Kolo of the Faculty of Education at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria to two months imprisonment for knowingly enticing a married woman who was a student in his department contrary to Section 389 of the penal code law.

Principal State Prosecution Counsel Mustapha Adamu, who read the first information report, said on May 21, one Muhammad Ghali of Takur Quarters Dutse “reported you, Prof. Festus David Kolo of ABU,

VIDEO: Tunde Ednut - Buga Won Reloaded

Serena Williams takes French Open tennis title

Women's tennis star and world number one, Serena Williams has won her first French Open championship since 2002. The victory is her 16th Grand Slam singles title, making her the tournament's oldest women's champion.

World number one Serena Willams defeated defending champion Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-4 in Saturday's French Open final.
In a match lasting one and three-quarter hours, the 31-year-old American hit ten aces - including three in the final game - to broaden her career-best winning streak to 31 matches.
"Eleven years," said Williams in an address in French to the Chatrier court crowd during the trophy ceremony, referring to the time since her last win. "It was a very difficult match today, I was nervous as well."
Williams congratulated Sharapova, remarking that her opponent: "She played a beautiful final; She's a great champion. I hope to be with her again next year."
Sharapova responded by saying, "I played a great tournament and I ran into a really tough champion today."
The victory makes Williams the oldest woman to win a major title since Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon, aged 33, in 1990.
On Sunday, Rafael Nadal will aim to become the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam event when he takes on David Ferrer in an all-Spanish final.
 
(Reuters, AP, AFP)

Love April Collection Preview “Oversized Tribalism”

 Inspired by the world history generations of women and androgyny artworks, the Love April’s collection plays on the mixture of masculinity and femininity. Our exaggerated seam-lines emphasis our cling to modern culture. Our true, bare, chic necklines keep us in the realm of ancients. Our abstracted textured prints will ultimately immortalize the classic style and feel of a woman.

FG To Ban Pure Water In 2014

Determined to check the continued despoliation of the environment, the Federal Government yesterday said plans are underway to ban the use of plastic bags in the country.

Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadza Mailafia, who dropped the hint during the 2013 World Environment Day celebration in Abuja, said government would favour the use of paper bags in their place.

Mailafia, who said the ban would take effect from January 2014, also said the Federal Government was also considering banning the use of sachet water.

According to her, the move to ban the plastic bags are necessitated by the numerous health and environmental hazards associated with their use.

The minister noted that unlike the paper bags that could easily decompose, plastic bags are non-biogradable materials which could stay in the soil for years, contaminating water sources when washed into the rivers by the rain.

Relying on the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO's, statistics, the environment minister said one-third of global food production is wasted from farm to stock which is equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes of food annually; while an estimated 870 million people go hungry worldwide. She said more than 20,000 children under the age of five also die daily from hunger.