Rev King must die by Hanging! Appeal Court affirms

Nigeria:


A Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on Friday affirmed the death sentence passed on the General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (a.k.a. Rev. King), by Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on January 11, 2007.

 

The lead judgement read by Justice Fatima Akinbami and supported by two other judges, Ibrahim Salauwa and Amina Augie, resolved all the grounds of the appeal against Rev. King.

The appellate court, in a unanimous judgment read by Justice Fatima Akinbami, dismissed Ezeugo’s appeal on the ground that the prosecution had “surely and effectively” proved its case against Rev King at the trial court.

Rev King, through his counsel, Olalekan Ojo, had appealed the judgment of Justice Oyewole, who convicted and sentenced him to death by hanging for the alleged murder of a church member, Ann Uzoh, and attempted murder of five other members of the church.

The appeal panel dismissed the appellant’s contention that there were “contradictions and inconsistencies” in the prosecution’s evidence.

“This appeal fails and is hereby resolved against the appellant. This appeal is devoid of merit and it is hereby dismissed.

“The conviction and sentence passed on the appellant on January 7, 2011 by Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja Division is hereby affirmed.”

Ezeugo was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on six counts of attempted murder and murder on allegations of pouring petrol on the deceased and on five other persons and thereafter setting them ablaze.

One of the victims, Uzoh, died on August 2, 2006, 11 days after the incident, as a result of the injuries she sustained.

Ojo had, among his 32 grounds of appeal, argued that the judgement of the trial court occasioned miscarriage of justice for relying on unresolved contradictions and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s evidence.

He argued that there were contradictions in the testimonies of some of the prosecution witnesses, with some saying that the cleric ordered for matches to set the victims ablaze and others saying he only ordered for matches after a lighter failed.

But Justice Akinbami, while delivering the ruling, held that the contradictions were immaterial to the case of the prosecution.

“Not all contradictions in the case of the prosecution will raise a doubt. For contradictions to be fatal to the prosecution’s case, it must be related to the material fact. All the witnesses are unanimous that the appellant used matches,” she said.

On Ojo’s contention that the evidence adduced by the prosecution did not show that the action of his client was linked to the death of the deceased, Justice Akinbami said the evidence given by eyewitnesses, and that of a pathologist ascribing the cause of death to “hypovolemic” (severe loss of blood and tissues), showed that Ezeugo’s action was the cause of death of one of the victims.

However, all the grounds of the appeal were resolved against Rev. King because the judge said the witnesses gave evidences of how the victim was killed, especially the evidences from the 10 prosecution witnesses.

Some of the witnesses said that Rev. King ordered one of them to bring matches and ordered another to pour petrol on the victim before he set her on fire.

Another witness stated that Rev. King looked for the matches himself before setting fire on the victim.

“The evidence is overwhelming and damning. He was offering them stone when they demanded for bread; he was giving them scorpion  when they demanded for fish,” she ruled.

Word for the Day: 

You must be the change you want to see in the world- Mahatma Gandhi

French president visits Mali to support French troops

French President Francois Hollande arrived in Mali on Saturday on a one-day visit to support French troops fighting a campaign against Islamist rebels in the Sahel nation.

Hollande, accompanied by his ministers for defence, foreign affairs and development, flew into Sevare in central Mali, French TV channels said.

He was due to go on to Timbuktu, the famed Saharan trading town which was recaptured from the rebels on Sunday.



The French leader was expected to outline the next phase of the mission for the French forces, which in a three-week intervention launched at Mali's request have pushed the Islamist fighters into the desert and mountains of the remote northeast.

Hollande has said that the French operation, which has 3,500 soldiers on the ground in Mali backed by warplanes, helicopters and armoured vehicles, wants to hand over to a larger U.N.-backed African force which is still being deployed.

Sustained French airstrikes have forced fighters from the Islamist militant alliance that was occupying northern Mali to retreat into the remote Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border. The rebels are also believed to be holding there seven French hostages previously seized in the Sahel.

In their three-week offensive, the French forces recaptured last weekend, with little resistance from the rebels, the two main towns in northern Mali, Gao and the fabled ancient city of Timbuktu.

culled from Reuters


Word for the Day: "The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear." -Brian Tracy

China fireworks truck blast causes highway collapse!

State media reports that a truck carrying fireworks has exploded on an elevated highway in central China, killing scores of people and causing part of the road to collapse, 

The explosion occurred on national expressway G30 near the city of Sanmenxia in central Henan province at about 8.52am, according to the state-run China Daily, causing an 80-metre (260ft) section of the bridge to collapse and sending vehicles plummeting 30 metres to the ground.

 Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Lighting fireworks is a traditional part of Chinese new year celebrations, 

which begin this year on 10 February.

Word for the day: Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements." -Napoleon Hill

Russian rocket falls into sea in failed launch!

The rocket booster Zenit-3SL on the launch platform Odyssey in the Pacific

 Russian news agencies reported that a rocket carrying a communications satellite suffered engine trouble and plunged into the Pacific Ocean shortly after launch on Friday.

The unsuccessful launch of the Intelsat-27 satellite was one of several setbacks for Russia's space programme in recent years, including failed satellite launches and an unsuccessful mission to study the Mars moon Phobos.

The engine of the Zenit-3SL rocket, similar to the one pictured above, malfunctioned 50 seconds into flight 

The Zenit-3SL rocket carrying the satellite suffered engine failure shortly after liftoff, state-run Itar-Tass reported, citing a Russian space industry source. The rocket is a joint production of Ukrainian and Russian companies, it said.

Intelsat-27 was to provide services for media, government and other customers in the Americas and Europe, according to the website of Luxembourg-based Intelsat.

Russia is increasing space spending and plans to send a probe to the moon in 2015, but its celebrations in 2011 of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet achievement of putting the first man in space were marred by several botched satellite launches.

Culled from: Reuters




Word For the Day: "A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."- Tony Robbins

Bollywood actor charged with homicide!

Indian movie star Salman Khan will be tried for homicide for his alleged involvement in a fatal road accident more than 10 years ago.

 If convicted he faces up to 10 years in jail, says an Attorney.

   

Deepesh Mehta, Khan’s lawyer, says a magistrate on Thursday accepted an appeal by state government prosecutors that he should be charged with homicide instead of causing death by negligence, which carries a maximum of two years in jail.

One man was killed and another three were injured when Khan allegedly rammed his car into a group of homeless people sleeping on a Bombay sidewalk in September 2002.

Khan’s trial begins March 11. Indian courts are notorious for delays and a trial can take years to complete.

Word for the Day: "The number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying."- Tom Hopkins

Mexico City Blast!

At least, 25 people reportedly died and scores more were injured in an explosion at the main headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company in Mexico City Thursday.

The blast damaged three floors of the building, sending hundreds into the streets and a large plume of smoke over the skyline.

 

Interior minister Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong said 80 people were injured along with the 14 dead, but told local television the death toll could still rise.

There were also reports that as many as about 30 people were trapped in the debris from the explosion, which occurred in the basement of an administrative building next to the 52-storey tower of Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. There was no immediate cause given for the blast.

"It was an explosion, a shock, the lights went out and suddenly there was a lot of debris," employee Cristian Obele told Milenio television, adding that he had been injured in the leg. "Coworkers helped us get out of the building."

The tower, where several thousand people work, was evacuated. The main floor and the mezzanine of the auxiliary building, where the explosion occurred, were heavily damaged, along with windows as far as three floors up.

"We were talking and all of sudden we heard an explosion with white smoke and glass falling from the windows," said Maria Concepcion Andrade, 42, who lives on the block of Pemex building. "People started running from the building covered in dust. A lot of pieces were flying."

Television images showed people being evacuated by office chairs, and gurneys. Most of them had injuries likely caused by falling debris. Police landed four rescue helicopters to remove the dead or injured. About a dozen tow trucks were furiously moving cars to make more landing room for the helicopters.

In an earlier tweet, the company said it had evacuated the building as a precautionary measure because of a problem with the electrical system in the complex that includes the skyscraper.

Streets surrounding the building were closed as evacuees wandered around, and rescue crews loaded the injured into ambulances.

Interior department spokesman Eduardo Sanchez confirmed that an explosion in a basement garage damaged the first and second floors of the auxiliary building, which is located in a busy commercial and residential area.

Relatives of employees have gathered in search of information - some trying to reach loved ones via mobile phone.

The cause of the blast is under investigation,

Word for the Day: "You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself." -Seth Godin

Mozambique floods: Death toll rises to 55; 170,000 displaced in last 2 weeks Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/31/Mozambique floods, Death toll rises to 55, 170000 displaced in last 2-weeks!

About 30 camps have been set up to house those displaced by floods

The United Nations says the death toll from the flooding in Mozambique has risen by seven to at least 55 people.

The U.N. said Thursday that heavy rains in northern and central Mozambique have displaced 19,000 more people, raising the total number of displaced by floods the past two weeks to nearly 170,000.

A baby born on the roof of his mother's house during flooding in Guija, southern Mozambique on January 27, 2013

Residents on the roof of a house surrounded by floodwaters in Chokwe district, southern Mozambique, January 25, 2013

The Mozambican government said there is a shortage of food for flood victims in southern Mozambique. Luis Nhala, a health official, said that residents are eating food that has mixed with contaminated flood water, which is resulting in cases of diarrhea and vomiting.

Mozambican state television showed children in need of food and water. One man held an empty plate and told the camera: "Look, we are starving. The government must do something."

culled from: Fox news and Al-Jazeera.com

Word for the day: The best way out is always through- Robert Frost