Update on the hot air balloon crash near the city of Luxor in Egypt

Security official confirmed that Britons are among 19 tourists killed in a hot air balloon crash near the city of Luxor in Egypt.

A spokesman for companies that operate balloon flights in the area told Reuters one tourist and the balloon pilot had survived the accident, which happened after a gas explosion at 1,000 feet (300 meters). 

Ahmed Aboud added that the tourists were from a variety of countries but did not immediately have information on their nationalities.

An employee at the company operating the balloon told AFP the tourists were from Korea, Japan and Britain, as well as one Egyptian.

“This is terrible, just terrible,” the employee told AFP by telephone in floods of tears, declining to give her name.

“We don't yet know what happened exactly or what went wrong,” she said.

Earlier a security official said that 19 people had died but said they were from Hong Kong, Japan, France and Britain.

The balloon which was carrying 21 people was flying at 300 meters over Qurna, in Luxor's West Bank, when it caught fire before exploding, the official said.

The two survivors, including the balloon's pilot, have been taken to hospital, he said.

Hot air ballooning at dawn is popular with tourists who goto Luxor to visit its pharaonic temples and the tombs of theValley of the Kings, including in Tutankhamen's. 
Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a sharp downturn invisitor numbers since the 2011 uprising that toppled PresidentHosni Mubarak, with two years of political instability scaringoff foreign tourists.

Updated report released by health officials confirms that among the victims,  9 are Chinese citizens from Hong Kong, 4 Japanese, 2 British, 2 French and 2 remain unidentified.

SSS, soldiers arrest seven suspected kidnappers in church

A cleric in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State is now on the run after a combined team of operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) and soldiers smashed a kidnapping gang allegedly led by him.

The security agents, however, arrested seven members of the gang -five men and two women- at the church during a raid.

The pastor’s yellow Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), which he apparently abandoned while fleeing, was recovered by the security agents close to his church.

Also seized were four motorcycles, one generating set, a dane gun, international passports of kidnap victims and assorted materials from the church turned shrine.

Four kidnapped persons were rescued during the operation.

Freed are 33-year-old Solomon Nwanna Okonkwo from Obosi in the Idemili South Local Government Area of the state; Monday Osagie, 50, from Edo State; Udenna Ikedigwe from Unukwu in Anam, Anambra West Local Government Area; and Amechi Oraekie from Awkuzu.

The four were kidnapped between Friday last week and Tuesday this week and taken to the church which serves as detention camp of the gang.

The State Director of SSS, Mr. Alexander Okeiyi, said preliminary investigation showed that the gang masterminded the February 2,2013 abduction of the Rev. James Goziem Achugbu of Saint Paul ’s Anglican Church, Umunachi in the state.

He said efforts were in top gear to arrest other members of the gang that escaped during the raid.

Before the rescue operation, the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of N20million for Solomon Okonkwo, N50million for Monday Osagie and N10million for Udenna Ikedigwe.

Some people were said to have paid N2.5million to the gang to eliminate Amaechi Oraekie as a fallout of a squabble over property.

The raid also led to the recovery of a Nissan Sunny car, belonging to another victim, Princewill Emmanuel Abian, described as a tipper driver from Cross River state.

Okeiyi said Abian was released by the gang on February 20, after paying N100,000.

“To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace” ― Malcolm X

Cynthia Osokogu: Hotel receptionist admits lying to the police

Miss Vivian Amuneke, a receptionist at Cosmilla Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos, where Cynthia Osokogu was murdered, on Friday confessed that she lied to the police after the corpse was discovered.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Amuneke made the confession while testifying before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja at the resumed trial of four men allegedly involved in the murder.

The defendants; Okwumo Nwabufo (33), Olisaeloka Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Ezike Nonso (25) were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on February 8.

They were charged by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on six counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stealing, reckless negligence and possession of stolen goods.

The prosecution alleged that 25-year-old Osokogu was murdered at the hotel on July 22 last year by Nwabufo and Ezike, whom she had met through a social networking site, Facebook.

Osita, the third defendant, was charged for negligently selling the Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets which was allegedly used to drug the deceased.

Nonso, the man who allegedly bought Osokogu’s stolen Blackberry Bold 5, was charged for being in possession of a stolen phone.

However, testifying on Friday, Amuneke told the court that she booked Room 1C, where Osokogu was killed to Nwabufo and Ezike, with a “used” receipt.

The 28-year-old witness who was led in evidence by Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said she lied twice in her statements to the police in order to conceal her fraudulent act.

She explained that the room was earlier booked by a couple who had checked-out early but she resold it to the defendants instead of declaring it vacant to the hotel management.

Amuneke said:”The money paid by the second defendant (Ezike) who gave his name to me as John, was shared by me and the porter, Oscar.

“Since the room has already been paid for by the couple who left, I issued a used receipt to the second defendant.”

“I later lied to the police that I gave them the room because Nwabufo had told me that he was related to the couple that had checked-out.

“I told them this because I was scared but the truth is that I resold the room and failed to remit the money to the hotel’s account.”

She further told the court that Nwabufo later went upstairs to the room accompanied by a female guest, who was tall and slim, at about 10 pm.

“I did not really see her face because she was busy pinging with her phone but I know that she was tall and slim”, the witness said.

Amuneke said she was relieved the next morning by her colleague, Mrs. Ifeanyinwa Njegbu and she went home.

Ghanaian Footballer John Paintsil Arrested For Stabbing Wife In The Eye

Former Fulham, Leicester and Westham defender, John Paintsil has been arrested by Ghanaian Police after he reportedly stabbed wife Richlove in the eye on Friday afternoon over allegations that he slept with prostitutes during the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Greater Accra Regional Police Command confirmed the story.

The Police said they were called into the neighbourhood after Paintsil reportedly chased his wife into a neighbour's garden where he stabbed her.

The 31-year-old international player was denied bail and is likely to spend the weekend in jail as the investigation continued. 

According to reports, Paintsil was confronted by his wife following rumours he slept with prostitutes during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in South Africa.

The allegation was first made by football enthusiast and social commentator Appiah Kofi popularly known as Appiah Stadium in a radio interview.

Appiah alleged that the veteran defender was responsible for bringing women to the Black Stars camp to have sexual intercourse with them and this culminated in the team’s poor output at the AFCON.

Paintsil denied the allegation and threatened to drag Appiah Stadium to court to clear his name. 

The wife of the defender is reported to have questioned Paintsil on several occasions since the issue broke, but the former West Ham defender lost his temper on Friday and attacked his wife stabbing her in the eye.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Police Command, DSP Freeman Tettey said: “This is a clear case of causing harm to a fellow human being.

“He will be taken to court. We can assure you that. We are holding him for causing harm. We need to do proper investigations. It's too early to get to the realm of court issues.”

Paintsil also attacked a neighbour who attempted to rescue his wife, according to Police.

Police spokesman said the lady is being treated for eye wounds in a local hospital.

Paintsil was part of the Ghana Blackstars squad that finished fourth in the last AFCON 2013 edition in South Africa.

Nigerian couple in Dallas sentensed to prison for health care fraud

Two owners of Alliance Healthcare Services, L.P., a Dallas home health care agency, were sentenced on friday by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle for their roles in a nearly $1.3 million health care fraud conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Richardson, Texas, residents, George Opurum, 62, and his wife, Agatha Opurum, 55, were each sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. They were ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on March 27, 2013.

George Opurum was the chief financial officer and alternate administrator of Alliance. Edith Opurum was the Director of Nursing at Alliance. Co-conspirator Ernest Amadi, 55, was the chief executive officer of Alliance and his wife, Edith Amadi, 52, was a nurse at Alliance. Alliance was located on Estate Lane in Dallas.

The Amadi’s, residents of Wylie, Texas, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Edith Amadi was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison; a sentencing date has not been set for Ernest Amadi. Another co-conspirator in the case, Ollie Futrell, 57, of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and is currently serving a 33-month federal prison sentence.

The five defendants in the case billed a total of $1,296,357, and are ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $853,702.

According to documents filed in the case, as part of the conspiracy, from November 2008 through mid-February 2011, Alliance submitted claims to Medicare for home health services purportedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries. Alliance employees, including the owners, falsified Medicare documentation and skilled nursing notes indicating that the patients were homebound and eligible for home health care services. In fact, the majority of Alliance patients were not eligible for the services because they were not homebound. Alliance employees and owners falsified time sheets and patient visit logs for services that were not adequately rendered or were never provided at all. Alliance then billed Medicare as if the services were adequately provided

Further, according to documents filed in the case, Alliance owners conspired with Futrell to recruit Medicare patients for the company so Alliance could increase its Medicare billing and revenue. Futrell, who was paid in cash by Alliance owners, recruited Medicare beneficiaries in a variety of ways and initiated Alliance services for them. She agreed to pay kickbacks — sometimes $100 a month — to patients so that they would continue to use Alliance. Alliance owners knew about, and at times facilitated, these kickbacks.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Pfeifle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas and Trial Attorney Benjamin A. O’Neil of the Fraud Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division are in charge of the prosecution.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...”― Khaled Hosseini,

Iran denies allegations of organizing spy cell in Nigeria

Iran denied on Friday Nigerian allegations that it had trained militants arrested in Nigeria on charges of planning attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets there.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said such allegations were "made up as the result of the ill will of the enemies of the two countries' good relations", Iranian state television reported.

"Iran and Nigeria have friendly and close relations and despite the vast efforts of the two countries' enemies in recent years relations and cooperations have always improved," he said.

Nigeria's secret service said on Thursday it had arrested Abdullahi Mustapha Berende and two other Nigerians in December after Berende made several suspicious trips to Iran, where he interacted with Iranians in a "high-profile terrorist network".

It said Berende and his Iranian handlers were involved in "grievous crimes" against Nigeria's national security.

Berende, who will now be charged in court, told reporters at the Nigerian secret service's headquarters on Wednesday that he had carried out surveillance for the Iranians.

In 2004, Israeli sources said an Iranian diplomat was arrested on suspicion of spying on the Israeli embassy in Nigeria's capital Abuja. Tehran denied any arrest.

In 2010, authorities at a Lagos port found a hidden shipment of rockets, rifle rounds and other weapons from Iran, supposedly bound for Gambia. A Nigerian and an Iranian face criminal charges over the shipment.

Iran accuses Israeli and Western agents of sabotaging its disputed nuclear program and assassinating several of its scientists. Tehran has resisted Western pressure to curb its uranium enrichment activities, but is due to hold more talks on the issue with major powers in Kazakhstan on February 26.

Nigeria's 160 million people are split roughly equally between a mostly Muslim north and a largely Christian south.

Islamist groups in the north have become the biggest threat to stability in Africa's top oil producer. Western governments are increasingly concerned they are linking up with militants outside Nigeria, including al Qaeda's north African wing.

“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” ― Kurt Vonnegut,

Controversy trails death of commercial sex worker in a Lagos brothel

Controversy has begun to trail the death of  a commercial sex worker in a brothel on Empire Street, Mushin, Lagos, and the police are yet to unravel the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

The deceased simply identified as Ifeoma, a mother of eight, was reportedly found dead inside her apartment in one of the brothels, recently.

While some of her colleagues are of the opinion that she could have been poisoned by one of her male customers, others, are of the view that a ‘Judas’ among them, could have perpetrated the deed. It was gathered that the late Ifeoma who  was in her  early 40s, left Enugu State for Lagos, in search of greener pasture,   after the demise of her husband.

When news men visited the brothel, some of her colleagues kept sealed lips on the matter. But others who spoke on condition of anonymity said she left the brothel that fateful evening, for a junction where  she usually ‘hustled.’

One of her colleagues narrated thus: “  The last time we saw her was when she was going out in the evening. At midnight,  some neighbors informed us that she was seen throwing up at the junction where she ‘worked’.  From there,  she managed to stagger  back to the brothel. As she was staggering home, her colleagues who thought she was drunk   hailed her while others booed her.

On getting to the hotel, she went straight to  her room, without talking to anyone and locked herself inside. The next thing we heard was the sound of music. She later increased the volume and  we thought she could be having a good time . But when the noise persisted, we had to knock on her door to at least caution her to turn down the volume of her radio  because it is against the rule of the brothel”.

Apprehension as gathered, set in following silence from Ifeoma after several bangs on her door. Out of curiosity and  anger over Ifeoma’s  defiant attitude, her colleagues decided to forcefully  open the door.

“ We  called in some boys to come and break the door.  But to our shock, when it was forced open,  we found Ifeoma lying on the floor. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was confirmed dead. From there she was taken to the  Lagos Island General Hospital mortuary”,  a colleague said.

Continuing, she said, her death baffled all of us. We suspect she must have been poisoned. But the question is, who could have poisoned her and for what reason? If it was one of her male friends, what will the person achieve?  And if it is one of us, particularly those she fell apart with in the course of the job, what will the person achieve”? She asked.

But on further investigation, it was learnt that few months before her demise, Ifeoma was struck with  a mysterious ailment. On whether she was adequately treated remains a riddle to be unraveled.

When news of Ifeoma’s death filtered into her family’s house back in Enugu, her aged mother was reportedly shattered.  But family members were reportedly greeted with shock on discovering their daughter’s profession. Worst hit, was her mother in whose custody are Ifeoma’s eight children.

Since she left the village, Ifeoma was said to have been sending money home on weekly basis for the upkeep of her children,with a promise that she would come for them when she was financially stable someday.

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” ― Anaïs Nin