Senate withdraws bill to imprison social media critics!

A controversial bill, which provided a 7-year-jail term to punish “social media critics”, has been withdrawn by the Nigerian Senate.

The offending provision which was contained in section 13 (3) of the proposed law on electronic fraud was removed following fears that it could be abused and misinterpreted.

The development was disclosed yesterday by Senator Gbenga Kaka of Ogun .

The section stipulates a seven-year jail for people who intentionally publish slanderous messages about government electronically.

“Anyone who intentionally propagates false information that could threaten the security of the country or capable of inciting the general public against the government through electronic message shall be guilty of an offence.

“And upon conviction shall be sentenced to seven years imprisonment or N5 million fine. “

Kaka, who announced to newsmen, said the decision was taken after due consultation with stakeholders.

“Following the public hearing which was held after the second reading, the section 13 (3) of the provision was taken exception to by the social media.

“And since the bill is now in the public, I decided to consult with the Senate Committee Chairman on Information, Media and Public Affairs, and that of Judiciary.

“After consultations, we resolved that section 13 (3) of the proposed bill could be abused at any point in time and could be misinterpreted.

“And as a result, I have their permission to announce to the world that that section shall be deleted.”

The bill is entitled: ‘’A bill for an Act to provide for the prohibition of and punishment for electronic fraud and crime in all electronic transactions in Nigeria.’’

The bill passed through the second reading in the senate and was greeted with a lot of criticism from the social media.

Kaka expressed gratitude for all the contributions made both locally and internationally, adding that they further enriched the bill.

He added that more suggestions and debates concerning the bill would still be welcomed, to further enrich it in the overall interest of the country.

The lawmaker emphasized that the bill was not to gag the media but rather targeted against the misuse of the Internet, to curb the activities of scammers.

Source: Leadership Newspapers 

"I Couldn't Go 30 Minutes to an Hour Without Cocaine" - Demi Lovato!

Demi Lovato recently admitted that her fans would be "shocked" to hear her drug and alcohol abuse stories, and now the 21-year-old singer is opening up about her some of her darkest days.

"Something I've never talked about before, but with my drug use I could hide it to where I would sneak drugs. I couldn't go without 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine and I would bring it on airplanes," the "Skyscraper" singer confessed in a candid new interview with Access Hollywood. "I would smuggle it basically and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep and I would do it right there. I'd sneak to the bathroom and I'd do it." 

The erstwhile Disney star, who now leads a sober lifestyle, abruptly withdrew from the Jonas Brothers' Live in Concert tour in October 2010 to enter a treatment facility for "physical and emotional issues" at the young age of 18, but she admits she was still reluctant to accept help from others

Mandela's lying in state!

Thousands of people lined the streets on Wednesday as Nelson Mandela's funeral cortege proceeded through the streets of Pretoria from 1 Military Hospital to the Union Buildings, the seat of the South African government.

Mr Mandela's body will be moved back and forth from the hospital at 07:00 local time to the Union Buildings every day for the next three days, and the casket with Mandela's body will be on display for the public to pay its respects at stipulated times.

The Union Buildings are where Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black president in 1994 after the end of South Africa's apartheid system, which segregated whites and blacks under white-minority rule.

On Friday evening, his body will be flown to Eastern Cape province for a traditional service on Saturday. On Sunday, there will be a state funeral and burial at Mandela's ancestral village of Qunu.

 Route to lying in state:

Mandela's death last Thursday at the age of 95 has sparked mourning and expressions of grief both in South Africa itself and in the international community, where he was widely seen as an icon of racial reconciliation and a moral authority.

Uruguay legalises production and sale of cannabis!

The world's most far-reaching cannabis law has been passed by the Uruguayan parliament, opening the way for the state to regulate the production, distribution, sale and consumption of the planet's favorite illegal drug.

The law, effective from next year, will: allow registered users to buy up to 40g of marijuana a month from a chemist's; registered growers to keep up to six plants; and cannabis clubs to have up to 45 members and cultivate as many as 99 plants.

A government-run cannabis institute will set the price – initially likely to be close to the current black market rate of $1 a gramme– and monitor the impact of the programme, which aims to bring the industry under state control and push illegal traffickers out of business.

Julio Bango, one of the politicians who helped draft the bill, said it would probably be four months until the first harvest of legal cannabis, by which time the government would have a licensing system in place. "We know this has generated an international debate and we hope it brings another element to discussions about a model [the war on drugs] that has totally failed and that has generated the opposite results from what it set out to achieve."

Before the passage of the bill, president José Mujica called on the international community to assist in what he admitted was an experiment aimed at finding an alternative to the deadly and unsuccessful war on drugs.

"We are asking the world to help us with this experience, which will allow the adoption of a social and political experiment to face a serious problem – drug trafficking," he said earlier this month. "The effects of drug trafficking are worse than those of the drugs themselves."

If the results of the law prove negative, Mujica has said it could be rescinded. The current illegal market in Uruguay is estimated to be worth $30m (£18m) a year, according to Martin Fernández, a lawyer working for the Association of Cannabis Studies, who says one in five Uruguayans have tried marijuana. The government estimates 115,000 people are regular users.

Consumption of marijuana has been permitted for many years in Uruguay – one of Latin America's most tolerant nations – but production and sales are prohibited and largely run by gangs who smuggle drugs in from Paraguay.

The government is taking a political risk by trying to regulate the business – a move not supported by most voters. Opposition politicians have demanded a referendum.

"Public perception, reflected in public opinion polls, is that this measure is the wrong way to address a serious problem," Gerardo Amarilla of the National party said.

Drug rehab workers have mixed views about the likely risks and benefits. Nancy Alonso, a psychologists who runs an addiction treatment centre, believes the law will create social and health problems.

"Marijuana is highly addictive. It's 15 times more carcinogenic than tobacco. It produces psychological disorders like depression, anxiety and – for big consumers – schizophrenia," she said. "As a healthcare agent, I think the social harm will be huge."

However, staff at the government-funded Ciudadela treatment centre are more upbeat. "I think the law is a positive step," said Pablo Anzalone, a programme co-ordinator. "State regulation will reduce problematic consumption. We also hope that it will generate more money for us and other treatment centres."

Growers were ecstatic that their pastime will no longer get them thrown in jail. To celebrate, several planned what they called "a final march with illegal cannabis" through the streets of Montevideo.

Marcelo Vazquez said he now had the opportunity to fulfil an ambition. "It's a utopia," he said. "I want to work, pay taxes and grow cannabis for clubs, for medicine, for whatever."

Juan Guano, who runs a small shop selling growbags, heat lamps and books on cannabis cultivation, said he expected his market to expand. More hopefully, he predicted the measure could help Uruguayan and world society.

"Uruguay doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, but obviously the outside world will be watching how this works. We are not regulating marijuana with the aim of encouraging others to follow our lead, we are doing it because this is what we need as a society. But one possible positive is that, if things go well, other countries in the region could take this as a model for marijuana regulation."

With Many Police On Strike, Looters Hit Argentina's Stores!

Chaos is visiting the Christmas season in Argentina, 

as police in many regions have refused to work until 

they get a pay raise.

The lack of law enforcement has spurred looting

 in which at least five people have died 

and hundreds more have been injured. Some shop owners 

have taken up arms to defend themselves.

In Chaco province, the casualties include police 

deputy superintendent Cristián Vera, who died after 

being shot by looters in a supermarket, Data Chaco 

reports. Photos of the looting depict stores with broken 

windows and metal security bars wrenched open. Some 

stores were forced to close ahead of the upcoming holiday.

"The violence has spread to 19 out of 23 provinces, and 

local news describes shocking scenes: A shop owner was 

killed when looters set his store on fire," NPR's Lourdes 

Garcia-Navarro reports. "Banks, supermarkets, retail 

businesses and public transportation have shut down 

in many cities."

Lourdes says other workers in the public sector are 

considering staging strikes of their own "in order to 

get a bigger paycheck that will give them what they 

say is a living wage."

Here's more background from journalist John Otis, 

who filed a report for NPR's Newscast unit:

"The looting first broke out in Cordoba province last

week, leaving two dead and more than 100 people

injured before the local police agreed to a deal that

doubled their monthly salaries to about $1,900.

"Police are demanding pay raises to keep up with

the country's 25 percent annual inflation. One

person died when he tried to defend his supermarket

that was set afire. Other victims were killed while

inside stores that were being looted. 

"President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has sent federal police and border patrol officers to hot spots where people have armed themselves in fear of mobs. The unrest takes place as Argentina prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary

of the country's return to democracy."

In some provinces, officials have fired police officers in 

retaliation. Others are capitulating, guaranteeing police 

a minimum monthly salary of around $1,300. And in some 

cases, that's only the start of the problems.

"Río Negro Governor Alberto Weretilneck settled his 

province's 21-hour police strike by raising base salaries to 

8,500 pesos [around $1,360]," reports the Buenos Aires Herald, 

"only to see health and sanitation workers walk off the job 

yesterday,  demanding their own raises."

We'll remind you that it's summertime down in Argentina. 

The Herald reports that the summer heat, coupled with power 

outages, have also played a role in the unrest.

Nelson Mandela memorial service: In pictures!

Tens of thousands of people are joining world leaders at a memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg.

The service is being held at the FNB stadium, where Mr Mandela made his last public appearance. It is also being shown on big screens at three "overflow" stadiums.

KIM KARDASHIAN INVITES FAN TO WATCH KANYE WITH HER!

A Keeping Up With The Kardashians fan got a surprise when she tweeted about looking out for Kim Kardashian at a Kanye West show recently.

No sooner had Myleeza Kardas sent her message on the social networking site than she got a reply from the US reality TV queen herself - inviting her to join her in a VIP box.

Myleeza was attending Yeezy's show in New Orleans when she sent the tweet, and she swiftly got a reply from Kim which read: "I'm sending someone to go get you so you can come sit with me!!! Need your seat # and section. DM me ASAP!!!"

And as well as hanging with Kimmy for the show, Myleeza also got to go backstage and meet Kanye afterwards.

The fan tweeted later: "From the bottom of my heart, sis THANK YOU. You never cease to amaze me with your kindness and loyalty! I love you SO MUCH."

To which Kardashian responded: "I had the best time, so happy you did too! Xo."

Myleeza has been busy fielding questions from other Kim fans since her big day out.