NEWS: IRAQ - Iraq demands withdrawal of Turkish troops near Mosul

Iraq has called on Turkey to immediately withdrawal Turkish troops operating in the country's north, saying the deployment was a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, the prime minister's office said on Saturday.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the entry of "around one armed battalion" of Turkish soldiers to the northern Nineveh area near Mosul was done without permission.

Mosul is under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The Iraqi foreign ministry in a statement on state television described the Turkish deployment as "an incursion" and rejected any military operation that was not coordinated with the federal government in Baghdad.




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ISIL losing Sunni support in Mosul 

A Turkish security official said the troops had been in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq on a training mission since last year.

An anonymous Turkish security official told Reuters news agency the troops had been in Iraqi Kurdistan and had moved to Mosul accompanied by armoured vehicles - a move that coalition countries targeting ISIL were aware of.

Video released on the website of Turkey's pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper showed flatbed trucks carrying armoured vehicles along a road at night, describing them as a convoy accompanying the Turkish soldiers to Bashiqa.

Iraq demands withdrawal
A senior Kurdish military officer based on the Bashiqa front-line, north of Mosul, said additional Turkish trainers had arrived at a camp in the area overnight on Thursday escorted by a Turkish protection force.

He said he was not aware of the size of the force and refused to speculate.

The camp is used by a force called Hashid Watani (national mobilisation), which is made up of mainly Sunni Arab former Iraqi police and volunteers from Mosul.

It was formed by former governor Atheel al-Nujaifi, who is close to Turkey. There was already a small number of Turkish trainers there before this latest deployment.

"Our soldiers are already in Iraq. A battalion of soldiers has gone there. Training was already being given in that region for the last two to three years. This is a part of that training," one senior Turkish official said.

In Washington, two US defence officials said on Friday that the United States was aware of Turkey's deployment of hundreds of Turkish soldiers to northern Iraq, but the move was not part of the US-led coalition's activities.

Peshmerga
Another senior Turkish official said the soldiers in the region were there to train Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

Turkey has close relations with the Kurdish autonomous zone of northern Iraq, though it views Syrian Kurdish groups across the border as hostile to its interests.

"This is part of the fight against Daesh [ISIL]," the Turkish official said, adding there were about 20 armoured vehicles accompanying the force as protection.

ISIL occupies swaths of Iraq and Syria, profiting from disunity among groups opposing it.

On Tuesday, the US said it was deploying a new force of special operations troops to Iraq to conduct raids against ISIL there and in neighbouring Syria, ratcheting up its campaign against the group.

PHOTONEWS: THE EXPERIENCE 10 IN PICS (ONE OF THE GREATEST GOSPEL CONCERT IN THE WORLD)



Mike Aremu on stage 

Exciting crowd with selfies and lots of photo capture 

Hezekiah Walker

Gospel music veteran Don Moen coming in

Platform already beaming with light in the evening

 

Donnie McClurkin

Sonnie Baduuk

Jessica Reedy

Don Moen

Sam Adeyemi in Prayer

Micah Stampley

Sammy Okposo

Bishop Mike Okonkwo

Micah Stampley




Minister Nathaniel Bassey




Chioma Jesus ask crowd to life chairs to God's glory

 

NEWS: US probing California attack as an 'act of terrorism'

The FBI has said it is now investigating the San Bernardino shooting in the US state of California as a "terrorist" attack, adding that it had uncovered new evidence.
David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, also said the attackers tried to destroy evidence - crushing two cell phones and throwing them in a rubbish bin.“
Do not let this cause mass hysteria; We're not there; We're not there at all.
”
David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office,

"Based on the information and the facts as we know them, we are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism," he told reporters of the attack that killed 14 people and wounded 21.
Bowdich said authorities were still trying to understand the attackers' motivations and whether they had been planning more attacks.
Ahead of the press conference, US media reported that the female attacker pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its leader on Facebook and then deleted the post on the day of the incident.

Both the AP news agency and the CNN news network reported information about the online activities of Tashfeen Malik on Friday, citing officials.
If confirmed, the revelations could provide the first significant evidence of a motive for the shootings.
AP reported that a Facebook exective told it Malik praised the leader of ISIL in a post.
Shootout deaths
The FBI's Bowdich said that he was aware of reports of a Facebook post but could not confirm the attackers had any ties to ISIL or were ISIL sympathisers.
"We do not know that but we are looking into that," he said.
("Do not let this cause mass hysteria; We're not there; We're not there at all").

The Aamaq news agency, a website which relays ISIL news, said that followers of the group had carried out the attack on a social services agency in California.
Malik was a Pakistani woman who arrived in the US in 2014 on a fiancee visa before marrying Syed Rizwan Farook, who is suspected of having carried out the attack alongside her, in California.

The details of the Facebook post were not disclosed to the media outlets by the officials.
The couple allegedly stormed a party attended by Farook's San Bernardino County co-workers in what appeared to be a planned attack, before dying in a shootout with police.


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FOOTBALL: Real Madrid to appeal Copa del Rey expulsion

The Spanish giants have been disqualified for picking Denis Cheryshev while he should have been serving a ban, but the club maintain the RFEF failed to notify them and the player


Real Madrid have confirmed they will appeal the Spanish Football Federation's (RFEF) decision to eliminate them from the Copa del Rey, on the grounds that Denis Cheryshev was not told of his suspension.
 The Russian midfielder scored within three minutes in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Cadiz in the first-leg of their round-of-32 tie, but it later emerged that he should not have played due to a ban from his time at Villarreal.
 According to a club statement, however, los Blancos hold that the punishment is incorrect.
 "Real Madrid received the competition judge's resolution at 18:17," the missive reads.

"It is recognised in the resolution that the Spanish Football Federation did not personally notify Cheryshev of his suspension, which is the only way it comes into effect.
 "Real Madrid feel vindicated in their arguments and will present the actions necessary, confident that the final resolution will be in the club's favour."
 The club now have the option to appeal the ruling to the RFEF's Competitions Committee.
If that motion is unsuccessful, Florentino Perez could take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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NEWS: NIGERIA - Former NIMASA boss Akpobolokemi, 3 others arraigned over N2.3bn fraud

Press statement from EFCC Friday 4th December, 2015

 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission today December 4, 2015 arraigned a former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, Executive Director Captain Eziekiel Bala Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Amechee Juan, Blockz and Stonz Limited and Al-Kenzo Logistics Limited before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court Lagos on twenty-two count charge of conspiracy fraudulent conversion and Money Laundering.

The accused persons are alleged to have fraudulently converted the sum of N2, 365,600,000 meant for the implementing of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code which NIMASA was the designated implementation agency. The former DG was said to have gotten presidential approval for the release of the said monies through the office of the then National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Colonel Sambo Dasuki. For the purpose of executing the ISPS, a committee chaired by Captain Bala was set up by Akpobolokemi. Other members of the committee are Captain Warredi Enisuoh Mr Vincent Udoye, Governor Amechee Juan, Captain OBF Ola dipole and two NPA staff. The committee was mandated to coordinate the activities relating to the ISPS in line with international regulations and the scope in Nigeria.

 Investigation, however, revealed that, upon receiving the money, the committee instead of executing the project diverted the entire sum to their personal use, using companies owned by them and their associates to lauder the illegal proceeds. One of the counts read that, "you Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, Captain Eziekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Amechee Juan between 23rd of December 2013 and 13th March 2014 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this court did commit an offence to wit; conversion of the sum N437,726,666,66 (Four Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Twenty Six Thousand , Sixty and Six Kobo) property of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (1) of the Money Laundering ( Prohibition ) ( Amendment ) Act 2012 and punishable under section 15 ( 3 ) of the same Act”. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to them. In view of the plea of the accused persons, prosecuting Counsel Rotimi Oyedepo requested for trial date and also prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody.

 Counsel representing the accused persons: Joseph Nwobike, SAN for the first accused person, Pascal Madu for the second accused person, Lanre Olayinka for the third, fifth and sixth accused persons, A. I Asemundara for the fourth accused person, filed bail applications praying the court to admit their clients to bail. Justice Buba granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N50, 000,000 each with one surety in like sum. The surety must be a resident of Lagos with a landed property to be verified by the court registrar. Each accused and the surety must deposit their international passport and a passport photograph with the court registry.
 He further added that each accused must sign an undertaking that he will not delay the trial. Justice Buba also ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison pending perfection of their bail terms. The case was subsequently adjourned to December 7, 2015 for the commencement of trial.


 Wilson Uwujaren
 Head, Media & Publicity
 4th December, 2015

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NEWS: NIGERIA - Former Finance commissioner in Adamawa state jailed 10 years for stealing N51.5m while in office

A Former commissioner for Finance and Local government and chieftaincy affairs during Boni Haruna’s administration in Adamawa state, John Elias, was today sentenced to 10 years in jail by a Federal High Court sitting in Yola for stealing N51.5 million from the state coffers while he was in office. The presiding judge, Justice Bilkisu Bello Aliyu, ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission to shut down the former commissioner's company, Alhakim Nigeria Limited which he allegedly used in siphoning the state funds.
Justice Aliyu delivered the judgement under section 3 (2) of the miscellaneous act and said the judgement will serve as a deterrent to occupiers of public office holders who may want to filter resources meant for developmental projects.
 The judge convicted Elias on count 3 and 4 charges and imprisoned him to 10 years on each charge though the two convictions would run concurrently.
 “I hereby sentenced the first accused, John Babani Elias for 10 years imprisonment on count 3 and another 10 years imprisonment on count 4 but the two sentences will run concurrently. In addition, the first convict must return/refund the sum of N51.5 million to Adamawa state local Government joint account fund from where it was stolen and diverted by him and his Coy. With regards to the second convict ALHAKIM NIGERIA LIMITED, I sentenced it to pay a fine of N5 million on the offenses in count 3 and 4 it is convicted of. In addition, the company would wound up by Corporate Affairs Commission as provided by section 3(2) of the miscellaneous offenses and all its assets forfeited to federal government of Nigeria,” he said


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PHOTONEWS: Senator Ben Murray-Bruce rides in a small boat to get across to his constituency

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NEWS: Paris attacks: France and Belgium police seek two new suspects

Police are seeking two new suspects accused of aiding the fugitive suspect from the Paris attacks Salah Abdeslam, the Belgian prosecutor's office says.

The pair are "armed and dangerous" and are thought to have helped Abdeslam travel to Hungary in September.

Investigators say Abdeslam may have driven the suicide bombers at the Stade de France to their target on the night of the Paris attacks.

The assaults on 13 November left 130 people dead and more than 350 wounded.
Who are the Paris attackers?

Abdeslam was stopped at the Hungary-Austria border in September accompanied by two men with fake IDs bearing the names Soufiane Kayal and Samir Bouzid, Belgian police said.


"The Federal Prosecutor's Office and the investigating judge wish to appeal to the public again to look out for two new suspects the investigators are actively searching for," the prosecutor's statement said.

Abdeslam's precise role in the attacks remains unclear. There are suggestions he was meant to carry out a suicide attack on the night but decided against it.

The name Soufiane Kayal was used to rent a house searched in November after the Paris attacks.

The identity card of Samir Bouzid was used to transfer money to Hasna Aitboulahcen, the cousin of attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, four days after the attacks, police said.

Both Aitboulahcen and Abaaoud were killed in a police raid on the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, along with a third, as-yet unidentified person.

Earlier on Friday, the Paris cafe La Bonne Biere became the first of the venues targeted during the co-ordinated assaults to reopen its doors.

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FOOTBALL: Real Madrid expelled from Copa del Rey

Los Blancos have been thrown out of Spain's domestic cup competition for fielding a suspended player in the 3-1 win over Cadiz earlier this week.

Real Madrid have been expelled from the Copa del Rey after they fielded the ineligible Denis Cheryshev in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Cadiz. 

The Russian winger picked up three yellow cards in the competition last season while on loan at Villarreal - the third in the semi-final defeat to Barcelona - and was supposed to be suspended for the first game of this season’s Copa.

However, Madrid did not realise and Rafael Benitez, taking advantage of his squad, played him from the start against the third division side.

Cheryshev opened the scoring, but was taken off 45 second into the second half as word spread that he was not eligible to play.

Cadiz confirmed on Wednesday they had made a complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding Cheryshev’s involvement.


And Spanish football's governing body has confirmed that the club have been excluded from the tournament and handed a fine.

"Real Madrid have been found guilty of fielding an ineligible player, Denis Cheryshev, in the home match against Cadiz on December 2," a statement read.

"The outcome of the Copa del Rey [tie] has consequently been decided in favour of Cadiz, with an additional fine of €6,001 for Madrid as per article 76 of the disciplinary code of the RFEF.

"Cheryshev's one-match suspension has been served in the game in question.

"This decision can be appealed with the Appeals Committee within 10 days of the notification of the verdict."

Madrid are now likely to appeal the decision and fight for their right to remain in the Copa del Rey, as president Florentino Perez suggested they would do during a press conference on Thursday evening.

"Madrid have not named an ineligible player. This is the opinion after consulting the legal services of Real Madrid.

"After analysing what happened, the penalty for three yellow cards should not be considered effective because nobody told the player of his punishment, as stated in Article 41 [of competition regulations].

"The sanction is not effective, and even if it were, we believe it would be considered void with the application of the final paragraph of section 12: 'At the end of the third round of the Copa del Rey, there will be a complete cancelling of penalty cycles for all concerned'.

"The penalty Cheryshev was given while playing for Villarreal is ineffective in our view, no one had mentioned the sanction to the player’” the Madrid president said.

"As Article 41 of the RFEF's disciplinary code states, the punishment is not effective unless it notifies those to be punished.

"Real Madrid did not know of its existence, no one reported it - neither the player nor Villarreal nor the RFEF."

The club’s first move will be to take it to the Appeals Committee, with the option to then take it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if they are knocked back.

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NEWS: US (SAN BENARDINO SHOOTINGS)- The woman involved in a deadly gun attack in California pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group on Facebook, US officials say.

The woman involved in a deadly gun attack in California pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group on Facebook, US officials say.

Tashfeen Malik made the post under an account with a different name, the officials told US media.
Fourteen people were killed and 21 wounded in Wednesday's attack.
Malik, 27, and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, died in a shootout with police after the killings at San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles.

It has been reported that there was no evidence that IS had directed the couple in the attack.
"At this point we believe they were more self-radicalised and inspired by the group than actually told to do the shooting," the newspaper quoted an official as saying.


Tashfeen Malik is reported to have posted the message on Facebook in support of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The post has since been removed.
After the attack at the Inland Regional Center social services agency, bomb equipment, weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found in the couple's home.
They had destroyed computer hard drives and other electronic equipment before the rampage took place, a US government source said on Friday.
Investigators are also said to be following up a report that Farook had argued with a colleague at work who denounced the "inherent dangers of Islam".
Malik was born in Pakistan and had recently lived in Saudi Arabia.


Intelligence officials in Pakistan have contacted relatives there, a family member quoted by Reuters said.
Police said between 75 and 80 people were at the centre when the shooting began.
The identities of the victims have since been released by San Bernardino's coroner, revealing that the youngest was 26 and the oldest was 60.

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS

Officials said the attack indicated there had been "some degree of planning" and local police chief Jarrod Burguan said it appeared that the couple were prepared to carry out another attack.
"There was obviously a mission here. We know that. We do not know why. We don't know if this was the intended target or if there was something that triggered him to do this immediately," said David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office.
In the shootout with police hours after the attack, Farook and Malik fired 76 rounds of ammunition. Officers fired 380 rounds back.
Two police officers were injured during the pursuit.
One of the first officers on the scene spoke of scenes of "unspeakable" carnage in the centre.

Lt Mike Madden said he and officers saw dead bodies and had to pass injured people as they tried to "engage the shooters" on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama - who is a fierce advocate of tighter gun controls in the US - said the FBI had taken over the investigation from local authorities.
The FBI, which has taken over the case from local authorities, cautioned that they needed time to investigate.
San Bernardino is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since 26 people were killed at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.

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FOOTBALL: FIFA - Fifa vice-presidents Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout suspended

Fifa has suspended vice-presidents Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout for 90 days.

The pair were arrested in Switzerland on Thursday at the request of the US authorities, on suspicion of accepting millions of dollars of bribes. 

Napout, 57, oversees football in the South America confederation and Hawit, 64, is interim president for North, Central America and Caribbean football.
The pair are barred from all football-related activity.
They were arrested in a dawn raid on the same Zurich hotel where several officials from world football's governing body were arrested in May.

Fifa's executive committee had been meeting in the city, voting on reforms.
Later on Thursday, the pair were among 16 officials charged by US authorities investigating corruption in the organisation.
US attorney general Loretta Lynch said: "The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous. The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable.
"And the message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: you will not wait us out; you will not escape our focus." 

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