Best ever’ Neymar hails historic Barcelona

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Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar kisses the ball as he celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on March 8, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENA

Neymar described his two-goal display as the “best game” of his career as he inspired the greatest comeback in Champions League history Barcelona thrashed Paris Saint-Germain 6-1.

The Catalans became the first side to come back from a 4-0 first leg deficit as Neymar scored twice in the final two minutes and then teed up a 95th-minute winner by Sergi Roberto to reach the quarter-finals 6-5 on aggregate.

“This is the best game I have ever played. For what it meant, for what we experienced and because I am in great form,” the Brazilian told BeIN Sports.

Luis Suarez’s early opener, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and Lionel Messi’s penalty put Barca 3-0 up inside 50 minutes.

However, the Spanish champions looked down and out when Edison Cavani volleyed home what seemed to be the clinching away goal for PSG.

“Before… we believed and now even more,” Neymar added on Barca’s chances winning a sixth Champions League.

“When they scored the goal we had a little dip but then there was the fourth and the penalty. We concentrated and Sergi’s goal came.

“I know that we have made history. A team like this can do anything. The game was lost and we went out to play without pressure and with joy, throwing everything forward.”

Barca boss Luis Enrique announced last week that he will leave the club at the end of the season after he was heavily criticised following their 4-0 humiliation in Paris three weeks ago.

And Enrique took the chance to round on his critics as he thanked the “faith” of the Barca players and fans.

“First we had the mourning and that was especially hard on one person,” he said.

“This victory is dedicated to all Barca fans, but especially those that had faith in their team even after a day in which they were clearly outplayed by a team like PSG.”

– Baby boom –
Defender Gerard Pique even predicted a baby boom in the Catalan capital set off by Roberto’s outstretched right leg sparking delirium among nearly 100,000 at the Camp Nou.

“I would say to the hospitals of Barcelona to hire nurses. Tonight people will make a lot of love,” said Pique, the partner of Colombian pop star Shakira.

“It’s a miracle. We are in the quarters, which was the objective before it got a lot more complicated in Paris,” said Pique.

“We never stopped believing, even the fans, who are normally the most pessimistic. It seems this new generation believes in the team more.

“We have done it all together and that helps a lot.”

Despite Neymar, Suarez and Messi’s heroics, it was Roberto who proved to be Barca’s unlikely hero as he choose the perfect time to score his first goal of the season.

“I threw myself at it with everything,” said the Spanish international.

“We left Paris very down and now this is incredible. We were prepared for all this. The fans were like 10 extra players and in the end this is all for them.”

And Enrique confessed he had questioned why Roberto doesn’t find the net with more regularity.

“I saw him score a lot of goals in the youth team and it is always a joke between us ‘why doesn’t Sergi Roberto score?’ And then he scores tonight,” added Enrique.

“This sport is indescribable.”

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Democrats warn not to stymie probe into Trump-Russia ties…Read full details

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U.S. President Donald Trump / Sean Rayford / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Top Democrats warned Republicans Monday not to stymie investigations into contacts between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, as the White House sought to quell a media storm over the allegations.

The warnings came after Trump’s staff sought to enlist the FBI, reportedly the CIA and two Republicans who head committees leading the Russia investigations, to knock down media reports on the alleged links.

The Democrats said that effort threatened to politically taint probes by both the security agencies and congressional committees into Russian interference in last year’s presidential election and alleged communications between Trump team officials and Russian intelligence.

“This is not the way to conduct a fair, impartial investigation that goes where the facts lead,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democrats in the Senate. “It certainly gives the appearance if not the reality of lack of impartiality.”

– Political interference –
Senator Mark Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said its investigation into the Russia issue needs to remain bipartisan.

“It shouldn’t have political interference; it can’t go where the White House wants it to go,” he told CNN. “By trying to bring in others to interfere with investigations, then they are going to color any results that come out.”

The Trump administration is battling accusations that onetime campaign chair Paul Manafort and others had communications with Russian officials before the election at the same time that Moscow allegedly conducted a campaign of hacking and information releases aimed at harming Trump’s rival in the election, Hillary Clinton.

The New York Times reported, citing intelligence sources, that the communications were with Russian intelligence officials.

The White House admitted last week asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help it combat what it labeled the “false” New York Times report, by making information from its own investigation public.

“This started with the FBI bringing it to us, bringing it to our attention, saying the story in the Times was not accurate,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday.

“All we said is: ‘That’s great, could you tell other reporters the same thing you are telling us?’”

After the FBI declined to take a public stance, the White House sought the help of Republican Senator Richard Burr, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Devin Nunes, Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee that is also conducting a probe, to shoot down the report.

“All we sought to do was get an accurate report out,” said Spicer, fending off comments that his actions were inappropriate.

“So, you know, respectfully, I think it’s interesting that I’m being asked what’s appropriate when what we are doing is actually urging reporters to engage with subject matter experts who can corroborate whether or not something is accurate or not.”

– ‘No evidence’ says Republican –
But Democrats reacted sharply Monday as Nunes, before his committee held any hearings on the alleged Russia contacts, said he did not see any evidence to investigate.

“Here at the committee, we still don’t have any evidence of them talking to Russians,” Nunes told journalists.

“And what I’ve been told by many folks is that there is nothing there.”

Nunes was quickly berated by his Democratic vice-chair Adam Schiff, who said the committee has not even received any evidence or testimony, so that it was impossible to make such a determination.

“We haven’t obtained any of the evidence yet. So it’s premature for us to be saying that we have reached any conclusion about the issue of collusion,” he said.

“You don’t begin by stating what you believe to be the conclusion.”

Some Democrats have called for a bipartisan committee or an independent prosecutor to be named to probe the Russia issue.

On Friday, Republican Congressman Darrell Issa became the first member of his party to endorse the idea of an independent investigation, possibly under a special prosecutor.

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Sri Lanka prison bus shooting kills seven…Read full details

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Attackers opened fire on a prison bus outside Colombo on Monday, killing five prisoners and two armed guards in the worst gang-related violence to hit Sri Lanka in decades.

Police said the gunmen sprayed bullets at the bus as it passed through a wooded area near the capital, also wounding four guards.

One of the victims was a senior member of an underworld group operating in Sri Lanka, where automatic weapons remain easily available eight years after the end of a decades-long war.

“It is believed that the shooting was a result of enmity between two underworld gangs,” police said in a statement.

“Investigations are under way.”

The prisoners were being driven to court for a hearing when the audacious daytime attack took place, police said.

Police said Monday’s bus ambush was the deadliest gang-related attack in Sri Lanka in living memory.

President Maithripala Sirisena deployed troops last year to bolster police efforts to crack down on gang-related activity, which experts say has been rising.

Most gangs make their money from protection rackets, often in league with politicians, or from illegal drugs and liquor.

Security for underworld suspects had also been tightened following a shooting on a prison bus that seriously wounded another suspected gang leader in the capital in March last year.

Police set up roadblocks in and around the capital after six people were killed in two separate incidents on that day.

But the barriers brought back unwelcome memories of wartime Colombo when residents had to undergo frequent stops for security checks, and police had been removing them in recent months.

Several police have also been killed by gangsters in the past year despite stepped-up police operations across the country.

“Underworld activities slowed down a bit last year, but they seemed to be getting more active in recent months,” a senior officer in Colombo told AFP.

Large quantities of weapons found their way to criminal gangs during and after the war ended in May 2009 and attempts to tackle the problem have been largely ineffective.

At least 100,000 people were killed in the 37-year conflict, which ended after a major offensive by the military.

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In Iraq: Car bomb leaves 18 casualties in Iraqi capital, Baghdad

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The explosion of a car bomb has killed four Iraqi civilians and injured 14 others in the southwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

The Tuesday attack targeted the al-Sana’ei neighborhood of the city’s al-Baya’ district, which lies along the Baghdad Airport Road.

Separately, an armed drone operated by Daesh killed four civilians and wounded seven others in the northern city of Mosul’s al-Masaref neighborhood, Iraq’s al-Sumariah television network reported.

The Takfiri terrorist group also staged rocket attacks against a northeastern area in Mosul, killing a child and injuring two other civilians.

Daesh named Mosul as its so-called headquarters in Iraq in 2014, when it unleashed its campaign of terror in the Arab country. The city has been under its control since then, but an offensive has been going on by the Iraqi armed forces since October last year to dislodge the terrorists there.

The forces have driven the terrorists out of Mosul’s eastern half and are now pushing to liberate the remainder of the city.

On Monday, Iraq’s War Media said army warplanes had slain as many as 60 Daesh terrorists in Mosul’s Ayn al-Hessan and South Sharia neighborhoods.

The aerial operations also destroyed 18 of the outfit’s vehicles, some bomb-laden and some used to carry equipment around.

Source: Press TV

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Niger Delta youth group seeks more role for Kachikwu (Read full details)

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Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu. PHOTO: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

The Niger Delta Non-Violence Youth Leaders Assembly, (NDYLA), a peace advocacy group, has applauded last Friday’s visit of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to Bayelsa, describing it as a morale booster.

The group also said that the visit had revived the hope of Niger Delta people of a sustainable peace and development in the region under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The NDYLA gave the commendation in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Amb. Tonye Jeminimieme, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Monday.

The group urged Niger Delta people to give the government time to address the crisis in the region.

It said that the openness displayed by Osinbajo and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, showed that the people of the Niger Delta would have a better deal at the federal level.

NDYLA called on the people of the region to remain peaceful and maintain the existing peace for the Federal Government to redeem its pledge of rapid development in the region.

The group also applauded Kachukwu on the proposed 20-point agenda by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying it is commendable and a show of complete good faith.

It, therefore, called for the elevation of Kachukwu as a substantive minister, to encourage doing more.

NDYLA said that the people of Bayelsa actively participated in the discussions during Osinbajo’s visit and proffered solutions capable of ending the Niger Delta crisis, if implemented.

“We are asking the Federal Government to inaugurate a team that will work with Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) to review and consider the 16-point agenda, including the Ledum Mitee report, among others.

“We urge the Federal Government and National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) Bill and establish the Nigeria Merchant Navy Base to enhance security on our waterways.

“Federal Government should also expedite action toward commencement of the Bonny LNG and the Brass LNG.

“We call on the Federal Government to build five functional sea ports of international standard for the region, and commence the clean up processes of the Koluama Oil Spill in Bayelsa.

“We also urge the Federal Government to make an upward review of the derivation formula and consider strongly the inclusion of indigenous firms and the allocation of Oil blocks, “the group said.

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Teammate likely to appeal doping ruling that cost Bolt gold

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Jamaica's Nesta Carter (L) and Usain Bolt celebrating after winning the men's 4×100m relay final at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.<br />The International Olympic Committee said on January 25, 2017 it had stripped Jamaica of their gold medal earned in the 4x100m relay at the 2008 Beijing Games after Nesta Carter was caught doping.The decision which follows the retesting of hundreds of samples from the Beijing event, means teammate Usain Bolt loses one of the three gold medals he won at that Olympics. Carter was found to have tested positive for banned substance Methylhexanamine.<br />/ AFP PHOTO / Olivier MORIN

Jamaican Olympic officials are likely to appeal the doping sanction of relay runner Nesta Carter that has cost Usain Bolt one of his nine Olympic gold medals.

Carter failed a drugs test in a retest of a sample from the 2008 Beijing Games, testing positive for the banned substance Methylhexaneamine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Wednesday that it had stripped Jamaica of the 4x100m relay gold won in Beijing.

Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president Michael Fennell and an attorney representing Carter indicated there will be an appeal, most likely to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

“We have to decide what the best legal process is,” Fennell said after the JOA met with Carter’s representatives on Wednesday night. “It is a team and we are interested in ensuring they are properly protected and given a fair chance of clearing their names.”

Carter’s lawyer and executive members of his local club MVP also said on Wednesday they wanted to fight the decision.

Carter ran the lead-off leg on a team that included Michael Frater, Bolt and Asafa Powell that crossed the line first.

The loss of the relay gold deprives Bolt of one of his “triple-triples” — he won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at Beijing and repeated the feat in London in 2012 and again in Rio last year.

A CAS spokesperson told AFP on Thursday they had not heard from Carter or his representatives.

An appeal must be filed by February 15, 21 days after Wednesday’s announcement of the decision by the IOC.

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Austrian president sworn in as government wobbles

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Austria's president Alexander Van der Bellen (C) speaks during the swearing-in ceremony, as Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (L), Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner (2ndL) and Austrian chancellor Christian Kern (2ndR) listen during the federal assembly at the parliament in Vienna on January 26, 2017.<br />Van der Bellen, 73, narrowly won a run-off against Norbert Hofer from the Freedom Party (FPOe) in May but the anti-immigration party got the result annulled due to procedural irregularities. / AFP PHOTO / APA / ROLAND SCHLAGER / Austria OUT

Alexander Van der Bellen, who beat the far-right candidate in a presidential election thriller last year, was sworn in on Thursday just as speculation raged about the future of the government.

Van der Bellen, 73, narrowly won a run-off against Norbert Hofer from the Freedom Party (FPOe) in May, but the anti-immigration party got the result annulled due to procedural irregularities.

A re-run set for October had to be postponed because of faulty glue on postal votes and after an ugly and divisive campaign Van der Bellen finally won the largely ceremonial, but coveted presidency on December 4.

Hofer, 45, who like similar politicians in Europe — and Donald Trump in the United States — stoked concerns about immigration and security, would have been the first far-right president in the European Union.

The victory of the professorial Van der Bellen, who was backed by the ecologist Greens but ran as an independent, was greeted with relief by centrist parties in Austria and around Europe.

But the “grand coalition” of Austria’s Chancellor Christian Kern, comprising his centre-left Social Democrats (SPOe) and the centre-right People’s Party (OeVP), remains under severe pressure.

Speculation has been heightened that the coalition may throw in the towel and call early elections, as the FPOe has been topping national opinion polls and amid the public squabbling this week within the coalition that is due to rule until late 2018.

“I promise to follow faithfully the constitution and all laws of the republic and to fulfil my role to the best of my knowledge and conscience,” Van der Bellen said in a ceremony in parliament.

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Italy avalanche toll hits 29 as search ends

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This handout photo taken and released by the Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico (CNSAS) on January 25, 2017, shows the site where the Hotel Rigopiano was engulfed by a powerful avalanche on January 18, near the village of Farindola. The number of bodies recovered from the ruins of an Italian hotel buried by an avalanche rose to 24 on January 25, 2017, local authorities said. Another five people were still unaccounted for, presumed dead, as a result of the January 18 disaster, which saw the Hotel Rigopiano ripped from its foundations by the force of a wall of tree and mud-packed snow hurtling down the hillside into which it was built. / AFP PHOTO / CNSAS AND AFP PHOTO / Lorenzo NATRELLA /

Searchers have completed the grim hunt through the ruins of an Italian hotel buried by an avalanche and found the final bodies, bringing the toll to 29 dead, authorities said Thursday.

The hundreds of rescuers who aided in the searches after the January 18 disaster, which saw the Hotel Rigopiano ripped from its foundations by a wall of snow and debris, saved 11 people.

Locals authorities said in a brief statement that 29 bodies had been recovered.

Most of the dead were found in what was the hotel’s bar, embedded in a mass of snow, concrete and tree trunks, according to Italian media reports.

Police have calculated the force of the impact on the three-storey stone and wood structure as being equivalent to it being hit by 4,000 fully-loaded trucks.

The last survivors extracted from the rubble were pulled out on Saturday after having been located on Friday morning. They were all suffering from mild hypothermia.

When the avalanche hit, guests and staff had been waiting several hours for the road to be cleared of snow so that they could leave.

But the heavy snowfalls had plunged the area into chaos and the special road clearance machine that was needed — the snow was too deep for ploughs — was not available.

A preliminary manslaughter investigation has been opened with the prosecutor in charge looking into whether environmental risks were properly taken into account during the construction and subsequent renovation of the hotel.

Autopsies of the six first victims pulled from the debris concluded they had been crushed or suffocated by the avalanche and that none had died waiting for rescue, prosecutor Cristina Tedeschini told reporters on Wednesday.

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Italy avalanche toll hits 29 as search ends (Read full details)

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This handout photo taken and released by the Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico (CNSAS) on January 25, 2017, shows the site where the Hotel Rigopiano was engulfed by a powerful avalanche on January 18, near the village of Farindola. The number of bodies recovered from the ruins of an Italian hotel buried by an avalanche rose to 24 on January 25, 2017, local authorities said. Another five people were still unaccounted for, presumed dead, as a result of the January 18 disaster, which saw the Hotel Rigopiano ripped from its foundations by the force of a wall of tree and mud-packed snow hurtling down the hillside into which it was built. / AFP PHOTO / CNSAS AND AFP PHOTO / Lorenzo NATRELLA /

Searchers have completed the grim hunt through the ruins of an Italian hotel buried by an avalanche and found the final bodies, bringing the toll to 29 dead, authorities said Thursday.

The hundreds of rescuers who aided in the searches after the January 18 disaster, which saw the Hotel Rigopiano ripped from its foundations by a wall of snow and debris, saved 11 people.

Locals authorities said in a brief statement that 29 bodies had been recovered.

Most of the dead were found in what was the hotel’s bar, embedded in a mass of snow, concrete and tree trunks, according to Italian media reports.

Police have calculated the force of the impact on the three-storey stone and wood structure as being equivalent to it being hit by 4,000 fully-loaded trucks.

The last survivors extracted from the rubble were pulled out on Saturday after having been located on Friday morning. They were all suffering from mild hypothermia.

When the avalanche hit, guests and staff had been waiting several hours for the road to be cleared of snow so that they could leave.

But the heavy snowfalls had plunged the area into chaos and the special road clearance machine that was needed — the snow was too deep for ploughs — was not available.

A preliminary manslaughter investigation has been opened with the prosecutor in charge looking into whether environmental risks were properly taken into account during the construction and subsequent renovation of the hotel.

Autopsies of the six first victims pulled from the debris concluded they had been crushed or suffocated by the avalanche and that none had died waiting for rescue, prosecutor Cristina Tedeschini told reporters on Wednesday.

Italy avalanche toll hits 29 as search ends

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Kenyan doctors given another five days to end strike (Read full details)

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Kenya medical students protest in solidarity with a doctor's strike on January 19, 2017 in the capital Nairobi.<br />Thousands of Kenyan public sector doctors are currently engaged in the country's longest-ever medical strike which has dragged on for the last month and a half, demanding a tripling of salaries and better working conditions. / AFP PHOTO / SIMON MAINA

A Kenyan court on Thursday gave doctors and nurses five days to end a crippling nationwide strike, reneging on an earlier threat to jail union officials.

The strike that began on December 5 has left public hospitals shut and patients unable to get basic medical care for more than seven weeks.

Hellen Wasilwa, a judge at Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court, on January 12 gave seven union officials one-month suspended sentences and ordered them to end the strike within two weeks.

But as that ultimatum passed on Thursday she gave the officials another five-day reprieve.

“I hereby suspend the sentence further for five days and this is not for negotiation but for calling off the strike,” she said.

The officials are due back in court on January 31.

Doctors have rejected a government offer of a 40 percent rise saying that it fell short of promises made in a 2013 agreement and failed to address other issues such as staff shortages and lack of equipment.

Kenyan university lecturers also went on strike a week ago over pay.

The widespread, disruptive industrial action comes months before an August general election.

Kenyan doctors given another five days to end strike

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2017 Oscars: reactions from the nominees (Read full details)

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PHOTO:AFP/getty image

The following are reactions from some of the nominees for the 2017 Oscars.

The list of nominations, which for the first time includes a record number of black actors, was revealed Tuesday, ahead of the February 26 ceremony:

– Beautiful morning –
“What a morning. I am so grateful for this honor and I’m so happy to share this feeling with my ‘La La Land’ family. The greatest part of life is connecting with people, and I love the deeply talented, kind and passionate people I was lucky enough to work with on this movie.”

— Emma Stone, nominated for best actress for romantic musical “La La Land,” which earned a record 14 Oscar nods.

– Speechless –
“When you mention those movies, it makes my head spin even more than it’s spinning. I’m a little speechless.”

— Damien Chazelle, the 32-year-old director of “La La Land,” to Variety from Beijing, after learning that his film had tied the all-time record for Oscar nominations set by “Titanic” and “All About Eve.”

– Is race relevant? –
“I hope I wasn’t nominated because I was black. That has no relevance… I hope I was nominated for my work.”

— Mahershala Ali, best supporting actor nominee for coming-of-age drama “Moonlight,” to The Hollywood Reporter.

– ‘Focus on color’ –
“I think it’s unfortunate that we still have to focus on color.

“What the Oscars are about and what the awards should be about is a recognition of talent and incredible hard work, irrespective of color.”

— British actress Naomie Harris, who is black, to The New York Times on her best supporting actress nomination for “Moonlight,” in which she plays a crack-addicted mother.

– ‘Love not dictated by color’ –
“Lion reaffirms the message that love is not dictated by the color of your skin, not by race, gender, sexuality, social status or origin. It is a message I am proud to be spreading during these uncertain times. This will forever be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.”

— Dev Patel, about his best supporting actor nomination for “Lion.” He is only the third actor of Indian descent to receive an Oscars nod.

– ‘An inspiration’ –
“It has been such an honor to have been given the opportunity to tell the incredible story of Richard and Mildred Loving, who serve as an inspiration that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. The Lovings fought quietly yet tirelessly, and changed the course of American legal history. Today, to be among such extraordinary women — my fellow nominees, my peers with films this year, and the legendary performers whose work of years past has long inspired me… this means a great deal to me.”

— Irish-Ethiopian actress Ruth Negga, nominated in the best actress category for “Loving.” The film told the true story of an interracial couple from the American South who fought before the Supreme Court in 1967 for their right to marry.

– ‘Save humanity’ in Syria –
“‘The White Helmets’ film’s nomination for an Oscar is a new confirmation of the civil defense’s credibility in Syria. It will help us to reach the goal and the slogan we have been using since the start: ‘To save one life is to save all of humanity.’”

— Raed Saleh, leader of the rescue group featured in “The White Helmets,” nominated for best documentary short the film, told AFP after the announcement.

– Strive for empathy –
“I am overwhelmed and honored by the Academy’s recognition of my newest film… What I have strived for in my filmmaking has always been to create a sense of empathy toward my characters; empathy meaning understanding the conditions and situations of other human beings who very much resemble us.”

— Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi, on being nominated for an Oscar for the third time for his movie “The Salesman,” up for best foreign film honors.

– Back in Hollywood’s good graces –
“What could be more exciting than listening to the nominations being announced while holding my newborn son! This is a truly wonderful honor.”

— Mel Gibson, on his surprise best director nomination for bloody WWII movie “Hacksaw Bridge,” which marks his comeback after being ostracized by Hollywood for an anti-Semitic tirade. The film earned a total of six nominations.

– ‘Infinitely grateful’ –
“I am infinitely grateful to the Academy. It is a tremendous joy and honor for me.”

— France’s Isabelle Huppert, nominated for best actress for rape-revenge thriller “Elle” — one of the rare foreign language performances recognized in a lead acting category.

2017 Oscars: reactions from the nominees

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How Fayose foiled attempted arrest of Apostle Suleiman by DSS (Read full details)

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Founder of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleiman.

Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’s Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose, in the early morning on Wednesday, foiled an attempt by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting Apostle Johnson Suleiman of The Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide in Ado Ekiti.

The Pastor was alleged to have been preaching against Islamization of Nigeria and asked members of his church in Auchi, Edo State to resist the killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen, who he alleged of targeting Christians for decimation.

The Pastor who was in Ado Ekiti for a two-day crusade that was also attended by Fayose was trailed after paying a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House to his hotel room by the operatives of the DSS in Adebayo area of the State capital who almost forced their way into his room but were resisted by security men of the hotel that insisted to know their mission.

Sensing the danger, the Pastor was alerted and he called Governor Fayose who personally led a rescue mission to prevent the abduction of the Pastor and took him to safety.

The Pastor who narrated his ordeal around 2 am said, “I came to Ado Ekiti for a crusade. But I had a premonition that I was being trailed after I preached that Christians should retaliate any attack or killings by the Fulani herdsmen. These Fulani headmen had turned many Christians to orphans and widowers but the time has come to protect ourselves.

“I received several calls from hidden numbers trying to locate where I am and I had warned my security not to allow any Fulani man to come nearer me. So when the men of DSS came in the middle of the night I knew their mission and I had to call the Governor because if they arrest me, they will put this country in fire”.

Governor Fayose, who expressed surprise that a man of God was been trailed to be arrested by the men of DSS said, he expected the security operatives to invite him “ if they have any issue with him instead of arresting him in the dead of the night after a powerful and spirit-filled crusade in my State.

The Governor said, “I personally attended his crusade and I think it is wrong for a man of God who is armless that could be invited if they have any issue against him. Are Christians and Moslems under the different dispensation of the rule of law. That’s why I went there to rescue him. Let them kill two of us together. But when they saw my vehicles and the crowd, they fled.
.

“But we have information that instructions came from DSS in Abuja that the Pastor should be arrested. We are not in a fascist state, Federal Government must learn to respect the rights of Nigerians and freedom of expression”.

Governor Fayose noted that it was unbecoming of the Federal Government to be harassing the clergymen in the country noting that the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye was harassed and forced to resign shortly after he visited him in Ado Ekiti.

He said, “This is unacceptable, We are in a democracy and Nigerians should warn the Presidency against putting this country on fire because religion is an emotional thing”.

The governor also warned security operatives against intimidation and arrest of men of God in the interest of peace and religious harmony in the country. The constitution guarantees freedom of worship”.

How Fayose foiled attempted arrest of Apostle Suleiman by DSS

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