Xabi Alonso retiring in June

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Bayern Munich's Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso celebrating scoring during the UEFA Champions League semi-final, second-leg football match between FC Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in Munich, southern Germany.<br />Bayern Munich's Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso announced on March 9, 2017 thta he will end his football career at the end of the current season. / AFP PHOTO / Christof Stache

Spanish World Cup winner and double European champion Xabi Alonso, 35, confirmed Thursday that he will retire at the end of the season when his Bayern Munich contract expires.

“It was not an easy decision but I think it’s a good time,” Alonso told Bayern Munich’s TV channel.

“I want to finish my career at the highest level, and Bayern is the highest level,” added the 2010 World Cup winner.

Defensive midfielder Alonso is the oldest member of the Bayern team, but can still command a first-team place under Carlo Ancelotti alongside Chile’s Arturo Vidal.

Bayern are into the Champions League’s quarter-final draw on March 17 and are bidding to repeat their 2013 treble of European, Bundesliga and German Cup titles.

“FC Bayern are grateful to a man and a great player, who has been superb for Bayern both on and off the pitch,” said club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Alonso arrived in Bayern for the 2014/15 season after playing for Liverpool and Real Madrid.

He was part of two historic Champions League title wins.

He played in Liverpool’s 2005 fight-back in Istanbul and was involved in Real Madrid’s 2014 triumph when they won ‘la Decima’ — the European Cup for the tenth time.

So far with Bayern, he has won two Bundesliga titles and one German Cup title with Bayern with the Bavarians currently dominating both competitions.

Alonso has won 16 titles for clubs and country, including the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European championships with Spain, making 114 international appearances.

He retired from international duty in August 2014.

Confirmation of Alonso’s retirement means the German giants will lose significant experience for next season.

Club captain and ex-Germany skipper Philipp Lahm has also confirmed he will hang up his boots in June.

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World Bank to raise $1.6b to combat hunger in Nigeria, others

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World Bank Group President Jim Yong-Kim on Thursday said the bank was working toward raising 1.6 billion dollars to build social protection systems to end food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen.

In a statement made available to newsmen by the Head of Communications, World Bank Nigeria in Abuja, Mrs Olufunke Olufon, Yong-Kim said about 20 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen were on the “tipping point” of famine.

“We at the World Bank Group stand in solidarity with the people now threatened by famine.

“We are mobilising an immediate response for Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. Our first priority is to work with partners to make sure that families have access to food and water.

“We are working toward a financial package of more than 1.6 billion dollars to build social protection systems, strengthen community resilience, and maintain service delivery to the most vulnerable.’’

Yong-Kim said he was also working with the bank’s board of directors to secure the approval of new operations amounting to 770 million dollars, funded substantially through the International Development Association (IDA) Crisis Response Window.

“The World Bank Group will help respond to the immediate needs of the current famine, but we must recognise that famine will have lasting impacts on people’s health, ability to learn, and earn a living.

“So, we will also continue to work with communities to reclaim their livelihoods and build resilience to future shocks. We are coordinating closely with the UN and other partners in all areas of our response.

“We know that resolution to this acute crisis will not be possible without all humanitarian and development actors working together.

“We call on the international community to respond robustly and quickly to the UN global appeal for resources for the famine.’’

Famine was officially declared on Feb. 20 in South Sudan, impacting approximately 100,000 people.

There is a credible risk of famines in Yemen, Northeast Nigeria, and other countries, says United Nations (UN).

Ongoing conflicts and civil insecurity are further intensifying the food insecurity of millions of people across the region, and there is already widespread displacement and other cross-border spillover.

For instance, food insecurity in Somalia and famine in South Sudan are accelerating the flow of refugees into Ethiopia and Uganda.

The UN estimates that about 20 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are affected.

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Senator dumps Labour Party for APC

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Senator Ovie Omo-Agege

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central-LP) has defected from the Labour Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, announced the defection of the lawmaker at plenary on Tuesday.

In a letter to the Saraki, Omo-Agege said he left Labour because of its unending internal crisis. The lawmaker cited Order 43 of the Senate Standing Orders 2011 (as amended) to support his defection.

He said that the division in LP had gotten to an irreconcilable level as Bobo Adou and Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam were laying claim to the national leadership of the party. He added that his defection to APC was supported by his constituents.

“The President, my decision to leave the Labour Party for APC is supported by the leaders and constituents of my senatorial district.

“This is considering the troubling fact of the division within the national leadership of the party. Therefore, may I kindly inform all here of this formal decision in this plenary.

“While I assure you of my highest esteem, be further assured of my total commitment to the legislative agenda of this 8th Senate under your leadership and support for the APC government,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Saraki said “based on the rules of the Senate, there cannot be further debate on the matter since the senator brought his notification to the Chamber via Order 43’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that with Omo-Agege’s defection, APC now has 66 senators in the upper chamber, 42 for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and none for Labour Party.

Anambra Central Senatorial District seat is vacant as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to conduct by-election to get a replacement for Sen. Uche Ekwunife. The APC had 60 senators, while PDP had 49 senators at the inception of the 8th Senate.

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Arsenal’s Ozil to miss Bayern clash

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Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil reacts during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal in Munich, southern Germany, on February 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Christof STACHE

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil will miss Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayern Munich after illness, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said.

Ozil was absent from Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday and although the German star has returned to training, Wenger doesn’t believe he is ready to face Bayern.

Losing the World Cup winner for the Emirates Stadium showdown is another blow for Arsenal, who face the daunting task of having to overturn a 5-1 deficit from the first leg.

“Ozil is not in the squad. He was sick and he was out the whole of last week,” Wenger said.

“He had only one session yesterday. I don’t think he is ready physically to be in the squad.

“He should be ready for the weekend (for the FA Cup quarter-final against Lincoln).”

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No link between Osinbajo and reorganisation in aviation, says Minister

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Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, says there is no link between the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and the ongoing reorganisation in the aviation agencies.

Sirika said this in a statement signed an released to newsmen by Mr James Odaudu, Deputy Director, Press and Public Affairs, Ministry of Transportation in Abuja.

Sirika said that the visit of the Acting President on Thursday was to assess the state of facilities at the nation’s number one airport. It was also to identify possible areas that needed the government’s immediate attention, he said.

According to him, a section of the nation’s media decided, rather inexplicably, to establish a link between Osinbajo’s visit and the recent reorganisation at the nation’s aviation agencies. “It must be made clear that there is no basis to link both events together.

“The reorganisation in the agencies is part of an ongoing process to reposition them to properly and adequately carry out their regulatory mandates.

“It will be recalled that President Mohammadu Buhari-led administration, at inception, placed aviation among top priority areas that will be reorganised and repositioned to contribute more to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“It, therefore, amounts to an error of judgment to attribute the reorganisation to the visit of Osinbajo to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

“Practitioners in the media industry are, therefore, advised to always cross check their information before going to press in order to avoid unnecessary controversies and stop misinforming the public.’’

The Federal Government had on Friday carried out a major shakeup in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) by terminating the appointments of nine directors.

It also announced the appointment of three directors and a general manager for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to replace the directors it sacked in October 2016.

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Sacked Ranieri says goodbye to Leicester stars

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Claudio Ranieri visited Leicester City’s training ground on Saturday to say farewell to his former players and staff after his shock sacking.

Ranieri had visited the club’s Belvoir Drive headquarters to clean out his office on Friday following his dismissal 24 hours earlier.

But the 65-year-old Italian was unable to say goodbye to the players who helped him become a Leicester legend during last season’s incredible Premier League title-winning campaign because they were on a day off.

So he returned on Saturday to have a last meeting with the group following the decision to sack him, which was made by the club’s Thai owners after Leicester slumped into the relegation dogfight with five successive league defeats.

“I just say thank you to the fans. They are fantastic. Thank you,” Ranieri said when questioned by Sky Sports News as he drove away.

“I feel good now, because what we achieved in Leicester. I hope it will happen again, but it will be very difficult.”

Asked if it had been an emotional meeting with his players, he insisted it had been “normal”.

Leicester go into Monday’s crucial clash with Liverpool sitting only one point above the relegation zone, but the occasion will be overshadowed by Ranieri’s absence.

“My dream died,” he had said in a statement on Friday.

“After the euphoria of last season and being crowned Premier League champions all I dreamt of was staying with Leicester City, the club I love, for always.

“Sadly this was not to be. I wish to thank my wife Rosanna and all my family for their never ending support during my time at Leicester.

“Mostly I have to thank Leicester City Football Club. The adventure was amazing and will live with me forever.

“Thank you to all the journalists and the media who came with us and enjoyed reporting on the greatest story in football.”

Reports claim Ranieri was a victim of player power after several senior players grew unhappy with the Italian’s tactical tinkering and told the owners they would be relegated if he stayed.

But Foxes caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare dismissed the rumours of dressing-room unrest.

“I’m not aware of any senior players going to the owners so that’s news to me,” he said on Friday.

“What I would say, there was a lot of frustration because of results but he hadn’t lost the dressing room.”

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MAN advises CBN to sustain new forex directive

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The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on Friday advised CBN to sustain its current directive on forex sales to rebound output by manufacturers.

The President of MAN, Mr Frank Jacobs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the advice became necessary because the directive would help in strengthening the naira for production purposes.

According to him, the policy will, in the long run, make machinery and other items more affordable for manufacturers, which in turn will lead to cheaper goods.

“The policy has raised the confidence of manufacturers because it will boost productive output.

“It is pleasing that manufacturers and people who are in business can afford to get dollars easily which will drive down the price of foreign currencies often caused by speculators.

“The new initiative is commendable and it our hope it will not be sabotaged,” he said.

On Feb. 21, the CBN directed all banks to open outlets for sale of forex at all airports to ease forex purchases.

The directive has gradually strengthened the naira, making it exchange at N495 to the dollar on Feb. 23 from the N520 it sold on Feb. 20 at the parallel market.

Jacobs said also that since the apex bank had addressed the forex challenges, it should also compel banks to lend to manufacturers at reduced interest rate.

According to him, the reduction should be exclusive for the manufacturing sector as it is done in other climes.

“Reducing the interest rate to five percent from the current 14 percent will boost production and generate employment in the sector.

“The reduction will revolutionise the sector and reposition the industry to contribute more to the nation’s GDP.

It will be recalled that the CBN in September and October 2016, supported critical sectors, including the aviation sector with $660million and $867 million, respectively through the Special Secondary Market Intervention Retail Sales.

The intervention was to enable manufacturers and those in aviation to purchase industrial raw materials and spare parts needed for operations.

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Iran bans drones in Tehran after device shot down

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The use of camera drones has significantly increased in Iran in recent years (AFP Photo/BEN STANSALL)<br />

Iranian officials have banned the flying of all private drones over Tehran after two recent incidents led to one of the devices being shot down near the supreme leader’s office.

“Based on a recent order regarding prevention of unlicensed flight by private drones, we have stopped these planes which had created security… problems,” said Revolutionary Guards official General Alireza Rabii, whose department is in charge of the capital’s security.

The order comes after two separate incidents of security forces opening fire on small camera drones flying over central Tehran.

The first one, owned by Iranian state television, was shot down in December for entering “the no-fly zone” over Enghelab square, which is near the offices of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the president and several other state institutions.

Last month, anti-aircraft cannons were fired at another drone, footage of which was shared on social media. The unidentified drone left the area a few minutes later.

Rabii said media drones, equipped with cameras, had led some people to complain after the devices flew over their homes and disturbed their privacy.

The drones can film “sensitive, vital and important places,” which may be exploited by the “enemy”, he added.

Permits must be obtained to operate drones, he said, adding that authorisation would not be given to individuals.

The use of camera drones has significantly increased in Iran in recent years. They are mostly operated by photography studios, advertising agencies, filmmakers and aviation enthusiasts.

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Pence tells Turkey PM wants ‘new start’ in ties: report

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US Vice President Mike Pence. AFP PHOTO

US Vice President Mike Pence has told Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim that the new administration wanted a “new start” in relations between the two NATO member states, local media reported Sunday.

Turkey is looking to improve relations with Washington under President Donald Trump after ties soured during Barack Obama’s time in office.

Pence said the United States was ready to further develop ties during a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich security conference, the private NTV channel reported.

Last week, new CIA chief Mike Pompeo visited Ankara less than 48 hours after Trump spoke for the first time by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Yildirim told Pence that Turkey was “ready for all kinds of cooperation” on the issue of Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, NTV said.

Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, is accused by Ankara of ordering the failed coup which tried to overthrow Erdogan last July.

He strongly denies the charges but Ankara has repeatedly called for his extradition.

The issue became a bone of contention between Ankara and the Obama administration after Washington said a possibly slow legal process should take its course.

Yildirim said moves towards his extradition by the new administration would “open a new page” in relations, according to NTV.

The official statement from the White House on their meeting said Pence reiterated the US commitment to Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally.

“The two leaders also discussed ways to accelerate our joint efforts to defeat ISIS (the Islamic State group),” the White House added.

The two men also discussed finding a permanent solution to the Syrian conflict, NTV added.

Turkey launched an ambitious military operation in northern Syria in August, supporting opposition fighters to clear IS elements from its border and halt the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia.

At a rally in the southeastern city of Gaziantep on Sunday, Erdogan said one of the next steps in the operation would be to clear the de facto IS capital Raqa with the support of the US and other countries.

“If we agree with the US, if we agree with the coalition forces, if we agree with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, we will clear those killers called Daesh (IS) from Raqa,” he said.

But issues remain over whether Trump will continue to support the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) against IS and any future Raqa operation.

Turkey views the PYD and YPG as sister organisations of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which has waged a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

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Mother jailed for selling sex with daughter online

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The defendants Nicole G. (L) and Clemens F. sit and hide their faces in the regional court in Hildesheim, central Germany, on February 8, 2017. AFP PHOTO / dpa / Julian Stratenschulte / Germany OUT

A German court sentenced a woman to four years in jail Wednesday after she admitted to charges including selling sex with her teenage daughter online.

The 37-year-old was jailed on charges of serious sexual abuse of children and procuration, a court spokesman said.

Judges also sentenced the woman’s 40-year-old boyfriend to four years and 10 months in prison on three counts of serious sexual abuse for the crimes dating back to 2012-13.

The state court in Hildesheim in the northern state of Lower Saxony found that the woman had offered her teenage daughter, then 16, for sex online over a period of six months.

She arranged appointments with men, kept the money, and threatened to throw the girl out of the house if she refused to submit.

The woman was also present and even helped while her boyfriend assaulted her younger daughter, then aged 11, prosecution documents showed.

Court proceedings only began in January this year, although the older daughter had gone to the police in July 2013.

“The sentences are an important signal and compensation for the girls,” the lawyer for the two daughters told news agency DPA after the hearing.

“They suffered to an unbelievable extent from these acts.”

During the trial, the mother admitted to the charges, the court spokesman said, while the boyfriend contested the case.

The fact that the crimes were committed against the woman’s own children led the judges to impose harsher sentences, he added.

The hearings were held behind closed doors because of the victims’ young age.

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Senate screens non-career ambassadorial nominees

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The Senate has begun the screening of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees submitted to it by the President.

Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu, Chairperson, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs said in Abuja on Tuesday that the screening was in line with section 171, Subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Jan. 12, re-submitted a list of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

The chairperson said the Senate would ensure that it selected and confirmed the best nominees that would represent Nigeria in the international arena to enable it to compete favourably with other nations.

“The committee expects that your performance during the screening would be commensurate to the task of the assignment you are nominated for.

“You should equally have it in mind the dynamics of foreign policy and relations between Nation-states that requires timely action on all matters affecting the well-being of Nigerians in all countries of the world.”

“I assure you of the committee’s determination in the conduct of this assignment to be just and fair to all nominees, without compromising the strict selection process of qualified individuals among you that will represent Nigeria abroad.

“I also wish to use this opportunity to bring to your notice, reported cases of the inaccessibility and preferential treatments of our citizens by some Nigerian Envoys.

“And to strongly caution you to desist from such behaviour, if eventually confirmed.”

Sunmonu said the committee would carry out a thorough job to ensure that good hands were deployed at the end of the exercise.

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Court adjourns hearing in suit against Tambuwal till Feb. 28

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Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

The Federal High Court Abuja, on Monday adjourned hearing till Feb. 28 in a fresh suit seeking to remove the Sokoto State Governor. Aminu Tambuwal from office.

The suit is in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling of Dec. 9, 2016, which ordered the court to retry the case on its merit and make decisions as demanded by law.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole adjourned the matter at the instance of the plaintiff’s counsel, Ikoro M. Ikoro, for the determination of the plaintiff’s motion.

The plaintiff, Umaru Dahiru, is seeking nullification of Tambuwal’s nomination as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2015 governorship election in the state.

Ikoro who confirmed receipt of the counter motion said he needed a short adjournment to enable him respond to the counter affidavit.

He informed the court that he had filed a motion dated Jan.31 to amend the reliefs being sought in the originating summon. The counsel said that he wanted some reliefs to be deleted from the originating summon having been overtaken by events.

However, Mr Jibrim okutepa(SAN) and Mr Sunday Ameh(SAN) counsel to APC and Tambuwal, respectively, said they have filed a counter affidavit to object to attempt to amend the originating summon.

In the fresh court action, the plaintiff hinged his case on the ground that the Dec. 4 primary election was conducted in gross violation of Section 87 of the 2010 Electoral Act and the APC 2014 Election Guidelines.

He also sought court declaration that it is unlawful for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to act on a candidate nominated by the APC for the purpose of general candidate.

He said it is unlawful when such a candidate was elected in violation of electoral guidelines established by the APC itself.

Dahiru also asked the court to declare that in the circumstances of the primary election, Tambuwal is not entitled to be returned as the governorship candidate of the APC for the Sokoto State governorship conducted in April 11, 2015.

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