Arsenal’s worst period, says ex-star Wright

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Arsenal team pose before the UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg football match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich at The Emirates Stadium in London on March 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / IKIMAGES / Ian KINGTON

Arsenal great Ian Wright claimed the club were going through the worst period in their recent history after their 10-2 Champions League last 16 humiliation by Bayern Munich.

Bayern repeated their 5-1 first-leg win in Tuesday’s second leg to condemn Arsene Wenger’s side to their heaviest defeat at the Emirates Stadium since they moved from Highbury in 2006.

It is the seventh year in succession that Arsenal have gone out of the Champions League in the last 16.

“It’s a sad day because we’ve gone out again at this stage. We’re going through a period in our history that’s the worst,” Wright, who played under Wenger, said on BT Sport.

“With everything that’s going on, you have to say it will take some sort of monumental effort for Arsenal to turn it around in terms of the drive and determination of the players.

“It feels like something is coming to an end.”

Wenger, who has been Arsenal manager since 1996, is out of contract at the end of the season and was the target of a protest from around 200 disgruntled fans prior to Tuesday’s game.

At the final whistle, some fans held up banners calling for him to leave.

Wenger has said he will make an announcement about his future either this month or next.

“He looks like a lost man,” said Wright. “It just seems to be mounting up. You’ve got the fans, the protests. It’s imploding.”

Wednesday’s British newspaper sports pages put the boot in, with several screaming “WENGER OUT” in a nod both to Arsenal’s elimination and the calls from supporters for him to step down.

The Daily Express headlined its match report “SHAME AGAIN” and The Times said Wenger had hit an “all-time low”.

The Daily Telegraph said Arsenal had been “humiliated”, with Wenger “urged to quit by fans”, while The Guardian said he had been left “staring into the abyss”.

The Daily Mirror focused on a picture of Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez supposedly smirking on the bench after being taken off, beneath the headline: “LAUGHING STOCK”.

Wenger, 67, revolutionised Arsenal after arriving in England as a virtual unknown from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight in September 1996.

He led the club to three Premier League titles and four FA Cups in his first nine seasons, including the famous ‘Invincibles’ league campaign of 2003-04 when Arsenal went 38 games without defeat.

But the years since have yielded only two FA Cup successes, in 2014 and 2015, and while Arsenal have continually qualified for the Champions League, they last reached the semi-finals in 2009.

A recent run of three defeats in five games has seen Arsenal drop out of the Champions League places in the Premier League.

Their best hope of silverware lies in the FA Cup, with non-league Lincoln City due to visit the Emirates in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

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Nigeria records increase of 6.5 per cent external trade in 2016

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the value of the total trade at the end of 2016 was N17. 35 billion.
The NBS said that the figure was 6.5 percent higher than the value recorded in 2015.

The bureau announced this in a report on “Merchandise Trade Intensity Index/Re-exports for fourth quarter’’, released in Abuja. The report, however, stated that Nigeria’s external trade in the fourth quarter of 2016 was valued at N5.28 billion.

“The export component stood at N2.98 billion while the import component stood at N2.31 billion leading to a trade surplus of N671 billion.

“Trade by sector showed that crude oil exports had the largest share of the total trade, accounting for N2.43 billion or 45.9 percent trade in fourth quarter.

“The second major contributor to total trade by sector was manufactured goods with N1.17 billion or 22.1 per cent of total trade,” it stated.

The report stated that manufactured goods were followed by the non-crude oil products, which was also a major contributor to total trade in the quarter under review.

“The non-crude oil products stood at N1.15 billion or 21.8 per cent while Agricultural goods accounted for N212.7 billion or 4 per cent.

“Raw material goods accounted for N309 billion or 5.9 per cent and Solid mineral goods stood at N13.1billion or 0.3 per cent of total trade in the quarter.”

The report stated that Nigeria’s export intensity in the months of October, November and December 2016 was the highest for South Africa with export intensities of 8.9, 7.3 and 4.1, respectively. It stated that export intensity in the fourth quarter was also intense with India with export intensities of 5.8, 5.8 and 1.7 for the last three months of 2016.

“Spain and Netherlands also had high export intensities with export intensities of 4.8, 2.9 and 2.0 for Spain and 2.2, 1.5 and 2.2 for the Netherlands.

“Although the United States was one of Nigeria’s major trading partners, its export intensity was low with 0.6, 0.6 and 0.2 for the last three months of 2016.”

Meanwhile, the report stated that Nigeria imported mainly from China with total imports of N404.1billion or 17.5 percent of total imports. It stated that China was followed by Belgium with N356.46 billion or 15 per cent while import trade with Netherlands which was the third highest was valued at N230 billion or 10 per cent.

“ The remaining trading partners contributed a relatively lower proportion of the total import trade.
“United States accounted for N205.6 billion or 8.9 per cent while India accounted for N113.9 billion or 4.9 per cent,’’ the report stated.

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Philippine police ‘reload’, rejoin drug war

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This handout photo taken on March 6, 2017 and released by the Philippine National Police-Public Information Office (PNP-PIO) shows national police chief Roland Dela Rosa (C) speaking during a press conference at the national police headquarters in Manila. The Philippine police chief said on March 6, his forces had "reloaded" and were back fighting their president's deadly war on drugs, just over a month after they were withdrawn because of widespread corruption. / AFP PHOTO / PNP-PIO / HO /

The Philippine police chief said Monday his forces had “reloaded” and were back fighting their president’s deadly war on drugs, just over a month after they were withdrawn because of widespread corruption.

President Rodrigo Duterte said in late January he had suspended all police from his crackdown on illegal drugs, which has claimed more than 6,500 lives, after describing them as “rotten to the core”.

National police chief Ronald Dela Rosa said Monday reforms had been implemented to ensure there was no repeat of previous problems, which included anti-drugs officers kidnapping and murdering a South Korean businessman.

“The war on drugs is on, and this time it is going to be more extensive, aggressive and well-coordinated, with built-in systems that guarantee full accountability and instill internal discipline among all personnel,” Dela Rosa said.

Philippine authorities had originally named the drug war “Double Barrel”, in a reference to a two-pronged strategy of police operations on the streets while also focusing on “high value” targets.

“Today we are going to relaunch the war on drugs, we’ve relaunched our project: Double Barrel Reloaded,” Dela Rosa said at a speech at national police headquarters in Manila.

An accompanying police statement announcing the new campaign also named it as “Double Barrel Reloaded”.

Dela Rosa said in the statement there had been a “resurgence” in the drugs trade while police had been suspended.

“It only goes to show that we cannot afford to lower our guard when confronting a vicious enemy. There must be continuity of effort if the desire is to completely eradicate the problem,” he said.

Duterte said in late January he planned to “cleanse” the police force, which has long been regarded as one of the most corrupt institutions in the country, before letting it return to the drug war frontlines.

Dela Rosa’s comments on Monday and the accompanying press release referred to specific measures to stop corrupt police officers from being involved in the drug war, rather than structural measures to tackle graft throughout the force.

Duterte won presidential elections last year after promising to eradicate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.

– Police under scrutiny –
Since then, police have reported killing more than 2,550 people and nearly 4,000 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Many Filipinos continue to support the drug war.

Critics have warned of extrajudicial killings and other widespread human rights abuses in the crackdown, with Amnesty International saying last month police may be guilty of crimes against humanity.

Amnesty accused police of fatally shooting defenceless people, paying assassins to murder addicts and stealing from those they killed.

The announcement of the police rejoining the drug war came as the Senate heard testimony from a retired officer claiming he had been a leader of a so-called “Death Squad” for Duterte when the president was mayor of southern Davao city.

The officer, Arturo “Arthur” Lascanas, claimed he was personally involved in more than 200 killings starting in Davao, including the massacre of 11 Chinese drug suspects that he said Duterte ordered.

“There were times when those (doubts) came. We talked about it but because of our loyalty to Mayor Rody (Duterte), that was swept aside,” Lascanas said.

Lascanas said he had decided to speak out because of a “spiritual renewal” in 2015.

Duterte over the years has over the years admitted and denied existence of the Davao Death Squads.

However Duterte and his aides have rejected Lascanas’s claims, which he first made at a press conference describing him as discredited last month.

Lascanas told a separate Senate inquiry last year he was not involved in any “Davao Death Squads”.

He said on Monday he had initially lied and said he was not involved because he feared for the lives of his family members.

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Syria denies killing 13, 000 prisoners in notorious jail

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Amnesty interviewed 84 witnesses, including guards, detainees and judges, and alleged a pattern of regular summary executions.

Syria’s justice ministry on Wednesday dismissed as “completely false” an Amnesty International report alleging up to 13,000 people were hanged over five years in a Syrian government prison.

The ministry said the Amnesty report was “completely untrue and intended to harm Syria’s reputation in international forums,” the official SANA news agency reported.

The rights group on Tuesday alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed and were likely continuing at the Saydnaya prison near Damascus.

Amnesty interviewed 84 witnesses, including guards, detainees and judges, and alleged a pattern of regular summary executions.

But the justice ministry denied such executions were occurring, saying “death sentences in Syria are not issued until after a trial goes through several stages of litigation.”

More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Amnesty office, partners meet to address Niger Delta economy

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he Presidential Amnesty Program Office (PAP) is to continue its collaboration with development partners on improving economic activities in the Niger Delta region of the country.

Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), special adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the PAP, said this when he received a delegation of development partners in Abuja.

A statement by Mr Charles Dafe, PAP Director of Information and Media, disclosed that the collaboration would complement Federal Government efforts in resolving the region’s challenges.

Boroh said the current economic reality requires restructuring of the Amnesty programme to achieve its target of finding lasting solution to youth restiveness in the region.

He said that the office had an exit strategy to ensure gradual wind down of the programme.

Boroh explained that the programme was currently in the reintegration phase of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR).

He pointed out that programme also creates jobs for youths through agriculture in line with the government’s green alternative initiative, adding that the office would train about 10,000 ex-agitators in various forms of agriculture.

The leader of the delegation, Mr Charles Ochodo, commended the special adviser on his foresight of reintegration and restructuring for exiting the programme.

He added that such initiatives would attract development partners to provide foreign assistance in the areas of peace building and youth development through training in agriculture and agro-marketing programmes.

Ochodo said the delegation would work with the amnesty office in developing a strategic framework to manage youth restiveness in the Niger delta region.

Development partners at the meeting included NESTAIR, FOSTAL, MADE (UNDER DFID), USAID, PIN AND NSRP.

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Turkey puts Gulen, 269 others on trial over coup bid

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Fethullah Gulen

Turkey on Monday opened the biggest trial yet over the failed July coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, trying 270 suspects including, in absentia, the alleged mastermind Fethullah Gulen.

The suspects, 152 of whom are in pre-trial detention, include ex high-ranking military officials like former Aegean Army Command Chief of Staff Major General Memduh Hakbilen, the state news agency Anadolu reported.

The “number one” suspect is US-based Islamic preacher Gulen who is charged with ordering the failed July 15 coup, an accusation he strongly denies.

Ankara also accuses the movement Gulen leads of being a “terror organisation” although the group insists it is a peaceful organisation promoting moderate Islam.

Those on trial in the western city of Izmir face multiple charges including being a member of the “armed terror group”.

Turkey has repeatedly asked the United States to extradite Gulen, who has been living in exile there since 1999.

The previous administration of Barack Obama had insisted that a possibly slow legal process should take its course but Ankara is hoping for a more eager response to its extradition request from new President Donald Trump.

Other charges against the suspects include seeking to prevent parliament performing its duty as well as attempting to remove the constitutional order, the agency said.

The suspects face life imprisonment if convicted in a trial expected to take two months, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

It said Izmir was believed to be one of the main plotting hubs of the coup with the Aegean city used as a “logistical base”.

A special courtroom was built to accommodate the size of the trial and security was tight ahead of the hearing.

Intensive security measures included a drone above the courthouse, bomb-sniffing dogs and commando units.

Previous trials have opened in Istanbul and smaller cases in other provinces in what is expected to be the largest legal process in the country’s history.

Some 43,000 people are under arrest ahead of trial in a large-scale crackdown within a state of emergency declared after the coup which remains in place.

In December, 29 police officers went on trial in Istanbul accused of failing to defend Erdogan while 62 rebel soldiers are being tried over claims they attempted to take over Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the night of July 15.

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Czech president backs Trump’s anti-migrant steps (Read full details)

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(FILES) This file photo taken on November 09, 2016 in Prague shows Czech President Milos Zeman giving a statement to the media. Czech President Milos Zeman on Saturday, January 28, 2016, praised Donald Trump's anti-migrant steps from the day before, saying the new US president simply cared about his citizens' safety. "US President Trump protects his country, he's concerned with the safety of his citizens. Exactly what EU elites do not do," Zeman's spokesman Jiri Ovcacek said in a tweet. Michal Cizek / AFP

A spokesman for Czech President Milos Zeman on Saturday praised Donald Trump’s anti-migrant steps, saying the new US president simply cared about the safety of Americans.

“US President Trump protects his country, he’s concerned with the safety of his citizens. Exactly what EU elites do not do,” Zeman’s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek said in a tweet.

In office for a week, Trump on Friday signed an order to boost the vetting of potential immigrants and refugees, seeking to keep “radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America.”

The move has sparked criticism among rights groups as well as at the United Nations which called on the US to continue its long tradition of welcoming refugees.

The pro-Russian Zeman, a 72-year-old veteran leftwinger and ex-Communist, who endorsed Trump before the election last year, has criticised immigration from Muslim countries.

He once called the wave of refugees “an organised invasion” and said Muslims were “impossible to integrate.”

“The safety of Czech citizens is a priority. Now we have allies in the US,” Ovcacek tweeted Saturday.

Migration is a prominent political issue in the Czech Republic, despite refugees largely avoiding the ex-Communist EU and NATO member state of 10.5 million people, heading instead to wealthier countries in western Europe.

Czech president backs Trump’s anti-migrant steps

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