Arsenal 2013 diary features Robin Van Persie

Former Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie left the club and joined big rivals Manchester United in a painful £23m switch in August, but it hasn’t stopped the Dutchman featuring in the Gunners’ official 2013 diary.

Fans who were given the diary as a gift for Christmas got a shock when they flicked ahead to June and found their former hero celebrating with team-mates.
And despite the blunder, the calendar is still on sale at the Arsenal club shop, priced at £5, complete with the offending picture of Van Persie.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger explained the effects of losing their star player in interviews this week:
“You know when you sell Robin van Persie to Manchester United that [they will be top of the league],” said Wenger.
“Robin is one of the best strikers in the world and you know he will score goals for them.”
And as one Arsenal fan, John Sidcup, put it:
“Can you imagine? Having to see his smiling face every day for the next year while he’s banging in goals for Manchester United.
“It would be a constant reminder. It would kill me.”
An Arsenal spokesman told The Sun that the gaffe occurred because the item had been signed off and gone to print before the captain left the club.

Wikipedia Travel Site to Launch Next Week

Wikipedia is gearing up to launch its crowd-sourced worldwide travel guide next week.
The site, dubbed Wikivoyage, has been in beta form under the Wikimedia umbrella and is expected to officially launch on Tuesday, according to travel news site Skift.
During a recent discussion on The Colbert Report (video below) about his organization's next priorities, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales spilled the beans about the upcoming travel effort, which has been under development for the last six months.
"We have a travel site that's opening up soon," Wales told host Stephen Colbert. "We'll see how that goes. It's Wikivoyage."
For clarification (and a laugh), Colbert asked Wales, "You go travel someplace and say, 'I love the atmosphere, try the wine'? I'd go to that."
As Skift reported, the Wikimedia Foundation agreed to host and support the new wiki page, despite opposition and a lawsuit from Wikitravel owner Internet Brands.
The Wikimedia Foundation did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
The worldwide travel guide is now readying itself for a Jan. 15 launch with a clear set of goals and "non-goals," which Skift said serve as guideposts "to the already-hammered travel guidebook publishers and startups looking at this new giant free project as a threat to their existence."
Wales's new site has been built to serve the public, especially those travelers on the road, "huddled in a late-night Internet café in some dark jungle, who need up-to-the-minute information on lodging, transportation, food, nightlife, and other necessities," according to the site.
Meanwhile, the Wikivoyage developers took the time to outline exactly what the site will not be, including a travel essay anthology, a personal travel journal, or a vacation photo gallery service.
Once live, the new wiki will be open to any Internet reader who wants to create, update, edit, or illustrate any article on the site.
"We all share our pieces of knowledge, edit them, distill them, and assemble them into a pleasing and cohesive whole," the official Wikivoyage About page said. "The more people that use the Edit link, the better Wikivoyage becomes."

Racist Woman On London Train Gets What She Deserves!

Footage of a violent and allegedly racist confrontation between two Tube passengers has sparked outrage after it was uploaded to YouTube yesterday.
The shocking three-minute video appears to show a black teenager lunge at a woman and attempt to punch her after she allegedly made a racist remark against him.
Police have launched an appeal following the incident, which they believe took place on a southbound Northern line service between Old Street and Moorgate.
The video, entitled 'Racist Woman On London Train Gets What She Deserves!', shows the two arguing after the 19-year-old man was accused of having stepped on the woman's shoe.

Argument: The woman is seen calling the teenager a "smelly Nigerian"

Youtube

Flare up: The incident is thought to have been sparked by the man stepping on the woman's shoe

Youtube

During the heated exchange,  which was filmed on a fellow passenger's mobile phone, the woman is heard saying: "I wouldn't f***ing touch you. You are f***ing s*** on my shoe".

The teenager criticises her "lunatic antics" before calling her a "smelly p**** b****", saying: "How old are you, 28? I'm only 19."

The woman hits back at the teenager saying "b******s like you will steal from me" and calls him a "smelly f***ing Nigerian."

Violence breaks out as the teenager lunges at the woman, claiming she hit him with a bottle, but he is quickly restrained by fellow passengers.

Retaliate: The black man lunges at the woman and appears to punch her

Youtube

 

Hold him back: The teenager is restrained by fellow passengers

Youtube

The teenager later took to Twitter, claiming the woman in the video called him a "smelly african" before hitting him with a bottle.
He later expressed his disgust at the woman's behaviour, branding it "unacceptable".

British Transport Police (BTP) believe the video was filmed on Tuesday and posted online the next day.

A BTP spokesman said: “There is an allegation of abusive behaviour by the woman towards the man, but that doesn’t justify a violent response.
“The man and woman pictured in the images are seen arguing with each other on the video and we’re keen to speak to both of them to get their version of events.
“We urge them or anyone who knows them, as well as passengers who were on the train at the time, to come forward so we can begin to build a full picture of what exactly took place.”
Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B7/LUA of 10/01/13. Alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Warning: This video contains swearing

Nollywood Stars Honour Enebeli Elebuwa At Burial

It was a solemn atmosphere at St. Michael Catholic Church, Lafiaji in Lagos as Enebeli Ngu-Oma Elebuwa’s wife and four children, family friends and well-wishers came for the burial ceremony for the veteran actor.
Spotted in a white attire, the widow, Jennifer Elebuwa was seated alongside her three daughters who wore white lace and the only son, Onyemike Elebuwa.
The ceremony which began at past 11am had in attendance actor and commissioner, Richard Mofe Damijo who stood with the family throughout the three-day burial programme for the veteran actor   and colleague of Enebeli, Justus Esiri, Charles Okafor, Mike Ezuronye, Sir Chris Akwarandu, AGN Delta State executives and a handful of personalities from the movie making industry.  
The Delta State government who has been supporting the actor since he was hospitalised in India where he later died were well represented. The Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan was represented by two commissioners Mrs.Ijeoma Iba, Commissioner for Youth Affairs and Mr. Charles Emezulu, Commissioner for Local Government affairs respectively.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) president, Ibinabo Fiberesima and her executives were conspicuously absent at the event.
The clergy amongst other things emphasised on the need for the AGN  to actualise the insurance scheme they planned for their members as this would go a long way to assist those in need among the Guild.

63.6 million Nigerians lack access to potable water

Baku-APA. Water Sanitation And Hygiene (WASH), a media network concerned with sanitation and water, has said 63.6 million Nigerians have no access to potable water, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Dennis Deteer, chairman of its central north Plateau chapter, disclosed this in Jos on Friday when the body paid an advocacy visit to the Plateau State Community and Social Development Agency.

He said that Nigeria's MDG target was to supply 74 percent of the population with safe drinking water and 69 percent of the population with adequate sanitation by 2015.

The WASH official lamented that only 58 percent of Nigerians had access to safe drinking water, with only 32 percent population having access to good sanitation.

"At current rate of progress, the water target will be achieved in 2033, which is 18 years after the proposed 2015," he said.

According to him, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 361,900 people die yearly due to poor water and sanitation in Nigeria.

UNICEF also estimates that 194,000 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhea caused by poor water and sanitation yearly, he said.

The chairman disclosed that WASH media network was a brain child of the Water Aid Nigeria with the objective of advocating, facilitating, supporting and monitoring water and sanitation issues.

He said the visit was to seek collaboration with the Plateau Agency and commended the agency's involvement in the sinking of boreholes, hand-dug wells and the provision of other social amenities especially to people in backward urban and rural areas.

Dauda Dinju, the Chief Executive Officer of the Plateau State Community and Social Development Agency, who received the WASH media network, assured the chairman of the agency's collaboration.

He called on the WASH media network to carry out adequate sensitization, especially in the rural areas, on the agency's activities.

The agency is in partnership with the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Finance toward gathering sufficient funds for their activities.

Ejide Billed To Make AFCON 2013

Apple Are Never Gonna Make A 'Cheap' iPhone

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPhone 5 last September in San Francisco. (Image: Getty Images via @daylife)

First Apple was going to make a cheaper iPhone, either to try to blunt the rapid rise of Android phones or to compete in international markets. Then it wasn’t. Now after a new interpretation of comments from Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of global marketing, maybe it could. Or not. It’s all so confusing!
So let’s settle this now: Apple will never make a “cheap” iPhone. Most certainly Apple itself will never use the word “cheap” in association with anything it makes, iPhone or otherwise. Or “inexpensive,” or “value-priced,” or anything of the sort. That has never been the Apple way, and given that it owns most of the profits in the industry with its current strategy even in the face of Google‘s Android onslaught, why it would change?
More than that, though, it seems doubtful that Apple would sell an iPhone that anyone else would call cheap, either. Full-freight iPhone 5s bought without a contract start at $649 in the U.S., and even the cheapest iPhone 4 starts at $450 off-contract. It’s very difficult to see how Apple could profitably sell an iPhone of any kind that still deserves the name for a third to a half of those price points. And anything over about $200 is going to be hard to call
cheap inexpensive affordable by almost anyone, even in the U.S.
Now, that doesn’t mean Apple won’t make a less expensive model of a smartphone with which it could make inroads into China or other countries where there’s no carrier subsidy, or perhaps simply to head off people who might opt for a truly cheap Android phone. Indeed, Apple hasn’t shied away from offering older iPhones that are inexpensive–or even free!–albeit with a two-year commitment. The consumer-facing price isn’t the issue.
It’s also not beyond the realm of possibility that Apple could offer a different wireless communications and Internet access device. Perhaps that’s even the source of recent rumors about an Apple watch. Other form factors could be cheaper to produce, or at least feature lower-cost components, such as a plastic case perhaps–to be sure, an elegantly engineered
plastic  excuse me, polycarbonate case.
But it’s simply difficult to imagine that Apple would offer something that could be construed as cheap by international standards–which I would take to mean under $200 for sure, a price that Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has suggested–and still call it an iPhone. The iPhone brand stands for uncompromising quality, and I don’t see why Apple would endanger that.
It’s always possible that Apple will stretch the iPhone line, which customarily sports only one new product at a time. But I’d be less surprised to see the company conceive a new brand for it. After all, Apple itself carries plenty of cachet no matter what product name comes after it.

By: Mrate INC.

I Was Not Arrested By EFCC, Says Soludo

Although we reported yesterday that Soludo was arrested,but he has come out to deny it.Former Governor of the Central Bank (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has denied reports that he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, insisting that rather, he was invited by the agency to make clarifications on some issues on a matter under investigation.
However, a source at the commission said Soludo was granted administrative bail and was allowed to go home, having been grilled for several hours by the commission’s team of investigators.
The source said his international and diplomatic passports were seized after he had produced two sureties at the level of Permanent Secretaries or Directors.
The source added: “But that is not the end because he is also expected back for further interrogation.
“I don’t have much details on the other 12 ex-staff of CBN and the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company who were linked with the scam; it is not as if the suspects are here.
“But a number of them have been questioned over time and they are both from NSPMC and CBN, it is not as if they are in our station at the moment.”
But a close aide of Soludo denied that his passports were seized or that he was granted any administrative bail, or that he provided any sureties.
A statement by his media office Friday said the former CBN Governor voluntarily went to the EFCC office to honour the commission’s invitation.
The statement signed by Bonaventure Melah said Soludo was neither arrested nor escorted to EFCC office by operatives of the commission as was reported.
“We want to put it on record clearly that the media reports that Professor Chukwuma Soludo was arrested by the operatives of the EFCC in Abuja is totally false or to say the least written in error.
“The fact of the matter is that the EFCC wrote a letter to Prof. Soludo inviting him to their Abuja office on the 10th of January 2013. EFCC’s invitation letter to Prof. Soludo was dated 20th December 2012.
“Soludo was abroad attending to several international engagements when the letter was sent to his aides. As a law-abiding citizen of the country, Soludo returned to Nigeria in the New Year and honoured EFCC invitation on January 10th as requested.
“He voluntarily went from his home to EFCC office on Thursday. He was neither arrested nor escorted by any operative of the Commission.
“The EFCC letter of invitation to Soludo states that: ‘This Commission is investigating a case in which the need to obtain certain clarifications from you has become imperative.’
“It was a two-paragraph letter which also indicated date and time for the meeting between Prof. Soludo and officials of the Commission,” the statement added.
The Guardian yesterday learnt that Soludo alongside others were quizzed by the anti-graft agency on the processes adopted in handling the contract and not on any alleged bribery.
A top official of the anti-graft agency, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the issues of alleged contract bribery did not come up during the interrogations, rather the agency was looking at the processes adopted in awarding the contract.
According to the official, Soludo made some clarifications on the issue on Thursday and was allowed to go home.
On how contract for currency adoption or printing is being awarded, a top official of the apex bank said that the first step is for the President to give approval, after which CBN gives the job to the Nigerian Minting and Printing Company or any other printing company. The minting and printing company will now source for polymer from Securency.
“CBN does not award contract for such job nor has any direct contractual arrangement with Securency. So there should be no link between CBN and the Australian polymer company’, the official said.
The decision to look into the polymer deal was triggered by a petition by Human and Environmental Development Agenda, headed by Olanrewaju Suraju, demanding the investigation and possible prosecution of those involved in the alleged contract scam.
Sources also indicated that other top management staff of the CBN who had worked during Soludo’s tenure were also picked and are currently being held alongside other ex-staff of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company.
However, all efforts to get the identity of other detained suspects proved abortive, as no one was willing to volunteer information. Sources also stated that the commission had been conducting discreet investigations on the contract scam before Soludo’s eventual invitation, adding that as a prelude, several officials of the NSMPC and the CBN had been quizzed.
Ahead of the 2010 Anambra governorship election in which Soludo contested as the governorship candidate of the PDP after a protracted legal battle that terminated at the apex court three day to the election, the issue of the alleged polymer note bribery allegation was levelled against Soludo by some of his political opponents. This followed a report by an Australian newspaper that there was a global investigation on Securency and its agents all over the world which revealed that the agents must have bribed public officials of countries that adopted polymer.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Soludo said: “CBN under my leadership never awarded any contract to Securency. I was not aware and did not know of anybody who may have been given money for anything. I would be surprised if any such thing happened.”
Soludo emerged the PDP candidate for the election amidst opposition from some aspirants, but the Presidency, under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, backed his candidature.
Due to his ill-health, Yar’Adua left the country and president Jonathan took over as acting president and supervised the election where Soludo lost to Governor Peter Obi.

Obama: US war in Afghanistan winding down

With the war in Afghanistan winding down after 11 years, President Barack Obama says the time is right for U.S. forces to let Afghans do their own fighting.
In his radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama says U.S. forces will shift to a support role as Afghan soldiers take the lead in defending their country.
Obama met Friday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House and agreed that U.S. troops will go home in larger numbers starting this spring — several months ahead of schedule. He says "America's war in Afghanistan will be over" by the end of 2014.
In the Republican address, freshman Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska says that with the fiscal cliff averted, Congress and the president must focus on cutting "out-of-control" government spending.