2015-01-06 09:05
Abuja - Thirteen people have lost their lives while four others have
sustained injuries in a motor accident along the Bauchi-Jos Road in the
Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The accident, which
occurred around 5 p.m last night, allegedly occurred when a motorcyclist
crossed the highway carelessly and caused two vehicles to collide while
attempting to avoid him, Vanguard reports.
Haruna
Mohammed, Police PR Officer of the Bauchi State Command, confirmed the
incident and revealed that the two vehicles involved were a Toyota
Sharon bus and a white Opel Vectra.
Also read: Seven killed in crash on Lokoja-Ajaokuta Road
Twelve
of the passengers and the motorcyclist are reported to have died on the
scene, while four others sustained various injuries.
All injured
parties are currently receiving treatment at the Nabordo Clinic, while
the bodies of the deceased await post-mortem examinations at the same
facility.
The identities of the victims are yet to be
ascertained. Members of the public have been asked to assist with
investigations where possible.
Read more at Vanguard
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Search area shifts slightly for crashed AirAsia plane
2015-01-06 09:05
Pangkalan Bun - The search operation for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 will spread slightly eastward on Tuesday as the weather and currents drag wreckage in that direction, the head of Indonesia's rescue agency said.
Bad weather has made it difficult to locate parts of the plane and recover the 125 bodies that are still missing, said National Search and Rescue Agency's director of operation Suryadi B Supriyadi.
There were 162 passengers and crew on the Airbus 320 when it crashed on 28 December. So far, 37 bodies have been recovered.
"Time is of the essence ... but it seems like it is hard to beat the weather," Supriyadi said, adding that divers trying to reach the wreckage Monday were forced to return to their ships by strong current as rough seas continued to impede dive and search teams.
The debris found so far indicates the body of the plane broke into parts, he said.
Harsh measures
On Monday, Indonesia's transportation ministry announced harsh measures against everyone who allowed AirAsia Flight 8501 to take off without proper permits — including the suspension of the airport's operator and officials in the control tower.
Routing permits for all airlines flying in the country will be examined to see if they violate the rules, said Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation.
"Who knows if other airlines are also doing the same thing," he said.
The plane was travelling between Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, and Singapore on a Sunday. Officials have since said its permit for the popular route was only for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and that AirAsia quietly switched three of those days. Officials in Singapore, however, have said the plane was authorised to fly on Sundays from its end.
Applications for specific routes take into account issues including air traffic rights and airport takeoff and landing slots.
Violation of regulations
While the airline is being investigated, Indonesia has banned all AirAsia flights between Surabaya and Singapore.
AirAsia Indonesia President Director Sunu Widyatmoko said by text on Monday that the airline will co-operate with the government during the evaluation, but would not comment on the permit allegations until the process is complete.
Violations of the regulations would boost legal arguments for passengers' family members seeking compensation, said Alvin Lie, a former lawmaker and aviation analyst. But he added AirAsia would not be the only one to blame.
"The Surabaya-Singapore flights have been operating since October ... and the government didn't know," he said. "Where was the government's supervision?"
Murjatmodjo said individuals who allowed to plane to fly without permits would be suspended while the investigation is pending.
The ministry issued a directive on 31 December ordering all airlines to provide pilots with up-to-date weather reports before they take off, he said. Currently, it's up to the captain and co-pilot to research and evaluate flying conditions before departing. In other countries, carriers' flight operations departments perform that task for them.
Safety and professionalism
After Indonesia deregulated its aviation industry in the 1990s, dozens of airlines emerged making air travel affordable for the first time for many in the world's fourth most populous nation.
But accidents in recent years have raised questions about the safety of Indonesia's booming airline sector, with experts saying poor maintenance, rule-bending, and a shortage of trained professionals are to blame.
AirAsia, which began operations in 2001 and quickly became one of the region's leaders in low-cost air travel, has not experienced any other crashes and is widely considered a benchmark for safety and professionalism.
It is not known what caused Flight 8501 to crash into the Java Sea 42 minutes into what was supposed to be a two-hour flight, though Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency says bad weather appears to have been a factor.
Just before losing contact, the pilot told air traffic control that he was approaching threatening clouds, but was denied permission to climb to a higher altitude because of heavy air traffic. No distress signal was issued.
Sonar has identified five large objects that are believed to be chunks of the fuselage on the ocean floor, but strong currents, silt and mud have kept divers from seeing or reaching the objects.
No signals have been heard from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes. Poor weather has prevented ships from dragging ping locators.
Pangkalan Bun - The search operation for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 will spread slightly eastward on Tuesday as the weather and currents drag wreckage in that direction, the head of Indonesia's rescue agency said.
Bad weather has made it difficult to locate parts of the plane and recover the 125 bodies that are still missing, said National Search and Rescue Agency's director of operation Suryadi B Supriyadi.
There were 162 passengers and crew on the Airbus 320 when it crashed on 28 December. So far, 37 bodies have been recovered.
"Time is of the essence ... but it seems like it is hard to beat the weather," Supriyadi said, adding that divers trying to reach the wreckage Monday were forced to return to their ships by strong current as rough seas continued to impede dive and search teams.
The debris found so far indicates the body of the plane broke into parts, he said.
Harsh measures
On Monday, Indonesia's transportation ministry announced harsh measures against everyone who allowed AirAsia Flight 8501 to take off without proper permits — including the suspension of the airport's operator and officials in the control tower.
Routing permits for all airlines flying in the country will be examined to see if they violate the rules, said Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation.
"Who knows if other airlines are also doing the same thing," he said.
The plane was travelling between Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, and Singapore on a Sunday. Officials have since said its permit for the popular route was only for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and that AirAsia quietly switched three of those days. Officials in Singapore, however, have said the plane was authorised to fly on Sundays from its end.
Applications for specific routes take into account issues including air traffic rights and airport takeoff and landing slots.
Violation of regulations
While the airline is being investigated, Indonesia has banned all AirAsia flights between Surabaya and Singapore.
AirAsia Indonesia President Director Sunu Widyatmoko said by text on Monday that the airline will co-operate with the government during the evaluation, but would not comment on the permit allegations until the process is complete.
Violations of the regulations would boost legal arguments for passengers' family members seeking compensation, said Alvin Lie, a former lawmaker and aviation analyst. But he added AirAsia would not be the only one to blame.
"The Surabaya-Singapore flights have been operating since October ... and the government didn't know," he said. "Where was the government's supervision?"
Murjatmodjo said individuals who allowed to plane to fly without permits would be suspended while the investigation is pending.
The ministry issued a directive on 31 December ordering all airlines to provide pilots with up-to-date weather reports before they take off, he said. Currently, it's up to the captain and co-pilot to research and evaluate flying conditions before departing. In other countries, carriers' flight operations departments perform that task for them.
Safety and professionalism
After Indonesia deregulated its aviation industry in the 1990s, dozens of airlines emerged making air travel affordable for the first time for many in the world's fourth most populous nation.
But accidents in recent years have raised questions about the safety of Indonesia's booming airline sector, with experts saying poor maintenance, rule-bending, and a shortage of trained professionals are to blame.
AirAsia, which began operations in 2001 and quickly became one of the region's leaders in low-cost air travel, has not experienced any other crashes and is widely considered a benchmark for safety and professionalism.
It is not known what caused Flight 8501 to crash into the Java Sea 42 minutes into what was supposed to be a two-hour flight, though Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency says bad weather appears to have been a factor.
Just before losing contact, the pilot told air traffic control that he was approaching threatening clouds, but was denied permission to climb to a higher altitude because of heavy air traffic. No distress signal was issued.
Sonar has identified five large objects that are believed to be chunks of the fuselage on the ocean floor, but strong currents, silt and mud have kept divers from seeing or reaching the objects.
No signals have been heard from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes. Poor weather has prevented ships from dragging ping locators.
1 dead in Madagascar protests over electricity cuts
2015-01-06 10:26
Antananarivo - A protester in Madagascar was killed when police put down a demonstration against recurring electricity cuts in the eastern city of Toamasina, the victim's family and police said on Monday.
The death, which happened on 3 January, was the second arising from protests in the port city of Toamasina over repeated power blackouts, after an aggressive police response to a violent demonstration on 23 December left one person dead.
According to family members of the man killed on Saturday, his death was caused by a beating from special police forces deployed to contain the display of anger.
Madagascar police confirmed to AFP that a protester who had been arrested died in hospital, but denied any beating had occurred.
"It
was the shoving that took place as he was getting into the [police] car
that was fatal," said general Njato Andrianjanaka, adding that at the
time of his arrest the deceased was in "an advanced state of
intoxication" - a claim the victim's family contests.
Power supplies
The unrest began after the latest in what has become a regular series of blackouts in Madagascar, where power supplies remain insufficient with only 15% of the island electrified.
The rolling cuts have become even more frequent since President Hery Rajaonarimampianina came to power a year ago.
According to Andrianjanaka the violence on Saturday started when residents he described as "furious" about a new outage "wanted to take [their anger] out on repair technicians who had come to inspect the damage".
After the technicians fled, he said, locals burnt car tires to set a utility pole on fire - leading to the intervention of police and the arrests of three protesters, including the deceased.
Power cuts on the island are most frequently the result of the national water and electricity company Jirama paying suppliers of oil to the nation's power plants late.
Jirama remains dependent on fossil fuels for electricity generation, despite Madagascar having the means of adopting hydroelectric technologies.
Energy Minister Richard Fihenena was fired two months ago for his inability to solve the problem of power cuts, and his replacement has still not been named.
Antananarivo - A protester in Madagascar was killed when police put down a demonstration against recurring electricity cuts in the eastern city of Toamasina, the victim's family and police said on Monday.
The death, which happened on 3 January, was the second arising from protests in the port city of Toamasina over repeated power blackouts, after an aggressive police response to a violent demonstration on 23 December left one person dead.
According to family members of the man killed on Saturday, his death was caused by a beating from special police forces deployed to contain the display of anger.
Madagascar police confirmed to AFP that a protester who had been arrested died in hospital, but denied any beating had occurred.
Power supplies
The unrest began after the latest in what has become a regular series of blackouts in Madagascar, where power supplies remain insufficient with only 15% of the island electrified.
The rolling cuts have become even more frequent since President Hery Rajaonarimampianina came to power a year ago.
According to Andrianjanaka the violence on Saturday started when residents he described as "furious" about a new outage "wanted to take [their anger] out on repair technicians who had come to inspect the damage".
After the technicians fled, he said, locals burnt car tires to set a utility pole on fire - leading to the intervention of police and the arrests of three protesters, including the deceased.
Power cuts on the island are most frequently the result of the national water and electricity company Jirama paying suppliers of oil to the nation's power plants late.
Jirama remains dependent on fossil fuels for electricity generation, despite Madagascar having the means of adopting hydroelectric technologies.
Energy Minister Richard Fihenena was fired two months ago for his inability to solve the problem of power cuts, and his replacement has still not been named.
Hernandez all but set for United exit
2015-01-06 10:26
Abuja - Regardless of whether Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United permanently or not, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez will leave the club in the summer.
The Telegraph report that Louis van Gaal will attempt to sell the Mexican striker, who has 18 months left on his current United deal.
Several sources indicate that Real Madrid will send the former Chivas de Guadalajara player back to Old Trafford when his loan deal ends at the end of the season and the player will be offloaded in the summer by Manchester United.
"Chicharito" joined Real Madrid in the summer but has failed to usurp Karim Benzema for the lone striker's role at the Champions League holders.
Signed for £6 million in 2010, the striker failed to nail down a regular starting role at Old Trafford with most of his opportunities coming off the bench.
Hernandez scored an impressive 20 goals in his debut season but will not be given another chance to impressive United's Dutch manager.
Despite the speculation surrounding the future of Falcao at the "Theatre of Dreams", it seems clear that Hernandez has kicked his last ball at Old Trafford.
Abuja - Regardless of whether Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United permanently or not, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez will leave the club in the summer.
The Telegraph report that Louis van Gaal will attempt to sell the Mexican striker, who has 18 months left on his current United deal.
Several sources indicate that Real Madrid will send the former Chivas de Guadalajara player back to Old Trafford when his loan deal ends at the end of the season and the player will be offloaded in the summer by Manchester United.
"Chicharito" joined Real Madrid in the summer but has failed to usurp Karim Benzema for the lone striker's role at the Champions League holders.
Signed for £6 million in 2010, the striker failed to nail down a regular starting role at Old Trafford with most of his opportunities coming off the bench.
Hernandez scored an impressive 20 goals in his debut season but will not be given another chance to impressive United's Dutch manager.
Despite the speculation surrounding the future of Falcao at the "Theatre of Dreams", it seems clear that Hernandez has kicked his last ball at Old Trafford.
Divers go down to AirAsia wreckage as weather clears
2015-01-06 10:28
Pangkalan Bun - Indonesian search officials sent divers down to
the bed of the Java Sea during a break in bad weather on Tuesday in
hopes of recovering more bodies from the wreckage of AirAsia Flight
8501.
Recovery teams, hampered by rough seas, have found fewer than 40 bodies since the plane crashed on 28 December, carrying 162 people from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
"Some divers have started to dive to the seabed," search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told reporters on the tenth day of the major search involving several countries.
The recovery teams have yet to find the "black box" flight data recorders, crucial to determining the cause of the crash, although they have located five major parts of the plane on the seabed including a "suspected tail" - where flight recorders are usually housed.
The operation has prioritised finding the bodies of the victims, all but seven of whom were Indonesian. Some bodies were found still strapped into their seats.
The number recovered still stood at 37 on Tuesday, another search official, SB Supriyadi, told AFP from Pangkalan Bun, a town on Borneo island with the nearest airstrip to the wreckage.
Expanded area
Recovery teams have recently expanded the area of sea being combed for bodies and wreckage, believing bodies may have drifted in strong currents.
Indonesia has also ordered the suspension of aviation officials involved in the departure of the flight. It says the crash happened when AirAsia was flying on an unauthorised schedule.
AirAsia Indonesia, a unit of Malaysia-based AirAsia, has already been suspended from flying the Surabaya-Singapore route - although Singapore officials said they had given permission for the flight at their end.
Indonesia's transport ministry also promised action against any domestic airlines violating their flying permits.
Indonesia's meteorological agency BMKG has said weather was the "triggering factor" of the crash, with ice likely damaging the plane's engines.
The initial report by BMKG into the likely cause of the crash referred to infra-red satellite pictures that showed the plane was passing through clouds with top temperatures of minus 80°C to minus 85°C.
But it remained unclear why other planes on similar routes were unaffected by the weather, and other analysts said there was not enough information to explain the disaster until the flight recorders were recovered.
AFP
Recovery teams, hampered by rough seas, have found fewer than 40 bodies since the plane crashed on 28 December, carrying 162 people from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
"Some divers have started to dive to the seabed," search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told reporters on the tenth day of the major search involving several countries.
The recovery teams have yet to find the "black box" flight data recorders, crucial to determining the cause of the crash, although they have located five major parts of the plane on the seabed including a "suspected tail" - where flight recorders are usually housed.
The operation has prioritised finding the bodies of the victims, all but seven of whom were Indonesian. Some bodies were found still strapped into their seats.
The number recovered still stood at 37 on Tuesday, another search official, SB Supriyadi, told AFP from Pangkalan Bun, a town on Borneo island with the nearest airstrip to the wreckage.
Expanded area
Recovery teams have recently expanded the area of sea being combed for bodies and wreckage, believing bodies may have drifted in strong currents.
Indonesia has also ordered the suspension of aviation officials involved in the departure of the flight. It says the crash happened when AirAsia was flying on an unauthorised schedule.
AirAsia Indonesia, a unit of Malaysia-based AirAsia, has already been suspended from flying the Surabaya-Singapore route - although Singapore officials said they had given permission for the flight at their end.
Indonesia's transport ministry also promised action against any domestic airlines violating their flying permits.
Indonesia's meteorological agency BMKG has said weather was the "triggering factor" of the crash, with ice likely damaging the plane's engines.
The initial report by BMKG into the likely cause of the crash referred to infra-red satellite pictures that showed the plane was passing through clouds with top temperatures of minus 80°C to minus 85°C.
But it remained unclear why other planes on similar routes were unaffected by the weather, and other analysts said there was not enough information to explain the disaster until the flight recorders were recovered.
AFP
Monday, 5 January 2015
IBB denies endorsing Jonathan
2015-01-05 15:08
Minna - Former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida has denied endorsing President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 presidential election, reports The Nation.
Speaking through a close aide, Hassan Jallo, Babangida said what they discussed at the meeting were security issues and the unity of Nigeria.
Jalo said issues relating to endorsement or 2015 elections was not part of the issues that were discussed.
He noted that Babangida has not endorsed any of the presidential candidates.
Read more at The Nation.
Minna - Former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida has denied endorsing President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 presidential election, reports The Nation.
Speaking through a close aide, Hassan Jallo, Babangida said what they discussed at the meeting were security issues and the unity of Nigeria.
Jalo said issues relating to endorsement or 2015 elections was not part of the issues that were discussed.
He noted that Babangida has not endorsed any of the presidential candidates.
Read more at The Nation.
OBJ’s meeting with Yoruba women unsettles PDP
2015-01-05 16:03
Abeokuta - A meeting convened by former President Olusegun Obasanjo,with all Iyalodes and concerned women from all states in the South-West geo-political zone of the country, may have sent jitters down the spine of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,( PDP), reports ThisDay.
The meeting, which is scheduled to hold on Monday at Obasanjo’s Presidential Hilltop Residence, Abeokuta, is not unconnected with the February general elections.
While the objective of the meeting is not known, the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-west is not comfortable with such parley at this crucial moment when election is around the corner.
The party is worried that the former President may use the forum to drum support for the opposition to take over the reign of government in 2015.
Abeokuta - A meeting convened by former President Olusegun Obasanjo,with all Iyalodes and concerned women from all states in the South-West geo-political zone of the country, may have sent jitters down the spine of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,( PDP), reports ThisDay.
The meeting, which is scheduled to hold on Monday at Obasanjo’s Presidential Hilltop Residence, Abeokuta, is not unconnected with the February general elections.
While the objective of the meeting is not known, the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-west is not comfortable with such parley at this crucial moment when election is around the corner.
The party is worried that the former President may use the forum to drum support for the opposition to take over the reign of government in 2015.
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