Daily Headlines 23/5/2011

Strauss-Kahn house arrest draws media, tourists

NEW YORK, (AFP) - Fallen IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn found himself at the center of a media circus and even a tourist itinerary Saturday as he spent his first day in house arrest since being accused of attempted rape.

The French politician and now resigned head of the International Monetary Fund swapped a tiny jail cell late Friday for an apartment in a landmark Manhattan tower located on Broadway between Ground Zero and Wall Street.

But he was barred by his bail conditions from leaving the apartment, while the building itself was besieged by US camera crews with satellite TV trucks and a contingent of French journalists.

The impressive corner building and its notorious new resident also quickly made it onto the New York tourist route.

Guides on open top double deck buses made a point of highlighting "on your right is the building where the IMF chief is now under house arrest" as they cruised by.

At the entrance, a single policeman stood on guard duty. There was no visible sign of security at the back entrance, though the bail terms require an armed guard be with Strauss-Kahn in his apartment at all times.

Strauss-Kahn, who denies charges that a week ago he made a brutal sexual assault on a hotel chambermaid at the city's posh Sofitel, was freed Friday under tight security.

He paid a $1 million cash bail and a $5 million bond and agreed to live under 24-hour watch. The apartment, believed to be in the name of the security company managing his detention, has video surveillance at the exits.

In addition, Strauss-Kahn has had to give up travel documents and wear a GPS tracking device.

The measures were ordered by Judge Michael Obus in New York state court to ensure that Strauss-Kahn -- until recently considered a serious contender for the French presidency -- cannot flee to France, which does not extradite its citizens to the United States.

While on bail, the once globe-trotting VIP will prepare with his high-priced legal team for a June 6 hearing at which he is expected to enter a plea to felony charges approved by a grand jury this week.

Unless he pleads guilty, which seems unlikely, preparations will begin for a trial that may still be months away.

Defense attorneys promise the 62-year-old will "vigorously" contest the charges.

They have given little indication of their strategy against what prosecutors say is strong forensic evidence backing the maid's accusation that a naked Strauss-Kahn chased her through the hotel room where she'd gone to clean, then forced her into oral sex.

However, there have been hints that the lawyers will claim that a consensual sexual encounter may have taken place.

Strauss-Kahn, who is hugely wealthy through his heiress wife Anne Sinclair, has also hired a powerful team of private investigators to probe his accuser, a 32-year-old West African immigrant, and to conduct their own analysis of the alleged crime scene.

The Broadway address is expected to change within a few days when Strauss-Kahn moves to more permanent lodgings and slightly more relaxed conditions.

Once in the next residence, he will be allowed to go out -- after giving six hours' notice -- for medical visits, legal visits and a weekly visit to a synagogue.

The location of the next apartment is not yet public. Sinclair had initially rented plush rooms in an apartment building in Manhattan's Upper East Side on Friday but was forced to cancel when residents complained about the disruption.

The lurid case has sent ripples around the globe, setting off a heated battle between Europe and emerging powers over who should fill Strauss-Kahn's role at the helm of the world lender.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is tipped as a likely successor, thereby maintaining the unwritten rule that a European should occupy the post.

Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter said her government could support Lagarde. According to a report in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also backs Lagarde.

However, emerging economic giants, including China and Brazil, are arguing that the time has come for an IMF chief from outside the old club.

Africa set to be next investment destination: Obasanjo‎

LAGOS, (AFP) - Resource-rich Africa is set to be the world's next investment destination thanks to an array of reforms sweeping across many previously troubled countries, a former Nigerian leader said Wednesday.

Olusegun Obasanjo, in office in Nigeria for eight years until 2007, said that after many years of stagnation the continent's economies saw a sharp growth in the past decade. Real GDP increased by 5.2 percent annually, compared with 2.3 percent in the 1990s.

"Thus with political and social issues properly settled and put behind us, Africa is all set to become the next big investment destination," Obasanjo told an international investment conference here.

"Africa's growth story is not only about its natural resources, but about reforms, including restructuring of regulatory frameworks, and policy amendments that have brought a fundamental change in the business environment, earning Africa a permanent place on every major investor's map."

Many governments still have a long way to go in terms of reforms, Obasanjo said, but the growth rates recorded so far are important first steps that have set the pace for economic growth by attracting foreign investment.

Africa's collective GDP, at 1.7 trillion dollars in 2010, is now roughly equal to Brazil's or Russia's, putting the continent among the world's most rapidly growing regions, he said.

Obasanjo said Africa's overall growth in the next five years is expected to be around eight percent -- almost double that of some advanced economies which are forecast to record around four percent. The world's average is expected to be six percent.

"Even when we compare this growth with the growth likely to be witnessed in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries, Africa overshadows Brazil which stands at 6.5 percent and is soon catching up with the rest of the giants who average around 11 percent," he said.

Obasanjo said Africa's economic pulse had quickened, infusing the continent with a new commercial vibrancy and many key sectors as banking, construction and telecommunications were treading upward.

"The resurgence has come about in spite of the fact that most African countries are still facing serious challenges such as poverty, disease and high infant and maternal mortality," he said.

The three-day conference is organised by an emerging markets investment bank, Renaissance Capital, which operates in eastern and central Europe, central Asia and Africa.

Ban Ki-moon visits Nigeria next week

LAGOS, (AFP) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon will next week pay a two-day visit to Nigeria, the UN said, just weeks after elections seen as a major step for Africa's most populous country.

The trip, his first to Nigeria since taking office in 2007, aims to promote women's and children's health, under an initiative he launched last September, the UN office in Lagos said in a statement Thursday.

The trip comes less than a month after Nigeria concluded a series of elections which, despite post-voting violence which killed around 800 people according to a global rights lobby group, were judged the fairest so far.

Ban has meetings lined up with President Goodluck Jonathan and his cabinet, as well as the head of the country's electoral agency and governors from the 36 states.

Nigeria has one of the highest maternal death rates in Africa.

About 145 women die each day during pregnancy or childbirth, as do 2,300 chidren aged five years and under, according to UN statistics, placing the country among some of the worst places in the world for childbearing women and for babies.

Lack of basic infrastructure such as electricity and functional hospitals and inadequate skilled medical personnel are just some of the factors responsible for the high death rates.

Ban, who will arrive in Nigeira on Sunday from Ivory Coast where he will attend the inauguration of President Alassane Ouattara. He will travel on to Addis Ababa.

Yemen transition plan falters, Saleh refuses to sign

SANAA, (AFP) - A Gulf mediator flew out on Sunday after failing to secure Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's signature on a transition deal for him to quit office, although his ruling party signed the accord.

Saleh set a new condition to ratify the plan proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to end four months of deadly anti-Saleh protests, demanding that representatives of the opposition sign the deal in his palace.

State television aired footage of Saleh standing next to the Gulf mediator, GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani as members of the ruling General People's Congress signed the deal, a day after the opposition signed.

"The opposition will be (according to the plan) a partner in the transitional government for 90 days, so are we going to deal over the phone? Why don't they come?" he asked.

As a result, Zayani left Sanaa without Saleh's signature to Riyadh, where he was scheduled to join a meeting of GCC foreign ministers on Yemen at which its oil-rich neighbours could scrap their mediation.

"The ministers might withdraw their mediation after the refusal of President Saleh to sign," said a Gulf official in Riyadh, requesting anonymity.

Zayani and Western envoys were earlier encircled at the Emirati embassy by armed regime supporters, in a new twist that appeared to aim to stop the mediator from reaching Saleh's palace for a signing of the deal.

But he was lifted along with the US ambassador Gerald Michael Feierstein to the presidential palace in two Yemeni helicopters, a United Arab Emirates embassy official told AFP.

One chopper later carried Zayani to the airport and the other returned Feierstein to the UAE embassy to rejoin the ambassadors of Britain, the EU and the UAE, the official added.

UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan telephoned his Yemeni counterpart Abu Bakr al-Kurbi to call for "swift measures to secure" the embassy and its occupants, the Gulf state's WAM state news agency said.

Saleh also warned of civil war if the opposition refused to sign the GCC deal in his presence. "If they remain stubborn, we will confront them everywhere with all possible means," he said.

"If they don't bow, and want to take the country into a civil war, let them be responsible for it and for the blood that was shed and that will be shed if they insist on their stupidity," Saleh added.

Earlier in the day, GPC deputy chief Sultan al-Barakani said "the president refuses to sign until an agreement is reached on mechanisms to implement" the Gulf-brokered accord.

Under the terms of the Gulf initiative, Saleh would hand power to the vice president 30 days after the signing, and he and his aides would be granted immunity from prosecution by parliament.

A national unity government led by a prime minister from the opposition would be formed, and a presidential election would follow 60 days after Saleh's departure.

Saleh's ruling party said he does not recognise the opposition's signing of the plan, even after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the president "needs to follow through on his commitment" to cede power.

The opposition, meanwhile, urged the United States and Saudi Arabia to pressure Saleh to sign the exit plan and vowed it would press on with protests.

"Only the United States and Saudi Arabia are able to pressure him," Mohammed al-Qahtan, spokesman for the Common Forum umbrella group of opposition parties in parliament, told AFP.

"If they make it clear to him that he will be held responsible for the failure of the mediation efforts, he will sign," he said. But, "if Saleh does not sign, the revolt will escalate and he will be thrown out of office."

Opposition sources said on Saturday that they had signed the accord for Saleh to cede power, but Qahtan said: "We will not take part in any signing at the presidential palace."

Meanwhile, medics said gunmen shot dead an anti-regime protester on Sunday in the capital, as members of the opposition said the protester was killed by pro-regime "thugs."

Hundreds of the veteran leader's loyalists armed with batons blocked roads in Sanaa leading to the presidential palace, to the airport and Tahrir Square near government headquarters, said an AFP correspondent.

Hundreds of thousands of Saleh opponents also took to Sanaa streets, in their biggest rally since protests began in January. Doctors marched in their white coats, while young protesters wore the red, black and white of the Yemeni flag.

Meanwhile, Republican Guards soldiers, who are led by Saleh's son Ahmed, opened fire on demonstrators and wounded seven in the city of Taez, south of Sanaa, where hundreds of thousands called for Saleh's ouster, witnesses said.

Similar protests erupted across the strategic Arabian Peninsula country in Al-Hudaydah, Ibb, Al-Baida, Marib, Aden and Hadramawt, according to local residents.

Since late January, security forces have mounted a bloody crackdown on protests demanding Saleh's departure, leaving at least 181 people dead, according to a toll compiled from reports by activists and medics.

21 dead, 80 injured in Baghdad bombs

BAGHDAD, (AFP) - More than a dozen bomb attacks in and around Baghdad on Sunday left at least 19 Iraqis and two American soldiers dead and more than 80 other people wounded.

The series of attacks comes just days after blasts against police in a tense northern city killed 29 people, with just months to go before all US forces must withdraw from Iraq amid questions over whether local security forces are up to the task of maintaining stability in the war-wracked country.

A total of 13 roadside bombs, three vehicles packed with explosives, one magnetic "sticky bomb" and one suicide attacker struck in the spate of morning blasts on Sunday, although it was not immediately clear to what extent, if any, the violence was coordinated.

The deadliest attack saw 12 people killed and 23 wounded in a suicide bombing in the town of Taji, 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of the capital, an interior ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.

A defence ministry official put the toll at 14 dead and 30 wounded in Taji.

A car bomb had initially gone off at around 9:00 am (0600 GMT) in the town and when residents and ambulance crews arrived at the scene, the suicide bomber blew himself up, causing the casualties, the interior ministry official said.

Among the victims were eight police killed, while four policemen and three soldiers were wounded.

The interior ministry official said the initial car bomb had exploded as a US army convoy was passing through Taji, but an American military spokesman said he had received "no indication" of any such attack.

Also on Sunday, two American soldiers were killed, a US army statement said, in what an Iraqi security official said was a roadside bombing in the capital's western outskirts.

"Two US service members were killed Sunday while conducting operations in central Iraq," the American statement said, without giving any further details about the incident or the soldiers.

An Iraqi interior ministry official said two US soldiers were killed and three others wounded when the convoy they were in was struck by a roadside bomb.

Some 45,000 American troops remain stationed in Iraq and while they are mostly tasked with training and equipping their local counterparts, they also take part in joint counter-terror operations.

All US forces must withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year, according to a security pact with Baghdad.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called for a national dialogue with rival blocs earlier this month on whether or not to extend the US troop presence, and several top US officials have passed through Baghdad to press Baghdad to decide soon whether it wants an extension.

On Sunday, senior Kurdish defence official Jabbar Yawar called for American soldiers to stay past the year-end deadline, voicing rare support for a US military presence beyond 2011.

A dozen other roadside bombs, two car bombs and one "sticky bomb" killed seven people and wounded 61 in several other incidents across the Iraqi capital on Sunday.

The violence comes a day after seven people were killed in attacks in the northern province of Kirkuk, further raising tension in the oil-rich region after three bombings killed 29 people in Iraq's deadliest day since late March.

Violence is down dramatically in Iraq from its peak in 2006-7, but attacks remain common. A total of 211 Iraqis were killed in violence in April, according to official figures.

News Headlines ( 21/5/2011)

Netanyahu 'puts foot down' on 1967 borders

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told President Barack Obama Friday that Israel would never go back to "indefensible" 1967 borders to make peace with the Palestinians.

In a dramatic televised Oval Office appearance, after 90 minutes of one-on-one talks, Netanyahu delivered a lecture to the US president on the history of the Jewish people and their struggle for statehood.

The exchange, which left hopes for new peace talks as remote as ever, came a day after Obama called on Israel to accept a return to territorial lines in place before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, with mutual land swaps with Palestinians to frame a secure peace.

But Netanyahu seized on the notion that he was being asked to return solely to Israel's 1967 footprint, which he said was nine miles wide in places and narrower than the "Beltway" highway surrounding Washington.

"While Israel is prepared to make generous compromises for peace, it cannot go back to the 1967 lines -- because these lines are indefensible," Netanyahu said, looking Obama squarely in the eye.

Israelis argue that returning to the former border configuration would leave Israeli population centers vulnerable and mean uprooting hundreds of thousands of settlers from homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu did not however mention the second part of Obama's stipulation -- namely that land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians, would change those 1967 lines to ensure two secure, contiguous states.

The White House insisted that it had never said that Israel should return to a narrow definition of its 1967 territorial lines.

Asked whether Netanyahu was willfully misinterpreting Obama's remarks, White House spokesman Jay Carney said such an observation was "interesting."

In his first reaction to Obama's comments on the border issue, in a major speech on the Middle East on Thursday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said that Obama should press Netanyahu to accept his position.

"Netanyahu's position is an official rejection of Mr Obama's initiative, of international legitimacy and of international law."

Obama admitted that he had Netanyahu had "differences" on language and formulations over the best approach to reviving peace talks stalled since last year, but saw a moment of opportunity amid the "Arab spring."

"I think that it is possible for us to shape a deal that allows Israel to secure itself, not to be vulnerable, but also allows it to resolve what has obviously been a wrenching issue for both peoples for decades now."

Obama also noted that he shared Israel's concerns over Syria and Iran and backed the Israeli position on the tie up between the Palestinian Fatah movement and the Islamist group Hamas.

Netanyahu said Abbas had to pick between Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction and peace, or making peace with Israel.

The Israeli leader then launched into a history lesson of the struggles of the Jewish people, which Obama watched from a nearby chair, his hand over his mouth.

"A peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality," Netanyahu said.

"We don't have a lot of margin for error... because, Mr. President, history will not give the Jewish people another chance."

After the talks, a senior Israeli official accused Obama of raising "unreasonable expectations" that could set the peace process back "dozens of years" by seeking a Middle East deal based on the 1967 borders.

"We had to put our foot down," he added.

Analysts said Obama became the first president to specifically state that the 1967 borders should be the basis for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, shut down over a settlements row last year.

US officials had, however, privately been pushing the position for a while and the principle was close to the shape of a failed deal advanced by former president Bill Clinton at Camp David in 2000.

On Sunday, Obama will address the powerful Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) before heading off on a week-long trip to Europe.

Netanyahu will also speak to AIPAC and will make a joint address to Congress next week, encouraged by Republican leaders who support his position.

TEPCO's bumbling president calls it a day

TOKYO, (AFP) - Masataka Shimizu’s resignation as president of the Tokyo Electric Power Company marked an ignominious end to an otherwise stellar career at the utility spanning 43 years.

The 66-year-old announced Friday he would shoulder responsibility for the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as the company booked one of the largest yearly losses in Japanese corporate history.

His decision to quit followed weeks of criticism over his handling of the world's worst nuclear emergency since Chernobyl, with detractors accusing him of lacking leadership and the ability to reassure the public over the crisis.

Shimizu joined TEPCO just a month after obtaining his Bachelor of Economics degree from Keio University in March 1968.

A diligent worker whose steel-rimmed spectacles and neat side parting made him look every bit the corporate salaryman, Shimizu quickly rose through the ranks in a tough, competitive environment to become president in 2008.

Natural disasters and financial crisis straddled his tenure; he took the top job just two months after TEPCO posted its first loss in 28 years following an earthquake the previous year that forced it to shut Kashiwazaki Kariwa, the world's biggest nuclear plant.

Shimizu oversaw the successful reopening of the plant and can also count among his achievements TEPCO's position as the fourth largest electric utility in the world despite a trend towards deregulation in Japan's electric industry.

But his leadership style often undermined his unquestionable business acumen, with his public comments following a pattern that frustrated observers since the start of the crisis.

In April he shuffled his way excruciatingly through a gruelling press conference in which he repeatedly apologised -- to shareholders, customers and the public -- for the disaster.

But time and again he refused to go into details on when the runaway reactors would be tamed, on what compensation would be available, or on how he might ensure the disaster is not repeated.

Even veteran Japanese journalists used to surviving on scraps of information from venerated company bosses found it too much to cope with.

"I don't quite see why you held this press conference. I don't see what you want to say to whom," one reporter blasted. "You keep saying 'as soon as possible', but that's what a noodle delivery driver would say."

Shimizu has appeared in public only a handful of times since the March 11 tsunami swamped the plant on Japan's northeast coast.

After a brief apology in front of the cameras on March 13, Shimizu took to his sickbed and was not heard of again until he resurfaced for repeat performances on April 11 and May 4 in Fukushima prefecture.

On the second visit he was greeted by angry residents keen to vent their frustrations as he was about to leave a government office.

"Apologise from the bottom of your heart!" a woman demanded. "There are many people who lost jobs due to TEPCO. Did you see dead cows and pigs?"

But his underwhelming performance at the head of one of Japan's biggest companies annoyed not just journalists and members of the public.

"It is the nature of a utility firm that the president does not usually have to make major managerial decisions or changes," said a senior government official, who declined to be named.

"So in the normal course of events, Shimizu probably is a capable man.

"But we are in the middle of an emergency now and it seems to have been difficult for him to take control."

Jonathan drops Akala, Oni, Daniel, Agagu

THE President may have dropped most of the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and outgoing ones jostling for ministerial jobs, The Nation learnt yesterday.

Some of those affected are Segun Oni, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Ikedi Ohakim, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Olusegun Agagu, Gbenga Daniel and Akwe Doma.

Senate President David Mark and some principal officers of the National Assembly are said to be pushing for Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the former Kaduna Governor who lost his bid to return to the Senate.

But a Deputy Governor seems lucky; she is already slated for a ministerial job because of what sources described as her "loyalty to the PDP" despite being dropped by her boss for a second term ticket.

Some of these ex-governors, who were nominated by some state chapters of the PDP, are banking on "sympathy ministerial concession" from President Goodluck Jonathan.

It was also gathered that the Presidency was displeased with the nomination of some of the former governors as the party structure was "virtually hijacked" to put their names on the list.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the President made up his mind on all the former governors because "security reports" on them were unfavourable.

A top government source, who pleaded not to be named because of what he described as the sensitivity of the matter, said: "The security checks are certainly ongoing, but one thing is clear: the President is not disposed to making these ex-governors ministers.

"The security reports against some of them are unfavourable and the President does not want to start on a controversial note.

"Some of the ex-governors nominated have been investigated by anti-graft agencies and they need to face trial. The President does not want to have ministers who will be distracted by corruption trial.

"Some of the ex-governors and outgoing ones have also attracted controversy, such that they need a well-deserved rest."

"There have been tremendous pressure but Mr. President cannot ignore some of these vital security reports," the source added.

Responding to a question, he said: "A serving Deputy Governor in Imo State is likely to be given the slot for the state for her rare loyalty to the party when she was dropped as a running mate by outgoing Governor Ikedi Ohakim.

"The PDP and the President were personally touched by her humility in the face of all odds."

Another source confirmed that Mark and some principal officers were making a case for Makarfi.

But Vice-President Namadi Sambo may have the final word on the slot.

"In fact, the Presidency may give Kaduna two slots as part of the healing process in the state after post-election violence."

A seven-man panel set up by the Presidency is still evaluating the other candidates.

In all, there are 120 names on the list.

Said the source: "The seven-man committee may complete its assignment on or before Monday. We still have problem with the lists from Osun, Ondo, Gombe Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.

"In fact, a group has emerged in Lagos, demanding the exclusion of Lagos State from the ministerial appointment, until the party puts its house in order."

Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers the President to constitute his cabinet.

The Section reads in part: "There shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President.

"Any appointment to the office of Minister of the Government of the Federation shall, if the nomination of any person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President,

"Any appointment under subsection(2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions of Section14(3) of this Constitution provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state."

Bomb targets patrols as Boko Haram raid police

KANO, (AFP) - A bomb went off Thursday wounding five soldiers and policemen just hours after a gang of suspected Islamists raided a police station in Maiduguri, officials said.

The explosion occured in Maiduguri, the capital city of  Borno State, where a radical sect known as Boko Haram has been active in recent years.

"There was a bomb blast early this morning ...targeting a joint police and military patrol in which three soldiers and two policemen were wounded," Zakari Adamu, Borno's assistant police commissioner, told AFP.

Adamu said suspected Boko Haram members planted a remote-controlled bomb targeting the patrol squad. The five were hit by shrapnel after the bomb was detonated a few metres from their patrol van.

Emergency agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib spoke of "multiple bomb blasts at three different locations in Borno state." But police were unable to confirm the other bomb attacks.

The attack came after an overnight raid on a police station in the same city by a "large number of gunmen" suspected to be Boko Haram members, said Borno police commissioner Mohamed Jinjiri Abubakar.

Details of casualties from the police attack were not immediately available.

In yet another attack, a policeman was ambushed and killed Wednesday while on his way home. Two civilians caught in crossfire, also died, he said.

Police have blamed the sect for series of bomb attacks and also shootings especially in Borno's capital Maiduguri in recent months.

Most of the attacks have targeted military and police personnel, community and religious leaders as well as politicians.

Boko Haram, a local dialect translating to 'western education is sin', launched a short-lived uprising in parts of the north in 2OO9 in a doomed bid to establish an Islamic state.

It was crushed in a brutal military crackdown that saw hundreds of people killed -- many of them sect members -- and its headquarters and mosque destroyed in Maiduguri, where most of the violence has occurred.

Strauss-Kahn set to be released on bail

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was set to be freed on bail within hours Friday under armed guard and placed on house arrest, after a US judge approved his release.

Strauss-Kahn, who has been charged with sexually assaulting a chambermaid, would be released from the notorious Rikers Island jail on Friday "between 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) and 12:00 (0400 GMT)," the official bondsman said.

The judge has ordered the 62-year-old veteran French politician to be housed in a home detention location in downtown Manhattan, close to Ground Zero.

The new arrangement was made after plans for him to live under round-the-clock surveillance in a plush apartment rented by his wife, Anne Sinclair, reportedly fell through when residents in the complex objected.

Defense lawyer William Taylor confirmed the earlier plan for the former IMF chief to live in the apartment had been changed.

"The reason why they changed plans is because the media invaded the first place," Taylor said, after a hastily called court hearing to detail the new arrangements to the judge.

Earlier a media pack had gathered outside the glitzy-looking Bristol Plaza on East 65th Street in Manhattan, which several reports said had been rented by Sinclair.

Judge Michael Obus accepted $1 million bail in cash and signed off on a $5 million insurance bond for Strauss-Kahn, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assault of a Guinean chambermaid in a Manhattan hotel on Saturday.

Strauss-Kahn, who has spent the last four nights inside Rikers Island jail, has also agreed to wear an electronic ankle bracelet, and submit all his travel documents.

The New York Post reported he was expected to live in a corporate housing suite belonging to the security firm Stroz Friedberg.

But the company refused to comment to AFP. "Stroz Friedberg has no comment to issue at this time," said Pamela Siegel, chief marketing officer.

At least 34 killed in protests across Syria

DAMASCUS, (AFP) - Syrian security forces shot dead at least 34 people Friday, including a child, as pro-democracy protests swept the country, with demonstrators pressing on with calls for more freedom in defiance of a fierce crackdown, activists said.

In Washington US President Barack Obama piled pressure on Syria, saying it was of "acute concern" for Washington and Israel -- days after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and key aides were hit by US sanctions.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency and rights watchdog Human Rights Watch expressed concern about an influx of Syrians who have fled to neighbouring Lebanon to escape the violence at home.

The child was among 12 people killed in the central city of Homs. Another 15 died in the town of Maaret al-Naaman, located near the western city of Idlib, the activists said.

They said two people were also killed in the southern region of Daraa, epicentre of protests that have gripped Syria since March 15, one in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, one in the port city of Latakia, two in the eastern town of Deir Ezzor and one in the central town of Hama.

"The victims in Maaret al-Naaman were gunned down at the entrance of the city where many people were converging from other nearby towns to join the protest," an activist said.

Another activist in Homs said security services stormed a local hospital and carried away several wounded people along with the body of a victim.

State television blamed the violence on armed gangs which, it said, had opened fire on civilians and security forces in the region of Idlib and on the outskirts of Homs, resulting in unspecified casualties.

Assad's government has blamed the violence on "armed terrorist gangs" backed by Islamists and foreign agitators.

Protests were also reported in several other towns across Syria, including in Damascus where an activist said security forces quickly dispersed a rally outside a mosque.

In the mainly Kurdish region of Ain Arab, near the northern city of Aleppo, hundreds took to the streets holding olive branches and chanting "No to violence, yes to dialogue," said Radif Mustapha, head of a Kurdish rights group reached by telephone.

"No one is calling for the downfall of the regime," he said, as protesters could be overheard shouting "azadi, azadi," or freedom in Kurdish.

In Banias, thousands of men, women and children marched, with many of the men bare-chested to show proof they were unarmed, Rami Abdel Rahman, of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

The accounts could not be independently verified as foreign journalists are prevented from travelling in the country to report on protests challenging Assad's authoritarian regime.

In a keynote Thursday speech on the Middle East, Obama urged Assad to lead a political transition or "get out of the way."

"President Assad now has a choice," said Obama, whose government this week imposed sanctions on Assad and key aides.

"The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests."

Damascus defiantly rejected the warning.

"Obama is inciting violence when he says that Assad and his regime will face challenges from the inside and will be isolated on the outside if he fails to adopt democratic reforms," the official news agency SANA said.

Obama renewed the pressure on Friday during talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlining the US sanctions against Damascus and saying Syria's actions was an "acute concern" for Israel and the United States.

Western powers were initially hesitant to criticise Assad's regime due to Syria's strategic importance in the region and fears of possible civil war if the regime were to collapse.

More than 850 people have been killed and thousands arrested since the protests began in mid-March, according to human rights groups and the United Nations.

The UN refugee agency said Friday that some 1,400 Syrians fled to Lebanon last week alone to escape the violence at home.

"Most of the people who have crossed the border in recent weeks are women and children. In addition to their immediate need for food, shelter and medical help, they also need psycho-social support," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said in Geneva.

Human Rights Watch said Lebanon should grant asylum to Syrians fleeing the unrest instead of detaining them "and above all refrain from deporting them back" to their country.

"Lebanon's security forces should stop detaining Syrian refugees who cross the border into Lebanon to escape violence and persecution in their country," the New York-based rights group said.

Reports from Lebanon say at least 5,000 refugees have entered the country from Syrian border villages in recent weeks.

Rare support for Syria came Friday from Venezuela where President Hugo Chavez described Assad as his "brother" and said Syria is the "victim of a fascist attack."

English FA to abstain in FIFA vote

LONDON, (AFP) The English Football Association (FA) is to abstain from voting in the upcoming FIFA presidential election between Sepp Blatter and Mohamed Bin Hammam, it was announced Thursday.

FA chairman David Bernstein said in a statement there were a "range of issues" which made it "difficult" to vote for incumbent Blatter or Asian football chief Bin Hammam.

"The FA Board has today agreed to abstain in the vote for the Presidency of FIFA," Bernstein said.

"There are a well-reported range of issues both recent and current which, in the view of The FA board, make it difficult to support either candidate.

"The FA values its relationships with its international football partners extremely highly. We are determined to play an active and influential role through our representation within both UEFA and FIFA.

"We will continue to work hard to bring about any changes we think would benefit all of international football."

English officials expressed outrage after their bid for the 2018 World Cup ended in humiliation last December, garnering just two votes to be removed in the first round before Russia went on to win.

Since then a British parliamentary inquiry has heard testimony from former English FA chairman David Triesman alleging FIFA voters demanded bribes and favours in the bidding contest for the 2018 World Cups.

Officials from England's Premier League were believed to have argued in favour of a vote for Bin Hammam.

Bandits raid four banks, snatch N84 million

Hell broke loose in Delta State yesterday, when robbers, armed with explosives and sophisticated rifles, raided four banks and escaped with about N84 million.

The bandits, who expended over 2,000 rounds of ammunition, killed two persons and injured eight in the broad daylight robbery, in Kwale and Amai, Ndokwa Local Government Area of the state.

According to eyewitnesses, the bandits were up to 25 in number.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mamman Ibrahin Tsafe, confirmed that the robbers stormed the localities about 2.30 p.m., with sophisticated weapons, one Toyota Camry, and a Toyota 4-Runner Jeep.

Tsafe, who briefed journalists at the command headquarters in Asaba, yesterday, listed the banks as Zenith, Unity, Oceanic and Skye.

He said that the police gunned down two members of the gang in Amai and Nsukwa, after they successfully raided Skye Bank branch at Amai.

About N4.7 million was recovered from the gang.

Tsafe said: “The command swiftly mobilised patrol teams, ambushed the robbers along Amai and Nsukwa roads, confronted and dislodged them; one of them was gunned down in Amai, and another in Nsukwa; while others retreated, abandoning the vehicles they came in.”

According to him, one Delta City Bus marked DT 753 A28 and a Toyota Space Wagon (FU 87 ABJ), and their weapons were recovered.

He regretted that the bandits killed two persons and injured eight others while they were fighting to escape.

He listed other items recovered from the hoodlums as: three AK 47 rifles, 20 AK 47 live ammunition, 38 empty magazines, a dynamite, N4.65 million cash, two wrist watches, black Toyota Camry car (AJ 86 AHD), Toyota 4-Runner (EM 704 BEN), Toyota Sienna Space Wagon, Delta Line bus, 2000 expended ammunition, expended explosives and dynamites.

Meanwhile, the command has declared 25 persons wanted in connection with incessant mysterious killings in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state.

Tsafe added that ritual killings, in the locality, has become worrisome, as he vowed that he would reward handsomely anyone with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.

In the last one year, over 50 persons have been killed in their farms, with their private parts, eyes, breasts, or fingers missing.

Daily Headlines 05/5/2011

Daily Headlines 04/5/2011

NUC lauds Jonathan over funding of tertiary education

ABUJA-The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, yesterday disclosed that the nation’s education sector, especially the tertiary sub-sector, has enjoyed greater funding under this administration in the last three years.
Professor Okojie, who made the remarks while speaking in Abuja, said the education system had recorded tremendous development and growth during the period under review because of the commitment of the present administration, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, towards funding it.
He said: “It is only recently, in the past two, three years, particularly, this last one year, during the regime of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan that we have put the thumb on the press button for a way forward to education.
“You will recall that we have the education summit. That summit examined all the issues that are involved at all levels of education. And for the first time, we had a president who sort out time for two days to chat with a cross sections of the stakeholders. And I must say that, as a result of that summit, so many things have started happening.
“With the positive review and re-direction of the objective of the Education Trust Fund, ETF, there is a greater and more efficient funding of tertiary education in this country.
“We talked about access, access is not just in terms of physical facilities.  If you don’t also have the relevant teachers’ quality and quantity, then you are going to have problem.
“At the lower level, the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, have funded a lot of projects of exposing teachers for short trainings and ensuring that they have the skills to teach.
“At the higher level, through this year, government has had a very major intervention in respect of improving the existing facilities, and creating new facilities for the right environment for teaching, learning and community development.
“So what happened is that it would appear that in this past three years, the funding for capital development in all federal universities is more than the total for the past ten years. It means that education before now does not have enough impact from whatever provisions government was making.
“Every sector of the economy is struggling for the very lean resources; no country ever had enough funds. As you know, most of the world towers are owing the World Bank, but we are saying, if there is fund from World Bank, it should be properly invested; we have $180million for the Step-B projects, which we have effectively deployed.
“Recently, the government has approved the N3 billion research grant for free access through the universities and other assisted facilities.
“In the past two years or three years, government facilitated in training programme of 4,000 academic staff. 3,000 of that internally and 1,000 others trained abroad. Government is of the notion that for us to have a very balanced education, you don’t have all the breeding in this country.
“It is the climax of the whole setting when the government established nine new universities; they will be twelve in the not far future. Government is only just exercising its policy enunciation that every state should have a federal university to improve access.”

Family members worry over al-Mustapha’s fate

Family members of detained Maj. Hamza al-Mustapha have expressed concern over rumours making the round that he has been murdered in custody at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison.
In a statement made available to the Nigerian Compass yesterday in Kano, the family’s spokesman, Hadi al-Mustapha, stressed that for three consecutive days, he was inundated with numerous calls from family friends and associates to confirm or deny the rumour.

He said he had made several failed attempts to establish the truth, but that the development had thrown the entire family into panic and confusion.

Hadi said: “The last time we saw Hamza al-Mustapha was in April during one of his several court appearances before a Lagos High Court. We were already looking forward to his release after his case was closed for lack of witnesses to prove the charges preferred against him.

“Even the Lagos-based Court of Appeal corroborated this when the presiding judge ruled that the witnesses that would have proved the charges against him were all unreliable. This revelation, which appeared to have absolved Major al-Mustapha, who has spent 13 years awaiting trial, came to us as a cheering development.”

Following the turn of events, Hadi disclosed that the family members have been compelled to seek the intervention of human rights organisations, both within and outside the country, for the first time.

Hadi is, therefore, seeking the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan; Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, as well as other relevant authorities to ascertain the true position.

Bin Laden's wife shot in leg, not killed: US

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - The wife of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was shot in the leg, but not killed, the White House said Tuesday, reversing an earlier report that she died being used as a human shield in the shoot-out.
Bin Laden's wife had been in the same room as her husband, when US commandos raided a Pakistani compound late Sunday.
She "rushed the US assaulter and was shot in the leg, but not killed," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
On Monday, US officials had said the woman had acted as a human shield to protect bin Laden and had been killed in the firefight.

"Don’t rejoice yet" ACN tells Akpabio

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) will challenge the victory of Governor Goodswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State.
In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said yesterday it has pictorial and video evidence to prove that the election in Akwa Ibom on April 26 "is nothing but an unprecedented and barefaced rigging and mindless violence."
ACN disowned the Akwa Ibom State Chairman of the party, Aniekan Akpan, for taking up a newspaper advertorial to congratulate Akpabio.
The party said Akpan acted on his own and that his action should be disregarded by all members and supporters of the ACN.
It said necessary disciplinary action will be meted out to the chairman.
"Aniekan Akpan has not always acted in consonance with the ideals of our party, and his romance with Governor Akpabio is not a secret. But as a party that believes in fairness and justice, every member is entitled to the benefit of doubt until he or she decides to dance naked in the public square, as the Akwa Ibom state chairman has now done,’’ ACN said.
The party added: ‘’The standard procedure is for the National Executive Committee to meet and deliberate on the elections, take reports from all stakeholders in the states and then set up a legal team to examine submission from the various states. It is only after this that the party can take a stand on the elections.

"It is, therefore, a great disservice to our numerous party members and supporters, who were subjected to untold acts of brigandage and disenfranchisement by the PDP rigging machinery, to turn around and congratulate their tormentors. We are a party of ideals and discipline, hence we have grown from controlling just one state to six presently. Had we chosen to align with out tormentors, as Aniekan Akpan has thoughtlessly done now, ACN as a party will not be in existence today.’’

PENGASSAN challenges FG to build new refineries

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has insisted that building of new refineries and reviving the existing ones were the possible ways to halt fuel importation in the country.

The Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of PENGASSAN, Mr. Folorunsho Oginni, disclosed that the nation’s four oil refineries were running at about 30 per cent of installed capacity because of interruptions in the supply of crude and poor maintenance structure.

Oginni said that there was the need for the Federal Government to address the issues of importation of petroleum products in the country in order to reduced huge money spent on importation.

He pointed out that between January and March, this year, the Federal Government had spent about N 207 billion on importation of refined petroleum products.

According to him, building of new refineries and the fixing of the existing ones would stop the continuous fuel importation, adding that this means Nigeria would be in total control of its refineries processing of products management.

The union chief said that the country’s economy was growing at seven per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to several challenges facing the country.

He lamented the high cost of petroleum products, which he said, did not befit a country that exports its crude to the international market.

He therefore called for an urgent need to invest in refinery projects, either on its own or in partnership with stakeholders as part of the avenue to boost economic growth and development.

He said: “Reviving and fixing the refinery problem is a downstream matter, which must be addressed for Nigeria to add value to its crude oil resources and at the same time save the foreign exchange spent on fuel importation. Nigeria refineries have operated under low capacity utilisation, a lot of bunkering or illegal fuel sale thrives on daily basis. That is, trans-border shipping of products.”

Oginni pointed out that this was a trend that must change for this nation to move forward, saying that there was a need to build new green field refineries in the country, which would be most durable and feasible due to the size Nigerian market.

He observed that the issue of gas flaring must be addressed squarely in order to maximise the benefits arising from monetising gas resources.

While stating that harnessing of gas resource was expected to provide revenue stream for the Federal and state governments, he explained that the implementation of the new master gas plan would boost the building of the infrastructure, which would enable the harnessing of gas for the benefit of all the stakeholders.

PENGASSAN boss noted that Nigeria had abundant gas to meet the demand of the domestic market and convey the excess to the international market, advising the Federal Government on the need for the country to engage in long term contract for some of its gas projects and develop, which it would develop with the right capital cost in order to produce gas for the overall development of the power sector.

Oginni stressed: “There is nothing wrong for Nigeria to develop its domestic gas. Nigeria has a huge power deficit, as the availability of 4000mw is too senile for the size of this country. There is urgent need to double megawatts of electricity in Nigeria. Don’t forget that South Africa with a population of less than 50 million people with a modern economy has 40,000 megawatts of electricity.”

Questions linger about bin Laden raid

People protestsing the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan

WASHINGTON, (AFP) - US officials are starting to reveal details about the daring US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, but key aspects of the helicopter-borne assault in Pakistan remain shrouded in secrecy.
According to accounts from senior officials, here is the partial picture that has emerged:
How did the US discover bin Laden's compound?
The trail for bin Laden had gone cold for years until the CIA learned where a trusted courier for the Al-Qaeda chief was operating two years ago. Detainees had told interrogators the messenger held a privileged place in bin Laden's inner circle. A breakthrough came in August 2010, when the CIA tracked the courier and his brother to a large compound in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad.
But US officials have not explained how they pinpointed the courier. Was it a tip from Pakistani intelligence or information from a detainee?
By the time the operation to kill or capture bin Laden was ordered last Friday, US officials strongly suspected he was in the compound but had no photograph or rock-solid proof.
What were the other military options?
With the CIA increasingly confident -- but not certain -- that bin Laden was in the house in Abbotabad, serious planning for possible action started in March.
Apart from a helicopter assault with a team of special forces, Obama weighed two other options: bombing the compound from the air or waiting to gather more intelligence.
Bearing in mind disastrous raids from the past in Somalia and Iran, the helicopter assault option carried dangers for US troops and political risks for Washington's relations with Islamabad, particularly if the raid went wrong.
Air strikes on the compound would have involved B-2 bombers or Tomahawk cruise missiles, CIA chief Leon Panetta told Time magazine.
Advisers told Obama striking the compound would require 32 bombs of 2,000-pounds each, officials told the New York Times.
Bombing eliminated the risk of losing US troops or of a possible clash with Pakistani forces, but bin Laden's body might not be recovered and there was a danger of causing major civilian casualties.
As for waiting to get more intelligence, the CIA director argued in favor of taking action, saying it was the best lead on bin Laden since 2001 in Afghanistan.
Why were no prisoners taken in the raid? And, was the mission for the Navy SEAL team to kill the Al-Qaeda leader?
The death of bin Laden and the White House's decision not to release photos of his corpse has fed speculation about the Obama administration's intentions. US officials said it was a "kill or capture" operation and that bin Laden might have been taken alive but he "resisted," though they said he was unarmed.
The nighttime raid provided an element of surprise, giving defenders of the compound little time to react, according to a former Navy SEAL, Dick Hoffman.
Bin Laden and his son, the courier and his brother as well as a woman were killed in the raid.
Officials said the assault force did not detain a number of "non-combatants" -- women and children -- at the residence.
There was limited space on the US helicopters for any possible detainees, as one chopper that broke down had to be abandoned.
The official account of the raid suggests that bin Laden had few bodyguards defending him.
Did Pakistan play a role in the raid?
In announcing bin Laden's death, Obama said "that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding."
But US officials have repeatedly voiced concerns about Pakistan retaining links to Islamist militants, and the distrust was reflected in Washington's decision not to inform Islamabad about the raid in advance.
Panetta told Time magazine that "it was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardize the mission: They might alert the targets."
The location of bin Laden's residence in an affluent suburb near a military academy prompted accusations that Pakistan gave the Al-Qaeda architect a safe haven, but Islamabad rejected the charges. Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said it was "inconceivable" that bin Laden did not enjoy a support network in Pakistan.

Nigeria puts security on red alert

For fear of reprisal attacks on facilities belonging to the United States (US) in the country, over the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Federal Government yesterday reinforced security at the US Embassy.
Osama, the leader of a terrorist network – al Qaeda, was killed in the early hours of yesterday by US Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, who gave the government directive said the measure was to forestall attacks on US interests in Nigeria.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olusola Amore told The Nation in a telephone chat in Abuja that his boss has ordered the Commissioners of Police (CPs) across the country “especially those in the northern part of the country” to be on the red alert.
While maintaining that the Force did not expecting any negative reaction from the country since the death of Osama has nothing to do with Nigeria, Amore said the security red alert was meant to “put down any backlash as a result of the death.”
He said: “We have not only strengthened security at the US Embassy, all the Commissioners of Police in the country especially in the northern part of the country have been asked to be on the red alert as a result of the death of Osama Bin Laden, to be able to put down the backlash as a result of the new development.
“Although, we are not expecting that Nigerians would react to it because it is a thing that does not concern the country, the Commissioners of Police have been asked to be on the red alert and as I talk to you they are all aware that the IGP has directed them to be at alert if there is any reaction as a result of the death of Osama Bin Laden.”
On whether there has been any threat to security from any part of the country so far as a result of the death, the Force spokesman said: “As I talk to you now we have not received any report of any threat. Our intelligence gathering team has been all around and particularly we would pay particular attention especially on Fridays and Sundays and ensure that there is no protest of any sort. During the Jumat prayers, we will just ensure that we monitor areas of worship to prevent any breach of the peace.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria joined the global community to celebrate the death of the al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has put all Nigerian embassies on full security alert.
Speaking with The Nation in Abuja, the ministry’s spokesman, Mr Damian Agwu acknowledged that US covert operation that ended the life of Osama deserves the international applause that erupted immediately afterwards.
“It is a monumental achievement in the war against international terrorism,” said Agwu, who also noted that while the challenges remain, some anxieties have been laid to rest.
“Secondly, the world is better without him, in terms of global security.  The world must not relax; we must all remain vigilant.”
Responding to an inquiry on the likelihood of scaling up security arrangements at Nigerian embassies abroad, he stated that eternal vigilance and consistent precautionary measures have always been part of the ministry’s routine arrangements.
“That has always been part of our foreign policy. We have always remained vigilant abroad. Besides, this moment calls for intensified vigilance,” he added.
Nigeria will export the highest volume of crude oil for six months in June as its oil industry benefits from strong demand, a period of relative calm and fewer attacks on pipelines and other infrastructure.

Total Nigerian crude exports were expected to be around 2.15 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, up from 2.03 million bpd due in May and 2.06 million bpd sold in April, according to trade estimates based on provisional loading programs.

The increase would take sales from Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil exporter and a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, back to levels not seen since December when just over 2.15 million bpd was exported.

The higher export volumes reflect an increase in the number of cargoes loading with benchmark Bonny Light, as well as extra cargoes of Forcados and the ultra-light crude oil, Agbami, the loading schedules show.

Bonny Light is a high quality crude oil grade with a good yield of light products such as gasoline, and is much sought after by oil refiners because of its very low content of polluting sulfur compounds.

Seven Bonny Light cargoes will load almost 222,000 bpd in June, up from six cargoes loading an average of around 184,000 bpd in May, trade sources say.

Like many other Nigerian crude oil grades, Bonny light is considered a good replacement for Libyan crude oil that has been largely absent from the world oil spot market over the last couple of months due to the fighting in the country.

Seven cargoes of Forcados will also load in June, up from six in May, while eight Agbami cargoes will sail, up from six scheduled for May, 2011.

Nigerian crude oil volumes in May were also lower due to less availability of the EA and Amenam grades, shipping lists show. In February and March, maintenance at several key oil fields kept exports below 2 million bpd.

Traders said the higher volume of exports in June reflected both higher demand for Nigerian crudes in the absence of significant Libyan exports, and also less disruption of the onshore oil industry in recent months.

Attacks by militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta have restricted production over the last few years but a reduction in political tension has led to fewer attacks this year.

Extra demand helped push premiums for Bonny Light and the other Nigerian benchmark, Qua Iboe, over North Sea dated Brent to two-and-a-half year highs near $4.50 last month and trade sources expect it to remain strong with European refineries returning from seasonal maintenance.

As an OPEC member, Nigeria has an oil production target of 1.67 million bpd but has not been inside that level for almost two years, trade and industry figures show.

State producer Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) has said it is within its OPEC output target and its combined crude and condensate production is around 2.4 million bpd. It has given no breakdown or details.

Gunmen rescue Brazilians from Paraguay prison

ASUNCION, (AFP) - A group of heavily-armed men broke into a maximum security prison in Paraguay and liberated six prisoners, all alleged members of a major Brazilian drug cartel, police said Tuesday.
Two prison guards and four women who were visiting inmates at the time of the breakout, all believed to be accomplices, were detained for questioning, police said.
The breakout took place Tuesday morning at the Pedro Juan Caballero prison, located 550 kilometers (340 miles) north-east of the capital Asuncion, on the border with Brazil. The region is considered the main pathway for marijuana and cocaine heading to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's most populous cities.
The six escaped criminals -- five Brazilians and a Paraguayan -- have been linked to the First Capital Commando (PCC), a criminal organization based in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.
Two of the escaped criminals are believed to be responsible for the assassination attempt on Paraguayan Senator Roberto Acevedo in April 2010. Acevedo was slightly wounded in the attack, but two of his bodyguards were killed.
An angry Acevedo blasted government authorities for failing to prevent the escape.
"This was not a commando operation. This was staged for the liberation of these drug traffickers," said Acevedo, who described the breakout as "pure theater."
Acevedo also pointed his finger at the attorney general's office.
"Why had they not been transferred to Asuncion, or kicked out and handed over to the Brazilian federal police as is usually the case?" Acevedo asked.
According to Acevedo, one week ago a drug trafficker was released from prison after $30,000 was delivered to a prosecutor.