ESE'S BLOG

Monday, 4 April 2016

Photos: Troops capture six terrorists at Boboshe, Kadawu, recovers IED making devices

Troops of 22 Brigade Garrison, Army Headquarters Strike Group (AHQ SG) accompanied by some Civilian JTF on fighting patrol to Boboshe, Garna, Kyare, Kadawu, Gineba and Ajiri arrested 6 Boko Haram terrorists and recovered Improvised Explosive (IED) making devices today, Sunday April 4, 2016.

Although the fighting patrol team found Boboshe village virtually empty, they however recovered 8 industrial gas cylinders and 5 regular gas cylinders at a Primary School being used for IED making and also recovered a Pickup vehicle
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The patrol team captured 3 Boko Haram terrorists at Kadawu and recovered 4 motorcycles, 3 bicycles 1 solar panel and 2 liquid herbicides.
At Garna, the troops also captured 3 and recovered 7 locally made guns from them.

More photos...

Photos: Wayne Rooney celebrates wife Coleen's 30th birthday with football stars

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney sidelined with injury celebrated his wife Coleen Rooney's 30th birthday last night with team-mates past and present including Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling and former United players Darron Gibson, Darren Fletcher, Jonny Evans, John O'Shea and Wes Brown at Victor's Restaurant in Hale Village, Cheshire. More photos after the cut...

20yr old Nigerian, Sasiya Sadashi is the sole survivor after a boat with 85 people, including her sister & brother capsized off Libya

Over 160 migrants are feared to have perished off Libya this week in two separate accidents off the coast of Zawiya, a coastal town that has become the new focal point for departures from the North African coast, Migrant Report said.

On March 30, the Libyan coastguard and an Italian tug boat rescued more than 170 people from two separate boats that ran into trouble around 12 miles off Zawiya. One of the boats had deflated with 140 people on board, while the other collapsed, spilling most of the 85 people on board into the sea.

Only 31 people were rescued from this second boat, while the the entire group from the first vessel was brought back to shore, where survivors were treated by the Libyan Red Crescent (LRC).

However, a day earlier, a coastguard crew on patrol, spotted a woman about 15 miles off Zawiya and pulled her in. She was still alive despite spending three days at sea.

Sasiya Sadashi, 20 from Nigeria, said she was on a rubber boat with 85 other migrants, including her older sister and 19 year old brother, when the vessel started taking in water. The man in charge of steering the boat turned back but in the process the vessel took in more water and suddenly just collapsed.

Sasiya told rescuers everyone ended up in the water in a matter of minutes. Most couldn’t swim and took down others with them as they were thrashing desperately in a chaos. Sasiya survived with a group of others who managed to hold on to some debris that was left from the boat but eventually they got separated.

When the coastguard spotted Sasiya early on Tuesday morning, she was alone. They toured the area looking for other survivors and launched a may day for other vessels to scour the stretch of sea around the rescue area but no one else was found.

When they reached shore, all of the surviving migrants were treated by the Libya Red Crescent which provides medical care and even psychological assistance. Sasiya needed extended treatment for her extended exposure to salt water. She was transferred to the Zawya Educational Hospital along with other survivors needing extended treatment.

Dr Osama Sultan, head of International Relations at the Red Crescent said the organisation is doing its utmost despite limited resources. He said the situation remained critical, in spite of a pendulum response by the international community.

Libyan Navy Collonel Masood Abusamed, said the incident was almost routine although the loss of life this week was extraordinary for this year.

"Over the past weeks, we intercepted and rescued more than 2,000 migrants," he said.

Source: Migrant Report

Photos of survivors from rescued boats being treated by volunteers from Libyan Red Crescent Society.

Thursday, 31 March 2016

Nigerian Transgender, Ms Sahhara, shares new photos to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility

Ms Sahhara, a Nigerian Transgender residing in the UK, shared these photos to celebrate the Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual holiday occurring on March 31st dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. See more photos of Ms Sahhara and other transgenders celebrating the day after the cut...

How much NBA talent is in the Final Four?

© Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY How much NBA talent is in the Final Four? While the NCAA Final Four doesn't have quite the same star appeal as did last year's -- the championship game alone produced five first-round draft picks -- there's still quite a bit of intrigue for NBA fans hoping to get a glimpse of some of incoming talent. Most notable, of course, is Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, who has taken the nation by storm in an incredible senior season.

We take a look at the two Final Four contests, with a focus on what to look for in the prospects most likely to be drafted in June.

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 10 Syracuse

If Hield has been the star of the tournament, Brice Johnson has filled in admirably in a supporting role.

Johnson is averaging 21 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocked shots per game so far in the tournament, including three straight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. It is as strong, and as consistent, as Johnson has looked at any point during his excellent four-year career at North Carolina.

Johnson will have to navigate not only Syracuse's 2-3 zone, but also a pretty good mix of interior defenders, all of whom present different strengths. Depending on who Johnson is going up against, he could either be trying to score against a bruising, physical defender in DaJuan Coleman, a long, rangy athlete in Tyler Roberson, or against Tyler Lydon, a skilled perimeter power forward who makes his impact felt defensively as a weakside shot blocker.

Johnson is far and away the top prospect in the game, but he's not the only prospect on the court. Lydon is probably the one with the most upside, as his combination of perimeter shooting – he shot 40.9% on 115 three-point attempts this year – and weakside help defense are increasingly sought-after in today's NBA. Marcus Paige, Kennedy Meeks, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks, DaJuan Coleman, and Michael Gbinije all have solid chances to be drafted sometime in the next few years as well.

No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 2 Oklahoma

Hield will be the center of attention, he has had a magnificent tournament run, averaging 29.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting an incredible 47.5% from three-point range.

This is an interesting game because it matches strength up against strength. Oklahoma is led by their three perimeter ball handlers in Hield, Jordan Woodard, and Isaiah Cousins, all of whom are shooting at least 42% from three-point range on the season.

Villanova, by contrast, is led by a group of perimeter defenders that have been causing havoc for other teams, a defense which forced Kansas into 16 turnovers and held them to 6-of-22 shooting from three-point range.

Villanova is able to use that press to disrupt a team and take them out of their rhythm offensively as well as any team in the country, and Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges have the discipline to make it effective. In theory, however, Oklahoma's abundance of ball handlers and perimeter shooters is tailor-made to break a press, and they have the ability to turn that havoc into opportunity, and open looks for their perimeter shooters, which could prove deadly for Villanova.

It will be interesting to see which team is able to force the other to adapt, and whether Villanova's pesky perimeter defenders can do something nobody else has been able to do so far in this tournament: slow down Hield.

One area that could be the force that swings momentum to Villanova's side is Daniel Ochefu. Villanova is a guard-dominated team, much like Oklahoma, and has been for most of Coach Jay Wright's tenure. But Ochefu provides them with an inside scoring presence that gives them offensive diversity few teams are able to match up against, and has helped forge Villanova into one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Whether Khadeem Lattin and Ryan Spangler can hold their own down low could determine who advances to the championship game.

Whereas the North Carolina vs. Syracuse game contains a number of prospects outside of Johnson, Hield really is the star attraction for NBA draft aficionados. Villanova's Josh Hart has a chance to get drafted as a later pick, and Mikal Bridges, a raw but athletically talented freshman for Wright's team, could have some intrigue as he rounds out his game, but it's unlikely he declares for this year's draft.

Players continue to declare for the NBA draft

With the season ending for most collegiate players, many, more than ever, are beginning to declare for the NBA draft.

With the new NCAA withdrawal rules, which pushes the deadline to withdraw from the draft to much later in the draft process and allows players to enter, and withdraw from, the draft multiple times, more players are declaring for the draft than at any time in recent memory, if for no other reason than to get feedback from NBA teams on how they need to improve.

As such, fans looking to get a firm grasp on who will stay in the draft will have to wait until the end of May. Until then, everything is fluid.

Unless, of course, a player hires an agent. At that point, the player forfeits his remaining NCAA eligibility.

A couple of key prospects have already reportedly hired representation. This list includes Ben Simmons and Tim Quarterman from LSU, Stephen Zimmerman from UNLV, Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray from Washington, DeAndre Bembry from St Joseph's, and Wayne Selden of Kansas.

Hmm check out: 9 things not to buy at Walmart

Walmart often touts its stores’ “always low prices.” And though the retail giant’s prices are often hard to beat, there are times when you should skip shopping at Walmart if you want to get the best price on an item.

Here are nine items you should never buy at Walmart:

Gift cards: Walmart has a decent selection of gift cards for retailers and restaurants. But instead of purchasing a gift card for full price at Walmart, why not check out discount gift card seller CardPool, where you can save up to 35 percent off face value.
Entertainment: If you’re looking for cheap books, you’re typically better off shopping online. Amazon offers some of the lowest prices on books. If you’re looking for tunes, steer clear of the CD aisle at the retail superstore and consider signing up for a music streaming service like Spotify Premium or Apple Music, both of which cost less than $10 a month.
Kids toys and games: Before you pick up the latest Lego set or board game at Walmart, check its price on Amazon. According to Kiplinger, Amazon often beats Walmart’s prices on toys and games by several dollars
Snack foods: Although Walmart does offer inexpensive store-brand snacks, if you’re looking for cheap cookies, crackers, chips and other snack items, head to your local dollar store.
Organic produce: Kerry Sherin, a savings expert from Offers.com, told GoBankingRates that stores with organic roots like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s typically have a better selection and better prices on organic fruits and veggies than Walmart. “Shopping at stores with organic roots makes sense when these are the items you are purchasing,” Sherin explains.
Brand-name diapers: I prefer Pampers over store brand diapers. I spent a lot of time pricing them at different retailers when I first started buying them back in 2010, and Amazon was the cheapest option. It’s an even better deal when you sign up for the free Amazon Family program, which could score you an even bigger diaper discount.
Gift wrapping items: You’ll really reap the savings by bypassing Walmart and heading to your local dollar store to stock up on gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue, bows and ribbon.
Party supplies: Although Walmart does offer inexpensive party supplies, like plates, balloons, party favors and décor items, you can easily beat their prices by purchasing those items at the dollar store.
Batteries: According to Kiplinger, you could pay up to twice as much per Duracell AA battery at Walmart than you would at Costco. So next time you need batteries, skip Walmart and hit up a warehouse club instead.

Donald Trump, Abortion Foe, Eyes ‘Punishment’ for Women, Then Recants

Trump sounds off on abortion; criticism comes from all sides

Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that women who seek abortions should be subject to “some form of punishment” if the procedure is banned in the United States, further elevating Republican concerns that his explosive remarks about women could doom the party in the fall.

The comment, which Mr. Trump later recanted, attracted instant, bipartisan criticism — the latest in a series of high-profile episodes that have shined a light on Mr. Trump’s feeble approval ratings among women nationally.

In this case, Mr. Trump also ran afoul of conservative doctrine, with opponents of abortion rights immediately castigating him for suggesting that those who receive abortions — and not merely those who perform them — should be punished if the practice is outlawed.

© Eric Thayer for The New York Times Donald J. Trump at a campaign event Wednesday in Appleton, Wis. The statement came as Mr. Trump appeared at a town-hall-style forum with Chris Matthews of MSNBC, recorded for broadcast on Wednesday night. Mr. Matthews pressed Mr. Trump, who once supported abortion rights, on his calls to ban the procedure, asking how he might enforce such a restriction.

“You go back to a position like they had where they would perhaps go to illegal places,” Mr. Trump said, after initially deflecting questions. “But you have to ban it.”

He added, after a bit more prodding, “There has to be some form of punishment.”

Hours later, Mr. Trump recanted his remarks, essentially in full, a rare and remarkable shift for a candidate who proudly extols his unwillingness to apologize or bow to “political correctness.”

If abortion were disallowed, he said in a statement, “the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.”

“The woman is a victim in this case, as is the life in her womb,” he continued.

Mr. Trump’s Republican rivals moved quickly to distance themselves from his initial comments as well. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio said, “Of course women shouldn’t be punished.”

“I don’t think that’s an appropriate response,” he told MSNBC. “It’s a difficult enough situation.”

The campaign of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said attention should be focused on providers of abortion, not the women who receive them.

“Once again, Donald Trump has demonstrated that he hasn’t seriously thought through the issues, and he’ll say anything just to get attention,” Mr. Cruz said in a statement, adding, “Of course we shouldn’t be talking about punishing women; we should affirm their dignity and the incredible gift they have to bring life into the world.”

For Republicans, the chaos felt something like a recurring nightmare. After the defeat of Mitt Romney in 2012, party leaders had hoped to move beyond a reputation for offensive comments on women’s issues, emblematized by Todd Akin, a Senate candidate in Missouri who posited that victims of “legitimate rape” were somehow able to prevent pregnancy.

Mr. Trump’s comments came as many Republicans are confronting, with escalating despair, the specter of a Trump nomination — and the electoral difficulties he would face.

Last week, Mr. Trump threatened to “spill the beans” on Mr. Cruz’s wife, Heidi, and posted an unflattering image of her on Twitter. On Tuesday, he forcefully defended his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who was charged with battery over allegations that he grabbed a female reporter who had tried to question Mr. Trump earlier this month.

A New York Times/CBS News poll this month had already demonstrated Mr. Trump’s weakness with female voters, who favored the Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, 55 percent to 35 percent.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Clinton called Mr. Trump’s comments “horrific and telling.”

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, sought to tie Mr. Trump to the rest of his party, noting that Mr. Cruz opposed exceptions for abortion in cases of rape or incest. Mr. Kasich, she added, has moved to defund Planned Parenthood in Ohio.

“All three Republicans would drag the country back to the days when women were forced to seek illegal procedures from unlicensed providers out of sheer desperation,” she said.

Yet with his statement on Wednesday, and the scramble to clarify it, Mr. Trump also exacerbated concerns among Republicans who have questioned the authenticity of his late-in-life conversions to conservative social positions.

Mr. Trump is already facing a difficult test in Wisconsin, where the Republican primary will take place Tuesday, and where those looking to stop his march to the nomination see a critical opportunity. A Marquette University Law School poll released just before the MSNBC interview showed Mr. Cruz in first place in the state, leading Mr. Trump by 10 points.

Wisconsin’s governor, Scott Walker, who is deeply popular with Republicans, has taken a hard line against abortions. Last year, he signed a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, just as he was gearing up to run for president. He bowed out of the race last September after failing to gain traction, and this week endorsed Mr. Cruz.

Mr. Cruz has long attacked Mr. Trump for supporting abortion rights in the past, highlighting clips from a 1999 interview in which Mr. Trump called himself “very pro-choice” and condemning his positive comments about Planned Parenthood at a debate last month.

Mr. Trump said the group did “wonderful things” for women’s health, even as he criticized its abortion services.

There does not appear to be any record of Mr. Trump’s shift on abortion rights before February 2011, the month he spoke at a conservative conclave and made clear he was considering running for president the next year.

Bruce Haynes, a Republican strategist, said he could not recall “any credible corner of the movement” calling for criminal sanctions against women who sought abortions.

Jeanne Mancini, the president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said efforts to punish individual women were “completely out of touch with the pro-life movement.”

“No pro-lifer would ever want to punish a woman who has chosen abortion,” she said. “We invite a woman who has gone down this route to consider paths to healing, not punishment.”

Others worried that Mr. Trump had helped fulfill a stereotype of the anti-abortion movement.

“He doesn’t understand pro-life people or the life issue,” said Penny Nance, the head of the conservative group Concerned Women for America and a supporter of Mr. Cruz. “He instead became the caricature that the left tries to paint us to be.”

In Mr. Trump’s struggles, his Republican opponents seem to have sensed an opportunity. Even before the latest controversy, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Kasich had invoked their daughters while discussing Mr. Trump’s treatment of women.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Cruz appeared in Madison, Wis., to introduce a “Women for Cruz” coalition. He was joined by his wife, Heidi; his mother, Eleanor Darragh, who is seldom seen on the campaign trail; and Carly Fiorina, a high-profile supporter.

For much of the event, Mr. Cruz sat quietly behind a modest floral arrangement, allowing the women to speak on his behalf during a forum that seemed aimed at a rival whose name was scarcely mentioned.

“I just wanted to say one thing about Ted,” Heidi Cruz said near the end. “I want all of the women here in Wisconsin and across this country to know how supportive Ted has always been of all the women in his life.”