Egypt’s Political Crisis

Mohamed
Morsi delivered a defiant speech
Tuesday, warning that the country
may descend into an endless spiral
of violence if people continued to
challenge his “legitimate” right to
rule, at one point going so far as to
say that he was willing to die if his
claim to power was not honored.
“There is no alternative to
legitimacy, the constitutional
legitimacy, legal legitimacy and
electoral legal legitimacy that
produced an elected president for
Egypt for the first time in its
history,” Mr. Morsi said in a speech
that aired on Egypt’s state-owned
television. He repeated the word
“legitimacy” dozens of times, and
each mention was followed by a
warning of “violence.”
“This legitimacy is the real
guarantee, in fact it is the only one,
to ensure that there will be no
violence,” he said.
Without committing to any tangible
concession, Mr. Morsi made general
overtures for “dialogue” with the
different political forces that are
now calling on him to step down. He
briefly acknowledged that he may
have made “mistakes” since he
came to power about a year ago, but
pointed to an array of setbacks and
enemies that he said were beyond
his control, among them “remnants
of the past regime, the deep state,
corruption and the insistence on
maintaining this corruption and the
economic condition that we
inherited.”
“The new democratic experience is
a challenge that many people who
want corruption do not like,” Mr.
Morsi said in a long-winded speech
that exceeded 40 minutes. “And
abroad there are also people who
don’t want Egypt to exercise its
will.”
Mr. Morsi did not acknowledge the
size of the protests that began on
Sunday, but with millions of
protesters in the street and a
military ultimatum that may force
Mr. Morsi to step down in the next
24 hours, his speech seemed to offer
no way out of the current political
deadlock.
“The people appointed me, the
people chose me in free and clean
elections, the people made a
constitution that delegated me,
there is a state that is waiting for
me to commit to this legitimacy, to
commit to this constitution, to
protect it,” Mr. Morsi repeated, his
body shaking. “I have no choice but
to take responsibility. I am taking
responsibility, I was and still am,
and still will. The blood of Egyptians
is very dear to me. Very, very.”

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Bayern Munich set to launch £35m bid for Chelsea star

Bayern Munich are plotting a
£35m bid for Chelsea defender
David Luiz, according to the Daily
Mirror.
The centre-half was crucial in
Brazil’s Confederations Cup win
and the Blues hierarchy are
reportedly keen for the 26-year-
old to play a key role in the
club’s long-term future.
But Luiz’s reluctance to rule out
the possibility of a move away
from Stamford Bridge, following
interest from PSG, has convinced
the European Champions the
big-haired stopper can be prized
away from west London this
summer.
Some reports in the UK media
had suggested returning Chelsea
boss Jose Mourinho did not see
the former Benfica man as part
of his plans but, on the contrary,
the Mirror claims the Blues have
earmarked Luiz as a long-term
successor to John Terry as club
captain.
Incoming Bayern boss Pep
Guardiola remains keen on Luiz,
however, and believes the
Selecao star would fit perfectly
into his preferred 4-3-3 system.
Reports in Catalan paper Sport
on Monday claimed the Spaniard
handed instructed the Bavarians’
sporting director Mathias
Sammer to sign Luiz this
summer and the defender’s
brilliant display in the
Confederations Cup final win
over Spain will only have
increased Guardiola’s interest.

Tebowing: Banned By Michigan High School Following ACLU Complaint!

A high school in Bloomfield Hills,
Mich., has officially banned
Tebowing, the post-game or
post-score prayer posture
inspired by NFL player Tim
Tebow.
The ban comes in response to a
formal complaint, alleging
violation of separation of church
and state, by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU).
Tebowing took the NFL by storm
in 2011. Then Tim's career sort
of imploded, but controversy
over the religious star and his
on-field ritual rages on.
At Lahser H.S., the football team
led traditional post-game prayers
at midfield, allowing members of
its team and visitors to take part
in the tradition.
That's not uncommon at all
levels of competition, but the
Tebowing took it too far,
according to the ACLU, which
said it exceeds its proposed
guidelines.
The school says it will no longer
permit postgame prayer
sessions, which began more
than a decade ago, and were
never intended to make anyone
unhappy.
“It kind of just carried on,”
Coach Dan Loria said. “It was
something somebody wanted to
do every year. I got caught up
because of how it originated and
lost sight of it.”
In contrast with the complaint
made to the ACLU, which
claimed that Loria had been
leading the prayer sessions, the
coach said he was merely
present.
Nonetheless, Loria
acknowledged responsibility for
the transgressions because of
his knowing presence, and made
it clear that the practice would
be stopped:
“When it comes to discipline,
whatever you allow, you
encourage. By being present, I
was encouraging it. This
happened because of me and I
had to wake up.”

Electricity: Obama pledges $7bn to Nigeria, others

President Barack Obama
| credits: File copy

Nigeria has been named among seven African nations that will benefit from a $7bn intervention fund pledged by the United States President Barack Obama for the upgrade of power supply in sub Saharan Africa.

The dire state of power supply in the region got Obama’s attention on Sunday as the US President, currently on a tour of three African nations, pledged $7bn to help combat frequent power blackouts in sub-Saharan Africa.

The CNN quoted a White House statement on Sunday, as reporting that the funds from the initiative, Power Africa, would be distributed over the next five years.

Other African countries listed for the $7bn largesse are Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique.

“These countries have set ambitious goals in electric power generation, and are making the utility and energy sector reforms to pave the way for investment and growth,” the White House statement said.

According to the statement, more than two-thirds of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is without electricity, and more than 85 per cent of those living in rural areas lack access to the facility.

In view of this, the White House said sub-Saharan Africa would need more than $300bn to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

Despite the huge investments committed to the power sector under the Olusegun Obasdanjo regime, power supply has remained abysmally poor in Nigeria.

As such, Nigerians spend about $11bn annually on energy generation through the usage of generators, which involved the usage of fuel.

 The best the country has got is a 6,500 Mega Watts capacity and contrary to the claims in government quarters that the country was generating at least 4,500MW of electricity daily, it was gathered that the figure was significantly lower than that.

PHCN statistics showed that the last time the country generated 4,500MW of electricity was on December 23, 2012.

This means that all the power generation plants in the country have not generated up to 4,000MW since January 2013 due to consistent system collapse.

Recently, power generation in the country dropped by 1,598 megawatts following the vandalism of two major gas pipelines supplying gas to eight power generating stations.

The White House statement said the $7bn fund would help sub Saharan African countries upgrade power supply and enhance the lives of their citizens.

Gunmen free 175 prisoners in Akure jailbreak

• Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko (left) with Comptroller of Prison in the state, Olatunde Olayiwola, during Mimiko’s visit to the Olokuta Medium Security Prison, in Akure ... on Sunday.(L), An escape hole in the wall of the prison. Photo: SaharaReporters.

There was pandemonium in the early hours of Sunday when gunmen, numbering about 30, invaded the Olokuta Medium Security Prisons in Akure, Ondo State capital, and set about 175 inmates free.

The bandits, according to eyewitnesses, arrived at the prison premises, which is less than one kilometre away from the headquarters of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, also known as Owena Barracks, around 12. 05am, shooting indiscriminately.

The armed men were said to have gained entry into the prison by using dynamite to blow off a section of the walls, after a futile attempt to enter through the main entrance.

A source said one of the warders was hit by the attackers’ bullets, was ordered to release the keys to the cells, and was also forced to set the inmates free.

Our correspondent observed on Sunday afternoon that the walls of the prisons were riddled with bullets, while all the street lights, leading to the prison, were also destroyed.

The state Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Tunde Olayiwola, who lamented the development, described the attack as unusual.

He expressed the hope that the prisons authority would soon bring the culprits to book.

Olayiwola said, “The incident happened around 12. 05am. The rumour that the attack was masterminded by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, is not true.

“We cannot specifically identify  those behind the attack, but the attack is unusual. One of our officers was injured during the attack and he is in the hospital right now receiving treatment. However, I am assuring you that those behind the attack will be brought to book.

“The attack is the first of its kind in the history of the prison because the prison has not experienced such an attack since its establishment.”

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered on Sunday that some of the prisoners, who were set free by the hoodlums, had already been rearrested by security agents in the state.

It was  learnt that  some of the prisoners were picked by the security agents at some of the brothels within the town and neighboring villages near the prison, where some of them were identified and rearrested.

The situation had been brought under control when our correspondent visited the scene on Sunday, as a detachment of security agents had been stationed at the prison.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Patrick Dokumor, and some government functionaries, led by the Attorney-General of the state and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, visited the prison.

The Public Relations Officer of the state police Command, Mr. Wole Ogodo, confirmed the attack, adding that the  command had contacted the prison authorities on the issue.

Ogodo said, “The information gathered on the jailbreak is still sketchy. The incident has nothing to do with terrorism, and we call on the people of the state to go about their  normal duties.

“The police will continue to protect lives and properties of the people of the state. All the security agencies within the state are working to track the criminals and all the hoodlums will be brought to book.”

Rihanna Roof Creeper Ordered to Get Mental Help

Here's a good lesson: don't creep around Rihanna's roof ... or you'll find yourself in a buttload of trouble.

TMZ broke the story ... Rihanna obtained a restraining order against a man named Robert Melanson after he was captured skulking around her roof on June 17th.

In addition to being hit with a restraining order, Melanson was charged with criminal trespassing.

Now the buttload of trouble part -- Melanson pled no contest this week to the trespassing charge, and was subsequently sentenced to time served in jail (6 days), 3 years probation, $344 in fines, and one year of mental health treatment.

It's no prison sentence ... but still, don't creep on people's roofs.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/29/rihanna-roof-stalker-restraining-order-robert-melanson/#ixzz2XmShF55b
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