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Sunday, 14 June 2015
EU court allows ending life support for comatose man
The European Court of Human Rights on Friday confirmed a decision by a French court last year that Vincent Lambert had been clear he did not want to be kept in a vegetative state.
The court's ruling said withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration would not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lambert's family members disagree on whether to keep him alive artificially. His wife wants doctors to stop life support for him but his parents disagree.
"There's no relief, no joy to express. We'd just like his will to be done", Lambert's wife Rachel said following the ruling of the Strasbourg-based court.
The lawyer for Lambert's parents, Jean Paillot, expressed "great disappointment" and called on doctors to reassess Lambert's condition and "make a new medical decision", stressing that the initial decision had been taken in January 2014.
"We'll continue to fight", said Lambert's mother.
Euthanasia, which involves an act to kill the patient, is not legal in France. But end-of-life legislation allows doctor to stop treatments in certain cases, following a complex process that includes consultation with the family.
Vincent Lambert's case has prompted political movement on the issue.
A new bill, backed by the Socialist government, is currently under discussion in Parliament to allow doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated until death comes.
Terminal or palliative sedation doesn't actively kill patients. It involves medicating patients until they die naturally of their illnesses or until they starve.
But critics say it means patients can be sedated for weeks before they die and that it may be more humane to opt for euthanasia.
All recent polls have shown that a large majority of French people favour legalising euthanasia.
Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Irish FA accepted $5m from FIFA over 2009 playoff loss
Ireland were knocked out in a two-legged playoff by France for the the 2010 South Africa World Cup, with the decisive goal in the second-leg coming after a handball by French striker Thierry Henry in extra-time.
With moral outrage over the goal in Ireland and beyond growing, FIFA and the FAI came to a financial agreement not to proceed with legal action.
| It was a payment to the association... not to proceed with a legal case. |
"In January 2010 FIFA entered into an agreement with FAI in order to put an end to any claims against FIFA," it said in a statement.
"FIFA granted FAI a loan of $5m for the construction of a stadium in Ireland. At the same time, UEFA also granted the FAI funds for the same stadium.
"The terms agreed between FIFA and the FAI were that the loan would be reimbursed if Ireland qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ireland did not qualify.
"Because of this, and in view of the FAI's financial situation, FIFA decided to write off the loan as per 31 December 2014."
Former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Henry stopped the ball going out of play with his hand, before crossing for William Gallas to score.
The game in Paris in 2009 ended 1-1 after with France progressing to the World Cup 2-1 on aggregate.
'Good agreement for the FAI'
FAI chief executive John Delaney criticised FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the time for his handling of the incident and accused the Swiss of being "disrespectful".
Speaking to Irish state broadcaster RTE on Thursday, Delaney said: "It was a payment to the association... not to proceed with a legal case.
"So that day when I went in and told him how I felt about him... there were some expletives used, we came to an agreement... It was a very good agreement for the FAI, a very legitimate agreement for the FAI."
FIFA is currently in the middle of the biggest crisis in football history.
Nine FIFA officials and five business executives were indicted by the US last Wednesday on corruption charges, with seven arrested in Zurich ahead of FIFA's annual congress on Friday.
Blatter was re-elected president for a fifth term but just four days after the appointment, he confirmed he will be stepping down. It was then reported that the FIFA boss was under investigation by the FBI.
There have also been renewed calls for Russia and Qatar to be stripped of hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Yemen president sacks Saleh nephew as military attache
Thursday's announcement came on the same day that former al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) informant Hani Muhammad Mujahid told Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit that the brigadier had handed him funds for the 2008 attack on the US embassy in Sanaa, which killed 18 people.
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a presidential decree on Thursday "calling for the dismissal of Brigadier Ammar Mohammed Abdullah Saleh from his military duties as a military attache in Ethiopia".
Mujahid also alleged that the brigadier had a close relationship with Qasim al-Raymi, AQAP's military commander.
The former informant made the claims to Al Jazeera for a documentary called Al-Qaeda Informant, which focuses on his allegations that former President Saleh supported, and even directed, AQAP while he was Yemen's leader.
Spain demand
During his work as an informant, Mujahid said he provided information about both the US embassy assault and an attack that killed eight Spanish tourists in July 2007. In both cases, he says his information was ignored.
On Thursday, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Esteve Maso, a survivor of the 2007 car bomb attack at the Balqis Temple in Marib, Yemen, had called on Spanish judges and prosecutors to reopen their investigation into the bombing.
Maso lost his wife in the bombing, which also killed two Yemenis.
Judge Fernando Andreu of the Audiencia Nacional led the investigation in 2007.
A team of investigators went to Yemen at the time. But after giving an initial response to a request for information, Yemeni authorities failed to reply to Spanish investigators and so the case in Madrid was closed, pending new information.
Peace talks
Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi rebels agreed on Thursday to join UN-backed peace talks in Geneva planned for June 14.
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
NEITI urges Buhari to recover N1.4tn from oil companies
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to consider the recovery of over $7.5bn (N1.4tn) from oil and gas companies operating in the country as a major priority of his economic policy agenda expected to be unfolded very soon.
The agency said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the amount represented clear cases of underpayment and under-assessment of taxes, royalties and rents revealed by NEITI in its independent audit reports on the industry, which had not been adequately addressed.
The statement quoted the Executive Secretary, NEITI, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to have made the call in Abuja at an oil and gas conference to articulate an agenda for the new administration in support of the proposed industry reforms.
She explained that at a time when the new administration was in dire need of funds to tackle complex problems facing the nation, recovery of the amount should be pursued vigorously with political will and the seriousness it deserved.
Ahmed gave the assurance that NEITI was ready and willing to provide every information and data to assist the government to recover the funds.
She also said that a total of $11.6bn, which represents outstanding total dividends arising from loans and interest repayment from Federal Government’s investment in Liquefied Natural Gas, also needed to be recovered into the government’s coffers.
She said, “Our 2012 audit report discovered that total dividend, loans and interest repayment from the LNG paid to the NNPC in 2012 was $2.8bn; however, in the course of NEITI’s audit, the NNPC was unable to provide any evidence that the funds were remitted to the Federation Account as required by law.
“The total amount received by the NNPC from the LNG under the same circumstances, which has not been remitted to the Federation Account, stands at $11.6bn.”
Ahmed also used the forum to call for full investigation into the transfer of eight oil wells sold by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company in 2010 and 2011.
“The position of NEITI is that the whole transaction is not transparent,” she added.
She also used the forum to convey NEITI’s position for the removal of oil subsidy on petroleum products in order to save the nation from huge revenue loss and embarrassment that the management of the subsidy scheme represented.
“It has been the position of NEITI that the oil subsidy regime is a fraud that should not be allowed to stand any longer; the amount spent annually is enough to repair the refineries or even build new ones,” Ahmed said.
The NEITI boss advised the new administration to provide the political will required for the implementation of the other findings and recommendations contained in the agency’s independent reports.
Senators deny boycotting House of Assembly vote
Abuja - A group of senators, under the platform of the Unity Forum, have rejected the election of Bukola Saraki as the Senate President.
The legislators, while addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, also refuted reports they boycotted the poll to choose House leaders, as has been widely reported.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Banabas Gemade, said they were attending a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre.
“We did not boycott the inauguration, we were invited to a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Gemade said.
The legislators, while addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, also refuted reports they boycotted the poll to choose House leaders, as has been widely reported.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Banabas Gemade, said they were attending a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre.
“We did not boycott the inauguration, we were invited to a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Gemade said.
He said the members that voted did not constitute a quorum.
"When 53 Senators are outside during the nomination it is totally wrong to close the nomination,” Gemade said.
In his reaction, George Akume said the election of Senate President through a ballot without 53 legislators was "wrong."
"Before we could rush from the venue of the meeting with the President, the election was over," said Akume.
Bukola was elected on Tuesday.
"When 53 Senators are outside during the nomination it is totally wrong to close the nomination,” Gemade said.
In his reaction, George Akume said the election of Senate President through a ballot without 53 legislators was "wrong."
"Before we could rush from the venue of the meeting with the President, the election was over," said Akume.
Bukola was elected on Tuesday.
Hotel attendant arraigned after beating up lover
Lagos - A hotel attendant, Adie Fidelis-Ugbe, 26, on Wednesday appeared before an Abule Egba Magistrates' Court in Lagos for allegedly beating up his lover.
The accused, who lives at No. 23, Omo Isreal St., Oke-Odo in Abule Egba, near Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and assault.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
But the Prosecutor, Insp. Racheal Williams, told the court that the offences were committed on June 2 at the residence of the accused.
Williams said that the accused and another person still at large beat up Ugbe’s lover, Blessing Michael.
"The complainant met another lady in Fidelis-Ugbe’s compound and a fight ensued between the ladies.
"As the fight raged on, the accused took side and started beating Michael.
"And when Michael wanted to take some of the electronics she allegedly bought with her money, Fidelis-Ugbe and his accomplice beat the complainant," she said.
The offences, according to the prosecutor, contravene Sections 171 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Magistrate, Mrs Adenike Shonubi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.
She adjourned the case till July 22 for hearing.
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