NETPod: L.O.S premiere new single ‘Wish you could stay’

Urban Hip-Hop group L.O.S finally premiere their new single produced by monster beat maker Sarz.
It’s already looking like a bright year for the Storm Records quartet. Listen below…

27 Illegal Miners Buried Alive By Ghanaian Army

It was gathered that at least 27 illegal miners were buried alive in their pits at Obuasi in the Ashanti region on Wednesday March 20, 2013 during a joint operation by the National Security outfit and the Ghana Armed Forces, aimed at destroying and sealing off illegal mining pits in the area.

The trapped miners were however rescued in the dawn of Friday March 22, 2013 with the help of their colleagues who first suspected the entrapment after the military c*m national security operation.

Secretary to the Small Scale Miners Association in Obuasi, Rufus Borry alleged on Wednesday in an interview with XYZ News that “some of our colleagues were buried alive by the National Security Operation”.

The rescued miners looked weak and pale.

They had been trapped in the belly of the earth for more than 48 hours.

Rufus Borry who confirmed the rescue of the trapped miners to XYZ News said the exercise was done with the help of officers from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Bureau of National Investigations.

He however expressed concerns that a few of the miners could still be trapped in the belly of the earth.

Soldiers stormed some mining towns in Obuasi on Wednesday with bulldozers and other heavy earth moving equipment and machines to seal off all illegal mining pits without warning, according to Mr Borry.

The National Security-led operation angered scores of the small scale miners, who poured out on the streets to demonstrate.

Four of them were shot as they protested on the streets.

The Obuasi Police Command confirmed to Journalists at a press briefing on Thursday March 21, 2013 that three of those shot escaped from the Bryant Mission Hospital where they had been taken for treatment.

The other was transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for further treatment.

Mr. Borry told XYZ News that the Security Agencies had earlier told the local miners that the operation was meant to target only illegal foreign miners, mostly the Chinese.

He therefore expressed surprise at the turn of events.

The exercise formed part of the Government’s attempt to flush out illegal miners (Galamseyers) from Ghana.

The Director of Public Affairs at the Ghana Armed Forces, Col Atintande M’bawini told Obuasi-based Time FM on Wednesday that as part of measures to ensure that illegal miners don’t return after they had been flushed out, the joint exercise had adopted a strategy of staying and mounting surveillance in areas where they have crippled the illegal mining activities.

He noted that: “The intention is not to kill people; it is just to stop the incidence of illegal mining”.

He however warned that those who resist will be arrested adding that: “In some place where they carry offensive weapons, off course if you fire at us we’ll fire back at you, there’s no big deal about that”.

Are These Truly The Leaders Of Tomorrow?

A school where students seat on the floor to write exams and you expect them to pass? And you preach against exam malpractice? And you lie to them that they are the leaders of tomorrow when they are not even sure of surviving today. This isn't funny at all when we have a Governor who is so 'generous' to give out 6 million Naira for Six packs of 'Mr Biggs' meal. This isn't funny when we realise a bunch of 'leaders' who are only self-seeking and are interested in 2015 electioneering. Which way my dear country? Check out some more pictures of the pathetic state these kids find themselves in.

Barrack Obama Invites First Black Miss Israel To Dinner

Obama in Israel

U.S. president Barack Obama has extended an invitation to Yityish Aynaw, the first black Miss Israel, to attend a state dinner hosted at Israeli president Shimon Peres’ home, reports the Guardian. It’s only three weeks since the 21-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli was announced winner of the beauty pageant that has run uninterrupted for 63 years.

Now Aynaw can look forward to dining alongside the country’s dignitaries and an American president she considers one of her role models. “I was influenced and inspired by Obama,” she told the BBC. “Like him, I was also raised by my grandmother… and I also had to work very hard and long to achieve things in my life. To this day he inspires me just as he inspires the rest of the world.” According to Aynaw she has more in common with the U.S. president than one would imagine; “I’m the first black Miss Israel to be chosen and [Obama] is the first black American president. These go together,” she told the Jerusalem Post.

Yityish Aynaw

Aynaw was born in the town of Gondar in northwest Ethiopia. When she was one year old her father died, and ten years later, after her mother died, she was sent to live with her maternal grandparents who had immigrated to Israel. Growing up she heard stories of Israel — the land of “milk and honey” — but life in a new country, learning a new language, was a huge challenge for the 12-year-old. “It wasn’t easy because I couldn’t speak the language and I was put into a regular class without any help,” Aynaw told the BBC.

During the 2013 Miss Israel competition Aynaw told the judges that the time had come for a black woman to wear the crown. “It’s important that a member of the Ethiopian community win the competition for the first time,” she told the panel. “There are many different communities of many different colors in Israel, and it’s important to show that to the world,” writes the Guardian.

She also decided to take part in the competition using her real Ethiopian name. When the Miss Israel contest first began some contestants chose to use “pure” Hebrew names over their ethic identities, notes Tablet Magazine, whereas Aynaw was determined to use her birth name. “I was born sick, but my mom believed I had a future,” she says. Yitayish is Amharic for “look,” or as Aynaw explains it, “looking toward the future.”

There are an estimated 120,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel, and they frequently complain of being discriminated against, reports the BBC. Indeed, some have reportedly taken to calling her “toffee queen,” instead of yoffee (Hebrew for beauty) queen. Nevertheless, Semai Elias, a spiritual leader in the Ethiopian Jewish community, is optimistic that Israeli people will come around. “There is hope that Israeli society has gotten a little bit more open,” he told Tablet Magazine. [BBC]

Iyanya in top gear for Canadian tour

Nigeria’s latest pop sensation, Iyanya, is currently warming up for his first Canadian Tour.

NET gathered that the tour which is being organized by his label, Made Men Music Group (MMG) will kick off in Toronto on April 26, 2013 and round off in Vancouver in May 5, 2013.

Other venues include Winnipeg, April 29; Calgary, May 3; Edmonton, May 4.

Iyanya who recently released his album, ‘Iyanya VS Desire’ was a winner of the inaugural MTN Project Fame show in 2008.

Ever since his ‘Kukere’, ‘Ur Waist’ and ‘Flavour’ smash hit singles along with the now famous Etighi dance moves, he has become a household name in the music industry, leaving behind many years of struggling…

Lionel Messi get a tattoo of his son's Hand

LOOKS like someone’s left their mark on Lionel Messi’s priceless left peg. But Barcelona fans don’t need to worry — it’s a tattoo of his baby son’s hand. The Argentinian striker’s girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo gave birth to Thiago in November. Leo, 25, tweeted a pic of his tat yesterday — to show his classy ink-up play. See Tattoo

100 soldiers storm terror suspects’ hideouts in Lagos, Arrest Chadian With Bombs & Ammunition

 

Fear gripped many residents of Lagos  on Thursday  when news  filtered in that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects’ hideouts in Ijora, a  densely populated part of the city.

The soldiers, who were assisted by men of the State Security Service, were  believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have arrived in the area around 7am in search of the suspects said to be  members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.

It was learnt that their search yielded fruits  when  two persons were arrested at 24 Aromire Street and three others at a location in an adjacent street.

The soldiers then ransacked the building at Aromire Street  where one of the arrested persons,  Ibrahim Musa,  occupies five rooms. A bomb  kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms in Musa’s apartment was recovered by the soldiers.

Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was  said to be leader of the suspects.

Other items found  were AK-47 rifles, cartridges and daggers.

The security  source, who craved anonymity,  added the raid was as a result of an investigation which began a month ago.

He said, “Security agents got information a month ago that there was a terrorist hideout in  the Seven-Up area of  Ijora. Although we were not sure if they were Boko Haram members or not, we did not want to take any chances so we decided to go and raid the place.

“It was discovered that the place was being run by a Chadian and arms were recovered during the raid,  including AK-47 riffles. Investigations are ongoing and those who are found not culpable will be released.”

Musa’s neighbour,  who craved anonymity, told one of our correspondents that they did not suspect  he  was a member of Boko Haram.

He said the suspect  moved into the house less than three months ago.

“Musa rented  his  apartment  about three months ago. However, since he moved in with  his wife, who recently had a baby  and a brother, none of them  had any known form of livelihood. Musa and his brother, particularly were always going about with their laptops and expensive phones.

“Though he (Musa) was not working, he was usually the first to pay for anything in the house. It was when the soldiers came that we got to know what they truly are. It was in the course of beating him (Musa) that he told the soldiers where he hid the bomb and   guns.”

Another  resident of the area, who identified himself simply as Olu, said that when  the suspects were  being taken away by the soldiers “we did not know they were living here.”

“When soldiers were taking them away, we wondered if they were living in the neighbourhood. It was my neighbour, who told me he had seen Musa once or twice,” he said.

Olu said when the soldiers were going, they told them to be vigilant in the area, saying Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area, particularly the Hausa settlement.

When one of our correspondents  met  the Ojora of Ijora  , Oba Fatai Adeyinka,  he  said he was shocked that Boko Haram members had infiltrated  the area.

The spokesman for the Army 81 Division, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid but said the army had been carrying out constant raids across the state in response to the rising level of insecurity in the country.

Umoh said over 36 people had been arrested recently. He however said he had yet to receive  the details of Thursday’s operation.

He said, “The Nigerian Army is carrying out a proactive approach. We are raiding every nook and cranny of the state in order to rid it of criminal elements. We are not ignorant of the insecurity in the country so we are carrying out preventive measures and we want to make sure that Lagos is safe for all its inhabitants.

“The raids have been in collaboration with sister agencies like the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the SSS, the police and others. It is the OP MESA of the army that is at the forefront of the raids and we have recorded many successes of late as we have also arrested some soldiers who were found wanting.

“I will not be able to brief you fully about Thursday’s raid.”

Lagos State Director, SSS, Achu Olayi, also confirmed the raid but  said that it was too soon for him  to say if the suspects were Boko Haram members or not.

The   raid on Thursday  on the predominantly Hausa settlement came a month after the SSS uncovered  a terror network coordinated by Iranians in Lagos.

The SSS had said while parading a leader of an Islamic sect, Abdullahi Berende, and two others that they  believed  that  the  operators of the Iranian terror cell were  gathering information about Israelis and Americans living in Nigeria.