R.I.P: Cameroon Midfielder Found Dead In His Apartment In France

Mezague was part of Cameroon's 2003 Confederations Cup team. He was found dead on Saturday, same day the Indomitable Lions played DR Congo in an AFCON Qualifier: Valery Mezague had been ruled out of football for four months following his involvement in a car crash in 2004. The 30 year-old former Portsmouth midfielder was found dead Saturday, in his French home, same day the Indomitable Lions were to take on Democratic Republic of Congo in an AFCON 2015 qualifier Mezague joined Portsmouth on a loan spell in 2004 from parent club, Montpellier and made 11 appearances Before his death, he plied his trade with French fifth division club, Sporting Toulon Var. he was also a member of Cameroon’s 2003 Confederations Cup team which also had Marc Vivien Foe who died during the competition Cause of death is yet unknown, and French police say there see no suspicion in his death until an autopsy is conducted on Monday to ascertain the situation "An autopsy will he held on Monday. We do not currently have any suspicions (of criminal activity)." His old club, Sporting Toulon also had this to say: “It is with great sadness that Sporting Toulon informs you of the death of Valery Mezague.”

Aaliyah And R. Kelly: Stars' Mystery Romance Shown In New Biopic

Lifetime’s new film: Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B is telling the truth about the stars' alleged marriage and love life... but how true was this story? - Lifetime’s new film: Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B » , has aired the story of R. Kelly » and the late Aaliyah and their mystery romance and marriage. Aaliyah was allegedly married, secretly and illegally, to R. Kelly in 1994 at the age of 15. Their controversial romance has remained one of the biggest mysteries of the superstar’s short life. But the truth behind their relationship was finally revealed in 'Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B' - which debuted yesterday, Nov. 15! Responding to questions about R. Kelly's role in the late singer's life, actress Alexandra Shipp, 23, who’s portraying the late Aaliyah » in the film said in a recent interview, “You kind of have to because he [R. Kelly] was such a monumental part in her career and the takeoff of her career. However she added: "This is a story about her life…but that being said, it’s Lifetime so there’s not going to be any sort of crazy sex scenes or anything like that. It has to be respectful." The movie focuses on Aaliyah’s rise to super- stardom, but dives much deeper than her career. Finally, viewers will see what went down with R. Kelly, as it’s been widely reported that the couple secretly wed and then annulled their marriage, though they both denied those allegations. Do you think the film should have shown what really happened between R. Kelly and Aaliyah?

Boko Haram: Terrorist Group Has 60,000 Fighters – Report

This was revealed by an inside source who was supposedly involved in initial peace talks with Boko Haram: According to reports, Boko Haram may have up to 60,000 fighters in its fast growing army. This was reportedly revealed to The Nation by an inside source who was supposedly involved in peace talks with the sect. The source also spoke on the solution to the insurgency and reasons why the Boko Haram problem is hard to tackle. “Boko Haram has nearly 10,000 ideological army and over 50,000 conscripts, including 40 per cent underage. We are not even counting numerous sect members in Abuja, Kano, Bauchi and in different parts of Nigeria, West Africa and as far as Sudan,” the source said. “Most of them prefer to die in battle than to be back to their camps safely due to the endemic indoctrination within the cult group. This is the reason why I always say here and everywhere that this crisis is far from over. The only thing for now: Ya Allah protect us and unite us to defeat our enemies.” the source added. The source said further that Boko Haram is running operations in Kogi and Lagos and has members in various parts of the country and as far as in Sudan. According to the source, the insurgency is far worse than Nigerians are being made to think and the way forward is for all citizens to come together and determine the root of the problem so as to find a solution.

Boko Haram: Terrorists Abduct 13 Women In Borno

The missing women were on their farms in Dalwa village when they were captured by members of Boko Haram:- According to reports, suspected Boko Haram members have abducted 13 women in the Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State. The missing women were on their farms in Dalwa Village when they were captured by the terrorists. The victims had been driven out of their homes by hunger and some of them were nursing mothers, Leadership reports. A spokesperson for the local vigilante, Muhammed Abbas Gava said: “The women, who had fled their homes when Boko Haram took over Damboa in July, had, out of hunger, wanted to go and make some harvest in their farms; the abductors took them away and up till now, we are not sure of what happened to them.” “One of our members, who was informed by a woman that managed to escape the abduction, said up till now, they have not heard any word about the women,” he added. The abducted women have reportedly been carted away to the nearby town of Damboa, which is under Boko Haram’s control.

Female Afghan MP survives suicide attack

Shukria Barakzaia, a high-profile advocate of women's rights, slightly wounded in blast that kills three people. A suicide bomber tried to assassinate a prominent female member of Afghanistan's parliament, killing three people and wounding the lawmaker, a senior official said. Shukria Barakzai was slightly wounded in Sunday’s attack on her vehicle as she was heading to parliament, interior ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said. Another three people, including a young girl, were killed, while at least 17 others were injured, he said. The attacker was in a car that attempted to ram Barakzai's vehicle. The assailant then detonated explosives, causing a massive blast that was heard across the capital, Sediqqi said. Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai visited Barakzai at the hospital, Sediqqi said, adding that her driver was also wounded and hospitalised. Barakzai, 42, is a high-profile advocate of women's rights and media freedom. She has been a member of parliament for 10 years and her work has been recognised internationally with a number of awards. She has spoken about receiving regular death threats. Shinkay Karokhil, another female MP, told the AFP news agency: "The target was a convoy of MPs who were driving toward the parliament. Shukria Barekzai was affected by the attack but she is fine." Afghanistan is grappling with a vicious insurgency led by the Taliban, who last week made a similar assassination attempt against Kabul's chief of police Gen. Mohammad Zahir Zahir. The attack came the day after President Ashraf Ghani ended a two-day visit to neighbouring Pakistan, which is blamed for sheltering Taliban leaders. Ghani, a supporter of better women's rights, said improved relations with Pakistan could aid security in the troubled region as US-led NATO combat troops leave Afghanistan after more than a decade of fighting the Taliban.

Turkish Leader Erdogan says Muslims discovered Americas

Turkish leader says Muslims, not Christopher Columbus, discovered continent in 1178, offering to build a mosque in Cuba. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Americas were discovered by Muslims in the 12th century, nearly three centuries before Christopher Columbus set foot there. "Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus," the president said in a televised speech during an Istanbul summit of Muslim leaders from Latin America. "Muslim sailors arrived in America from 1178. Columbus mentioned the existence of a mosque on a hill on the Cuban coast," Erdogan said. The president also said that Ankara was prepared to build a mosque at the site mentioned by the Genoese explorer, the AFP news agency reported. "I would like to talk about it to my Cuban brothers. A mosque would go perfectly on the hill today," he said. Most history books say that Columbus set foot on the American continent in 1492, while seeking a new maritime route to India. Some Muslim scholars have recently suggested a prior Muslim presence in the Americas, although no pre-Columbus ruin of an Islamic structure has ever been found. In a controversial article published in 1996, historian Youssef Mroueh refers to a diary entry from Columbus that mentions a mosque in Cuba. However, the passage is widely understood to be a metaphorical reference to the shape of the landscape.

CHINA VERSUS EBOLA: Chinese team lands in Liberia to fight Ebola

Group of 160 workers to staff clinic, built and run by Chinese personnel, after China came under fire for poor response. About 160 Chinese health workers have arrived in Liberia, where they are due to staff a new $41m Ebola clinic that, unlike most other foreign interventions, is being built and fully run by Chinese personnel. China, Africa's biggest trade partner, had come under fire for the level of its response to the Ebola crisis. But it said this week it would send 1,000 personnel to help fight an outbreak that has killed over 5,000 people in West Africa. "Up to now in Liberia, China is the only country which provides not only the construction of an ETU (Ebola treatment unit), but also the running and operation and the staffing of an ETU," Zhang Yue, the Chinese ambassador to Liberia, told the Reuters news agency. Yue said the new team in Liberia included a mix of doctors, nurses, technicians and engineers. "They experienced SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). They are very knowledgeable in this area," he said, referring to the contagious illness that was first identified in China in 2002 and killed several hundred people across the world. -Cuban contribution- On arrival, the Chinese health workers had their temperature taken and were made to wash their hands, a ritual adopted across the region as part of efforts to stem the disease. Yue said the establishment of the clinic in Liberia brought China's contribution to the anti-Ebola effort in the country to $122m. Before China's pledge to send 1,000 personnel, Cuba was the largest contributor of medical contingents to the crisis. Both nations will see their teams work closely alongside the United States, which is providing much of the infrastructure of the international response.

Protesters clash at Dutch 'Black Pete' event

Ninety people arrested as rival protesters scuffle at traditional festival for children which critics say is racist. Police arrested 90 people as protesters for and against the controversial "Black Pete" clashed at a traditional Dutch festival for children which critics say is racist, but that many locals defend as harmless fun in the run-up to Christmas. The event which started on Saturday in the central city of Gouda re-enacts the arrival of Saint Nicholas, bringing presents for children and helped by his sidekick Black Pete, who is invariably played by a white person with a blackened face. "Sixty people were arrested for demonstrating in unauthorised areas, and 30 for disturbing the peace," during the procession attended by thousands and broadcast live on national television, police spokeswoman Yvette Verboon told the AFP news agency. "Arrests were made on both sides," Verboon said amid an increasingly acrimonious and racially- charged debate in the Netherlands. State broadcaster NOS showed images of minor scuffles breaking out on the main square, where Saint Nicholas appeared on a balcony, with protesters unfurling a large banner reading "Black Pete Racism". Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the arrests "deeply, deeply sad". "Everyone can talk about Black Pete's colour but you can't disturb a children's party like that," he told NOS. Gouda mayor Milo Schoenmaker said the atmosphere had been "vicious". "It's a pity that adults from outside the city felt the need to demonstrate among the children at the end of the procession," national news agency ANP quoted Schoenmaker as saying. Public prosecutor spokesman Wouter Bos said all those held for demonstrating in the wrong place were anti-Black Pete protesters and they would be fined $275 each. 'Racist stereotype' The debate around Black Pete, called Zwarte Piet in Dutch, has divided the Netherlands. Many say that Pete - traditionally dressed in a gaudy medieval costume with a blackened face, red lips and an afro wig - is a racist stereotype dating from the colonial era. Black Pete's defenders say he is black from coming down the chimney and refuse to admit there might be anything racist about the historic character. This year Saint Nicholas and dozens of Petes arrived in Gouda aboard a gift-filled boat from Spain in a national event looked forward to by children. For the first time, the mayor introduced other coloured Petes, angering many. They include "Cheese Petes" with yellow faces, "Stroopwafel Petes" with striped, light brown faces resembling the traditional Dutch syrup biscuit of the same name and a white-faced "Clown Pete". Nevertheless, protesters attended Saturday's annual procession wearing T-shirts reading "Black Pete Colonial Symbol" or "Black Pete Doesn't Fit". "Some black kids feel hurt at this time of year," said a man at the procession who gave his name as Knoledge. "It's a real shame that in a civilised country, in 2014, you still have to defend equality," he told AFP. "If we were seen as equals, Black Pete would have been changed a long time ago so that this celebration is for all Dutch people," he said. At a press conference after the procession, the man playing the role of Saint Nicholas was asked if he had followed the Black Pete debate. "It will all work itself out," he said. "Nobody should be worried."

7 HOURS AGO: US top general predicts drawn-out ISIL battle

Martin Dempsey, on visit to Baghdad, claims progress but warns that US mission will last for several years. The United States' top military officer has told American troops on a surprise visit to Baghdad that the momentum in the battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was "starting to turn", but predicted a drawn-out campaign lasting several years. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was on Saturday visiting Iraq for the first time since President Barack Obama responded to ISIL advances this summer by ordering troops back into a country they left in 2011. Hours earlier, an Iraqi army colonel said security forces appeared close to retaking the country's biggest refinery at Beiji, which has been under siege for months by ISIL. Obama last week authorised roughly doubling the number of American ground forces as the military expands the reach of its advisers after slowing ISIL's advances with US air strikes. Dempsey told the troops the US military had helped Iraqi and Kurdish forces "pull Iraq back from the precipice", Reuters news agency reported. "And now, I think it's starting to turn. So well done," Dempsey told a group of Marines at the US embassy in Baghdad. ISIL has captured swathes of territory in both Iraq and Syria, where the United States is also conducting air strikes with its allies in pursuit of Obama's declared objective to "degrade and destroy" the group. 'Bunch of midgets' Dempsey said it had been crucial to show ISIL was not an unstoppable, 10-foot-tall force and instead "a bunch of midgets running around with a really radical ideology". He was hardly triumphant, however. Earlier, he visited a Joint Operations Centre and watched a live video feed of a location showing Islamic State's black flag waving. Thirty-six people were kidnapped by ISIL in western Iraq on Saturday, security sources said, members of the same tribe reportedly massacred in the hundreds by the group recently. Dempsey repeatedly made the point that military force could not root out ISIL unless Iraq's government manages to work across the Sunni- Shia divide. Building trust would take time. So would the US mission, he said. "How long? Several years," said Dempsey. About 1,400 US troops are now in Iraq. Obama's new authorisation allows for deployment of up to 3,100. After meeting senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad including Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi, Dempsey travelled to Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan semi-autonomous region in the north.

Ex-military chiefs to FG: Block Boko Haram food supply

Former senior military officers have asked President Goodluck Jonathan to declare total war on Boko Haram. The retired senior officers, including a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH in seperate interviews, insisted that there was the need for the Federal Government to cut off food and fuel supplies to the insurgents to weaken their strength. They said government should engage the sect head-on to end the insurgency by the group . To prosecute the war, they also advised the Federal Government to consider other alternatives to the United States on arms procurement. Although President Jonathan had, in his nationwide Democracy Day broadcast in Abuja on May 29, 2014, directed the armed forces to launch a full-scale military operation against Boko Haram, the Generals expressed the belief that the war against the insurgents was not full-scale yet. To clarify what total war implies, a retired Colonel in the Nigerian Army, Paul Ogbebor, told SUNDAY PUNCH it was distinct from other types of war. He said, “There are many types of war. We have insurgency and the operational mode is internal security operations; that is what we have been doing. There is the guerrilla warfare, which the terrorists are using; they hit and melt away. “We also have the conventional warfare, which the President and Commander-in-Chief must declare and determine the mode. It could be a police action, which is the lowest level of warfare. He could say he is fighting a war of invasion on enemies encroaching on our territory. That is the type of war we should be fighting now to uproot the enemy.” Ogbebor, who is one of the first Nigerians to be admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, stressed that the country had yet to begin a full war as it had not applied its national might. “When you say you are fighting a war, it means that the federal troops are the friendly forces, while Boko Haram should be the enemy forces. It also means that the friendly forces must do everything to defeat the sect. “As of now, we are fighting insurgency. It is not a national task because, if it were, everything would be directed towards it,” he said. He, however, said that with less than 200,000 military officers, the country lacked adequate forces to engage in full-scale fighting. He stated that adequate recruitment of both new and retired officers (reserves) to fill up the loopholes was required. Ogbebor said, “The army of 150,000 should be quickly built up to a minimum of about 500,000 so that we can capture the ground and occupy it sufficiently. Retired officers should remain in their places and join the police for internal security. Internal security should go side by side with total war. What happened in Kontagora or Yobe should not happen; we should have men on the ground for surveillance.” Citing the Nigerian Civil War, also referred to as the Biafran War, Gowon told SUNDAY PUNCH the purpose of the war was to defeat the insurgents who decided to take up arms against the state. He said if the aim of Boko Haram was to divide the country, then all efforts must be geared towards crushing the sect. “We are not fighting the people; we are fighting these insurgent groups. Just like during the civil war, I did not fight all the Igbo people, I only fought those who took up arms against the authorities. There was the order that whatever you do, you should not harm the ordinary people: women, children and old people. It is only those who took up arms against you. That is really the meaning of all-out war — not against the people. “If the people are backing them (Boko Haram), then they have to contend with the fury of government to restore law and order. I think this is the way it should be understood. It is not fighting a war against the ordinary people, who, in any way, would be running away from the war. “If anyone takes up arms against you and decides to establish what they call an Islamic state, then I think you can deal with them, because they are really trying to break the country and that must not be allowed,” Gowon said. On the implications of the war on civilians in the affected areas, Ogbebor said the effects could be managed by the Federal Government as was done during the Nigerian Civil War. He said, “There is always such a situation in the enemy’s territory where we have to find a way to cut off supplies to the enemies — food, water, communication and electricity — in order to stop things that will encourage them to continue with the war. We had that in the civil war and it was effective. Similarly, a former Military Administrator of Bauchi and Osun states, Col. Theophilus Bamigboye (retd.) said he was in support of the Federal Government declaring a full-scale war against Boko Haram. He told one of our correspondents on Friday that the menace of the insurgents and their occupation of territories in Nigeria were taking a long time and it was bad for the image of the country. Like Gowon and Ogbebor, he expressed his support for any measure taken to flush out the insurgents and return normalcy to the troubled areas. Bamigboye stated that there was the need to adopt high-powered intelligence to know the actual location of the insurgents and the most appropriate approach to adopt to end their menace. He said, “You can imagine the strategies adopted (by Nigerian forces) so far and the insurgents are still occupying some Nigerian territories; the issue is still on. I will advocate for a full-scale war so that we can finish the insurgents. It is no longer a local thing. “We should declare a conventional warfare so that we can deal with this situation and forget about it because the pain and the destruction are going on for too long. I will support a full-scale war against the insurgents.” In the same vein, a former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), said “total war” had begun in Nigeria since 2009, when Boko Haram began its attacks. He said, “Nigeria has been at war with Boko Haram in the last four and a half years. The President simply made an emphasis in his speech, perhaps out of anger concerning what had transpired two or three months before, where Boko Haram had been torturing one town after another. “He was simply trying to emphasise that Nigeria was indeed at war and that all hands must be on deck in this war against Boko Haram. Many politicians have considered the Boko Haram attacks as insurgency happening in a distant corner of Nigeria.” The former military administrator pointed out that Boko Haram was to Nigeria what ISIS was to the Middle East, adding that they both threatened global peace and security. Efforts to get the Presidency to comment on the calls for total war were unsuccessful. A presidency source, who would not have his name mentioned, simply asked SUNDAY PUNCH to direct its enquiries to the Army. But attempts to get the reaction of the Defence Headquarters on the issue did not yield any result as calls made to the Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, indicated that his phone was either switched off or out of network coverage area. However, findings by our correspondents indicated that Olukolade was out of the country.