Migrants beaten with metal batons at sea for asking for food or to use toilet on boat

MIGRANT children trapped on boats were beaten with metal batons for asking to use the toilet, it has emerged.

\Rohingya migrants are pictured on a boat off the southern Thai island of Koh Lipe in the Andaman Sea

The desperate cargo of refugees fleeing war and persecution were subjected to hours of humiliation and torture aboard leaking vessels.

Amnesty International has warned of “chilling” abuse of girls as young as 15, with one victim’s father forced to listen on the phone as the crew assaulted her.

Many were ordered to pay huge sums of money - sometimes more than £1,000 - to be allowed to leave the boat and then were thrown overboard to their deaths if they did not pay.

he harrowing accounts detail the plight of the Rohingya who are escaping persecution in Myanmar. 

Amnesty conducted interview with more than 100 refugees who endured the abuse in May

Anna Shea, Refugee Researcher at Amnesty International, said: “The daily physical abuse faced by Rohingya who were trapped on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea is almost too horrific to put into words. 

“They had escaped Myanmar, but had only traded one nightmare for another. Even children were not spared these abuses.”

Hundreds have lost their lives in the seas off the coast of Myanmar.

UN estimates put the death toll at 370 but Amnesty said the true number was likely to be far higher. 

Many Rohingya told the charity that they had seen crew members kill people when their families failed to pay ransoms. 

Rohingya migrants bring back food supplies dropped by a Thai army helicopter

n overladen boat packed with refugees

Some were shot by the traffickers on the boats while others were thrown overboard and left to drown. 

A lack of food and water and disease claimed more lives, the report found. 

People were beaten with metal or plastic batons – sometimes for several hours at a time – simply for begging for food, moving or asking to use the toilet, and many have been left with long-term physical or psychological scars from the violence.

One 15-year old Rohingya boy said: “In the morning you were hit three times. In the afternoon you were hit three times. At night you were hit nine times.” 

Rations usually consisted of a small cup of rice per day and many of the Rohingya who reached Indonesia were emaciated, had difficulty walking after being cramped for so long, and suffered from dehydration, malnourishment, bronchitis, and flu.

Amnesty is now calling on governments in southeast Asia to act to prevent another human rights disaster at sea.

This is a REAL asylum seeker: Boko Haram girl tells of miracle escape from Islamic psychos

A SCHOOLGIRL kidnapped to become a jihadi wife has spoken of her terror as she fled through blood-filled streets as terrorists waged a massacre in her town.

The Nigerian army have had to fight hard to regain villages and towns taken by Boko Haram

Victoria Youhana watched in horror as men had their heads hacked off with knives or were shot at point-blank range if they refused to join the ranks of soldiers from the notorious militant Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria.

"The noise, the smell, the sound of gunshots and the sights of men you have always seen around your town being killed in front of you is something you never get over," said 15-year-old Victoria.

With her hair woven into pretty plaits, an easy smile and beads around her neck, to the casual observer, she looks like any other teenager on the cusp of adulthood.

But as she recalls the horrors she's seen, pain flits across her eyes. It was destined to be a normal January day in Baga, which lies in the north east Borno State, as Victoria's mother Anna, gently woke her children as she got ready for work at around 6am.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk through an interpreter, Victoria, who is not an asylum seeker but in the UK to share her experiences of Boko Haram, said: "It was all fine until we heard the sound of bombs and gunfire.

"We were terrified - everyone knows about Boko Haram, even little children of five.

"We knew they kidnapped women, turned them into slaves and forced them to marry the fighters while Christians were shot or beheaded if they refused to convert to Islam. We had to get away quickly."

Rounding up her younger brothers aged ten, seven, five, three and two, Victoria and her mother left everything behind and fled from their homes, running for their lives.

The noise, the smell, the sound of gunshots and the sights of men you have always seen around your town being killed in front of you is something you never get over

Victoria Youhana

Rounding up her younger brothers aged ten, seven, five, three and two, Victoria and her mother left everything behind and fled from their homes, running for their lives.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian soldiers who had been drafted in to protect the area, had either been killed or dropped their weapons and run after facing a massive onslaught from the extremists who were armed with grenades, machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.

Victoria and her family were forced to dash around corpses strewn across roads turned into rivers of blood during the massacre which saw up to 2,000 people murdered and is described as the deadliest attack since Boko Haram began its campaign of violence in 2010.

However, as they made their getaway, they were confronted by the extremists who seized the family and marched them at gunpoint towards a group of other dispirited prisoners, mostly women and children, forcing them on a long trek to the Lawanti area of the town of Kukawa near Lake Chad.

Victoria said they were herded like cattle into a compound and did not know if they would be raped or killed.

She said: "We didn't know what was going to happen to us.

"The men who refused to become Boko Haram fighters were shot and killed.

"After a few days, the children were all rounded up for Islamic teaching and me and the other teenage girls were told we would be married to Boko Haram fighters."

Victoria said they were all well aware what had happened to the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok in 2014 where the Christian girls were forced to become boko haram or became jihadist wives in an outrage which sparked condemnation from across the world from such high profile figures as the actress Angelina Jolie.

It also sparked a social media campaign #bringbackourgirls

"We knew they were impregnated or infected with disease. We were so scared we couldn't sleep.

"We'd nod off before jerking awake, back into this nightmare.

"Sometimes we were fed scraps of food and sometimes we got nothing at all. Terrified and hungry, that's what it was like. It was a prison camp."

After 13 days, and with grim determination, Anna declared her children were not going to endure the fate of the Chibok girls and in hushed whispers, hatched a plan to escape.

During the night, while the terrorists were on another marauding mission, they crept out of the camp.

Victoria said: "We were terrified of being discovered and just kept going, walking through the dark forest, trying to be quiet, all the while afraid we'd be caught and killed."

For seven hours, Victoria, her mother and the little boys trudged through the undergrowth, using overhead power cables to guide them to a town.

Hundreds of Nigerians now live in refugee camps after they fled Boko Haram

As they were walking they were spotted by soldiers, and their initial terror turned to tears of joy when they realised they were government troops who gleefully transported them to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

The traumatised family were taken into the custody of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, where they were fed, clothed and housed under the kind genorousity of the Bishop, the Most Reverend Oliver Dashe.

Victoria and her siblings were also provided with trauma counselling to help them come to terms with what had happened.

A devout Christian, Victoria said it was her faith that helped her throughout the ordeal.

She said: "We prayed to God daily and he helped us escape.

"I am now moving on with my life now and looking forward to getting back to school."

Victoria has been brought to the UK by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need as part of its Persecuted and Forgotten project which aims to highlight the suffering of people persecuted for their religion.

John Pontifex, spokesman for the charity, said: "Victoria's family are determined that as many people as possible hear about the crimes being committed by Boko Haram."

Father Gideon Obasogie, communications director for the Diocese of Maiduguri, who has accompanied Victoria on her short trip to the UK, said: "Boko Haram has become an enemy of humanity, willing to kill anything from humans - both Christians and Muslims - to small animals drinking water. The world needs to wake up to the threat of extremists. They are against life."

Woman who sent husband saucy Snapchat pics accused of CHEATING after he spotted one thing

A WOMAN who sent her husband a series of raunchy lingerie snaps on Snapchat was rumbled when the pictures revealed photos of another man's BOOTS.

What were these men's boots doing in this hotel room?

The wife, known only as Chelsea, took saucy pictures of herself wearing a bra and panties and sent them to her unnamed husband using the picture sharing phone app.

The first picture showed her posing in black underwear with the message: "Hotel room! Going to sleep soon."

No sign of boots in this picture

"Stop lying Chelsea, I know you're not alone in that hotel room," he replied.

Chelsea shot back "Yes I am!" before saying she would "never cheat" on her husband.

He replied: "Then why the f*** are there MEN'S BOOTS in your second snapchat. I can't go through this again. I'm calling a lawyer."

Stop lying Chelsea

Husband

he second picture showed Chelsea standing up and posing from behind - however, a pair of men's boots was seen clearly on the floor near her.

The series of photos were published on US website The Chive.

But some have questioned their authenticity with a number of social media users dismissing the cheating scandal, photos and subsequent text messages as "fake"

ISIS conducts more executions of men for being gay

On June 3, 2015, Islamic State (ISIS) operatives in Iraq's Ninveh province published photos of a public execution in Mosul of three men convicted of acts of homosexuality.The three men were blindfolded and dropped head first from the roof of a tall building in front of a large crowd of spectators, including children.

Children watch as a lion is dissected at a Danish zoo - WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Dozens of zoo spectators cover their noses from the stench as a young male lion's bloody organs are shown to "educate" the crowd.

Church leader guilty of funneling $35 million to wife's pop music career

SINGAPORE –  The founder of a popular Singapore church has been found guilty of misappropriating about $35 million in donations to support his wife's singing career in Asia before helping her break into the U.S. market for evangelization purposes.

Kong Hee, the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church, was found guilty Wednesday with five other church leaders of stealing 24 million Singapore dollars ($17 million) designated for building and investment-related purposes through sham bond investments. The State Court also found that they used another 25 million dollars ($18 million) to hide the first embezzlement from auditors.

No date for sentencing has been set yet. The penalty for criminal breach of trust is a maximum of life sentence.

Pilot killed as US fighter jet F-18 crashes near RAF base in Suffolk

A US fighter jet has crashed near a RAF base in England killing the pilot.

The FA-18 Hornet from the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 came down a couple of miles away from the Suffolk base on Wednesday morning.

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that one person had been killed in the crash.

There are reports the plane encountered problems with refuelling shortly before the crash, but a spokeswoman for the US Marine Corps said she could not confirm this.

She told the Press Association: “We don’t know at this time if the pilot ejected from the aircraft. It is a one-seater aircraft so no one else was in it.” The squadron is based in California.

A spokesman from the US Embassy in London confirmed that the pilot died in the crash.

Emergency services were sent to the scene near the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk border.

“Emergency services are currently at the scene of a plane crash on farmland in Redmere, Ely,” a Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said.

“The military aircraft which had taken off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk came down at about 10.30am this morning.

“We can confirm one fatality and believe there was just one person on board the aircraft.” Matthew Barzun, the US ambassador to Britain, tweeted: “Have received update on this news. Tracking situation closely. We’re grateful for everyone’s concern.” The crash comes just over a year after an American fighter based at Lakenheath crashed near a school in Lincolnshire.

The F-15 fighter jet from the US Air Force’s 48 Fighter Wing crashed in fields near Spalding in early October 2014.

The pilot ejected safely, sustaining only minor injuries, and no one on the ground was hurt.

Dozens of elephants killed by cyanide poisoning in Zimbabwe by ivory poachers

RANGERS in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park have discovered the carcasses of 26 elephants at two locations, dead of cyanide poisoning along with 14 other elephants who were found last week, officials said.

Patrolling rangers discovered the carcasses on Tuesday, according to Bhejani Trust and the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. Bhejani Trust undertakes joint animal monitoring and welfare work with the parks agency

Parks spokeswoman Caroline Washaya Moyo said 14 tusks were recovered from these elephants and others were not recovered. She said rangers found 16 of the elephants in an area known as Lupande and 10 others in Chakabvi.

Washaya-Moyo said no arrests have been made and investigations are in progress. Rangers recovered one kg of cyanide and are increasing patrols in the park, she said. Cyanide is widely used in Zimbabwe’s mining industry and is easy to obtain.

“The poachers were probably disturbed by rangers on patrol, which is why some of the tusks were recovered. Cyanide poisoning is becoming a huge problem here and we are struggling to contain it,” Trevor Lane, founder of Bhejani Trust and a leading wildlife conservationist told The Associated Press.

Last week, the parks agency reported that 14 elephants were poisoned by cyanide in three separate incidents. In 2013, as many as 300 elephants died in Hwange park after poachers laced salt pans with cyanide.

On Monday, environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri blamed a ban on Zimbabwean elephant sport hunting by the United States for increased poaching.

“All this poaching is because of American policies, they are banning sport hunting. An elephant would cost $120,000 in sport hunting but a tourist pays only $10 to view the same elephant,” she said, adding money from sport hunting is crucial in conservation efforts.

Armed gang rape woman in front of boyfriend then force her to watch them drown him in lake

Armed gang rape woman in front of boyfriend then force her to watch them drown him in lake

Their friends, another couple, were also attacked and the man bound and drowned in the lake alongside his mate.

The reports that the group were walking through Rhodes Park, Kensington, near Johannesburg, South Africa, around 7pm on Saturday when they were ambushed.

Democratic Alliance Gauteng MPL Jack Bloom said he had “established from a reliable source that a woman was raped and she and another woman were forced to watch as their partners were tied up and drowned in the lake in Rhodes Park in Kensington, east Johannesburg”.

South African Police confirmed that two bodies were removed from a lake in the early hours of Sunday morning. The men were aged 25 and 32.

They’re investigating two counts of murder and one count of rape.

The gang fled the park and the two woman were able to call for help.

No arrests have been made at this stage and authorities are desperate to find the culprits.

NYPD Officer Randolph Holder dies after being shot in the head by gunman in East Harlem

An NYPD housing officer was killed Tuesday night, shot in the head by a trigger-happy perp during a chase and gunfight on a pedestrian overpass above the FDR Drive in East Harlem, police said.

Officer Randolph Holder, 33, was shot in the forehead by the callous gunman, who had stolen a bike and was being pursued by cops along the promenade hugging the East River around 8:30 p.m., Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. The brave officer died at 10:22 p.m. at Harlem Hospital.A suspect, shot in the legs, was arrested.Holder, who emigrated from Guyana, was a third-generation police officer, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps in the line of duty, Bratton said during a somber press conference at the hospital.The unmarried immigrant joined the NYPD in July 2010 and worked in Police Service Area 5, wearing Shield No. 13340 as he patrolled the public housing projects of East Harlem.“I think all of us will tell you this is the hardest thing that we do,” Bratton said. “That we mourn one of our own. I’ve been doing this for 45 years. It doesn’t get easier. It never gets easier and it should never get easier.”Holder was the fourth NYPD officer killed in the line of duty in the past 11 months.
Police responded to reports of gunshots around 8:30 p.m. near First Ave. and 102nd St.Witnesses told cops several men fled over the pedestrian walkway that crosses the FDR Drive and then continued onto the footpath that runs alongside the highway.“There was an argument between two or three people. All of a sudden there were shots, you could hear the shells kick back as they hit the cement. I had my whole family on the floor,” said witness Doris Ayala, 62, who lives at the Urban American River Crossing apartment complex at 102nd St. and FDR Drive.“I thought they were going to shoot outside of my window. There was a gun on the sidewalk outside my building,” said the shocked woman, who reported hearing about 10 shots.One of the men stole a bicycle and fled north along the footpath.Holder and another cop encountered the fleeing suspect on another pedestrian overpass, near 120th St., and exchanged gunfire.“There were six or seven shots, they were exchanging fire,” said John Lucero, 19, who could see the shooting from his apartment window. “There were three of them, one police officer and two other men. Cops were pointing at a body. It was a police officer. He was just lying there.”The mortally wounded Holder crumpled to the ground as the ruthless suspect ditched the bike and ran north along the promenade. The fiend was finally apprehended at 124th St.He suffered gunshot wounds to his legs and was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.“We are humbled by Officer Randolph Holder’s example of service and courage and sacrifice. Our hearts are heavy. We offer our thoughts and our prayers to his family who are experiencing unimaginable pain as we saw earlier when we gathered with them,” the mayor said.Traffic on the FDR Drive was at a standstill for hours as police investigated the shooting.Dozens of people were seen exiting taxis and walking toward First and Second Aves. in search of other means of transportation.
Witnesses watched as emergency crews cut the guardrail separating the northbound and southbound lanes near 116th St. to allow cars to turn around and exit the clogged roadway around 11:30 p.m.At Harlem Hospital, hundreds of police officers held vigil, hoping for the best before they received the grim news of their fallen colleague.“New York City police officers everyday go out and carry themselves on the street like superheroes on the street," Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said. “But the reality is, when we’re attacked, we bleed. When we bleed, we die. And when we die, we cry.”The slain office’s father was on hand at the hospital. In his moment of grief, he offered his son’s fellow officers comfort.“When in his time of grief, he sought to comfort the officers of PSA 5. He was strong enough and brave enough to go in and address them as they tried to comfort him. He in fact was comforting them,” a teary-eyed Bratton said.“I can understand his son and the bravery his son exhibited tonight, rushing toward danger and giving his life for the citizens of New York City.”At least 100 NYPD officers were seen leaving the hospital around 11:30 p.m.Three other NYPD officers have been shot and killed while on the job in the last 12 months.On Dec. 20, officers Wenjian Liu, 32, and Rafael Ramos, 40, were ambushed and assassinated by a gun-toting madman in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.Officer Brian Moore, 25, was working with an anti-crime unit and patrolling in an unmarked police car with his partner Erik Jansen on May 9 near 212th St. and 104th Ave. in Queens when he was gunned down and killed.

Facebook wants to be your mobile newsstand.

The social network is rolling out the Instant Articles feature in its mobile app to more users, allowing them to scan headlines, dive into articles and watch news videos on their phones, the company said Tuesday.
Introduced in a limited fashion five months ago, the feature is designed especially for Facebook's mobile readers and, the Menlo Park, California-based company says, loads stories 10 times faster than a standard website does. It also uses Facebook's advertising software, promising faster loading and better-looking layouts.
"The most important thing we pay attention to is providing daily value," Chris Cox, who manages the Instant Articles team, said at The Wall Street Journal's WSJDLive conference in Southern California. "Daily use is something we care about."
Instant Articles is another example of Facebook's increasing reach in our lives.

  The service has already displaced photo albums, family blogs and instant messenger services. Now it's ready to replace the paperboy by delivering the equivalent of a custom newspaper to you wherever you are.
Facebook said it plans to publish 1,000 articles per day through partnerships with magazines, websites and daily newspapers.
The partners include National Geographic, Time and USA Today. CNET is also participating.
The Instant Articles feature now works with all Apple iPhone models, Facebook said. The company is also running a public test of the feature on phones that use Google's Android operating system.
Instant Articles stories are published in the News Feed on Facebook's app for smartphones. When users tap on them, the stories fill the screen almost instantaneously. The feature doesn't require users to surf to outside news sites, such as The New York Times. Facebook says this makes the service more compelling.
Facebook says Instant Articles is part of a years-long effort to revamp its services to more easily work with mobile devices and do so in more situations. With 1.31 billion people using its app at least once per month, Facebook has to ensure that it works around the world, over poor wireless connections and on lower-end phones. To do this, Facebook said, it's reworked its apps to draw less data and work quicker.
The more people use Facebook's app, the more ads the company can show, which ultimately means more money for the company. Facebook is the second-largest Internet destination for advertising dollars, pulling in more than 18 percent of the ad dollars spent online last year, according to industry research firm eMarketer. By 2017, that number is expected to climb to more than 20 percent.
Google is still the industry's largest player, representing nearly 37 percent of advertising revenue last year.
Cox didn't say how many Instant Articles are being read or shared by users, and a Facebook spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for additional comment.

Facebook said it plans to publish 1,000 articles per day through partnerships with magazines, websites and daily newspapers.
The partners include National Geographic, Time and USA Today. CNET is also participating.
The Instant Articles feature now works with all Apple iPhone models, Facebook said. The company is also running a public test of the feature on phones that use Google's Android operating system.
Instant Articles stories are published in the News Feed on Facebook's app for smartphones. When users tap on them, the stories fill the screen almost instantaneously. The feature doesn't require users to surf to outside news sites, such as The New York Times. Facebook says this makes the service more compelling.
Facebook says Instant Articles is part of a years-long effort to revamp its services to more easily work with mobile devices and do so in more situations. With 1.31 billion people using its app at least once per month, Facebook has to ensure that it works around the world, over poor wireless connections and on lower-end phones. To do this, Facebook said, it's reworked its apps to draw less data and work quicker.
The more people use Facebook's app, the more ads the company can show, which ultimately means more money for the company. Facebook is the second-largest Internet destination for advertising dollars, pulling in more than 18 percent of the ad dollars spent online last year, according to industry research firm eMarketer. By 2017, that number is expected to climb to more than 20 percent.
Google is still the industry's largest player, representing nearly 37 percent of advertising revenue last year.
Cox didn't say how many Instant Articles are being read or shared by users, and a Facebook spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for additional comment.Facebook said it plans to publish 1,000 articles per day through partnerships with magazines, websites and daily newspapers.The partners include National Geographic, Time and USA Today. CNET is also participating.The Instant Articles feature now works with all Apple iPhone models, Facebook said. The company is also running a public test of the feature on phones that use Google's Android operating system.Instant Articles stories are published in the News Feed on Facebook's app for smartphones. When users tap on them, the stories fill the screen almost instantaneously. The feature doesn't require users to surf to outside news sites, such as The New York Times. Facebook says this makes the service more compelling.Facebook says Instant Articles is part of a years-long effort to revamp its services to more easily work with mobile devices and do so in more situations. With 1.31 billion people using its app at least once per month, Facebook has to ensure that it works around the world, over poor wireless connections and on lower-end phones. To do this, Facebook said, it's reworked its apps to draw less data and work quicker.The more people use Facebook's app, the more ads the company can show, which ultimately means more money for the company. Facebook is the second-largest Internet destination for advertising dollars, pulling in more than 18 percent of the ad dollars spent online last year, according to industry research firm eMarketer. By 2017, that number is expected to climb to more than 20 percent.Google is still the industry's largest player, representing nearly 37 percent of advertising revenue last year.Cox didn't say how many Instant Articles are being read or shared by users, and a Facebook spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for additional comment.

Arsenal revived their Champions League hopes in thrilling fashion with a crucial victory over Bayern Munich at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal revived their Champions League hopes in thrilling fashion with a crucial victory over Bayern Munich at Emirates Stadium. 

 

 

The Gunners' hopes of reaching the knockout phase were in serious jeopardy after they lost their opening two games away to Dinamo Zagreb and at home to Olympiakos.
Arsene Wenger's side responded by beating Pep Guardiola's Bayern - clear favourites to win Group F - and make a nonsense of those dismal earlier performances.
Bayern dominated possession but Arsenal dug out the win that keeps their hopes alive when substitute Olivier Giroud bundled home from close range in the 77th minute after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made a rare error as he missed Santi Cazorla's free-kick.
The win was secured in the dying seconds when Mesut Ozil turned in Hector Bellerin's cross, Neuer clawing the ball out only for the officials to adjudge it had crossed the line.
Arsenal were indebted to keeper Petr Cech, restored after replacement David Ospina's mistake in the defeat by Olympiakos, saving superbly from Thiago Alcantara and Arturo Vidal.
Neuer also excelled before his mistake, particularly with a sensationalsave from Theo Walcott's first-half header.

Ballon d'Or: Ronaldo & Messi joined by Aguero & Toure on list

 

Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Yaya Toure are among five Premier League players on the 23-man Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez are also in the frame to be named world football's best player.

Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who have won the past seven awards between them, lead the nominees.

Wales and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is the only British player named.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger are on the 10-man Coach of the Year shortlist.

They will contend with Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, who guided his side to the treble of Champions League, Spanish league and Spanish cup titles, and Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola.

There are few surprise names on the players' list, with QPR midfielder Massimo Luongo and Bournemouth winger Christian Atsu, who both reportedly made the 59-man longlist, overlooked.

Midfielders and forwards vastly outnumber goalkeepers and defenders, with Bayern Munich keeper Manuel Neuer and Barcelona centre-back Javier Mascherano the only players shortlisted from their respective positions.

Spain's La Liga leads the way, with 11 players nominated, while Germany's Bundesliga has six nominees. There are two from Italy's Serie A and one - Paris St-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic - from France's Ligue 1. Players who have transferred during the past year are recognised for their contribution to both clubs.

Fifa Ballon d'Or shortlist: Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/VfL Wolfsburg/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain), Andres Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona), Thomas Muller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona), Paul Pogba (France/Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/FC Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Netherlands/FC Bayern Munich), James Rodriguez (Colombia/Real Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal), Luis Suarez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona), Yaya Toure (Côte d'Ivoire/Manchester City), Arturo Vidal (Chile/Juventus/FC Bayern Munich).

Fifa World Coach of the Year for Men's Football shortlist: Massimiliano Allegri (Italy/Juventus), Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid), Laurent Blanc (France/Paris Saint-Germain), Unai Emery (Spain/Sevilla FC), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich), Luis Enrique (Spain/FC Barcelona), Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Chelsea), Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina/Chilean national team), Diego Simeone (Argentina/Atletico Madrid), Arsene Wenger (France/Arsenal). 

Emmanuel Emenike: Nigeria striker retires from internationals

 

Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike has retired from international football.

The 28-year-old, who plays for Al Ain of Dubai, has not scored for the Super Eagles since October 2013.
"It was not an easy decision. I didn't think my international career would come to a sudden end, but that is life," Emenike told BBC Sport.
"Sometimes it's better to remove yourself from an environment that doesn't suit you mentally and physically, this is what I have done."
He added: "I also felt it was important that people hear directly from me to avoid a funny twist to the story.
"I wish to thank the coaches who gave me a chance, fellow players and in particular big thanks to all my fans for their unconditional support."

Port Harcourt in Nigeria voted world's worst airport

Port Harcourt International Airport in Nigeria has been voted the world’s worst airport, according to tens of thousands of travellers.
The airport topped the Guide to Sleeping in Airports world’s worst airports 2015 list, which surveyed over 26,000 fliers to find out the best and worst airports around the globe.
Unhelpful staff, a severe lack of seating and broken air-conditioning were just some of the reasons the Port Harcourt International Airport was given the worst airport title.
Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah King Abdulaziz airport was second on the list – as it was last year - due to passengers’ annoyance at the “crowded, chaotic and unclean” Hajj terminal. A new airport in Jeddah is scheduled to open next year.

bionethe: See 114 roads that’ll cost Lagos N19bn

bionethe: See 114 roads that’ll cost Lagos N19bn: Poised to fulfill one of his campaign promises of investing massively in the construction of rural roads, the Lagos State Government has a...

See 114 roads that’ll cost Lagos N19bn

Poised to fulfill one of his campaign promises of investing massively in the construction of rural roads, the Lagos State Government has announced invitation for bids for the construction of 114 roads across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the State.

Recall that last Monday, while speaking at the Lagos House, Ikeja, during the monthly meeting with the Executive Secretaries of the 57 Councils to review the progress report in their various communities as well as their challenges, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had disclosed that the decision to embark on the road rehabilitation was in line with the reforms at the local government level, noting that the first phase will commence with the reconstruction of 114 roads, two per local government, at the cost of N19 billion.

Ambode, who said the execution of the projects will be left in the care of the local governments, however, charged the Councils’ Executive Secretaries to judiciously ensure that the projects meet international standard.

According to the bidding invitation document sighted by Vanguard, each of the roads are to be delivered in six months from the commencement of works.

Meanwhile, residents of Ajegunle, a popular suburb of Lagos in the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, have decried that the apparent neglect by successive administrations to fix the numerous deplorable roads in their community.