Mario Balotelli’s sister delivers baby boy for Obafemi Martins

Mario Balotelli’s sister delivers baby boy for Obafemi 

Martins

The lovebirds were delivered of a baby on Sunday, the third for the Seattle Sounders’ forward and the first for Milan striker’s sister

Seattle Sounders forward Obafemi Martins has had a baby boy by Abigail Barwuah, older sister of Milan striker Mario Balotelli.

The baby was delivered on Wednesday in Italy. Seyi Aduloju, an associate of the striker confirmed the birth to Goal.

The two have been dating since 2012 and Martins confirmed to Goal in an interview last year about their relationship.

It is Martins’ third child but the first for Abigail. The two lovebirds spent last Christmas in Lagos and have been photographed in a private jet together.

It is reported that she had a miscarriage late last year but got pregnant again almost immediately. twitter.com

Syria: Suicide bombing kills 30 in city of Hama

 suicide truck bomb attack on a government checkpoint on the edge of the city of Hama in central Syria has left 30 dead, according to state media and activists.

State news agency Sana said Syrian rebels drove the truck laden with over a ton of explosives into the post at the eastern entrance of the city.

Sana said the explosion appeared to have set ablaze a fuel truck nearby, increasing the damage and casualties.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the al-Qa'ida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, or al-Nusra Front, had carried out the attack.

The attack came as Arab League chief Nabil el-Araby said a key international conference aimed at ending Syria's civil war will be held in Geneva on November 23 and 24.

Mr el-Araby made the announcement at a news conference in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after talks with the Arab League-UN envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The Geneva conference is an attempt to get sides to agree on a transitional government in Syria based on a plan adopted in that city in June 2012.

Syria's conflict, now into its third year, has left over 100,000 dead.

PA

UN Security Council Must Defer ICC cases

UN Security Council Must Defer ICC cases

he International Criminal Court (ICC) seems to have bowed to the mounting pressure to give President Uhuru Kenyatta a break on regular appearance at The Hague. This looks like progress; especially when one considers that Kenya has spent the last month watching our Deputy President sit in a courtroom in a foreign land day in day out, doing and saying nothing. As Former Prosecutor Moreno Ocampo said, Kenya has become an example of how powerful the ICC really is, to the rest of the world.

But I think the decision on President Kenyatta just ‘looks like progress’, while in reality nothing much has changed. Let us be honest; the ICC wants the President in court during opening and closing sessions, hearings when victims present their views in person, during the delivery of judgment and (note carefully), at any other time when ordered by the Presiding Judge. Does this look like a decision that balances the Presidents responsibilities as a Head of State, with his obligations as an indictee of the ICC?

Isn't this the same Court that has a problem with the Kenyatta defense team referring to Mr. Kenyatta as President Kenyatta, when doing their filings? This is what a report filed in the Sunday Nation this last weekend says was a communication from the court. It seems the Court finds the use of the title ‘President’ by the defense inappropriate, and has directed the defense to refrain from using Mr. Kenyatta’s official title in their filings.

Now, considering the fact that the cases against the President could run for years this means that during the entire period, President Kenyatta is Mr. Kenyatta, and not Kenya's President, when in Court. However he has certain time-slots during the case when he is allowed by the court to be President Kenyatta and carry out those responsibilities that come with this designation. In essence whilst the cases are ongoing Kenya’s President will be switching from President Kenyatta, to Mr. Kenyatta, and back to President Kenyatta, at the discretion of the ICC.I wondr what Kenya’s constitution has to say about this.

But why would the court make such a decision? Are they really bowing to pressure from the African Union and finally accepting Mr. Kenyatta’s changed status? Or is this a decision meant to undermine the request due to be made to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Kenyan government over the next few days, asking for a deferral of the ICC cases for 12 months? Is the Court pre-empting Kenya’s argument to the UNSC that having President Kenyatta (and Deputy President Ruto I presume) at the court is affecting the leadership of the Kenyan nation, especially as regards national and global security? Could the ICC be telling the UNSC that no deferral is necessary because they have now accommodated Uhuru Kenyatta’s responsibilities as President, within his obligations as an ICC indictee?

I am inclined to believe the ICC has realized the duo has a valid case when they argue that the court is not treating them how it treats other Presidents of other countries, some with worse situations than the Kenyan one. We have given examples of Syria and Assad; America/Britain and Iraq, etc. I also think the Court has also realized that their argument that Uhuru and Ruto were indictees before they were President/Deputy President does not hold water anymore in a world where everyone else is treating them as Kenya’s Presidency, despite the indictments. This was especially apparent when the whole world reached out to President Kenyatta after the Westgate terrorist attack.

In response, the ICC has made a political decision despite their stated position that they do not allow politics to affect the operations of the court. This decision is to allow the President and maybe even the Deputy President ‘time-out’ of court during their cases. I also believe the Court is trying to preempt the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) discussion on whether to defer the Kenyan cases. By allowing the two indictees this leeway the court defuses the pressure that is rapidly building against it on these cases, and looks like it has adapted to the reality of the situation.

But I do not believe this is in good faith, because it refuses to acknowledge the reality of the situation. It ignores the need for everyone; starting from the Kenyan people, and including the ICC, to take a step back and allow a candid conversation in Kenya, about what is in it’s best interest after the last general election's decision. I personally believe Kenya needs at least one year to do this; because it must first heal and reconcile from the 2013 elections, before we can look at the issue objectively. The only body in existence today that can make this happen is the UNSC. The United Nations Security Council must give Kenya a 12-month deferral.

- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-140399/un-security-council-must-defer-icc-cases#sthash.QmuuC7BT.dpuf

Space after all: NASA lifts conference ban for Chinese scientists after massive uproar

ed the decision to bar six Chinese scientists from a space conference after US astronomers pledged to boycott the event, fighting for academic freedom.

The meeting is due to take place in California in early November, and is set to focus on exoplanets - bodies outside the solar system. 

The Chinese scientists were banned from participating, with NASA saying the decision had been made because of their nationality and security issues, AFP reported. 

However, the move triggered a wave of outrage among prominent US astronomers. 

"The meeting is about planets located trillions of miles away, with no national security implications,"Geoff Marcy, an astronomy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, pointed out in an email to the organizers. 

China's Foreign Ministry also blasted NASA's denial of the researchers' applications as discriminatory, arguing that politics should have no place at academic meetings. 

After a few days, NASA wrote a letter to the Chinese scientists, saying they had looked into the law and found no obstacles to the six attending. 

"We have since been able to clarify the intent of the referenced legislation and are pleased to inform you that this decision has been reversed and your paperwork is being reviewed for clearance," Xinhua quoted the letter as saying on Monday. 

However, it isn’t clear yet if the move will work: the necessary security checks can take several weeks. Plus, the relevant government offices may still be closed after the US government shutdown. 

NASA administrator Charles Bolden responded earlier this month by pledging to review the committee's decision, which he blamed on "mid-level managers" at the agency's Ames Research Center, which is hosting the event. 

The confusion was apparently caused by a US law passed in 2011 that prevents NASA funds from being used to collaborate with China. 

The organization wasn’t immediately available for comment after the latest news, though. 

NASA went through some hard times earlier this month: due to the partial government shutdown and the failure to pass the budget on time, 97 percent of their employees received no salaries in October. Due to that fact, the organization didn’t manage to release an official statement. 

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Terrorists Dressed As Soldiers Kill 19 In Borno

uspected Boko Haram sect members disguised as soldiers on Sunday killed 19 people at a checkpoint in Logomani village in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State.

The armed men reportedly stopped motorists on the road and ordered them out of their cars before shooting them.

Eye witness reports say that the attackers left with some of the women and also collected money from some of the truck drivers in the area.

A passenger, who narrowly escaped death, told journalists that the attackers shot three passengers and slaughtered 14 people before someone alerted them that soldiers were coming. The attackers were said to have fled on their motorcycles into the bush.

Military authorities are yet to comment on the issue as the acting spokesman of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Captain Aliyu Danja, could not be reached for comments.

The Islamic sect Boko Haram is also yet to make any statement about the incident.

Borno state is among the states under an emergency rule declared by President Goodluck Jonathan in May this year.

Man Utd: Arsene Wenger says David Moyes's side still in title race

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Manchester United are still involved in the Premier League title race.

The Gunners are top of the table, eight points clear of the reigning champions, who have endured their worst league start in 24 years and lie eighth in the standings.

"Are Man United out of the title race? No, but of course 10 points starts to be a little gap," said Wenger.

"They have big players, big experience and they are a big club."

A late goal from Southampton's Adam Lallana denied United victory at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the south-coast club sitting sixth and holding a four-point advantage over David Moyes's side.

Analysis

Guy MowbrayBBC Match of the Day commentator

"Like it or not, this is a season in transition and it's the biggest transition any club in our era has ever known and ever will know.

"With the manager and the chief executive going, the whole club is different and other clubs will be going there thinking we'll never have a better chance."

In contrast, Arsenal's resounding 4-1 win over Norwich at the Emirates maintained their two-point advantage at the top of the league and extended their unbeaten run since their opening day defeat to Aston Villa.

"If you have the choice, you want to be in the race at the top, but you cannot rule Man United out today," added Wenger. "It is too early."

The Frenchman, whose side overturned United's 12-point lead to win the title in 1998, added that eight points can be retrieved quickly.

"It is three games," said Wenger. "That is very quick in our league."

Scrutiny of United's form has been intense since Moyes became manager following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Since a 4-1 opening day win at Swansea, his side have only beaten the league's bottom two sides and have suffered defeats by Liverpool, Manchester City and West Brom.

The run leaves them seven points worse off than at the same stage last season, when they eventually won the title by 11 points.

BBC pundit Alan Hansen says the poor run of form is in danger of ending their hopes this term.

"In terms of the title, they are certainly on the verge of losing it as a consequence of their unconvincing start to the season," Hansen wrote in his Daily Telegraph column. 

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No fear factor after Ferguson departure

"United were truly awful at times in the early weeks and months of last season, but the difference between then and now was that they dragged themselves to victories with the late surges that are missing now.

"Maybe that is down to the 'Fergie factor', but it is more likely down to the inevitability that, sooner or later, the tide begins to turn."

Former Everton manager Moyes has already admitted filling the void left by Ferguson after his 27 years and 38 trophies at Old Trafford will be difficult.

Ex-United striker Dion Dublin, speaking to MOTD2 Extra, believes Ferguson is missed.

"As a player who played at Old Trafford for Coventry and Villa, you sometimes lose the game before you get off the coach because you're in such awe of the stadium and players you are going to play against - and managers can be the same," said Dublin.

"Ferguson's not there anymore, so players are thinking 'hold on, we've got a chance here'."

NIGERIA S ADAMU BANNED FOR 3YRS

NIGERIA"S ADAMU BANNED FOR 3 YRS

Nigeria's Amos Adamu has been suspended from all footballing activity by Fifa's Ethics Committee for three years and fined $10,000.

Tahiti's Reynald Temarii was suspended for one year and fined $5,000 by the committee.

The move follows allegations that the pair asked for money in return for voting on World Cup hosting rights.

It means they will not be able to vote on which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Adamu released a statement protesting his innocence and vowing to fight the ruling.

"I am profoundly disappointed with the Ethics Committee's findings and had honestly believed I would be exonerated of any charges by now," he said.

"I am innocent of all the charges levelled against me by the Ethics Committee and I completely refute the decision they have made.

"I will be lodging a full appeal against it with immediate effect."

Watch Fifa announce the decision

Four former executive members - Slim Aloulou of Tunisia, Mali's Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi of Tonga and Botswana's Ismael Bhamjee - all received sanctions from Fifa.

Bhamjee was banned for four years, Diakite and Fusimalohi for three and Aloulou for two and all four were fined $10,000.

But the committee dismissed accusations of collusion between Spain/Portugal and Qatar, who are bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.