Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins flies home after mother's death in oil tanker crash

LONDON: Obafemi Martins has left Newcastle's preseason preparations after his mother died when an oil tanker caught fire near her apartment in the Nigerian capital Lagos.Martins' mother Alhaja, 62, was among at least eight people killed Thursday when the tanker collided with a barrier on the side of a road in Lagos and burst into flames, the club said.
"Oba has flown back to Nigeria on compassionate grounds to be with his family at what is a very sad time for them," Newcastle said. "Everyone at the club extends their greatest sympathies to Oba and his relatives."
Martins' agent Chris Nathaniel said the 23-year-old forward was devastated.
"As you would expect, Oba is extremely upset at the moment," he said. "This has come as a massive shock to him and his family. His mother was a guiding light to him and had a strong influence on his life."Martins was dropped from the squad for tomorrow's friendly against Doncaster and may miss next week's friendlies with Hertha Berlin and Real Mallorca.His absence leaves Magpies manager Kevin Keegan increasingly short of attacking options. Mark Viduka and Andy Carroll are both injured and captain Michael Owen missed England's summer friendlies with a virus.
Newcastle faces Manchester United away in its Premier League opener on Aug. 17
English-http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/25/sports/EU-SOC-Newcastle-Martins.php

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Nigeria militants seek to free German hostages

Mon 21 Jul 2008, 6:22 GMT

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By Randy Fabi

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's main militant group in the oil-rich Niger Delta said on Sunday it would seek the release of two German construction workers kidnapped by armed gunmen more than a week ago.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which has led a campaign of violence against oil facilities since early 2006, said it would intervene because the pair were not part of the energy sector but were working to help build the delta's infrastructure.

"MEND has located and identified the culprits and will begin negotiating with the kidnappers in the hope for a safe and unconditional release of the captives," the group's spokesman, who uses the pseudonym Jomo Gbomo, said in an e-mailed statement.
Unidentified gunmen on July 11 kidnapped the two employees of Nigeria's biggest construction firm Julius Berger, a unit of Germany's Bilfinger Berger, near the Nigerian oil city of Port Harcourt.

Around 15 gunmen ambushed the convoy of armoured jeeps by blowing one of the vehicles off the road with dynamite and killing a soldier.The kidnapping prompted the company to suspend its operations in the Niger Delta, the heart of oil production in the world's eighth largest exporter.

Among other projects, Julius Berger is rebuilding the main east-west road across the Niger Delta and is one of Nigeria's biggest private sector employers, with more than 16,000 staff. Companies operating in Africa's top producer have been struggling to cope with a wave of violence in the vast wetlands, fuelled by widespread poverty, corruption and lawlessness. MEND has focused its attacks mainly on Nigeria's oil workers and facilities, cutting output by a fifth in the last two years and helping push world oil prices to record highs.

The group, which is split between a number of different factions, say they are fighting for greater local control of the Niger Delta's resources.But the breakdown of law and order in the region has also allowed criminal gangs to thrive by kidnapping for ransom and stealing crude.

More than 200 foreigners have been seized in the Niger Delta since early 2006. Almost all have been released unharmed

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN126520.html

Nigeria-Italy : cooperation on desert control (Google / The Tide News) « Desertification

Nigeria-Italy : cooperation on desert control (Google / The Tide News) « Desertification

Italy ready to co-operate with Nigeria on desert control’
Monday, Mar 17, 2008Italy has stated its preparedness to co-operate with Nigeria to combat desert encroachment and climate change. Mr Claudio Moreno, an Italian diplomat, said this when he paid a courtesy visit to Dr Abba Ruma, the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources in Abuja. Moreno was accompanied by the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Massino Biastrochi. He said the purpose of the visit was to extend, on behalf of the Italian government, an invitation to Nigeria, to participate in an international exposition to be held in Italy in 2015. The Milan Universal Exposition on “Feeding the Planet for live”, is aimed at fostering co-operation between nations to combat desertification and climate change in order to develop agriculture and reduce hunger.............