Profile: New UN human rights chief

By Jonah Fisher
BBC News, Johannesburg



Navanethem Pillay, the United Nation's new commissioner for human rights, wants to be the "the champion of human rights in every part of the world".

Born in the South African city of Durban in 1941, this daughter of a bus driver was put through university thanks to donations from fellow members of the local Indian community.

Graduating with a law degree, Ms Pillay became the first woman to establish a legal practice in South Africa's Natal province.

"I had no choice," she told the BBC. "No law firm would employ me because they said they could not have white employees taking instructions from a coloured person."

Working as a lawyer under apartheid, Ms Pillay along with her black colleagues was not even allowed to enter a judge's chambers.

During those 28 years she is credited with exposing torture and the poor conditions of political detainees held by the apartheid police.

Police surveillance

"I was representing men who were imprisoned on Robben Island along with Mandela," she said.

"They had no right to legal representation or even to know the rules of the prison. I was told by their wives just how bad the conditions were."

A successful appeal by Ms Pillay to the provincial court gave Nelson Mandela and his fellow inmates some very basic legal rights. Not surprisingly she soon found herself under constant surveillance from the security police.


This is the only office at the UN to be fiercely uncompromising and independent about human rights standards. The Commissioner is the voice of the victim everywhere.
Navanethem Pillay

"During her time in Natal she was a very courageous fighter for people at the wrong end of apartheid law," said Richard Goldstone, the South African former international war crimes prosecutor.

"Simply by making progress in the legal profession she succeeded in beating the odds."

Shortly after Nelson Mandela became South African president in 1994, he nominated Ms Pillay as the first non-white woman on the country's High Court.

But it was to be a short-lived appointment. She was soon recruited to sit as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

While there she presided over landmark cases that established mass rape as a form of genocide.

Since 2003 she has been a judge at the International Criminal Court working on its appeals panel.

Navanethem Pillay's new role as United Nations Human Rights Commissioner will require a shift of focus. No longer will she be able to take a position of studied impartiality.

Back to advocacy

Campaigners expect the commissioner to be a powerful advocate for the world's oppressed, willing to be outspoken if necessary.

"Pillay will need to use her unique bully pulpit [public platform] to throw a spotlight on the world's worst violations, including Sudan's mass killing in Darfur, Burmese brutality, Chinese persecution, and Mugabe's destruction of Zimbabwe," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, an independent human rights group.

While understandably cautious on her first day in the job, Ms Pillay says she sees her new role as returning to that of being an advocate.

"This is the only office at the UN to be fiercely uncompromising and independent about human rights standards. The commissioner is the voice of the victim everywhere."

Ms Pillay replaces Canadian Louise Arbour in the role and earned the praise of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who said she has outstanding credentials for taking over the rapidly growing UN Human Rights Commission.

From humble beginnings, the commission now has a 1,000-strong staff based in Geneva and a budget of $120m (£60m).

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/in_depth/7529821.stm

Published: 2008/07/28 18:42:01 GMT

Ondo jubilates

Ex-gov Agagu it is a pity that, u want to spend the remain part of your life in EFCC custody, well u must vomit all dat u have stolen.Where is your father in Ota? u said how much is $16billion dollar, now Farida will surely collect the money from u, I want u to know dat Yar'dua is not like Obasanjo. ur own case will worst pass Tafa Balogun case. Gud by from the government house. There is no need to appeal.

Posted by: big boy , on Friday, July 25, 2008

Report this comment
I will advise Ex-gov Agagu to pls vacate the sit. And face the Farida Waziri, she is waiting for you. U will surely pay for all you did in this country and in your state. Go now!!!. I am very happy for the people of ondo state. ex-gov Agagu knows that he did not win, pls don't waste the remain power plant money u are yet to refund. U are wellcome to EFFC in Abuja.

Posted by: big boy , on Friday, July 25, 2008

Mandela at 90 makes call for poor

BBCnews
Nelson Mandela birthday tributes

Nelson Mandela, the man credited with ending apartheid in South Africa, has marked his 90th birthday by calling for the rich to do more for the poor.

"If you are poor, you are not likely to live long," he said at his village house in Eastern Cape province for a birthday interview.

He is expected to spend the day at home with his family.

His predecessor as president, FW de Klerk, described him as one of the greatest figures of the last century.

Mr Mandela was jailed for 27 years for his part in the ANC campaign against white minority rule but went on to become the country's first black president in 1994.

Since stepping down in 1999, he has become South Africa's highest-profile ambassador, campaigning against HIV/Aids and helping to secure his country's right to host the 2010 football World Cup.


Nelson Mandela used his personal charm... to mould our widely diverse communities into an emerging multicultural nation
FW de Klerk
former South African president


In 2004, at the age of 85, Mr Mandela retired from public life to spend more time with his family and friends and engage in "quiet reflection".

On Friday, he appeared before reporters to say: "There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty".

The fight against poverty is one of the causes taken up by Mr Mandela, the BBC's Peter Biles reports from Johannesburg.

Three years ago, the former president attended a huge rally in London as part of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Party mood

Mr de Klerk, who was awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize along with Mr Mandela, said the former president was a born leader with the "assurance, the humility and the grace of a true natural aristocrat".


LANDMARKS
1918 - Born in the Eastern Cape
1964 - Sentenced to life for high treason
1990 - Freed from prison
1993 - Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994 - Elected first black president
2004 - Retires from public life
2005 - Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness


As president, he added, Mr Mandela had "used his personal charm to... mould our widely diverse communities into an emerging multicultural nation".

Friday also marks 10 years since Mr Mandela married his third wife, Graca Machel.

"He is simply a wonderful husband... and we enjoy every single day as if it is the last day," she told CNN.

The official birthday party is due to be held on Saturday in a gigantic white marquee erected in Qunu village.

Three cows are to be slaughtered for the festivities, with the banquet menu featuring traditional food such as tripe and sheep's heads, AFP news agency reports.

Birthday celebrations abroad have been going on for several weeks, including a concert in June in London's Hyde Park.

In other birthday events, reported by the South African Press Association:


The Eastern Cape agricultural department gives at least 150 goats to poor communities
The ANC unfurls two huge banners of Mr Mandela on the side of its headquarters, Luthuli House
'True icon'

Many of those who have worked with Nelson Mandela and had a close friendship with him over the years say that behind the adulation he inspires there is a very human and often extremely private figure, the BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports.


Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Three generations reflect on Mandela

Fellow Robben Island prisoner Mac Maharaj told our correspondent Mr Mandela was truly an icon.

He reduced a veteran white police officer to tears on his inauguration day when he walked over to him, shook his hand and told him "today you have become our police".

But Mr Maharaj argues that the event that sheds most light on Nelson Mandela's character was the killing of the popular ANC leader Chris Hani in 1993.

Mr Maharaj believes that if Nelson Mandela had called for an insurrection in response it would have been unstoppable but, instead, he went on television to call for calm and commitment to democracy.


What are your views on Nelson Mandela's political career? Did you ever meet him? Are you celebrating his birthday? Send us your views and experiences using the form below:


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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7513047.stm

Published: 2008/07/18 14:16:48 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

Mandela's life and times

Nelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered statesmen, who led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy.

Despite many years in jail, he emerged to become the country's first black president and to play a leading role in the drive for peace in other spheres of conflict. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

His charisma, self-depreciating sense of humour and lack of bitterness over his harsh treatment, as well as his amazing life story, partly explain his extraordinary global appeal.

Since stepping down as president in 1999, Mr Mandela has become South Africa's highest-profile ambassador, campaigning against HIV/Aids and securing his country's right to host the 2010 football World Cup.


In prison, you come face to face with time. There is nothing more terrifying
Nelson Mandela

Mr Mandela - diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001 - was also involved in peace negotiations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and other African countries.

He has also encouraged peace efforts in other areas of the world.

In 2004, at the age of 85, Mr Mandela retired from public life to spend more time with his family and friends and engage in "quiet reflection".

"Don't call me, I'll call you," he warned anyone thinking of inviting him to future engagements.

Raised by royalty

He was born in 1918 into the Madiba tribal clan - part of the Thembu people - in a small village in the eastern Cape of South Africa. In South Africa, he is often called by his clan name - "Madiba".


Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, he was given his English name, Nelson, by a teacher at his school.

His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Nelson Mandela was nine, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

He joined the African National Congress in 1943, first as an activist, then as the founder and president of the ANC Youth League.

Eventually, after years in prison, he also served as its president.

He married his first wife, Evelyn Mase, in 1944. They were divorced in 1957 after having three children.

Mr Mandela qualified as a lawyer and in 1952 opened a law practice in Johannesburg with his partner, Oliver Tambo.


LANDMARKS
1918 - Born in the Eastern Cape
1956 - Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
1964 - Charged again, sentenced to life
1990 - Freed from prison
1993 - Wins Nobel Peace Prize
1994 - Elected first black president
1999 - Steps down as leader
2001 - Diagnosed with prostate cancer
2004 - Retires from public life
2005 - Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness
2007 - Forms The Elders group
2008 - Turns 90


Together, Mr Mandela and Mr Tambo campaigned against apartheid, the system devised by the all-white National Party which oppressed the black majority.

In 1956, Mr Mandela was charged with high treason, along with 155 other activists, but the charges against him were dropped after a four-year trial.

Resistance to apartheid grew, mainly against the new Pass laws, which dictated where blacks were allowed to live and work.

In 1958, Mr Mandela married Winnie Madikizela, who was later to take a very active role in the campaign to free her husband from prison.

The ANC was outlawed in 1960 and Mr Mandela went underground.

Tension with the apartheid regime grew, and soared to new heights in 1960 when 69 black people were shot dead by police in the Sharpeville massacre.

Life sentence

It was the end of peaceful resistance and Mr Mandela, already national vice-president of the ANC, launched a campaign of sabotage against the country's economy.


He was eventually arrested and charged with sabotage and attempting to violently overthrow the government.

Conducting his own defence in the Rivonia court room, Mr Mandela used the stand to convey his beliefs about democracy, freedom and equality.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities," he said.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

In the winter of 1964 he was sentenced to life in prison.

In the space of 12 months between 1968 and 1969, Mr Mandela's mother died and his eldest son was killed in a car crash but he was not allowed to attend the funerals.

He remained in prison on Robben Island for 18 years before being transferred to Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland in 1982.


Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts
Nelson Mandela

As Mr Mandela and other ANC leaders languished in prison or lived in exile, the youths of South Africa's black townships helped sustain the resistance.

Hundreds were killed and thousands were injured before the schoolchildren's uprising was crushed.

In 1980, Mr Tambo, who was in exile, launched an international campaign to release Mr Mandela.


The world community tightened the sanctions first imposed on South Africa in 1967 against the apartheid regime.

The pressure produced results, and in 1990, President FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC, and Mr Mandela was released from prison and talks on forming a new multi-racial democracy for South Africa began.

Nobel Peace Prize

In 1992, Mr Mandela divorced his wife, Winnie, after she was convicted on charges of kidnapping and accessory to assault.


In December 1993, Mr Mandela and Mr de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Five months later, for the first time in South Africa's history, all races voted in democratic elections and Mr Mandela was elected president.

Mr Mandela's greatest problem as president was the housing shortage for the poor, and slum townships continued to blight major cities.

He entrusted his deputy, Thabo Mbeki, with the day-to-day business of the government, while he concentrated on the ceremonial duties of a leader, building a new international image of South Africa.

In that context, he succeeded in persuading the country's multinational corporations to remain and invest in South Africa.

Steps down

But he lost out in his battle to have anti-apartheid activist Cyril Ramaphosa take over as his successor. Mr Mbeki became ANC leader in 1997 and went on to win a landslide victory in June 1999.


On his 80th birthday, Nelson Mandela married Graca Machel, the widow of the former president of Mozambique and continued travelling the world, meeting leaders, attending conferences and collecting awards after stepping down as president.

After his official retirement, his public appearances have been mostly connected with the work of the Mandela Foundation, a charitable fund that he founded.

On his 89th birthday, he formed The Elders, a group of leading world figures to offer their expertise and guidance "to tackle some of the world's toughest problems".

Possibly his most noteworthy intervention of recent years came early in 2005, following the death of his only son, Makgatho.

In a country where taboos still surround talking about the Aids epidemic, Mr Mandela announced that his son had died of Aids, and urged South Africans talk about Aids "so to make it appear like a normal illness".

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/1454208.stm

Mandela the sensitive leader

Mandela the sensitive leader

By Mike Wooldridge
BBC News, Johannesburg


He dedicated his life to a political crusade and became South Africa's first black president, but Nelson Mandela never lost the personal touch - as those who know him explain.

Nelson Mandela's release from jail after 27 years in 1990 brought hope of sweeping political change after the turbulent days of apartheid.

But negotiating the change was fraught with difficulty - and for key African National Congress strategist Cheryl Carolus this once presented an agonising personal dilemma.



One thing that matters to Nelson Mandela so much is families - that's what apartheid took away from us
Cheryl Carolus

A crisis flared up just before she and her husband Graham, also an activist, were due to go away for a very rare and precious break.
Graham took the news that she felt they should postpone the break badly, plucked up courage and called Nelson Mandela.

He was, though, in a cold sweat as he began to explain that they had not seen one another in a long time.

Nelson Mandela stopped him and simply said: "You don't have to explain. Go away and I will explain to the others."

Carolus - later to become South Africa's high commissioner to Britain - says: "One thing that matters to Nelson Mandela so much is families.

"That's what apartheid took away from us with the migrant labour system, imprisonment and smashed up family structures."

Private man

There is, of course, another reason the man who was once the world's most famous prisoner is sensitive to protecting families - his marriage to his second wife Winnie was unravelling at this time.

Carolus says those who worked with him closely understood how deeply hurtful this was for him.


It is as if he has built a wall around himself
Amina Cachalia

She also says he tried not to allow the divorce to embarrass the ANC, and tried to ensure that his colleagues did not have to choose between him and Winnie because they were both leaders of the ANC.
Talking to people who have worked with Nelson Mandela before and since his long imprisonment and been close friends of his, I have heard time and again how one of the most recognisable figures in the world is also one of the most private.

"It is as if he has built a wall around himself," Amina Cachalia told me.

She comes from a family whose political involvement began with Mahatma Gandhi's passive resistance movement in South Africa.

She says Winnie Mandela once told her that if her husband had not gone to prison or had come out earlier it is likely they would have separated anyway.

"I look at her very surprised," says Amina Cachalia.


"I think she felt they had grown so much apart after her becoming politically active in her own way and being a leader in her own right they would probably have parted for some reason or other if he had been around."

Nelson Mandela's sadness over the parting of the ways with Winnie was to give way to the flourishing of his relationship with and marriage to Graca Machel, widow of the former Mozambican president, Samora Machel.

I met Rory Steyn, who led one of Nelson Mandela's protection teams during the five years he was president.

"When courting Mrs Machel," he told me, "he would buy her chocolates, flowers and jewellery himself.

Can you imagine what happens when Mandela goes to Sandton City (a shopping complex in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg) to go to the local chocolatier?

We had all kinds of schemes to say we will buy them and he would say: 'No, I want to choose them myself '."

Rory Steyn says he realised that the seemingly little gestures are really important to Nelson Mandela.

A big hug

Steyn says his upbringing and his training in the apartheid South African police force had made him suspicious of Mandela and everything he espoused but there was a moment during the day he was inaugurated as president in 1994 that made him realise how genuine he is.

After the inauguration ceremony in Pretoria the new president travelled to Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium to lend his support to the South African football team who were playing Zambia.

He was running late and had to return to Pretoria quickly. But, without saying anything and mystifying his protection team, Nelson Mandela got out of his official car and walked across to an old police colonel.


"The colonel's eyes were getting bigger and bigger as the president walked towards him.
"He put out his hand and said: 'Colonel, I just want to tell you that today you have become our police. The ANC won the election and I became president. I want you to know there is no more us and you and you are our police.'

"The old guy started crying," says Steyn. "Tears ran down his lined face and dripped on to the polished parquet flooring."

Cheryl Carolus has another personal story of Nelson Mandela's sense of priorities.

In 1995, she announced at a meeting that she would need to spend some time with her father over the coming weeks because he was seriously ill with cancer.

She says Mandela gave her a big hug and held her for about five minutes.

Later she heard from her father - "a poor ordinary working class man from a township on the Cape Flats" - that the president went to visit him without telling the hospital staff in advance and without the media knowing anything about it.

Among other things, Mandela spoke about Cheryl Carolus's contribution to the new South Africa.

"For my father," she says, "it was a dream come true."

Age of innocence

Today Nelson Mandela's memory and energy levels are good in the mornings though as the day goes by he gets "a bit tired".

At least that's the experience of Ahmed Kathrada. He shared Nelson Mandela's prison years with him and still spends time sharing views with him on current and past events.

But Kathrada says Mandela devours all the morning newspapers. "Retirement and Mandela are a contradiction in terms," he says.



Fifteen years on or so, with experience, quite a lot of where we are today is not where we were

Professor Barney Pityana


Yet, even if he is hardly retired in the conventional sense, there is one way in which Nelson Mandela's active influence is already being missed, according to Professor Barney Pityana.

Today the principal of the University of South Africa, he's been a prominent figure in the Black Consciousness Movement, human rights activist and theologian.

"Mandela belongs to what I like to call our age of innocence," he says.

"In the first flush of democratisation he was the amazing symbol of our hopes. But 15 years on or so, with experience, quite a lot of where we are today is not where we were."

Pityana maintains that the ANC is adrift in terms of its connectedness to its history and embodying the hearts and minds of South Africans.

He believes Nelson Mandela has made his wisdom available to the ANC as it wishes - but he does not want to become embroiled in any infighting or seen as a force for division in the movement.

I spoke to a group of young men walking along Vilakazi Street in Soweto, the township where Nelson Mandela once lived.

Their biggest challenge today is getting jobs. But one of them paid tribute to him in a way that I suspect he would appreciate: "He brought us the opportunities and the possibility for change."

Mike Wooldridge, former BBC South Africa Correspondent, presents "Knowing Mandela" on Radio 4, at 2000 BST on 17 July.

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Oscar buzz mounts for late Heath Ledger

Oscar buzz mounts for late Heath Ledger
Reuters
By Belinda Goldsmith Reuters - Friday, July 11 06:23 pm

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Actor Heath Ledger won rave reviews from Australian critics on Friday for his final performance as the Joker in the new Batman movie, fuelling speculation of a rare posthumous Oscar.
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Australian film critics said the late actor was "manically mesmerizing" and overshadowed everyone else in "The Dark Knight" that was previewed in Sydney on Thursday ahead of the movie's world premiere in New York on July 14.

"Hypnotic farewell from the Joker," wrote Sydney Morning Herald critic Garry Maddox, saying the film was a reminder of the brilliance of the 28-year-old actor who died in his Manhattan apartment in January of an accidental prescription drug overdose.

"And who knows? The campaign for a posthumous Oscar nomination that has started overseas might just gather momentum when 'The Dark Knight' opens next week."

The Australian newspaper's critic David Stratton said Ledger's performance of "an unforgettable, genuinely creepy, villain" was a cross between Marlon Brando and James Cagney with a touch of Edward G. Robinson thrown in.

The Daily Telegraph's film editor Vicky Roach said there was a morbid intensity to the interest in Ledger's final performance but his "triumph in creating one of the most memorable villains in recent cinematic history should be celebrated."

Ledger's eerie performance as the Joker has already won him plaudits from international critics and co-stars, making him an unlikely forerunner to posthumously win the Academy Award for best supporting actor next February.

Ledger was nominated in 2006 for an Oscar for best actor for his role as a brooding gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain."

"If there's a movement to get him the first posthumous (acting) Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976's "Network," sign me up," wrote Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers.

Finch, who was born in England but raised in Australia, died of a heart attack aged 60 during the voting period for the Oscars and remains the only actor to win the award posthumously although Oscars have been awarded posthumously to several non-actors.

Co-star Christian Bale, who plays Batman, was quoted by Contactmusic as saying: "I do think that Heath has created an iconic villain that will stand for the ages, and of course, I would love to see him get an award.

But history is not on Ledger's side. Five other actors nominated posthumously for Oscars were not successful.

James Dean was nominated twice after his death for a best actor Oscar and Spencer Tracy, Massimo Troisi, Ralph Richardson and Jeanne Eagels also missed out on posthumous awards.

Residents of Ledger's home town of Perth in Western Australian have found their own way to ensure his legacy lives on, naming a theatre in his honor for his commitment to acting.

At a naming ceremony last week, state premier for Western Australia Alan Carpenter said the $87 million (43.8 million pounds), 575-seat theatre was a fitting tribute as Ledger was always supportive of other young actors.

"Heath Ledger was totally dedicated to the craft of being an actor and that's what made him successful," Carpenter told local reporters. "I think what we're doing is continuing that support for young people who want to make a career in the arts and acting, stage and in film, whatever it happens to be."

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare)

Batman is Back — TIME Reviews The Dark Knight

Wednesday, Jul. 09, 2008
Batman is Back — TIME Reviews The Dark Knight
By Richard Corliss

There's a beautiful high-angle shot, early in The Dark Knight, that looks down on Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in full Batman regalia as he perches atop a Gotham skyscraper, surveying the city he lives to protect, then leaping off and spreading his majestic bat wings to swoop down into the night. Bruce's trajectory is also the film's. It traces a descent into moral anarchy, and each of its major characters will hit bottom. Some will never recover, broken by the touch of evil or by finding it, like a fatal infection, in themselves.

The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's second chapter in his revival of the DC Comics franchise, will hit theaters with all the hoopla and fanboy avidity of the summer season's earlier movies based on comic books. It's the fifth, and three of the first four (Iron Man, Wanted and Hellboy II) have been terrific or just short of it. (The Incredible Hulk: not so hot.) It's been one of the best summers in memory for flat-out blockbuster entertainment, and in the wow category, the Nolan film doesn't disappoint. True to format, it has a crusading hero, a sneering villain in Heath Ledger's Joker, spectacular chases — including one with Batman on a stripped-down Batmobile that becomes a motorcycle with monster-truck wheels — and lots of stuff blowing up. Even the tie-in action figures with Reese's Pieces suggest this is a fast-food movie.

But Nolan has a more subversive agenda. He wants viewers to stick their hands down the rat hole of evil and see if they get bitten. With little humor to break the tension, The Dark Knight is beyond dark. It's as black — and teeming and toxic — as the mind of the Joker. Batman Begins, the 2005 film that launched Nolan's series, was a mere five-finger exercise. This is the full symphony.

A Better Class of Criminal
Gotham has a new white knight: a fearless district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who's determined to nab malefactors through the law with the same gusto that Batman, the dark knight, applies using his gadgets and charisma. The Mob (led by Eric Roberts) they can handle, with the help of stalwart police lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman). But the Joker — this guy is nuts. He does deals with the Mob, then crosses them up. He makes a point with his pencil by ramming it into a gangster's head. "This town," he says, "deserves a better class of criminals." So do action movies, and here he is, vowing to bring down Batman and Dent, just for the mad fun of it.

In its rethinking and transcending of a schlock source, The Dark Knight is up there with David Cronenberg's 1986 version of The Fly. It turns pulp into dark poetry. Just as that movie found metaphors of cancer, AIDS and death in the story of a man devolving into an insect, so this one plumbs the nature of identity. Who are we? Has Bruce lost himself in the myth of the hero? Is his Batman persona a mission or an affliction? Can crusading Dent live down the nickname (Two-Face) some rancorous cops have pinned on him? Only the Joker seems unconflicted. He knows what he is: an "agent of chaos." Your worst nightmare.

No, really. This villain, as conceived by Nolan and his scriptwriter brother Jonathan and incarnated with chilling authority by Ledger, is not the elegant sadist of so many action films, nor the strutting showman played by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. He isn't a father figure or a macho man. And though he invents several stories about how he got his (facial and psychic) scars, he's not presented as the sum of injustices done to him. This Joker is simply one of the most twisted and mesmerizing creeps in movie history.

And the actor, who died in January at 28 of an accidental prescription-drug overdose, is magnificent. Echoing the sly psychopathy and scary singsong voice of Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Ledger!), Ledger carries in him the deranged threat of a punk star like Sid Vicious, whom he supposedly took as one of the models for his character. The Joker observes no rules, pursues no grand scheme; he's the terrorist as improv artist. Evil is his tenor sax, Armageddon his melody. Why, he might blow up a hospital or turn ordinary people into mass murderers to save their own lives.

The Joker may be insane, but he's a shrewd judge of character. He knows that Batman has two vulnerable spots: his girlfriend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, assuming the role Katie Holmes had in the first film) and his hidden identity. So the Joker starts preying on Rachel, and he says he'll stop terrorizing Gotham if Batman will come out from under the mask. A modest request from the bin Laden of movie villains, yet Bruce is reluctant. Or rather, the film is, since the informing principle of any franchise is perpetuation of the series. No secret, no Batman — just a moneybags with a Messiah complex.

The other would-be hero on a downward spiral is the district attorney. He's brave and ballsy enough to fight the Mob and the Joker, but when a tragedy makes his guilt roil, Dent gets bent. Old Two-Face has a mission of his own, and like the Joker, he can be a one-man plague — but with some of the poignance of classic tragedy.

Free Fall to Destiny
The mayhem and torture wreaked here, by saint or scum, are so vivid and persistent that it's a wonder, and a puzzle, why The Dark Knight snagged a PG-13 rating. (Don't take your 9-year-old son unless you think he'd enjoy seeing a kid just like him tremble in fear while a gun is held to his head by a previously sympathetic character.) But kids would have trouble following the movie, let alone understanding it. For teens and adults, it's a strap-yourselves-in trip, handsome and assured as only a big-budget picture can be. (Part of it was shot in the IMAX process, which lends the action scenes a startling clarity and depth.) And for reassurance, Nolan brings back old friends from Batman Begins: Michael Caine as Bruce's butler Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Fox, who takes care of Bruce's toys.

Actually, they're just diversions from the epochal face-off of Bruce and the Joker. For a good part of the film, when the two embrace in a free fall of souls — one doomed, the other imperiled — you may think you're in the grip of a mordant masterpiece. That feeling will pass, as the film spends too many of its final moments setting up the series' third installment. The chill will linger, though. The Dark Knight is bound to haunt you long after you've told yourself, Aah, it's only a comic-book movie.

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Ekiti lawmakers break mace, sack speaker [Read Article]

by
Bisi Olaniyi and Ademola Oni
PUNCHNG

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* The EKITI lawmakers have turn the fountain of knowledge to fountain of lowlessness, history will not forgive them

Posted by: EGBULE FESTUS , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* They"ve have fail their subject

Posted by: EGBULE FESTUS , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* They"ve have fail their subject

Posted by: EGBULE FESTUS , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* it is good for things to be exposed. Obj collected the pride that would had been in Imo to ogun state and made Achike udenwa a fool of himself, now the fire is borning, that is Gods handywork at making. But however, that truth is bitter, the best governor i have met in nigeria is none other person than Gbenga Danniel, so what the law maker are saying and doing is arrant nonsence. He is the best of all the governors in Nigeria today.

Posted by: CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Animal kingdom is better organised than most of our politicians today. They don't for 1 second think of the masses that "voted" them into office. Please where is Nigeria's Jerry Rawlings Please!!!!!!!

Posted by: ade , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* I dont know why Ogele is involved in this matter,He only crying foul,He want to be relevant in Ekiti politics,but I this this not yet time form him.Let Bamisile carry on,Let anybody in that house tell me if he has'nt done something bad in his lifetime. like what Mr Gov. said 'would arrest a bishop cos' when he was young he stole meat in his mother pot'?so think about cus'history will tell.

Posted by: Davies Dele , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* It is only God that can save us from all these leaders that imposed themselves on us with federal power through last year election,except in one state where the people were allowed to choose who govern them.Obasanjo over to u Mr do or die affair,during d election see what happened in Ogun and Osun states just to mention 2 states,god's judgement willcome one day

Posted by: dimmy , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Wild, Wild West!! Carry go, the clock is ticking. History is about to repeat itself.

Posted by: George Omuku , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Why is it that people hate progress? This man has had more developments for the people of that state than any known govenor thats ruled that state...why are politicians a bunch of ingrates..Governor Daniel deserves respect for all his accomplishments and all this selfish politicians who are only out to eat what they can with their filthy hands should look for elsewhere if they cant cope with his pace...

Posted by: Olumide Familusi , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* The good people of ogunn state,sentiment appart,one of the best governour in nigerial today is otunba Gbenga daniel.pls dont allow some judas calling themselves honourable to cause everlasting regret for the good people of the state.let the honourables come together and do their job as expected.As for the good people of my state Ekiti,what exactly is the problem?have you just heard that your speaker stole fire extinguisher while in school?pls dont turn politics to money making industry.

Posted by: AYODEJI FAGBEMI , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* The good people of ogunn state,sentiment appart,one of the best governour in nigerial today is otunba Gbenga daniel.pls dont allow some judas calling themselves honourable to cause everlasting regret for the good people of the state.let the honourables come together and do their job as expected.As for the good people of my state Ekiti,what exactly is the problem?have you just heard that your speaker stole fire extinguisher while in school?pls dont turn politics to money making industry.

Posted by: AYODEJI FAGBEMI , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Thugs will always be thugs, no matter the the polite names they are called or the sophisticated apparel they put on. That thin veneer of sophistication is peeling of to reveal the real barbarians within. Ride on thugs, pummel each other into a bloody pulp. We'll pick up the pieces later.

Posted by: omonayajo , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Yoruba TRUE Leaders,where are you? Dont allow these thugs in Agbada to ruin our race.Please save us from this imminent collapse.We are tired of these criminals gverning our state.Only Lagos State has a sane governor the others are touts in Agbada.ODUDUWA save us from this calamities.ODUA A GBEWA OOOOOOOOOO ASE ASE ASE

Posted by: Olu ( Okitipupa) , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Yoruba TRUE Leaders,where are you? Dont allow these thugs in Agbada to ruin our race.Please save us from this imminent collapse.We are tired of these criminals gverning our state.Only Lagos State has a sane governor the others are touts in Agbada.ODUDUWA save us from this calamities.ODUA A GBEWA OOOOOOOOOO ASE ASE ASE

Posted by: Olu ( Okitipupa) , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Yoruba TRUE Leaders,where are you? Dont allow these thugs in Agbada to ruin our race.Please save us from this imminent collapse.We are tired of these criminals gverning our state.Only Lagos State has a sane governor the others are touts in Agbada.ODUDUWA save us from this calamities.ODUA A GBEWA OOOOOOOOOO ASE ASE ASE

Posted by: Olu ( Okitipupa) , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* What is the matter with us Yoruba people? How can others in this so-called federation respect us when we seem to have no respect for ourselves. I don't hear of other State Assembly members fighting each other. It is only in Yoruba land. Kilode? What is it? Yoruba ronu o! Omo Odu'a ronu! Ekiti, now Ogun. May Jesus Christ deliver us all.

Posted by: Jagunlabi , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* THIS IS LUDICUROUS! I think its a waste of time using public money to send this thugs abroad because they never learn anything. For Gods sake we are suppose to be civilised by now. This is just a case of a fraud election and citizens apathy to election matters. How can a state or nation move forward if after 14months in office the dishonorable men are still at each others throat. Its time Nigerians start mobilising for mass actions to sack any non performing government. GOD why I am a Nigerian.

Posted by: akin raphael , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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*


Posted by: Am high diappointed d way our greedy leader rule this country.and reason reason between inec and pdp colabo give power to wrong people. May god deliver us in nigeria. 4rm lawalson gbenga . Akure. , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Such a show can't stop 2 happen in naija cos the ways the crackhead leaders were elected into public offices aren't legitimate. Any Tom, Dick.... can just come from nowhere to assume public office in naija. This isn't a new thing, neither will it be the last. All Nigerians ve to think deeply about what will become of the country in years to come. I expect naija to learn from the past mistakes and embrace a brighter future but contrary is the case.

Posted by: Seeker [USA] , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* Another K-leg in Ekiti politics. . .(misquoting OBJ). Someone ones said:"the predictable thing about Nigeria is that u can predict its unpredictability". I can not agree more. It so disheartening when u read things let this. We keep on painting our image dark & gloomy to the outside world. To me Nigerian politics depicts a picture of one of George Orwells classics:ANIMAL FARM. If u look closely u'll notice a great similarity existing between d Military regimes & all Civillian dispensation; a c

Posted by: Nwannewi from PORT/HARCOURT , on Wednesday, July 09, 2008

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* I really support what Gbenga Oluseye said we need a radical God fearing man like Thomas Sankara to purge Nigeria from Corrupt Speaker, House Member,Governors and bad leaders.In short we need a revolution i would nt mind if it a soldier but should have the love of the masses at heart infact Nigeria case now is worst than a military regime.For christ sake without syphoning money speaker & House member,governors and president can live comfortably with good savings without sealing tax payers money

Posted by: James , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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* It is dishearten to witness case like this in our Democracy,if you look at what is really going on in Nigeria between the Speakers,the so called Hon Members the Governors & our leaders they are not fighting for the masses neither are they fighting for the growth & development of the country but for their selfish interest,i have said it before and i ll say it again we need a radical God fearing man like Thomas Sankara in Nigeria to wipe out and kill all these nuisance leaders enough is enough

Posted by: Gbenga Oluseye,MD USA , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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* It is dishearten to witness case like this in our Democracy,if you look at what is really going on in Nigeria between the Speakers,the so called Hon Members the Governors and our leaders they are not fighting for the masses neither are they fighting for the growth and development of the country but for their selfish interest,i have said it before and i ll say it again we need a radical God fearing man like Thomas Sankara in Nigeria to wipe out and kill all these nuisance we call our leaders

Posted by: Gbenga Oluseye,MD USA , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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* nawoooo.if true, why does it always ve to degenerate to this there always ve to be a fight........because i've learnt not to beleive evrything i read in the papers... we will all hear the vivid details soon... God bless nigeria

Posted by: richie , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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* Frankly speaking,this is a country where anything can be done lawlessly.The House of Assembly has been toyed round like a child-play.It has become a dramatic field where each one has to play his or her own role for laughing-stock.Can we say that we are still learning the democratic process since 1999?Much needed to be done.

Posted by: Akeem Rabiu,Canada , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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* Nigerians especially need to examine the claim of the British researcher that says black people are inferior and that we should not be left to do things the way of western world. Nigeria copied USA democracy, USA has used impeachment three times in 2oo years. Impeachmenthas become money making device, PDP has the largest assembly of criminals in any nations of the world. Ekiti is in trouble, Oyo is a powder keg, now Ogun, seems like our education is working against us. Where are the elders?

Posted by: Bola Kehinde , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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* The south are highly educated. So much for education. welcome to the Jungle politics of Nigeria. No admission fee necessary.

Posted by: LASTP , on Tuesday, July 08, 2008

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India beggar amasses coin fortune
By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta


When 60-year-old Laxmi Das recently deposited her earnings in an Indian bank in Calcutta, it was a bit more than the usual mundane money transfer.

Ms Das handed over 91kg (200lb) of coins - the produce of 44 years of hard begging - enabling her to open an account and qualify for a credit card.

Laxmi began begging near Hatibagan, a busy road junction in northern Calcutta, at the age of 16.

Officials say she could have saved as much as 30,000 rupees ($692).

"She would spend frugally from her daily collection and save the coins. She was very possessive about them," says her sister Asha.

Ms Das saved the coins in iron buckets covered with jute bags at her home in a shanty town near the crossing.

In all, she collected four buckets-full of coins - of all denominations - some even minted as far back as 1961 and now clearly out of date.

"But we will accept those coins as well because she is poor and needs all our support," said Central Bank of India spokesman Shantanu Neogy.

He says there is a directive from India's Reserve Bank to accept all such outdated coins and reimburse the depositor in full.

'Unique savings'

Ms Das told bank officials that she had stored the coins for when she reached "old age" and needed a pension plan for when she was too old to beg.


She was encouraged to deposit the money by police who feared it could have been stolen from her home.

"It is not safe for her to have the coins in the shanty any more, now that people have come to know," said police officer Baidyanath Saha. "A bank account would be the best option for her unique savings."

Bank officials say they are still counting thousands of her coins and still do not know the exact amount.

They say that there are "a lot of coins to count".

Once her account is eventually opened, officials at the Central Bank of India will give her advice on how to use her money.

Ms Das chose to ignore - or did not know about - a thriving racket in this part of the world in which old Indian coins are smuggled and melted down in Bangladesh to make razor blades that sell for up to seven times their value as coins.

The scam has caused an acute coin shortage in eastern India, forcing government mints to cut down on the amount of metal they now use to make the coins.

Nicole Kidman gives birth to girl

Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has given birth to a baby girl called Sunday Rose and both are doing well, her spokesman has said.

He said Kidman, 41, and her husband, country singer Keith Urban, 40, were "delighted" to announce the birth.

Sunday Rose weighed 6lb 7.5oz and was born in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is the first child the actress has given birth to. She has two adopted children, Connor and Isabella, with former husband actor Tom Cruise.

Kidman won her Academy Award in 2003 for The Hours. She will next be seen in wartime movie Australia, with Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann and X-Men star Hugh Jackman.

Challenge

She married Grammy-winning singer Urban in a Sydney ceremony in June 2006.

Urban spoke last January of the challenges of entering a rehab clinic for alcohol addiction.

He said it was a bigger challenge than he expected but that his life had become "unmanageable".

Kidman said afterwards: "I've learned an enormous amount having a relationship with someone who is in recovery."

Cruise is now married to Dawson's Creek star Katie Holmes, who gave birth to their first child, daughter Suri, in April 2006.

Nicole Kidman gives birth to girl

Nicole Kidman gives birth to girl

Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has given birth to a baby girl called Sunday Rose and both are doing well, her spokesman has said.

He said Kidman, 41, and her husband, country singer Keith Urban, 40, were "delighted" to announce the birth.

Sunday Rose weighed 6lb 7.5oz and was born in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is the first child the actress has given birth to. She has two adopted children, Connor and Isabella, with former husband actor Tom Cruise.

Kidman won her Academy Award in 2003 for The Hours. She will next be seen in wartime movie Australia, with Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann and X-Men star Hugh Jackman.

Challenge

She married Grammy-winning singer Urban in a Sydney ceremony in June 2006.

Urban spoke last January of the challenges of entering a rehab clinic for alcohol addiction.

He said it was a bigger challenge than he expected but that his life had become "unmanageable".

Kidman said afterwards: "I've learned an enormous amount having a relationship with someone who is in recovery."

Cruise is now married to Dawson's Creek star Katie Holmes, who gave birth to their first child, daughter Suri, in April 2006.

Nicole Kidman Gives Birth to Girl!By Us Magazine

53 minutes ago
celebs: Russell CroweNicole KidmanTom CruiseKeith Urbantopics: CouplesKids
Us Magazine Nicole Kidman has given birth, her husband Keith Urban's rep confirms to Usmagazine.com.

The actress welcomed a girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, Monday morning.

The baby weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

"Husband Keith was by Nicole's side and mother and baby are very well," the rep said.

It is the first child for Kidman, 41, and Keith Urban, 40. She has two adopted children -- Connor, 13, and Isabella, 15 -- with ex Tom Cruise.

(See Us' Bump Hall of Fame.)

Kidman has said she was "yearning" to have a baby with Urban. Early on in her relationship with Cruise, she had suffered a miscarriage.

She told July's Vogue that she cried when she saw her ultrasound.

"I didn't think I'd get to experience that in my lifetime," she said. "I like the unpredictable nature of it. To feel life growing with you is something very, very special, and I'm going to embrace that completely."

The actress said being pregnant "taps into that thing in human nature that is universal and collective and beautiful."

Urban shared her enthusiasm.

"Well, God, yeah!" he told Us of their excitement for their newborn.

(See pics of Nicole's style evolution.)

The Australian couple -- who wed in June 2006 -- announced they were expecting in January.

In an interview on Oprah's Oscar Special, pal Russell Crowe asked the actress if she planned on getting pregnant. "I hope so," she replied.

When Crowe remarked that he'd like to see Kidman "walking around barefoot and pregnant," the actress agreed " "I'd like to see that, too."

She also told Vogue in December: "I always thought I'd eventually live on a Fijian island. I love the idea of being in a sarong, with hair down to my bum and kids following my around and hanging out."

(See photos of other stars who are 40.)

Tell Us: Will Nicole & Keith make good parents?

Nicole Kidman Gives Birth to Girl!By Us Magazine

53 minutes ago
celebs: Russell CroweNicole KidmanTom CruiseKeith Urbantopics: CouplesKids
Us Magazine Nicole Kidman has given birth, her husband Keith Urban's rep confirms to Usmagazine.com.

The actress welcomed a girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, Monday morning.

The baby weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

"Husband Keith was by Nicole's side and mother and baby are very well," the rep said.

It is the first child for Kidman, 41, and Keith Urban, 40. She has two adopted children -- Connor, 13, and Isabella, 15 -- with ex Tom Cruise.

(See Us' Bump Hall of Fame.)

Kidman has said she was "yearning" to have a baby with Urban. Early on in her relationship with Cruise, she had suffered a miscarriage.

She told July's Vogue that she cried when she saw her ultrasound.

"I didn't think I'd get to experience that in my lifetime," she said. "I like the unpredictable nature of it. To feel life growing with you is something very, very special, and I'm going to embrace that completely."

The actress said being pregnant "taps into that thing in human nature that is universal and collective and beautiful."

Urban shared her enthusiasm.

"Well, God, yeah!" he told Us of their excitement for their newborn.

(See pics of Nicole's style evolution.)

The Australian couple -- who wed in June 2006 -- announced they were expecting in January.

In an interview on Oprah's Oscar Special, pal Russell Crowe asked the actress if she planned on getting pregnant. "I hope so," she replied.

When Crowe remarked that he'd like to see Kidman "walking around barefoot and pregnant," the actress agreed " "I'd like to see that, too."

She also told Vogue in December: "I always thought I'd eventually live on a Fijian island. I love the idea of being in a sarong, with hair down to my bum and kids following my around and hanging out."

(See photos of other stars who are 40.)

Tell Us: Will Nicole & Keith make good parents?

Abba will never reform says Bjorn

(Monday July 07, 2008 03:26 AM)
Swedish pop group Abba will never reform despite the success of the Mamma Mia stage show and film, according to two members of the band.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson said the pop sensations will never take to the stage again.

The group had hits including Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and Money, Money, Money, and have sold more than 370 million records worldwide.

Ulvaeus told the newspaper: "We will never appear on stage again. There is simply no motivation to re-group. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were.

"Young, exuberant, full of energy and ambition. I remember Robert Plant saying Led Zeppelin were a cover band now because they cover all their own stuff. I think that hit the nail on the head."

Andersson said they are surprised their hits are still popular after 30 years.

However, the pair are protective of their work, and kept the power to stop the stage show and subsequent film if they were not up to scratch.

Andersson said: "You don't just give songs away to anyone to do with what they want. It could have been a disaster. But we did have the power of veto which meant we could have stopped it at any time."

Ulvaeus described star of the Mamma Mia film Meryl Streep as "a goddess".

The movie, released on Friday, also features Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth.

Nadal shocks Federer for Wimbledon title

Nadal shocks Federer for Wimbledon title
Five-time champion's reign at the All England Club ends in five-set battle
The Associated Press
updated 7:10 p.m. ET, Sun., July. 6, 2008
WIMBLEDON, England - Back and forth they went in the Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the two greatest tennis players of their generation producing one of the greatest matches of any generation on the sport’s grandest stage.

For five sets, through rain, wind and descending darkness, the two men swapped spectacular shots, until, against a slate sky, Nadal earned the right to fling his racket aside and collapse on his back, champion of the All England Club at last.

“Is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment, no?” Nadal said after accepting the golden trophy that has belonged to Federer since 2003.

The No. 2-ranked Nadal ended No. 1 Federer’s five-title run at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament by the slimmest of margins, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, Sunday night. Nadal is the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same season.

“Probably my hardest loss, by far,” said Federer, who was trying to become the first man to claim six consecutive Wimbledon championships since the 1880s.

Nadal stopped Federer’s streaks of 40 victories in a row at Wimbledon, and a record 65 in a row on grass, thereby stamping his supremacy in their rivalry, no matter what the rankings say.

“Look, Rafa’s a deserving champion,” said Federer, who hadn’t lost a set all tournament before Sunday. “He just played fantastically.”

And that tremendous play lasted a record 4 hours, 48 minutes, longer than any of the classic Wimbledon men’s finals it will be recalled alongside, including Borg’s five-set victory over John McEnroe in 1980.

Nadal, the first Spanish man to triumph at the All England Club since Manolo Santana in 1966, managed to regroup after blowing a two-set lead, managed to recover after wasting two match points in the fourth-set tiebreaker. He earned his fifth Grand Slam title, but first away from the French Open.

Nadal did it by showing fortitude on his serve, saving 12 of 13 break points. He did it by breaking serve four times — twice as many times as Federer lost serve in his previous six matches combined. And Nadal did it by being better from the baseline, winning 24 of 38 points that lasted 10 or more strokes, according to an unofficial AP tally.

“He was rock-solid, the way we know him,” said Federer, who hit 25 aces. “He’s definitely improved his game.”

Borg and Santana watched from the front row of the Royal Box at Centre Court, which next year will have a retractable roof. Perhaps Mother Nature wanted one last chance to leave her mark, delaying Sunday’s start by 35 minutes with rain. Showers again caused a delay of 1 hour, 21 minutes late in the third set, then another of 30 minutes at 2-2, deuce, in the fifth set.

When action resumed at 8:23 p.m., it already was tough to see, and the players traded service holds until 7-7. That’s where Nadal finally broke through, as Federer’s forehand really began to break down. A forehand into the net gave Nadal his fourth break point, and a forehand long conceded the game — the first break of serve by either man since the second set.

Nadal still had to serve out the match, though, and he still had to avoid the sort of nerves Federer noticed when his opponent led 5-2 in the fourth-set tiebreaker.

“I played terrible there,” said Nadal, who double-faulted to 5-3.

Down 6-5, Federer erased a match point with a 127 mph service winner. Down 8-7 — again, one point from losing — Federer hit a backhand passing winner.

A forehand winner put Federer ahead 9-8, and when Nadal missed a backhand return, the match was even. Federer jumped and screamed, and the crowd of about 15,000 joined him.


No man since 1927 had come back to win a Wimbledon final after losing the first two sets, and none had overcome a match point to seize victory since 1948. If anyone could, it figured to be Federer, especially on this particular lawn.

“But Rafa keeps you thinking, and that’s what the best players do to each other in the end,” Federer said. “That’s what we both do to each other.”


It was their sixth Grand Slam final, already more than between any other pair of men in the 40-year Open era, and there could be several to follow. Federer is only 26, after all, and Nadal is 22. Federer has led the rankings for a record 231 consecutive weeks, and Nadal has been second for a record 154.

Nadal defeated Federer at the French Open en route to each of his championships there, in the 2005 semifinals and the past three finals, including a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 rout last month that was Federer’s most lopsided loss in 180 career Grand Slam matches.


But the Swiss star kept reminding everyone this week that he has had the upper hand on surfaces other than clay.

Not this time.

Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five. Although the latter was certainly suspenseful, it featured neither the drama nor the all-around excellence of Sunday’s encounter, which ended at 9:15 p.m., when Federer pushed a forehand into the net on Nadal’s fourth match point.

Federer made clear afterward he was not pleased that play continued despite the low visibility at the end.

“It’s rough on me now, obviously, you know, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light,” he said.

Said Nadal: “In the last game, I didn’t see nothing.”

Both players figured that had Federer managed to break back to 8-8, play would have been suspended until Monday because of darkness.

“It would have been brutal,” Federer said.

It didn’t happen.

Nadal came through, and when he arose from his celebratory flop on the ground, he had grass stains on the back of his white shirt. He shook hands with Federer, then climbed into the players’ guest box to hug his uncle/coach Toni and others. With tears in Nadal’s eyes, he grabbed a red-and-yellow Spanish flag and walked across the top of the scoreboard and the roof of the TV announcers” booth to reach the Royal Box for handshakes with Spain’s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia.

As this scene unfolded, Federer sat alone in his changeover chair, protected from the night’s chill by his custom-made cream cardigan with the gold “RF” on the chest.

So many serves, so many strokes, so much grit — all for naught.

“I am very happy for me,” Nadal said, “but sorry for him, because he deserved this title, too.”

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25552202/site/21683474/page/2/

Venus tops Serena to defend title

The older Williams sister wins her fifth Wimbledon championship
The Associated Press
updated 4:42 p.m. ET, Sat., July. 5, 2008
WIMBLEDON, England - Thrilled as she was to win her fifth Wimbledon singles championship, Venus Williams dialed down her celebration.

No hopping in place and skipping to the net after match point, the way she’s done so often on that Centre Court lawn. No giddy laughter and whoops of joy, as she’s let out in the past.

This title was different from her previous successes at the grass-court Grand Slam.

This title came at the expense of her younger sibling, Serena.

Reprising their Sister Slam Show in the Wimbledon final after a five-year hiatus, Venus and Serena Williams smacked big serves, hit hard strokes from all angles and chased down seemingly unreachable balls, like no one else does. Overcoming an early deficit, Venus beat Serena 7-5, 6-4 Saturday for her second consecutive title at the All England Club and seventh major championship overall.

“I’m definitely more in tune with my sister’s feelings because one of us has to win and one of us has to lose,” the No. 7-seeded Venus said. “You could never detract from winning a Wimbledon, so of course it doesn’t detract from that. But I’m definitely thinking about how my sister’s feeling.”

No. 6 Serena, meanwhile, was sullen as could be afterward, as though she had just finished losing to a stranger. Which, it turns out, was the way she tried to view Venus. That the champion’s trophy stayed in the family did not ease the pain of defeat.

“It’s definitely not any easier,” Serena said. “I just look at her as another opponent at the end of the day.”

Said their mother and coach, Oracene Price: “Well, you know, she’s going to have to learn how to suck things up. Say, ’OK, I’m not going to win everything.”’

About 3½ hours after the singles final ended, Price’s daughters returned to the same court, except now they were playing on the same side of the net, and they beat Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-2 to win the women’s doubles title.

A day that began with a meal together at the nearby house they’re sharing, ended with the sisters’ seventh Grand Slam doubles championship — and a total family payday of more than $2.5 million.

Saturday’s earlier encounter was the seventh all-Williams Grand Slam singles final; only one other pair of sisters faced off in a major tournament title match, and that was all the way back at the very first Wimbledon, in 1884.

Williams vs. Williams finals became routine for a bit, when they met in six of eight Grand Slam title matches from the U.S. Open in 2001 through Wimbledon in 2003. Serena went 5-1 in those, including beating Venus at the All England Club in 2002 and 2003.

But big sister got some payback Saturday.

“I didn’t want the same trend to keep happening,” Venus said. “So I climbed a tiny little notch up. It’s 2-5. Still behind, but I’m working on it.”

Venus is 28 and Serena 26, and both have been ranked No. 1. But injuries slowed both, and that 2003 Wimbledon final was the last time they met to decide a championship.

Things were still a tad awkward after all these years — for the sisters themselves, of course, but also for the 15,000 or so fans, who couldn’t seem to get into picking someone to support, leading to a subdued atmosphere; for chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who occasionally forgot to add the necessary first name when announcing, “Advantage, Miss Williams”; and, perhaps most of all, for the relatives sitting in the players’ guest box.

When Venus capped a run in which she claimed five of six games to erase an early 4-2 hole and take the first set, for example, Price simply stayed put, her face expressionless, her hands in her lap.


You’ve just seen one of your daughters win the first set of the Wimbledon final, and you don’t jump and applaud? Well, not if you’ve also just seen one of your daughters lose the first set of the Wimbledon final.

“That was a difficult one to watch,” Price said. “You feel happy that the one won it, but you feel so bad because there has to be a loser, too.”


Venus entered the tournament in the midst of an uneven season, with a 14-7 record and without so much as one title of any sort. As long has been the case, however, the grass brought out her best, and she didn’t drop a set all fortnight — not even against the woman she considers her toughest foe.

“I have the ultimate respect for her game and I have a lot of respect for her serve,” said Venus, who also won Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007. “If I was playing anyone else, I wouldn’t have to face what I had to face today.”


The same could be said by Serena.

No other top woman consistently serves as powerfully as the sisters do, and Venus broke her Wimbledon record with a 129 mph delivery Saturday. Repeatedly, precisely the way she’s done all tournament, Venus pounded serves directly at Serena’s body.

“I’m glad she did it,” Serena said, “because next time, I know what to expect.”

No other top woman consistently pounds groundstrokes the way the sisters do, either, and they produced fantastic points, even if a swirling wind played havoc with some shots and led Venus to catch her service toss countless times.

Neither held back, and the tone was set in the third game, when Venus came to the net, and Serena sent a stinging passing attempt right at her sister’s face. Venus managed to hit a reflex volley winner.

Then again, at 4-4 in the opening set, Serena conceded a point to Venus after the chair umpire called a let when Serena shouted “No!” as she hit a shot she thought was headed out.

Serena, who still leads Venus 8-7 in major titles, actually compiled more aces, 9-4, more total winners, 32-27, and fewer unforced errors, 11-13. But there was one key difference that tilted the other way: Venus was 4-for-7 converting break points, while Serena was 2-for-13.

One of those two conversions came early in the second set, when Serena wasted six break chances before converting the seventh as Venus slipped on the worn baseline at the end of a 10-stroke exchange.

That break put Serena ahead 2-1, but she failed to hold in the very next game, when a deep forehand by Venus forced an error to make it 2-2.

They stayed on serve until Venus was ahead 5-4, and she broke there to end it. On the first match point, her sister swatted a 100 mph ace — “classic Serena Williams,” as Venus put it.

But on the next point, Serena sailed a backhand wide. When they met beside the net, the sisters wrapped their arms around each other. The embrace after their doubles victory appeared far warmer.

Now both were champions.

Fani-Kayode, Borishade shun food, opt for water

Published 7/5/2008 10:40:00 PM



Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja


The two former ministers of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode and Dr. Babalola Borisade, who were on Wednesday remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Abuja, are not eating much, a source in the EFCC has said. The source, who said Fani-Kayode was cheerful while Borishade looked gloomy, disclosed that rather take their meals the two former ministers kept drinking a lot of water.

The source, who said the two ministers were only eating “minimally,” said the Commission had encouraged their aides and those of a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, Mr Roland Iyayi, to bring food and clothes for them. He said, “Remember that they were arrested at the National Assembly. Because of this, they did not come with clothes. It was their aides and relatives that later brought food and clothes to them.

“Concerning Iyayi, I must tell you that it was the statement he made to us that led to the picking up of the former ministers. He, like others, is also calm and has been like a small boy in their midst. Iyayi still addresses them as ‘honourable ministers’ even in their present condition. That shows his level of loyalty.”

The source also revealed that Borishade rebuffed Fani-Kayode’s efforts to lift his spirit, adding that Borishade had been keeping to himself since he arrived at the EFCC.

The source added that when Fani-Kayode, who took over from him as minister of aviation, greeted Borishade, the latter only nodded his head. Later, when he made an attempt to respond to the greeting, he only muttered words that “were not audible.” The source said that the cold reception that Borishade accorded Fani-Kayode might be a product of their disagreement at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Aviation.

“Remember, before the committee both of them disagreed on how the money was spent. While Fani-Kayode said that the approval to fence the airports with N506m was given by Borishade, the latter disagreed, saying that the approval was given by Fani-Kayode himself. Borishade also said that the letter in which he was said to have given the approval was doctored by Fani-Kayode, whom he accused of smuggling in evidence, an accusation Fani-Kayode denied vehemently,” the source said.

The source expressed surprise at Fani-Kayode’s cheerful mien in custody saying, “I don’t know where Fani-Kayode got his boldness from. He never betrayed any emotion. He has been very cheerful and friendly, even with the operatives who interrogated him. He provided answers to all the questions thrown at him with ease. Both of them gave us comprehensive statements and that is what we are working on.” The source added that Fani-Kayode had a Bible that he read often with him, and that he was also praying a lot.

The former ministers and Iyayi, were charged with conspiracy, breach of trust, breach of official trust, forgery and misappropriation of about N19.5 billion government infrastructure intervention fund. The money was meant for the renovation of four international airports: Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja . The accused persons were alleged to have committed the offences, which, according to the First Information Report, are punishable under Section 97, 99, 314, 364 and 309 of the Penal Code Law on June 13, 2006. They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Jay-Z impresses at Glastonbury

Jay-Z impresses at Glastonbury
By Golnar Motevalli Reuters - Monday, June 30 10:55 pmGLASTONBURY (Reuters) - The tents are packed up and most of the 140,000 music lovers have made their weary way home, but memories of this year's Glastonbury festival, and its headline act Jay-Z, are likely to linger.

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The choice of the rapper to perform on the main stage at a festival best known for its guitar-based rock acts was widely criticized, and Oasis's Noel Gallagher riled the musician by saying the organizers were wrong to pick him.

Jay-Z's response was emphatic.

He opened his show with a film using Gallagher's now infamous comments and a montage of clips parodying him, before launching into an acoustic rendition of one of Oasis's biggest hits: "Wonderwall." Most fans and critics were impressed.

"His performance will go down in Glastonbury history," wrote the Independent in a Monday review of the festival.

Rather than being booed off stage as some predicted, "both audience and artist rose to the occasion and turned in a moment of real, euphoric, pop-culture history," added the Times.

The Guardian concluded: "It's brilliantly staged, utterly thrilling and it makes Gallagher look a bit of a berk."

The Daily Mirror tabloid, however, described his performance as dull.

"I felt seriously short-changed as I walked away from this performance," it said.

WINEHOUSE LESS CONVINCING

While there was plenty of praise for Jay-Z, soul singer Amy Winehouse was less convincing with what many felt was a shambolic set.

The eagerly anticipated appearance by the 24-year-old shortly after she was diagnosed as having a "touch of" lung condition emphysema failed to live up to the hype, said 19-year-old festival-goer and fan Heidi Cook.

"I saw her last year at Glastonbury and she was out of it but she sang well, but this time she was awful."

Winehouse, sporting her trademark towering black beehive hair, did earn plaudits for turning up in the first place after being a major doubt for Glastonbury.

The singer, who won five Grammys in February, has been fighting drug addiction, was in hospital just before her performance and her husband is expected to be sentenced soon after pleading guilty to attacking a pub landlord in 2006.

Winehouse paid tribute to Blake Fielder-Civil but criticised her father, who announced in a recent newspaper interview that she was suffering from emphysema.

Hundreds of other acts took the stage over the three-day event held on a dairy farm in southwest England, including Gossip and veterans Jimmy Cliff, Neil Diamond and Leonard Cohen.

Organizers struggled to sell all of the tickets to this year's event unlike sellouts of recent years, but Jay-Z and the rest of the cast earned Glastonbury high marks.

"Suddenly, a festival whose very future seemed pretty bleak 24 hours ago feels like a triumph," said the Guardian.

Even the weather complied. Renowned for annual downpours and knee-deep mudbaths, there was more sunshine than rain.

Reuters/Nielsen

Aviation fund: EFCC arrests Fani-Kayode, Borishade

Aviation fund: EFCC arrests Fani-Kayode, Borishade

John Alechenu, Abuja

PUNCHNG
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested two former ministers of Aviation — Dr. Babalola Borishade and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode — for their roles in the disbursement of the N19.5bn Aviation Intervention Fund.

Also arrested was a former Director-General of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Mr. Roland Iyayi.

The three men were picked up around 6.25pm on Monday after appearing before the Senate Committee on Aviation.

Borishade and Iyayi were driven out of the National Assembly premises in Abuja in a white Toyota bus marked Abuja AU 329 YAB. Fani-Kayode, who wore a striped dark suit was allowed by the operatives to ride in his black Range Rover marked LAGOS JH A20 AAA.

Fani-Kayode, who was also a former Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had told THE PUNCH on Sunday that he would tell the world what he knew about the N19.5bn intervention fund.

He said his decision to appear was because of the misinformation that he disbursed the whole N19.5bn.

The EFCC had on June 23 arrested Mr. George Eider, the representative of Avsatel, an Austrian firm that won tower projects’ contracts for four airports.

Borishade and Fani-Kayode had during their appearance before the committe disagreed over the disbursement of the N19.5bn..

While Borishade claimed that he did not authorise the withdrawal of any amount from the fund before he left office, Fani-Kayode said not all the money was made available to him.

Borishade had said,“The approval for the opening of the letter of Credit for the Safe Tower Project was only commitment authorised by me in respect of the Intervention Fund before I was redeployed on November 7, 2006. No withdrawal was made from this facility before I left.”

But Fani-Kayode countered him, saying, “What must be clearly understood is that not all this money was made available to me when I got there.

“What happened was that before I got into that office, a substantial part of that money had been sourced and had been spent by my predecessor in office, Dr. Borishade.

“Consequently, N8.5bn had been sourced and approximately N8.4bn had been spent from that sum before I came into that office.

“When I assumed my duties as the minister in November 2006, the sum of N11bn (which was the balance of the intervention fund) was released to me from the National Resource Development Account by the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for application.”

Fani-Kayode also told the committee that there was N2bn which was not part of the intervention fund which was also jointly administered by the ministry and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria .

He said the N2bn, a soft loan from the Rivers State Government, was given to FAAN directly for the rehabilitation of the runway of Port Harcourt International Airport.

Fani-Kayode claimed that “out of the N2bn, approximately N350m was spent on things outside the runway before he assumed office.”

He said,“When I got to the Ministry, I was given the responsibility of administering N11billion (Intervention Fund) plus a further N1.63m (soft loan from the Rivers State Government ).

“The records will show that out of the N11bn that I was asked to administer, I only released approximately N3.8bn and out of the N1.63bn, I only released N1.5bn.

“The records show that consequently by the time I left the ministry, approximately N7.2bn was left in the intervention fund account and a further N133m was left out of the N1.6bn that I was given for the airport runway.”

Borishade also said he was aware that N2bn was released for the payment of the severance package of retired aviation workers.

He said the idea of collecting a loan from Zenith Bank to finance the rehabilitation of tower projects in four of the nation’s airports at N6.5bn was not his but that of a former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Asked whether he was aware of a N45bn Bilateral Air Services Agreement Account, he answered in the affirmative but added that he did not access the sum after several memos.

The committee observed that a recent quotation from the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency indicated that the contract for the rehabilitation of the towers in the four airports could be executed with N1.03bn.

It then wondered why it was awarded for N6.5b in 2006.

Head of the Bureau for Public Procurement (Due Process), Mr. Emeka Eze, in his testimony said the bureau raised queries when it discovered that certain documentations concerning the contract were not done.

Our correspondents also learnt that EFCC operatives on Monday quizzed Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako, his deputy, and Chief of Staff over an alleged N6.8bn contract inflation.

A source said the contract was in connection with the supply of vehicles to state House of Assembly members.

The governor was accused of awarding contract reportedly without tender and making illegal deductions from local government funds.

Our correspondent gathered that another charge was that he awarded a contract to his firm, known simply as Sebori.

The EFCC was said to have acted on a petition sent by one Alhaji Saidu Halidi.

The Head of EFCC’s Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development on the telephone on Monday.

But he did not provide details.