Militants attack prison in NW Pakistan

The attack on the jail in the town of
Dera Ismail Khan began with several
explosions at around midnight on
Monday.
Gunmen then opened fire with
rocket-propelled grenades and
machine-guns, police chief Sohail
Khalid said.
The prison houses hundreds of
Taliban and militants from banned
groups. The fighting is still going on.
The attackers were chanting "God is
great" and "Long live the Taliban,"
officials told the Associated Press.
A local resident told the agency that
the initial blast was so loud that "it
rattled every house in the
neighbourhood".
Pakistani Taliban spokesman
Shahidullah Shahid has claimed
responsibility for the attack. He said
around 300 prisoners had been
freed.
"The Taliban have loudspeakers and
they are calling the names of their
friends," the town's civil
commissioner, Mushtaq Jadoon,
said.
Officials said that authorities had
been aware of a threat to attack the
prison in recent weeks.
Provincial prisons chief Khalid Abbas
said he was not sure if any of the
jail's 40 "high-profile" prisoners had
escaped.
Hundreds of inmates were freed in
an assault on a prison in Bannu in
northern Pakistan in April last year.
Dera Ismail Khan is the main city in
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, in
Pakistan's restive, mountainous tribal
region.
Monday night's violence comes
hours before Pakistani politicians are
expected to choose the country's
new president.
The replacement for Asif Ali Zardari
will be elected on Tuesday by the
members of both houses of
parliament and the four provincial
assemblies.

Italy coach crash: At least 38 dead near Avellino

The coach hit several vehicles before
smashing through a barrier and
toppling down a steep slope near
the town of Avellino, in the Campania
region.
At least 10 people were injured,
some of them seriously.
The coach was taking about 50
people, including children, back to
Naples following a pilgrimage.
The cause of the accident is not yet
known. Some reports say the vehicle
was travelling at speed.
The head of the local fire brigade
division, Alessio Barbarulo, said
barriers on bridges would normally
prevent such accidents but "evidently
it seems the impact was so strong
that even the barrier gave way".
A survivor said the driver, who was
among the dead, appeared to have
lost control of the bus, possibly after
a tyre punctured.
Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said
the vehicle had passed its annual
inspection in March, and there was
no indication of technical problems.
Tests are being carried out on the
driver's body as part of the
investigation into what caused the
accident.
TV footage showed smashed vehicles
on the flyover and shrouded bodies
lined up by the side of a road.
The Naples-Bari motorway was
closed to traffic because of the
accident.
The bus dropped 30m (98ft), coming
to rest in heavy undergrowth after
smashing through the guard-rail.
The final number of victims remains
unclear, with local officials saying 38
died while the transport ministry in
Rome spoke of 39.
The injured were taken to hospitals
in Avellino, Salerno and Nola, Ansa
news agency said.
They include the occupants the six
cars caught up in the collision. Six of
those hurt are children.
Those on board had been visiting the
town of Telese Terme, known for its
hot springs, and the nearby
birthplace of Padre Pio, one of Italy's
most popular saints.
On a visit to Greece, Italian Prime
Minister Enrico Letta said the accident
was "a huge tragedy".
Exactly 10 years ago, another
accident on the same stretch of
motorway claimed six lives and
injured 11 other people.
The coach plunged 30m (98ft) from a
flyover
Part of the concrete safety rail, which
failed to stop the coach leaving the
road, was brought down to the
ground
Victims' personal effects were
scattered among the wreckage in the
ravine
Relatives gathered at a local school
which has been turned into a
temporary mortuary
The passengers had been visiting the
birthplace of Padre Pio and the hot
springs at Telese Terme

Cairo vendors killed in mass brawl

Egyptian state media reported that
the brawl took place in the al-Moski
area of the capital.
The fight was reportedly caused by a
dispute between street vendors over
spaces.
Most of the victims died after a shop
they took refuge in was set on fire,
according to a report by the AFP
news agency.
There is so far no suggestion that the
fight is linked to the political crisis in
Egypt.

FG: ASUU May Call Off Strike Next Week

The ongoing strike by the Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
may likely be called off as a result of
the recent breakthrough in
negotiation with the Federal
Government on some outstanding
issues.
This is coming as the Secretary to
Government of the Federation (SGF),
Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim yesterday in
Abuja inaugurated the “Universities
Needs Implementation Committee”,
with Governor of Benue State,
Gabriel Suswam as its chairman.
Suswam while speaking to
journalists after the more than two
hours meeting with ASUU
representatives yesterday, disclosed
that the two parties have resolved
and agreed on all outstanding issues
except two, which were the pending
payment of allowances and
upgrading of universities physical
infrastructures.
He said that the two outstanding
issues would be addressed next
week with SGF handling the pending
incomes with ASUU on Monday,
while the upgrading of the university
infrastructures would be discussed
with his committee together with
other intervention agencies.
He clarified that while it was not in
his position to guarantee that the
strike would be called off next week,
but there was the likelihood of it, if
the two remaining issues were
resolved.
"It is not in my position to say when
the strike will be called off...If all the
issues are resolved, what is the
need of carrying on with the strike",
was his response when asked about
the possibility of calling of the strike
next week.
Suswam listed some of the major
issues agreed upon to include the
retirement age of the university
lecturers from 65 to 70 years;
setting of research centres;
establishment of pension
Administration, and governing
council (which has been done
already) amongst others.
"After so many hours of
deliberation, we agreed on major
issues except two of them, which
are on the pending upgrading of
physical infrastructures of the
universities and pending
allowances", he said.
He added that, "By Monday we will
talk about the pending allowances,
while on Thursday that of upgrading
of the university facilities will be
discussed with my committee
together with other intervention
agencies".
Speaking further he said: "The issue
of government intervention in the
universities...because if you look at
many universities there are
infrastructural deficit and that is why
we will also involve intervention
agencies, and foreign institutions".
"The other issues agreed upon are
the retirement age from 65 to 70
years, it has been resolved; setting
of research centres; establishment
of Pension Administration, and
Governing Council, which has been
done already.
Earlier, Anyim while inaugurating the
Needs Assessment Committee,
emphasised that it was set up in a
bid to put in place appropriate
requirements conducive for
academics in all tertiary institutions
in Nigeria.
He said that the major needs of all
Federal Universities were identified
by an assessment committee earlier
set up to "assess and prioritise the
needs of universities".
He said: "The report submitted by
the Needs assessment Committee
mandates the inaugurated
Committee to interface with all
agencies providing funding support
to the universities with the aim of
appropriately channelling support to
identified priorities.
"Stimulate private sector investment
into the public universities, monitor
progress of the projects
implementation and produce
quarterly report for submission to
the federal government and,
intervention in any other matter that
may be necessary to achieve the
purpose of the Needs Assessment".
This mandate stem from the
observations earlier carried out and
it was noted that various countries
fund tertiary institutions through
varying approaches, some through
budgetary allocations, non-
budgetary interventions or private
sector donations.
While noting that Nigeria was
involved in the tripod-like methods
of funding mentioned above, as
besides the Federal Government,
the central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria
National Petroleum Cooperation
(NNPC), Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC), Tertiary
Education Trust Fund (TETFund)
among others.
It would be recalled that the Federal
Government set up the Need
Assessment Committee to revitalise
the physical infrastructure in the
universities, with the aim of
enhancing the Internally Generated
Revenue (IGR) base of the
universities.
"With the expanded IGR, the
universities council will be enabled
to take care of staff earned-
allowances and administrative needs
of the universities on sustainable
basis", Anyim said.
Other members of the Committee
are the acting Executive Secretary of
TETFUND as the Vice Chairman, a
representative each of the Senate
and House of Representative
Committee on Education, the Office
of the SGF, Academic Staff Union of
Universities, Ministry of Finance, the
Ministers of Education and Labour
and productivity.
Also in the committee are
representatives of National
Universities Commission NUC,
SSANU, NAATS, CBN, NITDA, NCC,
NNPC, PTDF and a representative of
TETFund, who would serve as the
Secretary.

fizzle it out: Okorocha lied on Oguta re-run, Imo PDP alleges

fizzle it out: Okorocha lied on Oguta re-run, Imo PDP alleges

Okorocha lied on Oguta re-run, Imo PDP alleges

OWERRI—The Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, Imo State, has expressed
dismay over the misinformation
allegedly being peddled by Imo State
governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha,
against it and the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC,
in the wake of the inconclusive Oguta
re-run election.
The stand of the party was made
public in a  statement by the State
Publicity Secretary, Chief Blyden
Amajirionwu.
Amajirionwu said: “We want to state
without any fear of contradiction that
contrary to the claims of Governor
Okorocha, election did not take place
in the whole of Osemoto/Enuigbo and
Egbuoma/Egwe wards, both of which
are made up of 17 polling units”.
The party said if the 17 polling units
were added to the eight where results
were outstanding, as a result of
alleged snatching of election materials
by All Progressives Grand Alliance,
APGA thugs, the falsity of Governor
Okorocha’s claim will be glaring”.
Noting that it was based on these
incontrovertible facts that INEC
declared the result inconclusive.
The party said if the governor was in
possession of any signed results, he
might have to explain how he got
them.
Imo PDP described the alleged
telephone call received by the
returning officer, which led to
declaring the poll inconclusive, as
cheap blackmail designed to browbeat
INEC into taking precipitated action.
The PDP said: “INEC, as a responsible
and reputable agency of government,
cannot afford to succumb to such
intimidation. Let Governor Okorocha
say exactly who called the returning
officer and what she was told.”
Amajirionwu also stated that from the
legitimate results available to the
party, the APGA candidate in the
election, Mr. Walter Uzonwanne, lost
in all but one of the 17 units in his
Oguta Ward B and Oguta community.
He pleaded: “PDP, as a law abiding
party, is calling on INEC to, as quickly
as possible, make arrangement for
the conduct of elections in those
areas where no elections were held.
“We also call on the peace loving
people of Oguta constituency to keep
calm and be on their guard, while we
wait for further action by INEC.”