Thursday, 9 March 2017
MICHELLE OBAMA IS SO PRECIOUS
Umuigbo Youth Development Association - RC. 27200
On behalf of the National President & the members of this Organization, I welcome all visionary Igbo youths to this noble Organization. - AMB. JOHN TERENCE ONONUJU, NAT. ADMIN SECRETARY
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Thursday, 9 June 2016
COLLECTIVE ROLES OF NIGERIANS IN CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA, THE GIANT OF AFRICA
This remarkable event, goes a very long way in appreciating visionary Nigerians that have in one way or the other, contributed in great measures towards the development of the rural & urban areas of our great country Nigeria, especially in the South East zone.
Generally, the Nigerian Government, Media houses, Firms & visionary Nigerian citizens have over the years, contributed towards the development of Nigeria.But more effort is needed for the actualization of the country's over 50% development, which is expected to usher her to a round table of global development.
The popular English saying "To whom much is given, much is expected" should not be swept under the carpets, as Nigeria our great country, which is respected globally as the giant of Africa, has all the resources to take her to the next level of development like the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Japan and other developed countries of the world.
There is no doubt that our great country Nigeria is gradually experiencing development which is expected to fully manifest by the year 2050, only if we can collectively play great roles in fighting corruption which is the major factor hindering the country's rapid development.
We should consider our roles in fighting corruption and promoting development, as a sacrifice to our beloved country Nigeria, as the citizens of the developed countries of the world considered, which is today a blessing to their generation.
This is not the time to blame the Nigerian government for not getting it right.But the time to work hand in glove with the government 24 hours in promoting our country's development.
As citizens that want the best in development for our great country Nigeria, we should start these developmental processes from our various communities to the best of our abilities, while the ones we cannot handle, should be channeled to the Nigerian government for the actualization of the country's development.
The government as the key player, should embark on more developmental projects which include; the establishment of more industries, skills acquistion centers, research institutes & Information Technology centers in the 36 states of the Federation including Abuja.In addition, the provision of quality healthcare services, good drinking water, good roads network and many more developmental projects.
These developmental projects, should be handled by God's fearing Contractors that have the interest of the Nigerian citizens and Nigerian development at heart.
On the other hand, there are so many visionary young Nigerians who are struggling to contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria.Unfortunately, they have little or no resources with which to bring their vision to limelight.These individuals are agents of Nigerian development.One of them is a 14 year old Master Ogazi Chigaemezu, an automobile Engineer of Government Technical College (G.T.C.) Owerri, Imo state who was recently discovered by a member of John Terence Ononuju's Blog in GTC Owerri, recently.
The Nigerian government, media houses, firms and Philanthropists also have a very great role to play in the lives of these visionary young Nigerians, who are the future of Nigerian development.
When we put all the necessary factors in place towards achieving development for our great country Nigeria, we will forever be remembered as the outstanding 'Agents of Nigerian development'.May God bless our beloved Country Nigeria!
WRITTEN BY:
JOHN TERENCE ONONUJU
PRO BLOGGER
JOHN TERENCE ONONUJU'S BLOG
Monday, 6 June 2016
NIGERIA; JNI, CAN, House Speaker Condemn Killing of Trader in Kano
For the killers of Madam Bridget
Agbahime, who was murdered in Kano last week for alleged blasphemy, more
knocks came yesterday as the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, condemned the act as
barbaric and demanded justice.
The JNI, headed by the Sultan of Sokoto,
Muhammadu Saad Abubakar, in its statement signed by the Secretary
General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, described the killing as criminal
and not Islamic“These ugly incidences utterly stand
condemned and are regarded as criminal and unislamic, perpetrated by
miscreants and criminals” the JNI said.
The group said it was difficult to
believe that such a dastardly act could happen in the name of religion,
considering the various enlightenment programmes on interfaith and
mutual co-existence being put in place by the Muslim scholars and the
leadership.
The JNI also commiserated with the family of the deceased over the unfortunate incident and pray God to grant her eternal rest.
It said: “The Sultan of Sokoto and
President-General, JNI calls on all to remain calm and avoid all actions
that could lead to the breach of law and order.
“The generality of Muslims are also
implored to fervently pray for the restoration of peace and security in
Nigeria bearing in mind that without Nigeria there will be no
Nigerians.”
The CAN in its statement signed by its
spokesman, Rev. Joseph Hayab, dismissed allegations of blasphemy
levelled against the deceased, explaining that information made
available to CAN revealed that those who murdered Bridget went to do
ablution by her shop and she asked them to stop blocking the entrance to
her shop.
According to CAN, “From the information we gathered, Bridget never committed blasphemy as claimed by those who killed her.
“Information reaching us has shown that
one of her killers had been looking for her trouble very often and on
that day he went to her shop and started his ablution right at the
entrance of her shop and she complained and argument ensued.
“The man suddenly started shouting
Allahu Akbar and a mob surrounded her shop and descended on the woman.
Frantic efforts were made to save her life by people who tried to rescue
her but the mob overwhelmed them and we wonder where the police were
when this thing was happening.”
Bridget’s killers had alleged that she blasphemed Prophet Mohammed.
But CAN said it was sad that people
would wake up and kill a fellow human being like an animal, adding that
such a dastard action should not be condoned in any civilised society.
It noted that a similar incident
happened in Kano some years ago when another Igbo trader was beheaded
for the same allegations of blasphemy and said it was not enough for the
Kano State government to announce that one of the killers of Bridget
had been arrested.
The Christian body said: “The government
must ensure that the perpetrators of the evil act are brought to face
justice and this time around, we will closely monitor to ensure that
justice is done.
“We cannot say we are Nigerians and some
people will wake up and kill fellow Nigerians at will in the name of
religion and they are not brought to justice.
“Our religious leaders must come out and preach the true tenets of religion, because this arrogance is getting too much.”
It urged Christians to remain peaceful and law abiding and pray for the progress of the country.
In Abuja, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Hon. Dogara, called on security agencies to ensure the
arrest and prosecution of Bridget’s murderers.
Dogara, according to a statement by his
spokesperson, Mr. Turaki Hassan, yesterday condemned the murder, which
he described as a grievous act of lawlessness and impunity.
“We live in a society governed by
clearly stated rules and laws. When such crimes of high magnitude, or
any at all, are allowed to go unpunished for any reason, we risk
descending into a state of lawlessness and anarchy where anyone can
assume the role of judge, jury and executioner,” he said.
“The rule of law must prevail. I urge
all security agencies to ensure that they carry out a thorough
investigation into the events that led to her untimely death and ensure
that the perpetrators of this crime are made to face the full wrath of
the law,” the Speaker added.
In its reaction, a group known as Aka Ikenga also condemned Bridget’s killing.
The group in a statement signed by its
President, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, stated that the masterminds of this
murder should be charged to court promptly, adding that the act was a
premeditated action under the pretence of religion.
Uwazurike, therefore, called for justice
to prevail, stressing that it would serve as a deterrent to other
murderers planning to carry out a similar attack.
“We demand most strenuously that they
(murderers) be used as an example so that other murders under the cover
of religion would be stopped,” he said.
He commended the state Governor,
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and the Police Commissioner, Muhammad Katsina,
for their prompt response during the crisis, while expressing shock that
the Emir of the Kano, Mohammed Sanusi II, had not led the fight to stop
the religious bigots.
But speaking on the growing wave of
violence in the country, the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie
Obiano, called for an end to violence nationwide.
He spoke during a special mass to
commence the activities marking this year’s edition of the World
Environment Day at St Patrick’s Cathedral Awka yesterday, and frowned on
the ease with which life was snuffed out of Nigerians at the slightest
pretext in recent times and advised that there was a strong need for
wisdom, calmness, patience and prayers at these times.
“
It is important to reiterate that
nobody should lose his or her life under any circumstance and I condemn
that very act in the strongest terms,” he said.
On the recent face-off between the
police and some youths who filed out to mark the Igbo Day in Nkpor,
Idemili Local Government Area of the state, Obiano reiterated his regret
over the loss of lives and said that as the chief security officer of
the state, his priority was to secure lives and property.
According to him, it was a great idea to
celebrate Igbo Day, but the method adopted by the youths to mark it
ought to be reappraised to avoid unnecessary conflict with the
constituted authority, as that would defeat the aim of the event which
is to draw attention to the developmental challenges of the South-east
zone.
Friday, 3 June 2016
UCLA Murder-suicide Gunman Had Planned Third Killing, Police Say
A former University of California, Los Angeles, student shot dead a woman at her home in Minnesota before he drove almost 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to the school and killed a professor but failed to find a third intended victim, police said on Thursday.
Mainak Sarkar, 38, had intended to kill a second professor besides shooting engineering professor William Klug, 39, at a small office on the campus, police said. He shot himself dead after the killing, police said. The shootings prompted a two-hour long lockdown on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters on Thursday that a search of Sarkar's St. Paul, Minnesota, home turned up a "kill list" that included the name of the woman found dead nearby, Klug - who was Sarkar's professor at UCLA - and the name of another professor at the school, who was not harmed.
Officials would not release the name of the woman, whose body police said they found at a house in the 2400 block of Pearson Parkway in Brooklyn Park near Minneapolis.
A marriage license application obtained by Reuters lists a residence on that block as the home of Ashley Erin Hasti and Sarkar, who married in Minnesota in 2011.
Neighbors also said Hasti lived at the home. Records do not show whether the couple, who appeared to have been living separately, were divorced.
An active Facebook page belonging to a Minneapolis-area woman named Ashley Hasti shows pictures of Sarkar, but not more recently than May 2011, about two weeks before their marriage.
A page apparently belonging to him, with no public posts since 2011, still prominently displayed several photos of them together.
According to the birth date listed on the marriage license application, Hasti turned 31 in March.
"We believe that Sarkar came to the Los Angeles area very recently, within the last couple of days," Beck told reporters at Los Angeles police headquarters. "He went there to kill two faculty from UCLA. He was only able to find one."
The other professor was off campus at the time, Beck said.
Sarkar was armed with two 9mm pistols and multiple ammunition clips, Beck said. He killed himself immediately after fatally shooting Klug, he said.
Police searched Sarkar's Minnesota home after finding a note at the Los Angeles crime scene asking for someone to check on his cat, Beck said.
"In the search of Sarkar's residence in Minneapolis, a list was located," Beck said. "The list has been described as a 'kill list.' That was the wording that was put on it."
The attack on Klug appeared to be provoked by Sarkar's belief that his former professor had stolen computer code from him, according to a March blog post that appeared to be written by Sarkar, Beck said.
"Your enemy is my enemy. But your friend can do a lot more harm," the post said. "Be careful about whom you trust."
Reuters was not able to confirm the authenticity of the blog.
"UCLA says there is no truth to this," Beck said of the alleged theft of code. "This was a making of his own imagination."
The anger reflected in the March blog contrasted with earlier online records indicating Sarkar had gotten along with Klug. In a copy of his 2013 dissertation posted online, Sarkar thanked Klug.
"I would like to thank my adviser, Dr. William Klug, for all his help and support," Sarkar wrote.
'HARSH LANGUAGE'
Sarkar hails from India's eastern state of West Bengal, where he graduated in aerospace engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur in 2000, according to an ex-classmate and the university's alumni list.
Staff at his secondary school in the industrial town of Durgapur remember him as an able student who passed his exams with good results.
"He was from Durgapur town," Sumita Mukherjee, who was the secretary to the school principal, told Reuters. "This is many years ago, but I do not recall any strangeness in his behavior."
Indian media said Sarkar left for the United States in the early 2000s, after a short stint as a software developer in southern India.
Los Angeles police chief Beck said UCLA faculty members were aware that Sarkar, who graduated in 2013, harbored anger toward them.
"There was some harsh language but certainly nothing that would be considered homicidal," Beck said, referring to social media postings by Sarkar. His motive for killing the woman was unclear, Beck said.
University officials did not respond on Thursday to requests for comment on Sarkar's claims.
Prior to his time at UCLA, from 2003 to 2005 Sarkar attended Stanford University, where he received a master's degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, university spokeswoman Lisa Lapin said.
Police in Brooklyn Park said they discovered the woman's body when they went to check on her. They did not immediately disclose her identity.
Klug was a married father of two children. His wife, Mary Elise Klug, said in a statement released through UCLA that the family was grateful for the support it had received.
"Bill was so much more than my soulmate. I will miss him every day for the rest of my life," she said.
Reports of shots fired, or even sightings of possible gunmen, have sparked heavy police responses and lockdowns at U.S. schools and elsewhere because of the nation's history of mass shootings.
Last October nine people were shot and killed at Umpqua Community College in southwest Oregon. The 2007 attack at Virginia Tech, in which a gunman killed 32 people, was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Classes resumed at UCLA on Thursday, with the university offering counselors for students, faculty and staff.
UCLA, part of the University of California system, has more than 43,000 students.
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Confessions Of Michael Jackson's Irish Surgeon
Despite his colorful past and all of his professional awards, celebrity surgeon Dr. Patrick Treacy knows that many who buy his autobiography "Behind The Mask", published in July 2015, will immediately skip ahead to the two chapters where he discusses his world famous celebrity client and friend, the late Michael Jackson.
They met in Ireland in 2006, when Treacy, a celebrity surgeon
in his own right, appeared on the Ryan Tubridy show on RTÉ, Ireland's
national broadcaster. After the show aired, Treacy discovered a young
African-American woman waiting in the green room, who told him she
represented a celebrity who would like to meet him.
“I had no idea who it would be,” explains Treacy. “We opened the clinic late at night to avoid the press but at this stage I didn't know who to expect. When he arrived he said, “Hello I'm Michael Jackson,” and then he added, “Thank you for the work you do for the people of Africa.”
To Treacy's surprise, Jackson had already read an article in a
medical journal that Treacy had written about the devastating epidemic
of AIDS on the continent. “He told me he had read it and that it had
made him cry,” says Treacy. “It was clear he wanted to offer
humanitarian assistance by scheduling a concert.”
Treacy working in Africa.
There's little doubt among most observers that Jackson suffered from a form of dysmorphia, which saw him struggle to attain the perfect looks he wanted, with disastrous cost to his appearance over time. Treacy acknowledges that reality but does not comment on the nature of the procedures he was asked to do for Jackson. Instead he focuses on what he loved about him.
“He was incredibly funny, very interested in science and medicine, and one day he picked up a medical book in my office and opened it to a picture of a black child with black and white skin. He told me, 'I know the pain that that child feels,' and then he pulled up his pant leg and I saw his skin was black and white. His whole body was.”
Treacy at the Humanitarian Awards with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones.
“Another day he had read about the Murray children who had been injured in a gangland fire in Limerick. He said to me, 'Those children are in pain,' and he asked me which hospital were they in. It turned out to be Crumlin Hospital, and I'd worked there.”
But Treacy was reluctant to see Jackson visit given his friendship with Jackson and his concern about negative tabloid headlines so soon after his 2005 court case for alleged sexual abuse. Treacy felt that the star would expose himself needlessly to more press ridicule and he was against the idea of a visit. “It wasn't for selfish reasons, it was more to protect him from the news reports,” he explains.
But then Jackson did something that startled him, he took off his wig and exposed the scalp that had been scarred during a fire on set when he filmed a Pepsi commercial in 1984. “The whole top of his head was completely scarred,” Treacy explained. “Then I felt really sorry for him. At the time, I didn't know he made regular hospital visits like that all the time.”
It probably helped their budding friendship that Treacy, 54, who hails from Garrison in County Fermanagh, wasn't easily star-struck. He had already lived a remarkable life long before Jackson appeared in it, as his new memoir "Behind The Mask" makes clear.
As a teenage schoolboy, Treacy won the amateur Young Scientist of the Year Award for an innovative project to help plants grow. Later he attended Queens University in Belfast in the early days of the Troubles, where he became involved in student politics, and where he had his legs broken for a prank that saw the Tricolor flying over one of the halls of residence.
“It had nothing to do with me, as it happens. Some of the student committee had bullets sent to them over it. It was at the time of the tit-for-tat murders. And at the time Catholics weren't supposed to be doctors, in many people's view,” says Treacy, who still has the scars on his legs.
His mother felt he'd be safer in Dublin and whilst still a medical student there, he traveled extensively, taking a year off to follow David Bowie's legendary "Serious Moonlight" tour as a roadie across Europe. Strapped for expensive college fees, Treacy eventually funded his studies by smuggling cars for a year from Germany to Turkey where he sold them at a considerable profit, which showed his initiative and willingness to do whatever it took for the hard-working student to get by.
Treacy with Bono at the UN Humanitarian Awards.
With effective treatments against the HIV virus still years away, Treacy found that some of the Irish hospital staff he had worked alongside were reluctant to treat him in the aftermath of the incident and soon his relationship with his longtime girlfriend ended too, causing a scar of a different kind.
“Thank God I never seroconverted,” says Treacy, but it is quite clear the rejection he experienced wounded him deeply. “That's really part of what the memoir is about,” he adds. In fact, the memory of it later contributed to his own desire to work on humanitarian projects in Africa around AIDS and to help pioneer new surgeries to help people with HIV.
Jackson's surgeon, Treacy, working in Haiti.
But it's the legacy of his friendship with Jackson that continues to delight and surprise him as time passes. His involvement with humanitarian projects that Jackson also supported continue and Jackson's own passionate international fan base think of him as a particularly eloquent ambassador for the late star.
Think of his diamond crusted glove, think of the moonwalk, think of the sunglasses, think of that red leather jacket with the black trim he wore in "Thriller." Those are the things that mean Michael Jackson, not the rootless and diminished last years of his haunted and rather lonely life.
Those things will all still be famous in five hundred years. That's the man that Treacy remembers and the man he wants the world to recall.
EFCC Gets The Nod To Probe Goodluck Over Arms Deal
The Nation reports that the petition came from a former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Ikenna Ejezie, through his counsel, Barrister Osuagwu Ugochukwu.
The petition reads: “We are solicitors to Hon. Ikenna Ejezie hereinafter called our client and with you as he has instructed.
“Our client is requesting you to, in the public interest, invite ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for questioning and possible prosecution over his role in the misuse of $2.1 billion through the Office of the National Security Adviser (Col. Sambo Dasuki rtd) and disbursement of N400 million funds to Olisa Metuh for personal and private political party use.
“Our client notes that Dasuki had stated severally whilst in your commission that the $2.1billion was authorized for disbursement by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for arms purchase, but later turned out to be for selfish purpose.
“Our client informed us that the confession of Olisa Metuh is contained in his criminal statement with the EFCC.
“Our client is thus shocked that in spite of the implication of ex-President Jonathan in the current prosecution of Metuh and Dasuki, the former President has not been invited for his statement to be taken nor has he been prosecuted by the EFCC as co-accused/ defendant.
“Our client herewith requests that the ex-President be invited for questioning and to commence prosecution as he was the one who did authorize the disbursement of the $2.1billion and N400million public funds that were illegally abused and misappropriated by Dasuki and Metuh who are both standing trial in various courts in Abuja.
“Our client demands that this request be responded to within seven days from the receipt of this letter and as quickly as possible.”
Saturday, 28 May 2016
See What Mercy Johnson Used In Charming Her Husband
The actress, who already has three kids to her marriage with her millionaire hubby, is not slowing down at all as she has had some good workout session which has helped return her shape and killer curves.
Mercy with her husband, Odi Okojie, were spotted looking dapper as they stepped out in matching outfit and the actress beauty is still intact that the husband will enjoy for many years to come without looking outside.
Which man will have such a pretty and curvy wife at home and still jump outside? That is not possible!
Seyi Shay Begins Multi-million Naira Home in Abuja
Waxing stronger as the day goes by, her name continues to ring in the hearts of advertisers who see her as a good ambassador for an investment as drives traffic each time.
She once said that people sit back and hate her but the hatred brings her money money and that is actually paying of for her as she is currently building her home in Abuja.
The singer was some months given a plot of land by Numatville, a property company based in Abuja, and without wasting time, the singer has began construting her building in the estate.
Seyi is not the only person who has started building as the likes of Suka Sounds, Mary Uranta, Ambassador Rachel Bakam, Ifunaya Igwe have also began their own building also.
In the past few months, as part of attracting people to the fast growing parts of the federal capital territory, Numatville has been allocating various plots of lands to some Nigerian entertainers as a means of creating awareness and also attracting investors to the city.
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Daughter Loses South African Church Licence After Her Gay Marriage
Mpho can no longer preside at holy communion, weddings, baptisms or funerals after handing in her licence because the church does not recognise gay marriage. She said her father, the retired archbishop and celebrated anti-apartheid campaigner, was “sad but not surprised” at the news.
“The canon (law) of the South African Church states that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Tutu-van Furth said in an email. “After my marriage… the Bishop of Saldanha Bay was advised that he must revoke my licence. I offered to return my licence rather than require that he take it from me.”
Mpho and Marceline Tutu-van Furth have been on honeymoon on the Indonesian island of Bali after holding a wedding party outside Cape Town earlier this month.
Desmond Tutu, 84, who has been in frail health, attended the celebrations with his wife. He has previously spoken out in favour of gay marriage.
Marceline Tutu-van Furth is an Amsterdam-based professor specialising in paediatric infections. The couple — who are both divorced and have children — officially tied the knot in the Netherlands in December.
“My wife and I meet across almost every dimension of difference. Some of our differences are obvious; she is tall and white, I am black and vertically challenged,” Mpho told the South African City Press newspaper.
“Ironically, coming from a past where difference was the instrument of division, it is our sameness that is now the cause of distress,” she said in a reference to apartheid.
Senior local priest Bruce Jenneker told AFP that the Saldanha diocese had received Mpho’s licence with “sadness”.
“It was a great pity that it had to happen,” he added.
Funny World; 60 Years Old Lady Marries 8 Years Old Boy
Nollywood Boobs Celebrity Cossy Orjiakor In Desperate Need For A Decent Husband
If she is ready to pick her pieces from now on, definitely a decent husband will come her way.The first thing she needs now is deliverance from the power of darkness.Lol!
Monday, 23 May 2016
President Barack Obama Says Several Vietnamese Activists Prevented From Meeting Him
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DELIVERS A SPEECH AT THE NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER IN HANOI, VIETNAM May 24, 2016.
U.S. President Barack Obama said several Vietnamese civil society members were prevented from meeting him on Tuesday and that, despite great strides made by the country, Washington had concerns about the limits it puts on political freedom.
Obama was due to lay out more of his plan for stronger ties with Vietnam on the second day of his visit, after scrapping an arms ban, the last big hurdle between two countries drawn together by concern over China's military buildup
The removal of the arms embargo, a vestige of the Vietnam War, suggests U.S. worries about Beijing's building of man-made island in the South China Sea and deployment of advanced radars and missile batteries in the disputed region trumped concern about Vietnam's human rights record.
Washington had for years said a lifting of the ban would require concrete steps by Vietnam in allowing freedom of speech, worship and assembly and releasing political prisoners.
Obama met about six activists and said there were "significant areas of concern" about political freedom. He praised those Vietnamese who were "willing to make their voices heard".
Two activists who spoke to Reuters said an intellectual, Nguyen Quang A, had been taken away by unknown men before he had hoped to met Obama, citing his relatives.
Reuters could not verify the information and Vietnam's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, in a joint news conference with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Obama said "modest" human rights improvements had been made and the decision to end the arms embargo was about the changing dynamic in ties and "not based on China".
But China's Global Times tabloid, run by the Chinese Communist Party's official People's Daily, said that was a lie and made a point of what it said was a U.S. willingness to relax standards on human rights for the sake of containing China.
Obama Confirms Leader Dead As Taliban Meet On His Successor
Obama, who started a three-day visit to Vietnam on Monday, reiterated support for the government in Kabul and Afghan security forces, and called on the Taliban to join peace talks.
The president authorized the drone strike that killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a remote region just within the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan on Saturday, and Afghan authorities have said the mission was successful.
But U.S. officials had held back from confirming that the Taliban leader had been killed in the attack until intelligence had been fully assessed.
Obama said in a statement that Mansour had rejected peace talks and had "continued to plot against and unleash attacks on American and Coalition forces"
Sunday, 22 May 2016
Austrian Election Could Produce EU's First Far-right Head Of State
Opinion polls suggest the presidential run-off between Hofer and former Greens leader Alexander van der Bellen will be close. A far-right victory would resonate across the 28-member EU, where migration driven by conflict and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere has become a major political issue.
Support for groups like the eurosceptic, anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPO) has been rising in various countries, whether they have taken in many migrants in the recent influx, like Germany and Sweden, or not, like France and Britain.
Most are still far from achieving majority support. The FPO has been in government before, serving as a coalition partner in the early 2000s when it was led by the late Joerg Haider
But whoever wins the presidential election, it is likely to be a new high-water mark for Austria's and Europe's far right, all the more significant for being in a prosperous country with comparatively low, albeit rising, unemployment.
If Hofer wins, mainstream parties will also come under scrutiny for not recommending an anti-FPO vote. Many feel that would only have bolstered the FPO's argument that it is taking on Austria's deeply entrenched political establishment.
CEREMONIAL ROLE
In Austria, the president traditionally plays a largely ceremonial role but swears in the chancellor and can dismiss the cabinet.
"I have to work for one or two years and then everybody will see that I am OK, I am not a dangerous person," Hofer, 45, told reporters after voting in his eastern hometown of Pinkafeld.
Hofer, deputy leader of the FPO, is known as the gentler face of the party but has only recently become a household name.
Austria took in 90,000 asylum seekers last year, more than 1 percent of its population, many of them shortly after it and neighbouring Germany opened their borders last autumn to a wave of migrants including refugees from Syria's civil war.
The government has since clamped down on immigration and asylum, but that failed to slow rising support for the FPO, which was already capitalising on widespread frustration with Austria's two traditional parties of government.
Sunday's run-off election comes four weeks after Hofer, 45, won the first round with 35 percent of the vote. Opinion polls had suggested his support was much lower, though they regularly show his party ahead of its rivals on more than 30 percent.
Van der Bellen, 72, who scored 21 percent in the first round, said after voting in Vienna that he was "cautiously optimistic".
A projection will be published when the last polling stations close at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT), and the result is due to be announced after 7 p.m. A high number of postal ballots has raised the prospect of the result being unclear until Monday.
Tabloid reports of immigrants availing themselves of Austria's generous benefits and of crimes in which immigrants have been suspects, have played into the FPO's hands.
A Gallup poll for the Oesterreich newspaper last weekend found Hofer ahead by a 53-47 margin based on 600 people surveyed. But it was a dead heat among those who said they were certain to vote, a key factor after nearly a third of eligible voters failed to cast ballots in the first round
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