Gaddafi aide 'dressed as woman'

Rebel fighters hold ammunition as they celebrate in the main square of Tripoli yesterday, more than a month after rebel forces overran the city. Picture: AP Source: AP

LIBYA'S new rulers were yesterday seeking the whereabouts of the public voice of Muammar Gaddafi's regime as a television channel said it would air footage of Mussa Ibrahim being arrested disguised as a woman.

National Transitional Council commanders said they had received reports from their fighters that Ibrahim had been captured outside Gaddafi's home town of Sirte, where his supporters have been under siege for weeks.

But the rebel command in Libya's third-largest city of Misratah said it was unable to confirm the capture of Ibrahim, who has kept up a stream of pro-Gaddafi broadcasts from unknown locations while being hunted.

"Misratah fighters contacted us and gave us the information Mussa Ibrahim has been captured," said Mustafa bin Dardef of the NTC's Zintan Brigade.

Another commander, Mohammed al-Marimi, said: "Ibrahim was captured driving outside Sirte by fighters from Misratah."

He said there were reports that Ibrahim was dressed as a woman, but he could not confirm it.

However, a pro-Gaddafi website denied his long-time spokesman had been seized.

"Mussa Ibrahim has not been captured," the website of the former state television channel Allibiya said.

"This is a lying rumour aimed at distracting attention from the rebels' defeat at the hands of the heroic forces in Sirte."

Since the NTC fighters overran Tripoli on August 23, Ibrahim has continued to issue statements through Syrian-based Arrai television from unknown locations, although not so frequently in recent days.

He appealed for resolve last week against "foreign agents and traitors", denounced what he called genocide by NATO and its "Libyan agents" and criticised the world community for "inaction".

NTC efforts to secure the extradition of fugitive members of Gaddafi's family and inner circle took a blow with a rebuff from neighbouring Niger to an arrest warrant issued by global police agency Interpol for the toppled strongman's son Saadi. Niger Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said his government had no plans to hand over Saadi, 38, who has been under house arrest in the capital Niamey since crossing the border on September 11.

"Saadi Gaddafi is in safety, in security in Niamey, in the hands of the Niger government. There's no question of him being extradited to Libya for the moment," Mr Rafini said on a visit to France.

"We need to be sure he will be allowed a fair defence," he said. "Are those conditions in place today? No."

Niger has confirmed it has 32 Gaddafi loyalists on its territory, including three generals, saying it allowed them entry for humanitarian reasons.

Libya's western neighbour, Algeria, has also given refuge to Gaddafi family members.

The whereabouts of the former strongman remain a mystery.

On the ground in Sirte, meanwhile, rebel fighters returned to the battle after being forced to retreat during ferocious fighting late on Wednesday.

NTC fighters control the city's port and airport, but an AFP correspondent reported intense artillery and heavy machinegun exchanges yesterday around the port and the Mahari Hotel.

"It's not going to be easy to capture Sirte," a rebel commander acknowledged. "We thought we'd be inside Sirte today, but now I think it will not happen."

Shark attack swimmer said 'it's my life, it's my choice' when warned of predators The swimmer attacked by a Great White shark in Cape Town told lifeguards when warned previously about the presence of predators "It's my life, it's my choice".

Michael Cohen, 42, was mauled by the great white while swimming at Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town, South Africa.

He emerged from the water bleeding profusely from his right thigh and left ankle which was also bitten through.

Today, surgeon professor Andrew Nichol said Mr Cohen was critical but stable in hospital after receiving more than seven litres of blood.

He paid tribute to those who saved Mr Cohen's life, saying: "That tourniquet has consisted of a wetsuit applied around the thigh and wrapped around with two belts very, very tightly.

"It was an amateur tourniquet but it had almost completely resulted in a cessation of blood loss.

"I just want to commend the first aid work of those on the beach and the tremendous way in which they responded actually saved the life of this patient."

It is thought those responsible for saving Mr Cohen left the beach without passing on their details.

Mr Cohen is believed to be a part-time accountant living in the Cape Town suburb of Plumstead.

He was airlifted to Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic where he arrived fully conscious.

Medics stabilised him and battled to save his life, taking him into surgery where the tourniquet was removed.

Prof Nichol said: "We continued with the resuscitation and stabilisation.

"In theatre it was fairly obvious that nothing could be done as there were was no right lower leg so we just formalised the amputation on that site surgically."

An orthopaedic team was called in to look at Mr Cohen's left leg because there were worries about blood flow to it, said the professor.

Despite the shark cutting through Mr Cohen's left ankle, painstaking work was done to treat the wound and clean his foot, which was still present.

"It is a major injury to his left lower leg," said Prof Nichol.

"With him having lost the right leg it is absolutely imperative we do everything in our power to ensure that left leg remains viable and we will continue to go flat out on that."

Mr Cohen will go back into theatre in 24 hours for his wounds to be assessed and ensure no infection is setting in.

^{Michael Cohen, 42, was mauled by a great white while swimming at Fish Hoek beach [Photo: Facebook]}

The surgeon said he had spoken to Mr Cohen's parents.

"They are obviously extremely traumatised by the whole episode," he said.

It was reported that the beach was closed when Mr Cohen went for a swim and a shark flag, indicating the presence of a great white, was flying.

He was said to be the only person in the water.

Blogger Blames Entourage For Jackson's Death

There is a part of me which wonders why Conrad Murray is bothering to deny he killed Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson was let down by many of his so-called friends, says blogger

There's some quibbling to be done over how much fault can be attributed when the man who died was a drug addict with a heart and body under enormous strain.

But it has to be unarguable that Murray was at the very least criminally negligent not only in continuing to supply that addiction but in administering drugs so powerful that it's illegal to use them outside a hospital.

His "defence" that he was giving Jackson a general anaesthetic commonly used in childbirth to help him with insomnia is simply mind-bending.

They're all raising concerns and pointing the finger now, and not one of them seems to have bothered doing it when the man was alive.

But as the court case unfolds it is putting on display not just the ever-fascinating Jackson clan but a procession of people each of whom, so far and as much as I can see, bears some blame for Jackson's death.

The concert promoter who signed off £100,000 a month for Jackson's doctor, despite thinking it was astronomical.

The lawyer who wondered why the singer needed a cardiac machine backstage. The assistant who dealt with him every day.

They're all raising concerns and pointing the finger now, and not one of them seems to have bothered doing it when the man was alive.

But then all the witnesses in the case stood to make a lot of money out of the King of Pop, addict or not, so long as the good doctor kept him going.

Alongside the criminal case AEG, the promoter for the comeback gigs which Jackson was rehearsing for when he died, is being sued by Jackson's mother and children for not providing 'physical care' to him.

AEG itself has lost many millions by failing to put on the gigs, and failing to put on tributes which were supposed to replace them.

I'm sure there's an insurance firm somewhere refusing to decide on a pay out until after Conrad Murray's court case is settled one way or the other.

And if Murray is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter you can bet the result will be, not just a maximum of just four years in prison, but a massive bill from AEG, the insurers, and the Jackson family too.

Whatever you think of Jacko, for all that he did or was accused of doing, he was a baby in a man's body who'd been treated like a piggy bank almost from the day he was born and by the people he trusted most.

Many stood to benefit while Conrad Murray (pictured) kept Jackson alive

His mum and dad ignored the rules of their own faith to put him on the stage and from that moment on he stopped being a mere human.

He became houses, jewellery, cars and plastic surgery; their fame and fortune and their f***-up too.

The only people on the whole planet who saw Michael Jackson as a person were his children.

I can't imagine what it's like to see your father die at such a young age, but I sincerely hope that the circus of lawsuits which will unravel over the next few years sucks up every last penny of the Jackson fortune and leaves those kids with nothing but an untarnished, priceless memory of their dad.

 

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Police Arrest ,Release Massob Members At Igbo Day

Abakaliki — The grand finale of World Igbo Day Celebration took place in Abakaliki Township Stadium Abakaliki, yesterday with a mild drama as the police arrested more than 100 members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biarfa (MASSOB), threat to peace.
However they were reportedly released later by the order of the State Governor Chief Martin Elechi, according to the Director of Religious Affairs of MASSOB, Bishop Chinedu Okeke, who represented the Leader of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuluike at the Ceremony

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Ebonyi State, Mr. John Eluu, as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who confirmed the incident stated that the police had to effect the arrest of MASSOB members due to apprehension that if they were allowed into the venue of the event they would cause security breaches.He said that the Commissioner of Police later directed that the MASSOB members be released.

But the Director of Information of MASSOB, Uche Madu told our reporter that not all the detained MASSOB members who were arrested at various parts of the state and detained at various police stations, were released, even as he alleged that four of their members were rushed to the hospital due to beatings they received from police.

The MASSOB Director of Religious Affairs, Bishop Okeke told reporters in an interview that his members should be allowed to express their freedom of movement and association which they do peacefully saying that police would run away if they were told that Boko Haram members are coming.
Meanwhile, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue and Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State in their separate addresses at the event called for the creation of additional state in the South East geo-political zone of the country to bring the zone which currently has five states at par with other zones that have six states.
The President-General of Ohanaeze urged the National Assembly to use the opportunity of the current move to effect an amendment in the 1999 "military" constitution to create additional state in the South Each to make for zonal equality.

He said, "The way forward for the South East, which is currently allotted the least number of states among the six zones, not out of choice by the predominantly Igbo indigenes of the region, but by blatantly, if not spitefully, discriminatory imposition by formernon-representative military rulers of our country, firstly, is to use this golden opportunity to ensure the entrenchment, among others.

Nationally important affirmative items, of the reality and equality of the six geo-political zones."Secondly, in fraternal collaboration with people of goodwill and believers in true federalism from other zones, Ndigbo, must begin now to work collectively with one mind and one voice (ofu obi, ofu olu) to secure absolute equality of the six-geo-political zones, starting with the creation of new states to bring the number of states in the zones to the same level".
Governor Elechi on his part stated that having the least number of states and local government councils was index of marginalization carrying with it the stigma of suppression of the development of the people, adding that the stigma was recognized in 2005 National Political Reform Conference when the nation spoke with one voice and recommended an additional state be created in the South East geopolitical zone.
Governor Elechi however cautioned Ndigbo not to fritter the opportunity with cacophony of voices expressed in a multiplicity of demands and agitations and to consider two factors including cultural homogeneity and affinity of the area where new state should be carved out and to bear in mind that state creation carries with it the development of physical and geopolitical space, in order words that a new state must have reasonable land mass so that more areas will be developed.zone except for Abia and Anambra state governors who were represented by their deputies.unity in the country There was remarkable absence of national assembly members and governors

Highlight of the occasion was National Prayer for departed Igbo heroes and for the  of the