NTA promises clearer broadcast of the FIFA World cup matches on Nta Sports 24

As football fans all over the world, are caught up in the fire of the World Cup season, NTA Sports 24, is not relenting in ensuring that Nigerian football lovers watch the World Cup matches. NTA SPORTS 24, the official upgraded sports channel with super clarity of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) secured the rights under Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (B.O.N) for FREE TO AIR screening of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Cup tournament which started on the 12th of June in Brazil, has witnessed numerous upset. Nigeria’s Super Eagles and four other African countries; Ghana, Cameroon, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire are leading the continent with hopes of lifting the prestigious trophy. During this football season, Nigerians can get to watch the matches with the best picture and sound quality available on NTA SPORTS 24 and other NTA Multi Channels available on the StarTimes Platform. The Free to Air channel is showing on NTA– STAR TV NETWORK, channel (628). NTA– STAR TV NETWORK is a digital transmission platform that has the objective to carry the National Channel as the main digital transition platform. According to Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, NBC, NTA-STAR TV Network Limited is obliged to transmit the obligations of the States and local television stations in the country especially in Jos, the pilot city for digital migration; StarTimes is a platform for digital migration. StarTimes is saddled with the responsibility of helping Nigeria migrate successfully from analogue to digital television and is the only licensed carrier Digital Terrestrial Television in Nigeria. Nigerians can maximize their world cup experience by watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup Matches for free on NTA SPORTS 24.

Another Air Mishap Averted In Abuja As Runway Lights Went Off

Barely one week after the fatal air crash involving Dana Air in Lagos, another air mishap was narrowly averted yesterday at the NnamdiAzikiwe Airport, Abuja when the run way lights went off, thus making it impossible for planes to either take off or land. LEADERSHIP WEEKEND learnt late last night that the development led to the re-routing of all Abuja-bound planes to Lagos. Specifically, Lufthansa flight that took off from Abuja to Malabo, earlier in the day was routed to Lagos. Also, Air France and British Airways were rerouted, thus leaving many passengers stranded. Efforts to reach the minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah or her aides were unsuccessful at the time of going to press. LEADERSHIP WEEKEND however learnt that contract to refurbish the runway lights had been awarded but the inability of the company to complete the job at 5 pm yesterday warranted the re-routing. Culled from Leadership

Exhume Rashidi's corpse - Ex wife Rita Demands

One of the wives of former Nigerian international Rashidi Yekini, Rita, has demanded that the body of the late Nigerian striker be exhumed for autopsy. Rita, based in the United Kingdom, was in Ira, Kwara State, on Wednesday, in company of the daughter she bore for Rashidi Yekini, to pay their last respects to the late player. However, a family source confided in Saturday Tribune-sports that Rita was enraged by the stories she heard about the way Rashidi died and in altercation with the family members, demanded that his corpse be exhumed for proper autopsy. When Rita informed Rashidi's relatives of her trip to Ira, those who know her sensed that she was not going to take the issue lying low. Inciden-tally, Yekini's family is said to hold Rita in high esteem as they got in touch with her immediately Rashidi died. ''Rita is the person who broke the news of the death of Rashidi to most of his friends in Nigeria, the family really has a lot of respect for her.'' Saturday Tribunesports gathered that Rita had been briefed on the circumstances surrounding Yekini's death, as she had earlier called that the burial be delayed until she arrived Nigeria. However, Rashidi, being a muslim, was interred the following day after his death. Tribunesports findings revealed that Yekini's relatives stormed his home located at Oni and Sons area of Ibadan on Tuesday, April 10, to take him away for treatment as he was claimed to have mental crisis. Neighbours claimed Yekini resisted being taken away and this led to a scuffle, suggesting he must have struggled with his captors till he died.

Fresh blasts and gunshots hit Maiduguri

News report reaching us has it that three explosions and gunshots have rocked Nigeria's restive city Maiduguri.But the level of casualty is yet to be acertained. An anonymous security officer said "we heard two explosions followed by sporadic gunshots,I don't have any further information now on casualties". He said the attack happened near a church in an area where a mosque owned by Boko Haram was razed during a 2009 crackdown on the Islamist group. Truckloads of soldiers have been deployed to the area of the attack this morning. The military and residents reported a third blast on Thursday at a different area of the city. There was a blast in an open field by the riverside. We still don't know who the target was but nobody was hurt," military spokesman Sagir Musa said. Residents said it happened near a football field where a match was being played and caused people to flee. More details soon

Ini Edo debunks pregnancy rumours

Top Nigerian actress and one of the power houses of Nollywood, Ini Edo, has debunked the pregnancy reports about her in the Nollywood media. She stated Wednesday morning on her online platform, Iniedosworld.com that the story of her being pregnant was far from the truth. The Nollywood star, who is also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, said she was yet to get pregnant and that she would announce to all when she did. “Heard some people want to send me on nine-month compulsory leave? Not true yet. Disregard the rumour. I will let you know when it happens. Meanwhile, there is something cooking I will let you know soon, let’s keep our fingers crossed. Peace,” she wrote. Sometime last week, Lagos-based soft-sell magazine Top Enquirer reported that the actress was pregnant. Ini got married via a traditional wedding in Eket, Akwa Ibom State and later a white wedding in Houston, Texas in 2009. It was the biggest marriage ceremony at the time, with a lot of African media houses giving the marriage some spotlight. Ini is one of Nigeria’s most liked and talked about actresses. She also belongs to the A-list in Nollywood. She is a Glo ambassador and recently, she became a producer with the support of Emem Isong and others. Source: News one

Obama supports Gay Marriage

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he supports same-sex marriage, raising the political stakes on an issue over which Americans are evenly split. The announcement was the first by a sitting president and put Obama squarely at odds with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who on Wednesday said during an appearance in Oklahoma, "I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman." Obama said in an interview with ABC News, "At a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." Obama once opposed such marriages. He later indicated his views were "evolving." "I had hesitated on gay marriage, in part, because I thought civil unions would be sufficient," the president said. "I was sensitive to the fact that -- for a lot of people -- that the word marriage is something that provokes very powerful traditions and religious beliefs." Romney: My view same on gay marriage Celebs react to Obama's same-sex support Timeline: Obama and same sex marriage But, Obama said, his thinking shifted as he witnessed committed same-sex marriages and thought about U.S. service personnel who were "not able to commit themselves in a marriage." It was not immediately clear how the development -- which same-sex marriage advocates had long sought -- might play out at the voting booth. A Gallup Poll released Tuesday indicated 50% of Americans believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid, with 48% saying such marriages should not be legal. But a CNN/ORC poll, taken in late March, indicated policies towards gays and lesbians were tied for last in the most-important issues facing the country. Obama was "disappointed" by Tuesday's vote on the issue in North Carolina, which he described as discriminatory against gays and lesbians, a spokesman said earlier Wednesday. North Carolina voted to implement a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which was already prohibited by state law. Supporters of the measure pushed for the constitutional amendment, arguing that it was needed to ward off future legal challenges. The president said he supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own, ABC News reported. Obama said his daughters, Malia and Sasha, have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. "It wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective." What's next for North Carolina? Obama spoke Wednesday with ABC's Robin Roberts. The interview will appear on ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday. Excerpts aired Wednesday evening on "World News With Diane Sawyer." The president's stance will be among many key differences with Romney, but it is not expected to be a key talking point in his campaign. In comments Wednesday to CNN Denver affiliate KDVR, Romney reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage. "And I do not favor civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name," Romney said during a visit to Fort Lupton. "My view is the domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate, but that the others are not." The Family Research Council criticized Obama, and its president said on CNN's "The Situation Room" that the decision will aid Romney. "The president, I think, has handed to Mitt Romney the one missing piece in his campaign," said Tony Perkins. "That is the intensity and motivation that Mitt Romney needs among social conservatives to win this election." An expert on religion and politics said the move will make "an already close election even closer." "It cuts both ways -- it activates both Democratic and Republican base voters," said John Green of the University of Akron. Obama told ABC that some opinions on the issue are "generational." "When I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same-sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation, that they believe in equality," he said. First lady Michelle Obama was involved in the president's decision. "This is something that, you know, we've talked about over the years and she, you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do," Obama said. Reaction to Obama's same-sex marriage announcement The new president of the Human Rights Campaign lauded the development. "President Obama's words today will be celebrated by generations to come," Chad Griffin said in a statement. Griffin later told CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" that "we will never have another president, Democrat or Republican, that opposes gay marriage." Same-sex marriage foe Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, told Morgan that "a child needs a mother and father." Barney Frank, a gay Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, appearing on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," said that "no president could have done this 10 years ago." Obama's interview followed recent comments by other key administration figures. Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday on NBC he was "absolutely comfortable" with couples of the same gender marrying, leading observers to wonder when Obama would again address the issue. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Monday also made headlines when he openly backed same-sex marriage rights. Asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" if he supports allowing individuals of the same gender to legally wed, Duncan replied: "Yes, I do." Before Tuesday, 30 states had voted in favor of constitutional amendments that seek to defend traditional definitions of marriage as a heterosexual union. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In February, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage beginning in June, but opponents there have pledged to block the bill and called for voters to decide the issue. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law a bill that permits the state's same-sex couples to wed as of January 1, and state residents may vote to affirm such a law. Minnesota will vote on a state constitutional amendment similar to the one in North Carolina. Maine will have a referendum on allowing same-sex marriage. In 2011, the Pentagon stopped enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals serving in the military. That change played a part in Obama's announced stance on same-sex marriage. "When I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that 'don't ask, don't tell' is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married," he told ABC News. Legal challenges over same-sex marriage could reach the U.S. Supreme Court in coming months, but it seems unlikely justices would hear arguments before Election Day 2012. The issue is on two legal tracks. The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals will decide the constitutionality of California Proposition 8, a voter-approved measure that would recognize marriage only between one man and one woman. A federal judge earlier struck down the law as a violation of equal protection, prompting the current appeal. The Obama administration announced last year it believed the Defense of Marriage Act, often referred to as DOMA, to be unconstitutional. The law defines marriage for federal purposes as unions only between a man and woman. A federal appeals court in Boston last month heard a DOMA lawsuit by a same-sex couple in Massachusetts. At issue is whether the federal government can deny tax, health and pension benefits to same-sex couples in states where they can marry. That federal law is being officially defended in court by House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who stepped in after the Justice Department refused to participate. CNN

What killed Rashidi – Mother

Bereaved mother of erstwhile Super Eagles forward Rashidi Yekini has spoken of the ordeal that eventually killed her son. Yekini was confirmed dead in his hometown,Irra, Oyun local government in Kwara State on Friday after years of illness. The mother of the deceased, Alhaja Sikiratu told supersport.com that her son had been battling with mental illness since the year 2010.The septuagenarian added that several attempts made to take care of the former Super Eagles’ striker proved abortive as the deceased claimed he was mentally sound. “We have been on the problem since 2010 and we tried our best but my son refused to be taken care of. When he came back, we asked him why he has done what he did but he replied by burning all his belongings. I lost my husband in 1978 and Rashidi has been with me since then,” she added in tears. Yekini is the all-time leading scorer for the Nigerian men’s team with 37 goals. The Nigerian legend was buried according to Islamic rites by 4.30pm, yesterday in his hometown Irra, Kwara State. Vanguard

Breaking News:Rashidi Yekini is dead

News reaching our desk today has it that Nigeria's sensational football player Rashidi Yekini is dead. According to the report, Rashidi Yekini died yesterday in his home town Irra Oyun local government of Kwara State. The famous striker has an enviable record of scoring the first goal during Nigeria's first appearance at the world cup in 1994. May his gentle soul rest in peace.