Senate President: Trouble brews as APC calls Saraki a liar

The jostle for who takes the Senate presidency seat amongst All Progressives Congress ( APC ) senators,  is set to wreck havoc on the new coalition.

One of the contenders who  has allegedly spent  a whooping $500,000, as ‘campaign cash’, today  used his twitter account to claim his zone,  the Central has been favored by the party.

But the APC, today denied a media report that its National Working Committee met on Monday night and decided to zone the Senate Presidency to the North-Central and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the South-West, saying nothing like that ever happened.

Saraki twitted “I am delighted that the NWC of our dear party yesterday reaffirmed its earlier decision to zone position of Senate President to North Central,”

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Secretary, Mala Buni, the party said it was deeply embarrassed by the story, which was apparently planted in the media to sow the seeds of instability in the party.

”The NWC never discussed the issue of zoning at its meeting. Therefore, the report of its decision on zoning is a figment of the imagination of whoever concocted the story,” he said.

APC however said nothing has changed since the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari said he is ready to work with anyone from any part of the country who occupies any of the principal offices of the incoming National Assembly, including those of the Senate Presidency and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Usain Bolt wins 200m at Golden Spike meet in Ostrava

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt overcame rain-soaked, chilly conditions to streak to his new season best in winning his favored 200 metres at Tuesday`s Golden Spike meet.

In the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, the 28-year-old world and Olympic champion – who also holds the world 100 and 200m records, clocked 20.13 seconds, almost a second behind his world record of 19.19sec set back in 2009.

"The shape that I'm in, and I'm coming back, I don't really know what to say is a decent time, or not," Bolt said. "I think I just need races, need to run a lot."

"You can't be satisfied if I don't break 20.0, I really wanted to," Bolt said. "The conditions didn't allow. And I'm coming back from injuries, so it's going to take time."

He said he was not worried by not running fast times just yet. Tuesday was his first race in Europe this season as he prepares for the worlds in August in Beijing.

"I don't really try to stress too much over time," Bolt said. "I just want to get everything together and start feeling better."

He will have more chances to improve his times in the Diamond League meets in New York in June, and in Paris and Lausanne, Switzerland, the following month.

"The more I run the better I feel, the faster I can go," Bolt added. "Hopefully, in New York are better conditions and I'll be able to push myself."

His countryman Asafa Powell won the 100 in 10.04, ahead of Young in 10.13 and while Britain's Richard Kilty clocked 10.31 in third.

Mafia boss Pasquale Scotti held in Brazil after 30 years on the run

Brazilian police said on Tuesday they arrested an Italian mafia boss who had been on the run for 30 years and was convicted of killing over 20 people in the 1980s.

Pasquale Scotti, 56, was arrested in the northeast city of Recife in a joint operation of Brazil's federal police and INTERPOL, according to a police statement.

Scotti was convicted in absentia by an Italian court in 1991 for the illegal possession of firearms, extortion and more than 20 homicides.

He was the boss of the Camorra mafia group in Naples and was arrested in a shootout in 1983 in which he was hit multiple times. But on Christmas Eve of 1984 he escaped from a hospital where he was being treated after signing a plea bargain.
Despite multiple raids and road blocks stopping thousands of cars, Italian police were unable to find Scotti.

"He left no traces. It's as if he vanished," Italian police were quoted as saying in a La Repubblica article from the time.

On Tuesday, police said the man had been using a false identity in Brazil and that INTERPOL identified him by comparing archived digital fingerprints.

The Italian authorities have begun the process of getting him extradited, the police said.

Scotti has two Brazilian children and was arrested as he took them to school, the Globo G1 news website reported.

Liverpool’s Asisat Oshoala wins BBC women’s footballer of the year award

Asisat Oshoala has won the BBC women’s footballer of the year award. The award, in its inaugural year, was voted for by BBC World Service listeners.

The Liverpool and Nigerian forward beat a shortlist which includedVerónica Boquete (Frankfurt/Spain), Nadine Kessler (Wolfsburg/Germany), Kim Little (Seattle Reign/Scotland) and Marta (Rosengard/Brazil).

Oshoala, who became the first African footballer in the Women’s Super League when she signed for Liverpool in January, won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at last year’s Under-20 World Cup, where she scored seven goals in six matches. She is also a senior Nigeria international and her performances helped earn her country’s qualification for the World Cup which starts on 6 June.

She said: “I feel very happy and appreciated. It’s a very good thing for me and also motivation for the World Cup. It’s a really good thing for us as a team because we know we have something great and now we want to go at the trophy.

“I think there is going to be a lot of motivation for women’s football in Nigeria now because of the award and because there are a lot of fans out there. Support for women’s football in Nigeria is now growing very high.”