#Bringbackourgirls: Jonathan meets parents of abducted schoolgirls

Relatives of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram 100 days ago met with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday for the first time since the girls were seized.

The much anticipated meeting comes amid reports of a worsening security crisis in the northeast, where Islamists have occupied the town of Damboa and surrounding areas, with the military so far unable to chase them out.

The girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok in the northeast on April 14 and carted away in a convoy of trucks. Of the 276 girls seized in the nighttime raid, 219 are still missing.

Jonathan’s handling of the hostage crisis has been fiercely criticised, including his failure to visit Chibok to console parents whose daughters are among the hostages. His office tried to organise a meeting in the capital last week with a small group of the affected families, after he was urged to do so by the Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai. This attempt was futile.

Malala, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt in 2012, was in Abuja on her 17th birthday to campaign for the girls’ release.

An AFP reporter said a delegation of more than 150 people from Chibok met Jonathan, Senate President David Mark and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state, the state which is the focal point of the Boko Haram uprising. Aside from parents of the hostages, the delegation includes some of the 57 girls who escaped their Islamist captors as well as Chibok community leaders, a source at the presidency said on condition of anonymity.

Real Madrid sign Golden Boot Rodriguez

Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign FIFA World Cup™ adidas Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez from Monaco, the European champions have announced. The Colombia international has agreed a six-year contract with Madrid and underwent his medical with the club on Tuesday morning. He will be presented on Tuesday evening.

"Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Monaco for the transfer of James Rodriguez, who will join the club for the next six seasons," a Real Madrid statement read. "The player will be presented today, today, 22 July at 20:00 (Spanish time), in the Santiago Bernabeu's presidential box. Following that, James Rodriguez will take his first steps on the Santiago Bernabeu's pitch wearing the Real Madrid shirt and will attend the media in the press room."

Rodriguez was one of the revelations of the World Cup, scoring in each of Colombia's games as they reached the quarter-finals of the competition for the very first time, eventually losing 2-1 to hosts Brazil. In total Rodriguez scored six goals at the World Cup to finish as the leading scorer - one clear of Thomas Muller - while his stunning 25-yard volley against Uruguay was voted goal of the tournament in a poll which involved more than four million FIFA.com users.

His signing comes less than a week after Madrid brought in another of the World Cup's star performers in Germany's Toni Kroos, who moved from Bayern Munich.

One Hour a Day

One Hour a Day withdrawn from frivolous pursuits and profitably employed would enable any person of ordinary capacity to master a complete science.

One Hour a Day in 10 years would make an ignorant person a well-informed person.

In One Hour a Day, a boy or girl could read 20 pages or 18 large volumes in a year.

One Hour a Day might make all the differences between bare existence and useful, happy living.

One Hour a Day might make – nay, has made – an unknown person a famous one, a useless person a benefactor to his or her community.

Why waste your profitable One Hour a Day to frivolity?

Patrice Evra writes open letter to Manchester United fans following his move to Juventus

France international releases a statement paying tribute to Sir Alex Ferguson and Red Devils' fans following his move to the Serie A champions

Following news of his transfer to Italian champions Juventus, Patrice Evra released an emotional letter to Manchester United fans.

The 33-year-old French left-back has joined the Serie A champions despite signing a new deal at Old Trafford in May.

And Evra wrote a letter to fans on United's website thanking them for their support during his nine years at the club.

It read: "After a great deal of thought I have decided the time is right for me to leave Manchester United. It is the biggest decision of my career as this club is, and will always remain, in my heart.

"Joining and playing for Manchester United has been a privilege, a dream come true and my time here has been so memorable. Through the good times and the bad times we have all stuck together and remained loyal. I have always said you don’t just join Manchester United, you join the family and long may that tradition continue.

Communities in Ese Odo Area Of Ondo State Submerged in Natural Disaster

Floods believed to be from a heavy downpour have submerged the Igbobini communities in the Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

It was a ‘terrible disaster’ as it has caused havoc on numerous households in the community. Properties worth millions of Naira have already been destroyed, as residents in the area are begging for national media attention. The people of the Oluagbo and Igbobini communities in the Ese Odo area of Ondo State are known to be fishermen. Also women who deal in the large supply of sea-foods said the incident has crippled their businesses, with untold hardship for the past three days.

 

This natural occurrence will definitely cripple the academic environment of the community’s children. Following the incidents of mass flooding, residents and indigenes have now used carved boats in order to have access to their roads to move about, and to avoid floating debris.

Residents are begging for urgent attention to reduce the multiplier effects, which they said could be hazardous to their health. “Now, we don’t have clean water to drink anymore. There is no food and everywhere you go there is flooding”, they lamented. “Our source of livelihood has been affected. Even sand quarrying, fishing, and crop farming, which are popular businesses down here, have been destroyed,” said another resident.

Cyclist due to fly on MH370 and MH17 cheats death twice

A cyclist who was due to fly on doomed flight MH370 but changed planes at the last minute has cheated death for a second time, after swapping off flight MH17 because he found a cheaper fare.

Maarten de Jonge was supposed to travel on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing back in March, but decided to catch an earlier flight. MH370 later disappeared with 227 on board, and no trace has ever been found.

Maarten

On Thursday, Maarten had been due to fly with the airline once again, this time on MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. But after finding a cheaper flight, he decided to fly today instead.

298 people perished when that flight was shot down by a ground-to-air missile as it flew over Eastern Ukrainian airspace.

In a tweet following Thursday's disaster, Maarten posted a link to the tragedy and said: "Had I left today, then..."

Writing on his website , Maarten added: "How happy I am for myself and my family that I was on this flight did not take the last moment, my story is ultimately nothing compared to the misery in which so many people are paid.  

"Attention should be paid to the victims and survivors. Wishing everyone affected by this disaster a lot of strength."

Maarten is due to fly today, with his parents understandably worried about the dangers of air travel.

Manchester United train in Los Angeles as pre-season tour of the US continues

Wayne Rooney and co. were put through their paces under the watchful eye of new boss Louis van Gaal, before greeting their adoring fans

Manchester United's players trained in Los Angeles on Sunday as part of their pre-season tour of the US.

The Red Devils face up to five games as part of the trip and stepped up their preparations at the StubHub Center - home of LA Galaxy.

Wayne Rooney - who has just linked up with the squad - was the star attraction as he and his colleagues were put through their paces under the watchful eye of new boss Louis van Gaal.

The England striker also took in a bit of sight-seeing on the trip and posed with Juan Mata, and plenty of fans, in front of the famous Beverly Hills sign.
United's first game of the tour is against the Galaxy on Wednesday before the Guinness International Cup begins in Denver when they take on Roma.