London elects Khan as first Muslim mayor

Khan's victory offered some cheer for Corbyn after Labour's performance in elections across Britain in the wake of a row over anti-Semitism in the party failed to dispel questions over the veteran socialist's leadership.
Khan’s victory offered some cheer for Corbyn after Labour’s performance in elections across Britain in the wake of a row over anti-Semitism in the party failed to dispel questions over the veteran socialist’s leadership.

London (AFP) – London became the first major Western capital to elect a Muslim mayor on Friday as Labour claimed victory for its candidate Sadiq Khan despite setbacks elsewhere in Britain for the main national opposition party.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hailed Khan’s win over Conservative Zac Goldsmith, after a bitter campaign in which Prime Minister David Cameron sought to link Khan to Islamic extremists.

“Congratulations Sadiq Khan. Can’t wait to work with you to create a London that is fair for all!” Corbyn wrote on Twitter ahead of the publication of final results.

The race to replace the charismatic Conservative Boris Johnson pitched Khan, the son of a bus driver and a seamstress who emigrated from Pakistan in the 1960s, against Goldsmith, whose father was a wealthy tycoon.

Khan’s victory offered some cheer for Corbyn after Labour’s performance in elections across Britain in the wake of a row over anti-Semitism in the party failed to dispel questions over the veteran socialist’s leadership.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was among the first to tweet his congratulations to “fellow affordable housing advocate, @SadiqKhan. Look forward to working together!”

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo added on Twitter that Khan’s “humanity, progressivism will benefit Londoners.”

There was no immediate reaction from Goldsmith, although his sister Jemima, the ex-wife of Pakistani cricketer and politician Imran Khan, said Khan’s victory was a “great example to young Muslims”.

In reference to the negative tone of the race, she said her brother’s campaign “did not reflect who I know him to be — an eco friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity”.

The victory was also hailed in Tooting, a multi-ethnic area of south London where Khan lives.

“Sadiq Khan will have a unifying factor because he is Muslim, an immigrant, he is from working class, so he understands the working class people and he can associate with them,” said Shahzad Saddiqui, a local businessman.

– Labour losses elsewhere –

Khan’s party fared less well in other local and regional elections on Britain’s “Super Thursday”, in which 45 million Britons were eligible to vote.

For first time in decades, Labour came third in elections for the devolved government in Scotland, behind the Conservatives, in a vote won by the incumbent pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).

The party retained its grip on power in the Welsh assembly, although it lost one seat.

But it failed to impress in local elections in England. With results in from 115 out of 124 councils, Labour had control of 57, down one, and 1,265 seats, down 19.

Cameron’s Conservatives had control of an unchanged 31 councils and 708 seats, down 18.

Corbyn, who has faced opposition from centrists in his party since being elected last year, insisted his party had “hung on” and surpassed expectations.

But critics point to the long tradition of opposition parties benefiting from mid-term elections, and noted Labour had bucked that trend.

Matthew Goodwin, politics professor at Kent University, said the party was in “serious trouble”.

“The Labour party is now third in Scotland for the first time since 1910 and it has failed to make a serious impression in southern England,” he said.

– ‘Persuade not divide’ –

SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will lead the separatist party into its third successive government in Edinburgh, although the party lost its outright majority.

She announced she would lead a minority administration, and played down talk of a fresh independence referendum to follow the unsuccessful one in 2014.

“The SNP will always make our case with passion, with patience and with respect but our aim is to persuade not to divide,” Sturgeon said.

The other big story in Scotland was the success of the Scottish Conservatives, who came second with 31 seats.

The party has been deeply unpopular in Scotland since the 1980s premiership of Margaret Thatcher but its fortunes have turned around under current Scottish leader Ruth Davidson.

Davidson is a charismatic and openly gay 37-year-old whose cheery, no-nonsense style and proficient use of social media has fuelled her party’s success.

Cameron, who is grappling with deep splits within his party ahead of the June 23 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, said the party’s showing across the elections was “remarkable”.

Fraud: Nigeria lose global funding for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Global Fund’s suspension of aid may intensify Nigeria’s health concerns. For instance, Nigeria, with an estimated 3.3 million people living with HIV, ranks second in global HIV burden behind South Africa; it represents one-fourth of malaria cases and one-third of malaria deaths in Africa; and is one of the 22 countries that shoulder 85% of the global tuberculosis burden.
Global Fund’s suspension of aid may intensify Nigeria’s health concerns. For instance, Nigeria, with an estimated 3.3 million people living with HIV, ranks second in global HIV burden behind South Africa; it represents one-fourth of malaria cases and one-third of malaria deaths in Africa; and is one of the 22 countries that shoulder 85% of the global tuberculosis burden.

International Guardian – HOUSTON, TX – The Global Fund, a Geneva-based financing institution, providing support to countries in the response to the three diseases; AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has suspended its Nigeria’s operation after it uncovered a high-scale fraud by the recipient body.

Prompted by evidence of forged or missing supporting documentation, The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of The Global Fund had initiated an investigation into the expenditures of the Nigerian Government’s Department of Health Planning, Research & Statistics (DPRS), a sub-recipient of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), and the Principal Recipient for HIV/AIDS grants.

The OIG investigation confirmed the Local Fund Agent’s initial findings and found extensive evidence of systematic embezzlement of program funds, fraudulent practices and collusion by DPRS staff and consultants assigned to the Global Fund-financed program. The OIG found some form of irregularity or fraud in most vouchers reviewed (from 2010 to 2014).  Seven of the ten staff and three consultants assigned to the program were involved or linked to the misappropriation of funds.  

According to a detailed report by the OIG, the DPRS staff embezzled funds through a variety of means including, primarily:  

1.      misrepresenting or inflating the amounts paid to hotel venues for meeting facilities and rooms;

2.      inflating and/or falsifying receipts related to Daily Subsistence Allowance entitlements, transportation expense to and from the venue, fuel and stationery; 

3.      claiming expenditures for travel not taken. In some instances, DPRS staff colluded with and received kickbacks from hotels and suppliers; 

4.      inflating the number of attendees at a meeting or training or its duration. 

The OIG also  found direct evidence, that supporting documents for items such as airline tickets, boarding passes, hotel invoices, and fuel and stationery receipts were forged. For many expenses, DPRS staff also systematically fabricated supporting documentation by creating a system to replace documents that appeared too “fake.” Reimbursements were also made to staff and consultants with little or no supporting documentation. Additionally, there is evidence that shows that there were transfers between two key DPRS staff and four other DPRS staff within the program, including payments to the Program Coordinator. 

The Global Fund operates with a high degree of transparency in all of its work, including applications for funding, funding decisions, grant performance, results, governance, and oversight. All audits and investigations by the Office of the Inspector General are openly published.

To date, the Global Fund has signed 24 grants and disbursed approximately US$1.4 billion to defeat the three diseases in Nigeria.   The OIG’s inspection found that DPRS staff had fabricated or inflated more than half of the receipts. The OIG’s deeper review of 202 payment vouchers, representing 57% of the total number of 355 and 77% of the total funds expended on service deliveries of US$3,816,766, found some form of irregularity or fraud in most of them.  

The OIG found evidence that seven of the ten Global Fund implementing team members employed at DPRS and three consultants were involved in the embezzlement of program funds. This included both Project Coordinators, the Program Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, the NHMIS Officer, the Project Secretary, and the Assistant Accountant.

Read the Audit Report of Global Fund Grants to the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Read the Investigation Report of Global Fund Grants to Nigeria Department of Health Planning, Research & Statistics 

The individuals provided falsified, fictitious and inflated invoices and receipts for the reimbursement of service delivery expenses for hotels, Daily Subsistence Allowance, transportation, fuel and stationery. More than half of the receipts analyzed had some form of irregularity or fraud. The individuals also misrepresented the number of days spent at the events and claimed expenses for trips or modes of travel not taken (e.g., air versus ground). Reimbursements were also made for unsupported and unaccounted for expenditures.

Furthermore, The OIG discovered that the DPRS Director approved expenses knowing that supporting documents contained information that was untrue and that DPRS consultants were overpaid Daily Subsistence Allowance.  

To address wider issues across the portfolio, the Secretariat had in May 2015, recruited and installed an external fiscal agent   requiring   all vendors, to be paid by bank transfer rather than cash via cash advances to staff.  Training-related expenditures are now validated, red flags are reported, and compliance with more rigid procedures is monitored by the agent across the grant portfolio.  

Global Fund’s suspension of aid may intensify Nigeria’s health concerns. For instance, Nigeria, with an estimated 3.3 million people living with HIV, ranks second in global HIV burden behind South Africa; it represents one-fourth of malaria cases and one-third of malaria deaths in Africa; and is one of the 22 countries that shoulder 85% of the global tuberculosis burden.

 

Uganda bans media coverage of election result protests

There have been clashes between police and opposition supporters since the February election.
There have been clashes between police and opposition supporters since the February election.

Uganda has banned live media coverage of opposition protests against the re-election of President Yoweri Museveni.

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has called for a “defiance campaign” against the 71-year-old leader extending his 30-year rule.

Security forces have sealed off the home of its leader Kizza Besigye, who described February’s vote as a “sham”.

The government says media organisations could lose their licence if they cover the protest.

Those who cover the event on social media would also be punished, the head of Uganda’s Communications Commission said.

Last week, a court ruled that what the opposition is calling a “defiance campaign” against the election result was illegal, but the FDC has insisted on going ahead with its activities.

Mr Museveni’s victory was upheld by the Supreme Court in March.

Media organisations have been told not to carry out live interviews with opposition members or show their activities in real time during their protests.

Live television coverage has become a key part of the way political news is being reported in Uganda, says the BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga in the capital, Kampala.

There is currently a heavy military and police deployment around the city in anticipation of opposition action, our reporter adds.

Mr Museveni is to be sworn for a fifth term on 12 May.

Woman rescued after 6 days in collapsed building in Kenya

kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan woman has been rescued after being trapped for six days in the rubble of a collapsed building.

Live TV footage shows the woman being carried away on stretcher covered by a blanket and with an oxygen tank by her side to a waiting Kenya Red Cross ambulance.

Kenya’s Disaster Management Unit said earlier Thursday medics had managed to give woman oxygen, water and glucose intravenously while she was stuck.

Her rescue Thursday comes as the death toll from the collapse of the seven story building rose to 36 and 70 people remain missing.

A nearly six-month-old baby was rescued on Tuesday, a development which raised hopes that more survivors would be found. The infant was found unharmed in a washbasin four days after the building collapsed.

Dealeryn Saisi Wasike, the nearly 6-month-old girl who was rescued early Tuesday from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Sayyid Abdul Azim, AP)
Dealeryn Saisi Wasike, the nearly 6-month-old girl who was rescued early Tuesday from the rubble of a building that collapsed in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo: Sayyid Abdul Azim, AP)

With housing in high demand in Nairobi, some unscrupulous developers bypass regulations to cut costs and maximize profits.

After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people, President Uhuru Kenyatta last year ordered an audit of all the country’s buildings to see if they are up to code. The National Construction Authority found that 58 percent of buildings in Nairobi are unfit for habitation. Most of Nairobi’s 4 million people live in low- income areas or slums.

Hobby Airport earns 4 stars in international airport ratings

Skytrax made special mention of Hobby’s free Wi-Fi service, deeming it among the best the rating organization has experienced at any airport — the terminal coverage includes parking garages and terminal aprons for boarding/arrival, and connection speeds are consistently good.
Skytrax made special mention of Hobby’s free Wi-Fi service, deeming it among the best the rating organization has experienced at any airport — the terminal coverage includes parking garages and terminal aprons for boarding/arrival, and connection speeds are consistently good.

HOUSTON — The stars are aligning for William P. Hobby Airport — all four of them, according to the latest ratings in a respected air travel review website.

Skytrax, recognized as a leading global air transport rating organization, gave Hobby Airport a 4-star rating for 2016, making it one of just three airports in the United States to earn a 4-star rating, while adding that “this is an airport with potential to build on the existing facilities to offer an experience that is truly special and closer to a 5-star quality level.”

“Hobby Airport truly is a jewel and for decades has played a vital role in the continued growth and success story here in Houston,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “Its future remains bright, thanks in part to the opening of the beautiful new international concourse facility last year, and now with this recognition of the airport’s level of commitment to excellence and service we are confident that Hobby Airport and the Houston Airport System will continue to soar into the future.”

World Airport Rating is the international airport quality ranking program operated by Skytrax. Ratings are determined through direct and professional analysis of industry quality standards. The Airport Star Ratings are recognized as a global benchmark of airport standards.

“One of our main goals is to provide customers at all of the Houston Airport System facilities with a 5-star experience, and these latest ratings show that our efforts and focus are on the right track,” said Mario Diaz, the Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System. “We have made important strides in enhancing customer service, returning our assets to opening day fresh condition, and striving to provide the level of overall excellence that our customers deserve and demand.”

Hobby Airport achieved 4-star ratings across many of the core rating categories assessed by Skytrax, and most importantly is described as an “efficient” airport. Overall, Hobby received a four-star or better rating in 24 different categories.

The terminal design means walking distances are short and passenger movement to the gates and around the various terminal facilities is easy. While the airport is subject to the same TSA regulations as other U.S. airports, Skytrax found the timing and quality of processing is in fact a well-managed service area, particularly when assessed against other U.S. airports.

See complete listing of 4-star airports

See complete listing of 3-star airports

See complete listing of all airports and the ratings, in alphabetical order

Architecturally, the terminal design means the main departure areas benefit from lots of natural daylight. While this is generally a subconscious element of the customer experience, it has a positive impact on the overall airport rating. Skytrax also called out Hobby’s “impressive” public art program, and cited its Harmony in the Air performing arts program as a “fantastic added value” for customers.

Skytrax made special mention of Hobby’s free Wi-Fi service, deeming it among the best the rating organization has experienced at any airport — the terminal coverage includes parking garages and terminal aprons for boarding/arrival, and connection speeds are consistently good.

For an airport the size of Hobby, dining is a particularly strong point — the layout, selection and quality of the dining options is excellent and there is a strong focus on both national and local Texan brands.

In 2015, for the sixth straight year, Hobby Airport saw an increase in passenger traffic, eclipsing the 12 million mark for the first time. Over the course of the past decade, passenger totals at Hobby have increased by more than 50 percent, while the number of destinations available through nonstop flights has almost doubled, moving from about 30 to more than 60 cities. A large part of that continued growth was the opening of a new $156 million concourse, including a state-of-the-art Federal Inspection Facility to accommodate the return of international air service at Hobby Airport for the first time in nearly 50 years.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport maintained its 3-star status in 2016, but the audit report noted that “the actual customer experience is in fact meeting a 3.5-star quality level when the rating results are assessed across the broad spectrum of audit criteria,” and that several areas “meet (or exceed) 4-star standards.” It also noted that Bush Intercontinental “will be performing closer to a 4-star quality on completion of some the committed projects during 2016.”

South Africa protesters torch schools in Limpopo province

South Africa has a long history of street protests
South Africa has a long history of street protests

BBC |  Protesters have burnt 13 schools in two areas in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province in a violent dispute over district boundaries, police say. Government officials appealed for an end to the violence, saying it affected the education of hundreds of children. Protesters say moves to include their neighbourhoods into a new municipality would delay efforts to get them better housing and water.

South Africa is due to hold key local government elections in August. Opposition parties hope to make gains at the polls, arguing that the governing African National Congress (ANC) has failed to improve basic services during its 22-year rule.

The ANC disputes this, saying most people have a far better standard of living since it took power at the end of minority rule in 1994.

Eight of the 13 schools were torched overnight, bringing to 13 the number of schools targeted since Monday, reports the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani from the main city Johannesburg.

The government says communities will be worse off by destroying buildings
The government says communities will be worse off by destroying buildings

On Friday, protesters failed in a court bid to prevent the inclusion of the mainly poor Vuwani and Livubu areas into a new district authority. The government says the plan is vital to developing the two communities.

South Africa has a history of violent demonstrations, going back to the days when people protested minority rule and it seems that this attitude still remains, our correspondent says.

People are often so frustrated about the lack of basic services like electricity and water that they resort to vandalism, targeting schools, libraries and even clinics, she adds. The government has often criticised the violence, saying it would leave communities worse off. Limpopo is one of South Africa’s poorest provinces, where the ANC has won previous elections by an overwhelming majority. The main opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), hope to weaken the ANC’s hold in the province in the August elections.

First US-to-Cuba cruise ship in decades sets to sail

cuba cruise

Miami (AFP) – The first US cruise ship bound for Cuba in half a century set sail from Florida on Sunday, marking a new milestone in the rapprochement between Washington and Havana.

The Adonia, a vessel from the Carnival cruise’s Fathom line, raised its anchors and departed from Miami, the heart of the Cuban diaspora in the United States, around 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).

The ship — with 700 passengers aboard — is scheduled to glide into the port of Havana on Monday, its first stop on the communist-run island.

“To be a part of truly making history and preparing for an even more positive future for everyone is one of the greatest honors any company can have,” Carnival Corporation chief executive Arnold Donald said.

The voyage is the first of what Carnival says will become weeklong cruises to Cuba twice a month, with the goal of promoting cultural exchange between the two countries following a warming of ties that began in December 2014 and culminated last year with the restoration of full diplomatic ties.

“Fathom offers a truly historic opportunity for travel to Cuba: a chance to help build new bridges to a rich and vibrant culture that, until now, most US travelers have only seen in photographs,” the cruise ship’s web page says.

Uncertainty over whether the cruise would take place cleared up only last week, when the Cuban government under Raul Castro lifted restrictions for seaborne visits of Cubans to and from the United States, opening a door for Cuban-Americans born on the island to board the ships.

Carnival initially refused to accept reservations from such people because of Cuban restrictions first imposed when the island’s Communist regime feared landings by anti-Castro militants.

The cruise line’s policy prompted charges of discrimination amid a firestorm of criticism.

Carnival, the world’s leading tour ship operator, eventually relented and began to allow reservations from Cuban-born customers. But its conditions to start the visits were for Cuba to allow its citizens to sail freely.

Cuba ultimately backed down after intense negotiations as part of the normalization process, which culminated in President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in March.

– ‘Always wanted to visit’ –

Lifting the restrictions only very recently limited the number of Cuban-born passengers on the cruise ship Sunday.

Among them was Isabel Buznego, 61, who left the island when she was five and was returning for the first time.

“My dad wanted to come because he had never been able to come, but he passed away,” she said. “So I’m coming in his name. That is why I have so many different emotions, but I am mostly happy.”

Another passenger, Regina Patterson, 58, from Delaware, said she wanted to travel on the cruise because it was historic.

“And it is a place I always wanted to visit,” she said of Cuba. “I want to see how they live, the music, what they eat, and shopping, shopping, shopping!”

Adonia has scheduled cultural activities in its ports of call in Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, including meetings with artists, musicians and business owners, as well as dance classes and guided tours.

That is significant because full-scale regular US tourism to Cuba is still banned under the US trade embargo, which remains in force despite the diplomatic thaw.

For the time being, Americans can travel to communist Cuba only for cultural, academic, sports-related or religious events.

Carnival is the first cruise line company to win permission from both governments to offer trips, which ended after the Cuban revolution of 1959.

The cost of a ticket on the cruise ranges from $1,800 to $7,000 per person.

Regular flights from the United States to Cuba are expected to begin later this year.

South African court rules Zuma must face corruption charges

mall 4

By Amogelang Mbatha and Paul Vecchiatto | Bloomberg

South African court ruled that the decision by prosecutors to drop a corruption case against President Jacob Zuma seven years ago was irrational and should be set aside, opening the way for the 783 charges against him to be reinstated.

Then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe was under pressure and made an “irrational decision” to dismiss the charges in April 2009, ignoring the importance of his oath of office to act independently and without fear or favor, Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday, citing the ruling by a full bench of judges. Zuma should face the charges in the indictment, he said.

“It’s not the sort of decision that’s going to be easy to overturn on appeal, because it seems to me, it is so well-reasoned,” James Grant, an attorney at the South African High Court, said by phone from Johannesburg. “It’s a very powerful judgment because its a unanimous decision by three judges saying that abuse of process is not something that the prosecution service may rely on.”

The ruling intensifies pressure on the governing African National Congress, which is fighting off increased calls from opposition parities, churches and civil-rights organizations to dismiss Zuma as the country prepares for local government elections on Aug. 3. The 74-year-old leader has been dogged by scandals even before he took office and now has to face an economy growing at the slowest pace since the 2009 recession and the risk of credit downgrade to junk.

“The ANC’s woes continue in the run up to the local government elections and they will have an even harder time managing their image after having decided not to recall him,” University of the Western Cape Head of Political Studies Cherrel Africa said by phone from Cape Town.

Last month, South Africa’s top court found that Zuma, had “failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution” over his handling of a graft ombudsman report into security upgrades at his private rural residence, which found his family had unduly benefited from the improvements. That ruling followed in the wake of allegations that his friends, the Gupta family, offered senior Cabinet positions to members of the ANC. The Guptas have denied any wrongdoing and Zuma has referred questions to them, saying only he has the authority to appoint ministers.

Prosecutors had spent eight years investigating allegations that Zuma took 4.07 million rand ($287,000) in bribes from arms dealers, and had brought charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering against him. Mpshe decided to drop the case on grounds that taped phone calls indicated the chief prosecutor was using the case against Zuma to frustrate his efforts to win control of the ANC from Thabo Mbeki. Zuma, who was elected ANC president in 2007, became president of South Africa in May 2009 and won a second and final term in 2014.

The Democratic Alliance, the country’s largest opposition party, has been fighting ever since to have the charges reinstated.

“This finding by the court is an overwhelming victory for the rule of law,” DA leader Mmusi Maimane said in an e-mailed statement. “The National Prosecuting Authority must now immediately continue with the 783 charges of corruption so that President Zuma can finally have his day in court.”

The National Prosecuting Authority will study the judgment before deciding what action to take, spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said by phone. Zuma has noted the decision and “will give consideration to the judgment and its consequences and the remedies available in terms of our law,” the presidency said in an e-mailed statement.

“The court did not deal with the merits of any allegations against President Zuma nor did it make any finding declaring guilt on any matter,” the ANC said. “Today’s judgment was solely a judicial review of an administrative action taken by the NPA as allowed for in our law. This matter has dragged on for close to a decade and the ANC is pleased therefore that it now appears closer to resolution.”

Criticism of Zuma’s government has intensified since December, when his decision to replace his respected finance minister, Nhlanhla Nene, with a little-known lawmaker sparked a selloff of the rand and the nation’s bonds. A special South African police unit, known as the Hawks, is investigating corruption allegations against the Gupta family, who are in business with Zuma’s son, and probing whether the Guptas have any influence on government business.

“President Zuma has jokingly said that he looks forward to his day in court to answer those charges. Well now that day is getting closer,” Bantu Holomisa, leader of minor opposition party, the United Democratic Movement, said by phone from Mthatha. “The ANC will have to seriously consider what it will mean to the country or to their party to have a sitting president in court answering charges and thereby taking his attention away from running the country.”

South Sudanese player detained in Canada says he doesn’t know his true age

Nicola told the Star in the January feature story that he arrived in Windsor on Nov. 22, 2015, just three days before his 17th birthday. He said he left South Sudan, his disease-ridden, wartorn home, for a better life in Windsor.
Nicola told the Star in the January feature story that he arrived in Windsor on Nov. 22, 2015, just three days before his 17th birthday. He said he left South Sudan, his disease-ridden, wartorn home, for a better life in Windsor.

A South Sudanese man who was arrested in Canada last week for allegedly posing as a teenager in order to gain entry to the country and play high school basketball admitted in a immigration and refugee board hearing he is not a teenager but claimed he does not know his true age.

Canadian border officers arrested Jonathan Nicola on April 15 after receiving confirmation from the United States that Nicola’s fingerprints matched those of a man who had applied for a visa to the U.S. from Syria using a birth date in 1986. Nicola is believed to be 29.

He had been in Canada attending Catholic Central high school in Windsor and playing basketball for the school on scholarship since November 2015. His situation came to the attention of authorities when the coach at the school helped Nicola submit paperwork to allow him to travel with the team to the U.S. to play in games here.

During the hearing, Nicola told the officiant of the Canadian Immigration Division that he is ‘not a liar person’ but does not know his true age because his mother never told him his true birthday because she could not remember it. Nicola also said a man who originally processed his paperwork in South Sudan went forward with it despite Nicola never being able to provide an accurate age.

“I really do not know what is my real age, I cannot tell you what is my real age,” he said during the hearing, according to an official transcript provided to Yahoo Sports. “But over there my mom always keep telling us different age, I do not remember what specific age, I always keep her asking like what is the specific age that I was born, and she has told me that she could not remember.”

The officiant, Valerie Currie, eventually ruled that Nicola be detained because he was a flight risk. She also said she did not believe that Nicola was being honest in saying that he didn’t know his true age.

“You have misrepresented yourself and you have been untruthful in order to achieve your goals and that shows considerable disrespect for the laws of Canada, specifically the immigration laws of Canada,” Currie said. “Those circumstances suggests to me that you are a person who cannot be trusted to comply with the laws of Canada.”

An Immigration Refugee Board has since determined that Nicola should remain in detention until a May 24 hearing. During his first hearing, Nicola said he has had suicidal thoughts while under arrest and would like to return to South Sudan to be reunited with his mother.

Nicola is 6-foot-9 and helped the Catholic Central team advance to the second round of the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association playoffs this season.

Former House speaker sentenced to more than a year in prison

Judge Thomas M. Durkin also ordered Hastert to undergo sex-offender treatment, spend two years on supervised release after 15 months behind bars and pay a $250,000 fine to a crime victims' fund.
Judge Thomas M. Durkin also ordered Hastert to undergo sex-offender treatment, spend two years on supervised release after 15 months behind bars and pay a $250,000 fine to a crime victims’ fund.

CHICAGO (AP) — Dennis Hastert, the Republican who for eight years presided over the House and was second in the line of succession to the presidency, was sentenced Wednesday to more than a year in prison in the hush-money case that included accusations he sexually abused teenagers while coaching high school wrestling.

Judge Thomas M. Durkin also ordered Hastert to undergo sex-offender treatment, spend two years on supervised release after 15 months behind bars and pay a $250,000 fine to a crime victims’ fund.

In explaining his punishment, the judge called Hastert a “serial child molester” and described as “unconscionable” his attempt to accuse one of the victims of extortion.

Hastert becomes one of the highest-ranking politicians in American history to be sentenced to prison. He pleaded guilty last fall to violating banking law as he sought to pay $3.5 million to someone referred to in court papers only as Individual A to keep the sex abuse secret.

Earlier in the hearing, a former athlete who said he was molested by Hastert decades ago told the courtroom that he was “devastated” by the abuse.

The man, now in his 50s, said Hastert abused him while they were alone in a locker room. He struggled to hold back tears as he described the incident in detail. In the years since, he said, he sought professional help and had trouble sleeping. He said the memory still causes him pain.

He said he trusted and looked up to Hastert.

In his own statement, Hastert admitted that he “mistreated” some of his athletes and said he was “deeply ashamed.”

“I am sorry to those I hurt and misled,” he said. “What I did was wrong and I regret it.”

When the judge asked whether he sexually abused one wrestler specifically, Hastert said yes.

Moments before the man took the stand, a woman who says her brother was sexually abused by Hastert told the courtroom that her sibling felt “betrayed, ashamed and embarrassed.”

Dennis Hastert was former Republican and Speaker of the House of Representatives. He  becomes one of the highest-ranking politicians in American history to be sentenced to prison.
Dennis Hastert was former Republican and Speaker of the House of Representatives. He becomes one of the highest-ranking politicians in American history to be sentenced to prison.

Jolene Burdge said Hastert abused her brother, Stephen Reinboldt, throughout his years at Yorkville High School, where Hastert was a history teacher and coach from 1965 to 1981.

Reinboldt died of AIDS in 1995.

His sister turned toward Hastert and said, “Don’t be a coward … tell the truth.”

She also said, “I hope I have been your worst nightmare.”

Authorities alleged that Hastert abused at least four students throughout his years at the school about 45 miles southwest of Chicago. He will report to prison at a later date.

The 74-year-old, who was in a wheelchair at the courthouse, agreed to a plea deal that suggested anything from probation to a maximum of six months behind bars.

But after prosecutors lifted a veil of secrecy from the case, the judge made comments suggesting he might impose a longer sentence, potentially putting Hastert behind bars for years, because of the abuse allegations.

Defense attorneys were seeking probation on the grounds that Hastert has already paid a high price in disgrace. They also cited his health, saying a blood infection nearly killed him in November and that a stroke has limited his mobility.

The lead prosecutor said he wishes Hastert could have been charged with the abuse he was trying to cover up.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block called Hastert’s conduct “horrendous.” But because of the statute of limitations, he could only be charged with a financial crime related to the payments he was making to one of at least four victims of sexual abuse.

Block said the sentence should take into account that Hastert “continues to deny what should now be obvious to everyone,” that the payments were to conceal sexual abuse.

Defense attorney Thomas Green said he “acknowledges and respects” the pain of the man who described being molested. He urged the judge to take into consideration the “entire arc” of Hastert’s life, asserting that he reshaped his life as a public servant during his political career.

“Decades of not just political achievement but acts of goodness and charity have been erased, a lot of it even physically as his name has been removed from public places and his portrait at the Capitol put into storage,” Green said.

Some letters of support were withdrawn because the writers did not want to be identified, Green said, an example of Hastert’s deepening isolation.

The maximum sentence available was five years in prison.

Until recently, it was hard to gauge what Durkin might be thinking. But at a recent hearing, he let his dismay show for the first time.

He singled out how Hastert in a 2015 interview with federal agents sought to deflect blame by falsely accusing Individual A of extorting him with a bogus sex-abuse claim.

On Wednesday, the judge returned to that example, saying that Hastert was willing to send an innocent man to prison to avoid getting caught.

Because of Hastert’s false accusations, “the full weight of the federal government’s resources” was thrown at Individual A, the judge said.

Earlier this month, prosecutors went into graphic detail about the sex-abuse allegations for the first time, even describing how Hastert would sit in a recliner chair in the locker room with a direct view of the showers.

The victims, prosecutors said, were boys between 14 and 17. Hastert was in his 20s and 30s.

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