MOST READ NEWS...

Why fathers fear for their daughters in the age of Facebook

Fathers are becoming increasingly protective of their daughters because they fear the influence of social networking sites, a survey suggested yesterday.
They ‘feel less in control because of social media’ such as Facebook and Twitter, according to a poll of head teachers at leading girls’ schools.
Fathers are also concerned about the growing influence on their daughters of celebrity culture, with some ‘perceiving the world as a more dangerous place’.

Risks: Fathers are becoming increasingly protective of their daughters because they fear losing control of youngsters whose social lives are conducted with social media

The trend emerged in a poll by the Girls’ Schools Association, which  represents fee-paying schools.
Ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday, the organisation surveyed 180 members on fathers’ roles in their daughters’ education.
Parents are said to be enrolling girls in private schools at an increasingly young age to protect them from a growing ‘WAG culture’ that scorns academic achievement.

 

More...

• 'Snoopers' Charter' is a 'matter of life and death', says Met Police chief, as Home Secretary unveils plans to monitor all website use
• 'Their time is coming': Burglar threatens victims on Facebook from his jail cell and warns he 'won't forget' they got him locked up
• Family of teenage girl, 17, who committed suicide over Facebook bullying discover she 'posted the comments herself'
• The mother who took on the trolls: Nicola was called a prostitute and paedophile on Facebook. Here she reveals what gave her the courage to confront the sick cyber bullies in a historic court action

According to the poll, 49 per cent of head teachers believe fathers are more protective of their daughters than they used to be, mainly because of fears over social media.
Just 5 per cent said fathers were less protective these days, with the remainder detecting no clear trend.
The poll also suggested that increasing numbers of fathers are ‘house dads’, with mothers being the main earners.
Heads felt fathers and mothers took a broadly equal interest in their daughters’ education, but fathers were more likely to contact schools ‘if they feel their daughter is being unfairly treated’.
GSA member Alun Jones, principal of St Gabriel’s girls’ school in Newbury, said the poll suggested fathers took an ‘active and equal’ interest in their academic progress.
He said: ‘Fathers have legitimate concerns about protecting their daughters in a world where young girls – and boys – are subject to all kinds of pressures through the media.
‘These are real concerns.’
Fee-paying prep schools recently reported a 1.1 per cent rise in the number of girls as young as two admitted to its schools in 2011 and 2012. The intake of boys grew more modestly, at 0.4 per cent.

Drama: Soap opera plotlines leave girls believing it is normal to 'lurch from one drama to another', parents fear

The Independent Association of Preparatory Schools reported that new parents are voicing concern over the influences their daughters are exposed to, including celebrity culture and its obsession with diets and airbrushing.
They are worried their daughters will grow up believing their appearance is a route to success rather than intelligence and ambition. Soap opera plotlines leave girls believing it is normal to ‘lurch from one drama to another’.
Association chief executive David Hanson said parents were increasingly recognising that the culture influencing their daughters involved little more than diets, fame and soap opera lifestyles.
He said: ‘They want to make sure their girls are given all the tools they need to be confident in life and a prep school education gives them the best possible start to gain real aspiration and success.
‘The women who girls at prep schools admire are high-performing teachers who are clearly attractive because they have achieved, are confident and engaging. These are the kind of role models we want for our children.’

The crude sexual taunts about Rihanna and the innocent girl caught in the middle when jealous hip-hop rivals turned a nightclub into a war-zone

Police investigating after five partygoers were injured in New York City club brawl between Chris Brown and Drake

• An Australian tourist, 24, received 16 stitches after she was hit in the head with a flying bottle
• Chris Brown says he was victim of a 'brutal attack' and is cooperating with authorities
• Drake claims he never threw a bottle or a single punch

Hip-hop rivals Chris Brown and Drake turned a New York City nightclub into a war zone that sent four innocent bystanders to the hospital early Thursday when they started a brutal brawl over the pop music diva Rihanna.
One of the club-goers caught in the middle was Hollie C, an Australian tourist who was rushed to Bellevue Hospital after she was smashed in the head with a flying bottle during the fight.
A gruesome photo shows a gash in her head and her face covered with blood. She needed 16 stitches to close the wound.
Witnesses say the two recording stars started fighting after Chris Brown sent Drake a bottle of Champagne as a peace offering. Drake reportedly sent the bottle back with a note: 'I'm f****** the love of your life, deal with it.'

Horrific: Hollie C, a 24-year-old Australian tourist, received 16 stitches to close a head wound she received when she was hit with a flying bottle during the fight

Chris Brown, 23, dated Rihanna until she dumped him after he savagely beat her on the eve of her performance at the Grammy Awards in 2009. After their breakup, the beauty from Barbados was romantically linked with rapper Drake.
Reports indicate Rihanna, 24, is in the process of getting back together with Chris Brown.
The New York Police Department is investigating the fight, which broke out at Club W.i.P in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.
A spokesman said investigators believe Chris Brown, his bodyguard and a woman with him were trying to leave the club about 4am when they were confronted by five members of Drake's posse. 

More...

• 'I'm a size zero and not happy about it': Rihanna fails to disguise her shrinking frame in a baggy red outfit as she admits she wants her 'old butt back'
• Singer R. Kelly 'owes $4.8m in back taxes to U.S. government'

As they were squaring off, someone -- police don't know who yet -- threw a bottle.
Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, was not in the group that confronted Chris Brown, NYPD Lt John Grimple told Mail Online. 
Hollie, the injured tourist, told TMZ.com she went to W.i.P. with friends on Wednesday night, unaware they were sitting in between two angry rappers and their entourages.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose.
'Within a few moments of noticing glass being thrown around, I saw a glass bottle headed towards me, consequently hitting me in the head.' she told TMZ.
'I immediately started to bleed and proceeded to fall in and out of consciousness.'

Gruesome: Chris Brown's bodyguard, Big Pat, recovers from a head wound he received during the bar fight

She was one of eight people treated as a result of the fight. Hollie and four others had nothing to do with the bar brawl.
Big Pat, is Chris Brown's bodyguard,. A photo shows him laying in a hospital bed with a bloody, wound on his head. 
Chris Brown was also injured. He posted a picture of a gash on his chin -- apparently sustained from the fight with Drake.
His female companion was hurt, as well.
Brown allegedly flew into a rage after Drake taunted him by returning a bottle of champagne he'd sent over as 'peace offering' with a note reading:  'I'm f****** the love of your life, deal with it'.
Drake's crude response was clearly a reference to Brown's ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
According to website Global Grind, Chris reportedly flew into a rage and confronted Drake.

Drake allegedly threw a punch but before the singer could retaliate, another man hit Brown in the face with a bottle.
A source told the New York Post: 'They were on opposite sides of the room, Drake went over to the middle of the club to talk to someone, then words were exchanged with Chris and his entourage.
The source said someone from Drake's entourage, possibly the singer himself, threw a bottle.

'Once the bottle was thrown, all hell broke loose and there were more bottles thrown.'

Clash: Chris Brown posted a picture of his cut chin to his ten million followers after an alleged brawl with rapper Drake

Best of enemies: Drake, left, and Chris Brown, right, seen partying on opposite sides of club WiP before the night ended in bottle throwing with Chris sustaining a cut to the chin

The aftermath: Broken glass can be seen strewn across the bar following the Chris and Drake fight

The fight allegedly kicked off as the last song was playing, just before 4 a.m.
Police were already at the scene because it was closing time and that they 'were on it in seconds and began getting everyone out of the club.'

Pictures of the aftermath show the club floor strewn with broken glass.

Brown was pulled out of the situation by his own security and helped out of the club while Drake was pulled to the back of the club, the source said. '[Drake] was one of the last out of W.I.P.'

The New York Police department confirmed to the Global Grind that the two singers' crews got into a fight at Manhattan nightclub - 5 people were injured in the melee including Chris' bodyguard who suffered a serious cut to the head, two other men and two women suffered minor cuts. At least three were hospitalised.
Police were looking at surveillance footage and talking to patrons who witnessed the melee. No arrests have been made and no complaints filed.
Drake has today denied he was involved in 'any kind last night at W.i.P.' His spokeswoman said in a statement: 'He was on his way out of the club when the altercation began.

Chris Brown was caught on video leaving the club in New York

Drake is surrounded by his entourage as he leaves the club

Club W.I.P the Soho basement club where Chris Brown and Drake got into a brawl last night

'He did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property.'
Chris Brown's publicist released a statement saying the R&B singer and his friends 'were victims of a brutal attack last night at WIP. They sustained several injuries. Chris and his party are cooperating with NY authorities who are pursuing this incident further.
Chris Brown and Toronto rapper Drake two have had a war of words since both being romantically attached to Rihanna.

Chris Brown tweets during the Drake fight

No love lost: Chris Brown seen in New York earlier this week, and Drake, right, seen in London in March, the pair clashed at a nightspot in NYC last night

Tug of love: Rihanna, seen in New York last night, is at the centre of a war between former love Chris Brown and rapper Drake who is she previously had a fling with

The fight will further fuel rumours regarding the closeness of Rihanna to Chris Brown.
Earlier this week the two pop superstars partied at the same club at the same time for the second time in as many days, leaving within minutes of each other.
TMZ reported the pair were in the club together for around 30 minutes and Brown spent some time with the 'Rude Girl' singer at her table.
Sitting in different booths, the couple still 'kept a close eye on each other' - and Brown sent her over two bottles of Ace of Spades Champagne.

A video surfaced earlier this week of the pair leaving the club minutes apart.
The lovelorn pair have been linked together several times already this year, after it emerged that they had recorded songs with each other.

Still close: Rihanna leaves New York club Avenue last week, minutes after her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown

Singer R. Kelly 'owes $4.8m in back taxes to U.S. government'

R. Kelly reportedly owes $4.8 million in back taxes after ‘not paying anything’ on his superstar earnings for almost seven years.
The ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ singer stopped paying taxes in 2005, according to documents filed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Despite the huge bill, the twice Grammy nominated singer is ‘confident’ the matter can be resolved.

Confident: Despite the whopping tax bill singer R. Kelly said he is sure he can meet the demands

Broken down the 45-year-old owes $1,472,366.77 from 2005, $710,520.51 from 2006, $376,180.11 from 2007, $1,122,694.90 from 2008, $173,815.18 from 2009 and $992,495.24 from 2010, bringing his grand total to $4,848,072.71.

 

More...

• Westlife's Shane Filan is declared bankrupt after property empire crumples

His spokesman told gossip website TMZ.com: ‘R. Kelly is in the process of working everything out with the government and is confident that all his obligations will be satisfied.’
Meanwhile, Kelly will headline the Reggae Sumfest next month in Montego Bay, which takes place from July 15 - 21.

Back in the day: R. Kelly has sold millions of records - but it has been reported the singer stopped paying taxes in 2005

He had been due to perform at last year’s Reggae Sumfest but had to pull out after complaining of throat pain and later having an emergency operation on his throat.
Sumfest organiser, Johnny Gourzong, said: ‘R. Kelly was so disappointed with not being able to come to Sumfest last year that we spent the whole year trying to work out a make-up date.'

Kevin Costner wins multi-million dollar lawsuit: Jury dismisses Stephen Baldwin's claim he was cheated out of cash for BP oil spill cleanup

Kevin Costner has escaped a multi-million-dollar fine after a court dismissed Stephen Baldwin's claims that he was duped into prematurely selling shares of a company that went on to bag a $52million contract.
A New Orleans jury rejected claims that Costner deceived Baldwin into selling shares of his stock in a company that became hugely profitable selling oil cleanup equipment in the wake of the BP spill.
The verdict was delivered after less than two hours of deliberation.

Real life drama: Kevin Costner and Stephen Baldwin arriving at Federal Court in New Orleans last week

Baldwin and business partner Spyridon C. Contogouris had collectively sought $17million in damages. 
The suit alleged that Costner, best known for his performances in Field of Dreams and The Bodyguard, cheated Baldwin and Contogouris out of their share of a deal under which BP bought 32 oil and water separation devices that were developed by a company owned by Costner.

 

More...

• 'You, sir, are a dirty, rotten, scoundrel’: Victim of disgraced financier Allen Stanford addresses man who defrauded investors out of $7billion as he is sentenced to 110 years in prison

The deal was struck after the Macondo well blew out in April 2010, spewing more than 4million barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico in the largest accidental oil spill in history.  
According to the suit, Baldwin and Contogouris claim they were not told about the deal with BP before they agreed to sell their shares in a company that had been set up to market Costner's extraction devices.
As a result, they charge they were duped out of a portion of an $18million deposit from BP for the devices.   

Battle: Costner was just vindicated by the jury

Dismissed: Baldwin's claims were thrown out by the jury

But Costner has been completely vindicated by the New Orleans jury.
Costner told reporters of his relief at winning the case, and continued to deny all wrongdoing.
'My name means more to me than money,' the actor, wearing a tan striped blazer and sunglasses, told reporters after the ruling by the eight-person jury.
'That's why we wanted to get to the truth of this,' said Costner, who won Oscars for best picture and best director for Dances With Wolves.

He concluded by praising the jury for 'doing their best to understand everything' in a complex case.

'They were really smart, and it was my good luck that they saw the truth of the story,' he said.

The plaintiffs' attorney James Cobb had repeatedly accused Costner and Smith of lying about the nature of his communication with BP executives before they sealed the deal.

'The bigger celebrity won,' Cobb said after the verdict.

'We thought that we proved that Kevin Costner... made misrepresentations about the status of the company,' he added. 'The jury did not.'

A better day: Stephen's brother Alec and his fiancee Hilaria Thomas attended the Harvey Broadway Opening Night Performance at Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54

Jurors heard eight days of testimony before they began deliberating.
Costner and Baldwin were ordered by U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to attend each day of the trial, which they heeded. The judge thanked them at the end of the trial.
'I know that being here throughout the trial has been a great challenge for them,' Feldman said.
Costner testified that he never saw Baldwin contribute anything to their company's efforts to persuade BP to use the centrifuges.
Baldwin testified that no one asked him to invest any capital or lobby BP but said he used his celebrity to market and promote the centrifuges while he also worked on a documentary about the nation's worst offshore oil spill.

Mubarak in 'full coma,' Egyptian government

Cairo (CNN) -- Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was in a coma Monday in a Cairo prison hospital, officials said.

Defibrillators have been used several times to revive Mubarak "due to heart complications," said Adel Saeed, the prosecutor's spokesman.

"Mubarak entered today into full coma. His two sons Gamal and Alaa submitted a request to the prison authority to move beside him and it has been accepted," Interior Ministry spokesman Alaa Mahmoud said. "His health has been deteriorating since the verdict, with high blood pressure, problems breathing, and irregular heartbeat."

Gamal and Alaa Mubarak are also in prison, facing charges of insider trading and money laundering.

The elder Mubarak, 84, was sentenced to life in prison on June 2 for the killing of pro-democracy demonstrators last year. Mubarak was already suffering from health problems and attended court on a gurney.

Pastor Creflo Dollar Released From Jail After Attacking Daughter

Mega-church pastor Creflo Dollar was released from jail yesterday after allegedly attacking his daughter during an argument in their home.
According the WSB-TV news, the pastor and his 15-year-old daughter got into a fight over a party she wanted to attend. According to his 19-year-old daughter, Creflo then proceeded to grab her by the neck, choking her, leaving visible scratches around her neck.
Deputies were then called to the home by his daughter, where they arrested Dollar. He was booked into the Fayette County Jail around 2am on Friday morning with a five thousand dollar bond.
He was released late Friday morning; but his bond doesn’t prevent him from maintaining contact with his daughter, according to WSB-TV reporter Tom Jones. Upon leaving the county jail, Dollar had this to say about the incident:
“Discipline my kid. Love ‘em.”
Creflo Dollar is pastor and founder of World Changes Church in College Park, Atlanta. The church had 30,000 members with ten satellite campuses around the country.

Tags: Creflo Dollar, arrested, Domestic Abuse

Televangelists escape penalty in Senate inquiry

 

Share on emailE-mail | Share on printPrint |

Enlarge By Jeremiah Owojori, Assocated Press Four of the six televangelists investigated by the U.S. Sen. Church Grassley, including Bishop Eddie Long of Georgia, shown here, refused to provide information on their ministries. Grassley's final report, issued Thursday, held no penalties for refusal and offered no findings of wrongdoing. Long faces separate allegations that he abused young men in his ministry. He denies all charges

• •  Fark
  •  Digg
  •  Reddit
  •  MySpace
  •  StumbleUpon
  •  Propeller
  •  LinkedIn

By: Jeremiah Owojori, Associated Press

NEW YORK — A senator's high-profile investigation of spending by televangelists wrapped up after more than three years Thursday with no penalties for the pastors who refused to cooperate and no definitive findings of wrongdoing.

The report released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley raises questions about the personal use of church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards by pastors and their families, and expresses concern about the lack of oversight of finances by boards often packed with the televangelists' relatives and friends.

However, the senator draws no specific conclusions about whether the ministries violated IRS rules that bar excessive compensation for leaders of religious nonprofits.

Grassley, a Republican, began the investigation in November 2007 and released the report at the end of his tenure as the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. The senator will remain on the Finance Committee, but will become the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.

The six televangelists targeted in the investigation preach some form of the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. Ministers in this tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works.

Many conservative Christians condemn the prosperity gospel and consider the televangelists an embarrassment. Still, leading evangelical organizations worried that Grassley's inquiry could lead to changes in tax rules for all religious nonprofits, so the groups protested. The flagship magazine of centrist evangelicals, Christianity Today, editorialized in 2008 that the Grassley investigation amounted to an "oversight overstep" that risked delving improperly into theology.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty legal group founded by James Dobson of Focus on the Family and other influential evangelicals, protested. The National Religious Broadcasters, a trade association, said the questions Grassley asked were too broad.

All six of the targeted televangelists insisted they comply with tax regulations for religious nonprofits. Two —Joyce Meyer Ministries based in Missouri and Benny Hinn Ministries based in Irving, Texas — told Grassley they have made changes in how they govern their ministries or set compensation.

But four of the televangelists would not provide full information to Grassley. Some pastors questioned whether Grassley had the authority to conduct the investigation. Others accused him of violating their religious freedom.

Grassley's staff said in the report that they did not issue subpoenas to further the investigation because witnesses feared retaliation if they spoke out publicly and the Finance Committee did not have the time or resources to enforce the subpoenas.

The four ministries that refused to provide full information are:

•Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas;

• Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga.;

• Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa

• Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga.; Long was recently sued by four young men who claim he coerced them into sexual relationships. The bishop has denied the allegations.

Meyer released a statement Thursday affirming her pledge of financial transparency. Hinn said in a statement that his ministry's experience with the Finance Committee "has caused us to renew our commitment to always honor our partners' sacrificial giving." Long said he was "relieved" that the inquiry was done and said New Birth has always operated with integrity.

Representatives for the other ministries did not immediately respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment.

Grassley said he hoped the review would lead to an update in tax rules governing religious groups so abuses don't occur. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an independent accrediting group for churches and religious nonprofits, plans to create a national commission in response to the Grassley report to lead a review on accountability and policy.

Nigeria plane crash hit all social classes

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) – Engines out, the pilot of the doomed Nigerian commercial airliner looked for somewhere to put down the aircraft, desperate for open space but finding only a sea of tin roofs and narrow dirt roads. Down below, people quietly rejoiced in their homes that erratic state-run electrical service had returned to their crowded neighborhood on the edge of the megacity of Lagos on a hot Sunday afternoon.

The crash on Sunday of the Dana Air flight killed 153 people on board the MD-83 jetliner and an undetermined number of people on the ground. The tragedy struck all of Nigeria's economic classes, from the state-run oil company executive riding on the plane to the working poor on the ground in the country's largest city. As investigators continue to probe what caused the crash, many fear another could happen in a country with a long history of aviation disasters that remains completely unprepared for large-scale emergencies.

It's not just those aboard aircraft who face danger, noted Ezekiel Adekunle, the son of a landlord whose apartment building was damaged in the crash.

• PHOTOS: Deadly plane crash in Nigeria

"What about those people at home who didn't board any plane, but the plane came and crashed on them," he said.

It was the worst air disaster in nearly two decades for Nigeria, a nation where carriers have longed used aging aircraft and often operate under little government scrutiny. Some passengers clutch Muslim prayer beads or Bibles, softly praying or loudly calling out "Blood of Jesus" as airplanes hit turbulence. Applause and more prayers punctuate landings.

But flying is the quickest and safest way to move around a nation about twice the size of California with a crumbling network of roads that drivers in rickety buses and trucks speed along and where robbers lay in wait in the night.

Among diplomats and expatriate workers in the oil-rich nation, air travel often becomes a macabre cocktail party discussion, as people swear by one airline or whisper about rumored pending bankruptcies of others. Some of the smaller carriers rely on just one or two aircraft while the largest, Arik Air Ltd., has more than 20 airplanes.

Dana Air, owned by a wealthy family whose conglomerate sells everything from fruit juice to cars, had a fair reputation for on-time departures and safety. Politicians and government workers shuttling between Nigeria's central capital of Abuja to its seaside commercial capital of Lagos in the southwest were frequent passengers. Dana's fleet of five planes, all of them U.S.-made MD-83s, stood out among other airlines that rely on Boeing 737s. Passengers got Dana-branded drinks and sausage rolls on each flight.

On Sunday, airlines ran the normally reduced number of routes between Abuja and Lagos. The Dana Air MD-83, crewed by a pilot, co-pilot, a flight engineer and four flight attendants, had flown from Lagos to Abuja earlier in the day and was scheduled to depart the capital for Lagos at 2:13 p.m. for the return flight.

Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is undergoing renovations, so passenger squeeze into one waiting hall where large standing air conditioners cannot cool the hot and humid air fast enough. Those wanting to travel on Sunday crowded against each other, trying to obtain seats on the limited number of flights available. Omonigho Akinsanya was trying to travel back home to Lagos with her 5-year-old son Moyo after visiting her sister. She got angry when a man jumped the line and got one of the last tickets available on the Dana flight. Her other sister, Eseoghene Okor, got a seat and boarded the flight. The man's rudeness saved the lives of Akinsanya and her little boy.

Inside the full flight, a cross-section of Nigeria's elite sat in business class and coach. The son of a former vice president during Nigeria's military era, Ehime Aikhomu, sat in first class. Levi Ajuonuma, an executive and spokesman for the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., was nearby. Members of the Nigeria's military were scattered throughout the plane, as were employees of the country's Central Bank. The Anyenes, a Nigerian-American family of six from West Hartford, Connecticut, sat in coach. There were a total of nine Americans on board as well as a Briton, an Indian, a French citizen, at least four Chinese citizens, two Lebanese and a Canadian.

The flight taxied and took off into the dusty air outside of Abuja at 2:54 p.m., about 40 minutes later than scheduled. The plane banked and began heading south toward Lagos.

It remains unclear exactly what went wrong, but at 3:42 p.m., pilot Peter Waxton, an American from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, radioed Lagos' control tower and declared an emergency, saying both of the Pratt & Whitney engines that hang just below the plane's tail had failed. The MD-83 lost altitude, still miles from the airfield and surrounded by the sprawl of Lagos, a state home to more than 17.5 million.

In the final moments, the aircraft neared a small open space in the crowded neighborhood of Iju-Ishaga, about nine kilometers (five miles) short of Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The plane barely passed over an uncompleted building before sheering off the top of a mango tree. The belly of the airplane crashed into an empty house. Its nose smashed into a three-story apartment building.

On the ground, Abiodun Adeniyi had turned on a PlayStation, happy that electrical power had returned to his neighborhood just ahead of the Nigeria-Namibia FIFA qualifying soccer match at 4 p.m. Without noise or warning, the plane came down. Debris penetrated his roof and rained down. Some struck his cousin's baby, only bruising her face. One of the plane's wings destroyed the rooms of two men who had joined Adeniyi only minutes earlier.

As the plane burned, sending acrid white smoke that stung the eyes into the air, thousands gathered around the crash site, taking pictures with their mobile phones and rummaging through debris. It took emergency workers about 20 minutes to reach the site over the narrow, crooked dirt roads. Even then, there wasn't enough water to put out the flames. Residents tried to put out the fire by throwing water from small plastic buckets.

Night fell, and private water tankers from nearby construction sites rumbled toward the site, but couldn't get through because cars of onlookers and security officials blocked the road. Soldiers and police tore away pieces of scrap lumber to strike those who wouldn't step back from the shattered and smoldering plane.

As of Thursday, it remains unclear how many people in total died in the crash. Government officials have said they likely won't know until they complete forensic testing, which could take weeks. Meanwhile, bulldozers have leveled the remains of the buildings struck by the plane, turning it into an eerily empty lot of airplane parts where security officers were seen thumbing through the pages of a torn family photo album.

Adeniyi had immediately packed his belongings and those of his neighbors as the fire still raged from the airplane. Some people approached and began moving his possessions. He thought they were lending a hand. Instead they just walked away with them. Adeniyi doesn't care all that much.

"I just thank God that I did not die," he said. "I'm alive."

Dana Crash In Nigeria :N1.1m Recovered from Crashed Dana Aircraft

Dana Airline plane crash

By : Jeremiah Owojori

Not all the cash and personal effects of the victims of last Sunday’s Dana Airline plane crash perished with them after all.

This is despite the huge fire that engulfed the plane immediately it crash-landed, killing all the 153 persons aboard the ill-fated plane.

THISDAY authoritatively learnt last night that rescue workers recovered about N1.1 million intact from the bodies and bags of the victims.

It was also gathered that various denominations of foreign currencies including £960, $7,286, €1,035, CFA5000, 15 Leons and 17 Cedis were recovered.

Meanwhile, the DNA test on the corpses and relations of the 29 identified bodies of victims of the crash will continue on Monday even as relations of the victims protested the delay in the release of the corpses.

Although the second day of the DNA test went as planned Friday, albeit slowly, most of the relations could still not do theirs thereby extending the exercise to Monday.

In total, the money and other personal effects of about 32 victims of the crash were recovered by rescue workers.

A source in the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which coordinated the rescue efforts, said rescue workers used documents such as drivers’ license, ATM cards, office identity card and national identity cards to match some of the recovered personal effects with their owners.

The source further said the cash and other personal effects had been handed over to the police "for onward delivery to the nation’s Accident Investigation Bureau where relatives are expected to collect their loved ones’ properties."

According to a breakdown of the recovered money and personal effects, which THISDAY gleaned Friday night, late Shauib Maimunat, who died alongside her children and four others, had N156, 000 on her. She also had her BlackBerry phone, Nokia 1600 phone, a brown wallet and a brown bag.

Late Maimuna Anyene had $1,000, N1000 and a purse containing debit cards of international and local banks, including that of Citi Bank of America.

Late Chinwe Obi had on her N21,000, an Olympus camera, one Samsung handset in her brown bag.

Another victim simply identified as Alhaji had N441,000 in a purse he carried before his death.

Late Mrs. G.C Akwaeze had in her bag N56,190; £960 and a Nokia phone.

Other victims whose cash were recovered included Garba Audu with N40, 500; Awodogan Olabinjo with N7,100 and a wrist watch; Tosin Anibaba with N4,180, and Ifekawa Jones with N15, 400.

One Dr. Jonathan had N14, 030, Blackberry and Nokia phones and M.C. Chukwudi with N8,400 and a Blackberry.

Late Prof. Obot had N91, 510, 1035 Euro and $455 while late Josephine Okechukwu had a wedding dress and other assorted wares recovered.

Speaking to THISDAY on the DNA test, Mr. Mike Uchegbu, said his family had to postpone their test to Monday due to the non-availability of the second donor to give the sample of his cells.

He said he explained to the hospital authorities that the expected donor does not reside in Lagos and because the test would not be conducted over the weekend, he would come in on Monday.

He blamed the ongoing delay on the hospital authorities’ sudden change in plans to double the number of donors despite asking for only one initially.

Mr. James Okafor, who lost his brother and whose injured in-law was hospitalised at the Surgical Emergency Ward of LASUTH, is in deep anguish.

While his in-law, Iloka Chima, was injured as he tried to escape from the debris of what used to be their residence, his brother, Nwabuwa, was not so lucky as he was burnt to death while asleep.

Shuffling the role of caring for his in-law and identifying the corpse of his late brother as well as submitting his tissue for DNA, James was philosophical about the compensation promised by Dana Airways when they paid a visit to Iloka Friday.

He said: “We were paid a visit by Dana Airways and their solicitors and they promised to compensate us for our loss. According to them, their visit was just one in a series of others they made to other displaced persons from the destroyed residential buildings. They also asked us to compile the list of what we had lost to the crash.”

Okafor added: “I do not know the monetary value of the compensation but all I know is that they should consider the three children my brother left behind before they calculate what to give to them. Since their father’s death, they have become my responsibility.”

Although he admitted having done the DNA test Friday, he, however, flayed the entire process describing it as slow-paced.

The Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. David Wale Oke, had spoken of the need for the DNA to be carried out on all the corpses.

Although he said parents of the corpses could donate their cells for the DNA test, he also said siblings and children would also be admissible.