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POLAND'S outgoing foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, is a polyglot foreign-policy wonk who helped lead his country to its heftiest international presence in centuries.  Grzegorz Schetyna is a party insider who has evinced little interest in international relations, and who, according to his mother, learned his English from the foreign basketball players on a team he used to help run in his native Silesia. But it was Mr Schetyna who was picked to replaced Mr Sikorski as foreign minister on Friday, when Ewa Kopacz, Poland's new prime minister, presented her cabinet (pictured). At a time when Russia is threatening neighbouring Ukraine, even Mr Schetyna's mother, Danuta, says her son was reluctant to take the job. My son was of the view that in the current international situation, it would be better for Sikorski to steer the [foreign ministry],” Ms Schetyna told the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. I don't know myself what prompted Mrs Kopacz to name him to that position. ...

Sale of Chinese internet giant Alibaba, which controls 80% of online commerce in China, gets off to flying start on New York stock exchange The biggest ever share sale in the US got off to a flying – if delayed – start on Friday as shares in Alibaba, the Chinese internet giant, started trading in the New York Stock Exchange at $92.70 – much higher than their initial $68 price. The sale of China’s biggest online retailer has triggered a frenzy among investors clamouring to buy into the the world’s fastest growing market and a new tech titan. Shares soared to $95 in early trading, more than 40% above the start price. Founded by Jack Ma, a former English teacher who started the site from his one-bedroom apartment in Hangzhou in 1998, Alibaba now controls 80% of online commerce in China. Jack Ma: how much is he worth? Alibaba’s share sale was expected to start at 10:30am but was delayed as officials worked there way through a huge number of orders from retail investors. Over 1...

BERLIN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Germany and France agreed on Friday to launch a joint airlift to send aid supplies to western African states hit by Ebola, a spokesman for the German defence ministry said, adding the operation might start within 48 hours. Germany's armed forces will send up to 100 soldiers to a joint base in Dakar and from there two German Transall military transport planes will fly supplies to affected countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the spokesman said. That will enable more than 100 tonnes to be transported per week, he said, adding that France would also provide planes. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart agreed on the airlift at a meeting in Paris on Friday. The supplies will include medicines, medical equipment, blankets and tents. The aim was to improve the logistics chain, so Germany's armed forces will also collect goods from countries like Switzerland, Luxembourg and fly them on to West Africa. ...

A three-day curfew or lockdown to try to stop the spread of the Ebola virus has come into effect in Sierra Leone. The aim of the move is to keep people confined to their homes while health workers isolate new cases and prevent Ebola from spreading further. Critics say the lockdown will destroy trust between doctors and the public. Sierra Leona is one of the countries worst hit by West Africa's Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,600 people. The UN Security Council on Thursday declared the outbreak a threat to international peace and security. The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling on states to provide more resources to combat it. Even the heavy downpour that deluged Freetown since dawn on Thursday did not stop thousands of people from rushing to supermarkets and vegetable markets to stock up on food ahead of the lockdown declared by the president. The government hopes this drastic action will prove to be the magic bullet in the bat...

With the iconoclastic director's latest, The Zero Theorem, hitting theaters tomorrow, CraveOnline caught up Terry Gilliam and managed to get a few updates on several of his long-gestating projects. "Yes," Gilliam responds when asked about whether any movement has been made on his The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. "The producer is talking to a couple agents of a couple actors at the moment, and somebody who says they’ve got the money for us. So these things are happening. Whether it all becomes a reality we’ll find out soon." Gilliam also hints that he may soon have a new approach to The Defective Detective, a project he's wanted to see happen for years that tells the story of a detective who follows a missing girl into a fictional storybook world. "We’ve been talking about something," Gilliam says, "and I shouldn’t say much of anything, but there have been some talks among my former agent [about] resurrecting it in some form or t’other...

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were all over each other at a friend's birthday party. The 'Baby' hitmaker rented out the Lucky Strike bowling alley in Los Angeles on Sunday night for their pal Ryan Butler's intimate celebration, and couldn't keep his hands off the 'Come & Get It' singer at the party. A source told E! News: ''Justin rented out Lucky Strike's Luxe room for the celebration. Additionally, he was seen kissing and flirting with his on-and-off again girlfriend, Selena Gomez.'' The insider added: ''The group, of about 12 people in all, enjoyed some of Lucky Strike's Esteban's Nacho's Grande, Cheeseburgers and wings. Specifically, Justin was seen eating the Mac & Cheese bites.'' Ryan's girlfriend posted a photograph of Selena, 22, gazing at Justin, 20, on Instagram from the party. The Canadian star confirmed during a deposition last week that he has reunited with his on-again, off...

Angelina Jolie’s decision to go public about her double mastectomy led to a doubling in NHS referrals for genetic tests of breast cancer risk, a new study has found. The actress’s announcement in May last year coincided with an immediate uplift in GP referrals to family history clinics, with referral rates two-and-a-half times higher in June and July than in the same period in 2012. Researchers said that the "Angelina Jolie effect" lasted until at least October last year. Genetic testing is used to determine whether women with a family history of breast cancer carry mutations of specific genes, which significantly increase breast cancer risk and are believed to be responsible for between five and 10 per cent of all breast cancers. Ms Jolie’s decision to have both breasts removed was based on a positive test for a mutation of the BRCA1 gene. Her mother had died of breast cancer, and her aunt died only two weeks after the actress revealed she had undergone a mastect...

Jeremy Scott may have been having the most fun of anyone in NYC over the past few months. Just take a look at his wildly colored collection of happy clothes and you’ll see why! Miley Cyrus is one gigantic fan of young designer Jeremy Scott, but it’s almost hard to tell where her closet ends and his new Spring 2015 collection begins! Jeremy Scott’s Spring 2015 NYFW Psychedelic Collection Is Perfect For Miley Cyrus These two buddies have become such good friends and mutual muses that his wild, Woodstock looks and accessories have already appeared on Miley, 21, on her Instagram or on stage. Or did Jeremy rummage through Miley’s closet first before before creating his own versions? I swear I’ve seen Miley sporting teddy bear slippers in her pics and then there they were, marching down the runway on models! Well, whoever influenced whom, it’s a terrific collaboration. Miley apparently designed Scott’s playful accessories — long multi-colored plastic earrings, chunky pop-colored ...

Market fluctuation that has pervaded the equities market yesterday continued as the bears struggled to deplete market activities after a day’s gain in the local bourse following 0.11 per cent drop in both market performance indices. The key benchmark indices returned negative  to close in the red, as activities in the shares of Seplat Petroleum Development Company and Dangote Cement further dragged down the equity market. Trading activities on the floor of Exchange had the previous day closed in the green territory following positive sentiments of investors. Consequently, the All-Share Index dipped 46.04 basis points or 0.11 per cent to close at 40,683.45 as against 40,729.49 recorded the previous day while the market capitalisation of equities depreciated by N15 billion or 0.11 per cent as market sentiment remained negative. Meanwhile, a turnover of 273.4 million shares worth N2.7 billion in 4,188 deals was recorded in the day’s trading. Just as in the previous day , th...

The Nigeria Women National team, the Super Falcons could face the embarrassment of being ejected from its camp as the team prepares for the Africa Women Championship, following the failure of the Nigeria Football Federation to settle outstanding bills. The management of the Serob Legacy Hotel where the team is camping ahead of the AWC has reportedly given the NFF till the end of this week to make some payment or risk a forceful ejection of the team. A top staff of the federation insists that the lingering crisis has resulted in the football house facing a difficult period due to the alleged withholding of subventions by the federal government. The hotel is reportedly still harbouring the Women team only because of the relationship it had cultivated with the team over the years.

The 2014 edition of the Nigerian Sports Award has entered the voting phase as the top three nominees for each of the different categories of the award have emerged. The list of the top three nominees for all the categories of the award was unveiled at a Press conference on Thursday by the organisers of the Award. Addressing the media, the General Manager, Unmissable Incentives Limited, Mr. Kayode Idowu noted that the panel received overwhelming nominations for the 2014 editions of the award from members of the public adding that it was a tough job selecting the top 3 nominees for each category. According to Idowu , Nigeria ’s golden girl, Blessing Okagbare and Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama top the nomination chat as both of them were nominated in two categories. Blessing Okagbare who won double Gold medals at the just concluded Commonwealth Games was nominated for the Track & Field Star of the Year and SportsWoman of the Year Awards while Vincent Enyeama was nominat...

Will give 100 per cent, says world cup winner Italian star Alessandro del Piero, who arrived in the capital on Thursday, has said that he is looking forward to start a fresh innings with the Indian Super League (ISL), which begins next month. Del Piero has been roped in by Delhi Dynamos as their marquee player in the eight-team city-based league. The former Juventus captain is also a brand ambassador of the tournament. Del Piero, who represented Italy in three World Cups, was mobbed by the fans and the media at the Indira Gandhi International Airport minutes after his arrival. Wearing a grey suit, Del Piero, who was a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side, patiently obliged the fans with autographs and photo opportunities. With so many good players around, I expect the ISL to be a great tournament, he said during his brief interaction with the media. I am really excited and will give my 100 per cent on the new turf. I intend to start a new innings with Delhi Dyn...

OSOGBO— Academics and social activities at Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, were yesterday paralyzed following report that one of the students, who had been on admission at the university’s teaching hospital, manifested signs of victim of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. The management of the institution, however, said the student had been evacuated to Lagos, where she would undergo thorough screening to verify if she had actually contracted the dreaded disease. There were rumours in most parts of Osun State, yesterday, that a student of the OAU, Ile-Ife contracted the virus and had been admitted at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital OAUTH, Ile-Ife. A student of the university who preferred anonymity said a student who recently returned from Port Harcourt was in the early hours of yesterday rushed to the university’s health centre from where he was referred to the OAUTH after showing symptoms of EVD. The “rumour” however spread quickly as parents and guardians ...

The head of Fiji's army said on Wednesday that he expected 45 Fijian U.N. peacekeepers seized two weeks ago on the Golan Heights by an al Qaeda-backed militant group, the Nusra Front, to be released within days. "Al Nusra has confirmed to the U.N. headquarters in New York that the Fijian peacekeepers will be released within the next few days," Brigadier General Mosese Tikoitoga told a media conference in the Fijian capital, Suva. Syria's three-year civil war reached the frontier with Israeli-controlled territory last month when Islamist fighters overran a crossing point in the line that has separated Israelis from Syrians in the Golan Heights since a 1973 war. The fighters then turned on the U.N. blue helmets from a peacekeeping force that has patrolled the ceasefire line for 40 years. After the Fijians were captured, more than 70 Filipinos spent two days besieged at two locations before reaching safety. The Nusra Front, a Syrian affiliate of al Qaeda, had a ...

Washington kickstarted its efforts to form a broad coalition against jihadists in Iraq and Syria Tuesday with Secretary of State John Kerry headed to the region to rally US allies. Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia is to host talks on Thursday between Kerry and ministers from 10 Arab states plus Turkey on joint action against the Islamic State group. Kerry’s arrival in the region on Wednesday will coincide with a keenly awaited speech by President Barack Obama in which he has promised to set out a strategy to defeat the jihadists who have unleashed a wave of atrocities that have shocked the world. Washington has been buoyed in its diplomatic offensive by the formation of a new government in Baghdad that it hopes will be more acceptable to both Iraq’s disenchanted Sunni Arab minority and Sunni governments around the region. The Iraqi army’s campaign to claw back the territory it lost in the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June — and US efforts to engage Sunni ...

Vietnamese authorities have vowed to seriously punish a prisoner caught posting photographs of drugs alongside status updates on Facebook from a smartphone smuggled into jail, state media reported. Nguyen Duc Hung, jailed on drugs charges, last week posted photographs of himself in a black and white striped prison uniform, as well as photos of him and other inmates taking drugs. The drugs were presumed to be heroin, a news website called Motthegioi reported on Sunday. Hung made the posts so that his wife at home could see him, the report added. He also uploaded shots of other prisoners at the Tan Lap jail 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Hanoi, chatting on phones, showing off their tattoos and eating in their cells. The photographs have since been taken down, the Dan Tri online newspaper reported. Police said security at the prison, which overwhelmingly houses people serving time for drugs-related convictions, was sometimes compromised due to its location in a residen...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US military will join the fight against fast-spreading Ebola in Africa, President Barack Obama said in an interview aired Sunday, but he warned it would be months before the epidemic slows. Obama said that, in its current form, he did not believe Ebola would reach the United States , but warned the virus could mutate and become a much greater threat to those outside Africa. The president argued that the deadly toll of the disease was being exacerbated because of the rudimentary public health infrastructure in Africa. “We’re going to have to get US military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there, to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world,” Obama said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “If we do that, then it’s still going to be months before this problem is controllable in Africa,” he said. But he added, “if we don’t make that effort now, and this spreads not just through Africa but other parts ...

Abuja – A cross-section of football enthusiasts across the country have expressed mixed reactions to Saturday’s 2-3 loss by the Super Eagles in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. The Eagles lost to the Red Devils of Congo at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar in their opening Group A match. While some of them expressed disappointment at the result, others expressed optimism in the ability of the Super Eagles to bounce back from the defeat. A good number of them however said the players should show more commitment in their next game, insisting that part of the problem was that the players were not focused. Joe Erico, a former Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach, said the team should not underrate any other team, adding that this could have been a reason for their defeat by Congo. “The team played well, and the loss was just a goal margin. But I believe they can play better and show more determination. “I guess part of the reason for the loss was the fact that the...

There were issues about the 2010 World Cup in South Africa until the tournament came to pass. And it was a huge success. The Africans are still savouring the success even after the World Cup in Brazil which also faced many issues including threats from their own citizens. It still came to pass, scoring well in organisation and promotion of the game of football. Russia are already having theirs but the tournament will hold and followers of the game will, thereafter, celebrate the success of 2018 World Cup, ditto the 2022 event in Qatar. That Qatar has the resources to host a successful World Cup is not in doubt. They have vowed to use the World Cup project to develop more infrastructure and human capital development of not only Qatar but also the entire Middle East region. If Qatar has the resources to build facilities and develop infrastructure for the World Cup do they have the manpower to host and organise a successful World Cup? Victor Ikpeba, Africa’s footballer of th...

Franck Ribery could face a suspension if he refuses to represent his country again, according to UEFA president Michel Platini. Ribery announced his retirement from international football after injury ruled him out of this summer's World Cup in Brazil. However, according to FIFA rules, a player cannot refuse a summons to national duty if there is no physical problem impeding them from doing so. Ribery's retirement at the age of 31 would therefore be unenforceable should France coach Didier Deschamps still want to select the Bayern Munich winger. If Deschamps calls him up, then he has to come to the national team,'' Platini told Bild am Sonntag. That's written in the FIFA statutes. If he doesn't report for duty, then he would be banned for three matches for Bayern Munich. It is not the player's decision whether he represents his country, it's the decision of the coach. Ribery cannot simply decide for himself whether he wants to play for Fran...

The violence erupted just hours after a phone call between Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who agreed that the ceasefire was “generally being observed”. EU leaders plan to put further pressure on Russia over its alleged support for the insurgents by approving fresh sanctions Monday on its defence and oil companies, although the bloc’s President Herman Van Rompuy said these steps could be reviewed “if the ceasefire is durable, and/or if the peace talks start”. The 12-point pact signed in Minsk on Friday was the first to win the backing of both Kiev and Moscow after five months of warfare that set off the deepest crisis in East-West relations for a generation. But it delays difficult decisions about the status of the two rebel-run regions of Donetsk and Lugansk until later negotiations, which one separatist leader said may begin in about a week. - ‘Unable to sleep’ - The peace plan was drawn up after the rebels — reportedly back...

KABUL, Afghanistan — The seven suspects in the rape of four women had not even gone to trial when President Hamid Karzai assured a visiting delegation of female politicians that he wanted them to be executed — after their convictions, of course. While he generally opposes the death penalty, Mr. Karzai said, in this case he was ready to make an exception. “I told them to arrest these people, and I expect the chief justice will give them capital punishment,” Mr. Karzai said. “And by God’s willingness, we will implement it immediately.” On Sunday, all seven defendants were convicted and sentenced to death. The gang rape has transfixed a country that has grown weary of political paralysis in what has turned into a five-month effort to decide who the new president will be. The arrests and prosecution of the suspects in this case has been every bit as fast as the election recount has been slow — and in the view of many foreign observers, just as embarrassing an example of a...

Opposition says limited anti-discrimination bill offers no protection, as rightwing campaigners resist call for civil unions Nearly three years after it was first brought to parliament, Greek MPs are poised to pass an anti-discrimination bill which human rights groups say still falls far short of dealing with an epidemic of racist and homophobic violence in the country. Before this week's vote, gay rights protesters have taken to the streets to denounce the conservative-dominated government's refusal to extend protective rights, including domestic partnerships, to same-sex couples. Rightwing MPs have resisted introducing legal protection for gay people despite an alarming rise in homophobic attacks in Athens, claiming that such measures could take Greece down a dangerous path. In Holland there are parties that recognise paedophilia; what are we going to do, adopt it too? asked Anastasios Nerantzis, an MP with the ruling New Democracy party, as debate raged in the 30...

Kurdish forces were jubilant after recapturing Mount Zartak, says Jim Muir Kurdish forces in northern Iraq have recaptured a strategically important mountain from Islamic State (IS) militants, helped by US air strikes. Mount Zartak overlooks a plain that stretches to Mosul, the city seized by IS in June. The mountain fell to the Islamists last month when they staged a lightning attack on Iraqi Kurdistan. Since then Kurdish "peshmerga" fighters have been slowly pushing back, assisted by US air power. Mosul is a mainly Sunni city which Kurdish forces say they do not intend to recapture on their own. The BBC's Jim Muir in Iraq says Mount Zartak was retaken in a short, sharp battle that left more than 30 IS fighters dead. Under the gun The Kurdish forces said US air strikes had made a "big difference". Nearby villages still occupied by the Islamic militants are now at the mercy of Kurdish guns that dominate the entire plain of Nineveh, our corresponde...

JOACHIM Low believes Scotland will be a danger to Germany in Sunday’s European Championship qualifier in Dortmund because they are on form and have nothing to lose. The Scots go into the Group D opener against the world champions at Signal Iduna Park with few giving them a chance of taking anything from the game even though the German side will be much-changed due to retirement and injury. They also go into the match on the back of a 4-2 friendly defeat at home to Argentina. However, Germany boss Low talked up the Scots and noted that Gordon Strachan’s rejuvenated side have gone six games unbeaten. Scotland have had no problems in their preparations, he said. They have a British mentality but they don’t play with a British style these days.They try to play good football but are still very well organised. They have quality players and have nothing to lose in this match so will play with no fear. We know all about their team and their biggest strength is that they are a team....

SYRIA launched air strikes targeting a stronghold of the Islamic State extremist group yesterday, killing at least 25 people, most of whom died when a missile slammed into a crowded bakery. The eight air strikes smashed buildings, set cars alight and crushed people under rubble in the north-eastern city of Raqqa, which is ruled by the extremist group, according to video of the aftermath uploaded to social media networks. At least 16 civilians were killed, alongside nine Islamic State fighters, said the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the civilians were killed after at least one strike hit a bakery on a busy street, and the death toll was likely to rise, said the Observatory, which obtains its information from a network of activists on the ground. Another group, the Raqqa Media Centre, uploaded video of the aftermath which appeared to be genuine. Activist Abu Ibrahim said the local morgue was packed with charred bodies, making identification diff...

The Red Devils of Congo made rubbish of Stephen Keshi-led African champions, Nigeria, scoring three goals against the Super Eagles. Thierry Bifouma scored twice while  Prince Oniangue scored the other goal. Efe Ambrose and Gbolahan Salami find the back of the net for Nigeria. The game ended 3-2 in favour of Congo and they will be joint leader of the group with South Africa. South Africa and Sudan are the other teams in the group as the Super Eagles bid to defend their trophy in Morroco next year. What is your reaction on the match? Do you think the Super Eagles can make it out of the group? Did Keshi got his selection right? Where did the Super Eagles got it wrong?

England Twenty20 captain Eoin Morgan today said his side will take a lot of confidence from its 41-run win over India in the fifth and final ODI when the two sides meet for one last time this summer in a T20 International, here tomorrow. India won the five-ODI series 3-1, but England managed to post a much-needed win in the last one-dayer at Leeds yesterday to avoid a whitewash. "It was a huge boost. We had not competed in the first three games we've played against India. They are a very strong side and they did not let us play and all credit to them. But for us to stand up yesterday and for Joe Root to put in the performance that he did, in difficult circumstances and given the situation when he came in, it was exceptional. We can take a lot of confidence from that," said Morgan at the pre-match press conference here today. Middle order Batsman Morgan's own form though has been a bit of a pale shadow. Thanks to England's top-order troubles, he has failed t...

NEW DELHI — Officials in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir said Saturday that more than 100 people had died in five days of flooding, with rivers swollen far above their normal level and flowing at unusual speed. In the region of Kashmir, at least 40 bridges have been washed away, and four districts are cut off from the summer state capital, Srinagar, said Rohit Kansal, a civilian official who is supervising rescue and relief operations in the Srinagar district. Thousands of people are living in relief camps because their homes have collapsed or are submerged in water. An army spokesman said that 7,000 soldiers had been deployed in the region, distributing food and shelter and transporting people to safer places. On Saturday, a boat carrying 11 soldiers capsized in floodwaters, and two soldiers were still missing by the evening, said S. D. Goswami, a spokesman for the army’s northern command. A bus loaded with more than 50 wedding guests was washed away by floodw...

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A year ago, Somalis dared to hope this troubled east African country had turned a corner, leaving behind the chaos and violence of a past marred by terrorism. Now, residents are bracing for fresh attacks as extremists seek revenge following the death of Ahmed Abdi Godane — leader of the militant group al-Shabaab , an al-Qaeda linked organization in Africa — earlier this week by a U.S. airstrike. On Saturday, government facilities in the capital of Mogadishu were placed on high alert after Somalia's national security minister, Gen. Khalif Ahmed Ereg, said the government had credible intelligence that militants are planning attacks. In a televised speech Friday night, Ereg said targets could include medical and educational institutions. Residents here wonder what went wrong: A year ago, it was rare to encounter roaming bands of gunmen in Mogadishu. However, that stability was always fragile at best, and gunmen began returning earlier this year as militants...