Police parade goat as robbery suspect

It was a shocking sight yesterday as men of the Kwara State Police Command paraded a goat as an armed robbery suspect.

The goat "suspect" is being detained over an alleged attempt to snatch a Mazda car. The mysterious goat, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Tunde Mohammed, while briefing bewildered journalists at the Force headquarters, is an armed robber who attempted to snatch the said car, Wednesday night, and later transformed into the goat in a bid to escape arrest.

He explained that men of a vigilance group in Anifowose Ipata/Oloje areas of the state capital had chased two armed robbery suspects who wanted to demobilise the Mazda car with the intention of stealing it, and

"while one of them escaped, the other was about to be apprehended by the team when he turned his back on the wall and turned to this goat. They quickly grabbed the goat and here it is.’’ Mohammed said.

The police spokesman said the goat "armed robbery suspect" will not be left off the hook until investigations into the case are concluded.

He also said that no fewer than five stolen vehicles have been recovered by the state Police Command while some suspects were also arrested. Among those arrested, he said was one Idowu Oni of Araromi area of Akure who escaped from Akure Prison.

He added that the escaped convict was arrested in Ilorin after stealing a Mazda 323 car belonging to Mrs. Henrietta Ayijesu.

He also said another armed robbery and rape suspect was in their custody, assuring that the suspects will soon appear in court.

Clinton, McCain win New York Times endorsements

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The New York Times on Thursday endorsed Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain for their party's nominations to contest the U.S. presidential election in November

In selecting Clinton, a New York senator, the influential newspaper's editorial board said her experience gave her an advantage over her chief rival in the Democratic race, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, though on the major issues they were not that different.

"Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience," the newspaper said.

During her years in the Senate, Clinton has immersed herself in national security issues and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military, the newspaper said, adding that she would be a strong commander in chief.

Clinton is embroiled in a tight nomination battle with Obama, who would be the first African American president if elected. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has been running in third place.

The newspaper urged Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign, in which the Obama and Clinton camps have been trading harsh accusations in a bitter public fight.

"It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive," the newspaper said.

In backing McCain, the Times editorial board said it had strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for the presidency, but among them the Arizona senator was an easy choice.

McCain's chief rivals for the Republican nomination are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

"Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field," the newspaper said.

The Times said McCain has shown he has the character to stand on principle, that he was an early advocate for battling global warming and he was one of the first prominent Republicans to point out how badly the war in Iraq was being managed.

" A genuine war hero among Republicans who proclaim their zeal to be commander in chief, Mr. McCain argues passionately that a country's treatment of prisoners in the worst of times says a great deal about its character," the newspaper said.

The New York paper said it could not endorse Giuliani, describing the city's former mayor as a "narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man" whose "arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking."

Giuliani brushed off the paper's portrayal when asked about it during a Republican debate in Boca Raton, Florida.

"I think there are some serious ideological differences," Guiliani said. "That probably was some of the nicest language they've written about me in the last six months."

Gazans flood through Egypt border

Thousands of Palestinians have surged into Egypt from the Gaza Strip after masked militants blew several holes in a border wall.
Gazans rushed to buy food, fuel and other supplies that have become scarce because of an Israeli blockade - aimed at stopping rocket attacks from Gaza.

Egypt has backed the closure and the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, has urged it to open its border.

Egyptian border guards took no action against the raid, eyewitnesses said.

Gaza has been short of fuel and other essential goods since last week, when Israel imposed the blockade.

It was eased slightly on Tuesday to allow some fuel and medicines through.

Early on Wednesday gunmen set off a number of explosions along the wall on the border.

Among the thousands of Gazans who crossed into Egypt near the town of Rafah was Ibrahim Abu Taha, a father of seven.

"We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese," he told the Associated Press news agency.

Water cannon

Earlier on Wednesday, a Hamas militant was killed during an exchange of fire near Gaza's border with Israel, Palestinian officials said.

Both incidents came a day after 60 women were injured when Egyptian police broke up a protest against the siege at the Rafah crossing.

The BBC's Ian Pannell, who is on the Egyptian side of the border, says thousands of Palestinians have crossed through the breached wall and were stocking up on essentials, petrol and cigarettes.

Among them was Ibrahim Abu Taha, a father of seven, who told the Associated Press news agency:

"We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese."

Water cannon

In 2005, Hamas militants blew up holes in the border with Egypt following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

Wednesday's scenes at the Rafah crossing come a day after Egyptian police broke up a protest there by women.

In New York on Tuesday, Israeli and Palestinian envoys had clashed at the United Nations Security Council during a debate on Israel's blockade.

The Palestinian UN observer accused Israel of fuelling violence, while the Israeli envoy said his country had to protect its people from rocket attacks.

The council was considering a call for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza freely.

Tuesday's council debate had been requested by Arab and Islamic states amid a growing international outcry at what the European Union termed the "collective punishment" of Gaza's 1.5m residents.

Some council members have been pushing for a compromise resolution, condemning the rocket attacks and recognising "Israel's rights to self-defence", but also urging the Israelis to lift the closure.

However Israeli representative Gilad Cohen denied that Israel was violating international law.

"It is the duty of all states to ensure the right to life and safety of its people, especially from vicious acts of violence and terrorism," he said, adding that Israel would "ensure the humanitarian welfare" of Gaza.