Gist Arena

Yesterday we reported that a petition urging President Obama to deport Canadian pop star-turned-bad-boy Justin Bieber had racked up more than 70,000 signatures. Today it surpassed the 100,000 mark, which means the White House is required to issue an official response. "We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked," the petition says. "He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society." The singer was arrested last week on various charges including driving under the influence, which was apparently the straw that broke the outraged, Bieber-hating camel's back. Stay tuned to see how the White House chooses to respond to the petition to revoke the Biebs' green card. We've got our fingers crossed that the response will weave in some Bieber lyrics...

Abuja—The Federal Ministry of Environment has developed a draft action plan for the phasing out of light weight non-biodegradable plastics in the country, a top official of the ministry, said, yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja, said that the draft action plan had already been adopted by stakeholders in the sector. He recalled that the ministry, in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, had in December 2013, organised a workshop to sensitise Nigerians on the process. "What we intend to do now is to follow the implementation of the action plan since the awareness has already started; the next step is to source funds from UNIDO to implement the plan. "Once we have funds, we will continue with other activities in the process of phasing out heavy non-biodegradable plastics." The official said it was not possible to completely phase out non-biodegradable plasti...

OWERRI — Palpable confusion reigned in Owerri, yesterday, as a father tied his seven children, including his triplet, to a wheel-barrow and was heading to an unknown destination before officials of Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development intervened. Vanguard investigations revealed that the 44-year-old man, Israel Dike,  is a native of Odenkume, Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State, but resides in Ugwu Ekwema, Egbu Road, Owerri. The children's hands were securely tied to a wheelbarrow while the man was soliciting for buyers for the children, saying he was fed up with his dwindling economic fortunes. A staff of the ministry told Vanguard: "Following a tip off, a high powered team led by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Nma Onyechere, quickly went and rescued the children." Apart from disclosing that he planned selling some of them with a view to enabling him take proper care of others, Dike equally lamented that Governor Rochas Okorocha put him...

LAGOS — Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Oshodi-Makanju, of an Ikeja Magistrate Court has heard  how two former staff of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) allegedly stole N28.81  million belonging to the bank. The prosecutor, Police Supretendent J. Onilegbale told the court that the money, which was meant for the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), was stolen in bits by the two defendants over a period of seven months (February to September 2009 ) until it accumulated to N28 million. The defendants, Olanrewaju Shittu, 26, and Babatunde Salami, 25, are standing  trial before the court and had since pleaded not guilty to the charges preffered against them. They are facing a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and stealing. The court  had earlier  granted them bail in the sum of N1 million each and two sureties in the like sum, one of which the magistrate said must be a director  of a bank or in the civil service. The prosecutor tol...