Eligibility suit: Jonathan wants case quashed

President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Namadi Sambo have asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to quash the suit challenging their eligibility to stand for re-election into office next year.

Two lawyers and another Nigerian, Mase Acho, Saeeq Sarki and Murtala Abubakar had filed the suit.

The suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/661/14 is asking the court to declare that having taken the oath of office twice, Jonathan and Sambo have already exhausted the limit allowed by the Constitution.

The plaintiffs, in their originating summons, had argued that another four-year term for the President and his vice would amount to a breach of sections 135(2)(a) and 137(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution.

But Jonathan and Sambo have, however, through the lawyers,  Mr. Ade Okeaya-Inneh (SAN) and Dr. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), filed a preliminary objection to the issues raised by the plaintiffs.

Court remands driver over allegation of manslaughter 

An Ilorin Magistrates’ Court, on Monday remanded in prison, a driver, Salihu Mohammed, 29, standing trial for manslaughter.

Mohammed was brought before the court by the Police for allegedly knocking down a motorcyclist, Saliu Nurudeen and a woman, Taiwo Adekanye on Oct. 20, 2014.

The police prosecutor, Sgt. Mathew Ologbosanye, told the court that the accused had driven his Toyota Hiace bus with registration number  XA 584 FUF in a ‘dangerous manner’, thereby, causing the death of Adekanye while Nurudeed sustained injuries.

BMT Scientific Marine Services to support Egina project, offshore Nigeria

BMT Scientific Marine Services has secured a contract from Saipem to deliver the riser integrity monitoring systems for the Total Egina development, located 150km offshore Nigeria.

BMT said riser integrity monitoring systems will measure bending moments and tensile forces in risers to provide an understanding of the risers' condition.

Information gathered from the systems will be used to identify riser design models.

The Egina project will incorporate systems that feature BMT's ROV-Serviceable Subsea Strain Sensor Assembly.

Performance of African players in the Bundesliga this last weekend

Schalke striker Chinedu ObasiIn the Bundesliga this weekend, Nigerian forward Chinedu Obasi was in action for Schalke against Augsburg and gave a good account of himself.

The Nigerian international came into the fray in the fourth minute as a result of injury to Julian Draxler, and was key to the Royal Blues’ 1-0 win.

Augsburg ultimately had little to celebrate, but will have been pleased with the performance of left-back Baba Abdul Rahman. The Ghana defender was one of the few bright spots for Fuggerstader as they came away with nothing.

Ibrahima Traore came on with three minutes to go as Borussia Monchengladbach maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim. This result keeps them within four points of leaders Bayern Munich.

Anthony Ujah’s match-winning turn last weekend was apparently not enough to earn him a starting berth this time around for Koln. He entered the fray with 18 minutes left on the clock, but the damage was already done. Koln lost 1-0 at home to third-from-bottom Freiburg, incidentally the visitors’ first Bundesliga win this season.

Source:afrikansoccer

Akinyemi seeks presidential honour for Ebola victims 

Former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi

Former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi on Monday called on the Federal Government to bestow Presidential Honour on victims of Ebola outbreak in Nigeria.

Akinyemi, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, said that all the living and dead Nigerians that showed dedication to duty during the outbreak of the Ebola, should be honoured.

Akinyemi said, “The President should as a matter of urgency send a bill to the National Assembly to establish a Presidential Medal of Honour for these Nigerians who showed exceptional dedication to duty.

“The following should receive the first three medals: Dr Stella Ameyo Adedevoh, the First Consultant Hospital and Ms Justina Ejelonu. They died so that we can live.

“This has to be done now because we Nigerians have short memories. By this time next year, we would have moved on to other things and forgotten them.

“Let us, therefore, honour them right now. We should ensure that they are not forgotten.”

The former Minister noted that although Nigeria was being congratulated for containing Ebola, the country had lost eight precious lives.

Akinyemi, who commended the Federal Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Government for their efforts at containing the disease, urged the country to also guard against other infections such as Lassa and Margburg.

He also said that there were lessons to be learnt from the Ebola outbreak in preparing against infection of swine virus from other countries.

Source:Punchng

Three killed in shooting near Swiss Alps station

The bodies of three people were discovered in a car park near a train station in the Swiss Alps town of Wilderswill on Monday, police said, with reports saying they had been shot dead.

Police said they had been alerted to the presence of the bodies in the town near the popular tourist destination of Interlaken at 7:00 am (0600 GMT), but gave no further details.

Media reports said they were killed in a shooting incident and that police were carrying out a forensic search of a hotel balcony that overlooks the car park.

Source: Punchng

Nigeria: IBM Deploys Technology-Based Solutions to Track EVD in W/A

The recent call by the Africa Emergency Technology Response Forum (AETRF),for more concerted efforts to bring robust technological responses to Ebola crisis has started yielding the expected results with the latest IBM intervention.

AETRF, led by Chris Uwaje, promoter of Malaria Destro Game and other African techies is an informal network of African technology professionals engaged in Ebola response on the continent and in the Diaspora

Just last week, IBM has deployed its advanced super computing assets and capabilities in the cloud, mobile, data and analytics space to fight the spread of the epidemic, especially in the worst hit nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

How it works

Bytapping supercomputing power and analytics capabilities via the cloud, according to IBM, the system is able to rapidly identify correlations and highlight emerging issues across the entire data set of messages.

With the humanitarian initiatives to curb spread of the disease in West Africa, IBM is currently looking to extend the work to analyze mobile phone signal data in order to monitor and track population movement enabling scientists to map and predict the spread of the disease.

The system, a collaboration between IBM, mobile telephone companies, governments and academics, allows people in affected areas to send free text messages about Ebola to track problems and trends, with the program mapping the exact location from where it is sent.

Accordingly, IBM's Connections technology provides health workers and administrators with a reliable and secure digital platform to work together virtually and in person, enabling them to securely share documents, identify experts, exchange video, chat and audio messages, provide updates, tap into information via mobile devices and hold virtual meetings.

Partners

The work benefits from contributions from a number of partners including Federal Government of Nigeria, and Lagos State authorities, Sierra Leone's Open Government Initiative, Cambridge University's Africa's Voices project, Airtel and Kenya's Echo Mobile.

Connections technology to Nigeria

While Nigeria maintains a leadership position in the fight against Ebola with the recent declaration by the World Health Organization that the country is Ebola free, IBM has donated its Connections technology to Lagos State Government to prevent future outbreak.

The donation is expected to strengthen the coordination of public health emergency response teams and ensure that the Lagos State Government is able to manage and respond to any new reported cases of Ebola or future epidemics.

"Governments should constantly aim for proactive delivery of social services to citizens and by leveraging on technology, improved governance and better management of resources and assets can be achieved." Adebiyi Mabadeje, Honourable Commissioner for Science and Technology in Lagos State, said.

According to the Commissioner, "IBM's SmartCloud grant to the Lagos State Government is a unique contribution that would enhance our capacity to respond to and better manage emergencies with deeper insights and know-how."

Open dialogue needed

"For us to tackle Ebola, it is crucial to maintain an open dialogue between the government and the people of Sierra Leone," Khadija Sesay Director of Sierra Leone's Open Government Initiative, said, adding that, "IBM has enhanced our work on citizen engagement through the use of innovative technology and opened up an effective communication channel with the general public so that we can learn from their input and create actionable policies in the fight against Ebola."

Explaining further on how the technology could curb EVD, Dr. Uyi Stewart, Chief Scientist, IBM Research Africa, said that, "As Africa's first technology research lab, we are uniquely positioned to use innovation to help tackle some of the continent's biggest challenges.

"We saw the need to quickly develop a system to enable communities directly affected by Ebola to provide valuable insight about how to fight it. Using mobile technology, we have given them a voice and a channel to communicate their experiences directly to the government.".

Source: Vanguard

Akwara picks PDP gubernatorial nomination form

One of the governorship aspirants in Delta State, John Ewere Oghenovo Akwara, has collected the expression of interest and nomination form at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata House, Abuja, for the 2015 governorship election

Presenting the form to Akwara, National Organising Secretary of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, thanked Akwara on behalf of the national leadership of the party for the pragmatic step and urged him to abide by the rules of the PDP. He added that PDP is one family and as such, its interest must be protected.

Responding, Akwara expressed satisfaction with the national leadership of the party, saying the party is supreme in all ramifications. The governorship aspirant, while giving his speech, asserted that he is in the Delta State governorship race to liberate the state and deliver good democracy to all Deltans.

Source: dailyindependent

Tinubu, Solomon, Ashafa are failed lawmakers, says Akele

National General Secretary of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Ayodele Akele, has described the performances of the three senators representing Lagos State in the National Assembly as abysmal, saying they have failed to give Lagosians value for their votes.

In a chat with Daily Independent, Akele, a governorship candidate of NCP in 2011, said the trio of Oluremi Tinubu, Ganiyu Solomon and Gbenga Ashafa are mere bench warmers who are only interested in the largesse they are receiving as lawmakers.

Ekiti distributes protective kits to hospitals

The Ekiti State Government has procured and distributed Personal Protective Kits (PPK) to all the specialist and general hospitals in the state.

This is part of efforts aimed at protecting health workers as well as preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the state.

Items distributed to three specialist hospitals and 17 general hospitals include recyclable overalls, disposable overalls, respiration masks, aprons and rubber gloves.

Others are examination gloves, boot covers, sodium hypochante and safety goggles.

Distributing the items to the hospitals, the Permanent Secretary, Hospital Management Board, Kolawole Aina, reiterated the commitment of the state government to healthcare delivery.

Aina stressed government’s resolve to leave no stone unturned towards ensuring the protection of people in the state, adding that keeping the Ebola virus out of the state would not be compromised.

He urged health workers to make judicious use of the items distributed, emphasising the need to exhibit positive attitude to their work in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness.

Source: dailyindependent

Plot to disrupt Ekiti Assembly uncovered, says APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Ekiti State House of Assembly have uncovered a plot by seven members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to storm the Assembly with the aid of the law enforcement agents to attack the 19 APC members and install a new Speaker in order for Governor Ayo Fayose to control the House.

The Speaker, Adewale Omirin, said this is a betrayal of Ekiti people by those who should champion the cause of stability and peace to grow the economy of the state.

Cleric urges Christians to emulate Jesus Christ

A Christian cleric, the Rev. Fr. Joseph Nwanua, on Sunday urged Christians to be Christ-like both in words and in deeds.

The cleric said this during a sermon at Saints Joachim and Anne Catholic Church, Ijegun, a Lagos suburb, in commemoration of this year’s “All Souls Day’’.

The Catholic Church sets aside every November 1 and 2 in remembrance of the departed souls.

“We should live a life worthy of emulation; a life that will outlive us after we have departed this world,’’ he said.

According to Nwanua, if Christians imbibe the right virtues it will dissuade youths from taking to crimes.

“If youths imbibe Christian virtues it will help to curtail crime in the society. As Christians we must do good here on earth to avoid condemnation both on earth and in the life beyond,’’ Nwanua said.

He urged Christians to ensure that their conduct was pleasing to God and man.

Source: dailyindependent

Presidency breaks jinx in NIMASA management

The re-appointment of Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi as Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), for another four year term by President Goodluck Jonathan, has attracted commendations from stakeholders in the maritime industry, increasing expectation of the sector’s genuine growth.

Air Traffic Controllers give NAMA 21 days ultimatum over remuneration, allowances

Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to pay its members all outstanding, unresolved remuneration and professional allowances, failing which it would embark on industrial action against the agency.

ATCs are professionals in the aviation industry trained to direct aircraft and enforce traffic separation rules to prevent aircraft collision.

They  air traffic controllers are people trained to maintain the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic.

Lagos shuts 40 Illegal drug stores

Officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods has sealed no fewer than 40 illegal drugs stores in Alapere, Magodo and Ikosi-Isheri environs at Kosofe and Ikosi-Isheri Local Government Area and Local Council Development Area of the state.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Yewande Adeshina, who disclosed this at weekend, explained that government’s resolve to streamline the activities of operators in the drug sector was borne out of its zeal to stop the inherent dangers associated with the peddling of fake, substandard and expired drugs by unauthorized and unregistered drug and pharmaceutical outlets.

Adeshina noted that the affected shops were sealed off for offences ranging from sale of drugs without license from the regulatory authority; failure to relocate from a market area and adherence to the mandated distance between a patent medicine shop and market place, as stipulated by the law, and sales of counterfeit and fake drugs, amongst others.

This is even as she listed the sealed drug stores to include Viewland Pharmaceutical Ltd at No 5, Palace Street, Ogudu; Goodhealth Supermarket at No 13, Agboyi road, Ogudu; E. Emodobi Patent Medicine store at No 15, Old Olowora Street, Isheri; Max Supermarket and Medicine store at No 23, Agboyi road, Ogudu; Sadus Pharmacy at No 51, Olowora road, Ogudu; Festina Pharmacy Ltd at No 2, Ogun River road, Isheri; Celens Pharmacy at Isheri Market Plaza and Spacon Healthcare at No 19, Ogudu road, among others.

Others include Tolex Pharmaceutical Ltd at No 44, Ikosi road, Ketu; Amexco Pharmacy at No 1, Ikosi road, Ketu; Igba Stores at No 11, Oluyombo Street, Ikosi; Mr Kelechi store at No 10 Odun Street, Ikosi; Ademola Ologunagba at No 31,Oluwalogbon Street, Ikosi; Benkeson Pharmaceutical at No 16, Anibaba street, Ikosi; Danest stores at No 17, Jimoh Balogun street Ikosi; Patent Medicine store at No 6, Dairo street, Ikosi and two unnamed stores at Nos 73,Oluyombo and 35, Jimoh Balogun streets.

Adeshina wondered why people still chose to stay on the wrong side of the law, adding that the provisions of the law as stipulated by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Act of 1992 and the Registration of Pharmaceutical Premises Regulation Law of 2005 outline the requirements for the registration and renewal of pharmaceutical premises, culpability and punishment for offenders.

Source: Dailyindependent

Gunmen free 144 inmates, kill one in Kogi prisons

No fewer than 144 inmates of the Koton-Karfi Prison in Kogi State have been set free by gunmen, who invaded the prison on Monday.

One of the prisoners, whose identity has yet to be made known, was also killed.

The Controller of the prisons confirmed the attack.

Details later..

Source: Punchng

Ensure crimes against journalists are punished – UN 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has said that protecting the safety of journalists and ensuring that crimes committed against them don’t go unpunished is ever-more important in today’s changing times.

In a message on Nov. 2 to mark the first-ever International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Ban said: “No journalist anywhere should have to risk their life to report news.

HIV-positive people shut NACA over N140bn antiretroviral drugs

Over 300 protesters under the aegis of Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS on Monday shut down the office of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS over their miserable conditions due to access to antiretroviral drugs and ongoing withdrawal of funding support to HIV/AIDS by external funding partners.

They also complained about the non-implementation of the Comprehensive Response Plan inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan to bridge the existing treatment access gaps.

As early as 6am, the protesters had besieged the major entrance to office of the Director-General, of NACA, Prof. John Idoko and prevented him and other staff from entering their offices.

Jonathan’s Mysterious Survival

Perspective

Despite the odds, President Goodluck Jonathan is facing the challenges of his re-election in next year’s presidential bout head on, writes Reuters

Not many presidents could survive three multi-billion dollar government oil corruption scandals and a wave of cold-blooded killings and kidnappings of civilians by Islamist militants still holding hundreds of schoolgirls after six months.
Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan has not only survived, he will seek reelection in February stronger than ever, after five years in a job no one expected him to get.

Nigeria: Ebola - Health Minister Reiterates Need for Vigilance Despite Clean Bill

Uyo — Despite the clean bill of health or certification of Nigeria as an Ebola-free nation, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, has warned that the federal government should not relax in checking re-importation of the virus into the country.

The Minister said those who contributed directly or remotely towards the successful control of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Nigeria should be praised for the giant feat and unprecedented achievement recorded.

"However, this achievement recorded by Nigeria's public health must not be taken for granted and we must not go to sleep and start resting on our oars. It should serve as a warning that this current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease still presents a measured threat to Nigeria and the rest of the world until it is contained and eliminated from all countries, particularly from the West African sub region," he said.

151 aspirants pick PDP nomination forms in Plateau

A total of 151 aspirants have picked nomination forms to contest in the 2015 general election under the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau, the party’s state Organising Secretary, Mr Michael Dachom, has said.

Dachom told the News Agency of Nigeria in Jos on Monday that 11 of the aspirants, including the current Deputy Gov., Ignatius Longjan, picked forms for governorship, while 40 others were for national assembly and 100 for state assembly seats.

He said Senators Gyang Pwajok and Victor Lar, as well as former governor Fidelis Tapgun, former PDP state chairman, Haruna Dabin and former speaker, John Clark have also picked the governorship nomination forms.

Dachom said that the rest of the aspirants for governorship seat were a former Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof Sonni Tyoden, as well as Messrs Jimmy Cheto, Labar Wuyep, Godfrey Miri and Jeff Nabasu.

According to him, more aspirants may still emerge as the sale of the nomination forms has been extended to Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014.

Nigeria: It's a Shame Keshi Agreed to Come Back - Ex-International

Ex-international, Chike Arisa called from his base in Holland to make enquiries on Nigerian football. He was overjoyed that Chris Giwa had agreed to sheath his sword for the good of the game but he could not come to terms with the news that Stephen Keshi agreed to come back after being shown the exit door by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

Nigeria's coach Stephen Keshi gives a press conference at the Baixada Arena in Curitiba on June 15, 2014, on the eve of their Group F 2014 FIFA World Cup football match against Iran. AFP PHOTO

"It's scandalous. It's a shame that he even agreed to come back", Arisa , one of the beautiful brides of Nigerian football in the 80s said.

Nigeria Set For Ghana

Next up is the ground opening of the Uyo International Stadium which will see the invited home based players to the national team take on Ghana

The players are expected to report as from Monday, November 3 at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo the Akwa Ibom State capital.

Training is expected to commence on Tuesday, as the players largely based in the Nigerian Professional League are expected to tango the Black Meteors of Ghana in an international friendly that will officially sign post the opening of the Uyo Stadium.

Team Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, said at the weekend that he was honoured to be recalled to the national team, but insisted that the focus is on the forthcoming Nations Cup qualifiers against Congo Republic and the final game against South Africa, which will also take place in Uyo. 

SpaceShipTwo crash investigation may 

take up to a year

NTSB: SpaceShipTwo lever moved early

A lock-unlock lever on the doomed Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo was moved earlier than it should have been, the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday night.

But the agency's acting chairman stressed it was unclear whether pilot error, mechanical problems or a host of other possibilities caused the spacecraft to disintegrate in the air.

Temple Mount crisis fuels unrest in volatile Jerusalem

Swirling winds and heavy downpours probably did more than the massive Israeli police presence to dampen Palestinian protests in Jerusalem over the weekend.

Dire predictions that a third intifada was about to erupt after the brief closure of the Temple Mount -- known to Arabs as the Noble Sanctuary -- came to nothing. But the weather could not sweep away the toxic atmosphere in the city.

B’Haram denies me of success – Gaidam

Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam
| credits: informationng.com

YOBE State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said he would have achieved all he set out to achieve when he was sworn in as governor if not for the eruption of the Boko Haram insurgency.

The governor however said that he had been able to record a 90 per cent achievement, despite the insurgency.

Gaidam gave an account of his stewardship at the gathering of the All Progressives Congress   on Saturday, where he was announced as the sole governorship candidate of the party for the 2015 election.

He lamented that insurgency had taken over the state since 2011 thus inflicting on the state enormous losses of lives and property, citing instances of about 215 government school buildings destroyed by the insurgency.

Gaidam said, “This unfortunate event has slowed down the execution of our policies and programmes. The resources we commit to support the prosecution of the war against the insurgents have affected the execution of our capital projects.

“Some of the areas of support to security agencies include provision of over 300 Hilux vehicles, payment of over N250m monthly as allowances alone, fuelling and repairs of security vehicles, assistance to the families of security personnel killed in action, and the payment of MEDICAL BILLS of those of them who sustain various degrees of injury in the fight with insurgents.”

2015: Jemibewon, ex-MILAD warn against same-religion tickets

Gen. David Jemibewon (retd)

A former Minister of Police Affairs, Maj.-Gen. David Jemibewon (retd.); a former Military Administrator of Osun and Bauchi states, Col. Theophilus Bamigboye (retd.); and the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Mr. Razak Atunwa have warned against the same religion ticket for presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The three, in separate interviews with our correspondent on Sunday, also said that governorship candidates and their running mates should not belong to the same religion.

Tambuwal: APC Reps head for court today

Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

The horse-trading over the defection of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, continues on Monday (today) with the   All Progressives Congress Caucus in the House heading for the court to stop the plot by the Peoples Democratic Party to   force   the speaker out of office.

The APC Caucus Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, dropped the hint just as The PUNCH learnt on Sunday that the PDP national leadership had summoned the party’s members in the House to an emergency meeting on Monday (today). It was gathered that meeting which will hold at the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the party was to further fine tune the strategies   for booting out Tambuwal.

Gbajabiamila   said, “We are ready for the PDP and all those people. They have their plans; we have our own as well.

You are here: Home / News / Mubi battle: Army arrests six senior officers for fleeing

Mubi battle: Army arrests six senior officers for fleeing

Nigeria Defence spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade

Six military commanders, including an injured Lieutenant Colonel, have been arrested by the military for withdrawing from Mararaba, Michika, Madagali, Mubi and later Vimtim when Boko Haram insurgents attacked the communities last week.

It was learnt that   an unspecified number of soldiers were also in detention for allegedly abandoning the communities, thereby making it easy for the insurgents to have an upper hand.

A reliable military source, who made this known in Abuja on Sunday, said the movement of five of the commanders had been restricted to the officers mess in a military formation.

Army accuses Air Force of bombing Adamawa 

checkpoints

As the battle between the Nigerian military and the outlawed Islamic sect, Boko Haram, intensified in Adamawa State, some Army officers have accused their counterparts in the Air Force for bombarding checkpoints manned by Army.

One of the soldiers, who spoke on condition of anonymity to our correspondent on Monday in Yola, said “ We are 17 in number, manning checkpoints on the Mubi side, when an Air Force plane drop bombs on us. We all fled the area. Up until now, I cannot say where my colleagues are, because we ran in different directions.

“I managed to come to Yola through Cameroon, after trekking for some kilometres. I was assisted by some good Samaritan.”

Is China's grand ethnic experiment working?

In a gleaming classroom at Chong Hua High School in the 
northern Chinese city of Tianjin, students peer at 
onion slices under microscopes. Their biology teacher 
calls on Abdurrahman Mamat to explain what he sees.

"Plasmolysis," he replies in perfect Mandarin.

Brittany Maynard, advocate for 'death 

with dignity,' dies

Death with dignity' advocate dies

Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old who said she had terminal brain cancer, took medication to end her life under Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act," advocacy group Compassion & Choices said Sunday.

"Brittany chose to make a well thought out and informed choice to Die With Dignity in the face of such a terrible, painful, and incurable illness," a post on her website said. "She moved to Oregon to pass away in a little yellow house she picked out in the beautiful city of Portland."

British banker charged over bloody 

killings at luxury Hong Kong apartment

Bodies found in Hong Kong apartment

Hong Kong (CNN) -- A British investment banker has been charged with murder in Hong Kong over the killings of two young Indonesian women at a high-rise apartment in the heart of the densely populated city.One of the victims was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase on the balcony of the 31st-floor apartment. The other was found lying inside with cuts on her body.The suspect, a 29-year-old man named Rurik Jutting, appeared before a magistrates' court in Hong Kong on Monday on two charges of murder.

Rurik Jutting.

Wearing black-rimmed glasses, a black T-shirt, and dark jeans, Jutting was not handcuffed. He responded "I do" when asked by the court clerk if he understood the charges against him but didn't enter a plea.

Police called in early hours

Police said they were called to the upmarket apartment in the popular nightlife district of Wan Chai early Saturday morning by Jutting, a former Bank of America employee.

They first discovered a woman lying inside the one-bedroom residence, identified by local media as a disc jockey at a neighborhood pub.