One week, one trouble Ruth Okoro, Ini Edo's Husband's Ex-Wife, Exposes Jim Iyke

Bad boy of Nigerian movies, Jim Iyke is plundering from one trouble to the other. This time, an actress, Ruth Okoro calls him out, accusing him of breaking her marriage.

Just few days after US based Nigerian singer and blogger, Emma Agu took bad boy actor, Jim Iyke, to the cleaners in a messy email war, over accusations made by Jim that Agu was the brain behind the break-up of his relationship with Nadia Buari,ex-wife of Nollywood actress, Ini Edo’s husband, Ruth Okoro, has come out to state that it was Jim who master minded the break-up of her marriage to Philip Ehiagwina, who is now married to Ini Edo.

In a long messages she distributed to many bloggers and entertainment sites,  Ruth accuses Jim Iyke of trying every possible trick in the book to sleep with her. She also stated that Jim Iyke is so desperate that he only dates American women because of their green card.

Read Ruth's mail here uneidted:

In 2005, Jim Iyke, started heating on me since when I refused his advances and reported him to my husband Philips Ehiagwina, now Ini Edo's husband.

Jim Iyke tried to talk me out of telling my husband and when I insisted he got upset and decided to set Emeka Ike up because Emeka Ike is the only person I confided in and when I was invited to Maryland to feature in a movie, alongside Keturah Hamilton, Emeka Ike was there and I always confided in him and asked questions.

Emeka Ike and his wife Emma have been my friends for over 11 years now, I visited them when I visit Nigeria...

Jim Iyke made lofty promises to me trying to win my heart and he never expected me to say no so when I did he tried to convince me telling me that the man I claim to love so much and brought to the United States has been cheating on me with everything in skirt. 

(Philips Ehiagwina), an Edo man I met in Nigeria in 1998 and sacrificed all to ensure he has a good life.

Jim Iyke told me all that my husband was and is still doing to me in my absence, even got Ini Edo the actress pregnant..at d moment, I have confirmed all Jim Iyke told me about my husband.

One of my husband's mistresses Nkiru who lives in Houston, Texas, set him up after she found out that my husband betrayed his wife (me) and lied to me.

She decided to set him up with an audio coverage and got every prove, he confessed about playing me for a green card on tape.

At the moment he has a case with the United States Immigration and the FBI is also on this case. It is a very long story. I have decided to speak to the press and bring d truth to d table at this moment.

It was very unfair that Jim Iyke who knows the truth but afraid to face it could be so callous to accuse an innocent person like Emeka Ike who has been nothing but a big brother to me since I've known him.

I was very upset about it and and fought for the truth. My husband met me as a virgin and took my virginity on a night of our honeymoon.

For him to paint a bad picture of me simply because I reported his green card fraud to d FBI since he has refused to confide in me is something I never saw coming but I will fight to d end.

Jim Iyke has tried dating several girls just to obtain a green card, one of d girls he dated confessed that he tried to get her pregnant and when she said no Jim Iyke decided to spend her money with promises of everlasting love and then left her for another person.

Those supporting Jim Iyke right now should know he destroyed my marriage. Jim Iyke is evil, very vicious.

It was a good thing that he got exposed. Keturah Hamilton is a loser. She has no means of livelihood. She strips for clubs and that is, Good riddance to bad rubbish.  

Jim Iyke framed Emeka Ike and me up. Keturah Hamilton was there. Jim Iyke is a home wrecker, who just got served! 

He came back because Keturah just became an American citizen. It is all about getting a green Card.

Ruth Okoro

When will this endless troubles end for Jim Iyke?

Tech firms pull support for NSA reform bill

 US lawmakers vote on Thursday on legislation reforming controversial bulk data collection laws, but major tech firms like Google and civil liberties groups withdrew their support after the Obama administration demanded key changes.

The USA Freedom Act is the House of Representatives' response to US President Barack Obama's call for reforms to how the National Security Agency collects and keeps data on millions of Americans, a programme divulged in 2013 by contractor Edward Snowden.

In the original bill, the NSA no longer would have been allowed to use secret court orders to gather telephone data on unlimited millions of Americans, and collected data would be stored with telecom companies, not government groups like the NSA.

But the White House sought changes, particularly with the gathering of non-telephone data, setting off a series of furious negotiations that culminated in alterations that tech firms and rights groups found unpalatable.

The amended language has "moved in the wrong direction", said the Reform Government Surveillance coalition, which includes Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and others.

Personal data

"The latest draft opens up an unacceptable loophole that could enable the bulk collection of internet users' data," the group said, calling on Congress to close the loophole to ensure meaningful reform.

The bill focuses on the NSA's ability under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to systematically collect call records in a bid to thwart terror.

But the reforms would only allow the NSA and Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain records of people up to two "hops" from a suspect, and only after obtaining individual orders from the secret court based on a "reasonable articulable suspicion".

Conditions for scooping up non-telephone data, such as computer or credit card records, were also tightened, but to a lesser degree.

After intense closed-door talks between House leaders and administration officials, enough phraseology was modified to substantially alter the bill that passed unanimously through two committees on 8 May.

The White House said Wednesday it fully supported the new version.

Debate centred on how the court orders may be used to obtain records linked to a "specific selection term".

Earlier drafts defined such selectors as "a person, account or entity", but the revised language adds words such as "device" or non-limiting phrasing that would allow agencies to track entire zip codes, for example.

"There's nothing in this bill that seems to prohibit the government from saying that they want all of the e-mail records in Salt Lake City," said Centre for Democracy and Technology senior counsel Harley Geiger.

"The government has a track record of creatively exploiting ambiguity in the law, and unfortunately this new version of USA Freedom introduces ambiguity in a very critical area."

Facebook giving smartphone app an ear for music

 Facebook on Wednesday said its mobile application will be getting an ear for music, as well as for film or television show sound tracks.

A feature being added in coming weeks to Facebook in the US on smartphones or tablets powered by Apple or Android software is intended to recognize songs, shows or movies based on listening, according to product manager Aryeh Selekman.

"When writing a status update - if you choose to turn the feature on - you'll have the option to use your phone's microphone to identify what song is playing or what show or movie is on TV," Selekman said in a blog post

Once activated, the audio feature searches for titles of songs, shows or films matching verses, lines or sound tracks and then lets people add the information to Facebook posts, according to Selekman.

Music shared in a post using the technique will include the option of Facebook friends getting 30-second previews of songs.

Information added to posts about recognized TV shows will include which episode was being watched "so you can avoid spoilers," Selekman said

Publicis Group alliance

Facebook also said it had sealed a partnership with French advertising and public relations giant Publicis Group emphasizing image and video marketing at the leading social network and its smartphone imagery-sharing service Instagram.

"Our work with Publicis will centre on bringing clients closer to our products, and creating new planning and measurement tools to make buying easier, more efficient, and ultimately prove out ROI," Facebook global agency director Patrick Harris said in an email response to an AFP inquiry.

Facebook-owned photo sharing service Instagram in March landed its first deal with a major ad agency.

The leading social network wouldn't disclose financial aspects of the alliance with Omnicom, but online reports indicated it could be worth as much as $100m in ads from clients the agency represents.

Facebook has maintained that Instagram's advertising strategy will involve displaying a limited number of high-quality images or videos from brands that already have a strong presence at Instagram.

Instagram in November began displaying ads as Facebook moved to start making money from the smartphone photo sharing service it bought in a billion-dollar deal in early 2012.

Instagram's opening roster of advertisers included Adidas, Lexus, PayPal, Burberry and Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

California-based Facebook is carefully adding magazine-quality photo ads to Instagram as it hopes to bring in revenue from the service without alienating users

eBay hacked - change your password

- Online auction house eBay asked millions of users on Wednesday to change their passwords after a cyber-attack exposed its database to hackers. 

The California-based company said that hackers managed to penetrate its computer system by compromising a small number of employee log-in credentials. eBay said there was no evidence that the attack resulted in any unauthorized financial activity or that it affected users of its widely-used payments subsidiary PayPal. 

"However, changing passwords is a best practice and will help enhance security for eBay users," the company said. eBay said the compromised database included eBay customers' name, encrypted password, email address, physical address, phone number and date of birth. 

However, the database did not contain financial information or other confidential personal information. "Information security and customer data protection are of paramount importance to eBay Inc., and eBay regrets any inconvenience or concern that this password reset may cause our customers," the company said. 

"We know our customers trust us with their information, and we take seriously our commitment to maintaining a safe, secure and trusted global marketplace.

Ice Prince goes after Jonathan

  Rapper Ice Prince, who grew up in Jos, flared up at President Goodluck Jonathan, after the twin bombings that rocked the north central city.

IcePrince expressed his reservations in full blast, two days after the incident.

Two bombs went off in the city of Jos, on May 21, killing about 200 people.

Goodluck Jonathan!! What da f*** is up?? We've been glued to the news since this s***t started.. Now there's bomb in my city!! Wtf is up? :-

D’banj to perform at 2014 World Music Awards

Music superstar D’banj will perform alongside Mariah Carey and Miley Cyrus at the  2014 World Music Awards, reports Bellanaija

The international award will take place on May 27 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, France.

Also performing at the event include Ricky Martin, Flo Rida, Leona Lewis, Jason Derulo and Fall Out Boy

Scholes wants Rooney benched

 Wayne Rooney might not be an automatic choice in Roy Hodgson's England starting line-up at the World Cup, according to former club and country team mate Paul Scholes.

Attention inevitably focuses on Rooney every time England appear at a major tournament and next month in Brazil will be no different as the Manchester United forward looks to finally make an impact at a World Cup having yet to score in two finals.

Rooney is expected to start England's opening Group D game against Italy in tandem with Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge but with exciting attacking talents such as Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana all providing options, Scholes believes Rooney will have to be on his toes.

"I'm not saying Wayne needs to be dropped but if his form doesn't get up to scratch in the warm-ups, or in the first game of the World Cup, it'll be interesting to see if the England management team has the balls to make that decision," Scholes said in his column on betting website Paddy Power.

"We have quality forwards in the squad this time. That should give Wayne the competition he needs to spur him on a little more."

Rooney was disappointing in Germany in 2006, failing to score in the tournament after recovering from a broken foot. He was also poor in South Africa four years later, looking disgruntled and again failing to score.

"He's got a brilliant scoring record for his country with 38 goals in 89 internationals, but he's played in eight World Cup games without a goal," Scholes said.

"You expect more of him. If Wayne is going to be one of the best footballers in the world, this World Cup is where he has to produce."

Scholes said Rooney needs to concentrate on the things he does best, rather than roam around the pitch wasting energy

Channing Tatum admits that he is a 'high functioning alcoholic'

 Channing Tatum is a "high functioning alcoholic".

The 22 Jump Street star admits he drinks too much, and he uses it as a way for him to escape the rigours of everyday life. 

He told GQ magazine: "I probably drink too much, you know. My wife [Jenna Dewan], that's what she bought into... I'm probably a pretty high-functioning, I guess, you know, I would say, alcoholic, I guess. 

"There's probably a tendency to escape. I equate it to creativity, and I definitely equate it to having a good time."

The hunky 34-year-old also admitted to another, less dangerous, vice in watching TV show The Biggest Loser, where a group of overweight people compete to see who can lose the most pounds fastest.

He added: "I really do love it. It's terrible and it's bad, but I really do think it's because I have an inner fat kid in me. 

"I can completely lose myself into just absolutely satisfying things - a really amazing cheeseburger, a pizza, good fries, a beer. I enjoy being comfortable and eating whatever the hell I like."

Channing also admits to having his own imaginary friend when he was younger. 

He said: "His name was Boy. I think I just lived in an imaginary world. I was always playing war in the woods, people are chasing me... I wasn't doing it because I was desperate for friends. I had friends."

AFRIMMA release nominees list

The nomination list and voting for the African Music Magazine Awards(AFRIMMA) have been released

The awards which celebrates the beauty of African music and artistry, will take place  on Saturday, July 26, 2014 at the Eisemann Center in Dallas, Texas in the United States.

The event honours Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora.

 Best Male (West Africa)

Wizkid (Nigeria)
Iyanya (Nigeria)
Sarkodie (Ghana)
Dj Arafat (Ivory Coast)
Davido (Nigeria)
Shatta Wale (Ghana)
Flavour Nabania (Nigeria)

Best Female (West Africa)

Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
Chidimma(Nigeria)
Viviane Chidid (Senegal)
Teeyah (Ivory Coast)
Sessima (Benin)
Efya (Ghana)

Best Male (East Africa)

Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Ben Pol (Tanzania)
Bebe Cool (Uganda)
Wyre (Kenya)
Navio (Uganda)
Jackie Gosee (Ethiopia)

Best Female (East Africa)

Rema (Uganda)
Aster Aweke (Ethiopia)
Avril (Kenya)
Lady Jaydee (Tanzania)
Victoria Kimani (Kenya)
Irene Ntale (Uganda)


Best Male (Central Africa)

Fally Ipupa (DR Congo)
Stanley Enow (Cameroon)
Ferre Gola (Congo)
Privato “Lill’P” Niyintunze (Burundi)
Anselmo Ralph (Angola)
Sine (Cameroon)

Best Female (Central Africa)

Arielle T (Gabon)
Suzanna Lubrano (Cape Verde)
Gasha (Cameroon)
Lady Ponce ( Cameroon)
Ceuzeny (Cape Verde)
Ary (Angola)

Best Male (Southern Africa)

Aka (South Africa)
Zeus (Botswana)
Donald (South Africa)
Slap Dee (Zambia)
Khuli Chana (South Africa)
Stunner (Zimbabwe)
Tha Dogg (Namibia)

Best Female (Southern Africa)

Lira (South Africa)
Toya De Lazy (South Africa)
Judy (Zambia)
Zahara (South Africa)
Kearoma Rantao (Botswana)
Lizha James (Mozambique)

Best Male (Diaspora)

Lira (South Africa)
Toya De Lazy (South Africa)
Judy (Zambia)
Zahara (South Africa)
Kearoma Rantao (Botswana)
Lizha James (Mozambique)

Best Female (Diaspora)

Miriam Chemmoss (Kenya)
Mayra Andrade (Cape Verde)
Bumi Thomas (Nigeria)
STL (Kenya)
Les Nubians(Cameroun)
Nneka (Nigeria)
Dencia (Cameroon)

Best African Group

Psquare (Nigeria)
Mafikizolo (South Africa)
R2bee’s (Ghana)
Bracket (Nigeria)
Radio and Weasel (Uganda)
Toofan (Togo)
Sauti Sol (Kenya)
Best Dancehall Artiste

Samini (Ghana)
Wyre (Kenya)
Timaya (Nigeria)
MC Norman (Uganda)
Dr. Jose Chameleon (Uganda)
Shatta Wale (Ghana)

Best Gospel Artiste

Nikki Laoye (Nigeria)
Sonnie Badu (Ghana)
Icha kavons (Congo)
Bahati (Kenya)
Ntokozo Mbambo (South Africa)
Emmy Kosgei (Kenya)
Uche Agu (Nigeria)

Best Dance In A Video

Iyanya – Lekwa Ukwu
Kcee – Limpopo
Guru – Alkayida
Davido – Skelewu
P-Square – Personally

Best Traditional Artiste

Flavour (Nigeria)
Kwabena Kwabena (Ghana)
Bassekou Kouyate (Mali)
Sayicology (South Africa)
Mrisho Topo (Tanzania)
Stanlux (Togo)
Tunakie (Namibia)

Best Newcomer

Stanley Enow (Cameroon)
Nakhane Toure (South Africa)
Joey B (Ghana)
Phyno (Nigeria)
Eddy Kenzo (Uganda)
Sage (Kenya)

Best Video Director

Clarence Peters (Nigeria)
Ogopa DJ’s (Kenya)
Patrick Elis (Nigeria)
Klasszik & JKP STUDIO (Angola)
Pharoah Films (Ghana)
Godfather (South Africa)

Best African DJ (USA)

DJ Shinski (Kenya)
DJ Josh (Kenya)
DJ Fully Focus (Kenya)
DJ Amin (Ethiopia)
DJ Dee Money (NG/US)
DJ Ronnie (GH/US)
Dj Ecool (Nigeria)

Best DJ Africa

Dj Jimmy Jatt (Nigeria)
Dj Exclusive (Nigeria)
Dj Joe Mfalme (Kenya)
Dj Cndo (South Africa)
Dj Black (Ghana)
Dj Creme de la Creme (Kenya)
DJ Shiru (Uganda)

Best Video of the Year

Psquare – Personally
Sarkodie – Illuminati
Mafikizolo ft Uhuru – Khona
Diamond Platnumz – Number One
Flavour – Ada Ada
Anselmo Ralph – Unica Mulher

Music Producer of the Year

Shizzi (Nigeria)
Killbeatz (Ghana)
Dj Oskido (South Africa)
Nash Wonder (Uganda)
Sheddy Clever (Tanzania)
Ogopa (Kenya)
Don Jazzy (Nigeria)

Best Rap Act

Sarkodie (Ghana)
AKA (South Africa)
Olamide (Nigeria)
Phyno (Nigeria)
Octopizzo (Kenya)
M.anifest (Ghana)
Zeus (Botswana)

Best Collaboration

2face ft Tpain
Diamondz ft Davido – Number One Remix
Mafikizolo ft Uhuru – Khona
Dr Sid ft Don Jazzy, Phyno, Wizkid – Surulere Remix
Amani ft Radio and Weasel – ‘Kiboko Changu’ (Kenya/Uganda)
Jmartins ft DJ Arafat – Touching body
R2bess and Wizkid – Slow down

Best Dance Group

CEO Dancers
Unique Silver Dancers
Afro Mask
Imagineto Dance Company
D3 Dancers

Song of the Year

Davido – Skelewu (Nigeria)
Mafikizolo feat Uhuru – Khona (South Africa)
KCee – Limpopo (Nigeria)
P Square – Personally (Nigeria)
Yuri Da Cunha – Atchu Tchu Tcha (Angola)
Fuse ODG feat Wyclef – Antenna Remix (Ghana)
L.A.X feat Wizkid – Caro (Nigeria)
Diamond feat Davido – Number One Remix (Tanzania)

Artiste of the Year

Flavour (Nigeria)
Davido (Nigeria)
Diamond (Tanzania)
Sarkodie (Ghana)
Mafikizolo (South Africa)
Wizkid (Nigeria)
Anselmo Ralph – A Dor do Cupido (Angola)
Jaguar (Kenya)

Hackers charged for targeting Australia, Indonesia

 Two alleged members of international hacker group Anonymous were charged by Australian authorities on Thursday with targeting local and Indonesian government websites.

The Australian Federal Police said the men, aged 18 and 40, knew each other online and "targeted organisations including a large Internet service provider and web servers" hosting the government sites.

"It is not harmless fun," the federal police national manager for high-tech crime operations Tim Morris said of the alleged attacks.

"The impairment or disruption of communications to or from computer networks is a criminal act and can have serious consequences."

Activist group Anonymous is believed to be a loosely affiliated hacker collective that conducts online attacks internationally.

In 2012, it claimed responsibility for briefly shutting down a computer server belonging to Australia's domestic spy agency ASIO.

One of the men was charged with aiding the unauthorised modification of a computer network to cause impairment, and the unauthorised modification of Indonesian government web servers to cause impairment.

The other was charged with the unauthorised modification of an Internet service provider to cause impairment, and the unauthorised access to and modification of restricted data on a state government website.

Both men were due to face court later on Thursday.

Africans slaves on Chinese vessel in Uruguay

 A group of 28 African immigrants were held in slavery on a fishing vessel off the coast of Uruguay, beaten and forced to work without pay, attorneys said on Wednesday.

The migrants, 24 of whom were from Sierra Leone and the rest from Ghana, said they had not been paid "a penny" since boarding the China-flagged vessel seven months ago.

They were initially divided up between three fishing boats but, upon Uruguay's territorial waters, they were transferred to a single vessel, who name has not been disclosed, docked in Montevideo on Sunday and were taken to a hotel. A complaint was filed late on Tuesday.

"It's a case of forced labour," Isabel Camarano, a lawyer with Uruguay's fishermen's union, told reporters.

Camarano said the men, who were taken from port to port as forced labour, were also abused. Doctors have confirmed that they have wounds and scars consistent with having been beaten, according to Camarano.

Local news reports said that the men had signed on as contract labour to work on the ship, but that the ship's captain confiscated their passports and the crew held them captive. Most had embarked in Sierra Leone.

The workers told the fishermen's union that "they were beaten aboard the ship. Apart from that, they said that food was withheld from them, and that they have become ill," Camarano said.

Stanley Elisami said he and the other migrants blamed the owner of the vessel for keeping him on board against his will.

"The captain said that no one who gets sick would be allowed to sleep on this ship. Even if you're sick, you have to work," Elisami told reporters.

He said the men were given small rations of rice to eat just once per day and had to resort to drinking ocean water, while "the Chinese drank fresh water."

The men have been examined by doctors who said they appeared to have the early symptoms of malaria and possibly tuberculosis.

They have been referred to two Uruguayan hospitals for treatment

Israel Jewish extremists under house arrest

Israel has decided to place under house arrest several young Jewish extremists suspected of planning to disrupt Pope Francis's visit to the Holy Land this weekend, police said on Wednesday.

"The police and Shin Bet [security service] have taken out restraining orders against several right-wing activists who, according to information from Shin Bet, are planning to commit provocative acts during the pope's visit," police spokesperson Luba Samri told AFP.

Samri, who did not elaborate on what it was thought they intended to do, said the restraining order would apply for four days.

Media said the three activists were to be put under house arrest on Thursday, two days before Francis arrives in the region.

Underwater MH370 search resumes

-A mini-sub searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 recommenced its operations on Thursday after technical problems, as it enters its final week of scouring the Indian Ocean seabed for signs of the aircraft.

Australia is leading the search for the plane which vanished on 8 March en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on-board and is using the Bluefin-21 mini-sub until new equipment can be obtained.

"The autonomous underwater vehicle, Bluefin-21, was deployed from the vessel around 02:00 this morning. It remains underwater on its search mission," the Joint Agency Coordination Centre said.

The US Navy Bluefin-21, which can plunge to a depth of some 4 500m, was brought back to shore last week to fix technical issues which saw it pulled from the water.

It resumed its search in the remote area of several transmissions believed to have come from the missing aircraft's black box recorders.

"Over the next week, Bluefin-21 will search the remaining areas in the vicinity of the acoustic signals detected in early April by the towed pinger locator... that are within its depth operating limits," JACC said.

"This continues the process that will ultimately enable the search team to discount or confirm the area of the acoustic signals as the final resting place of MH370."

Sophisticated equipment

The Australian ship which deployed the Bluefin-21, Ocean Shield, is expected to leave the search area on 28 May and return to Perth on 31 May to demobilise the mini-sub.

MH370 is believed to have crashed into the southern Indian Ocean but despite a massive air and sea and underwater search, no sign of any wreckage has yet been found.

While the aerial and sea surface searches have been scaled down, the operation is moving to the next phase which will involve using sophisticated equipment to scan the unmapped ocean bed.

Negotiations are underway to engage contractors to do this work.

JACC said Chinese survey ship Zhu Kezhen left the west Australian port of Fremantle on Wednesday to start mapping areas of the ocean floor in preparation for the commercially contracted deep ocean search.

Another Chinese ship Haixun 01 was on Thursday to depart for the area to support this operation, tasked with delivering survey data to Fremantle weekly for processing by Australian officials.

JACC said work was continuing to review and analyse all the data and information relating to the likely flight path of MH370.

"This work will confirm the best areas on which to focus an effective future search," it said

Public 'overwhelmed' as 9/11 museum opens

 New York's 9/11 museum opened to the general public on Wednesday, praised by early visitors as an overwhelming and beautiful tribute to the survivors and nearly 3 000 victims.

The National September 11 Memorial Museum, built into the bedrock of the World Trade Centre Twin Towers, documents the attacks, their impact and legacy with 10 000 artifacts.

It was inaugurated last week at a ceremony attended by President Barack Obama but on Wednesday, ordinary Americans and foreign visitors got their first chance to visit.

Many of the first to emerge said they were reduced to tears by exhibits that include a crushed fire engine, powerful photographs and voice messages of those who were killed.

"I just cried. It makes you very sad when you see that up there in front of you," said Joseph McAuliffe, a 64-year-old senior probation officer from Jersey City.

Like 'going to a funeral'

Damaris Rodriguez, aged 61, who works for the New York state health department and whose daughter Amy is a 9/11 survivor, said she came to find peace.

"I thought it was amazing. It was very overwhelming," she told reporters, saying that the experience had brought the horror of that day rushing back.

Amy, who worked for Lehman Brothers, survived because she was late for work that day.

She also survived the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing and is now a teacher, too traumatised to visit herself.

"It was beautifully done. It was like pulling punches in the stomach," said Shannon Bailey, aged 43, an actor who was in New York on 9/11.

"It made me feel like I was going to a funeral."

But the museum has been no stranger to controversy. Its own religious advisors criticised its depiction of al-Qaeda for being linked too closely to Islam.

Some 9/11 families have also been upset about a lack of dignity in transferring thousands of unidentified remains of victims to an underground repository at the site.

'Stigmatising Arab Americans'

Amateur historian Todd Fine said the museum ignored the neighbourhood's Arab American heritage in the early 20th century and failed to put al-Qaeda into proper context.

By defining the terror network as "Islamist" and describing America's enemies in religious terms, it was fanning the risk of hate crime and stigmatising Arab Americans, he said.

"When I saw that section about Islamism, I became very scared," he told reporters, complaining that the museum should be federally run and leading historians consulted.

But many other visitors told AFP they avoided that section.

"I like that they didn't focus on that because that's not the point," said Gina Doost, a 26-year-old journalist who launched an online magazine.

She said she was most moved by posters of the missing and handwritten notes to loved ones.

"I didn't even want to look at that (al-Qaeda part)," said Rodriguez. "It hurts me to think people could kill in the name of God. It's hard to see - why do they hate us so much?"

Another bone of contention has been the gift shop, opposed by those who believe in principle that there should be no commercialisation of what is a site of mass murder.

Among the items on sale is a $95 silk scarf depicting the Twin Towers and a platter in the shape of the US, dotted with hearts in place of New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, where the hijacked planes struck.

"It would be like going to a cemetery and someone selling replica headstones or daisies just to make a profit," said Rain Dubilewski, a 24-year-old model from Vermont.

A few complained the $24 admission fee was a little steep, but others pointed out that it was in line with other museums in New York and that admission is free on Tuesday evenings.

The museum's president, billionaire and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, has stressed the venue does not receive federal funding and will cost an estimated $60 million per year

Taliban kidnap 27 Afghan officers - police

Taliban fighters kidnapped 27 police officers during an assault on a north-eastern province in Afghanistan, authorities said on Thursday, part of the extremist group's spring offensive ahead of the withdrawal of foreign troops at the end of this year.

General Fazeluddin Ayar, the police chief in Badakhshan province, said that the 27 officers were hiding in a cave during the Taliban attack on Wednesday in Yamgan district. The Taliban took the officers hostage and police have launched an effort to try and find them, Ayar said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a message to journalists. The militants routinely execute security forces they capture.

Insurgents ambushed several police checkpoints in Badakhshan province, killing at least six police officers in Yamgan district, Ayar said on Wednesday. The fighting started late on Tuesday and lasted into Wednesday.

Reinforcements were sent to the site, but the police were forced to pull back from the area and were fighting the Taliban forces from surrounding mountains as army helicopters flew overhead, Ayar said. Five insurgents also were killed, and three policemen were wounded, he added.

The Taliban said its fighters had raised the movement's white flag above the district headquarters.

Badakhshan province nestled in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges and bordering China, is one of the most remote in the country. The area has seen few attacks from insurgents following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. A recent landslide in the province killed hundreds in a rural village.

The violence comes as the Taliban has launched its annual spring offensive promising to step up attacks against Afghan security forces in a bid to undermine the Western-backed government as foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year. 

The Taliban also have pledged to disrupt voting as Afghans prepare for a second round of presidential elections on 14 June. The first round was relatively peaceful, but no candidate won a majority forcing a runoff vote between the top two vote-getters - Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Schools shut nationwide over abducted girls

 The Nigeria Union of Teachers has ordered the closure of all primary and secondary schools in the country in protest against the abduction of the over 200 female students in Borno State, Daily Postreports.

Members of the union are also to hold “Bring Back Our Girls” rallies simultaneously in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja.

The President of NUT, Michael Olukoya, made this known in a statement amid reports that Boko Haram killed 30 people in villages near Chibok on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

'Bird-woman' crash lands in Lagos

- An elderly woman escaped lynching on Wednesday after being accused of being a bird and witch in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State,Vanguard reports.

According to residents of Ojo Road, where the purported transformation took place, the woman was a black bird before suddenly turning into a human being.

The woman who confessed to being a witch said three of them were sent to Lagos from Ibadan on a mission, but lost their track, which made her to crash land on a truck after hovering in air for hours.

Hundreds of residents were said to have gathered around the woman to lynch her.