Pakistan to restart execution of death row prisoners

Pakistan will begin executing convicts on death row whose appeals have been exhausted, an interior ministry spokesman has said, reversing an earlier announcement that only those convicted of terrorism would be executed.

It applies to all [on death row], irrespective of the nature of the crime,” said the spokesman, who said the order was given late on Friday but not publicised until Tuesday.
There are more than 8,000 Pakistanis on death row. But the country had a de facto moratorium on executions in place from 2008 until December, when Taliban gunmen massacred 134 children and 19 adults in the worst attack in the country’s history.
Politicians say fast-track executions are vital to reigning in armed group attacks in the nuclear-armed nation of 180 million people.
So lawmakers voted in sweeping powers allowing the military to try and execute civilians, arguing that the country’s civilian courts were too intimidated and inept to convict militants and murderers.
Human rights groups warned that convictions were highly unreliable and the Pakistan criminal justice system barely functioned.

“With this dangerous, sweeping decision, the Pakistani government has put thousands of people at risk – including those who received death sentences for such ‘crimes’ as apostasy and adultery,” Maya Foa, head of the death penalty team at Reprive, said.

Ebube Nwagbo Poses With Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas

Nollywood star, Ebube Nwagbo, recently stumbled on former world footballer of the year, Lionel Messi, and his former teammate at Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas, and took the rare opportunity to strike a pose with them.

Ebube met the football stars at a shopping mall in London. The actress is reportedly on a vacation in the ancient city.
The elated actress, in company of a fellow actress, Nkechi Nnaji, could not hold back her joy as she shared pictures from the rare meeting with her fans.
“Don’t be jealous, [I’m] with the world’s greatest,” she wrote in one of the pictures.
Lionel Messi flew to London on Sunday after his club, Barcelona, played a game with Rayo Vallecano, which they won 6-1.
The Barcelona star went to London with his girlfriend to hook up with Fabregas and his partner.
Over the weekend, he had an impressive outing, scoring his 32nd hat-trick for Barcelona in a game against Rayo Vallecano.
The Argentine scored his first goal in the match via a spot kick after 56 minutes. He later struck in the 63 and 68 minutes to go one ahead of former Athletic Bilbao player, Telmo Zarra.

Some months ago, KCee, who was rumoured to have once dated Ebube, visited Real Madrid, Barcelona arch rival in the La Liga.