Thursday 28 January 2016

HILLARLIOUS!!!!! Haryana, meet Eritrea where they don't have enough men Well, Eritrea is your parallel universe! India Today

 

In State of Eritrea, a country in the Horn of Africa, a new marital law compels men to marry two women. 
Yes, polygamy is mandatory.
(We see that smirk on your face!) Another pic after cut

The Eritrea Polygamy Hoax and the Psychological Warfare Behind it By Beaton Galafa,

Eritrea wedding- Eritrea Polygamy

It was 19 January, 2016. President Magufuli bans mini-skirts. At our work place, the discussion took an angle a little different. My friend unknowingly cautioned me of how the masses accept any news without checking the reliability of the source. His argument was, however, leaning towards the fact that the Tanzanian president had risen to fame due to his idiosyncratically-driven reforms.

Jebel Marra fighting displaces over 34 thousands peoples: UN

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Displaced Sudanese women set up shelters at the UN’s Zam Zam camp near El Fasher in North Darfur on April 9, 2015 (Photo AFP)

Some 34,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing fighting in the mountainous area of Jebel Marra that straddles three Darfur states, said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, .

In a statement issued from Khartoum on Wednesday, Ruedas expressed "grave concern" over the humanitarian impact of the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) in Jebel Marra.
"Initial reports indicate that about 19,000 civilians have fled into North Darfur state, and up to 15,000 into Central Darfur state," she said.

Africa’s 2015 election experiences present dilemmas for 2016 polls By Kealeboga J Maphunye


A truck bearing the image of President Yoweri Museveni in Masindi town, Uganda, ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
Image by: Reuters 
 
 All elections are important, but in some countries they carry particular weight. Key ones coming up are:
  • Senatorial, state and federal constituency elections in Nigeria. In Africa’s most populous nation elections can serve as a yardstick for advancing electoral democracy. This year’s elections are expected to lead to further governance reforms. They follow last year’s presidential poll which ushered in a new government.

Oprah gets $12.5m richer after single 'bread' tweet



 Oprah Winfrey @Oprah
Eat bread. Lose weight. Whaaatttt? http://weightwtch.rs/oprah 

Before the 66-character tweet, which included the hashtag #ComeJoinMe and a link to the Weight Watchers website, was posted on Tuesday afternoon, the company's stock was trading at $11.35 a share. It closed at $13.29 a share.

Tweets of the Day: Former President Goodluck Jonathan On the $2.1 billion dollars Arms deal

Photos: Gov Nyemso Wike of Rivers State Celebrates His Victory at the Apex Court In Style.

Gov Wike, wife, children and supporters. More pics after cut....

Tuesday 26 January 2016

US 'Alarmed' By Reports of Rape, Torture in Burundi

Suspected fighters are paraded before the media by Burundian police near a recovered cache of weapons after clashes in the capital Bujumbura, Burundi, Dec. 12, 2015.
Suspected fighters are paraded before the media by Burundian police near a recovered cache of weapons after clashes in the capital Bujumbura, Burundi, Dec. 12, 2015.

The U.S. State Department is “deeply alarmed” about reports of torture, killings and gang rapes of women by government security forces in Burundi.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner issued a statement Tuesday calling on the government in Burundi to permit an investigation. He also called on Burundi to allow African Union human rights observers to check for human rights infractions.

Thursday 21 January 2016

Thousands of civilians flee as government forces unleash new attacks in Western Equatoria State

Residents of Western Equatoria State fleeing...… Photo: AP
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) announced that through and of South Sudanese civilians from Western Equatoria State have fled their homes after numerous armed clashes between government troops and anti-government forces.
The UNHCR says at least 23,000 people have fled their homes and that 8,000 people left for the neighboring countries.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

IGAD Turns Thirty: 30 Years of Arduous Trudge in a Region in Constant Trouble By Hassan MK


IGAD head of states

The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) marked the celebrations of its 30th Anniversary on 16, January 2016 in Djibouti. Since its creation in 1986, the ever-expanding mandate of the regional body has its core operations as the promotion of four major areas in its region, namely: peace, security, economic development and regional integration.

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma longlisted for 2016 International Dylan Thomas Prize

Chigozie Obioma

 The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma has been included on the longlist for the 2016 International Dylan Thomas Prize.
The Dylan Thomas Prize is awarded annually to the best eligible published literary work in English, written by an author aged 39 or under. It is the largest literary prize in the world for young writers, aimed at encouraging creative talent worldwide. The prize celebrates international literary excellence across all genres, and is open to poetry, novels, short stories and drama.

Divorce-proof marriage By Leonie Wagner

The study also found that spending between $2 000 and $4 000 on an engagement ring is significantly associated with an increase in the risk of divorce. 


Offering expertise in this field are two US researchers who studied 3000 married couples in an attempt to predict the likelihood of divorce, looking at factors such as income, religious beliefs, the importance of attractiveness, the number of guests at the wedding and financial factors.
While some would argue the results should be taken with a pinch of salt, they may help those hoping to divorce-proof their marriage.

Tuesday 19 January 2016

DRC: Children as young as seven mining cobalt used in smartphones, says Amnesty

A cobalt mine between Lubumbashi and Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo A cobalt mine between Lubumbashi and Kolwezi in t
Children as young as seven are working in perilous conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to mine cobalt that ends up in smartphones, cars and computers sold to millions across the world, by household brands including Apple, Microsoft and Vodafone, according to a new investigation by Amnesty International.

Monkeypox outbreak reported in Mbomou prefecture, Central African Republic


Monkeypox/CDC
Monkeypox/CDC
According to the Ministry of Public Health, at least two deaths have been reported leaving a number of other people quarantined. The health ministry says they have the situationunder control; however, they call for vigilance. Ms. Margueritte Maliévo Samba said, “I call all the Central African population in general and that of the Prefecture of Mbomou especially for calm and strict respect for preventive measures that were to wash hands regularly, avoid any manipulation with sick or dead animalsand secretions of infected person and objects.”

TANZANIAN PRESIDENT BANS MINISKIRTS IN BID TO CURB SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS

Tanzania's newly elected president John Magufuli delivers a speech during the swearing in ceremony in Dar es Salaam in November 2015. Picture: AFP



Tanzanian president John Magufuli has reportedly banned miniskirts.
Following his sweeping victory last October, Magufuli has become an international hero due to cost-cutting measures that he introduced across the country.

#WEF: WHO ARE THE WOMEN OF DAVOS 2016? By Ceri Parker

A WEF 2015 official talks to a delegate at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town. Picture: Thomas Holder/EWN



Rubbing shoulders in the snow will be the woman who holds the purse strings to Africa’s biggest economy (Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s Finance Minister), the woman in charge of the Large Hadron Collider (Fabiola Gianotti, Director General of CERN), Lithuania’s first female president, Dalia Grybauskaitė, Norway’s prime minister Erna Solberg, and the first woman to run a global car company (Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors), who is also one of the meeting’s three female Co-Chairs.

'Over $6.5 billion stolen in Nigeria in seven years

A oil refinery in Nigeria. (AFP)
Nigerian state governors, ministers, business leaders, public officials and bankers allegedly stole $6.7 billion in public funds in seven years, information minister Lai Mohammed said on Monday.

Donald Trump ‘is a fool’ - British MP

Trump Says He Will Force Apple to Manufacture in the US Even Though That Makes Absolutely No Sense
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Picture: Reuters/ Joshua Roberts
 A fool, an idiot, a buffoon - MPs lined up to attack Donald Trump for his comments on Muslims, during a parliamentary debate on Monday on whether he should be banned from Britain.
The debate was triggered by a public petition which has attracted more than 575 000 signatures from people who want the Republican presidential hopeful kept out of the country over his comments.

Photos: President Buhari's Meeting With the Nigerian Society in Abu Dhabi



More pics after cut........

Rwanda President, Paul Kagame is in line to stay in office until 2034 By Claudine Vidal

Rwandan President Paul Kagame. 
You asked me to continue to lead this country after 2017. Given its importance to you, I can only accept.
A well-ordered strategy
Kagame’s announcement, intended as much for international observers as for the people of Rwanda, was anything but spontaneous. Instead, it was the final step of a meticulously prepared political process that started in October 2014 when three satellite parties of Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) called for a revision of the constitution. At the time it limited the president to two seven-year terms.

Monday 18 January 2016

10 South african Authors Notable Debut Novels of 2015


Masande Ntshanga’s The Reactive was launched in October this year. Born and bred in East London, Ntshanga is a graduate of the Creative Writing Programme at the University of Cape Town and the winner of the 2013 Pen International New Voices Award. more after cut...

Photos: Burkina Faso shooting survivors describe narrowly escaping death



Wounded people rest at the Yalgado Hospital in Ouagadougou following an al-Qaeda attack that killed 28 people.
Wounded people rest at the Yalgado Hospital in Ouagadougou following an al-Qaeda attack that killed 28 people. (Getty Images) 

 As al-Qaeda fighters attacked the café where he worked, Clement Djiguende was saved by chance: A jihadist who had been firing at patrons simply ran out of bullets.

The gun stuck for a moment. Then the militant, dressed in black and a turban, tried several times to reload. That's when Djiguende and another server bolted toward the bathrooms not far from the bar where only moments earlier they had been serving cold drinks on just another Friday night.

15th Metro FM Music Awards nominees (Full list)

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 Full list of nominations and more pics after cut...

Photos: AKA and Bonang's stunning Mozambique vacation

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 Bonang looking at an ocean view.

The celebrity power couple are no longer hiding their love and are currently on vacation together in the Bazaruto Islands in Mozambique. The pair have been updating their fans about their stunning island getaway on Instagram where they are not shy to post images of the setting, dinner on the beach with AKA uploading an image of Bonang looking at the view. More pics after cut..

Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote to start multi-million operations in Zimbabwe

Aliko Dangote
 Aliko Dangote

This was said by the chief strategist of the multi-billion dollar company, Abdu Mukhtar, who is currently in the southern African country's capital Harare.
According to a Herald report, Mukhtar said the group felt "comfortable and excited" about investing in the country.
"Everything is on track... we will be coming in and out [of Zimbabwe] to do all sorts of things as we kick start the projects," Mukhtar was quoted as saying.

Monday 11 January 2016

Lady Gaga 'changed forever' by rape


Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga says being sexually assaulted changed her "forever" and made her question everything.
The chart-topping singer was raped at the age of 19 and has admitted that 10 years later she is still coming to terms with what happened.

Pictures From the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 10, 2016.

Leonardo DiCaprio holds his award for Best Actor, Motion Picture, Drama, for "The Revenant", at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 10, 2016.
 Leonardo DiCaprio holds his award for Best Actor, Motion Picture, Drama, for "The Revenant",

More pics after cut...

Seriake Dickson Re-Elected Governor Of Bayelsa State

 
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Seriake Dickson has been declared winner of the Bayelsa State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mr Dickson polled 134,998 votes to emerge winner of the election. Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Timipre Sylva, scored 86,852 votes to place second.

British music legend David Bowie dies





"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief," read a statement on Bowie's Facebook page dated Sunday.
Stars, politicians and fans rushed online to pay their respects. British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "I grew up listening to and watching the pop genius David Bowie. He was a master of re-invention, who kept getting it right. A huge loss."
Steve Martin from Bowie's publicity company Nasty Little Man confirmed the Facebook report was accurate. "It's not a hoax," he told Reuters.

Tuesday 5 January 2016

Why 2016 is Make or Break Year for Kenyan President Uhuru. By Oliver Mathenge

divine intervention: President Uhuru Kenyatta prays
divine intervention: President Uhuru Kenyatta prays
WITH less than two years to the August 2017 elections, President Uhuru Kenyatta is under pressure to fulfil most of the Jubilee Coalition promises this year.
The promises made ahead of the 2013 elections will be a key campaign issue for 2017, with heightened political activity expected this year.
Uhuru will be under pressure to show Kenyans the multi-billion-shilling projects the government is involved in have any benefit for the mwananchi.

Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan Awarded 2015 International Person of the Year.


Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan has been awarded the African Sun Times’ International Person of the Year 2015. According to the organizers he was given the award for the reason stated below:

Kenya's Garissa university reopens nine months after massacre


A student wearing facepaint walks past wooden crosses in memory of the Garissa university students who were killed by gunmen, at a memorial concert at the "Freedom Corner" in Kenya's capital Nairobi April 14, 2015.
Image by: REUTERS
The high-profile assault on Garissa University College on April 2, 2015 was the deadliest yet in Kenya by the Somali-based, Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab group. Nearly all the victims were students.

Monday 4 January 2016

Uganda: Fighting abortion among teenage girls By Brian Mutebi


Some pregnant girls wait for treatment at Bwindi Community Hospital in Kayonza Sub-county in Kanungu District. Photo by Brian Mutebi 
In May 2013, 22-year-old Florence* from Nyamigoye village, Nyamigoye Parish, Kanyantorogo Sub-county in Kanungu District, was admitted to Bwindi Community Hospital in Kayonza Sub-county with severe post-abortion effects. Florence, a housemaid, feared to inform her boss about her pregnancy. She got a cattle syringe and tried to pierce the foetus through the cervix. She hoped the foetus would die and get expelled from the womb. In the process, however, she pierced her cervix, and possibly the uterus, yet out of fear, kept everything to herself. 

Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu, Desmond Tutu's Daughter Marries Lover, Professor Marceline Van Furth in South Holland.


Canon Mpho Tutu and Marceline Furth. Picture Credit: Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s daughter’s gay marriage has sparked a passionate debate on social media. Reverend Mpho Tutu’s marriage to her longtime sweetheart, Professor Marceline van Furth, in South Holland last week led to many criticising the couple, while others rallied in support.

Saudi Arabia, The Nation That Executed 47 People In 1 Day Sits On The U.N. Human Rights Council Saudi Arabia enjoys the support of allies like the U.S. and U.K. at the human rights body.


GETTY IMAGES

Saudi Arabia’s announcement Saturday that it executed 47 prisoners, including an influential Shiite cleric, caused protests in Shiite neighborhoods around the world, from Saudi Arabia itself to Bahrain to Kashmir.

Don Jazzy and Olamide Resolve Issues.




They wrote this on their separate Instagram:

“We are very Sorry for the wahala make una no vex oh. It is our responsibility to lead but then again we are only human and we all make mistakes! #WeAreSorryHeadies #WeAreSorryFans #PeaceAndUnity #SMD #YBNL #OneLagos #OneNigeria“.

Photos: South Sudan's War Has Raged For Two Years, Making Some People Very Rich




South Sudan on Tuesday marked a grim milestone. It's been two years since the rivalry between the nation’s top two leaders erupted into bloodshed on the streets of the capital city of Juba and drew the new nation into civil war.