The Soil announces the vocalist to #ExperienceTheSoil

It’s been a startlingprocess but theThe Soil, SA’s most loved a capella band, has finally found their female vocalist to take over from Buhle.

Following the announcement in January 2016 that Buhle Mda, the group’s only female vocalist will be taking a break from performing,The Soil held auditions for a female vocalist to join the group from March 2016.

Niger election 2016: Can a prisoner beat the president?

 

Voters in Niger voted on  Sunday's elections, as 15 candidates, including a prisoner,  ran for the presidency.

The West African state is seen as an important ally of Western powers in the fight against militant Islamists in the fragile Sahara region, but the country is far from stable.
President Mahamadou Issoufou is standing for a second term in the impoverished, uranium-producing West African nation, but the election is already marred by accusations of repression and disqualification of voters.

Why is this election important?

Ethiopian Protesters Subject to 'Lethal Force': HRW

People mourn an alleged Oromo protester shot dead by Ethiopian security forces, in the Oromia region, December 17, 2015. Getty Images

 

 

Ethiopian security forces are guilty of “lethal force” in an ongoing crackdown against opponents of the expansion of the capital Addis Ababa, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Protests have been ongoing in Ethiopia’s Oromia region—home to the Oromo, the country’s majority ethnic group—since November 2015 over plans to expand the capital. The government wanted to take over territory in parts of Oromia surrounding Addis, which could have potentially resulted in loss of farming land and forced evictions of farmers from one of the country’s most arable regions. At least 140 protesters had been killed by January 7, according to HRW.

Uganda 2016: Russia Gives Praise, EU and U.S. Cry Foul

Supporters of Yoweri Museveni celebrate his election victory in Kampala, Uganda, February 20. Some members of the international community were less pleased with how the elections were conducted.  Reuters

 

 

Yoweri Museveni triumphed in Uganda’s presidential elections on Thursday, prompting a range of reactions from the international community.
Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, won 60.8 percent of the vote, ahead of main rival Kizza Besigye on 35.4 percent in a highly contentious election. The day was marred by a social media blackout and seven-hour delays in ballots being delivered to some polling stations.

Social media driving couples to divorce

Porn and sexting are increasingly cited in divorce cases.

From the woman who discovered on Facebook that her husband had another family, to the wife who found an online video of her husband dancing with a naked woman, social media are driving South Africans into the arms of divorce lawyers.

"People enter into cyber relationships which become an emotional relationship and a lot of people get caught out talking to someone else via WhatsApp or Facebook," said Cape Town divorce lawyer Bertus Preller.
January and February are known as divorce season, as couples who have spent more time than usual together over the end-of-year holiday realise their relationship has run its course.

Photos: How Cheap Oil Handicaps Nigeria's Fight Against Boko Haram

The crash in global oil prices has pushed Nigeria -- Africa’s biggest economy -- into economic crisis, with potentially dangerous implications for civilians vulnerable to attack by militant group Boko Haram.
The price of U.S. crude oil has plummeted by 75 percent since mid-2014. That’s a disaster for Nigeria, which depends on revenue from its oil production to fund about three-fourths of the government’s budget.

Ethiopia: It's the 'political capital' of Africa, but how much of a melting pot of cultures is it? By Elias Meseret

 AU BUILDING ADDIS ABABA

 DECADES ago Ethiopia was in the headlines for famine, but in a dramatic change of fortunes, in recent years it is a rising star, posting Africa’s and one of the world’s highest rates of economic growth.
However, some still debate how much “Africa facing” Ethiopia is. It is an issue that arises partly because not enough attention is given to the other social and cultural developments in Ethiopia.

Photos: Nigerian Army Destroys Boko Haram Camps Sambisa Forest

 Members of 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion patrol team of the Nigerian army on Tuesday 16th Feburary 2016 destroyed Boko haram camps located at Komala, Dole, Kumshi and Moadori around the frings of Alagarno forest. More pics after cut...

Special Invitation: The Pacesetters Church March Edition of "IGNITE". Theme: SUPERNATURAL RESULTS.

Special Ministration by Rev Ndeda of the Eagles Christian Church, Wyburg @ the Pacesetters Church auditorium by 3pm-5pm  on Saturday 5th of March 2016.
Theme: Supernatural Results
Venue: Pacesetters Church Auditorium on Main street, opposite Melville Spar, Melville. Johannesburg, South Africa.

Photo: President Buhari Appoints Hon Abike Dabiri Erewa As SSA On Foreign Affairs and Diaspora

 President Buhari has appointed Hon Abike Dabiri Erewa, a former National House of Assembly member from Lagos State and Former Chairman House committee on Diaspora and top APC chieftain as his Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. Congratulations Hon Abike on your new appointment. Another pic after cut...

Burundi's Independent Media Aren't Going Down Without a Fight

The Press House in Bujumbura, from which independent radios were blocked access.

Journalists in Burundi, where an escalating crisis has imperiled freedom of expression,
have persevered, especially online, preventing the situation from passing silently.
Insecurity nevertheless demands creativity and discretion. Online channels have gained
 new importance, using streamed radio and social media to inform citizens.
These news outlets challenge narratives published by official or pro-ruling party 
CNDD-FDD media, which regularly disregard testimonies contrary to the
government-sanctioned story.

Five years after Gaddafi, Libya torn by civil war and battles with Isis

 
Five years ago he picked up a gun and joined Libya’s rebels to depose Muammar Gaddafi in a blaze of patriotic vigour. Half a decade later the Tripoli medical student will mark Wednesday’s anniversary of the Arab spring revolution treating militia fighters wounded in battles with Islamic State.
Libya marks the fifth anniversary of its revolution with the country torn by civil war and Isis expanding quickly into the chaos. “Back then it was simple, we fought for freedom,” says the medical student, who asked to remain anonymous. “But a lot of time, you wonder was it worth it?”

Uganda election: Museveni Bids to Extend 30-Year Uganda Rule as Security High

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni looks set to extend his three-decade rule in Thursday’s elections, as security forces pack the capital to quell potential unrest and the opposition voices fears of intimidation.

16 Girls Get Pregnant After A Boy Ejaculated In A Swimming Pool

 
A simple weekend pool party turned to tragedy when one of the young men (Tommy Coulter) attending the birthday celebration ejaculated in the pool without warning the house guests, accidentally ending up impregnating half of the girls present at the celebration.

Zimbabwean Former Vice President, Joice Mujuru sets up rival Zimbabwe party

  Joice Mujuru.

We are 'People First'," Mujuru told AFP by telephone, confirming the name of her new party but giving no further details."We don't lead the people, but people lead themselves."
Mujuru, the widow of Zimbabwe's first post-independence army general, was fired from the government and the ruling ZANU-PF party in December 2014.