Olumide Fafore's Blog: April 2014

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Why Cressida And Harry Split

Britain's Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas attend England's Six Nations international rugby union match against Wales at Twickenham in London March 9, 2014.

Friends of Cressida Bonas today told the Royalist that the pressure of being constantly followed by photographers and journalists inquiring into her private life had pushed her to end her relationship with Prince Harry.
"She just got fed up with it," said one. "She and Harry are very fond of each other, but she wants to have her own life."

More than 100 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons launched a mass hunger strike last week against Israel's policy of administrative detention, a draconian practice whereby Palestinians are detained on "secret evidence" and without being charged.
According to Randa Kamel, an advocacy officer for Addameer, a group that monitors Israel's arrests and imprisonment of Palestinians, many of these hunger strikers are being held in prisons using surveillance and security equipment provided by the controversial British security firm G4S.

Last week, Ini Edo clocked 32 on the 23rd of April, 2014. Even though she may have been very busy, she still made out time to go out with few of her friends and colleagues to mark the day.

She went on a boat cruise with Annie Idibia, Monalisa Chinda, Emem Isong, Bryan Okpara and others to have fun.

More pics after cut

Nomzamo Mbatha attends the South African Music Awards on Monday, April 28 at Sin City

More pics after cut

Mafikizolo accepts the Record of the Year award at the Samas

Johannesburg – The winners of the South African Music Awards (Samas) have been announced during a glitzy ceremony at the Sun City Superbowl on Monday night.

The Samas kicked off earlier on Monday with the presentation of the Industry Awards at the Extravaganza Theatre at Sun City where Mafikizolo took an early lead taking no fewer than three awards.

The full list of winners for the Samas 2014:

Muzart

Three South Africa based music acts have been selected for the top eight for the Hennessy Talent Quest.

Bongi Mvuyana, Tresor Riziki and Muzart stand a chance to perform at the 2014 Blues Passion Festival, but they need fan support to get them to Cognac.
Mvuyana is an alternative singer whose single, I Wonder, has been playlisted on radio stations including Metro FM, YFM and online streaming radio service 2OceansVibe. She was also named the Woman to Watch on Grazia’s Cool List 2014.

7 Things Successful People Do During An Afternoon Lull

Do you feel like your ability to focus and your supply of discipline and willpower are always dwindling by 2 p.m.?
You're not alone.
Almost everyone experiences a mid-afternoon lull: a dip in energy levels, alertness, and concentration as part of your natural circadian rhythm, explains Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "You Can't Be Serious! Putting Humor to Work."

"The timing, extent, and intensity of the afternoon lull varies from person to person, and although our lunch diet can effect it, the number one influencer is how well you slept the night before," he explains.
Other factors, such as sitting for too long or spending too much time on the computer, can also contribute to a decline in energy. And, perhaps one of the most surprising causes of afternoon fatigue is having too little work to do. "If you don't have a clear plan of action and don't set priorities for your day, and especially for the afternoon, it's that much easier to lose steam and feel a dip in energy," he says.
Here are seven things successful people do to deal with, or avoid, the dreaded afternoon lull:

An unidentified mother cries out during a demonstration with others who have daughters among the kidnapped school girls of government secondary school Chibok, Tuesday April 29, 2014, in Abuja, Nigeria. Two weeks after Islamic extremists stormed a remote boarding school in northeast Nigeria, more than 200 girls and young women remain missing despite a “hot pursuit” by security forces and desperate parents heading into a dangerous forest in search of their daughters. Some dozens have managed to escape their captors, jumping from the back of an open truck or escaping into the bush from a forest hideout, although the exact number of escapees is unclear. (AP Photo/ Gbemiga Olamikan)

An unidentified mother cries out during a demonstration to raise awareness of kidnapped school girls

Samson Dawah was nervous. For two weeks, he had waited for any bit of information regarding his niece, who was among the 234 Nigerian school girls likely kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. This week, he gathered his extended family. He had news but also an unusual request. He asked that the elderly not attend. He wasn’t sure they could bear what he had to say.
“We have heard from members of the forest community where they took the girls,” he told them, adding that there had been a mass marriage. ”They said there had been mass marriages and the girls are being shared out as wives among the Boko Haram militants.”

Exclusive Pictures Of Rihanna's Stunning Poses For Vogue Brazil

Rihanna looking stunning in the May edition of vogue Brazil. More pics after cut...

Minister of Petroleum, Dieziani Alison-Madueke, who has been in the middle of a 10bn jet scandal has secured a court injunction stopping the House of Representatives from further investigating her, Premium Times reports. Alison-Madueke had approached a federal high court in Abuja where she asked the court to restrain the House members to discontinue any probe involving her.

Justice . R. Mohammed who presided over the case, barred the house members or their committees from summoning her for any further investigations or even ordering her arrest if she failed to appear before the house. According to reports, the court injuction was secured on April 14th but was only made public today as the House intended to commence further investigation on the matter today.

Foremost producer, writer, director and a leading player in the Nigerian motion picture industry, Amaka Igwe has passed on. She died last night April 28th in Enugu after an asthma attack. Mrs Igwe had gone to Enugu in company of her husband for pre-production preparations for a new Igbo soap when the sad incident occurred.

She suffered an asthma attack and was immediately rushed to the hospital after initial intervention had failed but sadly died before getting there.

Mrs Igwe is survived by her husband of 21 years Charles Igwe, three children, an aged mother. So sad! We at FOB condole with Nollywood and her family at their moment of grieve. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace...

Abducted Nigerian Schoolgirls Sold And Married Off Abroad

Just saw this from Daily trust and I pray it is not true, that the school girls abducted in Borno State, Nigeria by Boko haram, a terrorist group had been sold or married off abroad to sect members abroad. I hope the Nigerian Government upgrade their search and rescue mission.

Daily Trust reports

Most of the 234 Borno schoolgirls in Boko Haram captivity have been ferried abroad to Chad and Cameroon after they were married off to sect members on N2,000 bride price each, an elder told Daily Trust yesterday.

Dr. Pogu Chibok, who is the leader of the Chibok Elders Forum, told Daily Trust yesterday that latest information available to them indicates that most of the girls have been taken to the neighboring Cameroon and Chad by their captors.

South Africa is still a gender and racially divided country, ANC deputy presidentCyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

"The African National Congress is committed to building a nation that is socially cohesive and close the racial gap that exists in this country," he told editors in Parktown, Johannesburg.

He said the party would use various programmes and projects to ensure South Africa developed into a socially cohesive nation.

"We address social cohesion because we believe it is not just an event but an important process.

"We also use sport as an instrument to build the nation as it usually unites the nation."

He said the country showed cohesion in 2010 during the Soccer World Cup, when visitors were welcomed.

Human settlement would also be used to enhance social cohesion.

"We build communities and societies that are not divided in any form."

Ramaphosa was accompanied by the ANC's national social cohesion committee.

U.S. sanctions Putin allies as Ukraine violence goes on : Reuters

The United States imposed new sanctions on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, prompting Moscow to denounce "Cold War" tactics amid more violence in eastern Ukraine.

The move to ban visas and freeze assets of the likes of Putin's friend Igor Sechin, head of oil giant Rosneft, also drew fire from President Barack Obama's domestic critics, who called it a "slap on the wrist."

EU states added 15 more Russians and Ukrainians to their blacklist and will reveal them on Tuesday.

The new round of U.S. sanctions, following those imposed last month when Russia annexed Crimea, barely registered in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow rebels were holding a group of German and other OSCE military observers for a fourth day.

Despite a Ukrainian military operation to contain them, the militants extended their grip by seizing key public buildings in another town in the Donetsk region. In the regional capital, Donetsk, club-wielding pro-Russian activists broke up a rally by supporters of the Western-backed government in Kiev.

The high-profile mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, was badly wounded by a gunman, raising fears of further unrest in a Russian-speaking region that has seen less trouble of late than the neighboring provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.

U.S. sanctions were aimed, Washington officials said, at "cronies" of Putin. Seven men, including Sechin, were targeted by visa bans and freezing of any U.S. assets, and 17 companies were also named. More pics after cut

A gay couple holding hands.

We have one of the most progressive constitutions in the world but, for most South Africans, homosexuality and abortion are immoral.

South Africans emerged as a conservative lot when independent American fact tank Pew Research Centre released the findings of its Global Views on Morality survey earlier this month.

South Africa fared the most tolerant of the African countries polled – including Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya – but less so than its international counterparts.

The study, which covered 40 countries, focused on eight moral issues ranging from premarital sex to contraceptive use and divorce.

The following percentage of South Africans found these practices morally unacceptable:

Why don’t women know what men find attractive? Salon

My husband likes to squeeze onto what I’ve been taught to call my “muffin top,” the bit of “extra” flesh just above my hips. Recently, he planted a hand on it, squeezed and made a desirous grunting noise that made me think he might eat me alive. “Baby, no!” I protested, batting his hand away. “Don’t squeeze my fat.” His face softened. “But I love it. I love this juicy little oyster,” he said, referencing the tender, most delicious part of a chicken. “It’s the best.”

Funny, I thought it was the worst.

This isn’t just a case of my particular insecurities and my husband’s sexual idiosyncrasies. Studies have shown that straight women overestimate the importance of thinness in heterosexual men’s perception of female beauty. That is to say, women think men prefer ladies much thinner -- and “oyster”-less -- than they actually do.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced new sanctions against some Russians on Monday in an attempt to stop President Vladimir Putin from fomenting the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, but held off from broad measures that would hit Russia's economy.

The new sanctions, to be outlined in detail later on Monday, will add more people and firms to a list announced last month of figures whose assets are frozen and who are denied visas to travel to the United States.

Some high tech exports will also be targeted, Obama said. But the measures do not yet include the wider sanctions, like curbs on the Russian financial and energy sectors, that would do the most serious damage to Russia's economy.

Obama said Washington and its allies were keeping the threat of such sectoral sanctions "in reserve" in case the situation should "escalate further". He conceded he did not know if the measures he has ordered so far will work.

U.S. officials have said the new list will include Putin's "cronies" in the hope of changing his behavior.

"The goal is not to go after Mr. Putin personally; the goal is to change his calculus, to encourage him to walk the walk, not just talk the talk" on diplomacy to resolve the crisis, Obama said in Manila during a trip to Asia. More pics after cut..

President Jacob Zuma

President Jacob Zuma on Sunday presented national orders to those whose outstanding work had benefited South Africa.

"We honour men and women who have left definitive footprints in both the struggle for liberation and also in building a better South Africa," Zuma said in a speech prepared for delivery in Pretoria.

"By the power vested upon me in terms of Section 84 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, I now confer the Order of Mendi, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of Mapungubwe and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo to these distinguished persons."

Fifty-four people were singled out for orders in bronze, silver, and gold for varying degrees of achievement.

Struggle heroes

One of those honoured was Elizabeth Barrett, who was awarded the Order of Mendi for Bravery in bronze for saving 14 children from a burning house and her services to orphans and street children.

After a glamorous wedding on Saturday, guests of the couples went on a boat cruise in Dubia. A sort of after party thing. More pics after cut.

Check Out Tiwa Savage Wedding Pictures In Dubai

Check out the outfit of Tiwa Savage and Tee billz wedding day, Tiwa is looking so gorgeous on her wedding dress....

Singer Tiwa Savage's fairytale wedding was held in Dubai and all the big boys and big girls in the entertainment and social circle are in Dubai to celebrate this happy moment with the couples. We at FOB are saying happy married life. More pics after cut..

Mr Nigeria 2014 pageant took place yesterday, 26th of April, 2014 at Eko Hotel in Lagos and MTV series, Shuga actor Emmanuel Ikubese who played the role of ladies man Femi, has won the title of Mr Nigeria .

Shuga' Actor Emmanuel Ikubese fans felt so proud of him as he didn't only win The Title Mr Nigeria 2014, The handsome actor beat 19 other contestants to emerge as the winner of the pageant. congratulations to him. More pics after cut..

The crowds at the Union builds were treated to cultural parade before President Zuma's address.

The mood on the South lawns at the Union Buildings in Pretoria is festive as thousands celebrated Freedom Day. The celebrations come as exactly 20 years since South Africa held its first non-racial elections in 1994.

The crowds gathered as they awaited the address by President Jacob Zuma. The theme for the celebrations this year is, "South Africa: A better place to live in".

Zuma is expected to use the celebrations as an opportunity for the nation, to reflect on how freedom and democracy were achieved, and on whether the post-Apartheid democratic government has managed to deliver a better life for all.

President Zuma was warmly received by cheers from the crowds shortly before the Ceremonial Guard of Honour as well as a 21 round gun salute.

South Africa is Closer to the dream: Zuma

South African President Jacob Zuma stands listening to the country’s national Anthem at the Union Building grounds during the celebrations for 20th anniversary of Freedom day.

Pretoria - South Africa has vastly improved over the past 20 years, building a buoyant economy, deepening democracy and combating crime and corruption, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday.

"We have done well on all of these pillars in the past 20 years. We have moved closer to our cherished dream of a united non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa," he said at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

"President Mandela introduced free health care for pregnant women to ensure that South African children are born healthy, as one of the benefits of freedom.

Many believe the 2015 elections will be different in Lagos State. The state is the seat of the All Progressives Congress, Nigeria’s biggest opposition party in the South-West. APC controls five of the six states in the geopolitical zone. It also has about 6.2 million registered voters, the highest in the country, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Governor Babatunde Fashola once said Lagos is the only state in the federation that could survive without oil revenue or federal allocation. The state, which is the country’s economic capital, has been speculated to have a population of about 17 million people.

In this regard, the state is crucial to any political party that wants to garner the required 25 per cent votes in the geopolitical zone for the presidential election.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party will contend with the strong grip of the APC on the state in the next governorship election. Already, the political tempo in the state is rising, with regard to who will succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola in office, with both the APC and the PDP shopping for the best candidate.

Analysts have, however, advised political parties to examine the governorship records of the state. Records show that governors of the state either belong to the opposition party.

Pope Francis meets Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace after the canonisation mass of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II on St Peter's at the Vatican

Pope Francis met Robert Mugabe on Sunday during a ceremony in Rome to make saints of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II

The ageing Zimbabwean president, who was with his wife Grace, was among a number of heads of state to attend the ceremony. He is barred from entering the European Union because of alleged human rights abuses and vote rigging at home, but the ban does not apply to Vatican City, which is not a member of the EU.

Nigeria: Boko Haram - 40 Terrorists, 4 Soldiers Killed in Battle Near Sambisa Forest - DHQ

"Two of the terrorists were earlier arrested at a local market two days ago while trying to procure foodstuff while others were spying on the military base in the area."

The Nigerian military said on Friday that 'over 40 terrorists' were killed in a battle between them and soldiers in Bulanbuli, near the dreaded Sambisa Forest. The military also said 4 soldiers were killed in the battle with the terrorists, believed to be members of the Boko Haram.

The Defence Headquarters spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, in a statement said the battle was caused by the arrest of suspected leaders of the sect.

Son of Nigerian billionaire businessman Chief Izuchukwu Onwugbenu(Chairman of Louise Carter Group), called Emeka Carter got married recently to his heartthrob Onyinye Chukwuma , the daughter of billionaire businessman Chief Innocent Chukwuma(Chairman of Innoson Motors) in Nnewi, Anambra State.

The traditional wedding was well attended by Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji who is a close friend to Onyi Onwugbenu, the CEO of MUD Cosmetics and brother of Emeka Carter, who also is the CEO of E Properties and Development.

Genevieve was dapped in a White lacy blouse and Orange wrapper Aso-ebi material alongside her friends.
Nigerian afro-pop singer Flavour Nabania, was also live at the event as he performed on stage with his live band.

More pics after cut..

The wedding ceremony of Nigerian artiste Tiwa Savage and Fiance is currently on-going at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE.

The event which is planned by wedding planners ‘Prive Events’,have the gorgeous celebrity guests who flew from Nigeria and beyond to celebrate with the couples.

More pics after cut...

Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has congratulated South Africa on reaching 20 years of democracy, the British high commission said.

"On the occasion of the Republic South Africa celebrating 20 years of democracy, it gives me great pleasure to send the people of South Africa my warmest congratulations," the Queen said in a statement.

"My family and I have enjoyed a special and significant relationship with South Africa over the years.

"The links between our two countries have deepened and matured since South Africa's transition in 1994, and long may that continue."

Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague also sent messages of congratulations.

On April 27 South Africa will celebrate its 20th year as a democratic country. Celebrations are expected to take place country-wide.

Jude Okoye- "P Square Issuea Were Never About Lola Omotayo"

Exclusive Pictures Of Funmi Iyanda At The Out In The City Awards 2014 In London

Funmi Iyanda looked absolutely stunning in a Bruce Oldfield couture dress at the Out In The City Awards which held friday night at Landmark Hotel in London. It's an award for the LGBT community. More pics after cut...

Leaders of the Group of Seven major economies agreed to impose more sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, where armed pro-Moscow separatists have detained a group of international observers they accuse of being NATO spies.

The pro-Western Kiev government said a Russian special forces operative was behind what it called a kidnapping in the eastern city of Slaviansk that is under the separatists' control, and said the detainees were being used as a "human shield".

Ukraine's state security service said the observers for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were being held "in inhuman conditions in the basement of the terrorists' headquarters," and that one needed medical help.

Chimamanda Adichie wins US National Critics Prize

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is clearly having the best month of her life as she promotes her new book, Americanah.

Here's another reason for her to go dancing in the wind - she has won the US National Critics Book Prize for the novel.

The book was also selected as one of The New York Times' 10 best books of 2013.

Daughter of Nigerian billionaire industrialist, Chief Rasaq Akanni Okoya, Hadiza Okoya tied the knot with her hubby, Olamiju Akala, on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014. Olamiju is the son of former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala.

Their ‘Nikkai’ (Islamic wedding) was held inside the large estate of the Okoya’s, which is located in Lekki, Lagos State.

More pics after cut...

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde is no doubt having it good for her especially after her Times magazine recognition. The beautiful mother of four has been nominated for the ‘Personality of the Year’ award at 2014 edition of the MTV Africa Music, which will take place on June 7 at the Durban International Convention Centre, South Africa

She was nominated alongside Chimamanda Adichie (Nigeria) Trevor Noah (South Africa), Lupita Nyong’o (Kenya) and Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire).

The winners will be determined by the public’s voting.

Photos: Nollywood Actress Chika Ike Spend Easter With The Less Privileged.

Nollywood actress Chika Ike spent Easter with less privileged kids on the street. She gave the kids packs of cooked foods, snacks and drinks and also gave the mothers some provisions and food items for the kids. More pics after cut..

Photo: APC

Bola Tinubu (speaking) campaigning in Anambra State (October 2013)

Nigeria's election next February will be the first nationwide two-party contest since the end of military rule in 1999. The emergence last year of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a merger of the country's four largest opposition movements, altered the political landscape, posing a serious challenge for the People's Democratic Party which has held the presidency for 15 years.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the new party's unofficial national leader and chief strategist, served two four-year terms as governor of Lagos, the megacity-state second in size only to Cairo in Africa, with a population exceeding 20 million, according to some estimates. Tinubu, who earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University and worked as an accountant for Deloitte in the United States and Mobil in Nigeria, was also a leader of the democracy campaign that erupted after the Nigerian military annulled the 1993 election. There has been widespread speculation he could be chosen as the APC vice presidential candidate during the party's convention on 24 May. The leading contender for the top slot is believed to be Muhammadu Buhari, a retired general who served as military ruler in the 1980s and has run for president in the past three elections, coming in second each time. Tinubu spoke with AllAfrica's Reed Kramer about APC's prospects and platform.

A man holds a picture of late Congolese singer King Kester Emeneya in the bar "Toison d'or" (Golden Fleece) in the Bandal neighbourhood of Kinshasa on February 13, 2014. Emeneya died on February 13, 2014 near Paris following a cardiac disease, announced Radio Okapi, A UN Sponsored radio.

At least 14 people were killed in a stampede Friday during a tribute festival in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a popular African music star.

"The provisional toll, which we deeply regret, stands at 14 dead --including two policemen -- and eight wounded," said Camille Sesep, a spokesman for Bandundu, the native province of the late singer King Kester Emeneya.

"The government is busy taking charge of the victims," he added.

Grammy-winning singer Beyonce Knowles landed the coveted spot on the cover page of Time magazine's 2014 “Most Influential People” issue, which will hit the stands Friday. Actor Robert Redford, basketball player Jason Collins and General Motors CEO Mary Barra will also get their own individual covers.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, praised the singer for urging “women to be independent and lead" through her voice both on and off stage.

“In December, she took the world by surprise when she released a new album, complete with videos, and announced it on Facebook and Instagram. Beyoncé shattered music-industry rules — and sales records,” Time said in a piece honoring Beyonce’s inclusion in the annual list.

Secret World of Drug Addict Doctors

Personal perspective of doctors administering oxygen color processed

The story of a wayward anesthesia trainee who took a near fatal dose of fentanyl hit the news this week. Of particular interest is that he overdosed (and lived) just hours after a nurse in the same large university medical center hospital overdosed and died from a combination of fentanyl and midazolam (Versed™). The tragic coincidence points out the problem unique to healthcare workers: easy access to feel-good, rapidly and intensely addictive drugs, as well as the clean needles and syringes to inject them.

The situation is not at all rare. I have known two anesthesiologists who died young after inadvertently overdosing on similar drugs to which they were secretly addicted. Each died with the needle in his arm, apparently miscalculating a dose. One had a new wife and a newer baby; the other a girlfriend liked by all of us. Neither was particularly depressed or lonely; rather, each was an upbeat personable guy whose addiction escaped everyone’s suspicion. I wrote a condolence note to the parents of one and received a brutally pained comment back months later from his mother: “We still can’t understand what happened!”

MOYES BREAKS PUBLIC SILENCE ON MAN UTD SACKING

David Moyes has spoken publicly for the first time since his sacking byManchester United.

The Scot released a statement through the League Managers' Association:

"To have been appointed as manager of Manchester United, one of the biggest football clubs in the world, was and remains something of which I will always be incredibly proud.

"Taking charge after such a long period of continuous stability and success at the club was inevitably going to be a significant challenge, but it was one which I relished and never had a second thought about taking on.

"The scale of the manager’s job at United is immense, but I have never stepped away from hard work and the same applies to my coaching staff. I thank them for their dedication and loyalty throughout the last season.

Lupita covers the 25th edition of the people magazine. She was highly elated and promise to continue to be a role model to many African girls. Lupita is indeed an African Beauty. Black is indeed beautiful. Congrats Lupita.

Big penis, big problem in a marriage: study

A study into marital infidelity has found that longer penises are linked to wives cheating on their spouses.

The study, published in the online Journal PloS One, was led by US and Kenyan researchers, found that every extra inch boosts the likelihood of wives engaging in extramarital affairs.

"We included this variable because of the interest and controversies that surround men's pursuit of penile enlargement ostensibly to sexually satisfy their spouses while women do not necessarily approve of it," the researchers wrote.

Nollywood actor Chris Nkulor has passed on after a battle with a kidney related disease. He died yesterday at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching hospital Ile-Ife where he was undergoing treatment for the ailment. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

South Africa 2014 elections ANC’s toughest test yet

Johannesburg - Twenty years after the euphoria of South Africa's first democratic elections swept liberation hero Nelson Mandela to power, the governing party faces its toughest test at the polls next month.

Rampant corruption and a failure to erase apartheid's enduring legacy of abject poverty have sown social and political discontent in what is one of the most unequal nations on earth.

Rocked by scandal and bereft of the iconic Mandela after his death in December, the ANC is still expected to win the elections easily but could see its majority trimmed.

: Tensions high in eastern Ukraine: In Kiev on Tuesday, Vice President Biden pledged American support to help Ukraine stage a successful presidential election next month and to defy Russian economic pressure.

The Ukrainian government Wednesday ordered the resumption of military operations against pro-Russian militants in the east after a local political supporter was kidnapped and killed, and Russia warned that it would retaliate if its citizens or interests were attacked.

Pages

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Three South Africa based music acts have been selected for the top eight for the Hennessy Talent Quest.

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

We have one of the most progressive constitutions in the world but, for most South Africans, homosexuality and abortion are immoral.

Monday, 28 April 2014

Sunday, 27 April 2014

Saturday, 26 April 2014

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has congratulated South Africa on reaching 20 years of democracy, the British high commission said.

Friday, 25 April 2014

At least 14 people were killed in a stampede Friday during a tribute festival in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a popular African music star.

Thursday, 24 April 2014

Wednesday, 23 April 2014