Sierra Leone's Vice President Asks US For Asylum

Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana

Sierra Leone's vice president sought asylum from the United States on Saturday, saying he no longer felt safe in the country after soldiers disarmed the security team at his residence.

"I don't feel safe this morning as vice president," Samuel Sam-Sumana told The Associated Press by phone. He said he was not at his residence and declined to disclose his whereabouts.

After hearing that soldiers were heading to his home Saturday morning, Sam-Sumana said he tried and failed to contact President Ernest Bai Koroma. Instead, he said he reached top officials at the presidential guard who informed him his security team was being disarmed on orders from the president.

HOW TO EMBARRASS NIGERIA: Jonathan Denies Speaking With Moroccan King, Orders Probe

Hello, Is That His Royal Highness…? No? Yes?: King Mohammed VI of Morocco and President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday admitted that he had not at any time engaged King Mohammed VI of Morocco in a telephone conversation as claimed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said he had also not told anybody that he spoke with the Moroccan monarch.

Jonathan made the clarification in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

Paedophilia In Britain: Abuse 'In Every Level Of Society' — British Home Secretary

Theresa May said child sex abuse allegations so far amounting to the "tip of the iceberg"

Child sex abuse is "woven, covertly, into the fabric" of British society, Theresa May has warned.

The Home Secretary said the announcement this week of panel members and new terms of reference for the Parliamentary inquiry into historical abuse marked a "new beginning" for the probe.

Policeman Killed As Gunmen Abduct Three Chinese In Nigeria

Stop kidnapping campaign

Gunmen abducted three Chinese workers after a shootout that left a police officer dead in central Nigeria, police said Saturday.

"Three Chinese nationals were abducted by some unknown gunmen within the early hours of Friday," a senior police officer told AFP, requesting anonymity. He said the gunmen had stormed a quarry outside Lokoja, the capital of Kogi state, and engaged the policemen on guard in a shootout.

Wabba Wins Fresh NLC Poll To Emerge President

Dr. Ayuba Wabba

Dr. Ayuba Wabba has been elected president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the election held on Saturday in Abuja. Wabba, a former president of the Medical and Health Workers Union, won the rescheduled two-day election participated in by 3,119 delegates.

The election initially held on February 12, but it was disrupted after some of the delegates alleged that the process had been compromised, leading to the smashing of ballot boxes and hijacking of some of the electoral materials from the officials.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Liberia's 2,000 Lost Ebola Dead Get Final Resting Place As Death Toll Hits 10,000

Traditional warriors salute the Chief Zahnzahn Karwah during a ceremony at a burial site in Monrovia ©Zoom Dosso (AFP)

Every evening for months the sky would turn orange as Liberia's Ebola crematorium roared into life, its towering flames reducing victim after victim to ash and blackened bone.

It was a ritual that the villagers of Boys Town came to dread, the thick black smoke and smell of death permeating their homes and spreading alarm in the community. The incinerator became a symbol of the panic that enveloped the region.

15 + 6 = 17? — Indian Bride Walks Out Of Wedding When Groom Fails Math Test

Indian brides from impoverished families, dressed in wedding finery, wait for their grooms to arrive during a mass marriage ceremony in New Delhi, India when 12 couples tied the knot in a single ceremony organized by a social organization, that would otherwise have cost each family thousands of dollars. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

An Indian bride walked out of her wedding ceremony after the groom failed to solve a simple math problem, police said Friday.

The bride tested the groom on his math skills and when he got the sum wrong, she walked out.

The question she asked: How much is 15 plus six?

His reply: 17.

Soccer Player Whose Punch Killed Referee To Be Sentenced

FATAL PUNCH: Saad is charged with second-degree murder in the death of soccer referee John Bieniewicz (INSET)

A weekend soccer player whose punch killed a referee is returning to court for his sentence in a case that inspired Michigan lawmakers to discuss a new class of sports crimes.

Bassel Saad pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He's due in court on Friday. The maximum punishment is 15 years in prison, although he'll be eligible for parole after serving a minimum sentence set by the judge.

CHAMP LEAGUE FOOTBALL: UEFA Rule Out Zlatan Appeal

Paris St Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not have his red card cancelled (Photo: Press Association)

Paris St Germain will not be able to overturn Zlatan Ibrahimovic's red card despite Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho calling on the European governing body to cancel the dismissal.

UEFA has announced that referees' decisions are viewed as final unless it is a case of mistaken identity.

PSG head coach Laurent Blanc said the club would consider making an appeal but UEFA's position means Ibrahimovic will be suspended for at least one match as a result of his red card which was shown for a foul on Chelsea midfielder Oscar.

Seven Die In Bangladesh Cement Factory Collapse

Rescue work has been called off at the site of an under-construction cement factory building collapse in Bagerhat after 24 hours.

At least seven workers were killed, over 50 injured and scores of others were feared trapped under tonnes of debris after the roof of an under-construction cement factory collapsed in southwestern Bangladesh.

The roof collapsed in yesterday afternoon when around 150 workers were working on the extended part of the under-construction building of Mongla Cement Factory, run by an army welfare trust.

Nigeria Acknowledges More Foreign Help In Boko Haram Fight

South African troops as well as other foreign soldiers have joined in Nigeria’s offensive against Boko Haram insurgents in the nation’s north east region, engaging in ground combat and flying combat air sorties. (Image source: channelstv.com)

Nigeria has acknowledged it is getting help from regional security operatives following reports that South African and other foreign contractors are assisting in the fight against Boko Haram extremists.

The statement from Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri on Thursday came as a spokesman for Islamic State militants, who control part of Iraq and Syria, said the group has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram. The Nigerian extremists have been weakened recently by a multinational force that includes Nigerian neighbors Chad and Niger, and the Islamic State is also under pressure from Iraqi troops and allied Shiite militias that have swept into the Iraqi city of Tikrit.

Mali Says Suspect In Deadly Bamako Nightclub Attack Killed

Policemen block the street near La Terrasse restaurant, in Bamako, Mali on March 7, 2015, after five people were shot dead ©Habibou Kouyate (AFP)

Special Forces troops in Mali on Friday killed a suspect in last week's deadly attack on a nightclub in the capital Bamako, officials said.

Bamako has been on high alert since a heavily-armed gunman burst into La Terrasse, a popular venue among expatriates, early Saturday and killed five people, including a French national, a Belgian and three locals.

2015 Polls: PDP Not Afraid Of Card Readers, Says Sambo

Namadi Sambo, Nigeria’s vice president

Namadi Sambo, Nigeria’s vice president, has said that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not in anyway afraid of the use of card readers for the forthcoming general election. Sambo said the party was only interested in ensuring that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts proper elections.

He was speaking on Thursday during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kano.

Wireless Electricity: Scientists Send Energy 55 Meters Away Through Air

Reuters / Ina Fassbender

Japanese scientists have made a breakthrough step towards developing new energy source for humans in the future by for the first time transmitting electric power wirelessly to a pinpoint target using microwaves.

Japanese scientists from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have succeeded using microwaves to deliver 1.8 kilowatts of power through the air to a pinpoint target 55 meters away, a spokesman for the agency said.

Iceland Announces Dropping Bid To Join EU

Reuters / Lucas Jackson

Iceland has dropped its bid to join the European Union, the Foreign Ministry in Reykjavik says. The announcement follows pledges made by the country’s euro-skeptic government since winning the 2013 election.

Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, the Icelandic foreign minister, said in a statement that he had informed Latvia, the current EU president, and the European Commission that his center-right government had decided to withdraw its application, which was submitted six years ago. 

2nd Indian Student Claims German Professor Rejected Him Over Country’s ‘Rape Problem’

A second Indian male student has come forward claiming that the Leipzig professor, whose unfair rejection of another applicant made waves earlier this week, also turned down his application for an internship because of his country’s “rape problem.”

Biochemistry professor Annette Beck-Sickinger came under heavy fire for allegedly telling a student that she does not approve “any Indian male students for internships.”

Pistorius Lawyers Fail In Attempt To Stop Appeal

June Steenkamp, the mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius in 2013, speaks at the launch of her book, “Reeva, A Mothers Story.” in Johannesburg Tuesday, March 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Shiraaz Mohamed)

Oscar Pistorius' lawyers have failed in their attempt to stop prosecutors from appealing the double-amputee athlete's negligent killing conviction.

Judge Thokozile Masipa on Friday dismissed an application by Pistorius' lawyers to challenge the appeal by prosecutors, who want Pistorius convicted of the more serious charge of murder for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Ebola Pair To Return For Monitoring

The patient with Ebola had been taken to the Royal Free Hospital in London (Photo: BBC)

Two military healthcare workers who were in close contact with a servicewoman diagnosed with Ebola will return to the UK today for monitoring.

The pair, who were identified alongside two other medics as having been in contact with the infected worker, remained in Sierra Leone as the infected worker and colleagues were transported back in an RAF plane to the Royal Free Hospital (RFH), in north-west London.

Both workers, who have not been diagnosed with the disease, will be brought back today on separate EU Medevac flights to Newcastle, before being taken to the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary for monitoring over a 21-day incubation period in line with Ebola response plans.

Obas Don’t Campaign For Politicians, Awujale Tells Jonathan

The Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona

The Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, has told President Goodluck Jonathan, that it is not proper in Ijebuland or Yorubaland for an Oba to canvass for votes for any candidates seeking elective posts. Rather, monarchs in Yorubaland only encourage their subjects to make their informed choices.

The monarch said this when President Goodluck Jonathan paid a private visit to him in his palace in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Parks And Recreation Actor Windell D. Middlebrooks Found Dead At His LA Home At 36

A big hit: Middlebrooks was best known for playing the delivery man in the Miller High Life commercials, but was also on several TV shows including Parks And Recreation

The 36-year-old actor was discovered at his home in LA's San Fernando Valley, according to TMZ. It is not known if he was pronounced dead on the scene or later at the hospital.

He was best known for playing the delivery man in the Miller High Life commercials, but was also on several TV shows including Parks And Recreation.

The star was 'was found unconscious' at home on Monday morning, a source told the site. He was then taken by ambulance to a hospital.

There did not appear to be any foul play, a source also told the site.

He also worked with Courteney Cox on Cougar Town and Danny DeVito on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

“UNETHICAL PRACTICES” — Morocco Recalls Ambassador From Nigeria Over Phone Row With President Jonathan

Hello, Is That His Royal Highness…?: King Mohammed VI of Morocco and President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

Diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and Morocco worsened Tuesday as the North African country announced the immediate recall of its ambassador from Abuja, following a statement by the Nigerian government that the Moroccan monarch did not snub President Goodluck Jonathan as widely reported last week.

King Mohammed VI turned down a request by Mr. Jonathan for a telephone conversation and possibly, an invitation to Nigeria, describing the move as “inappropriate”.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: UK Military Health Worker Diagnosed With Ebola

Stop Ebola campaign

A UK military health worker in Sierra Leone has tested positive for the Ebola virus, Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed. The health service said medics in Sierra Leone were ensuring the worker was receiving appropriate care. A decision about whether to evacuate the medic to the UK has not yet been made.

17th-Century Slaves' Bones Traced To Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroun

Dr Hannes Schroeder

Using a new approach to DNA analysis, the 17th century bones of three African slaves have been traced to their countries of origin for the first time, researchers said Monday.

Until now, uncovering the precise origins of the 12 million African slaves sent to the New World between 1500 and 1850 has been challenging, since few historical records exist from the time. Often, the ports from which the slaves were shipped is known, but not the nations from which they came.

The three slaves analyzed for this study came from what is modern-day Cameroun, Ghana and Nigeria, according to the findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

DSS Finally Restores Tambuwal’s Security Aides

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal (Photo: hallmarknews.com)

Four months after withdrawing its men from the service of Aminu Tambuwal, speaker of the house of representatives, the Department of State Service (DSS) on Wednesday reversed its decision.

Jonathan, Buhari Should Form Unity Government — Ben Nwabueze, Others

Prof. Ben Nwabueze (Photo: PREMIUM TIMES)

Project Nigeria Movement, a coalition of civil society groups led by respected lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, on Tuesday called on whoever emerges winner of the March 28 presidential election to form a Government of National Unity, according to PREMIUM TIMES.

Thieves Who Robbed South Africa News Team Are Filmed On Camera

As a TV camera rolled, armed men robbed a news crew of the South African Broadcasting Corporation in a Johannesburg street.

The robbery happened Tuesday night when journalist Vuyo Mvoko was seconds away from going live outside a hospital in South Africa's biggest city, SABC said.

SABC video footage showed two men accosting Mvoko as he waited to deliver his report in front of the camera with a microphone.

No weapon is visible in the footage, but Mvoko said later in a SABC interview that one of the men threatened him with a gun when he did not immediately give up his cellphone. The thieves took two or three cellphones and a laptop, Mvoko said.

The journalist said he and his team called police, who arrived at the scene.

Police said no arrests had been made by Wednesday morning.

The South African National Editors' Forum appealed to anyone who recognized the assailants from the video footage to alert police to their identities.

"Every South African lives with the reality of crime, but to see thugs brazenly ignoring television cameras and robbing media workers in the course of their work, yet again brings home the level of criminality in our society," the editors' group said in a statement.

Mvoko was reporting from outside Milpark Hospital following reports that Zambian President Edgar Lungu was being treated there after traveling to South Africa for medical care.