Saturday, January 31, 2015

TRAGIC: Fourth Zimbabwe Student Commits Suicide In A Week

Midlands State University campus. University student kills himself angered over the institution’s failure to fully pay him for some chickens. (Photo: snipview.com)

These sad stories are not related but rather occur at different parts of the country. But what is making youg Zimbabweans resort to taking their own lives?

Zimbabwe Daily elaborates on the story:

Ban Ki-moon has welcomed a plan for a five-nation African force of 7,500 troops to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram ©Zacharias Abubeker (AFP)

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday welcomed an African Union proposal to set up a regional five-nation force of 7,500 troops to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants.

A school official takes a pupil’s temperature using an infrared digital laser thermometer in front of the school premises, at the resumption of private schools, in Lagos in this September 22, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

Liberia said on Friday it would delay reopening schools for two weeks in order to better prepare safety measures against the Ebola virus, which has killed more than 3,650 people in the country but now appears to be receding.

Serena Williams, 19-Time Grand Slam Winner

Top seed Serena Williams clinched her record-equaling 19th grand slam title with a 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Maria Sharapova in the final of the Australian Open today.

At 33, she also became the oldest woman to win the title in the Open-era, taking her tally at Melbourne Park to six titles in six appearances in the final.

The triumph means Williams overtakes 18-time major champions Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to go a clear second on the all-time Open-era winners' list, three behind Steffi Graf on 22 Grand Slams and Australia's Margaret Court 24 Grand Slams.

GRAPHITTI NEWS, monitoring on Supersport, with Reuters report, witnessed William clinch her sixth title at Melbourne Park and it moved her into a tie with fellow American Helen Wills Moody in third on the all-time list after she joined Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert on 18 at last year's U.S. Open.

Jega, INEC Chair

Ahead of the 2015 general elections in Rivers State, more than 14,000 Permanent Voter Cards have been snatched from officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state.

The items, which were meant for the forthcoming elections, were forcefully taken away by hoodlums while they were being distributed during the collection exercise in the state.

Former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari

The Family of former president Shehu Shagari has warned leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party against dragging the name of their father into the politics of endorsement of their presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

New AU Chair, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe speaks his mind and because of his plain speaking you are sure where he stands on issues, no pussy footing for him. And now immediately after his election as the new AU president he has some words for his fellow African leaders departing from a prepare speech! The AU is in for some verbally exciting times, I think. Here is what Mugabe told delegates:

Soldiers of the Chadian army guard on January 21, 2015, the border between Nigeria and Cameroon, some 40 km from Maltam, as part of a military contingent against the armed Islamist group Boko Haram ©Ali Kaya (AFP)

Three soldiers and 123 Boko Haram militants were killed when the Islamist group attacked a Chadian army contingent in northern Cameroon, the Chadian military said.

Twelve soldiers were wounded in the attacks staged by the Islamists on Thursday and Friday near the border town of Fotokol, according to a military statement read out on national television.

Schalk van Zuydam / AP. More than 1,400 serving police officers in South Africa, or about one in 100, have a criminal record for serious, violent offences (Photo: Toronto Star)

Now here is an extremely shocking story about the South African Police. A South African not-for-profit Institute of Race Relations report into crimes committed by South Africa’s police force draws a disturbing picture: dozens of officers charged for the murders, armed robberies and rapes of citizens they are sworn to protect. Typical case showed officer would stop a young woman in a public place, before taking her away to be raped in the back of a police vehicle.To download report, click.

The story continues here:

MOTOR SPORT: Ferrari Unveils Sleek New F1 ‘Red Machine,’ Hopes To Regain Title

Ferrari has decided to put the disappointments of the 2014 F1 Season where, considering their pedigree, they ended up poorly in the fourth position in the constructor’s championship. They have unveiled the sleek “RED MACHINE” to signify their will to regain No 1 spot.

See full story below:

"We Lose Our Health To Get Rich…We Live As If We Are Never Going To Die." TV Star's Plastic Surgery Disaster Tests Brazil

In this Nov. 30, 2012 file photo, Andressa Urach competes in the Miss Bumbum Brazil contest in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

This is a cautionary tale. A while back a certain woman/entrepreneur arrived Nigeria to push for people surgically enhancing their looks has since fallen off the news air waves, still some women appear determined to make themselves more "comfortable with their own appearances" as they claim. Find out what happened what happened to Andressa Urach from Brazil.
The 27-year-old Urach, arguably Brazil's most outspoken advocate of advancement through cosmetic surgery, went into septic shock on Dec. 1, 2014 and was placed on life support after a botched operation to augment her thighs, sparking a debate about the risks Brazilian women will take for beauty at a moment when the nation has surpassed the U.S. as the world's plastic surgery capital.

Professor Attahiru Jega

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday, affirmed that the commission would overcome all the challenges it was facing before the commencement of the elections on February 14.

Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya in the background.

The UN Security Council condemned on Tuesday in the strongest terms the "terrorist" attack against the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya, resulting in several deaths and injuries.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima (Images source: www.bornostate.gov.ng)

Troops in Maiduguri, Borno State,‘mistakenly’ opened fire on the convoy of Governor Kashim Shettima as it approached a military garrison near the airport. Shettima was on his way to visit soldiers, who were wounded in the simultaneous Boko Haram attacks on Maiduguri, Monguno and Kodunga when the incident occurred on Monday.

South African Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane (Photo: Getty Images)

Former South African soldiers (or mercenaries) becoming involved in other African countries' skirmishes and conflicts, even coups, is nothing new. Students of African War History would realize that in several conflicts in the southern African sub-region and other sub-regions have including the Nigeria-Biafra War have included the fingers of South African soldiers of fortune. This is part and parcel of the unwritten South African history pre-dating apartheid. But the present South African authorities are not comfortable that SA ex-soldiers are involved in Nigeria's growing insurgency.

Helen Macdonald with her Costa Prize-winning memoir H is for Hawk.

Nope, Ali Smith did not win it like many people had expected. Helen Macdonald did!

Matshidiso Moeti speaks to the media during a press conference at the European headquarters of the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland on January 27, 2015. (Photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi/AP)

World Health Organization appointed Botswana’s Dr. Matshidiso Moeti as its new head of Africa operations on Tuesday.

Hundreds Of South Sudan Child Soldiers Freed

South Sudanese rebels on Tuesday released 280 child soldiers, the first batch of some 3,000 to be freed but with thousands more still fighting, the UN children's agency said.

Get connected: The new Dubai Metro speeds past Terminal 3; Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport

Dubai airport has soared ahead of London's Heathrow, riding a boom in long-haul flights between Asia and the West to become the world's top international travel hub, it said Tuesday.

Reuters / Eddie Keogh

An international charity, Oxfam GB, has called for a multimillion dollar post-Ebola “Marshall Plan” to aid the recovery of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, which have been worst affected by the Ebola outbreak, RT.com reports.

Wilfred Agbonavbare

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Wilfred Agbonavbare, has lost the battle against cancer.

The 48-year-old died in the early hours of Tuesday.

Screenshot from facebook.com

Facebook and Instagram have denied their services were hacked today, blaming a 40-minute outage on an internal systems issue, PA reports.

The sites were unavailable across the world earlier today, with a hacking group appearing to claim responsibility for the outage.

Ali Smith's novel How to be Both is tipped to win the Costa Prize (Costa Book Awards/PA)

Ali Smith is expected to make up for her Booker Prize disappointment and carry off the Costa Prize tonight for her novel How To Be Both, according to Press Association.

World oil prices have fallen too far, the president of state-owned energy giant Saudi Aramco said on Tuesday, insisting that market forces, not deliberate production cuts, must take their course, AFP reports.

Prof. Jega, INEC Chair

…For Failing To Nominate Running Mates

..Declares Reps Candidate Winner For Not Having Opponent

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate for Ado/Opoku/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency in Benue State, Christian Adabah Abah, as winner of the February 14, 2015 general elections.

EXTREMELY SHOCKING!!! ‘Barbaric’: 500 FGM Cases Found In UK Hospitals In Single Month

Royal Free Hospital in north London (Reuters / Neil Hall)

Nearly 500 cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) were discovered in hospitals across the country during the last month, the latest figures reveal. Data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) revealed 15 cases of FGM were reported by hospitals every day on average in November.

Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho was 'ashamed' of Chelsea's defeat to Bradford (Photo: Press Association)

Jose Mourinho was so disappointed in his Chelsea players' defeat to League One Bradford that he dished out the silent treatment. Mourinho was "ashamed" after watching the Blues go from 2-0 up to lose 4-2 and exit the FA Cup in an "unacceptable" performance which he described as a "disgrace".

Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization, has her temperature measured during a visit to an Ebola medical unit on December 19, 2014, in the Liberian capital Monrovia ©Evan Schneider (UN/AFP)

The World Health Organization's chief on Sunday admitted the UN agency had been caught napping on Ebola and pledged reforms to avoid similar mistakes in future. Despite turning a corner in the fight against Ebola, there was no room for complacency, WHO head Margaret Chan told a rare emergency session of the agency, according to AFP.

New Zambia VP: Former Minister of Gender and Child Development Inonge Wina is known as a bold and confident woman, but few could predict just how far it would take her. (Image source: Zambiareports.com)

Zambia’s newly-elected President Edgar Lungu on Monday in Lusaka, appointed Inonge Wina as the country’s first female Vice President.

GRAPHITTI NEWS learned based on Zambiareports.com reports that President Lungu said the new Zambian vice-president was a unifying person in the governing party who stood with Lungu when the party was divided into factions following the death of President Michael Sata last October.

The Rev Libby Lane during her consecration service at York Minster (Photo: AFP)

The Church of England's first female bishop has been consecrated in a historic service which was disrupted by a lone protester. The Reverend Libby Lane was ordained as the eighth Bishop of Stockport during a service at York Minster. The move ends centuries of all male leadership in the Church.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki

A major decision on the polls shift proposal is likely to emerge today as National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki has summoned a consultative meeting.

Egyptian members of the Go Bike group take part in a bicycle ride in Cairo, on December 27, 2014 ©Mohamed El-Shahed (AFP)

Yasmine Mahmoud cuts a defiant figure as she weaves her bicycle through the chaotic streets of Cairo, a place where few women dare to pedal. Every day, like for the past four years, she takes her bicycle from her 10th floor apartment and rides through the Egyptian capital, to the astonishment of bystanders.

Head of radical leftist Syriza party Alexis Tsipras waves after winning elections in Athens, January 25, 2015 (Reuters / Alkis Konstantinidis)

Greece leaves behind five years of humiliation and suffering, fear and authoritarianism, said the leader of the winning Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras. He’s moving on Monday to build a stable government and plans to get rid of Athens’ three main creditors.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima (Photo: channelstv.com)

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has condemned the coordinated attacks by Boko Haram on Maiduguri and Monguno towns while praising the gallantry of the Nigerian soldiers, for saving the state capital from the insurgents' assaults.

Photo: AFP

Over 140 million Pakistanis were left without power after militants attacked the national grid with blasts specifically targeting power pylons. Some are still waiting for power to return.

Up to 80 percent of the population reported losing electricity after attacks on a transmission tower caused nationwide blackouts.

Femi Falana (SAN)

By Femi Falana

In the 1990s, the results of credible elections were annulled in Nigeria, Algeria and some other African countries by dictatorial regimes. The political violence generated by such criminal annulment led to the disruption of the democratic process in the continent. In 2008, the refusal of the electoral body in Kenya to announce the results of the presidential election led to the brutal killing of over a thousand people.

President Jonathan welcoming US Secretary of State, John Kerry to State House, Marina, Lagos, Sunday. (Photo: Abati on Twitter)

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, said that the May 29 handover date to a new elected president in the country “is sacrosanct.” Jonathan made the pledge at a meeting with the United States of America, USA, Secretary of State, John Kerry.

GRAPHITTI NEWS gathered from Vanguard reports that Jonathan spoke against the backdrop of controversy trailing the call by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to postpone the election for three months to ensure the distribution of outstanding 30 million Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs, to their owners in several parts of the country.

A general view of a looted grocery shop is seen in Kagiso, a township west of Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 23, 2015 ©Stefan Heunis (AFP)

Two men have been shot dead and shops owned by immigrants were looted in South Africa's biggest city, as unrest following the death of a teenager last week spread in Johannesburg townships, police said on Monday.

China has long struggled to rein in a lucrative market in babies, fuelled by a preference for male children and the "one child policy", which limits the number of children couples can have (Photo: AFP)

A Chinese mother has been charged with human trafficking for allegedly conspiring with a doctor to sell her baby boy for almost US$7,000, media reported Sunday, the latest case highlighting the country's lucrative child market.

Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda (Image source: TheCable)

Revelations by Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda on the stoning of President Goodluck Jonathan in the state during a campaign rally was said to have shocked the Presidency and the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party.

President Jonathan with US Secretary of State, John Kerry at the State House, Marina, Lagos, today. (Photo: Reuben Abati ‏@abati1990)

The United States has advised Nigeria against postponing the general elections scheduled for next month. The US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, gave the advice after he met the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, President Goodluck Jonathan and All Progressives Congress Maj. Gen. Muhamadu Buhari (retd.) in Lagos on Sunday.

Jonathan, Amaechi In Fresh Showdown As Soldiers Take Over Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium In Port Harcourt

Rotimi Amaechi, governor of Rivers state and chairman of Buhari campaign organization addressing APC supporters in Port Harcourt on January 6, 2015

Less than 12 hours after suspected thugs attacked the venue of a rally by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okrika, Rivers State, heavily armed soldiers have taken over the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

Image Source: BBC

Fighters from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram have launched an attack on the key city of Maiduguri, reports say.

Edgar Lungu becomes Zambia’s sixth president (Photo: AFP)

Zambia's new President Edgar Lungu was sworn in Sunday to become the country's sixth president after narrowly winning a vote rejected by the opposition.

Pauline Cafferkey has made a full recovery after battling Ebola for almost a month (Photo: PA)

A British nurse struck down by Ebola said last night she had come so close to death fighting the killer virus that she had told herself: ‘That’s it.’

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Monday, January 26, 2015

Femi Falana (SAN)

By Femi Falana

Sunday, January 25, 2015