UPDATE: Guinea Opposition Leaders Want Election Scrapped, Citing Fraud

Guinea's President Alpha Conde casts his ballot at a polling station in Conakry on October 11, 2015

All seven opposition leaders who contested Guinea's presidential election against incumbent Alpha Conde said on Monday the result should be annulled because of fraud.

Their declaration is likely to stoke tension in the West African country, which has a history of political violence, including at the 2010 election that brought Conde to power.

Conde, who rose to power in a military coup, is favoured to win a second term, although the result from Sunday's vote may be close enough to require a second round. Early results announced by radio stations so far showed Conde in the lead.

Hunger Kills 3.1m Children Every Year – Report

Nearly 800,000 people across more than 50 developing countries are suffering from hunger, with violent conflicts and instability being named among the main causes.However, the situation has improved somewhat since last year, according to the new Global Hunger Index report.

Some 795 million people are struggling with hunger, with one in nine people worldwide malnourished and nearly 3.1 million child deaths per year, said the Global Hunger Index report, released jointly on Monday by German charitable organization, Welthungerhilfe, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and Concern Worldwide.

RT report continues:

The Central African Republic and Chad, where people have long suffered from instability and violent conflicts, claimed first places on the list. “Conflict and hunger are closely connected,” says the report.

Dogara: Northeast IDPs Number Hits 5m

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara

The number of Nigerians displaced in the northeast region has reached the 5 million mark, speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has said. As such, the speaker said, the House is looking at the possibility of setting up a standing committee for IDPs, whose main preoccupation is to cater for the displaced Nigerians.
The speaker said this yesterday when he received the head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Ms. Angel Dekonge Antangara in the National Assembly.

Dogara’s revelation contradicts the earlier figures of 2.1 million IDPs number, the figure which the speaker himself refuted.

“As an indigene of the North East, it is safe to say the number of IDPs in Nigeria can be up to 5 Million. The NHCR deals with symptoms of terrorism which is the displacement,” he said.

Victory Over Cameroon Saved Oliseh – Ogba, Proprietor of Ebonyi Angels

Sunday Oliseh arrived the unveiling ceremony at the National Stadium, Abuja in company of his Belgian assistant Francois Losciuto, accompanied by his younger sister

As Nigerian soccer analysts continue to comment on the double header international friendlies against Congo last Thursday and Cameroon on Sunday in Belgium, a former member of the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Senator Obinna Ogba says the 3-0 win over Cameroon has saved Super Eagles Chief Coach, Sunday Oliseh from critics and Nigerian football fans.

Ogba who is also the proprietor of Ebonyi Angels told journalists in Abuja that Super Eagles 2-0 defeat by Congo in the first match was due largely to the disagreement between Oliseh and former team captain, Vincent Enyeama. He observed that the fracas affected the Super Eagles.

He therefore advised Oliseh and the NFF not to destroy what was on ground before his arrival.

Terrorist Attacks Increased 9 Times Since ‘War On Terror’ Declaration 14 Years Ago

People and Shi'ite fighters gather at the site of a car bomb attack in Baghdad © Stringer / Reuters

Ever since the tragic events of 9/11 and US President George W. Bush declared a “War on Terror”, the number of attacks across the planet has increased ninefold, from 1,882 in 2001 to 16,818 in 2014, according to UMD’s Global Terrorism Database.

The statistics by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland includes all global terrorist acts, from the 9/11 bombings in the US to the Hebdo attacks in France and those further afield.

Ugandan Deployment 'Stopped Genocide'; Soldiers 'Coming Home' From South Sudan

President Salva Kiir (left) signed a peace deal in August witnessed by Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni (Photo: AFP)

The Ugandan government says that the deployment of its soldiers to neighbouring South Sudan in 2013 at the start of the civil war there "helped to stop what was likely to be the worst genocide in the region".

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem says in a statement that Uganda's intervention "halted" massacres in the town of Bor.

The government has now announced that Ugandan soldiers will start withdrawing soon in line with a peace deal.

FIFA Source Says New Secret Evidence 'Verging On The Criminal' Can Take Down Sepp Blatter And Leave Platini In Wilderness

Sepp Blatter has been in charge of FIFA since 1998 but his days in football appear to be numbered; The Septuagenarian Swiss insists he is innocent but his 17-year reign appears to drawing to a close

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini face being thrown out of football for years on the basis of new secret evidence of financial wrongdoing passed to FIFA’s ethics committee in the past few days, a senior source inside the world governing body has told The Mail on Sunday. If it transpires to be as damning as insiders believe, Blatter’s 17-year reign as president will be over for good, while Platini’s future in football politics will be in shreds.

Michel Platini lit up the Eighties with his displays for Juventus and France, but his legacy is now tarnished

‘Emotions are high at present but this is far more serious than anyone can imagine,’ said a high-ranking source close to the ethics committee. ‘The reality is that this is beyond clumsiness, it possibly verges on a criminal offence.’

Blatter and Platini have been suspended for 90 days while the ethics committee investigates an irregular ‘disloyal’ payment of £1.3million to Platini, sanctioned by Blatter, in 2011.

Guinea Opposition: We Cannot Accept Ballot

Despite voting on Sunday, Mr Diallo said there were problems with the poll (Photo: AFP)

The AFP news agency is now reporting quotes from Guinea's main presidential opposition candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo who has rejected Sunday's presidential poll.

"We cannot accept this ballot, we request it be annulled," he said speaking on behalf of all the seven opposition candidates.

"We will not give in, we have the right to express our opposition," he added.

Senate 'Receives' Second Ministerial List

Senate President Bukola Saraki says he has received the second batch of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees. Just as it happened on September 30, when Buhari sent the first batch of nominees to the senate, Monday’s batch was delivered by Ita  Enang, his special adviser on national assembly matters (senate), and Abba Kyari, his chief of staff.

Nigerian Churches, Others Causing Increased Witchcraft Persecution In UK – Group

Helen Ukpabio leads Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries has been prevented by the Home Office from entering Britain

The significant rise in cases of witchcraft allegations and persecution in the UK has been attributed to the activities of African – especially Nigerian – churches in the country. Gary Foxcroft, Executive Director of the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network, said in a statement Monday that the churches are growing at a phenomenal rate across the UK.

“Most of them are branches of large mega churches from Africa,” said Mr. Foxcroft.

“Some of these churches are known to promote the idea that children can be witches. Indeed the head of one of the biggest churches in Africa was captured on YouTube slapping a young woman and calling her a witch.

Chinese Woman In Tanzania Court Over Ivory Trafficking

Yang Feng Clan, 66, was charged Wednesday in Dar es Salaam alongside two Tanzanians with smuggling 1.9 tons of ivory between Jan. 1, 2000 and May 22, 2014.

A Chinese businesswoman is seeking a bail after being charged in a Tanzanian court with trafficking ivory worth US$2.5m (£1.7m) without a permit, as well as involvement in organized crime. Investigators say Ms Yang Feng Glan, described by some as "ivory queen", ran a poaching and trafficking ring in Tanzania even though she was known for her successful restaurant and farming businesses.

BBC reports that authorities said she was arrested last week in Dar es Salaam after tracking her for a year.

They accuse her of financing the killings of hundreds of elephants and trading some 700 tusks over a period of 14 years.

Vote Counting Begins In Guinean Presidential Poll Amid Tension; The BIG Question: Will Guinea Vote Be Free And Fair?

Counting started at night, as soon as polls closed (Photo: AFP)

Votes are being counted following Sunday's presidential election in Guinea, which went off peacefully. There were seven opposition candidates and some have denounced what they see as irregularities in the President Alpha Condé's strongholds.

BBC reports that they have all been critical of the electoral commission, saying that the electoral roll was not complete and that some people could not find their names.

The candidates are due to hold a press conference later today.

FOR THE RECORD: Nigeria Can Generate 45,000 MW From Coal – Senator

Coal plant. (Credit:greenstonegirlpix via Flickr.)

A member of the National Assembly, Ibrahim Gobir (APC Sokoto East), on Sunday in Abuja said the nation could generate 45,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity if it utilized its coal reserves. He told the News Agency of Nigeria that if the coal resource in Enugu, Benue and Kogi were harnessed, power problems in the country would be a thing of the past.

The senator, who was speaking on the challenges of Nigeria at 55, said that challenges in the country could be surmounted if there was a political will to do so.

“During those days, we were using coal to generate electricity in Enugu and other places; today, if we want to generate 45,000MW, we can generate that using coal.

Corruption In The South Africa’s Police: Stop Rot, Rotate Cops

"We agreed that it is about time that we start rotating police officers so that the person is not stationed in an area for a long time, because that is creating problems." said Nqakula. Image by: Sunday Times

In a bid to stamp out corruption in the police, the ANC wants law enforcement officers to be periodically rotated around the country. Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said yesterday in her report to the ANC's National General Council on "peace and stability" that the party's members had raised concerns about "the stagnation of police officers" , causing problems in the investigation of cases.

"... this has led to a situation in which the police are not objective in the manner in which they conduct their investigation, so at times there is no guarantee that the police will be impartial in the manner in which [they] conduct investigations," said Mapisa-Nqakula.

These Two Stories Are Related But The Reader Must Figure If They Are Or Not (READ TO THE END FIRST)

What President Buhari Did Quietly To Improve Our Electricity

Many have been puzzled and piqued over this question. How did the new Buhari/Osinbajo government suddenly and rather drastically improve the power situation in Nigeria literally overnight? Apart from Asari-Dokubo and the people of Borno, most Nigerians have celebrated stretches of uninterrupted power like never before. My niece and nephew were overheard arguing on if it had been a full 24 hours of uninterrupted light. One said it was, the other said it was over 20 hours but not 24. In the past they barely had 20 hours of light per week. It's been so across Nigeria, an unexplained miracle of the new "change" government.

Protests As 10 UI Students Collapse in Exam Hall

About 10 students of the University of Ibadan collapsed in the examination hall on Sunday, forcing some of their colleagues to assault officials of the university’s Distance Learning Centre (DLC). A student said poor arrangement on the part of the organizers of the programme, was responsible for the incident.

He said each of the DLC students, paid over ₦118,000 per session, arguing that they deserve being treated properly.

He explained that the chaotic situation occurred at the Adebayo Akande hall, Ajibode, where different batches of students, were to sit for GES 101 examination, starting from 9am.

“About 10 students actually collapsed, and were immediately rushed to Jaja Clinic (the university health centre),” the student said.

EBOLA OUTBREAK: Family Of Ebola Nurse Complains Of Ill Treatment In Scotland

Pauline Cafferkey © Ken McKay/ITV/REX Shutterstock

Doctors sent home nurse with Ebola FOUR days before she was put back into isolation unit: Pauline Cafferkey's family condemn 'absolutely diabolical' treatment and claim doctors 'missed a big opportunity' and told her she had a virus

Doctors treating British nurse Pauline Cafferkey 'missed a big opportunity' to spot she had fallen ill with Ebola for a second time after dismissing her symptoms as a virus, her family claim. Toni Cafferkey said it was 'absolutely diabolical' the way her sister, who originally contracted Ebola while volunteering in Sierra Leone last year, had been treated since falling ill again with the potentially-fatal disease.

Pauline, 39, was admitted to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London on Thursday night – four days after being sent home by doctors who diagnosed her with a virus.

THE PUNCH INTERVIEW: Blame Obasanjo For Yar’Adua, Jonathan’s Failure — Bakare

Pastor Tunde Bakare

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, spoke to BAYO AKINLOYE and TOBI AWORINDE about President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of ministerial nominees, among other issues.

What do you think about President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees so far and what input did you have in the selection process?

We all waited for President Buhari’s list to come out. We have seen it and we trust God for the best as regards these people he (Buhari) chose by himself after due consultation with the Vice President (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo) and the party (the All Progressives Congress). We trust that as some of them had performed well in time past (in areas) that we can point to, they would had the grace to also do extraordinarily well for the citizens of Nigeria.

Looted Billions: Buhari Tightens Noose On Jonathan’s Men

President Muhammadu buhari

There were indications over the weekend that President Muhammadu buhari’s anti-corruption war is being revved up as investigations closed-in on another confidant of President Goodluck Jonathan. The on-going investigations border on some scandalous deals in the petroleum industry regarding Offshore Processing Agreements, OPAs, whereby crude oil, worth billions of naira, was given to traders in exchange for refined imported products – specifically, Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, as well as the illegal use of diplomatic passports by some individuals to engage in illegal foreign exchange movements.

Sunday Vanguard investigations also revealed that the presidential directive issued last month, instructing the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, to withdraw diplomatic passports from some individuals, who are no longer in service, was a swift move by the Buhari Presidency to forestall what a source described as the “the continued use of the passports by some dirty individuals to smuggle foreign exchange out of the country”.

Guinea Goes To Poll As Opposition Cries Foul; Millions To Vote (LONG READ)

People queue to cast their votes during Presidential elections in Bambeto neighbourhood of Conakry, Guinea, Oct. 11, 2015.

Polls opened in Guinea on Sunday, but the country’s opposition candidates claim there is little chance of the vote being free and fair. Voters lined up across Guinea’s ocean-side capital early Sunday. President Alpha Condé is running for a second term against seven opposition candidates.

While looting and clashes between rival political supporters occurred earlier in the week in Guinea, there was no sign of trouble in Conakry as polls opened.