leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau listed among 100 Most Influential People in the world by Time Magazine

As expected the leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Abubakar
Shekau, who was named among the 100 Most Influential People in
the world by Time Magazine, did not attend the Gala 100 held in
New York.
The event held at Lincoln Center, New York was put together to
celebrate the 100 influential people in the world.
His selection drew criticism from Nigerians who felt that TIME
magazine might be promoting the evil of the sect by naming him as
one of the Most Influential People in the World for 2015.
shekau-influentialThree other Nigerians, namely, the president-
elect, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buahri(retd), award-winning
novelist, Chimamanda Adichie and BringBackOurGirls campaigner,
Oby Ezekwesili made the list.

U.S Government Wants Global Position For Jonathan

                                         As global commendation continue to pour for President Goodluck Jonathan over his role in recent peaceful elections in Nigeria, U.S. Vice President, Joe Bidden called on Monday to commend for his leadership.

US admits two hostages killed in al-Qaeda raid

                             

      The White House has said that a US counterterrorism operation in January accidentally killed two hostages who were being held by al-Qaeda.

Warren Weinstein, an American, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian, were killed in the raid in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

President Barack Obama described it as a painful loss he profoundly regretted.

Two other Americans thought to be al-Qaeda members were also killed, one of them in the same raid.

Indonesia executions: Foreign envoys summoned to prison

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death in 2006 for drug smuggling

Indonesia has summoned foreign embassy officials to the prison where 10 convicted drug smugglers, including the Bali Nine pair, will be executed.

Diplomats confirmed to the BBC that they had been told to go to the island prison of Nusakambangan on Saturday.

The request could suggest that the executions of the mainly foreign prisoners are imminent, but no official execution date has yet been set.

The prisoners must be given a final notice 72 hours before their execution.

The group includes people from Brazil, France, Nigeria and the two convicted Australian ringleaders of the Bali Nine heroin-smuggling ring, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

The tenth death row prisoner, Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso from the Philippines, was being transferred to Nusakambangan prison on Friday.

"It's true, we have been told to be there on Saturday," an unnamed diplomat told Reuters news agency.

"We still don't know when the actual date of execution will happen but we expect that it will be in days."

Authorities have said the 10 inmates will be executed together but no date has been given

Who are the 10 people on death row?

Earlier, a spokesman for Indonesia's attorney general's office said that prosecutors had been told to begin making their preparations for the executions.

"This order has been issued so that the officials make preparations concerning their role," said spokesman Tony Spontana, as quoted by AFP.

A lawyer for two Australian prisoners - who were sentenced to death in 2006 - expressed concern over the latest developments.

Peter Morrisey told ABC News that the legal process was not yet finished but that it looked as though "the attorney general's office is determined to press ahead and hustle through".

Appeals for clemency have already been rejected by the courts in Indonesia

Indonesia has faced heavy criticism from the countries whose nationals are facing execution.

Australia has mounted a strong diplomatic campaign on behalf of Chan and Sukumaran, while their families have argued that they are reformed characters and should be shown mercy.

The pair have already had clemency appeals rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo earlier this year.

Mr Widodo, who took office in 2014, has a policy of denying clemency to drug offenders, saying the drug trade has caused huge damage to Indonesia.

Kenya: Cow 'starts eating sheep' on Nakuru farm

                                                                                                             A farmer in Kenya says one of his cows has given up its usual vegetarian diet and started eating sheep.

Charles Mamboleo, who runs a farm in south-western Nakuru County, discovered the cow feeding on a sheep one morning, having apparently gored it to death, the Daily Nation website reports. Fresh food and water couldn't tempt the cow, and another sheep met its end the following day, the report says. "After the first incident, we thought the cow was starving, so we increased the supply of fodder and water, but it still continued chasing after sheep," says Mr Mamboleo.

While cows are herbivores, developing a taste for meat could be a sign of a nutrient deficiency, according to a local agricultural officer. "The dry season, which has just ended, has seen most animals lack minerals found in green grass," Albert Kabugi tells the site. In 2007, a calf in India's West Bengal region was filmed eating chickens. A local vet said he suspected a lack of vital minerals was also to blame in that case, noting that it could happen in "exceptional" circumstances.

South Africa's Johannesburg marches against xenophobia

                                                                             About 30,000 people are marching through South Africa's main city, Johannesburg, to demand an end to a recent wave of xenophobic attacks.

Both locals and immigrants are taking part, with placards saying "Africa Unite" and "Welcome foreigners".

An anti-xenophobic protest is also taking place in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth.

South Africa's army was deployed to flashpoints on Monday to prevent further violence.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Dagrin

Today April 22, marks 5 years the unforgettable rapper Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun, popularly known as Dagrin passed on after he was involved in a ghastly motor accident.

Dagrin

The unfortunate accident which claimed his life happened in the early hours on April 14, 2010 after his car collided with a stationary trailer (heavy duty vehicle) in front of Alakara Police Station, off Agege Motor Road, Mushin, Lagos.

Ebola drug cures monkeys infected with West African virus strain

                                                                             An experimental drug has cured monkeys infected with the Ebola virus, US-based scientists have said.

The treatment, known as TKM-Ebola-Guinea, targets the Makona strain of the virus, which caused the current deadly outbreak in West Africa.

All three monkeys receiving the treatment were healthy when the trial ended after 28 days; three untreated monkeys died within nine days.

Scientists cautioned that the drug's efficacy has not been proven in humans.

Rwanda genocide tribunal holds final hearings

      The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has held its final hearings into crimes carried out during the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people died.

In more than 20 years of operation, the UN-backed court has indicted 93 people for their roles in the violence.

It was the first international tribunal to deliver verdicts in relation to genocide and recognise rape as a means of carrying out genocide.

Ethiopian mass protest against IS killings in Libya

                               Tens of thousands of Ethiopians have attended a rally in the capital, Addis Ababa, condemning the murders of Ethiopians by Islamic State militants.

More than 20 migrant workers - most thought to be Ethiopian Christians - were killed by the Libyan branch of IS.

Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria begins Sambisa ground offensive

                              Nigerian ground troops have joined an offensive on the last known hideout of the Boko Haram Islamist militants, a military spokesman has told the BBC.

The vast north-eastern Sambisa forest is where they have many bases - and it has been subject to aerial bombardments since February.

There has been speculation that some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped more than a year ago are being held there.

Angola police raid Kalupeteka sect in Huambo

                                                                                Police in Angola have denied reports that some 200 members of a sect have been killed but they have confirmed 22 deaths, including nine officers.

The main opposition party, Unita, says police carried out a massacre in revenge for the officers' deaths.

The clashes occurred in central Huambo province when police raided a camp looking for sect leader Jose Julino Kalupeteka on 16 April.

He is accused of inciting civil disorder and is now in police custody.

Murder Suspect Nabbed In Nigeria After Fleeing UK

An investigation has revealed that a Nigerian accused of murdering a 19-year-old British CBBC television channel star, Carl Beatson-Asiedu, in the UK in 2009, had fled from justice to Nigeria on his brother’s passport.

Suspect accused of murder managed to escape from British cops to Nigeria on his brother’s passport.

Champion Pilot Killed In Air Display Crash

An award-winning pilot has died after his light aircraft crashed during an
aerobatics display in Norfolk.
Emergency crews were called to Old Buckenham Airfield near Attleborough at
about 2.40pm after a member of the public raised concerns about a plane
flying in the area.
The pilot, named locally as David Jenkins, was flying an Edge 360 plane, which
is understood to have been taking part in a media event to launch the Old
Buckenham Airshow.
Mr Jenkins, who was in his 50s, was a member of the Wildcat Aerobatic
Team, based at the airfield.
A friend, who did not wish to be named, said: "He was the best bloke I knew.
"He was highly skilled and knew exactly what he was doing."
According to his profile on the team's website, Mr Jenkins bought the Edge
aircraft in 2009 and was a two-time British advanced aerobatic champion.
Simon Garrett, a pilot who flew out of the airfield on Wednesday morning, said
he found out about the crash when he returned and was diverted elsewhere.
He said: "It is a terrible tragedy and very unusual because the teams involved
are highly skilled.
"I knew the gentleman involved and he was very experienced."
A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "Officers attended, along with colleagues
from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and the East of England Ambulance
Service, to find wreckage near to the airfield.
"Police believe one person has died as a result of the crash and officers are
currently trying to identify and inform next of kin."
The crash site has been cordoned off and the Air Accidents Investigation
Branch informed.

Belle Gibson Admits Lying About Brain Cancer

A "wellness" guru who shot to fame after claiming she cured her terminal
brain cancer with wholefoods and natural therapies has admitted she never
had the disease.
Belle Gibson has confessed in an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly:
"None of it's true."
"I don’t want forgiveness. I just think (speaking out) was the responsible thing
to do. Above anything, I would like people to say, 'OK, she's human'."
The 23-year-old's "wellness" empire, which included a best-selling mobile
phone app called The Whole Pantry and a website and recipe book of the
same name, is now foundering in the face of a fierce public backlash over her
hoax.

Boko Haram Leader, Shekau Shuns TIME 100 Gala

                                 

As expected the leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Abubakar
Shekau, who was named among the 100 Most Influential People in
the world by Time Magazine, did not attend the Gala 100 held in
New York.
The event held at Lincoln Center, New York was put together to
celebrate the 100 influential people in the world.
His selection drew criticism from Nigerians who felt that TIME
magazine might be promoting the evil of the sect by naming him as
one of the Most Influential People in the World for 2015.
shekau-influentialThree other Nigerians, namely, the president-
elect, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buahri(retd), award-winning
novelist, Chimamanda Adichie and BringBackOurGirls campaigner,
Oby Ezekwesili made the list.

Open Letter To Korede Bello, Please Do Not Remix Godwin

                                     

Dear Korede Bello, please do not remix Godwin
Korede Bello must be on cloud nine. His song Godwin is currently
Nigeria’s most popular song. So popular is it that some have even
gone as far as saying it is now the de facto anthem of Nigerians all
over the world. With this one song, he has achieved what every
musician actively aims for. It is also important to note that this
song is actually Korede’s second or third single as a professional
musician. With this, he has joined the likes of Davido, Kiss Daniel
and Patoranking as musicians who through one single attained
‘superstar status’ or in his own unique case, ‘mega superstar status’.
I did not fully appreciate how popular the song was until almost all
politicians who emerged victorious during the just concluded
elections adopted it as their ‘unofficial victory anthem’.

THE World Health Organisation has revealed how many children across the world are unvaccinated, saying it is causing millions of “unnecessary deaths”.

The peak health body says a fifth of the world’s children are still not receiving routine lifesaving vaccinations.
It went on to warn that efforts to ensure global immunisation coverage remain “far off track”.
Nearly 22 million infants, many living in the world’s poorest countries, missed out in 2013 on the routine vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus (DTP3), WHO said, citing the latest available data.                      Unnecessary deaths ... Nearly 22 million infants, many living in the world’s poorest countries, missed out in 2013 on the routine vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. Picture: Supplied                                                           Nearly half of them are in three countries: India, Pakistan and Nigeria.
This is of grave concern, said Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, head of WHO’s vaccine unit, pointing out that there are still 1.5 million premature deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases each year.
“Today WHO is calling for the global community to close the immunisation gap and the unnecessary disability and deaths caused by the failure to vaccinate,” he told reporters in Geneva ahead of World Immunisation Week, which starts on Friday.  

50 Year Old Woman Gives Birth To Twins After 14 Years

Roseline Akinsola, 50, on Monday delivered a set of twins after 14 years of childlessness.

Osun Workers Plan To Boycott Workers Day Celebrations

Workers in Osun state have agreed to boycott the activities to mark the 2015 workers day celebrations due to the non-payment of five months salaries by the state government.

Making this known to Punch in Osogbo on Tuesday, April 21, Mr. Francis Adetunji, the factional Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, said the entire workers in Osun had unilaterally agreed to boycott the workers day celebration in the state so as to express their grievances  over their unpaid wages.

Betrayal? PDP Chief Who Worked For APC Victory Opens Up

According to him, he decided to work for the APC because of the injustice perpetrated against PDP members and the imposition of candidates during the elections by some state governors at various levels.

Tapgun revealed this while addressing newsmen at his country home in Jos on April 21, Tuesday, The Punch reports.

A Japanese magnetic levitation train has broken its own world speed record, hitting 603km/h (374mph) in a test run near Mount Fuji

The train beat the 590km/h speed it had set last week in another test.

Maglev trains use electrically charged magnets to lift and move carriages above the rail tracks.

Central Japan Railway (JR Central), which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027.

The 280km journey would take only about 40 minutes, less than half the current time.