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Nigeria: Woman busted with 180 pellets of heroin, www.africagist.com

D’banj has openly congratulated his former business partner, Don Jazzy for the successful launch of his record label Mavin Records. The two former partners who co-owned Mo’Hits Records broke up their nine year-relationship early this year with efforts to reconcile them proving abortive. D’banj tweeted some hours ago that, “Congrats to my brother and the best producer in Africa Don jazzy on the launch of his new Record Label, MAVIN RECORDS. Wish you all the best.” In a show of love and appreciation to D’banj’s congratulatory message, Don Jazzy replied to his tweet with “Thanks bro[ther]. God bless you.” Don Jazzy announced the launch of his new label Monday and also announced the signing of Tiwa Savage onto the label. He, however, left Mo’Hits with three of its best acts, Dr Sid, Wande Coal and DaPrince.

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Congresswomam michele bachmann write Jonathan over Boko Haram.
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A wedding thrown by members of the radical Boko Haram Islamist group ended in deadly violence Saturday. A Nigerian military spokesman said troops were monitoring the wedding in the northeastern city of Maiduguri when members of the Boko Haram sect opened fire on them. Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said three civilians were killed and four people were wounded. Musa said soldiers only began firing after they came under attack. The shooting is the latest in a series of increasingly violent incidents possibly involving the radical Islamist group. Officials in eastern Taraba state said gunmen in military uniforms abducted five people from a remote, tied their hands and shot and executed them late Friday. Nigerian officials blamed Boko Haram militants Friday for a deadly jailbreak, also in the country’s northeast. Authorities in Borno state said gunmen stormed the prison and killed two guards, allowing an unknown number of prisoners to escape. Police spokesman Samuel Tizhe said 23 prisoners have since been recaptured. Some Nigerians also alleged the group might have been involved in a brutal cattle raid earlier this week that left 34 people dead. The attack on a cattle market in the northern city of Potiskum also injured more than 20 people. Scores of livestock were killed, stolen or maimed. Witnesses say the attack followed an earlier incident where a gang sought to rob traders at the market. One of the robbers was caught while trying to escape and burned to death. The gunmen returned later that night shooting indiscriminately at the market and throwing explosives. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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THE founder and General Overseer of Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo has inspected the site for the smooth take-off of the Cross River campus of the Covenant University Otta in Ogun State. The proposed University which is expected to take-off soon would offer courses like Engineering, Computer Science, as well as other courses which are not offered by the University of Calabar and the Cross River State University of Technology. Oyedepo who is also the Chairman, Board of Governors of Surefoot American International School, SAIS, Calabar inspected the school’s Science Laboratory, Science Exhibition Hall, School Library, Kindergarten session amongst others. He was taken round some places of interest including Tinapa Business Resort as well as SAIS after visiting the State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke and his wife, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke. Present at the visit to the governor and his wife were the State Commissioners for Lands and Education, Surveyor Raph Uche and Prof Offiong E. Offiong respectively, Resident Pastor of Winners Chapel Calabar and his wife as well as Bishop Josef Bassey of God’s Heritage Church Calabar.

By Ibrahim Mshelizza and Mike Oboh MAIDUGURI/ABUJA (Reuters) -Gunmen threw bombs and opened fire on a cattle market in remote northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 60 people, a spokesman for Yobe state governor said, an attack whose motives remain unknown. “The Yobe State Governor has visited the Potiskum cattle market where he was informed that 60 people had been killed in the attack, while 29 people are receiving treatment at the Hospital,” Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, told Reuters by telephone. It was not clear who was behind the attack overnight on Wednesday in the town of Potiskum. The town has been an occasional target for militant Islamist sect Boko Haram but it also suffers occasional bouts of ethnic violence over land disputes. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. A hospital nurse said he had counted 56 bodies at the Potiskum morgue. “I am sure that the death toll could rise in view of the serious nature of injuries sustained,” the nurse at Potiskum hospital, Babangida, said. “The Potiskum mortuary is made up of a room and a parlor and I counted the 56 in the parlor only. I didn’t go into the inner room.” Police Commissioner Moses Namiri earlier said security forces had confirmed 34 killed and that Islamist sect Boko Haram was suspected to be behind the attack. “Everybody knows the modus operandi of BH (Boko Haram): they threw explosives and used guns,” he said. “The gunfire lasted for almost an hour.” Witness Mama Yusuf, a retired civil servant, said there were bodies on the ground, though he could not say how many. “I saw dead bodies all around the place and the emergency services taking people to hospitals,” he said. Boko Haram has been fighting a low-level insurgency for more than two years and has become the main security threat facing Africa’s top oil producer, although it is far from any oil producing facilities. It usually targets police or authority figures, and although civilians increasingly have borne the brunt of its attacks, they are normally targeted for being a perceived enemy of the group, such as Christians, not randomly killed. Sometimes violence in Nigeria, especially in parts of the north or the volatile Middle Belt -where the largely Christian south and Muslim north meet -is driven by ethnic rivalry over land and resources that has little to do with the Boko Haram. The sect, which wants to impose an Islamic state on Nigeria’s mixed population of Muslims and Christians, has been blamed for hundreds of killings since its uprising against the government began in 2009. A spate of attacks in the past few days, including one against Christians in the north that killed 19 people on Sunday, have dampened hopes that tighter security had significantly reduced the sect’s capability. Nigerian forces killed the suspected mastermind of Sunday’s attack on Christian worshippers, in a raid in the main northern city of Kano on Tuesday that resulted in a gun battle lasting several hours. (Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Michael Roddy)

RevStevenC: I am back and in the mood for a good conversation. I did go to church this morning and the great thing about walking into the church I belong to is the immense feeling of love I feel when I enter the door. No expectations of me from anyone except to be honest with my feelings and faith to God through Christ Jesus. Jesus said if you are ashamed of me before men how can I represent you before my father? I am not ashamed by my faith and the reality we live in now gentleman is just that a physical reality. Spiritual reality is something entirely different and I have personally witnessed evil and good on the spiritual level. Seen it with my own eyes the boogie man hanging over my bed and witnessed by a non believing of any faith person. Now know this we are just a small part of the biggest picture in all of creation, but we have a chance of redemption and forgiveness for trying to make ourselves in a God form, not relying on the truths of who God really is. I feel truly horrible when I know or heard of someone I know who has passed away and did not know a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I who used to serve in the Marines and US Army witness a greater truth in God and his promises to us than what we can manifest through the interpretation of intelligent men and women. Great people cannot even come close to imagining and explaining the infinitesimal existence of God the Father.

I can sit and debate on what we all believe and we would all come up with all different ideas of who we think God is. Can we agree on that? And I know how crazy it sounds how the world was created and went through it's different stages of so called evolution. But I know in my heart the day I leave this earth I am banking on the truth of the promises of Jesus Christ and God almighty. I would rather die with His name on my lips than still remain here today living a lie. Would I impose my will on others to believe what i believe and hurt them to believe what I believe? Absolutely not! Free will is something that is given unto us and it hurts me more to think I wish it was not given to us, but it was, and it has led so called horrific times through Christian and Muslim coexistence. But remember God says he wishes that none would perish that all were made in Hos image. So, how can we in good conscience kill our brothers? How could we even kill our enemies? When God says He wishes none would perish?

You know guys I don't know you but my life before God was chaotic to say the least. But since I have come to know God and Christ Jesus and except through faith what God says there has been more peace in my life than I can understand. I pray God opens your hearts to His knowledge and not the foolishness of the world. Anyways enough of my rambling. I am an uneducated fellow, but i try my best to get my point out there and not be biased in a form or fashion. You know where I stand and I hope we can have further conversations in the near future.

Rev. Steven Chisholm
Service for Jesus Christ Ministries

Rev you made my day, thanks a lot

By SaharaReporters, New York The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed reports linking New York-based pastor and lawyer, Eric Abakporo, to “despicable” fraud: the theft of the life savings of an elderly African-American woman through deceit and lies. Following an investigation by the FBI and the NY State Attorney General’s Office, the federal prosecutor in Manhattan announced the indictment of Mr. Abakporo for a “brazen” and “despicable” fraud scheme –namely the theft of a multi-million dollar property from an elderly African-American woman through deceit and lies. In its press release, the federal prosecutor’s office said that IFEANYICHUKWU ERIC ABAKPORO, a Deeper Life pastor and attorney, and his cohort, LATANYA PIERCE, were under arrest for swindling a 78 year old woman out of her apartment building and stiffing a bank from whom they fraudulently obtained a $1.8 million mortgage loan. Abakporo was arrested Monday in Queens, NY. Pierce surrendered voluntarily and was placed under arrest. “Through lies and deception, these individuals abused the trust of an elderly woman in order to perpetrate a multimillion dollar fraud. Now that their despicable scheme has been exposed, they will face justice,” said New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Abakporo first came across the Sahara Reporters radar screen in 2010 in another controversy involving contracts for renovations at the Nigerian Mission and its living quarters. According to a petition authored by anonymous whistleblowers calling themselves “The Patriots,” the renovation contracts, linked to Joy Ogwu, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, were inflated. Although the Nigerian Mission paid several hundred thousand dollars to a company called St. Cyprian Properties for services in connection with these renovations, Abakporo has vehemently denied that he owns or controls St. Cyprian. Sahara Reporters reported on the Nigerian Mission controversy following articles in the New York Daily News about Abakporo’s alleged fraud of the elderly woman. The SaharaReporters story prompted the now-indicted lawyer to turn his fury on the citizen reporting website with a lawsuit raising libel, emotional distress and other charges for which he demanded $30 million. A U.S. District Court dismissed most of these unsubstantiated claims in an April 2010 decision. The story behind the current criminal charges against Abakporo began in March 2006 when Abakporo and his associate Pierce cultivated a relationship with the elderly victim who owned a Harlem apartment building. According to the indictment, they offered to help her collect rents but actually pocketed them. The indictment further charges that the two alleged con artists then persuaded the woman to sell her property for $3.1 million, giving her multiple fake and fraudulent checks which they later took back, in exchange for a “private mortgage” in the property–which they never recorded. After weaving a web of lies around their actions, the indictment charges, the two accused swindlers brought their act to a local bank, claiming they owned the building “free and clear”. According to the indictment, for this lie they obtained a $1.8 million mortgage which they failed to repay. Ultimately, the criminal complaint asserts, they fraudulently obtained the elderly woman’s apartment building and another $1.8 million by defrauding the bank. Charges against the two include multiple bank and wire fraud counts which together carry a maximum prison term of 100 years behind bars. Meanwhile, Abakporo is cooling his heels in detention where he is confined until he can post a $1 million bond secured by an interest in property and co-signed by three people. *The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, opened its case against a Nollywood movie producer, Ifeanyi Onyeabor, being tried for allegedly defrauding a Lagos-based company of N8.8 million. The EFCC began its case against the accused before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Ikeja High Court, Lagos, on a seven-count charge bothering on stealing and fraudulent conversion. EFCC prosecutor, Cosmas Ogwu, at the sitting on Thursday, called his first witness, Johnson Oshodi, an EFCC Investigative Officer. Oshodi told the court that he was mandated to investigate the matter following a petition sent to the commission by Steve-James Investment Ltd. “According to the petition, Onyeabor collected a total sum of N8.8 million from Steve-James Nigeria Ltd. in December, 2008,” he said. “The money was for the purpose of producing two movies entitled ‘Young Amazon’ and `Tribes`. “The money was collected in installments from the complainant.” The witness said that Onyeabor, who is the Managing Director of Igo Motion Pictures International, collected the money but failed to produce the movies. He said the accused was invited to the EFCC Office in Ikoyi to defend the allegations. Oshodi said that the accused could not explain what he did with the money he collected from the complainant. “The accused only showed us photographs of some people on horses, which he claimed was a scene from the movie,” the EFCC witness said. Thereafter, Justice Abiru adjourned the matter to June 4 for continuation. 41-year-old Onyeabor had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was granted bail. News Source.

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THE President may drop some ministers in a proposed cabinet shake-up, it was learnt last night. The reshuffle may take place after the first anniversary of the administration on May 29. A list of would-be ministers is being compiled and security checks are being carried out on them, according to sources.

President Goodluck Jonathan is said to be unhappy with the performance of about 17 ministers in his 42-man cabinet. But a senior government official, who confirmed the imminent shake-up last night, said: “Yes; it is likely, but it won’t be that massive.” Besides security reports and random assessment of the ministers, the President has taken “a deep interest in the submissions of ministers” at the ongoing stewardship programme organised by the Federal Ministry of Information.

It was learnt that Jonathan is disappointed that some of his ministers could not give account of their performance so far. Another source, who spoke in confidence, said: “I think there might be a cabinet reshuffle either a week before May 29 or a week after it. “As I am talking to you, at least 17 of the ministers may be shown the way out. These ministers have not performed up to the benchmark set by the President. “ The fuel subsidy probe is believed to have shown to the President some of the challenges in some of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

At the ongoing stewardship platform of the Federal Ministry of Information, some of the ministers could not list their achievements, The Nation learnt. The President is said to be unhappy with the pace of development in one of the ministries, considering the huge budgetary allocation to it last year.

A team was sent from the Presidency to conduct an appraisal of developments in the ministry and the verdict was not “encouraging”. Jonathan, it was said, was shocked that the New Maitama Extension District in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was named after him. “He has decided to reject it because he does not want any minister to personalise governance,” it was said. Said the source: “There was also a particular incident abroad when a minister did not live up to expectations of a public officer. There is no rationale for retaining such a minister.”

Responding to a question, the source said: “What the President is after is for ministers to be able to say exactly how many roads have been constructed; significant steps in the provision of housing; access to basic needs, such as water and electricity; and a situation where ministers in strategic ministries would have impacted on the lives of Nigerians.”

Pressed to give more insight into the imminent shake-up, the source identified some of the ministers. Some are said to have got hints of plans to drop them and have started lobbying to be retained. Many people are making a strong case for the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayyat Rufai, who was able to stave off the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) crisis and initiate reforms. The source said: “Although going by the assessment report before the President, the Minister of State for Education, Nyisom Wike, is rated higher in performance than Prof. Rufai, some forces are pushing for the retention of Rufai, in view of the synergy between the two ministers. “The team work in the Ministry of Education between the two ministers has been fairly better than the case in the past.

“A strong case is also being made for the retention of the Minister of Works Mike Onolememen who has succeeded in fixing some roads, which had been written off. Some forces believe that Onolememen has performed better than most of his predecessors. But the President does not like a situation where some vital roads are about 40-52 per cent completed.”

Some of those who may join the cabinet, if there are favourable security checks on them, are a former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund(PTDF), Hamisu Mai Rago; the immediate past acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kawu Baraje; former Deputy Governor of Imo State Ada Okwuonu; former National Chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo; ex-Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former PDP National Organising Secretary Uche Secondus; former PDP National Publicity Secretary Prof. Rufai Alkali; former PDP National Legal Adviser Olusola Oke; Senator Abba Aji and some of the aspirants who withdrew for the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, at the last National Convention.

But another source added that some members of the President’s kitchen cabinet are opposed to bringing “deadwoods” to the cabinet. The source said: “There are fears that some of the names being peddled may not add value to the cabinet. “So, in the next few weeks there will be more amendments to the list of new hands to be injected into the cabinet.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/45293-anxiety-grips-ministers-as-jonathan-plans-shake-up.html

he nation seems to be at a very bad point now that prominent citizens and elders who had been quiet about the scary security situation are now talking. It was a harvest of lamentations and condemnations for the bad turn things have taken in the country especially in security. The venue of the discourse is the International Conference Centre, Abuja. At the 50th birthday celebration of the Publisher of the Leadership newspaper, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah yesterday, sounds of despondence, hopelessness and failed expectations rang loud as the former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, declared openly that the nation had become another Somalia. He said: “The Somalianization of Nigeria nation is taking place right now. And for those of us from the North, I say it here that the North is on fire. Let us tell ourselves the truth and stop deceiving ourselves, the Chief Security Officer of every state is the governor, but I ask all of us here, where are the governors of the northern states that the region keeps burning and nothing seems to be done. The North has failed just like the entire nation. “Borno State as an instance has failed completely. Jigawa State has failed also and worst of all, Kano of all places is about to fail. So, where exactly are we going? We hear and see multi-million naira fences erected around Government Houses, but what about the citizens? Where is their security”, he asked. In his speech, former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, General Jeremiah Useni, also wondered what the government is doing about the high rate of insecurity and asked why Boko Haram targets and attacks the common and vulnerable citizens and spare those that should rightly be their target. During the major lecture at the event, former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, urged the nation to embrace dialogue and discuss how the nation is to exist. He argued that we have pretended for too long that there is no problem in the country and should accept the fact today and find a way of sorting out the differences in a dialogue that would be encompassing. Prof. Abdulahi also recounted that Nigeria’s problem, which is political and economic, worsened in the 1980s when the naira was devalued when, according to him, we had no product to sell to the outer world. In his speech, former Lagos State governor and national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, lambasted the Federal Government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for destroying Nigeria. Tinubu said the nation is at its worst point and never had it so bad in her entire history. “We are sinking in insecurity, hopelessness, fear, poverty, corruption and despondency and the PDP government is not doing anything about it. PDP has destroyed the nation and has failed also to confront the problem and that has exposed us to reaping the same common poverty, fear, death, unsafe society and lack of hope for tomorrow.” As the Asiwaju was addressing the gathering, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, entered the hall, and Tinubu looked at him and joked: “Honourable Speaker, I have seen your shirt and your attire, so of all the diseases in Nigeria, this is the one you chose to tackle.” Tambuwal spotted a T-.shirt bearing the name and emblem of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), indicating he had been at the labour rally to mark the May Day. The remark of the former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, took a different dimension as he blamed the problems weighing down the nation on the erosion of the concept of shame. He also took a swipe at Tinubu and cautioned him against blaming every problem of the nation on the inadequacies of PDP. He challenged him that there is no single political party in Nigeria that is better than the other or clean of the fault of destroying the nation. Nda-Isaiah’s birthday had a long list of dignitaries including a former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Chief Bisi Akande, Senator Danjuma Goje, former Governors Adamu Mu’azu, Ibrahim Shekarau, Segun Osoba, Malam Maitama Sule, among others.

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Malawi President Joyce Banda is said to have made an announced visit to Nigeria’s leader Goodluck Jonathan on his way from her official visit to South Africa and Liberia. Rumours were rife that Banda using a Presidential jet was in West African nation Nigeria where he was on an announced state visit after Liberia. Others speculated that the President had gone to visit Prophet TB Joshua at the Synagogue Church of All Nations. But Nigerian authorities say the Malawi leader had met President Jonathan in Abuja where they held talks and then left for Malawi. Meanwhile, TB Joshua was in Lagos. The President has never made a secret that that she has been consulting TB Joshua since 2009 when her husband suffered a stroke. Her husband was healed by TB Joshua’s prayers.

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KHARTOUM —A surging number of hungry refugees are fleeing fighting between Sudanese troops and ethnic rebels, with some reduced to foraging in the wild, the United Nations said on Monday. There has been “a notable increase in the number of new arrivals” who have crossed the border from South Kordofan into South Sudan’s Unity state, theUN humanitarian agency (OCHA) said in its weekly bulletin. The refugees are fleeing fighting between Sudanese troops and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement –North (SPLM-N), it said. An average of 234 people crossed into the South every day in April, compared with 84 per day in February and March, the bulletin added. The most serious border clashes yet between Sudan and South Sudan raged in April around the Heglig oil region, which is part of South Kordofan state. South Sudan occupied the Heglig area for 10 days and the South carried out air strikes over the border in Unity state. Elsewhere in South Kordofan, SPLM-N rebels besieged the town of Talodi into early April and, after a lull, fighting in the area intensified later in the month. “Newly arrived refugees told UNHCR that food shortages, concerns that they may not be able to reach Yida with the rainy season approaching and intense fighting in their places of origin have prompted them to move to Yida,” said the OCHA bulletin, covering the week to April 22. Yida refugee camp is a key destination for people fleeing the fighting in South Kordofan, which began in June last year. “Some new refugees from South Kordofan who arrived in South Sudan told humanitarian organisations that they were relying on wild food, because they could not plant because of the fighting and limited commercial supplies of food,” OCHA said. Sudan has cited security concerns in severely controlling access for foreign relief agencies to South Kordofan and Blue Nile, where a similar conflict began in September. The UN and others have warned for months that aid agencies need access throughout the area –including to rebel-held zones –to properly assess people’s needs and distribute assistance to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation. The insurgents fought alongside southern rebels during the civil war which ended in 2005, before the South’s independence last July. They deny Sudan’s allegation that they are supported by South Sudan. There are now more than 114,000 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, the UN says. www.africagist.com

Chief Operating Officer of Glo Mobile Ghana, George Andah (m) in a chat with some Ghanaian celebs during the 0233 launch Glo Mobile Ghana has finally launched its commercial services to become the sixth mobile operator in Ghana. The long-awaited launch successfully took place on Sunday after a series of postponements and a recent fine of $200,000 by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for its failure to launch on the stipulated date of April 20, 2012. Glo Mobile Ghana, a subsidiary of Globacom International -a Nigerian-based telecom giant –currently has 1.5 million people, who have reserved their numbers on their 0233 number reservation series. According to the Chief Operating Officer of Glo Mobile Ghana, George Andah, would-be subscribers can start making calls from Monday and to appease anxious customers, who have been waiting for long, the network will be accessible in all 10 regions of Ghana. Glo covers about 85% of land mass in the country and its reception covers 1,000 cities and towns in Ghana. Mr. Andah disclosed that Glo is offering free and unconditional GhC 0.20p daily for the next 100 days to every customer -whether one makes calls or otherwise. To add to that, subscribers will enjoy a 100% bonus on recharge plus another bonus on incoming calls. There will also be GhC 0.2p per minute calls for two special people as well as other bonuses for receiving or making international calls.

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Chief Operating Officer of Glo Mobile Ghana, George Andah (m) in a chat with some Ghanaian celebs during the 0233 launch Glo Mobile Ghana has finally launched its commercial services to become the sixth mobile operator in Ghana. The long-awaited launch successfully took place on Sunday after a series of postponements and a recent fine of $200,000 by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for its failure to launch on the stipulated date of April 20, 2012. Glo Mobile Ghana, a subsidiary of Globacom International -a Nigerian-based telecom giant –currently has 1.5 million people, who have reserved their numbers on their 0233 number reservation series. According to the Chief Operating Officer of Glo Mobile Ghana, George Andah, would-be subscribers can start making calls from Monday and to appease anxious customers, who have been waiting for long, the network will be accessible in all 10 regions of Ghana. Glo covers about 85% of land mass in the country and its reception covers 1,000 cities and towns in Ghana. Mr. Andah disclosed that Glo is offering free and unconditional GhC 0.20p daily for the next 100 days to every customer -whether one makes calls or otherwise. To add to that, subscribers will enjoy a 100% bonus on recharge plus another bonus on incoming calls. There will also be GhC 0.2p per minute calls for two special people as well as other bonuses for receiving or making international calls.

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(Reuters) -George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who is accused of murder in the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, has raised at least $200,000 through a website set up to fund his defense, his lawyer said on Thursday. Donors contributed “just over $200,000,” said Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s defense lawyer. The site set up to solicit funds for Zimmerman’s defense, therealgeorgezimmerman.com, has since been shut down. Zimmerman was released this week on $150,000 bail and has been moved to an undisclosed location. He had surrendered to police earlier this month after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in the February shooting death of Martin in a gated community in the central Florida town of Sanford. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and says he killed Martin in self defense. The incident has prompted civil rights protests and a national debate over guns, self-defense laws and race in America. O’Mara told CNN that he would inform the judge in the case of the funds on Friday. (Reporting By Chris Francescani; writing by Dan Burns; editing by Christopher Wilson) News Source: Reuters

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ABIDJAN (Reuters) -The West African regional bloc ECOWAS said on Thursday it would send troops to Mali and Guinea-Bissau to help swiftly reinstate civilian rule after their coups, and threatened sanctions if junta leaders try to cling to power. The decision was one of the most forceful moves by the group in recent years, and won the immediate support of the European Union as a way to reinforce democratic reform in a part of the world known for military coups and civil wars. “Overall, we’re very supportive of ECOWAS’s strong response to the situation in both countries. It’s a response that is shared by the international community,” said Nick Westcott, EU Managing Director for Africa. Soldiers in Mali, a country once viewed as a poster-child of democracy in Africa, overthrew the government in March, while the army of the tiny coastal nation of Guinea-Bissau seized power and derailed elections with a putsch on April 12. ECOWAS said it expected both Mali and Guinea-Bissau to hold presidential elections within 12 months, according to a statement issued after a meeting of heads of state in Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan. It called on junta leaders to release people detained during the coups and ensure the safety of ousted officials, and threatened sanctions, ranging from targeted individual measures to economic action, if its conditions were not met. “The heads of state and of government decided to take all the necessary measures in order to assist Mali in the re-establishment of its unity and of its territorial integrity,” said the statement, read to ECOWAS officials and journalists late on Thursday. “To this effect the heads of state and of government instructed the commission to begin with immediate effect the deployment of the standby force of ECOWAS conforming to the approved mandate.” It said it would also send a force to Guinea-Bissau. RISK OF CONFLICT The body, whose military and economic heavyweight is Nigeria, gave no details on the size of the deployments, but a Western diplomat told Reuters the contingent bound for Mali could number between 3,000 and 5,000. Mali’s coup took place as a Tuareg rebellion raged in its vast desert north and opened the door for the rebels, strengthened by fighters and weapons from Libya’s war, to seize control of the region in the days that followed. The junta that deposed president Amadou Toumani Toure weeks ahead of elections meant to replace him has since named a transitional government, marking one of the first steps toward the restoration of constitutional order. Toure fled the country for neighboring Senegal. In Guinea-Bissau, soldiers detained ex-prime minister Carlos Gomes Junior weeks ahead of a presidential election run-off that he was expected to win against rival Kumba Yala. They also detained the interim president, Raimundo Pereira. The country’s shadowy self-styled Military Command last week announced plans to set up a transitional government charged with organizing elections sometime in 2014, but the proposal was rejected by the United Nations, ECOWAS and the African Union. ECOWAS sources told Reuters on Wednesday the regional body planned to send a 638-strong regional force to Guinea Bissau within days to protect state institutions and people -an idea that diplomats said risked triggering conflict. A spokesman for the Military Command, Daha Bana na Walna, said last week that any foreign force arriving on Guinea-Bissau soil would be treated as occupiers. The Military Command sent a delegation to Thursday’s ECOWAS summit, but there was no word on whether the junta would accept the ECOWAS force. The former Portuguese colony has suffered several army uprisings since independence in 1974, but this latest has been a setback to Western efforts to combat drugs cartels using the country as a stopoff point to Europe. Armed Forces Chief Antonio Indjai is widely believed to have orchestrated the coup, though the Military Command has said he was deposed and Indjai himself has denied involvement. “Experience has shown that as long as the military have a stranglehold on the politics of the country, there will be no effective reform, no effective civilian administration, and no effective efforts to combat the drug trafficking which is known to be going on,” the EU’s Westcott said. “Now is finally an opportunity to remove the military, but clearly it’s reluctant to go voluntarily.” (Reporting by Joe Bavier; Writing and additional reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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LAGOS, Nigeria —The chaotic color of the megalopolis cascades past the window of his silver Mercedes SUV. A police escort with a flashing blue light clears the road ahead. Restless and irritated, the billionaire is in his bubble. With a slim, elegant finger, he prods his cellphone screen to redial after the call drops. He grills a squirming subordinate about a production problem that has persisted all week. The call drops again. A small sigh. He redials. “The day before yesterday you gave me a different excuse. Let’s see what excuse you will give me today.” His voice is calm, his brow furrowed ever so slightly. “Go and get your act together, please,” he says. “This matter is a disaster.” Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa. He dwarfs diamond kings, telecom giants and oil magnates, and his estimated $11.2-billion net worth is four times that of Oprah Winfrey’s. His only rival on Forbes’ global list of black billionaires is a Saudi of Yemeni-Ethiopian parentage who recently nudged Dangote from the top spot, thanks to a decline in Nigeria’s stock exchange. Read more at. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-nigeria-billionaire-20120426,0,2066157.story

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According to gist getting in from Bola Aduwo on her blog, top Ghanaian actor, Van Vicker was arrested in Lagos for possession of some arms last weekend. Van Vicker was billed to attend the just concluded Africa Movie Academy Awards in Lagos on Sunday but missed the event. He was reported to have been arrested by some men of the State Security Services (SSS) at the airport in Nigeria when some guns were foundin his luggage. He then told the SSS that the guns were props guns brought in for a movie. Not convinced enough, he was taken to the SSS office in Ikoyi, Lagos forfurther investigation, where he spent the night. The gist further has it that Van Vicker later tried contacting his families and a colleague, Uche Jombo, who was already at AMAA. His message sent through a BlackBerry Messager (BBM) to Uche Jombo, which she didn’t receive due too low battery, was received the next day. Uche has reportedly helped with the release of the light skinned actor.

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By John Okoronkwo for Africagist.com

The presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church a.k.a winners chapel continues to scale heights, this time the man of God announce that construction would soon begin on the new Kings University Abuja, his churchh is so blessed that they are going to pump in millions of dollars to kick-start the project , already the church new internet radio domimedia.org has gone massively viral online.

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By John Okoronkwo for Africagist.com

The presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church a.k.a winners chapel continues to scale heights, this time the man of God announce that construction would soon begin on the new Kings University Abuja, his churchh is so blessed that they are going to pump in millions of dollars to kick-start the project , already the church new internet radio domimedia.org has gone massively viral online.

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sukka:-An alleged man of God in the University town of Nsukka, Enugu state has reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself using a ceiling fan few weeks after inviting the dreaded Adoro deity in his compound to protect him and his family from enemies. The alleged man of God, who was simply addressed as ThankGod hailed from Mbuke village in Nsukka Local Government Area, was said to be conducting prayers and crusades for different kinds of people seeking divination for different issues of life. Crime Alert gathered that the alleged man of God had tricked his wife away from the family house before he embarked on the suicide mission. Few weeks ago, the said man of God, who was engaged in a land tussle with his relations, invited the dreaded Alor-ano Adoro deity to protect himself and his family. Reports revealed that his relations had consulted the Adoro deity to intervene in tussle for the said piece of land between them and the alleged man of God. Fears that the deity may attack and kill him, the alleged man of God equally invited the same Adoro deity to protect him. An eye witness to the deity rituals, told Crime Alert that on the day of the rituals, a live tortoise dressed with stripes of red cloth was paraded the compound while the chief priest made incantations to crown the rituals, shots of canon guns were fired into the air to show that Adoro deity has been invited for protection from the hands of enemies. On a visit, Crime Alert, to the home of the deceased ‘ man of God’ people stood hands akimbo in front of house the deceased as both his wife and mother were not around when he took his life. As the time of filling this report asked if the police were aware of the incident an anonymous said that it was the duty of the deceased relations to report to the police.

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U.S. Warns Of Possible Terror Attacks In Kenya NAIROBI, April 24 (Bernama) –The United States embassy in Nairobi on Monday warned that an imminent terrorist attack in Kenya is possible. A warning from the embassy said the likely targets include Nairobi hotels and prominent Kenyan government buildings and places foreigners frequently gather such as shopping malls and night clubs. “The US Embassy informs US citizens residing in or visiting Kenya that the US Embassy in Nairobi has received credible information regarding a possible attack on Nairobi hotels and prominent Kenyan government buildings,” it said, Xinhua news agency reported. The warning comes as the country’s security forces have been on high alert across the country, in particular in northern Kenya over an imminent suicide bombing attack by members of the Al-Shabaab group from neighbouring Somalia.

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Ghana Expected To Earn US$1.0 Billion A Year From Gas, www.africagist.com

The Northern intelligentsia and political leaders are now getting excited by the resignation of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from the post of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, and are more prepared to regain their groove with him on strategic reasons, Sunday Tribune can report. Obasanjo, according to fresh findings, has been receiving different delegations from the North, both in Abuja and his Abeokuta home, since the news of his resignation as BoT chairman of the ruling party broke out, all ostensibly congratulating him for taking a “wise decision.” Meanwhile, the unexplained reason behind Obasanjo’s sudden resignation from the mainstream network of the PDP, according to investigations, was not unconnected with his desire to detach himself from the inner caucus of the party in order to maintain a high measure of neutrality as countdown to 2015 election year, gathers momentum. The new stance by the former president on politics, as explained, meant that he would no longer be rigidly committed to presidential aspiration of anyone, including that of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. An old associate of the former president told Sunday Tribune in Abuja that Obasanjo had come of age in politics, and for that, had seen the necessity to sit back and review his active participation since 1998, while taking stock of how he had faired in his desire to put Nigeria on the path of greatness. Obasanjo, the source disclosed, has not been totally happy that those he stuck out his neck for to attain power, including the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the incumbent president, fully appreciated his efforts, much as they attempted to hold him in abeyance while they enjoyed power. The North is, however, said to be keen on making Obasanjo maintain neutrality ahead of 2015 in its desire to tackle President Jonathan head long following the early campaign for his second term by his supporters. According to findings, the North is of a strong belief that it could confidently handle Jonathan alone on the 2015 matters, whereas it may find it a bit difficult to do so in the event that Obasanjo steps in again to mobilise support for him, as he did to make him become acting president, then, a substantive president and finally, an elected president in 2011. Obasanjo, it was learnt, is not desirous of dipping his hands in the murky politics of 2015 in line with a growing orchestra that the incumbent president should step into the ring for another trial, rather than honouring the initial agreement that he should have just one term in office. The incumbent president rode on the crest of popular sentiment that the South-South deserved to be offered presidential power in 2011 to balance the power distribution equation in Nigeria, hence, the support he enjoyed from top political stakeholders in the country at the expense of the interest of the North to present the next president then. When former President Yar’Adua died mid way into the expiration of his term in 2010, the desire by the North to fulfil his full term, in line with the existing zoning of political power, was truncated with agitation that Jonathan be given the chance, thus sparking the greatest controversy on zoning in Nigeria. Obasanjo’s desire to relinquish the office of BoT of the PDP is said to be more predicated on the emergence of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as national chairman of the party. He fully supported the candidacy of Tukur and that of national secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Obasanjo, it was explained, believed that the duo of Tukur and Oyinlola have the wherewithal to hold the party effectively and with ability to resolve all contentious issues over 2015. Indication that Obasanjo is now out to prove his neutrality in national politics could be noted with the manner he has been interacting freely of late with members of other political parties, including the leading opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), just as his private visit to Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, continues to generate more controversies in political circles in the country. Investigations have also revealed that that the North has started making subtle moves to form a new political party as a counter force to the PDP towards 2015 in anticipation that supporters of President Jonathan would use the ruling party to promote his tenure elongation, even through constitution amendment. Some PDP governors have started distancing themselves from the mainstream activities in the party as evident by the manner they reportedly frustrated the meeting called with them by the new leadership of the party last Thursday

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FOOT-stomping, tear-filled eyes, isolated odes and a myriad dirges characterised the burial ceremony of the former vice president of Zambia George Kunda in Lusaka yesterday. A sombre requiem mass, presided over by Merdado Cardinal Mazombwe, was later held at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus in Longacres. “We are all aware of the many good things he did for our country,” Cardinal Mazombwe said, adding that Mr Kunda was a great believer in Jesus. A casket draped in the national flag was brought to the church on a gun carriage and was met by a chorus of solemn songs by thousands of mourners from a cross-section of society, including political parties. Pall-bearers from the defence forces carried the casket as bells chimed to signify the arrival of the body. The church service took more than three hours. Mr Kunda was described as a man of hard work, a pillar and unifying factor in the family, who will be greatly missed. “Even at a time his health appeared to be failing him, Mr Kunda never slowed down his work rate and he continued his quest for accountable governance and the need to guard against the abuse of power,” President Sata said in his tribute. “We don’t mourn your death but we celebrate your life,” Howard, his oldest son, said in his tribute. George Kunda junior said his father stood for good things and defended them. At the cemetery, President Sata said the unity and love shown during the period of mourning Mr Kunda should “forever resonate and typify the spirit of our great country Zambia”. In a tribute read on his behalf by Vice-President Guy Scott, Mr Sata said Mr Kunda’s works and contribution to the country will live on and act as a source of inspiration to many. He called on society to give encouragement and solace to Mr Kunda’s widow, Irene, and the children as they go through a painful and difficult period without a husband and a father. Mr Sata also encouraged lawyers and political leaders to emulate Mr Kunda’s spirit of selflessness, hard work and integrity in public life. Mr Sata said Mr Kunda was a highly principled man who made a huge contribution to Zambia’s constitutional and law development process. The President said he declared three days of national mourning in recognition of Mr Kunda’s remarkable qualities and virtues. He said Mr Kunda steered and rendered outstanding service to the country in various capacities over a period of time adding that very few people expected a consummate lawyer to end up in politics. Mr Sata said Mr Kunda was passionate in the defence of a strong opposition which would ensure there were checks and balances, human dignity and equality before law. “He believed in diversity of humankind and spoke openly about the responsibility and duty of all citizens to contribute to the wellbeing of the community. He said Mr Kunda believed that there was no magic formula to achieving development and national success. “He set out very high personal standards of discipline and hard work, which included essential elements of integrity and self-sacrifice for the common good of society. It required a brave person like him to stand up and eloquently defend the things he believed in and cared for,” Mr Sata said. Earlier, Chief Justice Ernest Sakala described Mr Kunda as a prolific, hardworking and brilliant lawyer who has left an indelible print on the justice system, JIMMY CHIBUYE reports. Mr Justice Sakala said Mr Kunda was not only an exceptional lawyer but also a very hard working politician who contributed to both the legal fraternity and the country. He said this in Lusaka yesterday at the joint valedictory session of the Supreme Court and High Court in honour of Mr Kunda, who died on Monday. “He stood out as a landmark, beacon for the old as well as the new generation of lawyers. He served this nation selflessly and was a strong defender of the separation of powers, good governance and the rule of law. “Truly, the honourable Mr George Kunda, State Counsel and member of Parliament in his coolness of mind, was a paradigm of a good lawyer, good politician and a perfect specimen of humanity,” Mr Justice Sakala said. And Solicitor-General Musa Mwenye described Mr Kunda as a fearless opponent and courageous lawyer. Law Association of Zambia president James Banda said Mr Kunda was a dedicated member of the association who contributed immensely to the well-being of the organisation. Former Attorney-General Abyudi Shonga said Mr Kunda was an exemplary lawyer who spoke his mind and practised law with dignity.

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Zimmmetro — Barely two weeks after Nigerian flamboyant prophet TB Joshua prophesied the death of Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika, he once again dropped a bombshell on Sunday saying an Argentina leader would die soon.
TB Joshua told thousands of his followers during the end of the second service broadcast on the free-to-air- Emmanuel TV that a leader in Argentina would die after he or she collapses. He said the leader would survive if he is given minor treatment but an attempt to operate him or her would lead to death.

“I see death of an Argentina leader but he/she can be saved if there is no operation. He may go into a comma but will come back to life later,” warned TB Joshua.

He said the people of Argentina could approach him for an update on how to handle the matter.

He further warned an ageing church leader saying he would also die soon. “I see an old, respected and great man of God going to rest. This is not death but rest. I give more details in upcoming services.”

TB Joshua added that prior to North Korea’s launch of a rocket into space, he told his children that the launch would fail but he didn’t want to mention it publicly following a spate of criticism over wa Mutharika’s death.

He defended that he was prophesying death because it was a waste of time in telling the world about “good things.”

The prophet said when he prophesies death of influential people, it was only meant to make them put their life in order.


http://www.zimbabwemetro.com/argentina-leader-will-die-soon-says-tb-joshua/

Photo News: Lovely… Ghanaian actor Van Vicker and his kids
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Michael Jackson’s former British bodyguard has launched a legal bid to prove he’s the biological father of the late singer’s youngest son. Martial arts master Matt Fiddes -who provided protection for the ‘Thriller’ hitmaker when he was in the U.K. -is heading to America to lodge court papers and demand the right to see 10-year-old Blanket, whose birth name is Prince Michael Jackson II. He claims to have given Jackson -who also had two other children, Prince Michael, 15, and 14-year-old Paris -a sperm donation in a London hotel a year before Blanket was born in 2002. He said: ”I am going to lodge my DNA and formally ask the Jacksons for access. I want visitation rights. ”Michael is their father and I do not want that to change, but I want the children back in my life. The only way that’s going to happen is through legal action. I think Blanket is mine but I want final proof.” Fiddes -who has vowed to provide officials with a DNA sample so they can confirm his claims that he is the youngster’s true biological dad -alleges Jackson’s family have refused to speak to him or answer his letters since his death in 2009. Fiddes -who has three other children -says Jackson even told him he was Blanket’s real father in November 2002, after he infamously dangled the then nine-month-old child over a hotel balcony. He said: ”I sat there and asked the question, ‘Is Blanket my child?’ He said, ‘He’s my child, Matt, but I used your sperm to produce him.”’ But Fiddes claims Jackson’s mother Katherine, 81, has done her best to block his desperate pleas to see Blanket believing he is after money. Jackson died of acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 at the age of 50.

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KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) —Sudan’s president threatened Wednesday to topple his rival government to the south, harsh words that could escalate the conflict between the two nations as they intensify clashes over their shared border. As the international community pushed for a peaceful solution to the dispute, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir vowed to “liberate” the people of South Sudan, saying it was his country’s duty to them. South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July after decades of civil war, creating the world’s newest country. But the two never agreed on how to share the oil wealth found in the region between the countries, and the border was never fully demarcated. Fighting has intensified in the last several weeks amid fears the two sides could return to an all-out war. On Tuesday, soldiers from Sudan and South Sudan clashed at a river dividing their two countries, leaving 22 dead as fighting spread to a new area of the tense border. The river battle comes amid wider violence along the shared border around the oil town of Heglig, which South Sudan troops took control of last week. Sudanese aircraft have been bombing South Sudan’s Unity State as a part of that fighting. Speaking to young members of his ruling party in Khartoum late Wednesday, the Sudanese president accused the ruling South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and its army of implementing an “external” agenda that don’t serve its own people. Al-Bashir accused Juba of trying to topple his government and vowed to retaliate. “This situation makes it imperative upon Sudan to confront the challenge of the State of South Sudan to topple the government in Khartoum by working to liberate the Southern nationals,” from the southern ruling party, he said. Al-Bashir is known for his tough rhetoric. His troops were surprised by the capture of the oil-rich town and have vowed to reclaim it, but his government also is using diplomatic channels to try to resolve the issue. Mustafa Osman Ismail, a top adviser to al-Bashir, warned South Sudan that it must immediately withdraw from Heglig or face counterattacks. Ismail spoke in Ethiopia’s capital, where he met with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and African Union officials. He said the trip was intended to “ask those with influence” to persuade South Sudan to withdraw from Heglig. Ismail said al-Bashir called several heads of state and sent his foreign minister to South Africa to work on the issue. “Time is running short, and our army is also getting ready,” said Ismail. He said Khartoum is under pressure from Sudan’s public to liberate “the invaded territory” after South Sudan TV broadcast images of what he said are medical staff captured in Heglig. Al-Bashir said it is the responsibility of his government to rid the southerners from the ruling party in the south, The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, because it was his government that helped them seize power. “It was we who have contributed to empowering the SPLM in the South and therefore we are responsible before our people in the South to correct the mistake we have committed,” he said. African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to take action to stop the fighting between Sudan and South Sudan, warning that both sides are locked in a “logic of war” with hardliners increasingly in control. Security Council members promised to urgently discuss the crisis, including the possibility of sanctions, said U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, the current Security Council president. She briefed reporters about the former South African president’s closed discussion with the council via videoconference. Rice said Mbeki told the council that Khartoum believes South Sudan is seeking regime change in its northern neighbor “and that if that is the case, then the objective of Khartoum would also be regime change” in the South. “Frankly, one would hope that that is rhetoric and not the objective or the purported objective of either side,” Rice said. A Sudan foreign ministry official denounced Rice’s comments Wednesday. “This means treating the culprit and victim equally,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Omar Dahab said. He said the “aggression” by Southern Sudanese troops on the Heglig area was a “flagrant violation” of the U.N. charter. “It is the duty of the Security Council to find an end to the situation in Heglig,” Dahab said. Tuesday’s firefight began after a Sudanese soldier shot a South Sudan soldier who was getting water from the river, South Sudan government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Wednesday. In all, seven South Sudan soldiers and 15 Sudan soldiers died near the town of Meiram, along the border with Sudan’s South Kordofan state and South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, he said. But even as border violence spread to new regions, Benjamin labeled the fight a “misunderstanding” and said he did not think violence would continue there.

Onyiego reported from Juba, South Sudan. Associated Press writer Kirubel Tadesse in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia contributed to this report.

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BAMAKO (Reuters) -Mali authorities have named Cheick Modibo Diarra, Microsoft Corp’s chairman for Africa, as interim prime minister charged with helping to restore civilian rule to the West African country after last month’s coup. The appointment of Diarra, a former NASA astrophysicist, was announced on Tuesday in a statement read out on state television. (Reporting by David Lewis; Writing by Mark John)

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