Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state has declared war on armed herdsmen as he, yesterday, signed into law, a bill to regulate grazing in the state with a warning that any herdsman caught with arms will face charges of terrorism.

According to the new law, any offender arrested and convicted is liable to six months’ imprisonment without any option of fine.

Grazing activities in designated places would take place between 7 am and 6 pm daily in Ekiti State.

Fayose signed the bill into law, with traditional rulers, community leaders and interest groups present.

He said the bill became expedient to prevent a recurrence of an attack by suspected herdsmen on Oke Ako in Ikole Local Government, where two people were killed and scores injured on May 20.

Fayose said: “My government took the bill to the House after what happened in Oke Ako some months ago. The House has passed the bill and I have to assent it. It becomes a law from today that if you do anything to the contrary you will be punished by the law.”

“Any herdsman caught with firearms or any weapon while grazing in Ekiti now will be charged with terrorism. I solicit your support for this government to succeed.”

The provisions of the law was read to the audience by the House of Assembly Speaker, Kola Oluwawole, who said the government will collaborate with local councils to apportion lands for grazing in designated areas.

19 killed in Tunisia attack; hostage drama ends with deaths of gunmen

Gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire at a museum in Tunis, the Tunisian capital, on Wednesday, killing 19 people and sparking a hostage drama that ended with security forces storming the building, leaving two assailants and a police officer dead.

The victims include 17 tourists from Italy, Germany, Poland and Spain, Prime Minister Habib Essid told reporters after the museum raid concluded, though he said that figure was not final. Another 22 people were injured. Three Japanese were killed, and three others injured, the Japanese government said Thursday.

Essid said a separate security operation was underway to track down "two or three" possible accomplices.

Later on Wednesday, ahocked but defiant, hundreds of Tunisians later gathered in the streets of downtown Tunis waving the country's red and white crescent flag, and chanting against terrorism.

"I pass this message to Tunisians, that democracy will win and it will survive," President Beji Caid Essebsi said in a television statement.

The attack began with a burst of gunfire outside the National Bardo Museum, which is next to the capital's parliament compound. The gunmen then took a number of tourists and museum staffers hostage as government forces surrounded the area. Parliament was evacuated.

Television footage showed dozens of people, including elderly foreigners and one man carrying a child, running for shelter in the compound, covered by security forces who began to storm the museum.

Both attackers were killed in the raid, after which Tunisian authorities declared the hostage crisis over."They just started opening fire on the tourists as they were getting out of the buses ... I couldn't see anything except blood and the dead," the driver of a tourist coach told journalists at the scene.

Yasmine Ryan, an independent journalist who covers North Africa, told Al Jazeera from Tunis that ambulances were going in and out of the area, which was cordoned off by security forces.

The identities of the gunmen remain unknown. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Essid said the attack was meant to target the Tunisian economy and specifically its tourism sector, which has just begun to rebound after several years of uprising and instability.

"We are being envied by many for outstanding [progress] in terms of our political transition and our march toward democracy," he said. "We are all required to join hands in our fight against terrorism."

In a post to its Facebook page, Tunisia's major Islamist political party, Ennahdha, said it was "horrified by this attack," adding that it "strongly condemns all acts of violence against ‪Tunisia and its visitors."

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "terrorist organizations" were behind the attack. "The EU is determined to mobilize all the tools it has to fully support Tunisia in the fight against terrorism," she added.

Tunisia has witnessed periodic flare-ups of violence since the country's 2011 uprising toppled autocrat Zein El Abidin Bin Ali.

The attack comes a day after Tunisian security officials confirmed the death in neighboring Libya of a leading suspect in several attacks in Tunis, including the killings of two high-profile opposition figures.

Roughly 3,000 Tunisians have also left the country to fight for radical groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in Syria, Iraq and Libya, sparking fears that returning fighters could carry out attacks at home.

Al Jazeera and wire services

Several killed in Tunisia beach attack

As many as 27 people were killed Friday in an attack by two gunmen on a beach near two tourist hotels in the Tunisian resort district of Sousse, the country's interior ministry said. 

Interior Ministry Spokesman Mohammed Ali Aroui said that one of the gunmen was killed and police are pursuing the other. No information on a motive or claim of responsibility was immediately available.

Sousse, located about 95 miles from the capital city of Tunis, is one of the North African country's most popular beach resorts, drawing tourists from Europe and neighboring countries.

Tunisia has been on high alert since March when gunmen attacked the Bardo museum in Tunis, killing a group of foreign tourists in one of the country’s worst attacks in a decade.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed credit for that attack. 

Source: aljazeera

US rap mogul Diddy arrested

American rap mogul Diddy was arrested in Los Angeles on Monday for assault with a deadly weapon — in this case, a kettlebell. Diddy — real name Sean Combs, 45 — likely will be moved to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Inmate Reception Center, officials said.

Entertainment website TMZ said that Combs attacked one of the trainers at the center. It was not immediately clear what transpired. But one of Comb’s sons has played special teams for the university’s squad.

“I’m thankful that our staff showed the level of professionalism that they did in handling this situation. This is an unfortunate incident for all parties involved,” football coach Jim Mora said in a statement.

“While UCPD continues to review this matter, we will let the legal process run its course and refrain from further comment at this time.”

Combs, who had a hand in the careers of artists including Mary J. Blige, Biggie, Usher and Lil’ Kim, has an estimated $700 million fortune. He has worked an a top artist, producer, actor, fashion designer, fashion brand owner and investor.

Vanguard

Buhari blows hot, vows to recover all stolen funds

As reported by Vanguard news, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday in Abuja, vowed that billions of dollars stolen from government coffers by past government officials would be recovered by his government.

Speaking with state governors during his maiden meeting with them at the State House, President Buhari said what happened in government in the recent past was worse than what happened during the Second Republic which led to the overthrow of the Shagari administration, but promised that he would do his best to restore sanity to the system.

President Buhari also said yesterday, that his administration has received firm assurances of cooperation from the United States and other countries on the recovery and repatriation of funds stolen from Nigeria.

Vanguard News

Liverpool sign Brazil's Firmino

Liverpool have signed Brazil international forward Roberto Firmino, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, with the BBC reporting the fee would be £29 million (41 million euros, $46 million).

The striker, currently on duty for Brazil in the Copa America in Chile, will join from Bundesliga club Hoffenheim.

"Liverpool Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, subject to a medical which will take place immediately following the player's participation in Copa America 2015 for Brazil," the club said in a statement on its website.

"The 23-year-old has agreed a long-term contract with the club," it added.

The BBC said that the contract was for five years and was the second highest ever paid by Liverpool after it shelled out £35 million for Andy Carroll in 2011.

Firmino scored 47 goals in 151 appearances during his four and a half years in Germany.

He has scored four times in nine appearances for his country, including Sunday's Copa America winner against Venezuela.

Yahoo News

Pakistan suspends executions during Ramadan

Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has ordered that executions be temporarily suspended during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Ramadan began on Friday in Pakistan, and will continue for between 29 and 30 days, depending on the sighting of the moon.

The suspension will be implemented in order “to observe the sanctity of the holy month,” according to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office on Thursday night.

Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in December, after a Taliban attack on a Peshawar school left more than 150 people dead, most of them children.

Punch

Jesus Miracle church set ablaze

A church at the site in Israel where Christians believe Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish has been badly damaged by arson, police said Thursday.
Fires were set off early Thursday in the monastery section of the Church of the Multiplication, in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee, Israeli police said.
The flames consumed much of the interior of the monastery and destroyed the roof, leaving only charred remains of Bibles and other objects.
Graffiti scrawled in red Hebrew lettering on a wall outside the Roman Catholic church read, "Idols will have their heads cut off."
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said she condemned the attack "in the strongest terms."
"The State of Israel safeguards the freedom of worship of all faiths and completely rejects any and all attempts to harm it," Hotovely said in a statement, expressing confidence that the perpetrators would be caught.
Jewish settlers questioned
Police detained 16 Jewish settlers, all of them minors, for questioning over the incident and later released them.
The Church of the Multiplication is run by Benedictine monks.
The area is one of the most significant in Christianity. The site of the church is near the places where the New Testament says Jesus walked on water and delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
The part of the church housing the rock where Jesus is said to have put the five loaves and two fish wasn't damaged in the fire.
This is far from the first time a place of worship has been attacked in the region in recent years. Police have said they suspect right-wing Jewish extremists of torching and defacing mosques and churches in the past.
Palestinians say not enough is being done to catch those behind the attacks."Churches and Mosques in all of historic Palestine continue to be targeted by Israeli terrorists who enjoy full impunity from their State," the Palestine Liberation Organization said in a statement following Thursday's fire.

CNN

Stowaway dies after falling from British Airways plane in London

A man fell to his death after clinging to the bottom of a British Airways jet as it approached London's Heathrow airport, the airline said Friday.

The plane was flying from Johannesburg to London when the man fell from the plane Thursday and landed in Richmond, south west London.

A second man, also hiding in the undercarriage of the plane, was injured and hospitalized.

"We are working with the Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case," British Airways said.

The Story of The Chinese Bamboo Tree

Like any plant, growth of the Chinese Bamboo Tree requires nurturing – water, fertile soil, sunshine. In its first year, we see no visible signs of activity. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. Our patience is tested and we begin to wonder if our efforts (caring, water, etc.) will ever be rewarded.

And finally in the fifth year – behold, a miracle! We experience growth. And what growth it is! The Chinese Bamboo Tree grows 80 feet in just six weeks!

But let’s be serious, does the Chinese Bamboo Tree really grow 80 feet in six weeks? Did the Chinese Bamboo Tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew. The same principle is true for people. People, who patiently toil towards worthwhile dreams and goals, building strong character while overcoming adversity and challenge, grow the strong internal foundation to handle success, while get-rich- quickers and lottery winners usually are unable to sustain unearned sudden wealth.

Had the Chinese Bamboo Tree farmer dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, he would have stunted the Chinese Bamboo tree’s growth as surely as a caterpillar is doomed to a life on the ground if it is freed from its struggle inside a cocoon prematurely. The struggle in the cocoon is what gives the future butterfly the wing power to fly, just as tension against muscles as we exercise strengthen our muscles, while muscles left alone will soon atrophy.

The Story of The Human Potential Tree (aka You)

The Chinese Bamboo Tree is a perfect parable to our own experience with personal growth and change (whether we are working on ourselves or coaching others). It is never easy. It’s slow to show any progress. It’s frustrating and unrewarding at times. But it is sooooo worth it….especially if we can be patient and persistent.

The Challenge We Learn from the Chinese Bamboo Tree

Can we stay focused and continue to believe in what we are doing even when we don’t see immediate results? In a culture driven by instant gratification – this is our biggest challenge.

We often tell each other (and our children), remember to “Keep trying! and NEVER give up!” The change may be slow – even invisible at times – but suddenly, as in the case of the Chinese Bamboo Tree, we will surprise ourselves. Keep your faith in this important work. We live in a quick-fix society. We get frustrated if we have to wait more than 2 minutes for service or a stop light to change. We want instant solutions to every complex problem and every fractured relationship. In short – we want it all now! Maybe it`s time to reflect on an old, old poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that is as true today as it was when he wrote it over 100 years ago: “The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, toiled ever upward through the night.”

Final Lesson From The Chinese Bamboo Tree

Yet, all of this requires one thing – faith. The growers of the Chinese Bamboo Tree have faith that if they keep watering and fertilizing the ground, the tree will break through. Well, you must have the same kind of faith in your bamboo tree, whether it is to run a successful business, win a Pulitzer Prize, raise well-adjusted children, or what have you. You must have faith that if you keep making the calls, honing your craft, reading to your children, reaching out to your spouse or asking for donations, that you too will see rapid growth in the future.

This is the hard part for most of us. We get so excited about the idea that’s been planted inside of us that we simply can’t wait for it to blossom. Therefore, within days or weeks of the initial planting, we become discouraged and begin to second guess ourselves, or worse, quit.

Sometimes, in our doubt, we dig up our seed and plant it elsewhere, in hopes that it will quickly rise in more fertile ground. We see this very often in people who change jobs every year or so. We also see it in people who change organizations and even spouses in the pursuit of greener pastures. More often than not, these people are greatly disappointed when their Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t grow any faster in the new location.

Other times, people will water the ground for a time but then, quickly become discouraged. They start to wonder if it’s worth all of the effort. This is particularly true when they see their neighbors having success with other trees. They start to think, “What am I doing trying to grow a Chinese bamboo tree? If I had planted a lemon tree, I’d have a few lemons by now.” These are the people who return to their old jobs and their old ways. They walk away from their dream in exchange for a “sure thing.”

Sadly, what they fail to realize is that pursuing your dream is a sure thing if you just don’t give up. So long as you keep watering and fertilizing your dream, it will come to fruition, just like the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It may take weeks. It may take months. It may even take years, but eventually, the roots will take hold and your Chinese bamboo tree will grow. And when it does, it will grow in remarkable ways.

We’ve seen this happen so many times. Henry Ford had to water his Chinese Bamboo Tree through five business failures before he finally succeeded with the Ford Motor Company. Another great bamboo grower was the legendary jockey Eddie Arcaro. Arcaro lost his first 250 races as a jockey before going on to win 17 Triple Crown races and 554 stakes races for total purse earnings of more than $30 million.

Well, you have a Chinese Bamboo Tree inside of you just waiting to break through. So keep watering and believing and you too will be flying high before you know it.

Air force bombards kidnappers’ hideout in C’ River creeks

CALABAR- NIGERIAN Airforce plane, M9 24 gunship has in the past three days been bombarding creeks along the Cross River and Akwa Ibom waterways serving as hideout for sea criminals and kidnappers.

Air Commodore Charles Ohwo, Commander 207 Mobility Group told Vanguard on Thursday that the bombardment of the creeks is in response to the increasing wave of criminal activities in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States where the criminals are using difficult to access areas as their hide out and operational base.

He said several kidnappings have taken place in Cross River State in the recent past including the attack on the Marine Police Station at the Inyang Edem Beach on Sunday night.

“The increasing wave of crime along the Cross River and Akwa Ibom Waterways prompted the Chief of Naval Staff Air Marshall Adesola Amosu through the Commander of 207 Mobility, Air Vice Marshal F B Nyoyoko to instruct the 207 Mobility Group deploy M9 24 gunship to bombard the creeks to rid the area of these hoodlums”.

Commodore Ohwo said the exercise has so far recorded successes as some criminal hideouts have been hit and that the bombardment will be a continuous exercise to completely rid the creeks of sea criminals.

“The Airforce is willing and ready to deploy its speed and mobility advantage to carry out continuous raids on these criminal hideouts and operational base around the Cross River and Akwa Ibom Waterways extending to Bayelsa State” He stressed.

He stated the exercise has been in cooperation with the police, army and navy and that another aircraft, M1 17 will soon be deployed to boost the capacity of the mobility group in bombarding the criminal hideouts.

VANGUARD

Leicester City football players sacked after racist orgy on tour of Thailand

Three players for English football club Leicester City, including the son of the club's manager, have been sacked after video surfaced of them apparently participating in a racist orgy on the team's recent Thai tour.

The players -- Tom Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson, son of team manager Nigel Pearson -- apologized and were sent home early from the tour after snippets of the video were published by UK newspaper the Sunday Mirror.

The video showed the three players, naked, in what was apparently a hotel room, making racist and derogatory remarks to the women.

The club released a statement announcing the sackings on its website Wednesday. "Leicester City Football Club has notified Tom Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson that their contracts with the club have been terminated," it said.

"Leicester City Football Club is acutely aware of its position, and that of its players, as a representative of the city of Leicester, the Premier League, the Football Association and the Club's supporters," the statement continued.

"It is committed to promoting a positive message of community and family values and equality, and to upholding the standards expected of a Club with its history, tradition and aspirations."

One of the women was called a "slit eye" on the tape, and one of the players told a woman she was "an absolute one out of 10."

The Sunday Mirror reported that the footage was shared by at least one of the players with friends back in the United Kingdom.

The scandal was especially sensitive to Leicester City, as the club has Thai owners and has been sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

CNN

Chinese city bans beards and veils on buses

A city in northwestern China's Xinjiang region has banned people with large beards or Islamic clothing from boarding buses, state media has said.

Authorities in Karamay banned people wearing headscarves, veils, niqabs, or clothing with the Islamic star and crescent symbol from taking local buses, the ruling Communist Party-run Karamay Daily said on Monday.

The Karamay ban was intended to help strengthen security during a sports competition ending on August 20, the report said.

Xinjiang is home to the Muslim Uighur people who speak a Turkic language.

Rights groups say restrictions on Uighurs' religious and cultural freedoms have stoked tensions.

Exiled Uighur groups and human rights activists say the government's policies in Xinjiang, including controls on Islam, have provoked unrest, a claim Beijing denies.

"Officials in Karamay city are endorsing an openly racist and discriminatory policy aimed at ordinary Uighur people," Alim Seytoff, the president of the Washington-based Uyghur American Association, said in a statement.

The report came days after the government-appointed head of the largest mosque in China, in one of the region's oldest cities, Kashgar, was killed after leading morning prayers.

Hundreds have died in unrest in Xinjiang in the past 18 months.

Last month, China banned Muslim officials and students from fasting during the month of Ramadan.

China announced a year-long nationwide "terrorism" crackdown following a deadly bombing attack in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi in May.

China bans Ramadan fasting in mainly Muslim region

China has banned civil servants, students and teachers in its mainly Muslim Xinjiang region from fasting during Ramadan and ordered restaurants to stay open.

Most Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk during the holy month, which began on Thursday, but China’s ruling Communist party is officially atheist and for years has restricted the practice in Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.

“Food service workplaces will operate normal hours during Ramadan,” said a notice posted last week on the website of the state Food and Drug Administration in Xinjiang’s Jinghe county.

Officials in the region’s Bole county were told: “During Ramadan do not engage in fasting, vigils or other religious activities,” according to a local government website report of a meeting this week.

Each year, the authority’s attempt to ban fasting among Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang receives widespread criticism from rights groups.

Uighur rights groups say China’s restrictions on Islam in Xinjiang have added to ethnic tensions in the region, where clashes have killed hundreds in recent years.

China says it faces a “terrorist threat” in Xinjiang, with officials blaming “religious extremism” for the growing violence.

“China’s goal in prohibiting fasting is to forcibly move Uighurs away from their Muslim culture during Ramadan,” said Dilxat Rexit, a spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress.

“Policies that prohibit religious fasting is a provocation and will only lead to instability and conflict.”

As in previous years, school children were included in directives limiting Ramadan fasting and other religious observances.

The education bureau of Tarbaghatay city, known as Tacheng in Chinese, this month ordered schools to communicate to students that “during Ramadan, ethnic minority students do not fast, do not enter mosques … and do not attend religious activities”.

Punch

Buhari appeals to misguided brothers to drop arms, embrace peace

Abuja – President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians to pray for the return of peace, love and prosperity throughout the country as Muslims start the 2015 Ramadan fast.

The President in a message signed by the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu, implored Muslims to seek maximum benefits from the Ramadan period “by being helpful to all manner of people, learning and following the true message of the religion as taught by the Holy Prophet.” Also He appealed to misguided brothers to drop arms, embrace peace which Islam stands for.

The President in his message directed an appeal to the perpetrators of violence and destruction in the name of Islam all over the world to desist from tarnishing the name of the religion.

“As we make collective efforts to bring to a permanent end the menace of the Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin countries, let me use this auspicious occasion to appeal to our misguided brothers to drop their arms, embrace peace and seek a better understanding of Islam during this Holy period and beyond,” Buhari said.

The President prayed to Allah to bring peace and harmony to all parts of the country and the world at large.

“I wish all our citizens a blessed Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem Mubarak,” the statement concluded.

Atiku urges Muslims to pray for peace

Also the former Vice President Abubakar Atiku too called on Muslims to pray for the peace of the country which has been facing the grimmest challenge with the monster of terrorism disrupting social and economic life of the people.

In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, Atiku said he was constantly saddened by the frequent explosion of conflicts and violence, which poses threat to the country’s peace.

According to Atiku, Muslim leaders should intensify efforts to eliminate the influence of extremists in the life of Muslims, calling on political leaders to show extra vigilance to stem the growth of extremism.

The Turaki Adamawa expressed sadness that people have been turned to captives of fear because of the spectre of terrorism.

He called for urgent action to attack the roots of terrorism by attacking the ideology.

To attack the ideology, he explained that innocent Muslim disciples should be shielded from the influences of extremist teachers, who might exploit their ignorance and push them into criminal atrocities.

Atiku also expressed his sadness at how a minority group of misguided bigots are giving innocent Muslims a baggage of negative image.

He, however, advised Muslims to continue to pray for the peace of Nigeria.

Vanguard

11 sentenced to death over fatal Port Said soccer riots in Egypt

An Egyptian court sentenced 11 men to death Tuesday for their involvement in the worst soccer violence in Egypt's history, according to a broadcast on Egyptian state TV.

More than 70 people, some of them children, were killed on February 1, 2012, when fans rioted at a soccer game in the northeastern city of Port Said.

Fans of the hometown Al-Masry club stormed the field after securing a win over Cairo's Al-Ahly club. Horrified witnesses described how police officers stood by and watched as rival fans attacked one another with rocks, knives and swords.

The 11 sentenced to death in a retrial of the case were connected to Al-Masry. They will be able to appeal their sentences, state media reported. Forty other people received prison sentences in the case.

The morning after the riots, the stadium looked like a scene from a horror film, with blood splattered on seats and walls. Dozens of shoes were left near a gate ripped from its hinges by the pressure of a surging crowd trying to escape.

Al-Ahly fans blamed police for what happened.

The head of the Port Said security directorate and head of maritime police both received five-year sentences over the deadly violence.

After the Port Said incident, Egypt banned soccer fans from games, and teams played in nearly empty stadiums. Authorities later partially lifted the ban by allowing a limited number of fans to attend games, state media reported.

Unfortunately, Egypt remains no stranger to soccer violence. Last February, 19 people were killed in a crush involving Zamalek club soccer fans.

Authorities blamed the deaths on ticketless fans who tried to push their way in to the game. But Zamalek fans painted a different picture, saying on social media that they were tear gassed as they tried to pass through a single, narrow gated entrance.

Dozens of new Ebola cases reported in West Africa

It seemed like the number of people contracting Ebola in West Africa was on the decline. But now, officials say that trend has stalled, with dozens of new cases of the deadly virus reported so far this month.

Last week, there were 31 new cases of Ebola reported in a growing geographic area in Guinea and Sierra Leone, the World Health Organization said. At the beginning of this week, 14 additional cases were reported.

The latest figures mark the second straight week that the number of Ebola cases in West Africa has increased, officials said.

Investigators are working to trace how the latest cases of the disease were contracted, the WHO said.

"The outbreak is not over and the response efforts must be sustained until we get to zero cases throughout the region and are able to stay at zero for several months," the U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response said Thursday.

Last month, officials from the WHO declared Liberia free of the disease. But even as they trumpeted the news, officials warned that outbreaks in Guinea and Sierra Leone ran the risk of bringing the virus back to Liberia, where more than 4,000 people died after contracting Ebola.

CNN

The king with 100 wives

Abumbi II, the 11th fon, or king, of Bafut, Cameroon, has close to 100 wives. They weren't all his to start. According to local tradition, when a fon dies, his successor inherits all his wives and then marries his own queens.

"The queens have a great role to play in the fondom," notes Prince Nickson, also of Bafut, noting that it is up to these women behind the man to shape him in his kingly role.

"Behind every successful man must be a very successful, staunch woman," says Abumbi's third wife, Queen Constance.

"Our tradition has it that when you are king, the elderly wives remain to hand down the tradition to the younger wives, and also to teach the king the tradition because the king had been a prince, not a king."

Despite the fact that polygamy is legal in Cameroon, the data shows that there are far fewer polygamous marriages across the African continent. The practice is being challenged by changing values, the spread of the Christian faith, the growing appeal of the western way of life but also the rising costs of having large families. It is against this backdrop that Cameroon's traditional rulers must walk the fine line between two often conflicting cultures.

"During colonialism other values came in, of governance, different from the traditional values we had and therefore there is this constant conflict between the traditional values and modern western values," admits Fon Abumbi II, who has ruled Bafut, the largest fondom in the region, for 47 years.

"My role is to blend them, to find the way forward so my subjects can enjoy the fruits of development and modernity without destroying their culture. Without a culture, you are not a human being, you are an animal. And therefore the chieftaincy institution is the guarantor of our culture."

CNN

Protesters storm N’Assembly, demand death penalty for corruption

Some protesters stormed the National Assembly on Wednesday and demanded a legislation that would prescribed death penalty as punishment for corruption in the country.

Speaking under a group, Voice of the Voiceless, they said there was no way Nigeria would made progress if corruption in public office was not brought under control.

They wrote separate letters to the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.

In the letter to the House, which was signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Oliver Ezeala, the protesters wrote, “Corruption, as we are all aware of, has eaten so deep into the fabric of this great nation and we are strongly advocating the death penalty to anybody who is found guilty of corrupt practices, no matter how highly-placed such an individual is in the society.

“Nigeria has tried every other measure of deterrent but to no avail.

“We want this great nation to toe the path of countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, China and other world powers who have achieved so much developmental strides as a result of their zero tolerance for corruption.”

However, they said they were confident that with President Muhammadu Buhari in power, the fight against corruption would be fast-tracked.

“We believe that he will fight this our common hydra-headed enemy to a complete standstill,” the letter added.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Yusuf Lasun, on Wednesday deplored the high rate of unemployment in the country.

Lasun observed that to make matters worse, there were many fraudsters who engaged in employment racketeering by collecting money from youths for non-existing jobs.

Lasun spoke in Abuja when some Osun State indigenes paid him a visit at the National Assembly.

However, he promised that the current House would partner the executive arm of government to address the situation.

“Since the (federal) capital was moved out of Lagos, it is very difficult to get employment for our people.

“It is horrible to hear that people collect money from young graduates to get employed,” he told the visitors.

The Osun Indigenes, made up mainly of National Assembly employees, were led by the President of Association of Osun State Indigenes, Mr. Oluremi Ajibade.

PUNCH

Uganda plans end to child marriage, teenage pregnancy

The Ugandan government has launched a national strategy to end the rampant child marriages and teenage pregnancy in the East African country.

The United Nations Children’s Fund in a statement it issued here on Wednesday said the strategy developed by the ministry of gender, labor and social development with technical and financial support from UNICEF outlines approaches and interventions that will end child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Uganda.

“The strategy has been developed because for the last 30 years, there has been no change in the average age at first marriage which, in spite of multiple interventions, has remained at 17.9 years,” said Evelyn Anite, State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs.

The strategy was launched as the country joined the rest of Africa to commemorate the Day of the African Child. The day celebrated on June 16 annually was held under the theme, ’25 Years after the Adoption of the African Children’s Charter: Time to take action to End Child Marriage in Uganda.”

According to government statistics, Uganda in 2013 ranked as the 16th among the 25 countries with the highest rates of early marriages. According to the figures, 46 percent of girls marry before 18 years, and 12 percent before they are 15 years. Over 40 percent of the girls are remarried off before their 18th birthday.

While child marriage – defined as marriage before the age of 18 – applies to both girls and boys, the practice is far more common among girls, especially those in rural areas.

Child marriage, according to experts, affects all aspects of a child’s life and is a violation of their rights.

“In terms of health, pregnancy and child birth related complications are the leading cause of death in young women aged 15-19,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie, UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda.

“It is important to note that if child marriage is not properly addressed, the UN Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 calling for a three fourths reduction in maternal mortality and two-thirds reduction in child deaths by end of 2015 will not be met,” she added in a UN joint statement to mark the Day of the African Child

Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative said although Uganda has ratified a number of international legal instruments and enacted laws to protect children, more needs to be done to ensure the laws are implemented.

James Kaboggoza, the assistant commissioner children affairs in the ministry of gender argued that the problem of child marriage is mainly attributed to parents who tend to marry-off girls once they discover that they are pregnant or eyeing wealth inform of bride price.

He said although the country has laws against child abuse and early marriages, when men defile girls, some parents opt for negotiations to marry off the girls instead of going to courts of law.

With the coming into force of the five year national strategy to end the rampant child marriages and teenage pregnancy, such challenges are likely to be addressed. The strategy will be addressing a number of child related issues including educating girls and this is to be done with traditional leaders who will be sensitizing the public. The campaign will also focus on how to rehabilitate children, especially those who have already been married back to their normal life through counseling. “The strategy is intended to provide guidance on the design and implementation of programs that will contribute to eliminating this harmful practice throughout the country. The UN in Uganda is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to accelerate progress towards ending child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Uganda,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie.

Muruli Mukasa, minister of gender, labor and social development said government will need the support of development partners, civil society, religious and cultural leaders and parents in order to eliminate the evil practice.

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