In pictures: Muhammad Ali's love affair with Africa

Muhammad Ali was idolised across Africa for his prowess in the boxing ring and for championing the rights of black people. Ahead of his funeral on Friday, the BBC looks at his relationship with the continent:

Ali embarked on his first African tour in 1964, saying: "I want to see Africa and meet my brothers and sisters." His visit began in Ghana, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to win independence from a European power.

"I am glad to tell our people that there are more things to be seen in Africa than lions and elephants. They never told us about your beautiful flowers, magnificent hotels, beautiful houses, beaches, great hospitals, schools, and universities," he said.

His itinerary included Nigeria, Africa's most populous state, where crowds welcomed him with chants of "king of the world".

The African trip came in a historic year for Ali - he defeated Sonny Liston to become world champion, dropped his "slave name" of Cassius Clay and converted to Islam.



The 22-year-old also visited Egypt, bridging the racial divide in Africa.



He fused politics and religion, giving the black power salute while shouting in Arabic "God is great" at the pyramids in Cairo.


He visited Egypt again in 1986. He once said that if a boxer was to be big, he had to be a Muslim "or else he won't get to nations like Indonesia, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey - those are all countries that don't usually follow boxing".

His most famous visit to the continent was in 1974 to Kinshasa, capital of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), for the Rumble in the Jungle fight in which he reclaimed the world title after defeating George Foreman.

Zaire's then ruler Mobutu Sese Seko (L) arranged the fight, which increased Ali's fame and brought the country to the world's attention. Mobutu agreed to pay $5m (equivalent to approximately $24m today) to each fighter.

The fight was held at 04:00 local time. Millions watched around the globe on television as Ali entered the ring whipping up the 60,000 crowd, who chanted "Ali, boma ye", a phrase in the local Lingala language meaning "Ali, knock him out".

He visited Sudan in 1988, four years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, to spread the message of Islam as a religion of peace. Here he prays in a Sufi mosque in Khartoum.

South Africa's first black President Nelson Mandela, who had also been a boxer, once said: "Muhammad Ali was not just my hero, but the hero of millions of young, black South Africans because he brought dignity to boxing." The pair met in 2005.

culled from bbc

Bill Gates launches chicken plan to help Africa poor

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has launched a campaign to help extremely poor families in sub-Saharan Africa to raise chickens.

The billionaire says raising and selling the birds can be efficient in tackling extreme poverty.

He has promised to donate 100,000 chickens, and the project's page has already been shared thousands of times.

The UN estimates that 41% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty.

Mr Gates said a farmer breeding five hens could earn more than $1,000 (£690) a year. The poverty line is about $700 (£484).

He added that the goal was to help 30% of the rural families in sub-Saharan Africa raise improved breeds of vaccinated chickens, up from the current 5%.

"These chickens are multiplying on an ongoing basis so there's no investment that has a return percentage anything like being able to breed chickens," he said at the launch of the campaign in New York.

He is partnering with charity organisation Heifer International.

Some 800 million people live in extreme poverty worldwide, the UN says.

source: bbc

Naira continued on bearish note, trading 371 per $1, as scarcity continue to persist.

The continuing pressure on the naira rose sharply on Wednesday with the local currency tumbling to a new low of 371 against the United States dollar at the parallel market. It had closed at 361 per dollar on Tuesday.

The delay by the Central Bank of Nigeria in explaining how the proposed flexible exchange policy will work has increased speculation on the currency.

Foreign exchange dealers and investors said the delay had caused uncertainty in the foreign exchange market and fuelled hoarding of hard currencies.

According to foreign exchange dealers at black markets in Lagos, Abuja and major airports across the country, the dollar was sold for between 367 and 373 on Wednesday.

Findings from various operators revealed that the local currency went for 371 against the greenback in most of the parallel market locations.

Abokifx.com, an online portal that monitors the movement of exchange rates at the parallel market, reported that the naira closed at 367 against the dollar.

However, the currency traded at 199.40 to the dollar on the official interbank market, within the CBN’s pegged rate band.

“Demand for the greenback has increased amidst growing scarcity as uncertainties created by the new policy have caused individuals to start to stock dollars,” the National President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Economic analysts said heightened political risks, evolving economic crisis and the CBN’s delay in unveiling its blueprint on the proposed forex policy were responsible for the fast depreciating rate of the naira at the parallel market.

An economic analyst and Chief Executive Officer of Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, said, “Foreign investors are fast losing confidence in the economy, seeing that they cannot bank on what the central bank says. It is almost two weeks now since the announcement of a new policy and yet, the blueprint has not been unveiled.

“Secondly, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, just said that oil production had fallen significantly as a result of the disruption in the Niger Delta; this means a major drop in our forex earnings. So, this is an evolving economic crisis.”

Other analysts said the value of the local currency was dipping because customers were trying to hedge against a possible depreciation when the CBN clarifies its new forex policy.

The naira had closed at 357 against the greenback on Monday, before crashing to 361 on Tuesday.

The CBN had recently said it would abandon its naira peg to the dollar and introduce a flexible currency exchange regime.

It has not said how this will work, a situation that has unsettled investors who are worried about getting caught in the middle of a devaluation.

The CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee had two weeks ago announced the plan to adopt a flexible exchange rate. The Governor, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said the blueprint for the proposed policy would be released soon.

The delay has, however, caused the stock market to record huge losses after recording landmark gains following the announcement of the plan to adopt the policy.

The central bank banned dollar sales to retail Bureaux De Change in January and reduced supply at its official interbank forex market in an effort to conserve reserves, now at their lowest level.

culled from punch

Four Killed In Mass Shooting In Tel Aviv

Two Palestinian cousins are suspected of the "harsh terror attack" on a bustling food market near Israel's military headquarters.

Police in Israel have described the shootings as a 'harsh terror attack'

Four people have died following a mass shooting in the centre of Tel Aviv, according to Israeli police.

Up to six others have been injured in the attack, which took place at a popular open-air food market near the country's defence ministry and army headquarters.

A police commander said two Palestinian gunmen from the West Bank were behind the "harsh terror attack", and both were "neutralised" at the scene.

Israeli officials had initially feared further attackers were on the loose

One of the alleged attackers was arrested, and a doctor has told Sky News the other suspect is in a stable condition after being taken to hospital for treatment.

In response, Israel has suspended most special permits for Palestinians to visit the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and beefed up police patrols in Tel Aviv.

Local reports suggest one of the gunmen had been disguised as an ultra-Orthodox Jew.

It is believed the two suspects are cousins in their 20s and had been eating at one of the restaurants near the Sarona shopping complex when they opened fire.

Several victims, and one of the attackers, are being treated in hospita

A director at the crowded market said security guards managed to avert a bigger disaster by stopping the attackers from going inside.

One woman said she was celebrating her son's birthday when she heard gunfire and "immediately understood it was a terror attack".

She told Channel 10: "We ran like lighting with the baby and the stroller ... I yelled at people who didn't understand what was happening to run."

Since October, 31 Israelis and two Americans have been killed in attacks allegedly carried out by Palestinians.

The attack is likely to cause fresh insecurity on the streets of Israel

About 200 Palestinians have been killed over this eight-month period, with Israel identifying most of them as attackers.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has met with security officials at the defence ministry since Wednesday evening's attack.

The US has condemned the attack as "cowardly".

culled from sky news

flavour and his adorable cute daughter

talented singer flavour took his daughter on a ride, so cute

Breaking news: Another new militant group "Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta surfaces" demands allocation of 60% oil blocs to Niger Deltans

A new militant group, the Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta have surfaced, with a demand that the Federal government allocate 60% of the nation's oil blocs to indigenes of the Niger Delta region.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Brig. Sibiri Taiowoh and made available to newsmen yesterday June 8th, the group said failure to meet their demands within 2 weeks will see continuous attack of oil installations in the Niger Delta region.

The militants amongst other things are demanding for the completion of the Federal Maritime University which was established by former President Goodluck Jonathan as well as the contract to secure oil pipelines in the region

“We want to be the ones to be safe guarding oil pipeline in our area so as to create more jobs for our people. We would resist any attempt to give surveillance contracts of pipeline in our backyard to foreigners. We want the pipeline jobs to be given to our indigenous people. We also want 60 per cent of the oil blocs to be allocated to the Niger Deltans just as the Federal Government has also allocated 80 per cent to those who are not from the oil producing area and just as 50 per cent of the resource was used to develop the non-oil area when we were producing cocoa and groundnut as main economic resources, the same 50 percent should be use to develop the Niger Delta region because we are the ones suffering the brunt of oil pollution and degradation in the region. We are behind the recent pipeline bombing in the Niger Delta region and I can assure you we will not stop until the EPZ project and the Maritime University are totally completed and start operations" the statement read

I'm Alive - Babangida Speaks From Germany

NIGERIA'S former Military President, retired General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, has spoken from Germany where he has been in the last few weeks.

IBB, as he is fondly called, said he is alive contrary to reports that he had passed on.

MEZIE TIMES had quoted a family source recently, saying that the former military ruler was hale and hearty.
Babangida, speaking on a Television Continental programme on Wednesday, said he would soon return home.

The Lagos-based television programme, Journalists Hangout, was where Babangida called into to dispel the rumour of his death.

He told TVC crew: “I am alive.”

As at press time, journalists were still laying siege to his Hilltop Mansion in Minna, Niger State for news on his whereabouts.
Update from his hiltop mansion
In a bid to further dismiss the rumour tha‎t former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has died, his Personal Assistant, Captain Jalingo, on Wednesday said the gap toothed General is expected in Nigeria on Sunday.
Jalingo, while addressing journalists who had laid siege to the Hilltop Mansion area on Wednesday waiting for Babangida’s arrival, said: “General is alive.”
According to him: “He is supposed to be back today (Wednesday), but he did not come.

“General Babangida is alive.
“Insha Allah, he will be back on Sunday.
“If IBB comes back, there would be a press briefing that same day or the following day.
“He will address the media.”

Pics of Ooni Ogunwusi And Wife At Lagos Airport On Their Way To The US

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II and his queen Olori Wuraola Ogunwusi were pictured at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on their way to USA for an event to unite Africans especially the Yorubas in the North American country.

The monarch who has been lately criticized for his too many journeys and visits -pulled a massive crowd at the departure wing of the airport -as people gathered to catch a glimpse of him

'Free the Nipple' Hundreds strip off in a protest on Brighton Beach in a bid to make breasts more accepted in society

200 people paraded topless on Brighton beach to highlight the nipple ban

Marched from Brighton Pier along the seafront then sunbathed on beach

March aimed to stop the sexualisation of women's nipples in the media

Free The Nipple march was organised by comedian Samantha Pressdee  

Hundreds of men and women gathered topless on Brighton beach for the 'Free the Nipple' campaign to make the sight or breasts more normal.

Two hundred women and men paraded topless around Brighton Beach at the weekend to highlight controversial social media policies about banning female nipples.

The Sunday afternoon march started from Brighton Pier, and then headed along the East Sussex city seafront before stopping on the beach - where everybody sunbathed topless.

also read how twin sisters make alot of money with their sexy pictures

One member who attended the event said: 'It was lovely, I felt proud and fantastic.

'There wasn't any negativity or aggression, all we got was a lot of smiles and a lot of support and cheering.'

The event was organised by comedian Samantha Pressdee, who came to Brighton with her one-woman comedy show about nudity and sexuality.

source: dailymail

High-speed Train Speed of 350km/h is Safe: China Railway

A high-speed train runs in southwest China’s Guizhou province on December 26, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua]

High-speed trains can safely adjust back to 350 kilometers per hour, a China RailwayCorporation engineer said on Tuesday, Xinhua News reports.

At a briefing of the Modern Railways 2016 railway equipment fair, engineer He Huawuconfirmed it is technically feasible for trains to regain speed, adding the decision has notyet been made due to financial concerns.

A speed re-adjustment will lead to higher operational and maintenance costs as well as increased energy consumption, He said.

China lowered the maximum speed of high-speed trains to 300 kilometers per hour five five years ago, following a severe rear-end collision.

By the end of 2015, China's high-speed train network will cover more than 19,000kilometers, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world's operational high-speed train train train mileage.

The Modern Railways 2016 railway equipment fair is organized by China Railway Corporation and will be held in Beijing between June 20-22.

source: peoples china

Eucharia Anunobi ministering during a church program in sweden.

Veteran Nollywood actress turned Pastor Eucharia Pastors Anunobi has taken her ministering job to Sweden.She was pictured preaching at a church in Sweden.Speaking while ministering, 

shoot drug dealer and receive a medal, Philippines president-elect

Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte effectively said he supports vigilantism in a nationally-televised speech.

Faced with criminals who resist arrest or threaten citizens, the controversial politician suggested that it was fine for citizens to take the law into their own hands.

"If he fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him," said the former mayor of Davao City, who was elected to the presidency in a decisive victory last month.

During the address, Duterte also encouraged citizens to use deadly force against drug dealers who threaten them.

"Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun ... you have my support," he told the crowd and television cameras.

"Shoot him [the drug dealer] and I'll give you a medal."

Bounty offered

Earlier in the month, Duterte put bounty of up to 3 million Philippine pesos ($65,000) on drug lords -- which he upped to five million pesos ($108,000) in his most recent speech.

"I'm not saying that you kill them, but the order is 'dead or alive,'" he said.

With less than a month left before he assumes office, Duterte said he will take a tough stance on corrupt cops.

"[To] all police who have cases and are wanted now, if you are still involved in drugs, I will kill you," he said, according to a CNN Philippines translation. "Don't take this as a joke. I'm not making you laugh. Son of a bitch, I will kill you."

He also demanded the resignation of three police generals, but refused to state their names publicly.

"Do not wait for me to name you in public because I will only humiliate you," he said.

Philippines gets its own Trump

Extrajudicial killings advocated

Last month, he said he wants to empower security forces to "shoot to kill" anyone that resists arrest.

He has previously suggested that he himself pulled the trigger on suspects in a kidnapping case while he was mayor of Davao.

Allegations also surfaced that he was connected to extrajudicial killings by a well-coordinated group of vigilantes, earning him the moniker "The Punisher" by Time Magazine.

Duterte himself confirmed the claims during a live TV show broadcast locally in the Philippines last year.

"Me? They are saying that I'm part of a death squad? True, that's true," he said.

The controversial figure also reiterated his views on capital punishment Sunday at a news conference, saying "if there is no fear in the law or attached to the law ... it's useless."

"What I would do is urge Congress to restore the death penalty by hanging, especially if you use drugs," he said according to CNN Philippines.

Duterte confirmed as Philippines president after vowing to sleep in

Journalist deaths dismissed

Duterte also implied last month that some journalists killed on the job in the Philippines may have been corrupt and deserved death.

"Just because you're a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you're a son of a bitch," Duterte said.

"Freedom of expression cannot help you if you have done something wrong," he added.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) was quick to blast the leader for his "appalling" comments.

Ahead of his election, he was an outspoken and unapologetic candidate who, more often than not, refused to distance himself from controversy.

During the race he had refused to apologize following the emergence of controversial comments on gang rape.

A YouTube video appeared during the campaign showing Duterte joking about the 1989 rape and murder of an Australian missionary that took place in Davao City.

source: CNN

Bernie Sanders hasn't given up on the Democratic nomination

Bernie Sanders says he will continue to fight for the Democratic nomination.

Mr Sanders has thanked supporters during a speech in California where he says his supporters must continue to campaign to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president:

He said: "The American people, in my view, will never support a candidate whose major theme is bigotry, who insults Mexicans, who insults Muslims, women and African Americans.

"We will not allow Donald Trump to become president of the United States."

It comes after Sanders said he was "really disappointed" and "upset" that The Associated Press declared rival Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic nominee on the eve of primary elections in six states.

Mr Sanders expressed concern that the reports of Mrs Clinton's victory came the night before "the largest primary" - California - and was annoyed by the way it was done.

He said that it was based on what he described as "anonymous" commitments from superdelegates - the party insiders and Democratic officials who can vote for the candidate of their choice at the summer convention.

"They got on the phone as I understand it, and started hounding superdelegates to tell them in an anonymous way who they were voting for," he said.

"The night before the largest primary, biggest primary in the whole process, they make this announcement. So I was really disappointed in what The AP did."

The AP's delegate count is based on pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, as well as a survey of superdelegates. The AP only included superdelegates in its tally if they said they would unequivocally vote for Mrs Clinton or Mr Sanders at the convention.

According to the AP's count, Mrs Clinton secured the commitments of enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee on Monday night, the day before primary elections in California, New Jersey and four other states

copied from breakingnews.com

Cancer patients 'more likely to survive if married'

Married people are more likely to survive cancer than those who are single, a study suggests.

Preliminary research on almost 60,000 people with a range of blood cancers found that, on average, married people were 20% more likely to survive than single people, while single men fared the worst.

Data in the study, drawn from the California Cancer Registry between 2000 and 2009, included people with leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Matthew Wieduwilt, assistant clinical professor of the US blood and marrow transplantation programme and study author, said: "Single patients often present at a later stage and are sicker.

"If you are single, you don't have someone at home nagging at you to get checked out - this is particularly true with men. Women tend to have more support even if they are single.

"Married people and people with families are more likely to stick to treatment. They have a support system making them go to chemo, reminding them to take their medication. They are also more motivated to seek out healthcare. To put it bluntly, they have something to live for.

"These results show that health services need to take more care of single patients, they need to be the surrogate for a spouse."

Professor Maria Elena Martinez, of the University of California, San Diego, and co-author, said: "Being single should be a red flag for doctors. If a cancer patient comes in without a family member or spouse, it should be a warning sign.

"Medical staff need to ask the patient about the support at home. Doctors need to go that little bit extra with single patients.

"In our data, men benefit more than women from having a partner. Men tend to get more social support out of a marriage than women.

"This study reflects the wider picture. Across all cancers you are more likely to survive if you are married. It is consistent across all cancers."

Adrienne Betteley, interim head of health and social care at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "We know that a cancer diagnosis can leave people feeling very lonely and that this can have a detrimental effect on their lives, with many forced to skip meals or attend vital appointments alone.

"At worst it can result in patients refusing treatment altogether.

"That said, it is not just those who live alone who are left feeling this way. People who have lots of social contact and that are married or have a partner can still be affected by loneliness.

"That's why it's so vital for us to reach out to people affected by cancer, even those surrounded by family and loved ones. The smallest gesture can make such a big difference."

Professor Arnie Purushotham, Cancer Research UK's senior clinical adviser, said: "While it's unclear why married people in this study seem to have better outcomes, it may be that cancer patients who have close support of partners do better and this may be due to sticking with their treatment better and a network of social support."

SOURCE: breakingnews