Femke Becomes Funke: Celebrating Mediocrity In Nigeria By Femke van Zeijl

Femke Van Zeijl By Femke Van Zeijl I used to think corruption was Nigeria’s biggest problem, but I’m starting to doubt that. Every time I probe into one of the manyissues this country is encountering, at the core I find the same phenomenon: the widespread celebration of mediocrity. Unrebuked underachievement seems to be the rule in all facets of society. A governor building a single road during his entire tenure is revered like the next Messiah; anaveragely talented author who writes a colourless book gets sponsored to represent Nigerian literature overseas; and a young woman with no secretarial skills to speak of gets promoted to theoga’s office faster than any of her properly trained colleagues. Needless to say the politician is probably hailed by those awaiting part of the loot he is stealing; the writer might have got his sponsorship from buddies he has been sucking up to in hagiographies paid for by the subjects; and the young woman’s promotion is likely to be an exchange for sex or the expectancy of it. So some form ofcorruption plays a role in all of these examples. But corruption per se does not necessarily stand in the way of development. Otherwise a countrylike Indonesia—number 118 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, not that far removed from Nigeria’s 139—would never have made it tothe G-20 group of major economies. An even more serious obstacle to development is the lack of repercussions for underachievement. Who in Nigeria is ever held accountable for substandard performance? Since I came here, I have been on a futile search for a stable internet connection that does what it promises. I started with an MTN FastLink modem (I consider the name a cruel joke), and then I moved on to an Etisalat MiFi connection (I regularlyhad to keep myself from throwingthe bloody thing against the wall),and now I am trying out Cobranet’s U-Go. I shouldn’t have bothered: equally crap. And everyone knows this. They groan and mutter and tweet about it. But still, to my surprise, no one calls for a class-action suit against those deceitful providers. A one-day conference I attended last year left me equally puzzled. Organisation, attendance and outcome left a lot to be desired, if you ask me. But over cocktails, after the closing ceremony, everyone congratulated each other over the wonderful conference—that started two hours late, of which the most animated part was undeniably lunch, and in which not a single tangible decision had been made. This left me wondering whether we had attended the same event. I thought these issues to be unrelated at first, but gradually I came to see the connection. Nigeria is the opposite of a meritocracy: you do not earn by achieving. You get to be who and where you are by knowing the right people. Whether you work inan office, for an enterprise or an NGO, at a construction site or in government, your abilities hardly ever are the reason you got there. Performing well, let alone with excellence, is not a requirement, in fact, it is discouraged. It would be too threatening: showing you’re moreintelligent, capable or competent than the ‘oga at the top’ (who, as a rule, is not an overachiever either) is career suicide. It is an attitude that trickles down from the very top, its symptoms eventually showing up in all of society, from bad governance to bad service to badcraftsmanship. Where excellence meets no gratification, what remains to be celebrated is underachievement. That is why it is not uncommon tofind Nigerians congratulating eachother with substandard results. Itis safer to cuddle up comfortably in shared mediocrity than to question it, since the latter mightalso expose your own less than exceptional performance. Add to this the taboo of criticising anyone senior or higher up and itexplains why so many join in the admiration of the emperor’s new clothes. I have been writing this column for the last year, and after ten months I realised my angles were getting more predictable and my pieces less edgy. I figured newcomers do not remain newcomers forever and thereforedecided to round up the ‘Femke Becomes Funke’ series this month,a year after it started. Ever sinceI announced the ending, tweeps have been asking me to change my mind and in comments on the columns and through my website Iget songs of praise that make mefeel my analyses of Nigerian society are indispensable. If I had no sense of self-criticism, I might be tempted to reconsider my decision to discontinue the series and start producing second-rate articles. Who would point this out to me if I did? The hardest thing to do in Nigeriais to continue to realise there is honour in achievement and pride in perfection. I imagine the frustration of the many Nigerians who do care for their work, who take pride in their outcomes and who feel the award is in a job welldone. When you know beforehandthat excellence will not be rewarded, you are bound to do the economically sane thing and limit your investments to accomplishing the bare minimum. This makes Nigeria a pretty cumbersome place for anyone striving for perfection.

Femke Becomes Funke: Celebrating Mediocrity In Nigeria By Femke van Zeijl

Femke Van Zeijl By Femke Van Zeijl I used to think corruption was Nigeria’s biggest problem, but I’m starting to doubt that. Every time I probe into one of the manyissues this country is encountering, at the core I find the same phenomenon: the widespread celebration of mediocrity. Unrebuked underachievement seems to be the rule in all facets of society. A governor building a single road during his entire tenure is revered like the next Messiah; anaveragely talented author who writes a colourless book gets sponsored to represent Nigerian literature overseas; and a young woman with no secretarial skills to speak of gets promoted to theoga’s office faster than any of her properly trained colleagues. Needless to say the politician is probably hailed by those awaiting part of the loot he is stealing; the writer might have got his sponsorship from buddies he has been sucking up to in hagiographies paid for by the subjects; and the young woman’s promotion is likely to be an exchange for sex or the expectancy of it. So some form ofcorruption plays a role in all of these examples. But corruption per se does not necessarily stand in the way of development. Otherwise a countrylike Indonesia—number 118 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, not that far removed from Nigeria’s 139—would never have made it tothe G-20 group of major economies. An even more serious obstacle to development is the lack of repercussions for underachievement. Who in Nigeria is ever held accountable for substandard performance? Since I came here, I have been on a futile search for a stable internet connection that does what it promises. I started with an MTN FastLink modem (I consider the name a cruel joke), and then I moved on to an Etisalat MiFi connection (I regularlyhad to keep myself from throwingthe bloody thing against the wall),and now I am trying out Cobranet’s U-Go. I shouldn’t have bothered: equally crap. And everyone knows this. They groan and mutter and tweet about it. But still, to my surprise, no one calls for a class-action suit against those deceitful providers. A one-day conference I attended last year left me equally puzzled. Organisation, attendance and outcome left a lot to be desired, if you ask me. But over cocktails, after the closing ceremony, everyone congratulated each other over the wonderful conference—that started two hours late, of which the most animated part was undeniably lunch, and in which not a single tangible decision had been made. This left me wondering whether we had attended the same event. I thought these issues to be unrelated at first, but gradually I came to see the connection. Nigeria is the opposite of a meritocracy: you do not earn by achieving. You get to be who and where you are by knowing the right people. Whether you work inan office, for an enterprise or an NGO, at a construction site or in government, your abilities hardly ever are the reason you got there. Performing well, let alone with excellence, is not a requirement, in fact, it is discouraged. It would be too threatening: showing you’re moreintelligent, capable or competent than the ‘oga at the top’ (who, as a rule, is not an overachiever either) is career suicide. It is an attitude that trickles down from the very top, its symptoms eventually showing up in all of society, from bad governance to bad service to badcraftsmanship. Where excellence meets no gratification, what remains to be celebrated is underachievement. That is why it is not uncommon tofind Nigerians congratulating eachother with substandard results. Itis safer to cuddle up comfortably in shared mediocrity than to question it, since the latter mightalso expose your own less than exceptional performance. Add to this the taboo of criticising anyone senior or higher up and itexplains why so many join in the admiration of the emperor’s new clothes. I have been writing this column for the last year, and after ten months I realised my angles were getting more predictable and my pieces less edgy. I figured newcomers do not remain newcomers forever and thereforedecided to round up the ‘Femke Becomes Funke’ series this month,a year after it started. Ever sinceI announced the ending, tweeps have been asking me to change my mind and in comments on the columns and through my website Iget songs of praise that make mefeel my analyses of Nigerian society are indispensable. If I had no sense of self-criticism, I might be tempted to reconsider my decision to discontinue the series and start producing second-rate articles. Who would point this out to me if I did? The hardest thing to do in Nigeriais to continue to realise there is honour in achievement and pride in perfection. I imagine the frustration of the many Nigerians who do care for their work, who take pride in their outcomes and who feel the award is in a job welldone. When you know beforehandthat excellence will not be rewarded, you are bound to do the economically sane thing and limit your investments to accomplishing the bare minimum. This makes Nigeria a pretty cumbersome place for anyone striving for perfection.

Femke Becomes Funke: Celebrating Mediocrity In Nigeria By Femke van Zeijl

Femke Van Zeijl By Femke Van Zeijl I used to think corruption was Nigeria’s biggest problem, but I’m starting to doubt that. Every time I probe into one of the manyissues this country is encountering, at the core I find the same phenomenon: the widespread celebration of mediocrity. Unrebuked underachievement seems to be the rule in all facets of society. A governor building a single road during his entire tenure is revered like the next Messiah; anaveragely talented author who writes a colourless book gets sponsored to represent Nigerian literature overseas; and a young woman with no secretarial skills to speak of gets promoted to theoga’s office faster than any of her properly trained colleagues. Needless to say the politician is probably hailed by those awaiting part of the loot he is stealing; the writer might have got his sponsorship from buddies he has been sucking up to in hagiographies paid for by the subjects; and the young woman’s promotion is likely to be an exchange for sex or the expectancy of it. So some form ofcorruption plays a role in all of these examples. But corruption per se does not necessarily stand in the way of development. Otherwise a countrylike Indonesia—number 118 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, not that far removed from Nigeria’s 139—would never have made it tothe G-20 group of major economies. An even more serious obstacle to development is the lack of repercussions for underachievement. Who in Nigeria is ever held accountable for substandard performance? Since I came here, I have been on a futile search for a stable internet connection that does what it promises. I started with an MTN FastLink modem (I consider the name a cruel joke), and then I moved on to an Etisalat MiFi connection (I regularlyhad to keep myself from throwingthe bloody thing against the wall),and now I am trying out Cobranet’s U-Go. I shouldn’t have bothered: equally crap. And everyone knows this. They groan and mutter and tweet about it. But still, to my surprise, no one calls for a class-action suit against those deceitful providers. A one-day conference I attended last year left me equally puzzled. Organisation, attendance and outcome left a lot to be desired, if you ask me. But over cocktails, after the closing ceremony, everyone congratulated each other over the wonderful conference—that started two hours late, of which the most animated part was undeniably lunch, and in which not a single tangible decision had been made. This left me wondering whether we had attended the same event. I thought these issues to be unrelated at first, but gradually I came to see the connection. Nigeria is the opposite of a meritocracy: you do not earn by achieving. You get to be who and where you are by knowing the right people. Whether you work inan office, for an enterprise or an NGO, at a construction site or in government, your abilities hardly ever are the reason you got there. Performing well, let alone with excellence, is not a requirement, in fact, it is discouraged. It would be too threatening: showing you’re moreintelligent, capable or competent than the ‘oga at the top’ (who, as a rule, is not an overachiever either) is career suicide. It is an attitude that trickles down from the very top, its symptoms eventually showing up in all of society, from bad governance to bad service to badcraftsmanship. Where excellence meets no gratification, what remains to be celebrated is underachievement. That is why it is not uncommon tofind Nigerians congratulating eachother with substandard results. Itis safer to cuddle up comfortably in shared mediocrity than to question it, since the latter mightalso expose your own less than exceptional performance. Add to this the taboo of criticising anyone senior or higher up and itexplains why so many join in the admiration of the emperor’s new clothes. I have been writing this column for the last year, and after ten months I realised my angles were getting more predictable and my pieces less edgy. I figured newcomers do not remain newcomers forever and thereforedecided to round up the ‘Femke Becomes Funke’ series this month,a year after it started. Ever sinceI announced the ending, tweeps have been asking me to change my mind and in comments on the columns and through my website Iget songs of praise that make mefeel my analyses of Nigerian society are indispensable. If I had no sense of self-criticism, I might be tempted to reconsider my decision to discontinue the series and start producing second-rate articles. Who would point this out to me if I did? The hardest thing to do in Nigeriais to continue to realise there is honour in achievement and pride in perfection. I imagine the frustration of the many Nigerians who do care for their work, who take pride in their outcomes and who feel the award is in a job welldone. When you know beforehandthat excellence will not be rewarded, you are bound to do the economically sane thing and limit your investments to accomplishing the bare minimum. This makes Nigeria a pretty cumbersome place for anyone striving for perfection.

Samsung is set to launch adevice in its flagship premium smartphone range, expected to be named the Galaxy S4.

It follows the S3, a handset that has sold more than 40 million units. The Galaxy handsets are seen as the closest competitor to Apple's iPhone. Analysts predict software that tracks where users are lookingand automatically scrolls down the page as it is read, without it being touched. There is also expected to be a souped-up camera and processor. But crucial to Samsung's futuresuccess, analysts say, is how the South Korean company plans to turn its strong position in the smartphone market into greater success with other devices such as tablets. Prior to Thursday's launch in New York, Samsung has unleashed a huge advertising campaign, including a series of videos involving a small boy tasked with looking after a"top secret" box

Samsung is set to launch adevice in its flagship premium smartphone range, expected to be named the Galaxy S4.

It follows the S3, a handset that has sold more than 40 million units. The Galaxy handsets are seen as the closest competitor to Apple's iPhone. Analysts predict software that tracks where users are lookingand automatically scrolls down the page as it is read, without it being touched. There is also expected to be a souped-up camera and processor. But crucial to Samsung's futuresuccess, analysts say, is how the South Korean company plans to turn its strong position in the smartphone market into greater success with other devices such as tablets. Prior to Thursday's launch in New York, Samsung has unleashed a huge advertising campaign, including a series of videos involving a small boy tasked with looking after a"top secret" box

China's new pressident

Mr Xi, appointed to the Communist Party's top post in November, replaces Hu Jintao, who is stepping down. Some 3,000 deputies to the National People's Congress, the annual parliament session, tookpart in the vote at the Great Hall of the People. The new premier - widely expected to be Li Keqiang - is scheduled to be named on Friday, replacing Wen Jiabao. While votes are held for the posts, they are largely ceremonial and the results veryrarely a surprise. Mr Xi, who bowed to the delegates after his name was announced but made no formal remarks, was elected by 2,952 votes to one, with three abstentions. He was named general secretary of the Communist Party on 8 November and also given the leadership of the topmilitary body, the Central Military Commission

Pope Francis is beginning his first day at the helm of the Catholic Church, attempting to set out his vision for his papacy amid a testing schedule. He will lead cardinals in his first Mass, begin appointing senior Vatican staff and may visit his predecessor, Benedict, Pope Emeritus. The first Latin American and Jesuit pope has received a flood of goodwill messages fromaround the world. But the Argentine also faces a series of tough challenges. The Church has been dogged by infighting and scandals over clerical sex abuse and alleged corruption. Thursday morning saw Pope Francis begin the day with a visit to a Rome basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, for a private prayer

Share this page Email Print 3K Share Facebook Twitter Amazon suspends sales of SimCity video game SimCity game screen Cities built by players are part of larger online regions

The web retailer stopped sales late on 7 March as players reported continued problems with the city building title.
The latest version of SimCity was launched on 5 March and, like many current games, demand players stay online as they play.
EA has also taken steps to fix login delays by turning off some features to lighten the load on game servers.
Prior to this latest release, SimCity was a stand-alone game, but EA has added the online element to infuse the title with more realism.
Now player cities exist as part of online regions and share some characteristics of those virtual environments such as pollution, crime and essential resources.
The online requirement is also seen as an attempt to curb piracy of the title as a web connection is required even if a player shuns the chance to connect their cities to others.
However, the requirement for all players of the game to be connected has led some to wait 30 minutes or more to play. The server problems have led to sluggish response times, crashes and other bugs.
Amazon's sales suspension of the downloadable PC version of the game only lasted a few hours, but it has put a warning note on the product page about the "issues" with the game. These have contributed to the one-star score purchasers have given SimCity on Amazon.

Amazon has posted a warning about the ongoing problems with SimCity

In official discussion forums and on its Twitter feed EA has apologised for the trouble players have had.
In one of its latest messages, an EA spokeswoman said it had added server capacity and rolled out a quick fix to SimCity servers to speed up game play and get more people into the game.
To lighten the load on its back-end servers, EA turned off some features including leader boards and achievements. It has also removed the option to run the game at its fastest setting, known as "cheetah speed". Instead, all cities will now run at the lower "llama speed".
In a message posted to the official EA discussion forums, SimCity's senior producer Kip Katsarelis said the launch week had been "challenging" for the company.
'Growing pains' However, he added, there was a positive side to the delays.
"What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didn't want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join," he wrote.
Games journalist Nathan Grayson, writing on the Rock Paper Shotgun website, praised EA for keeping players informed through Facebook, Twitter and discussion forums about the problems. However, he wondered why games firms were still so unprepared for the launch day deluge of players.
Games makers may laud the always online requirement as the future, he said, but so far no studio had got it right or used that permanent link to do more with a game.
"I haven't seen a single one of these things stick their initial landings or catapult a pre-existing series to new heights," he said. "I have quite a bit of trouble declaring these things 'growing pains' when I barely see any, you know, growth."

Oxford exploitation trial: Girl was 'off her head' on drugs

The nine men are accused of sexually exploiting six girls aged between 11 and 15

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Man 'prepared girl for gang rape'
• Girl aged 14 'feared rape death'

A 14-year-old girl woke up naked in a bed with two men but cannot remember what happened, a court heard.

The witness, now 16, was giving evidence at the trial of nine men accused of grooming children and exploiting them for sex in Oxford.
She told the Old Bailey she was "off her head" on drugs and alcohol during the incident, in December 2011.
The men, from Oxford and Berkshire, deny 51 offences including rape and trafficking from 2004 to 2012.
'Might go mad' The court heard the incident happened at a guest house in Oxford.
The girl, who is the youngest of six girls who have told the court they were victims of the accused, has been in various foster placements and children's homes, the jury was told.
When she was 12 or 13 she started hanging around with older Asian men around Cowley Road in Oxford, the court heard.
Giving evidence from behind a screen, she said it was there she met "Tayab", who she later identified to police as defendant Mohammed Hussain.
She told the court he was older than her, in his 20s, and they met "many times" over a few years.
Jurors heard she had sex with him and also with defendant Assad Hussain who she knew as "Ash".
She told jurors she was "disgusted" with herself for having sex with men but felt she could not refuse.
When asked why she had sex with Mohammed Hussain she told the court: "I felt if I didn't he might go mad at me."
She resorted to self harm as a result of her treatment, she said.
The trial is expected to last until May.
The defendants, all in custody, are:

• Kamar Jamil, 27, formerly of Aldrich Road, Oxford
• Akhtar Dogar, 32, of Tawney Street, Oxford; and his brother Anjum Dogar, 30, of Tawney Street, Oxford
• Assad Hussain, 32, of Ashurst Way, Oxford
• Mohammed Karrar, 38, of Kames Close, Oxford; and his brother Bassam Karrar, 33, of Hundred Acres Close, Oxford
• Mohammed Hussain, 24, of Horspath Road, Oxford
• Zeeshan Ahmed, 27, of Palmer Road, Oxford
• Bilal Ahmed, 26, of Suffolk Road, Maidenhead

China warns against Korea escalation

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North Korean State TV has aired footage of a visit by Kim Jong-un to troops, as the BBC's Lucy Williamson reports

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Inside North Korea

• China's delicate balancing act
• Time for heftier sticks?
• What drives Pyongyang?
• Nuclear tests

China has appealed for calm on the Korean peninsula, hours after North Korea said it had scrapped all peace pacts with the South and threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

China, the North's only major ally, said all sides should continue to talk and avoid "further escalation".
Pyongyang has reacted angrily to another round of sanctions imposed by the UN over its recent nuclear test.
The sanctions restrict luxury goods imports and banking activities.
Beijing provides fuel, food and diplomatic cover to Pyongyang.
It has repeatedly voted in favour of UN sanctions imposed over the nuclear programme, but enforcement of the measures in China is patchy.
Hua Chunying of China's foreign ministry told a news conference on Friday: "China and North Korea have normal country relations. At the same time, we also oppose North Korea's conducting of nuclear tests.

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Dr John Swenson-Wright Chatham House

The threatened pre-emptive nuclear strike seems more bluff than reality, since the North's leaders know it would be suicidal, and an attack on the US seems impracticable given the still technically rudimentary quality of the North's ballistic missile programme and the unproven state of its nuclear miniaturisation technology needed to place a nuclear warhead atop a missile.
A more troubling possibility is that the North might choose - out of irritation with the UN - to precipitate a border clash with South Korea, either on land or sea, as it did in 2010.

• Will sanctions persuade or provoke?

"China calls on the relevant parties to be calm and exercise restraint and avoid taking any further action that would cause any further escalations."

Chinese and US officials drafted the UN resolution passed on Thursday.
It contains similar measures to earlier resolutions, but the US said it had significantly strengthened the enforcement mechanisms.
In response, the North Korean regime published a message on the official KCNA news agency saying it had cancelled all non-aggression pacts with the South.
The two Koreas have signed a range of agreements over the years, including a 1991 pact on resolving disputes and avoiding military clashes.
However, analysts say the deals have had little practical effect.

The KCNA report detailed other measures including:

• cutting off the North-South hotline, saying there was "nothing to talk to the puppet group of traitors about"
• closing the main Panmunjom border crossing inside the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two countries
• pulling out of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

The North also claimed it had a right to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against its enemies.
The threat drew an angry response from the South's defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok, who said that the North would become "extinct from the Earth by the will of mankind" if it took such an action.
The US state department said such "extreme rhetoric" was not unusual, but said the US was well protected.
The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says it appears the North is trying to build a sense of crisis domestically, with a large rally staged in Pyongyang on Friday and reports of camouflage netting on public transport.
North Korea has breached agreements before and withdrawing from them does not necessarily mean war, our correspondent says, but it does signal a more unpredictable and unstable situation.
Shutting down the hotline will leave both more exposed to misunderstandings, she adds.

Kenya election: Uhuru Kenyatta wins presidency

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Election commission chairman Issack Hassan announced the result

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Kenya Elections

• Tech hub drubbing
• Q&A: Confusing election
• Mapping the divides
• 'Voting for peace'

Kenya's Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta has been confirmed as the winner of the presidential election.

Mr Kenyatta won 50.07% of the vote on a turnout of 86%, officials said, narrowly avoiding a run-off ballot.
But main rival Raila Odinga alleged massive vote-rigging and said he would challenge the results of the "tainted election" in the Supreme Court.
Mr Kenyatta is set to face trial at the International Criminal Court over violence that followed the 2007 polls.
He is accused of fuelling the communal violence that saw more than 1,000 people killed and 600,000 forced from their homes.
'System failures'

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Uhuru Kenyatta

• Aged 51
• Son of founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
• Heir to one of the largest fortunes in Kenya, according to Forbes magazine
• Entered politics in 1990s, groomed by former President Daniel arap Moi to be his successor
• Known as "njamba" ("hero") in his Kikuyu language
• Indicted by ICC on charges of crimes against humanity for 2007 post-election violence - which he denies
• Married father of three

• Profile: Uhuru Kenyatta

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said the latest elections had been complex and difficult - but also credible and transparent.

It said the turnout was the largest ever.
IEBC chairman Issack Hassan, announcing the final vote tallies, said Kenyans had voted "calmly, patiently, proudly and peacefully in the full glare of whole world".
Mr Hassan praised the candidates who had already conceded victory and urged others to follow suit.
However, Mr Odinga, the current prime minister, said the electoral commission had "failed Kenyans" and that democracy itself was "on trial".
But after announcing his Supreme Court challenge, he also appealed for calm, saying: "Any violence could destroy this nation forever."
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Nairobi says this was the tightest of races with the narrowest of margins.
He says that how Mr Odinga now handles his supporters will determine whether his dispute stays in the courts or spills out on the streets.
Court process Mr Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition party said it was "proud and honoured for the trust" bestowed on it, adding that it had taken a message to the people and that "we are grateful to the people of Kenya for accepting this message".
Early on Saturday, small groups of Kenyatta supporters celebrated in Nairobi, hooting car horns and singing.

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Election result

• Votes cast: 12,330,028
• Uhuru Kenyatta: 6,173,433 (50.07%)
• Raila Odinga: 5,340,546 (43.31%)
• Turnout: 86%

But the newly confirmed president could face difficult relations with Western countries.

In July, he is due to go on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity.
Mr Kenyatta's running mate, William Ruto, also faces similar charges. Both men deny the accusations.
The ICC has agreed to postpone Mr Ruto's trial by a month until May after his lawyers complained of not having enough time to prepare his defence.
Countries including the US and UK have hinted that Mr Kenyatta's election as president would have consequences for their relations with Kenya. The comments have been dismissed in Nairobi as foreign interference.
Kenya's new electronic voting system was designed to eliminate the chance of vote-rigging, and with it any risk of a repeat of the post-poll violence of 2007.
But the count has been plagued with technical glitches, including a programming error that led to the number of rejected votes being multiplied by a factor of eight.
Mr Odinga's Cord alliance had earlier complained that votes from 11 constituencies were missing, in effect leaving him more than 250,000 votes short.

Port Said riot sentences anger rival fans in Egypt

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Protesters have taken to the streets in Cairo and Port Said

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Egypt changing

• Q&A: Riots and political crisis
• President tested
• Mubarak legacy
• Black Bloc anarchists emerge

Rival football fans in Egypt have been protesting angrily over sentences handed down over deadly riots at a match in Port Said in February 2012.

The court upheld 21 death sentences and handed down prison terms to other defendants over the violence, which claimed 74 lives.
Most victims were supporters of a Cairo team, and fans there criticised the sentencing for not going far enough.
In Port Said, fans of the local team accused the court of unfairness.
Many people believe police in the city stood by during the rioting in revenge for the role of football supporters in the unrest which toppled Hosni Mubarak as president a year before. Police deny the accusation.
Ahead of Saturday's sentencing, the army assumed policing in Port Said, which saw new, deadly unrest last week.
Police in at least 10 of Egypt's 29 provinces have been holding an unprecedented strike in protest at being used by the government of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to confront protesters.
'Club stormed' Confirming the capital punishment sentences, Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid specified "the death penalty by hanging".

Continue reading the main story

Port Said 2012 football deaths

• 74 people killed in Port Said stadium on 2 February 2012
• Clashes broke out between rival fans of Port Said club al-Masry and Cairo's al-Ahly
• Fans flooded on to pitch, attacking Ahly players and fans as match ended
• Most died of concussion, cuts and suffocation
• The largest death toll in Egypt's football history

• Media's emergency debate

In addition:

• Port Said stadium security chief Essam Eddin Samak and nine other defendants were each sentenced to 15 years in jail

• Six received 10-year jail terms and two were sent to prison for five years

• A single defendant got a 12-month jail term and 28 of the accused, including seven policemen, walked free

The court's verdicts, broadcast live on TV, were initially cheered by fans of Cairo's al-Ahly team, who are known as the Ultras.
"First we were happy when we heard the 21 death sentences," one fan told AFP news agency.
"We were cheering and didn't hear the rest of the verdict. Then we were very angry."
As fans surged through the streets to attend a rally at their stadium, a police club and the Egyptian football federation building were set alight.
Both buildings are close to the team's stadium and a senior security official was quoted as saying by AFP news agency that some fans had stormed the club and torched it.
It was not immediately clear if the football federation building was also attacked by fans.
Canal protest

Burning tyres were dropped into the Suez Canal

In Port Said, fans of local team al-Masri were already angry that all of those sentenced to death were supporters of the team.
Two senior police officers were jailed but seven other security officials were acquitted, fuelling local resentment.
Some demonstrators tried to block the Suez Canal by untying speedboats and setting them adrift while others sought to interrupt car ferry traffic.
Military police recovered five of the speedboats and brought them back to shore, but two were still drifting, one witness told Reuters news agency.
However, the canal was protected by troops backed by tanks, and military helicopters hovered above the crowd.
Before Saturday, the canal, a global shipping route, was considered off-limits by protesters, correspondents say.
At least seven people - civilians and security officials - died earlier this week in unrest in the city.
The original death sentences imposed on the 21 defendants in January sparked a local revolt.

Man Utd v Real Madrid: Rio Ferdinand avoids Uefa sanctions..

Ferdinand will not be punished by Uefa for his conduct at the end of Manchester United's Champions League loss to Real Madrid.
Ferdinand applauded sarcastically in the face of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir after full-time following the decision to send off Nani.
United lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

History repeating?

Wayne Rooney was dismissed against Villarreal in September 2005 for reacting to a booking by clapping in referee Kim Milton Nielsen's face

European football's governing body will take action over Nani's red card and the "non-fulfilment of post-match media obligations" at Old Trafford.

United were leading 1-0 on the night - and 2-1 on aggregate - when referee Cakir dismissed Nani for a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa in the 56th minute.
But the Spanish side capitalised on their numerical advantage as they scored twice to win the second leg 2-1, securing their place in the quarter-finals.
Ferdinand, 34, was visibly upset at the full-time whistle as he and his United team-mates surrounded the match officials.
But after receiving the referee's report, a Uefa spokesman said no action would be taken against the defender, although they confirmed other proceedings.
They will assess whether Nani's red card is worthy of punishment beyond an automatic one-match ban, while Ferguson's refusal to speak to the media is a breach of Uefa regulations.
No United player spoke to the media either, which also breaks competition rules.

Wayne Rooney's Manchester United future called into question..

The wheel has turned full circle for Wayne Rooney. He once doubted whether Manchester United were good enough for him - now the question is whether he is good enough for Manchester United.

It was in October 2010 that Rooney left United manager Sir Alex Ferguson "dumbfounded" by announcing he wanted to leave Old Trafford, suggesting fears about the strength of the squad and the club's ability to attract world-class players were at the heart of his decision.
Rooney will have been equally dumbstruck when Ferguson revealed at a squad meeting ahead of the Champions League defeat against Real Madrid that he was surplus to Tuesday's requirements.
Adding irony to Rooney's injury is that it was the arrival of the sort of world-class player he craved, in the shape of Robin van Persie, that will have made Ferguson feel more comfortable in pushing the England striker to the margins.

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Football Focus Big Interview - Wayne Rooney

Ferguson hinted at fitness issues amid ongoing concerns about Rooney's condition. It was a subtle reference but not necessarily a flattering one.
United were also playing to a tactical framework that the Scot felt would be more suited to Danny Welbeck - a plan, it should be stressed, that was working perfectly until Nani's 56th-minute red card unnerved and unsettled United to such a degree that Real were able to turn the game around.
This, in itself, poses serious questions about Rooney's status and his future at Old Trafford.
It was not so long ago that the idea of Rooney being left out for one of United's biggest games for years would have been unthinkable, irrespective of any questions about his fitness or any gameplan Ferguson was planning to employ.
Rooney was also fit enough to make an outstanding contribution to United's 4-0 win against Norwich City just days before he was a substitute against Real Madrid, scoring a brilliant goal and setting up others for Shinji Kagawa.
At one time, he was as close to indispensable as it was possible to be at Old Trafford. Not any more, after Ferguson's decision to drop him from a game of such scale as one against Real Madrid.

Rooney stats

2012-13 Games: 26 Goals: 12 Assists: 12
2011-12 Games: 38 Goals: 29 Assists: 4
2010-11 Games: 37 Goals: 15 Assists: 13
2009-10 Games: 39 Goals: 31 Assists: 5
2008-09 Games: 43 Goals: 16 Assists: 10
2007-08 Games: 38 Goals: 15 Assists: 10
2006-07 Games: 47 Goals: 18 Assists: 11
2005-06 Games: 40 Goals: 16 Assists: 9
2004-05 Games: 35 Goals: 14 Assists: 3

The question now is whether Ferguson, as he has done before, is preparing the ground to dispense with Rooney on a permanent basis.
A measure of perspective is required. Rooney may not be the player many thought he would become when his career was in its electrifying infancy with Everton, Manchester United and England but he is still a formidable talent capable of moments of game-changing brilliance.
Not the force he could have become perhaps - but no busted flush either.
The statistics still stack up for Rooney. He has scored 12 goals in 26 games this season and added 12 assists. According to statisticians Opta, his scoring and assist rate of 0.92 per Premier League/Champions League game is equal to his best.
His overall tally since moving to Old Trafford in 2004 stands at 166 goals in 343 games, while he has scored 33 times in 79 England internationals.
This is why any decision to sell Rooney will be taken only after careful contemplation, but the signs are ominous for those, probably including the player himself, hoping he will have a long-term future with United.
Ferguson has history for using exclusion from a showpiece game as the final warning signal. As far back as dropping Jim Leighton, the trusted goalkeeper he brought from Aberdeen to Manchester United, from the 1990 FA Cup final replay against Crystal Palace through to David Beckham being left out of a Champions League game against Real Madrid in 2003 and onto Ruud van Nistelrooy being omitted for the 2006 League Cup final, a pattern emerges. Exclusion followed by departure.
And could it be that Ferguson's elephantine memory still recalls those uncertain days in 2010 when Rooney uttered the truth that dare not speak its name at Old Trafford, or to his manager, when he appeared to question the club's ambition and the quality of his colleagues?
All this could simply be building up to another bad day for Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final, with the prospect of a wounded Rooney being released to work out his frustrations on Ferguson's old adversary.
But no-one should play down the significance of Rooney being sidelined for such a high-profile Champions League game.
Rooney is on a reported £250,000-a-week contract at United, awarded in the wake of his public insubordination in 2010 and is 28 in October. The £50m valuation talked about at that time can be halved now but might still be enough to tempt United to do a deal.
Ferguson has been linked with Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski, although Bayern Munich may have something to say about that, and he also has Van Persie, Javier Hernandez and Welbeck to call upon.
Further complications also lie along the road that may lead to Rooney's departure. The list of clubs he would regard as a comfortable fit for his talents is a very select one - and the number of clubs who feel they might actually wish to buy him may be even more select.
Paris Saint-Germain have been strongly linked with Rooney but would he want to play in the French league and would even their Qatari owners sanction such a high-finance deal in his current circumstances? They would want a rich return on this expensive investment as it would not be a short-term branding exercise such as the signing of David Beckham.
It is doubtful Manchester City or Rooney would pursue a move to Etihad Stadium, even though they expressed great interest when he was unsettled previously. It is hard to see Real or Barcelona showing any desire at all to do a deal, while the chaos of Chelsea makes this an unlikely destination.
Rooney's best option is Manchester United. Whether Manchester United regard Rooney as their best option any more is open to question - and it was an option Ferguson felt he was able to ignore against Real Madrid.

Kenya election: Raila Odinga camp says vote 'doctored...

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The BBC's James Copnall reports from Nairobi where he says the allegations are "strong" but "relatively woolly"

Continue reading the main story

Kenya Elections

• Obama defeated - and other news
• Q&A: Confusing election
• 'Voting for peace'
• Mapping the divides

The ballot count in Kenya's presidential elections has been rigged, says the running mate of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is trailing behind his rival, Uhuru Kenyatta.

"We have evidence the results we have received have been doctored," said Mr Odinga's running mate Kalonzo Musyoka.
He said counting Monday's votes should be stopped but added that his comments were not a call for protest.
The election chief rejected the claims, as has Mr Kenyatta's party.
"There is no room to doctor results whatsoever," said Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan.
Earlier, the IEBC's Liliane Mahiri Zaja, told the BBC that no written complaint had so far been received about the way the votes were being counted.
Counting has been severely delayed after the electronic system crashed.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been holding closed-door meetings with diplomats, reports BBC Swahili's Idris Situma.
More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Mr Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki.
Mr Kibaki is stepping down after two terms in office.
Mr Kenyatta, who backed Mr Kibaki, is due to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) next month, accused of organising attacks on members of ethnic groups seen as supporters of Mr Odinga. He denies the charges.
Fall in rejected ballots Mr Musyoka said the failure of the electronic results system earlier this week had allowed the vote to be rigged.
"We as a coalition take the position the national vote-tallying process lacks integrity and has to be stopped and re-started using primary documents from the polling stations," he said on Thursday.

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Latest election results

• Uhuru Kenyatta: 2,791,325 votes (55%)
• Raila Odinga: 2,023,470 votes (40%)
• Votes cast: 5,095,294
• Rejected votes: 42,924

(Based on votes counted from 116 constituencies at 13:00GMT (16:00 Nairobi time) on Thursday

But Mr Musyoka also called on Kenyans to remain calm, saying, "We are committed as a coalition to the principle of the rule of law."

Meanwhile, senior members of Mr Odinga's coalition have given the BBC further details about their allegations, saying that the number of ballots counted exceeded that of votes cast at some polling stations.
Mr Kenyatta's Jubilee coalition has rejected the accusations.
"It's unfortunate that Odinga feels the need to try and halt the count," a coalition spokesman said.
"We believe the people of Kenya have waited patiently for the results of this general election. We urge international observers - if they hold sway with Mr Odinga - to encourage him to allow the process of democracy to take its course".
The long delays and these new accusations are increasing the tension, the BBC's James Copnall reports from the capital, Nairobi.
However, until they see comprehensive evidence, many Kenyans will remain sceptical, our correspondent says.
On Wednesday, the head of the EU observer mission, Alojz Peterle, said Kenya had so far demonstrated "an impressive commitment to democratic elections".
But the African Union Election Observation Mission expressed concern over the high level of rejected ballots, which may have resulted from "inadequate voter education" in the run-up to the elections.
Kenyatta in the lead Following glitches with hi-tech voting and counting systems, the vote-tallying process was started again from scratch, and by hand, on Wednesday.
Results were only being announced after the ballots had been physically delivered to election headquarters in Nairobi, rather than being filed electronically.

Continue reading the main story

Raila Odinga vs Uhuru Kenyatta

Uhuru Kenyatta

• Son of Kenya's first President Jomo Kenyatta
• Due to stand trial at ICC in April accused of organising violence in last election
• His running mate, William Ruto, also accused
• Both deny the charges
• From Kikuyu ethnic group - Kenya's largest at 22% of population and powerful economically
• Kikuyus and Ruto's Kalenjin community saw fierce clashes after 2007 poll
• Currently deputy prime minister

Raila Odinga

• Son of first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
• Distant relative of Barack Obama
• Believes he was cheated of victory in last election
• From Luo community in western Kenya - 11% of population.
• Some Luos feel they have been marginalised by central government
• Third time running for president
• Currently prime minister under power-sharing deal to end violence last time

• Profile: Uhuru Kenyatta
• Profile: Raila Odinga

Latest figures show Mr Kenyatta has maintained his lead over Mr Odinga, with 2.7m (55%) votes to 2m (40%) at 13:00GMT (16:00 Nairobi time) on Thursday. This is in line with the original count.

However, the new tally shows that the number of rejected ballots, which have become a major bone of contention, has fallen sharply.
In the initial count, some 300,000 votes - about 6% - were disqualified for various reasons.
According to latest official results, this figure has now come down to about 40,000. While the reason for the drop remains unclear, some observers said that election officials were being too strict first time round.
The Jubilee coalition has rejected calls for some of these ballots to be included, as requested by Mr Odinga's allies.
Counting the rejected votes would greatly add to the number needed for a candidate to break the 50% threshold for a first-round win and increase the prospect of a runoff due within a month.
The push for these ballots to be included was motivated by a "sinister and suspect logic", said Charity Ngilu, a senior member of Mr Kenyatta's coalition.
Jubilee accused the British High Commissioner in Kenya of "canvassing to have rejected votes tallied", an accusation the UK Foreign Office described as "entirely false and misleading''.
The winning candidate must get more than 50% of the total votes cast and at least 25% of votes in half of the 47 counties. The latter was a requirement introduced in the new constitution to make sure the new president wins with wide support, rather than only with the backing of voters in his regional and ethnic strongholds.
If there is no clear winner, a second round of voting will take place, probably on 11 April.

Bonnie Tyler chosen as Eurovision UK entry

Welsh pop singer Bonnie Tyler has been confirmed as the UK representative at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.

The 61-year-old, best known for her 1983 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, said she was "honoured" to be asked.
"I promise to give this everything that I've got for the UK!" she said in a statement.
Tyler will be performing the song, Believe in Me, in front of an estimated 120 million viewers in Malmo, Sweden, on 18 May.
"I am truly honoured and delighted to be able to represent my country at Eurovision, and especially with such a fabulous song," said Tyler.

Tyler, pictured here in 1984, promised she would "give this everything"

The UK entry for the 58th Eurovision Song Contest was written by American songwriter Desmond Child with British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide.
Child has worked with Tyler throughout her career, and has also written hits for rock bands Kiss and Bon Jovi.
He also penned the Ricky Martin hits Livin' La Vida Loca and She Bangs.
"Bonnie Tyler is truly a global superstar with a fantastic voice," said Katie Taylor, BBC Controller, Entertainment and Events.
"We are delighted she will be flying the flag for the UK in Malmo."
Last year's entry, Love Will Set You Free by Engelbert Humperdinck, finished second from last with just 12 points.
Tyler is the first Welsh act to represent the UK at Eurovision since James Fox in 2004, whose song, Hold On to Our Love, finished in 16th place.
The UK last won the Eurovision in 1997 when Katrina and the Waves received 227 points for their song Love Shine a Light.
The UK has entered the competition every year since 1959 and has won on five occasions.
In 2003, Liverpool group Jemini was the first UK entry to receive zero points for their song Cry Baby.
The UK also came last in 2008 with Andy Abraham's song, Even If, and in 2010 with Josh Dubovie's entry, That Sounds Good to Me.
Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins in Neath, Wales, had her first hit single, Lost in France, in 1976.
She was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1984, including best female pop vocal for Total Eclipse of the Heart..........

could electric cars reduce asians smug?

The dagerouse, tiny pieces of matter, up to 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5 for short), are too short  to be seen by the naked eye, but big enough to make it into the outgoing Chinese premier's final say to parliament this week... more to follow

US President Barack Obama has dined with a group of Republican senators in an effort to advance budget negotiations, the White House has said.

However, Republican leaders, with whom Mr Obama's budget talks had stalled in recent weeks, were not invited.

The two sides are at odds over how to reduce the US budget deficit, with Republicans firmly resisting tax rises.

The meeting follows their failure last week to avert $85bn (£56bn) in automatic cuts to the federal budget.

'Common sense caucus'

Wednesday's dinner follows several phone calls the president has held in recent days with Republican senators, some of whom have responded warmly to the gesture.

"This is how you solve hard problems," South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told the Associated Press.

"We're talking about following up on that, how we can get more people in the mix, so what I see from the president is incredibly encouraging."

It was held at Washington's Jefferson Hotel - a neutral location - for about an hour-and-a-half.

The move suggests Mr Obama hopes to consolidate support among a group of Republicans who appear prepared to negotiate, analysts say.

The president has referred in previous remarks to a "common sense caucus".

He is following the dinner with a lunch at the Capitol with Senate Republicans on 14 March - a rare incursion for the president into hostile territory.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate said: "We have numerous challenges facing the country, and Republicans have offered the president serious solutions to shrink Washington spending and grow the economy.

"And we will have an opportunity to discuss them with the president at the lunch.."

Lion kills woman at private California big cat park....

Couscous was raised at the private park from the age of eight weeks old

A lion has killed a volunteer intern at a private big cat park near Fresno, California, officials say..

The 26-year-old woman was attacked and killed when she entered the lion's enclosure, Project Survival founder #Dale Anderson said in a statement.

Fresno County police say they found her severely injured, still lying inside the enclosure with the lion nearby.

Deputies shot and killed the animal so they could reach her but she died at the scene, a police spokesman said.

Investigators were trying to determine why the intern was inside the enclosure and what might have provoked the attack, Fresno County Sheriff's Sgt Greg Collins said.

The facility, known as Project Survival's Cat Haven, is normally closed on Wednesdays, and only one other worker was present during the mauling.

When officers arrived on scene the victim was still in the enclosure,

The 26-year-old woman was not identified by police.

Mr Anderson was crying as he read statement to reporters on Wednesday, saying the group would investigate if their protocols were followed before the attack.

The lion was a four-year-old male named Couscous, a California Fish and Wildlife spokesman said.

Couscous had been raised at Cat Haven since he was eight weeks old, said #Tanya OseguedA, a spokeswoman for Project Survival.

Lt Tony Spada of Fish and Wildlife told the Fresno Bee this type of incident was "very rare" because of the safety measures required by the state and because regulations require minimal human-animal interaction.

"This facility has a very good history," Lt Spada said. "In this case, someone just got too close."

Cat Haven is about 45 miles (75km) east of Fresno.

The project opened in 1993, and has housed numerous big cats, including Bengal tigers, Siberian lynx, jaguars and leopards...

A Bolshoi Ballet dancer accused over an attack on artistic director Sergei Filin has told a court he did not mean for him to be splashed with acid....

Soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko is accused of masterminding the attack. He appeared in court with two other men accused of helping carry it out.

Police say all three have confessed.

Mr Filin's eyesight was badly damaged when a masked attacker threw sulphuric acid in his face outside his Moscow home in January.

After a series of operations on his eyes, the 42-year-old has been moved to Germany, where doctors have expressed hope that further treatment may be able to restore good vision.

The attack opened a window into bitter infighting and rivalries inside the Bolshoi theatre, correspondents say.

Mr Dmitrichenko was detained on Tuesday.

On Thursday he told the Moscow court that he had complained about Mr Filin to an acquaintance who offered to "beat him up", the Associated Press news agency reports. stay for more

Omotola Closes Her Facebook Account Over Fraudulent Activities

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade will close her facebook account soon due to lots of fraudulent activities on her Facebook.

Below is what she posted on her Facebook wall :

''Hi friends , it hurts me so much that I can't communicate with you as much as I love to on this page.

I will be closing this page down on the 12th of march 2013 due to too many fraudulent activities on my fans and maintaining onlywww.facebook.com/Realomosexy for updates and www.twitter.com/Realomosexy to respond properly to you. Pls follow any of these two of your choice.

Thanks for understanding.''

Pistorius' Father Accuses South-Africa Of Racism

On Sunday, Henke Pistorius came out and blamed the ANC government for failing to protect white families while also revealing that he and other members of the family owned a total of 55 guns to protect them from criminals.
"Some of the guns are for hunting and some are for protection. It speaks to the ANC government, look at white crime levels, why protection is so poor in this country, it's an aspect of our society," he told the Telegraph.

"You can't rely on the police, not because they are inefficient always but because crime is so rife."
In response, Arnold Pistorius, who is Henke's brother and Oscar's uncle said in a statement: "Oscar Pistorius' family is deeply concerned about the comments made by Oscar's father, Henke Pistorius, to the Telegraph about the family using its weapons to defend themselves against crime in South Africa, [b]and especially about his comments that the ANC government is not willing to protect white South Africans," he said.[/b]
"Oscar and the rest of the Pistorius family distances itself from the comments. Henke's interview with the newspaper was unapproved by our media liaison team. The comments don't represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family."

The ANC also released a statement declaring Henke's comments "racist."
"The African National Congress rejects with contempt the accusation made by Henke Pistorius (the father to Oscar Pistorius) to a UK newspaper that 'the ANC government is not willing to protect white South Africans'," said their national spokesman Jackson Mthembu.
"Not only is this statement devoid of truth, it is also racist. It is sad that he has chosen to politicise a tragic incident that is still fresh in the minds of those affected and the public. This tragic incident has affected two families that are still trying to come to terms with what happened and this latest racist slur is not assisting these families. We think it is ill-advisable for anyone to start apportioning undue blame.
"The ANC believes that the Pistorius and (Reeva) Steenkamp matter is in the capable hands of our competent courts who are expected to handle the matter objectively and in accordance with our laws. Any speculation can only prejudice the case."

Last month South African Olympic and Paralympic star Pistorius was awarded bail after being accused of murdering his girlfriend Steenkamp.
A South African court granted bail to Pistorius after his lawyers successfully argued the "Blade Runner" was too famous to flee justice.
Prosecutors argued Pistorius committed premeditated murder when he fired four shots into a locked toilet door, hitting his girlfriend on the other side. Steenkamp, 29, suffered gunshot wounds to her head, hip and arm.
Pistorius said the killing was a tragic mistake, saying he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder - and opened fire in a blind panic.

kanye west picks lil wayne as best rapper

Lil Wayne? Not Jay Z? Lol. MTV just released their list for the Hottest MCs in the game and when asked who he felt was the best rapper alive, Kanye, who was placed at No. 7 in the list, picked Lil Wayne. Here's the thing; Lil Wayne and Jay Z are arch enemies...and being Jay Z's former bff, one would have expected Kanye to pick Jigga. Besides Jay Z is a better rapper than Lil Wayne, right? Stop the beef Kanye...lol Anyway in an interview after the MTV list came out Kanye explains, "Yeah, #7 bothers me. I think that Wayne is the number one rapper in the world." See the rest afte... 

sign of end time...........

meet the sexiest female pastor.. The end time is near, I'm telling you..LOL. And I hear men are flocking to her church in the US. Watch the video after the cut...

#RMD denise 50m naira fraud

@RMD at Iyanya's concert in Lagos According to Sahara Reporters, star actor and current Delta State commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Richard Mofe Damijo, is at the centre of an alleged fraudulent transfer of funds which the EFCC is supposedly currently investigating. The report claimed that RMD and the acting GM of the Delta State Tourism Board, Mrs Philo Nkem Ajufo, squandered N50 million belonging to the ministry (Google the story, it's all over the net). RMD has finally reacted to the allegations, insisting it's not true. "I won't respond to Sahara Reports. When it... 

omg a kid born with her skull expose

The incredible people at Global Initiative for Peace Love and Care (GIPLC) an NGO based in Abuja with a strong bias for orphans and vulnerable children are doing a great job and I wanted to shared something phenomenal they did recently - the case of Okikijesu Olawuyi. Okiki was born in May 11 2010 without more than half of her skull. A rare medical condition called Congenital Cranial Deficiency. All of the hospitals visited by their organisation home and abroad could not offer a cure or lacked the facilities and man power except for the John Hopkins hospital in Maryland, Baltimore...

"As far as I'm concerned, this is my first real marriage' Kefee gushes"My husband is a very nice man and I'm enjoying my marriage. I'm writing a book about that beautiful part of my life but I don't want to reveal much about it for now. I am so happy and as far as I am concerned this is my first real marriage." the gospel singer gushed.. See the video for Kefee's new single, Beautiful, after the cut...

the newly weded couples have been on the cover pages these days, anyway more to follow stay tune

gun battle @ sano otta central mosque