Thursday 18 June 2015
White gunman fatally shoots nine people at historic black church in South Carolina in hate crime
According to the church's website,
Emanuel AME Church -- often referred to as 'Mother Emanuel' -- is the
oldest AME church in the south and has one of the largest
black congregations south of Baltimore, Maryland.
"This is a hate crime," Charleston
Police Chief Gregory Mullen said early Thursday near the scene at
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Among the victims was the
church's pastor, the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, 42, a Democratic member
of the state Senate, two sources told NBC News.
Mullen described the suspect as a slender 21-year-old white man with sandy blond hair, wearing a gray sweatshirt or hoodie, jeans and Timberland boots. A reward will be offered later Thursday, he said.
Mullen said information was slow to develop because there was a report
that "there might have been a secondary explosive device in the scene."
That threat was over, he said, offering no further details.
"This is the most unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy," Mayor Joe Riley Jr. said early Thursday, saying the gunman had to be a "hate-filled person."
Charleston police spokesman Charles Francis said the shooting occurred
about 9 p.m. ET. The Rev. Norvel Goff, presiding elder of the Edisto
District of the state conference of the AME Church, said a prayer vigil
would be held at noon Thursday.
Known as "Mother Emanuel," the church is the oldest AME church in the South, having been founded in 1816 under the leadership of abolitionist minister Morris Brown, the second bishop of the AME Church in the U.S. The Gothic Revival-style church is on the National Register of Historic Places.
"I'm just absolutely sick to my
stomach right now. It's horrible," Lisa Phipps, who works across the
street as a caterer, told NBC News.
"I just can't believe this is
happening in my community," Phipps said. "That's a very active church.
... Their influence is wonderful. They do so much for the community.
"I can't imagine a human being doing something like this," she said.
The Rev. Thomas Dixon, a pastor with the activist group People United to Take Back Our Community, that a Bible study session likely would have been in progress, as is common in the African-American church "on any given Wednesday night."
The church played an important role in the state's history, including the slavery era and the Civil Rights movement.
Mullen described the suspect as a slender 21-year-old white man with sandy blond hair, wearing a gray sweatshirt or hoodie, jeans and Timberland boots. A reward will be offered later Thursday, he said.
At least six ambulances were seen in the area of the shooting.
"This is the most unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy," Mayor Joe Riley Jr. said early Thursday, saying the gunman had to be a "hate-filled person."
Known as "Mother Emanuel," the church is the oldest AME church in the South, having been founded in 1816 under the leadership of abolitionist minister Morris Brown, the second bishop of the AME Church in the U.S. The Gothic Revival-style church is on the National Register of Historic Places.
"I can't imagine a human being doing something like this," she said.
The Rev. Thomas Dixon, a pastor with the activist group People United to Take Back Our Community, that a Bible study session likely would have been in progress, as is common in the African-American church "on any given Wednesday night."
Meet the African 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 with. According to local
tradition, when a fon dies, his successor inherits all his wives and
then marries his own queens. He inherited 72 of the women from his late father. He has also taken on over 500 children from all of his wives.
"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.
"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."
"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.
 |
| Some of the king's wives |
"I understand that we might be quick to judge the lifestyle of the
kings, but just like in the United Kingdom, African kingdoms and kings
are bound to a rich culture and history. (Practices) like inheritance of
all your father's wives is nothing but a moral obligation."
On meeting the queens of Fon Ndofua Zofia II of Babungo -- one of
Cameroon's youngest traditional rulers -- Methu CNN correspondent said:
"All his young wives, forced on him by tradition, spoke fluent English in a French-speaking region and were great marketers."
It is this seeming contradiction that makes life in the fondom
fascinating and confusing. Are they stuck in the past or keeping pace
with the present? Fon Zofoa III doesn't think you have to choose. He may
have "inherited" 72 wives and more than 500 children after his father's
death, but he considers himself a very modern king.
 |
| His palace |
"To run a kingdom nowadays in this era, you must be educated because things are moving very fast. Like they used to say, education is light, ignorance is darkness."
Source: CNN
Aliko Dangote says he will acquire Arsenal FC soon
“When we get this refinery on track, I will have enough time and enough resources to pay what they are asking for. There were a couple of us who were rushing to buy, and we thought with the prices then, the people who were interested in selling were trying to go for a kill. We backtracked, because we were very busy doing other things, especially our industrialization.”he saidDangote had shown interest in buying the club when he spoke with
Chad bans use of full-face veil after Boko Haram multiple bomb blasts
Announcing the ban while speaking to religious leaders yesterday June 17th, the Chadian Prime Minister, Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet, said the government has ordered security forces to seize Burqas from markets and burn them immediately.
"Wearing the burqa must stop immediately from today, not only in public places and schools but throughout the whole of the country,"he saidHe added that any type of clothing that leaves only the eyes visible is a form of "camouflage" and is now banned. He said anyone found wearing a burqa would be "arrested, tried and sentenced in summary proceedings".
He asked religious leaders to spread the message in their mosques, churches and holy places.
Africa's Richest Man, Dangote, Takes Cement Empire to Asia
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, says he’s expanding his cement empire to Asia and it will be operational in 30 months.
The
58-year-old Nigerian billionaire said Dangote Cement Plc should complete
a factory in Nepal by the end of 2017. It has received 90 percent of
the regulatory approvals needed to start construction in the south Asian
nation hit by two earthquakes this year, he said.
“It’s
going to be one of the first factories for us to build outside our
comfort zone, outside Africa,” Dangote, wearing white traditional robes,
said in a June 16 interview at his office in Nigeria’s commercial hub,
Lagos. Further expansion beyond Africa mainly “will happen through
acquisition,” he said.
Dangote,
who has never visited Nepal, will invest $400 million in the country to
build a cement plant with a capacity of as much as 2 million metric
tons. He’s also eyeing South America and surveying for limestone in
Brazil, where he registered a company two years ago.
Nepal’s government estimates reconstruction costs from April’s quake, which killed thousands, alone will exceed $10 billion, even before the country was hit by a separate 7.3 magnitude temblor last month.
“It
will be a major boost for them, especially with what happened,” Dangote
said. “They don’t produce cement at the moment, they import mainly from
India.”
“There
is not enough production capacity and unfortunately you saw what
happened with the earthquake and the infrastructure that was damaged,”
Gboka said by phone from Zurich. “Even though this is coming from a
negative event, there is a strong growth story in the Nepal region.”
The
tycoon, with a net worth of $15.4 billion according to the Bloomberg
Billionaires Index, has made the vast majority of his fortune in African
cement production. He also has interests including sugar and more
recently oil refineries in Nigeria.
Dangote’s
charity gave $1 million to Nepal’s government after the deadly
earthquakes. He said he has made more than 20 billion naira ($100
million) of donations in more than two years, mainly in African
countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Kenya, Tanzania and Ebola-hit nations
in West Africa.
Charity DonationsHe denied that his foundation
gave only to countries where he has business interests, citing a $2
million donation given to Pakistan in 2010 through the United Nations
World Food Programme after the country was hit by flooding.“I’ve only been to Pakistan on transit maybe 20 years ago,” Dangote said.
Dangote
Cement has been expanding in new African markets to tap demand for
building materials as governments invest in infrastructure. The company
is planning $1 billion in capital expenditure this year to increase
capacity from 29 million tons.
His moves to dominate the African
market haven’t been without some snags. Dangote said the building of a
$350 million cement plant in Niger, announced in 2013, was delayed after
some “internal fault” at the company, which has been addressed. He
declined to elaborate further.Construction on the Niger factory will start this year and will take 26 months to complete, he said.
Dangote
has also seen his wealth decline $3.1 billion this year as the share
price in his cement business has fallen 13 percent in the same period,
more than the Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index, which has slumped
3.4 percent. Nigeria’s local currency, the naira, is down 7.8 percent
so far in 2015 against the dollar.
“In
the future we will try and replicate the other businesses outside
Nigeria,” Dangote said, referring to his interests other than cement.
“But we have so much we’re invested in right now, so we want to continue
with just cement, cement, cement for the next two, three years.”
Wednesday 17 June 2015
Photos: Nigerian man allegedly shot dead by police in Malaysia
According to his friend who reached out to LIB, Sampson had gone to the shopping complex and while leaving the mall discovered that immigration were raiding foreigners in a nearby street. Because he didn't have a valid visa, Sampson decided to take another route but encountered police there. He was stopped by police who asked him for his passport. While explaining to them that his passport was in school, they allegedly began molesting him. As he tried to flee from them, he was shot dead by the police. His body was taken to Kuala lumpur general hospital at Jalan Pahang.
His friends want Nigerians to know what happened and are asking for justice. More pics after the cut
The misunderstood world of Linda Ikeji - by Onyeka Nwelue
Linda Ikeji is the most powerful blogger in Africa. And the richest! While this may not be earth-shattering breaking news, as most of us already know or at least probably have an idea about, it is still heart-warming to know that a regular Nigerian girl (yes, she is quite regular) can drag herself from virtually nothing to reach the apex of the blogosphere. It is a truly inspiring tale of rags to riches.
It is also not news that a lot of people dislike Linda Ikeji. They read her blog, they swear by the Gospel of Linda Ikeji Blog, but they dislike her.
They dislike her under the usual
banner of “there is nothing this person is doing that should make her
better than I am.” But she is better than most people because she is
different from most people. Linda Ikeji is not some air-headed young
lady that leisurely eavesdrops on conversations of the celebrities and
the upper class and then shares it with the internet. Linda Ikeji takes
blogging more seriously than some medical doctors take medical study.
From what I observed when I met her, Linda Ikeji obsesses over her blog
like it were piece of art. She dedicates herself so passionately to it
that it may seem the blog is a child she nurtures. In a sense, that blog
is a child that has grown into a very handsome man.
She told me a story of how Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie had left where she sat and came to her, as a fan, to greet
her. “I love what you are doing. I love your blog. My name is
Chimamanda Adichie,” she had said to Linda. Linda told me she screamed.
She had also nurtured ambitions of meeting Adichie. Now they met, and
she didn’t have to jump through any hoops for it to happen.
“Linda Ikeji is a snub.” “Linda Ikeji is this.” “Linda Ikeji is that.” We all have our opinions and perspectives of her. “Linda Ikeji loves money.” Some of us think that, too.
I met Linda Ikeji for the first time at
the then Club 10. I was introduced to her by a friend, Ifeanyi Dike. She
didn’t snub me. Years later, she could not remember that we met.
Second time, we had agreed to meet at
Eko Hotel. We chatted for over 2 hours and went home. She offered to buy
me food. I was there when her two smashing sisters – Laura and Sandra –
came. I left with a different understanding. It is not her fault that
you don’t like her. Some of us can’t deal!
Nigerian writers don’t like Linda Ikeji.
Why? Are they disgruntled? What is their problem? Can I safely say I
was part of the group that secretly despised her for no reason? We were
angry, because we didn’t understand how she could be doing almost same
work as us and then, had effrontery to buy a Range Rover. Some would
have said ‘men’ give Miss Ikeji money. I had heard different things
about how she makes money.
In Paris, I came closer. I saw. I shook
my head. I wept for the world that will never ever meet Linda and
continue to judge her from afar. Life is not fair.
One
particular evening, in her hotel room, at Hilton, one of the most
expensive hotels in Paris , Linda almost grabbed my hair in uncontrolled
anxiety, because a post she had made on her blog had disappeared. I
didn’t quite understand what the fuss was about, but I picked something:
this lady is obsessed with her work and she knows what she is doing.
She never plays with her source of income.
Linda loves her readers! She
claims she doesn’t care – Linda cares too much! She cares too much for
everything! Looking back now, in that room, I could say, Linda may not
have a very social life, but she has a beautiful life – she has the
greatest sisters. They support her. They help her. They share in her
joy. And sadness too.
Do I have her permission to share this
story? I am not sure. But she shares a lot of things she is not supposed
to, and that is part of her appeal. I’m borrowing a leaf from her
playbook.
As she told me, on a certain evening, after returning from one of her numerous shopping sprees, she said: “On my 30th birthday, I had N800 left in my account. I spoke to God.”
Linda’s story is like a fairy tale, I
tell you. It is like, but it is not. She has had her fair share of
turmoil, troubles and hustles. She has faced crushing rejection. She
went round Lagos looking for sponsors. Some of those she sought for
sponsorships in their offices can’t have access to her anymore. Somehow,
she disagrees with my assertions that this is vendetta. She is driven
by the will to pay back many people, to succeed.
I kept asking myself questions about
Linda as we went to the mall to shop. I followed her everywhere. I
wanted to understand her very well. Would there be a room to ask her
questions? Linda is this, Linda is that! Sorry, Linda is not all these
things we have cooked up in our heads because the Linda Ikeji I spent
enough time with in Paris is: hardworking, gentle, reserved, careful
with words, pays attention to details and doesn’t eat much. She likes
chocolate!
I had seen her jump from beneath her
duvet and run straight to her blog in the middle of the night. Just to
blog! She is disciplined and hardworking!
Linda is the richest African woman I
have met under 40. I have seen! But they are for my eyes, only. I could
not stop myself from writing that line!
Now, let me get back to the writers.
Linda Ikeji did not just appear from nowhere. Like the rest of us, she
had been struggling in the dark city of Lagos, until her wheel of
samsara turned. Her tough days prepared her for this glory.
When I started chatting with her via
WhatsApp, her profile status said and still says: “I’d Rather Be Self
Made.” This will sound funny, but she doesn’t allow people do anything
for her. I mustered the courage and asked her to attend the Nollywood
Week Paris; saying we would pay for her flight and before I could even
add another thing, she asked for the date and said she would love to
come, but she would not want us to pay for her. Her honesty and modesty
could make you fall in love with her. She said: “Hey. Would love to
come. Never been to Paris. Me and my sisters. I’ll take care of the
expenses. Flight, hotel, etc.” I paused. This doesn’t happen. She
continued, “I don’t travel alone. I hate it. I will take care of myself.
I kinda like luxury living when I travel. So, 5 star!”
She booked her First Class flight ticket. She booked herself into Hilton. Linda and her sisters, Laura and Sandra came to Paris!
She shared intimate stories with me and
encouraged me to find that one thing that makes me happy, that will also
give me money. It is impossible to hang out with Linda and leave
without feeling something has been added to your life.
While Sandra and Laura were shying away
from eating Nigerian food, Linda wanted it. The last one, I goofed, I
got back late with the food and she was not happy, but she ate little
and said: “Onyeka, are you not going to eat?” I was going to say no, but
then I remembered she had eaten from the plate with those magical
fingers, so I said, “I want to eat.”
I took the food and I ate from the same
plate where Linda ate from and now, I’m hoping some mystery has been
added to my life, too!
Thank you, Linda, for not being what they told me and what I had thought. Thank you, for your realness.
Onyeka Nwelue is Assistant Professor
of Literature at the University of Manipur, Imphal and Visiting
Lecturer of African Studies at the University of Hong Kong. His latest
book is “Hip-Hop is Only for Children.”
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