Kioo17 Journal

Lagos, NIGERIA: Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will approve a new law to reduce age limits in political office, which could make it easier for younger candidates to run in next year's election. The move comes after intense pressure from youth groups, which pushed the government to adopt the legislation, saying they were politically marginalised. "In (a) few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the 'Not Too Young To Run' bill," President Buhari, 75, said in a speech to mark the country's annual Democracy Day public holiday. Last month President Buhari said that he would run for a second term next year. The bill reduces the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35, and senators and state governors from 35 to 30. The minimum age for national and state assembly members will now become 25. He also reassured Nigerians during his speech of the administration's commitm...

London, ENGLAND: Anti-gun campaigners have slammed the £170,000-a-week Manchester City star after he displayed the new tattoo during training for World Cup 2018 yesterday. Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the English national team. He received the Golden Boy award for 2014 from a pan-European panel of sports journalists, recognizing him as the best under-21 player playing in Europe. A 2015 professional study by Soccerex ranked him as the most valuable young player in Europe, with a value of € 49 million. Image: AFP. The new design - which Sterling claims is a tribute to his late father - was shared with his 3.6million Instagram followers - many of whom are young fans and look up to him as a role model. But activists have described the artwork as 'an absolute disgrace' and since called for the 23-year-old to be dropped from England's World...

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA: A mum jailed for killing her ex-partner has launched a bitter family dispute, arguing her little boy should live behind bars with her. The toddler's mother, who can't be named for legal reasons, is serving a sentence for manslaughter inside the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne, the Herald Sun reports. Dame Phyllis Frost Centre is a maximum security prison in the Melbourne suburb of Deer Park. Image: File. The boy currently lives with his paternal grandparents, who argue he should remain in their care and in a family home. "I can't even see why the courts are considering putting a little boy in jail,"  The boy's grandfather told 3AW. "Why would you want him in a maximum security prison. "I think I can provide a better life and happy life for the little boy. "What sort of life is it (in jail) for a 22-month-old?" The boy's mother is currently serving a manslaughter ...

Karachi, PAKISTAN: Bin Laden, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, was killed during an elaborate operation in 2011 that provoked widespread resentment in Pakistan. Islamabad has claimed it didn't know about the operation due to an intelligence failure, while the Pakistani army has called the operation a "misadventure." Pakistani authorities have started an investigation into an ex-chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt. General Asad Durrani and prohibited him from leaving the country for co-authoring a book with an Indian counterpart, in which he suggested Pakistan's government knew about the Bin Laden raid. "A formal Court of Inquiry headed by a serving Lt. Gen. has been ordered to probe the matter in detail,"  The Pakistani army said in a statement. Lieutenant General Mohammad Asad Durrani is a retired 3-star rank general in the Pakistan Army and presently an intelligence commentator . Image: PO. ...

Adis Ababa, ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia pardoned on Saturday an opposition leader with British citizenship who had been sentenced to death, the latest in a series of pardons and releases of jailed dissidents announced in the wake of years of violent unrest. Andargachew Tsige was sentenced to death in absentia in 2009 over his role in the opposition group Ginbot 7, leading to his arrest in Yemen five years later and extradition to Ethiopia. Andargachew Tsige. Image: File. Andargachew served as secretary-general of the anti-government group, which describes itself as a reform movement but is branded a terrorist organisation by Addis Ababa. Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye said on Saturday Andargachew has been pardoned “under special circumstances” along with 575 other inmates. The decisions were made with the “intention of widening political space,” the attorney general told reporters in the capital, Addis Ababa. Andargachew is expected to be released within the next t...

Nairobi, KENYA: Kenyan pastor claims he has not had sex with his loving wife for over 10 years due to a rare health condition. Pastor Francis Gichuru Gachieki, the lead preacher and founder of Christ Ambassadors Church International in Nairobi’s Mowlem area, has not been intimate with his wife since 2000, when he developed prolactinoma, a medical condition which makes him produce milk from his breasts. Pastor Francis Gichuru Gachieki with his wife. Image: SDE. The pastor says his sex drive has ebbed, but he has not lost hope to raise funds for an operation to have him roar back to life. Prolactinoma causes reduced libido, low calcium, hormonal imbalance and even infertility. In an exclusive interview with The Nairobian, Francis Gichuru, a former manager at an insurance company, says, “Actually, the problem began immediately after our wedding in 2000, then I could not perform to the maximum, but we could not figure out the root cause.” Gichuru adds that ...

Limburg, NETHERLANDS: A Dutch citizen on Monday won the right for the first time to be allowed to register as neither a man nor a woman, with judges urging politicians to recognise a “third gender”. The Limburg District Court in Roermond ruled that the unnamed plaintiff can now be recorded in the Dutch birth register as “gender undetermined” as opposed to male or female. “At birth in 1961, this person’s gender could not be determined and the parents decided to register the person as male, to make things easier at the time,” The court said in a statement. In 2001 however, the plaintiff underwent medical treatment and changed gender to female. “Eventually it also turned out that the female gender did not fit the person, whose personality is experienced as gender-neutral,” The court said, “feeling neither like a man nor a woman”. The plaintiff then asked authorities to include a third, gender-neutral entry in the birth register. A similar request by a d...

Tokyo, JAPAN: Coca-Cola has launched its first alcoholic drink, a lemon flavoured alcopop, in Japan in a bid to tap new markets and consumers. In a global first for the US drinks giant, three fizzy lemon drinks went on sale on Monday. The product aims at a growing market of young drinkers - especially women. Described by Coca-Cola as "unique" in the company's 125-year history, the three drinks range from 3% to 8% alcohol. In keeping with the company's tradition, the recipe is closely guarded but the drinks are modelled on the country's popular Chu-Hi drinks, usually a mix of local spirit and a range of fruit flavours. Chu-Hi - an abbreviation for shochu highball - has been marketed as an alternative to beer, proving especially popular with female drinkers. Local companies like Suntory, Asahi and Kirin currently dominate the sector for canned Chu-Hi drinks. The most popular flavours are strong citrus ones such as grapefruit or lem...

London, ENGLAND: Liverpool have signed midfielder Fabinho from Monaco for a fee of up to €50million (£43.7millon). Fábio Henrique Tavares (born 23 October 1993), commonly known as Fabinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Monaco and the Brazil national team. He will join Liverpool on 1 July 2018. Image: Getty. The 24-year-old Brazilian will likely replace Emre Can , who is expected to leave with his contract expiring, and play the number six role as midfield anchor in Jurgen Klopp’s team. After the deal was announced, Fabinho said: “I am really excited about this move. “This is someth ing that I always wanted – this is a giant of a team. The infrastructures of the club look exceptional. “A football club of this size coming after my services, I didn’t have to think that much about coming over. “I will try to create my own history at this football club. Hopefully, on a personal level, I’m able to win titl...

Tel Aviv, ISRAEL: Russian billionaire and owner of the British Chelsea football club Roman Abramovich obtained Israeli citizenship on Monday, The Times of Israel reported. According to the media outlet, the businessman arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv earlier in the day and was granted the Israeli passport under The Law of Return, due to his Jewish origin. As reported by the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Abramovich has already opened a bank account in Israel. Previously, media reported that his decision to immigrate to Israel came amid the diplomatic conflict between Moscow and London, a result of which being that he couldn't extend his UK visa. His previous visa reportedly expired in April, when he was outside of Britain. The application for the extension is said to be under consideration. Last week, the UK House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Select Committee issued a report "Moscow's Gold: Russian Corruption in ...

Bujumbura, BURUNDI: Burundi's agriculture ministry has ordered the quarantine of 10 donkeys that were donated to a central village through French funding, sparking a debate over the subliminal message behind the gift. The donkeys, bought in Tanzania, were given to residents of a village in Gitega province, as part of a project by a local NGO to help women and children transport agricultural products, water or wood. However, a presidential advisor described the project as "an insult to the nation". Meanwhile, Gabby Bugaga, spokesman for the Senate president, wrote on Twitter that the French were "taking us for donkeys". "Be honest, is the donkey a symbol of a quality or a flaw," he wrote. Donkeys are not indigenous to Burundi. On Sunday, Agriculture Minister Deo Guide Rurema asked a local administrator to "facilitate the immediate withdrawal of all donkeys that have been distributed ... without respecting the technical proc...

Bloemfontein, SOUTH AFRICA: The Guptas have won a major legal battle against the state – one that will see over R250-million in the family’s business and personal assets unfrozen. Bloemfontein High Court Judge Phillip Loubser found that there was currently not a reasonable basis to believe that Gupta family members‚ associates and businesses would be convicted on money-laundering and fraud linked to the alleged Estina Dairy Project scam. And‚ as such‚ there was not a reasonable basis for R250-million in the family’s assets to be frozen pending potential conviction and subsequent confiscation. This is a second‚ devastating blow for the state in its Estina prosecution. Some of the cars that were taken when police officials raided the Gupta compound in Saxonwold. Image: Mzilikazi wa Afrika Earlier this year‚ its first successful attempt to freeze R220-million in assets linked to the alleged Estina Dairy Project scam as the proceeds of crime‚ or the instru...

Cairo, EGYPT: An Egyptian lawyer has launched a €1 billion (£873m/$1.2bn) lawsuit against Sergio Ramos after Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah was injured in a challenge with the Real Madrid captain during Saturday’s Champions League final. Salah landed heavily on his left shoulder after grappling with Ramos during the Kiev showpiece and ligament damage around the joint placed his World Cup participation in doubt. The Premier League Golden Boot winner posted on Twitter on Sunday to say he was “confident” he would be able to represent Hector Cuper’s side at Russia 2018 , but that has done nothing to quell the apparent anger of lawyer Bassem Wahba. In an appearance on Egyptian television channel Sada El-Balad , Wahba announced he had filed a complaint to FIFA and accused Ramos of a deliberate act and inflicting “physical and psychological harm” upon a nation and its most celebrated footballer. “Ramos intentionally injured Mo Salah and should be punished about his ...

Harare, ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe National Army Mechanised Brigade Inkomo Barracks music outfit Crocodile Sounds on Friday night traded their guns for guitars as they launched their debut nine-track album, Garwe Rauya, at Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare. The guest of honour at the poorly-attended launch, chief-of-staff (administration) Paul Chima dismissed claims that the name Crocodile Sounds was associated with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also known as Ngwena. “The name Crocodile is apolitical as it resembles the emblem of Mechanised Brigade which is the crocodile. Most of you may think that we are saying Garwe Rauya because of the political situation that is attuning in the country,”  He said. The Mechanised Brigade played a critical role in the military takeover which saw the removal of former President Robert Mugabe in November last year with armoured vehicles rolled from Inkomo to Harare CBD on the day. Chima said the unveiling of the album ...

Harare, ZIMBABWE: ZANU PF leader President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned his wife, First Lady Auxillia, against interfering with his official duties, saying she should not be like her predecessor Grace Mugabe, who had usurped Executive powers from her “frail and ageing” husband, Robert. Addressing delegates at the annual Mushamukadzi Charitable Foundation fundraising dinner organised by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s wife, Marry, for cancer awareness projects at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Course in Harare on Saturday, Mnangagwa urged Auxillia and Marry to stay off from their husbands’ duties. “Amai Chiwenga, I know you are the one behind who tasked me to talk. Just a few months ago, we had interfaces (rallies), where both the (former) First Lady and the President were talking. We don’t want that to be repeated. Let it be a platform which is mine and my vice-presidents only and not for the ladies. It’s wrong,”  He said, amid wild cheers from the delegates. ...

Dubai, UAE: Dubai-based celebrity chef, Nusret Gökçe, known for this online presence as 'Salt Bae' was recently criticised for his Instagram post. He posted a picture with the Liverpool star footballer Mohamed Salah, who suffered a game-ending injury. Emotions are high among Salah's fans as the dislocated shoulder could rule him out of the 2018 World Cup.  So, naturally, when Nusret shared a picture with the message - "I wish you all the best and my congratulations," the internet went berserk.  The picture received over 1,700,000 likes on Instagram but Salt Bae got slammed for being insensitive.  While some users thought it wasn't the right moment to ask for a picture (after the injury), few didn't understand what his 'congratulations' meant.  Read some of the comments below: SOURCE:  Khaleej Times.

President Emmanuel Macron (left) offers Mamoudou Gassama, 22, from Mali, French citizenship after he scaled a Paris building to save the life of a four-year-old child dangling from a balcony. Image: AFP. Paris, FRANCE: A Malian migrant who saved a four-year-oldchild hanging from a fourth-floor Paris balcony after scaling the building with his bare hands was honoured by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and offered citizenship. Two days after his daring Spiderman-style rescue -- viewed millions of times online -- Mamoudou Gassama was received by Macron at the presidential palace. Tap To Watch The Video: "All the (Gassama's) documents will be put in order,"  Macron told the sporty 22-year-old who has become a national hero, referring to his immigration status. In the meeting, live footage of which was carried on the president's Facebook page, Macron gave Gassama a medal for bravery and also proposed that Gassama join the French fire...

Tshwane, SOUTH AFRICA: South African politician Julius Malema says the King Mswati of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) should leave politicians in the country to thrive. According to Malema, who leads the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), South Africa’s third-force party, Mswati could go ahead to marry as many women as possible but his inteferance in the freedoms of citizens was unacceptable. Whiles speaking at an EFF event to mark the African Day 2018 in the city of Tshwane, Malema praised Mswati for opting to remove the colonial name Swaziland and to replace same with eSwatini. "… release the political prisoners in Swaziland. We want total freedom in Swaziland. We don’t want the king to interfere with the freedoms of the people of Swaziland. “Here at home, eSwatini, King Mswati, please leave politics to politicians and continue marrying as you want to marry many women, it’s fine. “It’s your own problem but release the political prisoners in Swaziland. We want tot...