Police conduct an investigation to discover those involved raping and killing a teacher in a primary school

A primary school teacher Swaumu Jumanne Chedi (34), has been raped and killed by  unindentified people on Wednesday. Reasons of doing so are unknown. Chedi was a teacher at Sabasaba Primary School in Masasi, Mtwara Region.

Reports from the scene say  her legs and arms were tied with  ropes.

Confirming the incident, Mkuti Ward executive officer Maxmillian Makotha, said the incident happened on Wednesday night in Mkuti Street near Mkuti Primary School football pitch.

Mr Makotha said the information on the death of Chedi was broken at her school around 6.30 pm when pupils who were playing football informed their teachers after seeing the body of the teacher lying on the ground.

Teachers, upon receiving information from pupils and seeing the body they reported the matter to Masasi Police Post.

Police are yet to establish the reason(s) behind the crime.

According to the executive, there has been several cases of women being raped and killed in the ward.

He said Wednesday’s incident was the third this  year.

Mr Makotha called an emergency meeting with all stakeholders and police officers to devise a mechanism of ending the crime.

A Mkuti resident who spoke to this paper confirmed that there had been a number of women kidnappings, rape and killings by unidentified people.

District police officers said reasons behind the killings were unknown and investigations were continuing.

No suspect has been arrested in connection with the incidents.

UK envoy accused of ill will, opposition MPs march out

Opposition MPs walk out of Parliament in Dodoma yesterday. They protested against the ministry of Energy and Minerals’ budget proposals

The government has  accused the UK High Commissioner to Tanzania, Ms Dianna Melrose, of influencing other development partners to cut aid and support to Tanzania. The deputy minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr Steven Maselle, told Parliament yesterday that the envoy was violating  diplomatic principles.

He said the envoy was coordinating meetings in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma against proper and accepted procedures to convince other development partners to stop supporting Tanzania.

The deputy minister added that  she was pushing  the government to take  a loan from Standard Chartered Bank to pay private companies.

 “Tanzania is a sovereign state;  we have our way of doing things and no-one should intervene our programmes,”  he said.

Earlier this month Ms Melrose told The Citizen that the UK and other development partners are concerned about the controversy surrounding the acquisition of Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL).

She said the IPTL issue was of “great concern” to the British government, adding that the High Commission had already communicated with the relevant ministers in addition to writing to the BoT Governor.

Earlier, opposition MPs yesterday walked out of  the debating chamber, protesting  the manner in which  the debate on the 2014/2015 Energy and Minerals budget estimates was being conducted.

The walk-out was curtain-raised by remarks by Mr Freeman Mbowe,  leader of the Opposition, that, it was pointless for the camp’s members   to continue participating in a session that sought to hide corruption- related issues.

At a media briefing session, he  claimed that CCM had  crafted a stand under which its legislators  were bound  to endorse the ministry’s budget proposals, and defend the government against corruption scandals.

Mr Mbowe said the opposition MPs  had opted to walk out after learning that  their CCM counterparts  had vowed to endorse  the budget without taking their camp’s arguments into account. He described the IPTL scandal  as an issue of critical public interest that needed to be debated thoroughly  in the House but which CCM  legislators weren’t ready to  see happening.

According to him, many MPs had submitted evidence to  the Speaker but it was obvious no good would come out of the initiative.

“We have evidence including the report that was prepared and presented to the government officials by experts on IPTL. They advised what the government could do to face the challenge but nothing has been done so far, ” he said.

He added that Parliament has also failed to table various reports and resolutions, which had been submitted  to Speaker by various select committees.

Earlier, the controversy over the withdrawal of Sh200 billion from the escrow account dominated the debate,  a scandal which some MPs  had wanted Parliament to form an independent committee to investigate it.

They linked the death of former Finance minister, Dr William Mgimwa, to the scandal, which a serious government was supposed to investigate .

During his presentation earlier, opposition MP John Mnyika accused the government of using billions of shillings in court  over the IPTL issue.

“There is information that the former Finance minister declined to release funds and then became sick. When payments were effected in November 2013, Dr Mgimwa was unconscious in South Africa,” reads part of the document.

Mr Mnyika  claimed that the government had been shielding corruption-related issues by failing to take serious action  against the culprits.

Mr Mnyika  told the House that in 2011,  Standard Bank of Hong Kong filed a case at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) demanding Sh360 billion ($225 million) as well as interests in running the case.

The MP said Mkono & Co. Advocates was commissioned  to do the job and confidently assured the government that it was going to win the case. However, Mr Mnyika said some other experienced advocates had advised  that the case would be better handled outside court.

Until 2011/2012 at least Sh10 billion had been spent on running the case by paying Rex Attorneys and other companies that had  been representing the government and Tanesco. In 2012/2013 the government allocated Sh4 billion for the case, the amount includes payments for Mkono & Co. Advocates. In his reaction, Mr Nimrod Mkono (Musoma Rural—CCM) who owns Mkono & Co. Advocates said  he could not comment on anything related to IPTL since he had conflict of interest.

He said he  would do so only after getting a greenlight from the Attorney General.

On escrow account, the MP said the  BoT governor admitted before the Economic Affairs, Industry and Trade Committee in Bagamoyo that there was big pressure over the withdrawal of the cash from the escrow account.

According to Mr Mnyika, the governor told the committee that the pressure was from high ranking leaders and that the committee was just being unfair to him.

Contributing to the matter, MPs said some people who linked to prominent leaders stole the money from the escrow account.

Mr Christopher ole Sendeka (Simanjiro-CCM) told Parliament that he had  strong evidence to prove  that the money was stolen from Standard Chartered and Stanbic banks.

He claimed Sh8 billion ($5 million) was withdrawn from Stanbic Bank and carried in a ‘sulphate bag’. He added that another person drew Sh320 million ($200,000) five times from Standard Chartered Bank.

 “We want this matter to be investigated so that we can understand what is going on,” he said, adding “ I do not understand why some people here are reluctant for this measure, if you are clean on this, why should you worry?”

Mr David Kafulila (Kigoma South-NCCR-Mageuzi) said the formation of the parliament independent team was the only solution to the matter.

Cord demands crisis talks as Raila makes big return

Cord leader Raila Odinga arrives at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, where opposition supporters staged a rally to welcome him back from the US on May 31, 2014.

Cord leader Raila Odinga returned from a two-month visit to the US with a demand that the government convene a national dialogue forum to address the worsening political, security and economic conditions.

Addressing a well-attended rally at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, upon his arrival from the US, Mr Odinga also repeated Cord’s demand for the disbandment of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

The opposition coalition co-principals – Mr Odinga, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula — said IEBC, as currently constituted, cannot be trusted to deliver a free, fair and transparent General Election in 2017 after supposedly bungling the 2013 polls.

On the national dialogue, Mr Odinga said he was giving the ruling Jubilee coalition 60 days to respond.

“Kenya must hold a national dialogue at a convention consisting of all the major political coalitions represented in Parliament with the participation of representatives of civil society, religious denominations and workers organisations within the next 60 days from today,” he said in a written speech sent to the Sunday Nation, but which he did not read at the event.

JUBILEE HITS BACK

But speaking in Narok and Naivasha, Deputy President William Ruto criticised Cord for holding rallies that could cause divisions.

(READ: Jubilee hits back at the Opposition)

The Cord leaders also called for a complete overhaul of the security sector to ensure professionalism and patriotism and to restore investor confidence in the country, which would mean more tourists visiting the country.

“Kenya has become one of the most dangerous places to live in Africa. Change we must have. To paraphrase President Obama, ‘Change is coming to Kenya’,” Mr Odinga said.

And to ensure that the change is achieved, the leaders said they will hold countrywide rallies to keep the government on its toes. “We will take a message of hope across the country,” the Cord leader said.

Mr Odinga landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 2.45 pm from the US through Dubai. He had travelled to America at the invitation of the Boston University African Presidential Centre.

He skipped a scheduled news conference at the airport and headed straight to address an enthusiastic crowd of supporters that packed Uhuru Park and had waited for hours in the scorching sun.

The crowd started making its way into the historic park as early as 6 am. When the leaders started addressing them after 3 pm, the crowd shouted down some of the speakers, including Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero.

Mr Kidero has in the past been accused of trying to foment rebellion against Mr Odinga within ODM and its Nyanza political bedrock.

“The train for change is leaving the station from here, in Uhuru Park where many campaigns have started, ended and succeeded,” Mr Odinga said in his speech.

Mr Musyoka said the talks should take place on July 7 to coincide with the Saba Saba day failing which Cord will mobilise Kenyans to send Jubilee home. This seemed to be at variance with the 60-day ultimatum by Mr Odinga.

July 7 is the day in 1990 when Opposition politicians began agitation for a multi-party state in the face of an oppressive one-party Kanu regime. They achieved their dream in 1991.

Mr Odinga said the preparatory talks ahead of the proposed national dialogue should take place between the Jubilee and Cord sides to agree on the agenda and timetable.

As a minimum, the Cord leader said the agenda must include addressing the cost of basic necessities, peace and security for the land and the review and reform of security organs.

Other issues the Cord leader said must be included in the agenda of the talks are how to implement and empower devolution and ensuring county governments get their equitable share of national revenue, reform of the electoral system and the overhaul of IEBC, and eradication of corruption.

“In the three months that I have been away, Kenyans daily communicated their frustrations to me via email, SMS and phone calls. A baby was shot in Mombasa and his mother killed, part of the growing victims of insecurity that has claimed young and old, babies and mothers,” said Mr Odinga.

He also criticised the Jubilee administration for failing to rein in the soaring cost of living and increasing rates of poverty.

The Cord leader further took on the government for paying Sh1.4 billion to Anglo Leasing related companies despite protests from Kenyans.

“While we were away, billions of Kenya shillings were digitally and electronically transferred to agents of impunity before Kenyans could wink. And when we winked there were yet more claims of billions from us,” the former PM said alluding to a Twitter hash tag #BabaWhileYouWereAway that has been trending.

The “growing insecurity and hopelessness”, Mr Odinga said, has seen thousands of tourists leaving Kenya in droves and with it, massive job losses in the tourism sector, yet it is among the country’s economic mainstays.

“Everywhere, things are falling apart. There are still no laptops. Many projects have stalled since the Grand Coalition Government’s tenure ended. Government has become one huge experiment without a cogent scientific formula or coherent policy,” he said.

FAILED TO PROTECT DEVOLUTION

He also accused the government of failing to protect devolution, alluding to the increasing instances of impeachment motions facing governors across the country.

Failure to protect devolution, he said, has seen governors living “one day at a time and money is not flowing to the counties as required by law”.

The Jubilee administration, he said, had denied the counties Sh200 billion in equitable share.

“While we were away, the State Law Office or the Attorney-General’s Chambers ceased to host lawyers. It became the place for surgeons and morticians. To all Kenyans who spared their hard earned money to call, text or email me on the State of our Nation, I heard you. I thank you and I wish to respond to your petitions,” said Mr Odinga.

He urged Kenyans to stand up for their rights and fight for the ideals and promises of the constitution and not be cowed even in the face of intimidation and harassment by the government.

Mr Wetang’ula, on his part, pleaded for unity within Cord. The Senate Minority Leader also challenged Jubilee to respect Kenya’s Western allies.

Yanga registration prejudice Simba Sc

Boss who made ​​the registration of Yanga , have said they have had conversations with 
agreement and all the players because they are poor.
But Sportsman knows that Yanga limerudi back panel and intervention registry defender Coastal Union, Abdi Banda , who was en route to Msimbazi , but now he is confused after laying an important part of Yanga table and people .
Yanga was initially requires Banda , but the coach who left , Hans Pluijm , he told Registration Committee under Abdallah Binkleb that shun the same player since no degree required .
But these leaders were content to leave him reluctantly and then began the process of entangle a lion . But before achieving appropriate , once Yanga came again this time with more fat bet that limempagawisha player and make him look special agent to talk to the team .
Yanga have been entered for the defender left to stake the Lions ikimuahidi Sh35 million while Sh15 million.
Speaking to Sportsman player said his manager , Abdul Bosnia , he will decide his fate.
Bosnia who is the uncle of Banda , said Yanga and Simba have not yet reached the end point in getting signed to make it clear that Banda was first supposed kumalizana and Coastal Union which still has a one-year contract with the defender . Second, he said the club should realize that the value of a player is TSH40 million.
" It really Yanga have returned again , first they seemed like they have withdrawn from the process we knew we remain a Lion , but their return does not mean that we shamalizana , I can say the team is willing to sincerely and Banda first talk to Coastal Union, they agree come to us , but they will appreciate the value of this child is Tsh 40 million , "said Bosnia.
Yanga attacked Malawi
The conflict is not ijaishia that already there are reports that bosses have Yanga squad moves in Malawi and now named following link , Young Chimodzi , who is the son of the coach of Malawi squad yesterday play with Taifa Stars 1-0 Tuesday and whipped .
The midfielder told Sportsman saying: " It is true I have spoken with Yanga twice, they told me they need me and will soon officially make conversation .
" I have no problem in coming , I'm told is a great team here , allow me to just wait and see what happens."The player's father, and he acknowledged the existence of the negotiations.

Why Tanzania won’t benefit from Kenya woes

"If these tourists could stay in East Africa, the whole region would have benefited in one way or another”-Wadj's photo prdct

Dar es Salaam. Any chances that Tanzania’s tourism could gain from the terrorist attacks in Kenya have been dampened by poor marketing skills and the neighbourhood factor, The Citizen has learnt.

Early this month, some Western countries evacuated their citizens from Kenya following what they saw as a fragile security situation caused by a series of Al-Shabab attacks.

The cancellations will cost Kenya $57 million (Sh105 billion).

But while the situation in Kenya could well have been a blessing in disguise for Tanzania’s tourism sector, the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) Director of Tourism and Marketing, Mr Ibrahim Mussa, told resturation that tourists generally do not draw a clear line between African countries.

“Tourists and their agents in the West are poor in geography and history,” Mr Mussa said.

“They tend to view us as Africa or East Africa in terms of regional placing for their market purposes, so it is difficult to say one would now benefit by saying ‘don’t go to Kenya, come to Tanzania instead’,” he said.

Tanzania’s best option would be to double the marketing of its tourist attractions and hope to win more customers.

“Kenya is currently in high gear to counter the insecurity threats to the sector,” Mr Mussa said. “It will serve us better to market our attractions more.”

Two weeks ago, hundreds of British tourists were evacuated from Kenya after the Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to parts of the country due to terrorism threats.

Instead of letting these tourists fly back to Europe, stakeholders argued, Tanzania could have done something to make these tourists stay in the region.

“It is discouraging to note that tourists are taken back to Europe while there are more attractions in Tanzania than in Kenya,” said Tanzania Air Operators Association Executive Secretary Laurence Paul.

“If Tanzanians were keen enough on business they would have found an alternative way to bring those tourists to the country.”

He was quick to add: “It is not that we are happy with what is happening in Kenya. Our concern is the whole region."

"If these tourists could stay in East Africa, the whole region would have benefited in one way or another.”

According to some industry stakeholders, Tanzania is strategically positioned but its people are not creative enough to tap into business opportunities.

Mr Paul added: “We are grieving with Kenya. But when it comes to business, we are supposed to be more creative."

"I sometimes imagine if this turmoil was happening in Tanzania, I am sure these tourists would have been directed to Kenya because Kenyans are very serious when comes to business.”

He urged Tanzanians to be more courageous when it comes to business or face the prospect of being “even poorer”.

But there are those who argue that the private sector cannot tap into such opportunities unless the government works on the challenges in the tourism sector.

Some of the drawbacks include multiple taxes that make it difficult to attract tourists in large numbers.

Besides, tourism is very price-sensitive and subject to intense competition.

Key players can decide to reduce some rates so as to attract more tourists, according to our source, but the many taxes mean that the sector will remain very expensive.

Industry players have also complained that while it is important to present a united front, the government rarely implements their proposals.

But Tanzania Confederation of Tourism (TCT) Executive Director Richard Rugimbana argues that diverting tourists from Kenya to Tanzania is an unlikely proposition as the trips are planned way ahead.Said Mr Rugimbana: “I am actually feeling very sad about what is happening in Kenya."

France ready to roll out the red carpet to British investors

French Economy minister Arnaud Montebourg at the National Assembly in Paris, 29 April 2014.

"France is ready to roll out the red carpet to British investors if Britain leaves the EU" said French Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg, in a swipe at David Cameron.

In an interview with French Metronews freesheet, Montebourg hit back at British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said in 2012 that Britain would roll out the red carpet to French people fleeing the country's tax laws.

Dossier: Eurozone in crisis

"If they were to vote to leave the EU, France would roll out the red carpet to British investors fleeing their country" said Montebourg. "They will all come to France because companies need Europe".
His remarks came just after eurosceptic party UKIP topped the poll in European elections in Britain.
Cameron has already pledged to put Britain's membership to a referendum by 2017 if he is reelected next year.
France's President Francois Hollande called - in a speech on TV on Monday - for the EU to scale back its role, after his party too, took a beating in the polls

Global strategy against Boko Haram adopted at Paris security summit

French President Francois Hollande (C) poses for a familly photo with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, African leaders and EU representatives, 

African and Western leaders agreed on Saturday to combine their intelligence information and defence mechanisms in a bid to reduce the security risk posed by Boko Haram. French President, François Hollande, called the islamist group a 'global' threat that warrants a 'global' response.'

It accomplished what it set out to do. Saturday's security summit saw leaders from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin agree to share their technical know-how with Western allies France, the U.S and Britain to defeat Boko Haram.
The plan adopted incorporates the following:

• Co-ordinated, regional strategy to boost intelligence-sharing
• Creation of surveillance and border-controls
• Centralizing technical means and capability
• Military presence around Lake Chad
• Security-defence mechanism in danger situations

The eight countries are already sharing intelligence information to retrieve more than 200 missing school girls, kidnapped by Boko Haram. This new plan now goes a step further to prevent more attacks by the religious sect, after fresh violence in a Boko Haram strong-hold on Friday.
French President François Hollande, who hosted the meeting, said the islamist group wasn't just "Nigeria's problem, but the whole world's."
"They have links to terrorist organizations throughout Africa and could destabilize the entire continent," he said during a press conference following the summit.
"The aim was to identify the threat posed by Boko Haram and to deal with it", Hollande stated, but ruled out putting French boots on the ground.
"This organization is capable of endangering the lives of innocent civilians, of abducting young girls and reducing them to bondage, to sell them," he added.
His Nigerian counterpart, Goodluck Jonathan, who called for the summit, has been strongly criticized for his handling of the girls' abduction.
I am "completely committed to getting our girls back", he declared, more than one month after their abduction.

Ten die, 70 injured in Nairobi bomb blasts

 A forensics expert combs through the scene of an explosion in Gikomba on the outskirts of Nairobi’s business district where twin blasts claimed at least 10 lives yesterday.

Ten people were killed and over 70 wounded Friday in two bomb attacks in a busy market in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the latest in a wave of unrest blamed on Islamist militants.

The twin bombings came as hundreds of British tourists were being evacuated from beach resorts near the port city of Mombasa after Britain’s Foreign Office and other nations issued new travel warnings. The National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC) said the first blast in the capital occurred next to a 14-seater matatu, or public minibus, and the second was inside a shop in Gikomba Market close to Nairobi’s central business district.

A spokesman at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi’s main hospital, said eight bodies had been brought in and “more than 70” people admitted for treatment, many of them in a serious condition. The NDOC then revised the death toll up to 10, while another hospital said it had received around 14 patients.

“Many of the injured are bleeding profusely. We need a lot of blood,” the spokesman, Simon Ithae, told AFP as the hospital issued an appeal for donors.

Nairobi police chief Benson Kibue confirmed that two bombs had been used, and the area was littered with debris including clothing hurled into overhead power and telephone lines.

“Two IEDs were detonated simultaneously,” Nairobi police chief Benson Kibue told reporters at the scene, trying to reassure an increasingly sceptical public that the security forces are in control.

“Don’t panic. We are on top of things,” he said. Police also said two suspects had been arrested.

Earlier this month three people were killed and 86 wounded in twin bus blasts in Nairobi that were blamed on Islamic militant cells connected with Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels. The previous day, twin attacks left four dead in Mombasa. Kenya has been targeted by the Shebab since sending troops to war-torn Somalia in 2011. Kenyan soldiers are still posted in southern Somalia as part of an African Union force supporting the country’s fragile internationally-backed government.

Tourists evacuated

On Thursday and Friday, hundreds of British tourists were being evacuated from beach resorts near Mombasa following new warnings of terror attacks from Britain’s Foreign Office. France, Australia and the United States also issued similar warnings this week to avoid Mombasa, and in some cases Nairobi. Thomson and First Choice, which are owned by London-listed TUI Travel, Europe’s biggest tour operator, said they had also decided to cancel all flights to the coastal city until November.

“As a precautionary measure, we have also taken the decision to repatriate all customers currently on holiday in Kenya back to the UK,” Thomson and First Choice said in a statement. The evacuation, which continued Friday, involved nearly 450 holidaymakers, company sources said.

The Kenyan government has expressed “disappointment” and has accused countries that are telling tourists to stay away of “unfriendly acts” . (AFP)

China evacuates workers after Vietnam deadly riots

At least 15 foreign-owned factories have been torched in Vietnam in recent days

The Chinese government has evacuated more than 3,000 of its nationals from Vietnam following a wave of anti-Chinese riots, Chinese media report.

State-run Xinhua news agency says Beijing is arranging charter flights and ships to help more people to leave.
At least two Chinese nationals have been killed and 100 injured in recent unrest in Vietnam over a Chinese oil rig drilling in disputed waters.
On Saturday the Vietnamese government called for an end to the protests.
Officials said "illegal acts" would be stopped as they could damage national stability. However, dissident groups have urged people to rally again in major cities on Sunday.
In recent days crowds have set fire to at least 15 foreign-owned factories - including Chinese, Taiwanese and South Korean businesses - in several Vietnamese industrial parks.
'Dissatisfied' Correspondents say the attacks appear to have worried authorities, as Hanoi depends heavily on foreign investment for economic growth.
However, China has urged authorities to take tougher measures to punish rioters.
"We are strongly dissatisfied by the Vietnamese side failure to respond effectively to curb an escalation," Xinhua quoted security chief Guo Shengkun as saying on Saturday.
The protests have been triggered by China's decision to move its Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig into contested waters in the South China Sea.
This led to confrontations between Vietnamese and Chinese ships earlier this month, as Vietnam sought to block the move.
China insists it will continue drilling in the area, west of the Paracel Islands - which are controlled by China but also claimed by Vietnam, and Taiwan.
Nationalist sentiment is currently running very high in Vietnam over the issue, correspondents say.

French, African Leaders Declare War on Boko Haram

French President Francois Hollande says the Nigeria-based Boko Haram militant group has become a threat to all of West and Central Africa and a "comprehensive plan" must be established to fight it.

Hollande commented at a Saturday news conference in Paris following a meeting with his counterparts from Nigeria and its neighboring countries.

The meeting took place in the wake of the Islamist militant groups' kidnapping of nearly 300 Nigerian school girls last month.  Nigerian officials say 276 of the girls are still missing.

'Comprehensive plan' needed
 

The French president said Boko Haram was an al-Qaida-linked group. He told the regional African leaders a comprehensive plan must be put in place to exchange information and coordinate activities.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan agreed, saying "Boko Haram is no longer a local terrorist group." He said the militants were operating as "an al-Qaida of West Africa."

Jonathan said his government was committed to finding the missing school girls. He said 20,000 Nigerian troops had been deployed to northern Nigeria, where the abductions occurred.

Cameroon attack

Just hours before the leaders gathered in Paris, suspected Boko Haram militants launched an attack in a border region of neighboring Cameroon.

Local officials say militants raided a Chinese workers' camp in the town of Waza, killing one person.

Investigators say 10 Chinese workers are missing and are believed to have been kidnapped by the suspected militants.

A witness told VOA about 200 gunmen arrived in a convoy of vehicles in Waza and began shooting.

Representatives from the EU, Britain and other Western powers attended the meeting in Paris.

UK ready to help

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said his country is ready to offer Nigeria additional assistance. He said Britain had offered to embed military advisers with Nigerian military units.

Boko Haram has said it wants to establish a strict Islamist state in northern Nigeria.  The militant group has been blamed for thousands of deaths from bombings and shooting over the past five years.

The militants had recently released a video showing about 100 of the kidnapped girls who were seen wearing hijabs and reciting Islamic prayers. Most of the girls who were kidnapped were Christians.

Barca's Messi to be world's highest-paid footballer

MADRID  - Barcelona and Lionel Messi have agreed an improved contract that will reportedly make the four-times World Player of the Year soccer's best-paid player with a net annual salary of 20 million euros ($27.4 million).

Barca did not publish details of the deal but Spanish media said Messi, 26, would remain tied to the club until June 2018, as in his previous contract, and could earn around 5 million euros more per season in performance-linked bonuses.

The Argentina captain would also regain control of his image rights, one report said, further boosting the income of a man Forbes magazine estimates is the 10th highest-earning athlete, with annual revenues of $41.2 million including wages and endorsements.

"FC Barcelona has reached an agreement to adjust the terms in the contract binding Leo Messi to the club as a professional first team player," Barca said in a brief statement on Friday.

"The revised and updated contract will be signed over the next few days," they added.

Messi, who had been earning a net 13 million euros per season, will top soccer's earnings list ahead of Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo on 18 million euros and Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris St Germain on 14.7 million, sports daily Marca said.

Messi is Barca's all-time leading scorer with 354 goals in 424 official games and news of the deal is a boost for the club before Saturday's La Liga showdown against Atletico Madrid.

"Anything that is good for Messi is good for Barca," coach Gerardo Martino told a news conference on Friday. "It is a very good piece of news for both parties."

Since Messi made his debut in the 2004-05 season, Barca have won 21 titles, including three Champions Leagues and six La Liga crowns.

He joined Barca's academy at the age of 13 after a spell at Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario.

Messi and his father last year paid 5 million euros to the Spanish authorities as a "corrective payment" after they were accused of filing false tax returns.

The pair, who both denied wrongdoing, allegedly hid more than 4 million euros by filing incomplete returns for the years 2006 to 2009.

The sale of Messi's image rights had been hidden using a complex web of shell companies in Uruguay, Belize, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the prosecutor's office for tax crimes in Catalonia said.

Lebanon faces pressure of Syrian refugees

Nafat from Homs bakes bread outside her shelter in Turbide, Bekaa Valley. UNHCR/L.Addario

The international community is being urged once again to help Lebanon support over one million Syrian refugees.
The appeal has been made by Ross Mountain, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Friday, he asked how many refugees the international community expects Lebanon to take in and still remain a viable state.
Mr Mountain said that today Lebanon has the highest proportion per capita of refugees in the world.
"It is also an unprecedented example of pressure on a country arising from a refugee-driven emergency. The 1.1 million refugees currently registered in Lebanon, which is about 25 per cent of the population, is equivalent to something like 80 million Mexicans coming into the south of the United States over 18 months or over 16 million refugees in France, 15 million in the UK and two million in Switzerland." (29")
Mr Mountain said Syrian refugees are still coming to Lebanon at a rate of 50,000 a month.
It is projected that by the end of this year there will be 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon,  equivalent to a third of the population.

'Biggest dinosaur ever' discovered

Fossilised bones of a dinosaur believed to be the largest creature ever to walk the Earth have been unearthed in Argentina, palaeontologists say.

Based on its huge thigh bones, it was 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall.
Weighing in at 77 tonnes, it was as heavy as 14 African elephants, and seven tonnes heavier than the previous record holder, Argentinosaurus.
Scientists believe it is a new species of titanosaur - an enormous herbivore dating from the Late Cretaceous period.
A local farm worker first stumbled on the remains in the desert near La Flecha, about 250km (135 miles) west of Trelew, Patagonia.

Dr Diego Pol explains how the weight of the dinosaur was calculated

The fossils were then excavated by a team of palaeontologists from the Museum of Palaeontology Egidio Feruglio, led by Dr Jose Luis Carballido and Dr Diego Pol.
They unearthed the partial skeletons of seven individuals - about 150 bones in total - all in "remarkable condition".

A film crew from the BBC Natural History Unit was there to capture the moment the scientists realised exactly how big their discovery was.
By measuring the length and circumference of the largest femur (thigh bone), they calculated the animal weighed 77 tonnes.
"Given the size of these bones, which surpass any of the previously known giant animals, the new dinosaur is the largest animal known that walked on Earth," the researchers told BBC News.
"Its length, from its head to the tip of its tail, was 40m.
"Standing with its neck up, it was about 20m high - equal to a seven-storey building."

The new dinosaur is a type of sauropod similar to Argentinosaurus, illustrated here

This giant herbivore lived in the forests of Patagonia between 95 and 100 million years ago, based on the age of the rocks in which its bones were found.
But despite its magnitude, it does not yet have a name.
"It will be named describing its magnificence and in honour to both the region and the farm owners who alerted us about the discovery," the researchers said.

There have been many previous contenders for the title "world's biggest dinosaur".
The most recent pretender to the throne was Argentinosaurus, a similar type of sauropod, also discovered in Patagonia.
Originally thought to weigh in at 100 tonnes, it was later revised down to about 70 tonnes - just under the 77 tonnes that this new sauropod is thought to have weighed.
The picture is muddied by the various complicated methods for estimating size and weight, based on skeletons that are usually incomplete.
Argentinosaurus was estimated from only a few bones. But the researchers here had dozens to work with, making them more confident that they really have found "the big one".
Dr Paul Barrett, a dinosaur expert from London's Natural History Museum, agreed the new species is "a genuinely big critter. But there are a number of similarly sized big sauropod thigh bones out there," he cautioned.
"Without knowing more about this current find it's difficult to be sure. One problem with assessing the weight of both Argentinosaurus and this new discovery is that they're both based on very fragmentary specimens - no complete skeleton is known, which means the animal's proportions and overall shape are conjectural.
"Moreover, several different methods exist for calculating dinosaur weight (some based on overall volume, some on various limb bone measurements) and these don't always agree with each other, with large measures of uncertainty.
"So it's interesting to hear another really huge sauropod has been discovered, but ideally we'd need much more material of these supersized animals to determine just how big they really got."

Indian election: Narendra Modi in Delhi victory parade

Mr Modi was greeted by supporters as he arrived in Delhi

Narendra Modi: "The age of divisive politics has ended"

Current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to hand in his resignation later on Saturday

Narendra Modi: "We have to take India forward."

Continue reading the main story

India elections

• Vote count
• Profile: Narendra Modi
• Biswas: Historic win
• Stock market cheers

India's Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi has begun a victory parade in Delhi after his opposition BJP party secured the most decisive election victory in three decades.

Mr Modi flew to the capital from his home state of Gujarat.
Current PM Manmohan Singh, whose Congress party was crushed in the poll, is expected to resign later.
Mr Modi, a Hindu nationalist and chief minister of Gujarat, campaigned on promises to revive the economy.
Results show the BJP gained a majority in parliament and will be able to govern without coalition partners.
However, many Indians still have profound concerns over Mr Modi because of claims he did little to stop communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which at least 1,000 people died, most of them Muslims.
Mr Modi has always denied the allegations and was never charged.
'India has won'

Continue reading the main story

" Analysis Soutik Biswas India correspondent

Make no mistake, the scourge of unrelenting inflation turned the poor and the middle class against Congress: for the last three-and-a-half years India has been suffering its highest rate of inflation for 20 years, one that has also been higher than the world average.
This, many say, was the immediate trigger for people's anger and disenchantment with Congress.
Then there was what many call the party's failure to adapt to a changing India, which was moving, in the words of one commentator, from a "petitional to an aspirational culture".

On arrival in Delhi, Mr Modi was greeted by flag-waving supporters. Mr Modi stepped out of his car, flashing a victory sign.

At the BJP headquarters - where he is heading to - a brass band, drummers and bagpipers are in place, with bunting and balloons decorating the street.
Noticeably tight security is in place with policemen lining Mr Modi's route, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi reports.
With votes still being counted, the BJP has won more than the 272 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
With its allies, the party could get more than 330 seats out of 543.
"India has won, good days are about to come," Mr Modi tweeted on Friday.
He later told his cheering supporters: "In the 60-year history of Indian independence, I have never seen this in the Indian media, what you have done in our country."
He said he would rule for all Indians.
"The real government will belong from Kashmir on top to Kanya Kumari [on India's southern tip] - that is a real government.
"The age of divisive politics has ended - from today onwards the politics of uniting people will begin."
World leaders, including US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron, have congratulated Mr Modi on his victory.
India's new leader has received invitations to Washington and London. Previously, the US denied him visas and the UK cut off all ties with him following the 2002 riots.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif commended the BJP's "impressive victory" in the election.

Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi: "I respect the verdict of the people"

The Congress party, which has dominated Indian politics since independence, is only expected to win 44 seats.
Congress has been mired in serious corruption scandals and its leadership has been considered ineffective in recent years, analysts say.
Accepting defeat, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said: "We humbly respect the verdict of the people."
In a televised farewell address, Manmohan Singh said the government had achieved a lot in the last 10 years, adding: "I wish the incoming government every success."
He is expected to meet the president later on Saturday to formally resign.

The BBC's Andrew North travelled to Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat

Rogue trader Kerviel faces jail as lone walk to France ends

French rogue trader Jerome Kerviel crosses the border into France on Saturday where he could face jail, following his long protest walk from Rome.

Jérôme Kerviel in Modèn

 The former Société Générale trader started the walk from Rome to Paris after meeting Pope Francis on 19 February.

He was inspired to do the march after meeting the Pope, who spoke of the "tyranny of the market" and gave him a set of rosary beads.
He will be welcomed by members of his support committee including its president, the bishop of Gap as well as Fr Patrice Gourrier who has vowed to complete the march on Kerviel's behalf if the former trader himself is unable to go as far as Paris.
Kerviel has been ordered by French authorities to present himself at the police station in Menton by Sunday morning at the latest, where he is very likely to be imprisoned.
His three year prison sentence was upheld at the court of appeal in March but the 4.91 billion euro fine previously imposed was cancelled.
His supporters expressed disappointment at the Sunday deadline, which they maintained could have been longer under French law.

Uhuru delegates executive power to County Commissioners

President Uhuru Kenyatta is received by the Public Service chair Prof Margaret Kobia on arrival at the Kenya School of Government, Nairobi. President Kenyatta Thursday delegated ten “executive functions” to County Commissioners in a new move meant to make the commissioners stronger extensions of the national government in counties.

President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday delegated ten “executive functions” to County Commissioners in a new move meant to make the commissioners stronger extensions of the national government in counties.

Addressing a gathering of civil servants in Nairobi, the President said the move was meant to “remove excuses” for ministries and government departments to deliver on their mandate.

“We are now giving responsibilities directly to those who are with the people so that the question of ‘we are waiting for orders from above’ no longer exists. There are no orders from above except the efficient delivery of service and you know the functions that you are supposed to be doing.

“And we are now giving you responsibilities to perform those functions and to deliver services to our people,” the President said.

But in a swift reaction, opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party criticised President Kenyatta’s decision as against devolution, terming it as a move towards authoritarian rule.

A statement by acting party leader Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o said the development was against the will of the people for local self governance.

“This development must not be allowed to succeed. It is tantamount to further increasing the wage bill, escalating constitutional crises and engendering unnecessary political tension in the country,” he said.

DIVERSE ISSUES

President Kenyatta’s move means County Commissioners will be the hands, eyes, ears and legs of the national government in coordinating diverse issues.

They may range from national immunisation programmes, county security operations in counties, national roads management, delivery of speeches of the President or Cabinet Secretaries and any other national functions delegated to them.

The commissioners will be in charge of all national government functions at the county level.

The President based his decision on Article 132 (3b) of the Constitution and Section 7 of the National Government Coordination Act 2013 which provide guidelines on how the president may coordinate and delegate functions.

But there could be problems.

A County Commissioner tasked with coordinating an immunisation programme for instance may fail if those medical items are not delivered in time…and that is a function of the Ministry of Health.

Yet President Kenyatta warned County Commissioners would take the bullet for that:

“It is not for you to tell me that is the work of Ministry of Health. Your responsibility in that county is to ensure that that programme has been rolled out,” he said by way of example.

Security officers traditionally do not take orders from civilians. President Kenyatta said county commissioners should be in charge of county security.

“If there are security challenges in your counties, yes, while the Inspector-General (David Kimaiyo) has the overall responsibility of internal security in this country…and if there is cattle rustling in Baringo County, I will be calling the County Commissioner of Baringo County and expecting to be told what you have done, because Kimaiyo is in Nairobi, you are the one who is responsible for what is going on.”

County Commissioners were remnants of the dreaded Provincial Administration during President Moi's era.

Comprising the Sub Chief, Chief, District Officer, District Commissioner and the Provincial Commissioner, they served a security function at the regional level for the central government.

Some of them, however, were (in)famous for being involved in rigging elections, looting chickens from rural folk as forcible contribution to national development as well as raiding chang’aa dens for drunkards.

The Constitution passed in 2010 effectively made that obsolete although the government had a grace period to turn them into a system adapted to devolution.

These changes, though, start with ministries in Nairobi and President Kenyatta told civil servants every manager in government will bear their cross.

“There are no reasons for excuses. You must know what is going on in your ministry. Where authority is given, it comes with responsibility,” he told Cabinet Secretaries in the crowd.

Traditionally, ministers have often delegated both blame and responsibilities to their juniors whenever claims of mismanagement arise.

President Kenyatta told the gathering the Cabinet Secretaries will now be heads at all times. However, while he gave them powers, he took away their potential to become dictators.

“You are not supposed to use this authority either to victimise or abuse those who work under you….severest of sanctions shall be taken against those who take unfair actions on their juniors.

More Nigerian girls abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants

Abubakar Shekau leads the Islamist group, which has killed thousands in northern Nigeria

Suspected Boko Haram militants have kidnapped eight more girls in northeastern Nigeria.

The latest kidnapping happened on Sunday night in the village of Warabe, in Borno state. The girls taken were between the ages of 12 and 15.
On Monday, Boko Haram's leader threatened to "sell" more than 230 girls seized from their school, also in Borno, on 14 April.
The Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram has left thousands dead since 2009.
The BBC's Mansur Liman in Abuja says the area around Warabe, the site of the latest abductions, is a stronghold of the Islamist movement.

Ukraine crisis: Russia rules out new Geneva talks

Russia's foreign minister has ruled out holding fresh talks in Geneva to defuse the Ukraine crisis, unless pro-Russian opposition groups are involved.

Sergei Lavrov added there was no point as an April accord between the US, EU and Russia had not been implemented.
He spoke after a Council of Europe meeting which was expected to support Ukraine's plans for a 25 May election.
But Mr Lavrov called an election "unusual" at a time when the army was being used against the population.

Ukrainian acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia said Ukraine was ready to back a new round of talks in Geneva as long as Moscow supported presidential elections.

"If Russia is ready to commit itself to support these elections and to eliminate this threat and eliminate its support for the extremist elements in Ukraine, we are ready to have such a round of meetings," he said at a news conference.
Mr Deshchytsia later appealed for international observers to be sent to Ukraine to monitor the elections on 25 May.
"[We] also asked the partners to make everything possible to eliminate the external threats and provocations supported by Russia in Ukraine to allow these elections to take place in a free and democratic way," he added.
OSCE Chairman Didier Burkhalter said there should be a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of the May presidential election - as holding it is very difficult in the current situation, the AFP news agency reports.
Crackdown In recent days, security forces have launched a crackdown on pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, triggering clashes outside the town of Sloviansk.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on Tuesday that four soldiers and an estimated 30 separatists had been killed in the "anti-terrorism operation".
He said that up to 800 well-trained militants armed with large-calibre weapons and mortars were hiding among civilians in the town, where government buildings have been seized and checkpoints set up.
A Russia Today reporter in Sloviansk said residents were stockpiling food and there were barricades on almost every road.
Meanwhile, many flights in and out of Donetsk were suspended. The Ukrainian aviation authorities gave no reason for the move.

Fierce fighting in Sloviansk on Monday was followed by sporadic sniper fire, as the BBC's Fergal Keane reports

New checkpoints were earlier set up around Kiev. The interior ministry said it wanted to prevent the movement of weapons and explosives.
The authorities also attempted to re-establish control over Odessa, with Interim President Olexander Turchynov dismissing the acting head of the regional administration, Volodymyr Nemyrovskyy.
Forty-six people died in the Black Sea city on Friday in a fire at an official building and fighting between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian protesters.
'Added value' At a news conference in Vienna on Tuesday, Mr Lavrov said holding further international talks on Ukraine as some have suggested would be like "going round in circles".
Instead, he explained, the government in Kiev and their Western backers needed to implement the series of steps to resolve the crisis that they had agreed in Geneva on 17 April.
Under the agreement, all parties, including the separatists in eastern Ukraine, were to "refrain from violence, intimidation and provocative acts". It also said those occupying buildings would have to leave them and be disarmed in return for an amnesty.

The situation remained tense in Sloviansk on Tuesday, with pro-Russian gunmen reinforcing checkpoints

Ukraine's State Aviation Administration gave no reason for the closure of Donetsk airport

They also agreed to an inclusive constitutional process that would include the establishment of a broad national dialogue and consideration of proposed amendments.
Mr Lavrov said he was not against a follow-up meeting to discuss the accord, but that it would not "have any added value" unless representatives of the separatists were invited.
The 25 May presidential election was called after pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown by pro-Western protesters in February.
"Scheduling an election during a time when the army is being used against a part of the population is not conventional - it's not Afghanistan," Mr Lavrov noted.
Earlier, French President Francois Hollande warned that there would be "chaos and the risk of civil war" if the election did not take place.

How dependent is Europe upon Russian energy sources?

He told French radio on Tuesday that it was in Russia's interests to allow it "because it does not want to be seen as a country that wants to prevent another country - in this case Ukraine - from voting".
"Pressure must be put on it by all of Europe and by the United States through sanctions," Mr Hollande added.
The EU and US imposed sanctions on individuals and companies linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "inner circle", as well as separatist leaders in Ukraine, when the Crimean peninsula was annexed in March by Russia.
Kiev has rejected the pro-Russian activists' demands for greater autonomy for eastern regions, fearing they could lead to the break-up of the country or more regions being annexed.
Separatists in Donetsk have proclaimed a "People's Republic" and are preparing to hold an independence referendum on Sunday.