African Healthcare Attracting Private Investors

AFRICAN MAIL – Is private investment the future of health care? “Until governments start making the needed investment into public health,” says one Zimbabwean local, “foreign investors are the only ones showing they have an interest in the sector…just hard to understand.” Healthcare expenditures in Sub-Saharan Africa account for about one percent of the world’s healthcare expenditures.

African governments work anxiously to put capital into the healthcare sector. But the myriad of low tax receipts, growing healthcare costs, and other essential public expenditures complicate those efforts.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s healthcare market is primed to reach $35 billion by 2016 with a growing middle class and an improved economic outlook. The growth in spending remains insufficient to meet Sub-Saharan Africa’s health needs, says a retired group of doctors working their retirement years in hospitals in East Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa bears 24 percent of the global disease burden though it only accounts for 11 percent of the world’s population. Ventures Africa previously covered the disturbing low nurse per capita ratio in East Africa and the opportunity it offered. Overall statistics on healthcare workers in Africa paint a similarly bleak picture where there are only 3 health care workers per 1000 persons in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Big donors continue to pour aid money into the Sub-Saharan African healthcare sector. Experts estimate that 25 to 35 percent of the region’s healthcare spending comes from non-governmental institutions (NGOs) and estimate that private capital investments only contributes 10 to 12 percent of the healthcare spending.

TLG Capital is one of the more entrepreneurial private capital firms playing a role in the space. The healthcare sectors has yielded strong returns, says Zachary Latif, Managing Director at TLG Capital. The sector is similar to most other sectors, he says, in that it is all about deal quality.

TLG applies a risk methodology, Mr. Latif says, considering factors that include (1) regional expansion opportunity, (2) government support, and (3) collateralization.

To help ease the path for private capital, many African governments can still upgrade their internal healthcare systems. Implementing a government-subsidized or employer-subsidized insurance program would ensure that more Africans are getting healthcare coverage and are able to pay the bill. “Western experience with employer sponsored healthcare programs raises questions,” says John, a doctor operating in Burundi, “but the concern is not the system but how do we get Africans – middle class or not – to our facilities for medical care…subsidized care is a part of that answer.”

Regulatory reform of subpar standards and enforcement of those reforms would also go far in creating better companies and strengthening those companies already operating at Western standards. McKinsey & Company proposed similar recommendations in a report in 2007 and also ranked Africa’s healthcare sector as more attractive to foreign investors than telecoms and infrastructure.

Things could be finally falling in line with the report. Low returns in developed markets, argues Mr. Latif, will cause a convergence of returns in Africa making more African sectors more attractive, including healthcare. As more investors look to Africa for boosting their portfolio returns, the healthcare sector will see more activity and capital.
Culled from African ventures.

South African Firms Have Weak Balance Sheets – le Roux

AFRICAN MAIL – Rian le Roux, chief economist at Old Mutual Investment Group South Africa (OMIGSA), on Tuesday said South African companies have far less cash on hand than it is thought. This is despite talk that South African companies are sitting on piles of cash and very unwilling to invest the money in the South African economy. But le Roux said an examination of the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) deposit data revealed that rather than the total R1.34 trillion held as bank deposits by non-financial companies as at the end of November 2012, non-financial corporate deposits were o­nly R578 billion or 43 percent of this total. According to le Roux, this meant that cash held by corporates was o­nly 18 percent of GDP, rather than the 41 percent of GDP commonly quoted (using the R1.34 trillion figure). “This Reserve Bank data has been the source of much public debate and speculation,” le Roux said. “It has been used to support a wide variety of claims from many different sources.” He said the most common interpretation is that this ‘cash pile’ is evidence of the private sector’s ‘unwillingness to invest in the economy’. There has also been talk that money is being hoarded by South African firms that expect to invest it offshore or for large-scale investments o­nce the business climate improves and even for special dividend pay-outs. The attack on these companies is often led by South Africa’s black business leaders who often equate this racism.

South Sudan To Export First Oil Cargo

AFRICAN MAIL – South Sudan’s first oil cargo is set to reach a Sudan export handling facility this coming week, according to Reuters. Landlocked South Sudan closed its all-inclusive production of 350,000 barrels a day in January last year. This was after the newly-found country’s talks with neighbour Sudan over oil fees were botched, hurling both states into chaos. According to Reuters, South Sudan has to export its oil through Sudan. Reports abound that that following months of talks, the neighbouring countries decided last month to start cross-border oil exports. The first cargo from the Thar Jath oilfield in South Sudan’s Unity state will reach the Sudanese processing facility in Heglig next week, Reuters reported, citing Sudan’s Oil Minister Awad al-Jaz. “The oil facilities are ready and intact for oil transit flows,” Reuters quoted Jaz as saying. He said oil operator China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), which runs Heglig, had been informed about the planned first cargo from South Sudan. Apparently he did not give any production details. South Sudan wants an initial oil output of between 150, 000 and 200,000 barrels per day (bpd). Sudan and South Sudan, which nearly returned to war about 12 months ago, rely heavily on crude exports for state revenues and use the foreign currency to import food and fuel.

Finally France Legalises Gay Marriage

The French parliament has become the 14th in the world to pass a law extending marriage to same sex couples. After a fractious and sometimes violent public debate, MPs voted by 331 to 225 in favour of the measure, which also allows gay couples to adopt children. Minutes before the historic vote, a protestor dressed in pink - the colour adopted by those opposed to the measure - was forcibly removed from the chamber. President Francois Hollande made changing the law an electoral priority, much to the anger of religious groups: Catholic, Muslim and Jewish leaders in France all opposed the legislation. They formed a loose protest coalition with the fractured UMP conservative opposition party, which had been languishing in the polls after Nicolas Sarkozy's defeat in the 2012 elections. But French polls revealed a gradual shift in public opinion: in a recent survey 58% said they supported same-sex marriage, while 53% opposed adoption by gay parents. The debate has led to violent clashes on the streets of France, which organisers of the opposition coalition blamed on far-right extremists infiltrating their marches. A threatening letter was even sent to the speaker of the Assemblee Nationale which contained traces of gunpowder and the message: "You wanted war and you've got it." Human rights groups say the language of the movement, known as 'A Protest for Everyone' has been so toxic, it has led to a spike in homophobic attacks. France becomes the latest country to approve marriage for everyone, after New Zealand and Uruguay. A bill in the United Kingdom is progressing through Parliament. It won overwhelming support in a free vote in the House of Commons and now moves to the report stage and a third reading.

Baga clashes: Nigeria army seizes heavy weapons

Nigeria's army has said it seized rocket-propelled grenades during last week's fighting in Baga - believed to have been one of the first times Boko Haram has used heavy weapons. It says 37 people were killed, while others maintain at least 185 died. The army says 30 members of the Boko Haram Islamist group, one soldier and six civilians died. The Red Cross has backed local officials who say the figure is higher but they have not been into the town. An army statement said three rocket-propelled grenade launchers had been recovered, along with bomb-making material. The previous most deadly incident of the three-year Boko Haram uprising came last year when at least 160 people were killed in co-ordinated bomb attacks in the northern city of Kano. The group is fighting to install Islamic law in the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria.

South African inflation at 5.9% in March

South Africa's annual inflation rate was 5.9% in March, unchanged on the previous month's figure but still much higher than the country's growth rate.

The official figure, from Statistics South Africa, is at the top of the central bank's target range of 3-6%.

South Africa is the continent's largest economy, but despite impressive growth in recent years expansion is slowing.

The central bank governor said this week she was worried about the prospect of stagflation.

Stagflation describes a state of high inflation and low economic growth.

Problems

South African's gross domestic product is expected to grow by 2.8% this year, held back by weakness in the eurozone, which is an important export market for the country.

While that rate is above forecasts for global average growth of 2.4%, other developing African nations such as Nigeria and Mozambique are notching up GDP gains of about 7-8%.

On Tuesday, the governor of South Africa's central bank, Gill Marcus, said stagflation must be stopped.

"If you've got slowing growth and rising inflation, it's not a place you want to be in," she told parliament, local media reported.

A report this week by the World Bank noted that sub-Saharan Africa as a whole should significantly outpace the global average over the next three years.

But it singled out another problem for South Africa, noting that incidents of violent labour unrest were a potential concern. Culled from BBC.com

Man finds $3,800 in a garbage dump and returns it

He may be diving for trash, but this guy has a heart of gold.

A Tennessee man who found $3,800 during a dumpster dive decided to return the money to its rightful owner.

Joe Ellis was scrounging through a Dumpster in a Speedy Mart parking lot on Saturday night. He was looking for cans to recycle when he found a wad of cash tucked inside a plastic bag. There were several hundred dollar bills and three bank deposit slips, WKRN reports.

“I didn’t think it was real,” the Murfreesboro, Tenn. man told WKRN-TV.

The bank deposit slips didn’t have a name, so Ellis had no way of searching for the owner himself.

Ellis said he considered pocketing the cash, but decided to turn the bag into the Speedy Mart managers.

Chad Government pulls out troops from Mali

Chad, one of the largest supplier of troops battling Islamists in Mali, has started to pull them out, President Idriss Deby has said.

"The Chadian army does not have the skills to fight a shadowy, guerrilla-style war that is taking place in northern Mali," he said.

Three Chadian soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Mali on Friday.

Soldiers from Chad, France and other African countries have ousted Islamist militants from northern Mali's towns.

But fighting continues in some remote parts of the Sahara Desert.

Chad's 2,000 troops were seen as playing a crucial role in the fighting because of their experience in desert warfare.

About 30 have been killed - more than any other nationality, reports the Reuters news agency.

Three of them died in a suicide attack in Kidal on Friday.

Mr Deby told French media that Chad's soldiers had "accomplished their mission".

"We have already withdrawn a mechanised battalion," he said.

But he said Chad would contribute to a proposed 11,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in Mali.

France has also started to withdraw some of its 4,000 soldiers and hopes to have just 1,000 in the country by the end of the year.

France led the intervention in January, saying the al-Qaeda-linked militants were threatened to march on the capital, Bamako.

(BUSINESS_NEWS )Kenya to set up tea warehouse in Dubai in 2014

The Kenyan export promotion council plans to set up a tea warehouse in Dubai in an effort to expand its market in the Asian and Eastern European countries. The new warehouse is intended to take advantage of the Dubai Tea Trading Centre (DTTC) which was opened in 2005 to auction tea in the region.

The National Export Promotion Council of Kenya chairman Hudson Aluvanze said the Dubai auction centre has been a major market competitor to the East Africa tea market raising a necessity to establish a permanent presence to ensure that Kenyan tea is always available. Mr Aluvanze said that plans are in the pipeline to have the warehouse set up by next year with a view to keep and grow presence in Kenya’s traditional tea markets in the region — Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“We have to set up permanent distribution centres to ensure that we maintain the proximity to these markets. It will also serve to authenticate other Kenyan products like coffee in the Asian markets,” said Mr Aluvanze.

The eight-year-old DTTC sells and processes teas from 13 different countries.

According to the East African Tea Traders Association (EATTA), which manages the Mombasa Tea Auction — the largest black tea auction in the world —earnings from tea are expected to go up by between Sh2 billion and Sh3 billion on account of higher prices, despite a projected drop in export volumes.

EATTA chair Peter Kimanga said there is a need for Kenya to diversify its export markets

Libya: Tunisians Find Jobs in Libya

About 70% of Tunisian workers who left Libya after the revolution want to go back, according to a recent study from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

And many of those who made the move were able to reclaim their previous jobs. "Libya has great potential as a country for absorbing Tunisian skilled and unskilled labour," AfDB Regional Director Jacob Kolster said about the report published on March 30th.

The AfDB's principal economist for Tunisia, Emanuele Santi, confirmed that Libya provided a viable solution for job-hunters across the border. "The Libyan labour market offers a job-creating potential in both quantitative and qualitative terms, and this market remains largely open for Tunisian workers," Santi said. "This labour migration represents a strategic axis for Tunisia in the fight against unemployment," the AdDB economist added.

Most returnees from Libya are married men with low levels of education and professional qualifications, according to the report. The study recommended establishing a Tunisian inter-ministerial committee dedicated to the Libyan labour market to optimise existing agreements and establish a procedural framework to improve labour convergence between Tunisia and Libya.

The recommendations also focused on the need to guide and follow up on Tunisian workers who are willing to migrate to Libya, implement efficient measures to prevent irregular migration and facilitate the return of Tunisian migrants in a sustainable development perspective. Last year, Tunisia and Libya agreed to facilitate the movement of Tunisians who seek jobs in the public and private sectors in Libya.

Tunisia is betting on the Libyan labour market to cut its own unemployment rate. Former Immigration Secretary Houcine Jaziri is among those urging young Tunisians to go to Libya rather than head as a harraga to Italy.

Libya has abundant opportunities for job-seeking youths, whereas Italy is facing an economic crisis, Jaziri said four months ago at a conference on Tunisia's national migration policy. For many Tunisians, travel to Libya is the only way to eke out a living.

"For a while, I've been suffering for the lack of job opportunities. Opportunities are very limited here," Adel Boumaizza told Magharebia.

"I think that the situation will be much better in Libya where jobs are available, especially in reconstruction and contracting projects. In addition, wages are much higher and cost of living is lower," the young man said. He insists on returning to Libya and working there again.

Naceur Boukadida is in a similar situation. He admits that Libya faces dire security straits but still prefers to seek employment in the neighbouring country. "I will risk my own life to make a living. I graduated four years ago, and therefore, I don't expect to face any difficulties in finding a job at a Libyan company," Boukadida said.

For his part, job-hunter Abderrazek Hidoussi is waiting for security to stabilise in Libya before he makes the move. "Calm there means the start of reconstruction, which will create more job opportunities for all," he said. "Therefore, we are looking with much optimism to our future in that country."

Somalia attack : 10 die in raid on Mogadishu courts

At least 10 people have been killed in an attack on the main law courts in the Somalian capital, Mogadishu.

Gunmen entered the courts, detonating explosives and opening fire, witnesses said.

A gunfight followed as security forces exchanged fire with the attackers, who remain unidentified.

There have also been reports of a second attack close to the headquarters of the security forces, and a third in an unconfirmed location.

It is not clear who carried out the attacks, but most in Mogadishu are blamed on Islamic militant group al-Shabab, which has links with al-Qaeda.

BBC reporter Mohamed Ibrahim at the scene says armed intruders entered the court in Mogadishu and began firing, after which there was an explosion.

An intelligence officer, Abdirahman Mohamed, told AFP news agency that at least one suicide bomber had blown himself up, leaving several people dead.

'Full of people'

"Armed men entered the court and then we heard a blast. Then they started opening fire," witness Hussein Ali, who works at the courts, told Reuters news agency.

Other witnesses said the attackers were dressed in Somali military uniform, and also reported a second explosion.

People were seen trying to escape the violence from the upper floors of the court buildings by breaking windows and climbing out of the building.

Our reporter says the courts are located in one of the busiest parts of the city, and were full of people when the attacks happened - Sunday is a normal working day in Somalia.

The incident comes a month after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bombing, in one of the deadliest attacks in the coastal city since a new UN-backed Somali government was formed last year

Security has improved in Mogadishu since al-Shabab withdrew from the city in August 2011, but the group's fighters still launch attacks.

The al-Qaeda-aligned insurgents have been forced out of main towns but still control most villages and rural areas.

For more than 20 years Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battling for control of the country.

Five Business Lessons From Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote

Dangote is the richest man in Africa and amongst the richest 50 people in the world. A commodities titan who is also a cement king, his business interests continue to expand. He is also a philanthropist who has given away millions to education, health and social causes, notably giving $600 to each person displaced by the post-election violence in Nigeria. Tom Jackson looks at five important lessons that can be learned from Dangote’s success.

Aim high

Dangote Cement set itself an ambitious target of producing 60 million metric tonnes of cement from all its plants, a target that now looks like it will be met in the next three years. Its six million metric tonnes plant in Calabar, Rivers State, is almost complete and primed for operations. Should Dangote achieve his target, as it looks he will, it will make Dangote Cement the largest cement producer in the world. A new line at the giant cement plant in Obajana, in central Nigeria, has also been commissioned.

Expand and diversify

Dangote’s interests do not lie solely in cement, and neither are they restricted to Nigeria. His business interests spans across Africa and sectors such as cement, oil and gas, flour, sugar and textiles. He has invested $4 billion to build a new cement facility in the Ivory Coast and is building a $115 million cement plant in Cameroon, plus owns plants in Zambia, Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa. He has reiterated plans for this expansion to continue at an even greater pace, planning for Dangote Group to invest $7.5 billion in its expansion strategy over the next four years.

According to Dangote, the company is going into “something big”.

“We need to spend $7.5 billion in the next four years. So, definitely, we need a lot of concentration,” he said.

Patriotism and cultivation

Dangote’s careful cultivation of successive presidents over three decades has played an important role in expanding his empire, which has inevitably caused some resentment towards him. These close links with those in power continue to this day, with Dangote maintaining a close relationship with president Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan awarded Dangote with the second-highest honour in Nigeria, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, last year. Yet he has also given back to his country. “I don’t think that any of them have even done 5 percent of what Aliko Dangote has done for this country,” Jonathan has said of him. He employs more than 11,000 people, far more than any other non-state company. He is also one of the country’s biggest cheerleaders, describing Nigeria as “the best place in the world to invest”.

Raise funds

He listed his cement company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in late 2010, and it has become the largest company on the exchange. He is now forging ahead with plans for a listing on the London Stock Exchange next year, a market capitalisation that he hopes will raise $35-40 billion for his company, which will be used to pay off investors, including himself. In a difficult global environment for share offerings, Dangote said he was not discouraged by the tumble in Facebook’s shares since they listed in May.

“Where the assets of Facebook were hype, we have real assets,” said Dangote, setting out the market capitalisation he expected for his firm at the listing planned for late next year. If he raises as much as he hopes, it would value Dangote cement at much more than rival Lafarge, which has a market capitalisation of around 9 billion euros ($11 billion).

Believe in Africa

Dangote acknowledges that there are risks in investing in Africa, but strongly believes that it is the place to make money. “The opportunities are here, the growth is here,” he has said. “Where else do you get this type of growth? Maybe Asia, but the difference we have from them is that we are starting from a low level. The return on investment takes out the risk.”

He has signed contracts to build plants or terminals in 13 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, and he is also not afraid of looking at acquisitions in Egypt.

“Somebody said “why, with all this turmoil?” But the brothers [Muslim Brotherhood], the fundamentalists, they too need jobs. They will be crazy to close down a factory.”

“Foreigners will not invest if locals are not doing so. We must lead or nobody will come. The economy of America was not established by the Chinese.”

Africa’s Secret Millionaires: The 5 Richest Tanzanians You’ve Never Heard Of

Here’s an interesting statistic: There are over 4,800 Africans spread across 17 African countries who are individually worth $100 million or more in tangible assets.

Meet five low-key, ultra-wealthy Tanzanian tycoons, entrepreneurs and business leaders. Each of them is worth more than $100 million at the very least, but you’ve probably never heard about them.

Said Salim Bakhresa

Net Worth: $620 million

Source: Manufacturing

Unarguably Tanzania’s richest man, Bakhresa dropped out of school at the age of 14 to launch his own business. He started out selling potato mix and subsequently opened a small restaurant in Dar es Salaam in the 1970s. As the restaurant operation expanded, Bakhresa used his profits to found a grain milling and food production company which formed the flagship for the Bakhresa group, a multinational manufacturing conglomerate which manufactures everything from maize flour and confectionaries to chocolates, ice cream, soft drinks and paper bags. Annual sales: $800 million. The group has manufacturing operations in Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda and Mozambique and employs over 2,000 people.

Gulam Dewji

Net Worth: $560 million

Source: Manufacturing

Reclusive tycoon started out in the 70s importing key commodities into Tanzania. He grew the small trading operation into Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania, one of East Africa’s largest conglomerates. Key assets include

21 st Century Textiles, one of the largest textile producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company’s four textile mills in Tanzania and Mozambique produce 100 million running meters of fabric annually. The group also manufactures Pride, Tanzania’s leading fruit beverage and everything from edible oils, toilet soaps, and artificial sweeteners to bicycles and motorcycles. The group also owns an insurance firm, container depots, a petroleum marketing company, a logistics outfit and a retail concern with over 100 outlets across Tanzania. Gulam’s son, Mohammed is a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Tanzania.

Rostam Aziz

Net worth: $420 million

Source: Telecoms, Mining, Shipping

A politician and businessman of Middle East origin, Rostam Aziz is one of Tanzania’s richest men. He was elected into parliament in 1993 and went on to win 2 consecutive terms as an MP. He quit politics in 2011 to focus exclusively on his businesses. Aziz’s family businesses include a 19 percent stake in Vodacom Tanzania, the country’s leading cellular network with over 8 million subscribers, Caspian – the country’s largest contract mining company and the Dar es Salaam Port which it owns in partnership with Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa.

Reginald Mengi

Net worth: $280 million

Source: Media, Coca-Cola Bottling, Gold Mining

Mengi, a trained Chartered accountant is one of Africa’s most revered media moguls, and one of Tanzania’s wealthiest men. After practicing accounting, he ventured into private business by manufacturing and assembling ballpoint pens and selling to large retailers. Today, the IPP Group which he founded and chairs, owns 10 national newspapers (including Tanzania’s Financial Times, ThisDay and The Guardian), two of East Africa’s most popular Television stations (EATV and ITV), and about ten radio stations. He also owns a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Dar-es Salaam as well as two gold mining companies, IPP Gold and Handeni Gold in Tanzania.

Ali Mufuruki

Net worth: $110 million

Source: Retailing, Venture capital

Mufuruki is the founder and Executive chairman of Tanzania’s Infotech Investment Group. The group holds the Tanzanian and Ugandan franchise for South African retail giant Woolsworth. Infotech also has interests in property development and leasing, hospitality, advertising and mobile telecommunications. Mufuruki is also a co-founder and partner at East Africa Capital Partners, a technology, media and telecommunications sector focused Venture Capital Fund Manager investing in the greater Eastern Africa region. Also a prominent board room guru, Mufuruki sits on the boards of the Nation media group, East Africa’s largest media conglomerate and Stanbic bank Tanzania. He is also the chairman of Africa Leadership Initiative East Africa Foundation which aims to develop a new generation of values-based community spirited leaders in Africa...

Source:Ventures Africa.

Thatcher's funeral invitation list released

Downing Street has released an initial list of invitations to Margaret Thatcher's funeral next Wednesday.

All surviving US presidents and British prime ministers are on the guest list, as well as a representative of the Reagan family.

Ronald Reagan's widow Nancy is understood to be too frail to travel.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will also not be attending owing to health problems, his spokesman has said.

It has also been confirmed that neither George H.W. Bush, Mr Reagan's vice-president who succeeded him in the White House nor his son George W. Bush, US President between 2001 and 2009, will be attending.

The guest list for the event was drawn up by Lady Thatcher's family with the assistance of the government and the Conservative Party.

More than 2,000 invitations will be sent out, with most set to be dispatched on Friday.

The Queen and Prince Philip are already confirmed for the ceremony, which will take place in St Paul's Cathedral, London.

It will be the first funeral of a British politician the Queen has attended since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

The cathedral has a capacity of 2,300 and is expected to be full on the day.

All surviving members of Lady Thatcher's cabinets will be invited, as will the current cabinet and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Other invited guests from around the globe include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and a representative of Nelson Mandela.

A spokesman for Mrs Reagan said she was "heartbroken" about Lady Thatcher's death but was no longer able to make such trips and a family friend, Fred Ryan, would be representing her at the funeral.

Guests from the world of entertainment who have already confirmed their attendance include BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey, broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan, Lord Lloyd Webber and Sir Timothy Rice.

Author Frederick Forsyth, a longstanding supporter of the Conservative Party, has also been invited, as have actresses Joan Collins and June Whitfield.

Veteran journalists Sir David Frost and Sir Trevor McDonald will be attending, alongside British fashion accessories designer Anya Hindmarch and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.

Labour former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have confirmed their attendance, as has Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, and FW de Klerk, the last president of apartheid South Africa.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has not been invited, but the country's ambassador to Britain has. Downing Street says this is in keeping with diplomatic protocol for such occasions.

Commander Christine Jones: "If you want to come to London to protest please come and talk to us"

Lord Kinnock, who was Labour leader for most of Lady Thatcher's time in Downing Street and was defeated by her at the 1987 election, will not be present because of a commitment to attend the funeral of a former local councillor in Wales.

More than 700 armed forces personnel will line the route of the procession from Westminster to St Paul's, including three bands whose drums will be covered in black cloth.

A gun salute will be fired from the Tower of London and the coffin will be carried into St Paul's by service personnel from regiments and ships closely associated with the Falklands campaign.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he believed it was right that Lady Thatcher was being given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours.

"I think people would find us a pretty extraordinary country if we didn't properly commemorate with dignity, with seriousness, but with also some fanfare… the passing of this extraordinary woman," he said.

(TMZ)Rihanna and Chris Brown Together ... Again.

Watch "Chris Brown and Rihanna -- Together...Again." on YouTube

Tunisia recovers money 'stolen' by ex president Ben Ali

Tunisia has received $29m (£19m) from what it calls looted assets held by ex-President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

The money was recovered by the United Nations' Stolen Asset Recovery team, reports Tunisia's state news agency.

Mr Ben Ali fled Tunisia in January 2011 following popular protests which ended his 23-year rule at the start of what became known as the Arab Spring.

The cheque for $29m was handed to President Moncef Marzouki by the UN's Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, reports TAP.

Mr al-Marri was appointed by the UN to head efforts to recover money from leaders overthrown in Arab uprisings.

The money had reportedly been held in a Lebanese bank account belonging to Laila Trabelsi, the wife of Mr Ben Ali. She is believed to have fled to Saudi Arabia with Mr Ben Ali after the uprisings.

Difficult economic times mean that Tunisia's Islamist-led government face popular pressure to recover the remaining money.

However there have been political and legal difficulties in gaining access to accounts where the money is believed to be held,.

The Tunis government has requested a $1.78bn IMF loan, which is being discussed this week...culled from BBC.com

Gay and proud: Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir of Iceland to visit to China with her wife, Jonina (PICTURED)

Iceland Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir is to visit to China with her wife of 13 years, Jonina Leosdottir from April 13 to 18 at the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang.

According to reports, Sigurðardottir is Iceland’s first female and the world’s first openly lesbian head of state. Guðrún Jónsdóttir of Stígamót, an organisation based in Reykjavik that campaigns against sexual violence, says she has enjoyed the support of Sigurðardottir for their campaigns against rape and domestic violence: “Johanna is a great feminist in that she challenges the men in her party and refuses to let them oppress her.”

ABC news says inChina, the legalisation of same-sex marriage has been a hot topic on Chinese Internet sites during this year’s annual session of China’s legislature.

QQ.com, a popular instant messaging site, published a survey asking whether same-sex marriage should be legalised. 20,518 voted yes while 1,992 voted no.

Bleak future for Central African children

An estimated 42 percent of population does not even know where next meal is coming from.

Families only come to Bangui's Children's Hospital when traditional medicines aren't working, and their children are clearly severely malnourished.

The story of Francisca Sanzaza, the tiny frail toddler in my report, is one of pain and suffering. Her family escaped from Damarra a town some 75 km from Bangui, on the frontline of the fight for the capital.

Francisca's mother was two months pregnant. So, when she fell down hard, she starting bleeding and there was nothing her husband or her mother in law could do to save her. She died, and was buried by people in a local village.

Her grandmother brought Francisca to the hospital last week; doctors say she is so weak, they don't know whether she will make it.

Her grandmother Marie says that if she does live, she doesn't how they will survive the year. Here Marie receives a healthy meal of rice and fish everyday, and Francisca gets a lifesaving treatment called plumpy nut, which is a peanut based paste.

When they return home they have absolutely nothing to eat.

There has always been food insecurity in Central African Republic, but the figures right now are bleak. The UN Children's Fund says two million children are without basic social services and are exposed to violence.

An estimated 42 percent of the population doesn't know where their next meal is coming from, and less than 30 percent have access to health services.

When the rebel group Seleka took control of many parts of the country, a number of its soldiers stole seed sticks and destroyed crops.

Not enough to feed

The worry now is that this year’s harvest may not be enough to feed people.

"MSF remains extremely concerned for the well-being and health of the population," said Sylvain Groulx, Médecins Sans Frontières head of mission in Bangui.

"Even in times of peace, people endure daily hardships just to survive. Before the recent events, mortality rates related to preventable and treatable diseases were already above emergency thresholds in many areas of the country. The insecurity today is pushing already fragile coping mechanisms to the limit."

MSF also says that its medical teams were forced to evacuate the towns of Batangafo and Kabo due to looting and other violence.

MSF is the only humanitarian organisation providing medical care in the area, which has a population of more than 130,000 people.

It also says that similar incidents have forced its international staff to evacuate the town of Boguila, where a skeleton team of local personnel continues to operate a hospital.

One of the biggest problems for aid workers is that they just don't know how bad things in the remote parts of the country.

What Central African Republic needs right now is some stability, so people can farm their land, and feed themselves.

The Story of CTL, the Go-Between that Provided Shelter for Fraud, Oyakhilome’s Secret Company,

The Story of CTL, the Go-Between that Provided Shelter for Fraud, Oyakhilome's Secret Company, - Premium Times Nigeria

VIDEO CONTEST :What does the Internet mean to you as a young person?

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) wants to know what the Internet means to you as a young person: If you are between 15 and 24, upload your video to your preferred online platform and send us your details and video link. Your message could be included at the Fifth World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) taking place in Geneva from 14 to 16 May 2013. Video submissions are accepted from 21 March until 21  April 2013.

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For more information , terms and conditions, please visit the link
http://www.itu.int/en/wtpf-13/Pages/yourvoice.aspx

Save the Children talks about Child sex crimes in Africa.

The charity Save the Children says the majority of victims of rape and other sexual violence in many of the world's conflict zones are children.

Its report is based on data and testimonies from several countries including Colombia, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Save the Children says programmes to stop such violence and help children recover are chronically underfunded.

The issue will be discussed by foreign ministers of the G8 group this week.

The UK has said it will give priority to the issue of sexual violence in conflict during its presidency of the G8 this year.

Save the Children's report - Unspeakable Crimes Against Children - says figures from a range of countries affected by conflict over the past decade show that children are often the majority of sexual abuse victims in war and its aftermath.

Life-long scars

A study in Liberia - still recovering from civil war - found that 83% of victims of gender-related violence in 2011-12 were below 17 and almost all of them were raped.

In post-conflict Sierra Leone more than 70% of sexual violence cases seen by the International Rescue Committee were girls under 18, and more than a fifth of those were girls under the age of 11, the report says.

In Democratic Republic of Congo nearly two-thirds of sexual violence cases recorded by the UN in 2008 involved children, mostly adolescent girls.

Girls and boys are being kidnapped and abused by armed forces and groups, the charity says, and children as young as two are caught up in the violence.

It says many children will bear life-long psychological scars.

Save the Children's Chief Executive Justin Forsyth said: "It is shocking that in conflict zones around the world children are being raped and abused at such an appalling rate. Sexual violence is one of the hidden horrors of war and the damage it wreaks ruins lives.

"Even if they recover from the physical effects of their experiences, many victims carry the psychological scars of their ordeal for the rest of their lives, and are often cast out from society. Despite all this, there are huge gaps in funding for the work needed to protect children from these atrocious crimes and to respond to their needs."

The G8 foreign ministers - from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US - are meeting in London. They will hold a dinner on Wednesday and formal talks on Thursday. Culled from BBC.com

Egypt Pope Criticizes Mursi Over Sectarian Clashes Response

Egypt’s Coptic pope criticized the Islamist president’s handling of the worst sectarian clashes in months, and demanded stronger action against violence that has deepened the nation’s rifts.

Days of Muslim-Christian fighting outside a Coptic cathedral in Cairo and in a nearby town have left at least eight dead, most of them Christians. President Mohamed Mursi demanded an investigation into the violence, vowed the perpetrators would be brought to justice and ordered the revival of a little-known body charged with tackling discrimination.

These and other government measures failed to allay concerns of the minority Christians, who had long complained of discrimination under former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and say their lot has worsened since his 2011 ouster.

Mursi, in a phone call, had promised to do “everything to protect the cathedral, but in reality, he did not,” Pope Tawadros II said in a phone interview with the independent ONTV satellite channel today. Mursi’s handling of events falls under the realm of “negligence and poor assessment of events,” the pope said, adding that the Coptic Church had never come under “such a blatant attack” in 2,000 years.

“It crossed all the red lines,” he said.

The pontiff’s rebuke was his strongest criticism of the government since the violence broke out over the weekend, compounding the chronic instability gripping Egypt since Mubarak was toppled. Days earlier, Mursi called Tawadros to condemn the violence, saying an attack on the church was tantamount to an attack on him.

The president’s office did not immediately respond to an e- mail seeking comment.

The violence has intensified concerns among both Copts, who make up 10 percent of Egypt’s population, and secular critics of Mursi about their future under his Islamist government.

Several opposition and youth activist groups called for a mass march today to the Cairo cathedral that was attacked days earlier, in support of the Christians and a unified Egypt.

The tensions come as the government negotiates with the International Monetary Fund over a long-stalled $4.8 billion loan bid. Officials say the foreign funds are sorely needed to revive the country’s battered economy, which has struggled to rebound since the 2011 uprising.

Foreign currency reserves have plunged more than 60 percent below their December 2010 levels, the Egyptian pound is down 7 percent against the dollar since the start of the year and inflation has climbed.

The IMF sees the government’s proposed economic program as insufficient, the independent Al-Borsa newspaper reported today, citing an unidentified Finance Ministry official.

The sectarian violence has mired Egypt in even deeper trouble. The unrest began April 5 with deadly clashes in Khosous, then swung to the capital, where a mob attacked mourners at the main Coptic cathedral, then back to Khosous. At least eight people were killed.

Mursi ordered an investigation and late yesterday revived the National Council for Justice and Equality, which functioned briefly after Mubarak’s ouster.

“We’ve seen enough committees being formed,” Tawadros said in his TV interview. “We want actions, not words.”

In an earlier interview with the Coptic EMSat channel, Tawadros said he appreciated “the feelings of the president and the government, but feelings are not enough.”

“There should be decisive, clear and satisfactory decisions,” he said, adding that the security forces’ response “sparks suspicions of dereliction of duty or miscalculation of the situation.”

The president’s office, in a statement posted late yesterday on the Facebook page of Mursi’s foreign affairs adviser, condemned the unrest and said it would not allow “any attempts to divide the nation, incite sedition or drive a wedge among Egyptians under any pretense.”

The Facebook statement said the clashes in Khosous began after an argument over Christian symbols scrawled on the wall of an Islamic building. The fighting near the cathedral erupted after mourners “vandalized” cars in the street, outraging residents who attacked them with rocks and firecrackers, the statement said.

“As usual, the government just wants things to pass without holding anyone accountable,” Father Angelos Isaac, Tawadros’ secretary, said in a phone interview. “The story is not just Copts, it’s about injustice in general.”

He said many Copts had fled the country since Mursi came to power, despite the church’s efforts to reassure them. “The new constitution just made things worse,” Isaac said of the Islamist-backed charter Mursi pushed through. He did not say how many Copts had left.

“Where is equality? Where is the representation of Copts in the government?” he asked. “Where are the principles of the Egyptian revolution?”

Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, a prominent member of the National Salvation Front bloc, yesterday laid the blame for what he saw as the rise in sectarianism on the government, and said the nation needed “serious” national dialogue.

Mursi must realize that “time is not on his side,” ElBaradei said, speaking during an economic conference organized by some in the opposition.

(Nigeria) Man Sells 6-month- Old Son To Raise Funds For Visa

One Mr Onyekachi Ekwelum, who allegedly sold his six-month-old son to raise funds to process his travel documents, would be appearing before a magistrate in court to defend his action.

Mr Ekwelum allegedly hatched and executed the act without the consent of the wife, but the lid was blown off by his 20-year-old spouse Ozioma when she could not find their son and reported the matter to the police. Her husband had wanted to travel to Greece.

The Abia State commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Abubakar Tilli, who disclosed this to newsmen in his office on Monday said the police mounted a man hunt that led to the rescue of the child and the arrest of the suspects.

CP Tilli warned criminals to stay off the state as there would be no hiding place for them and said the suspects have been charged to court.

The Commissioner who expresses concern over spate of child trafficking said that on March 4 this year Mr Chidiebere Samuel of Ovungwu in IsialaNgwa south Local government area that his wife Odinaka Samuel connived with a nurse Monica Benjamin who delivered her baby girl and sold the child at N150, 000.(1,000 usd)

Describing such acts as inhuman, he said the suspects in the criminal transaction have been apprehended and charged to an Umuahia Magistrate court.

In a similar incident in Amoji Isiala Ngwa north local government the commissioner said that a man Mr Oluchukwu Ogidi reported that his wife Kelechi on March 16 connived with one Dr Williams Oruwa who delivered her baby and sold the newborn baby boy for N350.(2.00 usd).He also said the suspects have been arrested and charged to court even as he revealed that in the course of investigation three pregnant women allegedly harboured by the suspect possibly to have their babies sold after delivery were discovered.

Must Watch Video: First Traditional African Gay Wedding

Traditional African gay wedding a first - YouTube
The groom said 'being gay is as African as being black!' Choi! Lol. This history making event happened in KwaDukuza, a small town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Watch the video...

Funny Video : learning to drive in NIgeria

Funny video: learning to drive in Nigeria! (Real-life Nigeria Movies) - YouTube

Baby Making Factory Uncovered In southern Nigeria.

A syndicate which specializes in luring pregnant teenage girls eager to deliver their babies under cover, just to sell the newborns to ritualists and childless couples thereafter, has been smashed in Asaba, Delta State capital.

A middle-aged woman alleged to be running an illegal maternity centre at a camp in Oduke, in the outskirts of the town, has been arrested, while a nurse and a medical doctor attached to the home are presently on the run, as police intensify efforts to nab them.

It was also gathered that upon delivery of such babies depending on the sex of the child, they are sold for between N400,000 and N500,000 each.

Police sources have confirmed the story, saying the suspect would be arraigned in court as soon as possible, just as search for the doctor and Nurse continues.

Arab women film-makers in Spotlight

The Qatar quartet behind The Lyrics Revolt

It's an event dedicated to women in film -and this year the Birds Eye View Film Festival in London focuses only on features made by Arab female directors.

The reason for this, according to its programme director Elhum Shakerifar, is that their work is currently on a size and scale unmatched elsewhere.

"Over the last year we have travelled to places like Doha in Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and there is a huge feeling of excitement in these places," she explains.

"There's a new wave of film-making in the Arab world, and women are at the front of it.

"However, we know that by doing this, we're facing a dual problem," she adds.

"Not only is there stereotyping around 'the female director', but we also have to contend with the Western media stereotype of the Arab female. But none of these films deliver what you expect."

'Beautiful tension'

The event opens with the UK premiere of When I Saw You, by Annemarie Jacir, who in 2007 became the first Palestinian woman to make a feature film.

It also features the work of a first-time British-Egyptian director. In The Shadow Of A Man, by 24-year-old Hanan Abdullah, exposes the beliefs of four Egyptian women on equality in the wake of the Arab Spring.

In 2012, the California-based Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film reported that just 9% of directors in the US were women.

In the same year, no woman competed for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Yet the Doha Film Institute in Qatar, which funds local film-makers, reports that 42% of all its grants since 2010 have been to women, and that last year a third of all films shown at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival were by female directors.

Libya to build new stadium

Libya plans to build a new 60,000 seater stadium for the hosting of the 2017 African Nations Cup finals, sports minister Abdussalam Guaila told local media at the weekend.

A second stadium for the tournament, seating 23,000 spectators, is planned for Misrata. Matches would also be held in Benghazi, the Libya news agency reported.

The announcement follows fast on the heels of a decision last month by the Confederation of African Football to again allow continental club competition matches to be hosted in the North African country, which has been beset by civil strife since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan club Al Nasr were allowed to host Friday's African Confederation Cup tie against Morocco's Royal Armed Forces at home in Benghazi in the first competitive international match in the country for two years.

This followed an inspection by a three-man CAF delegation in March.

Previously Libyan clubs used neutral venues to host their matches while the Libyan national side has played both 'home' World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers in Mali, Egypt and Tunisia over the last 24 months.

Justin Bieber Cuts His Hair! Check Out His New, Shaved Look!

The 19-year-old pop star—who has been under some scrutiny as of late—showed off a new style while posing for pics with fans.

The new fresh look feels reminiscent of his shaggy 'do back in his "Baby" days and it appears like the Biebs has kissed his spiky style goodbye (at least for now). You might also wonder if Selena Gomez' ex drew some inspiration from fellow artists Rihanna, Skrillex and Miley Cyrus, who have all rocked the half-shaved look.

No word yet whether the side-swept hair is the beginning of a Bieber image makeover!

Or maybe, he's just trying to give RiRi a run for her money.

Mali crisis:Francei n big offensive against Islamists

French forces have launched one their biggest offensives against militants in northern Mali, officials have said.

About 1,000 troops are sweeping through a river valley believed to be a logistics base for the armed Islamists near Gao, AFP news agency reports.

This is said to be the last major French-led operation before France starts reducing its military presence.

The militants have been driven out of northern cities and towns since France intervened militarily in January.

However, the Islamists have carried out several suicide attacks in Gao, about 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) north of the capital Bamako, and the ancient city of Timbuktu.

Nomad camps

The BBC's West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy says the French offensive, called "Operation Gustav", is intended to clear the Gao region of any militants still hiding there and to prevent further attacks on the city.

France wants to search as much of the remote region as it can for militant hideouts before it starts scaling down its troops from the end of this month as this the kind of operation that African forces may not be able to carry out once they take over, he says.

No Islamist fighters were encountered on the first day of the operation, launched at dawn on Sunday, AFP quotes a journalist travelling with the troops as reporting.

The French forces neutralised around 340 artillery shells and high-calibre rockets found stashed under acacia trees in ravines, it reports.

French soldiers will spend the coming days combing the 20km valley with the help of Malian soldiers and police officers who will first go into the nomad camps and mud houses which line the dry river basin.

"We surrounded the valley north of Gao, which we believe serves as a logistics base for jihadist groups, and we began to search methodically," AFP quotes French land forces commander General Bernard Barrera as saying.

"This is the fourth wadi [valley] we have gone into in the Gao region. There will no doubt be other such operations but perhaps not to the same extent."

France plans to start withdrawing the first of its 4,000 troops later this month, and hopes to have only 1,000 soldiers in Mali by the end of the year.

The regional African force in Mali currently numbers about 6,300 soldiers.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has suggested that a 11,000-strong UN peace force, made up of African troops, be deployed in Mali, once France reduces its presence.

Mr Ban also called for the creation of a second force to fight militants.

Remaining French troops could be part of this force.....reporter says.

Obituary:MargaretThatcher

Margaret Thatcher, who has died following a stroke, was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th Century.

Her legacy had a profound effect upon the policies of her successors, both Conservative and Labour, while her radical and sometimes confrontational approach defined her 11-year period at No 10.

Her term in office saw thousands of ordinary voters gaining a stake in society, buying their council houses and eagerly snapping up shares in the newly privatised industries such as British Gas and BT.

But her rejection of consensus politics made her a divisive figure and opposition to her policies and her style of government led eventually to rebellion inside her party and unrest on the streets.

Father's influence

Margaret Hilda Thatcher was born on 13 October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire, the daughter of Alfred Roberts, a grocer, and his wife, Beatrice.

Her father, a Methodist lay preacher and local councillor, had an immense influence on her life and the policies she would adopt.

"Well, of course, I just owe almost everything to my own father. I really do," she said later. "He brought me up to believe all the things that I do believe."

She studied natural sciences at Somerville College, Oxford, and became only the third female president of the Oxford University Conservative Association.

After graduating she moved to Colchester where she worked for a plastics company and became involved with the local Conservative Party organisation.

In 1949, she was adopted as the prospective Conservative candidate for the seat of Dartford in Kent which she fought, unsuccessfully, in the 1950 and 1951 general elections.

However, she made a significant dent in the Labour majority and, as the then youngest ever Conservative candidate, attracted a lot of media attention.

In 1951 she married a divorced businessman, Denis Thatcher, and began studying for the Bar exams. She qualified as a barrister in 1953, the year in which her twins Mark and Carol were born.

She tried, unsuccessfully, to gain selection as a candidate in 1955, but finally entered Parliament for the safe Conservative seat of Finchley at the 1959 general election.

Within two years she had been appointed as a junior minister and, following the Conservative defeat in 1964, was promoted to the shadow cabinet..culled from BBC.com

Former British PM dies

BREAKING: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died, her spokeswoman told CNN Monday