2013 BET Award Winners.

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Beyoncé
Tamar Braxton
Alicia Keys
Rihanna – WINNER
Elle Varner

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Chris Brown
Bruno Mars
Miguel – WINNER
Justin Timberlake
Usher

Best Group
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - WINNER
Mary Mary
Mindless Behavior
Slaughterhouse
The Throne (Kanye West and Jay-Z)

Obama Says U.S. Not Threatened By Chinese Interest in Africa.

 

US President Barack Obama has appealed to all Africans to ask more questions about unequal deals with some foreign investors. Meanwhile the President has met with Nelson Mandela's family.

In a joint press conference with South African leader Jacob Zuma Saturday, President Obama said he welcomed renewed interest in Africa from larger emerging markets.

"I actually welcome the attention that Africa is receiving from countries like China and Brazil and India and Turkey," he said.

He went on to urge all African countries to ensure dealings with foreign investors were fair for Africa, dismissing talk of a Chinese and US tussle for influence on the continent.

"When we look at what other countries are doing in Africa, I think our only advice is: make sure it's a good deal for Africa."

Obama in Africa At the Right Time - Zuma

 

Pretoria — United States president Barack Obama is visiting Africa at the right time, President Jacob Zuma said in Pretoria on Saturday.

"We are pleased to be working with you [Obama] today with a common goal of expanding trade and relations between our two countries," said Zuma in a televised press briefing.

"Mr President you are visiting Africa at the right time...Africa is rising...It is the second fastest growing region after Asia and has become an attractive market for investment."

Zuma said the country was shifting from "disinvestment to reinvestments".

"Thus the United States strategy towards sub-Saharan Africa that you launched last year is well-timed to take advantage of this growing market," said Zuma.

"We look forward to strengthening the US-Africa partnership and we are pleased with the growing bilateral trade and investment.

Nelson Mandelas Biography.

The life of Nelson Mandela is without a doubt a fascinating one. Fewer men in history have done so much in the name of equality, freedom and peace. Nearly every nation in the world is interested in the biography of Nelson Mandela. The Nelson Mandela biography is sought everywhere. This is a man who transcends all languages. His biography exists virtually everywhere and in every language. He was, and is, a powerful and peaceful man. So where does the Nelson Mandela story begin?

In the small village of Mvezo , in the Transkien territories of South Africa, the Nelson Mandela bio began on July 18, 1918. He was not born with the name Nelson, but with his African name Rolihlahla , which literally means –pulling the branch of a tree, or in it's colloquial sense 'troublemaker' ( It seems Rohlihlahla Nelson Mandela certainly lived up to his given name, but in the best of ways).

Chinese miners flee crackdown In Ghana against their Illegal Gold exploitation.

 

"It's not about targeting any particular nationality," said Francis Palmdeti, a spokesman for Ghana's immigration authorities.

When he saw the trucks full of police and soldiers rumbling across the muddy field where he mines gold, Emmanuel Quainn ran. But they weren't coming for him.

They came for his Chinese counterparts, who had turned up about a year ago to dig into the earth around the central Ghana town of Dunkwa-on-Offin in search of gold.
The business was lucrative. It was also illegal.
"Most of the Chinese people went very far from here, because when they get them they're going to be under arrest," said Quainn, who quit his job installing satellite dishes for the more reliable pay of small-scale gold mining.
Ghana's government last month sent a task force of soldiers, police and immigration officers into the country's gold country to root out foreigners who have flooded mining districts in recent years.

Mugabe may still hold elections without reforms: analysts.

Last week Mugabe swept aside considerable opposition, mustered all the powers of the presidency and declared Zimbabwe's elections will be held July 31.
In doing so he plunged the country into a fresh political crisis, with long-time rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai vowing to veto any unilaterally declared poll date.
But within a week Mugabe was looking less than omnipotent.
Southern African leaders -- fearing Mugabe was hurtling Zimbabwe toward another flawed election, yet more violence and another political and economic meltdown -- stepped in.
In an unusual public rebuke of their old comrade, leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) demanded Mugabe push back the election date.
SADC leaders said time must be given to introduce reforms that would make the elections free and fair, or at least allow a vote that would not derail their own plan to stabilise Zimbabwe, which has been half a decade in the making.

Ambassador Gene Cretz interacted with Ghanaian youth on Google Hangout.

The American Ambassador Gene Cretz hanged out with Ghanaian youth on Google+ today the June 21 @ 11:00AM GMT and answered their various questions. The hangout has ended already but you can watch the recorded version here.

WATCH VIDEO BELOW..

Chilean president justifies breaking protocol and sitting at Obama's desk by saying his daughter was born in America.

 'I'm going to sit at the President of the United States' desk': Chilean President Sebastián Piñera helps himself to the seat of visibly surprised President Barack Obama.

It was his first official White House visit, and already Chilean President Sebastián Piñera's causing a stir - for the wrong reasons.
In an embarrassing faux pas, the 63-year-old billionaire sat down at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office on Tuesday, breaking the White House’s political protocols.

'I’m going to sit at the President of the United States’ desk,' Piñera said in front of a visibly surprised President Barack Obama.

And to make matters worse, the businessman-turned-politician justified his actions by saying: 'You know my daughter was born in the United States.'

Huffington Post reports Piñera appeared to sit down spontaneously, without consulting Obama’s advisers or security personnel. 

SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH VIDEO 

Amid surprised laughter, someone in the room asked Obama how many other world presidents had made such a bold move, as heard in this clip.

Gaddafi-linked assets worth $1bn 'in South Africa'

South African officials are investigating claims ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family stashed $1bn (£600m) in assets in the country.

Libya has reportedly called for help in repatriating diamonds, gold and cash.
The assets were being held by four banks and security companies in South Africa, reports quoting Libyan investigators say.
Some estimates suggest that Gaddafi's total foreign assets could be worth as much as $80bn.
Gaddafi was captured and killed as he tried to flee his home town of Sirte during Libya's political uprising in October 2011.
Any assets belonging to him or his family are firmly considered by many Libyans as state-owned property that should be returned.

Nigeria: House Passes Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill.

In spite of threats of sanctions from some western nations, the House of Representatives yesterday passed into law a bill seeking to prohibit marriage contracts and civil unions entered between persons of same gender in Nigeria.
The passage of the bill means that such marriage contracts are illegal and shall not be recognised in the country. Those who indulge in such practices under any guise shall not be entitled to the benefits of a valid marriage.
The lower chamber took the bold step when it adopted the report of its relevant committees on the bill at the Committee of the Whole.
Under the new law, marriage contracts or civil unions entered between persons of same gender by virtue of a certificate issued by a foreign country shall not be recognised in Nigeria.

Kony's henchmen in Central Africa 'are killing elephants and using money from ivory to help fund his struggling group.

 
Fugitive African warlord Joseph Kony has been accused of ordering elephants to be killed for their ivory.

Members of a militia run by fugitive African warlord Joseph Kony are killing elephants across Central Africa and using the money to support his group, a watchdog has reported.
Kony's Lord's Resistance Army is struggling and has turned to elephant poaching 'as a means to sustain itself', using money from the illegal trade of ivory to buy food and supplies.

A report issued by a coalition of groups who want to enough defections from the LRA said Kony gave the order to butcher elephants for their ivory as far back as 2010.
'With prices at record-high levels, trading illegal ivory offers the LRA another way to sustain itself in addition to its habitual pillaging,' the report said.
'Former senior fighters who defected from the group report that the LRA trades ivory for arms, ammunition, and food.'