Vatican City: Pope Francis' Easter Message To Christains

VATICAN CITY -- Celebrating Easter Sunday, Christianity's most joyous and hopeful day, Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine and Syria and for an end to the terrorist attacks in Nigeria that have targeted many Christians.

So great were their numbers of tourists -- Romans and pilgrims, young and old -- turned out for the Mass that Francis celebrated at an altar set up under a canopy on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.

Argentina as well as from Brazil, Mexico , Britain, Poland and many other countries, they also filled the broad boulevard leading from the square to the Tiber River.

Dawn brought clear skies and warm temperatures for Easter, the culmination of Holy Week, the day which marks the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion.

Francis noted that this year the Catholic church's celebration of Easter coincided with that of Orthodox churches, which have many followers in Ukraine. Some of the hymns at the Vatican Mass on Sunday were in Russian.

In prayer, he said, "we ask you to enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine, so that all those involved, with the support of the international community, will make every effort to prevent violence" and over the tensions between pro-Russian supporters in Ukraine and those loyal to the interim government in Kiev have sparked bloodshed in recent days.

Francis also prayed that all sides in Syria will be moved to "boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue." Since March 2011, Syria has been wracked by a civil war that has cost 150,000 lives and forced millions to flee the country.

He also recalled those suffering in Africa from an epidemic of deadly Ebola and urged a halt to "brutal terrorist attacks" in parts of Nigeria

Only 8 Students Are Yet To Be Found: Director Of Defence Information Says

More female students of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, were saved in the evening of April 16, 2014, Wednesday, as the result of the ongoing search and rescue operations.

According to the electronic message by the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, only 8 of the students are still missing. 

The troops were pursuing the terrorists, searching for the den of those believed to have carried out the attack, and captured one of them.

It would be recalled that suspected Boko Haram members raided Chibok LGA in the night of April 14-15, 2014. They set GGSS building ablaze and abducted between 103 and 200 female students, mostly aged 16-18. Some of girls were able to escape themselves, so the army has put the official figure of those kidnapped to 129.

In another development, troops deployed to restore law and order in Wukari, Taraba State, have apprehended 14 armed men who were involved in the fighting during the civil disturbances in the town early in the week. 

The fighting resulted in the burning of no fewer than 25 houses and displacement of over 200 persons.

The troops also captured a building where arms were being manufactured. Four locally fabricated machine guns, one sub machine gun, four single-barrel guns as well as 21 live cartridges were recovered in the process. Normalcy has since been restored as troops maintain patrols of the locality. 

BIZARRE: 12-Year Old Girl & 13-Year Old Boy Welcome a Child Together in UK

A 12 year old girl and a 13 year old teenage boy in the UK have welcomed a child together; a baby girl.

The bizarre story is even more dumbfounding because the father of the girl has stated that “No Shame in this, we’re just proud of her”.

Last weekend, the unidentified 12-year old mom gave birth. She was pregnant at 11 while in primary school.

Today, a man claiming to be the girl’s father called in during a live radio programme to declare his support. Daily Mail UK reports.

“We found out she was pregnant a month ago. That means she was eight months pregnant. The baby is going to come into the world no matter what.

You can just be supportive about it. The families on both sides are going to be very supportive about it. It is heartbreaking, but you can’t turn back time. You can only go forwards.

We don’t know where it happened. What you’re implying is that we knew they were having sexual intercourse in bedrooms. No. We cannot keep her wrapped up her whole life.” he said.

“The couple’s” story appears in the new issue of The Sun. Although their faces are blurred due to legal reasons (they’re minors), they are seen holding the child together.

The mother of the 12-year, was also a teenage mother. At 27, she is now one of the youngest grandmothers in Britain.

To show support, the girl’s father says “I can’t keep a watch on her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You don’t know what has gone on and once the mistake has been made, you can only support them.”

The 12 year old girl has a 3-year old sister and a 9-year old brother.

Their combined ages make them the youngest recorded parents in Britain.

Talent Hunt With "Star The Winner Is"

It is obvious the music industry is booming and with the knowledge that entertainment in Nigeria is now of upmost relevance. This has made more Nigerians to seek to become music superstars. It’s another opportunity for young and uprising talents to achieve that dream.

Although there are already many talent shows including MTN Project Fame West Africa, Nigerian Idol and X Factor; ”Star The Winner Is” which will now replace the popular Star Quest is another talent show that’s set to produce the next Nigerian music superstar…And it is scheduled kick off later this month.

The show will bring an exciting new show that combines musical talent with the spontaneity and unpredictability of a game show, to deliver entertainment to audiences across the country and beyond.

The overall winner will receive a cash prize of N10 million cash prize and a brand new car.

The show is sponsored by Star, from Nigerian Breweries PLC and Talpa International B.V. Star is the Nigerian beer brand responsible for Star Music Trek, Star Mega Jam, Star Music App and Star Quest.

For more information and general enquiries, e-mail abigail@bhmng.com. Please visit www.starthewinneris.com for more information.

Man Kills Cousins, Leaves Two Others Injured

The suspect after killing his cousins also macheted two of his other cousins, Itoro Job and Ekemini Job on their hands after intending to cut their throats but they were however lucky as they were rushed to a hospital in the area for treatment.

Uwem who was reported to have committed the crime at about 8.10am, immediately fled the scene and is yet to be found.

One of the deceased, Akaninyene’s younger brother, Mr. Ekemini Job, who was present when the suspect attacked narrated what transpired on that fateful day saying: “Uwem came to our house around 8am and asked Akaninyene to open the door and collect something he brought for him.

“Uwem had a 25-litre keg of fuel in his hand and had hid a machete that he brought with him. People who saw Uwem thought the keg contained palm wine. As my brother opened the curtain to see Uwem, he  quickly brought out his machete and severed Akaninyene’s head from his body.”

An elder sister to the late Akaninyene, Mrs. Christian Ekong who also said she was at the backyard but for the loud shouts from her younger brother that drew her attention.

“Ekemini saw Uwem killing Akaninyene and raised the alarm. As we rushed to the scene of the killing, I saw Uwem spilling the fuel on the flour. He then struck a match. I raised the alarm, alerting everybody in the house to run. If not for the quick intervention of the youth of the area, the entire house would have been burnt down,” Ekong said.

Meanwhile an eyewitness has also narrated how the other victim, Ezekiel who had just woken was killed by Uwem saying:

“We heard shouts from Akaninyene compound, but we did not know what had happened. The next moment, we saw Uwem go straight into Ezekiel room, which was next to his (Uwem) and severe Ezekiel’s head. Before we knew what had happened, Uwem had fled. We will apprehend him. We believe he is hiding around this area.”

The deceased Akaninyene’s younger sister, Mrs. Comfort Okon, who said she was confused on the reason why he murdered his victims said: “There had never been any quarrel in the family. When my mother was buried on February 22, all the family members, including Uwem, were there. They were the ones who perfected all the burial arrangement, I don’t know why this has happened.”

The deceased, Akaninyene and Ezekiel's bodies have since been taken to the mortuary in a police van.,The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Etim Dickson, is however, yet to comment on the incident. Source news naij.