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A son of late al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden and a leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were added to the U.S. counter-terrorism blacklist on Thursday, a move to keep them from using the U.S. financial system, the State Department said.
The State and Treasury departments said they had designated Hamza bin Laden and Ibrahim al-Banna as global terrorists. Bin Laden, a son of the deceased al Qaeda leader, has been declared a member of the group by senior leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to the State Department.
Bruce Reidel, an analyst with the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, has called Hamza bin Laden the "new face for al Qaeda" and "an articulate and dangerous enemy."
Al-Banna is a senior member of AQAP who has served as the group's security chief and has provided military and security advice to AQAP leaders, the State Department said.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Bin Laden and al-Banna to i…

A collection of handwritten notes by the late Princess Diana, one of which reveals that her younger son Prince Harry was constantly in trouble at school, went under the hammer on Thursday, selling for well above target prices. 
The six notes, sold at Cheffins auction house in Cambridge, were written to Cyril Dickman who served as chief steward of Buckingham Palace for over 50 years.

Diana's sons Princes William and Harry feature prominently.
One message dated Sept. 20, 1984, five days after Harry's birth, reads: "William adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping Harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near!..."
"The reaction to one tiny person's birth has totally overwhelmed us and I can hardly breathe for the mass of flowers that are arriving here!"

That note sold for 3,200 pounds ($3,950), comfortably exceeding its estimate of 400 to 600 pounds.
Another, from October 1992, says how both young…

Barack Obama is going out with a bang. The outgoing president and First Lady Michelle Obama are said to be planning a so-called "grown up" party at the White House this Friday night, with the likes of Beyoncé and Jay Z, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Usher and Eddie Vedder among the stars rumored to be on the guest list.  
According to billboard, Fellow Chicagoan Chance the Rapper confirmed his attendance on Twitter. "Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you Potus," the hip-hop star tweeted. Bout to fly 21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history. God bless you @Potus — Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) January 5, 2017Movie directors George Lucas and JJ Abrams, talk show great Oprah Winfrey and actors Samuel L Jackson and Bradley Cooper are also expected to take their seats for the A-list soiree at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which will serve as one of th…

Algeria and Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez is tipped to be crowned the Confederation of African Football's player of the year on Thursday.
The 25-year-old, who inspired Leicester to the Premier League title, is already the PFA player of the year and BBC African Footballer of the Year.
Senegal and Liverpool striker Sadio Mane and Borussia Dortmund's Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are also in the running for the award.
The ceremony will take place in Abjua.
Also hoping to be crowned winners at the 25th edition of the awards in Nigeria's capital are English Premier League-based Nigerian pair Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City) and Alex Iwobi (Arsenal).
They are both contenders in the young player of the year category.

Broadcast journalist Prince Minkah who joined Class FM months ago has ended his service with the station.
Mr. Minkah after ending his service with Class FM returns to Multimedia Group, where he worked with Joy FM and Joy News on Multi TV as a newscaster and editor, before joining EIB Network’s Ultimate FM in Kumasi as the morning show host.
The father of one who was the morning show host for the Class Media Group-owned radio station announced his presence at Joy FM when he read his first mid-day news on Thursday, January 5, 2017.
The move from Class FM as morning show host to read news at Joy FM has received divergent opinion from the public. Whilst some critics say he made a wrong move, others think otherwise. Prince Minkah brings to four the number of people who have left Class FM between December and now.
Prince Minkah started his radio journey from Ahenema Radio now Freedom FM in Kumasi. The astute journalist is a former worker of Pravda Radio and TV Africa all in Accra.

Ellen DeGeneres is opening up about her decision to cancel singer Kim Burrell's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The talk show host sat down with Pharrell Williams following his performance on the show on Thursday, which Burrell was supposed to join him for, where the two had a conversation about Burrell's recent anti-gay sermon, in which she suggested gay people will die in 2017 for their "sins."

"We have to talk about this before we go. You were supposed to do a different song from [Hidden Figures]," explained DeGeneres, who took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that Burrell would no longer be appearing on the show. "You were supposed to perform [the other song] with a singer, I actually didn't know her, her name is Kim Burrell."

"She made a statement, she was doing a Facebook Live, and she said some very not nice things about homosexuals, so I didn't feel that was good of me to have her on the show to give her a plat…

He has made his comeback, now Tiger Woods is ramping up his golf schedule for 2017.
The 41-year-old will begin his year at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in California between January 26-29. He has also committed to the European's Tour's Dubai Desert Classic from February 2-5 and the PGA Tour's Honda Classic in Florida from February 23-26, on top of the Genesis Open (February 16-19) in California, which he announced in December. The former world No. 1 has won at Torrey Pines a record eight times in his career, including the last of his 14 major titles when he clinched the US Open at the La Jolla course in 2008. Woods returned from 15 months out because of injury in December, when he finished third last but led the field in birdies in his foundation's 18-man invitational Hero World Challenge event. "I would like in my heart of hearts to play a full schedule next year," Woods said after the Hero World Challenge. "This (season) is going to be…

A few minutes after President John Dramani Mahama delivered his final State of the Nation Address, female musician Mzbel, took to social media to share a tearful open letter to the outgoing president.

Mzbel, who played a vital role on President Mahama's campaign trail, described the president's life as "a candle in the wind".

She also described the president as an accomplished man, her role model and hero, adding that she yearns for his presidency again.

Read the full letter below.

"JDM - A CANDLE IN THE WIND It seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in.

You had the grace to hold yourself in these painful moments whilst most grassroots, and those around you throughout the country crawled. Moments I can't ever forget in my entire life.

You changed the pace and image of NDC politicking, your demeanor, language, humour.

You're are my model

You're my hero

From Bole, you rose as teacher, Ass…

Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou has been referred to Egyptian prosecutors for investigation over allegedly abusing his position. 
At issue is a deal awarding the broadcast rights to several African football tournaments to a media company, Lagardere Sports. 
According to the Egyptian Competition Authority, Hayatou is suspected of not opening up the tender to free and fair competition as required by Egyptian law. 
Caf is based in Cairo so the authorities say it must follow their laws.
African football's governing body had no comment to make, while Hayatou could not be reached. 
The 70-year-old is currently in Abjua, Nigeria ahead of Thursday's Caf annual awards. 
Hayatou was elected as Caf president in 1998 and is serving his seventh term in office.
Lagardere is not the subject of the referral, but says the allegation is wholly unfounded.
Source: BBC

Nicki Minaj is single for the new year. On Thursday, the 34-year-old rapper tweeted that she was no longer in a relationship with fellow rapper Meek Mill. Minaj also teased fans about her upcoming new music. 
"To confirm, yes I am single," Minaj wrote after rumors swirled that the two had broken up. "Focusing on my work & looking forward to sharing it with you guys really soon. Have a blessed New Year. Love u."
To confirm, yes I am single. Focusing on my work & looking forward to sharing it with you guys really soon. Have a blessed New Year. Love u🎀 — NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) January 5, 2017Minaj and 29-year-old Mill started dating in 2015. Last month, the "Starships" rapper sparked breakup rumors with an Instagram post quoting Beyonce's "Best Thing You Never Had."
"Thank God u blew it," she wrote alongside a picture of her new Chanel slides. "Thank God I dodged the bullet. I'm so over u. Baby good lookin out.…

A 50-year-old bachelor  has died at Obuasi in the Ashanti region after his gas cylinder exploded while cooking supper.
Kofi Amankwaah, according to eyewitnesses, was trapped in his kitchen by the flame until fire service personnel arrived at the scene, but found him dead.
The body has  been deposited at the Jacobu Government Hospital morgue.

Queen Elizabeth narrowly escaped being shot by one of her guardsmen after she was seen wandering the garden of what is believed to be Buckingham Palace at 3 a.m.

The queen who is known to walk around the palace whenever she can't sleep was taking one of such walks, dressed in a winter coat, when the guard came across the Queen and taking precaution, asked, “Who’s that?” It was only then that he realised it was the monarch.

He was reported to have exclaimed “Bloody hell, Your Majesty. I nearly shot you” to which the Queen replied, “That’s quite all right. Next time I’ll ring through beforehand so you don’t have to shoot me.”

In 2013, Prince Andrew had the same encounter in the same garden when he was confronted by a policeman who mistook him for an intruder in broad daylight.

The vigilance of the security guards is quite understandable considering how often intruders have scaled the fence and gotten into the palace in the past.

In August 2016, a 22-year-old man was arrested a…

Your Excellency the Vice President,
Right Honourable Speaker,
Your Ladyship the Chief Justice
Honourable Members of Parliament
Mr. Speaker, 
Allow me to begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Afihyiapa. 
This hall that exists within these walls is a place where I have always felt at home. It was in this august house, as an MP for Bole-Bamboi, that I began my political career. Or, better said, it was when I first held public office. The residents of that community entrusted me with the privilege of representing their best interests in the national dialogue of policymaking and legislation.
It seems fitting that I should find myself here in this same house delivering my final public address which will, in effect, bring to a close my tenure as President. 
I deliver this message on the State of the Nation in fulfilment of Article 67 of the 1992 constitution. It has been a rare honour and privilege for me to serve my country in the highest office as President. It has been a worthwhile …

Outgoing Ghana president John Dramani Mahama has described his stay in office as a “rare privilege” as he gets set to pave way for a new administration.

Mahama, the fourth president under the current Fourth Republican constitution, lost woefully in the December 2016 elections. He becomes the first sitting president in the history of Ghana to have lost an election.
Veteran opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo will from January 7, 2017 take over the reigns of governance as the fifth president under the 1992 Constitution, having won the last poll with a wide margin of 1.5 million votes.
Addressing parliament on Thursday to wrap up his tenure in office, Mahama said it has been “an honour to serve my nation” as he touts his achievements over the last four years.
He said a lot has been achieved in the various sectors of the economy, especially in the areas of education, energy, sanitation and health among others.
“I have done my best,” Mahama said as he prepares to hand over what he ter…

Ivanka Trump and her real estate mogul husband, Jared Kushner will be moving their family into a 6,870 square foot home home in an elite neighborhood in Washington D.C. This is as they finalize preparations before her father, Donald Trump assumes office at the White House.
It's a six-bedroom, 6,870-square-foot house which sold for $5.5 million in December.

It has a garden terrace on the second floor of the home that can be accessed via the master bedroom, gourmet chef's kitchen with table space, a library, sun-room, a garden that also has irrigation for it, as well as a two car garage. Interestingly, the house is just blocks away from that of Obamas, who are said to move into that area once they leave the White House.

More photos below..

A woman in her 20s has discovered that her beloved partner has been having online sex with porn stars and don't know what to do. she needs your advice.
Here is her story:
My boyfriend and I have been together for three years, we rarely fight and have planned our future lives together. Recently I found out he has been having Skype sex with other women (I think only porn stars). Am I right to be upset about this? I confronted him and he said he considers it as porn, but I don’t, as it is an interaction with another woman who also sees him. 
I also pointed out the double standards, as he wouldn’t be happy with this behaviour from me, which he accepted. He has apologised, promised to stop and I have forgiven him. But I am scared that he won’t stop. We are in our 20s and I’m worried this pattern of behaviour will end up with him cheating on me in the future. pls what should i do?

How many legs do you see?

Reports were rifed online yesternight that Gambian president-elect, Adama Barrow, was assassinated by suspected loyalists of his rival and incumbent President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh. Barrow's media aides tweeted this evening denouncing the rumor. They also shared this photo of Barrow with the UK and US Ambassadors to Gambia earlier today after a meeting.

President John Mahama will today deliver his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) as he comes to the end of his four-year tenure.
The address is in fulfilment of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution and is expected to highlight some of the nation’s achievements and challenges.

Some governance experts say the outgoing President's address my be reconciliatory.
According to a statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament and signed by its Deputy Director, Ms Kate Addo, after the address on Thursday, January 5, on the midnight of Friday, the House will be dissolved in order to usher in the sixth Parliament.
“Minutes after the life of the sixth parliament stands dissolved, the next one is activated by the inauguration ceremony that will take place on the midnight of the [7th of January]," she added.
She also added that, prior to the outgoing President’s address, the Chinese government will on Wednesday officially hand over some security equipment it don…

The 4th edition of this year’s Miss unique Ghana is here, the search for the next queen has began, and this year’s audition will be held in two Regions namely, KUMASI & ACCRA.
The CEO of Miss Unique Ghana brand Mrs. Estelle Ruth O. Gyekye has said, This year’s auditions will take place onSaturday 14th January 2017 in KUMASI at the CEETA-KEL HOTEL (STADIUM-OPP STADIUM HOTEL) and on the 21st January 2017 in Accra at the PALOMA HOTEL (SPINTEX ROAD – OPP ICGC) respectively, 7:30 am on the dot.
Miss Unique Ghana for the past four (4) years now has crowned three adorable queens namely, MISS HANNA OFORI-KITI ELLIE BEING THE MAIDEN QUEEN,MISS EVELYN OHEMAA YAA BOATEMAA BEING THE 2ND AND MISS ROSE KERSTINE OTOO BEING THE 3RD AND REIGNING QUEEN. The queens in their various capacities used their crowns to impact positively into the lives of some Ghanaians especially the vulnerable and the less fortunate in the society. Our reigning queen becoming the ambassador for the intellectually and…

The former Exxon chairman and chief executive chosen by Donald Trump for US secretary of state will receive $180m to cut financial ties with the firm.
The arrangement will mean Rex Tillerson meets the conflict of interest requirements for the role, Exxon said. 
The firm said it would cancel the two million shares Mr Tillerson was due to receive as part of its executive pay programme and put the equivalent cash into an independently managed trust.
Mr Tillerson left Exxon on 31 December.
The payout, which will only take place if Mr Tillerson is confirmed in the new role, is aimed at addressing concerns the former Exxon executive could favour the oil giant, or his own interests while in office.
The 64-year-old Texan worked for Exxon Mobil for 40 years, including in the US, Yemen and Russia. 
His nomination has come under intense scrutiny over his perceived close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and for the potential benefits for Exxon and the oil industry more broadly if …

Listeners of Class FM’s news who loved the voices of Regina Borley Bortey and Naa Deede Tettey would have to change their dial to different station as the two will no longer return to the Class Media Group-owned radio station after the Christmas break.
The two lead anchors according to information available to Zionfelix.net after saying goodbye to Class FM have joined EIB’s Starr FM.
The source who spoke to Zionfelix.net about their move said Borley Bortey and Naa Deede started work on Tuesday, January 3 which happened to be the birthday of the former.
Regina Borley Botey and Naa Deede Tetteh were with Radio Univers when they were students at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Floyd Mayweather has placed bets on Soulja Boy to fight and defeat Chris Brown in a celebrity boxing match while 50 Cent placed his bet on Chris Brown. Chris Brown has accepted the challenge even after Soulja boy had previously apologized to him for starting the beef. Read Chris Brown's response and watch 
50 Cent's video after the cut... 

We talking money now, BIG MONEY CHAMP said he will take the bet. Mayweather promotions is gonna promote the fight. This is the shut up, or put the money up challenge. #wherethebagat A video posted by 50 Cent (@50cent) on Jan 4, 2017 at 4:26pm PST

What do you think? Should Soulja boy fight Chris brown in a celebrity boxing match?

Four teens were being held by Chicago police Wednesday after a shocking Facebook Live video showed what appeared to be the beating and torturing of a bound and gagged fellow teenager with mental health challenges while they yelled anti-white expletives.
Officials said they expect to file charges against the four 18-year-olds, two men and two women, within the next 24 hours.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson called the video a "brutal act" that was "broadcast for the entire world to see."

"It's sickening," Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday night. "It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that. I've been a cop for 28 years and seen things that you shouldn't see in a lifetime, but it still amazes me that you see things that you shouldn't."

The video, first aired Tuesday and then put up on YouTube, showed four young people kicking, slapping and cutting a someone who is tied up on the floor i…