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The ASEA Daily News & Resources

Africa Southeast Area Thursday 18 June 2015

The Daily News is now archived at U:Public

Africa Southeast Area Websites

The Church has: 37 General Authority Facebook Pages & 27 Church Organizations Pages

Africa Southeast Area (ASEA)

Countries Mormon Newsroom Site. Link from these sites to Facebook!

Mormon Newsroom Facebook sites.

Church HQ Mormon Newsroom Mormon Newsroom Facebook page

Angola Angola Mormon Newsroom Angola Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Botswana none Botswana Mormon Newsroom Facebook

DR Congo DR Congo Mormon Newsroom DR Congo Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Newsroom Indian Ocean Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Kenya Kenya Mormon Newsroom Kenya Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Madagascar Indian Ocean Newsroom Madagascar Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Malawi None Malawi Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Mozambique None Mozambique Mormon Newsroom Facebook

Namibia None Namibia Mormon Newsroom Facebook

South Africa South Africa Mormon Newsroom South Africa Facebook page

Uganda Uganda Mormon Newsroom Uganda Facebook page

Zambia none Zambia Mormon Newsroom

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Mormon Newsroom Zimbabwe Facebook page

Totals for ASEA 7 Country Mormon Newsrooms! 13 Country Newsroom Facebook pages!

ASEA YouTube ASEA (Africa Southeast Area) Public Affairs YouTube Channel

AFRICASE Africa Southeast Area Facebook page We are in great need of “Faith Promoting” stories. Submit at this link:

Helping Hands Mormon Helping Hands - Africa Southeast Facebook page

Public Affairs All Public Affairs individuals are able to access the Public Affairs Network (Secure Site) at this link: Public Affairs Network

Online Resources

Use of Online Resources in Church Callings When carefully used, the Internet can help

coordinate the work of the Church, strengthen faith, and minister to the needs of others. The Internet can also help with missionary work as people connect with friends and family and share Church content. However, electronic communication should not replace face-to-face contact.

Emergency Preparedness: Emergency Preparedness and Response

Africa Southeast Area (ASEA)

Calendar

Sunday 21 June 2015 South Africa, Father's Day

Monday 29 June 2015 Burundi Parliamentary Elections moved from 26 May Postponed from 5 June 2015

July 2015 Central African Republic Presidential and Parliamentary elections

Thursday 9 July 2015 South Sudanese General Election

Thursday 16 July 2015 Burundi Presidential Election

Saturday 18 July 2015 South Africa, Nelson Mandela Day

Sunday 9 August 2015 South African, National Women’s Day

Saturday 15 August 2015 ASEA Mormon Helping Hands handover/culmination of projects

25 October 2015 DR Congo Provincial elections

25 October 2015 Tanzania Parliamentary and Presidential elections

Tuesday 16 December 2015 South Africa, Day of Reconciliation

October 2015 Tanzanian General Elections

27 November 2015 DR Congo Presidential Election

2016 (first half) Niger Parliamentary and Presidential elections.

Keyword News Topics below in Tan

Country Specific News Topics in Light Blue

Specially Selected items of interest from www.LDS.org

Did you know? That you can Be Inspired? Path www.lds.org Inspiration and NewsBe Inspired

Inspiring Media, Music, General Conference and Magazines (or click on screenshotbelow to hyperlink to page)

Church Miscellaneous

(Articles of Interest to Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

ASEA (Africa Southeast Area) Has produced, with local families,

the first in a series of videos celebrating

100 Years of Family Home Evening.

This is the First!

Watch it, Like it and Share it!

ASEA (Africa Southeast Area) has also produced

a series of 6 short videos for Father’s Day week.

The first vid was posted on Saturday with four missionaries serving in the Johannesburg South Africa Mission.

11 Missionaries, Elder Ellis, Elder Hamilton and

Elder Van Reenen all share their thoughts.

Watch them all, ‘Like’ them all and ‘Share’ them all! We have more coming all ‘Father’s Day’ week!

Watch for Elder Hamilton’s thoughts on Father’s Day here tomorrow. To post on Thursday 18 June 2015

Three more Johannesburg Missionaries share their thoughts about their fathers.

Posted on Wednesday 17 June 2015

Upcoming later today!

Elder Ellis on Father’s day 2015

Posted on Tuesday 16 June 2015

Four more Johannesburg Missionaries share thoughts about their fathers.

Posted on Monday 15 June 2015

Four Missionaries share thoughts about their Fathers

Posted on Saturday 13 June 2015

Elder Van Reenen’s Thoughts on Father’s Day 2015.

Posted last Sunday 14 June 2015

LDS World: The law of the fast is a way of life (A very well described article on the LDS monthly fast.-rb)

Interesting Stuff about Africa & ASEA area Found in the news stream.

Gouda in the Congo? Gourmet Cheese Is Coming out of a War Zone The craft of cheese-making has been thriving in one region of the Congo, dubbed the ‘Switzerland of Africa.'

Unforgettable! Affectionate elephants show their softer side as they entwine their trunks around each other (An interesting pictorial-rb) Two affectionate young elephants were photographed in Kenya's Maasai Mara lovingly feeling each other with their trunks. Part of a herd of around 60 elephants spotted roaming the plains, it's believed that the pair come from two or three families who are related.

After recent rains in the Maasai Mara, the long grass was perfect for the animals to graze upon, which is what likely brought all of them to the same place at the same time. These images were taken by Margot Raggett, the resident photographer of luxury safari lodge Entim Camp. She said: 'This pair were clearly enamoured with each other.'

'Each would rest its trunk on the other's head, then wrap it around each other and explore each other's mouths with the tips.' For over half an hour, the pair took turns repeating the action, while the rest of the herd grazed nearby.

This King Rules With 100 Wives — Visit A Kingdom In Cameroon Where Tradition Reigns [Video] Polygamy isn’t exactly something people in the West look upon fondly. That someone could have 100 wives — even if that someone is a king — seems a relic of the past, not a reality in the present. But in Cameroon, a Central African republic bordered in part by Nigeria, Chad, and the Congo, there is a king with 100 wives. And the arrangement isn’t what you’d think. Fon Abumbi II of Bafut, Cameroon, inherited almost 100 wives from his father when he died, according to an exclusive profile for CNN. “Just like in the United Kingdom, African kingdoms and kings are bound to a rich culture and history. (Practices) like inheritance of all your father’s wives is nothing but a moral obligation.”

Human Rights and Religious Freedom Found in the news stream.

UK marks 800 years of Magna Carta amid human rights feud Queen Elizabeth II has led commemorations to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta - but the human rights the document helped enshrine are at the centre of a modern political feud. British Prime Minister David Cameron and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch joined the queen and other royals for a ceremony at Runnymede, a riverside meadow west of London where, on June 15, 1215, despotic King John met disgruntled barons and agreed to a list of basic rights. The Magna Carta - Latin for Great Charter - is considered the founding document of English law and civil liberties and was an inspiration for the US Constitution. It established the principle that the king was subject to the law, rather than above it, and stipulated that "no free man shall be seized or imprisoned ... except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land." The original charter was short-lived. King John almost immediately went back on his word and asked the pope to annul it, plunging England into civil war. It was re-issued after the king's death.

Medical News Found in the news stream.

Study finds Ebola virus mutated slower than first thought Equatorial Guinea declared polio-free MALABO, Equatorial Guinea - Independent experts from several different organizations have declared the central African country to be free of the wild poliovirus, which causes poliomyelitis. The experts, from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, arrived in Equatorial Guinea on June 4 to assess the county's efforts to stem the spread of poliomyelitis.

Social Media Found in the news stream.

Messaging Apps Dominant Among Social Network Users (Infographic) A total of 80 percent of Facebook users also use mobile messaging applications, and surprisingly, that 80 percent figure is on the low end when compared with other social networks. GlobalWebIndex found that Instagram topped the chart, at 86 percent, and Google+, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Tumblr all came in between 80 percent and 82 percent.

Brigade: new social network from Facebook co-founder aims to 'repair democracy' Sean Parker invested several million dollars in the startup last year, and he and CEO Matt Mahan believe they can inject life into Americans’ sense of civic duty Last fall, Sean Parker, the technology billionaire behind Napster, Facebook and Spotify, invested several million dollars into a risky stealth startup, Brigade, which has the ambitious aim of increasing mass civic participation. He takes comfort in the fact that Brigade’s wide-eyed goal “is a little bit more achievable than it may seem at first blush, because turnout is so low, the average American is so disengaged, that even a few marginal changes – a few percentage points one way or the other – has a huge impact”. Parker, and the driving brains of Brigade, CEO Matt Mahan, think they can inject interest into America’s otherwise lukewarm polis by creating the next great social network around citizens’ civic life. That is, just as Facebook exists for our social lives and LinkedIn for business, Brigade aspires to become a significant part of democracy’s 21st-century infrastructure. Civic identity, explains Mahan, “really does come down to ‘What do you believe and care about?’ and ‘What have you done about those things?’” …. International LDS app contest welcomes experts, beginners SALT LAKE CITY — Novices and experts on app development are invited to join this year’s international LDStech Gospel App and Game Challenge. Interested participants should create an app under the theme “Create Something Worthy” and need to register by July 18 and submit their app by Sept. 18, according to a press release on LDS.org.

The submissions should be unique and fit into one of four categories, including Children, Youth, Families and Other. Participants are also encouraged to create something to help people teach or learn the gospel, feel the spirit or learn to better serve others. The games should be gospel-oriented, fun and refrain from graphic violence, LDS.org reported. Namibia: IT Student Develops Namibia's Own Social Network Windhoek — Namibians can now opt to use a local social network, which has been developed by a Namibian for Namibians. Described as Namibia's own social network, Namhook was developed by 22-year-old Gerson Mangundu, who is studying information technology in Cuba. Thundafund: The crowdfunding platform made for Africa

Visa Issues Found in the news stream.

Misc. Found in the news stream.

Multiple African Countries in articles

Corruption rife in sub-Saharan Africa, DR Congo tops graft list LONDON, June 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Half of the 10 most corrupt countries in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that is attracting increasing investor interest due to its natural resources and rapid population growth, according to a global graft index released on Wednesday. Democratic Republic of Congo topped the 2015 Corruption Risk Index by risk advisory firm Verisk Maplecroft, followed by Somalia, Central African Republic, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea. The report blamed factors including high levels of poverty and lack of institutions to combat bribery for sub-Saharan Africa being the region most affected by corruption.

Angola

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 64% / 26% Population: 22,116,360

Penetration of population w/ internet 19.4% Labor Force: 9,298,000

GDP per capita USD$ 8,100 Life Expectancy: 52

Unemployment / year est. 26% / 2014 Church Members: 1,436

Population below poverty line: 40.5% Congregations: 8

The most expensive city for expat living is in... Angola? Angola c.bank says will not defend kwanza "at all costs" LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola's central bank will not defend the kwanza "at all costs" and it does not expect abrupt movements in the currency despite lower oil prices sapping U.S. dollar supply, the central bank governor said. "The first mission of the central bank is not to defend at all costs the Angolan national currency," Jose Pedro de Morais said in remarks made late on Tuesday to journalists. Amilcar Silva, President of Angola´s Commercial Bank Association, told Reuters the economy was in the throes of an "exchange crisis" because of the foreign currency shortage. Angola's central bank devalued the kwanza by about 6 percent against the dollar this month, a move analysts said was aimed at stimulating foreign currency inflows eroded by falling global oil prices. Angola is Africa's second-largest crude producer and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos asked China for a two-year moratorium on debt repayments, state media reported last week, to shore up public finances hit by the oil price slump.

Botswana

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 164% / 26% Population: 2,115,710

Penetration of population w/ internet 13.2% Labor Force: 1,017,000

GDP per capita USD$ 16,000/2014 Life Expectancy: 47

Unemployment / year est. 17.8% / 2009 Church Members: 3,104

Population below poverty line: 30.3% Congregations: 12

Botswana critical of SA over Bashir Gaborone - The government of Botswana has condemned the failure of the South African government to arrest Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir while he was in Johannesburg for the AU Summit. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the office of President Ian Khama called on all countries that were signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to play their part. “We therefore find it disappointing that president Al-Bashir avoided arrest when he cut short his visit and fled, in fear of arrest, to his country. “We call on countries that are State Party to the Rome Statute of the ICC to co-operate with the ICC in ensuring that President Al-Bashir is made to account for the atrocities committed in Darfur and to support the international community’s efforts to provide justice for the victims. The African Union should lead by example in this regard,” read the statement from Khama’s office. The government, however, commended the Johannesburg High Court for ordering the incarceration of Bashir and called it “a positive development that will send a clear message to others that the days of impunity are numbered”.

Burundi

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 25% / 2% Population: 11,010,900

Penetration of population w/ internet 1.4% Labor Force: 4,806,000

GDP per capita USD$ 900 Life Expectancy: 54

Unemployment / year est. 35% / 2009 Church Members: 526

Population below poverty line: 68% Congregations: 3

Burundi Rights Group Says 77 People Killed Since Late April At least 77 people have been killed in Burundi and more than 1,000 detained since protests erupted in the country in late April, a local rights group said. About 500 others have been wounded in clashes sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term, Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, head of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Incarcerated Persons, said Wednesday in an interview in the capital, Bujumbura. The figures were reached by conducting a census across the East African nation, Mbonimpa said. The country’s Red Cross on June 4 said that at least 21 people had died in the unrest. Burundi has been rocked by demonstrations since the ruling party nominated Nkurunziza as its presidential candidate for elections rescheduled to July 15. Opponents say his bid violates a two-term limit set out in peace agreements that in 2005 brought an end to a 12-year civil war. …. Hundreds of demonstrators assembled Wednesday morning in Musaga, a district of the capital, to call for Nkurunziza to withdraw from next month’s vote, protest leader Elie Nijimbere said in an interview. Supporters argue that Nkurunziza’s first mandate doesn’t count because he was elected by parliament not the public. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye on June 15 said that all protests were over. Burundi will begin its rescheduled election cycle with a June 29 parliamentary vote, the presidency said last week. More than 100,000 refugees have fled to neighboring countries since early April, fearing political violence, according to the United Nations. Burundi: Opposition calls for tax boycott in economic battle against regime …. The spokesman for the Arusha Movement, a coalition of opposition and civil society groups behind the protests, told IBTimes UK how opposition leaders are now calling on the population "to stop paying their taxes". "We want to significantly target the economy of the country to be sure that the president has no other choice but to yield to the people's demands," Jeremie Minani said over the phone from the capital Bujumbura. Around 46.5% of Burundi's state budget comes from indirect taxes – including the 'taxe de transaction' or VAT on fuel, alcohol and tobacco, and customs duties. Only 3% of the country's finances derives from direct taxes on civil servants' salaries. Since the start of the protests, however, analysts say the country has slowly come to a halt, experiencing an "economic breakdown". "It is an economic battle that we are playing out. We want to asphyxiate a country that is already economically weakened, that has had its foreign resources cut off." Grenade blast kills 1 in Burundi One person was killed on Tuesday night when a grenade was blasted inside his house at Gahongore in the Burundian province of Bubanza, some 30 km west of capital Bujumbura, Burundi National Radio reported Wednesday. …. The victim is said to be the representative, at Gahongoro village, of Imbonerakure – the youth league of the Burundian ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy- Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD). Burundi - AU Calls for Further Delay of Election The African Union (AU) has called for a further deferment of the presidential poll slated for July 15 urging a consensus amongst the government and opposition to agree on a new date. On the recommendation of the electoral commission, the election, which was initially scheduled for June 26 was postponed to mid-July by a decree from President Pierre Nkurunziza's. The AU said their suggestion on vote delay is based on information gathered through engaging with stakeholders, including a report from the East African Community (EAC) leaders. Tension Evident in Rural Burundi Ahead of Elections NGOZI. BURUNDI—Far from Bujumbura, the Burundian countryside seems little affected by the months of political protests and unrest in the capital. “It's quiet here," said Francois Nahimana, a resident of Ngozi, President Pierre Nkurunziza's hometown. "These troubles happen far away. We only heard about them on the radio. But we are scared that it could spread here, that it turns into a war throughout the country.” In the hills surrounding Nkurunziza's home region, the president and his ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), still have significant support. "He's done a lot of good things during the 10 years he’s been in power," said Desire, a local farmer. "He built schools, implemented free health care for children under 5, and our houses have been improved." But critics say it isn't easy to speak out against the ruling party. One opposition supporter said he was threatened for showing others how to vote for their candidate. “They were Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling party," Joel Minani said. "They told me I didn't have the right to show people how to cast votes since the ruling party had already explained the process. They arrested me and demanded I meet conditions in order to be released.” Opposition parties say they face intimidation and are harassed by the youth of the ruling party and the authorities, preventing them from campaigning. Even Uncle Bob of Zimbabwe thinks Burundi president is joking. Honest …. Mugabe’s take-But even Uncle Bob couldn’t resist a dig at that at the recent AU summit in South Africa: “Now they want to stay. They say my first term wasn’t a term because I was elected by parliament. But you were there for one, two, three, four years…” A miffed Petero had no answer—he hadn’t dared leave Burundi for the AU summit. Last time he did that he nearly lost his job.

It says something though that Bob, who has been in power for 35 years - more than three times longer than Nkurunziza - and has dispatched many rivals mercilessly and bloodily, feels no sense of irony dishing advice on when an African big man should go or stay.

Cameroon

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 71% / -% Population: 23,248,261

Penetration of population w/ internet Labor Force: 9,105,000

GDP per capita USD$ 3,000 Life Expectancy: 55

Unemployment / year est. 30% / 2001 Church Members: 1,498

Population below poverty line: 48% / 2000 Congregations: 7

Cameroon Muslims urged to guard against extremism Cameroon's Muslim leaders were invited to the capital Yaounde for a briefing on 'Islamic State' (IS) ideology. IS affiliate Boko Haram is devoting more effort to spreading its extremist message. At a meeting that began and ended with prayers, some 300 Cameroonian Muslim clerics gathered for a workshop on how to face up to the ideological threat from the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram and the IS militant organization. Cavaye Yegue Djibril, who is both the speaker of Cameroon's national assembly and the traditional and Muslim leader of the town of Mada on the Nigerian border, urged Cameroonians to be vigilant. He also said that "whoever collaborates with the IS or any form of extremism" should be aware of the unity of the Cameroonian people. Boko Haram pledged allegiance to IS in March 2015. IS controls vast areas of Iraq and Syria. Its mass recruitment of western Islamic radicals is considered one of the greatest security threats faced by Europe and the United States. According to the news agency AP, IS promises Western recruits whatever they are looking for: Shariah law, a deeper purpose in life, a fight against a dictator, aid work, automatic weapons and pathological violence for those so inclined. Cameroon's Muslim leaders say that some young, unemployed Cameroonians have fallen victim to Boko Haram's ideology and the clerics fear the radicalized youth might turn violent. Boko Haram aims to create an Islamic caliphate in the territories its controls.

Central African Republic (CAR)

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 33% / 1% Population: 4,851,884

Penetration of population w/ internet 3.4% Labor Force: 2,217,000

GDP per capita USD$ 600 Life Expectancy: 50

Unemployment / year est. 8% / 2001 Church Members: 216

Population below poverty line: na Congregations: 1

Chad (This country borders ASEA)

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 47% / -% Population: 13,288,797

Penetration of population w/ internet 2.4% Labor Force: 4,919,000

GDP per capita USD$ 2,600 Life Expectancy: 51

Unemployment / year est. 22% / 2009 Church Members:

Population below poverty line: 80% / 2001 Congregations:

Congo Rep. (Brazzaville)

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 100% / 7% Population: 4,753,445

Penetration of population w/ internet 2.0% Labor Force: 2,890,000

GDP per capita USD$ 6,600 Life Expectancy: 59

Unemployment / year est. 53% / 2012 Church Members: 6,053

Population below poverty line: 46.5% / 2011 Congregations: 17

DR Congo (Kinshasa)

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 59% / 8% Population: 71,509,992

Penetration of population w/ internet 2.0% Labor Force: 27,590,000

GDP per capita USD$ 700 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 50

Unemployment / year est. 46% / 2009 Church Members: 42,689

Population below poverty line: 63% Congregations: 145

Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Assembly Passes Oil Code ….The new law “will establish transparency by defining the terms for granting hydrocarbon rights,” Minaku said in his closing speech to lawmakers, according to a transcript published on the assembly’s website Tuesday. It will also “assure the security of investments, and put in place a fiscal regime that will allow the Congolese state to profit from its hydrocarbons resources.”

Equatorial Guinea

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 87% / -% Population: 802,008

Penetration of population w/ internet 16.0% Labor Force: 195,200

GDP per capita USD$ 32,600 Life Expectancy: 53

Unemployment / year est. 22.3% / 2009 Church Members:

Population below poverty line: na Congregations:

Ethiopia

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 26% / 49% Population: 101,683,016

Penetration of population w/ internet 1.7% Labor Force: 47,320,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,500 Life Expectancy: 64

Unemployment / year est. 17.5% / 2012 Church Members: 1,854

Population below poverty line: 39% / 2012 Congregations: 64

Last track laid for Ethiopia-Djibouti railway A significant milestone on the road to east African economic integration occurred last week as Chinese contractors laid the ceremonial last track of the new, 756km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway. Ethiopia Opposition Candidate Dies After Attack in Northwest An Ethiopian parliamentary candidate for the opposition Blue Party died after being assaulted in Debre Markos, a town in the country’s northwest, the group said. Two people attacked Samuel Awoke, 29,

with a club and knife as he returned home alone from a night out with friends, spokesman Yonatan Tesfaye said by phone Tuesday from the capital, Addis Ababa.

“We are trying to figure out who are the killers and the reasons,” he said, citing suspicions it was politically motivated. Ethiopian Communications Minister Redwan Hussien said in a text message that a suspect has been apprehended and the attack may have stemmed from a legal dispute. Samuel reported previous death threats and a beating during campaigning for the polls that were held May 24, Yonatan said. The lawyer had been active in challenging election procedures and results in the Amhara region town, 295 kilometers (183 miles) northwest of the capital, he said.

Gabon

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 175% / -% Population: 1,742,265

Penetration of population w/ internet 9.9% Labor Force: 636,000

GDP per capita USD$ 21,600 Life Expectancy: 63

Unemployment / year est. 21% / 2006 Church Members:

Population below poverty line: na Congregations:

Kenya

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 83% / 67% Population: 46,764,772

Penetration of population w/ internet 36.7% Labor Force: 17,700,000

GDP per capita USD$ 3,100 Life Expectancy: 62

Unemployment / year est. 40% / 2008 Church Members: 12,471

Population below poverty line: 43,4 / 2012 Congregations: 62

Kenya renews the fight against Al-Shabaab NAIROBI - Kenya's president vowed Wednesday to keep troops in Somalia to fight Islamist Al-Shabaab rebels, apparently dismissing suggestions the country may be drawing up an exit strategy in order to focus on attacks on its own soil. Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia in 2011 to fight the Al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents, and later joined the African Union force, AMISOM, which is supporting Somalia's internationally-backed government. Al-Shabaab have since stepped up their operations in Kenya, dealing a blow to plans for the troops to serve as a buffer and protect the long, porous border. President Uhuru Kenyatta, who met with other leaders contributing troops to AMISOM -- including Burundi, Djibouti,

Ethiopia and Uganda -- at an AU summit in South Africa last week, said Kenya's role was clear. Evicted Indigenous Community in Kenya Claims World Bank Money Helped Burn Their Homes

Lesotho

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 95% / 24% Population: 2,074,095

Penetration of population w/ internet 5.3% Labor Force: 894,400

GDP per capita USD$ 2,900 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 49

Unemployment / year est. 25% / 2008 Church Members: 867

Population below poverty line: 49 / 1999 Congregations: 2

Lesotho Queen condemns child marriage Lesotho’s Queen ‘Masenate Bereng Seeiso says child marriage should be a thing of the past in Lesotho as this practice hinders the development of the child in many ways. Speaking on Wednesday, the Queen said early marriages have negative impact on the lives of the married couples saying girl children are the ones most hard hit as they usually end up abandoning their studies.

Madagascar

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 40% / ? Population: 24,540,641

Penetration of population w/ internet 73.5% Labor Force: 12,150,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,400 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 65

Unemployment / year est. 3.6% / 2013 Church Members: 10,322

Population below poverty line: 50% Congregations: 38

Malawi

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 37% / 10% Population: 17,393,962

Penetration of population w/ internet 72.2% Labor Force: 5,747,000

GDP per capita USD$ 800 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 55

Unemployment / year est. 6.6% / 2013 Church Members: 1,931

Population below poverty line: 53% / 2004 Congregations: 8

Malawi govt halts 10% internet, text levy The parliament of southern African nation, Malawi, has voted against implementation of taxing text and internet communications in the country. The country’s government had proposed a 10% tax on text and internet communications. The government’s move to stop the implementation of taxes on some of the country’s communications services follows outcry from citizens. Malawians took to Twitter to protest over the proposed implementation of the tax.

Mauritius

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 128% / 40% Population: 1,322,860

Penetration of population w/ internet 6.2% Labor Force: 600,200

GDP per capita USD$ 17,900 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 74

Unemployment / year est. 8.3% / 2013 Church Members: 458

Population below poverty line: 8% / 2006 Congregations: 2

Mozambique

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 58% / 22% Population: 27,282,161

Penetration of population w/ internet 5.6% Labor Force: 12,250,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,100 Life Expectancy: 50

Unemployment / year est. 17% / 2007 Church Members: 7,943

Population below poverty line: 52% / 2009 Congregations: 26

Mozambique marks Mueda massacre MUEDA - Ahead of 40th independence anniversary celebrations next week, Mozambique has marked the 1960 Mueda massacre when up to 600 protesters were gunned down by Portuguese troops. The killings on June 16, 1955 marked one of the most brutal episodes of the Portuguese empire and the event was one of the triggers of Mozambique's war against colonial rule.

Namibia

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 137% / 32% Population: 2,325,019

Penetration of population w/ internet 14.8% Labor Force: 1,168,000

GDP per capita USD$ 10,800 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 6

Unemployment / year est. 27.4% / 2012 Church Members: 793

Population below poverty line: 28.7% / 2010 Congregations: 2

Niger

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 25% / 2% Population: 19,289,323

Penetration of population w/ internet 1.6% Labor Force: 5,800,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,000 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 58

Unemployment / year est. 2.25% / 2009 Church Members: 793

Population below poverty line: 63% Congregations: 2

Nigeria

(This country borders ASEA)

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 97% / 15% Population: 179,825,664

Penetration of population w/ internet 37.6% Labor Force: 54,970,000

GDP per capita USD$ 6,100 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 52

Unemployment / year est. 23.9% / 2011 Church Members: 129,989

Population below poverty line: 70% Congregations: 416

Bombs found at Boko Haram camp kill 63 in Nigeria BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) — A large sack of home-made bombs discovered at an abandoned Boko Haram camp exploded, killing 63 people, witnesses said Wednesday of a toll many times higher than in any recent attack in northeast Nigeria. The explosives were found by civilian self-defense fighters who carried the bag filled with metal objects to the nearby town of Monguno, said fighters including Haruna Bukar. A curious crowd gathered to inspect the bag, which is why there were so many victims when it exploded, said Bukar, who witnessed the blast. Many wounded people are being treated in the hospital, he said. "It's very sad because most of those killed and injured are young men, with a small number of females," Bukar told The Associated Press by telephone. U.S. giving $5 million to fight Boko Haram in Nigeria There is tension in Niger-Delta over unpaid monthly stipends – Ex-militant leaders Ex-Niger Delta militants, Tuesday, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari over what they termed the poor condition of living of over 500 foreign scholarship beneficiaries under the Federal Government amnesty programme, adding that there is already palpable tension in the Niger-Delta over unpaid monthly stipends. Nigeria’s legislators will get $43 million of taxpayers’ money for a wardrobe allowance

Reunion Island

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 105% / 48% Population: 874,345

Penetration of population w/ internet Labor Force:

GDP per capita USD$ Life Expectancy:

Unemployment / year est. 40% / ? Church Members:

Population below poverty line: Congregations:

Rwanda

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 61% / 28% Population: 12,540,798

Penetration of population w/ internet 9.2% Labor Force: 6,061,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,700 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 64

Unemployment / year est. 3.4% / 2012 Church Members: 281

Population below poverty line: 44.9 / 2011 Congregations: 3

Rwanda: Changing constitution to allow President Kagame third term 'will undermine peace and democracy' Two members of the Rwandan Parliament and a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) have resigned for reportedly disagreeing with the ruling party's decision to change the constitution to allow President Paul Kagame to run in the 2017 election. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) announced that it approved an amendment to article 101 of the country's constitution after some 3.6 million people – about 72% of Rwanda's electoral roll – signed a petition asking the Parliament to change the document, which restricted the president to running for two seven-year terms.

Somalia

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 50% / 2% Population: 10,742,489

Penetration of population w/ internet 1.5% Labor Force: 3,011,000

GDP per capita USD$ 600 / 2010 Life Expectancy: 55

Unemployment / year est. 25.4% / 2012 Church Members:

Population below poverty line: na Congregations:

South Africa

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 154% / 35% Population: 51,621,506

Penetration of population w/ internet 46.8% Labor Force: 20,230,000

GDP per capita USD$ 12,700 Life Expectancy: 57

Unemployment / year est. 24.9% / 2013 Church Members: 61,221

Population below poverty line: 31.3% Congregations: 159

Why South Africa let an alleged war criminal get away JOHANNESBURG — One of the world's most wanted men, an international fugitive with genocide and war crimes charges against him, flew into this South Africa city over the weekend on his presidential jet. He posed for a photo, smiled and gave the "thumbs up" gesture, attended a bit of the African Union summit — and then apparently disappeared. The South African government claimed it had no idea where the man was. In fact, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was soaring to 40,000 feet, fleeing South Africa on his private plane as journalists tracked its departure back to Khartoum. The ICC has issued warrants for al-Bashir's arrest on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Darfur. Having learned that he was headed to Johannesburg, the ICC called for South Africa "to spare no effort" in ensuring the arrest warrants were executed. Ban Ki Moon, the U.N. secretary-general, described the enforcement of the arrest warrants as "a matter I take extremely seriously." Human rights activists swiftly went to court demanding al-Bashir's arrest. But the South African government argued that al-Bashir had immunity because he was in South Africa for the AU summit, likening it to the United Nations. Al-Bashir seems to have received assurances he would not be detained. He arrived in South Africa late Saturday afternoon, landing at Johannesburg's main O.R. Tambo International Airport, before attending AU meetings Sunday at a convention center in the ritzy business district of Sandton, also known for its high-end shopping mall. 'Zuma would not allow Bashir’s arrest' Johannesburg – South African President Jacob Zuma had vowed to not allow police to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, African Union chairman Robert Mugabe said in the early hours of Tuesday. “Zuma was telling me that one of the NGOs went to court, and I am quite sure they were used by outsiders,” the Zimbabwean president said at a media briefing following the closing of the AU summit in Johannesburg. “He [Zuma] said President Bashir would not be arrested, as he would not allow police here to arrest him.” The summit, which was held from June 7, was officially closed by Mugabe some time after midnight. Bashir departed for Sudan on Monday, despite a high court order preventing him from leaving South Africa. Jacob Zuma to be questioned on court violation THE constitutional crisis caused by the government’s flouting of a court ruling ordering the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is to be taken up by opposition parties in Parliament. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, SA’s special envoy to South Sudan, is likely to be grilled about the circumstances of Mr Bashir’s illegal departure when he answers questions in the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday. President Jacob Zuma could also be questioned on the matter when he appears in the National Assembly tomorrow to answer MPs’ questions. There has been widespread international condemnation of government’s flouting of the law, by Amnesty International, the International Centre for Transitional Justice and Human Rights Watch, among others. Opposition party MPs are demanding that the government be held accountable for contravening a court order and violating an international statute that Parliament ratified. Black challenger threatens ANC across South Africa's racial divide JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Young, charismatic and pro-business, South Africa's first black opposition leader, Mmusi Maimane, could be the poster boy for the racially inclusive, socially equal "Rainbow Nation" envisioned by the late Nelson Mandela. Unfortunately for Maimane, two decades after the end of apartheid, South Africa is still racially divided, starkly unequal and his party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is struggling to shake off its image as a white, elitist movement. Maimane, who won a DA leadership race last month, believes he can overturn deep-rooted perceptions about his party and end the dominance of the African National Congress (ANC). "It's important for symbolism to have a black leader," Maimane, who is married to a white South African, told Reuters.

Sudan

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 70% / 31% Population: 40,313,269

Penetration of population w/ internet 24.0% Labor Force: 11,920,000

GDP per capita USD$ 4,500 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 62

Unemployment / year est. 20% / 2012 Church Members:

Population below poverty line: 46.5 / 2005 Congregations:

Sudan reacts to Omar al-Bashir's brush with international law For a moment on Sunday it seemed like Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir’s had finally lost control of his destiny: while visiting South Africa for an African Union summit, the country’s high court issued an interim order to prevent him leaving the country in order to answer international criminal charges. He is the world’s only sitting leader to have been indicted by the international criminal court (ICC) for crimes against humanity over the government’s role in the Darfur conflict. But by Monday – in clear defiance of both national and international law – he was on a private jet back headed for Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.

South Sudan

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 28% / 12% Population: 11,749,434

Penetration of population w/ internet unkn Labor Force:

GDP per capita USD$ 2,000 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 62

Unemployment / year est. 12% / 2008 Church Members:

Population below poverty line: 50.6% / 2009 Congregations:

Swaziland Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 70% / 11% Population: 1,280,595

Penetration of population w/ internet 23.8% Labor Force: 435,000

GDP per capita USD$ 7,800 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 49

Unemployment / year est. 28.5% / 2010 Church Members: 1,768

Population below poverty line: 69% Congregations: 4

Tanzania

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 62% / 24% Population: 50,998,619

Penetration of population w/ internet 15% Labor Force: 25,000,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,900 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 61

Unemployment / year est. 10.7% / 2011 Church Members: 1,336

Population below poverty line: 36% / 2002 Congregations: 6

Tanzania police arrest man accused of trying to sell albino niece for witchcraft DAR ES SALAAM (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Tanzanian police have arrested a 44-year-old man accused of trying to sell his albino niece to undercover security officials posing at witch doctors as part of a nationwide crackdown on the illegal trade in albino body parts used in black magic.

Uganda

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 64% / 11% Population: 40,777,196

Penetration of population w/ internet 16.8 Labor Force: 18,000,000

GDP per capita USD$ 1,800 Life Expectancy: 59

Unemployment / year est. 4.2% / 2010 Church Members: 13,248

Population below poverty line: 25.5% Congregations: 26

Zambia

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 73% / 10% Population: 15,549,296

Penetration of population w/ internet 15.4% Labor Force: 6,338,000

GDP per capita USD$ 4,100 Life Expectancy: 58

Unemployment / year est. 15% / 2008 Church Members: 3,359

Population below poverty line: 60.5% Congregations:

Zimbabwe

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 102% / 85% Population: 15,762,551

Penetration of population w/ internet 19.5% Labor Force: 5,0 63,000

GDP per capita USD$ 2,000 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 60

Unemployment / year est. 95% / 2009 Church Members: 26,156

Population below poverty line: 68% / 2004 Congregations: 64

Mutasa tears into Mugabe over Midzi HARARE – Former Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa says the way President Robert Mugabe had failed to recognise the late Amos Midzi as a national hero showed that the ruling party had now morphed into an “undemocratic animal” that was controlled by one man — the long-ruling nonagenarian. A former minister and diplomat, Midzi, died on Tuesday last week in a suspected suicide and was buried at the Glen Forest Cemetery in Harare, with Mugabe and the ruling party flatly refusing to accord him hero status, not even at district level — because he was linked to former Vice President Joice Mujuru. Sources who spoke to the Daily News at the weekend revealed that Midzi had died “a very bitter man” and had been unable to take his “ruthless rejection by a party he worked so hard for” on untested charges of being part of a so-called “putschist cabal” linked to Mujuru that was allegedly plotting to oust and kill Mugabe. MPs take Mnangagwa to task after Mugabe trashes two term limit VICE PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has said President Robert Mugabe’s recent comments on presential term limits were “sincere” and his boss may have spoken in “his personal capacity as an opinion leader”. Mugabe told an AU summit in Johannesburg recently that African leaders had created a “noose around their necks” by adopting presidential term limits, adding “at times two terms feel like two weeks”. His comments drew widespread ridicule and Mnangagwa was Wednesday taken to task by MPs who wanted to know if there was now a plan to amend the Constitution in the wake of Mugabe’s remarks. Mugabe stops Mujuru prosecution President Robert Mugabe has ordered the state not to prosecute his former deputy, Joice Mujuru, for corruption because the incriminating evidence has disappeared.

United States Data Provided for comparison

Cellphone/Smartphone penetration 102% / 85% Population: 324,343,287

Penetration of population w/ internet 86.8% Labor Force: 156,000,000

GDP per capita USD$ 54,800 / 2014 Life Expectancy: 79

Unemployment / year est. 5.5% / 2015 Church Members: 6,466,267

Population below poverty line: 15.1% / 2010 14,018 Congregations

Travel Advisories/Warnings LIBERIA MAKES TRAVEL ALERT 16 June 2015 Liberia’s Health Ministry authorities are making travel alerts in the wake of sharp rise in Ebola infection in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, warning travellers “to be very much careful” not to come in contact with infected persons. Liberia and its two neighboring countries Sierra Leone and Guinea which are still battling the Ebola outbreak, share scores of porous borders which marketers and inter-marriage families across either side commute almost daily. U.S. State Dept. Updates Sudan Travel Warning, June 15, 2015

Washington, DC--(ENEWSPF)--June 15, 2015. The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of traveling to Sudan. We urge U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to the Darfur region of Sudan, and to Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states, and advise U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel in other areas of Sudan. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on October 30, 2014

US issues travel advisory for Burundi (17 May 2015) Washington - The United States issued a travel warning on Thursday for strife-torn Burundi, telling its citizens not to go there and urging those in the country to get out as soon as possible. Burundi's government survived a coup attempt this week that saw fierce fighting between rival army factions. It was the culmination of weeks of violent street protests against the president's bid to seek a third term in the poor east African country. In a statement, the US state department said Burundi was faced a "deteriorating security situation". It said it had ordered all non-emergency US government personnel and dependents of American staff to leave Burundi on Thursday. US warns airlines against flying over Somalia (17 May 2015) A United States aviation safety agency has listed the Somali airspace as too dangerous to fly over, citing the threat posed by the armed group Al Shabab following the downing of MH17 by Ukrainian rebels fighting the government forces in Ukraine. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned all US airlines from flying over Somalia deeming it too dangerous, an advisory rejected by many countries, among them Australia airlines.

Central African Republic Travel Warning 2 May 2015 Washington DC - infoZine - The Government of Chad closed its border with CAR May 12, 2014. Only citizens of Chad returning home will be able to cross the Chad-CAR border. U.S. citizens who have decided to stay in CAR despite this warning should review their personal security situation and seriously consider departing. This replaces the Travel Warning of November 5, 2014, to reflect the risk of remaining in CAR and continued lack of security.

Sources of information:

All church membership information is provided by Mormon Newsroom by clicking on the ‘Africa’ continent on the map (at the right) and then finding the desired country on the list. The information is reviewed from the list each month for correctness.

All keywords and country information is collected from an Internet scan of about 60 specific keywords that is supplied to me at 0300 each morning via Google alerts. This keyword list is reviewed and updated daily.

All Population data are from Country Meters and is updated each month for correctness.

All Cellphone and smartphone data are from GMSA Intelligence and is updated each month for correctness.

All Internet users by country data are from Internet Live Stats and Internet World Stats is reviewed each month for correctness.

GNI (Gross National Income per capita) and Life Expectancy data is from The World Bank

Unemployment and other data are from Photius , IECONOMICS, Quandl, Wikipedia, Theodora & The World Factbook.

Elder Berg Elder Berg & Sister Berg Africa Southeast AreaAssistant Directors of Public Affairs, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Email: ASEAPublicAffairs@ldschurch.org Cellphone……. +27 (0)83 443 3829 Office…………... +27 (0)11 645 1538

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