WINDHOEK - A U.S. millionaire, wanted on multiple counts in the United States in connection with a stock manipulation scandal, has set up a scholarship fund in Namibia just days before the start of his extradition case.

Namibia's Ministry of Education said on Monday that former U.S. software executive Jacob "Kobi" Alexander established the Kobi and Hana Alexander Scholarship Fund with his wife Hana to boost academic interest in science and technology.

"Through the scholarship Mr. Alexander is committing a sum of N$150 000 per annum for rewarding top performing students both at primary and secondary school levels," the ministry said in a statement.

Alexander, a former chief executive and founder of New York-based software maker Comverse Technology Inc., has been fighting extradition to the United States since shortly after his arrest in Namibia in September.

His extradition hearing is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in the Namibian capital Windhoek.

Since his arrest, Alexander has expressed a desire to stay in Namibia and pledged to invest a total of 100 million Namibian dollars in the nation during the next five years through his Kobi Alexander Enterprises venture.

The Namibian government has described Alexander, who is free on bail, as "very passionate" about the country and its people

ABUJA - Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria's ruling party was declared winner on Monday of a presidential poll rejected by the opposition and condemned by observers as a "charade".

The vote for the first handover of power from one civilian leader to another in Africa's most populous nation and top oil producer was undermined by violence, ballot-stuffing and millions of missing voting papers on Saturday.

Electoral chief Maurice Iwu declared Yar'Adua of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) winner with 24.6 million votes, far ahead of his closest rival, former army strongman Muhammadu Buhari, with 6.6 million.

Buhari said he would not accept the result and called on parliament to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Yar'Adua said he was "greatly humbled" by the result, but observers said it lacked credibility.

"These elections have not lived up to the hopes and expectations of the Nigerian people and the process cannot be considered to have been credible," said Max van den Berg, leader of 150 observers from the European Union.

The United States said the election was flawed but stopped short of calling for it to be overturned.

"These were flawed elections and in some cases deeply flawed elections," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, adding that problems should be resolved peacefully and according to the constitution.

World leaders had expressed hopes that Nigeria, West Africa's economic powerhouse, would emerge as a major force for the spread of democracy across the continent.

CANCELLATION

A local coalition of civil society observers called for the cancellation of the vote to allow a re-run in Africa's most populous country, scarred by decades of corrupt dictatorship since independence from Britain in 1960.

"The election was a charade. A democratic arrangement founded on such fraud can have no legitimacy," they said.

Any cancellation would plunge Nigeria into a constitutional crisis because by law Obasanjo must hand over power on May 29.

Obasanjo said the election could not be described as perfect, but appealed to aggrieved losers to use the courts for any complaints over the next five weeks.

Obasanjo, whose election in 1999 returned Nigeria to democracy, must step down after failing to rewrite the constitution and stay for a third term.

"Nothing should be done to make our people lose faith in the electoral process and its democratic outcome," he said.

Analysts had predicted Yar'Adua would win due to unrivalled funding and the powers of incumbency, but Buhari had been expected to put up a credible challenge because of widespread disaffection with poverty and crime.

World oil prices rose on Monday because of the fears of further violence in the world's eighth largest oil exporter, where militant attacks have already curbed output.

About 65 people have been killed in violence related to both the presidential election and regional polls a week earlier.

The government has previously labelled critics of the poll coup-plotters and linked them to a failed attempt to blow up the electoral headquarters on election day with a petrol tanker.

Police arrested protesters at the electoral headquarters in the capital Abuja on Sunday and banned all rallies.

Now that we have a new President, My 29 is now realistic.

I enjoin all Nigerians to accept and support the PDP Ticket.

With Jonathan Goodluck , Living conditions will get better in the Niger Delta region.

For all those who have lost there loved ones in the course of the campaigns and elections, may the almighty give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

God bless Nigeria.

Cho's package to NBC contained pictures of himself with guns


Killer's TV video
The student who shot dead at least 30 people at Virginia Tech sent a package to the US TV network NBC News on the day of the shootings, police said.
The package contained "disturbing" photographs, video and writings, NBC said, posted from the college campus between the two rounds of killings.

Cho Seung-hui is shown pointing guns at the camera, and ranting angrily.

A total of 33 people, including the gunman himself, died in shootings at two locations on Monday.

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," the 23-year-old gunman said angrily, in an excerpt shown on NBC Nightly News.


Inside the mind of a killer
Campus begins to mourn
Gunman's message
"But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off," Cho said.

"I didn't have to do this. I could have left. I could have fled. But now I will no longer run," the gunman said.

Police have revealed that Cho was admitted to a mental health unit in late 2005.

He was sent for evaluation after two female students made complaints against him, they said.

'Very angry'

NBC said a time stamp on the package indicated it was sent in the two-hour interval between two killings in a dormitory and a second, massive round of killings in a classroom building.

The envelope, sent to NBC's headquarters in New York, was slightly misaddressed and carried the wrong postal zip code, which delayed its delivery by a day.

The TV network said the package was received in Wednesday morning's mail.


Timeline and key locations
Send us your reaction

It contained an 1,800-word diatribe and 43 photos, 11 of them showing Cho aiming handguns at the camera. He also sent 28 video clips.

Head of NBC News Steve Capus said it had a "rambling, manifesto-like statement embedded with a series of photographs."

Mr Capus said the material was "hard-to-follow... disturbing, very disturbing - very angry, profanity-laced," but did not contain any images of Monday's shootings.

Student complaints

Two people were killed at the West Ambler Johnston Hall, a university dormitory, at 0715 on Monday.

Two hours later Cho killed 30 others, plus himself, at the Norris Hall complex across campus.

Authorities have not yet linked the 23-year-old to any of those he killed.

Police say the same gun was used at both locations but have not definitely proved that Cho was at West Ambler Johnston at the time of the shootings there.

The complaints by students against Cho were made in November and December 2005, around the time Cho's English teachers raised concerns over his writing and general behaviour.

In the aftermath of the shootings, teachers and fellow students have spoken of Cho's extreme moods, violent writings and unpredictable behaviour.

Last chance for Nigeria poll bid

It took a long time for many people to complete the voting process
Nigeria's Vice-President Atiku Abubakar goes to the Supreme Court shortly in what is seen as his last chance to take part in Saturday's presidential poll.
He is challenging his disqualification over corruption allegations, which he says are politically motivated.

The strongest remaining opposition candidate is not confident the election will be fair.

The ruling People's Democratic Party won a clear majority of the state governorship contests held on Saturday.

Opposition supporters took to the streets in parts of the country on Sunday, claiming the results had been rigged.

Tension is said to be high in many Nigerian cities, with a curfew imposed in Kano and sporadic shooting heard in Lagos.

'Thugs'

Opposition presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari said election officials and police had been biased against his All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) in seven states.

"To get whole states where the elections were not fair, and where there was violence, is quite disturbing," he told the BBC.

KEY STATE RESULTS

Lagos: AC
Katsina: PDP
Rivers: PDP
Kano: Suspended
Imo: Postponed
Oyo; PDP
Abia; PPA
Bayelsa;PDP
Rivers; PDP
Ogun; PDP
Delta; PDP

Difficult day at polls
"The PDP stalwarts are organising thugs, carrying away boxes, diverting other election materials."

The police say that 21 people died in election clashes over the weekend, although local media report up to 50 dead.

A reporter of an international News t saw men storming a polling station and leaving with ballot papers in the southern city of Port Harcourt.

Political office is often seen as the quick path to real enrichment - a chance to tap into the country's huge oil revenues, especially in the oil-rich south of the country, our correspondent says.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but unrest in the oil-producing Niger Delta has cut output by some 20%.

The PDP has won 26 of the 32 states declared so far.

The ANPP has won the northern states of Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Zamfara.

Mr Abubakar's Action Congress has retained control of the state of Lagos, the commercial capital and the small Progressive People's Alliance has won in the south-eastern Abia State.

The Election Commission said two other south-eastern states - Imo and Enugu - will have to re-run their elections because of irregularities.

Results are still awaited from Kano and Taraba states.





The announcement of the results in the most populous state, Kano, was suspended amid high tension with both the PDP and ANPP declaring victory.

Opposition supporters burned down government buildings in northern Katsina State, after the PDP candidate was declared the victor.

The state election was cancelled in south-eastern Imo State because of election malpractice.

The presidential contest should see the first time one civilian administration hands power to another since Nigeria's independence from Britain in 1960.

President Olusegun Obasanjo is standing down after two terms in office.

The elections were relatively peaceful on the island,Ikoyi, obalende, Falomo, victoria island, Awolowo Road, Dolphin Estate, Ikeja, Surulere , Ajengunle , Apapa , Costain, Bariga and others.

In obalende voting didn't start till 10.30am in some polling boot while others started 11am.
Results in some of the booths in obalende shows that the Action Congress leads handsomely.PDP comes second, DPA is third.While the Labour Party is Fourth.
Other Parties like Accord, ANPP, APGA, PPA , FRESH had one or two votes respectively in obalende, Dolphin , ikoyi and Victoria island.
So far, the AC to me is leading on the island.
Sincerely speaking it will be a shock to me if PDP wins the Guber race in Lagos.
Party Agents of some the parties were paid from 1200 to 2500 naira.
The Action Congress did well in taking care of there Polling agents, they were given 2500 respectively. In between the elctions they were served Fried riceand chicken, a bottle of soft drink and water.
The PDP also took care of its agents well. They given a plate of rice and chicken with drinks

DPA is the only party that paid its agent before the start of the elections.They were paid 2500 naira.

Labour party was the party that paid the least, with 1200 naira only. some of the agents i spoke with promised not work for labour party in the forthcoming presidential elections.

The Action Congress was the only party that motivated decided and undecided voters who camre to vote at each polling booth in obalende, Dolphin and Ikoyi. Some of the Voters were given 100 Naira free recharge cards for MTN, CELTEL and GLO.
Reports just got to me that PDP has won 15 of the 20 local governemnt councils we have in lagos.

I had a parleychat with representatives of the British High Commission concerning the elections. They were at obalende at about 2.30 pm.They said the elections were okay but it started late.

Lest i forget one startling thing i saw at the polling booth were uniformed men.I can identify the Police, Army , Custom , Navy, Air force, Immigration but the NDLEA at a Polling booth was shocking.The question i asked is if they were here to arrest drug traffickers.The size and presence of Military personnel was a swipe.

Two Persons were feared dead in the lagos island area of Evans.

Most people didn't vote because there names were not found in the registration book.

I have Pictures which i shall post to the forum on Monday.

While we wait for the results from INEC lets pray for God's Mercy.

NB;
INEC had already advised people to disregard the results on their website, as some hackers are capable of posting fake or inconclusive results on the site. Hence, I guess the results would only be posted on the site after the complete results have been announced via other media (TV, Radio, etc).