TANZANIA – A 10-year jail term, 30m/- fine or both awaits mobile phone traders who will attempt to change the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. The warning was issued on Wednesday, a few hours before the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) switched off all fake mobile phones in the country. Addressing reporters in Dar es Salaam of Wednesday, the communications watchdog’s Acting Director General, Mr James Kilaba, cautioned that it was against the law to change the IMEI numbers.

He said that as of Wednesday, 2.9 per cent of people owning fake gadgets and a closely one per cent with duplicate devices were at risk of losing communication. Mr Kilaba said to ensure close monitoring, all mobile phone technicians were supposed to get licences from the authority for maintenance and repair of mobile phones. He said the move, aimed at controlling mobile phone theft, meant that technicians should record the numbers of all customers who send their gadgets to them for repair.(allafrica)…[+]

CANADA –   Rock singer Meat Loaf collapsed on stage during a performance in Edmonton, Alberta, according to CNN partner CBC.

The 68-year old, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, had postponed a Calgary show earlier in the week “due to illness” said Meat Loaf’s Facebook page. Several social media videos show the singer falling down during his Grammy Award winning song “I’d Do Anything for Love” at the Northern Jubilee Auditorium Thursday night.  On the videos, Meat Loaf’s microphone thuds on stage, he collapses forward, puts his hands down and then rolls over. Fellow musicians and stage hands rush to his side. The song then abruptly stops. Some fans were confused at first. (CNN.COM)…[+]

GREAT BRITAIN   –  Investigators are searching for answers a day after a man killed British politician Jo Cox, in a brazen attack on the street in the parliament member’s own constituency in northern England.

Cox, a member of parliament, was stabbed and shot in Birstall on Thursday after a meeting with constituents, the Press Association reported, citing witnesses. The 41-year-old mother of two died in hospital hours after the attack, which comes a week before a crucial referendum on whether Britain should stay in or leave the European Union. While it is unclear if it the killing had any connection with the upcoming vote, Cox was openly in favor of remaining part of the bloc, and was an avid campaigner for the rights of refugees. .(CNN.COM)…[+]

JAPAN –  The governor of Tokyo has said he is standing down amid a spending scandal, Japanese media report. Yoichi Masuzoe has faced fierce criticism over allegations he used official funds to pay for holidays, art and comic books for his children. He had been expected to lose a no-confidence vote in the Japanese capital’s assembly. The scandal, which threatened to embarrass the 2020 Olympic host city, comes ahead of upper house elections. It is being seen as potentially damaging to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) chances in the 10 July vote.(BBC NEWS/photo: businesstimes.com.sg)…[+]

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the significant drop in violence in schools has resulted from the safety and security initiative that he implemented for schools.

According to the prime minister, the Security and Safety in Schools Programme, which was implemented while he was minister of education, has provided the institutions with the capacity to tackle social ills, and the successes are now being reaped.

He said between 2012 and 2013, 915 fights were reported, and in 2014-2015, it was reduced to 786, a 14 per cent reduction. Some 1,876 weapons were found in schools for the similar period, and that went down to 987, a 17 per cent decrease.

Holness was delivering the keynote address at a Security and Ethics Conference, organised by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, and the Ministry of National Security, today (June 14), at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, in New Kingston.(JAMAICA OBSERVER/photo: jis.gov.jm)…[+]

ENGLAND –   Prince William is featured on the cover of a leading British gay magazine, which carries his remarks condemning the bullying of LGBT people, the publication announced.

The Attitude magazine article marks the first time a British royal has been photographed for the cover of a gay publication, the magazine said in a statement.

The cover line – “No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason” — came about after the Duke of Cambridge invited the publication to bring LGBT people to Kensington Palace to share their experiences on bullying, the statement said.

The magazine’s editor, Matthew Todd, facilitated the discussion, during which participants spoke about the struggles they’ve dealt with, including suicide attempts, depression, drug addiction and eating disorders. The Prince then posed for the cover, shot by photographer Leigh Keily.(CNN/photo: cnn.com)…[+]