ECHOES

In November 2017, when Robert Mugabe resigned, after decades in power, the word spread through Harare rapidly by text, social media and from the shouts of celebration. People poured onto the streets in spontaneous joy and celebration. They high-fived the soldiers in armored cars that had helped force Mugabe out in an apparent coup, they climbed on top of vehicles, and cheered in front of the presidential office. Just days before you couldn’t even stand there. The sentiment was clear -- in the capital at least --  that people wanted him out and hoped for a better future. Mugabe’s legacy is complicated. In the eyes of many he turned from a liberation icon, likened to Nelson Mandela, into a despot who helped destroy Zimbabwe’s economy. Already today you see that contrast in reactions. African leaders and liberation movements will praise Mugabe for the icon that he is. Many may gloss over the impact that he had on his people. Even his successor, Emmerson M...

The mystery behind people giving up on life and taking their own lives, still bothers the minds of people around the world. what could a thirteen year old female teen probably have experienced to make her make the toughest choice in life "suicide".  With the information gotten, it was confirmed that this incident took place behind a CAC Church at Ifatoki, Pakuro Road, Mowe, a town in Ogun state, Owode Local Government Area. Sources confirmed that the teen was found with an adult movie(mojo/blue film) on her mobile phone and a love letter in which she was corrected for, we all should understand the correction of an Average African Nigerian Parent on such claimed offense. It was later found that the young soul had committed suicide by hanging herself behind her house. Sources were asked why the police were not involved in the case and it was confirmed that the community wanted to but her parents pleaded not to for a reason unknown to no one. The question here is "co...

rmer Miss Universe Chelsi Smith passed away this weekend after suffering from liver cancer for just over a year. She was 45. The Texas native was best known for capturing the title of Miss Texas in 1995 and going on to win  Miss USA  and  Miss Universe  just months later. In doing so, Smith became the first and only woman from Texas to win both pageants, as well as the first American woman in 15 years to claim the Miss Universe title. After her passing on Saturday, Smith's family released a statement  and broke the devastating news. "We are heartbroken to share the news that Chelsi Smith has passed away following a protracted illness," they said. "Chelsi was our loving daughter, niece, and friend. We will miss her infectious laughter, joie de vivre, and free spirit. She left an indelible mark on all those who knew her." Added the family: "While we mourn the loss of this vivacious and kind-hearted woman, we also celebrate her remarkable life and hope that it...

Rapper  XXXTentacion  will be laid to rest on Wednesday in Florida, just over one week after the 20-year-old was  fatally shot . The funeral will be held on June 27 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Florida Panthers Stadium in Sunrise, Florida, the rapper’s attorney, J. David Bogenschutz, tells PEOPLE. The service will also feature an open-casket viewing. XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, was shot dead just before 4 p.m. on Monday as he was leaving a motorsports dealership outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. XXXTentacion RELATED:  XXXTentacion's Mom Reveals His Girlfriend Is Pregnant with His Baby: 'He Left Us a Final Gift' On Wednesday, Dedrick Devonshay Williams, 22, was taken into custody by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, PEOPLE confirmed.  Detention records  show he was charged with first-degree murder without premeditation, along with driving without a valid license and a probation violation for theft of a car. Williams faced court Thursday where...

"Take off your shoes, climb into a Buddhist coffin and relax on your back on soft padding as a wooden lid slides over you. Now stay inside for three very dark minutes. "When you are actually in the coffin, it feels like you are dead!" Tammy, 15, tells CNN Travel as she emerges from the long rectangular box." "Bangkok's new Kid Mai ("Think New") Death Cafe is a Buddhist "exhibition," luring you with cookies and icy refreshments in exchange for a "death awareness" experience that could possibly change your life."

The memory of superstar deejay  Avicii , who was found dead in Muscat , Oman, on Friday, is living on during the second weekend of  Coachella Music Festival . Hours after news broke, thousands of music fans hit the Indio, California, festival grounds where performer after performer took time to recognize the major loss to the music community. Fellow star Deejay  Kygo  took to the main stage on Friday night and ended his set with an emotional tribute to Avicii. "Coachella, I think most of you guys have heard but today is a very sad day for music. Earlier today I got the news that Avicii passed away only 28 years old. Avicii was my biggest musical inspiration and he was the reason I started making electronic music so I don’t think I would’ve been on this stage tonight if it wasn't for him. I know he’s inspired millions of other producers out there. So I want to end my set tonight with my favorite Avicii song," Kygo told the crowd as he closed his performance ...

Former First Lady  Barbara Bush  was laid to rest by her large and loving family on Saturday on the grounds of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It was an emotional day as Mrs. Bush's husband of 73 years, former President George H.W. Bush, and her children, former President George W., Jeb, Dorothy, Neil and Marvin, said their final farewells at a funeral service for the family matriarch,  who died  at 92 on Tuesday. Mrs. Bush also leaves behind her brother, Scott Pierce, 17 grandchildren -- including George W.  and Laura Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, who also attended the funeral along with their mother -- and seven great-grandchildren. The service at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, was also  attended by First Lady Melania Trump , as well as former presidents and first ladies Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton. President Trump was not in atte...

Former pro wrestler “Lucious” Johnny Valiant died after a truck struck him in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, Wednesday morning, PEOPLE confirms. Valiant, whose real name was Thomas M. Sullivan, was 71 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996. The  wrestler was killed as he ran across a busy road and was hit  by an oncoming truck, according to WPXI. Ross Township Det. Brian Kohlhepp told the outlet, “We do have witnesses. There was other traffic on McKnight [Road] at the time, so we were able to speak with people who actually witnessed the accident.” He continued to say police were still investigating the accident but added there was “no indication that this was anything other than a terrible accident at this point. Valiant began his wrestling career in 1969, and in 1974 he won the World Tag Team Championships with James Fanning, now 75,  as The Valiant Brothers,  according to WWE. In 1979, he became wrestling partners with “Gentleman” Jerry Valiant, a Ca...

Toxicology tests suggest a German former nurse murdered at least 100 people at two hospitals where he worked, prosecutors say. Detectives believe Niels Hoegel, who is already serving a life sentence for two murders, systematically administered fatal doses of heart medication to people in his care. He wanted to impress colleagues by resuscitating them but many died. Fresh charges against him are expected next year. Hoegel is now said to have killed 38 patients in Oldenburg and 62 in Delmenhorst, both in northern Germany, between 1999 and 2005. Investigators say he may have killed more but potential victims have been cremated. If found guilty of all the deaths, he would become one of Germany's worst post-war serial killers. The investigation into Hoegel was widened when he admitted killing up to 30 people during his 2015 trial, when he was convicted of two murders, two attempted murders and harming patients. Investigators exhumed 130 former patients, looking for traces of me...

“Hugh M. Hefner, the American icon who in 1953 introduced the world to  Playboy magazine and built the company into one of the most recognizable American global brands in history, peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones,” a rep for the Playboy Enterprises founder said in a statement to PEOPLE. “My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom. He defined a lifestyle and ethos that lie at the heart of the Playboy brand, one of the most recognizable and enduring in history. He will be greatly missed by many, including his wife Crystal, my sister Christie and my brothers David and Marston, and all of us at Playboy Enterprises,” said Cooper Hefner, his son and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Ente...

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground , and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul (Gen 2:7). The formation of Man the unique being, life itself. Trying to understand life, what it is, what it entails, its purpose, its concept, and so on, i realised life itself is we humans, Man is the life we speak of, we are life, life is what we live here on the surface of earth. No wonder every single good or evil that takes place here on earth is attached to a being. Adolf Hitler is remembered for the world war II, Steve Jobs is remembered for making the unique technology called Apple, Abraham Linco ln  is known to be one of the greatest president America ever had, who wanted to make everything right, Nnamdi Azikwe , Obafemi Awolowo , Fela Anikulapo Kuti , Sheuh Shagari , Osama Bin Ladin , Sadamm Hussein , Mohammed Ghadaffi and so many more all have one thin in common and that is life, death and Memories. We remember this people ...

(CNN)At least 38 people were killed and 13 others injured in northern Haiti after a bus plowed into a festival crowd before dawn Sunday, in what local authorities said was a hit and run incident. The bus, owned by the transportation company Blue Sky Logistics, was carrying people from the northern Haitian city of Cap Haitien to the nation's capital, Port Au Prince. The bus encountered streets crowded with revelers celebrating Rara, a popular festive season in Haiti that stretches from Mardi Gras until Easter Sunday.

 Unhealthy environments are responsible for one-quarter of young child deaths, according to two new reports from the United Nations health agency, which reviewed the threats from pollutants such as second-hand smoke, UV radiation, unsafe water and e-waste. According to the latest information, polluted environments take the lives of 1.7 million children under the age of five. “A polluted environment is a deadly one – particularly for young children,” said Margaret Chan, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO). “Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water.” In one of the two reports, Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children's Health and the Environment , WHO announced that many of the common causes of death among children aged between one month and five years of age are preventable with safe water and clear cooking fuels. These include diarrhoea, malaria and pn...

A time to be born and a time to die,  A time to smile and a time to cry,  A time to speak and a time to be quiet,  A time to embrace and a time to chasten,  A time to gather and a time to scatter,  A time to whisper and a time to shout,  A time to rise and a time to fall, A time to see and a time be blind,  A time to listen and a time to be dumb,  A time to sing and a time to weep,  A time to eat and a time to fast,  A time to work and a time to rest,  A time to sow and a time to reap,  A time to  love and a time to hate,  A time to act and a time to watch,  A time to give and a time to take, A time to move and a time to stop, A time to sit and a time to stand, A time to crawl and a time to run, A time for all and a time for none. Life itself is time, we live according to it and effects are taken on our lives based on how attention is given to time. We all get to mak...

What makes life so worth living is the reality of death in it(life). Death in life, life after death. There is death here on earth and everything that lives will surely die according to the scientists, for that the major characteristic of life. Today, I write not to tell you about death here on earth for I believe every reasonable being should know its appointed to Man to die, even though we have heard of so many people who have gone round the world searching for a way to live forever, well I hope they find that which is not lost. I write these beautiful morning to tell you how important what men say at your tomb stone is, for there is a life after death. I quote the great teacher in the scripture St. John 11: 25-26 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this? Here the preacher is informing the woman whom He addresses about ...