World Council of Churches Wants Nigerian President To Support Christian Muslim Joint Efforts for Peace

26 Jan 2012 10:56 Africa/Lagos



WCC asks Nigerian president to support Christian Muslim joint efforts for peace

GENEVA, January 26, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed deep sadness over the current wave of violence in Nigeria, calling on the churches to pray for the victims, and asking Nigerian president to support solidarity efforts for peace by both Christians and Muslims in the country.

In his letter to the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, Tveit wrote, “We continue to mourn the loss of life, particularly among those who were killed in brutal attacks this past weekend in Kano and the attacks on and deaths of Christian worshipers celebrating the mass service of Christmas in Abuja only a month ago.”

Tveit urged the need to remain both “vigilant and prayerful” as the recent developments in Nigeria pose a threat to peace and stability in the region.

He said that actions of both Christian and Muslim leaders working together in Nigeria will ultimately allow both communities to live in peace.

“Nigeria cannot become another battlefield where religion is used to promote division, hatred and allowing for destructive intentions. Christians and Muslims around the world offer their support to our sisters and brothers in Nigeria to enable them to live together in peace.”

On behalf of the churches, Tveit expressed condolence to the bereaved families suffering from the violence and hoped for the justice and healing of victims in the country.


Source: World Council of Churches (WCC)

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Basketmouth, The Funniest Man in Nigeria Drops First Single

The funniest man in Nigeria, Basketmouth drops first single Where You Dey featuring the popular young hip hop singer Whizkid and also eLDee.



I am a fan and I really Digg his hilarious THE BIG FRIDAY SHOW on MTV Base.

Basketmouth whose real name is Bright Okpocha is a native of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria and a graduate of Sociology and Anthropology from University of Benin, UNIBEN, who dropped his certificates to become a stand-up comedian. And he has no apologies or regrets for doing so since that has brought him both fame and fortune as the most bankable comic act in the most populous country in Africa.


~ By Orikinla Osinachi, author of Scarlet Tears of London, In the House of Dogs and other books.

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Rivers State: Traders and Multiple Ticketing Agents at Oil Mill Market

Rivers State: Traders and Multiple Ticketing Agents at Oil Mill Market

~ By Nwaorgu Faustinus

In the time past, this writer wrote an article with the caption “Nigeria: Rivers State – the Bill on Illegal Development published in some online media sites and a few national dailies where he commented on the collection of all sorts of levy from land developers, borehole drilling companies among others. In that opinion piece I noted that “ It is no longer uncommon to see building projects such as the laying of foundation, erection of fence, sinking of borehole and molding of blocks at site of a building stopped by agents who claim to be task force for the collection of development fee. Work at such sites can commence only when the agents are settled”.

In the same article I also drew the attention of the appropriate authority charged with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of Ticketing Agents at the market where I wrote “It is also important to draw the attention of the state government and the local government that oversees the collection of revenue from traders at the Oil Mill Market on Wednesdays, on the activities of agents that impose multiple levy on petty traders at the market. The manner the agents go about the collection of levy leaves one to wonder if the money collected eventually gets to the appropriate authority”.

Respite later came when the bill prohibiting of the collection of development was passed into law by the Rivers State House of Assembly. While one thought that the passage of the bill into law would put a total stop to the collection of the said levy, a few of these agents who have not turned over a new leaf as alleged by some residents in Elelenwo/Akpajo have continued to look out for people developing their land, borehole drilling companies, drilling boreholes in residential homes, labourers digging the foundation of building sites etc, with the aim of pressuring them to pay the obnoxious “Marching Ground”.

In addition, the second and most important issue raised in this piece which is the selling of multiple tickets to traders who sell their wares at the Oil Mill Market every Wednesday has become a serious matter given the alleged indiscriminate method the ticketing agents or touts go about their duties. Most times petty traders who cannot bear the multiple tickets as it allegedly left them with little or no profit, gets embroiled with the ticketing agents who oftentimes confiscate their wares and at the extreme inflict indelible injury on recalcitrant ones who do not want to let go of their wares. Is it when these agents kill someone or give those concerned to checkmate this multiple ticketing a bad name, (if they have not gotten the bad name already) that something urgent and immediate should be done about them (ticketing agents)? According to a petty trader at the market who does not want her name mentioned said the multiple ticketing has led to some traders who come from Aba, in Abia State, to stop coming to the market to sell their wares while others in Rivers State have followed suit by constructing kiosks and tables where they display and sell their merchandise either in front of their homes, their landlady or landlord’s homes or any other place where they are not harassed or assaulted by the agents.

Needless to say a major share of revenue which ought to accrue to the state government is lost as a result of the so to say corrupt and greed-propelled multiple ticketing orchestrated by ticketing agents. It is not late for the Rivers State government to harmonize these different tickets into one or two to save the traders the assaults and harassment they go through in the hands of ticketing agents. It is therefore incumbent on the state government and the appropriate local government to monitor these agents and to put suitable mechanism in place; judicious levy collection devoid of any underhand dealings, proper accounting of money collected etc.

It is believed if the above is done, the unnecessary multiple ticketing that characterize the collection of levy at the market as part of the state government/local government internally generated revenue would be checked and sanity will not only return to Oil Mill Market but also traders who have been scared away from the market will come back. God bless Rivers State.


Nwaorgu Faustinus writes from Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Mobile: +2348035601312. Email ngorokpalaresearcher@gmail.com or ngorokpalaresearcher@yahoomail.com

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Boko Haram: In the Eyes of the World

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Rape on Big Brother Brazil!

Daniel Echaniz is alleged to have raped Monique Amin live on the Big Brother house in Brazil after a steamy house party.

Click here to see the video on our Reality TV.

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Gays Are Rotten - Zulu Monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu

Did his royal highness say gays are rotten?
OMG! He is in trouble o!
But of course, who does not know that Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini does not like gays and he is the last person to pretend otherwise unlike the hordes of hypocrites in our midst who want to live in denial of their homophobia. But would you blame an old man with many wives and over 27 children in a kingdom where virgins parade topless before him and other men to take their pick of the sexiest black hottie to take home and deflower overnight.

Well, if he says gays are rotten, who isn't?
Is there any human without sin?

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Arianna Huffington Receives Aenne Burda Award

Arianna Huffington Receives Aenne Burda Award



Arianna Huffington, founder and chief-executive editor of the Internet-newspaper The Huffington Post, was honored with the Aenne Burda Award during the last day (January 24) of the international digital conference DLD in Munich. Dr. Maria Furtwängler-Burda consigned the trophy, a statue of Pallas Athene. The award honors successful and creative female entrepreneurs with visionary ideas from the digital world, this year for the seventh time already. Maria Furtwängler pleaded in her laudatory speech for female empowerment as start-up founders. Arianna Huffington could serve as a role model here: “Arianna Huffington experienced backstrokes and was never deterred by them – her fearlessness is a stimulus for women, to get active themselves.”

Arianna Huffington, born as Arianna Stassinopoulos in July 1950 in Greece, counts as one of the leading and most influential women of the modern media generation. Still in May 2005, when “Huffington Post” entered the online-media world, nobody took her serious. Today, six years later, “Huffington Post” is a constant in American journalism. In February 2011 the internet corporation AOL acquired “Huffington Post” for $315 million. Huffington is also a successful book author and published, among others, “One Becoming Fearless: …in Love, Work and Life” and “Third World America”. In 2006 and 2011 Huffington was on Time Magazine’s “Time 100” list, which features the 100 most influential people worldwide.

The “Aenne Burda Award for Creative Leadership” honors women for their entrepreneurial and creative achievements within the digital industry. The price is consigned in memory of the visionary entrepreneur Aenne Burda, one of the gorgeous symbolic figures of the German post-war generation. After 1949, Aenne Burda grew the world’s biggest fashion publishing house. The award is consigned since 2006. Earlier honorees are Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Google (2006), Flickr founder Caterina Fake (2007), TV-presenter and entrepreneur Martha Stewart (2008), internet-pioneer and investor Esther Dyson (2009), chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation Mitchell Baker (2010) as well as Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet (2011).

For more information: www.dld-conference.com
About DLD:

DLD is a Burda Digital company, one of the leading European Internet companies related to a media group. The group with managed revenues of Euro 1.2 billion contains the companies Tomorrow Focus AG, Burda Consumer Tech Group, Burda Direkt Services and Xing AG as well as a venture business with holdings in, among others, Zooplus, Glam Inc. and Ubermedia.

Further information:
Michael A. Pries
Corporate Communications
Hubert Burda Media
Tel.:+49 89 9250-3784
Mail: michael.pries@burda.com

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'The Artist' Tipped To Sweep the Oscars

24 Jan 2012 17:52 Africa/Lagos

Oscars Betting Suggests The Artist Will Sweep the Board, Report Sky Bet

LONDON, January 24, 2012/PRNewswire/ --



Leading online betting firm Sky Bet has unveiled its full list of Oscars betting [http://www.skybet.com/betting/tv-and-film-specials/oscars/t10003442.html ] markets following the announcement of the 84th Academy Awards nominations on Tuesday.

Black and white silent movie 'The Artist', which last week picked up the Producers Guild Award and also won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy/Musical, is Sky Bet [http://www.skybet.com ]'s clear favourite to win Best Picture at 2/7, with the odds having been cut from a pre-Christmas 2/1.

The French tribute to the silent movie has ten Oscar bids, although it was beaten by Scorsese's 3D charmer 'Hugo', which received 11 nods. This augurs well for its Best Picture hopes as the most nominated film has taken the top prize 15 times in the last 20 years and Sky Bet make 'Hugo' a 10/1 shot, behind Golden Globe Best Drama champion, 'The Descendants' (4/1).

'The Artist' dominates several other categories, with its helmsman Michel Hazanavicius odds-on favourite (8/13) to win Best Director and its leading man Jean Dujardin second in the Best Actor betting at 2/1. George Clooney is hot favourite at 2/5 to take home the lead actor gong for his performance in comedy-drama 'The Descendants'. Gary Oldman picked up his first ever Oscar nomination for 'Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy' and is quoted at 33/1.

Double Oscar winner and 17-time nominee, Meryl Streep, is the short-priced favourite at 1/2 to scoop a third gong for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady'. Viola Davis is her nearest rival for Best Actress at 9/4, with 'My Week with Marilyn' star, Michelle Williams, another threat at 11/4.

Sky Bet's Oscars betting expert, Helen Jacob, said: "The Artist seems way ahead of its rivals in the race to win the top Oscar.

"Other categories, however, are not so clean cut, with the battle for best actress between Meryl Streep and Viola Davis looking particularly close."

For Best Supporting Actor, Christopher Plummer ('Beginners') looks all but home and hosed at 1/12 and Octavia Spencer at 1/8 ('The Help') looks to have the Best Supporting Actress category sewn up.

Sky Bet is also offering a host of novelty special bets on the Oscars ceremony itself, which takes place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, February 26th.

Veteran actress Meryl Streep accidentally swore onstage at the Globes and Sky Bet go 7/2 that the Oscars best actress winner turns the air blue again in her acceptance speech. It's even money that the best actress cries during her speech and 10/1 that any recipient's address consists of a single 'Thank you!'

Sky Bet Odds: Oscars Betting

Best Film

The Artist 2/7 The Descendants 4/1 Hugo 10/1 War Horse 12/1 Midnight in Paris 25/1 The Help 25/1 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 25/1 Moneyball 40/1 The Tree of Life 66/1

Best Actor

George Clooney - The Descendants 2/5 Jean Dujardin - The Artist 2/1 Brad Pitt - Moneyball 14/1 Demian Bichir - A Better Life 25/1 Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 33/1

Best Actress

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady 1/2 Viola Davis - The Help 9/4 Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn 11/4 Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs 14/1 Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 20/1

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist 8/13 Martin Scorsese - Hugo 2/1 Alexander Payne - The Descendants 11/2 Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris 16/1 Terrance Malik - The Tree of Life 20/1

Best Supporting Actress

Octavia Spencer 1/8 Berenice Bejo 8/1 Jessica Chastain 14/1 Melisasa Mccarthy 14/1 Janet McTeer 20/1

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Plummer 1/12 Kenneth Branagh 7/1 Max Von Sydow 12/1 Nick Nolte 12/1 Jonah Hill 25/1


Oscars specials

Lead or supporting actress to cry during acceptance speech Evens

Lead or supporting actor to swear during acceptance speech 9/4

Lead or supporting actress to swear during acceptance speech 7/2

Lead or supporting actor to cry during acceptance speech 6/1

Any recipient's speech to consist of single "thank you" 10/1

Streaker to run on stage and interrupt ceremony 16/1

Any of the 6 major award winners to drop the statuette 16/1

Any winner to fall over on stage 20/1

George Clooney win best actor and Meryl Streep win best actress Evens

George Clooney win best actor and The Descendants win best picture 11/2

George Clooney to win an Oscar Yes 1/2 no 6/4

Bad night for the bookies? All pre-show favourites to win (George Clooney actor, Meryl
Streep actress, Christopher Plummer supporting actor and Octavia Spencer supporting
actress.) 6/4




Oscars best actress dress designer

Stella McCartney 5/1

Valentino 6/1

Donna Karan 10/1

Alberta Ferretti 10/1

Balenciaga 10/1

Dior 10/1

Carolina Herrera 10/1

Yves Saint Laurent 10/1

Catherine Malandrino 12/1

Raoul 12/1

Herve L. Leroux 12/1

Armani 12/1

Alessandra Rich 16/1

Givenchy 16/1

Versace 16/1

Emilio Pucci 16/1

Prada 16/1

Akris 20/1

Chris March 20/1

Gucci 25/1

Chanel 25/1

Victoria Beckham 33/1

Jenny Packam 40/1

Vivienne Westwood 40/1



Notes: Other on request.

To bet on the Oscars, click here [http://www.skybet.com/betting/tv-and-film-specials/oscars/t10003442.html ]

Notes to editor

About Sky Bet

Sky Bet is the sports betting division of Sky Betting and Gaming, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (Sky). One of the country's leading betting and gaming companies, Sky Bet is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire and fully licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC). Sky Bet offers an online sports betting service http://www.skybet.com and boasts a recently enhanced mobile platform, Sky Bet Mobile. The Sky Bet app is free to download from the iTunes App store. Customers can also bet through their TV or by telephone.


For more information, please contact:

Helen Jacob, Sky Bet PR Manager
Helen.jacob@bskyb.com
+44(0)113-389-5941
+44(0)7866-442167

Source: Sky Bet

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PR Newswire's ProfNet Relaunches 'Expert Alerts' Newsletter for Journalists

24 Jan 2012 16:00 Africa/Lagos

PR Newswire's ProfNet Relaunches 'Expert Alerts' Newsletter for Journalists

New features include thorough expert info, job opportunities, and links to industry blog posts

NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PR Newswire's ProfNet, a service that revolutionized communications by linking journalists and other content creators with expert sources, has relaunched its free newsletter for journalists, Expert Alerts.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120124/NY40377)
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110719/NY37427LOGO )

The updated version, sent to registered journalists by email, contains comprehensive information about experts who are available to discuss timely news topics, as well as links to media job listings and other industry news and resources. Expert Alerts is distributed weekly in three editions, covering various industry sectors:

Mondays: Business, Finance & Technology
Wednesdays: Government, Law, Education & Science
Fridays: Health, Entertainment & Living

Recent newsletters have included experts on the Super Bowl, SOPA, tax planning, wedding trends, the 2012 election, and more.

To view a sample, click here.

As with all of ProfNet's services for media professionals, the e-newsletter is available at no charge. To sign up to receive the Expert Alerts newsletter via email, writers can simply contact profnet@profnet.com with the edition(s) they're interested in receiving.

About ProfNet

ProfNet is a service of PR Newswire that links journalists and other writers with expert sources. Features include ProfNet Queries, via which writers can submit requests for subject-matter experts; Expert Alerts, a listing of experts who can talk about timely news topics; and ProfNet Connect, a searchable online database of nearly 50,000 PR professionals, experts and other writers. For more information, visit http://www.profnetconnect.com

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 57 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content — from rich media to online video to multimedia — and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.


Media Contacts
Meryl Serouya
PR Newswire
201.360.6009
Meryl.Serouya@prnewswire.com

SOURCE PR Newswire Association LLC

Web Site: http://www.prnewswire.com

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Nigeria Orders 126 T3 Electric Vehicles To Combat Boko Haram?

T3 Motion, Inc. (NYSE AMEX:TTTM) a producer of clean/green technology, announced that T3 Motion has received an order from newly-appointed Nigerian distributor for 126 T3 Electric Stand-up Vehicles (ESV) and 126 Motiontrak GPS tracking systems. The vehicles are anticipated to be used for government customs and security initiatives.

The T3 ESV is an electric law enforcement patrol vehicle known for its command presence, quick response time and iconic look that is designed to decrease operating costs, reduce crime and increase patrol capabilities. More than 3,000 T3 Series vehicles have been deployed in over 30 countries worldwide.

Click here for more details.

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