Rallies Across North America Call for International Action Against Boko Haram

Rallies across North America Call for International Action against Boko Haram 
 Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) to Host Coordinated Rallies on July 5 Calling for International Support to Bring Back Kidnapped Girls 

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, July 5, 2014, Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) in the Americas will host a series of simultaneous rallies, called #UnitedAgainstBokoHaram to #BringBackOurGirls. The rallies will show a united front against the terrorist organization Boko Haram and call for the citizens and governments of United States, Canada, and all NIDOA host countries to support Nigeria in the global war against terrorism.

"These rallies across the Americas are a statement from Nigerians, and the citizens of the world who stand beside them, that we will not forget the atrocious acts being perpetrated against Nigerian children," said Chief Gabe Okoye, the chairman of NIDO in the Americas. "Through these rallies, we will show Boko Haram that we, and the international community, will not stand quietly by while women and children are abducted from their homes. We are telling them to bring back our girls."

Dr. Sandra Dafiaghor, the acting chair and organizer of the rallies, added, "Nigeria needs help to combat the global menace of terrorism. We are appealing to the American people and government to assist the Nigerian people with stopping Boko Haram and bringing back our girls."

The rallies will be held on Saturday, July 5, 2014, at various times throughout the day. The events will be held in the United States in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Greenville, S.C. Abroad they will be held in Windsor, Ontario and Belmopan, Belize. The rallies will show solidarity, raise local support, and promote an international call to action to find and release the more than 200 captive Chibok girls.

The militant Islamist group Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls in April 2014 and has since launched attacks across Nigeria, from a suicide bombing at a World Cup viewing site to terrorist bombings in northeastern Nigerian villages. The Nigerian government has actively pursued efforts, both at home and abroad, to release the girls and stop Boko Haram from terrorizing its citizens.

NIDO chapters across the Americas are banding together to call the international community to action. To learn more about the events, visit http://www.nigeriansunited.com/. Information will also be posted on Twitter at @NigeriansUnited and on Facebook at Nidos Americas. To follow along with the rallies on social media and to promote posts from the rally, use the hashtags: #UnitedAgainstBokoHaram and #BringBackOurGirls.

About NIDO
Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) in the Americas instills ethical consciousness and civic responsibility to enhance the socio-economic advancement of Nigerians and humanity. Established in 2000, the D.C.-based, non-profit promotes social advocacy, education, healthcare, technological and economic empowerment, as well as skills and cultural exchange projects. NIDO is recognized by the Nigerian government as the umbrella organization for all Nigerians in the Americas and Caribbean. To learn more, visit http://www.nidoamerica.org/.

SOURCE Nigerians in Diaspora Organization
CONTACT: Dr. Sandra Dafiaghor, Ag Chair, NIDOA, (219) 712-9567 or jeremi@prodigy.net; or Dr. Sam Afolayan, General Secretary, NIDOA, (403) 835-1752 or safolayan@nidoamerica.org

 Jul 01, 2014

• Posted at 14:00 WAT Rallies across North America Call for International Action against Boko Haram
• Posted at 13:45 WAT FEI Baruch Survey: Economic and Business Optimism Increases as CFOs Project Longer Term Progress on Global Concerns
• Posted at 00:31 WAT The 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union ends in Malabo
• Posted at 00:19 WAT Religious women have stake in conflict resolution and peace-building
• Posted at 00:12 WAT Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Nigeria
• Posted at 00:03 WAT Nigeria: Ban strongly condemns ongoing ‘horrific attacks' by Boko Haram
  
  

  

   

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Intangis Holdings: "Nigerian Bad Bank, Amcon Must Comply with the Rules When Dealing with Afribank - Mainstreet Bank"

LONDON, June 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Statement by Intangis Holdings:
Created in 2010 to deal with non performing loans held by Nigerian banks directly affected by the 2008 international financial crisis, the Nigerian Bad Bank structure Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (Amcon) has broadened its mandate to the detriment of transparency and governance requirements that are essential in a global business world. Having referred the Mainstreet Bank (formerly Afribank) case to the International Court of Arbitration (ICC) in Paris, Intangis Holdings is contemplating legal action against Amcon.
     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140630/694299 )

Background
After taking participation interests in the share capital of Afribank in 2010, Amcon organised the liquidation of the banking group and subsequent transfer of all its assets to a new structure, Mainstreet Bank, which it wholly owns. This liquidation concluded between 5 and 8 August 2011 harmed all Afribank's shareholders and creditors, including Intangis Holdings. Intangis Holdings referred the matter to the International Court of Arbitration, on 29 April 2011, which issued a preliminary decision in its favour in September 2013 and took the view that Mainstreet Bank was party to the contract between Intangis Holdings and Afribank.
Since that decision, Amcon has taken steps to divest from Mainstreet Bank while omitting to make provision as required by the international accounting rules (IFRS) for certain liabilities of the bank, estimated by Intangis Holdings at $1.4 billion.

Intangis Holdings calls for compliance with the international accounting rules (IFRS) and reserves the right to commence legal proceedings to assert its rights. At the time Amcon, which was only mandated to deal with Afribank's non-performing loans, invested in its share capital, the bank with a total assets of $3 billion was ranked 16th among West African banks according to the 2009 league table "The top 200 African banks" published by Jeune Afrique magazine. Afribank was also listed in the Dow Jones "Africa Titans 50" index. The target date for the divestment of Amcon's stake in Mainstreet Bank has been set for 15 September 2014.

"If Amcon manages to sell Mainstreet Bank after having organised such a transaction and without ensuring proper reporting of the bank's books, we would be dealing with a huge scandal. The banking group would be jeopardized, its customers endangered and its historic shareholders and creditors would suffer irreversible damages. Intangis Holdings cannot believe that the Nigerian authorities would tolerate such actions in contradiction to the requirement for transparency and good governance," declared Jean Missinhoun, senior partner of Intangis Holdings.

About Intangis Holdings
Intangis Holdings is an American financial and investment company (with offices in New York and London) established in 2001 and specialised in Emerging Markets. In Africa, Intangis Holdings has been involved in long-term with high potential projects. It participates in the equity and debt securities, credit and derivatives market. Intangis Holdings' strategic vision and perfect knowledge of the "new frontiers" gives it a unique insight into its investments in Africa. Intangis Holdings is one of the major players contributing to the development and deepening of African financial markets.

Contacts:
35°N
Philippe Perdrix (Francophone media)
Tel.: +33 (0)6 84 24 62 96
E-mail: pp@35nord.com
Romain Grandjean (Anglophone media)
Tel.: +33 (0)6 73 47 53 99
E-mail: rg@35nord.com

SOURCE Intangis Holdings

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Political Vampires and the Foolish Youths and Poor Masses in Nigeria

The future of Nigerian children has never been so bleak since the Nigerian-Biafran war. And these present tragedies have been caused by the evil greed for power of wicked political vampires in both the ruling party and the opposition.
They don’t care how many poor children are kidnapped or murdered as long as their own children are safe and far away from the reach of the Boko Haram marauders and murderers on rampage in the Middle Belt and northern states of Nigeria.

A group of the kidnapped Chibok school girls held by the ruthless Boko Haram Islamic terrorists in northern Nigeria.

All of them posing and posturing as political leaders are only pretenders and deceivers of the ignorant poor masses who are easily fooled by their lies and bribes; like the recent case in Ekiti state where sharing bags of rice is enough to buy the votes of the poor voters and bribe their recruiters of rented crowds who have no conscience and no shame and have become a disgrace of this generation. The eventual winner the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose gave 30, 000 bags of rice to students and market women, (http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fayose-shares-30-000-bags-of-rice-to-students-market-women/180889/). And as long as the poor masses are selling their birthright for cheap porridge, they will continue to be slaves of their greedy political paymasters and will continue suffering and dying in poverty.
Defending the poor masses in Nigeria is a waste of time, because they are as guilty as these evil doers who always send them on fool’s errand to carry out their heinous crimes of ritual murders, political riots, falsification of documents and rigging elections. So, they are reaping what they sowed.

These political vampires are actually bloody cultists masquerading in the camouflage of political parties and they enjoy human sacrifices of others to achieve their bloody goals of competing for political titles and misappropriation of public funds from the Niger Delta to Abuja and from Abuja to Minna and from Minna to Adamawa and from Adamawa to Katsina and from Katsina to Kaduna and from Kaduna to Kano and from Kano to Jos and from Jos to Yobe and from Yobe to Maiduguri.
But will they escape from the coming Judgment Day?
They will only escape, except there is no God, whether they believe in Him or not.

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Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett: The Quintessential Nigerian Actress

Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, OON, Fellow (SONTA)

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Second Edition celebrates Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett: The Quintessential Nigerian Actress.

I met Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett before 1980 when I was only 15 and wanted to be an actor and model. She and her husband Mr. Lycett had relocated to Nigeria after decades of living and working in the UK. They started two advertising and media companies called Partnership Advertising Limited (PAL) and Taiwo Ajai Communications in Ire Akari Estate, Isolo, Lagos. My family was living in Shomolu that was miles away from Isolo, but I always found my way to her place and she was a good mentor, even though there were times I felt that I did not live up to her high expectations of me as a young man. But after two years, I left acting and modeling to work as an artist and a script writer and I was a great success locally and internationally. We never saw each other for over two decades, but I was following news updates on her outstanding and laudable achievements in corporate Nigeria. Her corporate engagements took more of her time than acting, therefore she did not feature much on TV and cinema in Nigeria, but she mentored several young people who later made headlines in the Nigerian film industry that is now popularly called Nollywood. I will remain forever glad and grateful for what God did for me on Saturday June 22, 2013, when Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and accomplished veteran actor, musician and orator Jimi Solanke rocked the launching of my Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project at the popular Freedom Park on Lagos Island. They thrilled the audience with their impromptu short performance of anecdotes as they ad-libbed and danced in dramatic rapport. She challenged Nigerian youths and others not to rest on their oars after getting their academic degrees or diplomas. In her signature style of speaking in eloquent Queens English, she said even without degrees they could fulfill their dreams and achieve greater things for themselves and Nigeria with their special skills and talents as many proven successful achievers have done without academic qualifications.

The history of TV and cinema in Nigeria will not be complete without the appreciation of this awesome Amazon I call the quintessential Nigerian actress and a role model worthy of emulation by all young women who want to excel and succeed in the leadership of the new generation of Nigerian youths in the nation building of a New Nigeria.

See more in the 
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Second Edition coming out on Monday June 30, 2014.
A collector's treasure, celebrating the best in Nigerian motion picture in 150 pages.

There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth.

~ Leo Tolstoy

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FIFA World Cup 2014 Predictions: France Vs Nigeria

FIFA World Cup 2014 Predictions: France Vs Nigeria

Allez Les Bleus! Deschamps team stuttered against Equador, but how will they fare against African competition?

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IMAX and Ster-Kinekor Expand Partnership With Two New Movie Theaters in South Africa

IMAX and Ster-Kinekor Expand Partnership With A Further Two-Theatre Deal Building on Success of the IMAX® Theatre at Ster-Kinekor Gateway in Durban, 

South Africa's Top Exhibitor to Bring The IMAX Experience® to Pretoria East and Johannesburg 


NEW YORK, June 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Ster-Kinekor Theatres, a division of Primedia (Pty) Ltd., today announced an agreement for two further IMAX^® theatres.  The first IMAX theatre will be added to the exhibitor's upcoming multiplex at The Grove Mall in Pretoria East in June 2014, with a second to be added to another new multiplex at the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Johannesburg in the second half of 2015. The deal brings Ster-Kinekor's IMAX commitment to three theatres.


"Today's agreement is a direct result of the success of our first IMAX theatre in Durban, which has been tremendously popular with our patrons and has strengthened the overall performance of our multiplex," said Fiaz Mahomed, CEO, Ster-Kinekor. "IMAX helps us deliver on our commitment to offer our guests a premium entertainment experience and we are proud to bring more movie-goers in South Africa the biggest event films in the world's most immersive format."


"Given the box office success of the first IMAX theater in Durban, we are very pleased to see Ster- Kinekor commit to two additional locations in South Africa just nine months after their first opening," said Andrew Cripps, President of IMAX EMEA.  "South Africa was one of a number of new countries that we entered in 2013, which also included Germany, Switzerland, and Portugal, and it is clear there is a growing appetite for IMAX in the market. We look forward to working with Ster-Kinekor to help build the IMAX brand throughout the country."


About Ster-Kinekor Theatres
Ster-Kinekor Theatres is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Primedia Group and is the largest movie exhibitor on the African continent. The company operates 54 commercial cinema complexes in South Africa, with five international sites based in Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The cinema chain's sites house more than 450 large-scale screens, over 64000 seats and the largest 3D footprint featuring more than 120 state-of-the-art 3D screens across the country.


As the industry leader, Ster-Kinekor has pioneered cinema concepts such as Cinema Nouveau, one of the world's largest dedicated art-house multiplex circuits, and the luxurious Cine Prestige theatres, the first 'business class' cinema experience in South Africa. It boasts one of the few cinemas on the continent that is fitted with the advanced Dolby Atmos sound system (at Gateway in Durban); and has headed the return of The IMAX Experience^®, with the opening of the IMAX^® Theatre at Gateway in 2013. As one of South Africa's most loved brands, it is Ster-Kinekor's ongoing mission to become synonymous with the unrivalled magic of the cinema experience, by providing 'Great Moments at Their Greatest'. During 2013, the company embarked on a massive roll-out project to convert and equip every cinema with the very latest in digital projection and sound technology. The result of this upgrade is that every cinema now boasts state-of-the-art cinema technology that encompasses 2K and 4K digital projection and 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems.
The award-winning SK App, which is downloadable on all smart phone operating systems, is interactive, user-friendly and feature-rich, and recently recorded its 1.5-millionth download. The new-look SK Club loyalty programme rewards members with redeemable points when they swipe their card when buying movie tickets or catering. Combined with industry leading loyalty programmes from Edcon and Discovery Vitality, these give Ster-Kinekor a strong consumer value proposition and competitive advantage.

As the market leader, Ster-Kinekor aims to spearhead the advancement of cinema across both South Africa and the rest of Africa, to ensure that consumers continue to experience movies as they were made to be seen – on the big screen.
See more at: www.sterkinekor.com


About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.


IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.


IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAX nXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).


This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.


For additional information please contact:

Investors: IMAX Corporation, New York Teri Loxam 212-821-0100 tloxam@imax.com Business Media: Sloane & Company, New York Whit Clay 212-446-1864 wclay@sloanepr.com

Media: IMAX Corporation, New York Ann Sommerlath 212-821-0155 asommerlath@imax.com Entertainment Media: Principal Communications Group, Los Angeles Melissa Zuckerman/Paul Pflug 323-658-1555 melissa@pcommgroup.com paul@pcommgroup.com

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Nairaland Under Attack Since Sunday

Nairaland Under Attack Since Sunday 

Nigeria's most popular and most visited website Nairaland has been offline since Sunday and only returned online today with an announcement on the homepage that it was under an unspecified attack.

 "Nairaland is trying to recover from an attack that led to data loss. Please bear with us." 

The founder and owner Mr. Oluwaseun Osewa said on his Twitter page:

“It may be worse than you think. It may take much longer than you expect.” ‘We failed to protect what you entrusted to us. We tried, but we failed. We wish we would have been the only ones affected by our failure.” “We’re going into a quiet period to concentrate on bringing back Nairaland. By the end of the week, we will be able to answer your questions.”

We hope Nairaland will be full restored asap, because it is the most vibrant online forum for popular democracy and free speech for millions of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria.

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Nollywood and the French Connection

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® presents a special never before done feature on Nollywood and the French Connection: How the French Government Boosted the Global Phenomenon of Nollywood. Since 1984 when the Fonds Sud Cinéma fund was started for film projects from Africa, America, Latin America and the Near and Middle East, Asia (except Korea, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan) and some eastern European countries: (Albania, former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Republics of central Asia), many filmmakers have benefited from it until it was replaced by the newly created Aide aux cinémas du monde in 2012. It was financed by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and jointly executed by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC),


The Aide aux cinémas du monde "World Cinema Support", created 2012 is a new fund dedicated to international co-productions. Jointly created by the Ministry for Culture and Communication and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, it is managed by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée (CNC) and the Institut français.

Millions of people do not know how much the Fonds Sud Cinéma fund boosted the growth of Nollywood and Pierre Barrot,a former Regional Audio-Visual Attaché at the French Embassy in Lagos even edited one of the first books on the emergence of Nollywood in his Nollywood: the Video Phenomenon in Nigeria, Indiana University Press, 2009. And before him, the other first major book on Nigerian cinema, The Cinema in Nigeria was written by another French, Françoise Balogun. Delta, 1987. She is the wife of one of the first most accomplished filmmakers in Nigeria, Dr. Ola Balogun.


The beneficiaries of the French connection made movies that raised the bar in Nollywood and they include Chike Ibekwe, Faruk Lasaki and Tunde Kelani. But some of them made movies that bombed. Who are the others? Find out in the third edition of NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®, the special volume to celebrate the Nigeria Centenary with 100 Stars of Nollwyood and Kannywood, coming out in October 2014.


Nobody does it better.
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® 

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Moscow International Film Festival Affected By Sanctions Against Russia

Moscow Fest Affected By Sanctions Against Russia 

The Moscow International Film Festival, which kicked off yesterday, is feeling the heat of international sanctions against Russia. Some foreign producers wouldn't let their films be screened, and the foreign guest list is ...

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119 Students Escaped During Boko Haram Attack on Chibok School

 

A  group of the kidnapped Chibok school girls in a Boko Haram video.

119 students managed to escape before their remaining colleagues were abducted when the Boko Haram terrorists invaded the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14.
Read full report on 
http://www.punchng.com/news/219-chibok-schoolgirls-still-missing-fg-panel/.

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