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Showing posts from May, 2011

Adele Postpones 5 Tour Dates Due to Illness

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Adele 31 May 2011 12:00 Africa/Lagos Adele Postpones 5 Tour Dates Due to Illness PR Newswire NEW YORK, May 31, 2011 NEW YORK, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Records -- British singer Adele, currently with the #1 album and single in the U.S., has been forced to postpone 5 dates on her current sold-out tour of North America due to laryngitis. The singer was diagnosed last Thursday in Minneapolis, MN, where doctors ordered immediate rest and postponement of that night's engagement at First Avenue (rescheduled for June 22nd). Adele performed on Saturday evening in Denver, CO (Ogden Theater) which proved too early a return to the stage. Adele's show last Sunday evening in Salt Lake City, UT (The Depot) was postponed last minute when her illness worsened. The Grammy-winning vocalist is also forced to postpone shows in Vancouver, BC (Orpheum Theatre) on May 31, Seattle, WA (Paramount Theatre) on June 1 and Portland, OR (Crystal Ballroom) on June 3. The tour will resume on

Security Challenges in Nigeria

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Nigerian soldiers on patrol in an area of conflict. Security Challenges In Nigeria ~ By Albert Akpor Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says he is determined to improve security in the country with a new administration that takes power with Sunday's inauguration. Security was a driving issue in the presidential campaign following bomb blasts by militants from the oil-rich Niger Delta and attacks on police by members of an extremist Islamic group in the north. President Jonathan campaigned hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But rioting that immediately followed his election raised anew questions about security preparedness. The New York-based rights organization Human Rights Watch says Muslim-Christian electoral violence in northern states killed at least 800 people. President Jonathan says he is determined to protect Nigerians wherever they live. “As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That

Chevron continues to use desperate tactics to escape $18 Billion Court Judgment

Alex Thorne: Husband of Chevron Employee Poses as “Journalist” to Undermine Environmental Group Critical of Oil Giant’s Ecuador Catastrophe Oil Giant Continues To Use Cover of Independent Journalism To Escape $18 Billion Court Judgment Amazon Defense Coalition 30 May 2011 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE San Francisco, CA – Alex Thorne, the husband of a senior-level Chevron employee, has been posing as an independent “journalist” to send e-mails designed to intimidate funders of a small environmental organization that has been critical of Chevron’s management for refusing to pay the company’s court-ordered $18 billion liability in Ecuador. The stunning revelation about Thorne’s e-mails comes just days after several large Chevron shareholders blasted Chevron CEO John Watson for displaying "poor judgment" in Ecuador which “has led investors to question whether [Chevron’s] leadership can properly manage the array of environmental challenges and risks that it faces. The investors critical

Belfast marks 100th Anniversary of the Titanic

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Centenary is commemorated by TITANICa: The Exhibition & The People’s Story Belfast, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Belfast is set to mark the 100th anniversary of the launch of one of the city’s most famous creations – RMS Titanic. On May 31st 1911, Titanic was launched into Belfast Lough by Harland & Wolff – then the largest shipyard in the world. It took three years to build and just 62 seconds to complete the launch. To mark the occasion, there will be a special slipway event attended by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, dignitaries of Cherbourg and Titanic societies to reflect Belfast’s maritime heritage. There will also be a flare set-off to mark the moment exactly 100 years ago when the Titanic was launched. With a £7bn investment in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter and interactive visitor centre due to be unveiled in 2012, Tourism Ireland is keen to share the wonderful history of the Titanic through this programme of fantastic events. On 31st May 2011, The Ulster Folk & Transport Mus

Experts Help Boost Mobile Banking in Emerging Markets

27 May 2011 17:10 Africa/Lagos Experts Help Boost Mobile Banking in Emerging Markets PR Newswire CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 27, 2011 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mobile phone ownership is commonplace all over the world. A ubiquitous symbol of modernity, these communication devices are now a platform for providing financial services to underserved populations. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100916/DC66431LOGO) Darden School of Business Professor Frank Warnock and Batten Institute Fellow Veronica Cacdac Warnock have joined ShoreBank International (SBI) in their efforts to assist two new mobile banking companies achieve the goal of increased access to financial services for those outside the banking mainstream in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The team, whose participation is funded through SBI's $16.9 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will design a structure for evaluating the businesses and their progress toward the g

ARIK why now?

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ARIK why now? For over a year and half now, precisely since September 2009, ARIK Airline has refused to honour my request for a refund on two unused tickets- Business and Economy class (Sokoto to Lagos). I was at this time Personal Assistant to the former DG of the National Theatre Professor Ahmed Yerima and together we traveled to Sokoto for a conference but due to a delay in the arrival of their service, we left with another service so we can meet up with a meeting in Lagos. On return to Lagos, I sought their advice (at the ticketing and reservation section) on what to do since they had a policy of non re-routing and they advised that I could apply for a refund and i was availed numbers to call, for follow up. I have since then called & written severally but the last officer handling my case has even stopped picking my calls and would not reply my emails either. Please Editor, how best do you think i can get these monies refunded? ~ By Husseini Shaibu

President Goodluck Jonathan must prove himself to Nigerians

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It was a very calm Sunday as President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn-in at the Eagle Square in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, witnessed by thousands at the venue and millions of others followed the event on TV and the internet. There is relative peace in the Niger Delta as the former militants are now fully engaged in the Amnesty programme of the government, but the terrorist Islamist sect Boko Haram is still attacking and killing innocent citizens in Borno State. President Goodluck Jonathan should do his best to prove to Nigerians that he can lead without the interference of his discredited political godfathers like his former boss, the disgraced former state governor of Bayelsa State Diepreye Alamieyeseigha who was indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption and former President Olusegun Obasanjo who has done more harm than good to Nigerians. Mr. Jonathan does not need their excess political baggage in his mission to reform and transform the m

Rihanna is third sexiest woman alive!

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Rihanna The ultra sexy black, bold and beautiful singer Rihanna has been rated the third sexiest woman alive by FHM on the list of the selected 100 sexiest women alive in the world. The second on the list is Katy Perry and the number one is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley , Rosie Huntington Whiteley The problem with all these fake ratings is the fact that these dumb American magazines totally ignore the beautiful and wonderful women in Africa and Asia where we have the most beautiful and sexiest women on planet earth. You can check out the so called Top 99 women by Ask Men , the Esquire magazine voted Minka Kelly as the sexiest woman alive, but Ask Men disagreed. Then the gallery of sexiest black women is full of only black American celebrities without anyone chosen from Africa or other continents. Katy Perry Minka Kelly You can also see the sexiest babes on hottest Play Boy Covers . But any list of the most beautiful or sexiest women alive today without inclu

Security Challenges in Nigeria

Security Challenges in Nigeria ~ By Albert Akpor Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says he is determined to improve security in the country with a new administration that takes power with Sunday's inauguration. Security was a driving issue in the presidential campaign following bomb blasts by militants from the oil-rich Niger Delta and attacks on police by members of an extremist Islamic group in the north. President Jonathan campaigned hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But rioting that immediately followed his election raised anew questions about security preparedness. The New York-based rights organization Human Rights Watch says Muslim-Christian electoral violence in northern states killed at least 800 people. President Jonathan says he is determined to protect Nigerians wherever they live. “As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That includes the obligation to protect the lives and pr

G8/Africa joint declaration / Shared values, shared responsibilities

27 May 2011 20:02 Africa/Lagos G8/Africa joint declaration / Shared values, shared responsibilities ADDIS ABABA, May 27, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- G8/Africa joint declaration 1. The G8 and Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa, and the African Union Commission, highlight the importance of an enhanced partnership between the G8 and Africa. Africa is on the move, and is becoming a new pole for global growth, even if challenges to be addressed remain, particularly in the least developed countries. The G8 and Africa stand side-by-side during this key time of change. 2. To reach our objectives, we are determined to further promote together shared values, notably peace and human rights, democratic governance and sustainable development, and we will continue to endorse our respective and shared responsibilities in this regard, in a spirit of mutual accountability. * * * Peace, Security and Governance 3. We welcome the overall progress that has been made

Lest you forget, my father fought in Burma

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An African soldier during World War 2 The following true story is for Memorial Day and is published on the Red Room. Lest you forget, my father fought in Burma ~ by Chima Michael Ekenyerengozi May 26, 2011, 3:41 pm (In memory of my father Sunday Eke, who fought and survived the World War II in Burma) I have kept my father's identity card of Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF). But I have forgotten everything he told me about the role he and other thousands of Nigerians played as soldiers who fought for the British Empire and the allies in World War II . I do not know if my father won the coveted Burma Star. Marshall Kebby wrote about their exploits in Burma before he passed away over a decade ago. My father never kept a diary and it was after he died on November 19, 1983, that I knew that keeping a diary like Mr. Kebby would have helped me to know more about his past life as a soldier and ambulance driver before I was born. African soldiers of the Royal West African Frontier