Nigerian Times

Nigeria: Boko Haram Terrorism Threats: Police Headquarters Bombing and our security I must confess that I am neither surprised by the brazen attack on the headquarters of the Nigeria Police, the almighty Louis Edet House in Abuja, by members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, nor by the reaction of President Goodluck Jonathan. Why? I was in Maiduguri and Bauchi August for over a week in 2009 after the Boko Haram attacks that set Borno and Bauchi States ablaze, literally. The level of destruction was unprecedented. I visited the prison and police stations that were sacked. I went to the police college where senior police officers on course were slaughtered while sleeping. I saw churches that were bombed. I went to the sect’s headquarters located at the Maiduguri Railway Terminus Areas (MRTA) that had been destroyed and taken over by security men. I was told of the atrocities committed in that very compound and shown what was alleged to be the killing chamber of the sect’s leader, Ustaz Moh...

KBB.COM’S 2011 TOP 10 COOLEST NEW CARS UNDER $18,000: EDITORS RANK THIS YEAR’S BEST AFFORDABLE, COOL NEW CARS, PLACING 2012 FIAT 500 AT NO. 1 Personality-Filled, Amenity-Laden Vehicles Dominate This Year’s Kbb.com ‘Cool Cars’ List IRVINE, Calif., June 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The expert editors from Kelley Blue Book’s www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new car and used car information, today name the 2011 Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. In a new twist on an annual list published by Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, this year the editors ranked their top choices from 10 to one, naming the 2012 Fiat 500 as this year’s No. 1 affordable ‘Cool Car.’ Getting a bargain is special in good economic times, but in economic times like these -- when the economy is teetering, home prices continue to fall and fuel prices inexplicably bounce up to near-record levels -- getting a bargain is more special than ever. Despite the rising specter of inflation, there are still plenty of new cars available f...

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 25 Jun 2011 10:06 Africa/Lagos U.N. secretary-general commits to defending press freedom PARIS, June 24, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Press freedom, particularly free expression online, will be a priority for newly re-elected U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. chief pledged today in a meeting with the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders. The heads of both organizations said they were encouraged by statements made by the secretary-general in support of press freedom during the upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa. "The uprisings in the Middle East have demonstrated that people all over the world are hungry for information and cherish their ability to communicate with one another," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "This is a basic human aspiration grounded in international law." The organizations asked Ban, who at the beginning of his first term pledged to support jou...

Olympic athlete and women’s volleyball competitor Kerri Walsh uses her weapons-grade hotness in the fight against HIV/AIDS infection.

25 Jun 2011 10:06 Africa/Lagos Women's football teams ‘Give AIDS the Red Card' to keep children free from HIV GENEVA, June 24, 2011/location>)/ -- Captains of national football teams competing in the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 soccer championship in Germany are signing up to the Give AIDS the Red Card appeal in support of a global plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015. The Give AIDS the Red Card appeal, which was launched by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) one year ago at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, uses the power and outreach of football to unite the world around stopping new HIV infections in children. UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said, “As the most important international competition in women's football, this tournament provides a platform to raise global awareness about the campaign to keep babies from becoming infected with HIV, and their mothers from dying from AIDS.” Every day mor...

Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo State Governor Rochas: Declare State Of Emergency in State Public Schools ~ By Nwaorgu Faustinus Though the 2011general elections in Imo state have come and gone, with particular reference to the governorship polls where the people’s candidate, Rochas Okorocha defeated the incumbent governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim who did not leave any stone unturned in opening his frightful financial political muscle in order to perpetuate himself in office, which of course did fail. What is the trend now are the comments, analyses, advice, suggestions, opinions and articles against and for the legality behind the dissolution of the 27 LGAs by the new administration in Imo State. Primary School Pupils. Photo Credit: Imo State Blog Now that the parties involved (the state government and the dissolved Council LGAs) are locked in a legal battle over the dissolution of the Council Areas, which is the constitutional thing to do, one can not forget in a hurry the first c...

24 Jun 2011 11:04 Africa/Lagos Few Hate Shopping For Clothes, but Love of It Varies By Country To some, brands matter in clothes shopping, but to many, good brand names equal quality PR Newswire NEW YORK, June 24, 2011 NEW YORK, June 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- There are some people who just love to go clothes shopping. Then there are others who only do so when the clothes they currently own are literally wearing out and need to be replaced. Depending on where in the world one lives, there is a penchant for loving or hating shopping for clothes. In the U.S., there is a clear divide as 39% say they like shopping for clothes, and three in ten each say they neither like nor dislike it (30%) and dislike it (30%). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO) In other countries it is more clear and mostly in favor of shopping. Over nine in ten in India (92%) say they like shopping for clothes with over half (58%) saying they love it. Majorities in China (79%), Singapore (69%...

Faruk Lasaki’s Nigerian premiere of Changing Faces at 2011 EKOIFF The Nigerian premiere of Faruk Lasaki ’s spiritual thriller "Changing Faces" will definitely thrill the audience at the second Eko International Film Festival at the Silverbird Galleria from July 9-14, 2011. Faruk Lasaki is one of the ambitious filmmakers who are making Nigeria proud in the international arena by making movies that are quite different from the common Nollywood flicks. He is also an accomplished producer of award winning commercials and documentaries who got his first break with his 15 minutes short documentary "Scars" (CICATRIZES) that won him $20,000 at the É Tudo Verdade - Festival Internacional de Documentários in Brazil in 1998. "Changing Faces" is a 92 minutes metaphysical romantic thriller on the transference of spirits through sex as ‘Two unlikely bedfellows share a night of passion’ and their lives were never the same again. The film parades an international cast o...

NIGERIANS have taken to watching an old film—one of their own—since the presidential election last month. It shows intrigue and thievery at the court of an ancient king in the Niger Delta. Decked out in glittering costumes on an improvised sound stage, the wicked court at last collapses under the weight of its own sins. When it was released in 1999, “Saworoide” was seen as a commentary on the regime of Sani Abacha, who ruled (or, as some prefer, “dismembered”) Nigeria between 1993 and 1998. Once again, Nigerians are hoping to see the back of their ruling elite. Goodluck Jonathan, the president, wafts along on a wave of personal goodwill and is mostly seen as benign. It is the men and women around him whom voters blame for Nigeria’s woes. Click here to read the full report BUSINESS: African airlines Looking east Flying in Africa is getting easier Jun 16th 2011 ...

Social notworking Where do workers get the most days off? Different countries have very different standards. Which is the most (and least) slothful? Click here for more .

First Dual-Core, Dual-Channel, Dual Memory Superphone Primed to View, Create and Share 3D Content Including YouTube 3D DALLAS AND NEW YORK, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The ideal handset for on-the-move entertainment enthusiasts, LG THRILL™ 4G is the ultimate on-the-go superphone. Gamers will love it for the 3D games. Amateur cameramen will love the ability to create and share in 3D video. And, any customer looking for one of the most powerful and capable smartphones on the market will be delighted by the LG THRILL 4G. Key Facts * LG THRILL 4G to arrive in AT&T company-owned stores and online this summer with a leading suite of 3D content preloaded on the dual-core, dual-channel, dual memory Android 2.2 superphone. * Glasses-free, 4.3-inch, 3D display provides access to a portfolio of 3D content including preloaded 3D games, the Gameloft™ 3D Store, preloaded YouTube 3D, access to 3D movies from mSpot® and more. * Rear-facing dual five-megapixel stereoscopic cameras give...

Chike Ibekwe International award winning Nigerian filmmaker Chike Ibekwe is the President of the Jury at the 15th Ecrans Noirs Film Festival from June 18-25, 2011, in Yaoundé, Cameroun. Ibekwe's first feature “Eternal” was co-winner of the Golden Screen best film award with “An Unusual Woman” by Burkinabe director Abdoulaye Dao at the 2010 edition of the festival. The Festival Director Cameroon film maker Bassek Ba Kobhio said Ecrans Noirs was started as a meeting place for African filmmakers with the public and each other and to create a significant awareness for the cinema in Central Africa. The film festival has become a competitive event since three years ago, where all types and genres of African films are shown, along with films about Africa or African communities made by filmmakers outside Africa.

20 Jun 2011 16:33 Africa/Lagos The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Presented by Bank of America Celebrates Its 19th Year FREE OUTDOOR CLASSIC FILM SERIES JUNE 20 - AUGUST 22 Director, Milos Foreman, will attend on opening night to introduce "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" PR Newswire NEW YORK, June 20, 2011 NEW YORK, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, Bryant Park will be a destination for film buffs on summer nights in New York City, with an all-star legendary film line up for the 19th year of the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival presented by Bank of America and in association with The Bryant Park Corporation. Continuing the popular tradition of presenting "stars under the stars," the free outdoor festival returns Monday evenings at sunset, beginning June 20 and running through August 22. The season kicks off on the first day of summer with ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, starring Jack Nicholson as a patient who leads a revolt at a mental faci...

Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella attends the official Miss USA 2011. 20 Jun 2011 05:18 Africa/Lagos Miss California USA Crowned Miss USA 2011 During Live NBC Telecast PR Newswire LAS VEGAS, June 20, 2011 LAS VEGAS, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This evening, during one of the year's most watched live television events, a star-studded panel of judges chose Miss California USA, Alyssa Campanella , as Miss USA 2011. Bravo's "Watch What Happens: Live" host and executive producer Andy Cohen and "E! News" co-anchor Giuliana Rancic hosted the 60th Annual MISS USA® Pageant from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in one of the world's most electrifying cities, Las Vegas . Kelly Osbourne of E!'s "Fashion Police" and Susan Castillo, Miss USA 2003, were also on hand providing skybox color commentary throughout the LIVE telecast. Alyssa Campanella is a 21 year-old model from Sherman Oaks, California. After graduating a year early from high school, Camp...