2014 Oscar nominees list out!

The 2014 Oscar nominees list is out and some African actors are really shining this year. Chiwetel Ejiofor got a Best Actor nomination for his role in '12 Years a Slave', while Kenyan beauty Lupita Nyong'o got a Best Supporting actress nomination for same movie. Somalian Barkhad Abdi got Best Supporting actor nomination for his role as the main villain in Captain Phillips.

American Hustle and Gravity lead this year's Oscars with 10 nominations each, followed by 12 Years a Slave with 9. Captain Phillips - 6. Dallas Buyers Club - 6. Nebraska - 6. Her - 5 and The Wolf of Wall Street - 5.

Best picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best director
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O Russell, American Hustle
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best supporting actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Best animated feature
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest and Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises
Best foreign language film The Broken Circle Breakdown
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Missing Picture
Omar

Best Adapted Screenplay:
- Before Midnight
- Captain Phillips
- Philomena
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay:
- American Hustle
- Blue Jasmine
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Her
- Nebraska
Best Animated Feature Film:
- The Croods
- Despicable Me 2
- Ernest & Celestine
- Frozen
- The Wind Rises

Best Documentary Feature:
- The Act of Killing
- Cutie and the Boxer
- Dirty Wars
- The Square
- 20 Feet from Stardom

Best Foreign Language Film:
- The Broken Circle Breakdown Belgium
- The Great Beauty Italy
- The Hunt Denmark
- The Missing Picture Cambodia
- Omar Palestine

Best Cinematography:
- The Grandmaster Philippe Le Sourd
- Gravity Emmanuel Lubezki
- Inside Llewyn Davis Bruno Delbonnel
- Nebraska Phedon Papamichael
- Prisoners Roger A. Deakins

Best Film Editing:
- American Hustle
- Captain Phillips
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Gravity
- 12 Years a Slave
 
Best Original Score:
- The Book Thief, John Williams
- Gravity, Steven Price
- Her, William Butler and Owen Pallett
- Philomena, Alexandre Desplat
- Saving Mr. Banks, Thomas Newman

Best Original Song:
- “Alone Yet Not Alone” from – Alone Yet Not Alone
- “Happy” from – Despicable Me 2
- “Let It Go” from – Frozen
- “The Moon Song from – Her
- “Ordinary Love” from – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Sound Mixing:
- Captain Phillips
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Lone Survivor

Best Sound Editing:
- All Is Lost
- Captain Phillips
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Lone Survivor

Best Production Design:
- American Hustle
- Gravity Woollard
- The Great Gatsby
- Her
- 12 Years a Slave
 
Best Visual Effects:
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Iron Man 3
- The Lone Ranger
- Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Costume Design:
- American Hustle
- The Grandmaster
- The Great Gatsby
- The Invisible Woman
- 12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
- The Lone Ranger

Best Documentary Short Subject:
- CaveDigger
- Facing Fear
- Karama Has No Walls
- The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
- Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Best Short Film (Animated):
- Feral
- Get a Horse!
- Mr. Hublot
- Possessions
- Room on the Broom

Best Short Film (Live Action):
- Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)
- Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)
- Helium
- Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
- The Voorman Problem

President Jonathan sacks Service Chiefs, appoints new ones

President Jonathan has sacked Nigeria's Service Chiefs and appointed new ones.
According to a statement by Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, Air Marshall Alex Badeh is the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing Admiral Ola Ibrahim. Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah takes over from Lt.-General Azubike O. Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff.
  
Read the State House press release: 

 

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT JONATHAN APPROVES CHANGES IN MILITARY HIGH COMMAND

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria approved the following changes in the nation’s Military High Command:

Air Marshal Alex Badeh takes over from Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim as Chief of Defence Staff;

Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah takes over from Lt.-General Azubike O. Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff;

Rear Admiral Usman O. Jibrin takes over from Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu takes over from Air Marshal Badeh as Chief of Air Staff.

All the changes are with immediate effect.

The new Chief of Defence Staff and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Badeh was born on January 10, 1957 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s  21 Regular Course while the new Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Minimah was born on July 27, 1959 and joined the Army as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s  25 Regular Course. Until his new appointment, Major-General Minimah was the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, Jaji.

The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin was 

born on September 16, 1959 and joined the Navy as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 24 Regular Course. Until his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff, he was Director of Training at Defence Headquarters.

The new Chief of Air Staff and immediate past Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Vice Marshal Amosu was born on August 1, 1958 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 25 Regular Course. Until his new appointment, Air Vice Marshal Amosu was the Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command, Makurdi.

President Jonathan has briefed the leadership of the National Assembly on the appointment of the new service chiefs and will, in keeping with the provisions of the law, request the National Assembly to formally confirm the appointments when it reconvenes.

Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

January 16, 2014

UN Secretary General says'Nigeria anti-gay law ’ll fuel violence '

 

 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

credits: File copy

United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern on Wednesday at a new Nigerian law that criminalises same-sex relationships, which he fears could fuel prejudice and violence and risks obstructing an effective HIV/AIDS response.

The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly last May and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.

“The Secretary-General fears that the law may fuel prejudice and violence, and notes with alarm reports that police in northern Nigeria have arrested individuals believed by the authorities to be homosexuals, and may even have tortured them,” Ban’s press office said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, anti-gay sentiment and persecution of homosexuals is rife in Nigeria, so the new legislation is likely to be popular. Many African countries are seeking to tighten laws against homosexuality.

Under existing Nigerian federal law, sodomy is punishable by jail, but this bill legislates for a much broader crackdown on homosexuals and lesbians, who already live a largely underground existence.

“As UNAIDS and the Global Fund noted in a statement yesterday, the law also risks obstructing effective responses to HIV/AIDS,” Ban said.

punch

Meet the man who hasn't had a bath in over 60 years...

This Iranian man you see above hasn't allegedly had a bath for 60 years. Daily Mail reports that 80 year old Iranian Amou Haji hasn't washed for 60 years because he believes being clean will make him sick, and his favourite food is rotten porcupine.

To relax he likes to sit down and have a smoke, from a pipe packed with animal faeces. Mr Haji says he chose this way of life after going through some emotional setbacks in his youth and since then - perhaps unsurprisingly - he has become a bit isolated.

His home is in Dejgah village in the southern province of Fars in Iran where, once, a group of young men offered to give him a shower - but luckily he managed to escape.

At night he either sleeps in a hole in the ground, which is quite like a grave, or in an open brick shack which concerned locals built for him.

Mr Haji's smoking pipe is filled with animal faeces instead of tobacco

As well as cleanliness, Mr Haji also has an aversion to clean food and drink. He much prefers the rotten meat of dead animals and five litres of water a day from a rusty oil can.

 But don't think Mr Haji doesn't look after himself - when he wants to look his best he uses car mirrors for grooming, The Tehran Times reported.
And, when he needs a haircut, he simply burns his locks in a fire. As for clothing, he wears rags and, in the winter, a war helmet to ward off the cold . The last record of longest time going without showers belonged to a 66-year-old Indian man, Kailash Singh, who had not taken a bath over 38 years. Mr Haji claims to have beaten that.
 Daily Mail UK