Actor Peter O'Toole dies at age 81

The star, best known for 'Lawrence of Arabia', received eight Oscar nominations before getting an honourary one in 2003. Actor Peter O'Toole, who shot to international fame in the blockbuster movie "Lawrence of Arabia", has died aged 81 in London after a long illness, his agent said. O'Toole died in a London hospital on Saturday after battling a long illness. If you can't do something willingly and joyfully, then don't do it. If you give up drinking, don't go moaning about it; go back on the bottle. Do. As. Thou. Wilt. Peter O'Toole O'Toole's family said it was overwhelmed "by the outpouring of real love and affection being expressed towards him, and to us, during this unhappy time." "In due course there will be a memorial filled with song and good cheer, as he would have wished," O'Toole's daughter, Kate, said in the statement. Seamus Peter O'Toole was born on August 2, 1932, the son of Irish bookie Patrick "Spats" O'Toole and his wife Constance. There is some question about whether he was born in Connemara, Ireland, or in Leeds, northern England, where he grew up. He began his acting career as one of the most exciting talents on the British stage, but his big break came when he was cast in the lead role in 1962's "Lawrence of Arabia", a performance that garnered him his first Oscar nomination. Playwright Noel Coward reportedly once said that if O'Toole had been any prettier in the film, they would have had to call the movie "Florence of Arabia". O'Toole would eventually receive eight Oscars nominations, and with that, he set the record for most nominations without ever winning. He was finally given an honorary Oscar in 2003. A reformed but unrepentant 'hell-raiser', O'Toole long suffered from ill health, as years of heavy drinking and chain-smoking took their toll.
Ireland pays tribute
But nothing diminished his flamboyant manner and candor. "If you can't do something willingly and joyfully, then don't do it,'' O'Toole once said. "If you give up drinking, don't go moaning about it; go back on the bottle. Do. As. Thou. Wilt." O'Toole gave up drinking in 1975 following serious health problems and major surgery. But he didn't give up smoking unfiltered Gauloises cigarettes in an ebony holder. That and his penchant for green socks, voluminous overcoats and trailing scarves suited his fondness for drama. A month before his 80th birthday in 2012, O'Toole announced his retirement from a career that he said had fulfilled him emotionally and financially, bringing "me together with fine people, good companions with whom I've shared the inevitable lot of all actors: flops and hits". Irish President Michael D Higgins said it was "with great sadness" that he heard of O'Toole's death. "Ireland, and the world, has lost one of the giants of film and theatre," he said in a statement.

"We steal because you never stoned us for it" - Gov Rotimi Amaechi

Speaking at a tribute event for Nelson Mandela in Lagos on Friday, Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi said the reason political office holders steal is because citizens let them. "Even the musicians, you're singing about us, the leaders? If you see a thief and you allow him to be stealing, what do you do? You have stoned nobody that's why we are stealing. Who have you stoned? We came out and you started dancing, the oil subsidy, we told you they stole N2.3trillion, what did you do? Instead you're protesting. The oil subsidy that is not reaching the poor, few individuals are going away with the money, you have done nothing, you are mourning Madiba, 95 years. It's good to steal if you can't fight back. You have heard about $50billion, nobody is talking, we are debating whether can he talk to the president like that. In some countries people will be on the street, until they return that money. $50billion is N8trillion, it will change Nigeria. Me I want to steal only $1billion, let them bring it" He saidWell said. See the video after the cut..

Mandela laid to rest

QUNU – A 21-gun salute and full honour guard escorted the coffin of Nelson Mandela as his state funeral got underway Sunday in the rolling hills of his rural boyhood home. A Xhosa hymn, “Fulfill Your Promise”, sounded the start of the ceremony, organised to reflect the traditions of his tribe and the pride of the country he transformed as dissident and president. The specially constructed marquee venue held 4,500 people, with pride of place going to Mandela’s family, including his widow Graca Machel and ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Top government officials and foreign dignitaries and celebrities, ranging from Britain’s Prince Charles to US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, were also in attendance. Mandela’s flag-draped casket was brought to the ceremony on a gun carriage as the 21-gun salute rang out over the surrounding hills of Eastern Cape province. The funeral closes the final chapter on a towering public figure whose courage and moral fortitude turned him into a global symbol of freedom and hope. And it ends 10 days of national mourning during which hundreds of thousands of South Africans turned out in torrential rain and searing sunshine to grieve, remember and celebrate the life of their first elected black leader. The formal section of the state funeral was to last two hours and was broadcast around the world. The public was shut out of the interment itself, which the family has insisted will be a private affair with close friends. The graveyard sits on the sprawling family estate Mandela built in Qunu after his release from prison in 1990. “It was in that village that I spent some of the happiest years of my boyhood and whence I trace my earliest memories,” he wrote in his autobiography. Overseen by male members of his clan, the burial will include the slaughter of an ox — a ritual performed through various milestones of a person’s life under the clan’s traditions. During the ceremony, Mandela will be referred to as Dalibhunga — the name given to him at the age of 16 after undergoing the initiation to adulthood Mourners will wear traditional Xhosa regalia, with blue and white beaded headgear and necklaces. Xhosa speakers are divided into several groups, including the Thembu people, of which Mandela is a member. Although Mandela never publicly declared his religious denomination, his family comes from a Methodist background. Tutu attends burial Funeral plans were briefly overshadowed by an outcry after Mandela’s old friend and fellow Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu said he had not been invited. In the end Tutu did attend, and the government tried to brush off the confusion as a misunderstanding. Tutu — who baptised South Africa the “Rainbow Nation” — has been a persistent critic of the government of President Jacob Zuma and has also spoken out against infighting in Mandela’s family. Over the years, the archbishop emeritus has presided over the funerals of some of the anti-apartheid movement’s leading lights, including Steve Biko, Chris Hani and Walter Sisulu. While Mandela had been critically ill for months, the announcement of his death on December 5 was still sent a spasm through a country struggling to carry forward his vision of a harmonious multi-racial democracy of shared prosperity. For the rest of the world, it marked the loss of that rarest of world leaders who are viewed with near universal respect and admiration. Gushing tributes poured in from every corner of the globe, although Mandela himself had always stressed he was part of a communal leadership and resisted any move towards his public canonisation — posthumous or otherwise. “He is finally coming home to rest, I can’t even begin to describe the feeling I have inside,” said 31-year-old Bongani Zibi, a mourner in Qunu, as the funeral cortege carrying Mandela’s casket arrived on Saturday. “Part of me is sad but I’m also happy that he has found peace.” Readers Tribute Readers can write their tributes to the world statesman Nelson Mandela on the comments section below

See Victor Moses one year old son, Bentley

The football star welcomed his son, Bentley Moses, with a girlfriend in September 2012. He's such a cutie...

Snow in Cairo, Egypt for the first time in over 100 years

For the first time in over 100 years, a winter storm has brought snow to a city known for its heat and sand, Cairo in Egypt.
According to local reports, it happened over night and unexpectedly on Wednesday Dec. 11th. An official of Egypt's Meteorological centre said it was first time in decades since the last snowfalls and it took residents of Cairo suburbs by surprise. But most are delighted because they have never seen snow before.They took to Twitter to post their amazement in words and shared pictures The snowfall has forced the closure of the country's ports and several other businesses for a days now. Who wants snow in Nigeria?

Patience Jonathan changes name to Mama Peace

The first Lady of Nigeria said yesterday at an event in Abuja that she no longer wants to be called Patience but Mama Peace... Speaking during the inauguration of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme Maternal and Child Health known as MAMA Project, Patience Jonathan explained why she now wants to be addressed as Mama Peace. The First Lady said: "My name is no more Patience but now Mama Peace because I believe that without peace, there will be no more women, no more children and no more health sector. Without peace, the international community will be afraid to come and invest in our country. Peace is from the heart and not from the tongue or lips; not what you say but what is in you. We pray for genuine peace because peace is the key to our arriving at our desired destination as a nation. “We are approaching the new year which is a year of peace, progress and so many good things to come. 2014 is going to be a year of no militancy and no Boko Haram because God will shower peace and make us take a U-turn from disaster.” Amen. Una hear...? She's now to be addressed as First Lady Mama Peace...

Patience Jonathan changes name to Mama Peace

The first Lady of Nigeria said yesterday at an event in Abuja that she no longer wants to be called Patience but Mama Peace... Speaking during the inauguration of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme Maternal and Child Health known as MAMA Project, Patience Jonathan explained why she now wants to be addressed as Mama Peace. The First Lady said: "My name is no more Patience but now Mama Peace because I believe that without peace, there will be no more women, no more children and no more health sector. Without peace, the international community will be afraid to come and invest in our country. Peace is from the heart and not from the tongue or lips; not what you say but what is in you. We pray for genuine peace because peace is the key to our arriving at our desired destination as a nation. “We are approaching the new year which is a year of peace, progress and so many good things to come. 2014 is going to be a year of no militancy and no Boko Haram because God will shower peace and make us take a U-turn from disaster.” Amen. Una hear...? She's now to be addressed as First Lady Mama Peace...:-)

Patience Jonathan changes name to Mama Peace

The first Lady of Nigeria said yesterday at an event in Abuja that she no longer wants to be called Patience but Mama Peace... Speaking during the inauguration of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme Maternal and Child Health known as MAMA Project, Patience Jonathan explained why she now wants to be addressed as Mama Peace. The First Lady said: "My name is no more Patience but now Mama Peace because I believe that without peace, there will be no more women, no more children and no more health sector. Without peace, the international community will be afraid to come and invest in our country. Peace is from the heart and not from the tongue or lips; not what you say but what is in you. We pray for genuine peace because peace is the key to our arriving at our desired destination as a nation. “We are approaching the new year which is a year of peace, progress and so many good things to come. 2014 is going to be a year of no militancy and no Boko Haram because God will shower peace and make us take a U-turn from disaster.” Amen. Una hear...? She's now to be addressed as First Lady Mama Peace...

Boko Haram has killed more Muslims – Ningi

Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Abdul Ningi, hasdispelled the belief that Boko Haram is an Islamic sect whose goal is to kill Christians in the country. Ningi, who spoke to our correspondent in Uyo, venue of the Senate Retreat on Tuesday, said the violent group had not been selective in their targets, saying many Muslims, including his uncle,had been killed by Boko Haram. He said, “I am a victim of Boko Haram. My uncle was killed by the sect; he was a former Deputy Inspector-General of Police. “So, if people are saying that because you are Hausa, Muslim or a northerner and that you are in sympathy with the activities of the sect, I will say it is not true. “If it is true that we are in sympathy with the sect, howcome the statistics on the ground shows that more Muslims have been killed in the attacks by the sect thanthe Christians?” The lawmaker added, “What we as senators fromthe North should do at this retreat is to make our southern counterparts know that the Boko Haram has a different belief from other muslims. What they preach and do is beyond our understanding and conclusion. This sect is more dangerous than any security agencies by going after those who talk againstthem.” Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria National Chairman, Chief BisiAkande, hailed the retreat, saying it was capable proffering solutions to the lingering security challenges in the country.

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Boko Haram: ACF, ex-police chiefs reject state police

The northern socio-politicalgroup, the Arewa Consultative Forum, and some ex- police chiefs on Tuesday rejected the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’sdemand for state police. They described creation of state police as an invitationto chaos. But the Action Congress of Nigeria has backed the NGF, saying security in the country should be decentralised. The National Assembly has however said that the possibility of state police will be part of its constitution review. Chairman, Senate Committeeon Information and Media, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Tuesday told one of our correspondents in Uyo that every option that could enhance security would be considered. “All options to enhance the security of Nigeria, including state police, are tobe considered in the constitution amendment,” hesaid. The ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, said the group did notback the NGF’s demand for state police, and urged President Goodluck Jonathan to pursue the option of dialogue with the north-based violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram. “In a clime where democracyhas yet to develop, state police would enable the state governors to use policemen to cause havoc for their opponents, reminiscent of how they used their state electoral commissions to conquer andvanquish the opponents at state level, leading to sluggish development,” Sani said. He advised Jonathan to hold talks with Boko Haram, arguing that an attempt by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to use force against the sect members did not succeed. He said thelate President killed “hundreds of Boko Haram members, including their leader.” Also, a former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, warned that the creation of state police would lead to the eventual disintegration of Nigeria. Ehindero, who spoke in PortHarcourt, Rivers State, argued that allowing the states to control the police would lead to anarchy because of existing issues among some states and regions in the country.

67-year-old man accused of impregnating girl, 14

A 67-year-old man, Ahmed Atanda, who lives at Oke-Adi area of Sango, Ilorin, Kwara State has allegedly impregnated a 14-year-old girl (name withheld) in the same neighbourhood. Atanda, a driver and divorcee father of two, allegedly lured the girl to anuncompleted building at a nearby well at Sango area and allegedly had carnal knowledge of her. The girl’s mother, Hadijat Saliu, told journalists in Ilorin on Monday that she had sent her daughter to fetch water at a nearby wellon Thursday morning. Saliu said when the girl did not return on time, she asked her elder sister to fetch her. She said on getting there, the girl’s elder sister met Atanda making love to the teenager and quickly rushed back home to informher. Saliu said she immediately left for the place and still met the man making love to the 14-year-old girl. She said when she could nolonger bear it, she tapped the man on the shoulder, adding that the man quickly jumped up while naked. Saliu added that a doctor had confirmed that her daughter was pregnant. Our correspondent gathered that Atanda and the teenager had been regularly having intercourse for a while. Saliu said, “It is true. I met him on top of my daughter and I tapped him to get up from her. We have gone to a hospital and a doctor confirmed that my daughter is pregnant. “I sent my daughter to go and fetch water. When she did not come back on time, I sent her sister to fetch her. Her sister came back to inform me that an old man was making love to my daughter. So, I went there and saw things from myself.” The victim also acknowledged that Atanda had made love to her. But Atanda denied having any sexual relationship withthe girl, alleging that he was being framed up. He stated that he had gone to fetch dogonyaro leaves when the girl beckoned him to assist him lift her bucket of water. He added that he was takenaback when a woman raisedthe alarm and alleged that he was making love to her daughter
Atanda said, “On that day, Iwas just passing by to collect cashew and dogonyaro leaves to treat myself. The girl said I should help her lift her bucket of water she fetchedfrom the well. In the process, I heard one womanshout, ‘Everyone come oo! Come oh! He is raping my daughter. “I did not have canal knowledge of her because I had an operation near my private part and I cannot have sexual intercourse now.” The Division Police Officer, Kulende Police Station, Mr. Aminu Abdullahi, on Monday confirmed the incident. He added that girl’s mother reported the case to the police station. He added that the matter would be transferred to the state’s Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation. Abdullahi said, “The woman had raise the alarm and thematter was subsequently reported here. It is an unfortunate incident. “Right now we are preparing a signal case file transfer to the state CID at the state headquarters. The offence was reported at the station last week Thursday. He had carnal knowledge of the girl at an uncompleted building very close to the well.”
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Al’Qaeda franchise group blames death of German hostage on his home country

The North African Al’Qaeda branch Al’Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM) posted a statement online onMonday concerningthe death of German citizen, Edgar Raupach. Raupach was kidnapped, and held hostage in Kano state by suspected Boko Haram terrorists, but was killed by his captors when arescue attempt wasmade by Nigerian security forces. He was shot and stabbed as security forces tried to complete the mission to retrieve him. AQIM released a statement saying that Germany had given the go aheadto Nigerian forces to breach their holdings when they(AQIM) were “keen to peacefully settlethe issue” as long as their demands were met, according to The Vanguard newspaper. Their statement read in part: “We say to the family of the German citizen Edgar Fritz Raupach, the bloodof your son hangs from the neck of your government,” according to a SITE translation of the statement. According to Vanguard, the statement added that Germany must “correct” its handling of Muslims, “because your security and the security of your citizens are contingent upon the security of Muslims and the respect for their sanctities”. It is the third in a series of failed missions to save foreign hostages held in Nigeria, and “This method of foolishness in dealing with the hostages issues has proven its failure and led in all cases to the killing of the hostages and manysoldiers, while the serious negotiationstyle proved successful and led to their release,” it said.
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