Check out full list of festival award winners at AFRIFF 2015

Check out full list of festival award winners at AFRIFF 2015

By Unknown   23:00   No comments:

The fifth edition of the Film Festival kicked off with a star studded opening night,  on Sunday, November 8, 2015, at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, The Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki, Lagos.

The festival kicked off with the premiere of the movie "Mediterranea," a film by Jonas Carpignano, and closed on Friday 13, 2014, with Genevieve Nnaji's much anticipated movie "Road to Yesterday."

The week which has been an interesting one, had a lot to offer. From classes to training, movie screenings and of course, night parties.

The awards night of the 2015 edition of the Film Festival is currently going on at Eko Atlantic, and Pulse Nigeria is set to bring you list of winners as announced.

Full List of Winners

• Best Short Film

"Hex" and "The Encounter"

• Best Student Short Film

"Joy"

• Best Animation

"Legacy of Rubies"

• Best Short Film on the Continent

"Alma"

• Audience Choice Awards

"Silent Tears"

• Best Actor

Charlie Vundla

play

playTope Tedela at AFRIFF 2015 Awards/gala night

The first edition of the film festival took place in 2010, in Port Harcourt. The 2011 edition held in Lagos, while the 2013 and 2014 edition held in Calabar.

On Saturday, October 3, 2015, the 2015 edition of the AFRIFF Film Selection Soiree held in Lagos, Nigeria.

At the soiree, organizers unveiled a total of selected 180 films, out of which 155 were in competition.

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France Vows To Punish ISIS For Fatal Paris Attacks

France Vows To Punish ISIS For Fatal Paris Attacks

By Unknown   22:52   No comments:

French President Francois Hollande vowed to attack the Islamic State group without mercy as the jihadist group admitted responsibility Saturday for orchestrating the deadliest attacks on France since World War II.
He said at least 127 people died Friday night in shootings at Paris cafes, suicide bombings near France’s national stadium and a hostage-taking inside a concert hall. Another 200 or so were injured, dozens critically.
Hollande, who declared three days of national mourning and raised the nation’s security to its highest level, called the carnage “an act of war that was prepared, organized, planned from abroad with internal help.”
The Islamic State group’s claim of responsibility appeared in Arabic and French in an online statement circulated by IS supporters. It was not immediately possible to confirm the authenticity of the admission, which bore the group’s logo and resembled previous verified statements from the group.
The statement mocked France’s involvement in air attacks on suspected IS bases in Syria and Iraq, noting that France’s air power was “of no use to them in the streets and rotten alleys of Paris.”
As Hollande addressed the nation, French anti-terror police worked to identify potential accomplices to the attackers, who remained a mystery to the public: their nationalities, their motives, even their exact number. Police said a Syrian passport was recovered from the remains of one suicide bomber outside the stadium.
Authorities said eight died, seven in suicide bombings, a new terror tactic in France, while police shot and killed the other assailant.

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Another Boko Haram Kingpin In Maiduguri

Another Boko Haram Kingpin In Maiduguri

By Unknown   22:48   No comments:

Following the release of the poster containing photographs of 100 suspected Boko Haram terrorists, security agencies and the public have intensified search for them.
The renewed zeal has been yielding the desired result as the Borno State Command of Department of State Services (DSS) on Saturday, arrested another suspected high profile Boko Haram terrorist, Danladi Abdullahi at Moduganari area of Maiduguri metropolis.
Although he is still being investigated, it has been positively established that he is suspect number 26 on the list of the declared suspected Boko Haram terrorists issued by the Nigerian Army last month.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, personally wishes to commend the DSS especially Borno State Command, for this singular act, resilience and continued support and cooperation in the fight against terrorism and insurgency,” Army spokesman, Sani Usman said in a statement.
“The DSS has over times proven to be dependable and partners in the quest for a secured Nigeria.
“We would also like to reiterate that the fight against this security menace is a collective responsibility, therefore, we shall continue to solicit for public’s support, cooperation and understanding as we finally quench the remaining dying embers of the Boko Haram terrorists in our country.”

Dailypost

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NAFDAC N1 Billion Fine: Guinness Denies Usage of Expired Raw Materials

NAFDAC N1 Billion Fine: Guinness Denies Usage of Expired Raw Materials

By Unknown   22:41   No comments:

Sesan Sobowale, the Director, Corporate Relations at Guinness Nigeria, on Friday denied that the company ever used raw materials considered to be expired by NAFDAC.

He said that the company had already gotten extension on the ‘best before date’ from the supplier of the malt extract in question.

You will recall that NAFDAC imposed one billion naira fine on Guinness over alleged usage of expired raw materials in the company’s production lines.

Sobowale told journalists in Lagos that the company usually considered due process in the way it destroyed expired raw materials.

Sobowale said that the company usually destroyed its expired products and materials at Ado-Ado in Ogun State with relevant documents from government.

Sobowale, also the Company Secretary, said that prior to the day NAFDAC visited the warehouse, it had fumigated the place on Oct. 25 to prevent rodents from entering the warehouse.

He also said that the company, upon receiving a letter from NAFDAC, replied NAFDAC with the documents seeking approval on the extension of “best before date”.

Sobowale said that Guinness also got relevant papers from the Ado-Ode Local Goverment on disposal of expired raw materials.

Other papers presented included the certificate on the pest control treatment from a company called AC Fumen International and the FSSC 2200 ISO certificate

The Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria, Peter Ndegwa, said that the company would not compromise on the highest standards of quality which were in line with globally accepted code of manufacturing practice.

He said that those standards had also been co-certified by NAFDAC. Ndegwa said that company believed more in its reputation than the financial benefits it gained from the sale of its products.

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ISIS claims responsibility for Paris terror attacks, says France would remain at the top of its list of target

ISIS claims responsibility for Paris terror attacks, says France would remain at the top of its list of target

By Unknown   22:38   No comments:

The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks in Paris that left more than 120 people dead and at least 99 people injured on Friday night, and warms that the killings were the "first of a storm" In a statement released in Arabic, English, French and Russian, the group said its fighters donning suicide explosive belts and wielding machine guns carried out the targeted attacks in several locations in the French capital.

 French security officials said one of the eight attackers was a woman, according to report. A Syrian passport was reportedly found near the body of one attacker. And at least one of the attackers was reportedly French. All of the attackers are dead, seven detonated their suicide vests and one was killed during the police raid at Bataclan concert hall where people were being held hostage.

The statements said eight militants armed with explosive belts and automatic weapons attacked carefully chosen targets in the "capital of adultery and vice," including a soccer stadium where France was playing Germany, and the Bataclan concert hall, where an American rock band was playing, and "hundreds of apostates were attending an adulterous party"

"Eight brothers carrying explosive belts and guns targeted areas in the heart of the French capital that were specifically chosen in advance: the Stade de France during a match against Germany which that imbecile Francois Hollande was attending; the Bataclan where hundreds of idolaters were together in a party of perversity as well as other targets in the tenth, eleventh and eighteenth arrondissement," said the ISIS statement.

"France and those who follow its path must know that they remain the principal targets of the Islamic State," it continued. The message suggested that there will be more attacks in the future.

"The smell of death will never leave their noses as long as they lead the convoy of the Crusader campaign," it said, adding that ISIS militants "are proud of fighting Islam in France and striking the Muslims in the land of the Caliphate with their planes, which did not help them at all in the streets of Paris and its rotten alleys, and this attack is the first of the storm and a warning to those who wish to learn." The statements did not provide the nationalities or other information about the attackers.

French President had earlier blamed the attacks on the Islamic State group and vowed to strike back.

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Di’ja – “I’m Single And Available”

Di’ja – “I’m Single And Available”

By Unknown   22:33   No comments:

Di’ja stated: – 

“I am not in a relationship but I am selectively available. If a guy should do the right thing, be himself, if he is kind and nice, then we are good to go.”

When asked about Mavin records, she said, “I have not left my family yet so I do not think I would leave a family that I just adopted. Mavins is my family and I feel like I am home when I am with them. You don’t leave your parents because they shout at you or flog you. I have come to a place where I feel happy and that is all that matters. I am contented with what I have.”

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Lamar Odom No Longer Recognises Friends And Family, May Have Serious Brain Damage

Lamar Odom No Longer Recognises Friends And Family, May Have Serious Brain Damage

By Unknown   22:28   No comments:

According to reports, the 35-year-old who was found in a hotel after going on a cocaine binge, is finding it difficult to recognise some of his friends and family members. In an interview with talk show host Ellen Degeneres, ex-wife Khloe Kardashian revealed that Lamar doesn’t know why he has brain injury. ‘I can’t tell him. We tell him he had a brain injury, I can’t tell him how that brain injury was caused. It will set him back.’ she told Ellen.



Lamar’s condition is so bad he can hardly put words together or communicate properly; he even sometimes forgets his age, according to TMZ reports.

‘Sometimes he knows who the president is, and his birthday, and other times he thinks he’s 26, and I say: “I bet you wish you were 26, so do I.” Khloe stated.

She also added that though he has a long road to recovery, she is quite hopeful his situation will improve. 

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TB Joshua claims he predicted the Paris terrorist attack

TB Joshua claims he predicted the Paris terrorist attack

By Unknown   22:15   No comments:

Popular Lagos prophet, T.B Joshua says sometime in January 2013, he prophesied about the terror attack which happened in Paris yesterday November 13th. He said this in a post on his Facebook wall. Watch the video where he prophesied about the France attack after the cut...

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Boy Suffers Ruptured Intestines After Father’s Brutality (pictured)

Boy Suffers Ruptured Intestines After Father’s Brutality (pictured)

By Unknown   15:41   No comments:

While children’s birthdays are supposed to be filled with fun, happiness and love from their parents, for 13-year-old Somtochukwu Ajebughobi, November 2, 2015, his birthday, was the day his father nearly killed him.

That day, Somtochukwu was rushed to the Reginal Mundi Catholic Hospital, Mushin Lagos, where doctors gave a frightening diagnosis. He had sustained an injury that ruptured his intestine.

This internal injury along with old scars and fresh injuries on the boy’s body reportedly raised the suspicion of the doctor, who attended to the boy.

Saturday PUNCH learnt when the boy was asked how he sustained the injury, he said he got the injury from school, an answer, which would turn out to be what his parents had coached him to say.
The doctor, who said he instantly suspected it was a case of child abuse, referred the child for further tests apart from the initial scan, which had shown the internal injuries.

But the parents allegedly came back to the hospital without carrying out the second test. When the angry doctor insisted they had to present a police report if they refused to say the truth about what happened to the boy, they opened up.

Somtochukwu’s mother, Priscilla, then told the doctor that the boy was kicked in the stomach when her husband, Sunny, was beating him brutally.
The boy was later referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, for further treatment.

A referral letter signed by one Dr. Okojie, indicated the boy suffered “generalised body pains with abdominal swelling and hyperaemia” following the beating.
The letter stated further that an assessment of domestic abuse was made, and that an abdominal ultrasound revealed “free peritoneal fluid ascites, ruptured viscus.”

In agony, Somtochukwu explained on his hospital bed that his father descended on him simply because, he decided to visit his aunt, whom his father had warned him and his older siblings never to visit.

He said, “My mummy’s sister said she would buy a new pair of slippers for me and I went there to collect it on my birthday. My daddy never wants us to see her even though she has been taking care of us since we were small.

“When my daddy saw me with the slippers and knew she bought the slippers for me, he started beating me. He locked me up in a room and beat me. He kicked me in the stomach many times before he left me there.”

Priscilla told our correspondent that she was away in church when the beating took place, so she was not in a position to stop it.
When asked about the different scars on the body of her son, she attested to the fact that her husband had in the past beaten the boy brutally.

Priscilla has five children, of whom Somtochukwu is the youngest.

“I am not trying to cover up for my husband. I would accept even if he has to be locked up for some days and made to sign an undertaking not to beat the children anymore,” she said.

When Sunny was contacted, he sounded remorseful as he explained he did not expect the result of the beating would be that severe.

He said, “I did not expect he would be injured that much. What happened was a big mistake on my part. I blame myself for whatever has happened. He is very troublesome but I know nobody wants to hear that now.

“He wanted to jump out of the window and with annoyance, I drew him back. I think my leg must have kicked him in the process.
We rushed him immediately to the hospital.”
The boy’s case was so severe that officials of the hospital had to inform activists from the Esther Child Rights Foundation about the plight of the child.

Director of the foundation, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, said the boy could have died simply because his mother was covering up for his father despite past brutal beatings.

The case has yet to be reported to the police but Ogwu said her foundation was taking up the case with the National Human Rights Commission.

“Parents should not pretend they do not know they cannot just treat their children like animals. The protection of children against abuse and domestic torture is important.

“In this case, we want to ensure that this child is protected. The commission would determine the next line of action but the welfare of the child is very important at this point,” Ogwu said.


PUNCH

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DAVIDO SURVIVES ROBERY ATTACK

DAVIDO SURVIVES ROBERY ATTACK

By Unknown   15:29   No comments:

Music superstar Davido was robbed in South Africa yesterday evening as he landed in the country. According to a source, Davido and his manager Kamal landed in SA and were on their way from the airport to their hotel when they were attacked by two armed men. Their belongings including a Rolex watch and a passport was stolen. Thankfully, Davido and his manager are okay. Thank God for life!

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Lord’s Chosen Pastor Arrested In Tanzania For Smuggling Cocaine

Lord’s Chosen Pastor Arrested In Tanzania For Smuggling Cocaine

By Unknown   15:16   No comments:

A Nigerian pastor, one Mr Chukwudi Okechukwu, who preaches in Tanzania, under the umbrella of the Lord Chosen Church of Nigeria, has reportedly bagged a 30-year jail term after being convicted of smuggling cocaine worth Sh3.1 billion.

According to reports, Okechukwu, who Anti-narcotics police allegedly believe is one of the top members of a drug syndicate operating in Tanzania, Nigeria and South Africa, was jailed alongside a South African, one Stan Hycent and Pakistani Shoaib Mohammad Ayazi over the same offence.

High Court Judge, Amir Mruma, reports say has ordered the accused to pay Sh9 billion in fines.


He and his three accomplices were reportedly hiding in a mansion in Dar es Salaam’s Kuduchi Mtongani suburbs when the police allegedly surrounded the house and arrested them.

Anti-narcotics police had received information about foreigners who were planning to smuggle into the country a huge quantity of cocaine and store it in a house in Kunduchi Mtongani.

However, a surveillance team led by head of Anti-Drugs Unit, ADU, Godfrey Nzowa, was deployed to keep an eye on the mansion that the preacher and his accomplices had rented.

The team had purportedly knocked on the front gate in their bid to arrest the suspected drug dealers.


Soon after the police knocked on the gate and introduced themselves, reports further revealed that the four suspects started running around the house in apparent fear and panic.

There was an alleged cat-and-mouse chase drama inside the compound as the police tried to get hold of one of the suspects as he was attempting to jump over the fence. Three suspects were arrested inside the house.

The Nigerian suspect was reportedly the only one who managed to jump over the wall but was arrested after a chase by the police.

Upon searching the house, anti-drugs police allegedly seized 81 packets of drugs which were later confirmed by a Chief Government chemist to be cocaine hydrochloride.

However, intelligence report revealed he visited Tanzania some years back and had made a name for himself as a pastor at his ‘Kinondoni Biafra’ church and won many followers.

The head of Anti-Drugs Unit, Nzowa, reportedly described their jailing as ‘another great achievement’ in Tanzania’s efforts to fight drug trafficking.

“Unlike a gun or pistol which kills people instantly, drugs are killing the young generation slowly. If we are not aggressive in fighting the illicit trade we may find ourselves losing the young generation,” he said.

Nzowa also added that drug business was a threat to national security especially when foreigners are left to operate in the country.

“The jailing of the Nigerian pastor and his co-conspirators brought to three, the number of high profile drug cases that have been heard and determined by the High Court in the space of three months.

“Early in September, the same court sentenced to 20 years a young Tanzanian, Fred William Chonde, to 20 years in jail after it found him guilty of possessing 180kg worth Sh 5.2 billion and ordered him to pay a Sh 15 billion fine,” Nzowa noted.

“Again last month, the court sentenced a businessman, Kadiria Saidi Kimaro, who attempted to smuggle 91 heroin capsules that he had swallowed, through Julius Nyerere International Airport, JNIA, to 20 years in jail. He was also ordered to pay Sh122 million in fine.”

Nzowa further noted that the speed with which the Judiciary hears and determined the drug cases has renewed hopes by anti-drugs campaigners who had accused courts of mishandling drug cases.

“There has been a concern that the way court handled drug trafficking cases might make it easy for the convicts to later secure freedom or bail in what could be viewed as disregard of the law,” he noted.

“Corruption and influence peddling by highly placed individuals have been cited as one factor that frustrates the war against traffickers.”

However, the judiciary has repeatedly defended itself over the accusations, saying shoddy police investigations and poor prosecution were to blame for the circumstance.

DAILY POST

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Photos Of Cancer-Stricken Diezani Alison-Madueke Released

Photos Of Cancer-Stricken Diezani Alison-Madueke Released

By Unknown   12:07   No comments:

The publisher of Ovation magazine, Dele Momodu, has released photos of cancer-stricken Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the inaugural issue of a brand new tabloid titled Boss magazine. 

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