In Asia, donors from around the world have pledged more than $9bn to help Pakistan recover from the devastating floods that hit the country last year.
It amounts to more than half of the estimated $16.3bn Pakistan needs to recover from the disaster.
The pledges come as Pakistan continues negotiations over the next instalment of an international bailout.
To pay for those energy imports the country needs foreign currency, especially U.S. dollars.
Renown veteran actress, Kate Henshaw, has been elected unopposed as the National Public Relations Officer of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.
The National Secretary of AGN, Abubakar Yakubu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
Yakubu said that Henshaw was elected on January 9 with a by-election, during a special National Executive Council meeting to fill few vacant posts.
He also said Michael Yusuf defeated Rilwan Ibiefo to become the vice president of AGN, North-West zone, replacing Wash Waziri who occupied the position in the last tenure.
“Henshaw will be in charge of disseminating strategic communication among guild and non-guild members,” he said.
It is reported that the AGN is the largest actors association in the culture sector in Africa.
Cristiano Ronaldo will serve his suspension before making his league debut for his new Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr but he could play against Paris St Germain in a friendly this month, coach Rudi Garcia has said.
If that happens, a head-to-head clash of Ronaldo and Messi will be in the offing.
Ronaldo missed the first of two domestic games for Al Nassr on Friday after being suspended by England’s Football Association (FA) for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand following Manchester United’s defeat at Everton in April.
Garcia confirmed the 37-year-old forward would also miss the league game against Al Shabab and make his debut against Ettifaq on Jan. 22 – unless he plays against Lionel Messi’s PSG in a team made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal in Riyadh on Jan. 19.
“It (his debut) won’t be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr,” Garcia was quoted as saying by L’Equip.
“As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.
“In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it’s not a big deal… We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it.”
Garcia said Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia was similar to Pele’s move to New York Cosmos shining the spotlight on the little-known Saudi club who have amassed more than 10 million new Instagram followers since his signing last month.
The former Lille and Olympique Lyonnais coach said he hopes Ronaldo rediscovers the enjoyment of playing football after a tumultuous two-month period during which his United contract was terminated and Portugal lost in the World Cup quarter-finals.
“In recent months, between Manchester United, the national team and also at a private level, he has not had easy moments,” Garcia said.
“If he finds the pleasure of playing again, it will be a good goal to achieve.”
While some other African countries have their nationals in the 107 officiating crew for the Women’s World Cup later this year in Australia and New Zealand, there is no Nigerian.
This is a reflection of the officiating in the country and possibly, the level of football development.
In the list released by the football governing body this Monday, there are 33 referees; four of who are from Africa.
They are Vincentia Amedome from Togo, Bouchra Karboubi from Morocco, Akhona Makalima of South Africa and Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda.
The overlooking of Nigerian officials at major international competitions is not a new development.
FIFA in releasing the list of officials for the Women’s World Cup explains:
“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected on-field match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina.
“We all remember the very successful FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France.
“The high standard of refereeing contributed significantly to that success. The aim for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 is to repeat that success and to convince again with excellent referees’ performances.”
Further explanations emerged from the press release by FIFA. It stated that the selection was in close cooperation with the six confederations
A total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials (VMOs) will form FIFA Team One and have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations based on the officials’ quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments “as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years.”
Apart from the absence of Nigerians among the 33 referees, none made the corps of 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials (VMOs).
Among the 55 assistant referees are seven from Africa. They are: Carine Tezambong Fomo of Cameroon, Diana Chikotesha of Zambia, Soukaina Hamdi and Fatiha Jermoumi of Morocco and Fanta Kone of Mali.
Other Africans are Mary Njoroge of Kenya and Queency Victoire of Mauritius.
Adil Zourak of Morocco is the only African among the19 video match officials (VMOs).
In an exclusive interview over the weekend, actor-writer Kirk Cameron announced that he’ll be traveling to a string of public libraries to take his messages of faith, freedom, family and love of country to millions of Americans in major cities — people who are “crying out,” he said, “for someone to push back” against today’s woke culture.
“I’m going out” to speak to Americans in major cities, he said, particularly at some of the public libraries that either denied his earlier requests to hold story hours at their facilities or never responded to his book publisher’s requests to hold book-based events there.
Cameron’s new book, “As You Grow,” is an illustrated children’s book that shares the story of an oak tree throughout its seasons of life.
The story encourages children to develop and share the virtues of patience, joy, kindness, compassion, self-control and other biblical values.
He stressed that at his recent appearances at the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana, and at the Scarsdale Public Library in Scarsdale, New York, scores of people came up to him and thanked him for sharing his Christian values and beliefs.
“So now I’m going to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta” and other cities, Cameron said, “where people are crying out for someone to push back and stand up and bring the kinds of values that made this country free and led to its blessings.”
Added Cameron, “When those 50 woke libraries initially denied us the ability to come and do a story hour and said that their communities weren’t interested in this kind of messaging, I didn’t believe them.”
Then, “when we pushed back on two of them, they opened up,” he said. “And we turned out and were greeted by thousands of people in Indianapolis and Scarsdale.”
He went on, “The message I kept hearing was, ‘Thank you for coming to our city. People have passed us by and written us off thinking that we want this woke mafia to teach these values to our children — and it’s not true. We love what you’re bringing, and we’re so thankful that you’re here.'”
In addition to that, said Cameron, “we’ve been flooded with emails and comments on social media with people pleading with us to come to their libraries.”
And so, he said, “I’m hitting the road — and I’m going.”
Cameron said that his tour of public libraries will likely take several months — and that his family, including his parents and his sister, Candace Cameron Bure, stand behind him in his efforts to share a belief in traditional values across the country.
SuperRare, a leading NFT marketplace, has cut its staff by 30 percent, citing efforts to right its business strategy as the NFT bubble appears to burst.
“During the recent bull run, we grew in tandem with the market. In recent months it’s become clear that this aggressive growth was unsustainable: we over-hired, and I take full ownership of this mistake,” wrote SuperRare CEO and cofounder John Crain in a statement posted to social media. “To correct course, we’ve made the difficult decision to rightsize our team, ensuring that SuperRare Labs will be able to continue serving our community of artists, collectors, and curators while remaining the destination for the best cryptoart in the world.”
The move means that 20 people will be let go from SuperRare, a spokesperson confirmed in an email.
The announcement follows six months in which SuperRare, as well as other NFT platforms, shifted strategies, offering new perks in the hopes of coaxing new investment and trades. One of SuperRare’s shifts came in the form of offering PFP NFTs, large collections of procedurally generated avatars (à la the Bored Ape Yacht Club or CryptoPunks). Previously, SuperRare had been focused on releasing a small amount of unique digital artworks.
SuperRare also began offering RarePass, an NFT that acts as a key to a subscription service that grants the holder one NFT a month, each by a different, popular artist. The company has said the first 250 RarePasses sold out for a collective amount of $4.5 million. Yet this hasn’t been enough to keep level with the profits the company saw in the boom market.
In 2021, SuperRare consistently saw $10 million to $30 million in sales per month. Then, in 2022, sales volume dropped into the single-digit millions, and then into the hundreds of thousands, according to data provided by Dune Analytics.
SuperRare isn’t the only NFT platform to have downsized in response to the crypto winter. In July, OpenSea announced that it was cutting 20 percent of its 275 person staff. The move was a troubling sign in the NFT community that its top leaders did not see a rapid rebalancing of the market on the horizon. Just six months prior to their layoff announcement, OpenSea had been valued at $13 billion, and its founders, Devin Finzer and Alex Atallah, were named by Forbes as the first NFT billionaires as a result.
The founder of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, has passed on.
A statement from her family confirmed the unfortunate incident Tuesday morning. They, however, didn’t reveal the cause of her death.
Describing the late filmmaker as an epitome of creative transcendence, the Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe clan described Peace as an outstanding personality, trailblazer, titan, pathfinder, go-getter, humanitarian, one-of-a-kind creative, and visionary leader in the film and television industry.
“Peace left indelible imprints on the sands of time. We as a family and clan will continue to do all that is necessary to ensure that her legacy lives on,” the statement read.
The statement added that the Africa Movie Academy Awards and the Africa Film Academy, along with their training programmes across Nigeria and the African continent will carry on seamlessly the institutions she set up and with the full support of the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation and other institutions and government agencies she has worked with over the years.
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was a Nigerian filmmaker and entertainment executive.
In 2012, she was bestowed a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government for her contribution to the entertainment industry.
She had a degree in Law and political science from Oxford Brookes University.
In 2005, Ms Anyiam-Osigwe founded the Africa Film Academy, which governs the AMAA film ceremony.
At the 10th edition, she stepped down as CEO of AMAA. In 2015, she began the Africaine initiative to commemorate Africans in the entertainment industry.
In 2020, she emerged as the National President of The Association of Movie Producers (AMP).
Her last public appearance was in December 2022 at the unveiling of AMAA’s calendar for its 19th edition at the Radisson Hotel in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
At the occasion, the late filmmaker unveiled the plans and activities ahead of the 19th edition of the continental film awards.
She also announced a call for entry ahead of the 2023 edition of the AMAAs.
Hours after Gareth Bale announced his retirement from football, another prominent football icon has done the same.
France’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper and captain, Hugo Lloris, announced his retirement from international football aged 36 on Monday, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Lloris made a record 145 appearances for France from 2008-22, captaining the team 121 times, also a record.
He made his international debut in 2008, playing at the European Championship in 2012, 2016 and 2020 as well as the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
Tottenham Hotspur keeper Lloris led France to victory in the 2018 World Cup before again leading them to the final this year in Qatar where they were beaten by Argentina.
“There comes a time when you have to know how to hand over the reins. I have always said over and over again that the French team doesn’t belong to anyone, and we all have to make sure that’s the case, me first,” he said in an interview.
“I think that the team is ready to go on. There is also a goalkeeper who is ready (Mike Maignan).
“I prefer to go out at my peak than wait for a downturn. There is also a family choice, I feel the need to spend more time with my wife and children.”
Along with the 2018 World Cup, Lloris also won the 2021 Nations League and guided France to the final of the 2016 European Championship.
France head coach Didier Deschamps said Lloris was retiring at his peak and despite still having a place in the national set-up but called on fans to respect his decision.
“A great servant of the French team is taking his leave and I would like to pay tribute to his exceptional career,” Deschamps said.
“Beyond all the records that his talent and professionalism enabled him to break, beyond the essential role that he played in our greatest victories … Hugo is a remarkable person on a human level.
“It was a pleasure and an honour for me to be his coach. I wish all coaches had players like him to coach. Hugo has my respect and gratitude. I wish him happiness.”
Since 2012, Lloris has played for Premier League side Tottenham, where he is also captain. He previously featured for Ligue 1 teams Nice and Olympique Lyonnais.
His former Spurs team mate Gareth Bale also announced his retirement from football on Monday.
Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has again raised concerns that the general election faces serious threats of cancellation and postponement if security challenges across parts of the country fails to improve.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who expressed the concerns, also warned that the cancellation or postponement of elections due to insecurity in some areas would not only hinder the declaration of elections results, but also precipitate constitutional crisis.
Yakubu stated this at the validation of election security training resources in Abuja on Monday.
He however, assured Nigerians that the commission was not leaving anything behind, in ensuring that security was provided for election personnel, materials and processes.
“We all appreciate the fact that election security is vital to democratic consolidation through provision of enabling environment for the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and thus strengthening the electoral process.
Consequently, in preparations for the 2023 general election, the commission is not leaving anything to chance in ensuring that intensive and extensive security are provided for election personnel, materials and processes,” the INEC chairman said.
“This is particularly significant to the commission given the current insecurity challenges in various parts the country and the fact that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members constitute the core of the polling unit election officials.
“Moreover, if the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of elections results and precipitate constitutional crisis. This must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen. Therefore, security personnel in particular and all time,” he explained.
The INEC Chairman assured that by working with the National Security Adviser, General Mohammed Babagana Monguno, he was optimistic that a conducive environment would be provided for successful conduct of the 2023 general elections.
Yakubu was represented by the Chairman, Board of Electoral Institute, BEI, Abdullahi Abdu Zuru.
In a goodwill message, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, IFES, said the training of security personnel to be deployed for the poll remained the antidote for peaceful elections.
“Managing security threats in the electioneering process is a tall order for INEC, which has the responsibility, together with Nigerian security agencies of preventing, mitigating, and resolving electoral violence,” The Country Director of IFES, Seray Jah said.
The Golden Globe Awards take place in Los Angeles Tuesday evening, but it is uncertain how many nominees will attend.
The organisation behind the ceremony hopes to restore the status of the Globes, as well as its own reputation, after a controversial two years.
The HFPA was accused of ethical lapses and a lack of diversity in 2021.
As a result, some stars denounced the film and TV awards, but others are aware of the publicity a win can bring.
The HFPA announced a series of reforms in an effort to restore faith following a string of damaging allegations. While the 2022 Globes ceremony was pared down and not televised, this year they are attempting a comeback.
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