Oscar Winner Yeoh Vows To Nurture Local Film Talent In Malaysia

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April 18, 2023

Michelle Yeoh is hoping her recent triumph as Asia’s first Oscar-winning actress can help her to support filmmaking talent in her native Malaysia, where she returned on Tuesday to greet fans for the first time since her Academy Award.

Yeoh, 60, won the Oscar for her portrayal of Chinese American laundromat owner Evelyn Wang in the science-fiction kung fu comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.

“I know there are amazing filmmakers from this part of our world and we just have to, first of all, we have to create opportunities for them. We have to create platforms that will showcase their talent,” Yeoh told a news conference before a fan event.

“So I do want to work very closely with the heads of studios here, people who can make the change, people who can push the path forward.”

Dressed in loose jeans and a white blouse, Yeoh posed for pictures smiling with her Oscar statuette in front of a sign that said “pride of Malaysia”.

She later navigated through a throng of fans eager to capture her return on their smartphones as security personnel propped up barricades and cleared the way.

Yeoh made her Hollywood breakthrough as the first ethnic Chinese Bond girl in 1997’s “Tomorrow Never Dies” opposite Pierce Brosnan.

She has also starred in “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”, the 2005 period drama “Memoirs of a Geisha” and the 2018 romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians”.

It was Yeoh’s first Oscar nomination and she was widely tipped as the favourite.

“I heard the roar of joy, happiness all across the world to Los Angeles,” she told fans, recalling when the winner was revealed.

“I thank all of you for having been on that journey with me because I felt your support, I felt your strength, because it was a difficult journey.”

World Champion Tobi Amusan Races To New 100m Personal Best In Florida, Fastest By An African Woman In 2023

By

Emenike Agu

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April 18, 2023

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World Champion Tobiloba Amusan competed in her first 100m hurdles race of 2023 at the Tom Jones Invitational in Florida also at the weekend.

She secured a second-place finish with a time of 12.59 seconds.

Nia Ali narrowly won the race with a 12.53s performance.

Amusan began her journey by winning her heat in 12.74s, outpacing Devynne Charlton, who later claimed third place in the final with a time of 12.64s.

Amusan was back on the track just hours later to set a new personal best in the women’s 100m sprint, clocking an impressive 11.10s.

Tobi Amusan ran her first race over the 100m hurdles in 2023 at the Tom Jones Invitational, powering through to notch a 2nd place finish in 12.59s! Nia Ali managed to edge the race in 12.53s (1.4).

Amusan had started off, clocking 12.74s to win her heat ahead of Devyne Charlton who later came 3rd in the final with 12.64s.

Making another round on the track a few hours later, she powered to a new Personal Best (PB) of 11.10s (1.6) in the women’s 100m flat, making her the fastest African woman this season, both over 100m and 100m hurdles!

Nigeria’s Onyekwere Shatters 16-Year African Record, Amusan Impresses At Florida Meet

By

Emenike Agu

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April 18, 2023

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Chioma Onyekwere delivered a stunning performance in the women’s Discus Throw; achieving a massive personal best (PB) of 64.96m.

The 2023 athletics season is already looking good on the horizon, with some breathtaking performances from some of the Nigerian superstars.

This weekend at Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona, Chioma Onyekwere delivered a stunning performance in the women’s discus throw, achieving a massive personal best (PB) of 64.96m.

Record shattered

Aside from winning the event with her massive throw, Onyekwere also broke the 16-year-old African record set by South Africa’s Elizna Naudé with her massive winning throw.

It is equally heartwarming to note that Onyekwere met and surpassed the World Championship qualification standard with her latest feat even though she already has a wildcard to Budapest with her status as an African champion.

Onyekwere’s trajectory this season has been consistently upward, her opening throw two weeks ago measured 55.88m, and her subsequent improvement to 60.79m last weekend.

The 2023 athletics season is already looking good on the horizon, with some breathtaking performances from some of the Nigerian superstars.

This weekend at Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona, Chioma Onyekwere delivered a stunning performance in the women’s discus throw, achieving a massive personal best (PB) of 64.96m.

Record shattered

Aside from winning the event with her massive throw, Onyekwere also broke the 16-year-old African record set by South Africa’s Elizna Naudé with her massive winning throw.

It is equally heartwarming to note that Onyekwere met and surpassed the World Championship qualification standard with her latest feat even though she already has a wildcard to Budapest with her status as an African champion.

Onyekwere’s trajectory this season has been consistently upward, her opening throw two weeks ago measured 55.88m, and her subsequent improvement to 60.79m last weekend.

er new PB surpasses her previous mark of 63.30m by more than a meter and a half.

Having enjoyed the best of outings in 2022, where she won gold at the African Championships in Mauritius and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games; becoming the first Nigerian woman in history to do so, there is optimism that 2023 will be even better for the America-based athlete who is also an engineer.

Tobi Express

Elsewhere, Tobiloba Amusan competed in her first 100m hurdles race of 2023 at the Tom Jones Invitational in Florida also at the weekend.

She secured a second-place finish with a time of 12.59 seconds.

Nia Ali narrowly won the race with a 12.53s performance.

Amusan began her journey by winning her heat in 12.74s, outpacing Devynne Charlton, who later claimed third place in the final with a time of 12.64s.

Amusan was back on the track just hours later to set a new personal best in the women’s 100m sprint, clocking an impressive 11.10s.

Art Collector Seeks Proper Preservation Of Nigerian Railway Museum

By

Koko Lawrence

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April 18, 2023

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Nigeria’s largest private art collector, Yemisi Shyllon, has advised LEGACY 1995, a non-governmental group managing the Nigerian Railway Museum, to ensure proper preservation of the historical heritage site.

Shyllon who expressed displeasure over the state of the railway relics and artefacts, gave the advice during his visit to the museum in Lagos.

He said the group must promptly engage professionals to assist in repositioning the museum to be able to attract tourists.

According to him, this is important due to the recent executive order signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, giving states the absolute right to operate their railway autonomously.

He said with this, the history of railway in Nigeria would be a germane one after sometimes in the history of the nation.

He lamented over the rate at which the relics in the museum were being affected by the environment, leaving them dusty and unkept.

According to him, a lot has to be done to ensure proper preservation of the relics as well as the entire edifice as he also observed the wooden floors in deplorable condition.

”This museum needs urgent intervention of corporate entities, a lot must be done to reposition this place to woo tourists.

”Proper documentation of historical facts here is important, all the relics and artefacts must be properly documented and not what we currently have.

”You have to set up a working committee on strategic planning to help define your vision and mission, also an abstract on the history of the museum must be made available to visitors.

”Your objectives must also be spelt out clearly, then draw up your programmes that will actualise your plans.

” Also, there should be a sequential flow of history which could be individually read by visitors upon arrival at the museum, this is to keep themselves informed on the essence of the museum without a tour guide,” he said.

Shyllon further advised the group to come up with the publication of the history of the museum on little pamphlets which could be given to visitors as souvenirs that could improve their knowledge on the historical site.

According to reports the Nigerian Railway Museum is located at Ebute-Metta, right in Jaekel House.

It is a two-storey colonial mansion, built in 1898 and named after the late Francis Jaekel OBE, a former superintendent of the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

The museum is meant to preserve the historical building, treasures and monuments that the railway compound had become for Nigerians and non-Nigerians.

It accommodates objects, pictures, documents and other related materials of railway history in Nigeria.

Also Dr Matthew Gansallo, a Curator and Museologist, who explored the museum, said it was high time Nigeria took museology seriously.

He advised that the building of the museum should not be tampered with but properly maintained to attract tourists who want to see things the way they were years ago.

He said the LEGACY group must be prepared to work on advocacy, projecting the museum on various existing social media platforms.

According to him, this will spur tourists to visit the heritage site.

He also called for the need for frequent exhibitions, for public viewing of the relics and also educational outreach programmes to schools should be upscaled to encourage schools to visit the site.

Representing the President of LEGACY 1995, Sonja Ally, Taiye Olaniyi, Vice President of the group, said a lot had been benefitted from the wealth of knowledge of the art collector and Curator.

He promised that the group would further cross fertilize ideas and ensure that every piece of advice rendered would be acted upon.

”We will continue to seek your assistance as professionals in this field, we really appreciate the visit

”We will subject ourselves to further training and retraining to ensure this historical heritage site is improved upon.” he said.

UCL Quarter-final Preview: Osimhen Returns

By

Emenike Agu

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April 18, 2023

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Osimhen will return for Napoli against AC Milan hoping to push his team into a first-ever semi-final appearance while Chelsea’s scattergun season should end at Stamford Bridge

Napoli v AC Milan (0-1) @Diego Maradona Stadium @8 pm on 18 April

The main narrative before the first leg was the absence of Napoli’s leading goal scorer, Victor Osimhen,

The Nigerian returned for Napoli at the weekend, and though he did not make it a scoring return, the sight of Osimhen replacing Giacomo Raspadori in the 73rd minute has given Neapolitans the belief they can overturn the 1-0 deficit suffered away to AC Milan last week.

In his five UCL games this season, Osimhen has scored three times, including two goals against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round. He will be more driven than usual because he hasn’t scored this year against the Milan team.

Absences have hampered Napoli in their preparations for this tie-in the first they were missing Osimhen and Giovanni Simeone, for the second leg, Luciano Spalletti has to find adequate cover for the very reliable central defender Kim Min-Jae and midfield workaholic Andre Zambo Anguissa.

The UEFA website reveals what the AC Milan manager did to quell Napoli’s buildup. “The Milan coach had a few brilliant tactical ideas in the two recent fixtures against Napoli, particularly using Ismaël Bennacer as a ‘false’ attacking midfielder to mark Napoli’s deep-lying playmaker Stanislav Lobotka.”

What the managers are saying:

“It’s down to us as a team to play with the desire to try to turn this game around. The atmosphere is going to be great, but it’s down to us to excite the crowd because they can help us. We need to play our part.” – Frank Lampard, Chelsea caretaker Manager

“We are fine, motivated, as always. These are important matches in an important competition. We are thinking that we have to play a full game. We have 90 minutes left and in this type of competition, anything can happen. We are ready to play the best we can.” – Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid Manager

Holocaust Survivors, Descendants Join Forces On Social Media

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Koko Lawrence

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April 18, 2023

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Assia Gorban was 7 years old when the Germans occupied her hometown of Mogilev-Podolsky in Ukraine. The Jewish girl and her family were first imprisoned in a ghetto on the outskirts of town and later forced onto a cattle car that took them to the Pechora concentration camp in 1941.

After a few failed attempts, Gorban, her mother, and younger brother managed to escape in 1942, and spent the rest of World War II living under false identities until they were liberated in 1944.

Sitting in her apartment in Berlin, where she still lives on her own at age 89, Gorban vividly remembers the horrendous details of her time in the camp and during hiding from the Nazis who wanted to kill her only because she was Jewish.

She likes to share her memories with her granddaughter, 19-year-old Ruth Gorban, a university student, who also lives in Berlin and visits her frequently at home.

“My grandmother is amazing,” said Ruth, sitting next to Gorban on the couch. “I even invited her to my school, so that everyone in my class could hear from her personally about the Holocaust.”

Both Assia and Ruth also participated in the new digital campaign called “Our Holocaust Story: A Pledge to Remember,” which was launched Tuesday by the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also referred to as the Claims Conference.

Six million Jews and people from other groups were murdered by the Nazis and their henchmen during the Holocaust and people worldwide commemorate the victims on Tuesday — which is Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah as it is called in Israel.

Today, approximately 240,000 survivors are still alive, living in Europe, Israel, the U.S. and elsewhere.

The campaign by the Claims Conference features survivors and their descendants from around the globe and illustrates the importance of passing on the Holocaust survivors’ testimonies to younger family members as the number of survivors dwindles.

“We are doing this new social media campaign because survivors are dying,” said Greg Schneider, the executive vice president of the Claims Conference.

“The stories that they hold, the wisdom and knowledge that they can share is too important, too vital for society, particularly in these challenging times, to let it die with them,” Schneider said in a phone interview.

More than 100 Holocaust survivors and their families are participating in the campaign, all of whom will be featured in posts across the Claims Conference’s social media platforms every week throughout the year.

“When we see a Holocaust survivor with their family members, it sends a powerful message — they didn’t just survive the Holocaust, they went on to live, to build a family, a family that would not exist if they had not survived,” Schneider added.

Assia Gorban was liberated by the Soviet Union’s Red Army in 1944. She later moved to Moscow, where she became a school teacher. While she loved the Russian capital, especially for its vivid cultural scene, she and her husband decided to emigrate to Germany in 1992, looking for more financial stability and following her son, who had moved there earlier.

Even at her old age, Gorban is still an active member of Berlin’s Jewish community, volunteering weekly at the Jewish nursing home and talking to high school students about her life.

“I enjoy speaking in school and helping old people at the nursing home — it keeps me fit,” Gorban said with a cheeky smile and in blissful ignorance of the fact that she’s turning 90 in August.

One reason why Ruth Gorban decided to participate in the campaign with her grandmother was her concern about the reemergence of antisemitism in Germany and elsewhere.

Exhibition In Warsaw Brings To Light Unearthed Artefacts From World War II Jewish Ghetto

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Koko Lawrence

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April 18, 2023

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A new exhibition in the Polish capital, Warsaw, tells the poignant story of the Jews who lived, loved, and died during the Second World War.

From a child’s burnt shoe to shattered kitchenware, the exhibit hosted at the Kordegarda gallery in partnership with the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, features rare and recently discovered artefacts from the wartime Jewish district, known as the Warsaw Ghetto.

This exhibition, titled ‘Memory 1943’, coincides with the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, when Jewish fighters revolted against Nazi German terror.

“Warsaw is not just one city, but two: one that we see, and another one down there, underground,” co-curator Jacek Konik says.

“And these are, so to speak, voices from the buried city, calling from beneath our feet,” he adds.

Strike: Aviation Workers Reject Govt Plea, Threaten Total Shutdown

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 18, 2023

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Aviation workers have threatened to shut down the country’s airports, as they enter the second day of their strike to the Federal Government failed to meet their demands.

This was despite a statement by the Ministry of Aviation on Monday, pleading with the striking workers to suspend the industrial action that led to many air passengers being stranded across the country.

The aviation workers embarked on the strike after a meeting called by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ended in a stalemate.

Cash Crunch: NLC Suspends Planned Nationwide Strike

The Director-General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu, called the meeting aimed at prevailing on the unions to shelve their planned two-day warning strike with representatives of the unions in attendance.

The General Secretary Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Sikiru Waheed, disclosed this to journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday.

According to him, the second day of the ongoing strike will be more effective, adding that the first day of the strike was a warning to the public and the government that they are serious about their demands.

He said, “Day two of the strike would be more effective than what you are seeing here now because we only used today as a warning to people that are travelling.”

He also urged people who have scheduled to travel on Tuesday to shelve their plans, saying that the strike action will be a total shutdown.

“So, people who need to travel tomorrow should not book a flight for tomorrow because it is going to be a total shutdown. It is not going to be like today. By 5:00 am we will be here to shut down everywhere.

“We are appealing to all those that want to travel that they should shelve their journey for tomorrow because it may be disrupted. It is a warning for everyone in the public.”

When our correspondent visited the airport, it was observed that passengers arriving at the Abuja airport were stranded due to heavy traffic.

The striking workers locked the check-in halls, causing long queues and disrupting vehicular movement.

One of the airport officials, who sought to be anonymous, said that many of the stranded passengers missed their flights due to the union’s actions.

The situation caused chaos and confusion at the airport, as frustrated passengers voiced their displeasure over the lack of communication and assistance from airport officials.

A passenger, Justin Chinonso, said,” I don’t know why in a country like Nigeria, with such a huge amount of people, will treat citizens like this. This will cause a lot of havoc for citizens.

“Protest is normal in every civilized country. It is a way of airing our views, provided that it is done peacefully. I just got into the country two days ago and do not even know about the strike. I am just hearing it.”

Also, another passenger, a student of Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Apo, Abuja, who preferred to be addressed as Sharon, said she had arrived at the airport in the morning and was waiting for her mother to come and pick her up.

Speaking with her mother on the telephone, the mother said she had sent a driver to pick her daughter up from the airport since 8:30 am but due to the gridlock at the airport, the driver had been in the traffic for close to three hours.

Meanwhile, at the Lagos airport, activities were also disrupted with many passengers stranded because of the aviation workers’ strike.

The striking workers blocked the entrance to the Murtala Muhammad Airport domestic terminal, leaving many passengers stranded.

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Aviation, had issued a strong plea to aviation unions to end their ongoing strike.

A statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Odutayo Oluseyi, noted that the strike was unnecessary as it will increase the hardship on our citizens, affect flight schedules, lead to economic losses and negatively impact the country’s global rating.

Oluseyi, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the grievances prompting the strike by the unions, were issues that should not lead to a strike.

He added the planned demolition of certain buildings obstructing the runway was in the public interest and an administrative issue that can be sorted in-house.

The statement further noted that the unions should have met with the management of agencies for alternative accommodation to all affected offices before going ahead with the strike.

The statement reads,” On the concession of airports, the unions are aware of global practices and for the aviation industry in Nigeria to be the hub in Africa, the concession is the way to go to improve infrastructure and make our airports economically viable as this is without loss of jobs.

”On the conditions of service in some of the agencies, it is a work in progress. The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission is already carrying out assessments and will soon conclude.”

Kwara Varsity Wins N12.5m TETFund Grant For Research

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 17, 2023

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Researchers at Kwara State University, Ilorin, have won a N12.5 million naira research grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

The research will be conducted by a team led by Dr Olayinka Yusuf on “Influence of Cultural and Demographic Attributes on the Spread and Containment of Coronavirus Pandemic in Nigeria.’’

TETFUND Gives University Of Ibadan N342M Research Fund

The varsity’s Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, stated on Monday in Ilorin that he received a letter notifying the university about the award.

The letter was signed by the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr Sonny Echono. It stated that the grant was awarded under the 2021 National Research Fund intervention.

Melbourne Overtakes Sydney As Australia’s Most Populous City

By

Angel Gimalo

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April 17, 2023

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Melbourne has overtaken Sydney as Australia’s most populous city for the first time since the 19th Century gold rush, following a boundary change.

Sydney has proudly held the title for more than 100 years.

But with populations rapidly growing on Melbourne’s fringe, the city limits have been expanded to include the area of Melton.

The latest government figures, from June 2021, put Melbourne’s population at 4,875,400 – 18,700 more than Sydney.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines a city’s “significant urban area”, by including all connecting suburbs with more than 10,000 people.

Proud Sydneysiders will point to the ABS’s conclusion that when looking at the greater Sydney and Melbourne regions, Sydney remained bigger in June 2021.

Greater regions of a city take into account its “functional area”, the ABS says, and include populations who frequent or work within the city, but may live in small towns and rural areas surrounding it.

However the federal government predicts Greater Melbourne will overtake Greater Sydney in 2031-32.

Melbourne’s rapid growth is largely thanks to international migration, Australian National University demographer Liz Allen told the BBC.

Dr Allen noted that unlike Sydney, which has a “historical hangover” of a time when “it didn’t want to be seen as anything other than white”, Melbourne has a reputation for celebrating diversity.

It is also an attractive migration destination as it has employment and education opportunities comparableto Sydney, but has historically been more affordable than the harbour-side city.

It’s not the first time Melbourne has held the title of Australia’s biggest city.

As a result of the gold rush in the late 19th Century, which saw migrants flock to the state of the Victoria, Melbourne grew rapidly and outnumbered Sydney until 1905.