Thieves return Lupita Nyong'o's Oscar dress

Thieves return Lupita Nyong'o's Oscar dress after realizing the pearls on it were fake

Mexico captures Knights Templar drug lord 'La Tuta' Gomez

Mexican police say they have captured the country's most wanted drug lord, Servando "La Tuta" Gomez.
Mr Gomez, leader of the Knights Templar drug cartel, was arrested in Morelia in Michoacan state without a shot fired, police officials said.
Previously a school teacher, he became one of Mexico's most powerful dug lords and took control of Michoacan.
His capture is a coup for the government of Enrique Pena Nieto in its fight against the drug cartels.
A police spokesman told local media the arrest followed months of intelligence work in the region.
Police reportedly seized nearby properties in the weeks leading up Mr Gomez's capture and arrested several of his associates.
Meth trade
Known by his nickname "La Tuta" - "the teacher" - Mr Gomez founded and led the ruthless Knights Templar cartel.
He evaded capture for years while other senior members of the gang and rival drug lords were captured or killed.
By the time of his arrest, he had a $2 million (£1.3 million) bounty on his head.
Knights Templar was primarily a drug cartel and it controlled a large part of the lucrative methamphetamine trade in western Mexico.
But it was also known for mixing in business and politics in the region and even took effective control over the state's international port, Lazaro Cardenas, making millions of dollars from illegal mining of iron ore.
A federal government offensive in 2013 saw the Pena Nieto administration wrest back control of Michoacan state from the Knights Templar and rival gangs.
As leader of the biggest cartel in the region, Mr Gomez became the prime target of Mr Pena Nieto's crackdown.
The administration has been criticised for failing to tackle
the drug gangs, with vigilante groups forming to take on the dealers illegally.

Mr Gomez's arrest comes just over a year after the capture of the country's most notorious drug lord, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Shortly after Guzman's capture, Mexican security forces killed two of Mr Gomez's senior deputies, Enrique "Kike" Plancarte and Nazario Moreno, known as "The Craziest One".
Unlike many rival gang leaders who carefully avoided the limelight, Mr Gomez regularly gave media interviews and railed against the government in Youtube videos.
Mr Gomez began life in the drug trade as an small-time marijuana dealer, before joining a Michoacan gang called La Familia and rising to a senior level. A split in La Familia led him to form Knights Templar.
A father of at least seven, Mr Gomez was also wanted by US authorities in connection with the 2009 murder of 12 Mexican federal police officers.

Lupita Nyong'o Oscar dress stolen in Hollywood

http://m.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31655132

L'Oreal agrees to change 'bad at maths' boast advert

By Hannah Richardson
BBC News education reporter

Beauty giant L'Oreal Paris is to change an advert that included a throwaway boast about not being good at maths after a numeracy charity's challenge.
Recent L'Oreal Paris adverts featured British actress Dame Helen Mirren saying: "Age is just a number. And maths was never my thing."
National Numeracy tweeted its distaste that the advertising appeared to boast about poor maths skills.
L'Oreal Paris thanked the charity and pledged to change it "right away".
'Negative attitudes'
National Numeracy chief executive Mike Ellicock said: "Throwaway remarks about being 'no good at maths' are so easy to make and so damaging in the way they normalise negative attitudes.
"It's unusual for a company to recognise and remedy their error in the way that L'Oreal have, so we really appreciate their response.
"We know that women and girls often have particularly low levels of confidence - and particularly high levels of anxiety - about maths. So it's especially important that advertising directed at them doesn't perpetuate the myth that women can't do maths."
L'Oreal Paris replied to National Numeracy by Twitter saying: "Thanks for raising this, we hadn't meant it to be interpreted this way. We're changing it right away and you'll see new ads soon."
National Numeracy was established in 2012 with the aim of improving everyday maths skills among adults and children in the UK - and changing negative attitudes to maths.
L'Oreal Paris UK general manager Elen Macaskil said the comment was intended as a playful reference to ageing and was never meant to be interpreted as negative towards maths.
She added: "L'Oreal is a strong advocate of women in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] through our For Women In Science programme and as someone who did double maths A-level I fully support the manifesto for a numerate UK. We listen to our consumers and value their feedback which is why we took the decision to change our communication."

IBB DISCLAIMS TWITTER ACCOUNT IN HIS NAME

By:the Citizen

Former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, has dissociated himself from a Twitter account created by some people using his name. Babangida described the activities of the Twitter account creators as 'dubious' and an attempt to tarnish his image.

The former ruler decried a situation whereby people would create fictitious account on a social media using the names of some notable persons without consent but with the sole aim of creating mischief.

Babangida, in a press statement signed by Iliasu Dhacko, one of his media aides, said: 'As long as I cannot stop people from using my picture, I strongly wish to advise those intending to use my pictures to use them judiciously.'

The statement, made available to our correspondent in Minna on Thursday, therefore, urged Nigerians to disregard such messages claiming to have emanated from him, assuring that appropriately action would be taken to bring the culprits to book. – Leadership.

Defending Champ Federer Beats Coric to Make Dubai Final

By:BBC news

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Defending champion Roger Federer moved back into the Dubai Championships final with a 6-2, 6-1 win over lucky loser Borna Coric on Friday.

It took the second-seeded Federer 56 minutes to reach his ninth Dubai final. He's won six of them.

Federer offered Coric three break-point opportunities, and had his serve broken once, in the fifth game of the first set.

Federer will play either top-seeded Novak Djokovic or fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych. Berdych has been a finalist here the past two years.

China calls its activities in South China Sea ‘restrained’ as US raises flag

By:The times of India

A Chinese coast guard vessel passes near the Chinese oil rig Haiyang Shi You 981 in the disputed South China Sea. (Reuters file photo)

BEIJING: China defended its activities in the South China Sea as restrained and responsible on Friday after the US intelligence chief called its expansion of outposts in the region an "aggressive" effort to assert sovereignty.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the country's activities on shoals and in surrounding waters it claims are "reasonable, legitimate and legal" and that its attitude has been one of "restraint and responsibility."

Google backs down over Blogger porn

By: BBC news

Google has changed its mind about forcing sexually explicit blogs on its Blogger platform to become private.
Earlier this week, the firm warned bloggers that blogs containing sexually explicit images and videos would be made private on 23 March.
After "a ton of feedback" the firm has decided to continue with its current policy instead, it says.
Explicit blogs must continue to identify themselves as "adult".
This means a warning page is shown before readers are transferred to the site.
Google also reserves the right to add an "adult" tag to Blogger blogs if it feels the description is appropriate.
The "acceptable use" policy link currently redirects users to a posted message which reads:
"We've had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities.
"So rather than implement this change, we've decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn."
As long as bloggers have correctly identified their adult blogs they need take no further action, the message adds.
Google had originally proposed forcing existing explicit blogs to go private from next month, and said it would potentially take down blogs created after its 23 March deadline.

Diamond Bank CEO stars in new TV commercial

By: the Citizen

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diamond Bank PLC, Uzoma Dozie, is leading the bank's positioning drive as an innovative and technologically driven financial institution as he features as the lead character in a new television commercial for the Diamond Mobile App.

Diamond Bank, a leading retail bank in Nigeria, is ranked among the top six commercial banks in the country. Following a successful Rights Issue last year mainly targeted at developing its Information Technology infrastructure, Diamond Bank has introduced several novel solutions that have transformed the Nigerian banking space.

The new TVC, shot in the bank's corporate head office in Lekki, Lagos, positions Diamond Mobile App as the reliable and ultra-efficient assistant for the high performing executive who likes to keep in sync with the personal side of things. In character, Dozie says: 'As the CEO of Diamond Bank, time is precious and doing things right is important; quickly, efficiently and easy.'

Despite his visibly busy schedule, he shuns a shortlist of applications for personal assistant position, pointing out that there are some things he never likes to delegate – like booking flight tickets for his wife, getting movie tickets for his children as promised and buying tickets to events he wants to attend - all of which he simultaneously attends to on the go via his mobile phone. Then comes the clincher: 'I can do all of these on my Diamond Mobile  App. It's beyond banking. Who needs a PA?'

Speaking on the commercial, Ayona Trimnell, Divisional Head, Corporate Communications, Diamond Bank PLC, explained that the TVC reinforces the bank's message that the Diamond Mobile App is the ultimate personal assistant for easy, convenient banking.

According to her: 'The Diamond Mobile is borne out of our commitment to continually offer value-added solutions that conveniently fit into the lifestyle of our customers. It is safe, easy to use and specifically developed for the success minded individual who is focused on maximizing all life's moments whenever or wherever they are.”

The Diamond Mobile App was recently upgraded with a Touch ID Feature which allows users seamless login to their accounts by simply identifying their fingerprints as an alternative to entering a User ID and password. The feature, available on iOS devices, marked the introduction of the service in Nigeria and also positioned Diamond Bank as an innovative institution that is progressively changing the face of banking in Nigeria with best-in-class customer-focused solutions.

Other features of the Diamond Mobile App include funds transfer, bills payment, events ticket purchase, movie tickets purchase, online shopping, wallet top-up as well as searching, booking and making payment for both local and international flights.

Ebonyi Assembly serves impeachment notice on Gov Elechi

By: the Citizen

Ebonyi State House of Assembly Friday morning served an impeachment notice on Governor Martin Elechi over what it described as act of gross misconduct by the Governor.

Reading the notice at the plenary, the acting leader of the House, Hon. Francis Nwifruru accused the Governor of huge financial misappropriation, undermining of the integrity of the House, among other offences.

The motion for him to be served the notice was moved by Hon. Odefa Obasi Odefa and seconded by Hon. Valentine Okike

AFTER CONFESSION, NIGERIAN S3X SLAVE DIES IN B/FASO

Source: nigerianfilms.com
After an investigative report on a Nigerian s3x slave worker who was deceived into the search for a better life outside the country, latest report has it that the victim is dead.

According to PM news who published the report, Nigerian sex slave who was trafficked to the West African country of Burkina Faso has been found dead barely a month after an investigative report exposed the awful conditions she and other Nigerian girls are subjected to in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

The victim, known as Gift, was sold the same promises but ended up working as a sex slave in ‘Bar Dancing Petit Ouaga’, a brothel in Toudoubweogo village in Ouagadougou.

Gift who hailed from Edo State in Nigeria, narrated how she had travelled with someone for three days to get to Burkina Faso in April 2014. During the conversation with the evening publication, the late Gift had expressed hope that once she had paid the traffickers some money, she would be free to move on with her life.

WE ARE NOT BUS CONDUCTORS THAT SHOUT FOR CHANGE...PATIENCE JONATHAN

The First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Dame Jonathan has joined the league of those discrediting the ability of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to govern the country at the federal level.

Dame Patience Jonathan, at the PDP Women for Change Initiative Presidential Rally in Delta state chant for change mocked the APC chant for change saying that they were not bus conductors that should be shouting for change.

According to her, “The PDP is a party that talks less and does more, unlike the APC that tells new lies every week. When you catch them today, they will tell another lie tomorrow. We (PDP) do not tell you about change because we are not bus conductors that ask for change.”

“We are now in a digital age and we should reject anyone who wants to take us back to analog days. They keep saying they will do this and that. They should tell us what they have done for Nigerians while in office. As for President Jonathan, he has vowed to do more when he is re-elected,” she charged.

“President Jonathan has brought a lot of innovation and empowerment programmes for us women. This is because no one loves the Nigerian woman more than Mr. President and the best way to pay him back is by re-electing him,” she said.

Hong Kong Film Festival to Open With Sylvia Chang's 'Murmur'

Source;Abcnews

HONG KONG — Sylvia Chang's return to the director's chair will open the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which will screen 14 films from the veteran Taiwanese actress and director.

"Murmur of the Hearts," Chang's first directing feature after a five-year hiatus, tells the struggles and challenges of a young boxer, a painter and a tour guide living in Taipei.

The film stars Malaysian actress and Chang protege Lee Sinje, Hong Kong actress Isabella Leong and Golden Horse Award nominee Joseph Chang.

In Hong Kong to announce the film festival's lineup, Chang said she's waiting anxiously for the film's release.

"It's like giving birth to a baby, and then showing the baby to the world," she said at Thursday's news conference. "Of course we hope that you won't say the baby is ugly. Of course, it's with anticipation that we hope people like the film, or just for people to watch it, regardless if they like it or not."

Chang, 61, has been acting, producing, writing and directing for four decades. Her well-known films include Ang Lee's Oscar-nominated "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "20 30 40," which she starred in, wrote and directed.

"I think my films are different than the other mainstream films," she said about her feature opening the festival. "I hope everyone can calm their hearts and watch a drama like this. A drama that's a little different. I hope everyone will have the tenacity to see it."

The film also marks the return of Leong, last seen on screen seven years ago in her Hollywood debut, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." She took a break from acting and gave birth to three boys with Hong Kong businessman Richard Li.

Chang said that Leong steps into a more mature role in this film.

"This role is different from the roles she's played before. Of course, she's matured a lot. So I think everyone will see a very different side of her," the director said.

The Hong Kong festival runs from March 23 to April 6 and will show over 260 films from 56 countries.

Up-and-coming director Philip Yung helms the closing film, "Port of Call," which stars Aaron Kwok and takes a close look at two families whose lives are torn apart by a heinous crime.