Monday 11 November 2013
Mikel, Moses up for BBC award
Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi are among five players shortlisted for 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year Award.
As Yaya Toure has another chance to win his inaugural BBC African Footballer of the Year award after making the shortlist for the fifth straight year.
Also joining the Manchester City and Ivory Coast star among the five nominees for the 2013 edition announced Monday were Nigerians Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel, Burkina Faso’s Jonathan Pitroipa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon.
Aubameyang, Pitroipa, Mikel, Moses and Yaya
The winner, who will be announced on December 2, will be chosen by a fans’ text and website vote after the shortlist was drawn up by 44 journalists from across Africa.
None of this year’s five contenders have yet won the award, while Pitroipa and Aubameyang are the first nominees from their respective countries.
The 24-year-old Aubameyang ended the 2012/13 season with 19 goals for Saint Etienne, which put him second in the list of top scorers in the French Ligue 1, while he also helped them win the French Cup to claim his first trophy as a professional.
His form then saw him earn a pre-season transfer ahead of the current European campaign to Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund, and he has already scored seven goals in 11 games for the German side.
Pitroipa has already won one major award, with the 27-year-old winger named player of the tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa after helping surprise package Burkina Faso reach the final.
Meanwhile Mikel and Moses both starred for Nations Cup winners Nigeria as the Super Eagles lifted the trophy for the first time in 19 years.
The 26-year-old Mikel also won the Europa League with Chelsea, for whom Moses, 22, scored six goals in 2013 before joining English Premier League rivals Liverpool on a season-long loan, where he also scored on his debut for the Merseysiders in September.
However, his tally has been topped in 2013 by midfielder Toure who has 13 goals so far for the calendar year including several superb free-kicks, although his form was not enough to ensure City retained a Premier League title won last season by local rivals Manchester United.
PHOTOS: President Jonathan Receives Bill Gates At State House, Abuja
American business magnate and Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is in Nigeria for the Stakeholders meeting on polio eradication.
The billionaire businessman was received alongside Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote at the State House in Abuja by President Jonathan and other top government officials.
Mr. Bill Gate, was honoured with a national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic.
President Jonathan said the honour was in recognition of Gate’s supports towards the eradication of Polio myelitis in Nigeria.
UNIVERSITY OF BENIN TO COMMENCE ADMISSION FOR PART-TIME DEGREE PROGRAMMES FOR 2013/2014
Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for admission into Part-Time Degree Programmes for the 2013/2014 academic session.
AVAILABLE PROGRAMMES
The NUC has approved that the University of Benin can run the following degree programmes:
1. B. Agric. (Animal Science);
2. B. Agric. (Crop Science);
3. B. Agric. (Soil Science);
4. B. Agric. (Fisheries);
5. B. Agric. (Forestry and Wildlife);
6. B. A. (English and Literature);
7. B. A. (International Studies and Diplomacy);
8. B. A. (Linguistics);
9. B. A. (Linguistics and Edo language);
10. B. A. (Mass Communication);
11. B. A. (Ed) Adult Education);
12. B. A. (Ed) Adult Education/English & Literature);
13. B. A. (Ed) Adult Education/Fine Arts);
14. B. Sc. (Ed) Adult Education/Economics and Statistics);
15. B. Sc. (Ed) Adult Education/Political Science);
16. B. Sc. (Ed) Adult Education/English language and Literature);
17. B. A. (Ed) (History);
18. B. A. (Ed) (French);
19. B. A. (Ed) (Fine Arts);
20. B. A. (Ed) (Edo Language);
21. B. A. (Ed) (Religious Studies);
22. B. Sc. (Ed) (Economics & Statistics);
23. B. Sc. (Ed) (Geography & Regional Planning);
24. B. Sc. (Ed) (Political Science & Public Administration);
25. B. Sc. (Ed) (Biology);
26. B. Sc (Ed) (Chemistry);
27. B. Sc (Ed) (Mathematics);
28. B. Sc. (Ed) (Physics);
29. B. Sc. (Ed) (Computer Science);
30. B. Sc (Ed) (Integrated Science);
31. B. Sc. (Ed) (Social Studies);
32. B. Sc. (Ed) (Human Kinetics);
33. B. Sc. (Ed) Health Education);
34. B. Sc. (Ed) (Environmental Education);
35. B. Sc. (Ed) (Agriculture Education);
36. B. Sc. (Ed) (Business Education);
37. B. Sc. (Ed) (Home Economics Education);
38. B. Sc (Ed) (Industrial Technical Education);
39. B. Sc. (Accounting);
40. B. Sc. (Banking and Finance);
41. B. Sc. (Computer Science);
42. B. Sc. (Physics);
43. B. Sc. (Public Administration)
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The General University Admission Requirements that apply uniformly across the faculties as well as the Specific Faculty Admission Requirements are displayed on the University websites: https://uniben.waeup.org or uniben.edu
To quality for the entrance examinations into the various part-time degree programmes, candidate must satisfy the stated general and specific requirements for admission.
All applications should be done between Wednesday 12th November 2013 and 14th December, 2013.
Nigerians Dominate Africa Person of the Year Shortlist
Three Nigerians, a South African and a Zimbabwean are on Forbes’ shortlist for Africa Person of the Year 2013, BizTechAfrica reports.
The awards celebrate “the individual who, for better or worse, has had the most influence on events of the year gone by,” the report said.
Forbes Africa announced today it has narrowed down a shortlist, dominated by Nigerians. The awards are scheduled in Nairobi, Kenya in December.
“We want to honor the big hitters of the continent who are making a difference in people’s lives and we hope that in doing so, it will inspire others,” said Chris Bishop, managing editor of Forbes Africa magazine, in the report.
The nominees include:
1. South African mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe, who has said he plans on giving away more than half his fortune over the next five years.
2. Akinwunmi Adesina, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture: his vision is to make Nigeria a self-sustaining, food-producing nation and register 20 million farmers by 2015.
3. Aliko Dangote is Africa’s richest billionaire. His net worth has significantly increased on the back of his continued business success, allowing him to better the lives of millions, the report said. Dangote’s personal fortune is said to be more than $19 billion, according to Forbes.com. Most of it lies in shares of publicly traded Dangote Cement. In May, Dangote raised $4.5 billion from a consortium of Nigerian banks to invest in Nigeria’s first private oil refinery. The $9 billion refinery and petrochemical complex is expected to decrease Nigeria’s dependence on oil imports and boost Dangote’s fortune significantly.
4. Zimbabwean Strive Masiyiwa is the founder of global telecoms group, Econet Wireless. Through Capernaum Trust he educates tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans. An entrepreneur known for fighting corruption, he said he has been solicited for bribes by government officials, the private sector and even presidents as he built his businesses in Africa. On a social network posting that went viral last week, Strive Masiyiwa said his weapon against corruption was the word “no.”
5. Jim Ovia established Zenith Bank Group in 1990 – now West Africa’s second largest financial services provider. His focus has turned to helping grow Africa’s budding “techpreneurs.”
The World’s Youngest Mother Gave Birth At 5
Lina Medina’s parents were worried. Lina, one of nine children in this poor family of the Peruvian Andes, had a seemingly inexplicable abdominal growth — which was growing larger by the week. Fearing she had cancer, Lina’s parents brought her to the doctor. The Peruvian girl was cancer-free; she was, however, seven months pregnant. Six weeks later, on May 14, 1939, Lina gave birth via Cesarean section to baby Gerardo, who weighed six pounds at birth.
Lina was five years, seven months, and 21 days old at the time of Gerardo’s birth — the youngest mother on record.
In performing the c-section, doctors noted that Lina had gone through puberty at a very early age, called “precocious puberty.” Researchers further pieced together shocking details of Lina’s ascent into “adulthood”: she had developed mature breasts by age four and had her first menstrual cycle at two and a half (with some reports suggesting that her first period came at the age of eight months). She’s never revealed the identity of Gerardo’s father — and, in fact, may not know who it is; the doctor who delivered Gerardo noted that Lina’s mastery of the details of her pregnancy was fleeting, due in part to her young age. But the pregnancy was definitely real. One photograph of the pregnant five year old exists (available here) and scores of evidence — x-rays, doctors notes, biopsies, etc. — exist proving the pregnancy and delivery to be true. After she gave birth, she appeared in a photo with her doctor and son, seen above.
Lina and her parents ended up raising Gerardo. Until he was ten Gerardo believed she was his older sister, but around that age he was informed that Lina was, in fact, her mother. For her part, Lina is otherwise healthy and still alive today, albeit in incredibly poor conditions. She married later in life and, in 1972, had another son. Gerardo died in 1979, at age 40, of a bone marrow disease unrelated to his mother’s age at his birth.
Bonus fact: Ziona Chana, a man living in a remote corner of India, did not get his start as a parent as early as Lina Medina did — he was 17 years old when he first married his first wife. He didn’t need the head start, however. Now 66 years old, Chana claims to have 39 wives, nearly 100 children, and almost three dozen grandchildren – all living with him.
North Korea 'Publicly Executes 80 People'
The alleged victims' crimes apparently include watching or illegally trafficking South Korean videos, according to reports.
North Korea has reportedly publicly executed 80 people for watching South Korean television shows.
The unconfirmed killings, said to be the first known large-scale executions by the Kim Jong-Un regime, took place across seven cities earlier this month, a source told South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo Daily.
Eight people had their heads covered with white sacks and were tied to stakes at Shinpong Stadium in Wonsan, in Kangwon Province, as they were shot dead by North Korean forces, the newspaper reported.
Witnesses apparently told the source that authorities forced some 10,000 people, including children, to watch the execution.
"I heard from the residents that they watched in terror as the corpses were riddled by machine-gun fire," the source was quoted as saying.
"They were hard to identify afterwards."
The victims were allegedly charged with watching or illegally trafficking South Korean videos, being involved in prostitution or possessing a Bible.
Relatives of those executed and implicated in their alleged crimes were reportedly sent to prison camps.
North Korean law allows executions for conspiring to overthrow the government, treason and terrorism.
The government in Pyongyang has reportedly been known to order public executions for religious activism and mobile phone use.
10 Of The Most Powerful African Celebrities
From actors to athletes to political figures and more, here are 10 of Africa’s most powerful personalities in pop culture
1: Chinua Achebe, 80, Nigerian Novelist
The late Chinua wrote the famous “Things Fall Apart,” a novel that has been translated into more than 50 different languages and has sold more than 10 million copies around the world. American hip hop artist Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) asked to use the title “Things Fall Apart” as the title of a movie, offering Achebe $1 million for his permission. The writer turned him down. Today, Achebe is a professor of African studies at Brown University in Rhode Island.
2: Didier Drogba, 33, Côte d’Ivoire Soccer Player
On top of being a striker for England’s Chelsea Football Club and captain of the Côte d’Ivoire national team, Drogba is a political activist, having helped establish peace for Côte d’Ivoire after five years of civil war. He did this in a dramatic, televised gesture when, in the middle of the World cup in Germany, he dropped to his knees and begged the warring factions to give up their arms. They agreed.
3: Akon, 38, Senegalese Musician
When the Senegalese-American hip-hop artist released his single “Locked Up” in 2004, he came to be regarded as one of the top acts in the U.S. as well as Africa. Since then, the artist has released three albums, each selling millions of copies internationally. Akon also owns the record label Kon Live, which helped kick off Lady Gaga’s and T-Pain’s careers, as well as the Konvict clothing line.
4: Salif Keita, 62, Malian Musician
Keita is not only the founder of the Mali Empire but he is also considered one of the pioneers of Afro-pop, an unpredictable title for him when he broke tradition with his wealthy family and set out to become a musician. At age 18, Keita was banished from his village because the villagers feared albinos brought bad luck. But from there, Keita went on to play for Les Ambassadeurs—a Malian music group—and released several independent albums that have been wildly successful. His most recent album, “La Différence,” was written to raise awareness of the stigmatization of albinos around the world.
5: Oumou Sangare, 43, Malian Musician
Sangare made Wassoulou—a popular Malian genre of music named for a region—beloved around the world. She is one of the top musical icons in Malian culture. Wassoulou is traditionally performed by all women and accompanied by traditional instruments such as the djembe drum and the kora (a traditional African harp). Lyrics tend to be about women’s right and feminism—perfect for Sangare, a U.N. Goodwill ambassador who has long been an advocate for the disintegration of polygamy. Sangare is also an ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization.
6: Haile Gebrselassie, 38, Ethiopian Athlete
Gebrselassie is the top long-distance runner in the world and a four-time winner of the Berlin Marathon. The Ethiopian idol also holds two Olympic gold medals and won the Great Manchester run in England. Gebrselassie lives to run, and proved that when he announced his retirement several years ago, only to take back his announcement a few days later when he decided to run in the 2012 London Olympics.
7: Samuel Eto’o, 30, Cameroonian Soccer Player
Eto’o became the highest-earning athlete, not only in soccer but, in all sports, when he accepted a $29-million salary from the Russian club, Anzhi Makhachkala. Eto’o also receives generous endorsements from brands like Ford and Puma.
8: Alek Wek, 34, Sudanese Supermodel
After fleeing the turbulent political climate in Sudan, Wek walked into the spotlight on the American catwalk. At the age of 18, she was already a featured model in Tina Turner’s and Janet Jackson’s music videos and today she can be seen in ads for Calvin Klein, Victoria’s Secret and Christian Lacroix. Wek is also a member of the U.S. Committee for Refugees Advisory Council, and an ambassador for Doctors Without Borders.
9: Liya Kebede, 33, Ethiopian Supermodel
Kebede became internationally famous in 2000 after Gucci offered her an exclusive contract for its fall-winter 2000 fashion show. Since then, Kebede has done shows for Victoria’s Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Escada, Louis Vuitton and Estee Lauder. Kebede is also a goodwill ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and has her own foundation which funds initiatives that promote simple, low-cost strategies to save the lives of mothers and children.
10: Genevieve Nnaji, 32, Nigerian Actress
Held in the same regard as Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and other high-profile Hollywood stars, Nnaji has been acting since the age of 8, when she had a supporting role on a Nigerian TV series. Today, she is considered the face of Nollywood and one of Africa’s most recognizable faces.
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