Friday 31 August 2012

Earthquake strikes off Greenland's east coast, no injuries

The quake, initially reported at a magnitude 7.0, was centered 266 miles east-northeast of Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland and occurred at a depth of 5.3 miles, the USGS said.
Police in Ittoqqortoormiit, with some 500 inhabitants, were aware of the quake but did not feel anything. They said the island does not have a tradition of issuing tsunami warnings.
The meteorological institute in Norway's Tromso said the quake could be felt at Jan Mayen, a Norwegian island, but that no one was injured.
"I would say our experience of this was that it was rather undramatic," said Jo Valseth, a meteorologist working at Jan Mayen.
(Reporting by Paul Simao, Mia Shanley in Copenhagen and Victoria Klesty in Oslo; Editing by Andrew Roche)

source: Reuters 

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Rick Ross ‘wants Nigeria’s oil money’

Popular US musical act Rick Ross, recently performed in Nigeria at the St. Eve’s Magazine Summer Jam Fest which took place at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel Lagos.

The day after, he went on to shoot scenes for his forthcoming video, Hold Me Back, at the teeming Sura market in Obalende, Lagos where the locals eagerly came out to support him and feature in the video.

The tweets that followed on his official twitter page, @rickyrozay, described some of his activities and thoughts:

@rickyrozay: Filming in the slums in Lagos. I just bought out the whole grocery store and gave it to the village. #MMG presence strong in our homeland

@rickyrozay: Nigeria is rich with Oil. Generational wealth. I need some.

@rickyrozay: Officially joining the "Oil Money Gang".

In recent times, Ross has been one of the more frequent international music superstars to play in Nigeria and the Teflon Don has always had nice words about his experiences here.

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Madonna Goes Wild at U.S. Launch of MDNA Tour

Already thirty-four dates into the globetrotting MDNA Tour, Madonna embraced the opportunity to address her first American audience at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday (Aug. 28).


"In my country we have freedom of speech. We have freedom of expression," she began in a mid-show breather, referencing her world tour, which began May 31 in Tel Aviv, Israel. She made a string of relevant references, from jailed homosexuals in St. Petersburg to a show of support for the recently imprisoned Russian punk protestors Pussy Riot. "Don't get fat and lazy and take that freedom for granted."

Being a socially conscious 53-year old performer capable of championing the MDNA Tour's theatrics, Madonna is setting a pretty good example. The first American performance of her ninth world tour was a show of strength for the pop star, as she and her ensemble tore through nearly two-dozen cuts from her ever-deep catalog. She generally avoided her earliest albums (with a somber piano rendition of "Like a Virgin" and "Papa Don't Preach" the main exceptions) and crafted an eclectic mix of highlights from her post-1980s material.

The many faces of Didier Drogba

There's nothing more exciting than seeing a countryman fly his national colours and be a success on an international platform.

This can definitely be said of Ivorian soccer star, Didier Drogba. From humble beginnings to a superstar for English club Chelsea, Drogba has indeed been a source of inspiration for many young kids.

But there's so much more to the man than just scoring those winning goals and helping his team secure that all-important victory.


 The Humanitarian

Drogba isn't shy to wear his heart on his sleeve. In 2009, he started The Didier Drogba Foundation, which was instrumental in the construction of a hospital in his hometown, Abidjan.

Funds for the construction came from his £3m fee from his Pepsi deal, and a further contribution from Chelsea. The foundation also helped build two orphanages and some of its future plans include building schools in Ivory Coast.

Yes, a lot of money will be needed, and that's why he hosts a charity ball to help raise funds. In March this year, his Chelsea teammates (including Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Essein) supported him at the ball, where they raised £250 000.

The Music Video Star

Aside from being a philanthropist and an uber-amazing football player, Drogba has taken time out to play the love interest in a music video. Yes, Drogba is a music video, uhm star!

He can be seen in French singer Julia Channel's debut track, Forever In A Day.

The Peace-Maker

After years of unrest and instability, Drogba literally fell to his knees on national TV and begged the two factions causing the turmoil for peace.

This came after an Ivory Coast victory and a coveted spot into the 2006 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Within a week of his request, Drogba managed to secure peace, something that negotiations and political interference couldn’t get right. His plea clearly had an impact on the faction leaders, as they were seen side by side a few weeks later, singing the national anthem as Ivory Coast played Madagascar.

The Soccer Legend

Yes fine, he is still young and still has a lot to achieve in his career, but few will doubt Drogba as a soccer legend. Since his debut at Stamford Bridge in 2004, Drogba has left his mark with the club.

He scored his first goal on debut for the team – they even won the league that year, for the first time in 50 years. Drogba scored the winning goal in the 2005 Carling Cup Final and in 2007 he once more kicked the winning goal to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup Final.

The winning goals also came from his golden boot to help secure victories in the 2009 FA Cup Final and the 2010 FA Cup Final.

Drogba recently transferred to the Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, but not before ensuring a winning 2012 for Chelsea. He scored the winning goal in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool, and it was his late equalizer (and only goal for Chelsea) that forced the 2012 UEFA Final against Bayern Munich to a penalty shoot-out.

Of course he scored the winning penalty, and helped the Blues lift the trophy. Now all that's left is for us to see how Drogba will fare at his new club.


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Ice Prince to tour the UK

Ice Prince is releasing new music. The Nigerian rapper, who is currently on tour in the US, will release two new tracks next week, reports Nigerian Entertainment Today.

In October, he will also headline his first UK gig at the London O Islington Academy.

In June, Ice Prince experienced the British crowd at Hackney Weekend, where he joined Jamaican reggae star Gyptian on stage.

Gyptian and Ice Prince had earlier teamed up for his remix of Magician.

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Jennifer Tete: Miss Earth Ghana 2012

Twenty year-old medical student from the University of Ghana, Jennifer Maame Yaa Kyekye Tete, has been crowned Miss Earth Ghana 2012 at a keenly contested finale at the National Theatre.

She won an official car, GH¢10,000, wardrobe for one year, and will represent Ghana at the world finals of Miss Earth.


The top five out of the 18 contestants were Martha Mensah, Chaana Abdul-Razak, Aseye Eleblu, Maame Yaa Kyekye Tete and Rhoda Brown Wood.

They answered several questions on the environment, to determine who was best fit for the Miss Earth Ghana crown.

Tete came tops when she impressed the judges on what she would do as Miss Earth Ghana to promote the conservation of the environment.


Other special awards on the night include Miss Earth Walk – Martha Mensah, Miss Earth Project – Aseye Eleblu, Miss Earth Talent – Selina Antwi, Miss Earth Eloquence – Farouza Bawah, Miss Earth Face – Rhoda Brown Wood, and Miss Earth Poise and attitude – Imaculate Siddick.
The ‘green’ themed finale was directed by Seth Osei Nyarko and saw performances from top music acts including Kwabena Kwabena, Keche, Yaa Yaa and others. Miss Earth Ghana is sponsored by ACI Construction, Somotex Ghana Ltd (LG Somovision), Primus Africa, Schwarzkopf; and supported by Ministries of Environment, Science and Technology, Land and Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Wildlife Division and Society the Dept. of Parks and Gardens.

P Square, May D part ways

Weeks after rumours began circulating hinting at an imminent break-up between the Okoye Brothers and their prodigy May D, we can now authoritatively confirm that May D is no longer part of the P Square crew.

In a text message to us, Jude Okoye confirmed the schism with a terse reply: "True."

Although not much has been heard regarding why May D, who gained nationwide recognition with his risqué single Soundtrack, is being dropped many are concerned because his debut album was being prepped for release.

After featuring on their Chop My Money remix track alongside Akon, May D, whose real name is Akinmayokun Awodumila, was considered a bona fide member of the P Square crew and the release of five songs from his highly anticipated debut was greeted with tons of optimism.



Tracks like Ile Ijo and Soundtrack were teasers of his latent promise and just last week in THISDAY publication, the artist was quoted as saying he relished his time with the pair and his dream was "to have the same level of success as they have if not even better. So there is no fear, just inspiration".

May D’s departure from P Square, where he had said he was signed on to for the long term, recalls the soured relationship between the twins and J. Martins who was hitherto rolling with the crew.

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