Sunday, 12 March 2017
Monday, 6 March 2017
ICCN, NNEW seek gender equality, empowerment for women
Gender Equality
The International Chamber of Commerce Nigeria (ICCN) and NECA’S Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) have called for more involvement of women in all strata of the nation’s economy as well as within the decision-making bodies of government at various levels.
Besides, the groups also seek more women empowerment and gender equality to ensure inclusive and quality education for all.To ensure that its views are not taken with kid’s gloves the organizations said this year worldwide International Women’s Day, which is slated for March 8 will critically address the issue and other similar ones affecting women.
Besides, it said this year’s theme: “Be bold for change” was informed by the need to encourage women to rise up to leadership challenges among other critical roles where women have not been adequately represented.
Speaking in Lagos, NNEW President, Oyekunle Modupe, said the idea of the theme is to consider how to accelerate the 2030 agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new sustainable development goals, especially to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
She added: “It will also ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning and on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights.
“The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity, a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.”
Given the strategic importance of the theme for this year celebration, she hinted that the keynote speaker Mrs Dorothy Ufot (SAN) and plenary session speakers that include Dr (Mrs) Omolara Akanji, Mrs Amina Zanna Ibrahim, Hon (Mrs) Doyin Ogunbiyi were carefully selected in recognition of their wealth of experience in various sectors of the economy. The event will also reflect the world of work, which is changing, and with significant implications for women.
She added: “On one hand, we have globalization, technological and digital revolution and the opportunities they bring, and on the other hand, the growing informality of labour, unstable livelihoods and incomes, new fiscal and trade policies and environmental impacts all of which must be addressed in the context of women’s economic empowerment.”
International Labour Organisation, Unity Bank Plc., Vlisco Nigeria, PZ Cusson and Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) are sponsoring the event.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mgmLC7
Heavy rain locks down Lagos
Mushin during yesterday’s rain
It was a wet day in Lagos yesterday following a heavy downpour in many parts of the commercial city. The rain, which started around 11a.m. lasted for over an hour.
At Herbert Macaulay area of Yaba, there was serious flooding on both sides of the road, thereby causing some gridlock on some road artery long after the rain ended. Commuters were also stranded and some cars broke down on the road.
The drainage around Herbert Macaulay, Surulere, Ikorodu Road and other areas in the Lagos metropolis were also blocked, thereby making it difficult for the rainwater to flow easily.
Eyewitnesses, who were caught in the rain yesterday expressed serious concerns over the poor drainage system and urged Governor Ambode to take drastic measures to address the problem.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State House of Assembly had last month advised residents of flood-prone parts of the state to look for alternative accommodations to prevent flood-related hazards.
Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Setonji David, called for respect for government regulations on physical planning.
He said: “Residents should consider their safety and the safety of others when they are building. It is not safe to build without approval. Building on waterlogged areas is suicidal; building on waterways or close to a canal is bad. We should make safety a priority.“We are appealing to all residents to build according to plans and obey the regulations on physical planning.’’
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mdufnR
Varsity students declare three-day prayer for Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari.
Forum, NGO hold supplication in Akure, Gombe
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has set aside three days of prayers for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari and his early return to the country.
NANS President, Chinonso Obasi, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said Nigerian students would within the three days starting from Wednesday, February 8, 2017 join other patriotic citizens to intercede on behalf of the President who is on medical vacation in the United Kingdom.
According to him: “As leaders of tomorrow and champions of a better Nigeria, we should not be left out in the national call for prayers for the President.”
Also, a political platform, Sunshine Integrity Forum (SIF) has urged Nigerians to pray for good health for the President so that “his task of cleansing the country of corruption to engender socio-economic development” can be successfully completed.
The platform is a group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, which is under the leadership of Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice who represents Ondo North in the upper legislative chamber, stated this during a prayer session it organised for the president in Akure, Ondo State capital yesterday.
Leading the prayers, Pastor Kehinde Zacheaus of Complete Bible Church expressed optimism that “President Buhari will live to fulfill the good purpose of God for Nigerians.”
Personalities who attended the event at Boroffice’s former campaign office were the ex-Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Kenneth Olawale, Chief Bailey Arohunmolase, Mrs. Julie Ajegunmo, Mrs. Nireti Akinyele, Messrs Dayo Bello and Olusola Aturu among other APC politicians.
Boroffice, in a speech delivered by Elder Ebenezer Ogunrinde, urged Nigerians to support President Buhari in the task of rebuilding the country.And in Gombe, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Community for Peace and Corrupt-free Society, Nigeria yesterday held special prayers for President Buhari and the nation.
Speaking at the prayer session, the National Chairman of the society, Zakari Ahmed, said it is part of their responsibility as Nigerians to pray for the speedy recovery of the President and the country’s development.
The Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar, who was represented by Alhaji Lamido Abubakar thanked the organisers, the clerics and the participants for their cooperation.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mQdAKc
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Accolades, knocks greet new forex policy
CBN
Ex- Bank Chief Calls For More Devaluation Of Naira To Attract Inflow Of Forex
Commendation and knocks have continued to greet the recent new foreign exchange (forex) policy rules introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of measures to streamline the market and ensure pressure is taken off the Naira.
While some experts have commended the apex bank for what they described as a ‘bold step’ capable of addressing the forex crisis in the country, others reasoned otherwise, suggesting that the new rule would rather create opportunity for the banks and some individuals to enrich themselves through round-tripping at the expense of the country’s foreign reserves, which has just resumed growth after a long period of decline.
As a fall-out of last Monday’s CBN announcement of the new policy, the naira has regained value, particularly at the parallel market gaining about 25 kobo against the United States dollar as the exchange rate of the two currencies fell from N520/$1 the previous week to a new level of N455/$1 at the segment of the market as at yesterday. However, the inter-bank exchange rate remained same at N305/$1 throughout the period.
However, economists and major stakeholders in the forex market have reacted to the new policy differently, with all of them agreeing a sustainable solution that can address the crisis on a permanent basis.
Former Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, Alhaji Rislanudeen Mohammed, believes the action by the apex bank at the time was timely and a bold one.
However, he raised fears about the sustainability of the action and would rather want a permanent solution to the challenge, which he identified as forex supply, hence he called for a permanent solution to the Niger Delta vandalism issue and more importantly the devaluation of the naira further to attain the real market value of the currency in the forex market. He argued that this would become attractive to portfolio investors and others who will now throng the Nigerian market because of the high interest incentive.
Another expert who also commended the new CBN policy is the Chief Executive Officer, Cowry Assets Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, who said though the policy will close the gap between the interbank and parallel market, but was all the same not new as people would think.
An Economist, Dr. Boniface Chizea, while assessing the impact of the policy said: “ We also plead for sustainability. The promised weekly allocation of one million dollars to the 21 banks, which should amount on aggregate to around one billion dollars a year, and considering the evolving stability at the oil market with the price consistently in mid-50 dollars a barrel, there is no reason why we should not have sustainability. And once that is the case what has just happened promises to be a game changer.”
Professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sheriffdeen Tella, opposed the policy action, saying it would drain the country’s external reserves and worsen the exchange rate challenges facing the country.”
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mj1qt6
My lord, tell me when a gift is not bribe!
Alabi Williams
I’m not too sure what the rules of engagement are between the Bench and Bar outside the premises of courts. But I do know the Bench, Bar and their clients must meet somehow, at the town square to play ayo and socialise? I wouldn’t know how that is explained in the law books, but what distance is allowed at such hours, some of which could be odd and ungodly? It seems to me that there are gaps. I wouldn’t know the position of British foremost jurist, Lord Denning on this.
Take for instance, a highly traditional society like ours, where a number of ceremonies take place, how are members of the Bar and Bench expected to relate, so that when they exchange gifts, law enforcement officers will not return many months later to sniff and investigate the package? I think there ought to be established criteria, so that either a gift is gift, no matter who originated it and who the courier is; or, there is no gift at all. It does not serve justice, when a particular gift that emanated from someone associated with Mr. president is explained with so much energy as free will, while other gifts are hurriedly declared as products of graft.
If we invent a uniform understanding in that regard, it shouldn’t cost so much energy and ink to explain the propriety or otherwise of the gift of N500, 000 given to Justice Adeniyi Ademola for his daughter’s wedding by Mr. Kola Awodein SAN. According to presidential media aide, Femi Adesina, in a release published last week, both Justice Ademola, who happens to be on trial before an Abuja Court for corruption, and Awodein have been friends for 35 years. And in the spirit of that longstanding friendship, that gift was given. That cannot be faulted. The release, which was issued by Adesina from the highest office in the land, where the war against corruption is based and marketed as a major achievement, acknowledged that the gift from Awodein to Justice Ademola was nothing frivolous, but was given, “as our custom well recognises and demands…”
Permit me to ask: Is the Presidency, therefore, at home with gifts offered by friends of 35 years or 60 years to members of the Bench on the occasion of their daughters’ wedding or perhaps, their grandfathers’ burial, since it is part of our customs and traditions?
Not long ago, we had the case of Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court to deal with. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), full of zeal like Saul of Tarsus, worked very hard to connect the gift the man got from a senior advocate to payment for judgments. The allegation was that Justice Yunusa collected a bribe of N225, 000 (just half of the gift Awodein gave to Justice Ademola) from Ricky Tarfa, SAN, and that it was used to gain favours. Part of the favours, according to EFCC, was that Tarfa’s firm was in the habit of asking the Chief Register of the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court to assign his case before Justice Yunusa.
Given the accurate presentation of facts, dates and data of transactions, Tarfa, in an affidavit deposed to by his chambers agreed to giving the said sum to Justice Yunusa, but only as support from a committee of friends to assist the Justice to bury his father, sometime in 2014 in Maiduguri. Justice Yunusa has since been unhorsed prematurely.
Effectively, and up to this point, the EFFC has been able to establish some link between lawyers and justices. The painful truth is that our justices are exposed and vulnerable. And as mortals, even though we expect godlike performance from them, they are not infallible because we set traps for them and lure them into temptation. That is no excuse.
And now that it concerns the Presidency, being linked not too remotely with a gift offered by Buhari’s lawyer to a judge at the time Buhari’s ‘no certificate’ case was to be heard, I do not expect Adesina to go sanctimonious about the nobility of intentions behind the gift of N500, 000. Why is it that Mr. Awodein is not the one explaining himself directly to Nigerians on how indebted he was to Justice Ademola, for which he had to raise all of N500, 000, by himself and not through a committee, as gift for just one wedding? Assuming all the friends of Justice Ademola were to raise that same amount, were it not better they build a factory for the man, so that he can dispense excellent and dispassionate justice, fully assured that he has a secured retirement benefit in place?
Some stories are better not told. That is why they say, when one is in a hole, there is no need to get agitated. Just stay calm, so that you do not dig further. In many instances, persons in the Presidency (a hole) have contradicted themselves over and again and Nigerians are simply astonished. All the preaching of Adesina on behalf of Awodein, could as well, be tendered in the case of Justice Yunusa, who got only N225, 000 from Tarfa and friends, to assist in his father’s burial.
In the war against graft, which is a good fight, and most Nigerians are sold on it, there must be a manifest level playing field, so that justice is well served. But there is now ample evidence that the graft war has some touch of interferences. We see the prosecutors picking and choosing, as well as, explaining frantically what gift is good intentioned, and which is roguery.
In cleaning the justice system and ridding it of corrupt practices, care must be taken to also look at the budget that is approved for the Justice Ministry at all levels, so that those in whose delicate hands justice is placed are not miserly remunerated, in the manner that renders them vulnerable to political predators. It is vulnerability that will make a Justice accept the sort of gift we are talking about. A judge in a sane society should not be associated with the type of huge gifts that are unraveling. Since the journey into this political dispensation flagged off in 1999, when election tribunals debuted, the level of vulnerability of judicial officials has jerked up.
Since it became fashionable for justices to upturn elections and award victory to those who lost out at elections, all manner of fraud have been introduced into the judiciary. There is a class of SANs that has become very influential and rich, too, courtesy of election tribunals. They wheel and deal on behalf of politicians, and they have access to judges. They charge their political clients astronomic legal fees and in the process give gifts to judges. They build schools and establish foundations to keep some of their monies. An unsuspecting and pauperised judge might find it excessive to begin to scrutinise gifts from friends of 40 years, only for him to encounter his benefactor arguing a case before him a few days later. And that could be the beginning of compromised justice system.
Recently, the Chief Justice of a state in the Southeast was the special guest or whatever at the birthday ceremony of the governor’s wife. Assuming on his way home a gift was packaged to appreciate his time and company? Should he take it or reject it? For me, it appeared ridiculous, that a justice of that calibre should preside at the birthday ceremony of a governor’s wife. He should not even be seen at a governor’s birthday, not to mention his wife’s, who is really not a part of the government. The Justice of the state is the number three citizen. He is the head of the entire judiciary, a co-equal arm with the executive and legislature. The day we begin to treat the judiciary with respect and dignity, the day we begin to provide amply for the upkeep of that crucial third arm of government, that is the day the journey to rid the judiciary of graft can be said to have started.
For now, I say, ‘My Lord, Tell Me Where To Keep Your Bribe!’
Prof Niyi Osundare, I salute!
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lc87rX
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Oncologist implores FG to set up more cancer testing, treatment centres
He advised Nigerians to live a healthy lifestyle and stay away from cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol intake-habits that constitute health hazards. Speaking at the sensitization programme to mark the 2017 World Cancer Day yesterday in Abuja, Igbinoba who noted that cancer is not a death sentence, observed that over 40 per cent cases of cancer are preventable if people do the right thing.
He said: “We can conquer cancer and ensure that the scourge is reduced nationwide. Individuals should know the signs and symptoms of cancer and above all go for screening in order to detect the disease early. If the disease is caught early, it can be cured. If you can stay away from cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol intake, you can prevent cancer. There are lifestyles to pre-disposes people to cancer but you can keep cancer away by living a healthy lifestyle.”
Igbinoba who doubles as President of the National Association of Consultant Radiation and Clinical Oncologists (NACRCO), observed that Cervical cancer is now regarded as a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) because Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) has been identified as its causative agent.
He, therefore, stressed the need for government to procure more radiotherapy machines, insisting that whoever takes it upon himself to buy a radiotherapy machines for any centre should also negotiate the maintenance contract along with it, otherwise when they break down, it is usually difficult to repair them on time.
Also speaking, Head, Department of Oncology at the National Hospital, Dr. Adisa Oyesegun noted that cancer alone kills more than HIV/ AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria put together, adding that cancer could result from genetics, obesity, dietary fat intake and hormonal factors, stressing that tobacco accounts for one million of cancer related deaths annually.
He said, “We now see cancer in young age group, there are things we are doing wrong. Prostate cancer is supposed to be the disease of the elderly but here in Africa, we see prostate cancer in people of 40-years old bracket and this is because we eat junk and processed food. Breast cancer is not easy to manage. Causes of cancer include excessive or regular smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, but it could be treated if diagnosed early.”
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kubqxn
‘I killed my 81-year-old mother because she was a witch…’
The suspect, Ayoola
A fifty-one-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his 81-year-old mother at the United Estate, Sangotedo area of Ajah, Lagos State.The suspect, Oluwaseye Ayoola, was alleged to have terminated the life of his octogenarian mother using an axe. A police source at Sangotedo Police Station said the suspect confessed that he killed his mother for being a witch.
According to the source, Ayoola claimed that he went to the mountain to pray for 21 days where it was revealed to him in the spiritual realm that his mother was the cause of his failure in life.
The source alleged that the suspect also confessed that in order to have a genuine reason to kill his mother, he decided to beg her for N500,000 out of the N11 million will, which his late sister left behind. For daring to refuse him the money, he used an axe to put an end to his mother’s life.
“He claimed that it was revealed to him in spiritual realm that his mother was the cause of his problem and that he was told that to confirm the revelation, he should beg the mother for some money and if she refused it will be a confirmation the mother was the cause of his problem. When he got home and did according to the revelation, the mother refused to give him the money, which made him to kill her,” he added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the incident, said on Tuesday around 11:15p.m., one Akintunde Ayoola, came to the station to report that around 6p.m., he got information that his brother, Oluseye, manhandled his mother over failure to release an undisclosed sum of money to him.
According to the PPRO, “the complainant said when he arrived the scene, he found his mother, Dorcas Ayoola, dead, in the pool of her blood, while, the brother fled the scene to an unknown destination.”
Badmos said on receiving the information, detectives from Ogombo Division launched a manhunt for the suspect, who was consequently arrested.She said, during interrogation, the suspect confessed that he went to request for some money from his mother who refused to give it to him. “He claimed that the refusal to give him money made him angry and he pounced on the old woman who fell and hit her head on the floor and died before help could come.”
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the general hospital morgue for postmortem, adding that the case would soon be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti Yaba, for further investigation.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kKfN65
Monday, 30 January 2017
SAD: Father poisons his 11-year old twin daughters to death for being ‘witches’ in Cross River
A 40-year-old man, Anyanime Festus was arrested by the Cross River State Police Command for allegedly poisoning his twin daughters in Akampka Local Government Area of Cross River in Calabar. The father poisoned his children because he blamed them for the death of his parents.
The father was arrested by the Divisional Police Station, Akampka, and then transferred to Police Headquarters in Calabar.
The suspect allegedly gave his 11-year-old twin daughters a black substance mixed with acid, took them to a bush path and made them drink it. The substance which is believed to be poison, led to their death on January 10 and 11, 2017.
According to Vanguard, a source said:
“The man told us that his daughters confessed to be witches and that he had no choice other than to kill them before they kill him. So he mixed acid with malt, took the twins to a bush path and gave them the substance to drink.”
Another source said:
“The twins were always wandering the streets. When brought back home by strangers, Festus usually chased them out again without food.
Sometimes they were locked up and not given food for days.”
Vanguard reports that the twin girls had been imprisoned by their father for about three days after which he told them that he was going to them to school. He let them out and took them to the bush path where they were both poisoned.
An eyewitness, said that before one of the twins died, she revealed that their father had taken them to a bush path at Nyaghasan on a bike, brought out a black substance and gave to them to drink.
She said they both drank it, but because the substance was bitter, she refused the second portion, but her sister drank both portions that their father offered them.
She said the twin said after they took the poison, they started having stomach ache and complained to their father, who then pretended like he was going to get help for them but never returned for them.
The witness said:
“Not too long after, they started feeling dizzy and then fell asleep.
When she woke up and tapped her sister, she was no longer breathing.
“The deceased said she had to drag her sister’s lifeless body from the bush to the road. It was in the process that a good Samaritan saw them and informed the police, who then took both of them to Akamkpa General Hospital, where she later died at about 3:40a.m., on January 11.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident, said:
“We have apprehended the suspect;
he was brought from Akamkpa this morning (Monday) to the headquarters. He confessed that he gave his daughters acid mixed with malt to drink because he had a premonition that they would kill him like they killed his parents.
“He had the belief because they confessed to him that they were witches. So he carried out the dastardly act to save his life first.”
Source: Vangaurd
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kOpu2g
Sunday, 29 January 2017
Iran’s Oscar-winning director to skip awards over Trump visa ban
(FILES) This file photo taken on May 22, 2016 shows Iranian director Asghar Farhadi celebrating on stage after being awarded with the Best Screenplay prize for the film "The Salesman (Forushande) during the closing ceremony of the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi said January 29, 2017y he will not attend next month's Academy Awards, comparing President Donald Trump's visa ban on seven Muslim countries to the actions of hardliners in his own country. Farhadi, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film for "The Salesman", said in a statement carried by Iranian news agencies that he had initially planned to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles, but had been forced to change his mind.<br />Valery HACHE / AFP
Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi said Sunday he will not attend next month’s Academy Awards ceremony, comparing US President Donald Trump’s visa ban on seven Muslim countries to the actions of hardliners in his own country.
Farhadi, nominated for best foreign language film for “The Salesman”, said in a statement released to AFP by his representatives in Los Angeles he had initially planned to attend the ceremony, but had been forced to change his mind.
Trump signed an executive order on Friday prohibiting entry to the United States to all nationals of seven Muslim-majority states — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
“I neither had the intention to not attend nor did I want to boycott the event as a show of objection, for I know that many in the American film industry and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are opposed to the fanaticism and extremism which are today taking place more than ever,” Farhadi said.
“However, it now seems that the possibility of this presence is being accompanied by ifs and buts which are in no way acceptable to me even if exceptions were to be made for my trip.” He said hardliners in United States and Iran acted with the same mentality.
“For years on both sides of the ocean, groups of hardliners have tried to present to their people unrealistic and fearful images of various nations and cultures in order to turn their differences into disagreements, their disagreements into enmities and their enmities into fears,” he aid.
“Instilling fear in the people is an important tool used to justify extremist and fanatic behaviour by narrow-minded individuals.”
His lead actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, had already announced that she would boycott the annual awards ceremony in Los Angeles over Trump’s “racist” visa ban. Farhadi won the best foreign language Oscar in 2012 for his film “A Separation”.
The subjects of “The White Helmets,” an Oscar-nominated documentary about the volunteers who rescue victims of attacks in Syria, will also be unable to attend, it emerged later Sunday.
“We have always said that if we were to be nominated, we would bring Raed Saleh, the head of the White Helmets, who has spoken many times in (Washington) DC, and Khaled Khateeb, the young cinematographer who risked his life over and over again, as our guests,” producer Joanna Natasegara said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“They’ve been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize — these people are the bravest humanitarians on the planet, and the idea that they could not be able to come with us and enjoy that success is just abhorrent.”
The White Helmets say on their website that their unarmed rescuers have saved more than 78,500 lives in Syria. They were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize last year, although the award went to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos “The White Helmets” is nominated for best documentary short at the Academy Awards on February 26.
Vía The Guardian NigeriaThe Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kIJnf4
‘Hidden Figures’ takes top prize at SAG Awards (Read full details)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 29: (L-R) Actors Kimberly Quinn, Kirsten Dunst, Octavia Spencer, Saniyya Sidney, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monael, co-recipients of the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award for 'Hidden Figures,' pose in the press room during The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 26592_008 Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/AFP<br />Frazer Harrison / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
Fox’s biographical comedy-drama “Hidden Figures” landed the top prize Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, seen as a major bellwether for the Oscars.
Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, it took the trophy for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, the SAG equivalent of a best film Academy Award.
Theodore Melfi’s movie, which recounts the story of African-American mathematicians who helped NASA put the first men in space, was a shock winner, with Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” widely tipped for the top prize.
It also beat coming-of-age drama “Moonlight,” comedy “Captain Fantastic” and race relations story “Fences.”
“Manchester” star Casey Affleck — the frontrunner for the best actor Oscar — was also shut out, with the SAG award going instead to Denzel Washington for “Fences.”
Washington, 62, who has two Oscars, also beat competition from Andrew Garfield (“Hacksaw Ridge”), Viggo Mortensen (“Captain Fantastic”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land”).
In the best actress category, Emma Stone won for “La La Land,” Damien Chazelle’s whimsical tribute to the musicals of Hollywood’s golden age.
The support acting awards went to Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight” — his second trophy of the night after the “Hidden Figures” cast prize — and Viola Davis, who made it a double for “Fences.”
Ali, 42 — best known for his portrayal of White House chief of staff Remy Danton in Netflix political drama “House of Cards” — gave an emotional speech about the need to support the marginalized.
“I think what I’ve learnt from working on ‘Moonlight’ is we see what happens when we persecute people — they fold into themselves,” said Ali, a Muslim with a Christian minister for a mother, fighting back tears.
– ‘This award is legitimate’ –
On the television side, “The Crown,” which follows the lives and loves of Britain’s post-war Royal Family, picked up best actor awards for John Lithgow and Claire Foy.
Netflix’s nostalgic breakout hit “Stranger Things” — about a gang of 1980s children looking for their missing friend — won the award for best cast in a drama series.
The SAG nominations are the second major announcement in Tinseltown’s glittering awards season, which climaxes with the Academy Awards on February 26.
The evening was marked by speeches denouncing President Donald Trump’s immigration ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus followed suit as she picked up her second SAG award for comedy acting in “Veep” — her eighth statuette overall.
In a speech aimed solely at Trump, Louis-Dreyfus — whose father fled Nazi-occupied France — said she loved the US but hated its blemishes, adding “this immigration ban is a blemish.”
The 56-year-old also poked fun at Trump’s focus on attendance at his inauguration and allegations of voter fraud.
“Whether the Russians did or did not hack the SAG awards, I look out across the million, maybe 1.5 million people in this room and say this award is legitimate and I won it,” she said. “La La Land”, set in modern-day Los Angeles, cleaned up at the Golden Globes earlier in January, winning all seven categories in which it was nominated.
– ‘Difficult times’ –
Although less high-profile than the Globes, the SAG awards are seen as more of an indicator of Oscars glory, since members represent some 1,200 of the roughly 6,000 voters for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Last year, “Spotlight,” a drama about sexual abuse in the Catholic church, took the prize for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture — and went on to win the best film Oscar.
The awards season is being closely watched as it follows controversy over the lack of diversity in last year’s list of Oscar nominees. The scandal was largely stopped in its tracks this year with a high proportion of black actors among the nominees for February’s Oscars.
The SAG awards escaped criticism in any case with a good number of ethnic minority wins last year. Washington was the only black nominee among the 10 hopefuls for best lead role in a movie, although there were four nominees from ethnic minority backgrounds in the supporting categories.
Sterling K Brown, Courtney B Vance, Riz Ahmed, Rami Malek, Thandie Newton, Audra McDonald and Kerry Washington were all nominated for individual TV acting awards, although they all lost out to white actors.
“We’ve been through more difficult times. We got through it then during the segregation era and we’ll get through it now,” Janelle Monae of “Hidden Figures” said backstage.
“As the great Kevin Costner said, we all pee the same color.”
‘Hidden Figures’ takes top prize at SAG Awards
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2jl9rwH
Saturday, 28 January 2017
BREAKING NEWS: U.S federal judge blocks Donald Trump’s immigration order from deporting people detained at airports
A federal judge in New York has issued an emergency stay temporarily stopping the removal of individuals detained at the airports after President Trump’s order banned immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
The move marks the first successful legal challenge against the Trump administration and affects those who have arrived in the U.S. already or were in transit with valid visas.
The court ruled on a habeas corpus petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of two Iraqi men who were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday after Trump’s ban. Since then both men, Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshaw, have been granted entry into the U.S. Cecillia Wang, deputy legal director at the ACLU, tweeted:
The ruling deals with a part of Trump’s order which bars Syrian refugees indefinitely and halts the resettlement of all refugees for four months as the administration reviews the vetting process.
Judge Ann Donnelly of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn granted the request from ACLU to stay the deportations after determining that the risk of injury to those detained by being returned to their home countries necessitated the decision.
And only minutes after the judge’s ruling in New York, another came in Virginia when U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary restraining order to block the removal of any green-card holders being detained at Dulles International Airport for seven days.
Brinkema’s action also ordered that lawyers have access to those held there because of the president’s ban.
There have been several protests at various airports since the ban was announced.
Source: CNN/The Hill
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Google, Facebook show tech dismay on Trump immigration order (Read full details)
Google CEO, Sundar Pichai
Alphabet Inc.’s Google asked staffers who may have been affected by a new executive order on immigration to return to the U.S. quickly, joining a growing number of technology executives voicing concerns over restrictions that could interfere with how they do business.
Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai slammed President Donald Trump’s move in a note to employees Friday, telling them that more than 100 company staff had been affected by the order. Microsoft Corp. said it was in touch with 76 staffers from the seven countries identified in the executive order. They received a reprieve on Saturday after two judges temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the order that would have led to the removal from U.S. airports of refugees, visa holders and legal U.S. residents from seven mostly Muslim countries.
“It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues,” Pichai wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News. “We’ve always made our view on immigration issues known publicly and will continue to do so.”
The comments underscore a growing rift between the Trump administration and several large U.S. technology companies, which employ many immigrants and have lobbied for fewer immigration restrictions. Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg voiced concern over the policy on Friday, and Airbnb Inc. CEO Brian Chesky said Saturday in a tweet that “closing doors further divides” people. Twitter Inc. CEO Jack Dorsey said in a tweet Saturday the order’s “humanitarian and economic impact is real and upsetting.”
Uber Technologies Inc. CEO Travis Kalanick said Saturday he plans to outline his misgivings with the order at the first meeting of the Trump administration’s business advisory group next Friday in Washington.
Stranded Drivers
Uber had about a dozen staffers affected by the order, as well as a number of drivers, Kalanick said in an e-mailed statement.
“This order has far broader implications as it also affects thousands of drivers who use Uber and come from the listed countries, many of whom take long breaks to go back home to see their extended family. These drivers currently outside of the U.S. will not be able to get back into the country for 90 days,” he said. He said Uber was working out a plan to compensate those drivers stranded abroad.
Trump signed the executive order on Friday prohibiting entry by people from seven majority-Muslim nations for 90 days. Citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen would be banned from entering the U.S. for the period, while the government determines what information it needs to safely admit visitors.
Airbnb will provide free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed into the U.S., Chesky, the home-stay network’s CEO, said on Twitter. “Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing,” he wrote.
Some visa and green-card holders were blocked from boarding flights to the U.S. after the order was issued and several people were being detained at U.S. airports when they arrived, the New York Times reported. The Department of Homeland Security issued a directive on Friday afternoon ordering the Customs and Border Control agency to enforce the order immediately.
Barriers for Talent
“We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.,” a Google spokeswoman said in a statement. “We’ll continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere.”
Some Google employees were traveling abroad and were trying to get back to the U.S. before the order took effect. The company asked them to reach out to Google’s security, travel, and immigration teams for assistance, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person asked not to be identified talking about internal company communications.
Google declined to say Saturday whether any employees were detained or blocked from boarding flights.
Rushing Home
The employees in question normally work in the U.S. but just happened to be abroad either on work assignments or vacations. One employee rushed back from a trip to New Zealand to make it into the U.S. before the order was signed, Google’s Pichai wrote in his memo.
“We are advising our clients from those seven countries who have green cards or any type of H-1B visa not to travel outside the U.S.,” said Ava Benach, a partner at immigration law firm Benach Collopy LLP, while noting that the order takes effect immediately.
“No one is really sure whether a green card holder from these seven countries can return to the U.S. now. It’s fairly clear that an H-1B visa holder can’t,” Benach said. The H-1B lets U.S. companies employ graduate-level workers from other countries in technical occupations such as technology, engineering and science.
“If anyone in these situations has the misfortune to have gone abroad recently, it’s a treacherous moment, possibly for green card holders too,” Benach said.
Other technology companies are likely in a similar situation, she added.
Microsoft Memo
Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said in a memo to staff Saturday that the company is working with affected personnel and that it supports immigration policies that “protect the public without sacrificing people’s freedom of expression or religion.”
Microsoft also affirms “the importance of protecting legitimate and law-abiding refugees whose very lives may be at stake in immigration proceedings,” Smith wrote.
Immigration restrictions “may inhibit our ability to adequately staff our research and development efforts,” Microsoft said in a securities filing on Thursday.
Facebook’s Zuckerberg said Friday he was “concerned” by Trump’s recent moves to restrict immigration.
A blanket entry ban “ is not the best way to address the country’s challenges,” Tesla Motors Inc. CEO Elon Musk said Saturday on Twitter.
“Many people negatively affected by this policy are strong supporters of the U.S.,” Musk wrote. “They’ve done right, not wrong and don’t deserve to be rejected.” In a separate statement, Tesla added: “We hope that this temporary action by the administration transitions to a fair and thoughtful long-term policy.”
Google, Facebook show tech dismay on Trump immigration order
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Google, Facebook show tech dismay on Trump immigration order
Google CEO, Sundar Pichai
Alphabet Inc.’s Google asked staffers who may have been affected by a new executive order on immigration to return to the U.S. quickly, joining a growing number of technology executives voicing concerns over restrictions that could interfere with how they do business.
Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai slammed President Donald Trump’s move in a note to employees Friday, telling them that more than 100 company staff had been affected by the order. Microsoft Corp. said it was in touch with 76 staffers from the seven countries identified in the executive order. They received a reprieve on Saturday after two judges temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the order that would have led to the removal from U.S. airports of refugees, visa holders and legal U.S. residents from seven mostly Muslim countries.
“It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues,” Pichai wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News. “We’ve always made our view on immigration issues known publicly and will continue to do so.”
The comments underscore a growing rift between the Trump administration and several large U.S. technology companies, which employ many immigrants and have lobbied for fewer immigration restrictions. Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg voiced concern over the policy on Friday, and Airbnb Inc. CEO Brian Chesky said Saturday in a tweet that “closing doors further divides” people. Twitter Inc. CEO Jack Dorsey said in a tweet Saturday the order’s “humanitarian and economic impact is real and upsetting.”
Uber Technologies Inc. CEO Travis Kalanick said Saturday he plans to outline his misgivings with the order at the first meeting of the Trump administration’s business advisory group next Friday in Washington.
Stranded Drivers
Uber had about a dozen staffers affected by the order, as well as a number of drivers, Kalanick said in an e-mailed statement.
“This order has far broader implications as it also affects thousands of drivers who use Uber and come from the listed countries, many of whom take long breaks to go back home to see their extended family. These drivers currently outside of the U.S. will not be able to get back into the country for 90 days,” he said. He said Uber was working out a plan to compensate those drivers stranded abroad.
Trump signed the executive order on Friday prohibiting entry by people from seven majority-Muslim nations for 90 days. Citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen would be banned from entering the U.S. for the period, while the government determines what information it needs to safely admit visitors.
Airbnb will provide free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed into the U.S., Chesky, the home-stay network’s CEO, said on Twitter. “Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing,” he wrote.
Some visa and green-card holders were blocked from boarding flights to the U.S. after the order was issued and several people were being detained at U.S. airports when they arrived, the New York Times reported. The Department of Homeland Security issued a directive on Friday afternoon ordering the Customs and Border Control agency to enforce the order immediately.
Barriers for Talent
“We’re concerned about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families, or that create barriers to bringing great talent to the U.S.,” a Google spokeswoman said in a statement. “We’ll continue to make our views on these issues known to leaders in Washington and elsewhere.”
Some Google employees were traveling abroad and were trying to get back to the U.S. before the order took effect. The company asked them to reach out to Google’s security, travel, and immigration teams for assistance, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person asked not to be identified talking about internal company communications.
Google declined to say Saturday whether any employees were detained or blocked from boarding flights.
Rushing Home
The employees in question normally work in the U.S. but just happened to be abroad either on work assignments or vacations. One employee rushed back from a trip to New Zealand to make it into the U.S. before the order was signed, Google’s Pichai wrote in his memo.
“We are advising our clients from those seven countries who have green cards or any type of H-1B visa not to travel outside the U.S.,” said Ava Benach, a partner at immigration law firm Benach Collopy LLP, while noting that the order takes effect immediately.
“No one is really sure whether a green card holder from these seven countries can return to the U.S. now. It’s fairly clear that an H-1B visa holder can’t,” Benach said. The H-1B lets U.S. companies employ graduate-level workers from other countries in technical occupations such as technology, engineering and science.
“If anyone in these situations has the misfortune to have gone abroad recently, it’s a treacherous moment, possibly for green card holders too,” Benach said.
Other technology companies are likely in a similar situation, she added.
Microsoft Memo
Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said in a memo to staff Saturday that the company is working with affected personnel and that it supports immigration policies that “protect the public without sacrificing people’s freedom of expression or religion.”
Microsoft also affirms “the importance of protecting legitimate and law-abiding refugees whose very lives may be at stake in immigration proceedings,” Smith wrote.
Immigration restrictions “may inhibit our ability to adequately staff our research and development efforts,” Microsoft said in a securities filing on Thursday.
Facebook’s Zuckerberg said Friday he was “concerned” by Trump’s recent moves to restrict immigration.
A blanket entry ban “ is not the best way to address the country’s challenges,” Tesla Motors Inc. CEO Elon Musk said Saturday on Twitter.
“Many people negatively affected by this policy are strong supporters of the U.S.,” Musk wrote. “They’ve done right, not wrong and don’t deserve to be rejected.” In a separate statement, Tesla added: “We hope that this temporary action by the administration transitions to a fair and thoughtful long-term policy.”
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