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The French international has come under public scrutiny for his labored performances in recent games, most notably against Chelsea and Swansea Citeven though he scord there, but he has been accused of not giving his 100% in games while being found guilty of going missing in big games where Arsenal have suffered heavily this campaign. Despite his goal tally of 19 goals in all competitions this time around, not many are happy with his performances and with many calling for a new and a more mobile and pacy striker up front. There were sections of the media who also believed that the 27-year old will be offloaded by the Gunners who will replace him with a big money striker in the summer. However, Giroud’s agent has now come out in the open and has publicly dismissed such baseless rumors, while maintaining that on the contrary, the attacker intends to sit down with the club and sign a new deal at the end of the season.

Bold and Suave! OC Ukeje is the cover star for Bubbles Magazine ‘s new issue. Bubbles is known for picking music stars for its covers, so it was refreshing to see an actor on the cover for a change. The urban and hip publication dubs OC Nollywood’s new leading man, and the honour is well deserved. OC has been one to watch out for ever since his breakout role in 2008′s White Waters alongside Rita Dominic and Joke Silva . His résumé just got better starring alongside Genevieve Nnaji, Onyeka Onwenu, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton in the anticipated Half of a Yellow Sun . by bellanaija.com

The Presidency has said that it will not probe the allegations of misappropriation of  public funds levelled against the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, told Saturday PUNCH on Friday, that the Federal Government would not set up a probe panel to investigate the minister because the House of Representatives was currently probing her. Alison-Madueke was alleged to have spent N10bn on a chartered Challenger 850 aircraft in two years for which the House of Representatives is currently probing her. Okupe said that the Federal Government could not institute a probe panel on matters that had not been substantiated. Okupe, who spoke to one of our correspondents in a telephone interview in Abuja, on Friday, said since the House of Representatives had started investigating the matter, the right thing to do was to wait for the outcome of such a probe before any further ...

The Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the global fight against the threat of nuclear terrorism, but said that Nigeria, under his leadership, will continue to pursue efforts to harness nuclear energy and technology for socio-economic development. In his statement to the third Global Security Summit which opened at The Hague in the Netherlands on Monday, President Jonathan upheld the view that international and regional cooperation efforts should be based on the principle of maintaining a balance between nuclear non-proliferation obligations and the inalienable right of States to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy for development purposes.  “While this is important, we would also like to draw attention to the need to maintain the highest standards of nuclear safety and security in establishing peaceful nuclear facilities,” the President said.

Malaysian Prime Minister during a press conference about an hour ago said they believe they have located the plane the whole world has been searching for in the last 16 days. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ended deep in the southern Indian Ocean, west of Australia, Prime Minister Najib Razak said today, citing a new analysis of satellite data by a British satellite company and accident investigators. The Prime Minister said all lives were lost and relatives of passengers and crew have been informed of the 'heartbreaking' news. Some families of the passengers on the missing plane are now due to be booked on to flights to take them to Australia, where the plane is believed to have ended up. How did a plane going from Malaysia to China end up in the Southern Indian Ocean? by linda ikeji

The Senate Committee on Interior will Tuesday begin a two-day public hearing on the unfortunate tragedy that occurred during the recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigerian Immigration Service two weeks ago. No fewer than 16 people died during the NIS recruitment exercise penultimate Saturday across the country. The development made the Senate to direct its Committee on Interior to carry out public Investigative hearing on the tragedy. The public hearing according to the Clerk of the Senate Committee,  Mr. Isah Garba, would hold at the Conference Hall 0231 in the Senate new building by 10:00am each day. Our correspondent learnt that the committee had invited the Minister of Interior,  Mr. Abba Moro, and the Comptroller General of the NIS, Mr. David Parradang, to appear before it on the two days.

SYDNEY/PERTH (Reuters) - A Chinese military aircraft searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner spotted several "suspicious" floating objects on Monday in remote seas off Australia, increasing the likelihood that the wreckage of the plane may soon be found. The latest sighting followed reports by an Australian crew over the weekend of a floating wooden pallet and strapping belts in an area of the icy southern Indian Ocean that was identified after satellites recorded images of potential debris. Flight MH370 vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board on March 8. No confirmed sighting of the plane has been made since and there is no clue what went wrong. Attention and resources in the search for the Boeing 777 have shifted from an initial focus north of the equator to an increasingly narrowed stretch of rough sea in the southern Indian Ocean, thousands of miles ...

FEODOSIA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russian troops forced their way into a Ukrainian marine base in the Crimean port city of Feodosia early on Monday, overrunning one of the few symbols of resistance left after Moscow wrestled the peninsula away from Kiev, defending soldiers inside said. The Russians used stun grenades and fired automatic weapons as they charged in, a Ukrainian military official said. Ukrainian flags had been taken down from flagpoles inside the base. Ukrainian army officer, First Lieutenant Anatoly Mozgovoy, told Reuters by phone from inside the compound that the Russians had fired shots and the Ukrainian soldiers were unarmed. Asked if the base had been taken over, he said: "Yes". "The invading troops were using stun grenades and also firing automatic weapons. The interior of the compound is full of Russian troops," said Vladislav Seleznyov, a Ukrainian military spokesman in Crimea. Russian forces had already captured part of the b...

Refrigeration hasn’t changed in more than 100 years. Consumers have learnt blithely to accept energy-guzzling fridges that periodically need defrosting, or develop mysterious warm pockets. Existing systems also require a consistent power supply, which is a huge challenge for vaccine storage in the developing world. Now, one British inventor has developed a new cooling technology, as simple and cheap to make as a bottle of water, that is set to revolutionise the refrigeration industry. Ian Tansley has created a system that remains cold for up to 12 days without power. It maintains a consistent temperature throughout the fridge, eliminating the hot and cold fluctuations. The impact of such technology is significant. Not only can vaccines be safely transported to off-grid rural areas in developing nations where diseases such as polio still claim hundreds of lives each year, the massive energy savings will benefit both people and planet. Tansley’s Snowdonia-based firm, Sure...

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday queried the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro; and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr. David Paradang, over the loss of 18 lives during the NIS recruitment on Saturday. The 18 died during stampedes at the venues of the NIS recruitment in different parts of the country. The deaths have generated national uproar.  The presidential query for the minister and the NIS CG came as the wife of the Senate President David Mark, Helen, denied reported relationship with the consultants that handled the exercise. Mark’s wife, in a statement signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the President of the Senate, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan,  said she was shocked by media reports (not  The PUNCH ) of her involvement in the exercise. She said the reports were based on a rumour and “a mere fabrication of the imagination of those behind it.” “I have no relationships of any sorts and in whatever form with the said consul...

    Tomas Rosicky scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beat Totteham1-0 in the north London derby at White Hart Lane. The Czech smashed home a superb strike, after good work from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in just the second minute to seal victory and pour more misery on Tim Sherwood's men. Arsenal could have scored more goals.What they needed is the three-point.

C o Creation Hub, CCHub, is a social innovation centre dedicated to accelerating the application of social capital and technology for economic prosperity. Following the success of the 2013 MTN App Developer Challenge, CCHub has partnered with MTN to launch the first-of-its-kind Mobile Experience Lab, MxLab based on the need to bridge the gap between users and digital service providers in Nigeria. Continue...

Cote D'ivore/Manchester City player Yaya Toure has been named Glo/CAF African Player of Year 2013, beating Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi & Didier Drogba of Cote D'ivore.  Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, won African Coach of the Year

Watch out Victor Kwen, Sound Sultan  is busting out his inner model. New shoe line Midiva , presents its debut shoe collection with none other than Nigerian singer-songwriter Sound Sultan. Midiva is an indigenous style and quality conscious brand, producing creative, authentic and edgy shoes. They want to give you the right shoes for the right occasions and are presenting this collection featuring the Natural Something crooner. The debut collection is a mixture of luxury leather, velvet and rubber that creates a soft blend of unique shoes. The collection is inspired by colours, patterns, and a bit of menswear. It focuses on making the wearer look sophisticated, unique, comfortable, and stylish. Check them and him out. By Jennifer Obiuwevbi

The actress who was called the “Queen of Nollywood” by Stella Magazine , speaks to CNN correspondent  Vladimir Duthiers about her upbringing, career achievements, passion for activism and future plans. “I’ve reached a point in my life where I’ve realised I have to leave something. I have to have a legacy. I decided I will be an activist for Africa. My experience with the UN and other humanitarian organisations inspired me to want to speak out and say more and there’s so much you can just say with words. This was my motivation for singing.”

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“ The unexamined life is not worth living ” – Socrates On December 29, 2013, I had dinner with Tunde Leye and a couple of other contemporary Nigerian writers. It was a good opportunity to socialise with some great literary minds and share some fresh ideas. Our discussions during dinner covered one broad subject area: the art of writing and our individual projections for 2014. That meet up could be summed up in the above quote by the great Philosopher, Socrates. We were able to reflect on our experiences in 2013, while also deliberating on what we hoped to achieve in 2014 in this chosen, hallowed field. In the course of evening, Tunde Leye popped the question, “if you were to be relieved of your 8-6 job in 2014, how do you hope to make money from writing?” We all had different answers to the question, but of course, those answers came after some very deep thoughts. The time each person spent deliberating on the question before proffering an answer was a pointer to th...

2face and Annie Idibia have welcomed their second child together – a baby girl. Annie Idibia delivered a bouncing baby girl in the night of January 3, 2014 at an hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, US. Her manager Naomi Adenuga confirmed the news through her Twitter. ‘ Thank God for safe delivery …. Princess Idibia is here* ‘, she wrote a few hours ago. Annie travelled to the US back in November 2013. She has been in the company of her mother and four-year-old daugther Isabella. Meanwhile, NET has confirmed that 2face was not with Annie in Atlanta. The Pop singer who had a busy performance schedule during the Christmas/New Year festive period is currently in Lagos, Nigeria. A photo on Instagram shows him partying with friends at his newly opened Club Rumors night club located at FESTAC, Lagos. 2face is now blessed with seven children – two girls with wife Annie, two boys with baby mama Sunmbo Ajaba and two boys plus a girl with his other baby mama Pero Adeniyi. By Osagi...

The first baby to be born to transgender parents in Argentina was delivered via C-section in the province of Entre Ríos. The proud parents are 26-year-old Alexis Taborda and 28-year-old Karen Bruselario. Alexis was born a woman, but lives as a man and Karen was born a man, but lives as a woman. Because of Argentina’s Gender Identity Law passed in May of 2012, the couple have both been able to legally change their genders without gender reassignment surgery, which meant that when they got pregnant via natural means, it was the man, Alexis, who carried the baby.

Mariah Carey has come under fire after she was allegedly paid $1 million to perform for Angolan President Josè Eduardo Dos Santos a day after she performed at a Lagos gig for a Nigerian bank which recently laid off 200 workers. The ‘All I Want for Christmas is You ‘ singer gave a two-hour concert for authoritarian Angolan President Josè Eduardo Dos Santos on Sunday  December 15, 2013, in return for the huge amount, angering human rights groups. She had earlier performed in Lagos, Nigeria, for Access Bank which also allegedly coughed out $1m for her appearance. Her Lagos visit sparked criticisms because the bank had only recently disengaged 200 workers. Human Rights Foundation president Thor Halvorssen said: ‘ It is the sad spectacle of an international artist purchased by a ruthless police state to entertain and whitewash the father-daughter kleptocracy that has amassed billions in ill-gotten wealth while the majority of Angola lives on less than $2 a day.’

Chike Ike was recently conferred with a Chieftaincy title in Amoli Kingdom of Enugu state. The Nollywood actress was given the title of Akwa Ugo 1 of Amoli Kingdom for her contribution to the growth and development of the Igbo land as well as being a role model to women of Igbo land. For the ceremonious affair, Chika rocked her Aso-ebi best in a purple dress which features silver sequined bodice and purple lace skirt. You can now call her Chief Chika Ike 1 of Amoli Kingdom. by bellanaija.com

Iyetade Soyinka, a daughter of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, has died. Ms. Soyinka, who was born June 6, 1965, died at the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital where she was being treated for an undisclosed ailment. The death was disclosed in a statement signed by Jahman Anikulapo, an aide to Mr. Soyinka, one of the world’s foremost dramatists and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in literature. The statement noted that the late Iyetade Soyinka was a student at the Staff School and Queens School, Ibadan before she studied Medicine at the University of Ibadan. Mr. Anikulapo’s statement described the deceased as “affable, intelligent and sometimes capricious,” adding that she “struggled with her health in recent years.” Despite her health woes, the late Iyetade Soyinka “greeted every day with a smile and doted on her two children.” The statement, which was issued on behalf of the deceased’s family, revealed that Ms. Soyinka “took ill quite suddenly and pas...

Arsenal came through a real test of their title mettle by claiming a 1-0 win at Newcastle United. The Magpies came into the game on the crest of a wave, having won seven of their last nine games, but a second-half goal from Olivier Giroud was enough to claim the three points for Arsene Wenger’s men. The first notable chance was carved out by Newcastle thanks to a raking ball from Yohan Cabaye, but Mathieu Debuchy did not do justice to the pass, as his first touch was awful and the ball ran away from him. Arsenal found openings tough to fashion in the first half, with the Gunners restricted to long-range shots from the likes of Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla which were no real threat to Tim Krul.

 The Federal Government has budgeted N1.52b for the maintenance of the 10 aircraft currently in the Presidential Air Fleet in 2014. The maintenance cost is slightly higher than the N1.5bn proposed as the initial deposit for the purchase of additional aircraft that will bring the number of aircraft in the fleet to 11. This is apart from the N747m earmarked for the purchase of aviation fuel for the aircraft already in the fleet. These figures are contained in the details of the 2014 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan through the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, penultimate week.

The Gunners moved back to the top of the table by beating West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park on Boxing Day, having gone behind at the start of the second half before Theo Walcott's double salvo and Lukas Podolski's crisp strike put the visitors back on course. There is, though, little time for Wenger's squad to revel in their lofty position as the hectic festive schedule continues at St James' Park on Sunday against a team fast closing in on the top four following the 5-1 win over of Stoke which was a seventh victory in nine Premier League games. "Newcastle are in full confidence, they are doing well and won again on Boxing Day with a big score," said Wenger. "Loic Remy is a very good striker, very quick and makes very good runs, so we have to keep him quiet. That will all be another test, but our team wants to do well, the character is great and our concentration is top." Arsenal will be without Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey for the rest of the fes...

Full list of winners Best R&B Single Good Good Loving – Banky W Best Rap Single Man of the Year – Phyno Best Street-Hop Artiste Durosoke – Olamide Best Recording Of The Year This Year – Jaywon Best Collabo Ghost Mode – Phyno FT Olamide Best Rap Album YBNL – Olamide

The marriage of popular comedienne Princess has crashed. Nigerian Entertainment Today has confirmed that Princess (real names Oluwadamilola Adekoya ) and her hubby Shola have gone their separate ways putting behind them the 7 month-old rocky union. NET investigations reveal that trouble started about two weeks after the wedding in May, 2013. Insiders told NET that the marriage was characterised by endless disagreements, often requiring the intervention of friends and family. ‘It’s been  7 months of a series of efforts to mend the broken marriage until it was obvious that it was beyond repair’ one insider told us today. Speaking to a NET correspondent, Princess confirms the separation, saying  ‘Yes my marriage has ended due to irreconcilable differences’. She admitted to our reporter that the union has not been as blissful as many thought.  ‘We have been having issues since the wedding but we still remained together hoping that we would be able to work it out....

Mother of two Mariah Carey says she's done having kids and if her husband Nick Cannon wants more children, he will have to get pregnant and have the babies himself. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live , the 44 year old singer was asked by a fan caller whether or not she and Nick were planning to have more children...

Luis Suarez's brace sent Liverpool top of the Barclays Premier League with a 3-1 win over Cardiff City at Anfield. The Liverpool striker, who signed a new long-term deal on Friday, made it 10 goals in four games. Suarez put Liverpool in front with a volley from outside the area after 25 minutes and then turned provider for Raheem Sterling three minutes before the interval. There was enough time for Suarez to grab a third, his 29th Barclays Premier League goal of the calendar year, before the break to put Liverpool firmly in control. Cardiff showed fight in the second half, with Jordon Mutch reducing the deficit just before the hour, but it was not enough as their winless away run in the top flight was extended to six matches. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made no changes from the side who beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 on Sunday. Suarez retained the captaincy after scoring eight goals in his previous three matches. The visitors made just one change from their 1-0 success o...

T he winners of the 2013 Future Awards Africa are: Young Person of the Year:  Ashish J. Thakkar, age 24 Prize in Advocacy and Activism:  Orode Uduaghan-Okpu, age 24 Prize in Community Action:  Ife Adebayo, age 30 Prize in New Media:  Kingsley Ezeani, age 23 Prize in Journalism:  Toyosi Ogunsey, age 29 years Prize in Business:  Saeed Jumah, age 28 Prize in Professional Service:  Kayode Temenu, age 29 Prize in Agriculture:  Precious Peter Nweke, age 31 Prize in Fashion & Style:  Aisha Bello, age 24 Continue...

Waje  is reaching for the stars. The Nigerian songstress who is described as “The Woman, The Voice, The Passion” covers the December 2013/January 2014 of  Urban Style Magazine  with R&B powerhouse  Darey Art- Alade . Waje glams up in a yellow long sleeve dress, a gold cuff, and a statement necklace. Darey is cool and suave in a white shirt, stripped blazer and dark shades. by bella naija

8 year old wonder kid AmarachiUyanne, winner of the first edition of Nigeria's Got Talent Reality Show has just released the video to her first single “Amarachi Dance”. T he video was Styled and Scripted By ToyinLawani, CEO of TiannahStyling. source:linda ikeji

Music superstars  Banky W  and  Tiwa Savage ‘s  Ebony Life TV  talk show –  The Banky & Tiwa Show , premiered on Tuesday night. On Monday 16th December 2013, a launch party was held at the swanky  Kudeka Lounge , Victoria Island, Lagos. If you missed the first photos from the event ( click here ) Stars were all out at the event including Ebony Life TV CEO  Mo Abudu  as well as  Toke Makinwa, Stephanie Coker, Julius Agwu, Frank Oshodi, Elohor Aisien, Debola Falana, Lynxxx, Wale Ojo, Andrea Manuela Giaccaglia, Olisa Adibua, Sam Onyemelukwe, Dolapo Oni, Iceberg Slim, D’banj, Tunde Demuren, Tee A, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Tee Billz, Nkiru Anumudu, Megha Joshi,  Kunle Afolayan,  Nikky Laoye, Sasha P, Layole Oyatogun, Anna Ebiere Banner, Tosyn  Bucknor  and  Toolz . Did you catch The Banky & Tiwa Show on Ebony Life TV? Let us know what you think. Check out photos from the launch party. source: bella ...