Cristiano Ronaldo's cute son joins him as he unveils new museum

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s 3 year-old son, Cristiano Junior, helped his father unveil the museum plaque dedicated to him in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, on Sunday Dec. 15th. That's a cute lil' man.

The museum will display 150 of Cristiano's trophies and awards, waxworks, jerseys and everything concerning his football career. See more photos after the cut...

Mad King of Ijudiya returns to MUSON

Notable actors like Joke Silva, Akin Lewis, Nedu of Wazobia FM, Paul Adams, Shaffi Akinrimisi, Michael Odiachi, Inna Eriza and and a host of others will light up the Agip Hall, Muson Centre with the electrifying and highly entertaining, yet educating stage play, 'Mad King of Ijudiya'

With two shows, at 3pm and 6pm on 21^st, 22^nd, 28^th and 29^th December 2013,  “The Mad King of Ijudiya” will keep the audience at the edge of their seat throughout its duration. Continue...

Brought to the Lagos audience by one of Nigeria’s fast evolving playhouses, Thespian Family Theatre and Productions,“The Mad King of Ijudiya”, comes with a rich blend of folklore, traditional dance and music that naturally transports the audience to a typical African village setting.

Written by Ayo Jaiyesimi, Oliver Aleogena, Director of Photography. Directed by one of Nigeria’s finest, Abiola Segun Williams.

Mad King of Ijudiya will surely be a good way to end the year. 

Speaking further on this, Ayo Jaiyesimi, President Thespian Family Theatre and Productions said “ Our Central Theme for this December’s play is ‘Happy Ending’, and looking at “The Mad King of Ijudiya”, it was a rough time for the people of Ijudiya, but it sure ended well, we also, in the same vein want Lagosians, in the midst of the hustles and bustles of the year, to come, relax and give themselves a ‘Happy Ending’ to the year 2013, and set a good tone for the year 2014”.

 The director, Abiola Segun-Williams on her part enunciated, “This is one play no one sure wants to miss, It is very family friendly so parents do not need to leave their children out of the fun as there is something for both the young and old”

Tickets: 20,000 Premium; 10,000 VIP; Couple 8,000; Regular 5,000; Children 2,000.

Tickets available at Healthplus Ikeja, Surulere and Palms shopping Malls, Bruno’s place Ikeja, and online on dealdey.com,  jumia.com, ariiyatickets.com, konga.com and rytedeals.com 

Nelson Mandela unity statue in Pretoria

South Africa unveils Big Nelson Mandela unity statue in Pretoria

A day after the anti-apartheid revolutionary was buried, South Africa unveiled a huge 30-foot bronze statue of the former president. The unity statue was unveiled today December 16th on the lawns of the Union Buildings, which is the seat of government in Pretoria.

Senator Yerima divorces 17year old Egyptian wife, marries another 15yr old

Three years after marrying a 14 year old Egyptian girl named Marian, which was widely protested in Nigeria, former Zamfara state governor and serving senator of the federal republic of Nigeria, Sen. Ahmed Yerima, has reportedly divorced her to marry a new wife. According to reports, Sen.Yerima and four men, said to be members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly were in Egypt a few weeks ago for the wedding fathia of a new bride said to be 15 years old. 

Marian who is now 17 and a mother of one, is believed to be the daughter of the former governor's driver whenever he visits Egypt. The reason he divorced her is to enable him take a new wife as he's not allowed more than four wives.

The Senator is alleged to have married and divorced a few women in the last few years but has never changed his first three wives, only the fourth ones.

Sen. Ahmed Yerima this year was strongly against the deletion of the section of the 1999 constitution which pegged the official marriage age in Nigeria as 18 year, saying it was anti-Islam.

Alarming - Another Nollywood Actor Down With Heart Problem

According to report, the famous ‘Chief Koko’ of the infamous ‘Koko Close’ TV series of the early 80s has been hospitalized for some time now due to the severity of the ailment

Though Olumide has been discharged, he is still not enjoying the best of health. Those who see him always have said the very active and energetic actor is not looking anything strong.

Speaking with a Lagos based magazine recently, the actor said, “I’m weak; I cannot do anything for now. I’ve also not been able to work for a while now as a result if this illness, so I’m calling on well-meaning Nigerians for support.”
The veteran actor who has featured in films such as, ‘Oduduwa,’ ‘Maroro,’ “Chief Koko Close,” and many others is said to have relocated to Ibadan, Oyo State, where he is recuperating.
He needs your prayers as well as your support.

Good night Nelson Mandela

Born on the 18th July 1918in Mvezo, Cape Province, SouthAfrica 

Johannesburg - ⁠Nelson Mandela⁠, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle and one of the towering political figures of the 20th century, has died aged 95.

Mandela, who was elected South Africa's first black president after spending nearly three decades in prison, had been receiving treatment for a lung infection at his Johannesburg home since September, after three months in hospital in a critical state.

His condition deteriorated and he died following complications from the lung infection, with his family by his side.

Announcement

The news was announced by a clearly emotional President Jacob Zuma live on television, who said Mandela had "departed" and was at peace.

"Our nation has lost its greatest son," said Zuma.

"What made Nelson Mandela great is precisely what made him human," he said.

Mandela, once a boxer, had a long history of lung problems after contracting tuberculosis while in jail on Robben Island.

His extraordinary life story, quirky sense of humour and lack of bitterness towards his former oppressors ensured global appeal for the charismatic leader.

Once considered a terrorist by the United States and Britain for his support of violence against the apartheid regime, at the time of his death he was an almost unimpeachable moral icon.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner spent 27 years behind bars before being freed in 1990 to lead the African National Congress (ANC) in negotiations with the white minority rulers which culminated in the first multi-racial elections in 1994.

A victorious Mandela served a single term as president before taking up a new role as a roving elder statesman and leading Aids campaigner before finally retiring from public life in 2004.

"When he emerged from prison people discovered that he was all the things they had hoped for and more," fellow Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said.

"He is by far the most admired and revered statesperson in the world and one of the greatest human beings to walk this earth."

From prisoner to global peace icon

He was a global cause celebre during the long apartheid years, and popular pressure led world leaders to tighten sanctions imposed on the apartheid regime.

In 1988 at a concert in Wembley stadium in London, tens of thousands sang "Free Nelson Mandela" as millions more watched on their television sets across the world.

Born in July 1918 in the southeastern Transkei region, Mandela carved out a career as a lawyer in Johannesburg in parallel with his political activism.

He became commander-in-chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the by now-banned ANC, in 1961, and the following year underwent military training in Algeria and Ethiopia.

While underground back home in South Africa, Mandela was captured by police in 1962 and sentenced to five years in prison.

He was then charged with sabotage and sentenced in 1964 to life in prison at the Rivonia trial, named after a Johannesburg suburb where a number of ANC leaders were arrested.

He used the court hearing to deliver a speech that was to become the manifesto of the anti-apartheid movement.

"During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society.

"It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

He was first sent to prison on Robben Island, where he spent 18 years before being transferred in 1982 to Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town and later to Victor Verster prison in nearby Paarl.

When he was finally released on 11 February 1990, walking out of prison with his fist raised alongside his then-wife Winnie.

Ex-prisoner 46664 was entrusted with the task of negotiating the path to democracy with president FW de Klerk.

Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their role in the ending of apartheid.

After the ANC won the first multi-racial elections, Mandela went out of his way to assuage the fears of the white minority, declaring his intention to establish "a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world."

Critics said his five-year presidency was marred by corruption and rising levels of crime. But his successors, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, have never enjoyed anywhere near the same levels of respect or affection.

At our best, 'we'd like to be him': Clinton

In retirement, he focused his efforts on mediating conflicts, most notably in Burundi, as well as trying to raise awareness and abolish the taboos surrounding Aids, which claimed the life of his son Makgatho.

His divorce from second wife Winnie was finalised in 1996.

He found new love in retirement with Graca Machel, the widow of the late Mozambican president Samora Machel, whom he married on his 80th birthday.

In one of his last foreign policy interventions, he issued a searing rebuke of George W Bush on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, calling him "a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust".

Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton perhaps had a higher opinion of Mandela.

"Every time Nelson Mandela walks in a room we all feel a little bigger, we all want to stand up, we all want to cheer, because we'd like to be him on our best day," he said.

Mandela is survived by three daughters, 18 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. He had four step-children through his marriage to Machel.

His death has left his family divided over his wealth. Some of his children and grandchildren are locked in a legal feud with his close friends over alleged irregularities in his two companies.

- Friends, colleagues, comrades and family of Nelson Mandela are invited to share their memories and tributes, and to light a candle for him.

ABUJA AIRPORT TEMPORARILY SHUT

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja has been temporarily closed by officials of the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, NAMA, following the breakdown of a Saudi Arabian Boeing 747 cargo plane on the runway of the airport last night. The airport authorities say the plane, which veered after landing at the airport, has to be fixed before it can be evacuated from the runway.

This closure has adversely affected all flights that are Abuja bound as well as those that were billed to travel to other parts of the country. Many Abuja bound passengers are now stranded. Pic above shows passengers stranded at the airport in Abuja this morning.

Goodbye Paul Walker

Walker's co-star Vin Diesel said the actor's death had left him 'speechless' 

Fans, friends and fellow stars have been paying tribute to US actor Paul Walker, who has died in a car crash.

Walker was best-known for playing Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious films.

The 40-year-old died on Saturday when a Porsche being driven by a friend, who also died, crashed near Los Angeles.

Walker's co-star Jordana Brewster said: "Paul was pure light. I cannot believe he is gone." Fellow Fast & Furious actor Vin Diesel wrote that "heaven has gained a new angel".

"Brother, I will miss you very much," Diesel said on Twitter.

In a second message, he said: "My heart is hurting so sad. Paul Walker was a good man. RIP my friend... Sorry to the Walker family."

Walker starred in five of the six movies in the popular Fast & Furious franchise and had started filming the seventh.

The accident happened while Walker was attending an event for his charity Reach Out Worldwide.

The red Porsche crashed into a lamp post in Valencia, north of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's department said deputies found a car engulfed in flames when they responded to a report of a collision. Two people found in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.

Images showed the burned-out wreckage of a red Porsche by the side of the road.

"It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organisation Reach Out Worldwide," a statement on the actor's Facebook page said.

"He was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives. We... are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news.''

Other tributes came from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who has appeared in two Fast & Furious films. "All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time," he wrote.

"We find our strength in his light. Love you brother."

Actress Jessica Alba, who appeared alongside Walker in the 2005 diving drama Into the Blue, described him as "a lovely person - so sweet and grounded".

'American beauty'

Director Rob Cohen, who cast Walker in the first Fast & Furious picture as well as the 2000 drama Skulls, told Variety magazine that Walker and Vin Diesel were "the perfect duo for me".

Speaking about Walker, the director said: "His American beauty, his athleticism, the directness of his approach to the character, his effusive, down-to-earth personality brought joy to me and everyone around him.

"I will miss him all the rest of my days."

Ludacris, another co-star, recalled : "Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark."

Walker's co-star Jordana Brewster said: 'Paul was pure light'

In the Fast & Furious films, Walker made his name playing undercover officer Brian O'Conner, who infiltrated a gang of illegal Californian street racers before switching allegiances to join them.

As well as those five movies, Walker's other credits included Flags of Our Fathers, Eight Below, Noel and the forthcoming Hurricane Katrina drama Hours.

Universal Pictures issued a statement saying Walker was "truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years".

"This loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast & Furious films, and to countless fans," it said. "We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."

Walker began acting as a young boy when his mother, a model, took him to auditions for commercials.

He won roles in the TV series Touched by an Angel and The Young and the Restless before moving on to supporting roles in late 1990s films like with Varsity Blues and She's All That.

After the success of the first Fast & Furious film, Walker became the leading man for the second instalment when Vin Diesel dropped out.

Diesel later returned, however, and the six-film franchise has now earned an estimated $2.4bn (£1.5bn) at global box offices. The latest instalment, the sixth, was the most lucrative so far.

The seventh instalment began filming in September but has not been completed. It had been scheduled for release in July.

Another forthcoming film is Brick Mansions, a remake of the French action film District B13, for film studio Relativity.

Relativity President Tucker Tooley said in a statement: "Paul was an incredibly talent artist, devoted philanthropist and friend.