Alicia Keys Becomes Global Creative Director For BlackBerry

The Award winning singer, songwriter and entrepreneur was named Global Creative Director at the launch of BlackBerry 10 today. As an official member of the BlackBerry team, Keys will lead an array of new business initiatives that will drive engagement with BlackBerry and perception of the brand.

According to the BlackBerry President and CEO Thorsten Heins;

"Alicia Keys has come to BlackBerry because she believes in the product and technology, and subscribes to our overriding philosophy to 'Keep Moving': to empower people through mobile computing and communications. 

We are excited she will be bringing to us her enormous capabilities, as well as a vast network of relationships in the entertainment, social media and business communities, to help shape our brand and grow our business. 

In her new role, Keys will work closely with app developers, content creators, retailers, carriers and the entertainment community to further shape and enhance the BlackBerry 10 platform, and inspire creative use through its remarkable capabilities and functionality. From music to books, to film, to apps, Keys will lead the charge of enhancing entertainment consumption and distribution, through the power of BlackBerry 10.

Photos: President Jonathan Visits Police College, Ikeja

On his way to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire for a meeting of ECOWAS leaders on the insurgency in Mali, President Goodluck Jonathan’s plane was diverted to Lagos where he made a surprise visit to the police college in Ikeja. If you haven't seen the deplorable state of the Police college, see it HERE

The President undertook an inspection of the college, discovering in the student hostels dilapidated conditions and a lack of beds, mattresses and functioning toilets.

During the inspection, the President commented on Channels TV's documentary on the police college saying;

“This is a calculated attempt to damage the image of this government. The Police College, Ikeja is not the only training institution in Nigeria. Of all the TV clips, the most offensive was the one showing police cadets eating like poultry fowls.”

Offensive or not, bottom-line is that the place needs to be revamped!

"Insulting President Jonathan on Facebook and Other Social Media is not the Best" – Youth Group Cautions

A group, the Niger Delta Youth Initiative for Positive Change, has appealed to Nigerian youths to desist from insulting the country’s President on Facebook and other social media.

The group said some Nigerians had taken delight in using abusive words against President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that such attitude was not common in other countries.

National Coordinator of the group, Mr. David Ato, who made this call while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Friday, explained that President Goodluck Jonathan meant well for Nigerians.

Ato stated that the President needed the support of Nigerians, including youths, to be able to deliver on his election promises. He said people using abusive words against the President should realise that Jonathan did not create the economic and political problems facing the country.

Ato said, “The youth should desist from using abusive words against the President of the country. We should learn how to respect our leaders and we need to support him because we elected him into that office.

Photos: Ghana Commences 3-Day Funeral Rites of Late President Mills

The funeral festivities of late Ghanaian President John Evans Atta-Mills commenced yesterday, August 9th in Accra. The nation prepares to mourn and celebrate the life of the late president with an elaborate three-day ceremony which will culminate in his final  burial on Friday.

Mr. Mills died aged 68 last month, after a quiet battle against throat cancer. He had been expected to run for a second term in office in December.

The casket, draped in the national colours of red, gold and green was carried by members of the Air Force and placed in a hearse brimming with flowers. It is also headed for Accra’s state house for public viewing, ahead of Friday’s burial at a park adjacent to the city’s main landmark, Independence Square.

Up to 15 regional leaders, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, President Yayi Boni of Benin and Ivory Coast’s leader, Alassane Ouattara are expected to attend the funeral service on Friday.

Continue to see more photos....

Egyptian Ex-President Hosni Mubarak gets life in Prison

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is wheeled out of the courtroom after his trial in Cairo June 2, 2012. An Egyptian judge convicted Mubarak of complicity in the killings of protesters during the uprising that ended his 30-year rule and sentenced him on Saturday to life in prison.

Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister were sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 wintertime revolt that turned once-untouchable despots into defendants. 

Corruption charges against Mubarak's sons, Alaa and Gamal, were dropped due to the expiry of a statute of limitations, and the former president was acquitted in one of the graft cases.

After the verdict was handed down, Mubarak was ferried aboard a helicopter to Tora Prison’s military hospital. The former strongman suffered a heart attack on the helicopter as he wept and refused to get off the chopper and enter the prison, according to a medical official who was not authorized to speak.

This marks the first time Mubarak enters a prison after being housed at a military hospital since his detention in April 2011.