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☆ Grammys 2024: There’s a new category for African musicians at the awards. Meet the nominees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —For the first time, African music will have its own category at the Grammys. The Recording Academy will showcase three new categories for this year’s awards, including “Best African Music Performance” — featuring some of Afrobeats’ global superstars. The Nigerian singer best known as Davido is also nominated for Best Global Album and Best Global Music Performance. Burna BoyVideo Ad Feedback The night Burna Boy became a Hollywood star 03:19 - Source: CNNBurna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, is up for a total of four Grammys this year for Best Global Music Album, Best Melodic Rap performance, Best Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance — and will perform at the awards. No stranger to the awards circuit, he won the Best Global Music Album Grammy in 2021 for his album “Twice as Tall.” Burna Boy ended a historic 2023 at No.

Persons: ”, Harvey Mason Jr, Arya Starr, Sarah Aderibigbe, Ayra Starr, “, Barack, Kelly Rowland, Stormzy, Tiwa Savage, ” Asake, Ahmed Ololade, Amapiano, Olamide, Tyla Tyla, John Lamparski, Musa Keys, David Adeleke’s, Davido, “ I’m Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, Recording Academy, Recording, Spotify, YouTube, Mavin Records, CNN, Vibe, Art, Olamide, Getty Images, South, Hollywood, Best Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Los Angeles, Square , New York City, AFP, South African, Nigerian, Africa

☆ Lavazza calendar: African photographers are celebrating the birthplace of coffee
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Every year since 1993, the Italian coffee manufacturer has produced a photography calendar, featuring images from the likes of Helmut Newton, David La Chapelle and Annie Leibovitz. This year’s edition celebrates the African continent as the birthplace of coffee (widely considered to be Ethiopia). But the theme itself, for me, was so powerful,” said 33-year-old Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu. Photo by Thandiwe Muriu / 2024 Lavazza CalendarFor 31-year-old South African photographer and filmmaker Aart Verrips, the Lavazza project, and its emphasis on Africa and African creatives, is a big step forward in terms of recognition. “I brought that [theme] into every kind of image [for the Lavazza calendar],” said Verrips.

Persons: Helmut Newton, David La Chapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Thandiwe, Aart Verrips, Daniel Obasi, Giuseppe e, ”, Thandiwe Muriu, “, ” Muriu, Muriu, ” Verrips, Daniel Obasi’s, Obasi, ” Obasi, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Lavazza Locations: Ethiopia, “, Africa, African, Europe, Badagry, Lagos State

☆ Small cities to watch in 2024: Why these 4 underrated locales are drawing movers from big cities
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some movers are giving up on Los Angeles and Dallas for smaller cities in Texas and Nevada. The cherry on top is the relatively affordable real estate compared to other cities. That lump sum of cash got some movers in the door, but the booming job market and relatively affordable housing are keeping them there. New Braunfels, Texas Regan Bender/ShutterstockPeople flock to the Lone Star state, but not always to the usual destinations. New Braunfels, Texas, attracts more movers than Austin and Dallas today with its relatively affordable homes and dearth of job opportunities.

Persons: —, Vegas , Nevada Wendy Lee Las, Richard Katz, Katz, Andrew Arevalo, Adam Outlaw, Outlaw, New Braunfels , Texas Regan Bender, Anna Lagos, we'd, Jean Tanner Organizations: Service, Austin, . Topeka , Kansas Getty, Topeka, Lone Star, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft Locations: Los Angeles, Dallas, Texas, Nevada, New York, Austin, Las Vegas, New Braunfels , Texas, Topeka , Kansas, Provo , Utah, Vegas , Nevada, Sin, Virginia, Vegas, . Topeka , Kansas, Topeka, Boston, California, San Antonio, New Braunfels, Lagos, Denver, Salt Lake City, Provo

☆ Africa's richest person just opened a $19 billion oil refinery to help Nigeria reduce fuel imports
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAfrica's richest person has opened one of the world's largest oil refineries in Nigeria. Aliko Dangote, the billionaire founder and chairman of the multinational conglomerate the Dangote Group, opened the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in a bid to help make Nigeria self-sufficient in fuel. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. The $19 billion refinery, in the coastal city of Lekki, near Lagos, has suffered years of delays and setbacks, but it finally began production last week. This is something that the new Dangote refinery aims to change by eventually producing up to 650,000 barrels a day.

Persons: —, Aliko Dangote, Pius Utomi Ekpei, David Rubenstein, Dangote, Rafiq Raji, Raji, John Moore, Alhassan, Forbes, Rubenstein, Bill Gates, Gates, Aliko, Melinda Gates Organizations: Service, Dangote, Petroleum Refinery, Business, Dangote Petroleum, Center for Strategic, Studies, Africa, Bloomberg Global Business, West Africa's, Al, Azhar University, Dangote Cement, Bloomberg, Melinda Gates Foundation, English Premier League soccer, Arsenal Locations: Nigeria, Lekki, Lagos, AFP, New York, Nigerian, West, Egypt, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Africa’s biggest oil refinery has begun production in Nigeria, the company has said, ending a yearslong wait for a plant that analysts said Monday could boost refining capacity in a region heavily reliant on imported petroleum products. The $19 billion facility, which has a capacity to produce 650,000 barrels per day, has started to produce diesel and aviation fuel, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery company reported Saturday. As Nigeria’s first privately owned oil refinery, the project "is a game-changer for our country,” it added. Nigeria is one of Africa’s top oil producers but imports refined petroleum products for its own use. At least 40% of the oil products made there also would be available for export, the company said,.

Persons: —, Nigeria’s, Olufola, Aliko, Dangote Organizations: Dangote Petroleum Refinery, NNPC Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Lagos

☆ How JPMorgan's Bola Oyesanya became the whisperer to rich law firm partners
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

One client, a law firm partner, refused to consider Oyesanya's suggestion of alternative investments. AdvertisementBanking to wealthy law firm partners is a desirable niche. Law firm partners averaged $1.12 million in compensation in 2022 according to a survey by recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa, and top partners in Big Law can make more than $10 million a year. Now global head of JPMorgan's law firm and professional services group, Oyesanya is up against a formidable rival: her former employer. AdvertisementShe plans to strengthen JPMorgan's law firm group with the same ethos: serving customers well to earn their loyalty and their referrals.

Persons: Bola Oyesanya, Oyesanya, Wells, —, We're, Major, Jamie Dimon, Bola, Philip Waxelbaum, Waxelbaum, She, I've, what's Organizations: Citi, JPMorgan, Service, Banking, Big, Financial Times, Wells, Lagos Law School, Ogun University, City Trust Merchant Bank, Partners Locations: Nigeria, Wells Fargo, Lindsey, Africa, York

☆ British-Nigerian man pleads guilty in New York to bank hacking crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A hooded man holds a laptop computer as blue screen with an exclamation mark is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. Idris Dayo Mustapha, 33, pleaded guilty to access device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn. Mustapha, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, had been arrested in the United Kingdom in August 2021, and was extradited to the United States in August. The case is U.S. v. Mustapha, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Idris Dayo Mustapha, Pamela Chen, Mustapha, Jonathan Stempel, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: U.S . National Security Agency, Nigerian, U.S, Prosecutors, Court, Eastern District of, Thomson Locations: British, New York, Brooklyn, Mustapha, Lagos, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, U.S, Eastern District, Eastern District of New York

☆ A pilot landed a plane in the wrong city, nearly 200 miles from where it was supposed to be: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A pilot landed a flight in a city some 198 miles from its intended destination. Passengers said the pilot announced he had received the wrong flight path. AdvertisementA pilot on a Nigerian airline landed a plane in a city nearly 200 miles away from its intended destination, local news outlet The Cable reported on Saturday. Apparently, our pilot was given wrong flight plan from Lagos," he wrote. And in 2019, a British Airways flight bound for Düsseldorf, Germany, mistakenly landed in Edinburgh, Scotland after the airline filed the wrong flight plan.

Persons: —, we've, they'd Organizations: Passengers, United Nigeria Airlines, Service, . United Nigeria Airlines —, New, United, United Nigeria Airline, Google, Cable, Business Locations: Nigerian, West, Lagos, Abuja, Asaba, New York City, Washington ,, United Nigeria, @flyunitedng

Omar Victor Diop History, inheritance and possibility are re-imagined through the lens of the Senegalese photographer, one of the most successful young artists on the continent. Through his bold images, Diop examines the interplay between African and diasporic experiences by knitting together the past and present. Douglass sat for over 160 portraits, including a daguerreotype circa 1855 (bottom), to challenge negative representations of African Americans. Cultural Archive/Alamy In a 2015 self-portrait (top), from Diop’s series “Project Diaspora,” the artist emulates Frederick Douglass, who was the most photographed man of his era. Douglass sat for over 160 portraits, including a daguerreotype circa 1855 (bottom), to challenge negative representations of African Americans.

Persons: Omar Victor Diop, Frederick Douglass, Diop, Selma, ”, ” Omar Victor Diop, Douglass, “, ” Diop, Mama Casset, Malick Sidibé, Samuel Fosso, Martin Luther King Jr Organizations: paisley, West Locations: Senegalese, American, United States, Soweto, South Africa, Africa, “, African American, Dakar, Paris, Nigeria, Senegal, France, Nairobi, Lagos, Mali, America, African

☆ Woman makes record-breaking wig longer than seven Olympic swimming pools
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A woman from Lagos, Nigeria, has entered the record books after weaving a handmade wig that measures 351.28 meters (1,152 feet, 5 inches) in length. Professional wigmaker Helen Williams spent more than two million naira (almost $2,500) and 11 days making the wig, which is longer than seven Olympic swimming pools. “Finding the materials to make the longest wig was not an easy task,” said Williams in the statement. “I have trained hundreds of students and have made thousands of wigs,” said Williams, although her record-breaking endeavor still proved difficult. The outcome is the longest handmade wig in the world.”Williams is a professional wigmaker in Lagos, Nigeria.

Persons: Helen Williams, Williams, ” Organizations: CNN, Guinness World Records Locations: Lagos, Nigeria

☆ Lagos positions itself as global financial center after historic appearance at London’s Lord Mayor’s Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Stephanie Busari | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s Lagos state marked a historic moment by making Africa’s inaugural appearance at the renowned Lord Mayor’s Show in London – an annual procession, steeped in 800 years of tradition, that celebrates the history and commerce of the city. Among the Lagos contingent were the traditional Eyo masquerades who take part in the famed Yoruba Eyo festival in the state. However, many backers believe that Lagos has the potential to evolve into a global financial hub capable of drawing substantial foreign investments into Nigeria. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, co-chair of the newly inaugurated Lagos International Financial Centre Council (LIFC) told CNN Lagos was now ready to position itself with global players. “A low stable inflation rate automatically signals a stable currency … and that’s the job half done,” he told CNN.

Persons: Mayor’s, Lord Mayor’s Show, Lagos, ”, Babajide Sanwo, ” “ Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, CNN, Lagos State, ” “ Lagos isn’t, Aig, Lagos International Financial Centre Council, CNN Lagos, ”, of, US Department of Commerce, United Arab, Dubai’s Emirates, GSK, Imoukhuede, Nigerian Central Bank Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, London, ” Lagos, ” “ Lagos, West, ” Nigeria, of London, United Arab Emirates, British

☆ Canada investigates fatal embassy explosion in Nigeria, issues travel alert
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We can confirm there was an explosion at our High Commission in Nigeria. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's spokesperson said that there were deaths and injuries in a fire on Monday at the High Commission of Canada but did not give any figures. Canada's High Commission in Nigeria, without commenting on the explosion, said on social media that it had "temporarily suspended operations until further notice." The embassy issued a travel advisory, warning against non-essential travel to Nigeria, including capital Abuja, "due to the unpredictable security situation throughout the country and the significant risk of terrorism, crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks and kidnappings." Western countries routinely issue warning about travelling to Nigeria, which the Abuja government often dismisses as lacking merit.

Persons: Melanie Joly, " Joly, Bola Tinubu's, Tinubu, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Ismail Shakil, Cynthia Osterman, Sandra Maler Organizations: Ottawa, Washington, Commission, High Commission of, Thomson Locations: LAGOS, Canada, Nigeria, London, West African, High Commission of Canada, Canada's, Abuja, United States, Britain, Nigeria's, Lagos, Ottawa

☆ The World Is Becoming More African
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Declan Walsh | Hannah Reyes Morales | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +37 min

Old World Young Africa As the world grays, Africa blooms with youth. The World Is Becoming More African Part one of a series on how the youth boom is changing the continent, and beyond. But while a handful of African countries are poised to ride the demographic wave, others risk being swamped by it. In the West, racists and right-wing nationalists stoke fears of African population growth to justify hatred, or even violence. The age gap between geriatric leaders and restless youth is “a major source of tension” in many African countries, said Simon Mulongo, a former African Union diplomat from Uganda.

Persons: Lauren Leatherby, ”, Jean, Patrick Niambé, Hilton, Edward Paice, “, Keziah Keya, Keya, Paul R, Ehrlich, stoke, Lauren Leatherby “, Carlos Lopes, Burna, Weeks, “ It’s, Laolu Senbanjo, Tems, Toulaye Sy, Pritzker, Abdulrazak Gurnah, “ Africa’s, ” Long, exotica, Mulendema, Hannah O’Leary, “ We’re, Sipho Dlamini, Dlamini, Moawad, Optimists, Mo Ibrahim, Aubrey Hruby, birthrates, India’s, China’s, Akinwumi Adesina, States —, William Ruto, Paul Biya of, Biya, Wole Soyinka, Paul Kagame of, Nourdine, Nigeriens, Awade, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Simon Mulongo, Nuha Abdelgadir, Abdelgadir, gesturing, “ We’ve, ” Weeks, Abdelgadir’s, Modu Ali, Young, Saidu, Habiba Mohammed, Ms, Ha, Joon Chang, Nobody, Chang, Ibrahim, Touré Organizations: Young, United Nations, Southern, Northern, Western Asia Northern, United, Ivory Coast, African Union, Group, European Union ., Suisse, Africa Research Institute, Nigeria Mozambique Kenya “, Russia Canada Germany United, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria Ethiopia Ethiopia Dem, Russia Germany, China Egypt India Nigeria D.R.C, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria Ethiopia Dem, Bank, Nations, International, Bryn Mawr College, Angola, Angola Ivory Coast, Angola Ivory Coast Cameroon Dem, Africa Middle Africa Southern, Economic Commission, New, Citi, Spotify, Cannes Film, Burkina Faso, UNESCO, Disney, Amazon Prime, Netflix, “, Apple, Cape Town, Microsoft, Google, Infrastructure, McKinsey & Company, Pew Research Center, African Development Bank, Greek Coast Guard, Saudi, Africa Climate, Young Voters, Freedom House, University of Denver, United Arab, Japan Cuba Vatican City, Netherlands South Korea Belgium U.A.E, Islamic, Global, Center for Girls Education, School of Oriental, Studies Locations: grays, Africa, India, China, United States, Southern Asia, Asia, America, Caribbean, Northern America, Western Asia, Western Asia Northern America, Europe, London, New York, West Africa, Ivory, Abidjan, Russia, Turkey, Gulf, Nairobi, Nigeria Mozambique Kenya, Italy, Japan, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria Ethiopia Ethiopia, Congo Indonesia Brazil Australia South Africa Argentina, Russia Germany U.S, China Egypt India Nigeria, Brazil South Africa Australia, Russia Canada Germany United States Japan China Iran Egypt India Mexico Nigeria, Nigeria, Africa’s, Young, South Africa, Somalia, Mozambique, Mali, Gabon, Niger, Mozambique Nigeria Kenya, Kenya, Pennsylvania, Angola Ivory, Angola Ivory Coast Cameroon, Congo Algeria Egypt, Ghana Kenya Madagascar Mozambique Niger Nigeria, Tanzania Uganda South Africa, Northern Africa Eastern Africa, Africa Middle Africa, Africa Middle Africa Southern Africa, Guinea, Bissau, African, Qatar, Nigerian, Brooklyn, Target, French, Senegalese, Paris, Milan, Venice, Burkina, Tanzania, Saharan Africa, Nigeria Kenya Senegal In Lagos, Dakar, Zambia, South Korea, Sotheby’s, Lagos, Zimbabwe, Watford, Cape, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Cairo, Morocco, East Africa, Nigeria Mozambique Morocco, Sudanese, North Africa, East Asia, Thailand, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, States, Namibia, Kenyan, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, United Arab Emirates, United States France Turkey, Germany, Russia India, Brazil, Japan Cuba, Japan Cuba Vatican City Spain Italy Saudi Arabia Qatar, Netherlands South Korea Belgium, Iran Canada, Niger’s, Niamey, Senegal Kenya Kenya, X’s, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Senegal, Uganda, Khartoum, Sudan, Ethiopia, Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Chad, Burkina Faso, Nigeria Nigeria Morocco, hijabs, Zaria, American, Korea, South, England

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Africa’s fashion industry is growing rapidly to meet local and international demand but inadequate investment limits its potential, UNESCO said Thursday in a report released during Lagos Fashion Week. The demand for African fashion brands is also spurred by the growth in e-commerce, the UNESCO report noted. It’s really beautiful to see because it hasn’t always been like this,” said Omoyemi Akerele, who founded the Lagos Fashion Week in 2011 to encourage the patronage of Nigerian and African fashion. In Nigeria and other parts of Africa, young fashion designers are hungry for success and are taking over the global scene, said the UNESCO director-general. “So Africa is really the next frontier (for the fashion industry).”___Associated Press journalist Dan Ikpoyi in Lagos, Nigeria contributed.

Persons: Audrey Azoulay, ”, Omoyemi Akerele, “, Ejiro Amos, Tafiri, Dan Ikpoyi Organizations: UNESCO, Lagos Fashion, U.S . International Trade Administration, Associated Press Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Lagos, Africa, Nigerian

☆ In Brooklyn, a Honduran-Inspired Backyard Dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Mahira Rivers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a warm evening, not long before her guests were set to arrive, Cathleen O’Neil, 30, was stocking the bar for a dinner party at her home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, while her co-host, the chef Feisal Lagos, 39, was hastily adding the finishing touches to his handwritten menu. During the pandemic, they missed the collaborative thrill of hosting and came up with the idea for the Regathering, a dinner series that would allow them to reunite with their circle. Their first meal, in July 2021, was a celebration of the end of social distancing, held in the backyard of O’Neil’s apartment building. “We needed to get out, to see our friends,” said O’Neil. “But we also both take what we do very seriously.” They served an ambitious menu of raw oysters with granita and grilled tilefish.

Persons: Cathleen O’Neil, Feisal, ”, “, O’Neil, Chan, Camille Becerra Organizations: CONeil Productions, New Locations: Williamsburg , Brooklyn, New York

☆ Analysis: Time for central bank digital currencies to prove their worth
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - A milestone move by the European Central Bank toward launching a digital euro within a few years means the time has come for the newest incarnation of money to prove its worth. A few countries have introduced central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), China is trialling a prototype yuan with 200 million users, India is gearing up for a pilot and some 130 countries representing 98% of the global economy are exploring digital cash. Commercial bankers fret about the costs and possible deposit bleeds as customers could move money into central bank accounts, while developing countries worry that an easily accessible digital dollar, euro or yuan could cause havoc in their systems. DEFINING A GLOBAL STANDARDA key unknown is whether the U.S. Federal Reserve or Bank of Japan will launch retail CBDCs. "The current adoption level of eNaira has been reflective of the early stage of CBDC awareness," the country's central bank said in a written response to questions, adding it had been "consistent" with expectations.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Josh Lipsky, Fabio Panetta, couldn't, Lee Braine, Bo Li, Atlantic Council's Lipsky, Lipsky, Marc Jones, MacDonald Dzirutwe, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, Reuters, Atlantic Council, Facebook, ECB, Barclays, Bank of, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, International Monetary Fund, Atlantic, Thomson Locations: China, India, Western, Nigeria, U.S, Canada, Bahamas, London, Lagos

In a report published Monday, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency urged global investors in the three firms - Beijing Tong Ren Tang group (600085.SS), Tianjin Pharmaceutical group (600329.SS) and Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group (000623.SZ) - to divest their stakes. The group said it focused on the pharmaceutical companies because they are publicly listed, and display products that include leopard or pangolin parts on their websites. Beijing Tong Ren Tang and Tianjin Pharmaceutical group did not respond to several emails and calls from Reuters asking for comment. Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group could not be reached for comment. The environmental group said Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup and BlackRock did not respond to its queries.

Persons: pangolin, Seun, Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Avinash Basker, Wells, China's, Andrew Silver, Selena Li, Miyoung Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UBS, HSBC, Environmental Investigation Agency, Tianjin Pharmaceutical, Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical, TCM, Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup, BlackRock, & Co, HSBC Global Asset Management Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Citigroup ， Deutsche Bank, Reuters, Medical Products Administration, Protection, Thomson Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Rights SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, London, Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, Shanghai, Hong Kong

It's a reminder of the power and potential of Nigeria's rapidly growing film industry. It is the world's second-largest film industry after India based on number of productions, with an average of 2,000 movies released annually. The movie also has been lauded as signifying the potential of the film industry in Nigeria as well as across Africa. In Nigeria, the movie industry is at “the point right now where the world needs to take notice,” Effiong said. He said that's because "The Black Book is a film by Black people, Black actors, Black producers, Black money 100%, and it’s gone ahead to become a global blockbuster."

Persons: —, ”, Editi Effiong, Afolayan's Aníkúlápó, Paul Edima —, Richard Mofe, Edima, ” Effiong, Effiong, “, John Wick, it’s Organizations: Netflix, Associated Press, Twitter, Digital TV Research Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Nigerian, Africa’s, India, West Africa, Lagos, Africa, Saharan Africa, “ Africa

☆ China's Xi Jinping commits to more investments in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It added that another $4 billion worth of letters of intent was received for new projects and investments in different sectors of the economy. Nigeria also signed contracts with China Harbour Engineering Company for the construction of the Lekki Blue Seaport in Lagos. Shettima met Xi, who asked for the protection of Chinese workers in Nigeria, according to the vice president's office. China had committed to rail projects in Nigeria in the past and to a seaport in Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. China had earlier agreed to provide 85% of the financing for the rail projects.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Edgar Su, Kashim Shettima's, Shettima, Xi, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Jamie Freed Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Nigeria's National Agency for Science, Engineering Infrastructure, China Harbour Engineering Company, China Exim Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, Africa's, Lagos, China, Bonny Island, Niger, Nigeria's

☆ Teju Cole Knows His New Novel Resembles Autofiction. Please Don’t Be Tempted.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Anderson Tepper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I don’t think there is any way of discussing Teju Cole’s aesthetic without putting front and center this idea of his relentless inventiveness,” the writer Amitava Kumar wrote by email. Cole calls his new novel “a reiteration of my faith in fiction.” But it didn’t come easily or quickly. After “Open City,” Cole began to conceive of a big work of nonfiction on Lagos, his hometown, in the vein of Suketu Mehta’s book “Maximum City,” about Mumbai. (Cole, who often borrows from his own biography in his books, was born in Kalamazoo, Mich. and raised in Nigeria. I think I had to realize that what I have to offer is something else, closer to the bone and more personal.”

Persons: Amitava Kumar, “, Thelonious Monk, Kumar, Cole, ”, ” Cole, that’s Locations: Lagos, ”, Mumbai, Kalamazoo, Mich, Nigeria, United States

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The United Nations said it will repatriate nine peacekeepers from a South African contingent in eastern Congo who were accused of sexual assault and other abuse. The U.N. decided to immediately repatriate the peacekeepers and a senior officer of the South African army “due to the seriousness of the allegations against them,” the organization said in a statement on Friday. Such accusations of sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers are not new in various parts of the world, from Congo to Haiti where peacekeepers are deployed. The abuses are particularly rampant in Congo, which accounted for one-third of the nearly 2,000 sexual abuse and exploitation complaints made against the U.N. worldwide in 2017. Last year, Secretary-General António Guterres said the organization has "not succeeded in all respects, but neither have we stood still” in handling the sexual abuse crisis.

Persons: António Guterres Organizations: United Nations Locations: LAGOS, Nigeria, Congo, Haiti

WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year, a teenager in a small Michigan town killed himself after an online chat turned to demands that he pay money to keep intimate photos secret. He was one of dozens of people targeted online by two men extradited from Nigeria to face charges, FBI director Christopher Wray said Saturday. The arrests came after the FBI joined with police in Michigan to investigate the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, one thousands of American teenagers targeted in a sharp rise in online “sextortion” cases in recent years. He was preparing to go a trip to Florida with his father the night before his death, she said. HIs family has since spoken out about his death, urging other parents to talk with their kids about “sextortion” schemes.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Jordan DeMay, “, ” Wray, Wray, DeMay, Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi, Samuel Ogoshi's, Samson Ogoshi's, Jennifer Buta Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, FBI, Associated Press, International Association of Chiefs, Police, U.S Locations: Michigan, Nigeria, U.S, Jordan, Upper, Marquette County, Lagos, Ivory Coast, Florida

☆ The Afrobeats star on a mission to raise the profile of African art
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Natty Kasambala | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —It was a painting in the lobby of a Benin hotel last year that changed the way Afrobeats star Mr Eazi thought about art. The works will also be exhibited in galleries internationally — in Accra, Lagos, London (where they will be displayed as part of a “listening experience” the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair between October 12—15) and in New York. “One of the most exciting things for me is that art represents an opportunity to discover people without a pre-bias… it’s exerting soft power,” said Mr Eazi. “It’s an ecosystem,” Mr Eazi summarises. “African music should be in African film and African art with African music… That’s culture, that’s the flood.

Persons: Eazi, “, …, Oluwole, ”, Patricorel, Eazi —, —, Eazi’s, Tammy Sinclair's, OLÚWA, Tammy Sinclair, I’m, ” Eazi, don’t, Sinclair, “ Mandela, Foli, Mr Eazi, Mr Eazi’s, ” Tesprit, undiluted Organizations: London CNN, CNN, Fair, Banku, US, Alpha Locations: Benin, Accra, Lagos, London, New York, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Togo, Cameroon, Senegal, Kenya, Ghanaian, Kenyan, Togolese, Togo’s, Lomé, Cape Town , South Africa, ”

"It's very disturbing," study co-author Matthew Huber of Purdue University in the U.S. state of Indiana told Reuters. It found that around 750 million people could experience one week per year of potentially deadly humid heat if temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. At 4C of warming, Hodeidah, Yemen, would see around 300 days per year of potentially unsurvivable humid heat. WET-BULB THRESHOLDTo track such moist heat, scientists use a measurement known as "wet-bulb" temperature. Beyond this, people were likely to succumb to heat stress if they could not find a way to cool down.

Persons: Nico, Adrees Latif, Matthew Huber, Huber, George Mason, George Mason University climatologist Daniel Vecellio, Vecellio, Jane Baldwin of, Gloria Dickie, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Emergency Aid Coalition, REUTERS, U.S . Midwest, Purdue University, Reuters, George, George Mason University, National Academy of Sciences, Jane Baldwin of University of California Irvine, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, Delhi, Shanghai, U.S ., Indiana, India, Pakistan, Lagos, Nigeria, Chicago , Illinois, South America, Australia, Hodeidah, Yemen, London

More than half of Chileans, 54% of respondents surveyed before the draft text was completed this week, plan on voting against the new constitution, according to pollster Cadem. The current proposal makes a grammatical change to a constitutional clause which abortion advocates already view as restrictive. But Lagos says this change, combined with another proposal that would define a child as any human being under the age of 18, could clear the way for more restrictive abortion laws. With abortion rights expanding across much of Latin America, the latest being Mexico and Argentina, supporters are worried that a right-wing resurgence in the region, could halt progress or see rights backslide. At a rally commemorating the global day of action for access to safe and legal abortion last week in Santiago, 26-year-old student Isadora Calderón told Reuters she felt abortion rights were being threatened by the current proposals.

Persons: SANTIAGO, pollster, Catalina, Teneo, Gabriel Boric, Antonio Barchiesi, Isadora Calderón, Calderón, Agustina Ramón Michel, Ramón Michel, Natalia Ramos Miranda, Lucinda Elliott, Alexander Villegas, Christian Plumb, Lincoln Organizations: Republican, Reuters, American, Thomson Locations: Catalina Lagos, Lagos, Latin America, Mexico, Argentina, Santiago, Argentine, Chile

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