Stolen Coffin from 1st Century BC to be Returned to Egypt.....

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The pilfered artifact was on display at a prominent New York museum since 2017.

Just two years after purchasing it, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is returning an artifact. But this time, it is being returned to its rightful owners. It was announced on Wednesday that a 2,100-year-old coffin of a priest called Nedjemankh will be returned to Egypt, according to the BBC. It is some good news for the country in a time of political unrest.

The gilded coffin was apparently stolen in 2011 where it entered what authorities believe is a multinational trafficking circuit containing potentially hundreds of similarly stolen relics. As NBC reports, this particular coffin was first smuggled out of the Minya region of Egypt to Germany via the United Arab Emirates, it was restored in Germany and then sent to Paris where it was purchased by the museum for a cool $4 million. 

The museum director, Daniel Weiss, has apologized to Egypt and stated it was unaware of its participation in the illegal trading. The investigators state that the museum was given fraudulent documents about the artifact, including a forged 1971 Egyptian export license. Export licenses are granted once entities are verified and vetted to engage in transactions outside and across country lines.

Cyrus Vance, Jr.

✔@ManhattanDA

 · Sep 25, 2019

Replying to @ManhattanDA

D.A. Vance: Thus far, our investigation has determined that this coffin is just one of hundreds of antiquities stolen by the same multi-national trafficking ring, so we may see more significant seizures of prominent antiquities in the months to come.

Cyrus Vance, Jr.

✔@ManhattanDA

D.A. Vance: New Yorkers place a strong value on cultural heritage, and our Office vigorously protects it. Returning cultural treasures to their home countries is at the core of our mission to stop the trafficking of stolen antiquities.https://www.manhattanda.org/manhatta-das-office-returns-ancient-gold-coffin/

The return was announced during a repatriation ceremony in New York City that was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Hassan Shoukry. In response to the apology and the return of the coffin, the Egyptian minister said, "This is not only for Egyptians but this is for our common human heritage.

Though these artifacts were stolen in a different manner, repatriating cultural relics to their rightful owners has been a hot topic as of late–including as a plotline for a record-breaking movie. Many African countries are speaking to their former colonizers and demanding artifacts be returned.

Davido, Fabolous & Jeremih Connect For 'Choosy'......

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Watch the music video shot in Cape Verde below.....

Fabolous drops his latest single and music video for "Choosy," a new song that sees him linking up with Nigerian star Davido and Jeremih.

The new track, which was produced by Hitmaka and Swiff D, is built on light guitars and afrobeats-inspired beatwork. which brings to mind past hits like "Unforgettable" and "2AM."

Jeremih kicks off "Choosy" and handles chorus duties, while Fabolous pops in-and-out with his verses. Davido comes in around the 3-minute mark of the video to deliver a romance-filled verse that interpolates his much-played opening line from "If."

The music video for "Choosy" follows Fabo, Davido and Jeremih in and around Cape Verde. It features several beautiful, sun-filled shots of Praia and its people. The clip was directed by Gerard Victor.

Talented Genevieve Nnaji's 'Lion Heart' becomes Nigeria's First Ever Entry to the Oscars

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The Netflix original film has been submitted for the 'Best International Feature Film' category.

Last year in September, Netflix picked up Genevieve Nnaji's directorial debut Lion Heart and it became the first Netflix original film to come out of Nigeria's colossal film industry. More recently, the film has now been submitted to the Oscars in the "Best International Feature Film"

In an effort to be more representative, the Oscars did away with the "Best Foreign Language Film", citing that it was outdated, and changed it to "Best International Feature Film" in April of this year. category—Nigeria's first ever entry to the Oscars according to Screen.

Nigeria's Nollwood is the second biggest film industry in the world, producing at least 50 films per week. Although the country set up the Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee back in 2014, the committee has reportedly not been able but to find a film meeting the selection criteria until now.

Lion Heart stars Nnaji in the lead role as she performs alongside Nkem Owoh, Pete Edochie and Onyeka Onwenu. 

The film tells the story of Adaeze, a young woman who steps up to the challenge of running the family business with her uncle after her father experiences some health issues. Adaeze then tries to juggle both her family and thriving career amidst rampant sexism in the workplace and attempts to save the business from financial ruin.

A tale of jungle fever as British singer Adele romantically linked to Nigerian rapper Skepta aka Joseph Adenuga jr.

Adele (L) and Skepta (R)

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British singer, Adele; and rapper, Skepta, whose real name is Joseph Adenuga Jr, are reportedly dating. 

According to Sun UK, the couple has been going on dates since Adele split from her husband, Simon Konecki, in April.

A source told the medium, "Adele and Skepta have been there for each other a lot after both their relationships split up. They have a close bond and there's definitely a special connection.

"They're spending more and more time together. Some of their friends are hoping and predicting they could end up being a great couple one day."

Adele has a son Angelo and Skepta became a dad in November." They are both private about their love lives and they are both committed to their children first and foremost as well,” the source added.

Skepta and Adele are both from Tottenham in the UK. Skepta was made the Amuludun of Odo Aje, his parents’ hometown in Ogun State in 2018.

Nigerian court orders remand of Sowore and his co-defendant in custody of the State Secret Police

Omoyele Sowore (left in white shirt) and his defense team

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Abuja - Nigeria. The Federal Court High Court in Abuja today ordered the remand of the organizer of #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, in the custody of the State Security Service, pending the hearing of their bail application this Friday.

This followed the arraignment of the defendants on seven counts of treasonable felony and other capital offences instituted against them by the Nigerian government. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the seven counts when read to them.

After the defendants took their pleas, the defense lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), urged the court to allow Sowore to be allowed to continue with the bail earlier granted him by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, on September 24, 2019.

The defense lawyer also pleaded that the second defendant be granted fresh bail. The judge however said since the bail earlier granted Sowore was not predicated on the charges on which he was arraigned on Monday, a fresh bail had to be granted to him.

She added that if she would have to grant them fresh bail, it had to be based on formal written formal bail application and not oral.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu then directed the defense counsel to file formal bail application and then adjourned hearing till Friday.

The application is to be served on the lead prosecuting counsel, Hassan Liman (SAN), who indicated that he was going to oppose the application.

The judge earlier dismissed the objection of the defendants’ lawyer to the scheduled arraignment.

Olumide-Fusika had maintained that the arraignment should not be allowed to go on, on the grounds that the Department of State Services, which has been keeping him in custody since August 3, 2019, had not allowed the defendants to consult with their lawyer after the charges were filed.

He added that the court should protect its integrity by refusing to allow the arraignment to proceed when the prosecution continued to disobey the court order made on September 24, 2019 for the release.

But the prosecution led by Hassan Liman (SAN) urged the court to dismiss the objection insisting that what was more important was that the defendants had been served with the charges.

Liman also said the order for the release of the defendants had lapsed since the defendants had been produced in court for arraignment.

It's hard to leave Nigeria - Rohr (Translation - Where else can I get $50k per month for gross incompetence)

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr

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Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr says he "feels loved" by Nigerians, a major reason he's attached to the country and the national team.

But the German acknowledges the fact that there's a section of Nigerians from whom he "doesn't feel this love."

The German led the Eagles to a third-place finish at last month's Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt but claims "one category" of people didn't show him love especially after the AFCON.

"We have difference between Francophone countries and Anglophone countries but I didn't have any problem adapting (in Nigeria) because I was welcomed by everybody, not only in the team but the staff, and also from Nigerians," he said.

"When I go out, I feel this love, I feel it everywhere. The only people I don't feel this love from, there is only one category especially after the AFCON, and you know who it is.

But everywhere, if it is here or in other places, I feel this love, this is a reason for me, which makes it very hard to leave because there is human relationship which is important also.

This is the most passionate job because the passion around me is giving me also the passion, enthusiasm and desire to do well.

This job here is very different because we speak English, which I did not speak for a long time, since my school time. But I have learnt back quickly; the mentality is also different.

Biden: Racism in US is institutional, 'white man's problem'......

President Donald Trump. 

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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"Actually Mr. Biden, it is not only an institutionalized edifice in the United States, but also globally, a pattern of socio-political and economic subjugation." 

Racism in America is an institutional "white man's problem visited on people of color," Vice President Joe Biden said, arguing that the way to attack the issue is to defeat President Donald Trump and hold him responsible for deepening the nation's racial divide.

Taking aim at incendiary racial appeals by Trump, Biden said in an interview with a small group of reporters on Tuesday that a president's words can "appeal to the worst damn instincts of human nature," just as they can move markets or take a nation into war.

Biden is leading his Democratic challengers for the presidential nomination in almost all polls, largely because of the support of black voters. He has made appealing to them central to his candidacy and vowed to make maximizing black and Latino turnout an "overwhelming focus" of his effort. The interview, more than an hour long, focused largely on racial issues.

"White folks are the reason we have institutional racism," Biden said. "There has always been racism in America. White supremacists have always existed, they still exist." He added later that in his administration, it would "not be tolerated."

By highlighting the nation's racial tensions and placing blame on Trump, Biden is showing that he, too, is willing to make race a core campaign issue, but from the opposite perspective of the Republican president. Turnout and enthusiasm among black voters will be critical for the Democratic nominee, notably to try to reclaim states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. He also emphasized a crossover appeal to both black voters and non-college-educated white voters.

To accentuate his appeal to black voters, Biden said that he will advertise in black publications and engage with cultural institutions like the black church, black fraternities and sororities, and historically black colleges.

"The bad news is I have a long record. The good news is I have a long record," Biden said when asked about his enduring support among black voters. "People know me — at least they think they know me. I think after all this time, I think they have a sense of what my character is, who I am."

"I've never, ever, ever in my entire life been in a circumstance where I've ever felt uncomfortable being in the black community," he added, suggesting that his familiarity was not matched by many of his competitors for the 2020 nomination.

That last statement by Mr. Biden essentially highlights why many blacks in the United States feel that the Democratic Party takes the black vote for granted. What might be shocking to folks like Mr. Biden is that most working class blacks actually align themselves with Mr. Trump as the former feel that the Democratic Party establishment, particularly under President Barack Obama, abandoned the black working class.

The truth is that racism as an institution is not the "white man's problem" but the "black man's burden."

The gift that keeps giving: U.S. President Donald Trump suggested firing nuclear weapons at hurricanes to stop their advancement.....

Even Hillary can't stop laughing.....

Tom Barnes

United States President, Donald Trump suggested firing nuclear weapons into hurricanes to prevent them hitting the US, reports in Washington claim. 

The president is said to have raised the idea of bombing hurricanes with senior Homeland Security and national security officials on numerous occasions, dating back as far as 2017. 

“I got it. I got it. Why don’t we nuke them?” one source told US news website Axios the president had asked during a hurricane briefing at the White House.

The source said the briefer was “knocked back on his heels” as Mr Trump went on to suggest dropping a nuclear bomb in the eye of an off-shore hurricane would disrupt its formation.

“People were astonished,” the source added. “After the meeting ended, we thought, ‘What the f***? What do we do with this?’”

The briefer is said to have told the president they would “look into” the possibility.

Later, other officials were also reportedly briefed on the president’s remarks, which had been recorded in a National Security Council (NSC) memorandum.

Another NSC memo from 2017 also reportedly details Mr. Trump asking whether hurricanes could be bombed with conventional weapons in order to prevent them hitting the US.

“His goal – to keep a catastrophic hurricane from hitting the mainland – is not bad,” another senior White House official, who had been briefed on the president’s remarks told Axios. “His objective is not bad.”

Far from being a revolutionary, the idea of using nuclear weapons against hurricanes has a remarkably long history.

As far back at the late Fifties, scientists and government agencies in the US had floated proposals for exploding nuclear devices to break up large storms.

In 1959, meteorologist Jack W. Reed suggested submarines could be used to launch warheads into the eye of a hurricane, one of several “peaceful” applications he imagined for nuclear weapons.

Today’s meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) however have less enthusiasm for nuking weather systems.

“Apart from the fact that this might not even alter the storm, this approach neglects the problem that the released radioactive fallout would fairly quickly move with the tradewinds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems,” NOAA says on its website.

“Needless to say, this is not a good idea.”

Source: The Independent

The culture of wealth by any means: Several Nigerians implicated in FBI's bust of online fraudsters

Disgraced Invictus Group CEO Obi Okeke

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The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Thursday that it had arraigned scores of suspected fraudsters behind a variety of scams and online fraud cases.

The U.S. Attorney General, Nick Hanna, said during a press conference that majority of the suspects were based in Nigeria in what is believed to be one of the largest cases of online fraud in American history. 

“FBI agents along with federal and state law enforcement authorities arrested a total of 14 defendants in the US, all named in a sweeping fraud and money laundering case.

“Those arrested today are among 80 defendants charged in a federal grand jury indictment that alleges that millions of dollars were taken from victims through a variety of scams and online frauds,” he said.

Hanna disclosed that the scammers had taken advantage of vulnerable status of most of their victims like the elderly. In all, over 250 count charges ranging from “conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, aggravated identity theft” have been filed against the suspects.

Beside the 80 suspects that have so far been charged, another 57 were being hunted globally by the authorities. Business Email Compromise, BEC scam, was at the heart of the fraudulent actions that deprived victims of millions of dollars.

“We believe this is one of the largest cases of its kind in US history. BEC scam is used to hack email accounts to convince businesses or individuals to make payments that are either completely bogus or that should have been otherwise paid to legitimate companies.

“Indictments showed very specific allegations against this suspects many of whom are based in Nigeria in terms of stealing money from victims. The indictment also focuses on those responsible for enabling these fraud schemes including operatives in Los Angeles.”

The latest development comes barely a week after the high-profile arrest of a celebrated young entrepreneur Obinwanne Okeke by the FBI for conspiracy to commit fraud amounting to $11 million.

The Forbes under 30 millionaire and founder of Invictus Group is being charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud according to reports.

He allegedly hacked into a digital system of a steel company in the US, stealing a whopping $11 million of the company’s money via fraudulent emails and doctored correspondence.

South African court limits display of apartheid-era flag: But why should a flag synonymous with vile racism still be flown on African soil?

Former Leader of Racist Apartheid Enclave P.W. Botha (Photo: AFP)

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In a landmark ruling, a Johannesburg court on Wednesday barred the unjustified display of South Africa's apartheid-era national flag, saying such gestures amounted to "hate speech" and "harassment".

Judge Phineas Mojapelo said in Johannesburg that any gratuitous display of the old flag was "racist and discriminatory".

"It demonstrates a clear intention to be hurtful, to be harmful and incite harm and it in fact promotes and propagates hatred against black people... it constitutes hate speech".

The ruling followed a petition to the court by the Nelson Mandela Foundation Trust after the flag was displayed in October 2017 by white South Africans protesting at the murders of white farmers.

The judge said those who publicly displayed the flag "wish to remind black people of the oppression, humiliation, indignity and subjugation that they moved away from and do not wish to relive."

The former flag was used from 1928 until 1994 by the Union of South Africa, then a British dominion, and by the Republic of South Africa that succeeded it.

It comprised three stripes of orange, white and blue with three small flags at its center -- the emblems of the Orange Free State, Britain and the South African Republic.

Intertwined with the white-minority regime, it was widely known as the "apartheid flag" before being dumped in 1994 with the advent of democracy and its replacement by a "multi-racial" flag.

But right-wing groups and individuals have continued to display the apartheid-era flag at political gatherings and at some rugby matches.

Mojapelo, the high court judge presiding over what is called an equality court, said the prohibition was not a blanket ban.

The flag could be displayed for academic or artistic purposes in the public interest, he said.

Offenders will face legal penalties including community service and fines.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation, set up to continue the legacy of South Africa's first democratically-elected president, said the decision "affirms our rights to not suffer hate speech, our rights to dignity and our rights to a meaningful freedom of speech."

Outside the courthouse, its CEO, Sello Hatang, hailed the ruling as a "building block" for nation-building.

But Afrikaans rights group AfriForum, which had opposed the petition, said it disagreed with the judgement but would carefully study the text before deciding whether to appeal.

AfriForum deputy CEO Ernst Roets told reporters that their concerns lay in "where the line should be drawn between freedom of expression and hate speech".

African National Congress (ANC) spokesman Dakota Legoete said the verdict was a "national victory."

A constitutional crisis had been averted as the country could not have "two flags flying under the same constitution," Legoete said.

The parliamentary committee on sports, arts and culture said the ruling should signal the end of any nostalgia for apartheid-era South Africa.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) remarked that "if the Nazi flag and the Confederate flag can be denounced in Germany and America, there is no reason to keep glorifying the apartheid flag".

Designed by Frederick Brownell, who died in May at the age of 79, the 1994 flag seeks to symbolize the unity of the previously segregated racial groups and South Africa's transformation into a democratic state.

Racial tensions remain high in South Africa, a nation gripped by wide economic disparities and facing a tough battle to ease unemployment and roll back crime.