BlackBerry World storefront goes live with music, TV shows and movies

Heads up, content lovers: you can now get your fix over at BlackBerry World, which has been updated with music, movies and TV shows for your perusal. As expected, prices are in line with industry norms, ranging from $8 to $12 for albums, and between $0.99 and $1.49 for individual tracks. Meanwhile, television episodes can be had for $1.99 a pop -- perfect if you happened to miss the awkward season premiere of Archer -- and there's variable pricing for movies, depending on whether you rent or buy. You'll find previews of all music tracks, but movies are limited to the trailers and TV shows lack free samples. Nonetheless, if you're feeling bold and live within one of the supported regions, take a moment to check out the overhauled BlackBerry World. It's certainly a nice appetizer of what's to come.

Via Engadget

Messi, Ronaldo clash in El Clasico

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo come into today’s El Clasico clash in Madrid in the Spanish Cup semifinal in fine form and full of goals.

Messi has hit 16 and Ronaldo 12 in their last 10 games, and the four the Argentine got against Osasuna on Sunday makes it 33 in the league while Ronaldo has 21 after his hat-trick against Getafe. It will be the fourth time Real Madrid and Barcelona have met this season.

Madrid took the Spanish Super Cup on away goals over two legs and managed a 2-2 draw in Barcelona in the league, the only points Barca have dropped at home, so there is little to choose between the two up to now.

In the league Barca enjoy a 15-point advantage over their rivals but that will all be forgotten when Madrid seek to avenge last season’s quarter-final defeat in the same competition that Barca eventually won.

Messi’s goals at the weekend meant he became the first player in history to score in eleven consecutive La Liga matches and he can equal or break another record on Wednesday. One goal would level Alfredo Di Stefano’s long-standing 18 goal tally in games between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo will be walking a yellow card tightrope. He has already picked up two in the Cup, another on Wednesday will mean he misses the second-leg scheduled to take place in Barcelona in almost a month’s time on the 27th of February.

The Portuguese star also has goalscoring form in recent games with the Catalans, hitting seven in the last six meetings, and he has told his club’s TV station that the game can’t come quick enough.

“It’s an important but complicated game for us against one of the most difficult teams in the world, but it should be a big night. We’re at home and have a good chance but we’ll have to play well, we know Barca have a great team but I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

Real Madrid go into the game with important players missing. Most of all club captain Iker Casillas, who fractured a bone in his hand in the previous round against Valencia.

The club reacted quickly to sign Diego Lopez from Sevilla last Friday as cover, for 3.5 million, and he will come into contention for his debut. Also out for Madrid are the suspended trio of Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria and Fabio Coentrao, plus the injured Pepe.

Mourinho was able to rest Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Karim Benzema and Alvaro Arbeloa on Sunday against Getafe and all should start.

Via Punch

Nigeria beats Ethiopia, faces CIV in Q/finals

After two heart-breaking draws, Victor Moses led Nigeria to the ‘Promised Land’ when he converted two late penalties to give the Super Eagles a 2-0 win over Ethiopia on Tuesday and also register the country’s first win in the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. The victory gave the Super Eagles a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, which began in South Africa January 19.

The quarter-finals setting means that Nigeria will battle one of the tournament’s favourites Ivory Coast by 4pm on Sunday, for a ticket to the semi-finals.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi said they expected a tough match against the Ethiopians. Keshi, who spoke after the match in Rustenburg, added that his team and the Ivorians have equal chances to scale through to the next stage.

He told reporters, “We knew it was not going to be easy beating the Ethiopians. This victory is what we’ve been waiting for, for so long to make Nigerians happy.

“Taking up Cote d’Ivoire is a different ball game; different mentality. It’s not the same thing as preparing against Ethiopia or the other team we played against in Group C. There’s no second chance for both teams. If I have a game plan I won’t share with anybody but with my players. We look forward to our game against the Ivorians.”

In Rustenburg, Moses scored the first past Sisay Bancha after 80 minutes and the second past the midfielder Addis Hintsa, who had to go in goal after the keeper was sent off for bringing down Moses in the box.

Ethiopia had already used all three substitutes in their final Group C match and finished with 10 men for the second time in the competition after keeper Jemal Tassew was also dismissed in their opening match with Zambia.

Nigeria began to exert their superiority over Ethiopia in the closing stages. The Eagles dominated for most of the match but had little to show for their 13 first-half goal attempts as most of the efforts carried no threat. The game became more stretched as it went on and in the end Nigeria were deserved winners as Moses kept his cool from the spot. The Ethiopians came closest to scoring in the 80th minute when Vincent Enyeama made a one-arm save off a header.

The defeat meant Ethiopia finished at the bottom of the group and they were eliminated from the tournament along with defending Champions Zambia who drew 0-0 with Burkina Faso in the other Group C match.

Via Punch

Mancini backs Balotelli's Milan switch

Roberto Mancini admits a move to AC Milan was the best option for Mario Balotelli, with the striker set to join the Italian club on a four-and-a-half year deal. It appears Balotelli, 22, has completed a medical with Milan and will move to the San Siro today, although a formal contract is yet to be signed.

Following City's 0-0 draw with QPR in the Premier League yesterday, Mancini conceded it was a tough decision to let Balotelli go, although he insists the Italy international will benefit from playing in his home country.

"We are also sad because Mario was an important player for us," Mancini said. "With Mario we won the Premier League and the FA Cup in two years. But it's important for him to go back to Italy."

"It will be a good chance for him to stay with his family, to play for Milan. I think he can improve and I'm happy he will become one of the best players in the world.

"We love Mario and he deserves to have this chance. For me, no [he was not a problem]. Mario was like another one of my children. But you can be upset with him sometimes, but afterwards he's a lovely lad. When he left the hotel, they [the players] were really sad. Mario is a good guy."

While City still have to finalise terms with Milan before Balotelli's move is complete, the Serie A giants have shown no hesitation in claiming the striker as one of their own, already offering fans the chance to buy a personalised jersey.

Milan director Umberto Gandini revealed the signing of Balotelli yesterday via Twitter, claiming only personal terms need to be negotiated.

Via ESPN

N27bn pension thief rearrested after outcry

There were  indications on Tuesday that public outcry against the light sentence handed an Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office, Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf, by  a  Federal Capital Territory High Court,  forced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to rearrest him.

The high court presided over by Justice Mohammed Talba had on Monday  sentenced Yusuf  to only two years’ imprisonment with an option of N750,000 fine for conniving with others to defraud  the PPO and pensioners of N27.2bn.

Even before the  judge rose, many in the courtroom expressed amazement at the judgment. While many Nigerians took to social networks like the Facebook and Twitter mocking the judgment, prominent lawyers and civil rights activists condemned it as a setback to the Federal Government’s anti-corruption crusade.

On Tuesday, one of the civil rights groups, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, demanded the probe of Talba for the light sentence.

Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress said the judgment was an indication that the judiciary could not be relied on to deliver the country from monumental corruption.

A source close to the EFCC said that the commission,  apparently  embarrassed by the public outcry , moved swiftly to redeem its image by sniffing more into Yusuf’s records in order to nail him.

The source said, “We never expected what happened yesterday (Monday). The reactions that followed the judgment  were  embarrassing to us and that was why we quickly had to look into his files again and sniffed out things that we had overlooked. With  those things, we had to rearrest him for fresh prosecution.”

Via Punch

We’ll take B’Haram seriously after 30 days – FG

The Federal Government yesterday reacted to the offer of ceasefire by a  faction of the fundamentalist  Islamic group, Boko Haram,  by giving a condition to the sect.

The condition: Boko Haram must  stop its  violence in the North for a period of one month.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, stated the Federal Government’s position just as the   Federal Capital Territory  Minister, Senator Bala  Mohammed,  summoned an emergency security meeting over increased  presence of  foreign immigrants in the FCT.

Ibrahim spoke  with journalists at the opening of the 2013 seminar on National Security with the theme, Contemporary National Security Challenges: Policy Option, organized by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College, Abuja.

He said that while security chiefs were excited by the development, the olive branch  offered by  the sect called  for caution.

Ibrahim said  the government would only take the peace overture seriously  if Boko Haram  could ensure that attacks of whatever form did not take place  for 30 days.

He stated that security operatives would wait for the period to see if no public place, security formation and place of worship was bombed before taking the sect seriously.

Ibrahim  also said  he was optimistic that the  development would culminate in improved security in the country.

He said, “You see, we must treat that with a lot of caution. You understand, there are certain objective tests that will make sense. Let’s assume we can have a long period of about one month where no bomb explodes, where nobody is shot, where nobody is beheaded, where no church is bombed, where no mosque is threatened.

“If they can guarantee just one month, then we can begin to talk. You see we must take this with a lot of caution. That is what I am telling you.

Via Punch

El-Rufai apologises over tweet on Jesus, Mary

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, on Monday apologized to his followers on Twitter and Facebook friends over a post deemed insulting to Jesus Christ.

His tweet on Sunday stated, “@zebbook: If Jesus criticises Jonathan’s govt, Maku/Abati/Okupe will say he slept with Mary Magdalene.”….LWKMD…..”

The retweet of the sarcastic post which many Nigerians, especially Christians, took offence at was directed at defending a former Education minister, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, and attacking the Information minister, Labaran Maku; Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe; and Presidential Adviser on Media and Publcity, Dr.  Reuben Abati and invariably, the Jonathan administration.

Despite offering an apology on both Twitter and Facebook, el-Rufai’s comment still sparked public outrage.

His apology stated, “Hello Friends. I have been travelling and trying to catch some sleep in between the last 24 hours and missed all the furore arising from my retweet of Ogunyemi Bukola’s (@zeebook) joke, Maku et al and Jesus. I must say I am taken aback by the extent of desperate misrepresentation of what was an innocuous attempt to show the godlessness of the Jonathanians to denigrate anyone that dares to ask them to be accountable.

“To those who were genuinely offended by the retweet, I apologise. I did not meant to offend anyone, neither did the @zeebook I know and featured as one of the Young Voices in my Friday Column. Jesus or Isa Alaihis Salaam is a respected prophet of Islam. Every Muslim accepts this in addition to his miraculous virgin birth. It is therefore absurd for any Muslim believer to disrespect Jesus Christ."

“I hope those in this class will see my point of view and accept my apologies for any offense or disappointment caused. And I advise everyone to read @zeebook’s timeline and mine to read EXACTLY what was tweeted rather than the second-hand reports of certain people who ALWAYS twist whatever I write or not write to achieve their morally-repugnant objectives.”

But many of his Facebook friends and Twiter followers slammed him for the comment and for also shifting the responsibility for the blame on those he called “Jonathanians”

Emmanuel Ogbeche  stated on Facebook, “This is no apology. I don’t know what el-Rufai means by ‘Jonathanians’. You retweet an offensive tweet and claim Jonathanians are making mountains out of nothing? Sick!”

Easyaffection: tweeted, “Sir with all due respect. I get u point in this joke. But why Jesus? It’s not funny.”….ask @zebbook….”

Hakeem Babatunde Disu  while commenting on El-Rufai’s Facebook page said, “Mallam indeed misfired, you don’t make jokes on such sensitive matters knowing that nations have gone to war on issues of lesser importance. Tweet or re-tweet, it was a big error.”

Iyabo Charles wrote, “El Rufai thought you were a responsible politician, but now I see you are one of the big hegoats using religious & sacred names for your innocuous post. Go and hug transformer and never again will I follow you on facebook because I have totally lost respect for  you.”

However, while some rejected El-Rufai’s apology, others gave him a second chance and warned him against repeating the same mistake.

Via Punch

iPad 4 to get 128GB for $799

Apple's iPad line has topped out at 64GB since it was born. That perennial ceiling has been smashed: the company is hiking the capacity of the fourth-generation iPad to a whopping 128GB. The hardware hasn't otherwise changed and preserves both the performance and dimensions that we already know. The WiFi and cellular versions get equal treatment, although we'll pay dearly for the increase at $799 for the base WiFi version and $929 for the cellular edition. Both of the extra-capacious tablets will be available February 5th.

Via Engadget

We’re not aware of AIDS cure breakthrough – UNIBEN

University of Benin on Wednesday distanced itself from Prof. Isaiah Ibeh’s claim that he had found a possible cure for  AIDS.

Reports on Wednesday quoted Ibeh, who is  UNIBEN’s Dean of  Basic Medical Sciences, as saying he had  developed a herbal  drug capable of curing AIDS.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin on Tuesday that the new drug had undergone “a series of successful tests”. But the Provost, College of Medical Sciences, UNIBEN, Prof. Vincent Iyawe, said the university was unaware of the breakthrough, and would therefore not substantiate it until procedures for verifying such were concluded.

Iyawe said, “The school will like to take credit for a breakthrough, but the school cannot align with the breakthrough because the university college was not consulted and the university was not consulted. He didn’t carry anybody along, so, this is the issue. There are protocols and procedures, stage by stage procedures.

“We are going to take it (drug) to the clinical laboratory, we are going to take it to the Federal Ministry of Health because they have a procedure there."

“We’ll probably take it to NAFDAC  because it is a unit or department of the ministry. We’ll take it for clinical trial, and many things we’ll have to do before we can announce that we discovered something."

“In fact,  we  have to take it to the World Health Organisation. So these are the things we are discussing.”

Asked whether Ibeh was unaware of such procedures before going public, Iyawe said, “I don’t know. He can answer that question, but we are not granting a press interview. I said  after we have finished, we can still call you people (media). All we are doing is to protect him.”

However, the provost  was not sure of  how long it could take the university  to verify Ibeh’s claim.

Via Punch

FEC Approves Three More Federal Varsities

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the establishment of three additional federal universities in the country.

The approval was given at the council’s first meeting of the year presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting alongside his counterparts- Mr. Edem Duke (Tourism and Culture); Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufai (Education); and Dr. Yerima Ngama (State, Finance).

The three newly-approved universities, according to Rufai, are the Federal University of Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State; Federal University of Gusau, Zamfara State, and Federal University of Gashua, Yobe State.

The minister said the new universities would take off during the 2014/2015 academic session.

She said, “We have been battling with the problem of access to education every year, cutting across primary, secondary and tertiary. We record between 1.3million and 1.5million applicants through JAMB every year.”

Rufai said having approved the establishment of three additional universities, every state in the country now has federal university.

Via Punch

Nations Cup: Mikel, Ideye make team, Dike out!

Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi, Joseph Yobo made Nigeria’s final list as expected to the 2013 Africa Nations Cup starting January 19 in South Africa. They lead 21 others including Ukraine-based Brown Ideye who made the team despite originally being rumoured as cut from the team by coach Stephen Keshi. The Nigeria coached released the final team list while the country engaged Cape Verde in a friendly match in Faro, Portugal Wednesday night. The match ended goalless.

Nigeria Captain Joseph Yobo will play in his sixth Africa Cup of Nations finals. The 32-year old defender had previously played at the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 finals, winning bronze on four occasions.

The list may have been as widely expected but Keshi surprised many when he chose to drop Bright Dike from the team. Keshi had spoken highly of the America-based Dike who also scored the country lone goal against Catalonia last week in a friendly match which gave the inkling that the rookie striker could make the cut.

It will be the first appearance for goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim, defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Efe Ambrose, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Juwon Oshaniwa and Godfrey Oboabona, midfielders Nosa Igiebor, Ogenyi Onazi, Obiora Nwankwo, Fegor Ogude and Reuben Gabriel, and strikers Ahmed Musa, Emmanuel Emenike, Sunday Mba,  Ideye, Victor Moses and Ejike Uzoenyi.

Nigeria will play Burkina Faso, Zambia and Ethiopia in Group C, with their first two games against the Etalons and the Cup holders coming up inside Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium on 21st January and 25th January respectively, before a clash with Ethiopia’s Walya Antelopes in Rustenburg’s Bafokeng Sports Palace on 29th January.

Final list:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel); Austin Ejide (Hapoel Be’er Sheba, Israel); Chigozie Agbim (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria)

Defenders: Elderson Echiejile (SC Braga, Portugal); Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod FC, Israel); Joseph Yobo (Fenerbahce, Turkey); Efe Ambrose (Celtic FC, Scotland); Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves, Nigeria); Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag, Netherlands); Godfrey Oboabona (Sunshine Stars, Nigeria).

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea FC, England); Nosa Igiebor (Real Betis, Spain); Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy); Obiora Nwankwo (Calcio Padova, Italy); Fegor Ogude (Valerenga FC, Norway); Reuben Gabriel (Kano Pillars, Nigeria);

Forwards: Ahmed Musa ( CSKA Moscow, Russia); Emmanuel Emenike (Spartak Moscow, Russia); Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England); Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria); Ikechukwu Uche (Villarreal FC, Spain); Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine); Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers, Nigeria).

Via Punch

BlackBerry 10 Devices Will Be Made Available At Multiple Price Points

Research In Motion has said that it plans to release a wide range of BlackBerry 10 devices that will hit low, middle and high price points in order to capture more of the smartphone market. In addition, three major U.S. mobile carriers — Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile — say they will support BlackBerry 10 products.

RIM CMO Frank Boulben told Fierce Wireless at CES that RIM will release at least six BlackBerry 10 devices this year, beginning with an all-touch device and phone with a Qwerty keyboard that will be officially announced on Jan. 30. The company has previously said that it plans to start selling the BB10 smartphones in February, and that 150 carriers around the world are currently testing devices using BB10, which will launch with  at least 70,000 apps.

RIM has been hyping the BlackBerry 10 operating system as a major alternative to Android and iOS and hopes that BB10 devices will help its smartphones regain market share from Apple and Samsung. In October it showed off BB10′s BlackBerry Hub real-time notification and other features in London, before CEO Thorsten Heins and Vice President Andrew Bocking were photographed at a Lakers Game using BB10 phones.

The existing base of BlackBerry subscribers numbers 79 million, according to Boulben, but the company’s market share has slipped dramatically over the past year. In the third quarter of 2012, RIM had 5.3% of the global smartphone market, down from 11% in the year-ago period, according to Research by Gartner.

Via TechCrunch

Samsung Galaxy S II Plus revealed with Dual-Core 1.2GHz CPU and Jelly Bean

Samsung just unleashed a new phone into the world, but you've probably heard of it before: it's the Galaxy S II Plus. The handset serves as a modest update to the original Galaxy S II, which contains a 4.3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM and Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). Naturally, you'll find an 8-megapixel camera on the rear, which is complimented by a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter. The Galaxy S II Plus will include 8GB of built-in storage, in addition to support for microSD cards up to 64GB in size. Expect to find HSPA+ (21Mbps) support across the 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100MHz bands, which will be augmented by GSM support for the 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz bands. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced for this refresh, but we'll be sure to let you know once we have additional details.

Via Engadget

Stars Turning 50 in 2013

Steven Soderbergh (Jan. 14, Capricorn)

Larry the Cable Guy (Feb. 17, Aquarius)

Quentin Tarantino (March 27, Aries)

Jet Li (April 26, Taurus)

Mike Myers (May 25, Gemini)

Johnny Depp (June 9, Gemini)

Brad Pitt (Dec. 18, Sagittarius)

1. Turning 50, even for a celeb, doesn't guarantee a great year. In 2012, Tom Cruise got his divorce papers and his musical, "Rock of Ages," panned just weeks shy of his 50th birthday. Demi Moore checked into rehab in January and witnessed her ex gallivanting about with Mia Kunis before she hit the half-century mark with an Abu Dhabi escape.
   
   On the upside, Ralph Fiennes released his directorial debut of Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" this past February and got himself installed in the James Bond franchise — which also turned 50 — as the next M, guaranteeing royalty checks well into his sunset years. Jodie Foster took a break from filming her sci-fi project "Elysium" — with co-stars Matt Damon and Diego Luna — to deliver an elegant defense of Kristen Stewart (who incidentally had the honor of announcing that her knightress-in-shining-armor would receive the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award).
   
   Good year or bad, just getting recognized for hitting the mid-century mark confirms a certain level of stardom. Next year, some high-wattage celebrities will be turning 50, among them some award-winning directors, the talented Helen Hunt, a kung-fu legend, and at least two Sexiest Men Alive alum. Take a look at who will be hitting the big milestone over the course of 2013, their birthdays and, of course, their Western zodiac signs.less 

2. Steven Soderbergh (Jan. 14, Capricorn)

3. Larry the Cable Guy (Feb. 17, Aquarius)

4. Quentin Tarantino (March 27, Aries)

1. Turning 50, even for a celeb, doesn't guarantee a great year. In 2012, Tom Cruise got his divorce papers and his musical, "Rock of Ages," panned just weeks shy of his 50th birthday. Demi Moore checked into rehab in January and witnessed her ex gallivanting about with Mia Kunis before she hit the half-century mark with an Abu Dhabi escape.
   
   On the upside, Ralph Fiennes released his directorial debut of Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" this past February and got himself installed in the James Bond franchise — which also turned 50 — as the next M, guaranteeing royalty checks well into his sunset years. Jodie Foster took a break from filming her sci-fi project "Elysium" — with co-stars Matt Damon and Diego Luna — to deliver an elegant defense of Kristen Stewart (who incidentally had the honor of announcing that her knightress-in-shining-armor would receive the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award).
   
   Good year or bad, just getting recognized for hitting the mid-century mark confirms a certain level of stardom. Next year, some high-wattage celebrities will be turning 50, among them some award-winning directors, the talented Helen Hunt, a kung-fu legend, and at least two Sexiest Men Alive alum. Take a look at who will be hitting the big milestone over the course of 2013, their birthdays and, of course, their Western zodiac signs.less 

2. Steven Soderbergh (Jan. 14, Capricorn)

3. Larry the Cable Guy (Feb. 17, Aquarius)

4. Quentin Tarantino (March 27, Aries

Study: 75 Percent Of The World’s Heads Of State Are Now On Twitter

You know how some naysayers still like to dismiss Twitter as nothing more than a time wasting website where people talk about the sandwich they’re eating? Here’s another rebuttal for them.

A new survey from the Digital Policy Council (DPC) shows that 75 percent of the world’s heads of state have a presence on Twitter. The DPC’s annual study evaluates a total of 164 countries, and found this year that 123 of them have a head of state that is on Twitter, either with a personal handle or an official government one. That’s up significantly from 2011, when 69 out of the 164 countries had a Twitter presence.

In terms of followers, the study found that US President Barack Obama is by far the most watched world leader on Twitter, with 25 million followers. Coming in at number two? Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, with 3.5 million followers.

Twitter is perpetually setting new records in terms of users and activity at an almost annoying pace, and it is said to be increasingly turning all that usage into serious revenue. So, while Twitter still has a bit of a reputation for being frivolous — and it is still a great place for frivolity — it makes sense that some of the people with the most serious of occupations are finally starting to come around to the value of the platform.

Via TechCrunch