Badminton player, 17, dies of cardiac arrest after collapsing during game

An "outstanding" 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said on Monday (Jul 1). Zhang Zhijie was suddenly taken ill during a match late Sunday against Japan's Kazuma Kawano at the Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital by ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. "Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest," Broto Happy, spokesman for the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), told a press conference in Yogyakarta. Zhang's parents were heading to the city to retrieve his body, he said. The spokesman defended the actions of medical staff and local organisers after footage showed what appeared to be a hesitant response to the teenager falling face down on the court. 

ABUJA CELEBRITY COUPLE , CEO CHAPERON GROUP SLY & ASHLEY LORI TIE THE KNOT IN GRAND STYLE ( THE PURPLE AND BLACK BALL)

Oldest Rev. Father, Monsignor Pedro Martins, dies at 103

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Yesterday, the Catholic community and the country at large were thrown into mourning when news filtered that Nigeria’s Oldest Reverend Father, Monsignor (Col.) Pedro Ayodele Martins of the Archdiocese of Lagos, passed on.
He was aged 103 and had a been a priest for 70 years .
According to a statement by the Archdiocese: “With gratitude to God the giver of life, we announce the passing away of Msgr. Pedro Ayodele Martins this morning at the age of 103 years”
Born in 1911, the young Martins was the second but first surviving child of Marcelino Domingo Martins and Regina Clarice Martins. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Patrick J Kelly SMA of Benin City in present day Edo State on August 8, 1943. After his Ordination, he then proceeded to the University College, Cork, Ireland.
During his life-time, he filled many positions of responsibility, teaching at St Gregory’s College in Lagos as well as ministering in several parishes throughout the Archdiocese. He also served as Vicar General to the immediate past Archbishop of Lagos, now Anthony Cardinal Okogie. In 1970, he was made Monsignor. During his military career he served with the Nigerian Armed Forces, rising to the position of Head Chaplain to the Armed Forces. He served in the Congo and with many Army formations in Nigeria.
Reacting to the news of his death, a lecturer and formator at the SS Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan, Reverend Father Melchiezedek Okpala, said that God had finally called Monsignor Martins home. ‘’ When I heard the news, my first instinct was thanks be to God because he had wanted this for a very long time and now, God had finally called him home. We must celebrate his long, illustrious life, legacy and give thanks to God for this dinosaur of a man’’
Also speaking to Sunday Newswatch, Project Director at Saint Albert the Great Major Seminary, Reverend Father Julius Olaitan, said Nigeria has truly lost a great man. ‘’ We just lost a great Nigerian and a wonderful priest. Baba was there for us all as a sign of God’s enduring love’’.
He added that even in his old age and frail nature, he was a courageous father who linked the young to their history and sought to help everyone remain in touch with God. ’’ We will definitely miss his elderly and wise counsel, his great sense of humour and spiritual guidance,’’ he said.

Nollywood Actress Bisi Komolafe Laid To Rest (PHOTOS)

The funeral ceremony for the late Bisi Komolafe, the Yoruba movie actress, who died in the early hours of 1 January at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, western Nigeria, commenced this morning Friday, January 4, 2013 at 9AM amid tears.

The funeral mass took place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Oke Padre in Ibadan. She was then buried at a cemetery a few metres away from the mortuary.

Most of Bisi’s friends and colleagues are still shocked over her death. Those who managed to speak described the death as a big blow to the industry, considering the fact that she was one of the most promising and versatile actresses.

One of her best friends in the industry, Titi Osinowo, said: “I’m not in the right frame of mind to talk about Bisi now. I still can’t still believe she is gone. Wait a minute, does it mean we won’t see Bisi again?”

Bisi’s publicist, Faith Irabor, said: “She was like my sister and she was in her prime. I’m a woman and could be a victim of what happened to her. This is very sad indeed.”

Some of the movies she starred in are Igboro Ti Daru, Aye Ore Meji, Ogbe Inu, Akanmole, Alakada and Akun.

Fellow actor, Saheed Balogun, has disclaimed the stories making the rounds that Komolafe’s death was as a result of fetish practices and husband snatching scandals.

‘You or I’, says, “I find it very absurd that anyone would attribute the death or illness of any Yoruba actor to juju. Many people die every day as a result of various ailments but the reason behind the hullabaloo over the death of a star is just because we are popular. It has nothing to do with jazz (evil forces) and no one knows the day he/she will die besides God. It is just sad that she died at a time when she was about to blow in the industry and fans looked forward to more works from her.”

PHOTOS: Mike Adenuga’s N1 billion Banana Island Estate

Mike Adenuga, who is the chairman of Globacom and the second richest man in Nigeria, owns the biggest land owner in Nigeri’a most expensive area, Banana Island.

The huge estate, which is worth up to a billion naira, has 8 duplexes and an additional one for his personal residence with home office (the gold one), two watch towers, a mosque, a church and a multipurpose hall that sits 200 people.

The massive estate, which was handled by Julius Berger and Cappa & D’Alberto, also has an indoor swimming pool, car park, helipad, yacht deck and it sits on roughly 3 hectares.

Nigeria ranked highest African country as Onaolapo claims fourth gold medal

More cheery news from the ongoing London Paralympic games as Team Nigeria athletes has increased their gold medals tally to 4.

Joy Onaolapo won gold in the 52 kilogram powerlifting women’s category thereby increase the country’s total medal haul to 7.

Nigeria remains the highest ranked African country on the overall medal table in seventh position

Brits Held in Peru Over 30kg Cocaine Haul

Police in Peru have said that three Britons and three Italians are among 27 suspects arrested this month after a huge haul of cocaine was seized.

Police said the British suspects were detained along with a Peruvian woman on Thursday as they allegedly tried to smuggle 30kgs of cocaine to the UK on a sailing boat, reports Sky News.

Some of the drugs were seized from the vessel's fuel tanks after it was intercepted leaving the Yacht Club de la Punta Callao, authorities said.

The Italian trio were arrested in Lima earlier this week for possession of cocaine and ecstasy.

Police claimed they belonged to a gang called "The Bambinos".

National Police director Raul Salazar said 1 ton of drugs had already been seized in operations this month.

He said the arrests showed his officers were effectively disrupting the "international tentacles" involved in the country's illegal drug trade.

Peruvian authorities said that between January and March of this year they had detained 3,013 people across the country in 3,025 operations.

Six hundred and fifty three were detained for trafficking, 351 for selling small amounts and 2009 for using drugs.

The South American country is one of the world's top drug producers.

Lionel Richie: The Billboard Cover Story

As off key as that idea may sound, the five-time Grammy Award winner and former Commodores ** frontman says some people tried to convince him to do that five years ago. Leaning back on the comfortable mint green sofa in the family room of his Beverly Hills home, Richie laughs at the memory. "I responded, 'Why doesn't Lionel just do Lionel?'"

That suggestion, however, did plant the seeds for the icon's new project. "Tuskegee" (Mercury Nashville, March 26) is a collection of 13 of Richie's international hits recorded as duets with some of country music's biggest established and rising stars. The roster includes Sugarland **'s Jennifer Nettles ("Hello"), Blake Shelton ** ("You Are"), Tim McGraw ** ("Sail On"), Kenny Chesney ** ("My Love"), Willie Nelson ** ("Easy"), Kenny Rogers ** ("Lady"), Darius Rucker ** ("Stuck on You"), Jason Aldean ** ("Say You, Say Me") and Rascal Flatts ** ("Dancing on the Ceiling"). The set's first single, "Endless Love" with Shania Twain ** -- who, owing to vocal paralysis, hadn't recorded or performed live in seven years before "Tuskegee" -- debuted at No. 24 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, where it's No. 22 this week.

"The idea just came along. We didn't sell this," Richie says. "I always knew I was going to do a country album with maybe one or two duets but not starting here. Then I thought the best thing to do is, 'Let's take three steps back, connect country to what I've already done, and then we go forward.'"
On the surface, "Tuskegee's" country spin might read as simply a clever twist on the tried-and-true greatest-hits/standards album model. But Michael Richardson, Richie's new manager, views the project as the repositioning next chapter in the singer's storied career: one that will re-engage him with longtime fans as well as introduce him to a new generation.

Fortifying that reconnection is a multitiered domestic and international marketing campaign relying heavily on TV, including a March 16 live performance on HSN and an all-star CBS special, "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends -- In Concert" airing April 13.

"Lionel is a mainstream artist who falls into the category of an Elton John ** and Billy Joel **," Richardson says. "His audience is as far as it is wide. And that's what this marketing plan had to be to capture and get the attention of his audience . . . which is everybody."

A fixture on the pop and R&B charts in the '80s with such crossover hits as "Endless Love," "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Say You, Say Me," Richie is no stranger to country music. Born and raised in Tuskegee, Ala. -- where in college during the '70s he co-founded R&B group the Commodores -- the singer says radio for him growing up was mostly " Patsy Cline **, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash." R&B exposure came by way of a nighttime-only R&B station, while relatives and friends introduced him to gospel and classical music.

Richie's Southern roots began showing in 1977 with the Commodores' crossover hit "Easy." ("Sunday morning in the South is about as easy as it's going to get," Richie says.) Another of the group's Richie-penned hits, 1978's "Three Times a Lady," was covered by Conway Twitty in 1983. Before that, however, Richie's reputation as a songwriter took off after Kenny Rogers' cover of Richie's "Lady" soared to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1980. Richie himself peaked at No. 24 on Billboard's country chart with "Stuck on You" in 1984. Three years later, Alabama ** teamed with Richie on the latter's composition "Deep River Woman," a top 10 country hit.

"When I did 'Lady' with Kenny, I should have pulled the trigger then," Richie says. "But I was firmly in Commodores mode. Then Conway told me to come and explore the country market because 'we love you up here.' I went there but just for one meeting. I didn't stay because I was in solo mode. And after I finished 'Deep River Woman,' I should have pulled the trigger. So it took a moment for me while country was already there."

Both sides landed on the same side of the fence last year when Richie -- a longtime member of the Country Music Assn. (CMA) -- began recording "Tuskegee." What began as a three-week project stretched into nine months as the country artists selected songs and juggled schedules, while Richie commuted on call between Los Angeles and Nashville for the sessions. "I found out with country music, nobody's sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring," Richie says. "These are the working-est folks."

Rather than emulate Richie's originals, the artists were encouraged to perform the songs as if they were their own, with Richie coming onboard after the fact. In addition to Aldean's rock accents on "Say You, Say Me" and Nettles' killer vocals on "Hello," listeners are treated to Little Big Town **'s tight, rich harmonies on "Deep River Woman" and Nelson's indelible touch on "Easy." Overall, the results are a testament to the universal nature of Richie's material.

Thanks to those enduring songs, Richie has sold more than 100 million albums between his Commodores stint and solo efforts, according to Mercury Nashville. That catalog dates back to 1974 (when the first Commodores album came out and peaked at No. 11 on the R&B albums chart) and includes his most recent projects on Island Def Jam, 2006's "Coming Home" (featuring the R&B hit "I Call It Love") and 2009's "Just Go."

"Coming Home" peaked at No. 3 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 6 on the Billboard 200, while "I Call It Love" hit No. 1 on Adult R&B and reached No. 19 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. "Just Go" peaked at No. 9 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 24 on the Billboard 200. In addition, Richie has racked up 22 top 10 singles, five Grammys and an Academy Award for best original song in 1985 ("Say You, Say Me," from the movie "White Nights").

Turning up the volume on "Tuskegee" as well as Richie's still-active career is the primary focus of the marketing campaign being mounted by manager Richardson and Mercury Nashville. Anchoring the promotional push: a major concentration on TV.

"It's about putting him back into people's homes," Richardson says. "People are going to see Lionel in their living rooms more than they've seen him in quite a number of years."

Next: Lionel Uses HSN As 'Tuskegee' Launching Pad

Richie's TV stint kicks off March 16 with the singer launching HSN's live concert series, "HSN Live." The hour-long broadcast starts at 8 p.m. EST and will feature duet partner Kenny Rogers. Bracketing the concert: a 60-minute live, behind-the-scenes preshow at 7 p.m. on Facebook and a post-concert Facebook segment featuring a final chat with Richie before he sings "Hello."

HSN purchasers -- able to place website preorders for "Tuskegee" beginning in mid-February -- will receive an exclusive second CD featuring five songs. The disc includes a never-heard-before track from a live concert at Wembley Arena in London. Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett, Randy Travis and Natalie Cole have also performed live and promoted new albums on HSN. The network's top music seller thus far is Stewart, with 25,000 albums sold in less than an hour.

"And that's the point," HSN executive VP of TV/executive creative director Andy Sheldon says. "Labels are seeing we're a great launching pad for new releases." According to Sheldon, the network reaches 96 million homes, counts more than 300,000 Facebook followers, appeals primarily to females 35-55 with an average income of $65,000 and boasts a customer base of 5 million within the past 12 months.

3m360 Recap: Lionel Richie Rocks Billboard Showcase

On the commercial TV front, Richie will tape CBS' "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends -- In Concert" on April 2 (the day after the Academy of Country Music Awards) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Airing April 13, the concert will feature performances by several "Tuskegee" collaborators as well as other acts covering more Richie hits, including the Band Perry ** ("Penny Lover") and Lady Antebellum ** ("Truly").

Those tentpole events will be complemented by a series of additional TV appearances, from "Weekend Today" (March 24-25), "Today," "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Piers Morgan Tonight" (all three on March 27) to "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (April 4) and "The Talk" (April 5). And on street date, Richie will wrap a four-episode stint as a mentor on "The Voice."

During a promotional swing through Europe that began in late February, Richie touched down with radio PDs and members of the press during a special dinner. Subsequent interviews with various U.K. publications and radio appearances were followed by the March 3 taping of a prime-time TV special for ITV. It's slated to run April 1. In addition to recent appearances on "The X Factor" in Denmark and France's "Champs-Elysées," Richie will appear on Canada's "Star Academie" on March 18.

The "Tuskegee" campaign officially kicked off last year with Richie's surprise appearance at the annual Country Radio Seminar. Accompanying him for a performance of "Stuck on You" was Darius Rucker. That was followed by a medley of three "Tuskegee" tracks by Richie and the songs' duet partners at the CMA Awards in November. After hosting an album listening party at his home in January, Richie returned to Nashville in February for CRS 2012.

"It was important to start the narrative early, to fully tell the story of what this project is all about," Universal Music Group Nashville VP of marketing Tom Lord says. Rounding out the push: targeted national TV and radio advertising on such cable outlets as Lifetime and Oxygen and syndicated programs like Premiere Radio Network's "Delilah." Richie encountered a new audience on March 14 when he made his South by Southwest debut as headliner of Billboard's annual showcase at Austin's ACL Live (Billboard.com, March 7). Joining Richie on the bill: indie act Polica, party band Wallpaper, retro-soul rock group Vintage Trouble and R&B hitmaker the-Dream, who worked with Richie on Just Go.

A deluxe version of "Tuskegee" will also be available for purchase. It's packaged with a bonus DVD featuring behind-the-scenes studio footage of Richie's duet partners along with their personal reflections about his influence. To tie in with iTunes' countdown to release campaign, Mercury Nashville has been offering a new album track each week. The promotion began Feb. 28 with Nelson's "Easy," followed by Billy Currington ** ("Just for You," March 6), Rucker (March 13) and Nettles (March 20).

Richardson acknowledges that touring with a duets album is "always going to be difficult," owing to the guest artists' own recording, promotion and touring commitments. But he says the intent is for Richie-last on the road in 2006-to tour the United States, although a time period hasn't been confirmed.

"Schedules permitting, there's definitely the opportunity for artists to make a guest appearance," Richardson says. "Much in the same vein as Taylor Swift, who welcomed special guests during her tour -- that's the goal here." In terms of an overseas concert run, Richardson says he and Richie are looking at September through the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Richie -- who will be inducted into the Apollo Theater's Apollo Legends Hall of Fame with the late Etta James on June 4 -- has already lined up a duets offshoot. The singer will join Sugarland's Nettles, Kelly Clarkson ** and Robin Thicke ** on "Duets," a new talent series on ABC slated to premiere this summer. Each will choose two singers as their duet partners. The duos will then perform each week in front of a live studio audience. The amateur half of the winning duet will receive a recording contact with Hollywood Records.

"If I had to add a subtitle to 'Tuskegee,' it would be, 'You will now hear all the songs I was told would ruin my career,'" Richie says with a laugh. "But it shows you just how far these songs have come. Once a song is embraced, people don't care who the hell did it. They love the song."

Woman Marries Herself In A Symbolic Ceremony

In quite possibly the loneliest news of 2012, A 36-year-old woman married herself. Yes, no groom. It was a proclamation of independence showing that she was in love with herself.

– In a purely symbolic ceremony, the 36-year-old “married” herself before a crowd of 45 friends and family members Saturday at Ecce Gallery in Fargo.

During the observance, the Fargo woman read her vows: “I, Nadine, promise to enjoy inhabiting my own life and to relish a lifelong love affair with my beautiful self.” She presented herself with a ring and invited all guests to “blow kisses to the whole world” at the point of the traditional, bride-groom lip-lock.

“I’m very proud of it, and I feel very good about it,” says Schweigert, who works at Swanson’s Health and teaches yoga. “I’m so glad I did it.”Schweigert views the secular ceremony as a public pronouncement that she has learned to love and accept herself as she is.

That hasn’t always been the case. The divorced mother of three says she struggled for years with self-acceptance, attending therapy groups and studying books like Melody Beattie’s “Codependent No More.”“I was waiting for someone to come along and make me happy,” she says. “At some point, a friend said, ‘Why do you need someone to marry you to be happy? Marry yourself.’”

The concept is unconventional, but not unheard of. New Age websites such as Encouraging Priestess share ideas on how to perform secular, self-marriage ceremonies. And “Glee’s” own Sue Sylvester famously sported her red tracksuit to marry herself in 2010.

Still, when Schweigert first mentioned the idea a year ago, she was discouraged by several female friends who thought it was weird. Disheartened, she put the idea on hold.Months passed and Schweigert found herself lamenting the loss of a relationship. Once again, she says, the idea of her own wedding re-surfaced.“It was just one of those things where you get an idea, and you know you just have to do it,” she says.

Schweigert’s 11-year-old son also didn’t like the idea.“Initially his response was to put his hand on my shoulder. He said, ‘I love you, but I’m embarrassed for you right now and I’m not coming,’ ” she says.

In time, her son came around and even got involved in wedding plans. He was there for her one-sided nuptials.The majority of her friends have been more enthusiastic. Two friends baked cakes, another friend officiated and many others presented readings.

“I was discerning about who I shared it with,” she says. “Most people were very accepting and cool, because they love me and they know I’m odd by nature.”Schweigert’s parents are “very in-the-box” people who live in Enderlin, N.D., she says. But they were “silently supportive” and presented her with a special album of photos for her big day.

Nadine’s mom, Charlotte Schweigert, says a self-marriage ceremony fit her daughter perfectly. “She always did her own thing. That was Nadine,” she says. “Everything in this younger generation – nothing surprises me anymore.”

Charlotte and Darrel Schweigert had never heard of this type of ceremony but attended to support their daughter.“We just sort of watched and wanted to know what it was all about,” Charlotte says. “That’s all that counts, as long as she’s happy.”

Now, with her wedding day behind her, Schweigert did what most newlyweds do: She’s honeymooning, having left for New Orleans on Thursday.“I’m just a unique, awesome person who doesn’t fit anyone’s mold or ideal, and I hope you’re OK with that,” she says. “And if you’re not, that’s OK, too.”

Panic in Lagos over Bomb in Ikeja

Commissioner of Police Lagos State Police Command Yakubu Alkali

There was panic in Lagos Friday evening over suspicion that an explosive had been planted in a building in the Ikeja area of the state.

The bomb was allegedly planted in Awolowo House on Obafemi Awolowo Road, Ikeja.

It is located close to the bridge in Ikeja.

The building was immediately evacuated, with the vicinity cordoned off. Pedestrians and motorists were told to make use of alternative routes.

But the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Jaiyeola Joseph, said there was nothing to worry about.

Joseph said that the rumour started after a man dropped a carton around the building and left.

He said some people raised the alarm that it must be a bomb, hence the panic.

The Police Bomb Disposal Squad was immediately despatched to the scene.

Nothing deadly was found, Joseph told Eagle Online.