FEATURES
[#ICYMI] We will deliver Tinubu as your successor - APC govs tell Buhari
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/we-will-deliver-tinubu-as-your-successor-apc-govs-tell-buhari
[#ICYMI] PDP crisis: Fresh Atiku, G5 reconciliation bid suffers setback
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/pdp-crisis-fresh-atiku-g5-reconciliation-bid-suffers-setback
[#ICYMI] Why I Will Never Backs Same Faith Ticket – Dogara
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/why-i-will-never-backs-same-faith-ticket-dogara
[#ICYMI] Morocco, Croatia earned $25 million, $27 million - Qatar 2022 World Cup prize money breakdown
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/morocco-croatia-earned-25-million-27-million-qatar-2022-world-cup-prize-money-breakdown
[#ICYMI] [OPINION] Tinubu, Obaigbena feud: we are not deceived - Etim Etim
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/opinion-tinubu-obaigbena-feud-we-are-not-deceived-etim-etim
[#ICYMI] [OPINION] Buhari At 80: 12 Things Nigerians Need to Know - Garba Shehu
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/opinion-buhari-at-80-12-things-nigerians-need-to-know-garba-shehu
[#ICYMI] [OPINION] On Campaign Gaffes, Missiles and Banters - Simon Kolawole
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/opinion-on-campaign-gaffes-missiles-and-banters-simon-kolawole
[#ICYMI] 2023: Apologize to Nigerians instead of campaigning – Atiku to Tinubu, APC
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/2023-apologize-to-nigerians-instead-of-campaigning-atiku-to-tinubu-apc
[#ICYMI] [COMMENTS AND ISSUES] Public Disclaimer - Mike Ozekhome
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/comments-and-issues-public-disclaimer-mike-ozekhome
[#ICYMI] Argentina vs France: The French team were poisoned before World Cup final – Piers Morgan
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/argentina-vs-france-the-french-team-were-poisoned-before-world-cup-final-piers-morgan
Ramaphosa re-elected as South African President under ANC
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/breaking-ramaphosa-re-elected-as-south-african-president-under-anc
2023: What’ll happen if BVAS machines fail at polling units during election – INEC
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/2023-what-ll-happen-if-bvas-machines-fail-at-polling-units-during-election-inec
CSO tasks govt to address social injustice, economic inequality
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/cso-tasks-govt-to-address-social-injustice-economic-inequality
Buhari has never stolen a kobo unlike others – Islamic group celebrates President’s 80th birthday
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/buhari-has-never-stolen-a-kobo-unlike-others-islamic-group-celebrates-president-s-80th-birthday
KASTLEA to release all impounded motorcycles to owners
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/kastlea-to-release-all-impounded-motorcycles-to-owners
Tell the world I’m back – Davido announces return after son’s death [Video]
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/tell-the-world-i-m-back-davido-announces-return-after-son-s-death-video
Ronaldo silent as rival Messi leads Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/ronaldo-silent-as-rival-messi-leads-argentina-to-world-cup-glory-in-qatar
Qatar 2022: Pele is my GOAT, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo can’t rival him – Sunday Oliseh
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/qatar-2022-pele-is-my-goat-messi-cristiano-ronaldo-can-t-rival-him-sunday-oliseh
Qatar 2022: It’s a shame – Lineker slams FIFA for allowing Messi wear bisht during World Cup presentation
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/qatar-2022-it-s-a-shame-lineker-slams-fifa-for-allowing-messi-wear-bisht-during-world-cup-presentation
U-20 AFCON: Flying Eagles coach gives conditions for inviting foreign-based players
#Emefiele #ATMs #Benz #Camavinga #MasterP #Ajaokuta #Messi #DoyinOkupe #Tinubu #Deschamps #Apostle #Mourinho #Gabi
https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/u-20-afcon-flying-eagles-coach-gives-conditions-for-inviting-foreign-based-players
A Nigerian man identified as Okpani Ugochukwu slept and never woke up a few hours before his flight to the United Kingdom for his Master’s Programme.
Ugochukwu had posted on his Facebook wall on Friday that he was UK-bound for his Master’s degree programme, suspected to be International Relations.
He wrote, “It’s a wrap. Blessed be God Forever. 22:00Hrs 2go. In Omnia Paratus. Put my name on that wall. MSc mode fully activated.. #International_Relations.”
The dream, however, did not materialise as his wall was flooded with condolences from friends who are pained by his untimely death.
A friend, Oyimagada Inya Ken said he was supposed to be on his way for his M.Sc but his exit has been confirmed.
Another friend, Ginger Eke Collins Ogbonnia said Ugochukwu was a good man and that they had both carried out many projects, as he bade him eternal farewell.
In his own painful comment, David Azuewah said Ugochukwu was a young soul filled with life that would be sorely missed.
“My congratulations message yesterday has now turned to RIP today. What a tragedy!” Christain Oko Kelechi said.
Monica Mma said thought it was a prank as she found it difficult to believe, saying: “I’ve not been able to place my head around this whole thing. I’ve been waiting to hear is a prank. You made a post yesterday and it was not up to 24 hours and you’re gone. Rest well, Christopher!”
“This young man, Ugochukwu Okpani was supposed to travel to the UK today to further his education. He celebrated on his wall and his friends congratulated him. Then he slept and dis not wake up.”
His Facebook profile shows hailed from Afikpo in Ebonyi State.
The deceased studied at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and lived in Awka, Anambra State capital, before he drew his final breath.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has officially welcomed his seventh wife, Olori Opeoluwa Elizabeth Akinmuda, today, in a stylish traditional wedding ceremony.
In videos shared by City People TV, the new Queen was captured dancing after which she could be seen being ushered into the palace by women of the palace.
The ceremony was held on Friday night, May 19th at Ile Odua Palace, Ile-Ife.
In another video, the Ooni of Ife and his other queens could be seen welcoming the new Queen into the palace.
Naija News earlier reports that the palace reportedly sent out invitations to relatives and dignitaries to the wedding thanksgiving service and the reception of his new Queen, Olori Opeoluwa Elizabeth Akinmuda, which is slated to hold on Saturday, 20th of May, 2023.
The event will be preceded by the traditional entry of the Queen into the ancient and revered Ife Oodua Palace of Ile-Ife.
The wedding Thanksgiving is coming months after the prominent Yoruba monarch wedded his sixth wife, Princess Temitope Adesegun.
Following the new world record in the cooking marathon set by a Nigerian female chef, Hilda Baci, Madonna University has congratulated her on her achievement.
The university, acknowledging that Chef Hilda is an alumna of the institution awarded her scholarship until PhD level.
In a statement titled ” Celebrating Excellence and Congratulating our proud Alumna, Hilda Bassey Effiong, signed by the school congratulated the new record breaker for the award of scholarship to PhD level.
Celebrating Excellence and Congratulating our proud Alumna, Hilda Bassey Effiong signed by Associate Prof. Martin Anagboso, DVC(Admin) the school confirms the award of scholarship to Hilda to PhD level by the founder and chancellor on the university.
The statement said, “The management, staff and students of Madonna University, Nigeria congratulate Hilda Bassey Effiong on the award of scholarship to PhD level and Madonna University, Nigeria highest merit award by the Founder and Chancellor.
“These awards are in recognition of her achievement. Since its inception over two decades ago, Madonna University has prided itself as a pacesetter and record breaker with several achievements under its belt. For instance, it is on record that we are the first private university to go into full operation in Nigeria and the first Catholic University in the West African sub-region. More so, we are the first Nigerian university to operate a 100% boarding system for all students.
“We have remained steadfast in our commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence, equipping our teeming students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to succeed in an ever-changing world.
“And as we nurture and groom our students to be leaders and impact-makers, we also take pride in celebrating the accomplishments of our outstanding alumni who continue to make significant contributions not only in their fields but the society at large.
“Today, we are thrilled to shine a well-deserved spotlight on Hilda Baci, a remarkable individual whose journey showcases the spirit of excellence, one we are privileged and proud to have taken part in its nurturing. On the 11th of May 2023, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, a talented chef and CEO of MyFoodbyHilda, embarked on a courageous mission to break the Guinness World Records for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
“With the former record standing at 88 hours, Hilda, in her embodiment of excellence, tenacity, sheer will, masterful culinary skills and unparalleled resilience, sought to not just break the existing record, but also make another by cooking for 96 hours. Remarkably, she extended her cooking time by an additional four hours, bringing it to an impressive 100 hours.”
Going further to reveal Hilda’s performance while with the university, the statement said with her success story, she has exemplified the impact of the school on her.
“As a distinguished alumna of our esteemed institution, she exemplifies the impact of a Madonna University education. During her time as a Sociology student at Madonna University Okija campus from 2011 to 2015, she demonstrated a deep understanding of social dynamics that shape our society and an unwavering dedication to making a positive difference. Her exceptional talents and unshakeable confidence have garnered admiration from individuals far and wide, making her a source of inspiration to countless others.
“Despite the long hours, physical strain, and demanding circumstances, she was committed to delivering meals of impeccable quality. Each dish held a torch to her exceptional culinary skills and pursuit of excellence. The desire to be excellent no matter the circumstance is a trait one can only find in individuals marked for greatness. Her recent endeavour to break the Guinness World Records for the longest cooking marathon by an individual is a testament to her resilience, passion, and commitment to pushing boundaries.
“This accomplishment not only showcases Hilda’s extraordinary determination but also highlights the type of individuals that Madonna University produces. Our focus on fostering critical thinking, promoting creativity, and instilling a sense of social responsibility empowers our graduates to excel in various spheres of life.
“We take immense pride in Hilda Baci’s remarkable achievement and the unwavering commitment of all our alumni to making a positive impact on society. As we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Hilda, we express our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported her throughout her journey.As we continue to break records, whether as an institution or through our alumni and students, we remain devoted to nurturing leaders, innovators, and catalysts of change.
“Our goal has always been to produce individuals who serve as a beacon of positive change, growth, and excellence, individuals who are uncompromising in their morals and values no matter the circumstance. We are proud of her,” the statement concluded.
Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci has revealed that she did not know she could sit while cooking to break the Guinness world record.
Hilda who on Monday completed a 100-hour cooking marathon in her quest to become the Guinness World Records holder for the ‘longest cooking time’ by an individual disclosed this in an interview on Friday.
The Akwa Ibom State born said she stood for 100 hours cooking because she saw that the contestant who had won the challenge didn’t sit while cooking.
“I didn’t know I could sit while cooking. I only found out after I completed the challenge that I could.
“One of the reasons I was intentional about filming the whole process was because when I decided to attempt the challenge, I went online and could only see three videos.
“One of the reasons why I didn’t know I could sit despite the fact that Guinness didn’t ask me to stand is that when I checked the videos of the previous chef, she was standing.
“Only after the attempt did I find a clip of her sitting. Maybe before now, no one thought was possible to stand for 100 hours cooking but because somebody has done it, it means it’s possible and doable.”
The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is a global event series dedicated to celebrating African contemporary art while embracing different perspectives and interpretations of the diasporic experience. The annual fair takes place across three continents; in London, New York and Marrakech. Excitingly, the details of the 2023 New York edition has been announced and it will be held from Thursday May 18 to Sunday May 21, 2023 at Malt House in the Manhattanville Factory District at 439 W 127th Street. The show is expected to be an immersive and captivating display of Contemporary African Art. Visitors can also enjoy an extended experience of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair online from 18 – 31 May thanks to its long-standing partnership with Artsy.
This year’s New York edition boasts an impressive lineup of 26 galleries from different countries across Africa, Europe and the U.S. all of which will be showcasing the works of over 80 talented artists from Africa and its diaspora. More than half of the participating galleries will be making their debut at 1-54 New York and over a third of them maintain a physical presence in Africa. Among the newcomers to 1-54 New York are notable African galleries such as DADA Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria & London, United Kingdom), kó (Lagos, Nigeria), LouiSimone Guirandou Gallery (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire), and Wunika Mukan Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria). A few other notable African galleries to look forward to include; Galerie Atiss Dakar (Dakar, Senegal), Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Paris, France, Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire), Retro Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), THK Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa & Cologne, Germany).
Within this exciting lineup, there are several African artists to look out for at 1-54 New York, including Adébayo Bolaji, a British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist whose works will be presented by kó, Mali-born Amadou Sanogo, Lulama Wolf, Larry Amponsah, Fidelis Joseph, and Mobalaji Ogunrosoye. Other notable artists include Kaloki Nyamai, Chinaedu Nwadibia, Themba Khumalo.
[artnewsafrica]
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the State Tretyakov Gallery to return one of the country’s most precious religious icons, Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century Trinity, to the Russian Orthodox Church, as art experts worldwide warn that the artifact is too fragile for travel.
“All professional restorers unanimously say that the condition of the Trinity plaque is such that any movement of it, even for a short distance, is fraught with danger and the icon may simply [be destroyed],” art historian Alexei Lidov told the Insider, as quoted in the Art Newspaper.
The decree comes a week after the Hermitage Museum, also in Saint Petersburg, agreed to return the silver sarcophagus of Saint Alexander Nevsky to the church. The move has been criticized as a transparent ploy by Putin to sustain the support of the highly influential religious body for his protracted invasion of Ukraine, with the Economist quipping, “The Kremlin drafts a much-loved icon for war propaganda.”
The Russian Orthodox Church has previously demonstrated its support of Russia’s war on Ukraine—which has suffered at least 100,000 casualties, according the the US Department of Security—by blessing Russian soldiers and promising glory in Heaven for those killed in duty.
The icon depicts three angels visiting the Prophet Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, as described in the Book of Genesis. The icon is regarded as one of the greatest visual representations of Trinitarian unity, and had been kept at the monastery until it was taken by the Soviet state.
Rublev’s piece was commissioned to honor Saint Sergius of Radonezh of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, outside Moscow, and was almost totally shrouded with a metal covering called a riza until 1904 by the order of Ivan the Terrible.
“It could simply be lost; it could disintegrate into several pieces,” Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts director Elizaveta Likhacheva told the official Russian news agency Tass. “It consists of three plates that are not very securely attached to each other.”
The Art Newspaper also quoted Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, who said that the transfer of the icon is “the prerogative of the ministry of culture” and “without a doubt was coordinated with the head of state.” Andrei Vorobev, a former head of the catalog of the Russian Federation Museum collections and deputy director of the Tretyakov Gallery, however, told El País that Putin “does not have the authority to dispose of objects belonging to the state, included in the Russian museum collection” and “he has never had such authority.”
Earlier this year, the Russian Ministry of Culture replaced the Tretyakov Gallery‘s general director after demanding the museum change its exhibits to be in line with the country’s “spiritual and moral values.”
[ArtNews]
A housemaid, Busayo, was apprehended for performing sexual activities on one-year-old boy.
The suspect, identified as Busayo Monday, was apprehended after her madam watched the CCTV installed in her home and saw the shocking moment Busayo removed her baby’s diaper and performed oral sex on him.
The housemaid explained in a viral video how she took advantage of the young boy.
Media
Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Founder of Omega Fire Ministries International, has challenged Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar, to subject her allegation against him to trial in court.
The clergyman, who spoke through his lawyer, Dr Abdul Mahmud, said the actress should subject the purported claims against him to judicial scrutiny by filing a defence to a N1 billion damages suit filed against her.
In a statement by the lawyer in Abuja, he said his client was “unjustly attacked, maligned and defamed” by the actress with the intention to blackmail him for monetary gains.
He assured that the clergy would secure justice in court over the defamation of his character by the actress.
Mahmoud recalled that following the relentless libelous attacks against Suleiman, a N1 billion damages suit was filed against the actress before the FCT High Court in Abuja.
“Prior to instituting the lawsuit, we served the Letter of Cease and Desist on the said actress on behalf of our client but she persisted in her relentless and scurrilous attacks on our client.
“Following the order of the court, substituted service of the court processes were advertised in a national daily.
“On the return date of 27th March, 2023, the said actress or her counsel did not appear before the court.
“The court, therefore, adjourned the hearing to 6th and 7th June, 2023 for a definite hearing of our client’s suit,” he said.
Mahmoud said following the order of the court, the hearing notice of the case for June 7 was equally published in a national newspaper and on the Instagram handle of the actress.
“We are ready to open and close our client’s case during the two days the court has in its judicious powers allocated to our client in its docket.
“We shall press and establish our client’s claims for damages against Halima Abubakar, the queen of social media’s pity party and clown of the circus that she passes off as the court of public opinion, expose her lies against our client;
“We shall show that she is unwilling to subject her pack of lies and unfounded claims to judicial scrutiny, hence her refusal to file her defence against the lawsuit of our client and or to enter appearance before the court,” he said.
The actress had alleged that the pastor was having an affair with her and caused her to become ill.
She also alleged that the pastor was having intercourse with her while she was bleeding and she was three times pregnant for him and lost each time.
In the suit before Justice Enobie Obanor, the clergy requested that the court should order the defendant to issue an apology for her false claims.
Additionally, he requested that the court orders Halima to pay for the removal of all links and the publication of the defamatory statements on all internet platforms.
Suleman further asked for a permanent injunction prohibiting her from publishing the defamatory comments in the future as well as N1 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages for libel.
He equally requested that Halima be ordered to pay N20 million in legal expenses.
Famous Nigerian rapper and activist Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, the bad guy, speaks out on his recovery.
He said in his video, “Idan no dey feel pain, na pain dey feel Idan,”
He began his physical therapy earlier today.
“1st half of May, physiotherapy begins.”
In his video, he thanked friends and family for their support, love, and care toward his recovery.
“Thanks for all the love and well wishes.”
Falz revealed that he is recovering quickly in a video posted on Thursday to his Instagram page about his health.
Recall Falz recently called for prayers from fans as he undergoes surgery.
After sustaining a knee injury in November 2022 while playing football, and was advised to go for knee surgery.
He said, “On the 23rd, I went to play football, and I sustained a knee injury.
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OpenAI has just launched a free ChatGPT app for iOS, giving iPhone and iPad owners an easy way to take the AI-powered tool for a spin.
The new app, which is able to converse in a remarkably human-like way, is available now in the U.S. App Store and will come to additional countries “in the coming weeks,” OpenAI said. Android users are promised their own ChatGPT app “soon.”
In a post on its website introducing the ad-free ChatGPT mobile app for iPhone, OpenAI outlined some of the tasks that you might want to use it for. They include:
— Instant answers: Get precise information without sifting through ads or multiple results.
— Tailored advice: Seek guidance on cooking, travel plans, or crafting thoughtful messages.
— Creative inspiration: Generate gift ideas, outline presentations, or write the perfect poem.
— Professional input: Boost productivity with idea feedback, note summarization, and technical topic assistance.
— Learning opportunities: Explore new languages, modern history, and more at your own pace.
The ChatGPT app also integrates Whisper, OpenAI’s open-source speech-recognition system for voice input. Subscribers to ChatGPT Plus will get early access to new features, faster response times in the app, and exclusive access to GPT-4 — a model more advanced than the GPT-3.5 that powers ChatGPT.
“With the ChatGPT app for iOS, we’re taking another step towards our mission by transforming state-of-the-art research into useful tools that empower people, while continuously making them more accessible,” OpenAI said.
It could be that with Apple’s Siri digital assistant lacking the same kind of impressive AI smarts displayed by ChatGPT, some iPhone users will find themselves conversing more with OpenAI’s offering for virtual chats and inquiries.
Following its release in November, ChatGPT quickly went viral, with its success turbocharging AI development by other tech giants such as Google and Meta, though numerous startups are also entering the sector.
It’s also stirred heated debate about the extent to which similarly powerful generative-AI technology will go on to impact industries and wider society, complementing jobs while replacing many others. Some AI experts, including the so-called “godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, have said that while the technology offers many potential benefits, urgent regulation is needed to reduce the chances of it being used for nefarious purposes. Hinton even expressed fears that the technology could one day become too powerful and destroy humanity itself. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, also warned recently that we may not be that that far from “potentially scary” AI and said that regulating it is “critical.”
In a bid to keep up with the fast-evolving technology, lawmakers in the U.S. and beyond are currently looking at how to regulate the technology.
[digitaltrends]
More...
Fintech firm Ripple is launching a platform tailored for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). This unique platform, which is based on the $XRP Ledger, aims to empower central banks, governments, and financial institutions to create and manage their own digital currencies.
Ripple’s novel CBDC platform equips these institutions with the ability to oversee the full life cycle of the CBDC, an encompassing process that includes minting, distribution, redemption, and even the destruction of the digital tokens.
Moreover, the platform offers financial institutions the opportunity to handle and engage in inter-institutional settlement and distribution procedures using the CBDCs.
Ripple’s platform ensures a comprehensive utility for central banks, enabling them to issue both wholesale and retail CBDCs capable of facilitating offline transactions. This ability broadens the use cases for digital currencies and bridges the divide between digital and physical financial transactions.
Based on the XRP Ledger, the CBDC platform is an extension of the Ripple’s Private Ledger, a 2021 initiative devised for the issuance of CBDCs. The Private Ledger represents a fusion of Ripple’s innovation and foresight into the evolution of digital finance.
As part of its move to prove the viability and utility of the platform, Ripple is partnering with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong’s de facto central bank, in the e-HKD pilot program. This partnership is poised to reveal the use case for Ripple’s platform in real-world scenarios.
Ripple is also expanding its collaborations in the digital finance sphere, teaming up with Taiwan’s Fubon Bank. Together, they aim to develop a product for real estate asset tokenization and equity distribution, also under the e-HKD pilot.
As CryptoGlobe reported Michael Arrington, the founder of the web-based news site TechCrunch and venture capital firm CrunchFund, has recently revealed he believes that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disapproves of Ripple’s democratization of $XRP trading.
Arrington’s remarks were aired during a previous episode of The Layah Heilpern Show, a podcast focusing on entrepreneurship. He suggested that the SEC’s discontent was centered on Ripple’s decision to make XRP trading accessible to all, irrespective of their economic status.
[cryptoglobe]
Lisa Schiff, an art adviser with deep connections to the upper echelons of the market, will now face a second lawsuit that alleges she defrauded a collector in the sales of artworks collectively worth millions of dollars.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Douglas J. Pick, a lawyer who specializes in bankruptcy, was assigned “for the business of winding up” SFA Advisory, Schiff’s New York–based firm. ARTnews reported on Tuesday that the firm, which also operates a gallery, appeared to have shuttered to the public.
In the new suit, Candace Carmel Barasch and her husband Michael claim that Schiff and SFA Advisory had redirected money earmarked for the purchases of artworks. Doing so, they allege, was a way “to fund Schiff’s lavish lifestyle, cover debts Defendants owed to other clients, or to consummate art purchases for other clients of Defendants.”
The Barasches allege that they remitted $6.6 million to Schiff and that, in multiple cases, they did not receive artworks from blue-chip galleries because Schiff and her firm had not transferred the funds as expected. Instead, Schiff and SFA used the money to “spoil themselves with luxury travel, shopping sprees, and the like, or to pay obligations owed to other clients, or to purchase artworks for other clients,” the lawsuit alleges.
The suit, filed on Wednesday in the Supreme Court of New York, is the second one that Barasch has filed against Schiff and her New York–based advisory. The first, from last week, named Richard Grossman as co-plaintiff and concerns alleged fraud by Schiff during the private sale of a $2.5 million Adrian Ghenie painting at Sotheby’s. Barasch and Grossman accuse Schiff of still owing them $1.8 million.
In the new suit, the Barasches, who have ranked on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, claim that their relationship with Schiff came apart amid financial strife on the advisor’s part, marking a dramatic end to Candace’s close friendship with her.
According to the suit, Schiff admitted earlier this month to Candace that funds sent for the purchases of artworks had not been used to that effect.
The lawsuit reads, “On the morning of Monday, May 8, 2023, Schiff (who Candace has spoken with every day, multiple times a day, for many years) called Candace and admitted that monies which Plaintiffs had wired to Defendants for the purchase of artworks was gone; that Defendants had dug themselves into a large financial hole that they could not get out of; that this had been going on for many years; and that Schiff had considered filing for bankruptcy prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not do so because she was afraid of a criminal investigation.
“Schiff explained that she had intended to map out a plan to get Defendants out of this financial hole during her stay in a rehabilitation center in San Francisco, that she went to in January 2020 to treat an addiction,” it continues. “(She also mentioned that rehab cost over $100,000).”
The suit lays out an array of instances in which Schiff had allegedly not directed funds from the Barasches to blue-chip galleries for intended purchases. In some cases, Candace learned that the galleries had not received the money. In others, the gallery followed up with her, allegedly seeking unpaid sums.
According to the suit, in their May 8 conversation, Schiff admitted that she had not used Candace’s money to pay for a $390,000 Sarah Lucas sculpture from 2018 titled CASANOVA. That work was being sold by the New York–based Gladstone Gallery in 2020. In the lawsuit, the Barasches say that Candace followed up with the gallery and discovered that no money had been received.
That same gallery is said in the suit to have sold the Wangechi Mutu sculpture The Seated IV (2019), one of the pieces initially produced for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s façade, for $650,000 in 2020. (A similar work appears in Mutu’s current New Museum survey.) When Candace followed up with Max Falkenstein, a senior partner at Gladstone, he allegedly told her that she still owed $252,000.
A range of other, similar sales with different galleries are also outlined in the suit—and the Barasches claim that they are not the only ones who experienced this. Claiming that they have “little to no chance of recovering the millions of dollars,” the Barasches are now seeking an injunction to be placed on Schiff.
Schiff’s legal representative did not respond to request for comment.
Her ‘Partner in Crime’
In the profiles of Schiff that have appeared in the media in recent years, she has described the market as an opaque space that she has been able to penetrate—and even make more transparent to others. A secondary figure in some of those stories was Candace Barasch, whom Schiff once described as her “partner in crime” in a New York Times profile. That profile also noted that the actor Leonardo DiCaprio has formerly been among Schiff’s clients.
Barasch states in the lawsuit that she and Schiff had been friends since roughly 2004. “Virtually immediately after Schiff and Candace met,” the suit says, “Schiff began cultivating a personal friendship with Candace which transcended their business relationship, to the point that Candace and her family considered Schiff like a member of the family.”
The two acted on a “continuing oral agreement,” the suit states. The Barasches “generally did not communicate directly with the artists and galleries (unless/until Candace visited them to see particular works), and would not know if something was amiss.” Instead, they left most of that work to Schiff.
“For more than a decade,” the suit goes on, “it appeared that Defendants faithfully did so – apparently, they didn’t.”
Allegations of Fraud
The Barasches are now alleging that sales Schiff was supposed to have been facilitating did not go as planned because of how the money was handled. These transactions involved works by well-known artists and up-and-coming talents, with their values sometimes set at well over $100,000 each, and were done through galleries of significant stature in the international scene.
Of all the works listed in the lawsuit, the most expensive is an unnamed Ernie Barnes painting that was being sold by New York’s Andrew Kreps Gallery, allegedly for $650,000. Because the sale appears to have been set up in November of last year, it came as Barnes’s market was red-hot following a surprise success at auction. Candace had wired $50,000 to Schiff, but Schiff had never paid out the deposit to Andrew Kreps Gallery, so the sale was canceled. Candace never got back the deposit money, according to the suit.
The New York gallery 47 Canal seems to have sold the Barasches Anicka Yi’s Kn£M§†R (2023), part of a recent series of paintings generated with the help of AI. Candace had wired $190,531.23 to Schiff Fine Art’s bank account, only to find out, according to the suit, that Schiff never paid the gallery.
Lauren Halsey’s RIMS “N” THANGS (2023) was up for sale by David Kordansky Gallery for $110,000, a sum that included Schiff’s 10 percent commission. The gallery, which has spaces in Los Angeles and New York, allegedly told Candace that it had not received the money either.
Alvaro Barrington’s Brazil (2021) was sold to the Barasches for just under $180,000 by London’s Sadie Coles HQ in 2022. The next year, the suit claims, Candace came to understand from the gallery that Schiff hadn’t paid out those funds either.
Other lower-tier transactions involved a $32,100 work by Andrea Bowers from Kauffman Repetto, a $48,000 Hayv Kahraman painting from Pilar Corrias, an $80,000 Mindy Shapero work from Nino Maier, four $25,000 paintings by Adrian Berg from Frestonian Gallery, Hadi Falapisheh artworks from Andrew Kreps Gallery worth $70,000, and a $10,000 Lewis Hammond painting from 47 Canal.
In at least one case, a transaction seems to have been successful—with a snare at the end. Candace had agreed to buy a Harminder Judge painting from Pace Gallery for just over $45,000, and the suit notes that the gallery did receive the payment, but Pace “is now unable to release” the work. “As the Gallery explained to Candace,” the suit says, “because the invoice for the Judge artwork was put in the name of Schiff Fine Art, Pace would need Schiff’s consent and full release in order to deliver the work to Candace.”
Wendy Lindstrom, a lawyer for the Barasches, hinted that there are possibly others who have faced similar situations with Schiff. In a statement, Lindstrom said, “Unfortunately, as the fraud is uncovered we are seeing a ripple effect throughout the art world. The victims appear to be widespread – artists, galleries and collectors.”
Update, 5/17/23, 7:05 p.m.: This portion of this article regarding SFA Advisory’s current state has been clarified. Although filed as a Notice of Bankruptcy, the document that entered the court system on Monday only designates Pick as the person assigned to aid in the firm’s affairs. SFA Advisory has not filed documents in bankruptcy court.
[ArtNews]
A pregnant 24-year-old woman, Abigail Eguta, was arrested in Anambra State for reportedly brutalizing her seven-year-old nephew for eating fish and failing to recite the English alphabet.
The Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare revealed this in a Facebook post.
On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, concerned neighbors accompanied the victim, named Sunday, to the office of the state women and social welfare commissioner, Ify Obinabo.
Sunday is claimed to be Eguta’s biological sister’s kid, whom she brought to live with her only a year ago.
The youngster, whose body is covered with scars from earlier abuses allegedly inflicted on him by his guardian, had been absent from school for an extended period.
Guta said she hit the youngster because he ate the fish she bought for Sunday dinner. She also admitted to striking him on Monday for incorrectly pronouncing the English alphabet, saying that was the major reason she hurt him.
“I am very sorry. I didn’t intend to blind him or beat him in the eyes, but I mistakenly did so. Please, forgive me. It is the handiwork of the devil,” she said.
A Nigerian lawyer and social media influencer, Ifunanya Excel has finally addressed the issue of her leaked nude photo.
Last month, a nude picture of the young lawyer circulated on the internet.
There were reports that she was suspended from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) due to misconduct related to the leaked photo, the NBA, however, debunked these claims.
In a recent interview with Yangi Media, Ifunanya clarified that her nude photo was leaked by mistake and expressed that she is not ashamed of it.
According to her, the leaked photo is sexy, and she cannot undo what has already happened.
She stated, “Well, the nudes leaked, and it wasn’t my fault, contrary to popular opinion. Because people feel like the way I’m wild, I will go to the length of leaking my nudes maybe for popularity or anything, but that was not what happened, honestly.
“If I have my way, I wouldn’t even want that to happen. But that is how I saw it, and there is nothing I can do.”
When asked about the photo itself, she clarified that it was just a picture, not a video.
She acknowledged that many people have seen the picture and surprisingly, she does not feel ashamed of it. She even described the picture as sexy. However, she reiterated that it was a mistake.
Ifunanya also mentioned that if she had the financial means, she would have removed the picture from the internet a long time ago due to the backlash she has received from social media trolls and critics.