Lightup Concepts

According to AP, Kanye West pleaded no contest Monday to misdemeanor battery against a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport in a special plea in which he maintains his innocence. West entered the plea through his attorney and did not attend the court hearing. He was sentenced to two years of probation, 24 anger management therapy sessions and 250 hours of community service. The rapper did not reach a civil settlement with the paparazzo, and his plea cannot be used against him in a civil lawsuit. West was charged with misdemeanor counts of battery and grand theft after an altercation at LAX with photographer Daniel Ramos in July. Ramos claimed West punched him in an unprovoked attack and wrestled his camera to the ground during the scuffle. Ramos is suing West and attended Monday's hearing accompanied by his lawyer, Gloria Allred. Prosecutors declined to file felony charges against West, but city prosecutors decided to pursue misdemeanor charges. Each coun...

Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, pictured here in 2011. International soccer's governing body has been hit by fresh corruption claims after a British newspaper reported that a former vice president received millions of dollars from a Qatari company shortly after the decision was made to award the Gulf state hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup. The Daily Telegraph reported that former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner was personally paid $1.2 million from a company run by a former FIFA official from Qatar mere weeks after the governing body's executive committee voted to stage the world's most prestigious soccer tournament in the Arab state in December 2010.   In addition, the paper reported that Warner's son was paid $750,000 and one of his employees was paid $400,000. The payments have reportedly drawn the attention of the FBI, who is investigating Warner's links to Qatar's bid to host the tournament with the help of Warner's son, who lives in ...

A suicide bomb attack in northern Afghanistan has killed at least 15 people including women and children, officials have told the BBC. Another 27 were wounded in the attack in Maymana, capital of Faryab province, Provincial Governor Mohammadullah Batash said. The bomber is believed to have detonated his explosives near the entrance to a busy market. No group has so far said it carried out the bombing. However, Taliban insurgents and the al-Qaeda affiliated group the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are active in the region. Mr Batash said the attacker had been riding a three-wheel motorcycle when he detonated his explosives. "It was a local market day. Hundreds of local farmers and villagers bring their produce. All of those killed and injured are civilians," he said. Witness Sayed Agha, 43, told the BBC: "I was busy buying bread when I heard a huge bang. I saw dead bodies and blood all around me." The attack comes as Afghans prepare to hold a...

Richard Branson has never been one to shy away from sharing his ostentatious exploits with the wider world. Over the years, the billionaire entrepreneur has invited us to follow his attempts to hot-air balloon around the globe, delve the deepest recesses of the oceans and  cross the Atlantic on a speed boat. Now the founder of the Virgin Group has provided access to his very own private Caribbean resort, Necker Island, for a new book by Australian fashion and celebrity photographer Russell James.  

Kate Wins let  is the latest celeb to receive one of Hollywood's top honors. The 38-year-old actress was presented with the 2,520th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today—her first post-baby appearance—and radiated in a black, form-fitting dress that showed off her enviable bod (the woman   just   gave birth to son   Bear   three months ago!). Winslet poked fun at the 4.4 earthquake that hit Southern California early this morning, telling the crowd that it occurred just as she was getting ready with a breast pump for little Bear. "I had no idea that this was going to be such a well attended event," she said, referring to the earthquake as she accepted the honor, and admitted the shake "frightened me quite a lot actually".

Two cargo ships collided just outside Tokyo Bay, according to the Japanese Coast Guard. The Panamanian-flagged Beagle III crashed into another vessel, the South Korean-registered Pegasus Prime, causing it to sink. The incident occurred southeast of the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. Of the 20 crew members -- all of whom are Chinese nationals -- aboard Beagle III, 12 have been rescued and eight are still missing. Of the rescued crew members, six have slight injuries while one is "seriously injured," according to a   statement   released by the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. The seriously injured crew member was taken to the nearby Miuraa City Hospital, where he is in a "state of cardiopulmonary arrest. " The 14 crew aboard the other vessel, Pegasus Prime, are all accounted for, according to the Coast Guard, which has boats and helicopters on the scene. The two ships collided at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday. Japan's Transportation Safety Board has disp...

In case you missed it,   The Guardian ran an almost unbelievable story last month  about individuals from around the world who hold keys t hat, when combined into one master key, have the power to reset the internet. (Yes, this is a real world thing and not the plot of an upcoming Dan Brown novel.) And according to ITV , one of the members of that powerful, international cohort is this very perplexed looking British   Paul Klane, a father of two, was headhunted to be a part of the elite group that would be able to reboot the internet in case of a major cybersecurity crisis. And the man’s wide eyes indicates that he is keeping careful watch over his special key — that he happens to store in a plastic bag. “Each of the 14 primary keyholders owns a traditional metal key to a safety deposit box, which in turn contains a smartcard, which in turn activates a machine that creates a new master key,”  reports The Guardian.   The master key is used to...

A California man was minding his own business, stalking himself on the Internet, when a Google search of his name brought up some unfortunate news: He was on Northern California's "most wanted" website.  He promptly surrendered himself to police.  . According to a police report, things got out of hand when 27-year-old Christopher Viatafa attended a private party at San Leandro Senior Center in August. Viatafa “pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired a few rounds into the ground near the people,” and then continued to fire rounds after he was thrown out. “Although it wasn’t good judgment that landed him on the website, he did used good judgment to turn himself in after seeing his photo,” the San Leandro police said in a statement to ABC. 

Fashion designer and former model L'Wren Scott was found at 10 A.M. this morning after apparently committing suicide in her Manhattan apartment. "Page Six" reports Scott, the girlfriend of Rolling Stone frontman Mick Jagger, was found  hanged with a scarf  in her 11th Avenue luxury building. She was 47.  In early February, one of her shows in London was  cancelled , perhaps a premonition of what was to come. No news yet on whether she left a note. Deeply sad. 

Bruce Jenner stepped out over the weekend to run some errands and with,  " his long, ombre locks swept back" in a casual bob 'do. Presumably, those errands included buying some conditioner, because his split ends are currently in divorce court and it's acrimonious. Anyway, i t's not quite a Harlequin novel cover (yet) but these locks have Fabio potential and Bruce is also showing his commitment to visible nipples, so just give him some time.

The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, has described the allegations of financial recklessness levelled against him by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria as a malicious and calculated attempt to mislead President Goodluck Jonathan into believing that the management of the bank is guilty of misconduct and recklessness. In what can be described as his first official response to the allegations, Sanusi, in a letter to Jonathan, said that contrary to the claims by the Presidency that he was asked to respond to issues raised in the FRCN report, he only saw the “Briefing Note” of the council for the first time when it was attached to his suspension letter. In the letter, sent to the President on March 10, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Sunday, the suspended governor said at no time were the allegations in the report sent to the CBN either by the President or the FRCN for comments or explanations. He said, “On Wednesday...

Nigeria’s acclaimed writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has opened up about her work, her novels, the movie adaptation of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor, among others. And she revealed more in an interview with Arise Entertainment 360: a possible adaptation of her latest work, ‘Americanah’ by Oscar winner, Lupita Onyong’o, a kenyan-Mexican. She told her interviewer that Lupita will soon be announcing the nature of the collaboration. I’m going to do the mysterious thing and say that Lupita might be making an announcement very soon. I don’t know. That announcement might be about Americanah,” Adichie said.‘Americanah’, which has won the US Book Critic Award for 2013, tells the story of a young Nigerian woman who emigrates to America for a university education. ” Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today’s globalized world. The book was selected...

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) today (Monday)  led a peaceful protest to the Kaduna State command of the Nigerian Immigration Service to express their anger and demand explanation from the authorities over  last Saturday’s recruitment exercise that claimed  the lives of about 19 applicants.  The angry workers led by the NLC Vice President, Isa Aremu, arrived the Immigration office as early as 7:30am, blocking the entrance and preventing officers of the command from gaining access to their offices. The workers, who sang anti-government songs, also carried placards carrying various inscriptions. They demanded to see the State Comptroller of Immigration in order to drop their protest letter, but officers on duty denied the protesters access, insisting he was not on seat. The peaceful protest almost resulted to a fracas when some of the Immigration officials attempted to push the protesters away from the gate, but for the timely intervention of some sol...

It’s being reported that Lupita Nyong'o has been spending her post-Oscar winning days reading for a part in  Star Wars: Episode VII ! Apparently, this part is tied into Episodes 4-6 and she may actually be a sith! When Lupita’s people were contacted about the rumor, they simply said : “We’re not allowed to talk about that.”

Talk about a miracle! A family in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada was in serious distress this past Saturday at the IWK Health Centre around 3 am. Although babies usually start breathing ten seconds after being born,  Robin Cyr ’s newborn did not move for about 25 minutes. Robin's aunt knew her niece was in shock and had to tell her point blank that her baby girl had passed a way. Here's how Robin explained it: "My aunt looked at me and said, 'Your baby girl’s gone.'" Except when the hospital staff took the baby out of the room, the most crazy thing happened… …The baby started to breathe!!! Something which astounded nearly everyone there! Robin said: "Another nurse came over … she couldn’t talk. She was speechless, and another nurse came over and said, 'Your baby’s breathing.'" Reports from Monday reveal that the baby girl is totally breathing on her own in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. It is unknown howeve...

THE Rivers State Police Command on Monday arrested a 30 year-old man a large quantity of explosives, including detonators and a cordless wire. The suspect, who was identified as Ibrahim Aliyu was apprehended in Ndele Town in Emohua Local Government Area of the state at about 2.30pm. State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that Aliyu confessed to be a member of a kidnap syndicate based in Ogbogoro Town in Rivers State. Aliyu, according to the state police boss, was also a member of a bank robbery syndicate that operates between Port Harcourt and Akwa Ibom State. Ogunsakin disclosed that the suspects had confessed that though he (Aliyu) purchased the explosives in Port Harcourt, his aim was to take them to one ‘Alhaji’ in Yobe State. “The Rivers State Police Command wished to inform the general public that in its bid to rid the state of undesirable elements, has nabbed one Ibrahim Aliyu (male, age 30 years) from Ndo village in Agb...

The Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has arrested a man, 20, for allegedly raping an eight-year-old boy in Dutse Local Government Area of the state. The Commander, Mr Muhammad Gidado, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Dutse. Gidado said that the suspect was arrested in the Jigawa-tsada quarters of Dutse town on Sunday following an intelligence report. He said that the suspect allegedly lured the boy into his room and committed the offence. He said that a medical report by Rashidi Shekoni Specailist Hospital, Dutse, had confirmed that the boy was raped. Gidado said that the suspect confessed to have committed the offence with the boy on previous occasions, and that he lured the child with N20 each time. Gidado said that the suspect would be charged to court. (NAN)

We’ve seen Rihanna follow Drake around almost everywhere he goes within the past month. Throughout that time we all wondered if they were just being really good friends, or have they tried to spark up their interest again.  According to TMZ, it looks like the two have officially tried to make a relationship out of their friendship and see if it could work. The two have shown serious chemistry while they were out together, so why not give it a shot? As the report says, “we’re told Rihanna wants to spend as much time with Drake as her schedule will allow — because he treats her better than anyone she’s ever been with.” Hopefully they’ll both be happy for the long haul.

The new Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Fulvio Rustico, on Monday, said that the government of his country had decided to ease visa processing and issuance for Nigerians. Rustico told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the decision was aimed at promoting stronger relations between both countries. “As we all know, Italy’s visa system is in line with other countries’ visas requirements. “But, we are seriously working hard at making sure that visa processing and issuance for Nigerians becomes easier and much faster. “We have realised that more and more Nigerians want to come into Italy. We do not want to see visas as something that should stop Nigerians from visiting Italy,’’ he said. The envoy said that his government would continue to welcome more Nigerians due to both countries’ long-lasting relations. According to Rustico, there is already a growing population of Nigerians in Italy, just as there are also many Italian investors and entrepreneurs in Nigeria. “We ...