Category News

Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church, Dr Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre; Reinhard Bonnke of Christ For all Nations (CFAN), Bishop Dag Heward-Mills of Lighthouse International and gospel music minister Sinach are among others who made the list of 100 most reputable people on earth.

Leading reputation management consultancy firm, Reputation Poll International released its 2019 one hundred most reputable people on earth, with the clergies among the lots.

The list which features distinguished personalities from all sectors recognizes leaders who have maintained a high level of credibility in discharging their duties, and have kept commendable and exemplary reputation for public emulation.

Below is full list arranged in alphabetical order:

1.Abigail Johnson – CEO, Fidelity Investments
2.Akinwumi Adesina – President, AfDB
3.Akio Toyoda – President, Toyota Motor Corporation
4.Amal Clooney – Barrister
5.Amina J Mohammed – Deputy Secretary-General, UN
6.Ana Patricia Botin – Executive Chairman, Santander Group
7.António Guterres – Secretary-General, UN
8.Atifete Jahjaga – Former President, Kosovo
9.Bishop Dag Heward-Mills – General Overseer, Lighthouse Chapel
10.Bishop David Oyedepo – General Overseer, Winners Chapel
11. Catharine Drew Gilpin Faus – President, Harvard University
12. Christiane Amanpour – TV Host, CNN
13.Dalai Lama
14.Denise Morrison – Former CEO, Campbell Soup
15.Denzel Washington – Actor
16.Ding Xuedong – CEO, China Investment Corporation
17.Dirk Van de Put – Chairperson, Mondelez International
18.Dr Denis Mukwege – Medical Doctor
19.Dr Judy Dlamini – Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand
20.Dr Paul Enenche – Senior Pastor, Dunamis
21.Dr. Harbeen Arora – Founder, Women Economic Forum
22.Ed Sheeran – Singer
23.Emma Watson – Actress
24.Eric Thomas – Motivational Speaker
25.Evang. Reinhard Bonnke – General Overseer, Christ for all Nations
26.Gary Vaynerchuk – Motivational Speaker
27.Ginni Rometty – Chairperson, IBM
28.Graça Machel DBE – Co-Founder, Africa Progress Panel
29.Haruhiko Kuroda – Governor, Bank of Japan
30.Helen Clark – Politician, New Zealand
31.Helen Sharman OBE – Astronaut
32.Ian Khama – Former President
33.Ismail Ahmed – CEO, WorldRemit
34.Jacinda Ardern – President, New Zealand
35.Jack Ma – Founder, Alibaba Group
36.Janet Yellen – Economist
37.Jean-Claude Juncker – President, European Commission
38.Jeff Weiner – CEO, LinkedIn
39.Jim Yong Kim – President, World Bank
40.John Legend – Singer
41.John Maxwell – Motivational Speaker
42.Joko Widodo – President, Indonesia
43.Joseph Stiglitz – Economist, Columbia University
44.Juan Manuel Santos – Former President, Colombia
45.Justin Trudeau – President, Canada
46.Justina Mutale – Founder, Justina Mutale Foundation
47.Kailash Satyarthi – Children’s Rights Activist
48.Kenneth Copeland – Televangelist
49.Khaldoon Al Mubarak – MD, Mubadala Development Company
50.Kim Schofield – Member, United States House of Representatives
51.Klaus Schwab – Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum
52.Kumail Nanjiani- Comedian
53.Lei Jun – Founder, Xiaomi Inc
54.Les Brown – Motivational Speaker
55.Liu Qing – President, Didi Chuxing
56.Lubna Suliman Olayan – Businesswoman
57.Ma Huateng – CEO, Tencent
58.Major Mariam Al Mansouri – Pilot
59.Malala Yousafzai – Activist, The Malala Fund
60.Mario Draghi – President
61.Mary Robinson – Politician, Ireland
62.Melinda Gates – Philanthropist, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
63.Michael Bloomberg – Founder, Bloomberg LP
64.Michelle Obama – Former First Lady, United States of America
65.Mo Ibrahim – Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
66.Muhammad Yunus – Founder, Grameen Bank
67.Mukesh Ambani – Chairperson, Reliance Industries Limited
68.Nadia Murad – Human Right Activist
69.Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo – President, Ghana
70.Nancy Pelosi – Minority Leader, United States House of Representatives
71.Narendra Modi – Prime Minister, India
72.Nick Vujicic – Motivational Speaker
73.Nicole Kidman – Actress
74.Noura Al Kaabi – Minister, Culture and Knowledge Development
75.Nuseir Yassin – Vlogger
76.Oprah Winfrey – CEO, Oprah Winfrey Network
77.Paul Kagame – President, Rwanda
78.Paul Romer – Senior Vice President, World Bank
79.Philip Ng Chee Tat – CEO, Far East Organization
80.Pope Francis – Pope, Roman Catholic Church
81.Prince Harry & Meghan
82.Priyanka Joshi – Bio-Chemist
83.Queen Elizabeth II
84.Ralph Hamers – CEO, ING Group
85.Rev. Jesse Jackson – Activist
86.Robin Sharma – Motivational Speaker
87.Sahle-Work Zewde – President, Ethiopia
88.Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum – Prime Minister, UAE
89.Sinach Joseph – Songstress
90.Sinead Burke – Writer
91.Strive Masiyiwa – Executive Chairman, Econet Wireless
92.Sundar Pichai – CEO, Google
93.Tatsumi Kimishima – Businessman
94.Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
95.Tony Robbin – Motivational Speaker
96.Wang Jianlin – CEO, Dalian Wanda Group
97.Warren Buffett – Executive Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway
98.Winnie Byanyima – Executive Director, Oxfam International
99.Xi Jinping – President, China
100.Zuzana Čaputová – President, Slovakia

Related

Source: PM News

Former US President Barack Obama, legendary singer, Stevie Wonder and rapper, Snoop Dogg eulogised slain rapper, Nipsey Hussle in a very emotional memorial in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Obama wrote a letter to the family, which was read by Karen Civil, Hussle’s friend and business partner, where he praised Hussle’s attempts to revitalize the gang-plagued neighborhood where he was raised, and where he was gunned down in March.

“While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential.

“He saw hope,” Obama’s letter said, referencing his efforts to build a skills-training center and a co-working space.

The memorial was held at the 21,000-capacity Staples Center, a sports and pop concert venue, which was packed with fans wearing white and blue for the three-hour memorial.

The ceremony was followed by a 25-mile (40-km) procession through the streets of south Los Angeles.

Fellow California rapper, Snoop Dogg recalled Hussle’s former connections with the notorious Crips gang that the musician later parlayed into efforts to combat gang violence.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave us a good Crip, the late great neighborhood Nip. Rest in peace,” Snoop Dogg said.

He called the Grammy-nominated singer “a peace advocate” because of his work with all members of the community.

Nipsey Hussle

Wonder played his 1980 hit ‘Rocket Love’ and a version of Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’ to pay respects to Hussle.

Also, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said Hussle has become “to hip hop and rap what Bob Marley was to reggae.”

“He lived the gang life but he didn’t stay there. He lived the life of the ‘hood but he rose above the pull of gravity,” Farrakhan said in a speech.

Hussle’s two-year-old son, dressed in a blue suit, was brought on stage in the arms of the musician’s girlfriend, model Lauren London.

Hussle, 33, was shot on March 31 outside a clothing store he owned in south Los Angeles. Shortly after, a stampede erupted at a local vigil for Hussle after reports of a gunman in the crowd.

A 29-year-old man on April 9 pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Police said Hussle’s shooting was motivated by a personal dispute, although it took place in a surge of gang-related violence in south Los Angeles in March.

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has unveiled a new exhibition featuring Lego portraits of Mexican students who were reportedly massacred in 2014.

He unveiled the provocative artworks at a gallery in Mexico City on Thursday.

They depict the faces of the 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College pupils who were kidnapped and disappeared in Iguala, Mexico.

Featuring some one million Lego blocks, the exhibition is intended to be a commentary on the unsolved cases.

• Ai Weiwei: China’s dissident artist
• Lego changes policy after Ai Weiwei backlash

A timeline of key dates, such as their disappearance and the release of the government’s official version of events, has been placed below the portraits.

The 63-year-old cited crime that is “poisoning our society” as a motivating factor behind the pieces, he told Reuters news agency.

He also said the “democratic” utility of Lego informed the exhibition, entitled Reestablishing Memories.

The University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC) in the Mexican capital will host the exhibition until 6 October this year.

Ai, one of the world’s leading contemporary artists, is well known for his politically charged projects and criticism of the Chinese government.

He was detained by China’s communist government in 2011.

In October last year, Ai accused Lego of censorship when it refused to sell its bricks directly to him.

The company said its policy was to reject requests if it believed the bricks would be used to make a political statement. It later reversed its policy in the face of public outrage.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has urged the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join him in building the state.

He made the appeal on Thursday after the Supreme Court struck out the appeals of the APC on the just concluded elections in Rivers.

The APC had asked the apex court to reverse itself on the exclusion of the party from the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

But a seven-man panel of judges led by the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Mohammed, struck out the appeals for being incompetent.

RELATED
Supreme Court Strikes Out APC’s Appeals On Exclusion From Rivers Elections
Rivers APC Primaries: Supreme Court Strikes Out Abe’s Notice Of Amendment

Reacting to the judgement in a broadcast, Governor Wike said all legal issues regarding the fielding of candidates by the APC for the elections in Rivers have finally and permanently been put to rest.

He noted that with the judgement of the apex court, the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates in the polls was legally safe, secured and protected.

The governor praised the opposition for their courage to fight within the confines of the law to the end.

He reminded them that the task of building the state must take precedence over all other considerations, now that the legal battle was over.

Governor Wike believes the leaders are better of standing and working together for Rivers and its people.

He, therefore, appealed to Amaechi and the APC to join hands with his government to move the state forward, adding that being divided would not mean well for the people.

The governor further urged the people of Rivers to shun all acts of violence and promised to ensure the unity and peaceful co-existence of all residents, irrespective of their political and religious differences.

Read the full text of the governor’s broadcast below:

My dear people of Rivers State,

It is with profound gratitude to God Almighty that I address you today, Thursday, April 11, 2017.

A few hours ago, the Supreme Court of Nigeria struck out the consolidated appeals of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tonye Cole for lacking in merits.

With this decision, all legal issues regarding the fielding of candidates by the APC for the 2019 National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers State have finally and permanently been put to rest.

What this further means is that the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates in the 2019 National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections is legally safe, secured and protected.

I wish to assure you that there is nothing else to fear or be worried about, as there is nothing more the APC or any other person can do to deny us the victory you freely gave to the PDP and its candidates.

Let me again thank God Almighty for His grace and the serial victories since we began this journey to secure your mandate for a second tenure.

Let me also express my deepest gratitude to the people of Rivers State for the opportunity to serve you as your Governor for another four years.  I am truly humbled by your continued trust and, I will not take this support for granted.

For me, the collective interest of the people of Rivers State is the reason I am in politics. When you gave me the mandate about four years ago, I committed myself to be the Governor for all the people of Rivers State and stayed through to that commitment.

Today, I recommit myself to be the Governor for all the people of Rivers State for the next four years. Accordingly, we shall form an all-inclusive government to advance the collective interest of all our people, irrespective of party, ethnic or religious affiliations.

We have come a long way in the last four years and accomplished a lot to be proud of. But there’s still a lot more to do to advance and realize the ultimate vision of our founding fathers for a truly united, secure, and prosperous State and we need the support of all our people to realize this bold vision.

We salute the opposition for their courage to fight within the confines of the law to the end. Now that the legal battle is over, the task of building the State must take precedence over all other considerations.

Although the present politics of acrimony and bitterness may have strayed from the noble path of the past, I still believe that we shall be better of standing and working together for our State and our people.

I, therefore, appeal to the APC and the Minister of Transportation to join hands with us to move our dear State forward. We cannot as leaders continue to remain divided and expect the Government to deliver on its responsibilities to our people. Let us from henceforth seek the common ground instead of allowing our differences to be exploited to retard our march to progress.

I appeal to our people to eschew all acts of acrimony, criminality, unrest, and violence throughout the State. I wish to recommit myself to continue to do all that is humanly possible to ensure the unity and peaceful co-existence of all our people irrespective of political affiliation.

Accordingly, I hereby direct the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to review all pending criminal proceedings filed against any person by the State and directly related to political activities prior to the 2019 general elections and make appropriate recommendations to me for necessary action to promote reconciliation among us.

Finally, I assure all our people of our commitment to our responsibilities with a heart full of gratitude.

Thank you.

God bless Rivers State and our nation, Nigeria.

You might not recognise Daisy Haggard by name but you probably know her face.

As Myra Licht in BBC Two’s Episodes, Haggard gurned her way through a series of frequently hilarious expressions, stealing every scene she was in.

In Back To Life, the new BBC comedy-drama that she both wrote and stars in, her face is frequently in close-up. Often, Haggard doesn’t need words to let you know exactly what her character is thinking.

It’s a quality her Back To Life co-star, Bafta-winning actor Adeel Akhtar, admires.

Asked to name his favourite moment during filming, the Four Lions and Les Miserables actor immediately responds: “I really liked watching her (Haggard) do her stuff. There are moments where it’s like, comedy, comedy, comedy and super funny and the comedy catches you in a way that you’re surprised that you’re gonna laugh.

“And there’s bits in there where she really moves you, there’s bits where it’s proper acting and I was massively surprised.”

Haggard interjects with a jokey question: “Because she’s so c**p in everything else?! She’s the one that does the face in Episodes!”

Akhtar laughs: “Yeah! She had five different faces in one scene.”

Trials of freedom

In Back To Life, Haggard’s facial expressions deftly switch between comedy and tragedy as the material requires.

As the first episode begins, her character Miri Matteson has just returned home after serving an 18-year jail sentence. The audience is initially kept guessing about why Miri was locked up but graffiti outside her home suggests she did something very bad.

Haggard says public attitudes to women who commit crimes fascinate her: “I was always really interested in how harshly we judge a woman who has done a bad thing over how we judge men.

“We put things that men do sometimes down to testosterone. We forgive them a little easier.

“I wanted to write a show about a woman who had done something in her past and what that would be like, to try and start your life again with that enormous dark secret and baggage behind you.”

While developing the show, Haggard spoke to some former prisoners who had moved back into their family homes, just as Miri does: “I thought it was so fascinating because in some situations, you know, you have to register at the GP, you haven’t got a note to say where you live, you haven’t been on a date, you don’t know how to interact.

“You’ve had this extraordinary, massive, enormous experience but you haven’t actually had some quite fundamental, day-to-day life experiences and I thought that was just a really interesting story.”

Haggard and her Perrier-award winning co-writer Laura Solon find a dark humour in Miri’s struggles to pick up her life after 18 years.

An early scene where Miri returns home to find her bedroom plastered with posters of stars like David Bowie, George Michael and Prince, who all passed away while she served her sentence, encapsulates the tone of the first episode.

The new Fleabag?

Though they are very different characters, Haggard’s Miri has something in common with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, as both shows feature complex female leads, struggling to put their past behind them.

Back To Life also attracted the producers of that award-winning show and will be shown in Fleabag’s slot on BBC One from 15 April.

Haggard, however, is keen to steer away from comparisons.

She says: “Our voices are so different that I never wilfully felt I had to do anything to make it (Back To Life) feel different.

“Phoebe is a genius and I love that show so much and I am so happy that she’s doing what she’s doing for women.

“I think it’s fantastic but also my voice is a different voice and so I didn’t consciously do anything because it was just a very different story in my mind.”

Mending fences

As Miri attempts to rebuild her life, she forms a friendship with Akhtar’s character, Billy.

He says: “I play a character called Billy who lives next door to Miri and he’s a gardener and they meet each other over a fence, and that’s a detail which I think is important.”

Certainly, Miri spends much of the first episode trying to mend fences within her community, attempting to find a job and reconnect with her teenage sweetheart Dom (Game of Thrones’ Jamie Michie).

Despite the clues that leave viewers with an uneasy sense that Miri has, at one point, done something horrific, the writing and Haggard’s nuanced performance mean you can’t help but be on her side.

Haggard says: “Miri is a relentless optimist. She’s very determined.

“She’s determined to start her life and to try to have a life despite what’s happened. In the end you’re left judging the woman for who she is now, hopefully, and not for her actions in the past.”

Akhtar, who made Bafta TV history for being the first non-white best actor winner in the awards’ 62-year history, says working on the show was a rewarding experience: “It was like no other job. I felt free to do whatever I wanted to do at the same time as being guided by this really amazing script.

“You didn’t want to go too far from what was written anyway, so it was just a perfect combination of so many things that I can’t list for you right now. It was perfect, yeah.”

All episodes of Back To Life begin streaming on BBC Three on 15 April, or you can watch it weekly on BBC One.

The City of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against Jussie Smollett, seeking three times the damages it said it ran up while investigating the actor.

Prosecutors say Smollett staged a homophobic and racist attack to boost his career, but the 36-year-old has always maintained his innocence.

Charges against him were dropped after Smollett forfeited a $10,000 (£7,600) bond payment and did community service.

The exact amount prosecutors want Smollett to pay was not revealed.

After charges were dropped against Empire actor Jussie Smollett, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that he had been given special treatment because of his celebrity status.

And President Donald Trump described the case as an “embarrassment to America”.

Smollett was given seven days by the City of Chicago to pay $130,000 (£99,000) to cover the investigation’s cost – but threatened to sue when the deadline passed.

• Timeline of Jussie Smollett alleged attack and arrest

Smollett claimed that a rope was put around his neck and an unknown substance splashed on his face by two men using pro-Donald Trump slogans.

Obabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, two brothers, were at one point believed to have carried out the attack after instructions by Smollett.

They had appeared as extras on Empire and had trained with Smollett in the gym. Security footage taken on the night of the incident showed them buying items such as a ski mask and a red cap.

They are yet to give their account of what happened that night and have not commented on their arrest and interview in connection with the case.

• Five big questions about Jussie Smollett

A new Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, will be sworn in on 20 May.

She said there needs to be a “much more fulsome explanation” as to why the charges against Smollett were dropped.

“We cannot create the perception that if you’re rich or famous or both that you get one set of justice, and for everybody else it’s something much harsher,” she said.

Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.