THE JFT EDIT

Nigeria’s first-ever Oscar submission for best international feature film has been disqualified by award organisers, sparking criticism from its director.

Films in this category, formerly best foreign language film, must have “a predominantly non-English dialogue track”. However, the 95-minute film Lionheart is largely in English, with an 11-minute section in the Igbo language.

Director Genevieve Nnaji said the film represented how Nigerians communicate. But some in Nigeria questioned why it had been submitted in the first place, given the clear rules around what films are eligible for the category.

The disqualification of the film by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was announced to voters in an email on Monday, according to The Wrap.

“To TheAcademy, You disqualified Nigeria’s first-ever submission for Best International Feature because its in English. But English is the official language of Nigeria. Are you barring this country from ever competing for an Oscar in its official language? https://www.thewrap.com/academy-disqualifies-nigerias-oscar-entry-lionheart”

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A controversial plan to build a cable car network in Jerusalem’s Old City to transport visitors to one of Judaism’s holiest sites has been approved by Israel’s housing cabinet.

The cable cars will ferry up to 3,000 people an hour about 1.4km (0.9 miles) from West Jerusalem to the Western Wall in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israel’s government says the project will reduce traffic congestion. But opponents say it will damage the area’s historic landscape. They intend to petition Israel’s High Court of Justice to stop it.

Emek Shaveh, an Israeli non-governmental organisation working to defend cultural heritage, has previously warned that the cable car network will alter the skyline of the Old City – a Unesco World Heritage site – and have a detrimental impact on Palestinian residents of the Silwan area living under the proposed route.

It has also alleged that the project “serves a highly political agenda” and that it was “fast-tracked” through the planning process.

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A 13-year-old survivor of the attack by suspected Mexican drug cartel gunmen on a convoy of US Mormons hid six siblings in bushes before walking 23km (14 miles) to get help, his family said.

Eight children survived Monday’s attack in northern Mexico in which three women and six children were killed. Five of the children have bullet wounds, US media report.

The victims are members of the LeBaron family, linked to a Mormon community that settled in Mexico decades ago.

Mexico’s security minister said the group could have been targeted accidentally as a result of mistaken identity. However family members have said the community, known for speaking out about cartel violence, had received threats in the past.

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McDonald’s has fired its chief executive Steve Easterbrook after he had a relationship with an employee.

The US fast food giant said the relationship was consensual, but Mr Easterbrook had “violated company policy” and shown “poor judgement”. In an email to staff, the British businessman acknowledged the relationship and said it was a mistake.

“Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on,” he said. Mr Easterbrook, 52, who is divorced, first worked for McDonald’s in 1993 as a manager in London before working his way up the company.

He left in 2011 to become boss of Pizza Express and then Asian food chain Wagamama, before returning to McDonald’s in 2013, eventually becoming its head in the UK and northern Europe. He was appointed chief executive of McDonald’s in 2015.

A couple who claim they were kicked off a cruise ship over their rowdy love making is now suing the cruise liner.

The German couple, identified as Renate F and husband Volker, were removed from the TUI Cruises Mein Schiff 5 vessel while docked in Barbados for the first day of its two week Caribbean cruise in April, according to the Reise Reporter. They claim the captain ordered them off the ship at 1am after excessive noise came from their cabin – they had engaged in loud sex and argued afterwards.

The woman then stepped onto the balcony for a cigarette, while her husband took a shower. Moments later, the woman said a manager knocked on the door and a member of security ushered them both away into a meeting with a man whose identity she could not remember. The man reportedly told her they were being removed at the request of the captain, leaving the woman to arrive at the conclusion it was due to their noisy coitus and argument. The couple allege that after a two-day wait on the island they were able to get a flight to Paris, where they stayed overnight before boarding a train back to Frankfurt.

After returning home, the pair set about suing TUI Cruises for A$15,000 to compensate for their missed holiday, expenses accumulated in their journey home and emotional damages. TUI Cruises told Reise Reporter the guests were removed to protect “themselves and other fellow travellers”.

“The safety of our guests is our top priority. Due to a security-related incident, we have made use of our house right and asked the guests to leave the ship,” a spokesperson said.

“This was done to protect the guests themselves and other fellow travellers.”

Kanye West fans had a long wait for “Jesus Is King.”

In the end, they propelled the rapper’s latest album, released Oct. 25, to debut at No. 1.   The gospel-inspired album is West’s ninth in a row to open at the top of the Billboard 200, putting him in a tie with Eminem for the most consecutive No. 1s, Billboard says. The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. On the new chart, set to be released Tuesday, “Jesus Is King” earned 264,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Oct. 31, according to Nielsen Music. Of that, 109,000 were in album sales; the rest were largely from streaming activity.

A historic record was set over the weekend at the Miss Malaika grand finale.

Among the top three who have been crowned as this year’s Queens, an overall winner with two runner ups, was one Habiba Bint-Abdallah, a 23-year-old Muslim, who was adjudged, the 2nd runner up.

Habiba, who wore her Hijab throughout the weeks of the pageantry show, was as well crowned whilst wearing her hijab and this makes her the first Muslim to reach such feat ever since the running of the Miss Malaika beauty contest. 19 year old, University of Ghana student, Phylis Vesta Boison, was however crowned the 2019 Queen and Freda Mbord Astanga, 23, was named as the first runner up at the event which happened at the National Theatre. Prior to their crowning moment, Habiba, who was one of two Muslim girls, who were in the top 10 finalists, stated in her speech that, one of her intentions in the competition, is to empower other Hijab wearing girls that their religious identity must not be barrier to their goals, and accordingly, she has set the historical precedent.

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Kwame Agyeman-Budu has been given an interim appointment as the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) following the exit of Ing. Samuel Boakye Appiah who served for three years. Mr. Agyeman-Budu, until his appointment, was the Deputy Managing Director at ECG in charge of Corporate Services.

The announcement comes days after the government officially handed over the country’s electricity distribution business to ECG following the cancellation of the concession agreement with the Power Distribution Services (PDS).

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