Alexander Mayshera’s Blog

So, Ben Affleck, the BAFTA-winning actor and Oscar-winning director and screenwriter, has been cast as Batman in Warner Bros' forthcoming Batman and Superman blockbuster . Perhaps the most surprising thing about the announcement is the amount of apparently genuine surprise it has generated: Warner Bros’ decision makes perfect sense, both commercially and creatively. Ever since his move into directing with 2007’s Gone Baby Gone , Affleck’s acting career has also been gaining momentum, to the point where he is now one of the more reliable leading men in Hollywood. In the last four years, he has brought his own brand of broad-chinned, morally clouded gravitas to everything from thrillers such as Argo and The Town, which he also directed, to Terrence Malick’s meditative romance To The Wonder. And after bringing a clutch of awards to Warner Bros with Argo last year, his stock at the studio could hardly be higher. A successful blockbuster l...

Who says they can’t sneak a kiss or 2 before the European summer leaves us all? Actress Ini Edo and her boo boo special, Philip Ehiagwina are off to to the bright lights of Europe for a romantic getaway . Their itinerary includes 3 exotic destinations, with London, Paris and Monaco to get their love. Ini Edo dropped photos on Instagram, of them both, and Banky W , who coincidentally was on the same Arik flight to London. Ini Edo got married to Philip in November 2008.

Prominent lawyer and human rights activist Mike Ozekhome SAN was kidnapped with his driver last night Friday August 23rd along the Benin-Auchi road in Edo state. Edo state commissioner of police Mr Foluso Adebanjo said four policemen were killed following the attack on Mr Ozekhome. The kidnappers are yet to contact his family or business associates.

MANCHESTER (AFP) – Manchester United manager David Moyes has revealed that Wayne Rooney could start Monday’s Premier League showdown with Chelsea despite being regularly linked with a move to the London club. Rooney, who has been the subject of two failed bids from Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, has been suffering from hamstring and shoulder injuries. But the 27-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in last weekend’s opening win at Swansea, setting up goals for Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck. “Wayne has recovered and has a good chance of starting,” Moyes said. Earlier Friday, Moyes reaffirmed United’s stance that Rooney will not be sold to Chelsea. Mourinho has suggested he will make a third bid for the England international following Monday’s game at Old Trafford. But when asked if there had been anything further on Rooney’s future, Moyes said: “We have said it haven’t we? It is still the same message.”

It was 45 years ago today that civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis. The world has changed greatly since 1968, but King’s message survives intact. King was in Tennessee to help support a sanitation workers’ strike. At the age of 39, King was already an internationally known figure. Starting with the Montgomery boycott in 1955, King had led a series of nonviolent protests against discrimination. When King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, at the time he was the youngest Peace Prize winner ever, at the age of 35. His acceptance speech in Norway included the famous statement, “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.” King also donated his prize money of $54,123 to the civil rights movement.

Suspected Islamist militants killed 44 people when they attacked a village in northeast Nigeria earlier this week, emergency and security sources said on Friday. The assault on Demba village was close to Baga town in northeast Borno state, which was a stronghold of Islamist sect Boko Haram until a military crackdown in mid-May pushed many militants into hiding or across the Cameroon border. The attack happened on Monday but details are only just emerging because the area is remote and phone lines have been cut off by authorities to disrupt Boko Haram’s activities. The sect wants to impose Islamic law in Nigeria’s north, and, alongside other spin-off Islamist groups, has become the biggest threat to stability in Nigeria. “They set houses ablaze, shot people and even slit some people’s throats,” an emergency worker told Reuters, asking not to be named to ensure his safety. A local security source confirmed the death toll. The defense headquarters did not respond to a...

(CNN) -- Two Russian athletes issued angry denials Tuesday that their exchange of a kiss on the victory podium at the world championships was a protest against their country's strict new anti gay propaganda law. Kseniya Ryzhova and Yulia Gushchina were part of the Russian quartet who won the women's 4x400m relay Saturday in the Luzhniki Stadium, beating the favored United States team. All four embraced as they received their gold medals, but Ryzhova and Gushchina were pictured kissing each other on the lips, prompting reports that it was a symbol of defiance in face of the controversial new laws. Ryzhova told a media conference in Moscow that she and the three other members of the team had merely been overcome with emotion after finally topping the podium after a series of near misses. Russia will enforce anti-gay law Open Mic: Russia's Anti-Gay legislation "For eight years we have not won a gold medal. You can't even imagine what...

(CNN) -- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has intervened to help a man who has become one of the heaviest people in the world. The king ordered Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari, who weighs 1,345 pounds (610kg) and is unable to move by himself, be transferred from the Southern border province of Jazan to the country's capital Riyadh to undergo treatment. According to Guinness World Records, the record weight for a living person is held by Manuel Uribe from Mexico, who weighed 1,235 pounds (560kg) in 2006. After making a television appeal for help, his weight in March 2012 had fallen to 980 pounds (444.6 kg.) Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari weighs 1,345 pounds (610kg) and is unable to move by himself. According to the official spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health, Shaari was due to arrive in Riyadh either later Monday or on Tuesday. Pictures showed a fork-lift truck lifting him in is bed. The spokesman said Shaari is aged between 18 and 20. He will be treat...

Wiltshire – Robert Newman, 23, from Wiltshire has been banned from all farms in the United Kingdom after sexually penetrating a goat, Huffington Post reports. Newman confessed to the crime and has been released on bail. He is also not allowed on property that houses farm animals and has to keep a curfew between 7 pm and 7 am.

Abuju – According to the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF) the calls for Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State to step down is undemocratic, AllAfrica reports. Mohammed Sale Hassan, the National Coordinator of the NGF, stated that such practices were illegal and unhealthy for Nigeria's young democracy. He also commented that those elected in government positions by popular vote should be allowed to serve as that is the only way that the democracy can grow.

Barcelona - Barcelona said their talismanic forward Lionel Messi injured his left leg during Wednesday's 1-1 Spanish Super Cup draw at Atletico Madrid. Messi was replaced by Cesc Fabregas at halftime in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. New signing Neymar scored the equaliser following David Villa's opener for Atletico. "Messi was substituted due to precaution for pain in the back of his left thigh caused by a knock," the club said. The Argentina star had a minor muscle injury in his left leg last week but was cleared in time for Sunday's Spanish league opener in which he scored two goals in a 7-0 rout of Levante. Messi missed several games at the end of last season with a right hamstring strain.

The Plateau State House of Assembly said it discovered over N3 billion unspent Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) fund in the state since January 2012. The Chairman of the House Ad hoc Committee on the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, Mr Dalyop Mancha, said the committee discovered that both the State and Local Governments attracted fund from the SURE-P since January 2012, which the two tiers did not disbursed to the beneficiaries. He said the Commissioners for Finance, Local Government and Chieftaincy, the state Accountant-General, state and zonal Coordinators of SURE-P and the Director-General, Research and Planning, Plateau Government House, appeared before it. The chairman said the finance commissioner told the committee that the state started receiving monthly allocation of funds from the programme in January 2012, but a special account was created for it in April 2012. “He said the funds are intact and that the account...

Jude Okoye confirmed on twitter that P square’s record label has just signed Cynthia Morgan to their label. Looks like the Okoye’s have a new first lady.

MADISON, Wis. — A Madison man whose unusual name drew national attention last year after he was arrested for marijuana possession now faces drug charges in Iowa. Beezow Doo-doo Zopittybop-bop-bop, 32, was arrested last month in Iowa's Washington County, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. He remained in the county jail Saturday on felony drug charges. Zopittybop-bop-bop, who goes by Beezow, was booked into jail as Jeffrey D. Wilschke. That's the name on his driver's license, even though he legally changed his name in 2011. Washington County deputies stopped Beezow on July 20 after the minivan he was driving was allegedly seen weaving between lanes. Deputies said they seized 0.6 ounces of marijuana and drug paraphernalia from Beezow and his passenger. Beezow is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and operation of a motor vehicle without registration. His trial is sche...

Branislav Ivanovic, who should have been sent off earlier, stayed on and headed in the winning goal, as Chelsea defeated Aston Villa 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League game was moved forward, as the Blues have to play Bayern Munich in the UEFA Super Cup next Friday and Eden Hazard forced an own goal in the 6th minute. However, Christian Benteke, who has begun the season in great form, equalised on the stroke of half-time, as the Midlands club made it clear that their win over Arsenal was not a fluke. The game became more physical and frantic, as both sides went for the jugular, but it was the Serb who rose highest to head home a free-kick, as Mourinho recorded his second win in three days.

“The X Factor” judge Simon Cowell made his first public confirmation that he will be having a child with New York socialite Lauren Silverman. At the world premiere of the concert film "One Direction: This Is Us" in London on Tuesday, Cowell told the BBC that "things are changing in my life right now, for the better." He added, "I'm proud to be a dad." 

Proud daddy Kanye West will reveal the first picture of baby daughter North on Kris Jenner 's talk show season finale this Friday, Aug. 23, and, according to an insider, "it's cute!" "Kim and Kanye had been talking about how to do it," the source tells Us of the couple's big reveal. "They didn't want to sell the photos."

 Kanye West turned down the chance to host American Idol Who better to judge a reality series than Kanye West, who has spent years and years consistently demonstrating his excellent judgment? According to Us Weekly , Fox offered West the chance to serve as a judge on the upcoming season of Fox reality series American Idol — but he turned it down. "He didn't want to go that mainstream," said a source. "He didn't want to lose any street cred ." Now West can focus on the artistic integrity of the projects he does care about — like selling $120 plain white T-shirts. [ Us Weekly ]

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court ordered Wednesday the release of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, but it is not yet clear if the ailing ex-leader will walk free after over two years in detention, officials said. Prosecutors may appeal the order, which comes following a hearing on charges against Mubarak of accepting gifts from a state-owned newspaper, the last case that has kept him in detention. It is not known if they will file they appeal. The possibility of Mubarak going free is likely to fuel the unrest already roiling the country after the autocratic leader's successor, Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, was removed in a military coup last month. Top prison official Mostafa Baz told the private CBC TV station that his offices will ask the prosecutors Thursday if Mubarak is wanted in other cases. If not, he would be set free. The hearing was held in Tora prison, where Mubarak, 85, has been held for most of his detention since April 2011. Officials cited secur...

US soldier Bradley Manning was sentenced on Wednesday to 35 years in prison for giving hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, the largest such leak in the country’s history. In a brief hearing, the military judge didn’t offer any explanation for the sentence. The closely-watched case has seen the 25-year-old called both a whistleblower and a traitor. Prosecutors wanted at least a 60-year prison sentence, saying it would dissuade other soldiers from following in Manning’s footsteps. The defence suggested a prison term of no more than 25 years so that Manning could rebuild his life. Manning leaked more than 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports and State Department diplomatic cables in 2010 while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. He was convicted last month of 20 offences, including six Espionage Act violations, five theft counts and computer fraud. Prosecutors were unable...