World News
Michelle Obama announces 'Argo as Best Picture at 2013 Oscars
The producers of the 85th edition of the Oscars surely pulled the stings to make the ceremony memorable, including getting the first lady of America, Michelle Obama to present the biggest award of the night. Speaking live from the White House, Michelle announced Ben Affleck’s acclaimed, Argo as winner of Best Picture. “Life of Pi” was another big winner during the 85th Oscars ceremony as it claimed four awards, including the best director statue for Ang Lee. Here’s a list of the rest of the night’s winners: Best picture
- “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- “Silver Linings Playbook”
- “Zero Dark Thirty”
- “Lincoln”
- “Les Misérables”
- “Life of Pi”
- “Amour”
- “Django Unchained”
- “Argo” — WINNER
- Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” — WINNER
- Denzel Washington, “Flight”
- Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables”
- Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”
- Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
- Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
- Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
- Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” — WINNER
- Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”
- Quvenzhané Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained” — WINNER
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
- Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook”
- Alan Arkin, “Argo”
- Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
- Sally Field, “Lincoln”
- Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables” — WINNER
- Jacki Weaver, “Silver Linings Playbook”
- Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
- Amy Adams, “The Master”
- David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”
- Ang Lee, “Life of Pi” — WINNER
- Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”
- Michael Haneke, “Amour”
- Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- “Frankenweenie”
- “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”
- “Wreck-It Ralph”
- “Brave” — WINNER
- “ParaNorman”
- “Amour,” Austria — WINNER
- “No,” Chile
- “War Witch,” Canada
- “A Royal Affair,” Denmark
- “Kon-Tiki,” Norway
- “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin
- “Argo,” Chris Terrio — WINNER
- “Lincoln,” Tony Kushner
- “Silver Linings Playbook,” David O. Russell
- “Life of Pi,” David Magee
- “Flight,” John Gatins
- “Zero Dark Thirty,” Mark Boal
- “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino — WINNER
- “Amour,” Michael Haneke
- “Moonrise Kingdom,” Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
- “Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice,” music and lyrics by J. Ralph
- “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted,” music by Walter Murphy and lyric by Seth MacFarlane
- “Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi,” music by Mychael Danna and lyric by Bombay Jayashri
- “Skyfall” from “Skyfall,” music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth — WINNER
- “Suddenly” from “Les Misérables,” music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
- Dario Marianelli, “Anna Karenina”
- Alexandre Desplat, “Argo”
- Mychael Danna, “Life of Pi” — WINNER
- John Williams, “Lincoln”
- Thomas Newman, “Skyfall”
- “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
- “Life of Pi” — WINNER
- “Marvel’s The Avengers”
- “Prometheus”
- “Snow White and the Huntsman”
- “Hitchcock”
- “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
- “Les Misérables” — WINNER
- Seamus McGarvey, “Anna Karenina”
- Robert Richardson, “Django Unchained”
- Claudio Miranda, “Life of Pi” — WINNER
- Janusz Kaminski, “Lincoln”
- Roger Deakins, “Skyfall”
- Jacqueline Durran, “Anna Karenina” — WINNER
- Paco Delgado, “Les Misérables”
- Joanna Johnston, “Lincoln”
- Eiko Ishioka, “Mirror Mirror”
- Colleen Atwood, “Snow White and the Huntsman”
- “5 Broken Cameras”
- “The Gatekeepers”
- “How to Survive a Plague”
- “The Invisible War”
- “Searching for Sugar Man” — WINNER
- “Inocente” — WINNER
- “Kings Point”
- “Mondays at Racine”
- “Open Heart”
- “Redemption”
- “Adam and Dog”
- “Fresh Guacamole”
- “Head over Heels”
- “Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
- “Paperman” — WINNER
- “Asad”
- “Buzkashi Boys”
- “Curfew” — WINNER
- “Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)”
- “Henry”
- William Goldenberg, “Argo” — WINNER
- Tim Squyres, “Life of Pi”
- Michael Kahn, “Lincoln”
- Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, “Silver Linings Playbook”
- Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, “Zero Dark Thirty”
- “Argo”
- “Les Misérables” — WINNER
- “Life of Pi”
- “Lincoln”
- “Skyfall”
- “Argo”
- “Django Unchained”
- “Life of Pi”
- “Skyfall” — WINNER
- “Zero Dark Thirty” — WINNER
- “Anna Karenina”
- “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
- “Les Misérables”
- “Life of Pi”
- “Lincoln” — WINNER
World News
Former US Army Servicemember, Sanda G. Frimpong Sentenced to Prison in Money Laundering Romance Scam
Sanda G. Frimpong, 33, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution to victims for laundering the illicit proceeds of an elaborate series of romance scams. Frimpong pled guilty to three counts of money laundering on September 14, 2023.
“Romance scammers exploit our most vulnerable citizens, even our seniors and military veterans, sometimes leaving them financially and emotionally devastated,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The fact that an Army servicemember was involved in romance scams while serving as a soldier is appalling. We are partnering with the Department of Defense to drum out fraudsters and money launderers like Frimpong from our military ranks and put them in prison where they belong.”
“Integrity is a core tenet of the armed forces and when servicemembers choose to compromise their integrity for greed, it tarnishes the reputation of all others serving in uniform,” stated Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS and its law enforcement partners will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold those accountable who cheat government programs and use online scams to prey on the most vulnerable.”
Frimpong and other conspirators, engaged in elaborate scams, impersonating romantic love interests, diplomats, customs personnel, military personnel, and other fictitious personas for the purpose of ensnaring their victims by earning their confidence, including promises of romance, sharing of an inheritance or other riches, or other scenarios intended to fraudulently induce the victims to provide money or property to the conspirators. Frimpong then laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds of these frauds through his various bank accounts across state lines and through his contacts in Ghana. Frimpong was also an active-duty Army servicemember stationed at Fort Bragg during the commission of the offenses up until shortly after his arrest in 2023.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III announced the sentence. Defense Criminal Investigative Service led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-0035-D.
World News
US Army Major Kojo Owusu Dartey Found Guilty After He Smuggled Guns to Ghana in Blue Barrels of Rice and Home Goods
US Army Major Kojo Owusu Dartey, 42, was convicted for smuggling firearms to Ghana in blue barrels disguised as containing rice and household goods.
The incident, which took place in April 2024, has sparked widespread discussion on social media platforms. Dartey, involved in a marriage fraud scheme, faces a maximum sentence of 240 months and is scheduled for sentencing on July 23, 2024. The case has raised questions about the motives behind the smuggling and the potential implications for national security.
A US Army Major, Kojo Owusu Dartey, known for his role in the US special forces, has been found guilty of smuggling firearms to Ghana hidden in blue barrels of rice and household goods.
The 42-year-old is facing a maximum sentence of 240 months and awaits sentencing on July 23,… pic.twitter.com/o28I3wZOKd
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) April 30, 2024
A federal jury convicted a United States Army Major, currently assigned to Fort Liberty, on charges of dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the United States, illegally exporting firearms without a license, making false statements made to an agency of the United States, making false declarations before the court, and conspiracy. Kojo Owusu Dartey, age 42, faces a maximum penalty of 240 months when sentenced on July 23, 2024.
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“We are partnering with law enforcement agencies across the globe to expose international criminals – from money launderers to rogue international arms traffickers capable of fueling violence abroad,” said U.S Attorney Michael Easley. “Through a partnership with Ghanaian officials, this rogue Army Major was convicted at trial after smuggling guns to Ghana in blue barrels of rice and household goods. I want to thank the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana for their assistance in the investigation. I also commend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attachés to U.S. Embassy Accra and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division for their significant assistance to this prosecution.”
“Far from being a victimless crime, firearms trafficking threatens public safety across our nation and beyond,” said Toni M. Crosby, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Baltimore Field Division. “The Baltimore Field Division is proud to partner with the Ghana Revenue Authority and ATF’s Charlotte and Louisville Field Divisions for this investigation, which has kept firearms off the streets — preventing them from being used in any number of killings and other crimes — and ended this international firearm trafficking scheme.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and tasked a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms there and send them to Dartey in North Carolina. Dartey then hid all the firearms, including multiple handguns, an AR15, 50-round magazines, suppressors, and a combat shotgun inside blue barrels underneath rice and household goods and smuggled the barrels out of the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, on a container ship to the Port of Tema in Ghana. The Ghana Revenue Authority recovered the firearms and reported the seizure to the DEA attaché in Ghana and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division. At the same time, Dartey was a witness in the trial of U.S. v. Agyapong. A case that involved a 16-defendant marriage fraud scheme between soldiers on Fort Liberty and foreign nationals from Ghana that Dartey had tipped off officials to. In preparation for the trial, Dartey lied to federal law enforcement about his sexual relationship with a defense witness and lied on the stand and under oath about the relationship.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the verdict. The ATF, Army Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted it with technical assistance from David Ryan, DOJ Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
World News
Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou announces death of his 15-month-old son
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World News
Iraqi TikTok star Om Fahad shot dead outside Baghdad home
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World News
Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi sentenced to death for protesting
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Radio & TV
2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) to air LIVE on DStv
MTV has announced the 2024 “VMAs” will make its return to New York on Tuesday, September 10th at the UBS Arena. Airing LIVE on MTV, DStv Channel 130 on Wednesday, 11 September at 1:00am WAT and 2:00am CAT around the world in more than 150 countries. This year’s global fan-filled phenomenon will celebrate the best music videos of the past year with supersized performances, epic tributes, and unforgettable appearances from the world’s biggest celebrities.
“We’re excited to bring this year’s VMAs to UBS Arena, one of the country’s newest and most cutting edge venues,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “Celebrating one of music’s biggest nights with the incredible, robust New York area fans is something we’ve been looking forward to since the moment last year’s show ended.”
“It’s an honor to host MTV and the VMAs at UBS Arena,” said Mark Shulman, Senior Vice President of Programming, UBS Arena. “This is the culmination of bringing a world class event to a venue that offers state of the art capabilities and the best in fan amenities. We look forward to welcoming this year’s top artists, fans, and viewers worldwide to experience our arena and campus at Belmont Park.”
“We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”
The “VMAs” will air across MTV’s global footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, reaching over 319 million households.
Additional details will be announced closer to the show. Follow @MTV and @VMAs on social to keep up with all-things #VMAs.
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