Uganda court annuls anti-homosexuality law

Uganda’s Constitutional Court has annulled tough anti-gay legislation signed into law in February. It ruled that the bill was passed by MPs in December without the requisite quorum and was therefore illegal. Homosexual acts were already illegal, but the new law allowed for life imprisonment for “aggravated homosexuality” and banned the “promotion of homosexuality”. Several donors have cut aid to Uganda since the law was adopted. Uganda is a deeply conservative society where many people oppose gay rights and the sentence for homosexual acts has always been life imprisonment. Earlier drafts of the anti-homosexuality act made it a crime not to report gay people – which would have made it impossible to live as openly gay – but this clause was removed. However the legislation that was passed in parliament was “null and void”, the presiding judge at the Constitutional Court said, as not enough lawmakers had been present to vote on the bill, the AFP news agency reports.

Zac Efron opens up about addiction struggle

Zac Efron is ready to talk. The 26-year-old actor best known for "High School Musical" went to rehab in 2013 but was elusive about what he sought treatment for. Now, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Efron is coming clean about his battle with alcohol and drug use. "It's a never-ending struggle," the actor said of his issues with addiction. "I was drinking a lot, way too much." There were drugs as well, he added. The problem erupted for Efron as he tried to work his way from being the teen star of "High School Musical" and "Hairspray" to more adult roles with movies such as "The Lucky One" and "The Paperboy." "I had done films back-to-back-to-back. I was burnt out," he said. "There was something lacking, some sort of hole that I couldn't really fill up. I was just so deep into my work, it was really the only thing I had." That period of his life left him feeling isolated, he said, but in hindsight he can see how it helped him grow. "I mean, you're in your 20s, single, going through life in Hollywood, you know?" he told The Hollywood Reporter. "Everything is thrown at you. I wouldn't take anything back; I needed to learn everything I did." Part of that learning experience has been aided by therapy, and joining Alcoholics Anonymous. "I just started going, and I think it's changed my life," Efron said. "I'm much more comfortable in my own skin. Things are so much easier now." This year, Efron is hoping that a buttoned- up lifestyle -- complete with daily workouts and a 9 p.m. bedtime, or so he says -- paired with his newfound wisdom will help him steer his career in the direction he wants it to go. Earlier this year he starred in and produced the comedy "That Awkward Moment," and on May 9 his comedy with Seth Rogen, "Neighbors," will arrive in theaters. "It's impossible to lead an honest and fulfilling life as a man and not make mistakes and 'fess up to them when you need to," Efron said. "I'm a human being, and I've made a lot of mistakes. I've learned from each one."

Drake Bell Mocks Justin Bieber For Orlando Bloom Fight, Tells Fans They Should Look Up To “A Good Person” (PHOTOS)

Drake Bell is mocking Justin Bieber for his fight with Orlando Bloom. As mitchiie blog reported, Bieber and Bloom had a scuffle in Spain, before being separated by their respective entourages. Late Wednesday, Bell took to Twitter to call out Bieber for having a bodyguard allegedly protect him during the confrontation. He included two images featuring a tiny dog — meant to be Bieber — being guarded by a much larger one. Not surprisingly, the disses didn’t sit well with Bieber fans, prompting Bell to write to one angry tweeter, “you can’t take a joke?! geez.” Interestingly, Bell then deleted his posts (but you can see screengrabs below). The actor, however, then tweeted one final jab. “Can you kids start looking up to a good person?!” wrote the former “Drake & Josh” star. Of course, many stars have been taking to Twitter to comment on the incident, but Bell and Bieber have history, having feuded many times before. We’ll update if The Biebs responds.

Taylor Swift Talks Writing Songs for Her "Jilted and Sad and Bitter" Fans

As you know, Taylor Swift is all about the feels when it comes to her music. So, when it comes to playing the emotionless Rosemary in The Giver, the singer-turned-actress has been totally taken out of her comfort zone for her scenes in the upcoming movie adaption. "To me emotion is such an important part of my life, and now I guess my job," she tells mitchiieblog. "People wouldn't listen to my songs if they weren't heart broken or deeply affected and hurt and jilted and sad and bitter and all those wonderful things that I write songs about." Swift, who stars alongside Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites in the flick, also says she brought a little of her musical side during the filming of the movie. "Playing Jeff Bridges' daughter is sort of outlandish and something out of a day dream," she gushes. "He could not be more kind and friendly." "Brenton and I would just go to Jeff's room to play guitar with him," she adds ."It really felt like there is that kind of father figure role." The Giver hits theaters Aug. 15.

Is it ever okay for a woman to propose to a man?

It was a taboo many decades back but things have since changed...but has it changed to the extent that it's now okay for a woman to propose to her man? Would you do it? If not, why not?

Usain Bolt denies calling Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games ‘a bit shit’

Usain Bolt has denied calling the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games “a bit shit”. Bolt’s apparent comments have created a storm of controversy after allegedly making the remarks while waiting in the rain for his car to arrive after briefly leaving the athletes’ village in Glasgow. Asked if he was having fun in Scotland he is reported by the Times to have responded, “not really”. However the Jamaican sprinter responded on Twitter, saying: “I’m waking up to this nonsense.. journalist please don’t create lies to make headlines”. Bolt’s manager, Ricky Simms, also said the reports were “utter rubbish” and added: “The atmosphere in and around the stadiums has been absolutely fantastic and I have absolutely no idea where these quotes have come from.” The six-time Olympic champion arrived in Glasgow last Saturday morning and, at a press conference in the main press centre, confirmed he would be running the 4x100 metres relay heats on Friday as well as in the sprint relay final on Saturday, the final day of athletics competition. Bolt confirmed he would be staying in the athletes’ village but added that he would be spending most of his time in his room. Bolt has yet to race this year after taking time to recover from a foot injury but said he was in “pretty good shape” and looking forward to getting races under his belt. He also said he was eager to make his Commonwealth Games debut having missed the Melbourne Games through injury in 2006 and not appearing at the Delhi Games in 2010. Bolt’s decision to compete in Glasgow gave the Games a huge boost with other stars like Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis- Hill and Mark Cavendish not appearing in Glasgow. But it remains to be seen what kind of reception he receives from the Hampden Park crowd when he competes in the 4x100m relay heats on Friday night in the light of his reported remarks. The sprint relay final will be held at 9.15pm on Saturday night, wrapping up the athletics programme.

Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj Team Up For 'Bang Bang'

After weeks of social media teasing, the collaboration of the summer is finally getting released, and it's been leaked online a day before it's available to purchase. UK singer Jessie J has teamed up with Ariana Grande and rap diva Nicki Minaj to create the super-catchy new single "Bang Bang." The song is off Jessie J's forthcoming untitled album and will be released as a bonus track on the deluxe editions of Ariana's upcoming album My Everything.The track combines the vocal forces of pop music's hottest singers with an insanely energetic beat, an unshakable hook and a killer verse by all three powerhouse performers. RELATED PICS: MOST MEMORABLE STAGE STYLES On Sunday, Grande posted a teaser to Instagram, which only featured vocals by Jessie J, while Minaj posted an adorable hand-drawn caricature of the three singers as sci-fi space warriors (maybe?). The hot new single is available for purchase and download on iTunes. What do you think of "Bang Bang"? Is it the new song of summer? Play music critic in the comments.

Find Out 10 Things No One Knows About Omotola Jalade Ekeinde

One of Nollywood’s most famous actresses and reality TV star — Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has paid her dues in full and is one of the most recognized black women in the world. The mother and wife recently had a chat session with some of her Twitter fans where she provided answers to some of their questions. She shared some facts about herself with her over 450, 000 followers on Twitter. Read below: - Here are about 10 truths you possibly never knew about the actress. 1. She speaks her Ondo dialect well and some measure of Igbo 2. She will be forever into music and her goal is not to be commercial 3. Sound Sultan is her favourite Nigerian music act. 4. Her deepest fear is the wrath of God. 5. She has no scandals (or so she claims) 6. She thinks Jim Iyke is the best dressed man in Nollywood and Regina Askia was her greatest competition as a young actress. 7. Her favourite sport is wrestling and Hulk Hogan and Sean Micheal are her favourite wrestlers. 8. She was born in Lagos and grew up in Ikoyi, Ketu and Iyana-Ipaja. 9. Her favourite food is plantain and vegetable and she loves the colour red. 10. Her surname, Ekeinde is not a Yoruba name as her husband, Matthew Ekeinde is from Sabongida Ora in Edo State.

Facebook: Get Messenger app or else

For mobile users who text with friends via Facebook, it's almost time to download the social-media giant's dedicated app for doing so, or lose the ability. Facebook says that, for the next few days, it will be notifying people that if they want to continue sending mobile message, they'll need to download the Messenger app. "As we've said, our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences," a Facebook spokeswoman said Tuesday in a written statement. "Messenger is used by more than 200 million people every month, and we'll keep working to make it an even more engaging way to connect with people." In April, Facebook announced the change was coming. It has been rolled out to Android and iOS users in parts of Europe and elsewhere since then, and is now coming to the United States. In November, after Facebook launched Messenger 3.0, the company discontinued messaging in the core Facebook app for people who already had Messenger. The good news for people still using just the Facebook app is that they'll be able to message friends in much the same way they do now. Once both apps are installed, tapping the "message" icon on the Facebook app will simply send the user to Messenger. They'll be able to return via a "return to Facebook" icon. The popularity of apps like Messenger and WhatsApp, which Facebook purchased in February, are helping change the rules for texting. Wireless plans that charge for texting are becoming a thing of the past in the United States, though they remain the norm in places like India, South America and Africa, where WhatsApp has become a popular, nearly free alternative. What to know about Facebook Opinion: Did Facebook's experiment violate ethics?

Ariana Grande Covers Seventeen, Reveals She's Estranged From Her Father

Selfie time! Ariana Grande graces the September 2014 issue of Seventeen magazine and, inside the issue, opens up about some of the hardships she's faced. While Ariana's career has skyrocketed, she's had a difficult personal family issue to deal with, as she explained that "falling out of touch with my dad" was a huge thing to move on from. That topic and more highlights from the interview are below. Ariana Grande on putting herself out there and being totally exposed : "It’s tough to spend some of the most important years of your life in front of so many strangers who want to pick you apart. Insecurity has been the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome. I think everyone my age struggles with that because everyone strives for approval and wants to feel loved." How she gets over her insecurities: "I focus on what’s important. My grandpa is sick, so I focus on him every day. I’m having the biggest song of my career so far, and all I can think about is my grandpa, because that’s what’s important to me." The biggest lesson she’s learned in the past few years : "Being okay with not having the answers to everything. I feel like for the first time in my life, I’m really okay. I used to freak out about everything all the time. I used to be like, 'Oh my God, somebody said this!' Everything used to be such a big deal! But now, I feel I can handle everything that comes my way with a calm energy." The toughest thing she has ever had to deal with : "Falling out of touch with my dad. It’s private, but it happened last year. It took me so long to be okay with it. The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him. So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself. I had to accept that it’s okay not to get along with somebody and still love them." One thing that Ariana wanted her fans to know about her interview with Seventeen (on newsstands on August 5th), "This interview took place before I lost my grandfather. Reading it back now is, of course, very hard but I'm so grateful that I spoke briefly about some of the wisdom he shared with me in this interview. I hope the Seventeen readers find it helpful and can relate.

Chelsea Manager Mourinho Hints Mikel Obi May Exit the Club

We may see this Nigerian midfielder wearing another football jersey colour instead of blue. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho hinted that John Obi Mikel could be on his way out of the English football club. There have been reports for months that Mikel will be exiting the club, but with the arrival of Didier Drogba, the heat is on. The team currently has too many foreign players under the Premier League and Champions League rules relating to the home-grown quota. Clubs can only name 17 foreign players over the age of 21 in their official 25-man squads. Chelsea currently has 18 foreign players. The UK’s Telegraph reports that Mourinho has decided that either Fernando Torres, Peter Cech or Mikel will be asked to leave the club this summer. “From the group you are expecting us to have as a squad, I have to send one away because we have one extra foreign player. So from all these players, if you think all of them have to stay, you are wrong. One of them has to go.” Mourinho said. The exit reports comes after African Football says Mikel is desperate to become a UK citizen. He will be awarded his British passport by October, and one of the many considerations is to be at Chelsea FC for the time being.

Pastor Tunde Bakare In Latest Sermon Says If Buhari Dies, Nigeria Will Breakup

Pastor Tunde Bakare In Latest Sermon Says Buhari’s Death Will Break Nigeria Apart Excerpts from Pastor Tunde Bakare’s sermon on Sunday the 27th of July 2014. “But for what could only have been an act of God, this past week might have marked the beginning of the end for our nation. For if the attack targeted at Buhari and his entourage on Wednesday had succeeded, the hatchers of the Nigerian disintegration agenda would have been smiling home to the bank by now. “The enormous goodwill and massive following enjoyed by the General among the tens of millions of disadvantaged northern youths for whom he has become a messianic symbol, would have transmogrified into the unguided and uncontrollable fury of a vengeful army, whose target would not be without political and ethnic colouration. “Invariably, this would have sparked up a corresponding reaction of violence from an equally militant antagonistic young population from across the Niger. One needs not be a political analyst to see that such a scenario might have culminated in the demise of our nation.” “To win this war, we must embark forthwith on accurate diagnosis. There is a fundamental difference between traditional Islam and the radical Islam of our day. To lump them together would be a tragic mistake. It would only produce error, which would lead to attendant terror. “I only hope that this is a wakeup call to our government and we must now rise up so that together we can deploy all our resources to stop the terrorists dead in their tracks,”

Abuja residents should be careful, private jet carrying some Governors will crash soon - bro. Joshua ignila prophesy

After his prophecy on the 2014 world cup where he prophesied that Germany would win the cup, General Overseer of God of Champion Royal Assembly, Brother Joshua Ignila,has dished out more prophecies.According to the Sun, he told his congregation that, Boko haram leader, Shekau would be captured soon and a low ranking officer will shoot him on the leg. Also said Abuja residents should be careful between today, Monday and Wednesday. "I hear the sound of bomb in the city and I call on security agencies to tighten security in Abuja between Monday and Wednesday.” He predicted also that a private jet carrying some governors who are opposed to certain decisions in the country would crash. He said "I have warned them through my broadcast on Champions Television and I have tried to reach out to those I saw in my prediction.It is going to happen soon and nobody should blame anybody for it. It is either they retreat from that meeting they want to attend or they will perish."

Chibok Girls: Jonathan Didn’t Tell Parents Anything New – Chibok Community

Members of Chibok community in Borno State from where the over 200 secondary schoolgirls were abducted over three months ago, have lamented that even though it took the Presidency over 99 days, after the incident to meet with the parents of the girls, nothing new was said at the meeting. “We all waited patiently for the parents to come and tell us something new concerning the girls but the poor parents rather returned home more confused”, said one Malam Musa, a native of Chibok, who resides in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Musa said all that they expected to hear from the returned parents was how soon the rescue efforts will be and not what the government would do for them if they eventually got rescued. He argued that similar assurances were given to them by Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, when he met with some 25 escaped girls as well as some of their parents in early June this year at Government House, Maiduguri, all to no avail. “Our concern is the rescue of the girls whom we fear that their continued stay in the captivity of the terrorists may cause them a lot of physical and psychological harm, and not what the government would do if they eventually got rescued. “I think there was nothing new which Mr President told the parents and some of the girls at Aso Rock because all those promises made to them had been made about two months ago by Borno State governor who said about N150 million had been set aside by the state government as part of what was to be spent on the girls while the rest would be expended on those in captivity should they eventually get rescued”. “I think the real issue is not what would be done to assist them, but what is being done to free them which is more important because the longer these young girls stay in captivity, the dangerous it might turn out to be should they eventually return home. If it is what would be done after the rescue, it is not a cheering news as far as we are concerned”, Musa said.

Nigeria Gold medallist fails drugs test

Nigerian gold medallist Chika Amalaha has been provisionally suspended from the Commonwealth Games for failing a drugs test. The 16-year-old won weightlifting gold with a combined total of 196kg in the women's 53kg category. Her 'A' sample was found to contain amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, which are both prohibited as diuretics and masking agents. Amalaha will have a 'B' sample tested on Wednesday. The teenager won gold last Friday, as Dika Toua took silver to secure Papua New Guinea's first medal of Glasgow 2014, with India's Santoshi Matsa winning bronze. Amalaha is the first athlete to fail a test at the Games, but Welsh 400m hurdler Rhys Williams and 800m runner Gareth Warburton both missed the competition after being charged with anti-doping rule violations. Both athletes deny knowingly taking any banned substance.