Sunday, 3 January 2016
Mexico mayor shot dead less than a day after taking office
Gunmen opened fire on Mayor Gisela Mota at her house in the city of Temixco, said the government of Morelos state, where Temixco is located.
Two presumed assailants were killed and three others detained following a pursuit, said Morelos security commissioner Jesus Alberto Capella. He said the suspects fired on federal police and soldiers from a vehicle.
On his Twitter account, Morelos Gov. Graco Ramirez attributed Mota's killing to organized crime, without citing a particular drug cartel or gang. Cartels seeking to control communities and towns have often targeted local officials and mayors in Mexico.
Mota's leftist Democratic Revolution Party released a statement describing her as
"a strong and brave woman who on taking office as mayor, declared that her fight against crime would be frontal and direct."
Temixco is a city of about 100,000 people neighboring Cuernavaca, a resort and industrial city which has been suffering kidnappings and extortion linked to organized crime groups. Though Cuernavaca is the capital of Morelos, Temixco is the seat of several state institutions including the Public Security Commission, which coordinates state and local police forces. Morelos also neighbors drug cartel-plagued Guerrero state.
Mota, who had been a federal congresswoman, was sworn into office on New Year's Day. She was killed the following day.
Morelos Gov. Ramirez vowed there "would be no impunity" in her killing and promised that state officials would not cede to what he described as a "challenge from criminals."
Federal and state forces are deployed in Cuernavaca and municipalities near the Guerrero state border in what is called operation "Delta."
Capella did not provide more details about the attack on Mota, but said that when the suspects were detained, authorities found a 9-millimeter gun, an Uzi, ski masks and an SUV with Mexico State license plates.
Morelos Attorney General Javier Perez Duron said the detained suspects have been tied to other crimes, but declined to provide more details.
Source: AP
Baddest DJ Timmy writes open letter to Headies Award organizers
"When i wrote my first open letter to Headies on December 29, 2013, the majority opinions i got was that i was correct while others felt i was just an “Attention seeker”. Headies as an award should be credibile and not just over hyped. We have hundreds of award shows every year in Nigeria and they are not as controversial as this one. Headies as an award are still not appreciating certain artiste, producers, entertainers and Dj’s who work 24/7 to make sure they bring out the best. "They give us the impression that once you are not nominated or you do not win, you have not started your career;This is a BIG LIE. Over the years, All Ayo Animashaun and HipTv family have proven that it is Money over Integrity and that is why he always ignores the choices of majority of Nigerians or could it be that they innocently dont even know what they are doing? I am not here to analyse the faults of headies in full but you can read the other complains on twitter with the hashtag #TheHeadies2015.
Firstly, I noticed your hall was half empty. Your live broadcast that you always brag about had the picture quality of NTA channel 10 and your technical crew were going offline every time things became awkward and they immediately have to switch to “lyrics on the go” to cover up your shame.
I watched BET African awards live and Mtv and i can see a very huge difference in all aspects. You still have a lot to learn. Another disturbing fact is that headies as an award is creating bad blood among colleagues in the Nigerian music scene. Headies is the reason why we have not seen collaborations among certain musicians.
Tell me why Phyno,Davido, Falz, Solidstar and many other music producers and artiste who have been topping charts this year where not recognized? Next Rated Now Of all the categories, this is the only one worth arguing over.
Even though this is not a voting category, I stand by million of Nigerians to say that Lil Kesh or Kiss daniel deserve the award. What are the reasons? Lil Kesh has more hit tracks, Swag, Stage performance, Composure and in the long run Lil Kesh may last longer for years to come. Infact, i will rather invest N10m on Lil kesh career than Reekado’s. That is not to say Reekado is not hardworking or he does not have the talent but lil kesh has that special something.
In fact Reekado still does not have any Hit track to date. Yes !!!!! I say that with all sense of authority. Songs like Corner, Sugar baby, Catapult are NOT hit tracks, they are just popular and they could have gone National but they are NOT hit tracks. Dont confuse a popular song with a Hit track. Let me explain, As a DJ if i dont play “Gbese” “Efejoku” “Shoki” “Reggae Blues” “Woju” “Laye” “Godwin” at any party, i will have loads of people coming to request for them but people dont disturb me if i do not play Reekado banks songs. Do you get the point?
In fact another proof Reekado still does not own a hit track is that an average Nigerian parent who do not follow music still know songs like “Woju” “Bobo”, “Ojuelegba” and “Efejoku”. While i was writing this, i played reekado’s songs to the older generation and they claimed never to have heard them. YBNL VS MAVIN This was actually the most interesting part of the show for those who stayed awake to attend or watch the show.
Now the beef is official and it is part of the bad blood that headies have caused. Olamide was not referring to anybody in particular during Adekunle Gold’s acceptance speech but Don Jazzy had to mention Olamide’s name and the beef became real on twitter with Olamide referring to the Don as a “Bastard”.
Don jazzy should NOT have mentioned Olamide’s name in the first place and saying “he should come and collect the car if he wants”. Now people are taking sides and everyone saw when Olamide threw the microphone away and his beloved “red cup’ he poses with in almost all his music videos. In my own view, It shows how unruly and empty he is intellectually.
Olamide wants to be a Kanye west so bad and he feels he can do anything and go scott free. This was the same guy who cursed Linda Ikeji for reporting a story about his “love child” and claimed it was a rumour till we confirmed it was actually true.
Baba Miliano (Olamide) your alter ego Kanye west started becoming responsible when he gave birth, when will you stop sounding like a thug in your songs and be a role model for those who are watching you? You refer to yourself as a Rapper but i say it to your face that you are now a bloody singer so shut up. I wonder why you where not nominated in the R&B category since you are now a professional singer.
Back to the Mavins, If we look at this from another angle, Reekado needs the car more than Lil kesh since Olamide already bought Kesh a black Range Rover sport around March, 2015. Instead of Jazzy to buy his “children’ (as he refers to his label mates) a car, he will be giving out free recharge card on twitter to buy peoples heart. At least Reekado, Korede and Di’ja will stop going around lagos with Cabs.
It should be noted that Davido is also a major cause of this, he tweeted it some months back that Lil Kesh should pull a “Kanye” on Headies if he does not win. Kesh was probably too timid so his oga OluwaKanye Olamide did the dirty job and refered to that as “Fighting for the poor boy”
In conclusion All Nigerian artiste and producers, do not place your hope on the Headies which should now be referred to as “The Leggings”. Do not say because you where not recognized it means you are not trying, keep doing what you are doing and let the headies keep on doing what they are known for – NONSENSE.. !!!
Do not forget to send your insults and blessing to the writer @Baddestdjtimmy and tell me exactly how you feel. I also need someone to clear this please, Don Jazzy said ” The organizers told him to call Reekado to come…So he left Alibaba’s show” Does that mean he knew Reeky was going to win that category? Cynthia Morgan was absent and i am sure the organisers did not tell Jude Okoye to tell Cynthia Morgann to rush down there.
You be the judge !
Iranian protesters damage Saudi embassy in Tehran
The semiofficial ISNA news agency said the country's top police official, Gen. Hossein Sajedinia, rushed to the scene and police worked to disperse the crowd outraged by the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Shiite leaders in Iran and other countries across the Middle East swiftly condemned Riyadh and warned of sectarian backlash.
Saudi Arabia's execution Saturday of 47 prisoners, which also included al-Qaida detainees, threatened to further enflame Sunni-Shiite tensions in a regional struggle playing out between the Sunni kingdom and its foe Iran, a predominantly Shiite nation.
While Saudi Arabia insisted the executions were part of a justified war on terrorism, Iranian politicians warned that the Saudi monarchy would pay a heavy price for the death of al-Nimr.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi envoy in Tehran to protest, while the Saudi Foreign Ministry later said it had summoned Iran's envoy to the kingdom to protest the critical Iranian reaction to the sheikh's execution, saying it represented "blatant interference" in its internal affairs.
In Tehran, the crowd gathered outside the Saudi embassy and chanted anti-Saudi slogans. Some protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy, setting off a fire in part of the building, Sajedinia told the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
"Some of them entered the embassy. Currently, individuals who entered the embassy have been transferred out (of the building). However, a large crowd is still there in front of the embassy," Sajedinia told ISNA early Sunday.
Some of the protesters broke into the embassy and threw papers off the roof, and police worked to disperse the crowd, Sajedinia told ISNA. He later told Tasnim that police had removed the protesters from the building and arrested some of them. He said the situation outside the embassy "had been defused."
Source: AP
Friday, 20 November 2015
Obama places $5m bounty on head of key ISIS terrorist in charge of drafting recruits from the US and Europe
The US president has placed a $5million bounty on the head of a key Islamic
State terrorist in charge of mobilizing foreign fighters in Syria. The man's name is Abu-Muhammad
al-Shimali and last night, the US government announced the reward for information leading to the location or
identification of the terrorist also known as Tirad al-Jarba.
He's a senior leader of ISIS and heads the moving of
foreign fighters into Syria and processing the group’s new recruits
there. He's said to be the leader of ISIS immigration and logistics committee,
responsible for moving foreign terrorist fighters primarily through
Gaziantep, Turkey to Jarabulus, Syria, a border town the group
controls.
See picture of Paris attack master mind as cherubic 12-year-old
Dangote not at the Mali Radisson Blu hotel attacked by gunmen
There were rumours that Al Jazeera reported that Aliko
Dangote was at the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali when it was attacked by gunmen. Dangote just took to his twitter handle to refute
the claims that he is among the 170 hostages. He was in Mali yesterday but has since returned to Nigeria..
Also, AFP Bureau Chief Nigeria, Phil Hazlewood, confirmed he's not
there. He confirmed this from Aliko Dangote's spokesman, Anthony
Chiejina.
Gunmen storm Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali this morning, taking 170 hostages
Mali local media reports suggests Muslim guests, and staff are being released after reciting versions from Koran. Witnesses told FRANCE24 that the attackers arrived in a car with diplomatic license plates. They stormed into the hotel shooting and screaming "ALLAHU AKBAR"
The statement said the hotel group is in constant contact with the local authorities and is closely monitoring the situation. A staff member at the Radisson Blu hotel said that the attackers used grenades in the assault. The man, who gave his name as Tamba Diarra, did not have information on casualties or the number of assailants involved, but said he was not aware of hostages having been taken at the hotel.
The US embassy in Mali asked citizens to shelter in place amid reports of an “ongoing active shooter operation” at the hotel, raising fears of an attack by
extremists.
Former president Goodluck Jonathan turns a year older today
Photos: Man attempted to castrate himself in order to become a woman
The story of Li
Xiongjin, whose long life dream was to become a woman recently went viral
after he was featured on a Chinese reality show. Seven years ago, the
30-year-old from Hunam Province, started taking female hormones.
Three
years
ago, unable to afford the expensive gender re-alignment surgery, he
attempted to castrate himself with anesthetics and surgical tools that
he bought after researching online. However, the failed castration
caused him to almost die due to excessive bleeding.
Li regards Jin Xing, a
famous dancer and one of the most successful trans-women in China, as
his idol. He said he respects and admires Jin, who underwent
gender realignment surgery back in 1996 despite massive social pressure
at the time. Li says he wants to follow the brave example of Jin Xing,
which led him to appear on a reality TV show to find a way to complete
the necessary operations.
Li says he hated his masculine
appearance with the onset of puberty and has consistently shaven his leg
hair and grown his hair long for what he considers to be a more
feminine appearance.
The Chinese government implemented new
guidelines in respect to gender reassignment surgery in 2009. Those
wishing to undergo surgery must first apply to the police to change
their gender on their official registration documents, live openly as
the gender for a number of years, be over twenty, cannot have a criminal
record and must have informed their immediate family.
A
month ago, Li told his parents of his lifelong dream of becoming a woman
and they agreed to support his decision. Li’s mother is sympathetic to
her son’s dreams and blames herself for never paying enough attention to
Li’s desires and feels distressed that her boy has suffered alone.
A plastic surgery hospital volunteered to help Li after watching the
reality show, with the first step involving micro plastic injections.
Source: CCTV News
Georgia executes man convicted in 1994 slaying
Marcus Ray Johnson, 50, was put to death at 10:11 p.m. on November 19th 2015, at the state prison in Jackson. Johnson was convicted in the March 1994 rape and murder of Angela Sizemore in Albany.
Brian Kammer, an attorney for Johnson, argued his client shouldn't be executed because doubts remained about his guilt. Prosecutors said there was no doubt Johnson killed Sizemore.
A Butts County Superior Court judge on Wednesday rejected a constitutional challenge to Johnson's sentence and conviction and declined to stop his execution. The Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday upheld that ruling. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Johnson's appeal for a stay of execution without comment Thursday evening.
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday denied Johnson's request to commute his sentence or to delay it for 90 days to allow further DNA testing. The board, as is its custom, did not give a reason for its denial. The parole board is the only entity authorized to commute a death sentence in Georgia.
"The duty of the Board of Pardons and Paroles is to act as a failsafe to prevent miscarriages of justice such as the execution of persons whom the evidence shows may be innocent," Kammer said. "The Board failed egregiously in this respect, and as a result the state of Georgia is about to execute an innocent man."Sizemore and Johnson met at an Albany nightclub the night of March 23, 1994, and witnesses saw them kissing and drinking heavily. They were seen leaving the bar together early the next morning.
A man walking his dog later that morning found Sizemore's body inside her SUV behind an apartment complex. She had been stabbed 41 times with a small, dull knife and sexually assaulted with a pecan branch, prosecutors said.
Johnson told investigators and Sizemore had sex in a grassy vacant lot and that he then "kind of lost it" and punched her in the face during an argument. But Johnson said he left immediately afterward and headed home to collapse on his front yard, where he awoke the next morning.
A judge stopped Johnson's previously scheduled execution in October 2011 to allow for new DNA testing on some evidence but later denied Johnson's request for a new trial.
The only physical evidence linking Johnson to Sizemore supports his admission of consensual sex and her bloodied nose, Kammer argued. The rest of the state's case is circumstantial and is based on unreliable and inconsistent eyewitness testimony, he said in court filings.
Investigators never found Sizemore's blood on Johnson's pocket knife or on the branch prosecutors said was used to sexually assault her, Kammer argued. They didn't find Johnson's DNA or fingerprints in Sizemore's SUV, which police believed he drove from the crime scene to a different part of town.
Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards, who was a prosecutor in the case, said earlier this week that he has no doubts about Johnson's guilt.
All of the arguments Johnson's defense team has raised have been heard and rejected by courts, he said. The eyewitnesses saw Johnson in broad daylight and were completely reliable, and new DNA evidence didn't prove Johnson's innocence and didn't implicate anyone else, Edwards said.
Source: AP
We wish he had burnt to death, say family of bomb ringleader
In the Moroccan hamlet where his father Omar was born, they have only just heard of the massacre he organised, leaving 129 dead.
But their verdict was immediate:
Abaaoud had no rightful place on this earth. ‘We rejoice the news he is dead. He deserved it,’ said Sayeed Abaaoud, a cousin of the killer and a village elder and patriarch of the clan.
‘I say he should have been burnt to death, because what he did was not allowed under Islam or any law.’
A police source said Moroccan intelligence
had tipped off the French government about Abaaoud. He was killed
alongside Hasna Ait Boulahcen, his 26-year-old cousin, who blew herself
up.
He had been thought to have planned the massacre from Syria until intelligence placed him in Paris for Friday’s attacks.
Father-of-eight Sayeed, 65, said: ‘It is terrible, just terrible. I know
it happened a week ago, but we only just heard about what Abdelhamid
did, on Moroccan radio. We don’t have TV.
Sayeed said: ‘We feel very upset by the whole thing. Real Muslims do not do what Abdelhamid did. A good Muslim doesn’t steal or hurt people, so he is not a Muslim.’
The Islamic State killer’s death at the hands of French anti-terrorist police was confirmed yesterday.
The 27-year-old was shot in the head
by a sniper then hit by grenades during the raid in the Parisian suburb
of Saint-Denis on Wednesday. He had to be identified by his saliva.
Saturday, 7 November 2015
What acting wicked characters did to my life — Chiwetalu Agu
 |
| Chiwetalu Agu |
Popular Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, often acts the role of a wicked man in movies. And his depictions are so real that many fans believe that is his real character. In this chat with Showtime Celebrity, he explains that the negative reaction of fans towards his wicked roles is what actually led him into acting comic roles. Excerpts…
You seem to have an affinity for comedies; why is that?
I wouldn’t call it affinity. Years ago, I found out that most of the scripts that were brought to me didn’t have comic relief; I was always given roles of a wicked man and I got to understand that most of my fans were not pleased with it. Some of them felt it was something real, and the consequence was that whenever I stepped out in public, I was caught in embarrassing situations. I then decided to be infusing comic relief even when I’m playing wicked characters because I’m a veteran screen writer. In the early 80s, we were operating in NTA Enugu, which was formerly Anambra Television Channel 50, so the talent is there, and I combined it with the wicked roles they were giving me. The result is that when you are watching me play a wicked role, you will still have cause to laugh, and ease your tension. In fact, I have achieved a lot by doing that.
Can you share instances when fans reacted to you with the belief that you’re a wicked man?
They have done daring things. Some of their actions look like attacks, but with my experience as an entertainer, I will say I saw all that coming, so I was able to manage all of them very well. But one day, while I was on Onitsha ‘Head Bridge’ on my way to Asaba, there was this traffic snarl that made us come out of the car. One fan came to hail me and slap me on the shoulder in the course of appraising my unique style of acting. Some other persons cautioned him, and he fired back by saying, ‘Don’t you know this man is my all-in-all? He makes me happy; whenever I’m not happy, I just slot in his movie, and I become happy.’ That was an embarrassing incident, but I saw it coming because that was the period I was playing evil diabolical roles. However, I also touch lives, because sometimes when we shoot movies, it’s like we’re telling some people’s life story. You know, talking about what happens in various families where wicked uncles deal with their nephews and things like that. But like I said earlier, I thank God that I have found a way of getting people to laugh at the same time they watch me play wicked roles.
Is there any role you would love to play that you’ve not had the opportunity to?
I am planning my own production outfit, and the name of my company is Chukwuwetalu Films. By the grace of God, when we take off, I’m going to be playing roles such as a true man of God, a romantic figure, and other characters that people haven’t really seen me portray. My fan clubs all over the world will then have the opportunity to see me doing well in those areas.
Some people say that Nigerian actors are not properly trained; what do you have to say about that?
We can’t do without film schools. There should be regular workshops where actors will be trained and retrained because all we have been doing mostly came from no background. But I will still commend our people because without a solid background, they have been able to prove their mettle, and I know that everything is going to improve in terms of acting when these schools start working and people go there on regular basis to get trained. It will help the industry grow better.
Recently, a picture of you grabbing the boobs of an actress, Anita Joseph, on a movie set went viral; what really happened?
They are my daughters. It was a story, and we were playing our roles. Maybe you didn’t have time to watch that movie to understand what was going on. The main character in that movie was Ini Edo who was rascally, and more of a tom-boy. If she fought with my daughters, she would defeat them, so I did everything to prepare strong grounds for them to overpower her, but it wasn’t possible. So I said since that failed, let’s look for another way to prepare them to live their lives, so that any suitor who sees them will fall in love and marry them. That way, they will be useful since they failed in fighting a common enemy. The scene that went viral was where I was dressing them up for a burial ceremony that was coming up where I expected men to see them, and to find them attractive enough to take as wives. You know women’s bust plays a very big role in attracting any man who comes as a suitor, but people who wanted sensation made the picture go viral to sell their media. If I tell you now that I help some children in the motherless baby’s home, it may not be as sensational as when they say that I raped a minor.
But how does your wife react to scenes like that?
If I have up to one million fans, my wife will be number one. The greatest joy she derives is watching me act; no matter how negative the role is, because she is the only person that knows me better than anyone else since we live together. She knows how gentle and wonderful I am. She also knows how philanthropic I am because I always love to help humanity. So when she sees me in those kinds of scenes, she knows I’m just acting. Each time I churn out a catch-phrase, byline or slogan, she laughs so hard that even the person who is one mile away will hear the sound. She doesn’t find anything I do in films embarrassing at all; the reverse is the case.
You mean she even tells you to do it better if she feels it’s not good enough?
Yes, she chips in her own advice on how to make my acting more comical. She knows I’m a very strong comic character; comedy is in my nature, and that is the first thing that makes her happy that I’m her husband. There are some husbands that always have hard countenances, and their wives fear them, but I’m not like that. As far as I’m concerned, she is my biggest fan.
Is any of your children taking after you?
My second son is comical in nature. At times, he goes out of his way to wear women’s dress to make caricature out of some ideas. Then my first son; each time I return from anywhere, he greets me with the slogan of my last movie he watched. One of my daughters is a fashion designer, and whenever she dresses herself up, she looks more attractive and fashionable than any other girl of her age. The creative nature runs in the family and I’m sure that when they all come out of school, they are going to fit into my company because it’s going to be a conglomerate by God’s grace, producing many titles, including comedy, tragedy, and many others. I’m also going to be involved in distributing directly to houses and offices.
So you encourage them to take it serious?
Why not? Their school fees come from what I’m doing, their feeding, and everything about their welfare comes from this. They have shown the flair already; all I have to do is encourage them.
How do you intend to surmount piracy with your company?
I believe that the biggest problem in the industry is piracy. About five years ago, I went to NIPOST in course of carrying out a survey on how to make marketing work and beat piracy. I bought a book called post codes from NIPOST, and it contains all the street codes and numbers in Nigeria. After that, I went to the National Population Commission (NPC), Abuja, to get two of their books which contained records ending 2006. When I start my company, my subscribers, who will be up to 50million, will be paying into a designated account. Whenever anybody pays, the official vehicles of my company, will deliver the consignment either to the person’s house or office wherever they are in the country. The movies will not be sold on the open market, so if you see it in the open market, everybody will know it’s a pirated copy.
Graphic Photos: 4 members of a family die in fatal accident in Benue
Source/ Photo credit: Benue.com.ng
Photos: Meet Khadija, the girl born without a face
Khadija Khatoon Khadija, 21, from
Kolkata, West Bengal, Eastern India, was born without a face and her
mouth is a small slit on the left side of her face. When she was born,
concerned doctors were baffled by her condition for months. Although it
has never been confirmed, they believe she has a form of
neurofibromatosis, a rare deformity that causes tumours to grow along
nerves. Medics told Khadija and her family there was nothing they could do after extra skin continued to grow out of control.
"She was born at home but she didn’t open her
eyes. She was born with thick heavy eyelids and she looked different to
my other children at birth but we didn’t think anything of it until we
realised she couldn’t open her eyes properly." hermother Amina Bibi,50, said.
"When we took her to
the hospital she was admitted for six months and they did lots of tests
but doctors eventually told us there was nothing they could do. Because the doctors told us there was nothing they could
do we never went back to them. And as Khadija got older she refused any
help. Doctors told us when she was a baby that if she attempted
surgery she could die, so we have lived with that fear. Now that Khadija
is much older she has decided herself that she doesn’t want to have
surgery. She doesn’t want to risk dying."
Khadija said:
"I'm made this way and I accept it graciously. I do what I can. If this
is how I’m meant to be then I live with it. It’s not a matter of
coping, I just live as I am"
She continued: "I don’t have any real friends but I have my family.
My family is my only friend and I love them dearly. My parents are my
world. I don’t talk to strangers. This is who I am and this is
the life I live and I fill my days sitting and thinking, talking to my
mother about life and going for walks near my home. I like drinking tea.
I am happy in this life"
"If only the government would see my position and help me, I would like that"
Dr Anirban Deep Banerjee, a neurosurgeon from Apollo Hospital,
Kolkata, said:
"I believe she is suffering from Neurofibromatosis but to
confirm we would need to do a gene test. There's a possibility
she has a tumour inside her face which could be fatal. Right now there
is no way of knowing if she has tumour inside the extra skin and if left
they could kill her."
"If she's willing we would need to do a lot of tests to determine how successful surgery would be."
Source: Daily Star
UK reportedly planning the deportation of 29,000 Nigerians
Speaking about the planned deportation last month, the acting Nigeria High Commissioner in London, Olukunle Bamgbose, told Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
“I think about 29,000 Nigerians have been designated to be deported. We are insisting that due process must be followed before Nigerians are really removed from the UK to Nigeria” Bamgbose had said
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)