George Clooney plans to become governor of California before fighting for presidency

Hollywood actor George Clooney is
reportedly planning to run for governor
of California within the next four years –
an event that, if successful, could ultimately launch a campaign
for the presidency.
According to the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror, friends
of the 53-year-old blockbuster movie star claim that Clooney is
being wooed by Democrats hoping he’ll launch a long-speculated
political career, with their sights set on the 2018 governor’s race.
If Clooney agrees, he would likely start planning out the next steps
after his September marriage to British human rights lawyer Amal
Alamuddin.
If Clooney manages to become governor of California, he would be
following the same path as actors like Ronald Reagan (governor
from 1967-1975) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003-2011).
Reagan, of course, went on to win the presidency in 1980.
To Clooney’s friends, who went unnamed by the Mirror, the move
would be a natural fit.
“George is hugely popular with the Democrats and where better a
place to put him than as the Governor of California the home of
Hollywood,” one friend told the newspaper. “It has always been a
huge stronghold for the party and one that has a proven record for
getting politicians in to the Oval office.”
What’s more, the actor’s friend said unlike Clooney’s past
partners, Alamuddin – who served as the attorney for WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange and is also a special envoy to the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees – would act as a positive asset in
public life.
“Now that Amal is by his side it has boosted his credentials even
higher,” the friend said. “She is as far removed as some of the girls
he has previously dated and possesses incredible intelligence that
bodes well if she ever does become First Lady. It would certainly
add a new meaning to the ‘special relationship’ between Britain
and America.”
As noted by the Daily Mail, Clooney’s connections to the
Democratic Party are strong and well-known. He has held
fundraisers for liberal politicians, including one in 2012 in which
attendees paid $40,000 each to join a dinner party where President
Obama spoke. Clooney has also been invited to the White House to
screen his films and is considered a friend by Obama.
Outside of Hollywood, Clooney is also known for his activism. He
was arrested for civil disobedience outside of the Sudanese
Embassy in Washington, DC, back in 2012, after groups gathered
to protest Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir for blocking aid and
“provoking a humanitarian crisis.” He was detained for a few
hours and released after paying a $100 fine.
Whether or not Clooney actually runs for any office remains to be
seen, however. In 2012, he was asked about potentially running for
president, but quickly shot the idea down.
"There's a guy in office who is smarter than anybody,” he said,
referring to Obama. “I have no interest."

keeper Guillermo Ochoa denies Brazil victory

Hosts and World Cup favourites Brazil
were held to a 0-0 draw by Mexico on
Tuesday in an absorbing Group A match
in the deafening cauldron of Fortaleza's
Castelao arena.
Brazil failed time and again to break
down a stubborn defence backed up by
inspired goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa
but the Mexicans also created several
decent chances in another entertaining
game.
Paulinho, Neymar and Thiago Silva all
came close to finding the back of the
net but were thwarted by Ochoa. Thiago
Silva almost stole the match in the
dying minutes but the Mexican keeper
parried away his point-blank header.
The draw brought to an end Brazil's 10-
match winning streak, dating back to
August.
It also meant that to make the second round of the tournament
both teams need points from their final group games on June 23
when Brazil face Cameroon in Brasilia and Mexico meet Croatia in
Recife.
Brazil bossed the match from the outset with Marcelo and Oscar
causing mischief down the left and Neymar showing the
occasional burst of brilliance in the middle.
Neymar's header from a Dani Alves free kick on 26 minutes forced
the first fine save from Ochoa, who beat the ball away at his right
hand post as it headed goalwards.
Brazil's best chance of the half came just before the break. Oscar
floated a free kick into the box, Thiago Silva chested it down into
the path of Paulinho, who just failed to scoop the ball over the
keeper from close range.
At the other end, Mexico were restricted to long-range efforts from
Miguel Layun, Jose Vasquez and Hector Herrera, none of which
seriously troubled Julio Cesar in the Brazilian goal.
This was the first time that Mexico had held Brazil to a draw at a
World Cup. Their previous three clashes ended in comprehensive
victories for the Brazilians, 5-0, 4-0 and 2-0.

Blast rips through football viewing centre in Damaturu

An explosion ripped through a football viewing
centre in Damaturu, northern Nigeria, on Tuesday, residents said,
as fans gathered to watch the World Cup.
The blast at the Crossfire venue, in the Nayi-Nawa area of the
state capital of Yobe, happened at about 8:00 pm (1900 GMT), just
as tournament hosts Brazil kicked off against Mexico.
There were no immediate reports of deaths but hospitals were
reporting casualties being brought in, medical sources said.
Sanusi Ruf’ai, police commissioner for Yobe state, told AFP:
“There was an explosion outside a soccer viewing centre here in
Damaturu at around 8:15 pm.
“Our men have deployed to the scene but it’s too early for us to
give details.”
One resident said the area had been cordoned off as police and
soldiers were sent to the scene.
The blast comes after at least two states banned viewing centres
on security grounds following previous attacks blamed on Boko
Haram militants, whose five-year insurgency in northern Nigeria
has claimed thousands of lives.
Yobe is one of three northeastern states that has been under a
state of emergency since last May.
The authorities in Adamawa, in northeast Nigeria, last week closed
viewing centres, where large crowds gather to watch matches on
the big screen, while the central state of Plateau followed suit days
later.
Earlier this month, at least 40 people were killed when a bomb
went off after a football match in the town of Mubi in Adamawa.
The apparent target was fans trying to leave after the final whistle.
In May, three people were killed in a blast outside a viewing centre
showing the European Champions League final between Real
Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Jos, the capital of Plateau state.
In April, suspected Boko Haram gunmen stormed a packed venue
in Potiskum, in northeast Yobe state, shooting dead two people as
they watched Champions League quarter-final matches.

Egypt To Release Hunger-Striking Al Jazeera Journalist

Egypt’s prosecutor general has ordered the release of Al
Jazeera Arabic journalist Abdullah Elshamy on medical
grounds, ending almost a year of imprisonment without
charge.
A statement from the prosecutor’s office on Monday said
Elshamy, who has been on hunger strike since January,
would be set free due to “health conditions.” The
statement said 13 other people would be freed on the
same grounds.
Elshamy, born in Egypt but raised in Nigeria, has been
on hunger strike for 147 days in protest of his
prolonged imprisonment without charge. He was
arrested on 14 August 2013 while covering the violent
dispersal of a sit-in by supporters of Islamist president
Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the army in
July.
Commenting on the Egyptian prosecutor’s statement that
Elshamy will be released, Al Jazeera spokesperson
Osama Saeed said, “This is a relief rather than a cause
for celebration. Abdullah has been through a terrible
ordeal for over ten months. He’ll want to spend time
with his family and recuperate. When he’s ready, we
look forward to seeing him back in action, doing the
vital job of journalism that he so clearly loves.”
Al Jazeera English journalists Peter Greste, Baher
Mohammed and Mohammed Fahmy are still behind
bars, and Al Jazeera continues to call for their freedom.
A verdict in their case is due on 23 June 2014.
In a final plea from defence lawyers, the court
yesterday was reminded that this “trial is not a trial for
these defendants alone – but a trial of all journalists.”
Fahmy, who was allowed to address the judge before
the case was adjourned, also said: “This case is a
political case.”
Saeed said, “Yesterday was the final summation by the
defense. Again the weaknesses of the prosecution case
have been exposed. On the balance of arguments, Al
Jazeera hopes the judge will take into consideration the
facts presented to him and acquit Peter, Baher and
Mohammed of any wrong doing. On June 23rd, the
entire world will be watching Egypt to see whether they
uphold the values of press freedom.”
Previous court dates have bizarrely included the
prosecution showing footage of Sky News Arabia
tourism reports, BBC podcasts, songs by Gotye,
photoshopped images of Fahmy, Greste’s family photos,
and some of Greste’s award-winning work from East
Africa.
Calls for the release of the Al Jazeera staff have been
made from the White House, the British Foreign and
Commonwealth Office and the European Union.
Similarly public calls of support for the #FreeAJStaff
campaign have been made from prominent media
personalities with over 60,000 people supporting the
#FreeAJStaff campaign, which has had over 1.2 billion
impressions on Twitter. Various media freedom and
human rights groups have also issued statements
ranging from the Committee to Protect Journalists, the
International Press Institute, Amnesty International and
The Foreign Correspondents Association of East Africa.

“I Can’t Be With Any Girl But Kim, Because She Turns Me On The Most – Kanye Confesses

During a discussion at Cannes Lion Festival this
morning, Kanye West said he can’t be with any other
girl but his new wife Kim because she turns him on the
most and she’s the ‘number one woman in the world’.
“I can’t be with any girl but Kim because that’s the girl
I look at her pictures the most, I get turned on the
most. She’s the number one woman in the world”
Kanye West also revealed that it took him and Kim four
days to release their first official wedding photo
(pictured left) because they wanted them to look as
good as Annie Leibovitz’s pictures, who pulled out of
covering his wedding in Italy the day before it took
place.

2 Russian journalists feared dead in eastern Ukraine

least one Russian journalist has been killed in fighting between
separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine and another
is feared dead.
Igor Kornelyuk, a correspondent for the Russian State Television,
died in a hospital in Luhansk after being injured in a rocket-
propelled grenade attack, the Vesti news programme said.
Anton Voloshin, a sound engineer in Kornelyuk’s crew, is missing
after the attack, Russian news media report said.(dpa/NAN)

Good News:- Paypal Expands Payment Services To Nigeria, 9 Other Countries

PayPal is entering 10 new countries this week, including
Nigeria, providing online payment alternatives for
consumers via mobile phones or PCs in markets often
blighted by financial fraud.
Rupert Keeley, the executive in charge of the EMEA
region of PayPal, the payments unit of eBay Inc, said in
an interview on Monday the expansion would bring the
number of countries it serves to 203.
Starting on Tuesday, consumers in Nigeria, which has
60 million users and has Africa’s largest population,
along with nine other markets in sub-Saharan Africa,
Eastern Europe and Latin America will be able to make
payments through PayPal.
“PayPal has been going through a period of reinvention,
refreshing many of its services to make them easier to
use on mobile (phones), allowing us to expand into fast-
developing markets,” Keeley said.
Once the services go live, customers in the 10 countries
with access to the Web and a bank card authorised for
Internet transactions will be able to register for a
PayPal account and make payments to millions of sites
worldwide.
Initially, PayPal is only offering “send money” services
for consumers to pay for goods and services at PayPal-
enabled merchant sites while safeguarding their
financial details. This is free to consumers and covered
by fees it charges merchants.
“We think we can give our sellers selling into this
market a great deal of reassurance,” said Keeley, a
former regional banking executive with Standard
Chartered Plc and senior executive with payment card
company Visa Inc.
PayPal does not yet cover peer-to-peer transactions,
which allow consumers to send money to other
consumers. It has not yet enabled local merchants in
the new markets to receive payments, nor is it offering
other forms of banking services, he said.
A 2013 survey of 200 UK ecommerce sites by Visa’s
CyberSource unit estimated that 1.26 percent of online
orders are fraudulent and that 85 percent of merchants
expected fraud to increase or remain static last year.
CyberSource also estimated that suspicion of fraudulent
transactions result in 8.2 percent of online orders in
Latin America being rejected by merchants, compared
with 5.5 percent in Europe and 2.7 percent in the
United States and Canada.
Such fraud can include ID theft, social engineering,
phishing and automated harvesting of customer
financial data via botnets, or networks of computers
controlled by hackers.
A total of 80 million Internet users stand to gain access
to PayPal global services this week, including those in
five European markets – Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova,
Monaco and Montenegro, four in the African nations of
Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Zimbabwe, as well
as Paraguay. Internet usage figures are based on
research by Euromonitor International.
PayPal counts 148 million active accounts worldwide.
Last week, MasterCard Inc, the world’s second-largest
debit and credit card company, and a PayPal rival in
payment processing, said it was working with the
Nigerian government on a pilot to overlay payment
technology on a new national identity card.
PayPal has operated in 190 markets since 2007 and
added three countries – Egypt, Georgia and Serbia last
year. Roughly a quarter of the $52 billion in payment
volumes PayPal reported in the first quarter of 2014
were for cross-border transactions. PayPal reported
$1.8 billion in revenue during the period.

World’s First L*sbian Cemetery Opens [See Photo]

Dozens of elderly women gathered have gathered at a
graveyard in Berlin , were they celebrated an historic
event: the opening of the world’s first l*****n-only
cemetery.
A 4,300 -square-foot area was made available in one of
the German capital’s oldest burial grounds, the
Lutheran Georgen Parochial cemetery , and will serve
as the final resting place for up to 80 g*y women.
The women cheering and applauding among the
tombstones that day were members of SAFIA, a German
association of older lesbians who came up with the
initiative as a way for their community to stay together
in the afterlife.
“We are the first real generation of emancipated,
feminist, open lesbians, and we need somewhere to
be buried,” explains Astrid Osterland, a 69-year-old
SAFIA member. “Lots of us don’t have families to be
buried with. Instead, we want to lie with those we’ve
fought alongside, loved and lived with”, she said.
For Berlin’s lesbians, the cemetery is more than just a
final resting place. It holds political significance for
them as the generation of women who fought for the
right to love openly and who now want their cause to
be visible for posterity.
“Families want to be together after death, and we want
it too”, Osterland concluded.

Us Vs Ghana Match: Presenter Ellen Degeneres Mock Ghana

in case you didn’t watch the match, the US scored the
opening goal 32 seconds into the game, making it the
5th fastest goal in World Cup history. Talk show host,
Ellen DeGeneres then tweeted that it took her longer to
look up where Ghana is. So she’s never heard of
Ghana before?

Balotelli’s move to Arsenal draws close as Gunners prepare £25m bid

According to reports, Arsene Wenger has stepped up
his interest in bringing Mario Balotelli to Arsenal next
season.
Two weeks ago, rumours began to surface that the
Gunners have been offered the bad boy striker, with
Wenger needing to pay about £25million to AC Milan
for the Italian.
The Rossoneri are desperate to get Balotelli off their
wage bill and the former Manchester City player is keen
on a return to the Premier League. Wenger has
remained a long term admirer of the 23-year-old,
despite his tendency to be a disruptive influence in the
dressing room.
Wenger is expected to meet with Balotelli’s
representatives who are also in Brazil for the World Cup
and thrash out a deal, as the Arsenal manager seeks to
bring in attacking firepower ahead of the new season.

Michael Schumacher out of coma, leaves hospital

Michael Schumacher’s family have announced that the
F1 champion has woken up from his coma and is out of
hospital.
The statement added that the 45-year-old, will
continue his rehabilitation at an undisclosed location.
Schumacher has been in a medically-induced coma
since December 29, when he suffered a severe head
injury in a skiing incident in the French Alps.
His family expressed their gratitude for those who sent
messages of support, saying: “We are sure it helped
him.”

GCC Scribe slams Qatar 2022 critics

The General Secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdul Latif
bin Rashid Al Zayani has slammed critics of Qatar hosting of the
World Cup 2022.
He said in a statement that those criticizing Qatar were agents of
retrogression.
He highlighted the supportive stance of Gulf countries to Qatar
against doubters, haters and those who try to underestimate its
right to host the historic international sport event. He said that
Qatar has won after honest competition and hosting the event in
Qatar will be a pride for all GCC countries.
“It is the right for south west Asian and Arab countries,” he
asserted.
Qatar won to host the World Cup in a voting that took place in
December 2010 at the International Federation of Association
Football (FIFA) headquarters. This will make Qatar the first Arab
country to host the international support. There are allegations
that Qatar paid bribes to win the voting.

Mueller hat-trick as Germany rout Portugal and Ronaldo flops

Striker Thomas Mueller scored a hat-trick as
Germany opened their World Cup campaign on Monday with a 4-0
rout of 10-man Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo enduring an
afternoon to forget.
A decisive first-half saw Germany race into 3-0 lead as Mueller
converted a penalty, then fired home their third on the stroke of
half-time after a Mats Hummels header had also hit the target.
Portugal played almost an hour with a man down after defender
Pepe was red-carded for aiming a head-butt at Mueller.
World Player of the Year Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes of the
Group G opener despite recent injuries, but the Portugal captain
was powerless to prevent his side being over-run.
The Portuguese suffered the same fate at Salvador’s Arena Fonte
Nova as their Iberian neighbours Spain last Friday when the
holders were routed 5-1 by the Dutch.
Germany continue their domination of Portugal by adding Brazil
2014 to their list of recent wins over Ronaldo’s side which
includes the 2006 World Cup, plus the 2008 and 2012 European
championships.
The result capped a remarkable day for Germany, in front of
Chancellor Angela Merkel, just hours after news broke that ex-
Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has come out of his
lengthy coma.
Having declared himself ’100 percent fit’, Ronaldo lived up to his
word with an early shot, then put Hugo Almeida into space, but the
Germans were soon on top.
Sami Khedira fired wide after a loose pass from Rui Patricio with
eight minutes gone at the start of a busy period for the Portugal
goalkeeper.
When left-back Joao Pereira tugged back on Mario Goetze’s shirt,
Serbian referee Milorad Mazic pointed straight to the spot.
Mueller, who scored five goals in the 2010 finals to claim both the
Golden Boot and best young player award, planted his penalty in
the bottom corner to open the German’s account on 12 minutes.
Portugal coach Paulo Bento was forced into an early substitution
as Almeida pulled up with a muscle injury to make way for Eder.
Goetze then crashed a shot just wide of the post, just before the
Germans went 2-0 up.
Toni Kroos swung in a corner and centre-back Hummels out-
jumped Pepe to plant his header past Patricio on 32 minutes.
Portugal’s fortunes went from bad to worse on 37 minutes when
the standing Pepe aimed a head-butt at the seated Mueller after an
altercation to earn a straight red card.
Mueller had his revenge on the stroke of half-time when he
chested down Kroos’ long pass and smashed his shot past
Patricio as it finished 3-0 at the interval.
After the break, Portugal kept chipping away at the solid German
defence, which had been a concern coming into Brazil.
But Portugal’s fortunes were summed up when one of Ronaldo’s
trademark free-kicks cannoned off the German wall leaving the
world’s best player with his head in his hands.
Having already lost injured midfielders Marco Reus and Lars
Bender before arriving in Brazil, there were worrying scenes for
Germany coach Joachim Loew when Hummels had to be helped
off on 73 minutes.
Sampdoria’s 22-year-old Shkodran Mustafi, the son of Albanian
immigrants, came on to win only his second cap.
Mueller wrapped up his hat-trick on 78 minutes in scrappy fashion
in a goal-mouth scramble after Patricio had parried a shot.

Messi Vs Tevez: “Carlos Tevez Is Better Than Lionel Messi” Tevez’s Wife Lashes Out

Carlos Tevez will still not play the World Cup, How
about that?
Carlos Tevez’s wife, Vanesa Mansilla has expressed
disappointment over the exclusion of her husband from
the Brazil Fan Fair.
She says it was “totally unfair” that the striker was left
out of the Argentina’s World Cup squad, insisting he is
far better than Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain.
Reports claim the Juventus star hasn’t been a part of
the national team since Alejandro Sabella’s appointment
as coach and was left out of the squad for the
tournament in Brazil.
Mansilla launched a scathing attack on the Argentina
squad, insisting Tevez is better than every single one of
the 23 man squad, but said she is happy that he gets to
go on holiday with the family.
“It’s totally unfair that he was not called up,” Mansilla
said. “They are without the player of the people.
“Everybody knows that Carlitos is better than the 23
that are in the national team and will play in Brazil.
Florentia “On the one hand, however, it is good for us
that he is not with the Albiceleste so he can go on
holiday with [his children] , Katie and Lito who enjoy
spending time with their dad.

Bomb Found In Winners Chapel Church, Owerri, Imo Stat

The Nigerian Times has just learnt of a bomb explosion
at the Owerri branch of the Living Faith Church (aka
Winners Chapel), located along the Owerri-PortHarcourt
road.
A member of the church who spoke to The Nigerian
Times on condition of anonymity said the bomb went
off at about 6am, before any worshippers got to the
church.
She said there were up to six bombs, all of which were
primed to go off at about 8am when then church would
have been filled to capacity, but for some reason, one of
the bombs went of much earlier.
“There was a bomb blast in our church this morning,
and so the church has relocated temporarily to Hero’s
square; that is where we’re having today’s service.
“The explosion occurred around 6am when nobody was
inside the church. When security agents got there they
now saw about five more bombs that were set to
explode at about 8am. We don’t know how that other
one managed to explode before the others,” she said.
When The Nigerian Times got through to DSP Andrew
Enwerem, the Police Public Relations officer for the Imo
state Command, he confirmed the planting of a bomb at
the church, but said it was the police who detonated it,
that it didn’t go off on its own.
His words: “The police deliberately detonated an object
that was suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Device
at Winners Chapel.
“The discovery was made last night by security men at
the Winners church who were very alert. When they
saw (an abandoned) hand bag around the church’s gate
they quickly alerted the police
“The police bomb experts quickly moved in and
discovered the explosive and deliberately detonated it
before it could cause any harm.
“We’ve gone on air to alert other churches and other
densely populated areas to be on the look out for such
suspected objects and quickly alert the police.”
The PPRO added that investigation has commenced into
the incident, although no arrest had been made as at
the time he spoke to The Nigerian Times this morning.

Nigeria emerges 2nd at Mr. World competition

Mr. Nigeria 2014, 25-year-old actor and model, Emmanuel
Ikubese has emerged second and was also judged the most stylish
of all the contestants at the contest which took place in Riviera
International Conference Centre, Torbay, UK in the competition.
Overall Winner, Mr. World 2014, Nicklas Pedersen of Denmark
(middle) and first runner-up, Emmanuel Ikubese of Nigeria (2nd
right), during the Mr. World contest in UK, today.
Ikubese, took the 2nd place, following the overall winner, Nicklas
Pedersen of Denmark who was immediately announced as the new
Mr. World 2014 at the occasion.
Our own Ikubese, took to twitter to share his joy at the outcome of
the competition.
His tweet reads: “I just want to thank God for giving me this great
opportunity to represent my country. I came 2nd in the Mr. World
2014 contest…”

28 killed in attack on Kenyan coastal settlement

Kenyan police on Monday in Mombasa confirmed  that at least 28
people, including a policeman were killed and an unconfirmed
number of others were injured in Sunday night’s attack in the
coastal town of Mpeketoni in eastern Kenya.
Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo warned that the toll
could rise with rescue still underway in the busy town, where bars
and cafes were packed with fans watching the FIFA World Cup.
Police Spokesperson Zipporah Mboroki said that more than 50
masked gunmen descended on the busy town and sprayed bullets
on villagers and torched several houses and buildings, including
the local Equity Bank branch.
He said the attackers also took away some civilian and police
vehicles before setting an administration police camp on fire.
Military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir confirmed the attack and
blamed the Somali insurgents behind the latest attacks in the
coastal town, which had been previously hit by bandits.
He said surveillance aircraft was already airborne.
Eric Mugo, Lamu District Deputy Governor said the assailants who
entered the town on Sunday night were heavily armed and took
advantage of darkness to cause mayhem on the residents of
Mpeketoni.
“We are still combing the area but there is a lot of tension in the
area,” he said.
Kenya has vowed to continue with the anti-terror war and urged
its countrymen to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious
to the authorities.
The attack came two days after the British government closed its
consulate office in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, citing
security concerns.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it would
provide normal consular assistance to its nationals through the
Nairobi embassy.
Stephen Burns, Spokesman for the British High Commission in
Nairobi confirmed the development, saying the decision had been
taken after careful assessment of the security on ground

BREAKING NEWS: Nigerian Singer, Kefee Is Dead

Nigerian singer and radio personality, Kefee Don Momoh
popularly called Kefee who collapsed on a 14-hour flight to
Chicago is dead.
The Sapele born singer passed on in the early hours of today
in an undisclosed Los Angeles Hospital in the US where she
was rushed to for treatment.
Kefee’s Publicist manager, Adeline in an official statement
confirmed the singer’s death.
It reads below
On behalf of the family. It is with a great sadness but grateful
hearts that we announce the passing to glory due to Lungs
failure this morning of our God’s mouth piece, chorus leader,
daughter, wife, sister, friend Kefee Branama Queen … May
her beautiful, gentle and precious soul rest in perfect peace.
AMEN!!!
PS: In contrast to all earlier rumors and stories in
circulation, I do state that Kefee wasn’t 6 months pregnant
and neither did she have pre-eclampsia.
For the family
Adeline Adelicious Adebayo
(Kefee’s UK Manager)
Also confirming Kefee’s death is On-Air-Personality for
Wazobia FM, Yaw, a close friend of her husband, OAP Teddy
Don Momoh who revealed on Wazobia Fm this morning,
saying: “One of our very own is dead. May her soul rest in
peace.”
This is coming after it was reported on June 11, that she had
allegedly woken up from her Coma .
On June 4, her husband, Teddy Don Momoh confirmed the
report that she was in coma after he took to twitter to ask
Nigerians to pray for her .
Meanwhile a close family source had earlier revealed she
was diagnosed of having pre-eclampsia – pregnancy
induced high blood pressure.
It will be recalled that on June 9 that a Nigerian doctor, Dr
Adeyefa while speaking on her sickness said she might die
as her chances of survival was very slim while urging
Nigerians to pray for her as that’s the only thing that can
bring her out of the coma.
The award-winning Kefee who started her music career at
the age of 8 in her church choir has hit songs like ‘Branama’
and ‘Kokoroko’ and she won best collaboration Headies
Award in 2010.
Kefee who was in her mid 30s recently returned to Nigeria
after she had travelled to the United states in 2013 to
complete her courses in production and directing at the
Chicago Access Network TV, graduating as a certified video
director.
She also released a new song and was working on an album
before she met her untimely death.
Kefee got married to Star FM’s Teddy ‘Don Momoh in 2012
and just recently in May celebrated her wedding anniversary .
This is so Sad. May her soul Rest in Peace.

All eyes on Messi, Ronaldo, Brazil, Spain as world’s biggest football event gets underway

The 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, arguably the world’s
biggest sporting event, gets underway at Sao Paulo in Brazil on
Thursday with the hosts taking on Croatia.
The opening ceremony, to be staged at the Arena de Sao Paulo and
preceded immediately by the opening match, will kick-start a 32-
day football spectacle.
It will involve a performance by Pitbull, Claudia Leitte, Jennifer
Lopez and Olodum, climaxing a ceremony which starts at 15.14
hours Brazilian time.
The performance is set to thrill the public by paying homage to
Brazil’s three biggest treasures – its nature, people and football.
Billed to last 25 minutes, the cast is made up of more than 600
people, the majority of whom study at dance or circus schools or
at cultural workshops.
In addition to the 62,600 fans present in the stadium, the ceremony
will be shown on television in 200 territories around the world.
This will involve more than 160 principal rights-holders
broadcasting to all four corners of the globe, making the event one
of the most watched in recent times.
But the real action, which the whole world has waited for with
bated breath since 2010, comes with the opening match.
It is a game from Group A, and the hosts will be hoping to set off
their campaign for a sixth title on a good note by beating Croatia.
The group looks tight with Mexico and Cameroon as the other
contenders, but both Brazil and Mexico look likely to get the
second round tickets.
But any one of Cameroon and Croatia hold the outside chance,
with any one of them good enough to beat Mexico to the second
ticket from the group.
Brazil have an edge over all others in the group, having met them
all in past World Cups and beaten them, with Mexico the only one
capable of standing up to them.
But since the history of World Cup opening matches is replete with
shocking results on such grand occasions, Brazil may well have to
watch it in this opening game.
Thereafter, the competition offers a different mixture of excitement,
suspense, gritty action and finesse, with Group B harbouring one
of the other competition favourites.
Defending champions Spain take on top side Netherlands on June
13, in a repeat of the 2010 final game in South Africa, which the
Spaniards won 1-0.
Both sides are expected to advance from the group comfortably,
and only Chile is expected to threaten them, even though Australia
will make them bring out some sweat.
Group C has Colombia, Greece, Cote D’Ivoire and Japan, with any
one of them capable of leading the pack and any of them also
capable of losing out disappointedly.
In Group D, Uruguay, England and Italy are the teams with the
chance to advance to the next round, even though Costa Rica
should not be disregarded.
1998 champions France are alongside Switzerland and Ecuador,
with the latter more at home to pick the second Group E ticket, but
Honduras can create some little headache for the unwary.
Group F will be difficult a bit, with Argentina holding the key to
Nigeria’s progress, while Iran should find things tougher than they
can keep up with.
Bosnia-Herzegovina will be a strong proposition for the others,
and look good to jostle with the South American giants for the
group’s top spot, which may be too bad for Nigeria.
Already dubbed “group of death’’, Group G will be another
interesting pack, with all four of Germany, Portugal, the U.S. and
Ghana looking good enough to advance to the next round.
But, Germany stand out as favourites to advance and also move
on to challenge for the title, with any one of the others good
enough to move to the second round.
Group H has Belgium, Algeria, Russia and South Korea, and the
form book will give the two tickets to the European sides.
But if inexperience does not stifle Algeria’s performance and
South Korea find their bearing early enough, then expect that a
surprise awaits either of Belgium and Russia.
However, it is not going to be all about team performance at this
World Cup, notable players have given indications they would use
the competition to raise their personal ratings.
Brazil has the likes of FC Barcelona’s Neymar, as well as Fred and
Thiago Silva, while Croatia have Mario Mandzukic and Real
Madrid’s Luka Modric to boast of.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Spain’s Andres Iniesta, Xavi Alonso
and Fernando Torres are also waiting in the wings, with Chile’s
Alexis Sanchez equally looking ready to shine.
Colombia’s Radamel Falcao has been injured much of the season
and now has the opportunity to live up to his name if injury
permits.
Georgios Samaras of Greece, as well as Luis Suarez and Edinson
Cavani of Uruguay are also other players the football world has
been waiting to see on the world stage.
Equally, Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure of Cote D’Ivoire need to
carry the hopes of their country on their shoulders effectively, so
as to remain the national heroes they are.
Karim Benzema will have to re-enact what he has been doing for
Real Madrid for France, while Sergio Aguerro has to also live up to
his billing.
Also, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard have a lot to prove with
Belgium, while Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Mesut Ozil
have to show they are worthy of their value.
But Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo perhaps have more to
prove than the rest, as they carry more of the burden of what
Argentina and Portugal will show in Brazil.
They may even have more than their team’s aspirations to worry
about, with the title of the world’s best player now at stake and up
for grabs between the two.
Whichever way the event goes by July 13, hosts Brazil and
defending champions Spain, as well as Messi and Ronaldo would
not have failed to catch the headlines.
They would have had the opportunity to either live up to
expectations or fail to raise their game and thus disappoint.
A lot of factors would have come into play in this regard, such as
luck and injuries in particular.
But, given what they have all promised in the past two years, there
is no doubt that Brazil 2014 will live up to expectations as a
tournament.

Blatter ready for new term as FIFA chief

SAO PAULO (AFP) – Sepp Blatter told the FIFA congress
Wednesday that he was ready to stand for a new term as the world
football body’s president, ignoring calls by European officials to
end his reign.“My mission is
not finished…I’m ready to accompany
you in the future,” said the 78-year-old, who had
previously promised to stand down at
the end of his
fourth term.

R*ped. Impregnated. Shot: 19-Year-Old Girl Has Baby For Boko Haram Commander!!!

After over two years in Boko Haram captivity, this
teenager fears her baby belongs to Nigeria’s most
wanted terrorist, Abubakar Shekau, who r***d her
and many other girls….
At 17, Aisha Usman (not real name) was abducted from
her village in Kodunga town, Borno state, by Boko
Haram insurgents who forced her to watch as her
parents were murdered.
During her 27-month-long captivity, she was r***d –
one of her rapists is the dreaded Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau. She escaped will a bullet in her leg
after the Nigerian Army attack their camp.
But she now has a baby which she fears is Shekau’s!
In an exclusive interview, Aisha told IQ4News’ Prince
Dickson that, during her captivity, she and many other
girls were r***d by top leaders of the Boko Haram sect
who visited the camp where they were being held.
Aisha was r***d by the notorious Shekau on one of
such visits.
“I may be carrying Abubakar Shekau’s baby”
“He is a softly spoken man – it is almost as if he
whispers, if you are meeting him for the first time, you
would never be scared of him.
“But I soon learned that after every whisper something
dangerous would happen somewhere in Nigeria,” she
said.
Many others like her have birthed babies for Nigeria’s
most wanted criminal.
“Abu has many kids from many different women,” she
added.
The teenager claimed that Shekau tried to turn her into
a terrorist.
“He once asked me if I was willing to fight for the
cause, to which I answered no, he told me I could be a
fighter and a domestic slave.”
But the terrorists found another way of using the
women, especially as bait and decoys before attacks.
“We acted as decoy when villages are ambushed.
“I’d be sent in to talk to people, then they’d move in
behind me and start killing.”
Against their will, the girls became part of a war they
are victims of.
“Some of us girls would also have to carry guns, and
often bombs too, there was this girl, she was forced to
carry a rocket-propelled grenade launcher on her
shoulder, then we had few men in that particular
camp.”
Back home, Meenah was given a cold welcome by her
only surviving guardia, an uncle.
“My uncle will not have me because he is ashamed of
my child whose paternity is not only questionable but is
dangerous if it is Shekau,” she says.
With almost 300 young Nigerian girls in the hands of
this same Shekau, it will not be wrong to say many
more Aishas are in the making.
Shekau has in one of his videos threatened to sell the
girls, while also claiming to have converted the
Christians among them to Islam.
There is therefore need for urgent action, especially on
the part of the government.

HOOPS! Rihanna Crowned World’s Most Desirable Woman 2014!

Rihanna has been proclaimed 2014′s World’s Most
Desirable Woman by Guys Choice Awards.
Given how hot, talented and successful the Bajan beauty
has become, it really doesn’t come as a surprise that the
sexy award went to her.
RiRi has achieved three solid covers of top fashion
magazine, Vogue and shows no mercy flaunting her
n***d body on the covers and pages of world class mags
and on social media sites too.
Hunger Games starlet Jennifer Lawrence was last year’s
winner!

OMG!!! Man Wins $10,000 For Making ‘Ugliest Face’ In The World

He is able to make a face the ugliest in the world and is
earning $10,000.Tang Shuquan of the city of Chengdu,
China, has worked at contorting his face in the most
horrible way possible.
He was rewarded for his years of hard work with a
$10,000 prize and medal of the Guinness World Record
for the most twisted face in the world.He challenged
any person in the world who can make an even uglier
face he will award $15,000.
Shuquan, which looks perfectly normal when not
turning his face upward, his jaw may protrude so high
that it covers the lips and bites his nose. The strange
face is called ‘gurning. “It’s not pretty.

BRAVO: 19-Year Old Nigerian Teenager Becomes Youngest UK Councillor

A 19-year old Nigerian teenager, Aisha Eniola who
resides in the United Kingdom has emerged the
youngest councillor in UK .
Taking after her father who was once a councillor,
Eniola who represents the Harlesden Ward, won the
residents of the ward over with her intelligence which
showed through during the pre-election debates.
She had the highest overall votes of 2,160 beating her
other counterparts who had 459 and 313, to emerge the
youngest councillor in UK.
The final year student of Mass Communication says she
hopes her victory will encourage other young people to
participate in politics.

Prophet T.B Joshua Proclaims Who Wins 2014 FIFA World Cup?

Prophet T.B Joshua has allegedly proclaimed the winner
of the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil in one of his
recent sermons at his Synagogue Church of God at
Ikotun, Lagos.
According to a fan who claimed to have heard the
prophet’s words, the man of God could have mentioned
an African country!
From a Facebook post earlier today, June 11, Chi Ade
Williams posted,
“T.B Joshua just said a country that begins in “C” and
ends in “N” is going to win the world cup.”
Going by that post and description, that country will be
CamerooN! It’s still unclear if the fan was joking or he
actually heard the Prophet say it himself.

President Jonathan rescues ailing Nollywood stars

Help has finally come the way of ailing Nollywood practitioners as
President Goodluck Jonathan makes funds available for their
treatment abroad.
Disclosing this
development to HVP,
President of the
Actors Guild of
Nigeria (AGN) Ms.
Ibinabo Fiberesima
said, all
arrangements have
been concluded to
fly the affected
practitioners abroad
for further treatment.
She named ailing
National President of
the Screen Writers
Guild of Nigeria (SWGN), Chike Bryan, Prince James Uche; and
Romanus Uchenna Amuta, popularly known as Natty in the now
rested TV drama, New Masquerade, as beneficiaries.
Bryan was diagnosed with kidney-related disease about a year
ago, while Prince James Uche has been battling diabetes and
hypertension that had left him almost bedridden for several years
now. Also, Natty who is one of the few surviving cast of the once
celebrated New Masquerade has been down with disability
resulting from stroke.
According to AGN president, Chike Bryan would be flown to India
immediately for kidney transplant. She presented cheque to him
last week in the company of some of the Guild’s heads and
practitioners. “Mr. President has released funds for the treatment
of ailing Nollywood practitioners including Chike Bryan, Prince
James Uche, Natty, and one Enugu-based actor who reportedly
underwent a surgical operation,” Ibinabo disclosed.
It would be recalled that last week, HVP reported how actress
Franca Brown lamented the indifferent attitude displayed by
Bryan’s relatives towards his health condition. Chike Bryan is a
celebrated script writer and president of SWGN.

Boko Haram opens fire on villagers in Chibok , kills five

Suspected Boko Haram sect have invaded two villages in Borno,
killing at least five people and carting away food items as well as
livestocks.
Residents said some armed men believed to be Boko Haram
stormed Tohya and Wurojene villages near Chibok, where over 200
schoolgirls were abducted almost two months ago. The attackers
opened fire on the villagers as soon as they arrived at about 7pm
on Monday, killing at least five people, a resident of Chibok who
did not want his name mentioned in print told our Correspondent
on phone..
“The attackers fired at the people and many residents fled into the
bush. There was confusion everywhere as the attackers set fire on
houses. They continue the attack for about two hours. They carted
away foodstuffs, bags of grains and chicken belonging to our poor
people,” he said.
The villages are about 14 kilometres away from Chibok, south of
Borno which has in recent time witness many attacks including
kidnapping by Boko Haram insurgents.
Our Correspondent gathered that residents of Tohya and Wurojene
are predominantly farmers who rely on their farm products for
feeding and economic survival. “Most of them slept in the bush
throughout the night and the insurgents left after the killing and
destruction without any resistance from the military troops around
the area,” another resident Mr. James Pona claimed.
A security source said based on reports from the residents of the
two communities, the insurgents were “very armed though not as
many as they usually move in previous attacks,” adding that the
troops around the area did not get alert in time.

World's oldest man dies in New York aged 111

The world's oldest man, a retired chemist and
parapsychologist, has died in New York City at the age of 111.
Alexander Imich died Sunday at his home in Manhattan,
according to his niece, Karen Bogen of Providence, Rhode
Island. She said she visited him a day earlier with her sister
and several of his close friends.
Imich attributed his longevity to good genetics, proper
nutrition and exercise and the fact that he and his wife, who
died in 1986, did not have children, said Bogen.
Michael Mannion, a longtime friend, said Imich's "enormous
curiosity and ability to turn even great adversity into
something positive were important factors in his long life.
These qualities were evident even in his last weeks and days
of life."
At the age of 93, Imich enrolled for three years at the IM
School of Healing Arts, a school that offers programs in self-
awareness and hands-on healing, "because he wanted to learn
more about love," said Mannion.
Imich detailed the work of a Polish medium known as
Matylda S in his book "Incredible Tales of the Paranormal,"
which was published in 1995 when he was 92.
Imich was born in 1903 in a town in Poland that was then
part of Russia. He and his wife fled after the Nazis invaded
in 1939. They moved to the United States in 1951.
He began requiring round-the-clock help only in the last few
months but declined markedly in the last two weeks, unable
to recognize those around him, Bogen said.
Guinness World Records awarded Imich the title of oldest
living man on 8 May. The group is investigating the claim
that 111-year-old Sakari Momoi of Japan is now the world's
oldest man.
The world's oldest person is a woman, 116-year-old Misao
Okawa of Japan.

Spain tries to calculate sex workers' contribution to GDP

Officials from Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) have
been calling on the national brothel-keepers' organisation in
an effort to assess the contribution that prostitution makes to
GDP.
The almost impossible task of calculating the money
generated by the oldest profession is being undertaken to
conform with a European edict demanding that member
states declare the percentage of GDP derived from illegal
activities such as the sex trade, drug and people trafficking
and contraband. Countries have until 2016 to comply.
Adding up the contributions made by illegal activities could
have benefits – increasing GDP has the effect of reducing the
public deficit as a ratio of output, so sex workers and drug
dealers may help member states to drop below the EU debt
ceiling of 3% of output.
José Roca, a spokesman for Anela, the association of clubs de
alterne (alternate clubs), as brothels are euphemistically
known in Spain, told El País newspaper that he thought it
was a prank when the INE phoned asking for financial data.
The statisticians wanted to know how many prostitutes were
needed for a club to be viable. The answer, according to Roca,
is 50. They also wanted to know the average charge per
service (€40-€70) and how many clients each sex worker saw
each day (four to eight).
The Office for National Statistics estimated last month that the
contribution made to national output by sex workers and the
illegal drug trade in the UK was £9.7bn, or 0.7% of GDP, in
2009, the latest year for which estimates are available. Sex
work generated £5.3bn for the economy that year, with the
remaining £4.4bn coming from cannabis, heroin, cocaine,
crack, ecstasy and amphetamines.
According to Eurostat, illegal activities such as prostitution
and drug trafficking, together with accounting changes
covering rather less gritty subjects such as pensions – could
add about 1% to the GDP of Poland and Romania, 1%-2% to
Spain and Italy, 3%-4% to the UK and as much as 5% to the
GDP of Finland and Sweden.
Inevitably, there are few reliable statistics. Most estimates put
the number of sex workers in Spain at 300,000 – five times as
many as are estimated to work in the UK – and, in a 2009
government survey, 39% of Spanish men said they had paid
for sex.
A police source estimated that, with an average of five clients
a day paying about €40 a service, that it worked out at €60m
a day. Assuming that the sex workers don't work seven days
a week and perhaps only half are working at any one time, it
could still add up to about €10bn a year.
"In reality it's impossible to calculate," Roca told the paper.
"There is no census of prostitutes, nor clubs, nor the number
or cost of services. You might as well pick a number."
Spain has long been Europe's port of entry for cocaine from
Latin America and hashish from Morocco. Last year the
police confiscated 21 tonnes of cocaine, 325 tonnes of hashish
and 229 kilos of heroin. As a rule of thumb, police estimate
that confiscated drugs represent 10%-15% of the total in
circulation.
According to Spain's interior ministry, drug dealing generates
close to €16m a day, or €5.7bn a year. Spain's GDP in the
first quarter of this year was around €256bn, so the drug
trade could account for about 0.5% of GDP, and prostitution
1%.
Estimated increases
Estimated increase in GDP due to new European Union
accounting methods, which will include contributions to
output generated by drugs, prostitution and other activities
from 2016:
0%-1% Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania
1%-2% Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain
2%-3% Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France
3%-4% Austria, Netherlands, UK
4%-5% Finland, Sweden
Source: Eurostat

Washington high school students hit back at Westboro anti-gay protester

From the moment high school principal Pete Cahall grabbed a
rainbow flag and marched through a crowd of cheering
students, it was clear that the attempt to deter his school
from hosting gay pride events was backfiring riotously.
Several hundred pupils from Woodrow Wilson high in north-
west Washington DC were joined by parents and students
from neighbouring schools on Monday in a spirited counter-
demonstration against a small group of pickets from
Westboro Baptist church in Kansas.
But it was Cahall's decision last week to come out and reveal
his own sexuality to students that catapulted the event from a
familiar clash with an extremist Christian group – notorious
for seeking to provoke attention – into a very personal and
unusually powerful moment of solidarity for the suburban
public school.
“I have hidden in the shadows, but I am liberated today to be
me, and let myself be me without fear, retaliation or
consequence,” Cahall told a Pride Day assembly on
Wednesday . “I feel safe and want all of my students and staff
to be and feel safe.”
And despite homophobic epithets on a dozen Westboro
placards around the corner, at least 10 times as many defiant
messages of inclusiveness greeted the headteacher as he
appeared again on Monday morning at the counter-protest.
Westboro Baptist church member from Kansas explains why
she is holding up offensive placards outside a DC high school
which hosted a gay pride event.
“I wonder if we can arrange for another hate group to come
in the fall because it's a really great community bonding
experience,” said history teacher Jonathan Shea.
Elias Benda, a 17-year-old in 11th grade, agreed: “It's a
unifying factor and a lot of people who wouldn't normally
rally on the side of gay rights have come together.”
Westboro first targeted Wilson – a diverse school in a city
with the nation's highest percentage of same sex couples –
when its students formed a Gay Straight Alliance club five
years ago.
But its picket caught the school by surprise and only led to a
small counter protest.
This time, student groups had warning and enlisted support
from DC mayor Vincent Gray and the two candidates to
succeed him: Democrat Muriel Bowser and openly-gay
independent politician David Catania.
Cahall has thanked both students and local politicians for
giving him confidence to speak openly about his sexuality and
backing the school's efforts to promote inclusion.
“The critical factor for me as the principal has been that I
have been inspired by my students,” he said in his speech at
Wednesday's event.
“To date, I have not made this declaration because I did not
want my kids to think of me differently or not respect me.
Those fears were obstacles in my mind because of the culture
of when and where I grew up.”
The small group of around 15 Westboro activists insisted they
would continue to target educational institutions around the
country despite the apparent unifying effect its presence has
had in Washington.
“High schools and colleges, particularly, are important
because these young minds don't have a hope in hell. They
are the lost generation,” said Rachel Hockenbarger of Topeka,
Kansas.
But she rejected criticism that the group's language and
message was inappropriate outside a school.
Rachel Hockenbarger of Westboro Baptist church says it
targets schools like this because "these young minds don't have a
hope in hell".
“Do I think it's offensive? I don't care if it's offensive,”
Hockenbarger told The Guardian. “There are no hate signs in
my hands. These signs have the word hate on them, but we
are talking about God's hate, we are not talking about human
emotion. God's hate means that if you don't repent of your
sins, you are going to hell.”
The two groups were kept apart by a heavy police presence
and both demonstrations passed peacefully, with staff
intervening to keep students largely out of sight of the
separate Westboro protest.
Big police presence outside Washington DC high school today
keeping small anti-gay picket from Westboro Baptist church away
from large and spirited student counter demonstration following a
gay pride event at the school.
"Five years ago the counter protest was very much a spur of
the moment thing," said Shea. "This time we knew they were
coming in advance, a student group started making the
counter protest a big facebook thing, and the administration
got involved to make sure it remained a calm event: uplifting
for the people who want it to be uplifting but also not one
that involves any violence."
Wilson's history teacher, with the school for 20 years, said
the Westboro protest had helped cement the school's values
publicly.
“We want to make sure we are here for everybody, and we
want to make sure that everyone feels love and support,"
added Shea. "That's one of the things I've loved about this
school for a long time but this just puts a very public face on
the fact that we really do embrace diversity.”

Las Vegas shooting couple 'equated law enforcement with fascism', police say

Police described a married Las Vegas couple who shot dead
two police officers and a bystander before killing themselves
as anti-government extremists " prepared for a lengthy gun
battle ".
"We believe they equated government and law enforcement
with fascism," assistant sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a press
conference on Monday.
Jerad and Amanda Miller, 31 and 22, were identified as
suspects in the Sunday shooting of Las Vegas police officers
Igor Soldo, 32, and Alyn Beck, 42.
A third victim, Joseph Wilcox, was shot dead inside a
Walmart store after confronting the couple.
The officers were shot point-blank while eating lunch at a
CiCi's Pizza restaurant, around 11.30am local time on
Sunday. Saldo was shot in the head, apparently ambushed,
police said. Beck attempted to fire at the suspects, who shot
him multiple times.
In CiCi's, police said, one of the Millers shouted, "This is a
revolution," and left a note referencing the phrase in the
restaurant. The Millers then pulled the officers' bodies onto
the ground, where they draped one of the officers' bodies in
Revolutionary war-era Gadsden flag. The yellow flag with a
coiled snake and the words "Don't tread on me" has been
widely adopted by the Tea Party.
The Millers left a swastika on one officer's body, police said.
Police said after the couple shot the officers, they took Soldo's
and Beck's handguns and ammunition and walked to a
nearby Walmart.
There, Jerad Miller fired a single shot and told everyone to
"get out". Police said Wilcox, armed with a concealed weapon,
approached the pair and was shot dead by Amanda Miller.
As police responded to, the pair exchanged gunfire with
officers and walked to the back of the store to establish a
tactical position. After she was shot, and the pair were
trapped, Amanda Miller apparently fired multiple shots at
her husband as he lay on the floor, then shot herself once in
the head.
Police found "hundreds of rounds of ammunition" in
backpacks carried by the Millers, recovered from the scene at
Walmart.
An investigation into the suspects' background led police to
the small Oak Tree Apartments complex, which was cordoned
off by metro police, Sunday evening. The pair appeared to be
living with a neighbor after unsanitary conditions forced
them out of their own apartment, police said.
The Sun reported the pair bragged to neighbors about their
gun collection and about spending time at the ranch of Cliven
Bundy – a Nevada man who waged an armed standoff with
federal authorities in spring, after land management staff
rounded up his cattle when he failed to pay grazing fees for
more than two decades .
Bundy's son Ammon Bundy told the Associated Press on
Monday that the couple had been kicked off the ranch. He
called the couple "very radical" and said they did not "align
themselves" with the protest's main issues.
"There’s no doubt that the suspects have some apparent
ideology that’s along the lines of militia and white
supremacist," said McMahill.
"They were handing out white-power propaganda and were
talking about doing the next Columbine," neighbour
[Brandon] Moore told the the Las Vegas Sun .
Jerad Miller left behind a trail of social media posts warning
of his apparent plan.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that the Millers
were involved in the Patriot movement. The groups, "engage
in groundless conspiracy theorising," distrust the so-called
"new world order," and hold extreme anti-government views,
according to the SPLC. Many encourage members to prepare
for a coming revolution and government violence.
The Las Vegas area FBI declined to comment, except to say:
"The FBI is working closely with Las Vegas Metropolitan
police department and our law enforcement partners to
determine the facts of this tragic incident. We will not
comment on specifics at this time."
Last week the US attorney general announced the
reconstitution of a domestic terrorism task force made up of
members of the FBI, US Attorney General's office and the
Justice Department. Jerad Miller referenced that
announcement on his Facebook page.
"It's a tragic day. It's a very, very difficult day, but we still
have a community to police, and we still have a community
to protect. We will be out there doing it with our heads held
high but an emptiness in our hearts," Gillespie said on
Sunday.
The Las Vegas police department has doubled the normal
number of officers on the street, from around 150 to between
300 and 350. Following the shootings, police are accepting
donations to a fallen officers fund. A vigil is being held at
6pm local time, near where the shooting occurred.
Officers Beck and Soldo both leave families behind. Beck
leaves behind a wife and six children. He was with the Las
Vegas metro police since August 2001, and was a patrol
officer in the city's northeast area.
Soldo leaves behind a wife and one child. Soldo was also in
the northeast patrol division, and had been a Las Vegas
metro officer since April 2006.

Obama administration considers transfer of more Guantánamo detainees

Even as controversy persists over the swap of five senior
Taliban leaders for army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the
Guardian has learned that the Obama administration is
considering the transfer of a new round of Guantánamo Bay
detainees.
In what would represent the first proposed transfers out of
Guantánamo since the May 31 announcement of the trade –
and, accordingly, a test of President Obama's commitment to
shuttering the detention center – the administration is set to
decide the fate of what is said to be a small number of
detainees, an internal debate that began months before it
faced an avalanche of congressional criticism around the
most recent Guantanamo release.
A final decision is not yet at hand, although the majority of
agencies involved in the discussions favor a transfer,
according to an administration official. The agencies normally
involved in such a discussion include the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Department, the
military's Joint Staff, the State Department and the Justice
Department.
There is apparently no consideration of releasing any of the
detainees outright. The detainees up for consideration during
this current round of deliberations are said to be few in
number and low-level in rank.
The Obama administration insists that it will reach a decision
on the detainees outside of any consideration of the Bergdahl
contretemps, but there is no timetable for arriving at a
decision, raising the prospect that the administration may
attempt to wait out the political firestorm.
Legislators of both parties have been incensed that the
Obama administration, ahead of trading Bergdahl for the five
Taliban leaders, did not provide Congress with the 30-day
notice legally required of any transfer from Guantanamo. A
Pew/USA Today poll released Monday found that a plurality
of 43% rejected the swap.
The White House has conceded violating the law but argues
that the exigencies of freeing the only US prisoner of the
Afghanistan war, including an apparent belief in the
deterioration of Bergdahl's health , justified the deal.
Both administration officials and congressional aides said that
legislators have rarely, if ever, raised objections to a
Guantanamo transfer during the classified notifications
process, despite the persistent public criticism around the
concept of closing the detention center.
But a staffer to the House Armed Services Committee said
that the lack of advance warning around the Taliban swap
has weakened the panel's trust in the Pentagon.
"When one of the laws we worked on together in a bipartisan
way that passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority is
just ignored, that trust is certainly eroded. That hangs over
things," said the staffer, who declined to speak for the record,
citing the official secrecy surrounding Guantanamo
notifications to the Hill.
Laura Pitter, a senior national-security counsel with Human
Rights Watch, urged the administration to go through with
the transfers.
"There is no doubt this administration has taken politics into
consideration when making decisions about Guantanamo in
the past. But so many military leaders and experts now agree
that keeping Guantanamo open hurts US national security, it
would foolish to allow politicization of this exchange to slow
Guantanamo’s closure down now," Pitter said.
Obama publicly recommitted to emptying the Guantanamo
detention facility last year after congressional restrictions –
led by Republicans but with substantial Democratic support –
denied him the fulfillment of a major campaign promise.
Since then, his administration has transferred 14 detainees,
including the so-called "Taliban Five," and set up a new
quasi-parole process called a Periodic Review Board that
permits detainees to argue for their release. Guantánamo still
holds 149 detainees, the vast majority of whom have not been
charged with a war crime.
Administration officials, sounding a note of defiance, reject
the idea that the Bergdahl furor will case them to slow-walk
pending Guantánamo transfers.
"The return of Sgt Bergdahl is not a factor in future detainee
transfers from Guantanamo, since transfers are dependent
upon, among other things, our receipt of the necessary,
verifiable security assurances from potential willing host-
nations and the recommendation of our own internal, inter-
agency review (eg the PRB)," said Lieutenant Colonel Todd
Breasseale, the Pentagon's spokesman on detentions.
"We remain committed to the responsible closure of the
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It remains
outrageously expensive and as the president has noted, exists
outside our best national security interests. However, until
we are permitted to close the facility – and to be sure, we are
making real progress on transferring those who are eligible –
we will continue to humanely safeguard all of the detainees
in our charge."
Even as the administration takes criticism for trading five of
the Guantanamo detainees presumed most dangerous, the
Bergdahl swap also opened it up for questions about why it
continues to hold relatively low-risk detainees. Fifty-six
Yemenis who remain at Guantánamo Bay, for instance, have
been deemed eligible for transfer.
"I think if there is any increased pressure to release detainees
it hasn’t come from this exchange specifically but rather from
the fact that this exchange has put a spotlight on true
desperation and despair of so many other detainees accused
of no wrongdoing and held without charge or trial for twelve
years now," said Pitter of Human Rights Watch.
Administration efforts to contain the controversy have not
worked thus far. A private briefing for Senators last week did
not defuse the debate. Several administration and intelligence
officials are scheduled to brief the Senate Armed Services
Committee in closed session on Tuesday ahead of Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel's testimony before the House armed
services committee on Wednesday.