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Mariah Carey twin pregnancy confirmed

According to Now, the rapper made the announcement on his radio show yesterday and revealed that the US President Barack Obama and his First Lady Michelle Obama were the first to know.
Backstage at a charity event in Washington over the weekend, the couple asked Carey about reports that she is expecting twins.

 
Cannon, 30, told listeners: "At this point she hadn't told anybody anything because doctors advised us to keep it ourselves until we get further along in the pregnancy.
"But because of the excitement, she was overwhelmed and she shared with the President and First Lady that we are having twins."The 40-year-old singer is due to give birth in spring.





Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

5:41 AM | Posted in , , , , | Read More »

Ricky Martin likes “smart, witty” men.

Ricky Martin likes “smart, witty” men.
The openly gay singer - who has two-year-old twin sons, Matteo and Valentino - is attracted to guys who have self-confidence without being arrogant and are open to new things.
He said: “I love witty. I love mental strength. Just being secure.

“With all the stuff I come with, you have to be someone who is sure of himself. That turns me on.
“Somebody who is very sure of themselves without being arrogant - smart, witty, has a career. Somebody who is very open-minded about things. That's what I love. Adventurous is the word.”
Since he became a father, Ricky insists he is more wary about romance than he used to be because he has to think about the impact any relationship would have on his kids.

He added to Attitude magazine: “I used to fall in love quickly. When you are young you are open to taking risks and not afraid of anything.
“Now my priorities are different. I have children and they are the most important thing in my life. OK, I'm in a relationship and I know how lucky I am.” - Bang Showbiz


Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

5:36 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

The Oil Sector: What Ghana can learn from Nigeria

First, I must say that this discussion is not merely academic, but an issue that must be critically examined if the Ghanaian polity and economy will be sustained.

1. AGRICULTURE: The agriculture sector in Nigeria was the main stay of the economy before oil was discovered- we had the great groundnut pyramids of Kano; palm oil was so much in the East and South-South that the area was called the oil river-we had cocoa, cassava, potatoes, and many other crops that yielded good returns in the export market. Even our rubber plantations were doing very well and rubber factories were yielding good returns. But when oil came, the agric sector was so disregarded that now it is still difficult for it to find its place and make meaningful contributions to the economy.

2. THE ENVIRONMENT: The adverse effects that come with the expropriation of oil is something that may not have been conclusively anticipated and effectively planned for by the government. The soils are eroded, the waters and air are polluted and peoples’ areas of livelihood (plus their health) have come under very intense attacks. Once oil is mined, the environment will deplete. The government of Ghana must pay serious attention to this and have a system in place which will address the issue

3. Nigeria is a country with very few of its population doing white collar jobs (just like Ghana), and majority of the country’s population having not had the privilege of classroom education, still rely on subsistent farming/fishing to sustain themselves and their families-The lack of attention to them due to the oil find is one of the chief reasons the country seems to be very eager to plunge in capital intensive projects instead of labour intensive projects. And where the people get the support necessary for subsistent agriculture, the environment is polluted-so they cannot achieve much.

4. THE LAND USE LAWS: Just like Ghana, lands in the country are held in custody by the chief executive of the country (and a few by the state and chiefs) as provided by the Land Use Act. This means that any land upon which oil is found automatically belongs to the state. The process of relocation, rehabilitation and compensation of the communities/families displaced is either slow or non-existent. The government must realise that beyond generating revenue for the state, if the people that make up the state are not effectively taken care of, anarchy is imminent-it is just a matter of time. See the Niger Delta.

5. THE CONSTIUTION: In the constitution of Nigeria there is a concept referred to as the “derivative principle”, which presupposes that the communities wherein oil are found, will enjoy a certain percentage of the proceeds of the oil revenue over and above the rest of the country-This is so that funds will be made available to repair and ultimately sustain the environments being degraded by oil expropriation; and so that people whose main stay of income have been perverted by virtue of the oil, can get other meaningful activities to engage in (especially classroom education). The implementation of the derivative principle has been a very big issue and has resulted in a lot of riots and killings. “Laws are useless when they are not applied in the right situations. They are mere paper prints when they are not implemented”. The government of Ghana must ensure that the legal regime that governs the oil sector is taken seriously and they should also make provisions for addressing situations that are not immediately anticipated.

6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

7. UNSCRUPLOUS AND SHARP PRACTICES: A legal regime which should take care of criminality in the oil sector must be seriously considered and addressed. One of the reasons why it looks like the impact of the oil boom in Nigeria is not felt is because the laws are so porous and the implementation is not taken seriously, so criminals are engaged in smuggling and brokerage. Smuggling is already an enigma in Ghana-this must be addressed.

I congratulate Ghana today, But I hope that the sign posts mentioned above would help the people of Ghana chat a destiny for themselves presently, and for posterity. It is interesting how whatever happens in Nigeria repeats in Ghana and vice versa. Nothing says it must happen in this case. Beware the lies of the West. Protect the Western Region. Long live the Republic of Ghana.


Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

5:29 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

Goodluck Jonathan gets boost to Nigeria election bid

A group of Nigeria's powerful governors have said they will back President Goodluck Jonathan for next year's elections - seen as a major boost to his campaign. Half of the 36 governors backed Mr Jonathan's bid to be selected as the ruling party's candidate.
Whoever wins the PDP nomination will be the favourite for the April 2011 poll.

Mr Jonathan, a southerner, is opposed by some in the PDP, who say the party should choose a northerner.
The PDP (People's Democratic Party) has a tradition of alternating power between north and south every two elections, meaning a northerner would normally stand in 2011.
Several northern powerbrokers have backed the campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, a northerner, to be the PDP candidate.
'Principle of incumbency'

At an emergency meeting in the capital, Abuja, 18 governors and two deputies said they would support Mr Jonathan in PDP primaries on 13 January 2011.
"Democratic systems all over the world recognise the principle of incumbency and continuity," said Ibrahim Shema, governor of the northern state of Katsina, reports the Reuters news agency

They did, however, say he should seek only one term.
The chairman of the governors' forum, Bukola Saraki, also later dissociated himself from their position, saying he would support a candidate from the north.
The PDP has 26 of Nigeria's 36 state governors and, in the party's structures, they wield considerable power.

In previous primaries, they have instructed delegates from their states how to vote.
So the BBC's Bashir Saad Abdullahi in Abuja says their announcement is a significant boost for Mr Jonathan.

But he says that if state delegates vote independently, rather than how governors tell them, Mr Abubakar could still secure the party's nomination.
Mr Jonathan became president in February after the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner.
He is the first president from Nigeria's southern, oil-producing Delta region.

Nigeria's recent elections have been tarnished by fraud and violence.
Mr Jonathan has promised to introduce electoral reforms, but correspondents say it will be difficult to implement radical changes before April.
The main opposition candidates are former anti-corruption campaigner Nuhu Ribadu and Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

5:26 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

Wikileaks' Julian Assange says the US fears losing face

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has said the United States is conducting an "aggressive" and "illegal" investigation into him and his site.

Mr Assange is free on bail while awaiting extradition proceedings to Sweden over sex allegations.
The 39-year-old said: "A lot of face has been lost by some people and some people have careers to make by pursuing a famous case."

Mr Assange denies the Swedish allegations, made by two women.
He is living in the house of supporter Vaughan Smith, near Bungay in Suffolk.
Mr Assange said he suspected an espionage indictment was being prepared in the US and he condemned the secrecy which surrounded his case.

The Australian added that Wikileaks is a "robust" organisation which will continue to publish information. He said it had so far published only 2,000 out of the 250,000 cables.

He said: "During my time in solitary confinement in the basement of a Victorian prison, my colleagues were publishing material" He highlighted allegations published on Friday about India torturing people in Kashmir.
'Continuing vendetta'

Ata hearing at the High Court in London on Thursday, Mr Justice Ouseley ordered Mr Assange be bailed on payment of £240,000 in cash and sureties.

The judge imposed strict bail conditions including wearing an electronic tag, reporting to police every day and observing a curfew.

Mr Assange must also reside at the manor home on the Norfolk-Suffolk border owned by Mr Smith, a Wikileaks-supporting journalist and owner of the Frontline Club in London.
Mr Assange's solicitor Mark Stephens said after the court appearance that the bail appeal was part of a "continuing vendetta by the Swedes".
Speaking to the BBC after his release, Mr Assange said there was a rumour from his lawyers in the US that there had been an indictment made against him there.
A spokeswoman from the US Department of Justice would only confirm there was "an ongoing investigation into the Wikileaks matter".
Mr Assange has received the backing of a number of high-profile supporters, including human rights campaigners Jemima Khan and Bianca Jagger and film director Ken Loach.
Sex allegations
Wikileaks has published hundreds of sensitive American diplomatic cables, details of which have appeared in the Guardian in the UK and several other newspapers around the world.
He has been criticised in the US, where former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said he should be hunted down like the al-Qaeda leadership.

Mr Assange argues the allegations against him are politically motivated and designed to take attention away from the material appearing on Wikileaks.
He is accused of having unprotected sex with a woman, identified only as Miss A, when she insisted he use a condom.

Mr Assange is also accused of having unprotected sex with another woman, Miss W, while she was asleep.
A full extradition hearing should normally take place within 21 days of the arrest. Mr Assange was arrested on 7 December, so this should be by 28 December.

However, in such a high-profile case, it is possible that a full extradition hearing will not take place for several months.

At that hearing Mr Assange will be able to challenge the warrant and raise any defences to the extradition request.

Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

5:21 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

26-year-old billionaire founder of Facebook, named TIME person of the year

TIME magazine has named Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old billionaire founder of Facebook, its Person of the Year.

"In less than seven years, Zuckerberg wired together a twelfth of humanity in a single network... It's a permanent fact of our global social reality. We have entered the Facebook age, and Mark Zuckerberg is the man who brought us here," TIME

Since the distinction began in 1927, the magazine chooses the person every year who "has done the most to change the news, for better or worse." It has also selected groups of people, devices, and famously, even You... representing a new population contributing content online.

Runners-up this year included the Tea Party, Julian Assange, Hamid Karzai and the 33 Chilean Miners.
Our question to you today: Is Mark Zuckerberg a good choice for TIME's Person of the Year?


Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

6:43 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

Wikileaks.org reappeared in the US of A, after American outfit Dynadot picked up the site's DNS service.

Wikileaks.org has reappeared in the US of A, after American outfit Dynadot picked up the site's DNS service.

On December 3, WikiLeaks' primary URL vanished after its previous DNS provider, the US-based EveryDNS, terminated its service. According to EveryDNS, it booted WikiLeaks due to the heavy DDoS attacks that hit the site after Julian Assange and crew released their initial trove of classified state department cables.
EveryDNS acted just after Amazon.com took down the WikiLeaks server mirrors running on its AWS hosting service. According to Amazon, it booted WikiLeaks because the site violated its terms of service. "It’s clear that WikiLeaks doesn’t own or otherwise control all the rights to this classified content," the company said.

"Further, it is not credible that the extraordinary volume of 250,000 classified documents that WikiLeaks is publishing could have been carefully redacted in such a way as to ensure that they weren’t putting innocent people in jeopardy."

Following the moves by Amazon and EveryDNS, several other American outfits severed ties with WikiLeaks, including MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal. PayPal says it acted after an intervention from the US government.

According to NetCraft, WikiLeaks.org has been up and running in the US since Friday. It's using the San Jose, California-based outfit Silicon Valley Web Hosting to mirror its servers, and it has moved DNS service to Dynadot. Speaking with The Reg, Dynadot president Todd Han declined to discuss the WikiLeaks account in detail, but he acknowledged that site is using both Dynadot's DNS service and its domain name registration service. Previously, WikiLeaks was only using the domain name service.

It appears that the US server mirror is not actually serving content. The mirror simply redirects to servers hosted by Russian-based provider Heihachi Ltd, according to NetCraft records.
After Amazon booted WikiLeaks, US Senator Joe Lieberman – who chairs the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs – praised the decision. “The company’s decision to cut off WikiLeaks now is the right decision and should set the standard for other companies WikiLeaks is using to distribute its illegally seized material. I call on any other company or organization that is hosting WikiLeaks to immediately terminate its relationship with them," Lieberman said in a statement.

"WikiLeaks’ illegal, outrageous, and reckless acts have compromised our national security and put lives at risk around the world. No responsible company — whether American or foreign — should assist WikiLeaks in its efforts to disseminate these stolen materials. I will be asking Amazon about the extent of its relationship with WikiLeaks and what it and other web service providers will do in the future to ensure that their services are not used to distribute stolen, classified information."

After EveryDNS removed Wikileaks.org from its service, Assange and crew moved to other country-level domains, including Swtzerland (wikileaks.ch), Austria (wikileaks.at), and the Cocos Island (wikileaks.cc). ®

Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

6:35 AM | Posted in , , | Read More »

Berkeley tables resolution to call suspected WikiLeaks soldier 'hero'

The Berkeley, California, City Council tabled a resolution Tuesday night that would have declared jailed Army Pfc. Bradley Manning a hero.

Manning is accused of releasing documents to WikiLeaks, a website known for leaking official secrets. Manning is currently awaiting trial on charges of illegally downloading classified material and providing video of a 2007 helicopter attack in Iraq to WikiLeaks.

The vote was 8-0, with one abstention, said Mary Kay Clunies-Ross, spokeswoman for Berkeley's city manager's office.
Mayor Tom Bates said the council didn't have enough information to determine whether Manning is "a hero or traitor."

"We don't even know if he (leaked the files)," Bates said. "We're interested in not trying to make that determination. We are willing to watch it and to consider it in the future, and if we feel it's appropriate to us to make some statement, we'll bring it back to our council."

Bates said those present at the city council meeting had a "great discussion" about topics such as internet privacy, international security and national security.
"We had an hour of discussion where we heard from the public and we heard every conceivable issue related to Pfc. Bradley Manning," Bates said. "We heard everything from he was a hero to a traitor and everything in between."
Bates said the motion was brought to the council by the Peace and Justice Commission, a group of volunteers that includes council members' appointees.

"A lot of people were upset that it wasn't a very well thought out," Bates said. "There was some feeling among us at the city council of not wanting to add credence to that."

In response to critics of the city council even holding the vote, Bates said, "They said the same thing when we wanted to have gay rights and civil rights. We're one of the places in the world where ideas percolate. We're OK with our role. We think we did the right thing in this case, which is basically raise the issues."



Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

6:32 AM | Posted in , , | Read More »

WikiLeaks, the law, and an unlikeable leader

Exploring the prospects of a prosecution of WikiLeaks and its leader, Julian Assange, under the Espionage Act of 1917 and other laws. Thank you to the readers who suggested questions for the panelists, who were: Abbe D. Lowell, the noted defense attorney; Paul Rosenzweig, a former policy official at the Department of Homeland Security; and Prof. Stephen I. Vladeck at American University.

The traditional way to handle this sort of thing is to write a story, a summary, but there are so many issues in play that I thought this was one where it's best to have you hear directly from specialists in the field. We have three distinguished participants, and there's a great deal of subtlety in their answers. Selecting a couple of quotes, or a tally of their "votes" on an issue, wouldn't depict that complexity.

The discussion roamed from WikiLeaks itself to the First Amendment implications of such a case, to the weaknesses of a prosecution and a defense, to the changes needed in the Espionage Act and other laws.
It's not the most important legal point, but it's notable that the three panelists all offered similar answers to the question, what is a weakness for the defense. The answer: the defendant. His statements and demeanor will hurt him with a judge and jury.

6:30 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

Tax deal passes Senate test vote

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a speech yesterday that the tax compromise was an essential first step toward addressing the nation’s deficit, by “cutting off the spigot” of tax income to the federal government to force Congress to make spending cuts.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bloc of senators easily propelled President Obama’s tax cut compromise over a key procedural hurdle yesterday, clearing the way for a final Senate vote as early as today, and setting the stage for a potential showdown later this week among divided Democrats in the House.

A looming Jan. 1 deadline — when Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire, raising taxes for most Americans — brought Democrats and Republicans together in the Senate to advance Obama’s compromise over the objection of liberals. The lopsided vote of 83 to 15 easily cleared a 60-vote threshold to prevent a filibuster and generated momentum for the Obama-GOP alliance on the contentious issue.
The agreement would extend the tax cuts at all income levels for two years, though most Democrats, including the president, had wanted the cuts to extend only to families with incomes less than $250,000 a year.
“I just can’t see adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit to give some multimillionaires a tax break, and that’s all there is to it,’’ said Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who joined a group of liberal senators and a smattering of conservative Republicans in voting no.
But the Senate’s minority leader, Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said in a floor speech that the compromise was an essential first step toward addressing the nation’s deficit, by “cutting off the spigot’’ of tax income to the federal government to force Congress to make spending cuts.
In the House, debate is expected not only on the income tax, but on the estate tax. The current estate tax is zero, but it is due to be reset Jan. 1 at 10-year-old levels that members of both parties say are too high.
The president’s deal calls for a 35 percent tax on the value of an estate above $5 million — terms some Democrats in both chambers say is too generous to the wealthy.
“The estate tax is way too rich,’’ said Senator Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who supported the overall deal on yesterday’s procedural vote. Conrad said he will try to amend the package before it is passed.
Many Democrats prefer setting the estate tax at 2009 levels: a 45 percent tax on value above $3.5 million.
“There’s much consternation in the House about the estate tax,’’ majority leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said yesterday, suggesting the House could try to amend that if Conrad’s attempt fails.
The White House has warned there is little room for changes. Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama, said yesterday that his party would not accept a significantly different bill.
“I would think that what we agreed on will probably prevail,’’ he said in an interview. He noted that “the size of the vote, the showing of a lot of bipartisanship over here,’’ should create momentum that will make it hard for the House to resist.

Several political analysts agreed. “Considering all the criticism this package got from the right and the left, this vote is remarkable,’’ said a University of Virginia political analyst, Larry Sabato.

The wide margin is a blow to opponents of the deal, he said, adding, “it’s hard to see now how this is stopped.’’
Some of the angry rhetoric from liberal Democrats against the package has dissipated. Last week, Democrats, including several from Massachusetts, had bitterly denounced the deal, and the House Democratic caucus objected in a nonbinding voice vote.
Yesterday, Hoyer spoke of compromise: “You know, my experience in life, I haven’t gotten everything I wanted. That’s life. That’s the way we work with one another.
“I think we’ll pass a bill,’’ Hoyer said in a speech before the National Press Club. “As opposed to simply not passing anything.’’
Still, Massachusetts House members had not warmed to it by yesterday, despite the overwhelming support in the Senate.
“I just don’t get borrowing $855 billion from the Chinese to help families making more than $250,000,’’ said Representative Stephen Lynch, a South Boston Democrat.
The deal, negotiated by the president and congressional Republicans, also extends for 13 months an expiring program to provide federal unemployment benefits to those who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits. The compromise would also create or continue a variety of tax breaks for individuals and businesses, including the establishment of a cut of 2 percentage points in the payroll tax and an extension of alternative energy credits that were part of the federal stimulus bill.
Lawrence Summers, in his last speech as head of President Obama’s National Economic Council, said the tax cut plan “averts what could have been a serious collapse in purchasing power.’’ He also said it delivers more in stimulus spending than most Democrats had thought politically possible.
Both Bay State senators supported the compromise. Democratic Senator John Kerry said it was hard to accept the tax cuts for the wealthy, but that was the price for extending unemployment benefits and preventing a tax increase on the middle class.
“Is it the deal I wanted? No,’’ Kerry said in a statement. “But the reality is we don’t have 60 senators who oppose the Bush tax policies the way I do, and the way Barack Obama and Joe Biden do, and this compromise provides many critical benefits for middle class folks that we’ve been fighting for and haven’t been able to win any other way.’’
Republican Senator Scott Brown said in a statement that the deal “is good for American families, for small businesses, and for individuals in Massachusetts and across the country.’’
Obama, who has weathered heavy criticism from liberals who complain he gave up too much in the deal, said yesterday that the Senate vote “proves that both parties can in fact work together to grow our economy and look out for the American people.’’ He urged the House to act quickly.
Representative James McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who continues to oppose the deal, acknowledged that a number of House Democrats support the current package, and with Republican support there may be enough votes to pass it.
Jeffrey Berry, a Tufts University political science professor, agreed.
“House Democrats need some symbolic compromise to make the medicine go down easier,’’ he said, “but this will pass because Democrats can’t afford to hold it up’’ and be blamed for higher middle-class taxes.

Thank You for being our dear reader always despite many choices out there. Many thanks from Darey P.N.G (Chief Editor)eNews Nigeria.

2:40 AM | Posted in , , , | Read More »

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