Obama plans to shield up to 5 million immigrants from deportation: NY Times

U.S. President Barack Obama inspects the honour guards with China's President Xi Jinping (not pictured) during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 12, 2014.

CREDIT: REUTERS/JASON LEE

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to announce an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy through executive action that would shield up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

Such a move will set up a showdown with Republicans, who have blocked Democrats' efforts in Congress to reform immigration laws and warned the president not to take unilateral action on immigration.

The Times, citing unidentified administration officials with direct knowledge of the plan, said Obama's proposed overhaul may be announced as soon as next week. Officials said it would allow many parents of children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents to obtain work documents and stay in the United States.

The Times said Obama's plan will provide more opportunities for immigrants with high-tech skills and add security resources to the border with Mexico. Undocumented immigrants with family ties in the United States and no criminal record also would be considered lower priority for deportation than those with criminal records or who are considered security risks.

Republicans, who won control of Congress in Nov. 4 elections, have warned Obama not to take unilateral action on immigration.

Obama told congressional leaders last Friday he was committed to using executive powers to ease some restrictions on undocumented immigrants since Republicans in the House of Representatives had refused to advance immigration legislation.

Mitch McConnell, who will be Senate majority leader starting in January, said if Obama took unilateral action on immigration, it would be like "waving a red flag in front of a bull."

When the new Congress convenes in January, Republicans will have majorities in both chambers.

Horror 2-Year Old Gets Eaten By Pig In China The toddler crawled into the pig's pen where he was mauled and eaten by the animal.

(Europics)The sow which was protecting her newborn piglets, mauled and ate the toddler to death.

A 2-year-old, Wei Tsao in China has been killed and partially eaten by a pig after crawling into the animal's pen in eastern China's Jiangsu Province.

The toddler called Keke by his parents had been playing in the garden at his parents' house when they (the parents) went inside. It was at this moment that Keke crawled into the pig pen where the sow which was protecting her newborn piglets, mauled and ate him to death.

Hearing their child's screams, the parents rushed back outside to find the pig eating their son's head.

Other villagers came rushing to the scene where they grabbed the pig and tied it to a tree before killing it and cutting its stomach open. Inside they found fragments of Keke's skull and hair, which they showed to authorities to prove that the pig had killed him.

Sad End Twerking Queen Shot Dead In US Betty Butt, who was known for her twerking skills, was reportedly gunned down on Wednesday, November 12 inside her apartment building in Atlanta.

Betty Butt, the leader of Atlanta’s Twerk Team, is dead.

The YouTube sensation, who was known for her twerking skills, was reportedly gunned down on Wednesday, November 12 inside her apartment building in Atlanta.

Security officers report that Betty and her boyfriend were walking to her home when they were approached by three men who shot at them.

Betty was said to have died on the spot from a wound to the head while her boyfriend survived the attack.

The Twerk Team has confirmed the incident via Twitter saying:

“We love you and will miss you sis #RipBeTTyBuTT”

Investigations are still ongoing into the incident. May her soul rest in peace.

#Pulse.ng

I couldn’t pay my mother’s rent as minister –Ezekwesili

Obiageli Ezekwesili

A former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, said on Thursday that she could not afford to pay her mother’s rent while serving in government.

This came as she also disclosed that the#BringBackOurGirls campaign was an assignment from God.

Ezekwesili said these during a live interview at the ongoing national convention of the Foursquare Gospel Church, at the Foursquare Camp, Ajebo, Ogun State, on Thursday.

The former minister had been invited to speak to the congregation on the topic, “Integrity.”

She told the congregation that integrity comes with its cost, adding that she did not spend from her imprest accounts as minister of Solid Minerals, and later, Education.

“There were times I couldn’t pay my mother’s rent, not because I couldn’t make a choice and build her a mansion. When I was in government, we had to withdraw our three children from their school to Baptist Special School. I was (just) answering big titles. Some of you would have said, ‘They are eating our money’. May God save those who speak without knowledge! I am not saying this so that you can say I am holy, I have my shortcomings.

“Integrity will cost you a lot. Anyone who talks about integrity without the cost is preaching what I do not know about. Integrity can require a supreme cost from you. You will be persecuted for making the choice of integrity but make that choice nonetheless,’’ she said.

Ezekwesili, who was a former Vice President (Africa Region) of the World Bank, however, attributed her activism to God and family background.

“I had to ask God to help me identify scriptural verses and the heroes and heroines that made the right choices when it was required. My foundation was strong in the areas of values. My father would say to us, ‘A good name is better than gold and all the riches of the earth.’ Man is incapable of giving me anything God has not given to me,’’ she added.

Asked why she chose to be an advocate for the 219 schoolgirls kidnapped at the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in April, Ezekwesili said she could not afford to pretend ‘as if nothing happened’, adding that criticisms would not deter her from pressurising the Federal Government to rescue the girls.

“The 219 children of the poor remind me of my own poor background before I became a beneficiary of what God has done. God forbids that Oby Ezekwesili will be in this land and 219 girls, who went to get the same education that I got, were abducted and I will pretend as if nothing happened.

“It was clear in my mind that all kinds of things will be said, but I don’t do jobs; I only do assignments. God said to me that concerning these girls, I should be their voices. In February, 59 boys were slaughtered in their school and we all carried on as if nothing happened. You read my citation,’’ she said.

#THE PUNCH

We won’t sell fighter helicopters to Nigeria, US insists

The United States has defended its refusal to sell cobra helicopters to Nigeria, saying the Federal Government is free to buy fighter jets from any other country.

“Nigeria has purchased helicopters that originated in countries other than the US and nothing in our decision prevents Nigeria from obtaining weapons and equipment from other sources,” its State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said on Wednesday.

US State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki

| credits: www.abc.net.au

Psaki was responding to questions from journalists on the allegations by the   Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, that Washington declined to sell lethal arms to Nigeria.

Adefuye had also told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday that Washington was not doing enough to assist Nigeria in combating the Boko Haram insurgency in North-East zone of the country.

He said, “The U.S. government has up till today refused to grant Nigeria’s request to purchase lethal equipment that would have brought down the terrorists within a short time on the basis of the allegations that Nigeria’s defence forces have been violating human rights of Boko Haram suspects when captured or arrested.

“We find it difficult to understand how and why, in spite of the U.S. presence in Nigeria, with their sophisticated military technology, Boko Haram should be expanding and becoming more deadly.”

But Psaki said that the US refused to sell the helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about the ability of the military to use and maintain them.

The cobra is a combat aircraft with the ability to climb at the rate of 8.2metres per second. It is equipped with a 20 mm M197 3-barrelled Gatling cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret (750 rounds ammo capacity).

Psaki said there were ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations, adding that these had been discussed with the Nigerian authorities.

The State Department spokeswoman added, “Earlier this year, we denied the transfer of some cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about Nigeria’s ability to use and maintain this type of helicopter in its effort against Boko Haram and ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations. We shared those concerns with Nigeria before this decision and subsequent to it.

“We’ll continue to look for ways to deepen our cooperation with Nigeria to help it acquire the systems and skills needed to restore peace and security. But obviously, we’ve provided a great deal of assistance over the past several months.”

Psaki said Washington would not have raised concerns on human rights abuses by the Nigerian military “if we didn’t feel and others didn’t feel that they were warranted.”

She assured the Nigerian government that the US   was ready to help Nigeria train and improve the effectiveness of its military.

Urging the Federal Government to investigate allegations of abuses by the military, Psaki stated that the US valued its long standing relationship with Nigeria.

She said that Washington had been offering various forms of assistance to Nigeria, including sharing intelligence with its armed forces .

Psaki said, “Let me just lay out the facts of our assistance: Over the past six months, the United States has started sharing intelligence with Nigeria, began training a new army battalion and held numerous high-level discussions with Nigerian authorities on additional measures to best address the Boko Haram threat.

“We have also provided and approved sales of military equipment to its armed forces. These decisions are made, of course, after careful scrutiny to ensure they conform with the US law.”

Our correspondents could not get the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, to speak on the issue as calls to his mobile telephone did not connect.

Also, Olukolade did not respond to a text message sent to him.

When contacted, the Director, Communications Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ogbole Ahmedu-Ode, said, “I am in transit right now and I am hearing about this from you for the first time, I can’t comment on it. You may ask the Defence Headquarters.’’

Keshi: Congolese will be hostile

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has warned his squad to expect nothing less than a hostile Congo when the sides clash in 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying action this weekend.

Keshi is expecting nothing less than a full-blooded encounter, saying: “The Congolese can be hostile, we have experienced it several times but we don’t know how it is going to come on Saturday.

Head coach Stephen Keshi of Nigeria gestures during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group F match between Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina at Arena Pantanal on June 21, 2014 in Cuiaba, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Mason – FIFA/FIFA

“But we have been talking to the players because African football requires the African mentality.”

Keshi’s continued presence with Nigeria remains steeped in controversy, with the tactician not officially contracted as head coach following the expiration of his previous deal earlier this year.

He explained: “I have not had any meeting with NFF. I have had meeting with the minister, that’s all. The minister was the one that asked me to come. You all know that we don’t have contract, we are just doing what we can for our country. We also want our country to excel, that’s why we are here.

Also going by the sparkling performance of the players in camp and a strong case made by Super Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), leadership agreed that all 25 players who have been in camp in the last week travel for the duel against Congo this weekend and play South Africa next Wednesday.

An obviously happy Keshi, who spoke through his assistant,  Dan ‘the Bull’ Amokachi and team administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, announced that the team will also be led by NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, but will have such eminent person-alities as the Senate Committee Chairman on Sports, Sen Ibrahim Gumba and a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports, Hon Mudashiru Oyetu-nde on board the flight to Congo.

The chartered Discovery Airliner is expected to take approximately three hours to get to Congo Brazzaville. Keshi simply said at the end of the training session that the team worked hard enough and the result will show on Saturday. “Tell Nigerians to just pray for the team and believe that we can deliver”, he declared

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/keshi-congolese-will-hostile/#sthash.HSd48Qhz.dpuf

7-month pregnant woman dies after romp with lover

ONITSHA—The police in Anambra State are interrogating a man to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a seven-month pregnant woman during a marathon sex bout with him in Onitsha.

The man (names withheld), according to a police source, had allegedly taken the deceased to an undisclosed hotel in Onitsha, only for the hotel staff to discover that the woman was dead in the morning.

The incident, the source said, occurred on Tuesday when the man allegedly checked into the hotel with the heavily pregnant woman, only to find out in the morning that his partner could not wake up on Wednesday morning.

A resident’s account

Though the police in Onitsha Area Command refused to give details on the incident, a resident of the area said the suspect and the deceased were just love birds.

He said the suspect had lodged into the hotel room and invited the deceased through a phone call.

The source further faulted rumours that the woman died as a result of charms made by her husband, adding that it was possible that the woman died of exhaustion from the marathon sex romp.

He urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

At press time, nobody from the suspect or deceased’s family had been identified, as the corpse was deposited in an undisclosed mortuary in Onitsha by the police.

At the Inland Town Police Division, Onitsha, the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Cosmas Eze, refused to comment on the incident but referred Vanguard to the Area Commander, ACP Benjamin Wordu, for clarifications.

Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Uche Ezeh, said the command received the information concerning the incident, disclosing that the suspect had been arrested and case transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Awka, for further investigations.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/7-month-pregnant-woman-dies-romp-lover/#sthash.U8P0KVUO.dpuf

Ex-Assemblies of God Church leader faces prosecution for forgery

The former General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Paul Emeka, has been detained by the Police for certificate forgery and for parading himself as a professor of Theology.

Emeka who was interrogated by the Force Criminal Investigation Department,Abuja, on Wednesday, may be arraigned in court on Friday. If convicted, he may be jailed for between 10 and 21 years.

The cleric was recently sacked as the leader of the AGC, and was also ex-communicated from the ministry for allegedly dragging the name of the church in the mud by instituting legal suits and using law enforcement agencies to witch-hunt some of their leaders.

Our correspondent gathered that Emeka’s ordeal began when he was picked up by the  IG Monitoring Team based on complaints from the National University Commission, which confirmed that his professorship certificate was fake.

It was learnt that Emeka confessed to Police interrogators that he purchased the professorship certificate from one Prof. Okoro, who was deported from the United  States to Nigeria.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed the detention of the cleric and his planned arraignment in court for certificate forgery.

He said, “I am aware that Rev. Emeka is with us and he was interrogated on Wednesday by detectives for parading himself as a professor. He may be arraigned in court on Friday.”

Kim Kardashian "KimYe Marriage Is A Big Fraud" - Kris Jenner's Boyfriend Claims

Corey Gamble said, in an interview with popular entertainment blog SandraRose.com that Kanye is hardly ever at the Jenner home where Kim and North West live.

                                                      (AP)  KimYe's marriage fake? Kris Jenner's boy toy Corey Gamble says so

Kris Jenner's new boyfriend, Corey Gamblesays Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's marriage is simply for publicity stunt and he doesn't believe they really love each other.

Gamble – who just got introduced to the world by his cougar girlfriend few weeks back – said, in an interview with popular entertainment blogSandraRose.com that Kanye is hardly ever at the Jenner home where Kim and North Westlive.

"He's not really there. I don't know what kind of relationship they have going on, but he's not ever there" Gamble said, referring to Kanye. He also said that Kanye has another house in theLos Angeles area where he really stays. He also stated that he has spent the night over at the Jenner home which is why he could say that Kanye is hardly ever there with Kim and North.

Excerpts from the interview have been published by the New Pittsburgh Courier after the original transcript and article has been taken down from SandaRose.com for unknown reasons.

Gamble also went on to affirm that Kim and Kanye are only together to make public appearances since he hasn't observed them actually living together. He also said that he doesn't think that Kim wants to leave Kris and move out.

The said interview was also republished by eurweb.com, corroborating the same story. The report also said that Jenner was not happy about the blog's coverage of their relationship.

It is also in the same blog that Gamble admitted that he lied about his age and said that he was in his 40s because Jenner didn't want people to know that she is dating such a young man.

Jenner just turned 59 while Gamble is 33 years old, which is a whopping 26 year age gap

Liberia president says will not extend state of emergency over Ebola

MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Thursday she would not seek an extension to a state of emergency imposed in August over the outbreak of Ebola that has killed at least 2,836 people in the country.

The announcement in an address on state radio is a sign of progress in the fight against the disease, which has hit Liberia harder than Guinea or Sierra Leone, the two other countries at the centre of the worst outbreak on record.

Sirleaf's announcement effectively ends the state of emergency, though a night curfew remains in force.

Source~ Reuters

2Face Idibia Artiste Buries His Late Father (Photos) Award winning artiste buries his late father.

2Face Idibia Buries his late Father in grand style. 

Goodluck Jonathan: Nigeria's 'fortunate' leader

Lagos (AFP) - An incumbent president running for re-election who has lost parts of his country to Islamist rebels and whose administration has been hit by waves of massive corruption scandals arguably has reason to worry.

But Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who launched his re-election bid on Tuesday, has repeatedly defied expectations in his rise through the country's ruthless political world.

Many have described his ascent to power as accidental -- or simply a matter of luck.

The 56-year-old southern Christian, the first head of state from the oil-producing Niger Delta, was thrust into the presidency in 2010 following the death of his predecessor Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, a Muslim from the north.

The mild-mannered Jonathan is from a family of canoe makers who became a zoology professor before joining politics in 1998.

"I personally call him the accidental president. It was chance, good luck," said Adewale Maja-Pearce, a Lagos-based writer and contributing columnist for the International New York Times.

View gallery

"He was plucked from obscurity because he was considered pliable."

As for his distinctive name, his late father was quoted as saying that he "called him Goodluck because although life was hard for me when he was born, I had this feeling that this boy would bring me good luck".

- The right place at the right time -An unconfirmed report long circulated in local media that Jonathan, elected assistant senior prefect at his secondary school, grabbed the top post when the head prefect was expelled.

View gallery

Boko Haram control more than two dozen towns and villages in the northeast of the country (AFP Photo …

His rise in government was similarly fortuitous, becoming governor of his native Bayelsa state in 2005 after his predecessor was impeached over money-laundering charges in Britain.

The night he was nominated by his Peoples Democratic Party as Yar'Adua's running mate ahead of 2007 polls, most Nigerians had never heard of Jonathan.

A magazine once described the Nigerian leader as "hardly a man to set the pulse racing".

- Boko Haram, corruption -

Jonathan launched his re-election campaign with Boko Haram controlling more than two dozen towns and villages in the northeast and the day after a suspected member of the Islamist group massacred nearly 50 students in a suicide bombing during morning assembly.

View gallery

Nigerian soldiers patrol in the north of Borno state close to a Islamist extremist group Boko Haram  …

Analysts have said the five-year Boko Haram insurgency will likely hurt Jonathan politically in the northeast, an opposition stronghold, but doubt its electoral impact in the mostly Christian south where tribe and faith are often key factors in determining votes.

Earlier in his tenure, Jonathan won international praise for staffing his cabinet with accomplished technocrats, notably ex-World Bank vice-president Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is his finance minister.

But there have been countless accusations of major government graft, notably from ex-central bank governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who said the state oil company misused nearly $20 billion in public funds through 2012 and 2013.

And Jonathan has failed to connect Nigeria's masses with the nation's huge oil wealth.

Despite being Africa's top oil producer, most of the country's 170 million people live on less than $1.50 a day and only receive a paltry supply of electricity.

Fortune certainly seems to have favoured Jonathan as he grew older.

India police detain sterilisation surgeon after 13 women die

As reports emerge rusty instruments were used during mass sterilisation of women in Chhattisgarh state, doctor is held for questioning

A woman at the sterilisation camp in Bilaspur

Police have detained a doctor who performed mass sterilisation surgeries in central India that left 13 women dead and dozens ill in hospital, a senior officer said Thursday.

R.K Gupta was detained for questioning late Wednesday in Chhattisgarh state amid mounting anger over the surgeries conducted at a health camp on the weekend, police inspector general Pawan Deo told AFP.

The doctor operated in just five hours on 83 women who were paid 1,400 rupees (£15) under a government-run sterilisation scheme to reduce population growth.

"He has been taken into custody. He will be produced in the court in the afternoon today. He is likely to be arrested soon after," Deo said by phone from Bilaspur district.

Police were planning to seize equipment used during the surgeries, he said, amid fears that they were infected before the operations were carried out.

The victims had suffered vomiting and a dramatic fall in blood pressure after undergoing laparoscopic sterilisation, a process in which the fallopian tubes are blocked.

Sterilisation is one of the most popular methods of family planning in India, and many state governments organise mass camps where rural women can undergo the usually straightforward procedure.

Although the surgery is voluntary, rights groups say the target-driven nature of the programme has led to women being coerced into being sterilised, often in inadequate medical facilities.

Under pressure to meet targets, some local governments offer additional incentives such as cars and electrical goods.

Trader kills customer during price negotiation

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a trader, Mr. Lawrence Ikonne, for allegedly killing a buyer, Isa Yaya, because the deceased haggled over the price of a commodity.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident occurred at Ikonne’s residence on Afro Close, Afromedia Estate, Okokomaiko, Lagos.

Our correspondent learnt that Ikonne sold electronic appliances at the Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos.

It was learnt that the victim, 22-year-old Yaya, from northern Nigeria, had gone to Ikonne’s apartment to buy a fairly used air conditioner. Yaya, it was said, usually bought and re-sold condemned iron and electrical materials.

Our correspondent gathered that Ikonne, 26, from the Isiala-Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, had gone to Alaba market on the morning of Friday, October 10, where he first met Yaya.

Ikonne had also reportedly invited the deceased to his house to buy his second-hand air conditioner.

When they got to the house, it was said that the two of them went inside a room to bring out the commodity, and they started haggling over the price.

It was gathered that Yaya insisted on buying the air conditioner below N5, 000- a price which did not go down well with Ikonne.

As the haggling continued, a fight was said to have ensued between the two which turned violent during which Ikonne allegedly hit Yaya with a plank in the belly.

During interrogation, the suspect explained that he had asked Yaya to either pay N5, 000 or assist him to return the commodity to where they brought it from but Yaya had refused. Ikonne added that he felt insulted by this attitude.

He said, “I had not met the young man before. I met him that morning at the Alaba market, and asked him to buy one of my appliances: an air conditioner. He actually looked like a cart pusher. When we got home, we both went in to remove the product, and we brought it outside for negotiation.

“As we continued, he said he would pay less than N5, 000. I replied that he should assist me to return it to where we took it from, but he refused. In the process, we started fighting. He even asked me to pay him for helping me bring it out. I was mad, and I hit his belly with a plank.

“When I realised he had fainted, I tied him with a rope and dragged him into a corner. I also fled the house.”

Our correspondent gathered that it was one of Ikonne’s co-tenants who noticed Yaya’s corpse where he was tied up.

He then raised the alarm, and reported the case to the Okokomaiko police station. The policemen later came to arrest Ikonne.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said he would call our correspondent back on the matter. He, however, had yet to do so as of press time.

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that Ikonne had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, Yaba, and he would be charged to court soon.

#Punchng