Friday 27 July 2012

SELENA STAR, LUPE ONTIVERIOS DIES

Veteran actress Lupe Ontiveros (LOO-pay ahn-tee- VEHR-oos), best known for her role in the movie "Selena," has died. Close friend Rick Najera says the actress who also appeared in dozens of films and TV shows over her 35- year-career died Thursday night of cancer. She was 69. Najera said she was surrounded by family and friends, including actors Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos, when she died at a hospital in Whittier, Calif., a suburb southeast of Los Angeles Ontiveros played Yolanda Saldivar in "Selena." Her other credits include "As Good As It Gets," ''Real Women Have Curves," ''The Goonies," and "Chuck & Buck." The actress, born Guadalupe Moreno in Texas, once estimated she had played a maid more than 300 times.

LONDON 2012: SEVEN THINGS AT THE OPENING CEREMONY

1. Hail Britannia! The Opening Ceremony is heavy on real-life Britain. Nods to the industrial revolution, nursing and other stages of British history are supposedly included. If there's not an inflatable representation of fish and chips, it would be a minor upset. 2. #savethesurprise to #fallbythewayside -- Danny Boyle's ambitious anti-spoiler social media plan has worked wonders during two dress rehearsals this week. A quick search on Twitter reveals that attendees, with the proper motivation, are just as invested in keeping a secret as they are in revealing one. Unless you really search for them, spoilers have been hard to find on the Internet. That's all well and good for the UK and other parts of the world, who will see the Ceremony live, but here in the States, we won't be so lucky. By the time NBC shows the tape-delayed torch lighting around 11:30 p.m. ET on Friday, the actual event will be five hours old, long enough for anyone who wants to know how it ends to find out. [ Photos: Opening Ceremony blunders ] 3. James Bond and the Queen -- It's hardly a spoiler that James Bond (Daniel Craig) will appear in a short film shot at Buckingham Palace. That was heavily reported months ago. Still up in the air: A rumored appearance in the movie by Queen Elizabeth II. She was a revelation in "The Naked Gun." Boyle discussed the possible appearance on " Today" with Meredith Viera. "The entry of the head of state in our case, which is the queen, is a key part of the show," he said. "So yes, we had a meeting with her about that." 4. Watching from home will feel different -- Boyle, again: "The way you experience it on television, will feel, I hope, much more immediate and visceral than you normally get. And there'll be more close-ups, for instance, which is a way of conveying emotion." 5. Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and Voldemort walk into an Olympics -- Some of the most memorable characters in modern British literature will appear in the Ceremony. Old ones will too: A Shakespeare line from "The Tempest" is expected to begin the festivities. [ Related: Why Michael Phelps is skipping opening ceremony ] 6. Paul McCartney -- Even though nobody has officially confirmed his participation, Boyle did all but hum the opening strains of "Yesterday" in that "Today" interview. The most obvious way to use McCartney: A mass sing-along to "Hey Jude" to close the Ceremony. Boyle throws curveballs though, so maybe it'll be "I've Just Seen A Face" to open. As long as their no hologram John Lennon, this will be lovely. 7. A surprise torch lighting -- Fourth- Place Medal has been saying all along that Roger Bannister, the man who broke the four-minute mile, is the best choice to light the torch. No offense to David Beckham or anyone else who was ridiculously rumored to be in line for the honor, but they're accomplishments pale in comparison to the man responsible for the most legendary athletic achievement of the 20th century. Starting Thursday morning, there was a big push for Bannister wagers at London sportsbooks. His odds, 33/1 one month ago, fell to 1/1 before most bookies shut down the market. Could it be a ruse? Maybe Bannister is the second-to-last torchbearer and he passes it along to a group of diverse British citizens. That would keep in line with Boyle's egalitarian spectacle, right?

LONDON 2012: MEET YOUR OLYMPIADS

Perhaps the biggest of them is the success of the country’s male basketball team, D’Tigers in securing a first-ever Olympic place. Basketball will be the only team event that Nigeria will take part in during the Games of the XXX Olympiad. In this article, Goal.com gives a profile of five of the main Nigerian challengers for Olympic medals this summer. JONATHAN AKINYEMI (CANOEING) Yes, I know many people said – canoe-what? If you didn’t know, now you do. Nigeria will present her first- ever athlete for the K1 men’s slalom during this summer’s games so don’t you go changing the channel when the event comes up. You just might miss Jonathan Akinyemi, the non-Ijaw man who has mastered the temperament of white waters. Akinyemi won Africa’s sole slalom ticket in South Africa in February by defeating Togolese Benjamin Boukpeti, who won a bronze medal in the Beijing 2008 games. So now you know that Akinyemi is the stuff of legends. The 23 year-old, who was born in the United Kingdom, funded his way through most of qualifying but is now a proud member of Team Nigeria and a veritable medal hopeful. He has said that he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night only to realise that he has qualified to participate in the Olympics and he laughs out loud. CHIKA CHUKWUMERIJE (MEN'S TAEKWONDO) Be-spectacled Chika Chukwumerije will go into his third Olympic tournament with the sole aim of claiming a gold medal in the men’s +80kg Taekwondo event. Having won bronze at Beijing 2008, Chukwumerije will surely be expecting to achieve a higher feat with his remarkable ability to compete on the biggest stage. The 28 year-old has been consistently inching his way up the martial arts ladder and will be a veritable medal hope for Team Nigeria as the games start. Chukwumerije has a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. His father is a senator in the National Assembly. D'TIGERS (MEN'S BASKETBALL) When the basketball team of Nigeria qualified for the London 2012 games seemingly out of the blues, it was an acknowledgement that the game was finally getting its due. No one at home gave them a chance but the team proved that it was worth its Olympic ticket by defeating world top 5 countries Greece and Lithuania in the qualifying tournament in Venezuela. At last, Nigeria’s big men will have the opportunity of strutting their stuff on the biggest stage of all. Do not be surprised if they come out with a medal against all odds, these guys have bonded together and they know what it means to win now. Just like the frenzy was on Twitter when they picked the ticket against the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago, names like Tony Skinn, the Al-Farouk brothers – Alade and Aminu, Derrick Obasohan, Ade Dagunduro, Ike Diogu and Olumide Oyedeji would become the new Nigerian youth role models. It is a jolly good time it is to be a basketball fan. Expect big games against America's NBA stars, Argentina, Tunisia, France and Lithuania. BLESSING OKAGBARE (WOMEN'S 100M, LONG JUMP, 4X100M RELAY) Nigeria’s golden girl, Blessing Okagbare is hitting peak form at the right moment. Okagbare is Team Nigeria flag bearer for the opening ceremony and the only track athlete to have won an individual medal from the Beijing 2008 games where she jumped to a bronze medal. Okagbare has come a long way since her Beijing performance as she has taken her game to a whole new level becoming an important role model to female athletes just like Mary Onyali was in her prime. This season, Okagbare has won back to back Diamond League meetings where she defeated Olympic and World champions Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and America’s Carmelita Jeter with her best of 11.01s. If she keeps up this form, the darling of the corporate world would definitely make a podium finish in the 100m. She will also hope to improve on her long jump where she has gotten a 6.96m lift this season, better than her bronze-winning 6.91m effort. Okagbare will also be part of the women’s 4X100m relay alongside Damola Osayomi, Gloria Asumnu, Lawreta Ozoh and Christy Udoh. TOSIN OKE (MEN'S TRIPLE JUMP) At first Tosin Oke competed for Great Britain where he was born 31 years ago. However, in 2008 he switched back allegiance to Nigeria after he was dropped from the British team that participated at the World Championships in Osaka in 2007. Oke has since gone on to establish himself as a world class athlete by dominating the African space. In 2010, Oke won gold medals at the African Championships in Kenya and the Commonwealth Games in India. Last year he won gold at the All Africa Games in Mozambique and just a few weeks ago he retained his African Championship title in Porto Novo with a jump of 16.98m. he will be up against Christian Taylor of the United States who has the world leading jump of 17.63m and homeboy Phillips Idowu.

MEET YOUR OLYMPIADS

Tuesday 10 July 2012

FOOTBALL GOSSIP ROUND-UP

According to the Daily Mail, Roman Abramovich has now "grabbed" the 20-year-old Brazilian midfield sprite Oscar from Internacional. Oscar, who will cost £25m, is described as "a wonderkid", if only because pretty much all kids in Brazil are wonderkids, where failure to attain wonderkid status by at least the age of 17 is often seen as a source of shame among Brazil's current 30 million- strong wonderkid population, many of whom can be seen thronging the streets of Brazil's main cities performing endless skinny-legged showboating keepie-uppies in the main shopping boulevards, occasionally being moved on by special squads of police officers. Oscar scored a hat-trick in the Under-20 World Cup final and has been "watched" by Real Madrid and Barcelona. He plays in the "false wonderkid" position, behind the false nine, close to the false 10 and false 11, and no doubt spends a lot of his time jinking about looking swankily potent in confusing positions that don't correspond to simple Anglo-Saxon terms like "centre-forward" and "right winger". Chelsea are also after Porto's Hulk. Also in the Mail, Manchester United still want to spend £30m on the 19-year-old midfield wonderkid Lucas Moura of São Paolo. "When I go on the internet I see Inter, Real Madrid and I don't know who else, wanting to come for me with a truck load of money," Moura said on Monday, believing everything he reads in hastily cobbled internet football rumour sites. West Ham are all set to sign the Sochaux striker Modibo Maïga for £4.5m as part of a sensational triple-swoop also involving Porto's Abdoulaye Ba and, for reasons that remain unclear, superannuated defensive flutterer William Gallas. Sunderland have been told they will have to pay Wolves £15m if they want Steven Fletcher, who scored 22 goals in two seasons in a team that was relegated, and who is apparently still only 25 despite managing to cultivate the ravaged and soulfully lived-in appearance of a taciturn middle-aged divorcee ex- boyband member with a story to tell. Also in the Mail, Arsène Wenger has decided the root of Arsenal's problems is the basic lack of skinny-legged French teenagers. Luckily help is at hand: the Caen striker M'baye Niang, 17, is currently on trial at the Emirates. According to the Daily Mirror Real Madrid are after Liverpool defensive doodle Daniel Agger , who is described as "a shock target", which seems a little harsh. And Manchester City goal-lamppost Edin Dzeko could be on his way to Milan for £20m. Bayern Munich are also keen. In the Sun City are continuing to gyrate seductively in front of Robin van Persie, whirling their hair extensions wildly while rotating their hot-panted hind quarters at high speeds and promising vaguely to sell Emmanuel Adebayor to Tottenham for £5m in order to seal the deal. Spurs will pay Adebayor something close to £170,000 a week. Van Persie is little more likely to join City in the absence of the head- stamping hitman, with whom he is currently no-speaks. The Roma goal-hanger Fabio Borini is "back on Brendan Rodger's radar". Borini had disappeared from the Rodgers radar after signing for Roma from Parma, but is now once again beeping and flashing despite signing a four-year contract two weeks ago. No. The Mill doesn't get it either. Rodgers is also in a smouldering funk over Fulham's goal-strike kicker Clint Dempsey, who could be on his way for an incredible £17m. José Mourinho has taken a series of flattering photographs of Ricardo Carvalho, painted his wheels black, sprayed him with air freshener and is currently revving him up outside White Hart Lane in the hope of convincing André Villas-Boas he'll make a good part exchange for Luka Modric. No don't worry about that knocking noise, it's nothing. Carvalho, 43, was at Porto with Villas-boas. Spurs want £35m and – apparently – a very old defender who will play three games, get injured, sit behind the goalkeeping coach on the bench looking glazed for eight months and then go and play with Nicolas Anelka in China. Arsenal and Chelsea are "hovering" after Steven Nzonzi failed to turn up at Blackburn's training camp in Austria. Both clubs also hovered a bit last season. Nzonzi would cost £5m. Arsène Wenger, when he's not levitating outside a Cul de Sac of new-build executive homes, the folds of his quilted blue sports coat flapping as he barks Nzonzi-friendly platitudes through a megaphone, is also "tracking" the 21-year-old Egyptian left-back Milo. Milo plays for Haras El Hodood and is also wanted by Lyon, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon. Meanwhile Stoke are after the Houston Dynamos defender Geoff Cameron. "Personal terms are unlikely to be a problem with Cameron as he is on less than £3,000 a week in the States," The Sun notes. Help Geoff. Help Geoff now by sending what you can. Tweet Email Didier Drogba 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Last 24 hours John Terry case: football, racism and a four-letter word Football transfer rumours: Wonderkid Oscar to join Chelsea? John Terry racial abuse case should be thrown out, court told Emmanuel Adebayor close to signing permanent deal at Tottenham Hotspur John Terry case: racist abuse or sarcastic banter? 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Plus: all the latest trends in money management for Brits who live abroad or own overseas properties, and your chance to win a £25 M&S voucher. In association with HiFX guardian jobs Find the latest jobs in your sector: Search Keep up to date with the latest football tittle-tattle with guardian.co.uk’s round-up of the day’s gossip Previous: 9 Jul 2012: Football transfer rumours: Andy Carroll to Milan? More from Rumour Mill Rumour Mill index Sport Football Transfer window · Chelsea · Manchester City · Manchester United · Arsenal · Tottenham Hotspur · West Ham United · Liverpool · Real Madrid · Blackburn Rovers · Barcelona Harlequin ladybird Football transfer rumours: Freddy Shepherd to buy back Newcastle? 30 Jun 2009 Clear out at Spurs | Roy Keane to raid Sunderland | Martin O'Neill to dip into transfer kitty 14 Jan 2009 Wednesday's football transfer rumours: Kaka to Manchester City for £175m? 7 Jul 2009 Football transfer rumours: Craig Bellamy to Tottenham? 12 Jan 2010 Football transfer rumours: Joe Cole to Sunderland? 1 Sep 2009 Summer transfer window: all the Premier League ins and outs England captain John Terry Football transfer rumours: John Terry or Carles Puyol to Manchester City? 6 Jul 2009 Barton to Birmingham? | Viduka considering offers? | Berg to Tottenham or Aston Villa? | Yaya Touré to Manchester United? Related information Champions League European football Football League Transfer rumours License/buy our content | Privacy policy | Terms & conditions | Advertising guide | Accessibility | A-Z index | Inside the Guardian blog | About us | Work for us | Join our dating site today © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Sign into the Guardian using your Facebook account Series: Rumour Mill Previous | Index Football transfer rumours: Wonderkid Oscar to join Chelsea? Today's rumours have more potential than Freddy Adu Email Tweet 91 Share 37 Barney Ronay Barney Ronay guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 July 2012 09.18 BST

DYING SUICIDE BOMBER:We're Doing God's Work

A suicide bomber who was blown off with an explosive device he was carrying on Tuesday said on his deathbed that the group was doing “God’s work” and would not stop. The suspected suicide bomber however died in the hospital on Wednesday, police in Bauchi said. The police said the suspected suicide bomber died at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, where he was receiving treatment after the bomb he was carrying exploded. They said the suspect was taken to the hospital by the Police, following injuries he sustained from the blast. A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Idris Abubakar, said the suicide bomber died in the hospital, where he was receiving treatment. He said, “On June 19, at about 5.05pm, an anonymous caller informed the Divisional Police Officer, Township, Bauchi, that there was an explosion opposite ANPP Secretariat along Gombe road, Bauchi. “The police went to the scene and on arrival, a young man was found at the scene seriously injured. “Upon search by the police bomb experts, it was discovered that the unidentified man was hit by an improvised explosive device he was carrying. “We recovered one revolver pistol and five rounds of life ammunition on him.’’ The statement added, “The bomber was rushed to the ATBUTH but died in the course of treatment. “Before his death, the suicide bomber confirmed that he was member of Boko Haram Islamic sect.’’ On Tuesday, the suicide bomber had travelled by public transport for more than 393 km with the device from Yola, Adamawa State. He was said to have concealed the bomb in his backpack. The bomber was unfortunate when he carelessly dropped the bag on the floor to urinate in a corner. The device subsequently detonated, dismembering his lower limb and fingers. Shortly after the incident, while conscious and in pains, the bomber told onlookers – including police officers who had come to arrest him – that he was part of a larger cell of the terrorist Boko Haram sect who are infiltrating the city to carry out an assignment in “God’s name.” He said his colleagues were on their way to the city from other towns.

TU FACE, MI Others To Tour N.America

The United Sounds of Africa (USA) would kick off their first ever North American tour with Tuface, M.I, J.Martins. Organised by Interglobe Entertainment Group (IEG) and Live Nation, the tour would get together new and existing partners to create music and cultural connections with their individual brands in the context of a global music agenda. "United Sounds of Africa presents a perfect platform to connect with fans of the beautiful music coming out of Africa and taking the world by storm. I am excited and it is going to be a lot of fun," Tuface said. IEG is a global leader in media and entertainment, while Live Nation Entertainment is the world's leading live entertainment and eCommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network. "I am proud to be joining Tuface and everyone on stage as a part of this very first United Sounds of Africa tour. I think American audiences will be blown away by the talent and diversity onstage and by how much the African music scene has to offer. These will be amazing shows," M.I. said. The tour which kicks off on August 1 in Houston, Texas, has Timi Dakolo, J. Martins, Iyanya, and Brymo as artistes to perform. IEG created the USA project to bring the best African music vocalists /artistes /composers together for a series of live performances uniting Africa's diverse musical cultures. In addition, the USA tour will connect current African artistes with those of the diaspora, continuing the legacy of such globally successful, African- born artists as Akon, Sade, and K'naan. "This will be an open platform for any audience that relates to a musical exchange and collaboration from one continent to the other. This tour presents Live Nation with the unique opportunity of introducing some of Africa's top musical talent to crowds across the country," Jay Belin of Live Nation said. CEO Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik, said, "We at Now Muzik are very proud to partner with Interglobe Entertainment Group and Live Nation on the U.S.A platform. We look forward to a thrilling experience on this tour and more importantly, we hope that the platform delivers for our artists, Tuface, Timi and J. Martins, along with many other exceptional African talents, the much-needed in- road into the mainstream American circuit."

3MB CLOSURE; LAGOSIANS TURN TO THE RAIL AND WATERWAYS

The railways and water ways in Lagos have witnessed increased traffic as commuters take to these alternative means of transportation following the traffic snarls that have occurred as a result of the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge for repairs. At various ferry and railway terminals in the state, the trains and boats were filled to the brim as early as 5am as Lagos residents moved to their respective places of work and business. The Ijoko and Agbado terminals of the Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS) of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), which usually cater to hundreds of passengers per day, were overwhelmed by the increased traffic. NRC operates six shuttles in the morning and six in the evening, with each shuttle being filled to capacity by passengers. The already congested coaches groaned at their seams as more passengers struggled to sit on the roofs cling to the sides of the coaches. Following this development, some of the commuters urged the management of the NRC to provide more locomotives and coaches especially during the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge. Olayemi Animashun, a civil servant, said that the train service had been turned to a dangerous venture as more passengers now risk their lives hanging to whatever they could hold all through the trip. “The NRC management should come to the commuters’ aid before lives are lost,” he said.

IS HE REALLY NIGERIAN?

The Deputy Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Bello Majenwaiyya (PDP-Charanchi), has resigned his position. Majenwaiyya gave no reason for his decision. However, sources said the lawmaker had aroused the ire of his colleagues who subsequently advised him to resign honourably or be impeached. The assembly, on Tuesday, accepted Majenwaiyya’s resignation. Sale Magaji (PDP- Sandamu) nominated Idris Yakubu (PDP-Jibia) as the new Deputy Speaker. His nomination was seconded by Halliru Atiku (PDP-Bakori). Danlami Kurfi (PDP-Kurfi) said that they wanted to make changes in the House for administrative convenience and had no intention of impeaching the speaker. The lawmakers had earlier removed the Majority Leader, Shuaibu Tandama (PDP-Danja), as well as the Chief Whip, Bala Yaya (PDP-Ingawa).