Brett Favre's sister among 5 booked in meth bust
Police say the 34-year-old sister of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre faces drug charges after she was arrested in a raid on a Mississippi condo where people were making crystal methamphetamine.
Maj. Matt Karl of the Hancock County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that Brandi Favre was among five people arrested in Diamondhead. He says she will be charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and generating hazardous waste.
Karl says about nine grams of the drug -- worth about $1,000 -- was recovered and hazardous materials teams had to clear the condo.
Brandi Favre is in custody and has an initial court appearance scheduled Thursday morning.
A message left for Brett Favre's agent James "Bus" Cook wasn't immediately returned.
The arrest was first reported by WLOX-TV in Biloxi.
AP
Bolt announced for May 26 meet in Rome
Usain Bolt continued to give shape to his running schedule, when he confirmed another date for the international season.
Organisers announced yesterday that the 100 and 200 metres world record-holder will run at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on May 26.
No details were disclosed about what events he will contest, and a spokesman for the Italian athletics federation said they were still working things out.
Earlier this week, Bolt announced that he will run at the Bislett Games in Oslo in June. It was the first date for this year that the 23-year-old sprint megastar had confirmed.
The Jamaican sprint megastar also disclosed that his recovery from a season-ending injury last year has gone well, and he'll be looking to be razor sharp for this season, which also includes the World Championships in South Korea.
Bolt is the reigning World 100 and 200 metres champion, having set World records to win the events at the last World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
Brian Lara to work with Zimbabwe
Brian Lara has been confirmed as a technical adviser for Zimbabwe ahead of the 2011 World Cup, which is to be staged in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next month.
The West Indies legend had signed a contract as batting consultant to the national team, following a brief stint in the national Twenty20 league competition with the Southern Rocks last year.
Following his attendance at the funeral service for his mentor, Joey Carew, the late Trinidad & Tobago captain and West Indies batsman, Lara will fly to Dubai to join the Zimbabweans for a pre-World Cup training camp, which also includes two practice matches there.
The former West Indies captain is also expected to travel to India with the side to help them continue their preparations there.
Zimbabwe play two official warm-up matches in India, before they open the World Cup against reigning four-time world champions Australia on February 21 at Ahmedabad in India.
Meantime, Zimbabwe have announced their 15-member squad for the World Cup and it includes Hampshire batsman Sean Ervine, who is currently playing in the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship with the English T20 champions.
However, the squad does not include their best known batsman, Hamilton Masakadza. He was omitted due to poor form.
Zimbabwe will be led by all-rounder Elton Chigumbura, who has been in charge of the side, since off-spinner Prosper Utseya resigned from the position following a trip to the Caribbean, where they won one Twenty20 international and one of five one-day internationals against Chris Gayle's West Indies.
Utseya will form part of a lethal spin-bowling attack with leg-spinner Graeme Cremer, left-arm spinner Ray Price (nephew of three-time golf major champion Nick Price) and off-spinner Gregory Lamb, as the Zimbabweans seek to exploit typically subcontinental conditions.
Squad: Elton Chigumbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams.
Gayle still has Windies in mind
Chris Gayle plans to continue playing for West Indies in the immediate future instead of chasing big bucks in lucrative Twenty20 leagues around the World.
The West Indies opener has been reacting to his shocking snub at the lucrative Indian Premier League players' auction conducted over the last weekend.
Gayle, who also bowls off-spin, was probably the most valuable current star to miss out on a berth in the IPL, after he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders for the first three seasons of the tournament.
"I'm a bit surprised, but I think the franchises look at it that they want their best player to be available for the full IPL," said Gayle in a radio interview.
"It is unfortunate that the IPL clashes with the international duties. [West Indies] have the Pakistan series at the same time."He added: "It's a lot of money, and a lot of guys did pick up a lot of money, which is good for the game to build from there."
But the left-handed opener indicated he has no intention of cutting back on the amount cricket he is playing.
"There's a lot of cricket coming up to be honest," he said.
"When you look at it, I've got the Big Bash now, then Sri Lanka, and the World Cup, then the Pakistan and Indian series at home. It's a lot of cricket for me, but it's up to me to try and monitor it as much as possible.
"I'm accustomed to it, and I've been doing it for quite some time now, so I know what is required. It's nothing to really worry about if I look after myself."
Gayle reiterated he still sees a role for him with West Indies, so fans and officials should not be too concerned.
"It is not about calling it quits because you never know what can happen in the future," he said. "You still have to give back to the international scene.
The day after his IPL snub, Gayle advertised his batting power, when he bashed 32 from one over in 61 to help Western Australia to victory over New South Wales in the Twenty20 Big Bash.
He and fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard will feature in a Big Bash match on Thursday between WA and South Australia at the WACA.
Gayle, who had his first stint with WA cut short by injury last year, said he was enjoying the experience, and looking forward to the clash.
"To come here and represent the Warriors is a tremendous thing," he said.
"The atmosphere and hospitality has been great, and I am definitely looking to be back here again as long as I am free and available."
He concluded: "The pressure is on though, so hopefully I can actually be consistent, and get the Warriors another win."
Buju's Miami concert to be viewed on LIME phones
This weekend promises to be an exciting one for reggae lovers who will be treated to the digital broadcasts of two hot-ticket reggae events on LIME Mobile TV.
The events, Pepsi Rebel Salute, to be held in St Elizabeth on Saturday and the Buju Banton concert, slated for downtown Miami, Florida, on Sunday, will be shown exclusively on LIME Mobile TV during the event.
The telecommunications giant first found success with streaming at a live event during Sting late last year.
"This is just the beginning of the LIME Mobile TV revolution and certainly a big weekend for technology in Jamaica," said Stephen Price, regional special projects manager.
"LIME is intent on evolving the telecoms landscape throughout the Caribbean and is pioneering the entertainment and content provision capabilities of this new technology," Price added.
Thousands of subscribers to LIME Mobile TV network will be able to watch both concerts from beginning to end, exclusively through their handsets.
LIME Mobile TV customers will be treated to coverage of the highly anticipated concert featuring Buju Banton, along with performances by some of the elite in Jamaican music including Stephen Marley, Wayne Wonder, Sly & Robbie, Gramps Morgan, Shaggy and Freddie McGregor.
Banton, who will make his long-awaited return to the stage during the concert, received his fifth Grammy nomination for his latest album Before The Dawn.
The concert is expected to be a spectacular one, especially for Buju fans, who have not seen the artiste perform in many months.
There will be no cost to subscribers for watching the show.
LIME Mobile TV offers premium digital channels including local and international news, sports and entertainment channels.
Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.ap Legally Blind from Eye Disorder
Black Eyed Peas member Apl.de.ap suffers from a rare genetic eye disorder that has rendered him legally blind.
This rapper, real name Allan Pineda Lindo, has revealed he has constant blurry vision and severe nearsightedness as a result of nystagmus, which makes his eyeballs vibrate involuntarily. His vision is so poor that even with optimal contact lenses, he is legally blind, reports People magazine.
“I’m good at shapes. If I’m not close, even if it’s big, I can’t read it,” said Apl, who is also colorblind.
Apl admits secretly suffering from the condition as a child sparked his interest in hip-hop.
He adds, “Until I discovered hip-hop, I felt I wasn’t going to accomplish anything. When I dance, I picture myself and the floor in my head…I doubted myself for a long time… I’m comfortable not using my vision. I weave around my problems.”
Report: 50 Cent May Be Investigated for Stock Tweet
50 Cent is facing a possible investigation by the U.S. Security Exchange Commission after causing the penny stock of a TV marketing company he is a shareholder in to jump up in value.
As previously reported, the rapper became an investor in TV Goods, which develops and markets consumer products in a variety of media, in October, and used his Twitter this week to proclaim it would become a huge success.
He then encouraged his fans to follow in his footsteps so they could cash in too, writing, “You better get in now I’m never saying this again. Watch how this company blows up. Follow my lead there (sic) going to get bigger trust me even if its (sic) a small investment it will pay off.”
His declaration prompted a number of his 3.8 million followers on the social networking site to rush to buy shares in the H&H Imports-owned firm, bumping the value of its penny stock from 29 cents to 39 cents by close of play on Monday.
The boost meant 50 Cent’s 30 million shares in TV Goods were now worth an extra $8.7 million, but reports suggest his actions on Twitter could have violated the rules on manipulating stock value, and he could find himself under investigation by the SEC.
A spokesperson for the SEC has declined to comment on the speculation, telling Fox411, “We can neither confirm nor deny (the reports).”
But 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, appears to have seen the error of his ways – he’s since deleted the original tweets and posted a new note, warning fans they should seek professional advice before investing in any stock.
He writes, “(My) own HNHI stock thoughts on it are my opinion. Talk to (a) financial advisor about it. HNHI is the right investment for me it may or may not be right for (you)! Do ur (sic) homework.”
Nicki Minaj Denies Dating Rihanna, but says ‘You Never Know’
This morning on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, Nicki Minaj was asked to clarify rumors that she’s dating Rihanna and that the two are shacked up in a love nest.
The rapper said the reports are rooted in a joke poking fun of rumors that they were romantically involved.
“We just shot the video for a song I have on the album called ‘Fly’,” she explained. “When I saw her I said, ‘So, do you hear we’re living together?’ We started cracking up laughing. She was like, ‘I can’t believe people are this ridiculous!’”
Minaj went on to say that the “random rumor” prompted the singers to post a joke message online about their “new crib” earlier this week.
“The funny thing is some people still didn’t realize we were joking,” she continued. “People were like, ‘Oh my God, you’re so lucky! You and Rihanna living together!’ You can’t even be sarcastic anymore, it’s hilarious!”
However, she admitted that there was always a “possibility” of the duo becoming housemates in the future. “She is a badass,” she added. “You never know!”
Minaj previously described ‘Fly’ – which appears on her platinum debut Pink Friday – as an “empowering” collaboration between the pair, saying that it encourages women to “soar high in the face of adversity.”
Jamaica opens third international airport, named after Ian Fleming
Prime Minister Bruce Golding on Wednesday officially opened Jamaica's third international airport at Boscobel in St Mary.
A new international airport for private jets and small commercial aircraft was unveiled in northern Jamaica on Wednesday, named after the British thriller writer who invented the literary and cinematic super spy James Bond.
Ian Fleming International Airport is close to the scenic retreat where the late author reportedly wrote all 14 of his books about the elegant, crafty spy. The property is now an exclusive resort owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who is credited with introducing reggae great Bob Marley's music to the world.
The small airport, formerly called the Boscobel Aerodrome, features a terminal with customs and immigration sections to accommodate global travelers. Officials said the facility just outside the coastal town of Orcabessa is the Caribbean island's third international airport.
The 007 author's niece, Lucy Fleming, who traveled from her Oxfordshire home in southwestern England to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony, said her uncle would have been thrilled to see an airport emblazoned with his name in the Jamaican parish of St. Mary.
"He adored Jamaica and found so much inspiration and relaxation here. So I tell you something, to have this accolade of having an airport named after him here I know would have been a great honor for him," Fleming said. "Honestly, I don't think he would have written those (Bond) books without Jamaica."
Fleming first visited Jamaica in 1942, when he was an intelligence agent in Bermuda. He returned and bought a property he dubbed GoldenEye four years later — in the dying days of the British Empire, when the north shore of Jamaica teemed with scions of wealthy British families and American celebrities like Errol Flynn.
It was at GoldenEye where Fleming sat down at his desk to write "Casino Royale," launching the phenomenally successful series that is still going strong. He named his dashing spy after an unassuming U.S. ornithologist who wrote "Birds of the West Indies." Fleming died in 1964.
Several 007 movies including "Live and Let Die" and "Dr. No" were filmed near Fleming's Jamaica estate, and it shares a name with the 1995 Bond film "GoldenEye."
Music industry mogul Blackwell, who also attended the opening, said the airport will be a boon not only for his nearby GoldenEye resort, but also for the nearby tourist mecca of Ochio Rios and the northeastern town of Port Antonio.
AP
Second Guyanese sentenced to 15 years for JFK airport bomb plot
Another Guyanese was given a 15-year jail sentence for his involvement in the plot to blow up the John F. Kennedy International Airport four years ago.
Abdel Nur, 60, was sentenced on Thursday by US District Judge Dora Irizarry in Brooklyn, New York. He had pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial, to one count of providing support to terrorists.
The judge denied a request by Nur's attorney for him to get a lighter sentence because of his ill health. He is suffering from lung cancer. But the prosecutor said that Nur's involvement was motivated by revenge because he had been deported from the United States and the views of the US against Muslims.
Another Guyanese, 59-year-old Abdul Kadir, a former member of Guyana's parliament was sentenced on December 15 to life imprisonment for his role in the plot. He pleaded not guilty and was found guilty after a weeklong trial.
Kareem Ibrahim, 65, a citizen of Trinidad, was granted a separate trial, which is slated for April.