NBA: Curry sparks Warriors past Nets for win No 22 by John Green

Brooklyn Nets guard Larkin, defends as Golden State Warriors guard Curry

The Golden State Warriors improved to 22-0 on Sunday with a 114-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, with guard Stephen Curry scoring 11 of his 28 points in the final 2:10 of the third quarter.

The Warriors opened the game with a 25-8 lead and held a 15-point lead with 1:49 remaining in the first half, but Curry went on his scoring spree after Golden State faced a trio of five-point deficits.

His timely spree featured a mix of aggressive moves and effective perimetre play.

A minute after Shane Larkin's three-pointer gave the Nets a 75-70 lead, Curry hit a driving bank shot for a 76-76 deadlock.

On the next possession, Curry gave the Warriors the lead for good with an uncontested three-pointer.

He finished the quarter by finding centre Festus Ezeli for an alley-oop dunk before converting a three-point play and knocking down a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left for an 87-80 edge.

The Warriors did not look back, seizing control early in the fourth due to their reserves.

Curry and backcourt mate Klay Thompson sat for the first six minutes as the Warriors took a 106-89 lead, getting their first 19 points of the quarter from the second unit.

Curry and Thompson returned but neither player was needed on the second night of a back-to-back.

NSSF eases grip on KenGen by Billwydad Wangai

Mr Albert Mugo, KenGen managing director. PHOTO | FILE 

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has traded its 17.3 million shares in Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), losing its long-held position as the second largest investor in the power producer.

KenGen’s latest annual report shows that the fund had exited the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm’s list of top owners as of June, having held the shares equivalent to a 0.8 per cent stake in December 2014.
The shares traded by NSSF are currently worth Sh134 million based on the power producer’s current share price of Sh7.7 apiece.

A local institution, investing under a Co-op Bank custody account, is now the second largest shareholder of KenGen with 13.1 million shares.

The exit of NSSF is a rare one for the government-controlled fund that typically invests long term, especially in firms where the State has a significant or majority stake.

The fund’s current co-investments with the government include substantial interests in KCB Group, National Bank of Kenya and Safaricom.

Its KenGen divestiture comes ahead of a rights issue announced by the power producer that is expected to raise Sh28.6 billion.

Only the government, with a 70 per cent interest in KenGen, will participate in the cash call without putting in new money.

The government will instead convert its debts amounting to Sh20 billion into shares, leaving other investors to provide the remaining Sh8.6 billion in cash to avoid dilution.

CFOs of listed firms summoned over accounting fraud by Billwydad Wangai

Financial markets regulators have summoned the chief financial officers of listed firms in relation to recent allegations of companies faking financial accounts. PHOTO | FILE 

Financial markets regulators have summoned the chief financial officers of listed firms in relation to recent allegations of companies faking financial accounts.

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants will Tuesday discuss issues relating to the accountancy profession, the auditors’ and ICPAK’s role in protecting public interest in relation to recent allegations of companies faking accounts.

“Fraudulent accounting is a national disaster in Kenya just as corruption has been declared and we need the input of every stakeholder including the police, the National Intelligence Service and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to curb the vice,” said ICPAK chief executive Patrick Ngumi.

Accountants and auditing firms of listed companies have lately been on the spot for alleged falsifying of company financials in collusion with management at the expense of shareholders.

Customers of Imperial Bank have accused its auditor PKF Consulting for failing to alert them over the fraud even as MPs raised concerns over how Deloitte failed to raise alarm on Mumias Sugar's books.

ICPAK has been accused of paying lip service without taking solid action against auditors as cases of fraud mount.

SPORTS: Messi be named UEFA Champions League Goal of the Week by John Green

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The Argentine’s superb finish helped defeat Roma and ensure Barcelona finish top of Group E

Lionel Messi’s delicate chip to finish off an excellent 27-pass move in Barcelona’s 6-1 crushing of Roma has been named UEFA Champions League Goal of the Week, presented by Nissan.

Following a flowing team move, Messi combined brilliantly with fellow strikers Neymar and Luis Suarez before gently lifting the ball over the onrushing Wojciech Szczesny to give Barca a 2-0 lead over their Italian opposition.

Messi would go on to add a second as his side dismantled Roma 6-1 at Camp Nou, with the reigning La Liga champions already through to the knockout stages.

Messi beat off the likes of Dani Carvajal, Willian, Danijel Milicevic, and his team-mate Luis Suarez to claim UEFA Champions League Goal of the week.

The Barcelona forward will be looking to continue his fine form in the coming weeks following two months on the sidelines.

SPORTS: Alli must keep feet on ground - Kane by John Green

The young midfielder, who was playing for MK Dons in League One last season, has earned three England caps this season after his fine form but has been urged to stay grounded

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has urged team-mate Dele Alli to keep his feet on the ground, despite the teenager's rapid progress this season.

Alli - who linked up with the club in the summer after agreeing a move from MK Dons in January - has scored three goals this season, the most recent of which came in a 1-1 draw with West Brom in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 19-year-old's form has already earned him four England caps in 2015, but Kane has warned the youngster not to get carried away.

"Playing for England and scoring at Wembley is kind of similar to what I did last year," said Kane. "He is going through a whirlwind, everything is happening so quickly.

"He probably hasn't had a chance to sit back and realise what he has done. But he has to stay focused. We have good coaches here and good management staff.

 "I am sure he will keep his feet on the ground because there is a long way to go this season and he wants to keep getting better. I will keep telling him that too, of course. I know he will keep working on the training field to try to get better.

"He is a great player and has worked hard to get where he is. He has come in and done fantastic for us," said Kane. "But there is still a long way to go, he has to keep working hard and can’t get ahead of himself."

Tottenham face Monaco on Thursday in their final Europa League group match although the London club have already qualified for the next round.

SPORTS: Newcastle defeat hard to take - Clyne by John Green

Slip-ups from several top clubs on Saturday in the Premier League made it even harder for Liverpool to digest their loss against Newcastle United, right back Nathaniel Clyne has said.

The Reds lost 2-0 on Sunday after an inspired performance from Newcastle United, who are fighting for survival in England's top-flight, and it was their first away defeat in the Premier League under manager Juergen Klopp.

With Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all failing to win on Saturday, Clyne said Sunday's defeat was particularly hard to take.

"It made this loss an even bigger loss for us, knowing what happened on Saturday with the other teams not getting the points they wanted," Clyne told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

"But this is football. There are still a lot of games to be played and still a lot of points and we'll keep pushing. It's important that we bounce back quickly.

"The December period, there are a lot of games coming up, so we've all got to be fit and raring to go and keep the confidence going into those games to try and get as many as we can."

Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot kept his third clean sheet in five league games on Sunday and credited the defence, marshalled brilliantly by captain Fabricio Coloccini, for rarely being tested.

"If you had told me I would have so little to do against Liverpool, I wouldn't have believed you," Elliot told the club's website (www.nufc.co.uk).

"It's a testament to just how good all of the lads were in front of me. I can't really pick anyone out, they were all magnificent and stuck to our game plan.

"We stepped up, defended as a unit and pressed when we needed to. It wasn't the prettiest game but I think that suited us down to the ground."

Drama as ‘dead wife’ storms wedding in Nairobi

By Edna Karugo

There was drama when a woman stormed a church wedding in Imara Daima, Nairobi, and confronted the groom who had allegedly declared her ‘dead’. To halt the wedding, the woman stripped in front of the bewildered congregation.
The afternoon drama unfolded at the Glory Outreach Assembly Church when Anne Gesase walked into the church with an army of irate women and sought to stop the wedding. Anne claimed the groom, Nahason Nyamweya — who is the father of her four children — had forged her death certificate to give him clearance for a second marriage. It is alleged that the children aged 10, 14, 16 and 18 had been given new birth certificates that showed the new bride — Catherine Kenyaa Ngumbi — was their biological mother.
Hell broke loose when the first wife stormed the church breathing fire and ready to stop the ceremony. Stripping in protest. Dressed in a black skirt, spotted blouse and gumboots, she walked in when the choir was entertaining the guests with sweet melodies.
Apparently, the groom’s uncle —Samson Orenge — was among the first to spot her and sensing she was up to no good, immediately made effort to alert the security to stop her. The men tried to force her out, but somehow, she managed to make her way to the front. In a rage of fury, she started stripping naked in front of the church as she caused a scene. As the Naija movie-like scene unfolded in front of the church, the groom and his new bride stood still totally astonished not knowing what to do. The congregation also watched the unfolding drama in awe. Unable to contain her, the security turned to Standard Group journalists, who had been tipped of the drama before it unfolded, and ordered them to leave.

FASHION: Versatile simplicity

By Edna Karugo

The new collection by Lucy Rao’s Rialto Design House is inspired by the Angelina fabric from Ethiopia created by Vlisco. The collection seeks to show how much African fashion has evolved in its unlimited ways. Its simplicity is not only beautiful but also versatile.

It was also a celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the fabric   Dashiki, also known as “Danchiki” by the Hausas, which means shirt. The print has now become a symbol of African pride.

From the revolutionary 1960s to Kyemah McEntyre’s handmade dashiki prom dress, the dashiki print is here to stay. Here are ways to stand out in dashiki:

HEALTH: Man steals human brains from museum

By Edna Karugo

A 23-year-old Indiana man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to breaking into a medical museum and stealing preserved human brains and other tissue that he then sold online, authorities said.

David Charles, of Indianapolis, pleaded guilty to six charges including receiving stolen property, and burglary in a Marion County court where Magistrate Amy Barbar sentenced him to one year of home detention and two years of probation, county prosecutor spokesman Anthony Deer said. Charles on multiple occasions broke into the Indiana Medical History Museum to steal jars of brains and other human tissue, according to Marion County prosecutor’s office. The museum is a former hospital for the insane founded in 1848 and later converted into a museum.

LIFESTYLE: Marjorie love for Kenya and Writing

By Edna Karugo

Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye, the iconic writer who through the years became difficult to separate from her literary nature took a bow from the land of the living at her home in Ngara on Tuesday afternoon. Now that light has gone out of her physical world, all that remains is the torch of a literary icon that was focused – feminist maybe – as some writers and critics have noted. Marjorie was aged 87.

Her work was widely read at ones convenience but more studied in English and literature lessons; if it was not Coming to Birth, then it was A Freedom Song, or Song of the Unborn Dead – Song of Nyarloka. 
Literary scholars describe her as a lady who easily oozed Kenyan culture than most Kenyans would, albeit through the pen. But who was Marjorie? Dr Jennifer Muchiri, a writer and lecturer at the University of Nairobi’s Literature department, says Marjorie had a unique way of ensuring her work conformed to the African culture. Marjorie was not born in the Kenyan culture, but when she got married to D.G.W Macgoye, a medical doctor, she weaved easily into his culture and embraced it as her own.
 “Look at her work like the Freedom Song or Coming to Birth; she has roped in the Luo culture and by extension the African culture so effortlessly and both just like the other works she did still remain relevant to this day, speaking to issues that Kenya is grappling more 50 years after independence.

in the video she narrates the poem of the dead.

Central Bank hints at easing tight credit environment

By James Taiti

Patrick Njoroge, the CBK Governor reckoned that the Government fiscal position has improved since the interest rate crisis and there was no reason for CBK to maintain its tight credit policy. He, however, noted that CBK will be closely monitoring the situation and adjust accordingly. Addressing editors at a news conference, Njorogo said the expected shift that comes as a major relief to hard hit borrowers will be supported by Treasury’s plan to cut State’s budgetary expenditures.
 He said Treasury will be submitting a supplementary budget to parliament next month to cut down on expenditure programmes and help reduce Government appetite for cash that had encouraged recent sharp rise in interest charges. This, he said, would further reduce interest rate prevailing in the market. “It will help us to have a less tighter monetary stance,” Njoroge said adding that the proposed cuts would help ease on the current monetary policy. 
The CBK had raised rates by 300 basis points at two Monetary Policy Committee meetings in June and July to support the shilling, which has weakened by 13 per cent. The expected shift in policy is expected to help lower interest charged by commercial banks. CBK aggressive tightening has helped stabilise the shilling and controlled inflationary expectations that posed a major risk to financial stability. “We have policy buffers. We have room to move and not in a corner as was the case then,” he explained in apparent reference to the recent sharp interest rate surge that rocked market confidence and left CBK with limited room for policy maneuvers. 

Treasury bill stood at 9.218 per cent in auction last week from 9.210 per cent the previous week, and rates on government securities have been coming down in recent weeks after peaking at above 22 per cent in October.

Rwanda Politics

By Kelvin Kuria

The United States, a major donor that has long praised President Paul Kagame for rebuilding the nation after the 1994 genocide, has said he should set an example to the region by stepping down at the end of his second term in 2017. 
The debate about term limits has flared across Africa. In next door Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza's election for a third term that faced opposition has plunged the nation into crisis. Other African leaders are also approaching term limits. Kagame, who was first elected president in 2003 but was seen as Rwanda's main power broker long before that, has not announced his intentions but has said those who want him to stay must convince him. "I am still listening," he told senior officials in the Rwanda Patriotic Front on Sunday.

 "Whatever you want from me will be based on the decision of the referendum and thus my answer will come after the referendum." He did not give a date for the ballot in his comments that were aired by the state broadcaster.

Arsene Wenger fears Santi Cazorla could be sidelined until March

By Dennis Ndeleko

Santi Cazorla has undergone surgery on his knee injury - and that could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Arsene Wenger confirmed the midfielder has ruptured his lateral ligament and rather than delay any longer had the operation this weekend.

Wenger insists Cazorla - who went under the knife after flying to his native Spain to see renowned specialist Dr Ramon Cugat - could be back in four months.

But he could be putting a brave face on it and the 30-year-old’s injury is now the worst of all the Gunners’ growing list of casualties.

It is yet another setback ahead of Arsenal’s tricky trip to Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday.

ENTERTAINMENT: Kimberly Kardashian welcomes son

By Edna Karugo

Kim Kardashian has given birth to a baby boy and mother son are "doing well".she has welcomed her second child three weeks early with husband Kanye West.

In a statement on her website a rep for the couple wrote today: Kim Kardashian West and her husband, welcomed the arrival of their son yesterday morning.

Mother and son are doing well as reported by mirror.

The reality star, who also has two-year-old daughter North, gave birth after suffering a difficult pregnancy.

Kanye's wife was due close to Christmas Day, but it's thought she brought her date forward to avoid complications.

She reportedly gave birth NATURALLY despite pregnancy issues and is overjoyed with her little boy.

AKM-GSI

"Kim is absolutely overjoyed with the birth of her perfect baby boy," a source said.

"She gave birth naturally, her preferred way, and she must be a pro because this time around Kim felt it was a lot easier giving birth."

The star was previously worried that she would have to have a C-section after learning her baby was breech

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