A 19-year-old man charged with murder in his father’s death allegedly told police he drowned his father because he was possessed by demons and needed to perform an exorcism.
Jack Callahan pleaded not guilty to murder when he appeared in court today accused of killing his father Scott Callahan, 57, CBS Boston reports. He was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning after his mom called the police to report he was ‘acting erratically.’
The teen had arrived home at 2am, dripping wet, and told his mother his father was missing despite Jack traveling to pick his father up from a Boston bar earlier that evening, a court heard.
He eventually directed the police to Crooker Memorial Park where officers found Scott at the bottom of Island Creek Pond. Scott was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth where he was pronounced dead.
Jack reportedly told the authorities that he’d been trying to baptize Scott to rid him of his alcohol demons.
‘He believed he was baptizing his father,’ Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Shanan Buckingham said in court.
‘He was holding his father in the pond on his back like a baby and that he continually dunked his head under the water about four to eight times.
‘When his father started to cough and choke, he would lift his head up. And when the father started fighting, he would strike him and push his head back down into the water.’
Callahan continued doing this until his father was no longer struggling and floating, Buckingham noted in court.
Jack allegedly explained he had been exorcising a demon named ‘Dirty Dan’.
He said he’d given his dad a choice; ‘I left him there to decide, you can come to heaven with me or hell.
‘I think he chose hell.’
Authorities said that the incident began when Jack went to pick up his father who had left a treatment center for alcoholism, to go to a bar in Boston.
By the time Jack arrived to pick him up, his 57-year-old father, who had a traumatic brain injury that impacts his decision-making abilities, was drunk.
The pair got an Uber at the bar and originally headed home to Duxbery, but Jack’s mother reportedly told him she didn’t want Scott at her home. So the car dropped them off at Island Creek Pond in Crocker Park.
According to Jack, an altercation broke out between the two after Scott hit him.
Jack claims he ‘blacked out’ after being hit and they moved to the pond where Scott was drowned.
Hours later, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz’s office said Jack was under arrest and charged with his father’s murder.
In court Tuesday, Callahan’s attorney Kevin Reddington asked the judge to send Callahan to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation, adding that he is a danger to himself.
‘He’s a very nice young man,’ Reddington said, ‘He comes from a wonderful family … My client had a concern for his father, knowing that he would be drinking and knowing that he shouldn’t be drinking. He was going to try to take him back where he should be.’
The judge ordered the court clinician to evaluate Callahan, he is to be held in jail without bail until he’s due back in court on August 12.
Bill Cosby is set to be a free man today after nearly three years in prison following a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacating his 2018 conviction on three charges of aggravated indecent assault.
The American comedian and actor have long maintained his innocence in the case, which stems from an accusation that he drugged and had sex with a Temple University employee in 2004.
He was charged in late 2015 when a prosecutor armed with newly unsealed evidence Cosby’s damaging deposition from her lawsuit arrested him days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired.
The trial judge had allowed just one other accuser to testify at Cosby’s first trial, when the jury deadlocked. However, he then allowed five other accusers to testify at the retrial about their experiences with Cosby in the 1980s.
On Wednesday June 30, Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction after finding an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that testimony tainted the trial, even though a lower appeal court had found it appropriate to show a signature pattern of drugging and molesting women.
Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era, so the reversal could make prosecutors wary of calling other accusers in similar cases. The law on prior bad act testimony varies by state, though, and the ruling only holds sway in Pennsylvania.
According to reports, the justices voiced concern not just about sex assault cases, but what they saw as the judiciary’s increasing tendency to allow testimony that crosses the line into character attacks. The law allows the testimony only in limited cases, including to show a crime pattern so specific it serves to identify the perpetrator.
In New York, the judge presiding over last year’s trial of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose case had sparked the explosion of the #MeToo movement in 2017, let four other accusers testify. Weinstein was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He is now facing separate charges in California.
In Cosby’s case, one of his appellate lawyers said prosecutors put on vague evidence about the uncharged conduct, including Cosby’s own recollections in his deposition about giving women alcohol or quaaludes before sexual encounters.
“The presumption of innocence just didn’t exist for him,” Jennifer Bonjean, the lawyer, argued to the court in December.
In May, Cosby was denied paroled after refusing to participate in sex offender programs during his nearly three years in state prison. He has long said he would resist the treatment programs and refuse to acknowledge wrongdoing even if it means serving the full 10-year sentence.
This is the first year he was eligible for parole under the three- to 10-year sentence handed down after his 2018 conviction.
Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt called the parole board decision “appalling.”
Prosecutors said Cosby repeatedly used his fame and “family man” persona to manipulate young women, holding himself out as a mentor before betraying them.
Cosby, a groundbreaking Black actor who grew up in public housing in Philadelphia, made a fortune estimated at $400 million during his 50 years in the entertainment industry.
Nigeria’s business Gurus, Dr Mike Adenuga, Dr Tony Elumelu, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, are currently in Paris for the Choose France International Business Summit with World and Industry leaders.
See more photos of the billionaire businessmen at the meeting below
Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has explained reasons why he abandoned his trial by the Nigerian Judicial system and escaped out of the country in 2017.
Kanu, who was re-arrested and brought back to Nigeria on Sunday, June 27, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he fled Nigeria to save his life.
His appearance before the court came after the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, disclosed to journalists that Kanu was “intercepted” by security agents following a collaborative effort between security agencies in Nigeria and the Interpol.
Shortly after he was docked before trial Justice Binta Nyako by the Federal Government, Kanu asked for permission of the court to speak even though he was without his lawyer.
He said his disappearance from Nigeria was due to the ‘unlawful invasion’ of his house by security agents, an operation that resulted in the death of many innocent people according to him.
“My lord, my house was invaded and people were killed. I would have been killed too if I had not hid myself. That was why I have been unable to attend court.” He said according to reporting by Vanguard.
“I would have been killed the way others were killed when my house was invaded,” Kanu added.
The case has been adjourned till July 26 for continuation of the trial.
The court further directed the Prosecution to notify Kanu’s lawyer, even as it remanded him in custody of the DSS.
The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) has announced that its founder, Prophet TB Joshua, would be laid to rest on Friday, July 9, at the church premises in Lagos.
The Head of the burial committee, Dr. Gary Tonge, disclosed at a press briefing on Tuesday, June 29.
According to him, July 5 to July 11, is dedicated to a series of laying to The burial activities tagged ‘Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Prophet Joshua, born (1963 to 2021).’
He told newsmen that the event would kick off with a private candlelight procession at 6:00 pm.
Dr. Tonge said on July 6 to July 7, there would be a tribute service from 10 am to 7 pm which would be opened to the public but with a limited physical presence.
He said there would be a service of songs and all-night praise starting at midnight, adding that on July 8, there would be the lying-in-state of the prophet from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
According to him, the event would be open to the public to pay their last respects to the man of God.
Tonge said that July 9 would be the laying to rest service and interment activities which would begin at 10:00 am.
Lastly, he said the thanksgiving service would be held on July 11 by 9:00 a.m.
Serena Williams broke down in tears as she was forced to retire in the opening set of her first-round clash at Wimbledon.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner, who is still pursuing Margaret Court’s all-time record, started Tuesday evening’s match against world number 100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich well though but had to retire from the game due to injury to her right thigh.
The 39-year-old American, who wore strapping on her right thigh from the start of the match, broke Sasnovich in the Bulgarian’s second service game but appeared to roll her ankle in the process of returning a shot.
The sight of Williams in pain and in tears was hard to watch as she left the court having worked so hard to get back to action.
‘I’m so sad for Serena, she’s a great champion,’ said Sasnovich on court after her unexpected progression to the second round. ‘I just wish the best for her and the best recovery.’
IPOB LAWYER CONFIRMS ARREST OF NNAMDI KANU, CALLS FOR CALM
We have just confirmed through a correspondence from the Federal High Court Abuja, about the arrest and the extradition of my Client- Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian State.
It is to be noted therefore, that no matter the gravity of the offences or charge preferred against him, Section 36(5) of the Constitution still presumes him innocent of the allegation.
He was brought before the Federal High Court No 2 Abuja today on an Eleven count charge, though without our knowledge.
As it is in the public domain, the matter has been consequently adjourned to the 26th Day of July 2021, for Continuation of Trial. The legal team ably led by my humble self will meet them in court on this date.
We insist that he must be given a fair hearing/trial which is his constitutionally protected right. His safety as also guaranteed under our law throughout the trial and afterwards, should be enforced.
Our fortified Legal team will be meeting to agree on strategies within the context of the Charge and disposition of the Court.
Await further update from us as we progress.
Thank you and remain blessed.
Signed:
Bar. Ifeanyi Ejiofor IPOB/Nnamdi Kanu lead Counsel.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has ordered that the leader of the proscribed Indigenious People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, be remanded in DSS custody.
The remand order was sequel to an application by the Federal government through its lawyer, Shuaibu Labaran.
Ruling on the request for his remand in the custody of the DSS, Justice Nyako held that the prosecution should inform Kanu’s lawyers of his rearrest and remand in the custody of the DSS.
The judge subsequently adjourned till July 26 for the continuation of the trial.
Kanu who has been on the run after jumping bail was arrested on Sunday, June 27 and extradited to Nigeria. Kanu was granted bail in 2017 but jumped bail and was declared wanted by the government. Apart from jumping bail, the Federal government is also holding Kanu responsible for various acts of violence in the SouthEast.
A Nigerian woman, Ladunni Idowu Giwa-Osagie has welcomed her first child at almost the age of 50.
Ladun met her husband, Aigbovo-Giwa-Osagie when she turned 47, they got married at 48, she became pregnant at 49 and on June 25th, 2021, just before her 50th birthday, she gave birth to a baby boy named Osarumuwese Oluwaseyitanfunmi Nosakhare.
Her heartwarming testimony and inspiring personal story was shared by a friend, Ifeanyi Omeni on Monday, June 28. Read below:
GOLDEN GLADIATOR
I loved gladiator films during my growing-up years. Films like Ben Hur and its counterparts, featuring warriors of the ancient Roman Empire who fought in amphitheatres, to entertain an excited crowd, were my great delight. A little bit of that love still lingers, and I sure can settle down to watch those films at a stretch, without boredom descending on me.
Those Roman gladiators were like tin gods, ruling the amphitheatres and looked like the epitome of masculinity. Many maidens will sure feel safe, encased in those strong arms, characterised by rippling muscles. And my God, were those guys handsome? Soft on the eyes, with smiles that could charm maidens of that era. Looks like they were handpicked.
I took a trip to Rome last year and saw the Colosseum, an amphitheatre where gladiator fights took place in days of old. The monumental Roman Amphitheatre in Rome, is a golden-brownish building with perforated holes. I half-hoped to see Ben Hur arise from the arena and show his skills as a daring gladiator.
The gladiators of old were conquerors, warriors and celebrated champions. Though the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary describes a gladiator as a man in ancient Rome, who was trained to fight other men or animals, in order to entertain the public, I beg to differ from that definition, in this creative message.
I dare to define a gladiator as a male or female who has fought and won a long-drawn out war. One who can say with confidence that some may trust in chariots and horses but I will remember the name of the Lord, for his name is a strong tower and safe within those fortified walls, I have won a war and can now share the story of my gladiator fight.
This is a narrative of a female gladiator who fought and emerged victorious and whose story is told to encourage those still facing failure, that they will become gladiators, too.
Her story for me, begins many years ago…I walked into Protea Hotel that day and saw this charming lady with two prominent features. A glittering golden skin and a gap tooth that added to her charm and poise. From a distance, I admired her, and was soon brought in close contact with her.
The WhatsApp group was formed for singles-still-waiting-still desirous to use the way of righteousness to achieve success. I was one of them and she came on board too. With rapt attention, I viewed her contributions to the group and was eager to meet her.
The day came, at Dominoes Pizza outlet. Her sweet presence filled the place and I listened with rapt attention to her tales of her walk in the walkways of singlehood. Daring, and open, she shared her story and I was fascinated. Another meeting was at a member’s house and she once again showed she is a sweetheart.
Many more virtual meetings followed, as I heard her voice through the thought-provoking comments she made on the WhatsApp group. She has shown she is a Tale Weaver convert, on the group. Anytime I post an article and only one person reads it, it is sure to be her. Her comments come in torrents, encouraging and heartwarming.
This gap-tooth queen, is one great encourager of my creativity. She bought my recent novels and gave me my very first job of tribute writing. I crafted a birthday tribute for a friend of hers and her appreciative comments made my day and encouraged me to take up the art form as a business venture. I refused financial compensation, but she insisted and rewarded me.
Was I thrilled that day in the year 2019, when she sent the message to the WhatsApp group.
‘I, Oladunni Idowu, finally found love at 47. Join me in appreciating God for his faithfulness and mercy. Indeed, delay is not denial.’
Her words of encouragement and inspiration brought to life dead dreams and shrivelled hopes. The members of the Mature Christian Singles celebrated one of their own, Ladunni, whose story of triumph made many believe in the message of an on-time God.
Ladunni’s story follows a trail of triumph. Of a lady who found love at 47, married at 48, got pregnant at age 49 and just before her 50th birthday, gave birth to a baby boy called Osarumuwese – The Lord has done me well; Oluwaseyitanfunmi – the Lord has done this for me in full and Nosakhare – God’s Will.
On 25th June 2021, Ladunni took a rapid leap unto the 5th floor as the mother of a baby boy.
I present the GOLDEN GLADIATOR, LADUNNI GIWA-OSAGIE, whose story has proved the biblical saying that weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Ladunni’s marriage to Aigbovo Giwa-Osagie, whom I call the husband of the year, is an encouragement to those Christian sisters who are beckoning at compromise, because they feel that God has forgotten them and they want to ‘help’ themselves.
The Gap-tooth Queen has changed address and has made many ladies dress their lives with hope.
I attended the GOLDEN CEREMONY OF LADUNNI’S ASCENSION to the fifth floor and the dedication of her son at White Stone Event Centre, Billingsway Ikeja, Lagos, on 25th June 2021, where the guests were bedecked in white, as a symbol of the purity of divine love and the freshness of a new season.
I watched Ladunni, who appeared at first in white lace with gold trimmings, and later as the lady in red, symbolizing the love she so freely shares with her husband. It was palpable as a touch, and people could not hold back their demonstrations of joy for the woman they came to honour.
Her husband dripped with joy and gratitude to God who gave him a woman he described as beyond amazing. When he stated that since he met her, he stopped having headaches, I could testify, for Ladunni is a woman who sprays her sweet fragrance wherever she steps into.
Her calls and words of encouragement to me, when she shared the testimony of her meeting with her beau, I cannot fail to recall. When she noticed my silence on the group, the absence of my usual birthday tributes for members, she alone checked on me and sent a voice note, praying for me, to uplift my spirits.
Beloved Ladunni, such an inspiring lady!
I watched the glow on her face on that day of her coronation as a gladiator and could see that it went beyond the signature of a skilful makeup artist. It was a glow from within. As though a pipe connected her innermost feelings of joy, to her outer expression of delight.
Beyond the music of Yinka Alaseyori of oniduromi fame, the presence of comedian Kenny Black and Sonma Anyama, Dave of My Siblings and I comedy by Funke Akindele, there was the atmosphere of undiluted joy, a crowning of a maiden’s desire.
To Ladunni Giwa-Osagie, the Golden Gladiator, I dedicate this message. To the Golden Gladiator, who has not performed to entertain, but whose testimony has paved a way for many ladies to anchor their trust in God, I present this tribute. Remain rooted in divinity.
Ify Omeni – The Tale Weaver
I pray… For those who are younger than Ladunni, that they will not soil their garments of righteousness, while they wait.
For those older than Ladunni, that they will still look ahead and see a brilliant sunrise, where they will surely wear the garments of a gladiators.
Tonto Dikeh and her new man, Prince Kpokpogri, looked so in love at his birthday party which took place over the weekend. Prince turned a year older over the weekend and a birthday celebration was held in his honor.
One of the high points of the day was when Tonto presented her man with the keys to an expensive gift. She got so emotional when he received it and gave her a kiss. See more of the photos below…
Beautiful Nollywood actress, Nkiru Umeh has shared her two cents on the issue of sexual gratification and how it ruins the lives of men.
Nkiru, took to her social media page in what seemed like a reaction to the recent murder of Super TV CEO, Usifo Ataga, by his side chic, to state that sex is the easiest way to destroy a man.
According to her, any man that can control his sexual urge has solved 80% of his problems on earth.
She wrote; “From the generation in the Bible to this 21st century. Sex has been the easiest and fastest means of destruction for men. Great men go down like chickens because of sexual urge.
Men deny competent women positions, contracts, sponsorships, favors….and this list goes on….because of sexual urge. I repeat! Any man that has control over this, has really solved 80% of his problems on earth.
And my fellow parents…. apply pressure…. do we really know our kids….ask questions when things are not adding up….. pay attention parents, pay attention!!! You can’t be securing the bags and loose your offsprings. God help us to parent better, bad parenting is a big problem.
The Federal government has arrested the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, disclosed this to newsmen today June 29. Kanu was arrested in the UK and extradited to Abuja.
According to Malami, Kanu’s arrest followed a collaborative effort between security agencies in Nigeria and Interpol. He further disclosed that Kanu would be taken before the Federal High Court in Abuja for the continuation of his trial on charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, unlawful possession of firearms and management of an unlawful society.
Kanu was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds but skipped bail after flouting some of the conditions given to him by the court. He has been on the run since then. Justice Binta Nyako who granted his bail on grounds of his ill health later revoked it on March 28, 2019 and issued a Bench warrant for his arrest in any part of the country.
Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels and her husband, Ned Nwoko are celebrating their son, Munir, who clocked one-year-old today, June 29.
Proud mom, Regina took to her son’s Instagram page to share these adorable photos of him accompanied with a brief caption: “Happy birthday to me !!!!!! #tothemoonandback2021.”
The couple, who welcomed the child last year, are throwing a lavish birthday party for their son in Abuja today.
Mr. Usifo Ataga’s close friend, Douglas Aniemena, has published an article in which he gave his opinion on how the Super TV boss was killed.
In his piece, Douglas who is a childhood friend of the deceased expressed doubts that Chidinma Ojukwu, the UNILAG student who was with the deceased carried out the murder all by herself. He opined that this is a case of conspirational homicide. He averred that Ataga’s murder was neither an accident nor a drug-fuelled sexcapade gone wrong.
He opined that it was a premeditated, well-set-up conspiracy to murder. According to Douglas, one person, however strong could not have tied and gagged Usifo Ataga and then carried out all that was done alone.
Read what he wrote below
“Finally, we have an arrest in the ongoing saga of the murder of Usifo Ataga, and we also have a ‘confession’. An apprehended suspect has spoken, and, in a nutshell, she tells the World that it was a crime of passion.
The same crime of passion angle that was rushed, planted, and disseminated via the social media by person(s) unknown, barely hours after the news broke. In whose interest is it if we all accept this as a crime of passion?
The culprit, Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu, an innocent looking, soft spoken 21-year-old University of Lagos female undergraduate, spoke to the assembled press in a calm and measured tone, stating that basically, they had a drug-fuelled sex tryst that got out of hand when he tried to rape her, hitting her head against the wall and she grabbed a knife and stabbed him twice.
She also stated that she stole his money afterwards, using his ATM card and pin number that he had freely given her prior, asking her to take any amount she wanted but that she had declined, telling him that it was not what she wanted.
She also admitted to ‘helping’ herself with some money from his account after killing him and that she only stole N380,000 as opposed to N5m that was transferred from his account, and when asked why she stole from him, she answered that she needed the money for her school fees.
The Police have since also released a statement saying amongst other things, that the suspect CONSPIRED WITH OTHERS, NOW AT LARGE, and allegedly murdered one Michael Usifo Ataga. The short service apartment where the alleged murder was committed was secretly booked by the suspect on the 13th of June 2021 and that she left the apartment after the deed had been done on the 15th of June 2021.
A fake driver’s license bearing Mary Johnson with the suspect’s photograph, was found amongst her belongings at her home, as well as a blood-stained cloth, ostensibly worn on the day of the murder.
The suspect confessed to using a kitchen knife to stab the deceased and that she took away the evidence, the blood-stained knife and discarded it in a dustbin by her house. She also admitted to stealing his iPhone.
The owner/manager of the service apartment said that the suspect called to book using a USA WhatsApp number and claimed that she had just arrived in the country and was at the airport and needed a place quiet to quarantine and that her passport was held at the airport because of Covid.
After taking the apartment, the suspect called the Manager/Owner and security guard a few times and all the time, she made sure to block her number, including after committing the murder, to extend her stay and ask them not to disturb the room, and again to enquire from her if the deceased’s vehicle had been taken away, unaware that the said Owner/Manager was already helping the Police.
Days after the incident, no one could describe her because according to the Owner/Manager and all her staff, she always wore face masks. The Security guard at the premises stated that the suspect had come to the gate to receive delivery from a delivery man who later told him after the suspect had taken her delivery, that it was drugs.
All parties involved in this ugly incident have now spoken, barring Usifo Ataga, who is no more. The dead cannot talk, so it is with Usifo. Who will speak for Usifo Ataga? I pray the facts of the case speak for him, especially as we consider that no amount of chicanery, sophistry, blatant lies and/or conjectures can defeat the evidence of solid facts.
What are the facts that we know? Usifo died a horrific death. He was not stabbed 2 or even 5 times; he was stabbed multiple times. His hands were bound tightly, and the marks were still all over his wrists, accompanied with evidence of torture and assault even as his corpse lay in the morgue.
And no one in the entire building heard his screams because he was gagged. Let that sink in: he was bound, gagged and tortured! The now-viral video of the room with the deceased lying on the floor, shows a room with blood-stained walls and floor, evidence of a ferocious struggle. One person could never have carried these out!
She claims that Usifo Ataga tried to rape her. How preposterous can one really get? The truth is that the allegation of an attempted rape is such an easy and convenient one for any woman alone in a room with a man to make.
Even if both of them are alive, without CCTV, how does the man conclusively prove that he didn’t make such an attempt? The credibility of those involved and circumstances around the case must come into play in search of the truth.
A man you claim to have been sleeping with and that you were so eager to sleep with him that you eagerly booked an apartment yourself and came to expressly sleep with him, not for a few hours but for days on end, and that he had already slept with you twice, tried to rape you and hit your head against the wall with no evidence of head bruises, even as you left the apartment that same day? Come on, the story doesn’t add up.
This is the same woman it has now come to the fore that at least on one occasion, 3 to 4 years ago, was arrested for blackmailing a married man and using an innocent security man’s bank account to collect the money. She must have been at most, 18 years old then, if not younger! She is clearly a pathological liar, remorseless, calm and assured, and didn’t start today.
She said they did drugs. The toxicology reports are not out yet, but if any drug is found in Usifo’s system, then it makes this dastardly act even worse, he must have been surreptitiously drugged!
In this day of bank transfers, whoever gives you their Bank card and pin number, when they can easily transfer any amount to you, if indeed he gave her his card and said take anything you want, as she claimed? Did he also give her his BVN? How did she obtain it?
Usifo Ataga’s company had some substantial amount of money in an Escrow account, and the first attempt was to try and move the money. Was this done before or after Usifo Ataga had been killed? Then someone sent in instructions trying to change his Banking security details, and that flagged up the account and the account was promptly blocked.
She claimed that she wanted money for school fees, did she need a billion Naira for her school fees? The fact was that because these funds were in an Escrow account, torture Usifo Ataga all you wanted then, he simply could not, and was not able to move even a dime from the money even if he wanted to!
Then, his money in another account was now moved to his account that they had his ATM card and then went on siphoning his funds. The speed and sophistication of these dealings were alarming.
The facts in a nutshell tell us that this incident was neither an accident nor a drug-fuelled sexcapade gone wrong! It was a premeditated, well-set-up conspiracy to murder. One person, however strong could not have tied and gagged Usifo Ataga and then carried out all that was done, talkless of this woman.
The police who have more evidence than I have stated here, have explicitly stated as such. Those still pandering to these salacious slants of these social media stories are just unnecessarily muddying the waters. This is as clear a case of conspiratorial homicide as you will ever get given the circumstances.
And just as Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance from the ground, as the good Scripture says, and in the absence of anyone speaking for Usifo Ataga, may Usifo’s blood shed so callously all over that apartment floor and walls by cowards, speak volumes on his behalf”.
In the biggest shock of Euro 2020, France were eliminated at the hands of Switzerland following a 5-4 penalty loss on Monday night, June 28.
The classic European Championship game ended with Switzerland qualifying to the next stage after star player Kylian Mbappe missed the crucial kick for France.
France played badly in the first half as Didier Deschamps tried a three-man defence because of injuries to two of their left-backs.
Haris Seferovic headed the Swiss ahead and they had a penalty saved that could have made it 2-0 before Karim Benzema scored twice and Paul Pogba continued his fine performance for France to put the team 3-1 up with a screamer.
Seferovic headed in his second goal of the game for Switzerland and substitute Mario Gavranovic then blasted in a last-minute equaliser to send the game to extra time.
Mbappe missed a couple of big chances for the world champions in extra time and Olivier Giroud had a header saved in the final minute.
Then penalties started after extra time.
Mbappe was the only player to fail to score in the shootout, after an excellent save by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The Swiss had been seconds away from elimination but are now through.
They will now face Spain after progressing from a major tournament knockout game for the first time since 1938.
The last time Switzerland were in the quarter-finals of a major tournament was the 1954 World Cup that they hosted.
Japan has vowed to work with the US in protecting the Island of Taiwan as China continues to make threats against the self governed island of more than 20million people.
Japan warned of the growing threat posed by Chinese and Russian collaboration and said it was necessary to “wake up” to Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan and protect the island “as a democratic country.”
State Minister of Defense Yasuhide Nakayama said the fate of Taiwan and Okinawa are key to stemming the military influence of China and Russia in the Western Pacific.
“We are family with Taiwan,” said Yasuhide Nakayama, Japan’s state minister of defense to the Hudson Institute online forum.
Its security “is clearly related to Okinawa’s protection,” part of Japan.
Okinawa is home to concentrations of Japan Air and Maritime Self-Defense Forces and American Air Force, Marine Corps and naval support facilities, as well as service members’ families.
Okinawa and Taiwan are “kind of like nose and eyes, really close,” he said.
Nakayama (pictured below) revealed that China recently sent 28 fighters across the Taiwanese straits, with some flying into Taiwanese air space to intimidate Taipei.
He added Chinese president Xi Jinping is also trying to leave the Taiwanese with an impression that they are surrounded, by sending ships, including an aircraft carrier, fighter aircraft and bombers on patrols and exercises east of Taiwan.
Some of these exercises are conducted with the Russians, “giving lots of threats to Taiwan.”
“We have to show deterrence to China and Russia,” not just defense, as they act more aggressively in the Indo-Pacific, he said. They have ramped up joint military exercises in the region to make their forces more interoperable.
As steps to improve deterrence, Nakayama said Tokyo “is thinking about stand-off capabilities” for the future and launching new satellite constellations to detect hypersonic cruise missiles that Beijing and Moscow have newly developed.
He also revealed that Tokyo is continuing to buy aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters and other technologies from Washington, D.C and says both countries should have continual exercises so individual service members have a better understanding of how their allies think and operate.
He then called on the United States to look at Japan’s technical capabilities for security, like “space debris clean-up” to protect satellite constellations.
Nakayama said future generations in Japan and the United States may question their nations’ decision to accept a “One China” policy in the early 1970s that linked mainland China and Taiwan together as one country.
“Democratic countries have to protect democratic countries and allies” against “the autocrats,” China and Russia, he said.
Nakayama said the security domains ranged from air, sea, land, cyber and space to include electronic warfare.
Several times during the discussion Nakayama mentioned how close the United States and Japan have become since the attack on Pearl Harbor and the ending of World War II in the Pacific, with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“Now it’s the most strong alliance; any other cannot compare,” he said.
But what is “happening around Japan” should “be a very big matter for the U.S., Europe and allies. Looking at China alone, Nakayama noted its increased investments in ballistic missile submarines and the concurrent development of the JL-3 sea-launched ballistic missile that is capable of striking the continental United States.
“This is a big, big threat not just for us,” but the United States and Europe, he said referring both to the longer-range sub-launched missiles and China’s building of artificial islands.
As this is occurring, “the Russian are exercising [naval forces] right off [the] western front of Honolulu” and exercising with China in land and air maneuver near their shared borders, Nakayama added.
The United Arab Emirates government has allegedly suspended Direct Employment Visa for Nigerians, as a result of the increasing rate of crimes involving Nigerians in the Middle-East country.
SaharaReporters reports that the UAE police are currently in search of more Nigerian nationals and conducting raids and arrests to get them jailed.
A source said
“We all are shouting that our country is bad, and that our government is not rising to our needs, which is true, but our reputation abroad is also fast declining due to our character.
“Two weeks ago, some Nigerians killed one another for selfish reasons at Sharjah, and another one just happened here in Abu Dhabi, when some guys went to an Arab man’s house, killed him, his wife and took away a huge amount of money from them.
“The UAE government is now tracking every Nigerian in Abu Dhabi and they have also banned every Direct Employment Visa from Nigeria until further notice” a source said
Another source said
”“For like one week, this city (Abu Dhabi) has been hot. They (the police) are just arresting anyone on sight now. There was a cult incident where Nigerian cult members hacked one another in an area in Abu Dhabi here. It is not easy. As of yesterday (Monday), they have put restrictions on visas for Nigerians. For now, no work permit for Nigerians in UAE generally. The crisis started from Sharjah and last week in Abu Dhabi”
According to the report, the UAE security operatives had raided the homes of many African migrants, most of whom are Nigerians, living in towns including Al Qouz, Abu Hail, Sharjah, Al Barsha, and Deira.
According to a victim, about 80 percent of the persons arrested are legal residents while the remaining 20 are those with either visit visas or visa-related issues.
When contacted, the Chairperson of Nigerians In Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had said the affected persons would have to liaise with the mission in UAE for more information.
The Federal Government has approved an extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26, 2021.
In a statement signed jointly by the Director of Public Affairs of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde and Head of Corporate Communications of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Mr. Kayode Adegoke, the Federal government said the decision to extend the deadline was reached after a request by stakeholders on the needs to consolidate enrolment and NIN-SIM verification process.
The statement reads
“The Federal Government has approved the extension as part of its effort to make it easier for its citizens and residents to obtain the NIN and it is important to take advantage of the extension.
There are now a total of 57.3 million unique NIN enrolments, with average of 3 to 4 SIMs per NIN. With the great number of enrolment centres across the country, every citizen and legal resident should be able to obtain their NINs.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, on behalf of the Federal Government, appreciates Nigerians for their patience and compliance with the Federal Government’s directive on the NIN-SIM registration exercise.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Garba Dambatta, and the Director-General/CEO of that National Identity Management Commission, Engr Aliyu Azeez, urge citizens and legal residents to make sure they use the opportunity to complete the process of enrolment and verification.”
Some concerned hoteliers and guest house operators around the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) at Ikotun-Egbe have lamented about the low patronage following the death of TB Joshua.
The hoteliers expressed concerns that they do not know if the wife of T.B Joshua, Evelyn Joshua would able to perform miracles like the late founder to draw men to the church.
According to them, it was the deliverance variant of the gospel that was attracting people from all over the world to the place to make their business boom. The hoteliers spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos on Sunday.
Mr Alhponus Odioma, the owner of a 240-room facility in the area, said, “I began business in the area since 2007 with a little residential apartment that I acquired but with the upsurge of lodging demands, I had to get a bigger place.
“Like my other colleagues, I hired more personnel alongside constant innovation of services and facilities to retain and attract more patronage especially from foreigners that were coming to worship at SCOAN.
“We are now running at a deficit as we are experiencing lull in business. Before now, the revenue we usually realised in a week was enough to cater for a month’s overhead.
“Right now, we are experiencing lull in our businesses without one knowing when it will end.
“Though the spouse of the founder had been commissioned to take over as the leader of the church, but it is not yet known if she would able to perform in the deliverance ministry like the founder.
“It was the deliverance variant of the gospel that was attracting people from all over the world to the place; that sustained our businesses all those years.
A fireball exploded in a garage underneath London’s Elephant and Castle train station on Monday afternoon around 1.45 pm.
In videos and photos shared online, smoke could be seen rising across the capital’s skyline from beneath the railway at the south London station as horrified commuters watched on.
According to Metro UK, ten fire engines and 100 firefighters were on the scene to tackle to blaze. Five people are being treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service crew and one taken to the hospital.
Underneath the railway arches three commercial units, four cars, and a telephone box had caught fire in the incident, London Fire Brigade confirmed.
Fire could be seen exploding out of the side of the station, in a video taken by a bystander.
Father of three, Kiran Patel, who filmed the video, said he felt “lucky to be alive and described a “massive boom” after an explosion at a garage just metres from where he was standing.
The 55-year-old told the Standard: “There was a massive boom and then a wall of heat hit me like I have never experienced before. It was like someone had opened an oven in my face.
“Everybody was scattering running for their lives I thought I was going to die, I thought of my family. The police told us to run it was like something I would imagine out of a terrorist attack. I’m lucky to be alive, there was panic in people’s eyes.”
Mr. Patel said emergency workers had told him the fire and explosion could have been triggered by a generator in the garage.
He added: “From what they were saying they were talking about the generator as a possible cause. It’s incredibly that it looks as if no one was killed. I will play those scenes back in my mind though.”
A huge cordon remains in place around the blaze scene.
Another witness was on a building site nearby when smoked plumed into the air before an “explosion like a bomb” rocked the scaffolding he was working on.
The construction worker, 20, said: “There was a massive blast like a bomb going off, it rocked my scaffolding it it was terrifying. I thought it was a terrorist attack.”
Among the witnesses, one wrote: “Lots of black smoke, then an explosion and large fireball erupted.
“I’m now engulfed in black smoke so can’t seanymorere.”
Others added: “Jesus Christ, scenes from Elephant and Castle fire. #London.”
London Fire Brigade urged Londoners to avoid the area as emergency crews attended the scene.
They tweeted: “Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters are attending a fire at railway arches near to #ElephantCastle railway station.
“Please avoid the area and close all doors and windows.”
They added: “Three commercial units underneath the railway arches are completely alight and four cars and a telephone box are also alight near #ElephantandCastle Railway Station.
“Road closures are in place and people are advised to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed.”
A restaurant worker near to Elephant and Castle station was evacuated after the fire.
Alex Leckie, 30, assistant manager at Tupi, said: “The entire building was evacuated, we began to smell smoke and the store owner went to check, we saw smoke billowing out and what I’m told is the mechanics were on fire, the smoke pillar started enveloping the apartment blocks as well and we kept hearing intermittent bangs.
“The police have indicated it could be some time (until they are allowed back inside). They have repeatedly pushed the crowds back even from the Castle Square Park and cordoned off the roads, there is a very, very heavy presence.
“At this point, emergency crews have everyone well clear of the area.”
“All lines through Elephant & Castle are currently blocked. The fire brigade are assessing the situation,” Thameslink tweeted.
A Nigerian couple, Mr and Mrs Ochibe have welcomed a set of twin girls after 16 years of waiting.
Facebook user, Amaka Toria from Enugu State State shared the goodnews and photos from the children’s dedication held early June 2021.
“16 years of waiting unto the Lord, God blessed Mr & Mrs Ochibe with twins baby girls. What God can not do does not exist. Happy dedication my Angels Oziomma and Momma.” she wrote.
Hundreds of passengers travelling from Kaduna to Abuja on the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s train service on Monday June 28, were left stranded in the bust after the train developed mechanical failure minutes after leaving Rigasa station in Kaduna state.
A passenger reportedly claimed that the train had initially stopped twice before it finally broke down in Dutse, Kaduna state around 7am.
Paschal Nnorli, the Abuja/Kaduna Train Service Station Manager, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the train broke down as a result of engine failure but another locomotive had been sent to go as a rescue facility.
“It is true that our first train service this morning broke down in Kaduna but it was due to a mechanical failure that happens to machines generally,” he told Punch.
Nnorli added, “However, the important thing is our ability to respond and come to the rescue. We sent a rescue locomotive and as at about 10am I was told that the locomotive had arrived at the location.”
Last year, the Minister of Transportation engine Rotimi Amaechi had assured that locomotives on the Abuja-Kaduna rail route that have broken down up to two times will be returned to China.
He said, “It is worrisome that these locomotives that are brand new are failing,” Amaechi said during an inspection in Lagos.
Spain has reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 in dramatic fashion after beating Croatia in extra time in an action packed eight-goal thriller.
Spanish football lovers must have seen Croatia as a walk in the park but we’re shocked by what they faced on the field of play.
The footballing drama began when Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon failed to control Pedri’s 49-yard back pass to present Croatia with the lead.
The own goal sparked a response from Spain with Pablo Sarabia equalizing, then Cesar Azpilicueta scored a header before Ferran Torres made it 3-1.
Spain looked comfortable going forward but Croatia burst into action through their substitutes late on to force added time.
Croatia substitutes Mislav Orsic and Mario Pasalic scored two goals in the last five minutes to set up a nerve encounter.
Spain goalkeeper Simon made up for his earlier error to deny Andrej in the penalty box before Morata went up the other end to crucially put Spain ahead again.
Mikel Oyarzabal then added a fifth three minutes later to finally see off Croatia.
The three-time champions Spain will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Multiple rockets have hit a US military base in eastern Syria on Monday, June 28, less than 24 hours after US President Joe Biden launched airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia sites in the Iraq-Syrian border.
Coly. Wayne Morrotto, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, said: ‘At 7:44 PM local time, U.S. Forces in Syria were attacked by multiple rockets. There are no injuries and damage is being assessed.’
The attack took place at a site known as the ‘Green Village’ near an oil field, where 900 American troops are believed to be stationed.
A US defense official speaking to CNN said the rockets were ‘likely’ fired by Iranian-backed militia in the area, but the origin had not yet been officially determined.
Some of the missiles landed near US troops, according to the report.
The overnight strikes was President Joe Biden’s second strike of his administration and has sparked fears of further escalation between Tehran and Washington during faltering efforts to revive Iran’s nuclear deal.
Two targets were attacked in Syria, with a third also bombed in Iraq. The Pentagon said multiple Iran-backed militia groups including Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) had been hit. The Pentagon released video footage from the cockpit of the attack Monday morning.
Iraq on Monday condemned the strikes saying they violated Iraqi sovereignty.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi condemned the attack as a ‘blatant and unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and Iraqi national security’.
‘Iraq reiterates its refusal to be an arena for settling scores,’ Kadhemi added in a statement, urging all sides to avoid any further escalation.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Biden administration was ‘taking the wrong path’ in the region and was continuing the ‘failed legacy’ of the Trump administration.
‘Instead of emotional actions and creating tensions and problems in the region, the U.S. should change its behavior and let the regional people establish security without Washington’s interference,’ he said during his weekly news conference.
Kim Kardashian has made another accomplishment in her career.
The 40-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star and business mogul revealed on Monday June 28, that her label has been made Team USA’s official loungewear for Tokyo Olympics in Japan. She would be designing the official undergarments, pajamas, and loungewear for Team USA ahead of the Summer Games.
In a lengthy Instagram post, she spoke about her love of the Olympics from her upbringing and how her relationship with stepfather Caitlyn Jenner, a retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete, gave her positive feelings toward the collaboration.
Kardashian wrote: “Ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve heard every single detail about the Olympics from my stepdad. As I would watch the athletes compete, I would grow to understand the dedication and honor being a part of the Olympics embodied,” she wrote. “I traveled w my stepdad and family to all different cities for the Olympic trials, the Olympics and track meets of @caitlynjenner’s and at every stop I would buy an Olympic t-shirt as a souvenir.”
She went on to say that when she “received the call inviting Skims to be a part of @TeamUSA, every moment I’ve spent admiring the strength and energy of the Olympians from the sidelines came full circle.”
“Our top priority is providing our athletes with the tools and support needed to compete at the highest level, and we’re excited to work with SKIMS to bring this unparalleled level of comfort to Team USA athletes and fans,” he said.
American rapper, Lil Nas X, broke the internet after he kissed one of his male dancers on stage after performing his hit song Montero (Call Me by Your Name) at the 21st BET Awards on Sunday night.
The rapper-singer, 22, who came out as gay in 2019, was seen wrapping his arm around two male dancers before locking lips with one of them just after his Egyptian-themed performance.
The moment sparked mixed reactions online, with one Twitter user accusing the singer of’ disrespecting his African ancestors’. Lil Nas X later hit back at critic, saying ‘Y’all really like to pretend homosexuality didn’t exist in African culture’
Milos Zeman, the president of Czech Republic has called transgender people “disgusting” in a new interview.
Speaking to Prima News on Sunday, during a discussion of a controversial new law in Hungary that bans all educational materials and programs for children that are considered to promote homosexuality, gender reassignment and the concept of sexuality deviating from the one assigned to a person at birth.
After the controversial bill was passed, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week denounced the bill as “clearly” discriminatory, saying “it goes against all the values, the fundamental values of the European Union, and this is human dignity, it is equality, and is the human fundamental rights.”
The new law has been fiercely criticized by other members of the European Union, but Zeman has defended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying interference in internal affairs of any EU member country is a gross political mistake.
“I do not see a reason not to agree with him,” Zeman said.
“I can understand gays, lesbians and so on. But do you know who I do not understand at all? These transgender people.”
“They are intrinsically disgusting to me.”
Zeman’s comments come as several cities around the world celebrated with parades and marches aimed at gaining visibility for the LGBTQ community.
The family of late Michael Usifo Ataga, the CEO of Super TV who was murdered by Chidinma Ojukwu has issued a statement calling for an in-depth investigation of his murder and urged the police to go beyond the arrest of the suspect as there was more to the murder.
Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu, a 300 level student of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, confessed to killing Usifo Ataga last week after she was arrested on June 23 by officers of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba.
Despite her arrest, the family of the deceased still wants the police to continue to unravel the case.
In a statement entitled “Libelous publications in respect of murder of Michael Usifo Ataga: Demand for restraint by social media practitioners/persons”, Rickey Tarfa & Co, solicitor to the family urged those behind malicious social media publications to refrain from publishing falsehood that negatively affects the integrity of the deceased, wife and children or face lawsuits.
The statement signed by Olusegun Jolaawo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of the law firm, urged Nigerians to allow the police to conduct its investigations without any distraction or interference.
“We, hereby, admonish the publishers of these stories to employ whatever shreds of decency and decorum they can find in themselves to desist from their false and misleading stories and let the investigating authorities carry out effective investigation in the hope of apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous crime and their accomplices.
“Yes, we know that Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu has been arrested and, yes, we know that investigation is continuing. Our client is, however, convinced that there is much more to this than is already apparent from the police investigation,” Jolaawo said in the statement.
The Secretive State of North Korea has for the first time publicly admitted that leader, Kim Jong Un has lost weight.
There were reports last year that Kim had surgery and was in a dire financial state, reports the NK government denied.
However, over the weekend North Korean state television aired an unusual interview in which a Pyongyang resident said he and others living in the capital were “heartbroken” to see that the country’s tyrant leader Kim Jong Un had lost so much weight.
In recent weeks, North Korean media has shown Kim looking noticeably thinner.
Pyongyang has not officially acknowledged any changes to Kim’s weight or health, so the new interview is the most official confirmation to date of the secretive North Korean leader’s sudden change of appearance.
In the interview the unnamed individual told a reporter from KCTV, North Korea’s state-run television network, that “the people, including myself, were most heartbroken when we saw the respected General Secretary (Kim Jong Un’s official title) looking gaunt … everyone says it brought them to tears.”
Tge interview was aired just once, meaning it’s also possible the interview didn’t receive official blessing from North Korean superiors as the country often reruns newscasts instead of constantly producing live programming.
Kim’s health is a closely guarded secret in North Korea, whose leaders always believe there is the possibility of an impending invasion or regime change.
The country is still technically at war with the United States and South Korea.
In North Korea discussing a rumor about the health of Kim Jong Un can get you in trouble with the state’s security services.
Lionel Messi of Barcelona takes a free kick during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain on November 27, 2019 (Photo by Andrew Surma / SIPA USA)
Lionel Messi has reportedly agreed on a two-year contract extension with Barcelona until 2023
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s future was initially in limbo with his contract expiring in just two days’ time. It has been confirmed that Messi and the Catalan giants have finally reached an agreement over a contract extension until June 2023, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Messi’s future has been hanging in the balance ever since he told the club by fax of his desire to leave last summer.
The follows the signing of Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, Lyon forward Memphis Depay and City defender Eric Garcia on free transfers. Barca also triggered Real Betis star Emerson Royal’s £7.8million release clause.
According to the report, Barcelona will have to free up £170m in wages if Messi does put pen to paper on a new deal, with Philippe Coutinho and Miralem Pjanic among the players that could leave.
Binance, the world’s biggest crypto-currency exchange, has been banned by the UK.
The UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has ruled that the firm cannot conduct any “regulated activity” in the UK.
It also issued a consumer warning about Binance, advising people to be wary of adverts promising high returns on cryptoasset investments.
The regulator also stressed that no entity in the Binance Group holds any form of authorisation, registration or licence to conduct regulated activity in the UK.
Binance, in response has said the FCA notice would have no “direct impact” on the services it provides from its website.
Binance’s existing crypto exchange is not UK-based so despite the FCA ruling, there will be no impact on British residents who use the website to purchase and sell crypto-currencies.
The UK’s FCA does not regulate crypto-currencies, but requires exchanges to register with them.
So since Binance has not registered with the FCA it is therefore is not allowed to operate an exchange in the UK.
Binance is an online centralised exchange that offers users a range of financial products and services, including purchasing and trading a wide range of digital currencies, as well as digital wallets, futures, securities, savings accounts and even lending.
This is not the first time that Binance has come under scrutiny by regulators over its global operations.
In the US, one of the firm’s entities – Binance Holdings – has been the subject of a probe by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), specifically by its officials dealing with money laundering and tax offences, according to Bloomberg.
The company is currently based in the Cayman Islands. It was previously based in Malta.
A photo of a holy tree in Murang’a, Kenya which has visible female and male sexual organs has gone viral after being shared online.
An instructor at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga shrine located in Murang’a County, cradle of Agikuyu community, said the magical tree known as Mukoe is a cross-pollination of Muhumo and Mukuyu tree that has a picture of human’s male and female sexual organs.
The instructor said;
“As can be seen, a full-blown female organ appears on the right side of the tree while the male organ sleeps on the left.”
He also said that part the tree’s juice is a cure to so many conditions and ailments. The instructor added that the juice is also vital in mending marriages.
He added;
“You need to take a glass of this tree’s juice two times and you will see positive results.”
According to the instructor, the shrine is proctored 24/7 in order to protect the tree which is on high demand for those who know its secrets.
The BET Awards, which honor Black excellence in entertainment and sports, held on Sunday night, June 27, with the theme “Year of the Black Woman.”
Award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson hosted the ceremony from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, where a live audience attended for the first time since the pandemic began.
“Celebrating Black women isn’t a fad or a trend it’s a forever mood” Henson said, opening up the show. “There is more than enough room for all of us to thrive, because can’t nobody be like me and can’t nobody be you like you.”
Veteran rapper and actress, Queen Latifah received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her “amazing success” throughout her decades-long career.
Rappers Lil Kim, Rapsody, MC Lyte, and Monie Love honored the entertainer with a performance of her songs “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y..” Queen Latifah then gave a speech, expressing her gratitude.
“I want to thank BET for creating an outlet for beautiful Blackness to thrive, to shine,” Queen Latifah said while accepting her award. “When we couldn’t get played on the radio in other places, we couldn’t get our videos played in other places, there was BET that allowed us to be in our fullness.”
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion was tied with DaBaby for having the most nominations of the night and took home awards for “Best Female Hip Hop Artist,” “Best Collaboration,” “Viewer’s Choice” and “Video of the Year.”
Rap legend DMX, who died from a heart attack earlier this year, was honored at the ceremony with a special tribute performance from Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Swizz Beatz, and Michael K. Williams.
Andra Day, the City Girls, DJ Khaled, Jazmine Sullivan, Lil Nas X, Kirk Franklin, and Migos were among the stars that performed at the annual award ceremony.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that the federal government will be taxing profits made locally by global technology and digital firms not based in Nigeria, but with significant economic presence in the country.
Osinbajo who made the announcement during an interactive session with delegates from the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria led by its President, Adesina Adedayo, at the Presidential Villa, said these global tech giants will be taxed even if they have not established an office or have a permanent establishment in the country.
He also pointed out that Section 4 of the Finance Act 2019, provides that the finance minister, may by order of the president, determine what constitutes the significant economic presence of a company, other than a Nigerian company.
A statement released by his media aide, Laolu Akande read;
“While the Federal Government will not be raising tax rates at this time, based on the Finance Act 2019, it’s already empowered to widen the tax net.
“This includes collecting taxes on the Nigerian income of global tech giants with significant economic presence here, even if they have not established an office or permanent establishment, and are currently not paying taxes in Nigeria.
“In this regard, Section 4 of the Finance Act 2019, provides that the finance minister, may by order of the president, determine what constitutes the significant economic presence of a company, other than a Nigerian company.
“We’ve had severe economic downturns, which of course implies that we may not be able to collect taxes with the aggressiveness that would ordinarily be expected.
“I think the most important thing is that we must widen our tax net so that more people who are eligible to pay tax are paying.
“I’m sure you are aware of the initiatives including the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), which was also an attempt to bring more people into the tax net, including those who have foreign assets.”
Human rights activist, Reno Omokri takes time out to list what he believes to be the characteristics of a good wife material.
The author who is known for dishing daily advice called nuggets has come out with a new addition to the list as he curates a list of characteristics to look out for in a woman who is intended to be made a wife.
Taking to his Instagram page, Reno Omokri wrote;
“Characteristics Of a Wife Material
Gives you love, not romance
She does not need you for finance, or anything else. She is with you because she wants you
You can argue with her without the argument becoming a fight
She has high relevance, but is not high maintenance
She has her own independent, legal and provable source of income
Her relationship does not break when you are broke
Her human hair weave on is not her most expensive asset
She encourages you to save instead of taking her out to eat all the time
She is not insecure and does not check your phone, if she has issues, she confronts you directly
She knows how to pray, play, slay and stay
If she has these features, then consider making her your future.”
Chidinma Ojukwu, the 21-year-old University of Lagos student who confessed to stabbing Super TV boss, Uwaifo Ataga, to death, has recounted how they met.
In an interview with DailyTrust, Chidinma, said financial pressure occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19 made her hook up with some female students who took her to wild parties, one of which she met the deceased.
“It first sounded like fun when I went out for the first time along other girls. My friend who took me out told me we were going to attend a party organised by one of the latest big boys in town.
On arrival, it was fun-filled. We had so much to drink. At first, it was shisha that we were smoking. I took a few drags on the pipe and blew the smoke out immediately. Other girls were busy blowing out smoke from their noses and mouths.
The party ended in the wee hours of the night and we ended up in bed with some guys. The guy I slept with gave me N50,000 and I felt like break-dancing.
It was at one of those parties that I met Ataga. He picked interest in me because of the course I am reading. We dated for about six months before I started noticing his strange behaviour.
He gave me roofies (a street name for Rohypnol) before sex. I never meant to kill him. I was not in the mood but he wanted sex. I told him so and we had roofies, after which he was all over me. He forced his way into me, even though it was not the first time we had sex
I felt he was using me to satisfy his sex urge as he never fulfilled all he promised to do for me” she said
Singer Cardi B announced that she is pregnant with her second child during a live performance with Migos at the BET Awards in Los Angeles.
After the Migos trio finished “Straightenin” at the event on Sunday June 27, Cardi joined the group for “Type S–“.
She appeared on stage in a black bodysuit adorned with rhinestones, a sheer panel in the abdomen exposed Cardi’s burgeoning belly. Cardi also shared the news on Twitter following the performance.
Cardi B and Offset secretly married in 2017 before splitting up in 2018 after she gave birth that same year. The two have had an on-and-off relationship ever since. The couple are already parents to daughter Kulture Kiari, who turns 3 in July. Offset, 29, is also dad to daughter Kalea, 6, and sons Kody, 6, and Jordan, 11, from previous relationships.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Cardi B captioned the photo she shared;
According to historian and biographer Robert Lacey, who has written a new book looking at Prince Harry and Prince William, Meghan Markle was a "massive problem for the royal family.
Prince William has been heavily slammed by royal fans on social media after he allegedly criticized Meghan Markle.
A royal expert claimed in the Daily Mail that the future king, 39, had called his brother Harry’s wife “that bloody woman” over the way Meghan, 39, had treated his staff.
According to Robert Lacey, Prince William reportedly called Meghan Markle “that bloody woman” and accused her of being “merciless” to staff.
Lacey, author of the new book Battle of Brothers, wrote in the Daily Mail: “According to one of my sources, it’s been pointed to him that everyone has a difficult sister-in-law.
“William’s response was to nod his head in sage acceptance. Then suddenly he broke out angrily. ‘But look at the way that bloody woman treated my staff – merciless!'”
William’s alleged comments led to many royal fans sharing their contempt on Twitter, one claimed that William is “competing to be like Piers Morgan”.
Many fans took the side of the Duchess of Sussex, calling out Prince William for his derogatory choice of words.
Another wrote: “Prince William, the future King, calling #Meghan ‘that bloody woman’ is a shameful reminder of the casual sexism and misogyny that women particularly black women face every single day as they seek to get on in the world.”
The future King’s outburst comes after a prolonged term of tension between the two brothers.
According to Lacey, Prince Harry wishes to repair the damaged relationship and “admit some of the missteps he has made”.
A third Twitter user commented: “Who is Prince William to comment on Meghan Markle in this disrespectful fashion? I had always thought that he had had a decent upbringing (obviously, before reading this article).”
Lacey’s new book Battle of Brothers outlines the tumultuous rift between the two Princes which he believes is “not likely to end any time soon”.
In his book, Mr. Lacey also claims that William was “furious” after finding out a “Dossier of Distress” that was allegedly submitted in October 2018 by communication Jason Knauf.
He adds staff felt “humiliated” and that William was “appalled” at the bullying allegations.
There was jubilation in Amukpe area of Sapele, Delta State following the killing of a notorious criminal known as Fowlboy.
The deadly armed robber met his waterloo during a fierce gun duel with the police and vigilantes in the early hours of Saturday, June 26.
The deceased suspect and his gang members were said have been terrorizing residents of Sapele for some time now.
Acting spokesperson of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, June 27, said Fowlboy has been on the wanted list of the police as a result of constant reports linking him to criminal cases.
“The deadly armed robber met his waterloo on 26/6/2021 at about 0530hrs after a distress call was received by the Divisional police officer Sapele Division from tropical area of amukpe sapele that three man gang of armed robbers were in the house of one man(name withheld) in Amukpe Sapele,” Edafe stated.
The PPRO explained that the DPO Sapele Division, CSP Harrison Nwabuisi immediately detailed Patrol teams to the scene in conjunction with vigilantes.
“When the combined team of Police and vigilante arrived the scene, the armed robbers engaged them in a gun duel which was returned by the police. One notorious armed robber who has been terrorizing Amukpe area of Sapele named Diamond ‘m’ surname unknown a.k.a FOWLBOY was gunned down during the gun duel while others escaped with bullet injuries. The injured suspect was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty,” he added.
Exhibit recovered includes one cut to size locally made gun, a military camouflage sweater and seven different phones of various make.
Edafe said serious effort is on with a view to arresting the other fleeing members of the gang.
In September 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a huge deal with streaming service Netflix worth £109million.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed the deal to make original contents which includes documentaries, children’s programmes as well as scripted shows, and feature films.
While a full list of their plans is yet to be revealed it was announced back in April that Harry was working on a series about the Invictus games.
However, many of their fans can’t wait to finally see the pair’s hard work on screens, but other people including US columnist Maureen Callahan are definitely not as excited after hearing the Netflix announcement.
The columnist brutally hit out at the pair and their ambitions of becoming Netflix mega-stars, writing in the New York Post: “Meghan showed up on ‘America’s Got Talent’ for no discernible reason, and Harry and Meghan just announced that $100-million-dollar deal with Netflix.
“‘Making inspirational family programming,’ they said in a statement, ‘is important to us.’
“Uh-huh. They droned on about ‘the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection.
“‘Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.’
“In other words, stuff no one wants to watch.
“Let’s get real: The most buzzed-about doc on Netflix right now is about a South African man who falls in love with an octopus (‘My Octopus Teacher,’ truly a must-see).”
‘Heart of Invictus’ will follow the journeys of individuals who are competing at the games which take place next year at The Hague.
Harry founded Invictus in 2014 after being inspired by the Warrior Games in the US, learning how sport can help both mental and physical health. He is expected to appear on camera during the docuseries and be credited as executive producer.s
Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh has found love again.
The mother of one took to her Instagram page to celebrate her new man on his birthday with lovely words. Although, she didn’t reveal his identity but they were pictured locking lips and they appeared so in love.
Sharing a photo of a massive cake, the actress wrote:
” Happy birthday to THE LOVE OF MY LIFE,
I hope you get everything your heart desires, because that’s exactly what you’ve given me.
You are twice as sweet as any birthday cake.
You make every day feel like my birthday, except I don’t need to blow out any candles because my wish already came true. Your smile is cause for celebration.
Your is the most precious gift in the world. Your kisses could light a thousand birthday candles. I wanted to give you all my love for your birthday, but there’s no box big enough to hold it. Besides, it’s already yours. Happy Birthday to A man who MAKES LIFE ITSELF FEEL LIKE A SPECIAL OCCASION
. I LOVE YOU BABY GOD BLESS YOU MY WORLD I CELEBRATE YOU SIR.
In another post,she also penned:
Happy birthday to you My BABY? You’ve shown me that love is best presented as true as they come,you put a spring In my steps.. Falling in love with you is like the wildest roller coaster ride. Because of you, I have gotten to appreciate the finer things in life. Thank you for making me a better woman. I pray that the kisses I blow transform into thousands of wishes come true and into fulfilled dreams and aspirations. Thank you for bringing immense joy and happiness to me as a woman.. My biggest kisses and tightest hugs are reserved for you today.
THANK YOU FOR CHANGING ME TO THE WOMAN I AM TODAY.. GOD BLESS YOU, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MY WORLD HAVE A BLESSED DAY MY OGA AT THE TOP
Tonto Dikeh was previously married to businessman and philanthropist, Olakunle Churchill, who has since moved on with actress Rosy Meurer.
An 11-year-old girl has become Britain’s youngest mother after she gave birth earlier this month having fallen pregnant aged just 10 years old.
The mother and her baby, that was delivered after more than 30 weeks of pregnancy, are both healthy and being cared for according to the Sun UK.
The name of the girl has not been revealed due to her age.
The Sun reports that her family had no idea she was pregnant, and that social services and council chiefs are investigating the matter.
‘It has come as a big shock,’ the newspaper quoted a source close to the family as saying.
‘She’s now being surrounded by expert help. The main thing is that she and the baby are OK.’
‘This is the youngest mother I’ve heard of,’ doctor Carol Cooper told The Sun, explaining that the average age a girl begins puberty is 11, although it can be at anytime from 8 to 14.
Before now, Tressa Middleton who gave birth in 2006 aged 12 after her brother raped her, was Britain’s youngest mother.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned from his position after he broke government coronavirus restrictions during an affair with a close aide.
The Sun had published images of the married Cabinet minister locking lips with senior aide Gina Coladangelo, a married mother-of-three in an office in the government’s Department of Health. The outlet said the images were from a leaked CCTV footage from May 6 before the country’s strict regulations were loosened to allow hugs with family members
The Health Secretary quit on Saturday amid mounting pressure from Tory colleagues over the images of him kissing and cuddling married mother of three, Gina Coladangelo.
“The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis,” Hancock said in his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologize to my family and loved ones for putting them through this,” he said. “I also need [to] be with my children at this time.”
According to Mail Online, the former Health Secretary told his wife, Martha, he would be leaving their marriage shortly after discovering that his affair with Gina Coladangelo was about to be laid bare.
Mr Hancock and his aide Ms Coladangelo outside Downing Street in 2020
According to the Sunday Times, Martha was completely unaware of the affair until the footage was brought to light. And he reportedly even woke up the couple’s youngest child, aged eight, to break the news he was leaving.
Coladangelo is also stepping down from her £15,000 role at the Department of Health. She was also spotted packing her bags and leaving the £4million townhouse in Wandsworth, South West London, that she shared with her husband of 12 years – Oliver Bonas tycoon Oliver Tress, 54.
Coladangelo and her millionaire entrepreneur husband, Oliver Tress, 54,
It was also revealed that Hancock and Coladangelo became friends at Oxford and have been close ever since.
The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Andrew Warri before Justice Sherifah Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a seven count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining by false pretence and issuance of dud cheques.
Warri was arraigned on Friday, June 25, 2021, alongside two companies: A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited and Ranez Medical Consultancy Limited.
One of the counts reads: “Andrew Warri, A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited, sometime in May 2012 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtained the sum of N125,000,000 from Guaranty Trust Bank Plc under the guise that the proceeds of the Rural Health Care and Referral contract with Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will be domiciled in your account with Guaranty Trust Bank, the said pretense you knew, or ought to have known is false.”
Another count reads: “Andrew Warri, Ranez Medical Consultancy Limited, on or about 28th October 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, issued a Zenith Bank cheque for the sum of N10,000,000 payable to A.M. Projects Consultancy Limited, in favour of Guaranty Trust Bank, which upon presentation for payment was dishonoured on the grounds that no sufficient funds were standing to your credit.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Thereafter, prosecuting counsel, Franklin Ofoma, prayed the Court for a date for commencement of trial, as the prosecution was ready to prove its case against the defendants.
Nelson Imoh, counsel for Warri, informed the Court that the bail application for his client was before the Court.
Ofoma, however, vehemently opposed the application for bail in his oral argument.
He argued that the defendant was a flight risk, as he had resisted when operatives of the EFCC went to his office to effect his arrest.
“His arrest was aborted and the EFCC had to watch list the defendant with the DSS, Immigrations, Customs and other local and international law enforcement agencies, just to ensure his attendance,” he said.
According to Ofoma, the defendant was about to take off to the United States, but in the process, he was informed that he could not travel as he was on a watch list.
Thereafter, Justice Solebo ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Correctional facility pending release on bail and adjourned the case till July 1, 2021
A transgender athlete, CeCe Telfer, has been ruled ineligible to compete in US Olympics trials due to her high testosterone levels, it’s been revealed.
Telfer, an NCAA Division II track and field champion in 2019, has been disqualified from the women’s 400-meter hurdles US Olympic Trials, the USA Track and Field said in a statement.
To be eligible for the trials in track and field, athletes must meet the requirements to be a member of the US Olympic Team, USATF said. The requirements for US Olympic teams are in the World Athletics “Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes” guidelines, which Telfer has not met, the organization said.
The World Athletics guidelines state that one of the requirements to be eligible to participate in the female category at an international competition in events ranging in distances from 400 meters to a mile is that her testosterone levels must be less than 5 nanomoles per liter for a period of at least 12 months.
“Following notification from World Athletics on June 17 that the conditions had not yet been met, USATF provided CeCe with the eligibility requirements and, along with World Athletics, the opportunity to demonstrate her eligibility so that she could compete at the US Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field,” the USATF statement said.
“According to subsequent notification to CeCe from World Athletics on June 22, she has not been able to demonstrate her eligibility.
“USATF strongly supports inclusivity and providing a clear path to participation in the sport for all, while also maintaining competitive fairness. If CeCe meets the conditions for transgender athlete participation in the future, we wholeheartedly back her participation in international events as a member of Team USATF.”
Telfer first competed for NCAA Division II Franklin Pierce University men’s track and field team for three years before medically transitioning to a woman.
Her management says they will accept the decision.
“The model of grace in the face of adversity, CeCe will respect USA Track & Field’s decision on her eligibility to compete at the US Olympic Trials this Friday in Eugene.” Telfer’s manager, David McFarland, told CNN in a statement.
“CeCe has turned her focus towards the future and is continuing to train. She will compete on the national and world stage again soon,” McFarland said.
Police in India have launched an investigation into a fake COVID-19 vaccination racket after 2,000 people were inoculated with fake COVID vaccine doses in Mumbai and another 1,000, some disabled, in Kolkata.
Authorities in Mumbai said that around 2,000 people who thought they were being vaccinated were injected with a saline solution.
Ten people have been arrested including two doctors at a private hospital in the financial hub, police told a news conference, with the scammers targeting residents of an upscale housing complex in one case
“We (then) discovered that eight more camps were organised by this syndicate,” said Vishwas Patil, joint commissioner for the law and order division.
Police have recovered Rs 12.4 crore ($16,700) in cash which was “fraudulently obtained” by the accused.
Police in Kolkata meanwhile have arrested a man posing as a civil servant with a master’s degree in genetics who reportedly ran as many as eight spurious vaccination camps.
Police said at least 250 disabled and transgender people were injected at one site, and that in total nearly 1000 people may have been given counterfeit jabs across the city.
Kolkata official Atin Ghosh said that the seized vials were falsely labelled as containing the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, branded in India as Covishield.
“It was found that the Covishield label was stuck over another label, that of Amikacin Sulphate 500 mg, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections of the urinary tract, bones, brain, lungs and blood among others,” Ghosh told AFP.
The scam came to light after an actress and politician, Mimi Chakraborty, who received a shot at one of the camps to raise awareness, became suspicious and alerted police.
Police seized fake ID cards from the suspect, one of an information ministry official and another as a municipal commissioner. His car sported Kolkata government stickers.
Debashis Barui, a Kolkata health official, said that many of those who had been injected were now “panicking” about the possible side effects.
“If any emergency arises, civic authorities will organise medical camps in the area to take care of those who have had fake shots,” Barui told AFP.
One of them, Ruma Sikdar, 35, said that she had been feeling drowsy and had discomfort in her arm.
“What I am worried about is how to get the real dose before the third wave hits,” the home-maker said.
“We didn’t think that this could happen when the world is battling the pandemic,” said student Debjit Majumdar, who also received the fake jab.
The late founder of the Synagogue of All Nations, Pastor Temitope Joshua, may be buried in his church in Lagos state on July 9, 2021. Joshua died in Lagos state last week at the age of 57.
On Sunday, a family member who asked not to be named stated that TB Joshua’s immediate family and extended members had set the date after meeting at the deceased’s residence in Lagos state on Friday. The family’s decision goes against the expectations of the Arigidi Akoko monarch,Oba Yisa Olanipekun, and other traditional rulers of the Akoko region, who want the late preacher to be buried in his hometown, Arigidi Akoko.
Traditional rulers believed that if the deceased clergy were brought home for burial, the global visibility of the city would be further improved, because worshipers of the dead from all over the world wanted to visit the grave, and it would also make the city a focal point in the world when the church continues the project that the late founder had already started. But the relative said that at the meeting, his wife Evelyn and the deceased clergyman’s children outnumbered other family members opinion in terms of the location and date of the funeral.
The source said the burial arrangement would take place between July 5 and July 9, 2021
He said, “The extended family members, his (Joshua) wife and children held a meeting on Friday and it was decided that he should be buried in Lagos and the burial programme will be between July 5 and 9.
“It was on the insistence of the wife and the children that the other family members agree on the place of burial because they said they saw revelations that he should be buried in Lagos. Since they said it was spiritual, the family agreed with them.”
However, one of the community leaders in Akokoland, Chief Ladi Bello, said since the decision had been taken on the burial arrangement of the deceased, the ongoing project left behind in Arigidi Akoko by the late pastor should not be abandoned.
Big Tech Companies, Amazon and Google are under investigation over concerns fake five star reviews on their websites could be misleading shoppers to buy from companies.
The Competition and Markets Authority who are investigating both companies is also worried that “law-abiding businesses” who sell on Amazon and Google may be losing out to firms using false recommendations.
The CMA launched the formal probe after an initial investigation last year examined whether online companies were doing enough to protect consumers as online shopping has soared during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CMA say millions of customers could be misled by companies that generate fake reviews and that the tech giants are not doing enough to quell the menace.
“Our worry is that millions of online shoppers could be misled by reading fake reviews and then spending their money based on those recommendations,” said CMA chief executive Andrea Coscelli.
“Equally, it’s simply not fair if some businesses can fake five-star reviews to give their products or services the most prominence, while law-abiding businesses lose out.
“It’s important that these tech platforms take responsibility and we stand ready to take action if we find that they are not doing enough.”
‘Suspicious patterns of behaviour’ In particular, the CMA is concerned about whether Amazon and Google have been “doing enough” to “detect fake and misleading reviews or suspicious patterns of behaviour”.
This includes where the same users “have reviewed the same range of products or businesses at similar times to each other…or where the review suggests that the reviewer has received a payment or other incentive to write a positive review”.
In response, both companies say they have resources and policies in place to stop fake reviews.
The CMA is also looking into what sanctions the companies place on users.
The CMA said that if it discovered the companies had broken consumer protection law, it could take action against them including “court action if needed”.
“The CMA has not reached a view on whether Amazon and Google have broken the law at this stage.”
“The CMA must now move swiftly towards establishing whether these companies have broken the law, said Which? director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha.
“This should prompt Amazon and Google to finally take the necessary steps to protect users from the growing tide of fake reviews on their platforms and, if they fail to do so, the regulator must be prepared to take strong enforcement action.”
The CMA said it was also concerned that Amazon’s systems “have been failing adequately to prevent and deter some sellers from manipulating product listings, for example, by co-opting positive reviews from other products”.
A spokesman for Amazon said the company devoted “significant resources to preventing fake or incentivised reviews from appearing in our store”.
“We will continue to assist the CMA with its enquiries and we note its confirmation that no findings have been made against our business.”
Google said that its policies state “reviews must be based on real experiences” and where it finds violations “we take action” including disabling user accounts.
It said: “We look forward to continuing our work with the CMA to share more on how our industry-leading technology and review teams work to help users find relevant and useful information on Google.”
Former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
Chauvin, 45, was found guilty by a jury in April of second and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee into Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as he begged for his life and repeatedly said “I can’t breathe.”
Mr Floyd, a Black man, was killed in May 2020 after police officers responded to a call that he had used a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store in the city.
The sentence is ten years more than the average sentence for the crime, which 12.5 years.
Sentencing Chauvin, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said, “My comments will be brief.
“What the sentence is not based on is emotion or sympathy, but at the same time I want acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family. I acknowledge and hear the pain you are feeling.
“I am not going to attempt to be profound or clever it is not the appropriate time. I am not basing my sentencing on public opinion, or any attempt to send any messages.”
Mr Floyd’s murder was captured by bystanders on their phones and the viral video led to months of racial injustice protests across the United States.
Chauvin, who wore a grey suit and tie, gave his “condolences to the Floyd family” as he was jailed.
The judge ruled last month that Chauvin had been “particularly cruel” in killing Mr. Floyd in front of children and had abused his authority, and the prosecution had asked for a 30-year sentence.
Earlier in the hearing Chauvin had broken his silence, but said he was not be able to give a formal statement because of other legal issues.
“I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family, there is going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope that things will give you some peace of mind, thank you.”
Under Minnesota law, Chauvin will serve two-thirds of the sentence in prison, and the remaining time on supervised release.
Chauvin will also get credit for time already served in prison as he awaited his sentencing.
Three other police officers involved in the incident, J Alexander Kueng, 27, Thomas Lane, 38, and Tou Thao, 35, face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
They had been due to go trial in August but that has now been moved back to March 2022.
The four officers have also been charged in federal court with violating Mr Floyd’s civil rights during the fatal arrest.
Chauvin also faces a second federal indictment for allegedly violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old boy in 2017.
During that incident he is accused of placing his knee on the teenager’s neck for 17 minutes, causing him to pass out.
The Justice Department is now investigating the Minneapolis Police Department for the alleged systematic violations of the civil rights of people in the city.
A Frenchwoman who admitted to killing her abusive husband, fainted in apparent shock in court on Friday, June 25, after hearing that she could walk free.
According to a lawyer for the accused, the prosecution has asked for a sentence of five years in prison for Valerie Bacot, with four years of the term suspended.
If confirmed, Bacot would walk free, as she has already spent a year in detention, her lawyer, Nathalie Tomasini, told French press.
Bacot admitted to shooting Daniel Polette in 2016. She previously referred to him as her stepfather before they married.
According to court documents, Polette had started raping her when she was only 12 or 13.
At that time he was her mother’s boyfriend, he later became Bacot’s husband and father of their four children.
Tomasini told French media, BFM on Friday that she was “about to plead leniency” and was not expecting this “at all.”
“Because she was in detention for a year, she would not be going back if the jury and the court follow the opinion of the prosecution,” the lawyer added.
After she heard the news, Bacot fainted and emergency services had to come into the courtroom.
Before today’s unexpected news, she was potentially facing a life sentence for shooting Polette dead.
In her bestselling book “Tout Le Monde Savait” (“Everyone Knew”), published in May, Bacot, 40, said Polette, 65, first raped her when she was 12 years old, impregnated her at 17 and went on to abuse her over the course of 18 years.
“I simply wanted to protect myself. Protect my life, the life of my children. In my eyes, nothing else ever mattered,” she wrote in her autobiography.
In her book, Bacot ?said she should be punished. But she argued that killing Polette was the only way to protect herself and her children from a man who had made her life “hell” from the time he first raped her until she shot him dead in 2016.
“I am not only a victim. I killed him; it is only normal that I should be punished. But if my sentence is heavy, that will mean to me that he had the right to behave the way he behaved with me,” Bacot wrote. ?
Before today’s news, a petition seeking Bacot’s freedom, launched by a support group in January, had gathered more than 705,000 signatures.
TM reports that Ataga, the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, and a director in Super Network was gruesomely murdered by his side chic, a 21-year-old student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on June 12th.
According to viral reports, he was found dead with multiple stabs in his neck, chest and thigh with a whooping sum of 5 million withdrawn from his account. In the video that was shared on social media, the bloodied body of Ataga was captured lifeless on the ground.
The video surfaced online after Chidinma disclosed that she stabbed Ataga twice after he allegedly became violent towards her.
Several people were killed and others injured on Friday in an attack in the southern German city of Wuerzburg, police said, with media reporting a knife assault.
“The attacker was overpowered after the police used firearms. There are several injured as well as fatalities,” police said on Twitter, without giving details on the suspect’s motives.
There was no further danger to the public, added police.
German news outlets reported that the suspect had attacked people in the city-centre with a knife at around 5.00 pm (1500 GMT).
Police were able to arrest the man after shooting him in the leg, the Bild newspaper reported, adding that at least three people were killed and six others injured.
The mass-circulation daily published a photo of the suspect, showing a dark-skinned man wearing a beige long-sleeved t-shirt with grey trousers and holding a long knife.
Video footage circulating online also showed passers-by trying to stop the suspect using folded chairs.
A crowd of people gave chase, before a police car arrived on the scene, one video showed.
A huge police deployment was ongoing in the city of some 130,000 inhabitants located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Frankfurt.
While the motive and full identity of the perpetrator have not yet been established, Germany has been on high alert after several deadly Islamist extremist attacks.
‘Threat remains great’
Suspected Islamists have committed several attacks in Germany in recent years, the deadliest being a truck rampage at a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that killed 12 people.
The Tunisian attacker, a failed asylum seeker, was a supporter of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
More recently, one man was killed and another seriously injured in an Islamist knife attack in the city of Dresden in October.
A 20-year-old Syrian jihadist in May received a life sentence for the homophobic attack.
Last August, six people were injured in a series of motorway accidents in Berlin in what prosecutors described as a suspected Islamist attack.
Since 2009, German authorities have foiled 17 suspected jihadist attacks — the majority in 2016, according to the interior ministry.
The number of Islamists considered dangerous in Germany rose sharply between 2015 and 2018, according to security services.
But the numbers have declined since then, with 615 considered dangerous by the latest count compared with 730 in January 2018.
On top of that, there are also 521 people “who have attracted the attention of the security services but have not yet reached the stage of being considered dangerous”.
In 2020, 320 new investigations with a link to the Islamist threat were launched in Germany.
This is also a lower number than in previous years, but “the threat from Islamist-motivated terrorism is and remains great,” chief federal prosecutor Peter Frank said.
Germany remains a target for jihadist groups, in particular because of its involvement in the coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, and its deployment in Afghanistan since 2001.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has meanwhile charged that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to allow in more than one million asylum seekers — many fleeing Iraq and Syria — since 2015 has contributed to the heightened security risk.
But beyond Islamist attacks, there have been other assaults by knife-wielding people.
In October 2017, a knife-wielding man randomly attacked passersby in central Munich, lightly injuring eight people. Police excluded terrorism as a motive after detaining the suspected perpetrator.
Euro 2020 will showcase some of the best forwards in the world with an in-form marksman likely to position a side well to win it all.
In 2016, it was Antoine Griezmann who picked up the coveted award, scoring six times for the runners-up, with Portugal denying them in the final, while the Barcelona star is among the favourites to land the prize once again.
There will be no shortage of contenders among Didier Deschamps’ squad alone, Kylian Mbappe is now joined by Karim Benzema in attack, with the Real Madrid striker out of his international exile.PUBLICITÉ
Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo had three apiece five years ago too for the Selecao, and the latter is back for more and currently listed as the fourth favourite off the back of 36 goals in all competitions for Juventus.
England’s Harry Kane enters the tournament as co-favourite with Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, who is fresh from firing Inter Milan to the scudetto, with 24 goals in Serie A.
Human rights activist, Reno Omokri serves his nuggets of wisdom once again as he notes the qualities of a good husband material.
Reno who had listed the characteristics of a good wife material balanced the equation by adding the qualities expected of a perfect husband too.
Taking to Instagram, the self-acclaimed Buhari Tormentor wrote;
“10 Qualities of a Husband Material
He does not request or pressure you for intercourse
He has financial chemistry
The source of his financial chemistry is known
You have seen him when he is angry and upset and he is not violent in such circumstances
He is in control of the relationship without being controlling
He respects his own parents, whether dead or alive (if he does not respect his parents, irrespective of whether or not they deserve respect, he cannot respect you)
He has a mind of his own. He is not controlled by the opinions of his family or friends. He is also not controlled by YOUR opinions. (If he is, he is weak. You are marrying a boy, not a man)
You have shared interests with him (whether traveling, reading, working out, music, etc)
No matter how successful he presently is, he still has ambitions to be better and more successful in future
You share the same religious and moral values (if you marry outside your faith, it means you love your partner more than your God)”
Real Madrid left-back Marcelo has been named the new captain of the club following the departure of defender Sergio Ramos.
The club’s president Florentino Perez confirmed new development in a statement.
“Marcelo will be our captain next season. It’s difficult to find another LB like Marcelo. Him and Roberto Carlos have been the best in the history”, Florentino said.
The 33-year-old Brazilian, who has been with Los Blancos since January 2007, will see his current contract expire in June 2022, but it is understood that there have been no talks to either sell the defender or renew his deal at present.
Marcelo who lost his place to Ferland Mendy under Zinedine Zidane, only made 19 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign, adding to the 528 times he has played for Real Madrid during a 14-year career in the Spanish capital.
Mr Hancock and his aide Ms Coladangelo outside Downing Street in 2020
Coladangelo and her millionaire entrepreneur husband, Oliver Tress, 54,
