CNN host, Chris Cuomo has opined that police and gun reform won’t happen until “White people’s kids start getting killed.”
The U.S. has faced multiple major shootings over the past month, most recently in Indianapolis where a gunman opened fire at a FedEx facility, killing eight.
Also, tensions have grown in some parts of the US where protesters and rioters are on edge as they await the verdict of the Derek Chauvin trial and demand justice in the police-involved killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago, among others.
Cuomo, however, feels the problem of police shootings will end when white kids start getting killed.
“Shootings, gun laws, access to weapons. Oh, I know when they’ll change,” said CNN anchor on his show “Cuomo primetime”.
“[When] your kids start getting killed. White people’s kids start getting killed.”
Cuomo continued; “What’s going on with these police? Maybe we shouldn’t even have police,” he said.
“That kind of madness. That kind of mania. That will be you. That will be the majority. Because it’s your people,” Cuomo said, apparently directed at the White members of his audience.
“How many more?” Cuomo asked. “Die of the pandemic, dying from police shootings. George Floyd, Daunte Wright. I wonder if you’ll remember their names six months from now because they’ll be replaced by so many others.”
Cuomo pointed out people have now started to focus on the past of the victims in police shootings rather than the police which is the main problem.
“Why do that? Because you wanna make the problem them,” he said. “Takes the onus off the idea that you’re wrong about policing needing to change.”
“Forget that police are trained to deal with non-compliance with force that is not lethal. Hey, comply or die,” Cuomo said.
At least 41 migrants drowned after a boat carrying African migrants sank off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, United Nations and Tunisian officials said on Friday, April 16.
The Tunisian costguard had so far recovered 21 bodies, all African migrants and rescued three people.
The dead included at least one child, 12 men and 8 women. Seventeen other people were missing.
“The boat sank during a trip that started late on Thursday from Sfax… So far, the coastguard has recovered 21 bodies and the search is still continuing,” Mouard Mechri, director of Tunisia’s civil protection service, told Reuters.
The coastline near the port city of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and seeking a better life in Europe.
The U.N. migration agency IOM and the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement:
“This tragic loss of life underscores once again the need to enhance and expand State-led search and rescue operations across the Central Mediterranean, where some 290 people have lost their lives so far this year,”
“Solidarity across the region and support to national authorities in their efforts to prevent loss of life and prosecute smugglers and traffickers should be a priority.”
The central Mediterranean is the deadliest route for would-be migrants to Europe, who usually board makeshift vessels for the crossing.
“So far this year, sea departures from Tunisia to Europe have more than tripled compared to the same period in 2020,” the UNHCR-IOM statement added.
Meanwhile, Protegeons Les Migrants, Pas Les Frontieres have identified two of the African migrants as Mado and Adamo.
Bishop David Oyedepo has shared his thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccination which is currently ongoing in the country.
The Founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners’ Chapel) who spoke during his church’s Covenant Hour of Prayer programme, said he won’t take the COVID-19 vaccine because he is not a guinea pig.
Bishop Oyedepo further stated that it is inhuman and immoral to force people to take vaccine. He said;
“A generation where people are forced to take vaccines. It is inhuman; it is immoral sir. I’m not a lawyer, but I do not think it is legal. You can’t come to my house and want to give me injections.
“On what? Did I invite you? They are confused. But the church has the answer. Did you see any outbreak of virus here? How will it enter the gate? Will it come through the air?
“How? One woman just got down after that injection in Kaduna. What kind of life? Are human beings now turned to guinea pigs? The world is confused but the church is lighted.
“So the triumph of the church will humble the pride of the world. They don’t know what to do sir. In the last days, the church will be reigning in power and glory. That is God’s agenda.
“No apologies. There is a big, big bird in our land, saying ‘don’t take it, they are deceivers’. Let me see someone who will come and inject me. By who?
“Are you going to tie my hands? How? Did I invite you? I know you are quiet, you will hear more of it. My job is to expose the devil and tell his agents, ‘get off, we are not guinea pigs.”
Two suspected drug traffickers intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, have excreted 191 pellets of cocaine, heroin.
Director, Media & Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, April 18, said Chukwudi Destiny was arrested during the outward clearance of an Italy bound Ethiopian Airline.
“On 10th April 2021, during the outward screening of passengers on Ethiopian airline to Italy, NDLEA operatives at MMIA intercepted and referred one Chukwudi Destiny for scanning and the scan result proved positive to drug ingestion. Consequently, he was placed under excretion observation and in the process; he excreted 92 pellets of Heroin with a total weight of 1.300Kg,” the statement says.
On Friday 16th of April, 2021, another trafficker, Ezekiel Chibuzo who arrived Lagos from Brazil on board Qatar airline was also arrested for drug ingestion. He has so far excreted 99 wraps of cocaine.
Also on 12th April 2021, during the inbound examination of consignments on Ethiopian airline cargo flight from South Africa, operatives at SAHCO import shed made a seizure of 11.550kg of Heroin cleverly packed and concealed in corn flakes cartons. Four clearing agents are in custody in connection to the seizure.
According to the Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Garba, a sting operation was executed on the address provided by one the suspects.
In the process, a Congolese, Kayembe Kamba Mazepy was arrested. After his arrest, he mentioned another person who is to receive the parcel from him.
On the strength of the information, another sting operation was conducted in the early hours of Saturday 17th April, 2021 where the person that came to take delivery was arrested.
In a similar development, officers at export shed of the airport have also seized 822.950kg of khat leaves heading to UK and US.
Reacting to the latest drug haul at the airport, Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the MMIA Command for their commitment to the nations crusade against illicit drugs.
“While I commend the officers and men of our MMIA Command, let me again warn unrepentant barons and traffickers that the game is up for them because well continue to disrupt their criminal trade as part of efforts to secure our country and protect the future of our youths, Marwa stated in his message on Sunday.” he stated.
The Duchess of Cambridge was pictured in Her Majesty’s jewels as she arrived at St George’s Chapel for Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral today.
Kate Middleton, 39, rocked the Queen’s pearls paired with drop pearl earrings, both from Her Majesty’s personal collection, with a black face covering and pillar-box hat with net veil for the funeral.
She completed her look with a black £1,605 Roland Mouret dress, the same outfit she wore for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in 2018.
The Japanese Pearl choker necklace was worn by Kate for the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary dinner at Windsor Castle in 2017, and by her late mother-in-law Princess Diana in 1982.
The Queen loaned it to Diana, who loved pearls, for a banquet given by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands at Hampton Court Palace during the Dutch royal family’s visit to the UK.
The Queen asked for the four-row Japanese Pearl Choker to be made from ‘the finest cultured pearls’ which were a gift from the Japanese government. It has four strands of pearls with a central curved diamond clasp.
The Monarch wore the choker in the 1980s and 1990s, and to a dinner celebrating former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s 70th Birthday in London in 1995.
At the funeral service, the Duchess sat alone in the Chapel as members of the congregation followed the social distancing guidelines.
A California mom suspected of murdering her three young children before going on a carjacking spree, has confessed to drowning them “as softly as she could” in a chilling jailhouse interview.
Liliana Carrillo, 30, claimed she wanted to protect her son and two daughters from their father, who she believes is a human trafficker and would have ‘abused them’.
Carrillo’s kids, Joanna Denton Carrillo, 3, Terry, 2, and 6-month-old Sierra were found dead on Saturday, April 10, by their grandma in her apartment in Reseda, Los Angeles. Their mother had vanished.
She was later arrested on suspicion of carjacking, having stolen a truck. She said in her interview that she wanted to drive off of a cliff and kill herself.
‘I drowned them. I did it as softly, I don’t know how to explain it. I didn’t want them to be further abused,’ an emotional Carrillo told KGET-TV, during an interview at the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility in Kern County.
‘I promised them when they were born that I was going to protect them. I hugged them and I kissed them and I was apologizing the whole time,’ she said. ‘I loved my kids.’
‘I wish my kids were alive, yes,’ she said. ‘Do I wish that I didn’t have to do that? Yes. But I prefer them not being tortured and abused on a regular basis for the rest of their lives.’
She didn’t reveal how she drowned them.
‘I wish my kids were alive, yes. Do I wish I didn’t have to do that, yes? But I prefer them not being tortured and abused on a regular basis for the rest of their life.’
Carrillo hasn’t been charged with the deaths of her children in Los Angeles County pending further investigation.
Court filings showed there was a bitter custody dispute between Carrillo and the children’s father, Erik Denton.
On March 1, Denton petitioned a court for custody, alleging that Carrillo was delusional and had taken the kids and refused to tell him where they were.
In response to his filing, Carrillo filed a restraining order against him and claimed Denton was an alcoholic who may have sexually abused their eldest child.
Denton’s court filings tell of Carrillo’s post-partum depression following the birth of their middle child. She began therapy but quit, and self-medicated with marijuana, he claimed.
In texts and social media posts, she said things like ‘I wish I never had kids’ and threatened to kill herself, he alleged.
In her interview, Carrillo said she had dealt with depression, anxiety, and PTSD her whole life and had sought out a therapist for postpartum depression but claimed that it was her husband who posed a threat to the children.
Carrillo alleged that her daughter and a son had shown signs of abuse and that she had tried but failed to obtain help through social workers and law enforcement.
‘They were just going to hand them off to the dad,’ she said.
Through the courts, Denton and Carrillo agreed to swap Denton´s days to see the children for a few hours every other Sunday.
Last Sunday was supposed to be just his second visit with the kids under the new schedule, but it was late as the kids were all dead.
Carrillo said she expects to spend the rest of her life in prison.
Asked what her final message to her children, she replied: ‘I love you, and I´m sorry.’
A 39-year-old nurse in the US state of Florida has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Niviane Petit Phelps was arrested following an investigation by the US Secret Service.
Acording to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, On March 3, Special Agent David Ballenger was notified of a threat to kill Harris.
The threats were sent by Phelps to her incarcerated spouse in Wakulla Correctional Institution via JPay, a computer application that allows sharing of media between non-incarcerated and incarcerated people.
A Secret Service special agent assigned to the case obtained the videos and photographs that were sent by Phelps to her spouse.
“Niviane Petit Phelps knowingly and willfully made threats to kill and inflict bodily harm upon the Vice President of the United States in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 871,” from February 13 through February 18, according to the complaint.
“The videos (that are of relevance to this investigation) generally depict Phelps complaining and speaking angrily to the camera about her hatred for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others,” read the complaint. “However, in these videos, Phelps also made statements about killing Vice President Harris.”
In one of the videos, “Phelps stated: ‘Kamala Harris you are going to die. Your days are numbered already,” added the complaint. In another video on February 18, Phelps stated, “I’m going to the gun range. … I swear to God, today is your day you’re gonna die. 50 days from today, mark this day down.” Phelps expressed how she believes Harris not actually ‘Black’ and how during inauguration she disrespectfully put her hand on her clutch purse instead of the Bible.
The complaint said investigators also found a photo that showed Phelps at a shooting range, holding a pistol and smiling next to a target with bullet holes. She also applied for a concealed weapons permit in February, the complaint said.
On March 3, the Secret Service and detectives from the Miami-Dade Police Department went to Phelps’ residence to interview her, but she refused to speak with them at the time, according to the complaint.
On March 6, a Secret Service agent went to speak with Phelps at her home. According to the complaint, Phelps said, “She was angry at the time about Kamala Harris becoming Vice President but that she is ‘over it now.’
Harris, 56, is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected Vice President.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Kenya, have arrested a 38-year-old married man over the brutal murder of his girlfriend.
The suspect, Evans Karani is accused of murdering 25-year-old Catherine Nyokabi in Witeithie area, Juja in Kiambu County.
Juja Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO), Richard Mwaura, who confirmed the incident on Friday, April 16, said the suspect attempted to discard Nyokabi’s body on Wednesday but his efforts were thwarted by mud.
While transporting Nyokabi’s body in his car, Karani’s vehicle got stuck in mud on Bob Harris road in Juja, forcing him to flee, leaving the body and car behind, the DCI said.
Police, who arrived at the scene following a report by locals, verified the car ownership from the National Transport and Safety Authority’s Registrar of Motor Vehicles.
A hunt for Karani was, consequently, launched by a multi-agency team comprising police, DCI officers and the agency’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) officer
On Friday morning, April 16, detectives, via phone signal, tracked down Karani to his rented house in Githurai Kimbo area, where they arrested the suspect.
The authorities said Nyokabi’s body had been burnt using a corrosive chemical.
“She was badly disfigured. Besides the burn injuries, she had bruises on the face and head. It appears she was tortured before being killed,” a detective told The Standard.
Authorities said the suspect confessed to killing Nyokabi, a hotel worker in Kahawa Wendani, following a bitter conflict, which they had been embroiled in for the past two weeks.
Karani, who is married, reportedly told police Nyokabi was his secret lover.
The deceased’s father, Gitonga Njogu, told The Standard that initial reports suggested his daughter, the first born in a family of four children, died in a road accident.
“On Facebook, certain people were claiming my child was killed in a car crash in Juja. However, when we got to see her body at the City Mortuary, we were shocked. The visible injuries clearly indicated Nyokabi’s cause of death was not a road accident as had been alleged,” said Njogu.
“My girl (Nyokabi) was hard-working, cheerful and very loving. Her future was promising,” said Njogu while attempting to balance a tear in his eyes.
The old man said Nyokabi had, in the past, introduced Karani to him as her suitor.
“I knew them to be lovers. Just like in any other relationship, they had differences, which I would help them iron out. Two weeks ago, my daughter said she and Karani had broken up. I told her, it was okay; she shouldn’t cling onto a relationship in which she was unhappy. That was the last time I heard of the suspect.”
Karani will be arraigned on Monday, April 19, when detectives would seek to detain him longer to allow for investigations to be completed.
Prince William and Harry have appeared in public together for the first time in more than a year at their grandfather Philip’s funeral at Windsor Castle.
The princes, who were dressed in suits did not stand shoulder to shoulder behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin but walked beside their cousin Peter Phillips to the St George’s Chapel for Prince Philip’s funeral this afternoon.
William, 38, and Harry, 36, are among nine members of the Royal Family who walked behind their grandfather’s typically unique coffin this afternoon, leaving the Sovereign’s entrance at Windsor Castle at precisely 2.45pm.
It’s the first time Harry and William have been seen together since March 2020, when they attended a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey with other royals.
Royal aides have been ‘walking on eggshells’ as they try to navigate the rift between the brothers, sources said last night as tensions remain following Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the Royal Family last y
Princess Shyngle has denounced her country and asked her fellow countrymen to stay away from her.
The 30-year-old actress, who is from The Gambia, took to Instagram to call Gambia the “worst country in history”. She also called the people of Gambia the “worst people “.
She said she never wants to have anything to do with the country and asked Gambians to unfollow her.
“I don’t ever want to associate with anything that has to do with Gambia,” she wrote, adding “I am not Gambian, I have nothing to do with Gambia.”
This comes one week after she revealed on Instagram that her weeks-old marriage to her best friend crashed shortly after they married.
ose Mourinho has hit back at Paul Pogba’s recent criticism of him, after the Manchester United star said he sees his current coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a different and better type of manager to Mourinho because he doesn’t “go against the players”.
Pogba notoriously had a bad relationship with Mourinho at Old Trafford, and recently admitted that he was unsure why that relationship went sour.
“What I have now with Ole is different, he wouldn’t go against the players. He wouldn’t go against the players,” Pogba told Sky Sports.
“Maybe Ole wouldn’t pick them, but it’s not like he puts them on the side like they don’t exist anymore. That’s the difference between Mourinho and Ole.
“Once I had a great relationship with Mourinho, everybody saw that, and the next day you don’t know what happened. That’s the strange thing I had with Mourinho and I cannot explain to you because even I don’t know.”
Mourinho, whose side Tottenham have exited the Europa league and are doing poorly in the premier league has now responded.
Speaking to Sky Sports after his Tottenham side drew Everton, Mourinho replied: “I would like to say that I couldn’t care less with what he says. I couldn’t care less. Not interested at all.”
Chelsea football club of England are through to the FA Cup final for the fourth time in five seasons after Hakim Ziyech scored a well-worked second-half goal against Manchester City on Saturday, April 17.
In Chelsea’s line up, Kepa was once again named in goal while Ziyech and Werner came in for Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz.
City meanwhile made eight alterations to his Man City side, with only Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Rodrigo retaining their places from the midweek win over Dortmund.
At the beginning, Chelsea exploited space behind City’s high line twice in quick succession as Ziyech had the ball in the net from Werner’s pass but the German was offside before a Ben Chilwell cross was cleared from inside the six-yard box.
At the 10th minute, Kepa made a comfortable save from Gabriel Jesus.
Unlike what many would have thought, Chelsea were playing well .
Mason Mount twice carried the ball forward from midfield with purpose and twice Fernandinho avoided a yellow card for fouls on Mount.
Werner then shot from a tight angle and was denied by a crucial Aymeric Laporte block shortly after the half-hour, before James curled wide from range.
The first half was ended with Fernandinho heading wide.
A couple of minutes after the restart of the second half, star player De Bruyne was injured and replaced by Phil Foden.
With 10 minutes of the second period played, Werner playing on the cusp of City’s high line got the precise pass he was looking for from Mount.
Steffen raced out of his goal made a simple square pass to Ziyech, who slid the ball into the empty net.
Not too long after the goal, Chilwell’s long pass found Ziyech but Steffen blocked the Algerian’s shot.
With 20 minutes left, Ruben Dias headed a presentable opening well over before Tuchel immediately made his first change, bringing Pulisic on for the excellent Mount.
Thiago Silva who felt pains in his back region was replaced by Kurt Zouma with three minutes left on the clock.
An additional five minuted were added and Pulisic scored, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Chelsea held on for a victory well deserved.
Thomas Tuchel will be the first German to manage in an FA Cup final, and he can enjoy a deserved first success over Pep Guardiola.
The Blues will now play Leicester City or Southampton in the FA Cup final on Saturday 15 May!
Health officials in Brazil have urged women to postpone pregnancy until the coronavirus pandemic has passed because the new variants of the virus is more dangerous to expectant mothers.
The Secretary of Primary Health Care of the Brazilian health ministry, Raphael Camara disclosed this and said that the variants of covid in Brazil are more dangerous to expectant mothers.
‘If possible [the women should] postpone the pregnancy a bit to a better time so that [they] can have a more peaceful pregnancy,’ he said in a press conference on Friday.
He added that the ministry is now working on studies on the issue of pregnancy and variants of the virus.
‘The clinical view of experts shows that the new variant has a more aggressive action on pregnant women,’ he said.
‘Before, [severity] was linked to the end of the pregnancy, but now [they] see a more serious evolution in the second trimester and even in the first trimester..’
Brazil has the second-highest recorded deaths related to covid, second only to the US, with 368,749 deaths and more than 13.8million cases.
Barcelona routed Athletic Club 4-0 in Seville on Saturday night, April 17 to win the Copa del Rey, their first trophy of the current season.
Lionel Messi struck twice, after goals from Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong, to claim a record 31st Copa del Rey, and their newest Copa title since seeing their bid for five in a row ended by Valencia in 2019.
Barcelona’s new president, Joan Laporta could be seen smiling watched his side pick up the first trophy of his second reign on a huge night for the club in Seville who are still hoping to convince star player Lionel Messi to remain at the club beyond this season.
Messi put on a show to become the all-time record goalscorer in Copa finals, with 10, as he lifted the trophy for a seventh time.
Under-fire Ronald Koeman kept faith in his 3-5-2 system and made some bold selection calls as Gerard Pique came in for Ronald Araujo, twice holding his own against Inaki Williams in one-on-one situations.
Griezmann selected to start, was the one who broke the deadlock, turning home a cross from versatile Netherlands international Frenkie De Jong .
After creating the opener for Griezmann, De Jong stooped to head home the second, from Jordi Alba’s cross, before Messi took center srag.
Messi played a one-two with De Jong in the build-up and scored twice, and Barca fans can only hope their football Messiah will sign a new deal to remain at the club beyond this season, even though he’s already 33.
The Queen was unable to hold back her grief as she was seen wiping away tears inside a vehicle as she followed her beloved husband’s coffin to St George’s Chapel on Saturday.
Her Majesty was driven to St George’s Chapel with a lady in waiting, before being sat alone at the front of the church. She was later seen standing as she bowed her head during the national minute’s silence.
Following behind the coffin was the royal procession, led by Philip’s children Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry, followed but the feiding brother by their cousin Peter Phillips.
The Queen had decided that no royals should wear military uniform after Prince Andrew demanded to dress as an Admiral and Prince Harry was stripped of his titles. They were only allowed to wear their medals.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s casket had his standard, navy cap and a sword given to him by the Queen’s father when they married 73 years ago.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the news of Philip’s death on April 9. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the family’s statement read. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
The prince had been hospitalized in February as a “precautionary measure” and underwent heart surgery on March 3. He later returned home on March 16 before his death .
A Mississippi man who experienced a blood clot after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, has been left paralyzed on one side and unable to talk, his family said.
Brad Malagarie, 43, of St. Martin, suffered a stroke after he received the one-dose shot of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine last week, news station WLOX reported.
This father of seven had spent the morning at his D’Iberville office before heading to get a Johnson and Johnson vaccine. When he returned back to work, within three hours, his co-workers noticed he was unresponsive at his desk.
“They called me and said he had that vaccine, and something is wrong. We think it’s a stroke. You know, we don’t know,” said Celeste Foster O’Keefe, Brad’s aunt.
Brad was reportedly rushed to the Ochsner’s Medical Center in New Orleans and diagnosed with a stroke. A blood clot had lodged in his left-middle cerebral artery.
Celeste, who is also brad’s boss, said the family believes without a doubt that the vaccine caused the stroke.
“He’s a young, healthy 43-year-old, you know, and I immediately thought it. And I said, ‘be sure to tell the doctors, tell the doctors he took that Johnson and Johnson vaccine,” said O’Keefe.
According to Celeste, Brad’s only health issue before the vaccine was high blood pressure, which was controlled with medication.
Giving new update on his condition, O’Keefe said Mr.Brad has been left paralyzed on the right side of his body.
“He can’t talk now and he can’t walk. He’s paralyzed on the right side. He knows who we are and he will just cry when he sees us,” O’Keefe said.
She said doctors don’t know how long it will take him to recover.
“We want him to be able to communicate, to be able to walk and talk again, even if it’s not perfect, that’s okay,” O’Keefe said.
This comes days after Federal regulators in the US stopped the use of the one-dose J&J shot after six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed blood clots, including one who died.
27 suspected internet fraudsters have been arrested by the operatives of the Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The suspects are: David Promise, Cyril Okodogbe, Taiwo Femi, Jasa Oghenerwede Frank, Adesokan Ibrahim, Femi Emmanuel Phillip, Jimoh Olayinka Alimi, Anene Dominic, Victor Damola, Israel Attah, Alonge Oluwadamilare, Muhammadu Sani Garba, Luis Fred, and Adu Olaoluwa.
Others are: Precious Utomi, Oladosu Samuel, Andrew John, Olayiwola Ojo, Ekong Samuel Enobong, Oluwakemi Ezekiel, Okewole Segun, Olawale Adekunle, Ajibade Idris Adeniyi, Imeobong-Odion Promise, Karaole Lateef, Rowland Emmanuel, and Nelson Lucky.
They were arrested on April 9, 2021, in the Ayobo-Ipaja area of Lagos State, following intelligence received by the Commission about their alleged involvement in computer-related fraud
Items recovered from the suspects during their arrest include mobile phones, laptop computers, and exotic cars.
According to EFCC, the suspects will soon be charged to court.
A Spanish court has sparked outrage after acquitting a man of sexually abusing his 14-year-old stepdaughter despite the fact she gave birth to his child.
The Pamplona court accepted the defendant’s claim that the teenager had sat astride him while he was asleep on the sofa and engaged in penetrative sex.
The man said he had no recollection of the supposed encounter as he had been very drunk that night.
Close to nine months later, in December 2018, the girl was admitted to hospital and gave birth to a child, something the accused claimed had been a complete surprise to him and the girl’s mother.
Social services ordered a paternity test, which confirmed that the stepfather was the father of the baby.
The girl’s mother reported the father for alleged sexual abuse of her daughter.
The girl initially said she had been raped in the street before changing her story to corroborate her stepfather’s claim that he had not been conscious when they had sex.
The judges said that there was insufficient evidence to convict the stepfather.
Altamira Gonzalo, vice-president of the Themis women jurists’ association, said the verdict “takes us back to the kind of sentences we used to see in Spain in the 1950s or 60s, when there was complete impunity for men in the family environment”.
“The sentence beggars belief. The only thing the court valued is the accused’s right to the presumption of innocence. It has ignored its duty to protect a minor and the fact that the age of consent in Spain is 16,” Ms Gonzalo told The Telegraph.
France has finally set the age of consent to 15 following public outrage over a schoolgirl’s rape case that saw 20 firefighters dodge a rape charge despite repeatedly having sex with the then 13 year old.
France’s Parliament voted unanimously to make rape with children under the age of 15 an offence punishable by up to 20 years in jail.
Previously there was no age of consent in France, unlike other EU countries.
While legislation stated having sex with someone under 18 was an offence, there needed to be proof it was non-consensual in order to obtain a conviction of rape.
Justice Minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti speaking to the National Assembly said: “This is an historic law for our children and our society.
“No adult aggressor will be able to claim the consent of a minor younger than 15-years-old.”
The change in law means perpetrators will face tougher sentences from now on, as sex with someone under 15 will be classed as rape.
But a “Romeo and Juliet” clause allows teenagers to have consensual sex.
Fatima Benomar, whose group Les Effrontees has pushed for stronger laws against sexual abusers commented on the law: “Its very good that there is this revived debate, that there is an idea of a minimum age (of consent).
“This will make adults more responsible.”
In the story of the schoolgirl simply known as Julie, she claimed she was raped by 20 firefighters over a two-year period.
The girl alleged she was originally groomed by a man named Pierre, who works for the fire brigade in Paris, when he helped her during a severe anxiety attack in 2008.
She says the men visited her home 130 times over two years, leading to her mental and physical health suffering.
Three of the 20 men accused have admitted they had sex with the girl but claim it was consensual.
They were charged with “sexual violation” leading to massive online and street protests in France.
Ahead of Prince Philip’s burial, which holds today, Buckingham Palace shared a touching unseen picture of the Queen with her husband, who died peacefully at the castle on Friday, April 9, at 99.
The Queen will say a private farewell to Prince Philip before his coffin leaves Windsor Castle for today’s funeral.
The monarch, 94, will take a moment to reflect at the duke’s side ahead of his final journey to St George’s Chapel.
Sources say she has been the “epitome of dignity” this week as she deals with the loss of her husband of 73 years, and has insisted on personally signing off final preparations for the 3pm service.
The photo released by Buckingham Palace shows Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at one of their “happy places” – the Coyles of Muick hills close to Balmoral, where they enjoyed walking and picnics throughout their long lives together.
Queen Elizabeth loves the place that she named her new corgi puppy after it.
The photograph, taken by their daughter-in-law the Countess of Wessex in 2003 during one of their family summer holidays, was specially chosen by Her Majesty to share ahead of today’s funeral.
Prince Philip’s coffin, draped in his personal standard and bearing his naval cap, sword and a wreath of flowers, will first be seen at 2.41pm today when it emerges from the State Entrance to Windsor Castle carried by a bearer party from The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
It will then be placed on the Land Rover hearse that Philip personally designed for the occasion for the eight-minute journey to the chapel, followed by a procession of nine family members.
The service will begin with a minute’s national silence, as Philip’s coffin rests on the West Steps of the chapel to remember the late Duke.
No planes will land or take off at nearby Heathrow for six minutes to coincide with the minute’s silence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday, April 16, that his country will expel 10 US diplomats, curb the activity of US non-profit groups in the country and sanction US officials in a series of retaliatory measures after US President Joe Biden placed sweeping sanctions against the Kremlin on Thursday this week
Lavrov, speaking at a press conference in Moscow with his Serbian counterpart, described the measures as a “tit-for-tat response” over US moves to punish Moscow for its interference in the 2020 US election, its SolarWinds cyberattack and its ongoing occupation and “severe human rights abuses” in Crimea.
The US penalties included the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats in Washington, including “representatives of Russian intelligence services,” for the cyber hack and the election meddling.
“Ten diplomats were on a list the US side handed over to us asking to ensure their leaving the United States. We will give a tit-for-tat response to that. We will also ask 10 US diplomats to leave our country,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov said that Russia will also place eight US officials on a sanctions list later Friday, without specifying who would be targeted.
“Some time ago, before the package [of sanctions] recently announced by Biden, the Americans added eight representatives of Russian structures, the Russian leadership, including the presidential administration and the Prosecutor General’s Office, to the sanctions list,” Lavrov said.
“Today we will publish a list of eight officials who represent the governing structures of the Washington administration. They will also be included in our sanctions list.”
Lavrov said the Kremlin will move against US non-profit groups immediately, saying, “we will restrict and terminate the activities on our territory of American foundations and non-governmental organizations, which in fact, directly interfere in our domestic political life.”
Russia is also considering more “painful” measures against US businesses, Lavrov.
“For obvious reasons, we do not have comparable levers of influence on the United States of this scale,” Lavrov said Friday, adding that “our experts” believe the Russian economy can handle it.
“In any case, we have found and will find a way out of any situation. But we also have the opportunity to take painful measures against American business. We will keep them in reserve,” Lavrov warned.
Biden said Thursday that the sanctions against Russia were a proportionate response to cyber-attacks against the US and interference in two presidential elections, but also emphasized that “now is the time to de-escalate” tensions with the country.
Rachid Khadla, a dad of three has been convicted of child cruelty after weighing his daughter Amira almost daily and ruling his family with terrifying discipline.
His children courageously revealed the horrific nature of the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father, who ran a dictatorial regime from the family home in Windsor, Berks.
After a trial that lasted five days, a jury convicted the 56-year-old after hearing shocking evidence that depicted Khadla as a “bully”.
The fitness obsessed dad was “very conscious” about fitness and diet and his children’s weights were “a constant issue”.
He forced his daughter to sign a contract in 2012 promising that: “I, Amira Khadla, will never let myself get fat. I will do lots of exercise to make sure I will never get fat, even until I die.”
At his sentencing hearing, Khadla’s only daughter, Amira, a vet nurse, explained in a victim impact statement that she was made to feel worthless and developed an eating disorder following the weekly weigh-ins.
She said: “I was made to feel stupid and worthless, I lost my self confidence and developed an eating disorder.
“Every bit of my life was affected growing up, we did not have a normal life or a happy childhood.”
During the trial, the judge heard how the dad controlled all aspects of family life – withholding access to the internet, mobile phones and house keys.
If his children – Karim, Amira and Hitcham disobeyed his strict regime, he would punish them, beating them with a wooden spoon, a court heard.
Prosecutor Alex Krikler explained that when Amira was aged just nine, her father threw a plastic chair at her head.
In later years he strangled his son Hitcham, leaving him gasping for air.
The man, Khadla has now been convicted of two counts of causing actual bodily harm for these offences and three counts of child cruelty after a trial at Reading Crown Court.
His eldest child Karim took to the witness box to share his experiences of living under the aggressive dictatorship.
“My first memory was aged five years old, I had a habit of throwing away my lunch at school, as I grew older I realise it was a cry for help.
“My father was not happy when I got home, I suffered my first physical abuse at the hands of my father.
“I remember my father repeatedly hitting me. He was six foot weighing 16 stone, I was just a small child.
“My most severe beating was my last, he punched me into the side of my head knocking me unconscious.
“Now I get intimidated when someone shows angers towards me, as if I have PTSD.
“At school I had no friends, I was severely bullied daily, they viewed me as a weirdo. But being bullied was almost enjoyable compared with what I was experiencing at home.
“I was coercively controlled for the first 18 years of my life.
“As a father myself, I do not understand how someone can gain pleasure from dictating his family’s life.”
In his defence speech, barrister Philip Rowlands claimed that the defendant now lived a sad existence having cut all contact with his former family.
“Mr Khadla has had absolutely no contact with his family, in many ways he presents as a sad and unfortunate character, that is the position he finds himself in,” he said.
“He is not a man without quality and is not a man without credit which makes it all the sadder that he faces this sentence.”
Judge Kirsty Real sentenced him to two and a half years imprisonment.
A Ukrainian diplomat has warned that his country may be forced to acquire nuclear weapons to safeguard the country if NATO does not accede to its membership demand amid spiralling tensions with neighbouring Russia.
Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, suggested to national public radio network Deutschlandfunk that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration is weighing all possible options as fears mount over an imminent invasion by Russia.
The remark also comes as the US pulled back two of its war ships that were on route the black sea after getting warnings from Russia.
“Either we are part of an alliance like NATO and also make our contribution to strengthen this Europe, or we have only one option; to rearm ourselves,” Germany’s DPA news agency quoted Melnyk as saying. “How else could we guarantee our defence?”
“Nuclear?”
Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops as well as tanks and artillery near the shared border in the region. Moscow has also mobilised troops in the annexed Black Sea region of Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in March 2014.
There has also been intensified fighting in recent weeks in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists since the rebels seized a swath of territory there in April 2014.
Ukraine is currently an ally of NATO, but not a member. It has sought to launch accession talks for years but has consistently been turned down.
Ukraine’s president Zelensky said on Friday that he had again raised the issue of Ukraine’s NATO membership bid while attending talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also joined the discussions in Paris.
The Ukrainian president told reporters following the meeting that he felt supported by France and Germany, both of which are NATO members, with regards to his country’s action plan for joining the alliance.
Authorities in Indianapolis have identified the FedEx mass shooter who shot dead eight people at one of their facilities as 19-year-old Brandon Scott, who was a former employee of the company.
Indianapolis Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt identified the shooter as at a news conference on Friday evening, revealing investigators had searched a home in the city associated with Mr. Hole and seized evidence, including desktop computers and other electronic media.
Mr. McCartt said Hole last worked for FedEx in 2020. He also said he did not know why Hole left the job or if he had ties to the workers in the facility.
Hole reportedly used a rifle to kill eight people and injured many others at a FedEx facility near Indianapolis airport around 11 p.m. Thursday, April 15, before turning the gun on himself.
“We’ve recently identified him, so now, the work really begins, trying to establish and see if we can figure out some sort of motive in this, but we don’t have that right now,” said Deputy Chief Craig McCartt said at the press conference.
“There were at least 100 people in the facility at the time of the incident. … Many were changing shifts and were on their dinner breaks,” McCartt said.
The fatal victims have not yet been identified, police said.
“Crime Lab is still here they are finishing processing the scene,” McCartt said. “They’re working closely with the coroner’s office. We’re to the point now where we’re identifying victims, making notifications to the family, and then hopefully we’ll wrap up the processing of this crime scene here very shortly.”
Hole started randomly firing at people in the parking lot and then went into the building and continued shooting late Thursday night, Mr. McCartt said.
He said the shooter apparently killed himself shortly before police entered the building.
“There was no confrontation with anyone that was there,” he said.”There was no disturbance, there was no argument. He just appeared to randomly start shooting.”
Mr. McCartt said four people were killed outside the building and another four inside.
Several people were also wounded, including five who were taken to the hospital.
Last year, Indianapolis police confiscated a gun and took Hole into custody following suicidal threats.
An IMPD report from March 3, 2020, references a mental health check for suicidal tendencies in the 1100 block of 1109 North Huber St., and lists Hole, then 18, as being arrested. It says police seized a shotgun “from dangerous person.”
“In March 2020, the suspect’s mother contacted law enforcement to report he might try to commit ‘suicide by cop,’” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said.
“The suspect was placed on an immediate detention mental health temporary hold by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. A shotgun was seized at his residence. Based on items observed in the suspect’s bedroom at that time, he was interviewed by the FBI in April 2020. No Racially Motivated Violent Extremism (RMVE) ideology was identified during the course of the assessment and no criminal violation was found. The shotgun was not returned to the suspect.”
The late Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, is well known for her life story of being born deaf, spending time in a mental institution and finally becoming a nun, but what many don’t know until now is how she showed immense courage in the face of danger by risking her own life to save a Jewish family from the Holocaust.
The British princess (pictured with her husband), who was married to a Greek Prince and lived in Athens, gave shelter to widow Rachel Cohen and two of her children, Tilde and Michel (pictured below), during the Nazi occupation of Greece.
According to an exclusive report by The Sun, Alice saved them from the death camps that saw the majority of the country’s 60,000 Jews murdered.
Between April and May, 1943, 55,000 Jews were taken directly to the Auschwitz concentration camp with 42,000 immediately sent to the gas chambers where they were murdered.
In 1994, Prince Philip, who died on Friday April 9, at the age of 99 – paid tribute to his mum on a visit to Jerusalem as he accepted the Righteous Among the Nations award, a rare honour for non-Jews who had taken extraordinary risks to save Jews during the Holocaust.
He revealed how his mum had never spoken about her quest to save the Cohens, adding: “I suspect that it never occurred to her that her action was in any way special. She would have considered it to be a perfectly natural human reaction to fellow beings in distress.”
But Evy Cohen, granddaughter to Rachel who was saved by Alice, says Alice’s selfless act saved their entire family and generation.
“My family would not exist without the courageous act of Princess Alice,” she tells The Sun.
“My father and his two brothers would not have fled Greece unless they’d known the others were safe, so she saved them all.
“Princess Alice’s story of incredible courage must keep being told in her memory.”
Below is the story, as detailed by Sun UK.
Princess Alice, (pictured below) who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, married Prince Andrew of Greece in 1903 and had four daughters before giving birth to Philip, her only son, in 1921.
By the Second World War, the Princess had split from her husband and was living at the Athens home of her brother-in-law, Prince George of Greece, while working for the Red Cross.
History has it that when Germany invaded Greece, in 1941, Haimaki Cohen, a respected member of parliament, fled from the North to Athens, which was still under Italian rule, with his wife Rachel and their five adult children.
By the time the Nazis marched into the Greek capital, two years later, Haimaki had died and the four Cohen boys – Alfred, Elie, Jacques and Michel – hatched a plan to flee to Egypt, where many members of the Greek government were in exile.
Evy’s father Alfred, who felt the journey was too perilous for his mother and sister, was desperate to find somewhere they could find refuge.
“My father saw, by coincidence, a car with a royal flag and he was surprised because he knew the royals had left Athens, so he enquired and he was told that Princess Alice was in Athens,” says Evy.
Finally, he decided: ‘Simple, the ladies will go and stay with the Princess and we will go to Cairo.”
“Both my father and grandfather had good connections in the political sphere,” explains Evy.
“They decided to contact a lady who they knew played cards with the Princess and ask her to help, and she said she would get back to them in three days.”
On the day they were due to hear, Alfred and Tilde stood outside the palace waiting for news and by coincidence, bumped into the wife of former prime minister, Themistoklis Sofoulis, and told her of their plight.
As they spoke, a door of the royal residence opened and the best friend of Princess Alice’s lady-in-waiting came out, and was introduced by Mrs Sofoulis.
“An hour later, we were informed that Princess Alice would be more than happy to take in my mother and sister,” wrote Patrick.
“Princess Alice couldn’t believe how coincidental it was – she had just given a negative response to the other lady who had offered to be a go-between, fearing that she might not keep the secret.
“The Princess didn’t know how to get in contact with us, to tell us her true intentions.
“The same evening, I took my mother and sister to the back entrance of the palace.”
Fearful that news would leak to Nazi officers, Princess Alice told her 17 staff that Rachel was a former Nanny to her children who were “under threat from Hitler’s regime” and that they should be taken care of.
The two women moved into a small apartment on the third floor, where the Princess frequently visited them for long conversations in French, which she spoke fluently having lived in Paris for many years.
The decision to shelter the family at the royal residence, which was yards from the Gestapo headquarters, was very risky for the Princess.
As a mother-of-five, she had close family on both sides of the conflict.
Philip, her only son, had been raised by Louis Mountbatten in England after she was committed to an asylum with schizophrenia, and he was now serving with the Royal Navy while three of her daughters were married to high-ranking Nazi officials.
At one point, when questioned by the Gestapo, the profoundly deaf Princess, an accomplished lipreader, pretended she did not understand what they were saying.
Alice never spoke about her courageous part in saving their lives.
According to biographer Hugo Vickers, when thanked by a member of the family some years later, “she said sharply that she had only done what she believed to be her duty”.
After the war, Princess Alice became a nun, set up her own religious order and at her own request, was buried in Jerusalem, on the sacred Mount of Olives when she died in 1969 .
Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has been confirmed as the venue to host a public memorial for DMX on Saturday, April 24.
The Hip Hop Icon, real name Earl Simmons, died on Friday, April 9, at the age of 50 after he suffered a drug overdose that triggered a heart attack on April 2.
He will be honored by family and friends on April 24, with a private funeral service to take place the following day at a New York City-area church, the rapper’s manager, Steve Rifkind told TMZ.
Ticketing and COVID-19 logistics are still being worked on, according to the report. The arena has a potential capacity of 19,000.
Former Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling has been robbed at his home in front of his wife and two-year-old child in Italy.
Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reported that three armed robbers broke into Smalling’s home on Friday morning, April 16, and forced the footballer, currently at Italian club Roma, to open his family’s safe, where the aggressors took items of jewellery and other valuable items.
Smalling’s wife, Sam, is said to have called the police just before 5am and officers arrived at the family’s villa, located around 25 miles south of Rome, with the trio very distressed.
The same report claims police are still investigating the incident and Roma have offered support to the player.
Smalling, who joined the Italian club from Manchester United on a permanent deal last year, missed Roma’s Europa League tie with Ajax at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday night due to a knee injury.
The defender has been playing in Rome since the summer of 2019, after joining the club on an initial loan deal before making the move permanent 12 months later.
A married lady has narrated her terrifying experience with husband who behaves like a real life snake.
The lady who pleaded anonymity while sharing her story via “LifeMatters” wrote;
“I was married to a man for 2 years without knowing that he was a snake. I have heard of countless of stories that sound very mysterious to my ears, but I never knew that I would be sharing mine someday.
I got married to my husband who I met in a supermarket, he was very cool. We met while we were shopping in the same section, I wanted to select from the various brands of detergents on the shelf, and he came close and pointed at one of the detergents there.
He said it had a very nice scent and was nice in making clothes very clean, so I picked it up, and we started talking and that was how we met.
He asked for my number and we started talking on phone and going on dates. I didn’t really get to meet any of his family members, but he was lovely. We fell in love and started planning our wedding. I asked to meet his people but he avoided the question, because I loved him, I didn’t think much about it.
On our wedding day, he came with his parents and some of his family members, and I was so happy. We moved in together and it was fun all the way. He bought me a car and made me feel very comfortable with him. He even went and opened for me a shop where I could sell variety of goods.
However, there was something about him that I didn’t really understand. He built a very small structure downstairs where he said he used for prayers late at night. I didn’t seem to understand why he wanted to pray in somewhere other than in the room, and when I asked him, he said he didn’t want to disturb me.
Then one day he was out, I searched the whole house for the keys to that small room and finally saw it. I went downstairs and opened the room and to my greatest surprise what I saw really baffled me. I saw a snake’s skin that looked like it recently shed its skin. I was scared but composed myself and played cool. I thought of asking him but I didn’t want to cause any form of awkward situation so I acted asleep when he was about to go for his normal prayers.
Then when he moved to go I opened my eyes, and started following him without him knowing.
He didn’t look back and he kept on walking as he opened the door, I stayed far away to look at what he was doing. He fell on the ground like someone whose life had been taken from him. I wanted to run to meet him but I waited to see if anything more would happen, he started to twist like a snake. I was so shocked and I wanted to scream but I covered my mouth with my hands and tears started to fall from my eyes.
I was so scared, so I ran upstairs to pick up my phone to call my pastor, but he came in and begged me to stop and told me that he was sorry for not telling me all along.”
Prominent South African businessman and Anele “Nelli” Tembe’s father, Moses, has set the record straight on circumstances surrounding her death.
It would be recalled that the 22-year-old, who was engaged to rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, died on Sunday morning, April 11, after apparently falling from the 10th floor of the Pepperclub Hotel in Cape Town. Read HERE
Nellie is being laid to rest at the Durban International Conference Centre on today, Friday April 16. Her body has arrived in Durban on Thursday.
The funeral service is currently being streamed on YouTube for fans and friends to pay their last respects.
A letter from Moses was read out by businessman Sandile Zungu, who said the letter was a reflection of a “heartbroken father”.
“As Anele’s father, I categorically state that Anele was neither suicidal nor did she commit suicide. We must as a matter of priority deal with the scourge that bedevils our youth. Alcohol which is overused and drugs. Fellow South Africans we better wake up and smell the coffee, we have a serious problem with substance abuse.” he wrote.
“I cannot allow an unfortunate narrative to go unchallenged, a narrative that irks me to no end … that is ‘Anele was chronically suicidal’. All I can say is, until Anele turned 21, not a single member of her family, my family would have associated her with suicide.”
He said Anele’s wish was to fall in love and marry the man who would become the father of her children, adding that they differed on the direction she should take in her life but he stood by her.
Moses said he was happy for her when she introduced him to Kiernan and suggested they go for proper premarital counselling.
“I knew Kiernan loved my daughter but their companionship needed more than love. It had to be premised and embedded on a Godly foundation.”
He said he was proud to be Anele’s father.
“Anele made me happy as a father, very happy. Anele was feisty, strong-willed some might say. She was single-minded in her pursuits, what others would uncritically call stubborn. Anele never minced her words, an attribute that would perturb her siblings, which she balanced by giving her absolute best to those around her.”
“In my deepest desire that my girl live to be who she wanted to be, I nurtured these Anele traits. For I truly believed that she had needed guidance rather than repression, persuasion rather than brute force,” he said.
Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon, Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of unauthorized assembly.
Lai was among nine of Hong Kong’s most prominent democracy campaigners found guilty of organizing and participating in one of the city’s biggest-ever protests in 2019.
Organizers say 1.7 million people, almost one-quarter of Hong Kong’s population turned out for a huge rally that formed the backbone of demonstrations that wracked the city throughout 2019.
Nine activists were sentenced for participating in the demonstration on 18 August 2019. Another three received sentences in relation to a separate protest on 31 August.
They include veteran campaigner Martin Lee, 82, and lawyer Margaret Ng, 73, whose sentences were suspended.
During sentencing, the judge said: “Actions have consequences for everyone irrespective of who they are.”
Jimmy Lai, 73, the founder of Apple Daily is a fierce critic of Beijing. He faces eight charges in total, including collusion with a foreign country and a fraud case related to the lease of the building which houses Apple Daily.
Earlier this week, Mr. Lai’s Apple Daily newspaper published a hand-written letter by him, sent from prison, which read: “It is our responsibility as journalists to seek justice. As long as we are not blinded by unjust temptations, as long as we do not let evil get its way through us, we are fulfilling our responsibility.”
The death toll from the FedEx warehouse shooting has been placed at 8.
Authorities say eight people have been killed, not including the shooter, while 60 people have been injured, including 20 with gunshot wounds.
The gunman went on a rampage at a Fedex facility on Thursday night, April 15, before turning his weapon on himself.
Police were called to reports of an active shooting at a FedEx facility near Indianapolis airport last night at around 11pm local time.
Live video from local media at the scene showed crime scene tape in the car park outside the facility, which employs more than 4,500 people.
Family members of FedEx workers have been waiting in a local hotel for information about their loved ones.
An unnamed witness who was working at the facility told NBC he ducked for cover after hearing several shots, before running outside the building and seeing a person lying on the ground.
Several employees were said to have hid under a conveyor belt during the attack.
Another man told WTTV that his niece was sitting in her car in the driver’s seat when the gunfire erupted, and she was wounded.
Parminder Singh added: “She got shot on her left arm. She’s fine, she’s in the hospital now.”
Rev Emeka Evans Unaegbu has reportedly died after being attacked by unknown assailants while conducting a lone vigil in his Goodnews Power Assembly International in Nyanya-Jikwoyi area of Abuja.
The cleric was attacked on Tuesday night and was barely alive when he was discovered on Wednesday April 14.
Rev Emeka Evans Unaegbu died while being rushed to the hospital. Friends and family have taken to Facebook to pen down their tributes.
Multiple people have been shot and others wounded after a gunman entered a FedEx warehouse near Indianapolis International Airport, in the United States.
After the shooting, the gunman turned the gun on himself, police confirmed.
There are reports that four people have died, although fatalities have not yet been confirmed by the authorities.
A spokesperson said: “As officers arrived, they came in contact with an active shooter incident.”
“We have multiple people with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.”
911 calls claim people heard shooting outside and inside the building, with workers hiding inside by the conveyor belt, at about 11pm on Thursday night, April 15.
A worker at the scene told Wish-TV news: “I saw a man with a submachine gun of some sort, an automatic rifle, and he was firing in the open.”
As emergency responders raced to the scene, authorities were reportedly heard declaring the incident as a “mass casualty, level 1”, which means there could be less than 10 surviving victims.
The building was evacuated following the shooting, local reports say, and pictures from the scene show a large group of employees standing outside.
Employees standing outside
A statement from FedEX reads: “We are aware of the tragic shooting at our FedEx Ground facility near the Indianapolis airport.
“Safety is our top priority, and our thoughts are with all those who are affected.
“We are working to gather more information and are cooperating with investigating authorities.”
Feuding brothers, Prince William and Prince Harry will not walk together behind Prince Philip’s coffin, funeral details of the Duke of Edinburgh reveals.
The brothers are in the small party of close family members who will follow the Duke of Edinburgh’s body. But they will be separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips.
When the coffin is carried into St George’s Chapel in Windsor, William will move ahead of his younger brother as they take their seats separately.
A spokesperson for the palace said people’s perception of the arrangement is not of utmost concern.
The Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “This is a funeral. We will not be drawn into those perceptions of drama. The arrangements have been agreed and reflect Her Majesty’s wishes.”
Covid-19 rules meant a 1,000 name list was cut down to only 30 people. As a result, only close family members will be attending the funeral.
The 30-strong congregation comprises of all of Philip’s children and grandchildren, their spouses and close relatives including Princess Margaret’s son the Earl of Snowdon.
The only non-family member attending the funeral is Prince Philip’s close friend and carriage driving companion Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Penny Knatchbull.
Other royals, including the Duchess of Gloucester and the Duchess of Kent were not invited.
Two former retail workers have accused Usher of shoplifting.
Stylist Brian Jimenez took to Twitter to narrate how Usher allegedly walked into the store he used to work in and left with a $2,000 jacket without paying.
Brian tweeted: “When I used to work retail, usher walked in and tried on a $2,000 jacket. He chopped it up for a bit while still having it on. Then this dude dabs me up and walks out with the jacket.”
Afterwards, another Twitter user who used to work in retail claimed Usher was banned from the New York boutique where she worked for walking out without paying for merchandise.
She said he was fond of taking things without paying and his wife at the time always had to bring the items back with makeup on them.
She wrote: “Usher was banned from my store for this same sh*t.”
She added: “I feel like I need to clarify this isn’t a current employer, this was 10 years ago in Soho when I worked at Atrium. He was banned and so was his ex-wife. He would just steal, she would just try to return sh*t he clearly wore covered in make up.”
The allegation comes after a stripper accused Usher of passing fake “Usher Bucks” at the Las Vegas strip club where she works.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is no longer in its custody.
Recall that the senator representing Imo west senatorial district has been grilled at the EFCC office in Abuja since Tuesday April 14, over issues bothering on alleged corruption. The former governor had been accused by the state government of various corrupt practices including diversion of public funds, an allegation he has continously denied.
The anti-graft agency in a communique released on Thursday April 15, said the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District left the Commission’s office on the afternoon of Thursday, April 15, 2021.
The statement read;
“We didn’t bother about whether he spent 24 hours or 48 hours at the Commission’s office. We were only keen on his having the needed opportunity to address the allegations contained in the avalanche of petitions written by the Imo State Government, against the former governor.
“Remember also that, we had alluded that, EFCC was not a slaughterhouse, but a responsible institution, established for the good of the nation and her people. And Okorocha being in his house today, only confirmed our hypothesis that, indeed, the Commission’s office is not an abattoir.”
Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha’s media adviser also confirmed that he left the custody of the anti-graft agency on Thursday.
He said;
“With gratitude to God Almighty, we are delighted to inform the general public that the former governor of lmo state, and by the grace of God, the Senator representing lmo west senatorial district, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, is out of the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and he is now in his house.
“He left the Commission’s office on the afternoon of Thursday, April 15, 2021.”
A number of US states are suing Joe Biden over the president’s decision to allow a new wave of Mexican asylum seekers into America.
Texas, Arizona and Missouri have all filed federal court lawsuits against the Biden administration for reversing former president Donald Trump’s controversial so-called ‘remain in Mexico’ policy.
In February, Biden relaxed the terms of Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and began allowing asylum seekers enrolled in the program to come to America and stay there while their claims are decided.
According to lawsuits filed Tuesday, April 13, the attorney generals in Texas and Missouri claim Biden’s undoing of Trump’s work is responsible for a surge of illegal immigrants and crime in their states, reports the New York Post.
Arizona’s attorney general Mark Brnovich argues in court papers that migrants “crossing into our country: are having a “devastating impact on the environment”.
Brnovich told the Post that each asylum seeker that crosses into America “leaves approximately six to eight pounds of trash in the desert”.
He said: “I think it’s imperative that we do everything we can to try to address the crisis at our border, so I’m using the tools that I have in my toolbox.
“When I look at what is happening in our desert, when I look at the record amount of people crossing illegally into our country, I can’t help but know that this is having a devastating impact on our community, but it’s also having a devastating impact on the environment.
“It has been estimated that each border crosser leaves approximately 6 to 8 pounds of trash in the desert. The trash could be anything from human waste, to backpacks, to drugs, to plastic bags.
“And this trash, in and of itself, is a threat to wildlife and natural habitat.”
The suit also claims that the increase in population caused by migrants would lead to the “release of pollutants, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which directly affects air quality.”
Under Trump, more than 70,000 migrants who were enrolled in the MPP program were sent back to Mexico for months, and sometimes years, while their claims were dealt with.
Texas’ lawsuit says the unraveling of the rules by Biden is “arbitrary and capricious” and has caused thousands of children to come to the border with “meritless asylum claims”.
“MPP played a critical role in addressing” the immigration border crisis and it also “discouraged aliens from attempting illegal entry or making meritless asylum claims in the hope of staying inside the United States”, the court papers say.
It also claims Texas has incurred costs “as organized crime and drug cartels prey on migrant communities and children through human trafficking, violence, extortion, sexual assault, and exploitation”, the court documents claim.
Similarly, Missouri’s suit claims the state has to spend significant resources as a result of the rollback to fight human trafficking.
The court papers say the state is a “destination and transit state for many human traffickers”, the court papers allege.
The states are asking for a judge to set aside Biden’s January 20 order that suspended the MPP.
Kanye West is already thinking about his next relationship amid his divorce from Kim Kardashian.
In the wake of his divorce from the reality star, the billionaire rapper is ready for another shot at love.
Page Six reports that the 43-year-old West wants to date “an artist and a creative person,” so “they can speak the same language to each other.”
This comes after it was claimed that the rapper is heartbroken but has “finally accepted” his marriage to Kim Kardashian is over.
The Billionaire rapper, 43, was hoping that the pair would “fix things” but has now admitted defeat.
A source close to the Gold Digger rapper told HollywoodLife : ““Kanye is very sad that it has gotten to this point. But reality is now reality, and he is making sure to get the best out of the situation.
“Instead of extending the heartbreak it is easier to start getting things done for the benefit of the whole family.”
Another source revealed that friends had told the star to hire a good lawyer and settle this once and for all.
They said that Kanye has “finally listened” and that was why on April 9 he filed paperwork asking for joint legal and physical custody of their children in their ongoing divorce.
Kim, 40, is also requested joint custody of their kids; North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and one-year-old Psalm.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star first filed for divorce in February after seven years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce.
Prior to marrying Kim in 2014, the Yeezy founder was romantically linked to models Chanel Iman and Amber Rose. He was also engaged to designer Alexis Phifer in 2006 before they split in 2008.
She has been charged on three counts which will run concurrently. In a news report monitored by TM on TV3, the judge, Her Honour Christina, explained that the court would not temper justice with mercy in order to bring sanity to social media.
The likes of Sarkodie, APlus, Efya, Bridget Otoo, Kwaw Kese, Nana Ama McBrown, others, all started a social media campaign for the judge’s kind attention. The saddest of all is the cries of Rosemond Brown’s mother who begged the judge to have mercy and forgive her daughter.
Prophet T.B Joshua’s YouTube account has been suspended over some videos shared on the channel.
Premium Times had reported that between 2016 and January 2020, the channel posted at least seven clips showing the charismatic Christian televangelist engaging in violent exorcism to ‘cure’ gay and lesbian congregants of their sexual orientation by casting out “the demon of homosexuality”.
YouTube suspended the channel which had more than 1.8 million subscribers on April 12, after openDemocracy contacted it to ask whether some of the contents violated the platform’s community guidelines.
A YouTube spokesperson told openDemocracy;
“YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit hate speech and we remove flagged videos and comments that violate these policies. In this case we have terminated the channel.
“YouTube prohibits content which alleges that someone is mentally ill, diseased, or inferior because of their membership in a protected group including sexual orientation.”
Daina Rudusa, spokesperson for OutRight Action International, the global LGBTIQ human rights organisation also said;
“It is great to see social media platforms take a greater role in tackling these harmful practices by banning accounts spouting hate speech and promoting conversion practices.
“So-called conversion therapy is neither therapy, nor does it result in conversion” and it has been recognised as being “tantamount to torture.”
It was also learnt that Facebook took action against some of T.B Joshua’s contents. Unlike YouTube which suspended the ministries’ entire channel, Facebook said it “removed a number of pieces of content from this page for violating these policies”.
Facebook company spokesperson said;
“We don’t allow attacks against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, including content promoting conversion therapy services.
“We take attacks on the LGBT+ community incredibly seriously and encourage people to report this kind of content when they see it so we can investigate.”
When openDemocracy asked TB Joshua Ministries to comment on its pastor’s actions towards LGBT people, and on its YouTube channel being terminated for hate speech, the ministry did not respond. However, it has launched a social media campaign to contest the decision which it claims was “made in haste.”
TB Joshua however confirmed that his YouTube channel was suspended in a tweet he shared. He wrote;
EMMANUEL TV YOUTUBE SUSPENSION: Our mission is to share the love of God with everyone – irrespective of race or religion – and we strongly oppose all forms of hate speech! We have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouTube and believe this decision was made in haste.
On Facebook, he urged his church members to raise their concerns over his channel’s suspension on other social media platforms.
TB Joshua wrote;
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Emmanuel TV YouTube Channel Suspension!!!
Emmanuel TV’s mission is to share the love of God with everyone – irrespective of race or religion – and we strongly oppose all forms of hate speech! We have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouTube and believe this decision was made in haste. We appreciate your prayers and support as we are making every effort to appeal this decision and see the channel restored.
25-year-old Nantes of France and Super Eagles of Nigeria winger, Moses Simon has come to the rescue of his hometown community funding the construction of a drainage system and a main road in Obagaji Agatu community in Benue State.
This is the second development Moses has carried out in Benue after he drilled boreholes to provide portable water last September which made the community leaders name a street after him in Obagaji Agatu.
Moses Simon has also embarked on some projects in Southern Kaduna, where he grew up.
Moses who has contributed five goals and an assist in 27 Ligue 1 matches this season, complained about the government’s negligence for not providing basic amenities to the people.
“It’s important to step in where the politicians have decided not to help,” Simon told BBC Sport Africa.
“Imagine in 2021 we are talking of people without potable water and desperately praying for protection ahead of the rains and floods.
“These people deserve more from the government because they put all their trust in them only to be disappointed.
“As sports people we can all do more to make our people happy, some are already doing and very supportive of their community but we can’t stop.”
NBA legend, Michael Jordan has been announced as the presenter for Kobe Bryant’s induction into the Basketball Hall of the Fame.
At the 2020 Naismith Hall of the Fame induction ceremony on May 15, Jordan will share his thoughts on the Lakers great, when he presents the 18-time All-Star and 5-time NBA Champion at the 2020 Naismith
Members of the 2020 Naismith Hall of Fame class selected previous Hall of Famers to introduce to present them on induction night. But in the case of a posthumous selection, the family members of the inductee made the selection.
In 2017, Bryant, who idolized Jordan and modeled his game after him, told Complex Magazine that he wanted him or Phil Jackson to present him at the induction ceremony
“In terms of who might present, for me, it’s two people: Michael Jordan or Phil Jackson,” Bryant said. “They’ve been the greatest mentors, not only in my career as an athlete, but also as a person.
Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash last year, spent all 20 seasons of his career with the Lakers. He was a five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, one-time regular-season MVP in 2008, 18-time All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team 12 times.”
For his career, Bryant averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals over 1,346 games before he retired in 2016.
Jordan gave a powerful eulogy during an emotional memorial for Bryant last February, will also introduce Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, making him the only Hall of Famer presenting multiple candidates during this year’s induction ceremony.
Former US first lady, Melania Trump made her second public appearance in a week on Wednesday night, April 14 after shying away from the spotlight for months since her husband Donald left the White House back in January.
Melania was spotted enjoying dinner with her husband Donald Trump at a private roped-off table at Mar-a-Lago.
The dinner outing marks the seventh occasion the 50-year-old former First Lady has been seen out and about since their departure from the White House.
The photos, which were taken by guests at the Palm Beach resort and shared online show Melania and Donald, 74, sitting side-by-side at a round table outdoors at one of Mar-a-Lago’s restaurants.
For the outing, the mother-of-one rocked an elegant sleeveless dress, while her husband wore a navy suit, white button-up shirt, and a striped tie.
The public dinner comes just days after Melania and Donald stepped out for a fundraiser held at the Florida club – where she and former President Trump have been living since leaving Washington, D.C. in January.
Tyson Fury’s much anticipated fight with Anthony Joshua could be further delayed due to the upcoming Olympics.
The two heavyweights are looking to set a date for their unification bout which had been planned for this summer but the fight could be delayed further due Joshua’s coach being involved in the Olympics with Team Great Britain.
Rob McCracken, Joshua’s coach, will be in Tokyo with Team GB for the Olympic Games between July 23 until August 8 which would affect Joshua’s preparations.
Now, Fury’s promoter Frank Warren says he expects the fight to happen in late August or potentially September.
Apart from that factor, a location for the bout is also set to be decided with the likes of Saudi Arabia and the USA touted as venues.
Fury, who spoke earlier this week, claimed the fight was due to be signed off in the coming days.
He said: “I think it will 100 per cent happen, one million per cent happen, and I think we are going to know within the next couple of days who, what, where and when.
“I’m pretty confident this fight is going to get made in the next few days because, from what I have heard, there are some big players involved and some big offers come in from very rich people and very rich countries.
“So I am sure that they are going to be good offers.
“I’m very excited to finally get this fight and make it happen. I know that he wants the fight and I want the fight.
“We are just going to get it on and give each other a good hiding; he’s going to try and punch my head in, I’m going to try and punch his head in and we are going to lay it all on the line for the boxing fans and for sport in general.
“This is the biggest sporting moment, I believe, in my generation. I was just about to say you’ve got two undefeated heavyweights, champions of the world going at it.
“But I can’t say that, because there is only one undefeated world champion and that is me. But he has got his belts back so there are two world heavyweight champions, from Britain, going head-to-head in a mammoth fight.
Real Madrid have progressed to the semi-final of the UEFA champions league team at the expense of Liverpool after playing out a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Wednesday night, April 14.
Real Madrid arrived from Spain with a healthy lead after playing out a 3-1 win at Madrid in the first leg.
With no fans inside the stadium it was always going to be hard for Liverpool to overturn the result.
Nacho who replaced Ramos before the clash, made some key challenges while Casemiro, Real’s impressive midfield enforcer, also bossed the midfield ensuring Liverpool didn’t have enough chance to operate.
Liverpool played the 45 minutes with some good, high intensity football although they were guilty of missing decent chances.
Mo Salah sent a weak left-footed effort into the leg of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and then again Courtois launched himself high to the left to keep out an effort from James Milner.
Real Madrid who hardly attacked, could have scored when Karim Benzema deflected off Ozan Kabak and hit the post.
In the space of a minute before half-time, both Salah and Gini Wijnaldum shot decent chances over the bar.
Just 40 second into the second half, Firmino tested Courtois after a fantastic pass from Alexander-Arnold.
He also had another half-decent opportunity a couple of minutes later and had a shot brilliantly blocked by Eder Militao.
Firmino, now in a bad run of form, has now scored just once in 20 Champions League games .
Klopp introduced Diogo Jota and Thiago in the hope of getting something from the game but it all ended in tears for the Reds.
Real Madrid will now face Chelsea in the Semi-final.
The United States Government has announced sanctions against Russia in response to what it says are cyber-attacks and other hostile acts.
In 2020, cyber-security researchers identified a hack in a piece of software called SolarWinds – which gave cyber-criminals access to 18,000 government and private computer networks. The hackers gained access to digital files of several US government agencies, including the treasury, justice and state departments.
Microsoft president Brad Smith said in February the SolarWinds hack was “the largest and most sophisticated” the world had ever seen.
The revelations of a major Russian cyber-campaign called Solar Winds last year caused dismay in Washington and raised difficult questions about how to respond.
Some in Congress likened it to an “act of war” and demanded retaliation. But others pointed out that the Russians had simply been engaged in exactly the kind of espionage that America itself also carries out online.
The US government has now announced sanctions targeted at 32 entities and individuals, including government and intelligence officials, and six Russian companies that provide support to the Russian government’s hacking operations. The U.S. is also expelling 10 Russian diplomats working in Washington, including some intelligence officers.
U.S. financial institutions are also barred from participating in the primary market for new debt issued by the Russian central bank, Finance Ministry and sovereign wealth fund. Those limits would take effect from June 14.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN earlier on Thursday April 15;
“What President Biden is going to announce today, we believe, are proportionate measures to defend American interests in response to harmful Russian actions, including cyber intrusions and election interference.
“His goal is to provide a significant and credible response but not to escalate the situation.”
The sanctions are coming just two days after President Joe Biden warned President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. would defend its interests. He had also offered the possibility of a summit meeting in the coming months, drawing a cautiously positive response from Moscow.
Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane says his side’s Champions League semi-final clash against Chelsea will be difficult.
Madrid booked passage into the last four after holding Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield to qualify 3-1 on aggregate on Wednesday night, April 14.
The Blues beat FC Porto despite losing the reverse tie on Tuesday.
Zidane has said that he is looking forward to the clash with Chelsea.
He told the media: ”We’ve got a number of LaLiga games to play before we face Chelsea, but it’s going to be a very tough tie.”
On how his side were able to overcome Liverpool, Zidane disclosed that their togetherness made it possible.
“We dug in and I think we deserve to go through. We showed real togetherness and I’m delighted for the boys. It was a really important game.”
The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested eleven persons for failing to participate in the ongoing Ramadan fast.
Confirming their arrest to newsmen, the Director-General of the Hisbah board, Dr. Aliyu Musa Kibiya, said the arrested persons, three males, and eight females were sighted eating in the daytime during the Ramadan, which proves that they were not observing the fast, which is compulsory for healthy adults.
“We will investigate and if they have cogent reasons we will release them. Those found wanting will however be enlightened and even prosecuted if need be” Dr. Kibiya said
Kibiya said a woman should not be seen eating in public during fasting, “for whatever reason,” adding that the board will arrest anyone found to be eating during the day.
“Fasting is compulsory for healthy, adult Muslims in the month of Ramadan except for the travellers, menstruating women or old people.”he added
The Ramadan fasting period began in April 12 and all adult Muslims are expected to observe the fast.
A Nigerian lady has reportedly called off her engagement over the type of ring her boyfriend proposed to her with.
She claimed that the engagement ring which cost N10,000 was cheap.
Twitter user @dearolaa, who shared the story on the platform, revealed that the lady in questions is her friend.
When she asked how her friend knew the price of the ring, she stated that she had once seen the same ring from an Instagram vendor.
@dearolaa wrote;
“My friend got engaged and cut off the engagement immediately because her boyfriend proposed with a 10 thousand naira ring. I asked how she knew it was a ten thousand naira ring then she said she has seen it on a vendor’s Instagram post before.
Can you imagine? Would you propose To the love of your life with a ten thousand naira ring? I feel so bad for her because this is what we have been praying for but the guy messed it up with the choice of ring.
”That kind of ring can turn another color in few weeks but then I feel she should have accepted it cos Some guys don’t even bother proposing with rings they just say it with words and they still move on.
”I hope you don’t throw this away even though I don’t like the idea of a ten thousand ring myself. Dear Mojisola, I know you can see this try and reconsider his offer. Xoxo ”
Mauricio Pochettino, former Tottenham coach has masterminded the downfall of reigning champions, Bayern Munich after playing a second leg 0-1 loss to Bayern on Tuesday night, April 13.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored for Munich against his former club, PSG as the French outfit held their nerve to progress on the away goals rule after beating Bayern 3-2 in the first leg in Germany.
PSG’s tactics were constantly used in marauding Bayerns defence and it seemed Di Maria, Neymar and Mbappe were having fun terrorising Bayern but at the 40th minute Choupo-Moting, headed home from three yards out to give Bayern the lead in the absence of the injured Robert Lewandowski.
After Keylor Navas saved a shot from David Alaba, Moting reacted swiftly to head the ball inside, giving Bayern hope of a comeback.
Angel Di Maria smartly created a chance out of nothing early in the second-half, beating the goalkeeper but Neymar couldn’t hit it despite fully stretching while facing an open net.
The match was tight and tense, but PSG’s defence held firm with goalkeeper Navas, showing his mettle and brilliance.
Bayern Munich’s champions league defence is now over and it could be the the end for head coach Hansi Flick despite winning six trophies last season
PSG will now face either Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund next in the semi-finals
In some climes, sex is not an open discussion; however, between partners, it ought to be an open discussion.
Do you want a glowing complexion? Do you want to boost your mood and cut your risk of cancer, heart disease and other health hazards? The answers are in between the bedsheet with your spouse.
According to Sandra Caron — sex therapist and professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine’s College of Education and Human Development in Orono — there have been lots of studies describing the health benefits of sex, most of which relate to achieving orgasm.
Here are six advantages attached to having coitus with your partner according to Everydayhealth.com.
Improved heart health
Just like any physical activity, healthy sex is good for your heart.
A study published in January 2015 in the American Journal of Cardiology found that men who had sex twice weekly or more had less risk of cardiovascular diseases like stroke or heart attack than those who had sex once a month or less.
For those who worry that the exertion involved in sex is a threat to the heart, the American Heart Association’s Scientific Statement on Sexual Activity and Cardiovascular Disease says that having sex is safe for people who can exercise with no heart problems in the range of three to five metabolic equivalents (METs).
METs are a measure of the energy (calories) expended during activity. Exercising at three METs is about the same as walking at a moderate pace, while five METs are like a low impact aerobic workout.
Having sex can actually be considered a rather good form of exercise. A small study published in October 2013 in the journal PLoS One showed that men burned an average of four calories a minute during sex sessions that averaged 25 minutes, and women burned off three calories. That’s a lot more fun than toiling away on a treadmill.
Relieves pain from menstrual cramps
Just looking at your partner — or even a photo of your partner — can help ease pain.
In another study published in PLoS One that was performed at Stanford University in California, anesthesiologists showed participants photos of their romantic partners or photos of attractive strangers or asked them to engage in a word game. They found that looking at romantic partners significantly dulled the experience of pain.
So, even though you might think pain is a barrier to sex, consider this a sex benefit worth the time and effort: Take a moment to really look at your lover.
Other studies have found that women may get some relief from menstrual cramps through a good orgasm.
Possible reduction of prostate cancer risk
A study published in December 2016 in the journal ‘European Urology’ found that men who ejaculate more than 21 times per month were 20 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer, compared with those who do so four to seven times per month.
While more research is needed to confirm this link, it appears that men who ejaculate regularly may reduce their risk of prostate cancer.
Better sleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, orgasms release the hormone prolactin, which can help you feel sleepy and relaxed. So, don’t be too surprised if you and your partner doze off shortly after a satisfying session and wake up feeling refreshed.
This sleep connection also works in reverse. According to a study published in May 2015 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, getting enough shut-eye can improve your sexual response and may increase the chance that you’ll engage regularly in sex.
Researchers discovered that when women slept for longer periods of time, they reported greater sexual desire the next day.
Happier mood and a stronger relationship
It’s no wonder you get a more positive outlook after sex. There are biochemical rationales for experiencing improved mood as a sex benefit from the neurotransmitters that may be released during healthy sex to the mood enhancers contained in semen itself.
According to Dr Caron, there’s a lot to be said simply for the mood-boosting effect of having a nice connection with somebody that you trust and care about.
Plus, your frisky play may result in a serious afterglow that can, in turn, help you bond better with your partner, according to a report published in March 2017 in the journal Psychological Science.
The study, which examined newlywed couples who kept a two-week sexual diary, found that partners were satisfied for a full 48 hours after sexual activity.
Those who were lucky enough to experience this afterglow went on to report more happiness in their relationship several months later.
Glowing, younger-looking skin
That fabled “morning after” glow? It’s not just your imagination; you really do look better after having sex.
“Sex even helps you look younger,” says Caron. That glow can be attributed to a combination of stress relief, better mood, and the flush of blood under your skin which is a natural part of the arousal process. Enjoying a healthy sex life is one of the great joys in life. Knowing intimacy could be a boon for your long-term health as well as make it that much more pleasurable.
Chelsea coach, Thomas Tuchel is one step closer to winning a trophy this season after helping Chelsea qualify for the UEFA champions league semi final despite a 0-1 loss to Porto in Seville on Tuesday night, April 13.
Chelsea won the first leg last week 2-0 and only needed to avoid a mishap to qualify and they did it despite Mehdi Taremi’s brilliant bicycle kick which found the top corner in the 93rd minute.
Chelsea will now face either Real Madrid or Liverpool depending on who wins between them on Wednesday.
Frank Lampard qualified Chelsea for this champions league campaign but under Tuchel, Chelsea’s organisation, workrate and game management has been superb.
Taremi’s late strike on Tuesday night denied Chelsea a 14th clean sheet in 18 games under Tuchel.
Tuchel’s men will now face Manchester City in an FA Cup semi-final on Saturday while they still fight for the top four to ensure they play in the Champions League again next season.
Algerian, Riyad Mahrez and English starlet, Phil Foden were on target as Man City fought back from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night April 14, in the UEFA champions league quarter finals.
City had come into the game on the back of a 2-1 win at home in the first leg and had the game in their hands but we’re stunned by a first half goal by Jude Bellingham.
City also had twice as many touches in the opposition box, compared to Dortmund but managed five shots on target from which they scored two goals.
Dortmund played with heavy intensity in the first half, but couldn’t match up with City after the English club leveled in the second half.
There was also no magic from Dortmund star Erlin Haaland, who City neutralized during the game.
City will now face PSG in the semi finals and Pep Guardiola now has the opportunity to win all four trophies he is competing in – the Premier league, the FA Cup, the Capital one Cup and the Champions league.
Speaking on BT Sport, Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said: ” It means a lot- this club and this team deserve it.
“We are grateful for reaching the semi-finals for the first time with this team, we are obviously very happy about it.
“Today was, once again, about showing character – I don’t think we played well in the first 15 mins, we struggled and seemed a bit scared.
“After conceding we started to get into the game, held more possession and kept the ball.
“We created a couple of chances in the first half and our target at half-time was to score the first goal in the second half, get the game back in our hands and that’s exactly what we did – I’m proud of that.
“We know how tough this competition is – everyone has quality, the opponents are so difficult.
“This Dortmund team are able to beat anyone on a good day and we saw that in the first half.”
Slavia Prague defender, Ondrej Kudela has been banned for 10 matches by UEFA after being found guilty of racist behaviour towards Rangers’ Glen Kamara, who will serve a three-game suspension.
Kamara accused Kudela of racially abusing him during their Europa League last-16 match on March 18 in Ibrox.
Kudela had been provisionally suspended for one match as UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings, which ruled the Czech Republic international out of Slavia’s 1-1 draw at Arsenal last week. He will now be ineligible for the next nine games played by either Slavia in Europe or his country, including this summer’s European Championship.
Kamara was also suspended for three UEFA club competition games after he was found guilty of assaulting Kudela in the tunnel after the match at Ibrox.
The Czech Republic international denied the racism allegations, insisting he told the player he was ‘a f***ing guy’ as he whispered something into Kamara’s ear during the Czech side’s 2-0 win.
Footage from the game showed Kudela covering his mouth before saying something to Kamara, who immediately reacted with fury.
Do Kamara was not involved at all? See the hidden message and the kickoff? Wonder what was said….. pic.twitter.com/wX8W2AcHS5 — Jamés (@jamiemcmathx) March 18, 2021
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard said he was “angry and upset” after Kamara told him he was racially abused towards the end of Slavia Prague’s 2-0 win at Ibrox which knocked Rangers out of the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate.
“My player tells me he was racially abused,” Gerrard was quoted saying by BBC Sport.
“And the disappointing thing is that their people are trying to defend their player and calling us liars.
“I feel angry. I know Glen and trust him 100%. The Slavia player has caused this and something needs to happen quickly but that is above me. But whatever happens, I stand next to Glen.
“I don’t even feel like talking about football just now. It’s over to UEFA now and I just hope it doesn’t get pushed under the carpet.”
Rangers striker Kemar Roofe has also been suspended for four European matches after UEFA charged him with ‘assault’ during the same match.
Roofe was sent off during Rangers’ 2-0 home defeat after a poor challenge saw him kick Slavia Prague goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar in the face.
Kolar was left with a fractured skull and the governing body has now cited him for ‘dangerously assaulting another player’.
For their part in the fracas on the pitch after the game, Rangers have been fined €9,000 (£7,800) after being found guilty of improper conduct.
Nigerian writer and novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie says she regrets not taking advantage of the opportunity to become an American citizen at the time it presented itself.
She stated this during an interview with Media Personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu on Bounce Radio Live.
According to the playwright, Nigeria deeply frustrates her and has made her have a rethink of her decision not to become a US citizen. She also said that she realised years ago that she does not have to love Nigeria.
Speaking further, Chimamanda said that she only owns a Nigerian passport and it was a decision she took years ago because she wanted to truly share in the experience of an average Nigerian.
She then disclosed that she was waiting for former President Donald Trump to leave office so that she can apply to be a US citizen.
A Nigerian lady has cried out over a dilemma she has found herself in, involving her fiancée who demanded that they must take blood oath.
According to her, the introduction will be taking place soon, and her man is insisting that they would take the oath before then but she has reservations about it.
She said they are both believers but she does not want to take the blood oath because she’s afraid it could lead her to hell.
The lady added that her parents are mounting pressure on her to settle down and she doesn’t know what to do.
