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.
Queen Elizabeth II has ordered that no royal should wear military uniform for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
Prince Harry had faced the humiliating prospect of being the only senior male in the royal family who won’t wear the military uniform after losing his honorary ranks.
Harry, 36, was stripped of his three military titles when he quit royal duty with wife Meghan.
Royal protocol now means the Duke — who did two tours of Afghanistan with the Blues and Royals — can only wear a suit with medals at royal functions.
Also, there was serious debate about whether Prince Andrew should be allowed to wear his Admiral uniform since he’s been implicated in the scandal involving convicted pedophile Jeffrey Eastern.
While Andrew has lost many of his charitable patronages, he has not been stripped of his military positions and titles yet, unlike Prince Harry.
Piers Morgan even weighed in saying “shameful” Prince Andrew should be denied wearing an Admiral’s uniform until he speaks to the FBI over his alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Piers Morgan wrote: “His request to attend the funeral as an Admiral when he has so far failed to either clear his name or return to public duties is completely outrageous.
“How dare he ‘demand’ anything given his refusal to be interviewed by the FBI about a very serious sex crime investigation?”
Insiders involved in planning for Saturday’s funeral claim the Queen personally stepped in to suggest all senior male royals wear suits and ties.
A military source told The Sun: “It’s the most eloquent solution to the problem.”
Another source confirmed last night that “current thinking is no uniforms”.
Nigeria’s inflation rate rose from 17.33% recorded in February to 18.17% in the month of March.
In the latest report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Headline index increased by 1.56% in March 2021, this is 0.02% points higher than the rate recorded in February 2021 (1.54 percent).
Food inflation, a closely watched index spiked to 22.95% from 21.79% recorded in the previous month. On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 1.9% in March 2021, up by 0.01% points from 1.89% recorded in February 2021.
The rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Bread and cereals, Potatoes, yam, and other tubers, Meat, Vegetables, Fish, Oils and fats, and fruits.
The report added;
“The urban inflation rate increased by 18.76 percent (year-on-year) in March 2021 from 17.92 percent recorded in February 2021, while the rural inflation rate increased by 17.60 percent in March 2021 from 16.77 percent in February 2021.
“In March 2021, food inflation on a year on year basis was highest in Kogi (29.71%), Sokoto (27.02%) and Ebonyi (26.59%), while Abuja (20.10%), Kebbi (19.98%) and Bauchi (18.61%) recorded the slowest rise in year on year inflation.
“On month on month basis however, March 2021 food inflation was highest in Rivers (3.52%), Niger (2.92%) and Gombe (2.85%), while Zamfara (0.51%) recording the slowest rise in month on month food inflation with Yobe and Kebbi recording price deflation or negative inflation (general decrease in the general price level of food or a negative food inflation rate).”
Police has released the shocking mugshot of ex-TV Gladiator, Shadow, and he looks unrecognisable.
The image of Shadow was issued by cops on Wednesday, April 14, after the former bodybuilder, whose real name is Jefferson King, admitted taking part in a drug-fuelled blackmail plot.
The photo shows him hollow-cheeked and dead-eyed, while hooked on drugs.
King, 59, had demanded £1,000 last year from a mum for the safe return of her son who was allegedly being held hostage by a gang.
He is currently in custody awaiting sentencing at the conclusion of a crown court trial of other alleged blackmailers.
Jurors were told that King was “known as Shadow in Gladiators”, though he is now barely recognisable from his 1990s heyday after years of drug abuse.
Born in London, King moved to New York aged 14 where he became a crack addict.
But he got clean and moved back to England, where he met his wife and fathered two kids before being recruited as a Gladiator for the original 1992 series.
King and his wife, Olivia King
In 1995 he was caught snorting coke, then sacked from the ITV show after testing positive for steroids.
King later turned to heroin and crack cocaine, lost his home and family and served a succession of prison sentences.
He went into rehab in 2009 and stayed clean, resuming his relationship with his children.
By last year he was back on the narcotics.
Last March, King, of Acton, West London, was charged with heroin possession.
A week later, days before lockdown, a court heard how he was involved in a blackmail plot after a day of smoking drugs “degenerated rapidly”.
The prosecution told jurors how victim Aaron Ali, 40, was held for a “significant” period of time at a flat in Acton.
Mr Ali was allegedly gagged with a tissue placed in his mouth to muffle the screams and repeatedly punched and kicked.
His mum Nosheen Zarait and his brother Tariq Ali were contacted and told to pay £1,000 for his safe return, the prosecution claim.
He was held from 2pm until his release at 8.30pm, it was alleged.
Prosecutor Keith Hadrill told the jury at Isleworth crown court that King and another man, Simon Batson, 38, had both admitted two charges of blackmail.
Batson’s girlfriend Donna Harman, 42, Otis Noel, 45, along with Michael Tyson, 55, and wife Shila, 55, all deny charges including false imprisonment, blackmail and aiding and abetting false imprisonment.
The People’s Court of the southwestern province of Tay Ninh, Vietnam on Tuesday, April 13, sentenced a 25-year-old Nigerian man to death for illegally transporting narcotic substances into the country from Cambodia.
Unachukwu Chiluba Paulinus was arrested on February 19, 2020, in the Ta Pheng area of Thuan Tay hamlet in Loi Thuan commune, Ben Cau district, while transporting nearly 3 kilogrammes of methamphetamine.
He told police that he arrived in Cambodia in 2019, where he met an African man called Oscar who hired him to transport the drugs from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City for 2,000 USD. He was paid 650 USD in advance.
After traveling by taxi from Phnom Penh to the border, he crossed over into Vietnam and was arrested by Ben Cau district’s police.
He also confessed to having earlier transported a backpack containing drugs from Cambodia to HCM City, which he delivered to an unknown man.
The decision was based on Clause 4 in Article 250 of the 2015 Penal Code, the local media reported.
Some hackers have reportedly gained access into theJoint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) intranet site and reportedly diverted over N10m after altering the profiles of its ad hoc staff.
Registrar of the exam body, Ishaq Oloyede disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday April 13.
Oloyede who disclosed that the diverted money was the allowance of the board’s ad hoc staff, said it was uncovered after an investigation was carried out.
The investigation also led to the arrest of one Sahabi Zubairu from Takum in Taraba state alongside others.
The JAMB registrar also disclosed that the accounting department failed to detect the fraud by not cross-checking the names on the accounts to ensure that they tallied with those listed on the website or owners of the codes.
Revealing that the ad hoc staff of the board have since been paid and also giving an assurance of the stolen money being recovered, Oloyede further stated that payment into the accounts of the beneficiaries led to the divertion.
Bernie Madoff, the Wall Street financier who masterminded the largest Ponzi scheme in history and defrauded thousands of investors out of billions of dollars, has died in prison. He was 82.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Madoff’s death on Wednesday, April 14. He died at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina.
The bureau did not specify a cause of death, saying in a statement that the cause will be determined by a medical examiner.
Madoff was serving a 150-year sentence at the prison, where he had been treated for what his attorney called terminal kidney disease.
Madoff’s death comes about 12 years into a 150-year prison sentence stemming from fraud charges that bilked thousands of investors out of an estimated $65 billion in promised returns on $20 billion invested over the years.
He defrauded as many as 37,000 people in 136 countries over four decades before he was busted on Dec. 11, 2008, after his two sons turned him in.
On March 12, 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 federal crimes and admitted to operating the largest private Ponzi scheme in history. He was sentenced three months later to the maximum sentence: 150 years in prison with restitution of $170 billion.
His victims included the famous director Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon, former New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon, Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Weisel and ordinary investors, like Burt Ross, who lost $5 million in the scheme.
In court, he insisted that it was all his idea that his family knew nothing about the scheme even though his wife, Ruth, had once kept the books, his sons were senior officers, and his younger brother, Peter, was chief compliance officer.
“Because of how long this lasted, it was completely devastating to so many victims,” said Matthew L. Schwartz, the former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who led the investigation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities.
“There were so many people who effectively treated him like a bank and kept their entire life savings with him, so when it was all revealed to be a sham, people were not able to live their lives anymore,” Schwartz said. “They couldn’t pay tuition. They couldn’t pay their mortgages.
“There were so many heartbreaking stories of people who thought they had material savings, who had thought they put everything into their nest egg and that they would be able to retire, and instead they ended up effectively homeless.”
In a 2013 email to CNBC from prison, Madoff insisted that he began legitimately but that he started committing fraud in the early 1990s after the Gulf War caused the market to stall.
“I thought this would be only a short-term trade which could be made up once the market became receptive,” he wrote. “The rest is my tragic history of never being able to recover.”
It ran smoothly until the financial crash of 2008 when suddenly, all of his clients started asking for redemption at once.
That is when he revealed to sons Mark and Andrew that it had all been a lie.
Mark hanged himself in his Manhattan apartment. His wife later blamed her father-in-law, telling ABC: ‘He couldn’t get out, he was so betrayed and so hurt by Bernie.
‘I hate Bernie Madoff. If I saw Bernie Madoff right now, I would tell him that I hold him fully responsible for killing my husband, and I’d spit in his face.’
Andrew died from lymphoma in 2014.
Bernie’s brother Peter was also jailed. He spent eight years in prison for his role in the scheme and was released last June.
In 2019, Ruth reached a settlement with some of her husband’s surviving victims to pay them $600,000.
US President, Joe Biden on Wednesday April 14, formally announced his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that led the US into the country to wage its longest war.
Biden delivered the historic statement from precisely the same spot in the White House Treaty Room that President George W. Bush announced the start of the war on October 7, 2001.
Biden said after the statement he’ll visit the section of Arlington National Cemetery where many of America’s war dead from Afghanistan are buried.
He also added that American diplomatic and humanitarian efforts will continue in Afghanistan while the US would support peace efforts between the Afghan government and the Taliban but the war between the US and Afghanistan is over.
“We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result,” Biden said.
“I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” he added. “I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth.”
“It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come home,” he said.
Biden said the withdrawal will begin on May 1, in line with an agreement President Donald Trump’s administration made with the Taliban. He said the complete withdrawal will be done by September 11.
The White House believes that after two decades of “war,” it is clear to the President that throwing more time and money at Afghanistan’s problems wasn’t going to work.
“This is not conditions-based,” a senior administration official heavily involved in the deliberations said on Tuesday.
“The President has judged that a conditions-based approach, which has been the approach of the past two decades, is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever.”
Some US troops will remain to protect American diplomats, though officials declined to provide a precise number.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Wednesday he spoke to Biden and that he “respects the US decision.”
“Afghanistan’s proud security and defense forces are fully capable of defending its people and country, which they have been doing all along, and for which the Afghan nation will forever remain grateful,” Ghani said on Twitter.
Biden said that he spoke with former President George W. Bush on Tuesday ahead of announcing his decision to withdraw the troops.
“I spoke yesterday with President Bush to inform him of my decision. While he and I have had many disagreements over policy throughout the years, we are absolutely united in our respect and support for the valor, courage and integrity of the women and men of the United States forces who’ve served,” Biden said.
The war in Afghanistan has killed some 2,300 US troops and cost more than $2 trillion.
Superstar singer, Justin Bieber has opened up about his drug addiction and subsequent transformation to who he is right now.
Bieber’s first single, “One Time,” went platinum in 2009 when he was just just 15 turning him into a global Superstar but he made headlines for breaking the law so many times during his young career.
In November 2018, Bieber announced that he had married Hailey Baldwin. Then, in March 2019, he said he was taking time away from music to focus on his mental health.
In a new interview with GQ magazine, Bieber, 27, revealed the extent of his drug problem and spoke about the development of his relationship with wife Hailey Baldwin and his journey into Christianity.
Bieber revealed that his serious drug habit was so bad to the point that security guards would come into his room at night and check his pulse to make sure he was still alive.
“I have a wife who I adore, who I feel comforted by. I feel safe. I feel like my relationship with God is wonderful. And I have this outpouring of love that I want to be able to share with people, you know?” Bieber told journalist Zach Baron.
“It was like I had all this success and it was still like: I’m still sad, and I’m still in pain. And I still have these unresolved issues. And I thought all the success was going to make everything good. And so for me, the drugs were a numbing agent to just continue to get through,” he said.
He also talked about his 2020 revelation that he was suffering with Lyme disease.
“To be honest, I am a lot healthier, and I did have a lot of things going on. I did have mono, and I do have Lyme disease,” Bieber said.
“But I was also navigating a lot of emotional terrain, which had a lot to do with it. And we like to blame a lot of things on other things. Sometimes… It’s a lot of times just your own stuff.”
Bieber said his marriage has become a major positive force after a difficult start.
“The first year of marriage was really tough,” he said, “because there was a lot, going back to the trauma stuff.”
But now, he said, “we’re just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we’re building these memories. And it’s beautiful that we have that to look forward to.”
Bieber says his faith is another reason why he seems to be in a better place these days.
God “is grace,” he said. “Every time we mess up, He’s picking us back up every single time. That’s how I view it. And so it’s like, ‘I made a mistake. I won’t dwell in it. I don’t sit in shame. But it actually makes me want to do better.’ “
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s career is at risk as he could face a three-year ban because of his partnership with a Malta-based betting company, according to reports coming out of his native Sweden.
The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in a report claimed that Ibrahimovic’s Stockholm-based company Unknown AB owns 10 percent of the shares of Bethard, a gambling site with offices in Malta.
The report also details that the Swedish Football Association have been aware of the problem for three years and it is the reason why Ibrahimovic was left out of Sweden’s squad for the 2018 World Cup.
His participation in the company could reportedly land him with a three-year ban or a hefty fine, as the issue is being closely followed by both FIFA and UEFA.
FIFA and UEFA do not allow players participating in their competitions to have financial interests in gambling companies.
The report adds that Ibrahimovic’s company is the fourth-largest owner in Bethard, which according to the latest available annual report in 2019 made a profit after tax of £25.79m.
It details that Ibrahimovic may have violated FIFA’s rules during March’s World Cup qualifier against Georgia and in the Europa League qualifier against Shamrock Rovers in September 2020.
Upon being announced as an ambassador and co-owner of Bethard in 2018, he said: ‘I have obviously been intensively courted by betting companies throughout my career, but up until now I have not been presented to anything that has triggered me.
‘With Bethard, there was something different. It’s a company with Swedish roots, the founders are from my home town and they are true challengers who really wants to do things differently’.
FIFA’s ethical regulations state that anyone who violates their rules will be punished by a fine and a possible suspension from all football-related activities for a maximum of three years, while UEFA’s regulations are less clear when it comes to punishment.
The news story comes as the 39-year-old is set to extend his career by another year, with a new contract at AC Milan until June 2022.
Ghanaian actress, Rosemond Brown a.k.a Akuapem Poloo has been convicted over the publication of her nude photos with her 7-year-old son.
The actress who had displayed her naked pictures with her son on social media on June 30, 2020, was arraigned on three count of publication of obscene materials, engaging in domestic violence, a conduct that in any way undermines another person’s privacy or integrity and engaging in domestic violence namely conduct that in any way detracts or is likely to detract from another person’s dignity and worth as a human being.
Akuapem pleaded “not guilty” when was first arraigned but changed it “guilty” when rearraigned on Wednesday April 14. She was then convicted by Her Honour, Christiana Cann of Accra Circuit Court on her own plea.
EIB Network’s Court Correspondent, Murtala Inusah reported that the court has deferred her sentencing to Friday April 16 for her to undergo a pregnancy test in compliance with the law regarding a woman who has pleaded guilty in court.
The former Brooklyn Center police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop has been arrested in connection with his death.
Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, was taken into custody about 11:30 a.m. at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, officials said on Wednesday, April 14.
She was charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with Wright’s death and is being held without bail, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced.
Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, which classified the manner of death as a homicide.
He was shot and killed during a traffic stop just before 2 p.m. on Sunday in Brooklyn Center, after officer Potter said she mistook her taser for a gun and fired at him. He died about 10 miles from where George Floyd, another black man was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year.
Potter and Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon resigned from their positions on Tuesday in the wake of Wright’s death, which occurred just 14 miles north of where George Floyd was killed last year.
The day before he resigned, Gannon told reporters that the officer meant to draw a Taser but “drew their handgun instead of their Taser.
Wright family attorneys Benjamin Crump, Jeff Storms, and Anthony Romanucci said in a statement that the district attorney’s charging decision was only a step in the right direction.
“While we appreciate that the district attorney is pursuing justice for Daunte, no conviction can give the Wright family their loved one back,” they said in a statement. “This was no accident. This was an intentional, deliberate, and unlawful use of force.”
“A 26-year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and a firearm. Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” they said. “It’s past time for meaningful change in our country.”
“A badge should never be a shield to accountability. Daunte Wright was brutally killed by a police officer, and justice must prevail,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP President, said in a statement.
