A 31-year-old Nigerian man has been arrested in Vadodara, Gujarat for duping a trader of Rs 22.67 lakh (N11,886,780.11m)
The accused identified as Elvis Owie was arrested by the cybercrime cell of Vadodara police on Wednesday, March 17.
Owie was nabbed from Mumbai after the cops tracked him down through the bank account number.
The police said that he posed as a trader and duped one Mayank Shah by promising to deliver him chemicals.
According to cybercrime officials, Shah, a trader, had received an email on December 11, 2020 wherein the sender wrote that he wants to buy a chemical for cancer and neurological treatment from India.
The next day Shah again got an email asking him to get quotation from Archana Enterprises and send it to the buyer.Shah sent quotation following which he got an email from Tikomed AB Company to place order for the chemical. Shah then transferred Rs 89,000 to Archana Enterprises bank account for getting sample of the chemical.
The complainant got sample material following which he placed bigger order and transferred Rs 22.67 lakh in three separate instalments to Archana Enterprises.
Shah got 10 litres of chemicals but expressed doubts over its authenticity before the police. After the WhatsApp number on which Shah was in touch with the accused was blocked and he also didn’t get any reply on the email id, Shah approached the cops.
“We tracked the accused on the basis of bank account number and other technical sources. We are questioning the accused and trying to ascertain if there are any other persons involved in the racket,” said Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, DCP (crime).
Investigating officials said that Owie may have been involved in similar crimes in the past.
“Many of them now operate individually from different cities,” Jadeja added.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was only interested in grabbing power but never prepared for real governance.
Speaking in Owerri, Anyanwu, a former Senate committee Chairman on Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges lamented the insecurity in the country, high poverty rate and unemployment which had brought unimaginable sufferings on the people.
He said;
“APC and her then presidential candidate, Muhamamdu Buhari had assured Nigerians of their commitment to raise their standard of living, construct good road network, offer quality education and improve on agriculture. Today, all their promises were mere deceit to hijack power. Today, Nigerians have been raped, shattered, dehumanised and abandoned..
“Nothing in Nigeria is working again; not even human lives and properties are spared. It is annoying that a country that is blessed with vast natural resources is increasing the pump price of petrol at will. Nothing is stable, prices of goods rising up and never coming down.”
“No one sleeps with his/her two eyes closed. The society is tensed and charged over possible uprising anytime, any day. Civil servants, pensioners and the masses are crying. Civil servants and pensioners are yet to be paid. Hunger and starvation has risen to a high proportion.”
A district court in Japan has ruled that the country’s failure to recognise same-sex marriage is “unconstitutional”.
Japan is the only country in the G7 group of developed nations that does not allow same-sex marriage.
The country’s constitution defines marriage as one of “mutual consent between both sexes”. But a Sapporo court ruled that this denied the couples constitutionally-guaranteed equality, in what is seen as a symbolic victory for LGBTQ activists.
The case was one of several cases brought to district courts in various parts of Japan by a group of same-sex couples who are seeking damages for mental suffering.
The Sapporo court rejected the compensation claim of one million yen ($9,000; £6,480) per person for being denied the same rights as heterosexual couples. But it found that not allowing them to marry was unconstitutional.
Ai Nakajima, who is among the group of plaintiffs, told the BBC: “This is one huge step forward in Japan… We are moving closer to making our dream come true.”
However, there is still a long way to go. Even if all district courts declare same-sex unions constitutional, the legalisation of same-sex marriages is not guaranteed, as current political momentum to change the law is “lukewarm at best”, according to The Japan Times.
Japan’s constitution, put in place after the end of World War Two, defines marriage as one of “mutual consent between both sexes”.
The court in Sapporo, the capital city of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, is the first to give its verdict, and its ruling is seen as having significant impact on the other courts.
Journalist and LGBTQ rights expert Yuji Kitamaru told the BBC the judgment was “well-crafted and very strategic” and laid “the first legal foundation against anti-LGBTQ theories”.
Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister, Samantha has predicted that she and her husband Prince Harry might get a divorce.
Samantha who no longer has a relationship with the Duchess of Sussex who she hasn’t seen since the Suits star fell for Harry, has been relentless in her extraordinary attacks on her royal half-sister.
In an interview with TMZ, the author said her half-sister and her husband might get a divorce unless they get extensive counselling and can agree to work on being honest.
She said;
“I see it ending in divorce unless they get extensive counselling and can agree to work on being honest, to work on apologies to everyone that they’ve damaged in the course of this bull-in-a-china-shop, two-year spiel.
“Nothing about any of this has been honest and the damage to the Royals has been massive, especially now.
“Maybe he’s already questioning it. He has to be if he has a functioning frontal lobe, come on! He’s not 12. He was in the military, he’s got to have a sense of, ‘oh my god, everything you said to me has been a lie’.
“What man would be happy or comfortable with that? The minute, I believe, he begins dissenting or pulling back from her I think it can get nasty, unless he has a really good lawyer, they have really good counsellors. I don’t know what it’s going to take.”
Asked what it would take for Meghan and their father Thomas to patch up their bond, Samantha said:
“She would have to apologise. A public apology, god, I know would be like getting blood from a rock, but she did a lot of public damage with her dishonesty and her manipulation, domination and control.
“I really feel like this thing was so orchestrated that she needs to unravel the damage. She did a lot of damage to a man who gave her an incredible life. So hurtful, so wrong. She would need to make the first mood and you know, parents are always unconditionally loving, but my god she really hurt him.”
A Nigerian man living abroad is currently homeless and has to sleep in the streets in freezing weather after he was thrown out by his white lover for not cooking.
The homeless Nigerian man was found sleeping on a bench in a dirty area of the city by another Nigerian man who recorded the incident.
The homeless man explained that he’s been with the white woman for 5 months and satisfies her in every way.
However, on that fateful day, he was too tired to cook.
When she returned from work and asked why he had not cooked, he explained that he was tired and would do it later.
But she threw him and his belongings out of her house, causing him to sleep in the streets in freezing weather.
He said he has no where to go and has been suffering since he’s been with the woman, but said he had to endure because of papers.
Rapper, Drake has reportedly been sending messages to Kim Kardashian following her split from husband Kanye West.
Kim, 40, confirmed in Feb 2021 that she had filed for divorce from the rapper, bringing their almost seven-year marriage to an end.
Now, it is claimed Canadian rapper Drake has reached out to Kim in the wake of the split.
A source reportedly told Heat Magazine: “Drake could never understand what Kim saw in Kanye – he was saying for years how he wasn’t the right guy for Kim and it would all end in tears.
“He was surprised it took her so long to realise, and started messaging her the moment it became clear that the divorce was inevitable.
“He’s ready to see her whenever she says the word, basically, and he’s confident that will happen fairly soon.”
The publication added Kim has no intention of embarking on a new romance, with the source claiming: “Kim’s wary about getting involved with someone else too fast before the divorce is settled.”
Kim’s representative, Christy Welder, confirmed the reality star had filed the divorce paperwork in a statement shared with The New York Times.
Drake and Kanye have had public spats in the past, with Kanye once tweeti
US President, Joe Biden, tripped and fell thrice while climbing the Air Force One stairs on Friday, March 19.
He was on his way to Georgia when he missed his step three times while boarding the Air Force One.
Following the incident, Donald Trump Jr, the son of the 45th US President, took to Twitter to mock his father’s successor.
He shared a video of Biden falling and wrote: “I remember the press bashing Trump for touching the rail once. Biden falls repeatedly but I’m sure he’s the picture of health. No wonder all our enemies are pouncing simultaneously and mocking him publicly.”
Donald Trump holding a glass of water and walking slowly down a ramp was evidence that he wasn’t well. Interesting to see how same media will cover Joe Biden’s fall here. pic.twitter.com/3cajgg0W7i
He also shared a doctored video showing his father, Donald Trump Sr., playing golf, and when he hit the ball, it flew and hit Biden on the head, causing him to fall.
His caption on the video reads: “It wasn’t the wind folks.”
In another post, he wrote: “Pay no attention to the fact that the President of the United States is so frail that he got knocked over repeatedly by a gust of wind.
An eight-month pregnant mother has been killed after her baby was cut off her womb in a horrific attack at her home in Brazil.
21-year-old Pamella Ferreira Andrade Martins was found dead in the coastal town of Macae, Rio de Janeiro state, on Wednesday afternoon, March 17.
A family member told local media that the victim was found inside a locked bathroom and the door had to be broken down.
According to the family member, Ms. Martins was discovered butchered, with her belly hacked open and her unborn child missing.
A 22-year-old suspect was arrested when she was admitted to hospital after checking into a nearby A&E carrying the dead baby.
The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, had told the health professionals at the unit that she had given birth to the baby boy herself and had fallen down the stairs with him.
However, after some tests were carried out on her, doctors discovered she had not been pregnant. A knife and penknife were found in her handbag.
According to the police, the suspect had been pretending to be pregnant and was seen in the victim’s company the day before the crime.
Ms Martins’ relatives told police that the suspect said she ‘would get herself a child whatever it takes’.
Ms Martins leaves behind a husband and a two-year-old son.
The police are investigating the case and an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death of the baby.
US President, Joe Biden has labelled Russian president Vladimir Putin, a ‘killer’ and promised that the Kremlim will “pay a price” for interfering in the 2020 U.S. elections.
Since Biden took over the White House in January 2021, he has pledged to take a hard line against the Kremlin, which has a history of attempting to assassinate and imprison dissidents and political opponents.
The U.S. intelligence community released a report on Tuesday March 16, assessing that Putin authorized election influence operations aimed at denigrating Biden’s candidacy, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the election and sowing divisions.
The U.S. also sanctioned seven senior Russian officials earlier this month over the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who is currently serving out a sentence in a remote Russian labor camp.
In a Wednesday, March 17 interview with ABC Wednesday Biden said that he believes Vladimir Putin is a “killer,” while asding that it’s possible to “walk and chew gum at the same time for places where it’s in our mutual interest to to work together” — addressing his decision to extend the New START nuclear arms control pact earlier this year.
When asked how the U.S. should respond to Russia’s election interference, Biden said.
“He will pay a price. We had a long talk, he and I. I know him relatively well and the conversation started off, I said, ‘I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred then be prepared,'”
Referencing President George W. Bush’s famous comments about getting a “sense” of Putin’s “soul,” Biden told ABC: “I said, ‘I looked in your eyes and I don’t think you have a soul.’ He looked back and said we understand each other.”
“Look, the most important thing in dealing with foreign leaders in my experience, and I’ve dealt with an awful lot of them in my career, is just know the other guy.”
Recall in a 2017 interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, former US leader Trump said that he has “respect” for Putin and asserted that the US was guilty when it comes to killing.
O’Reilly said “Putin is a killer,” to which Trump responded: “There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?”
Paul Pogba’s second half cameo was all Manchester United needed to secure a quarter final berth at the expense of a dogged Milan side intent on frustrating Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s team.
Milan got a vital away goal in last week’s first leg at Old Trafford and with the availability of star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic many expected them to disturb United’s party on Thursday night, March 18.
Paul Pogba came off the bench in the second half to score the decisive goal, picking his spot from a tight angle in the left inside channel to give United a 0-1 win and secure a 2-1 aggregate triumph in the tie.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had Milan’s best opportunity, but Dean Henderson was on point to deny the veteran forward.
United despite facing pressure, comfortably held out at the end to secure their spot in the last eight of the competition.
Manchester United return to action on Sunday against Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the King Power Stadium.
Forbes has denied reports that Kanye West is now the richest black man in America’s history after his businesses were valued at $6.6 billion.
Multiple media outlets had reported that Kanye West is now worth $6.6 billion after Bloomberg reported that his sneaker brand Yeezy as well as Yeezy Gap have a combined value of as much as $4.7 billion
However, Forbes says “it’s not true.”
The publication adds: “Based on our calculations. Forbes estimates he’s worth less than a third of that, or $1.8 billion.”
Forbes further stated that “reports that the celebrity is worth nearly $7 billion are based on the magical thinking around sales that don’t yet exist. This is why he’s currently worth less than one third of that.”
Vista Equity’s Robert F. Smith remains the richest Black person in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of $6 billion. Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote remains the richest black person in the world with a net worth of $11.8 billion.
Clearing the air, Forbes wrote on Instagram:
No, Kanye West is not the richest Black person in America. On Wednesday, multiple outlets reported that West is the richest Black person in America, worth as much as $6.6 billion. The news comes after Bloomberg reported that his sneaker brand Yeezy—as well as Yeezy Gap, which has yet to sell one item of clothing—have a combined value of as much as $4.7 billion. The publication mentioned, without going into full detail, an additional $1.7 billion in assets. It’s not true, based on our calculations. Forbes estimates he’s worth less than a third of that, or $1.8 billion. That’s a big jump from last May when Forbes first pegged his net worth to be $1.3 billion, but nowhere near as much as the purported $6.6 billion. Vista Equity’s Robert F. Smith remains the richest Black person in the U.S., worth an estimated $6 billion, while Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, worth $11.8 billion, is the richest Black person in the world. The reports are based on the magical thinking around sales that don’t exist yet. Forbes’ much more grounded number is based on current revenues—not theoretical future expectations.
Slavia Prague defender, Ondrej Kudela was reportedly ‘attacked and left bloodied in the tunnel’ following an allegation of racial abuse made towards him by Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara during their Europa League clash on Thursday, March 18.
Footage from the 87th minute shows Kudela covering his mouth before saying something to Kamara, who immediately reacted with fury while pointing towards his opponent.
Do Kamara was not involved at all? See the hidden message and the kickoff? Wonder what was said….. pic.twitter.com/wX8W2AcHS5
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. Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun had been sent off to reduce Rangers to nine men.
“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.”
Gerrard asked Kamara at the side of the pitch whether he wanted to continue or walk off following the alleged racist incident.
“He said to me after the game he wasn’t thinking straight,” the Rangers boss explained following his team’s Europa League exit. “He wanted to carry on, he was obviously very upset.”
It has now been revealed that Kudela was ‘attacked by fists and beaten in the tunnel’ after the match, as angry scenes erupted following the full-time whistle.
Czech outlet Seznam Zprávy adds that the police were called and under their escort, the players left for the hotel. However, the report details that Slavia have also reported the incident to the Czech embassy, with Czech ambassador to the UK Libor Secka looking into the details.
In a tweet, Slavia president Jaroslav Tvrdik denied the allegation of racist abuse and claimed the Czech champions called in Police Scotland after Kudela was ‘physically attacked.’
‘Slavia categorically denies the fact that the player Ondrej Kudela racially (sic) insulted the players’ opponents in any way,’ write Tvrdik.
‘Our player was physically attacked after the match. At the request of Slavia, the case was resolved by the local police. We would like to see a detailed investigation of the whole situation by UEFA.’
Nigerian born martial arts champion, Kamaru Usman has shared stories of his humble beginning in Nigeria before relocating to the United States in search of greener pastures.
In an interview on Channels Television, Usman who is UFC’s current welterweight champion recalled selling fufu while living in Edo state.
The Auchi-born fighter who moved to the US at the age of 8, described his mother as a hustler who sold different things.
Usman said;
“We grew up in the village. We farmed. As a small boy, farm boy, I used to hawk Akpu, put hot Akpu on my head. I came from nothing.
“There is just struggle every day, the struggle to, how are we gonna eat next week, next month. What are we gonna do?
“We owned a small store where we sold clothes, we sold shoes, my mum sold bags, anything that we could sell, my mum was able to get and try to sell. My mum was a hustler and that is one of the things I respect so much about her as a woman with three rowdy Naija boys.”
The fighter also disclosed that his father went to prison while he was still in college, and also talked about the father-daughter bond he enjoys with his five-year-old daughter, Samirah.
Usman added;
“My daughter, Samirah, I love her to death. She’s very intriguing to me because from about 6 months to about three and half years of her life, she went to the gym with me every day. Then she hit about five years and then she started saying, ‘you know I’m not going to do this daddy, right. You know I’m not going do this sport.’
“I think I have to just accept that and honestly I don’t think I want her to this sport anyway. She’s got her thing, she’s doing gymnastics and for self defence. She does Ju-Jitsu because she has to learn how to control the situation if anything happens. I’m okay with those right now.”
The UFC Champion further revealed he is planning to fully move into commentary and analysis of mixed martial arts after retirement.
He said;
“Talking about the Sport that I’ve spent so much time in, that’s a dream. So now instead of getting punched in the face you are talking about people who are getting punched in the face. And so, it’s a dream for me but I’m slowly getting my feet wet in it and finding my ground because it is something I definitely want to do when I walk away from this sport.”
Gold deposit have been discovered by the federal government along Abuja to Nasarawa axis.
Minister of mines and steel development, Olamilekan Adegbite made the disclosure while playing host to the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule in Abuja.
Adegbite who said his ministry was resolved to ensure that the situation in Zamfara where bandits took over mining of gold does not happen again, told his guest that the FMMSD would develop the mineral resources in Nasarawa.
The Minister was quoted saying;
“Nasarawa State is the home of solid minerals in the country. We had an earlier discussion about recent discovery of precious minerals in the Nasarawa, Abuja axis.
“As you probably might be aware, we have been talking about this for a while; there is a programme we call NIMEP executed by the ministry where government has put about N15bn into exploration for minerals, one of which is gold.
“We have done this exploration across the country and we have discovered a very nice track of gold deposits especially between Abuja and Nasarawa where we share borders.”
Adegbite who also disclosed that the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project is being executed by the ministry with an investment of about N15 billion for mineral exploration (one of which is gold), added that the project has generated geoscience data that has attracted foreign investors about the mining potentials across Nigeria.
Governor Abdullahi Sule on his own part lamented about illegal gold mining activities in the state, saying the state is ready to work with the ministry to end the illegal operations.
UFC chief, Dana White has announced that fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov will be retiring from the sport.
Khabib, one of the greatest fighters of all time, beat Justin Gaethje in October to make it 13 wins from 13 in UFC and an unbeaten 29-0 record overall.
The news online amid rumours of a return to the octagon for the legendary Russian but those rumors have now been squashed by Khabib and Dana Whyte .
After both men had a dinner on Thursday night, Thursday March 18, they both confirmed the news on social media.
White uploaded a picture of the pair and captioned it: “29-0 it is.
“He is officially retired. It was incredible to watch you work @TeamKhabib thank you for EVERYTHING and enjoy whatever is next my friend.”
Shortly after, Khabib shared the same photo with an emotional caption of his own.
He wrote: “It was a good dinner with some great people.
“Dana White, thank you so much brother and the entire UFC team for the opportunity to prove myself, you guys have changed many lives forever because of this sport.
“Dana – I’ll never forget your attitude towards me, my father did not forget and my sons will remember you.
“Today there was a real conversation between real men. Also thank you to all my team, sparing partners and all fans.
“I hope you will accept my decision and understand me.”
Khabib said in January his mum wanted him to quit the sport following the death of his father after he contracted covid-19
An 80-year-old retired Nigerian lecturer, Muritala Haroon, has asked a Customary Court sitting in Mapo, to dissolve his 52-year-old marriage on grounds that his wife, Afsat, still denies him sex.
In February this year, Haroon filed for the dissolution of his marriage on grounds of sexual starvation and threat to life. In the petition, he alleged that Afsat was fond of locking him out of the bedroom thereby denying him sex.
“I can no longer cope with the attitude again. Worst still, she and her relatives want me dead. Afsat attempted to stab me. She is misleading our six children. She has turned them against me” he said
In her response, Afsat rejected the prayer for separation. She told the court that Haroon is promiscuous.
“Prof is promiscuous. I cannot have anything to do with [him] because he slept with his close friend’s three wives. My Lord, Haroon slept with the three wives of the man who acted as an intermediary whenever we had problems” she said
At the resumed hearing in the suit today March 18, Mr Haroon, told the court that Afsat did not abide by the advice of the court for them to have sex.
“My wife did not abide by the advice given to her by this court to allow peace to reign by agreeing to perform her wifely duties.”
Afsat was absent when she was called and nobody represented her in court.
The President of the court, Ademola Odunade, appealed to Haroon to exercise more patience.
“The court will work with the extended members of the family to resolve the matter amicably” he said
Russia’s President, Vladmir Putin has reacted to US President Joe Biden calling him a killer and saying that he would “pay a price” for 2020 US election interference.
When asked about Biden’s comments during a video call on Thursday March 18, that was aired on Russian state TV, Putin said he wished his counterpart in Washington good health and was saying that “without irony”, but charged that the comments reflected America’s own troubled past.
The Russian leader who praised the American people, said the legacy of slavery and the country’s treatment of Native Americans weighed heavily on its dealings abroad. He added that for Biden to call him a killer, it takes one to know one.
Putin said;
“In the history of every people, every state, there are a lot of hard, dramatic and bloody events. But when we evaluate other people or even other governments, we always look as if into the mirror. We always see ourselves in it.
“I remember when I was young and I got into fights with my friends, we always used to say ‘whoever calls names is called that himself.
“It takes one to know one.
“And that’s not just a children’s joke. The meaning is quite deep psychologically. We always see our own qualities in another person and think that he/she is like ourselves. And coming from that, evaluate his/her actions and evaluate him/her overall.
“As he [Biden] said, we know each other personally. What would I reply to him? I would say: I wish you health. I wish you health. I say that without any irony or joke.”
Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian parliament’s upper house, had also said that Moscow would likely take further steps “if the American side does not offer an explanation or apology”.
Kosachev said Biden’s comments “were not acceptable under any circumstances” and sent any hopes of an improvement of relations under the new administration “down the drain”.
Russia also recalled its ambassador to the United States on Wednesday for “consultations” just hours after Biden’s remarks, which the Kremlin later said were “very bad” and without precedent.
Floyd Mayweather has confirmed he intends to link up with Anthony Joshua and give him advice before his mammoth world title fight with Tyson Fury.
The British heavyweights will finally meet this year to decide who wins the four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion and Floyd Mayweather, who is undefeated as a professional boxer says he will be providing Anthony Joshua with advice before the fight.
Mayweather was ringside in London for Joshua’s ninth-round stoppage of IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev back in December where he offered tactical advice during the fight. After the fight, Mayweather also visited Joshua privately at home
Mayweather says he will be teaming up with him now that the fight with Fury (an undefeated boxer) has been agreed.
“I look forward to working with Joshua real soon, we talk all the time,” he told the Disruptive Entrepreneur podcast.
“It’s a very interesting fight. Anthony Joshua has a lot of experience and Tyson Fury as well has a lot of experience but with Anthony Joshua losing a fight [to Andy Ruiz Jr], it helped him become stronger.
“I met Tyson Fury on a few occasions; he’s great guy and very interesting. After the fight I like to see him sing… I haven’t seen him fight a lot of times.
“I’ve seen him fight twice, against Deontay Wilder, but it’s a very intriguing match-up. You can never say what’s going to happen in the sport of boxing. Both guys are great competitors.”
The fight between Joshua and Fury will see all four belts contested in a heavyweight bout for the first time in history.
In 1999, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield both competed for three heavyweight belts.
Authorities have released mugshot of the suspected shooter involved in three Atlanta-Area shootings that have left eight people dead.
Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Georgia, was arrested in southwest Georgia, around 150 miles south of Atlanta, and taken into custody in Crisp County, Cherokee County sheriff Captain Jay Baker said.
The first shooting began around 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, some 30 miles north of Atlanta when five people were shot at a massage parlor, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker said. Two of the victims died at the scene. Three were taken to a hospital, where two of them also died, Baker said.
About an hour later, Atlanta police responded to calls for a robbery in progress and found three women dead at the Gold Spa, Atlanta Police Sgt. John Chafee said. While still on scene, police received calls for shots fired across the street at Aromatherapy Spa, where they found another woman fatally shot.
The victims in the Acworth shooting were two Asian women, a white woman, and a white man, Baker told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The fifth victim was a Hispanic man who was injured and taken to the hospital.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that its diplomats in Atlanta confirmed four of the women were of Korean descent.
One police officer has been killed and another one lying critically ill in the hospital after unknown gunmen attacked a Police patrol team at Ukacha junction Neni, Anaocha LGA in Anambra state today March 18.
A statement released by the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, says the hoodlums numbering over twenty with three Sienna buses and motorcycles engaged the police in a gun-duel which lasted for over 30mins before reinforcements from the State headquarters forcing the hoodlums to escape.
Tochukwu said two police operatives sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the hospital for medical attention where one was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
He said the state Commissioner of police, CP MB Kuryas, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment. He said an investigation is ongoing and effort is being intensified in order to unravel perpetrators of the heinous act and bring them to book.
A Russian mother has been arrested for allegedly pouring gasoline into the mouth of her eight-year-old son before setting him on fire.
Anastasia Baulina, 31, a cashier, was reportedly angry that her son Andrey ‘betrayed’ her by telling his stepfather that she had been visited by her alleged lover.
She had a ‘quarrel’ with her son and took him into the courtyard, dousing him in fuel from a canister, then set the boy on fire, it is alleged.
The report said she poured the fuel into the terrified boy’s mouth before using a lighter and telling him: ‘Let’s see how it will burn.’
His sister Natasha, 12, said: ‘(The fuel) was pouring into his mouth, as he was crying.’
By the time the boy’s mother and stepfather, Pavel Baulin, 35, put out the flames, the child was already critically injured. The boy died two days later in a hospital in Kursk, Russia after suffering horrific 45 percent burns.
Neighbour Nina Chetverikova told Life: ‘I saw her at the bus stop. She had a quarrel with her husband. It seems she took it out on her children.’
A murder investigation has been opened as well as criminal investigation into why the boy was allowed back into his mother’s care after he was earlier removed from her to an orphanage.
Baulina faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted.
West Ham striker, Michail Antonio has reportedly snubbed England and officially pledged his international future to Jamaica.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the Jamaica FA were making plans to recruit up to 15 English stars ahead of next year’s World Cup in Qatar. Joining Antonio on the list were Demarai Gray, Max Aarons, and Liam Moore, and it has now been reported that the West Ham man is the first to confirm his place in the Jamaica squad.
Sky Sports report that Antonio has now definitely pledged his allegiance to the Caribbean island – where his parents were born – in a bid to play more international football having missed out regularly on England squads of late.
Jamaica are also hopeful of persuading Isaac Hayden, Andre Gray, Ethan Pinnock Mason Holgate, Kemar Roofe, Rolando Aarons, Curtis Tilt, Jamal Lowe, Amari’i Bell, and Kasey Palmer to represent them.
JFF President, Michael Ricketts confirmed that many of the players they want to call-up are in the process of acquiring Jamaican passports.
‘I see Andre Gray, Demarai Gray, Isaac Hayden, who actually approached the JFF about representing us, Mason Holgate, Liam Moore, who already has his Jamaican passport, Nathan Redmond, Kemar Roofe, and Ivan Toney. All of these we are in the process of acquiring their Jamaican passports,’ Ricketts confirmed this week.
‘The process is becoming a little tedious because of the pandemic but the process is ongoing and we are hopeful we will get the passports for these gentlemen in reasonable time.
‘We have been having discussions. I just spoke with the Permanent Secretary for Sport and he has agreed to try and help us to facilitate and to expedite the process.’
In 2016, turned down the chance to represent Jamaica before earning an invite to England squads by Sam Allardyce and Gareth Southgate but did not make his debut.
Speaking at that time after he was called up to the England squad by Allardyce, he said: ‘I turned down an approach from Jamaica in March and for this to happen so quickly, I’m buzzing. I just want to keep my feet on the floor.
‘In my first season in the Premier League, even though I had good stats, the England manager would have had to take a risk on me.
‘It looks like the gaffer now believes that I’ve done enough to be in there, so hopefully, I can prove him right.’
The forward was then called up by Southgate in 2017 but he was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
The United States has placed sanctions on 24 more Chinese and Hong Kong officials for anti-democractic activities in Hong Kong, Asia’s financial hub.
The sanctions were introduced under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and signed into law by then-President Trump last July over a national security law Beijing imposed on the former British colony.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the latest sanctions were designed to underscore “our deep concern” at China’s legislature passing a resolution last week for more control over the city’s elections — which he said would “unilaterally undermine Hong Kong’s electoral system.”
“This action further undermines the high degree of autonomy promised to people in Hong Kong and denies Hong Kongers a voice in their own governance, a move that the United Kingdom has declared to be a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” Blinken said.
“A stable, prosperous Hong Kong that respects human rights, freedoms, and political pluralism serves the interests of Hong Kong, mainland China, and the broader international community.
“The United States stands united with our allies and partners in speaking out for the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, and we will respond when [China] fails to meet its obligations.”
Among those named on the updated sanctions list are Tam Yiu-chung, the Hong Kong congressional delegate who drafted the National Security Law.
China and the US relations are at the lowest ebb right now as the US accuses China of genocide of Uighur Muslims, ractcheting tensions with Taiwan, cyber attacks, repression of democracy in Hong Kong, and unhealthy military activities in the South China Sea.
The sanctions comes as Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan are due to meet this week in Alaska with senior Chinese officials in the first face-to-face discussions between diplomats from the U.S. and China since President Biden took office and the White House expects a tough first meeting with China in Alaska
Premier League side, Manchester United has confirmed its 21-man squad for their Europa League clash against AC Milan on Thursday, March 18.
Paul Pogba, David De Gea, and Donny van de Beek have been included in Manchester United’s travelling squad for the second leg tie in San Siro on Thursday, March 18.
The World Cup-winning midfielder, Pogba, had been out with a thigh injury, missing United’s last 10 matches.
David De Gea has also been absent since the goalless draw with Chelsea on February 28 following the birth of his daughter in Spain. Van de Beek could also be in line to make his first appearance since February 14 after returning from injury.
‘We are happy to have Donny back, Paul and David. Big players,’ Solskjaer told MUTV. ‘Unfortunately, it looks like Edinson has got a bit of a reaction to training today and didn’t feel ready to travel.’
Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly, and Juan Mata have all missed out on a place in United’s travelling squad due to injury.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Milan in the first leg at Old Trafford last week.
See full squad list below.
GOALKEEPERS: De Gea, Henderson, Grant DEFENDERS: Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Telles, Tuanzebe, Wan-Bissaka, Williams.
MIDFIELDERS: Amad, Fernandes, Fred, James, Matic, McTominay, Pogba, Van de Beek
Cardi B and Candace Owens have been going at each other for days after the latter tried to shame the rapper for her sexually charged performance of “WAP” at the Grammys.
Following Cardi B’s performance with Meghan Thee Stallion, Candace appeared on Fox news to slam Cardi’s sexual moves, while adding that she’s not a great role model for kids.
Cardi hit back and things went downhill from there, with both women calling each other out, accusing each other’s husbands of infidelity, and threatening to sue.
Cardi first hit out on Twitter by retweeting the video of Candace criticising her on Fox News for her Grammys performance.
Cardi’s caption on the video read: “Yaaaayyyyyyy WE MADE FOX NEWS GUYS !!! Wap wap wap.”
The rapper added: “Matter fact I’m just going to thank Candy. She put my performance on Fox News giving it more views that boosted the views on YouTube and is counting towards my streams and sales. STREAM UP AND WAP .REMEMBER GROWN PARENTS ONLY YOU CAN MONITOR WHAT YOUR KIDS WATCH NO1 ELSE.”
Candace replied: “I don’t work for Fox News, Belcalis, nor do I take issue with you having success. I take issue with you being used to encourage young women to strip themselves of dignity. Men typically treat women how they treat themselves. You know that.”
Candace also wrote: “Just @ me next time, directly.
“You are a cancer cell to culture. Young black girls are having their minds poisoned by what you are trying to package and sell to them as “empowerment”.
“I’m one of the few that has courage to tell you the truth. You should thank me.”
Soon, they were talking about role models and Cardi cited Melania Trump’s nude modeling past as her inspiration.
Candace, who is a firm supporter of the Trumps, slammed Cardi, writing: “What is your obsession with the Trump family? You are digging up modeling shots from our former First Lady from 3 decades ago. She has evolved. You have not. What you did at Grammy’s was disgusting. Own it.”
Cardi replied: “I’m obsessed she’s my idol. She showed me I can be naked perform wap and still be a First Lady one day ! ….wait so only White women can be naked and show their sexuality and evolve in their 30s but I can’t ? Wow America is soo unfair.To think this was the land of the free.”
Candace then told Cardi black women shouldn’t see her as a role model and Cardi responded by sharing a video of a pregnant Candace cooking.
Cardi captioned the video: “And Black women should be more like you? After all the fighting for equality and freedom they should be submissive to a white man?”
Soon, both women began insulting each other’s husbands, with Candace taking a dig at Cardi about Offset’s infidelity.
Cardi hit back by releasing a screenshot of an old tweet, purportedly shared by Candace in 2020, admitting her husband cheated on her with her brother.
“Not you talking about two women thrusting their vaginas together while your husband and brother slap cocks and balls together,” Cardi captioned the screenshot.
Candace then accused Cardi of photoshopping the tweet and threatened to sue.
Cardi responded by releasing screenshots of blogs carrying the same tweets back in 2020, to deny reports she photoshopped it. She added that she will also sue Candace for accusing her of photoshop.
Candace then took to Instagram to release a 13 minutes video addressing her beef with Cardi B, while still threatening to sue Cardi for sharing the “photoshopped” tweet.
Below is a short clip from the video of Candace threatening to sue Cardi and more tweets from both women blasting each other in a fight that has lasted for two days.
Following the death of Tanzania’s President, John Magufuli, the country’s Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, is expected to take over the country’s leadership as the first female president.
Magufuli, 61, died from a heart attack, according to a televised announcement by the Vice-President Hassan on Wednesday evening, March 17, following weeks of speculations he was down with Covid-19.
According to the Tanzanian Constitution; “Where the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death, then the Vice-President shall be sworn in and become the President for the unexpired period of the term of five years.”
This means Samia Suluhu Hassan, the 61-year-old vice-president, is set to take over until 2025 as the sixth president of Tanzania.
Hon. Suluhu will not only be Tanzania’s first female president but also the first female president in Eastern Africa.
Her husband, Hafidh Ameir, a retired agriculture officer, will become Tanzania’s first First Gentleman.
The couple have three grown kids – three sons and a daughter. Their daughter Mwanu Hafidh Ameir is a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
Samia Suluhu Hassan was the 10th Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, who assumed office on November 5, 2015, under President John Pombe Magufuli.
Previously, she was the Minister of State, in the office of the Vice President in charge of Union Affairs.
Born on January 27, 1960, Suluhu was an MP for Makunduchi constituency from 2010 to 2015 and had been the Minister of State in the VP’s Office for Union Affairs since 2010.
From 2005-2010, she served as a Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment and in 2000-2005 a Minister of Youth Employment, Women and Children Development, both in Zanzibar.
From 2005-2010, she served as a Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment and in 2000-2005 a Minister of Youth Employment, Women and Children Development, both in Zanzibar.
In 2000, she decided to join politics and was elected as a special seat member to the Zanzibar House of Representatives and was appointed a minister by President Amani Karume.
The female warder who was caught having sex with a male inmate in an office in a prison in South Africa, has been suspended. Read here to followup on the story
This is coming after National correctional services spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo disclosed that a disciplinary process has been launched over the incident which occurred at Ncome Correctional Centre.
Graphic video clips of the encounter have raised questions about how the cellphone the prisoner used to film the sex escapade found its way into the prison.
The national correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told radio 702 on Wednesday March 17, that more prison officials might be punished if found culpable.
Nxumalo said;
“We have suspended the official involved and we’ve taken disciplinary measures against the inmate.
“The investigation is much broader than the two people seen on the video because … We need to understand if it is just an isolated incident or if there is more to it and if there are other players.”
The probe will look into how the pair managed to walk to and gain access to the office, and the origin of the cellphone which is regarded as contraband in prison.
He added;
“We do not want them [cellphones] in our centres. This is a classic case, a cellphone was used to record this.
“Cellphones are just one item in the long list of contraband items that are not allowed because they cause harm to the victims outside and used to plan other crimes. They could even order hits on others.
“It’s completely unpalatable. I don’t think that the nation would deserve to see something like that, captured in video, and you are correct, both of them [were] fully aware they are recording this thing.
“Sexual activities between inmates and correctional officials are shameful incidents that can never be ascribed to what is expected of our officials. The official involved has been identified and she will be subjected to a disciplinary process with immediate effect.
“Correctional officials are expected to abide by a code of conduct, and despicable acts of sexual activities with inmates shall never be tolerated. We appeal to those in possession of the video to refrain from disseminating it.”
Nxumalo also told TimesLIVE on same Wednesday that claims shared on social media about the warder taking her own life, were not true.
The Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested two Nigerian nationals in separate operations and seized drugs valued around Rs 65 lakh (N34,215,647.98) from them.
The suspects identified as Joseph Ndukwe Okafor, 38, and Uzochukwu Markmaurice Mbatuegwu, 38, were arrested on Wednesday, March 17, after police received a tip off from another drug peddler who was arrested some time ago.
The CCB claimed that Okafor was carrying around 65 grammes of cocaine, 50 Ecstasy tablets and 56 LSD strips valued around Rs 15 lakh, while Uzochukwu was carrying 650 grammes of cocaine, 91 Ecstasy tablets and 56 LSD strips valued around Rs 50 lakh.
Police alleged that Okafor used to procure drugs from Ushman aka Moosa aka Ichie and sold them to youngsters and techies.
Okafor was arrested near Jakkur in Yelahanka suburb, while Uzochukwu was arrested from Amrutahalli near Byatarayanapura suburb.
“Both of them have grossly violated visa norms by running an illegal drugs racket in a host country. Therefore we have booked them under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and the Foreigners Act,” the police said.
South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services has said that it is embarassed with viral videos of a female warder who was caught having sex with an inmate in one of the offices at the prison in KwaZulu-Natal.
The video which has gone viral on social media showed the female warder passionately kissing the inmate in what looks like an office inside the prison before they got half naked and also got into the act.
Spokesperson for the department, Singabakho Nxumalo who confirmed the authenticity of the video said the flustering scenes of alleged sexual activity between an official and an inmate at the Ncome Correctional Centrehas left the agency appalled, embarrassed and gutted.
He said in a statement;
“A video with flustering scenes of alleged sexual activity between an official and an inmate at the Ncome Correctional Centre, KwaZulu-Natal Region, has left the Department of Correctional Services appalled, embarrassed and gutted.
“Sexual activities between inmates and correctional officials are shameful incidents that can never be ascribed to what is expected of our officials.
“Correctional officials are expected to abide by a code of conduct, and despicable acts of sexual activities with inmates shall never be tolerated.”
Nxumalo further revealed that the female warder involved has been identified and she will be subjected to a disciplinary process with immediate effect.
He added;
“Disciplinary measures have also been instituted against the inmate. Despicable acts of sexual activities with inmates shall never be tolerated.”
In January, the department of correctional services said it was installing body scanners at identified correctional facilities within six management areas in an effort to clamp down on the smuggling of contraband into prisons.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said the body scanners were introduced after an official was caught at St Albans Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape trying to smuggle contraband.
Two Nigerians who exploited the UK Government’s Coronavirus Bounce Back loan scheme by using the identities of eight innocent people to fraudulently obtain £489,000 have been jailed.
Timilehin Yvette Olasemo, 39, of Bedale Road, Romford, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, March 17, and was sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Olasemo pleaded guilty to the offence on 12 November 2020 at Southwark Crown Court.
Co-defendant, Olufumi David Akinneye, 33, of Cowthorpe Road, Lambeth, was sentenced to a total of five years and six months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to money launder and conspiracy to commit fraud after pleading guilty to those offences on 12 November 2020 at Southwark Crown Court.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government created a scheme to support businesses struggling through the lack of economic activity. The scheme was effectively a Government-backed loan organised and managed through UK banks.
The size of the loan available is determined by turnover demonstrated by the business to the satisfaction of the bank.
Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and the economic consequences on the UK economy, the loan scheme was set up to ensure that applicants were looked upon favourably, and that their application was processed quickly, resulting in limited security checks being undertaken.
The court heard how Olasemo exploited the weaknesses in the application system and realised that she, with assistance of others, could create fake businesses – using the identities of real people – to apply for the loans.
As the business account had been registered to a separate address to the personal account holder’s address, its existence would not become apparent to the real personal account holder until the bank chased them for the loan repayments.
Akinneye was the first out of the two to be identified during ongoing enquiries into organised criminality by officers of the Met’s North West London Economic Crime Unit. Olasemo was identified from evidence seized during Akinneye’s arrest.
On Friday, 16 October, officers from Met’s North West Economic Crime Unit, part of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Central Specialist Crime Command, arrested Olasemo at her home address. She was charged and remanded in custody the same day.
The investigating officers identified that £489,000 worth of fraudulent loan applications were made using ten identities. Of this, £297,000 worth of loans were successfully obtained by the pair and dissipated. The remaining amount was successfully stopped by the banks.
It was discovered that Olasemo had obtained and used the personal details of eight individuals in order to fraudulently apply for the loans. She had stolen these identities after accessing employee records containing personal information during her employment.
The fraudulently obtained monies was paid into the business bank account before being dispersed into mule accounts and later withdrawn from cash machines. Throughout this process, Olasemo sought advice from an accomplice named Olufumi David Akinneye.
Akinneye provided Olasemo with guidance in relation to laundering the proceeds of the frauds and safe addresses to use as correspondence for accounts.
He also acted as a middle-man between people who were willing to sell on their bank accounts for use in fraud and other fraudsters who needed mule accounts to receive money obtained from diversion frauds. £290,381 obtained from diversion fraud was found to have passed through the mule accounts connected to Akinneye.
Detective Constable Chris Collins, of the Met’s North West Economic Crime Unit, said:
“Today’s result serves as evidence of the zero-tolerance approach the MPS takes to individuals found guilty of fraud. We will continue to crackdown on individuals who are found to be exploiting government schemes for their own monetary gain.”
Akinneye was also convicted for his involvement in Romance Fraud.
Analysis of his phone revealed that he had set up a false persona – pretending to be a woman online to ensnare men – fabricating several stories in order to request money for flights, accommodation and a replacement passport.
In some cases victims of the romance scam were duped into becoming money mules themselves by allowing fraudulent funds to be paid into their own bank accounts.
Akinneye was arrested on Thursday, 20 August by officers from the Met’s North West Economic Crime Unit. He was charged and remanded the same day.
The Niger Delta Democratic Union, (NDDU) has filed a lawsuit before the Federal High Court in Asaba challenging the federal government decision to declare itself sole owner of $4.2million recovered from former Governor of Delta state, James Ibori by the British Government.
The federal government was accused of financial terrorism and gluttony in a statement released by the group’s facilitator, Dr Akpo Mudiaga Odje.
They reiterated that the people of Delta State lucidly possess the undisputable allodial title over these funds, and as such, should be the exclusive beneficiaries of same.
The statement read;
“We have watched with paralyzing suspicion, the galaxy of controversies and cocktails of cacophony trailing the returned loot.
“We are however appalled by the Federal Government’s unilateral decision to sequestrate and/or declare sole ownership over the said £4.2million by deciding how same is to be put into use and which said usage is regrettably for developing areas outside Delta State, which is actually the real owner of these returned funds.
“Indeed, to us and the tendencies we represent, this is an act of financial terrorism and fiscal gluttony to say the least. The people of Delta State lucidly possess the undisputable allodial title over these funds, and as such, should be the exclusive beneficiaries of same.
“In that spirit of proclivity for justice and in concord with even the scanty fiscal federal implants in the 1999 Constitution, we have through the labyrinth and groundswell of unanimity decided to challenge the centrifugal pasturing of the Federal Government on this vexed issue, as adumbrated by the Attorney General of the Federation .
“Accordingly ,an action has been filed at the Federal High Court, Asaba to challenge this unprovoked onslaught and unrestrained belligerence against our Constitution and the People of Delta State.”
Michelle Obama, who has been friends with members of the Royal Family, especially Prince Williams and Prince Harry, has reacted to the explosive interview the Duke and Duchess of Sussex granted Oprah Winfrey.
The former US First Lady spoke on the Today show and shared her thoughts on the Oprah Winfrey interview.
When NBC host Jenna Bush Hager asked Michelle Obama how she felt about Meghan’s claims that she had experienced racism within the monarchy, she said: “Race isn’t a new construct for people of colour so it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear her feelings, and to have them articulated.”
“But the thing I hope for, the thing I think about, is that this is first and foremost a family and I pray for forgiveness and healing, so they can use this as a teachable moment for us all.”
Michelle also spoke about the pressures of being a public servant.
“When you watched Meghan Markle speak out, what went through your mind?” Bush Hager asked.
Michelle responded to Jenna Bush Hager: “Public service, it’s a bright, sharp, hot spotlight, and most people don’t understand it, and nor should they.
“The thing that I always keep in mind is that none of this is about us in public service. It’s about the people that we serve. I always try to push the light back out and focus it on the folks that we are actually here to serve.”
New Barcelona president, Joan Laporta has made a direct plea to Lionel Messi to stay at the club, barely hours after he was sworn into office on Wednesday, March 17.
He won club elections last week and has returned to the helm of the club 11 years after leaving the post in 2010.
With Lionel Messi nearing the end of his contract and rumors of him leaving the club due to his unhappiness at the club, Laporta has now appealed to the Barca star in a speech he made to members.
Prior to his speech, Laporta and Messi, were pictured embracing prior to the new president’s speech.
Speaking to the six-time Ballon d’Or winner, Laporta said.
“In our first spell we had the best players in Barca history, but if we were successful it was because we had stability,” Laporta explained.
“It is Barcelona’s unity which gives you stability and I invite everyone at Barcelona to think about what they can do for Barca.
“I am here to make decisions, like convincing Leo to carry on, taking advantage of the fact that he is here. He knows that.
“You know the affection I hold for you and we will do whatever it takes to keep you here. You know you cannot leave, Leo.
“We will not be able to do it alone. As our anthem says, we are strong all together. More so in these most difficult times. We know how to do it.
“When the pandemic is over our revenue will return. That will be fixed. There will be strong leadership, because I am well-accompanied. We will make decisions. To defend the club you have to live and breathe it and we do that as much as possible.”
Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli has died at the age of 61, after weeks of speculation that he was infected with COVID-19.
Announcing the President’s death in a live television broadcast, the country’s Vice-President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, said the President died on Wednesday, March 17, from heart complications at a hospital in Dar es Salaam.
“Our beloved president passed on at 6 p.m. this evening,” said Suluhu.
“All flags will be flown at half-mast for 14 days.
“It is sad news. The president has had this illness for the past 10 years.”
President John Magufuli was one of Africa’s most prominent COVID-19 skeptics. He had downplayed the severity of the virus and called for prayers and herbal-infused steam therapy to counter the virus.
At one point, he made fun of the country’s coronavirus testing facilities, saying he had secretly sent samples of papaya and goat and that they came out positive.
He said that those results could mean that people were getting false positive results.
Shortly afterward, Tanzania stopped sharing updates on the number of people infected and killed due to COVID-19.
The country’s last coronavirus figures were given in May last year. At that time, 509 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus and 29 had died.
As neighboring countries Kenya and Uganda were implementing lockdowns and curfews to curb the spread of COVID-19, President Magufuli shocked many by declaring that Tanzania would remain open for business.
He also discouraged Covid-19 vaccines.
“Vaccines don’t work,” he claimed in a speech to an unmasked crowd in late January. “If the white man was able to come up with vaccinations, then vaccines for AIDS would have been brought. Vaccines for tuberculosis would have made it a thing of the past. Vaccines for malaria would have been found. Vaccines for cancer would have been found.”
Then, Magufuli’s had disappeared from view over the past two weeks, leading to speculation that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19.
Mr. Magufuli’s death came just days after speculations that he was sick with the virus.
The rumors started swirling after Mr. Lissu, the opposition figure in exile, said that the president had Covid-19 and was being treated in a hospital in neighboring Kenya.
Mr. Lissu urged the authorities to disclose the whereabouts of the president, who had not been seen in public for almost two weeks. Mr. Magufuli did not attend a virtual summit for leaders of the East African regional bloc on Feb. 27.
Tanzanian officials dismissed the rumors and said that Mr. Magufuli was working as usual.
Former Italian defender, Daniele Adani, has revealed that controversial PSG footballer Mauro Icardi has sex with wife, Wanda Nara 12 times a day.
Adani, a close friend and former teammate of Icardi featured on Christian Vieri’s Twitch youtube channel and the pair discussed footballers’ sex lives.
During the chat, Adani revealed that Icardi and his partner Wanda, who also doubles as his agent, “have sex up to 12 times a day,”
“They both have sex up to 12 times daily” Adani said to which Vieri cheered.
Wanda, meanwhile has never been shy when it comes to revealing her bedroom secrets.
One time she said she performs oral sex on Icardi every night and reacted to claims by Antonio Conte’s claims that footballers should make as little effort as possible during sex.
Wanda in a recent interview revealed her partner is very professional and does not have sex before a game.
She also added that if he loses a match he doesn’t fancy her.
“Only after and if the match went well. If it does not go well, he does not even want to look at me.”
There is now widespread concern for residents of Myanmar and the military junta which seized power from the country’s democratically elected government has now blocked off internet usage in the country, an apparent bid to stop information dissemination.
The military seized power in a February 1 coup, and has been using deadly force against unarmed protesters and torture of political prisoners.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, more than 200 people have been killed in protests since the coup.
“Yesterday we were informed [of] 149 [deaths], now we can say 202 since February 1, including 121 since last Friday,” Bachelet said on CNN’s Becky Anderson “Connect the World” on Wednesday.
She added that some 2,400 people have been detained.
According to Bachelet the death toll could be much higher because the UN agency doesn’t have access to some areas where more killings may have happened.
This week, the military junta led by Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s imposed martial law in six areas of Yangon, following the bloodiest day of violence against anti-coup protesters amid reports of arson attacks on Chinese factories.
Security forces were reported to have opened fire in several locations of Yangon just after midnight Wednesday and several injuries were reported
Since the protests began, protesters and journalists have relied on their mobile phones to live stream demonstrations and document police crackdowns, but the military’s internet blackout has increased fears it could lead to more human rights abuses, killings and arbitrary arrests by the military .
“With the internet shut down, the people inside areas sealed off by the military and police have no access to the outside world,” said John Quinley, senior human rights specialist at the rights group Fortify Rights.
“The junta is trying to stop any information about the violence they are committing from getting out. The junta is trying to create a total blackout.”
Eni and Royal Dutch Shell have been acquitted of corruption charges in the purchase of a Nigerian oilfield.
The long-running case revolves around the purchase of the OPL 245 offshore oilfield in Nigeria in 2011 from Malabu Oil and Gas, a company owned by former Minister of Petroleum Dan Etete.
In what is said to be the oil industry’s biggest corruption trial, Italian prosecutors had alleged corruption in the deal. Campaigners had also claimed that the Nigerian government was short-changed in the $1.3 billion deal which took place ten years ago.
Asides asking for $1.1 billion to be confiscated from the defendants, prosecutors had also urged the Milan court to fine Eni and Shell and also jail a number of past and present managers from both firms including Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s chief executive.
However after 74 hearings in more than 3 years, the court in Milan has now ruled that Shell and Eni are not guilty of the the charges.
Ben van Beurden, chief executive officer of Shell who reacted to the judgement said the oil-giant had always maintained that the 2011 purchase of OPL 245 was legal and designed to resolve a decade-long dispute over its ownership.
Eni on the other hand stated that the acquittal showed the company and its chief executive had behaved lawfully and properly.
Kanye West has become the richest Black man in U.S. history, as it’s revealed he’s now worth a whopping $6.6 billion.
The 43-year-old’s worth is led by his Yeezy line which is now in partnership with Adidas AG and Gap Inc, with the business valued between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion.
According to Bloomberg, the upcoming collaboration between Yeezy and Gap – which is set to hit stores this summer “could be worth as much as $970 million of that total” with additional income coming from his music catalog, cash, stocks and business investments such as estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS underwear brand.
As well as having $1.7 billion in other assets, ‘Ye has $110 million from his music catalogue and $122 million in cash.
West currently has full ownership and creative control of the Yeezy brand by himself after he previously signed a 10-year agreement to design and sell clothes under the Yeezy Gap label last year, Bloomberg adds.
Citing the document obtained by their outlet, Bloomberg noted that the new Gap line is expected “to break $150 million in sales in its first full year in 2022.”
News of Kanye’s worth comes days after his 22nd Grammy win for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for his LP Jesus Is King.
It also comes amid his split with estranged wife Kim Kardashian, who filed for divorce last month. The couple share four children: daughters North, 7½, and Chicago, 3, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, who will turn 2 in May.
The Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), issued the ruling in response to questions and moves in some parishes to impart such blessings as a sign of welcome to gay Catholics since the Church does not permit homosexual marriage.
Pope Francis approved the response, the CDF said, adding that it was “not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite”.
It said such blessings were not permissible even though they were “motivated by a sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexual persons” and help them grow in the faith.
The CDF note said that since marriage between a man and a woman was a sacrament and blessings are related to the sacrament of marriage, they could not be extended to same-sex couples.
“For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex,” it said.
Meghan Markle is fighting back against allegations of bullying.
The Duchess of Sussex has reportedly written to ask that Buckingham Palace share with her any evidence turned up in its investigation into claims she bullied members of the royal staff.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Meghan “has written to Buckingham Palace demanding to see any documents, emails or text messages relating to the bullying complaint against her.”
A senior Palace source told the publication that Meghan’s office has “written to request the evidence” from the royals.
Meghan’s request has reportedly been passed on to Prince Charles, whose “closest aides are now conducting a search of files,” according to Daily Mail.
The investigation comes after a Times of London article, published on March 2, that alleged Meghan bullied members of the royal staff during her time at Kensington Palace with Prince Harry.
After the article was published, Buckingham Palace pledged in a statement to look into the claims against Meghan.
The palace said: “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in the Times following claims made by former staff of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Accordingly, our HR team will look into the circumstances outlined in the article. Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.
“The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”
The royal family has now hired an independent law firm to conduct the investigation, according to a report from The Sun.
Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo, has kicked against the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 signed into law by President Buhari on August 7, 2020.
The law allows the regulation of religious bodies and charity organizations by the registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and a minister, and also gives the commission power to suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs.
The Christian Association of Nigeria CAN has filed a lawsuit against the law. Read here.
Reacting to the law during a service at the headquarters of the Church, Canaanland, Ota in Ogun State recently, Oyedepo said the law is a sinister, demonic attempt to stifle the church. According to him, the church is one of the greatest assets of this nation today. He argued that the government has no business with the runnings of the church. He stated that the law will never work.
“Just before we leave, there was this sinister document that came on a name, Company and Allied Matters Act. And the same thing that was done some years ago, when the Holy Ghost instructed me to warn the people, is repeated here. One, this is one most undemocratic policy forever.
Let me quickly correct..the church is not a company. You better understand. That registrar general has the power to remove trustees of the church and close the church’s account, and that does not require any court validation.
Well, I know this must be from someone who woke up from the wrong side of the bed. Please, note this is a warning from the Lord so that I can be free from your blood. This will never work! Now, please note that church runs on patterns delivered by God. He said that you do all things according to the patterns shown to you on the mountain. Moses went to the Lord, set a man over this congregation, not to the government.
Government has no power to appoint people over churches. No power at all. In case you are not aware, this is a secular nation. Freedom of worship is part of our fundamental human rights in this country. This is a sinister, demonic attempt to stifle the church. The church is one of the greatest assets of this nation today. Please, be warned! I have that prophetic obligation wherever the gang-up may come from, be warned. Be warned.
Judgment is closer than ever. Be warned. I have been still. God said, and I have long held my peace. But now will I rise as a travailing woman. Anybody that may have been bought with the money, whatever the thing it is, that is part of this deal, it is poison you’re toiling with.
The bad news for all of them is that it will not work. Amen. Halleluyah. This will never work. I’m waiting for a day where anybody by whatever name will appoint a trustee in this ministry.”he said
Pop star and businesswoman, Rihanna has purchased a stunning $13.8 million Beverly Hills mansion across the street from Sir Paul McCartney.
The five-bedroom home, which includes seven bathrooms, is located on a secluded and lush cul-de-sac in the mountains sprawling 21,958-square-foot lot, according to The Dirt.
Her other neighbors on the same street include Madonna and Mariah Carey, who has been leasing a property a few doors down for years.
The property, which was originally built in 1938, had been previously owned by novelist Mary Sheldon, daughter of I Dream of Jeanie creator Sidney Sheldon.
The space includes an open-air central courtyard with an al fresco terrace, pool, spa, and multiple firepits. Inside, the kitchen is full of marble surfaces, two islands, and brass fixtures.
The purchase comes one week after news broke that she would be expanding her fashion and beauty empire to include a line of haircare products under the name of Fenty Hair.
At least 21 protesters have been killed in clashes in Myanmar’s main city Yangon as politicians removed from power by the military coup called for “revolution”.
Since the military coup on 1 February and detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s civilian leader and head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, Myanmar has been gripped by protests
The NLD party won in last year’s election but the military alleged there had been widespread fraud and used that as excuse for the coup.
However, on Sunday, March 14, the protests took another turn as security forces opened fire in the Yangon area of the country while protesters used sticks and knives to defend themselves.
The military declared curfew in that area of the country after Chinese businesses were attacked as the protesters believe China is giving support to Myanmar’s military.
But the protesters defied the curfew leading to attacks from the military.
Some of the politicians removed by the Military after the coup have refused to accept the coup but have gone into hiding for fear of arrest.
In his first public address, Political leader Mahn Win Khaing Than called for a revolution, urging protesters to defend themselves against the military crackdown.
“This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close,” he said.
In a seperate speech on Facebook, Mahn Win Khaing Than said: “This is the time for our citizens to test their resistance against the dark moments.
“In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together.
“Despite our differences in the past, this is the time we must grip our hands together to end the dictatorship for good. “
In addition to those killed in Yangon on Sunday, further deaths and injuries were reported elsewhere in the country.
In total, more than 120 protesters have reportedly been killed during the crackdown, according to the AAPP monitoring group.
DISTRESS WARNING: Disturbing & heart-wrenching scene in Hlaing Thayar #Yangon's industrial zone earlier where I'm told woman is wife of man who was shot by #Myanmar#military security forces. Been reported he's dead but cannot be verified independently #WhatsHappeningInMyanmarpic.twitter.com/pMWccbzabd
The military attacks on protesters started after China said Chinese factories in the area had been targeted.
China said people armed with iron bars, axes and petrol had set alight and damaged 10 Chinese facilities – mostly clothing production or storage factories – in Yangon.
China also said a Chinese hotel was also attacked.
On its Facebook page the Chinese embassy said some “factories were looted and destroyed and many Chinese staff were injured and trapped”.
The embassy urged Myanmar to “take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar”.
The US has already placed sanctions on the top brass of the Myanmar military and plan to freeze $1b worth of the country’s military funds in the US.
See some videos below .
Video sent to me shows what happened in Hlaing Thayar, industrial zone in #Yangon earlier. After more than 7 hours now residents there tell me #Myanmar#military forces still shooting & been doing so non-stop today. Unclear number of deaths/injuries there #WhatsHappeningInMyanmarpic.twitter.com/1dN1tMHd7i
Aid agency, Save the Children, has reported that Islamist militants with links to ISIS are beheading children as young as 11 in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado.
According to the agency, one mum said she had to watch as her 12-year-old son was killed close to where she was hiding with her other children.
More than 2,500 people have been killed and 700,000 ran from their homes since an Islamist insurgency by militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group started in Mozambique began operating in 2017.
In its report, Save the Children said it had spoken to displaced families who reported gruesome acts meted out to their kids.
One mother, who withheld her name to protect her identity, said her eldest child had been beheaded near where she and her other children were hiding.
“That night our village was attacked and houses were burned,” she said.
“When it all started, I was at home with my four children. We tried to escape to the woods but they took my eldest son and beheaded him. We couldn’t do anything because we would be killed too.”
Another woman said her son had been killed by militants while she and her other three children ran away.
“After my 11-year-old son was killed, we understood that it was no longer safe to stay in my village,” she said.
“We fled to my father’s house in another village, but a few days later the attacks started there too.”
Chance Briggs, Save the Children’s country director in Mozambique, has released a statement addressing the reports of attacks on children.
“Our staff have been brought to tears when hearing the stories of suffering told by mothers in displacement camps,” he said.
Trying to explain why the insurgency in Mozambique continues to happen, Briggs said;
“Mozambique is the eighth poorest country in the world. Cabo Delgado is the poorest province in Mozambique and yet there’s tremendous mineral resources there and there’s a sense by some that the resources are not being shared equally so that seems to be a driver of the conflict,” he said.
“But frankly speaking there’s no manifesto and so it’s hard to understand the exact motivations but what we see is that the insurgents are trying to drive people out. They co-opt young people in to joining them as conscripts and if they refuse they are killed and sometimes beheaded. They chase people away. It’s really hard to see what is the end game.”
The United Nations reacting to the report, described the militants’ actions as “cruel beyond words”.
The insurgents locally known as Al-Shabab, has rarely given any indication about its motive, leadership or demands.
In a video last year, one militant leader said: “We occupy [the towns] to show that the government of the day is unfair. It humiliates the poor and gives the profit to the bosses.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that beginning from June 1, it will be demanding the assets declaration form of all bankers across the country.
The chairman of the antigraft agency, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this while speaking to state house correspondents in Abuja today March 16 after a meeting with President Buhari.
He explained that the commission took the decision as a result of concerns raised on the roles played by bankers in the fight against corruption because criminals would always want to have access to the proceeds of their crime. He noted that bankers would be asked to declare their assets and the commission would ensure that all employees in the nation’s banking industry comply with the directive.
”The assurance that I am going to give Nigerians going forward is that we will do our best to ensure that this country is free of economic and financial crimes.
We understood that the tail end of every financial crime is for the criminals to have access to the funds that he or she has illegitimately gotten and we are worried about the roles of financial institutions.
God willing, we hope that all financial institutions, particularly the bankers will declare their assets as provided for by the law in accordance with the Bank Employees, Etc. (Declaration of Assets) Act.
The EFCC come the 1st of June 2021 will be demanding for the declaration of asset forms filled by the bankers” he said
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has imposed ?6.98 service charge on Nigerians for all USSD transactions.
A statement jointly signed by the apex bank and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and released today March 16, says customers will pay a flat fee of N6.98 per transaction every time they use USSD services from March 16.
The deal was part of an agreement reached with banks following a disagreement between banks and telecom firms over USSD and other text message transaction requests.
“Effective March 16, 2021, USSD services for financial transactions conducted at DMBs (Deposit Money Banks) and all CBN-licensed institutions will be charged at a flat fee of N6.98 per transaction,” the statement partly read.
This replaces the current per session billing structure, ensuring a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion. This approach is transparent and will ensure the amount remains the same, regardless of the number of sessions per transaction.
To promote transparency in its administration, the new USSD charges will be collected on behalf of MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) directly from customers’ bank accounts. Banks shall not impose additional charges on customers for us of the USSD channel.”the statement in part reads
The CBN said the charges were part of the agreements after banks and telecommunication operators met on Monday March 15, to discuss the ?42bn debt owed mobile operators by banks.
The Federal Government had last week asked telecommunication operators to put on hold, their impending suspension of USSD services over the debt owed by banks.
The United States mission in Nigeria has contacted all immigrant visa applicants whose applications were affected by the travel restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump.
This followed the Presidential Proclamation signed by President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, titled, ‘Ending discriminatory bans on entry to the United States.’
Trump had suspended entry into the United States of certain nationals, based on visa type, from various countries, including Nigeria in 2020 under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983.
But the US mission in a statement on Tuesday March 16, said its Consulate-General in Lagos has already contacted all immigrant visa applicants whose applications were affected and is prioritizing the processing of these pending cases.
It noted that media reports claiming “Nigerians denied visas on or after January 20, 2020, can re-apply for free” were inaccurate, adding that the proclamation announcement applies only to certain immigrant visa cases, and did not apply to tourist, business, student, or other nonimmigrant visas.
The statement titled, ‘United States Mission in Nigeria prioritizes immigrant visa applicants refused under Presidential Proclamation 9983,’ read in part, “On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation titled, ‘Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States.’
“This ended the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 that had suspended entry into the United States of certain nationals, based on visa type, from various countries to include Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, this proclamation banned entry for certain immigrant visa categories. The US Consulate -General in Lagos has already contacted all immigrant visa applicants whose applications were affected and is prioritizing the processing of these pending cases.”
The mission further disclosed that the consular sections in Abuja and Lagos are gradually restoring routine visa operations in accordance with COVID-19 safety mitigation protocols.
It said the validity of nonimmigrant visa payments (known as the MRV fee) has been extended till September 30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.
“Non-immigrant visa applicants who were previously refused and would like to apply again will need to submit a new visa application (DS-160) and pay a new visa application processing fee,” the mission stated.
The statement titled, ‘United States Mission in Nigeria prioritizes immigrant visa applicants refused under Presidential Proclamation 9983,’ read in part, “On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation titled, ‘Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States.’
“This ended the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 that had suspended entry into the United States of certain nationals, based on visa type, from various countries to include Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, this proclamation banned entry for certain immigrant visa categories. The US Consulate -General in Lagos has already contacted all immigrant visa applicants whose applications were affected and is prioritizing the processing of these pending cases.”
The mission further disclosed that the consular sections in Abuja and Lagos are gradually restoring routine visa operations in accordance with COVID-19 safety mitigation protocols.
It said the validity of nonimmigrant visa payments (known as the MRV fee) has been extended till September 30, 2022, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.
“Non-immigrant visa applicants who were previously refused and would like to apply again will need to submit a new visa application (DS-160) and pay a new visa application processing fee,” the mission stated.
Moderna has begun testing its COVID-19 vaccine in young children.
The biotech firm announced on Tuesday, March 16, the first participants in a study of children between 6 months and 12 years old received doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna collaborated with the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority on the study.
Moderna plans to enroll 6,750 participants in the US and Canada in the trial, called the KidCOVE study. Researchers will evaluate the safety of the two-dose vaccine given 28 days apart.
The US has not approved a COVID-19 vaccine for people under 16 years old. Researchers prioritized adults in initial vaccine trials, as severe COVID-19 illness in children is rare.
According to Cleveland Clinic, clinical trials in children differ from those in adults because of the increased layers of protection – both parents and children must agree to participate. Immune systems also vary depending on the age of the child, resulting in more complex trials relative to adult studies.
“We are encouraged by the primary analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study of mRNA-1273 in adults ages 18 and above and this pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population,” Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel said in a press release.
Spain is set to become the first country to experiment with a 32-hour workweek, which would allow workers to spend less time at the office without any change in pay.
With 8 hours of work put in per work day (9 – 5), this means 4 work days per week, rather than the standard 5 work days per week.
The test run was proposed by Más País, a left-wing party that has argued that longer hours don’t necessarily lead to higher productivity.
Más País is now in talks with the government to figure out the exact details of the arrangement.
According to Spanish media outlets, the pilot program is intended to reduce employers’ risk by having the government make up the difference in salary when workers switch to a four-day schedule.
“Spain will be the first country to undertake a trial of this magnitude,” Héctor Tejero, of Más País, told the Guardian. “A pilot project like this hasn’t been undertaken anywhere in the world.”
The experiment is expected to cost about 50 million euros and last three years.
According to the Guardian, it could begin as early as this year.
Exactly what the pilot program will look like is unclear. An individual with the industry ministry told the Guardian that nearly every detail was still up for negotiation, including how many companies will be involved.
For years, advocates for a four-day workweek have argued that lesser work hours could lead to more productivity and a better work-life balance.
In May 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested employers should consider the switch to a four-day week “if that’s something that would work for your workplace.”
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced the suspension of the operations of AZMAN Air
NCAA Director-General, Captain MUSA Nuhu, who disclosed this to newsmen said the suspension came on the heels of the recent incident involving an Azman aircraft that had a burst tyre on landing at the Lagos airport on February 16, 2021 as well as other incidents involving the airlines aircrafts. Nuhu said the NCAA acted in pursuant to Section 35 (2) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3 (A) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015.
He explained that the suspension is to enable the authority conduct an audit of the airline to determine the root cause of the incidents and recommend corrective actions to forestall recurrence.
“We regrets the inconvenience this action may cause to the public, particularly to Azman air passengers but the need to ensure the safety of Air Transport and protect the public interest, cannot be compromised.
We will continue to ensure compliance to its regulations in the interest of safety and will viewed any violations seriously.” Nuhu said
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been recalled to Sweden’s squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers, five years after retiring from international football.
The AC Milan striker has been included in the squad for the games against Georgia on March 25 and Kosovo three days later, as well as a friendly against Estonia on March 31.
The 39-year-old, who scored a national record 62 goals in 112 games for Sweden between 2001 and 2016, will become the oldest player in the history of the Swedish national team if he plays.
Ibrahimovic took to social media to confirm the return, tweeting a picture with the caption: ‘The return of the God’.
In a statement, Sweden coach Janne Andersson said: “First and foremost, he is a very good football player, the best we have had in Sweden.
“It is, of course, very fun that he wants to come back. In addition to what he can contribute on the pitch, he has incredible experience and can contribute it to other players in the team.”
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday March 16, released a report which revealed that the country’s inflation rate rose from 16.46 per cent in January 2021 to 17.33 per cent in February 2021.
The latest inflation rate is said to be the highest recorded in four years. The NBS which also disclosed that food inflation rose to 21.79 per cent in February compared to 20.57 per cent recorded in January 2021, added that it is the highest point since the data series began over a decade ago.
Headline inflation increased by 1.89 per cent from 1.83 percentage points, month-on-month.
The urban inflation rate on the other hand increased by 17.92 percent (year-on-year) in February 2021 from 17.03 percent recorded in January 2021, while the rural inflation rate increased by 16.77 percent in February 2021 from 15.92 percent in January 2021.
On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 1.58 percent in February 2021, up by 0.06 the rate recorded in January 2021, while the rural index also rose by 1.50 percent in February 2021, up by 0.04 the rate that was recorded in January 2021 (1.46) percent.
The agency said the rise in the food index was caused by an increase in prices of Bread and cereals, Potatoes, yam and other tubers , Meat, Food production, Fruits,Vegetable, Fish and Oils and fats.
The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending February 2021 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 14.05 percent, showing 0.43 percent point from 13.62 percent recorded in January 2021.
Queen Elizabeth’s husband and Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip left King Edward VII’s hospital in central London where he had been recovering after heart surgery, four weeks after first being admitted.
Buckingham Palace has now confirmed that he’s been discharged from the King Edward VII’s Hospital, after photos shared online showed that he was driven away from the private hospital on Tuesday morning March 16.
The statement read;
“The Duke of Edinburgh has today been discharged from King Edward VII’s hospital and has returned to Windsor Castle, following treatment for an infection and a successful procedure for a pre-existing condition.
“His Royal Highness wishes to thank all the medical staff who looked after him at both King Edward VII’s hospital and St Bartholomew’s hospital, and everyone who has sent their good wishes.”
Prince Charles on the other hand said he is “thrilled” his father is out of hospital, telling reporters on a visit to Finsbury Park mosque in London that he has “spoken to him several times” since he was discharged.
Philip, 99, the nation’s longest-serving consort was admitted on 16 February and two weeks later, was moved to St Bartholomew’s hospital in the City of London where he underwent the heart procedure on 3 March.
After that, he was transferred back to King Edward’s to recuperate and to continue his treatment. He has spent 28 nights as an inpatient, his longest ever stay.
Concern for his welfare has been heightened because of his advanced age. He has been treated for heart problems in the past and, in 2011, was taken to hospital by helicopter from Sandringham after suffering chest pains as the royal family was preparing for Christmas. He was treated for a blocked coronary artery at Papworth hospital in Cambridgeshire and underwent a minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting.
The federal government of Nigeria said 8,000 Nigerians have been given the Covid-19 vaccine so far, including President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and none has reported any adverse effect since the vaccination began last week.
A number of countries have suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns over reported negative effects.
However, the federal government yesterday, March 15, assured Nigerians of its safety.
It said no case of side effects of the vaccine such as blood clotting has so far been reported in the country.
The number of countries that have suspended AstraZeneca vaccine increased yesterday with France, Germany, Spain and Italy joining the long list.
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised countries using the vaccine to continue with its rollout.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, at the media briefing by the Presidential Taskforce on the Control of COVID-19 on Monday March 15, in Abuja, said the Federal Ministry of Health was impressed by the cooperation received from Nigerians since the commencement of the vaccination.
Reacting to reports of alleged blood clotting as side effects of AstraZeneca vaccine in some European countries, Ehanire said: “Since the rollout on Friday, March 5, vaccination has been uneventful and no adverse health events have been recorded in Nigeria.
“I am pleased to say that their excellencies, the president and vice president, as well as strategic leaders who have taken the vaccine along with frontline healthcare workers, are all doing very well.”
He added: “I assure everyone that the vaccine is safe. NAFDAC is collaborating with WHO, manufacturers and partners to evaluate other vaccines and also add to our portfolio of vaccines.”
The Executive Director of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, also said over 8,000 Nigerians had been vaccinated without any single report of serious adverse effect.
Shuaib said: “As part of COVID-19 vaccine launch, which commenced last week across the country, over 8,000 Nigerians have been immunised so far. We have not received any official report of serious adverse effects from any of those who have been vaccinated.”
On the state of deployment of the 3.94 million doses, Shuaib said so far, all the states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, had been supplied with doses of the vaccine except Kogi State, which is yet to repair its storage facility damaged during the EndSARS protests.
