“The Masked Singer” host, Nick Cannon has tested positive for COVID-19.
The 40-year-old American comedian/actor is taking a hiatus from hosting the Fox reality competition while he quarantines and recovers from the coronavirus, a representative for the star told Variety.
The star will be temporarily replaced by Niecy Nash in the first few episodes of the Fox singing competition’ fifth season, which is set to begin production on Thursday, Variety reports.
Nash, 50, previously appeared on the show’s fourth season as a guest judge.
The fifth season of The Masked Singer is scheduled to premiere in March, with Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, and Jenny McCarthy returning as judges.
Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked as Marseille’s manager after he offered to resign over the club signing Olivier Ntcham from Celtic against his wishes.
In an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday, former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Villas-Boas claimed he ‘just wants to leave Marseille’ and offered his termination.
“I submitted my resignation saying that I did not agree with the sporting policy,” he said. “I don’t want anything from OM. I don’t want money.”
“The board has not answered to me yet. What happened last weekend has nothing to do with it,” he added, referring to Saturday’s incidents in Marseille, where some fans broke into the club’s training centre amid protests against president Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
“I’m waiting for an answer, it could be no and then we would continue. I don’t want any money, I just want to leave. We ended the transfer window with a new player [Olivier Ntcham]. He is a player that I had said ‘no’ for.”
Rather than allowing Villas-Boas to resign, Marseille decided to sack him in response to the comments.
A statement read: “This protective decision has become inevitable given the recent repetition of actions and attitudes which are seriously damaging to the Marseille institution and its employees who defend it daily.
“The comments made today at a press conference with regard to Pablo Longoria, director-general in charge of football, are unacceptable. [The club’s] exceptional investment cannot be called into question and was on the contrary welcomed by all during this winter transfer window marked by an unprecedented crisis.”
“Any sanctions will be taken against André Villas-Boas following a disciplinary procedure.”
The 43-year-old who joined the club in May 2019, after signing a two-year contract was to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season before his sacking.
Russian political activist, Alexey Navalny has labelled Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin as “Putin the poisoner.” after a Moscow court on Tuesday, February 2, sentenced him to prison for more than two and a half for breaking his parole conditions by going to Germany to recover after he was posioned by a lethal never agent.
Tuesday’s hearing happened under a heavy security presence, with riot police securing the court building and cordoning off the general area with police vehicles, trucks and vans.
Police reportedly detained up to 360 of Navalny’s supporters outside the court before the hearing had begun.
Since Navalny was arrested last week after coming back to Russia, following months of ICU treatment in Germany after he was allegedly poisoned by the Russian state, there have been mass protests in Russia, as tens of thousands of Russians have demanded the activist’s release.
Navalny blames the Novichok nerve agent attack on Russian security services and on President Vladimir Putin himself, with the EU agreeing that Navalny’s underpants were poisoned.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in Navalny’s poisoning with Putin saying in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they “would have finished” the job.
The Russian court on Tuesday Tuesday February 1, ruled that while Navalny was out of the country, he violated probation from a 2014 embezzlement case in which he had received a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence and five years of probation.
The judge took into account the 11 months Navalny had already spent under house arrest as part of the decision.
Reacting to the court ruling, Navalny’s team released a statement saying;
“This is Vladimir Putin’s personal revenge. For investigating corruption. For having survived after poisoning. For exposing the FSB killers. For not being scared and returning to Russia,” the team said on Twitter.
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken called on the Russian government to “immediately and unconditionally release” Navalny.
During the court hearing Navalny blasted the judge and prosecutors, ridiculing allegations that he could have informed parole officers of his whereabouts even when he was in coma.
“Can you explain to me how else I was supposed to fulfill the terms of my probation and notify where I am?” Navalny said to the judge.
A prison service representative responded by asking why he had not provided documents to explain why he wasn’t available for inspections
“Coma?” Navalny shot back. “Why are you sitting here and telling the court you didn’t know where I was? I fell into a coma, then I was in the ICU, then in rehabilitation. I contacted my lawyer to send you a notice. You had the address, my contact details. What else could I have done to inform you?” he said.
“The President of our country said live on air he let me go to get treatment in Germany and you didn’t know that too?”
Then in a bold move, Navalny described Putin as a “little thieving man in his bunker” who “doesn’t want me to set foot on the ground in Russia.”
“The reason for this is the hatred and fear of one person who is hiding in the bunker. I’ve offended him so deeply by the fact that I’ve survived,” Navalny charged.
When a prosecutor tried to object, Navalny snapped back: “I don’t need your objections.”
“He can pretend he is this big politician, the world leader, but now my main offense to him is that he will go down in history as Putin the Poisoner. There was Alexander the Liberator and Yaroslav the Wise, and there will be Vladimir the Poisoner of Underpants,” Navalny added.
“He is not engaging in geopolitics, he holds meetings on how to smear underwear with chemical weapons.”
In December, a CNN-Bellingcat investigation implicated the Russian Security Service (FSB) in Navalny’s poisoning.
Also, Navalny deceived one of the FSB agents into revealing that he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok applied to his underwear.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday February 1, signed three executive orders aimed at reversing former President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies including establishing a task force designed to reunite families separated at the US-Mexico border.
He signed orders on family separation, border security, and legal immigration. This brings to nine the number of executive actions signed on immigration during his first two weeks in office.
“I’m not making new law, I’m eliminating bad policy,” Biden said at the White House, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, of the stream of executive orders he’s signed as President.
“This is about how America’s safer, stronger, more prosperous when we have a fair, orderly, and humane legal immigration system,” Biden said.
Alejandro Mayorkas, whose nomination as Homeland Security secretary was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate, will lead a task force on family separation, focused largely on reuniting parents and children who remain apart.
It is unclear exactly how many, but about 5,500 children have been identified in court documents in the Southern District of California as having been separated during Trump’s presidency, including about 600 whose parents have yet to be found by a court-appointed committee.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued to reunite families, has asked the administration for legal status in the United States for families that have been separated, as well as financial compensation for those families and attorneys at government expense.
ACLU attorney, Lee Gelernt said he would be “extremely disappointed” if the task force limits its scope to helping find parents of the remaining 600 children.
A review of border security will include a policy that makes asylum-seekers wait in Mexican border cities for hearings in U.S. immigration court.
The White House said it will also do a “top-to-bottom review of recent regulations, policies, and guidance that have set up barriers to our legal immigration system.” It will include a review of Trump’s “public charge rule,” which makes it more difficult for people who use government benefits to obtain green cards.
The executive action does not address whether parents who have been deported will be given special protections to come back to the United States to reunite with their children.
The task force will only look only at families still separated, a White House official told NBC News. That excludes families who chose deportation to a country they originally decided to flee in order to reunite.
The order would also review the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which has left tens of thousands of asylum-seekers, most of them Central American, living in poor conditions in northern Mexico as they await court hearings to make their cases for protection in the U.S.
“We want to put in place an immigration process here that can, that is humane, that is moral, that considers applications for refugees, applications for people to come into this country at the border in a way that treats people as human beings,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “That’s going to take some time. It’s not going to happen overnight.
New photos show the late billionaire pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein seated with a young girl on his lap, with his arm wrapped around her back as she sleeps while on board his private jet after a VIP visit to Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida.
According to DailyMail who released the photos, there is no suggestion that the unidentified girl in the photograph was a victim of Epstein and her identity has remained anonymous.
The images of Epstein at the theme park were reportedly taken around 2004 .
‘It had been a long day and the girl just fell asleep in his arms. The picture is terrifying based upon what we know now but it was entirely innocent,’ a source told the publication
Other images show Epstein dining at the Disney resort, surrounded by unsuspecting families and posing for photos with Disney characters .
Epstein flew a group of ten people, all expenses paid, including Ghislaine Maxwell, Sarah Kellen and Slovakian model Nadia Marcinkova .
A source who was on the trip said, ‘It was a fun day. We ate in a restaurant with two of Jeffrey’s friends who he met there. Jeffrey however did not eat lunch. I hardly ever saw him eat at a restaurant. Food always had to be prepared by a personal chef’
In one picture, Epstein is seen talking to the same little girl while in another photo Disney character Piglet is seen posing with the group.
It wasn’t until 2008 that Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution and served just 13 months in jail. And then in July 2019 he was arrested on sex trafficking charges, but killed himself in prison a month later while awaiting trial.
The Public Affairs Section of the US Mission Nigeria has called for application from qualified Nigerians wishing to teach Hausa or Yoruba languages and cultures to American students in US universities and colleges.
The FLTA program allows foreign teachers to teach foreign languages and culture to American students in universities and colleges while also refining their teaching skills, increasing their English language proficiency and extending their knowledge of the cultures and customs of the United States by engaging in non-degree studies.
In a statement on its website, the US stated, “Becoming a participant carries with it a great responsibility. Along with their studies, participants teach language courses, supervise language labs and lead language table discussions.
“They may also act as resource persons in conversation groups, cultural representatives, attendants in language laboratories, coordinators of extra-curricular activities, guest speakers in civilisation courses, head of language clubs, houses, tables and much more.
“Grant Benefit: The grant covers the grantee’s round trip airfare to the US, a settling-in allowance, monthly stipend, housing allowance, health insurance, and a tuition scholarship for their coursework.
“Provisions will be made for participants to attend a Fulbright FLTA Summer Orientation in the United States before beginning their program. During the FLTA program, fellows are also invited to participate in a special Fulbright enrichment seminar and conference for professional development and networking opportunities.
“Note: The grant does not cover travel of family members; hence grantees will not be allowed to travel with spouse and children or relatives to the United States even at their own expense. Field of Study: Competition is open to applicants who major in English Language, Education, Hausa, Yoruba, Linguistics and Languages.”
Manchester United must ‘sell Paul Pogba now’ or they will lose him for free, the France star’s brother Mathias, has warned.
Reports keep linking Pogba with the Old Trafford exit door despite his scintillating form which has helped his side to second in the Premier League table.
In December 2020, Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola revealed the 27-year-old wants to leave Old Trafford admitting the World Cup winner was more likely to leave in the summer with one year left in his contract.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has always said he doesn’t want to sell Pogba and has avoided attacking Pogba over his agent’s comments.
But Pogba’s older brother Mathias, 30, who plays for Spanish side Racing Murcia appeared on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito on Tuesday morning to give his warning to the club.
He said: “He has a year left on his contract. I don’t know [if he will stay until then]. I can’t help you right now.
“The only thing I can say is if United want money, they have to sell him now. That’s the only thing I can say. If not, he’ll go for free.
“I haven’t heard anything about him renewing his contract.”
Pogba recently said: “I am on contract, I am here, I am enjoying myself.
“Everybody knows that I have one year left, I’m going to speak with the club and see what’s going on.
“For now, my objective, my goal is to win something. That’s all I’m thinking about is to win.”
The match was a contest for less than two minutes as visiting midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz was shown a straight red card early on for a lunging challenge on Scott McTominay.
United went on to score four goals in the first half, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani finding the net. Jan Bednarek also scored an own-goal.
Five strikes followed in the second as Anthony Martial netted after coming on at the break before goals from Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes, and another Martial strike. Daniel James rounded off the scoring.
Southampton were reduced to 9 men after the referee, Mike Dean had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot after Man United’s Martial took a tumble in the box, in close proximity to Saint defender, Jan Bednarek. Dean then consulted the pitchside monitor to review his decision, and compounded Bednarek’s misery by brandishing his second red card of the evening.
Southampton player, Adams scored later in the game but the goal was ruled out for the tightest of offsides after a VAR review.
With the win, Manchester United have now set the joint highest win in Premier league history .
The Reds are now level on points with Manchester City ahead of their game against Burnley on Wednesday night, although Pep Guardiola’s side do have two games in hand on the Old Trafford club.
Rebel Wilson, 40, has ended her relationship with Jacob Busch, 29.
Sharing an image of herself over Instagram on Tuesday, Feb 2, the Pitch Perfect actress admitted she’s now single following the end of her relationship with billionaire beau Jacob, 29.
In the caption, she hinted at her recent breakup, writing “Lots on my mind…aghhhhhh…#single-girl-heading-to-Super-Bowl!”
Rebel and Jacob made their first public appearance on the red carpet at Prince Albert‘s Planetary Health Gala in Monaco in September 2020.
The couple were last pictured together on Christmas Eve when leaving a ski trip in Colorado.
A source told PageSix the relationship had “run its course.”
The world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos will step down as Amazon CEO later this year and transition to the role of executive chair, the company has announced.
According to the February 2 announcement, Bezos will be replaced by Andy Jassy.
Bezos has been Amazon’s CEO since its founding in 1995 and grew the company from an online bookseller into a $1.7 trillion global retail and logistics Heavyweight.
His replacement, Jassy has worked for Amazon since 1997 and currently serves as CEO of the company’s cloud business, Amazon Web Services..
Bezos said in a letter to employees Tuesday that he is excited to take the next step.
“Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it’s consuming,” Bezos wrote.
“When you have a responsibility like that, it’s hard to put attention on anything else. As Exec Chair I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives but also have the time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions. I’ve never had more energy, and this isn’t about retiring. I’m super passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have.”
The news came as part of Amazon’s fourth-quarter earnings report.
The company’s stock has grown nearly 69% over the past year.
The Governor who hosted representatives of lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress South-West caucus in the House of Representatives who paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Tuesday February 2, stated that there will be no need for Amotekun if there is a state police.
Akeredolu stated that the time for state police is now and the protection of lives and property of the people must take a major priority.
He said;
”The most important thing you have said is that we have to think about our people first and in doing that, we have to make a declaration. We felt convinced that we can not have a situation where a first-class Oba is killed, a deputy registrar killed, and the wife of the chief of staff kidnapped. It’s one of the things that led us to create Amotekun.
“When we came up with Amotekun, people were scared they thought it was state police, but we stood our ground and Amotekun has come to stay. You have a duty to us, to our people and that has to do with the issue of state police. The time is now. This rampant security challenge is virtually everywhere. This issue of state police, we need to pursue it.
“If we have the state police, we may not need Amotekun. It will be a great fight for our people. We must stand together. I commend the Governor of Kano State who said cows should not be moved to the south again for grazing.”
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has again reignited the call for a state police following increased criminal activities across the country.
The Governor who hosted representatives of lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress South-West caucus in the House of Representatives who paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Tuesday February 2, stated that there will be no need for Amotekun if there is a state police.
Akeredolu stated that the time for state police is now and the protection of lives and property of the people must take a major priority.
He said;
”The most important thing you have said is that we have to think about our people first and in doing that, we have to make a declaration. We felt convinced that we can not have a situation where a first-class Oba is killed, a deputy registrar killed, and the wife of the chief of staff kidnapped. It’s one of the things that led us to create Amotekun.
“When we came up with Amotekun, people were scared they thought it was state police, but we stood our ground and Amotekun has come to stay. You have a duty to us, to our people and that has to do with the issue of state police. The time is now. This rampant security challenge is virtually everywhere. This issue of state police, we need to pursue it.
“If we have the state police, we may not need Amotekun. It will be a great fight for our people. We must stand together. I commend the Governor of Kano State who said cows should not be moved to the south again for grazing.”
French police broke up a warehouse orgy with 100 people having sex or breaking Covid-19 rules on masks and social distancing on the outskirts of Paris over the weekend.
Locals reportedly alerted police to a warehouse where men and women meeting for the so-called ‘libertine’ party at love-in at Collegien, a Paris suburb over the weekend.
When officers arrived on the scene they found 11 people in the car park, who they fined €135 for breaking France’s coronavirus curfew, which restricts movement from 6 pm to 6 am.
Police said they later enter the warehouse where a large number of people were engaged in an orgy.
Three people believed to be organisers were arrested and up to 100 were fined for non-compliance with regulations
‘The event was in breach of the curfew, and there were also problems with masks and social distancing,’ said an investigating source.
“Those involved in the libertine party cooperated with the police, and there was no resistance to the police.”
Local magistrates sitting in an emergency session authorised police to confiscate sound systems and light installations, along with alcohol, in the raid.
Local magistrates sitting in an emergency session then granted permission for sound and light equipment to be confiscated, along with alcohol.
It was also recommended that all the attendees were provided with basic sex education as it relates to the spread of viruses.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night, reportedy asked the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu to hand over.
The Nation reported that Adamu who completed his 35 years service on Monday February 1, was expected to have handed over to the most senior officer at the close of work on Monday, but he did not, fueling the feeling that he might be granted an extension of service.
However the police chief who was at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport to receive President Buhari who returned to Abuja after a four-day trip to his hometown Daura on Tuesday February 2, was reportedly told of his fate after the President’s arrival.
A top source told the publication;
“The IGP has been asked by the President to handover.
“Adamu was waiting for the presidential directive. He would have left on Monday but it will be discourteous to have exited without a clear-cut directive from the President and Commander-In-Chief.
“He may likely handover to the most senior deputy inspector-general of Police. I am aware Adamu was yesterday putting finishing touches to his handover note.”
It was also reported that speculation of AIG Zanna Ibrahim being appointed as IGP, led to jubilation at the Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State.
A lecturer at the academy said;
“He is an egghead, we have been jubilating since we heard of the likely choice.
“We have not seen him but his personal assistant came to his office this evening to clear a few things from his desk.”
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) has asked the Federal Government to introduce a social support programme to alleviate the huge losses of livestock for herdsmen across the country.
In a communique jointly signed by the association’s President, Muhammad Kiruwa and National Secretary, Baba Othman Ngelzarma and released after a one-day national executive meeting of MACBAN with the Chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT), the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, Miyetti Allah said over five million cattle have been lost to banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and climate change, which adversely affect the herdsmen, hence the need for a form of palliative to ameliorate their plights.
The group which called for an immediate action to be taken against local criminal gangs known as “Yansakai” in Kebbi and Niger states who are reportedly involved in the wanton killings of 153 innocent pastoralists from March 2020 to January 2021 and about 30 people killed in Bangin, also condemned the rustling of 1,730 cows in Kafin Koro in Mariga local Government in Niger State last week rendering several families destitute.
The statement read;
“It also calls on the Federal Government to introduce social support programmes to alleviate the huge losses of livestock; over five million cattle have been lost as a result of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and climate change.
“The meeting calls on the Federal Government to carry out sensitization and re-orientation programmes for pastoralists and revamp the nomadic education programme for their children. It also calls on the Federal Government to deal decisively with our porous borders that makes it possible for the massive proliferation of arms and impose the implementation of ECOWAS transhumance certificate protocol to check influx of herdsmen from neighbouring countries”
Joe Biden has spent 10 days in office as the 46th US President and during that time, he has signed over 30 executive orders and reversed some of Trumps controversial policies.
And according to Biden, he’s just getting started.
He took to Instagram and Twitter to mark his first 10 days in office.
Sharing a photo of himself, he wrote: “Over the last 10 days, I’ve taken action on: COVID-19, the economy, climate change, racial equity, immigration, health care, LGBTQ+ rights. And I’m just getting started.”
WBC Heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury has promised to attack rival Anthony Joshua and be the aggressor, just like he did against Deontay Wilder in their 2020 rematch.
Fury known as the ‘Gypsy King’ knocked out Wilder in an unexpected display of attack on the front foot, although he was more defensive when they first met.
Fury knocked out Wilder twice and stopped him in round seven of their rematch.
Fury also boxed defensively in his win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 and now ahead of a potential fight with Anthony Joshua this summer, Fury says he is adamant he will employ the aggressive tactics he used against Wilder this time around.
Fury told Gareth A Davies: “Just like I did with Wilder.
“They said, ‘He’s gonna box and move, he ain’t gonna come and put it on you.’
“What did I do? Straight at him, bombs, all the way through until he got stopped.”
When asked if there was danger that these tactics could make Joshua win him, Fury answered: “No.
“I’ve got a bigger heart, tougher, mentally stronger, physically stronger, bigger man completely, punch harder, everything is in my favour.
“When I take it to them, they can’t deal with it.
“It’s like wrestling with a T-Rex. They can’t win. I’m indestructible.”
Fury has not fought since February 2020 unlike Joshua who last fought in December 2020 and Fury has expressed some disappointment in his inactivity.
Fury added: “It’s gonna be him active, six months only out the ring, and me inactive, 18 months out the ring.
“But I’m that far in front of them all, it doesn’t matter. Heart, grit, determination, punch power, balls.
“Doesn’t matter how much head start I give them, I’ll always catch them down the straight.”
Oscar-nominated actor, Hal Holbrook, who famously played Deep Throat in ‘All the President’s Men’, has died at the age of 95.
The American actor passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California on Monday night, his personal assistant Joyce Cohen confirmed to The New York Times. No cause of death has been released yet.
Over the course of his successful six-decade spanning career, Hal earned five Emmy Awards, winning two for a television special playing Captain Lloyd Bucher in 1973’s “Pueblo” and as lead actor in a dramatic series in 1970 for the series “The Bold Ones: The Senator.”
Holbrook performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, earning him national exposure, and he ultimately took Mark Twain Tonight on Broadway, where he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966.
In the theatre world, Holbrook was best known for his one-man show inspired by the life of Mark Twain, which he first performed while a 19-year-old college student.
He retired from the role in 2017, when he was 91. In 2008, Holbrook became the oldest actor to ever be nominated for an Academy Award, after earning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod for Into the Wild. The record was broken seven years later by actor Robert Duvall.
Holbrook’s other film appearances included Capricorn One, Magnum Force, The Fog, and Water for Elephants. In recent years he became a regular presence on American television, with roles in series including Sons of Anarchy, Rectify, and the sitcom Designing Women.
His other films included “The Group” in 1966, “Wild in the Streets” in 1968, “Magnum Force” in 1973, “The Star Chamber” and “Wall Street” in 1987, “The Firm” in 1993, “That Evening Sun” in 2009 with wife Dixie Carter, and Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” in 2012.
He is survived by his children Victoria, David, and Eve. Holbrook was formerly married to the actor Dixie Carter, who died in 2010.
Anthony Okorodas who was sworn in as a judge of Delta State High Court by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in 2018, has expressed how devastated he was after a DNA test conducted on his three adult children revealed they are not his.
In a statement released by the High Court Judge, he accused his former wife Celia Juliet Ototo of cheating during their marriage which ended 11 years ago.
Okorodas who said he was first notified of the paternity fraud by an anonymous source, said the repulsive act of his ex-wife prompted him to conduct DNA tests on all his children.
Recounting how his wife walked away from their marriage when her youngest child (who is now 17 years of age) was just 6-years-old, the Judge said the DNA test uncovered that his wife cheated while still married to him.
The statement read;
PRESS STATEMENT: BY HON. JUSTICE ANTHONY EZONFADE OKORODAS
Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, I thank you for attending this press conference. I have taken the decision to address the Press in respect of certain traumatic developments that have arisen between me and my ex-wife, Barrister Celia Juliet Ototo of the Ototo Family of Ovom in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. It is now nearly 11 years since our separation and divorce. This Press Statement is important in order to prevent damaging speculations, half-truths and outright lies from persons who may want to cash in on the tragedy that has befallen my home.
Sometime during the coronavirus lockdowns early last year, I received information from an anonymous source that indicated that the last of the three children from my previous marriage was in fact not my biological child. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions at the time, I had to wait until August 2020 to carry out a DNA test. The DNA test result which came out in September 2020 confirmed that I was not the biological father of the child.
Consequently, I convened a joint meeting between my extended family on the one side, and Celia’s paternal and maternal families (i.e., the Ototo Family of Ovom Town and the Agbagidi Family of Yenagoa Town) on the other side, where I confronted her with the paternity fraud allegation.
Although she initially strongly insisted that I was the biological father, she has since confessed to having the child with another man during the course of our marriage.
This repulsive act of my ex-wife prompted me to conduct DNA tests in respect of the two other children. A few days ago, the results came out. Sadly, none of them is my biological child.
This abomination has caused excruciating mental trauma to me, my present wife, Barrister (Mrs) Ebi Okorodas and all of the innocent children involved. This is particularly so for Ebi, who has had to agree to have DNA tests on the four children of our own marriage. Thankfully, the test results confirm each of them to be my biological child.
It is important to state that Celia walked away from the marriage when her youngest child (who is now 17 years of age) was just 6 years old. Since then, all of her children have lived with my wife, Ebi and I, and we have been wholly responsible for their wellbeing and education.
Friends who are close to my family would readily attest to the fact that unless specifically informed, no one could tell that the children were not the biological children of my present wife.
Ebi and I would continue to support the children in any way that we can. Indeed, even after the release of the first DNA test result which proved that I was not the biological father of the last child, we have continued to pay for his education in a private boarding school. The two other children are University undergraduates. The first, a female, will be a graduate later this year, and the second will soon enter his 4th year of study. We pray for them to overcome the trauma and become responsible citizens of our country.
For Celia and her boyfriend or boyfriends, we leave them to their conscience. Thank you very much.
The Hon. Justice Anthony Ezonfade Okorodas, PhD. Judge High Court of Delta State January 28, 2021.
A Nigerian man has been left heartbroken after his girlfriend of two years, Chioma, whom he says he showed so much kindness to while they were together, broke up with him via Whatsapp.
According to the details on the screenshots of their chats which has gone viral, the man met and started a relationship with Chioma who comes from a poor background. To prove his love for her, he showed her and her family members so much kindness. While they were dating, he paid for Chioma’s mother’s hospital bills and also helped her brother to get a job.
Apparently, Chioma was never in love with him even with his immense acts of kindness and she summoned the courage to tell him and thereafter broke up with him. She was remorseful and apologized for ”using” him for her and her family’s gains. She says she doesn’t want to continue living a lie, hence her decision to call off their relationship
The man while reacting, said he felt used and played. He prayed for Chioma that no one will do to her what she’s done to him.
Chinese police have arrested more than 80 people for allegedly making counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines, as China races to inoculate millions before the Lunar New Year holiday.
According to Xinhua news agency, the gang had been putting saline water into vials and selling them as COVID-19 vaccines in an operation that had been running since last September.
The police operation was carried out at several locations across Beijing and multiple cities in the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong, seizing “more than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccines on the spot,” Xinhua said.
The suspects may have intended to send the vaccines abroad, the government-backed Global Times newspaper reported, citing a source close to a major Chinese vaccine producer.
This comes as China is racing to develop homegrown jabs as they aim to vaccinate 50 million people before the start of the Lunar New Year in mid-February as hundreds of millions of people will be traveling for the festivity.
State-owned firm Sinopharm’s vaccine was approved by Chinese regulators for general use in December.
Since the virus emerged in 2019 in China, authorities have charged thousands of people with crimes related to the pandemic, including spreading “rumours”, concealing an infection, and not complying with guidelines.
Singer, Mariah Carey’s estranged sister is suing the star for $1.25 million over claims that her tell-all memoir caused “immense emotional distress”.
Alison, 59, said that Mariah, 50, fabricated stories in her 2020 book The Meaning Of Mariah Carey “to promote sales of her book.” She also said the singer lied about her older sibling drugging her and her older brother Morgan abusing her as a child in the book.
In the chapter titled Dandelion Tea, Mariah alleged her sister drugged her with Valium when she was 12-year-old before she went on a disturbing car ride with one of the elder sibling’s boyfriends who was carrying a gun.
The book also claimed that her brother was physically abusive, one of her mum’s boyfriends threatened to kill her and that Alison threw boiling tea on her.
Alison, who is representing herself claims she was publicly humiliated by the alleged family secrets.
The elder Ms. Carey – who described herself as ‘profoundly damaged’ claimed her famed sister never gave her an opportunity to respond to the events in the book and didn’t present “evidence to substantiate” the allegations according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.
She cited trauma stemming from the alleged ‘satanic’ abuse she suffered at the hands of their mother Patricia, which are the subject of another suit Alison Carey filed against her mom last year, per Page Six.
She also said Mariah was aware she was suffering from spine and digestive disorders and a traumatic brain injury, short term memory problems, and vision problems after being attacked in 2015 in an ‘unsolved home invasion.’
Alison said she offered to settle the claims made by Mariah with her lawyers on January 8 but according to court documents, she never heard back.
She is now demanding $1.25 million for claims of “intentional infliction of immense emotional distress caused by defendant’s heartless, vicious, vindictive, despicable and totally unnecessary public humiliation of defendant’s’ already profoundly damaged older sister.”
Her brother Morgan, 60, said he planned to sue during a November 2020 conversation with The Sun, calling his sister’s recollections ‘delusional.’
All bars and clubs in Dubai are to be shut this February following spike in coronavirus cases.
This comes after waves of influencers from different countries jetted out to the UAE to avoid pandemic restrictions and travel bans in their countries.
Last week, the UK Government added the UAE to a “red list” of countries, meaning all direct flights from Dubai to Britain were suspended.
This is in a bid to stop the new South African variant of Covid from further spreading in the UK.
The UK government made it clear that those UK citizens and influencers having fun in the sun in Dubai should return home immediately and self-isolate before the ban set in.
However, many of those out in Dubai ignored the UK Prime Minister’s requests, mocking the UK lockdown and continuing with their partying.
Unfortunately, the partying won’t go on for much longer as Dubai officials have finally decided to clamp down on restrictions.
A spokesman for the Dubai Media Office blamed “a marked increase in the number of violations of precautionary measures” for the shutdown of its bars and clubs, adding that New Year’s Eve also played a huge part in the spike of COVID-19 cases.
The spokesman said: “The measures seek to further enhance efforts to combat Covid-19, and protect the health and safety of all citizens, residents and visitors.”
Despite the restrictions, restaurants in Dubai will remain open and influencers will still be allowed to relax around by the pool.
The Federal Government has extended the deadline for the linkage of the National Identity Number (NIN) to Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) by eight weeks.
The Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Ikechukwu Adinde disclosed this in a statement released this morning February 2. According to the statement, Nigerians have till April 6 to link their SIMs with their NIN.
”The ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise has been extended by 8 weeks, with a new deadline of April 6, 2021.
This message was conveyed by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) during the meeting of the Ministerial Taskforce on NIN-SIM registration held on February 1, 2021. Dr Pantami stated that the extension is to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with the SIM.”the statement in part reads
Odion Ighalo has touched down in Saudi Arabia to seal his move to Al-Shabab from Shanghai Shenhua after his loan spell at Manchester United ended last month.
The Nigerian international, 31, shared photos of himself and his agent in Riyadh following their arrival in Saudi.
The move for the Ighalo is subjected to him passing a medical after the footballer was given permission to talk with the Saudi Arabian club, according to Mail Online Football.
England-born Nigerian footballer, Oladapo Afolayan has joined Bolton on loan from West Ham until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old striker made a goalscoring debut for the Hammers last month in a 4-0 victory against Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup and is understood to have been recommended to the League Two side by ex-skipper Kevin Nolan.
“We are really pleased to have brought in Dapo,” said Wanderers boss Ian Evatt. “He’s quick, strong and technical and a very exciting attacking talent who can play all along the front three.”
Afolayan joined West Ham from Solihull Moors in 2018, having spent his youth at a multitude of clubs: Harrow St Marys, Chelsea, Toronto FC, Barnet, Tooting & Mitcham United, and Toronto Varsity Blues. He also spent time on loan at Oldham and Mansfield.
Before Jeffrey Epstein’s death, his final cellmate hesitated to leave a Manhattan jail because he had befriended the pervert, new court transcripts reveal.
Efrain “Stone” Reyes was the last inmate to share a cell with Epstein before the accused sex trafficker’s suicide.
Reyes, a recovering drug addict with an array of health problems formed an unlikely friendship with the multimillionaire sex offender, much to the surprise of other prisoners who rather bullied and harassed Epstein over his pedophile crimes.
Reyes, who cooperated as a witness in a narcotics case at Brooklyn, was transferred from MCC to a private Queens jail commonly referred to by the name of its operator, GEO Group, on Aug. 9, 2019.
Less than 24 hours later, Epstein was found hanging in his cell.
The suicide shook Reyes, according to his attorney Marlon Kirton.
“Mr. Epstein had trouble adjusting to being in jail and the population at the MCC. … He was finally placed with Mr. Reyes … They got along very well and they both helped each other.
“Obviously [Reyes] wanted to move out of the MCC to GEO, but probably the only reason he didn’t want to be transferred out of the MCC was the relationship that he built up with Mr. Epstein,” Kirton said last year at Reyes’s sentencing.
“I think my client’s presence stabilized Mr. Epstein, to a certain extent, and I think it was very hard on my client when Mr. Epstein committed suicide. It was very, very difficult.”
Transcripts of Reyes’s sentencing were unsealed last week in redacted form .
The transcripts reveal that Epstein bought Reyes, 51, contraband drugs to help him go to sleep.
Reyes was released from GEO, officially known as the Queens Detention Facility in April after catching coronavirus.
But he later died in November 2020 from covid-19 complications as he suffered breathing problems.
“When I got arrested in 2018, I was a man with eyes but was blind. I had a brain, but I was thinking insane. And throughout this time, I got … a second chance in life. Nobody wants to go to jail, but getting arrested really saved my life,” Reyes said at the time he was released.
On Nov. 27, he died at a Bronx apartment belonging to his mother and niece.
American rapper, Silento, known for his hit song and viral dance craze “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” has been arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of his cousin.
The Atlanta-born star, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, 23, was arrested Monday after DeKalb police investigated the recent death of 34-year-old Frederick Rooks.
He was booked into the DeKalb jail on one count of murder, police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said in a statement. He was being held without bond late Monday February 1, jail records showed.
Police responded to a shots fired call on January 21 around 3:30 a.m. in the Panthersville area. They found Rooks dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds, according to DeKalb police Lt. Rod Bryant.
Investigators said they believed Rooks knew the residents at one of the houses on Deep Shoals Circle, where his body was found.
“I think it is connected to this house,” Bryant said at the time. “We’re still doing a little bit more investigation. The people in the house know him, but he really don’t live there, so we’re trying to see what’s going on.”
At the time, investigators had no information about the suspect.
“However, after a thorough investigation, DKPD detectives identified Hawk as Rooks’ cousin, and the person responsible for Rooks’ murder,” Vincent said.
Responding officers were able to gather video from multiple residents’ security cameras, according to the incident report. The video showed several cars fleeing the scene at high speeds, and the footage captured at least one gunshot. Eight bullet casings were collected at the scene, the report said.
Detectives are still working to uncover a motive for the shooting, Vincent said.
Hawk rose to fame as a teenage rap sensation in 2015, and his “Watch Me” video has been viewed nearly 1.8 billion times on YouTube.
The rapper has been arrested multiple times in recent months. In August 2020, he was arrested twice in one week on domestic violence and gun charges in California. Two months later, he was arrested and booked into the DeKalb jail on charges that he was speeding at more than 140 mph on I-85. According to the police report, he told officers that he was speeding because people were following him.
West Ham has confirmed the signing of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard on loan until the end of the season.
The Hammers have managed to secure a deal for the 28-year-old England international after completing the permanent transfer of Said Benrahma from Brentford, making up space for another loan signing at the club.
I’m excited,’ Lingard, who will wear the No 11 shirt at the club told West Ham TV via the club’s official website. ‘It’s another new chapter in my life.
‘Nothing is guaranteed but I’ve come here to work hard and help the team and bring my experience. That’s the main aim. I just want to enjoy my football and get back playing again and get my feet back on the pitch.
‘There were lots of clubs involved but, for me personally, I felt this was the right move. I’ve obviously had a previous relationship with the manager as he was at Man U and I’ve played under him before, so he knows my qualities and what I can bring to the team.
‘I know a couple of the players as well – I know Dec [Rice] very well from the England side – and I feel I can really settle in here quickly.’
Hammers boss David Moyes added: ‘I’ve seen him play as a young boy, when he was still a wide player on the right, and I’ve seen him play off the left.’
‘He’s played for England as a No 10, he’s played for England as a No 8, and I actually think if we needed him as a False 9, he could do that as well.
‘We’re bringing in that versatility, I’ve wanted to try to get an energetic team at the moment and Jesse has been known for his work-rate and effort, so I think he’ll fit in nicely with what we’ve got.
‘I hope he brings us a little bit of quality too, and a winning mentality from Manchester United.’
Sportsmail understands that Manchester United have negotiated a £500,000 bonus linked to West Ham qualifying for Europe as part of the 28-year-old’s loan deal.
The deal until the end of the season could cost West Ham up to £4million after they agreed to pay Lingard’s £100,000 weekly wages and a £1.5m loan fee.
Ahmad, the embattled president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been dramatically restored back to his position following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
He was banned by FIFA in November for five years after football’s world governing body found him to have breached several of its ethics codes.
At that time, the FIFA ethics committee found “Ahmad had breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds and abused his position as the CAF President.”
Ahmad, a former government official in Madagascar, was also fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($220,000).
The 61-year-old appealed his decision at CAS, which issued a preliminary ruling on Friday January 29.
“Due to a risk of irreparable harm for Mr. Ahmad, if the disciplinary sanction is maintained during the period prior to the Caf elections, the Cas panel has upheld the request to temporarily stay the effects of the [Fifa ban],” Cas, sport’s highest legal body, said in a statement.
This effective suspension of the FIFA ruling will be in place ‘until the day that the final CAS award is issued’.
CAS says it will hear Ahmad’s appeal in full on 2 March, with a decision issued before the Caf presidential elections on 12 March.
Former US President Donald Trump has hired two new attorneys to head up his impeachment defense team ahead of next week’s trial in the Senate.
The Republican was in need of new attorneys following the departure of all five members of his defense team last week.
Lawyers David Schoen and Bruce Castor, both experienced in criminal defense, will now head the new defence team in the trial set to begin in the US Senate on February 9, Trump’s office said in a statement.
In a statement, Trump’s office says: “Notably, Schoen has already been working with the 45th President and other advisors to prepare for the upcoming trial, and both Schoen and Castor agree that this impeachment is unconstitutional – a fact 45 Senators voted in agreement with last week.”
Both attorneys issued statements through Trump’s office saying they were honoured to take the job.
Castor said in the statement, “I consider it a privilege to represent the 45th President. The strength of our Constitution is about to be tested like never before in our history. It is strong and resilient. A document written for the ages, and it will triumph over partisanship yet again, and always.”
Castor has focused on criminal law throughout his career, while Schoen specialises in “civil rights litigation in Alabama and federal criminal defence work, including white-collar and other complex cases, in New York”, the statement said.
Schoen had already been working with the defence team, and he and Castor “agree that this impeachment is unconstitutional”, the statement said.
Trump, who left office on January 20, faces trial on a charge that he incited the mob that stormed the US Capitol building during the certification of President Joe Biden.
Schoen previously represented Trump’s former adviser Roger Stone, who was convicted in November 2019 of lying under oath to legislators investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump pardoned Stone in December 2020.
Castor is a former Pennsylvania district attorney known for his decision not to prosecute entertainer Bill Cosby in 2005 after a woman accused Cosby of sexual assault.
In 2017, Castor sued Cosby’s accuser in the case for defamation, claiming she destroyed his political career in retaliation. Cosby, 83, is now serving a three-to-10-year sentence after being found guilty in a 2018 trial of drugging and raping a onetime friend at his home in 2004.
Saudi Arabian club, Al-Shabab have reportedly agreed to sign former Manchester United loanee Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua.
The move for the 31-year-old Nigerian striker is subjected to him passing a medical after the footballer was given permission to talk with the Saudi Arabian club, according to Mail Online Football.
It comes just days after his loan spell at Old Trafford came to an end, with the striker penning a heartfelt farewell to the fans.
The boyhood United fan said in a tweet: ‘It’s so hard to see this dream come to an end.
‘But I give God the glory for helping me fulfill this lifelong dream of putting on a Manchester United shirt as a player and represent this great club, it was indeed an honour I will forever cherish and be grateful for.
‘To the manager, I say thank you for trusting and believing in me when many did not. To my amazing team-mate, I will miss you guys, it was always fun… and I pray we win the league and FA Cup this year.
‘To the best fans in the world (the Manchester United fans) we have missed you, but we hear your voices cheering us on from afar, we can’t wait to have you all back in the stands. ‘I’m still and will remain a Manchester United fan forever. Once a Red, always a Red. Thank you Manchester United and God bless.’
Ighalo scored five goals across 23 appearances in all competitions for United.
Meghan Markle has claimed Buckingham Palace made her erase her first names from her and Prince Harry’s son Archie Harrison’s birth certificate.
The Sun reported on Saturday, January 30, that the former American actress, 39, “secretly erased” her first names, Rachel Meghan, from the document in June 2019, nearly one month after Archie’s birth.
She was then referred to as “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.” Prince Harry‘s name was also amended to add the word prince, so it reads, “His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex.”
The adjustment reportedly occurred on June 5 after Harry and Meghan’s son arrived on May 6 of 2019.
A spokesperson for Meghan has now confirmed the change of name but says Meghan did not request her name should be changed on her son’s birth certificate.
The spokesman told the Telegraph: ‘The change of name on public documents in 2019 was dictated by The Palace, as confirmed by documents from senior Palace officials. This was not requested by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex nor by The Duke of Sussex.
‘To see this UK tabloid and their carnival of so-called ‘experts’ chose to deceptively whip this into a calculated family ‘snub’ and suggest that she would oddly want to be nameless on her child’s birth certificate, or any other legal document, would be laughable were it not offensive.’
The change triggered speculation, with the Queen’s ex-press secretary Dickie Arbiter saying: ‘Maybe this was an early part of their plan.’
Lady Colin Campbell, who spotted the amendment, said: ‘It is extraordinary and raises all kinds of questions about what the Sussexes were thinking.’
Meghan and Harry, 36, tied the knot in May 2018 and welcomed Archie one year later. Months after the name change the couple announced their decision to quit the royal family in January 2020 and completed their duties that March.
One of the men accused of robbing Kim Kardashian in Paris has released a tell-all book detailing the events which took place.
Yunice Abbas, who has never been pictured, was one of five men accused of breaking into Kim Kardashian’s hotel room and stealing $10million worth of jewellery on October 2, 2016.
Kim had been staying at the Hotel de Pourtalès complex, after visiting France for Paris Fashion Week.
During the attack, Kim was tied up and held at gunpoint.
An alleged excerpt from the book, which is titled “I sequestered Kim Kardashian”, has been published in the French edition of Closer magazine.
In the book, Abbas reportedly says: “In the most complete haste, I pick up the valuables. This time, my rear wheel is punctured.
“As I passed a marauding police car, a totally incongruous telephone ringing made me jump. Before my incredulous eyes, a name then appeared on the luminous screen. Not possible … I’m hallucinating!”
Abbas later went on to claim that he and the rest of the group had relied heavily on the help of elderly people when they were scanning the building as they hatched a plan to rob the reality star.
He continued: “What could be more reassuring than elderly people, as peaceful as they are anonymous, in order to glean as much information as possible on the spot.”
He also claimed that Kim and her secretary had reportedly called 911 (American emergency number) repeatedly at the beginning of the robbery, despite being in France.
During a chat with David Letterman on his Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Kim claimed that the group of men were all wearing masks and dressed as police officers.
She went on to say that there were two of the men in the room with her and they’d also brought in the hotel’s concierge with them, with a gun held to his head.
Kim explained: “They were yelling at me in French and I just sat up and they kept on saying ‘the ring, the ring,’ and I was just so startled.”
Myanmar’s military has detained the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in an apparent coup.
A presenter on military-owned Myawaddy TV announced the takeover on Monday February 1 and cited a section of the military-drafted constitution that allows the military to take control in times of national emergency.
The presenter said the army carried out the detentions in response to “election fraud” in last November’s poll and its failure to postpone the election because of the coronavirus crisis, handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.
The announcement and the declaration of a state of emergency follows days of concern about the threat of a military coup and military denials that it would stage one.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy released a statement on the Facebook page of its party head saying the military’s actions were unjustified and went against the constitution and the will of voters. The statement urged people to oppose Monday’s “coup” and any return to “military dictatorship.”
Myo Nyunt, the spokesman for the NLD, said Suu Kyi, a state counselor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, along with President Win Myint, had been ‘detained’ in the capital Naypyidaw.
‘We heard they were taken by the military,’ he told AFP, adding that he was extremely worried about the pair. With the situation we see happening now, we have to assume that the military is staging a coup.’
The White House said President Biden had been briefed about the situation and called upon the Myanmar military to release the leaders.
‘The United States opposes any attempt to alter the outcome of recent elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition, and will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed,’ the White House said in a statement.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the detention of Suu Kyi and other political leaders and “urges the military leadership to respect the will of the people of Myanmar,” a U.N. spokesman said.
The Australian government said it was “deeply concerned at reports the Myanmar military is once again seeking to seize control of Myanmar”.
Lotanna, the first son of former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode and his estranged wife, Precious, turns five today February 1.
The excited mum of four took to her Instagram page this morning to shower prayers on Lotanna who she described as the love of her life. She stated that he will be the one to wipe her tears.
”Happy 5th birthday to the the Love of my life,The one that understand my blink without an utterance , my swift battle sword, the one and only Lorlorlor . You are that one that would wipe that tears i wont shed now till its done ,the one that is blessed beyond measures and loved highly, the leader of the tribe and a loving big brother to my umu boys.
As the Lord’s countenance continues to shine on you, you shall fulfill your destiny, evil shall not see you, your days will remain blessed as designed by the almighty as he sets the trail for you. I love you silly mommy’s man and can’t wait for that outing we talked about. Happy birthday my Sonshine Lotanna ”
Scientists have asked the British government to ensure that social distancing is enforced until the end of the year.
Sunday Telegraph reported that restrictions can only be relaxed once the Coronavirus vaccines are at least 85% effective and a ‘high uptake’ of the jab is vital to avoid another deadly wave of the disease.
In the paper which was commissioned by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), a sub-group of the government’s SAGE advisory committee, many scientists are said to believe transmissions will be reduced by around 60%.
The report added that even in a best case scenario in which vaccines stop 85 per cent of transmission in those vaccinated, lockdown would have to be kept in place until the end of May to prevent another significant spike in deaths
Data obtained from the University of Warwick suggested that if the current lockdown measures are eased in mid-February, the nation could be hit by another spike in infections by April.
The Warwick paper models different scenarios for unwinding social distancing. The one ultimately chosen by ministers will hinge on the efficacy of the vaccines in preventing transmission, something likely to differ between products.
If the vaccines provide an average 60 per cent block on transmission, which experts hope, then ending lockdown at the end of May and reverting to the social distancing measures that were in place in early September produces the fewest deaths in the Warwick model.
The researchers said;
‘Our predictions highlight the population-level risks of early relaxation, leading to a pronounced wave of infection, hospital admissions and deaths.
‘Only vaccines that offer high infection-blocking efficacy with high uptake in the general population allow relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions without a huge surge in deaths.’
One of the paper’s authors, Dr Sam Moore, warned even vaccines with 85% efficacy could be ‘insufficient’ to drive ‘R’ below one. Dr Moore told the Telegraph:
‘The vaccines are not going to be 100% effective at stopping serious disease.
‘If we get very high infection blocking then this could almost be what delivers us from it, but it would have to be very high.’
While the British National lockdown restrictions will remain in place until at least March 8 – with schools not reopening to most pupils before February half term, Boris Johnson had told a Downing Street press conference that ministers are becoming ‘more confident’ it will reach its target of inoculating the four most vulnerable groups by its February 15 target.
The Prime Minister also warned that plans to ‘gradually reopen our economy and society’ will depend on the effectiveness of the vaccine and whether enough people have taken it.
The Presidency has warned Nigerians to obey all the COVID19 protocols which include wearing a face mask so as to avoid the government from imposing another lockdown.
The warning came via a statement signed and released by Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity. The presidency said it is worried by reports of non-compliance with the executive order signed by President Buhari on January 27 that mandates the use of face masks and social distancing. The law stipulates that any defaulter of the COVID19 protocols will be asked to pay a fine or sentenced to 6 months in jail or both.
According to the statement, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the executive order with the best of intentions and not with the motive of punishing citizens.
“The Presidency is worried by reports of non-compliance with just signed executive order that makes mask-wearing and observation of social distancing in the public mandatory, appealing to Nigerians to give their maximum cooperation for the success of the policy,” the statement read.
President Muhammadu Buhari introduced the order with the best of intentions and not with any motive to punish citizens.
The Presidency appeals to state governments, traditional rulers and religious leaders to play active roles in the sensitization and enforcement of the executive order.
The Buhari administration is most reluctant to lock down the country and continues to emphasize the non-pharmaceutical measures and the only way to avert lockdowns is to observe these measures as put in place by the Presidential Task Force.
Nigerians have come a long way from the dreaded lockdown and the administration is unhappy about any prospects of bringing it back as many citizens will not have food on the table without venturing out on a day-to-day business.
We have a duty to protect ourselves and others in this difficult global health crisis; no one has immunity against this pandemic. Ignoring health warnings and refusing to comply with safety measures does more harm than good” the statement read
Garba noted that although there is a vaccine for the virus now, the fact that many people do not wear a face mask weakens the fight against the virus. He urged Nigerians to ignore baseless conspiracy theories that seek to deny the reality of the pandemic by complying with the order to wear masks.
”Though vaccine availability is within reach, the propensity of the public for noncompliance weakens the fight against the virus.
Nigerians must ignore baseless conspiracy theories that seek to deny the reality of the pandemic by complying with the order to wear masks.
We have a duty to protect ourselves and others in this difficult global health crisis; no one has immunity against this pandemic. Ignoring health warnings and refusing to comply with safety measures does more harm than good.
The COVID19 pandemic is a major threat to public health and wearing of masks, social distancing in public places and the basic hygiene are necessary measures that have to be taken to safeguard the well-being of our citizens.
Nigerians must always have it in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a threat to the health of the population but it is equally so to the national economy, and to every aspect of our everyday life.
Protecting public health is one of the sacred duties of any responsible government and the administration will not abdicate that responsibility.”the statement read
Former US president, Donald Trump made as much as $30 million in the final weeks of 2020 as he formed a political committee after making relentless claims of voter fraud to his supporters, new filings show.
The ‘Save America’ political action committee formed by Trump just after losing the 2020 election to Biden, started 2021 with a substantial $31.1 million in cash reserves, a huge amount for an ex-president, as he faces a second impeachment trial in the US Senate.
The new financial filings, released on Sunday, January 31, show that the Trump campaign spent far more on outreach to his supporters than on court fights.
According to a CNN report, ‘Trump aggressively sought new donations, imploring his contributors to help fund his “election defense.”
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission obtained by CNN, Save America spent $200,000 to underwrite merchant fees at the online fundraising platform, WinRed, spent more than $4.4 million to roughly two dozen law firms, and spent advertising expenses during the last 39 days of the year to the tune of $5 million in “placed media,”.
Another $4.5 million was spent on online advertising and $2 million for advertising via text messages.
His campaign account started January with $10.7 million in remaining cash and a little more than $2.7 million in debts, the filings show.
Trump’s post presidential ambitions are in a strong financial position if the report by CNN is anything to go by.
The Report adds;
“The Trump Make America Great Again Committee — a joint fundraising committee that has included the Republican National Committee, Trump’s campaign and Save America — started the year with more than $59.8 million remaining in its coffers — a chunk of which is destined for Trump’s new PAC.”
” Under the fundraising agreement, Save America receives the first 75% of donations collected through the Trump Make America Great Again Committee.”
American rapper, Method Man’s wife, Tamika Smith has put Wendy Williams on blast after the TV host claimed she had one-night stand with Tamika’s husband back in the days.
Wendy Williams spoke out about the alleged one-night stand with the Wu-Tang Clan member during an interview with DJ Suss One, while discussing her new movie Wendy Williams: The Movie.
The film depicted the Daytime Emmy nominee’s life from her humble beginnings in New Jersey to her talk show in New York, which premiered in 2008.
She told DJ. Suss One, that the biopic covers everything from her cocaine addiction to her tumultuous marriage with Kevin Hunter. However, Wendy also disclosed that she opted to leave her sexual experience with Method Man out of the production.
She shared, “I smoked a blunt with Method Man while I gave him a bath and it was a one-night stand. He’ll deny it, maybe not. It wasn’t in the movie [her new documentary ] because [he] is still very angry at me… for being me—for telling the truth. It was one night.”
Adding, “We were in the club—a fight broke out and gunshots broke out. The fight was ridiculous. The whole Wu-Tang was there but it was only Meth up in the rafters. And see, that’s where I go to observe everything because I was by myself.”
Williams went on, “He goes, ‘Yo, Wendy!’ Because he’d been on the show before and he was f’d up. I smelled the weed and I had weed but he had better.” Explaining, “He rolled a blunt, we smoked a blunt, we watched the fight, we heard the gunshots, the cops came in… I guess I batted my eyes and rocked my shoulders and I said, ‘You wanna come over?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll follow you.’”
Williams revealed they left the club without anyone realizing and when asked if the pair went all the way, she said; “Yes!”
Now, Tamika Smith has now put Wendy Williams on blast in a lengthy statement, saying it’s an ‘obvious attempt to increase ratings for her sad biopic’ as she’sobsessed with their lives.
The cancer survivor also slammed the talk show host for violating her privacy by revealing her health issues to the public while she was yet to share the news of her diagnosis with her family and friends.
Read her post below.
“For years, I kept my silence while Wendy Williams launched constant verbal attacks against my husband, myself, and our family.”
“In the past, I ignored her lies, innuendos, and blatant attempts to provoke us. But Wendy has proven again and again that she is incapable of any decency. Her obsession with our lives has reached a new low. And I’m tired of taking the high road.
In an obvious attempt to increase ratings for her sad biopic, her struggling TV show, and her burnt out career, Wendy has once again targeted my husband. It’s a pattern that she has repeated for years. When I was diagnosed with cancer years ago, Wendy shared my personal medical information with her listeners live on the air during her radio broadcast. She didn’t care that she was violating my right to privacy, or that I hadn’t shared the news of my diagnosis with my family and friends yet. She never apologized, never expressed any regret whatsoever.
Despite my anger, I chose not to respond publicly to her unhealthy fixation with my husband and our marriage. It was clear that she was sick, and that she was struggling with a lot of issues including self-hate and low self-esteem. Over the years, those issues have made her increasingly ugly, both inside and out. And no amount of plastic surgery can fix the ugliness inside of her. Instead of using her platform to uplift women, she has spent her career attacking marriages while her own fell apart.
She criticized celebrities battling addictions despite her own struggles with substance abuse. There’s no limit to how low she will go in the name of making headlines.
Her career is on life support, her husband has abandoned her, and the ratings for all of her projects are down. She’s desperate for attention, and is trying to use my husband’s popularity as a way to get her name trending. How sad that a woman who was once revered in the entertainment industry has reduced herself to a tabloid sidenote and circus freak! For the record, my marriage is solid, my husband continues to enjoy a successful career, and Wendy will forever be one of the most miserable b*tches on the planet.”
The UK government will offer residents in parts of Surrey coronavirus tests, after two people tested positive for the South African variant despite having no travel links.
Health officials will carry out door-to-door testing in the Goldsworth Park and St Johns areas of Woking, regardless of whether people have symptoms or not, Mail Online reports. The swabs will be done by Surrey Local Resilience Forum (SLRF), along with Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Ruth Hutchinson, director of public health for Surrey, said: ‘This is a precautionary measure – the more cases of the variant we find, the better chance we have at stopping it from spreading further.
‘By playing your part and taking the test, you’ll be helping to keep your community and your loved ones safe.
‘It’s really important to say that there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness, so you don’t need to worry.’
According to the report, there have been at least 94 cases of the South African variant, known as B.1.351, across the UK since December, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said all 94 cases identified as of last week were connected to travel from South Africa.
Dr. Alison Barnett, regional director at Public Health England South East, said: ‘The UK has one of the best genomic systems in the world which has allowed us to detect the variant originating in South Africa here in Surrey.
‘I urge everyone offered a test to take it up to help us to monitor the virus in our communities and to help suppress and control the spread of this variant.
‘The most important thing is that people continue to follow the guidance that is in place – limit your number of contacts, wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, keep your distance and cover your face. If you test positive by any method, you must isolate to stop the spread of the virus.’
Instagram celebrity, Ismail Mustapha a.k.a Mompha has been named as a defendant in the amended N157.1million fraud charge filed against an auto dealer, Sarumi Babafemi, alias 606, The Nation reports.
The publication stated that while Babafemi had before now been accused by the EFCC of being an agent of fraud suspects named by the United State’s Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI), Mompha on the other hand has been facing a separate 14-count N32.9 billion money laundering charge since November 25, 2019.
In the amended nine-count charge of January 22, 2021 brought against Babafemi and Mompha before Justice Chukwujeku Aneke on Monday February 1, two suspects identified as Ridwan Momodu Allison, a.k.a. Osama (said to be at large) and Richard Ogbah were also listed as defendants.
Babafemi, Mompha, Ridwan and Richard were accused of laundering N157.1 million for Omojadesola Shittu Allison; Olandewaju Oriyomi; Abiola Kayode Ayorinde; Bartholomew Oluchukwu Ezeudoka and Amobi Uchenna E. who reportedly received the sums of N37.6 million; N93 million; N1.5 million and N25 million respectively.
Babafemi and his firms; 606 Autos Ltd, 606 Music Ltd and Splash Off Entertainment Ltd were also accused of concealing and disguising the origins of the funds he allegedly laundered for Mompha and others, an offence which contravened sections 15(2)(b) and 15(3)(a) and were punishable under section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended).
The scheduled re-arraignment and trial of Babafemi and his firms on the fresh charge could however not go on after EFCC’s counsel, Ayanfe Ogunshina prayed the court to allow the charge to be read to the defendants so they could take their plea. He also disclosed that one of the witnesses was in court.
The defence counsel, Muiz Banire (SAN) however opposed this on grounds of being served the amended charge in court. He pleaded for time to study the new charges.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke who presided over the case, thereafter adjourned it till April 21, 22 and 23
A 16-year-old grade 10 pupil of Lunga Day Secondary School in Mwinilunga district of Northwestern Province, Zambia, has committed suicide after being accused of stealing three new underwear belonging to her mother.
Agness Katenga is said to have sneaked out of the house around 8pm on Saturday, January 30, after she was beaten by her mother, Lucy Kayombo for the alleged theft and hanged herself on a mango tree.
A statement issued by the Police in Northwestern Province, said Agness was angered by the accusation. Police added that they visited the scene and suspected no foul play.
Meanwhile, speaking to a local media in Mwinilunga on Monday afternoon, a family source claimed that the pants were later discovered in the mother’s suitcase.
According to the source, the deceased’s mother bought the underwear last week Wednesday, put them in a suitcase then forgot because she was busy.
“When she wanted to wear one of them, she searched in four other bags except the other old suitcase and found nothing. So she decided to call her daughter, whom she then accused of having stolen her new underwears. When she denied, the mother beat her up. The girl got annoyed and later hanged herself in a mango tree at night.” the family source said.
The source said after police officers collected the body, other female relatives searched all Lucy’s bags and found the three new underwear in an old suitcase.
UK Royal, Prince Harry has won a legal dispute with top UK tabloid, Daily Mail, saying that he has gotten “significant damages” over an article alleging he had turned his back on the UK Royal Marines.
‘The Mail on Sunday’ published the article “Top General accuses Harry of Turning his Back on the Marines” on October 25, 2020, and the MailOnline published an almost identical piece.
Both stories alleged that the prince had “snubbed” the Royal Marines and the British military and ignored correspondence from Lord Dannatt, a former Chief of the General Staff.
“All these allegations are false as the Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline have now accepted, albeit after considerable damage was already done,” Afia said on Monday.
Jenny Afia, a lawyer for the The Duke of Sussex, said in a statement to open court on Monday, February 1, that “the baseless, false and defamatory stories published constituted not only a personal attack on the Duke’s character, but also wrongly brought into question his service to this country.”
The Duke, after getting financial settlement which was undisclosed to the press, has requested the damages received go to his foundation- the Invictus Games Foundation, “so he could feel something good had come out of the situation,” his lawyer said.
Prince Harry served in the British military, and flew combat missions in Afghanistan. He then opened the Invictus Games to support wounded members of the armed forces.
The Mail on Sunday offered to settle the dispute, saying it would publish apologies, pay substantial damages and not repeat the same allegations.
Back in December, the newspaper ran an apology to the prince detailing the shortcomings in the article.
“The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline publicly admitted in open court that they pushed a completely false and defamatory story. And they’ve apologized for questioning The Duke of Sussex’s commitment to the Royal Marines and British Armed Forces,” a spokesperson for The Duke of Sussex said.
As part of measures to contain the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic in the state, the Lagos state government has banned indoor gatherings of more than 50 persons.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced this during a press briefing on Sunday, January 31. He said places of worship are exempted from this rule because religious gatherings are not to exceed 50 percent capacity of the space.
“The state government has observed with dismay the widespread flagrant disregard and non-adherence to guidelines and protocols aimed at stemming and curbing the tide of infection.
We particularly note that some event centres have been operating their premises outside the acceptable parameters for operation/usage and continue to be recalcitrant in this regard.
This is to sound a very serious note of warning that henceforth all those found culpable and in breach of the existing regulations and guidelines would be swiftly and decisively dealt with in full accordance with the provisions of the law.
In line with the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021 signed last week by President Muhammadu Buhari, it is hereby directed that no gathering of more than 50 persons shall hold in an enclosed space, except for religious purposes, in which case the gathering shall not exceed 50% capacity of the space.
A breach of the provisions of the Presidential Regulations attracts upon summary conviction, a fine or six months imprisonment and or both. Our enforcement agencies have been appropriately tasked to ensure maximum compliance.”
Recall that on January 27, President Buhari signed the COVID19 health protection regulations 2021 which prescribes six months in jail for any person found guilty of flouting any of the COVID19 protocols.
Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made five changes to the side that previously lost against Sheffield United with Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof returning to the defence, Scott McTominay and Fred back in midfield and Edinson Cavani leading the line in attack as they played out a goalless draw with Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday evening, January 30, after both sides had chances to win the game.
The Gunners made one change after losing Bukayo Saka to injury while Gabriel Martinelli was drafted into the side while new signing Martin Odegaard was named on the bench.
United dominated much of the opening period, as Fred had his curled effort tipped just wide by Bernd Leno.
Except a break forward when Lacazette shot straight at David De Gea on the 15 minute, it was pretty much all United had for the opening 25 minutes.
Rashford had his ball just taken off his toe in the area thanks to Martinelli’s diving header, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka rose to meet a cross from Shaw but it wasn’t that threatening.
Pogba then put Fernandes through on 34 minutes and, after cutting inside David Luiz, Fernandes’ shot curled inches past the far post.
United lost McTominay before the break due to stomach cramp, and as half-time approached, Rashford missed his shot when he was found by Shaw just yards from goal.
Arsenal coach, Mikel Arteta introduced Willian at the start of the second half and on the 49th minute, a ball from the right eluded Wan-Bissaka but he responded well to make a superb point-blank block to deflect the Brazilian’s effort wide.
Within minutes of the hour-mark, United looked certain to score when a brilliant one-two between Martial and Shaw on the left side of the box led to Shaw firing a cross to Cavani whose drive was deflected.
On the 65th minute, Lacazette crashed a free-kick on De Gea’s crossbar, much to the satisfaction of United fans.
De Gea then also saved a shot from Smith Roe.
Both sides tried to score with few minutes left but at the end shared the spoils.
Kelly Rowland has given birth to her second child, a baby boy.
The former Destiny’s Child singer, 39, welcomed the child with husband Tim Weatherspoon, on Thursday January 21.
“On the 21st day, of the 21st year, of the 21st Century, Noah Jon Weatherspoon Greeted us! We are truly grateful[four heart emojis],” Kelly wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of her and Tim’s eldest boy, Titan Jewell Weatherspoon, 6, cuddling his baby brother. “1•21•21 8:13pm 7lbs. 8oz 19in.”
The “Coffee” singer first shared the happy news that she was expecting her second child back in October, revealing her baby bump on the November cover of Women’s Health magazine.
“SURPRISE!!” she captioned an Instagram post of the cover at the time. “My @womenshealthmag cover issue is online now and on newsstands next week!
The couple got married in May 2014, six months prior to the birth of their first child, Noah Jon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying the extension of New START, an important arms control treaty with the United States, a week before it was due to expire, the Kremlin said in a statement on Friday, January 29.
The treaty limits the number of strategic offensive weapons both countries can have.
The nuclear arms control agreement has been extended for five years until February 5, 2026, the Kremlin said.
It limits each country to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers; no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and heavy bombers for nuclear armaments; and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers.
The deal between Russia and the US is the last major deal between both countries after the Trump administration pulled out of a separate nuclear arms control agreement with Russia, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), in 2019, claiming China needed to be part of the agreement and also reduce it’s Nuclear arsenal.
According to the Kremlin, Putin and US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone on Tuesday this week expressing “satisfaction” over the exchange of diplomatic notes between both countries on extending the treaty.
On Wednesday, the Russian Parliament voted to ratify the five-year extension of the treaty.
The landmark treaty was first signed for a period of 10 years by former US President Barack Obama and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. It took effect on February 5, 2011.
“Renewing the Treaty meets the national interests of the Russian Federation, makes it possible to maintain the transparency and predictability of strategic relations between Russia and the United States and to support global strategic stability; it will have a beneficial effect on the international situation, and contribute to the nuclear disarmament process,” the Kremlin said in the statement published Friday evening.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters “that the New START Treaty is in the national security interests of the United States, and this extension makes even more sense when the relationship with Russia is adversarial, as it is at this time.”
Psaki added that it was the “only remaining treaty constraining Russian nuclear forces and is an anchor of strategic stability between our two countries.”
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has seized a consignment of cocaine and heroin worth over N30billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
One of the seizures, 26.840 kilograms of cocaine, is the biggest single seizure from an individual in the past 15 years. An official of the agency who spoke on condition of anonymity said
“On January 27, 2021, at about 1320hours, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline passengers at the E- arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, a female passenger, by name Onyejegbu Ifesinachi Jennifer, 33 years, who arrived Nigeria from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives.
As a standard operating procedure, all passengers to and from high risk countries are always profiled, using passengers’ manifest. It happened that the above-named suspect was targeted. Consequently, she was taken to NDLEA office at the Airport, where her bags were searched thoroughly, and in the process, whitish powdery substances were found concealed inside 16 pieces of duvet contained in her two travel bags.
Field test was conducted on the recovered substances and proved to be Cocaine and weighed 26.850kilogrammes. The suspect, who is a hair stylist and based in Brazil, was interviewed and she confessed to having agreed to smuggle the hard drug for the sum of N2m. Although she refused to disclose the names of her associates, she, however, said she was asked to hand over the drugs to another person. The street value of this singular seizure is put at over N21b.”
The official further disclosed that the development came on the heels of a similar one recorded on January 25, 2021, when red luggage was declared to the NDLEA operatives as a left-over at the E- arrival hall, after the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian airline.
“Based on information on the tag, the luggage arrived Nigeria from Sao Paulo, Brazil, a destination classified as high-risk country, going by records and trends of arrest and seizures.
Subsequently, the bag was transferred to the NDLEA ‘Legal Seat’ being the administrative office at the passenger terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, for detention. While this was going on, the NDLEA Commander at the MMIA, Ahmadu Garba received an intelligence report of a purported plan to clear a consignment containing hard drug through the Lagos airport. Coincidentally, the details sent matched the bag earlier detained by the operatives at the Lagos airport.
In a coordinated operation, on January 27, 2021, an NDLEA undercover agent was contacted by one Abubakar Aliyu. Guided by the operation and investigation unit, the undercover agent successfully lured the said Abubakar Aliyu into the cargo terminal of the airport, where he was arrested. The suspect revealed to NDLEA operatives that another person was on his way to receive the bag, based on the instruction of his sender, whose name he gave as Ikechukwu Eze.
Consequently, one Emmanuel Iyke Aniebonam, who was to receive the bag was also arrested at NAHCO. During preliminary interview by a team of investigators, Emmanuel confessed that he was instructed by one Ikechukwu to receive the consignment. Emmanuel was again set up to lure in Ikechukwu Eze, but rather than showing up to get the consignment from Emmanuel, he sent another who said he was mandated to receive the consignment from him, and they agreed to meet at Ibis Royal Hotel, a few miles away from the airport.
A follow-up operation was quickly organised to the hotel, where one Onwurah Kelvin was arrested and brought to the office. The suspect confessed during interview that he was sent by one Ikechukwu to receive the consignment. Thereafter, the detained bag was opened in the presence of the three suspects, and whitish powdery substances were discovered neatly concealed and sewn inside five children duvets. Field test carried out on the exhibits proved they are cocaine, weighed to be 8.400 kilogrammes, with a street value of over N7b…”
Former US President Donald Trump has reportedly parted ways with the two lead lawyers working on his defense for his Senate impeachment trial.
The former US president is set to stand trial in the week beginning on February 8 on allegations he incited his supporters to storm Congress before President Joe Biden’s inauguration in an attempt to halt the peaceful transition of power.
Butch Bowers and Deborah Barberi, two South Carolina lawyers, are no longer on Trump’s team, a person familiar with the legal strategy and two attorneys close to the team confirmed on Saturday night, January 30. The source described the move as a “mutual decision.”
Three other lawyers associated with the team, Josh Howard of North Carolina and Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris of South Carolina, also reportedly parted ways with Trump.
Trump reportedly had differences with Bowers over strategy ahead of the trial as he is still contending that he was the victim of mass election fraud in the November 3 election won by President Joe Biden.
The news leaves Trump’s defense team in turmoil as he prepares for a trial starting on February 9 to consider an article of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives charging Trump with inciting the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by his followers.
This comes days after five Senate Republicans voted in favour of an effort to dismiss the trial before it starts, making clear a conviction of the former president is unlikely regardless of his defence team.
It will be the first time in US history that any president faced two impeachment trials or that any president was impeached after he left office.
The Cross River Government has demolished a building belonging to a suspected kidnapper and a brothel allegedly housing underaged girls for prostitution.
The buildings located in Calabar were demolished by the state security outfit, Operation Akpakwu on Friday, January 29.
Briefing newsmen after the demolition exercise, the State Security Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade (Southern Senatorial District), Henry Okokon, said that the state government placed a premium on the security of lives and property, hence, the need to fight all forms of criminality.
“This is part of the activities of Operation Akpakwu, a special force set up by Gov. Ayade to fight crime, especially kidnapping. This demolition is ongoing. The governor has warned that anyone involved in any form of criminality, or any landlord harbouring any criminal should desist from it,” he said.
“The bungalow that was demolished belonged to an individual who has been caught in the act of kidnapping, while the brothel was demolished for housing underage persons for prostitution and other illegal activities. This is a warning signal to everybody. Whosoever is involved in the crime of any form should desist from it,’’ Okokon said.
He said that the security outfit got a court order to demolish the buildings in line with the state Homeland Security law.
Okokon urged businessmen in the state to go about their lawful businesses, giving the assurance that the state government would do its best to protect them against criminals.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja, have arrested two Kano based suspects, Ibrahim Muazzam Mohammad Aminu and Mohammad Tahir Umar, for engaging in international child pornography.
Force spokesperson, CP Frank Mba, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said investigations revealed that the suspects are members of a trans-border/international child porn syndicate which sexually abuse and take undue advantage of underage girls and disseminate the video recordings of the illicit sexual act on an international social media Whatsapp group chat known as “Pervertidos”, owned and managed by a Brazilian called Adriana.
“Their arrest followed intelligence received from the INTERPOL NCB, Brasilia. Exhibits recovered from the suspects include: three (3) mobile phones and a Laptop computer. Forensic investigations/analysis carried out by the Police team on the gadgets revealed the series of pornographic/erotic videos with underage girls which the suspects shared on the internet for a fee denominated in US Dollars,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the IGP notes that a total of two thousand, seven hundred and ninety-two (2,792) suspects were arrested by the Police for Sexual and Gender Based Violence and other sexual related offences in the year 2020.
The statatement said “the arrests are linked to the two thousand, five hundred and seventy-three (2,573) cases currently being prosecuted under the Force Gender Unit in various courts across the country. Others are still under active investigations,”
“The IGP enjoins parents and guardians to keep a close watch on their children and wards and report any incidents of abuse against women and children. He expresses his displeasure with the prevailing culture of silence in concealing crimes against women and children and calls for improved collaboration with the Police, assuring that the Force is well repositioned to protect women and children and confront violent crimes in the country,”
The statement added that the suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigations
The UK is ready to welcome tens of thousands of migrants from Hong Kong, with the opening of a new visa for residents of the former British colony this Sunday, according to a report by the BBC.
The report comes after China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong that ended the city’s autonomy, civil and social freedoms, and solidified Beijing’s authoritarian rule over the territory.
The rule has brought about the arrest of hundreds of activists and has made the US restrict it’s business with Hong Kong, saying the economy of the former British colony is now being controlled by China.
The law criminalizes secession, ‘subversion and collusion with foreign forces’, and carries with it a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
After the law was enacted, the UK government announced it would provide a new path to citizenship for holders of British National (Overseas) passports, which were introduced in the final years of British rule over Hong Kong, enabling residents to hold onto a degree of British citizenship.
Under the new citizenship program by the UK, those with BN(O) status and their eligible family members will be able to travel to the UK to live, study and work, becoming eligible for settlement in the UK in five years, and citizenship 12 months after that.
In a statement Friday, January 29, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said by taking this move, “we have honored our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy — values both the UK and Hong Kong hold dear.”
Since July 2019, when anti-government protests broke out across the city, over 400,000 BN(O) passports have been issued to Hong Kong residents, according to data from the UK Home Office.
At the time the national security law was proposed, the number of passports issued jumped from 7,515 in June 2020, to over 24,000 in July.
Before the UK announced the new path to citizenship, there were around 350,000 BN(O) passport holders, but the number of people who are eligible those born before 1997, in British-ruled Hong Kong — could be as high as 3 million.
In a press conference Friday, China claims the plan breaches the agreement under which Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese rule
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian accused the UK of “disregarding the fact that Hong Kong has returned to the motherland for 24 years” and violating promises made at the time of handover.
He said the BN(O) path to citizenship “seriously violates China’s sovereignty, grossly interferes in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs, and seriously violates international law and basic norms of international relations.”
From January 31, Zhao said, China will no longer recognize BN(O) passports as travel documents or identification proof, “and reserves the right to take further measures.”
A Dutch Appeal court has ordered oil giant Royal Dutch Shell to pay compensation to four farmers in the Niger Delta for alleged widespread pollution on their farmland.
The four farmers who reside in the Niger Delta region, alongside their ally, the Friends of the Earth campaign group, had in 2008, filed the case against the oil giant. According to the farmers, oil spillage from the pipelines owned by the oil giant destroyed their farmland, leading to huge losses in their products and returns in revenue.
According to the court papers, the farmers said the spills concerned were between 2004 and 2007, but pollution from leaking oil pipelines remains a major problem in the Niger Delta.
Shell had argued that saboteurs were responsible for leaks in underground oil pipes that have polluted the region. The company also argued that it should not be held legally responsible in the Netherlands for the actions of its foreign subsidiary, meaning Shell Nigeria.
However, in its ruling delivered today January 29, the Dutch appeal court ruled that Shell Nigeria, must pay the demanded compensation. The court did not hold Shell’s parent company directly responsible for the spillage but ordered it to install a leak detection system on the Oruma pipeline, the site of a significant number of the spills in the case.
“Shell Nigeria is sentenced to compensate farmers for damages,” the court said in its ruling, which can be appealed via the Dutch Supreme Court.
The amount of compensation will be established at a later date. The court did not specify how many of the four farmers would receive compensation.
Footballers, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Romelu Lukaku have both received a one-match ban each following their heated confrontation in the Milan derby on Tuesday.
The AC Milan and Inter Milan strikers nearly came to blows just before half-time at the San Siro Stadium during their Coppa Italia clash.
Both players were issued a yellow card, with Ibrahimovic later being sent off the pitch for receiving a second booking.
As both were booked and pulled apart during the heated confrontation, Ibrahimovic can be heard yelling at Lukaku: ‘Go do your voodoo s***, you little donkey.’
Lukaku was also heard telling the AC Milan striker ‘f*** you and your wife, you little b****’ and ‘you want to speak about my mother!?’ as his Inter team-mates held him back.
The next day, Ibrahimovic was forced to address allegations that he used racist language on Romelu Lukaku during their derby clash, insisting that he isn’t racist.
‘In ZLATAN’s world there is no place for RACISM,’ he tweeted. ‘We are all the same race – we are all equal!!’
However, the Swede could not resist a jibe to who is the king of Milan, adding: ‘We are all PLAYERS but some better than others.’
Both players have now received a one-match ban each for their actions but the Italian Football Federation could still open an investigation to assess any possible discrimination, as they are yet to receive the referee’s report on the incident.
A Brazilian sex worker who swallowed 1.2 kilos of cocaine to smuggle it into the UK has been jailed for more than four years.
Luan Irving Dos Santos Monteiro, 31, was reportedly stopped by border agents at Heathrow airport on Christmas Eve last year as he flew into Britain from Sao Paulo.
An x-ray revealed he had ingested 101 packages of cocaine with a street value of almost £100,000 before getting on the 11-hour flight.
His barrister, Graham Lloyd, told Isleworth crown court yesterday: “This was very much a crime of desperation.
“If at any time during the long flight from Sao Paulo any of the packages had burst, that would have probably meant instant death.”
Mr. Lloyd said Monteiro works as a sex worker in Brazil, where more than 200,000 people have died as a result of Covid-19.
“The position is far worse than the position here, and has led to financial devastation”, he said.
“It has had bad consequences for his employment as a sex worker.
“He tried to move his physical sex transactions to online sexual services, and he tells me that would be verified by his Twitter account on which he advertises sexual services.”
Monteiro confessed he uses drugs in his line of work and has racked up a debt worth around £2,000 which he was hoping to pay off through drug smuggling.
Prosecutor Anisha Kiri said Monteiro claimed he was travelling to the UK for a Christmas and New Year holiday and was being met by a friend called Emily.
“The defendant was taken for an x-ray which captured images indicating the presence of foreign objects in his abdomen”, she said.
“The defendant then admitted swallowing around 100 packages of what he believed was drugs.”
She added Monteiro’s passport indicated he had made a string of international trips since January last year. He was handed over by border agents to the National Crime Agency but made no comment in the interview.
Judge Edward Connell sentenced Monteiro to four years and two months in prison, telling him: “I accept you were motivated due to a drug debt you had accumulated in Brazil, and pressure had been brought to bear upon you and members of your family.”
Monteiro, who pleaded guilty to attempting to import class A drugs, will serve half his prison sentence in the UK before being released on license. After his released, he may then be deported back to Brazil.
Wendy Williams, 56, appeared on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” on Thursday, Jan 28, and opened up about Sharina Hudson, the longtime mistress of her now-ex-husband Kevin Hunter.
When Andy Cohen asked her about co-parenting, she delved into her relationship with Kevin and how he started seeing his mistress.
She said: “I was with him for 25 years, in love with him probably from our third date. … [I knew about Hudson] just about the whole 13 years that they were together, and people behind the scenes say it was more like 15 years.”
The TV host, whose Lifetime movie and documentary airs on Saturday, then threw shade at Hudson.
Wendy said of her ex-husband’s mistress: “She was one of these less-than-smart women who moved to the big city with bright lights and she wanted to be a model.
Wendy explained that Hudson used to work bottle service at a club party she hosted, where Williams would encourage them to flirt with men — including Hunter — to get them to spend more money on drinks.
Wendy continued: “Kevin’s problem is that Kevin ended up getting with this girl. She made herself very available to him.
“She was very disrespectful to me. Do you know he had the nerve to tell me that she admires me?”
When asked if Hudson and Hunter are still together, Williams said she didn’t know. However, she did acknowledge that Kevin Hunter and Hudson’s daughter, Journey, would be turning 2 in March.
Making it clear that they are living on her money, Wendy said: “My alimony for all three of them is on time every month.”
