The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) on Wednesday November 2, voted to remove cannabis from the list of the world’s most dangerous drugs.
The Vienna-based UN agency said in a statement that out of its 53 member states, 27 voted in support and 25 against the reclassification of the drug, with one abstention from Ukraine.
The US and European nations were among those who voted in favour, while China, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Russia were amongst the countries that opposed.
Canada and Uruguay have already legalised the sale and use of cannabis for recreational purposes and Mexico and Luxembourg appear set to follow suit.
The development comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2019 had recommended the deletion of “cannabis and cannabis resin” from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
Substances classified as Schedule IV are a subset of Schedule I drugs. That means not only are they considered to be “highly addictive and highly liable for abuse,” they’re also labeled as “particularly harmful and of extremely limited medical or therapeutic value.”
“This is welcome news for the millions of people who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes and reflects the reality of the growing market for cannabis-based medicinal products,” a group of drug policy advocacy organizations said in a news release.
“We welcome the long-overdue recognition that cannabis is a medicine,” Ann Fordham, executive director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, said in a statement. “However, this reform alone is far from adequate given that cannabis remains incorrectly scheduled at the international level.”
The embattled Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina has been extradited to Nigeria to face his ongoing money laundering trial after he was rearrested in Niger Republic on Monday, November 30.
He was received by men of the Nigeria Police Force at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport this afternoon, Thursday, December 3. The aircraft carrying the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team landed at the airport at 2.15 pm.
Maina is facing a 12-count money laundering charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC. Part of the allegation against him is that he used his firm to launder N2 billion from the coffers of the pension scheme and also used some of the money to purchase in Abuja.
Justice Okon Akpan of the Federal High Court Abuja ordered his trial to begin in absentia after he had jumped the bail granted him by the judge.
American heavyweight champion, Jarrell Miller has been handed a two-year boxing ban from the Nevada Commission after his fourth positive drugs test in 12 months
The 32-year-old Miller failed multiple drug tests in the run-up to his proposed fight with Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in 2019. He was banned from fighting, with Andy Ruiz Jr who stunned the world by beating the British heavyweight, Anthony Joshua who has since reclaimed his title in their rematch.
After serving his six-month suspension, Miller was given a chance to redeem himself. But earlier this year, he returned another positive drug test, his fourth in just a 12-month span.
Miller reportedly returned a positive result for an illegal endurance booster called GW501516 – found in a male sex stimulant.
Earlier in 2020, Miller returned his fourth positive test in 12 months after testing positive for GW501516 – which is also known as Cardarine or Endurabol, and is often used illegally to aid endurance and boost aerobic power – and the 32-year-old has now been punished.
News of Miller’s ban was revealed by talkSPORT’S Michael Benson, who also disclosed that his ban can be reduced to 18 months if he completes a treatment course.
He wrote: “Jarrell Miller has today been banned from boxing for two years by the Nevada Commission following his latest positive drugs test.
“Ban applies to all US states and can be reduced to 18 months if he completes a treatment course.”
Miller, who is unbeaten in his career, has fought 24 times, winning 23 of those fights and drawing one, but has not fought since November 2018 due to two years’ worth of drug-related problems.
A jealous Florida man set his late mother’s caretaker on fire this week after learning the woman was in a “romantic relationship” with his stepdad, police authorities say.
Police accused Luiss Quinonez, aged 53, of pouring gasoline on the victim and then setting her on fire in a senseless attack on Monday night, November 30, in the southeast town of Lantana, Florida according to an arrest report obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Neighbors say they saw the 61-year-old woman running from the scene while on fire.
She sustained second- and third-degree burns and is in hospital albeit in critical condition.
Quinonez, who said he’d been drinking before the incident, was arrested by police and charged with attempted first-degree murder. He is being held without bond.
When he was investigated by police, the suspect reportedly said he was furious about the woman’s alleged relationship with his stepfather because he was also in love with her.
The victim had lived in his parents’ home for years and used to care for Quinonez’s mother until the elderly woman died about a month ago.
He told deputies that he went to gas station Monday night and filled a container with fuel. He later returned home, poured the liquid over the victim and set her on fire with a lighter.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found Quinonez using a garden hose to try to put out a fire that had spread to the house but he ignored the burning victim.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he would have killed his own stepfather instead if the man had been home at the time.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented a cheque of N10 million each to families of the six police officers killed in Lagos State in the violence that followed the End SARS protests.
Sanwo-Olu presented the cheques on Thursday, Dec 3, in fulfilment of his administration’s pledge made during an earlier meeting with police officers.
The cheques were presented to the wives and children of the slain officers at the 14th Town Hall meeting on security, held at Civic Centre by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), with the theme: “Lagos security: Resilience in the face of adversity.”
The late police officers are Yaro Edward, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP); Inspector Ayodeji Erinfolami; Inspector Aderibigbe Adegbenro; Inspector Samson Ehibor; Sergeant Bejide Abiodun and Inspector Igoche Cornelius.
Sanwo-Olu also announced scholarship awards to children of the deceased officers up to university level.
The United States Government has alleged that the People’s Republic of China is the “greatest threat to democracy and freedom” since World War Two.
The Trump administration has taken a hard line on China, imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and accusing Beijing of intellectual property theft and hiding the true nature of the Coronavirus disease until it spread round the world.
The US has also made efforts to keep the China owned telecoms giant Huawei out of the American market.
Writing in the Wall St Journal, John Ratcliffe, the US Government’s top intelligence official said China was the biggest threat to democracy and freedom of the world and accused China of growing its power by stealing US secrets and then replacing US firms in the market.
According to him, China is preparing for confrontation with the US and intended to dominate the world “economically, militarily and technologically”,
Ratcliffe,the Director of the National Intelligence said China had replaced Russia and counter-terrorism as the main focus of US intelligence activities as the Super Power was engaged in a form of economic espionage that carries out “rob, replicate and replace”
He cited an example of a Chinese wind turbine firm that was found guilty in the US of stealing from a US competitor before going on to sell worldwide while the US firm lost shareholder value and fired staff.
He also alleged that US intellectual property worth $500bn (£370bn) was being stolen every year and that it was more common for the FBI to arrest Chinese nationals for stealing research at universities.
He also revealed China had been paying the head of Harvard University’s chemistry department $50,000 a month until his arrest earlier this year.
He said US intelligence showed that China had carried out “human testing” on troops with the aim of developing soldiers with “biologically enhanced capabilities”.
“China had engaged in a massive influence campaign targeting US members of Congress and their staff by encouraging unions at big firms to tell local politicians to take a softer line on China or face losing union members’ votes.
“Beijing was targeting members of Congress with six times the frequency of Russia and 12 times the frequency of Iran”, Mr Ratcliffe said.
“China believes that a global order without it at the top is a historical aberration,” he said. “It aims to change that and reverse the spread of liberty around the world.”
Under President Trump, both countries have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods then.
This year the US ordered a Chinese consulate in Houston to close over economic espionage concerns – Beijing responded by ordering the US to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu. The two countries have also expelled each others’ journalists.
Joe Biden has said his administration will cooperate more with China when he resumes office in January 2021.
Kanye West has been named Billboard‘s Top Gospel Artist of 2020 and is also the Top Male Gospel Artist of 2020.
The publication announced Yeezy’s latest achievements on Thursday night, December 3.
On the list of entertainers for the Top Gospel Artist chart, Kanye beat out Kirk Franklin at No. 2, Tasha Cobbs Leonard at No. 3, Sunday Service Choir at No. 4, Travis Greene at No. 5, Marvin Sapp at No. 6, Kierra Sheard at No. 7, Koryn Hawthorne at No. 8, Maverick City Music at No. 9, and Jonathan McReynolds at No. 10.
As for Top Male Gospel Artist, Kanye beat out Kirk Franklin who sits at No. 2, Travis Green at No. 3, Marvin Sapp at No. 4, and Jonathan McReynolds at No. 5.
In the report, Billboard said:
West’s 2019 album, his first spiritual-themed set, Jesus Is King, opened atop Top Gospel Albums, Top Christian Albums, and the all-genre Billboard 200.
In its opening week on the Nov. 9, 2019, dated lists, the set earned 264,000 equivalent album units, the biggest week ever for a faith-based album. Since its arrival, Jesus Is King has spent more than a year at No. 1 and is the No. 1 album on the Top Gospel Albums year-end tally.
The No. 2 Christian Album of 2020 also comes from West’s world. Jesus Is Born, credited to the Sunday Service Choir (with production by West), finishes in the runner-up position.
After just a day-and-a-half of tracking, Jesus Is Born entered Billboard‘s Top Gospel Albums chart (dated Jan. 4, 2020) at No. 2 starting with 6,000 equivalent album units earned (3,000 in album sales) in the week ending Dec. 26, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
Jesus Is Born peaked at No. 2 on Top Gospel Albums, not making it to the summit only because West’s own Jesus Is King LP was dominating at No. 1. Sunday Service Choir is also the leading gospel group of 2020.
Meanwhile, the lead track on Jesus Is King, “Follow God,” is the No. 1 song of the year on Hot Gospel Songs, which is powered by streaming, airplay and sales. “Follow God” has spent more than 40 weeks at No. 1. Concurrently, it is the No. 1 song on the year-end Gospel Streaming Songs list and No. 2 on Gospel Digital Song Sales.
Plus, West’s “Wash Us in the Blood,” featuring Travis Scott, is the No. 4 Hot Gospel Songs title of 2020. “Wash Us” started at No. 1 on both Hot Gospel Songs and Hot Christian Songs on the surveys dated July 11. It reigned for eight weeks on the former and two frames on the latter. It’s also the No. 1 song of 2020 on Gospel Digital Song Sales.
American rapper, Cardi B is the latest cover star for Billboard magazine in honor of being named their 2020 Woman of the Year.
In Billboard‘s feature about her, the rapper spoke about her raunchy hit song “WAP,” her feelings on politics, as well as her support for the Black, Lives Matter movement.
On the backlash over her latest raunchy single with Megan Thee Stallion, she said: “So many Republicans…[like Ben] Shapiro, Candace Owens, Tomi Lahren — were talking so much crap about “WAP,” she said. She later went on to talk about why she’s so unfazed by attacks from political commentators, saying “The things that they say don’t make sense. A lot of things they be defending, it’s not something you need to be defending. It’s wrong.”
“I want to show people that you can do positive things, but you can also be yourself,” she said. Later adding, “I don’t know if I’m an activist. I’m a Libra — we are the justice sign. I like fairness, and I have compassion toward everybody.”
The mother of one is also a rising businesswoman, having inked lucrative deals with Pepsi, Reebok, and even the content platform, OnlyFans within the past year.
During the interview, she spoke about the importance of understanding your worth and a figure and brand. “A lot of these companies, they want to give you a couple million dollars to represent them, and it’s like, ‘OK, but what am I really getting out of it?,’ she posed. “If 1% of my followers buy your product, you’re going to make triple what you’re paying me. I’m making sure I’m not selling myself short.”
She also spoke about her support for the Black Lives Matter movement and discussed the push for social justice.
“People didn’t go looting because Trump was president — they went looting because there’s a lot of Black men getting killed unjustly,” she told the magazine.
“A lot of Republicans think that we hate the police. Personally, there was a point when I did hate the cops because I had really bad experiences growing up with the cops, but I also met cops that are really good people and have really good hearts. I just feel like we need to hire more people like that.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Howard Darwin Farley Jr., 72, was arrested this week in southeastern Marion County as he tried to board his private plane.
In a news release from that agency, officials said that Howard, was taken into custody at his Weirsdale home on Wednesday December 2, and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he’s being held on a charge of making false statements when applying for a U.S. passport, using the identity of an infant who died in 1955.
When he was apprehended, authorities said, Farley was trying to get on his private plane, which was in a hangar at his residence. Federal officials said Farley had received a pilot’s license in the name of a deceased individual.
Farley’s home was searched and law enforcement officials recovered a gun.
Authorities used fingerprints to confirm the man they found was Farley. He has been a fugitive from Nebraska since 1985 and was convicted of burglary in Nebraska in 1970, federal officials said.
Farley was accused of being the drug kingpin of a railroad line that was used by drug dealers to distribute narcotics throughout the United States, a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the Middle District of Florida said.
Out of 73 people indicted, Farley was the only person who had not been taken into custody. Officials said he assumed the identity of someone who died and was on the run for 35 years.
The case is being investigated by a number of agencies, including the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Transportation, with support from the Ocala Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Tonto Dikeh’s ex-boyfriend, Malivelihood is set to splurge millions of dollars on his one-of-a-kind wedding with his long-time girlfriend and daughter of the Senator Of Kogi West, Deola.
The popular jeweler’s wedding is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 5th in an undisclosed location.
His soon-to-be bride took to her Instagram story to share a photo of the expensive Hublot watches that will be handed out as sourvenirs at the wedding.
According to the excited bride, her wealthy groom, Malivehood is not here to play.
See the photo below,
The couple released their royalty-themed pre-wedding photos recently and they looked drunk in love with each other.
The wedding, which has been tagged #MADS2020 is one of the most-anticipated weddings of the month, as invitations were sent to majorly high-placed individuals in the society.
Recall that the popular jeweler proposed to his girlfriend, Deola Smart on her 25th birthday in 2017 at the Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom.
Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure is now a ”free man” as state prosecutors have withdrawn criminal charges of fraud that was filed against him.
The Zimbabwean businessman before his death, was accused of forging documents to import a premier Rolls Royce and undervaluing a Bentley Continental. He was also accused of prejudicing the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) a total of US$90 260,10 since the duty was charged at US$138 170,49 instead of US$228 430,59.
It was alleged that Ginimbi who went to Daytona company in Johannesburg, South Africa, and bought a Rolls Royce Ghost vehicle for R5 million in 2017, allegedly prepared an invoice with the number RR78695 to appear as if he bought the vehicle for R3 million from Daytona in a bid to avoid paying more import duty to ZIMRA.
The Herald has however now reported that the State Prosecutor Mr. Taddy Kamuriwo withdrew the criminal charges before magistrate Trynos Utahwashe after Ginimbi’s lawyers produced his death certificate.
Ginimbi died in a road accident along Borrowdale road in the wee hours of Sunday 8 November when his speeding Rolls Royce car collided with a Honda Fit and veered off the road and hit a tree before it exploded. Three of Ginimbi’s friends Moana, Karim, and Alichia also died in the car crash.
A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of N235.4 million traced to the account of convicted fraudster, Okeke Obinwanne known as Invictus Obi to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
This came the Chief Executive Officer of Invictus Group pleaded guilty to two charges: computer fraud and wire fraud after his arrest in the United States.
Justice Liman had on March 23, 2020, ordered the interim forfeiture of the money domiciled in First City Monument Bank (FCMB) following an ex parte application dated December 18, 2019, by the Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He also ordered the commission to advertise same in any national newspaper for anyone to show cause why the said money should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Serving an update on the case, Spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren said Justice Liman has ordered a final forfeiture of the sum.
It was gathered that the final forfeiture order was granted after EFCC counsel, I. Sulaiman, prayed for the confiscation.
Okeke who made it into Forbes Africa’s Under 30 List in 2016, was nabbed for $11 million fraud after an official account belonging to a steel company’s CEO was hacked. The FBI was contacted about the scam by the representatives of Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and firm equipment.
An 11-year-old California boy tragically shot and killed himself during his online Zoom class on Wednesday, December 2.
The child, identified as Adan Llanos, was at home attending online class with his Woodbridge Elementary schoolmates on Wednesday morning, when he turned the gun himself.
According to San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, his camera and microphone were both switched off at the time. His sister, who was also online learning in another room was the one who found him and told a neighbor and her teacher, who called for help.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home on the 300 block of Sterling Street in Woodbridge, and found the child with a head injury shortly after 11am.
He was rushed to a hospital and died from his self-inflicted injuries. The sheriff’s office said the boy’s family was at his side at the hospital before he passed away.
‘Our thoughts are with the family and all those affected by this tragic event,’ the Sheriff’s Office said on their Facebook page.
Detectives are now investigating the tragic incident; they have not said how the child obtained the gun, nor to whom it belonged.
Lodi Unified School District confirmed the death in a Facebook post: “We are deeply saddened to share that a student from Woodbridge Elementary School passed away today as a result of a gunshot wound.
The boy’s heartbroken aunt and his fault a GoFundMe to try help with the funeral expenses.
“Today was a very difficult day for our family. We just lost our nephew from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” she wrote. “His name is Adan Llanos and was only 11 years old.
“I know Aron and Mirna are such great parents, i can’t even imagine what they are going threw. I’m doing this go fund me to be able to help my family with the funeral expenses. I don’t want to go into details. Thank you very much our family will appreciate it.” [sic]
A woman stripped naked in the cold to cycle ten miles around London for charity.
Kerri Barnes has raised more than £8,000 after braving the cold and cycling on Sunday, Nov 29, wearing nothing but underwear.
Kerri set out to fundraise for mental health charity Mind, having lost a cousin to suicide and seeing the shocking statistics around it.
But the idea of going naked on a bicycle was not exactly her initial idea.
It was not until her housemate joked a naked bike ride was an option that Kerri decided she would give it a go.
Speaking to LADbible, Kerri said: “I really wanted to do something this year to shine a light on raising awareness of suicide prevention and to raise some money for Mind – because they’ve just experienced their biggest increase in calls, since the second lockdown began.
“Unfortunately, a very close relative made a few attempts on their life in the first lockdown and one of my cousins did kill herself about nine years ago.
“So, I wanted to do something and I thought I’d do something a bit ridiculous – then my housemate suggested the naked bike ride.”
Kerri has had plenty of backing on social media for the chilly ten mile stunt.
She said: “I put it out on social media and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive.
“I think because everybody seems to have suffered in some way with their mental health this year – I think it’s made people very empathetic towards mental health problems.”
To prepare for touring London naked in late November, Kerri trained by having cold showers which she has since admitted did not quite compare.
Iran has announced it will not accept preconditions from a new Joe Biden administration over its nuclear programme unless the US returns to it’s 2015 deal signed by the Obama administration but discarded by Trump in 2018.
After Trump scrapped the deal, he then reimposed strict economic sanctions against Iran, targeting the country’s oil and financial sectors.
Tehran has since exceeded limits to its nuclear activities set under the deal, raising suspicions that it could be using the programme as a cover to develop a nuclear bomb.
But the Iranian government insists it’s nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
The Iran Nuclear deal signed by the US, EU, Iran, China and Russia was designed to constrain the programme in a verifiable way in return for sanctions relief.
Biden said he will open talks with Iran when he takes over the White House in 2021. He promised to resurrect the Iran Nuclear deal and lift sanctions if Tehran returns to “strict compliance with the nuclear deal”.
But Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister has rejected Biden’s plan saying the US had its own “commitments” that must be implemented.
Addressing a virtual conference hosted by Italy on Thursday, December 3, Mr Zarif said the US had been “in grave breach” of a UN resolution endorsing the nuclear deal when it abandoned it, describing the Trump administration as “a rogue regime”.
“The United States must stop, the United States must cease its violations of international law,” he said. “It doesn’t require any negotiations.”
Mr Zarif went on to say that the US was “not in a position to set conditions”.
Biden said to the New York Times this week it was “going to be hard” but “the last goddamn thing we need in that part of the world is a build-up of nuclear capability”.
On Wednesday, December 2, Iran’s parliament passed a bill that would prevent UN inspections of its nuclear sites and require the government to resume enriching uranium to 20% – well above the 3.67% agreed under the deal – if sanctions were not eased within two months.
Uranium enriched to a much higher level can be used in a nuclear bomb, though once 20% has been achieved it is technologically easier to reach that required level of purity.
Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had more than 12 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted under the Nuclear deal agreement
The draw for the UEFA Nations League semi-finals has been conducted, with the top four best teams in Europe set to battle for ultimate glory.
On Thursday night, December 4, European football governing body, UEFA announced that World Cup holders France will play against world number one Belgium while semi-final hosts Italy will face Spain in October 2021 for the Nations League Semi finals.
Milan and Turin will host the last four event, UEFA announced.
The winners of the semis will then meet in Milan three days later on October 10, with the third-place play-off unfolding in Turin upon the same date.
The second semi-final brings neighbours France and Belgium together for the first time since the former emerged victorious in their pulsating World Cup semi-final encounter in Russia two years ago in 2018.
Portugal emerged as winners in last year’s inaugural Nations League finals following a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands, thanks to a Goncalo Guedes finish.
US leader, Donald Trump, talked during a Christmas reception at the White House on Tuesday night, December 1, 2020, about spending four more years in office — whether he was referring to January 2021 or January 2025, he didn’t clarify.
Trump lost his bid for a second term in the November 2020 presidential elections but has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden even though he has formally allowed his administration officials to allow the president elect’s team to begin transition.
According to reports, Trump could hold an event possibly on Inauguration Day where he will reveal his future plans as he is expected to hint at a run for 2024, leaving the door open to a comeback campaign.
Trump maintains an incredible grip on the Republican Party as GOP lawmakers have not yet recognized Joe Biden as the President-elect.
Reports from Washigton indicate Trump could announce a 2024 run when he does finally acknowledge the results even though he will dismiss the 2020 race as fraudulent.
“It’s been an amazing four years,” Trump told the room, filled with many people not wearing masks despite public health officials’ guidance amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to CNN.
“We are trying to do another four years. Otherwise, I’ll see you in four years.” Trump added.
Trump again wrongly insisted he had won the election, saying, “But they don’t like that.” He also asked if people were watching the “fraud hearings” with his legal team — referring to acts by his attorney Rudy Giuliani has held with state legislatures in challenging the results of the election.
“Honestly, this is a disgrace,” Trump told the room.
If Trump runs in 2024 his supporters like the vice president Mike Pence, Secretary of state Mike Pompeo, former UN ambassador Nicki Halsey and even friend Kanye West could turn against him as they all want to contest for presidency in 2024.
In an interview on Sunday, Nobember 29, Trump admitted that even if Biden enters office, he will remain unconvinced he lost.
Trump told reporters last week that he’d already decided what he was doing on Inauguration Day. “I’ll be honest, I know the answer, but I just don’t want to say it yet,” he said.
As the world continues to await a cure for the novel Coronavirus, the International Criminal Police Organisation INTERPOL has alleged that some criminal minds have concluded plans to sell fake COVID19 vaccines to Nigeria and other countries in search for the treatment of the viral disease.
The need for a COVID19 vaccine has become more urgent globally and nationally with Nigeria recording over 67,000 COVID-19 infections and over 1,000 associated fatalities. The World Health Organisation has identified 49 “candidate vaccines” at the stage of clinical trials in humans by mid-November, up from 11 in mid-June.
In a statement released today December 2, INTERPOL’s Secretary-General, Jurgen Stock, said some criminals have started advertising and selling fake COVID-19 and flu vaccine online.
In the statement titled, ‘INTERPOL warns of organized crime threat to COVID-19 vaccines’, Jurgen said
“As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains. Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives.
It is essential that law enforcement is as prepared as possible for what will be an onslaught of all types of criminal activity linked to the COVID-19 vaccine, which is why INTERPOL has issued this global warning.”
Manchester United lost at home to PSG as they failed to secure a place in the Champions League last 16 with a game left to spare on Wednesday night, December 2, 2020.
United went into the game at Old Trafford knowing a draw would be enough to seal their passage to the next phase of the competition with a game to spare, but goals from Neymar and Marquinhos secured a much-needed win for the away side who were lucky to still be in the game before Fred was red carded in controversial circumstances in the second half.
United made three changes from the team that beat Southampton at the weekend, with Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani coming in for Nemanja Matic, Donny van de Beek and Mason Greenwood.
Neymar opened the scoring in the first half as Man United coached by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer came back into the game and equalised when Marcus Rashford’s strike deflected past the wrong-footed Keylor Navas.
Martial then missed an open chance after the halftime break before the crossbar denied Cavani a stunning chip goal effort.
United’s failure to capitalise was punished when Marquinhos scored after a corner effort that would have been ruled offside if Cavani had followed his teammates to play offside.
Fred one of United’s best players this season starting their last 9 games, was shown a second yellow card in the second half and United couldn’t find a leveller before Neymar made it 3-1 at the dying minutes of the match.
The result means Manchester United face a tense evening in Germany next week after failing to secure their passage to the last 16 of the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain.
Solskjaer reacting post-match to the loss said;
“It was a very good game which deserved fans,” he told BT Sport.
“With a bit more clinical finishing we should have finished the game. They were there for the taking [at one stage].
“We had some big chances. The difference when you get to the big games is the clinical moments.
“If Marquinhos had bigger studs on he’d have been offside. It’s marginal. You can’t really put your finger on the deciding factors.”
Watch the videos below.
Neymar is first to the deflection and fires home the opener for PSG at Man United! #UCL
Former French president, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who became a champion of European integration in the early 1970s, has died at the age of 94 after contracting Covid-19.
Giscard, who served as France’s leader from 1974 to 1981, had recently been hospitalised in Tours with respiratory problems and was released only to return back to the hospital in mid-November.
He died at his family home nearby after suffering from complications linked to the virus, according to a statement issued by the foundation he had set up and chaired.
“His state of health had worsened and he died as a consequence of Covid-19,” his family said in a statement to AFP.
The Foundation Valéry Giscard d’Estaing tweeted: “In accordance with his wishes, his funeral will take place in the strictest family intimacy.”
Giscard was known for steering the modernisation of French society during his presidency, including allowing divorce by mutual consent and legalising abortion.
He was elected president at 48, coming to power after years of Gaullist rule, and sought to liberalise the economy and social attitudes. He wascredited with launching major projects including France’s high-speed TGV train network.
The head of President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party in parliament, Christophe Castaner, said: “His modern and resolutely progressive policies … will long mark his legacy.”
Hong Kong media tycoon, Jimmy Lai, was remanded into custody on Thursday December 3, after being charged with fraud over a charge relating to the illegal use of his company’s premises.
Lai is the owner of Hong Kong tabloid and founder of Next Digital Media which publishes Apple Daily, a well-read tabloid that is frequently critical of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese leadership. He will be held on remand until his next court date in April next year.
He and two Next Digital Media executives were charged on Wednesday night when making a regular reporting appearance to police over their previous arrests in August under the national security law.
The executives, chief operating officer Royston Chow Tat-Kuen, and chief administrative officer Wong Wai-Keung were released on bail on Thursday, while Lai was denied bail because he was deemed an “absconding risk”, according to local reports.
The trio are accused of breaching land-lease terms by misusing Next Digital’s office space in Tseung Kwan O for other purposes.
It comes a day after three prominent pro-democracy activists, Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam were jailed for their activism.
white man who joins the Nigerian Police Force sparked reaction on social media, after his photo surface onlline.
According to the report, the white man married a Nigerian woman and relocated to the country several years ago. He is said to be the first white man to join the force.
He became a citizen after spending several years in Nigeria and welcomed two kids, a boy, and a girl here as well.
Photos of the man in police uniform were shared online, and many people who found it unusual took to the comment section to react. See the photos below:
According to the Nation reports, the bullion vans were impounded by the police in Lagos for moving cash without security escorts.
The bullion vans, intercepted by operatives attached to the Area J command, Ajah, were said to be loaded with money belonging to commercial banks.
Lagos Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu had counseled officials of banks and cash-in-transit (CIT) to always observe standing operating procedures to prevent security breaches, the vans, linked to bankers’ warehouse, proceeded without security to much large sums of money.
Sources told The Nation that the vans were impounded by Area Commander, ACP Gbolahan Olugbemi for violating approved standard species escort procedure which include an escort vehicle in front and at the back with minimum of four mobile policemen in each vehicle.
“At the time of arrest, the bullion vans were without escort vehicle which has been their usual practice. One was found in Ajah and another in Lekki,” a source said
A mum, Teah Vincent, 32, allegedly lured two 14-year old boys to her home and had sex with one of them, a court has heard.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, Teah Vincent, enticed the boys inside her house by urging them to come for a glass of water after seeing them play football near her home in Woolaston, Gloucestershire.
She then invited one of the boys to her bedroom then stripped off her clothes and initiated sex with him, Gloucester Crown Court was told.
Vincent, a mum of three, admits having sex with the boy on October 21, 2018, but maintains she believed he was over 16 at the time.
Prosecutor Christopher Smyth told the jury that the two boys had spent that afternoon playing football in the grounds of Woolaston Memorial Hall.
At around 5pm Vincent, offered the two of them a glass of water back at her place, the prosecutor said.
Mr Smyth said: “They sat down at the kitchen table. Vincent said she thought she knew one of them and said to him that she understood he had a child on the way. He told her he was only 14 and was still at school.
“The three of them talked about school life for some while before the subject was changed to Vincent talking about her body.
“She said that she covered up quickly and put on clothes as quickly as she could.
“She then moved the conversation to talk about sex. The slightly older boy felt that Vincent was coming onto the younger one but he felt the situation was lost on him.
“She then invited the younger boy upstairs. He went up thinking there would be a television or some other gaming device while his friend remained downstairs in the kitchen.
“Vincent then took the boy into her bedroom and told him to sit down on the bed. She left the room and reappeared a few moments later having removed her clothes.”
The court heard she “pulled him back onto the bed” and initiated sex with him.
Mr Smyth added: “The boy had a strong feeling that the situation was not right.
“He knew he was under age and that there was a big age gap between them as she was more than twice his age.
In the end he pushed her off, got dressed and ran downstairs.
Prosecutor Christopher Smyth added: “In the end he pushed her off, got dressed and fled downstairs. The victim’s friend said that he’d heard sexual sounds coming down the stairs.
“He felt awkward and he left the house for a short while before returning. He said that he felt his friend had been an idiot.”
A girl who is a mutual friend of the boys’, said the victim had been an ‘absolute idiot’ and she advised him to tell his parents.
Three days later the girl, with two others, went round to see the victim and his mother. The mum then went to see Vincent at her home address.
Mr Smyth added: “When Vincent opened the door the mother said ‘What the hell is this I hear about you having sex with a 14-year-old? That’s my son’.”
The father of the victim’s friend also went around to see Vincent to warn her off seeing the young boys in the area.
The court was told that when Vincent was arrested on October 26 she told a police officer she thought the boy was a lot older.
Vincent stated “Both youths told me they were 16 years old,” but she declined to answer any other questions.
The prosecutor told the jury there was no dispute that sexual intercourse had taken place, but the defendant argued she didn’t know he was a teenager.
Catherine Flint, defending, said: “Vincent had previously spoken to the older boy when he told her he was 18.
“Once the pair were inside the house, she says, the alleged victim told her he was 16.”
The jury heard the victim’s police interview in which he said: “She invited me upstairs and I thought she had a gaming system or television. It was only me she invited. My friend stayed downstairs.
“She asked me to sit on the bed and left the room for a short while. When she returned she was naked.”
Vincent then initiated sex with him,the court heard.
The boy added: “My mother went to see her a few days later and challenged her. She told her that the police needed to be involved.
Vincent has pleaded not guilty to having sexual intercourse with the boy knowing that he was under the age of 16 at the time.
A Russian Vogue model has been charged with stabbing her husband to death with a kitchen knife in a jealous rage.
26-year-old Lilia Sudakova faces up to 15 years in jail in Russia after being accused of killing Sergey Popov, 28 after he ‘flirted’ with a woman who he had brought home from a bar.
It was alleged that was ‘jealous’ and ‘outraged’ by her husband’s decision, sparking a row which resulted in the death of Sergey who was stabbed in the heart.
But her mother Irena Sudakova, 48, claims the model was the longtime victim of domestic abuse, and that she had acted in self-defence when stabbing Popov.
After the stabbing, Sudakova whose modelling name is Lila Sudakova immediately called an ambulance, and Popov was rushed to hospital where he died.
Reports said she confessed to knifing her husband of four years and told investigators it was due to jealousy after he flirted with the woman.
She has been charged with manslaughter and detained in pretrial custody for two months.
The suspect’s mother told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that a drunk Popov had brought home a woman he met at a bar and expected his wife to cook for them.
He had grabbed her hair strongly and kicked her in the legs, said the mother, citing another witness in the flat. He retreated but returned as she was cutting vegetables for a salad.
‘He grabbed her by the hair,’ the mother said. ‘At that moment, she waved him away and accidentally stuck a knife into him.’
It was an ‘irresistible impulse’, and at first she thought the heart wound was ‘just a cut’, she said.
‘When the witness came (into then kitchen), he saw how it was. My daughter was shaking all over.’
The mother said: ‘Lilia is a victim, it was self-defence. This was such a sick love. It all happened by accident, it was an accident.’
She said that Popov had repeatedly beaten Lilia when he was drunk.
Her son-in-law was ‘smart’, ‘mesmerising with his mind’ and a computer genius, but he was an ‘alcoholic’ who could be ‘an arrogant snob’ and she had witnessed him beating Lilia.
‘My daughter was completely sober,’ she said, claiming the law is biased against victims of domestic abuse in Russia.
‘Here [in Russia] self-defense is considered only when a man rushes at you with an axe,’ the mother said.
‘The fact that he beat her before, that he was despotic, this does not bother anyone.
‘Nobody takes into account the nuances. She wasn’t aiming (the knife). She did it accidentally, he died.
‘I don’t know how my daughter will live with the knowledge of what she has done. She is vulnerable, it will bring her down.
‘Hopefully, there are chances of a minimum suspended sentence (because) this is all so unfair.”
The model’s friend, stylist Karolina Pavlovskaya, also said Lilia had been a victim of abuse.
‘She was a broken-down girl with a beautiful appearance, but emptiness inside,’ she said.
The model, famous for her natural ginger hair has appeared on the cover of Russian Vogue and in magazines in Italy, China, and Japan. Her face was used to advertise a Russian clothes brand.
Former Morocco international, Mohamed Abarhoun has tragically died from stomach cancer at the age of 31.
The defender had been diagnosed in February while playing for Turkish top-flight side Caykur Rizespor.
In a statement, the club said: ‘We have learned with sadness the news of the death of our former football player Mohamed Abarhoun, who has been receiving treatment for a while.
“We wish Allah’s mercy to Mohamed Abarhoun, who passed away, and our condolences to his family, relatives and community.”
Abarhoun spent seven years playing in Morocco for Moghreb Tetouan, where he won two league titles. He then moved to Portugal to play for Moreirense in 2017 before completing a switch to Caykur Rizespor two years later.
At the international level, the defender helped Morocco’s under-23 side qualify for the 2012 Olympics and went onto play twice at the Games in London.
He also played for Morocco at the 2014 African Nations Championship, the tournament for locally-based players.
Selena Gomez is reportedly dating NBA star, Jimmy Butler.
The 28-year-old pop star was recently spotted out enjoying a romantic dinner with the Miami Heat player, 31, according to the Miami Herald and various eyewitness accounts on social media.
In a note shared on Twitter, an “NBA insider” wrote: “Jimmy butler and selena gomez weird couple man. Sources: Dude just trust me.”
Instagram gossip page, Deuxmoi also posted a conversation where someone claimed Selena, 28, was spotted with Miami Heat’s Jimmy, 31, at the French restaurant Lucien in New York City.
“Seemed like a date,” one message said, before adding: “100% sure they were there together. Obvi I can’t speak to if it was ACTUALLY a date, but they were there together.”
The social media account later noted that Jimmy’s baby mama Kaitlin Nowak, with whom he shares 1-year-old daughter Rylee, unfollowed Selena on Instagram after rumours of the singer’s relationship with the NBA star.
Selena Gomez was previously dated on-and-off beau Justin Bieber as well as The Weeknd for nearly a year before splitting in 2017, and then was briefly linked to Niall Horan in 2019.
The Heat player has also been linked to Canadian actress Shay Mitchell after the two were spotted having lunch together in Beverly Hills in 2016.
Harry Styles has mocked those who trolled his iconic Vogue cover by eating a banana while wearing a frilly suit.
The 25-year-old sparked controversy by wearing dresses in his shoot for Vogue.
One of those who called him out is right-wing pundit Candace Owens who slammed him for wearing a dress and said it was time to “bring back manly men”.
She tweeted at the time: “There is no society that can survive without strong men.
“The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminisation of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.”
Harry turned their criticisms around by using it as a caption to a post.
In the post shared to Instagram, the singer wore a powder blue blazer over a white frilled shirt, featuring pleated cuffs, and matching trousers.
Harry ate a banana in the picture, shot by Parker Woods for Variety, and captioned it: “Bring back manly men.”
The picture was part of a shoot to accompany Harry’s interview with Variety, in which he also ate a pomegranate and wore a pale pink silk blouse by Gucci and a pearl necklace.
In the interview, the former One Direction star addressed his style choices and took pride in his Vogue shoot, saying: “To not wear something because it’s female’ clothing, you shut out a whole world of great clothes.
“And I think what’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It does’t have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred.”
Harry is known for his eclectic and androgynous style, and in his Vogue shoot, he wore skirts and dresses as well as traditionally masculine trousers and shirts.
Admitting he always liked dressing up as a child, Harry said: “Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. What’s really exciting is that all of these lines are just kind of crumbling away.
“When you take away ‘There’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play. I’ll go in shops sometimes, and I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing.
“It’s like anything—anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself. There’s so much joy to be had in playing with clothes. I’ve never really thought too much about what it means—it just becomes this extended part of creating something.”
10 pregnant girl and some kids have been rescued by the Ogun state police command from a baby factory at Ofada, Mowe, Obafemi-Owode LGA.
While the operator of the factory, Mrs Florence Ogbonna reportedly fled during the raid on Tuesday December 1, her daughter and a physically challenged man were arrested.
The physically challenged man is allegedly responsible for impregnating the young girls and after delivery, their babies were sold by Mrs Ogbonna who was arrested for similar offence and is standing trial for human trafficking.
Ogun police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi said the young expectant mothers aged 18 to 24 years, were transported from Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states with a promise of securing employment for them but later lured into the illicit trade.
The raid was conducted at the baby factory owned by the woman who is under court bail, after one of the victims resisted the plan to put her baby for sale, escaped and reported the illicit trade to the police.
The lady identified as Chidera Onuoha, revealed that she reported to the police after the fleeing woman wanted to sell her baby. On how much the babies cost, she said;
“If the baby is a boy, they sell it for N250,000. If it’s a girl, it is N200,000.”
Forbes has named Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Africa Person of the Year 2020.
Forbes Africa tweeted on Tuesday, Dec 1: “The 2020 #AfricanOftheYear Award honoree is…Congratulations to Dr. @NOlweala! Board Chair @Gavi; Board Chair @ARCapicity, gracing the cover of @forbesafrica.”
Reacting, Okonjo-Iweala, who is set to become the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organisation in its 25-year history, said she is thrilled.
She tweeted, “Thrilled to be named Forbes Africa-CNBC ‘2020 African of the Year’ following in the footsteps of my great brothers Paul Kagame and Akin Adesina.”
In 2019, Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), won the award for his outstanding work at the bank and a sterling career in agriculture and finance.
Paul Kagame of Rwanda won the same award in 2018.
Other eminent Nigerians to have bagged the award are former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Muhammad Sanusi II (2011) and Aliko Dangote (2014).
Following the arrest of a former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrashid Abdullahi Maina in Niamey, Niger Republic, the Nigeria Police Force says it is perfecting his extradition processes to Nigeria to enable him face trial in pending criminal proceedings against him.
Abdulrashid Maina, who was declared wanted by a court of competent jurisdiction, was arrested last night, 30th November 2020 through the collaborative efforts of the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, INTERPOL NCB, Abuja and their Nigerien counterpart.
A statement released by the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force NPF, Frank Mba, says Maina is currently in a detention facility in Niger Republic awaiting the completion of the extradition processes.
In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, December 1, Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department hasn’t found evidence to support allegations of widespread fraud that could have changed the result of last month’s presidential election.
The comments from Barr, who has been steadfast in his support of President Donald Trump during his tenure, represent the latest official rebuke from Republicans of the President’s claims of widespread fraud in his loss to Joe Biden.
“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election,” Barr said.
Barr, who prior to the election echoed Trump’s claims that mail-in voting wasn’t secure, said both the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have looked into claims of fraud and come up empty.
“There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results,” Barr said. “And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that.”
Donald Trump’s personal “fixer”, William Barr has said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the US presidential election as Trump claims.
In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, December 1, Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department hasn’t found evidence to support allegations of widespread fraud that could have changed the result of last month’s presidential election.
The comments from Barr, who has been steadfast in his support of President Donald Trump during his tenure, represent the latest official rebuke from Republicans of the President’s claims of widespread fraud in his loss to Joe Biden.
“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election,” Barr said.
Barr, who prior to the election echoed Trump’s claims that mail-in voting wasn’t secure, said both the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have looked into claims of fraud and come up empty.
“There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results,” Barr said. “And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that.”
Real Madrid head coach, Zinedine Zidane, has insisted that he will not resign, despite another poor performance from his side in a 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night, December 1, 2020.
Real Madrid’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League last 16 are now in doubt after the match completed a shocking win for the Ukranians over Madrid, weeks after losing 3-2 at home to Shakhtar.
Zidane could be asked by the Madrid hierarchy if results don’t improve with Madrid now having lost three of their last five matches.
But he has bullishly said he will not be stepping down.
“I am not going to resign – not at all,” he said following Tuesday’s defeat.“We have always had delicate moments. It is true that it is a bad streak in terms of results, but we must continue. Today was a final, we prepared very well, but we know there is a game to go and we have to win and that’s it.”
“I believe in the players and of course I have strength. The other day against Alaves we did not deserve to win but today we did. There is no choice but to work and continue so that the good results return.”
After their defeat to Shakhtar, Madrid have conceded nine goals in five Champions League group-stage games, their worst defensive record at this stage in the competition’s history.
But Zidane is optimistic.
“It is a difficult moment but I am convinced that we are going to bring out our character because we have to win the next game,”
Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock is reportedly seeking $436k spousal and child support in their divorce.
The American talk show host and singer filed for divorce from Blackstock in June, citing “irreconcilable differences” after nearly seven years of marriage. The pair share daughter River, 6, and son Remington Alexander, 4.
Clarkson, 38, recently was awarded primary custody of their two kids.
One of the latest court filings shows that Blackstock is now seeking $436,000 in monthly support from the singer.
According to TMZ, $301,000 of the total Blackstock is asking for would be for spousal support, while the remaining $135,000 would cover child support.
Blackstock, 43, is also asking for $2 million to cover attorneys’ fees, multiple outlets report.
The six-figure monthly request reportedly comes amid a vicious battle regarding the custody between the exes. The court presiding over the divorce case recently ruled that the “level of conflict between the parents has increased.”
Documents specifically claimed Clarkson and her estranged ex are dealing with co-parenting problems stemming from “issues of trust,” People magazine reported on Monday.
Following Clarkson’s win of primary custody, Blackstock can visit their son and daughter in Los Angeles and he also will be allowed to video chat with them every day. He will also be able to spend Dec. 19 through Christmas at 2 p.m. with the kids before Clarkson will then reunite with them through the end of New Year’s.
The UK has taken a major step by becoming the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
The move comes a day after Pfizer/BioNTech submitted their approval applications to the European Medicines Agency (EMA),
British regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe for rollout.
The UK has already ordered 40m doses – enough to vaccinate 20m people, with two shots each. Around 10m doses should be available soon.
According to BBC, immunizations could start within days for people in high priority groups.
Pfizer said it would immediately begin shipping limited supplies to the U.K. and has been gearing up for even wider distribution if given a similar nod by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a decision expected as early as next week.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the U.K. decision “a historic moment.”
“We are focusing on moving with the same level of urgency to safely supply a high-quality vaccine around the world,” Bourla said in a statement.
“This is an extraordinarily strong protection,” Dr. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech’s CEO, recently told The Associated Press.
Pfizer and BioNTech reported final trial results on 18 November that showed its vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19, with no major safety concerns.
The companies also reported no serious side effects, although vaccine recipients may experience temporary pain and flu-like reactions immediately after injections.
British regulators also are considering another shot made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned: “we must first navigate a hard winter” of restrictions to try to curb the virus until there’s enough vaccine to go around.
The Japanese Government has confirmed that all of its residents will get free coronavirus vaccines under a bill passed on Wednesday, December 2, as the nation battles record numbers of daily cases.
The bill, which says the government will cover all vaccine costs for Japan’s 126 million residents, was approved by the upper house of parliament, having cleared the powerful lower house.
According to reports, Japan has secured Covid-19 vaccines for 60 million people from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, and for a further 25 million people from biotech firm Moderna.
It was also reported that the country will receive 120 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
The bill’s passage comes two weeks after Japan’s prime minister said the country was on “maximum alert” over the virus, and as medics warn hospitals are on the brink of collapse.
Japan has recorded around 2,100 deaths with over 150,000 cases since the first case was confirmed. But it is now facing a third wave of the disease, reporting record numbers of daily infections nationwide in recent weeks.
Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike has urged residents to avoid non-essential outings and asked businesses serving alcohol to shut early.
The funeral of former Ghanaian president, Jerry John Rawlings, will be held on December 23, his family has announced.
James Victor Gbeho, head of the funeral planning committee, said in a press release that the family in consultation with the government had agreed on the date.
The funeral rites for the country’s longest-serving head of state will take place at Independence Square in Accra.
Mr Gbeho said, “The family is working in conjunction with government on the finer details of the funeral ceremony and will communicate the arrangements in due course.”
The former President died on Thursday, November 12, 2020, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra after a short illness.
Late Rawlings ruled Ghana from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected president of Ghana. When it failed, he was imprisoned, publicly court-martialed, and sentenced to death.
After initially handing power over to a civilian government, he took back control of the country on 31 December 1981 as the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). He then resigned from the military, founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and became the first president of the Fourth Republic.
He was re-elected in 1996 for four more years. After two terms in office, the limit according to the Ghanaian constitution, Rawlings endorsed his vice-president John Atta Mills as a presidential candidate in 2000.
An influencer and her six-month-old baby were tied up and held at knifepoint in a £400,000 robbery, after flaunting valuables on social media.
So Mei-yan, 25, went through the terrifying ordeal at her Hong Kong home, when six men barged into her home.
They tied her and her baby up then tied up her 45-year-old carer as well, while rummaging through the house on Tuesday morning, December 1, at 11am.
After pushing the three into one room, the robbers fled with nearly half a million pounds of goods.
Local Chinese media reports she said she had been “woken up by noise in the living room,” and that “when I went out of my bedroom to check, three men were already inside my flat.”
In a statement released by the police, it read: “As the doorbell rang, the maid opened the door and three men rushed into the unit.”
Mei-yan had been sleeping in the master bedroom while her son was with the carer in the living room, reports The Sun.
When the robbers came in, they rubbed her son’s head which prompted her to tell them to stop and take whatever they want.
The three were then tied up with adhesive tape and pushed into the room with one robber, who kept watch while the other two ransacked the place.
However, they became increasingly frustrated when they could not find cash and punched Mei-yan in the face, she says.
She added: “One of them returned and pulled my hair asking where I put my money.”
In the end they took luxury items.
Police said, “Ten handbags, seven watches, a laptop computer, and two mobile phones were stolen in the incident.
“The haul is worth about HK$3.6 million.”
The robbers were captured on CCTV cameras and are thought to have planned the attack.
After the robbery, Mei-yan said: “I never beat my son, but [the robbers] dared to beat him. Let’s see what will happen.
“I already gave them everything they wanted but they still beat me, my helper and my son.
“The three men are so useless that they can only rob women and kids.
“They even beat a six-month-old baby boy, how shameless are they?”
She also blamed her building’s management company and said: “I’ve told the security guards 10 million times not to let anyone in without my permission.
“But they still allowed these three weird men in caps and masks to go upstairs.”
The Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the killing the over 43 farmers in Zabarmari area of Borno state last weekend.
In a new three minutes 37-second video released online, the sect members said they carried out the attack because the farmers arrested one of its members and handed him to the Nigerian military.
“You think you can nab our brother and hand him to soldiers and live in peace,” a masked commander of the group asked in the video. You think Allah will forget what you have done to our brother”a masked commander of the groupasked
The commander also swore that those who have arrested Boko Haram terrorists or have been spying on them and have not repented will be given the same treatment.
“The third message is on those who notoriously nab our brethren and hand them to the military or give them a clue on us. You should know that, unless you repent, what happened to your people is awaiting you.” he warned
On Saturday, November 28, the sect members stormed the rice farmland and killed over 43 farmers. They tied their hands before beheading them one after the other.
Rihanna is dating her longtime friend, rapper A$AP Rocky after months of romance rumors, according to PEOPLE.
The news comes after the pair, both 32, were spotted having dinner with friends at the Beatrice Inn in New York over the weekend.
A source told The Sun : “They shared a hotel suite during that trip in New York. However, Rihanna is reluctant to put a label on it as it’s so soon after Hassan.
“They’re really enjoying each other’s company and taking things easy as it’s still early days.”
The couple has sparked romance rumors since Rihanna split from her boyfriend of three years, billionaire Hassan Jameel, in January. Then, The Sun reported that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky had been seeing each other, but a source told E! that she was still single.
In July, Rihanna featured the “Everyday” rapper in her Fenty Skin campaign. The duo did several interviews together to promote the collaboration.
In videos for GQ and Vogue featuring the two, Rihanna and A$AP answered several questions including how they take care of their skin.
“My skin type is just as complicated as men are,” Rihanna jokingly said when A$AP Rocky asked about her skin type for Vogue. “Y’all always try to say women are complicated [but] it’s y’all!”
When Rihanna asked the rapper what his own skin is like, he answered: “Handsome.”
In the GQ video, the rapper also revealed the “hardest part” about working with Rihanna.
“I think the hardest part about working with you is not goofin’ off and laughing the whole time. Like this s— is comedy,” he said. “That’s the hardest part. You know, people be so cool it’s hard not to, not to laugh. That’s all. But it was fun. The hardest part is not having too much fun. You just forget that it’s still work at the end of the day.”
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna who have been friends for a while now, were also seen attending a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris back in 2018.
The rapper has previously dated celebrities such as Kendall Jenner in 2017 and Brazilian model Daiane Sodré last year.
A female student who collapsed at home on her 22nd birthday has been given just 18 months to live after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Beautiful Amani was rushed to Luton and Dunstable Hospital on April 29, her 22nd birthday, after collapsing at home.
She spent four days there, before being transferred to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at Queen Square, London, for a biopsy.
She spent a further eight days there, during which time she had numerous scans and surgery which left her with 15 staples in her head.
Due to Covid restrictions, she had to deal with not seeing her family and difficult conversations with medical professionals all by herself.
“Two days later, we were given the news that Amani’s tumour was a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with H3K27 mutation – which was cancerous and inoperable.” Her dad said.
The tumour, a diffuse midline glioma, is resistant to conventional treatment, with its location being so deep in the brain that doctors concluded surgery was not an option.
Following a biopsy, Amani began the usual treatment protocol for this type of tumor which includes six weeks of radiotherapy followed by low-dose chemotherapy, which she was due to begin in August.
But within weeks an MRI scan revealed the tumour had already grown, and the chemotherapy was stopped.
Doctors then told her she has between 12 to 18 months to live.
Her heartbroken family, from Luton, Bedfordshire, UK, have been battling to raise funds for treatment. They have now spoken of the diagnosis saying it has been “the most gruelling time any of us have ever experienced”.
Her dad, Khuram Liaquat, jetted out to Germany in the midst of the pandemic to collect three months’ worth of an expensive drug that could prolong his daughter’s life.
The drug, known as ONC201, has shown promising results in the treatment of Amani’s disease but it costs £4,000 a month and, if effective, will require long-term use.
According to the dad, the cost for a year’s medication, plus medical consultations is almost £50,000 – more than what Amani’s family can afford.
Her parents set up a JustGiving page to help them fund the life-prolonging treatment for their daughter.
And, to the surprise of her family, the page has raised £100,000 in just 24 hours.
Khuram said: “It was utterly devastating to be advised that Amani’s chemo should be stopped but we were even more determined to fight on.
“Treatment options in the UK for glioblastomas are very limited.
“In discussions with her medical team at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, we decided the best way forward would be to access a new trial drug, ONC201.”
Khuram added: “The implications of a brain tumour diagnosis are far more wide reaching than one can imagine.
“Amani was studying for her Masters with a view to pursue her dream of becoming a social worker having graduated with a first-class degree in law.
“Her whole life was turned upside down in a matter of a month.
“Her studies were halted, her dreams of a fulfilling career shattered, and her fiancé decided he no longer wanted to go ahead with their planned September wedding.
“Helpless and heartbroken, we have watched our daughter decline physically, neurologically, mentally and emotionally.
“We know through our own research that there are a number of other Phase II drugs, such as Paxalisib and VAL083 which have shown promising results in aggressive glioblastomas.
“Surely patients with such aggressive brain cancers should be able to access these drugs on a compassionate basis at least once standard of care has been completed and shown to be ineffective?
“Very quickly we have had to privately fund the majority of Amani’s lifesaving treatment.
“It’s hard to describe just how frustrating this is and how desperate our situation has felt at times.”
“We have set up an Instagram page, @Fight4Amani, for anyone who is interested in following our journey.”
Khuram, who flew out to Germany to collect an initial three months’ worth of the drug, said: “We will always be forever grateful to everyone who donated and supported our campaign.
“Amani will continue to take it for as long as she can tolerate it.
“But I can’t help but think of other families who, like us, are having to somehow find the money to do this.
“We are all under enough stress without having to coordinate fundraising campaigns for life-prolonging drugs.”
Amani’s parents are now working with the charity, Brain Tumour Research to share their story, in order to help raise awareness of the disease which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
Diego Maradona’s surgeon responded to the launch of an investigation for involuntary manslaughter by saying he did “everything he could, up to the impossible” for an “unmanageable” patient.
Earlier in the day prosecutors in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, said they were investigating Leopoldo Luque while Argentine television showed police raiding the doctor’s surgery and home.
A statement from the prosecutors’ office later said they had begun analysing material gathered and clarified that “no decisions have been made at the moment regarding the procedural situation of any person.”
The probe was triggered by concerns raised by Maradona’s daughters Dalma, Gianinna and Jana over the treatment he received for his heart condition at his home in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, judicial sources said.
Maradona died of a heart attack on Wednesday aged 60, and was buried on Thursday at the Jardin de Paz cemetery on the outskirts of the Argentine capital.
“Our investigations are ongoing, we are talking to witnesses including members of the family” of Maradona, a source close to the San Isidro inquiry said.
“The clinic had recommended that he go elsewhere to be hospitalised, but the family decided otherwise. His daughters signed for him to be discharged from the hospital,” said a family member, on the condition of anonymity.
Later in the day, Luque, who is no relation to Maradona’s former Argentina team-mate of the same name, gave an emotional televised news conference.
“You want to know what I am responsible for?” the 39-year-old doctor asked between sobs. “For having loved him, for having taken care of him, for having extended his life, for having improved it to the end.”
Luque said he did “everything he could, up to the impossible” and considered himself a “friend” of Maradona and saw him “as a father, not as a patient”.
Luque had posted a photograph of himself with Maradona when the former player left hospital on November 12, eight days after the doctor operated to remove a brain blood clot. Maradona returned home to Tigre where he received round-the-clock medical care and could remain close to his daughters.
“He should have gone to a rehabilitation centre. He didn’t want to,” said Luque who called Maradona “unmanageable”.
– ‘Nothing to hide’ –
Luque said he did not know why there was no defibrillator in case of a heart attack in Maradona’s home in Tigre, and made clear that the home care was not his responsibility.
“I am a neurosurgeon,” said Luque.
“I am the person who has been taking care of him. I’m proud of everything I’ve done. I have nothing to hide. I am at the disposal of justice.”
Maradona’s lawyer, Matias Morla, had called for an investigation into claims that ambulances took more than half an hour to reach the football star’s house in response to an emergency call on the day of his death.
Luque said an ambulance should have been parked outside.
“A psychiatrist had asked that there should always be an ambulance in front of his house. I don’t know who is responsible for the fact that there was no ambulance,” Luque said.
Diego “was very sad, he wanted to be alone, and it’s not because he didn’t love his daughters, his family, or those around him,” Luque said. “He was brave.”
A judicial source told AFP that no official complaint has yet been filed.
“The case was initiated because he is a person who died at home and no one signed his death certificate. It does not mean there are suspicions or irregularities,” the source said, requesting to remain anonymous.
A preliminary autopsy report established that Maradona died in his sleep at noon on Wednesday of “acute lung oedema and chronic heart failure”.
The prosecutor’s office is awaiting the results of toxicological tests on Maradona’s body. The three prosecutors working on the case have requested his medical records, as well as recordings from neighbourhood security cameras.
US President-Elect, Joe Biden, is set to announce a Nigerian-born lawyer, Adewale Adeyemo, as deputy Treasury secretary, website, Politico reported on Sunday November 29.
According to the report, Adeyemo’s appointment is one of many key cabinet positions Biden is expected to announce in the coming days as he prepares to start his White House tenure.
Adeyemo, a former senior international economic adviser during the Obama administration, will serve under former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who Biden will reportedly appoint to lead the US Treasury Department.
Born in Nigeria, Adeyemo was raised in California where he obtained a bachelor’s degree before proceeding to Yale Law School.
Before his appointment into the Obama administration, Adeyemo worked as an editor at the Hamilton Project, then served as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to Jack Lew in the United States Department of Treasury.
He later worked as the chief negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and also served as the first chief of staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under former presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren.
In 2015, he was appointed to concurrently serve as Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics and deputy director of the National Economic Council.
When appointed, the 39 year old Nigerian would have occupied the highest level a Nigerian-American has reached in the USA Government in the 244 years history of the United States of America.
Wolves have confirmed that striker Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull and has undergone an operation following his head clash with David Luis against Arsenal on Sunday, November 29.
The Mexican striker was stretchered off after the head clash with Arsenal defender David Luiz and was given oxygen after the accidental incident.
The clash of heads occurred early in the match and resulted in a lengthy delay of around 10 minutes as paramedics and medical staff saw to both players.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 7:27pm today (29 November) to reports of a person injured at Emirates Stadium on Queensland Road, Holloway.
“We sent an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and a medic in car to the scene. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance by car.
“We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre.”
The 29-year-old was taken to a London hospital, where he was conscious and responding to treatment.
In a statement on Monday, Wolves said: “Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital.
“He has since seen his partner Daniela and is now resting. He will remain under observation for a few days while he begins his recovery.
“The club would like to thank the medical staff at Arsenal, the NHS paramedics, hospital staff and surgeons who, through their skill and early response, were of such help.
“The club ask that Raul and his family are now afforded a period of space and privacy, before any further updates are provided in due course.”
US First Lady Melania Trump has unveiled the White House Christmas decorations, with this year’s theme being “American Treasures”.
Melania took to Twitter on Monday November 30, to share photos and a video where she previewed the classic red, gold, and white decorations that fill the staterooms of the White House.
‘During this special time of the year, I am delighted to share ‘America the Beautiful’ and pay tribute to the majesty of our great Nation. Together, we celebrate this land we are all proud to call home,’ the first lady wrote alongside the video.
The 50-year-old donned a $1,060 festive gold lamé shirt from Dries Van Noten, a black pencil skirt, and heels as she walked through the lavish decorations for her final year as the first lady after Donald Trump lost his re-election to Democrat Joe Biden.
A Nigerian man, Hycent Ukwayi proposed to his girlfriend outside the church after the Sunday Mass in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
Mr Ukwayi is said the be the Special Assistant to the Cross River Governor, on Equal Opportunity.
His friends posted photos from the public proposal on Sunday, November 29, with some poking fun at him, saying that the ”Holy Spirit finally arrested him after running away countless times.”
One Ferdinand Akwaji Ayakpo, wrote:
“If God want to catch you, there is nothing anyone can do about it. And for the Holy Spirit to arrest a man in the church is something worthy of note.
“Just as in the case of Jonah and SAUL who later became PAUL, Hycent has evaded arrest countless times but at the appointed time, God did his work and got him converted.
“Brother, may you forever remain a preacher of the gospel and winner of souls for Christ. Receive the grace to live a life worthy of your calling”
Another friend, Mathias Unimke wrote:
“Hello church members, our brother who has been running away from pumping the big question, I prayed for him as Daddy G.O and the holy spirit arrested him to ask that big question and sister said yes. Let’s congratulate them. Hallelujah!! Congratulations husband material Hycent”
President Muhammadu Buhari has again reacted to the killing of 43 rice farmers by Boko Haram insurgents in Zabarmari community of Borno state.
The Nigerian President in a statement released on Monday November 30, said the Armed Forces have been given the marching order to take the fight to the insurgents, not on a one-off, but on a continuous basis.
Buhari who described the massacre by Boko Haram in Zabarmari as senseless, barbaric, gruesome and cowardly, added that the federal government will be intensifying its cooperation with neighbouring countries on bilateral and multilateral levels, to ensure that there is no hiding place for the terrorists.
The statement read;
Nothing is more important than ensuring the security of lives and property of Nigerians. Everything is secondary when security is at stake. I will ensure that more resources are made available to the military and other security agencies to prosecute the war against terrorism.
As we mourn all the lives lost in Zabarmari, the Armed Forces have been given the marching order to take the fight to the insurgents, not on a one-off, but on a continuous basis, until we root out the terrorists.
We will intensify our cooperation with neighbouring countries on bilateral and multilateral levels, to ensure that there is no hiding place for the terrorists.
As I noted earlier, the massacre by Boko Haram in Zabarmari is nothing short of senseless, barbaric, gruesome and cowardly. It reinforces our resolve to root out all forms of insurgency and insecurity not just in Borno but everywhere across Nigeria.
US President-elect, Joe Biden suffered an ankle injury while playing with his pet dog called Major on Saturday, November 28,2020, it has been revealed
According to the office of the President-elect who released the information on Sunday, November 29, Biden twisted his ankle and will undergo further examination.
His office said Sunday that Biden will see a doctor “out of an abundance of caution.”
Biden fractured his right foot while playing with one of his dogs, an injury discovered in a scan Sunday and that will likely require him to wear a boot for several weeks, his doctor said.
Biden visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware, on Sunday afternoon November 29, his office said.
“Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture,” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said in a statement. The subsequent scan found tiny fractures of two small bones in the middle of his right foot, O’Connor said.
Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden rescued Major in 2018, making it the first shelter dog to occupy the White House .
The German Shepherd is their second of two dogs. Biden adopted their first dog called Champ in 2008 when Biden became Barack Obama’s vice president. Champ is also a German Shepherd. The Bidens reportedly want to add a cat to their family.
Trump took to his twitter on Sunday night to wish Biden well after seeing a video of Biden leaving the hospital.
The White House’s current occupants, Trump and Melania, do not have pets.
A Nigerian journalist, David Hundeyin has revealed how Boko Haram was allegedly born in Nigeria.
Hundeyin who accused the north of incubating a monster that is beyond being tamed now, said he lost his sympathy when he worked on origins of violence in the north in 2019.
He tweeted;
When I worked on a report on the origins of violence in the north last year was when I lost all sympathy. They actively incubated a monster that is beyond being tamed now. I’m going to reveal something in this thread that I guarantee most of you have never heard of before.
Are you aware that those in charge of northern Nigeria’s political Islam establishment spent decades pacifying their horrendously poor constituents by promising them the land belonging to northern Christians once Sharia was implemented? Let me give you a background.
Due to monogamous marriage which limits their population expansion, northern Christian land inheritance is largely linear, i.e the number of descendants fighting to inherit land from the father is limited, which gives them economic leverage in an area where land is the only asset
Northern muslims on the other hand, have extremely diluted inheritance because the patriarch can have 4 wives and 17 children, 8 of whom might be male. Simply put, there is not enough land to go round which leads to extreme wealth disparity within Muslim areas.
This is why Sharia was championed by northern political actors and enthusiastically welcomed by northern proles – it was a bone for politicians like Yerima to throw to the masses, and the masses genuinely believed that land belonging to the ‘arne’ would be distributed to them.
Sharia came, and the promised expropriation and redistribution didn’t materialise. Bear in mind that young northern men, contrary to popular belief, actually want more from life than poverty and ruin. The promise of taking over arne property was a REAL source of hope for them.
Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, a charismatic preacher in Maiduguri saw this groundswell of resentment and took advantage of it, cultivating his Salafist group into a political force in Borno state. Boko Haram as at 2007 actually nominated a commissioner to the Borno state cabinet.
The disagreement came when Governor Ali Modu Sheriff refused to follow through on his (politically expedient) promises to Boko Haram, including seizing land belonging to arne and distributing it to economically disenfranchised young Muslim men.
Yusuf went rogue and in July 2009, the Nigeria Police Force got involved the only way it knows how to, extrajudicially executing him in full view of everybody outside the Maiduguri police HQ. Yusuf’s deputy, Abubakar Shekau then took over. And the rest is history.
More than 43 farmers from Zabarmari, a farming community in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State were slaughtered by Boko Haram terrorists.
The incident happened on Saturday, November 28, at Koshebe village, in Mafa Local Government Area while the victims were working in a rice field.
One Mohammed Chiroma from Borno State, shared photos of the victims being recovered from the massacre scene. The photos shows that most of the farmers were beheaded.
The victims were buried on Sunday morning, November 29.
Residents of Zabarmari in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State have claimed that the killing of rice farmers in the community would have been avoided if the Nigerian military had taken action after being informed of the impending attack.
According to Daily Trust, one of the surviving villagers, who gave his name as Abubakar Salihu, said they foresaw danger after they arrested one of the Boko Haram terrorists and handed him to the security operatives.
He said: “We informed military beforehand that our members sighted Boko Haram in large numbers but nothing was done about it.”
“It was a sad day for us in Zabarmari; it could have been averted but the military failed to act on the information we gave them,” he added.
Another rice farmer, Mohammed Alhaji, told the publication that the victims were busy harvesting rice when the insurgents summoned and assembled them.
“It was a deliberate act to ensure that we do not harvest our farm produce. We need the federal government to assist us and secure our lives,” he said.
The Zabarmari attack occurred on Saturday, November 28, as Boko Haram terrorists rounded up farmers on rice fields and slit their throats or beheaded them.
A total of 43 bodies were recovered in one location after the attack. Bodies recovered from other locations have raised the death toll to 110.
The military has not yet responded to the villagers’ claims. However, Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, has blamed the farmers’ deaths on their failure to get military clearance before working on the field.
Garba Shehu said this while speaking to the BBC.
“The truth has to be said. Was there any military clearance from the military who are in total control of the area? Did anybody ask to resume activity?” Shehu said while speaking to BBC ‘Newsday’.
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum has reacted to the killing of rice farmers in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents.
NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi who described the killing as “obnoxious, wicked, unwarranted and morally reprehensible”, added that it raises serious questions on the general security situation in the country and around the capability of the nation’s security architecture.
Noting that the forum would “collectively review these issues” at its next meeting to forge the way forward, Fayemi further stated that Boko Haram has been carrying out attacks each time it seems the situation is getting under control.
He said;
“This sad narrative raises serious questions on the general security situation in the country and around the capability of the nation’s security architecture.
“Since insurgency engulfed the country more than a decade ago, each time it seems like the situation is coming under control, the enemy strikes again. This has happened consistently.
“The farmers were attacked while harvesting their produce totally oblivious of the danger that awaits them in nearby bushes. This method is consistent with the senseless bombings of busy markets, bus stations, schools and abattoirs whenever the terrorists feel overpowered by the security operatives or feel their backs against the wall.
“Governors are concerned that the carnage is degenerating beyond explicable limits, yet again, and the catalogue of destruction is not only seeming to be endless and intractable but it has an adverse effect on everything in the state and the country at large.”
The Northern Governors Forum also condemned the killing of the rice farmers. Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong averred that the entire country was deeply saddened over the killing of the innocent rice farmers who committed no crime except going to the farm to earn a living.
He described it as a great setback to the efforts of Nigeria to attain domestic sufficiency in rice production as well as food security.
Donald Trump is still lamenting his electoral loss to Joe Biden.
The US President has refused to concede to Joe Biden since media agencies projected the Democrat won 306 electoral college votes in the November 3 elections.
Despite losing his legal challenges so far to the electoral results, Trump late Sunday night, November 29, 2020 took to his Twitter page to state that he didnt lose the election.
In all caps, Trump wrote “NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION’ in reaction to a video by Republican Dan Scavino, showing thousands of Trump fans at a campaign rally.
In another tweet, Trump said it was impossible for him to lead the Republican party to gain seats in congress, retain the senate while he’ll be the only one to lose.
He then referred to the November elections as ‘rigged’.
The Iranian chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, assassinated last week Friday, November 27, 2020, in Tehran, was shot by a remote-controlled machine gun operating out of another car, Iran’s Fars News Agency has stated.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, dubbed by Israel as the father of Iran’s nuclear program, died on Friday after being seriously wounded when assailants targeted his car and engaged in a gunfight with his bodyguards outside Tehran.
The assassination comes less than two months before US president-elect Joe Biden is due to take office, after four years of hawkish foreign policy in the Middle East under Donald Trump.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has promised revenge for the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, as Israel and the US have been blamed by Iranian government officials for the killing ..
Fakhrizadeh was the head of the research center of new technology in the elite Revolutionary Guards and was a leading figure in Iran’s nuclear program and different Iranian news sites have given differing accounts of how he was killed.
One report published Sunday, November 29, from Fars News said Fakhrizadeh was traveling with his wife Friday in a bulletproof car, alongside three security personnel vehicles, when he heard bullets like sounds hitting a vehicle, then he exited the car to determine what had happened.
The report added that after he exited the vehicle, a remote-controlled machine gun opened fire from a Nissan placed about 150 meters (164 yards) from Fakhrizadeh’s car.
Fakhrizadeh was hit at least three times, according to Fars News. His bodyguard was also shot. Following the gunfire, the Nissan exploded, Fars News reported, adding the attack lasted three minutes.
In another report by the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Fakhrizadeh’s car was hit by gunfire, followed by an explosion and more gunfire, citing Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami.
“Based on reports received from members of his security detail, Mr. Fakhrizadeh’s vehicle was initially targeted by gunfire, after which a Nissan vehicle laden with explosives was set off in close proximity to them as gunfire, targeting their vehicle, was continuing,” Hatami said, according to ISNA.
Another news site, IRIB, said the explosion happened first, followed by gunfire from attackers.
Seyed Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, compared the assassination to the killing of Qasem Soleimani.
Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike earlier this year in Iraq.
“Undoubtedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a calculated and decisive answer to the criminals who took Martyr Fakhrizadeh,” Kharrazi was quoted as saying.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khameini wrote over the weekend on a Twitter account that often carries his official statments, “Mr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed by the oppressive enemies. This rare scientific mind lost his life for his everlasting great scientific work. He lost his life for God and the supreme leader.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the international community “to end their shameful double standards” and “condemn this act of state terror.”
Zarif added that the attack showed “serious indications of Israeli role.”
Maj. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, Khamenei’s military adviser, tweeted Saturday that “Zionists” are seeking to create “all-out war” and vowed to “descend like lightning” on Fakhrizadeh’s killers.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, promised retaliation, saying during a cabinet meeting Saturday, “The think tanks and the enemies of Iran must know that the Iranian nation and the officials in charge in the country are brave and determined to respond to the murder in time.”
The killing, he said, was carried out at “the filthy hands of oppressors, in concert with the illegitimate Zionist regime.”
The US State Department and International Atomic Energy Agency have said in multiple reports that Fakhrizadeh held deep insight into the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capabilities. In 2018, Netanyahu said Fakhrizadeh was the head of Project Amad, which he and others describe as a secret nuclear weapons endeavor.
“Remember that name, Fakhrizadeh,” the prime minister told reporters at the time.
A video making rounds online captured moment some Turkish police officials stormed a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) building in Istanbul, to arrest members for allegedly flouting COVID-19 social distancing rules.
The Turkish police officers were seen effecting arrests in the viral video as those present questioned why such action will be taken in a church.
A lady who was also heard speaking in the background, expressed gratitude of being one of the lucky ones who escaped from the church.
Facebook user and Istanbul-based entertainer, MC Merriment who shared the video wrote;
