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‘Australian Gigolo’ reveals how he makes $10,000 a month married and single women

An Australian gigolo has opened up on how he rakes in $10,000 a month from sleeping with different women.

Samuel Hunter, from Sydney, says he is often put in five star hotels by his wealthy clients and was even taken on a 10-day trip to Phuket to accompany a woman on an exotic getaway.

Hunter, a proud sex worker, who is in his early forties, says women from all walks of life acquire his services, with his youngest client just 23 and the oldest 70.

Samuel Hunter


Samuel said Stan’s show American Gigolo, starring Jon Bernthal, is ‘accurate’ about how glamorous the lifestyle is, as he really does get treated to luxury hotels by beautiful women.

‘It’s exactly as you’d expect it to be, and exactly the opposite,’ he said to Daily Mail Australia.

He says he been a full time sex worker for two years.


He admitted having hundreds of different jobs, including working for a sex shop and writing blogs for a brothel but his interest in gigolo work peaked when he started working for a charity called Touching Base who put disabled people in touch with sex workers.


‘It kind of built-up to my mind about whether or not I could do it, but it’s been two years now and it’s all I do’.

Samuel Hunter

Samuel also revealed that being a male sex worker, his lifestyle is ‘very different’ to the women in his industry.  


‘The biggest difference is women can see multiple clients a day, but I limit it to just one.


‘But women tend to get booked for shorter amounts of time, whereas most of my bookings are for a few hours or overnight.’


He says a quarter of his clients are married, and it’s these ones that tend to book him for two hours – at a rate of $600 for his ‘business package’

‘I’ve got a dad bod, so most women that like me are 35 or older,’ Samuel said.


‘There is some of them five-star hotels in lovely dining involved.


‘In July, I had a 10 day trip to Phuket, which was very glamorous’. 


Talking about how he verifies his clients, he said;


‘I can check their socials and their WhatsApp easily to make sure they are who they say they are.


‘Most of my clients are repeats, at any time I have between three and ten regulars, the only ones who aren’t are couples who just want to try something as a one off’.


Samuel is also very open about his lifestyle, with his friends and family.
   

‘I told my mum,’ he explained.


‘She was a bit apprehensive at first, but now she’s fine with it. She always jokes with me about getting back to the grind. With the emphasis on grind.’


He also argues that it’s ‘absolutely possible’ to have a relationship while being a sex worker, but he chooses not to have one.


‘My clients get the best version of myself. They don’t get the guy that sits around drinking coffee and looking at my phone all morning. And I get the best version of them too, which you don’t see in relationships.


‘Most do want play time, it’s rare that they only want company.’

Do you know that President Putin rejected a peace deal that bars Ukraine from joining NATO ?

Vladimir Putin’s chief envoy on Ukraine told the Russian leader days after the war began that he had struck a provisional deal with Kyiv that would satisfy Russia’s demand that Ukraine stay out of NATO, but Putin rejected it and continued with his military campaign, according to a report by Reuters.


 
The Ukrainian-born envoy, Dmitry Kozak, told Putin that he believed the deal he had hammered out with the Ukranian government removed the need for Russia to pursue a large-scale occupation of Ukraine, three people close to the Russian leadership who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the publication.

Before the war, Putin had repeatedly asserted that NATO and its military infrastructure were creeping closer to Russia’s borders by accepting new members from eastern Europe, and that the alliance was now preparing to bring Ukraine into its command. Putin publicly said that represented an existential threat to Russia, which forced him to launch the war.


But, despite earlier being in support of   negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Putin made it clear when presented with Kozak’s deal that the concessions negotiated by his aide did not go far enough and that he had expanded his objectives to include annexing large portions of Ukrainian territory and even toppling the Ukranian government, Reuters reports.


 Responding to the report,Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied it: “That has absolutely no relation to reality. No such thing ever happened. It is absolutely incorrect information.”

Two of the three sources said a push to get the deal finalized occurred immediately after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Within days, Kozak believed he had Ukraine’s agreement to the main terms Russia had been seeking and recommended to Putin that he sign an agreement, the sources said.


“After Feb. 24, Kozak was given carte blanche: they gave him the green light; he got the deal. He brought it back and they told him to clear off. Everything was cancelled. Putin simply changed the plan as he went along,” said one of the sources close to the Russian leadership.

Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine is the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II. It prompted sweeping economic sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine from Washington and its Western allies.

2023 Elections: “Why Nyesom Wike remains door to Atiku’s win or defeat”

The task of becoming the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a daunting one. And, understanding this explains why all the presidential candidates are probably facing one of the most difficult moments of their political careers.

Undoubtedly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the toughest job among the three main contenders. He has a hurdle of the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to scale if he must return to Aso Villa, which he left in 2007 as the vice to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

While Wike’s challenge looks insignificant to the eye, he’s hydra-headed and eventually posing as a door – to either Atiku’s win or defeat. A lot of other issues are attached to Wike, all of which will be treated in this report.

Why is Wike larger than life? The Rivers State governor does not only have people in the party who share his sentiment, he shoulders the interest of all aggrieved members in the party. From the South that was schemed out of 2023 presidential race to the rise of Peter Obi of Labour Party and romance with the ruling party, among other petty political Lilliputians seeking relevance, Wike still remains the link bridge connecting them all. 

Wike’s cronies also include his counterpart governors and some members of the National Working Committee (NWC). Hence, it is substantial to say that Wike has turned the fight into a South-North dichotomy.

In a nutshell, Atiku has to win this internal battle before marching to the warfronts against his counterparts – All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidates – Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi respectively. If he eventually reconciles Wike to his side, he would have won half of the scuffles ahead. 

Atiku and Okowa’s emergence

The battle for Atiku began the moment he emerged as the standard bearer of the main opposition party. It’s not the status itself that poses a challenge, but the process that brought him in. This doesn’t affect only him, his running mate, Governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa is also in the picture. 

Prior to the PDP primary election in Abuja, in late May, Wike had pledged to support whoever emerged as the party’s flag bearer. He also assured he wouldn’t leave the party, regardless of what happened.

It was almost certain to conclude that Wike would emerge to fly the party’s flag going by his political muscle. Sadly for him, his colleague from Sokoto state, Governor Aminu Tambuwal withdrew from the race and urged his delegate supporters to vote for Atiku. This, obviously won the battle for the ex-vice President. Wike was obviously outplayed by a ‘friend’.

Rivers Governor could stomach Atiku’s victory at the primaries, but his ego was bruised when his neighbour in the South-South was picked to be the vice presidential candidate. Up till now, Wike has neither publicly congratulated Okowa nor commented on the issue.

Wike insistence on Ayu’s removal

Asides from other grievances that sprang up aftermath of the emergence of both Atiku and Okowa, Wike has admitted that his main rancour with PDP leadership is the failure of the party’s national chair, Senator Iyorchia Ayu to resign.

He claimed that there was an agreement during the zoning debate that both the presidential candidate and the national chairman cannot come from the same region.

Since Atiku is from the North, Ayu cannot remain as the PDP helmsman because he also hails from the North. Notwithstanding the resignation of Walid Jibrin as the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Wike insists Ayu must go. Amid this, members of the National Executive Council (NEC) passed a vote of confidence on Ayu. As much as Ayu remains as PDP chairman, Wike cannot work for and with Atiku.

South-South battleground and Rivers electoral value

Whatever Atiku calculated to have chosen Okowa as his vice ahead of the 2023 general elections has arguably boomeranged. This has divided his votes in the South-South already unless the internal wrangling is resolved amicably before Nigerians head to the polls next year.

In the wake of the brawl with the Atiku camp, Wike, while commissioning recent infrastructural projects in his state. Imaintained that he would help PDP not to win elections. This will only change if his demands are met.

But, Atiku must hold on to the belief that the South-South region is a cherished stronghold that would give him votes in the South. By extension, he should strategise not to let Rivers slip away from his grasp even if it means sourcing for a powerful figure in Wike’s state.

Rivers will deliver for Atiku because, in the 2019 presidential elections, Atiku scored 473,971 votes against Buhari who polled 150,710 votes.

However, while Wike’s clout cannot be underestimated in Rivers, Atiku can rake in massive votes in the region including Wike’s state if he plays the game well. The states in the region with the exception of Cross River belong to PDP. He just has to work with Okowa and find a charismatic party chieftain to be on his campaign train.

Makinde and unfriendly South-West terrain

The South-West is a no-go area for Atiku but anything can happen in politics, even at the last minute. Tinubu displayed that during the APC’s presidential primary election, as a political journalist said, “While other presidential candidates go for the delegates, Jagaban goes for the presidential candidates themselves.”

The region is for Tinubu except for Oyo state just like the South-South is for Atiku. But this doesn’t mean there won’t be trickles to gather for both of them in each region.

Going back to Tinubu’s tactics at his party’s primaries, Wazirin Adamawa can adopt such a strategy by enticing the bigwigs in Southwestern Nigeria to his camp if he wants to defeat the national leader of APC in his backyard.

On September 14, 2022, Atiku met with Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde who is also Wike’s closest ally. Atiku knows he needs Makinde if he has to get a substantial number of votes from South-West. Makinde wanted what Wike wanted. Don’t forget that Wike is a door. Atiku can decide to open or shut.

Also, by February 2023, Osun state governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke would have assumed office, but it is not certain if he would have garnered the political experience to deliver large votes for Atiku.

Mark, Ayu, Ortom and North-Central factor

The Middle-Belt of Nigeria is another PDP’s biggest armoury if Atiku’s political antenna is receiving a signal. He must woo another Wike’s ally and staunch critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in the person of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state. Ortom lamented a few days back that all is not well with PDP.

Whether Atiku sidelines Ortom or not, he has the shoulders of the former Senate President David Mark to ride on. Mark is a big fish in Benue politics. It is noteworthy that Ayu is also from Benue, and Atiku might not succumb to Wike’s threat of sacking Ayu. It is resourceful to use his status in gaining prominence in the state and the region at large.

Other states in the North-Central, especially those plagued by the atrocities of killer Fulani herdsmen will embrace Atiku and this might smoothen his cruise to victory in 2023.

Kogi and Kwara states are APC states but Atiku can use his influence to wage war against them in dividing the votes. The heavyweight ranks of former Kogi Senator who is also Atiku’s spokesman, Dino Melaye and former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki are strong waves to ride on.

South-East, Igbo presidency and the ‘Obidients’

Any politician that jettisons the wave of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi does so to his detriment. Obi is not only the Igbo presidency that the region longs for, he’s a political figure that the disgruntled young Nigerians want to install via their votes in 2023.

It is expected that Tinubu and Atiku understand this. How they would surmount that hurdle is a test of their acumen. The former VP cannot convince Igbo men with ‘Okowa is also an Igbo’ status to lure their votes.

Although, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reiterated that it would have preferred that APC and PDP choose a Southeasterner to vie for the highest political office.

The Igbo leaders wanted a repeat of 1999 when PDP and defunct All Peoples Party (APP) fielded Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae respectively who are Yoruba people.

And since Ndigbo didn’t get this, the ethnic sentiment that Obi is more Igbo than Okowa is a card to play. An Atiku would struggle to win this debate.

The Obidients are also everywhere. They are the youths that want to pay back APC and PDP in their coin for many years of the nation’s woes. These are energetic and resolute Nigerians who are ready to share spoils with Atiku and Tinubu for Obi’s advantage.

Having said this, Atiku cannot totally lose out in the South-East, another former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim and the new Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Adolphus Wabara will not hesitate to embrace Atiku to oust the APC government.

Dicey North-West, North-East’s strongholds

The core North, despite APC’s damage to security and economy, will still most likely queue behind Tinubu who is promising a facelift of Nigeria in the pattern of Lagos when he was governor and other gimmicks he and his party will push out to Nigerians.

Governors like Nasir el-Rufai, Abdullahi Ganduje, Aminu Masari and Bello Matawalle of Kaduna, Kano, Katina and Zamfara states are key to Tinubu’s win. Kano’s votes are instrumental. In 2019, Buhari polled 1.4 million votes in a landslide.

Whoever between Tinubu and Atiku owns Ganduje automatically owns those Kano’s votes. How Atiku would get an appreciable fraction of those votes is also important.

However, Atiku can slug it out with Tinubu on the basis of the son of the soil. He’s a Northerner. He can appeal to the ego and sentiment of the Northern political class and stakeholders from the region.

Atiku is the most prominent politician in the North-East. This would have been a free ride for him but Tinubu chose his running mate, former governor of Borno state, Senator Kashim Shettima to spoil the show for Atiku.

The ex-VP needs to possess the North-East as his home. He must campaign vigorously to weaken the APC even in the terror-laden Borno. He’s a politician who knows what his campaign programmes should hit at.

Way forward

Kwankwaso: the beautiful bride

As integral as Kano’s votes are to winning the presidential election, the former governor in the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso is a major stakeholder. He has massive followers through his Kwankwasiyya movement.

All along, whoever Kwankwaso supported would reap Kano’s votes, but this time around the former Defence Minister is running for President under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). If he doesn’t step down, it is almost certain that Atiku, Tinubu and Obi should forget Kano as a determining factor in winning.

There are speculations that Kwankwaso would align with any of the three front runners at the dying minutes – and Atiku might have to lobby to win him over.

Nigerians own the votes

The 2023 presidential election largely depends on the aggrieved, hopeful and optimistic Nigerians who desire and demand a better, safer, richer and greater country, and would do all within their reach to achieve this. They are the ones Atiku should appeal to. They are the voters he should convince. He will definitely use the inadequacies of APC against them. But, he needs more than that. Nigerians want practicalities.

With the new Electoral Act, political analysts have supported the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to say it would be difficult for politicians to rig elections. So, 2023 is for Nigerians, Atiku and other candidates in the race must understand and work with that fact.

But, the ball is in the court of Nigerians whether to continue with the status quo or have a paradigm shift. Whichever way, Atiku has a bigger challenge than Tinubu and Obi in winning the election. Since his entry into politics in 1989, he had contested five times in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. And he knows more than anyone that 2023 is probably his last chance.

Court finds R. Kelly guilty of sex crimes

A jury has found R&B singer R. Kelly guilty of sex crimes, including producing child sexual abuse imagery and coercing minors into sex acts.

On Wednesday, the 12-person jury in Chicago convicted Mr Kelly of six out of the 13 charges levelled against him. He was found guilty of coercing three minors into criminal sexual activity and producing three child sexual abuse videos.

However, Mr Kelly was acquitted on several counts, including conspiring to tamper with his 2008 child pornography trial.

Prosecutors had alleged in Cook County Court that Mr Kelly conspired to obstruct justice during the 2008 trial by threatening and paying off a teenage girl and her family so she would not testify about a tape he recorded of him urinating on her during a sex act.

His former associates, Derrell McDavid and Milton Brown, were also tried alongside Mr Kelly for their part in the scheme. Messrs McDavid and Brown were found not guilty on all charges on Wednesday.

The jury heard four weeks of testimony from over 30 witnesses, they also watched three sex tapes that prosecutors say show Mr Kelly sexually abusing his 14-year-old goddaughter.

During the trial, four women accused Mr Kelly of sexually abusing them when they were girls, including the central witness to the case, who testified under the alias “Jane”.

Jane told the Jury that Mr Kelly began abusing her after becoming her godfather when she was only 14, and had sex with her hundreds of times between the ages of 14 and 18.

In June, He was sentenced to prison for 30 years for sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping and other sex-related crimes.

The six-week trial saw graphic testimonies from 11 accusers, nine women and two men, who described sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of the “Ignition” singer. The case relied on the accounts of six victims, five of whom testified. The sixth, singer Aaliyah, whom Mr Kelly illegally wed when she was 15, died in a plane crash in 2001

Last September, Mr Kelly was found guilty of multiple racketeering and sex trafficking charges based on sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor, and eight violations of the sex-trafficking statute. He was found guilty on all counts.

Opinion: “Why Atiku picked Okowa over Wike” – Ayu

Following the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and disagreement between the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and governor of Rivers state Nyesom Wike, the former has Tuesday revealed the reason presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, picked the governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate over the later.

Speaking during the Northern Christian Youth Assembly Summit in Abuja, Ayu said Atiku, picked Okowa as his running mate above his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike, because of humility and more excellent performance in office.

His words: “We looked around and we thought we have to give not just a vice president that will assist him (Atiku) but we did our homework to select a man who is highly educated, very humble, and who has done very well as a governor in his home state.

“Okowa is the most qualified running mate. It is on his own personal merit that he was selected by the party as the vice presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar. I think Nigeria will be very lucky to have two such people who are committed to development who are detribalised who believe in uniting this country.”

Of recent, Ayu has been on the news over disagreement between him and the Wike.

Wike had faulted the emergence of Atiku as the presidential flag bearer, Iyorchia Ayu, Chairman of the party, and Sen. Walid Jibrin, chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, all from the northern part of the country.

Wike accused the party of violating the principles of equity, fairness and balance, noting that the laws guiding the party has been trampled upon.

He insisted that Ayu should honorably do the right thing (resign), and allow a southerner become the party’s chairman.

Addressing the issue, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sen. Walid Jibrin tendered his resignation letter, paving way for a former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, (from South-East) to become the new BoT Chairman.

In view of that the National Executive Council of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, last week passed a vote of confidence in the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Reacting to the above, Wike opined: “I was listening and watching, they said there is one man they call Secondus. They said he was dancing, celebrating that NEC gave their person vote of confidence. He forgets history.

“Ask him the same NEC through Aliyu Babangida moved a motion of vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndudi Elumelu. They gave you (Secondus) a vote of confidence, what happened? You left office.

“We don’t fight and go back. If you like you can have as many 20 votes of confidence, it’s not my business. My business is to make sure the right thing is done, and the right thing must be done. Whether today or tomorrow.

“I’m not going to play party with the interest of my people. Rivers State is paramount to me first before any other person or group. So, the eyes can see what we have done. Up till today, we have never abandoned governance.

“So many people are already rounding up, taking the last they have but yet, we are still committed in commissioning, and flagging off projects. Because of the love we have for our people, we will continue to serve you till May 29, when by the grace of God, Siminialaye Fubara will be inaugurated next governor of Rivers.”

[Vanguard]

Nigeria Govt. partners India for local production of Covid-19 vaccine

The Federal Government and the Serum Institute of India have announced a partnership in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria.

This was disclosed by Dr. Faisal Shuaib, ED/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Tuesday.

He stated that talks would be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria.

What the NPHCDA is saying

Dr Shuaib noted that local vaccine production is a priority of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration “and this is one reason we have been engaging partners of interest on actualizing this very important project.”

“My meeting today with Mr. Vijay Patil, Director International Business, Serum Institute of India centred around how to partner in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria.

“The work we do with BVNL will be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria,” he added.

What you should know

  • Nairametrics reported in June that the Federal Government revealed that it is currently gathering producers of vaccines and manufacturers to find a way to have the technology to produce vaccines in case of future outbreaks.
  • The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed that Nigeria’s urgency towards producing vaccines now is a bit reduced because it still has few donations, citing 39,800,000 doses of vaccines procured by the Federal Government – The single-shot J&J vaccine through the African Vaccine Acquisition Team (AVAT) of the African Union.
  • He said that Nigeria has learnt key lessons from the pandemic, including that countries must look inward for medical supplies and other health commodities.

[Nairametrics]

Anthony Joshua accepts to fight Tyson Fury

Anthony Joshua’s team have confirmed that they have accepted the terms laid out by Tyson Fury’s team ahead of a potential all-British super fight on December 3.

Joshua’s 258 Management and Matchroom stated on social media on Tuesday that communication had been halted due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and that they were waiting for a response.

The statement read, “258 and @MatchroomBoxing can confirm, on behalf of @anthonyjoshua, that we accepted all terms presented to us by Fury’s team for a fight Dec 3rd last Friday.

“Due to the Queen’s passing, it was agreed to halt all communication.

“We are awaiting a response.”


Joshua then retweeted the post on Twitter with his official account.

Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, has since replied, “Contract will be with you very soon.”

Fury recently challenged Joshua to a long-awaited showdown and offered the two-time world champion a 60-40 purse after it emerged a prospective undisputed clash against Oleksandr Usyk would likely have to wait until 2023.

The 34-year-old initially highlighted November 26 at Wembley or December 3 at Cardiff as potential dates for the fight.

The Gypsy King marked his UK homecoming with a sixth-round knockout win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April and preceded to reiterate plans to retire before informing the WBC he intended to resume his career at the end of last month.


Joshua and Fury had been set to fight in August 2021 before plans were scuppered by an arbitration judge ruling that Deontay Wilder was contractually entitled to a third fight against Fury, which the American heavyweight would go on to lose by 11th-round knockout.

A rematch with Dillian Whyte had emerged as a possibility down the line for Joshua following his defeat to Usyk, while Fury was recently challenged by 37-year-old former WBA regular champion Mahmoud Charr. The aftermath of Fury’s victory over Whyte had also seen him express his interest in a potential crossover bout against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, though that was at a time when the former had been adamant he planned on walking away from the sport.

Fury has no mandatory challengers in place as it stands, with former world champion Wilder, No 1 in the WBC ratings, scheduled to face Robert Helenius in an eliminator and No 2-ranked Andy Ruiz Jr coming off a hard-fought win over Luis Ortiz.

Lost Isreali coin minted almost 2000 years ago worth $1m returned to Israel after 2002

After a police search spanning 20 years, a quarter shekel coin from as far back as 69 AD, one of only four of its kind known to exist and worth $1m, has been returned to the state of Israel.

The silver coin was minted during a Jewish revolt nearly 2,000 years ago but stolen from Israel in 2002.

The search for the coin began when the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) were told by informants that the coin had been taken by Palestinians from a hoard unearthed in the Ella Valley, south of Jerusalem.

coin minted almost 2000 years ago

The IAA says it spent the next ten years and six months trying to locate the coin, which passed through illicit antiques markets in Israel, Jordan and the UK. It was eventually exported to the US for sale at an auction in Denver, Colorado, in 2017.

The IAA alerted US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which then took administrative custody of the coin. The investigation was passed to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU), which obtained a court order to repatriate the coin based on information from informants in five countries along with help from authorities in Europe and the Middle East.

The coin was handed over on Monday September 12, in a ceremony at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office attended by US and Israeli officials, including Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan.

“Today we join our partners to return an incredibly rare piece of Israel’s history, the quarter shekel coin, a symbol of independence from the time of Roman presence in what is now modern Israel,” HSI agent Ricky J Patel told the gathering.

“A cherished piece of history [is] finally going home,” 

The silver coin, embossed with Jewish motifs, is one of only four of its kind known to be in existence. The IAA dated it to 69 AD – the fourth year of the Great Revolt.


The minting of a such a coin was “in fact a declaration of independence by the Jews in the land of Israel, a statement against the mighty empire that stood before them”, said Ilan Hadad of the IAA.


The Great Revolt saw a rebellion by Jews in Judea against oppressive rule by the Romans, who had ended Jewish independence there a century earlier.

Libya and Angola Overtake Nigeria as Africa’s Biggest Oil Producer

Angola and Libya have overtaken Nigeria as the biggest crude oil producers in the African continent.


The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) disclosed this in its Oil Market Report for September 2022 releases on Tuesday September 13 in Lagos.


The report revealed that Nigeria’s crude oil production for August averaged 1.100 million barrels per day which was 65,000mb/d lower than the 1.164mb/d produced averagely in July.


While Angola was Africa’s highest crude oil producer for the month under review with an average production of 1.187mb/d.


Libya’s crude oil production averaged also 1.123mb/d for the period.


The report said: “According to secondary sources, total OPEC-13 crude oil production averaged 29.65 mb/d in August, higher by 618,000 month-on-month.

“Crude oil output increased mainly in Libya and Saudi Arabia, while production in Nigeria declined.”

Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose by 3.5 percent year-on-year this year following growth of 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2022.

“On a quarterly basis, the GDP shrank by 0.37 percent following a 14.66 percent contraction in the previous quarter.


“Nevertheless, the annual inflation rate surged to the highest since September 2005, climbing to 19.6 percent y-o-y in July from 18.6 percent in June.


“This was a result of the weakening naira due to continued high imported input costs as well as soaring fuel prices.


“Moreover, food inflation increased to 22 per cent y-o-y, the highest since May 2021,”  the report added

Tukur Mamu accused of ‘financing terrorism’ by DSS

Tukur Mamu, the Kaduna train attack negotiator has been accused by the Department of State Services of aiding and abetting acts of terrorism.

Mamu was accused of being involved in the funding of international and local terrorism, sharing information with terrorist groups, resulting in the escalation of bandit attacks in the country.

The allegation was made in an affidavit to support an ex-parte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1617/2022 and filed before Justice Nkeonye Maha of the federal high court in Abuja.

It read; 

“Preliminary investigation so far established, amongst others, the offences of the logistic supplier, aiding and abetting acts of terrorism as well as terrorism financing against him.

“That the defendant (Mamu) has used the cover of his profession as a journalist to aid both local and international terrorist groups. That the action of the defendant has orchestrated the untimely death of several security personnel in North Central and North East parts of Nigeria.

“That the defendant has discreetly given several information to bandits and terrorists that escalated various acts of terrorism in Nigeria. That the investigation has assumed a wider dimension and sophistication requiring time and advance expertise to conclude.

“That some of the suspects working with the defendant are at large and premature release of the defendant will jeopardise the ongoing investigation. That it is in the interest of justice and national security to grant this application.

“That the activities of the defendant and his associates at large constitute a potent threat to the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria.”

Tori Media reported earlier that the Judge granted DSS’ request to detain Mamu for 60 more days to conclude its investigation. 

Victor Osimhen currently the third best U-25 striker

According to CIES Football Observatory, Napoli and Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has been ranked third in the target man shooter category alongside other forwards who are yet to turn 25.

The ranking which was released by the football observatory on Monday saw the Nigerian move up six places with a score of 93.3.

Chelsea’s Kai Havertz ranks highest on the list with a score of 94.3 while Atletico Mineiro forward Matias Zaracho occupies the second position with a score of 93.4.

Osimhen with 93.3 edges Barcelona’s Ferran Torres to fourth by 0.3 points.

In the fifth position is Liverpool’s €80m signing, Darwin Nunez, with 92.6 score.

Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, Roma’s Tammy Abraham, Atletico Madrid’s Matthaüs Cunha, Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus and Evanilson De Lima, who plays for FC Porto complete the top 10.

Despite being a subject of transfer speculations at the recently concluded transfer window, Osimhen stays with Napoli and has started the season in style.

Prior to his injury that has ruled him out for three weeks; the 23-year-old has scored two goals and assisted one from five matches played in the Serie A. While he also played a key role in Napoli’s 4-1 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Nnamdi Kanu’s terrorism charge reserved by the Appeal Court again

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has, on Tuesday, reserved judgement on the appeal filed by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Mazi Kanu had filed an appeal to quash the terrorism and treasonable felony charge proffered against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The IPOB leader, who is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had through his team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, approached the appellate court to query the legal competence of the charge pending against him.

He specifically prayed the appellate court to review the April 8 ruling of the trial court which struck out only eight out of the 15-count charge.

Insisting that the charge FG entered against him had no basis in law, Kanu, in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.

Kanu equally urged the appellate court to order his release on bail, pending the determination of his appeal.

Though the appeal was initially fixed for October 11, however, following an application the embattled IPOB leader filed for abridgement of time, the appellate court brought the matter forward for hearing.

When the matter was called up on Tuesday, a three-man panel led by Justice Jummai Hanatu, said it had no need to delve into the issue of bail since the substantive appeal was ripe for hearing.

Arguing the appeal, Chief Ozekhome, SAN, alleged that his client was forcefully abducted from Kenya and illegally renditioned back to the country.

He told the court that his client was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.

“My lords, he was enjoying this bail without breaching the terms. However, he was in his ancestral home when agents of the Respondent invaded his home in September 2017. He barely escaped alive by sheer providence and found himself first in Isreal and later in London.

“When the Appellant travelled from London to Kenya, agents of the Respondents, on June 27, 2021, forcefully abducted the Appellant, tortured and renditioned him back to the country without following any extradition process”, Ozekhome submitted.

He argued that under the Doctrine of Speciality as provided for in section 15 of the Extradition Act, FG, ought to have proceeded to try Kanu on the five-count charge he was initially facing before he escaped from the country.

He argued that Kenya, being the country from where Kanu was arrested and extraordinarily renditioned back to Nigeria, ought to have authorised his extradition.

“This allegation of his forceful abduction and rendition was never denied by the Respondent.

“More so my lords, the charge appears to give the lower court a global jurisdiction over offences that were allegedly committed by the Appellant, without specifying the location or date the said offences were committed.

“There was no need for the lower court to have retained the remaining seven-count charge.

“We are therefore urging my lords to strike out the remaining counts and hold that the Respondent has not established any prima-facie case against the Appellant for which he could be tried”, Ozekhome added.

Meanwhile, FG, through its lawyer, Mr. David Kaswe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for want of merit.

He maintained that the IPOB leader was brought back to the country by due process of the law.

He argued that the charge has been amended seven times owing to the conduct of the Appellant.

“My lords, it took four years and huge resources to get the Respondent arrested and brought back to face the charges against him.

“The Prosecution is ever willing and eager to proceed with trial of the Appellant.

“We are saying that the trial court was even wrong to have struck out the eight counts as it did.

“It is only after FG has produced all its witnesses and tendered its evidence that the Appellant could claim that no prima-facie case was established.

“Finally, we urge this court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit”, Kaswe added.

After it had listened to both sides, the panel said it would communicate a date for the judgment

74th Emmys 2022: Full list of Winners

The 74th Emmy Awards was held yesterday September 12. 

The event was held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and there were quite some big wins at the awards. 

“The White Lotus,” “Ted Lasso” and “Succession” picked up some of the biggest awards of the night. 

Here’s the full list of winners below…

Outstanding drama series

“Better Call Saul”

“Euphoria”

“Ozark”

“Severance”

“Squid Game”

“Stranger Things”

“Succession” *WINNER

“Yellowjackets”

Outstanding comedy series

“Abbott Elementary”

“Barry”

“Curb Your Enthusiasm”

“Hacks”

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

“Only Murders in the Building”

“Ted Lasso” *WINNER

“What We Do in the Shadows”

Outstanding limited series

“Dopesick”

“The Dropout”

“Inventing Anna”

“Pam & Tommy”

“The White Lotus” *WINNER

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Brian Cox, “Succession”

Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game” *WINNER

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Adam Scott, “Severance”

Jeremy Strong, “Succession”

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”

Laura Linney, “Ozark”

Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”

Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”

Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”

Zendaya, “Euphoria” *WINNER

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

Nicholas Braun, “Succession”

Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”

Kieran Culkin, “Succession”

Park Hae-soo, “Squid Game”

Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession” *WINNER

John Turturro, “Severance”

Christopher Walken, “Severance”

Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

Patricia Arquette, “Severance”

Julia Garner, “Ozark” *WINNER

Jung Ho-yeon, “Squid Game”

Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets”

Rhea Seehorn, “Better Call Saul”

J. Smith-Cameron, “Succession”

Sarah Snook, “Succession”

Sydney Sweeney, “Euphoria”

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Donald Glover, “Atlanta”

Bill Hader, “Barry”

Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”

Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”

Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”

Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso” *WINNER

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”

Elle Fanning, “The Great”

Issa Rae, “Insecure”

Jean Smart, “Hacks” *WINNER

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

Anthony Carrigan, “Barry”

Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso” *WINNER

Toheeb Jimoh, “Ted Lasso”

Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”

Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

Henry Winkler, “Barry”

Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”

Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”

Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”

Sarah Niles, “Ted Lasso”

Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary” *WINNER

Juno Temple, “Ted Lasso”

Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”

Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie

Colin Firth, “The Staircase”

Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”

Oscar Isaac, “Scenes from a Marriage”

Michael Keaton, “Dopesick” *WINNER

Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”

Sebastian Stan, “Pam & Tommy”

Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie

Toni Collette, “The Staircase”

Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”

Lily James, “Pam & Tommy”

Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”

Margaret Qualley, “Maid”

Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout” *WINNER

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or TV movie

Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus” *WINNER

Jake Lacy, “The White Lotus”

Will Poulter, “Dopesick”

Seth Rogen, “Pam & Tommy”

Peter Sarsgaard, “Dopesick”

Michael Stuhlbarg, “Dopesick”

Steve Zahn, “The White Lotus”

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or TV movie

Connie Britton, “The White Lotus”

Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus” *WINNER

Alexandra Daddario, “The White Lotus”

Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”

Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”

Sydney Sweeney, “The White Lotus”

Mare Winningham, “Dopesick”

Outstanding reality/competition series

“The Amazing Race”

“Top Chef”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race”

“Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” *WINNER

“The Voice”

“Nailed It!”

Outstanding variety talk series

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” *WINNER

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

“Late Night With Seth Meyers”

“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Outstanding variety sketch series

“A Black Lady Sketch Show”

“Saturday Night Live” *WINNER

Ekweremadu’s Daughter Begs Nigerians For Kidney Donation

Sonia, the daughter of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Monday begged members of the public to donate kidney to her.

The young woman, whose parents are currently facing charges of organ harvesting in the United Kingdom made the plea on her Instagram page on Monday.

In the statement, Sonia noted that she had to drop out of the university after being diagnosed of a rare kidney disease.

The statement read, “I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life.

“I am 25 years old and a graduate of Media and Communications, University of Coventry. I dropped out of my post graduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome.


“My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals, but the illness persisted and kept degenerating. I am alive today by the special grace of God.

“I am presently in London, UK, receiving five hours of dialysis three to four times a week. This is at the expense of my family as I am not qualified for NHS due to my immigration status.

“The last three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London presently, are directly connected to my illness and have complicated matter for me and my family. I do not intend to delve into details of this unfortunate development as the matter is still in Court. I am, however, optimistic that the truth will prevail and it will end in praise to God.

“In the circumstance above, I am appealing to anybody whom it may please to assist me willingly with a kidney donation in the name of God.
“This appeal would have been utterly unnecessary as every member of my family is eager to donate their kidney to me, knowing that I would do the same for any of them.


“Regrettably, comprehensive medical examination showed that my case of nephrotic syndrome is a genetic illness and the doctors advised against donation from any of my family members, as it would likely reoccur. In the time that my father has been incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage.

“Anybody that is moved by this appeal and wishes to donate his or her kidney to me may send an email to [email protected] and include his or her name, phone number, email address and place of residence.

“Please, note that under the laws of England and Wales, organ donation must be purely driven by compassion and, therefore, no reward is involved.

“Finally, I have decided to commit and dedicate myself to helping people with the challenges of kidney disease, upon my full recovery. Thank you and God bless you.”

Kante and Boehly disagree over Chelsea deal

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante’s contract talks with the club’s board under the leadership of Todd Boehly have reportedly hit a snag, which could leave the 31-year-old as a free agent next summer.

Talks between Chelsea and Kante began last year but were halted as ownership of the west London club switched hands to a consortium led by Boehly.

According to the Athletic, Kante is holding out for a longer deal than the two-year offer on the table with an option for a third year, according to the verbal commitment from Boehly’s side.

However, it remains to be seen if Boehly and Kante can agree on a deal to form a longer working relationship as the France international would be able to start talking to potential new clubs from the start of 2023.

Kante has featured in just two games this season for Chelsea due to injury.

He joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2016 and has been a popular part of the Blues’ set-up, guiding them to the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Kante has proved himself to be among the best midfielders in the world, but he could leave Chelsea for nothing if negotiations cannot be resolved.

“You Must Do Biometric Verification or No Exam” , JAMB Tells Candidates

In a move designed to further tighten the noose around examination cheats and their collaborators, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has resolved that, henceforth, no candidate would be allowed to sit for the board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) if they are not verified biometrically.

The decision, which emanated from a rigorous review of the 2022 UTME exercise, is borne out of the need to close all loopholes noticed during the examination.

 It is to be noted that examination malpractice is one of the major obstacles faced by all public examination bodies globally, hence the board has consistently taken steps to confront this monster frontally.

 It should be borne in mind that identity theft is one of the prominent channels that perpetrators used to achieve their nefarious aims.

Jambuletin reports that to combat this menace, the board has taken full advantage of technology by introducing, among others, biometric capturing of a candidate’s ten fingers during UTME registration to ensure that there is a convincing match between the fingerprints captured and those presented by the candidate at the examination venue.

 According to the board, any scenario other than this is an invitation to an examination security breach.

Therefore, the board emphasised that it is against the backdrop of this robust initiative of capturing all ten fingers of candidates rather than just one or two fingers from each hand, as was hitherto the case, that it decided that the era whereby some candidates would present themselves at the examination venue and claim difficulty to be biometrically verified and expect the system to allow them to sit for the examination is gone for good.

 It should be recalled that the board, out of magnanimity, had allowed such candidates to be rescheduled for the Mop-Up UTME, which was introduced in 2017.

However, the board has, of late, realised the futility of such an arrangement after assessing the process and its impact on the entire examination value chain.

Consequently, the management of the board has regrettably resolved that all candidates must be verified to sit for their examination as there would be no more Mop-Up UTME for whatever reason.

To cater for the few that may have genuine cases of inability to be captured, such candidates are to clearly indicate such difficulty from the point of registration so that they could be assigned to a centre situated within the national headquarters of the board for close monitoring.

The board explained that the measure is not only to sanitise the examination process but also to ensure that the hard-earned reputation is not impugned.

[TheIndependent]

Doctors struggle to remove a snake stuck in a lady’s ear

Shocking footage captured the moment that a surgeon tried to remove a live snake from a woman’s ear.

Video of the surgery has gone viral after it was shared by an Indian-based star

“The snake has gone in the ear,” reads the caption to the bizarre Facebook clip.

It is unclear where, when or how this unfortunate event transpired, local outlet the Economic Times reported.

In the nearly four-minute clip, an alleged medical practitioner can be seen using tweezers in a desperate attempt to extract a black and yellow snake from a female patient’s ear.

The video ends without revealing whether or not the surgery was successful.

Watch the video below.

Indian woman dies after her phone exploded on her bed

An Indian Twitter user has narrated how his aunty died after her phone exploded while she was sleeping. 

@Mdtalk16 said his Aunty kept her phone near her face before sleeping and it killed her after it exploded. 

He tweeted; 

Hi @RedmiIndia @manukumarjain @s_anuj

Yesterday in Night my Aunty found dead , she was using Redmi 6A, she was sleeping & she kept the phone near her face on pillow side & after sometime her phone blast. It’s a bad time for us. It’s a responsibility of a brand to support

Redmi 6A exploded

Karim Benzema is currently the top-rated player on FIFA23 List

EA Sports have revealed their 23 highest-rated players on FIFA 23 ahead of the popular video game’s release with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema coming out on top.

Lionel Messi had been given the highest rating by EA Sports since their 2018 edition of the game, but the Paris Saint-Germain superstar is now in fifth place behind Benzema, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), and Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City).

While all five of those players have received ratings of 91 on the game, Benzema’s overall statistics top them all. 

The Frenchman enjoyed a sensational 2021-22 campaign, scoring 10 goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League to help Madrid claim their 14th European crown.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who last beat Messi to the top spot four years ago, has dropped from third to eighth with a rating of 90 despite scoring 24 goals in 38 games for Manchester United last season.

Here are the confirmed 23 highest-rated players in FIFA 23 this year, as confirmed by EA Sports today;

  1. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 91 rated
  2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) – 91 rated
  3. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) – 91 rated
  4. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 91 rated
  5. Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) – 91 rated
  6. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 90 rated
  7. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 90 rated
  8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) – 90 rated
  9. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) – 90 rated
  10. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) – 90 rated
  11. Neymar Jr (Paris Saint-Germain) – 89 rated
  12. Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur) – 89 rated
  13. Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) – 89 rated
  14. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) – 89 rated
  15. Casemiro (Manchester United) – 89 rated
  16. Alisson (Liverpool) – 89 rated
  17. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – 89 rated
  18. Ederson (Manchester City) – 89 rated
  19. N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) – 89 rated
  20. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – 89 rated
  21. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – 88 rated
  22. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) – 88 rated
  23. Marquinhos (Paris-Saint Germain) – 88 rated
Karim and Messi

Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)

The Russian government has urged its citizens and administrative personnel to leave the Ukranian city of Kharkhiv as reports of Ukranian advances in the city continue to swirl.


According to Reuters, Ukrainian forces entered the strategic city of Izium after five months of Russian occupation, Kyiv officials said Saturday September 10.


Ukraine started a counter offensive on September 1 in the South Ukranian city of Kherson but surprisingly launched a simultaneous counter offensive in the North eastern city of Kharkhiv.

Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)

A senior Ukrainian official said that the “main artery” for Russian forces through the Kharkiv region has been cut off, and Ukrainian forces are also reported to have a new front against Russian defenses on the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)


Ukraine’s General Staff, in an operational update Saturday, said “the liberation of settlements that were temporarily captured by the Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv region and in the South Buh direction continues. For the safety of our servicemen, official information will be provided later.”


South Buh includes much of the southern front in Mykolaiv and Kherson.


The General Staff claimed “the command of the Russian occupying forces in the Kherson region is trying to strengthen the city of Kherson by deploying reserves. Thus, new enemy units have been spotted in the regional center.”


It also said the Russians were trying to restore traffic across one of several damaged bridges on the river Dnipro, but the bridge remained under the “fire control” of Ukrainian artillery.

Ukraine is fast retaking back their stolen lands (photos)


Several social media videos show Ukranian forces in different parts of Kharkiv and Kherson mounting Ukraine’s flags. Another video shows locals welcoming Ukranian forces in the city.


A separate photo shows Ukranian forces psoing in front of Izium’s sign post.

In its first response to the military gains made by Ukrainian forces in the last few days, the Russian Defense Ministry said that “the decision was made to regroup Russian troops” and redirect to Donetsk region.

The most senior Russian government official in the Kharkiv region, Vitaly Ganchev,  provided a bleak assessment of the situation.

In a video message published on Telegram, Ganchev said:


“I again recommend to all citizens of Kharkiv region to leave the territory in order to preserve their lives. It is dangerous right now to be inside of your own homes.”


Ganchev, speaking from an undisclosed location, said, “We are ready to provide you with all the necessary help. Our representatives remain on the territory and are facilitating the evacuation of citizens.”


“Our Army is doing everything in their power of course. Even right now I can hear our military aviation working,” Ganchev added. But he acknowledged settlements in Kharkiv were under constant fire by Ukrainian forces.


Also, the Military-Civic Administration of the Vovchansk district, through which many Russian supplies travel toward the front lines, said in a brief Telegram post:


 “Russian military are leaving Volchansk!! [Vovchansk] temporarily. City’s population continues to evacuate.”


The administration quoted a member of the Russian parliament, Evgeniy Evtushenko, as saying that the local headquarters would be moved across the border to the Russian city of Belgorod.


“In order to save civilians’ lives, Russian Armed Forces have made a decision to leave our city. [The] City’s administration will be moved to Belgorod. Its branches will be in Kursk, Yakutsk, Vladivostok and St. Peter[s]burg till the situation in the city stabilizes,” Evtushenko said.


“Russian armed forces will return control of all Russian land in Kharkiv region,” he added.


Vovchansk has been an important link in the Russian military’s supply chain from the Russian city of Belgorod, and it remained under Russian control even as Ukrainian forces retook some territory north and east of the city of Kharkiv in May.

2023 Elections: APC Vice Presidential candidate, Shettima, blasts Atiku

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, has said the Tinubu/Shettima ticket will retire the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 elections.

Shettima said Atiku cannot match the APC candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in excellent track record of service delivery, qualitative leadership and capacity for grooming competent administrators.

The former Borno State governor stated this in Abuja when a support group, ‘APC National Integrity Movement’, visited him.

Shettima assured that Tinubu will hit the ground running and form his cabinet within the first week after his inauguration, if elected as president.

He described Atiku as a political tourist who comes to the country only when there is an election and returns to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to relax thereafter, adding that unlike the Tinubu and himself, the former vice president cannot point to anybody he has mentored.


The APC vice presidential candidate described Tinubu as a man with an excellent track record of service delivery, qualitative leadership, and mentor of men and women who have excelled in their different careers.

He said: “Atiku Abubakar is like a father to me and I hold him in high esteem. But he is a political tourist who is only in this country every electoral circle and we are going to retire him back to Dubai to go and relax. In every situation, for people to see your worth, they need to see your output at home. I am from the Northeast; he is from the Northeast.

“Atiku cannot point to three projects that he brought to the Northeast or to Northern Nigeria for the eight years that he served as the vice president. He cannot show us three people that he has mentored.

“Is he even in good term with past governors of Adamawa state? Admiral Nyako is with us. James Ngilari is with us. Asiwaju can boast of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, he can boast of Babatunde Raji Fashola, he can boast Lai Mohammed, Rauf Aregbesola, Kayode Fayemi, Femi Gbajabiamila, Abiodun Faleke, Joe Igbokwe, Ben Akabuaze. I can boost of Babagana Zulum, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Mohammed Ali Ndume, Betara Aliyu and Tahir Mongunu, Zanaib Gimba.”

Describing Tinubu as the best material for the presidency, Shettima said: “The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa and Nigeria will make or mar that transition. That is why I will rather be a small fish in a big pond than be a big fish in a small pond.


“I supported Asiwaju out of a moral obligation, out of a moral conviction. What we have seen is his opportunity for national collaboration and national cohesion. When the frontlines that divides us were being manipulated for political ends, Asiwaju refused to swallow the pill.

“Nigerian’s of younger generation must know Asiwaju’s history of two decades past when he stood firm as the fulcrum to a despotic PDP government in this country when he was viciously maligned and ostracised and that was when he laid the foundation for modern Lagos state.

“He provided support and succour when the nation was enveloped in darkness and when we were having lots of destruction in the hands of military dictators, he was a sanctuary for victims of political witch hunt including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was intimidated ad harassed, dehumanised and chased out of the PDP.

“It was Asiwaju that gave him political sanctuary and a platform to contest the Presidency of this country in 2007. The same thing was repeated four years later when another harassed person, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was given the platform to contest the presidency of this country under the ACN.

“Those of us who were in Lagos in 2014 for the Presidential primary of the APC can attest to the fact that without the block support of the south west, President Muhammadu Buhari would not have emerged as the Presidential flag bearer of the APC.

“For God sake, ours is a young nation where inclusivity and sense of belonging has been the cardinal work of our national and political intercourse. If power resides in the north for eight years, for God sake, it should move.

Over 90 Chibok girls are still held by terrorists – Nigerian Military

The Nigerian military has revealed that ninety-eight students of Government Girls’ Secondary School Chibok of Borno State out of the 276 abducted by Boko Haram terrorists on April 14, 2014, are still in captivity.

This was disclosed by the head of the Intelligence Unit of the Joint Military Taskforce in the North East Operation Hadinkai, Colonel Obinna Ezuikpe while newsmen at its headquarters, Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri.

He said; 

 “Out of the 276 abducted Chibok girls, 57 girls escaped in 2014 while 107 girls were released in 2018. Three girls were recovered in 2019, two in 2021 and 9 were rescued in 2022, bringing the total of 178 girls out of captivity and 98 remaining in Boko Haram captivity.”

On activities of troops of Operation Hadinkai in August 2022, Colonel Ezuipke disclosed that a total of 43 terrorists were neutralized, while 24 others were arrested by the troops in August alone, apart from the over 100 killed in September 2022.

Troops also recovered several weapons, including 129 AK-47 rifles, 1,515 rounds of ammunitions, 16 FN Rifles, 3 MG, 17 grenades, among others, during the operations.

He also disclose that the military recorded 26 attacks from the terrorists, and in the process, two soldiers were killed and 9 others sustained various degrees of injury. The military chief added that the troops carried out a total of 2726 patrols and 982 ambushes against the terrorists.

Commenting on the arrest of suppliers of logistics to Boko Haram, Ezuipke further revealed that from June 2022 till date, a total of 113 people who are suppliers of food, fertiliser and other logistics to the terrorists were arrested.

Daily Trust reported that he also said troops rescued many women and children, and also destroyed properties and hideouts of the terrorists.

2023 Elections: ‘Obidient rally’ Organises huge Rally in Enugu (PHOTO, VIDEO)

Supporters of Mr. Peter Obi, Labour Party presidential candidate, popularly known as ‘Obidients’, shut down Enugu State capital on Saturday.

The one-million-man march, which commenced at the Michael Okpara Square grounded vehicular movement within the metropolis.

A mammoth crowd, which increased as the team advanced, moved round the major roads in the State before returning to Okpara Square.

Commuters, who are facing herculean task in accessing some parts of the State, have resorted to alternative routes.

Obidient rally in Enugu State

Obi’s supporters, who cut across various political divides, marched through the capital city singing solidarity songs as they moved.

The rally was very peaceful as the excited participants conducted themselves in a very peaceful manner.

Speaking to journalists, Dr. Chima Edoga, Co-Director planning committee, Enugu one-million-man fitness march for ObiDatti Season One, described the rally as a huge success, stressing that “Nigerians are demonstrating their resolve to retake their country.”

He said the rally, which has been going on across the country, was a demonstration to critics that the masses were Obi’s structures.

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s convoy in Anambra was attacked by unknown persons, several aides dead(videos)

Unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah at Enugwu-Ukwu community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra state on Sunday September 11, leaving an unspecified number of his aides dead.

The gunmen opened fire on the convoy this evening. The police operatives in the convoy responded to the attack but sadly a number of them were killed in the crossfire.

The senator managed to escape though his bulletproof car was riddled with bullets.

The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga confirmed that there was an attack on men of the command at Enugwu-Ukwu, but insisted that the casualty figure remained unknown.

see full video

”The Commissioner of Police Anambra State Command CP Echeng Echeng has today 11/9/2022 lead Operatives to the scene where shootings took place in Enugukwu. 

Though the details of the incident is still sketchy, operatives are on ground there as operations is going on and the situation is being monitored.”

5 things to know about Nigerian-born Professor Uju Anya

A Nigerian-born lecturer Uju Anya sparked global outrage after she took to her verified Twitter handle to mock late Queen Elizabeth II‘s health condition hours before her death.

In a series of now-deleted tweets, the Professor fired several damning shots at the British empire and the influential role played by the late Queen of Elizabeth II, hoping that her death would be painfully “excruciating.”

Uju accused Queen Elizabeth II of sponsoring the “genocide” that led to her family being displaced.

In another tweet, she referenced the alleged role of the British empire in supplying the Nigerian government with arms and ammunition during the nation’s civil war which spanned 1967 – 1970.

Her post attracted a flurry of reactions including criticisms and backlash.

Below are five things to know about Professor Uju Anya;

1. Dr. Uju Anya is a university professor at the Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Modern Languages who currently teaches and researches in applied linguistics, critical sociolinguistics, and critical discourse studies primarily examining race, gender, sexual, and social class identities in new language learning through the experiences of African American students.

2. Before working at Carnegie Mellon University, Anya served in other prestigious institutions like Penn State University, University of Southern California and Dartmouth College.

3, She graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Roman languages. Uju Anya earned her Masters degree in Brazilian studies from Brown University and did her Ph.D in applied linguistics from UCLA.

4. In 2021, the Nigerian Professor who had legally separated from her husband in 2017, announced on Twitter that she had just finalised her divorce with her husband, thus openly revealing that she is lesbian. In a statement released on Twitter, the Professor wrote that her ex-husband knew of her sexuality before they got married, but she only thought at the time she was bisexual.

5. She is from both Nigerian/Trinidadian origin. Her parents met at the University in England. They got married and moved to Enugu Nigeria. However, after her father took in another wife, her mother took her young children and fled to America.

[Nation]

Meet the new british King! Charles III !

Britain’s new king will be formally known as Charles III after suggestions that Queen Elizabeth II’s heir might have taken a different regnal name.

Prime Minister Liz Truss on Thursday September 9, hailed Britain’s new monarch King Charles III, and said Britons “must come together as a people to support him”, shortly after the queen’s death was announced.

“Today the crown passes as it has done for more than 1,000 years to our new monarch, our new head of state, His Majesty King Charles III,” she said, adding: “We must come together as a people to support him, to help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.”

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, and the nation’s figurehead for seven decades, died at her home in Scotland aged 96, on Thursday.
 

Her eldest son, Charles, 73, automatically becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.
 

The queen had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace has called “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements.
 

Her last public engagement came only on Tuesday September 7, when she appointed Liz Truss prime minister – her 15th premier.


Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25.
 

Britain’s new king mourned his mother Queen Elizabeth II and said that she was a “cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother” who would be missed around the world.

Buckingham Palace released an official statement after Charles, 73, ascended the throne following his mother’s 70-year reign:

“The death of my beloved mother, her majesty the queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.”

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms, and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the queen was so widely held.”

Bola Tinubu’s campaign group dismisses Peter Obi’s chances in 2023, explains why

The Tinubu-Shettima presidential Campaign Group has dismissed the chances of the Labour Party presidential bearer in 2023 general elections, insisting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would win massive votes in almost all the regions in the country.

Appearing on Arise TV on Thursday, Director of Media and Publicity for the group, Bayo Onanuga said the Southeast region where Obi is from is up for take, reminding Nigerians the APC controls two of the five states in the region.

“We sure of winning the required votes in all the states in the South-east. APC also has a strong presence in the South-south, especially in Delta and Rivers states. Same thing for the Northeast, Northcentral and Northwest,” Onanuga said.

Reacting to claims that he accused Obi of breaking the law over his campaign fund issues, Onanuga said, “ “I never said Peter Obi was breaking the law but I did say he is a social media creation and he will pan out very soon. The statement didn’t emanate from us regarding Diaspora funds.

“We also want to appeal to the media that the issue of Diaspora funds didn’t emanate from us; a lot of people who spread this news don’t represent the party”, he concluded.

Onanuga said the presidential candidate of the ruling party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would leverage the monumental achievements of the Buhari-led administration when the real campaigns kick off.

“Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be campaigning based on the bold legacies of the PMB Govt and there are many achievements despite the fake news in the media. Of course, there are challenges but the issues are being redressed.

“There seem to be a conspiracy in the media not to showcase the achievements of the Government especially the successes against the terrorists and bandits in the North East. Under this administration, the tech sector witnessed a boom which has aided the economy”, Onanuga claimed.

[NationalDaily]

Nigerian goes on 30-Year jail over $7 million bank fraud in US

A Nigerian man, Sulaiman Dosunmu pleaded guilty to his involvement in $7 million bank fraud before the United States District Judge, Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old resident of Darby, Pennsylvania admitted his role in a bank conspiracy targeted at 12 different financial institutions in southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. Attorney announced.

US attorney Philip R. Sellinger, according to the US Department of Justice, said Dosunmu participated in the fraudulent activities between 2016 and 2020.

The bank fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million which Dosunmu faces as he awaits sentencing slated for January 13, 2023.

Court’s statements

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, “The defendant was part of a multi-defendant, Nigerian-based criminal organization that engaged in a massive bank fraud conspiracy in several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Rhode Island, between June 2016 and March 2020.

“Members of the group acquired numerous business checks that were stolen from the United States mail, altered the payee on the checks to a fraudulent name, and deposited the checks into bank accounts that had been opened with forged foreign passport documents and fraudulent U.S. visas that matched the names on the stolen checks.

“Once the banks credited all or a portion of the funds to the accounts, but before the checks had cleared, the defendants withdrew the funds from ATMs or purchased money orders, using debit cards associated with the fraudulent accounts.

“Members of the organization have used over 400 fraudulent accounts opened with fake identity documents to defraud the victim banks. To date, the total loss to the victim banks is approximately $7 million.”

US DOJ stated further, “Dosunmu admitted using several false identities to open fraudulent bank accounts, making numerous deposits of stolen checks to these accounts, and withdrawing funds from the accounts.

“Five other conspirators have pleaded guilty and one conspirator was convicted in a trial before Judge Hillman in June 2022. Four of these defendants have pending sentencing hearings before Judge Hillman.

“Charges against five other defendants remain pending before the District Court; the charges and allegations against them are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

[Vanguard]

These are 10 Things to Know About Queen Elizabeth II’s Life

Ten things to know about the life of Queen Elizabeth II:

BRITAIN’S LONGEST-REIGNING MONARCH

Elizabeth, who marked 70 years on the throne this year, is the oldest and longest-reigning monarch in British history. In September 2015 she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months.

In 2016, Elizabeth also became the longest-reigning monarch in the world with the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. In 2022, she became the second-longest-reigning monarch in world history, behind 17th century French King Louis XIV, who took the throne at age 4.

Apart from Elizabeth and Victoria, only four other monarchs in British history have reigned for 50 years or more: George III (59 years), Henry III (56 years), Edward III (50 years) and James VI of Scotland (58 years.)

HOME-SCHOOLING

Like many royals of her time and before, Elizabeth never went to a public school and was never exposed to other students. Instead, she was educated at home with Margaret, her younger sister.

Among those who taught her was her father, along with a senior teacher at Eton College, several French and Belgian governesses who taught her French, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who taught her religion.

Elizabeth’s schooling also included learning to ride, swim, dance and the study of fine art and music.

“NO. 230873”

During World War II, young Princess Elizabeth briefly became known as No. 230873, Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of the Auxiliary Transport Service No. 1.

After months of campaigning for her parents’ permission to do something for the war effort, the heir to the throne learned how to drive and service ambulances and trucks. She rose to the rank of honorary Junior Commander within months.

‘GREAT MIMICKER’

Elizabeth often gave the impression of a serious demeanor, and many have noted her “poker face,” but those who knew her described her as having a mischievous sense of humor and a talent for mimicry in private company.

Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has said the queen could be “extremely funny in private — and not everybody appreciates how funny she can be.”

Bishop Michael Mann, the monarch’s domestic chaplain, once said that “the queen imitating the Concorde landing is one of the funniest things you could see.” Ian Paisley, the Northern Irish clergyman and politician, also noted that Elizabeth was a “great mimicker” of him.

More recently, she showed her mischievous side during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, when she starred in a comic video alongside an animated Paddington Bear and spoke of hiding marmalade sandwiches in her purse.

ROYAL TAXPAYER

She may have been the queen, but she paid taxes too — at least since 1992.

When Windsor Castle, the queen’s weekend residence, was ravaged by fire in 1992, the public rebelled against paying millions of pounds for repairs.

But she voluntarily agreed to pay tax on her personal income. She said she would meet 70 percent of the cost of restoration work, and she also decided to open her home at Buckingham Palace to the public for the first time to generate extra funds from admission fees.

LITTLE LILIBET

The queen was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of York, in honor of her mother, paternal grandmother and paternal great-grandmother. But as a child, she was endearingly known as young Lilibet by her family — said to be because she couldn’t pronounce “Elizabeth” properly.

In a letter to her grandmother Queen Mary, the young princess wrote: “Dear Granny. Thank you very much for the lovely little jersey. We loved staying at Sandringham with you. I lost a top front tooth yesterday morning,” before signing off, “Love from Lilibet.”

The nickname became more widely known after Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, named their daughter Lilibet Diana in 2021.

A STEADFAST ROMANCE

Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip enjoyed a stable relationship for more 70 years, a union that far outlasted the marriages of three of her four children: Charles, Anne and Andrew.

“He has been quite simply my strength and stay all these years,” the queen said of Philip on their 50th wedding anniversary.

Their story began in 1939, when Prince Philip of Greece, a handsome 18-year-old naval cadet, was detailed to entertain the 13-year-old Elizabeth for a day. Several years later, Philip was invited to join the royal family at Windsor Castle at Christmas, and he soon made discreet inquiries whether he would be considered an eligible suitor.

The couple married in Westminster Abbey in 1947. When Philip died in 2021 at age 99, Elizabeth described his passing as leaving a “huge void” in her life, according to their son, Andrew.

MULTIPLE BIRTHDAYS

Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, but it was sometimes confusing for the public to know when to celebrate.

There was no universally fixed day for her “official birthday” — it’s either the first, second or third Saturday in June, and was decided by the government.

In Australia, her birthday was celebrated on the second Monday of June, while in Canada, was marked on a Monday either on or before May 24, Queen Victoria’s birthday.

Only the queen and those closest to her celebrated her actual birthday in private gatherings.

HOW MANY CORGIS?

It’s widely known that Elizabeth loved corgis — Princess Diana reportedly called the dogs the queen’s “moving carpet” because they accompanied her everywhere.

She owned more than 30 corgis over the years. She also had two “dorgis” — crossbreeds of dachshund and corgi — named Candy and Vulcan.

Elizabeth was photographed hugging one of the dogs as far back as 1936 at age 10, and was given a corgi named Susan for her 18th birthday. The breed was introduced to the royal family by her father, King George VI, in 1933, when he bought a male corgi called Dookie from a local kennel.

As queen, she also technically owned the thousands of mute swans in open British waters, and had the right to claim all sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins, according to a statute from 1324.

‘A PRETTY NICE GIRL’

The queen inevitably became the subject of pop songs.

The Beatles immortalized her with the tongue-in-cheek “Her Majesty,” calling her “a pretty nice girl” though “she doesn’t have a lot to say.” The brief song, sung by Paul McCartney and recorded in 1969, appeared at the end of the “Abbey Road” album.

Other musical treatments weren’t so kind. The Sex Pistols’ anti-monarchist “God Save The Queen,” released right before her Silver Jubilee in 1977, was banned on British television.

Hacker hooked Russian soldiers attractive women photos, their bases destroyed

A Russian base was reportedly blown up after a Ukrainian hacker set up fake social media profiles of attractive women and tricked Putin’s troops into giving their position away.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Nikita Knysh, from Kharkiv, who is an IT professional, explained that he wanted to use his hacking skills to help his country win against Russia and founded group Hackyourmom.


Nikita, 30, and his group of 30 hackers, tricked Russian soldiers stationed in Melitopol, using fake social media accounts, and got soldiers to send them photographs of them on the front. 

The hackers used the images to work out that the Russians were at a military base near Melitopol in southern Ukraine. 


After sending the information to Ukraine’s military, the base was attacked several days later and explosions rang out, according to Ukrainian Pravda. Melitopol’s mayor Ivan Fedorov confirmed the news on Telegram.

He said: ‘Another explosive night in Melitopol and Myrne village of Melitopol district. At 1 o’clock residents of all districts heard loud explosions.

‘The first of them was so strong that windows in some houses shook and plaster fell. We are waiting for confirmation that the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed another base of the occupiers with jewel-like precision strikes. The enemy will never be at peace on our land.’

Fedorov later said: ‘In Melitopol, one of the largest enemy bases in the territory of the ‘Actovolorlit’ plant was destroyed.’

Knysh said of the hacking, which led to the alleged attack: ‘The Russians, they always want to f**k. They send out a lot of s**t to ‘girls’ to prove that they are warriors.’ 

And another team member on Hackyourmom, named only as Maxim, said that after the attack they thought: ‘My first thought was — I am effective, I can help my country.

‘Then, I realized, I want more of this — I want to find more bases, again and again.

It comes as a cyber feud rages on between Russia and Ukraine, with hackers launching ferocious attacks from both sides.
 

Graham Potter verbally agrees to chelsea’s new coach Chelsea coach

Graham Potter has verbally agreed on terms of his contract to become Chelsea’s new manager. 

Chelsea made Potter their No 1 target after sacking Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday September 8, and swiftly received permission from Brighton to speak to him. A substantial compensation payment understood to be about £16m will need to be paid.

Potter is now going over a few final details of the contract this morning and is expected to be in the Chelsea dugout, along with his Brighton staff, for the Blues’ match against Fulham on Saturday.

The Seagulls boss was due to speak to the media on Thursday ahead of his current side’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth and is expected to address his exit from the club. 

Potter quickly emerged as Chelsea’s No 1 target and he was locked in advanced talks with the Blues on Wednesday night, thrashing out an agreement.

Former Liverpool sporting director, Michael Edwards and ex-Tottenham and Southampton recruitment guru Paul Mitchell are among those being considered by Chelsea.

Potter, 47, is understood to have a release clause of at least £12m in his contract, meaning Brighton are powerless to stop their manager from leaving. 

Recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay and first-team coach Billy Reid are among the Brighton staff set to follow Potter to southwest London.

Tuchel was sacked on Wednesday hours after his side’s 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb, Chelsea’s third loss in seven games. 

A Chelsea spokesman said: ‘As the new ownership group continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.’ 

Chelsea, who sixth, will now hope they can get an immediate bounce from the imminent arrival of Potter in a bid to breathe new life in their domestic and Champions League campaigns.  

7000 donkey p3nises intercepted at Lagos International Airport

Some 7,000 pieces of male donkey genitals being smuggled to Hong Kong, China, have been intercepted by the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Cargo Command of the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) Lagos.

The Customs’ Area Controller, Sambo Dangaladima,who displayed about 16 sacks of the donkey genitals said the consignment had a duty paid value of N216,212,813.

Dangaladima said it was the pungent smell from the bags that drew the attention of the customs officials.

“The importers falsely declared the items as cow genitals. After due examination, my export officers discovered they were donkey genitals. It is the first time we are seizing this type of item. We will not allow such illegal wildlife trade thrive under our watch,” he said.

7,000 donkey p3nises intercepted at Lagos International Airport
7,000 donkey p3nises intercepted at Lagos International Airport

12 Protesters of George Floyd’s death to get $540,000 from US city

Twelve protesters who were arrested by the law enforcement agencies during a peaceful rally against the murder of George Floyd in 2020 will receive $540,000.


According to their attorneys, the amount of money was a settlement from Cleveland, a city in Ohio, the United States of America, the Associated Press reports.


The reports, on Wednesday, said some of the 12 demonstrators sustained minor injuries, including being hit with pepper spray during protests on May 30, 2020, which were organised after Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.


A former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death after pressing his knee on the Black American’s neck for more than nine minutes.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and half years in prison.


A civil rights lawyer, Sarah Gelsomino and her colleague, Terry Gilbert who filed lawsuits against the city of Cleveland disclosed that those arrested had protested peacefully and caused no destruction or violence, but still ended up in jail.

After winning the case and speaking on the settlement, Gelsomino said they will share the money equally. She also said the city has agreed to remove the charges from the records of the protestors.

Gelsomino said the city of Cleveland has consistently ignored First Amendment expression despite training and policies intended to educate officers.

Police “were unprepared, they were untrained, they were unsupervised, and they didn’t like the message on May 30, and they acted out,” she said.

Gilbert told Cleveland.com that as a part of the settlement, in addition to assisting those charged, removed their criminal records, the city will also provide more training to officers to handle crowd control at future events.

A similar racial injustice protest in Columbus resulted in 32 people receiving $5.75 million in settlements.

Sad News! Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years, BBC has reported.

Her family gathered at her Scottish estate after concerns grew about her health earlier on Thursday.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.

With her death, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

“The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

All the Queen’s children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.

Her grandson, Prince William, is also there, with his brother, Prince Harry, on his way.

Queen Elizabeth II’s tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK’s entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union.

Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, and including Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975, and appointed by the Queen earlier this week.

She held weekly audiences with her prime minister throughout her reign.

At Buckingham Palace in London, crowds awaiting updates on the Queen’s condition began crying as they heard of her death. The Union flag on top of the palace was lowered to half-mast at 18:30 BST.

The Queen was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926.

Few could have foreseen she would become monarch but in December 1936 her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated from the throne to marry the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson.

Elizabeth’s father became King George VI and, at age 10, Lilibet, as she was known in the family, became heir to the throne.

Within three years, Britain was at war with Nazi Germany. Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, spent much of wartime at Windsor Castle after their parents rejected suggestions they be evacuated to Canada.

After turning 18, Elizabeth spent five months with the Auxiliary Territorial Service and learned basic motor mechanic and driving skills. “I began to understand the esprit de corps that flourishes in the face of adversity,” she recalled later.

Through the war, she exchanged letters with her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, who was serving in the Royal Navy. Their romance blossomed and couple married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, with the prince taking the title of Duke of Edinburgh.

She would later describe him as “my strength and stay” through 74 years of marriage, before his death in 2021, aged 99.

–BBC

Divorce: Woman begged court to dissolve her marriage over excessive ‘knacking’

A housewife, Zainab Yunusa, has asked a Sharia Court sitting in Magajin Gari, Kaduna to dissolve her marriage to her husband, Ali Garba, for his unusual sex demands.

The plaintiff told the court on Wednesday that Mr Garba demanded for sex even while she was menstruating and during the Ramadan fast.

Ms Yunusa said they lived together only for a year as couple, adding that she moved to her parents’ house over the matter.

The plaintiff explained that during their stay together, Mr Garba usually come home in the afternoon when she was on her menstrual cycle to demand for sex, which is against Islamic doctrine.

“During Ramadan fasting, he usually comes back home in the afternoon and demands for sex and whenever I refuse, he gets angry and always gets offended.

“And when I ask him for food, he usually replies that I should go and meet my boyfriend to feed me.

“He never trusted me to the extent that he never allowed anybody including my male or female relatives to visit me,” she told the court.

The woman said she run away from her matrimonial home, as she could not satisfy her husband’s appetite for sex.

She, therefore, prayed the court to dissolve the marriage, as she was not ready to succumb to her husband’s unusual sex demands in disobedience to God.

The husband, however, denied the claims, saying that Yunusa had filed many allegations against him in different courts.

Mr Garba, told the court through his counsel, M.A Sambo, that his wife’s mother went to his house in his absence, packed and sold his properties, before leaving with her daughter.

He said that the mother had promised to return all that they took from his house during a settlement meeting.

He listed items removed to include a set of chairs worth N100,000, a television set, two refrigerators, N35,000 worth of plates and other kitchen utensils, 20 yards of leather carpet and a mattress worth N15,000.

Mr Garba prayed the court to consider his request for return of his properties as a precondition for his acceptance of the divorce request.

The Judge, Murtala Nasir, after listening to both parties, ordered the plaintiff to come to court with her mother on the next hearing date.

He adjourned the case to Sept. 27, for the continuation of hearing.

NAN

Breaking! China approves world’s first inhaled Covid vaccine, Convidecia Air

China has become the first country to green-light an inhaled Covid-19 vaccine, known as Convidecia Air, paving the way for potential use of the needle-free product in the country, where suppressing the spread of Covid-19 remains a top priority.

The vaccine maker, CanSino Biologics, said in a statement Sunday that China’s medicines regulator had approved the inhaled dose for emergency use as a booster vaccine.

The product delivers a vaccine dose through a puff of air from a nebulizer that is then inhaled by mouth.

CanSino’s injected Convidecia Covid-19 vaccine is already in use in China and has been approved in a handful of other countries.

According to a database maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO), CanSino’s new product is one of two specifically “inhaled” vaccines that had reached clinical phase development, as a number of companies worldwide research innovative ways to deliver Covid-19 protection via the nose and mouth.

The clearance of the inhaled shot, which the company said needed to fulfill additional steps before going to market, comes as multiple Chinese cities enforce large-scale Covid lockdowns and mass testing drives in response to small-scale outbreaks.

China continues to adhere to a stringent zero-Covid policy, even as the rest of the world learns to live with the virus.

Pressure on officials to get outbreaks under control is mounting in the lead-up to a twice-a-decade political meeting next month, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to break with tradition and step into a third term.

More than 70 Chinese cities have been placed under full or partial Covid lockdown since late August, impacting more than 300 million people, according to a CNN tally.

A low vaccination rate among the elderly is one medical reason used by Chinese authorities to justify the ongoing disease control measures.

Meanwhile, new variants of the coronavirus have impacted the protection offered by first-generation vaccines around the world, including China’s homegrown vaccines that provide less robust antibody protection compared with mRNA vaccines developed in the West.

Booster and vaccination campaigns — and the development of next-generation products — are ongoing within China.

Convidecia Air boosting immunity

It remains unclear what place the new inhaled vaccine will fill in this landscape. CanSino cautioned in a company filing that some regulatory steps remain before the vaccine can go to market, and said its product would face “fierce competition” domestically, where nine vaccines have so far received authorization.

University of Hong Kong virologist Jin Dong-Yan, who was not involved in the development of the vaccine, said that it was difficult to say what impact the product would have if used in China, as more data was needed to understand the protection it offers, including against infection.

However, shots that could offer so-called mucosal immunity by being delivered in the nose or mouth could be a good option for use as additional boosters in China, Jin said, given the low levels of natural immunity in its population, where only a small fraction of people has had Covid.

Studies have indicated that people who have been infected with Covid gain this kind of immunity, which is not the focus of protection for injected vaccines.

“These [kinds of vaccines] might be particularly important for China, because all over the world in the general population, we have a mixed type of immunity [from both vaccination and natural infection] … and [these vaccines] might be similar to natural infection in terms of inducing mucosal immunity,” he said, adding real world data was needed to confirm this.

“Different types of [second-generation] vaccines should be studied and developed to help boost the herd immunity in the general population, which is a big issue [for] China,” he said.

In a news release, CanSino said Convidecia Air “can induce strong humoral, cellular and mucosal immunity.”

The manufacturer didn’t provide data to support those claims, but referred to studies in The Lancet medical journal.

In a small study published in August, CanSino researchers reported that in people who’d had two injected doses of the CoronaVac vaccine, a booster of the inhaled vaccine increased antibody levels compared with a third injected dose of CoronaVac.

CoronaVac, a shot developed by Beijing-based Sinovac used widely in China and globally, uses a different kind of technology from Convidecia, so the inhaled dose provided a heterologous, or mix-and-match, boost.

The study didn’t test whether the inhaled dose kept people from getting infected or preventing them from passing Covid on to others.

Globally, drug manufacturers are racing to make next-generation vaccines that can improve protection against Covid, including those that use innovative methods of delivering doses.

Clinical trials are underway to test more than a dozen spray vaccines to see if they can create so-called mucosal immunity. This boosts certain antibodies in the nose and mouth, specifically, with the goal of preventing an infection from taking hold in the first place.

There’s hope that these non-shot vaccines, which are given as drops, sprays or tablets to the mouth and nose, may also prevent the infection from spreading from person to person — something injected vaccines don’t do very well following the emergence of new variants of the virus.

CanSino’s Convidecia vaccine is similar to the Johnson & Johnson and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines. It uses a harmless virus called an adenovirus to ferry instructions for making Covid’s spike proteins into cells so the body can create antibodies against them.

CNN, however, reported that none of CanSino’s products have been authorized for use in the United States, but the World Health Organization earlier this year listed the injected version of Convidecia for emergency use.

Appeal Court fixes new date for Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal

The Appeal Court has scheduled Tuesday next week for the hearing of the appeal filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, against the Federal Government.

Kanu is challenging the remaining seven count charges filed against him by the Nigerian government.


Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court, on April 8, struck out eight out of the 15-count treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against Kanu.

Following the ruling, Kanu headed to the Appeal Court to challenge the remaining charges.


However, the court initially fixed October 11, 2022, for the hearing of the appeal.


But, the court recanted and fixed Tuesday next week for the hearing of the appeal.

The new date was disclosed by Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.

A statement by Ejiofor reads: “Our Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CR/ 625/2022; between Nnamdi Kanu vs the Federal Republic of Nigeria, earlier scheduled for Hearing on the 11th Day of October, 2022, has been brought forward to the 13th day of September, 2022.

“Your relentless prayers and supplications are positively impacting.

“It, therefore, means that hearing on Onyendu’s Appeal challenging the remaining Seven count Charge filed against him, will now be coming up for Hearing at the Court of Appeal Abuja, next Tuesday, being the 13th Day of September, 2022.”


Kanu is standing trial before Justice Nyako over his agitation for the actualization of Biafra.

The IPOB leader has been locked since he was arrested and repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya last year.

US restricts technology firms from investing and building factories in China for 10 years

The US government has banned its tech companies that receive federal funding from building “advanced technology” facilities in China for 10 years, the Biden administration has said.


The guidelines were unveiled as part of a $50bn (£43bn) plan aimed at building up the local semiconductor industry in the US and comes following calls in the US to reduce reliance on China, a major producer of semi-conductors in the world.

Reliance on China for semiconductors has led to global microchip shortage which has slowed production of electronics and machines in the US.

“We’re going to be implementing the guardrails to ensure those who receive CHIPS funds cannot compromise national security… they’re not allowed to use this money to invest in China, they can’t develop leading-edge technologies in China…. for a period of ten years,”  US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on  Wednesday, September 7 while explaining the US Chips and Science Act.

“Companies who receive the money can only expand their mature node factories in China to serve the Chinese market.”


The US and China have been locked in a long-running dispute over trade and technology.


In August, US President Joe Biden had signed a law committing $280bn (£232bn) to high tech manufacturing and scientific research, amid fears that the US is losing its technological edge to China.


The investments include tax breaks for companies that build computer chip manufacturing plants in the US.


The US currently produces roughly 10% of the global supply of semiconductors, which are key to everything from cars to mobile phones, down from nearly 40% in 1990.

‘Kaduna train attack’ negotiator, Tukur Mamu arrested in Egypt via InterPol, currently in DSS custody

Mallam Tukur Mamu, the lead negotiator between terrorists and the passengers kidnapped from a Kaduna-bound train in March, has been arrested in Cairo, capital of Egypt, with his family members.

According to Daily Trust, the Kaduna-based publisher of Desert Herald newspaper, was arrested on the orders of the Nigerian Government.

Mamu, who was on his way to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj, was detained at the Cairo International Airport for 24 hours and is being repatriated back to Nigeria.

Speaking with Daily Trust, Mamu said he left Nigeria on Tuesday and after being investigated by the Egyptian security agencies, nothing incriminating was found in his possession.

Mamu insinuated a plan by the Nigerian government to detain him in another country just as was done to Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, but that could not happen because the Egyptian government found that his papers were genuine.

It will be recalled that Mamu pulled out of the negotiation with terrorists after he alleged a threat to his life and attempted blackmail by the Nigerian Government.

******

The Department of State Services (DSS) says the arrested Kaduna-Abuja train hostage negotiator, Tukur Manu, is now in their custody.

A statement released by Peter Afunanya, spokesperson of the agency, says Manu, as a person of interest, was intercepted by Nigeria’s foreign partners in Cairo, Egypt on 6th September 2022 while on his way to Saudi Arabia.

”He has since been returned to the country, today, 7th September, 2022 and taken into the Service’s custody. The act followed a request by Nigeria’s Military, Law Enforcement and Intelligence Community to their foreign partners to bring back Manu to the country” the statement in part read

Afunanya stated that Manu was brought in to answer critical questions on ongoing investigations relating to some security matters in parts of the country. He assured the public that the law will appropriately take its course in the investigation.

Thomas Tuchel will be paid off £13M with an extra £2M to his staff

Chelsea’s sacking of Thomas Tuchel is set to cost the club around £15m.


According to Sportsmail, the German was one of the Premier League’s top earners, on a salary in the region of £13m a year. With his backroom staff set to follow him out of the door, the total cost to Chelsea’s new American owners is likely to be closer to the £15m mark.

It was also disclosed that the decision to sack Tuchel was made even before Chelsea’s shock 1-0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, September 7, following £271 million spent on new players.

Brighton’s Graham Potter is being considered as his replacement with Chelsea looking to make an appointment before their next match at Fulham on Saturday.

In a statement, Chelsea wrote: ‘On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club. 

‘Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

‘As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.’

Tuchel was appointed as Chelsea manager in January 2021, replacing the sacked Frank Lampard less than a month after being relieved of his duties at Paris Saint-Germain.

He guided the club to a second Champions League triumph when they beat Manchester City in an all-English final in Porto and followed it up with Super Cup and Club World Cup successes.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach also led the Blues to two successive FA Cup finals and the Carabao Cup final.

Goodnews! Nigeria to become major gas supplier to Europe – Sylva says

epa00884785 (File) Picture dated 28 June 2004 shows natural gas and oil facilities on Bonny Island in Nigeria . OPEC ministers gathered in Nigeria Thursday 14 December 2006 at the opening of the 143rd OPEC conference in Abuja to discuss oil production restrictions, with growing consensus in the cartel that lower output is needed to support prices. EPA/STR

Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, says Nigeria is positioning to become a major gas supplier to Europe following the global energy crisis caused by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr Sylva spoke on Tuesday during a panel session at the 50th Anniversary Edition of Gastech Conference 2022 in Milan, Italy.

The panel had the topic: “Just Energy Transition for Developing Nations.”

The minister maintained that funding of gas development actually at this point was a win-win for Europe and Africa.

He said: “Today we are seeing gas being weaponised and every country will at least require some alternative supply.

“So, we are positioning ourselves to be an alternative supplier to Europe. We are already working with Algeria to build the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline that is going to take our gas all the way to Europe.

“We are also having a partnership with Morocco to extend the West Africa Gas Pipeline to Morocco and across the Mediterranean to Europe.

“We believe that Europe needs this gas and it is a win-win for all of us and it is in their interest to reduce these discriminatory investments that their banks are doing.”

Mr Sylva said during a recent meeting with a European delegation to Nigeria, he had advised them to provide appropriate policy framework for their banks to enable investment in oil and gas.

“For Europe, we don’t know how the winter is going to be but for us, we know that gas is going to be with us for some time and it is in our collective interest for us to provide funding for gas.

“For Nigeria, we just need a few interventions. We need collaboration, and of course we need funding and then technology.

“By the time we get this together, we should be able to unlock a lot of gas.

“Today, we have over 200TCF of proven gas reserves and we know that if we really target gas exploration we can increase this figure to up to 600TCF of gas,” he said.

According to him, with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which has provided a clear fiscal framework for gas development, Nigeria will be able to attract more investment to the sector and increase its reserves.

Mr Sylva said: “As a country, we are also increasing our investment in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). We were producing about 22MTPA of LNG but we are building a train to increase it to 30MTPA.

“We are also planning to increase our gas production which is about 8 billion cubic feet per day (cf/d) to about 12. 2 billion cf/d.

“We have declared the year 2021 to year 2030 as the Decade of Gas, so we are focused on actually investing in gas.”

The minister reiterated that Nigeria had adopted gas as its energy transition fuel and was committed to achieving its net zero carbon emission target.

He said the Federal Government was also looking at investing in Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) technology.

“We believe that is the direction to go. We believe that it is not about renewable energy but about clean energy.

“We want to see how we can engage and deploy CCUS technology to clean our hydrocarbons. For us, we believe that is the way to go,” Mr Sylva said.

2023 Election: “There is a plot to make Shettima President – Awolowo’s daughter warns

Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, the daughter of Nigerian nationalist and statesman, Obafemi Awolowo has alleged that there is plot to get rid of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) if he wins the 2023 election.

She revealed that the plan is to get rid of Tinubu and install his running mate, Kashim Shettima as president.

While addressing newsmen in Lagos, Awolowo-Dosunmu claimed that the plan may be perfected immediately after the 2023 swearing-in.

She said those behind the plot would take advantage of Tinubu’s deteriorating medical condition.

Dosunmu however, appealed to Yorubas to stop being sentimental and tribalist about the three major candidates contesting for the office of the presidency.

“They are plotting against Tinubu; Yorubas should wake up. They are aware of Tinubu’s medical condition.

“All they are planning is, immediately after handing over and swearing-in, they are going to get rid of Tinubu and Sheetima will be your next president if you are not careful.

“Yorubas have to wake up and not allow emotions to lead us,” she said.

Britain get a new Prime Minister – Liz TRUSS

Liz Truss has taken office as British prime minister after meeting Queen Elizabeth II for a ceremonial transfer of power showcasing centuries of tradition. 

Boris Johnson formally offered his resignation to the queen at Balmoral, her castle in Scotland, after delivering a farewell address outside his Downing Street office early on Tuesday.

Truss, who was announced as the leader of the ruling Conservative Party a day earlier, is now the 15th leader of the queen’s reign and the country’s third female prime minister. She was formally appointed during her own subsequent audience with the monarch.

This was the first time in the queen’s 70-year reign that the handover of power took place at her summer retreat, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London.

The ceremony, known as “kissing hands,” was moved to Scotland to provide certainty about the schedule because of the 96-year-old’s mobility problems.

Truss, 47, takes office a day after the Conservative Party’s 172,000 members elected her to lead their party.

She disclosed that her priority is cutting taxes and slashing regulations to fuel economic growth. 

After winning the race to succeed Johnson, Truss promised to “deliver” on the economy, the energy crisis, and the country’s overstretched health care system, though she offered few specifics on her policies.

The first task for Truss will be to appoint a Cabinet to tackle the government’s mountain of challenges as she will face multiple foreign policy crises, including the war in Ukraine and frosty post-Brexit relations with the European Union.

As foreign secretary, Truss was a firm supporter of Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion, and as prime minister, she will continue the U.K.’s civilian and military support for Kyiv.

She has said her first phone call with a world leader will be to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Breaking: Thomas Tuchel sacked after their defeat to Dinamo

Chelsea have sacked manager Thomas Tuchel after their 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb following £271 million spent on new players.


This is coming after the club’s slow start to the Premier League season before their Champions League campaign got off to a nightmare start as they lost to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, September 6. 

New owner Todd Boehly has wasted no time to fire Tuchel from his position after spending £271 million on new players during the summer transfer market. 


A club statement read: “Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel.


“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.

“Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.


“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach. There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”


Tuchel was appointed as Chelsea manager in January 2021, replacing the sacked Frank Lampard less than a month after being relieved of his duties at Paris Saint-Germain.


He guided the club to a second Champions League triumph when they beat Manchester City in an all-English final in Porto and followed it up with Super Cup and Club World Cup successes.


The former Borussia Dortmund coach also led the Blues to two successive FA Cup finals and the Carabao Cup final.

A Russian regiment allegedly ‘refused fighting’ due to lack of food and no pay

Russian commanders in occupied southern Ukraine are facing mass mutinies as entire regiments reportedly refuse to fight due to a lack of basic supplies and no pay.

The Russian 127th regiment of the 1st army corps reportedly ignored orders to join a battle near the southern city of Kherson, according to intelligence cited by Ukraine’s southern operational command.

Mail Online reported that Soldiers who led the mutiny told superiors they could not fight because they had endured weeks of water shortages and scarce rations, all while not receiving their paychecks. 

Russia’s GRU and FSB intelligence agencies ‘investigated’ the individuals responsible for leading the revolt and ‘removed’ them from their positions, according to Ukraine’s military.

The mutineers are likely to face a harrowing fate as they will all be shipped off to detention centres in Russian-occupied territory before being forced into returning to the front lines or held in awful conditions and tortured.

It comes as Kremlin-installed local government officials in Kherson said they were forced to suspend a ‘referendum’ on whether the city should join the Russian Federation due to safety concerns amid Ukrainian counter-offensives in the region.

The 127th regiment is just one of several Russian units which have chosen to ignore orders amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In the footage, the commander can be heard saying: ‘Our company overcame cold and hunger and for a considerable period we did so without material support, medical supplies or food.

‘The mobilisation of our unit took place without any medical examinations, and there are those among our unit who in accordance with the laws of the Donetsk People’s Republic should not be mobilised. 

‘Many questions arise that are ignored by command… Show respect for your officers – what is there to be gained from sending your soldiers to die?’

Team of doctors removes 100-pound tumor from woman’s body (graphic photos)

Doctors have removed a 100-pound tumour from a woman’s body that she had been living with for five years.

The Brazilian woman, who stood 4-foot-9 and weighed 330 pounds, had reported to the clinic after suffering from shortness of breath, allegedly caused by the massive tumour.

There, doctors discovered that her midsection harbored a tumor weighing 100 pounds — as much as a baby hippo and comprising nearly a third of her body weight.

100-pound tumor

Surgeons removed the tumour in an operation that lasted 2 hours, giving the woman a new lease on life.

Photos of the tumour are currently blowing up on Facebook after Dr. Boechat shared them online. The photos depict the growth before and after extraction from the woman’s body.

“It is not every day you operate on a tumor of that size!” presiding surgeon Glaucio Boechat told Jam Press of the unprecedented procedure, which went down on Aug. 31 at the Hospital São José do Avaí in Rio de Janeiro.

100-pound tumor

He added: “It was the biggest tumor I have operated on and certainly one of the biggest that anyone has ever removed.”

After a brief evaluation, the team decided to remove the titanic tumor immediately.

100-pound tumor

“There were about 13 or 14 people in the operating theatre,” Boechat described. “The whole hospital mobilized to perform the procedure for the patient.”

Two hours later, the tumour was extracted and the patient is “stable, and breathing without the help of any equipment,” according to the doctor.

Scientists speculated that the mass originated in the woman’s uterus but won’t know for sure until the results of the biopsy arrive in approximately 20 days, Jam Press reported.

Over 38,000 doctors support Peter Obi’s Presidential ambition, promise 25M votes

No fewer than 38,000 medical doctors and other health workers have thrown their weight behind the presidential bid of Mr Peter Obi, the standard bearer of the Labour Party. 

They also promised to mobilise 25 million votes for the former governor of Anambra state through free nationwide medical outreach programmes at the grassroots level under the aegis of Docs and Medics for Peter Obi.

This is even as the National Woman Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Ada Orji Nwanyanwu, dumped the party and led other women politicians across the country to the Labour Party.

Speaking during the presentation of working tools by three support groups to the Labour Party’s campaign council at the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, the convener of Docs and Medics for Peter Obi, Dr Uche Uzoukwu, explained how the group plans to deliver the 25 million votes in 2023.

He stated: “Nurses, doctors and pharmacists are coming together under the name docs and medics for Peter Obi. Politics is a game of numbers and everyone is important. Therefore, 11,000 doctors, 27,000 medics have come together and have formed even state groups.

“We are reaching out to the local governments and have moved down to the wards and leaders have been inaugurated. We are moving down to the polling units and have 500,000 to grow and encourage them to get in touch with 50 people as the attend to patients. With this, we can have 25 million votes.

“We want to deliver 25 million votes, by giving right to life and to be well, the votes can be gathered. Medical outreaches have been in place and is still being used. Community members at the outreaches are encouraged to vote Peter Obi with a promise that the exercise will continue once Labour Party wins,” he said.

Lamenting the poor state of the nation’s health sector, Uzoukwu said Obi has the capacity to tackle brain drain; stressing that the doctors and the medics would stay behind after the 2023 elections to develop the sector.

He recalled that during the window period of PVC registration, the group had paid for logistics for persons without voter cards to be registered by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), noting that such was done in 26 states and 52 different locations where thousands were registered.

Earlier, the National Chairman of Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure, said the country has never experienced democracy since 1999, but will however begin on its course come 2023 when the former Anambra governor is voted in as president.

He stated that the ruling All Peoples Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party were never owned by the people but by those who funded it, adding that he who blows the piper, dictates the tune of the music.

Abure also lampooned that persons who had claimed that the party is without structure, saying such narrative owing have been buried due to the rising popularity of the party.

The event also coincided with the defection of the National Woman Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Ada Orji Nwanyanwu and other women politicians to the LP.

According to Nwanyanwu, she was leaving APGA because “Peter Obi has the answer to the challenges facing Nigeria.”

Russian citizens to pay €80 and provide more documents before granted EU Visas

The European Union has proposed to make it more expensive and harder for Russian citizens to get visas with visa fees to increase from 35 (£30; $34) to €80 (£69; $79) plus a lengthier application process for Russians wanting to enter the EU.

The proposal by the EU will continue as long as Russia wages its war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU Commission said on Tuesday, September 6.


The proposal by the EU comes after EU migration data revealed that more than a million Russians have travelled to EU countries since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Margaritis Schinas, the EU Commission vice-president, said Russia had “completely undermined” the trust on which the existing EU-Russia visa agreement was based.


Under the proposals, Russian citizens will face:

-Higher fees of €80 rather than €35
-A lengthier application process
-Restrictions on multi-entry visas
-A longer required list of supporting documents.


Separately, the EU Commission is proposing that the member states refuse to recognise Russian passports issued in occupied Ukraine.


“Russians should not have easy access to the European Union and travelling to the EU as a tourist is not a human right,” said EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson.

Under the previous EU-Russia visa agreement, Russians had for 15 years enjoyed an easy process for getting EU visas.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted on Tuesday that the visa agreement should be suspended as there “can be no business as usual” with Russia.

The visa move comes after a decision by EU foreign ministers last week to suspend the existing visa agreement with Moscow.


Since the war, some EU countries bordering Russia like Finland had already begun to tighten border controls.


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week admitted that the EU decision would make life more difficult for Russian travellers, calling the proposal “another ridiculous decision in a series of ongoing absurdities”.

2023 Elections: I Will Stage Biggest Rally For Peter Obi – Charly Boy Says

A renowned musician and actor, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy, has said he will organise the biggest rally ever for the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.


Charly Boy declared this on his verified Twitter handle on Thursday adding that he has publicly endorsed Obi for the 2023 presidential election.

The septuagenarian artiste had said in June that he would relocate to Ghana if either Bola Tinubu or Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) respectively wins next year’s presidential election.


Charly Boy was with his colleague in the music industry, Seun Kuti when Obi visited last month.


“Finally, on Kakaaki today, I publicly endorsed Peter Obi. Before this month runs out I would stage the biggest rally ever,” Charly Boy said.

Kylian Mbappe stands with Paul Pogba in his alleged extortion scandal

Kylian Mbappe has laughed off claims that Paul Pogba asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on him, insisting he ‘prefers to believe the word’ of his France team-mate.

Recall, that Pogba’s brother Mathias has published multiple videos to social media promising ‘great revelations’ about the Juventus star. In one of the videos, he alleged that his brother sought to put a curse upon Mbappe, something Paul Pogba has strenuously denied. 

The French striker has now addressed the allegations at a press conference ahead of Juventus vs Paris Saint-Germain clash in Champions League this week.

‘Today I prefer to believe the word of my team-mate,’ Mbappe said. 

‘It is his word against the word of his brother, I am going to believe my team-mate. 

‘It’s not a time to put more onto him. I’m pretty detached from it all.’ 

Pogba has publicly denied the allegations of witchcraft against Mbappe, who earlier spoke to his team-mate for clarity on how he has been dragged into this row. However, Mbappe is now ready to move on from it. 

‘He called me, he gave his version of the facts,’ Mbappe added. 

Pogba reportedly confirmed to investigators that he did seek the help of a witch doctor but for the sole purpose of warding off injuries and not to target any team-mate.

The midfielder’s brother Mathias took to Twitter to address Mbappe directly over the witchcraft allegation.

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‘Kylian, do you understand now?’ he wrote. 

‘I have nothing against you, what I am saying is for your own good, everything is true and known, the witch doctor is known!’

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Friday September 2, that they have opened a formal judicial investigation into allegations by Pogba that he was the target of extortion attempts and threats from an organised gang.

Russia postpones ‘referendum’ in Ukraine’s ‘Kherson’ as Ukraine regains its lands

The Russian military authorities in Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson have postponed its referendum on joining Russia, citing security reasons.

The announcement comes as Ukraine says its forces have recaptured Vysokopillya, a town some 167km (104 miles) north of central Kherson.

The  regaining of the territory is part of a counter-offensive in the south launched by the Ukrainian army last week.

Russia postpones 'referendum' in Ukraine's 'Kherson' as Ukraine regains its lands


Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced the referendum plans by Russia in occupied Kherson and other areas as illegal.


“This (referendum) is being paused because of the security situation,” said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-appointed administration in Kherson.


Speaking on Russian state TV, Mr Stremousov said Ukrainian shelling had damaged Kherson’s Antonovskiy Bridge to such an extent that vehicles could no longer cross it.

He said barges transporting civilians across the Dnieper (Dnipro) river were also coming under Ukrainian fire, as was the city’s infrastructure.


He said heavy Ukrainian shelling had made a key Kherson bridge impassable.


The Russians have relied on the bridge to bring troops and hardware in and out of Kherson.

Russia has been planning referendums in Kherson and the southern Zaporizhzhia region, most of which it controls.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has deployed US-made Himars multiple rocket launchers in its drive to push the Russians out of the city of Kherson the first to fall to them after their 24 February invasion.

Back in 2014, Russian authorities held a referendum in annexed Crimea but it was not recognised internationally

Benjamin Mendy’s case Update: ‘Woman woke up to find footballer raping her’

A 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped by soccer star Benjamin Mendy as she was sleeping after a party at his mansion home, a court heard yesterday.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the Mendy rape trial: ‘All I remember is waking up to Ben being on top of me.’

She fought back tears as she told the jury at Chester Crown Court in a pre-recorded video interview that she had been to a night club with the footballer and then back for a pool party at his £4.8 million mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire.

She is one of three women who claim they were raped by the Manchester City defender at the two-day party on the 23 to 24 July last year.

The witness, who was 19 at the time, said she and a friend had been to Mendy’s house and then onto a nightclub in Manchester before returning to the mansion for more drinks and a swim in the pool.

She said she had champagne, tequila and rose wine and described herself as ‘six out of ten drunk’.

She said she announced that she was tired and was shown to a bedroom by one of Mendy’s friends.

She changed out of the bikini she had brought with her and into her underwear and fell asleep, alone, in the double bed.

The witness said it was between 4 and 5 a.m. when she went to sleep in a double bed in the room.

She tearfully told the court that she woke to find Mendy having sex with her from behind.

She said: ‘I remember waking up with him on top of me. I was like on my side and he was behind me. I had gone to sleep and then he was on top of me. 

‘He was inside me. I remember saying that I did not want to do anything because I was on my period. It was only a few seconds and I remember him taking it out.

‘He did not say a word but he handed me a towel to put under me.’

The interviewing police officer asked her: ‘Is there any chance that he thought you wanted to have sex with him that day?’

She replied: ‘No, because I didn’t even know him that well.’

The witness said that she left Mr Mendy’s house the following afternoon and later learned that her friend had also claimed that she was raped by Mendy at the same party.

She said the friend had sent her a message on Snapchat and added: ‘She didn’t go into detail, she just said something had happened to her. 

‘I think I wanted to tell her about what happened to me but I just shut it off.’

The jury has been told that it is alleged that Mendy had raped the friend when she was on a sofa in the living room of the house. 

The friend had no recollection of the alleged assault but a later DNA sample showed that she had also had sex with Mendy’s friend and alleged fixer Louis Saha Matturie.

The witness who claimed Mendy raped her in the bedroom while she was asleep admitted in the interview that she had consensual sex with Mendy two or three months earlier after meeting him at a party in Saha’s flat in Salford.

She told the court: ‘We had sex. It was just a one night thing. I was sober and It was entirely consensual.’

The witness was cross-examined by Ms Eleanor Laws QC, for Mendy, and admitted exchanging messages with a friend about the sex with Mendy in the flat.

Ms. Laws said the messages showed that the encounter was in March last year and it was the first time she had ever met Mr Mendy.

Ms. Laws said: ‘Do you remember saying you did not know him that well?’

The witness replied: ‘He does not really interact with people at parties so I did not know him that well.’

She admitted that the following day she had messaged a friend and said: ‘I slept with a famous Manchester City footballer last night.’

The friend replied: ‘Next time get an autograph or a signed shirt, ha ha.’

The witness had replied: ‘Ha ha…imagine.’

In another message to the friend she said: ‘I keep remembering things I did on Saturday night. 

‘Why do I drink? I do not know how I get up to half the stuff I get up to, oh my god.’

Mendy, 28, denies eight rapes, one attempted rape and one sexual assault.

Matturie, 41, from Eccles, Manchester denies eight rapes and four sexual assaults.

The trial continues.

Instagram fined $400M in Ireland over children’s data

Regulators in Ireland have have fined Instagram €405m for violating children’s privacy.

Ireland’s data privacy regulator says it has agreed to levy a record fine of 405 million euros ($402 million) against social network Instagram following an investigation into its handling of children’s data, a spokesperson for the watchdog said.

The investigation, which started in 2020, focused on child users between the ages of 13 and 17 who were allowed to operate business accounts, which facilitated the publication of the user’s phone number and/or email address.


Some children reportedly upgraded to business accounts to access analytics tools such as profile visits, without realising this made more of their data public.

The DPC regulates large technology companies with European headquarters in the Republic of Ireland.


“We adopted our final decision last Friday and it does contain a fine of 405 million euro,” said the spokesperson for Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC)


It has never given such a large fine for a breach of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.


However, last year, the DPC fined WhatsApp €225m, while Luxembourg’s data authority fined Amazon a record €746m.


National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) child-safety-online policy head Andy Burrows said of Instagram’s fine: “This was a major breach that had significant safeguarding implications and the potential to cause real harm to children using Instagram.


“The ruling demonstrates how effective enforcement can protect children on social media and underlines how regulation is already making children safer online.


“It’s now over to the new prime minister to keep the promise to give children the strongest possible protections by delivering the Online Safety Bill in full and without delay.”


Instagram plans to appeal against the fine, a spokesperson for parent company, Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) said in an emailed statement

A Meta official said: “This inquiry focused on old settings that we updated over a year ago and we’ve since released many new features to help keep teens safe and their information private.


“Anyone under 18 automatically has their account set to private when they join Instagram, so only people they know can see what they post and adults can’t message teens who don’t follow them.


“While we’ve engaged fully with the DPC throughout their inquiry, we disagree with how this fine was calculated and intend to appeal it.


“We’re continuing to carefully review the rest of the decision.”

Students nabbed having s3x publicly at a party in Anambra state

A video of a sex party allegedly held in a hotel in Ifite Awka, Anambra State by persons alleged to be students has been shared online.

In the video, the alleged students were seen in sex romps, in the full glare of all who stood to watch.

The video which showed several male and female partners who were making out with each other, is said to have been recorded in a hotel that is located close to the institution.

Twitter user @itz_daddyjoe who shared the video online, wrote;

”It is very unfortunate that the school environment which most of us graduated from is turning into something else. I bet that’s why I couldn’t live in Ifite Awka during my University days. A sex party at Wintess Garden hotel Ifite Unizik is condemnable.

@AfamDeluxo  bia Ka ifuru”

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Fellow Nigerians enslaving their fellow Countrymen in Cyprus – Cypriot journalist says

A Cypriot journalist Esra Aygin has revealed that Nigerians become victims of trafficking, sex slavery, and abuses including killings in the hands of their compatriots in Cyprus.


Aygin said most of them who are students travel to Cyprus do so because of many promises their fellow Nigerians have for them but eventually do not work out.


The journalist disclosed this in reaction to a statement by the Chairperson, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa that Nigerians should avoid Northern Cyprus where they become victims of murder.

According to Aygin, a correspondent with Reporters Without Borders and former reporter at the Associated Press and Bloomberg, Nigerians who reside in Cyprus deceive unsuspecting fellowmen to come with the promise of heaven on earth.


Why Nigerians suffer in Cyprus


She said they promise them migrating to countries under European Union, job opportunities and money.

Aygin said, “Agents, who themselves have been students here, and who are called ‘mama’ deceive students with false promises of schools and jobs.


“The students are told they would be going on to an EU member state, that they will have job opportunities and make a lot of money in euros.


“They are made to pay for their tickets and rent upfront, and they end up coming here already indebted.

She wrote as a guest columnist in Cyprus Mail on Saturday that “Usually, the students, who come here, are poor students, who cannot afford to go to Europe or America.

Aygin titled the column ‘Nigerians are both victims and perpetrators of crime in north.”

“These students usually spend all their family’s savings to come here. In a short time, they realise that the scholarships or jobs promised to them were false, that life is expensive, and that they cannot survive here unless they (sometimes illegally) make money. This leads them to fall into the hands of criminal groups.

“Today, many illegal activities including money laundering are carried out by Nigerians, who have come into the country on student visas, but who have nothing to do with schools here.

“These people are spending lavishly and laundering serious amounts of money in this country.”

Nigeria’s rising internet subscriptions may create more jobs – Experts

The steady increase in internet subscriptions in Nigeria will lead to the creation of more jobs for Nigerians and further boost the country’s economy. This is according to industry experts who spoke to Nairametrics.

The experts observed that more Nigerians are becoming aware of the huge opportunities that could be derived from the internet, hence, many are getting connected every day. The growing embrace of the internet, they said, is driving the growth of e-commerce in Nigeria and creating several internet-enabled jobs.

This is even as they noted that more Nigerians on the internet creates more attention to cybersecurity and data protection issues, which will in turn create jobs for experts in those areas.

Between January and July this year, data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that active internet subscriptions across mobile, fixed and VoIP networks have increased by over 10 million. Internet subscriptions in the country, which stood at 141.9 million as of December 2021, jumped to 152 million as of July 2022.

What they are saying

Reacting to the internet subscriptions growth in a chat with Nairametrics, the Chief Executive Officer of Jidaw Systems Limited, and ICT solutions provider company, Mr. Jide Awe, said: “The steady rise in Internet subscriptions is an indication of greater awareness of the benefits and opportunities that can be derived from the Internet. Remote working and digital activities accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic may have opened many eyes and contributed to the rise.

“It indicates that the Internet is being used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in key areas in the society and economy—communication and sharing, learning, commercial transactions, work from home, faster information search, responsiveness to inquiries, pricing comparisons, networking, and partnering. This is creating and will continue to create new types of Internet-enabled jobs as well indirect jobs that may be created offline by increased Internet activities.

“Again, as Internet activities rise, Cybersecurity and Data protection will require more attention and will also be a source of jobs.”

Awe, however, noted that the growth in the use of the internet should be made inclusive for all Nigerians.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Mr. Ajibola Olude, said internet subscriptions would continue to rise as the telecom operators are pushing a new agenda of rural connectivity which ensures that more Nigerians are connected. “Internet subscriptions will continue to rise in Nigeria because the government and some private organizations are encouraging digital literacy across the length and breadth of the country.

“This will definitely have a positive impact on macroeconomic variables like job creation because as telecom operators move to unconnected areas to get them connected, banks, insurance, and a host of other businesses will also be moving to those areas and people have to be employed to work in those companies,” he said.

An IT expert, Mr. Adewale Adeoye, described internet access as the bedrock of the digital economy policy being implemented by the government. “Without high internet penetration, there is no digital economy. This is why the rising internet subscriptions is a positive development for Nigeria; an indication that many more Nigerians are being brought into the digital economy space, thus creating more job opportunities,” he said.

What you should know

  • A recent report by Endeavor Nigeria, ‘The Inflection Point: Africa’s digital economy is poised to take off,’ forecast that 44 million jobs could be created if Nigeria and other African nations’ Internet penetration reaches 75%
  • The report stated that three million jobs in Nigeria and other African countries would be created by online marketplaces by 2025 and 1.7 million jobs were expected by the same year as a result of Google’s $1billion investment to support digital transformation through its subsea cables between Europe and Africa.
  • Another report by Jobberman dubbed “Digital Sector: Skills Gap Report” indicates that Nigeria’s digital economy holds the potential to create jobs and reduce the rate of unemployment.
  • Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) suggests that the country’s unemployment rate currently stands at 33.3%.

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is currently implementing a National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). This is aimed at getting more Nigerians to participate in the digital economy through capacity building and deepening internet penetration.

[Nairametrics]

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