Kanye West is reportedly being sued by a US pastor over a piece of sampled audio used in a track on his latest album Donda.
TMZ reported that Texas court documents showed that Bishop David Paul Moten said parts of the sermon were used for 70 seconds in total on the track Come To Life.
It amounts to more than 20% of the just over five-minute track. In the documents, Bishop Moten reportedly says it is the latest example of Kanye and the music industry “wilfully and egregiously sampling sound recordings of others without consent or permission”.
The phrase “my soul cries out hallelujah and I thank God for saving me” is heard at the start of the track and there are other snippets too.
Bishop Moten is also said to be suing UMG Recordings, Def Jam Recordings and G.O.O.D Music over the song.
Damages are being sought from all of them, TMZ said, adding that it had sought comment from Kanye and not heard back.
Come To Life is on the rapper’s 10th studio album, Donda, released last year.
Liverpool qualified for the Champions League final with a 3-2 win over Villarreal on Tuesday that secured a 5-2 aggregate victory.
The Premier League side had won 2-0 in England last week and followed it up with another victory on a rain-soaked pitch in Spain, despite falling 2-0 behind.
The English giants were in big trouble in the first stanza, destabilised after going behind in the fourth minute of play. By the 40th minute Villareal, who completely dominated the half, had evened scores.
It was, however, a different Liverpool on the restart, with goals from Fabinho and Diaz leaving scores at two-all before Sadio Mane ensured victory with the goal of the match after dribbling the goalkeeper and an opposing defender before slotting into an empty net.
The Reds will meet either Real Madrid or Manchester City, who contest the second leg of their semifinal on Wednesday, in the showpiece in Paris on May 28. City lead 4-3 from the first leg.
A football coach is being investigated by the FA for allegedly abusing his own players with racist insults and running a segregated training ground where the club’s black stars use a separate changing room.
This comes a month after FA had opened a probe into Crawley Town manager John Yems’ conduct after a group of Crawley players reported his alleged use of offensive language to the PFA, with the League Two club suspending the 62-year-old the next day.
Crawley’s American owners, investment group WAGMI United, found the claims about their manager’s behavior shocking and quickly proceeded to remove Yems within hours of the story being published, asking him to leave the team hotel in Mansfield at 1.30am ahead of a match later that day.
Sportsmail have now revealed details of the allegations against Yems, which he denies. They include:
Presiding over segregated changing facilities with two dressing rooms at the training ground which, although not official policy, was reinforced by comments to white players such as, ‘Don’t change in the black boys’ room’.
Frequently referring to a number of the squad’s players from Asian backgrounds as ‘terrorists, suicide bombers and curry munchers’.
Calling one youth-team player a ‘suicide bomber’ on a regular basis and telling him not to get the train home wearing a backpack because fellow passengers would think he intended to blow it up.
Routinely using the n-word and referring to one black player as a ‘Zulu warrior’.
Calling a young player of Cypriot extraction a ‘Greek bobble-head’ and mocking Greek music.
Banishing two players with ethnic minority backgrounds from training with the first team without explanation.
Causing such resentment in the squad that seven players complained to the PFA last month, with at least one seeking counselling as a result of the damage the manager did to his mental health.
It was gathered that numerous players were left traumatised by their alleged treatment at the hands of Yems, with several of them in tears as they confided in staff at Crawley over the last couple of weeks.
One Crawley player, who did not wish to be named, told Sportsmail: ‘He called us terrorists, suicide bombers, curry munchers. He also called one of the players a Zulu warrior. It’s been going on since 2020-21 — in the changing room, during training. No one challenged him on it as he’s the gaffer and we didn’t feel we could. Sometimes players say things in the heat of the moment but from the manager it’s different. He’s the boss, so it’s an abuse of his power.
‘I’ve been in a dark place and really struggled. Two players were effectively kicked out of the club last year for no reason. They were made to train on their own and haven’t been seen since. One of the lads said Yems was screaming in their faces, “F*** off you c***s, get out of our club”.’
A member of staff at Crawley, speaking to Sportsmail, claimed: ‘John would see it as banter, but it’s race-related bullying that has had a damaging effect on several players. Some of them would play along but it’s really hurtful, and many of them are young boys. People were uncomfortable, but most of the players opted to keep their heads down and you can understand why
‘These are not Premier League players — they are only one fallout with the manager from being kicked out of the club and probably falling out of the professional game. If you leave Crawley, where do you go?’
Crawley described the allegations as ‘serious and credible’ after Sportsmail’s initial reports. The matter is now in the hands of the FA’s disciplinary department, who are deciding whether to charge Yems with a breach of rule E3, which prohibits discrimination against another individual’s protected characteristics such as race, colour, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
An FA spokesperson told Sportsmail last night: ‘We are treating the allegations extremely seriously and are conducting an investigation. We cannot comment further until that has concluded.’
Telecommunication companies in Nigeria are proposing a 40 percent increase in the cost of calls, SMS, and data to the Nigerian Communications Commission due to the rising cost of running a business in the nation.
The price floor of calls is expected to increase from N6.4 to N8.95 while the price cap of SMS will increase from N4 to N5.61 based on their proposal.
This was disclosed in a letter titled, ‘Impact of the Economic and Security Issues on the Telecommunications Sector,’ which was sighted by our correspondent.
The letter was written by the telecommunications companies under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria to the NCC.
In the letter, the telecom companies said there had been a 40 percent increase in the cost of doing business in the country.
According to them, the telecommunication industry has been financially impacted following the nation’s economic recession in 2020 and the effect of the ongoing Ukraine/Russia crisis. They said this had resulted in an increase in energy costs, increasing their operating expenses by 35 per cent.
They added that the introduction of the recent excise duty of five per cent on telecom services had further increased the burden of multiple taxes and levies on the industry.
The letter read in part, “As the commission may be aware, the power sector under the supervision of its Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission of the power sector in November 2020 undertook a review of electricity tariffs to cater for the economic headwinds reported above.
“In view of the foregoing, ALTON considers it expedient for the telecommunications sector to undergo periodic cost adjustments through the commission’s intervention in order to minimise the impact of the challenging economic issues faced by our members. Details are hereunder:
“Upward review of the price determination for voice and data and SMS. Given the state of the economy and the circa 40 per cent increase in the cost of doing business, we wish to request for an interim administrative review of the mobile (voice) termination rate for voice; administrative data floor price, and cost of SMS as reflected in extant instruments.
“With respect to voice an SMS cost, ALTON respectfully requests the commission to consider a mark-up approach to address the upward price adjustment desirable for the industry. We have enclosed herein and marked as ‘Annexure 1’our proposal in that regard.
“For data services, we wish to request that the commission implements the recommendations in the August 2020 KPMG report on the determination of cost-based pricing for wholesale and retail broadband service in Nigeria. Excerpts from the report, are attached and marked ‘Annexure 2’ to provide a further illustration.
“In implementing the said recommendations, however, we recommend that the 40 per cent increase in the cost of doing business be factored in to arrive at a cost price per GB in view of the current economic situation.”
The umbrella body for telecom companies added that to further help telcos during this economic crisis, the commission should explore and provide other means of penalising operators rather than punitive monetary sanctions; extend the payment timeline of relevant regulatory levies and fees; prevail on the Federal Government to sign the executive order declaring telecoms infrastructure as a critical national infrastructure to mitigate cost spent replacing damaged and stolen infrastructures, among other things.
The body also requested an upward adjustment of the MTR by 40 percent.
It said, “For large operators, new interim MTR of N5.46 from N3.90 reflecting 40 percent increase in the cost of business.
“For small operators, new interim MTR of N6.58 from N4.70 reflecting 40 percent increase in the cost of business.”
The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has berated apostle Johnson Suleiman, the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International over what it termed ‘unprovoked verbal attack and ranting against it and the Igbo nation’.
The separatist movement warned him and other clerics to concentrate on their apostolic callings and steer clear from matters concerning IPOB or the Igbo race.
A statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, warned the clerics to restrain from comments on the group or Igbo nation as that would no longer be tolerated.
It urged Suleiman to learn from men of God in the Bible who were never known for controversies.
The statement reads: “It is a puzzle that a man of God will abandon his calling and resort to attacking a nation without any cause. When has unguarded utterance against IPOB and the Igbo nation become part of Suleman’s calling?
“We don’t intend to join issues with Apostle Suleman and his likes, such as Tunde Bakare, but our message to them is very unambiguous: They should steer clear from any matter concerning IPOB or the great Igbo race. Let them concentrate on their apostolic calling and restrain from unguarded utterances or vituperations on subjects beyond them.
“We warn Apostle Suleiman and his likes to restrain from any comments on IPOB or Igbo nation, as that will not be tolerated any more. We don’t want to have issues with any man of God, and men of God should know their limits. Men of God in the bible days were never known for controversies.”
A Chinese food delivery worker described by loved ones as a hardworking father was fatally shot in Queens on Saturday night.
Zhiwen Yan, 45, was making a delivery near 108th St. and 67th Dr. in the neighborhood of Forest Hills at around 9:30 p.m. when a man began firing shots in his direction, according to police.
A bullet hit Yan’s chest, and he fell off his scooter. Medics brought him to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooter reportedly fled in a light gray or tan sedan toward Queens Blvd. As per the New York Post, police are investigating a 50-year-old customer who has several ongoing disputes with staff members at Great Wall restaurant, where Yan worked.
The customer has been accused of threatening the employees with a gun in January and vandalizing their vehicles twice. An employee claimed that after one of the incidents, the customer fled in an older model of a Lexus RX3 SUV, which was the same vehicle present during Saturday’s shooting.
Yan, who arrived in the U.S. in 2001, leaves a wife and three children — aged 2, 12 and 14 — behind. He juggled three jobs before his death. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.Update your settings here to see it.
“My husband wakes up every day and just works,” said Kunying Zhao, who also goes by Eva, told the New York Daily News.
Yan’s nephew, Michael, called the shooting a “brutal murder.”
“It’s unacceptable that this happened. This is a very peaceful community. This never happened, this kind of issue,” Michael told the New York Post.
A small memorial was held for Yan at Great Wall on Sunday. Residents of Forest Hill called Yan a “fixture” of the neighborhood.
“Anytime you’d pass he’d say ‘hello my friend,’” Philip Jacoby told Spectrum News NY1. “Snow, rain, hurricane he was out delivering. He was the nicest guy. Hardest-working guy in the neighborhood.”
“He was the heart of Forest Hills to so many,” Matthew Murray told FOX 5 NY. “He was the hardest worker. He was always out on Queens Boulevard, he would always say hi to you. He would say ‘Hi my friend’ to you.”
Yan’s death came less than a day after Mayor Eric Adams met with top police officials to discuss solutions to address violent incidents in the city.
Zhao set up a GoFundMe page for her husband on Sunday. So far, it has raised over $45,000.
Abubakar Malami, the minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation has gifted ‘social media vuvuzelas’, support groups and close associates with expensive vehicles.
According to reports, the controversial minister gave out the cars in preparation for his formal declaration to run for Kebbi governorship race.
Tori Media gathered that the minister gave 14 Mercedes-Benz GLK to 14 social media influencers (or warriors) who are making a strong case for his gubernatorial ambition.
Other beneficiaries who got eight Prado SUVs and four Toyota Hilux are executives of Mr Malami’s foundations and support groups; the Khadimiyya Foundation, the Khadi Malami Foundation, Malami Drum-Beats, Malami Women Support Organisation as well as Aisha Malami Center for Women Development, promoted by his wife.
US and Western officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9, to pave way for the full mobilization of Russia’s reserve forces as they attempt to conquer eastern and southern Ukraine.
In Russia, May 9, is known as “Victory Day,” and is used to commemorate the Russians’ defeat of the Nazis in 1945.
US officials say they believe that Putin would leverage the symbolic significance and propaganda value of that day to announce either a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities — or both, according to a report by Reuters.
The report says western officials believe Putin will use the day to deviate from a “special military operation” with the central goal of “denazification.” which the Russian government has used to term it’s war in Ukraine to formally declare war on Ukraine
A formal declaration of war on May 9 could surge popular opinion amongst Russian citizens tiwards the invasion and would also, under Russian law, allow Putin to mobilize reserve forces and draft conscripts, which officials say Russia desperately needs as its manpower reduces due to the war.
Western and Ukrainian officials have estimated that at least 10,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war since Russia invaded just over two months ago.
“I think he will try to move from his ‘special operation,’” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told LBC Radio last week. “He’s been rolling the pitch, laying the ground for being able to say ‘look, this is now a war against Nazis, and what I need is more people. I need more Russian cannon fodder.’”
Wallace added that he “would not be surprised, and I don’t have any information about this, that he is probably going to declare on this May Day that ‘we are now at war with the world’s Nazis and we need to mass mobilize the Russian people.’”
Western officials also believe other options for Putin on May 9 include annexing the breakaway territories of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, making a major push for Odesa in the south, or declaring full control over the southern port city of Mariupol.
The US has “highly credible” intelligence reports that Russia will try to annex Luhansk and Donetsk “some time in mid-May,” the US Ambassador to OSCE Michael Carpenter said on Monday, May 2.
There are also indications that Russia could be planning to declare and annex a “people’s republic” in the southeastern city of Kherson.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said ;
We’ve seen the Russians really double down on their propaganda efforts, probably, almost certainly, as a means to distract from their tactical and strategic failures on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Price said at a State Department briefing.
Price added that he had “seen the speculation that Russia may formally declare war” on May 9, and said, “that would be a great irony if Moscow used the occasion of ‘Victory Day’ to declare war, which in itself would allow them to surge conscripts in a way they’re not able to do now, in a way that would be tantamount to revealing to the world that their war effort is failing, that they are floundering in their military campaign and military objectives.”
“I’m quite confident that we’ll be hearing more from Moscow in the lead up to May 9,” Price added. “I’m quite confident that you will be hearing more from the United States, from our partners, including our NATO partners, in the lead up to May 9 as well.”
Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra and a factional body of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, have criticised pro-Biafra leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, for rejecting Igbo Presidency.
Uwazuruike had said he does not believe in the president of Igbo extraction stating that the contest should be thrown open.
He stated this when he led some South-East youths on Saturday in a solidarity march in Owerri, Imo State, in support of the 2023 presidential bid of Yahaya Bello, the Governor of Kogi State.
In separate statements, MASSOB and Ohanaeze slammed Uwazurike describing his action as unfortunate and a smacked betrayal of the struggle for Biafra agitations.
In separate statements, MASSOB and Ohanaeze slammed Uwazurike describing his action as unfortunate and a smacked betrayal of the struggle for Biafra agitations.
Ohanaeze in a statement issued by the President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said Uwazurike’s action was not a surprise considering his precedent in betraying his fellow agitators for an Independent Biafran nation.
Okwu described Uwazuruike as one “ready to trade off himself for peanuts at every slightest opportunity.”
He further said the former MASSOB leader was “a persona non-grata, a serial betrayer and a man who had completely lost a sense of history,” further stating that “there were reports flying about that he did this volte-face after collecting N20 million.”
A Ukrainian nurse who lost both legs when she stepped on a Russian mine has married her husband in a hospital.
The 23-year-old nurse was on her way home with her now-husband Viktor in Lysychansk on March 27, when she stepped on the explosive.
The blast happened in a split second and while Viktor was left unharmed, Oksana lost both of her legs and four fingers on her left hand in the explosion, the Lviv Medical Association said.
She has undergone four operations to stabilise her injuries before going to Lviv to have prosthetics fitted.
The pair, who have two children, have now tied the knot in a heartwarming hospital ceremony before the bride was fitted for new limbs.
The couple bought wedding rings in Lviv, found Oksana a white dress, and enjoyed a wedding cake baked by volunteers at the hospital, Sky News reports.
Ukraine’s parliament shared the news of their wedding on their official Twitter account, describing it as “a very special love story” and wished the couple “happiness and long years together”.
The Lviv Medical Association added: “Life should not be postponed until later, decided Oksana and Victor, who in six years together never found time for marriage.”
Oksana is now preparing to travel to Germany with her husband for further treatment.
See a video from their wedding below.
❤️🇺🇦 Very special lovestory. A nurse from Lysychansk, who has lost both legs on a russian mine, got married in Lviv. On March 27, Victor and Oksana were coming back home, when a russian mine exploded. The man was not injured, but Oksana's both legs were torn off by the explosion. pic.twitter.com/X1AQNwKwyu
— Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – Ukrainian Parliament (@ua_parliament) May 2, 2022
Thousands of investors have continued to lament following the disappearance of MBA forex firm boss Maxwell Odum.
Maxwell Odum, the operator of a Ponzi scheme, vanished into thin air after defrauding over 100,000 Nigerians out of an estimated N213 billion, or $511,590,216, according to CBN rates.
Maxwell, who ran a firm in Port Harcourt named MBA Trading and Capital Investments Limited, took large sums of money from customers while promising wonderful profits.
The culprit, who was born in Rivers State, is now missing. He stopped posting on Facebook on November 19, 2020, when he ran another disclaimer for another fraudster named ‘Maxwell Odums,’ who is based in Lagos.
The EFCC designated Maxwell wanted in December 2021 when the actual Maxwell vanished, leaving his clients impoverished.
The agency charges him with money laundering, conspiracy, and gaining money through falsehood.
Odum is a native of Ikwerre in Rivers State, according to the EFCC.
“His last known address is 7 Odum Street, Elekahia, Port Harcourt”, said EFCC head of media and publicity, Wilson Uwujaren.
One of the victims, Grant Ogaga Etaghara who lives in Sapele, pleaded with Odum to return his principal sum of N1,100,000.
“I need the total capital that I deposited for investment in my bank account as soon as possible:, he wrote on Odum’s wall on Facebook.
He could well be addressing a stone. He started his investment in October. By November, Odum’s MBA failed to pay him his first ROI.
Ifunanya Elizabeth Ilechukwu, who reacted to Odum’s warning about another scammer said: There’s no difference between you and the scammer… Pay people that ROI or your refund their money… criminal”
Praize Favour another victim rained curses on Odum: “MBA, my blood will be on your head. I can’t get my treatments because you refused to pay me my money. I am undergoing kidney dialysis every week, but has stopped due to lack of money. If I die my blood will forever cry against you”, he wrote.
Frank Anthony who was still expecting some redemption of his capital also wrote:
“Good afternoon, my name is Mcanthony Francis With the email [email protected] . I invested a sum of #360,000 naira and currently the investment has expired over the 6 months. But I would like to withdraw the capital which I haven’t seen on my dashboard. Pls update it thanks and send it thanks…am using that your old online platform not this new migration one.
“And pls note there was an extra 3 days in this investment….I believe that there should be an extra sum to the capital return”.
Hope Ayibo Duke discovered too late she had been fleeced as she begged for the return of her money.
“Oga I don’t want to do again please give my money back I want to pay bill if anything happens to me Nigeria should hold Maxwell Odum and his team responsible.”
When many customers suspected they had been scammed, Odum sent an online message, blaming the internet for some of the problems being encountered by the customers.
Victims of MBA forex protest
Value Obinna does not pity the lamenting victims, blaming them for being greedy.
He wrote: “The reason for getting a fast and doubling money in the name of ROI or ROP as a means of one’s investments has landed many into untimely death, illness and unrecovered shocks.
“How can you handover your money to an individual to give you 5times of your investment within a very short period of 3 to 6months???
“That is the highest height of greed, when you can buy and resell gold, landed properties, invest in interstate transportation, filmmaking and entertainment in general Or still, open a personal business of yours and invest your capital on it and watch it grow”.
The EFCC has asked Nigerians who have information on Maxwell Odum to call all its offices in Benin, Kaduna, Ibadan, Sokoto. Gombe, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja.
The commission gave its hotlines: 09-9044751-3, 08093322644, 08183322644, 07026350721-3, 070-6350724-5.
Contact can also be made through its e-mail address: info efcenigerin.org or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies”, Uwujaren said.
The victims of Odum in Akwa Ibom have formed a Facebook group to share information and monitor EFCC’s efforts.
The group is called MBA Angry Investors.
Coordinator of the group, Offor Okorie said in a post on 20 March that the first list of Maxwell Odum’s victims has been compiled for the EFCC.
“We MBA investors in Nigeria have submitted the first phase of investors bank details and statements of account as required. We are now in the seconnd phase of collation”, Okorie said.
However, some investors are getting anxious and impatient that the culprit Maxwell Odum has not yet been arrested by EFCC.
“Is like EFCC has colluded with Maxwell Odum to embezzle our money because, since Maxwell Odum was declared wanted, he hasn’t been arrested. This country is a very corrupt one but God will disappoint him & the police”, said Mackson Mackson.
Did you know that South Korea, Vietnam and Nigeria are the top three countries with the highest dogconsumption in the world? These are the findings of a recent report by Matthew Nash, a lead researcher of an in-depth Dog-Friendly Country Index, highlighting the best and worst country to own a dog or be a dog in 2022.
Numerous countries, including Nigeria, have a long history of dog-eating and consider it part of their culinary tradition.
In China, several festivals encourage the consumption of dog meat.
In addition to the dog consumption rate, Mr Nash told PREMIUM TIMES that he also used seven key factors to rank the 51 countries with available data to create a “Dog-Friendly Country Index.”
These factors include animal rights, pet-friendly hotels, veterinarian availability, animal protection, risk of rabies, recognition of animal sentience and animal companionship.
The countries sampled in the report titled ’51 Most & Least Dog-Friendly Countries in 2022,’ released on March 25, 2022, were selected based on available data.
Because many countries lack rudimentary information about treating animals, specifically dogs, the researchers used a mixed-methods approach.
Unfortunately, Nigeria was ranked number 45 out of the 51 countries on the list, earning 44.41.
On the other hand, countries like Italy, New Zealand, France, the U.K, and Germany were ranked as the top five friendliest countries for dogs, each scoring above three hundred points.
Each of these countries demonstrated a commitment to legislation for protecting animals and various factors that can prevent the risk of harm to your faithful companion.
These countries scored well on low instances of rabies, available veterinary clinics and services, and pet-friendly accommodations.
In addition, they do not have a high prevalence of dog meat consumption.
Roasted dogs used to illustrate the story. [PHOTO CREDIT: World Dog Alliance]
Worst countries for dog ownership
Based on the study, the top 10 worst countries for dog ownership are:
Vietnam (-49.98), China (-41.23), Azerbaijan (0.40), Iran (0.45 points),Belarus (32.42 points), Indonesia (35.54 points) and Nigeria which ranks seventh on the list (44.41 points).
The researchers say all fifteen countries have a high risk for rabies infection (except for South Korea), lack comprehensive legislation for animal welfare, and have very few veterinarians per capita.
Additionally, six of these countries have a current, documented practice of eating dog meat. While it may still be possible to have a happy, healthy pet dog within these countries, their findings indicate they are not ideal for the dogs themselves or the owners.
Dog meat consumption in Nigeria
A major controversial highlight of this report is the high dog consumption rate in Nigeria. While Nigerians are no strangers to the news of dog eating in the country, it comes as a surprise that it’s prevalent despite the efforts of animal activists.
In July 2021, almost 18000 people signed an online petition urging the Nigerian government and President Muhammadu Buhari to ban the sale of dog meat in Nigeria.
Dog meat, popularly called 404, is a delicacy relished in the south-eastern part of the country. In Akwa-Ibom and Cross River states, dog meat is often prepared with ‘Kaikai’ (local gin) and Ntong (scent leaves) and sold at drinking joints.
Natasha Choolun, a UK-based international animal rights activist, started the petition in 2020.
The campaign hosted on Change.org is titled “Stop Nigeria’s Barbaric Dog Meat Industry”.
Similar to countries like Niger, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Tanzania, Nigeria is reported to have few veterinarians to administer medical treatments for dogs.
This earned her the rating of 0.4 for veterinarians per capita, negatively affecting her perception of being a dog-friendly country.
Animal rights
Despite being described as one of the worst countries to own a dog, Nigeria makes a significant achievement in the report due to her stance on animal rights.
Concerning Section 495 of the Criminal Code (1990), the constitution supports the protection of animal rights.
This is in contrast to countries like China, Belarus, Vietnam, Iran and Azerbaijan, which have no documented laws protecting animal rights. In addition, Nigeria falls short in other categories, namely high-risk countries with rabies, lack of pet-friendly hotels, and low animal companion grade.
A jury on Monday May 2, gave a sweeping win to the Kardashian family in former reality TV star Blac Chyna’s lawsuit against them.
Chyna, a model, influencer, Rob Kardashian’s ex-fiancé and the mother to his 5-year-old daughter, Dream, had sued the Kardashian family, alleging they ruined her reality TV career.
“Rob & Chyna” aired for one season at E! in 2016. The show was at the center of Chyna’s lawsuit, which alleged that the series was canceled after its first season because the Kardashian family falsely told producers and network executives that Chyna violently attacked Rob Kardashian in December 2016. During the trial, the Kardashians and E! executives said that even though filming might have been continuous, the show was never technically greenlit for a second season, so there was nothing to cancel.
After a nine-day trial, a jury deliberated for two days and ultimately ruled that Kris Jenner, 66, Kylie Jenner, 24, and Khloé Kardashian, 37, did not defame Blac Chyna nor interfere with her contract by convincing the E! network to cancel her reality show “Rob & Chyna.”
The four Kardashian defendants; Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner attended nearly the entire trial, but when the verdict was read all were in New York at the Met Gala, where this year’s theme was “Gilded Glamour.”
On the long jury form, the foreperson of the jury noted that, while they found that some of the Kardashians acted to protect their own economic interests, their actions either did not prevent the performance of Chyna’s contract with E! regarding the reality show Rob & Chyna or were not a substantial factor in causing harm to Chyna. The jury declined to award Chyna any damages.
Text messages and emails were shown as evidence throughout the 10-day trial, depicting the Kardashians speaking negatively about Chyna and telling E! that they might stop filming their flagship hit, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” if Chyna was involved. One text from Khloé Kardashian said, “We are even considering not moving forward with our show if theirs continues, that’s how strongly we feel this is damaging to our family.” However, when Kris Jenner testified, she said that she did not have the power to “influence” the network on any cancellation.
The case revolved around Chyna’s 2017 lawsuit, which alleged Rob Kardashian was abusive and that the Kardashian-Jenners were responsible for the cancellation of the former couple’s short-lived show. Chyna sued the entire family over claims of defamation, assault, battery, domestic violence and interference with prospective economic relations. That same year, the family responded to the claims with their own lawsuit, alleging that Chyna was the one who attacked Rob Kardashian.
The Kardashians had filed to dismiss all of Chyna’s claims with the family’s attorney, Michael G. Rhodes, saying her claims “were absurd because there was no documentary evidence, economic analysis, or expert testimony that would support them.” The judge threw out one of Chyna’s claims against Kim Kardashian for defamation, ruling that Chyna’s attorney, Lynne Ciani, did not provide any statement during the trial that proved Kim Kardashian was defamatory towards Chyna. But still, the other claims remained for the jury to deliberate on, including claims for interference with a contract against Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, plus defamation claims against the latter three stars.
Following the news on Monday, Michael Rhodes and Michelle Doolin, trial counsel for the famous family issued a statement.
It read;
“On behalf of Kris, Kim, Khloe, and Kylie, I want to express our appreciation to the jury.
“We are also grateful for the steady hand of Judge Alarcon in making sure that this was a fair trial. The jury sent a clear message to Ms. White and her lawyer — I hope they are listening. Justice has prevailed.”
Chyna has a separate revenge-porn case against Rob that was set to start after the conclusion of this case. Chyna claims that Rob, in a “fit of rage,” distributed her private nude pictures to his Instagram account with more than 9 million followers. She alleges that the nude photos went viral and were seen by hundreds of million of people, causing her humiliation and emotional distress. Rob denies that he posted the images without Chyna’s consent and that the release of the images caused her any mental pain or emotional distress.
A Covid patient, who was declared dead and sealed in a body bag, came back to life just before being cremated.
The pensioner was declared “dead” by nursing home staff.
Footage from China shows hazmat suited nurses carrying the body bag with the pensioner to a hearse to cremate him.
However, on their way there, there noticed movement coming from the bag.
They then unzipped the bag and found the man moving and very much alive.
One worker can be heard saying: “You come here and see if he’s dead? He is still breathing! Didn’t you see he’s moving?”
Another reportedly says: “He is alive, don’t cover his face ever again.”
It’s thought the man was then taken to hospital for a check up.
The incident occurred in the Putuo District of Shanghai on Sunday, May 1, and it is understood authorities have launched an urgent investigation into how the man ended up in the bag alive.
Country music icon, Naomi Judd reportedly took her own life on Saturday April 30, following a longtime battle with mental illness at the age of 76.
Naomi’s daughters, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd, announced their mother’s death in an emotional statement on Saturday.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public,” the statement read. “We are in unknown territory.”
An additional statement from Naomi’s husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, read:
“Naomi Judd’s family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time.”
The singer is said to have taken her own life and left her family devastated just a day before she was set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, reports say.
Judd had written extensively about her struggles with depression, and even referenced suicide in an open letter published in People magazine in 2018.
‘For everyone mourning the death of someone who committed suicide, an inevitable question arises: Why did this happen? Unfortunately, we don’t have very good answers,’ she wrote.
‘We do know that suicidal behavior accompanies many behavioral brain disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Suicide is actually one of the leading causes of preventable death among these mental illnesses.’
On Sunday, her daughters broke down in tears during a ceremony to induct their late mother into the Country Music Hall of Fame as part of The Judds – just 24 hours after her passing.
‘My mama loved you so much,’ Ashley said to the crowd gathered. ‘And I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,’ she said through tears.
Judd’s daughter Wynonna – who performed with her for years in ‘The Judds’ revealed she had succumbed to the ‘disease of mental illness.’
The mother-daughter performers scored 14 No. 1 songs in a career that spanned nearly three decades. After rising to the top of country music, they called it quits in 1991 after doctors diagnosed Naomi with hepatitis.
The Judds’ hits included Love Can Build a Bridge in 1990, Mama He’s Crazy in 1984, Why Not Me in 1984, Turn It Loose in 1988, Girls Night Out in 1985, Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain in 1986 and Grandpa in 1986.
The duo last performed together at the CMT Music Awards of April 11, singing Love Can Build a Bridge. They were accompanied by a gospel choir.
They first got attention singing on Ralph Emery’s morning show in early 1980, where the host named them the ‘Soap Sisters’ because Naomi said she used to make her own soap.
After the success of ‘Mama He’s Crazy,’ they won the Horizon Award at the 1984 CMA Awards. Naomi started her speech by saying, ‘Slap the dog and spit in the fire!’
Daughter Ashley Judd is an actress known for her roles in such movies as ‘Kiss the Girls,’ ‘Double Jeopardy’ and ‘Heat.’
Some gunmen terrorising Nigeria’s South-East region have in an audio confession claimed responsibility for the killing of a military couple in Imo State.
After beheading the couple, the gunmen were said to have called their family members to mock them.
According to gory video of the incident by SaharaReporters, it showed the gunmen putting the heads on the victims’ chests after the incident.
“It’s so sad that we soldiers are no safer, the man was a member of the 19 regular intakes while the wife was of the 79RI. They were on their way to Imo State on Saturday when the incident happened. You won’t believe these gunmen as we speak still used their phones to make calls to their family members, making jest of them and threatening to kill them as well.
“This couple just married recently, even their photo shoot caused a lot of criticisms and seems they were punished for it. Though the man is married to another woman with grown-up kids, he suddenly eloped with this young soldier; I was told the girl also had kids before joining the army as well.
“The man still has a father; his brother is also a soldier working at a battalion in Kaduna. The lady was also raped before they were beheaded,” a soldier had told SaharaReporters.
In the trending audio obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday, one of the gunmen was heard speaking to a friend of the deceased lady admitting that the couple was killed for being soldiers.
“It’s quite unfortunate that it has come to this way, I killed them already. Have you heard of unknown gunmen before? Do you see how soldiers are killing innocent people because of unknown gunmen? Yah, that’s why I caught them yesterday and I killed them,” he was heard telling the lady who later burst into tears.
Attacks by armed men have increased in the South-East in recent times. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.
The latest development comes a few hours after gunmen invaded a military checkpoint in Agulu, Anaocha LGA of Anambra state on Saturday and opened fire on soldiers, killing one in the process.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been linked to the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.
The leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for treason.
Former US defence secretary, Mark Esper has revealed that his former boss, Donald Trump wanted the military to shoot Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House the month after George Floyd’s death.
Trump’s proposal to quell rioting in the city came as demonstrators filled the streets around the White House just a few months after COVID-19 shook the nation and civil rights riots broke out in major cities after Floyd’s death.
Mark Esper made the revelation in his upcoming book, ‘A Sacred Oath’, which will hit shelves on May 10.
‘Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?’ Esper claims Trump said according to an Axios preview of the book.
‘The good news — this wasn’t a difficult decision,’ Esper continued of Trump’s idea to shoot protesters.
‘The bad news — I had to figure out a way to walk Trump back without creating the mess I was trying to avoid.’
Esper annoyed Trump in June 2020 by publicly stating he opposed trying to stop the protests by invoking the Insurrection Act, which is an 1807 law that permits the president to use active-duty troops on U.S. soil.
From 2017-2019, Esper was Secretary of the Army and was brought on to head the Pentagon in July 2019.
He served as Defense secretary for one year and four months before he was fired by Trump shortly after the 2020 election.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk stepped out for the first time since buying Twitter and was accompanied by his mother Maye, 74, on the red carpet at the Met Gala on Monday night, May 2.
Musk, 50, was in a goofy mood on the red carpet and was asked by La La Anthony, who interviewed guests as they arrived, about his plans for Twitter.
‘My goal, assuming everything gets done, is to make Twitter as inclusive as possible and to have as broad a swathe of people on Twitter as possible,’ he said.
‘And that it is entertaining and funny and they have as much fun as possible.’
At the #MetGala, Elon Musk says he wants Twitter to be "broadly inclusive" after he completes his purchase of the platform: "Ideally, most of America is on it and talking." pic.twitter.com/7rK39ohHSu
A brother and sister who fell in love and had four children together have continued their call for incest laws to be revoked, so their relationship can be legally recognised.
Patrick Syuebing was moved into a foster home in East Germany when he was attacked by their father decades ago.
After more than 20 years, he reunited with his younger sister Susan Karolewski.
Six months after re-discovering his biological family, Patrick, who was 23 at the time, and Susan, who is mentally disabled, began sharing a bedroom after their mother, Ana Marie, died.
Their illegal pairing has since produced four children, two of whom are severely disabled.
In 2001, the couple began trying to change Germany’s laws that makes sex between siblings illegal. In 2012, they took their case to the Court of Human Rights.
At the time, Patrick was reported as saying: “We do not feel guilty about what has happened between us. I became head of the family and I had to protect my sister.
“She is very sensitive but we helped each other during this very difficult period and eventually that relationship became physical. We didn’t even know we were doing anything wrong when we started sleeping together. We didn’t think about using a condom.
“We didn’t know it was illegal to sleep together.”
Patrick added that their mother would “not have approved” of the relationship between him and his sister, the Mirror reported.
Susan defended the relationship she has with her brother, saying: “We didn’t know each other in childhood, it’s not the same for us. We fell in love as adults and our love is real. There is nothing we could do about it.
“We were both attracted to each other and then nature took over from us. It was that simple. What else could we do? We followed our instincts and our hearts.”
The couple have taken their case as far as the High Court, with Patrick serving time for breaking German incest laws.
Patrick has subsequently undergone a vasectomy in a bid to change the minds of courts to allow him to live with his sister without the risk of further jail time.
World football body, FIFA, on Monday slammed Nigeria the whooping sum of N63.9 million following violence that erupted at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on March 29, after the country’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA also ordered the country to play their next international match behind closed doors.
Though, the world football governing body gave room for appeal.
Recall that hundreds of fans stormed the football pitch, destroying the technical area and VIP section of the stadium after Nigeria played a 1-1 draw against Ghana, which saw the Super Eagles crash out of 2022 World Cup based on the away goal rule.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, in their summary jurisdiction over incidents that occurred during the World Cup qualifiers, delivered the sanctions in a letter updated on April 28.
According to FIFA, Nigeria’s fines were a result of failure to implement “Order and security at matches (failure to implement existing safety rules and failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadium, invasion of the field of play and throwing of objects).”
The violence, according to FIFA, breached Article 16 of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
A total of 49 countries were either fined or warned by FIFA for misconduct during the qualifiers.
Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu is reportedly heading to the Court of Appeal to challenge the amended seven charges on terrorism approved by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the copy of court processes obtained by newsmen on Monday May 2, it was revealed that the IPOB leader is challenging the court’s final decision to retain counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 15.
In their application at the federal high court, Kanu’s lawyers which include Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Ifeanyi Ejiofor had insisted that the charges against him are legally defective.
Ozekhome who noted that his client was “unlawfully, brutally and extraordinarily renditioned from Kenya without his consent”, also argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to try him on the strength of an incompetent charge.
He also said that the charges against Kanu were purportedly committed outside the country, and the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the charge.
Ozekhome said;
“The charges appears to give this court a global jurisdiction over offences that were allegedly committed by the defendant, without specifying the location or date the said offences were committed”
He also averred that under the Federal High Court Act, the location where the offence was committed must be disclosed.
Punch reported that in the suit filed at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal by Ozekhome and Ejiofor, it was stated that the trial Judge erred in law by failing to “consider, make finding of facts and accordingly pronounce on issue one raised for the trial court’s determination, relating to the extraordinary rendition of the appellant, and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice.”
Kanu is now seeking for;
“An order of this Honourable court allowing the appeal and setting aside in its entirety, the ruling/final decision of the learned trial court, retaining counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 15 of the amended charge.
“An order of this Honourable court upon granting relief a above, dismissing the remaining counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 15 and, accordingly discharging the appellant on those counts.
“An order of this Honourable court terminating the entire charge and discharging the appellant.
“And for such further order or orders as the Honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this appeal.”
Real Madrid football club president, Florentino Perez has revived hopes that France international, Kylian Mbappe might leave PSG and come to Madrid.
Madrid have long been linked with Mbappe and their desire to lure the World Cup winner to the Spanish capital is no secret as the clubs heirarchy always try to sign big name players every season.
Hopes of signing Mbappe to the club appeared dim after PSG manager, Mauricio Pochettino claimed the attacker would “100 per cent” be at Parc des Princes next season, but Perez has revived speculation after Real Madrid won the league title on Saturday, April 30.
Speaking to Movistar in the wake of Madrid’s La Liga triumph, Perez said: “I hadn’t thought about it [Mbappe] but now that you mention it, it might be true and so on.”
He added: “When we plan next year’s squad, we’ll see.”
Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti was also asked about the possibility of signing the PSG star and gave a cryptic response, telling beIN Sports: “Mbappe to Real Madrid? With this club, with this president, the future is already written.”
However, when asked if that was meant as a confirmation that the deal was done, the Italian coach replied: “I didn’t say that.”
PSG have tried to convince him to stay in France by tabling a bumper €50 million-a-year contract which would make the 23-year-old the highest-paid player at PSG, surpassing the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi’s salary but he is yet to accept it, with just one year left on his current deal.
Israel has reacted with fury after Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov claimed that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “had Jewish blood”, when trying to justify the invasion of Ukraine .
Sergei Lavrov (pictured top left) made the comments to try to justify Vladimir Putin’s portrayal of Ukraine as a “Nazi” country despite the fact that its president, Volodimir Zelenskyy (pictured top right) is Jewish.
Lavrov made the remarks in an interview on Italian TV programme Zona Bianca on Sunday, May 1, days after Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day, one of the most solemn occasions in the Israeli calendar.
Nazi Germany ruled by Adolph Hitler murdered six million Jews in the Holocaust in World War Two.
When asked how Russia can claim that it is fighting to “de-Nazify” Ukraine when President Volodymyr Zelensky is himself Jewish,Lavrov said:
“So what if Zelensky is Jewish?”
“The fact does not negate the Nazi elements in Ukraine. I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood,” adding that “some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews.”
Israel has reacted with fury calling Lavrov’s comments as ‘unforgivable’.
Israel then summmoned Russia’s ambassador and asked for an ‘apology’.
Lavrov’s statement was met with outrage across Israel’s political spectrum.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: “Such lies are meant to blame the Jews themselves for the most terrible crimes in history and thus free the oppressors of the Jews from their responsibility.
“No war today is the Holocaust or is like the Holocaust.”
Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid reacted angrily, calling Mr Lavrov’s words “unforgivable” on his Twitter account.
Israeli officials have also demanded an apology from Russia for the remarks.
“His words are untrue and their intentions are wrong,” said the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett. “Using the Holocaust of the Jewish people as a political tool must cease immediately.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, called Lavrov’s statement “antisemitic” and said that it is “further evidence that Russia is the legal successor of Nazi ideology”.
“Trying to rewrite history, Moscow is simply looking for arguments to justify the mass murders of Ukrainians,” he wrote.
Lavrov was also condemned by the head of Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, Dani Dayan.
“Most of his remarks are absurd, delusional, dangerous and deserving of any condemnation,” he tweeted. “Lavrov deals with the reversal of the Holocaust: turning the victims into criminals, based on the promotion of a completely unfounded claim that Hitler was of Jewish descent.”
In recent months, the Israeli government has faced some criticism for not taking a tough enough line with President Putin but the recent comments from Russia might change Israel’s stance.
For decades there have been unproven claims that Hitler’s unidentified paternal grandfather was Jewish, after an assertion by Hitler’s lawyer Hans Frank.
In his memoir, published in 1953, Frank said he had been instructed by Hitler to investigate rumours that he had Jewish ancestry. Frank said he uncovered evidence that Hitler’s grandfather was indeed Jewish – but the claim has never been corroborated by historians.
Gunmen on Saturday shot dead and then beheaded a couple who were operatives of the Nigerian army.
SaharaReporters quoting military sources said that A.M Linus, a sergeant first class in the army and his wife were on their way to Imo State when the incident happened.
After beheading the couple, the gunmen were said to have called their family members to mock them.
A gory video of the incident seen by SaharaReporters showed the gunmen putting the heads on the victims’ chests after the bizzare act.
“It’s so sad that we soldiers are no safer, the man was a member of the 19 regular intakes while the wife was of the 79RI.
“They were on their way to Imo state on Saturday when the incident happened. You won’t believe these gunmen as we speak still used their phones to make calls to their family members, making jest of them and threatening to kill them as well.
“This couple just married recently, even their photoshoot caused a lot of criticism and seems they were punished for it.
“Though the man is married to another woman with grown-up kids, he suddenly eloped with this young soldier, I was told the girl also had kids before joining the army as well.
“The man still has a father, his brother is also a soldier working at a battalion in Kaduna. The lady was also raped before they were beheaded”.
Meanwhile, attacks by armed men suspected to be members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra have increased in the South-East in recent times. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.
This latest attack is coming few hours after gunmen stormed a military checkpoint in Agulu, Anaocha LGA of Anambra state on Saturday and opened fire on soldiers, killing one in the process
A UK parliament member has alleged that he was ‘regularly touched up’ by senior gay lawmakers when he was first elected.
As stories mount in Westminster over an alleged culture of misogyny and bullying, Chris Bryant, who chairs the standards committee, claims at least four unnamed male gay MPs, who kept their sexual orientations private, targeted him in the early 2000s.
But he says he never officially complained about the incidents as he didn’t want to ‘become the story’.
Speaking to LBC, the British politician said: ‘I remember when I came in, in 2001, I was regularly touched up by older, senior gay – they weren’t out – MPs.
‘I never felt I was able to report it because you end up being part of the story, that’s the last thing you want. I think a lot of women have been through that.’
‘I can think of four MPs… I was shocked at the time… none of them are out of course. I think that now if anybody would do that I would be absolutely robust. I would call the person out immediately and I would make a complaint.’
Mr Bryant’s disclosure comes after the Conservative Party’s Neil Parish was forced to resign after admitting he watched porn in the House of Commons.
A total of 56 MPs are facing allegations of sexual misconduct including three members of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, it was reported on Monday, May 2.
A Nigerian man attempted to flee to Benin Republic after his wife welcomed quadruplets.
Cissé Abdullahi, 37, and his wife were expecting twins based on the scan done during pregnancy. However, his wife gave birth to 4 babies at once on Monday, April 25, at the Badagry General Hospital.
Abdullahi, who is an apprentice learning how to sell tyres, fled when he got the news that his wife gave birth to quadruplets.
He attempted to cross the Seme border into Benin Republic but a friend encouraged him to return home and promised to assist him financially to care for the kids.
Abdullahi said despite help from his friend, he’s still finding it difficult to care for his wife and their kids.
Paris Saint-Germain football club of France is reportedly prepared to sell star player, Neymar this summer as part of a rebuild by taking a huge loss on the player they paid a world record fee for.
The Brazilian arrived at the Parc des Princes to huge fanfare in 2017 when PSG paid his Barcelona release clause of £198million to bring him to France in a world record move.
Neymar has scored 98 times in 141 games, but has failed to help PSG win the champions league since his signing.
Paris Saint-Germain have already won the Ligue 1 title following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Lens.
According to Sky sports and Spanish outlet AS, a ‘revolution’ is being planned at the club and Neymar could be sold for as little as £76million (€90m) .
If the report is true it means the French club are willing to take a loss of up to £122m for the Brazil international, although the £76m quote is thought to be the minimum price club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi will negotiate at.
As part of the revolution, French daily L’Equipe are also reporting Julian Draxler, Layvin Kurzawa, Leandro Paredes and Thilo Kehrer could also be shown the exit.
In addition, the report says PSG could also be under new management, with current boss Mauricio Pochettino set to pay the price for the club’s failure in Europe by departing in the summer.
U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi made a surprise visit to war torn Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, to offer American support amid Russia’s invasion of the nation.
Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency after the vice president, was joined at the meeting on Saturday, April 30 by five other members of her party. She is the most senior American lawmaker to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded more than two months ago.
She had to leave Ukraine before revealing on Sunday, May 1 that she visited the country.
‘We are here until victory is won,’ Pelosi told Ukraine’s president during the meeting.
‘We’ll win and we’ll win together,’ Zelensky said.
‘Our delegation traveled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine,’ Pelosi said in a statement released Sunday.
The full congressional delegation included Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Schiff, of California who chairs the House Intelligence Committee; Jim McGovern of Massachusetts who chairs the House Rules Committee; Jason Crow of Colorado; Barbara Lee of California; and Bill Keating of Massachusetts.
‘You all are welcome,’ Zelensky told the delegation.
Pelosi told Zelensky: ‘We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom.’
‘We are on a frontier of freedom and your fight is a fight for everyone. Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,’ Pelosi added.
Denmark and Sweden have summoned Russia’s ambassadors to their countries after a Russian military plane violated their airspace.
Danish and Swedish military authorities reported that Russian planes entered Danish airspace on Friday evening, April 29, east of the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm then entered Swedish airspace.
The move by Russia came days after Finland and Norway announced plans to join Transatlantic military alliance, NATO, with NATO saying their membership could be accepted as much as early as June.
On Sunday, May 1, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said Russia’s ambassador to Denmark has been summoned over the spy plane incident, which he slammed as “unacceptable”.
“The Russian ambassador is summoned to the foreign ministry tomorrow,” Kofod tweeted on Sunday.
“A new Russian violation of Danish airspace. This is totally unacceptable and particularly worrying in the current situation,” he said.
The Swedish foreign ministry also said the Russian ambassador would be summoned in Stockholm.
“There exist established procedures for this kind of case. It concerns notably summoning the representative of the implicated nation to the foreign ministry,” Sweden’s ministry said in an email.
The airspace violation triggered swift reactions in Sweden, where Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told local media that such action was “unprofessional” and “inappropriate” considering heightened tensions in the region due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Swedish defence ministry said in a statement that the incursion by the “Russian AN-30 propeller plane” was monitored and recorded.
It’s not the first time, Russia has violated Swedish airspace.
In early March, four Russian fighter jets penetrated the airspace over Sweden.
Henrik Mortensen, a Danish Defence Command press officer, said the Russian reconnaissance plane was in Danish airspace “for a very brief moment. Two Danish F-16 immediately intervened”.
Since Moscow launched its land, sea and air offensive against Ukraine on February 24, Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland have been reviewing their long-standing military neutrality and are considering joining NATO. Denmark is already a member of NATO.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland and Denmark against joining NATO
An Indian national was found hanged in his office in what is suspected to be suicide.
42-year-old Devendra Singh’s body was found in his private office on Egbeyemi Street, in the Ilupeju area of Lagos State.
Singh, a field worker at the Agro Nigeria Limited, Ikeja, was driven to his office by his driver last Friday, April 29, and he exited the car for his office.
However, at close of work, Singh did not come out of his office.
His driver got no response after calling his line multiple times so he peeped through his boss’ office window and saw his body dangling from a rope.
The driver immediately alerted his boss’ colleagues.
Singh’s body has been deposited in the mortuary at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident and said that investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding Singh’s death.
Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka has visited Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho in Benin Republic.
Punch reported that the meeting took place on Sunday May 1, and also had Banji Akintoye, leader of Ilana Omo Odua, in attendance.
Soyinka repeatedly spoke up for Igboho while he was in prison, saying the activist committed no known crime against Nigeria but instead, a criminal act was committed against him by the federal government.
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have taken their relationship to the next level by making their red carpet debut together at a White House event on Saturday night, April 30.
The reality TV star and the comedian were among A-list guests at the glitzy 2022 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night, and wowed onlookers with their display of affection.
Mother of four, Kim, 41, dazzled in a glittering silver floor-length gown that hugged her body and featured a small train while Saturday Night Live comedian Pete, 28, wore a pair of casual Vans shoes with a black suit and tie, and a pair of sunglasses.
Kim also shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos from the event, including photosof her and Pete holding hands while walking through a hallway
On Saturday, April 30, Oprah Uzodinma, daughter of Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma, got married to her man, Henry Ohaeri, at Maria Assumpta Catholic Church, Owerri, the Imo State Capital.
The ceremony was witnessed by top dignitaries including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, and a host of others.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has released a list of 17 aspirants to be screened for the party’s forthcoming presidential primaries slated 29th of April, 2022.
Atiku Abubakar, Pius Anyim, Udom Emmanuel, Peter Obi and others are expected to be screened by the party ahead of it’s much anticipated primaries.
Below is a comprehensive list of the aspirants to be screened.
The new polygamist in town, Yul Edochie says, he has set the internet on fire for taking a second wife.
According to the actor, since he has been acting in Nollywood, giving the best of himself to entertain his fans, nobody cared for him.
Yul also said he contested for Anambra gubernatorial seat, nobody cared to know if he was on board.
But now he has taken a second wife, the internet seems to be on fire over it.
Yul said, “So I fit break internet like this? But I dey act film, dey give una Hollywood performances since una no send me. I ran for governor una no send me… I want run for President una still no send me. But na this wan come finally scatter internet.”
The Nollywood ace has been under fire after he officially announced the arrival of his new born son and second wife, Judy Austin Moghalu.
Many have accused Yul of betraying his first wife, May Edochie who according to the actor stood by him when he had nothing.
Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky could face off at this year’s G20 summit in Bali after the Ukraine president revealed he had been invited by Indonesian leader Joko Widodo.
Indonesia has found itself caught between a rock and a hard place after assuming the presidency of the global economic forum this year as Western leaders have pushed for Russia’s expulsion.
It faces the threat of a possible boycott if it does not rescind Moscow’s ticket to November’s world leader gathering because of the invasion of Ukraine, a move it has been unwilling to make so far.
However, Jakarta’s hopes of salvaging the summit may be improved if Ukraine, a non-G20 member, is also represented this year and Joko, known as Jokowi, has now reached out to him to attend, Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
“Had talks with President @jokowi… Appreciate inviting me to the @g20org summit,” he said.While Russia has indicated that Putin plans to attend in person, Zelensky did not say whether he intended to travel to the summit. Joko also did not mention the G20 in a Twitter post of his own on Thursday, saying only that he had “reiterated Indonesia’s support to any efforts for peace negotiations to succeed” and that Jakarta stood “ready to provide humanitarian assistance”.
But the invitation comes after United States President Joe Biden said last month that if Indonesia and others could not agree on Russia’s exclusion, Ukraine should also be present.
A bride-to-be allegedly blindfolded her fiancé, led him to an isolated hilltop by pretending she had a “surprise,” before slitting his throat.
22-year-old Viyyapu Pushpa and 28-year-old fiancé Addepallu Ram Naidu were due to be married on May 29.
They had been engaged through an arranged marriage agreement between the two families.
However, the wedding has been called off after Pushpa confessed to attempted murder.
The horrifying incident happened at a temple in Andhra Pradesh, India.
According to local reports, the couple went to the temple in Amarapuri after having lunch at Naidu’s house.
The pair were said to have stopped off at a store on their way to the temple, with Pushpa purchasing a scarf and she reportedly told Naidu she had a surprise gift for him.
When they reached the top of the hill, Pushpa blindfolded Naidu with the scarf as a pretext to showing him the surprise, before allegedly attacking him with a knife and slitting his throat.
Pushpa reportedly said she was trying to get out of the arranged marriage.
Naidu miraculously survived the attack, with locals rushing him to a hospital where he received 30 stitches and later revealed that Pushpa told him she didn’t want to get married after he had removed his blindfold.
Sunil Kumar, the deputy superintendent of police in Andhra Pradesh, said: “According to her statement, she just didn’t want to get married to this guy or anyone else. Her parents say she is innocent, while the man’s parents demand justice.”
Pushpa is now in custody and could see jail time of ten years for the charge of attempted murder
Travis Barker went to his partner, Kourtney Kardashian’s father’s grave in 2021 to inform him of his plans to marry his daughter, it has been revealed.
During the Thursday, April 28 episode of the new Hulu series The Kardashians, fans got to see more of the moment when Travis, 46, telephoned Kris Jenner, Kourtney’s mom, asking for permission to marry her 43-year-old daughter.
In the show, Kris recounted the emotional phone call with daughter, Kim Kardashian ahead of her Saturday Night Live debut and revealed that Travis had gone out of his way to also ask Kourtney and Kim’s late father, Robert Kardashian Sr., for his blessing.
“He asked for her hand in marriage, and I was like, literally, I want to cry now,” Kris, 66, said while getting her makeup done in Kim’s dressing room.
“It was so sweet and so tender. And then he said he went to your dad’s grave and asked your dad [for permission], and I just lost it.”
While crying, Kris added: “It’s all happy, I just wish your dad was here to see it. I can hardly believe that it’s the first time that she’s getting married.”
“That’s really crazy that she hasn’t been married before,” said Kim, 41, before joking, “While I’ve had enough for all of us!”
Robert Kardashian Sr. died at age 59 on Sept. 30, 2003, less than eight weeks after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. In addition to Kim and Kourtney, he also shared daughter Khloé Kardashian and son Rob Kardashian Jr. with Kris.
In the show Kourtney’s sisters discussed how her ex, Scott Disick — with whom she shares kids Mason, 12, Penelope, 9, and Reign, 7 would react to her upcoming engagement.
“He’s gonna have a hard time, but … they can’t put their life on hold just to tiptoe around him,” Khloé, 37, told Ellen DeGeneres ahead of an appearance on her talk show.
“No, no, I don’t think so either,” DeGeneres, 64, responded. “I just think it’s gonna be [hard], especially because she said she didn’t want to get married.”
“That’s the part that I feel bad about,” Khloé said. “But I don’t know, you snooze you lose.”
Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner also addressed the situation.
“I wonder if Scott knows,” Kylie, 24, said while driving to Santa Barbara together for Kourtney’s surprise proposal
“I know, it worries me sometimes because I just don’t know how stable he is right now,” Kendall, 26, noted. “I haven’t spoken to him on that sort of a level in a long time, so I don’t know where he’s at in his mental health.”
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Vladimir Putin wants to ‘disband’ Europe and achieve a ‘global strike on democracy’ if the Russian president is not stopped.
Zelensky made the claims as he warned world leaders that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ‘just the beginning’.
He said the ‘free world’ has the right to self-defence and Putin’s desire to destabilise Europe will mean Western leaders will help Ukraine with more weaponry.
It comes as Moscow accused the West of undermining European security by openly inciting Ukraine to strike Russia as Vladimir Putin threatened to respond ‘seriously’ to any further attack on Russian territory.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow that the West is ‘openly calling on Ukraine to attack Russia using weapons received from NATO countries’ while warning: ‘We do not recommend testing our patience.
Explosions inside Russia in recent weeks have destroyed fuel depots, ammo dumps, and railways being used to reinforce its armies inside Ukraine.
Following Zakharova’s comments, Zelenksy wrote on Facebook: ‘In the free world, there are almost no people who would not understand that the war between Russia and Ukraine is just the beginning.
‘The final goal of Russia’s leadership is not just to capture the territory of Ukraine, but to disband the entire… eastern Europe and [achieve] a global strike on democracy.
‘So the free world has the right to self defence. And that’s why it will help Ukraine even more.’
His comments came after Putin said yesterday that any country deemed to be ‘interfering’ in Ukraine would meet with a ‘lightning-fast’ response using weapons ‘no one else can boast of’ – thought to be a reference to nukes.
The Kremlin said Western and in particular British attempts to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine threatened the security of Europe.
‘In itself, the tendency to pump weapons, including heavy weapons, to Ukraine and other countries are actions that threaten the security of the continent and provoke instability,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Sergei Naryshkin, the chief of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), accused the United States and Poland of plotting to gain a sphere of influence in Ukraine, the strongest signal from Moscow that the war could end with forced partition of Ukraine between the West and Russia.
The Federal Government has declared Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd May, 2022 as Public Holidays to mark this year’s Workers Day and EIdul-Fitr Celebrations.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government. He congratulated workers across the country on this year’s celebration and commended workers for their hard work, diligence and sacrifice, noting that their efforts are largely responsible for the greatness of the country and the respect Nigeria now commands in the comity of nations.
The Minister also congratulated all Muslims for the successful completion of the holy month of Ramadan. He called on all Muslims to imbibe and practice the virtues of kindness, love, tolerance, peace, self-denial, sacrifice and good neighbourliness, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).
“The self-restrain, self-denial, sacrifice and deep spiritual consciousness that accompanied the fasting period should not end but be maintained and improved upon, in order to be a better person and true worshipper”, the minister advised all Muslims
The minister expressed confidence that the security challenges in some parts of the country will soon be a thing of the past, noting that the government is putting determined efforts and all necessary measures in place for Nigerians to enjoy unfettered peace all round.
One year after he was convicted of murdering George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has filed an appeal to ask a judge to overturn the jury’s verdict and reduce his sentence.
Chauvin was found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was then sentenced last June to 22 and half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.
He is now asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to take one of three actions: toss his conviction and send his case back to Hennepin County; reverse the result and order a new trial in a new venue; or order Chauvin to be sentenced to a lesser punishment.
Chauvin’s legal team filed its brief with the court on Monday, May 25.
In court documents filed this week, Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrman, laid out a number of challenges to his conviction, including a long-held insistence that Cahill should have moved the trial to another venue because of massive press coverage.
Mohrman also said witnesses weren’t properly handled and jurors were intimidated by protests and security measures. He also alleges that prosecutorial misconduct and other factors prevented Chauvin from getting a fair trial in the closely watched case.
Chauvin’s punishment exceeded the state’s minimum guidelines but fell short of the 30-year sentence prosecutors had been seeking. Chauvin’s attorneys say Cahill didn’t apply the sentencing guidelines correctly. They argue, for instance, that the judge shouldn’t have included abuse of a position of authority as an aggravating factor in Floyd’s murder.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has 45 days to respond to Chauvin’s brief.
Nigerian filmmaker and owner of Nevada Bridge productions, Neville Sajere has been declared wanted by police in the United States for alleged $1million fraud.
Neville was declared wanted in Northern District of Georgia in the United States of America, after being indicted by a grand jury on two counts of Bank Fraud and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft.
His wife, Ivie Shevon Sajere has already been sentenced for her role in a conspiracy that defrauded the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) out of nearly $1,000,000. The conspiracy involved the false filing of thousands of online applications for SSA retirement benefits and FEMA disaster benefits using stolen personal information.
U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said;
“This was a massive fraud that impacted two government agencies and harmed thousands of victims across the country whose identities were stolen.
“Sajere’s prison sentence is the culmination of a complicated investigation and prosecution and serves as a cautionary tale to other fraudsters similarly minded.”
Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General, for the Social Security Administration also said;
“This sentence holds Sajere accountable for her role in this complex conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration, alone, of nearly seven hundred thousand dollars. She stole personal information of innocent people and used it to defraud the SSA by abusing its online services.
“My office will continue to uphold the integrity of the SSA’s online services and programs that so many Americans rely on. I thank the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations, and other law enforcement agencies for joining us in this comprehensive investigation. I also thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”
According to U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court read: Beginning in approximately June 2017 until September 2018, the defendant and her husband, Neville Sajere, both Nigerian nationals who engaged in marriage fraud in an unsuccessful attempt to become U.S. citizens, participated in a money laundering scheme that defrauded nearly a million dollars from SSA and FEMA.
Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said;
“Anyone with malicious intent can cause widespread damage to victims, and in this case, the defendant orchestrated an identity theft spree that resulted in the defrauding of two agencies that provide substantial assistance to individuals in need.
“This scheme highlights the importance of national collaboration when it comes to combatting identity theft, and I thank our law enforcement partners for their essential assistance with this investigation.”
The scheme involved unknown fraudsters filing applications for Social Security retirement benefits and FEMA disaster relief benefits using stolen personal information. The individual victims whose personal information was stolen were often individuals highly acclaimed in their fields. It appears that these individuals were targeted because, even though they were of retirement age, they had not filed for SSA retirement benefits and did not need disaster benefit relief. Thus, the fraudsters had a better chance of getting the applications approved. The victims included a movie director, an award-winning journalist, the daughter of a legendary movie director, and a highly esteemed academic.
Once an application was approved, the fraudsters directed that the funds be deposited onto a Green Dot debit card opened using other stolen personal information. As soon as the money hit the Green Dot debit card, the defendant generated payments through Square, Stripe, and PayPal to Nevada Bridge TV, a Nigerian streaming service/television production company owned by the defendant’s husband; BAGMA, an African gospel award show business owned by the defendant’s husband; and Shevonz, a clothing store owned by the defendant.
Ivie Shevon Sajere (a/k/a Ivie Shevon Owubo), 38, Suwanee, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., to two years, six months in prison. She was also ordered to pay $949,616.40 in restitution to SSA and FEMA. Ivie was remanded into custody at the close of the sentencing hearing to begin her sentence. Because she is not a United States citizen, she is likely to be deported after she completes her sentence. Ivie pleaded guilty on November 30, 2021, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The government’s case against her husband, Neville Sajere, is ongoing as he “appears to have fled the United States and avoided prosecution.” according to court filings.
Manchester United striker, Mason Greenwood has had his bail extended until mid-June over allegations he raped and assaulted a young woman.
The 20-year-old Manchester United footballer was arrested in January after images and videos were posted online.
He was also questioned on suspicion of making threats to kill.
Greenwood was released on conditional bail which was due to expire on Saturday, April 30.
In an update on the investigation, Greater Manchester Police said: ‘We are continuing to investigate a report made to us on Sunday 30 January of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence.
‘A 20-year-old man arrested that day on suspicion of the rape and assault of a woman, and threats to kill, remains on bail.
‘An application has been made to the courts to have his bail extended beyond Saturday 30 April, but the hearing isn’t expected to be until mid-June.
‘The suspect will remain on conditional bail until the date of the court hearing.’
Shortly after the allegations surfaced online, the striker was suspended from playing or training with the Old Trafford club until further notice.
Nike suspended its sponsorship deal with Greenwood, and later terminated it, and Electronic Arts confirmed his removal from active squads on its Fifa 22 game.
The World’s largest blue diamond to come to auction has sold for $57.5 million.
The rare 15 carat masterpiece named “The De Beers Cullinan Blue,” sold at auction house, Sotheby’s in Hong Kong after an eight-minute bidding war among four hopeful buyers, according to Sotheby’s.
The winning bid, which passed its high estimate of $48 million, came from an anonymous buyer by telephone.
The rare diamond was found in South Africa’s Cullinan mine in 2021, and it has attained the highest rankings that colored diamonds are judged by.
According to a statement from Sotheby’s, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) categorized the jewel as “fancy vivid blue” — the top color grading, which has been awarded to no more than 1% of blue diamonds submitted to the organization.
Sotheby’s added that only five gems over 10 carats have ever appeared at auction. None have ever been over 15 carats, “making the appearance of this flawless gem a landmark event in itself.”
With a final price of $57,471,960, The De Beers Cullinan Blue just narrowly missed setting the record for the most expensive blue diamond ever to sell at auction. That title is still held by the 14.62-carat “Oppenheimer Blue,” which sold in 2016 with a final price of $57,541,779, a difference of of $70,000.
Yul Edochie has filled up the headlines of a lot of blog sites and the social media pages of some individuals after he came out to show his son with a Nollywood actress Judy Austine.
According to Rumours, actor Yul Edochie was dating a married woman from the movie industry called Nkiru Umeh.
The actress who was married to a man from Uga in Anambra State found out his wife Nkiru Umeh was having sexual relationships with Yul Edochie.
The husband reported the issue to the kinsmen several times but actor Yul refused to leave the married women until they both parted ways after an issue came up.
He added that after his amorous relationship with Nkiru Umeh ended, Yul moved to Judy Austine where she got pregnant and refused to abort the pregnancy.
“According to information reaching Vawulence Headquarters Na chop and clean mouth yul Dey use all these Nollywood geh do, it’s safe to say Na S€x for roles, his known side chic before was married Actress Nkiru Umeh, So Nkiru Umeh is married to one man from Uga in Anambra state And she was having s£xual relationships with yul The husband got a hint of it and reported to the kinsmen severally but yul refused to let the married woman be until trailer pass yul and nkiru had issues and parted ways before she come move to this girl,”
Following the world’s richest man Elon Musk’s acquisition of social media giant Twitter for a staggering $44bn, a Nigerian businessman is set to tow similar lines with a local platform.
Dr Stephen Akintayo, a realtor, has openly offered to buy Nigeria’s leading internet platform Nairaland for N1bn.
Nairaland is a leading Nigerian internet forum that was founded by entrepreneur Seun Osewa on March 8, 2005 and is one of the top 6 most visited websites in the country.
Making the announcement on his Twitter handle, the microbiology graduate remarked that people cannot continue to do nothing while foreigners take over the tech business.
Stephen roared that he means business and is not chasing clot with his intention.
He tweeted: “Base on this! I Am Ready to pay 1Billion Naira 20% Cash 80% Land to Buy @nairaland “100% .
*Guys let’s do this! I know what I can turn this site to in less than 10Years. I Mean Business! We can’t keep waiting till foreigners buy all our tech business . #twittertakeover.”
When countered by a netizen that his offering price was more than enough to build a platform that would beat Nairaland in no distant years, Stephen replied:
“If you did some deep thinking you would have know @elonmusk would have build @Twitter rival with less than 1billion usd but instead paid 44billion usd. We are not buying site bro! We are buying data. Social media is no License to talk without thinking.”
Paris Saint-Germain star, Kylian Mbappe received 10 votes in the recent French presidential election, it has been revealed.
France concluded its presidential election last weekend, April 24, resulting in the re-election of Emmanuel Macron for a second term after a second round of voting.
According to a report by L’Est Republicain, PSG and France footballer Mbappe was voted for, 10 times, an unexpected electoral success which occured in Tallenay, a small town in the east of the country with a population of around 425 people.
The report says that out of the 348 locals who cast their vote in the second round of the ballot in Tallenay, 175 voted for Macron and 75 voted for the incumbent’s main rival, Marine Le Pen, earning Macron a 70% share of the town’s vote, while nationally he claimed 58.5% of votes.
Another report by ABC News says that, official figures show 28% of registered voters in France did not vote in Sunday’s presidential election, the highest amount in the past two decades.
The report says French voters can also show their dissatisfaction with both candidates by voting “blanc.” Blanc ballots represented 6.35% of the votes on Sunday.
In the town of Tallenay, 50 voters abstained, 22 left their vote blank and 10 of the 26 spoiled ballots were submitted with Mbappe’s name in a premeditated action that was presumably in protest at the legitimate options available.
Ludovic Barbarossa, mayor of Tallenay, reacting to Mbappe’s shock votes, told Le Parisien:”We saw one [vote] and then a second and a third. They were well made, they looked like real ballot papers. The name wasn’t just scribbled down quickly with a pen but it was written on a computer and printed out. It didn’t seem to be the actions of a joker but a concerted decision.
“Was it a bet between some friends? Did five couples have dinner together on Saturday to come up with the idea and organise it? I honestly don’t know.
“In any case, I refuse to judge the actions of my constituents who came to vote. They have the right to vote to return a blank vote. We had two other ballot papers with the name of the former deputy in chief with a photomontage, for example.”
Barbarossa also then said she would invite Mbappe to come and meet his supporters, saying that he will always be welcome to visit Tallenay.
He added:”I invite Kylian Mbappe to come! We are two hours by TGV [train] from Paris.”
A 13-year-old Ukrainian girl allegedly raped by a Russian soldier begged her therapist to help her to change her sexual orientation so that she would “not love men anymore.”
Psychologist and psychotherapist Oleksandra Kvitko is one of five specialists who have been working at the Hotline for Psychological Assistance of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
Their youngest patient is just 10-years-old, they said.
“Most of the rapists, according to the girls, were either in masks or balaclavas, and it was much harder than if their faces were visible. Because after that all men become rapists for the girl,” she said.
She spoke to NV in Ukraine and shared harrowing details of the rape of a 13-year-old girl.
“One 13-year-old girl, when I asked her how I could help her, said: ‘please help me change my orientation, I don’t want to love men anymore’,” Kvitko said.
She continued: “Now these children and girls who have been abused often stand on the windowsills and want to jump because they do not know how to live.
“Many people begin to harm themselves, cut their hands, because the emotional pain is so strong that they get rid of it in this way.
“I can’t always be in touch with them, I’m leaving to work with another person, and they already write to me: ‘I’m sorry, Sashenka, I can’t, I cut myself’.”
Lyudmila Denisova, commissioner for human rights in the Ukrainian Parliament, alleged that this month a 14-year-old girl in Bucha was raped by five soldiers and as a result is now pregnant.
Former US President, Donald Trump has appealed a judge’s civil contempt order imposing a $10,000 daily fine for failing to comply with a subpoena from the New York attorney general for records tied to an investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances.
On Tuesday, April 26, Judge Arthur Engoron issued a written order holding Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a December subpoena asking he release the Trump organization’s financial statements, and asking he pays $10,000 per day fine for every day he refuses to release the documents.
New York Attorney General, Letitia James’ office has been probing the Trump Organization to find out whether it defrauded borrowers, lenders and tax authorities who relied upon the company’s financial statements.
The office asked Engoron to hold Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a December subpoena. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, said that they had searched and found no documents to provide investigators other than the 10 previously turned over by the Trump Organization.
In the written order on Tuesday April 26, Engoron wrote that Trump “willfully disobeyed” his prior order to comply with the subpoena for documents, and said that the former President’s failure to comply harmed the civil investigation being conducted by James.
On Wednesday, the Trump organization appealed the ruling meaning he may not have to make payments on the fine until it is resolved.
The attorney general’s office criticized Trump’s Wednesday appeal.
“The judge’s order was clear: Donald J. Trump is in contempt of court and must pay $10,000 a day until he complies with our subpoenas,” James said in a statement.
“We’ve seen this playbook before, and it has never stopped our investigation of Mr. Trump and his organization. This time is no different.”
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his honorary ‘freedom of York’ title after a unanimous vote by York City Council.
Councillors voted for the removal in an Extraordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday, April 27.
It comes after Prince Andrew reached an out of court settlement – said to be £12m – with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, in a civil sex claim filed in the US.
Many councillors said the removal of his Honorary Freedom of the City of York was just a starting point for the changes that should be made.
Councillor Gwen Swinburn slammed Prince Andrew as a “disgrace” who brought “shame and repetitional damage everywhere he goes, including to our city”.
“He needs to be declared persona non grata in York,” she said.
Councillors also called for him to relinquish his Duke of York title.
Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said the prince was the “first to ever have their freedom removed” by the city and backed calls for his Duke of York title to be relinquished.
The rank of duke, like other peerages, can only be removed by an act of parliament, which last happened in 1917.
Russian president, Vladimir Putin has vowed to use nuclear weapons against any country that dares to ‘interfere’ with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Putin made the chilling threat while addressing legislators in St Petersburg on Thursday April 28, saying his response to anyone who ‘threatens’ Russia will be ‘lightning-fast’ and deadly.
‘If someone intends to interfere in what is going on from the outside they must know that constitutes an unacceptable strategic threat to Russia. They must know that our response to counterstrikes will be lightning fast. Fast,’ he said.
‘We have all the weapons we need for this. No one else can brag about these weapons, and we won’t brag about them. But we will use them.’
While Putin did not mention nuclear weapons directly, many believe he was referring to Russia’s new Sarmat 2 nuclear missile which was tested for the first time just days ago.
During his address on the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, Putin promised once again that ‘all objectives will definitely be carried out’ by his ‘heroic’ military.
He praised Russian troops, who he said were fighting to ‘prevent a large-scale conflict’ of exactly the kind he stands accused of causing.
He again repeated unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine was seeking to possess nuclear weapons itself or develop biological weapons, which he said posed ‘a real threat [to] our motherland.’
‘All that confirms our reaction was timely and correct,’ he said.
Railing against Western ‘fascists’, he added: ‘For years they turned our neighbouring Ukraine into an anti-Russia.
‘Let me remind you that Russia was always sympathetic and acted as a friend and as a comrade and as a brother, it viewed the creation of the independent Ukrainian state – at the time we thought this would be a friendly state.
‘We would develop together and strengthen each other and create the best conditions for our competition and development and of course, we didn’t expect they would create anti-Russian on that territory. We cannot allow this.’
He said the West was trying to back the Russian ‘bear’ into a corner but had ‘failed’ in their attempts to divide the country.
On Monday April 25, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Russia is now fighting a proxy war with the whole of NATO and the risk of it turning nuclear is ‘real’.
Speaking to state TV, Lavrov said the current situation is worse than the Cuban missile crisis at the height of the Cold War because of a complete break-down in relations between the two sides.
Asked directly about the possibility of a nuclear war, he said: ‘The risks are very significant. I do not want the danger to be artificially inflated [but] it is serious, real. It cannot be underestimated.’
A hotline for rape and sexual assault victims by Russian troops in Ukraine has received 400 calls in just two weeks.
Lyudmyla Denisova, the Ombudsman for Human Rights in Ukraine said the line is so overwhelmed that the five psychologists who operate it ‘cannot cope with the load’.
Victims include adults and children, both male and female, with some attacked while terrified relatives were forced to watch, according to Daily Mail. In Bucha, 25 victims aged 14 to 25 were ‘systematically’ raped while being held captive in a basement. Nine are now pregnant.
The line, set up with Unicef, received 400 calls between April 1 and April 14 as Russian began to withdraw from the Kyiv region, after a failed attempt to capture the capital.
Mrs. Denisova said: ‘Our five psychologists cannot cope with this load.
‘I asked Unicef to almost double the number of psychologists, to ensure that the care is of good quality and that there is no burnout, including those psychologists who receive such appeals day and night. And these cases are very terrible.’
Russia has denied allegations it is using rape as a ‘weapon of war’.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month: ‘Hundreds of cases of rape have been recorded, including those of young girls and very young children. Even of a baby.’
