Clara, Former Enugu state 1st Lady and Ex wife to former governor Sullivan Chime has set to marry again after the nightmare experience she allegedly reportedly had with her ex husband Former Governor Sullivan.
The Traditional wedding is set to hold on Friday, April 29,2022 …
According to Inside sources, the wedding is highly coded and it is said that she is remarrying an Anambra man but that is all to cause distraction.
Clara is marrying a very rich man from Kaduna state with whom she has found happiness….
According to SDK source ” You know Clara grew up in Katsina, so her affiliation with the Northerners has always been strong She met the man she is about to marry through the late President Yaradua’s daughter who was her classmate in school….. Clara even speaks Hausa better than she speaks Igbo”
The Marriage will quietly hold in Amuda Isuochi, Umunneochi LGA in Abia state on Friday April 29, 2022.
An auction of the jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored twice against England in the 1986 World Cup, including the infamous “hand of God” goal, kicked off Wednesday April 20, with a bid of over $5 million.
The football icon, who died in 2020, swapped shirts with England midfielder Steve Hodge after full time and he has been in possession of the treasured item for the last 35 years.
Hodge has now put the shirt up for sale at Sotheby’s and the online auction has already started.
The reserve of $5million has already been met by one interested buyer but there are two weeks remaining for bidders to stake their claim as the auction ends on May 4.
Maradona’s status as a superstar was cemented in that quarter-final in 1986.
Argentina won the game 2-1, with their diminutive talisman deceiving the referee by using his hand to score what appeared to the office to be a header. Hodge was involved in the incident, passing the ball back to the goalkeeper before Maradona used his cunning to leap and reach the ball with his hand.
Afterwards the player famously said it was scored ‘a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God’.
His other strike in the game was voted ‘Goal of the Century’ in a FIFA poll and saw him dribble around almost the entire England team before slotting the ball past Peter Shilton.
It was the most famous game in the career of a footballing genius, who was 25 at the time and went on to help his side win the tournament in Mexico.
Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables, said the two goals ‘balance each other brilliantly’ and reveal two facets of Maradona’s character.
The first ‘was really cunning and did involve an element of luck,’ he said. ‘But then he scored a second goal, which was one of the most unbelievable – almost angelic – goals ever.’
Hodge was the lucky owner for more than three decades and previously explained how he snagged it.
He said: ‘I was walking down the tunnel and Maradona was coming in the opposite direction. I just tugged my shirt and we swapped there and then.’
Hodge has now revealed why he is selling the iconic shirt, explaining: ‘I have been the proud owner of this item for over 35 years, since Diego and I swapped shirts in the tunnel after the famed match.
‘It was an absolute privilege to have played against one of the greatest and most magnificent football players of all time.
‘It has also been a pleasure to share it with the public over the last 20 years at the National Football Museum, where it has been on display.
‘The Hand of God shirt has deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina, and the people of England and I’m certain that the new owner will have immense pride in owning the world’s most iconic football shirt.’
The shirt will be on display in Sothebys’ London showroom on Bond Street during the April 20-May 4 bidding period.
A married woman accused of having an affair was publicly flogged and forced to “marry” her lover.
The horrific scene unfolded in the Indian village of Madhya Krishnapur in West Bengal on Saturday night, April 16, and saw the woman hospitalised after she collapsed, according to local police.
Teliamura Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sonacharan Jamatia told news agency Press Trust of India: “We will send a team to meet the victim to know the actual incident.
“The police has not received any written complaint yet, but there will be an inquiry into the alleged incident”.
The woman told reporters that her husband led a group of fifteen men to a field while accusing her of having an extra-marital affair and began beating her, leading her to lose consciousness.
Her suspected lover was also physically harassed.
A video circulated on social media showed her surrounded by villagers after regaining consciousness, with them forcing her to exchange garlands with her alleged lover as a symbol of marriage as they made loud noises.
The video also showed some young people encouraging the husband to apply vermillion on the woman’s forehead.
The husband reportedly admitted to local media that he and his family members beat her up for her alleged relationship with another man, who was from the same village as them.
He said: “After the incident, I took her to Teliamura hospital for treatment and I spent the whole night there. The police visited my residence”.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, on Wednesday, April 20th, received the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Kedem Tallen, OFR, who paid a courtesy visit on the IGP in his office at the Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The Minister discussed amongst other things, the plight of women in Nigeria, particularly in relation to gender and domestic-based violence. She pointed out the recent case of the famous gospel musician, Osinachi Nwachukwu, whose untimely death on 8th April, 2022 has caused a public outcry. The Minister who was accompanied by some members of the late singer’s family was equally interested to know what efforts the police have put in place to ensure swift justice is dispensed.
The Inspector-General of Police, while reacting, noted that the untimely death is heart-breaking particularly as information from sources close to the family and independent witnesses fingered her husband, Peter Nwachukwu, as being responsible for her death. He stated that the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force, in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, arrested the deceased’s husband at about 5pm on Sunday 10th April 2022 at their residence in Lugbe, Abuja. The suspect is currently in detention at the FCT Police Command even as investigations are still ongoing.
The IGP further emphasized that considering the sensitive nature of the case, and the need to get justice, and swiftly, the command has approached the National Hospital, Abuja, for post-mortem examinations on the deceased to ascertain the cause of death and her husband will be charged to court if it is established that he was responsible for her death.
The Inspector-General of Police reiterated the commitment of the Force under his leadership to ensuring that cases of domestic violence, sexual and gender-based violence, rape, and other social vices are accorded utmost attention with a view to bringing their perpetrators to justice according to the provisions of extant laws.
To celebrate Her Majesty’s 96th birthday, the Royal Windsor Horse Show has released a new photo of the British monarch celebrating her lifelong love of horses.
In the portrait, which was taken just last month by photographer Henry Dallal, the Queen stands beside two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
Sharing the photo to Instagram the Royal Family wrote: “Ahead of The Queen’s 96th Birthday tomorrow, @royalwindsorhorseshow have released a new photograph of Her Majesty with two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
“Taken last month in the grounds of Windsor Castle, the photo is the fourth in a series of photos released by the Royal Windsor Horse Show, following images that celebrated the Golden Jubilee, the Platinum Jubilee and Her Majesty’s 90th Birthday.
“First staged in 1943, The Queen has attended every single Royal Windsor Horse Show.”
One of Russia’s richest men, Oleg Tinkov, has criticized the country’s “massacre” in Ukraine and called for an end to the “crazy war”.
Writing in a profanity-littered Instagram post, Tinkov said he does not know “any beneficiary” of the conflict and that about 90 percent of Russians don’t support the war..
Russia’s war Ukraine began on February 24 leading to the death of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, and millions leaving the country.
Tinkov was among 65 individuals and entities sanctioned by the United Kingdom on March 24 for “supporting Russia’s illegal invasion.” He owns 35% of Tinkoff Bank’s parent company, TCS Group, and is worth about $3.5 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Russian entrepreneur, claimed that Kremlin officials were in a state of shock that they would no longer be able to spend their summers in the Mediterranean.
“I don’t see a single beneficiary of this insane war,” he wrote.
Sanctions on Russia have slashed $300 billion worth of Russia’s reserves and plunged the economy into a deep recession. While Western companies have exited the country, and the European Union has closed its airspace to Russian airlines and aircraft.
“The Kremlin’s civil servants are in shock that not only they but also their children won’t go to the Mediterranean this summer. Businessmen are trying save what’s left of their property,” Tinkov wrote.
Referring to the Z symbol written on Russian tanks that has become a sign of popular support for the war in Russia, Tinkov said there were “idiots that write the letter Z but there are about 10% idiots in all countries. 90% of Russians are AGAINST this war.”
Switching to English at the end of his post, he called on the West to “give Mr. Putin a clear exit to save his face and stop this massacre.”
“Please be more rational and humanitarian,” he added.
He’s not the only Oligarch that has called for an end to war in Ukraine. Oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska spoke out against the conflict in late February following Russia’s invasion.
Fridman, wrote in a letter to staff that he wanted the “bloodshed to end.” Deripaska said in a post on Telegram: “Peace is very important! Negotiations need to start as soon as possible!”
Former football players, Sergio Aguero, Paul Scholes, Vincent Kompany, Didier Drogba, Ian Wright, and Peter Schmeichel have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The football stars join Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira as the latest players to become part of the Premier League’s Hall of Fame, taking the total up to 16.
Their selection was based on a public online vote and the Premier League Awards Panel, with the Hall of Fame recognising the best players to have graced the league since its inception in 1992.
Sergio Aguero left Manchester City in 2021 as the highest scoring overseas player in Premier League history, with 184 goals in just 275 appearances over a 10-year period in which he won five league titles.
The 33-year-old former Argentina international, who retired from professional football due to a heart condition earlier this season, is also City’s all-time leading scorer on 260 goals in 390 appearances.
“Entering the Hall of Fame makes me happy for myself and for my family,” he said. “I just loved playing football here with Manchester City and the memories of winning the Premier League five times, including the most important goal of my career to win that first one.
“Since I was nine or 10 years old, I wanted to play in the Premier League. I think it is the best league in the world, where the football is fast and beautiful and the atmosphere is always incredible. I miss my team-mates and the fans a lot still now.”
Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes came through at Old Trafford as part of the famous Class of ’92, which included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt.
He won the Premier League 11 times with United under Sir Alex Ferguson, before calling time on his career at the same time as his manager in 2013, scoring 107 goals in 499 Premier League appearances.
“It’s a special feeling to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame along with so many fantastic players who have already been voted in and with the players who are being named today,” said Scholes.
“I played for the best manager for 20 years at Manchester United; the biggest club in the world with the greatest fans. I feel lucky and privileged I was part of a team that won so many trophies and to have won the Premier League 11 times.”
Didier Drogba won the Premier League four times over two spells at Chelsea, as he built a reputation for himself as a man for the big occasion.
The former Ivory Coast international, who won the Golden Boot in 2006/07 and 2009/10, amassed 104 goals in 254 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
“It is a real honour for me to have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame,” said Drogba. “My years with Chelsea were so special to me, and I’m incredibly proud of everything we won as a team.
“I played with fantastic players for some amazing managers and against brilliant opponents. I’m so happy to say that I won the Premier League four times – and now I’m in the Hall of Fame with some of those great players I played alongside and against, which makes me very proud.”
Vincent Kompany spent 11 seasons at Manchester City and played a vital role in transforming the club into a title-winning force, lifting the Premier League four times during his spell at the Etihad.
The defender, who joined City in 2008, was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2011/12 as he captained the side to their first Premier League trophy in a closely fought title race with rivals Manchester United.
“I feel that I found a home at Manchester City and in the Premier League, so I am delighted to be joining the Hall of Fame,” said Kompany.
“I came to love the club and I think the biggest achievement of my career was to be part of such an incredible journey, where we progressed from a side without high expectations to become a dominant force and champions four times.”
Ian Wright was a prolific goalscorer for Arsenal and helped the club win the Premier League for the first time in 1997/98. It was the same season in which he became the Gunners’ all-time leading scorer, a record now held by Thierry Henry.
Wright, who was the Gunners’ top scorer six seasons in a row, finished his Premier League career after spells with Arsenal and West Ham with 113 Premier League goals in 213 appearances
“It’s a real privilege to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Wright. “You have to remember that for the majority of my football journey I never thought I’d become a professional footballer. So to do that, enjoy the times I had with the fans and my team-mates and now to receive this accolade, is a true honour. I feel really humbled.
“Growing up in south London, football was my escape. We played for pure enjoyment and that’s something that never left me when I played the game. I always felt like I was running out of time and this recognition is a special reminder to appreciate the journey, the hard work and getting over the doubts I had.
“I also have to thank so many incredible team-mates, backroom staff, and managers, most notably Steve Coppell who gave me the chance and shaped the player I became.”
Former Manchester United shot-stopper Peter Schmeichel becomes the first goalkeeper inducted into the Hall of Fame after winning the Premier League in five of his seven seasons at Old Trafford.
Schmeichel kept 128 clean sheets in 310 Premier League appearances and remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Premier League Player of the Year for the 1995/96 campaign.
The Dane, who also had spells with Aston Villa and Manchester City, managed to register one Premier League goal too.
“I am very honoured to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Schmeichel. “I understood straight away that your career is only for a very short period of time. You have to make the best of that opportunity and make sure you’re someone who is remembered because you did something.
“When I was a kid in Denmark I used to fall asleep to this dream of playing for Manchester United. The team I was part of was so good that winning the Premier League once was special, but we felt we had to retain it to prove ourselves, and it was a dream come true for me to win five titles.”
The Premier League Hall of Fame launched in 2021, with Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer the inaugural inductees. David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Eric Cantona, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, and Frank Lampard soon followed to complete the ‘Class of 2021’.
Nigerians from all walks of life, more especially the female folks have reacted angrily after the founder of Due Process Advocates (DPA) and Harvard trained attorney, Emeka Ugwuonye narrated how a lady who approached the human rights organization for help recounted how her abusive husband will always ask her to pay him before he could have sex with her.
The human rights lawyer who shared a screenshot of a conversation he had with the lady on the official Facebook forum of Due Process Advocates, vowed to render help to the young woman who appears to be an orphan.
See screenshot of conversation below:
Attorney Ugwuonye in a follow up statement titled, “NO NIGERIAN CHURCH WILL HELP YOU IF YOU FACE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE” said that, the lady for several years complained to the priests of her Church but they refused to help her because her husband was friendly with them.
He said, “I’m interviewing a lady right now and she narrated her experience. In her own words, she said: “No church will help you!” She explained how she complained for so many years to her priests (Catholic church) and they failed to help her because her husband was friendly with them. Indeed, she believe the priests were so biased against her. After she finally went to a human rights organization, the organization warned her husband never to beat his wife again, and that they would deal with him if he tried that again. That was when he stopped beating her. He then called the same priest to come and settle him and his wife. It was when he found himself in a weakened position that the priest tried to settle them.
“The woman told the priest she was no longer interested in him settling them. The priest then told her that she had to leave the house. But the lady told him that she was the one paying the rent. (The priest had forgotten that the woman had been the breadwinner, not the his friend, the husband).
“I listened to the lady in silence. I knew she was right. I have heard the same experience narrated by many victims of domestic violence. The churches and the Pastors don’t care. The Pastors beat their own wives. The culture of most churches encourage domestic violence. Once you accept that women are inferior and subordinate and once you insist that women (without men) should be virtuous and submissive: once you buy such backwards ideas, you will subscribe to two things. First, you will oppose divorce, and second, you will be violent in your home.
“I know that each time I point out the shortcomings of Pastors, some of you that pretend to be deputy Jesus will come out to attack and insult me. Please say goodbye to this forum before you try that today. There will be no warning.”
Two thieves mysteriously fell asleep after they broke into an elderly woman’s house in Hammanskraal, Pretoria, South Africa.
The criminals were said to have broken into the woman’s house last Thursday April 14, and stole a plasma television, a microwave, shoes, and many other things out of the house. But on getting to the door that leads out of the compound, they mysteriously dozed off.
The US and allies of Ukraine have pledged to send more weapons to help Ukraine win the renewed Russian offensive.
The US and others vowed to send artillery, anti-tank and air defence aid to Kyiv during a 90-minute video call on Tuesday, April 19.
New clashes in the country’s east there have marked what Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky said was the start of the “battle for the Donbas”.
The eastern Donbas – which comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – is where Russia is concentrating its efforts and if Russia wins, it will control a huge Easter and southern section of Ukraine.
According to Ukraine, Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian positions along the entire 300-mile (480km) front line since Monday April 18.
Following the meeting of Ukraine’s allies, the US defence department said additional military aircraft and aircraft parts had been sent to Ukraine to increase their fleet size and repair others in Ukraine’s arsenal that were damaged.
The US defence department added that the US had not provided aircraft to Kyiv itself.
The US also refused to reveal details on which countries have provided the aircraft to help Ukraine which comes months after President Zelensky has appealed to the US for Soviet-made air defence systems and fighter jets as an alternative to a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“We need heavy artillery, armed vehicles, air defence systems and combat aircraft — anything to repel Russian forces and stop their war crimes,” Mr Zelensky said on Twitter last week. “Nobody will stop Russia except Ukraine with heavy weapons
The move also comes after the US in March refused a proposal by Poland to provide it with MiG-29 fighter jets, which it would then transfer to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters after the meeting between Western allies, added that the US is planning to provide a further military aid package to Ukraine worth $800m.
He said Washington would also be sending Ukraine more artillery – heavy guns deployed in land warfare.
“They [Ukraine] need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them,” said the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in parliament after the meeting.
In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was providing finance to enable Ukraine to buy anti-tank weapons and ammunition from German arms manufacturers.
The Czech Republic said it would repair Ukrainian tanks and armoured vehicles when they are damaged in combat.
Russia reacting to the new support for Ukraine said;
“The United States and Western states under its control are doing everything to drag out the military operation for as long as possible,” Russia’s defence chief Sergei Shoigu said.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 but in recent days have shifted their military operation’ to the Eastern part of the country known as the Donbas.
Online entertainment subscription service, Netflix has revealed it is now considering reducing its prices and adding advertisement to its platform, as the company recorded losses of 200,000 subscribers for the first time since 2011.
After years of resisting advertisements on its streaming service, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said on Tuesday April 19, that the company is “open” to offering lower-priced tiers with ads.
Hastings has always opposed to adding commercials or other promotions to the platform but says now that it “makes a lot of sense” to offer customers a cheaper option.
“Those who have followed Netflix know that I have been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription,” Hastings said.
“But as much as I am a fan of that, I am a bigger fan of consumer choice, and allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price and are advertising-tolerant to get what they want makes a lot of sense.”
Hastings said a new ad-supported tier has a lot of profit potential for Netflix, which on Tuesday reported its first subscriber loss in more than a decade.
Netflix cited its exit from the Russian market, growing competition from recent streaming launches by Disney and Amazon, rampant password sharing, inflation as reasons for fall in paid subscriptions.
In an effort to lure more subscribers, Netflix has increased its content spend, particularly on originals. To pay for it, the company says it had to increase prices of its service.
A lower-tier option that includes advertisements could keep some price-conscious consumers with the service and provide Netflix with a different avenue to garner funds, Netflix said.
“It’s pretty clear that it’s working for Hulu. Disney is doing it. HBO did it.” Hastings said. “I don’t think we have a lot of doubt that it works.”
Former Super Eagles assistant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has opened up on Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Amuneke expressed his disappointment, saying he’s still trying to overcome the failure which saw the Super Eagles miss out on securing the ticket to reach the World cup.
He said: ‘I’m still trying to overcome the failure. I’m very sad and very disappointed not to have helped the team achieve its aim of qualifying for the World Cup because that was the dream of the technical crew, to help the Eagles qualify. I want to use this opportunity to apologise to Nigerians for the team’s inability to pick the ticket for Qatar. It’s very painful but I believe we will learn from this and become better as a team. I thank the Nigeria Football Federation and the sports minister for the opportunity to serve my fatherland in that capacity.’
When asked if the players that represented Nigeria at the Playoffs were what the team really needed, he said: “The head coach (Austin Eguavoen) was in charge of the team and he decided what system and which players fitted into the system. My job was to provide technical assistance, which I did throughout the games in Accra and Abuja. It’s now left to who is in charge to take it or leave it. We have good players in the team in all departments but the team still needs a good passer of the ball from midfield. A player that can create space from our own half with just a pass from quick movements will be the final piece in the Eagles’ jigsaw.”
Speaking about the next Super Eagles coach, he added: “They need a very sound and tactical coach with current information for his team to learn from and be better, one who is open to new ideas and system of play and firm on his decision-making.”
Nuclear bombers belonging to Russia have been spotted in the skies over western Russia could close to the Ukranian border following the sinking of Russia’s warship in the Black Sea.
New footage shared by Ukrainian intelligence shows four Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, flying in the Kaluga region, within striking distance of Ukraine on Monday, April 18, putting Ukraine on edge.
Moscow has previously used long-range bombers to strike Kyiv with non-nuclear cruise missiles but military analysts believe that Russian president Vladimir Putin may escalate his attacks on Ukraine after Ukrainian missiles reportedly destroyed his warship called Moskva.
The Black Sea missile cruiser was a huge part of Putin’s navy, and reportedly carried nuclear missiles before it was sunk.
The Ukranian military intelligence comes after President Zelenskyy revealed he didn’t trust the world when it came to preventing war crimes or nuclear conflict.
The President said he can no longer believe reliability of “some countries or some leaders” following the invasion of his country by Russia.
Zelensky said when asked on CNN whether he finds the slogan “never again,” being used by most world leaders which is associated with Holocaust, now “hollow”, following alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
“I don’t believe the world. After we have seen what’s going on in Ukraine, we’ve — I mean that I don’t believe to this feeling that we should believe to the — to the — some countries or some leaders,” he said.
“We don’t believe the words. After the escalation of Russia, we don’t believe our neighbours. We don’t believe all of this,” he said.
A cold-blooded killer who fatally stabbed his sleeping girlfriend and got rid of her body was sentenced to 25 years to life on Monday, April 19, for the heinous 2016 murder.
Miguel Bonilla, 49, confessed he stabbed Juana Alvarez, 52, to death in the Brooklyn, New York apartment they shared in July 2016, taking a break from the killing to listen to music before he continued the bloody knifing.
“I f—ing hate her,” Bonilla told police in a videotaped confession.
According to prosecutors, he kept her body in a closet as it decomposed, then bundled her, put her in a shopping cart and rolled her to a Dumpster down the street.
Investigators say they searched a landfill upstate, but never found her body but through his confession, traces of her blood in the apartment, and video of him pushing a shopping cart dripping with blood was enough for prosecutors to nail him.
Prosecutors say the victim, Alvarez always walked her dog every day outside her building, but on July 27, 2016 the unexpected happened.
By August 7, she was reported missing. And on Aug. 22, Bonilla was arrested and admitted the chilling details of her killing.
A jury found him guilty of murder on Jan. 31, and on Monday, Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy sentenced him to 25 years to life.
“We will never have any closure. No body to bury. No grave to visit on birthdays and holidays, not even ashes to pray to, as she would have wanted,” Alvarez’s sister, Iris Alvarez, said in an emotional victim impact statement.
“This has changed our lives forever because I personally was the closest to my sister. I struggle to make sense of how someone can be so violent and do this to my sister. I’m so angry, but I try not to show it. My grief is unbearable! My best friend is gone forever.
“Because of you, I will never see my sister again, and my mom will never see this day. She used to attend your court dates, in the beginning of all of this, in hopes of finding out the truth of what happened to her daughter,” Iris Alvarez said. “You killed both of them. You may have killed Juana physically, but you killed my mother emotionally.”
Iris Alvarez, who referred to her sister as “My Cinco de Mayo,” said she had a “gut feeling” that Bonilla had something to do with her disappearance.
“On the day you killed her I felt something wrong happened, because I had bad headaches and chest pains. But I couldn’t understand why,” she said. “The days just went by and my chest felt so heavy and it just didn’t go away until I got that call she was missing. At that moment, I understood the pains and headaches.”
UK boxer, Dillian Whyte has knocked WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury ahead of the world heavyweight championship fight at Wembley this Saturday, April 24.
Whyte did not attend the pre-fight press conference last month but the 34-year-old despite maintaining media silence for months, is now opening up about the long-awaited world title bout.
‘This isn’t the Tyson Fury show; this is the Tyson Fury and Dillan Whyte show,’ Whyte said.
‘From where I stand, it’s the Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury show – but from where he stands, it’s the Fury-Whyte show. He’s heavyweight champion, so I understand what they’re doing, saying, whatever. But you can’t buy a high-performance car and not put high-performance fuel in it, and that’s what they’re trying to do.
‘They won the [purse bid], they’re trying to treat me like nothing. They don’t want to pay anything, they don’t want to look after things properly. They wanted to just say: “Well, we won the fight, you have to do what we say.”
Whyte also called the Fury team hypocritical for criticism of his non-attendance at the press conference, saying Fury himself has done similar in the past.
‘This is a man that’s weighed in and pulled out of a fight on the day of the fight […] It’s a man that pulled out of the [Wladimir] Klitschko [rematch],’ Whyte said.
‘People forget that Tyson Fury didn’t turn up to the Wladimir Klitschko press conference. Everyone’s giving me stick, and he was contractually obliged to go to that – I wasn’t contractually obliged to go to any press conference.
‘I don’t care what Tyson Fury says, he says a lot of s***. His mouth’s like a toilet, he just keeps flushing and flushing and flushing and flushing. He just flushes any kind of random s*** that comes out of his mouth.
‘Me and him are gonna have a fight regardless, so I don’t care about mind games. I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior. If he wants it – any time, anywhere – I’m down. I don’t give a f*** about this, that and the other. He can’t get in my head. Even if he gets in my head, he’s only gonna find a lot of disturbance in there.’
A 36-year-old married Nigerian man, Enuka Arinsi Efena, has been arrested in India for duping a woman to the tune of N5.4m on false promise of marriage.
The suspected online fraudster was arrested from Greater Noida by officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and brought to Alappuzha in Kerala following an adventurous chase on Monday.
According to the police, the accused became familiar with the complainant, who had worked abroad, through a dating app ‘QuackQuack’.
He misled her by claiming that he is a pilot and would like to marry an Indian woman. Later, he established a strong friendship with her and gained her trust.
Recently, Enuka informed her that he had arrived in India and brought lots of gifts for her. Meanwhile, he took nearly Rs 10 lakhs from her saying he needed Indian currency for several purposes.
Later, he claimed that his gifts were held up at the airport and requested money to get them back.
However, when the woman reached her bank to withdraw Rs 11 lakhs from her account, the officials felt suspicious and enquired the reason for which she was withdrawing the money.
The bank officials, who called the airport, came to know that the woman was being cheated and informed the police.
The cyber team of Alappuzha continued chatting with the accused in the guise of the woman and found that he was in Noida.
The police formed an SIT and extended the probe to Nodia. But Enuka managed to escape from the spot.
But the police caught hold of his accomplice. With no knowledge about his accomplice being caught by the police, the Nigerian called him over the phone and asked him to come to a nearby ATM counter.
This helped the police track Enuka. But seeing the police presence near the ATM, he ran off through a six-lane road. The police chased him for almost one kilometer.
But finally, his feet slid out of shoes and he had to run without them on the road which was sweltering in summer heat. Soon, the police overpowered him.
Police said Enuka was staying in the flat in Noida along with his Ghanaian wife and two children.
Investigation revealed he has been conning Indians for a while and how he snared the Keralite.
Alappuzha District Police Superintendent G Jayadev said that his modus operandi was to receive ill-gotten money through bank accounts in India and then immediately transfer it to Nigerian accounts.
He was produced before the Alappuzha Chief Judicial Magistrate on Monday, April 18.
A two-time convict who fatally shot Jacqueline Avant, the wife of celebrated music executive Clarence Avant, during a burglary at the couple’s Trousdale Estates home in Beverly Hills, has been to 150 years to life in prison.
Aariel Maynor, 30, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in March to killing the 81-year-old Avant, by shooting her in the back around 2:25 a.m. Dec. 1 inside her home in the 1100 block of Maytor Place. He also admitted shooting at a security guard — who was not wounded — while trying to flee the scene.
He pleaded guilty to one count each of murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of residential burglary with a person present. He also admitted allegations of using an assault long barrel pistol during the crimes, along with admitting prior robbery convictions from 2013 and 2018.
Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila said Avant was shot in the back after she was ambushed in the dark of her home. He said Maynor “researched” Clarence Avant’s name online before the 2:30 a.m. home invasion and hoped to obtain valuable items in the premeditated burglary.
“He shot a completely vulnerable victim, 81 years old, no match for him, and she was caught by surprise,” Judge Kathryn Solorzano said. “And then he left (her) there and compounded the issue by firing multiple rounds at the unarmed security guard.”
The judge found that Maynor “planned” the burglary, citing evidence on his cell phone. She also listened to snippets of recorded jail calls played during the hearing and said Maynor was “essentially giggling about the commission of the offense” and was “bragging” that he planned to obtain an illicit cell phone when he got to state prison.
According to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors, Maytor admitted to Beverly Hills police that he shot the woman during the burglary. A few weeks later, while he was in jail, he was heard talking to a female friend on the phone, laughing about the shooting and saying, “I’m all over the news,” according to the memo.
In another call, he bragged to a friend that he would not be facing the death penalty or life without parole — the result of Los Angeles County prosecutors no longer filing special-circumstance allegations.
“I’m gonna get out of jail,” Maynor said on the call, according to the memo. “I’ll probably do like 20 … 25, get out, you feel me?”
Solorzano noted earlier that a report indicated the 2013 robbery for which Maynor had been convicted involved a woman who was kicked in the face and knocked unconscious. She also noted that Maynor had been released on parole for the 2018 robbery in September 2021, just a few months before Avant’s killing.
Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila told the judge Avant was shot after confronting Maynor, who also fired “multiple shots” at the couple’s security guard, striking a vehicle. He subsequently broke into a home in the Hollywood Hills area and accidentally shot himself in a foot, the prosecutor said.
Los Angeles police responding to that burglary call found Maynor at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound to a foot, according to Beverly Hills Police Department Chief Mark Stainbrook.
Stainbrook said Los Angeles police contacted Beverly Hills police, and detectives “collected evidence connecting Maynor” to the Avant shooting.
Among the evidence collected was “a suspected weapon” from the crime, described by police as an AR-15 rifle. Stainbrook said Maynor was on parole and has an “extensive” criminal record, which bars him from possessing a weapon.
Jacqueline Avant was a prominent philanthropist dedicated to helping people in low-income neighborhoods in and around Watts and South Los Angeles. She was also a board member for UCLA’s International Student Center.
Her daughter, Nicole Avant, is a film producer and former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas who is married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. In a statement, the Avant and Sarandos families said they were grateful for the “outpouring of love, support and condolences” in the wake of the senseless tragedy.
Manchester United will give Cristiano Ronaldo compassionate leave for as long as he needs following the tragic death of his baby boy, according to Mail Online.
The Portuguese star and his partner Georgina Rodriguez announced the sad news on Monday night April 18, adding that only the birth of a healthy twin baby girl gave them ‘the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness’.
The former Juventus striker missed Tuesday night’s game against Liverpool at Anfield after United gave him compassionate leave to be with his family.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick said: ‘Yes, of course, this is the worst that can happen. I am a father of two sons myself so I am fully aware of what that means.
‘We are all behind him, we are all with him, and wish that he and his family are strong together.’
Earlier a statement from the club read: ‘Everybody at Manchester United and indeed the football world is sending love to Cristiano Ronaldo and his family, after the club legend made a heart-breaking announcement on Monday evening.
‘Family is more important than everything and Ronaldo is supporting his loved ones at this immensely difficult time.
‘As such, we can confirm that he will not feature in the match against Liverpool at Anfield and we underline the family’s request for privacy. Cristiano, we are all thinking of you and sending strength to the family.’
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has released the names of the militants allegedly responsible for the killings in the South-East.
The secessionist group alleged that some fake self-acclaimed ESN operatives are behind the killings in Orlu, Imo State.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 19, the IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, gave the names of the alleged militants as: Chibuike Igwe, Paul Udenwa From Amaifeke Orlu, Okwudili Dim (aka) One Nigeria, the man called Sky from Umutanze Orlu and the man called 2men from Umuna in Orlu.
Powerful urged members of the public who have information on the whereabouts of the listed persons to report to IPOB and ESN members for prompt action.
Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, who were captured by Russian forces while fighting in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, appeared on Russian television and asked Boris Johnson to help get them home.
The two asked for their freedom in exchange for Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian opposition leader who’s been arrested last week for breaking house arrest.
Last Wednesday in Stockholm, the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland, countries where neutrality and military non-alliance are deeply woven into their cultures, shocked the world by issuing a joint statement that, thanks to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they were considering applying for membership in NATO.
“There is a before and after Feb. 24,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told reporters in reference to Russia’s latest military incursion in Ukraine. “The security landscape has completely changed.”
“We have to be prepared for all kinds of actions from Russia,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said, adding that Finland would decide about applying to NATO in a matter of weeks.
While both countries had already closed off their skies to Russian air traffic, the announcement about NATO membership further risked the wrath of the Kremlin, which has repeatedly threatened both against joining the 30-member military alliance.
Over the last week in Sweden, radios, portable generators and camping stoves are flying off shelves as its 10.4 million citizens begin stocking up on canned food, water, flashlights and matches in preparation for anticipated acts of Russian sabotage.
In Finland, where the government has stockpiled enough grains and fuels in strategic reserves to last at least five months, they’re expecting more cyberattacks like those that hit the ministries of defense and foreign relations on April 8, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Finnish Parliament via video.
Like the Swedes, the 5.5 million residents of Finland believe that Russia will soon target its infrastructure, including the internet and electrical grid, and Russian violations of the airspace in both countries are already on the rise.
On Monday a few thousand people gathered in Senaatintori Square in Helsinki, Finland, to show their support for Ukraine. (Alessandro Rampazzo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
In response to their public declarations of interest in NATO membership, Moscow has renewed its threats to retaliate and bolster nearby ground and air forces, deploying “significant naval forces in the Gulf of Finland,” according to Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
“There can be no more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic [Sea],” Medvedev added, a threat dismissed by analysts in the region as saber rattling, since tiny Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic, is widely believed to already hold nuclear weapons.
“If you’re talking about large nuclear weapons, it doesn’t really matter if the bases literally are in the Baltic Sea or the Gulf of Finland, if it is in Kaliningrad or if they’re 500 miles away,” Charly Salonius-Pasternak, security and defense analyst at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki, told Yahoo News.
The addition of Finland and Sweden to the Western military alliance would not only expand NATO territory by 300,000 square miles toward the northeast — in blatant defiance of Putin’s demands last December to shrink NATO’s footprint — but it would also roughly double NATO’s borders with Russia to nearly 1,600 miles.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who called Sweden and Finland “our closest partners,” said in early April that he expected all NATO “allies will welcome them.”
He added, “We know that they can easily join this alliance if they decide to apply.”
“These are two really capable military powers, who are far more capable than the size of the countries would suggest,” Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told Yahoo News with regard to Sweden and Finland.
And they would also boost military capabilities in the Baltic Sea, home to three small NATO countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — whose defense has always posed a problem for the alliance, Daalder said.
The likely accession of Finland and Sweden is “a really big deal” for NATO as well as Finland and Sweden themselves, Daalder added.
“Sweden has been neutral or [militarily nonaligned] since 1814,” he noted.
And Finland, which became independent from Russia over a century ago, “has never wanted to be part of any alliance since it became independent in 1917… But for the invasion of Ukraine, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Indeed, even three months ago the prospect of Sweden and Finland joining NATO didn’t appear in the cards.
Finnish Prime Minister Marin said in January that her country was “very unlikely” to join NATO under her watch, a sentiment that was echoed by Sweden’s defense minister.
Two weeks ago, however, Marin did an about-face, proclaiming that “Russia is not the neighbor we thought it was.”
The fact that “Russia seems willing to invade, on completely false pretenses, its neighbors that don’t belong to NATO” sparked a realization among Finns, who have long tried to placate the Kremlin, Salonius-Pasternak said.
Specifically, when the citizens of Finland, which fought the Soviet Union after it invaded in 1939, watched Russia’s savage attacks unfold in Ukraine, something fundamental changed in their logic.
After Russia’s atrocities in Bucha became clear earlier this month, Finnish public support for joining NATO soared to 68%.
Local thinking, Salonius-Pasternak said, switched from “If we join NATO, Russia may get annoyed and do something bad to us” to “They may do something bad anyway, so why not seek a form of deterrence that is completely unavailable to them?”
“What happened,” Salonius-Pasternak added, “was the Finnish population drew some conclusions which forced the hand of the Finnish political elite, and thereby also the Swedish.”
Gunilla Herolf, senior associate research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, agreed that Finland is blazing the trail toward NATO membership.
“Finland has been taking the lead,” she told Yahoo News.
“After public support for NATO went up so much in Finland, people in Sweden started to realize that it’s very likely that Finland will join, and that made public opinion go up in Sweden as well.”
The two countries have a very close relationship, she added, which only intensified in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine the first time, annexing Crimea.
Herolf expects that the extensive cooperation of Sweden and Finland with NATO, with which they often perform joint military exercises and whose forces they fought alongside in the Balkans and Afghanistan, will help speed up the process of applying for membership.
But there’s a risk: While Finland and Sweden are expected to apply in the coming weeks, their acceptance into the military alliance depends on unanimous agreement from all 30 of NATO’s current members, a process that could take months.
“That invitation needs to be ratified by all 30 current members, and that means that the U.S. Senate will have to ratify it, and 29 parliaments will have to ratify it,” said Daalder.
While he doesn’t foresee any problems, he added, “you never know — maybe a parliament gets dissolved and therefore there’s no parliament to ratify it.”
Until their membership is ratified, Finland and Sweden will remain vulnerable.
If Russia attacked either before they were admitted to the alliance, neither could invoke Article 5, the NATO clause that states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Another potential snag is the upcoming presidential election in France. Right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen, currently trailing incumbent President Emmanuel Macron by at least 7 points, has vowed to cut France’s military involvement with NATO.
“While the ratification process among the 30 NATO members could happen quickly,” said Daalder, “the problem is it needs to go quickly in 30 countries.
The real question is, what do you do in the meantime?”
Once Finland and Sweden are officially invited to apply to NATO, Daalder said, even before their membership is approved by member countries, “the president of the United States should make clear that until such time as these countries are formally part of NATO, that we, the United States, hopefully with partner countries, are committed to defending their security.”
In the meantime, both Finland and Sweden are boosting their armed forces and ramping up annual spending on civil defense and arms.
The Finnish government in February ordered 64 F-35s from Lockheed Martin, with a price tag of over $9 billion.
Sweden, where the 2021 defense budget was around $7 billion, is expected to raise that amount to about $11 billion, roughly the 2% of GDP required of NATO members. [Yahoo]
The US has announced it is looking at plans to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
A Monday night, April 18, report by CNN quotes a senior administration official saying US State Department officials are looking at every tool available to them to hold Russia accountable for the war in Ukraine, including the possibility of labeling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
The officials added that the process could take weeks before a determination is made.
The definition of a state sponsor of terrorism is a country that has “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism,” according to the State Department. There are only four countries that are currently labeled state sponsors of terrorism by the US: North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Syria.
“We’re taking a close look at the facts. We’re taking a close look at the law,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price on CNN Monday when asked about the possibility of designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
“Whether it is this authority, whether it’s any other authority available to us under the law, we will apply it if it’s effective and appropriate.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Monday he has asked US President Biden in one of their recent phone conversations to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
The US adding Russia to the list would be a symbolic move that would also inflict an even greater cost on Russia’s economy.
Labelling Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ would lead to actions such as prohibiting Russia from buying certain items that can be used for commercial or militarily purposes, and sanctions on other people, organizations and countries still engaged in trade with Russia.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin could consider striking a NATO base in order to stop the transfer of arms to Ukraine, a former British security chief has warned.
Lord Ricketts, the UK Government’s first national security adviser, said that Putin is becoming ‘increasingly desperate to choke off the flow of arms’ to Ukraine.
Lord Ricketts even suggested that Putin could attack aircraft or convoys headed to the country from NATO.
He fears the war is moving towards ‘an angry stalemate, where Russia will hold on to quite a large part of the country’ and Ukraine will not agree a settlement deal.
He also warned that the conflict could continue for ‘years and years to come’ as a guerrilla war like an ‘open wound in the middle of Europe’.
‘I suppose what President Putin wants us all to fear is that he might want to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, which would be a momentous escalation and ensure Russia was isolated around the world,’ he said to the BBC on Sunday, April 17.
‘More likely, I think what they’re looking at is some way of preventing or limiting this flow of arms into Ukraine, keeping the Ukrainian Armed Forces going.
‘So we may see attacks on convoys or aircraft bringing the arms in from the west.
‘I think what they’re looking at is some way of preventing or limiting this flow of arms into Ukraine, keeping the Ukrainian Armed Forces going,’ he warned.
Lord Ricketts warning comes asUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky said that it is important for Russia not to win any territory in the Donbas region.
‘This is why it is very important for us to not allow them, to stand our ground, because this battle… it can influence the course of the whole war,’ he told CNN.
‘I don’t trust the Russian military and Russian leadership.
‘That is why we understand that the fact that we fought them off and they left, and they were running away from Kyiv — from the north, from Chernihiv and from that direction … it doesn’t mean if they are able to capture Donbas, they won’t come further towards Kyiv.’
The Ukrainian president has also urged the West to prepare for a nuclear attack from Mr Putin. He said that the Russian leader may consider tactical attacks if his war stalls any further.
‘We shouldn’t wait for the moment when Russia decides to use nuclear weapons… We must prepare for that,’ he said.
‘Chemical weapons, they should do it, they could do it, for them the life of the people, nothing. That’s why.
‘We should think not be afraid, not be afraid, but be ready. But that is not a question for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine but for all the world.’
Footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez have announced the death of their newborn baby boy.
The pair took to social media on Monday night, April 18, to reveal one of his twins had died .
Recall in October 2021, the couple announced on social media that they were expecting twins – a boy and a girl. Sadly they lost one of the twins, the boy, while the girl is alive.
Taking to social media to announce the passing, Ronaldo wrote;
“It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel.
“Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness. We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support.
“We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.”
Before the birth of the new Twin, Cristiano, had four children- his first son Cristiano Jr, a set of twins and a daughter, Alana Martina, with partner Georgina.
Chelsea defender, Antonio Rudiger has reportedly rejected an offer by rival club, Manchester United.
According to reports, Rudiger, 29, is one of United’s defensive targets when the transfer window opens in June, as his contract at Stamford Bridge runs out at the end of the season.
The two parties are believed to have held discussions about a possible deal for Rudiger to join Old Trafford as Manchester United’s Harry Maguire has struggled this season.
In February, Rudiger spoke of his happiness at Chelsea but indicated his wage demands must be met if he is to remain at the Blues..
Rudiger told The Athletic: “I feel great here, I have always said it. I think the way I play you can see that I’m happy here. But there are also other people who have to make decisions.’
Concerning amy move, Manchester Evening News reported that Rudiger is likely to reject United’s advances as he wishes to sign for a club who will play Champions League football next season.
The news is a big blow to United who are in desperate need of a top central defender having conceded 44 goals in the Premier League already this season.
Last year, United signed Raphael Varane from Real Madrid but the Frenchman has struggled to stay in the team since arriving in Manchester with injuries . He’s been limited to 15 appearances this season . While Lindelof and Bailly have atimes failed to flatter this season.
The mother of a 10-year-old Chrisland school VGC pupil who was filmed having sex with her classmates in Dubai and the video released online has come out to speak and seek justice.
In a video shared online by Ubi Franklin, the distraught mother said about a month ago, she received a call from one Mrs. Azike, the headteacher at Chrisland school VGC, who told her she needed to see her. She said she was already on her way out of Lagos when she received the call and that two days later, she visited her daughter’s school where she met with Mrs. Azike and two other officials. She said Mrs. Azike told her that her daughter who was left in their care was caught kissing another boy and that it was discovered that they got the kissing game from ”Truth and Dare”.
The distraught mum said Mrs. Azike told her that what they wanted her to do was to retrieve the phone she gave to her daughter from her so that she wouldn’t keep practicing kissing. She said one of the school officials, Mrs. Kemi, who was also in the meeting, appealed to her not to tell her husband about the kissing incident as it is not everything women should tell their husbands.
”I said no problem. As long as this is just kissing, I will caution my daughter. So I left them. I didn’t hear anything from them again. The girl was going to school. I thought everything was fine. Not until after two to three weeks that we had the conversation, Mrs Azike, the head teacher sent me a link that she wanted us to have a zoom meeting by 5pm. I said I was going to join them.” she said
She said she had a meeting with some persons including the board of directors of the school where one of them started talking to her about forgiveness.
”We had the meeting. There were many people, boards of directors. I was even the one asking them what is your name? Can you introduce yourself? One particularly said that his name is Akin. The Akin was the person leading the meeting. He began by saying if there is no sin there cannot be forgiveness. He was speaking in parables.
At a time I had to scream ‘what are you people talking? what are you people discussing?’ He now said they just wanted to do a follow up to ensure that I have withdrawn Juliann’s phone and to check on how Juliann is doing. I said Juliann is fine but he now made a comment. He said ”when it happened”. I said ‘Sir what happened? He said Juliann did not tell you? I said no Juliann did not tell me anything.
I was screaming at them ”Tell me what? Juliann did anything happen? Juliann said no”. I said Okay as it is now I don’t even know what you people are talking about but if it extends more than this that my husband would definitely know about it. The way you people are calling me I am not comfortable with it. At the end, we finished the meeting and we left. They didn’t tell me anything. I went on my own” she said
Juliann’s mum said she received a call from another parent of a pupil in the school who informed her of what had happened to her daughter.
”The day after, a parent called me after we had that zoom meeting..the next day that she needed to see, that it is very very urgent. So I had to go her house. When I got to her house, she said something has been trending in Chrisland which I am not even aware, that she has told them that she doesn’t think that I am aware of this incident.
The woman now called me and said look at this video. See what is trending in Chrisland. All the parents are aware.
So immediately I informed my husband. We began to call Mrs Azike. She refused to pick her call. I called her more than 20 times she didn’t respond to the call but later I think she spoke with my husband and told him that she doesn’t know anything if such a thing existed. That was how I began to beat my daughter that why would this happen? What is going on?
As we were beating her, the girl now said Mummy please can I talk to you? She said Chrisland, Mrs Azike threatened her not to speak out. She narrated how it happened. How they abandoned them in a hotel, how the school left them and how she got into this thing that is happening now.”
The distraught mum said the school authorities had all the while been sending delegates from their headquarters to have meetings with her 10-year-old daughter without her daughter.
”They have been coming to have meetings, sending delegates from their headquarters to have meetings with my daughter without my consent. I was not aware. We were not informed. Please I am begging Nigerians to help me. Help me because Chrisland was trying to hide this issue. They were trying to push us out of the way and my daughter was going psychologically in sin. I am begging fellow Nigerians to help me.”she said
Speaking further, she said
”As a mother and the part that Chrisland played to cover up this rape issue…On the day of mother’s day, I was in the school. We were all there, not knowing that they had other delegates that came to interrogate my daughter. As soon as we finsihed that mothers day, I left and they took my daughter elsewehere to go and interrogate her without my consent.
Secondly they have been threatening my daughter that if she speaks out they are going to kill her, that it is a man’s world. That she should keep quiet and shouldn’t disclose it to me and my daughter was dying in silence I didn’t know. Everyday when she is going to school I will be forcing her, I will be telling her come out, come outside. This child will not want to go to school.
Even her class teacher, Mr Timothy was calling her ”stupid girl, useless girl” in the midst of other children.
Please help me. They took this girl to go and do pregnancy test without me or the father knowing and lied to us that they were taking her for COVID test. They took her almost three times for COVID test. Please is it possible? Do they use blood sample for COVID test? Do they use urine for COVID test? I did not know not until when this thing came up.
To crown it all, because we have started confronting them and started telling them we are aware of what happened, they now sent her a suspension letter”
She said when she asked her daughter how she was allegedly raped, she said
”My daughter said that they went out in the morning to have breakfast and one of the boys, Kachi, begged her that she should borrow him her phone charger. So she gave Kachi the charger. Then later in the evening after they had dinner, the Kachi now called her room that she should come and pick up her charger.
So she went to the place to get the charger. When she got there they opened the door and one of them asked her to take her charger from the toilet. It was when she entered the toilet they now hijacked her and told her to drink a substance. So they were all under the influence of drugs and after that she did not know what she was doing again. That was what she narrated to me and they told her to be climbing them and somebody stood and was videoing them and was posting it out”
Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade Nigerian Army (NA) have neutralized a member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network(ESN) at Ihioma Community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State.
Police said the troops on routine patrol encountered members of the group who fired sporadically at Banana Junction to enforce the illegal sit-at-home order on citizens going about their legitimate businesses. The police said the IPOB/ESN members on sighting the troops withdrew in a blue Toyota Highlander towards Ihioma Community for reinforcement.
In the firefight that ensued during the operation, one of IPOB/ESN member was taken out, while others fled in disarray. Troops are combing the general area in a follow up operations to track down the fleeing members of the group.
Confirming the incident, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, the director of Army Public Relations, said that having suffered a casualty and effectively denied freedom of action by the troops, the”irredentist group resorted to cheap propaganda to whip up public sentiments by circulating a doctored video on the social media alleging troops’ complicity in their mindless atrocities. Onyema said this propaganda should be disregarded in its entirety.”
A toddler has lost the ability to walk and speak after she was diagnosed with a rare form of a dementia when she was born.
Florence Swaffield was able to walk when born.
She even ran down the aisle with the rings as the flower girl at her parent’s wedding in September 2021.
But just months later her condition became worse to the extent she fell over 100 times a day and she has lost some of her communication skills.
Her parents say she is now only able to say ‘uh oh.’
She has been diagnosed with CLN2 Batten’s disease, which currently has no cure. Those who have it have a life expectancy of between six and 12 years, meaning without medical developments Florence is unlikely to grow.
The doctors say as the disease develops, it will see her revert to a baby-like state as she loses the ability to communicate, walk and eat or drink independently.
Clinging on to a faint hope, Florence’s mum says her little girl is a cheeky, funny character who is ‘full of life’ and has ‘the most infectious belly laugh’, and she says she’s determined to do ‘whatever it takes’ to give her ‘the best life possible’.
Pheobe, a government worker for the Department for Transport from Coventry, West Midlands, said: ‘The video of Florence running down the aisle and giving he rings to Joe is just priceless to us.
‘In a way, we are thankful that we were oblivious to Florence’s condition as we were able to make such special memories together that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.’
Series of tests carried out on her revealed that she had CLN2 Batten disease, and had passed it to Florence unknowingly.
Her disease is so rare that it only affects up to 50 people in the UK.
But Florence also has another rare genetic complication, as tests showed she also has Ververi-Brady Syndrome, a condition characterised by mild developmental and speech delay. This was confirmed as a spontaneous mutation.
Her parents say she is the only person in the world with these two mutations occurring simultaneously.
Phoebe said: ‘We were trying to make the doctors understand that Florence was not like other children her age, but I just felt really unheard and out of control.’
‘I just didn’t know life could be so cruel, and I didn’t think it could happen to our family,’ her mum, Phoebe said.
As part of her treatment, Florence receives an enzyme infusion every two weeks at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, which she will have to undergo for the rest of her life.
There is a faint hope that gene therapy will become available and help her treatment , but the treatment is only in the research phases in the US as clinical trials are yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ukranian soldiers of the besieged city of Mariupol will fight to the end against Russian forces, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has revealed.
Russia’s military says it controls almost all of Mariupol, while Ukraine’s Azov Battalion is still holding out in Azovstal, a huge steelworks overlooking the Azov Sea.
The port city has not fallen despite an ultimatum from Russia’s military to the remaining Ukranian fighters to give up, he said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has now revealed that the Ukranian defenders will fight till the end even though Russia has chosen to destroy the city and it’s inhabitants completely.
Capturing the whole of the city is seen as a major strategic prize for Russia, leaving it in control of a vast swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine and the Russian forces have announced they will stop anyone from entering or leaving the city from Monday, April 18.
In an interview with the ABC, Shmyhal said a Russian deadline for Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to surrender by Sunday had been ignored.
“The city still has not fallen,” he said. “There is still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight until the end. And as for now, they still are in Mariupol.”
As Mariupol defenders continue to hold out, President Volodymyr Zelensky brushed aside the idea of letting Moscow take over parts of eastern Ukraine to stop the conflict.
“Ukraine and its people are clear. We have no claim to anyone else’s territories but we are not going to give up ours,” he said.
Clergyman Apostle Johnson Suleman has spoken about the ‘disunity’ amongst the Igbos.
According to him, Igbos never support their own and would publicly disown one another. Making reference to the struggle of Biafra, Suleman said if the nation is created, it will still be an Igbo man that will destroy it as they do not support themselves.
He also made reference to the emergence of an Igbo Senate President Evan Enwerem whom he said was removed by another Igbo man, Chuba Okadigbo who was also replaced by Anyim Pius Anyim.
Suleman opined that the problem of the Igbos are the Igbos.
”Somebody from the South, somebody from the East. You betray your people. Look at this agitation for Biafra. Who are the people attacking Biafra most, Igbos. Shameless Igbos.
Am I in support of Nigeria dividing, No!. Am I in support of Nigeria seperating, No. Do I believe we should be together? Yes. But even if you don’t agree with the man who is your brother, should you say it publicly if you are not a fool? Can’t you say it amongst your people?
If today they get that Biafra, it is an Igbo man that will scatter it. That is the truth.
During the time of the Senate. When an Igbo man became a senator, it was an Igbo man that removed him. You remember the Enwerem, Chuba Okadigbo, Pius Anyim…remember all of them? It was Igbo that was removing Igbos. That was the first and shortest Senate Presidency we have had in this country.
An Igbo man employs an Igbo boy to sell in his shop, he will wreck him. he will carry all the man’s money, he will buy land. He wouldn’t wait to be settled.
The problem of Igbo is Igbo. I repeat it, if you sell your brother, even the buyers will not trust you.”
Manchester City have reportedly agreed to terms with Erling Haaland to make him English Premier League’s highest-paid player.
Haaland is currently one of the most sought-after players in the world. Since joining Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg, he has scored 82 goals in 85 appearances in all competitions.
It appears that City have now moved into pole position in the race to make Haaland their star striker, with Daily Mail reporting that the Premier League table-toppers have made a ‘significant step’ in their pursuit.
Negotiations with Haaland have reached such an advanced stage that they are now expected to trigger the release clause that will become active in his contract this summer. An agreement has been reached on personal terms with the Norwegian, who will be given a sizeable incentive to move to Manchester.
It is claimed that City will make him the English top-flight’s highest-paid player to tempt him into joining. They are ready to pay the 21-year-old a weekly wage of £500,000, taking him above Cristiano Ronaldo.
Haaland is ‘likely’ to sign a five-year deal with Pep Guardiola’s side within the next week.
World’s richest man Elon Musk has revealed that he is homeless and stays with friends,
The Tesla and SpaceX mogul revealed that he hardly spends any of his money on material things and only bought a plane so he can spend more time working.
Musk told TED in an interview, which aired on Monday, April 18, that he does not own a single house even in his base of Texas or near Tesla’s San Francisco headquarters.
Instead, the businessman, who is estimated to be worth over £200billion, chooses to make use of his many friends’ guestrooms.
The 50-year-old said: “I don’t even own a place right now, I’m literally staying at friends’ places. If I travel to the Bay Area, which is where most of Tesla’s engineering is, I basically rotate through friends’ spare bedrooms.”
Musk has also rejected the billionaire lifestyle of a yacht and non-stop holidays.
He said: “I don’t have yacht, I don’t take vacations, so its not that my personal consumption is high. One exception is a plane but if I don’t use the plane I have less hours to work.”
A man from Kentucky, USA who was fired for having a panic attack that his bosses saw as ‘violent’ after he was thrown a birthday party at work against his wishes has been awarded $450,000 by a jury.
Kevin Berling asked an office manager at the Gravity Diagnostics lab in Covington, Kentucky not to throw him a party because of his anxiety disorder in August 2019.
When he found out that a party was planned for lunchtime, he spent the break in his car working on breathing techniques to quell his stress.
According to NewYorkTimes, the next day, he had another panic attack in a meeting with two supervisors who talked to him about his ‘somber behavior.’
The company says he had clenched his fists, turned red and ordered his superiors to be quiet during the meeting, leaving them ‘shaken.’ Berling’s lawyer says the closed fists were part of a coping maneuver to deal with the tense situation.
‘They were absolutely in fear of physical harm during that moment,’ Brazil, the company’s co-founder, told the Times. ‘They both are still shaken about it today.’
He was sent home after the meeting. A couple hours later, he texted one of his superiors to apologize, according to a complaint filed in Kenton County Circuit Court.
He was fired via email three days later. He then filed a disability discrimination suit a month later, in September 2019.
On March 31, a jury awarded Berling $150,000 in lost wages and benefits and $300,000 for suffering, embarrassment and loss of self-esteem after finding that he had been discriminated against for his disability.Gravity founder Julie Brazil, who does not appear to have been involved in the party planning, says she stands by her decision to terminate him ‘for his violation of our workplace violence policy.’
Gravity founder Julie Brazil (pictured below) who does not appear to have been involved in the party planning, says she stands by her employees’ decision to terminate him ‘for his violation of our workplace violence policy.’
A lawyer for the company says the company will challenge the verdict and may file an appeal.
‘My employees were the victims in this case, not the plaintiff,’ she said.
Gravity Diagnostics is licensed in ‘all 50 states’ in the US and serves ‘over 1,000 customers from small private practices to universities, to Fortune 500 companies,’ according to its website.
Berling had been working at the Covington lab for 10 months .
His lawyer Tony Bucher says he had received ‘outstanding’ monthly reviews. The company itself in a statement said Berling was never given a bad review.
His lawyer points to the amount of money Berling could have earned at his job had he not been fired, given that the COVID-19 pandemic sent the lab’s value soaring.
‘Based on his employment records, where would he be?’ Bucher told LINK nky. ‘There are people whose income has gone up at least 50 percent during that time. He lost a nice opportunity with that company.’
The lawyer says the person responsible for scheduling the celebrations simply forgot to honor his client’s request.
‘She didn’t do it to be mean. She said she would accommodate it and she just forgot,’ he said.
‘Basically what the argument was is he was fired for having a panic attack,’ Bucher said. ‘They made assumptions that he was dangerous based off of his disability and not off of any evidence that he was violent.’
Brazil says her employees made the right choice to protect their co-workers.
‘My employees deescalated the situation to get the plaintiff out of the building as quickly as possible while removing his access to the building, alerting me and sending out security reminders to ensure he could not access the building, which is exactly what they were supposed to do,’ she told LINK nky.
‘As an employer who puts our employee safety first, we have a zero-tolerance policy and we stand by our decision to terminate the plaintiff for his violation of our workplace violence policy,’ Brazil said.
‘My employees were the victims in this case, not the plaintiff.’
Elon Musk has mocked fellow billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, claiming he exercises too much control over his social media businnesses, while calling him ‘Zuckerberg the 14th’ in a mocking reference to the Sun King.
Musk, 50, who on Thursday tabled a $43 billion bid of Twitter to take the company private, was in Vancouver for a TED conference, and was asked about his plans to buy Twitter, which he confirmed earlier that morning.
He insisted that it was ‘not a way to make money’, but rather a bid to defend democracy and protect freedom of speech.
Asked what he would say to critics pointing out that the world’s richest man controlling such an influential platform could be dangerous, Musk replied that he wanted to make the platform more open, not more restricted.
‘As for media sort of ownership, I mean, you’ve got Mark Zuckerberg owning Facebook and Instagram and WhatsApp, and with a share ownership structure that will have Mark Zuckerberg the 14th still controlling those entities,’ Musk said, in a reference to Louis 14th, the all-powerful ‘Sun King’.
‘Like, literally,’ Musk added.’We won’t have that at Twitter.’
Musk said that he wanted to keep the maximum number of shareholders within Twitter, rather than dominating it himself. He currently owns 9.1 percent of Twitter. Zuckerberg owns 12.8 percent of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Musk also said that he wanted to help freedom of speech rather than do media censorship like Zuckerberg.
‘If in doubt, let the speech exist,’ said Musk.
‘If it’s a, you know, a gray area, I would say let the tweet exist.’
He added: ‘I’m not saying that I have all the answers here, but I do think that we want to be just very reluctant to delete things. And just be very cautious with permanent bans. Timeouts, I think, are better than permanent bans.’
He also said that he has a ‘Plan B’ if his initial $41 billion offer fails
‘My strong intuitive sense is having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is important to the future of civilization,’ he said
It’s not the first time Musk and Zuckerberg have knocked each other .
Musk in the past tweeted that people should ‘#DeleteFacebook’, accused Facebook of ‘spying’ on users, and blamed the company for stirring up the January 6 insurrection.
Musk on Thursday admitted that he didn’t know if his bid for Twitter would go through.
‘I’m not sure I will actually be able to acquire it,’ he told the Vancouver audience.
‘I could technically afford it, but this is not a way to make money.’
Football star, Cristiano Ronaldo will receive a mega bonus of £850,000 following his hat-trick in Manchester United’s 3-2 win against Norwich on Saturday, April 16, according to a. New report.
According to The Sun UK, Ronaldo triggered a bonus-related clause in his contract after reaching 21 goals for the season on Saturday.
Ronaldo’s contract includes a £750,000 bonus for reaching 20 goals this season plus a further £100,000 for his hat-trick strike.
The report adds that Ronaldo will now receive £100,000 for any other goal he scores in the remainder of this season.
Also the club will pay their top scorer this season £1million and Ronaldo seems almost certain to win the cash prize as he is 12 goals ahead of his closest challenger Bruno Fernandes.
Furthermore, Ronaldo would reportedly receive around £2.75million in total payments if he manages to reach 30 goals this season.
In the seventh minute against Norwich, Ronaldo opened the scoring with a tap-in, and he proceeded to make it 2-0 with a header. Norwich managed to pull level to 2-2 but Ronaldo secured all three points for United with a free-kick.
The Kremlin has resorted to recruiting children to boost its troop numbers in eastern Ukraine, according to human rights officials.
In a bid to replace the estimated 30,000 soldiers either killed, wounded or captured so far in the war, Moscow is said to be recruiting from youth clubs and conscripting 16-year-olds.
So-called ‘patriotic clubs’ sprang up in Russian-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine following its invasion in 2014 as part of a campaign to promote the country’s culture in Luhansk and Donetsk.
The reports come as Ukraine has been forced to give volunteer civilians weapons training so that they can defend their cities. The training includes close defence tactics, use of weaponry, military tactics, and first aid. Yesterday, Ukrainian officials called on the United Nations to investigate Russia’s alleged use of ‘child soldiers’
According to human rights organisations, the children are undergoing military training and could be sent to the frontline perhaps against their will.
Reports have also suggested the badges and insignia of Russian military cadets, who are also not supposed to be deployed to war zones, have been found on battlefields in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian parliament commissioner on human rights Lyudmyla Denisova said: ‘The occupation authorities [of Luhansk and Donetsk] are conducting the mobilisation of children who participated in the so-called patriotic clubs, to the levels of illegal weapons formations.
‘They have been doing military training and there have been deaths among these teenagers [in Ukraine].
‘Now they are promoting the entry into the army of civilians, including children in the temporarily occupied territories.
‘In doing so, the Russian Federation has violated the laws and customs of war provided by the 1949 Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians… and the rights of children.
‘The recruitment of children is a violation of international law.’
The FBI has blamed hackers associated with the North Korean government for stealing more than $600 million in cryptocurrency last month from a video gaming company.
The hack is the latest in a string of audacious cyber heists tied to the North Korean government who have for years avoided sanctions placed by the UN over it’s nuclear weapons testsing .
“Through our investigation we were able to confirm Lazarus Group and APT38, cyber actors associated with the DPRK, are responsible for the theft of $620 million in Ethereum reported on March 29th,” the FBI said in a statement. “DPRK” is an abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Ethereum is a technology platform associated with a type of cryptocurrency.
The FBI in its statement was referring to the recent hack of a computer network used by Axie Infinity, a video game that allows players to earn cryptocurrency. Sky Mavis, the company that created Axie Infinity, announced on March 29 that unidentified hackers had stolen the equivalent of roughly $600 million — valued at the time of the hack’s discovery — on March 23 from a “bridge,” or network that allows users to send cryptocurrency from one blockchain to another.
In response, the US Treasury Department on Thursday, April 14 placed sanctions on Lazarus Group, a hackers believed to work on behalf of the North Korean government.
US Treasury stated it had sanctioned the specific “wallet,” or cryptocurrency address, that was used to cash out on the Axie Infinity hack.
North Korea last month fired what is believed to be its first intercontinental ballistic missile in more than four years.
Most Rev Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese says, every aspect of life in the country has been killed while corruption is enthroned under President Muhammadu Buhari.
He made the declaration in his Easter message titled, ‘To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor’.
Kukah lambasted the president over his government’s “inability to combat insecurity and corruption”.
He said, “Our dear country, Nigeria, still totters and wobbles as we screech towards a dangerous and avoidable canyon of dry bones. The real challenge is how to find the slippery rungs on the ladder of ascent so we can climb out.
“One would be tempted to ask, what is there to say about our tragic situation today that has not been said? Who is there to speak that has not spoken? Like the friends of Job, we stare at an imponderable tragedy as the nation unravels from all sides. The government has slid into hibernation mode.
“It is hard to know whether the problem is that those in power do not hear, see, feel, know, or just don’t care. Either way, from this crossroad, we must make a choice, to go forward, turn left or right or return home. None of these choices is easy, yet, guided by the light of the risen Christ, we can reclaim our country from its impending slide to anarchy.
“The challenge of fixing this broken nation is enormous and, as I have said, requires joint efforts. With everything literally broken down, our country has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy. Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, Mosques, and infrastructure are broken. Our educational system is broken. Our children’s lives and future are broken. Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our Roads and Rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well.
“The greatest challenge for Nigeria is not even the 2023 elections. It is the prospect for the reconciliation of our people. Here, the Buhari administration sadly has divided our people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and region, in a way that we have never witnessed in our history. This carefully choreographed agenda has made Nigerians vulnerable and ignited the most divisive form of identity consciousness among our people. Years of friendships, cultural exchange, and collaboration built over time have now come under serious pressure from stereotyping.”
Gunmen have killed an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State.
The official identified as Nwokorie Anthony was shot dead during the Continuous Voter Registration Exercise (CVR) in Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of the state on Thursday.
Two other staff involved in the registration exercise at the polling unit are also missing.
According to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Emeka Ezeonu, Nwokorie was killed at Nkwo Ihitte (PU 004) in Amakohia Ward (RA 02) of Ihitte Uboma LGA, while whereabouts of two other staff involved in the registration exercise were unknown.
Following the tragic incident, the electoral commission suspended the exercise in the LGA.
A National Commissioner of INEC and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, announced the development in a statement on Thursday.
“Prior to this incident, the commission had suspended the CVR in Orsu and Njaba Local Government areas of the state on account of insecurity while the exercise is taking place only at the INEC LGA office in Oru East, Oru West, Orlu and Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Areas of the state,” Okoye said.
“The commission extends its condolences to the family of Nwokorie Anthony and prays that God will grant them the fortitude to bear the loss. The incident has been reported to security agencies to unravel the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident and bring the culprits to justice,”
He urged the President General of the various Town Unions in Imo State as well as all the critical stakeholders to protect staff of the commission engaged in national assignment.
“The safety and security of staff is of paramount importance to the commission, particularly with the devolution of the voter registration exercise beyond our state and local government area offices nation in our determination to serve Nigerians better.”
A man who used an 80cm earphone wire while masturbating ended up getting it stuck in his bladder.
The 34-year-old was admitted to the emergency department of Dr Soetmo General-Academic Hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia, after complaining of stomach pains when urinating.
He revealed to doctors that he had inserted an earphone wire into his urethra between 3-5 times a week while masturbating.
Doctors who checked out the bloke say they didn’t find any signs of psychotic symptoms, OCD, anxiety or depression.
The strange insertion was carried out “based on sexual pleasure and gratification,” and the wire that had lodged itself in his bladder was “visible and quickly identified” by the hospital team.
The wire had been coiled and fortunately not attached to the bladder wall, with an extraction carried out using grasping forceps, while the earphone wire was said to be 2-3mm in size and 80cm in length.
The man was discharged the next day with no reported bladder residue and was later diagnosed with polyembolokoilamania, the act of inserting foreign items into orifices such as the rectum or vagina.
According to a medical journal published on Science Direct, the man “showed no apparent psychotic behaviours and was mentally well”.
The journal states: “Self-inserted urinary bladder foreign bodies for sexual gratification generate a significant challenge for physicians due to its difficult diagnosis and management.
“Most patients were late to be admitted due to embarrassment leading to serious short-term and long-term complications. We report a 34-year-old male with an earphone wire as a urinary bladder foreign body.
“The findings in the patient were compared with the currently published reports through a comprehensive literature review to evaluate the current strategy for diagnosis and management for self-inserted genitourinary foreign bodies to achieve sexual pleasure.”
The U.S. government has announced that it has approved the sale of attack aircraft and other military equipment to Nigeria to use in fighting terrorists operating in the country.
According to a statement released Thursday, April 14, by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the equipments are to cost Nigeria about $997 million.
The approval comes after months of back and forth on the matter, with the US initially reported to have denied Nigeria’s request over human rights concerns.
The acquisition of the military equipment comes less than a year after the U.S. government supplied the country with 12 units of super tucano aircrafts.
According to the statement released on April 14, 2022, the equipment requested to be purchased by the Nigerian government include 12 AH-1Z Attack Helicopters; twenty-eight (28) T-700 GE 401C engines (24 installed, 4 spares); and two thousand (2,000) Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guidance sections.
Others are Night Vision Cueing Display (NVCD); commercial variant GPS with Standard Positioning Service (SPS), and communication equipment.
The equipment also include electronic warfare systems; AN/AVS-9 Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System; M197 20mm machine gun; Target Sight System (TSS); support equipment; spare engine containers; spare and repair parts; tools and test equipment; technical data and publication.
The statement said the sum to be paid by Nigeria also covers the training of personnel in handling the equipment.
The statement reads: “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The proposed sale will better equip Nigeria to contribute to shared security objectives, promote regional stability and build interoperability with the U.S. and other Western partners.
“This sale will be a major contribution to U.S. and Nigerian security goals. Nigeria will have no difficulty absorbing the equipment and services into its armed force.”
The U.S. also stated that the training of Nigerian officials for the maintenance of the equipment will be for a period of five years and will require approximately three contractor support representatives to reside in Nigeria for a period of two years.
Rumours online are suggesting that Rihana has allegedly broken up with rapper A$AP Rocky for cheating.
The pop singer, who is currently pregnant with her first child allegedly caught ASAP Rocky cheating with Fenty footwear designer Amina Muaddi, according to Kurro, a prominent Hollywood tabloid.
Kurro affirmed the following: “Rihanna and ASAP Rocky are rumoured to have broken up.”
“Apparently, Rihanna dumped him after discovering he was having an affair with Fenty footwear designer Amina Muaddi.”
Rihanna and ASAP Rocky made headlines together when they announced they were having a child together in February 2022.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Eberechukwu, the wife of former Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano.
According to Punch report, Mrs Obiano, who has been under investigation for alleged fraud, is currently in the custody of the commission in Abuja.
The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said he was not aware of the former First Lady’s arrest and promised to find out but he did not respond to further inquiries.
The latest development is coming about a month after her husband was arrested at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, as he was preparing to board a flght to Houston, the United States, hours after handing over to his successor, Soludo.
He was subsequently moved to Abuja the following day and quizzed over alleged misappropriation of public funds, including, N5 billion Sure-P and N37 billion security vote which was withdrawn in cash.
Two inmates at a women’s prison in New Jersey are pregnant after having sex behind bars with transgender inmates.
The state Department of Corrections told NJ.com that the unidentified jailbirds became pregnant at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility after engaging in “consensual sexual relationships with another incarcerated person”.
It is unclear if the women had sex with the same transgender inmate, or if it was two different inmates. It is also unclear how far along the two inmates are, and whether they plan to continue with their respective pregnancies. An investigation has been launched.
This is coming a year after New Jersey enacted a policy to allow prisoners to be housed in accordance with their preferred gender identity.
There are more than 800 prisoners, including 27 transgender women, at the Jersey correctional facility, which does not require trans women to undergo gender-reassignment surgery in order to be housed there.
The policy requires state prisons to provide more protections for transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people.
The state must house prisoners by the gender they identify with rather than the sex they were born with, and the policy says a prisoner can announce a change in gender identity at any time while they’re behind bars, the Daily Mail reported.
The policy also entitles those individuals to single-cell housing until they are permanently placed, private shower time, and a prohibition of physical examinations to determine an inmate’s sex.
Transgender inmates also have the right to have input into housing decisions and to appeal the determinations that are made by DOC.
Male officers are also prohibited from doing pat-down searches on transgender women, according to the policy.
The union that represents the corrections officers who work at the facility said the new policy made things more dangerous.
The union representing correctional officers at the facility issued a statement decrying the policy allowing transgender females to be incarcerated at Edna Mahan.
It read;
‘We opposed this policy change believing it would be detrimental to the general population of female inmates being housed at Edna Mahan and also bring added stress to our correctional police officers assigned to this institution’
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has offered to buy 100 percent of Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash, stating that he wants it to be transformed as a private company.
Musk’s offer price of $54.20 per share, which was disclosed in a regulatory filing on Thursday April 14, represents a 38 percent premium to Twitter’s April 1 close, the last trading day before the Tesla CEO’s more than 9 percent stake in the company was made public.
The filing showed Musk was offering to pay a total of $41.39 billion (€37.92 billion) to buy the platform.
That amounts to $54.20 per share, up 38% on the price per share before Musk bought over 9% of shares on April 1. Twitter’s share price jumped markedly in pre-market trading, already approaching the value Musk had offered.
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.
However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company . As a result, I am offering to buy 100% of Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash, a 54% premium over the day before I began investing in Twitter and a 38% premium over the day before my investment was publicly announced. My offer is my best and final offer and if it is not accepted, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder,” Musk said.
Earlier this week, Musk said he had abandoned a plan to join Twitter’s board, just as his tenure was about to start. Taking the board seat would have prevented him from a possible takeover of the company.
Since the abduction of about 276 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram, over 1,500 school children have been kidnapped by armed groups in Nigeria.
This is according to an investigation by the human rights group, Amnesty International.
” Nigerian is failing to protect vulnerable children. By refusing to respond to alerts of impending attacks on schools across the north of the country, the Nigerian authorities have failed to prevent mass abductions of thousands of school children,” Amnesty International’s Nigeria Director, Osai Ojigho.
A statement by the organisation on Thursday faulted Nigerian authorities for failing to learn from the Chibok incident and preventing further crimes.
“In all cases, the Nigerian authorities have remained shockingly unwilling to investigate these attacks or to ensure that the perpetrators of these callous crimes face justice. Every fresh attack is followed by further abductions that deprive school children of their right to liberty — and leave victims’ families with no hope of accessing justice, truth, or reparations,” Ojigho said.
“The Nigerian authorities must urgently comply with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to which it is a state party. They must take concrete steps to prevent the abduction of children and ensure that those suspected of criminal responsibility face justice in fair trials and rescue the hundreds of children who remain in captivity.”
LGTBQ couples and activists have been warned not to display the lifestyle or rainbow flags at the World Cup in Qatar, to protect them from being attacked for promoting gay rights.
A senior leader overseeing security for the tournament told The Associated Press that rainbow flags could be taken from fans at the World Cup.
Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari insisted that LGBTQ couples would be welcomed and accepted in Qatar for the November 21-December 18 FIFA showpiece despite same-sex relations remaining criminalised in the conservative Gulf nation.
However, Al Ansari is against the overt promotion of LGBTQ freedoms as symbolised by the rainbow flag that FIFA and World Cup organisers had previously said would be welcome across Qatar’s eight stadiums.
Al Ansari told AP: “If he (a fan) raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to really insult him, but to protect him.
“Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack (him) … I cannot guarantee the behaviour of the whole people. And I will tell him: ‘Please, no need to really raise that flag at this point’.”
He added: “You want to demonstrate your view about the (LGBTQ) situation, demonstrate it in a society where it will be accepted.
“We realise that this man got the ticket, comes here to watch the game, not to demonstrate, a political (act) or something which is in his mind.
“Watch the game. That’s good. But don’t really come in and insult the whole society because of this.”
Al Ansari’s warning was condemned by fans and anti-discrimination campaigners.
“Often, so-called ‘protections’ are in fact smokescreens to cover up human rights violations,” said Julia Ehrt of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and Ronain Evain of Football Supporters Europe in a joint response.
Julia Ehrt added: “FIFA and Qatar must address these concerns immediately, and show the world there is a chance of carrying out a rights-respecting and safe tournament for LGBTIQ fans.”
Al Ansari said he was not telling LBGTQ fans to stay away from Qatar or warning them of facing prosecution.
He said: “Reserve the room together, sleep together — this is something that’s not in our concern. We are here to manage the tournament. Let’s not go beyond, the individual personal things which might be happening between these people … this is actually the concept.
“Here we cannot change the laws. You cannot change the religion for 28 days of the World Cup.”
He added: “I am risking … a minority view against a majority.
“We have to be close to the problem before it erupts and gets out of control. … If somebody attacks you, then I have to get involved and it will be too late.”
Russia has reportedly lost its fortieth high-ranking military officer since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mezhuev was killed on the frontline.
Mezhuev commanded the Sevastopol Red Banner regiment under the 1st guards motor rifle division, which moved from Kyiv to the battle-scarred east in recent days.
A social media post by a junior Russian politician read: ‘Denis Mezhuev died in battle. His son can be proud of his dad.’
Pro-Putin poet Andrey Kovalev called on the Kremlin to award Lt Col Mezhuev the nation’s top honour posthumously. He said: ‘For his deed he is worthy of the title of Hero of Russia.’
Ukraine says Russia has now lost a total of seven generals and 33 colonels
The overall Russian losses since the war began on 24 February are believed to be in the region of 20,000 but Moscow has failed to give accurate figures.
Other recent high-ranking officers killed include Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev, commander of Russia’s 49th combined army, who was killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson on March 25.
The pro-Kremlin Wargonzo Telegram channel reported that Ukrainian marines from the 36th brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces cooperated in an operation ‘to evacuate the body of our high-ranking officer from the Illich factory in Mariupol’ without naming the general but giving his rank.
They wrote: ‘After yesterday’s operation to eliminate a neo-Nazi breakthrough from the Illich plant, the surrendered Ukrainian marines not only shared information about where the general’s body was, but also volunteered to participate in the DNR People’s Militia’s operation to evacuate it.
‘Namely, they acted as guides and showed a safe route,’ said the outlet.
‘For a long time the neo-Nazis refused to hand over his body or report his whereabouts. Instead, Azov fighters posted a video of mocking the corpse.’
Russia has warned NATO that if Sweden and Finland joined the military alliance then the Kremlin would have to bolster its nuclear defences in the Baltic.
‘There can be no more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic – the balance must be restored,’ said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
‘Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders. Until today, Russia has not taken such measures and was not going to. If our hand is forced well… take note it wasn’t us who proposed this.’
The former president added Russia would ‘seriously reinforce its group of ground forces and air defences and deploy significant naval forces in the Gulf of Finland.’
The threat comes after Sweden and Finland edged closer to NATO membership yesterday, and their application bids could be submitted in weeks.
Sweden’s prime minister Magdalena Andersson is understood to be eager for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance by June, to the fury of Vladimir Putin who invaded Ukraine in part for its desire to join the pact.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about the comments by journalists, said that ‘this has been talked about many times’ and Putin has issued an order on ‘reinforcing our western flank’ due to NATO’s growing military potential.
Asked if this reinforcement would include nuclear weapons, Peskov said: ‘I can’t say… There will be a whole list of measures, necessary steps. This will be covered at a separate meeting by the president.’
The Swedish application is expected to be submitted by the NATO meeting in Madrid on June 29-20, Swedish reports said yesterday.
Similarly, Finland is hoping to start its application process ‘within weeks, not within months’, its prime minister Sanna Marin said.
And today, Finland announced a military exercise in Western Finland with the participation of forces from Britain, the United States, Latvia and Estonia.
Shortly after actor Al Pacino, 81, was seen on a dinner date with a woman 53 years his junior who has been identified as Noor Alfallah, 28, it has been uncovered that they’ve been in a romantic relationship for quite some time.
Pacino and Alfallah, who comes from a wealthy Kuwaiti-American family, were pictured together this week at a group dinner celebrating a new art exhibition featuring the works of painter Julian Schnabel.
The Oscar-winning actor exited the Felix Restaurant in Venice Beach, California, on Saturday evening April 9, with the successful TV producer after the pair dined on Italian food at the high-end eatery. The two stars were joined at the dinner by friends Jason Momoa, 42, and Julian Schnabel, 70, as Al and Noor left in the same car.
Before hopping into the vehicle, Noor who is also vice president of Lynda Obst Productions at Sony, was seen enjoying a cigarette outside.
Noor previously dated Mick Jagger, 78, billionaire investor and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen, 60, and has also been spotted out in Los Angeles with 91-year-old Clint Eastwood, whom she insisted was a family friend.
Speaking to Hello shortly after, she discussed her romance with Sir Mick, saying that she ‘doesn’t regret’ their relationship despite their huge age gap.
Noor said at the time ‘Our ages didn’t matter to me. The heart doesn’t know what it sees, it only knows what it feels. It was my first serious relationship, but it was a happy time for me.’
She added: ‘[He’s] much fitter than I am. I really respect that he is so disciplined.’
On her recent relationship, a source told Page Six that Pacino and Noor started seeing each other during the pandemic. The source said;
“Pacino and Noor started seeing each other during the pandemic. She mostly dates very rich older men, she was with Mick Jagger for a while, and then she dated Nicholas Berggruen.
“She has been with Al for some time and they get on very well. The age gap doesn’t seem to be a problem, even though he is older than her father.
“She moves with the wealthy jet-set crowd, and she comes from a family with money.”
This is the first time Pacino has been seen out with a date since his 2020 breakup from Israeli actress Meital Dohan, who did have a problem with the age gap.
“Weeds” actor Dohan, now 42, said after ending their two-year relationship that their nearly four-decade age gap between them became too difficult.
Two attack helicopters reportedly entered Russian airspace and delivered at least six strikes on residential buildings
Russia has claimed that two Ukrainian helicopters were responsible for an attack on the border village of Klimovo in Bryansk Region on Thursday, which left seven people injured. The incident had earlier been attributed to the Ukrainian military by the region’s governor.
An update on the attack was given by the national Investigative Committee, which said it was treating the incident as a criminal conspiracy. Its statement outlined that two Ukrainian military attack helicopters crossed into Russian airspace at around midday local time, flying at a low altitude.
The aircraft fired heavy weapons at the village, delivering at least six strikes on residential buildings, the statement said. Seven people were injured and six houses were damaged in the attack, the investigators said.
Earlier, health officials said a two-year-old boy and his mother, who is pregnant, were among the seven victims of the attack. Two people were said to be in a serious condition.
It was one of two separate incidents in the border area on Thursday that Russian officials blamed on Ukrainian forces. The second was the alleged Ukrainian shelling of a border crossing some 40km southwest of Klimovo.
Russian border guards said a group of some 30 refugees from Ukraine came under mortar fire as they were passing the checkpoint. Nobody was hurt in the attack, but two civilian cars were damaged, the report said.
On April 1, a similar Ukrainian air raid targeted an oil storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod. Investigators reported that two helicopters fired at least four missiles, causing significant damage on the ground.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday warned it may escalate military action in Ukraine if the country’s military conducts more attacks on targets in Russia. “Decision-making centers” in Kiev may be targeted, the statement said.
Russia attacked its neighbor in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered Minsk Protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force
Nigeria is to conduct its Population and Housing Census by April 2023.
The Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra, announced this Thursday after the Council of State meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said the pilot census would be conducted in June this year immediately after the political parties had completed their primary elections to produce candidates for 2023 general elections.
“If you are a private sector, you’re producing something, certainly, you need to know the population of an area if you want to create a market there. So, census data is very crucial, very important. Because, the data we’ve been using are just projections, estimation. And are sort of obsolete, we need the actual census data to use for our planning.”
Haryana Police has arrested a Nigerian national wanted for allegedly smuggling 280 gram heroin worth over N1.2m.
The accused identified simply as Nnamdi was arrested from Delhi on Tuesday, April 12.
Fatehabad SP Surender Singh Bhoria said the Anti-Narcotic Cell had recently arrested two youths Sanjay and Akshay from Tohana town of Fatehabad and recovered 280 grams of heroin from their possession.
During interrogation, Akshay revealed that he had bought heroin from Nnamdi who was staying in Delhi.
Following the information, a police team was sent to Delhi to arrest him.
The accused was produced before a court which sent him to three-day police custody.
United States (US) authorities have indicted the Nigeria police, military, and Department of State Services (DSS) for corruption, human rights violation, and impunity.
US Department of State said this in the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for Nigeria.
“Impunity, exacerbated by corruption and a weak judiciary, remained a significant problem in the security forces, especially in police, military, and the Department of State Services,” US Department of State said in the report.
“Police, the military, and the Department of State Services reported to civilian authorities but periodically acted outside civilian control.
“There were credible reports that members of the security forces committed numerous abuses.”
The report contained incidents of extrajudicial killings, stifling of free speech, human rights violations, political witch-hunting, and others issues in Nigeria.
The US said the opaque nature of disciplining offending officials encourages impunity and that the systems shield erring officers found culpable in multiple crimes.
“The government regularly utilized disciplinary boards and mechanisms to investigate security force members and hold them accountable for crimes committed on duty, but the results of these accountability mechanisms were not always made public,” US Department of State said.
Two of Nigeria’s antigraft agencies – the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were cited for inconclusive prosecution of public officials charged for corruption.
The US Department of State report accused the antigraft agencies of being selective and “focused on low- and mid-level government officials.” It, however, acknowledged that both organisations brought indictments against various active and former high-level government officials.
“Many of the corruption cases, particularly the high-profile ones, remained pending before the courts due to administrative or procedural delays,” the report said, stating that the government deliberately underfunds the judiciary to make it ineffective.
On human rights violations, the report noted that the National Committee against Torture established by the Ministry of Justice has been hindered from working effectively due to a “lack of legal and operational independence and limited funding.”
“Prison and detention centre conditions remained harsh and life-threatening,” the report said. “Prisoners and detainees reportedly were subjected to gross overcrowding, inadequate medical care, food and water shortages, and other abuses. Some of these conditions resulted in deaths.”
Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Center has spoken about everything he knows regarding Osinachi Nwachukwu’s death.
In a video posted to his Facebook page, Enenche stated the late singer complained of chest pains and respiratory stress during a visit to his office with her husband.
Pastor Paul Enenche
He added that following his prayers, he assisted in her transfer to a different hospital, where she was examined and treated for the illness.
The cleric claimed the church was unaware of the domestic violence she experienced in her marriage.
“Over two and half months ago, she came to see me with her husband with complaints of chest pains, and respiratory stress. I prayed for her and prayed again. And when the symptoms did not abate, I counselled that they should go to the hospital to know exactly what the issue was.
“They asked that I help facilitate the process and I called our head of the medical team to assist handle their situation. He called FMC Jabi and they were attended to,” he said.
Enenche said a CT scan was done and the doctor felt more investigation needed to be done either at UNIABUJA teaching hospital or National Hospital.
He explained that Osinachi did a biopsy of the lungs tissue at the National Hospital and the result was milder than what the CT scan earlier showed and he was happy they were relieved.
Osinachi Nwachukwu
The cleric said Osinachi called him daily and reported progress as she needed no oxygen at some point.
“She called me literally daily and reported progress and I prayed with her. She told me they checked her oxygen perfusion and it was 100% and we were very excited at that progress. That was the point it was before we went to the crusade in Cameroon. It was the second night in Cameron that I got to know of the unfortunate incident of her passing.
“If there was domestic violence that led to it or coincided with those symptoms she came with, there is no way I will know. If there was domestic violence there is no way I will know,” he said.
Enenche said the things he heard after her passing was strange to me. He said Osinachi’s twin sister told him that the talented singer had begged her not to inform the church.
According to him, Osinachi’s first son said that he didn’t inform the pastor about his mother’s domestic abuse since their father constantly questioned what they talked about with Eneche whenever he and his siblings greeted the pastor.
He went on to say that he approached some of the persons who knew about the abuse and was told that it was Osinachi who pleaded with them not to tell anyone about it.
Enenche also prayed that God would provide grace to Osinachi’s family at this difficult time.
Doctors were shocked to find an eight inch dumbbell, weighing 2kg, inside a man’s rectum after he arrived at A&E complaining of cramps and severe constipation.
Medics said the patient was “uncooperative” while he was being examined, so they decided to X-ray his abdomen.
They then found an object, that was later revealed to be a 2kg dumbbell, lodged firmly in the 54-year-old man’s rectum.
When medics at the hospital in Manaus, Brazil, were unable to remove the object using tweezers, they opted for a “manual extraction”.
This meant they put their hand into the man’s bum to remove the dumbbell.
According to a report in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports written by Dr Ana Elisa de Landa Moraes Teixeira Grossi and her team, a surgeon inserted their hand “up to the forearm” to get a grip on the item.
Dr Ana wrote: “Despite the location of the object being considered high, manual transanal extraction was chosen, inserting the surgeon’s forearm with some difficulty, without post-extraction complications.”
