As the economic sanctions slammed on Russia for launching a full scale military action against Ukraine keep biting hard on her economy, President Vladimir Putin has declared that European payments for gas supplies from the country will be switched to rubles as soon as possible.
He made the declaration during a video conference with some of the country’s partners.
Meanwhile, Russia has been in the eye of the storm since the invasion of Ukraine on the 24 of February 2022.
Hundreds of businesses across the globe have pulled out of the Russia, with many suspending or cancelling contracts with some of the indigenous companies.
Russian president, Vladimir Putin has lost another commander – the 15th of his top military leaders to be killed as the country’s invasion of Ukraine heads into its second month.
Colonel Alexei Sharov became the latest high-ranking Russian official to die in what has become the country’s biggest loss of military higher-ups since World War II. His death was announced by Ukrainian armed forces on social media Tuesday.
The commander of the 810th Guards Separate Order of Zhukov Brigade in the Russian Marines, Sharov was reportedly killed in Mariupol, a city in which over 100,000 people have been trapped amid a siege by the invading Russians.
At least 902 civilians have been killed and 1,459 wounded in Ukraine as of midnight on March 19, the UN human rights office said.
Ten million people have been displaced, including nearly 3.4 million who have fled the country, the U.N. refugee agency said.
Russian media had reported that they’ve lost almost 10,000 troops of their own since the invasion began but the tabloid paper Komsomolskaya Pravda has since said they were hacked and this was not the case.
Russia has not officially updated its casualty figures since stating on March 2 that 498 servicemen had been killed and 1,597 wounded.
Sharov’s death comes after the death of Colonel Nikolay Ovcharenko, Commander of the 45th Engineering Regiment.
Sharov is the fifth colonel to die and marks 15 of Russia’s military commanders to have died in the invasion, according to The Sun. Foreign Policy reported that Moscow has suffered its highest casualty rate among top brass since the WWII.
The news comes as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said some 100,000 are still in the besieged city of Mariupol, trapped ‘in inhumane conditions’ while low on supplies and under constant attack.
The Russian military has lost more than 10% of the combat force that President Vladimir Putin sent to invade Ukraine, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.
The Russian combat force has dipped slightly below 90% for the first time in the war that began less than a month ago, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe intelligence assessments.
Not all of the more than 150,000 Russian troops in Ukraine are combat troops.
Russian forces remain largely stalled across Ukraine, particularly around the capital of Kyiv, where their closest forces remain about 10 miles from the city’s center.
The official described Ukrainian resistance as quick and nimble – and for the first time in the war seeking to retake ground from the Russians.
In the besieged city of Mariupol, the port city in southern Ukraine, Russian ships have been shelling the city from the sea for the first time, the official said.
The shelling of the city appears to be a sign that Russia continues to struggle on the ground against Ukrainian forces.
Russian commanders instead are relying on long-range bombardment to take the cities, a tactic that often results in civilian casualties.
Russia continues to have problems supplying its troops in Ukraine with food, fuel and weaponry, the official said.
Some soldiers have suffered frostbite because they don’t have proper cold-weather gear. There are signs that they are having trouble keeping ships fueled at sea, the official said.
Kremlin quiet on rising casualty count
Estimates of Russian military casualties vary, but even conservative figures by Western officials are in the low thousands. Ukraine has estimated Russian losses at more than 15,000.
Russia has not given an update since it said March 2 that 498 soldiers had been killed in action.
Russia’s pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, citing the Defense Ministry, briefly reported Monday online that almost 10,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
The report was quickly removed, and the newspaper blamed hackers. The Kremlin declined comment Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army said it forced Russian troops out of Makariv, a strategically important Kyiv suburb, after a fierce battle.
The regained territory allowed Ukrainian forces to retake control of a key highway to the west and block Russian troops from surrounding Kyiv from the northwest.
But Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces battling toward Kyiv were able to partially take other northwest suburbs – Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin – some of which had been under attack almost since Russia’s military invaded late last month.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will marry his long-term partner Stella Moris inside a high-security prison in southeast London on Wednesday March 23, at a small ceremony to be attended by four guests, two official witnesses, and two security guards.
Assange is wanted by U.S. authorities to face trial on 18 counts relating to WikiLeaks’ release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing
The 50-year-old has been held at Belmarsh prison since 2019 and before that was holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for seven years.
While living at the embassy he fathered two children with Moris, a lawyer more than a decade his junior, who he met in 2011 when she started work on his legal team. Their relationship began in 2015.
The registrar-led ceremony will take place during visiting hours at the prison, where some of Britain’s most notorious criminals have served sentences.
Moris’s wedding dress and Assange’s kilt have been created by British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who has previously campaigned against his extradition.
Assange was denied permission this month to appeal at Britain’s Supreme Court against a decision to extradite him to the United States. He could still challenge any decision from the government to approve his extradition.
Mrs Tammy Onyeke, the American wife of popular Nigerian stand-up comedian Patrick Onyeke aka Mr Patrick has revealed that their marriage is in crisis.
Speaking in an interview with YouTuber, Obodo Oyinbo TV, after her husband claimed in an interview with Daddy Freeze that “wicked” Nigerians in the diaspora and fake friends are seeking to destroy his marriage, get him deported and instigating his marital crisis, Tammy accused her estranged husband of lying and infidelity.
She recounted how her husband’s attitude changed after they applied for his green card. Tammy alleged that her husband of 6 years abandoned her since June 2021 and also pretended to love her so he could secure a Green Card.
The lady said;
“I don’t know what is going on with my husband. He came out with that video to make those statements. That is not my husband, and he doesn’t do social media tantrums. So when I saw the video, I texted my husband, “Is he okay?” because that’s not like him. So since June, all these things have been happening to bring things to you. My husband has been gone since June. He moved out of the house, and I have only seen him twice. The six-year-old marriage is on the verge of a divorce due to lies and Infidelity”.
Tammy also recounted the sacrifices she made including coming to Nigeria to learn how to make Nigerian dishes after they got married.
She added;
”I have been married to my husband for the past six years. When we first got married, I moved to Nigeria to learn the culture of how to cook. After that, I thought of settling in Nigeria because I am an accountant.
“When I was in Nigeria for one year, we had light for only 45 days, there was also fuel scarcity, and then the generator was giving me a headache. I had a condition called Lupus, that’s why I am fat, many people made fun of me, some said Mr Patrick married that fat cow”
Tammy who is an accountant revealed that issues in their marriage began after she saw a text message from one of Mr Patrick’s suspected lovers, a Nigerian actress, whom her’ husband claimed was a ‘business partner’.
She said;
”Our first misunderstanding began after a Nigerian actress messaged my husband at 2 a.m. I thought it was an emergency. Maybe his dad and I saw a message saying, “baby, I am sorry I slept off.” So I said, who is this calling my husband.
“So I went to the actress’ page, I clicked on her story, there was a video. I saw my husband and the actress talking to someone, and then I asked the actress via her Instagram story, “Why are you calling my husband baby” do you know that that actress deleted that story?.
“I went to my husband, and I woke him and questioned him. He said it’s not my business; he said it’s someone she was his business partner. I got all kinds of stories.
“I noticed the difference when we applied for Patrick’s Green Card. He started acting funny. He wasn’t kissing me, wasn’t touching me, for a whole year, he was acting funny, and I said I can’t take this anymore.”
Tammy also narrated how her husband never bulged after she went down on her knees to beg him.
She said;
“As an American woman, I went to him, I got on my knees and asked him, ‘my husband, if I have offended you, please let’s talk about it. He kept quiet and stayed on his phone. For 15 minutes, I was on my knees begging. He finally said you hadn’t done anything to me; I am provoked from work. You know I am working. I snatched his phone. It can be the worst, and I haven’t seen my husband since then.”
The lady who disclosed that she became worried after Mr Patrick left the house, said she went to his office only to discover that he had changed his account number and was financing his alleged fancy trips with a new lady.
Tammy said;
“When he was gone, for two days I kept calling to know his location, but on the fifth day I was curious to know what was going on with my husband, so I went to his office. I found out that he has opened a new bank account. So I got the bank account details, put it up online, and saw that they bought two plane tickets.
”Patrick has been going back and forth to Maryland land for two months. Usually, he would spend the weekend, but he started staying weeks in Maryland. So I saw one ticket for a girl and the other for himself. So I called him, and he said that the girl was his business partner.”
She also claimed that the lady from the office was a 27-year-old girl who later swindled the 42-year-old comedian of his money, one that caused him a significant setback.
According to Tammy, Mr Patrick had an established and booming fish business but kept hanging around the wrong people who ruined the business. She revealed that people around her reported the comedian to the U.S. CIA that he scammed her, which propelled the agency to launch an investigation against him.
Tammy further disclosed that she employed the services of a private detective, who was also investigating Mr Patrick and his escapades.
She said;
“The US CIA came knocking on my door, so it wasn’t me that reported him first. But, yes, he’s right that I have had people tell me about him. He was right about that…
“I had my private detective investigate him, and we discovered he was living with a girl who wraps fish for him, one he claims was a business partner, and all these while my husband, my husband, was at her address.
“On my birthday, May 30, he said he couldn’t celebrate my birthday with me because his dad was dead, but he was spotted in the club in the VIP section, clubbing with women around on my birthday. These things hurt.
“But when it was the birthday of his ‘business partner’ whom he lived with, her birthday was July 13, he was on a date with her and her friend, celebrating the girl’s birthday. This girl called me that Patrick said you couldn’t give him babies, insulting me. I heard several things people told me that Patrick had said he was ashamed of my weight when I came to Nigeria”
More than 2,000 Ukrainian children have allegedly been “kidnapped and deported to Russia ”, an act that has been called a “gross violation” of international law.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared the damning update in a Facebook post, which accused the “aggressor state” of Russia of kidnapping children.
The post read: “According to the information received, on March 19, Russian occupation forces illegally took 2389 children to the territory of the Russian Federation, who were in the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
“Forced relocation of civilian population to the territory of the aggressor state, in particular children, has signs of kidnapping.
“Such actions are a gross violation of international law, in particular international humanitarian law.”
The MFA carried on to say that by “destroying homes and killing parents”, Russia deprives Ukrainian children of parental care and puts their lives in further danger.
An urgent response from the international community is needed, the statement said, to stop the barbaric war against the Ukrainian people.
It continued: “The facts of kidnapping children, as well as hundreds of other facts of crimes by Russian occupiers against civilians in Ukraine, are carefully documented by law enforcement.
“The culprits of these crimes will be brought to justice.”
The abduction or illegal removal of children during a period of conflict is one of the six “grave violations” named and condemned by the UN Security Council.
These six violations make up the basis of the Council’s framework to monitor, report and respond to abuses suffered by children in times of war.
This comes days after Kremlin was accused of war crimes against children for bombing a Ukrainian theatre in Mariupol, which was housing a number of youngsters.
… Begs Uzodinma, Soludo to expedite the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has urged Sen. Hope Uzodinma and Prof. Charles Soludo to expedite the release of Ipob leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The National President of the Council and Spokesman of Indigenous Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria, Comrd. Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, made this appeal yesterday, March, 22, 2022, in Owerri, the Capital of Imo State.
Igboayaka lamented that criminals have hijacked the peaceful activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in conjunction with the Eastern Security Network, ESN( founded to protect farmers in the farm) and have since then, been rampaging the entire Southeast region.
Recall that the indefatigable youth leader has overtime, raised alarm over the hike in insecurity in the region, and has condemned utterly, the recent attack of Prof George Obiozor’s residence at Awo, in Oru East Local Government of Imo State.
Comrade Igboayaka while condemning the burning of Prof. George Obiozor house by criminals, described the act as a sacrilegious act and humiliating to the whole Igbo race in the world.
OYC President regretted that some faceless beings had sworn to besmirch Kanu’s reputation, hence they have disguised as IPOB and ESN members with a view to indicting Kanu thus impeding the attempts towards his release.
“Amb. George Obiozor symbolizes the new father of Igbo race, burning his house has a deep significance. These gangsters have hit the academic and intellectual treasure of Ndigbo, by raising down Prof George Obiozor library that’s quite very symbolic to Igbo political history”
“Our investigations have proven that hoodlums have taken over Alaigbo pretending to be IPOB or ESN, all in conspiracy attempt to indict Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to scuttle his release, and the political solution being championed by Prof. George Obiozor the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“At this hour, over 50 million Progressive Igbo youths are passionately appealing to Gov. Hope Uzodinma and Gov. Charles Soludo to hasten up their efforts on the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to enable the security agents know the direction of security bridge in Southeast.”
Furthermore, Igboayaka called on President Mohammadu Buhari to demonstrate fatherhood thereby adhering to the political solution as initiated by Prof. George Obiozor, adding, “to settle the legal battle between the Ipob leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and federal government”, Igboayaka stated.
Continuing, he said, “Ndigbo must raise now to understand that armed criminal gangsters has taken over Alaigbo. Our traditional rulers, president of Town Unions and religious leaders all over Alaigbo ought to know that there’s a big challenge in Igbo land and they must collaborate with government to stop those behind this criminal act since over eight (8)months in Southeast”, Igboayaka pleaded.
It’s very painful to all Igbo Youths, we appeal to Prof. George Obiozor not to loose courage in his genuine engagement with Federal government of Nigeria on the release of Nnamdi Kanu, but to see this painful event, hence the awful burning of his library as a last price he paid to redeem Alaigbo, Igboayaka concluded.
President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned the Dangote Fertiliser Plant in Lagos state.
The president said the plant is an endorsement of his administration target of food sufficiency, adding that it will reduce dependence on imported fertilizers and create employment for Nigerians.
The governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the project will address youth employment and boost agriculture in the country.
Sanwo-Olu lauded former Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for conceiving the idea of the Lekki Free Trade zone in 2003.
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, while thanking the government for creating enabling environment, stressed that the plant will meet the fertilizer need of Nigeria and boost foreign exchange earnings through export.
He said the product is already being exported to the United States of Ameria and India.
The plant, which occupies 500 hectares of land in Lekki Free Trade Zone, is Africa’s largest Granulated Urea Fertiliser complex
The complex, which was built at a cost of $2.5 Billion, has the capacity to produce 3 million metric tonnes per annum of urea fertiliser in phase 1.
Gennadiy Druzenko, the owner of a war-zone mobile hospital in eastern Ukraine has disclosed that he instructed his doctors to ‘castrate’ captured Russian soldiers.
Discussing captured injured Russian soldiers on Ukraine-24, Druzenko said: ‘I have always been a great humanist and said that if a man is wounded, he is no longer an enemy but a patient.”
‘But now [I gave] very strict orders to castrate all [captured Russian] men, because they are cockroaches, not people.’
Since 2014, some 500 doctors – male and female – have worked with Druzenko’s mobile hospital, Mail Online reported
A lawyer by training, he set up the First Voluntary Mobile Hospital which deploys civilian doctors and nurses in the conflict zone close to the separatist republics in eastern Ukraine.
He also told famous Russian TV host Yevgeny Kiselyov on the Ukraine-24 channel: ‘Believe, all doctors who saved the patients – Russians will die here. Die in large numbers.
‘Those who [come here] will remember their nightmare on Ukrainian soil.
‘Like the Germans remember Stalingrad.’
The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the comments, which means that if Druzenko is captured he will face trial under Russian law.
The head of the committee Alexander Bastrykin, a former university classmate of Vladimir Putin, initiated a criminal case over his castration demand which is ‘contrary to the law and the norms of medical ethics.’
“The head of the Ukrainian Mobile Hospital project, Gennady Druzenko, called for violence against captured soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces live on a Ukrainian TV channel.” Bastrykin said
‘He gave this instruction to the doctors of mobile hospitals.’
Druzenko is set to be put on Russia’s international wanted list.
The glamorous wife of a prominent Ukrainian tycoon and politician was caught at a border with ‘ £22 million while crossing into the EU’, it is alleged.
The money – in US dollars and euros – was spotted by Hungarian customs in the baggage of the spouse of controversial ex-MP Igor Kotvitsky, 52, say reports.
The woman, Anastasia Kotvitska, had taken the cash through a refugee border crossing into the European Union while fleeing the war-torn country.
A criminal case has been opened into a failure by Anastasia Kotvitska to declare the removal of the large sum from the war-ravaged country, say reports in Kyiv.
Kotvitsky, once Ukraine’s wealthiest MP, said his wife was leaving the country to give birth, but denied reports she was carrying $28 million and 1.3 million euros.
‘All my money is in Ukrainian banks, I did not take anything out,’ he said, before closing his social media account.
Kotvitska, who reportedly travelled with two Hungarian men and her mother, is yet to comment on the allegation.
The allegation is that she did not declare the huge cash sum exiting Ukraine at the Vilok checkpoint, but the money was found by Hungarian customs officers, said Obozrevatel newspaper.
She then made a declaration that she had brought the sum into Hungary, an EU country.
Kovitsky reportedly controls via associates Nuclear Energy Systems of Ukraine, and uranium deposits in the country, which has been partially invaded by Russia. He also has close business and political links with ex-Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
Neymar has been revealed as the highest-paid footballer in France, beating Lionel Messi with a staggering £41m-a-year salary.
French publication L’Equipe have released estimates of monthly salaries across the country’s top tier.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominates the list with the top 14 spots occupied by PSG players, showing the gulf between his side and the rest of the league.
Brazil star Neymar, who joined PSG from Barcelona for £198million back in August 2017, is still the division’s top earner, earning around £3.4million a month before tax. This equates to a yearly gross salary of just under £41m a year.
The second on the list is his teammate, Lionel Messi, who joined the club in the summer following his emotional exit from Barcelona.
The 34-year-old world superstar, who was once the highest earner in world footballer, now makes around £34m-per-year at the French giants.
Kylian Mbappe, 23, who is in the final few months of his current contract, earns £22m-a-year.
Mbappe is expected to leave the club at the end of his contract, with Real Madrid the most likely team to sign him on a free.
See 30 of Ligue 1’s top earners (yearly salaries) below.
Romelu Lukaku has been crowned Serie A player of the season award for 2020-21 ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Belgium striker was instrumental in the Nerazzurri’s title success last term, as he scored 24 goals in 36 appearances for Antonio Conte’s championship-winning side.
He was not the league’s leading scorer, with Cristiano Ronaldo taking that honour with Juventus, however, his contribution to the title race saw him take the top spot.
‘Being ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo is something that doesn’t happen every day. To me, he is one of the best three players in football history. He also brought me to a different level because he does great things.
‘I am really happy to be included in the Serie A top XI for last season. I want to thank all those who voted for me and the team that helped me a lot, the coach and his staff. It was the team’s achievement and it’s an honour to be in the top XI.
‘It was my dream as a kid to play in Serie A and I did all I could to achieve it. I am satisfied to have done it.
‘It’s an honour to have been named best player of the season. It’s something that I could not achieve without the help of the team.
‘They helped me realise great things. We won together improving a lot. Everyone developed and the coach was always close to us. This award gives me a lot of confidence for the future.’
The trophy comes just months after Lukaku sat down with Sky Italia to give an interview in which he detailed his love for Inter fans, while also expressing a desire to return back to the club.
Lukaku has scored 12 times across 34 appearances and has been selected in Thomas Tuchel’s starting line-up on just 12 occasions in the Premier League this term.
China’s state broadcaster says no survivors have been found in the wreckage of a plane that crashed with 132 people on board.
The China Eastern plane which crashed in a forested and mountainous area on Monday was the country’s worst air disaster in a decade.
The Boeing 737-800 crashed near the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region while flying from Kunming in the south-western province of Yunnan to the industrial centre of Guangzhou along the east coast. It ignited a fire big enough to be seen on Nasa satellite images.
China’s state broadcaster said on Tuesday morning – more than 18 hours after the crash: “Wreckage of the plane was found at the scene, but up until now, none of those aboard the plane with whom contact was lost have been found.”
Villagers were first to arrive at the forested area where the plane went down on Monday, sparking a blaze big enough to be seen on Nasa satellite images.
Hundreds of rescue workers were swiftly dispatched from Guangxi and neighbouring Guangdong province.
The plane was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, the CAAC said, correcting earlier reports that 133 people had been on board.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” by the rescue operation, as well as for an investigation into the crash and to ensure complete civil aviation safety.
State media reported all 737-800s in China Eastern’s fleet were ordered grounded, while broadcaster CCTV said the airliner had set up nine teams to deal with aircraft disposal, accident investigation, family assistance and other pressing matters.
State media said local police first received calls from villagers alerting the crash at around 2.30pm (0630 GMT).
Guangxi provincial emergency management department said contact with the plane was lost at 2.15pm (0615 GMT).
Chicago-based Boeing said it was aware of the initial reports of the crash and was “working to gather more information”.
China Eastern, which has its headquarters in Shanghai, is one of China’s top three airlines, operating domestic and international routes serving 248 destinations.
Flight number 5735 had been travelling at around 30,000ft when suddenly, just after 0620 GMT, the plane entered a deep dive at its cruising altitude speed of 455 knots (523mph, 842kph), according to data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.com.
The data suggests the plane crashed within a minute-and-a-half of whatever went wrong.
The plane stopped transmitting data just south-west of the Chinese city of Wuzhou, a city of three million in eastern Guangxi.
The aircraft was delivered to the airline from Boeing in June 2015 and had been flying for more than six years.
China Eastern Airlines uses the Boeing 737-800 as one of the main workhorses of its fleet – of its more than 600 planes, 109 are Boeing 737-800s.
Boeing began delivering the 737-800 to customers in 1997 and delivered the last of the series to China Eastern in 2020.
It made more than 5,200 of the narrow-body aircraft, a popular, single-aisle commuter plane.
The twin-engine, single aisle Boeing 737 is one of the world’s most popular planes for short and medium-haul flights.
China Eastern operates multiple versions of the common aircraft, including the 737-800 and the 737 Max.
The deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737-800 came in January 2020, when Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard accidentally shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight, killing all 176 people on board.
The 737 Max version was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes.
China’s aviation regulator cleared that plane to return to service late last year, making the country the last major market to do so.
China’s last fatal crash of a civilian airliner was in 2010.
The executive governor of Anambra State, Professor Chuwkuma Soludo, has revealed that his predecessor, Chief Willie Obiano left the paltry sum of 300 million naira in the state account when he left office last week.
The former CBN governor made the shocking revelation during an interview with Arise Television
He said, “In terms of debt I inherited, it runs into hundreds of billions of Naira. In that of cash, we met about 300 million Naira. In fact let’s not talk about it. Our treasury is funny. But I hope we shall make money henceforth to help us fulfill our promises for infrastructure and development of the state. But in terms of what I met in our coffers, my brother, it’s pathetic. Please let us not go there. God will help us”.
Chief Willie Obiano who is still under the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was arrested last week at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos when he was trying to flee to Houston Texas, United States few hours after handing over power to Prof Chuwkuma Soludo.
He is under investigation for alleged misappropriation of 42 billion naira.
Barcelona hammered bitter rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu on Sunday night, March 20, their first El Clasico win since 2nd March 2019.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Madrid had won the last five meetings between them and Barca, but received a rude awakening as former Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in his first ever El Clasico, putting misery into Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Aubameyang scored for Barca on 29 minutes, giving them the lead as he headed Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right past goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois.
Then in the 38th minute Ronald Araujo put Barca 2-0 up with a powerful header from a Dembele corner.
Just two minutes into the second half, former Manchester city striker, Ferran Torres made it 3-0 with an emphatic finish after Aubameyang supplied a pass with a clever back heel.
Then on 51 minutes Aubameyang, put the scoreline beyond doubt with his second and Barca’s fourth goal after a lovely chipped effort with his left off Torres’ assist.
The goal was initially flagged for offside but after consultation with VAR, it was awarded.
The surprise win saw Barca move up to third on 54 points and 12 points behind leaders Madrid.
Ms. Ebelechukwu Obiano has spoken out following her fight with Ms. Bianca Ojukwu at the inauguration of Charles Soludo as the governor of Anambra State.
Speaking about the events of March 17, Ebele said she had left her seat to greet Bianca but the latter reacted to her greeting by slapping her.
According to a statement released by Ebele Obiano’s spokesperson, Chidiebele Obika, the wife of the former Governor of Anambra State said all she did was approach the former beauty queen for their usual friendly banters only to be slapped and pushed by her.
She wondered what brought about “so much anger and hate” that would cause a former diplomat to be unable to “manage herself in public”.
Mrs. Obiano stated that she didn’t bother returning the slap, instead she walked away in utter bewilderment.
France has frozen and seized assets of Russian oligarchs to the tune of around $938 million.
“We have immobilised … €150 million in individual’s accounts, credit lines in France and in French establishments,” French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told French television as Paris hits Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Furthermore, “we have immobilised €539 million in real estate on French territory, corresponding to some 390 properties or apartments and we have sequestered two yachts (with a value of) €150 million,” said Le Maire.
“In total that is (almost) €850 millions in assets belonging to Russian oligarchs which have been immobilised on French soil,” he added.
The French crackdown means the owners are unable to sell or monetise their assets.
Notwithstanding, “they are not seized in the sense that the state becomes the owner and could then sell them on. For there to be seizure there has to be a penal offence”, Le Maire stipulated.
“The sanctions are hitting Russia, the state, Vladimir Putin hard,” Le Maire went on.
France established a task force to implement EU sanctions against Russian oligarchs or those close to President Vladimir Putin.
It is tasked with finding their assets in France and identifying the owners of bank accounts, luxury villas, and yachts, which is a complicated endeavour due to the many shell companies used to hide identities.
Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the fifth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored index that Afghanistan as the unhappiest.
The latest list was completed before Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
In the list, Denmark is ranked second happiest followed by Iceland, Switzerland and Netherlands.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, a co-author of the index, said: ‘This presents a stark reminder of the material and immaterial damage that war does to its many victims.’
The World Happiness Report, now in its 10th year, is based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data.
It assigns a happiness score on a scale of zero to 10, based on an average of data over a three-year period.
A 52-year-old father of four children who claims to be a businessman, Okeke Adolphus Anayochukwu has been arrested with black liquid cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA Abuja by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Director, Media & Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday March 20, said that Okeke was arrested with 20.75 kilograms of the black liquid cocaine on Tuesday 15th March, upon his arrival at the Abuja airport onboard Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil through Doha, Qatar to Abuja.
The liquid was discovered upon search of his two luggages stuffed with six smaller bags containing 32-makeup mascara, which tested positive to cocaine.
Married with four children, the indigene of Oraifiti in Akwusigo local government area of Anambra State claims he was a businessman dealing in children wares before delving into the illicit drug business.
He claimed he met the person who gave him the consignment to deliver in Nigeria for a fee of Two Million (N2, 000,000) Naira at a drinking joint in Brazil.
In other operations across the country, different quantities of various drugs were recovered from suspects.
At least three persons: Tony Samson, Paul Adamu, and Reuben Waziri were arrested in Kaduna on Friday 18th March with 18,380 tablets of Tramadol, and 12,500 tablets of Diazepam and Exol-5 tablets.
In Anambra, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 17th March intercepted a bus with reg. No AGU 460 ZW, at Obosi bridge heading to Aba, Abia state from Onitsha. Upon search, seven and half jumbo sacks of cannabis weighing 362kg were recovered while the driver, Ifeanyi Anyamele admitted to be the owner of the drug exhibits.
The previous day, Wednesday 16th March, narcotic officers in Ogun state recovered 865.2kg of cannabis sativa around Otapele- Obada road in Imeko-Afon LGA. The consignment was brought in from Benin Republic on motorbikes for onward transportation to Lagos and Abeokuta. Same day, operatives in the state arrested Bello Ibrahim, 38, with 312.4kg of cannabis sativa at Ogere tollgate, Ikenne LGA.
While commending officers and men of the NAIA, Kaduna, Anambra and Ogun state Commands of the Agency for their vigilance and diligence, Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their counterparts across the country to always remain steps ahead of the tricks of drug traffickers and the barons.
Chelsea striker, Antonio Rudiger is reportedly set to leave the London club after agreeing on a four-year contract with Juventus worth £5.4m a season.
The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and the Blues cannot offer him an extension because of UK government sanctions placed on club owner Roman Abramovich.
Prior to the sanction, Rudiger had been rumoured to be considering a contract extension at the club where he has established himself as an exceptional talent since joining for £31million from Roma in 2017.
According to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Germany international has said ‘yes’ to a move to Juventus.
The report also claims Rudiger ‘will sign a four-year deal’ with the Serie A giants as he prefers them over both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and he will earn around £5.4m per season.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel admitted last week he fears Abramovich’s sale of club could have an impact on negotiations with players who are out of contract in the summer.
‘The bottom line is maybe we can’t help it – it is what it is,’ Tuchel said. ‘You never know maybe it has a positive effect on the negotiations or maybe it has a negative effect.
‘We cannot predict and I would like not to predict on scenarios because you just lose focus, but everyone has a different situation and feels different about it (the sale).
‘I hope for the best outcome still, I think we have something to offer still. Chelsea are a strong club and will stay a strong club.
‘Our owner decided to sell the club but he sells a strong, solid, organised club at the highest level.’
Russian forces advancing on the Ukraine capital Kyiv from the northeast have stalled, British intelligence stated on Monday during its daily security briefing of the Russo-Ukraine war.
Russian forces hit houses and a shopping district in Kyiv’s Podil district late on Sunday, March 20, killing at least four people, city authorities said.
The assault on Ukraine started with Russian troops crossing the border using air, land and sea on Feb. 24.
But Western countries say Russia’s expectations of a swift victory and the removal of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government have been dashed as its invasion force has received serious losses.
Speaking on Monday, the British military intelligence said the bulk of Russian forces remain more than 25 km (15 miles) from the centre of the Kyiv,
“Heavy fighting continues north of Kyiv,” the Ministry of Defence said. “Forces advancing from the direction of Hostomel to the northwest have been repulsed by fierce Ukrainian resistance.”
In his latest appeal for help from abroad, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the Israeli parliament by video link on Sunday and questioned Israel’s reluctance to sell its Iron Dome missile defence system to Ukraine.
“Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best … and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews,” said Zelenskiy, who is of Jewish heritage.
Zelenskiy also welcomed the mediation efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has held numerous calls with him and Putin.
“Sooner or later we will begin to have talks with Russia, possibly in Jerusalem,” he said in his daily video address to Ukrainians.
Oksana Shvets, one of Ukraine’s most famous stage actresses has been killed in a Russian rocket attack while she slept in an apartment in southeast Kyiv.
Her death was confirmed by the Young Theatre, a Ukrainian theatre company she had previously been working with.
They posted a tribute to the 67-year-old actress alongside a picture of the theatre and film star.
In a statement, translated from Ukrainian, the theatre company wrote on social media: ‘Bright memory to the talented actress! There is no forgiveness for the enemy that has come to our land!’.
The Kyiv Post has also confirmed the actor’s passing, adding on social media that she had been ‘murdered in Kyiv during the war’.
According to the theatre’s website, Shvets had graduated from Ivan Franko theatre school in 1975 and had a career that spanned decades. She had also been the recipient of the Merited Artist of Ukraine award, one of Ukraine’s highest and most coveted honours.
Russian troops have continued to attack the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and launched a barrage of missiles against an aircraft repair installation at an airport on the outskirts of the western city of Lviv, close to the Polish border. One person was reported wounded.
Ukraine said it had shot down two of six missiles in the volley, which came from the Black Sea.
The early morning barrage of missiles on Lviv’s edge was the closest strike yet to the centre of the city, which has become a crossroads for people fleeing from other parts of Ukraine and for others entering to deliver aid or fight.
In city after city around Ukraine, hospitals, schools, and buildings where people sought safety have been attacked. Rescue workers were still searching for survivors in the ruins of a theatre that served as a shelter when it was blasted by a Russian airstrike on Wednesday in the besieged southern city of Mariupol.
Ludmyla Denisova, the Ukrainain parliament’s human rights commissioner, said on Friday that 130 people had survived the theatre bombing.
‘As of now, we know that 130 people have been evacuated, but according to our data, there are still more than 1,300 people in these basements, in this bomb shelter,’ Denisova told Ukrainian television. ‘We pray that they will all be alive, but so far there is no information about them.’
Russian president, Vladimir Putin has been accused of deporting Ukrainians to ‘filtration’ centres before forcibly taking them to remote Siberian towns after confiscating their phones and documents.
‘Several thousand’ people have so-far been taken, Mariupol city council claimed, before being processed through ‘filtration camps’ and sent to ‘remote cities’ in Russia where they will be obliged to stay for years and work for free.
Russian news agencies have reported that buses carrying hundreds of refugees from the besieged southeastern port city Mariupol had arrived in Russia in recent days. Moscow officials also said a trainload of over 280 Ukrainians were being ‘rescued’ from Mariupol, showing footage of them thanking Russian forces.
Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko likened the alleged forced deportations to transportation of prisoners by the Nazi regime during World War II.
Boichenko said: ‘What the occupiers are doing today is familiar to the older generation, who saw the horrific events of World War II, when the Nazis forcibly captured people. It is hard to imagine that in the 21st century people can be forcibly taken to another country.’
Russian Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev late on Sunday demanded that Ukrainian troops and ‘foreign mercenaries’ in the Black Sea port Mariupol lay down their weapons and surrender in return for letting tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the heavily besieged city leave safely.
Mizintsev said those who laid down their arms and raised white flags would be allowed to leave via ‘humanitarian corridors’. Civilians would then be evacuated afterwards. He gave Ukraine until 5am to respond.
But Mariupol rejected the demands within minutes, with Pyotr Andryushenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol – saying that Russian promises of amnesty could not be trusted and that troops defending the city were determined to fight down to the last man.
Mariupol city hall official Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Sunday that residents of areas under Russian control were being sent to ‘filtration camps’ and that Moscow’s men were ‘checking their phones and seizing their Ukrainian documents’.
US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told CNN the deportation accounts were ‘disturbing’ and ‘unconscionable’ if true but that Washington had not confirmed them.
Thomas-Greenfield added: ‘To force people from Ukraine to go into Russia is abolsutel unacceptable; it’s unconscionable. It’s something we need to confirm, but I don’t put it past the Russians to take such a horrific action.
‘That would be another escalation, but not beyond the realm of possibility given horrible’ Russian pressure on Mariupol has been.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the ‘abduction and deportation’ of Ukrainians from the besieged city of Mariupol, in a move that has been likened to Nazi Germany.
Truss said she was ‘appalled’ by the reports and vowed for Putin to be ‘held to account’ for his treatment of civilians during the invasion.
The Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on Sunday said that 2,973 people have been evacuated from Mariupol since March 5, including 541 over the last 24 hours.
Following Russia’s offer of an amnesty in Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk called on Russia to stop ‘wasting time on eight pages of letters’. She said Moscow should open humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave the city instead of using them as bargaining chips.
Vereshchuk told news outlet Ukrainska Pravda: ‘There can be no talk of any surrender, laying down of arms. We have already informed the Russian side about this.’ Mizintsev warned of a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ that will be faced by all those who remain behind after Moscow’s deadline for surrender elapsed.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has granted the immediate past governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, bail.
Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed this on Monday in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on the sideline of 5th Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIMA).
Bawa, however, said the former governor is yet to perfect his bail conditions and as such, he is still in the custody of the commission.
Chief Obiano, was arrested on Thursday at about 8:30pm by EFCC at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos when he was trying to flee to Houston Texas in United States of America few hours after handing over to professor Chukwuma Soludo.
He was subsequently transferred to the headquarters of the commission, where he was grilled for days over alleged mismanagement of N42bn.
Ukraine has rejected a Russian military ultimatum offering people in the besieged city of Mariupol safe passage out of the port if they surrender by 5a.m Monday, March 21.
Under Russia’s proposal, civilians would be allowed to leave if the city’s soldiers laid down arms.
But Ukraine has refused the ultimatum saying it’s territorial integrity is out of the question and it won’t be surrendering the strategic port city.
Residents of Mariupol have endured weeks of Russian bombardment resulting in no electric power or running water as around 300,000 people are believed to be trapped there with supplies running out and aid blocked from entering.
Details of the Russian proposal to surrender were laid out on Sunday by Gen Mikhail Mizintsev, who said Ukraine had until 05:00 Moscow time (02:00 GMT) on Monday morning to accept its terms.
Under the plans, Russian troops would have opened safe corridors out of Mariupol from 10:00 Moscow time (07:00 GMT), initially for Ukrainian troops and “foreign mercenaries” to disarm and leave the city.
After two hours, Russian forces say they would then have allowed humanitarian convoys with food, medicine and other supplies to enter the city safely.
Russian Gen Mizintsev admitted that a terrible humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding in Mariupol and said the offer would have allowed civilians to flee safely to either the east or west.
Responding to the offer, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine would not stop defending Mariupol.
“There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms,” she was quoted by Ukrainska Pravda as saying.
Also, Pyotr Andryushenko, who is an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, vowed the city’s defenders would fight on.
“We will fight until the last of our soldiers,” he said.
“When they [Russian forces] say about humanitarian corridors, what do they really do? They really force evacuate our people to Russia,” Andryushenko said.
Mariupol is a key strategic target for Russia as it would help create a land corridor between the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, controlled by Russian-backed separatists and Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
According to estimates, 90% of the city’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed in attacks since the war began three weeks ago, and authorities say at least 2,500 people have been killed although the true figure may be higher.
Last week Russian forces destroyed a theatre where more than 1,000 people were sheltering, while an arts school with 400 people inside has also been attacked.
President Volodomyr Zelensky has said the Russian siege amounts to a “war crime”.
“This is a totally deliberate tactic,” he said. “They [Russian forces] have a clear order to do absolutely everything to make the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian cities an ‘argument’ for Ukrainians to cooperate with the occupiers”.
A woman has shared her unusual love story with her followers.
TikTok user Jasmine Grogan was outside a supermarket when she met a homeless man named Macauley Murchie.
She offered him money but he refused.
Jasmine continued with her food shopping but was distracted by the homeless man who wouldn’t take her money.
After he rejected any form of help from Jasmine, Macauley then offered to help her with her shopping bags.
The pair hit it off from there and Jasmime chose to give him a chance.
The couple now have two kids, Jasmine revealed on TikTok.
She shared photos of Macauley before and after they began dating as she explained their chance meeting.
She said: “Met a homeless man one day doing my food shopping. Offered him money but he wouldn’t except (sic) it…
“I went inside, continued to do my shop and couldn’t stop thinking about him. I went outside and asked if I could help him anyway, he said no. He asked if I wanted help putting my shopping into a taxi, I said yes.
“I asked if he wanted me to get him something to eat. He was embarrassed but he said yes and we went for some dinner.
“We had a long talk about his life. I went and bought him a little phone so we could keep in contact, there was something different about him.
“I got him a hotel and I went home. We kept in contact. I couldn’t stop thinking about him.”
Jasmine then shared screenshots of the tex messages they exchanged as they became friends.
Macauley wrote to Jasmine after they met: “You’ve made my day, thank you so much for everything, you are amazing. Can’t stop thinking about you xx.”
She replied: “You don’t have to thank me, I can’t get you out of my mind either.”
Jasmine then asked if she could take him for some lunch.
During their lunch date, Jasmine asked if he wanted to go back to her house and “sort” him some clothes to wear.
Jasmine wrote on TikTok: “I got him some new clothes and told him he could stay the night, but he ended up staying a lot longer than one night. We instantly fell in love. I knew he was the one for me. He was so nice.”
She continued: “We went on multiple dates, eventually he shaved his beard, got new teeth and got a really good job.
“We’ve never been apart since.”
Macauley later proposed to Jasmine and they now have two kids together.
She said: “We are so glad our paths crossed and believe everything happens for a reason, he made my life so much better and I couldn’t imagine doing it without him now.”
Jasmine’s story on TikTok has received over 7 million views and thousands of comments.
Car-free Sundays in cities, working from home up to three days a week, and using cost-efficient public transport… These are just some of the recommendations made by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a 10-point action plan aimed at cutting oil consumption “in the face of the emerging global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
According to IEA estimates, the actions it suggests, should they be implemented, could help reduce oil consumption by 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) within four months, which would be equivalent to more than half of Russia’s exports. It is estimated that the world consumes nearly 100 million bpd.
Among the measures to be enacted immediately, especially by developed nations, are the reduction of speed limits on highways by at least 10km/ph (6mph), and so-called car-free Sundays, with every such day helping to save approximately 380,000 barrels of oil, according to the energy watchdog.
The document goes on to point out that car-free Sundays are nothing new, in fact, as similar measures were introduced in countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, and West Germany at the height of the 1973 oil crisis. Moreover, certain cities have adopted the practice more recently to improve public health, the IEA notes. In addition to the drop in oil consumption per se, car-free Sundays’ positive side effects would include cleaner air, reduced noise pollution, and improved road safety, it adds.
In addition, the IEA recommends that those who can work from home up to three days a week do so. Among the other initiatives it advises governments to consider are cheaper public transport and incentives to buy bicycles.
In its plan, the IEA points out that besides reducing the “price pain being felt by consumers around the world,” the suggested measures could also help “shrink Russia’s hydrocarbon revenues, and help move oil demand towards a more sustainable pathway.” The paper concludes that the reduction of oil consumption is more than just a short-lived push, and, instead, is crucial for tackling climate change.
Following February 24, when Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border, oil prices have shot up to almost $140 per barrel – levels not seen since 2008.
Russian allegedly has a plot to ‘poison’ Vladimir Putin and instil a successor who will restore trade ties with the West, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
According to Ukraine’s Chief Directorate of Intelligence at the war-torn country’s Ministry of Defence, a ‘group of influential’ individuals in Russia have begun plotting to remove the dictator from office.
The Ukrainian intelligence service says that FSB director Oleksandr Bortnikov is the chosen man to replace Putin, leading the agency which the successor to the fearsome KGB.
Putin was the director of the Russian intelligence agency before he took the mantle of President and he and Bortnikov both served in the KGB together in Leningrad.
The insiders are reportedly incensed by the invasion of Ukraine’s effect on the Russian economy which has been hard-hit by sanctions.
The Chief Directorate of Intelligence said: ‘It is known that Bortnikov and some other influential representatives of the Russian elite are considering various options to remove Putin from power.
‘In particular, poisoning, sudden disease, or any other ‘coincidence’ is not excluded.’
Bortnikov has fallen out of favour with Putin after military losses in the first three weeks of the Ukraine war – in which time he has also sacked eight generals.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia has lost an estimated 15,000 troops in Ukraine.
One Ukrainian intelligence source said recently: ‘It is noteworthy that Bortnikov has recently been disgraced by the Russian dictator.
‘The official reason for the disgrace of the FSB leader is the fatal miscalculations in the war against Ukraine.
‘Bortnikov and his department were responsible for analyzing the mood of Ukraine and the ability of the Ukrainian army.’
Bortnikov is believed to have a network of insiders working and living within Ukraine, where he ran a network of agents for many years.
A western source told the Daily Mirror: ‘These rumours and suspicions within the Moscow inner-circle will sow the seeds of paranoia and doubt in the leadership.
There is no doubt that as the Russian elite feel the pinch of sanctions that they will be looking at the future with an eye on what a catastrophe this war is for them – and it’s going to get worse.
‘There is a significant suspicion that a small number of people might actually now try to get rid of the Russian President but whether they will succeed remains to be seen.
‘Certainly, they are being given an awful lot of encouragement by various influential figures in the west and the feeling amongst most people is that enough is enough.
‘Crucially, although Ukraine has suffered immensely from this invasion it has wrong-footed Russia’s military at every step, predicting their military moves and crippling their forces.
‘It is very possible that somebody has been leaking information and given every bit of encouragement to do so- perhaps with an offer of a future in the west or even in Russia itself.’
A fifth Russian general has been killed near the southern city of Kherson, Ukrainian officials have claimed.
In a post on social media, the general staff of Ukraine’s army claimed that the Russian Lieutenant-General Andrei Mordvichev had died when Ukrainian forces hit an airfield in Chornobayivka, near Kherson airport.
The Kremlin has not confirmed Mr. Mordvichev’s death.
“The commander of the 8th military army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation of Lieutenant General Andriy Mordvichev was destroyed as a result of the fire attack on the opponent,” the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine wrote on social media.
They added: “Based on the fact that the enemy has suffered major losses in personnel, it is likely that the Russian military and political leadership will make a decision … to prolong the length of the war.”
Ukrainian officials claimed that Russia “continues to bear significant losses” and that there is “a low level of morale” among their military forces.
Ukraine also said on Saturday morning that their fighter jets and anti-aircraft missile forces had hit “12 enemy air targets: 2 planes, 3 helicopters, 3 UAVs and 4 cruise missiles.”
Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelensky claimed on Thursday that a fourth Russian general had been killed during the fighting.
An adviser to the interior ministry later named him as Major General Oleg Mityaev.
Analysts believe that around 20 generals are leading the Russian operations in Ukraine, the BBC reported.
A person within Mr. Zelensky’s inner circle told the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine had a military intelligence team that was dedicated to taking out high-ranking Russian officers.
“They look for high profile generals, pilots, artillery commanders,” the source said.
A China Eastern passenger jet carrying 132 people has crashed in southwest China and caused a mountain fire with casualties unknown, China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said today.
The Boeing 737 plane crashed in the rural countryside near Wuzhou city, Guangxi region and “caused a mountain fire”, CCTV said, citing the provincial emergency management bureau.
The report added that rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.
The Civil aviation administration said the aircraft lost contact over the city of Wuzhou. It had 123 passengers and nine crew on board. State media said earlier there were 133 people on board.
The China Eastern flight from Kunming to Guangzhou departed at 1.11 pm local time (0511 GMT), Flight Radar24 data showed.
The flight tracking ended at 2.22 pm local time (0622 GMT) an altitude of 3225 feet with a speed of 376 knots.
It had been due to land at 3.05 pm (0705 GMT).
The safety record of China’s airline industry has been among the best in the world over the past decade.
According to Aviation Safety Network, China’s last fatal jet accident was in 2010, when 44 of 96 people on board were killed when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on approach to Yichun airport in low visibility
Thomas Markle is not done dragging his daughter Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry.
The 77-year-old was a guest on GB News last night, March 17.
Thomas, who recently started a YouTube channel to criticize the Duke and Duchess of Sussex berated the couple during his interview with Dan Wootten.
Talking about his daughter and her husband. Thomas Markle Sr. said: “They are living like hermits in a 26-room house, they never have parties, they never have guests, the only guests they have are the million-dollar lawyers and the million-dollar PR team.
“Otherwise, it’s Harry walking his dogs or riding his bicycle. I don’t understand what they’re doing.
“They live alone in a 26-room house they don’t go anywhere and they don’t do anything. I don’t know what Harry does besides walking his dogs and riding his bike.”
When asked by Dan Wootton if he is scared of being sued by Meghan, he said: “Well they can sue me but what are they going to get I don’t have millions of dollars.”
He also slammed Harry and said: “This man abandoned his country and he expects them to treat him like a royal. He shouldn’t be entitled to any of this stuff. And what he has done to the queen is unforgivable.”
Talking about the couple’s choice to not attend the upcoming royal memorial, Thomas slammed Harry, saying: “I think its the cruellest, meanest thing he can do.
“To deny the children from the queen is unforgivable.”
He added: “He’s acting like a child but I have no respect for him at all.”
Despite all of the drama, Thomas said he does still “love” his daughter, although they are constantly wrapped up in public feuds.
Talking about the recent row between his two daughters, Meghan and Samantha Markle, he explained that he loves them both but is willing to take a stand against Meghan in court.
He continued: “I love both of my daughters, I’m not happy with what one of my daughters is going, but I don’t know what caused her to do this.
“But she’s telling lies, she’s telling lies about me and my son. So, I have no problem facing her in court and disputing what she has to say.
“It will be the first time I’ve seen her in four years.”
He added: “I’ve been trying for almost four years to get to see my daughter and her ginger husband in a courtroom face to face.
“I haven’t seen my grandchildren. I’d be thrilled to come to court and talk and defend my oldest daughter.”
Thomas also accused Prince Harry of shutting down his oldest daughter Samantha Markle’s Twitter account.
Twitter suspended Samantha’s account on Monday, March 14.
Her second Twitter account, @TheMarkleSammy, has been banned from the platform three years after her first account, @sammy-markle, was suspended.
Although Twitter has not said why the first account was taken down, it issued a statement saying the second account was suspended “due to ban evasion”.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Thomas Markle told the host that he believes that his son-in-law, Prince Harry, is responsible for his daughter Samantha’s Twitter account getting shut down.
After making the allegation live on air, he added: “If he’s shutting down everyone going after Meghan there won’t be any Twitter left.”
Dan asked: “So you think Harry has made a direct complaint about Samantha’s Twitter account?”
Thomas answered: “Yes, that’s the understanding. He knows the person who runs Twitter.”
Thomas Markle also suggested to Harry and Meghan how they can do some good in the world. He accused them of not doing enough good with their charity.
He said during the live TV interview: “Harry and Megan should get their chequebooks out and send it to Ukraine and help some of these people.”
He added: “They have a charity, they should start using it, start spending that money. No one seems to know what they are doing with it.”
He revealed that he will continue to do more YouTube videos then raised a mug to reveal to the host that he is having tea like the English.
“I wanted you to see I’m having tea today,” Thomas told the host as he raised his mug.
Dan then told Thomas that he is “so English”.
Thomas responded: “I’m with the Queen”.
Watch short clips from the interview below.
'They can sue me but what are they gonna get?'
Meghan Markle's father Thomas responds after Dan Wootton asks if he is worried about being sued by Harry and Meghan over his new YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/wd259tAv1R
Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been dismissed.
FIFA said the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed the Russian soccer federation’s bid for an urgent interim ruling to freeze the ban pending a full appeal.
The CAS decision means Russia will not be able to play Poland in World Cup qualifying on Thursday and almost certainly means Russia cannot feature at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
They had been in a four-team play-off path also featuring Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic with the semi-finals and final being played later this month.
Poland, who had originally been due to play Russia in a play-off semi-final, have been granted a bye to the final where they will face either Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29.
The ruling follows a similar CAS refusal on Tuesday to freeze UEFA’s ban on Russian national and club teams in European soccer.
Russian athletes have been banned from competing in multiple sports because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian athletes have also been banned because their country has been an ally of Russia.
FIFA was initially pilloried for its response to Russia’s invasion, announcing a set of ‘interim measures’ that would allow Russia to continue competing, but at neutral venues and without their nation’s flag or anthem.
However, opposition to the measures gathered significant momentum, and Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic sent a joint letter to FIFA at the end of last month saying they would refuse to face Russia in the play-offs.
Just one day later, FIFA and UEFA ruled jointly on February 28 that all teams and clubs from the country could not take part in their competitions.
The move meant Russia would not be allowed to fulfil their qualifier against Poland and effectively ended their chance of participating in the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Bianca and Ebele made news on Thursday, March 17, when they had a scuffle during the inauguration of Charles Soludo as the new governor of Anambra state. In a viral video, Bianca gave Ebele a slap after the latter left her seat to insult her. Mrs. Obiano who was left ruffled after her scuffle with Bianca was also filmed on camera calling Bianca ”Ashawo”.
In an interview with Arise TV, Bianca who is the wife of late Odumegwu Ojukwu, said Ebele was noticeably absent as the inauguration ceremony started. Bianca said Ebele then arrived an hour later.
”I didn’t pay any attention to her arrival. Surprisingly, she then walked towards me and I thought she was coming to greet me. Instead she verbally attacked me with her voice raised, taunting me and asking me what I was there to do, using unprintable, vile language.
She asked if I had come to celebrate their last day in office but I ignored her completely. Then she kept on aggressively putting her hand on my shoulders and shouting.
While I ignored her verbal onslaught as advised by people sitting around me, I requested twice that she refrains from touching me with her hands. She proceeded to do so yet again and tried to touch my head and remove my headtie. It was at this point I stood up to defend myself and gave her a dirty slap to stop her from attacking me. As she made towards me, I den pulled away her wig, she then held on to her wig with her two hands and tried to take the wig away from me.
The former APGA chairman, Umeh, told her to leave me and told everyone to leave. I was stunned by the stench of whisky in her breath at such an early hour of the day.
How could the first lady be so drunk at that time? I stayed back to watch the ceremony till the end and left with my dignity intact”.
Investors in Chinmark Group have called for the immediate arrest of the founder, Marksman Chinedu Ijiomah, the brand ambassador Amanda Chisom who influenced and lured a huge number of investors into the scheme and other principal officers of the failed investment firm.
Since December 2021, the company has been unable to pay a Return On Investment, ROI, to their large number of investors, prompting calls for the arrest of the operators.
According to financial experts, investors stand to lose over N10 billion in the purported investment, which they describe as a ponzi scheme.
Besides that, Ijiomah is alleged to have restructured ownership of physical assets belonging to the company, removing both his name and that of his wife as directors.
For example, a CAC check of Chinmark’s group firms revealed that Mr Ijiomah had changed the name of the hotel in Enugu from Chinmark Suites to Bridge Suites.
He removed his name and his wife’s from the hotel’s board of directors and replaced them with different persons.
According to a lawyer, Collins Ogonnaya Arikor, because of the restructuring, investors will be unable to attach the hotel in order to recover their investment if they do not receive payment because the current fact presupposes that Marksman Ijiomah does not own the hotel.
“So while people are busy thinking there is an asset on ground – the hotel, there’s basically nothing.
“The other companies – i.e. the mall, logistics, food, real estate etc – are merely existing on paper. What we call “shell companies” in law. There are no verifiable businesses that can be linked to the companies. There are no assets linked to the companies,” Arikor said.
On FinAfrica, the company peddled as the investment arm of their group, the lawyer explained that the object of the company, as registered by the CAC, is “general merchandise”.
He added, “There is absolutely nothing remotely like investment in the business of FinAfrica. In any event, the company’s accounts are allegedly frozen by the law enforcement agencies, so how and where will the money to repay investors come from?
“Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. Honestly. If this isn’t a premeditated, calculated plan to defraud people of their hard-earned monies then I don’t know what else to call it.”
On 25 December 2021, the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, warned Nigerians against investing in FinAfrica.
The government regulatory agency in a statement said, “The attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria (“SEC”) has been drawn to the activities of an Illegal Operator (FINAFRICA INVESTMENT LIMITED).
“The Company claimed to be an Investment Company that engages in Business Development in Commercial sectors of the economy and uses the funds in entities under Chinmark Group.
“The Commission hereby notifies the investing public that neither FINAFRICA INVESTMENT LIMITED nor Chimark Group is registered by the SEC and the Investment Scheme promoted by these entities are also not authorized by the SEC.
“In view of the above, the general public is hereby WARNED that any person dealing with the within named Company in any capital market-related business is doing so at his/her own risk”.
According to reports, the Red King as he is fondly called who has a Vanuatu passport has quietly relocated to Dubai.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano.
The wife of the former Governor, Ebelechukwu Obiano was also released by the anti-graft agency.
This is coming after the EFCC arrested Obiano and his wife in Lagos State shortly after he handed over power to Prof. Charles Soludo as the new governor of Anambra.
Obiano was nabbed along with his wife at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, while trying to escape to Houston, Texas in the United States of America (USA).
But they have been released by the anti-graft agency after they were intercepted at the airport.
Meanwhile, details of why Obiano and his wife were arrested in the first place were still sketchy at the time of filing this report.
However, the EFCC had said the former Anambra State Governor had been on their watchlist prior to Thursday’s hand over of power to Soludo.
It is not yet clear if Obiano and his wife would still be allowed to proceed out of the country following their release by the EFCC.
Captured Russian soldiers have warned President Vladimir Putin ‘we’ll rise against you’ after they were made to carry out ‘terror attacks’ in Ukraine.
Moscow’s troops labelled the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9 an act of ‘perverse neo-Nazism’.
Three air force pilots, speaking to CNN, warned the Russian strongman ‘you will not hide this for long’ because ‘many’ troops share the same feelings and ‘sooner or later, we will come home’.
They laid the blame at the feet of Russian commanders for ‘horrifying’ crimes against ‘peaceful Ukrainian civilians’ – and warned ‘you cannot forgive such things’.
‘I don’t know, what can justify, f***, the tears of a child, or even worse, the deaths of innocent people, children,’ Russian fighter pilot Maxim said.
‘It’s not just about demilitarizing Ukraine or the defeat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but now cities of peaceful civilians are being destroyed.’
The claims echo statements made by several Russian soldiers following their capture at the hands of Ukrainian forces and observers have raised concerns the servicemen are being pressured to denounce Moscow.
But CNN reported the three pilots appeared not to be speaking under duress, that they were not wearing handcuffs and that Ukrainian officials made no effort to direct the topic of the interview.
It comes after Russia on March 9 bombed a maternity hospital in Mariupol killing four people, including a pregnant woman whose baby also died days after the attack.
One of Russia’s top paratroop commanders has been killed in Ukraine in the latest blow to President Vladimir Putin.
The death of Colonel Sergei Sukharev, of the 331st Guards Parachute Assault Regiment from Kostroma, was confirmed by state TV in Moscow.
Earlier his “liquidation” had been claimed by Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security.
“Commander of the Kostroma Airborne Regiment, Colonel Sergei Sukharev…got lost in the ‘[military] exercises’, but returned home the right way,” said the Ukrainian statement.
His deputy Major Sergei Krylov was killed alongside him, said the report.
They were among a number slain from the Kostroma regiment, seen as among Russia’s most elite fighting forces.
Russia acknowledged that senior sergeant Sergei Lebedev, sergeant Alexander Limonov and corporal Yuri Degtyaryov were also killed.
Sukharev was seen on Russian TV in January when he led his troops back from Kazakhstan where they had been sent following a wave of protests.
Russia described their mission as “peacekeeping” and Sukharev said his forces protected a vital power plant in Almaty.
Also killed in the latest Ukrainian fighting was military intelligence officer Sergey Vishnyakov, of the GRU’s 22nd Separate Special Forces Brigade. He is believed to have been killed fighting near Mariupol in a Grad attack by Ukraine’s Azov battalion.
Commercial sex workers in Tana River County, Kenya, have elected to digitize their business by forming WhatsApp groups led by various veterans in the trade.
According to Nairobi News, the sex workers said they are yet to recover from the effects of Covid-19 despite the lifting of regulations by the government, thus forcing them to look for other means of sustaining their trade.
Anne Makau,47, has been in the business for 19 years and currently chairs the group on various platforms.
“Covid-19 showed us hell, some of us abandoned the business and went back upcountry, some wrecked homes and stole husbands to survive that hard time,” she explains.
Amid the tough times, Ms. Makau, a mother of two, says that she had to think outside the box to survive as the trade suffered heavy punches from Covid-19.
The community had started to rebel against the trade and those known to be commercial sex workers became a target to harm by society.
“We lost two girls in Garsen and Bura towns, they were beaten by unknown people and later succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment in Malindi and Mombasa respectively,” she adds.
Ms Makau notes that they were forced into forming a group of the veterans where they deliberated on other means to survive as the streets were proving insecure for the girls.
Each was tasked to call for a meeting with the girls and brainstorm on the idea of leaving the streets to meet clients online.
“Most of the clients know us and contact us for the girls, we know the girls better, we know those that are ailing and are in our counsel and care, therefore if someone comes without consulting, they have themselves to blame, these streets are not all safe,” she says.
The team came up with a WhatsApp group in December, where all girls are members at a fee of Sh500 and a monthly contribution of Sh300 that goes into savings for other expenses.
According to Ms Makau, clients contact the leaders who then assign the girls to the client, to serve at home or provide company in hotels.
The client is also informed of the varying cost for services among other requirements.
“Some clients don’t want to use protection, in that case, we provide our ladies with test kits that have been made available to us for free by various organizations interested in our welfare,” she says.
Whereas some clients may prefer one partner, Ms Makau notes that sometimes the client is provided with other options to strike a balance in the trade and ensure everyone takes something home.
This has rendered the streets empty, as the ladies of the night don’t have to pause in the cold nights for clients.
“It is safer for us, I don’t get to engage anyone in the streets as we fight for a client, sometimes the clients may want you at day,” says Caroline Litei.
According to Ms Litei, the trade is better compared to times before Covid-19 as nobody knows what she does for a living.
The current model of business has created a safe room for all commercial sex workers, a family as well as drawn a better growth path.
“From the Sh300 we contribute that goes to the Sacco as a lump sum, we can borrow money to start a business, we all want to leave this trade one day and settle in families like the rest of us,” she added.
Vladimir Putin, Russian president is increasingly worried and fears that someone in his inner circle will poison him, a new report reveals.
According to Daily Beast contributing editor Craig Copetas, Putin has people taste his meals before he eats it, and he fired his whole personal staff of 1,000 people last month.
He then replaced them immediately.
“Laundresses, secretaries, cooks — to a whole new group of people. The assessment from the intelligence community is that he’s scared,” Copetas said.
According to Copetas, poison is the preferred method of assassination in Russia.
Putin’s killer squad in 2006, were suspected to have poisoned a pot of tea with radioactive poison, killing outspoken critic Alexander Litvinenko.
In 2018, police allege Putin’s thugs poured lethal poison on former spy Sergei Skripal’s home door. He and his daughter escaped death by a hair’s breadth.
Putin also allegedly ordered the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He survived, but is now languishing in a Russian jail.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former of Anambra state, Willie Obiano At Lagos Airport on Thursday evening.
Obiano who handed over to Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the morning is currently at the custody of EFCC in Lagos .
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has explained why it arrested the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano.
Recall that hours after Obiano’s wife, Ebelechukwu was spotted at the airport, news of the former Anambra Governor’s arrest after he handed over to Charles Soludo, made headlines.
Speaking with BBC Pidgin, the Public Relations Officer of the commission, Wilson Uwajaren confirmed the arrest.
Uwajuren said Obiano has been on the watchlist of the EFCC prior to the transition on Thursday March 17.
He said;
“Obiano has been on our watchlist for sometime now. He had immunity as a governor and that is why we could not arrest him before now.
“Today he lost the immunity and was traveling out of the country before we finally arrested him”.
Russian soldiers are reportedly shooting themselves in the legs to avoid fighting in Ukraine.
Troops look for Ukrainian ammunition to use so they can go to the hospital without it looking like a self-inflicted wound, local media claims.
It follows a collapse in morale among Putin’s forces after they were forced to kill peaceful civilians.
In one conversation between soldiers intercepted by Belarusian media source NEXTA, a Russian said: “They’ve been shooting at us for 14 days. We’re scared. We’re stealing food, breaking into houses. We’re killing civilians.
“Russian officers shoot themselves in the legs to go home. There are corpses everywhere.”
Another said troops are “looking for Ukrainian ammunition in order to shoot themselves in the legs and go to hospital”.
It comes after furious soldiers warned they will rise up against Vladimir Putin.
His troops branded one particular airstrike on a maternity hospital “the most perverse f***ing form of neo-Nazism”.
And soldiers have since warned their warmongering leader he “won’t hide this for long”, adding “we all will be judged”.
One reconnaissance officer, Vladimir, told an international media briefing this week: “I want to tell our commander-in-chief to stop terror acts in Ukraine because when we come back we’ll rise against him.”
Another officer at the same event told Putin: “You won’t hide this for long. There are many like us here. Sooner or later, we’ll come home.”
One Russian fighter pilot, Maxim, became emotional while speaking about the suffering civilians have had to endure since his country’s invasion.
He told CNN: “I don’t know, what can justify, f***, the tears of a child, or even worse, the deaths of innocent people, children.”
The soldiers laid the blame at the feet of Russian commanders for “horrifying” crimes against “peaceful Ukrainian civilians” – and warned “you cannot forgive such things”.
And CNN reported another soldier saying: “Russian President Vladimir Putin has given orders to commit crimes.
“It’s not just to demilitarize Ukraine or defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but now cities of peaceful civilians are being destroyed.
“The crimes that we committed; we all will be judged.”
Russian President, Vladimir Putin has reportedly fired one of its top generals as the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues to suffer major losses.
General Roman Gavrilov, 45, the deputy chief of Vladimir Putin’s Rosgvardia force – or National Guard – was detained amid claims he had ‘leaked information’ and ‘squandered’ much-needed fuel.
News of his arrest by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) was reported by three trusted sources, according to investigative news website Bellingcat.
But the real reason for his alleged sacking remains unclear – while a Russian official has since denied he was let go.
One source said he was fired over alleged leaks of military intel which ‘led to loss of life’, while two others said he was cuffed for ‘wasteful squandering of fuel.’
Gavrilov became deputy chief of the National Guard last June, according to the unit’s website, after serving 10 years in the country’s Federal Guard Service. But since entering Ukraine, his Rosgvardia force has suffered significant losses of life in the face of Ukrainian resolve.
According to ura.ru, Russian State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein denied that Gavrilov was arrested, writing on Telegram: ‘Absolutely fake. I just talked to General Gavrilov myself.’
Last week Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s security council, said ‘around eight’ Russian commanders had been fired since the start of the conflict as Moscow scrambled to change strategy after its attempted ‘shock and awe’ blitz fell flat.
Putin was also said to be infuriated with commanders of the FSB security service – which he used to run – for handing him intelligence suggesting that Ukraine was weak, riddled with neo-Nazi groups, and would give up easily if attacked.
Philip Ingram, a security expert, and former senior British intelligence officer, told The Times that Putin was obviously ‘very angry’ and was blaming his intelligence agencies.
‘He blames them for seeding him the advice that led to the poor decision-making in Ukraine,’ he said.
That poor decision-making has led to Russia suffering much higher casualties than it expected in its attack.
A woman visited the hospital, thinking she had a minor urinary tract infection (UTI), but it was discovered that she had a tumbler stuck in her bladder.
The woman, a 45-year-old Tunisian, had been complaining about always needing the toilet.
At the hospital, a scan revealed that she had an 8cm-wide bladder stone inside her.
But it was the contents of the stone that baffled doctors at the Habib Bourguiba University Hospital in the eastern city of Sfax.
Inside the bladder stone, doctors found a small drinking glass, which had apparently been put up there a few years ago for “sexual pleasure”.
Her urine had shown a red blood cell range of 23-25, when the normal human will only show four or less, a report states.
The object was removed via open surgery, and she was discharged two days later. She is now thought to be fully recovered
Doctors who dealt with the bizarre case in Tunisia said that it could have been put inside the woman during sexual abuse, but have not provided evidence from the patient to support the claim.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned one Judith Nneka Nwagwu, an employee of the United Bank for Africa, before Justice D.A. Onyefulu of the Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha.
The banker was arraigned on seven counts bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretences about N452 million.
In a statement released by the commission, Nwagwu fraudulently obtained N192,000,000 (One Hundred and Ninety Million Naira) from a complainant whom she was his account officer, on the pretext that the bank had $400,000 for sale at the rate of N480 per dollar.
Her employers also petitioned the commission, alleging that the defendant forged two fixed deposit certificates and fraudulently obtained the total sum of N260,047,000 (Two Hundred and Sixty Million, Forty-Seven Thousand Naira) from a customer under the guise of fixing the money for him.
Count 6 of the charge reads, “That you Judith Nneka Nwagwu, while being an employee of the United Bank of Africa Plc Onitsha Branch, sometime in 2021 within the jurisdiction of this court did make a false document titled ‘Malaexchio Global Limited with the value of N141,347,289,25 knowing same to be false and with the intent that it may be acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of Anthony Unigwe and United Bank For Africa Plc and you committed an offence contrary to Section 436 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 36, Anambra and punishable under Section 444(3)(h) of the same law.”
She pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to her prompting the prosecution counsel, Michal Ani, to ask for a date for the commencement of trial.
Justice Onyefulu granted her bail in the sum of N10 million with a surety in like sum. The surety must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.
The judge adjourned the matter till May 11, 26 and June 8, 2022, for trial.
The new evidence was brought to the United States District Court of California on March 16th, 2022, indicting him of fraud and money laundering at a U.S. Federal penitentiary institution.
According to documents, the Instagram celebrity while in U.S Federal correctional facility, engaged in the acquisition of Economic Impact Payment debit cards obtained unlawfully from stolen data of US individuals and residents.
The US CARES Act government provides financial assistance to U.S. citizens who relocate abroad. Debit cards are a method of receiving Economic Impact Payments for qualifying US residents.
To file for and get Economic Impact Payments debit cards, hackers used data from documents produced in court. These EIP cards are sold to other cyber criminals in underground marketplaces.
United States authorities said that although prisoners have limited access to telephone, video, internet and computer use because of their right to privacy in a court filing. Like the rest of the detainees, Hushpuppi was granted access to the computer network as well.
However, between January 28 and March 4, 2022, security authorities at a federal prison in the United States noticed that Hushpuppi was using the internet more often.
They secured an order to record Hushpuppi’s actions after learning that he had been detained for internet-related offences and that the warrant would be used against him. His activities were tracked over the course of seven days on a system built up just for him.
An underground cyber criminal marketplace was discovered to be selling EIP debit cards to Hushpuppi. A total of 58 EIP debit cards, worth $429,800, were purchased on the site by Hushpuppi while he was being filmed and laundered the money through one AJ.
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Nigerian born notorious internet fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, aka Hushpuppi has been allegedly fingered in another $400,000 fraud while in U.S jail.
The new evidence was brought to the United States District Court of California on March 16th, 2022, indicting him of fraud and money laundering at a U.S. Federal penitentiary institution.
According to documents, the Instagram celebrity while in U.S Federal correctional facility, engaged in the acquisition of Economic Impact Payment debit cards obtained unlawfully from stolen data of US individuals and residents.
The US CARES Act government provides financial assistance to U.S. citizens who relocate abroad. Debit cards are a method of receiving Economic Impact Payments for qualifying US residents.
To file for and get Economic Impact Payments debit cards, hackers used data from documents produced in court. These EIP cards are sold to other cyber criminals in underground marketplaces.
United States authorities said that although prisoners have limited access to telephone, video, internet and computer use because of their right to privacy in a court filing. Like the rest of the detainees, Hushpuppi was granted access to the computer network as well.
However, between January 28 and March 4, 2022, security authorities at a federal prison in the United States noticed that Hushpuppi was using the internet more often.
They secured an order to record Hushpuppi’s actions after learning that he had been detained for internet-related offences and that the warrant would be used against him. His activities were tracked over the course of seven days on a system built up just for him.
An underground cyber criminal marketplace was discovered to be selling EIP debit cards to Hushpuppi. A total of 58 EIP debit cards, worth $429,800, were purchased on the site by Hushpuppi while he was being filmed and laundered the money through one AJ.
In a move likely to escalate diplomatic tensions even further, the US President Joe Biden has labelled Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” .
Biden delivered the off the script remark on Wednesday, March 16 in response to a reporter’s question at the White House, making it the first time he has used such language to condemn President Putin.
Russia has targeted civilian apartments, care homes and even hospitals during it’s three week war with Ukraine, inflicting deaths on the young, elderly and even new borns, leading many to allege he’s commited war crimes, but US officials have been wary of calling him a ‘war criminal’ yet.
The exchange in Washington happened Wednesday when a reporter asked the US president: “Mr President, after everything we have seen, are you ready to call Putin a war criminal?”
Biden replied “no” before being challenged, and then changed his reply: “Did you ask me whether I would tell ….? Oh, I think he is a war criminal.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki later said the president had been speaking from his heart after seeing “barbaric” images of the violence in Ukraine, rather than making any official declaration.
She noted that there was a separate legal process, run by the State Department, to determine war crimes – and that was ongoing separately.
The president’s official Twitter account posted: “Putin is inflicting appalling devastation and horror on Ukraine – bombing apartment buildings and maternity wards… these are atrocities. It is an outrage to the world.”
Responding to Biden’s statement, thr Kremlin, said it was “unforgiveable rhetoric”.
“We believe such rhetoric to be unacceptable and unforgivable on the part of the head of a state, whose bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency Tass.
Also on Wednesday, Putin gave a televised speech laced with rhetoric against the West.
He accused the West of trying to divide Russia with lies, and railed against those he called “traitors” inside of Russia.
“Of course they will try to bet on the so-called fifth column, on traitors – on those who earn their money here, but live over there. Live, not in the geographical sense, but in the sense of their thoughts, their slavish thinking,” Putin said.
The term “fifth column” is used for a group that try to undermine a nation or organisation from the inside.
“Any people, and especially the Russian people, will always be able to distinguish the true patriots from the scum and the traitors, and just to spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths,” he said.
Putin then accused the West of trying to provoke civil conflict with the goal of “the destruction of Russia”.
Manchester United and France star, Paul Pogba has revealed his house was burgled while his two children were sleeping in their bedroom as he played in the Champions League on Tuesday night, March 15.
The World Cup winner took to social media on Wednesday to reveal he and his wife Zulay Pogba’s ‘worst nightmare’ have been realised, after they were robbed.
He has also offered a reward to anyone who can help him with information that will lead to the arrest of the culprits.
Pogba wrote on social media: ‘Last night our family’s worst nightmare was realized when our home was broken into and burglarized while our babies were sleeping in their bedroom.
‘The burglars were in our home for less than five minutes but in that time they took from us something more valuable than anything we had in our home… our sense of safety and security.
‘This occurred during the final minutes of last night’s match when they knew that we would not be home. My wife and I rushed home not knowing if our children were safe and unharmed.
‘As a father there is no feeling worse in this world than not being there to protect your children and I sincerely hope that no one ever has to feel what I felt last night.
‘It is for this reason that I would like to offer a reward for anyone who has a clue to help us. Please send any info to [email protected].’
Pogba came off the bench for United in their 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid, with the incident at his home taking place towards the end of the game.
He and his wife then rushed back to their house, the player said.
Pogba’s incident comes just few months after team-mate Victor Lindelof suffered a break-in at his own home.
The United Nations’ highest court called on Russia to immediately halt its invasion of Ukraine, in a preliminary decision that is binding but may be difficult to enforce.
The preliminary decision read by Joan Donoghue, President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), was unambiguous.
“The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on February 24, 2022, in the territory of Ukraine.” she said
She also addressed the widening humanitarian fallout of the war.
“The Court is acutely aware of the extent of the human tragedy that is taking place in Ukraine and is deeply concerned about the continuing loss of life and human suffering. The Court is profoundly concerned about the use of force by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which raises very serious issues of international law,” Donoghue said.
The ICJ judges voted 13-2 in favor of the ruling. The two opposing judges hail from Russia and China.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the ICJ’s decision in a tweet, saying it amounted to what he called a “complete victory” for Ukraine in its case against Russia. He warned that ignoring the court’s order would isolate Russia even further.
Kyiv filed its case to the ICJ days after Russia’s invasion last month, challenging Russia’s claim they aimed to halt a genocide of pro-Russian separatists there.
Russian representatives did not attend the court’s opening hearing last week. But Moscow argued the ICJ should not impose any measures and had no jurisdiction.
The ICJ’s own ruling on both its jurisdiction and the merits of the case itself could take months, or years
Kanye West has been suspended from Instagram for 24 hours after attacking his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson and Trevor Noah on the social media platform.
The rapper accused of violating the company’s policies on hate speech and bullying and harassment, will be unable to post, comment or send DMs for 24 hours.
After repeatedly taking aim at ex-wife Kardashian, 41, and her boyfriend, Davidson, 28, in the last few weeks, West most recently lobbed a racial slur at Noah, 38, on Wednesday March 16.
He directed a racial slur at Trevor Noah after the host of “The Daily Show” called him out for “harassing” Kim Kardashian amid their divorce.
Addressing the ongoing drama between West and Kardashian and her new boyfriend Pete Davidson on his Comedy Central show Tuesday night, Noah at one point called West “belligerent.”
Noah compared the situation to his own experience of witnessing abuse. He recalled the time people thought his mother, Patricia, was “overreacting” before being shot in the head by his stepfather. Patricia miraculously survived the attempted murder.
He said;
“What [Kardashian is] going through is terrifying to watch, and it shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave.
“What we’re seeing is one of the most powerful, one of the richest women in the world, unable to get her ex to stop texting her, to stop chasing after her, to stop harassing her.
“As a society, we have to ask ourselves questions. Do we wish to stand by and watch a car crash when we thought we saw it coming?”
Throughout the show, Noah reflected on West’s continuous social media tirades, in which he’s been bashing the Skims founder and making claims that she is keeping him from seeing their four children: North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2.
Reacting to this, West shared a screenshot from a Google search result, describing Noah as a “South African comedian”. He also captioned the post “All in together now… K–n baya my lord k–n baya K–n baya my lord K–n baya Oooo’ lord K–n baya.”
West, 44, was mocking Noah, 38, by using the offensive “k–n” slur to replace the original lyrics in “Kumbaya.” The post was taken down by Instagram.
The social media giant also said should West continue to violate the policies, the company will take additional steps.
West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, has been targeting Kardashian and her boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson, and exposing details about their personal affairs to his millions of followers. Earlier this month, he released a new music video that appeared to depict a claymation version of West decapitating Davidson and burying him alive.
The mayor of Ukraine’s southern city of Melitopol has been released, days after Kyiv said he was abducted by invading Russian forces.
In a phone call shared by the Ukrainian government, Ivan Fedorov thanked the president for not ‘abandoning’ him and said he will be ready to serve again after ‘one or two days to recover’.
Before his release, Fedorov was seen in chilling CCTV footage with a plastic bag placed over his head as he was escorted out of a building and across Melitopol’s Victory Square by 10 armed men on last Friday.
Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky called for help from Germany and France to secure Fedorov’s release and the kidnap was also condemned by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a post on Twitter.
According to the Ukrainian president and parliament, mayor Ivan Fedorov was abducted because he ‘refused to cooperate with the enemy’.
On Wednesday a video posted on Telegram showed President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking to him on the phone and telling him he was ‘happy to hear the voice of a man alive’.
President Volodymyr Zelensky phones freed mayor of Melitopol.
Fedorov replies he is ‘much better’.
‘Thank you for not abandoning me. I will need one or two days to recover and then I will be at your disposal to contribute to our victory,’ he says.
In response, President Zelensky reportedly said: ‘We don’t abandon our own.’
Dasha Zarivna, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian presidency, said on Ukrainian television late Wednesday that Federov was swapped for nine captured Russian soldiers, aged 20 and 21.
‘These are basically children, conscripts, who according to the Russian defence ministry are not present in Ukraine,’ Zarivna said.
‘But the whole world sees again that they are there.’
The parliament said the mayor was seized while at the city’s crisis centre dealing with supply issues.
It was mild drama on Thursday during the inauguration of Prof Charles Soludo as Governor when Willie Obiano’s wife Ebelechukwu and Bianca Ojukwu engaged in a fight.
The fight started when Obiano’s wife confronted Bianca, accusing her of not wanting the husband to be Governor while calling her a bitch.
Drama ensued on Thursday at the inauguration of Prof Chukwuma Soludo as the governor of Anambra when the wife of outgoing governor Willie Obiano, Ebelechukwu, slapped Mrs Bianca Ojukwu at the event.
— ONYEDIKACHUKWU ANAMBRA. (@OnyedikaAnambra) March 17, 2022
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who was at the scene of the event reports that the incident occurred immediately after Soludo took his oath of office.
NAN reports that dignitaries including Ex-Gov Obiano were already seated when Mrs Obiano stepped in and moved to the front row where the widow of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu was seated and slapped her.
The action drew the attention of security agents and some personalities who pulled Mrs Obiano off the hold of Bianca who was visibly shocked at the action.
Mrs Obiano was later taken away and shortly afterwards, her husband left the venue since the incident happened after the new governor had been sworn in.
In retaliation, Mrs Ojukwu stood up and slapped her leading to a fight.
CIA paramilitary units reportedly trained Ukrainian counterparts to use anti-tank missiles, evade digital tracking, and use covert communication tools in a program near eastern frontlines – despite previously denying they existed, Yahoo News reports.
Former intelligence officials claim the mission, launched in 2015, was aimed at preparing Ukrainian special forces to withstand Russian military pressure and assessing their “backbone” for fighting.
White House officials are allegedly worried any operatives found by Russian forces will effectively blow open their secret mission
Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend, Pete Davidson will be going to space on billionaire, Jeff Bezos’ spacecraft.
The “Saturday Night Live” star will be among the six passengers on the next launch of Bezo’s space travel company, Blue Origin. The company on Monday, March 14 announced the flight scheduled for March 23.
Blue Origin flights give passengers a few minutes of weightlessness above the Earth’s surface before the capsule parachutes and lands in the West Texas desert. The company has not disclosed the ticket price for paying customers.
The launch means Davidson will be the third celebrity on a Blue Origin flight. William Shatner was on a flight in October, blasting off from West Texas and reaching a height of roughly 66 miles above Earth on the 10-minute flight.
While former NFL great and “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan flew on Blue Origin’s second passenger flight in December, joining astronaut Alan Shepard’s daughter on the journey. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, flew on the company’s first passenger flight last July.
The flight announcement comes a month after Pete and Kim drove to Bezos’ LA mansion to have dinner.
Apart from Pete, other passengers on next week’s flight are CEO and investor Marty Allen; Sharon and Marc Hagle; teacher and entrepreneur Jim Kitchen and George Nield, a former NASA manager who has worked to promote commercial spaceflight.
Marc Hagle is CEO of the commercial and residential property company Tricor International. His wife, Sharon Hagle, founded SpaceKids Global, a nonprofit aimed at inspiring children about spaceflight.
Russia has officially informed the Council of Europe of its withdrawal from the organization. As Deputy Speaker of the Russian Duma Pyotr Tolstoy announced on Tuesday, a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov has been handed over to the Secretary General of the organization.
“All responsibility for breaking off the dialogue with the Council of Europe lies with the NATO countries, which all this time have been using the topic of human rights for fulfilling their own geopolitical interests and for attacks on our country,” Tolstoy said.
He added that “due to the unprecedented sanctions and political pressure,” Russia is not going to pay the annual fee to the Council of Europe.
Stressing that Russia is leaving the organization “of its own free will,” Tolstoy explained that this “balanced and considered decision” had been taken “in the midst of yet another anti-Russian discussion in PACE,” which, in his words, might result in “another deceitful Russophobic resolution based on the peculations which have nothing to do with reality.”
Head of the Duma’s Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky, in his turn, made it clear that, leaving the Council of Europe, Russia will “be forced to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights.
Writing on Telegram, Slutsky said that the human rights in the Russian Federation would be guaranteed “by all means and unconditionally.”
The same idea has been reiterated by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to its statement, human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Russian Constitution are not inferior to the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Implementation of the judgements by the European Court of Human Rights, which had been adopted in the past, will continue, the foreign ministry stressed, unless they contradict the country’s constitution. Russia also remains a signatory of the key international human rights treaties.
Russia announced its intention to leave the Council of Europe on March 10, following its suspension from the organization over the military offensive in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry said back then that Moscow would not tolerate “the subversive actions of the collective West,” allegedly seeking “to substitute international law, which the US and its satellites have trampled on, with a ‘rules-based order.”
All these universities were built from TITHES and OFFERINGS of the common people who now can’t afford to send their children to these schools today.
Who is actually robbing God?
Where is the morals and responsibilities of the churches as charity in Nigeria?
What is the difference between church and political leadership in Nigeria?
These schools were all built with the sweats of their church members who kept sowing seeds like:
special offering seeds
first fruit seed,
redemption seed,
thanksgiving seed
harvest seed,
tithes,
pastor’s seed,
church building seed,
evangelism seed,
father’s day seed,
mother’s day seed,
children’ day seed,
Pastor’s cake seed,
olive oil seed, etc.
These schools are now elite schools, only for the rich politician children.
The gainers then use the profits to buy private planes and jets to fly up high in luxury, ride exotic cars and live in expensive mansions, while their members, who are mostly the least of Jesus people, sleep hungry.
The next Sunday, they will read Malachi 3:6-12 to these members again without making reference to Deuteronomy 14:22-29 about their own responsibility to these poor members in their churches.
If you think this is unfair, like me, please pass on this message because this is reality and we also need the CHANGE here!
Thank God for early missionaries who built schools and gave basic education free or near free to many of us including the current leadership of these churches and universities.
The truth is a bitter pill to swallow.
Ask those who saw the revival of 1930s,1970s and 1980s.
They will tell you why we are crying over this “fire less ness” we are seeing in our generation of believers.
John Knox prayed: “Lord, Give me Scotland or I die.”
St Patrick, a rugged believer that brought even dead animals and trees back to life prayed: “God, Give me souls or give me nothing else.”
Brethren during the Hebrides revival prayed: “Lord, If you will not use us, please, kill us.”
The brethren from England who brought the Fire from Azusa Street revival gathered everyday under the terrible cold.
Their only prayer topic was: “Lord, give us men that will spread Your Fire in the streets of England”.
During the Indonesia Revival, those hungry hearts were seen praying day and night: “Lord, The harvest is ripe… If it pleases You, please use us”.
One prayer that was common during the days of William Seymour was: “Lord, this is another day that hell must lose men and women. Please, we are here use us”.
Paul said: beWoe is me if I preach not the gospel” Rachel said to her husband, Jacob: “Give me children or I die” But unfortunately, our churches are filled today with people who are not ashamed of spiritual barrenness. We are asking “God give me money. God give me spouse. God give me visa”. Where do we see believers again that will be praying and fasting, and when you listen to them, you will be hearing:” Lord, let Your Fire fall in my community and let their be revival”? When Paul encountered Christ, he fell and rose. What He asked was:” Lord, what will You have me do”. But today, when we fall under anointing, we stand to start expecting marriage proposals and visas and employment letters. This generation of members in our churches have not had a genuine encounter with the Man of Calvary. No generation has carried Bibles like us without opening it. No generation is materially driven like ours and we expect the land to obey us. Jesus said, pray to the Father that He brings His Kingdom on earth. GOD help us to get it on time. Amen. Let’s build up our spiritual life cos its very necessary. If u miss heaven u can never miss hell. Think about it. Hell isn’t a pretty place. Do the work of an evangelist now by sharing this message with all your contacts. Have u ever wondered what would have happened if we treat the Holy Bible the way we treat our mobile phone? And we really can’t live without the BIBLE. Don’t send later, send now.. May the Almighty God grant good success to every one who reads & sends this message.
Ukrainian authorities have said that a fourth Russian general has been killed by the country’s forces.
47-year-old Major-General Oleg Mityaev is said to have died in the storming of Mariupol, along with seven members of an elite SWAT team.
A picture of the corpse of the decorated military officer, a father-of-two, was released by Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko.
The commander of the 150th motorised rifle division is the fourth Russian General to die in the war, according to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had reported the death of another Russian general in his nightly address but did not name him.
Photos released in Russia also showed six elite “maroon beret” special forces fighters from the Vityaz Special Purpose Centre of the Dzerzhinsky Division.
The unit is named after feared secret police founder of the Soviet Union’s secret police, Felix Dzerzhinsky.
Mityaev’s death comes after that of a spy captain during a “top-secret” operation in Ukraine meaning Vladimir Putin has now lost a total of 13 commanders in the invasion.
