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Joe Biden threatens to sanction Vladimir Putin’s finances and assets if Russia invades Ukraine

US President, Joe Biden has threatened to inflict personal sanctions on President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine.

This comes as Russia continues to amass hundreds of thousands of troops at Ukraine’s border and multiple rounds of U.S.-Russia talks over Ukraine that failed to reach a breakthrough.


Biden has since warned Russia of economic consequences, but has now upped the tempo by saying Putin could face sanctions. 

The last time the US used sanctions on Foreign leaders was Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Libya’s Muammer Gaddafi have also been sanctioned by the US government.

Speaking to reporters, Biden was asked if he would see himself imposing sanctions on Putin directly if Russia invaded Ukraine. ‘Yes,’ he responded. ‘I would see that.’


The US has also put 8,500 troops on heightened alert and prepared to send 50,000 more if Russia invades Ukraine

Despite Russia’s troop build-up near its border with Ukraine, Russia has denied planning an attack and says the crisis is being driven by NATO and U.S. actions.


Russia is demanding security guarantees from the West, including a promise by NATO never to admit Ukraine into the alliance as Russia sees the former Soviet republic as a threat if it joins NATO.


If Russia were to move into Ukraine with the estimated 100,000 soldiers it has massed near the border, Biden said it would be the ‘largest invasion since World War Two’ and would ‘change the world.’

‘There is not going to be any American forces moving into Ukraine,’ he said.

Anthony Martial signs up with Manchester United from Sevilla on loan

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has finally left the club to join Sevilla on loan until the end of the season. 

The LaLiga side have agreed to cover the Frenchman’s wages though there is understood to be no option to buy him permanently at the end of the deal. 

A statement on the Manchester United website read: ‘Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has joined Sevilla FC on loan for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.

Anthony Martial finally secures Man United exit as he joins Sevilla on loan

‘The Frenchman completed a medical in Andalusia, after the two clubs agreed terms for his temporary transfer.’

Sevilla’s official club statement read: “Sevilla FC and Manchester United FC have reached an agreement which will see Anthony Martial, born in Massy, France on 5th December 1995, join the club on loan until the end of the current season.

“The club have completed a major signing and have strengthened their attacking options, with the player able to play either as a striker or on either flank, preferably on the left, where he can cut inside. “

Anthony Martial finally secures Man United exit as he joins Sevilla on loan

Martial touched down in Spain on Tuesday afternoon, January 25, to complete his loan move.  

The 26-year-old had told United he wanted to leave the club with Sevilla considered as his first choice. He was also targeted by other clubs such as Newcastle and Tottenham but Martial was keen to go abroad. 

Juventus and Barcelona were also interested but did not want to take on his salary.

Sevilla are challenging Real Madrid for the Spanish title with 16 games left and Martial is excited by the prospect of a new start after being frustrated at United.

Israel recommends 4th Covid dose to all adults as it will triple protection against severe illness

Health officials in Israel have recommended a fourth Covid jab to all adults in the country.

The move follows research showing fourth doses doubled protection against symptomatic Covid-19 and increased protection against severe illness by three to five times, compared with three doses.


 Other countries, including the UK, US and Chile, have signed off on fourth doses for immunocompromised people, such as those living with HIV or certain transplant recipients, but have hesitated on launching a widescale second booster campaign.



Israel’s vaccine advisory committee “recommends that those aged 18 and over be able to be vaccinated with a fourth vaccine dose”, confirmed the Israeli health ministry in a statement.

The rollout is subject to approval by health ministry director-general Nachman Ash. People would become eligible five months after their third dose or after recovering from the disease, the ministry added. In the past fortnight, about 900,000 Israelis have tested positive for Covid-19.


Israel became the first country to extend fourth doses to over-60s, healthcare workers and people with weakened immune systems in late December. About 600,000 Israelis have already received a second booster and about half of the population have received a third shot.

A senior Israeli government scientist told the Financial Times the recommendation was based on enabling “individual decision-making” rather than “pushing” fourth doses on younger groups. “We are making the people the gatekeepers over the decision,” he said.


He added it was a “quite unusual” recommendation aimed at balancing the “accumulating evidence” of the protection offered against severe disease against “the multiple open-ended questions” about safety risks and the likelihood of waning immunity.



However, Prof Eyal Leshem, an infectious diseases specialist at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, which has studied the effectiveness of boosters, said “the added value for a fourth dose is . . . not expected to be substantial”, adding that they should be targeted at vulnerable groups.

“From a global perspective, use of multiple boosters in low-risk populations during a short period should be weighed against the global shortage of Covid vaccines.”

YouTube star, Melanie Ham, 36, dies from rare bone cancer

Popular YouTuber, Melanie Ham has died from cancer days before her 16th wedding anniversary, her husband Robert Ham has announced.

Melanie, 36, from Los Angeles, with over 811,000 followers on YouTube , posts sewing, crochet and DIY tutorials on her channel.


In 2019 she revealed doctors had found a mass in her kidney, and she was diagnosed with a type of cancer called epithelioid angiomyolipoma.

Popular YouTuber Melanie Ham, 36, dies from rare cancer days before her 16th wedding anniversary


Announcing the news of her death her husband, Robert said: ‘It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness I share the news of the passing of my sweet, amazing, beautiful wife Melanie.


He shared a photo as he held his wife while she sat in a hospital bed, looking emaciated.

Popular YouTuber Melanie Ham, 36, dies from rare cancer days before her 16th wedding anniversary

‘If you’ve been following our journey I’m sure you were, like us, hopeful she could defeat this insidious disease. 


‘Over the past few months things have been progressively getting worse and we’re thankful that we made it to this point through the holidays and tried to make every moment count. 


‘We are short 9 days of our 16 year anniversary.’


He continued: ‘My family, our doctors, our nurses and especially Melanie fought until the end and did all we could do to avoid today, but that is not our path.


Let me reassure all those rooting for us, Melanie fought like a warrior queen.


‘Despite the deep grief my family and I feel today we want to celebrate an amazing woman and a life well-lived. 


She loved passionately, created beautifully, provided abundantly and was my best friend all the way to the end.’


He added: ‘She was an extraordinary woman and God has another beautiful angel.


‘She can now walk, and sing, and dance in a way her body did not allow over the last few months. 


‘She relied on her faith in Jesus all the way to the end and she will always be with me.’ 


The father-of-two then asked for prayers for his ‘beautiful, strong children.’


Sarcomas are uncommon types of cancer which can grow anywhere in the body – on muscle, bone, tendons, blood vessels and fatty tissue.


Bone sarcomas are rare and affect approximately 670 people per year – but there are other types of bone cancers.

Orange is the New Black Actress, Kathryn Kates dies from cancer @ 73

Orange Is The New Black and Seinfeld actress, Kathyn Kates has died at age of  73 following a battle with cancer. 

Her representatives at Headline Talent Agency confirmed the ‘incredibly brave and wise’ star died in Florida on Saturday January 22, in a statement provided to Deadline.

The statement read: ‘Kathryn has been our client for many years, and we have grown much closer to her in this last year since she knew of her cancer returning.

‘She was always incredibly brave and wise and approached every role with the greatest of passion. She will be greatly missed,’ they concluded.

Kates landed highly visible television roles in the mid-’90s, notably appearing as a counterwoman on two of the most memorable episodes of Seinfeld — “The Dinner Party” (or the Babka episode) in 1994 and “The [Marble] Rye” episode two years later in 1996.

Other credits on Kates’ screen resume include Matlock, Judging Amy, Lizzie McGuire, and Caroline in the City, before she landed recurring roles in hit shows Orange Is the New Black, Law & Order: SVU, and the Jennifer Lopez-starring Shades of Blue.

More recently, Kates appeared in last year’s short film Welcome to Sarajevo, and portrayed Angie DeCarlo in The Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark. She had recently completed acting in a new project, titled Maybe There’s a Tree.

She is survived by her sister Mallory and brother Joshua.

Kim Kardashian deletes Instagram photo after being accused of Photoshopping her leg

Kim Kardashian quickly deleted one of her photos on Instagram after being accused of Photoshopping her famous figure. 

The reality star and mother of four, 41, recently shared a gallery of swimsuit-clad images from her recent Bahamas getaway with her new boyfriend,  Pete Davidson. However, eagle-eyed followers were quick to notice that her back leg looked distorted in one image. 

Kim Kardashian deletes Instagram photo after being accused of Photoshopping her leg in bikini snaps

As fans began to flock her comment section, Kim was quick to delete the post and reuploaded the gallery without the picture in question. The image was later shared to a fan page, with a lot of comments left under the image. 

Kim Kardashian deletes Instagram photo after being accused of Photoshopping her leg in bikini snaps

Kim’s Photoshop fail comes after she was forced to deny the existence of a second sex tape with her ex Ray J, when Kanye West claimed in an explosive interview that he retrieved the footage and returned it to his estranged wife last year. 

Kim, who shares four children with Kanye, dismissed the notion that any further sexually explicit content even existed in a statement to Page Six.

“I was awarded additional $3M against gossip blogger Tasha K” – Cardi B

Cardi B has spoken up after being awarded additional $3M against gossip blogger/YouTuber Tasha Kebe, a.k.a. Tasha K.

The Grammy-winning rapper was awarded the money in punitive damages and attorneys’ fees in her lawsuit on Tuesday January 25. 

Jurors ruled that Kebe is responsible for $1 million in punitive damages, Variety reports. Her company Kebe Studios LLC was ordered to pay an additional $500,000. Kebe will also have to reimburse Cardi for the rapper’s legal costs, which add up to $1,338,753.47.

This is in addition to the $1.25 million Kebe was ordered to pay the Hustlers star on Monday January 24, bringing the total to more than $4 million.

Variety reported that Kebe’s attorney Sadeer Sabbak said they “disagree with the verdict” and “will be filing an appeal.”

Reacting to the judgement in a statement made available to news outlets, Cardi B said; 

“After almost four years of repeated libel and slander against me, being able to walk away from this victorious brings me great happiness. I appreciate Judge Ray for conducting a fair and impartial trial.

“I am grateful for the jury and their careful deliberation over the past two weeks. I am profoundly grateful for the hard work and support from my legal team. Most importantly, thank you to my family and close friends who held my hand and helped me get the support I needed during this experience.”

Seemingly referencing her moment during the trial when she testified that Kebe’s remarks caused her to be “extremely suicidal”, Cardi noted that fans have “learned about the darkest time in my life”. She added that it was “fueled by the vile, disgusting, and completely false narratives that were repeatedly and relentlessly being shared online.”

The rapper said; 

“I thought I would never be heard or vindicated and I felt completely helpless and vulnerable.

“I have never taken for granted the platform that my fame allows me to have, which is why for over three years I dedicated every resource I had to seek justice.”

Cardi also said she didn’t want “justice” solely for herself, noting that “the intentional harm that was done to me, is done to countless others every day.”

She added;

“The only difference between me and the high schooler who is being cyberbullied and lied on by their classmates is the money and resources I have access to,” she added. “We collectively have to say enough is enough. We can no longer be a society that turns a blind eye to blatant lies. The unchecked behavior and provably false content on platforms like YouTube have to be addressed and removed. The constant harassment and lies that are reported as factual from journalists and bloggers have to end.”

She shared that her career was launched on social media, “so I know the power it has,” adding that while social media has forged movements from Black Lives Matter to Stop Asian Hate and Women’s Rights, “we’ve also seen countless stories of children and adults deciding to take their own lives due to cyberbullying and intentional attacks.”

Cardi said; 

“So while I am very grateful that this trial has come to its conclusion and the jury has rendered a powerful and substantial message, literally–I really hope that my experience forces all of us, but especially the platforms who allow this behavior to be a part of their communities, to re-think what moves us forward as a society versus what cripples us.

“If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for help at 1-800-273-TALK.”

Jaruma goes to prison over silly post on Ned Nwoko and Regina Daniels

Aphrodisiac seller, Hauwa Muhammed aka Jaruma has been remanded in prison custody over post she made about business tycoon and actress Regina Daniels’ husband, Ned Nwoko on social media.

Nwoko who had written a petition against Jaruma, accused the popular Kayanmata seller of publishing falsehoods on her Instagram page against him and his wife, Regina Daniels, who is an actress.

Jaruma was arraigned before an Abuja Upper Area Court on charges centering on defamation of character, false news publication and intimidation.

Police Prosecutor, E. A Inegbenoise, told the court that Nwoko had reported the matter through a written petition from his lawyer to the FCT Police Command for proper investigation on January 20, 2021.

While Inegbenoise pleaded with the court to allow Jaruma to remain in police custody pending investigation, her lawyer, Mr James Odibe who made an oral bail application, urged the court to grant the defendant bail on self-recognition or in the alternative, in the most liberal terms.

Ruling on the case, Justice Ismailia Abdullahi ordered that the defendant be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre pending the bail hearing on Friday January 28. Abdullahi then adjourned the matter till February 23, 2021 for trial.

Kanye West claims to have stopped ‘Kim Kardashian and Ray J second sex tape’ from leaking

Kanye West has claimed that he stopped estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s second sex tape with Ray J from leaking.

The 44-year-old rapper, who was married to Kim Kardashian for six years before she filed for divorce last February, claimed that he did Kim a “huge favour” by stopping her second sex tape with Ray J from going public after the first one as leaked in 2007.

Speaking on Jason Lee’s Hollywood Unlocked Podcast, Kanye – who shares four children with the Skims founder – said that he did Kim the ultimate favour by getting the tape back from Ray J himself. 

“I went and got the laptop from Ray J myself that night,” Kanye said during the candid interview.

“I met this man at the airport, then got on a red-eye, came back and delivered it to her at 8 a.m. in the morning.

“She cried when she saw it. You know why she cried when she seen it on the laptop? Because it represents how much she’s been used.

“It represents how much people didn’t love her, and they just saw her as a commodity.”

A spokesperson for Kim confirmed that there was a laptop, but they denied any existence of explicit content on the hard-drive, according to Page Six.

“The computer and hard drive collected were supposed to contain the original video and any unseen footage. After review, there was nothing sexual unseen, only footage on the plane on the way to Mexico and footage at a club and restaurant on the same trip,” the statement reads.

“Kim remains firm in her belief that there is no new second tape that exists.

“After 20 years, she truly wishes to move on from this chapter and focus instead on the positive things she continues to do as a mother, entrepreneur and advocate for justice reform.”

Ozzie, The world’s oldest gorilla dies @ 61

Ozzie, the world’s oldest male Gorilla is dead. 

The western lowland silverback was found dead by his “heartbroken” care team at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, US, on Tuesday morning, January 25.

The gorilla who died at the age of 61, is said to have lost his appetite since last week and was being provided with supportive care to encourage him to eat and drink.

But over the last 24 hours he had been treated for facial swelling, weakness and an inability to eat or drink, the zoo said.

Raymond B King, the zoo’s president and chief executive, said:

“This is a devastating loss for Zoo Atlanta. While we knew this time would come someday, that inevitability does nothing to stem the deep sadness we feel at losing a legend.

“Ozzie’s life’s contributions are indelible, in the generations of individuals he leaves behind in the gorilla population and in the world’s body of knowledge in the care of his species.

 “Our thoughts are with his care team, who have lost a part of their lives and a part of their hearts.”

Ozzie has more than 20 descendants, according to the zoo. He is survived by daughter Kuchi; sons Kekla, Stadi, and Charlie; granddaughter Lulu; great-granddaughter Andi, and great-grandson Floyd, all of whom live at Zoo Atlanta, according to the release. The rest of his offspring live at other accredited zoos in the US and Canada.

The gorilla first arrived in Atlanta in 1988, and was part of a scientific milestone when he became the first gorilla to get a blood pressure reading.

He held the title of oldest male gorilla, but Fatou, a 64-year-old female at Berlin Zoo is still the oldest living gorilla.

Last year, Ozzie was one of 13 gorillas at Zoo Atlanta who tested positive for COVID-19. Officials said they believed the apes contracted it from a fully vaccinated zoo worker who was wearing protective equipment. The worker was asymptomatic.

The zoo said it would release the results of Ozzie’spost-mortemafter it is completed by the University of Georgia’s veterinary college.

Teen brothers beat their stepfather to death after he sexually abused their sister

Three teenagers including two brothers are facing charges in the death of a 42-year-old man accused of sexually abusing the sister of two of the teens in a Texas trailer park home.

Brothers Alexandro and Christian Trevino, 18 and 17 years old, have been arrested for beating their stepfather, Gabriel Quintanilla, 42, to death after he allegedly abused their half-sister, according to police in Pharr, Texas.


Juan Eduardo Melendez, 18, has also been arrested in connection to the case.

Teen teams up with two brothers to beat


The body of Mr. Quintanilla was found by a farmer who informed law enforcement, with officers from the McCallen Police Department arriving shortly before 3pm on Thursday. The Pharr Police Department took on the case the following day.


Mr. Quintanilla bore signs of severe trauma and had been beaten with brass knuckles, MyRGV News reported.


His nine-year-old daughter notified someone on 20 January that he had touched her inappropriately. Police have said that Mr. Quintanilla already had been issued a warrant for abusing another child.


During a press briefing this week, Pharr Police Deputy Chief Juan Gonzalez said that “when the brothers Alexandro and Christian found out, they confronted Gabriel at the residents, and a physical fight ensued between the three”.


“Quintanilla left the location on foot … Christian Trevino runs out after the victim and finds him outside of an apartment complex further south down the road,” he added.

“A second assault occurs there and Alexandro Trevino and the driver of a red Dodge Charger, who we have identified as Juan Gonzalez Melendez, catch up to him and again join in on an assault of the victim at that point,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

The teenagers left the scene and changed vehicles, and again looked for Mr. Quintanilla, finding him walking alone along a road. That’s when police say a third assault took place and Mr. Quintanilla was placed in the back of a truck, a white Ford F-150, still alive.

The suspects then drove to an area in McCallen, where Mr. Quintanilla was left in a field. The authorities have said that they believe he was still alive at that point. The three teens fled the area after leaving Mr. Quintanilla.


The suspects were arraigned on Sunday. Christian Trevino and Mr. Melendez have been charged with capital murder, aggravated assault, and engaging in organized criminal activity. It’s unclear if they have retained lawyers to speak on their behalf.


Alexandro Trevino has been charged with aggravated assault and engaging in organised criminal activity.


The bond for all three suspects has been set at $500,00, according to ValleyCentral.

Boston Hospital refuses to perform heart transplant for ‘unvaccinated man’ because he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19

A US hospital has rejected a patient for a heart transplant because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19.

DJ Ferguson, 31, is in need of a new heart, but Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston took him off their list.

David Ferguson told CBS 4 his son D.J. was removed from his place on the transplant line at Brigham and Women’s Hospital because he will not get vaccinated against COVID-19.  

“It’s kind of against his basic principles; he doesn’t believe in it. It’s a policy they are enforcing and so because he won’t get the shot, they took him off the list of a heart transplant,”  David Ferguson told the outlet.  

The hospital said it was following policy.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital told the BBC in a statement: “Given the shortage of available organs, we do everything we can to ensure that a patient who receives a transplanted organ has the greatest chance of survival.”

A spokesman said the hospital requires “the Covid-19 vaccine, and lifestyle behaviours for transplant candidates to create both the best chance for a successful operation and to optimise the patient’s survival after transplantation, given that their immune system is drastically suppressed”.

The hospital stated on its website that transplant candidates “must also receive the seasonal influenza and hepatitis B vaccines, follow other healthy behaviors, and demonstrate they can commit to taking the required medications” following the procedure. 

A Brigham and Women’s Hospital spokesperson reiterated the hospital’s policy to the New York Post, saying it does everything it can “to ensure that a patient who receives a transplanted organ has the greatest chance of survival.”

“Our Mass General Brigham healthcare system requires several CDC-recommended vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, and lifestyle behaviors for transplant candidates to create both the best chance for a successful operation and to optimize the patient’s survival after transplantation, given that their immune system is drastically suppressed,” the spokesperson said.  

“Patients are not active on the waitlist without this,” they added.  

DJ Ferguson’s family do not agree with the vaccine policy and are “aggressively pursuing all options.”

“I think my boy is fighting pretty damn courageously and he has integrity and principles he really believes in and that makes me respect him all the more,” David Ferguson said of his son.

The decision by the Boston hospital has led to a debate, with people sharing their opinions for or against.

Good News! Anambra International Airport receives approval to operate Boeing 737-700s

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has granted Anambra state government approval to operate Boeing 737-700 Aircraft.

The approval was confirmed in a statement made by Chief Dr. Uche Nworah, the Managing Director of Anambra Broadcasting Services.

He said, “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has granted Anambra state government the approval to operate Boeing 737-700 aircraft or its equivalent at Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, Umueri”.

“The good news was conveyed to the governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano in a letter from the agency dated 24th January, 2022”.

“The approval was based on a satisfactory inspection carried out by aerodrome safety inspectors at the airport on the 21st of January, 2022 to ascertain the preparedness of the airport for the upgrade in fire cover from Cat 5 to Cat 6”.

“The latest approval will gladden the hearts of Ndi Anambra and others who have been flying through the airport since it’s commissioning”.

“According to Bobo Nkwonta, a Lagos – based businessman, “I am excited about this news. Governor Obiano has written his name in gold. I am even more elated as Airpeace airlines and United Nigeria airlines will now upgrade the planes they operate on that route to bigger aircraft”.

Majority of the British public say Boris Johnson should resign over ‘partygate’

Savanta ComRes has published some new polling on partygate. It suggests more than half of voters do not trust the Metropolitan police to investigate partygate, and more than half of voters think fines would be too lenient as punishment for breaches of the Covid rules.

This comes as Sue Gray’s report now reportedly set to be published this week after Met says no need to hold material back.

The Times is reporting this as definite. “Sue Gray, the civil servant investigating lockdown breaking parties in Downing Street, still intends to publish her report this week despite a police investigation into potential criminality,”

Here is an extract from the Savanta ComRes news release:

Half (51%) of the British public say that they do not trust the Metropolitan police investigation to uncover whether Coronavirus rules and regulations were broken at a series of lockdown get-togethers in No 10 Downing Street according to a snap poll by Savanta ComRes.

And although two in five (42%) say that they do trust the Met’s investigation, only 8% say that they trust it “a great deal”.

The investigation by the Metropolitan police is likely to only have the power to issue fines to those it finds have breached Coronavirus regulations, and a majority (59%) of the public say that this is too lenient, including 42% of 2019 Conservative voters. A third (32%) of the public say that fixed penalty notices are about a fair punishment.

The poll also suggests 67% of people think Boris Johnson should resign – “although this figure is practically unchanged from earlier this month when the prime minister admitted to briefly attending a BYOB drinks event in the Downing Street garden while Britain was in its first full lockdown”, Savanta ComRes says.

Government officials have handed over images of alleged parties in Downing Street to investigators, Sky News reports.

The photographs, seen by Sue Gray, are believed to feature Boris Johnson and show people close together with wine bottles.

From Sky News’ deputy political editor, Sam Coates tweeted:

Over 105 Catholic priests officially declare their status as gay in Germany

More than 100 Catholic church officials in Germany came out as LGBT, queer or non-binary, adding to calls for reform within the crisis-hit church.

Demands for a more liberal attitude to homosexuality within the German church have coincided with uproar over reports of widespread child sex abuse by Catholic clergymen in the country, including allegations of cases in which former pope Benedict XVI failed to act.

The 125-strong group, which includes priests and workers in education and administration, published a statement demanding an end to the “discrimination and exclusion” they had experienced.

“I don’t want to hide my sexual identity any more,” Uwe Grau, a priest in the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, is quoted on the group’s website as saying.

“We are part of the church,” added Raphaela Soden, who works in pastoral care for young adults and identifies as queer and non-binary. “We always have been. It’s time to finally make it clear that we exist and how wonderfully queer the body of Christ is.”

The statement calls for “free access to all pastoral vocations” and an end to what the signatories called a “system of concealment, double standards, and dishonesty” surrounding LGBT issues.

“Entering into a non-heterosexual relationship or marriage must never be considered a breach of loyalty and, consequently, an obstacle to employment or a reason for dismissal,” they said.

The issue of homosexuality has caused a major rift in the Catholic Church between modernizers and conservatives.

Pope Francis is himself ambivalent over the sensitive subject.

US court grants Cardi B $1M in defamation suit against gossip blogger Tasha K

Rapper Cardi B has won her defamation lawsuit against Latasha Kebe, a blogger and YouTuber known online as Tasha K, and has been awarded $1.25 million in damages.

The jury’s January 24 verdict concluded a two-week federal trial during which Cardi B testified that she had experienced extreme anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation due to Kebe’s claims. 

Cardi took Kebe to court in 2019 over dozens of videos featuring wild allegations, among which was the high- (or low-)light that the rapper B “f–ked herself with beer bottles” onstage when she was working as a stripper. Kebe also claimed that Cardi had prostituted herself, was addicted to hard drugs, was unfaithful to her husband Offset, and had contracted herpes.

Cardi testified last week that she felt “extremely suicidal” over Kebe’s claims. “I felt defeated and depressed and I didn’t want to sleep with my husband,” she added, chalking up fatigue, weight loss, migraines and anxiety to the ordeal.

“Only an evil person could do that s–t,” Cardi reportedly said, subsequently apologizing to the court for her language.

The rapper also disclosed that the herpes rumor in particular dogged her online, as some of Kebe’s million-plus followers harassed her over pictures of her kissing daughter Kulture on the lips and called her “Herpes B.”

Kebe reportedly admitted in court that she had knowingly published lies about the rapper, but attempted to walk that statement back when her attorneys examined her. Ultimately, jurors sided with Cardi B on all three claims of defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

They allotted $1 million for “general damages (pain and suffering and/or reputational injury)” and $250,000 for medical expenses. Tuesday proceedings will determine whether Tasha K will also owe more punitive damages or need to pay for Cardi B’s legal expenses.

Cardi B wins $1M defamation suit against gossip blogger Tasha K
Cardi B wins $1M defamation suit against gossip blogger Tasha K
Cardi B wins $1M defamation suit against gossip blogger Tasha K

Proceedings will kick off Tuesday January 25, to decide whether Kebe owes additional punitive damages, or whether she must reimburse Cardi B for her legal expenses.

“We will deploy 8500 soldiers to Ukraine if Russia invades” – US Govt. says

The Pentagon has said 8500 US troops are on standby to deploy at short notice to Europe, should Russia invade Ukraine.


Russia continues to deny planning military action against Ukraine, despite massing 100,000 troops at the border saying it sees Nato as a security threat, and is demanding legal guarantees that the alliance will not expand further east, including into neighbouring Ukraine. But the US has said the issue at stake is Russian aggression, not Nato expansion.

On Monday night, January 24, US President Joe Biden held a video call with European allies as Western countries plan for a common strategy against Russian aggression.

The Pentagon said troop deployment will happen if the Nato military alliance decides to activate a rapid-reaction force, “or if other situations develop” around the Russian troop build-up, according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.


There are no plans to deploy to Ukraine itself, he added.


Some Nato members, including Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands, are already planning sending fighter jets and warships to eastern Europe to bolster defences in the region.


This comes after 90 tonnes of US “lethal aid” including ammunition for “front-line defenders” arrived in Ukraine over the weekend.


Biden, Monday’s video call included UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg and EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel.


“I had a very, very, very good meeting – total unanimity with all the European leaders,”  Biden said afterwards.

Earlier on Monday, Boris Johnson warned that “gloomy” intelligence suggests Russia is planning a lightning raid on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.


“The intelligence is very clear that there are 60 Russian battle groups on the borders of Ukraine, the plan for a lightning war that could take out Kyiv is one that everybody can see,” he said.


“We need to make it very clear to the Kremlin, to Russia, that that would be a disastrous step.”


Russia has seized Ukrainian territory before, when it annexed Crimea in 2014. After Russian forces seized control, Crimea voted to join the Russian Federation in a referendum the West and Ukraine deemed illegal.


Russian-backed rebels also control areas of eastern Ukraine near Russia’s borders. That conflict has cost an estimated 14,000 lives, with a 2015 peace deal a long way from being fulfilled.

Thousands sign petition to stop English language proficiency tests for Nigerians

Over 26,000 Nigerians have signed a petition on Change.org to stop the demand for English proficiency tests from Nigerians looking to travel abroad for studies or work.

The petition, which was initiated by Policy Shapers, was titled “Stop asking Nigerians to write IELTS”.

As Nigeria’s language of instruction at various levels of education is primarily English, the petition calls for an end to foreign institutions’ demands for the International English Language Testing System from Nigerians.

In the petition, which was addressed to the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Priti Patel, the group argued that no Anglophone African country are exempted from taking the English Language test despite being part of the Commonwealth.

It further said the UK Home Office has exempted Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and 10 other countries from those, who would require the test.

Policy Shapers said it had requested modalities the UK Home Office put in place to measure English proficiency in the 18 countries on its list as it expressed the belief that same should be applied to Nigeria and other Anglophone countries on the continent.

However, there has been no response as regards this from the Home Office, the group claimed.

It further argued that a test that costs more than three times the minimum wage and the result expires in two years, should not be required of Nigerians since the country is predominantly English speaking.

The petition reads, “Why should Nigerians be made to write English language proficiency examinations that cost more than thrice our minimum wage ($210) and the result expires every two years?

“The UK Home Office has a list of 18 countries whose citizens are exempt from writing an English proficiency test (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) when they seek to study or migrate to the UK, including; Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Malta, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, to mention a few. 

“However, it will interest you to know that there is no Anglophone African country (out of 20+ English-speaking countries on the continent) on the Home Office list. Not Nigeria, not Ghana, not Kenya, not South Africa. Not Even One. Despite the fact that these African countries are former British colonies and belong to the Commonwealth! Why?

“The Home Office told the BBC, who did a report on this issue, that for a country to be listed on its IELTS Exemption list, 51% of its population must speak English as a first language. 

“Fair enough right? Since October we have written to the Home Office as a collective of campaigners requesting for the modalities it put in place to measure English proficiency in the 18 countries on its list as we believe same should be applied to Nigeria and other Anglophone countries on the continent.

“More than three months after our initial email and several follow-up emails (plus tons of social media posts), the UK Home Office has refused to respond to this urgent request.”

Burkina military announces takeover on live TV in Burkina Faso

More than a dozen mutinous soldiers on Monday January 24, announced that a military junta now controls Burkina Faso after they detained the democratically elected president following a day of gunbattle in the capital.

A junior officer announced the suspension of the constitution, the dissolution of the government and parliament, and the closure of the country’s borders from midnight Monday, reading from a statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

Announcing that a new Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) would re-establish “constitutional order” within a “reasonable time”, the soldiers blamed the takeover on the civilian president’s failure to contain an Islamist insurgency.

They also announced that a nationwide nightly curfew would be enforced. The soldiers said  the takeover was carried out without violence and those detained were in a secure location.

The statement read;

“MPSR, which includes all sections of the army, has decided to end President Kaboré’s post today.

“The constitution has been suspended. Secondly, the government has been dissolved. Thirdly, the national assembly has been dissolved. Fourthly, land and air borders have been closed from January 24, 2022. Lastly, a curfew has been imposed from 9pm to 5am.

Kabore has been in power since 2015 and reelected in 2020 on a pledge to prioritize the fight against the insurgency. He has faced rising public anger over his failure to stop the bloodshed in the poor, landlocked country.

On Monday, the People’s Movement for Progress ruling party said Kabore was the victim of an “aborted assassination attempt”. A government minister, who was not named, also survived an attempt on his life and the president’s home was ransacked, it added.

The party said the presidential palace had been “encircled” by “a group of armed and masked men” and the national radio and television “occupied”.

DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good announce their decision to divorce

Meagan Good is speaking out about her divorce from DeVon Franklin.

The  Harlem actress, 40, and the preacher, 43, announced their decision to divorce after nine years of marriage, with a source later saying that Good and Franklin’s breakup was “a long time coming.”

Good was a guest on XONecole recently and she spoke about “grieving” her divorce. 

Throughout life, I’ve always approached relationships as understanding that at some point, they’ll get to the place that they’re going to, and then they would be over,” Good said during a Twitter Spaces chat.

“I’ve always had an attitude of like, ‘Alright, next chapter. We’ll see what’s next,’ and being okay with that and appreciating what you give to someone and what they give to you and sharing a moment in time and in life that you never get back regardless of how it ends.”

 She called her divorce “the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life” but added, “I am still optimistic. I still am hopeful for the future. I still—maybe this isn’t a chapter, but I just feel that it’s my next act in life and I trust God.”

“Not everything makes sense to me right now, but I do trust God overall and I’m excited to see what this next act of life is going to be and what God has in store and that’s all I can really do but even in doing that, I do have gratitude and so much joy in my heart for these past 11 years that DeVon and I have been together,” said Good. “What he’s given into my life and what I was able to give to him, just everything.”

Good and Franklin wed in June 2012 in Malibu, California, after they met on the set of the movie Jumping the Broom in 2011 when he was working as a studio executive.

Dangote remains the richest man in Africa – Forbes [full list]

Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote has retained his rank as Africa’s richest man as confirmed in the 2022 edition of the Forbes’ Top 10 Africa’s Billionaires List.

Aliko Dangote who has been Africa’s richest person for 11 years in a row, has an estimated networth of $13.9 billion, up from $12.1 billion in 2021.

Forbes said this is as a result of 30 per cent increase in the stock price of Dangote Cement, his most valuable asset.

The Forbes report also revealed that Africa’s billionaires were richer than they had been in years, despite the global pandemic.

As a group, the continent’s 18 billionaires were worth an estimated $84.9 billion, a 15 per cent increase from twelve months ago and the most since 2014, when a larger number of billionaires (28) were worth a combined $96.5 billion.

On average, the continent’s billionaires were worth $4.7 billion now, worth $3.4 billion in 2014 with soaring stock prices from Nigeria to Zimbabwe lifted the fortunes of these tycoons, as demand for products from cement to luxury goods ticked up.

Jumping into the number two from the list, spot–up from number four last year–was luxury goods magnate, Johann Rupert of South Africa.

The 18 billionaires from Africa, who were not new to the ranks, also hailed from seven different countries, South Africa and Egypt each had five billionaires, followed by Nigeria with three and Morocco with two.

All of the continent’s billionaires were men; the last woman to appear in the ranks, Isabel dos Santos of Angola, fell off the Forbes list in January 2021.

See the full list below……………………………

1            Aliko Dangote           $13.9 B    64           cement, sugar

2           Johann Rupert            $11 B      71           luxury goods

3           Nicky Oppenheimer    $8.7 B    76           diamonds

4           Nassef Sawiris            $8.6 B    61           construction, investments

5           Abdulsamad Rabiu      $7 B       61           cement, sugar

6           Mike Adenuga           $6.7 B    68           telecom, oil

7           Issad Rebrab              $5.1 B    78           food

8           Naguib Sawiris           $3.4 B    67           telecom

9           Patrice Motsepe         $3.1 B    59           mining

10        Koos Bekker               $2.7 B    69           media, investments

10        Strive Masiyiwa          $2.7 B    60           telecom

12        Mohamed Mansour    $2.5 B    74           diversified

13        Aziz Akhannouch       $2.2 B    61           petroleum, diversified

14        Michiel Le Roux         $1.7 B   72           banking

15        Othman Benjelloun    $1.5 B    89           banking, insurance

15        Mohammed Dewji      $1.5 B    46           diversified

15        Youssef Mansour       $1.5 B    76           diversified

18        Yasseen Mansour      $1.1 B    60           diversified

President Buhari tells security chiefs to use 5G network to fight insecurity

President Muhammadu Buhari has launched the National Policy on Fifth Generation (5G) technology for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.

The President during the launch today, Jan. 25, in Abuja directed all security institutions to leverage the technology when deployed, saying it will enhance security in the country.

He said the Federal Government will take full advantage of the opportunities that 5G provides for the economy, security, and well-being of the nation.

The President allayed fears over the health safety of 5G, affirming that such issues have been “effectively addressed” in developing a Policy that suits the country.

On the benefits of 5G technology, the President noted that it can support virtually every sector of the economy, including enhanced connectivity, improved healthcare, support education while fostering smart cities and boosting agriculture, among other advantages.

He said: “It will also support security institutions with real-time communication.

“5G technology is significantly faster than earlier digital technologies and it provides near real-time communication. This can play a key role in boosting our efforts towards enhancing security across the nation.

“It will enable our security institutions to effectively deploy robotics, autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality to address any security challenges that we face.”

He explained that the National 5G Policy includes a deployment plan to ensure that major cities across the country benefit from the technologies.

Buhari added that the policy is in line with the commitment of his administration to supporting the digital economy as an enabler of economic diversification.

He assured investors that the Federal Government would continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses to succeed as Nigeria begins the roll-out of the technology.

President Buhari directed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, to supervise the implementation of the Policy, being done by the Nigerian Communications Commission with the support of other government institutions.

Mario Balotelli joins the Italian squad for first time since 2018

Mario Balotelli has been named in the Italy squad for the first time since 2018 as the European champions plan for their World Cup play-off semi-final.

The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker, 31, has not featured for his country since September 2018.


Balotelli is one of 35 players named for a three-day training camp after scoring nine times in 21 appearances across all competitions this season, for his club Adana Demirspor in Turkey.

Italy will face North Macedonia on 24 March in a World Cup play-off semi-final.

Balotelli has a record of 14 goals in 36 games for his country, but has earned only three caps since the 2014 World Cup.

This week’s training camp is one of Roberto Mancini’s final opportunities to get his players together before the North Macedonia match.

Balotelli worked under Mancini earlier in his career at Inter Milan and Manchester City.

Burkinese President, Roch Kabore arrested and detained by soldiers

Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore has been detained at a military camp by mutinying soldiers. 

Reports of his detention on Monday January 24, came a day after soldiers staged mutinies at several army barracks, prompting fears of a coup in the conflict-hit country. Later on Sunday, heavy gunfire was also heard near Kabore’s residence in the capital, Ouagadougou.

It was gathered that the soldiers have been demanding for more support in their fight against Islamist militants.

Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore arrested and detained at military camp by

Aljazeera reported that several armoured vehicles of the presidential fleet, riddled with bullets, were seen near the President’s residence on Monday morning. One was spattered with blood.  Residents of the president’s neighbourhood reported heavy gunfire overnight.

Three armoured vehicles and soldiers wearing balaclavas were stationed outside the headquarters of the state broadcaster. Government sources could not immediately be reached on Monday.

Two security sources and a West African diplomat told Reuters news agency that Kabore was detained at a military camp. There was no immediate comment by the government, which on Sunday had denied that a coup was under way.

Journalist Henry Wilkins reported from Ouagadougou on Monday; 

“We just passed the military base where Kabore is alleged to be confined at the moment.

“Traffic is circulating as normal but there is an usually high number of military personnel out on the streets around the presidential palace.”

Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore arrested and detained at military camp by

AFP news agency also reported that the president was arrested along with other government officials. “President Kabore, the head of parliament, and the ministers are effectively in the hands of the soldiers” at the Sangoule Lamizana barracks in the capital, two security officials said.

Two of the rebellious soldiers told The Associated Press by phone early Monday that Kabore was being held “in a safe place”, but would not specify where.

Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore arrested and detained at military camp by

Kabore has led Burkina Faso since being elected in 2015 after a popular uprising ousted longtime strongman President Blaise Compaore, who was in power for nearly three decades. Kabore was reelected in November 2020 for another five-year term, however, frustration has been growing at his inability to stem the spread of violence across the country.

Attacks linked to al-Qaeda and the armed group ISIL (ISIS) are escalating, killing thousands and displacing more than an estimated 1.5 million people. The military has suffered heavy losses.

Angry mutinous soldiers said the government was disconnected from its forces in the field, and their colleagues were dying and they wanted military rule. The soldiers put a man on the phone who said  they were seeking better working conditions for Burkina Faso’s military.

Ye, Kanye West and Julia Fox make red carpet debut as a couple (photos)

Kanye West and Julia Fox have officially made their red carpet debut as a couple. 

The rapper and actress made their debut this weekend at Paris Men’s Fashion Week as they attended Kenzo’s show in matching denim looks.

Arriving on the red carpet on Sunday 23 January, Fox was dressed in full Schiaparelli, wearing a cropped denim jacket and loose-fitting, low-waisted blue jeans.

The jacket, which featured conical breasts reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier’s signature corsets, was paired with large gold earrings and matching Diesel denim boots.

West opted for a full Balenciaga look, wearing a padded denim jacket, blue jeans, and knee-length Red Wing boots.

Speaking to WWD about her outfit, Fox said she was wearing Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry’s personal pair of jeans.

“I was just at the [Schiaparelli] showroom before coming here,” she said.

“I’m actually wearing Daniel’s pants, the designer of Schiaparelli. I took the pants off of his body and he was very kind to let me wear them,” she added.

Fox shared photographs of the pair arriving at the show to her Instagram stories. In one, West smiles at the floor as he walks with his arm around the actor’s shoulder.

At the show, the couple were seen seated between rapper Tyler The Creator and Kenzo’s artistic director, Tomoaki Nagao, better known as Nigo.

Fox and Kanye have been dating for less than a month, since meeting on New Year’s Eve 2021.

See full photos below. 

Kanye West and Julia Fox make red carpet debut as a couple (photos)
Kanye West and Julia Fox make red carpet debut as a couple (photos)

Dylan Williams signs up with Chelsea

Premier League side, Chelsea have completed the signing of 18-year-old left-back Dylan Williams from Derby County for an undisclosed fee.

He is Chelsea’s first signing of the January transfer window with Derby boss Wayne Rooney saying on Friday that he ‘couldn’t stand in the way of his opportunity.’

Williams, who made the step up to first-team football at the stricken Championship club at the beginning of the season, posted a picture of himself signing his Chelsea deal on his Instagram account.

He wrote: ‘Wow. I am absolutely delighted to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

‘Thank you so much for everything the staff and players have done at Derby County. I cannot wait to get started at Chelsea.’

Williams made a total of nine first-team appearances for the Rams having played for the first time in their FA Cup defeat to Chorley last season.

Abuja court issues arrest warrant against Diezani Alison-Madueke, ex. Petroleum chief

Diezani Alison-Madueke

Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of a Federal High Court, Abuja, today January 24, issued an arrest warrant against the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, believed to be residing in the UK.

The judge granted the request after counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farouk Abdullah, made an oral application.

The court had fixed Nov. 3, 2021 for the EFCC to give a report on its effort at extraditing Alison-Madueke to the country to stand her trial, and for possible mention of the case. But on the adjourned date, the case was stalled as neither Abdullah nor Alison-Madueke was present in court.

Justice Olajuwon then fixed today, Jan. 24, for the matter and adjourned for report or for possible mention of the matter.

Justice Olajuwon took over Diezani’s case after the initial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu was transferred to the Calabar division of the court. It would be recalled that Ojukwu had, on Oct. 28, 2020, rejected the EFCC’s prayer to issue a warrant of arrest against Alison-Madueke, citing the commission’s failure to enforce the earlier criminal summons, which the court issued on the former minister since July 24, 2020, saying court orders are not made in vain. The commission had, in requesting for the criminal summons in July 2020, claimed that it was required to facilitate the ex-minister’s extradition to Nigeria.

Faced with the failure of the ex-minister to honor the summons, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Abdullah, urged Justice Ojukwu to issue a warrant of arrest against her, saying that the extradition process failed as a result of the absence of the warrant of arrest. The judge, who turned down the request, directed the lawyer to file an affidavit to that effect supported by evidence from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and adjourned for the report and possible arraignment of the defendant (Alison-Madueke).

However, when the matter came up for hearing today, Abdullah was in court. He told the court that all efforts by the agency to get the ex-minister extradited when the matter was before Ojukwu were unsuccessful. Abdullah, who made an oral application for an arrest warrant, said the application was part of the requirements by the office of the AGF for the extradition.

He said that the arrest warrant was needed to further give the International Police (INTERPOL) the impetus to bring the defendant to Nigeria to answer to charges against her.

Justice Olajuwon then granted the application and adjourned the matter sine die pending when the defendant (Alison-Madueke) is arrested and produced in court.

According to court papers, EFCC says it seeks to question Alison-Madueke, in relation to many allegations against her, including “her role as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) to Septa Energy Limited, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited by NNPC.

The EFCC says it also wanted Alison-Madueke to respond to questions about “her role in the chartering of private jets by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Ministry of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of contracts by NNPC to Marine and Logistics Services Limited.”

The antigraft agency says it was investigating Alison-Madueke‘s business relationships with Mr Donald Amamgbo, Mr Afam Nwokedi, Chief lkpea Leemon, Miss Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde, Mr Benedict Peters, Christopher Aire, Harcourt Adukeh, Julian Osula, Dauda Lawal, Nnamdi Okonkwo, Mr Leno Laithan, Sahara Energy Group and Midwestern Oil Limited, among others.

It added that Alison-Madueke was also required to clear the air on “her role in financing the 2015 general elections, particularly the money that were warehoused at Fidelity Bank Plc in 2015 prior to the elections.”

The agency added that it wanted the ex-minister to speak on several items, documents and Jeweleries recovered from her house at No: 10, Chiluba Close, off Jose Marti Street, Asokoro, Abuja, and some identified property that were linked to her In Nigeria, UK, U.S., United Arab Emirate and South Africa.

The United Arab Emirates intercepts ballistic missiles fired by Houthis terror group over Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates intercepted two missiles launched by the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, its official news agency said on Monday, one week after a deadly strike by the group killed three people in Abu Dhabi.

Parts of the missiles fell over Abu Dhabi and did not cause any casualties but the attack highlighted the growing threat from the Houthis, who have targeted neighbouring Saudi Arabia for years with missile and drone strikes.

The rebels according to Financial Times claimed responsibility last week for a drone and missile strike on the UAE following weeks of threats. The assault was the first time the Gulf monarchy had acknowledged a Houthi attack on its territory, after previously denying rebel claims that they had struck Abu Dhabi’s airport and nuclear power plant.

The Houthis’ military spokesman said in a statement that the militia had targeted the Al Dhafra air base near Abu Dhabi city, which hosts US fighter jets, and other “sensitive sites”.

They also targeted locations in Dubai with drones, the statement added. The UAE has not acknowledged any military action against Dubai.

The UAE defence ministry said fighter jets had destroyed a ballistic missile launcher in the Houthi-controlled Al Jawf province to the north-east of Sana’a, Yemen’s largest city, immediately after it had been used to launch two missiles towards Abu Dhabi.

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in the Yemeni civil war in 2015, after the Houthi rebels ousted the internationally recognised government, over fears that arch rival Iran would expand its influence on its borders.

The coalition pushed the rebels out of the south back into their northern highlands but the conflict ground to a stalemate. The UN has described the Yemen war as the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crisis, with almost 250,000 direct and indirect deaths.

The latest attack on the UAE followed days of air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition on what it described as Houthi targets in Yemen. This included the targeting of a temporary detention centre in the rebels’ heartland of Saada, which killed at least 60 people.

There has also been an increase in violence around Marib, a Yemeni province where the rebels launched an offensive last year and ousted the government from its last foothold in the north.

In recent weeks, UAE-allied fighters known as the Giants Brigades have wrested control of the neighbouring energy-rich province of Shabwa and are now targeting Houthi lines around Marib city.

The rebels complained that the UAE’s “mercenaries” had intervened in the battle.

Saudi media reported on Monday that two ballistic missiles had targeted the south of the kingdom. The strikes injured two foreigners and caused damage to workshops and vehicles.

The Houthi attack on the UAE threatens the carefully constructed atmosphere of safety and security in the Middle East’s tourist and commercial hub, where many multinationals have established their regional headquarters.

Residents in Abu Dhabi said they were woken by loud explosions and flashes in the sky at about 4:20am.

“It was super scary,” said one, who lives on the main island of Abu Dhabi. “I think it was quite close. Lots of chatter in our compound WhatsApp group. Everyone was awake.”

The UAE defence ministry said it was “ready to deal with any threats and that it is taking all necessary measures to protect the state from all attacks”, the state news agency reported.

Nigerian Man Jailed 32 Years In Cyprus For Killing Fellow Nigerian

A Nigerian man, Sunday Osemeahon, was  sentenced to 32-year imprisonment by Jury  after he was found guilty of the murder of another Nigerian, Obasanjo Adeola Owoyale.

The accused person, Osemeahon had allegedly killed the victim, a family friend who had given him a lift after withdrawing a high sum of money from the bank, a Cyprus-based online news outlet, Olomoinfo reports.

Obasanjo was declared missing on July 1, 2019, but after eight days, he was found dead, wrapped in a blanket inside the trunk of his car parked in an open area near the Martyr Hussein Ruso Middle School in Lefkosia, capital city of Cyprus.

His feet were tied with a belt. On his head was a large cut, with a trace of his blood on a car found at the scene. An autopsy revealed that he died from a brain injury and from broken head bones.

The Cypriot police, during investigation, examined camera images around the area and identified the last place he visited, which led to the arrest of 11 people in an organized early morning operation in a three-storey apartment building located just about 200 meters from where the car was found.

Over 38 people were questioned during the period of investigation.

During investigation, police found blood stains on the wall of the apartment and took several items, including a knife and a blood-stained carpet, for examination. Forensics proved it was Obasanjo’s blood.

Police findings revealed that Obasanjo was murdered over a dispute concerning 32,000 euros (N15million) while about 36,241 euros (N17million) was withdrawn from his account during the period.

Following series of appearances in court, all those arrested, mostly Nigerians, were released from detention with no case brought against them in connection with the murder.

However, one of the suspects had left for Nigeria: Osemeahon. On September 29, 2019, he was arrested during immigration process at the Istanbul Airport in Turkey and handed over to Turkish Cypriot police.

According to reports, the suspect was traveling to Dubai when he was arrested but he claimed he was actually heading to Cyprus to clear his name.

He was taken to court the following day on charges of manslaughter and robbery. Police prosecutor told the court that the accused murdered Obasanjo on Monday, July 1 and then fled the country on July 4, 2021.

Judgment was delivered on Friday by a court in Lefkosia.

Fadil Aksun, president of the Lefkosa Heavy Penal Court, announced that the jury unanimously sentenced the accused to 32 years in prison. He said the accused accepted all charges of premeditated manslaughter, manslaughter, and robbery.

Aksun, who described the crime as serious and deserving of a long prison term, said the robbery element; defendant’s use of an assault weapon in the murder; use of barbaric and ruthless methods; and what he did to the dead body after the act were aggravating factors.

Man divorces his wife instantly during wedding reception over bride’s choice of music

A couple have set a new record for the shortest marriage after calling it quits at their reception venue because of the wife’s choice of song.

The groom divorced his wife following an argument during their celebrations in Baghdad.

According to local reports, the woman requested the Syrian song Mesaytara by Lamis Kan. The title translates to I am dominant or I will control you.

The song begins with the lyrics: “I am dominant; you will be ruled under my strict instructions, I will drive you crazy if you looked at other girls on the street.

“Yes, I’m dominant, you’re my piece of sugar. As long as you’re with me, you’ll walk under my command.”

The bride was reportedly dancing to the song and enjoying her wedding, but the groom’s family were not impressed resulting in a huge row between the two families.

This is not the first time this has happened. The song led to another divorce in Jordan last year.

Armenian President resigns over lack of power

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian resigned from office on Sunday January 23, complaining that he did not have enough power under the country’s constitution to implement necessary changes.  

In a statement posted on the presidential website, he attributed his resignation to “a paradoxical situation when the President has to be a guarantor of statehood without actually having any real tool.”

Sarkissian said;

“Because of the responsibility I assumed as the President of the Republic. I was obliged to do everything in my power to rule out further deepening of the internal division, possible clashes, which could lead to extremely negative consequences. I also sought to use my reputation and connections gained throughout my many years of work, my international political and economic potential to build a strong, stable state.”

He pointed out in the statement that due to the lack of appropriate tools endowed by the Constitution, he failed to influence the political events that led to the current national crisis.

The statement added that the president does not have the power to influence important domestic decision-making process which is important for the country.

Sarkissian stressed that the purpose of his proposal “was not to move from one model of government to another, but to create a state system based on checks and balances.”

Before his resignation, the former Armenian President was at the centre of a political crisis following an outbreak of fighting between Armenia and neighbour Azerbaijan, over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

More than 6,500 people were killed in the six weeks of fighting, which ended in a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, granting Azerbaijan part of the enclave and surrounding areas.

The country has also been transitioning from a direct presidential system of governance to a parliamentary one after constitutional reforms were approved in a national referendum in December 2015. The parliament can elect a president with a three-quarters majority.

Under the new constitutional amendments, although recognized as the head of state, the president will hold a largely ceremonial role with real executive power lying in the hands of the prime minister.

Liverpool beats Crystal Palace in 3-1 win

Liverpool kept hope of a Premier League title race alive as a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace cut the gap on leaders Manchester City to nine points, while Arsenal missed the chance to move into the top four after being held 0-0 by Burnley.

Jurgen Klopp’s men also have a game in hand to come on the champions and face City away in April with the chance to further reduce the gap.

By the time Liverpool take the field again on Premier League duty, they should be bolstered by the return of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane from their international duties at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The visitors showed no sign of missing their talismen as they blew Palace away in the opening half hour.

Virgil van Dijk’s towering header from Andy Robertson’s corner opened the scoring just eight minutes in.

Robertson was the creator again when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled Liverpool’s lead with a calm finish.

However, Palace served warning of what was to come in the second half before the break as Alisson Becker had to make fine saves from Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta to keep the Eagles at bay.

The Brazilian spread himself brilliantly to deny Odsonne Edouard’s backheel, while Conor Gallagher somehow failed to turn in Olise’s dangerous cross in a blistering start to the second period from the hosts.

Palace finally got their reward with a brilliant move as Jeffrey Schlupp and Mateta teed up Edouard for a tap-in.

Alisson was needed once again to keep his side in the lead and turn Olise’s inventive lob behind.

But Liverpool’s two-goal cushion was restored in controversial circumstances a minute from time when a penalty was given after a lengthy VAR intervention for Vicente Guaita’s block on Diogo Jota.

Fabinho sent Guaita the wrong way from the spot to seal the points to Klopp’s relief.

Gunners misfire

Arsenal failed to bounce back from their League Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool in midweek as Mikel Arteta’s men were frustrated by a Burnley side that had not played a league game since January 2.

The Clarets have up to four games in hand on some of their relegation rivals and gave their hopes of survival a huge boost despite remaining bottom of the table.

Nick Pope kept the Gunners at bay despite enjoying over 75 percent possession and having 20 shots on goal.

Arsenal edge up to sixth but are two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

Tottenham also have the chance to move into the top four when they travel to Chelsea later on Sunday.

Leicester’s hopes of European football next season were dealt a huge blow by conceding twice deep into stoppage time to lose to Spurs in midweek.

Brendan Rodgers’ men were again guilty of giving up a lead as Brighton secured a third consecutive 1-1 draw.

Patson Daka fired home on the rebound after Robert Sanchez had saved from Harvey Barnes in the first minute of the second half.

But Brighton levelled eight minutes from time when Danny Welbeck headed home Neal Maupay’s cross.

Imo: Policemen found roasted human bodies, skulls during a raid in kidnappers’ den

The Imo state Director of Security Services (DSS), Wilcox Idaminabo, has disclosed that security agencies discovered dead bodies, human heads and roasted bodies during a raid at the kidnappers camp last Monday.

Idaminabo made the disclosure while speaking to newsmen on Tuesday in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

According to the security chief, the operation which led to the arrest of over 30 kidnappers, took place in Orsu local government in Imo state and Uli in Ihiala local government area of Anambra state.

The operation also saw the rescue of kidnapped Eze Acho Ndukwe of Ihube Autonomous community in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.

Idaminabo said: “It was a joint security operation comprising the military, Police and the Director of State Services, DSS; we stormed the kidnapper’s hideout in a community In Anambra state and Orsu in Imo state.

“The community has been deserted and nobody is leaving there. The boys carved a large area of land and that is another form of insurgency; nobody is residing there.”

“In the cause of the operation the security forces were able to rescue Eze Acho, and we discovered a lot of decapitated bodies.

“I wonder, in the 21st century, we noticed that people still practice cannibalism here.

“We saw human flesh being roasted. It was an eyesore.

“We saw a lot of dead bodies. What they do is kidnap and kill some of them.

“Of course, they engaged the security agencies but we overpowered them and made a lot of arrests,” Idaminabo added.

“I have been dating billionaires my entire adult life” – Julia Fox confirms

Julia Fox is setting the record straight about her relationship with Kanye West and wants people to know that she is not with him for the clout or money.

On the latest episode of her Forbidden Fruits podcast, the American actress shut down speculation that she’s dating Kanye West for “fame,” “clout” and “money.”

“It’s funny cause I’m getting all of this attention, but I really couldn’t care,” Fox explained.

“People are like, ‘Oh, you’re only in it for the fame, you’re in it for the clout, you’re in it for the money.’ Honey, I’ve dated billionaires my entire adult life, let’s keep it real.”

The actress added, “When I was younger, I was such an attention seeker. I mean like ‘climb on top of the bar.’ It was always like ‘eyes on me.’ I had to get on stage at the concert. I had to make everything about me –– every situation about me. And as I got older and did work on myself, now I don’t need it or care for it or think about it. I don’t read any of the headlines or even see [them]. I just don’t really care.”

Fox’s comments come just a few weeks after the Uncut Gems star and the rapper’s relationship was confirmed by Page Six.

“Julia and Ye are dating,” a source told the outlet earlier this month. “They both just got out of their former relationships, and they’ve helped each other recover immensely… They’re kind of kindred spirits, and it’s cool to watch.” 

Days after she and Ye were spotted on multiple dates, Fox shed more light on their budding relationship with Interview magazine.

“His energy is so fun to be around,” she said. “He had me and my friends laughing, dancing, and smiling all night. We decided to keep the energy going and fly back to New York City to see Slave Play. Ye’s flight landed at six and the play was at seven and he was there ON TIME. I was impressed. After the play we chose to do dinner at Carbone which is one of my favorite restaurants. Obviously.”

‘Stowaway Man’ Survives 11-Hour Flight from South Africa to the Netherlands

A stowaway who hid in the front wheel section of a cargo plane miraculously survived an 11-hour flight from South Africa to the Netherlands.

Dutch military police said that man was found after he had squeezed into the wheel section below the fuselage.

He was found “doing well” despite the arduous journey after arriving at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Sunday, Jan. 23.

Border control officers said in a statement: “The man is doing well considering the circumstances and has been taken to a hospital.”

National police force Marechausse spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds said the man’s age and nationality had not yet been determined.

“Our first concern of course was for his health,” she said.

“This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height – very, very unusual.”

A spokesperson for freight carrier Cargolux confirmed that the stowaway had been on a flight operated by Cargolux Italia.

“We are not in a position to make any further comment until the authorities and the airline have completed their investigation,” they said.

The only Cargolux freight flight arriving at Schiphol on Sunday was a Boeing 747 freighter that travelled from Johannesburg and made a stop in Nairobi, Kenya, according to Schiphol’s website and flight tracking data.

A spokesperson for the airport declined to answer questions about the incident, according to Reuters.

It comes after another man survived a gruelling flight while hiding in the landing gear.

On November 27 last year a man was found alive and well after stowing away in the landing gear of a plane traveling from Guatemala to Miami.

Why Buying ‘Tokunbo Trains’ for Lagosians ? — Opinion

A Rejoinder To Governor Babajide Sanwoolu Set To Buy More Than A Decade Second Hand Used Trains From Milwaukee, Wisconsin In United States.

The ingenuity of Babajide Sanwo-Olu in solving the problem of transportation in Lagos state by re-introducing the metro line, is a welcome development. However, there are questions, begging for answers?

One, what is the cost benefit analysis of these set of used and old trains? Cost benefit analysis is defined as a process of comparing the projected or estimated costs and benefits or opportunities associated with a project decision to determine whether it makes sense from a business perspective. Yes, we cannot completely run a government like a private company because of the strong consideration for human values.

In light of the above consideration for human values, I heard Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu saying it loud and clear; JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! In other words, the metro line will create a lot of jobs and reduce the unemployment rate in our society.

In addition, for the city of Milwaukee in United States to abandon the set of trains for more than ten years, one would have thought the trains are not cost effective and Lagos state will now be their dumping ground. Are we wise in Africa at all? Hmmm, what is wrong with African leaders?

However, will the benefits outweigh the costs of the project? This is because, the history of almost twenty four years of Tinubu dynasty in Lagos state, is saying otherwise.

A classic example is the controversial N4.5 billion naira Sunborn Yacht Hotel, ferried from London to Lagos waters by Army Officers’ Mess at Marina under the leadership of Babatunde Raji Fasola. It should be recalled that Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, the then Commissioner for Inter-Governmental Relations and Tourism facilitated the deal on behalf of the Lagos state government. The Custom-built yacht, with 102 suites, arrived the Lagos waters in November, 2008 and was abandoned, and rusted in the waters for four years. The contract was enmashed in controversy and, only for Lagosians to wake up one morning and discovered that the once cynosure of all eyes, has vanished into thin air. This was the last we heard about Sunborn Yacht Hotel and the rest is history.

Hmmmm, only God knows the huge amount of money that the Lagos State Government must have wasted on this project?

Again, what is the cost benefit analysis of the used and old trains?

Also, will this not be another bad experience like the Sunborn Yacht Hotel that hit the rocks after wasting taxpayers money?

Lagosians, please ask questions.

Two, what is the capital depreciation of these set of trains? In most cases, however, the value of the asset decreases as it is used up, and we call the phenomenon depreciation. In other words, the value of the capital assets decreases by an equal amount each year of its working life. Methinks, a set of used trains that have been abandoned for more than ten years, may not be too good for a state that prides herself as the second largest and fastest growing economy in Africa.

Three, do we have the technical expertise on the ground to maintain and refurbish these second hand set of trains or, are we bringing in foreign experts to maintain these set of trains? In Nigeria, we lack the inbuilt mechanism to maintain our infrastructures and equipments.

Suffice to say it, inculcating a maintenance culture is an inbuilt mechanism that ought to start from the beginning of a project. This is also part of the process of cost benefit analysis. Our local engineers did not build these set of trains and they may not have the technical knowledge of many components that constitute these set of trains and, relying on foreign experts to maintain these set of trains may be too costly. Again, what is the cost benefit analysis?

Lagosians, please ask questions.

Four, will the procurement department make available the details of all the payment transactions from requisition order to Bill of lading? The Freedom Of Information Act that was signed into law by President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan on May 28th, 2011 has given citizens the right to ask government to give account of their stewardship with few exceptions. Yes, gone are the days when government contracts were shrewded in secrecy.

Lagosians, please ask questions.

Moreover, is this not another way of looting the treasury through procurement? In 2010 during the first term of Governor Babatunde Raji Fasola, Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo of blessed memory, an obstetrician and gynaecologist in Cook County Hospital in Chicago for many years, returned home to add great value to Lagos state medical system. He was appointed as the Chairman, Board of Management of the Lagos state University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). He facilitated the donation of large second hand medical equipments from Cook County Hospitals in Chicago to Lagos state.

One, did Tinubu and his cabal not change the deal from donation to buying the medical equipments?

Two, did they not sell all the medical equipments to Lagos state and pocketed the money?

Three, did Tinubu’s bosom friend, Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo not query the shady deal?

The last we heard of Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo, we were told he was drowned inside his own swimming pool in day light.

Hmmm, “àjẹ́ ké lánàá, ọmọ kú lónìí, ṣe kìí ṣe àjẹ́ ànọ́ ló pa ọmọ jẹ?” (“the witch cried yesterday and the child died today, was it not the witch that cried yesterday killed the child?”).

Yes, the mystery behind Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo’s death has compelled many like me to ask, WHO KILLED DR. NURUDEEN OLOWOPOPO???

Yes, this is an unresolved death and the list is endless in this current dispensation.

In the final analysis, when we take into cognizance the history of shady deals in the life of Tinubu dynasty, are we not smelling another rat with Governor Babajide Sanwoolu buying used trains that had been abandoned for more than a decade from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in United States?

LAGOSIANS, PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

AGAIN, WHO KILLED THE ILUSTRIOUS SON OF LAGOS STATE, DR. NURUDEEN OLOWOPOPO???

ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

Source: By David Adenekan

Oh no! Over $1 Trillion Lost as Crypto Crash Continues

Investors are counting their losses this weekend as Crypto crash erases more than $1 Trillion in market value.

For Bitcoin, there’s only been one constant recently: decline after decline after decline. And the superlatives have piled up really quickly.

With the Federal Reserve intending to withdraw stimulus from the market, riskier assets the world over have suffered. Bitcoin, the largest digital asset, lost more than 12% Friday and dropped below $36,000 to its lowest level since July. Since its peak in November, it has lost over 45% of its value. Other digital currencies have suffered just as much, if not more, with Ether and meme coins mired in similar drawdowns.

Bitcoin’s decline since that November high has wiped out more than $600 billion in market value, and over $1 trillion has been lost from the aggregate crypto market. While there have been much larger percentage drawdowns for both Bitcoin and the aggregate market, this marks the second-largest ever decline in dollar terms for both, according to Bespoke Investment Group.

“It gives an idea of the scale of value destruction that percentage declines can mask,” wrote Bespoke analysts in a note. “Crypto is, of course, vulnerable to these sorts of selloffs given its naturally higher volatility historically, but given how large market caps have gotten, the volatility is worth thinking about both in raw dollar terms as well as in percentage terms.”

With the Fed’s intentions rocking both cryptocurrencies and stocks, a dominant theme has emerged in the digital-asset space: cryptos have twisted and turned in nearly exactly the same way as equities have.

“Crypto is reacting to the same kind of dynamics that are weighing on risk-assets globally,” said Stephane Ouellette, chief executive and co-founder of institutional crypto-platform FRNT Financial. “Unfortunately for some of the mature projects like BTC, there is so much cross-correlation within the crypto asset class it’s almost a certainty that it falls, at least temporarily in a broader alt-coin valuation contraction.”

Crypto-centric stocks also dropped on Friday, with Coinbase Global Inc. at one point losing nearly 16% and falling to its lowest level since its public debut in the spring of 2021, Bloomberg data show.

MicroStrategy Inc. tumbled 18% while the Securities and Exchange Commission said the company can’t strip out Bitcoin’s wild swings from the unofficial accounting measures it touts to investors. The enterprise software company’s pile of Bitcoin has effectively made its shares a proxy for the digital asset.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is preparing to release an initial government-wide strategy for digital assets as soon as next month and task federal agencies with assessing the risks and opportunities that they pose, according to people familiar with the matter.

Antoni Trenchev,, Nexo co-founder and managing partner, cites Bitcoin’s correlation to the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100, which right now is near the highest in a decade.

“Bitcoin is being battered by a wave of risk-off sentiment. For further cues, keep an eye on traditional markets,” he said. “Fear and unease among investors is palpable.”

Take also the correlation between Bitcoin and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF (ticker ARKK), a pandemic poster-child of speculative risk-taking. That correlation stands at around 60% year-to-date, versus about 14% for the price of gold, according to Katie Stockton, founder and managing partner of Fairlead Strategies, a research firm focused on technical analysis. It’s “reminding us to categorize Bitcoin and altcoins as risk assets rather than safe havens,” she said.

Meanwhile, more than 239,000 traders had their positions closed over the past 24 hours, with liquidations totaling roughly $874 million, according to data from Coinglass, a cryptocurrency futures trading and information platform.

Though liquidations have spiked, the numbers are relatively muted when compared to previous declines, according to Noelle Acheson, head of market insights at Genesis Global Trading. Acheson points out that Bitcoin’s one-week skew, which compares the cost of bearish options to bullish ones, spiked to almost 15% on Wednesday compared to an average of about 6% in the past seven days.

“This flagged a jump in bearish sentiment, in line with overall market jitters given the current macro uncertainty,” she said.

Kara Murphy, chief investment officer at Kestra Investment Management, said cryptocurrencies have a life of their own but that the recent slump is rational.

“It makes sense as people start to retrench a little bit, look for something that’s a little bit more solid, they’re gonna move away from crypto,” she said. “On the margin, with folks becoming more risk averse, crypto will suffer from that.”

4 women and others busted for selling drug cookies and noodles – NDLEA

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have raided a relaxation centre, popularly called Garden in Abuja and arrested six persons for selling drug cookies and noodles.

Following credible intelligence, operatives raided the garden at Wuse Zone 5 behind Shoprite, where a lady Rachael Famiyesun, 29, who deals in drug cookies was arrested along with her salesgirl, Stella Sunday, 20. Beside the cookies, they were also caught selling bottles of black currant drink popularly called Zobo prepared with cannabis.

Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy of the agency in a statement on Sunday, said that another business operator in the garden, Moses Obi, 30, was also arrested with his salesgirl, Aisha Abdulrahman, 19, for selling indomie noodles prepared with cannabis.

A barman, Ahonye Jonah, 31, who works with the owner of the garden, was equally arrested while one of their customers, 38-year-old Ngozi Justina Emelogu was also picked during the raid on Wednesday 19th Jan.

Two days earlier, officers of the FCT command of the Agency equally raided the Zuba Yam Market, where a drug dealer, Haruna Hassan was arrested with 19.3kg cannabis.

NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles

Meanwhile, attempts by drug traffickers to export 1.53 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside hair cream to London, and another 880 grams of cocaine concealed inside synthetic hair to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as well as 3 grams of cocaine and 5grms of cannabis to Cyprus packed inside locally made shoes through two major courier companies in Lagos have been foiled by narcotic officers attached to the firms.

In Edo state, operatives on Tuesday 18th Jan. intercepted a Toyota Camry car with Reg. No. FKJ 897 DG (LAGOS) loaded with 360.4kg Cannabis sativa heading to Abuja and arrested the driver, Nurudeen Subaru, 42, in Auchi, Etsako West area of the state.

The following day, the Edo command officers also evacuated 111kg cannabis stored in a bush at Iruekpen, Esan West LGA while 276 compressed blocks of the same substance weighing 248.4kg were recovered from one Austin Okongwu (a.k.a Igwe), 45, at Agenebode, Etsako East while moving the drug in a Lexus saloon car with reg. no. ABC 583 MJ (ABUJA).

Also on Wednesday 19th Jan., a raid on a drug joint in the Edo state capital, Benin, led to the arrest of three drug dealers: Kelly Ogbebor, 38; Daniel Oviawe, 35, and Kelly Kenmakonam, 29 with different quantities of cocaine and heroin seized from them.

Different quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine and tramadol were seized from two suspects; Aliyu Abdullahi and Ishaya Emmanuel, when a commercial bus with reg. number GME711YX bringing them from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa state was intercepted along Abuja road by officers of the Plateau state command on Wednesday 19th Jan.

In Adamawa state, on Wednesday 19th Jan. the long arm of the law eventually caught a notorious drug dealer, Adamu Musa who has been on the run for nine months. His 31-year-old elder sister, Mrs. Hannatu Sini had been arrested on 16th April 2021, at Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa with 14.400kg of cannabis sativa and admitted keeping the exhibit for her younger brother, Adamu Musa who was subsequently placed on the wanted list of the command.

This is even as an ex-convict, Mrs. Modinat Lawal, was arrested in Kano on Wednesday 19th Jan with 22kg cannabis sativa she brought into Nigeria from Benin Republic. She had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and jailed for the same offence. The Ogun state born trafficker claimed then that her name was Bola.

While commending the officers and men of the FCT, Edo, Plateau, Adamawa, Kano and Directorate of Investigation and General Investigations for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their counterparts in other commands to remain vigilant and always proactive.

NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles
NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles
NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles
NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles
NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles
NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles
NDLEA raids Abuja garden, arrests four women, two others for selling drug cookies and noodles

“General Abacha died in the night” – Abdulsalami recounts

A former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has narrated how late dictator, Gen Sani Abacha died in 1998 and what he knew about his death.

In an interview with Daily Trust TV, Abdulsalami noted that the former dictator died during the night and the then Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, broke the news to him.

Abdulsalami said, “A lot happened the day General Abacha passed away. He died I think the day he was to travel to Togo for, I think, the ECOWAs or AU summit.

“Now I got a call from the Villa that General Abacha wanted to see me. So, immediately what came to my mind, I said; I hope he had not changed his mind about going to this Togo and was going to send me because at that time when he passed away, already I was the de facto number two man because at that time General Diya and others were having problem on this alleged coup.

“So I suspected that the General had changed his mind and he was going to send me because in a lot of times, I am called upon to go and represent the head of state. So I took my time, when I went to the bathroom and I told my wife, “look I think I might be going to this AU Summit, so help me prepare my bag” but before I finished then there was another call.

“Yes, in the morning. Then there was another call; “look the president is waiting for you,” I said “okay I am coming”. So I casually put on my tracksuit since there was no time to dress in uniform and so on, since there was agitation that I was wanted immediately.

“So I came with my tracksuit, I think I was even wearing slippers. When I entered they said, “General is in the office”; so naturally when I come to the office, no matter who was with General Abacha I normally just go in and meet him and maybe he would say “Okay, wait, let me finish with this gentleman” or he will ask the fellow to give us chance.

“To my surprise when I came, as I was climbing the steps, somebody said “No, he said you have to wait in the waiting room”. To my surprise, I was in the waiting room for over 30, 40 minutes, then I kept wondering what was happening. Any time I wanted to go up, they said no, the General said I should wait.

“So after about 40 minutes waiting, then Late Coomassie, (Ibrahim Coomassie), who was the Inspector-General of Police came to where I was sitting and he said “Please come”. Instead of going up to the office, we followed out, he said “No, we are going to the house”.

“It was in that process he told me, “Look, unfortunately General Abacha has passed on in the night”. So that was how we went to the villa where General Abacha was living and as we entered, they showed me on the right where his corpse was, so I entered and prayed for his soul and so on.

“Then we entered the parlour where I found some gentlemen including I think…Coomassie of course was there then the chief justice of the federation, I think Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and one or two security operatives, I can’t remember everybody.

“Well at that time I was told he passed away and so on and at that time all these speculations did not arise until later on. All we were concerned was that okay, that the head of state has passed on, how do we now break the news to the country and so on and so forth.

“We were guided by the then chief justice of the federation saying that “Look, so much as there is the need to inform Nigerians about the passing away of the head of state, you cannot leave a vacuum, there must be a substantive head of state before you can go ahead with other things”. So I think that set up the chain of events.

“So immediately, as the chief of defence staff then, I quickly summoned for the council of state meeting. I was still in my tracksuit because there was no time, because it was really a shocking and devastating period we found ourselves. So it was later when we set up the meeting, that I had to go home and really get properly dressed.

“So now when I came back well dressed, by that time members of the military ruling council had started arriving, when we all assembled then we went to the meeting. Of all course we had to break the news although it had become a common knowledge between the members that his Excellency General Abacha had passed on.

“We had to tell the council of his demise and the advice given by the chief justice of the federation, that before we did anything there must be somebody to take over, so that he is in charge.

“It took time before the members of the council of state arrived. Of course in the chamber, there was a lot of interactions. Finally it was decided that okay we had General Useini who was then the most senior officer, so to speak, but he was in the administration, he was then minister of FCT and I was the chief of defence staff, so the issue was one of us should emerge as the head of state.”

Creating Hope? Why they are leaving Nigeria — By Tunde Leye

From my immediate University clique, another person is leaving Nigeria for America at the end of this month, with her family of three. Virtually every month for the last two years, I’ve gone to visit one person or the other who was making a similar move. In fact, one of them did this spreadsheet to show justify with numbers why he was moving his family to UK while remaining here to work until he made up his mind whether he would up and leave to join them as well.

Screenshot 20220122 132629 1

When I asked most of them (who had decent jobs/businesses and were not doing badly) why they were leaving especially now that they had started families here, almost everyone had a similar answer. They were leaving mainly because of the lack of opportunity or the limited opportunities Nigeria presented for their children. They simply had lost hope that Nigeria had any plans for the future of their children even if they did their best educating those children here. Here’s two illustrations to buttress the point.

My daughter is 18months old and has only just started repeating words she hears us say, she’s really not talking yet. But she can count from 1 to 10, can operate every phone/tab in the house and had started finding her way around my laptop all because of cartoons, games and the likes she watches/plays on our smartphones. Close to my house is my estate gateman’s house. He also has an 18month old. The boy has never held a smartphone or accessed the internet, and has never been exposed to any of the learning my daughter has.

There is already a huge chasm between this boy and my daughter at 18months, which will only get wider as they grow older. Here’s the thing — as much as we will like not to admit it, a similar chasm exists between my kid and her cousins who are growing up in the UK who came visiting recently. Not because they are smarter than my daughter or have a different genetic makeup. It’s simply the fact that they are growing up in a society where what and how they are learning, the ideas they will be exposed to are radically different from what my daughter will be exposed to in all but the most expensive schools here in Nigeria.

Even if I can afford those really expensive schools, the larger Nigerian society she will come back into nko? I mean, her cousins, one 5 and the other 7 have visited manufacturing plants and actually seen machines most graduates who have never traveled have never seen or imagined. The 7 year old has used a 3D printer before. Uncle Tunde has never actually been in the same room with one. You get the drift.

And then, let’s look at the opportunities that our society presents if I try to get that really expensive education but we remain here. The other illustration I was going to give comes in here. Two children going to average universities, one in Nigeria, one in the UK or America. The one in the UK has the opportunity to intern with some of the best firms in the world and will probably have traveled and interacted with many global cultures and be exposed to the most brilliant ideas by the time she is graduating. She has a wide and varied field of interests which will pay her a viable income to chose from and any knowledge she discovers will quickly be applied to improve the system with real financial rewards for her.

The one here will be battling with lecturers and the Industrial Training fund people. She won’t even get to see what works in Kenya, not to talk of South Africa, except for the very top expensive schools. If she innovates, she will be failed and there are very few viable fields she can go into to get viable work. How can that Nigerian kid compete on the global scale? Related Posts

There is no significant difference in smarts. In fact, this illustration is from a Nigerian friend who did not finish her school in Nigeria and was call a dunce and then went to restart in the UK and has now interned with and traveled to some of the biggest firms in the world. She has jobs lined up for her once she graduates.

I have a friend who used to sing when we were in school. But her voice was very unconventional, cartoonish.

She kept at it, but there were no real opportunities for her in music here. So, resigned, she took up a job in some firm here, unhappy and unfulfilled even though she was earning quite decent money. Thankfully, she took the risk and relocated and now does voiceovers for animation abroad. I’m sure I’ll be hearing her singing soundtrack for some cartoons at some point in future.

Truth is, that opportunity simply doesn’t exist here. If she had stayed here, her options would have been closed and limited to “pressing computer” in a firm. She had to leave to achieve her potential. This is the story of Nigeria, made even more vivid as more and more people have lost hope in the future in the last two years.

So brings me back to the conversation I’m having with my friend who leaves June 30th.

She’s saying, “look Tunde, my own skill will pay me decently in America. And I’ll have a much better life. But the real reason I’m leaving is for these two (she points at her children). I need to make sure that all these their brains don’t go to waste. (She calls her first child’s name, he’s 9) can never be all I can see he has the potential to be here. I’m doing this more for them than for me. I don’t see things changing in the next 20years in this country, so why am I waiting here rather than giving my children a chance at a much better life?”

I sigh, and wonder how much longer before its me people are coming to bid farewell. I’m here for now, but until when?

Source: By Tunde Leye

Bitcoin market loses $356bn in 24 hours

The value of the cryptocurrency market stood at $1.61 trillion on Saturday, representing 11.8 percent decline over the last day and price crash culminated in a loss of over $350 billion in one day.

This is according to data on CoinMarketCap.

This is coming barely two months after the market value of the crypto market increased to $2.94 trillion, following Bitcoin’s record high of $68,000.

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, plunged below $35,000 — its lowest dollar value since August 2021. Related Posts

The value of the cryptocurrency declined over 9 percent to $35,104 in the last 24 hours at 12.52 GMT+1 on Saturday.

On Friday, the price dropped to $38,147 after Russia’s central bank proposed to ban all cryptocurrency operations in the country.

Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, also dropped over 14 percent to $2,433.

Weird Man is found dead in his home surrounded by 125 caged snakes

A man has been discovered dead inside his home in Maryland, US alongside cages containing more than 125 snakes, including the highly venomous spitting cobras and black mambas.


David Riston, 49, a dad, was found dead at his home in Pomfret on Wednesday evening, January 19, surrounded by his caged pets – some of which are so dangerous they’re illegal to keep as pets in the United States.


Investigators are yet to say whether one of the snakes may have killed Riston. 


Charles County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the 5500 block of Rafael Drive in Pomfret at around 6pm on Wednesday night after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor, who said that he went to check on the homeowner, whom he had not seen since the day before, and saw him through a window lying unresponsive on the floor. 

Inside the house, police officers found tanks on racks housing 125 snakes.


According to the sheriff’s office, there were no obvious signs of foul play and Riston was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.

Man is found dead in his home surrounded by 125 caged snakes including black mambas and a 14-foot Burmese python (photos)

Jennifer Harris, a spokesperson for Charles County Animal Control, told the station WRC-TV that the breeds included rattlesnakes, spitting cobras, black mambas – the most venomous snakes in Africa – and a 14-foot-long Burmese python.

Just two drops of a black mamba’s fast-acting venom can kill a human by shutting down the nervous system and inflicting paralysis while a spitting cobra can spray venom from its fangs into its victim’s eyes from 10 feet away, causing blindness. Both breeds are illegal to keep as pets in the US. 

Man is found dead in his home surrounded by 125 caged snakes including black mambas and a 14-foot Burmese python (photos)

All the snakes in Riston’s home were well-cared for by their owner according to Police. Police had to assure neighbors that if any of the other snakes have escaped, the cold winter weather will kill them before they get very far. 


Charles County Animal Control Chief Ed Tucker said this is the largest private collection of snakes he has ever encountered in his 30 year career

Naomi Osaka knocked out In 3rd round in Australian Open

Defending champion, Naomi Osaka has been knocked out of the  Australian Open after  Amanda Anisimova stunned her on Friday January 21, handed her a defeat.


The Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion, seeded 13, won the first set on Margaret Court Arena but Amanda, a 20-year-old American ranked 60th in the world beat Naomi 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) F


“I’m speechless, I can’t stop smiling,” said the 20-year-old, who is undefeated this year after winning a lead-up tournament in Melbourne.

“I knew I had to be playing sharp if I wanted to give myself a chance. Naomi is always going to be playing well, she is an absolute champion.


“So I really had to step up my game and try to be aggressive. That’s what I started doing in the second set and so grateful I was able to do this well today and get the win. It means a lot.”


It’s the fourth time Osaka has been unable to defend a major title, and the 11th time in a Grand Slam she has been knocked out in the third round, including last year’s U.S. Open.

BREAKING: Buhari Orders EFCC To Arrest Airforce Officers Who Purchased Old & Faulty Helicopters [Full list]

Buhari Orders EFCC To Arrest Airforce Officers Who Purchased Outdated Helicopters.

Based on the recommendation of the committee established to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to carry out further investigation into the misconduct established against some past and serving top Airforce and Army officers.

The affected officership who are seventeen in number were found culpable in using their private companies to purchase arms and equipment between 2007 and 2015 during the PDP administration.

The Committee earlier set up by the President, investigated them and made recommendations for appropriate sanction, but in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu on Friday, the following retired and serving officers were asked to be further investigated by the EFCC.

They are:

(1)Air Chief Marshal AS Badeh (Rtd)
(2)Air Marshal MD Umar (Rtd)
(3)Air Marshal AN Amosu (Rtd)
(4) Maj-Gen. ER Chioba (Rtd)
(5)AVM IA Balogun (Rtd)
(6)AVM AG Tsakr (Rtd)
(7)AVM AG Idowu (Rtd)
(8)AVM AM Mamu
(9)AVM OT Oguntoyinbo
(10)AVM T Omenyi
(11)AVM JB Adigun
(12)AVM RA Ojuawo
(13)AVM JA Kayode-Beckley
(12)Air Cdre SA Yushau (Rtd)
(13)Air Cdre AO Ogunjobi
(14)Air Cdre GMD Gwani
(15)Air Cdre SO Makinde
(16)Air Cdre AY Lassa
(16)Col N Ashinze
(17)Lt Col. MS Dasuki (Rtd)

Following the submission of the audit committee’s second interim report, President Buhari has directed the EFCC to investigate the roles of the officers and the following companies and their directors in fundamental breaches associated with the procurements by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).”

(1)Messrs Societe D’ Equipments Internationaux
(2) Himma Aboubakar
(3)Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Limited
(4)Messrs Syrius Technologies
(5) Dr Theresa A. Ittu
(6)Sky Experts Nig Ltd
(7)Omenyi Ifeanyi Tony
(8)Huzee Nig Ltd
(9)GAT Techno Dynamics Ltd
(10) Gbujie Peter Obie
(11) Onuri Samuel Ugochukwu
(12)Spacewebs Interservices Ltd
(13)Oguntoyinbo Tayo
(14) Oguntoyinbo Funmi.
(15) Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd
(16)Chief Jacobs Bola
(17)Mono Marine Corporation Nig Ltd
(18)Geonel Intergrated Services Ltd
(20)Sachi Felicia
(20) Mudaki Polycarp
(21)Wolfgang Reinl.

“The breaches identified by the Audit Committee include non-specification of procurement costs, absence of contract agreements, award of contracts beyond authorised thresholds, transfer of public funds for unidentified purposes and general non-adherence to provisions of the Public Procurement Act.

“Furthermore, the procurement processes were arbitrarily carried out and generally characterized by irregularities and fraud.

“In many cases, the procured items failed to meet the purposes they were procured for, especially the counter insurgency efforts in the North East.

“A major procurement activity undertaken by ONSA for NAF was that concerning the contracts awarded to Societe D’ Equipment Internationaux (SEI) Nig Ltd.

Between January 2014 and February 2015, NAF awarded 10 contracts totalling Nine Hundred and Thirty Million, Five Hundred Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety US Dollars ($930,500,690.00) to SEI Nig Ltd.

“Letters of award and End User Certificates for all the contracts issued by NAF and ONSA respectively did not reflect the contract sums.

Rather, these were only found in the vendor’s invoices, all dated 19 March 2015. Additionally, some of the award letters contained misleading delivery dates suggesting fraudulent intent in the award process.

“The observed discrepancies are in clear contravention of extant procurement regulations.

The SEI contracts included procurement of two used Mi-24V Helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at the cost of One Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Nine Hundred and Forty Four Thousand US Dollars ($136,944,000.00).

“However, it was confirmed that the helicopters were excessively priced and not operationally air worthy at the time of delivery.

A brand new unit of such helicopters goes for about Thirty Million US Dollars ($30m). Furthermore, the helicopters were delivered without rotor blades and upgrade accessories.

“Additionally, the helicopters were undergoing upgrade while being deployed for operation in the North East without proper documentation.

It was further established that as at date, only one of the helicopters is in service while the other crashed and claimed the lives of two NAF personnel. Related Posts

“The Committee established that ONSA also funded the procurement of 4 used Alpha-Jets for the NAF at the cost of Seven Million, One Hundred and Eighty Thousand US Dollars ($7,180,000.00). However, it was confirmed that only 2 of the Alpha-Jet aircraft were ferried to Nigeria after cannibalization of engines from NAF fleet.

This is contrary to the written assertion of the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal AN Amosu to the former NSA that all the 4 procured Alpha-Jets aircraft were delivered to the NAF.

“The non-militarisation of the Alpha-Jets made them unsuitable for deployment to the North East and they are currently deployed only for training at NAF Kainji.
Furthermore, the procurement of the Alpha-Jets was contrary to the recommendation of the assessment team.

The Committee found that the conduct of Air Marshal Amosu was deliberately misleading and unpatriotic.

“The contract for the procurement of 36D6 Low Level Air Defence Radar for the NAF was awarded to GAT Techno Dynamics Ltd in April 2014 at the cost of Thirty Three Million US Dollars ($33m) and was funded by ONSA.

The Committee established that the radars were excessively priced as a complete set of such radars (comprising 6 radars including the Control Centre) goes for Six Million US Dollars ($6m) averagely.

“The Committee observed that the radars were delivered without the vital component of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) that distinguishes between own and adversary aircraft, which has significantly degraded the operational capabilities of the NAF in the North East.

“It was further observed that the sum of Three Million, Three Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($3.3m) was fraudulently included in the contract agreement as VAT and With Holding Tax and subsequently paid into the bank accounts of Spacewebs Interservices Ltd and Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd.

The Committee further established that Two Million US Dollars ($2m) from the proceeds was transferred to Mono Marine Corporation Nig Ltd, which is jointly owned by principal characters in this deal. The Committee opined that the infractions of extant regulations by these companies were clearly intended to defraud.

It was established that between September 2009 and May 2015, the NAF expended about Fifteen Billion Naira (N15bn) on the maintenance of its Alpha-Jets, C-130H aircraft and Mi-24V/35P helicopters. Out of this amount, Four Billion, Four Hundred and Two Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty Nine Naira, Forty One Kobo (N4,402,687,569.41) was paid out for contracts not executed.

It was also observed that in carrying out these maintenance activities, contracts worth over Two Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N2.5bn) were awarded to Syrius Technologies, a Ukrainian company that was not registered in Nigeria. Regrettably, in spite of these expenditures, the status of NAF fleet remained operationally appalling as only 3 Alpha-Jets, 2 C-130H and one each of Mi-24V and Mi-35P were serviceable as at 28 May 15.
In October 2013, NAF awarded contracts to DICON for the supply of weapons and ammunition at the cost of Five Hundred and Ninety Nine Million, One Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Naira (N599,118,000.00). However, only 2 of the 7 items contracted were delivered to NAF while the outstanding 5 items remained undelivered despite repeated requests to DICON.

The Committee also found that the delivered ammunition were about 40 years old, thereby casting doubts on their shelf life. The failure of DICON to fully execute the contract and the delivery of aged ammunition diminished the capacity of the NAF in North East operation.

“The Committee uncovered insider dealings by military officers in procurement activities undertaken by ONSA and the NAF.

The officers were found to have misused or abused their offices for personal gains by influencing award of contracts to private companies in which they have substantial interests.

“For instance, an officer serving in the ONSA used his office to secure 2 contracts for his company, Geonel Integrated Services Ltd, for the protection of 20 Dams and Presidential Air Fleet security at the cost of Six Billion, Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N6,250,000,000.00) and Five Million US Dollars ($5m) respectively.

“Furthermore, some NAF officers used their companies to collect VAT and With Holding Tax that were never remitted to FIRS while another officer was found to have cross transferred about Five Hundred Million Naira (N500m) between a NAF company, Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Limited, SkyExperts Nig Ltd and Huzee Nig Ltd, companies in which he had personal interests.

“It would be recalled that in its First Interim Report, the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment established that the sum of Six Hundred and Forty Three Billion Naira (N643bn) and Two Billion, One Hundred Million US Dollars ($2.1bn) interventions were received for defence procurements by DHQ and the Services between 2007 and 2015

In continuation of its assignment, the Committee has so far established that the nation spent about Twenty Nine Billion Naira (N29bn) and Two Billion US Dollars ($2bn) on NAF procurement activities alone.

Ex-convict kills wife’s lover in Imo forest for having affair with her while he was in jail

A 35-year-old ex-convict, Onyekachi Alozie and his wife, Oluchi, alongside another ex-convict, Agubata Maxwell Chimezie, 39, have been arrested over alleged kidnapped, murdered and setting ablaze of a 71-year-old man, Chief Precious Okorie in Imo state.

The gang was said to have accused Okorie of having an amorous relationship with Alozie’s wife, Oluchi, while the husband was serving a jail term at the Nigeria Correction Centre, Owerri.

Okorie was killed after his family, who had been asked to pay a N20million ransom, paid N1.5million to the gang in the forest at Ochiogwa in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

The State Commissioner of Police, Hussain Rabiu, who disclosed this said the deceased family members reported to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad after Okorie was kidnapped on November 12, 2021.

CP Rabiu ordered the commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Oladimeji Oyeyiyewa, and his operatives to swing into action after which they subsequently arrested the gang leader, Agubata Maxwell Chimezie a.k.a “the boss” on December 10, 2021.

Oluchi was picked up on December 20 while her husband was arrested on January 10, 2022 in Owerri.

Alozie, who was said to have allegedly masterminded the kidnapping and murder of Okorie, took the police operatives and family members of the victim to the forest where they saw the burnt body of the deceased.

According to Oyeyiyewa, the operatives recovered the late Okorie’s car, a Toyota Camry from the workshop of an auto painter through the gang leader, who had taken the car for repaint and later sold it for N1million.

Explaining her involvement in the alleged crime to newsmen Oluchi said, “I attended Comprehensive Secondary school at Mbaitoli and got married to Onyekachi Alozie six years ago. I have three children for him. I was arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping operatives on December 20,2021 in my sister’s house in Owerri over the death of Chief Precious Okorie.

“My husband, Onyenkachi, was arrested by the Department of State Services for kidnapping, and he has been detained at the Nigeria Correction Centre since 2018. It was then that I started having an affair with late Chief Okorie in a hotel. We dated for about three years. The late Chief Okorie had been assisting me and would sometimes give me N5,000 or N10,000 for the upkeep of my children. I saw hell while my husband was in prison. It was that money from Chief Okorie that I used to buy foodstuff and prepare food for my husband at the Nigeria Correction Centre, Owerri. When my husband was released from jail in July, 2021, I told him about Chief Okorie, that he was helping us when he was at the Nigeria Correction Centre in Owerri.

“It was when I was having a phone conversation with Chief Okorie that my husband heard everything about how the deceased wanted to see me. My husband got angry and forced me to call him back. The next day, my husband insisted that I should call Chief Okorie around 3.00 pm and threatened that if I didn’t call him, he would kill me. I had to call Chief Okorie and told him to meet me at the hotel, that I would join him soon.

“While he was on his way to the hotel, my husband and his gang member waylaid and kidnapped him. Whenever I asked my husband about the chief, he would warn me to shut up and threaten to kill me. He told me to carry the three children and ran to the village. That was how I was arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping operatives. I don’t know how my husband and his gang killed Chief Okorie.”

Alozie, who confessed to the alleged kidnapping and killing said, “I attended Daughter of Mary Mother Mercy Primary School, Aba and proceeded to Amache Boy Secondary School in Anambra State. I am an electrician by profession. Later I went into armed robbery and kidnapping. I went to the Nigeria Correction Centre twice over kidnapping cases. I was detained at the Nigeria Correction Centre after I was arrested and prosecuted by DSS operatives in 2018. I was discharged by an Nkwerre High Court and released from prison in 2021.

“I have been involved in several armed robberies and various kidnapping in Owerri, Imo State. When I was at the Nigeria Correction Centre, my wife Oluchi was visiting me and bringing food. I didn’t suspect her with late Chief Okorie. She only told me Okorie was a Good Samaritan. Then one day, I overheard their conversation on phone, where Okorie was saying he was eager to see my wife. I was angry and forced my wife to call the deceased to see her in the hotel. My wife has confessed to me that she has been having a sexual relationship with the 71-year-old man in the hotel.

“I threatened to kill my wife, and so she called him back and told him to wait for her in the hotel. I then arranged for him to be kidnapped. My gang leader, Agubata Chimezie a.k.a “the boss” kidnapped Chief Okorie in his car and took him to the forest. I demanded a ransom of N20million but the family members paid only N1.5m as ransom.

“Agubata Chimezie said I should carry the deceased’s car, a Toyota Camry and meet them at Irate and we drove to a hotel in Owerri where the gang leader collected the deceased’s car and sold it for one million naira. He gave us N290,000 from the proceeds of the car sales. I didn’t know how they killed late Chief Okorie and how they burnt his dead body. It was some of our gang members who did the job. The N1.5m ransom collected from the deceased’s family members, they didn’t give me anything as my share. It was the second time that they were demanding another ransom from the deceased’s family member that they promised to give me a share.”

The alleged gang leader, Chimezie, also said, “I attended Unity Primary School Amaigbo, and proceeded to Tick Tiger Memorial Secondary School Amaigbo, Imo State. I studied Nursing and graduated in 2007. I did my NYSC in Yobe State in 2007/2008. I practised and have a shop for pharmaceuticals where I sell drugs and treat patients. I am married and have five children. I have been involved in several armed robberies and kidnapping. I knew Onyekachi Alozie when he left the Nigeria Correction Centre and he used to meet me in my restaurant. It was there we started the armed robbery and kidnapping business.

“It is true that Onyekachi called me about the possible kidnap of Chief Okorie, who was sleeping with his wife, Oluchi when he was at Nigeria Correction Centre. I have been detained twice at the Nigeria Correction Centre in Owerri for child trafficking. I ran an illegal orphanage then. I met Onyekachi at the Nigeria Correction Centre. He sent Chief Okorie’s number to me and we arranged the kidnap with our gang members. We kidnapped him while the deceased was going towards the hotel and I used my vehicle to carry him to our forest and immediately started calling his family members. We demanded N20 million.

“I am from Nnanator Maiguo Nkwerre L.G.A of Imo State. Onyekachi was calling the relatives of the victims and they came and dropped N1,550,000. We later beat the deceased to death and we burnt his body, according to the directives of Onyekachi who wanted revenge from the late chief for sleeping with his wife. l was the one who told Onyenkachi to drive the Toyota Camry of late chief Precious Okorie to meet me in Owerri. I sent N290,000 to Onyekachi for the car. I wanted to give him more money later. I took the car to the painter’s workshop before I was arrested by the Anti-Kidnapping operatives on December 10, 2021.”

The family of the deceased said arrangements were being made for his burial.

The Police boss said the suspects would soon be charged to court while other gang members who were still at large would be arrested.

“I had no idea the country could go down so badly and so quickly” – Trump says

Biden n Trump

Former US president, Donald Trump has criticized President Joe Biden, saying the country is so badly run, he never knew things would become so bad.

During an exclusive interview with Fox News, on Thursday January 20, exactly one year after Joe Biden was inaugurated, Trump reflected on the first year of the Biden presidency, and said the country is “being absolutely destroyed.”


Trump attacked Biden on everything from the supply chain crisis, to foreign policy, while listing out all his administration achieved despite political attacks from Democrats, two impeachment proceedings and Robert Muller’s investigation into possible collusion with Russia.

“I had no idea the country could go down so badly and so quickly,” Trump said.


Talking about the supply chain crisis, Trump said during his administration, “it wasn’t even a thought.”


“The words supply chain never really came up,” he said. “It was something that we had, nobody had any problems, these were not two words in the vocabulary.”


“They were not in the vocabulary of the administration, because everything was running like a fine-tuned machine. And we didn’t have any problems with supply chain.” Trump said


Trump said he had traveled to Los Angeles and “saw the massive containers, thousands and thousands of them where they dock the ships, in the loading and unloading areas and I will tell you, I’ve never seen anything like it.”


“They are stacked up to the sky. It is going to take a long time for them to break it up. It is very bad, very bad. It’s going to take a long time to fix it.” he added


Trump, who recently released his first book since leaving office, “Our Journey Together,” a photo book filled with images and captions hand-picked and handwritten by the former president, said the supply chain crisis is even affecting his book’s production.

“As an example, I did a book and the book turned out to be a tremendous success, and we sold over 200,000 copies of the book which is much more because this is a picture book,” Trump said of the book, published by Winning Team Publishing.

“Now, what we’re doing is going out for 300,000 more books, and they don’t even have paper,” Trump said. “They have no paper, they have no glue, they have no leather, you know the outside binding. This is a company that’s been in business for many years, I think the largest or second-largest printer in the country and they said they’ve never seen anything like this, they’ve never had anything like this.”

Speaking on his own first year in office, Trump said his administration “accomplished so much.” 


“We accomplished very early on the greatest tax cuts in history, the greatest regulation cuts in history, Space Force, we re-built the military over a period of time and re-built the military,”

“We did things that nobody thought— Anwar, we got Anwar approved. Ronald Reagan tried to get it done, everybody did, nobody could get it done, we got it. Would have been perhaps the biggest drilling site, energy site in the world and it was terminated by Biden and Lisa Murkowski made it possible to have it terminated.” 


“You know, all of these things, we’ve done so much, and now I’m watching what’s happening to our country and our country is being absolutely destroyed. Destroyed,” 

“Our dignity, our strength, it is being sapped and destroyed.” Trump said


He added: “It is hard to believe.” 


The former president went on to say that the United States, under Biden’s leadership, “looks weak, indecisive, and incompetent.”


“China is dictating terms to us. Russia on Ukraine. China with Taiwan. Kim Jong Un as you know of North Korea is sending up missile after missile and very importantly, Iran is having a lot of fun doing whatever they want. And our country looks like it is just weak and incompetently run.” Trump said

Trump then attacked the Biden administration for the botched withdrawal of the U.S. military from Afghanistan, for losing “energy independence,” re-joining the Paris Climate Accord, “breaking up trade deals” and more. 


“So many things,” Trump said. “Here we go again. Here we go again.” 


 “I never thought I’d see our country look so weak and ineffective.” 


As for his plans to run for re-election in 2024, Trump said he thinks he is “going to make a lot of people happy.” 


“I think you’re going to see a lot of people are going to be very happy, because, if you look at the polls, you know what they’re saying. And they’ve never been stronger. I’ve never had polls so strong.” Trump said

“They’re also now looking at what we’ve done,” Trump said, pointing again to his new book. “One of the reasons the book does so well is, even despite all of the witch hunts and things that went on, with impeachment hoax number one; impeachment hoax number two; the Muller Report, which was no collusion; all of the things that took place; Russia, Russia, Russia–phony story, totally phony–with all of that, we did so well.” 


“People are looking, they’re almost romanticizing about it, because they look at what happened to our country in the last year,” Trump continued. “In my opinion, the prestige of the United States now is lower than its ever been in history—in our history— it is the lowest it’s ever been.”

He added: “I would be able to bring it back and bring it back quickly.” 

Pamela Anderson kicks away her 6th husband away after one year of marriage – divorce

Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson, 54, has reportedly filed for divorce from her sixth husband Dan Hayhurst, after one year of marriage.

In January last year, Pamela made news headlines when it was announced that she had married her bodyguard in Dec. 2020 after a whirlwind romance of just a few months of dating (read here).

Now, after just a year of marriage, the couple have split and Pamela is already filing for divorce, according to Rolling Stone.

The source told the publication: “Pamela loves as authentically as she lives” and the “pandemic whirlwind” relationship with Dan had ran its course.

During the Covid-19 lockdown period, Pam sparked up an unlikely bond with the member of her security team and the pair were totally besotted and inseparable.

In February last year, Pam and her new husband, who is in his 40s, appeared on ITV’s Loose Women explaining that they’d found love in her native Canadian home as they conducted the interview from under the sheets of their marital bed.

Before marrying her bodyguard, Pamela’s last wedding, the 5th, was in 2020. She married Hollywood mogul Jon Peters, 74, and it lasted for only 12 days.

She was previously married to Tommy Lee, with whom she shares sons Brandon, 23, and Dylan, 22. The two were married from 1995 to 1998.

The actress later married and divorced Kid Rock in 2006.

Then she married producer Rick Solomon twice — in 2007 and 2013. The first ended in annulment. 

It was widely reported that Anderson married Jon Peters, 74, on January 20, 2020 at Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

But according to Anderson they only had a mock ceremony, not an official wedding.

She told DailyMailTV: “We were never married. He is a movie maker and… I guess he just needed a little attention?”

AFCON 2021: Femi Otedola has promised the Super Eagles team $250,000 if they win 2021 Africa Cup

Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola has promised the Super Eagles squad $250,000, if they lift the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.


Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who represented CACOVID during a visit to the team’s camp in Cameroon, made the disclosure.


He also said the private sector-led platform established to assist the government in combating Coronavirus in the country, will also give the Super Eagles team  $120,000 for the six goals they scored in the group stage of the tournament.

Recall, the Eagles finished the group stage with six goals, which amounted to $120,000.


Emefiele, who praised the team for their performance at the AFCON, also added that CACOVID has increased the amount for every goal scored to $50,000 in the round of 16.

“I came with a message from the CACOVID. The CACOVID is the coalition of private-sector companies that was set up to fight COVID-19 in Nigeria and they have been happy with the performance of the team,” Emefiele said.


“During the meeting, I had with the captain (Ahmed Musa) and the coach (Austin Eguavoen), I delivered a message from CACOVID and the message is that, for every goal that is scored, the team will receive the naira equivalent of $20,000 so far, you have earned for yourself the naira equivalent of $120,000.


“We held a CACOVID meeting again because everyone is overjoyed for everything you’ve done so far, CACOVID has asked me to raise the ante.

“From the round of 16, for every goal scored, you will earn for yourselves as a team the naira equivalent of $50,000.

“Also, Femi Otedola, who is a member of CACOVID, has asked me to tell you that if you lift the trophy, he has in the bank for you, the naira equivalent of $250,000. This is just the beginning and I can assure you that if you win your round of 16 games, another promise might be made,” Emefiele added.

Do you know that Novak Djokovic is majority shareholder in biotech firm that makes COVID drugs?

Serbian tennis star, Novak Djokovic is a co-founder and the majority shareholder in a firm developing a Covid-19 treatment. 

Djokovic who was recently deported from Australia after a row with authorities on his insistence on not getting vaccinated, owns an 80% share in the Danish biotech company, QuantBioRes. 

The company’s chief executive,  Ivan Loncarevic said; 

‘He is one of the founders of my company we founded in June 2020.’

According to the Danish business register, Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, are the majority shareholders at the firm, which employs around 20 staff in Denmark, Slovenia, Australia and Britain.

Novak Djokovic is majority shareholder in biotech firm making COVID treatment

Mr Loncarevic explained that the company are working on a treatment not a vaccine, and added:

‘We aim to develop a new technology to fight viruses and resistant bacteria and we decided to use Covid as a showcase.

‘If we succeed with Covid, we will succeed with other viruses.’

Described as a ‘talisman of anti-vaccination sentiment’ by Australia’s immigration minister, Djokovic also sparked controversy in summer 2020 when he hosted a charity tennis tournament with little social distancing that led to a Covid outbreak.

He left Australia on Sunday January 16 after a last-gasp court bid to stay failed, meaning he missed the opening Grand Slam of the year, where he was targeting a record 21st major title.

The tennis star also faces the prospect of being unable to defend his French Open title after the government there ruled that all athletes will have to be jabbed to compete in sporting events.

4 persons, including a baby die as they attempt to cross from Canada into the US

Canadian police have found the bodies of four people, including an infant, in a snowy field near the US border.

The group of four died from exposure due to the frigid cold, which dropped to -35C (-31F) with wind chill.


The bodies of a man, a woman, a teenage boy and an infant were found near Emerson, Manitoba, on Wednesday, January 19.


US officials say the dead are believed to be from India. They are thought to have been attempting to cross into the US.

Baby, three others freeze to death while attempting to cross from Canada into US

Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner, Jane MacLatchy shared the discovery with reporters in a news conference on Thursday, January 20.


“What I am about to share is going to be difficult for many people to hear,” she said, calling it “an absolute and heartbreaking tragedy”.


Around 09:30 local time (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday, Canadian police were alerted that a US Customs and Border Patrol team had arrested a group that had crossed from the area, which is a known illicit border crossing site.


“A US official told the Canadian team that one man was discovered with items for an infant, but that no child was found with him.”

“A search was launched on both sides of the US-Canada border, and the group was discovered around 13:30 about nine to 12 metres from the US border. Crews using snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles continued to search the deep snow until late Wednesday evening.”


Ms MacLatchy said that the group was “on their own in the middle of a blizzard” and “faced not only the cold weather but endless fields, large snowdrifts and complete darkness”.


Later on Thursday, US federal officials in Minnesota announced human smuggling charges against 47-year-old Florida resident Steve Shand.


Mr Shand was found driving a 15-person van in a rural area along the border with cases of food and water in his boot. Two passengers with him were found to be undocumented migrants from India, US officials say.


As they were being transported to a border patrol station, the US agents encountered a group of five Indian citizens who said they had been walking for 11 hours and had been expecting to be picked up by someone.


One of them was carrying a backpack containing children’s clothes, toys and medication. He said he was carrying it for a family of four, but they “had become separated in the night”.


Based on the description, the bodies found in Canada have been tentatively identified as the family from India, the US statement says. 

The RCMP’s Ms MacLatchy urged “anyone who’s thinking of crossing the border in Manitoba, either heading south or north: just don’t do it”.


“Do not listen to anyone who tells you they can get you to your destination safely. They cannot. Even with proper clothing it is not a journey that is possible.”


The police officials say it is rare to see people crossing from Canada southbound into the US. Most immigrants will rather stay in Canada than the US

Kenyan court frees woman charged with murder after she chopped off her husband’s genital during domestic brawl

A Kenyan woman who was accused of assaulting and killing her husband during a domestic brawl has been acquitted of murder charge by a court.

Naomi Njoki was accused of killing her husband, David Njogu on August 3, 2019 , by using a piece of wood to hit him on the head and chest as well chopping his private part using a knife. 

According to Nation Kenya, Njogu was found lying in a pool of blood inside their rented single room at Free Area estatein Nakuru, with multiple stab wounds on his head, fracture of the left thigh and a chopped manhood.

The incident which angered the neighbours saw them descend on the wife Naomi Njoki in their bid to deliver instant mob justice before she was rescued by the police. 

Both were rushed to the Nakuru Level five hospital where the woman was treated and discharged. The man was however not lucky as he succumbed to the injuries.

The Police who attributed his death to the earlier fight immediately arrested the woman and charged her with his murder.

Free Area Location Chief Stephen Macharia, who was among the first to respond to distress calls by neighbours, testified in court and said he found the man lying unconscious on the floor bleeding from the head while his trousers were pulled down.

Government pathologist Titus Ngulungu who conducted the postmortem established that the cause of death was massive blood loss due fatal stab on the head and penis glans using a sharp object.

But fast forward to 2022, Ms Njoki is free after she was acquitted of the charges by the court.

According to Justice Teresia Matheka the Police are to blame for the acquittal of the suspect after failing to establish a case against the suspect.

The judge faulted the police decisions of being in a rush to charge a suspect before having gathered enough evidence to sustain the charge.

“This case is a classic example of the failure by the investigators to investigate the case and to proceed to charge the first and obvious suspect, without anything to clutch on. The mere fact that the accused and the husband had quarrelled earlier did not make the case open and shut,” noted the judge.

She continued “At least there ought to have been an attempt at investigations to establish whether it was actually the accused who had inflicted the fatal injuries.”

“From the foregoing, it is evident that the prosecution established that there was a murder, but as for the person who committed it, the prosecution brought the accused to court on the basis of suspicion,” she ruled.

Man, switched at birth says he hates his mother for not taking him back, he is poor and other ‘swapped child’ is rich

A man who was switched at birth admits that he resented his mother for not swapping him back when the error was discovered, causing him to grow up poor while the other child grew up rich.

Robin and Gavin were accidentally handed to the wrong mothers by a nurse at Nigel Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. They were the only two babies born on that day in February 1989.

This meant that Robin was raised by single mum Sandy Dawkins who was struggling to get by on the outskirts of the city while Gavin grew up with wealthier parent Megs Clinton Parker in Pietermaritzburg.

The mistake was discovered two years later when a disagreement over Gavin’s rightful father led to a DNA test that showed that Megs was not his birth mother, as reported by The Mirror.

Hospital records confirmed that Robin, who was growing up with Sandy as his mum, was Megs’ biological child.

When faced with swapping their birth sons back, Megs and Sandy chose to keep the children they had raised since birth.

Man who was switched at birth says he resented his mother for not swapping him back as he grew up poor while the other child grew up rich

Gavin (left) Robin (right)

Speaking at the time the discovery was made, one of the parents told 60 Minutes Australia: “You can’t reject a child that you’ve been so close to for two years.

“Initially I think you protect the one you’ve got. The first few days are shock, then the curiosity comes. Where’s my baby?”

The boys’ mothers embraced one another like sisters after discovering the mistake in 1991 but chose not to swap the boys back.

The boys grew up 500km apart in very different environments and referred to each other as brothers.

But Robin has since admitted that he wishes his biological mother fought to switch him back.

Man who was switched at birth says he resented his mother for not swapping him back as he grew up poor while the other child grew up rich

Robin as an adult

Speaking at age 15, he said he had “difficulty accepting the situation” and misses his mother Megs “awfully a lot” who he speaks to daily on the phone.

He said life with Sandy was “not easy” and that he resented Gavin who does “get things easy.”

“If I’ve ever wanted something, I’ve had to work towards it. I’ve never just had it come towards me,” he added.

At the time, Gavin, who grew up with rich parents, described being “happy” with the life he was accidentally given and that he did not feel sorry for Robin.

Man who was switched at birth says he resented his mother for not swapping him back as he grew up poor while the other child grew up rich

Gavin

He said: “Saying I thank my lucky stars every day would be wrong but at the same time I was given a life which I’ve now lived and I’m still living and I don’t regret anything.”

But, with time, Megs missed her biological son and encouraged him to move halfway across the country to her home with Gavin in 2004. Robin did, leaving Sandy without a child.

This didn’t go down well with Sandy and she called Megs out at the time, saying: “I just want to know she’s really happy with what she’s achieved.

“I mean she’s ruined people’s lives, there’s just no other way to look at it… she’s ruined mine for starters.”

Megs said she “could understand that” and would have been “devastated” if the same thing happened to her, but added: “I’m not sending him back because she’s sore.

“I’m not going to be sorry because I won. I’m damn glad I won.”

But the image of one happy family soon started to breakdown because of Robin’s attitude to his new school and Megs’ high expectations of him, turning the house into a “war zone”.

Robin said the high pressure environment turned “me into a dragon”.

“It’s not who I am,” he said.

“It was like I was in a bottle and the lid was closed… For me to try and change in two, three years to suit Meg or to keep her happy, I tried and I thought I could do it, but I couldn’t.”

At 18, Robin dropped out of school and hit the road, moving to Louis Trichardt in northern South Africa where he found a job building safari rigs.

The move devastated Megs, breaking apart the already fractious family.

“When he left, I almost died. I can’t tell how it hurts, because I worked so hard for it and I wanted it so much. Then when it failed, it never occurred to me that it failed,” she said.

“When you wanted all the right things for all the right reasons but they just didn’t fit into place.

“When he left, I just stopped living for a while.”

Meanwhile Gavin said the sudden abandonment made him want to “kill” Robin.

“It’s the fact that he hurt Megs. I mean she felt extremely betrayed and really hurt when he walked out,” he said.

“She had given him a home for three to four years, she was looking after him, providing for him. And he walked out just throwing everything back at us.”

Years later, the family have finally reunited with Robin, his wife Liesel and their son James, and are starting to rebuild their relationship.

And Robin now says he understands why Megs and Sandy chose not to swap the babies back.

“If I was to find out he (his son James) wasn’t mine, there’s no way I’d give him back,” Robin said.

“I would make the decision that I’m not getting to know the other child because what I’ve got is good and keep it that way.

“I wouldn’t want him to know, I would keep it a secret and just leave it that way.”

Indian couple plans have virtual reality wedding that will digitally invite 5000 social media followers and the ‘ghost’ of the bride’s dad (photos/video)

An Indian couple say they’re planning the first virtual reality wedding , and they will invite the ‘ghost’ of the bride’s late father to the wedding.

Dinesh Sivakumar Padmavathi, 24, and his fiancée Janaganandhini Ramaswamy, 23, are set to get married on February 6 in their village but will host a digital reception at a virtual venue where they will be joined by friends and family from across the world as lockdown restrictions prevent large gatherings in their state of Tamil Nadu, India

Indian couple plans first of its kind virtual reality wedding that will digitally invite 5000 social media followers and the


The virtual wedding guests will include the ‘ghost’ of the late father of the bride as a digital avatar while 5000 of their friends on social media can attend the wedding’s digital reception venue as avatars .


They will be the first couple in India to marry in the ‘Metaverse’.

‘We are the first couple in the nation getting married in Metaverse. I have been working on blockchain for the past one year, so I know more about it and Crypto. Metaverse is a technology working in blockchain,’ said the groom, speaking to indianexpress.com.

‘One fine day, I came across a video on Metaverse on YouTube. I thought why can’t we do an event in [the] Metaverse? I know the future is big in Metaverse.

‘Now, companies like Microsoft, Facebook and a lot more are investing in Metaverse. So I thought by conducting an event, everyone in India will know about the technology. We can work on a start-up and develop it,’ said Padmavathi, a project associate at IIT Madras.

‘My girlfriend’s father passed away last April. I want to surprise her. I have been planning to bring him in virtually and make him a part of the event. He will be there as a 3D avatar, bless us in the Metaverse. That’s the gift I can give her, said Padmavathi.

Indian couple plans first of its kind virtual reality wedding that will digitally invite 5000 social media followers and the

                                        The Bride’s late father’s avatar will be in attendance

The metaverse wedding will reportedly be Harry Potter-themed and the guest is estimated to have 2000 to 5000 of the couples friends, family and Instagram and Twitter followers in attendance.


‘I know couples have been getting married on Zoom but I wanted to go further and be the first to have my reception inside the metaverse. I also wanted to introduce the metaverse to Indians,’ said Padmavathi to The Times.

Chennai based start-up, TardiVerse, led by Vignesh Selvaraj, is spearheading the metaverse wedding where people can log in through the website and choose an avatar.

Avatars of the couple, their family members and friends have been already designed. There will be a video streaming of the couple and the guests can talk to one another.


News of the wedding has got more couples in India interested in the idea with TardiVerse planning to conduct an event on upcoming Valentine’s day.

Indian Police arrests the ‘most wanted Nigerian drug Lord’ in India (video)

In a major breakthrough, the North Zone Task Force of Hyderabad City Police have arrested a Nigerian national, Chukwu Ogbonna David, the kingpin of one of the major international drug rackets. 

Ogbonna, alias Tony Abia Marsha alias Tony, is one of the most wanted drug peddlers, police said. 

Ogbonna, who has managed to stay elusive for many years was arrested on Thursday, January 20, in Mumbai and brought to Telangana. 

He is said to have been running the drug racket with agents in metropolitan cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai.

See Video here:

On the basis of information given by the accused, the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force team had busted a drug racket allegedly operated by Tony and seized 10 grams of cocaine and 11 mobile phones.

Police also arrested nine of the 13 high profile businessmen in Hyderabad who were “consumers” of the drug supplied by Tony.

Announcing the arrest of the gang, Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand, said Tony who was presently staying in Andheri East in Mumbai, has been supplying drugs to people of affluent sections in the city. 

“In the year 2013, he migrated to Mumbai from Nigeria on temporary VISA. Since then, he is illegally staying in Mumbai. Initially, he was engaged in the export business of garments and wigs to African countries. After coming in contact with drug peddlers, tony decided to come into this business,” Anand said.

“Tony purchased drugs from an international drug peddler called ‘Star Boy’ (African national). With the help of his agents, he transported drugs from Mumbai to Hyderabad. Money used to get transferred via online mode to his agents’ accounts,” he said.

The seven others who were arrested were businessmen and realtors, identified as Niranjan Kumar Jain, Shashwat Jain, Yagyanand Agarwal, Dhandul Surya Sumanth Reddy, Bandi Bhargav, Venkat Chalsani and Thamminedi Sagar.

“Niranjan and Sagar took the SIM cards of their office boys Srikanth and Subba Rao to speak to Tony. Hence the office boys were also booked,” Anand said, adding that the police were also probing if the seven persons were supplying drugs to others.

The police also found Tony established a network of agents in different places including Mumbai, Goa and Hyderabad and after accepting online payments, supplied the drug.

“Tony carried out his activity mostly in South Indian States. We are also probing if the consumers were hosting parties and using the drug,” the CP said.

The main supplier Star Boy, according to the police, used only WhatsApp or VOIP network to contact his agents.

“He himself never exposed himself to his agents or customers. He communicated with everyone using International phone numbers with WhatsApp calls and VOIP calls. He has around 15 to 20 customers in Hyderabad,” Anand said. 

“He does not meet anyone nor does he interact through direct phone calls. We suspect he is operating from some African country and through his network supplies the drug in containers shipped to India,” Anand said, adding that the City Police would be writing to the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs seeking help in contacting the Nigerian government to nab Star Boy. 

Most wanted Nigerian drug peddler arrested in India (video)
Most wanted Nigerian drug peddler arrested in India (video)

“Deadly pandemic more deadly than coronavirus is coming’ – Bill Gates

Coronavirus will be with us 'forever' and will require regular vaccinations, expert warns

Billionaire Microsoft founder, Bill Gate has warned that future pandemics could be worse than the coronavirus pandemic.

Gates spoke of his worries as the Bill & Melania Gates Foundation donated $150 million (£110m) to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) on Wednesday, January 19.


CEPI are set to use the donations in the fight against coronavirus as well as in preparation for potential pandemics in the future, it was announced on Tuesday.


Speaking about the work done by CEPI, Gates said in a statement;

 “As the world responds to the challenge of a rapidly evolving virus, the need to deliver new, lifesaving tools has never been more urgent.”


“Next time the world suffers pandemic it could be worse than coronavirus”


CEO of CEPI, Dr Richard Hatchet, said: “These generous pledges will dramatically advance CEPI’s plan to reduce epidemic and pandemic risk in the future by developing vaccines against emerging infectious diseases while ensuring equitable access for all.”

Gates added: “Our work over the past 20 years has taught us that early investment in research and development can save lives and prevent worst-case scenarios.”


The Bill & Melania Gates Foundation has pledged the $150 million to “Help CEPI accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines against emerging variants of the coronavirus and to prepare for, and possibly even prevent, the next pandemic”.


Gates took the chance to urge governments to contribute in order to “prevent the spread of future pandemics, some of which could have the potential for a higher fatality rate than the coronavirus pandemic”


In a blog post on Wednesday, Gates explained a few things had gone wrong when it came to Covid, writing;

“Creating new vaccines isn’t enough. We also have to make sure that everyone who can benefit from vaccines has access to them, and that’s where the world has collectively failed in its response to COVID.


“While at least 9 billion doses were distributed in the past year, less than 1% went to people in low-income countries.


“We need to do better the next time the world faces a pathogen that has the potential to spark a pandemic”.

Gossip: Story about Kim Kardashian’s romance with Pete Davidson

Is it true love or are they simply friends? Fans have been wondering what’s actually going on between Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson since they were first spotted spending time together in October 2021, following Kim’s divorce from Kanye West.

Shortly before Halloween, the Skims creator and the Saturday Night Live star were caught holding hands on a roller coaster ride at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Despite the fact that the couple was at the theme park with other people, including Kourtney Kardashian and her fiancé, Travis Barker, their intimate moment made the news.

“Kim and Pete seemed like good friends,” an eyewitness told Us Weekly at the time, adding that the group was escorted by multiple security officers. “Kim appeared to be really relaxed. She appeared to be attempting to conceal herself.”

Fans of both the comedian and the KKW Beauty mogul were surprised by the pairing, but they do share many connections and acquaintances. Machine Gun Kelly, who is close to Barker, is BFFs with Davidson, and Kelly’s girlfriend, Megan Fox, is friendly with Kourtney. (In September 2021, the latter two paired together for a raunchy Skims marketing campaign.)

But it’s Kim’s estranged husband, Kanye West, who frequently collaborates with Davidson’s chum Kid Cudi, who they share the most in common. In 2019, the comedian attended a birthday dinner for the “Pursuit of Happiness” artist, which was also attended by the pair popularly known as Kimye.

After six years of marriage, the Selfish author filed for divorce from the Grammy winner in February 2021. North (born in June 2013), Saint (born in December 2015), Chicago (born in January 2018), and Psalm (born in January 2019) are the couple’s four children (born in May 2019).

Kim had not been officially linked to anyone since she announced her split from West until she was pictured with Davidson. According to a source, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum wasn’t ready to put herself out there again until June 2021.

“She’s not interested in dating right now,” the insider explained at the time, “but she’s worried that guys won’t want to date her because of how public her relationship with Kanye was.” “She also understands how difficult it is to gain someone’s trust, so she believes it will take time before she opens up about her personal life.”

After five months of dating, the King of Staten Island star called it quits with Phoebe Dynevor in August 2021. “The separation strained the relationship and made it difficult to sustain,” a source told Us of the breakup. (Davidson is from New York City, whereas Bridgerton is from the United Kingdom.)

Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about Davidson’s and Kim’s relationship:

Kid Cudi’s Birthday Party

Davidson related a story about how he got sucked into paying for Kid Cudi’s birthday dinner at Nobu that year, which was also attended by Timothée Chalamet, Kim, and West, during an April 2019 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Suicide Squad star told Jimmy Fallon, “Kim and Kanye [are] the cutest pair ever.” “People who are incredibly nice. With them, I had a great time.

Aladdin and Jasmine are two characters from the Arabian Nights.

Kim met Davidson for the first time in public in early October 2021, when she hosted SNL for the first time. She played Jasmine to his Aladdin in one sketch, and the two shared an onscreen kiss.

The Ride on the Roller-Coaster

After the couple’s night out at the theme park, an insider told Us exclusively, “No one really knows what’s going on with Kim and Pete.” “Right now, they’re simply friends, but things may turn romantic.” Meanwhile, a second source said the law student was “surprised” by how much chemistry she had with the comedian.

Dinner with Pizza

In November 2021, only days after their visit to Knott’s Berry Farm, the two reunited in Davidson’s hometown of New York City for dinner at Campania on Staten Island. The twosome entered through a back door and “shared a couple of pizzas” in a private dining room, according to an eyewitness.

Two nights in a row in a row in a row in a row in a

Davidson and Kim dined with friends at Zero Bond in Manhattan the day following their pizza supper. The two arrived at the restaurant individually, according to Us, and were subsequently joined by a group.

In November 2021, Davidson celebrated his 28th birthday with Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner. The trio donned matching plaid pajamas, presumably from Kardashian’s Skims collection, in photos posted by Flavor Flav, who also attended the tiny party. While the location of the party is unknown, the decor in Flav’s Instagram photographs appears to be quite similar to Jenner’s Palm Springs, California home.

The Hand That Is Being Held

After weeks of speculation, Davidson and Kardashian appeared to confirm their relationship in November 2021 when they were caught holding hands in Palm Springs, California. Following a birthday celebration for Davidson, they were dressed informally.

“Their chemistry is off the charts and becoming stronger each passing day,” a source told Us at the time, adding that the beauty mogul “lights up” around the comedian

Dinner in Small Groups

In a Lamborghini, Davidson took Kardashian to Giorgio Baldi, a family-owned Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, California. The two “weren’t trying to hide,” according to a witness, and were “cuddled up and looked cozy” while enjoying wine and food. In paparazzi images from their night out, fans saw what seemed to be a hickey on Davidson’s neck.

Breakfast with a Twist

There aren’t always Italian sports vehicles and crowds of paparazzi on every date. Paul Barewijk, a Dutch music writer, was on vacation when he saw the new couple having breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel and took a few photos with them.

A Meaningful Evening

Scott Disick joined Kardashian and Davidson at Angelina’s Ristorante in Staten Island in December 2021. According to a source, the outing had a special importance for the comedian, who told Us, “Pete has been a long-time patron of the restaurant. It appeals to him. It’s his mother’s favorite restaurant, and he takes her there frequently.”

According to the insider, the couple “definitely” hoped to return to the restaurant.

Date for a Movie on Staten Island

The two were photographed at a Staten Island movie theater just after SNL announced that Paul Rudd’s show would be cut due to fears of a COVID-19 outbreak. Davidson was caught smiling after leaving the Four Seasons Hotel in Tribeca, where the reality star was staying on her New York trip, during the December 2021 outing.

A source informed Us at the time that Kardashian had been having an affair “”They’re certainly not disguising their affection,” she says of her time with Davidson. They appear to simply want to be able to do things that any other couple would do and have fun together.”

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