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Armed robbers stole $1M in jewelry from Lori Loughlin’s LA home

Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli’s home in Los Angeles has been burgled. 

The thieves reportedly stole a $1 million jewelry from the couple’s Los Angeles-area home. Surveillance cameras captured the burglars smashing a bedroom window at the home on January 3, dressed in black with their faces covered in masks.

The intruders made off with a box of Loughlin’s bling. The break-in and robbery were discovered by a housekeeper as Loughlin and Giannulli were not home at the time of the heist.

TMZ reported that cops believe the theft was executed by a gang of South American criminals who hit locations around the US, then escape the country ahead of authorities.

The news comes days after Lori and Mossimo both attended her ‘Full House’ co-star Bob Saget’s funeral in Los Angeles alongside his family and friends, including fellow castmates John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Jodie Sweetin and Candace Cameron Bure.

Man cries after finding hotel key inside pregnant wife’s bag, seeks advice

A Nigerian man has sought for marital advice after finding a hotel key inside the bag of his pregnant wife.

According to the heartbroken husband, his wife’s phone rang close to him while she was in the kitchen, and while trying to get the phone from her bag, he found a hotel room key.

Read his narration below;

“I remember at the beginning of our marriage, we had issues concerning her being in church all the time. I realized I couldn’t win the fight. When I didn’t allow her to go to church, she would be in the house but would not talk to me. She would be moody for days and that didn’t give me any joy so I told her, “You can go but come home early. Also, try as much as possible to reduce the number of days that you have to be in the church compound.”

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop her from going to all-night service on Friday nights. At first, I was going with her. But I couldn’t keep up. I was tired every Friday night. She went alone and came home very early the next day. I had no problems. A prayerful wife always keeps her husband grounded in God’s favor. My wife was very prayerful. I counted myself lucky.

One month ago, she was in the kitchen cooking when her phone rang. I looked around and realized the phone was in her handbag. I dipped my hand in the bag and came out with her phone and a key. The key was attached to a key ring that had a hotel name written on it. I was confused. When I took the phone to her, I wanted to ask about the key and how it got into her bag but something told me to keep quiet and rather find answers for myself.

We both know each other’s passwords so that night when she slept, I went through her WhatsApp messages. The last person who sent her a message on WhatsApp was me and that message was a week old. I scrolled through her chat history and there was nothing suspecting there. I checked her call logs too. Nothing suspecting. I went to her message apps and saw a particular name that had been sending her MoMo. At least, once every week, that name appeared to have sent her mobile money. I marked that number down.

From that day going, I woke up each dawn to go through her phone to see what I would find. On Friday night when she went to all-night service, I went to the church premises secretly to check if she was there. I saw her there. I stood close to the entrance of the church all night, waiting to see if she would get out. She didn’t. I checked her bag later on and the key was gone.

I was patient. I knew there was something fishy going on. A week later, I saw her chatting on her phone. She would be there smiling to herself while she typed. That night when she slept, I went through her phone. There were no messages. Smart girl. She had learned to cover her tracks very well. Five days ago, I got lucky. I saw a message between her and the name that had been sending her the MoMo.

The man asked her, “Have you sent it?” She responded, “Yes, days ago.” He asked, “Am I seeing you this weekend?” She said, “If you want to.” Then the man said, “I forgot. This weekend I won’t be in town.” She asked, “So when?” He said, “Let’s talk about it later.”

It was 1am when I read the message. I slapped her thighs to wake her up. I asked, “Who’s Ato?” She asked, “What Ato?” I said, “The one that had been sending you Momo almost every week?” She said, “He’s a friend I went to training college with. Our year group is doing contributions and he sends his money to me every week.” I showed her the messages on her phone and asked, “So what are you two talking about here?” She said, “Oh this is normal conversations friends have? Why are you doing this? What’s your problem?” I asked, “He asked if you’ve sent it. What was he talking about?”

She chuckled; “Why all these questions? What’s wrong with you? He was asking if I had sent the money to the bank. What’s that? Don’t you trust me again?” Then I told her about the key I found in her bag. I asked how that key got into her bag. She said, “So you’ve been going through my bag too? What has come over you?” I said, “Answer me. What was that key doing in your bag?” She said, “A friend asked me to book a hotel room for her. She was coming to a wedding and didn’t want to be stranded.”

I stood there for a minute. I asked, “Which hotel gives you a key just because you booked a reservation?” She answered, “Some do, if you don’t know, ask. Don’t be ignorant. I’m a child of God. I won’t cheat on my husband”

I was dumbfounded. The calm with which she answered the questions and the clever way she did it made me feel very stupid in her presence. I went to the hotel the next day to ask if they gave keys to people who made reservations. The receptionist said, “No it never happens. We only give customers the keys on arrival.”

We’ve been fighting over this issue since last month. I doubt her. I don’t believe anything she had ever said to me concerning the issue. She’s two months pregnant so I don’t want to stress her or push her to the wall or do anything that would affect our baby but I have doubts and this doubt is killing me slowly. I want the truth from her and I don’t know how to go around it. Please help me, what else can I say or do to make her tell me the truth without stressing her? The pregnancy is our first since we got married three years ago. I don’t want to affect it in any way but I still want to know the truth.”

Celine Dion cancels music tour dates due to poor health

Legendary Canadian singer, Celine Dion has been forced to cancel the rest of her current US Courage Tour from March 9 to April 22.

The 53-year-old singer was forced to scrap the shows by ‘severe and persistent muscle spasms,’ according to a press release posted to her website.

Her announcement comes three months after she had to cancel the start of her Las Vegas comeback residency over the same health issue.

‘Tickets purchased with a credit card through authorized ticketing outlets will be refunded automatically to the credit card used for purchase,’ the press release said. 

‘Ticket holders of the cancelled performances will soon receive an email notification with more information. For further inquiries, ticket holders should reach out to their original point of purchase.’

Celine ‘recently has been treated for severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing, and her recovery is taking longer than she hoped,’ per her website. ‘Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition.’ 

She herself said: ‘I was really hoping that I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen that my doctors are prescribing.’

The superstar singer added: ‘There’s a lot of organizing and preparation that goes into our shows, and so we have to make decisions today which will affect the plans two months down the road. I’ll be so glad to get back to full health, as well as all of us getting past this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage again.’

She continued: ‘Meanwhile, I’ve been very touched by all the words of encouragement that everyone’s been sending to me on social media. I feel your love and support and it means the world to me.’

Poor countries reject millions of Covid-19 vaccines over short shelf-life – UNICEF

Poor nations rejected more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme COVAX in December 2021, mainly due to their rapid expiry date, UNICEF has disclosed .


Despite growing supplies of shots, the world is still a long way off being vaccinated, with COVAX getting closer to delivering one billion doses to a total of nearly 150 countries, a UN official stressed.


“More than a 100 million have been rejected just in December alone,” Reuters quoted the Director of Supply Division at UN agency, UNICEF, Etleva Kadilli, to have told lawmakers at the European UnionParliament. 


The main reason for rejection was the delivery of doses with a short shelf-life, she said.


The UNICEF official revealed how in Nigeria, the federal government  destroyed expired AstraZeneca COVID-19 injections totalling 1,066,214 doses. Addressing journalists shortly before setting out to destroy the vaccines at the Idu Dump site in the Federal Capital Territory, the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib, explained that the government took the action to destroy the expired vaccines not only to safeguard the health of Nigerians, but to also engender trust in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.


Also, Kadilli disclosed that poorer nations have also been forced to delay supplies because they have insufficient storage facilities, including a lack of fridges for vaccines. 


The official also stressed that many countries also face high levels of vaccine hesitancy and have overburdened healthcare systems.

UNICEF’s data on supplies and use of delivered vaccines showed that 681 million shipped doses are currently stored in about 90 poorer nations, according to CARE, a charity, which extracted the figures from a public database.


“We have countries that are pushing doses that are currently available towards quarter two of 2022,” Kadilli said.


“Of the 15 million doses from the EU that have been refused, three-quarters were AstraZeneca shots with a shelf life of less than 10 weeks upon arrival”


More than 30 poorer nations, including big states such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, have used fewer than half of the doses they received, CARE said.

A spokesperson for Gavi, a vaccine alliance which co-manages COVAX, said that the high storage level was due to a surge in deliveries in the last quarter, especially in December.

In January, 67 per cent of the population in richer nations had been fully vaccinated, whereas only eight per cent in poorer nations have received their first dose, WHO figures show. Increased supply caught many receiving countries unprepared.

Wealthy countries donating vaccines with a relatively short shelf life had been a “major problem” for COVAX, a WHO senior official said last month.


In another development, Africa’s top public health body has said it is in talks with Pfizer about securing supplies of its antiviral COVID-19 pills for the continent, the Paxlovid medication which is nearly 90 per cent effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths.

“We are in really close discussions with Pfizer to see what can be done to make the drugs available on the continent and accessible on the continent, that is, the Paxlovid drugs,” said the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong.

“The only way to relieve that will be if we have drugs like Paxlovid where people can take that drug and stay home and get relief, and that way the burden and the constraints on the health system will be limited,” Nkengasong told an online news briefing.

Super Eagles to receive $10,000 each for their Sudan & Sudan wins

Super Eagles of Nigeria stars will receive $10,000 each for the victories over Egypt and Sudan at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

This comes after the Nigeria Football Federation and the Eagles reached an agreement over the mode of payment for wins and draw at the tournament.

According to PUNCH, the meeting between the players and the NFF officials was held before the start of the tournament in Garuoa.

The Eagles are expected to receive the sum of $5000 for a win and $2,500 for a draw following the meeting.

“There is an agreement that the players will receive  $5000 for a win and half of that for a draw, while they won’t get a dime for losing,” an Eagles official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The players and officials of the team would be paid their bonuses in full after they qualified from the group stage of the competition,

The three-time African champions will also receive outstanding bonuses for two previous matches , a team official told PUNCH Sports Extra in Garoua.

“We don’t discuss how we pay players their bonuses in the media,” our source added.

“Has any player complained? We are focused on our mission here and won’t want to be distracted by these issues.

“There is an agreement with the players’ representatives, coaches and the NFF officials on how everybody will be paid and we will keep up to our promises when the time comes. All we want is the boys to be focused and in doing that we have promised to keep to the agreement.”

Nigeria leads Group D with six points and have qualified for the Round of 16 with a game left to play.

Update: Novak Djokovic has been deported

Tennis star, Novak Djokovic has been deported from Australia after he lost his appeal to convince three senior judges of his right to stay in Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion had his appeal heard in the Federal Court on Sunday Jan 16th in a last-ditch attempt to stay and compete for the title.  

But the judges unanimously failed to overturn the government’s decision to deport the star, meaning he will likely be put on the first plane back to Dubai, after arriving Down Under on an Emirates flight nearly two weeks ago.

Djokovic, who immediately released a statement saying he was ‘extremely disappointed’ with the ruling, had been due to play as first seed in the Australian Open on Monday evening, but will now be replaced by world no.150, Salvatore Caruso.

His lawyers had asked the court to review the decision made by immigration minister Alex Hawke to cancel the star’s visa for a second time, claiming it was unreasonable and he posed no risk to the Australian community.

The high-powered legal team argued any anti-vax sentiment brought about in the community since the tennis ace arrived in Australia was a result of the government’s decision to cancel his visa, while lawyers for the federal government insisted he posed a risk.

The world number one’s lawyer Nick Wood presented his case at the Federal Court of Australia to a trio of judges, after Minister Hawke re-cancelled Djokovic’s visa on the grounds of ‘health and good order’. 

Despite the 34-year-old being unvaccinated, Wood insisted he has not courted anti-vaxxer support and was not associated with the movement.

The government ‘doesn’t know what Mr. Djokovic’s current views are’, Wood insisted.

Government lawyer Stephen Lloyd said the fact Djokovic was not vaccinated two years into the pandemic and had repeatedly ignored safety measures – including failing to isolate while Covid-19 positive – was evidence enough of his views.

‘He’s chosen not to go into evidence in this proceeding. He could set the record straight if it needed correcting. He has not – that has important consequences,’ the government said in a written submission.

Lloyd also pointed to a series of protests already sparked by Djokovic’s arrival in Australia. 

‘The Commonwealth should not be bound to suffer the presence of an alien for fear of what might happen if they were removed,’ he said. 

Because of the format of the court, the decision made by the panel of three senior judges will be extremely difficult to appeal by either side. 

Djokovic now faces immediate deportation and a three-year ban from Australia – dramatically shortening his odds of winning a championship he has bagged nine times before.

Kanye West threatens to beat Kim’s boyfriend Pete Davidson in his new song

Kanye West has allegedly trash talked his estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend Pete Davidson on a new song.


A snippet of the track titled ‘Easy’ leaked Friday, January 14, where Kanye, 44, can be heard rapping:

‘God saved me from the crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s a**.’

Kanye West talks about beating Kim Kardashian

The song also features rapper The Game, and fans have speculated that it will appear on Kanye’s upcoming Donda 2 album. 

A Twitter user then attempted to verify the snippet by claiming parts of the track had been first played on the audio app Clubhouse.


Kanye has so far remained silent on Kim’s romance with comedian/actor Pete, 28, as he has also moved on with actress Julia Fox.


Kanye’s fiery rap verse comes a day after it was alleged that he punched a fan asking for an autograph in Downtown Los Angeles this week.  

Lagosians consume over 105 bags of Marijuana daily — Report

The use of restricted drugs or substances and trafficking in them have undoubtedly gained notoriety among some Nigerian youths, with many being caught in the web of its negative consequences.

Records of drug offences in Nigerian courts show how deep drug abuse/trafficking has eaten into the fabrics of the society.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, defines drug trafficking as an illicit trade involving cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of restricted substances.

Drug abuse is the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts.

Medical experts constantly warn that drug abuse may lead to social, physical, emotional and job-related problems.

In Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, established by Decree 48 of 1989, is charged with eliminating growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting and trafficking in hard drugs.

According to NDLEA, any drug with psychotropic effects is listed as restricted.

Some of the prohibited substances in the NDLEA Schedule are cannabis sativa, heroin, cocaine, codeine, tramadol, metaphetamine, rophynol, extol 5, diazepam and ephedrine.

These drugs are considered to be of high psychotropic effects and are restricted in usage.

Unfortunately, many more youths appear to have found solace in the use of hard drugs for personal and commercial gains.

The National Drug Use Survey 2018 indicated that 14.3 million Nigerians representing 14.4 per cent of the country’s population used psychoactive substances aside from alcohol.

Among the effects of hard drug use is increase in criminal activities including cyber fraud.

Drug abuse and trafficking is a source of worry to governments, community leaders, parents, schools and other stakeholders.

According to counsel to NDLEA, Lagos State command, Jeremiah Aernan, the rate of hard drug abuse by youths has become alarming.

Mr Aernan calls for collective efforts in tackling the menace.

He blames the ugly trend partly on the influence of social media.

“Distribution of hard drugs has currently been enhanced by social media as there are now online dealers of drugs.

“So, you find that once these youths need drugs, they simply put an order online just the same way one places an order for online shopping items.

“Investigation reveals that these hard drugs are sold with coded names.

“They could say I want to buy pencil and the dealer knows what they are referring to; so you see that the social media has, in no small measure, facilitated trafficking of these drugs,” he says.

Mr Aernan also blames the trend on peer group influence which, he believes, pushes some youths into cult activities with a resultant effect of illicit drug use.

According to him, while some youths go into drug abuse with a view to having an “experience,” due to their inquisitiveness, others become drug barons for financial benefits.

“Unemployment is another cause of drug peddling. Many people have taken drug trafficking as a business; so, it now goes beyond its use to the commercial benefits derived.

“If you check the volume of hemp consumed daily in Lagos alone, you find that it is more than a 100 bags.

“So, if someone selling hemp can make a profit of N3,000 or more per day, do you think such a person will wish to stop?” he asks.

Mr Aernan says while there is control on importation of ephedrine, its abuse is also rampant.

“Codeine is originally used for the manufacture of cough syrups, but the wanton abuse of the drug caused its instant ban.

“Some of these youths go ahead and purchase cartons of codeine and drink directly just to get the `feel’,” he says.

According to him, some hard drugs now have variants which are also consumed by the youth in a bid have new experiences.

“For instance, there is a variant of cocaine called crack which is a combination of cocaine, heroin, metaphetamine and other narcotics used by our youths.

“The drugs recently intercepted in Lagos came in from the high sea, and it was over two tonnes in volume.

“There is now a dire need for orientation of the youth on the dangers of drug trafficking.

“It also calls for checks by parents on the itineraries of their wards and keeping close marking on their engagements,” he advises. Related Posts

A parent, Osariemen Amadasun, attributes high rate of drug offences to uncontrolled usage of the internet.

Mrs Amadasun says many youths use the internet for wrong reasons.

She believes that drug abuse goes hand-in-hand with cybercrime known yahoo yahoo, which she is convinced that the youth are at the centre of.

“Some of these young men and even women stay awake at night keeping watch on their laptops for the next gullible individual to fall victim of their scams.

“They will ingest substances to keep their minds and body awake. In their slang, it is to be awake like a fish waiting for the next mugu.

“More worrisome is the fact that these young folks even cook their meals with some of these hard drugs, ingest and inject them just to get a deeper feeling.

“It becomes a complicated case trying to rehabilitate these drug victims, as some of them see and feel their body systems shutting down.

“The danger of doing drugs is that, once begun, it is almost nearly impossible to stop; parents must be alive to their responsibilities,” she urges.

A nurse who worked at the Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State, Ifeyinwa Nwachukwu, says: “Quite a number of psychiatric cases we find in hospitals are triggered by drug abuse.

“As a psychiatric nurse, I have stayed with drug victims; from how they behave, one can easily tell that they have been on hard drugs.

“Although with medications, some of these drug users become relatively stable, it is better that the youth are properly guided so as not to delve into ingestion of any form of illicit substance.

“Its negative effects are long lasting,” she warns.

She suggests routine seminars and other enlightenment campaigns on the negative impacts of hard drugs as a strategy to stem the wave of drug offences.

Mrs Nwachukwu advises that the seminars can be done in schools, hospitals, health centres and religious centres.

A 22-year-old rehabilitated drug victim, Kings Uzoma, narrates that he became addicted to drugs in 2019 after he established a small business of computer operation.

According to him, his schedule of work made him to have new friends.

“We lived around Agric in the Ojo area of Lagos. When I began to have big-boy customers, who will stay in my shop till evening when I should be closing, I began to take interest in what they were doing.

“I later left my parents’ house in Ojo and went to live with them on Victoria Island, where they introduced me to eating rice cooked with Codeine. From there, we travelled to Ghana.

“In Ghana, I didn’t understand what was happening to me anymore. I woke up one day to find myself back in Nigeria with bruises on my body,” he narrates.

According to him, he was placed on medication by a hospital before he regained senses.

Another lawyer, Emmanuel Ozodi, calls for stringent punishment for drug offences.

According to him, judges give sentences as small as six months’ imprisonment or fine for drug trafficking.

He believes that such penalties have not sufficiently served as deterrents to drug offences.

The lawyer says while Nigeria should not punish drug offences with death sentence, the country should show strong will to tackle the menace through stringent punishments.

The NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa had recently called for stiffer penalties for drug trafficking by removing the option of fine for drug offenders.

At the Institute of Change Management annual dinner in Lagos in December 2021, Mr Marwa said, “It is worrisome that we have some of our officers lose their lives in the course of battling with drug traffickers but at the end of the day, some of these offenders when taken to court, are just fined and they later return to the same business.”

According to Mr Marwa, hard drug problem in Nigeria is massive.

“Basically, we have to shut down the pipeline. That is, take traffickers and their barons out of the picture. We have to embark on an aggressive drug supply reduction campaign.

“It is to this end that we launched the War Against Drug Abuse campaign which is meant to, in the long run, help prevent the entrenchment of drug abuse culture among young people in the society.”

Analysts call on parents, guardians, care givers, school management, religious leaders, non-governmental organisations, corporate entities and others to join forces with governments to check drug offences to save the youth – tomorrow’s leaders – from their evil consequences.

They also urge changes in policies and legislation that will stem the tide of drug offences.

Boko Haram Terrorists attack Army University in Borno in daylight [video]

Boko Haram insurgents have attacked Nigerian Army University, also known as the Tukur Buratai Centre for War and Peace, in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State in a broad daylight.

The heavily armed armed gunmen were seen in a video firing gunshots recklessly and afterwards pulled down the Nigerian State and Army flags and set them on fire.

Watch video:

Interesting piece ! A man’s character is his fate

I am humbled by this piece and hereby recommend it for a slow reading

A man’s character is his fate.

Heraclitus Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (US), said: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude”

As a clergyman, I have watched pitiably how people self-sabotage themselves by seeking spiritual solutions to character-deficit issues.

They look around at everybody as suspects for their predicaments when their greatest demons lurks within them – their character.

What we often call our destiny is truly our character, and since that character can change, then destiny can be altered. Character is destiny .

Is prayer actually EVERYTHING? Many would begin to argue back and forth on this intriguing question, but my main purpose of writing this piece is not to get involved in arguments. Arguments don’t improve the validity of a ‘truth;’ they only determine how long it would take before you realise it.

Most people believe that we can pray ourselves to success and get away with virtually anything if we become a stickler to some prayer routines. There is no amount of spiritual penance that can substitute for character. Sometimes, you need character, not prayer.

Dutch Sheets said: “Prayer is not a check request asking for things from God; it is a deposit slip- a way of depositing God’s character into our bankrupt souls.”

British writer and politician, Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859), said: “ The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.” I have often said that what would ultimately destroy a man going to high places in life is not really the enemies that are waiting for him there, but the character that followed him there.

I want to emphatically underline the fact that this write-up is not meant to trivialise prayers in any way. I have observed that many people take character for granted, while overzealously tuning on into their spiritual mode.

We have become so spiritually in tune through prayers that we neglect the place of character and our relationship with people. Many are actually ‘heavenly’ bound, but with no earthly relevance. You can speak with spiritual eloquence, pray in public and maintain a holy appearance, but it is your behavior and character that will actually trigger the manifestation of all that God has for you.

You must learn to treat people with courtesy .
The Shunammite woman must have been praying for a child all through her life. By being hospitable to a man of God, she eventually got her much-awaited miracle. It wasn’t prayer that opened the door for her; it was her character. Assuming she wasn’t hospitable, she would have missed a critical miracle.

Many times, we pray, fast and bind demons that don’t exist when our real demons are just our greatly flawed character. Many have insulted people that were divinely placed and orchestrated to help them fulfil their destiny. Some people are keeping malice with their destiny helpers.

Treat people with respect.
Treat strangers with courtesy.
Never look down on anybody. God can use anyone to change your story.

Abigail Van Buren said: “The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. The way we treat people we think can’t help or hurt us, like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries, tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. How do you treat people?

One of the most impressive architectural feats and the greatest military defence project in history is the Great Wall of China. In 1987, UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular controversial claim that emerged in the 20th century holds that it is the only man-made structure that is visible from space.

Originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the 3rd Century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from Mongolians and barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed.

History has it that when the ancient Chinese decided to live in peace, they made the Great Wall of China; they thought no one could climb it due to its height. During the first 100 years of its existence, the Chinese were invaded thrice and every time, the hordes of enemy infantry had no need of penetrating or climbing over the wall, because each time, they bribed the guards and came through the doors.

The Chinese built the wall, but forgot the character – building of the wall-guards. Though the Great Wall has over the years become a powerful symbol of the country’s enduring strength and spirit, it has actually been a good reminder to the Chinese of the superiority of human character. How many people and homes had been invaded, looted and devasted by the enemy through the bribery of ego, self indulgence, insincerity and unfaithfulness. The scriptures says .” while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way”.

The Chinese realised much later that the best defence against the enemy is not a fortified wall, but a fortified character. Thus, the building of human character comes before building of anything else.

Prayer is not EVERYTHING! Build relationships, build your family and don’t ever forget that God will always use man. Be mindful of your words and how you speak to people. Work seriously on your character and attitude towards life.

I want to say emphatically that character is not optional; it is sacrosanct to the future that God has planned for you and your home. No matter where you place prayers, character matters. The greatest fraud in life is religion without character. A man without character is recklessly alive.

William Shakespeare captured it succinctly when he said: “The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves .”

Peter Schutz, the former chief executive officer of Porsche said: “ HIRE CHARACTER; TRAIN SKILLS .”

Lastly, back in the days when Germany was divided, a huge wall separated East and West Berlin.

One day, some people in East Berlin took a truck load of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side.

The people of West Berlin could have done the same thing, but they didn’t.

Instead they took a truck load of canned foods, bread, milk and other provisions, and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side.

On top of this stack they placed the sign:

“EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS”

How very true! You can only give what you have.

Be sincere ! What do you have inside of you?
Is it hate or love ?
Violence or peace ?
Death or life ?
Capacity to build or capacity to destroy ?

What have you acquired over the years?
Team spirit or pull down architecture ?

“EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS”

Novak Djokovic’s deportation delayed as he launches another legal fight after his visa was cancelled again

Australia has agreed to delay Novak Djokovic’s deportation after the player’s legal team launched a late-night fight for him to stay in the country after his visa was canceled for a second time.

Immigration officials said earlier today the world tennis No. 1, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, may pose a risk to the community, dashing his hopes of competing for his 21st grand slam.

But his lawyers are arguing in court that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke had cancelled Djokovic’s visa on the grounds his presence in the country might excite anti-vaccination sentiment, and not because he was unvaccinated. The reasons for Hawke’s decision have not yet been published.

The minister’s decision was ‘patently irrational’, Djokovic’s lawyer Nicholas Wood told the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, adding that they wanted the challenge to the player’s visa revocation to be heard on Sunday, so that he could play in the Australian Open on Monday should the challenge be successful.

Despite the request, a court hearing in front of Judge Anthony Kelly, who overturned the original cancellation of Djokovic’s visa, was convened for Monday evening.

Djokovic, the Australian Open defending champion, was included in the tournament’s draw on Thursday as the top seed and was due to face fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic for his opening match, either on Monday or Tuesday.

The visa cancellation could mean the 34-year-old would be barred from receiving a new Australian visa for three years, except in compelling circumstances that affect Australia’s interest – potentially ruling him out of further Australian Opens during those three years.

Mr. Wood requested the injunction against the Serbian’s removal and appealed for him to be allowed to stay out of immigration detention as the case proceeds. ‘We are very concerned about time,’ Wood told the emergency hearing. The government told Djokovic’s lawyers it had no intention of detaining him tonight. 

.  

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday his government cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa to protect Australia’s hard-won gains against the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the result of those sacrifices to be protected,’ Morrison said in a statement. 

‘I note the Minister for Immigration’s decision in relation to Mr. Novak Djokovic’s visa.

‘I understand that following careful consideration, action has been taken by the Minister to cancel Mr. Djokovic’s visa held on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,’ Morrison said.

‘This pandemic has been incredibly difficult for every Australian but we have stuck together and saved lives and livelihoods.’ 

Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke used discretionary powers to again cancel Djokovic’s visa after a court quashed an earlier revocation and released him from immigration detention on Monday. 

‘Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr. Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,’ Hawke said in a statement.

‘This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.

‘In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force, and Mr. Djokovic.

‘The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.’

American YouTube star, who suffered from ‘Benjamin Button disease’ passes away

An American YouTube star who made headlines because of her condition has sadly passed away after suffering from a real-life Benjamin Button disease that saw her age rapidly.

Adalia Rose, 15, became an internet sensation after sharing her journey while living with Progeria condition.

Progeria is an ultra-rare condition that sees a person’s body age faster than it should.

Real-life Benjamin Button girl dies after battling ultra-rare medical condition for 15 years

Adalia has been battling with the rare aging condition since she was born.

The condition meant that Adalia’s body became much older than an average 15-year-old.

Real-life Benjamin Button girl dies after battling ultra-rare medical condition for 15 years

The condition not only aged her but as a result, caused problems with her growth, voice and joints.

Sadly, Adalia, from Texas, died on January 12, 2022 as a result of the condition.

Real-life Benjamin Button girl dies after battling ultra-rare medical condition for 15 years

In a post on Facebook, via Ryan Natalia Pallante’s account, the family said: “January 12, 2022 at 7pm Adalia Rose Williams was set free from this world. She came into it quietly and left quietly, but her life was far from it.

“She touched MILLIONS of people and left the biggest imprint in everyone that knew her. She is no longer in pain and is now dancing away to all the music she loves.

“I really wish this wasn’t our reality but unfortunately it is. We want to say thank you to everyone that loved and supported her. Thank you to all her doctors and nurses that worked for YEARS to keep her healthy. The family would now like to mourn this huge loss in private.”

Real-life Benjamin Button girl dies after battling ultra-rare medical condition for 15 years

Only 500 people in the world suffer from the condition, which has a short life expectancy of 13-years-old.

Adalia’s bubbly personality through YouTube amassed her over 170 million views on the video sharing platform in 2018.

Tributes are already pouring in following news of her death.

‘Paris Hilton started beating me after I tried breaking up with her in 2003’ – Joe Francis claims

American entrepreneur and film producer, Joe Francis has opened up about his past relationship with heiress and TV star, Paris Hilton.


Francis who dated Hilton in 2003 and also reportedly had a fling with one of the Kardashian sisters and has now claimedd he was assaulted by Hilton, a then close friend of Kim Kardashian.


“I swear to God, I had to call the security of [the hotel], and then she started beating me, because she was drunk,” Francis, 48, alleged on an episode of the “Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef” podcast on Wednesday night, January 12.

"That?s the craziest woman I?ve ever dated ever? - Joe Francis claims Paris Hilton started beating him after he tried breaking up with her in 2003

He continued, “And then, I had Nicky [Hilton] staying in my room and Nicole Richie staying in my room, and I’m like, ‘Look Nicky, I’m going to kick your sister out of the room right now. And if she hits me again, I’m calling the security, and I’m going to have my security, take her out.’”

Francis – who was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2020 for an unrelated dispute claimed that Hilton, 40, “hit [him] again,” which prompted him to have his security escort her into the hallway. However, he said Hilton allegedly found her way back to his suites and was “beating down the door all night.”


“That’s the craziest woman I’ve ever dated, ever,” Francis said. “She’s out of her mind. A hundred percent out of her mind. When I broke up with Paris Hilton, she told me that I couldn’t break up with her because she was Paris Hilton.”


Yontef then asked Francis if he thinks Hilton’s current marriage to Carter Reum will last, to which he bluntly responded, “No way in hell.”


Hilton previously denied that she and Francis ever dated. After Francis’ home was burglarized in 2004, Hilton told LAPD (per NBC News) that he was “not [her] ex-boyfriend.” The outlet also reported that when asked if Francis was someone she dated, Hilton said “no.”

Hilton and Reum, both aged 40, tied the knot on Nov. 11, 2021, at her late grandfather’s $61 million California estate.

Indonesia: Married woman flogged 100 lashes and her accomplice gets only 15 lashes after both confessed to adultery

A married woman was flogged 100 times after she commited adultery in Indonesia while her male partner, who was also married, received just 15 lashes.

The woman’s flogging in the conservative Aceh province on Thursday January 13, was briefly paused because she couldn’t bear the pain, according to an AFP reporter.

Ivan Najjar Alavi, the head of general investigation division at East Aceh prosecutors office, said the court handed down a heftier sentence for the married woman after she confessed to investigators she had sex out of her marriage.

Married woman is flogged 100 times after confessing to adultery in Indonesia while the married man she slept with only gets 15 lashes

Judges found it difficult to convict the man, who was then the head of East Aceh fishery agency and also married, because he denied all wrongdoings, Alavi added.

‘During the trial, he admitted nothing, denying all accusations. Thus, [judges] are not able to prove whether he is guilty,’ Alavi told reporters after a public flogging for Sharia law offenders in East Aceh on Thursday. 

As an alternative punishment, the judges found the married man guilty of ‘showing affection to a female partner who is not his wife’ after the couple were caught by locals at a palm oil plantation in 2018.

Married woman is flogged 100 times after confessing to adultery in Indonesia while the married man she slept with only gets 15 lashes

He was initially sentenced to 30 lashes but his successful appeal at the Sharia Supreme Court in Aceh reduced the sentence to 15. 

Another man, who was convicted of having sex with a minor, was also whipped 100 times on Thursday and will also serve 75 months in prison for the crime, according to prosecutors.

Aceh is the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia to impose Islamic law, which allows whipping for charges including gambling, adultery, drinking alcohol, and gay sex. 

“If others like him got amnesty, Nnamdi Kanu be granted too” – Ohaneze Ndigbo

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has again appealed to the federal government to adopt a political solution in the case of leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, George Obiozor in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday January 14, said political solution is possible since militants in the south-south and repentant Boko Haram members have been offered amnesty.

Reiterating that the “Igbo nation is not at war with Nigeria”, Obiozor further stated that the current situation can be handled. 

He said; 

“We in Igboland have made it categorically clear that we prefer a political solution to it — a dialogue to end it. It is clear to the rest of Nigeria.

“And we have repeatedly said that Igbo nation is not at war with Nigeria. Therefore, what is happening can be handled. I will use the words ‘political solution’ as the answer. Dialogue is the answer.

“Just as other sections of Nigeria, some areas of Nigeria, people who behaved like Kanu have been forgiven, given amnesty and integrated into the country.

“So, what we are asking is for Mr President to use the prerogative of mercy to look into the situation in the south-east.

“Prerogative of mercy is exclusively the right of the president. We are not talking about court. We are not talking about use of force. Use of force is dangerous for everybody and it will definitely not solve the problem. It will make it worse.

“We are not new to Nigeria’s politics. We saw in south-south — Niger Delta Avengers, MEND — and the rest, even the present Boko Haram, those who said they are repenting, how they are being rehabilitated.

“The problem of federalism is that the sensitivity is very much on the surface. If you don’t do one as you have done others, you will have problem.”

Hillsong Church under fire for flouting COVID rules with ‘singing and dancing’

Hillsong Church has been accused of exploiting a COVID exemption for Australian religious institutions. 

While singing and dancing are currently banned in public venues in New South Wales as a Covid precaution, the megachurch has been reprimanded by regional government department the New South Wales Ministry of Health for allowing young parishioners to sing and dance at its annual youth camp.

Videos shared on Hillsong’s social media accounts, show members doing much more than gathering for prayer, which was all the exemption was intended to protect. Maskless teenage attendees were seen dancing to non-devotional pop music.

The Guardian reported that New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard said in a statement  on Thursday January 13;

“While the order does not apply to religious services, it does apply to major recreation facilities and this event is clearly in breach of both the spirit and intent of the order, which is in place to help keep the community safe.”

Explaining why churches were exempted, an NSW Health spokesperson told Australian Tuesday;

“Singing and dancing in hospitality venues and nightclubs is deemed high risk due to increased movement and mingling within and across these venues, the influence of alcohol consumption, and the removal of masks in these settings to consume food and drink.

“People attending religious services generally remain in fixed positions and masks are mandatory for these indoor gatherings.”

When reached for comment by the Guardian, a Hillsong spokesperson insisted the kid program was not a secular dance romp.

The spokesperson said; 

“These events are our annual high school-aged youth camps, and are not similar to a music festival in any way.

“Outdoor Christian services are held during the camp but these are only a small part of the program… and any singing is only a small part of each service (a video circulating on social media today reflects a few minutes of this part of the program).”

NDLEA grills Obi Cubana again over illegal Narcotic Business

Socialite and Chairman of Cubana group of companies, Obi Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana was on Thursday January 13 grilled by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for an alleged link to the illegal narcotic business. 

Punch reported that Obi Cubana was grilled for about five hours at the Abuja headquarters of the NDLEA before he was granted bail and asked to return at a future date.

Sources told the publication that suspicious payments were made into Cubana’s account by three convicted drug dealers from Malaysia, Nigeria and India.

It was further gathered that operatives of the NDLEA and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have now widened the probe into Cubana and his business network, based on the premise that he may be involved in the drug business. 

The source told the publication; 

“Obi Cubana arrived at the NDLEA office around 9am and responded to questions for some hours before he was granted bail at 2pm. There are suspicions that he may be a drug kingpin. Some convicted drug dealers paid funds into his account.

“We have been able to establish three of such payments. One of the persons that paid money into his account was convicted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; another one that was convicted in New Delhi, India; also paid money into his account while a third person that was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and convicted in 2017, also paid money into Cubana’s account.”

Cubana is reportedly expected to present some documents to NDLEA on their next meeting. When Obi Cubana’s aide, Chioma Nwachukwu was contacted by Punch, she said; 

“There is no comment on the matter now.”

The socialite who has been in the nightclub business since 2006, grabbed international headlines last July when he organised a lavish funeral for his mother, Ezinne Iyiegbu, in Oba, Idemili South local government area of Anambra State.

He disclosed how he made his money during an interview with BBC Pidgin months ago. According to him, he came to Abuja for his National Youth Service Corps programme in 1999 and served at the National Assembly.

The 46-year-old said he went into the real estate business where he got a contract to furnish houses. The socialite added that he got a contract with the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company and later ventured into the hospitality sector where he has made billions of naira.

He has since opened branches of Cubana club in about five states including Imo, Lagos, Rivers, Enugu and Abuja.

Some of Obi Cubana’s associates who have also been grilled include Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest; and the Chairman, Five Star Group, Emeka Okonkwo aka E-Money.

Jeffrey Epstein brought 8 young ladies with him when he visited Bill Clinton – White house visitor logs proves (photos)

Newly obtained visitor logs have revealed that late pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein brought along eight women when he visited the Clinton White House between 1993 and 1995.

Records from flight logs on his private jet and the White house obtained by the Daily Mail show he brought his girlfriends Celina Midelfart, Eva Andersson, Francis Jardine, and Ghislaine Maxwell and four other women Jennifer Garrison; Shelley Gafni; Jennifer Driver, Lyoubov Orlova. Although his relationship with the last four women is unclear.

Newly obtained visitor logs show Jeffrey Epstein brought eight young women on his 17 visits to the white house to see Bill Clinton (photos)


Ghislaine Maxwell’s high-profile trial in New York heard claims that Epstein was seeing Midelfart, now 48, a Norwegian heiress in the mid 1990s.

Newly obtained visitor logs show Jeffrey Epstein brought eight young women on his 17 visits to the white house to see Bill Clinton (photos)


Andersson, 61, a physician and former Miss Sweden, was also a witness in the sex trafficking trial where she confirmed she dated Epstein in the 80s and 90s.

Never-before-seen photos also reveal the disgraced financier kept pictures of himself at the White House Briefing Room podium at his Palm Beach, Florida mansion.

Newly obtained visitor logs show Jeffrey Epstein brought eight young women on his 17 visits to the white house to see Bill Clinton (photos)


The records show Jeffrey Epstein visited the Clinton White House 17 times throughout the former president’s first few years in office.

Newly obtained visitor logs show Jeffrey Epstein brought eight young women on his 17 visits to the white house to see Bill Clinton (photos)

Many of the women Epstein took on his trips to Washington had romantic relationships with him. 


Maxwell, now 60, was found guilty in December 2021 of recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 1997, and is currently awaiting sentencing behind bars.

Microsoft resumes with fresh investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Bill Gates

Microsoft announced on Thursday January 13, that it has hired a law firm to review how the company handled sexual harassment allegations against some of its top executives including founder Bill Gates.

According to Mail Online, the review will be conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Arent Fox LLP, which the board of directors selected because it has experience in dealing with sexual harassment allegations and has not conducted much work with the company in the past. 

After the law firm’s findings go public, Microsoft will release a report detailing its sexual harassment investigations and if any, actions were taken as a result.

The company was hit with sexual harassment allegations against Gates going back to 2000. He stepped down from the company amid an investigation into one of his relationships with a former employee in 2020, and on May 3, 2021, he announced his divorce to his longtime wife, Melinda French Gates. 

A few weeks later, The New York Times published an expose detailing how Gates sexually harassed several of his employees and remained a loyal friend to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein three years after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor.

‘Our culture remains our number one priority and the entire board appreciates the critical importance of a safe and inclusive environment for all Microsoft employees,’ Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement.

‘We’re committed not just to reviewing the report but learning from the assessment so we can continue to improve the experiences of our employees,’ she continued.

‘I embrace this comprehensive review as an opportunity to continue to get better.’

The move to hire an independent firm to review the company’s investigations comes after activist shareholders demanded greater disclosure of the company’s handling of sexual harassment issues.

A resolution seeking greater transparency passed in November with support from almost 78 percent of the shareholders in November, The New York Times reported.

As part of the review, Arent Fox is expected to submit its findings to Microsoft senior management and board members with recommendations on how to improve the culture at the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

The company would then share a summary of the findings with the public in the spring, which would lead to a public release of Microsoft’s transparency report detailing the effectiveness of the company’s workplace policies related to sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

The report will include data on the number of sexual harassment cases Microsoft has investigated, and what the results of those investigations were, and is expected to summarize the results of investigations into Gates and other senior leaders.

In a statement, Microsoft executives said the report ‘will assess the steps that have been taken to hold employees, including executives, accountable for sexual harassment or gender discrimination.’

The firm will also compare Microsoft’s sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies against the best practices that have been adopted by other companies. 

Founder Bill Gates has been accused of soliciting at least two employees while he was running the tech giant, according to The Times. In one of the incidents, in 2007, it was reported that Gates sat through a presentation by a Microsoft employee then promptly emailed her asking for a date. He reportedly wrote: ‘If this makes you uncomfortable, pretend it never happened.’

Novak Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled, ordered to leave Australia immediately

World Tennis number one, Novak Djokovic faces another lengthy legal battle as the Australian government has canceled his visa for the second time.


The decision comes after several remarkable days of uncertainty over his participation in the event, all caused by his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19.


Djokovic had intended to play in the tournament and defend his title after entering Australia using a medical exemption.


That medical exemption stemmed around a positive Covid-19 test on December 16, which would have allowed him to bypass the country’s strict restrictions.

His exemption request had been approved by the Victoria state government and Tennis Australia, which seemed to give him legal permission to travel to Australia.


But upon his arrival, Australian Border Force rejected the exemption and canceled his visa. He spent four nights in hotel detention before a judge overturned the decision on Monday morning.


But a new twist occured as he incorrectly stated he hadn’t travelled anywhere else 14 days prior to travelling to his arrival in Australia. But that turned out to be false after it emerged he had been in Spain just days earlier.


The government has now rescinded his visa and told him to leave the country immediately.


The decision was said to be in the “public interest”, according to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke on Friday, January 14.


Just days before the Australian Open begins, Hawke confirmed he had cancelled the Serbian’s visa, effectively handing him a deportation notice.

Djokovic faces losing his Australian title and being banned from Australia for three years, a move which could effectively end his chances of winning the tournament again. His only chance of competing is if he wins another legal battle with the government just before the competition starts.


In a statement, Hawke said;

“Today I exercised my power under section 133C (3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.


“This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.


“In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.


“The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.


“I thank the officers of the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia’s interests in increasingly challenging operational environments.”


In that statement, posted to his Instagram page, he appeared to blame his agent for incorrectly stating he hadn’t travelled anywhere else prior to his arrival in Australia. Djokovic wrote;

“On the issue of my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration officials on my arrival – and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia.


“This was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur.


“Today, my team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.”

Afghan Asylum seeker in the UK to be extradited back to Austria after he raped and killed his victim there

Rasuili Zubaidullah, an Afghan migrant accused of raping and killing a 13-year-old schoolgirl, Leonie Walner in Vienna, will be extradited back to Austria.

The crime came to light after Walner’s corpse was found wrapped in a roll of carpet that was dumped under a tree in the centre of the city in 2020.

Leonie Walner who lived in the city of Wiener Neustadt near Austria’s capital Vienna, along with her parents and her four siblings aged 15, 17, 19 and 19 at the time, was reportedly raped and brutally attacked by four Afghan men before being left to die in the street on June 26 2020.

Three of the Afghans were later arrested in Austria, but Zubaidullah was arrested following the international manhunt.

Police investigation revealed that the schoolgirl met two of the suspects at Danube Canal in the city of Vienna, where they all took ecstasy on June 25. They then took the schoolgirl to an apartment in Vienna’s 22nd district named Donaustadt, where they were joined by two other suspects.

The men gave Leonie more drugs in the apartment to “make her compliant” and sexually assaulted her. They then rolled her body in a carpet and disposing of it on the street about 100 metres from the apartment.

Afghan migrant who moved to UK after ?raping and murdering 13-year-old girl in Vienna? to be extradited back to Austria

A post mortem reportedly found that she had been given a “lethal” overdose of ecstasy and cannabis.

22-year-old Zubaidullah reportedly fled to Dunkirk in France before boarding a people traffickers boat across the Channel to the UK. He gained access to the country illegally, using a fake name to slip past immigration officials in Dover before being put up by the government in the Ibis hotel in Whitechapel, East London.

A tip off from Austrian authorities led to him being apprehended in a British hotel. A court has now ruled that he will be extradited to Austria to face trial for the gang rape and murder of the teenager.

Commenting on the development, Florian Hoellwarth, the lawyer for Leonie’s parents, said: “as expected, the extradition request was granted by the court in London.” Hoellwarth added “the extradition decision is not final” before explaining that Zubaidullah has seven days to file an appeal.

Britain’s ‘longest married couple’ celebrate 81st wedding anniversary

Ron and Joyce Bond have just celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary and are thought to be Britain’s “longest married couple.”

Ron and Joyce, aged 102 and 100 respectively, got married in 1941 after a “love at first sight” meeting.

Britain

On their wedding day 

The duo, from Milton Keynes, then went on to have two children called Eileen and Bill.

The couple say a bit of “give and take” is the secret to a long-lasting marriage.

Ron – who served in the Second World War before working at a local garage – said: “Sometimes life is hard but we work through it together. We look after each other too.”

While Joyce, a former Woolworths worker, adds: “We never expected to reach 81 years of marriage, we know we are very fortunate to have achieved this amazing goal.

“It feels excellent. There is no boss in our relationship, we both give and take.”

The couple marked their anniversary on January 4 at ExtraCare’s Shenley Wood Retirement Village in Milton Keynes – where they share a flat.

Britain

They were treated to cream teas and were even given a shout-out by Ken Bruce on Radio 2, at the request of their son Bill.

The couple’s friends were initially doubtful that the pair would last.

Their daughter Eileen said: “It was said at the time of their wedding it would not last long – how wrong did folks get that?

“You only have to spend time with them to know they love and care for each other, even after 81 years of being married.

“My parents are a truly inspiring couple – not only to my brother and I, but to their grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.”

Last year, the Queen wrote to the pair as they celebrated their 80th (oak) wedding anniversary. 

The letter read: “How wonderful to learn of your eightieth wedding anniversary on 4th January, 2021. I do hope you enjoy this marvellous occasion.”

Britain

Billionaire conned into paying more than $1 million to purge away ‘evil spirits’ and to help him find love

A new lawsuit has revealed how a Manhattan, New York psychic swindled a once-wealthy man out of more than $1 million through false promises to find him a soul mate and purge away “dark spirits” through increasingly expensive rituals.


 
According to the once wealthy man, William Young of Brooklyn, he met the scamming soothsayer, Shaina Samiel, in May 2021 while working at XoXo Bar, a since-closed gay bar on W. 46th St. Samiel.

How a New York Psychic tricked a once wealthy man into paying more than $1 million to purge away ?dark spirits? and find him a soulmate
The soothsayer gave readings out of a building next door.


The two became close and Young, who is bipolar and suffers from depression, became one of Samiel’s regular customers, according to the suit which was filed Sunday, January 9.

“Samiel told Young that his family was cursed by dark spirits and blamed them for his mental health difficulties. She claimed that the dark spirits were very strong and that so long as they were there, Young will not be able to find love or happiness or have a good relationship with his family,” Young’s lawyer wrote in a Manhattan Supreme Court complaint.


Samiel, who referred to herself as Young’s “spiritual mother,” claimed to know the right rituals to bring fulfillment to his life, the suit states.


The spells, however, had to be done by paying a hefty price tag.


Samiel, a self-described “spiritual guide,” told her client that the power of the “arcane and occult arts” depended on how much he was willing to spend, the lawsuit claims.


Samiel ”claimed that the dark spirits were very strong and that so long as they were there, Young will not be able to find love or happiness or have a good relationship with his family,” the suit reads.


“She told him that she could perform complex rituals that would help with the situation. She said these rituals would help Young find a future soul mate and also put him in a better situation financially.”


Young’s first payment to Samiel in May 2021 was $100,000, according to the lawsuit. Later that month, he paid the psychic six times in a single week, with the payments ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, the suit says.


In June 2021, Samiel allegedly told Young that she needed a car to “gather materials for rituals, and consult and contact ‘superiors’ who were other psychics in her organization for consultation and advice about his situation,” the suit says.


Young immediately put down a $5,500 deposit and began making monthly lease payments on a vehicle for Samiel, according to the lawsuit.


A third party named in the suit, Carrio Motor Cars, said it never heard of Samiel or Young. Young claims to have sent $92,000 to Carrio at Samiel’s request.


“It sounds like a joke to be honest,” said owner Jacob Carrio. “I’m actually chuckling hearing about this.”

Eventually, Young ran out of money and began tapping his family’s joint bank account to pay for the spells.


After all the money spent, the rituals had no positive effect on his life. Instead, they caused him more anxiety due to his dwindling wealth, according to the suit.


The scam only ended when a $496,000 payment to Samiel through a third party company was blocked by Young’s bank, according to the lawsuit.


Young’s account was the  frozen, prompting a realization he’d been tricked, the suit states. He says he paid Samiel and third parties a total of $1,102,514.


“Samiel’s taking of Young’s money was done by directly soliciting said money while holding herself out as being able to use occult powers to influence or affect evil spirits or curses, when in reality she never intended to nor could she possibly fulfill the promises she made to Young on that front,” the suit reads.

See Lionel Messi’s new £3million mansion in Rosario (photos)

Superstar footballer, Lionel Messi has spent £3million to build a massive mansion dubbed ‘The Fortress’ in his home city of Rosario in Argentina. 

The monster property, built on three adjoining plots of land in a gated private estate on the outskirts of the footballer’s home city of Rosario, has a huge cinema, gym, and underground garage with enough space for 15 cars, according to Argentinian media.

First images of Lionel Messi

It has between 20 and 25 rooms and a part of the property, which is divided into three and includes an area which is just for guests to stay in, has yet to be finished, the report said. 

Messi, 34, reportedly spent Christmas in his new home on a private estate called Kentucky in Funes near Rosario for the first time and ended up having to remain for an extra week after coming down with coronavirus. 

First images of Lionel Messi

Work on the property, said to have cost around £3million in the deflated local currency, began some three years ago. 

Argentinian journalist Guido Zaffora, speaking on America TV programme ‘Es por ahi’ which broadcast images of the mega-mansion, said: ‘This is the house in Funes near Rosario where Messi did his quarantine that nobody has ever seen. 

‘He stayed in the house for the first time when he came back to Argentina from Paris for Christmas. 

‘It’s in the wealthiest part of Rosario in a neighbourhood called Kentucky. They call it The Fortress and you can see why when you take a look at the pictures of it. 

‘It’s been built on three separate plots of land although it’s still not finished and a part of it remains uninhabitable. 

First images of Lionel Messi

‘It has between 20 and 25 rooms, a cinema which is big enough to fit both Messi and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo’s families in, a gym, an underground garage with space for 15 cars, a part which is just for guests who have access to the gym and cinema, and a playroom for the children which occupies an entire top floor.’ 

Local reports say visitors entering the property are greeted by a giant floor-to-ceiling portrait of the back of Lionel Messi wearing the number 10 Argentina shirt in the entrance hall. 

His agent father Jorge is said to have overseen building work along with architects while his son has been focusing on his football career. 

Nigerian fraudster may go to jail for 20 years in the US for fraud

A Nigerian national who was indicted in April 2021 in connection with a large fraud and money laundering scheme is facing 20 years imprisonment after pleading guilty before a United States jury on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. 

According to court documents and statements made in connection with the plea hearing, Kenneth Emeni, 29, a citizen of Nigeria residing in Martinsburg, was involved from at least August 2017 to October 8, 2020, with Kenneth Ogudu, also known as Kenneth Lee, John Nassy, Romello Thorpe, Oluwagbenga Harrison, Ouluwabamishe Awolesi, and others in a money laundering conspiracy that took place in Huntington and elsewhere. 

Emeni lived in Huntington from August 2017 to December 2019.  As part of the scheme, Emeni’s co-conspirators created online false personas and contacted victims via email, text messaging or online dating and social media websites in order to induce the victims into believing they were in a romantic relationship, friendship or business relationship with various false personas.

The victims were persuaded to send money for a variety of false and fraudulent reasons for the benefit of the false personas.

Emeni’s role in the conspiracy was to let victims transfer money to his bank account that he knew was from unlawful activity. 

Emeni admitted that after the victims’ funds were deposited into his account, he kept some of the money for himself and forwarded some of the money to his co-conspirators via wire transfers or Zelle.

Emeni received approximately $42,050 from his co-conspirators’ transfers and transferred approximately $46,197 to his co-conspirators during the money laundering conspiracy. Emeni further admitted that he and his co-conspirators transferred large sums of their fraud proceeds to offshore accounts. From 2018 until 2020, Emeni transferred over $358,846 to accounts in Nigeria and Ghana.

Emeni faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 11, 2022.  As part of  his plea agreement, Emeni agreed to pay $904,126.96 in restitution.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), the West Virginia State Police and the South Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorneys R. Gregory McVey and Kathleen Robeson are handling the prosecution.

How teen girl created ’30 fake Instagram accounts’ to get her innocent ex-boyfriend jailed

A court has heard how a 19 year old girl called Courtney Ireland-Ainsworth, created up to 30 false Instagram profiles before telling police her ex-partner Louis Jolly was behind the messages so he can be arrested.

Courtney Ireland-Ainsworth, who was then 19, created up to 30 false profiles then alleged he threatened to stab her and warned: “She is getting a f***ing blade in her chest”, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Court hears how 19 year old girl created 30 fake Instagram accounts to get her innocent ex-boyfriend jailed


Ireland-Ainsworth, now aged 20, also made 10 police statements accusing boyfriend, Louis of harassing and stalking her.


The boyfriend was arrested six times and spent 81 hours in custody, including being remanded overnight, according to reports by LiverpoolECHO.

Louis was charged with assault and stalking, given a stalking protection order, bailed on a home curfew with an electronic tag, and even lost his job.

The boyfriend, Louis, 22, said they were together for two years but split up on “okay terms” in October 2019.


The girl then started dating a man named Declan Rice.


Paul Blasbery, prosecuting lawyer said she made numerous calls to police from July 15 to December 13, 2020 and provided screenshots of messages and the names of Instagram accounts, which she attributed to her victim.


Louis maintained his innocence as the court heard the defendant accused him of calling from withheld numbers, stalking her, her friends and new partner, filming her walking down the street and sending her the video, verbally and physically abusing her, making false claims she used cocaine, smashing items in her house, putting a brick through her nan’s window and threatening to stab her and her boyfriend.


Court recorder, Harris said: “You stated after he had been arrested the stalking became worse.


“You provided images of damage to property and you yourself, as to where you said he knifed you with a Stanley knife, and there was a scar on your chest.”

Detectives had requested data from Facebook, which owns Instagram, and it showed that at least 17 Instagram accounts were created using two of Ireland-Ainsworth’s email addresses and IP addresses connected to her home and mobile phone.


She was arrested and interviewed in December 2020, when she confessed.


Mr Blasbery said: “She attempted to minimise during that interview what she had done. She eventually admitted it.


“She stated her ex-boyfriend Mr Jolly was hassling her, but in order to make the police believe it she sent false messages to the police so that they would take it seriously.”


Ireland-Ainsworth, who had no previous convictions, admitted perverting the course of justice.


Jim Smith, the defending lawyer, said his client was 19 at the time, immature and diagnosed as suffering from “complex” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


 “She would have handled that breakdown [in the relationship] substantially differently than any other individual who was not subject to a mental disorder.”


Smith said Ireland-Ainsworth worked at DHL Supply Chain and was a “very respected member of that team” and “loved and respected” by family and friends.


“The defendant and her family are truly sorry for what has occurred in this case.”


Recorder Harris continued to tell Ireland-Ainsworth: “You in my judgement involved your boyfriend Declan Rice and your mother and grandmother in making statements to the police… you involved them in your dishonesty.”


“I find a lot of thought and planning went into this criminal enterprise, which had hallmarks of sophistication and cunning about it.

“Even after you were arrested and charged, you continued to make derogatory assertions against Mr Jolly.”


She has now been imprisoned for 10 months and got a 10-year restraining order.

Do you know that Boko Haram still in control of 2 Borno LGAs? – Gov Zulum

Borno state governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has said that members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, are in control of Abadam and Guzamala Local Government Areas of the state.

The governor disclosed this when Chairman Senate Committee on Army, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume led other senators including military officers from the army headquarters, paid him a courtesy call at the Government House.

”I am pleased to inform you that we have started witnessing gradual return of peace, but more need to be done, because, presently, Guzamala and Abadam Local Government Areas are still under the control of Boko Haram.

Although, the current Service Chiefs, the Theatre Commander, and indeed our General Officer Commanding 7 Division are up and doing.  We want to commend the military and other para military personnel for their gallant efforts to see to the end of terrorism in this part of the country.

Unfortunately, Government and people of Borno state, especially those from southern and northern parts of the state are worried over the increasing number of ISWAP groups who have been terrorizing their communities.

Just few days ago, I recieved a security report that in some communities of Mandaragirau axis in Biu Local Government Area, there are reports that over 500 Boko Haram/ISWAP groups have been converging with over 300 motorcycles and even celebrating parties/marriages amongst themselves without confrontation.

ISWAP are more equipped, sophisticated, intelligent and dangerous as they grow from strength to strength. 

ISWAP are collecting taxes along major roads in Damboa and other axis in southern Borno. It is very unfortunate. 

But the good news is that about 11 local Government areas of Gwoza, Bama, Marte, Monguno, Kaga, Gubio, Mafa, Dikwa, Ngala and host of others are becoming more peaceful than before, and this could be attributed to about 20,000 surrendered members of Boko Haram who are now in our custody.

I want to use this opportunity to solicit for prayers from all and sundry for total restoration of peace not only in Borno state, but the country as a whole.” Governor Zulum said

Russian baby girl was abandoned in the freezing snow (photos)

Five teenagers have found a newborn baby girl abandoned in temperatures as low as -20C (4F) in Siberia, Russia 


 The baby was found in an egg box on a remote road near the village of Sosnovka outside Novosibirsk on Friday, January 7.

Teenagers find 3-day-old baby girl abandoned on -20?c freezing snow road in Russia (photos)


The baby girl was rushed to the hospital by one of the teenagers’ parents where she was declared fit and well.


Russian Police say they are looking for the mother and have opened a criminal investigation into the attempted murder of a minor.

Teenagers find 3-day-old baby girl abandoned on -20?c freezing snow road in Russia (photos)


The parents of one of the teenagers who found the baby say they wish to adopt her but must wait to see whether relatives of the baby can be found.

Teenagers find 3-day-old baby girl abandoned on -20?c freezing snow road in Russia (photos)

 
Talking to Russian newspaper NGS, the father of one of the teenagers, Dmitry Litvinov, said the five teenage friends had gone out for a walk on Orthodox Christmas Day.


“It was already dark, they were shining their phones, looking at what was in the box,” said Mr Litvinov.


Inside was a baby girl left with a rag-like blanket and a bottle, he added.


He and his wife Anna were called to the scene by their son, Renat. They took the baby by car to a city hospital.


The fear was that the baby girl, who is believed to have been about three days old when she was found, might have suffered frostbite and would not survive.


Upon arriving at the hospital, a doctor quickly examined the baby and warmed her by gently rubbing her arms and legs, a statement by the regional health ministry said.


To the doctor’s surprise the baby turned pink and was found to be healthy. She was later transferred to a children’s hospital where she is now being cared for.


Talking to NGS, Mrs Litvinova said that she and many of the hospital staff had cried when they heard that the child was in good health.

‘Thousands of workers have died whilst building the Qatar stadiums’ – Eric Cantona says

Premier league icon and former Manchester United player, Eric Cantona has revealed he will not watch the 2022 World Cup holding in Qatar this summer 

 Delivering a crippling assessment of this year’s tournament, Cantona accused Qatar of ‘horrible’ treatment of workers who have built the stadiums and says there is no chance of a legacy in the country. 

I will not watch the Qatar World Cup, thousands of workers have died building the stadiums - Premier league icon, Eric Cantona


According to Cantona, he knows the world cup is a big business venture but World Cups should be awarded to countries with an opportunity to have a lasting impact and grow football among their population, both male and female, but in Qatar, an Islamic state, Cantona believes there is no potential for football growth.

I will not watch the Qatar World Cup, thousands of workers have died building the stadiums - Premier league icon, Eric Cantona

Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail at the Launch of Looking FC, football trips for fans to experience the world and its cities through football communities, Cantona said;


‘To be honest, I don’t really care about the next World Cup, which is not a real World Cup for me. In the last decades, you had a lot of events like the Olympic Games or World Cups in countries that are emerging – like in Russia or China. 


‘But Qatar – it’s not the country of football. I’m not against the idea of hosting a World Cup in a country where there is a possibility to develop and promote football, like in South Africa or the United States in the 90’s. 


‘Football is the most popular feminine sport in the United States, there is a lot of South American immigration, and a big potential for the sport to develop. 


‘In fact, now in the United States, the sport which has the most licensed people is football. But in Qatar, the truth is that there is no such potential. There is nothing. It’s only about money I think. 


‘It’s only about money and the way they treated the people who built the stadiums, it’s horrible. And thousands of people died. And yet we will celebrate this World Cup.’
 

He went on: ‘Personally, I will not watch it. I understand football is a business. But I thought it was the only place where everybody could have a chance. 


‘And I still think that young players can grow up in a very poor area – most players come from poor areas. And they become footballers and have a chance to save themselves and save their family which is great. And if you are good, you are good. It’s a meritocracy – if you’re better than the next guy, you will play and it’s fair.


‘So it’s why, maybe, if meritocracy and potential is the essence of football, it’s even more surprising that we can organize a World Cup in Qatar, and people actually voted for that.’


His criticism comes after reports last year that a huge number of migrant workers allegedly died in the Middle Eastern country as they built cities, roads and stadiums out of the desert sand under extreme temperatures.


Relatives of the workers believe their  deaths have resulted from being forced to toil too long under the burning sun without shade, breaks and water in temperatures exceeding 40C for just £8.30 a day. 


It is believed FIFA will make more than £3billion from the world cup this summer.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson on a casual pizza date night

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson were spotted on a casual pizza date night.

The couple visited Jon & Vinny’s on Fairfax Tuesday night – an Italian-inspired spot famous for pizza and pasta – where they ordered pizza.

The two were pretty discreet, sitting at a table in the back and entering and exiting from the restaurant’s rear entry, TMZ reports.

From there, Pete and Kim went to a local Rite Aid where they each grabbed some Thrifty ice cream for dessert.

The pair has been inseparable over the last few weeks.

Hurray! Nigerian Govt. lifts suspension on Twitter as conditions are met

The Federal Government has lifted the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.

This was made known by the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE today January 12.

In a statement released, Kashifu said the approval was given following a memo written to the President by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. According to the statement, Twitter has agreed to the conditions of the Federal government which includes establishing a legal entity in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022, appointing a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities, complying with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law amongst others.

The lifting of the suspension will take effect from midnight of 13th January 2022.

The statement reads

”The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022.

The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the Memo, the Minister updates and requests the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.

  1. You may recall that on 5th June 2021, the FGN suspended the operation of Twitter through an announcement made by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed. Thereafter, the President constituted a seven-man Presidential Committee to engage Twitter Inc. Subsequently, in its wisdom, the Presidential Committee set a 20-member Technical Committee comprising all relevant government agencies. The Technical Committee engaged and worked directly with the Twitter team.
  2. The immediate and remote cause of the suspension was the unceasing use of the platform by some unscrupulous elements for subversive purposes and criminal activities, propagating fake news, and polarising Nigerians along tribal and religious lines, among others. These issues bordering on National Security, Cohesion and the effects of the abuse of the Twitter platform forced the FGN to suspend the operation of Twitter to address the direct and collateral issues around its operations in Nigeria.
  3. The new global reality is that digital platforms and their operators wield enormous influence over the fabric of our society, social interaction and economic choices. These platforms can be used as either a tool or a weapon. Every nation is grappling with how to balance its usage efficiently. Without balancing, every citizen’s security, privacy, social well-being, and development are at stake. Therefore, our action is a deliberate attempt to recalibrate our relationship with Twitter to achieve the maximum mutual benefits for our nation without jeopardising the justified interests of the Company. Our engagement has been very respectful, cordial, and successful.
  4. The process of resolving this impasse between the FGN and Twitter Inc. has helped lay a foundation for a mutually beneficial future with endless possibilities. Twitter is a platform of choice for many Nigerians ranging from young innovators to public sector officials who find it helpful to engage their audience. Therefore, our engagement will help Twitter improve and develop more business models to cover a broader area in Nigeria. Furthermore, the FGN looks forward to providing a conducive environment for Twitter and other global tech companies to achieve their potential and be sustainably profitable in Nigeria.
  5. While appreciating all Nigerians, especially the vibrant Nigerian youths who have borne with the long wait to resolve this impasse, the FGN is happy to say that the gains made from this shared national sacrifice are immeasurable. Some of the gains include:
  6. Ongoing economic and training opportunities as the Company continues to consider expanding its presence in Nigeria;
  7. Getting a better understanding of how to use the Twitter platform effectively to improve businesses;
  8. Revenue generation from the operation of Twitter in Nigeria;
  9. Smooth and coordinated relationship between Nigerian Government and Twitter leading to mutual trust;
  10. Reduction of cybercriminal activities such as terrorism, cyberstalking, hate speech, etc.; and
  11. Working with Twitter and other global companies to build an acceptable code of conduct following the global best practice.
  12. The FGN has asked Twitter to fulfil some conditions before restoring its services. These conditions addressed legal registration of operations, taxation, and managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian laws. Twitter has agreed to meet all the conditions set by the FGN. Consequently, the FGN and Twitter have decided on an execution timeline, which has started this week. Our engagement with Twitter opens a new chapter in global digital diplomacy and sets a new operational template for Twitter to come back stronger for the benefit of Nigerians.

The following are the resolutions agreed with Twitter. Inc.:

  1. Twitter has committed to establishing a legal entity in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022. The legal entity will register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The establishment of the entity is Twitter’s first step in demonstrating its long-term commitment to Nigeria.
  2. Twitter has agreed to appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities. The Global Public Policy team is also directly available through a dedicated communication channel.
  • Twitter has agreed to comply with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law.
  1. Twitter has agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals. The Partner Support Portal provides a direct channel for government officials and Twitter staff to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules. At the same time, the Law Enforcement Portal provides a channel for the law enforcement agencies to submit a report with a legal justification where it suspects that content violates Nigerian Laws. Taken together, these represent a comprehensive compliance apparatus.
  2. Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built and work with the FGN and the broader industry to develop a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries.
  3. Therefore, the FGN lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022. We encourage all users of the Twitter platform to maintain ethical behaviour and refrain from promoting divisive, dangerous, and distasteful information on the platform. As patriotic citizens, we need to be mindful that anything illegal offline is also illegal online and that committing a crime using a Nigerian Internet Protocol (IP) is synonymous with committing a crime within our jurisdiction.
  4. Considering Twitter’s influence on our democracy, our economy, and the very fabric of our corporate existence as a Nation, our priority is to adapt, not ban, Twitter. The FGN is committed to working with Twitter to do anything possible to help Nigerians align and navigate Twitter algorithmic design to realise its potentials while avoiding its perils.
  5. In his approval, the President appreciates the Presidential Committee led by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed, for the supervisory role and guidance given to the Technical Committee during the engagement. Similarly, the Presidential Committee commends the Technical Committee for a professional, robust and productive engagement with Twitter Inc. It also appreciates Government Regulatory Agencies and Internet Service Providers who implemented the FGN’s directives during the suspension.

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE

Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and

Director-General

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)”

Poet icon, Maya Angelou, is first Black woman to appear on US coin

The United States Mint has started distributing quarters featuring the image of Maya Angelou, making the poet and activist the first Black woman to appear on US currency.

The quarter features an image of Angelou with her arms uplifted, a bird in flight, and a rising sun behind her, with a portrait of George Washington on the “heads” side. The US Mint said the image of Angelou was “inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived”.

Poet Maya Angelou becomes first Black woman to appear on US coin

The poet and writer, who died in 2014, was the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which she wrote about the racial discrimination she experienced growing up.

Maya Angelou, the author of 36 books and the recipient of more than 20 honorary degrees, read her poem On the Pulse of the Morning at Bill Clinton’s 1992 inauguration, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2010.

“Each time we redesign our currency, we have the chance to say something about our country – what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society. I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou,” said Janet Yellen, US treasury secretary.

The coins depicting Angelou were part of the American Women Quarters Program, celebrating prominent women in US history. The bill was put forward by Democrat congresswoman Barbara Lee.

“I will forever cherish the private moments I had the privilege to share with Maya, from talking in her living room as sisters to her invaluable counsel throughout the challenges I faced as a Black woman in elected office,” said Lee.

“I am proud to have led this effort to honour these phenomenal women, who more often than not are overlooked in our country’s telling of history. If you find yourself holding a Maya Angelou quarter, may you be reminded of her words, ‘be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity.’”

‘Entire Europe may be infected with Omicron variant in few days’ – WHO

The World Health Organization has said more than half of Europe’s population will be infected with Omicron variant of coronavirus within the next six to eight weeks.

This comes after more than seven million new Covid cases were reported in the region in the first week of 2022, with the numbers doubling over a two-week period.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, the European director for the World Health Organisation, Dr. Hans Kluge, said: “At this rate, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasts that more than 50 percent of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next 6-8 weeks.”

In a Covid-19 results briefing covering the European Union, which was released on January 8, the IHME wrote: “Our models for the European Union suggest that infections will peak at just under 5 million in the middle of January, although national peaks will vary considerably, with later peaks in the eastern part of the EU.

“We expect more than 50 percent of the EU population will be infected by Omicron in the next 6-8 weeks. The infection-detection rate (IDR) is declining, although shortages of testing may lead to more rapid decreases in the IDR than we currently model.”

They expect reported cases within Europe to reach 1.9 million by the third week of January and then decline steadily. It is also predicted that hospitalisations across Europe could be a third higher than last winter, but modellers caveated this by saying that many of these will be “incidental admissions”.

They wrote: “Because the prevalence of Omicron infection is so high, many individuals hospitalised for other conditions will have asymptomatic infections. Incidental admissions may exceed 50 percent of total Covid admissions in some countries.”

Daily deaths will increase only slightly, as Omicron is less severe than Delta, the forecasters said.

WHO Europe director, Dr. Hans Kluge said on Tuesday that 26 countries in its region reported that more than one percent of their populations are being infected with Covid each week. He warned that there was now a “closing window of opportunity” for countries to prevent their health systems from being overwhelmed.

“Omicron moves faster and wider than any (previous) variant we have seen”, he added. Dr Kluge asked countries to mandate the use of masks indoors and to prioritise vaccination and booster doses.

He also said that as Omicron moves east across the European continent, the variant will have a much higher toll on countries with a lower vaccination rate.

WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, also warned against countries treating Covid as an endemic illness like flu, rather than as a pandemic. Ms Smallwood said: “We still have a huge amount of uncertainty and a virus that is evolving quite quickly, imposing new challenges. We are certainly not at the point where we are able to call it endemic.”

Super Eagles of Nigeria ‘caged’ Mo Salah with their performance (1-0) – video

The Super Eagles of Nigeria recorded a 1-0 win over the Pharaohs of Egypt on Tuesday night, January 11.

Egypt went into their first Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) match with high hopes, possessing in-form Liverpool striker Mo Salah, but the mercurial forward was clinically cut off for long spells in the game as a tactical Kelechi Iheanacho strike put Nigeria ahead on the 30 minutes mark.

Mo Salah rendered toothless as Nigeria produce master performance to beat Egypt 1-0 in first game of AFCON 2021 (Video)


For the first 20 mins it looked like Egypt controlled possession but Nigeria’s goal put the Pharaohs off balance and the Joe Aribo – Wilfred Ndidi combination stifled the Egyptians from making progressive runs into Nigeria’s defence.

Mo Salah rendered toothless as Nigeria produce master performance to beat Egypt 1-0 in first game of AFCON 2021 (Video)

Awoniyi nearly scored Super Eagles’ second goal in the 37th and 41st minutes but was stopped by Egypt’s goalkeeper, El Shenawy.


This goal spurred Nigeria and a clumsy touch from Iheanacho made him to spurn a chance to double his tally.


Egypt had one chance in the second half when Nigeria’s defence seemingly thought Salah had been caught offside, but the Egyptian couldn’t lift the ball over Maduka Okoye. If Salah were to name his nemesis, he would surely have called out Watford’s William Troost-Ekong, a nightmare for the Egyptian all night.


Nigerian substitute Chidera Ejuke could have cemented his country’s win in the final minute, but his length-of-the-pitch break was hit straight at El Shenawy.

Mo Salah rendered toothless as Nigeria produce master performance to beat Egypt 1-0 in first game of AFCON 2021 (Video)


With the win Nigeria now sit top of their group. Historically,  Nigeria has been one of the best teams in African football and in 1994 they came fifth in the FIFA rankings, the highest position ever reached by an African team. Nigeria have won the Nations Cup three times – most recently in 2013 – and came third at the last tournament in 2019.


Egypt, another favorite for the tournament have won CAN a record seven times, most recently in 2010. 


Watch the goal below

Philippe Coutinho moves to Aston Villa (photos)

Former Liverpool midfielder, Philippe Coutinho has been unveiled as new Aston Villa player after his loan move from Barcelona was confirmed.

The Brazilian’s temporary move to Villa Park was confirmed last week, with the Midlands club holding the option to sign the former Liverpool star permanently at the end of this current season.

The 29-year-old was officially presented as a Villa player late on Tuesday night and will wear the No.23 shirt between now and the end of the season. 

Sportsmail revealed last week that Villa will have to pay about £33million to sign Coutinho permanently this summer from Barcelona, who still fund half of his wages this season with the other 50 percent paid by the Premier League club. 

Philippe Coutinho unveiled as new?Aston Villa player after loan move from Barcelona (photos)

Villa boss Steven Gerrard and Coutinho played together at Liverpool from 2013 to 2015. 

Coutinho revealed that his former team-mate Gerrard was key in him making the switch to Birmingham – and believes he can lear off Villa’s new boss this season.

‘It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s a great club,’ Coutinho told the Villa official website. ‘I spoke a lot with the manager, with Stevie, and he told me about the club and his ambitions. I’m very happy to be here and I’m looking to enjoy my football.’

‘I’ve known Stevie for a long time. I played with him and I learned a lot from him. He’s someone who I have big admiration for. I hope to do my best here. For sure, I will work hard, and I hope together we can do good work.

‘I’m looking forward to meeting the fans, to being on the pitch. I know and I feel that they’re happy that I’m here. I want to repay that on the pitch and enjoy my football. 


‘I’m looking forward to being on the pitch. I always want to be at my best, doing my work. That’s what I work hard for every day. I hope it will be a great rest of the season here.’ 

Coach Gerrard added: ‘He is an outstanding footballer who boasts a highly impressive CV laced with plenty of elite honours. I am really pleased that we have been able to bring him on board and I am looking forward to working with him.

‘He is a player I enjoyed playing with previously and I know the rest of the squad here at Aston Villa will benefit from his quality and experience. His presence will be invaluable given injuries and the AFCON tournament have reduced our attacking options.’   

The Brazilian will be available to face United in their Premier League encounter at Villa Park on Saturday.  

Novak Djokovic admits breaching isolation rules after testing positive for Covid-19

Tennis star, Novak Djokovic has admitted breaching isolation rules after testing positive for Covid-19 in December 2021 and acknowledged he made errors in his travel form before entering Australia.


In an Instagram post on Wednesday morning, January 12, the Serbian athlete admitted meeting a journalist for an interview two days after he tested positive on 16 December.

“I accept that I should have rescheduled,” he wrote.

Novak Djokovic admits breaking isolation rules while positive with covid-19


In the post, he also blamed his travel agent for making a mistake on the travel form he used to enter Australia.


This comes after Djokovic won his legal case against Australia Border Force who threatened to deport him for coming into the country unvaccinated without the right medical exemption visa.


Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, is hoping to defend his Australian Open title next week. If he wins the title – his 21st grand slam, he would become the most successful male tennis player in history.

He had his visa revoked on 6 January shortly after he arrived in the country amid questions over the vaccine exemption that would have permitted him to enter. His activity is being investigated as the Australian government considers whether to deport him.


After a judge overturned the decision to deport him on Monday and ordered the release of the world tennis number one from detention, the government did not rule out further action to cancel his visa as reports came out that he lied in his immigration form that he had not broken isolation rules while he had covid.

In his Instagram post, Djokovic said he went ahead with the interview, with top French magazine L’Equipe, because he “didn’t want to let the journalist down”.


“[I ensured] I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was being taken,” he said.


L’Equipe has also confirmed in an article that the tennis star wore a mask the entire time, even when their reporter asked him to take it off for five minutes.


The journalist, Franck Ramella, said that he had been told not to ask Djokovic about his vaccination status or the upcoming Australian Open so “therefore did not ask if he had considered doing a test”.


“Even if we did ask, what would be the point?” Ramella wrote.


In the Instagram post Djokovic also admitted making a false declaration on his travel form prior to entering Australia.


He said his agent had made a mistake when filling in a section of the form that covered his recent travel history. The form stated that he had not travelled in the 14 days before his arrival in Australia.


“My agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box,” he wrote. “This was a human error and certainly not deliberate.”


“My team has provided additional information to the Australian government to clarify this matter,” he added.

Goodnews! ‘Common cold’ may give some immunity against disease, new study finds

Natural defences against a common cold could offer some protection against Covid-19, too, a new research has suggested.

The study performed on a small scale and published in Nature Communications by Imperial College London, involved 52 individuals who lived with someone who had just caught Covid-19.


Those who had developed a “memory bank” of specific immune cells after a cold – to help prevent future attacks – appeared less likely to get Covid while those who had not recovered from a cold were more likely to catch covid.

But scientists say no-one should rely on this defence alone, and vaccines are the surest way to prevent the virus.


Covid-19 is caused by a type of coronavirus, and some colds are caused by other coronaviruses – so scientists have wondered whether immunity against one might help with the other.


But the experts caution that it would be a “grave mistake” to think that anyone who had recently had a cold was automatically protected against Covid-19 – as not all are caused by coronaviruses.


The Imperial College London team wanted to understand better why some people catch Covid after being exposed to the virus and others do not.


Their study focused on a crucial part of the body’ s immune system – T-cells.


Some of these T-cells kill any cells infected by a specific threat – for example, a cold virus.


And, once the cold has gone, some T-cells remain in the body as a memory bank, ready to mount a defence when they next encounter the virus.

In September 2020, researchers studied 52 people who had not yet been vaccinated but who lived with people who had just tested positive for Covid-19.


Half the group went on to get Covid during the 28-day study period and half did not.


A third of the people who did not catch Covid were found to have high levels of specific memory T-cells in their blood.


These were likely to have been created when the body had been infected with another closely-related human coronavirus – most frequently, a common cold, they say.


Researchers accept other variables – such as ventilation and how infectious their household contact was – would have an impact on whether people caught the virus, too.


Professor Ajit Lalvani, senior author of the study, agreed vaccines were key to protection.


“Learning from what the body does right could help inform the design of new vaccines.”


“Current vaccines specifically target spike proteins that sit on the outside of the virus, but those spike proteins can change with new variants.”


“But the body’s T-cells target internal virus proteins, which do not change as much from variant to variant, meaning vaccines harnessing the work of T-cells more closely could provide broader, longer-lasting protection against Covid”, he said.


Dr Simon Clarke, at the University of Reading, said;


“These data should not be over-interpreted. It seems unlikely that everyone who has died or had a more serious infection, has never had a cold caused by a coronavirus.


“And it could be a grave mistake to think that anyone who has recently had a cold is protected against Covid-19, as coronaviruses only account for 10-15% of colds.”

PSG offers Antonio Rudiger about £6m per year to join them

PSG have reportedly offered to sign Antonio Rudiger when his Chelsea contract expires this summer. 

The German defender, 28, is set to become a free agent at the end of the season after reaching an impasse in contract talks with the Blues.

Real Madrid appeared the frontrunners to snap him up on a free transfer in July, but recent reports in Spain suggest the two parties have hit a stumbling block in negotiations. 

The French club are understood to have offered Rudiger £6million per year to join Mauricio Pochettino’s side, with sporting director Leonardo wiling to beat Los Blancos to the signing.

While his preferred destination is seemingly the Bernabeu, Rudiger may be forced to turn his attention to the Parc des Princes over his unsuccessful talks with Madrid.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are still hoping to tie him down to an extension before the end of the season, with coach Thomas Tuchel desperate to keep hold of his star centre-back.

Last month, Tuchel said: ‘I cannot predict the future and I don’t know if (Rudiger’s) representatives are talking to other clubs or not.

‘Of course, it is possible, it is January and he hasn’t signed a new contract with us yet but we are in communication with him, the club is in dialogue with his people.’

Pakistani Pastor, Zafar Bhatti, sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam

A 58-year-old Pakistani Protestant Pastor, Zafar Bhatti has been sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam. 

Zafar was handed the sentence by a district court in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Anglican Ink reported that the Pastor who has been in prison since 2012, was accused of sending a blasphemous SMS text messages.

The Pastor who ran a house church before his arrest in 2012, founded the charity organization “Jesus World Mission” to assist the poor. His arrest came after an anonymous person filed a complaint against him. 

Though the service provider revealed that the SIM card number used to send text messages was not registered in his name but belonged to a Muslim woman named Ghazala Khan, Zafar who has repeatedly denied the charges against him was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 3, 2017 under Articles 295 (a) and 295 (c) of the Penal Code of Pakistan over the text message which allegedly “dishonoured” the Prophet Muhammad and his mother.

The woman who owns the phone number was tried in April 2013 and granted bail.  

Zafar is currently the longest-serving prisoner for blasphemy and the first to receive a death sentence, which was upheld by the court on January 3.

US Billionaire, Bill Miller invests half of his wealth in Bitcoins

American billionaire investor, Bill Miller has revealed that half of his personal net worth is now invested in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, going against his own known advice that investors should allocate just 1%-2% of their portfolios to digital assets.

In a nearly hour-long interview with WealthTrack, the 72-year-old said he first bought bitcoin in 2014 when it was trading around $200. He kept purchasing more and stopped when it rose to roughly $500.

Then he started buying bitcoin again in the spring of 2021 when the coin was hovering around $30,000-level, just after it crashed from its then all-time-high of roughly $66,000.

Miller, who now calls himself a bitcoin bull instead of a bitcoin observer, told WealthTrack he has been adding to various bitcoin-related investments since then, citing MicroStrategy as one of them.

“My reasoning was there are a lot more people using it now. There’s a lot more money going into it in the venture capital world. There are a lot of people who are skeptics, who are, now, at least, trying it out,” he added.

As for the rest of his portfolio, Miller said he invested the remaining in Amazon. In April 2021, Miller said in an interview he was likely the largest individual shareholder of Amazon “whose last name isn’t Bezos.”

Miller is a former chairman of Legg Mason Capital Management Value Trust, and is best known for outperforming the S&P 500 for 15 consecutive years when he was with the investment giant. He is now the chief investment officer at Miller Value Partners, a company he founded back in 1999.

In the interview with WealthTrack, Miller also likened bitcoin to digital gold in terms of hedging against inflation, adding that it’s also an “insurance policy against a financial catastrophe that no one else can provide” given its supply limit of 21 million coins. 

Ahmet Yılmaz Calik, Turkisk football player, dies in a horrifying auto crash

Turkey international footballer and Konyaspor star, Ahmet Y?lmaz Calik has died in a horror car crash, his club said on Tuesday. He was 27.
 

The 28-year-old defender was killed after he reportedly lost control of his car near Gölba??, in the capital Ankara . He was on his way to go arrange his wedding on a day off from Konyaspor training beforee the crash.

Turkish footballer, Ahmet Y?lmaz Calik killed in horror car crash while on his way to go arrange his wedding on a day off from training

“We are in deep sorrow to have lost our player Ahmet Çal?k who earned our fans’ and city’s love since the first day he arrived at Konyaspor,” the club wrote on Twitter.

The Turkish Football Federation said in a statement: “It is with deep sadness that we learned that Ahmet Calik, football player of Ittifak Holding Konyaspor, who also played in our National Team, passed away as a result of a traffic accident.

“May Allah have mercy on the deceased; Our condolences to his family, relatives, Ittifak Holding Konyaspor Club and the Turkish football community.”

Former Galatasaray and Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski paid tribute by tweeting: I’m so sorry to hear the news, I’m in shock. Death doesn’t suit you, brother! May your place be heaven.

Known for his athleticism and aggressive defending, Calik had an impressive career at both club level and internationally, representing Turkey at the UEFA under-19 Championship and FIFA under-20 World Cup in 2013.

Novak Djokovic is getting ready to play but it is ‘uncertain’

Tennis superstar, Novak Djokovic is reportedly on track to play at the Australian Open despite the Immigration Minister contemplating whether to cancel his visa for a second time.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 11, a spokesman for Alex Hawke said he is ‘thoroughly’ considering whether to use his discretionary powers to cancel Djokovic’s visa after it was reinstated by a judge on Monday.

‘As noted yesterday in the Federal Circuit and Family Court, Minister Hawke is considering whether to cancel Mr. Djokovic’s visa,’ he said. ‘In line with due process, Minister Hawke will thoroughly consider the matter.’ 

It is unclear how long it will take for Mr. Hawke to make a decision – with the start of the Australian Open just six days away. Djokovic hopes to become the most successful male player of all time at the tournament.  

The comments come as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce admitted he was wrong about the tennis star being deported.   

‘I got it wrong. I thought that it would be game, set, match that he hadn’t been double vaxxed and he would’ve been asked to go,’ Mr Joyce said.

‘I got it wrong, okay. I’m not going to pretend to be a solicitor again.’

Djokovic, who is not vaccinated against Covid and contracted the virus in December, was denied a visa to enter Australia on January 6 by a Border Force official. 

The Serb, who had been granted a medical exemption by Tennis Australia, believed he met criteria set by Australia’s advisory board on immunisation and had been given a federal government declaration he could travel.

Mr. Joyce had supported the decision to give Djokovic the boot. But Djokovic took his case to the Federal Circuit Court where Judge Anthony Kelly quashed the cancellation of his visa on Monday.

Judge Kelly found that tearing up Djokovic’s visa had been unreasonable and he had not been given enough time by Australian Border Force officials to respond. 

‘Following today’s Federal Circuit and Family Court determination on a procedural ground, it remains within Immigration Minister Hawke’s discretion to consider cancelling Mr Djokovic’s visa,’ a spokesman for Mr Hawke had said on Monday night.

‘ The minister is currently considering the matter.’

Mr. Hawke could cancel the visa whenever he decided there was enough evidence there was a ground to do so and if it was in the public interest.  

Judge Kelly had said on Monday if the government intended to cancel Djokovic’s visa the Federal Circuit Court must be given ample notice to prepare for future proceedings.

Djokovic broke his silence on Monday night over the federal government’s failed cancellation of his visa, saying he still wanted to compete at the Australian Open next week. 

‘I’m pleased and grateful that the judge overturned my visa cancellation,’ he wrote on Twitter. 

‘Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete.

‘I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans.’ 

The Australia Open starts on January 17 when Djokovic wants to launch his bid to become the most-decorated men’s singles player of all time. 

The Serb is currently level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles. Federer is out of this year’s tournament with injury, while Nadal will be playing.

Man charged for threatening to kidnap and kill Donald Trump

A New York man was charged on Monday, January 10 with threatening to kill, kidnap, and inflict bodily harm on former U.S. President Donald Trump.


The defendant, Thomas Welnicki, 72, of Rockaway Beach, threatened to do “everything I can” to ensure Trump’s death, and once inquired about Secret Service protection for former presidents and their children, Prosecutors said .


He even once referred to Trump as “Hitler.”


The case came as Trump continues to press claims that widespread voting fraud caused him to lose re-election to Democrat Joe Biden.

A group of Trump supporters assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed bid to overturn the election results and Welnicki was unhappy that Trump didn’t want to concede defeat.


Prosecutors said Welnicki expressed interest in Trump’s death between July 2020 and December 2021, during and after Trump’s presidency, in several voluntary communications with U.S. Capitol Police and the Secret Service.


Welnicki allegedly told Capitol Police in a July 2020 interview that if Trump lost the election and refused to step down, he would “acquire weapons” and “take him down.”


Prosecutors said Welnicki called the Secret Service around Jan. 4, 2021, threatening to kill Trump and 12 unnamed congressional supporters, and referring to a $350,000 bounty.


“I will do anything I can to take out (Trump) and his 12 monkeys,” Welnicki was quoted as saying. “Tomorrow (Trump) will be in Georgia, maybe I will.”


Trump visited Georgia on that same day to campaign for two incumbent Republican senators who sought unsuccessfully to win re-election and keep the U.S. Senate under Republican control.


Welnicki also allegedly told the Secret Service on Dec. 2, 2021, that “the new Civil war could break out and taking up arms against the government is justified when ballots don’t matter.”

Medical Breakthrough! Man who underwent ‘Pig heart transplant’ is hale and hearty!

Surgeons at  University of Maryland Medical Center have performed the first-of-its-kind procedure on a Maryland resident identified as David Bennett. 

The 57-year-old man who was out of options, became the first successful recipient of a genetically-modified pig heart.

Bennett was diagnosed with a terminal heart disease and had been hospitalized and bedridden for several weeks after being “deemed ineligible” for a traditional heart transplant.

The patient said in a statement published by the University of Maryland Medical Center; 

“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.

“I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover.”

U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization for the surgery under its compassionate use provision on New Year’s Eve.

Researchers said the procedure required 10 unique gene edits to the pig heart in order to prevent the rejection of the organ once transplanted into the human body.

These edits included deleting four of the animal’s genes responsible for antibody-mediated rejection of pig organs by humans, as well as inserting six human genes into the genome for immune acceptance.

Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the surgery said in a statement; 

“This was a breakthrough surgery and brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis. There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients.

“We are proceeding cautiously, but we are also optimistic that this first-in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the future.”

Pig heart transplanted into American man in breakthrough surgery

Three days after the surgery, the university medical center said on Monday January 10 that Bennett is doing well and will continue to be monitored in the coming weeks to ensure the organ isn’t rejected.

He is still connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, but the new heart is functioning and taking on a majority of the work for his body, the surgeons told The New York Times.

Bennett could be taken off the bypass machine as early as Tuesday January 11, if all goes well, his doctors said.

Myanmar Court sentenced its former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to 4 more years in prison

A court in Myanmar sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to four more years in prison on Monday January 10, after finding her guilty of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions, a legal official said.

Suu Kyi was convicted last month on two other charges and given a four-year prison sentence, which was then halved by the head of the military-installed government.

The cases are among about a dozen brought against the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate since the army seized power last February, ousting her elected government and arresting top members of her National League for Democracy party.

If found guilty of all the charges, she could be sentenced to more than 100 years in prison.

Suu Kyi’s supporters and independent analysts say the charges against her are contrived to legitimize the military’s seizure of power and prevent her from returning to politics.
 

Monday’s verdict in the court in the capital, Naypyitaw, was conveyed by a legal official who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities, who have restricted the release of information about Suu Kyi’s trials.
 

He said she was sentenced to two years in prison under the Export-Import Law for importing the walkie-talkies and one year under the Telecommunications Law for possessing them. The sentences are to be served concurrently. She also received a two-year sentence under the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly violating coronavirus rules while campaigning.


Suu Kyi was convicted last month on two other charges; incitement and breaching COVID-19 restrictions, and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. Hours after that sentence was issued, the head of the military-installed government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, reduced it by half.

Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory in a 2020 general election, but the military claimed there was widespread electoral fraud, an assertion that independent poll watchers doubt.

Another Covid-19 variant ‘Deltacron’ detected in Cyprus

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

A researcher in Cyprus has discovered a strain of the coronavirus that combines the delta and omicron variants.

Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology, called the strain “deltacron,” because of its omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes.

Kostrikis and his team said they have found 25 cases of the virus, according to Bloomberg News. It’s still too early to tell whether there are more cases of the strain.

“We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail” against the two dominant strains, delta and omicron, Kostrikis said in an interview with Sigma TV Friday. He believes omicron will also overtake deltacron, he added.

The researchers sent their findings this week to GISAID, an international database that tracks viruses, according to Bloomberg.

The deltacron variant comes as omicron continues its rapid spread across the globe, causing a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Novak Djokovic ‘arrested’ in Australia just after winning visa appeal

Novak Djokovic has reportedly been arrested by the Australian government just minutes after he won a court battle that challenged the manner in which his Australian visa was cancelled.

With the verdict meaning he was free to leave the detention centre where he had been held, Ksenija Pavlovic McAteer has now reported that the world No.1 tennis player has been arrested despite the ruling in his favour.

Having spoken to Srdan Dokovic, the father of Djokovic, McAteer adds that the Australian government “want to deport” the 34-year-old.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner was held in the government facility on his arrival at Melbourne airport early last week after the decision was made to withdraw his visa.

He won his court battle on Monday, Jan 10. It was eventually ruled that his visa cancellation order would be immediately quashed and that he would be released from detention.

However, it seems as though Djokovic may still be banned from playing at this month’s tournament in Melbourne and deported by government officials in spite of the verdict.

He was arrested shortly after the end of his court case on Monday, with his legal team now weighing up their options as they plan a response, according to The Pavlovic Today.

It is claimed that the Australian government are keen to send Djokovic on his way and are looking to do so as a matter of urgency, with his proposed deportation said to be “underway”.

‘I removed my second testicle to serve God better’ – University dropout says

A former medical student turned truck pusher has reportedly castrated himself to serve God better. 

Terhemen Anongo, a 44-year-old resident of Gboko in Benue State had removed one of the testicles himself in 2021 and almost lost his life in the process.

Former medical student castrates himself to serve God better

Anongo made headlines in March 2021 after he personally undertook the surgery, which resulted in profuse bleeding.

He was however given a second chance at life after being taken for medical attention by those around him. 

The man who reportedly dropped out University of Ibadan medical school over alleged ill health, told newsmen that the castration was based on his religious belief that since he was not married, he needed to serve God faithfully.

Former medical student castrates himself to serve God better

He told newsmen on Sunday January 9;

 “I went to remove the second testicle based on religious belief. I removed it on Monday. The first one had little hitches but this one having learnt from that experience, I did (remove) it very well. Somebody is always coming to dress it for me.

“I’m fine. There is no problem, I’m only waiting for when the wound will heal so I can remove the stitches.”

See the 2022 Golden Globes Winners

The Golden Globes award took place Sunday, Jan. 9  despite being pulled by NBC following a controversy surrounding the voting body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

Last year, the organization’s voting membership faced a Hollywood boycott after it was revealed there were no Black members. Many studios and celebrities openly criticised the HFPA, with Tom Cruise returning his three awards.

NBC also dropped the ceremony, meaning the 2022 edition was not televised or streamed online. This year’s nominees were not in attendance.

The HFPA announced each winner on its website. See all the winners below.

Winners;

Best motion picture, drama

  • Belfast
  • Coda
  • Dune
  • King Richard 
  • The Power of the Dog — winner

Best TV series, drama

  • Lupin
  • The Morning Show
  • Pose
  • Squid Game
  • Succession — winner

Best director, motion picture

  • Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
  • Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog — winner
  • Maggie Gyllenhall, The Lost Daughter 
  • Steven Spielberg, West Side Story
  • Denis Villeneuve, Dune

Best actress in a motion picture, drama 

  • Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
  • Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter 
  • Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos — winner
  • Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
  • Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best motion picture, musical or comedy

  • Cyrano
  • Don’t Look Up
  • Licorice Pizza
  • Tick, Tick…Boom
  • West Side Story — winner

Best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy

  • Marion Cotillard, Annette
  • Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza 
  • Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up
  • Emma Stone, Cruella
  • Rachel Zegler, West Side Story — winner

Best actress in a TV series, drama

  • Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
  • Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
  • Christine Baranski, The Good Fight
  • Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
  • Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pose — winner

Best actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

  • Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar
  • Jamie Dornan, Belfast
  • Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
  • Troy Kotsur, Coda
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog — winner

Best actor in a motion picture, drama

  • Mahershala Ali, Swan Song
  • Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
  • Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
  • Will Smith, King Richard — winner
  • Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best original score, motion picture

  • Alexandre Desplat, The French Dispatch 
  • Germaine Franco, Encanto
  • Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
  • Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers
  • Hans Zimmer, Dune — winner

Best original song, motion picture

  • Be Alive, King Richard
  • Dos Oruguitas, Encanto
  • Down to Joy, Belfast
  • Here I Am (Singing My Way Home), Respect
  • No Time to Die, No Time to Die — winner

Best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy

  • Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up
  • Peter Dinklage, Cyrano
  • Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick…Boom! — winner
  • Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza
  • Anthony Ramos, In the Heights

Best limited series or TV movie

  • Dopesick
  • Impeachment: American Crime Story
  • Maid
  • Mare of Easttown
  • The Underground Railroad — winner

Best TV series, musical or comedy

  • The Great
  • Hacks — winner
  • Only Murders in the Building
  • Reservation Dogs
  • Ted Lasso

Best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy

  • Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
  • Elle Fanning, The Great
  • Issa Rae, Insecure
  • Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
  • Jean Smart, Hacks — winner

Best actress in a limited series or TV movie

  • Jessica Chastain, Scenes from a Marriage
  • Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha 
  • Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
  • Margaret Qualley, Maid
  • Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown — winner

Best actor in a limited series or TV movie

  • Paul Bettany, WandaVision
  • Oscar Isaac, Scenes from a Marriage
  • Michael Keaton, Dopesick — winner
  • Ewan McGregor, Halston
  • Tahar Rahim, The Serpent

Best supporting actress in a TV role

  • Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
  • Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick
  • Andie Macdowell, Maid
  • Sarah Snook, Succession — winner
  • Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso

Best screenplay, motion picture

  • Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza 
  • Kenneth Branagh, Belfast — winner
  • Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
  • Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up
  • Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos

Best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy

  • Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
  • Nicholas Hoult, The Great
  • Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
  • Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
  • Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso — winner

Best motion picture, non-English language

  • Compartment No. 6 (Finland/Russia/Germany)
  • Drive My Car (Japan) — winner
  • The Hand of God (Italy)
  • A Hero (France/Iran)
  • Parallel Mothers (Spain)

Best actor in a TV series, drama

  • Brian Cox, Succession
  • Lee Jung-Jae, Squid Game
  • Billy Porter, Pose
  • Jeremy Strong, Succession — winner
  • Omar Sy, Lupin

Best motion picture, animated

  • Encanto — winner
  • Flee
  • Luca
  • My Sunny Maad
  • Raya and the Last Dragon

Best supporting actor in a TV role

  • Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
  • Kieran Culkin, Succession
  • Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
  • Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
  • O Yeong-Su, Squid Game — winner

Best actress in a supporting role in any motion picture

  • Caitriona Balfe, Belfast
  • Ariana Debose, West Side Story — winner
  • Kristen Dunst, The Power of the Dog
  • Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard 
  • Ruth Negga, Passing

Nigerian Military Chiefs Stole $15bn for the Procurement of Arms Within Last 20 Years – Report states

As much as $15bn (N6.1trn at N411 to a dollar) have been frittered away through fraudulent arms procurement deals in the last 20 years, according to a report by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

The report said political and security elite have monetised the conflicts and the resulting humanitarian crises.

The report said successive presidents’ failure to rein in on corruption in the security sector has weakened Nigerian counter-terrorism capacity, allowing groups like Boko Haram to smoulder.
CDD asserted that despite promises by the current administration to expose those sponsoring criminals, no individual, body or corporation had been convicted in Nigeria for funding terrorism since insurgency started in 2009.

The report reads in part: “Thanks to lax legislative oversight, excessive secrecy and the fact that security spending is largely exempt from due process rules designed to prevent corruption.

“Successive presidents’ failure to rein in security sector corruption is a highly consequential anti-corruption failure. It has led to widespread insecurity, verging on instability, and has weakened Nigerian counter-terrorism capacity, allowing groups like Boko Haram to smoulder. Related Posts

“Over the last decade, political and security elite have monetised the conflicts and the resulting humanitarian crises.

“During the same period, military leaders allegedly stole as much as $15bn through fraudulent arms procurement deals; thanks to lax legislative oversight, excessive secrecy and the fact that security spending is largely exempt from due process rules designed to prevent corruption.

“No individual, body or corporation had been convicted in Nigeria for funding terrorism since the insurgency started in 2009 despite promises by the current administration to expose those behind sponsorship of criminals,” the report

Cristiano Ronaldo talks with his agent, Jorge Mendes about his future with Man. City

Manchester United superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly held crisis talks with his agent, Jorge Mendes, over his future at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo, 36, has scored 14 goals in 21 appearances since heading back for a second spell at United in the summer, but the Red Devils have been struggling in their recent games.

According to The Sun, Ronaldo fears his dream Old Trafford homecoming could end in disaster.

It’s believed Mendes, the player’s long-time agent, recently flew over to sit down with his client and discuss his concerns about United’s troubled state.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The former Real Madrid and Juventus man is understood to be frustrated with the team’s recent performances, while he has become disillusioned with Rangnick’s style of play.

A source said: ‘Cristiano is very concerned about what is happening at United. The team is receiving a lot of criticism and he knows he is regarded as one of the leaders.

‘There are quite a lot of problems and Cristiano is feeling the pressure and is very stressed by the situation.

‘He desperately wants his United move to be a success, but he is starting to recognise that winning trophies with the current setup could be a real struggle.

‘Jorge came to see him and they spent time chatting through how things are going, what they think are the problems, how they might be solved, and what the solutions may be. Nothing has been ruled out.’

Tianjin city in China to test over 14 million habitants after Covid-19 outbreak

Tianjin, a major Chinese port city near the capital Beijing, has begun mass-testing its 14 million residents after a cluster of 20 children and adults tested positive for Covid-19, including two caused by the Omicron variant.
 

According to the report, the citywide testing, begun on Sunday and is to be completed over two days.

The first two cases confirmed in Tianjin were a 10-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman working at the after-school centre. Both were infected by the Omicron variant.

The city near the capital Beijing launched its mass testing early Sunday, advising residents to stay at or near home to be available for the community-level nucleic-acid screening.

In subsequent testing of close contacts, 18 others tested positive and 767 tested negative as of Saturday night.

Millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi’an and Yuzhou, two other cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks. The city of Zhengzhou, a provincial capital 70km (40 miles) north of Yuzhou, is also conducting mass testing and closing schools starting Monday.

China reported 165 confirmed coronavirus cases for 8 January, up from 159 a day earlier, its health authority said on Sunday.

Of the new infections, 92 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, from 95 a day earlier. Most of the new local cases were in the provinces of Henan, home to Yuzhou, and Shaanxi, home to Xi’an.

2 Police couple kill themselves, leaving being an Infant

An infant has been left orphaned after his parents, both Florida sheriff’s deputies, died by suicide just days apart.

St Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara announced on Tuesday, Jan. 4, the deaths of deputies Clayton Osteen and Victoria Pacheco. They had served on the force since November 2019 and February 2020, respectively.

One-month-old baby left orphaned after his Sheriff Deputy parents kill themselves

Mascara said that shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve, the sheriff’s office got a call about an attempted suicide. 

Investigators learned that the person who had tried to take his own life was one of their deputies, Osteen, who was off-duty at the time. 

Osteen initially survived and was taken to a hospital, where two days later his family made the decision to remove him from life support.

A day later, Osteen’s partner, colleague and the mother of his one-month-old son, Pacheco, took her own life.

One-month-old baby left orphaned after his Sheriff Deputy parents kill themselves

“Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff’s office family,” Mascara wrote.

Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian in Bahamas for a vacation

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have arrived the Bahamas for a vacation together. 

The 41-year-old reality TV superstar and 28-year-old “Saturday Night Live” cast member were snapped enjoying each other’s company in the Bahamas on Wednesday January 5. They were spotted walking on a dock together after disembarking from a boat. 

Kim Kardashian wore an all-black ensemble: a plunging black top and baggy distressed denim paired with matching shades. 

Pete on the other hand wore a navy blue letterman jacket with cream-colored sweats underneath, and accessorized his look with a black Louis Vuitton backpack and slip-on sandals paired with “Beavis and Butthead”-printed socks. 

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson arrive Bahamas for a vacation together

They grinned at each other throughout their short walk but were not seen holding hands or engaging in any PDA during the seaside excursion.

Kardashian and Davidson’s tropical getaway, which kicked off on Monday, marks their first international trip together. The comedian previously traveled with the Skims founder to her mom Kris Jenner’s Palm Springs, Calif., estate, while Kardashian returned the favor by traveling to Davidson’s home borough of Staten Island.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson arrive Bahamas for a vacation together

The lovebirds’ Bahamas retreat comes after they celebrated New Year’s Eve apart. While Kardashian spent the holiday with her family in Los Angeles, Davidson rang in 2022 alongside Miley Cyrus, his co-host for a televised special filmed in Miami.

Newborn baby was abandoned inside plane’s toilet bin, mum was arrested

A woman has been arrested after a newborn baby boy was found in the rubbish bin of an airplane toilet.

The 20-year-old Madagascar-national is suspected of being the child’s mother though she initially denied parentage.  She was a passenger on a flight from her home country to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Aiport in Mauritius on January 1.

It wasn’t until airport officials carried out a cabin inspection during a routine customs check that the infant was found.

After finding the boy, he was rushed to the hospital for treatment, BBC reports.

The woman was ordered to undergo a medical exam to see whether she had given birth recently.

Authorities in the East African nation are watching over the woman while she is in hospital.

Both the woman and the baby are in good condition, reports say.

Turkmenistan President orders firemen to extinquish the ‘mysterious gate of hell’, (photos)

Turkmenistan’s president has ordered the extinguishing of the country’s “Gateway to Hell”, a huge mysterious fire that has been burning for decades in a huge desert gas crater.


The fire known as Darvaza crater’s creation in the Karakum Desert is mysterious and many believe it formed when a Soviet drilling operation went wrong in 1971.

Turkmenistan president orders the extinguishing of mysterious

But after the crater’s depths were examined by Canadian explorer George Kourounis in 2013 he discovered that no-one actually knows how the fire started.


According to Turkmen geologists, the huge crater formed in the 1960s but was only lit in the 1980s. The fire has been nicknamed the ‘gateway of hell’ and is a popular tourist attraction in Turkmenistan.


The crater is 70 metres (229 feet) wide and 20 metres (65 feet) deep .


 The country’s president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov citing environmental and economic concerns, appeared on state television Saturday, January 8, telling officials to put out the flames at the Darvaza gas crater in the middle of the vast Karakum desert.


There have been plenty attempts to end the fire, including in 2010 when  Berdymukhamedov also ordered experts to find a way to put out the flames. But the fire has never stopped burning in decades.

Turkmenistan president orders the extinguishing of mysterious

In 2018, the president officially renamed it the Shining of Karakum but now wants it extinguished for good.

“We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people,” the president said in televised remarks.


He instructed officials to “find a solution to extinguish the fire”.

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