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.
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.
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.
The records show Jeffrey Epstein visited the Clinton White House 17 times throughout the former president’s first few years in office.
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 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.’
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Ongoing economic and training opportunities as the Company continues to consider expanding its presence in Nigeria;
Getting a better understanding of how to use the Twitter platform effectively to improve businesses;
Revenue generation from the operation of Twitter in Nigeria;
Smooth and coordinated relationship between Nigerian Government and Twitter leading to mutual trust;
Reduction of cybercriminal activities such as terrorism, cyberstalking, hate speech, etc.; and
Working with Twitter and other global companies to build an acceptable code of conduct following the global best practice.
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.:
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.
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.
Twitter has agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals. The Partner SupportPortal 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.
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.
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.
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.
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)”
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”.
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.’”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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
#TeamNigeria absolutely full value for their lead at half time…
Iheanacho with a brilliant finish to put them 1-0 up, and to be honest I’ve seen no threat from Egypt whatsoever.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.’
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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 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”.
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.
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.
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.”
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
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
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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
“Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff’s office family,” Mascara wrote.
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.
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.
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.
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’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.
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.
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”.
Paul Pogba has dismissed reports that he has been offered a new deal by Manchester United.
Reports by The Sun on Friday January 7, stated that Pogba was offered fresh terms worth £500,000-per-week last summer that would have made him the highest paid player in the English premier league.
But a spokesman for Pogba has issued a statement to deny suggestions of a recently extended contract offer from United.
The Frenchman is currently focusing on returning to action from injury and has entered the final six months of his contract.
”To clarify media reports, Paul has not been offered a new contract in recent months. Paul is fully focused on his recovery from injury with the aim of helping the team as soon as possible.” a statement from Pogba’s spokesman to Sportsmail read.
Pogba is in the final year of his contract and is free to speak to foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement this month.
If Manchester United and Pogba are unable to come to terms on a new deal it would mean that they would lose Pogba for nothing this summer.
The 3 white men found guilty of felony murder in November in the fatal shooting of Arbery, a Black Georgia man who was jogging in their neighborhood when they confronted him, have been sentenced to life imprisonment for their crime.
The sentences for Travis McMichael, who shot Arbery; and his father, Gregory McMichael, do not carry the option of parole but their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan will be eligible, Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said.
All three men were convicted of murder and other charges by a Glynn County jury in November in the pursuit and fatal shooting of Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020.
The McMichaels (father and son) armed themselves and pursued Arbery in a pickup truck after seeing him running in their neighborhood, Satilla Shores.
Their neighbor, Bryan joined the pursuit in his pickup truck and recorded video of the fatal encounter on his cellphone.
The McMichaels and Bryan had been charged with one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count each of false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Travis McMichael, who fired at Arbery three times at close range, was convicted of all nine charges. Gregory McMichael was convicted of all charges except malice murder. Bryan was convicted of three counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
The nearly all-white jury deliberated for about 10 hours before delivering its verdict.
Prosecutors said Arbery ran from the men for five minutes. Arbery was eventually trapped between the two pickup trucks and ended up in a confrontation with Travis McMichael, who was armed with a shotgun.
The McMichaels and Bryan were free for several weeks after the shooting. They were arrested only after the video that Bryan recorded was released and the case was taken over by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
On Friday, Janauty 7, Judge Walmsley called Arbery’s killing “callous” and said it occurred because “confrontation was being sought.”
Before announcing the sentences, the judge asked the courtroom to sit in silence for one minute to illustrate, he said, a fraction of the estimated time Arbery was running in terror from the men before he was killed.
“He left his home to go for a run and ended up running for his life,” the judge said.
The sentences follow the request from prosecutor Linda Dunikoski, who recommended that Bryan get a chance at parole and that the McMichaels be denied that possibility. Dunikoski said the father and son showed no remorse or empathy for “the trapped and terrified Ahmaud Arbery.”
Arbery’s parents and sister, who spoke before the sentences were handed down, asked the judge to give the men the maximum punishment allowable.
“The man who killed my son has sat in this courtroom every single day next to his father. I’ll never get that chance to sit next to my son ever again. Not at a general table. Not at a holiday. And not at a wedding,” Ahmaud Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery, said before the sentence was announced.
“His killers should spend the rest of their lives thinking about what they did and what they took from us and they should do it behind bars because me and my family have to do it for the rest of their life.”
Attorneys for all three men have said they intend to appeal the convictions.
Barcelona Defender, Gerard Pique has shared his payslip online to dispel a TV report that called him Barcelona’s highest paid player.
Spanish Television presenter, Lluis Canu said Pique was taking home almost £12m a year after tax that is about a £1m a month but the footballer has revealed he took home £1.94m after tax for the last six months of 2021.
Pique was one of a number of stars to take a pay cut amid Barca’s financial woes
Posting his payslip on Twitter, it could be seen that half of Pique’s yearly salary, paid to him in December totalled €2,328,884.39 (£1.94m).
Pique tweeted: ‘People like this are paid by public television to defend their friends. Here is 50% of my salary as of 30 December. Have a bit of respect for yourself.’
Canut had claimed Pique, on €28m (£23.4m) gross, and fellow veterans Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba on €23m (£19.2m) and €20m (£16.7m) respectively were the club’s top earners.
Barcelona also came out to deny the suggestion. The club said: ‘The information on the salaries of certain first team players has not, in any case, been supplied by the club and its origin is unknown.
A Nigerian man has shared his marital dilemma which involves his wife’s infidelity, and he is seeking advise on how best to handle the matter.
He revealed that his 14-year-old daughter opened up to him that her mother (his wife) has been cheating on him for 3 three years.
The first time she caught a man in bed with her mother was when she was 11 years old.
The man who narrated everything to a Twitter influencer said that his daughter told him that all the kids are aware, but his wife begged them not to tell him.
However, what forced her to finally tell him about it was when the wife and kids went to her parents place but she spent the night outside.
It has to be a special connection between dogs and little babies, since it’s really hard to find a more heart-warming duo. While the little humans are innocent and constantly looking to play and have fun, dogs compensate by showing off their responsible side and try to keep their companions out of trouble. Or – why not – team them up!
However, they both seem to have something in common: tasty food. So when this mom in Utah is offering a treat to her little baby boy and the family’s dog is there too, it could only end one way – extremely cute.
The mother tries to convince her baby to say ‘mama.’ She promise to offer him some delicious food in return. And while the mother is waving the food in front of little Sam’s eyes, he doesn’t have any intention of saying the “mama,” even if he’s so interested in the treat, his mom is offering.
But Patch, a miniature Australian shepherd is also in love with tasty food, and apparently more responsive. So it doesn’t take too long until the clever pup realizes what their mom wants in return for the food. Believe it or not, the cute pup says “mama” instead of the kid. And he didn’t say it only once but three times, leaving the woman open-mouthed. As promised, mom gave him the reward to the Sam’s disappointment.
Patch is clearly a very clever dog and a valuable member of the family too, according to his human mom. It’s no wonder why the lovely footage gained over 14 million views on Youtube alone. Have a look, bellow!
The world’s largest nuclear powers, US, Russia, China, France and the UK have pledged to never enter into a nuclear war, in a rare statement of unity amid rising tensions between the East-West .
Russia is believed to have the world’s biggest stockpile of nuclear warheads, with 6,255, followed closely by the United States at 5,550, according to the Arms Control Association (ACA). China (350), France (290) and the UK (225) round out the top five.
Pakistan (165), India (156), Israel (90) and North Korea (40-50) also have nuclear weapons, according to the ACA, but are not party to the Nonproliferation Treaty.
Although nuclear weapons have only been used twice in warfare—in the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945—about 13,400 reportedly remain in our world today and there have been over 2,000 nuclear tests conducted to date..
The top five nuclear countries have now pledged to work together toward “a world without nuclear weapons”
The statement also stressed the importance of preventing conflict between nuclear-weapon states from escalating, describing it as a “foremost responsibility.”
“A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” said the joint statement, which was issued simultaneously by the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France.
“As nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons — for as long as they continue to exist — should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.”
The statement comes as a shock as Russia is massing troops along its border with Ukraine, raising alarms in US, UK and the EU of which France is a major power.
While there is increased Chinese military activity around the self-governed island of Taiwan which has spiked tensions between Beijing and Washington and US allies Japan, Australia, South Korea..
The statement released by the five powers, also known as the P5, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, called on all states to create a security environment “more conducive to progress on disarmament with the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all.”
The five pledged to adhere to the 1970 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) which obligates them “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the five-nation statement was initiated by Russia with the intention of it being released in coordination with a review of the Non Proliferation Treatt that started on Tuesday, January 4 in New York .
“Given the importance and self-sufficiency of this joint statement, the nuclear powers decided not to delay its publication,” Zakharova said, according to the official TASS news agency.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS the statement “was negotiated through diplomatic channels” and “comprehensively reflects the positions of the parties and the leaders.”
The director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s arms control department, Fu Cong, said that China remained committed to a policy of no first use and deterrence.
“Nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrence. They are not for war fighting. By saying that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought shows that this is an understanding shared by all the P5. So it is important that we have this in mind while we talk about the tension,” said Fu when asked about tensions over Taiwan.
“This applies everywhere and it applies with our bad relations with the US … This is something that we hope could reduce tension, and it would help clarify certain misunderstandings,” he added.
South Korean model-turned “Squid Game” actress, Hoyeon Jung, has made history as the first Korean to land a solo Vogue cover.
Hoyeon Jung who is the most-followed Korean actress on Instagram, starred on the Netflix hit as North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, and is the cover star of the magazine’s February issue.
The 27-year-old, became a global sensation just weeks after the series was released in September as she went from 400,000 to 15 million Instagram followers according to Vogue’s cover story. As of Friday, January 7, that number had ballooned to 23.7 million for the “Korea’s Next Top Model” runner-up.
“Even if eight people loved me and only two people hated me, I always cried, at home alone,” she told Vogue. “Even now, I struggle with low-self-esteem.”
Following “Next Top Model,” Hoyeon signed with a New York modeling agency, moved to the Big Apple — until a “Squid Game” production call beckoned her home at the start of the pandemic .
Vogue also revealed she studied English, martial arts and acting.
“Looking back,” she told Vogue, “If not for those quiet and lonely times [watching cerebral films], I don’t know that I would have ever dreamed of acting.”
As for her global fame, Hoyeon said she lost eight pounds as she struggled to grasp the intensity of the situation.
“I don’t know why, but I couldn’t eat. I was so confused, and it was so chaotic. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t trust it,” she told Vogue, noting her family didn’t let it get to her head.
“My mom did joke that my acting was very realistic, like when I’m being mean to her. … My younger sister … just thinks of me as her older sibling.”
It was an emotional day for billionaire businessman, Cosmas Maduka, owner of Coscharis motors, as his wife, Charity, who died on November 28, 2021, was laid to rest in Nnewi, Anambra state today, January 7.
The funeral mass held at the Maduka residence, Coscharis Street, Umudim, Nnewi was attended by Governor Willie Obiano and wife Ebele, some members of Anambra State Executive Council, family, friends and well wishers from within and outside Anambra State.
Before her demise the late Mrs. Maduka, aged 63, strongly spearheaded administrative, legal, works, maintenance, and export teams of the Coscharis Consortium.
May her soul rest in peace Amen. See more photos below
A Kenyan police officer from Koromotangi village in Kakamega County has reportedly committed suicide over an alleged salary delay.
Abel Kemboi was found dead on Wednesday, January 5, after complaining to friends and relatives that his December salary had been delayed.
Before committing suicide, Kemboi reportedly said he would take up the salary issue with his bosses at Kakamega Police Station and even requested his cousin identified as Zacheaus Kalama to accompany him.
When Kalama woke up the following morning and headed to Kemboi’s home, he found the door locked from inside. Upon getting no response, he broke into the house and saw that Kemboi had hanged himself. He noted that his late cousin had show signs of being depressed earlier.
Kalama said;
“We had agreed to go to the station to inquire the cause of the salary delay from his bosses but it was shocking that he took his own life even before we achieved our mission.
“He had hanged himself and I did not believe what I saw.”
The deceased’s immediate boss and Kakamega Central OCPD David Kabena also confirmed that he was always depressed.
Kabena said that they had already launched investigations to ascertain the exact cause of his death. In addition, he urged officers with any underlying mental issues to seek expert attention.
He said;
“It is important for those who realise that they are stressed to reach out and share what they are going through.”
Kemboi’s body was taken to Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue awaiting postmortem.
The Nigerian Navy has announced that it intercepted N10billion worth of cocaine between October 9 and 28, 2021.
Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Rear Admiral Bashir Mohammed also said 261 bags of cannabis worth over N100 million in the local market were intercepted during the Yuletide.
Addressing reporters at NNS BEECROFT parade ground, Apapa, Lagos State, Bashir also announced that 413 bags of foreign rice and over 150 drums of Premium Motor Spirit PMS being smuggled into the country during the Yuletide were also intercepted.
He said;
“We enjoyed a relatively peaceful yuletide season.
“However, in the course of our patrols, the Navy intercepted and arrested some drug traffickers, smugglers of contraband items and petroleum products within the maritime environment.
“On 17 December 2021, NNS ABA arrested a large fibre boat conveying items suspected to be Cannabis bagged inside 261 large sacks.
“It is worthy to note that the suspected cannabis seized is worth over N100 million in the local market.
“Similarly, on 21 December 2021, NNS OSUN intercepted and arrested a Large Cotonou boat laden with 413 bags of foreign parboiled rice smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring countries.
“Pertinently, five crew were arrested on board the large boat and investigation revealed that they were all foreigners.
“It is equally worthy of note that the smuggled rice is worth over N13million in the local market and this is to the detriment of Nigeria’s local content drive.
“NNS KANO arrested a large Cotonou boat with six crew laden with 125 x 250Ltrs drums with an unspecified amount of PMS.
“The suspects who are all foreigners are part of a syndicate who come to purchase stolen petroleum products to freight them to neighbouring countries for sale, to the detriment of the Nigerian economy.
“You may equally recall that NNS BEECROFT arrested MV Chayaree Naree and Karteria for trafficking of 32.9 and 13.65kg of cocaine on 9 and 28 October 21 respectively.
“The cocaine seized in both occasions were worth over N10 billion in the local market.
“These series of arrests reinforce the Nigerian Navy’s resolve of zero-tolerance to illegalities within the maritime domain in line with her constitutional mandate.
“Regardless of the festive season, the Navy did not relent in executing the mandate of the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, which is geared towards curbing illegalities thereby boosting national prosperity.”
A part from a Russian rocket is falling back to Earth in the next 24 hours, but its landing spot is unknown, the European Space Agency has announced.
Russian rocket, Angara-A5 was launched from Russia on Dec. 27, however, according to new reporting by CNN, a large part of it is coming back unless it burns up upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The rocket is expected to carry military payloads as well as be used in commercial satellite launches, according to Tech Times. It was supposed to reach 22,000 miles but failed to leave low-orbit and the debris is expected to fall somewhere on Earth on Thursday January 6, most likely in the Pacific Ocean. Officials should be able to update their estimations for landing spots as the rocket part gets closer to landing.
“It’s safe to say that in the next 24 hours it will be down but where, nobody can say, because in the window of several hours it will do several revolutions around the globe,” Holger Krag, the head of the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office, told CNN.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more than 15,000 pieces of space debris have been documented. While Russia, the U.S., China, France and India are all responsible for the space debris, most of it has been traced back to Russia with an estimated total of 14,500 pieces.
Manchester City will offer club legend, Sergio Aguero, a role as an ambassador after the striker was forced into retirement last December.
Aguero left the Etihad last summer to complete a move to Barcelona but played just five games for the Spanish club before he was forced off during just his fifth appearance.
It was later confirmed that the 33-year-old had a heart condition, and in an emotional press conference last month, Aguero tearfully announced his retirement from the game.
According to The Sun, his former club are looking to step in and hand him a role which will see him remain in football.
The publication reports that he is set to be offered a role as a club ambassador, alongside the likes of City icon Mike Summerbee as well as fellow title winners Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards.
Aguero scored 260 goals for City and lifted the Premier League trophy five times during his time in England.
Reality TV star, Kim Kardashian is reportedly not interested in estranged husband, Kanye West dating other people, as she feels he’s just trying to make her jealous.
Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West in February and the pair no longer live together .
The rapper, 44, publicly called for his wife of seven years to “come back” during his concert to try to free Larry Hoover last month but the appeal fell on deaf ears and Kim, 41, has continued dating Saturday Night Live star, Pete Davidson while Kanye was pictured on Wednesday January 6 going out on a date with actress Julia Fox.
But a source close to Kim insists Kanye isn’t in a genuine relationship.
Speaking to The Sun, the source said: “Kim thinks it’s comical Kanye went from begging her to come back to showcasing his new girl all over the city within days.
“She knows it’s not serious and is just typical hijinks from Kanye.”
“She honestly doesn’t care, she’s very over him at this point so his little game isn’t working,” they added.
“The only thing Kim cares for regarding Kanye is that their kids are happy and enjoy life.
Julia Fox has opened up about her relationship with Kanye West.
In a post titled Date Night, the actress revealed that the rapper bought her an entire hotel suites worth of clothing for their recent date night.
Fox said: “I met Ye in Miami on New Year’s Eve and it was an instant connection.”
Describing West’s “energy” as “so fun to be around,” Fox explains the pair “decided to keep the energy going and fly back to New York City to see ‘Slave Play.’”
She said Kanye arrived on time for the play, despite the curtain rising only an hour after his plane touched down.
She added, “after the play we chose to do dinner at Carbone which is one of my favorite restaurants.”
She continued: “At the restaurant, Ye directed an entire photo shoot for me while people dined!”
“The whole restaurant loved it and cheered us on while it was happening.”
Saying she was “still in shock” at West’s gesture, Fox explains that “Ye had an entire hotel suite full of clothes” waiting for her at the Pendry Manhattan West, where the rapper was staying.
“It was every girl’s dream come true,” she added. “It felt like a real Cinderella moment. I don’t know how he did it, or how he got all of it there in time … Like, who does things like this on a second date? Or any date!”
“Everything with us has been so organic,” Fox finished her post. “I don’t know where things are headed but if this is any indication of the future I’m loving the ride.”
Two dogs trained to detect an odor from people who are sick with COVID-19 will visit three school districts in Bristol County this week.
According to US News, a black Labrador named Huntah and a golden Lab called Duke can detect the smell of the virus on surfaces and will sit to indicate when they pick up the scent.
The dogs will visit three schools in the Freetown, Lakeville and Norton school districts, WBZ-TV reported Tuesday.
“With COVID, whether it’s the omicron, whether it’s the delta, our dogs will hit on it,” said Bristol County Capt. Paul Douglas. “And if there’s a new variant that comes out in six months, hopefully, there isn’t, but if there is one, COVID is COVID.”
Fairhaven School Superintendent Tara Kohler welcomed the dogs saying their presence shows students, “we are doing everything we can to mitigate the risk and I want them to feel secure and safe and not anxious about their surroundings.”
The dogs were trained using a detection program developed by Florida International University’s International Forensic Research Institute.
Ghana Police Service have announced that videos of some prophecies made by Pastors during 31st-night church services in December 2021 are currently being reviewed, to determine if they breached laws of the country.
LIB reported earlier that ahead of the cross-over service, the country’s police warned religious leaders against making misleading prophecies for 2022. The GPS said misleading prophecies have resulted in public tensions, anxiety and panic among citizens.
The police recalled how, over the years, prophecies of harm and death put the lives of many in danger. They also pointed out that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime to publish or reproduce a statement, rumours or report likely to cause fear and alarm.
In a statement released on Thursday January 6, the police said laws on publication of information including prophecies that tend to cause fear and panic, are not limited to 31st watch-night services but all other days.
The Police commended the public for their support in ensuring respect for the rule of law, but also added that if any of the prophesies contravene the law, it will be addressed.
The Police in the press release reiterated that the law and service are not against religious practices or the performances of the religious doctrines and beliefs such as prophecies.
A new bombshell report has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo is considering leaving Manchester United at the end of the season if their choice of manager does not suit him.
According to The Daily Star, Ronaldo, who only rejoined the Red Devils in the summer from Juventus, is keeping a close eye on who the club appointed as their next permanent manager at the end of the season.
Ronaldo’s deal at Old Trafford runs until 2023 but the report explains that the Portuguese would be willing to leave 12 months early if the next appointment cannot bring the best out of him.
United have declined even further since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and German boss Ralf Rangnick came in to take charge on an interim basis.
The plan for Rangnick at the end of the season is to step into a ‘Senior Football Advisor’ role for the next two years. Even with Rangnick not in contention for the job on a permanent basis, Ronaldo is said to have made his feelings clear that he would not support any decision to appoint the German full-time.
A source told the Star that Ronaldo ‘thought it would be better than this’ and that as a ‘born winner’ he wants ‘to be winning more trophies’.
Rangnick will, more likely, be part of the process to appoint the next manager, a permanent successor to Solskjaer, who was axed in November following a loss to Watford.
Sportsmail reported on Thursday that United are working from a three-man shortlist of Mauricio Pochettino, currently at Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax manager Erik ten Hag and Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers.
