Former Real Madrid star and Cristiano Ronaldo’s best pal, Fabio Coentrao has gone into the fishing business.
Coentrao aged 33, retired after spending last season at Portuguese side Rio Ave, and he has now gone back to his childhood passion of fishing.
Coentrao won 13 trophies during a successful playing career, with his best days coming at Madrid where two La Liga titles and two Champions League honours came his way.
The Portuguese star struck up a friendship with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, 36, during his time in the Spanish capital and they are both widely regarded as best friends on and off the pitch.
Sea fishing is a profession that runs in Coentrao’s family. He has now bought fishing boats and is now into full time fishing.
Explaining his new career to Empower Brand Channel, he said:
“Life in the sea is not a shame, as many people think.
“It is a job like any other. Not only that. The sea is beautiful and we need it, it has that there are people working here and the profession should be respected like any other.”
“People who love the sea and who want to experience the sea need to follow his will, his dream.
“It is also a job for the new generations. My father had a boat, he used to fish and always went with him as a child. My life was the sea: the sea and fishing.
“Of course, I knew that football would one day end and that I should take a new direction in my life. And my happiness is this boat and this is the life I want to lead.”
The Taliban has issued a new decree recommending that barbershops refrain from shaving or trimming beards, saying such actions are forbidden in Islam.
This comes days after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers imposed travel restrictions on women, stating that women must not travel long distances without a male relative escorting them.
The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice issued a copy of instructions this week which Afghans are expected to live by.
A Taliban official shared the original order in the Pashto language.
When contacted by VOA, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid did not dispute the order’s authenticity but said he was still”“trying to get information” about the decree.
The order cited several verses from the Quran and hadiths, or sayings, about following whatever the Prophet Muhammad has asked Muslims to do.
“Growing a beard is a natural deed and the Sunnah [the way of life and legal precedent] of all Prophets and Islamic Sharia has repeatedly emphasized it,” according to the instructions.
The order was signed by the minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Sheikh Muhammad Khalid Haqqani.
The order adds: “Shaving or trimming a beard is forbidden under a unanimous decision by the religious scholars. Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, their followers, their successors, Mujahideen [holy warriors] and other scholars do not agree on shaving or trimming the beard.
“So, it is understood that shaving or trimming a beard is against human nature and the action is against Islamic Sharia.
“In view of the above all workers of the barbershops are informed to keep in mind Islamic Sharia and Islamic injunctions while cutting hairs and serving their customers.”
According to the order: “All provincial departments under the ministry are directed that having beards is one of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad and all Muslims should follow Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. All barbershop workers in the provinces are also instructed to keep in mind the instructions while trimming the beards of customers.
“Officials should also try to implement the order politely and while speaking to the people so the countrymen bring their lives in conformity with their religion, Islamic obligations and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.
“These instructions have been sent to you for implementation.”
The Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital in mid-August. Since then, they have been introducing Islamic laws.
Russia has launched its biggest rocket since the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, a startling display of the country’s militarisation of space
The space rocket weighing 761 tons with a height of 210ft, is known as Angara A-5. It took off with a mock payload from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia on Tuesday, December 28.
President Vladimir Putin celebrated the launch as officials stepped up their warnings over Ukraine. The rocket can deliver military satellites into space where experts predict future wars will be won and lost.
Russia’s space programme launched the first satellite in 1957 and sent the first man into space in 1961. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 it has been plagued by corruption and technical setbacks and has lagged behind US and China in Space exploration.
It was the third launch of the new rocket after its maiden voyage in 2014.
‘Roscosmos congratulates the military-space forces and the entire Russian space industry,’ the agency said in a statement, calling the launch ‘successful’.
Agency head Dmitry Rogozin welcomed the news on Telegram, writing: ‘Come on, baby!’
President Vladimir Putin hopes the new launchers will revive Russia’s space industry.
Angara rockets – named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal – are the first new family of launchers to be built after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
They are designed to replace the Proton rockets that date back to the 1960s and have suffered a series of failures in recent years.
A 47-year-old Nigerian national, Chukwueke Felix Chibueze, has been arrested in Cambodia over alleged romance scam.
Officers from the Anti-Technology Crime Department of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police with the coordination of the Prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, National Police Commissioner, Gen. Neth Savoeun, cracked down on the accused on Sunday, December 26.
The Director of the Anti-Technology Crime Department, Lt. Gen. Chea Pov, who led the crackdown, said Chibueze created fake accounts on social media and pretended to be a rich man living overseas.
The suspect who lives in Phnom Penh, would befriend unsuspecting women and then pretend to fall in love with them.
When the women were hooked, he would ask them to send money and other precious possessions to him.
When his victim can no longer give him those things, he would cut off all communications with them.
Chibueze was produced in court and remanded in police custody on Wednesday, December 28.
The authorities warned people to be vigilant when using social media and to not be deceived by such ploys.
While The Simpsons has kept people around the world entertained for over 30 years, the antics of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have also proven to be strangely prophetic at times.
Some major world events have been ‘predicted’ by the series and this include Donald Trump’s presidency and COVID pandemic.
Though the show did not predict Joe Biden’s presidency, however the 2000 episode Bart To The Future did see Lisa, as the first female president of the United States, taking over from Trump and picking up a whole lot of debts.
Lisa was seen in the Oval Office, saying ‘As you know, we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.” When she asks Secretary Van Houten (aka the grown-up Millhouse) how bad it is, he tells her: ‘We’re broke’.
The riots at the Capitol in Washington DC in January 2021 shocked the world, but Simpsons viewers couldn’t help noticing the resemblance to one of the storylines from a 2020 Halloween special.
In The Simpsons’ 31st Treehouse Of Horror episode, the Fox show made a pretty damning projection revealing how bad the US could turn out, after Homer fails to cast his vote. When he wakes from a long slumber, he realises he’s missed out on his vote but asks ‘how bad can it be?’
The cartoon then fast-forwards to Inauguration Day on January 20th 2021, where Springfield is thrown into the apocalypse, with Homer sitting on the roof of 742 Evergreen Terrace dressed in body armour made from household utensils, while the town burns.
Recall also that Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 was a low-key affair following concerns over the Capitol riots and the pandemic. It turns out however that The Simpsons may have predicted that too, with Oscar-winning legend Tom Hanks appearing in a scene in 2007’s The Simpsons Movie, in which he delivers a similar address to the nation. ‘The US government has lost its credibility, so it’s borrowing some of mine,’ he proclaims in a TV advert screened after Springfield has been placed under a glass dome.
That same inauguration saw Kamala Harris sworn in as the first-ever female Vice-President, with the new second-in-command wearing a smart purple suit and necklace for the occasion. Fans were also quick to point out that it bore a stark resemblance to the purple two-piece and necklace Lisa wore when she was sworn in as President in Bart To The Future. Honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up.
A week before his 71st birthday in July, Richard Branson successfully flew aboard the VSS Unity, which touched down at Virgin Galactic’s New Mexico hub Spaceport America after offering its passengers a view of Earth and four minutes of weightlessness.
However, it wasn’t long before Simpsons fans realised a Branson lookalike did the same in season 25.
It has also been suggested that The Simpsons predicted the COVID-19 pandemic with the ‘Osaka flu’ which swept through the episode Marge In Chains in 1993. Howver it is speculated the show’s creators may also have been on the money about the Omicron variant.
The theory started after one social media users sliced together news montages alongside a scene from The Simpsons which shows an alien stating they are from the planet Omicron Persei 8.
The clip comes from Matt Groening’s other show Futurama, rather than The Simpsons but that didn’t stop fans suggesting The Simpsons had something to do with it.
A Nigerian nurse practising in the U.S. has been jailed for sexually abusing patients in the U.S.
Godbless Uwadiegwu, a former nurse aide, was on Tuesday, December 28, sentenced to three years in prison by a U.S court after pleading guilty to sexually abusing patients.
The 59-year-old was accused of having sexual contact with two patients in two different facilities: Traditions of Deerfield and Otterbein SeniorLife in Maineville.
Uwadiegwu, who pleaded guilty in November to two felony counts of gross sexual imposition, was previously indicted on 3 rape charges and 3 charges of gross sexual imposition. The rape charges and one of the gross sexual imposition counts were dropped as part of the plea.
Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence. However, his attorney unsuccessfully argued in court that Uwadiegwu was not a repeat offender and only a “moderate risk.”
Asides being sentenced to jail, he will also be required to register as a Tier I sex offender for at least 15 years.
Meanwhile, Uwadiegwu faces similar charges from two alleged incidents in Butler County, in Hamilton in September 2018 and in Middletown in December 2013.
A Butler County grand jury indicted him in November on five charges including rape, two counts of gross sexual imposition, sexual battery and unlawful restraint.
Hamilton police records allege he was a state-tested nursing assistant when he had sexual contact in a private home in 2018 with a disabled victim who could not resist or give consent due to her condition.
The other report, from Middletown police, is from 2013. That victim stated that she was friends with Uwadiegwu and said that he was pushing to become her home health provider when he sexually assaulted her.
Scientific researchers have found the brain region linked to genital touch in women and it seems it’s better developed in women who have sex regularly.
The study, recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, analysed the connection between touch and cerebral development in 20 adult females.
As part of the research, female volunteers – between the ages of 18 and 45 – had their clitorises stimulated by a vibrating object placed above their underwear, while their brains were scanned.
Researchers also asked female volunteers how frequently they had had sex over the past year.
As the device vibrated, the somatosensory cortex region of the brain was activated.
Researchers then measured the thickness of that brain area, finding it was bigger in females who reported having more sex.
“We found an association between the frequency of genital intercourse and the thickness of the individually mapped genital field,” explains study co-author Dr. Christine Heim – a professor of medical psychology at Charite University Hospital in Berlin.
This means that the more sex a woman has, the bigger the region of the brain.
This isn’t the first study to look into the benefits of sex on the brain.
Back in 2016, scientists at McGill University in Canada found young women who have regular sex have an easier time remembering things than their less sexually active counterparts.
Two brothers from Afghanistan have been charged by the German government for murdering their sister ‘because of her Western way of life’.
The men, identified only as Sayed H., 26, and Seyed H., 22, due to Germany’s privacy laws, allegedly lured their 34-year-old sister Maryam H. to a meeting in Berlin on July 13, before choking, strangling and cutting her throat.
Prosecutors say that the brothers dismembered their sister, a mother-of-two’s body and then took a taxi to a train station later that day with her body in a suitcase as punishment for her western lifestyle.
CCTV footage appears to show Sayed and Seyed lifting the black duffle bag they had bought from Primark for 60 euros (£50) onto a train at the Südkreuz train station in Berlin.
The brothers are accused of travelling to Bavaria by train before driving to a wooded area close to Sayed’s home near Holzkirchen, where they buried Maryam’s body in a shallow grave.
After her body was found, an autopsy concluded that she had died from head and neck trauma.
Prosecutors claimed the men wanted to punish their sister ‘for her Western-oriented way of life, which did not correspond to their archaic ideas of women.
Prosecutors said they weren’t prepared to accept that she had divorced her husband, to whom she was married when she was 16, after violent incidents and had a new relationship.
Maryam and her two children – a daughter, 10, and a son, 13 fled to Germany as asylum seekers from Afghanistan in 2013.
The brothers have given differing accounts about what was inside the suitcase, which prosecutors claim contained Maryam’s body.
While Seyed claimed that boxing gloves and dumbbells were in the bag, his brother Sayad contradicted him and claimed there were clothes and heavy class objects inside, reports BZ Berlin newspaper.
Seyed also reportedly identified himself and his brother as the men captured in CCTV footage at the train station in Berlin.
During interrogation, the Afghan brothers were quoted as telling investigators: ‘We treat women differently than you do. A woman is like a servant who does the housework, cooks and looks after the children.’
One source told BZ: ‘Maryam was a good person. She has been very scared since her divorce because her brothers terrorized her for reasons of faith.’
An Afghan woman who lived in the same accommodation as Maryam said: ‘There are men who are just crazy. I’m also afraid that something similar could happen to me because I don’t wear a headscarf either.’
After her marriage broke down, Maryam divorced her then-husband under German law in 2017. However, he reportedly refused to annul the marriage under Islamic law.
According to local media, when Maryam’s brothers found out she had met someone new, they began to intrude in her life.
They then forced her to wear a headscarf and forbade her from leaving her accommodation without a male escort.
The brothers had allegedly lured their sister from her temporary accommodation in the capital Berlin, where she was living with her children, and killed her because she had given up following Islamic practices, which they claimed harmed the family’s honour.
Maryam’s ex-husband also threatened her with death, leading to a restraining order being taken out on him.
The two brothers have been in custody since August 3 and face life imprisonment if convicted of murder.
An 80-year-old man stabbed his wife to death after she promised to have sex with him at Christmas day but changed her mind and refused after he took Viagra.
Italian man, Vito Cangini has been accused of killing his wife, Natalia Kyrychok, 61, because she refused to have sex with him after he took a Viagra pill while at home in Fanano di Gradara, eastern Italy, on December 25.
Viagra pills, which are usually blue in colour, are taken orally to treat erectile dysfunction.
Kyrychok’s refusal prompted a furious fight, during which Cangini, who was almost 20 years older than his wife, accused her of being attracted to her boss hence her refusal to have sex with him.
Cangini then allegedly stabbed her to death, leaving his wife’s bloodied body on the floor. After the crime he then went to bed.
The following morning, he reportedly ate breakfast, walked his dog and came back home as if nothing tragic had happened.
In the afternoon, he reportedly took his dog for another walk before he phoned the restaurant where his wife had worked as a chef for two years and told the owner he would never see her again.
‘I know there was something going on between you two,’ Cangini reportedly told the restaurant boss his wife worked for.
The restaurant owner then called the police, who visited the suspect’s home.
When officer reached the home they found Ms Kyrychok’s body with at least four stab wounds including one to the heart.
Cangini was taken into custody and the suspected murder weapon was found at the crime scene.
Senator Rochas Okorocha has said that the mystery of ”unknown gunmen” in Imo state is now unraveling following the recent invasion of the Anglican church to arrest his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu by masked security officers stationed at the Imo state government house.
Okorocha said this while speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday night, December 28.
According to him, Nwosu’s arrest at a church on Sunday gave a glimpse into how the Imo State government works with policemen attached to Government House. According to him, the security agents effected the arrest without the knowledge of the state Commissioner of Police.
Mr. Nwosu, who has since been released by the police, was a candidate in the Imo gubernatorial election of 2019.
Okorocha said;
“What is happening in Imo state is unfortunate. And not just Imo, but the entire nation and humanity. Imo State is becoming a banana republic, where there is complete lawlessness and where people live in fear. There is no day that somebody is not being killed, harassed.
It appears as if the happenings in Imo state have some backing from Abuja. That’s what I could figure out. And there seems to be enmity between the people here and the presumed federal government of Nigeria just because of a communication gap.
Most people have been wondering about the mystery of unknown gunmen. But it appears to me now that unknown gunmen have finally been unraveled with the recent happenings.
Unknown gunmen now is a set of policemen from Government House who, without the consent of the Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General of Police, or the DIGs, but on their own on the instruction of the government of Imo State, led by Hope Uzodinma, and his CSO, Shaba, who give directives to arrest people at will and lock up people at will and sometimes the whereabouts of these people are unknown. They get policemen from the Government House and go to execute unholy acts. And when they run into problems, they quickly say it is the police.”
Dr Dre has settled his divorce case by striking a property settlement agreement with his ex-wife.
Dre and Nicole just filed their property settlement agreement, in which Dre agreed to pay Young $100 million – $50 mil now and $50 mil a year from now.
Dre’s estimated net worth is $820 million. Nicole didn’t get half of Dre’s assets because there is a prenup, which she contested.
Dre gets to keep 7 of the properties they own, including a Malibu home, 2 homes in Calabasas, and 4 properties in the L.A. area, including the $100 million Brentwood estate.
In addition, Dre gets full rights to his master recordings, trademarks and interests in various partnerships and trusts. He also keeps all of their Apple stocks, which includes the proceeds from the sale of Beats by Dre.
They divide their vehicles so that he gets 6 and she gets 4.
She gets to keep jewelry, cash and bank accounts that she had maintained during the marriage.
Nicole must pay her own legal fees, which amount to millions of dollars.
Sources connected to Dre say Nicole could have actually gotten a bigger settlement had she settled a year ago.
One of those sources said, “She could have even been on the field for the Super Bowl halftime show as a friendly ex-wife.”
The settlement forecloses Young’s ability to get spousal support, something that was hotly contested during the divorce.
Apple inc. has given it’s engineers a rare $180,000 Christmas bonus to stop them from joining rivals Meta (parent company of Facebook) and other IT rivals .
Apple gave its engineers working in silicon design, hardware and select software and operations stock bonuses starting at $50,000 to as much as $180,000.
The shares which vest over four years, are an incentive to stay at Apple according to a report by Bloomberg.
Many of the engineers received amounts of roughly $80,000, $100,000 or $120,000 in shares, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
Although Apple and Meta may seem like different businesses, they are both working to make waves in the virtual and augmented reality space – pitting the two powerhouses against each other.
In the last few months, Meta has hired about 100 engineers from Apple
However, not all of Apple’s engineers received the bonuses and those left out are annoyed, saying ‘the selection process is arbitrary,’ according to Bloomberg.
The sources told Bloomberg it was an ‘atypical and surprisingly timed’ bonus given to about 10 percent to 20 percent of engineers in applicable divisions.
Though Meta is a social media company and Apple a tehnology hardware production company, both companies are investing heavily into the virtual reality and augmented cyber world.
Almost 40 miners were killed with eight missing in Sudan on Tuesday, December 28, when a rudimentary gold mine collapsed, a Sudanese government official has said.
The disaster occurred near Nuhud, a town about 500 kilometres (310 miles) west of capital Khartoum, said Khaled Dahwa, the head of the state-run Mineral Resources Company in West Kordofan.
“Thirty-one traditional miners were killed because of a mine collapsing,” he told AFP, adding one person survived and eight others were still missing.
Another company official said four miners were killed at the same mine in January 2021.
“Authorities at the time shut down the mine and installed security but a couple of months ago they left,” he said.
Gold mining by artisans is a dangerous profession in Sudan largely due to poor infrastructure.
The practise involves people digging the ground using excavators in hopes of unearthing gold.
About two million artisanal miners produce about 80 percent of Sudan’s annual gold production of around 80 tonnes, according to official figures.
Police have revealed how a man who thought his neighbor’s music was too loud, shot him in the back.
Zachary Moncada, 31, was arrested Friday, December 24 and charged with the Christmas Eve attempted murder in his quiet Boca Raton neighborhood, in Florida, US according to a police report.
When police responded around 2:30 p.m., they found the victim’s family holding Moncada on the ground. During the struggle, Moncada was able to fire another round into the lawn.
The wife of the victim, who has not been publicly identified, took him to the hospital. As at press time the victim was in stable condition.
Moncada has been charged with first-degree premeditated attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of battery and a weapons charge for display of a firearm during a felony.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced that it has concluded arrangements to sanction owners of 435 uncompleted and abandoned structures in Federal Capital City (FCC), Abuja.
FCTA Director of Land Administration, Alhaji Adamu Hussaini said the decision was taken to ensure adequate protection of lives and property in and around the 250 square kilometers of Abuja.
The sanction may include revocation of titles, and owners of such abandoned and uncompleted buildings within the capital city have been asked to work towards its completion.
The statement read;
“In order to ensure adequate protection of lives and property in and around the 250 square kilometers of the FCC, the administration may have concluded arrangements to sanction owners of 435 abandoned/uncompleted structures.
“The security breach is of great concern to the government and that it will not fold its arms to watch danger in the waiting to explode. This development has been a cause of worry for the FCT Administration.
“These abandoned and uncompleted buildings have become shelter for unintended occupants as well as other persons with criminal disposition, who use these uncompleted structures as hideout to perpetuate their nefarious activities against the residents.”
He also said that same fate may befall owners of about 600 undeveloped plots in the FCC as they’ve “remained an eyesore in spite of huge amount of money spent to provide basic infrastructures in the districts”.
Those yet to receive their Certificates of Occupancy, have also been directed to come pick it up.
As the world draws nearer to celebrating the new year 2022, the Ghanaian Police Service has warned religious leaders in the country against prophesying “harm, danger and death” and others that could “create tension and panic” in the country.
Clergymen are known to make prophecies about countries and people as a new year emerges.
In a statement released by its Director, Public Affairs, Supt. Alexander Obeng, the Ghanaian police said persons found guilty of causing tension in the Ghanaian society through injurious prophecies are liable to a five-year jail term.
Read the statement below:
”GHANA POLICE SERVICE STATEMENT ON COMMUNICATION OF PROPHECIES AND THEIR LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
1. As the year 2021 draws to a close, the Ghana Police Service wishes to draw the attention of Ghanaians, especially religious groups, to the fact that whereas we have the right to religion, freedom of worship and free speech, all of these rights are subject to the respect for the rights and freedoms of others according to our laws.
2. Over the years, communication of prophesies of harm, danger and death, by some religious leaders, have created tension and panic in the Ghanaian society and put the lives of many people in fear and danger.
3. We want to caution that under Ghanaian law, it is a crime for a person to publish or reproduce a statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, where that person has no evidence to prove that the statement, rumour or report is true.
4. It is also a crime for a person, by means of electronic communications service, to knowingly send a communication that is false or misleading and likely to prejudice the efficiency of life saving service or to endanger the safety of any person.
5. A person found guilty under these laws could be liable to a term of imprisonment of up to five years.
6. We therefore wish to caution all Ghanaians, especially religious groups and leaders to be measured in their utterances, especially how they communicate prophecies, which may injure the right of others and the public interest.
7. The Ghana Police Service wishes to place on record that the Police are not against prophecies; we acknowledge that we Ghanaians are a religious people who know, and believe in, the centrality of God in our lives.”
The federal government will be deploying 12 Super Tucano jets against bandits as part of concerted efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to end terrorism before 2023.
The Nation reported that while the federal government has started perfecting the conditions for the release of a gazette which will legally classify bandits as terrorists, the United States (U.S.) has not given a blank cheque to Nigeria on the use of the fighter jets.
It was also learnt that U.S. officers have been coming to Nigeria to evaluate the use of the jets in line with the terms of sale, following a monthly schedule floated by the North American countr to monitor the deployment of the jets, the battle grounds and the purpose of the deployment.
The publication also reported that Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice confirmed that the procedures were almost met last night.
A source who spoke in confidence said the court declaration of bandits as terrorists was an impetus to the war against insurgency.
The source said;
“You know that the Federal Government, on its own, went to court and got the judgment declaring bandits as terrorists. This has excited everyone.
“The American suppliers of the aircraft needed to be assured that Nigeria will keep to the terms of the sale, which is to strictly use them against terrorists.
“Now that the courts have said so, you should expect the deployment of the aircraft as soon as all processes, including the gazetting of the judgment, are completed.
“But, even before this is done, new platforms are being received and deployed and you can see the devastating effects of the nation’s airpower on the terrorists and bandits in the Northeast and the Northwest.
“Last week’s Nigeria Air Force bombing of the camp of the notorious bandit, Turji, in Zamfara State, is a case in point. Things are changing very rapidly.”
When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu who commented on the declaration of bandits as terrorists by a Nigerian court, said;
“We in the presidency are excited by the decision of the court.”
Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice said the procedures for the gazette on bandits were almost done. The Special Adviser on Media to the AGF, Dr. Umaru Gwandu, said;
“The Federal Government has published the proscription order in two national dailies as a requirement.
“The Federal Government has also ordered that the order be in the gazette. I am optimistic that the Nigerian public will soon see the published order in the gazette. I think if it is not out, it could be out any moment from now.”
It was also gathered that apart from limiting the jets for campaign only against terrorists in the North, the US team has been auditing their operations monthly.
A source also said the U.S. has been “very strict” in evaluating the deployment of the jets to avoid abuse by the military.
The source said;
“Every month, a team from the U.S. used to come to audit the deployment of the jets. They have asked us to ensure that the number of hours of operations will be registered in the box; where the jets have been to for operations and for what specific purposes.
“They sold the aircraft to us but they did not give us a blank cheque on how to use these aircraft. We have kept to the terms and we are winning the war. This is why the President directed the Armed Forces to end the war before his exit in 2023.”
Billionaire rapper and fashion designer, Kanye West has bought a new house just across the street from from estranged wife Kim Kardashian amid divorce proceedings .
This comes after Kanye last month during a Thanksgiving ceremony in Los Angeles where he gave 1000 free meals, said he planned to “get his family back together” and rekindle a relationship with estranged wife Kim Kardashian.
The fashion mogul added that if he couldn’t live “in the house” with his family, he would buy “the home right next door” to Kardashian.
Even though he’s already got a new $57.3 million Malibu mansion about 30 minutes (by car) from Kardashian’s Hidden Hills estate — and even though she still wants a divorce — West wishes to remain close to her as he splashed $4.5 million on a relatively modest Hidden Hills estate, one that happens to lie directly across the street from the his former matrimonial home.
Kim and Kanye’s home was featured in Architectural Digest last year. Back in October, Kardashian paid West $23 million to buy out his 50% stake in the multi-acre property.
Kanye’s new home was built in 1955 with four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in about 3,600 square feet. There’s also a guest studio with another bedroom and full bathroom, best-suited for staff, attached to the garage.
The equestrian ranch spans just over a flat acre of land, and also includes horse stables and some very dated interiors with wall-to-wall carpeting.
Kanye West reportedly wanted the place so bad he paid a whopping $421,000 over the sellers’ asking price to secure it.
A woman has revealed how she met her ‘sugar daddy’ who paid her a whooping £1,500 a month only for texting him.
In a video that has gone viral with more than 7.7 million views, she revealed what led to him sending her money monthly without having sex with him.
Bailey Hunter, from Indiana, US, revealed all of the transactions between the pair on her TikTok account, @xbaileyhunter.
In the video, Bailey explained that she met the man while she was working as a waitress at the restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings.
He was dining with a younger woman at the time, which was how Bailey said she knew it was a “sugar daddy situation.”
She said: “Right away I could tell it was like a sugar daddy situation. But I don’t judge, like get your money girl. So, I’m just talking with them.
“But when he goes to leave, he leaves me a $100 tip on a $40 bill. And he leaves his business card.”
She said by the time she had gone to collect his bill, he had already left the restaurant.
So she decided to thank him by messaging the number on his business card.
She said: “And he was like ‘No you’re amazing, you deserved the tip. When do you work next? I want to come in.'”
Excited by the prospect of making some more money , Bailey told the man when she’d be working in the restaurant next.
As the pair got to know each other, he opened up about his plan to buy a bar and how he wanted her to work there as a bartender.
“Whenever we would text, it would always be super casual,” Bailey said. “I would always just vent to him like I would vent to any of my friends.”
She revealed to him how she just bought a house and was telling him about her struggles, including how her washing machine and dishwasher had broken on the same day.
But when the man offered to help, she couldn’t believe it.
“So then he just sends me the money for it,” Bailey continued. “To the point where he would just send me the money without me even asking. For three years this went on and then one day he was like ‘I really want to take you out on a date.”
She agreed and the man took her shopping . She was gifted Victoria Secret underwear, perfume and a Michael Kors purse.
“I’ve never had anything like this,” Bailey reflected.
“And living in Indiana it’s not something I was used to seeing.
“Then he bought me VIP tickets to EDC Orlando, he got me tickets to a Cardi B concert.
“And because I got spoiled so much in that, I was like OK I want to do this again. So when I moved out of Indiana, I gave him to one of my friends.
“And he started taking care of her, taking care of all her bills, taking her shopping.”
After she moved she was keen to find another sugar daddy, so she started searching online, but discovered not all of the men were as nice as the man she’d met saying most sugar daddies want sex.
Bailey concluded: “I realised I had a unicorn. And most sugar daddies want more than just to text.”
French forward Kylian Mbappe, Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Bayern Munich striker, Robert Lewandowski have all bagged awards at the Dubai 2021 Globe Soccer Awards.
Mbappe won the Best Men’s Player of the Year at the ceremony on Monday night, December 27 beating six-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo; Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema, and Lewandowski to the award.
The 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star scooped the prize in a ceremony at the Armani Hotel, Dubai.
“It is a big achievement for me. I want to say thank you to my club Paris Saint-Germain, who believed in me these past five years, even better this season,” he said after he was handed the award.
“To my national team; to all the people who nobody knows who work with me, who help me a lot; to my family, they are there with me, always with me.”
“It’s a pleasure for me to be in Dubai with these great football legends,” Mbappe said. “I thank my club for believing in me, my teammates for giving me so much, my family for always being with me.
“I’m very motivated to come back next year to win more individual and collective prizes.” Last season, Mbappe scored 27 to emerge as the highest goalscorer in Ligue 1 although his form did not stop PSG from finishing as runners-up to Lille.
Mbappe also helped France win the UEFA Nation’s League.
Other winners at the 12th edition of the awards include Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, and Ronaldinho.
Below is a full list of winners at the Globe Soccer Awards 2021
Fan’s Player of the Year – Robert Lewandowski
Men’s Player of the Year – Kylian Mbappe
Maradona Award – Robert Lewandowski
Top Scorer of All Time – Cristiano Ronaldo
Best National Team of the Year – Italy
Best Agent of the Year – Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year – Txiki Begiristain
Best Men’s Club of the Year – Chelsea
Best Defender of the Year – Leonardo Bonucci
Best Goalkeeper of the Year – Gianluigi Donnarumma
France’s interior minister said on Tuesday he had launched a procedure to close a mosque for up to six months because of the radical nature of its imam’s preaching.
Gerald Darmanin told the Cnews TV channel he had “triggered” the process of shutting the mosque in Beauvais, a town of 50,000 some 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Paris, because of “unacceptable” preaching.
He said the mosque’s imam “is targeting Christians, homosexuals and Jews” in his sermons.
Authorities in the Oise region, where Beauvais is located, had already announced that they were considering closing down the mosque because of sermons they said incited hatred, violence and “defend jihad.”
An official at the Oise prefecture told AFP that a letter had been sent last week announcing the plan, adding that a 10-day period of information-gathering was legally required before any action could be taken.
Local daily Courrier Picard reported that the mosque’s imam was a recent convert to Islam.
The paper quoted a lawyer for the association managing the mosque as saying that his remarks had been “taken out of context,” and said that the imam had been suspended from his duties following the prefecture’s letter.
Darmanin announced earlier this year that France would step up checks against places of worship and associations suspected of spreading radical Islamic propaganda. Related Posts
The crackdown came after the October 2020 murder of teacher Samuel Paty who was targeted following an online campaign against him for having shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo during a civics class.
According to the interior ministry, 99 mosques and Muslim prayer halls out of France’s total number of 2,623 have been investigated in recent months because they were suspected of spreading “separatist” ideology.
Of the total, 21 were currently shut for various reasons, and six were being probed with a view to closing them down on the basis of French laws against extremism and Islamist separatism.
In a statement, the director of The Simon Wiesenthal Centre welcomed the move to shutter the mosque, assessing that the government’s policy will play a central role in the upcoming presidential election
“Of some 2,600 mosques, prayer halls and Islamic schools in France, 99 so far have been investigated on the basis of President Macron’s ‘anti-separatism’ bill,” said Shimon Samuels. “Antisemitism is only one issue in this campaign for the values of France.”
Premier League Association on Monday in England announced that there were 103 new coronavirus cases among club players and staff.
It was the highest weekly number recorded since testing figures began being circulated in May 2020.
The league has also confirmed it has reverted to emergency measures following a raft of top-flight postponements.
Increased testing to daily lateral flow and twice-weekly PCR tests have been introduced. Lateral flow testing was previously carried out twice a week.
“The League can today confirm that between December 20 and Sunday, 15,186 COVID-19 tests were administered on players and club staff. Of these, there were 103 new positive cases,” it said in a statement. Related Posts
“The Premier League’s COVID-19 emergency measures include protocols such as wearing face coverings while indoors, observing social distancing, limiting treatment time, as well as the increased testing,” the statement added.
“The League is continuing to work with clubs to keep people safe by helping mitigate the risks of COVID-19 within their squads.”
The Premier League further stressed that “we are also liaising closely” with the government, local authorities, and supporter groups while “being responsive to any future changes to national or local guidance.”
Baba Vanga, who lost her sight aged 12, envisaged natural disasters, a water crisis and an alien invasion by the end of next year, according to a report by the Mirror.
After going blind, the Bulgarian mystic claimed she became aware of a rare gift from God that enabled her to see into the future.
Nicknamed the Nostradamus of the Balkans, her visions are said to be 85% correct and include the Chernobyl tragedy, the death of Princess Diana and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Despite a challenging 2021 for the whole world, Baba Vanga’s next forecast is full of further doom and gloom.
Perhaps the most easily believable of her predictions for 2022 is a virtual reality takeover with people spending more time than ever in front of screens.
She also envisaged another pandemic, this time discovered in Siberia, caused by a frozen virus that will be released by climate change.
Meanwhile, many cities will be hit by water shortages with political consequences as countries are forced to find alternatives, the forecast continues.
And aliens will invade the planet by sending an asteroid to seek out life on Earth with an unfriendly outcome. Related Posts
Baba Vanga, whose real name is Vangelia Gushterova, also predicted famine in India where temperatures will supposedly reach 50 degrees causing locusts to attack crops.
More earthquakes and tsunamis are also on the cards, according to the mystic who told of ‘intense bouts of floods’ in Australia and parts of Asia.
Many people believe Baba Vanga’s predictions continue to come true following her death in 1996.
Later visions include the Earth’s orbit changing in 2023, astronauts travelling to Venus in 2028, Muslims ruling Europe in 2043 and the end of the universe in 5079.
She also predicted that in 2046, people would live for more than 100 years due to organ transplant technology.
From 2100, she believed that the night would disappear and artificial sunlight would illuminate another part of Earth.
Operatives of Osun Amotekun Corps have launched a manhunt after a sex worker living in Ofatedo, Osun State developed a strange illness and started vomiting blood after an encounter with some suspected ritualists at a hotel around West bypass, Osogbo.
The victim was dumped by some unknown men at the entrance to the street late on Friday December 24, almost unconscious.
Field Commander, Osun Amotekun Corps, Mr. Amitolu Shittu told journalists that when the operatives visited the scene, she was able to explain what transpired between her and three suspected ritualists, who had taken her from another hotel located in Ofatedo area.
While still being interrogated, the lady suddenly started vomiting blood. Shittu said;
“I led the team that visited entrance to Adetunji Estate that evening. Before she started vomiting blood, the lady told me she was living in Ofatedo, though an indigene of Sagamu in Ogun State.
She mentioned one Becky as her friend. She said three men had taken her from another hotel in Ofatedo and took her to a hotel around West Bye pass. At the hotel, they told her she would have sex with the three of them, but the lady said she told them she could only have sex with two men.
“While bathing with one of the men, the suspected ritualist hit the lady with a charm on the head and she became almost unconscious.”
“She was still talking to me when she started vomiting blood. Because it was late, I asked the night guard working in the area to watch over her, while I arrange ambulance. By the time I returned to the scene, that her friend, Becky had brought a bus to carry her. It was such a pathetic story.”
Shittu added that his men already had some leads through the mobile phone of the victim and promised that the suspects would be apprehended.
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command has said that it has intercepted some items suspected to be tramadol capsules concealed with packaged jumbo size adult diapers in a container.
The items which have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.4 billion, were concealed in a container with the number MRKU 9090415.
Hussain Abdulahi, Customs Public Relations Officer said the Area Controller, Bello Jibo revealed that the container was handed over to the Command on November 15 by the Republic of Benin Authorities under transit to Nigeria.
The container came under the watch of officers of the Command as no importer or his representative have come forward to continue the process of clearance procedure.
The statement read;
“On the Dec. 20, Seme Customs Service invited other security agencies and stakeholders to witness the examination of the said container.
“The items discovered during 100 per cent examination are 200 packages of adult diapers, 100 cartoons of Gabadol 120mg suspected to be tramadol equivalent to 360kg.
“The diapers were smartly arranged at the front of the container while the drugs were was the back.
“I directed that samples be taken out officially and handed over to National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ascertain and confirm the drugs.”
Abdullahi also said the command has commenced a full-scale investigation to fish out those involved in the illicit importation.
Manager of Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick has hinted that the club will not sign unvaccinated players, claiming there are fears unjabbed players could miss games.
Last week, the Premier League revealed that 16 per cent of players are yet to receive any form of vaccination against the coronavirus, with Covid and especially the new variant spreading in players dressing rooms across the country.
The recent surge in cases has triggered debate as to whether clubs will sign unvaccinated stars, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp saying he would not sign anyone who refuses to be jabbed.
The last two weeks United have been hit by a Covid outbreak of their own, resulting in the postponements of their games against Brentford and Brighton, and interim boss Rangnick has shared Klopp’s concerns ahead of the January transfer window, where he hopes to sign players to his squad.
‘Yes, I think it could be a consideration and I fully understand what Jurgen said but it also depends if you want to sign a player and risk him not being available,’ he said via The Telegraph.
‘This is an issue the clubs seriously have to think about. If you sign a player knowing from the very first day that he has not been vaccinated, you have to be aware that he might not be available – not only for 10 days, but this could happen regularly in Covid times.’
Rangnick cited Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich as an example of the effects of ‘long Covid’. The German midfielder has expressed regret at not taking the vaccine sooner after he was ruled out until January due to lingering effects of the illness.
Minor lung issues have meant that Kimmich has not played since early November and Rangnick said the episode is a reason to convince players to get the jab.
‘You had the example of Joshua Kimmich, who was extremely hesitant at the beginning and I think in the meantime he has realised it might be a good idea to get vaccinated,’ Rangnick added.
‘He caught Covid, he still has some problems with his lungs. Hopefully, he’ll be back after Christmas, in the new year, at full strength and can play again for Bayern Munich.
‘I think this is an issue where of course everybody can and should have his free will but I think in football, especially at this level we are playing at, we need to try to convince our players to get vaccinated.’
The German insisted that United’s vaccination rate is above the Premier League average.
‘To be honest, I don’t know which of our players have had two or three vaccinations. This is a question that only our medical department could answer but I know from our medical department that our ratio of vaccinated players is above the average of the Premier League.’
The police said the accused identified as Boega Habib Abubakar, was residing in Virar area of Mumbai.
On December 24, the team of Azad Maiden unit of ANC under the guidance of Rajendra Dahifale, senior police inspector, Azad Maidan Unit were patrolling in the South Mumbai area.
The team said it found a suspicious Nigerian national roaming around near Mandvi BEST sub-station, VV. Chandan street, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai.
“We carried out a body search to find 110 grams of cocaine in his possession worth Rs 33 lakhs. We have registered a case against him under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act,” said Datta Nalawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police, ANC.
Nalawade said the accused came for delivery in Mumbai.
“We are further investigating to check where he brought the drugs from. Also, probing if there is any international link to smuggling,” he added.
Dahifale further said the accused was produced in court and remanded in police custody for five days.
The police suspect the drugs were brought to Mumbai for the relievers. As the demand for drugs is high across Mumbai and suburbs over the celebration of ongoing Christmas and upcoming new years.
“With the numerous crackdown on foreign nationals who stay around Mumbai suburbs, they were not coming out for any deal or supply of the drugs in Mumbai. However, with the high demand for New Year, he may have come out for the supply,” said a police officer.
The Anti-Narcotic Cell of the Mumbai crime branch has arrested a 47-year-old Nigerian national for alleged possession of 110 grams of cocaine worth Rs 33 lakhs (N17,986,645.31)
The police said the accused identified as Boega Habib Abubakar, was residing in Virar area of Mumbai.
On December 24, the team of Azad Maiden unit of ANC under the guidance of Rajendra Dahifale, senior police inspector, Azad Maidan Unit were patrolling in the South Mumbai area.
The team said it found a suspicious Nigerian national roaming around near Mandvi BEST sub-station, VV. Chandan street, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai.
“We carried out a body search to find 110 grams of cocaine in his possession worth Rs 33 lakhs. We have registered a case against him under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act,” said Datta Nalawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police, ANC.
Nalawade said the accused came for delivery in Mumbai.
“We are further investigating to check where he brought the drugs from. Also, probing if there is any international link to smuggling,” he added.
Dahifale further said the accused was produced in court and remanded in police custody for five days.
The police suspect the drugs were brought to Mumbai for the relievers. As the demand for drugs is high across Mumbai and suburbs over the celebration of ongoing Christmas and upcoming new years.
“With the numerous crackdown on foreign nationals who stay around Mumbai suburbs, they were not coming out for any deal or supply of the drugs in Mumbai. However, with the high demand for New Year, he may have come out for the supply,” said a police officer.
The latest instalment of the Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home has become the first pandemic-era movie to make more than $1bn (£750m) at the global box office.
The film also took the title of highest-grossing film of 2021 and over the weekend, global box office earnings for the Spider man movie reached $1.05bn
The movie ousted Chinese-made Korean War epic film, The Battle of Lake Changjin, which has grossed more than $905m worldwide.
According to media data analytics firm Comscore, the last movie to gross more than $1bn was 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
No other movie has reached that box office milestone since the pandemic began in 2019.
The new Spider man movie is a co-production between Sony and Disney and hit its milestone less than two weeks after its premier even as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread rapidly around the world, raising fresh concerns about going to cinemas .
As at press time, the film has not yet been released in China, which is currently the world’s biggest cinema market.
Conjoined twins who were abandoned by their parents have landed two jobs and two salaries.
Sohna and Mohna Singh, from Punjab, India, are working for the first time having received government jobs.
The 19-year-old twins will be working as electricians at the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and earning the equivalent of £100 a month.
The twins had been living at a shelter ever since they were abandoned by their parents when they were babies in New Delhi.
They have two hearts, kidneys and spinal cords, as well as two pairs of arms, but share a liver, gallbladder, spleen and legs.
Doctors refused to separate the twins due to the risky nature of the procedure which could lead to the death of one of them.
While living in the shelter, they showed a knack for fixing things and would try to help out by attempting to mend any broken appliances at their shelter, Mirror reports.
Speaking to the Independent, the twins said: “We are thankful to the Punjab government for recognising our talent.”
Officials at the power company were impressed with the twins after they visited a training site and demonstrated a keen interest in electrics.
Venu Parsad, chief managing director of PSPCL, told The Telegraph that the twins showed great technical knowledge and took them on under a disabled person quota.
Diddy has sold the mansion where his late baby mama, Kim Porter died.
TMZ reported that the music producer put up the Toluca Lake mansion up for sale back in October, listing it for $7 million and there’s now a buyer. The deal is pending and will likely close this week, but the sale is not final.
The sprawling estate is 9,655 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, including a family-sized pool and spa, plus a sports court.
The gated property sits on a half-acre on one of the most famous streets in the San Fernando Valley and the celeb neighbors include Steve Carell, Billy Ray Cyrus, Viola Davis and Sia.
Kim who was a model and actress, dated Diddy off and on for 13 years and they had 3 kids together, including 2 daughters and a son. She was found dead in the home back in November 2018 at the age of 47, after losing her battle with pneumonia.
A call girl has blasted a ‘sex addict’ man after he dumped her in a car park without paying his £720 bill and didn’t even offer to make her a cup of tea when she came to his place.
Matthew Bushell, 48, was jailed for two years on Monday, December 20 after he placed adverts for topless cleaners online, breaching a court order.
The order was made after he invited women to his home for “job interviews” and groped them and sucked their fingers, Liverpool Echo reports.
The court heard that Bushell (pictured above with a female friend in court) has a long history of ‘using’ prostitutes even reporting his “dissatisfaction with their services” to the police.
The man first appeared in court in August 2006 after an escort had called the police when Bushell ditched her in a car park without paying for her services.
The escort later complained to the newspaper that “he didn’t even make me a cup of tea” even though she asked for one twice.
Bushell, who has no job, and is now 48 years old, told the escort he couldn’t afford the bill for their six hours together because his obsession with escorts had left him bankrupt, after paying out £15,000 over two years.
The court heard how the man had an “unhealthy obsession” with sex, the court heard.
The woman, who was 37 at the time, travelled from Bradford, West Yorkshire, to his home in Southport, Merseyside, after the pair settled on a fee of £120 per hour for her sex time.
Bushell took her back to his home for sex, promising to pay her later – but ended up leaving her empty-handed in a car park.
Later, he sent her a text saying: “Sorry. Had to do it. Did not have a penny at the time. Hope you got home safely.”
The escort reported to the police, and Bushell was charged with ‘dishonestly obtaining services’.
Bushell’s defence lawyer said he was obsessed with sex and knew he should have paid the woman.
He said his parents explained he was “socially lacking in skills” and they were “at the end of their tether”.
The escort said at the time: “From the start my experience was quite odd because he lied about where he lived, so we had to drive for about an hour until we got to his house.
“I thought it would be going out to dinners and events and maybe a bit glamorous. But Bushell didn’t even make me a cup of tea, even though I asked him twice.
“He told me to wait in the pub and he sped off like a mad man.
“I was on my own, somewhere I didn’t know and had no money and no credit on my phone – the only thing I thought was to go to the police.”
Judge Stuart Driver QC on Monday said it was a “persistent and deliberate breach” as he jailed him for two years.
He has previously been convicted of two sexual assaults and harassment against a female doctor.
Nigerian journalist and activist, Gimba Kakanda, has described the Islamic Police, Hisbah as the ‘poor man’s police’
In the article publised in Daily Trust, the London School of Economics graduate said that Kano Hisbah Board harrasses the poor and powerless but remains quiet when the children of the rich live-streamed their “Haram” parties.
The article reads:
“Nothing emphasizes one’s vulnerability in Nigeria as much as being poor, and this has been the reality of the North’s attempts to implement the shariah legal system,”
In enforcing this obsessive hounding and harassment of the poor and powerless, Kano State Hisbah Board stands out and its trending comment on the recent emergence of a hijab-wearing Muslim woman as the winner of the 2021 Miss Nigeria beauty pageant, has it called out for perceived double standards. The same organization was loudly quiet when the children of the rich live-streamed their “Haram” parties from its jurisdiction.
In July, the Hisbah embarked on banning the use of mannequins at fashion houses in Kano, and it’s confusing in a state that even had a Christian-dominated quarter called Sabon Gari.
Around the same period, the group also made the news for punishing a Muslim boy who had stopped praying after being humiliated by the Hisbah corps for rocking an unconventional haircut. They didn’t even pause to reflect on their method, the correlation between their policing of the young man’s morality and their talibanizing dabbling in his private life.
Early in the year, a notable Muslim cleric rattled Kano when he questioned the existence of an all-Christian settlement in the city. This is the society the Hisbah tempt a legion to embrace. But having a sub-national organization so empowered to undermine the rights of citizens, even those to whom the laws aren’t applicable, is scary. This is the reason we also need legislation against unlicensed public preaching to prevent us from the danger of divisive charlatans who threaten our diversity.
But the danger of the Hisbah is this realization that they aren’t a band of charlatans even if they sound and act like one, but a government-approved and funded organisation tasked with enforcing bastardization of a variant of shariah in which Rahama Sadau is vilified for the very “indecency” Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s daughter was ignored or celebrated, and where Danlami the shopkeeper is punished and humiliated in public for stealing a thousand Naira while the politician caught on tape receiving kickbacks enjoys royal treatment. I’m not for morality policing, but such hypocrisy is disheartening.
That the Muslim society, especially the Muslim North, requires systemic overhaul isn’t debatable. But the series of absurdities being projected as a reform, from sporting an unconventional haircut to having mannequins in boutiques, has only heightened the ridiculing of the Muslim they intend to protect. Anybody aroused by a mannequin doesn’t need redemption from a religion. They need vigorous therapy sessions to fight their perversion or even rehab to restore their sanity.
When, a few days ago, Haruna Ibn-Sina, the commandant of Kano Hisbah, made the news for the plan to invite the parents of the reigning Miss Nigeria, Shatu Garko, who’s just 18 and Muslim, “to talk to them about the actions of their daughter and the fact that what she did is illegal in Islam,” the hypocrisy was easy to point out.
The same organization never kicked when known children of the political elite had their hair and body exposed at wild parties with known venues within their jurisdiction and had never bothered to share what they intended to tell Miss Shatu’s parents: “…to make them know that she cannot continue that path and also stop other girls from copying her”.
The outrage over Shatu’s participation in Miss Nigeria disrupted the North’s promising campaign to amplify the devastations of terrorism and banditry across the region and hold President Buhari to account. The killings and destructions that have wrecked the North were instigated by the abuse of an aspect of Islam the Hisbah should’ve long tamed. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell the difference between their zealotry and the extremism spiced by Mohammed Yusuf in inventing this Frankenstein’s monster loosed upon the North.
When an individual’s morality and personal preferences trended in a region more than the tragedy killing its people, you know there’s a problem. Shatu is feared as a bad influence to the Muslims in a society that produced Mohammed Yusuf, Abubakar Shekau, and their successors Bakura Doro and Bakura Sa’alaba.
If the Hisbah were sincerely out to project the practice and image of Islam, they would’ve paid attention to the lionizing of Bello Turji, a notorious leader of the terrorist cult operating in the Northwest. The villain is the subject of a trending song by a Hausa musician, who praised his valour that you almost forget Turji is a murderous terrorist.
That a people who have unfiltered access to the Internet and all its warts and movies that promote western countercultures consider Shatu Garko or Rahama Sadau a culprit of our moral decadence is a paranoia taken too far.
A region as socially and economically wrecked as the North should have bigger issues to debate, and the mass killings in Sokoto and others recorded since then are one of a million tragedies. And there’s no way we can ever achieve this unless we learn to see the hypocrisy of the state instruments being deployed to neutralize the poor man’s anger.
The worst of these tragedies is that the poor Muslim has been brainwashed to see organizations like the Hisbah as the protector of his faith instead of a political tool to keep him in check—and oppressed.
So, the success of the Hisbah isn’t just their political recognition, but their appeal to the sentiments of the Wahhabi ideologues in their jurisdiction. Despite their hypocrisies, they still retain the approval of this group, and as long as the politicians too adhere to the sectarian sentiments, this arrangement is here to stay.
Actress Destiny Etiko went down memory lane this morning as she reflected on how God has taken her and her family out of penury.
Posting photos of the beautiful house she has now and the tattered one she grew up many years ago, she wrote,;
”Had a recap of my growing up this morning and I literally broke down in tears and yes I have every reason to be grateful to God
We always prayed that rain shouldn’t come cos once it does….our roof would take off and our rooms would be filled with water ?? the roof licks (uncontrollably)
But today, God has not just blessed me but has wiped the tears from my mother’s eyes
GLORY
PLS WAT EVER U ARE PASSING THROUGH IN LIFE NEVER GIVE UP Keep working hard and with prayers…God will perfect your story one day”
At least six people have died in a suicide bomb attack allegedly carried out by ISIS backed militants on a crowded restaurant in the eastern city of Beni, Congo on Christmas day.
Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say a suicide bomber of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group said to be linked to the Islamic State (IS) blew himself up at the entrance of a packed restaurant of people celebrating Christmas killing himself and five other people.
Another 13 people were injured. Police say they prevented the bomber from entering the building, then he blew himself at the entrance .
More than 30 people were celebrating Christmas at the In Box restaurant when the bomb went off, two witnesses told AFP news agency.
Children and local officials were reportedly in the restaurant at the time.
“I was sitting there,” local radio presenter Nicolas Ekila told AFP. “There was a motorbike parked there. Suddenly the motorbike took off, then there was a deafening noise.”
There have been frequent clashes in Beni between the army and Islamists in recent weeks.
In November, Congolese and Ugandan forces began a joint operation against the ADF in an attempt to end a series of brutal attacks as Ugandan authorities say the group is behind a series of recent attacks in the country.
The militant group was formed in the 1990s by Ugandans disgruntled with the government’s treatment of Muslims, but now also operates in DR Congo.
The group has been blamed for thousands of civilian killings over the past decade, including in attacks on Christians and in March the US put the ADF on its list of terror groups linked to IS.
Desperate bids by drug cartels to push out millions of illicit drug tablets across Lagos and other parts of the country for the festive season have been frustrated by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with the seizure of 8,381,600 capsules and tablets of Tramadol as well as 56,782 bottles of codeine among others in major raids in Lagos state.
Ahead of Christmas, the Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) had ordered a sustained surveillance on some targets at Satellite town and Alaba Rago areas of Lagos. The Satellite town target was eventually raided on Thursday 23rd December, when the drug kingpin, Ezekiel Ibe was arrested and over five tons of high milligrams Tramadol; 225mg and 100mg recovered from his warehouse. A breakdown of the seized drug shows 7,991,600 Tramadol tablets and 390,000 capsules of same weighing 5,468.894 kilograms.
In another raid on Monday 20th December following tasking surveillance in a notorious neighborhood at Alaba Rago, Alaba area of Lagos, one Surajo Mohammed was arrested with 941.14kg cannabis while 56,782 bottles of codeine were seized from the store of another drug lord still at large.
In a related development, an outbound passenger to Italy on Turkish Airline, Ovire Cyril has been arrested with 114 wraps of heroin with a gross weight of 1.80kg during routine search at Gate “C’ Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos. The drugs were concealed inside the pockets of four jean trousers, packed in a black suitcase. The suspect who confessed that he was pushed into the crime by hardship after he lost his Job, claimed he was promised Five Thousand Euros (€5,000.00) if he successfully delivers the consignment in Italy.
Same day, during outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline passengers’ luggages at the same gate, a male passenger, Osakue Evbuomwan travelling to Milan, Italy was arrested with 1.55kg of Tramadol concealed in a Ghana must go’ bag.
Commending the Commanders, officers and men of the Lagos, Edo and MMIA commands of the Agency for not letting down their guard during the festive season, Gen. Marwa assured them and their counterparts in other commands that his leadership would always reward exemplary performance while charging them to remain focussed and always aspire to surpass previous feats.
The new international termination rate (ITR) for voice calls has been set at $0.045 by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The NCC said the new rate which is paid to local operators by international operators to terminate calls in Nigeria, will be effective from January 1, 2022. This will replace the initial rate which was paid in Naira and pegged at N24.40k.
According to the commission, the ITR being denominated in naira had multiple negative impacts on operators, which was further exacerbated by a series of naira devaluations, which ultimately pushed Nigeria from being a net receiver with respect to international minutes to a net payer.
The new directive will ensure that mobile network providers in Nigeria will begin receiving revenue from all international calls in US dollars.
NCC said in a statement;
“The $0.045 rate is the floor price for ITR services and shall take effect from January 1, 2022. The rate is to be paid in US Dollar to enable Nigerian operators to receive an increasing rate in Naira terms to accommodate devaluation.
“As such, payment discounts, volume discounts, and any other concession that has the effect of bringing the effective ITR lower than the rate determined shall be deemed a contravention of the new determination and will attract sanctions in line with the Nigerian Communications (Enforcement process, etc.) Regulations, 2019.”
The NCC explained that the ITR floor is the minimum that can be charged. This implies that operators can negotiate with their international carriers/partners to arrive at a rate above the floor.
While the ITR only settles the cost of bringing traffic into Nigeria, the commission disclosed that Nigerian operators will continue to pay the regulated MTR, which is the local termination rate, among themselves.
The MTRs of N3.90 (for generic 2G/3G/4G operators) and N4.70 (for new entrant operators) determined in 2018 would continue to apply for local call terminations until a new determination is made by the commission.
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked service chiefs in the country to ensure that the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram are crushed before he leaves office in 2023.
Buhari gave the marching order at an emergency security meeting yesterday December 24, barely 24 hours after the insurgents shot rockets close to the Maiduguri airport shortly before the he arrived the North-East city.
The President who wondered why ISWAP insurgents keep striking from the same corridor unchecked, directed that no inch of Nigerian territory should be ceded to terrorists.
A top source told The Nation that the security meeting was a “frank appraisal session.” He said;
“No one was happy with how the ISWAP insurgents struck on Thursday and took the shine off Mr. President’s visit.
“The President could not understand the recurring assaults from the same corridor or axis.
“We had a similar incident on December 4. And before the President’s visit, a security /intelligence evaluation was done with a caveat that there should be a subsidiary operation to cordon off this axis.
“Yet the insurgents fired rockets from the same axis and targeted the Maiduguri International Airport.
“Although the President did not betray emotions during his visit, he was certainly not happy with the situation of things.
“The President asked the Service Chiefs not to give terrorists, especially the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), a breathing space. He directed that no inch of Nigerian territory must be occupied by terrorists.
“He warned against the reversal of the gains the military has made. He also sought a more proactive campaign to rout the insurgents, whether Boko Haram or ISWAP.
“He said his administration is prepared to win the war against insurgency.”
Another source also told the publication that top Army Generals were deployed yesterday to Borno State to “review the situation and boost the war against the insurgents.”
The source said;
“Many Army Generals arrived in Borno State on Friday to review the situation and improve on the operational strategies.”
ormer US President, Donald Trump would beat current President Joe Biden by six points if the 2024 presidential election were held today, a new poll has revealed.
The poll from Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 44 percent of Americans would vote for Trump and 38 percent would vote for Biden, with a sizable 12 per cent saying they didn’t know who they would vote for at this point in time.
Biden has struggled in the polls since his disastrous military and diplomatic pull-out from Afghanistan this summer.
Combined with his COVID-19 response, the economy, rising gas prices, immigration and crime, approval rating has remained below 50 percent with Americans.
Eighty-seven per cent of Trump supporters said they would cast a ballot for the Trump again, while 75 per cent of Biden supporters said they’d vote for the Democrat president.
Since December this month, Trump gained 1 point among his 2020 voters, while Biden lost 4 per cent of his 2020 voter base.
The Department of State Services has released one Dada Ifasooto, who was detained for 6 months for allegedly preparing charms for embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho.
Ifasooto was taken into custody on July 16, 2021, two weeks after DSS operatives stormed Igboho’s Ibadan residence in a Gestapo style, killing two of his aides and arresting 12 others.
The man’s whereabout was said to be unknown until one of Igboho’s aides who was recently released, told one of the Yoruba nation agitator’s lawyers that he was being held by the DSS in an underground cell.
One of Igboho’s lawyers in Nigeria, Pelumi Olajengbesi said in a statement on Friday December 24;
‘Dada Ifasooto Released from DSS Custody’
“This is to announce the release of Mr. Dada Ifasooto who was secretly arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) on 16th July, 2021 on the allegation that he is a native doctor who prepares charms for Chief Sunday Igboho.
“Mr. Dada Ifasooto’s whereabouts was unknown for months until one of the released detainees from SSS custody informed our office that he is in the custody of the Secret Service in an underground cell.
“The strange allegations against Mr. Dada Ifasooto and his incarceration defies logical and legal thoughts and underpins the ill-motivated persecution of Chief Sunday Igboho and his associates. Amongst other things, it exposes the straw-clutching antics of the State Security Service in this matter even as it underscores the ridiculous and unlawful length the agency is willing to go.”
A couple residing at Ilara area of Ode Remo, in Remo North local government area of Ogun state has been arrested by men of Ogun State police command for allegedly selling their one-month-old baby at the rate of fifty thousand naira.
The suspects, Eze Onyebuchi and his wife Oluchi Eze were arrested on the 16 of December 2021, following a piece of information received by policemen at Ode Remo divisional headquarters, that the couple who live at Ayegbami street Ilara Remo willingly sold their one-month-old baby to a woman who is now at large.
Upon the information, the Dpo Ode Remo division, CSP Olayemi Fagbohun, detailed his detectives to the area where the couple was arrested and brought to the station.
Confirming the incident to newsmen, the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said on interrogation, the suspects explained to the police that, it was one Mrs. Ruth Obajimi, who directed the yet to be identified buyer to them. They stated further that the woman came to them on the 14th of December 2021, and told them that she is from a human rights office and that she will help them to foster their child. The woman then gave them the sum of fifty thousand nairas and they handed over the baby to her despite not knowing her from Adam.
Abimbola said efforts are in top gear to apprehend the said woman with the view to recover the baby.
He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the anti-human trafficking and child labor unit of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation. He equally directed a massive manhunt for the buyer who has since took to flight.
President Muhammadu Buhari was in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, to commission various projects.
There were speculations that the visit might be canceled after three bombs rocked the city just a few hours before the president’s arrival.
He was received by the state governor Babagana Zulum, Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai and many other state government officials. See more photos below
The federal government has restricted religious gatherings to 50 per cent with full compliance to public health measures, following a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha said in a statement on Thursday December 23, that the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 may be forced to introduce more restrictions should there be an increase in cases.
It read;
“The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 recognizes the importance of the Christmas and New Year celebrations for most Nigerians. As we prepare to celebrate with our families and loved ones, it is important that we do so safely by taking the necessary precautionary measures to stop the further spread of COVID-19 in our country.
“The PSC wishes to remind Nigerians that we are now experiencing the 4th wave COVID19 as new cases have continued to rise in the country. This is the result of a mix of very low vaccination coverage, increased travels and movements, reduced compliance to public health social measures and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant now circulating in the country.
“Indoor religious congregation should be limited to 50% capacity with full compliance to public health social measures; face masks and hand sanitisers should be used at all times regardless of vaccination status while in public spaces.
“Families are advised to limit the number of visitors to their homes and put in place precautionary safety measures. Any gathering in the excess of 50 people should be done in open spaces with physical distancing.
“Avoid non-essential interstate travel at this period as this increases the risk of spreading infection from one place to another. People who intend to travel are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test to confirm status as many infected persons are asymptomatic.
“Ensure that you have taken the full dose of COVID-19 vaccination including the booster dose to reduce your risk of severe infection and death in case of exposure to COVID-19.”
Viral video app, TikTok is now the world’s most popular online destination.
The Chinese owned app gets more hits than the American search engine, Google, according to Cloudflare, an IT security company.
Rankings by Cloudfare show that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June this year, and has held the number one position since August 2021.
Last year Google was first, and a number of sites including TikTok, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix were all in the top 10.
Cloudfare says one of the reasons for the surge in Tiktok’s popularity is because of the Covid pandemic, as lockdowns meant people were stuck at home and used the app for entertainment.
As at July 2021, TikTok was downloaded more than three billion times, and has more than one billion active users across the world to data company Sensor Tower.
TikTok also known as Douyin in China was originally released in September 2016.
Manager of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Mrs. Victoria Shin-Aba, has decried attempts by passengers with COVID-19 positive PCR test results to board flights.
The Regional Manager of South West Airports said they are always in contact with Port Health Services authorities and have held meetings over the issue.
Wondering why persons who tested positive for COVID-19 will be roaming around public places and interacting with people, Shin-Aba added that they’ve ramped up enforcement of all COVID-19 protocols at the airport.
She said FAAN personnel will ensure compliance of passengers with COVID protocols on a daily basis, enforcing use of face masks and sanitisers.
The airport manager said;
“People with positive COVID test still come to the Airport to board, I don’t know for whatever reason; they know with this they can’t travel but they still bring it but definitely they are not allowed to travel.
“We have to ensure that both passengers and staff obey and comply with protocols.
“The terminal was built for the capacity of two million passengers but as we talk, we do have ten million passengers, definitely it is well over stretched and we still do our best for passengers comfort but the challenge is the cooling system but we are still working on them”.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has raised alarm over alleged plans by some terrorists from neighboring countries to carry out attacks in some places in the Federal Capital Territory FCT.
According to a leaked internal memo signed by the Comptroller of Immigration Service Edirin Okoto and dated December 23, the attack is to happen between December 17, 2021, and December 31, 2021. It was issued on behalf of the Acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Idris Jere, to the Controllers of Immigration Service in all the land, air and sea borders of the country and the Sector Commanders of the border patrol corps.
The memo read in part
“The office of the Ag CGI is in receipt of a Security Report (URGENT) from the Presidency (OSGF). The import is about a looming attack on Nigeria’s Capital City, Abuja between 17th and 31st December 2021.
The planned attack is purportedly being led by one DRAHMANE, OULD ALI, aka Mohammed Ould Sidat, an Algerian national to be assisted by one Zahid Aminon, a Nigerien national.”
According to the memo, the foreigners who are planning to enter Nigeria from Mali through the Niger Republic, have four accomplices who are already in the country.
The memo directed personnel at the borders to; “intensify alert levels, emplace necessary countermeasures at all entry/exit points – Air, Land, Sea/Marine, including, but not limited to, surveillance, rigorous search on persons and vehicles, transhumance, to effectuate the immediate arrest of these terrorists/countervail this and any terrorists attacks in Abuja.”
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered final forfeiture of 60 buildings illegally acquired by a former Deputy Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Adenike Ishola Bintu, to the Federal Government.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had approached the court, seeking a final forfeiture of the buildings and a 9.6 hectare plot of land, both located at Sabon-Lugbe South-West Extension, Airport Road, Abuja, alleged to have been acquired by Bintu through corrupt means.
Counsel to ICPC, John-Paul Okwor, told the court that the Commission was relying on Section 48 (1) (2) and (3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which gives it power to approach the courts to forfeit properties corruptly acquired by individuals.
The Commission had argued before the court that the former NSCDC Deputy Commandant, set up a private company, Faith Winners Victory Properties Limited, through which she allegedly perpetrated the fraud by selling plots of land to unsuspecting members of the public.
Counsel to ICPC, John-Paul Okwor, told the court that the Commission was relying on Section 48 (1) (2) and (3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which gives it power to approach the courts to forfeit properties corruptly acquired by individuals.
The Commission also told the court that the former NSCDC Deputy Commandant, set up a private company, Faith Winners Victory Properties Limited, through which she allegedly perpetrated the fraud by selling plots of land to unsuspecting members of the public.
ICPC said in a statement;
“The subscribers, who had made several payments running into millions of naira, were never allocated plots of land nor had their funds returned to them by Bintu and her company.
“Furthermore, ICPC proved before the court that Bintu, who had jumped bail and is now a fugitive, did not enter into any partnership with NSCDC to build estates for members of the public.”
Defending herself in court, Bintu reportedly stated that the ICPC had no power to prosecute civil cases and that Sections 6 and 48 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, relied upon by the Commission have been repealed by the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003. She then urged the court to struck out the case.
Her arguments were dismissed by the court for lack of merit, and Justice Egwuata then ruled that all the 60 buildings and the 9.6 hectare of land situated at Sabon-Lugbe South-West Extension, Airport Road, Abuja, listed by ICPC be forfeited to the federal government.
Palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has again reacted to Olori Naomi’s disclosure of ending her marriage to the monarch.
The palace which countered claim of marriage between the monarch and his wife hitting the rocks, said they are probing a possible hack of Olori Naomi’s Instragam page.
In an interview with Punch, Director of Media and Strategy, Ooni’s palace, Moses Olafare, said as of Wednesday evening, Ogunwusi and Naomi went to bed as husband and wife, before the Queen released a statement announcing the end of their marriage on Thursday December 23.
Olafare also stated that separation in marriage cannot be done by just one person. He further claimed that as at Wednesday, Ooni of Ife was still packaging a special Christmas gift for Queen Naomi.
He said;
“Separation is a two-way affair, it is not something that is announced by one party. The announcement of separation is subject to agreement by both parties.
“The palace is not aware of such separation because we all went to bed last night (Wednesday) the two being the king and queen.
“So, if by this morning, the queen went to social media to write that she is no longer in marriage with Ooni, we will look into it to see whether or not the Instagram page truly belongs to her, and to know the reason behind it.
“But as of today, this moment, the palace is not aware of the separation. Marriage is a private affair, no matter how prominent the personalities involved, it is a private affair.
“We will dig deeper and know what happened, but like I said, all of us just woke up to read about the separation on social media.
“Even by this time yesterday, (Wednesday) kabiyesi was still packaging special gift for her.
“If you want to separate with someone, you cannot be packaging gift for her. I was aware that Kabiyesi was putting special Christmas gift together for her. If he is not in love with her, he cannot be doing that. In fact, the Christmas gift has been delivered to her already.”
A transgender man has complained that nurses insisted on calling him “mom” during his pregnancy despite being a man.
Bennett Kaspar-Williams, 37, from Los Angeles, was born biologically female. He first realised he was trans around ten years ago, in 2011, but didn’t begin his transition until three years later.
Then six years later, in 2017 he found Malik, his future husband, who he married in 2019.
When they decided to have kids, Bennett stopped the testosterone hormone therapy he’d been on for several years to enable his ovaries to function.
Bennett, who has had gender reassigning surgery on the top half of his body but not on his genitalia, eventually decided that he would be comfortable trying to conceive and carrying a child.
He fell pregnant naturally soon after they started trying. He found out he was pregnant in March 2020 and the couple welcomed their son Hudson, via Cesarean section, in October 2020.
But in the process of having little Hudson, Bennett Kaspar-Williams was troubled by the constant misgendering of him by hospital staff who insisted on calling him a “mom”.
Bennett said: “I always knew it was a possibility that my body might achieve pregnancy, but it wasn’t something I ever wanted to do until I learned how to separate the function of my body from any notions of gender.
“Once I learned to think of my body as a tool and not a collection of gendered stereotypes, I realized that I could both be the person I wanted to and bring a child into the world.
“No one can ever really know whether having children is possible until you try – being born with a uterus doesn’t make conceiving or carrying a certainty.
“That’s why it’s so important that we stop defining ‘womanhood’ in terms of ‘motherhood’, because it’s a false equivalency that all women can become mothers, that all mothers carry their children, or that all people who carry children are mothers.
“‘None of those things are universally true.”
But while in the hospital, Bennett says he was constantly misgendered, despite having a beard and a flat chest.
“The only thing that made me dysphoric about my pregnancy was the misgendering that happened to me when I was getting medical care for my pregnancy,” he said.
“The business of pregnancy – and yes, I say business, because the entire institution of pregnancy care in America is centred around selling this concept of ‘motherhood’ – is so intertwined with gender that it was hard to escape being misgendered.
“Even with a full beard, a flat chest, and a ‘male’ gender marker on all my identification, people could not help but default to calling me ‘mom’, ‘mother’, or ‘ma’am’.
“That was what made me dysphoric.
“Nothing about being pregnant felt ‘feminine’ to me – in fact, I think carrying a child, isolated due to the pandemic, and facing all the hospitals and appointments alone was the absolute toughest, bravest thing I’ve ever done.
“Nothing feels stronger than being able to say I’m a dad who created my own child.”
He continued: “To my son, there’s nothing more natural and normal than having a Dada and a Papa, and when he’s old enough, he will also come to know that his Dada was the one who carried him and took care of him so he could come into this world.
“Children see love, they see patience, and they see commitment.
“My son will no doubt accept that he came from me, just as he accepts all the other love and beauty around him – with open arms.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, December 23, said his administration will keep giving its best for the development of the country until May, 2023, reiterating that he will hand over as stipulated by the constitution.
The President spoke after the commissioning of Oriental Energies Resource Ltd Hanger, Muhammadu Indimi Distance Learning Centre and an International Conference Centre donated to the University of Maiduguri by business mogul, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi.
President Buhari also commissioned the Tijjani Bolori Memorial Secondary School and the first fly-over in Borno State, Custom Roundabout (3.5km) with a stretch of 10 km Gamboru Ngala Road constructed by the state government.
“ I know I swore by the Constitution, and I will leave in 17 months. I pray that the person that will take over from us will also follow the targets of securing the country and building the economy. Without securing the country, you cannot grow the economy.”President Bugari said
The President said Nigerians should appraise the performance of the administration based on what the situation was on security, economy and corruption before he came in, and where it is now.
“We have a great country,” he said, “and we thank God for giving us so much resources. But we need to develop our resources.”
The President noted that development would be more sustainable by empowering the people.
On security in the North West, he said it was sad that the people who lived together, sharing same culture and outlook for a long time would start stealing, kidnapping and killing one another. The President said the military will come down hard on the North West to stabilize the situation, having procured more hardware.
“I am highly impressed with what I have seen at this state-of-the-art Centre for Distance Learning and Auditorium sited here, the University of Maiduguri. I am told that this international conference hall has 1,300 seats.
The high quality standard of this edifice is major contribution by Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi. This intervention will benefit not only students from Borno and the North East but also students from all parts of Nigeria.
For the Oriental Energy Resources Hangar which I commissioned, it will welcome and offer support services to aircraft and pilots involved with Humanitarian Air Services,” the President noted.
President Buhari also commended Prof. Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno, for the work he had done in two years, noting that he was in the state earlier in June to commission developmental projects.
In his remarks, Governor Zulum appreciated the President for honoring the state, adding that Alhaji Indimi’s contributions to the development of the state showed he loved his people.
“Words cannot convey our gratitude for the statesmanship, “ he said.
US safety regulators are investigating electric car maker, Tesla for an in-car feature that allows drivers to play video games while the car is in motion.
The documentation for the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the feature, known as “Passenger Play,” has been available to drivers since December 2020.
The games appear on a dashboard touchscreen and are intended for passengers. But nothing prevents drivers from playing while the car is being driven, according to the documentation associated with the investigation.
Before December 2020, video gameplay in Tesla cars was enabled only when the vehicle was in park, the NHTSA investigation document said.
Even if the game is being played by a passenger and not the driver, it “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash,” according to the NHTSA report
Tesla, owned by Billionaire Elon Musk, produces cars that have driver assist features that allow its cars to slow down, speed up, and even change lanes without active participation from the driver.
But the company warns that drivers using such features, known as “Autopilot” and “FSD,” for full-self driving, must stay alert and keep their hands on the wheel.
The company in recent times has been criticized for making it easier for drivers to not pay attention, as the NHTSA is currently investigating Tesla for at least 11 accidents involving cars using its Autopilot or other self-driving features that collided with emergency vehicles when coming upon the scene of an earlier crash. Those 11 accidents were responsible for 17 injuries and one death, according to the agency.
NHTSA estimates that 3,142 people were killed in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2019.
“The video games are allegedly restricted only to passengers. Web browsing is available to anyone at any time,” said the complaint.
“Why is a manufacturer allowed to create an inherently distracting live video which takes over 2/3 of the screen which the driver relies on for all vehicle information? NHTSA needs to prohibit all live video in the front seat and all live interactive web browsing while the car is in motion. Creating a dangerous distraction for the driver is recklessly negligent.”
Former South Korea president, Park Geun-hye who was serving a 22-year prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power has been granted pardon by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The 69-year-old Park was convicted of abuse of power and coercion in 2018 after she was impeached the previous year and became her country’s first democratically-elected leader to be forced from office.
This year she has been hospitalised three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain.
South Korean news outlets say Park, was among the beneficiaries of Moon’s special amnesty for the new year, due to her poor health.
The announcement comes as a surprise as President Moon Jae-in previously ruled out a pardon for the former leader.
She is not the only former government official who was pardoned. South Korea’s first female prime minister Han Myeong-sook, who served a two-year prison sentence from 2015-2017 for bribery, was also exonerated by the government on Friday.
In 2018, Park was found guilty of 16 out of 18 charges, most of which related to bribery and coercion.
The court ruled that she had colluded with her close friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure conglomerates such as electronics giant Samsung and retail chain Lotte to give millions of dollars to foundations run by Choi.
In addition, Park was found guilty of leaking confidential presidential documents to her long-time friend.
She was initially sentenced to a total of 30 years in jail and fined 20bn won (£12.5m, $16.8m), but a high court later reduced the fine and the term to 15 years for corruption with another five for abuse of power.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first injectable prevention medication for HIV.
The new drug, Apretude, is administered to patients every two months via injection. Before the approval, there were only two forms of treatment approved as prevention medication for HIV. Truvada and Descovy, both of which are an oral medication that need to be taken once per day.
Apretude is however injected every other month, setting it apart from existing medications Truvada and Descovy, which are taken orally once a day. It also costs $3,700 per dose.
Clinical trials found Apretude significantly more effective than Truvada at lowering risk of transmission among cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men (69 percent), and especially among cisgender women (90 percent).
Daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications must be taken fairly consistently in order to be effective similar to daily oral birth control, or medication for curing hepatitis C. A long-lasting injectable could be groundbreaking for some people who have difficulty adhering to a daily medication schedule for any number of reasons, including chaotic drug use or being unhoused.
The FDA hopes that approving Apretude is the next step in effectively ending the HIV epidemic.
Apretude is given as two initiation injections administered one month apart, and then given every two months after that. Patients can choose between receiving just Apretude, or they can take the oral medication Vocabria to see how their bodies react to the drug.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99%, and reduces the risk of infection from injection drug use by at least 74%. However, strict adherence to daily medication is incredibly important in reaping the protective benefits.
PrEP medications block an enzyme that allows the HIV virus to replicate inside the human body. Truvada was approved in 2012, and Descovy approved specifically for people without vaginal tissue in 2019. Used daily as recommended, they can give around 99 percent protection against HIV transmission from sex, and somewhere around 80 percent protection from transmission via injection drug use.
A rare “walking” handfish has been spotted for the first time in 22 years
The handfish which is native to only Australia was spotted off the Tasmanian coast.
The species has over-sized “hands” on which they “walk” along the seabed in addition to swimming, hence it’s name.
The handfish was last sighted by a diver off Tasmania in 1999 and has only been seen four other times since the
Since then government placed the species as endangered as animal scientists feared for it’s survival but Australian researchers say they have found it again, on a deep sea camera recording in a marine park.
The new recording shows the fish in deeper and more open waters than it had lived in previously.
Scientists had thought the fish was a shallow water species that lived in sheltered bays – but it has now been found at a depth of 150m (390 ft) off Tasmania’s wild south coast. Pink handfish are one of 14 types of handfish seen around Tasmania, the island south of the Australian mainland.
“This is an exciting discovery and offers hope for the ongoing survival of pink handfish, as clearly they have a wider habitat and distribution than previously thought,” said lead researcher and marine biologist Neville Barrett, an associate professor at the University of Tasmania.
In February, Barret’s team had dropped a baited camera on the seabed of the Tasman Fracture Marine Park to survey the coral, lobster and fish species down there.
The protected park is known for having a long crack in the earth’s crust that has allowed marine life to be found in depths of over 4,000m.
A research assistant trawling through the footage in October says she spotted the peculiar creature among the crowd of larger animals attracted to the bait.
“I was watching one of our rough videos and there was a little fish that popped up on this reef ledge that looked a bit odd,” said Ashlee Bastiaansen from the university’s Institute of Antarctic and Marine Studies.
“I had a closer look and you could see its little hands,” she told the ABC.
The recording shows the 15cm fish emerge from a ledge after being disturbed by a rock lobster.
“In that time it’s given us a really great head-on piece of imagery … to absolutely categorically identify the species and measure its size,” Associate Prof Barrett told the ABC.
“We’re quite excited to be able to use the range of techniques now and really see how important these deeper habitats are for such a rare species.”
A court in Mangochi, Malawi on Thursday, sentenced a 27-year-old man to eight years in prison for having sex with fellow men.
The man identified Jonathan Gomani and commonly known as Yvonne was found guilty of having sexual intercourse against the order of nature contrary to Section 153(c) of the Penal Code.
Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court through State Prosecutor, lnspector Amos Mwase heard that the convict who was born male but used to disguise himself as a woman, came to Mangochi early October and was trading as a commercial sex worker.
He manipulated fellow men with his feminine dressing and was being hooked as a prostitute. He then permitted them to have sexual intercourse against the order of the nature.
He was arrested by Mangochi Police detectives for robbing a 28-year old man of K120,000 cash and Samsung J2 in the room after the customer refused to pay because he discovered that Gomani was not a woman.
Mwase added that when the detectives went to search where Gonani was lodging, they rescued a 17-year-old Form 4 student who was found locked inside the room for 24 hours for refusing to pay Gonani since the child felt cheated.
The convict also confiscated the student’s Huwaei P8 phone as payment for the services.
Appearing in court, Gonani pleaded not guilty to charges of theft and sex against the order of nature and the state paraded five witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In mitigation, the convict asked for leniency saying that he was taking care of his old mother and also acting as a youth member who supplied condoms to sex workers as his responsibilities but Prosecutor Mwase reminded the court that the convict’s behaviour was against morals and law hence prayed for stiffer sentence.
Passing judgement, Senior Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe concurred with the state.
He therefore sentenced Gonani to 8 years for the count of unnatural sex, 3 year sentence for the count of theft and 3 years for another count of theft. The sentences will run concurrently.
